2014 Triple Dog Dare Race Report

What's a Triple Dog Dare (TDD), you say?

This is something I'd done before in 2008:

I did it to prepare for American Triple T. Back then, I was one of the first people to "invent" this thing to train for that race. I talked about it on Slowtwitch forum, and since that time, it's commonplace for people to do some variant of this to get ready for the race. I've also done a sprint/Oly/Oly, which is less stressful than TDD.

In March, 2015, I'll be doing Clermont Challenge, and I'm doing both races--the 1/2 Ironman on Saturday, and the Olympic on Sunday. I will race the 1/2 and just suffer through the Olympic, so doing a TDD now is good prep for a double 4 months out. I will also do an Oly/Oly weekend 3 weeks prior to that race.

The other reason I scheduled a TDD for now is that I wanted to see where my fitness is at, since I begin formal training for 2015 tomorrow. In swim training, I calculate a T-pace (threshold pace), and then most workouts are expressed in relation to that pace. In bike training, I need to approximate my FTP (Functional Threshold Power), and then bike workouts are expressed in relation to that wattage. In run training, I need to determine my VDOT (from Daniels' Running Formula you can find a calculator here), and then my training paces are calculated from that.

The plan was to go hard for the sprint (as if in actual racing conditions), semi-hard (approximately 1/2 Ironman pace) for the Olympic, and steady (approximately Ironman pace) for the 1/2. I've only raced 5 sprints (3 triathlons and 2 duathlons) and one Olympic (that I was in absolutely piss poor shape for) this year and 4 open running races, and have only been training consistently for 5 months. In that time, I only had volume goals, and wasn't following any specific workouts except for swimming. I've been getting one on one swim coaching for all of 3 weeks!

I wasn't at all concerned about my ability to complete TDD, as I have an extremely deep base, and knew I'd been hitting sufficient volume to power me through. I've been swimming 9-10k/week for 15 weeks, running 25+ miles per week for 18 weeks, but only biking around 6 hours per week for last 18 weeks. That is not a whole lot of time to be ready for nearly an Ironman, especially since that's really a pathetic amount of biking, but the whole point of this TDD was to see where I'm at and go from there.

There are pics from TDD 2014 on Facebook here. If you aren't friends with me on Facebook, you loser, you should be! That's where I tend to put up pics now instead of Flickr. Anyway, the purpose of TDD was not only to calibrate training paces, but for me to have a shitload of FUN! I love racing, whether or not I collect a medal and T-shirt in the process, and I'm able to push myself just as hard on my own as I can in a race.

I fixed 9 bottles of Infinit (for days 2 and 3 figuring I'd be around 3 hours for the Oly and 6 for the 1/2), 2 bottles of Ultrafuel (for days 2 and 3--don't need it for a sprint), and already had bottles of Endurox R4 for days 1 and 2 (1/2 strength) in my fridge, but mixed up a full strength bottle for day 3.

I planned to do the entire sprint at my Y to avoid excessive transition times, and then I could run on the indoor track instead of a treadmill. For the Oly and 1/2, the plan was to swim at the Y and then head home and ride on the trainer and run on my treadmill.

I continue to be on a weirdo sleep schedule where I pass out around 7:30 and am up at 2-2:30. What do I do from 2:30 until the time I begin working? Well sometimes I do some work, and I get a lot of personal things done, like cleaning, cooking, sewing, organizing my training data, and general life planning. On M/W/F, I am at the pool 6AM, so there's really not that much time from when I wake up until I swim. I am sure this schedule will eventually adjust, but it happens to work great for when I'm racing! I like to have all my pre-race calories in me 2.5-3 hours before I start.

Wednesday I had to work, so I needed to get my sprint on before work. 2008 TDD Sprint was actually a supersprint, same as Triple T--500 swim/5 mile bike/1 mile run. This year's model I decided to do a "full" sprint of 500 swim/13 mile bike (about 20k)/5k run. This would be a better measure of my short course speed.

Here is what I posted to Facebook for my Day 1 Summary:
Turns out I'm not in as bad a shape as I thought 500 yd. swim in 9:00 flat (OK I'm still a slow swimmer but that's faster than I've swum in at least 2 years--the coaching is WORKING!), 13 mile bike in 44:35 (on a Cybex which is geared for crap, so I'm ok with that), and a 3.269 mile run (because of indoor track with 12 laps to the mile, so ran 3 plus 2 laps) in 26:45. Run pace I'm only off by 1 VDOT number from where I was in 2009, and I haven't done a lick of speed work (except for a few races) this year, so FUCK YEAH 2015 is waiting for me! 

Needless to say, I was pleased as fuck! I forgot to mention that I did not taper for this shit AT ALL. Last weekend, I did a 2:05 run and a 2:45 trainer ride. I'd wanted to ride 3 hours, but I had company over and felt that 2:45 was enough. Although I did skip my 1:30 Thursday ride because I worked 13 hours that day. The weekend before that I did a 25k "race" that I didn't race because it was fairly technical trails and it was cold and slippery and I crashed at one point (but was fine) and it was the hilliest run I'd done since Northface Endurance Challenge in 2009. So on no taper, no speedwork (except for those few races where I sucked), here was a decent swim and 5k run! The indoor bike just doesn't really translate to anything, plus I didn't expect much from my biking based on my pathetic bike training.

One thing I've learned after doing numerous multiple day training events and races is that you need to be on top of your nutrition ALL THE TIME during it--pre-race loading, during race calories, post-race calorie replacement and loading for the next day. I didn't write down everything I took in on Wednesday, but I know I drank 6 oz. of flat Coke right before I raced, then went through about 32 oz. of Gatorade during. I drank 1/2 strength Endurox R4 right away after I finished, and for dinner that night I ate about 1/2 lb. of spaghetti with homemade pesto and about 6 oz. of grilled salmon. And I believe I had 1 maybe 2 beers.

When I woke up on Thursday morning (not working that day), I felt pretty good. Actually great! I did, however, feel like I'd raced the prior day. Which means I went sufficiently hard in the sprint, which was perfect. I started at 6:10, as I wanted to be done well before lunch, as I was heading to my brother Mike's for Thanksgiving dinner, and needed to make some side dishes to take with me. I'd already made almond biscotti on Monday, and I could have eaten all of them they were SO GOOD, but I digress.

Day 2 Facebook Summary Post:
Triple Dog Dare Day 2 Olympic Summary: FUCKIN A! I performed way better than expected! 1500 yd. swim 28:21 = 1:53 (not thrilled with that, but I'll take it); 25 mile bike (on MY bike with POWER!) in 1:14:51 = 20mph (rode first :30 at about 18mph then picked it up ha ha); 10k run in 59:31 (9:36/mile). All this day after running my best 5K in...5 years? Tomorrow might suck, but that's OK, all I have to do is Ironman pace. 

So...if I peg Day 2 as me going at 1/2 Ironman pace, um...that's pretty fucking outstanding for me! And I'm not even trained up yet! And I typically run faster outdoors than on a treadmill! To say I was feeling pretty good about all this would be the understatement of the century!  Also that day, I received an email from USA Triathlon telling me I'd qualified for AG Nationals! What the fuck, right? I qualified at Naperville Sprint, where I only managed 2nd in my AG on no training. I'm going to do the Olympic at AG Nats, as it's an honor, and 2015 is the year where I race my fucking head off.

So what a day I had on TDD Day 2. I did keep track of everything I ate and drank that day: 

Breakfast and pre-race loading:

·        Carrot/raisin homemade muffin and hardboiled egg

·        200 calories Ultrafuel

During race:

·        2.5 bottles Infinit

Lunch/Recovery:

·        200 calories Endurox R4

·        Lean Cuisine Tortilla crusted fish

·        2 beers (1 Beck’s and 1 Harp Lager)

Thanksgiving Dinner with my Brother and his Family:

·        ½ bottle of Ste. Michelle Riesling  (shared with Mike)

·        3 dinner rolls

·        6 oz. turkey breast

·        ¼ stick butter (went on rolls and carrots)

·        Carrots sautéed in Marsala (I made these after my race)

·        Cranberry sauce

·        Salad (cucumber, radishes, orange, mint, lemon juice/olive oil dressing) that I made after my race

·        3 of my almond/lemon biscotti

·        2 thick slices sweet potato

Dinner #2 (I was still hungry!) about 7PM:

·        Entire package Uncle Ben’s amazing rice jasmine with romano cheese and crème of balsamic

·        1 carton Fage 0% yogurt

·        1 fun size package Twizzlers

 
I didn't add up all the calories above, and who the fuck cares, anyway? I needed them. I really enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with my brother and his wife and son. After we ate, Mike let me choose what to watch on TV (since I don't have cable), and guess what was on? Iron Man 2! I've seen it a couple of times, but will watch it whenever I can. What a great day! 


I felt expectedly tired Thursday night, slept well, but was rarin' to go on Friday for my 1/2 Ironman. I managed to start at 6:05. Here's my Day 3 Facebook Summary Post:
Triple Dog Dare Day 3: I'M DONE! It went well today, and as predicted, I felt like I was in an Ironman (but not until I got on the bike). Swim 2100 yds. in 36:47 (with fins I was lazy, but still went easy) = 1:45/100, Bike 56 miles in 3:00.50 (18.56mph yeah it felt like IM pace for sure), Run 13.1 miles on treadmill in 2:16.58 = 10:27/mile. Lots of mental toughness today, for sure. I've never done a TDD all indoors (I've done 1/2 IM indoors many times), so yay for that this is a first! Did not want to kill myself until about 7 miles into the run, but once I'm halfway, I know I'm good.

So if that was representative of my potential Ironman pace, I'm doing great! But, the course was completely flat, there was no wind, and no untoward weather to contend with! But still, I felt really good about my performance. 

Once again, I kept track of everything that went into my mouth that day:

Breakfast and pre-race loading:

·        Carrot/raisin homemade muffin and hardboiled egg

·        300 calories Ultrafuel

During race:

·        5.5 bottles Infinit

·        1 piece cheddar string cheese on bike

·        1 Gu on bike (Peanut Butter)

Post-race recovery and lunch

·        270 calories Endurox R4

·        3 beers (well 1 right away other 2 were probably between lunch and dinner)

·        6 oz. grilled salmon

·        Tartar sauce: about 4 tbsp. light mayo plus 1.5 tbsp. pickle relish

·        About ¾ cup leftover carrots sautéed in Marsala, but with 1 tsp. butter on top

Dinner:

·        1 roasted chicken leg

·        The chicken liver from whole roasted chicken plus the neck meat (yeah I love that stuff)

·        1.5 cups of broccoli Stufati (broccoli, cured black olives, anchovies, onions, romano cheese cooked in red wine)

·        1 carrot/raisin pumpkin muffin (needed something sweet)

Evening snack (this was around 11PM when I woke up hungry):

·        1 fun size Twizzlers

·        ½ turkey sandwich: whole wheat bread, buttered, with about 2 oz. turkey leftover from Thursday.

 
I will leave you with 3 pics from my "event" that capture how happy I was doing this:

Now, I know that many people would hate doing all this indoors and think, "why would someone do this when there is no medal or t-shirt or spectators?" Because I can. Because I believe I've been given a gift to be able to be this fit and need to express my passion for it by doing things like this in addition to "normal" races, and to show others how much joy I get from it, and then I write about it here on my blog so people see that it's possible and also a valid way to train. 

Do what you can with passion so you can spread the joy of possibility! 

No Apologies

Every morning now I wake up and I think I LOVE DOING THIS. I love being on a path to achieve something bigger that is somewhat scary. I love gathering my true supporters around me, especially those who have their own scary goals. I love bringing others along for my ride, even if it's just to watch and think "she's nuts." I love that I know so many amazing people who are equally or more nuts.  I love my non-triathlon friends who accept me just the way I am and understand that this is all about passion. I accept when I fail along the way and learn from it and move on. I tune into my body and my mind, checking it constantly to see what it needs--am I giving it enough? Too much? Every single day I decide what is necessary for that day in the context of yesterday and tomorrow and my goals. I make sure I find time to give away my knowledge, because knowledge is energy, and everyone can use more of it. I ask for help from others when I need it because none of us can do this alone. Sometimes I don't ask for help soon enough, and then I ask for help in flagging when I need it!

I make no apologies for my own high expectations of myself and those around me. This is how I need to be. Should the universe intervene and toss me yet another monkey wrench, I will reevaluate the goal.

So far, so good.

The End of the Beginning

I have 2 more weeks to go of "not training." On Saturday, I did the 4th "not racing" race--a 25k trail run that kicked my ass. In a good way, of course! Not only have I not done any intensity work in running, I haven't really run serious hills. Well until the week before in that half marathon. But, the race, Paleozoic Fall 25K, was hilly and somewhat technical, it was cold, it was my second ever trail race (the first was Northface Endurance Challenge in 2009), I crashed 4 miles in, but had an absolute blast. I didn't take in enough calories, because once I hit the halfway point and ate a handful of jelly beans and then a gel about 30 minutes later, I began running better (and the potty stop helped, too), and I ended up even splitting the second half and passing a few people. My time was sucky (2:57), but it was the 4th race in a row (8, 8, 1/2 marathon then 25k). I am relearning how to race, so it's all good! The best thing is that I have been enjoying the hell out of racing again! I have never considered myself a runner, so as long as I'm not DFL in a race, I feel like I'm doing OK.

So yesterday morning after I woke up, my legs were predictably sore from all the hills, and probably also because I didn't taper ANYTHING for this adventure, especially not my strength training. On the second half of the race on Saturday, I noticed some people hit the brakes on some of the downhills. If it wasn't rocky or slippery or rooty, I didn't care, and let gravity do its thing! And while I went downhill, I kept thinking, "this is like doing a bunch of squats and lunges and I do those all the time so it's no big deal." Hell, I knew I'd have some soreness after this!

But I needed to ride yesterday, because I have one more "event" on my calendar before I begin formal training on 12/1. Over Wednesday-Friday of Thanksgiving week, I'm doing (all on my own, all indoors probably) a sprint (500 yds./13 miles/5k) on Wednesday, an Oly (1500 yds./25 miles/10k) on Thursday and a 1/2 Ironman (2250 yds./56 miles/13.1 miles) on Friday. Why? Because I can, that's why. And also because I will use my resulting paces to calibrate my training paces. My objective is to go hard during the sprint, medium hard for the Oly, and more like IM pace for the 1/2. I promise to fuel myself properly before, during and after each NothingMan, I will wear crazy swimsuits to the pool, I will probably con some innocent bystanders into taking pics of me, I will smile, I will laugh, I will enjoy it all!

Anyway, back to yesterday--I'd scheduled a 2:30 trainer ride because if I am going to do all that NothingMan shit in 2 weeks, I had better get a "long" ride in, and this coming weekend I will do 3 hours. I knew I could only spin yesterday, and that was fine, although after :45 in, I had to do a ladder up the cogs just to prevent complete boredom. I got the 2:30 in, and my legs don't feel any worse. My quads are still a little Frankenstein walking downstairs, but whatever, I'm fine. Swimming this morning will help fix that, and an easy run later will seal the deal!

So I have 2 more weeks of nothingness training and then I start in with my plan! FUCK! But it's all good! I will get to see where I'm really at (although these races gave me a pretty good idea, and I don't suck as badly as I thought for not training so much this year), and I will feel like a beginner all over again! I know, I know--what the fuck am I talking about I have a 14-year base of long course training, right? Yes, I do, but I am also now 58 years old. I don't know if I'm actually slowing down yet--I don't think so, because my half marathon 2 weeks ago was faster than a similar course I did 4 years ago. I don't think so, because my swim speed is where it was 4 years ago and it is going to get faster because I'm fixing my stroke. I don't think so, because my bike splits in the few races I did this year were comparable to what I did FIVE years ago. Although I would like to get even faster on the bike.

All I can do at this point is TRI. I love LOVE LOVE this sport and training. I love running again! My right foot isn't 100%, but it's 1,000% better than it was in March! It didn't hurt at all on Saturday until I was within 1/4 mile of the finish! Considering I'd been running nearly 3 hours, that is awesome progress! I think I can probably handle a full marathon on it!

Speaking of things I love, I got an SRM

and it's being installed on Skull Kingdom this week. The crankset from Skull Kingdom will then be moved over to Bitch, and Bitch will have a Powertap!!! Then, I get these wheel stickers put onto the Zipp 404's:

except that there will be SIX Crackheads per side. Next, I have a pair of these being built:

and they are going to get these stickers:

And I already got this helmet for Skull Kingdom:

And someone gave me these bike shoes:

Talk about MOTIVATION TO BIKE HARD!!!

After last winter's extreme cold and snow, I had some work done in my house in March that turned out to be a great investment.  It is already fairly cold here in Chicagoland, and my house is staying toasty, my furnace isn't running constantly, and I am not worried about freezing cold water pipes! I have a new car (although someone dinged it already but I am done crying about it), and fingers crossed, nothing major should go wrong in my house. So I have no excuse but to move through this winter with renewed motivation and gratitude that I can still do this long course triathlon. I will end 2014 having done the most strength training I've done in 13 years, I've rested adequately, I've nearly healed my right foot, my thyroid function is taken care of, and so there's no reason I can't fulfill my Crackhead destiny in 2015:
"Harder, longer, faster, tougher, repeat."
--Crackhead

Tyranena Beer Run ½ Marathon Race Report

Cool fucking shirt, eh?

So while I’ve been “training,” I haven’t been following specific workouts for biking and running since February, and I’ve only been following swim workouts since August. Beginning in August, I just set frequency and volume targets for biking and running, and have been winging it as far as races I’ve done in that period of time, which included 2 sprint triathlons (2^nd AG at both), 2 sprint duathlons (1 2^nd AG, sucked on 2^nd), 2 8-mile races (sucked first one; 2^nd AG second one).

In August, I raced 4 weekends in a row, and now I am on my 3^rd of 4 weekends in a row of running races. Normally, I race like clockwork—knowing what to eat, wear, how to pace, etc., but I was a little rusty. So I’ve not gone into any of these races expecting much, but have been pleasantly surprised and never TOO disappointed in how I’ve done.

So back to Tyranena—my time was 2:10:45, 6^th in AG. Nothing stellar, and really about what I expected. I think the last formal ½ marathon I did was in 2012, the Cary ½, in 2:13:52. Here is Tyranena course and here is Cary.  Huh. So I guess I actually did OK yesterday, better than I thought. Still, I’ve not been doing tempo runs or progressive long runs or hill work, so yay there might be hope for me to get faster again! Plus, I didn’t really fully taper for Tyranena, because why would I have? I’m just out there having fun!

I drove up there yesterday morning. It is about 2 ½ hours to Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Lake Mills is where 24 Hours of Triathlon is held, and is a race that’s on my bucket list. I’d never been to Lake Mills before. It was a bit cool (upper 30’s/low 40’s), but I erred on dressing a bit too warm for the race conditions since it was windy. 

There were volunteers directing us where to park, and I was maybe a 1 block walk from the race start.

When I get to the brewery (the race is hosted by Tyranena Brewing) about 10:30, I see a line of people waiting to buy beer! In the race email, it had said we could buy the beer at a reduced price, but I figured it wouldn’t be until after the race! I laughed, because the beer line was longer than the porta-potty line! And then I thought it made sense to get the beer before the race, because I could put it in my car and it would chill nicely!

But first I went inside the large tent to pick up my packet. They were already serving beer in there, and I’m guessing there were a number of racers who intentionally were going to race with their beer already on! I got my packet, and I saw someone drinking out of a sampler cup, and I asked for one, and it was great!

Then I went to buy my beer. You could get a mixed 12-pack for $15, so I bought 2. Carrying them together back to my car was a little workout in itself, but hey, I’m tough! I’d failed to stop at the porta-potty and really had to pee when I got back to my car, but luckily I was parked amongst a bunch of semi-trailers, so I availed myself of a discrete spot between a few of them.

Now for the trip from the car for packet pickup and beer acquisition, I wore a regular down jacket over my race gear, because it was nippy! But then I had to decide if I was going to add more clothes to race in, and I decided I’d be fine with what I had on. I pinned my bib to my jacket, loaded the Fuel Belt (complete with streamers, because I felt like it), and put on my gaiters, since part of the run would be on crushed limestone and gravel, and bonus, they keep my feet warm. I’d worn my most thermal tights, a thermal Nike top and a brand new thermal neon Nike jacket that I got on sale a few weeks ago. I went with my fleece hat and gloves, which turned out to be too much, but they weigh nothing, and I could always carry them if I needed to.

I went back to the race start and met someone who’s been reading my blog for awhile and is primarily a runner, Emily. She probably thinks I’m a major kook now, but that’s OK, I’m OK with it! We chatted about how we thought we’d do (we were both right on with our finish times), lined up, and got going.

We were immediately into the wind, which at some points was so strong that it flung one of my feet into the other! I remember I think around Mile 5 that happening when we were way out in the open. You know this is called a “beer run” for several reasons—one, because of the term, “I need to make a beer run,” and two, because, well, we were running for beer! I was really hoping there’d be an aid station with beer, and I got my wish just after Mile 4! It was funny that the table had a sign on it saying “Unofficial Beer Aid Station,” but I’m pretty sure it was official! Whatever I had was tasty, tasty, and I figured it wasn’t going to hurt me one iota, and I was here in the first place because of the beer!

The first about 5.5 miles were in the open, then we hit the Glacial Drumlin Trail, which was awesome, as it was dirt and/or crushed limestone, which I love running on. I just kind of kept motoring on, not really pushing myself too hard, but just trying to keep a steady pace. It helped that there were 2 girls which I’m certain were Garmin-ized at exactly 10mpm pace, because I was near them the entire time.

It was beautiful scenery when we were running around Lake Mills, and gosh, I’d like to just go hang out there—it’s not far from Madison where I usually go riding, and very quiet and peaceful. Except for the locals who were pissed off that we were on THEIR roads and a few drivers nearly hit some of us! Oh well, there are always those who hate us and those who give us the right of way.

The last 3 miles of the run were into the wind again, and kind of tough. I slowed a bit here, but I was still around my Garmin Girls, so I was good. I drank most of the Coke in my Fuel Belt and one bottle of Gatorade, had a few cups of water, and 1 small beer. I never did eat a gel, and I’m wondering if maybe I should have. Oh well.

So when you finish, you go back into the big tent, and we each got 2 beer tickets and 1 for lunch. I wanted the beer first, so I found Emily (who is not into the beer), and I got 2 beers, began shivering a lot, drank those, then Emily left, and she gave me her beer tickets. Here are Emily and me in the beer tent:

I walked back to my car so I could doff the sweaty jacket, hat and gloves and running shoes, and put on a hoodie, regular shoes, my down jacket, a running hat and light gloves.

I went back to the tent and finally ate some lasagna. It was great! They did have vegetarian, and when I was in line for mine, I joked with some people that meat was meant to be eaten!

I wanted one more beer, and then I gave the other 2 tickets (someone else gave me a spare) to other people, listened while they called out awards (NOT MY NAME! AG winners got cool mugs), then headed back to my car to drive to my hotel. I knew better than to drive all the way home after 3 beers.

I stayed at Johnson Creek Comfort Suites in Johnson Creek. What a nice place! My room only cost $85, and could have easily slept 4 (maybe 6 I think the couch was a pullout). Here I am with a bunch of other runners at checkin:

I immediately donned a swimsuit and headed to the hot tub with another beer in hand. At this point, I was feeling kinda tipsy, but not drunk. The hot tub was huge, including a little waterfall, but it could have been hotter. At any rate, it helped to warm me back up (my natural temperature is 97, and I become hypothermic rather easily) so I wouldn’t be shivering the rest of the day.

When I got back to my room, I showered and put on clean clothes, talked to a few friends, and then at some point decided I needed to get dinner. I got to see a beautiful sunset right from my room, although I should have snapped the pic a bit earlier:

I was feeling really grateful that I have the means to travel to races like this and that I am able to run at all! I seem to have more and more moments like that lately. I have had piles of shit in my life, but now I feel SO happy being healthy (oh yeah—my right foot barely hurt during the race!), and I love racing and training, and I’m not sucking as badly as I thought I might in getting back to it.

I stopped at the front desk for a recommendation and directions, but truth be told, I wasn’t going to remember a whole lot as the combination of beer and racing left me rather not giving much of a fuck about anything. Still, I headed out in the general direction, but instead of some supper club, found a Mexican restaurant that looked like just what I needed. I tucked in and had chicken mole, one of my favorite dishes, and a decent margarita. YUM! 

Yes the margarita was sideways as was I

Well now, when I began driving back to the hotel, I realized I was indeed, intoxicated, but hey, I’m driving in Wisconsin, so all good! I actually enjoyed driving and getting what I thought was lost, but somehow I ended back up at my hotel. I had leftovers, but within an hour or so, I was back at them.

I have no idea when I fell asleep or how much sleep I got, but in my usual fashion as of late, I was wide awake at 3:30AM. So I decided to get out of bed at 4, pack up and drive home WITHOUT DRINKING COFFEE. This was an endurance event all on its own. I dislike driving in the dark, I dislike not having coffee first thing in the morning, but I was ready to go so I did. I made it home just after 7, after stopping to refuel and get a Sausage McMuffin with Egg at McDonald’s. It had to be done.

I expected a wicked hangover today, and I’ve got that going for me, but boy oh boy did I have fun! I will go back to this event again! I was supposed to go and stay with a friend, but I still had a ton of fun by myself. Next Saturday I’m doing a 25k trail race not far from home as just a training thing, but you get a cool t-shirt with a dinosaur skeleton on it. Hopefully, my friend Lori and I will tuck in for some nice foods afterwards! After that, I don’t race again (formally; although I’m doing a NothingMan Triple Dog Dare over Thanksgiving weekend—over 3 days a sprint, Oly and ½ Ironman) until February, and it will be nice to step back on the run volume for a few months and begin actual training for an Ironman in earnest!

I have a new Pro SRM on order (this drivetrain and this head unit, although I get to exchange the head unit for the PC8 in January!!!), and it should arrive in another week. I will move the drivetrain and Powertap wheels (Zipp 404’s) from Skull Kingdom to Bitch, and I’ve ordered Hed Jet 90’s for Skull Kingdom. I’m working with a guy to make custom stickers for both wheelsets, and they are going to be the most bitchin’ fucking things ever! I am so glad to be getting an SRM again—I had one from 2004-2009, then went with an Ergomo for a few years, then a Powertap (which I hate), so I’m back on the best power meter ever. Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to me!

I really haven’t done my usual quality biking in a few years, so I’m really looking forward to lifting my FTP again (well it sucks to do but somebody has to do it) and riding lots of hills!  I’ve got several hilly races on the calendar for next year, too, and I’m confident I can get my biking prowess back. I will still hit 5,000 miles for 2013, but it didn’t include any quality work whatsoever—just enough to maintain some semblance of fitness. 2014 I should get close to 6,000 miles in and they will be quality miles.

Life is fucking awesome and I am so happy to be in it! I’m good with my race performance yesterday, and honestly, my legs aren’t a bit sore or stiff or anything, so I know I’ve got some speed potential there. I do feel REALLY solid, muscle-wise, and very prepared to enter into Ironman-level training again.

Oh and I started coached swims this past week! Magic Mike is da bomb, and I am excited to think about where I might be able to take my swimming! So everything is moving in the right direction, or will be soon enough!

All I need to do now is survive the fucking Polar Vortex that’s headed to Chicago soon. Ugh…I spent some coin on my house again this year that we will see how much of a difference it makes in my heating bills. So far, so good!

Life is short--have at it!!!

Fear and Foreboding

 Watch the video--it's a classic!

I have been reluctant to say anything on my blog publicly, although I have had conversations with my closest friend in the world about how I’ve been feeling. In a word—FANTASTIC. It seems the last 2 months have been a whirlwind for me on several fronts:

·        Weathered a disappointment at work. Had thought I would get the opportunity to work closely again with an old friend who I really click with, for a local customer utilizing technology products I enjoy working with. The silver lining here is that I’ve reconnected with my friend, he and his wife are starting to do triathlons, and I will be staying with them next June for a race where I will do the Oly and they will do the sprint. And I am more than happy to provide any triathlon advice to them along the way.

·        My right foot (the one with the Morton’s Neuroma) really seems to be improving, despite the fact that I’ve been running 30-35 miles/week for the last 11 weeks. It still occasionally hurts during a long run, but it doesn’t stop me dead in my tracks. It feels like the nerve is waking up and all my toes are nearly 100% functional again.

·        I chose my 2015 races (at least through October) and built my ATP. My future coach will get around to reviewing it (although I’m sure it’s fine) after he’s done with his A-race, Ultraman Hawaii.

·        I’m staying ahead of the fall yard cleanup. Not only do I have leaves (typically 15 bags full), but also since I grow so many perennials that need to be cut down and either bagged or bundled, it is quite the project to get my yard all put away. But I enjoy doing it, as it gets me outdoors, and I can see what is going to require extra attention come spring. I do realize that in 2016 I will be in the thick of Ultraman training and will have to pay someone to do this. I’m OK with that (all part of my budget for the race).

·        I’ve been spending time with friends every weekend and making more of an effort to stay connected. Some of them I think are used to me never having time or always being in so much training that it might seem I don’t have time for them. While that’s never been strictly true, I do realize that some of them need ME to reach out to THEM instead of vice versa. I really do appreciate my friends that come after me, though. I am an introvert, so it’s really an effort for me to be making the social plans. Now, this may change a bit as I return to formal training, but it is something I am aware of and will strive to stay on top of. To be fair, I LOVE planning some things, but I appreciate it when others let me know they want to spend time with ME.

·        I’m about to start formal swim coaching. Swimming on my own continues to go really well. I’ve observed that even if I’m really tired that I can swim well! Technique improvement, you think? I’ve also noticed that my muscle recruitment patterns have changed to go along with starting to “get” the catch and pull. And that this change in recruitment is causing my body to be more balanced from left to right side. Which is great, since I am always compensating for the lack of ACL in my left knee and (to whatever extent they still are) herniated disks in my back plus the fact that I’m right-handed (and right-bodied!). I’m super excited to see how much faster I can get this season. I don’t think getting my swim to KQ territory is out of the question. That would be cool, but mostly I want to be seriously better for Ultraman.

·        My metabolism seems to be working properly. FINALLY! While I’m not training at Ironman level, it seems I can eat almost whatever I want and burn it up. And I know this sounds weird, but I can actually sense this proper functioning at a cellular level. Just from the way my muscles work when I’m training. Like the mitochondria are finally being turned on as they should.

·        All my bikes are cleaned and tuned. I am waiting for LGL to be finished, though, as we decided she needs all new cabling, and after much consternation about the color of it, I think she will look just fine. I’ll post a pic of her when I get her back later this week. I am working with someone on designing custom wheel stickers for Skull Kingdom, and think that will just make her pop even more. She was already a stunning piece of art—now she will be even better! What a nice gift to myself as I will be spending a lot of hours on her this winter on the trainer. I also got her a cool new helmet that was a bit of a big spend, but worth it. I also got new bike shoes and a friend is giving me another pair of new bike shoes that I haven’t seen yet, but am sure will get great use by me. All that’s left is to decide if I want to invest in another power meter. The jury is out on that.

Despite all of the above positives, I have this sense that life is going to come crashing down on me at any moment. This morning, I had the thought that maybe this is because I don’t have someone by my side on a daily basis that helps to “normalize” the sensations I feel. I never know whether how I feel is normal or unusual, or really what constitutes “normal” for me. Did you know I often pray at bedtime? I was raised Catholic, although I now consider myself some combination of Christian/Buddhist. At any rate, I’ve seen the universe kick the shit out of people I love, so I pray for them periodically. I never pray for myself—I only hope that others pray for me sometimes because I could sure use the help! Some of the people on my prayer list may be what you would consider my enemies—but I recognize they need help, and they have been a part of getting me to where I am today. I sometimes wonder why I never pray for myself—typically I think that’s a selfish act, and that I’ve been given the tools to do what I need to do, even if sometimes they fail me. There are people who believe that humans are inherently evil—I believe that humans are inherently good, but I know how easy it can be to fall into evil. I sometimes find myself becoming bitchy or catty. Sometimes my direct attitude comes off that way, too, even when I feel I am just being factual. I guess this is part of why I pray for others because I hope they can help me to see me from another point of view, and that’s really important to me.

I have also been engaged in a bizarre sleep pattern that I am trying to get out of. It started in August after I finally got used to waking up early for working out and for races, and I raced 4 weekends in a row. Well I just kept up that early wake schedule (3AM or earlier), but that’s not exactly conducive to a normal life. I know, I know—I should stay up really late so I sleep later. Tried that, didn’t work. I did take a nap every day while I was off from work last week. Which I really enjoyed. I’ve not been using any extra caffeine except for a Coke if I’m truly dragging ass while working. I am confident this will resolve itself, especially once I pick up more intensity in my training beginning 12/1.

I did race on Sunday—it was an 8-mile running race. I barely slept 5 hours, and I underdressed for the temps and never felt warm, so my time sucked, but I was OK with it. There was a man pacing his 13-year old daughter to her first 8-mile race at 10mpm (using a Garmin), so I just hung with them. Although I came in at 9:48 pace. It was good for me to be in the racing mode, though, as I am a little rusty on that front (like how to dress and what to eat how far before the race!). I also about puked at Mile 2 after taking a small swig of Coke that I’d brought with me. I’m sure it was comical because I was laughing and choking at the same time! But it turned out I just should have put some water in my stomach before I added Coke to it.

But here’s the weird thing—after I was finished and the next day, my legs were not at all sore like I raced. Well, technically, at 9:48 pace I didn’t. But still, no taper for this, and I’d done 2 13-mile runs 3 days apart earlier in the week, so I’m thinking my legs should have been a teensy bit sore, but NO! So how cool is that? Also, it felt like my heart rate was in the dumpster for the race. I never felt on the verge of pushing it, so all in all, it was good I showed up. My right foot hurt only a tiny bit at one point, I acknowledged it, and forgot about it. 

I am doing another 8-miler this Saturday on the exact same course, and now I’m tapering for my goal ½ marathon (Tyranena Beer Run on 11/8 in Lake Mills, Wisconsin), so theoretically I should have good legs on Saturday. If I can just get some sleep, I should be good for straight 9’s or less. At least I know that for the ½ marathon I’m good for sub-10’s (which I haven’t done in a few years) based on how easy I was able to run last Sunday.

I also signed up for a 15-mile trail run in a few weeks that I’m looking forward to just as a fun thing to do. Again, being in a run build, it’s good that I could care less about the quality of biking right now, so toeing the line at some running races is really a good thing for me.

So, putting all of the above together, I feel FUCKING AWESOME!!! Yet I still have this sense of foreboding. Someone tell me it’s going to be OK, that I’m doing OK and I should just accept it. Or, if you think I’m doing something wrong, I’m all ears for that, too. Meanwhile, I am going to stay on my current course and see where it takes me. Stay tuned!