Training and a Season Update

We've jumped into June and it still feels like April with our cold and windy weather!  The training for Ironman Racine 70.3 is going well and Team Motiv8 has had a successful first few weeks of racing.

Craig Weaver and Family wrapped up the Curwood Half Marathon in style!  Craig took 2nd in his Age Group at the Half Marathon distance.  Craig's wife, Susan, took first in her Age Group at the 5k distance and son, Ryan, took first in his Age Group at the 10k distance.  This absolutely shows the underlying reason that Team Motiv8 exists; to help encourage families to be active together!

I raced the Hawk Island Triathlon and the Motor City Triathlon.  At Hawk Island (400m, 10mi, 5k) I raced well but I wasn't as fast as I hoped to be.  In fact, I was about 20 seconds slower than I was last year.  Unfortunately I was about 2 min  30sec out of contentions for an Overall finish; in a sprint distance triathlon that is a fairly big time gap!  I had the disadvantage of working my normal shift (24 hours at the fire department) the day before the race.  So I got off from work at 7am and went straight to the race.  But I finished in 1h 2min  with a 2min/100 swim, 21mph avg on the bike and a 7:10/mi paced run.  A good friend, Adam, did race very well taking a 3rd place OA finish and setting a new PR at that course!

Last Sunday at the Motor City Triathlon (500m, 12mi, 3.44mi) I raced very well!  I set a huge personal best in swimming!  I placed 6th Overall and 1st in my Age Group by over 7 minutes.  I was still about 2 minutes away from a Podium Overall placement, but I am very satisfied with the performance! My swim averaged a 1min/100, biked 22 mph and runs were paced sub 7min/mi.  My biggest advantage came in the swim where we had the help of a 3-4 mph current in the Detroit River - we swam mostly with the current and I used my full wetsuit as the water was a little chilly.  What I find rewarding is that even if I would have experienced my "normal" swim, I still would have placed first in my Age Group.  My bike split was very good and also a race PR for speed.  My run followed suit where I raced a sub 7min/mi for the first time in a triathlon.

This past week was my Peak Week in the Periodization Training Plan for Racine.  So my volume was huge and the speedwork on the run was intense.  I hit a big benchmark in speed training on the run and completed a new 1 Mile Best Effort Run in 5m42s.  I feel like the past 4 years of training and planning and analyzing data are finally paying off.  While my overall training volume is much lower this year than last year, I have trained much more intentionally and spent a lot of time working on form, both in the water and on the run.  Perhaps later this year I'll be able to bring my biking up and show a big break to hit avg speeds of 24mph. 

Racine weighs heavy on my mind every day. I've looking back at race data from last year and trying out more specific nutritional planning.  While I raced well at Racine last year, I know that my nutrition was low on a caloric base and I wasn't properly conditioned for the run.  I cramped up on the run last year, partly due to nutrition/hydration and partly due to a storm that left the run course brutally hot and humid.  Tuesday I will complete my final long distance bike/run session being a full distance brick session.  From there I am only about 3 weeks away from Racine and will wrap up the Peak Training Plan and start my Taper.

After Racine I plan to enjoy the rest of the season with another 70.3 in September for fun, a local triathlon, a marathon and wrap up the year with the largest single mountain biking race in America - the Iceman.

I have to send out a big "Thank You!" to my family and friends who have helped me with training (support and encouragement, watching the girls and so much more).  Becky has always been my biggest supporter!  Marsha at Escapes Spa Therapeutic Massage, Fluid and Trinity Multisports continue to be very supportive sponsors -- You owe it to yourself to be treated the way I have been by visiting them! (Marsha even has a special offer for first time customers if you mention Team Motiv8)  Please do mention Team Motiv8 when you visit or purchase from these sponsors - we get NO kickback from them when you utilize them, but they do like to hear that we are promoting them.

On the personal training front: I have set up a training studio in the PKSA Karate Saint Johns location (this link will take you to their Facebook page - please go 'Like' them.  I hope to start building a solid client base in the St Johns area and still plan to meet others for sessions.  I look forward with great expectations to this next month!  Come out and swim, bike and run with me!

Game Time!

It's game time.  Well, not time to race, but time to train.  20 Weeks until Racine!  My racing plans have taken a definitive shape.  Here's the list:

    4/02 Martian Marathon (Not set in stone yet)
    6/05 Hawk Island Tri - Sprint                  
    6/12 Motor City Tri - Olympic                
    7/17 Ironman Racine 70.3                                      
    7/30 Warrior Dash MI
    8/07 Lansing Legislator - Sprint or Olympic                        
    9/11 Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3                          
    10/15 GR or Detroit Marathon
    11/05 Iceman MTB Race - 27 Miles of Pain!!  

To summarize my off season:  October left me spent.  Grand Rapids Marathon was a great race, but I was secretly glad the season was done.  I had hopes to run an ultra marathon, but I needed the rest.  I decided to take December easy, January came quick and I emphasized strength training and stretching.  I did low volume running and no swimming.  February proved to be a challenge to get back into the groove of training.  Many times I had to really make a mental push to get in the workouts. 

Warm weather is close, here in Michigan, and everyday we see more sunlight earlier in the morning.  I'm ready to go, I'm chompin' at the bit!  

I've registered for the Iceman Cometh mountain bike race.  This was my 3rd year thinking about the race, but every year it sells out within hours of opening registration.  This year I got in, the race sold out in 5 hours with 3700 participants.  I'm pretty excited about this race.

Becky and I will be running the Warrior Dash just after Racine.  I'm excited about this one too, it'll be my first adventure race and it will be super fun to run it with Becky!!  Some good friends ran it last year and came back with stories and pictures that you wouldn't believe, I'm stoked to run this one!

Team Motiv8 is well under way!  We're nailing down our sponsors and creating our tri training classes.  We are also readying our childrens programs.  I can't wait to get in with the kids and talk to them about the importance of making healthy nutritional choices and to encourage them to play (like kids should do).  What a great opportunity that we have!  Check out our website at Team-Motiv8.com We'd love for you to join us and run with us across the finish line.  Watch for us at local races and stop by our tent before and after the event!  There will be good stuff happening at our tent!  

As always, thank you to my girls! Becky, Anna and Sophia - you ARE my world! You inspire me to be a better person every day.

February Totals:

Bike:	10h 29m 48s  - 161.55 Mi
Run:	9h 31m 10s  - 53.5 Mi

Oops, Where Did October and November Go?

This past 2 months have flown by.  I ran the Grand Rapids marathon and had a great experience at that site.  The venue was great and the spectator involvement was huge.  I didn't expect to see so many people out on the course cheering.  At the 18 mile mark (they typical area where people "hit the wall") there was such a huge crowd!  My finish time was 3h42 minutes - which was just over my "Perfect Race" goal of 3:30.  I won't complain at all since it was my first marathon.  Post race recovery was awesome!  (Beers)

Another great aspect to this race was that Becky and a few of her coworkers also ran the marathon as a relay.  Becky ran a leg longer than she has ever ran in a race before.  She did great and said that she felt great during the run.

Since the GR Mary I took a 2 week time of minimal training in order to recover.  I had hoped to run an Ultra Marathon in middle December but I opted to let my body rest and to take care of a small nagging injury to my right foot.  November became a month of rest.  I didn't plan to take the month off, but as time progressed it was a nice break.  Over the last 2 years I have taken November off to recover.  So not a big deal.

This month I will be starting my new training plan back up.  December and January are prep months - basically a way for me to get back into a regular routine without the specific demands of high intensity training; not that I won't be doing some high intensity stuff, but it won't be a mandatory part of the training plan.  During this time I'll be doing regular aerobic base building which means long and slow.  That means it's time to catch up on some movies while riding the trainer and going out to enjoy the cold weather for some runs.  Swimming hasn't been in my regular routine lately.  Why, you ask?  Good question... to which I have no good answer.  In part because I haven't had any specific event that forces me to stay in shape for the water.  In January I will be back in the pool regularly building that base back up.

I have a handful of races that I'd love to consider for next year.  There's not a chance that I'll be able to do every race that I want to do, so it'll be a slow selection process.  My A race of the year will be Ironman Racine 70.3 again.  Last year it was a great race experience and I'm stoked to go back and see what I can do!  I'm also considering Rev3 Cedar Point, also a half Iron distance race.  I wasn't able to go last year while several good friends did, and it sounds like it was an awesome venue with outstanding race support!  Races the I'm considering: 3D Motor City Oly, 3D  Racing for Recovery Half Iron Distance (yes, that would make 3 70.3's), and 3D Lansing Legislator Oly.  Also on the list would be Hawk Island Sprint Tri and, of course, another marathon - either Grand Rapids or Detroit.  I'd like to think that I could consider an Ultra next year, but my schedule is quickly filling.

I have decided against running with the RACING GREYHOUNDS team this year.  The last 2 years have been fun, but next year I will be racing for Team Motiv8.  Craig and I are starting this team as a non-profit with the main focus in educating young children about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle through exercise and nutrition.  We plan to take our team out beyond the schools into the corporate world to encourage adults into the multisport world.  We will be leading a "Your First Triathlon" experience where we will help guide individuals into a successful first triathlon.  We will invite anyone and everyone to participate with our team during the year.  We will be raising funds for other charities during several races throughout the year.  We hope to be able to offer a special incentive to individuals who raise the most money during each event.  Details will follow soon, so check back here regularly and start frequenting our website.

Team Motiv8 is currently seeking out sponsorship opportunities.  So if you or someone you know would like to financially assist us in making this team a reality, I would love the opportunity to talk to you.  Our main focus will be in the programs that we will take into the elementary schools.  Sponsors will be listed on our print material, website and given promotion at multisport events.  We will be making a big impact and we would love the opportunity for you to join us.

I have finally decided to become a certified personal trainer.  About time, right?  A lot of the study material is review given my background.  I then hope to also become a USAT certified coach.  Good things in the mix for next year!

A huge Thank You to Fluid for their sponsorship this past year!  What a great product and a great company.  Rich and Dave, you guys rawk!  Check Fluid out for the perfect blend in a muscle recovery drink mix.  The new chocolate flavor is my favorite!

Thank you for all of your support over this race season!

Ironman Racine 70.3

Ironman Racine 70.3
2010-07-18
Racine,Wisconsin Temps - 95F / 35C and Overcast
Total Time = 5h 35m16s
Overall Rank =502/~2000
Age Group Rank =68/384 (?)

Event warmup:
Early morning stretching and breathing exercises. A very brief swim just to get the cold water in my wetsuit.

Swim: 00:45:26 | 2112 yards | 02m 09s / 100yards
I liked that this was a straight swim vs a triangle course or other odd shapes. I started out great, my wave didn't seem too aggressive. I stayed outside so that I wouldn't get all screwed up fighting for a position at the first red buoy. I did veer out a bit too far after the first buoy but got back on track quickly. Tried to draft off a few different people, but I'm just not that good of a swimmer yet, better, but not good.

I counted the buoys before the swim start. So I knew that at about 5 yellow buoys I would be half way done and then the buoys turned to orange, so it was a countdown from there!  By far, my best swim - since I've only done that distance OWS in calm/clear ponds. But I feel like I could be much better with more specific practice!!

What would you do differently?:
I was happy with how I felt coming out of the water, but I wish my time was at least 5 minutes less. I was hoping to be a lot more close to a 35 minute swim. The wind/waves picked up toward the end of my swim and the swells were noticeably larger at the last red buoy.

T1: 03:37
I got my cap/goggles off and pulled them into my suit sleeve planned. The run to T1 was a long haul up the beach to the sidewalk. I stopped to wash off my feet in the pools, got in to T1 and got my suit off. I took my time purposely. Everything else went smooth. Out of T1 and eased on to my bike so that I didn't get stuck while going up the hill.

My bike seat wouldn't fit under the bike rack bar, so I had to place my bike with the handle bars on the rack (reverse).  I've never had to do that before.

What would you do differently?:
I probably should have gone a bit more quickly and saved a minute, but I'm satisfied.

Bike: 02:40:54 | 56 miles | 20.88 mile/hr
Avg HR 153. Tried to stay about 155-160.
I pushed hard. I felt it. I wanted to be a touch faster, but this pace seemed right at the time. I had a high speed of 32.  There were more hills than I expected, so they slowed me down; while they weren't hard hills, they were very frequent compared to the 3 or 4 hills that I typically train on.  Took Fluid and water and nutrition at every aid station. Ate 2 bananas. That was the first time I'd every hit an aid station rolling through on my bike - AWESOME!

What would you do differently?:
Include more hill repeats in training.

T2: 01:54
Given the overall size of the transition area and where I was racked, I think my T2 time was good.

What would you do differently?:
Did pretty well. Didn't miss my rack or bike, in and out quick.
 
Run: 02:03:07 | 13.1 miles | 09m 24s min/mile
Avg HR 156. Fastest pace 6:51 with my first mile at 7:48.
Just after I got out on the run course - before the first hill - the downpour of rain started! I'm thinking "Perfect, I'll stay cool and I enjoy the rain" But the rain was very short lived and as soon as it quit, the sun came out and made things terribly HOT and humid. Heat index over 100F.  My first 3 miles were right on track for pacing. but then I dropped to almost a 9min/mi pace.

I slowed and walked through the nutrition stations. My second loop I slowed to 9:30's. I walked through every aid station. At the turn around I noticed that I was no longer sweating - my arms and forehead were dry and the only reason my chest was wet was because I had been pouring water on myself. I knew that could mean disaster. I was so hot that I started dumped ice down my tri suit. I ran through every sprinkler
and dumped water on myself at every opportunity (Thank you residents of Racine!!) At mile 10 my quads were so cramped up I couldn't help but slow down significantly. At mile 11 I had to take a few 30 second walk breaks. Just past mile 12 I could hear the loud speaker at the finish, I could hear the people yelling and cheering. I told myself that I wouldn't stop running for anything short of passing out. I finished some where near a 9:40 pace.

What would you do differently?:
I'm thinking that I should have had more solid nutrition on the bike. I think that I could have taken it in and maybe the extra little bit of sodium would have helped my water retention during the run.

What limited your ability to perform faster:
Heat!

Event comments:
Carnage everywhere on the run course! People were passing out and puking due to the heat. I saw 3 ambulances transporting people out.

I had a great first half! I truly feel like I left everything on the course, I finished empty - nothing left. I gave this race everything I had at every opportunity. I've never been so painfully sore during or after a race as I was/am post this race. I love it! I'll take this experience with me for life and I cannot wait to race another half!

I'm now into my 3rd year of triathlon. A full Ironman was part of my 5 year goal; I'm halfway there.

On a final note: 

A huge THANK YOU to my wife and family for their support over the last 26 weeks that I trained for this event.  Becky was absolutely the best - she made a sign for me at the race and endured some crazy weather while waiting for me to finish - I love you!  A few others have helped in some significant ways to make sure that my race experience was everything I wanted and needed - You know who you are, Thank you!!

To those who I've had the honor to train with: Thank you!  Craig , Lisa and Tom - you've both helped push me beyond where I imagined that I could go.  I look forward to these next few weeks to see where we go next!  Craig - Coming with me to Rev3 Cedar Point?  Lisa - going to the World Duathlon Championships!  Tom - time to try this triathlon thing out now that you've got a bike!

To my Wrenches:  Al and Ray - thank you for picking up the dirty pieces and cleaning them.  Lola loves you and I wouldn't have had the experience that I did this weekend without your help!

FLUID Nutrition - Thank you for making a saweet recovery drink and for sponsoring me while I trained and raced this race!

And Finally - The one big reason that I chose Racine as my first half was due to the race being on my mother's birthday.  She passed away from brain cancer two and a half years ago.  She never got to see me race a tri, but knew that I would be doing my first sprint tri that same year. I miss her so very much! I thought about her a lot during this race; and a big part of me knew that the pain I felt while racing was nothing compared to what she went through.

I love you, Mom - Happy Birthday!!

The Last Couple of Months

Wow, time has flown by since my last post!  Ironman Racine 70.3 is less than a month away and next week I reach the Critical Volume stage of training.  This will be the test of mental and physical endurance as this plan calls for "9/3 of the event distance per week"  That means swimming 3.6 miles, biking 168 miles and running 40 miles each week for 2 consecutive weeks. 

So over the past 2 months I've ramped up my running and biking, though my swimming has been lingering.  I've chosen to do a little better than 'just finish' my swim, but I hope to rock the bike/run at Racine.

I raced the sprint distance Hawk Island Triathlon and finished 3rd in my AG with an OA time of 1h01m and some change.  My swim felt good, but I averaged over 2min/100yds.  My bike avg speed was 21mph and my run avg pace was 7:11.  I expected to be a bit faster on the swim and definitely hoped to be much faster on the bike, based on previous trials of the bike course.  My legs were very tight on the bike and my calves were sore on the run, but loosened up after the first mile or so.  I had been a little sleep deprived at work for my previous 2 shifts worked the night before the race.  Perhaps that contributed to the tight legs, maybe not.  Nutrition was good and water intake was good.

The following week I went to Motor City Triathlon and competed with the RACING GREYHOUNDS on a relay team.  We raced the Oly distance and I completed the swim leg... yippers - you read that right.  I even did well.  I finished up the 1.5k swim in just under 30 minutes, pacing me at sub 2 min per 100 meters... in the past I've been at or just over 2 min per 100 yds.  I felt strong and didn't give up placement to those who chose to hit and kick me, I may have shoved back.  So that was a huge boost to my swim ego!  It was a good thing I didn't bring my bike along or I would have seriously been tempted to ride and run the Oly course.

All in all, training has been going well.  I have been shy on my volume for the last 3 consecutive weeks, but I'll concede that time for my family time.  These next two weeks will be brutal and recovery plans will need to be tailored specifically to each day's workout.  Then I'll be taking 2 weeks easy as a Taper for Racine.  I'm pretty excited!

I have been very blessed with my family for supporting me in these plans.  This past weekend was Father's Day.  I took some much needed time to spend with my beautiful girls (all 3 of them) and just relax.

I have also been honored to be part of the Fluid team as a sponsored athlete.  They provide a great tasting recovery drink that provides electrolyte replacement with added protein and l-glutamine - EVERYTHING you need after a long training session!

May Totals:
Bike - 10 hours - 172 miles
Run -13.5 hours - 83 miles
Swim - 4 hours - 11260 yds

June Totals (to date - I'll have 1 week of CV to add to these):
Bike - 10 hours - 171 miles
Run - 12 hours - 78 miles
Swim - 1.5 hours - 4k yds

April in Review

Photo Shoot with Lisa Taylor for Fluid

April 2010 turned out to be a beautiful month. There's so much change this time of the year; the trees, the grass, the weather... and with that brings the change in focus for training. My first triathlon is a month away. It's a short distance tri that I've run the last 2 years. The course is fun and the atmosphere is great! Then in the middle of July comes Racine 70.3 So next week I will be starting the Build Phase of training.

The Build Phase of training is Moderate to High Frequency, High Duration and Heavy Intensity.  No doubt, a little painful.  This phase lasts 6 weeks and then I'll hit the Peak / Race Phase.  That 2 week time will be the heaviest and most intense training that I've ever done.  I'm rather excited!  I will be starting speed work drills for running and biking.  I've listened to my swim coach and I while I don't think that I'll be much under a 1:45/100yd swim, I do feel like I'll be able to race the swim strong and be able to drop the hammer on the bike and run.  So swim training will be crucial over the next few weeks - making sure that I'm practicing in the open water regularly and doing brick (swim/bike) workouts.

I've been fortunate to have a few friends to train with who truly push me.  Thank you to the family and friends who have encouraged me this past month.  I look forward to the next 6 weeks with a lot of optimism and expectations.  

*A quick side note, we bought Anna new bike with training wheels... then she wanted to 'train' with me in the basement.  So I built a 'trainer' for her bike and painted it green like my Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.  She uses it and loves to workout with me, she even gave Spinervals a run with me last week.  She loves to then go upstairs and tell Mommy - "I'm all sweaty, like Daddy"

As always - I have to give huge thanks to my wife and girls for the love and encouragement that I get from them with this crazy tri thing.

April's totals:
Bike: 16h 34m 15s - 276.87 Mi
Run: 6h 44m 27s - 44.43 Mi
Swim: 4h 22m - 11100 Yd

Go check out Livefluid.com and get yourself the best Muscle Recovery drink on the market.
Thanks to Darryl Evans at Pure Enchantment Photography for doing the Fluid photo shoot - that man has an eye for a great image! He's also on Facebook, you can find more of the Fluid shots on his site!

Bring on the Blue Skies

March seems to have flown by. I awoke this morning to my wife surprising me with a smirk and a pregnancy test... not that we're pregnant, but because it's April Fools Day. Yup, she got me!

This past month I've taken on a swim coach for some much needed advice. I've got a lot to work on over the next few months! Biking (still on the trainer) is fairly consistent with last month but I upped my running. I should be pushing past 75 miles for each of the next few months.

Racine is only about 3 1/2 months away. That means I'll be incorporating a lot of hills and speed work in my training. St Johns sledding hill, HS track and football fields will be seeing a lot more of me this month! We now have a double jogger (stroller) so I'll be doing lot's of early day runs with my girls.

Thankfully the warm weather seems to be here. Today should be pushing 70 degrees F. Sunny days always make me want to be outside doing something fun, so bring on the blue skies!!


March's totals:
Bike: 14h 22m 49s - 231.32 Mi
Run: 10h 29m 53s - 67.2 Mi
Swim: 5h 38m - 12750 Yd

I've been very fortunate to have Fluid as a sponsor. Go check them out for some great muscle recovery fuel!

I was also given a H2O Audio Amphibx Waterproof Armband and Waterproof headphones for my iPod. Too cool! Go check them out!!

24 Weeks... and counting

24 weeks and counting down until Ironman 70.3 Racine. My training is now fully underway and I'm loving every minute of it, almost every minute of it.

I started doing speed work in my swims (in addition to the longer endurance sets), which equates to pain in the water. While swimming still proves to be biggest weakness, I spent most of the last several months practicing the swim and building a solid base. Yesterday I met with two teammates who thoroughly kicked my butt in the water. While it was only a 2600 yd set, the intervals helped me realize how my workouts now need to feel. It has been said that you cannot win an Ironman in the water, but you can certainly lose an Ironman in the water. So while I doubt that I'll reach the 1:15/100 meter split, I will have a solid swim!

As soon as the weather warms I will be breaking the bike out of the trainer and hitting the roads. I got a sweet deal for a Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer through the RACING GREYHOUNDS team buy. I am still amazed at the amount of resistance I get on that thing. I'm told that when I actually get my bike out on the road, that it will feel like someone has cut the rope that's been holding me back and I'll fly. I do hope so, as I will need my average speeds at Racine to be 24 mph. Last year I was right around the 20 mph mark, up from 17 the year before.

Running is still my comfort area, so I have not yet began to hit the run workouts. I'm taking those slow and steady for now. I plan to start the intense runs in a few more weeks. Then I'll begin to do tempo runs and get back in the groove. Last year I ran a half marathon in 1h36min @ a 7:26 pace avg. I want to be under a 7 min pace per mile for Racine and hit a total run time of less than 1 hour and 30 minutes. I don't think that will be a problem. We'll see how things go after the swim and bike.

Lastly, I've added a significantly different approach to strength training this year. I'm focusing on endurance sets and multi-muscle group routines. Kettlebell workouts are now commonplace and I am building the 'powerhouse' in my legs.

Year to date, here's my totals:

2010 totals
Bike: 9h 45m 15s - 151.3 Mi
Run: 6h 58m 11s - 42.28 Mi
Swim: 4h 14m 26s - 11700 Yd