What a Journey!

On Sunday, August 30th, I achieved my goal of completing my first olympic-distance triathlon. In doing so, I also exceeded another goal of raising $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as part of the Team in Training program. As of this writing - and with contributions continuing to trickle in online and via checks - I'm thrilled to report that we are now at the $7,995 mark!

I'm proud not only of my personal accomplishment, but of my friends, family, and colleagues for their generosity and encouragement. This has truly been a remarkable journey... one that I will always remember fondly.

As far as the actual race goes, it was definitely all that I expected and more. Here's the reader's digest version...

• It was an early morning... a VERY early morning! I had to be at the transition area by 4:15am.


• My wave (the almost-old-fogey division) was at 9:15am


• Water temp was 63 degrees, but it wasn't too bad with my wetsuit


• Air temp was in the low 50's and warmed to upper 60's by noon (with 10-15 mph winds)


• The swim was my biggest challenge, as I expected. I had a few 'panic' moments, but got through it OK


• The bike rocked... but was very difficult with the head winds


• The run was my best effort, also as I expected


• I finished the race in 2:59:53 - and my goal was 3 hours (yes!)


• Crossing the finish line was an amazing mixture of pride, elation, and exhaustion

For those of you who want to know every gory detail, keep reading...

Transition Area: As I mentioned, we had to be down to the transition area at 4:15am. The transition area serves as the main hub of the race - where you switch gear from swim to bike, then bike to run. They opened the transition area at 4:15am and closed it at 5:45am. During this time, athletes need to find their assigned bike racks, set up their gear, and do a 'practice run' to and from their location to make sure they know how to find it later in the midst of 'race chaos'. With literally thousands of triathletes, it is an overwhelming area and I made sure to do my practice run a couple of times.

I lucked out to a degree, because my bike rack was directly off the main path through the transition area. I was glad that I wouldn't have to deal with finding my rack in the middle of the grassy hill where there were rows and rows of racks that went on seemingly forever. When race time came, I had no trouble finding my post.

The other thing I had to really think through was what gear I needed and where. Once they close the transition area at 5:45am, you CANNOT go back in until you return from the swim. This means you need to make sure you have all your swim gear (wetsuit, goggles, swimcap, de-fogger spray, etc) with you - or you will be in trouble at race start. It also means you have to figure out what you are going to wear (including shoes) while you wait for the race. This may not seem like a big deal, but it adds some complication since you don't really have an opportunity to retrieve any pre-race items until after the race is completed. They did have a desk where you could check personal items at the start of the swim, but I chose to bring a duffle bag instead and leave it with David so I wouldn't have to deal with the lines after the race.

Once I was done double and triple-checking my set-up in transition, I left the transition area for the 4 hours of waiting ahead of me. During that time I went back to the hotel and had a bagel with cream cheese, and then came back to the race area to watch some of the waves ahead of me. I fretted about the swim with each and every wave I watched. It looked like absolute chaos and there were definitely a lot of people in each wave who were in full-blown panic mode. I didn't see anybody actually forfeit the race, but I believe some had to have done so. I can't imagine how some of them could possibly have made it through the full mile in the state of panic they were in. I vowed not to be one of those people!

The Swim: About 20 minutes before my swim time, I headed to the race start area. They grouped us in our waves (identified by different colored swim caps for each wave - mine was hot pink), and we shuffled our way closer to the starting point as waves were launched in four minute increments. When it was time for my wave, we were instructed to jump in the water. We tread water for about (30 seconds? a minute?) until it was time for our wave to start. When they started doing the 10 second count-down, I started the timer on my watch - just so I could have a good reference during the race.

When the horn sounded, chaos ensued. I purposely positioned myself toward the back of the pack in the corral area, and waited about 5 seconds or so after the horn sounded before I started swimming. This allowed all the experienced and fast swimmers to take off ahead of me and minimized some of the punishment I received.

The start was about as chaotic as I expected. There was a lot of thrashing, and it took a good 10 to 20 meters before I could carve out my own space in the crowd. I could tell immediately that my stroke was faster than I wanted, and my breathing was too rapid. I slowed down a little, and made sure to take deep breaths with each stroke. That helped, but I did have to stop a few times when I inhaled water, or ran smack-dab into a stalled (panicked) swimmer, or just got out of my rhythm. At one point in the first quarter mile, I actually swam over to the side of the course and held on to the rope for a few seconds, just to regain my composure.

After my brief respite, I established a pretty good rhythm until I got to the turnaround point (.25 miles into the swim). This was a large buoy that we all had to swim around. As I started to make my turn, I realized quickly that the width of the swimming lane narrowed dramatically as everyone tried to turn very closely to the buoy itself. It was here that I endured the worst of my pummelling. Masses of bodies clamored over me during this small stretch of water, and I literally lost all swimming form at this point. I just did whatever I could (kind of a quasi freestyle / breast stroke / doggy paddle) to get around that buoy.

As quickly as possible after making it through the bend, I bee-lined to the course markers, and held onto the rope again to regain my composure. This time I held on for a while longer than I had before. I also used this as an opportunity to check my time. I knew this was the quarter mark on my swim, and was pleased when I saw that only 8 minutes had gone by. Since my goal for this portion of the race was 30 minutes, it dawned on me that I was miraculously on target!

From that point forward, I focused entirely on my swim stroke and repeated to myself ... "just keep swimming". There were many points throughout the remainder of the swim course where I inhaled water, got hit by others (or vice versa), or simply lost my form - and each time I just stopped for a few seconds, took a few breaths, and resumed swimming.

As I neared the final exit point, I started to become more aware of my surroundings. I watched out for pink caps - and was disappointed to see that they were few and far between. I saw lots of white caps, green caps, and yellow caps, but only a smattering of pink caps. I knew I was either way out ahead of my wave, or way behind. I suspected the latter was the case.

When I could see that I was at the final 25 meters or so, I really turned on the burners. I figured it was safe to expend all my energy at this point because I knew I would be able to recover during transition, and I was close enough to know I wouldn't peter out before reaching the finish. When I reached the steps, and the helpers aided me out of the water, my legs were jello and I felt completely spent. I looked at my watch. 32 minutes. I couldn't believe it. I was only 2 minutes over my target time. I was sure I had absolutely blown it. This pleasant surprise - along with my first glimpse of David, who was cheering me on at the swim exit - gave me a renewed spirit. I was ready to charge forward to the bike!

One oddity about the Chicago course is that there is a 450 yard distance between the swim exit and the transition area. During this portion of the course, you have to run barefoot on a variety of surfaces including concrete, asphalt, grass, and mud - all while trying to strip off your wetsuit along the way. While this is somewhat common in most courses, the odd part is that the run counts towards your swim time. So, my swim didn't officially end until I reached transition - at the 36 minute mark. This was a little longer than I had hoped (ultimately), but I figured I could make it up with a quick transition time.

The Bike: By the time I reached my bike, I was absolutely jazzed. Not only had I completed the swim (which was just as awful of an experience as I had feared), but I did it in a reasonable time. At this point, I figured my 3 hour mark was actually achievable if I simply relied on my training for the bike and run portions. No more stressing about it... JUST DO IT.

So I sped through my transition, and was on my way to the bike course in mere minutes. By this time, my legs were strong again and I was ready to ride. As soon as I crossed the chip mat (where they officially end your transition time and start your bike), I positioned my pedal to clip in my shoe - only to have the chain completely fall off. Crap! I moved my bike to the side, and tried not once, not twice, but three times before I was successful in fixing the chain.

Once the bike was functional, I was on it in no time - pedaling furiously up the ramp to Lake Shore Drive where I was about to embark on a 25 mile journey. It was at this point I realized that the heart rate monitor I strapped on during my transition was not working at all (unless I was dead and didn't realize it), and the cadence monitor on the bike also was not working.

The cadence monitor was a big concern because this is the main measurement I relied on for pacing myself on the bike throughout my training. The speedometer worked (fortunately), but I rarely use that as a guide since it can vary so dramatically depending on wind, ascent / descent, etc. The cadence is the one constant I rely on. Oh well... the good news was that I had ridden enough this summer to have a pretty good feel for the appropriate cadence. Again, I needed to rely on my training and just do it.

Heading up the ramp, it was clear that the quality of my bike, and the strength in my legs was going to be a good advantage for me. While others were huffing and puffing up the hill, I blew past them. It felt good! As I hit my stride at the top of Lake Shore Drive, I also realized that the wind was going to be my biggest challenge. The course consisted of two loops on a stretch of Lake Shore - first heading north, then south again, then north, then south for the final stretch. The wind was a constant 10-15mph blowing due South. So for each north-bound portion of the race, it was directly into the wind.

In spite of the wind, the sun was out, the weather was cool, and I felt strong. I knew I had to maintain an average of 20mph to achieve a 75 minute bike time, but was hoping to average 25 mph to make a 60 minute bike time. As I fought against the wind on the first north-bound stretch, and saw my speed ranging anywhere from 17mph to 21 mph, I started to become concerned that I would even reach the 20 mph average mark. However, I was also encouraged by the fact that I continued to blow past people in droves. I was definitely in the designated passing lane for the vast majority of the bike race.

After seemingly forever battling the wind, I finally reached the first turnaround point and was immediately gratified with the wind pushing me from behind. In no time, I was hitting the 29 mph mark, and was able to sustain 25 - 30 mph for most of the southbound stretch. Again, I passed people in droves. But I also noticed that some others were passing me as well. It wasn't often, but there were small pockets of extremely fit people passing me on extremely expensive bikes. Either the professional wave had begun, or there were some waves after me that included many of the elite athletes. Whoever they were, I was in awe of them.

Round two of the northbound stretch was much more difficult than the first. I don't know if I was becoming more tired, or if the wind was stronger, or both, but it was definitely more of a challenge. My speeds were hovering closer to the 17 mph mark than 20 mph, and at times I dropped below 15 mph. More groups of elite athletes continued to pass me, and the I passed fewer people than I had on my first round. I was still passing far more people than passed me, but the ratio was definitely changing. I also noticed a couple points along the way where there were stranded bikers - looking dazed and disappointed with ripped shirts revealing bloodied arms covered in road rash. It reminded me that I needed to stay sharp throughout the race, because it would be too easy to hit a bump or run into another biker and end up injured or worse.

By the time I reached the final turnaround, I was really worn out. It felt like I had battled the wind for an eternity, and I absolutely could not wait until I had it at my back. Once again, after I made the turn I was treated with a boost from mother nature. From this point on, I stayed pretty much within the 22 to 25 mph zone rather than the 25 to 30 mph I enjoyed previously. But it was still gratifying, and my overall time was looking pretty good.

When it was all said and done, I finished the bike portion in 1:19 at an average of 19.1 mph. It was a little slower than I had hoped, but I felt good considering the initial delay with the chain and the constant wind. As I wrapped up the biking portion, I felt really good about my performance regardless of my final time. I felt like I still had enough energy for a good run, but couldn't count on it until I crossed the finish line.

At the end of the bike portion, I was glad to see David once again, along with my brother and 2 of his children cheering me on. This gave me the additional boost I needed as I headed into the final leg of the race.

The Run: Once again, I had a fast transition. I found my way to the bike rack very quickly, and was out of my biking shoes, helmet, etc, and into my running shoes. I was a little concerned about the fact that my heart monitor wasn't working, and tried to 're-boot' it again with no luck. On the bike I rely on the cadence monitor for my pace, on the run I rely on my heart rate. It is the only reference I have to make sure I don't burn out too quickly or under-perform along the way. Again, given all the training I did this summer, I simply had to rely on my experience to tell me if I was pushing too hard or not enough.

There isn't much to tell about the run except that I approached it just like any other run. I found a good pace and stuck with it the whole way. I didn't let the mile markers psyche me out (sometimes it seemed like I should be way further than I was), and I didn't worry about what anybody else was doing. I just ran my race.

I was glad to find early on that I was passing people at the same rate I did on the bike. My pace was much stronger than most on the course, and it boosted my confidence because I didn't feel too out of breath. When people passed me, it was clear (again) that these were elite athletes and I didn't let it discourage me. After passing the half way point, I knew I started to pay more attention to my time, and realized that 3 hours was still in my reach. If I continued on the same pace I was (which I assessed by the mile markers), I should hit the finish line right around my goal time.

Throughout the running course, I took advantage of the water and Gatorade stations. But I have to admit that toward the last mile or two, I stopped drinking. As I passed one of the stations and a volunteer urged me to keep hydrating, I looked at her and said "one more sip and I'll pee my pants!'. She got a good laugh out of that. I wasn't kidding!

I hit the 6 mile marker and knew that I was getting close. I could hear the cheering of crowds as I approached the final bend, and had a couple people tell me that I only had a quarter mile to go and keep on running. As I looked at my watch, I had only minutes left before the 3 hour mark. I knew if I picked up my pace for this very last stretch, I would be assured of beating my goal. So I booked it with what little energy I had left.

As I neared the finish line, I saw David jump up from where he had been sitting, and he cheered me on and snapped a picture. My brother scrambled to his feet as well, and almost missed me entirely! When I crossed the finish line, I felt a rush of pride as they announced my name. They immediately donned me with an official City of Chicago triathlon medal, which was a very pleasant surprise.

After catching my breath, I found David and Brad (and kids), and was greeted with congratulatory hugs and high fives. Brad admitted to me that I caught him off guard because I finished the run on the earliest time he thought was possible for me. I ended up completing the 10k run in 52 minutes. Not bad even if I do say so myself!

Along the Way: All in all, I think the race went rather smoothly. And if I do it again, I have a much better idea of what I need to watch out for. Here is a list of the little things that made the logistics a little more complicated than they needed to be...

• Ripped my duffle bag before I got to transition area in the morning.


• Dislodged the inner-lining of my helmet as I positioned it on my handle bars during my transition set-up. This caused issues later when I headed out for the bike and it wouldn't fit properly on my head.


• Ripped a hole in my wetsuit as I pulled on the sleeve just prior to race start.


• Fogged up my goggles because I used the de-fogger the night before (rather than morning of the race) thinking it would save me time. Apparently that was a bad idea.


• Couldn't get heart rate monitor to work properly - even though it worked fine before and after (should have done a few more practice runs where I put on the monitor mid-stream during a timed session)


• Couldn't get the cadence monitor to work on the bike - shouldn't have had the 'pre-race' tune up done by a shop that doesn't specialize in high end bikes (I'm sure they broke it since it worked fine on the last ride before it went to the shop)


• Chain fell off bike - again, should have done my homework on the bike shop who did my 'pre-race' tune up


• Popped off the snap from my race belt as I put it on prior to the run. The belt holds my race number so it displays prominently in front of me during the run. I bought it the day before so I wouldn't have to safety pin it. I essentially had to fold one corner over the corner of the belt, and keep re-folding it throughout the race. The only real impact is that several of the official race pictures of me are probably in the 'unidentified racer' section of the website because they couldn't read my number. (funny thing is I found the snap when I went back to get my things out of the transition area)


• Ripped my wetsuit bag carrying around the extra shoes, etc, I wore in the morning between setting up transition area and starting my swim.

Obviously these weren't big deals, but it highlights the fact that triathlons are not just about the training and endurance, but about the planning and preparation. There are some things you just can't learn until you've experienced it.

Anyway, for those of you who have actually read all the way to the bottom of this blog, I thank you. This is probably more detail than anyone would ever want to know, but I thought it would be fun to document it while it is still fresh on my mind. I'll certainly read this again if I ever decide to do another one.

And no... I haven't made any decisions yet. The jury is still out and I'm OK with that. It was a great experience, and I may or may not do it again. I can say with certainty that another endurance race of some sort is in my future. Whether it is a triathlon, or marathon, or some other -thon, I don't know. But I liked having a challenging goal and it motivated me to stay on a training program.

For those of you interested in seeing all the final stats, click on the following link: http://www.chicagotriathlon.com/ and navigate to the 'results' section. Click on the Timberline logo and you can pull up times by a number of different serach criteria.

Thanks again to all my friends, family, and colleagues who supported and encouraged me along the way. I couldn't have done it without you!

Oh, What a Feeling!

Yes, I did survive the event and am rather proud of my accomplishment! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post an update, but the past couple of days have been a whirlwind. It's late tonight, so I'm simply going to report that I tri'd, and everything went very well! I'll post a final blog update within the week. There's lots to tell!

Twas the Night Before Triathlon...

Well, the time has come! I've trained as much as I'm going to train. I've prepped as much as I'm going to prep. I'm carbo-loaded from a big pasta dinner tonight. I'm charged up by some very inspirational speakers who reminded me exactly why I'm doing this. And I'm ready to go!

I check in at the transition area at 4am, and my wave will start at 9:15am. So, I should be done by early afternoon, and I plan on making good use of the beer tent afterwards! ;-)

Thanks to all my family, friends, and colleagues who have contributed, and for the tremendous amount of encouragement and support you've provided me throughout! This has been a tremendous experience, and I feel proud not only of my journey, but of all the people who have helped along the way.

I'll post final numbers in the near future, but suffice it to say that not only did we do a great job in fundraising for LLS, but Team in Training sailed past their overall goal, and broke a record doing it! That's quite an accomplishment considering the economy... and it's a testament to what a great cause it is.

Anyway, I'll check in tomorrow night and let you know how it went. Good night all! And thanks again!

Only One More Day of Training, and then... !!!

This has been a taper-down week, meaning my training sessions have been MUCH easier this week than previous weeks. Over the weekend we worked in our last major training sessions, and then scaled WAY back.

Saturday was what they call a 'mini-brick'. In this training session, we did three rounds alternating between bike (20 minutes) and run (15 minutes) - totaling 60 minutes of bike and 45 minutes of run. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning, and I really enjoyed it! Even better... I felt strong throughout. I ultimately did almost the distance of the course, so if that was any indicator of what to expect in the race I should be in pretty good shape. Of course, there's always the swim first though...

Sunday was 50 minutes on the bike. This was another beautiful day and another strong performance. I went further on this ride than I have on any of my previous 50 minute jaunts. Again, it encouraged me for the race.

Monday was a rest day. I thought about trying to make up for the swim I missed on Friday, but decided against it. The coaching team has been very insistent that this week is for tapering - and NOT to over-train. For once, I'll listen and obey.

Tuesday was a 30 minute bike. Since I had dropped the bike off at the shop for a pre-race tune up, I decided to go to the gym and ride on the spin cycle. BIG MISTAKE. I worked up a pretty good sweat in the 30 minutes, and felt good as I was leaving the gym. But as I got into the car, I noticed that I had strained my lower left back a little bit. No big deal... but I should have known better than to switch from a regular bike to spin cycle this late in my training plan. As the evening went on, the back strain started hurting more and more. It wasn't until I woke up at 2am in agonizing pain that I realized I could have a real problem here. I went downstairs, popped some ibuprofen, and iced it down.

Wednesday, when I woke up, it still hurt - but I could tell that it was already on the mend. I did lots of stretching and decided not to dwell on it. By end of day Wednesday, it was feeling much better.

And I was glad, too, because Wednesday evening was the last open water swim exercise. We did a 'corral practice' in Lake Michigan. This is where we all jumped in the water in our wetsuits, floated in a tight group in water too deep to stand, and practiced our starting strategies. Faster / stronger swimmers lined up in front, weaker swimmers toward the back. The strategy is to let all the fast people go first so they don't trample the slow people. I positioned myself with the slow group, but think that perhaps I will end up more in the middle of the pack. We'll see.

To add a little adventure to the exercise, the weather gods decided to treat us with 60 degree temperatures and rain. The lake was very choppy, and it was FREEZING! On my way down to the beach, some people stopped me and said 'aren't you freezing in shorts'??? I said that I was much more concerned about how cold it was going to be when I jump in the lake. They thought I was kidding. When I told them I was serious, they were so incredulous they had to follow and watch. They got a real kick out of the whole spectacle!

After the swim, we walked down to the transition area and got a first-hand look at the environment we'll have to navigate on Sunday. Once the transition area is set up, I'll have to walk the route a couple times to make sure I've got a good strategy on how to get through the transition process quickly and efficiently.

Tonight was just a 15 minute run. Of course, the weather gods were still having their fun. It was upper 50's and raining when I ran. I was pretty soaked by the time I got back to the house. I hope I don't get pneumonia before the race! At least my back is almost completely recovered. Just get me to the race in tact, I ask!

Tomorrow is a light swim. Then Saturday I head down for registration and the big expo. I'll buy some race paraphernalia such as a race belt (which clips on my race number without having to safety pin) and a chip strap (which will hold my computer chip that tracks my progress). I'm sure I'll pick up a bunch of other stuff I really don't need, too.

I'll post at least one more time before the race. I've had a few questions about whether there is an option to track my race online. I have not found that option anywhere, but I will confirm and let folks know in my next blog entry.

Almost there!!!

Double UGH!

So much for staying the course this week on my training plan! Yesterday, as I had feared, I was not able to work in my bike ride. In the morning, it was raining too hard to safely venture out (on my brother's fancy bike), and in the evening I had to be downtown for race prep.

The race prep was very valuable in that they walked us through what to expect on the day of the race. They gave an overview of the course, talked about the transition area (and how to set it up), gave pointers on things to bring and not to bring, and answered a wide range of questions from the team. I think the part that sunk in the most for me was that we have to check in at the transition area at 4:00am. That is not a misprint. 4:00am.

Anyone who knows me well will attest that I am NOT a morning person! This is going to be challenging! I was already worried about how well I'll perform doing a morning triathlon (thinking 8am or later) since I do most of my training at night; but I had no idea that the day would start THAT early. I've decided to try being an 'early to bed, early to rise' kind of guy the rest of the week to see if I can adjust my body clock a little in that direction.

Aside from the time shocker, I was glad to learn more about race day and feel like I have a better handle on what to expect. I am now starting to feel a genuine mix of excited anticipation and mild dread. I imagine it will gnaw at me more as the event draws near.

Tonight was my swim training session. My brother sent me a cool online virtual swim trainer that shows the perfect swim stroke from all angles. I studied that a little last night and was looking forward to seeing how much I could improve my stroke - since this is one of my last swim training sessions before the race. I also ate some gel cubes when I got to the gym to see how my stomach handles them when I exercise.

Donned in swimsuit and goggles... anxious to try out my new swim techniques... energized by some unnatural gelatinous substance to fuel my swim... I headed out to the pool. As I mentally recited my routine for the evening (200m warm-up, 3x50m drills, 1x800m TI4 / TI2 alternating intensities, 1x100m 'spot the buoy', and 100m cool down) it took me a minute to notice that no one was in the pool area other than some kid who was brushing down the main lap pool.

He looked at me for a minute with that "what are you, some kind of moron?" look, opened the door I just walked through, and pointed emphatically to the sign that said "all indoor pools are closed for the evening due to a special concert event sponsored by the gym". He politely suggested that the outdoor pool was open until 8pm (weather permitting) but it was raining and 62 degrees, so they may shut that down soon, too. 'Nuff said. Of course I didn't bring any other gym clothes, so I couldn't change plans and run or bike.

Missing the swim was part two of my 'Double UGH' title for tonight's blog. Part one was missing the bike yesterday.

I guess I'll try to make up the swim this weekend. Tomorrow morning is a 'mini-brick' workout, where we will alternate between run and bike several times. After that, start the 'taper down' process.

I'm sure the mini-bricks will be a good workout, and I really hope to work in one more swim.

We're heading down the home stretch! I expect this will be a long week. Stay tuned!

Final Double-Header

Tonight was my last back-to-back session of tri training and strength training. I started with a swim session that included 200m warm-up, 3x50m drills, 4x150m pyramids (TI2, TI3, TI4, TI4, TI3, TI2 - where TI=Training Intensity, and each leg is 25m), 1x300m 'spot the buoy' exercise, and a 200m cool-down. It went pretty well, but my swimming just doesn't feel as strong as it should be.

I was fortunate that my Team In Training mentor just happened to be working out at the same time, same pool, and in the next lane over. What are the odds? He gave me some good pointers on my 'spot the buoy' technique, and it was a familiar critique. I lift my head too far out of the water when I take a breath, and I lift my head WAY higher than necessary to 'spot the buoy'. I need to learn how to keep my head down while I'm swimming. There's not much time left for that lesson to sink in!

[For those who are wondering, the 'spot the buoy' exercise is important because I will need to look ahead every 12 strokes or so to make sure I'm not veering too far off course]

After finishing the swim, I headed upstairs for strength training with Janelle. She put me through my paces - focusing primarily on legs, biceps, triceps, and core (abs / lower back). We stayed away from chest and lats/traps, as those are the exercises we believe aggravate my neck.

I've decided that once the triathlon is over, and I focus more heavily on strength training again, I'll make a habit of doing a full cardio workout before strength. It seems that it gives me more energy and makes the strength training better - believe it or not!

So this is it for strength training! I'll wait until after the tri before I start lifting again.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a bike ride, but I'm not sure how I will fit it in. The morning is supposed to be very rainy with thunderstorms, and in the evening I'm supposed to go downtown for race prep (learning about the course, getting tickets for pre / post events, etc). I may have to skip my training session tomorrow... we'll see.

What a GREAT run!

Tonight was a basic 50 minute run, and it was fantastic! I think the massage on Sunday really paid off, and yesterday's break from training was a real rejuvinator. While I've skipped my share of training sessions this summer, yesterday was a rare instance where I actually did nothing in it's place. After work I came home, watched some TV, updated my blog, and went to bed early.

It's amazing what a little rest can do for you! When I headed out for my run tonight, I could immediately tell that I had my mojo going. I felt energized, focused, and strong. More importantly, I felt like I could run for days. My pace was solid from beginning to end. Hills didn't phase me at all, and when I reached the end of my (6 mile?) route, I realized I still had 5 minutes left to fill - so I ran past the house for a ways and turned back. If only I feel half as good the day of the race!

Too Busy to Blog

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I've updated this blog! While I may have been remiss in my writings, I certainly haven't been skipping out on the training (or at least not TOO bad). Here are some of the highlights...

Overall, training is going very well. The week of 7/27 was a concern because I had friends visiting for a long weekend (7/29-8/3), and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the training plan. I'm happy to report that I was able to adhere to the schedule all week, thanks to my friends who were very understanding, patient, and supportive. The running, biking, and swimming were all good that week, and I think I made good progress.

The following week, I traveled to Rhode Island on Wednesday night and returned Thursday night. This meant I missed an open water swim - which I REALLY wanted to do - but I had no choice. Ultimately, I missed a couple training sessions that week. Monday was a rest day, Tuesday night I swam 2000m in the pool (500m longer than the actual race distance), Wednesday I skipped training, Thursday I ran in Providence, and Friday I skipped my swimming session (I was WAY too tired and had to drive up to Madison that night).

Sidebar: Running in Providence is almost as bad as driving there! I asked the hotel for a jogging route, and they gave me a handy little card to use as a reference for a 5 mile run. What they didn't tell me was half of the streets they referenced changed names several times on the route, and many of the streets weren't marked with signs at all - at least not on the blocks I was supposed to turn! A run that should have taken me about 40 minutes ended up being 55 minutes! Oh well, I felt good that I was able to work in an early morning run while traveling.

My weekend in Madison (8/8&9) was GREAT! I went up there to train with my brother Brad (who has done a couple of Iron Man Triathlons), and it was well worth the trip! On Saturday, I ran about 6 miles in a steady rain, which actually felt very nice. I was treated with a bonus of celebrating my sister-in-law's 45th birthday, which included a 'birthday challenge' that consisted of a wide variety of fitness challenges in increments of 45. She started with a 22.5k run (half of a 45k - in a major thunderstorm no less), and pounded through weights, cardio exercises, rock climbing problems, and more. She really rocked! Her birthday challenge put my triathlon to shame!

Anyway... back to training... Sunday represented a real turning point for me. Early in the morning, Brad and his friend Stan took me to Lake Monona for some open water swim practice. Before we starting swimming, I asked to spend some time just floating around in the wetsuit. It had occurred to me that both times I swam in Lake Michigan I didn't have a chance to really test out the suit. We always jumped in and went right for the swim course. I never had the opportunity to 'just hang'.

So we did... and boy was I glad we did! While I knew that the suit was buoyant, I didn't realize just how buoyant it was! I pretty much floated without having to tread water at all! That more or less dispelled any fears I had, which meant I could focus my mental and physical energy on the task at hand - good swimming form and rhythm. We swam about 2000m in the lake, and while I still have a lot of room for improvement, I feel confident that I will do OK in the race. I now know that if I start getting panicky, or too tired, I can just stop... and I will float. Nice.

But that wasn't all. After swimming, and a light breakfast, we then moved on to the biking portion of the day. It turns out Madison has a phenomenal network of biking paths that skirt in and around the city, and we took full advantage of them. We probably covered about 20 miles, and I was able to practice my form using the 'tri bars'. It was a great workout, and I'm feeling more and more comfortable every time I ride. Doing a 'double-header' also made me feel better about the training sessions I skipped earlier in the week. The net result is I missed one session that week. Not bad considering I traveled.

Sunday afternoon, we headed back to Chicago, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the weekend. Thanks Brad! It was nice spending time with the family, too!

Last week included more travel, and I must admit that again I missed a couple sessions.

Monday was supposed to be a rest day, but I swam instead - knowing that I was going to miss a couple days later in the week. I followed the swim routine I missed the Friday before, which was challenging. I was really tired from an exhausting weekend... and it probably wasn't my best effort... but I did it. And that's what counts.

Tuesday and Wednesday were travel days and I was not able to work in a training session. Thursday I had fitness training, and planned on running afterwards. Unfortunately, Janelle (my trainer extraordinaire) did such a good job of kicking my ass that I was too jittery and queasy to run afterwards. After less than 3 minutes on the treadmill, I gave up. That's OK. I'm pretty sure I know how to run.

Friday night I still felt wiped out, and skipped yet another swim session. UGH! That means the net for the week was (-3). One could argue that it was (-2) if you count the strength training toward my workout regimen. Either way, I slipped some last week.

I did, however, have another very productive weekend. Saturday I went to team training, which included an '80/40' - 80 minutes on the bike and 40 minutes of running. It was a great workout, and it boosted my confidence somewhat. Between the swim / bike last weekend and the bike / run this weekend, I'm starting to feel like I'm in good enough shape to make it through this triathlon. Sunday I topped off the week by running about 7 miles from the house to the gym, and treated myself to a 90 minute hot stone massage when I got there. Yes, it was very soothing and sorely needed!

So that's how I spent the last three weeks. Today is a rest day, and I took advantage of it without remorse. Looking ahead... I need to be really serious about adhering to the program this week, as this is the last REAL week of training before I begin tapering for the race. I can't believe it's true, but the race is one week from Sunday! I don't know if I'm excited, scared, or both! Truthfully, I think it's both. At this point, I just want to get through this.

I'll try to post daily between now and the race. Thanks to all who are following the blog! I appreciate your support and encouragement!

Mini Tri

Today was my first experience putting all the events together in one training session. I headed back downtown this morning to Ohio Street Beach, and met up with the Team In Training folks to do a full-blown mini-triathlon. It included a 15 minute swim, 30 minute bike ride, and 20 minute run. This is far short of the real deal, but it gave me an opportunity to try my transitions, and get a pretty good workout at the same time. And it was fun!

The swim in Lake Michigan went much better than last time. No panicking this time, but my swim still isn't nearly as strong as I would like it to be. I will practice several more times in open water before the real event to make sure I'm ready to go.

The bike was great! I'm becoming more and more comfortable on it, and I was able to see first-hand the advantage it gives me. I was passing people on the entire route, and really enjoyed it!

The run was OK, but I found that I became winded pretty quickly. It will be interesting to see how I do after a 1 mile swim and a 25 mile bike! But my pace was pretty good, and I finished without having to walk at any point.

The transitions were no problem. I'm glad I had the chance to practice, and look forward to being able to do it one more time. Now I know what to expect!

Tomorrow is a 75 minute bike ride...

Swim Night

Back in the pool, and I felt much better than I did in the lake the other night. Tonight's program included: 200m warm up, 1 x 400m 'spot the buoy' exercise, 8 x 100m drills (25m TI3, 50m TI4, 25m TI3; with 15 second rest every 100m), 3 x 50m drills (fists up, swim back), 200m cool down. This put me through my paces! The sprints (TI3/TI4 levels) were exhausting, but I managed to do all 8 100m lengths, and held true to the 15 second breaks. The rest of the program was pretty easy.

Tomorrow... back downtown where we will do a 'mini tri': 20 minutes in Lake Michigan, 30 minutes on bike, and 30 minute run. This will give me more time in the lake (which I REALLY need), and allow me to practice 'transitions' between events. We'll see how it goes!

Gotta Quit Slacking!

It's been a week since I posted on the blog, and I must admit I've slipped a little on the training, too. Here's the run down of what I was supposed to do, and what I really did...

Thursday (7/16): Bike 55 minutes. Did it early in the morning (yuck... I'm not a morning exerciser). I actually had the tires pumped up all the way, too. My hopes were high that I would cruise MUCH faster than before, with far less effort. The fact was I cruised a little faster, but not THAT much. I also discovered that the first half of my route is mostly up-hill, which means it's hard work heading out, but easy sailing coming home.

Thursday night, I went in for my regular strength training. I was tired, and it was a tough session. The next day, my neck was more kinked than it had been in previous days. I think I need to lay off the strength training until the Triathlon is over.

Friday (7/17): Swim (200m warm up, 1 x 400m 'spot the buoy' practice, 6 x 50m (TI4) with 10 seconds rest between 50m lengths, 6 x 50m (TI5) with 15 seconds rest between 50m lengths, 5 x 50m various drills, 200m cool down). Did this one early in the morning, too... so I could go to Steve Miller Band Friday night (they were great, by the way).

Two things:

1. swimming early in the morning really sucks... especially after having a hard strength training session the night before with heavy concentration on legs
2. Training intensity level 4 is bad enough. Training intensity level 5 is ridiculous. The only reason anyone should have to swim that hard is if they are dipped in seal blood and dropped in a tank of great whites. I made it through the level 4 sprints. But honestly, I had to quit after 3 50m lengths at level 5. I was so winded, I thought I was going to blow chunks in the pool. Enough is enough! I did, however, continue with the drills and cool down, so I only dropped 150m of my total 1650m workout. It wiped me out for the whole day, though. No second wind for me... I was dragging!

Saturday (7/18): Run 60 minutes. Nope. I decided to make Saturday my rest day, and defer run to Sunday. Then I would defer my bike on Sunday to Monday (which was supposed to be my rest day). In theory, I would be caught back up that way...

Sunday (7/19): Run 60 minutes (make-up). I had a great run. In 60 minutes, I ran about 7.25 miles on hilly terrain. It felt good, too!

Monday (7/20): Bike 75 minutes. Nope. Didn't do it. I didn't sleep well Sunday night, and I was so tired on Monday that I just couldn't bring myself to bike for that long. This is where things started to derail this week...

Tuesday (7/21): Run 35 minutes. My hope was to either make up the 75 minute bike or just do the 35 minute run, depending on my energy Tuesday morning. I couldn't train Tuesday night, because that was the Billy Joel / Elton John concert (which ROCKED, by the way). Problem was I didn't wake up early enough to do either. So I just didn't do it.

Wednesday (7/22): 1600m Open Water Swim (in Lake Michigan - Ohio Street Beach). This was my first open water swim, and there was NO WAY I was going to miss it. I battled rush-hour traffic after work to get downtown by 7pm, and just barely made it in time. They had my new wetsuit waiting for me, and I was relieved to discover that it fit me perfectly. Getting into the water, I was actually fairly confident that I would do pretty well. After all, I've been swimming a lot, and have been doing pretty well on longer distances. However, swimming in a pool at the gym and swimming in Lake Michigan in a wetsuit are two totally different experiences.

The swim was far more stressful than I expected. The water was warmer than I anticipated (or at least the wetsuit really did its job), and the extra buoyancy of the suit was nice. But it was also choppy due to afternoon storms, and there was a lot of seaweed in the water. After just a short distance, I started to get a little panicked that the water was so rough, and I couldn't touch bottom. I choked on a few mouthfuls of water here and there, and my breathing became more and more rapid. From there, it was more or less a spiral. I kept having to stop, tread water, try to catch my breath, float on my back for a little while, try to catch my breath, swim a little further, stop, tread water, try to catch my breath, etc, etc. It was not fun!

The good news is I ultimately finished the swim without drowning. The bad news is I had to 'cheat' by swimming closer to the shore line and putting my feet down a few times. I just couldn't get my swim strides or my breathing to settle out. The second half of the swim was a little better than the first, but overall I just didn't cut it.

My only consolation comes from a couple of points that I will cling to:

1. I was clearly not the only person on the team who had troubles. Lots of people were treading water, floating on backs, etc. Many of us shared a similar sense of fear.
2. The coaches reassured us before and after that getting used to open water swimming is a major adjustment. For many people, this was their second open water swim, and they were struggling. It was my first. The coaches insist this is a normal reaction, and repetition will ease the anxiety.

All I know is that I need to get back out there several times before race day. I have to feel confident in the open water, and I certainly don't want to feel panicked when I am out in deep water - with no ability to 'cheat'. After this experience... I'm starting to get nervous about this event!

Thursday (7/23): Bike 45 minutes. Nope. I just didn't sleep well last night... perhaps because of the open water swim anxiety. I was tired all day, and I left work late. I just didn't have it in me. I need to get back on track!

Next up... swim tomorrow night (more endurance training in the pool). This weekend... 'mini tri' workout, with abbreviated distances on each event: 20 min open water swim, 30 min bike, 30 min run. I'll get to practice transitions for the first time! Sunday is a 75 minute bike.

In this past week, I skipped three training sessions, which is not good. Next week will be even more difficult because we have friends coming to visit for a long weekend. Somehow... some way... I need to find time for all training sessions next week. No more excuses!

Great Swim!

I woke up early this morning to make up for the run I missed yesterday. But the weather Gods didn't cooperate - it was a virtual deluge of rain accompanied by dramatic thunderstorms. To tell the truth, I wasn't too disappointed. I appreciated the extra sleep!

Tonight, I had a great swim. The training session was pretty straight-forward... 100m warm-up, 5x50 drills, 1200m non-stop, and a 100m cool-down. For the 1200m swim, I decided to simply focus on maintaining a steady rhythm and a low heart-rate. I didn't care about speed, just stamina. And it was great!

The distance was no problem, and I wasn't too winded at the end. I finished it in exactly 27 minutes. The race distance will be 1500m (count on 1600m for 'veering'), and my goal is to finish in under 30 minutes. Tonight's swim demonstrated that I could certainly push the pace a little faster without much difficulty, and still have the stamina I need to easily complete the distance. Cool! I'm sure it will be very different open water, but for now I'll feel good about another step in the right direction.

Until next time...

It's the Little Things...

It was a great weekend for training in Chicago! The weather was absolutely beautiful, and I was ready to roll! Since I skipped Friday night's swim session, I needed to make up for it somehow. They say if you miss a day, don't double-up the next day. But I did anyway. What the heck?

Saturday morning, I took the bike out for a long ride. Before I started, I noticed that the tires seemed a little low, so I tried to pump them up a little more. I don't know if I shared this before, but I have had issues getting my pump to work properly with these tires. It's a dual-headed pump, with one side for regular tire nozzles and the other for small nozzles. You're supposed to lock in the nozzle that fits your tire, and then rotate the head to lock it into place. Well, I tried this several times... and even though it would lock into place, the air would blow out the other nozzle every time I pumped. The only way I could get air into the tire was by putting my finger over the other free nozzle head. Of course, this wasn't extremely effective, but it allowed me to get enough air in to where I thought I was OK.

So I rode. And I did well! But it was frustrating that I wasn't going as fast as I had on previous rides, and it seemed that each trip out was getting harder and harder to pedal. Hmmm... I thought... maybe I ought to take it into the bike shop.

After my ride, I loaded my bike in the car (along with my pump), and headed to the gym for a swim. The swim was a shorter distance (1200m), but was definitely challenging. I did 100m warm up, then 10x50 drills (different exercises for each 50m), then 5 consecutive 100m lengths at various training intensities (TI2, TI3, TI4, TI3, TI2 - NO BREAKS!), then a 100m cool-down. I tell you what, swimming a full-out sprint for 100m (TI4), is brutal! Even though I wasn't supposed to take any breaks, I have to admit that I paused for some much needed gasping a few times in the back half of that session!

After swimming, I took the bike over to the bike shop, and learned a couple key things...

1. If it seems like your pump isn't working right, it probably isn't.
2. If it feels like your tires feel kind of flat, and it's harder to pedal than it should be, they probably are low on air.

It turns out that my tires were only filled at the 40-50 PSI range, when the recommended PSI for these tires is 120! And my ineptitude with the pump wasn't user error - it truly was a broken pump. I guess this is what they call the 'learning curve'. I bought a new pump, and I CAN'T WAIT to try the bike with full tires!

On Sunday, I went to the forest preserve and ran for an hour. The paths along the Des Plaines River are absolutely beautiful! I want to run there all the time! We'll have to go back there with the mountain bikes and explore, too. Chicagoland has so much to offer!

Monday was a rest day. Today was supposed to be a short run (40 minutes), but I was traveling and didn't get out of bed early enough to work it in. I'll try to run tomorrow morning and swim tomorrow night.

And in case you're wondering... my neck is improving slowly but surely, although still far from 100%. I'm hoping by this time next week that I'm back to normal. Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted...

Train through the pain...

This neck issue is definitely a problem. I've had this many times before, and there is no telling how long it will last. Every movement causes sharp pain, and my mobility is somewhat limited (although I've had much worse mobility in the past, so I should count my blessings). The good news is I can still train. It's just not as fun.

Thursday night, I went for a 40 minute run through some beautiful paths in the Half Day Forest Preserve. When I first started, each step caused a jolt of pain through my neck. It was very uncomfortable, but tolerable. However, as the run progressed, and I sort of lost myself in the beauty of the trails - which I had never been to before - my neck loosened up somewhat and I was able to focus more on the run than the pain.

I did learn one lesson about training in an early Midwestern summer evening... you've got to love the bugs - especially the small flying variety. You experience them in every way... lodging in your eye, plastering themselves all over your sweaty forehead like the windshield of a car, and of course sling-shotting themselves into the back of your throat. Yummm... protein! For the clever ones that don't end up kamikaze-style somewhere on your body, they achieve the ultimate prize of a tasty snack. Yes, the mosquitoes will get you even when you are running 6 to 7 mph. Joy. I have to say though, that it wasn't too bad. The scenery was beautiful, the weather was nice, and it made me forget about the pain in my neck for a while.

Afterwards, I spent a long time stretching in the steam room and jacuzzi at the gym across from the preserve. That also helped. But alas, as I left the gym, it didn't take long before my neck started seizing up yet again. This thing is not going away any time soon.

Yesterday morning I awoke to severe pain and stiff neck yet again. I'm just going to have to get used to this for a while. I'm sure I'll adjust, but don't expect me to stop whining about it. :-)

My training program for last night was supposed to be swimming. But since I didn't get out of work until after 8pm, and I was worn out from a long day of conference calls and neck pain, I decided to go out for dinner instead. I think it was a good choice.

Today, I'll bike for 60 minutes, and then probably head to the gym to make up for the swim session I missed last night. Maybe I'll work in a massage, too. We'll see.

Regardless, I will get back on track... and I WILL train through the pain!

Until next time...

Slipped a little, but back on track...

I hate to admit that I had a little set-back on my training over the weekend. I was supposed to do a 75 minute bike ride on Saturday and a 55 minute run on Sunday. Monday was to be my day of rest. Well, on Saturday, I chose not to go to the group bike ride in the morning, thinking I would do it in the afternoon instead. But the rain came in the afternoon, and with my kinked neck, I thought it would be better to just skip the ride and do it on Sunday instead. Heck, that means I could just shift my schedule to Sunday / Monday and use Saturday for a day of rest. Good plan. Except that Sunday I was simply not motivated to work out. It was fourth of July weekend, and I really just wanted to enjoy it. So I did. On both Sunday and Monday, I 'played hooky' and had a lot of fun doing it.

Tuesday I got back on track with a double header. Fitness training first, then a 55 minute bike ride afterwards. Unfortunately, my neck wasn't at 100% yet (much much better, but not 100%), and during my strength training I could tell I was stressing it - although I thought that might be a good thing as it seemed like it was loosening up as I worked out. When I finished my strength training, it quickly became apparent that the pressure was not a good thing. As I descended the stairs, my neck kinked really badly, and I could barely turn my head. But... being very stubborn and firmly planted in a state of denial, I chose to continue with the bike ride anyway. The ride actually helped, although I learned that it is not very safe to ride on city streets when you can't turn your head to the left. It makes it very difficult to cross into left-turn lanes. I made it... and I'm glad to report that I'm feeling more and more comfortable on the bike in general. I still need to conquer the tri-handles (the antelope horns), but I'm sure that will come with time.

Today, I woke up and could barely move my head. My neck was worse than it has been in quite some time. Unfortunately, I have a long history of neck issues, and this type of thing can last hours, days, weeks, or even months. I spent much of the day resting and icing it - only to find that it was getting worse. The more I rested it, the stiffer it got. So... stubborn as ever and determined to not let this get in my way... I went ahead and did my swim tonight. I figured I would know pretty quickly if swimming was even possible, and the exercise could actually help loosen it up. It was a 1200 meter straight swim (no drills) and I was able to complete it more easily than I expected. The swim helped loosen me up quite a bit, and afterwards, I spent a significant amount of time stretching out in the sauna and steam rooms, which also helped. Unfortunately, as soon as I cooled off, my neck stiffened up just as bad as it was before.

UGH! I truly hope this subsides soon!

I don't have any more strength training scheduled until next Thursday, so we'll see if I can fully recover by then. Meanwhile, I will continue my tri training as long as I am physically able. Wish me luck!

Trifecta

Tuesday night was a real killer. Janelle put me through my regular personal torture (I mean training) - including a special emphasis on upper body work. Then I went to Highland Park for group swim training, which almost killed me! I enjoyed the strength training, but was really spent by the time I finished swimming. I finished all the drills, and was most thankful.

Wednesday, I had an easy day... 35 minutes on the treadmill and then steamroom / jacuzzi. Not too bad...

Thursday night was another double-header. I started with 35 minutes on a spin-cycle. Since all the spinners were being used in the main gym, I had to go up to the spin class instead. OMG... they work you hard up there! After enduring 35 minutes of cycling in all sorts of stances, I headed down for a strength training session with Janelle. She had a special workout planned for me (an endurance session, no less), which consisted of 8 sequential circuits of: [pull-ups - 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest], [push-ups - 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest], [bench presses - 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest], and [leg-raises - 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest]. Unfortunately, I kinked my neck on the fourth set of pull-ups, so we had to adjust the workout accordingly. After finishing this round of torture, we moved on to the regular full-body strength training workout. It was especially difficult because every movement hurt my neck, but I made it through it! Perseverence pays off!

Friday was a swim session - and given how stiff my neck was this morning, I didn't think I was going to make it! I could barely turn my head when I got out of bed! But after handfuls of ibuprofen and a relentless will to persevere, I completed a full round of swim training (200m warm-up, 10x50m drills, 4x125m sprints, and 200m cool-down). I have to admit that I urped up some of my lunch during the sprints, but I did finish! Afterwards, I enjoyed a steam & jacuzzi followed by a 90 minute massage at the spa. It was worth every minute!

This weekend includes a long bike and a long run. Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted...

Still Tri-ing

It's been a few days since I posted my blog, but I haven't missed a beat on my training! Friday night I swam, Saturday morning I went downtown for nutrition class and a run, Sunday was my day of rest (well... at least from triathlon training), and today was a bike ride.

The swim was REALLY tough! I started out with a 200m warmup, and then 4 x 75m workouts, with 25m at Training Intensity 2, then 25m at TI3, and 25m TI4. I had 45 second breaks between each set of 75m. Then I did three 200m stints at training intensity 3, 4, and 3 - with 1 minute breaks in between sets. TI4 is pretty much a sprint. While I did OK at the 75m sprints, I found that 200m at level 4 is almost impossible (at least for me... where I'm at right now...). I had to take 10-20 second breaks every 50m or so at level 4, although I did OK at level 3. I wrapped up with a 200m cool-down, and was totally spent when I was done.

The run Saturday morning was nice... 55 minutes on a beautiful day in downtown Chicago. I really enjoyed that, and got a lot of good tips on both nutrition and race strategies. I was really glad I made the trip down there - even though I did have to be there at 8am on a Saturday morning.

The bike today was also really good. This was my third trek on the 'fancy bike', and I'm becoming a lot more comfortable on it. I rode for 55 minutes on suburban roads, and I think I did pretty well. I was far more confident in my riding ability, and the traffic didn't bother me nearly as much as it did last time. I think I'm getting the hang of this, although I do need a lot more practice. I did, however, manage to screw up the little bike computer, and will have to spend some time figuring out exactly how I did it. While trying to figure out how to reset the odometer and start a new stopwatch, I somehow managed to switch the entire interface to (German? Austrian? Something like that...). Don't ask me how... I'm usually pretty good with this kind of stuff!

Tomorrow is another double-header with strength training and swimming. Wish me luck!

Terrible Twos

Tuesday night I had two workouts - strength training and swimming. Two days later, at the peak of muscle soreness from the strength training, I had two more workouts... this time 45 minutes on the bike and then another round of strength training. The biking went OK once I got my legs moving on the spin cycle. But the strength training was brutal!!!

After torturing my legs some more on a variety of weight machines, we moved on to a '15 to 1' program. This consisted of three exercises: weighted rows, pushups, and 'thrusts' (starting in a squat position with a barbell hoisted on shoulders, then thrusting upwards to propel the barbell to full length above head and shoulders and returning to shoulders - then squat and do it again). The first rotation included 15 reps of each, then 14 reps, then 13 reps, etc, etc... all the way down to one.

I knew I was in trouble when another trainer looked to Janelle and said, "oh my God... are you trying to kill him???". He said this when he noticed I had stopped during the thrusts and Janelle was urging me on saying, "C'mon Scott, just 6 more!". He thought she was pushing me too hard just doing the 6 more. What he didn't know was that I was on my FIRST set of thrusts, meaning 6 more reps was just to finish that set of 15! I had 14 more rounds to go at that point!!! Somehow, I made it through the whole session without collapsing and only some mild sobbing.

The problem is... I am SO SORE already! I have a feeling I'll barely be able to lift my arms tomorrow. It should be interesting when I go for my swim tomorrow night. I'll keep you posted...

Da Doo Run Run Run

Tonight was a 40 minute run with a 5 minute cool down - about 4.5 miles total. I just ran it on the treadmill since it was 94 degrees and muggy out - and I really wanted to spend time in the steam room and hot tub afterwards. My legs were REALLY sore when I started (thanks to Janelle's workout program last night), but once I warmed up it was no problem. Easy Breezy!

Double Header

Tonight was one of my double header nights, where I had both a personal trainer appointment and a triathlon training session. My personal trainer Janelle - trainer extraordinaire - spent an hour torturing me with a full body strength training circuit. She earned her keep today!

Then I grabbed a quick snack and headed to Highland Park where Team in Training had a group swimming session. The swim sessions are REALLY helpful, as they give me pointers on my swimming technique and suggest drills to help me improve. They made the same comments I heard before at the other pool... need to reduce the 'windmill effect' of my swimming stroke (LOW TO THE WATER, SCOTT, LOW TO THE WATER), and I need to keep my head down. My speed is good, but I need to work on form. There's so much to learn!

Until next time...

Lived to Tell...

As someone who had never previously ridden a tri-bike, and with two rides under my belt thus far, I can say with certainty that it is going to take several practice runs before I feel 'natural' riding it. If you haven't seen one of these bikes, imagine a sleek and amazingly light bicycle with very narrow tires and double-stanced handlebars.

I'm not really sure why there are two sets of handlebars, but one set is more what you would consider a 'traditional' cycling set up with bars that curve back toward the rider like the horns of a ram, while the other set sticks straight out in front of you like the horns of an antelope.

As if the 'ramelope' setup weren't complicated enough, they decided to shake things up a bit by putting the brakes on the ram handles, and the gear shifters on the antelope handles. So, at any given moment you're either chugging down the street in the wrong gear, but prepared to stop on a dime - or barrelling down the road at a dizzying speed, with a mild panic that a sudden obstacle could instantly send you airborn.

Now add shoes that literally lock into the pedals (so if you go airborn the bike goes with you or your legs stay behind), and a gear system that has you soaring past 20mph in about 4 pumps... and you can somewhat imagine the mixture of exhilaration and terror I experience each time I get on the bike.

I am absolutely certain that this design is brilliant for an experienced triathlete, and am extremely grateful that I am blessed with such a nice bike for this event, but it's still un-nerving to ride at these speeds while trying to maintain balance between shifting (antelope position) and braking (ram position). If you've never tried adjusting your body position from leaning forward on elbow pads straight out in front of you to sitting upright with your weight resting on your hands, all while speeding ahead at 25mph, you're missing quite an experience. The best word to describe it is 'squirrelly'. I'm sure over time it will become second nature to me, but for now, it's just plain freaky.

Anyway, the good news is I made it through my ride tonight completely unscathed (as did the bike) - and I truthfully can't wait to do it again! By the time the race is here, I'll be riding this crazy beast like a pro! Er... at least let's hope so!

Threefer Madness!

OK... this post is for three days of being M.I.A. I've been in Scottsdale this past weekend, and BOY have I been busy! But, I'm pleased to report that I was able to complete most of my training objectives. On Friday, after work and before going to the theater, I worked in my swim training. It included my normal drills, plus two 400 hundred meter segments (second 400 faster than the first).



Saturday, I ran for 45 minutes - outside at 11am in full Arizona sun. It was actually better than the run on Wednesday. I think I must have adjusted to the heat a little bit. Today, I decided to skip my training, opting instead to swap out my 'rest day' between today and tomorrow. I was supposed to bike today and rest tomorrow, but instead, I got some much needed sleep and traveled home today. I'll go biking tomorrow. I think this works better anyway because I can ride the tri bike now that I'm back home! Can't wait! I'll keep you posted...

THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED! I'M THRILLED WITH THE PROGRESS THIS FIRST WEEK!

Yikes! No Bike Today!

I was supposed to bike for 45 minutes today, but just couldn't fit it in. It's hard to be on the road and find time to train! I'll have to get better at planning. I did get to have dinner with Grandma tonight, which really was a higher priority. We had a very nice evening.

Tomorrow is swim practice... NO SKIPPING! I'll squeeze in time after work and before we head to the theater to see Blood Brothers. Until tomorrow...

It's a DRY HEAT

Today's training included a 40 minute run of low to medium intensity. Normally, that would be a piece of cake, but I'm in Scottsdale this week and ran outside instead of on the treadmill. Even though it was after 6pm, and relatively cool for this time of year

• Cracked and bleeding lips (OK... not bleeding yet, but VERY dry!)
• Dusty, itchy eyes (every time I blink, clouds of dust poof from my eyeballs)
• Salt licks form on my face (sweat evaporates too fast... just leaves the salt behind)

So maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. But I will say it was more draining than I anticipated. I guess it's good that I'm conditioning my body for various types of weather. Actually, I'm a little nervous about what it will be like to bike and run in Chicago when it's 90+ degrees and 70% humidity!

Tomorrow I need to work in a bike ride somehow. I have no choice but to go for a machine since I don't have a bike with me... but where and when? Hmmmm.... I'll have to figure that out tomorrow. Perhaps an early morning exercise is in the cards. UGH!

Until tomorrow...

I Love Modern Technology!

Today is a 'rest day' from a training perspective. Actually, it was supposed to be yesterday, but I re-arranged my training schedule because I'm traveling today. At the moment, I'm on board American Airlines flight 1733 heading for Phoenix, using their Gogo Inflight Internet service to post on my blog. I love modern technology!

I brought 4 sets of workout clothes, and a swimsuit, so I should be set for my training plan this week. I'll keep you posted! Thanks for checking in...

Minor Details...

My valuable lesson of the day... when going to the pool for a swim, don't forget the swim suit! Yes, it's a minor but important detail. When I arrived at the gym and realized my mistake, I ever so briefly pondered whether or not people would notice if I swam sans suit - and quickly (and probably wisely) dismissed the notion. After a mad dash back to the house, I returned to the pool well suited for my training session (yes, you may groan at the pun).

It reminded me of the one and only sprint triathlon I did (7+ years ago?), and I forgot to take off my helmet for the run portion! Think I'm kidding? Check out the picture! for the record, I'm the one running with the helmet on... not the one with the pierced nipple. Fortunately, I realized my mistake fairly early in the run and was able to ditch it - but not before David snapped this picture as a reminder.

Tonight's training program:

• 100m Warm Up
• 5 x 50m Drills
• 5 x 100m laps at varying intensities (Training Intensity 2, TI 3, TI4, TI3, TI2)
• 2 x 50m TI4 down / back easy (sprint up, leisurely swim back)
• 200m Cool Down

I tell you what... those TI4 laps are TIRING! I think the best part of tonight's workout was the advice I received from an accomplished triathlete / swimmer in the next lane. He pointed out that I have a good basic form, but my arms swing too high and I lift my head too far out of the water to breathe. Low to the water... that's my goal! We'll see how it goes!

Until next time...

On Your Mark...

Welcome to my inaugural blog entry for Tri for a Cure! I am excited and proud to announce that I have officially committed to competing in my first olympic-distance triathlon to help raise money for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. This event helps me achieve two personal goals : 1) to be in the best shape of my life (I turned 40 this year, and am trying to stay ahead of the aging process!), and 2) to contribute both my time and money to support a worthy cause. Talk about the perfect fit!

So here are the specifics:

1. The event takes place in Chicago on August 30, 2009.


2. The event segments include swimming (1.5k / .93 miles), biking (40k / 24.85 miles), and running (10k / 6.2 miles).


3. My goal is to raise at least $2000 for LLS... and frankly, I hope to blow that target out of the water!!!

Now... about the blog. I will post my training trials and tribulations throughout this process (theoretically 6x per week), and promise to keep it brief! Hopefully, you will follow along and cheer me on as I get closer to the event.

I also hope that you will choose to contribute to this worthy cause! Here is the link to my contributions page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/chitri09/swerntz.

Please donate... even if it's just a small amount... every little bit helps!

One more thing... I would like to thank my brother Brad for loaning me his AMAZING triathlon bike for this event! Brad is an accomplished triathlete, and I am honored that he is allowing me to use his Cervelo P3 Carbon triathlon bike. Check out the picture of me going through the 'fitting process' last week. Hopefully, Brad will forgive me for the minor damage I've already inflicted as a result of my virgin trek today. (Brad... I'll tell you later... PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!!!)

That's it for now... thanks for joining me on this exciting adventure!