Bacon Weekly

Tuesday- 1150 M swim - 100 WU, 200FSX5 w/ 15 sec bks, 50 CD
Saturday 3.5 mile run, zone 2

Still searching for the 4 days per week groove...I'll get there...brought my bike in tonight to set-up on the trainer....some traveling (taking Mom to NYC) and Christmas has most of my attention now. I'll keep some random schedule until Jan. Lifted a deer by myself this weekend and felt it in the groin, so that was my fair warning that I'm not 100% yet, so no more big lifting...I have the annual Jingle Bell Run this Saturday, so I'm looking forward to that. I medaled in that race last year...my first and only too! I'll try to defend my 3rd place crown for Team Topper Tri....

Dinos Weekly

Wed: First 2 miler after surgery: 14:45 pace (speed walk)-15 min. bike (trainer)
Thur: 2 miles at 12:25 pace.... speed walking and very slow jog on straights
15 min. bike trainer - core
Sun: 3 mile jog at 9:45 pace, 30 min. bike and core

First of all, congrats to all new Ironmen of our group. well done, well documented, and well deserved. As for me, I feel like I accomplished an ironman this week. Havnt really been released to do any thing physical yet. However, had to go for a walk on wed... Things felt good and I focused on every step and incorporated the midfoot strike with some chi running. Im icing and anti-inflamatory for the knee. It was progressed nicely this week.... very happy. Im starting physical therapy tommorrow... hopefully will get the remainder of swelling out and increase the range of motion. Already looking forward to my next race. Looking at a New Years Resolution 5k in Nashville, Tn on Jan. 1. This will keep me off the juice and focused on the new year. I know it will be a slow paced run for me, just want to get back in the flow (last race was July 4) Just real optimistic about my recovery, just want to take things slowly and shed this 10 pounds I gained since Sep 3. also want to kick this depression I gained by not being able to run. Very thankful to have something to write about this week.

Dino is back (a little)

Texas Independence Relay - March 6 & 7, 2010

 

http://www.texasindependencerelay.com/

An Old-School Social Network - The Wall Street Journal.

An Old-School Social Network

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704779704574555862616828726.html

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A Recession-Friendly Email Device - The Wall Street Journal.

A Recession-Friendly Email Device

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125875089198957857.html

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TIME Mobile: Man in Coma Heard Everything for 23 Years

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TIME Mobile: The 00's: A Decade from Hell

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Road to Ironman Arizona (11/16-11/22/09) RACE WEEK

Monday Rest Day

Tuesday Rest Day

Wednesday 36 minute temp run (26 minutes at threshold). Heart rate stayed pretty high. Made me think I should take it easy the rest of the week.

Thursday 20 minute easy run.

Friday Travel to Tempe, Arizona. Met Mark and his family at the Chili’s restaurant near downtown for lunch. After lunch, our family went to check in at the hotel room while Mark and his family picked up my parents at their hotel. We met at the race transition area and got checked in at the expo. Having that official Ironman competitor bracelet attached was a great feeling. We were official Ironman competitors 1137 and 820 (Mark). They gave us an Ironman backpack with some paraphernalia, the official Ford IMAZ poster, and the Ford Ironman Arizona 2009 program. Our names were listed. Too cool! From there, we walked over to the TriBike Transport area to see our bicycles. We had never transported our bikes through a second party before, so we were very pleased to see they looked in great condition. The TriBike folks were great and did a super job. We decided to leave them today and pick them up tomorrow morning before the bike transition area opened. We walked over to Tempe Town Lake and got a look at the race start. The 1.2 mile turnaround buoy was barely visible from where we stood. After a short walk through the expo area,  we met back up with our parents while they enjoyed lunch at Monti’s and I walked with Jennifer and Christina to Starbucks for a coffee.

After returning to the hotel, our wives and parents took the kids to putt putt golf while Mark and I began putting our transition and special need bags together. The bike and run gear bags would hold whatever we planned to wear and/or use during the bike and run. The bike and run special needs bags would hold nutrition and equipment (co2 cartridges, tubes, tires, etc.) we wanted access to at the halfway point of each course (56 miles on the bike, 13.1 miles on the run). I put a couple of Gaviscon chewable tablets, some salt tablets, and a Clif Bar in my bike special needs. In the run special needs bags, I put a long sleeve tech shirt (once the sun goes down in the desert, the temperature drops quickly), some Gaviscon and salt tablets, and a few extra Hammer gels. The final bag is the morning gear bag. It’s meant to hold whatever you plan to bring to the race course on race morning and then holds whatever you wore to the race course that morning. This way, you have warm clothes available to you after the race.

By the time we finished preparing our bags, it was time to drive to the Tempe Arts Center for the Athletes’ Dinner. The dinner was held outside. They served pasta, rice, chicken, salad, bread rolls, and cookies. Gatorade and water were your two drink choices. Mike Reilly, the “voice” of Ironman (Mike is the man who calls each competitor by name and says, “You are an Ironman” as each competitor crosses the finish line.), was the emcee. He introduced Paula Newby-Fraser, the 8 time Ironman world champion, her husband Paul Huddle, his business partner Roch Frey, and several other World Triathlon Corporation folks to bring greetings and/or provide race course rules and instructions. The mayor of Tempe greeted us. Rudy Garcia-Tolson, who would become the first “double above the knee amputee” to complete an Ironman when he did it on Sunday in Arizona, was introduced. The video “You Will Do This” about Ironman racing was shown on the two big screens (you can find the video on YouTube). Everyone who was a first-timer was asked to stand. Those who had lost more than 50 lbs. while training were asked to stand. The most weight lost by a competitor was 180 lbs. He received some prizes. The youngest (18-years-old) male and female competitors were introduced. The oldest competitor was a 77-year-old man. It was a fun and inspiring night. After the dinner. we drove back to the hotel and went straight to bed in preparation of the next day’s pre-race activities.

Saturday Mark and I met in the hotel lobby for breakfast at 6:15 am. After some oatmeal and toast, we got our swim and bike gear together and headed down to the race course. We checked in our clothes at the Gatorade check-in and put on our wetsuits for a short 30-minute swim in the swim course in Tempe Town Lake. The water was 63 degrees. FRIGID! Our feet and toes curled up and it took our breath away. We decided it was best to keep swimming and try to get warm. The course is a one-loop (1.2 miles out, 1.2 miles back) rectangle. We swam about a mile and got out. I confided to Jennifer later that night that while I was happy to know how cold the water would be and how it would feel, I wasn’t sure it didn’t hurt my confidence a little when I realized how difficult it was to catch my breath in the cold water. The pool I practiced in was 86 degrees year-round!

After the swim, Mark and I changed into bike clothes and retrieved our bikes from the TriBike Transport tent. They put our pedals back on the bikes and we headed out for a few miles on the bike course. This was meant to give us an idea of the course out of town and to test our bikes for any mechanical issues. The ride went well. When we returned to the transition area, the bike transition was opening, so we got in line to rack our bikes. The bike racks were set up by competitor number and your place on the rack had a sticker with your number on  it. We put our numbers on the bike and let some airs out of the tires (tire tubes can burst in the heat).

By this point, we were pretty hungry. We found a Wendy’s and ordered a plain chicken breast with a baked potato. There was a lady sitting next to us who talked out loud to herself the entire time.

We called our parents after lunch and asked if they’d like to drive the bike course with us. We picked them up and headed out on the bike course. The course heads out of the Tempe Town Lake Park toward and through the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. Proceeds from the race would go to benefit the Indian Community. The course is three loops, each loop approximately 38 miles (19 miles out, 19 miles back). 10 of those 19 miles out are a false flat, meaning it looks flat but you are actually climbing for the entire 10 miles. Of course, this also means that 10 miles coming back are downhill.

We drove back to the hotel and relaxed for a few hours (the kids spent much of the day in the hotel pool) until we left for a pre-race family dinner at an Outback in Scottsdale. I had a chicken breast and sweet baked potato with some of their yummy bread. Mark and I left immediately after eating to get back to the hotel for an early bedtime. Our wives and kids took our parents back to their hotel and they were all back and in bed early, too. Tomorrow would be a LONG day for everybody.

Sunday Mark and I were up at 3:30 am and met in the lobby for breakfast at 4:15 am. After an oatmeal with honey, an apple juice, and a little coffee, we picked up our bags from the room and drove to the athlete parking. We arrived in transition around 5:30 am. We put our nutrition on the bike (I put three bottles of Perpetuem) and two cut-up Hammer bars in my Bento box, with an additional Perpetuem and Clif Bar in my special needs bag) and had our tires aired up to about 110 psi. I took a couple of things over to my bike and run gear bags and we both delivered our special needs bags to the volunteers. Beginning at 6:40 am, they began calling for us to begin our walk to the swim start area. We put on our wetsuits and swim caps (we wore two swim caps for added warmth), put our morning bags in their boxes, had a Hammer gel with some water, and headed to the swim start. Our families were waiting for us and we gave them some waves and blew them kisses.

The professional racers cannon start went off at 6:50 am and all of us age-group athletes cheered excitedly. Mark and I wished each other well with a big hug and then jumped in the frigid water and made our way some 200 yards to the swim start. We placed ourselves about four people deep among the more than 2500 competitors. We treaded water as the Star Spangled Banner was played. Paul Huddle asked how many of us were first-timers and we cheered wildly (almost half the racers were first-time Ironmen distance competitors). He yelled to the racers, “We WILL see all of you at the finish line.” And with that, the cannon went off and we were racing! I clicked my watch on and began swimming. Immediately, I had arms and legs and bodies of other swimmers all over me. It was a battle to make it through those first 200-300 yards, but finally I found some open water. I just put my head down, found my rhythm, and kept swimming. Every few yards, I would sight for fellow racers and the bridge that I used as my next goal. There were still occasional bumps from a fellow racers as we all worked our way closer to the buoy line, but I just kept focused and kept swimming. The cold, which had caused me so much worry, wasn’t even on my mind by this point. I was comfortable and feeling good. The 1.2 mile turnaround was upon us and next thing I knew, we were heading back to the transition area. With about 500 yards to go, a fellow racer swam right over the top of my back, pushing me completely under water. I caught a mouthful of water and had to breaststroke while I coughed and got my breath back. Within a couple of seconds, I had my head back in the water and headed to shore. I got out of the water slowly with the help of volunteers and found some wetsuit “strippers” (volunteers who pull your wetsuits off) to help me off with my wetsuit. My left leg didn’t want to let go and it took them a few extra seconds to get my suit off. Once off, I threw the suit over my shoulder and headed for the bike transition tent. (Swim time: 1:19:18, a personal best by 11 minutes at this distance)

I found my bike transition bag thanks to help from a volunteer and headed to the tent. Once inside, I found a sea of men in various stages of undress. I spotted an open chair at the back of the tent and jogged to get it. I sat down, caught my breath, and began getting out my bike gear. I put on a pair of bike shorts over my tri shorts. I took off my tri top and put on my UT Cycling Team shirt. I put on my bike socks, bike shoes, aero helmet, and grabbed my sunglasses. A volunteer helped me put my swim stuff back in the bag and I took the bag to outside the tent for replacing in the gear transition area. I put on my sunglasses and jogged slowly to my bike. I took my bike to the mount area and got on smoothly for the beginning of our 112 mile ride. Once we turned onto the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, I noticed the road seemed more of a climb than it seemed driving it in the car. I also noticed the wind was a little stronger than it had been since we arrived in town two days ago. I put the bike in the small chain ring and the 14 on the back and just stayed there to the turnaround some 19 miles out. At the turnaround I knew my hydration was working well because I needed to stop at the port-a-potty urinal. I came out, got back on the bike, and after starting down the highway, put the chain on the big ring and rode the downhill hard and fast for the next 10 miles. The trip back was definitely faster than the ride out. I saw my family at the turnaround and gave them a big “Hook ‘em” to let them know all was going well. 

The second loop went well again. I had a little bit of stomach cramping, so I stopped for a couple of salt tablets and two Gaviscon at the 56 mile mark where our bike special needs bags awaited us. I felt better in minutes and again put the bike into the big chain for the ride back into town. Once again, I saw my family cheering me on and the added motivation plus the fact this was last lap gave me the energy I needed to ride the big ring both out and back. I put it in the small ring for some of the climb, but after riding the big ring most of the loop, I raised my average from 16 to 18 mph for the final loop. (Bike Time- 6:30:52)

I dismounted slowly and handed my bike to a volunteer to re-rack for me. I tried jogging slowly with my bike shoes on and could definitely feel the 18 mph of the last bike leg. I began walking toward the bike bags and took my bag to the first chair I could find just outside the transition tent. I took off my helmet, bike shoes, bike shorts, and bike shirt. I put on my tri top, my running shoes, and my running visor. EMT’s were ensuring all racers were OK to continue onto the run course. One of them assisted me in getting my bike gear back in my transition bag. He wished me well as he took my bag from me. I stopped for a slathering of sunblock from the volunteers and a quick pit stop before heading out for my full marathon (26.2 miles) run.

 

The run out was tough for the first two miles. I had a hard time finding my rhythm and was so glad to reach the first aid station. Luckily, the first half mile had spectators five deep on both sides of the trail. They were great to shout encouragement and it helped keep me going. After getting a little Gatorade and water, I was off and feeling much better. I had planned to run between every aid station and walk each aid station while I hydrated and ate. It was about mile three that we hit our first big climb and I decided to walk it in an effort to save my legs for the long run ahead. At about 6 miles, we came back into the transition area and seeing my family again was a wonderful boost.

I gave them a big wave to let them know I was doing well and kept running to the next aid station. The back side of the approximately 8 mile loop was tougher. It had several small climbs and one long, steep climb after the park area. I walked each climb and while it slowed my overall time, I knew it would enable me to stay strong to the finish. I continued this strategy throughout the race. By the time I got to the halfway point, I was fatigued no more than a usual weekend training run. I stopped at the special needs bag and picked up my long sleeve tech shirt. As the sun goes down on the desert town, the temperature drops quickly. I began taking some chicken broth and coke at several stops and I was actually feeling hungry.  At least three times, I took pretzels, or potato chips, or bananas, or orange slices to satisfy my hunger. I didn’t take one of the gels I had packed for the fun. This was a great sign. Normally by the time I  get to the 13-mile mark, eating is the last thing on my mind. My body is so fatigued and my stomach is so bloated that I can’t stomach another gel or another sports drink. I am forced to finish on water alone and the loss of electrolytes zaps my energy. This time, the nutrition plan was coming together nicely. As I began my final loop, I found extra energy thinking that in less than 9 miles, I would be crossing the finish line. I came around the transition area loop and told my family, “See you at the finish!” On the backside, I walked that final hill by the park and as I came out from under the bridge, I could see across the lake to the finish line. I ran to the next bridge and as I walked the small hill there, Mark came running by.  He yelled at me and I yelled back. As I crested the hill, I told myself, “From here, we run to the finish.” I began running and as I came back into the transition area, the spectators were encouraging me to the finish line, “Go Karl. You look strong!” “That stride looks great!” “Keep it up. You are almost an Ironman!” It was fantastic. I felt myself getting faster with every word. And it was then that I saw the left turn to the finish line.

I took the “finish” left turn, came up over the  parking lot, took a right onto the road, and I began to smile knowing the finish line was only seconds ahead. As I made the final left turn onto the finishing chute, I looked up at the sky and sent my Grandfather Miller a kiss. I knew he’d been racing with me all day, so I thanked him for being by my side. I then looked ahead and as I high-fived spectators (just missing my family who I noticed too late) on both sides, I heard those magical words from Mike Reilly, “Karl Miller from Round Rock, Texas…YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” (Run Time 5:01:31, Finishing Time 13:07:10, Calories burned- over 12000!).

I crossed the finish line with tears in my eyes. I looked around and saw my parents waiting just outside the finishing area. I gave them a big hug and kiss. I got my finishers medal as volunteers took my timing chip off my ankle. My sister-in-law and niece found me and we hugged. They led me to find my wife and kids. I hugged and kissed my kids and then I finally had my chance to hug Jennifer. As I held her, the day’s emotions just poured out and I sobbed on her shoulder. She told me how proud she was of me and I thanked her for all she sacrificed for me in the past year.

We were all together when my brother crossed the finish line and it was a great moment when he and I hugged in celebration of our mutual accomplishment. He was the one who encouraged me to get into endurance athletics. Our first race together was a Muddy Buddy. I think it was a total of 6-9 miles and I was exhausted when we finished. To think how far we’d come and how much endurance athletics has changed my life and me as a person, I hugged him both in congratulations and thanks. I remember watching the Ironman on TV as a child and thinking that those people were superhuman. I never thought a mere mortal could do that. It was my brother who challenged me and led me to understand what the human body is truly capable of. He’s an inspiration to me and so many others he’s led down this path. I admire him greatly and love him even more.

After a few slices of pizza and some french fries in the athletes area, we walked our bikes over to the TriBike Transport tent. We retrieved our clothes from the morning bags and changed into our warm clothes from that morning. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by an In n Out Burger and I had two hamburgers and another order of french fries with a Dr. Pepper. As we prepared for bed, I took my medal off and laid on the night stand next to me. I wanted to make sure that anytime I woke up during the night, I could see it and remember that this was not all just a wonderful dream.

For now, I plan to enjoy the rest of the holiday season and not exercise too much. Training for an Ironman takes so much time and coordination when you have other family and job responsibilities. I know another Ironman race will be in my future, but when that will be is yet to be determined. Three years ago I never thought I’d be an Ironman. Who knows what great adventures lie ahead! As for 2010, I plan to do some local races (sprint to half IM distances) and a few bike rides and open water swims for fun. Other than that, the year is dedicated to repaying my debt to my family for all they sacrificed in supporting my dream this year.

Look forward to keeping up my weekly reports and hearing the weekly reports of our fellow Team Topper Tri teammates. All of you guys were a huge motivation to me and I hope I can be there as you were for me. Hope we can all get together for some kind of adventure this year.

Thank you to everyone who supported us in this endeavor. We received a lot of encouragement all along the way and I assure you it made a difference both during training and on race day. Ironman can be a really selfish endeavor if you don’t allow others to share the experience with you. Thank you all for coming along for the ride.

Kia Kaha!

Bacon weekly

Mon-Sat- 3 runs

Sun- 2009 Owensboro Turkey Run

First, I can't wait for the Miller's race reports. I followed via ironman website from morning till night and with Jennifer by phone. I kept these boys in my thoughts many,many times during the day and night. I cannot express how proud I am of you guys. You guys had many followers during the day......Brent thomas called me twice and was following you too! Dino and I talked and Schmidt and I talked multiple times during the day too. Can;t wait for the report.

As for my Sunday, I had a Ironman of sorts too. Started with a 4:30 a.m. deer hunt in Madisonville, got out of the stand at 7:15 and back to Owensboro for Sunday School and Church; then followed that by the Oboro Turkey run at 2 p.m. and pulled a personal best for that race. I ran 40:51 last year and pulled something in the 39:50 range thiss year (the chip timer bailed and didn't record my time, but I saw the clock and had my watch too), so about a minute faster than last year...I'm super pleased with an 8 minute mile average in November, recovering from the surgery, and wiped out from the deer hunt so I'll take it... I used Karl and Mark as motivation..so thanks guys....maybe you guys could do an Ironman during each of my races and I'll keep on besting?

TIME Mobile: A Brief History of Toilets

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TIME Mobile: Swiss Government and 'Suicide Tourism': Battle Looming

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TIME Mobile: Happiness Paradox: Why Are Americans So Cheery?

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Road to Ironman Arizona (11/09-11/15/09)

Monday Travel to New Orleans

Tuesday 52 minute tempo run (32 minutes at threshold)

Wednesday Off

Thursday 1:35 bike/run brick workout (1:15 hour bike/ 20 min run)

Friday Off

Saturday 3 hour long bike

Sunday 1:40 hour long run; 3300 yard swim (1.88 miles)

The second week of tapering went well. I took some extra days off to rest after some early and late travel days. My neck and back were both sore at the beginning of the week, but the slight pain was more of a nuisance than a detriment to my workouts. By this weekend the soreness was gone and I had some good workouts to end the week. My swim time is exactly where my training program says it should be and I completed both my bike and run well within the aerobic range. I celebrated with my family the final long swim, bike, and run sessions of the year.

Yesterday I bought all my nutrition for the race (liquid, gels, and bars) and a new pair of bike shorts. I’ve decided to change into bike shorts after the swim for the added comfort. What few seconds/minutes that may add to my transition time will be worth it in less discomfort and numbing.

Today I took my bike to Jack and Adam’s Bicycles where TriBike Transport will pick it up for transporting to Tempe. All I have to do is take the pedals to the race course when I arrive on Friday and they’ll put them back on my bike and return it to me for race day. I then return it to them after the race or Monday morning for transport back to Jack and Adam’s, where it will be waiting for me when I arrive back in Austin.

This week has 3 hours of scheduled training prior to race day. I plan to work through Wednesday and take Thursday off to make final preparations before leaving for Tempe on Friday morning. Mark and I plan a swim for Saturday morning and I’m sure we’ll get a short run and/or bike. Currently the race day weather forecast shows sunny skies with lows in the 50’s and highs in the 70’s. PERFECT! We can only hope it stays that way through race day.

For those wishing to catch race day coverage and keep up with our progress throughout the day, go to http://www.ironmanarizona.com/. I’ll plan to update my Twitter and Facebook Friday-Saturday and if all goes well, you may even hear from me on Sunday night after crossing the finish line. I’ll plan to post a full race report early next week.

Until then…Kia Kaha!

PS I still have questions about what comprises an Ironman race. It is a 2.4 mile swim, immediately followed by a 112 mile bike, immediately followed by a marathon (26.2 miles) run. See maps of the swim, bike, and run courses here: http://www.ironmanarizona.com/

From The Statesman's iPhone App:

Round Rock Firefighter Combat Challenge Team qualifies for World Finals
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/williamson/entries/2009/11/13/round_rock_firefighter_combat.html

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From The Statesman

Father takes ex-wife to court over son's autism treatment
http://www.statesman.com/services/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/14/1114thoughtful.html

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TIME Mobile: Teen Obesity: Lack of Exercise May Not Be to Blame

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Bacon weekly

Mon- off
Tues- 4.5 miles in College Station Texas
Wed- off
Thursday-off
Friday- 1000 meters.... 100 WU- 400 fast- 400 w/10 sec breaks, 100 down
Saturday- 5 Miles in Madisonville- fast pace
Sunday- off



decent weekly overall.....had some hernia incision pain after the fast pace run on Sat, but felt ok on Sunday.... more of a pushing hard pain rather than an injry pain so I think it ok...great run in College Station with Josh Higdon. Turkey Run 5 miler in Owensboro on Nov. 21...would like a PB...

First impressions sometimes say it all « Futurity.org

Research from UT-Austin:

http://futurity.org/society-culture/first-impressions-sometimes-say-it-all/

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Road to Ironman Arizona (11/02-11/08/09)

Monday Rest Day

Tuesday 2:05 hours tempo bike (40 min. at threshold)

Wednesday 54 minute tempo run (34 min. at threshold)

Thursday 1 hour bike (was scheduled at 2 hours but work and family schedule caused me to cut it short)

Friday Off Day

Saturday 4 hour bike/run brick (3 hour bike/1 hour run)

Sunday 1:05 hour run; 5000 yard swim (2.84 miles)

Two weeks from today is the big day!

Had a great first week of tapering. Felt a little tired early in the week, but after a couple of rest days I felt much stronger at the end of the week. I did have some muscle soreness in my neck that caused me some discomfort on the run Saturday, but after some heat Saturday night and a good swim on Sunday, it feels much better tonight. I’ll monitor this and providing heat and soreness cream as needed.

I took my bike to Jack and Adams this past week to get my new chain tweaked and put on new tires. TriBike Transport sent my confirmation and I am to deliver my bike to Jack and Adams on Nov. 15 for transport to Tempe. It will be waiting for me on the race course when I arrive on Friday, Nov. 20. I also got my new Mizuno Precision running shoes and put a few hours on them this week. They are another few grams lighter than my previous pair and feel light and smooth.

I travel to New Orleans for business tomorrow and have to leave early in the morning, so I’ll make tomorrow my rest day for this week. I will get a tempo run in on Tuesday morning. I look forward to my last full taper week this week before next week’s 3-hour total workout schedule prior to race day.

I will make my list of nutrition requirements and continue monitoring the weather to determine if any special clothing will be needed (rain jacket, for example). Anything I can do now to take a little stress out of our travel and pre-race day, I want to do. Also, in an effort to keep active and my anxiety down, we have several family activities planned during the next couple of weeks.

My best wishes go out to all my TTT brothers and to all those who keep up with them. I look forward to hearing what all of you have been up to.

Kia Kaha!

Remember Me?

Just a small update on my situtation: Stuggling with not being able to do crap... I have a torn meniscus in my left knee which causes a clicking sound and much pain if used much at all...... Scheduled to have athroscopic surgery on Nov 17th. should be out of work and recovered by January 1, 2010. It drains me to think that it took 2 years to get in beautiful shape and have the abilities to run a marathon (26.2) and complete a 100 mile century bike ride... then in 2 months, I lost it all. However, Im done with my pity party and have decided to be patient and realize that I will run,bike, and swim again someday (soon)...... Being that Im basically starting over, Ive researched some material about running, about getting out of my current job, and about life in gereral. With this material, Im beginning to get out of my depressed state of mind. Therefore, I recommend the following reading material: "ChiRunning" at chirunning.com and "The Runners Guide to The Meaning Of LIfe" by Amby Burfoot. Both are really cool books... Chirunning is little more technical and dry, but very imformative. The book by Burfoot is brilliant. He is also a really cool individual. Ive spoke with him a few times through emails and he is really down to earth and vibrates at a high frequency level... He is the 1968 Boston marathon winner and presently Executive editor of "Runners World" magazine... and still took the time to email me and autograph my book..... Anyway, hope all is well with you guys and your injuries.... Cluade is back and be patient... it will come again. Karl and Mark is approaching a pivital point in life with their Ironman race.... good luck! Give it hell men.... life is a journey..... keep climbing those mountains and I'll do the same

dino

TIME Mobile: 'I Am Autism' Advocacy Video Sparks Controversy

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Bacon Weekly

Boy, I've been slacking on the blog and I'm back with last weeks report; which was my first week back from surgery...1 month out from it. My pace has suffered for sure

Mon- 3 mile easy run
Tues- 800 easy swim
Wed- 3 mile run
Thurs- off
Fri- 1000 swim
Sat- 4 mile run
Sun- off

Working on a 2010 goals and training calendar now...should have it complete soon..

Beer with extra buzz on tap - up to 16% - USATODAY.com

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Beer with extra buzz on tap - up to 16%
http://usat.me/?36706614 Getting drunk just got cheaper.

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Posted via email from karlmiller's posterous

Road to Ironman Arizona (10/26-11/01/09)

Monday 2 hour tempo bike (2x20 minutes at threshold w/ 10 min active recovery)

Tuesday 52 minute tempo run (32 minutes at threshold)

Wednesday 2 hour brick workout (1:30 bike/30 min run at threshold)

Thursday 2 hour steady state bike (1:40 at high aerobic)

Friday Rest Day

Saturday 5:30 hours long bike (on the trainer)

Sunday 3 hour long run; 4300 yard (2.44 mile) swim

This week provided me a lot of confidence as I go into the three week race taper. I had some strong sessions during the week and this weekend’s long sessions may have been my best of the year. Thanks to great running weather, I kept my average heart rate at 143 for the entire three hours long run and I negative-split for the day. The bike session on Saturday was done entirely on the bike trainer and consisted of two loops of the IM Wisconsin race course. Sunday’s swim was a little over race distance and I finished it in 1:25, one of my best swims of the year. I feel optimistic that my training is peaking right on schedule. 

The next two weeks are my final full training weeks of the year prior to a very light race week schedule. I look forward to beginning the taper and can already feel a few pre-race day butterflies when I think we are so close to race day. We received our athlete’s update from Ironman and it was thrilling to hear that we’ll be notified of our race numbers soon. I’m watching the temperatures for Tempe on a weekly/daily basis and as of this week, high temps are still averaging in the low 90’s with low temps averaging in the low 60’s. If this stays true for three more weeks, race day promises to be sunny and hot. Hydration will be key…as I’ve started to get a little comfortable with the cool temps of late.

On Wednesday I take my bike in for one last check up and new tires and my new running shoes will arrive this week, just in time to get them broken in with a few runs over the next two weeks.

I send my congrats to Samantha Bacon for successfully completing her first 5k running race. I know all my Team Topper Tri mates join me in sending her our kudos. Now, if she can just get a better coach than Claude, she just may have a future in racing.

Kia Kaha!