Do I Have DUMBASS Written on My Forehead?

This is going to be a race report, weekly summary and general commentary.

First off, I got in just shy of 19.5 hours of training in this week, holy fucking CRAP! Not bad for the last week of February. I am getting my weekly run mileage over 30 again (finally), the swimming is inching up little by little, and in a few weeks I should be busting outside for some more serious riding. Meanwhile, my strength workouts have been killer, and I get in extra because it keeps snowing, and the way I shovel, trust me, it's another workout!

Friday was another 7500 yard swim, only I did it a bit on the easy side ("only" 3,000 yards pulling). It was from 6-8:30AM, and I was appropriately tired afterward, but ate well the remainder of the day, and I actually felt OK by noon, so this tells me that 1) I am acquiring the endurance to swim this distance (actually up to almost 9,000 yards) and be alive afterward; 2) I am getting the nutrition right and 3) I can do another workout the same day. Yes, that's right, later in the day I finished up my strength work for the week. Sure it was only 30', but I felt just fine doing it. I really believe it's better if I do SOMETHING after these big efforts, even if it's just walking, to get my blood moving. I discovered something else to help me get over a big swim--lay on my back on a bed with shoulders up hanging off. I swear the combination of pec stretch and blood flow to my head and arms did wonders for me.

So OK Friday was about 3 hours of training.

Saturday I was able to sleep in and felt pretty good when I woke up. Instead of farting around for a few hours, I got myself ready to bike and run, and I had mixed up 200 calories of Ultrafuel to pre-load me with carbs. I was on the bike before 9AM, finished 2.5 hours, and then headed to the Y to run :35 and hike :15. I felt really good running, even though I thought I wouldn't. After that I got in a good stretch, did some chores, then watched a bunch of Olympics coverage and got ready to race today.

I slept like a rock last night, wishing I had time for like 12 hours, which I am pretty sure I could have slept that long. I had 2 cups of coffee, my usual breakfast and 200 calories of Ultrafuel. I rode LGL for 10' real easy to begin my race warmup, then drove to the race site.

In the locker room, I saw a woman that I thought belonged to my Y. I asked her if she went there, and she said yes, and she recognized me. I asked her her name, and I guessed her last name, since I always stalk who is in my age group, and got it right. She asked me mine, and then she said I am the woman she can never beat. She just aged up to 50-54 this year, and before the first race, I thought she stood a chance of beating me if I had a bad day, but that just never happened. She asked me how I rode so hard on the bike (a stationary bike, Precor brand), and I told her I ride A LOT. You know, like 6,000 miles a year! She said she did, too, but I am not so sure--I have never seen her out riding in the area, and I would recognize her, I think. Anyway, she tells me how many marathons she has done (I think it was over 50), and I was like, WOW, and I was wearing a Goofy Challenge shirt, and she asked me what my times were so I told her, saying, "I'm not very fast."

Next, she starts expounding on this class at the Y led by the trainer named Maurice, who I know. She tells me I should really REALLY take this class because it would really help with my endurance, and you know me--I am just smiling politely letting her ramble on. I thank her, but say that I think I have plenty of endurance. She tells me again I should take this class, and I say nothing.

Finally, I ask her when her wave goes off and it's before mine, and I say, "Oh, too bad--it would be fun to go head to head." And then I said, "Not that I'm competitive or anything." And she said almost the same thing.

OK, so that was the funny story. Why? What is it that the more fit I become (and trust me, you can LOOK at me and tell, I know this because I hear it often enough) that people think I am a dumbass and they need to tell me something amazing that I absolutely MUST do to improve? OK you might say they are just trying to be helpful, but I do not do that to other people unless they have either asked me for advice, or told me a lot about what they are doing and wishing for better results in which case I might have some ideas for them.

But today, it was someone who I am clearly faster than, and at one point I did tell her I have done a bunch of Ironman races (after she asked me about triathlons), so what is it that required some comment about something I should do to increase my endurance?

I kicked her ass in the race today ;) And I had my fastest run ever! So I guess next time I see this woman at the Y, I should thank her for annoying the shit out of me.

Now she is not the only one making these suggestions. 2 weeks ago, a friend of mine (he knows who he is) reported that my run cadence is too high and that I should decrease it. To which I replied, I think, "Huh, funny that I have become faster." I did not TRY to increase my run cadence--it just happened. Just like last year I noticed my average cycling cadence had gone up (it was 98 at IMLP, and most of my workouts lately are 98-100 even with hard intervals). This year, just after North Face, I began noticing my run cadence was higher. When I do strides, it is about 100. Before this year, I was usually around 90-95. What is different this season? I have RUN MY ASS OFF. I am not worried about the increase in cadence--I think it is just self-selected, and I am certainly not going to try and make it less.

Then maybe a month ago, someone else was asking me about my training, and the question came up how much biking am I doing? To which I answered about 5.5 hours a week nowadays. He said, "That doesn't sound like enough." Then he proceeded to tell me that he thinks I am swimming too much, and I got rather pissed off and said, "Oh and when was the last time YOU trained for an Ultraman?" I guess a lot of people are experts on how I should be training, even though they have never attempted what I am doing.

I find this to be simultaneously annoying and hilarious. Honestly, unless someone asks me and I think it's worth my time to go into some level of detail as to what I think they should be doing, I keep it to myself. There are people who I truly respect that I will reach out to for advice and will also welcome it from them unsolicited. People who want to tell me a thing or two generally have no idea of what my full training is like, and any coach worth their salt would not offer up advice without knowing quite a bit about the athlete.

Oh well, back to the race report.

So after miss "I can help you out" leaves the locker room to go and do something else, I head to finish up my warmup. I went onto the track, since the first wave hadn't started, and ran 23 laps (12 to the mile), with the first 12 really easy, then I picked it up for about 9, then a few more easy. I decided I wanted to do 23 laps during the race, which would be a personal best for me. While I was running, I waved at some people I knew down below (the track at this club is upstairs), and I thought I was feeling pretty good and could have a good race.

I went back downstairs and got on one of the Precor bikes for 10 minutes, and figured it was going to be what it was going to be. I saw the massage therapists (from the school run by my masseusse, Mike) were already in attendance, so I ran over and asked if I could get a quick tuneup on my legs, which were still pretty worked over from Saturday. I told my girl about the woman in my AG and that I fully intended to show her how it's done once I got going. I got about 5' worth of work on my legs and was good to go.

I hurried back into the locker room and put on my swimsuit bottom (already had the top on), and headed to the pool. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to the clock, because I only had time to swim 50 yards before we started, but hey, that's the breaks. I got lucky swimming next to a woman who was swimming about the same pace as me, and I even got to draft off her a little. We were neck and neck for about 300 yards, then she pulled ahead a little, then slowed down, and I final kicked past her at the finish.

Back to the locker room and I'm walking in after a quick shower, and someone yells at me, "I want your abs!" And then 3 or 4 other women chimed in. I said something about just get your bodyfat way down and there they are, and hurried up to put on my bike shorts, socks and running shoes and head to the bikes.

Waiting for the bike leg to begin, one of the volunteers came up to me and said I really had a nice kick in the pool and I was shocked. I am still pitifully slow in the water, but he said I really kicked it in when they blew the horn for a minute to go. So that made me feel good--I have been working on my kicking, so when I can do it, it's OK.

On the bike and I was going to do my usual pattern. It's a secret, OK?. No it's not! It's called RIDE FUCKING HARD! I wasn't first in my wave to hit a mile this time as there were some hotshot youngsters in it, but that was OK, I think I still did pretty good, maybe 2nd place for the bike wave, and my highest mileage for the 3 races this year. I did more miles last year, but so did everyone--the bikes must have been calibrated differently. Anyway, I did my usual lay on the floor for about 30 seconds after I was done because it is SO hard, and then made my way with jelly legs upstairs to run.

I got congratulations on my biking from several of the youngsters, so that was pretty nice, and then we were lining up to run, and I was busy sipping water (hoping that I wouldn't puke afterward), and got to the line, and everyone wanted me in front, but I am not a fast runner, but I know how these things go--many people go off like fucking rabbits and then they slow down.

We took off, and I tried to start relatively easy, and decided to hold pace for 12 laps, which would be just more than half my goal of 23 (in 15 minutes). Of course, it got harder as time went on, but I did not try and push it until I was 12 laps in. Meanwhile, I had passed at least 5 people who had gone out way too fast, so that was cool. I just ran and ran, and at some point I lost count of my laps, and I thought I only did 22, but I guess it was 23, and I was pretty happy, and almost puked, but I really had to try and catch my breath and hung over the railing for a bit.

I jabbered with a guy I met at the first of these races who is really good and really young, but I really enjoy talking to him. He said I looked good running, and I said he looked like he "was out on an easy ride" on the bike. We compared notes, and then I went to check results so far just to be sure I had beat Miss I Know More Than You, and I was way past her. Not that I am competitive or anything!

Then I got a great massage and had to NOT eat pizza because I still wanted to run some more. At this club, the treadmills get shut down during the race, so I had to drive home and head to the Y. I got in another 1:15 of running, and :15 of walking on incline. Running after these races always sucks, ALWAYS! But I got it done, and I am glad for it.

Next up is to see whether I can actually get up and swim tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure I will and it will feel good.

Another week of Ultraman training survived, another race and my last one (as of this writing) before Ultraman!