Ok, for those in semi-shock for my apparent idiocy, let’s put this in perspective.  Yes, I did do IM Placid last weekend and IM CDA five weeks ago.  Yes, I am still planning on an ironman or two before the year is out. Yes, I rode with a group that turned filtered into just one other dude by 150k. Yes, I rode all day, from 0400 (requiring lights for several hours) to about 1830. Yes, my butt is a little sore because I spent 12.5+ hours attached to my seat.  No, the pain in my butt was not the worst and my legs were never really tired.  It was the pain in my feet in that last 20k that nearly knocked me off my bike.

However, what I did yesterday pales in comparison to Lara’s accomplishment in 2007.  In 2007, Lara completed Paris-Brest-Paris, a 1200k ride to the west coast of France and back.  It is an amateur cycling ride held every four years that requires completion of four brevets of distances 200, 300, 400, and 600 kilometers before you can start the 1200k (that must be done in 90 hours). She completed all these rides in the mountains of Colorado then suffered through three days of 50 degrees and rain to go 1200k with 5000 starters and over 25% failed to finish.  In 80 hours on the roads of France, Lara proved that in our house she is the toughest.

Believe it or not, there is an increasing overall interest in doing this ride to include my own for the 2011 event. Lara is the best bad-idea influence in my life sometimes. In order to get myself a decent shot at registering, I needed to complete an official brevet of distance over 200k in 2010.  This weekend, seemed to be the best option and if it were not for the ridiculous heat on the plains of Colorado in the afternoon, it was a good course and good conditions. It is way too early to make solid plans for 2011, but I am considering a run at a fast ride for PBP in 2011. I thoroughly enjoy ironman/triathlon training and racing, but I would hate to pass up all other endurance sports opportunities along the way.

I could go into more detail about the actual ride (maybe some other time), but I am go back to enjoying a relaxing day and taking the Bogart for a swim.

Ok, let’s get critical…I wanted more and I am not so happy.  I thought I had the legs to get back to it, I was wrong.  Experiment was a failure, not a complete failure, but a failure.  The non-wetsuit swim really hurt me and showed off my inablity to get it done in the water, STILL.  My bike numbers were good (not great) the first lap and fell off in the second lap (fatigue finally getting the better of me).  I came off the bike within striking distance of the top 10, so I ran what I needed to run for the first seven miles.  At which point, IM CDA jumped on my back.  It was not a fun last 19 miles, and I was not in a good way personally when I finished.

The beauty of finishing where I did, allowed me to run with a good friend, Tim Tapply, who won his age group, and another one of his buddies Pat who took third in the same group. I witnessed Tim Snow run into fifth and had Caitlin pass me on her way to second overall.  All this happened on the second lap, and I got to be cheerleader which lifted my spirits and got me through the day.  I was so stoked for these Bostonites, especially for Tim and Tim, they so deserved it.

I am glad I did the race because on paper I could have easily sat at my computer in Boulder and penciled myself into 5th place.  The reality was I did not have the chops to do the quick turnaround.  My numbers were actually better going into Placid than going into IM CDA, so there are possibilities that I over did it even when I was trying not to.  These are things Dr. Phil and I will have to work out for the future.  I have no regrets, because one should never go through life saying “what if.”

For now, I am thinking about the Rev3 ironman, not quite a 100% yet, TBD by late next week.  I don’t want to do another ironman half-assed, but the season is actually drawing to a close quicker than I would like.  Between now and September, I got some fun stuff.  Tomorrow, well… I will blog about tomorrow next week.  In two weeks I will likely do the Pearl Street Mile and then I fly home and I might do the Striders Mile.  The Striders Mile is going to be on Pam’s track and how cool would it be to go and run fast for her even as I am in the midst of this ironman adventure.

To all my supporters, Gu, 2xu, Dr. Phil (physfarm.com), ZealOptics, thanks for another good race.  Most importantly, I have to thank Brandon (the wrench) and Colorado Multipsort.  On Tuesday(before the race), the rear derailleur hanger broke on my P3.  Within, 5 hours, I had gotten a frame and Brandon had rebuilt my bike so I could fly out early Wednesday morning.  Many people think the bike shops in Boulder are sub-par for the amount of cyclists we have.  Yeah, that is very true, but Colorado Multisport, the shoebox sized store, is really too small for its great people and helpful service.  I was asked if my predicament stressed me out, answer, “NOPE! I got my CMS boys to take care of me.”  Thanks for the good work, I apologize for not doing better this go ’round. You guys keep the vehicle in top condition, let me get the engine right for next time.

In the past, I have criticized others for chasing ironman times and seen these people crumble. I realize that my second ironman is not only tougher, but also going to be much harder on my body. Placid taxes you on the bike to mile 111 and the run is brutal if you run it hard. I will be running it hard, storming the hills like the runner I am. In the recent history, I have also noticed the trend of getting back to racing a week after a half or two after a full and seeing success.  It is going to take some restraint each day of training and confidence in the plan that Dr. Phil has made up. However, four weeks is going to be a fun little rest, train, and taper period.

Finally, my biggest draw to Placid is being excited to race again. I really enjoyed my trip to CDA and the race. I also had a great time at Placid last year. I know the course and the venue. Despite having moments on the run where I literally wanted to quit the sport, it was the last several miles of the run where I knew that I was going to be looking forward to my next ironman. Sunday evening after the race, I explained to Lara that my legs felt good and without hesitation she told me to go race Placid. Ever since, I have had a growing thrill for another 140.6.  Thanks Lara, I can’t wait!

I was pretty fit and focused for this race.  IM CDA has been the primary goal since the collegiate season ended and I put most of my tri focus back on myself. Going into the race, my swim has been pretty comfortable and I have enjoyed swimming all this year thanks to my work with Karlyn Pipes in January.  Dr. Phil (physfarm genius) has really helped me dial in the bike, getting me closer and closer to my potential over the past 18 months.  The run training was not great this spring and fall, but as we all know, I can always run.

The swim was not bad, as I had a good start and a good pack for the outbound section on the first loop. I could have done without the age group wave pounding me on the second loop and causing me to lose a ton of momentum.  Having already swum through the chop and rollers on the far end of the course in the first loop, it was less of a shock to me on the second. Unfortunately, the crowds with me nearly stopped at points as they tried to navigate the far turns. I actually found myself not moving a couple times.  Lesson: get a faster swim, so you don’t have to deal with that!  A 35 minute head start seems to be WTC’s intention for the future and I actually kinda like it, minus yesterday’s 2nd loop debaucle.

The bike leg was set-up great, as I had two guys leave transition with me. I really felt I could use them to keep myself in check and then launch by sometime late in the loop. They were crushing it, but I stayed back (legally) even pushing a few more watts than I wanted to maintain contact.  One guy was just killin’ the hills as I spun up close to my LT watts.  My little group, 20 minutes off the front of the lead, was being watched carefully by an official from behind.  On one steep hill the little dude passed me and I dropped back chuckling at his crazy riding, but apparently not in time. I was assessed a four minute red card penalty for not dropping back to 10m in 25 seconds.  I was not upset about the penalty but the fact that the official was not in position to assess distance and it was a hill going about 12 mph.  I feel like I was 10m back, but she did not.  She was off my left back quarter and there was nothing on the road to judge distance.  Jimmy Ricitello has been pretty clear at meetings on how these penalties would be judged. I just wish she had been really looking at the distance to clearly make the call and also noted that I was not going to get an advantage on that incline.  Nothing I could do, no complaints on the road, it wasn’t worth my energy at the time, I just sucked it up and took my four minute break at mile 28 with a grain of salt. I really lost momentum at this point due to losing my mini group.  I then poorly paced myself over the following miles since I was over excited to be riding again.  It may look like I even split this race on paper, but I spent 4 minutes eating a power bar, drinking juice, and stretching in that first loop.  Lesson: Groups are good, penalties suck (spend the downtime wisely), and keep the day as a whole in perspective when bad stuff happens.

I got off the bike well over 6 hours and knew my original goal of 9 hours was pretty much out the window. I found some new mini-goals: course PRs, getting into the top 10, etc.   I ran really well for periods, but also had some SUPER low points.  I had some mid-marathon miles in the upper 7 min range and some late miles close to 9 min pace.  This could be assessed as a pacing issue, but when I closed with three 6:45s, it was clear I had not kept on my nutrition.  I had the legs, just not the energy for short periods.  I was eating and drinking AFTER the lows and had not kept on it in prevention of those points.  Lesson: Eat and drink better before I am tired (I am so good about that on the bike).

The finish was great, as I had the street to myself to sprint downhill with the amazing CDA crowds. CDA is definitely one of the best venues in North America for ironman. All the people are so happy.

Throughout the day I had the support of my very, very gracious homestay and Lara.  I am afraid to mention Rich and Melanie Houghman for fear another pro is going to request them as a homestay in the future.  They were rockstars all weekend.  They could not have made my stay in CDA more relaxed.  Did I mention Melanie had chocolate chip cookies out at all times?  Lara and I enjoyed sharing stories of military life (their son in-law is a Marine lawyer), athletics (they both have multiple bikes and many ironman and marathon experiences between them), and happy life in athletic minded communities. They also pointed Lara and I to Paul Bunyan for post race milkshakes.  Finally, but most importantly, my amazing Lara flew in early Saturday morning and drove to the airport at 0400 today flying home after supporting me to make it back to work this morning.  Seriously, she does an awesome job giving me an opportunity to pursue my goals and dreams.

One ironman down, two, or maybe three, more to go in 2010. I really enjoyed my weekend and the ironman racing.  This is where I thrive and am considering some more long racing closer than ever before. Check back to see what that might be.

(sorry no pictures of this weekend)

later,

billy

but it wouldn’t be worth it, and I haven’t the time.

Seriously, I am staring straight into another awesome day for the Naval Academy triathlon team.  I have been having a hard time sleeping leading up to this race (a race I will just coach from the sidelines). I sleep better when I am racing, because I have it under control. I know my athletes are ready, but I am nervous nonetheless. I also missed my long run today because the roads were pretty much impassable.  Lubbock has been an interesting weather experience over my two visits.

Tomorrow is really supposed to be a shitty (yup I used a bad word) weather day.  It might get above 50 and it should be raining most of the morning.  These are not ideal triathlon conditions.  When I first learned about the sport I was watching Hawaii with its sunny, hot, and humid tests.  I loved the idea of training long days in the saddle with the sun on my face and swimming thousands of yards in the clear ocean.  Now, I am trying to get 21 athletes to not necessarily stay dry, but stay a wet-warm for two plus hours.   In some ways, this does not seem right.

However, the spirit that I have when training and racing is here. I could not be prouder than with this fearless group of athletes.  The pasta has been devoured,  some are riding their bikes up and down the halls, and others are securing their numbers to their race belts.  The weather is an afterthought. I worry that things could go wrong out on the road, but the coach in me is confident that whatever happens, the team will overcome the obstacles of the day. On a not so ideal triathlon day, triathlon will be alive in the bellies of at least 21 athletes only a couple years into the sport at most. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and I could not be happier to be a part of any other group.

In the coming weeks, some will have to move away from the sport to prepare for their military schools, but I am pretty happy that this race will not be their last no matter a senior or a freshmen.  Perhaps one of the neatest (crappy word, but appropriate)  e-mails came from a graduate earlier this week when she told me she had signed up for an ironman. This is me, the proud coach of a uber successful collegiate athletic team, that will compete to the best of their abilities and likely shine bright in the cloudy day.  I am even more proud of their work ethic, drive, and passion for a sport that will bring them fun tomorrow in the rain and into the future, perhaps even on a sunny day.

Go Navy!  Beat Everyone! (tomorrow and into the your long triathlon lives…)

 (yeah ladies, it will be a good one!)

Some may note from my twitter that I claimed I should be applying to the “Amazing Race.”  This was due to my adventure to Miami.  A simple trip would have involved flying through Atlanta to meet up with the mids in Jacksonville, FL and then drive the rest of the way with them to Miami.  FYI, flying in and out of south Florida this time of year is SPENDY. However, storms in Atlanta caused flight delays and I ended up missing my flight to Jacksonville by about 10 minutes.  To make matters worse, I was in a race to catch the mids in Jacksonville, so I would not have to drive all the way to Miami solo.  Therefore at three AM, after competing for several hours with other travelers to get a rental car to head south to Florida, I finally was on the road.  Thankfully, I arrived in Jacksonville in time for some Naval Academy parents to stuff me full of food and jump in another car to go to Miami.  I was very happy to not be racing the M.I.T.

The midshipman, on the other hand, did race M.I.T. and despite spending 26 hours in the car out of the previous  40 performed pretty dam well.  I don’t think I have seen them much more exhausted than the scene post-postrace.  We did some solid training for the rest of the week out of Pompano Beach which is in the heart of the very flat coastal south Florida.  Swimming was awesome as we swam LCM outdoors each day and capped the week with a fun ocean swim.  Running was not as scenic, but we got some real work done on the track to include the spring break capstone of 5x mile.  I sat that one out and just watched the mids roll through some very impressive times considering all the training and that it was the day after St. Patrick’s Day.  Cycling consisted of one road, the A1A, up the coast, so don’t go there for exciting riding.  However, on that one narrow road, I don’t think I even got harassed once which was dam impressive.

With seventeen midshipman making the journey to do tri-work on spring break, I was blown away by the devotion to the sport.  The location although not ideal for training did allow for some shenanigans and beach going for the mids.  However, it was also good to see the quick transformations from hard fun to hard work each morning.  I think it is going to look closer to hard work and serious focus from this point on, because as a group they have some pretty lofty goals.

This week has gone to the birds, well, at least I am staying with some birds at a unique “homestay” in Clermont.  I am training pretty hard and awaiting the return of the USNA Triathlon Team when they come back, more rested to throw down at the Great Clermont Triathlon.  That will be their final tune-up for Nationals. I am enjoying some SCY for the first part of the week, dirt trails, soft track, and finally some hills on the bike.  This is very convenient as it seems Boulder is covered in snow and my training partner is laid up sick.  Sea level, rollers, additional sleep, and sun on my back as I swim, no complaints.

During the process, Heather repeatedly stated, “You are doing great!” and it reminds of people that pass on “Good job!”. I know people mean well, but frankly sometimes it feels insincere and inappropriate. Most times people say “you look great”  and it really translates to “You look like hell, way to make it this far without dying.” A couple weeks ago someone in my lane, swimming much better than I, and with a lot less effort looked over after the set and stated “Good job!”  She had been at the wall for an eternity, possibly enjoying midday tea between sets. I arrived at the wall out of breathe, but still making the interval.  I knew that these words of encouragement had good intentions, but really I knew that I look like crap and it was a miracle I had survived the previous set.  Today while writhing and cursing on the torture table, Heather gave those weak words of encouragement, “You are doing great!”.  Frankly, I did not feel like I was doing great, and it would have been more appropriate to state, “You will live through this, barely!”, or “Lucky for you, I can’t quite pull the muscle through the skin”. With regards to the swim remarks, I wish my lane buddy had really stated what was on her mind, “Wow, you made it!”.

My other annoyance is when I am out running on the same trail as someone else, who looks like hell, tells me “Good job!”. I know I look good and there is no need for a “good job” because I am going to make it. Please, buddy, save your breathe, so you can complete your run.  I would prefer a simple “hello!”, “what’s up!”, or even easier, a hand wave. I am a pretty friendly guy who likes to wave while cycling or give a friendly remark while passing on the run trails.  I do not pass on weak words of encouragement. Honesty would be the best policy, but likely not as nice, so let’s just use “howdy” or “what’s up?” Back in VA Beach at Final Kick, it was “Rock On” and that was a mix of encouraging yourself and the people you were passing, but without the “you’re gonna make it” sound of “good job.”

I know this diatribe might garner me one less shout at my next race and likely too many “good job”s from my peers, but I decided to air my grievance concerning this bit of dishonesty amongst those who workout and those who are weakly encouraging.  Thanks for reading, “you did great!”

later,

billy

The best was Wednesday when I went to ride on the trainer with JZ and Shane.  I got there a bit late, but no worries as I had an easy ride to do anyways, 2 hours moderate.  After I completely set-up my bike and trainer and with bike clothes on, I realized no shoes!  Insert curse words!  Thankfully, I live close, so I raced home to get my shoes (and my PT computer, since I forgot that, as well).  I got back to JZ’s house, now looking at only a 90 min ride.  Three minutes even into the ride, pop…PSST!  Seriously rear tire, trainer flat.  Insert more curse words and hilarious laughter, meanwhile JZ and Shane look on in disbelief.  I change the tube, now looking at an 80 min ride; I put the bike back on the trainer.  For some reason I then looked up something on the nearby computer for Shane.  I get back to the bike, rear tire flatted again (very quick “leaker”).  Insert more curse words, more laughter, and more disbelief from my training partners.  At this point, I picked up my bike and went home.  The evening was then spent at the gym and night snowshoe racing to over come frustrations.

I hate to do this, but sometimes poop happens.  I have learned since training for my first ironman in the winter of 2005 to be flexible in my early season training.  Poopy things happening seems to be the norm when weather and conditions are changing, the gym pool has a heater malfunction, or travel problems affect workouts. As I have told my athletes, you can’t make-up workouts.  Therefore this time of year, I am always telling myself and my athletes, it is okay.  You will get through this weird time period, poop happens, and it’s only January.

Speaking of elevating, I am here in Kona to elevate my game. I hate to talk about weaknesses, but if you know me or see my results, it becomes quickly apparent. I have duathlon results in a triathlon. As an age-grouper, it is not nearly as big of a deal because there are more guys to race with in the swim and get pulled along through the water and pace past in the bike. As a pro, my swim has put me off the back and forces me to make-up ground all day. My Placid performance in 2009, was not only a display of my recent fitness increases in bike and run, but the potential, IF I get that swim gap closed.

This week I worked out with Karlyn Pipes (www.aquaticedge.org). Karlyn is a masters swimming rock star and a masterful swim technician, as well. She walks it and talks it and I came to listen. With a wicked cool endless pool at her house, the local Kona public pool, and the Kailua Bay to swim with fish, dolphins, and whales, it is a perfect swim training playground. Without going into boring details about the training, there are several differences in how we worked with the stroke.

#1- There is more than one way to do things. Some of the things Karlyn told me were exactly opposite of previous instruction, but accomplished the same thing.
#2- Make the stroke simpler, goes in hand with #1, as these new manipulations of the stroke were generally simpler.
#3- Getting more relaxed in the water, means less work and allows me to use already strong engine efficiently.

I get on a plane tomorrow night and will be headed back to Boulder with my new swim skills. It is quite doubtful I will automatically jump up a lane. However, for the time being, I am probably going to be swimming with a lot more ease. As I really learn to incorporate the techniques from warm-up and through a full main-set, I am sure we will see some differences in the pool. Patience, patience, patience.

For now, if you are concerned about your stroke or even think you are a swim-star, try to link up your schedule with Karlyn. She is all over the country each year and worth meeting at a pool near you.

For now, Mahalo, Karlyn!

Part of this fascination is derived from that run down Alii to the finish, but also the run along Alii early in the race is part of the racing that I always wanted to experience. After a solid 5-6 hours of racing, you must run the marathon. The longer run on Alii comes just after the boring bike on the Queen K, thus the run is a sensory overload. On race day, people line the entire five miles from the pier to turtle beach. Smells come from food, beer, smoke (some of the funny smoke, too), and salt spray. You hear the cheering, music from radios, and locals beating drums or paint cans. The colorful foliage and array of fashion statements made by fans and locals alike make for interesting scenery and good people watching as you race.

Since I live for the run, I enjoyed watching this portion on the TV coverage. Now after four years of racing Kona, training in similar conditions the week prior to the race, and training this past week- I have one conclusion. It is the same run every day at noon on Alii. My runs around noon on Alii this past week have been very similar to race day. Granted there are no chalk markings and cheering for my swift pace. I do get catcalls and use it as a pick-me-up because I am lookin’ good, eh? In January, it is a touch cooler, but it is still a hot-humid run with the same colors, sounds, and smells. If this is the case, why might you ask, am I going to load this blog and do another identical run along Alii. Much like other run sites like the hills of world renown NYC Central Park or my personal fave run the paths of Sea Shore State Park in Virginia, when you watch it or you run it, you know that is what is meant to be done on that road or path- run!

I look forward to racing on Alii again, even watching it from afar on TV in taped coverage, but now I will go enjoy my run on Alii at noon.