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...