Tired Taper

I'm not quite sure why, but I'm feeling pretty tired the past few days even though I'm supposed to be tapering. It's probably still related to the cumulative fatigue of E3 and the long wedding weekend.  But it's Wednesday...shouldn't this be done by now? My fatigue may be combined with a couple fairly intense training sessions the past couple days. Last night, before taking Stephanie's wounded car into my dad's repair shop in Simi Valley, I swam 3,000 yards.  Part of that session included a 2,000 time trial at race pace (35 minutes YES!).  This morning, I cycled on my trainer for an hour, with 18 minutes of that session being at time trial race pace.  I followed that effort with a 40-minute tempo run, which was surprising to me in that I figured with essentially 10 days to go before IMCDA I'd be hanging firmly in heart rate zones 1-2.

Apparently not.

The challenge with this approach is that if I'm going on a tempo run, I want to see how fast I can complete it.  Maybe it's a combination of my extra stored up energy or sheer dumb competitiveness.  What I really think the issue is that I'm afraid of getting slower heading into the big race.  Based on Joe Friel's blogs, I know this is partially true -- tapering is about gaining energy and rest at the expense of some fitness. But I get paranoid about losing too much fitness to where it may affect me.  I know this is rubbish, but yet I run hard anyways.  Today, two of my four miles were below an 8-minute mile pace, which I won't need at all for Ironman.  My pace is firmly in the 9-minute category, not including the walk-run strategy I plan to employ.

Anyway, after this morning's brick, I drove to Santa Barbara with Stephanie for our wedding tasting. The food was outstanding and I'm very excited about serving it to our guests.  I think they'll be pleasantly surprised -- this won't be a "rubber chicken dinner" that's for sure!

I just got home and here we are.  After typing all this out, I think it's easy to see why I'm feeling rather exhausted.  I need some more rest.  I'm not sure when I'm going to get it before next Tuesday, when I take off work for the rest of the week in preparation for the big event.

I really hope this doesn't catch up to me when it counts the most.

11 days and counting.

Defining a Legacy

I was listening to sports radio (Colin Cowherd) this morning on the way to the final day of E3, the video games industry mega-trade show. He was talking about an Orlando Sentinel newspaper column that indicated LeBron James' entire career legacy would be defined by his performance in tonight's Dallas-Miami NBA Finals game. It got me thinking. Are we as triathletes defined by our event performance? Or one event in particular? If I fail at Ironman Coeur d'Alene does that mean my triathlon career is a failure? What about all the hard work that is poured into getting to that moment? Does it not mean a thing?

I think not!

Only the person creating the legacy ought to define the legacy. With his or her own imprint. And that imprint is made with the hundreds upon hundreds of hours of training -- whether for school, or work or sports.

Then, I got to imagining what it would be like to wake up the next day after a poor Ironman performance and read all about it in the blogs and news sites. That my legacy is defined by that moment. That would be tough to overcome. I guess it all comes down to expectations, and internalizing others' expectations instead of focusing on one's own goals. This is an important point for all us triathletes (and my fellow IM CDA competitors) to remember in the coming weeks. No matter what happens on race day, we all put in the hard work to get to that moment. Sure, it's disappointing not to hit the time goal you trained for -- I know, I've been there. But it doesn't mean your "legacy" has to be tarnished. Your legacy is reaching high for a goal, sticking with it, FINISHING the race and still being known forever as an Ironman.

THAT is our legacy. Nobody can take that from us.

17 days and counting.

PS: This is my run data from this past Sunday with Jason. Jason, this should help give you an idea of why the Garmin 310x rocks!

Standing at the Mountaintop...Again

Rejoice!  Ironman Coeur d'Alene taper has begun! After a Saturday of cycling and running seven hours and climbing 7,000-plus feet and a Sunday of running 13 miles and swimming close to 3,000 yards, I stand on the precipice of peak physical and mental fitness.

I am ready for Coeur d'Alene.

Earlier this week, I struggled with my personal trainer telling me I'm "just not cut out for running."  I've turned that into fuel for my fire, and a new mantra:

"I may not be a runner.  But I am a runner today."

That's how I felt as I ran the hills of Calabasas with my buddy Jason today.  I was planning on a mild, flat tempo run but Jason had other ideas.  He's gearing up for his first half marathon at Dirt Mulholland and wanted some climbing work.  I obliged, and I'm glad I did. While I think the workout was meant to be a confidence boost for him, it certainly turned out to be the same for me too.  We did some serious climbing today up Mulholland and some hilly neighborhoods near Calabasas High School.  My body held out just fine, as did my heart-rate.  Perhaps I pushed just a bit harder than I would have on my own, but having the company and the challenge of running with a friend made it more than worthwhile.

That's been the biggest difference between my final build phase for Ironman Arizona and Coeur d'Alene.  For my first Ironman, I trained at the same course (dreadful Fillmore), largely by myself.  This time, my big bike workouts have been at springtime century events, heavily supported by teammates and new friends I've met along the way.  My workouts have remained fun and challenging, not grueling and mind-grinding. The misery of peaking before IMAZ has been replaced by firm resolve to put my head down, shut up and simply get the work done.   To be fair, I also think it helps knowing what I'm up against in my second Ironman rather than staring into the darkness of potential failure and personal embarrassment of failing to finish my Ironman.

No such demons this time.

I have pretty pictures to support this blog entry, but alas I'm in the office at work now (10:30 p.m.)  preparing for tomorrow's epic E3 day of announcements.  So, those pretty pictures are going to have to wait until tomorrow.  In fact, this week is going to be a crapshoot on blog posts.  As I've mentioned before, this week is like the Super Bowl of the videogames industry, and our company is smack at the proverbial 50-yard line.

Thank goodness my build phase ended one-day before the madness. But where will I find time to rest?

Haven't figured that one out yet.

22 days and counting.

1 Month to Go!

Of course, you wouldn't know it's one month until IM CDA as once again my math skills are subpar.  My internal counting clock is off by a day. Let's hope I show up on time in Coeur d'Alene!

Today, Coach Gerardo shared the rest of my schedule with me leading up to the race.  This week is about 21 hours, next week is around 18 and the remainder of my training will hover in the 12-13-hour range.  So, two more big weeks and then we'll ease off the gas.  Then again, I've never quite felt my foot on the physical accelerator that much this season.  That's not to say I haven't been training hard -- I've given this everything I've got in the tank just to survive it all.  But it just goes to show the difference experience can make.  The stillness, relaxation and sense of confident purpose is having a real effect on my body, allowing me to keep weight on more easily this time around while remaining "dialed in" for race day.

If race day were tomorrow I'd welcome it with open arms.  Unlike last season towards the end of Ironman training, I don't feel like I'm cramming for a final exam with the last big training sessions.  Look, I've been on a performance plateau for around six months now.  An extra big bike ride or long swim won't make or break my Ironman, so I might as well chill out about the whole thing.

One month to go. What will I be feeling and thinking at this time in June?  Will I be celebrating finishing the race the way I intended, or will I be glad just to get to the finish line?  During my training workouts, when I have more time to let my mind wander, I think I'm going to visualize going through the entire race.  I keep reading and hearing pro athletes and coaches talk about the importance of visualization.  This Saturday, when I'm participating in the Heartbreak 100 ride in Lebec, will be a good time to start.

One month to go.  I'm savoring every moment.  Every memory.  Absorbing every detail of every workout I can.  These are likely the last real days of having the freedom to train like this for many years to come.  Sure, I'll do Olympic triathlons and 70.3 races, but maybe not an Ironman.  I've said that before.  So even the hard workouts are becoming more enjoyable.  Just for the sheer joy of having the free time to do them.  For doing something for myself.

One month to go.

31 days and counting.

Where the Heck I've Been...

Where have I been? Where haven't I been since the last time I wrote?

This video blog attempts to explain!

Also, here's my Garmin data from the Palos Verdes Half Marathon, in context now with how I chose to run the race.

It's good to be back!

37 days and counting!

Picking Me Up Out of the Can

Something happened after Wildflower Long Course that I've been meaning to mention but it's been swept up (along with my energy level) with getting sick. When I came home from the race late Saturday night/Sunday morning, I was exhausted and dejected.  I went into my bathroom to wash for bed and noticed my purple Post-It note in the mirror: "Break 12:00:00 at Coeur d'Alene."

We had a staring contest, the note and I.  The note won.  In that moment, my goal seemed farther away than ever.  Crushed, I removed the sticker and tossed it into the garbage.  Lights out.  Time for bed.  We'll find a new goal in the morning.  How about just finishing without being wrecked with muscle spasms in my legs?  Seems reasonable to me.

When I finally woke up later Sunday morning, around 11, I stumbled out of bed and wandered into the bathroom.  There, on the mirror, in the center, lay the purple Post-It.

I'm pretty sure it didn't sprout legs and climb up on its own.  Though I was so punchy I would have believed it if sold hard enough on the story. Stephanie had seen the note lying at the bottom of the can.

I had stopped believing in my own capabilities, especially not seeing any real performance improvement since last November.  She hasn't stopped believing.

I can't describe how important that is to me.  Right now, with honestly little left in the tank physically and motivationally, her faith is mostly all I have left to hold onto.

May we all be so blessed to have support like that, to help pull us out of the proverbial can when we need it most.  As a result, I got on the trainer bike last night before bed, just to spin the legs out.  Forty-five minutes of easy riding, enough to break a sweat while not straining my breathing or re-start that pesky sinus headache.  Tonight, it's swimming on the way home from work. One workout at a time.  One day at a time.

I'm not going to say that breaking 12 hours at CDA is possible at this point. But I still like looking at the note on the mirror, convincing myself that perhaps it's still within reach.  Just maybe.

Someone else in the household definitely thinks it is.

51 days and counting.

Why I Almost Signed Up for IM St. George: Part 2

Upon entering VNSO pool yesterday morning for my 3,200 yard swim, I saw the following sign posted near the dressing room door: "Pool to be closed for maintenance for 3 WEEKS starting May 31."

I had to do a triple-take.  No, this can't be happening!  Seriously?  The final three weeks of IM Coeur d'Alene training?  When I'm in the pool for repeated 4,000-yard workouts and then running off to work, then more long-distance training after work?

Yes, there are other pools in the area.  But none are quite as convenient as VNSO, which is literally 5 minutes from my condo.  I can roll out of bed, put on my swimsuit, grab a banana to eat quickly, fill my water bottle and within 15 minutes I'm swimming laps.  It's fast, and most important, conveniently on my way to work.

Now, I'll need to head the opposite direction, to Calabasas, to fit in my morning swims.  Then, I'll need to fight traffic to get to work on time.  It's a hassle, and really the last thing I need or want at this point in my training.  Worse, I'm not sure what Coach Gerardo is going to do about coached swim workouts in the evening or mornings as those require permits.  Is it really worth the effort to secure those for three weeks?

This led me yesterday to make up my mind that I was going to go for Ironman St. George.  I'm sick of scheduling my life around training!  So the best way around that is to A) be done as quick as possible and take a longer break and B) IM St. G is on May 7, so the pool being closed May 31-June 24 won't really matter to me.

My mind was further made up after I spent time talking with Mark Allen, widely considered one of if not THE greatest triathlete of all time.  I'm interviewing Mark for my next "Mind Games" column with Lava Magazine Online.  I couldn't resist asking him about my "dilemma" at the end of our interview.  His advice? Why not do BOTH St. George and IM CDA?

My heart says YES!  My body says NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Marks' feeling was that you should race at the races you want to race at.  If St. George is calling to me, which it is and will continue to, then I should do it.

Then, after a second Passover seder last night, I talked with Stephanie about it.

She thinks I likely won't be physically able to complete IM CDA if I do St. George, and if I don't do CDA then I've wasted a huge amount of money.  This is true.  And the race is largely non-refundable ($150 return for $575 registration, no thanks!).  So, in pragmatic terms, I'd be spending close to an extra $1,000 just to satisfy a deep primal urge to be an Ultimate Badass(TM).  And, if I tried to do CDA, I'd still need to find a friggin' pool for those three weeks!!!

So, after having some real sense talked into me, I'm back to my original plan.  I'm going for IM CDA, with all my might.

I really want to try St. George.  If I was made of money right now, didn't have two games shipping this fall, wasn't planning for a wedding and honeymoon or writing for Lava, I just might do it.

Instead, I'll think about St. George for next year, depending on the state of my mind, body and spirit. I know I've said CDA will be my last full-distance Ironman, but St. George is only six hours away!  It's so close, whispering to me.

If only Coeur d'Alene was whispering to me as loudly.  I think I need to work on that.  The Wildflower long-course next Saturday will help.

62 days and counting.

No Workout Monday

I'm not really sure why Coach Gerardo gave me a day off from training today.  Oh yeah, the monster ride on Saturday!  Well, I didn't have any time to compile my video blog yet so stay tuned for that.  Instead, my free time this morning was spent at the doctor's office for the annual physical and drawing of blood.  Whee!  My favorite. Physically, I feel fine today.  I could have worked out, same as yesterday,when I swam a hard 1,800 yards in 30 minutes and a light 45-minute run immediately following.  Shockingly, I could have kept going, which is very encouraging for Ironman training.  So much so that I started to flirt with the idea of forgoing Ironman Coeur d'Alene and tackling St. George instead.  But that just might be a bit too crazy given my already hectic schedule.  Then again, if I complete IM StG in early May, I'm essentially done with tri-racing for the year and can focus more on work, wedding, having a life, etc.  It's a tempting offer, but perhaps I'm underestimating the difficulty of the St. George course.  Further, I had a very hard time staying warm during the coldest portion of the Mulholland Challenge bike ride, shivering uncontrollably for minutes at the base of PCH upon leaving the chilly mountains.  St. George is supposed to be similarly cold, especially in the water.  Can I hack it?

I kind of want to find out.  Then again though, if I stay on my plan toward CDA, I can take the experience and strength I gained from this weekend and apply it towards a better result.  It's a great conundrum to face.

But the best conundrum of all is enjoying a rare Monday off-day.  What to do with the extra time?  Unfortunately, it was spent in a doctor's office, having a dull needle shoved in my arm.  Come to think of it, that's not too dissimilar from a hard day of training.

Both leave you feeling a bit woozy and needing sugar afterwards.

71 days and counting.

Coeur d'Alene Race Strategy Lesson

What a busy day.  First, the hot water was knocked out in our condo so that killed any chance of a morning workout.  (Sorry, I may do 12 hours of physical pain and mental anguish, but cold showers and I don't get along.)  Then, from there I've been non-stop in meetings, impromptu meetings and more meetings until around 7 tonight.  I've just finished dinner at home and am waiting around 20 minutes to get on the bike to spin for an hour, moving my strength session to Wednesday because I just can't fit it all in today. Fortunately, one of my meetings was an interview for my next Lava Magazine column.  I connected with Andy Potts, Ironman winner and 2004 Olympian. Andy has been tough to pin down for the past week so I jumped at the chance to talk. While I won't disclose what I'm writing about for April's Lava piece, we did get to the subject of race strategy at Ironman Coeur d'Alene during the final few minutes of our call.  That, I can share here.

Andy won Ironman Coeur d'Alene last year in a time of 8:24:40.  So I asked him what tips he might have for me and others who read my blog.  Andy advised me to use the course to my advantage, explaining that it's two laps on the swim, bike and run. He broke the race up into two parts for each leg, racing each lap like a half Ironman.  "Any tricks you can play with your mind to help overcome the obstacle (of an Ironman) really goes a long way," Andy said.  He added that the course is nice but challenging, a little hilly. Fortunately the crowd gets behind everyone, especially as racers enter the heart of town.

I may not have been able to train much today, but I feel like I got a great lesson in race strategy nonetheless.  I'll keep that in mind as I prepare for IM CDA, though don't worry, Coach Gerardo, I'll stick to our plan (for the most part!).

Now, time to cram in an hour of spinning.  Wish me luck.

92 days and counting.

Answering the Call

I heard the bell tonight in my head.  Round 1: Fight! Really, it's round 12 of a 15 round slugfest.  The prize is my second Ironman.  As far as I'm concerned, Ironman CDA training "officially" began today.  It began in the pool, when in the final 100 of the night, two swimmers I had swam as fast as in speed drills all evening passed me in our time trial.  That made me think of my friend Chris, who the other night told me his only goal at IM CDA is to beat my IMAZ time, "a little friendly competition" he told me.

My friends are gunning for me.  They're training to beat their best aspirational times, and me in the process.

There is no more room for moping, or bitching.  Now is the time to work.

Coach Gerardo reminded me of that tonight when he said it's time to stop taking Sundays off.  Wildflower is essentially six weeks away. I haven't done enough brick workouts.  My conditioning is good but not great.

Like the Lakers, if there's some magical "switch" that I can turn on, now is the time to flip it.  Now is the time to drop the negativity.  Now is the time to put on the proverbial hard hat and go to work.  To answer the call.  Perhaps my three-day slide isn't unlike the Lakers' pre-All-Star skid where they lost to fairly miserable teams Charlotte and Cleveland.  Perhaps the champs were looking for motivation, and found it after taking some time to rest and recover.

That's how I'm feeling right now.  Re-focused, if not re-energized. I'm still working on that latter part, but I can sense the urgency in Wildflower approaching. I've honestly overlooked it, with nearly all my focus placed on IM CDA.

And today, Wildflower and IM CDA training officially began.  In the pool, losing badly to my buddies.

But to my friends who think they're beating me in Coeur d'Alene this year, I will say this:  Step your game up.  I'll be waiting.

Switch = flipped.

96 days and counting.