Ironman Inside the Numbers Part 2 - Key Workouts

Kyle and I drove to Mt. Gretna this morning to watch friends in a great local triathlon. Snapped this photo of Mike "Pappy" McHale transitioning from the swim to bike. Pappy's our official tri club philosopher and spiritual healer. Sort of a cross between Yoda and Burgess Meredith (Rocky's trainer... can't remember the character name).

Yesterday I completed a very key workout - an ironman "race simulation," a 112-mile ride followed by a 4-mile run. I selected an extremely hilly course to help prep me for riding through the Adirondacks. In summary I had a good day, but Coach P thinks it's a miracle I can still walk. Despite my slow speed, he says I pushed too hard.

Anyway, for any triathlete-types checking in, here's my official data and report...

Bike Data:
Duration: 6:36:10
Work: 3801 kJ
TSS: 401.2 (intensity factor 0.78)
Norm Power: 186
VI: 1.16
Distance: 107.255 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 366 160 watts
Heart rate: 85 169 131 bpm
Cadence: 30 252 78 rpm
Speed: 0 41.1 16.2 mph

Nutrition: 2 Clif Bars, 12 scoops InifinIT, ½-PBJ sandwich, 6 Powergels, 5 Endurolyte caps. Total intake = 2,720 calories = 412/hour; 4,282 mg sodium = 649 mg/hour.

Conditions: 60F at 6:30 am, 88F and sunny at end.

Breakfast: Glass OJ, flaxseed caps, PBJ sandwich, banana, cup of coffee.

What went well…
Good attitude and focus through 90 miles.
Able to stay below HR threshold on 7 of 8 long climbs.
Average heart rate 131 bpm
Nutrition plan.

What went wrong…
Bottles cages came loose.
Chain, bottom bracket got real squeaky.
Self-doubt, low gas after 90 miles.
Shortened run due to overheating and asthma flare-up.
With high heat, needed additional water to pour over head.
Cleat issues as the day heated up.

To do…
Cycle, cycle, cycle
Focus on pushing over top of hill.
Work on the bike…

Ironmentality

Just like baseball according to Yogi Berra, half of long distance triathlon is 90% mental. Continuing forward through pain, fatigue, and emotional high and lows – these are all a part of the game that must be taken seriously. We all have our mental strengths and weaknesses. Training for and racing long distance triathlons can make one’s basic tendencies abundantly clear.

The NJ Devilman was my 18th triathlon and my 5th “long course” race. While I don’t presume to fully comprehend the mental challenge I’m about to undertake with ironman, these races have given me enough experience to recognize my particular strengths and weaknesses.

I’m a pretty simple psychological study – good at training, but a head case on race day. Partly out of scheduling necessity, and partly out of a desire to “nail” the particular goals of every single training session, I do almost all of my triathlon training entirely alone. I’m able to stay motivated through training. It helps to have specific goals for each session. Being an introvert by nature, I enjoy the frequent opportunities created by solo training to process thoughts and recharge my mental energy.

Then race day shows up and I’m surrounded by other athletes. Many of them are faster than me. I tend to compare myself to them. The words “I suck” pass too easily through my mind. I frequently react by racing too hard for my fitness level and ability. The result of this is usually a late race metabolic meltdown and a finish time slightly off my goal.

I need mental blinders on race day. Well, maybe not blinders, but at least filters. My best race performances, and I mean every single good performance, has come on a day when I was excited to be there and exuded an overwhelmingly positive attitude. The other athletes didn’t matter so much. The volunteers handing out water – great, the fans clanking cowbells – God bless them, the second graders seeking high fives – awesome! I’ll be working on developing my negativity filters over the next few weeks. Let me know if you have any suggestions…

Fundraising Surpasses 50% of Goal

Just want to get out a quick post thanking everyone who has donated toward the Bridge of Hope campaign. As of this writing, our fundraising total stands at a little over $14,000. I am woefully behind on writing "thank you" notes. If you have donated, I will eventually get to you!

Last week the BOH staff and board presented me with a large goodie bag full of energy snacks. That made my day!

Back in the Saddle

This week’s been a real kick in the gut. On Monday and Tuesday I used my normal morning training time for sleeping. I was fighting off illness and didn’t have any desire to exercise. My nausea started to disappear by Wednesday. I celebrated by taking a very easy 30-minute swim. By Thursday it clear I was going to win the battle against sickness, so I took my road bike out for an easy 45-minute ride. Friday was another swim, this time for an hour.

By Friday evening I found myself thinking about Ironman again. I spent an hour or so working on my bike – washing it off, cleaning and lubing the chain and shifting system, adjusting the brake cables. Cleaning the bike was like therapy, allowing me to relax and let the mind wander. During this process I was able to be reminded of why I started doing triathlons in the first place. It wasn’t to break 5-hours at a Half Ironman. It was simply to enjoy more forms of healthy exercise. I love riding my bike, especially while exploring the beautiful rural roads of Lancaster County.

On Saturday I rolled out of bed itching to explore again. I hopped in the saddle and didn’t return for three hours. I did it again today, making good use of the quiet early Sunday morning hours. This time the Amish farms were silent as they took their day of rest.

I feel like I survived a test of will this week. I went into last week’s race having lost proper perspective. I was too focused on outcome instead of just letting it happen. I’ve emerged from the week feeling more grateful than ever. The next couple of months will be a great adventure...

Race Report - NJ Devilman Half Iron

This race really meant a lot to me because it is the only triathlon I’ll truly “race” this year (I’m not going to get sucked into the temptation of setting ambitious goals for a first IM). I really thought I would finally break through the 5:00 hour mark at this race – good weather and an easy course.

Saturday and Sunday morning went perfectly. Everything on time and as planned. Good sleep and good nutrition. My only concern was a problematic front race wheel. I’ve had somewhat chronic problems getting it to read properly on my bike computer and in getting pressure on the tire through the valve extender.

We showed up to the transition area at 6:30 am. We were greeted with high winds. So much for perfect weather, but there’s no use in worrying about things you can’t control. I went straight to the bike technicians and had them check out my front wheel – just for peace of mind. They made an adjustment to the valve extender and were able to get 130 psi on it… Good to go!

The Swim – 1.2 miles
Two swim waves launched at 8:00 and 8:03 am for a simultaneous sprint triathlon. I jumped in the water for wave #1 of the HIM and started chatting with another competitor. That was a mistake ‘cause the starting horn sounded before I was ready (no count down!). I started swimming and didn’t set my stopwatch.

The water was pretty murky and you couldn’t see a thing beneath the surface. We swam three loops of a rectangular course. That’s 11 left turns, folks! I quickly came upon stragglers from the sprint race and managed to negotiate my way through the pack. After the first loop most of the sprint racers were gone and I could focus on a nice steady pace. I found a very nice rhythm and was out of the water in less than 30 minutes. We had to jog a couple hundred yards into transition.

The Bike – 56 miles
After a painfully long transition, I was really in a good position as I clomped in my riding shoes to the bike mounting point. At exactly 0.15 miles into my 56-mile ride, the speed sensor on my front wheel stopped working. DOH! So I was racing on power output and heart rate, with no way to know speed or distance.

The winds were brutal. The first five miles of the ride were directly into a headwind. I pushed a little harder than planned for virtually the entire ride. My goal for the ride was something less than 2:35. After the first loop of the two-loop course I was on a 2:40 pace. I thought that was pretty good ‘cause I planned to step it up a notch on lap #2.

In terms of power output, I did step it up for lap #2. Unfortunately my speed actually tailed off a bit, probably due to increased winds. In summary, I pushed too hard on the ride. Even though only slightly higher than my targeted power, my heart rate was a full 10 BPM higher than target. I paid for that later!

The Run – 13.1 miles
I’ve been running so well (for me) this year that I was overly confident. Instead of easing into the run over the first three miles, I went straight out at target pace. I had no feeling in my toes for a couple miles, but that didn’t seem to slow me down. I was running at a sub-8:00 minute/mile pace. All was going well through the first half of the 13.1 miles, except that I started to battle some nausea. Pace deterioration started during mile 9. My breathing felt a little too labored and I was afraid of asthma onset. I had been pushing so hard for so long that my muscles started seizing up on me. I stopped caring about my goal somewhere around 9-1/2 miles. By mile 10, I was simply done “racing.” I bonked. I wanted my mommy. My stride turned into a survival shuffle and I just sort of gutted it out to the finish line at 2 to 3 minutes per mile slower than target pace.

I crossed the finish line in 5:13:59. Nothing to be ashamed of, for sure, but it is a little disappointing to race below my potential.

Post Mortem
My face was caked with blown farm soot and salt. When I got home, I found that my front tire was flat again. I’m a little wind-burned and have a few abrasions from chafing. I felt pretty good when I went to bed but this morning I feel like I have a hangover.

So what did I learn from this early season race? I need to sharpen my mental focus before IM USA. I lacked humility – and was humbled. I lacked patience – and was dealt with rudely.

Coach P is a little concerned about my recovery since I pushed so hard. We’ll have to watch it closely this week before ramping it up for the final IM push… Gulp!!!