One Week Later

It has been a little over a week since I fractured my foot.  I continue to hobble around, but with much greater speed and efficiency now.  I'm also getting in my biking, swimming and strength training and trying to substitute my running by doing the equivalent time on an elliptical machine.  I'm even wearing the special prescribed shoe as regular as possible.

Based on the pain, however, it looks like it will require the full six weeks of recovery before I can run. :-(

The Prognosis

So I go to the doctor yesterday about my foot.  I knew I was in trouble from the start when the assistant asked me the make and model of the shoe I was running in when the injury occurred.  "Well, ah, self made huaraches, sort of like barefoot running."  I get a stern look and get sent to X-Ray.  Mind you, I chose this doctor because she regularly runs ultras, so I knew she'd understand my compulsive behavior with endurance racing.

A few minutes later, the doctor (Dr. Stacey Bacon) enters the room and immediately starts to lecture me on how I should not be running barefoot.  It seems she was already briefed by a doctor/neighbor/friend of mine that morning about my background.  She even knew I had switched from the full Houston Marathon to the half.  I mean she went on for at least five straight minutes about how running barefoot is not a good idea.  Since I was in to see her due to barefoot running, I'm agreeing with her the entire time--yet, I had to endure the whole speech.  Now that wouldn't be bad, except my wife was in the room and loving every minute of having another women read me the riot act!

Dr. Bacon quickly reviewed the X-Rays, which showed nothing unusual (stress fractures won't show up until they start to heal).  She reviewed my foot and symptoms as well.  She said she's not sure if it is a stress fracture or something like a stress "response".  So I go back for more X-Rays in three weeks.  At that time she can determine if it is actually fractured or just bruised up.  Until then I'll be focused on cycling and swimming.

Train safe!

Don't Go Barefoot

Well, an end has come to my experiment with running in minimalist shoes.  Friday morning I ran a three mile warm up, planning to run an addition seven in shoes.  After about 2.5 miles my right foot really started to hurt, so much so that I really wanted to stop.  I pushed it home anyway. 

I then changed into shoes, even though my right foot really hurt.  I thought that maybe it was one of those types of pains that sometimes go away when you start running again.  Unfortunately that was not the case.  I could only go another 1.7 miles before I threw in the towel.

Since then I've not been able to walk on it.  Saturday morning the top of my foot turned black and blue.  Then it swelled up and I'm still having a hard time walking on it.  I'm afraid it is a stress fracture.  I see the doctor tomorrow morning.  As a result I've changed from the Houston Full Marathon to the Half Marathon, hoping that I can at least have a fun walk that day (today was the last day to make the switch, otherwise I would have waited until after the doctor looked at it).

Looks like my focus will be on cycling and swimming for the next six weeks.

So, in conclusion, I don't recommend following the barefoot craze.  I will not be prescribing this for my clients.  Nothing beats a good pair of running shoes for running.

Train safe (do as I say, not as I do)!

Sugarland 30K

I surprised myself yesterday with my performance in the 30K in Sugarland, TX.  As reported earlier, I've felt it difficult to recover from running "barefoot".  This was the longest race for me since the NYC Marathon and I did not taper.  I set my goal at 2:28, which would be at my goal pace for the Houston Marathon. 

I started out WAY to fast, but yet it felt so easy.  I kept going thinking my Garmin maybe lost its signal, so I was waiting for it to catch up.  By the end of the second mile I realized averaging 7:15/mile was just too fast considering I still had over 16 miles to go.  I just couldn't seem to slow down, though.  After a show bathroom stop at about mile 3, I was able to at least settle into about a 7:30 pace through the next 8 miles.  Unfortunately the damage had been done (going out too fast) and I paid the price.  I tried to accelerate toward the end and by the effort I felt I was giving it, I sure thought I was.  Yet, the pace continued to worsen. 

Nonetheless, I ended up with 2:23, way ahead of my goal.  I wonder what I could have done if I executed my race better?

Train safe!

Barefoot running update

I've been very patient in building up my mileage in my self made huaraches.  I ran three (3) miles in them last Saturday morning followed by three miles in shod.  Here is what I've experienced so far:

1. I can run faster in my huaraches, likely due to their weight compared to shoes.
2. Surprisingly my HR tends to be quite a bit higher than when I'm running in shoes.  I can't explain this one other than perhaps item 1 above.
3. My feet do need to get "broken in."  Not so much from the lack of cushioning, but due landing differently (on the toes) to more flexing during the toe off, the muscles in the bottom of foot get "workout sore."  I find I need to stretch the bottoms of my feet--this is new to me.
4. The biggest difference I have found is the amount of muscular soreness (again "workout sore") I experience in my glutes/hip region.  I feel as if I've done a TON of squats the following day.  Trying to assess this, I believe it due to the change in my gait needed to run without cushioning.  In other words, my legs have to be the complete shock absorber to avoid the shock of landing on concrete.  Just running 2-3 miles in huaraches seems to require about 2-3 days for these muscles to recover.

Although the weather in Houston is getting a bit less conducive to barefoot running, on warmer days, I will continue to build my mileage.  I figure if I need that much recovery, it must be making me stronger, right?

Train safe!

Barefoot Running

After reading the book "Born to Run" one has to at least try to run barefoot.  Well, I bought a huarache kit from www.invisibleshoe.com, made them and tried them out this morning (I purposely waited until after the NYC Marathon).  I easily ran a half mile warm up in them on the concrete streets of my neighborhood.  I didn't feel pain in my legs nor my feet, surprisingly.  As soon as I put my running shoes on, about a half mile into the rest of my run, I started getting some twinges in the hip that I've been fighting for the last couple of weeks.  I did not feel this during my half mile warm up in huaraches.

I am going to continue to SLOWLY build up some mileage with these huaraches and report my experience.

Train safe!

Prepping for NYC

Last weekend I started getting a bit of twinge in my right hip.  I think it may have been the new pair of shoes (I'm hoping, anyway).  Same brand/model as I've been running in, just a different color.  I think they may have been defective, so I returned them.  Unfortunately, I'm not yet fully recovered.  I won't run today nor tomorrow (Friday and Saturday), so some rest / taper should help. 

Train safe!

Racing and Races

I've been training for the NYC Marathon concurrently with my training for the IM 70.3 Austin which was held last Sunday.  I as pleased with my finish time of 5:14 given the conditions and the course.  It was faster than BSLT.  I thought Austin was a more difficult course; more hills for sure plus half of the run is off-road.

My recovery from IM 70.3 Austin took a little longer than I anticipated.  It probably didn't help that I had to teach a spin class Monday evening, the day after the race, and then I ended up following my own instructions during that class.  I really needed an easy ride, not a bunch of simulated hill climbs!  Oh, well.

My final 18 mile long run for the NYC Marathon was scheduled for this weekend.  The Houston Half Marathon and Relay was also scheduled for this weekend.  So I figured that seeing local friends and running most of my long run as a supported run would be fun.  So I ran 2 miles before the race, raced, and then ran another 3 after the race.  I was a bit slow today given the temperature (75 degrees) and last weekend's Half Ironman.  All in all, a good final long run.

Train safe!

Against the Wind

I couldn't get the old Bob Seger song out of my head yesterday.  I rode a modified version of the Monaville Loop to allow me to do 50 miles.  The ride heads pretty much straight north--and yesterday that was directly into a headwind.  I was able to hang onto an 18 mph average for the first 25 miles, but was pushing high wattage due to the wind.

From Hempstead back to the car it was all tail wind allowing me to average 23 mph for the second half of the ride with a bit less wattage!

I did learn that when the battery starts to go low on the iBike Power Meter, it starts to produce some sporadic readings.  From mile 30 on, it would periodically think I was climbing a steep hill.  According the manual, that is "normal" when the voltage from the battery gets too low.  I now know how to verify before the ride the battery voltage to avoid this issue in the future. 

Train safe!
-Coach Grant

More Hills, Please!

It has been three weeks since racing World's in Germany.  I have been pleasantly surprised at my training post race.  I had completed minimal training the week of World's--about 3 hours total.  Now, I did do a lot of walking while being a tourist, but mostly a week of sitting in the car, driving from place to place.

The first surprise is how quickly I feel I recovered.  The day after the race I, again, did no training.  After all, I was sitting on an airplane from Frankfurt to Houston for nearly 11 hours in a window seat two people away from the aisle seat (two people that wanted to sleep the entire way...no one I knew), so how much could I really do.  LA Fitness called me the day I got back and asked me to substitute teach a spin class that evening, so I did.  From there on, I've been pretty much back on schedule.  I did keep my longer workouts not-so-long, but haven't felt the extreme fatigue I expected.  I will mention, the Houston heat has been quite fatiguing, though.

Secondly, I was surprised at how much my speed has picked up.  I've seen about 2-4 second improvement in my 100s in the pool, a nice increase bike speed, and incredible running improvement.  Even in this heat my easy runs have improved by 20 seconds a mile.  I keep wondering if my Garmin has a problem because there has been a heat advisory nearly ever day this month in Houston, and I'm still able to maintain a good running pace.

I could try to analyze and figure it out, but my guess is that it was the massively insane hills on the bike course in Germany that has added to my fitness.  So I'm going to focus more on hills.

Train safe!

ITU World's Race Report

I continue to describe this race as the most challenging and most fun race I've ever done!  The water was cold (65 degrees F) and I only brought my sleeveless wetsuit.

The bike course was extremely hilly and technical with skinny roads, and I used the same gearing I use in Houston.  On the steep climbs, the locals came out and cheered.  It is the closest I'll ever get to the Tour de France like riding!  According to my iBike, the steepest climb was 16.2%.  Of course what goes up, must come down--translating to a maximum speed of over 44 mph! 

The run was three loops that included a jaunt through downtown Immenstadt.  I saw family and friends multiple times!  Additionally, there were two good friends from Houston, Josh and Jonathan, racing as well.  We saw and encouraged each other throughout the run.

The finish was in the local schools stadium/track arena that included a big screen TV broadcasting the finish!

Additionally, we made new friends while traveling with our exchange student's family.  The Linsler's were gracious in giving us a tour of the "real" Germany, allowing us to stay at their home as well as host us around the country in their personal vehicle.  Not only do I have a "daughter" in Germany, but gained a close friendship with her father, Ralf (thanks, Ralf, Eva, and your entire family!)  

First three photos were taken by Ralf Linsler.  

Train safe!

Back in Business with Power Meter

I went out last week to improve the calibration on my iBike.  One can simply do a quick tilt calibration, enter the weight of you and the bike (with water bottles half full), do a coast down, and you are on your way.  The iBike, though, improves the calculation if you do a 4 mile out and back ride after your coast down.

Last week one evening I did just that.  Then the thing quit working again!

I wrote to Velocomp who promptly sent me some suggestions to try.  If those didn't work, they'd send me a new mount.  I tried everything suggested and it still didn't work, so I proceeded to removed the mount.  Ahhh,  I think I just found the problem..

As I was removing the wire that goes down the fork to measure speed, I noticed that the way I had the wire positioned caused a slight cut and possibly a short across the wires.  I taped that up with some electrical tape, and that fixed it!  I'm back in business with a power meter.

I was able to ride my full 100 mile ride yesterday without incident of the iBike cutting out.  I feel it is calibrated very accurate now, too, as I'm getting numbers close to what I get on the Computrainer.  The nice feature of the iBike is that I can go back and apply the new calibration factors to the old rides (assuming nothing material changed).  So I did just that.  The good news--the long ride data is pretty consistent from ride to ride using my new profile--and improving slightly from long ride to ride (in terms of average watts).  The bad news is that I'm not making exponential gains.

Train safe!

iBike Update

I've been riding with the iBike on my long rides and some of my midweek rides for a couple of weeks now.  I purchased a "close out" iBike Pro wired, so it is a generation old.  Here are what I've experienced so far.

Setup.  Followed quick setup where I only did a tilt calibration, coast down, and wind setting to calibrate the iBike.  The directions recommend that every time you ride, you need to first let the iBike acclimate to the outdoor temperature and then calibrate the wind sensor.  I've found this to be true. 

Issues:

1. Make sure your mounting of the iBike and angle of it doesn't move after calibration.  If it points more up, it thinks you're climbing and show too many watts.  If it points down, it thinks you are going down hill and will reflect as such.
2. While my quick setup works, it is best to perform the recommended 2 mile out / 2 mile back ride after your coast down for more accurate measurements.  I did this in race gear for the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon.
3. During Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon, I tried to get GU off my fingers using water while riding.  I must have accidentally gotten some in the unit, so it stopped working.  It dried out and started working again...after the race.
4. Training in my neighborhood at 4:30 am causes me to ride a course of a lot of turns.  Turns appear to cause the iBike to angle up, thus over stating wattage.

All-in-all, when the tilt is correct (I tightened my handlebars), and I'm not riding in a place with a lot of tight turns, the data matches pretty close to what I get on my Computrainer.  I don't feel confident enough with it yet to use as a race pacing tool given the volatile nature of the wattage numbers being reported .  Perhaps using an average would be better?

More to come as I learn more and gain experience.

Train safe!

Warmed Up at BSLT 70.3

On Sunday, June 27, 2010, I raced the final "warm-up" race toward competing for TeamUSA.  I raced the Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon. 

It was challenging for a couple of reasons. 

First, I had had significant fever and stomach issues on Wednesday and Thursday prior to Sunday's race.  I wasn't sure at that point if I'd even be able to race.

Second, I'd never been to Lubbock.  Upon landing in the airplane, everything looked incredibly flat and barren--minimal trees, minimal hills, minimal crops on all that irrigated farmland.  There is a canyon near Lubbock where they dammed up the river, making Buffalo Springs Lake (where we swam for the race).  The bike and run courses took us out of and back into the canyon several times, which made for a very hilly course.  That's OK, though.  Afterall, I'm training for a race in the Allgaue region of Germany.  It will be very hilly there.

Train safe! 

Cycle Training with Power

I made the plunge (again).  I invested in a power meter to try to be more scientific with my bicycle training.

Why?  I felt my biking performance has leveled off this spring.  Not really getting worse (based on recent races), but not getting any better either.  While I would love to use age as the excuse, there are too many folks out there a lot older AND faster than I am, so that that excuse won't fly.

I reviewed plenty of options including SRM, CycleOps, Polar and iBike.  I opted for the iBike, mainly because it was the cheapest option.  However, I've demonstrated some additionally analysis below.

SRM is clearly the "gold standard" of power meters.  It uses technology to directly measure force applied to the cranks making the numbers accurate and the readout responsive.  Additionally, you can use the device with different sets of wheels as well.  I ruled this option out simply because of cost.  Not only does one need to purchase the power meter, some sort of "head" unit as well in order to read the wattage being broadcase.

The PowerTap from CycleOps also continues to receive great ratings.  It is a hub unit that replaces the hub of the rear wheel, measuring force applied to the rear wheel.  It comes with its own "head" unit.  The PowerTap is a little less expensive than SRM.  I use a deeper set of rims/wheels for racing than I do for training, so I would have to either purchase two PowerTaps or just train and race on the same wheel all the time.  I didn't like this approach.

Polar offers a unit that monitors chain tension to calculate power.  It is much less expensive option.  A colleague of mine actually has one and is quite happy with it.  Reports indicated mixed results with particular challenge noted of getting the unit the correct distance from the chain--consistently.

I decided to try the iBike Pro.  It is the least expensive option and adds the least amount of weight to the bike.  The downside is that it is calculated power and not measured in a direct sense (using strain gauges).  I had tried the iAero wireless with the Remote Wind Sensor (iBike product) last year with mixed results.  When it worked, I loved the data.  However, I experienced a major problem every single week with it so I returned it.  The sad part is that when I was training with it, my cycling dramatically improved.  This made me really rethink what worked well on the unit, and what didn't.  It came down to two things: 1. the wireless would go out for no particular reason, even when on a trainer (the iAero had a nice feature where it could measure power even on a trainer) and 2. the Remove Wind Sensor would pop out of its socket.

iBike offers roughly four models:

1. iBike Sport - basic power functions with current, average, and max of watts and speed.  Speedometer is wired.
2. iBike Pro - same as Sport model, except data can be uploaded onto your computer for analysis.
3. iBike Pro wireless - same as Pro above, but it can capture a heart rate strap and cadence.  I didn't want wireless based on my experience with the iAero.
4. iAero - same as Pro wireless, but can program custom intervals and use on a trainer.

I did remove my aerobottle (replaced it with a Speedfill) and installed the iBike with a Topeak bar extender to get it away from my aerobars.  It has to "see" the wind coming at you while riding.  Arms in the aerobars can block its "vision".  After riding for two weeks with the iBike Pro, I've relearned some of the quirks.  It must stay in the position at which you performed the calibrations.  My handlebars slipped down a bit causing the tilt of the unit think I was riding downhill, causing my reported effort to be less than it actually was.  OK, so tight then handlebars.  Also, temperature can have a huge affect.  The unit has "wind" calibration that in actuality senses pressure.  I recall now that I have to let the unit acclimate to the environment (not just pull it out of an air conditioned car) in order to have accurate readings.

I'm continuing to learn, but it does make me more keenly aware of my riding effort--which should make me faster.

Train safe!

Texas Man Oympic Race Report

I headed up toward Denton knowing rain was in the forecast.  As a matter of fact it was pouring rain in Houston as a I was packing up my equipment.  Jonathan reminded me that if it rained, it would be just like the Redman Half Ironman last Septmember.  Fortunately the rain stopped when I got to The Woodlands on I-45 and I didn't see any more rain the entire drive.  They were still predicting rain, although less of a percentage, for race day.  I had met up with my brother-in-law, Greg, for the race.

We awoke to cooler, drier air--quickly packed up and head to the race site.  I was feeling good about the race, now.  I went and picked up my packet (being I was from out of town, I was allowed to pick up my packet race day).  Quickly went through body marking, set up in transition, stopped at the bathroom, did a short warm up run, stopped at the bathroom again, and headed down to the lake with goggles, cap and wetsuit in my arms.

The swim--The lake was calm and with the clear skies, siting was easy.  I didn't feel like I zigzagged too much.  I do hate when I start drafting someone and decide I should pass them.  That sudden slow down when you go out of the draft makes me feel as if the guy actually accelerated just to spite me.  So this time, I decided to try to kick hard when I attempted to pass.  Kicking well in a wetsuit takes some focus due to the buoyancy in the wetsuit.  But it seemed to work!  I excited with my fastest Olympic distance swim to date!

The bike--I was quite slow getting out of T1 and onto the bike.  After finally getting my shoes, helmet, number belt, and sunglasses on, I was off and riding.  The bike was well marked.  Although, I do have to pay attention to signs.  Since there was also a Half Ironman going on at the same time, I rode right past a sign that said "Olympic Bike Turn Around Here".  All the other cyclists kept going straight;  it took me a couple of seconds to process the fact that I just missed the turn around.  At least after I turned, I had to climb a hill to try to make up the time!  The remainder of the bike was somewhat hilly and uneventful--for me anyway.  There was one bike that had hit gravel and the rider was down.  He was laying on the ground beneath a cop whining in pain (it still hurts me even thinking about it now!).  And we were only about 3 miles from T2. 

As I entered the park, I was confident that T2 was just around the next corner, so I slipped my right foot out of my shoe and started riding with it on top of the shoe.  Well, upon rounding the corner, I thought, "I feel dumb."  T2 was still about another mile away.  So I rode with one foot out of a shoe and one in a shoe.

The run--T2 seemed to be just as slow as T1.  I struggled getting my socks on (I tried the "no socks" routine last year at Clear Lake...a 10K run without socks put not just a blister, but a hole in the bottom of right foot).  I felt like I was flying coming out of T2!  Passing people, my leg turnover was incredible.  A quick left turn, and I found out why.  I had been running down hill.  Basically from here you ran up hill for about 3 miles, turned around and came back.  Half of the run was shaded, so that helped tremendously as the day was starting to heat up.  A guy I had passed earlier in the run eased by me with less than mile to the finish line.  I encouraged him by saying, "Good job."  His reply surprised me, "Come on man!  Let's kick it in for the finish."  I tried to hang onto him to the finish line, but could not. 

While it was not my fastest Olympic distance race, it was close.  I was pleased my performance.  The race venue was great, too.  Nice after race party right on the lake beach.  Maybe I'll try the Half next year?

Train safe!

TKC JCC Family Tri done

Yesterday, I assisted race director Charles Moser with the TKC JCC Family Triathlon.  I was the swim starter and my son was carted the race official around on a motorcycle.  The triathlon is geared for a bit older kids than the other local kid's triathlons.  It was designed to give them a bit more distance (age appropriate of course) than the very short courses for the younger kids. 

We had nearly tripled our numbers from last year, and part of the proceeds go towards Achieve Houston, the camp for which I'm Head Coach.

Train safe!

Fast Swimming

Since I'm now less than 3 days away from my first triathlon this year, I figured I'd perform my swim this morning in my new Xterra Vortex sleeveless wetsuit just to make sure I knew of any chafe points.  Just like my older full sleeve wetsuit, I still can't seem to zip them up on my own.  Nonetheless, after some support from my wife, I was in the pool and swimming.

Wow!  I mean WOW!  I could not believe how fast I was swimming in this thing.  I moved from end to end so quickly that I nearly ran into the side of the pool.  Can't wait to see how it performs Saturday in Galveston.

Train safe!

More than tingling in my Calves

This past weekend required lots of long training.  It included a total of 90 miles of biking, 22 miles of running, and 2000 yards of swimming.

It started out on Saturday with a 16 mile run.  I enjoyed the run, keeping my heart rate in a solid zone 2 at about 138 bpm.  I then consumed some carbohydrates and a protein shake and proceeded to prepare to teach my spin class that I teach regularly at 9:15 am every Saturday morning, including plenty of Gatorade to be sure I wouldn't cramp up from lack of electrolytes.  Even though I had agreed with myself to go "easy" while teaching the class, I would say that my effort was more like moderate to moderately-hard.  In the last 10 minutes of the class, my calf muscles were showing signs of cramping.  These went away, though, after leading the class through a brief stretch.

Feeling OK, I decided I needed to get in 2000 yards of easy swimming in the pool.  The first 1800 yards went pretty well.  In the final 200 yards, my calves yet again started acting up.  I finished up trying desperately to kick as little as possible.  I then sat up on the edge of the pool, lifted my legs out of the water and sat there in amazement for a few minutes.  My calves were not just pulsing, but "wiggling" as if there was something moving about inside my legs.  Weird.

Train safe!

Functional Strength Training

Last November I wrote that I'd be exploring if Crossfit training would work with triathlon.  Since then, I've done a lot of research on Crossfit and functional strength training.  Since then, in addition to my regular triathlon training, I've added two days a week of a variety of functional strength training circuits.  The circuit routines always include a brief warm up, a main set that is generally 20-30 minutes, and ended with a brief stretch/cool down.  These are very fast, intense circuits that include a lot of balance work.

So, are they working?  When I first started them, I had not done much strength work for nearly a year.  The workouts slowed me down both in the pool and in running.  I teach spin classes three days a week, so I limited my off season bike training to just those sessions, so I'm not sure how my bike power was affected by the strength training.  I do know my bike didn't move at all in the class. ;)  After three months, I noticed my running speed was coming back.  Recently I noticed I pulled 7 seconds off my 200's...consistently!  My long weekend rides are also improving...but that could just be because I'm now doing long bike rides.

I've also added a variety of these workouts to my clients' workouts.  They love them for the variety, intensity, and brevity of the workouts.  "Nothing like a 22 minute butt kicking! More, more, more!" wrote one of my clients in their training log.

Therefore, from my own experience, they appear to be contributing to improvement.  Also, my clients have found them enjoyable.  On top of that, the balance work should help prevent injuries.

Train safe!

Frost Yer Fanny 2010

A bit late (6 days) to report on my race last Sunday.  It was a 3 mile run, 15 mile bike, and another 3 mile run.  It is called the Frost Yer Fanny Duathlon.  It was 37 degrees at race start time, 50 by the end of the race.

I'm finally feeling like I'm getting over the problems I've been having in the back of my left leg (it's been slowing me down quite a bit).  I was able to run 6:54 /mile for run 1 (including a tripping and falling over a cone while trying to pass some slower runners at the start), and 6:55 for run 2.  Not quite where I'd like it to be, but much better than the 7:07/mile pace I did in a 10K run at Thanksgiving.  Felt good about the bike, too, pushing 21.3 mph on a turn intensive 3 loop course, including slowing down and checking on a guy that had a bad crash right in front of me on the 1st loop.  Confirmation that my training is working.



Enjoying the journey to get set for Germany .

Train safe!

The ups and downs of the training week

This past week was challenging.  First, I continued to add to my strength workouts. I'm working on individual leg strength and continued to do single leg squats.  To continue with the strength theme, I added distance and intervals to my treadmill workouts.  Due to rain on Friday, I did a strength workout and decided to move my long run to Saturday before heading off to teach my spin class.  A few miles into my fifteen miles the day after single legged squats had me questioning my decision to move days around.

I also decided to do my first long ride of the year.  That decision was made when the temperatures were in the 60's.  Sunday morning temps at Royal Middle School were 33.3 degress F...it said so on the High School digital sign.  I was meeting another rider, Jonathan, so I HAD to do it.  After putting on over 4 layers of clothing (this was the first time I wore booties OVER my toe covers), we headed out.  The wind seemed be against us the entire way, my toes never warmed and my nose wouldn't stop running.  Upon completing the ride, I did NOT want to run.  I was cold, stiff, and sore (remember those single legged squats).  Jonathan convinced us both that we should just do it.

I'm glad we did.  Our pace continued to pick up as we ran, and we finished with feeling returning to our toes.  It actually put the workout, the week, and the drive home, in a positive light. 

Train safe!

Goofy's Challenge and a Half Race Report

During the Goofy's Challenge and a Half, I really did feel more "Goofy" than "Incredible".  Just to remind you, this race is actually two races, a half marathon on Saturday, and a full marathon on Sunday.  Back to back--yep starting times are exactly 24 hours apart.

First the Donald's Half Marathon:  After arriving in Orlando on a delayed flight, followed by a bus ride from the airport to Disney World on the Disney Magical Express, the bus ride was more like an extended milk run.  We were the first people on the bus--and the last to get off.  I can't even remember how many hotels the driver stopped at to drop folks off, but it took what seemed like forever to get to the Animal Kingdom Lodge area.  We finally got to bed by 1:15 AM on Saturday morning.  In order to make it to the Start by 5:40 AM, we were told be on the bus by 4:00 AM.  So after about 1:45 nap, we were up, getting dressed, and eating some breakfast. I was still worried about the sore hip I'd been fighting since the Great Floridian Triathlon.

After a short bus ride, we arrived at the start staging area.  It was about 30 degrees F.  Cold.  Disney was making a great effort to make this a "show" with spot lights waving through the air, a DJ barking and playing loud music, etc.  Racers were huddling together to stay warm.  One person pointed out that it looks like snow in the spot lights.  My wife stated, "No, that's just Disney Magic."  Unfortunately, it was snow...that quickly turned to sleet.  So in the sleet, I headed toward the starting line.  It was an incredibly long walk, as long as the walk in Boston to the starting line.  Not understanding the distance/time to the start line, I got to my corral just after they pulled the separating ropes, so I had to jump the fence to get in queue (with the volunteers yelling for us not to jump the fence).  Just as I got in queue, the starting gun went off. 

Being a ways back, the inital couple of miles were slower than I would normally run, but knowing I had to run a marathon the next day, I was OK with the pace.  Also, I didn't really feel that cold.  Then we turned into the wind.  Brrrr.  Cold sleet pelted my face.  Now I'm thinking, "This was really a Goofy idea."  The sleet eventually turned to a light rain.  The best part was heading into Magic Kingdom from the back lots and turning onto Main Street USA.  The Christmas decor was still out; lots of people; the mayor greeting us.  "Now this is kinda cool!" I thought to myself.  The remainder of the race went well and I was able to pick up the pace a bit.  I noticed a lot of runners were stopping and getting photos with characters.  It was still pretty dark, and I really was more interested in getting back to a warm hotel room than getting photos with Disney characters.  I crossed the finish line, picked up my medal, muffin, fruit cup and headed straight for the bus back to the hotel, hoping to warm up in the bus.  Not today!  The heater in the bus either didn't work or the bus driver didn't know how to work it (why would he...it's Orlando, for crying out loud!).

After shivering all the way back to the hotel, I had a nice HOT bath, lunch, and as a family, we spent the rest of the day wondering EPCOT.

Mickey's Marathon:  Same routine as the half...up at 3:00 AM, on the bus by 4:12 AM.  It was colder, though, 24 degrees F.  At least the sky was clear, so I knew there would be sun later in the race.  This time I brought and checked warm post race clothing, checked it early and headed to the starting line.  This time I made in time to get in the proper corral.  I was still feeling fatigued, but now I was sore from the previous day's run.  I had set a goal for a 4 hour marathon (I had no idea what it would be like running a full the day after a half) before heading to Orlando, but after spending the day in the cold at EPCOT, and the way I was feeling, my finishing goal was being pushed out longer and longer in my mind.

The first few miles were quite laborious.  I noticed I was running close to 8:30 miles, but was not really committed to finishing well.  Knowing I had seven hours to complete the race and still get my "Goofy" medal for completing both the half and full marathons, I started calculating in my head when I could look forward to walking the remainder of the course and still officially finish.  I figured I had to run until mile 9.

At about mile 5 we entered Magic Kingdom.  Characters started showing up along the way.  It hit me, "I paid a lot of money to enter and get to this race.  If I'm not going to have good finishing time, I might as well have a good time while I'm running."  So I decided to stop and have my photo taken with various characters in each of the parks.  There was Magic Kingdom

Then along the golf course

Animal Kingdom

Hollywood Studios

And finally EPCOT and toward the finish line

 

It stayed below freezing the entire race.  So much so, that the aid stations were slick due to the frozen spillage from the cups.  Frost was forming on runner's stocking caps.  But the sun was out, which made it a much more comfortable run than the half's sleet and rain.  I was able to run the entire way, and to my surprise, finished in 3:51.  Yes, I earned my medal(s)!

 

Editorials about this race.  If you do this race, do it for fun, not for a personal record.  The organization was fantastic, even with the bitter cold.  The staging/starting area was set up with much warmer temperatures in mind (the year prior the high for the marathon was 77).  They needed portajohns in the staging area, not after you checked your warm clothes and were headed to the start line.  The bag check should be much closer to the starting line, even though I understand that it was strategically place near the finish line.  Boston figured it out, so can Disney.  

 

Also, I guess I'm spooled with Houston's Marathon, where you head indoors upon finishing and are served a complete, hot breakfast.  The food at the finish line was comparable (not enough in my opinion) to Boston: bagel, fruit cup, banana, and bottle of water or Powerade.  However, it was all separate without a bag to carry it, so you had to juggle your food along with your bag and/or Mylar blanket (afterall, you need to stay warm), it was still below freezing.  At least Boston hands you a prefilled bag of food, making the line move faster through the food area AND preventing gluttons from overloading their bags (preventing later finishers from having anything to eat at all).  

If you go there understanding these nuances and preparing physically and/or mentally for them, it is worth doing for the fun of it.

Goofy's Challenge and a Half, Here I Come!

I've put in the miles, worked through some soreness, and tapered.  Time to pack and head to Orlando.

Looks like the temps will be in the low 30's both days.  I'll report upon finishing.

Welcome 2010!

It is that time of year to reflect on the past year, strengths, weaknesses, along with the price of gasoline and consider directions for the coming year.

Here is where I'm heading in the coming year:
1. Race in the ITU World's Long Course Championships in Germany this summer.
2. Race shorter races leading up to item #1.
3. Learn to take recovery weeks.
4. Continue to grow my CoachGrant.net.
5. Strength train more.
6. Be social.

Best of luck to all in 2010. Train safe!