A Late Post-Season Analysis

I lifted these questions off of a Jim Vance blog post and thought it was about time I did some reflection on my 2008-2009 training and racing season. Here goes:

1. Season Goals - What were they? Did we achieve them?
My season goals were to enjoy one more year of Ironman level training and racing, hopefully culminating in a best-ever performance at IMLP and to avenge the poor season I had the year before (which couldn't be helped following the death of my Dad, but still...). In the back of my mind from the get go was that I was going to be done with Ironman in some shape or form.

Did I achieve this? Hell yeah. I felt so free from the bulk of the work in administering my Dad's estate, it felt like a get out of jail free card. I also had much of my house remodeled at the start of the season, so it was like I was set for a new beginning. I almost pinched myself when I also began a new relationship that I enjoyed in so many ways, and even though it ended, I didn't let it stop my momentum.

IMLP was nearly a perfect race for me. I made one rookie mistake on the run which was to wear something for the first time (hey, but the pirate thing looked cool, didn't it?) that caused me some GI distress, and then I was so stubborn in doing what I should have done earlier (puking). Still, the thing I am most proud of was that I was very much aware of how much physical pain I was in by going for the PR, and I moved through it just fine.

While I was ecstatic about my IMLP result, it was eclipsed by what happened next, which was a decision to just go for it and try double IM distance over 4 days as a training exercise, which got me to thinking that maybe I should register for Ultraman, and well, we all know how that turned out! I surprised myself by completing ROTPM in style and faster than I had dreamed possible.

2. What was the highest point of the season, the thing you were most excited about?
The highest point of the season was a couple of weeks before IMLP when I sat down and calculated what time I thought I could finish in. And I wrote the numbers on the big mirror in my bedroom so I could look at them every day and let them sink in together with a few inspirational quotes, the most notable one being (and it's still on there): "There is still pain but it does not bother you." And I wasn't very far off from the time prediction in the end except for my misstep on the run. In a way, it was this "knowing" that was even more exciting to me than the race itself. Knowing, believing and seeing that all the signs pointed to being in my best shape ever.

3. What were the misses this season? The things we didn't accomplish or missed out on.
My only real miss was at Triple T, in that I got sick and couldn't do the 1/2 Ironman. But at the time I knew that I had exceeded my own stress threshold, and in a way, it was a good thing, because I took some corrective actions right after that to get me back on track.

4. How did you feel about your fitness this year? What were the biggest strengths?
I can't remember ever feeling as fit, and it was evidenced in my race/event performances. My biggest strength continues to be my cycling, but I worked extra hard on my running this season, too, and saw some good improvements there, particularly in my ability to withstand more intensity and duration than in years past.

5. What in your training brought about the strengths?
Some of this may have been due to achieving an all-time low race weight but adding extra strength to the mix, so that I am certain I did not lose muscle mass. And it wasn't intentional. I had just been trying to shed maybe 4 lbs. of winter weight (having someone guess that you weigh 10 lbs. more than you do can help kick start change!) that I added due to some poor (but fun!) eating habits. At any rate, I found I was able to run faster and farther with seemingly no ill effects, and I did not lose any power on the bike. The other thing that may have helped is taking an unintentional break after jacking my back in November. Who knows about that, though?

At any rate, I biked harder and farther sooner in the training season than normal, and I ran hard whenever I felt like it and also added distance to my long runs over years past. Whether the ability to do this was based on my weight/body comp or accumulated experience or a slight rest in November doesn't really matter. The point is I could sense that I was able to push things more and so I did.

Also, right after Triple T, I began getting more sleep than I usually do in the traditional 8-week leadup to Ironman. And I believe that is making a huge difference in my ability to recover from very hard training.

6. What were your weaknesses in fitness?
Swimming. While I swam a decent amount for a triathlete, I just didn't push myself in the pool as I have in years past. I didn't really get any slower, but I didn't get any faster, either.

7. What could have been done to address these weaknesses in fitness?
Um...swim more and with more focus. Like I'm doing now! Get some swim coaching.

8. If you could change one thing about the season, what would it have been?
The only thing I can think of is that I should have realized my need for more sleep earlier on.

9. Based on this season, what are some initial goals for next year?
Well we are already in next year, aren't we? The big goal is to finish Ultraman Canada. In order for that to happen, I need to feel mentally and physically confident about the distances and the mental fortitude to do and absorb a greater amount of training than I've ever done while staying employed and not letting the rest of my life (relationships, house, R&R) go to hell. And making sure I continue to have fun training. Because I really do love it! Since I really won't be doing many races before UMC, the mental aspect is going to be even more pronounced, and I am already working on improving my mental strength and visualization. And I am finding and leaning on anyone I can to help me along the way to UMC with pep talks, training advice, inspirational stories, and a shoulder to cry on when it all stresses me out.

The other big goal is to figure out what I want to do after Ultraman. I am sure the journey will lead me to the answer to that question!

I could talk about some other life goals I've got going, too, but this is supposed to be about triathlon, isn't it?

10. Anything else you want to discuss about this year and next year?
Yes. I want to discuss how grateful and tickled I am to find myself doing what I am doing at this stage of my life. Knowing that it's not for everyone, and that it doesn't make me any better of a person than anyone else, but I can't help but feel excited and maybe obsessed. Is that such a bad thing? I don't know. I do know that my time here on Earth is limited, and I have no idea how long I will be this fit and healthy, so the time is now to do something with it, eh?

Various Updates

Wow...all I can say is this Ultraman thing is a daily obsession...at least until I think I have things under control.

I am busy making myself a training plan and am not yet sure I will retain a coach--I may just want until January for that. I think I'm good with what I'm doing through December, as long as it doesn't kill me! I am going to try and get my long swim up to 7,000 yards by the end of the year. That allows me to maintain some sort of sanity through the beginning of winter and keep myself focused on running. Will try and get up to a 9,000 yard long swim by April.

On a related note, today I swam 3,000 yards and it went by quickly! I am doing a little experiment on myself and will just be swimming short intervals (50's and 100's) for a few weeks on my shorter swims. It seems that I forgot how much fun that can be, even though I also enjoy the longer intervals, which I'll use for the long swim (500's). It's nice that I changed my perspective of "long swim" this summer, but we'll see how much I like starting to swim at 5:30AM for awhile!

I now have 2 crew members for Ultraman--Shelley (Crew Captain) and Deirdre. Deirdre lives up in BC, so that will help with shipping crap to her and also starting our travel to Penticton in Vancouver. I will keep saying I am SO grateful that these wonderful people are going to do this for me! I am still looking for a third crew member, as I need firm commitments as soon as possible.

On another note, I am getting a new triathlon bike! Well, I won't have it probably until December--it is going to be custom built for me by Elite! Since everyone is already asking about it, it's going to be a Razor Carbon with Ultegra components, and will be black with pirates (Jolly Roger) on the frame/fork and flames on the Zipp wheels. I'm getting a PowerTap SL built into the rear wheel, since I love power and Elite does the wheel building themselves. I go for my measuring on 10/3, so that will be pretty exciting.

I am also really excited that Ironman Wisconsin is coming up next week, and I will be going up there with Shelley to ride around during the race and continue cheering on during the run! I know so many people doing the race--it will be good to offer them whatever I can in terms of encouragement and just that "knowing"--that I know just how they feel.

I have already biked twice this week, very easy on the MTB, and am going out on LGL today for a short spin, and hopefully will get in maybe 3 hours on LGL tomorrow, just so I am able to ride a decent pace and some hills with Shelley at IMWI!

I haven't run yet, and wont' until Monday, which will just be trying out the old legs. However, I am going to try and walk/hike up and down this really big hill at Green Valley on Sunday--if it feels OK, I will go up and down 5 times which would be 10 miles, but who knows? I need to listen to my legs, especially my knees.

I can't believe I am going to run 50 miles in just 5 weeks--that hasn't sunk in yet--and I have to go buy a headlamp and maybe some other stuff for it. Didn't I just run about 50 miles? Oh yeah, that is so last week.

I feel like I'm on this fast-moving conveyor belt and that I really have to pay attention to everything that is flying past me in case it has something to do with Ultraman. Things to buy, things to do, things to consider for training. It is all so very heady and a little overwhelming. But I know that once I have things laid out on paper at least through the end of the year (should be done with that this weekend), and I can look at it and see what I need to do, I will be able to breathe a sigh of relief for awhile, and then I can begin sketching out January-July, which is the really meaty part.

I am having regular, fleeting thoughts of, "why am I doing this?" And so far, the only answer I can come up with is, "because I was ready for it." And I am a firm believer in that when you know you are ready for something that you should march ahead and just do it. The doing of things is what gets things done and makes us able to do more and be more, and that is what this is all about to me.

One more thing--I'm very happy to have a 3-day weekend! Hope yours is outstanding, and good luck to my friends who are racing this weekend!

Somebody Stop Me!

Yesterday, I lifted at 5:45AM because I had to go into the city to do a presentation (yes, I was spectacular as always and did wear naughty things under the biz clothes), come home, work some more and didn't get on the bike until 4:30. I was pretty wiped out and thought I'd cut the session short or slack on the intensity, but in the end, I did pretty well on the intensity and finished the full 1:35 workout. There was one point where I got to pedal easily where I was thinking I could fall asleep! After I finished, I showered, watched maybe 1/2 hour of TV and was too tired to eat properly, and didn't stretch because I was too tired.

Today I woke up at 4:15 (8 hours of sleep!), and started in on things early since I was supposed to get a massage at 4:00PM, which got cancelled. Fuck! But this is what I did today:

5:00AM Lift for 15': bis, tris, delts, chest
5:45AM (at Y) 20 chinups, 40 pushups, 70 crunches and 5' of jump rope
6:05AM Swim 2800 Anaerobic Endurance Workout:
Warmup: 300s, 300k, 300p, 200s, 200k, 200p, 200dr
Main Set: 4x50 build 1'SI
2x50 fast 1'SI
1x50 easy 1'SI
3x50 fast 1'SI
1x50 easy 1'SI
4x50 fast 1'SI
cd: 150k, 200p
12:40PM Run 1:00 on some hills I had forgotten about--the way out is 3.4 miles of mostly uphill and I ran into the wind, and then back where apparently the wind switched direction. I was thinking I should run some hills for Triple T preparation, and I totally forgot about this route and how it is basically Triple T only not as steep. Let's just say I was tired when I started, it sucked to run uphill into the wind, but I knew I'd get it done. Either I was smiling like a crazed person or I looked cute cuz I wore my pink Nike jacket and pink gloves and a sushi toque and black tights, and many drivers smiled and/or waved at me. I do like to represent well when I'm working out!

I am done working out for the day. Tomorrow I need to run 1:50 in the morning, so I need to be on the treadmill (pitch black out, you know) by 6AM. I'm sure my legs will be fine by then. Or not. Whatever, I'll get it done. And then finish up my strength training in the afternoon.

Tonight I will be stretching, eating and passing out. My weight is hanging out around 109, which is cool, I really feel cut and trim. I'm starting to see the veins pop out in my obliques and lower abs running all the way down to...well...the party area. I love it when I can see those veins!

Hey There

While running today, I heard this song. It has several connotations to me--one of which is directed towards someone that I'm not sure is reading my blog anymore. Another would be, well, my general obsession with Ironman, or should I say triathlon or should I say biking? No matter--I like the song, but please excuse the 80's video--it sucks.

And for the record, I'm fucking tired. Biked to/from pool, swam 3200 meters (I feel so Canadian!), and then around noon I ran 8 miles at a pretty good clip for the first 5, and then my legs said slow down, and I'm still heat acclimating so I did.

WHO STOLE MY LEGS????

The Hidden Time Costs of Ironman Training

When people talk about how many hours they train for Ironman, you usually hear numbers like 12-20 hours per week once you're about 12 weeks out from a race (as I am--FUH-UCK!). But like I always say, it ain't just the training that makes it hard. I keep track of the actual time (and mileage and assorted crap) I spend training and racing, plus sleep and stretching. But when a person is thinking about embarking upon training for an Ironman, the table below is what they really need to know before considering whether they have enough time for it. I'm sure I've missed a few things, so please comment away!

	Category	Activity	Frequency
1	Biking	Bike Maintenance	3 bikes, 3 tuneups plus 1 for Ironman, 5 trips to bike shop per season at 2 hours per trip
2	Biking	Costume Changes	3 rides per week; 2 costume changes per ride; 10 minutes per change
3	Biking	Downloading, storing and analyzing workout data	3 rides per week; 5 minutes per ride
4	Biking	Fondling…er…washing bikes	1 or 2 bikes once per week; 1 hour weekly
5	Biking	Ride Preparation	3 rides per week; 20 minutes per ride
6	Biking	Travel	1 ride per week; average 2 hours
7	Blogging	Reading and commenting on other blogs	30 minutes per day
8	Blogging	Writing Posts	30 minutes per day
9	Education	Reading tri mags	10 minutes per week
10	Education	Online forums (questionable)	15 minutes per day
11	Education	Reading occasional tri books	5 minutes per day
12	Education	Stalking other athletes' race results	10 minutes per week
13	Narcissism	Extra Shaving, waxing and assorted hair removal	3 times per week
14	Narcissism	Extra Showering	1 per day; 15 minutes
15	Narcissism	Gazing at self in any available mirror	Um…10 times per day?
16	Narcissism	Um…extra "self-care" because you're so jacked up all the time	Once or twice a day; 10 minutes if female otherwise 1 minute each
17	Narcissism	Taking, downloading, uploading and organizing pics for Flickr and Blogger	10 minutes per day
18	Nutrition	Bottle Preparation	15 bottles per week; 1 minute per bottle
19	Nutrition	Bottle Washing	15 bottles per week; 1 minute per bottle
20	Nutrition	Extra eating	3 extra feedings per day; 5 minutes per feeding (eat fast!)
21	Obsessing	Checking the weather forecast	15 minutes per day
22	Obsessing	Extra time available during tapers	3 times per season; 10 hours per taper
23	Obsessing	Thinking about it all the time	Constantly
24	Planning	Figuring out your training schedule	1 hour per week
25	Planning	Making lists of shit you need to do	15 minutes per day
26	Racing	Looking at race photos online	15 minutes per day
27	Racing	Travel	5 days
28	Running	Costume Changes	5 runs per week; 2 costume changes per run; 10 minutes per change
29	Running	Downloading, storing and analyzing workout data	5 runs per week; 5 minutes per run
30	Running	Run Preparation	5 runs per week; 10 minutes per run
31	Spending	Online and in person shopping for crap	5 minutes per day
32	Swimming	Costume Changes	3 swims per week; 2 costume changes per swim; 15 minutes per change
33	Swimming	Downloading, storing and analyzing workout data	3 swims per week; 5 minutes per swim
34	Swimming	Not swimming because you're yakking, flirting or otherwise distracted by scenery	3 swims per week; 15 minutes per swim
35	Swimming	Travel to/from pool or other body of water	3 swims per week; 10 minutes per trip
36	Timing	Changing all the extra clocks and timing devices	5 extra timing devices; twice per year; 30 seconds per device
37	Timing	Hitting splits on your watch	About 200 times per week; 1/2 second per looking at timing device and hitting the button