I learned my lesson last week and got a run in tonight before the snow comes. If the weather is anything close to the forecasts I won't be able to make it outside again for a few days. So, January ends bracing for another winter storm.
Here are the pertinent statistics through January:
Swim - 25,850 yards
Bike - 200.75 miles
Run - 81.60 miles
... And some other interesting facts.
Blog visits by country not counting the United States:
3 - Afghanistan
2 - Canada
I didn't see that one coming.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Say It Ain't Snow
I finished last week, my first official week of training, looking forward to this one. On paper it looked much more manageable with less volume, fewer two-a-day workouts and fewer overall hours. What I wasn't counting on was the the challenge that this week's weather was going to present. I won't lie... it caught me off guard when it showed up in the middle of the week. Unfortunately, I didn't do myself any favors before the snow arrived.
The training isn't all about the three sports. A large part has to do with the discipline needed to make sure everything falls into place. Since the vast majority of us in this sport aren't professionals, balancing a training schedule against everything else can be a bit of a tricky act. You need to know what the plan is for the week ahead and then break that down day by day. Hopefully, if everything falls into place, you're able to work in all of your scheduled training. Priorities need to be balanced and sacrifices made. Last Sunday I was able to get in my scheduled swim, but I pushed off my run since I had a lighter week ahead and time to make it up.
Since I only had to bike on Tuesday, and I don't like biking in the morning, I planned to run early but when the alarm went off my body said otherwise. I got the bike in that night, so I was still just one run behind schedule. The first snow hit Wednesday, but I got the scheduled swim and strength session in as planned. Thursday was supposed to be a run in the morning bike at night day, but then mother nature kicked in. Instead of running that morning I spent two and a half hours shoveling the driveway just to get to work. Somehow, someway I had to get a run in, because I'd gone too many days without running. I was starting to regret my decision to sleep in on Tuesday. Luckily, I was able to find a relatively clear stretch of road for some hill repeats that evening, but it took some tricky footwork and hurdling of piled snow to get there and back. I caught plenty of strange looks as I was running just hours after our worst snow storm this year.
With only a scheduled swim on Friday, I was able to double up swim in the morning and then bike that night. I was close to getting back on track. Saturday featured a two and half hour bike on the trainer which happens to be the running length of "The Departed," so I got a good fix of Boston Irish mob violence mixed in with some high tempo intervals on the trainer. I changed things up on Sunday opting to do the scheduled run but swim in place of the planned bike. Actually, my good friend Marita suggested this change. The plan was now to run through horse country together, hit the pool for a light workout and finish by meeting up with John, Joan and Marita's boyfriend Brian for brunch afterwards. I think I made the right choice in changing things up.
So, January comes to a close with plenty of snow on the ground and more on the way in next week's forecast. I've learned a valuable lesson this week about getting workouts in when you can, because you don't know what the rest of the week holds. Luckily, everything worked out this week and I'm feeling good heading into week three.
The training isn't all about the three sports. A large part has to do with the discipline needed to make sure everything falls into place. Since the vast majority of us in this sport aren't professionals, balancing a training schedule against everything else can be a bit of a tricky act. You need to know what the plan is for the week ahead and then break that down day by day. Hopefully, if everything falls into place, you're able to work in all of your scheduled training. Priorities need to be balanced and sacrifices made. Last Sunday I was able to get in my scheduled swim, but I pushed off my run since I had a lighter week ahead and time to make it up.
Since I only had to bike on Tuesday, and I don't like biking in the morning, I planned to run early but when the alarm went off my body said otherwise. I got the bike in that night, so I was still just one run behind schedule. The first snow hit Wednesday, but I got the scheduled swim and strength session in as planned. Thursday was supposed to be a run in the morning bike at night day, but then mother nature kicked in. Instead of running that morning I spent two and a half hours shoveling the driveway just to get to work. Somehow, someway I had to get a run in, because I'd gone too many days without running. I was starting to regret my decision to sleep in on Tuesday. Luckily, I was able to find a relatively clear stretch of road for some hill repeats that evening, but it took some tricky footwork and hurdling of piled snow to get there and back. I caught plenty of strange looks as I was running just hours after our worst snow storm this year.
With only a scheduled swim on Friday, I was able to double up swim in the morning and then bike that night. I was close to getting back on track. Saturday featured a two and half hour bike on the trainer which happens to be the running length of "The Departed," so I got a good fix of Boston Irish mob violence mixed in with some high tempo intervals on the trainer. I changed things up on Sunday opting to do the scheduled run but swim in place of the planned bike. Actually, my good friend Marita suggested this change. The plan was now to run through horse country together, hit the pool for a light workout and finish by meeting up with John, Joan and Marita's boyfriend Brian for brunch afterwards. I think I made the right choice in changing things up.
So, January comes to a close with plenty of snow on the ground and more on the way in next week's forecast. I've learned a valuable lesson this week about getting workouts in when you can, because you don't know what the rest of the week holds. Luckily, everything worked out this week and I'm feeling good heading into week three.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
One Week Down, Thirty-three to Go
One week in and I am feeling pretty good. I think it has a lot to do with the training I got in October through December. Getting ready for a race like this doesn't really allow for an official off season. I prefer to call it the "train less than you normally would" season. At the same time I'm a long way out. I'm reminded of the guy I saw holding a sign a few minutes into the Harrisburg Marathon two years ago. It said, "Keep it up! Only 26 miles to go." So, I feel good now, but this is still the calm before the storm.
The only workouts that I had to modify this week were the swim sessions. First, I'm not ready to swim the distance in the plan and secondly, I don't have enough time in the morning to get the whole session in. I'm not too worried about that right now though. I'm just want to keep working on swim technique and make sure I don't hurt my shoulders or arms with too much volume too quickly.
The bike training sessions have gotten better. It basically comes down to finding a way to distract yourself from the monotony of spinning and not going anywhere. Interval sessions go by quickly as I'm constantly working hard and then recovering, but the long low-intensity rides seem to take forever. This has been alleviated by sorting our DVD collection by running time of the movies. Now I just have to match up my workout to the length of a movie and I'm set. All I'm missing is a bucket of popcorn, a giant box of Raisinets and 64oz. of Coke to wash it all down. Remember, caloric intake on the bike is the key to a successful Ironman.
Lastly, running still feels good. I got in a great lactate threshold run at that high school track on Thursday and ran six consecutive sub-8:00 miles. The last one I turned in was a 6:59 which made my week. The past few days have been a challenge just due to the plummeting temperatures, but I've made it out. It was about 15 degrees when I started out this morning, but nine miles later I am glad that I got workout in. All said and done, I logged about 11.5 hours training this week.
Next week actually looks more manageable than week one which gives me more confidence. I try not to look too far ahead as I'm afraid of what I'll see on my training calendar. For now I'll look a week down the road and take it day by day.
The only workouts that I had to modify this week were the swim sessions. First, I'm not ready to swim the distance in the plan and secondly, I don't have enough time in the morning to get the whole session in. I'm not too worried about that right now though. I'm just want to keep working on swim technique and make sure I don't hurt my shoulders or arms with too much volume too quickly.
The bike training sessions have gotten better. It basically comes down to finding a way to distract yourself from the monotony of spinning and not going anywhere. Interval sessions go by quickly as I'm constantly working hard and then recovering, but the long low-intensity rides seem to take forever. This has been alleviated by sorting our DVD collection by running time of the movies. Now I just have to match up my workout to the length of a movie and I'm set. All I'm missing is a bucket of popcorn, a giant box of Raisinets and 64oz. of Coke to wash it all down. Remember, caloric intake on the bike is the key to a successful Ironman.
Lastly, running still feels good. I got in a great lactate threshold run at that high school track on Thursday and ran six consecutive sub-8:00 miles. The last one I turned in was a 6:59 which made my week. The past few days have been a challenge just due to the plummeting temperatures, but I've made it out. It was about 15 degrees when I started out this morning, but nine miles later I am glad that I got workout in. All said and done, I logged about 11.5 hours training this week.
Next week actually looks more manageable than week one which gives me more confidence. I try not to look too far ahead as I'm afraid of what I'll see on my training calendar. For now I'll look a week down the road and take it day by day.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Getting In
It would have been nice to end my 2010 season, taken some time to reflect on my accomplishments and then decide to move forward to pursue longer distance races. Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of time in making my decision. I had decided on IM Wisconsin prior to racing my first 70.3, but I wouldn't be able to register until the day after my last race of 2010.
There are a few ways to get into an upcoming Ironman. The first is to race in the current year. Those participants get the first shot at registering for next year's race. The second way in is to volunteer at the event. They are the next ones with a chance to register. The third wave is anyone on site at the race. Those slots open up the day after the race. Yes, there are stories of people who travel cross country just to register a year out from the race of their choice. Lastly, if there are any slots still available they will be available online the day after the race. Some races tend to sell out on site meaning they never make it online. Others make it online but only for a few hours at most, and some just don't fill right away.
All of this means that I had to do plenty of research and figure out when and where I would try to race. Choosing a September race would give me exactly a year to train and get ready. It would be right at the end of summer vacation for Joan which would help make things easier on us as I hit the bulk of my training. It was also a race in the midwest which would make it easier for my family to get to. Everything was in place once my decision was made. My plan was to race the Delaware Diamondman half IM distance race, see how it went and then I'd have to make my choice that day. Registration for Wisconsin opened the next afternoon.
Joan and I talked it over on the ride home, and I think her seeing some of the finishers at Diamondman convinced her that this was my next step. Diamondman got her excited about the whole thing and we decided this was my one shot.* Everything was set and all I had to do was go online at 1:00 EST the next day, sign up and I would be in.
I'm pretty neurotic when it comes to buying concert tickets when they go on sale, so I applied my same practices here. Log in to active.com before registration opens, check. Update credit card and profile information on my account, check. Confirm the time registration opened, check. Click the refresh button until I got the registration screen, check.
For some reason signing up for IM falls somewhere between applying for a new job and filling out mortgage paperwork. They want to know everything about you. The whole time I was thinking, "Can't I pay and register first, then I'll give you all this useless information." But hey, their rules so I had no choice. As I made it further and further things really slowed down. I finally made it to the payment screen and it wouldn't load. Then it happened.... nothing was working. I got kicked out of the registration process and had to start over.
Keeping cool, I made it through the interview and bio page again already knowing my answers, but I wasn't feeling great. How many slots were still available online? When will this close? I hit the next button and was kicked out again. Now I couldn't even launch the registration. Refresh. Refresh. And then a new page I hadn't seen before and dreaded:
"Registration for this event is now closed."
My 2011 season was over before it started. I was crushed and didn't know what to do. My only other chance would be an IM foundation slot - a slot that takes an expensive race entry fee and boosts it to insanely expensive (although a portion is tax deductible). I couldn't justify doing that. I was done. There was no way this was happening. At first I said, "I don't believe this" but that quickly turned to, "No, really. I don't believe this." I was on a high speed connection with more bandwidth than anyone else could have had. If I couldn't get in how did anyone else?
They didn't. Demand outdid supply and active.com came to a screeching halt all because of one race. Ironman.com confirmed as much and said that a new registration date would be posted soon. This was a blessing and a curse. It affirmed my suspicions, but it also told everyone the same thing. Getting in would be even harder once it re-opened on the following Wednesday. The day came, I got in, registered, printed my confirmation and receipt and that was it. Actually, the whole thing was kind of anti-climatic. I felt like the printer should have produced some kind of golden ticket, but no, to active.com this was really no different than registering for your local 5k albeit slightly more expensive.
So, that is how IM Wisconsin 2011 began - as a race to get in. Registration closed about 30 minutes after opening and roughly 2,500 people were now committed to a race 360 days away. I was lucky enough to be one of them.
*People ask me "Is this your first Ironman?" and before I have a chance to respond Joan interrupts and says, "No, this is his only Ironman."
There are a few ways to get into an upcoming Ironman. The first is to race in the current year. Those participants get the first shot at registering for next year's race. The second way in is to volunteer at the event. They are the next ones with a chance to register. The third wave is anyone on site at the race. Those slots open up the day after the race. Yes, there are stories of people who travel cross country just to register a year out from the race of their choice. Lastly, if there are any slots still available they will be available online the day after the race. Some races tend to sell out on site meaning they never make it online. Others make it online but only for a few hours at most, and some just don't fill right away.
All of this means that I had to do plenty of research and figure out when and where I would try to race. Choosing a September race would give me exactly a year to train and get ready. It would be right at the end of summer vacation for Joan which would help make things easier on us as I hit the bulk of my training. It was also a race in the midwest which would make it easier for my family to get to. Everything was in place once my decision was made. My plan was to race the Delaware Diamondman half IM distance race, see how it went and then I'd have to make my choice that day. Registration for Wisconsin opened the next afternoon.
Joan and I talked it over on the ride home, and I think her seeing some of the finishers at Diamondman convinced her that this was my next step. Diamondman got her excited about the whole thing and we decided this was my one shot.* Everything was set and all I had to do was go online at 1:00 EST the next day, sign up and I would be in.
I'm pretty neurotic when it comes to buying concert tickets when they go on sale, so I applied my same practices here. Log in to active.com before registration opens, check. Update credit card and profile information on my account, check. Confirm the time registration opened, check. Click the refresh button until I got the registration screen, check.
For some reason signing up for IM falls somewhere between applying for a new job and filling out mortgage paperwork. They want to know everything about you. The whole time I was thinking, "Can't I pay and register first, then I'll give you all this useless information." But hey, their rules so I had no choice. As I made it further and further things really slowed down. I finally made it to the payment screen and it wouldn't load. Then it happened.... nothing was working. I got kicked out of the registration process and had to start over.
Keeping cool, I made it through the interview and bio page again already knowing my answers, but I wasn't feeling great. How many slots were still available online? When will this close? I hit the next button and was kicked out again. Now I couldn't even launch the registration. Refresh. Refresh. And then a new page I hadn't seen before and dreaded:
"Registration for this event is now closed."
My 2011 season was over before it started. I was crushed and didn't know what to do. My only other chance would be an IM foundation slot - a slot that takes an expensive race entry fee and boosts it to insanely expensive (although a portion is tax deductible). I couldn't justify doing that. I was done. There was no way this was happening. At first I said, "I don't believe this" but that quickly turned to, "No, really. I don't believe this." I was on a high speed connection with more bandwidth than anyone else could have had. If I couldn't get in how did anyone else?
They didn't. Demand outdid supply and active.com came to a screeching halt all because of one race. Ironman.com confirmed as much and said that a new registration date would be posted soon. This was a blessing and a curse. It affirmed my suspicions, but it also told everyone the same thing. Getting in would be even harder once it re-opened on the following Wednesday. The day came, I got in, registered, printed my confirmation and receipt and that was it. Actually, the whole thing was kind of anti-climatic. I felt like the printer should have produced some kind of golden ticket, but no, to active.com this was really no different than registering for your local 5k albeit slightly more expensive.
So, that is how IM Wisconsin 2011 began - as a race to get in. Registration closed about 30 minutes after opening and roughly 2,500 people were now committed to a race 360 days away. I was lucky enough to be one of them.
*People ask me "Is this your first Ironman?" and before I have a chance to respond Joan interrupts and says, "No, this is his only Ironman."
Monday, January 17, 2011
A Dear John Letter
Thirty-four weeks and seventeen hours - that's the amount of time separating me from the title "Ironman". On September 11, 2011 I'll be competing in Ironman Wisconsin which is a triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run - a total 140.6 miles. There will be plenty of time over the next 8 months to talk about the race though. First, I thought I'd start with some background as to how I got here.
2009:
I joined USA Fit Philly in the spring and run the Broad St. Run (10 miles), the Philadelphia Distance Run (13.1 miles) and my first marathon that fall in Harrisburg, PA. Wrapped up the season thinking that was all well and good, but was looking for something new. Around the same time I catch up with an old friend from work and find out he's about to compete in Ironman Florida*. The wheels in my head start turning.
2010:
I joined T3 Triathlon a tri team based out of Philadelphia. I sign up for two races: a sprint and an Olympic distance race. My only goal for this year is to finish races. I'm not racing for speed. I throw in a duathlon, the Broad St. Run, the Jersey Shore Half Marathon and a few other races along the way. My Olympic race occurs at the end of July, and I then realize there's a lot of the season left. It's too late to start training for a marathon, but I don't want the time to go to waste. I also find it hard to train when I don't have a target to shoot for.
I need to figure something out, so I take this question to my Thursday morning run group. Fellow T3'er and Thursday morning runner, my friend Marita says I have two options: 1) Go for a few more sprints and go for speed or 2) Go long! Not being the fastest, I opt for choice two and finish my season with a half-Iron distance race - the Delaware Diamondman. Not having started the season looking to do a 70.3 mile race, I'm happy finishing in just over 6 hours.
I finished the year running a lot and took some time off from the pool and the bike, but now it's 2011. It's time to get back in the water, hit the bike trainer and log more miles running. I hope to get at least one post up a week as we go along, but I can't promise any precise schedule. Here we go...
*I promised my friend John I would give him credit in my first entry not only for the Ironman inspiration but also for a blogged journal covering the training. My wife on the other hand would like to take a moment to blame John for what he's helped get me in to. We both thank you sincerely.
2009:
I joined USA Fit Philly in the spring and run the Broad St. Run (10 miles), the Philadelphia Distance Run (13.1 miles) and my first marathon that fall in Harrisburg, PA. Wrapped up the season thinking that was all well and good, but was looking for something new. Around the same time I catch up with an old friend from work and find out he's about to compete in Ironman Florida*. The wheels in my head start turning.
2010:
I joined T3 Triathlon a tri team based out of Philadelphia. I sign up for two races: a sprint and an Olympic distance race. My only goal for this year is to finish races. I'm not racing for speed. I throw in a duathlon, the Broad St. Run, the Jersey Shore Half Marathon and a few other races along the way. My Olympic race occurs at the end of July, and I then realize there's a lot of the season left. It's too late to start training for a marathon, but I don't want the time to go to waste. I also find it hard to train when I don't have a target to shoot for.
I need to figure something out, so I take this question to my Thursday morning run group. Fellow T3'er and Thursday morning runner, my friend Marita says I have two options: 1) Go for a few more sprints and go for speed or 2) Go long! Not being the fastest, I opt for choice two and finish my season with a half-Iron distance race - the Delaware Diamondman. Not having started the season looking to do a 70.3 mile race, I'm happy finishing in just over 6 hours.
I finished the year running a lot and took some time off from the pool and the bike, but now it's 2011. It's time to get back in the water, hit the bike trainer and log more miles running. I hope to get at least one post up a week as we go along, but I can't promise any precise schedule. Here we go...
*I promised my friend John I would give him credit in my first entry not only for the Ironman inspiration but also for a blogged journal covering the training. My wife on the other hand would like to take a moment to blame John for what he's helped get me in to. We both thank you sincerely.
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