Christmas

Missing spending Christmas day with your family can be a let down. Christmas miracle?

Well, I didn't win the game of Boggle we played.

Killer

Do you ever get the idea, what you are doing to your body is killing you?

Mine, I should suppose, is a fine line between killing and strengthening. 

Bad Sport Combo

Cold and darkness.

It is tough to run, jump, bike, swim, anything, in those conditions.

I'm struggling to think of one thing that is fun in that situation. Caroling?

The Why

NBC had a special on the 2008 Ford IRONMAN World Championship yesterday. The broadcast opened with voiceover that most clearly sums up the reason why my name is on a list.

"How many of us can truly treasure the experience of a single day, that didn't include a birth or a marriage, for the rest of your life?"

Every time the IRONMAN is mentioned, it becomes clearer that this is much more than just a race. I have 6 months.

Sunmart 50K Pics

It was a cold morning 7:45 AM and 35 degrees. Good for shorts and a shirt.

Looks like I am running pretty crazy here just trying to warm up.

Definitely, a tough photo. Don't let them see your eyes.

Pain is in these.

Coming in and back out for one last 12.5 mile loop. Just look at that ham bone working.

One of the best tips I was ever given:

At the end of a race don't look at your watch and stop it right when you cross the line.

Put your arms up, look for a camera and act like you just won the race.

You know what you are thinking after 6 hours of running?

I smell food. Where is the food. I must crawl to the food.

They had the best post race meal, everything.

Trot Shots

Everyone lines up, they release a wild turkey and runners dash to try and grab it. Not really.

Running at a brisk pace.

Down the final stretch as I begin to achieve breakneck speed.

I can really finish races. This at the end of a 6 mile run.

Must slow. Must hydrate.

Almost gotcha.

PFunk "Matador of Nog"

Merry Christmas Brad.

50K Breakdown

Have you ever seen Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed? It is a little bit how I feel detailing the race. I completed the 50K, no problem. But, here are the secrets...

First, I didn't run the entire 30 miles, few do, and those people are called the winners. I planned to be out there for 6 hours. I ran the first 2 hours (around 12 miles) with the knowledge I was going to knockout more than 1/3 of the race. If you have run a road race, but have never done a trail run, it is as different as badminton is to tennis. Trails are tiny (usually only two people can pass each other if both parties know it is happening), there are basically no straightaways and every step you take could be your last. Tree roots are like tripwires and wipeouts are frequent, as you can imagine they become more frequent the longer you are out there and the less you pick up your feet. But, trails are fun.

The beginning of the race is like a huge game of follow the leader running through the trails. I felt good, just cold. The only thing that hurt was my elbow (?). I ran for 2 hours as you know, but here is the secret...

I walked for 15 minutes and ran for 30 minutes and continued this the rest of the 4 hours and 17 minutes of the race. I came into the race with a walk 10, run 30 strategy, but the extra 5 minutes felt so good. I really wanted to see if I could stay fresh this way. It is basically the blueprint I was thinking about taking with me to the Ironman. It worked pretty well. The only real snag is running for only 30 minutes at a time makes it difficult to just go zonal and detach your mind from your body and become a running machine. And, starting up running again after walking is like needing a push on a sled down a snowy slope.

Here is another secret. I brought two old pairs of shoes with me (new shoes aren't as big of an impact on trails). About 3 hours and 30 minutes into the race, I switched out shoes. The first pair was working up some serious blisters. It felt unbelievable to switch. 

6 hours of doing any one thing is a lot. That is the main thing. Mentally, I was so sick of moving. I think the biggest challenge is what you do with yourself and what you think about in the time you are focusing on only one thing - just moving forward.

Ultra Marathon Man

Today I ran 30 miles.

31.06855 to be precise. I completed the Sunmart 50K in 6 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds.

Does anyone know of a good doctor in the Houston area?

Dear Amby

Yesterday, I ran with Amby. I got an email from Luke's Locker saying they were having an event but mainly the only thing I read was "Gatorade Goodie Bag."

About 125 people showed up but the thing is, I quite literally ran with Amby the 3+ miles. It just kind of happened as they sent people off with groups based on minute miles. I left with the 7-8 minute mile group and later saw Amby was running right behind me. It is tough to run with a group on sidewalks but the entire time I found myself focused on him. I had no idea who this guy was, other than the brief intro in the email I read, and all I knew was that if I was a runner this guy was cool.

First, Amby Burfoot is the Editor-at-Large for Runner's World magazine. So, if this was Project Runaway, he would be Nina Garcia, Bill Bowerman would be Michael Kors, and Hidei Klum would stay aboard.

Seriously, I had no idea who Amby Burfoot was. The situation makes me think of Mitch Hedberg's joke about meeting someone famous without knowing their body of work, "I did a movie with Peter Frampton. He's a musical genius, but I don't listen to his stuff. So I had to continuously try to draw attention away from the fact. Hey Frampton! Do you like toast too!? As do I. It is warm and crispy and the perfect place for jelly to lay. Now stay away from me Frampton, I ain't got nothing else to say to you!"

So, there I was running with a legend. I asked him if he had always been just a runner or if he had played other sports. The wiry 60+ year old scruffy bearded runner said he had enjoyed and been good at both baseball and basketball, but had had an accomplished running coach in high school who ultimately made a big impact on his life. We talked and eventually I asked him how good he was at his peak. "Well, I won the Boston Marathon," he said. To which I was thinking, "Wow. I should have just asked if he liked toast too."

The run became fascinating. He told me the story. He was running in the lead pack and about half way made a break for it. He said it was him and one other guy. He knew the guy, and the guy knew him. "And we both knew he was going to beat me," he said. They were running together and then after Heartbreak Hill the other guy started to cramp up and Amby Burfoot went on to win. The interesting part was he told the story like he always knew it was a second place medal. It would be difficult to have a victory where you felt like you were only the best by default, that you didn't 'win,' the other guy lost. Either way, still amazing. Later, after the run at Luke's Locker, in his address to the crowd he mentioned he was a former Boston Marathon winner, to which those, like me previously, were wowed. He didn't mention how the race went down and to those people he might seem less human as a runner.

I asked him if it felt fast, if running a 2:14 marathon felt like lightning. He said it really didn't because you are just running with the pack. The thing about that is the pack he ran with you really only see their backs, at the starting line. I talked about how I wanted to break a 4 hour marathon. He said he was in about 3:15 marathon shape and that I was barely breathing. Easy for him to say. I told him it was easier to run a 10 minute mile than a 6 minute mile. He later talked about when a researcher asked him to come into a lab and test out a product called "Gatorade." He said the original version, designed specifically for Florida's football program and "300 pound, out of shape football players," tasted like drinking the Pacific Ocean.

I asked him if he ever got into ultra marathons. He said a little and that people can really confuse an ultra as being just a couple miles more than a marathon. He said that is a mistake. And then I told him I was doing the Sunmart 50K this weekend. I wondered if he had somehow already known that and when he had said "people" I wondered if he meant ME.

Harvard Study

Thanks to Big Al, my eyes have seen a previously unknown to me, "TIME Best Invention of 2007."

This marks the second time I didn't get into Harvard University. Harvard and Vibram FiveFingers have teamed up for scientific research of barefoot and/or minimally shod running. This most recent rejection comes not at the culpability of my brain, but geographical location and physical issues. I do not live in the New England Area and have had a major lower limb injury in the last 12 months.

It is unbelievable to me I didn't know these foot gloves existed. It is also unbelievable to me that I need these as bad as I think I do. Paying to walk around barefoot? The sheer idea of this is probably the real reason this Indian is crying. Or, maybe it is because he saw bottled water for sale. Regardless, I should get a pair of these.

And, all that barefoot walking around will probably make me pretty thirsty for some liquid from a rare artesian aquifer.

Rafa "Matador of Spin"

I bought this outfit. I pretty much can't wait to play tennis now. And, I still sit in my sniper's nest on eBay waiting to find the old Agassi classic in a large that have the spandex built into the faded denim shorts. Sometimes, apparel plays an important role in workouts.

Turkey Trot

Today I ran in the Houston Turkey Trot. It is fun because you get to see humans dressed as turkeys.

I ran the 10K in 47 minutes. That is running a little faster than a 7:35 minute mile pace. I usually don't go that fast, but it is good to know I can.

The frustrating thing about time is that I can run 5 seconds faster on each mile, right? Felt fast and exhausting at the time, but seems like you can always give a little more.

8 (Teen) is Enough

Today we ran 18 miles. And, it is good that we are doing it in an effort to raise money to cure blood cancers, because...

I have run two marathons, an adventure race, and a half Ironman. This marks the furthest distance I have ever run in training.

Would You Rather

Would you rather swim 2.4, bike 112, or run 26.2 miles?

It is interesting how repetition and training influence preference. I would much rather swim 2.4 than any of the alternatives. It almost sounds easy.

Here are some good workouts for your brain:

Forget who you were or who everyone else was?

Meet an alien visitor or travel to outer space?

Have one finger made of peanut butter or a foot that detaches?

Hit every red light for the rest of your life or always be wrong?

Have the ability to swim like Phelps, bike like Armstrong or run like Bolt?

Fat Guy

Polar opposites are interesting. David Goggins meet Dave Alexander. Dave, fortunately or unfortunately, came up when I searched "World's+Greatest+Triathlete."

Why unfortunately? 

Because the number four hit on the Google page, a New York Times article, included all my keywords in the search, though also squeezed in the word "Fat" before "Triathlete."

Naturally, the next thing I did was click on the "Images" section of the search for Dave Alexander.

Tough Guys

It is fun and inspiring to see and read about tough guys. I would say the bar is set with Ivan Drago (Insert Barry Bonds asterisk). John Cena, Iron Mike, and Mickey Goldmill all make the cut.

David Goggins is a tough guy. Here is a excerpt from an article about him on IRONMAN.com:

In 2005, 11 military personnel were killed in Afghanistan when a recovery attempt to save some at-risk SEALS by helicopter went awry. Goggins attended training school with four of those killed. He vowed to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which pays the college tuition for children of special-operations personnel killed in the line of duty.

“It’s a gesture from me,” Goggins told The San Diego Union-Tribune, “letting the families know their husbands or daughters did not die in vain.”

Another Goggins oddity?

He promises, absolutely swears, that he hates distance running. According to his wife, Aleeza, Goggins’ first words when he heads out the front door for a run are:

“I hate this (stuff).”

Keep in mind that last year he raced seven 100-milers. Counting training, the guy averaged – averaged – running 21 miles a day. So why do it if you hate it so much?

“People respond to pain,” he told The Union-Tribune. “If I go out and wash cars for $10, who gives a (darn). People want to see you throw up, cry and go through tremendous suffering.”

Goggins says he has raised nearly $300,000 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

While Goggins says the Ford Ironman World Championship pales in comparison to other endurance events as far as difficulty, he has total admiration for the men and women who participate in the event, particularly the professionals and elite age-groupers.

“These people are very special,” he says. “Especially the pros. Never in a million years could I hang with those guys. They have different body styles, different turnover. They’re elite athletes. I’m not an elite athlete. I’m just a guy who suffers.”

Goggins has finished third at the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile ultramarathon that starts in the heat of summer in Death Valley, California, and finishes 8,360 feet up Mount Whitney. He has run 203½ miles in a 48-hour event.

Suffer is what the guy does best.

“I like picking the hardest thing to do,” he says. “That’s the only way I can find out what I’m about. I can’t find out what I’m about watching TV.”

Train and Abel

Last weekend we ran 16 miles. Here's one thing you need to know: A runner who is trained will kill someone who is able.

The Houston Marathon will be the second event I will have trained specifically to complete. The other being the Walt Disney World Triathlon in which I also competed with Team in Training.

I hate training. That is one reason I really like TNT, because it is easier to run when you see people fighting cancer. To just be able to complete the events I do is what makes it fun for me. I like having a body capable of completing almost anything I try and make it do.

Next weekend with TNT we run 18 miles. I will give you a hint what we run the weekend after that as we get ready for the Houston Marathon. HINT - The mileage doesn't decrease. While I am able to run the distances, something is missing. Namely, my goodie bag, free shirt, and thousands of people cheering me on.

Stronger Ears

I find myself tired.

Doing the same routine can be exhausting. It becomes boring and workouts become burn outs. Time for some new tunes.

While Rocky and Karate Kid soundtracks aren't going anywhere, somebody better get to iTunes and download Trip Lee - Exhaustible. Christian Hip-Hop/Rap (not an oxymoron) at its finest. Sometimes you just need some new beets. That is, if you want to make a beet salad. After all, the root of a beet is a good source of iron.

The Thing About That...

The secret to making a marathon seem shorter WAS running 50 miles. In an ultra, after the number 50 there can be a K or M. Besides having a single L between them, they are also separated by 19 miles.

I signed up for the 50K.

Let us all point to this moment as the single sign I have become wiser in my old age.

Runners Joke

Who Fartlek'd?

Competitive Advantage

Sometimes I wish I could fly and shoot lasers out of my eyes.

Superman can shoot lasers out of his eyes can't he?

Yeah, he is pretty cool.

Becoming 100%

It has been an off two weeks. My ankle is almost fully healed and it will be good to have a healthy foot. Also, unbeknownst to you the reader, my personal nurse excluded, the probably fatal unidentified fungus/creature of death growing on my arm is fading.

Weird. I know. It itched a lot and was getting better until I tried to scratch it off my arm. That, as I now know, does not work. I am ready for a healed vessel, so that I can continue to hone the weapon.

Sarlacc Pit

The thing about training is, I eat a lot and often. Today, after a 6 a.m. 14 mile run I made a meat and potato omelet. Upon completion I was like, "Ok, what's for breakfast?"

Blah, Blah, Blah

Here is an example of what you can choose to read if you are a serious endurance athlete. Numbers, numbers, & numbers. That is one way to take the fun out of it, add math.

Joe Friel's Blog

The Most Common Ironman Mistake

In Kona this year I met an age-group athlete the day before the race. Nice guy. After the race he wrote me with a question about his race. He also sent me his WKO+ power-data file. You can see it below. What I saw is typical of most Ironman athletes. It’s easy to fix but requires dedication as it isn’t what you want to do in a race. The other chart you see farther down is explained in my answer.

Question: I have been training with power (bike) and GPS (run) throughout this year and have felt as though I had nailed my plan down. On my bike, I did a bunch of rides 4:30-6:00 and was able to maintain 200-220 watts (I usually don’t use normalized power because I can’t see it on my computer). Also, my critical power is around 290. I use the 20 minute all out and the 3 minute all out to calculate this. I had registered for Ironman Florida as well so I really didn’t want to push too hard and have nothing left. I figured I would stay around 200-210-ish to be safe. Coming out of the swim and going to the bike my legs felt pretty tired. I was able to keep the watts up in the beginning but it really felt like I was pushing a lot harder than what my watts were showing. By mile 40 I started cramping in my VMO on both legs. This went on for the next several miles and got worse. At this point all goals went out the window and it was a race of survival at that point. My average power was 169 and normalized power was 179 (which is the lowest long ride I have done in months). I was hoping to finish the bike in 5:30 but only managed 5:57...which I was actually happy with considering the conditions of the race and my body. I felt good from a nutrition standpoint. I think I was a little dehydrated but not by much (i urinated before the bike and 2x on the bike and none on the run). Of course, the bike killed my run as well. I was hoping for a 3:45 run (which I have done before). In my previous ironman races I have been sore for the whole week. Two days after the race I was stiff but not bad and think it may have been due to my flight home more than the race. Four days out I felt great.

I was totally baffled by this result and wondered am I asking too much out of myself? Could the conditions of heat and wind have that much of an effect on my performance or am I missing something here?

Answer: It’s always a bit difficult to draw conclusions from just one piece of data even if it is over nearly 6 hours. Having heart rate in addition to power would have been good to see what you were experiencing effort-wise and to get some idea of what the heat was doing to you, also. I would like have seen how much cardiac drift/decoupling was going on. That can be found on the “graph” view of WKO+ where it says “Pw:HR.” But I’m fairly confident I see the cause of your demise on the bike. It has to do with variability index. I see this a lot and spend months teaching the athletes I train how to control it by working on pacing while staying very focused on power in training and races.

Variability index (VI) is normalized power divided by average power. The resulting ratio should be less 1.05 I’ve found in long course racing. Your average VI for the entire race was 1.08. Much too high. Looking at it by quarters reveals even more. That’s what the chart attached shows. In Q1 VI was 1.08, Q2 it was 1.07 and in Q3 climbing to Hawi and descending it was 1.11. For 84 miles of the race you were averaging 1.09 for VI. It didn’t drop back down into the goal range of less than 1.05 until the final quarter when fatigue set in and forced you to ride steady.

What these VI numbers tell me is that you were surging a lot—in and out of corners in town, into head wind, up and down small hills, when someone passed you or you passed others, etc. Surges sap you of energy very quickly and also play havoc with your gut’s processing of fluid and fuels. Steady state pacing is a far better use of your energy. I expect your long rides did not have nearly this high of a VI. They, just like your race, should have a VI less than 1.05. Until you can do that it is unlikely that you will ever produce your best possible long course ride.

Also attached is a chart from an athlete I used to coach who was the best I’ve ever worked with for low VI scores. Here he does 112 miles in training in 4:44 with a VI of 1.01. He raced exactly the same as he trained. There was never any question that he would have a good IM ride. This is exactly what you need to work on doing also. Make your rides exactly like what you expect to do in the race – as much as possible. Terrain and weather may confound the preparation a little but you need to decide how to handle those also relative to your power. Once you learn to ride this same way you’ll have good races without issues, at least not on the bike.

You mentioned that you didn’t see any way to ride normalized power in the race. Actually, you can. If you ride at a steady power output of VI less than 1.05 the average power on your device will be almost the same as normalized power. In fact, what you should do is to set a race power goal based on the NP from your long rides in the last several weeks before the race. So if you determine that an appropriate NP is, say, 200w then you just ride steadily trying to average 200w. At less than 5% VI your range would wind up being +/- 10w or less. But realize that the goal number you come up with must be based on actual training data, not what you think you are capable of. That’s a whole other discussion.

Nothing Worse/Nothing Better

As I mentioned in the post about practice, (What are we talking about?) I am part of a Masters Swim program. Just to clarify "Masters Swim" doesn't mean you are Phelpsish. Though there are 6 lanes and lane 1 is basically swimming with watercraft. I swim in lane 4. I have tried to swim in lane 3 and it is like being in a tank with dolphins.

There is nothing worse than waking up at 5:30 a.m. to get to your workout. Though, there is nothing better than finishing your workout at 7:15 a.m. beating the sun to work on your way to becoming IRON.

REALLY!?!

Remember when I hurt my ankle and said I was going to let it rest and not run on it?

First, big chance I get, I run 17 miles on it. REALLY!?! Our TEAM practice this morning had us running 12 miles and I wrapped my ankle and tried to hang out in the back of the pack. About 50 minutes into the run, my ankle hurt but wasn't getting worse, so, I went after the leaders of the pack. A wrong turn and 5 miles later, my "test" of my ankle was complete. It is OK.

But, REALLY!?!

The Secret

A marathon is a long distance. 26.2 miles of anything is a lot. That is what I will run in January and I need to find a way to make it "seem" easier. Helloooooo... ULTRA.

An ultramarathon is any running event longer than a traditional marathon. Simple solution to make 26.2 miles seem shorter, run 50 miles. And that is exactly what my next event does, it makes the marathon seem shorter. While this seems crazy, and it is, the ULTRA and I have some history.

Last Fall, I had the Las Vegas Marathon on my calendar and my uncle mentioned an ultra in Mississippi he really enjoys, the MS50. The MS50 offers an interesting feature, the organizers allow runners during the race to switch races after one or two loops; 20K to 50K or 50 Mile; 50K to 50M or 20K; or 50M to 50K or 20K. I signed up for the full encalada, 50 miles. But, after the LV Marathon my left knee felt really weird and the story ends with me having knee surgery on it in January. I did go to Mississippi that March and completed the 20k walking. But, the MS50 has been the one race that I didn't finish what I set out to do. It really bugs me. I fully intend on one day making it back and finishing the 50 miler. Also, I want that belt buckle. But, for now a race closer to home will do.

After all, the Sunmart Texas Trail Endurance Run is the premier trail run in the United States. But, you don't get a belt buckle.

FORE!

Well, I got an injury. A golf injury, no less. A ball was hit back to me, and I tried to stop the ball with the inside part of my shoe. The ball "jumped" (I misjudged it) and it hit me right on the button. I have decided to let it heal and not run on it. I did decide to try and finish the round. I finished with double the left ankles I began with.

More Oyster

This is a photo from a previous Oyster Race. So, now you can see why we didn't win.

If you are curious exactly what we did in the race, they've posted the Austin race as their sample course. If you are really curious, we started and transitioned from RunTex.

PFunk's Travels

With my travels having taken me the last two weekends to Austin to compete in over 12 hours of racing, I feel like I should have something bigger to do this weekend. Alas, my next event isn't until January, the Houston Marathon. Here are some thoughts on my latest adventures though...

The fact that I am alive is good. Check off priority Number #1 on the list.

The fact that the day after the 70.3 race I went online to see when the next available race at that distance is, is scary.

Equally scary, is me shaving my legs for the race.

The 70.3 was a perfect distance. It is definitely not something to just sign up for on a whim, but with training, a great feat. The day before the race I was at a sports bar and told a guy about the race I was doing and the distances involved. You could see in his eyes his brain doing math, computing what he had just heard and translating it into how long that would actually take. His response came with slight bewildered, "Man, I think I am just going to grill and watch the Cowboys game tomorrow." We had different Sundays.

There is now a strange calm I have about the Ironman. The distances, the times, they don't scare me as they once did. I know one thing about the Ironman I didn't before, I need to go faster. The longer you are out there, the more slowly you break.

Adventure races are not what I thought they were. I thought there were more activities to do involving my skills. Nunchaku skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... In this adventure race it was basically location hunting by means of running, biking and roller blading/scootering, though one part you did kayak.

I really did my best to put the economy back on track this week. The race required a number of items I did not have. I bought roller blades, rather mountain skates that are on and off road capable, a full set of pads, (the mountain skates do not have any kind of brake on them), and a scooter capable of "scooting" without having to push off the ground with your foot.

Katherine did an amazing job filling in on team Rad Racing with tax man Jeff ("Hollywood" Mike Miranda) bailing the week before we went to Helltrack. And D (Cru Jones) did a good job of costing us the race well within the first hour, biking ahead after completing our second task, getting lost, and not making it back to transition for a good 20 minutes.

Is it still considered last place if you were the last team to finish the race, without getting scratched from the course? If so, put us down for that one. Here are the results.

There were two really interesting tasks in the Oyster Race. One task your team had to locate a specific building and get to the 19 floor. When we found the building, you could only use the stairwell. In another task you had to get to this frisbee disc course, by means of roller blades/scooter/skateboard and play hole 17 or 18 and complete the hole in under four shots/throws. If after two attempts your team failed to received a four or less, the representative would punch your passport and you could continue to your next challenge. Here's the trick, this task is one that is not skill related, but strategy related. I just wanted to play frisbee golf, I'll let you figure it out.

 

The Ultimate Urban Adventure Race

I love doing races. Mainly, races I have never done before and particularly different types of races. I had never known the world of adventure racing until D sent me a link and said we should do this... The Oyster.

6 hours, 3 minutes and 44 seconds later, and after I had eaten an oyster on Passport #8...

Katie, our supreme support person and only clue we had as to which way to go in a city none of us knew, we couldn't have done it without you.

My First 70.2?

From the Race Director:

"We recognize that the swim was short. Unfortunately, due to the heavy wind gusts, some of the buoys moved after they were checked on race morning, about 20 minutes before the swim start. We didn't realize it until looking at the results. We wish we could control everything, but Mother Nature has the final say."

My First 70.3

I had swam the 1.2, biked the 56 miles and neared mile marker 10. Still ahead loomed round 2 with QUADZILLA. My watch read 5:31:30. The prospect of 'just finishing' faded. It became clear then that I had to break 6 hours. Possibly, my finest 3 miles ever.

Saturday

As with any story, I should start at the beginning.

Saturday my left knee felt the blade of a razor for the second time this year. The first time was in January and I was on a gurney. This time I was in the shower with a Gillette Venus 3. With the information you now know, I will make this point; self checkout registers are great, not just for lines.

I now am waiting for the hair on my arms and legs to grow back. I read in a blog, if you hadn't swam with your arms and legs shaved you should do it at least once. Also, bikers are known to shave their legs. While faster racers might argue wind resistance, the real concern is in the event of a crash.

So, I have silky smooth arms and legs.

Tough Just Getting To The Line

It is the weekend of the race. I can't wait to race, but this is the most I have thought about a race before and it becomes mostly negative the longer it continues. This race's association with the Ironman just means more to me, because it is an official 70.3. I also know that I need to cross this finish line and then want to line up at the starting line and do it again, but not this Sunday.

I haven't trained near what I need to; though that is what I feel the least concerned about. Both my runs this week have felt alarming. Every muscle and ligament feels like it is sending a slight signal, vying for my attention, to stay inspective of it. This is a particularly bad feeling having had surgery within the year. I have been doing a lot of stretching to try and help this. A number of people in my office are sick. I can't explain how much I have just wanted to be in a bubble unharmed for the week. I was even hesitant to play certain sports and risk getting hurt. I can't stand the idea of 'playing not to get injured' and being reluctant on a play.

With triathlons, there is a lot of do before a race, a lot to set up with your bike and transition area. It is very different than a marathon, just lacing up some sneakers the morning of and showing up at the starting line. I think I will feel more prepared when I am in Austin and have my stuff set up. Or, I will feel more scared, lye awake Saturday night tucked tight in a ball, cry myself to sleep and stand at the starting line nervous and wet myself.

It would make sense why they call them 'wetsuits.' Though, it would also make sense that they call them wetsuits because you use wear them in water.

The Deal

Here is the deal. I think a lot of people don't know the different distances and names of races in the world of triathlons. Similarly, a great track runner could tell someone they are going to compete in the steeplechase and one might think, "Golly, this equestrian I am talking to must be an accomplished rider."

Someone asked me if I was doing a "mini-triathlon" this weekend. Mini? Kind of.

Names of races don't really correlate with distances to those that really don't compete. When I was raising money last year for Team In Training and competing in my first triathlon, an Olympic distance, people would say I was doing an Ironman. It is probably the first thing that comes to mind with the word triathlon, but the difference is a great distance.

On Sunday, I will compete in a half-Ironman, referred to as a long course or 70.3. It is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. Total miles = 70.3. There are cut off time limits within each event and you have to finish the entire race within 8 hours.

Ready... Set... Wait? How far is this again?

Raw Talent

I remember that one fateful day when Coach took me aside. I knew what was coming. "You don't have to tell me," I said. "I'm off the team, aren't I?" "Well," said Coach, "you never were really ON the team. You made that uniform you're wearing out of rags and towels, and your helmet is a toy space helmet. You show up at practice and then either steal the ball and make us chase you to get it back, or you try to tackle people at inappropriate times." It was all true what he was saying. And yet, I thought something is brewing inside the head of this Coach. He sees something in me, some kind of raw talent that he can mold. But that's when I felt the handcuffs go on.

A Deep Thought by Jack Handey

Gear

Today, I bought the shoes I am going to run the Houston Marathon in.

Really the only two things I, and you, need to know about these racers is that I purchased them for $30 and on the bottom, in print you have to search to find, inscribed is "LICKETY SPLIT!"

But What Am I Going To Wear?

With less than 9 days until the race, I realize, I need a uniform. I have my TEAM tri uni, but in the Ironmans I am not racing with TNT.

I can swim, bike, and run all I want, but it means nothing if you don't look good doing it.

I need a headband that lets people know as I pass them to perhaps be aware of a karate chop, and I need spandex for speed and agility, and I need neon.

Faded denim never looked so good crossing the finish line.

I need to do all Ironman races in vintage Agassi wear. eBay Agassi Challenge Court searchers beware, there is a new sniper online.

Pre Lives

I recently bought an old school track jacket, written on the back is "Pre Lives."

Steve Prefontaine was a crazy runner with a great 'stache who said, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." Here is the only thing you really need to know about Pre from Wikipedia:

Prefontaine was an aggressive runner, insisting on going out hard and not relinquishing leads, a tactic that his fans and fellow competitors admired. He was quoted as saying, "No one will ever win a 5,000 meter by running an easy two miles. Not against me." He would later state, "I am going to work so that it's a pure guts race. In the end, if it is, I'm the only one that can win it."

It is sad when greats die young, though as the jacket says, "Pre Lives."

Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. With a half-Ironman race a little over two weeks away, and a distance that is farther than any other I have completed to date, this feels like what I should be eating.

It is a familiar feeling, I feel unprepared. Nails for breakfast seems like the only thing that might toughen me up in the little time I have before I stand in the water with hundreds others. Though it is fun for me, because I haven't done this distance before, and ultimately when I am done honing the weapon, this distance will seem short of a warm up.

Still, I feel unprepared because I haven't trained in the distances I should have, with the disciplines together as they will be on race day, because I could get pulled off the course for not making a time cut, and I might be a little concerned one of these distances is too much.

I've heard 50% of training is getting on the starting line healthy. I'm just unsure which 50% this breakfast is going to help.

Run Humans Run

One of the coolest races I have ever participated in was the one in which I saw only one other runner on the course. The course, planet earth.

The Nike+ Human Race 10K was billed as the day the world stopped to run. The race had 25 official races around the world. And, you could participate anywhere in the world with Nike+. Of course I had all the gear, my Nike+ shoes, SportBand (the most ingenious invention, but that doesn't work - reviews don't lie), and official race jersey. (Again, ingenious. Each shirt is personalized with an individualized bib number.)

I ran the race early in the morning in the hills of the Rocky Mountains. I didn't expect to see anyone but was having a good time in my official race jersey knowing, the world out there, others were running too. Then, about 30 minutes in a girl passed me in the opposite direction listening to an iPod in her official race jersey. We both smiled and I'm pretty sure I started running faster. I think I beat her.

Proof positive that the SportBand doesn't work: I don't remember that gravitation pull my pace line is experiencing in my uploaded run. It also recorded my time at 56'02" HA, what a faulty piece of equipment, wait, what?, that was my actual time, probably still is broken though.

 

The worst part about having a microchip record your race distance? Oh I guess coming up .01K short of the actual imaginary Nike+ Human Race 10K finish line.

Longing for Season 5?

One thing I find interesting is thinking about everyone you know and then imagining everyone on a island. Who would love the setting, survive and flourish, who would hate the situation, act irrational, and self destruct. The most intriguing piece about this scenario is that some would do well based on their mental capacities, others drawn from experiences, and some just on physical strength. I imagine this and think about the Ironman, because an Ironman race would claim anyone who didn't excel in all three.

Distance - My Benzoylmethyl Ecgonin

I think, for me, I love to race not for the competition, but for my body. We have all been given a very sharp, intelligent instrument and it is interesting to see others and how they choose to use it. I think that is part of the fun of watching the Olympics, because you get to witness a human machine trained to do a specific task better than anyone else in the world. A gold medal means out of 6.692 billion people, you are the best of all.

One thing I find curious about myself, and am finding out now, is I don't think racing a previous distance is exciting. I am training for my 3rd marathon, I am a bit bored, though not because I find the challenge easy. I will run the 26.2 miles and hopefully, as is the goal with every race I enter, I will finish. I haven't finished either marathon in less than 4 hours. It is a goal this time around, but really, I just find myself wondering how much farther I could go, if any. Time and PRs seem like footnotes.

The prospect that only distance is consequential to me is a bit frightening. I pretty much want to do as many races as I can and I currently only want to know the title of "Ironman," though what if I do finish? The idea that I would want to do more is sickening, even to me. I can't imagine it now, and in less than 30 days I will get a good taste of half.

A Race On The Moon

I tried to search for a race on the moon, but no one is trying to organize one yet. I guess that would make sense. Do you think in our lifetime there will be a race on the moon? Certainly the rules would have to be tailored, no jet packs, no pushing into outer space, and you have to have your Nike Gravity Boots activated. Or maybe ONLY jet packs.

Anyway, first we have to figure out who owns the moon.

Crash

Due to a server crash the Ironman Lake Placid website had last week, Community Fund participants data was lost and not able to be retrieved. So, I had to register again. Bad omen? No, I just filled in my name, address and insurance information again.

One thing I noticed later, and apparently others noticed earlier, is that on the participant list it even lists your occupation. You don't have to fill out this field, but I think some people made the most out of their second chance at this description. Here are some of the occupations of the people signed up for the event:

"Nurse/Fitness Instructor"

"Evil Scientist"

"Wikipedia Fact Checker"

"Businessman"

"Assistance to the Regional Manager"

"Samurai"

"Good Deed Doer"

"Triathlete (And Recreational Dentist)"

"Fortune Teller" (Probably the best occupation to have going into a race like this)

"Shape Shifter"

"Duke of Awesomeness"

"Professional Thumb Wrestler"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor"

"Bathroom Attendant"

"Cat Whisperer"

"Pirate"

"Intergalactic Law Enforcement"

"Columbian Drug Lord"

"Gremlin Keeper"

"Professional Unicycle Mechanic"

"Goat Herder"

Sounds like a bit of a mixed bag. Let's race clowns.

Love Running More

A while back, I hated running. I could run while I did something else, like playing basketball or tennis, there was no joy in running without chasing a ball of some kind to redirect and lure my athletic talent elsewhere. But somewhere along the way, I stopped chasing a ball and no longer looked for a court, or any kind of special playing surface, everything became in play, everything became an obstacle to leap, bound and go past, and I just need shoes to play. It is different now. Now, I love running. We have a special relationship.

Editor's Note: Last Saturday, apparently I forgot my milk bottle.

Walking Until You Require A Walker

I really like testing my body's endurance during a performance and my brain's stupidity to comply. So, on Saturday, I put myself in motion for a continuous 10 hours.


This photo couldn't be more appropriate. I found this car around 8:15 a.m. as I began to walk. Who said God doesn't have a sense of humor?

The easiest way to prepare for a big walk is to run 8 miles, then walk for hours. Here is an outline of my pretty nice little Saturday:

SCHEDULE

6:00 a.m. - Woke up
6:15 a.m. - Left the house with my vest, wallet, keys, phone, hat, & trusty Gatorade bottle full of Instant Breakfast
6:15 - 6:30 a.m. - Walked and drank my breakfast
6:30 - 7:15 a.m. - Ran 5 miles to TEAM practice
7:15 - 7:45 a.m. - Ran 3 miles
7:45 - 8:00 a.m. - Drank water and stretched
8:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. - Walked (and questioned what I was doing with my life)

I tried to think about each hour differently and focus on what I would be walking past during that hour. One thing I like to do on a run, or in this case a walk, is look at my body like I am looking at a car dashboard - how's the old speedometer, fuel gauge, am I overheated, or see if the check engine light is on. I also like to monitor each part. Here is what started to break:

BREAKDOWN

Really early, like in the 1st hour (8:00-9:00 a.m.) I made up my mind I wasn't doing a round trip, way to taxing to decide to come back mentally. It was going to be far easier to just runaway (walkaway). My phone quickly became my most important possession.

My right calf became hard around the 4th hour (12:00 - 1:00 p.m.). It never cramped up fully, it just felt really tight and balled up, like I had a baseball for a muscle.

My right hip started to hate the continuous motion around the 5th hour (1:00 - 2:00 p.m.). Around this time I also started to feel pain on my feet. I wasn't sure if I had blisters or not, but it didn't feel good. It rooted from the fact that I was walking along highways, right beside the access roads, and often there was no sidewalk and I was mowing my way through knee high grass and weeds. The part of my feet that hurt were the side walls, my blisters were not on the bottom of my feet, it was a first and a wired hurt, not ideal.

None of this stuff got better or stopped hurting as a reward for walking farther.

MISTAKES

I didn't treat this like I should have, like a real endurance event. I should have made a lot more "race day preparations." I will spare details, but Body Glide (just check the product rating) should have been heavily applied.

I should have brought and used sunscreen. (No brainer? My head might be a no brainer.)

I should have mapped out a plan. I was trying to walk to the Premium Outlets and just had a general direction I was walking. I should have had a mapped out plan so I could avoid highways and utilize roads and sidewalks. I found that I walked about .5 - 1 mile per hour farther just by walking on a solid surface.

I should have brought an extra pair of socks and shorts. After an 8 mile run, I sweat, and I don't mean that in a "glistening" way. I mean, jump in a pool and quickly spring out kind of wet. It amplified a couple of the breakdowns.

MAP

The dots don't mean anything I just had to plot my course.

AFTERMATH & CONCLUSION

After I called in my AIRVAC, I was picked up at point "B" (290 and 1960). I was so tired, I only wanted a nap, a nap right after a shower, my legs were covered in lots of dirt and brush. It didn't help that I was so burned on my neck, heat felt like it was radiating from me. After the shower I had the chills pretty good, I haven't really had that after a race. I would be burning up and sweating, but felt like I was freezing under a blanket, that hurt the nap a little.

I wish I had of made it to my destination, but (in this case) there is always next time. If you have an idea of something crazy I should do, let me know and I will consider putting myself through it. One day I plan on being able to tell my body, "Quiet you, you've been through worse."

It Can Always Get Worse

This is actually a picture of me before knee surgery earlier this year in January.

However, Saturday I did do my best to put myself back in this position...

What Are We Talkin Bout'? Practice!

6:00 a.m. masters swim practice at Rice. Those mornings I wake up and think, it's just practice. I could sleep in, I might miss one practice all year. I mean we are talking about practice.

A Side Order of Liver

So an article read, "The Results Of A Famous United States Army Laboratory Study That Increased Endurance by 923%," I read it, and it is an infomercial, much to no one's surprise. However, now I know who Jack LaLanne is. How I didn't know before is fascinating because...

1954 (age 40): Jack swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, underwater, with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks.

1956 (age 42): Jack set a world record of 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes.

1975 (age 61): Repeating his performance of 21 years earlier, Jack again swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater and handcuffed, but this time he was shackled and towed a 1,000-pound boat.

Editor's Note: I do not plan to increase my intake of liver. Also, the attached picture of a liver has Cirrhosis, and that would make it perhaps less tasty.

Stay Strong

I don't run with music, but I do like to listen to something before I run and then pretty much just sing the chorus over and over in my head while I run. My first marathon involved a lot of the Karate Kid and Rocky soundtracks. Stay Strong by Newsboys is my current Ironman anthem.

Jump Rope

I think the most underrated piece of equipment an athlete can have is the jump rope. I use my jump rope I still have from my tennis team in high school, you usually don't have to replace these things too often. Simple, yet so difficult. My goal is to be able to jump rope for 30 minutes. So far I am at 205 jumps, and that probably took me a minute. Might need to work on this. Of course, if you get tired of jumping the rope you could always get three buddies and up the ante.

My Battle with 3 Pounds

I had a vanilla sky moment yesterday. Rather than seeing Benny the Dog on TV, I got glued on Discovery Channel's "The Human Body: Pushing the Limits." A couple things:

When faced with crisis or a life threatening situation, time can seem to slow down. Why? The show detailed that the brain takes in about 30 frames from the eyes a second. In a crisis, it takes in about double. The added frames a second gives you more information than you normally would have had and decisions become clearer because of the amount of information you have to process a decision.

The body is basically a nervous system with the brain at its core. The nervous system sends signals to the brain and the brain processes and recognizes the signals as an emotion. I am interested in pain, with my name on an Ironman entry list, I should be. What if I trained my brain to recognize pain as euphoria? In the program a dentist that uses hypnosis, no anesthesia, filled a crown in a patient's mouth. While, I'm not changing dentists, the detailed explanation of how the brain works and receives signals and translates them into emotions is become something science is very interested in learning to alter. If you are not sold on hypnosis, the program also detailed that similar nervous system responses can be achieved through meditation, used by the Shaolin Monks.

Another study had a person who feels chronic pain in their shoulder, set up on a machine that gave the patient visual imagery of the activity of their brain, the image the person saw was of a flame. The larger the flame the more pain the person was feeling at the time. By focusing on the visual imagery of the flame on a screen and trying to decrease its size, thinking about what part of the body didn't hurt or of happier feelings, studies showed that the chronic pain in patients decreased by 50 percent.

Someone told me the Ironman is just mind over body, the 3 pounds I'm struggling with is my brain.