ALL IN

I'm not unlike many triathletes in that I begin selecting and registering for races and training events well over a year in advance. Time was that every Ironman race filled up within hours of online registration opening (usually the day after the race that just took place), but now there are so many of them that many stay open for months, even close to the race date. This makes me extremely happy, as I went through a bunch of crap this year, and by the time I decided I wanted to do an Ironman in 2015, there were still a few with open spots (I picked Louisville).

I take my planning for the next year 2 zillion steps further, though. After picking my primary race (Louisville is just a required stepping stone to get into Ultraman Hawaii), I scout out all the local organized bike rides and some shorter races, consult with friends (some of whom are twisting my arm to do particular races with them), decide on what fits in the big scheme of things, and usually spend November and December making my grand plan for the coming year.

I finally finished signing up for races on 12/19. Well at least through IM Louisville. There will be some races after that, but nothing I need to worry about at this time, although I am already assembling a list of things I want to do in 2016 in addition to Ultraman Hawaii.

Once I have my races on a calendar, I plan for:

• Days off from work that I need to travel or to rest up for a big weekend
• Haircuts every 5 weeks or so
• Massages every 1-3 weeks
• Miscellaneous life stuff like recurring medical and dental appointments and house/car maintenance

All this goes onto my one huge Excel spreadsheet that has all this information in it since fall of 2007! Although I may need to archive off part of it, as the spreadsheet sucks a bunch of memory now because of all the formulas and such.

Next, I fill in the workouts required to train adequately for the races, review the week to week progression, go back and adjust, and repeat this cycle about 3 times until it all looks "reasonable." I'm a trained actuary, and one of the activities you do when you are doing actuarial stuff is called "reasonableness checks."  I'm glad I was trained in that particular skill, as it has application in many areas of life--not just triathlon planning! I need to look at the data in many ways--each sport individually, each day on its own, week in aggregate, week over week increases in training load, deciding how much to taper for various races, when I should schedule rest days (YES I ACTUALLY DO THAT). This is hyped up version of "stare and compare." After each instance of looking at the data from one viewpoint, I pencil in changes, and put it away until the next day. Because I know that what seems rational one day might appear stupid the next.

When I'm all done, I print out the full calendar version and the individual swim workouts (I have it set up so that I can print them and fold 1-2 weeks worth into a quart-sized baggie to take with to the pool) and bike workouts (which during the winter I keep next to the trainer and in spring-fall I cut them apart and put into my bike jersey or Bento Box).

I am done!

I am almost done doing this same process for a friend that I am coaching in 2015. It's doubly maddening to be doing this for myself and someone else, but that's how I roll.  While I could make up her training along the way, I intend to sit down with her and show her the plan in aggregate so she can plan her life around it, because she's as dedicated to the process as I am, and I want her to be successful. I never liked getting training blocks 4 weeks at a time from a coach--but that's just ME. I like knowing what it's going to be ahead of time. Of course, I can make adjustments along the way depending on how things go, but really every coach has to make an ATP (Annual Training Plan) that accounts for all the races in order to begin sketching out the general plan for where to take the athlete.

While this process can be quite maddening and keep me awake longer than I should be (or in my case, prevent me from sleeping as much as I should since I am an early morning person), I get an incredible sense of joy and accomplishment from the process. A well-built training plan is a thing of beauty to me. It's something I've learned to do (self-taught--no certifications here!), and it's helped me to take a lot of stress off once I actually begin the training cycle.

Now, you might ask, what do I do when shit happens? It depends whether it's small shit or big shit. Most shit is small, and requires minor adjustments at best. Big shit can derail the entire year, and this has happened to me--in 2011, 2012 and 2014. 2011 and 2012 ended up being no-ops (that's a technical term Google it), although I managed to salvage 2014 from July on.

I'm an ON-OFF person. I'm either 100% fully fucking committed to something, or I'm not doing it at all. Some people call this being ALL IN. I'm ALL IN right now for Louisville and Ultraman Hawaii. Given it's a 2-year process, you might think I should just relax for the time being. I don't see it that way. For the process of getting to the outcome is just as (if not more) important as the outcome itself.

It made me a little sad to read this story where the winner of this year's Ultraman Hawaii said, "People who are looking for pure performance, nothing else, should watch the top athletes at IM or Olympic distance races. It is highly unlikely to find athletes of that potential at Ultraman. It is a race for amateurs and more a race to be a part of than to watch it." To me, the statement might make someone think it's no big deal to do Ultraman. But it is. I would not say that anyone who can/has done an Ironman can do it. Physically, perhaps, but mentally it is a whole different animal. You can slack a little and cut corners and still finish your 12-17 hour Ironman, but you can't do that and finish Ultraman. You just need too many miles in your arms and legs just to cross the finish line.

So in the spirit of piling on the mileage on my arms and legs, I'm ALL IN. I will finish out 2014 with some pathetic training totals compared to my prior years (I will write that blog post in a few days once 2014 is over), but the accumulation has begun for Ultraman. I'm done resting. I am already experiencing some big fatigue due to the combination of high intensity workouts and increased weight in my strength training. That is to be expected. I actually enjoy being sore for a few days at a time. I know it will pass, I know that my body will adapt, and I know that I am becoming stronger.

People who know me well know how focused I can become when I'm on one of these missions. I have one more project to complete (finish sewing the dress I will wear in my friend Susan's wedding next April), and then I am not committing to anything else big (in terms of my contribution) for awhile. It will be all I can do to do my day job, do my training, stretch, get massages, recover, keep mentally sharp and hang with my friends who support me and get my passion for this. I will have no time for detractors. I have already eliminated a few of those. This may all appear silly to outsiders, as I know how focus-crazed I can get. It's who I am, I make no apologies. You don't like it, steer clear! If I shatter myself in the process, oh well--I gave it a shot! I honestly think there are people gunning for me to totally destroy myself. Maybe I will. But maybe I won't. The only way to know is to get with the plan!

Adaptation and Planning

 Death Machine: Acquired in 2013. BMC, Al, giant pie plate big ring for strength building and HTFU.

 Bitch: Acquired in 2000. She's an old Bitch. Have a solid HED3 disk for her that she rides with aplomb. B4C (ceramic) frame. Heavy-ish but eero as shit.

 La Gazza Ladra, aka LGL. Acquired in 2006. Pinarello Dogma, Mg frame stiff as shit, awesome climbing machine.

Skull Kingdom. Acquired in 2010, custom carbon/Al Elite. What a beauty! Time to lose the Elite stickers on the wheels and replace w/flames.

Since late July, I have been able to run more, have been swimming consistently at least 3x/week, and have been biking around 6 hours/week. The break from lots of running and swimming has been a good thing for my body and my mind. I experience far less sciatica than ever, and I am finally FEELING (kinesthetically) the catch/pull in swimming. The only formal workouts I am doing right now are in swimming and lifting (lifting has been a constant since 1991 with variations in movements/sets/reps/weight). For running and biking, I am just trying to hit some volume targets--when I go out for a run or bike, I am just going "how I feel." As evidenced by a few sprint races, my biking skillz are still pretty good, but running not so much.

I still have plenty o' endurance across SBR. If someone put a gun to my head right now, I could do an Ironman in < 16 hours (depending on the course, of course). I think I'm good for about a 6:15 or less 1/2 Ironman. But mama needs some speed. I am doing focused swim workouts, so that is coming along (plus the change in stroke mechanics plus getting some swim coaching MAGIC MIKE WHEN DO WE START???). I was going to start tempo runs, but I am sticking with my "I'm still sort of resting" program and not starting formal bike/run workouts until 12/1. So I'm not going to see a PR at the 1/2 marathon I'm doing on 11/8, in fact I might completely suck. But that race is to have fun with some friends and drink a bunch of beer afterwards.

I am in what triathlon books would call "base building" mode. It's where you put in some decent volume, practice good form (strides and running drills; vary gearing/cadence on the bike; drills and just mindfulness while swimming), contemplate where you need to improve, and not get too worked up about speed. I am "training to train."  I am also paying attention to how my body is doing with the load (as compared to past seasons), and how I'm feeling mentally about the whole deal. There's plenty of time to get back to the formal workouts, measurements (FTP, VDOT, T-pace) and assessments.

Right now, it's all good, except that I've been experiencing some sleep difficulties (living on about 7 hours which is not normal for me). The sleep thing is in part related to the shortening of the days, and will likely fix itself with the end of DST. Also, this is the very first time that I am training a decent amount of volume and my thyroid (TSH) levels are where they should be. So in a way, this is uncharted territory for me. In fact, I feel fantastic--well except that I need more sleep.

I ran 34 miles last week, and yesterday my legs were not sore at all. It may be because I'm not doing focused speed work yet, but still, I'm liking that I didn't feel trashed yesterday. And I managed a good swim workout and a :50 run yesterday. I struggled a bit on the run because I didn't sleep enough, but I got enough sleep last night and feel great today. I am gravitating to an "at any distance pace" right now, but that's OK. I am seeing glimpses of the speed inside, though, when I run downhill with flair and achieve that flow state, or when I am tired and can still run at a decent pace.

In the pool, I'm pretty sure I could knock out a 5k swim if I wanted to, but actually I don't want to. I am enjoying sometimes short workouts, sometimes 3,000-3500, and just really liking swimming again. And I am liking it more now that I can feel that I am doing it better than I ever have! I toyed with the idea of a 10k swim on NY day ("someone" said they would do it with me--like I need more encouragement!), but I am not making a commitment to that because it means I would need to actively begin swimming lots more at least once a week. And I would not do it except under those conditions because I would want to enjoy it and feel I had the fitness to do it well.

On the bike, I'm not exactly lollygagging, but I am doing the odd trainer workout where I look at my power readings. I don't think I've lost a lot there, but have some seriously hard work to do. And I'm ready to do it, heads down, no TV on just music, pound out those watts and watch them improve. But not before 12/1!

I had felt that my metabolism wasn't exactly stellar until just 2 weeks ago. It usually takes me a few weeks for my hunger to catch up to the training (I'd link to blog archives here but don't know how I'd find the old posts!), but boy has it caught up. I wouldn't say I'm eating with complete abandon, but it does feel to me like where I'm at training volume-wise that I am eating more than I ever did in past seasons. Maybe I just forgot how much I need, or maybe since I've laid low for so much of this year, but all of a sudden those 3 lbs. I was not liking are gone. I'm not keeping track of how much carbs I'm eating, but I'm sure that with the swap of rice plus veggies for salad that I'm getting plenty.

It feels like my body is functioning, metabolically, like I'm IN Ironman training. But I'm not. I'm not biking enough for that. I'm approaching that volume swimming, and I am at it running, though. Maybe I actually do have more muscle mass than ever, too--I've changed up my strength program in the last 2 years, and I do recall people telling me pretty regularly last year that I was "so" muscular. Maybe I was just fat ;) Maybe I am carrying more fat. I do have this belly fat that seems related to being post-menopausal. I hate it. Oh well, I will just have to see if it has become a fact of life that I must live with or whether it, too, will disappear when I'm in the thick of IM training.

Oh that--yes, I've signed up for Ironman Louisville (it's 10/11/2015). It's on the calendar. And so I can now begin planning my training and racing season! I get SO excited about this process, and I think that is also contributing to my waking up really early. I love, love, LOVE the season planning process. Looking across all the potential races and rides and big training events just gets me so amped. One of my rules for races this year and beyond is that if it's out of town, I'm not going by myself--I've done far too much of that in the past, and I'm done with it. I already have a 1/2 IM planned in Florida with Shelley (and will be availing myself of friends who live down there JULIE), an Olympic in Wisconsin (with a work mate, Steve), a 1/2 marathon in Colorado (Lori) and a sprint in Galena, IL (Kevin). I will go up to Madison for Ironman Wisconsin (William) and get some quality training in. Shit--that's already a bunch of stuff, isn't it?  One other thing I want to do is the Horribly Hilly ride in Wisconsin. That I am OK going by myself if I have to. I may do 1 or 2 more local sprints, and that's about it for the season, except for my usual complement of weekly century+ rides, including Bike Psychos 200k, maybe Dairyland Dare, and of course the annual 4th of July metric century, that I usually turn into a REAL century ride.

Gosh--I am so excited that I will be training for an Ironman where I can engage in all-you-can-eat biking during the summer! That is what I love more than anything, and Skull Kingdom will get out early next year. She's been relegated to the trainer since Ironman Cozumel 2013. I think that means I will need to find her some sort of doodad to make her look better--maybe it's time I get the Elite stickers off the wheels and put the flames on like I've been meaning to.

I am almost 100% confident that I will get in at least 5,000 miles of biking by the end of 2014. And right now, that is what matters the most, because you can't do jack shit in an Ironman if you aren't brutally strong on the bike. And while I won't have accumulated much speed work by year's end, at that volume I am going to be able to put some serious hurt to the pedals in 2015. All part of my evil plan to at least be in a position to train for Ultraman Hawaii 2016. All my bikes have been used this year. I still love them all! I am glad I got back on Bitch this year, and she got to race, too. She may be my official sprint/Oly bike now, and Skull Kingdom is my 1/2/full IM+ bike.

I hope to be through my planning phase soon, as I've only got 7 weeks to get it done. Hopefully, I've acquired some wisdom about training myself. I think I'm still quite capable of turning out some good race performances. I have no idea if there are PRs out there (I think maybe if my swim improves), but at least I'm looking forward to some SERIOUS WORK and even more SERIOUS FUN!

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?

I Have a Plan

In the midst of trying to run (and walk) as much as possible so I feel ready for my 50-miler, I have been poring over my training plan. This has been going on for weeks now. I had a plan through the end of the year done about 4 weeks ago and had sketched beyond that, but was struggling with a few things like did I have a good enough swim program, could I actually run as much as I'm planning and how did this compare to years past in terms of a safe volume increase.

Almost every day I would look at the plan and think of additional things. I am finally settled on something that looks like I can actually do it. Well, on paper! Everyone I've talked to so far has said you don't need to train that much more than for an Ironman. Well, I guess it depends how you define "that much more!"

What I ended up with gives me almost 100 hours more training than my typical season, but a lot of that is crammed between ROTPM and Goofy Challenge, which is when I will be doing a LOT of running and more swimming than I would normally do that time of year. So basically, September-December are super heavy on the running, then I add back more biking and keep up the swimming, then a lot more biking basically. It will not be easy, especially the last about 16 weeks. But I didn't sign up for UMC with the idea that it would be easy. I want to be prepared!

So here it is in all its nutso glory...if anyone has comments or questions on it, fire away!




























Here is how everything adds up (ROTPM is not included in the totals) and how this compares to last year and my all time highs in each sport:











In case anyone looks at this and thinks "she will have no life," somehow I think I will manage ;)

Fuckin' A I FINALLY HAVE A PLAN!!!

I have finally put together a training plan for my season. Even though it officially began the week after NothingMan (9/15/2008), I've been pretty much running on whatever I can get done since then, with a sketchy plan in place in my head for the past 8 weeks or so.

After knocking out so many things on my general to do list, and registering for (hopefully) the last race I will be doing this season, I felt ready to sit down and make a plan. I have a little more checking to do, but below shows the progression of hours by sport. If you are interested in the actual workouts that I have scheduled (i.e., you want the actual plan), let me know and maybe we can work something out! Although, YOU are not ME and probably shouldn't train like me, even if you were doing the exact same races as me! But if you're a triathlon perv and want to see them anyway, let me know.

It looks good on paper, and here are some things you might notice:

• Lots of swimming in the summer. Is this because I think it will make me faster? Nope. It's because I absolutely adore swimming at the outdoor 50-meter pool. Plus, swimming is a good recovery activity for me. Plus I enjoy being tan! Plus I enjoy the scenery at the outdoor pool! But there is one good training reason--that Escape from the Rock race in September is in the San Francisco Bay, so I want to be plenty strong, in a muscular endurance sense, to conquer that beast, especially since I'll be just 2 weeks off from my second Ironman of the season!
• My actual biking numbers will be higher to the tune of 1.5-2 hours per week, since I'll once again ride Clipless Fuck to the outdoor pool whenever I go there.
  
• I'm a Crackhead!

Training through Triple T












Training after Triple T through end of 2008-2009 season