I’ve now spent 2 months not thinking or paying attention to training, so I suppose it’s time to start planning for 2009 and begin base/foundation work. If the Farmer’s Almanac is to be believed, we’re in for a doozy of a winter, so I’m trying to get used to the thought of training indoors again.

I’ve decided to stay local next year, and race in events I can get to by car. There are plenty of races to keep me busy, and I have already taken advantage of early registration deadlines, signing up for 2 half IM’s (High Clif & Spirit of Racine), plus IMWI. I’ll fill in the schedule with a half dozen shorter races, and then start to build a plan around that.

I raced the Tyranena Beer Run (½ marathon) last weekend, and went in just wanting to break 1:30, with a slow start and negative split. I didn’t realize the second half of the race was relatively flat after an initial 6 miles of hills, so I was able to shave off a little time on the back half and finish in 1:25:36. It was fun to be outside in the cold and great to have a bunch of team mates there.

I know my cycling stinks right now, and next weekend I plan to embarrass myself at the WI state cyclocross championships. I haven’t been on my cross bike once this year, so it should be interesting. I have a feeling it will be the kick in the behind I need to get back on the Computrainer and begin winter base, where I will most likely remain until March/April.

Now we just need some snow for skiing…

Ironsloth

In just a bit over a month, I have gone from Ironman to Ironsloth. My throat infection, which has kept me from doing any activity for a week now, is nearing its end, to the point where I am toying with an easy jog this afternoon. I am dying to do something, and dying to stop feeling like a lazy slob. Its one thing when you do it by choice, and completely another when caused by sickness!

I even was motivated reading Runner’s World on the plane yesterday – that’s how bad it has become… On the other hand, I am loving all of the extra time I have. :)

IMWI Post Race

With IMWI behind me the season has finally come to a close. It was a great way to end the year, as I finally – after only 9 attempts – was able to run an entire IM marathon. And this I was very happy with.

My goal going in was simple: to go easy enough on the bike to set myself up for a good run. Of course, I also wanted to have a decent bike, and therein lies the trickiness of the IM distance.

I was thrilled to awake to a cold, but dry, morning. I always wish for 100+ degrees on race day, as I prefer it to be hot, but was just so happy it wasn’t wet. It was also great to be able to start with Brian and Rick, two of my team mates. Of course I lost them the second I entered the water, but it was a nice start to the morning.

I was pretty disappointed with my 1:07 swim, but not too caught up with it because I felt like I swam very easily and conserved energy. Something to work on over the winter… I took it very easy in transition, as my almost 9 minutes in T1 reminds me. I just didn’t want to be cold on the bike, so I suited up accordingly.

The bike was a blast, and having the SRM and a dialed-in nutritional plan made all the difference. I just got up to 225 watts and put it in cruise control, and ignored the steady stream of riders passing me for the first 40 miles. I felt great and kept to my wattage plan, and 5:21 later I was finished, with almost a dead-even split. I think I went a bit too easy on the bike, but then again, I was more concerned with setting myself up for the run. The SRM was new, so this gives me something else to work on next year.

The run was great. It was so much fun to see Mary, Oliver, Sadie, KP, and all of my team mates and friends out there. My plan was to stick to 7:45’s and not go any faster for the first 10 miles, and for once, I actually stuck to my plan. For the first 9 miles it took a good bit of restraint because I really wanted to just go, and was feeling great. By mile 13 I was going through occasional rough patches, but I would just slow down to 8:00’s and eat and drink a bit, and rebounded quickly each time. I ended up not only running the whole marathon, but negative split the run by about 70 seconds, and with a marathon time of 3:25, I was very happy.

It was great to have Mary and the kids at the finish line, and a great surprise to see Jeff, Jen and family as well. 10:06 was my overall time, which shaved about 3 ½ minutes off my IM PR, which was unexpected. I still missed a Kona spot by about 12 minutes – which didn’t even cross my mind until ½ way through the marathon – but am much more confident heading into ’09. It’ll definitely be on my radar next year, and will hopefully provide me with some motivation over the winter.

Now it’s back to chocolate chip pancakes with Oliver & Sadie, trail runs and Mtb. rides, and maybe a bit of cyclocross thrown in for good measure. All for fun – I sure do love the fall!

IMWI: Pre-Race

Just over a week out from IMWI, and starting to get excited. Excited about both the race and the fun which will follow…Fall. My favorite time of year, when I train for no particular reason other than enjoyment, which is how it should be more often, but you know us type-A IM folk. Trail running, cyclocross, bike rides at a very leisurely pace...I can’t wait!

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been trying to learn how to ride with power, as I’ve just added a SRM to the machine. It would be pretty sweet if I knew what I was doing! I have a vague idea, but it would help to have another couple of weeks to figure it all out, and to have a better understanding of how my HR, PE and wattage correlate, but what can you do?

No real expectations going into the race, but hope to not embarrass myself in the water, have an even wattage output over the bike (225-230 avg.), and hopefully run the majority of the marathon before the IM shuffle kicks in. But then again, that’s always the tricky part!

I’m very excited that I’ll have Mary and the kids rooting me on. I’m not sure if racing the Ironman or watching the kids for 10 hours is tougher, but I think I might be getting the break here. As always, Mary has been nothing less than fantastic in her support, and I’m very excited to introduce Oliver to the excitement of an IM, following up on his his first Tri experience in July.

Until 9/7…take care.

IMCDA post-race report

It’s been a while, and I can’t really believe the 4th of July has already come and gone. My race in Wildflower in early May went pretty well, and I managed to come in at a somewhat respectable 4:54 on an incredibly challenging course – especially considering the spring weather we had here in WI. The training continued to progress in the right direction, and I made my way out to Ironman Coeur D’Alene at the end of June feeling fairly confident and with hopes of going sub-10.

Long story short…I didn’t. After an easy swim (in 58 degree water – yikes!) and an easy first loop on the bike, I started cramping in both legs. I slowed down a bit on the 2nd loop of the bike, trying to stretch out the legs and rehydrate, and felt decent coming into T2. I was able to keep it together for the first 5 miles – right at 7:40’s, which was the plan through 10 – when the wheels started to come off. Both of my quads cramped, and it unfortunately got kind of ugly after that.

Some days you have it, some days you don’t…I did manage to finish, and without a pulmonary embolisms or other health issues, so I was pretty happy about this! We couldn't find a way to make it work for Mary and the kids to come out, but it was also really great to see my Dad & Jewel, Nancy & Al, and the whole Weaver-Fisher clan. They all definitely made the trip very worthwhile. My father-in-law, Al Weaver, was also doing the race, and was the 2nd oldest competitor at 71 years young! He almost made it through the bike, but the winds conspired against him, and he was forced to stop just after 100 miles. If it weren’t so hot and windy, I think he definitely would have made it!

Now I just need to figure out what the rest of the year holds for me. I need something to put something on the calendar to motivate me to get up and out the door in the morning. For now, I am just enjoying some baby jogs, spending more (coherent and awake) time with Mary, and making chocolate chip pancakes with Oliver & Sadie each morning. It’s a little too early for the off-season, so I have to make sure to not get too used to the chocolate breakfasts (although it would be quite easy to do)…

Winter, believe it or not, is still here, though we all think it’s about to break soon. I escaped with the family to Palm Desert to visit the cousins, Nana, Grandad, Amy & Jeff, which was a great vacation and at the right time. We were a fairly unruly crew, with 5 kids and 6 adults, and we all tried our best to share the cold Mary brought down from Wisconsin. This being said, it was great to see everyone and the trip was a great success, with highlights including a visit to the water park, swimming, eating, and swimming (the kiddy pool kind).

I was trying to get in 19.5 hours and ended up just making my goal – all completed at low-intensity base levels – thanks to a Sunday afternoon spin around town. I was knackered by the end of the week, but got in some good rides and runs, and even a solid swim at a public, 50 meter pool. On Tuesday I met up with Dean in Temecula, and we managed to find some serious hills. My cycle computer was wacked and kept telling me I was doing 30+mph on the flats. Even though I knew it was way, way off, it still made me feel faster. Or at least it humored me through the ride.

After each ride/run, it was a quick dip in the pool, usually with Oliver and Sadie in tow. I could really get used to the climate and the outdoor pools in the desert, though by the end of the week, I was ready to come home. Of course, coming home to 18” of snow, which took me 90 minutes to shovel, was not what I had in mind…

After a very hectic weekend in Atlanta working the ING Georgia Marathon (due to the recent tornado), I am back in ‘Tosa and trying to get back on the wagon. 15 hours this week and another 20 next week will hopefully get me through Wildflower in something short of 5 hours. Still a long ways to go, and good thing I still have 2.5 months until IMCDA…

Drew and Dave from PowerBar are in town today, so I had to get in the pool by 5:30am to get in my swim this morning. Hoping to do a quick 7 miles tonight at the gym before dinner tonight. Need to begin getting on the roads, and the first WI road ride of the year scheduled this Saturday. Hopefully all the snow will be gone (or most of it, anyways). J

Bye for now,
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Well, it's been a long winter so far here in WI, with no sign of relief in the foreseeable future. We still have over a foot of snow on the ground, and I still have yet to ride outdoors in 2008 in our fine state. A week following the Amgen Tour of California promised warmer weather with an opportunity to ride outdoors, but it ended up a pretty wet and cold week. At least there wasn’t any snow, so I am not going to complain.

I finally was able to ride in Solvang after years of hearing about how incredible it is. I even rode pass Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch on the way to climb Mt. Fig, though didn’t know it at the time. Come to think of it, I probably wouldn’t bother to seek it out given another opportunity.

Solvang was – even in the rain – everything I had heard it was: scenic, rural, beautiful and challenging. The best part was that it really reminded me of riding just west of Madison, but with warmer weather at this time of year. If you can get past the long winters, WI is really a pretty incredible place to ride.

The highlight of the trip – aside from the great racing and seeing Tom Boonen win in Sacramento, with none other than Mario Cipollini place 3rd – was a sunny, 60 degree day in San Francisco at the end of the Tour. Really, the Specialized Angel, also in Sacramento, was just a coincidence. I was able to ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, into the Marin County and the Golden Gate Nat’l Recreation Area, through Sausalito and to Mt. Tam. A beautiful ride and a great end to my trip.

I now have just under 2 months left before Wildflower, where I’d like to a) test my fitness, and b) not embarrass myself too badly. My friends at PowerBar will all be there, as will a few fellow PowerBar Team Elite members, so I’d like to try and avoid making myself the butt of fitness jokes for the remainder of 2008. Hopefully the snow will melt and I’ll be able to get back on the road before then or I could be in for a long 56 miles on the bike…

Bye for now,
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