...thoughts during the journey...

A cold and blustery Ironman Coeur d'Alene (IM CDA)

2009-06-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

The week leading up to IM CDA was chilly and the prediction for race day was cold, windy and rainy. I got in a couple short bike rides and runs...and one swim in the lake. It was in the warmest part of the day, but the lake was in the low 60's. It ended up not being that bad, but during the first few minutes I felt like my ears were going to freeze off. I also noticed the water was a little choppy.

Not too excited about climbing back into the water, I decided to limit the remainder of my swimming to race day. I stayed in a house with some folks from St. Augustine. James, Sally, and Libby. Neal, Libby's husband, was there to help with support and did a great job.

Luckily race day the water temperature was 64-65 degrees, and was just about perfect with a wetsuit. The air temperature was another story, it was in the high 40's or low 50's. Once we dressed in our wetsuit's, we had to drop off our dry clothes bag 30 minutes before the start...it was pretty crowded with all 2200+ racers and their family and closest friends all crammed along the lakefront. Sally, Libby, and I made our way to the beach in a slow semi-orderly fashion.

If you've never witnessed a mass Ironman swim start live...then you don't know what you're missing. Mike Reilly, "The voice of Ironman", always says something like, "...you are about to witness one of the greatest spectacle's in sport..." It's pretty crazy, and this start was no different. I've been through a few rough starts, but this one took the cake. It was a full on MMA cage match. There were people everywhere...swim form was out the window, it was just survival...and for Pete's sake, protect your head!

In retrospect I went out too slow and got bogged down in the huge mass. I wanted to swim really easy and expend the least amount of energy possible. The water was pretty choppy with some swells. The second lap saw the wind pickup, and the swells were a lot bigger and it was really hard to sight the bouy's. You really had to wait until you were on top of the swells before taking a look. You combine rough water with inexperienced swimmers, and you have people swimming sideways all over the place. There was very little open water.

To shorten this story a bit, I made it out in 1:11...ouch! I was hoping for closer to 1:05...well, ok...let's get on the bike. I got into the change tent and started putting on my clothes...every piece of riding gear I brought with me! I had a tough time getting the arm warmers pulled up, then got my bike jersey pulled overy my tri top. I then tried to put on a vest I brought, but the zipper wouldn't work...so I just stuck it and the garden gloves I bought into my jersey pockets. It was in the 50's and I wanted to be as warm as possible. Anyhow, it took me 8+ minutes to get out of T1! I could have taken a freakin' nap in that time! I was in 70th place in my age group going onto the bike.

The bike course is really beautiful. There are these incredible homes all along Lake Hayden...it's really something else. The bike course had some good hills on it, and since it's two loops...the fun lasts. Oh, did I mention the wind? It was pretty windy. My strategy was to keep a low heart rate and conserve as much as possible so that I could have a good run. In all the bike was pretty uneventful. I was really ready to get off about mile 85-90...I was totally over it. I did a good job with getting my calories in and hydrating well, but my legs were pretty sore and I was still haunted by the run that lay ahead. My bike split was 5:29, so it was way behind what I had hoped...but, once again in retrospect, I didn't go hard enough. I should have been about 20 minutes faster. I knew the watts I needed to hold, but was just trying to get through the entire distance...and I didn't want to walk the marathon. I was 46th in my age group coming off the bike.

In T2 I stripped off the arm warmers and bike jersey. I also left a running shirt in the bag instead of putting it on...I would regret not putting something on, and taking off the arm warmers out on the course. The temperature was in the low 60's and the wind was really whipping off of the lake. I ran out onto the course and felt pretty good. After getting my Garmin GPS to reset about 1/2 mile down the road, I saw that I was running 7:40 miles...yikes, too fast I thought. My heart rate was low and it felt comfortable, but I figured I would pay a very high price later in the run if I kept up this effort...so I backed it down.

The first loop was a bit cold, but I felt pretty solid. The last 13 miles is where you have to really "man up" and try not to fade too bad. The temperature had dropped and the wind was really strong off the lake on the second loop. My nutrition and hydration were still good, and I didn't have any stomach issues. I was hurting pretty good, but still doing the "Ironman shuffle" pretty well. I got to the turn around point on the second lap, and walked the hill. I figured it wouldn't be much faster "running" up it, and I caught everyone who passed me going back down. There were about 4 miles to go and I ended up picking it up and progressively running faster each mile. I passed a fair amount of people, even a few in my age group.

All I could think about was getting to the finish and putting on some warm clothes and eating the pizza that is always offered at the end of an Ironman...did I already say I was freakin' freezing! Tons of people had grabbed those aluminum foil type blankets and were wearing them to stay warm. I was also craving prentzels...and they had huge boxes of them. I would run by and scoop up a handful as they flew everywhere...I had maybe 30-50 in my hand with each grab, but for some reason only 2-3 made it in my mouth each time! My body wasn't working that well anymore.

Well, I "sprinted" down the last mile and finished in 10:42. A long ways from where I wanted, but not a total blow out...I had one of those in Arizona last year! I finished running, and pretty much ran the whole way...so I'm happy for that. My marathon time was 3:49. And once again, in retrospect, I should have went faster in the beginning while I still could. And as Shawn says, everyone fades towards the end of these things, you just try to fade less. I ended up 227th overall and 42nd out of 444. Being top 10% overall and in my age group is nice, but my goal was to be in the top 1-3% in my age group...so I was pretty far off.

I raced scared, and for me to do well I had to race on the edge...just on the thin line of either going fast, or not being able to finish. I raced conservative, and that's where the chips fell. Shawn Burke was 1 place behind a guy named Tarkington when he did the race 2 years ago...funny thing, I was 1 place behind the exact same guy in my age group this year! Strange stuff.

Luckily, it only started raining on me with less than a mile to go! I was shaking so bad that I ended up dropping my pizza...but still downed 4 pieces of pepperoni and a whole row of cookies in short order. I then shivered over to the massage tent and the big heater inside.

First lap...

Second lap...can you tell the difference...

Finish...ugly pictures!

On Monday we went to the most famous burger joint in Coeur d'Alene, Hudson's...in business for 100 years! If you want fries and a milkshake with your burger...forget about it...they ONLY sell burgers and pie! Right before they hand you the burger, they dip the bun on the grill to add that extra "burger flavor". I had a double with cheese! The place is small, and we waited in line...and they were busy non-stop. I'm not sure if the burger was really good, or if I was just that hungry, either way it tasted great at the time!

Thanks to everyone for their support and well wishes...it's a very long journey, and a very emotionally and physically taxing day. I just got done reading another of my "Must Read" books, "Running With the Buffaloes" by Chris Lear. It follows a year with the Colorado University men's cross country team. A year that would see one of them win the NCAA cross country title, and another lose his life.

At the end their coach says something which can be applied to any of the tough endurance sports. It could be running, cycling, or triathlon's and it would still ring true.

"In football, you might get your bell rung, but you go in with the expectation that you might get hurt, and you hope to win and come out unscathed. As a distance runner, you know you're going to get your bell rung. Distance runners are experts at pain, discomfort, and fear. You're not coming away feeling good. It's not a strategy. It's just a callusing of the mind and body to deal with discomfort. Any serious runner bounces back. That's the nature of their game. Taking pain." -Mark Wetmore

Ironman distance races, and especially the training, helps you learn a great deal about yourself. You "major" in pain management, time optimization, injury abatement, mental toughness, and most importantly...humility.

I'll post pictures as I find more.

It's Miller time!
Sween

5 minutes to the start...

2009-06-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

He stands on the beach squishing the wet sand between his toes. It's a brisk morning and the water feels like the temperature of iced tea on a hot day. The hope is that he'll warm up quickly, and the wetsuit will do it's job and preserve his core temperature during the next hour or so.

There are a couple thousand other people waiting with him on the beach. The sun has just tip-toed above the horizon and the sky is painted a pale blue with a sliver of orange poking above the tree's across the lake. Music is playing in the background, the last he remembers is U2's Beautiful Day and next up is AC/DC's Thunderstruck...this signifies the start is rapidly approaching.

Thoughts roam through his head like a movie in fast forward, not really images, but feelings that he's felt during the past year. The journey has been long and painful and the true grade on this test won't be given until over ten hours later.

He thinks about time spent and sacrifices made during the process, and what has been put on hold, cut out, or ignored just to complete the plan. The words, "To achieve great results, one must withstand great sacrifice" surely don't ring truer than put into the context of this event, or as some view it, religion. He remembers the times waking before 5 am to get in that days prescribed activity. Much of the plan had to be carried out early in the morning or during the evening, when friends and "normal" folks were winding down the day with a cold beer and TV show. This was not a pure hobby which was to be taken lightly, but a way of life or pseudo-religion that frowned upon caloric excess and late sleeping heathens. Weekends were not for sleeping in, lunches were not for eating, and holiday's were not set aside for relaxation and gnoshing densely packed caloric goodies...these were times to execute the activities prescribed in the plan. Family time was limited as the test approached. Having an understanding spouse made all the difference.

"About three minutes left..."

Casual weekend breakfast's were replaced by an energy shake and 5-7 hours of training. Lunch would have to wait until "Linner", a meal sometime after 2-3 pm when the daily activity list had been executed. The rest of the day would require rest and an attempt to recover before a similarly hard task was to be presented the following morning...early. Into bed early was the mantra, but falling asleep was not always easy. Sometimes the more tired you were from the plan, the longer it took to fall asleep.

At times he wondered why he was doing this, why put your body through this much pain? He had participated in other sports at a high level, but nothing rivaled the length and pain associated with training for this type of event. Now, he thought, you could train just to finish. Training just to make it through the distance, and not racing it, would reduce the misery by a fair amount...but not totally. What drives someone to do this, wouldn't a "normal" person just quit or take an easier route? Was this the much talked about "road less traveled"? If so, it definately wasn't paved!

At work he chose to minimize and avoid the subject of his events. Coworkers would never be able to comprehend what it took, what he had to go through, the sacrifices made. Most were more concerned about things that didn't interest him. With very small exception, all were people in which he had no interest in sharing his personal saga. Zero common ground.

He chose this event because it was what he considered the longest distance someone could still "race". For him, the definition of race was performing an event involving continual motion, no stopping to sit down and rest. There were events of greater length, but they involved multiple stages where there was downtime between sections. He wasn't really built for this distance, not that many were, so he felt it was over his "limit"...and that was a part of the draw. It sounded so cliche by now, but the words still rang true, "You find out who you are and what your really made of..." while training, and then taking the test.

"One minute, one minute to go..."

He wasn't nervious, he's taken hundreds of test's through the years...the days of butterly's have long passed. Although he was anxious to see if all the work, sacrifice, and pain would be sufficient for a "passing grade". If he passed, was it worth it? To him, there was no other way. Nothing half done...110%...all in. He could be categorized as detail oriented or obsessive compulsive...type "A" personality or obnoxious...focused or self absorbed. All these terms can be viewed in their positive, or corresponding negative connotation...it was all in the receiving parties perspective.

The temperature felt warmer now, maybe due to the tense energy surrounding the final countdown. In his mind, he quickly ran through his mental checklist test steps...and then recounted key portions of the plan to reassure himself mentally that he WAS ready for this test...but was he?

The cannon fires...

BFAST #2 report...Ironman Coeur d'Alene less than 1 week!

2009-06-15T05:19:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was the second Beaches Fine Arts Series Triathlon...this is a sprint triathlon event, so not really suited to the Ironman training I've been doing. My Cervelo P3 and race wheels were on their way to IM CDA without me...so the night before I put some clip on bars on the Trek Madone road bike, borrowed some really fast wheels from Double D, rode it up and down the street then called it good.

The swim was much calmer this time around...but was actually a little long. It's hard to get swim courses exactly the correct length, especially at smaller races. My swim went pretty well, besides having to clear my goggles twice on the way out...I didn't have the straps tight enough as I dolphin dived into the surf. The issue with starting in the second wave, is catching all the slower swimmers from the prior wave. I had to swim over and around guys doing the back stroke, breast stroke, and swimming sideways...jeesh! I think I was second or third out of the water in my wave.

Once on the bike I set out trying to gain back some time. At the turn around, I saw that the top 3-4 guys were all packed up...and "taking advantage of the 7 meter rule"...which is tri-speak for "I was drafting...but didn't get caught". For some reason I went faster than last month by a few seconds, even on a road bike with clip on bars that I hadn't ridden in forever. The top 3-4 guys all went over 1 min faster...hmmm, wonder why :-)

As I was rolling into the T2 I saw several guys leaving, and one of them was Justin Jacobs. He's won several of these sprint series triathlons in the past, and is a 15 min 5k runner...so I knew this would be a problem. Well, he put a bunch of time into me on the run and I ended up 2nd overall by 31 seconds...ouch. Always the "brides maid"...and never the "bride". My run at the shorter distance is pretty slow right now considering my Ironman training...so, maybe with a little more speed work...who knows? Next time.

Here are the results from BFAST #2.

I leave on Wednesday for Coeur d'Alene. It looks like race day temperature could either be high 80's or mid-low 70's and raining...we'll see as it gets closer. The low temperature has been in the low 50's, and the water is in the high 50's...kind of chilly for a Florida boy!

Sween

Back into the belly of the beast...

2009-06-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

On June 21st I'll compete in my second full Ironman event. This one is in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho...and features a much harder course than the one in Arizona.

This swim is a beach start as apposed to the deep water start in Arizona. Deep water starts are normally less chaotic since you are already treading water when the gun goes off. Beach starts are comprised of 2100+ people running into the water all at the same time...and then battling it out on the way to the buoy line. If you've ever witnessed an Ironman mass swim start, then you know the physical contact associated with this portion of the event. The key is to attempt to protect your head from getting kicked, punched, clawed, or mauled in every way imaginable...a broken nose or fractured eye socket can really slow down the rest of your day :-) The good news is that it's a two loop swim course, so if someone gets rough with you in the water...just wait until you get out after the first loop, snatch his goggles, and through them way up into the crowd :-)

Next is the bike, and this is also a two loop affair. I chose this Ironman because the bike course is a hard one...so it will hopefully take it's toll on all the fast runners! I've viewed the course video while riding my Computrainer, and it has several beautiful sections along a couple lakes.

Once done with the bike it's onto the...yes, you guessed it...TWO loop run course. These are mentally tough, since you come back towards the finish line...and then are only halfway done! It also looks like it will have a beautiful view as you run along the banks of lake Coeur d'Alene.

This time around I have more experience with pacing an event of this length, know a bit more about nutrition, and have another year of training under my belt. I've had a few injury issues, and that has put me a bit behind where I would have liked...but, I think (and hope) I can have a much better performance than in Arizona.

I'm not sure of my internet access once I get onsite, but will post as often as I can. I'll also post updates via Twitter & Facebook, which will carry over to the right hand site of this blog...I can do this from my iPhone.

If you want to follow on race day, here is the link (my bib number is 1063).

This coming weekend I'm planning on doing the second Beaches Fine Arts Series sprint triathlon on Saturday, so I'll try to update once that is complete.

I fly out this coming Wednesday, my bike is already on it's way...and now I have a bunch more packing to do...so, I need to get to it!

Sween

A BUNCH of St. Croix pictures & video's...

2009-05-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I at a sugar mill on the Buccaneer property:

A rainbow we saw while eating breakfast:

Jennifer running on part of the course through the Buccaneer:

Pictures from our snorkeling trip:

Miscellaneous pictures from the St. Croix:

Snorkeling video's:

BFAST #1 and four weeks until Ironman Coeur d'Alene...?!?!

2009-05-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Beaches Fine Arts Series Triathlon #1
A couple weeks ago I did the BFAST race here in Jacksonville. It probably wasn't the best idea considering I needed some long miles and also since I was having some trouble with my foot...but, I won the series last year and couldn't pass up the chance to wear bib number 1 :-) I made a couple rookie (which I am) mistake's that cost me the race win. The sun was rising and I wore clear goggles instead of tinted ones. I used clear ones all last year, but it was a poor choice this time...mistake number 1. We were swimming out directly into the sun...and it was bright! The surf was REALLY rough, it was breaking in two different spots before the first buoy, and there was a really strong current to the North. I lined up to the right, but not far enough...and by the time I was past both breaks, and could see the first buoy, I was way to the left and had to swim back upstream to go around it...mistake number 2. I ended up coming out of the water with an almost 2 1/2 minute deficit to the guy who won...with whom I usually have a similar swim time. Long story short...I lost by 1 minute and 19 seconds and ended up 3rd. I lost the race before it even started...wow, I keep finding new and unusual ways to lose. Here are the results.

Yikes! It seems training time is running out before I do Ironman Coeur d'Alene (IMCDA). "Come on Mom, just 5 more minutes..."

This past Memorial Day weekend
I've had a few setbacks associated with a possible stress fracture in my foot, so am a bit behind in the run department. This was made all the more evident by this past holiday weekend's training block. I met up with Kevin "5 Ironman races in 1 year" Neal on Saturday for 110 rainy and humid miles on the bike...and then a 35 min run (my first one back). I was dreading the run a bit, but was really happy to get off the bike...so it wasn't so bad.

Sunday, due to extenuating circumstances, started my run at about noon on an out and back course. It was hot and very humid and my shoes were squishy by mile 8. I ran out of water, and luckily was able to stop for a refill at a park on the trail...and used up all that water before the end as well. Running on tired legs really gives you some perspective on pain, and that last 5+ miles put the hurt on me. The good and bad thing about an out and back course is that once your halfway...there's only one way home. The last 3-4 miles I was reduced to taking 1-2 min walk breaks each mile just to make it back...2:40+ minutes later I was done, in more ways than one! These type of days really give you a good lesson in humility.

Monday I did a group ride on the road bike, a good 60 mile effort...followed by a hamburger and fries from Five Guys! A couple hours later I did a long straight swim a little over 4000 yards...in an outdoor pool...in the hot sun...in a black wetsuit. I need to get used to swimming in the wetsuit, and there aren't that many options...especially on Memorial Day. A little overheated at the end, but I didn't puke up my burger...so I figured I was way ahead of the game.

I have one more hard block of training that lasts for about 10-12 days, and then the gradual taper begins. I know that my bike and run...especially the run, won't be where I would like...but, I'll just have to work with the fitness I have and pay extra attention to pacing during the race.

And yes, I'll work on updating this blog more often ;-) Thanks for all the encouraging emails and messages.

Sween

IM 70.3 St. Croix...the aftermath.

2009-05-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I returned about a week ago from St. Croix, and are just starting to catch up! We both had a great time and enjoyed the island...especially the snorkeling. I'll first talk about the race, and then make a new post about things besides the race...you can stop anytime ;-)

Another 70.3 is in the books, and this one left a mark. The course was hilly, hot and windy...the trifecta of triathlon torture. We started on a little island with a hotel on it. Here are some pictures during a practice swim, and you can see the sandy beach we started from on the right. There was also some seaweed in the water...you can see me trying to avoid swimming through it. Other than a few jelly fish stings, it wasn't too bad...and, with the high salinity level, you float really well!

During one of the practice swims I was able to meet Joe Bonness, he was very friendly.

On race day the swim out was a little choppy, which made it hard to sight.
Also, I wore clear lenses...but should have worn tinted since the sun was shining in your eyes for the first half of the swim. Each wave was only separated by 2 minutes, so almost immediately we had to swim through slower folks from the waves prior. I missed the fast pack, so swam most of the race on my own and came out of the water 16th in my age group. It was pretty cool being able to see things on the bottom and different fish...oh, and yes there were scuba divers below that you could see as you swam over them.

I had a pretty smooth transition and headed out on the bike. I knew the course was tough...very hilly, windy, and hot...so I really held back to try and save something for the run. Since the hardest part of the course started at mile 20 with the "Beast", I made sure not to drill it in the beginning. Even though the first part was easiest, it was still hard by Florida standards. One rider passed me and I noticed he was in my age group, so I picked it up to keep him in check. After one of the first climbs we headed down a twisty road with sharp turns...and sure enough, I came around one of the turns to find him and another guy laying on the ground. Luckily their momentum carried them all the way across the road and out of the way...I didn't see him again until the run.

Nothing too eventful happened until I reached the Beast. The Beast is not too long, only around 7/10's of a mile and averages 14%. The main part is 21%...and right after that portion there is a sharp turn that is 27% if you take the inside...I stayed as far to the right as possible! I used a 39 x 26 for my gearing and needed it. On the way to the top I saw a rider crash. He was riding the new Cervelo P4 with SRAM, and broke his left shift lever. He put it in the middle cog, and from then on only had 2 gears...the big and the small chain ring! I would pass him on the downhill, and he would pass me back on the uphills while grunting a big gear. This happened over and over again during the remainder of the ride.

Once past the Beast it was far from over, there were several more hills that hit 15%...and there was a LOT of wind. Did I mention it was hot? My shorts are covered in salt, you can see it on some of the pictures. I got back to transition in 8th place...and knew I wasn't in the lead by all the bikes on the rack. This race is known to be a little laxed on the drafting rules...and since I missed the lead "pack" out of the swim, I knew the top guys were up the road. I kept thinking that maybe a couple of them might crack, so I would try to have a good run.

This is around mile 4:

First time up the main hill:

The run course was two loops, with a really hard hill about halfway through each time...oh, and did I mention it was hot ;-) I grabbed water and ice at every station...water in my mouth and head, ice in my mouth, hat...and down my shorts ;-) I started out strong and like everyone else, slowly faded. The second loop REALLY hurt, especially the main hill. I took the strategy of walking the second time to keep my heart rate down.

A little after 9 miles:

Second time up the main hill:

Top of hill and trying to stay with Kevin Moats the last part of the run:

The cramping started in my hamstring with about 2 1/2 miles to go. I finally was able to get going again over the last couple of hills. Back in town I grabbed water and ice at the last aid station with about 1/2 mile to go...and I got passed by a guy in my age group. I dropped my drink and went with him, but he had come up on me fast...and going down the long finish straight he pulled away from me. Ouch, I was done! Into the medical tent for water, Pepsi (no Coke!), potato chips, Snickers bar, Gatorade, and an IV. They were going to give me another bag for the IV, but didn't want to lay there any longer even though the staff was great!

I ended up 9th in my age group, and was hoping for a little higher placing. But, as I thought about it...this race attracted the very best in the sport. The guy who won my age group will most likely win the World Championships in Clearwater. He had just taken second in the Elite Amateur category at St. Anthony's the week before, and finished with a 32 minute 10k! And, he didn't even have the fastest run time in our category at St. Croix...ouch! The guy who ran the fastest was the one who I saw crash early on the bike...he then ran past me about 1 mile into the run and took second.

Post medical Sween:

Two more days until the "Beast"

2009-05-01T04:45:00.000-07:00

We made it to St. Croix on Wednesday...along with all our luggage! So, I figure that we're way ahead of the game...since a lot of folks bags ended up in San Juan.

Unfortunately, during my packing I forgot to bring my USB cord for my camera. When I return I'll post the pictures from the trip.

I did the whole swim course yesterday and it was really cool...I could see the bottom almost the entire time! Although it was pretty choppy at the furthest point, and a couple jelly fish stings, it was a pretty good swim. Another plus is that swimming in salt water makes you more buoyant...nice! The picture to the left is of the island we start from, and the area where we do our swim to the right.

I also had a chance to meet Joe Bonness, he was very nice...and taller than I thought! Here's a Slowtwitch article about him. If you don't know about him, he's an Ironman legend...you can google him to find out more.

I rode some of the course...and it was windy and hot! Oh, and there are a few hills ;-) I also ran the part of the course that goes through The Buccaneer and besides being hot, there was a tough hill...and we do the loop twice. Shawn described the hills as "...it will get your attention...", I think at that point in the race it will do more than that! Anyhow, I'm pretty shocked by the run splits of the top guys in my age group from last year...this is a VERY slow course, so I'm really impressed...and hope they don't go that fast this year :-) The picture to the left shows part of the run course on The Buccaneer...you can see the path along the water, we run on that...nice view!

Here's an article just posted on Ironman.com about the upcoming race.

That's all for now...

- Sween

Ironman 70.3 St. Croix in less than a week...

2009-04-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

The "hay is in the barn"...as the saying goes. I'm just coming off a hard 12 day block, and am in what Shawn calls "sharpening mode". With less than a week away from St. Croix (May 3rd), I've been scrambling to get everything taken care of before the trip. So much to do! Getting equipment in order, packing bike for shipment, getting nutrition ready, race gear for all the sports, confirming reservations and details of flight and car, getting all the race week info together, packing camera and computer equipment...and getting reservations for our kids at the doggy resort.

It's really tough with all the coordination required to do a half or full Ironman event, especially if you're traveling out of the country...or at least to a small island subsidized by the U.S. Anyhow, it really is a heck of an effort. And during all of this your wondering how much the airlines are going to screw you for traveling with your bike. I stress traveling with my bike, it's such a tough thing to do these days. If all goes to Delta airline code, then I'll get charged $175 EACH way for my bike...oh, it won't stop there...and an extra $25 since it counts as a second bag (now $50, but I purchased the ticked before this change happened)...and another $90 since it weighs more than 50 lbs...for a total of $290 each way, and $580 round trip. I could have purchased another freakin' ticket for that price! AND...you also pray they get your bike there in one piece! Ok, breathe, breathe...I'm ok now...I'll move on.

We're staying at a really cool place called The Buccaneer that everyone recommends. We'll be there for a few days after the race and hope to take some little excursions and enjoy the island. Maybe some diving, kayaking (Jennifer's paddling!), hiking, and other site seeing.

The St. Croix race attracts the creme of the crop in talent from the U.S. and Europe, and the course is a really tough one. Besides the searing heat, there are steep climbs on the bike and run course. This will be the hardest triathlon course I've ever done...by far.

The swim is non-wetsuit (duh) so I'll use my new Zoot speedsuit to try and gain a bit of an advantage...or at least limit my losses. You first swim about 300 yards to a small island where the actual swim start will take place. Each year they have divers that video the triathletes swimming overhead...kind of funny hearing the bubbles from the tanks.

Once out of the water, the bike course gives you a 20 mile warm up before sending you to the infamous "Beast". This is a climb that reaches over a 20% incline! From there it's all hills, several having over a 15% grade...oh, didn't I mention the winds?

From what I hear, the run is very scenic...but really tough due to the heat and hills. After reviewing times from the previous years, it looks like everyone dies on the second loop of this two loop run course. Hopefully, I'll die less than some others!

Here is a link that will have race day updates and tracking.

In parting, I want to thank Velocity Multisport, and specifically Shawn Burke...for your coaching, support, and pep talks during this huge effort. Also, thanks to J.R. and Zoot. for helping provide me with gear that is extremely functional and has helped me gain an edge.

I'm not sure what to expect, but I do have my own personal goals and will try to control...what "I" can control. I hope to do well since this is one of my objectives for the season, but as I've found out...it's hard to predict the outcome when doing long course triathlons. One thing is for sure...I'm going to leave it all on the race course.

We're supposed to have internet access at the hotel, so will try to post updates as often as I can.

- Sween

IM 70.3 New Orleans - Pictures

2009-04-10T05:12:00.001-07:00

Here are some shots from the race photography folks. I'm in some major pain at the end...

IM 70.3 New Orleans - "The Big Easy" ?!?

2009-04-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

(Disclaimer: This is a long post, but have had requests for the details...so here they are)
This past weekend was the inaugural Ironman 70.3 New Orleans. Danny "Double D" Domingo and I packed up the car and started the 8+ hour journey on Friday. We spent the night in Biloxi, and then arrived Saturday morning in New Orleans.

We made our way to the registration and race meeting headquarters. During the pre-race meeting, we were informed that this event had over 3,000 entrants...a new IM 70.3 record. Although that was exciting, we knew that there would be some chaos surrounding a first year event with that many participants. To make this an even bigger challenge, the race hotel was quite a ways from the start, the swim was point-to-point, and the run finished in a completely different location. There were buses to take you to the swim start in the morning of the race, and buses to take you from the race finish back to the transition area to pick up your bike and gear...but no way to transport all of your stuff back to the hotel.

Danny and I attended the pre-race meeting, picked up our number packets, and then drove to the transition area to drop off our bikes. Once complete, we drove back to the hotel and grabbed some dinner. We then spent the rest of the night getting all our gear and nutrition in order for the next day.

We decided to drive to the race start considering we would have to pick up the bikes by 6 pm that night. Danny and I started in different waves, his started at a little after 7 am, while mine wasn't until after 8 am. Although we thought we left in plenty of time, we soon remembered that 3,000 participants and their closest friends and family's make for a big crowd. We parked on the University of New Orleans campus, grabbed all of our gear and sped to the transition area...about 3/4 - 1 mile away. As we arrived in transition they were urging everyone to hurry since they were closing the transition area in 15 minutes! I helped Danny pump up his tires, wished him luck, and hopped over to my bike which was way on the other side of the enormous transition area.

I put all my bottles on my bike, setup all of my gear, but still hadn't changed. The announcer informed everyone that the transition area was closing in 2 minutes! I took my bag threw it under a tree and started heading out of the transition area with my wetsuit, goggles, HR monitor strap, timing chip strap, Zoot shorts and top...all in hand, but me still in street clothes! Luckily, right before I was about to exit I spied a changing tent and ran it to spare everyone the agony (and my possible arrest) of changing in front of everyone! I then skipped the long lines to the bus, and walked the 1.2 miles to the swim start...along with a bunch of other folks. I later learned that Danny had did the same, and had to run to get to the start in just enough time to throw on his wetsuit and get in the water.

I still had to use the "facilities"...so once I arrived at the swim start, I got in line with several hundred of my friends...obviously, they were trying to save money on porta-johns, there were way too few! After spending about 30 minutes in that line, I dropped off my dry clothes bag (that we would collect at the finish), changed into my wetsuit, picked up my timing chip, and picked up a spare cap since mine was lounging around somewhere back in the chaos I left in the transition area.

I had about 10 minutes to spare...this left me enough time to swing my arms around and stretch them just like I saw Phelps do at the Olympics...that should be enough, right? My wave was the first of three for the large 40-44 age group...and right behind the 45 and over women, and the 55 and over men. This insured that I would have to keep my head up and site often...otherwise I might end up on top of another competitor from a previous wave. As far as swims go it was pretty uneventful...which is great. I'm not a very good swimmer, so don't enjoy all of the flogging that usually takes place during a mass start event. From what I heard, the swim was a little long, and from the finish times it looks like that may have been the case. Even though my wife was appalled that we were swimming in Lake Pontchartrain, the water didn't taste that bad...just a little salty ;-)

I wobbled out of the water (those who've done it will know what I mean) and jogged into the transition area, put on all the necessary gear, and headed out to the exit...which was way on the other side of transition. Once I was on the bike, I waited until I was down the road a bit to get into the shoes...and then headed out onto what I thought was going to be a fast course.

With my bike racing background, cycling is what I'm best at...so I started the process of going through the rest of the people on the course. Wave starts are tough on the bike, since there are varying levels of skill and speed all on the course at the same time...you really have to keep your head up and be aware of the riders you're passing. I felt pretty good on the way out, and knew I had a tail/crosswind...and knew that we would all pay the price for this early gift as the race progressed. The course had a couple out and back legs that were shaped in such a direction that the vast majority of the ride was either a headwind or a crosswind. The closer you made it back to transition, the more direct and stronger the headwind. For the most part my bike went ok with no major issues, but my SRM was telling me my that my wattage wasn't great. I just kept reminding myself that I had to still get off and run, so having a faster bike split wouldn't help me when I was "crying for my mommy to stop the pain" at mile 7 on the run.

I entered transition and again made the long run to the other end to rack my bike and put on my new Zoot Ultra Tempo2.0's...you could see me coming for a mile in those red racers...after grabbing the rest of the necessities I headed out on the run. I started conservatively knowing that the more I walked on the run, the more time I would lose. About 2 miles in a guy in my age group passed me, he wasn't going real fast, but chose to just run my own pace. After mile 4 another guy in my age group passed me, but I decided to pick it up just a little, he eventually faded and I pressed on. About mile 7 is where things started to REALLY get tough. I was overheating a bit, and my stomach wasn't interested in taking in any nutrition. I told myself to keep going until they started serving ice cold coke the last few miles (first race I've been to where they didn't have any) and I would be good to go. About mile 10 the hamstring cramps started to rear their ugly head. I was really just hanging on at this point...and with about 2 miles to go another guy in my age group passed me. At this point I wasn't sure what place I was in, especially with 3 different waves in my age group, but tried to stay close. I thought that if I stayed within range, I could sprint by at the end and surprise him...we took the last corner and it was 800 meters to go. My hamstring was locking up, and I decided to just get to the finish without picking myself up off the ground. There were thousands of people at the finish, and as I hit the blue carpet with about 100 meters to go my left leg locked...everyone was yelling and screaming, and I peg-leg-hobbled for a few steps until it loosened up and I was able to finish it up.

Wow, that race really hurt. I distinctively remember thinking with about 4 miles to go that I didn't want to ever do another one of these...or another full Ironman. A day later, and I know that I'll continue...heck, I may as well since I'm already signed up for 70.3 St. Croix in a few weeks and then IM Couer d'Alene in June. Each one of these races I've thought the same thing towards the end, but have put it back into perspective the next day.

After drinking about 20 of the little smoothies from the Smoothie King stand, I hobbled around and picked up my dry clothes bag. While walking around I saw Saul Raisin and went up and spoke to him. We have a mutual friend through cycling, so I started off asking him about that person. He's also the husband of Dave Zabriski's sister, Aleeza. If you don't know his story, briefly, he was one of the U.S.'s most promising young cyclists, and was racing in Europe on a top French team. In one of his races he had a wreck and had major brain trauma, and has fought back to be able to participate in triathlons. He's dedicated his time to raising money for brain trauma victims and research. Here are a couple links:

Saul's "Raisin Hope" website and blog.

Saul Raisin Slowtwitch interview.

Ok, to make a long story longer...Danny and I walked a few blocks and got on the bus, which would take us to transition. We packed our stuff, packed the car, high tailed it back to the hotel, parked the car, and went straight to the awards to be there by 4 pm. Danny soldered on after injuring his Achilles and walking from mile 4 to the finish! He had a great swim and bike, and then was hampered by an old Achilles problem that cropped up the prior week...not the outcome he had hoped for, but there are more races to come.

Once at the awards, and having not eaten all day except for smoothies and race food...we started drinking some free beer. Nothing like a couple dehydrated athletes with empty stomachs taking part in free libations! I have my classic deer in headlights look...and Danny looks baked!

Here's another shot of me hanging with Macca and giving the "Deer in headlights" look. He was VERY approachable and took the time to ask me how my race went and talk about how hard the day was...a great representation of the sport!

Even though I broke down 3 miles from the finish, it looks like I broke down less than some of the others and ended up 4th in the 40-44. There were 4 spots for Ironman 70.3 World Championships in my age group before the roll down, so I took it. For those who don't know, there are qualifying spots to get into either the 70.3 or the full Ironman (Hawaii) World Championships. The Ironman Hawaii spots are HIGHLY coveted, and very difficult to obtain...and the 70.3 are difficult, but not totally impossible to get. New Orleans had 45 total spots split amongst the varying divisions for the 3,000 participants. The more in your division, the more slots you get...so In the 40-44 there were 447 men and we had 4 spots available. If one of the 4 people decided they didn't want to go race in November at the championships, then the 5th place person would be offered the spot. Some age groups had the spots roll down way past 10th place...so, with some luck sometimes spots become available.

This was the first triathlon of the year for me, and I know my fitness will get better from here. Shawn at Velocity Multisport has been able to work around my schedule, and tailor specific training to where I am currently in my training cycle. Getting a coach that knows the complexity of training for triathlons is been the best value for increased performance, even above any new fancy bike equipment!

Well, that's about all...as I get more pictures I'll post them. All in all it was a fun trip with Double D!

Things are starting to get more serious...

2009-03-29T11:46:00.001-07:00

The "hay is in the barn" for this coming weekend at IM 70.3 New Orleans. Am I ready? No, not really...but it should be a good gauge of my fitness. It's always funny to get this question, I don't think I've ever felt totally "ready" for a race. Most endurance athletes probably feel the same way...have I done enough? Well, the good thing is that race dates are "hard targets", and you race...ready or not. This race isn't an "A" race for me, but I would like to still do well. My pick is for Danny "Double D" Domingo to have a very surprising race...he's going pretty well right now!

I feel semi-human, but continue to work through some stomach issues...Greg Carr had something similar a couple years back and it took him a month to work it out. Hopefully everything will work itself out for me this coming week.

Danny and I leave this coming Friday for the Sunday race. There is a lot to do once at the venue...pack race transition bags, get bike ready, pre race meeting , check in bike and all the other gear...and a ton of other stuff. Last year Dannny and I created a triathlon check list of all the stuff that I had to remember to bring to races...this is REALLY important for 1/2 and full Ironman races. It still amazes me how much crap is needed to participate!

Anyhow, Brian Fleischmann is also going to be there...and we'll hook up with him after the race for a few beers...to celebrate him smoking Chris McCormack :-) I give myself 1 day of drinking after each big event...so this will be my first beer since New Years!

Anyhow, I'll try to keep this blog updated...as well as my Facebook and Twitter. I have Twitter setup to post automatically to Facebook and this blog with my Twitter status updates. If I can, I'll post longer stuff and pictures on this blog.

Sween

2 1/2 weeks to IM 70.3 New Orleans

2009-03-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I went up and raced with the Lindner Capital guys in Albany, GA. My bike miles are down pretty low, so I was pretty happy with how I raced. It was a timed based 3 stage race, and I ended up 15th overall.

This past weekend was the Gate River Run 15k, and I was pretty pooped. I pretty much trained through it, so knew the race wouldn't be a good one for me...but, you always hope that once the race starts you pull a good one out of somewhere...but not this time. It was a very painful experience, but I'm keeping my eye on April, May, and June for may main goals. All that being said, a bunch of people had great races. Greg Carr (52:00) and Danny Domingo (53:25) torched the course and ended up 2nd and 5th in their age group...not bad for a couple triathletes. Danny should have a good race when we go over to New Orleans in 2 1/2 weeks!

I'm currently in the middle of a good block of training to get ready for some upcoming races...so I'm a little tired right now, and am now trying to get recovered for one of Shawn's HTFU workouts tomorrow. It consists of 3+ hours on the Computrainer, with each hour going harder...then you jump off and run 6 miles, 5 at race pace+...ouch. I really think it's as much of a mental workout as physical...Danny and Shawn have done a few of these, and it always pained me JUST hearing about them! Both those guy have done well..so, if it works for them...

This was just short update...I'll post more after something exciting happens ;-)

Sween

My Wife and Best Friend – Jennifer

2009-03-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

As I stare at the heaping pile of clothes in the laundry basket, I once again began to think about how lucky I am. I create A LOT of laundry...on any given day I could have dirtied work clothes, gym clothes, cycling clothes, running clothes, swim clothes, yard work clothes, and clothes for any other activity...it's amazing!

This post may seem a bit off the normal race/training topic, but it really does apply. In the midst of some of my most time consuming training, I need to talk about the one person who contributes the most to support me during my training and other pursuits...Jennifer.

I’ve had relationships before, some good, some bad, a few psycho’s…all leading to the very real possibility that I would be a bachelor forever. I was fine with this…I’m not one of those guys who feel the need to have someone to take care of in their life. Actually, quite the opposite, I don’t have the time or energy to babysit. That’s why when I met Jennifer I knew that she would be the one…as long as she would have me (I married way above myself). Luckily she said yes.

I love and appreciate her for so many reasons, and for all that we have in common. She never gives me a hard time about training or racing, ever...I have had to end many relationships for this very reason. She doesn’t need me to be there all the time, or call every minute, or any of those things that are sometimes mandated by our modern U.S. society. There is never any pressure. If I want to race I race, if I want to train, I train…and of course, this works in the other direction.

She understands the value of a dollar and works hard for what she earns. She would rather spend money investing than buying a new purse or shoes or dress, understanding the "big picture" of trying to be financially stable during retirement. Like me, she likes quality products. That means buying for quality, not for name brands sake, or trying to show off the newest designer label. If the product is a better quality, then ok, otherwise she doesn’t care. The stuff she buys comes from TJ Max, Steinmart, Marshall’s, Target, online, or like her name brand purse…free with points from our credit card. She does all this and remains stylish, well dressed, and beautiful.

She’s very successful in her career and makes good money. This is due to her hard work and care for what she does in all aspects of her job. I would not be able to maintain her schedule and job requirements for more than a week. She is the most intelligent woman that I know, and find it very humorous when people underestimate her ability. She was a chemistry major, worked full time while obtaining it, and received it from a real brick and mortar institution. She really knows how to play the game, and let you talk about how smart or good you are (thanks honey)...while maintaining her quiet confidence.

Up between 5-5:30 am and working by 6 am…she balances her workload with doing the dishes, washing the laundry, cleaning, cooking, working on the yard, and a variety of other thankless tasks. Yes, I help with a few of those things, but mostly yard work…and she never complains about it. Not to say that I don't do anything around the house, I do, but she doesn't have a fit when I have to rearrange priorities for training or racing. She understands me and what I do…maybe because she’s a very good cyclist herself and loves to ride? Who knows, but she has shamed me into riding on more than one occasion.

I hear a lot about how busy people are, and how stressful their lives seem…and when I compare some of these folk’s schedules with what my wife does, I always get a chuckle. I guess this is all a matter of perception, but I usually know both sides…so think I make a pretty fair determination. Granted, there are some that warrant the same consideration, but only a select few. I couldn’t do what she does and she always amazes me.

I’m very lucky to have found Jennifer, and I could go on forever about her good qualities…I just want to say thanks to her for all she does. Without her I would be alone and grumpy…now at least I’m not alone :-)

Sween

Yes, I know...

2009-02-25T12:41:00.000-08:00

...I haven't update this blog in forever! Well, yes I am alive and well.

A couple weeks ago I did a bike race down in Gainesville, and it was pretty fun. The Saturday time trial was a short under 10 mile effort. I'm not really going that well on the bike, which is by design...since my goals are a little later in the season than last year. I haven't done a bike race in so long, I forgot to put my timing chip on my time trial bike...so I didn't get an official time. I would have been about 15th, which isn't too bad.

On Sunday was the regular Gainesville downtown criterium. Not the sort of effort that I'll excel at right now, but I felt pretty good. Stayed near the front, covered a few breaks...and then got smoked in the sprint at the end. I actually had my brake come loose and rub against my rim during the race...now, this wasn't the reason I didn't do well, but it didn't help...and I needed all the help I could get! Nothing like the sights, sounds, and smells of a bike race...especially in Florida. A lot of yelling in Spanish, a few dangerous riders that MUST cut in front of you for no reason, and the smell of burning brake pads going into corner 3.

The good news was that I was able to eat at my favorite place while I was down there...Burrito Brothers!

I just got done with a pretty good block of training, and am now having an easy week. Shawn at Velocity Multisport has been great at tailoring my training around my race schedule...and life in general. This weekend I'm doing a 5 mile race about 1 mile from my house...very convenient! The following weekend it's up to Albany, GA for a bike stage race with the Lindner Capital guys...then the Gate River Run 15k here in Jacksonville.

After those appetizers, I head over to New Orleans at the beginning of April to do a Ironman 70.3 with Danny "Double D" Domingo. That will give me an idea of how the training is going.

I was going to rant about a whole host of things that have been annoying me lately...but I'll save that for another time...I have a date with a treadmill at the Riverside Y.

Sween

Timing, motivation, and focus...

2008-12-29T06:24:00.000-08:00

Well...I guess I've been goofing off long enough, and it's time to get back into keeping the blog updated and you folks informed...I know it's the highlight of your day...ok, maybe that's a bit overstated.

To bring ya'll (yes, that's southern for "you guys") up to speed, I did...well started (that's called foreshadowing)...the Jacksonville Marathon in December. I've had a bunch of stuff going on with work and life that have kept me away from the long runs needed to do well. But, since I had a free entry I decided to line up.

My only goal was to break 3:20 and get a Boston Marathon qualifying time...I knew with my lack of training I would have to really be on a great day to make it through. Long story short, it wasn't a great day for me. I was on pace, but started hurting at mile 7...let that sink in...yes, 7! Coach Will Shaw and Sammy "The A Man" Serverino said that if you were hurting at mile 15, then it was going to be a loooooong day...they didn't say anything about hurting at mile 7. Anyhow, at around mile 18 I decided to call it a day...Danny was running with me and our friend Troy ("Bowflex Boy") happened to be on the side of the road to give us a ride back.

I was still on pace, but knew that I wouldn't be able to hold it the last 8-9 miles...so instead of risking injury and/or a lengthy recovery, I DNF'd. I HATE dropping out of races, but decided it was the best option...and as Danny & Greggy tell me, "Train for a marathon, but don't race one". I've been trying to get back in the groove after the New Year, and have even stopped drinking...hopefully my marriage will make it through me being "on the wagon" again.

Shawn Burke from Velocity Multisport has a great program set up for me, that will hopefully have me going well for my triathlon goals in 2009. In April Danny and I do the New Orleans 70.3, then Jennifer and I head down to St. Croix in May to do the 70.3 there, and lastly I'm off to Couer d'Alene for the full Ironman in June. St. Croix and Couer d'Alene are my main goals, so hopefully I'll be firing on all cylinders by then.

Shawn has me doing one of his staple workouts...a Wednesday night treadmill run. I've only run on a treadmill a few times, so this is a new experience. The first week I set the pace too slow, and the next week I ramped it up 30 seconds per mile faster...and almost puked on the CLCG (Cute Little College Girl) on the treadmill next to mine. I was really hot, running fast, and sweating like a Wildebeest...this also meant that I was slinging sweat like a Spring rain onto the CLCG and the MMM (Mongoloid Muscle Man) to the right of me. I was in my own world with Black Betty, Du Hast, Dragula, Bodies, and New Dawn Fades (Joy Division version is better than Moby's...but have both) playing in the iPod...they had better bring more towels this Wednesday...

Sween

Ouch-back 1/2 marathon...and Happy B-Day Double D!

2008-12-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday was the Outback Classic 1/2 Marathon...and needless to say, my running has been VERY sporadic. So, I was even more out of shape that I had originally anticipated! Don't get me wrong, I have been doing some running...the week before I think I squeezed in 3 days of running, but it always seems that something comes up to kill a good streak. This is made more worrisome by the fact that I have the Jacksonville Marathon coming up in 2 1/2 weeks...and my longest run so far has been one 15 miler...the marathon is REALLY going to hurt.

Anyhow, the Outback Classic is sort of a tradition, and a good way to eat a big semi-guilt free Thanksgiving feast! My goal was to break 1:30, and I knew that I would have to be very consistent with my pacing to make that happen...especially considering my lack of mileage, there would be little room for error. In the end, I held a pretty even pace, and didn't come apart the last 5k...which HAS happened in the past...and then I sprinted home to a 1:29:53 (1:29:50 chip time, 6:51/mile). Danny "Double D" Domingo ran a 1:17:52! Yikes...he's back! The weather was perfect and everyone seemed to have a fast time.

On another topic...Danny "Double D" Domingo's birthday is today! He's the ripe old age of 35, and I informed him that in my experience...it's all down hill from there ;-) Happy birthday Double...below are a couple links to Danny getting some workouts in for the 2009 season...enjoy!

Double in his Speedo's

From our weightlifting session yesterday...ouch!

Sween

Fall schedule

2008-11-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to focus on running this Fall. If I can run 5 days, swim 2 days, and start mixing in some riding...I should have a good "base" for my "base" training to get ready for 2009.

The plan is to run the Outback 1/2 marathon on Thanksgiving...and have a Post College Personal Record (PCPR). My best 1/2 marathon was at the Breast Cancer 1/2 marathon last February...1:30 something, so my goal is to go under 1:30. It seems, at least for me, the key to a good 1/2 marathon is not dying the last 5k...that's when the pain REALLY sets in!

After the Outback 1/2, at least the plan right now, is to do the Jacksonville Marathon in December. Now, I don't and won't have the miles I need to do really well...but think I may be able to gain a Boston Marathon qualifying time. The good thing about the Jacksonville Marathon, is that since it is so late in the year, you can use the time for one of the next 2 years. I wouldn't be able to do Boston in 2009, but maybe 2010. Not to put the cart before the horse, but the good thing is that since your qualifying mark is for the age you will be the year you do Boston...which would make me 40 next year...I would only need to run a 3:20. Although this shouldn't be difficult normally, the problem is that I'm sort of doing it on short notice...so won't have all the miles I should. I'm ramping up pretty quickly right now, so if I don't injure myself during this process...which is a distinct possibility, it should give me a good chance to break 3:20.

I'll keep you updated.

Sween

Shawn Burke goes 9:23 at Ironman Florida!!

2008-11-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how to say this...but HOLY SHIT...last Saturday was Ironman Florida and Shawn Burke posted a 9:23!!

Shawn (Velocity Multisport) has had an incredible year...he grabbed his first Kona spot when he took 9th at IM Arizona in a virtual sprint finish. Then he took a short break and started building up for Hawaii and IM Florida. He enjoyed his first Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, and finished with a little still left in the tank...and then 3 weeks later does Ironman Florida. I don't think Shawn had broken 10 hours in an Ironman before, and I think his PR was around 10:10...well, at Ironman Florida he shattered his best time with a 9:23!

He took 8th place in the ultra competitive 40-44 age group.
Overall: 61
Total time: 09:23:59
Age group place/total in group: 8/378
Swim: 56:06
T1: 4:01
Bike: 4:52:10
T2: 3:20
Run: 3:28:23

Congrats Shawn you put in a lot of work around an already busy schedule...looks like you have to make another trip to Kona next year!

"Come on Mom...just 5 more minutes..."

2008-10-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

"...I don't want to get up yet!"

Well, it's time to pull the Sloth out of the tree...and get him back on the road! This is always a tough thing to do...after a long break the body isn't always ready to start training again. You always pack on a few pounds and the pants waistband feel a lot snugger than they used to.

Over the past couple weeks I've been trying to steadily increase my training, nothing big, but at least do something 6-7 days a week. Either swim, bike, run...sometimes a walk. The famous Gordo Byrn has a few simple rules to his life, and one of those is at least 1 hour of exercise every day, non negotiable...and walking counts. Our dogs love to go for a walk, so they eagerly subscribe to this philosophy.

I've received my new road bike for the coming season...a 2009 Trek Madone 5.2. It's awesome...somehow they made it stiff AND allowed it to absorb road vibration. I'll be logging a bunch more miles on it as I get ready to do some bike racing in 2009.

This past weekend I did the Marine Corps 1/2 Marathon. The race started in downtown and ran right through our neighborhood! I've been doing a little running, but haven't run 13 miles since the Rock and Roll 1/2 Ironman 3-4 months ago! I didn't have any time goals, but figured I could struggle through at about 7:15/mile pace. My main goal was to run very even splits throughout, and if I felt good then pick it up at the end. The course was a slow one, which went over two bridges, along a narrow riverwalk, up and down a spiral pedestrian overpass, and many corners. I held pretty even splits, but I was ready to be done about mile 10...my lack of endurance was taking it's toll. The last 5k really hurt, but I ended up with a 1:32 (7:03/mile)...so I was happy. This puts me well ahead of last year when I ran a 1:37 at the Outback 1/2 Marathon on Thanksgiving. Danny "Double D" Domingo ran a 1:22, just a week after his 5th overall performance in the South Carolina 1/2 Ironman distance race last weekend. Greg Carr paced Double for a few miles, with his legs still hurting from the same race in South Carolina...where he was 2nd overall, and closed with a 1:23 run...ouch!

Oh, I have also been playing around with my new Garmin 405...it's really cool. The best part is you can upload your workout/race so people can view it online. Take a look...you can zoom in and even see which side of he road I was running on...and you can put it in "Hybrid" mode to see the satellite view. Click on the "Laps" tab and you can see my mile splits...and that I missed one at mile 6.

The Amelia Island 1/2 Ironman distance race was on the same day as the Marine Corps 1/2 Marathon...Lyndon Box and Shawn Burke finished 5th and 6th overall...both closing with a 1:32 run. Shawn did the race at 80-85% in preparation for the Ironman World Championships this coming weekend. He had some mechanical issues on the bike (next time, check to make sure the skewer is tight Shawn!), having to stop 3 times before he was able to figure out why his wheel was rubbing the side of his frame.

Good luck to Shawn Burke, Susan Wallis, and Kevin Neal at Kona this coming weekend...Kevin is in great shape, and could have a VERY high placing. Susan is back at Hawaii after battling through injuries...and Shawn is out there to enjoy the accomplishment of making the World Championships, with his eye on punishing the IM Florida course on November 1st.

Is it just me, or does Shawn look fat ;-)

So check out http://ironman.com/worldchampionship for race coverage and track how the local racers are doing against the worlds best...also you can go here to check out Shawn's updates from his trip...and as Shawn likes to say, "Kia Kaha".

Sween

I'm out...for the rest of this season...

2008-07-28T05:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems the training has caught up to the old body. It's an accumulation of the year up until this point. Looking back at my training log, I've been pretty consistent from October...so it stands to reason that I need to recharge.

Besides my body being totally "pissed off", and letting me know in it's own way, mentally I'm not super excited about doing IM Florida. To start training for an Ironman, you should be "chomping at the bit" to do those type of long focused workouts.

The process to determine if you are ready to begin the IM training process reminds me of an interview for my first job out of college. They gave you a timed logic test, and the score was evaluated with your undergraduate grade point average. This first step seems similar to the first step of deciding if you're ready to begin training for an Ironman...and answers the question, "Do I have the necessary healthy physical tools (swim, bike, run) to train for, and then complete an Ironman"?

The second step consisted of multiple interviews with different people, but I still remember a question asked of me by the guy who ultimately hired me..."Do you need instant gratification with your work"? I wasn't sure what he was asking me at first, which was do I need projects that were able to be completed in a short time frame...or could I maintain focus on a very long running project and keep in sight the "big picture". I had really never thought much about this...but it seems to really apply to Ironman training. In other words, can you maintain singular focus on an event that is 4-6 months away...doing every workout, training test, and realize that any race (running, triathlon, etc.) that is done up until that point will soley be for training purposes? It's tough to focus for that length of time, especially when you know that things could go horribly wrong on that single day (sickness, nutrition, injury).

Currently for me, the answer to step one is no...so there really isn't a reason to go onto step two. I'm shutting it down. I've withdrawn from IM Florida and the 1/2 IM in South Carolina. After talking it over with my coach, Shawn Burke at Velocity Multisport, we've decided it would be best for me to concentrate on doing everything possible to have the best races I can at the 70.3 in St. Croix and the Ironman Coeur d'Alene next year. That means going into the training for those races totally fresh (step 1) and focused (step 2). I have a chance to do well at both of those races, and don't want to spoil that opportunity by digging a hole now. Shawn reminded me that training for an IM takes at least 3 times as much effort than getting ready for a 1/2 IM...so the toll it takes is great, and the recovery after is long.

What now? A couple/few weeks off...some/many alcoholic beverages...a few more alcoholic beverages...and then gradually claw myself back into some fitness to get ready for the IM training load. This will probably start in the November/December/January time frame. I've already started to stack on the pounds...so I'll have to get that under control. As I get older, it's soooo easy to put on the weight...and soooooooooooooo hard to get it back off. My suggestion, don't get old!

I'll keep you updated...

Sween

BFAST #3...last call for alcohol...

2008-07-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

(I look sleepy in this picture...probably depicts how bad I felt during the race!)
This past Saturday was the final race in the Beaches Fine Arts Series. I had the lead in the series by about 1:30 over second place...that was the good news. The bad news was that I was still getting over being sick, and having the worst form since the end of 2007...ouch. Also, the guy in second place overall was a good swimmer, and a very good runner (16 minute 5k guy)...holding the series lead would be touch-and-go.

Thanks to Hurricane Bertha out in the Atlantic, there were some pretty big sets of waves coming in on Saturday morning. Also, for some reason the water was much colder than normal (I've got shrinkage!)...and the swim turned out to be wetsuit legal. I had my wetsuit, but decided in the end not to wear it...the time gained during the swim could have been negated by having to wear it during the long run through the sand into transition, and then trying to peel it off in a speedy fashion.

Will "Willy the kid" Pearce, last years runaway winner of the series, decided to take part in this last race. He's an incredible swimmer (used to swim at Bolles), and runs for the University of North Florida. His only weak spot is the bike, and he's not even slow in that event...so, unless he got swept out to sea...we would most likely be racing for second.

Willy, using his wetsuit, blasted through the water in 6:35...I had an ok swim, and stumbled out in 8:00. Getting out of the water in a sprint triathlon is always a very painful transition, at least for me it is...you've been going 100%, and now you have to switch to sprinting through ankle thick sand...heart rate through the roof...hyperventilating...and then have to put on the helmet, glasses, shoes and start drilling to try and catch people. Let's just say it hurts...but, the more I think about it...the transition onto the run isn't any sort of picnic either...

(Look at this great tri-geek transition 2 form!)
Onto the bike I passed through everyone pretty easily...and was barely able to spy Willy waaaayyyy up the road...and only because I saw the lights on the lead motorcycle. I felt pretty weak, and tried to push for as much time as possible. To win the series I needed a good lead off the bike, especially since the guys in second and third place in the series are normally 2+ minutes faster than me on the run...AND I knew with how I felt, that I would be even slower this time. I wasn't really intent on catching Willy, just trying to put some time into anyone behind me.

(I love this picture...the look of shock on Willy's face is hilarious!)
I caught Willy coming into the second transition, and we exchanged pleasantries (our bikes were racked next to each other)...we quickly changed into our running shoes. I had a fast transition, but before I could get around the corner...Willy had sprinted up the road, and was gone. For some reason my right calf was cramping really bad, and my heart rate and breathing were through the roof.
I just concentrated on maintaining form, and holding off the runners behind me as long as possible. My first mile was 20 seconds slower than normal...oh boy, this is going to hurt...so I just kept moving forward. I saw Willy coming back from the turn around, and he joked with me...not sure what he said, by this point I was cross eyed! I made it to the last mile still in second place and running like a snail. With about 1/2 mile to go I was passed by two guys...but knew that by that time I had the series locked up. I was very happy to cross the finish and stop!

The good thing is that I know I couldn't have gone any faster that day...my bike was 30 seconds slower than usual, and my run was 90 seconds slower. But, I finished fourth on the day, and won the series. Willy crushed it to win by almost 3 minutes!

Here are the results.

(Collecting the hardware...thanks to Danny "Double D" Domingo deciding not to do the series...)

Well, my training for Ironman Florida is supposed to start this week...I may take a few days easy, and start the build up this coming weekend. Since I'm starting to get serious, I'll have to lose some weight...and the first thing to go is alcohol. So, I helped myself to a few cold ones on Saturday and Sunday...now I'm done...I think...

Sween

Brian Fleischmann wins Musselman ITU in New York!

2008-07-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Brian pulled off a big win this past weekend at the Musselman ITU Triathlon Pan America Cup in Geneva, NY. In doing so he relegated 2008 Olympic team member, Jarrod Shoemaker, to second place.

Read the story here.

What's been going on...what' next...

2008-07-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

...well, I'm still on my pseudo-break. I'm not taking it totally off, but doing 1-2 days riding, 1-3 swimming, 3+ running, and 4+ drinking beer. No bricks, and usually only 1 workout a day...except if you count the beer! I've added about 8-9 pounds over my Ironman Arizona race weight...and I feel fat!

I feel a bit fatigued, and seem to be maintaining my same pattern of feeling ok through the spring, and going downhill in the Fall. I just don't think the old body can do a full year anymore. I'll have to work this into my race program next year.

For the rest of the season I have a few running races, an ocean swim race, a couple shorter triathlons, and then a lead up to a 1/2 Ironman in South Carolina...and the Ironman Florida on November 1st. Strangely, I really haven't been thinking about IM FL...but more about looking forward to next year.

In 2009 my main triathlon goals are the St. Croix 1/2 Ironman on May 3rd, and Ironman Coeur d'Alene on June 21st.

Considering Jennifer and I were married on St. Johns, USVI...going to St. Croix should be fun for both of us...at least from a vacation perspective. The St. Croix 1/2 IM is known to be the hardest 1/2 Ironman (70.3) in the series. Between the infamous climb called the "Beast", which hits a 27% grade, to the searing heat...it's going to hurt. Here's a race report that describes the course. If I survive the race course, Jennifer and I plan on spending a few days hiking, snorkeling, and taking in the island atmosphere.

After the "fun and sun" of the Caribbean, I'll head to my main Ironman event of the year...in Idaho. Yes, the potato state...I was shocked at how beautiful the area is where the race is being held! I thought of fields of potatoes, but no...it looks awesome. The lake is cold, so it's a wetsuit swim...and the bike course is a tough one. The swim is a beach start, and I've heard it's kind of narrow. !This will make the start one hell of a wrestling match, especially when you have 2,200 people all headed to the same buoy. I read in a race update from a local guy that he got kicked in the nose, which I think was fractured...the good news was that the water was so cold (below 60 degrees), that it was like he had an ice pack on it during the entire swim. By the way, he went on to finish...HTFU

Shawn Burke from Velocity Multisport has taken the "reigns" of my triathlon training. He has a ton of experience, and is a true techno-geek...which I can relate to! If he hasn't tried it...then it doesn't exist...this guys is the human triathlon Ginnie Pig. Also, he sweats over the smallest details associated with training and equipment. All these qualities I think make a great coach...besides that, he's one hell of a guy! I really look forward to reaching my physical potential in triathlons...I think I have all the tools at each individual event, and now I have the help to bring them all together into the single sport...triathlon.

My Ironman Florida training starts on July 14th...time to HTFU...no drinking. As all my friends know, I always say that alcohol is the staple of a good marriage. Hopefully my wife will make it through another round of my Ironman training detox session! So, starting 16 weeks out from IM FL...I have to get focused.

I'll keep you posted.

Sween

Olympic Trials...last stop: Hy-Vee Triathlon (June 22nd)

2008-06-20T05:21:00.000-07:00

The swim is back in for the last stop on the U.S. Olympic Trials circuit, the Hy-Vee Triathlon this Sunday, June 22nd. Local triathlon hero, Brian Fleischmann, will attempt to wrestle the remaining Olympic Games spot away from the heavily favored Andy Potts and Hunter Kemper.

Good luck Brian!

You can watch the live coverage here.

BFAST #2...or, DRAFT-FAST 2008!

2008-06-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

There are cheats in every sport, and triathletes are no different. The main issue is that triathlons are supposed to be an individual event...but the opportunity to break the rules comes once you mount your bike. In a triathlon there is no drafting (except the UCI olympic type of racing), it's supposed to be every person against the elements to see how fast they can complete the event. This past weekend's Beaches Fine Arts Triathlon was a perfect example...

It was a pretty nice day on Saturday, although the surf was a tad rough...but nothing terrible. The gun sounded and I was aggressive early, and tried to stay to the outside to avoid the human washing machine. I had to swim a little extra, but was worth it to me. The swim course was much longer than last time, and was probably the correct distance this time. I came out of the water feeling like usual in a sprint triathlon swim...heart rate through the roof, heavy breathing, legs and arms tired...and then made the run through the deep sand to the transition area.

I had a descent transition 1 and headed out on the bike. I started ramping it up to catch people and try to find the leader(s). As I looked up I saw the lead motorcycle in the distance, so I kept going between 27-28 mph. It felt like it was taking me a while to get there for some reason, and as I caught them about mile 4 or so...I noticed why. They were all lined up in a pace line drafting. I think there were about 5 guys, and as I approached the front said, "That doesn't look like 3 bike lengths to me...you guys need to break it up." I went past at my same speed only to have them latch onto my draft. I then threw in a couple surges, but the were staying too close to drop without a full sprint. As we were heading back towards transition 2 periodically a rider would come by and pass (sometimes 2 at a time due to one rider in anothers slipstream), so I would have to slow down to not draft. I know that I normally can't run with the top guys off the bike, so try to have a bit of a buffer heading into the run. I also knew that several of these guys usually race Elite and are some of the better triathletes in the state. I finally resigned myself to the fact that they were willing the cheat at all costs, and I would have to see what I had on the run. And believe me...I'm pissed, but nothing I can do about it now. Where the hell were the course marshalls? My bike split is 12 seconds slower than last time due to all these idiots in my way.

We go into transition 2 and I have a quick transition and exit with two other guys. We're running pretty quick, and I hit the first mile in 5:40 something, ouch. The other two guys start pulling away...so I have to let them drift away. I'm soon passed by another guy from our "pack". We turn around and head back, I pass mile 2 in around 12:05. About a 1/2 mile to go another guy passes me and I try to go with him, but I know he's a really good runner and leaves me. I finish 5th, and the top 6 spots are seperated by less that 55 seconds. My run split was faster than last time by about 15 seconds.

After the results are posted, it shows they assessed a 2 minute penalty to two of the guys in front of me. I read the referee's penalty report, and I'm not even sure the penalties were for drafting...it was very strange. This moved me into 3rd place, which is nice...but the damage was done, the dynamics of the race were totally changed. Since there was drafting in the lead pack, I wasn't able to ride my normal race. I would have been able to put at least 1 minute on the next person on the bike, and although I had the fastest bike split of the day...it didn't give me a lead of the bike. I was only 38 seconds out of 1st place, and without cheating would have had at least that as a cushion coming off the bike.

The positive's from the race are that I had a descent swim and run although I have been on a bit of a break. I need to mentally and physically "reboot", so that when I start ramping up my training for Ironman Florida...I'll be ready and focused.

The last race in the Beaches Fine Arts Series is in 4 weeks, so hopefully they have some descent course marshalls to ensure this kind of racing doesn't happen again. We'll also see how I feel since I'll have been on a bit of a non-structured break until then. I'm in the lead for the series overall, so would like to have a good race.

P.S. If you look through the results, a LOT of people broke 25 minutes on the bike. It looks as though more people broke 25 this time, than at any other time since they've had the bike on this particular course...hmmm...

Last weeks results.
Historical results.

Sween

Cool running video filmed in Jacksonville

2008-06-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a video filmed right here in Jacksonville, it's pretty cool.

Kevin Neal wins age group at Boise 70.3!!!

2008-06-02T11:12:00.001-07:00

Kevin "Iron Stud" Neal was in Boise, Idaho this past weekend for their inaugural 70.3 event. He came out the of the water 8th in his age group, moved into 1st on the bike, and held everyone off on the run...incredible! He's now qualified for the Ironman and 1/2 Ironman World Championships for 2008...congrats!

Here are the results.

I spoke to Kevin tonight, and his time includes a 4 minute penalty for littering...when one of those super thin sports bottles passed out on the course bounced out of his cage on a 40 MPH downhill! Also, the bike course was 1.2 miles long (measured by several participants).

Rock & Roll 1/2 Ironman..."IV" been better...

2008-06-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

I've learned something about Macon, Georgia...it's hilly and very hot! This past weekend Danny "Double D" Domingo and myself trudged up to Macon to do a 1/2 Ironman race. We knew there would be hills and heat, so it didn't come as a shock...but you always hope it won't be that bad. You have a mental plan in place "...hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, salt tab, hydrate, etc.", and hope that your body will respond accordingly...but, sometimes you just have a bad day. This happened to Danny at Gulf Coast, and I experienced it in Macon.

We stood in line for about 1 1/2 hours the day before...taking in the rays of the blazing sun. This confirmed that race day was going to be tough, especially when compounded by fresh black asphalt on the run portion.

On race morning word came that it was wetsuit legal, 77.5 degrees (78 is the cutoff)..so that was good news...at least for me. We put our stuff in the transition and made our way DOWN to the lake...like DOWN a pretty length steep hill that would help serve as the run up into transition...ouch! Getting my wetsuit on, I was already starting to sweat. I got in the water and it felt like a bathtub...jeesh, they must have taken the temperature from the very bottom of the lake! Anyhow, wave 1 containing the pro/elite's went off 3 minutes before our wave. The swim course was nice and pretty uneventful from my standpoint. Danny on the other hand tore off the front of our wave and caught all the pro/elite guys! He had the fastest swim time of the day, and was first out of T1! I got out of the water, ran down the beach to the hill...heart racing out of control...so, I walked up the hill until it leveled off before setting off again. It was a pretty good shock to the system.

Danny let the eventual winner go on the bike, but paced with two other riders for the rest and went into the run second or third overall. I knew 20 miles into the bike that I was having an off day. I couldn't get the gear rolling over, and it felt difficult even though I was keeping my heart rate pretty low. I battled back and forth with a couple guys, then ended up with totally clear road after mile 30...all the way to the end. About 15 miles to go I felt pretty fatigued and knew the run was going to be really hot. I thought about just dropping out after the bike, grabbing two beers (I always buy in pairs), and cheering Danny on to the end...but, I hate DNF'ing...so I HTFU and kept going.

I was 6th overall coming off the bike, and decided to run really slow and maybe pick it up around mile 9 or 10...it was a great plan. Two guys ran by me after a couple miles, and then the placings stabilized until around mile 9...then my stomach went south. I started feeling sick and had really bad cramps in my stomach. I chewed up some Tums and then finally got off the hot asphalt and bent over on the side of the road. Another guy ran past me and shouted encouragement...unlike in cycling where you try to break the guy next to you, fellow competitors cheer each other on...nice change of pace. Anyhow, I started running again...although at a slow pace, and kept going until the finish. I was passed by several guys, but did at least pass one guy inside the final mile. In the end I was 15th overall and 4th in my age group...I guess everyone was having a tough day. Danny was 3rd amateur and 6th overall. He had major issues on the run also, but HTFU'd and finished.

As I crossed the finish line, they asked me how I felt...I gave them the standard "...like shit" response...then made a left turn to the medical tent to get an IV, and there was Danny along with everyone else who finished in front of me getting one also...it was a tough day! The medical staff was awesome...they took off my shoes and socks, covered my body in ice cold towels, gave me a drink, and started my IV drip! Really, the medical folks there were incredible.

I'll post pictures as soon as I have them sorted out, and here are the results.

13/100's of a second... BFAST #1

2008-05-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I did the first Beaches Fine Arts Series Triathlon, stop number one of three. This is a sprint triathlon and consisted of a 1/4 mile swim, 10-11 mile bike, and about a 3.25 mile run. Danny Domingo has won this so many times I've lost count. Other speedsters have also won over the years, like Will Pearce, Greg Carr, Steve Pettit, Brian Fleischmann and a host of others. I decided to give it a go this year, but knew that my legs would still be pretty burnt from the last two weekends of racing...especially Gulf Coast the week before.

This race is held using Wave starts, which means that different ages and categories are sent off at different time intervals. I started in Wave 1, which was 39 and under (yep, my last year in this wave). The water temperature was 74 degrees, so you could use a wetsuit if you wanted...but I didn't think I could get it off fast enough to make it worth while.

The horn blasted signaling the start of our Wave...I started my watch and ran for the water...BIG mistake. I SHOULD have started my watch early, and been ultra aggressive getting to the first buoy...instead I was locked in a water based wrestling match that made the Ironman swim start feel like I was alone in the lake! This reminded me of a criterium start...110% aggression trying to get to the first buoy and turn left. I was scratched, hit, and one guy even grabbed my head on the downstroke and pushed me under and back...ouch! I think I drank 1/2 a gallon of Atlantic Ocean water...would this negate my need for salt tablets...hmmm, probably not. As I fought around the first buoy, I was stuck behind a bunch of guys going slower than I wanted...but I couldn't get around since there were people behind, in front, at each side...and sometimes on top of my back...so I just kept going. The swim was fairly short, but when I got out I was a little nauseated.

We ran up the beach to the parking lot in some pretty thick sand...and then made our way to the bikes. Heading out of transition 1 I was dodging guys trying to get into their shoes...and even had to go into the other lane to avoid a possible pileup. Once on the open road I could see the lead motorcycle way up ahead...so I started reeling people in and making up time. I caught the leader about a 1/2 mile before the first turn. I had to pass some cars that were at a stop sign in my lane...that was fun. I kept going fairly hard to try and get a lead for the run. I came up on the transition area so quick I didn't have time to get my feet out of my shoes, so had to run through transition with my bike shoes on...clop, clop, clop...for some reason I always think about horses trotting on the road when I hear that sound. Anyhow, I changed into my running shoes and was misdirected...then I had to turn around and go out the correct way...more time lost.

I ran out of transition hearing the beeping sound of the timing mats...which meant riders were starting to pour into the transition area to begin chasing me down. I followed Double D's advise, and went out hard...but holding back slightly, my first mile was about 6:10-6:12. It's amazing how far the turn-around point seemed! I started the return trip and the guy in second was about 40 seconds behind me, so I started pouring it on with what I had left. Near the end I kept turning around to make sure I was not getting run down...AGAIN, and let up slightly. I crossed the line first in my Wave. One funny note, on the run I had several people yelling, "Go Lyndon"...I guess all us bald guys look alike!

At this point I was pretty happy with my effort...until the final results were posted. In the Men's division I got second...by 13/100's of a second, yes, that would look like this: 00:00:00.13 ... ouch! Steve Pettit, who is an excellent triathlete...especially at the sprints, beat me. I don't mind being beat, but come on... 13/100's of a second! Also, we were both beat by Sara McLarty, who decided to stop here on her way to the World Championships and the Olympic Trials!

Well, I've learned a lesson...and hopefully won't make the same mistake again. I'm still in the hunt for the overall series, so will try to do better next time.

Here are the full results.

My bike hangs out in transition...

Former UF swimmer...current national triathlon team member...and slayer of the BFAST's Jaxavillian males...Sara McLarty...

Me losing the race by 13/100's of a second because I raised my arm!

Collecting my award, while Sara McLarty consoles me by saying, "It's ok Sween, everybody's a winner..."

Gulf Coast Triathlon...pictures...

2008-05-16T06:24:00.001-07:00

Everyone into the water! A couple pictures of the Pro's and an age group wave heading to the surf...

Double D after crushing the swim starts to hurt on the bike and run...

Greg "Gills" Carr has a great swim, rips the bike...and hits some trouble on the run...

Me on the swim, bike and run...ouch!

Fleischmann getting ready for Des Moines

2008-05-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

Brian sent an email saying he's traded in a swim day for another run day. He's concentrating on a strong running leg for the last stop of the Olympic Trials at the Hy-Vee Triathlon on June 22nd.

Also, catch Fleischmann in action on May 18th when they air the Alabama Olympic Trials race.

Here's an interview with Chris Lieto...he mentions beating Fleischmann down in Miami...Brian has Lieto running scared and hoping he doesn't move up to long course triathlons after the trials :-)

Here's a link to a video of Fleischmann making a move on the bike in South Africa (select the men's race).

Gulf Coast Triathlon - Part 2

2008-05-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Gulf Coast Triathlon gives out awards to the top 10 in each category, so I would squeak onto the stage. This was good, and would continue my streak of getting an award since I was 3rd back in 1985. The awards party was at Spinnaker on the beach, so it was pretty nice. They also had free beer (although in a can)...and I may have drank a few...

Danny and I drank what was free, while the girls drank bottle beer and fruity drinks. There were a LOT of people there, and it got pretty crowded for the awards. We had fun and hung out with other Jacksonville folks. Below are some pictures of me picking up my acrylic memorabilia...

Maybe Danny and Greg dropped out so I could make the podium?

Me with Sister Madonna Buder who uses her famous line, "I train religiously". If you think your too old, too tired, too out of shape to exercise or train...try taking that "wine" to Sister Buder. You may recognize her from one of the many Ironman Hawaii specials. Here's a long video about her.

Here are the results from the Gulf Coast Triathlon. Oh, and by the way...the two guys who finished in front of me in 1985 were in the race (Richard Wilson and Justin Phillpott)...and I beat them :-)

And one sad note...during the swim portion of the race Patrick Kane, a 38 year old competitor from Roswell, Georgia died. Life is pretty fragile, even in what would be thought of as a safe environment...with thousands of people around. You never know when it is your time, so make sure what your doing in the present is something you enjoy.

Gulf Coast Triathlon - Part 1

2008-05-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

Double D taking in the view
This was a 1/2 Ironman distance race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) held in Panama City, Florida. This race has been around for 26 years which is pretty amazing for such a "young" sport. Many of the triathlon greats have won, and participated in this race including Mark Allen, Dave Scott, Scott Molina and many more!

This was a bit of a homecoming for me since I did this race in 1985, which was the year Mark Allen won...oh brother, that was a long time ago. Myself and Richard Wilson, with whom I ran cross country, decided we should do the race. Richard was 17 and I was 15 at the time, and we swam a couple times in a pool along with a few bike rides before the "big event". Richard won our age group, a good swimmer from a local rival high school who was 17 took 2nd, and I limped past the 4th place finisher in the last mile to take 3rd. I ended up laying on the ground with heat sickness dry heaving all day long...that was fun. I must have looked pretty bad during the race, all the volunteers kept asking me my name and where I was from to see if I was still coherent.

Danny and I arrived on Friday and did a quick swim, run, and bike to make sure everything was working correctly. We stayed at the race hotel/condo complex, and it was really convenient and very nice accommodations. Jennifer and Clair arrived later that day.

The wives arrive...

Twenty three years later I never would have guessed that I would be back to the race labeled the Gulf "Roast" Triathlon due to the heat and high winds...but, there I was with Danny "Double D" Domingo and Greg "Gills" Carr getting ready to run into the Gulf of Mexico, in what turned out to be a choppy swim with some nice swells. The water temperature allowed wetsuits and the race started in age group waves...both of which were much better than the mass start non-wetsuit pummeling I received oh so long ago.

Since our age group was so large we were split into two waves based on our last names. "Carr and Domingo" were in the wave ahead of me, and mine would start 5 minutes later. The swim was a little rough, and it was a bit difficult sighting the buoy's...you would have to wait until you were on top of a swell and then look up to find the next one. It was an out and back swim, and on the way back sighting wasn't difficult if you just used the race condo as a sighting point...for some reason I swam over all kinds of people who didn't grasp this concept. I didn't push too hard on the swim so felt good running out of the water into transition 1. I ran to my bike, which was packed in like a sardine, and threw my wetsuit, goggles, and cap on the grass next to the bike rack...then put on the bike stuff and headed out onto the course. I didn't know at the time, but my swim time was 32:59 (33rd in age group, 152nd overall)...not great, but not bad for the conditions...and my transition 1 time was slow, as usual (3:38, 468th overall!)...I've gotta work on my T1!

I headed out on the course and started going through all the people...which is actually a pretty dangerous process when you start way back in wave 10! There was a tailwind on the way out, and I was doing 27-28 mph, and passing people doing 18-20 mph. I had to keep my head up at all times so I didn't crash into the back of someone! Going into the turn-around I saw Danny about 7 or so minutes up on me, and Greg was about 30 seconds behind him...Danny didn't look like he was feeling good, and normally he would have been further ahead of Greg. There were a lot less people on the way back, and it was a stiff head wind. I passed mile 50 at about 2 hours flat, so knew I was averaging 25 mph which was my target...I had also been holding myself back the whole ride to stay in my target heart rate zones, so was very happy with the speed.

Heading into transition 2 I felt pretty good, changed quickly, and then headed out onto the hot run. I ended the bike with a 2:14:58 (2nd age group, 9th overall) and left T2 5th in our age group and 17th overall. My first mile was 6:40, so I slowed it down and was doing a little over 7:00 for the next couple. At this point I felt great and had visions of a great run and good finish...oh how things can change quickly in this sport! I learned later that Danny and Greg up ahead of me were having some major issues. They had great swim and bike splits heading out onto the run in 5th and 6th overall, but were experiencing major issues on the run. Danny didn't feel that great on the bike, so slowed down quite a bit towards the end, and eventually dropped out between mile 1 and 2 on the run...he was having a bad day compacted by the flair up of his foot injury. Greg mis-judged the nutrition a bit and started throwing up sometime around mile 4...he would also DNF. I kept rolling along, and after mile 5 I started having some issues. I stopped sweating and started getting nauseous, so I had to start dumping water on myself to cool down...I hate doing this because it soaks your shoes, and also starts the blister making process. As I continued to slow down I was getting passed by everyone I passed on the run earlier. I decided just to try and stay within myself as much as possible and finish up the best I could. I started dumping ice down my shorts (thanks for the tip Shawn Burke) to help the cooling process.

I finished in 4:37:19 (10th age group, 36th overall)...and let me tell you, it hurt! Besides the blisters on the bottom of my feet, my body was pretty wrecked. I was happy to finish, but disappointed I lost between 7-10 minutes on the run split (1:44:26, 21st age group, 84th overall). In retrospect the race finished ok, just a bit outside of my expectations...and I learned a few things. One of those is that the 35-39 age group is the toughest of any group outside of the Pro category! With my time, I would have ended up third in the 40-44 age group, which I will be in next year...but only 10th in the 35-39.

(End Part 1)

Turtle Crawl...pictures

2008-05-06T06:39:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Gray Quetti for these actions shots!

Here I am, headed out to dance with the spiny jellyfish...

Trying to make up time on Greg and Danny...

Doing my version of the "Turtle Crawl" on the run...

Fleishmann in the race action at South Africa

2008-05-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

Here's an article Double D sent me that mentions Fleishmann doing a race in South Africa (Man that guy gets around!)...he was right in the thick of things during the swim and bike. If he emails me an update I'll post the details.

Turtle Crawl...jellyfish haul...

2008-05-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Greggy "I'm running like a freak" Carr, Danny "I own the bike and swim" Domingo, and Myself ("Come on guys, wait for me!") went up to Jekyll Island to do the Turtle Crawl Triathlon. It is Olympic distance, and would be a great workout...and it's a good cause.

The weather was great, but got a little hot on the run portion...but overall a great day. The swim was a time trial start, where they started two swimmers every 5 or 10 seconds...then you would sprint into the water and head for the first buoy. Your start order was based on the time you submitted as your approximate finish. I started 21st, with Danny and Greg starting up further.

Going around the first buoy something bumped into me, I thought it was just another swimmer...it turned out to be jellyfish, and they felt pretty big. I guess they weren't the kind that stung because about every other stroke I was grabbing a jellyfish, or swimming over one...it was kind of creepy. Anyhow I was glad to get out of the water. I felt pretty good during the whole thing and only 1 or 2 people passed me, and with the time trial start it was nice and spread out without swimming over anyone.

Danny had the second fastest time...some ex-swimmer from Georgia Tech beat him by a couple seconds, but Danny smoked him out of transition 1 by over a minute. Greg was about a minute behind, and I came in 3 minutes down on Danny and 2 down on Greg...although they both put another minute into me during the transition...I've gotta work on that. My T1 is always slow, and I don't attach my shoes to the bike like those guys do, so I clop-clop clop-clop down to the mount line for the bike.

Out on the bike I try to make up some time, and after the first loop I see Greg at a turn-around point, and he has 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on me...but I don't see Danny. I assume he is WAY up the road. It turns out that the volunteers weren't setup for the turn-around when Danny got there, so he went straight...adding 2+ miles to his bike!

I headed into transition 2 and didn't see any bikes, so knew I was doing ok. I knew Greg was in front of me, and heading out of T2 some guy tells me that "he's 35 seconds ahead of you". My legs weren't feeling too spunky, and I was really pounding my feet. It was starting to get hot, so I was dumping water on myself...and my shoes absorbed all the extra water...squish, squish, squish...

I saw Greg in the lead coming back from the run turn-around...and he was going FAST! He ended up running a 36:22 for the 10k. I hit the turn-around in second, but there were runners closing fast, one of them being Danny. As I was blowing up on the return, three people passed me including Danny. I was hoping to be right around/under 40 minutes, but slogged home in 42:59.

Greg won, Danny was 4th and I was 5th overall. I'm not sure what was wrong with my legs on the run, but hopefully they'll come around for the Gulf Coast triathlon next weekend. The good part is that I was happy with the bike split, and pleased that I didn't lose tons of time in the water.

Here's the results.

I'll post some pictures when I get them.

Sween

Recover, recover, recover...but, quickly!

2008-04-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to get the old body to come back around after IM AZ. This week I started feeling much better, especially on the run. It will still take a while to get back to 100%.

I have 3 races in a row starting this coming weekend...probably not the best schedule, but I'm ready to have some fun and race. This Saturday Danny, Greg and I are headed up to Jekyll Island for the Turtle Crawl Triathlon. It's a 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run...we'll see if my legs can generate some speed.

The next weekend Danny and I are doing the Gulf Coast Triathlon. This is a half Ironman distance race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run) and will be the second time I've done the race. I did it when I was 15 years old back in 1985...yes, I'm really that old. Maybe I'll post some pictures from that race...Clair saw them and almost coughed up here lunch, they're pretty funny. I went to high school in Panama City, so it will be nice to see a couple friends while I'm over that way.

Then, finally, when my legs feel like pulp...I'll do the first race of the Beaches Fine Arts series the weekend after Gulf Coast. I should really get blasted here...with the state my legs will be in...and considering the course is geared towards runners. It's a sprint triathlon that consists of a 1/4 mile swim, 11 mile bike, and 3 mile run...of course I wish the bike were a bit longer, maybe 50 miles :-)

In all, it will be fun to do some racing instead of just training these next few weeks. Danny should do really well coming up...his swim and bike are exceptional, and his running injury is much better. Greg should also do well if he finally commits to any of these races...his swim is always great, and his run is phenomenal right now!

...also...a BIG congrats to Shawn Burke who was 3rd in his age group this past weekend in St. Anthony's...he averaged 6:15/mile for the 10k!

Sween

Brian Fleischmann 4th in Olympic Trials

2008-04-22T04:17:00.000-07:00

Jacksonville native Brian Fleischmann was at stop number two for the Olympic Trials this past weekend in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Brian came out of the water in 3rd with Hunter Kemper who trailed Andy Potts. Once one on the bike Matthew Reed, a recent transplant from New Zealand, bridged up to the Fleischmann group...who then caught Potts. Brian knowing that he was in the company of some great runners tried a bold attack up a hill in the closing laps, but was brought back. In the end Brian ended up 4th, which still as him in the hunt for the coveted 3rd spot or possibly an alternate spot.

Here it is in his own words:
"Yeah, I was 100% the entire race and happy with that even though I fell short of qualifying. Yes, one more chance. If I am the top American at the Des Moines World Cup on June 22nd I will be going to the Games either as an alternate or taking the 3rd spot. I say this because if Hunter or Andy get second then they will take the third spot.
Going to do an 8 week run block and try to fix my run up a bit. "

It's frightening when a guy that can do a 32 minute 10k still needs to "fix his run up a bit"! Congrats to Brian and below are a couple pictures of him during the race. Once he gets back we need to buy him a burger and fries...he's skinny!

Here's an articles from Jacksonville's Florida Times Union on Brian.

IM AZ video clips

2008-04-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Below are some video clips from my race...not super exciting, but something to do if you're bored...

Getting setup on race morning:

Swim start:

Swim to bike transition:

During bike:

Bike to run transition...cramping so bad I could barely walk:

First lap of run, about 3 miles in:

Finish:

Ironman Arizona...the gory details...

2008-04-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

It was a SUPER hot (~95 degrees) and windy (20 mph winds) day in Tempe, Arizona on April 13th. It turned out to be the 3rd highest DNF (Did Not Finish) rate in Ironman (IM) history...not Arizona IM...ALL IM's. Here's a pretty nice recap of the day posted on Ironman.com. Another fact I really have never paid attention to, is that around 50,000 people enter Ironman races worldwide a year. That sounded like a lot to me, until I realized that the New York City marathon has 35,000 for that one race...and there are thousands of marathons worldwide in a single year.

Some of you may not understand what a Kona spot (Ironman World Championships) means to an Ironman athlete...it would be like: making the U.S. National World Championship team in your chosen sport, making the Olympic Team, getting to the Final Four, your horse running in the Kentucky Derby, playing at Carnegie Hall, getting into M.I.T., getting a date with Jennifer Garner (ok, that one's mine)...it is almost spiritual, possibly (I hope I don't go to hell for this one) like getting a private meeting with the Pope...uh, you get the picture. Ironman athletes usually only race 2 IM events a year...because it takes about 6 months of specific training to get ready for one, and then a long time to recover and build up for the next. You think about your next Ironman event everyday, and have to focus your training for months or years on that event...and dream of the coveted "Kona" spot. There is a lottery system, where 200 athletes are chosen at random...good luck with that one. You can also bid on eBay for a few spots with the proceeds going to charity...the bids start at $10,000 and the winner pays on average $40,000 for a spot. But the most satisfying way to go the Hawaii IM is to earn it through qualification.

What is important about the days conditions is not my issues I had during the race (those are documented below)...but, the stellar performances of a couple guys from Jacksonville. So, before I bore you with the tales of my misery...let me give you a brief synopsis of what these two guys achieved in Arizona.

Shawn Burke
The first is Shawn Burke from Velocity Multisport (His race recap). Shawn finished 9th in his age group to claim his first Kona spot ever...after 7 attempts! Not only did he get a Kona spot, but did it in dramatic fashion. Shawn's a super upbeat and helpful guy, and I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. "Ho'omaika'i 'ana" Shawn! (Congratulations)

Kevin Neal
Guy number two is Kevin Neal, a dentist from Ponte Vedra Beach. Kevin had the fastest Jacksonville time of the day, and ended up 51st overall (4th in his age group)...out of 2,200! It was like the heat and wind didn't even phase him. Kevin has been to IM Hawaii several times, so he seems to have what works for him dialed in pretty well. It was also extremely impressive that he broke 10 hours on such a tough day..."Ho'omaika'i 'ana" to you Kevin!

Both of these guys are super, and given advise and helped me...most recently with their condolences on my Arizona race.

Sween's Story
This is a long one...but you guys asked for the details...
The day begun with 2,200+ people scrambling around in the dark trying to complete all their pre race tasks: fill water bottles, pack nutrition, drop off special needs bags (for bike & run), double check both transition bags (swim to bike, bike to run), drop off dry clothes bag (for after the race), pump up bike tires, have your race number and age written on your body...then, put on wetsuit, goggles, cap...and head to the swim start.

Panoramic shot of the entire swim course. It starts at the 3rd bridge from the left, and goes beyond the bridge on the far right (1.2 miles, one way). I took this picture from the hilltop the first day there.

The Pro's started at 6:45 am, and the rest of us were herded into the water right after by Heather Fuhr yelling through a bull horn to jump into the water and swim away from the dock. It was a nice morning and the sun would be coming up directly into our eyes for the first half of the swim. The race would begin at 7 am, so we floated around and try to find the position we wanted to start. I was about a row back with Shawn Burke on the front line. I wasn't nervous, just ready to start the day. There was a little pushing and shoving at the front for a good spot, but I didn't get involved in that...just let those folks start ahead of me. If you've never seen an Ironman start, it's pretty cool...thousands of people watching, music playing, Mike Reilly (the "voice" of Ironman) getting the crowd fired up...and then they fire the cannon.

The swim is hard to describe, I guess the over used analogy of a human washing machine is pretty accurate. I just tried to block out everything going on around me, and being done to me, out...and protect my head and goggles as much as possible. People are all up on your legs, you're running up on to people ahead of you, you're getting hit by the person next to you...it's a H2O mosh pit. I made it to the turn around with only a few scratches on my ankles, then took a couple blows to the head getting around the return buoy. I was definitely in a lot of traffic the whole time...so I knew I wasn't out front ;-) I just made sure that I took it steady easy, and within myself. I came out of the water in 1:06:51, which I was happy with...especially since I had no idea of how long it would take for me to complete the swim.

I came out of the water in 437th overall, so the transition tent was pretty full when I entered. It was a long run to the change tent, and I must have taken a really long time to change in transition, 7:05...I've gotta work on that! Once on the bike, I started to try and bring my heart rate back down...it was 162-167 range! It stayed that way during the first lap. I was passing a bunch of people, but couldn't get a good idea of my average due to the winds. The first lap had the least wind, and the second an third were very windy. I was doing anywhere between 13-18 on the way out, and 30-34 mph on the way back. I knew by the second loop I wasn't having a great bike ride, and tried to concentrate on getting down calories, water, and salt tablets per my nutrition plan. The third lap is when I started having more trouble, so slowed down a bit and increased my salt intake...but, it didn't get too much better. I knew I was covered in salt, but thought I was taking in enough fluid...as it turned out, I probably was lacking on each. My bike split was WAY slower than I expected, but I passed about 340 people out there somewhere.

Right before getting off the bike my left leg cramped on me so bad it locked up. I coasted for a couple seconds until I was able to pedal again...then headed to the transition area. I handed off my bike and tried to run to get my transition bag...both my quads locked up. I stopped running and hobbled to the transition tent with full on locked up quads...I locked up again after barely getting into the tent. Once inside a volunteer tried to stretch out my legs, as I got changed for the run. I knew I was in major trouble, but hoped that once on the run things would work themselves out...but, they didn't.

I stopped to have them put sun block on my shoulders, and I was so woozy I didn't even feel or remember them putting sun block on my legs. I noticed the sun block on my legs about a half mile down the road when I looked down to see it smeared all over my knees. Out of transition my legs were cramping, and for some reason my left arm's bicep and triceps were cramping up. I forced myself to run the first mile trying to workout my cramping issues, then...bam! Both quads locked up so bad I had to stop and bend over. I tried to walk when the loosened a bit, but it was more of a peg leg hobble. A couple minutes later I had to stop again as Shawn Burke passed me. He asked if there was anything I needed...but there really wasn't, so I just yelled at him to keep going. I made it about 1/4 mile more before I had to stop behind the shade of a small building. I started getting dizzy and nearly passed out, so I sat down until the feeling passed. Once I was better, I got up and made it to the next aid station and got some cold sponges and water to take my salt tabs with. I could walk, but not run without totally locking up. I broke my salt tabs open to try and get straight salt thinking this would help...but it didn't. The run course is a figure eight, so you pass the start/finish area 6 times...and the first time was around mile 3-4. By this point I knew I would probably have to walk the whole marathon if I kept going...I didn't want to quit, so just kept going with the hopes I would feel better as the day went on...but they didn't.

I had set goals for this race, and kept going down my goal list as the day went on until I got to the last one...just finish. This was pretty tough considering I was in great shape and felt I could have had a good race. I had a lot of time to think, hurt, and practice self pity during that long time on the run course. I made a deal with my legs...I would run until they were just about to lock up, then I would walk until the feeling went away. Unfortunately I could only run about a 1/4 mile at a time, and then it took me 3/4 a mile to recover. During the run all the lower half muscles were cramping; quads, hamstrings, groin, and calves...even muscles I didn't even know I had.

I suppose I could go on forever, but he one thing I found funny was when on the last lap a Japanese guy ran past me wearing Crocs...yes, Crocs! I'm not sure of the model, but am pretty sure they don't make a "running" shoe. Although I was full of self pity and pain, and I did see what draws people to Ironman triathlons. The aid station at each mile was like a small party with a a buffet of different food/drink, such as: gatorade, water, coke, chicken broth, cold sponges, salt, fruit of all sorts, gels...and a staff of volunteers that were super excited and supportive for EVERY person, EVERY time around. They read your race number and called you by name...asked what you needed and shouted encouragement, EVERY time. Some had themes, like a bunch wearing toga's, some had dancers, some were from a fraternity at ASU, it was pretty cool. I also saw 2 wheelchair racers, and was passed by a guy with one arm...I started to feel less sorry for myself, and more about being able to compete and finish out the day.

So I finished in 12:29:05 in 526th place. I was pretty wrecked when I was done, so after getting finish photos with Jennifer (who was also in the heat ALL day), I went to get a short massage. I ate a half a slice of pizza and a half of a french fry. Then I slowly made my way around the different areas collecting my bike and bags...I was about to start back to the hotel when I dumped the contents of my run special needs bag and puked in it 4-5 times. I wasn't going to be able to hold anything down, so ended up going to the medical tent and getting an IV. I've never gotten one before, but have had the need in the past (94 Pittsburgh Marathon), and know the implications of not receiving one. I then stumbled back to the hotel to try and sleep.

Thanks again for everyone's support, and thoughts after the race. Lyndon "Dr. Pain" Box sent me a good analogy about having a bad IM race. He said that people outside of the sport would never be able to understand what it is like. You train for something for months for a single day, and then when things go really wrong, it's almost like the loss of a relative or loved one. Something that is your sole focus for such a long time is hard to let go...it takes a mental tole, and introduces a lot of self doubt...and since your body is broken down and in recovery mode, it makes things worse. Danny Domingo calls it something like "Post Poor Ironman Result Depression". I'll try and find a support group...and no, I'm not going to sell all my stuff and quit...I'm going to recover, regroup, and hopefully make the necessary adjustments for the Gulf Coast Triathlon (1/2 IM distance) in May, and Ironman Florida in November.

I have some video clips that Jennifer took, but I will put those in another post once I have them all uploaded...there is already PLENTY in this post!

I'll keep you updated...

-Sween

Bag & bike check in...last day before IM AZ

2008-04-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today I did a very short swim and run...then met up with my best friend (Manuel Gil) from college (Davis & Elkins College) along with his wife and two daughters. I haven't seen him in at least 5 years, and he drove all the way over from San Diego to spend just a couple hours hanging out. He had to work on Sunday, so wasn't able to stay for the race.

He's kind of a funny story, in that he is from Peru and he met his wife in New York...and she's from Germany...America, the melting pot. His little girls are 4 and 5 years old...are are super cute. It's funny thinking of him as a father, especially from some of our exploits in college...but I can see that he's a great dad.

I then walked over and put my bike and transition bags in the appropriate areas. I've done a great deal of walking over the last several days...there is a LOT that has do be done. Jennifer arrives anytime now...she actually caught a cold earlier this week, so we changed her flight to come in at the last minute...no need to get sick this late in the game! But, she understands...and I look forward to seeing her tonight.

Here's a picture showing all of us near the "arch"

A local license plate

How the hell did they get that car up there?

Bike transition area...how much money in bikes do you think is in this picture?

That's all for now...thanks for the overwhelming support with all your calls and emails, it has meant a great deal to me. Best of luck to all the Jacksonville folks out here.

I'll see you on the other side...

-Sween

Multisport breakfast...

2008-04-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

...this morning was a welcome breakfast with the folks from Multisports.com (who I used to gain entry & a training plan). It is run by Roch Frey, Paul Huddle, Paula Newby-Fraser, Heather Fuhr...and also some help from Michelle Jones and Michael Lovato. It was pretty neat, and all of them are some characters! Especially Frey, Huddle and Lovato...they had you rolling on the floor. They are all very approachable and a great group of people.

Me hanging with the "chicks"...how many IM Hawaii victories between them...10+! And 40-50 IM race wins...yikes!
(Michelle Jones, Heather Fuhr, me, Paula Newby-Fraser)

Roch Frey, me, Paul Huddle

Me and Michael Lovato (He won IM AZ in 2006 and was 3rd last year)

Kevin Neal during our ride this afternoon

Me in my best tri-geek poses

Tonight is the welcome dinner and mandatory racer meeting...

-Sween

Water level video of Tempe Town Lake

2008-04-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

First swim in Tempe Town Lake

2008-04-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today was the first chance to swim in the "lake" here...it's kind of a very long and wide canal. The water is very dark, and you can't see anything...but, at least it's not salt water. You can only swim in it during the scheduled swim times...so I went down this morning for the 7 am opening swim. It was pretty neat, and I saw Heather Fuhr down there going for a run. It was pretty chilly this morning, but the water seemed about the perfect temperature. I swam down for about 20 minutes, and then turned around...into the wind, which made it kind of choppy coming back.

Once done, I grabbed my camera to take some pictures from the water. I floated around and took some shots...while I was right next to a big dead catfish. I met up with Kevin Neal as he was exiting the water, and then he took me for a 40-45 minute run on the run course. The landscape was pretty cool, with different small hills made of rock dotting the area...I'll try to get some shots of these.

Descending the stairs which will be used for the water exit on race day...

Into the abyss...

One of the 15-20 kayak's and boats out to make sure we didn't drown on the morning swim...

...no, you're not one yet Sween...

Creature from the black lagoon...

...nope, just Kevin Neal...

I'll "see" you later. -Sween-

Coach "Wild Will" Shaw

2008-04-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Wild Will...my cross country coach from college, besides being an excellent running coach (Runners World top 25 in the country one year), has always been very articulate, and has a gift for writing. This may stem from the fact that he has written a daily journal since I think he was in high school or college! I remember that he would periodically tell us some of the stuff he wrote in his journal, and we would feel a sense of pride when we would make it in the "journal" for specific events.

Yes, we would all get into some "knock down, drag out" fights with him about everything under the sun...especially his liberal views on politics, but when it came down to it...he was only trying to get us to have a more open minded view of the world. He also taught US History, and the ones that were dumb enough to take his class, received no slack...and much flack. He had some great quotes. Some of his famous gems:

"Let me tell you to your little fucking face..."

"That's what's wrong with American runners today, they come from the 'Push Button School of Sports'...we're getting out worked by everyone else..."

"You've got to cook it by the feel (when racing)...not by the time..."
NOTE: He actually stole this one from Sam Severino who was cooking burgers on his grill one day.

"The best determination of what you've learned in my class isn't the grade you recieved on your test...come back in 10 years, and let me hear your ideas on current events...that's the true test of what you've learned"
NOTE: Ok, this was paraphrased, but you get the point.

There are plenty more...anyhow, he's had some of his poetry published...and below is one that all of us really enjoyed...and could relate to...

These guys running
"I know them
Going long into the mountains
And fast
Side by side
On country roads
Down low
Across the valley floor
Dreaming of games won and lost
Played earlier

Chasing each other
And Dreams
Themselves
Dreaming

I know them

And they know
That chasing the elusive
Not dying
Is absolute
Playing

These Guys Running

I know them

They are only playing"

-Will Shaw

Will emailed me a day or two ago...and gave me advise and tips in a way that only he can...thanks Wild Will.

Sween

Arrived in Arizona today

2008-04-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am in Tempe, AZ. I did exactly what I shouldn't have...and that was walk all over the place taking a look around. I even climbed up this hill, and scaled a rock cliff to get some good shots. As I was up there, I thought how great it would be if I slipped off the side and broke my leg...although I probably wouldn't have survived the fall :-) Anyhow, the hill is pretty high...you can look over the edge into the ASU football stadium, at least partially. They have cleared of part of the top of the hill, but left a large cluster of rock directly in front of the stadium...and it blocks the view of the field. I think this is so drunk college students don't climb to the top and watch the game...and then plummet to their deaths in a drunken haze. Below are a couple shots of this obscured view of the stadium.

I've taken a few pictures, and have included some of them below. I'll have some nice panoramic shots when I get back home and "stitch" them together. Tempe is the home of Arizona State University, so it is a college town. Many good places to eat...and drink (after the race!).

I just got an email from Shawn Burke, and his weather forecast "sources" tell him that they are calling for record heat on Sunday...97 degrees...ouch. Well, it will be the same for everyone, and historically I've liked the heat...so, we'll see.

There's one in every college town...god bless'm...

I climbed up to the top of that hill to get some shots. I have some great one's but will put them together when I get back.

Self portrait from top of hill, you can see them starting to setup for the Ironman over my right shoulder...

Another shot from the hill...

Setting up the bike transition area...

Here's where we're going to exit the water...

View from the bridge where we start under...if you look into the distance you can see the next bridge, which is almost the turn around...

I'll post more later...

-Sween

About 1 week to go...

2008-04-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

...the hay is in the barn, the work is done. Time to stay loose, and let the last 6 months of training sink in...and then race April 13th. People ask me if I'm ready, or nervous, or scared, or excited. Actually, I don't know if I'm READY...I'll let you know about 9 hours into the race! I'm not really nervous or scared, just ready to get the race started. It's such a long time to focus on a single event, and there are two things that I'm scared of...one, some sort of mechanical/flat on the bike...and the BIG one...catching a cold before the race! I've turned into a germaphobe...seriously, don't touch me! All it takes to wreck 6 months of build up is a common cold. But, other than that...I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

There are so many things that you have to bring and remember. It is worse than traveling to a bike race, by far. You have to bring gear for 3 different sports (for training and racing), have your nutrition plan dialed in, make all the travel arrangements...and oh yeah, race 140.6 miles. I have a 10 page list that has an equipment checklist, which transition bag everything goes in, an itinerary of what I'm doing when I'm there...and don't even get me started on my list for the day before and during the event! It still boggles my mind that Kevin Neal did 5 of these in 1 year!

I fly out on Tuesday morning, and will try to update the blog while in AZ. The hotel is supposed to have internet connections in the room, so I'll see if I can upload some pictures, etc.

The hard work is done...1 1/2 more weeks...

2008-04-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend spelled the end of any "hard" stuff...at least on the bike & run. Tomorrow is 3 x 1000 yards at race pace with a warm up and cool down...I'll do it in the wetsuit, and try not to overheat too bad in the pool.

Last Saturday ended up with about 4:50 ride time for almost 100 miles, followed by a short run. We started ramping it up a bit about an hour in, and then did 2 solid hours at above Ironman race pace...ouch! Once I hit 2 hours I turned off the gas...but Double D wanted to go another 15 minutes! He continued while Greg and I sat on his wheel. Danny's swim and bike are solid, he's still having some issues with his running injury...but is working through it. He's going to have a great Gulf Coast triathlon in May...and unfortunately, he's in my age group!

On Sunday I had a 90 minute run in HR zone 2, so not super fast...but a very steady effort at about Ironman race pace. I warmed up the first mile around 7:40, and then picked it up for the next 10, then back it down to another 7:40 for a total of 12 miles. I kept it at around 7 flat per mile, and finished with an average of 7:07 including the slower first and last miles. I was please with how the run went considering I had tired legs.

I just bought a new camera to play around with, it's an Olympus 1030 SW. It's a point and shoot that is waterproof to 33 feet, shockproof from 6.6 feet, freezeproof, and it takes 10 megapixel pictures. Below are a few pictures & videos I took in the pool with Double D. I'll try to use it to post while I'm in Arizona.

Double D getting ready to light it up! Double D showing how to use the paddles The all too familiar view of miles, and miles, and miles in the pool... The Ponte Vedra Y...where I was recently scolded by one of the life guard kids for swimming a full lap underwater. I was informed it was against the rules...I just think he was excited he actually had something to do...poor kid, he just lost his Christmas tip!
Double D off the wall

Sween lap underwater view

Sween lap above & underwater views

Why do I (we) do this kind of stuff??

2008-03-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

I was having dinner with my wife, and her mother and father the other night...her dad asked me why I wanted to do an Ironman. Hmmmm...I wasn't sure how to respond to that question...I just said that it was a personal goal. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, but he probably doesn't get why I race bikes either. I was also asked if it was because someone was paying me a bunch of money to do it...for me, all things don't come down to the almighty $$. Yes, I want to be paid a descent wage for my education and experience in a work environment...but there's much more to life than just making money...I know some who have a different view, but that's jut me. There MUST to be balance in the force...uh, I mean in life.

While we're on the subject of money, when I race bikes I could earn enough prize money, and with the help of some generous sponsors, at least break even each season. That's bike racing...but in triathlons, you just dump money into this huge, cavernous, never ending black hole...never to be seen again. Yes, there are some Pro's that make money...but 99% of us don't. This means that folks participating must have a deep internal desire or reason to race...especially the Ironman distance. I suppose the rewards are more personal...it's hard to explain.

And on the subject of why do we do, what we do...right after the conversation with my father in-law, I received one of Shawn Burke's email's on this very subject. It was pretty ironic...anyhow, he included a picture from one of his associates, Rich McLaughlin...it says, "If you have to ask why, you'll never understand"...truer words could not have been spoken. I've "borrowed" the picture and put it below.

Shawn is one of the guys who I send workouts that I'm going to do...and how they turned out upon completion, and he does the same. His workouts are usually harder than mine...so, I think I'll have to start adding something extra each time. For instance, last week I swam with my wetsuit at the Brooks YMCA...it was a long workout, and the water was very warm. I ended up kind of sick from overheating...well, Shawn did a very similar workout earlier...was out quicker, and didn't mention feeling sick. Next time I'll tell him I spent 30 minutes with my wetsuit on in the hot tub beforehand, just to become better acclimated to the heat...think he'll buy it?

Sween

Qatar...we've got gas (natural gas & oil)

2008-03-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

I read some facts about Qatar in Velonews the other day...they have a bike race there at the beginning of the season. I found it interesting how things are different in the gas rich countries in the middle east. The following is from the Velonews article...

Qatar by the numbers
Population: 350,000 citizens, about 1 million contract laborers
Independence: 1971
Ruler: Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
GDP: $49,655 per person (7th highest in the world)
Wages: Each Qatari resident receives a monthly stipend between $1,000 to $15,000; laborers earn about $175 per month
Gas Prices: Free to Qataris, otherwise $0.10/liter
Laws: No alcohol for citizens; Foreigners can drink in hotel bars. Death by hanging for illegal drugs
Sports: Aiming to host 2016 Summer Olympic Games, spent billions building the Aspire Center, a world-class training center available for free to all Qataris
Cycling: Hosting Tour of Qatar since 2002; plans in place to build water-cooled, covered outdoor 35km cycling trail around Doha

It goes to show...tons of natural gas and oil can buy just about anything.

...just under 3 weeks to IM Arizona...

2008-03-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the end of what the training plan calles the "IM Hard" phase...and now moves on to what they call a "3 Week Taper". Coming from a single sport backround, it isn't the kind of "taper" you would expect. Tapers usually don't last 3 weeks, maybe 1-2 weeks maximum. It follows a similar structure, decrease volume and maintain or increase intensity...it just does all of this more slowly and over a longer period of time.

On Saturday, Greg "Gills" Carr and I headed South through the "Potato Fields" and past the batting cages, etc. My legs didn't feel great...kind of tired and a bit sore. The workout called for 5 hours, with a block at Ironman race pace, and then a 50 minute run. After about an hour we started race pace effort...ouch, I could tell I had bad legs that day. I was also trying to put down some extra calories to find out where my limits were...well, I found them. My heart rate was fine as well as the speed, but it took a lot more effort, and much more pain than it should have been. I wanted to turn off the gas after the first hour, but hoped it would get better...uh, it didn't. I was planning on 3 hours at race pace...so I pushed on for another hour. Once I got through that hour, and felt considerably worse, I told Greg that I wasn't feeling good. Nutrition may have had something to do with it...my stomach had shut down, and I felt nauseous...so I couldn't eat anymore. This is kind of an interesting scenario...if you can't take in more calories, then you REALLY pay for it on the run...if you get sick and throw up, then you have just dumped all the calories you've painstackingly eaten up until that point...not a great postion to be in. Anyhow, I could ramble forever...to make this short(er), I slowed a bit and made it back home, jumped off the bike and went for a 50+ minute run...and actually felt pretty good...strange. I ended the day doing the original scheduled 5 hours, with 2 hours at race pace instead of 3, and then the run.

Sunday I woke to sore legs, and a couple pretty bad spots. The day's 2 hour run forecast looked bleak! I only drank a Boost shake, so that I could practice getting down calories on the run. I packed up the car and headed out to the Baldwin Rails to Trails...so that I could get some accurate mile splits. It was perfect weather, and the run felt good. I did the first 8 miles at heart rate zone 1 in 1:02:29...and then pushed it into zone 2 on the return trip with a 57:29 for the last 8 miles. I'm very happy with how the run went, so that helps with the confidence. I ended the day with a short swim to loosen up the legs.

The ride on Saturday was good...I don't remember the last time my legs actully "hurt" that bad on the bike...it was extremely painful, I can't even put into words the feeling...but, I know that it won't be any worse than that during the race...so going through that will mentally make me stronger.

Miami International Triathlon results

2008-03-18T05:08:00.000-07:00

Several Jacksonvillians went down the the Miami International Triathlon this past weekend...and cleaned up!

Shawn Burke and Steve Petitt both won their age groups! Now the good part...Shawn and Steve both worked at the Expo the prior days leading up to the race...and Shawn rode 5-6 hours on Friday, ran 2 hours on Saturday...and then race on Sunday! You've gotta be kidding me...jeesh, I need to HTFU!

Also, Chris Lieto (Adopted Jacksonvillian) and Brian Fleischmann took 3rd and 4th in the Pro division. Chris had the fastest bike split of the day, and Brian had the fastest run split! The swim course turned out to be really short...which wasn't so great for Brian, who is an accomplished swimmer and came out of the water 1 second off first place. It was a classic battle between an ITU and an Ironman triathlete. Brian is stronger in the swim and run, while Chris is strongest on the bike. They both did well, and picked up some $$ in the early season opener.

Here's a short report from Brian:
"Yeah, I was a little bummed about the length of the swim, 450 meters short. Nevertheless, I got my ass kicked by those boys on the bike. Lieto rode 55 minutes for 41+ K, it was a tad long. It was a decent race and well run for the most part though. I will have to focus on the bike and run over the next month prior to trials. I am actually in Tucson now for a training camp leading into trials." - Brian Fleischmann

Each are incredible athletes with matching personalities...I wish them luck on their main objectives this season; Brian - Olympic Trials, Chris - Ironman Hawaii.

Sween

Four weeks to Ironman Arizona!

2008-03-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was a pretty tough one. On Saturday, Greg, Danny and myself ventured North (North-West really) to do the "Georgia Ride" with the added pleasure of the double secret, slightly inclined, direct headwind, kick-you-in-the-crotch, Lacey's Place loop. Danny and Greg did this loop a year or two ago by accident.

It was a very windy Saturday as we headed to the Georgia border in our tri-geek non-drafting style. The wind was pretty much at our backs (or sometimes a cross wind) on the way out. We crossed the Georgia border, and then made a left turn by the Shack By The Tracks country store. This put us into a direct headwind...and believe it or not a slight incline that seemed to last the whole way?!? Danny was in front hammering out a painful pace into the strong headwind...but, we were only going 17-18 MPH! Greg wasn't feeling well, so moved up to draft off Danny, but Danny thought he was going too slow...so kept getting faster. Yeah, that was a lot of fun...not. We seemed to head in one direction forever, and I was wondering if we were actually on a loop...or were we going to end up in Atlanta. We finally made it to Lacey's Place and refilled our fluids. We then started back home into a headwind, and at best...a cross wind. The day ended with a little over 123 miles and a 50 minute T-run afterwards...about 7 1/2 hours total.

On Sunday I met up with Dr. Pain (Lyndon) to do an easy 2 hour run doing loops over the downtown bridges. It was a beautiful day and we had a good run traveling along the St. Johns river. Once back, we had some biscuits smothered in his mom's homemade pear preserves. I've never had pear preserves...and they tasted great!

Next week the long ride & run are shorter, but at a slightly higher intensity. Each week the length of the key workouts become shorter...except for the swim...there are some pretty long swim sessions planned the next couple weeks, so we'll see how those go.

Sween

...the day after River Run...

2008-03-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

I was planning on going to a triathlon down in Gainesville, but the weather report said it would be low 30's at 8 am!! I wasn't too hip on getting out of the water, taking off my wetsuit, jumping on my bike, and hauling ass in windy 30 degree weather...so I bailed.

Instead I did an hour swim in my wetsuit with Gregg...then rode 2.5-3 hours easy with Gregg, Danny, and Jennifer...then jumped off for an easy 20 minute run. My legs were still pretty sore from the day before, so it's probably a good thing that I didn't race hard again.

Next week starts the last hard 3 week block before I taper for Ironman Arizona. I'll be doing more race pace specific training...and it all begins with a 7 & 7 (Lyndon loves these) on Saturday...7 hour bike ride into a 7 mile run, it should be fun. The next day's long run is scaled back a bit, and is 2:15 for about 16-17 miles...

...only 5 more weeks to Arizona...

River Run weekend...wild & windy!

2008-03-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

As usual with a "rest" week...I feel like "Bantha Fodder"! As the body builds back up from the last cycle of training, you usually feel very "flat", the legs feel heavy and you are a bit sluggish. This would seem counter-intuitive, especially since the training volume and intensity are backed down...but, that's how it works. Shawn Burke also speaks about this in his latest blog entry.

Be that as it may, I was signed up for the River Run for the first time ever! The River Run has quite a history, and has had a world class field for years. Some of those competing and winning over the years include Bill Rodgers, Pat Porter, Wilson Waigwa, Mike Musyoki, Simeon Kigen, Arturo Barrios, Steve Spence, Ed Eyestone, Todd Williams, Dan Browne, Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Shay, Ryan Hall, Keith Brantley, Grete Waitz, Lynn Jennings, Cathy O'Brien, Gwyn Coogen, Joan Benoit, and Denna Kastor just to name a few. This race has always taken place during my bike race season, so I have never had a chance to participate. This race is labeled the "U.S. 15k Championships", had 14,000 people registered, around 12,500 finished, and the wind was crazy! It was the windiest run I have ever done. There were 20+ MPH sustained winds, and 40+ MPH gusts...plus we had to cross 2 bridges over the river...ouch! Drafting was the word for the day.

The start...

Kicking up the waves along the river...

I've never run a 15k, so figured 3 x 20 minute 5k's = 1 hour (~6:26/mile)...so that was my goal...but, without all the wind. The Main Street bridge had everyone pushed over to the far left hand side by the cross wind, I even had to put my hand on some guys back in front of me to keep him in place and not run me into the bridge railing...but that was just a brief prelude to the Hart bridge...which is much higher and steeper. Everything was going smoothly, even with all the wind, until the Hart bridge...there was a massive cross wind from the left...and I mean MASSIVE. The gusts had to be 50 MPH...crazy stuff. By this time the runners were pretty spread out...so I got into a little group of about 5 and tried to draft up the bridge. We were going incredibly slow, and being pushed against the far right barrier wall. In retrospect, it was pretty comical...me trying to draft off all these fly weight runners getting blown all over the place...very surreal. Once over the top we curved down to the left directly into the wind...to the bottom of the bridge, and then into the Jacksonville Jaguars home stadium to finish on the field. As I ran into the stadium I caught a view of the clock...59:55...yikes, I sprinted like an Ethiopian chicken all the way through the line to finish as the last person to break an hour on the official "gun" time...59:59. My chip time, which begins when you actually cross the start line, was a few seconds faster...but the official time is when the gun goes off at the start, and that is how your placed overall.

What the heck is Lyndon (in tights) smiling about?!?

Lyndon "Dr. Pain" Box dealing me some punishment in San Marco...

Shawn Burke Laying down the law...

Greg "Gills" Carr in full flight to a 52:45...and feeling fortunate Double D was injured ;-)

Me doing the "Ethiopian Chicken" to the finish line...

After reviewing the results, my last 5k in the race was about 30-45 seconds slower than those earlier in the race...it looks as though the finish times were about 1 minute or so slower this year than previous versions. I met up with Greg "Gills" Carr at the finish...and he ran a 52:45...for second in his age group! He was beaten by some guy from North Carolina named Jason Bodnar who ran a 48:56. It turns out Bodnar at one time was on the U.S. National team for the 1998 World Cross Country Championships, was an Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier, and had a whole host of other results...so "Gills" shouldn't feel too bad about getting beat by this guy!

Danny "Double D" Domingo was taking the day off with a sore foot...he's still battling his foot injury, but has taken some steps to hopefully get back in the action...of course when he does, that's just another guy ahead of me! Speaking of guys ahead of me...Shawn Burke also kicked my butt and ran a PR of 58:36, great job! I ran with Lyndon "Dr. Pain" Box who kept me motivated the whole time...he just missed breaking an hour by a few scant seconds, and had a great run.

Here's the results.

Thoughts so far, and some of the facts...

2008-03-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

A few of you have already trained for and competed in an Ironman (or several!), but I have received a lot of questions about the training. I'll try to answer some of them...and give you my view on how this type of training compares to what it takes to compete in bike racing.

The number of hours training depends on the week, but it averages 15-20 hours. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more. Below is a rough breakdown.

Swim 3 times a week, 3-4 hours total, 9k-12k yards
Run 4 times (including bricks) a week, 4-6 hours total, 30-50 miles
Bike 3 times a week, 8-10 hours total, 160-240 miles

Total hours spent training is similar to what is needed to race bikes, but not all workout hours are contiguous. You have to drive to the pool or to the run, etc. This all adds up to a lot more hours to get ready, and return from working out. Also, an hour running or swimming is a much different effort than cycling for an hour...so the total energy & calorie expenditure is MUCH higher. For example, since I switched over training to triathlons, I've dropped 15-20 pounds. Some pounds were fat, but many of the pounds were muscle from my legs and upper body that were needed to compete in cycling races. In cycling I had much higher intensity intervals and operated at a much higher heart rate...at least 20-25 beats higher on average for the week. With that training I was able to generate high wattage for short periods of time, but now I can sustain a medium level wattage for a very long time. I've traded my "jet fuel" for "diesel" to power my engine.

It takes up a lot of time, especially with a full time job, etc. But, what does it really take to compete at the top level (obviously not me, the real guys)? As a comparison, Brian Fleischmann is on the U.S. National team and races ITU races. The distance he races is approximately a 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and a 6 mile run...and he trains about 25 hours or so per week. He's not training for an Ironman, but an event that takes around 2 hours to complete! There is much more intensity in his training, so most of those hours have a LOT of quality to them...ouch! It makes my schedule look tiny in comparison. I think for a professional triathlete training for Ironman events probably is around 25-30 hours per week, but much less intensity than Brian's. I read one time that Mark Allen trained 38 hours a week during his peak volume!

Ironman training puts an emphasis on doing long workouts at a lower intensity. This teaches your body to use fat for fuel in an efficient manner, and save your glycogen stores. When you go harder (high heart rate) you burn glycogen which I think is enough for about 2 hours...then your empty...obviously not enough for an Ironman. Your body has a much larger store of fat energy, so you want to keep your heart rate in a certain zone so that you can use fat energy as long as possible...and burn glycogen as needed (toward the end of the race). When I first started training I would do my runs at a low heart rate and feel like I was really crawling, probably 9-10 minute miles. Now, I can keep my heart rate low and run 7:30-8:00 miles. The same is true for the bike training.

I know a lot less than most about this, and the people that really know about his are Gregg Carr, Danny Domingo...and especially Shawn Burke at the folks at Velocity Multisport.

I've rambled too long...
Sween

"The Push"...week #3

2008-03-03T04:49:00.000-08:00

The final week of "The Push" is over...now I have a rest week. There are six weeks left before Ironman Arizona...and now I can see the "light at the end of the tunnel".

After this rest week there are two "IM Hard" weeks that have similar workouts as I've been doing, but with higher intensity. My longest ride is coming up, and it consists of 7 hours with some race pace efforts...then a 6-7 mile run after. That's going to make a long day. The next day I'll do 2:00-2:15 run. After this week my long ride and run start to become shorter, but introduce more intensity (eg: 4.5-5 hour rides above race pace).

Saturday
I didn't feel real "spunky" today...legs were sore, and just didn't have it. Anyhow, I met up with Greg, Danny, Dave and one of his friends to do the long ride. I've been babying my right knee, and have had some trouble with my left Achilles and ITB...so I was wondering how it would feel after today. We rode South and hit all the big towns...Switzerland, Orangedale, Mill Creek, Hastings, Molasses Junction, Elwood, Picolata, Bass Haven, Palmo, and Florence. Through the wind swept potato fields, past the convenience store in the middle of nowhere that has batting cages (yes, batting cages), along beautiful sections of the St. Johns river...and then battled some good winds on the way back. I finished the day with a little over 106 miles, and then did an easy 30 minute T-run to nurse the sore knee.

Sunday
Today was my longest run of the training schedule...20 miles, and I wanted to do it in around 2:40 (8:00/mile). Nice and easy, and keep my heart rate low. I ran at the Baldwin Rails to Trails in the afternoon. So I wanted to fully test the stuff I was going to use in the Ironman, so I used the tri shorts, tri singlet, hat, shoes, socks, sunglasses, gels, and hydration/fuel belt I planned on using in the race...needless to say, I was tri-geeked out! This also gave me the opportunity to find out where my clothing selection would chafe me, so that I could try and fix those hot spots before/during the race.

I ran the first 10 miles mostly off the asphalt and on the dirt beside the trail, some of which is used for horses. Spots of it were hard packed, some was pretty sandy, other places were mushy, and some had big patches of horse dung...I tried to avoid those. I went 5 miles out, turned around and went back to the beginning to meet Double (Danny Domingo) to do the last 10 miles with me. The majority of my running, probably 99%, is alone...so running with someone really made the last 10 miles go by rather quickly. Danny kept me motivated and I ended up under 2:40 for the run...but, also with some blisters on my feet from running off road. My running shoes have elastic laces to put them on and off quickly, so they don't hold as tightly as regular laces...this made my foot move around in the shoe and gave me some blisters...and pretty dirty feet from all the sand getting in my shoes!

Sween

"The Push"...week #2

2008-02-25T06:10:00.001-08:00

Another week down in the "Push" phase...only one more to go before a "rest" week. This weekend called for rain on Saturday and clear on Sunday...so I switched up my long ride and long run days. In all, it was a nice, painful, long weekend. I'm seeing some signs of having some endurance fitness, so that is positive.

I'll continue to be overly cautious, and try to stay healthy...and as Phil Liggett says, "There is a very thin between a finely tuned athlete, and a coughing bag of bones..."

Saturday
I corralled all of my stuff together and headed out to the Baldwin Rails to Trails. This is a pretty good place to run...no cars, mile and half mile markers, and a chance to run on the grass in some spots. Since there had been a lot of rain, I was only able to run about 5-10% on the grass...it was just way too soggy. Other than that, it was a good run...and gave me another chance to test my race nutrition and pacing. The schedule was for 2 1/2 hours. My legs were already pretty fatigued and sore from the previous week's training, so I knew it was going to be a bit tough. The run went well...and really started to hurt the "old legs" during the last 4-5 miles. I finished up with 19 miles in 2:31 (~7:56/mile), and negative split the last half by a little over a minute. I kept in my heart rate zone 1 on the way out, and then it slowly crept up into zone 2 on the return trip...this workout was just about getting time on my legs without going too hard.

Sunday
This workout called for 6 1/2 hour of riding followed by 1 hour of running...at least that was the plan. I met up with Greg & Danny about 7:30 am to get started on another long non-drafting day. To change the scenery, we decided to do the long Penny Farms loop (to take in a couple rolling hills) followed by a loop in Mandarin to add more miles. This was another ride to also try and workout my nutrition plan. We rode steady 21-23 mph staying in heart rate zone 1 & 2. Today, just like yesterday, was just about getting time on the legs. During the Mandarin loop my right knee was hurting a little, but I couldn't pin point if it was the ride or the run that was the cause. Greg suggested that I cut the run a bit short to be safe, so I agreed...so I did 30 minutes easy.

Once done, I was pretty hungry...so I had a double cheeseburger and large fries from Five Guys!

Sween

US National Team, Olympic hopeful...Brian Fleischmann

2008-02-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I check up on Jacksonville's own Brian Fleischmann. He's still in the hunt for an Olympic spot, and starting to ramp up the training. Here's an email I just received from him.

"Nothing to crazy going on here. Doing the training and getting equipment ready to go for the season. For some reason that takes up quite a bit of time. Today is an easy day for the most part and I need it with Friday through Sunday being fairly legit. Training about 25 hours this week with intensity. Not crazy hours but doing alot of LT and above LT stuff here and there..."

Shawn Burke...wins age group in Breast Cancer Marathon

2008-02-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

I didn't even see this until today...the last he said was that he was only going until mile 18. Well, he finished the whole thing in 3:12:36...which gave him a Boston qualifying time, and a win in the 40-44 age group. I haven't heard the details yet, but it must have been a sprint...because he only beat the guy in second place by 2 seconds!

Shawn's also doing Ironman Arizona, and seems to be on track for an incredible finish! Here's Shawn's take on the race.

Pictures of Breast Cancer 1/2 Marathon

2008-02-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

Dan Hubert who works in the photography department at Mayo Clinic sent these to me...it pays to know people!

Thank goodness it's over...but a fun race! (I had to get out the HTFU bracelet...it's on my left wrist :-)

If sports don't work out for me, I guess I could do some modeling...in magazines for the blind!

"The Push"...week #1

2008-02-18T05:47:00.000-08:00

The weeks to Ironman Arizona are dwindling, and now there are only eight. This last week was the first of a long-hard 3 week block. Danny "Double D/Aquaman" Domingo reminded me that The Grip (Mark Allen) used to call this block of training "The Push". The principle is to try to overload your body with three progressively longer training weeks, almost to the point of overtraining...then back it down for a week. After that I think there are two weeks of "Peak", and two weeks of "Taper"...but now it's about "The Push". Well...this week was #1...and I "pushed"...ouch...

Saturday
I met up with my training buddies Greg "Gills" Carr, Kevin "5 Ironman's in one year" Neil, Casey "Exterra Champ" Fannin, and Lyndon "Doctor Pain" Box. The ride was our infamous "Lacey's Place" Georgia ride. The entire ride was non-drafting and we threw in a 3 hour block at race intensity for good measure. Of course it was a head wind the whole way home. The ride was 110-115 miles depending on who you ask. Lyndon's computer is set to only record time when we are moving, so you exclude stop lights, bathroom breaks, etc. He ended up in the range of 5:30-5:45...my computer includes stops in the timing and was close to 6 hours. Once back to Lyndon's condo, He, Kevin and I did a quick change for a T-Run of 58 minutes using a loop over 2 of the bridges in downtown Jacksonville. All in all it was a 7 hour day of training...needless to say, my legs were cooked.

Sunday
Lyndon and I had a long day planned to create an Epic weekend. First up we did the Breast Cancer 1/2 marathon leaving from where I work, Mayo Clinic. I thought seriously about doing the full marathon to try and obtain a Boston Marathon qualifying time, but it is way too close to IM Arizona...and would wreck my training for the next few weeks. I awoke to some tired and slightly sore legs...but, it would be good to see how I responded to running on fatigued legs.

We parked a short distance away from the start so that we could add a few miles to get in around 16-17 miles total. We timed it pretty well, and met up with Kevin and Lyndon's wife, Lesleigh, and had about 5 minutes before the gun went off. I started out with the pace group doing a 3:10 marathon...and figured that would give me a 1:35 half marathon (7:15/mile). I wasn't sure if this was doable, especially with 2 bridges to cross and part of the course on the beach...oh, and the trashed legs :-) Anyhow, I felt ok and I met up with Greg, James Cordoza (doing the whole marathon), and Shawn Burke. After about mile 2, Greg and James decided to pick it up a bit...and we started to leave the 3:10 pace group behind...this was NOT my idea (Greg is very persuading), but decided to run with them for a while. Needless to say it hurt, and I ended up with 1:30:43 (6:56/mile). Lesleigh ran a 1:36:37 and qualified for the New York City Marathon and James Cardoza finished the full marathon in 3:10:34 securing a start at the Boston Marathon for him...awesome! We then ran back to the car to get ready for the rest of the day...which next included stopping for some lunch at Tijuana Flats..."Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally."

Next, Lyndon and I drove out to Kingsley lake and spaced out some buoy markers. We then changed into wetsuits and swam some laps. Doctor Pain (Lyndon) lived up to his name and punished me with impunity in the open water swim. There was some chop that got annoying after a while, but wasn't super bad. As Lyndon swam circles around me, I tried to get used to swimming in a straight line towards each turn around point. After an hour of swimming we ran out and made a quick transition to the bike and went out for a about a 1 1/2 hour ride at an easy pace. Even "easy" hurt after this weekend.

We ended another long day to make it an Epic weekend...and hopefully gain some valuable fitness. Lyndon's going to do Ironman Brazil at the end of May, so he's ahead of the game on his training...and should do really well. The volume continues to ramp up this next week...so we'll see how the old body reacts.

Sween

Some of "my" action shots

2008-02-15T07:19:00.001-08:00

Proper Visualization
I thought it would be good to have some professional race pictures for my resume, so below are a couple I had done recently. This should help with potential sponsors and other types of promotions. I caught some flack by a guy named "Chris Liet-who"...never heard of him, but through proper visualization and a lot of hard work, he can achieve what I have in these photos.

My favorite Lance commercial

2008-02-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

...so, I'm out in the dark Tuesday finishing up a brick workout, and running in the pouring rain. You know the kind...that comes down in sheets...sideways. I just start laughing...yes, I may be losing it, but I'm not the only one...Domingo was doing the same thing over at his house...and it reminded me of my favorite Armstrong commercial. He was "hard" before anyone said HTFU...I guess that's makes him "old school HTFU".

The road time forgot...slow down!!

2008-02-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

I made the trip to Gainesville this past weekend to the annual race put on by the University of Florida students. You can find the race report on our Lindner Capital blog.

To make the trip I went down US 301 that runs though the middle of our state. I think it used to be a main route before I95 & I75 were completed. It's sort of the road time forgot. It's filled with run down or abandoned motels and cities that make their living off of speeders going 1 mph over the limit. If I remember correctly, I think I heard that there are only 2 places in the country that AAA still labels as speed traps, and they are both on US 301 and only a few miles apart...Get R Dun...

Here are a few pictures I took along the way...

Oh good, there's still vacancy...

Fixer upper, cheap...

The first "trap" you hit heading South on US 301...

...the second...

Chris Lieto...and Baseperformance.com

2008-02-12T06:16:00.001-08:00

So...Jeff Kopp tells us that he has this buddy of his from high school who is a pretty good triathlete, and he's going to have him come in and speak at the Trek Store. Turns out, it's one of our sponsors...and 4 time Ironman Champion...Chris Lieto! I'm not sure what they've put in the drinking water around Jeff's high school, but I want some...it seems that most of Jeff's old buddies have turned Pro in some sport.

Now Jeff tells me that we need to help Chris find a place to do a little training while he's here. Hmmm, well cycling we have covered (Jeff took care of that)...running, he's on his own...now a place to swim. Danny "Aquaman" Domingo volunteered to take him to the YMCA at Ponte Vedra. Danny does a great job putting me in the hurt box every time we dip a toe in the water, so it was nice to see him get some of his own medicine for once. Below is Danny's brief report after I asked him if he showed Chris who was boss:

"NO HE SHOWED ME.. nice fellow - tell Jeff thanks a bunch.. nice to swim with the guy who led Hawaii till mile 16 on the run. It was a hard swim – i need some fitness - 18x100s as follows:

5x 100s on 1:20 – holding 9-10s – swim5x100s on 1:15 holding 7s - Chris was 5s -swim5x100s on 1:20 had to take a 50 break – and put on paddles to keep up- 1:10s3x100s swim on 1:15 – 6-7s Chris was 5s. swim

We were gonna do 20 but the pool was closing. . He is fit..."

Later that day Chris went at the Trek Store to give a presentation. A lot of athletes, especially those who are world class like Chris, talk about their results and how they've done in their races...but, he spoke about how to set and accomplish goals. It was more of a motivational speech that was highly entertaining, informative, and got the whole crowd involved. When it was over he hung out and answered questions and posed for pictures with anyone who wanted them. Not only an incredible athlete, but a great speaker and very personable guy. Everyone really enjoyed themselves.

He's also spent a lot of time developing a nutritional line that should be coming out this month. It's part of a venture called Base Performance Nutrition, and will have products to be used before, during, and after a race for recovery...keep an eye out for those products in both of Jeff's stores soon.

Jeff introducing Chris Lieto

Chris Lieto asking for another Salmon wrap from Native Sun

Setting goals and how to achieve them

Chris and Jeff...two Pro multisport athletes, between the two of them they have running, cycling, swimming, triathlons, water polo, football, and bull riding covered...did I miss anything??

Me telling Chris his days of having the fastest bike split in triathlons are numbered...he looks worried!

Here's another account of Lieto's presentation.

State of Mind Triathlon #2 pictures

2008-02-08T10:07:00.001-08:00

All of these pictures were "borrowed" from the State of Mind Sports website, so thanks to those folks for taking them.

This is Ashley Carusone and she directs the race along with other members of her family. She recently graduated from University of Florida where she was a swimmer. Also, she's been doing triathlons for a while, and was close to turning pro until she had a bad wreck this last year. The wreck happened in a race where she was either 1st or 3rd out of the water (overall...including men!) and was running 3rd on the bike amongst the women. I think Danny knows her and Carusone family, we all wish here a speady recovery so that she can get back to racing.

Danny & Greg trying to fix my wetsuit after the "breakaway" feature of my wetsuit prematurely brokeaway before the start...maybe I'm too fat for the suit!

Before the start, you can see me on the left messing with my swim cap, Leslie, Lyndon, and Greggy...

Check out this "nut job" without a wetsuit! Most of the no wetsuit guys were doing the short course...but I would have still worn a wetsuit!

Casey Fannin and Kevin Neil

And we're off...brrrrrrr, there was much shrinkage...I'm the one in the blue cap

Danny dragging Gregg away from everyone

Danny & Greg again...or the Loch Ness monster!

Me completing the first loop..and wondering why Danny & Greg didn't wait for me

Danny 1st out of the water with Greg right behind

Greg showing how to transition out of your swim gear...

...while Danny struggles with the shoe string he's using for his wetsuit zipper...

Casey is 3rd out and shows expert form removing his wetsuit

Me and Kevin coming out of the water...that guy in front of us must be cold!

Glad to be on land...does the wetsuit make my butt look big?!?

Leslie makes it out

Me starting back out for the second bike loop...

...and checking to see how much time I'm behind Greg & Danny

Greg and Danny leading the run

Chasing Gills & Double D...and wondering, are my legs supposed to feel like lead?

Lyndon, Kevin, and Casey...

Casey & Kevin share a moment...

Danny wins with Greggy in second

Me finishing up in third

Danny and Greg talking about how they smoked us all!

Big day followed by triathlon...ouch!

2008-02-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to recover from this past weekend! I may have dug a little too deep, but had fun and got in some great work. This week is my "rest" week before my first big 3 week block...so I have to make sure to recover this week.

Lacie's Place
Anyhow, on Saturday Gregg Carr and I headed out on a non-drafting 5 hour ride on Saturday. We did our normal Georgia ride to a store named "Lacie's Place". It was my second ride on my new Cervelo P3C (very fast bike!), so I was still trying to get adjusted. The position is much more forward than on a stardard road bike. The thinking is that you can generate more power in that position, and use more of your quads and save your hamstrings for the run. Either way, riding it for 5 hours takes some getting used to. We had a head/cross wind on the way out and were looking forward to tailwind on the way back...yeah, right...the wind changed, so we rode back into a headwind (isn't that how it always works out?). Once back I did a quick change and ran for 45 minutes. I felt pretty good, just fatigued from the distance.

Lake Alto Winter Triathlon
Sunday a group of us from Jacksonville went down to Waldo, FL for a small training triathlon put on my State of Mind Sports. The race was slated to be a 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run. It was a good way to practice in a low key race situation.

We had a good group with Kevin "5 Ironman's in one year" Neil, Casey "2nd in Exterra World Championships" Fannin, Doctor's Lyndon & Lesleigh Box, Chris "I now live in Gainesville" Tippin, Greg "Gills" Carr, and Danny "Double D" Domingo. A good representatino of Jackson-burgh. Everyone "promised" to ride low tech stuff, but everyone had disk wheels and other "go fast" bike equipment...I left my disk at home, but brough my Zipp 404's just in case...and I'm glad I did.

Lyndon and Leslie

This was my first triathlon since I was about 15 (hmmm, 23 or 24 years...am I really that old?!?)...so I setup my transition area the best I could. I wanted to make sure that I did everything I would do in the Ironman that I wouldn't normally do in a race of this distance (e.g. Put on socks, etc.)...although it would cost me some time.

Greg's "Hi-Tech" setup...notice the rear Armadillo tire!

Double D with his setup (you can just make out his his UGLY blue and green helmet in the left side of his car!)

Ok...the water was COLD ("I had shrinkage..."), especially at the start...even in a wetsuit. We took off and I couldn't get my breath for 3/4 of the first lap (2 loop course), but then got in the groove. But, by that time the lead pack had a big gap...so I just brought it home the best I could. I ended up losing over 3 minutes to the leaders on the swim (which turned out to be very short), and about another 1 1/2 minutes in the transition area...jeesh.

Once on the bike I decided to try to go hard and make up some time. It was a 20k out and back course, so we did it 2 times for 40k. This would allow me time checks on Danny and Greg who were about 4 - 4 1/2 minutes up on me. By the end I gained back about 2 minutes and moved into 3rd overall.

On the run my quads were cramping a bit as my legs were getting used to that forward bike position. Danny and Greg were able to cruise in for 1st and 2nd respectively, while I held on for 3rd. I planned on doing a run afterwards, but chose to bag it after the hard weekend.

RESULTS

We all had fun, and Danny and Greg proved once again why they are two of the top triathletes in Florida...and the rest of us are a level below.

I've got more work to do on my open water swimming, especially with a wetsuit!

Sween

HTFU and associated stories

2008-01-29T05:32:00.000-08:00

The HTFU bracelet story
Some have asked about the HTFU bracelet...where did you get it? ...who thought it up? ...what does it mean? Here's the story behind the bracelet.

Mike Cox in Olympic Trials...HTFU!
Below is an email I sent to some friends back in October:

---------------------------------------------------------
As you guys know, I just returned from West Virginia. While I was up there I ran and rode with my old cross country coach, Will, (he's now 67) and another running friend of ours, Sam (he's in his mid 50's) , who lives near the college I attended. When I arrived, Sam had just returned from running 23 miles to another town on the rails to trails...and then got on his mountain bike and rode back. Later that week we did a 5 hour mountain bike ride with a 8 mile off road climb at the end...I was pretty impressed with my old coach hanging on for the whole thing. Both of these guys are pretty "Hard", and I gave a "Hardin the...up" bracelet to both of them to show to anyone who complains to them in the future.

Will's team is getting ready for the Eastern NCAA regional meet, and I received the following from him today...

"We continue to be troubled by nagging injuries that are generally a sign of being wound too tight. We talked about that this afternoon after practice. I have used the "toughen the fuck up" slogan several times... including pre race pep talk and post race ass chewing at the conference meet. One of my coaching colleagues qualified for the Olympic marathon trials at Chicago... so he is racing the trials this Saturday with just about a month between races. I saw him Saturday at the HS state meet and he was having a problem with his hamstring. I showed him the bracelet... he asked me if he could borrow it for the trials... Watch for him... Mikey Cox with a black band on his right wrist."
---------------------------------------------------------

Here are some articles about Mike's Olympic Trials qualifying in the severe heat of Chicago:

Chicago Heat

Concorde University story (Where he coaches)

Pictures of Mike Cox during the Olympic Trials
Mike ran a 2:20:12 for 41st place and a new PR.

Long day training

2008-01-29T05:21:00.000-08:00

At the end of yesterday's post, I pondered a question about how to space out your long days when training for an Ironman. Below is the excerpt:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Parting Thoughts About Long Days
I've seen two schools of thought on long days of training for Ironman triathlons:

One method has you doing your long ride and long run days back to back on the weekend. I think the theory is that you can prefatigue your legs on Saturday with a long ride followed by a short run, and then you do your long run on Sunday with tired legs. This would simulate how your legs would feel in an actual Ironman triathlon. (Huddle/Frey)

The other method spreads out your long run, long ride, and long swim with days in between. Like, long run on Wednesday, long swim on Friday, and long ride on Sunday. This way you can have an optimum workout in each activity without a lot of accumulated fatigue (besides the shorter faster stuff done the rest of the week days). (Gordo/Friel)

Which method works best? I've passed this question along to a coaching expert, Shawn Burke at Velocity Multisport. Shawn has done a bunch of Ironman and 1/2 Ironman races, and has done a lot of coaching...so he's one of the main guys I go to for triathlon questions. I'll post what he thinks when I hear back from him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

After speaking with Shawn, he feels that long ride Saturday (+short run) followed by a long run on Sunday is the way to go. This will prefatigue your legs for Sunday's run, which will more closely simulate what race day will actually be like. He said that he has tried both methods mentioned above, and thinks this works best. He also had some other good workouts that he uses to help his clients achieve their Ironman goals...but I'll let you ask him about those.

Thanks to Shawn Burke at Velocity Multisport for the info.

Sween

Weekend update

2008-01-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday - Mantanzas 5k - St. Augustine, FL
My cold was still in full force on Saturday morning and I woke to a drizzly, overcast, chilly day. But, I decided to do the running race, but bag the cycling race later that day if it was still raining...I was already registered for the run, so what the heck.

I packed all of my running and cycling gear into the car and headed to St. Augustine. It was going to be a nice course right through the oldest city in the U.S., right by Fort Mantanzas. By the time the race had started, the rain had stopped. I reached the first mile in about the time I wanted, 5:45...but, would soon find out it was too fast for how I was feeling! The "monkey jumped on my back" through the second mile with a split of 11:53 (6:08 mile 2nd)...and then he started kicking, screaming and swinging through the finish with a time of 18:43 (6:12 3rd mile pace). Hmmm...it seems being sick has a cumulative effect as the race progresses. It was a good workout and was faster than the 19:20 I did on December 31st...so I can't be too unhappy. It started raining, so I took the rest of the day off to try and recuperate.

Sunday - Penny Farms Brick
I decided to ride our local "long" group ride (about 80 miles). It was pretty chilly when we started, and didn't warm up that much...maybe because it was so windy. This made for a pretty hard ride. I decided to sit in and take it easy so I could do a run afterwards. I don't think I drank enough during the ride, and it showed when I hopped off and went for my run. I try to do all of my "Bricks" with a fast transition (under 5 minutes...usually under 3). Today it took longer getting off all of the clothes I was wearing for the ride, but still under 5 minutes. FYI, "Bricks" are called Bricks because that is the way your legs feel when you start running after having ridden your bike...nice, huh? Anyhow, I ran an hour after the ride...and it hurt. The first 20-30 minutes kind of hurt, but every 10 minutes after that the pain grows exponentially! I was pretty thirsty, and should have strapped on one of those tri-geek belts that hold fluids. I have to remember that everything I do on the bike will have a big effect on the run afterwards (eg. Drink more!)...and put on one of those fluid belts, even if it looks kinda dorky.

Hopefully I'll be over this cold soon, and haven't put myself in too much of a hole.

Parting Thoughts About Long Days
I've seen two schools of thought on long days of training for Ironman triathlons:

One method has you doing your long ride and long run days back to back on the weekend. I think the theory is that you can prefatigue your legs on Saturday with a long ride followed by a short run, and then you do your long run on Sunday with tired legs. This would simulate how your legs would feel in an actual Ironman triathlon. (Huddle/Frey)

The other method spreads out your long run, long ride, and long swim with days in between. Like, long run on Wednesday, long swim on Friday, and long ride on Sunday. This way you can have an optimum workout in each activity without a lot of accumulated fatigue (besides the shorter faster stuff done the rest of the week days). (Gordo/Friel)

Which method works best? I've passed this question along to a coaching expert, Shawn Burke at Velocity Multisport. Shawn has done a bunch of Ironman and 1/2 Ironman races, and has done a lot of coaching...so he's one of the main guys I go to for triathlon questions. I'll post what he thinks when I hear back from him.

Sween

A few workout pictures...

2008-01-25T07:47:00.001-08:00

Training after work in the "Pain Lab"...

Aquaman looking very patriotic with the flag in the background...

Doing some swimming at Bolles on a cold day...at least the pool was warm! (Greg "Gills" Carr, Sween, Danny "Aquaman/Double D" Domingo)

Great rewards are not achieved without great sacrifice, so HTFU...

The "balancing act"

2008-01-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

Well...I suppose it was bound to happen...I got sick. Everyone I know has been sick, Danny "Double D/Aquaman" Domingo (and all his family, Clair, Emily, Emma, Matty), Greg "Gills" Carr, Jeff "Koppster" Kopp, Curtis "Thigh Master" Long, everyone at work...and finally my wife, Jennifer.

I felt the darkness approaching late Wednesday...and was full on sick Thursday. Now comes the balancing act that all training athletes attempt to perform...train, but not too hard, get over the cold, but not get worse. When younger I would train through and be OK, but I trained through a few years back and ended up with Pneumonia. "Double D" also did the same thing in 2006 training for an Ironman in Germany...he ended up with Pneumonia and wrecked his season.

It is so difficult when your putting in a high volume of training (1 day off every 3 weeks), and then you get sick...mentally it's a HUGE blow. You understand that now you're not progressing forward to become more fit, but you will actually regress.

This next six weeks is a crucial training block...I'm only 12 weeks out from IM Arizona and at least 2 weeks will be taper, so I have 9-10 weeks of solid effort that is IM specific. There will be a few 6-6 1/2 hour training rides followed by an hour run...and a few 2-3 hour runs...and some longer pool/open water swim sessions.

I've mixed some races in this last block to break up the training a bit. I have a 5k, 15k, 1/2 marathon, a few bike races, and a triathlon or two to help with speed and transition work. This weekend kicks it all off with a 5k Saturday morning, followed by a bike race, followed by a few hours on the bike afterwards.

We'll see how my sickness weighs in on my "balancing act"...I'll keep you updated...and post after the weekend.

Thought for the day:
"Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win."
- Tom Fleming's Boston Marathon Training Motto

HTFU,
Sween

Update...January 15th, 2008...

2008-01-15T04:42:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while, so decided to write something short about what I've been up to lately. I'll try to do better, and update once a week.

Swim, Bike, Run, Repeat...yeah, I know it's pretty "Triathlon Cliche"...but, that's about the extent of it.

Fleischmann
About a week ago I had dinner with Danny "Double D" Domingo, a training partner (more about him in a minute), and Brian Fleischmann. I met Brian some years back, he was 17 or 18 and had just won the Junior Triathlon National Championships. He's good friends with Danny and another one of our training buddies, Greg Carr. Anyhow, Brian lives at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO...and is headed to a training camp in Clermont, FL. Brian is from Jacksonville, so he stops by periodically. He went to FSU and I think did some swimming for them, and then ran cross country. He looks like he has about 2% body fat...and that's in the "off season". He's a neat guy, and an incredible athlete. He was an alternate at the last Olympics, and is trying to make the team for the upcoming Games...here's his website if you want to take a look:

http://www.brianfleischmann.com/

Aquaman & Gills
As I mentioned, I've been training with a couple stud triathletes...Danny Domingo and Greg Carr. Danny has a swimming background, and is very fast in the water (I call him Aquaman)! Oh, and he's fast on the bike and the run! He was the top triathlete in Florida a couple years back, and took some time off...he's makeing a comeback this year, so look out!

Greg Carr also has a swim background (I call him Gills), runs like the wind, and can put you in the "hurt box" on any bike ride over 3 hours (personal experience!). Greg coaches a Master's swim class at Bolles swim facility, and I usually go to that once a week. Greg had a bike wreck last year and tore up his shoulder...he's had a couple surgery's and is working on rehabing his way back this year.

Needless to say, my swimming has gotten better...I swim with Danny 2 times a week, and Greg once a week. I've always been able to "swim"...I've been a life guard and have done some scuba diving...but never trained to swim. Oh brother it is much more involved that I ever thought. Swimming is a skill sport, kind of like golf. You have to practice your swim stroke, body position, body roll, kick, and all kinds of things to become more effecient in the water. I have a LONG way to go, but you can only get better when you start from the bottom!

Epic Training Weekend
This last Saturday Greg, Danny, Dave, and myself went for a "Georgia Ride". As we were headed out, it started to rain...then it became worse. It was that sideways stinging rain due to the high winds. It was kind of funny how bad it was, and since we were doing "non-drafting" training, there wasn't another rider blocking any of the wind or rain. The rain drops were shooting down the holes in my helmet and even stinging my bald head! We were in the middle of nowhere...so when the thunder and lightning started, we really didn't have anywhere to stop for cover...so we just kept going. After a couple hours of that it calmed down, and luckily no one was struck by lightning. We were all really dirty from the road grime on the return trip. I was able to get in about 5:45 on the bike, and then ran 30 minutes to complete a brick. It was a good workout.

On Sunday: Danny & Greg are having some leg & foot problems, so did a short run...but I was scheduled for 2 hours so went out to our local Rails to Trails. This gave me the opportunity to run on the side of the road and on trails for about 80-90% of the run, and would protect my legs from beating the asphalt. It rained pretty hard for most of it, but it was warm rain...so it wasn't bad. I kept it steady and easy with my heart rate low and got in 15 miles.

Here's a picture of Danny and Greg starting the run at Ironman Florida a couple years ago:

Here is a couple picture of me from a 1/2 marathon last month. It was at the finish and I was hurting pretty bad (Greg took me out and hammered me on a 5 hour bike ride the day before), so I don't look that happy:

Until next time...

Sween

Great performances (on video)...

2007-12-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

Triathlon finish (ITU)...

NYC Bike Messengers race...

...favorite athletic/motivational quotes (I'll add more)...

2007-12-18T04:29:00.000-08:00

I think I've seen this on every other high school & college cross country shirt ever made...but it's still a good one:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
- Robert Frost

I've seen several variations of this one, but the message is still the same:
"You can quit, and no one will care...but you will always know."
- Ironman founder, Cmdr. John Collins

Another Cmdr. John Collins gem:
On February 18, 1978 (first IM), 15 competitors, including Collins, came to the shores of Waikiki to take the Ironman challenge. Prior to racing, each received three sheets of paper listing a few rules and a course description. Handwritten on the last page was this exhortation:
“Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life!”
- Ironman founder, Cmdr. John Collins

From John L. Parker's book, Once a runner:
"...trials of miles; miles of trials..."

First person to break 4 minutes for the mile:
"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."
- Sir Roger Bannister

From America's real pioneer in cycling:
"It never gets easier, you just go faster."
- Greg LeMond

"Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win."
- Tom Fleming's Boston Marathon Training Motto

Sounds like cross country to me:
"Most men take the straight and narrow. A few take the road less traveled. I chose to cut through the woods."
- Unknown

Amen:
"Americans have not had the same successes because of the fact that most grow up in the lap of luxury. They don't tolerate the type of pain that distance running demands. You can pass your Physical Education classes in school by walking a mile maybe twice a year. It seems that the few Americans who do make it on the international level have a tremendous drive and tolerance for discomfort. I think the main reason Africans succeed in distance running is many have to and we don't."
- Ryan Wilson

Famous University of Oregon coach (think Prefontaine), and cofounder of Nike:
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people."
- Bill Bowerman

Favorite Ironman video clips (I'll add more)...

2007-12-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

I think this one is my favorite...the narrator is the founder of Ironman, John Collins:

(2003) John and Judy Collins speak about the Ironman:

2004 Ironman Hawaii video trailer:

2005 Ironman Hawaii video trailer:

2006 Ironman Hawaii video trailer:

"...trials of miles; miles of trials..."

2007-12-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

This is just something that has been on my mind the past few days, and have decided to throw it into this blog entry:

I've just reread my favorite running book, Once a Runner by John L. Parker, Jr. The book really does a great job portraying the experience of a distance runner in college. While reading it I felt some of the old feelings of running cross country in college...and the authors description of the different types of "runners" really is timeless. At work or socially you may have many acquaintances who "run" or "compete" in different sporting events...and attempt to find common ground related to athletics.

Unless you have competed at a certain level, and specifically in an endurance or ultra endurance sport...it's sometimes hard for people to totally understand what is REALLY involved. In Parker's book people ask the main character, Quenton Cassidy, about the "secret" behind his abilities. The secret is there is no secret..yes, he's blessed with exceptional athleticism...but it still requires more sacrifice, dedication, and pain tolerance that 99% of the population could fathom (especially in the good old US of A). There are no short cuts...it takes "...trials of miles; miles of trials..." Successful endurance athletes (especially runners, swimmers, and cyclist) know that reaching your true potential takes hours of self motivated training...usually in solitude.

I am deeply aware of this need...maybe obsession...to do the required work at near all costs. I wasn't born one of those exceptionally gifted athletes, but know that I can control my training...and hopefully out work the competition. I have some talent for endurance sports, and try to make up for what I lack through better training. During racing and hard training you have to be able to put yourself in a mental state to accept the pain required to get to that next level. Some of my cycling buddies (Jeff & Curtis) call it the "Pain Cave" or the "Hurt Box"...however you phrase it, you have to constantly remind yourself that it won't last forever...and get on with the task at hand.

I admire anyone who attempts to participate...but most admire the ones that don't do it for self promotion, "...look at me, look at me...see what I'm doing" is not impressive. I could go on forever, and not make any more sense...so I'll cut it off here.

Ok...off the "Soap Box"...