Run On Energy

Lancaster Nightmare Ride: Race Report

2011-08-16T05:43:00.005-04:00

The field launched at 6:13 am, the official sunrise for Saturday, August 13. My friend Shane and I were in good spirits, unsure of how our bodies would respond to riding 177 miles. Neither of us had ever attempted to ride more than 125 miles in the past. Our goal was simply to enjoy the day and finish in daylight.

I knew the first and last fifty-ish miles of the course, but had no idea what the middle piece was like. That was probably a good thing because it kept me from tossing and turning in bed in the days leading up to the event.

It was an amazing day and I have nothing but positive thoughts about the whole experience. There’s just so much to say! I’ll summarize with a few random notes:

• We missed a turn at mile 85 and tacked on 3 hilly miles before getting back on course.
• Just after I said, “The weather gods are smiling on us today,” a major thunderstorm struck. That was around mile 125. We rode through driving rain, floods, lightning, farm erosion, etc. Good times. It was a good thing. It woke us up and we had fun with it.
• We stopped too long for lunch [112 miles] and my legs revolted a little when we started riding again.
• Shane and I were strong and spent time socializing with other cyclists. That got under the skin of some of the competitive folks. Sorry guys!
• The course included some recently tarred and chipped roads (including the hardest climb all day) and a rutted, dirt / gravel road. We probably rode 3 to 4 miles on unpaved surfaces.
• I felt good watts in my legs the entire day. We covered the final 35 miles in less than two hours. I guess our self-made training plans worked out just fine.

Overall elapsed time for our ride was 12:45. We rolled through the finish line in Marietta at 6:58 pm. Of that time we were in the saddle for almost exactly 12-hours even, covering 180 total miles at a 15 mph average. The course was tough!

I’m so thankful for good health, no accidents, and no mechanical incidents. Shane was the perfect riding mate in that we have similar cycling fitness and life perspectives. I’m glad he asked me to participate. I would not want to ride that course alone!

And, finally, in response to the most commonly asked question: "My butt's fine, thanks. How's yours?"

Eve of the Nightmare

2011-08-12T08:10:00.004-04:00

It looks like some stormy weather for the Lancaster Nightmare Ride tomorrow. My friend Shane and I will be launching from the Donegal Middle School at 6:00 am. How long will the 177 miles take us? I really don’t know.

I rode fairly steadily on a reconnaissance ride through the first 50 miles of the course several weeks ago and still only averaged a measly 14 miles per hour. The early terrain is very difficult and a key to not imploding later in the day will be to hold back as much as possible in the hilly first 50. I’ve never gone over 125 miles, either, so who knows what’ll happen when I get 8+ hours into the day? My longest ride so far this year was slightly over 7 hours. It should be interesting. I’m pushing into new and unknown territory.

That said we fully intend on finishing in daylight.

I finally read Chris McDougall’s ‘Born to Run’ this week while at the beach. I can’t think of a better book to read in the days leading up to an ultra endurance event. Like the ultra runners in that book, I intend to enjoy the ride tomorrow: one mile at a time.

I will be extending the Bridge of Hope campaign until at least the end of August. Thanks to all at McClure Company for pledging support! I’ll be opening pledging opportunities to a broader group this weekend. My recent vacationing and subsequent impacts on work load have prevented a more thorough pre-event campaign. Stay tuned!

Ironman Lake Placid 2011

2011-07-30T15:20:00.002-04:00

Had a great time supporting friends at Ironman Lake Placid last weekend. With four friends signing up for next year's race, I couldn't resist the Ironman fever. I signed up for the 2012 race as soon as I got home!

Small Victories

2011-07-17T09:27:00.004-04:00

My most difficult mid week workouts are morning hill repeats on the Blue Mountain Parkway. Roughly three times each month I’ll rise at 4:30 am, make a strong cup of coffee, and head to Harrisburg. Daylight breaks just about the time I park at the base of the miniature mountain. After a 20-minute warm-up through the valley I hit it for three climbs. Each effort is slightly more intense than the previous, so that the third and final summit consists of an all out effort.

Last week I was resolved to set a personal record. My strategy was to gain as much speed as possible on the easier sections of the hill and get up and out of the saddle on the steeps. The fear on the third attempt is in pushing too hard too early, resulting in no gas in the tank for the final few hundred feet of climbing.

At the summit my lap timer read 11:23 as I pressed the mark time button with a quaking finger. Slightly aggravated at missing my goal by a measly two seconds, I used the descent to regain a normal breathing pattern and shake lactic acid out of my legs.

Thirty minutes later I was in the office having a discussion with a colleague. As I leafed through scraps of paper on my desk I uncovered a note that read, “5/17 11:41.” I unapologetically stood from my chair and pumped my fists into the air like I had just won a stage of the Tour de France. I hadn’t missed my target by two seconds, I beat it by 18! I gave my startled friend a fist pump and headed for a bonus cup of coffee. This was cause for celebration.

Small victories breathe life into my training. They’re a validation that my plan is working and make for fun banter with my athletic minded friends. They provide catharsis, a welcome outlet from the weight of more important responsibilities.

I suppose the families and mentors of Bridge of Hope have many such experiences of their own, though in a much more vital and profound way. The journey from desperation to self-sufficient wholeness can appear overwhelming at times. It requires a tenacious discipline at sticking to plan, continually reinforced by a caring community of mentors. Achieving the giant goal of self-sufficiency wouldn’t be possible without breaking it into bunches of smaller victories, which provide validation, breathe life, and give hope.

Riding for Hope: I Can Suffer for a Day

2011-07-09T06:19:00.005-04:00

Shane’s e-mail popped up with the subject line “Nightmare Ride 2011.” I rolled my eyes and filed it for reading when I wasn’t so busy. I knew what was coming. He had mentioned making an attempt at finishing the ultra cycling event in the past, and his message was surely a request to sign on with him.

The 177 mile single day ride around the perimeter of Lancaster County is notoriously difficult. It’s one of those “bucket list” events – you know, the kind of event you say you want to do but seem to find plenty of convenient excuses for continually avoiding.

What I also knew, that Shane didn’t, was that the Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties is pre-registered with the Nightmare’s event organizer as a race charity. Finding myself on BOH LCC’s board of directors, the choice wasn’t really mine to make, after all. Given an invitation to ride, I had an obligation to get on with it. My race plan for 2011 became a little clearer.

Reflecting on the daily struggles of the families served by Bridge of Hope, and my own relatively charmed existence, I thought to myself “I can suffer for a day.” That will be my mantra.

The event takes place on August 13. You can find my fundraising page by clicking DONATE TO BRIDGE OF HOPE under "My Favorites" in the right hand margin. Stay tuned for training updates!

Skip a Beat Lately?

2010-10-17T08:20:00.003-04:00

My heart was recently featured by Dr. Larry Creswell on Endurance Corner's blog. I like his description of me as approximately 40 years old. We'll see how long I can hold onto that label. :)

I've been dealing with sore hips and lower back. I was worried for a little while, but I think my recent therapy and daily yoga sessions are going to completely resolve the problems.

Post Race Random Musings

2010-09-04T07:12:00.004-04:00

For what it's worth, the red squiggly line is my heart rate during the Ironman Louisville bike ride. The spikes and few prolonged higher peaks are episodes of atrial fibrillation. I haven't had so much as a flutter since that ride ended. It's a pretty mysterious condition in that respect - you never know when it'll get triggered. It usually takes two or more triggers to make it happen (adrenaline + too much caffeine, hard exercise + allergy symptoms + dehydration, etc). But sometimes I can be subject to many of the triggers and it never appears. So it goes.

The did not finish (DNF) rate at Louisville was about 16%. For those outside the multisport community, that's a HUGE number.

I had some trouble acclimating to normal life this week. The office environment is a strange contrast to the triathlon-frenzied four square block area of Louisville from where I just returned. I wouldn't say that I have post race depression, but I'm definitely still trying to process what I've been through over the past week(s).

I don't have a plan, yet, for what's happening this fall. That's a dangerous place to be. I'll definitely keep riding but I need to set a goal. I want to do some form of non-tri group exercise; Leaning toward yoga but haven't researched class availability yet. Taking care of deferred maintenance on my house is a given. Pouring myself into my work is also a given. October is strategic planning month. I also signed up for an evening class at church. I suppose these will all keep me busy enough.

Football season kicks off this weekend as well. Kyle plays Sunday. I'm looking forward to doing a little spectating from the sidelines...

Ironman Louisville 2010 Race Report

2010-08-31T19:19:00.003-04:00

I decided to post an unabridged race report for a couple of reasons; (1) For my own reflection, so that when the memories of the mental & physical trials of race day begin to fade I might have something of a stick to keep me honest, and (2) As a resource for other athletes living with atrial fibrillation. Such testimonials can be difficult to find.

***

Pre-Race
Race day started with a 3:30 am wake-up call. I drank water and a cup of coffee while applying a layer of sun block and body glide. Breakfast consisted of 1-1/2 Odwalla Protein Monster shakes and a banana. My buddy Ryan and I made our way to transition by 5 am. We dropped off our special needs bags, checked over / stocked our bikes and headed to get in line at the swim start.

We were amazed at the length of the swim line. If transition opened at 5 am, how was it possible for us to be so far toward the back of the line? We heard while waiting that many athletes staged family members in line through the night. Lesson learned. We hit the ground and relaxed in the pre-race darkness.

Swim
The pro race gun sounded at 6:50 am. I popped an energy gel and chased it with some water. The line moved quickly after the age group race start of 7:00 am. Filing down to the boat docks and crossing the starting mat was a unique way to start the day’s adventure. I jumped in the water at about 7:25 am.

I didn’t feel particularly smooth during the swim. I could sense my feet dragging a bit low and tried to focus on body position. Starting so far back there wasn’t much smooth water; Still a lot of swimmers out there. I generally maintained a three stroke count and thought of it as a slow waltz, 1 – 2 – 3 – breathe – 1 – 2 – 3 – breathe, etc. I’d sight on each 3rd or 6th stroke depending on the confidence of my line. The final 400 meters was pretty congested as swimmers started pinching together. Somebody knocked my left calf pretty hard about 200 meters from the finish and I got a Charlie horse. I guess I wasn’t as relaxed as I had wanted! I was obliged to stop and resolve that problem. My official swim time was 1:16:00. A little disappointing given my goal of 1:05:00, but not a heart breaker either (I suppose pool time trials with flip turns weren’t a great testing protocol). The day was young.

T1
T1 took over 8 minutes primarily because I took a long potty break. I was plenty well hydrated early in the day. The spectators lining transition were numerous and loud. I had forgotten how exciting it is to participate in an Ironman.

Bike
I knew from my race rehearsals that the key to a strong, appropriately paced bike was to ride exceptionally easy during the first couple of hours. My brain was programmed to let the hammerheads go during the early climbs on SR42 and the out and back sections. My power targets were 177 watts overall with a first hour target of 168 watts. Having occasional atrial fibrillation and asthma it was also essential for me to closely monitor heart rate, particularly on a hot day.

I repeated the word “cheesy” as I tried to settle my heart rate on the River Road flats out of Louisville. Despite holding a low power output I had my first flare up 10 minutes into the ride. I felt the tell tale “can of worms” feeling in my chest and looked down to see a heart rate of 190+BPM. It was a brief episode. It was followed by a similar occurrence at about the 30 minute mark. At 40 minutes I had five short episodes in quick succession. I adjusted by simply keeping my watts low and focusing on my breathing. On the out and back section I pedaled over the tops of hills and then coasted down in an effort to suppress heart rate. It generally worked. As I left the out and back behind I felt reasonably confident that I had squelched major afib issues and was heading for a strong ride. By the 30 mile mark I managed an 18.4 mph average on only 140 average watts (150 normalized).

Unfortunately the combination of race day nerves and heat proved more than I could prepare for in training. The episodes of rapid heart beat became more frequent and lasted longer, so I stayed at the low watts and focused on hydration and staying as cool as possible. When my heart would reset from afib into a normal rhythm it would settle into an expected rate. My breathing and perceived exertion felt fine the entire time.

The mental game was tough. Overall I was able to detach and remain fairly unemotional about the situation. I determined to “stand down” at special needs (mile 65). I dismounted, waited in line at a porta-potty and locked myself in there for a couple of minutes to do my business out of the sunlight. I downed a water bottle, poured more over my head, popped a couple of Endurolytes, and recalibrated my power meter. Six minutes later I was back on my bike with a low heart rate and feeling quite refreshed. I was going to finish this race!

A mere 15 minutes later my heart was up to its old tricks with several short but frequent flare ups – a 15 minute episode in total. Fifteen’s were wild as I was able to get it settled for another 15 minutes of consistent riding. At the 80 mile mark it shot up again and generally stayed there until the SR42 descent to the flats at mile 100. My goal at that point was simply to get back to Louisville and assess my condition for continuing in T2.

Thankfully the descent got my heart settled down for good. I pedaled consistently into T2 with a bike clock time of 6:03:54 and a saddle time of 5:57:xx. My goal time for the bike was 5:59:xx so, needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised with my time given the struggle. I was relieved to reach T2.

Even with my issues and long special needs stand down I was able to negative split that ride from hell. Eliminating the rapid heart rate from my profile it’s clear that I had no cardiac drift, as my normal rate was actually slightly lower at the end of the ride than the beginning.

For power junkies I finished with an IF of slightly less than 0.59 and a LOW TSS of 208. Considering my heart issues, the amount of blocking happening on the downhill sections, and the constant shifting required of this course, I am really pleased with a VI of 1.07. My smoothed out power profile is almost dead flat, with the strongest hour from 4:22 to 5:22. I don’t think I could’ve executed any better given the weather and my physical condition.

My nutrition consisted of 1375 Calories of Infinit, one bottle of Powerbar Perform, one Clif Bar (250 Calories), six Endurolyte tabs, two FRS chews (to help me focus late), and as much water as I could possibly consume without bloating.

T2
I found a seat in the men’s changing tent and deliberately slipped into my running shoes and tri top. Not wanting the pasty sun block they provided outside the tent, I coated my shoulders, face, arms, and neck with my own SPF50. After two preventive puffs on my asthma inhaler I pulled out the water bottle tucked into my cycling jersey and took a long draw of what remained. Then I retreated into a proverbial monk’s closet by burying my face into my hands. Time for a few deep breaths and a prayer.

Run
Next up, a marathon in 90+ degree sunny weather. I decided to “run” based on heart rate instead of pace. If it reached 160+ BPM I would slow to a walk until it dropped to 150 or below. I would walk the aid stations (spaced approximately one mile apart from each other) and run in between.

It’s just amazing how strong you can feel early on an Ironman run. My target pace for ideal conditions was 9:15/mile for the first six, then 8:45/mile if I could bear it afterward. Mile #1 was 9:15 on the button. Just like Lake Placid in 2007, where I was able to put together a 4:02:59 marathon, my heart rate was occasionally creeping up to the 160 mark. So it went. Jog for a few minutes, hear my monitor start beeping, then walk for a bit. Jog, beep, walk, jog, beep, walk, etc. Continual forward motion!

I alternated nutrition at the aid stations; water + ice at one, then sports drink + ice at the next. I carried Endurolyte tabs and took them at 45 minute intervals. I pushed as much water as I felt I could take. My stomach got pretty sloshy a couple of times.

My pace gradually deteriorated, which wasn’t a surprise in this heat. It rose to a 10+ minute/mile average, then 11+. My walk breaks got longer. As cheesy as it sounds, I found strength in saying “Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.” I also kept telling myself this was only one day… Give me one day! Both were easily recite-able and rang true. The crowds in town gave me strength as I was able to temporarily lift my pace a bit as I headed out on lap#2. Incredibly, my atrial fibrillation issues were gone.

I don’t remember much between leaving downtown on lap #2 and mile 18. I do remember becoming short of breath and needing a hit from my rescue inhaler.

Patrick McCrann was waiting at mile 18 and my memory picks back up from there. He told me I looked strong. I told him about my heart struggles. I had trouble putting it behind me. He encouraged me to keep pushing.

I was dizzy and pretty nauseated. My throat was constricting. I could tell my core temperature was soaring. I reduced my pace to a steady walk. I walked for what felt like an eternity trying to find some strength. I pushed water, ice, and chicken broth. I tried a few test jogs but just couldn’t pick up the pace without feeling like I’d drop.

Around mile 22 I remember thinking about my 12 year old son’s recent issues with asthma and an irregular heart beat. “Damn these genes!” crossed my mind. Soon afterward the athlete with one prosthetic leg approached in the other direction. Inspired I held out my hand. Our palms met and he gave me a strong look in the eyes... and suddenly my issues felt insignificant.

At mile 23 I mustered the strength to jog again. I jogged with a couple of other athletes who were obviously deep into their own private zones. No words were spoken. We just gained strength by being together.

Prior to reaching the center of town I decided to take one last, short aid station walk before attempting to push it to the end. I gained strength by hearing the festivities ahead and was able to run well to the finish. I slowed near the finish line to allow the elated athletes in front of me have their private finish line moments, and then I passed through to have my own. The 4th Street Live finish line was absolutely electric! Though so very far from how I hoped the day would unfold, I certainly feel satisfied with my effort. And that’s all that really matters, right? :)

Brief Reflections
How is it possible that my last mile was the strongest of the day? Did my mind always have the strength to overcome my physical issues, or did my walking and recuperating allow that final mile to happen? Did my early afib issues take too costly a mental and physical toll or was my recovery as complete as it seemed?

I don’t know the answers to those questions. But I do know that I won’t be competing in any more Ironman races until I have a successful pulmonary vein ablation procedure on my heart. I can’t continue to play both sides of that fence. This was the only way to get a crystal clear answer to that question.

I need to bring this report to a close, but I want to relate that I drew inspiration through observing the strong performances of my training pal Ryan Brubaker, several of my Endurance Nation team mates and how Coach P conducted himself race week / day. There are simply too many stories to tell. I tip my cap in admiration to all who were able to thrive during that hot marathon.

Hitting the Road

2010-08-26T03:36:00.003-04:00

Wake-up call at 2:30 am today. Time to head out. It's going to be hot in Louisville. Weather.com and Accuweather have it at 90+ degrees with zero percent chance of rain. I sure wouldn't mind some mid or late day rain showers! C'mon rain!!!

Thanks to all who donated to Bridge of Hope. So far we've raised $4,195! If we can add $805 more we'll have enough to put one qualified family through their program. That would be a great story to tell!

7, 6, 5 days...

2010-08-24T13:14:00.002-04:00

...And the self doubt rears its ugly head. Trying hard to stay on an emotional even keel. I keep repeating:

+ I am strong.
+ I will thrive in the heat.
+ I will look, act, execute like a champion.

The Hay is in the Barn

2010-08-18T21:08:00.001-04:00

We’re getting so close to race day. Tapering is difficult. Training and eating patterns change. I actually feel a little lethargic. Aches and pains start appearing as the body says, “Thanks for the rest… I think I’ll take this opportunity to heal!”

On Sunday I burned some nervous energy by competing in the Lums Pond (Delaware) sprint triathlon. In many respects it was a break through experience. My first sprint triathlon since 2005 and the first one I can remember not being passed by anyone on the bike. I followed a 23.5 mph, 19.5 mile ride with a 3 mile run in 18:36. Big time numbers for me. I finished 24th out of 408 in a very competitive field. Not bad considering that my transitions were excessively slow compared to the fast guys.

So my training is done. The hay is in the barn, as the saying goes.

If you have any inclination to give to my cause – Bridge of Hope of Lancaster & Chester Counties – please give now by clicking on the ”Donate to Bridge of Hope” button to the right. They could use more hay in their barn. And the more hay I raise, the more matching funds Janus will kick into their coffers.

Thanks so much to all who have donated. We’re currently just shy of $3,000. :)

From Training to Execution

2010-08-11T20:57:00.003-04:00

With my biggest workouts behind me, it's time to get serious about mental preparation for the big day. My focus has shifted from training to how I'll execute race week, race day, etc.

I've been doing some reliving of my first Ironman in 2007 at Lake Placid. As an engineer I tend to focus on what I did wrong and, subsequently, what I need to do to improve. That's a pretty long list. The good news is that I did a lot right considering it was my first Ironman:

*Kept a positive outlook.
*Swam comfortably instead of pushing.
*Took a few walking breaks early in the run to get my heart rate within my planned limits.
*Stayed within "the box" through the entire run and through a large part of the bike.
*Detached from other competitors and held my ego in check on the bike.

I also used key words / phrases at various points to keep me focused and disciplined. Here are some key phrases I'll use this time around:

*Detach
*Steady is smooth... smooth is fast
*Focus
*Discipline
*One race, not three
*Breathe

I'm putting a lot of thought into my "one thing." That is, when the pain gets so bad that my body and brain start negotiating with each other to slow down or quit, what's the one thing that will keep me going. What's my reason for being here? I have a few good ones written down. I think I should have a few in mind depending on my mental state when I need to pull them out of the quiver. Maybe I'll share them with you. Maybe I won't...

Race Rehearsal Redux

2010-08-08T13:21:00.003-04:00

Had my final epic workout of the training cycle yesterday, with a six hour bike ride followed by a one hour run. The goal of the workout is to do everything exactly as you plan to do on race day; sleep, eat, dress, pace, etc.

Overall I had a very good day. I rode 114 miles in 6:04 then hopped off the bike and trotted 10k at a 9:00/mile pace. At 123 BPM average on the bike, my heart rate indicated that my aerobic fitness is as good or better than it’s ever been. It was the “easiest” 100+ mile ride I’ve ever done (Oxymoron, I know. That's how warped my mind has become). Given that I averaged a shade under 19 miles per hour, I’m very pleased with my fitness.

The most frequently asked question I get is, “What do you eat?” Here’s how my day played out:

Breakfast at 4:30 am (roughly 550 Calories)
• Odwalla super protein shake
• Banana
• 20 oz. water
• 12 oz. Coffee
Pre-ride at 7:00 am (110 Calories)
• Power gel with water
During the ride (1775 Calories = 296/hour)
• 10 scoops Infinit Ironman formula sports drink
• 1 Clif bar
• 1 Power gel
• 2 x FRS chews at mile 70
• 8 x 20 oz. Bottles of water
During the run
• 1 scoop Infinit marathon formula sports drink (130 Calories)

Most are surprised at the low Calorie count, but it’s important to keep from overloading your digestive tract. My goal is 300 Cal/hour on the bike and 150 - 175/hour on the run. Your blood is needed in places other than your stomach! Besides, it’s impossible to replace all of the Calories as you’re burning them anyway. I burned in excess of 4,000 Calories yesterday.

Where my nutrition plan fell short is in sodium replacement. That was made clear by how “crampy” my legs got last evening. On the bike I consumed 388 mg sodium/hour. On the run I was only at 175 mg/hour. I should be over 400 mg per hour all day, with a little more on the run since my sweat rate will be higher. I’ll supplement with electrolyte pills such as Hammer Endurolytes.

Recovery Shakes

2010-08-05T20:41:00.002-04:00

Here's my top secret bestest long workout recovery shake ever. We found this in Cooking Light magazine. My edits from the recipe are noted. Blend the following:

One cup of Chobani Greek yogurt
Banana
Skim milk (I add by feel)
Ice
Honey
Ground nutmeg
Teaspoon of Glutamine powder (only for extreme workout recovery)

Chobani yogurt is really good stuff, with 23g of whey protein per 8 oz. No added sugar and zero fat.

You can also make a sweeter, heavier version of the shake as follows:

One cup of Chobani Greek yogurt
Frozen mango
Frozen peaches
Peach/mango V8 Splash (I add by feel)
Teaspoon of Glutamine (for extreme workout recovery)

I prefer the lighter, less sweet banana shake after a long bike ride, but they're both great. Enjoy!

You Are What You Eat

2010-07-31T18:22:00.001-04:00

Nothing reinforces the adage “you are what you eat” better than high volume training. I feel exactly as I eat and sleep. Eat well, sleep well = High energy, positive outlook, ability to recover from the hardest workouts. Eat garbage or deprive myself of sleep = Ugliness. It’s really that simple. Good diet choices get more challenging when you’re hungry all the time. Eating a healthy, balanced diet while enduring heavy training takes planning and discipline. The office, with the vending machine from hell, is my biggest challenge.

Fund Racing for Bridge of Hope

2010-07-24T10:08:00.003-04:00

On August 29, I will be competing in the Ford Ironman triathlon in Louisville,Kentucky, and I need your help.

The road to completing an Ironman can be overwhelming, exhilarating, and immensely personally satisfying—all at the same time. But my deepest desire in this race is to really make a difference in our community by again raising money to benefit Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties.

Please consider a personal or company donation to help me reach my goal of raising $5,000.

As I train to cross the finish line in Kentucky, my “personal best” will be to help Bridge of Hope reach as many single mothers and their children with the opportunity to achieve wholeness and independence.

Bridge of Hope served 38 women and 77 children this year with life-changing skills to end homelessness for single mothers and their families. These families now have a second chance.

Why should you care? The daily challenges these women face remind me of my own journey to the Ironman finish line. Their Ironman consists of roadblocks to employment, a paralyzing fear of failure, the physical demands of being a single parent, and staying on track with financial pacing. The need for stamina, tenacity, and determination to go one more step is crucial. But where do these resources come from? Having the support of mentoring friendships while working with program staff allows the women to be successful and cross the finish line to self-sufficiency and financial stability. That makes a stronger community for all of us.

With no government funding, Bridge of Hope has attained a remarkable success rate of more than 80% of its participants graduating to self-sufficiency. They rely solely on private donations.

How can you help me “race” to make a difference?

1. On the web, go to my triathlon training blog (http://dan-kerr.blogspot.com/) and click on the Donate to Bridge of Hope link in the right margin under “My Favorites.”

2. Please send a check made payable to Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties and send it to me at: c/o McClure Company, 4101 N 6th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110

Individuals contributing $100 or more will be entered to win a free home chef service from Custom Cuisine Personal Chef Service (approximate $300 value).

Thank you for your support!

P.S. To learn more about Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties and read some of their stories, please visit www.bridgeofhopelcc.org. Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

It's the Heat... and the Humidity

2010-07-16T17:17:00.002-04:00

Two hour and twenty minute run on the schedule today. I headed out at 10 am in an attempt to get used to the heat. When I finished, the sun was shining, the temperature was 89F and the heat index was 92F. How'd it go? Let's just say my breakfast of birthday cake, coffee, and a Mexican omelette wasn't such a great idea. What was I thinking?

Down Time Thoughts

2010-07-10T07:46:00.003-04:00

I just can't motivate myself to get in the saddle during this Saturday morning downpour. I really don't want to put the wear and tear on my high end tri bike, and my road bike isn't equipped with a power meter. With five weeks of hard training to go I really shouldn't be skipping workouts. I'll wait this thing out and make a determination this afternoon. I might end up on the trainer today.

I've been spending the morning watching YouTube videos of the Ironman Louisville course. I think I'll love that bike ride. It consists of a ton of rolling hills, but far easier climbs than what I'm accustomed to in Lancaster County. The key will be maintaining momentum on the downhills, "flattening" the course by maintaining consistent power output. I'll be ready.

My metabolism is going crazy with the uptick in training. I've managed to drop two pounds in the past 10 days or so. I'll likely level off at my current weight of 151 pounds. I plan to show up on race day at a lean 149. Anything less will be unhealthy. My normal weight is between 155 and 157.

I'm a little concerned about my sore left shoulder. It started to get sore during our (training with my buddy Ryan) epic 4,100 meter swim yesterday. I'm going to schedule a massage for the coming week.

My kids dread the Tour de France because I actually compete for TV time. Those guys are so smooth and powerful. Really good mental training for a visual learner like me. Think I'll tune in now while the boys are still asleep...

Big Volume Week 2010

2010-07-05T21:29:00.001-04:00

At the suggestion of the coaches of team EN I made use of the long July 4 weekend to gain a volume “pop” in my training. It was a big week by my standards, at 25 hours total training. I spent 21 of those hours in the saddle. Compare this to my consistent weeks of 12 to 14 hours. Some random thoughts:

• With a dramatic increase in cycling volume I have some issues adapting to life off the bike. Yesterday on a family drive to Hershey Park I caught myself shouting out “car left!” I also keep having dreams of dozing off while in the saddle, startling myself awake.
• Due to my occasional episodes with atrial fibrillation I’ve been afraid of using caffeine or other stimulants as performance supplements. Conversely I’ve been bothered by a tendency to lose mental focus around mile 75 of long bike rides. This weekend I used FRS chews at around the four hour mark. I’m sold. I’ve never been so focused deep into a long ride.
• I fear the heat. I drank eight 20-ounce bottles of fluid today and still didn’t have to pee until I got home. That’s insane. I better plan on two bottles an hour in Louisville. I decided to bag my brick run today out of cautiousness. My power meter read 102 degrees at the end of the ride.
• My tolerance for training load like this has increased dramatically since Ironman #1 in 2007. I suppose it’s due in equal measures to a stronger will to endure the pain and an increase in fitness.
• Bullfrog SPF40 sun block is the best I’ve ever used. The sun and heat were powerful this weekend. I have absolutely zero burn. Considering the amount I sweat and how long I was in the saddle, that’s pretty amazing.

I should be ready to resume training as normal by Thursday. Until then it’ll be a combination of complete rest and recovery workouts.

Training Update

2010-07-04T08:13:00.003-04:00

I escaped this little accident on Father's Day weekend with cuts, bruises and road rash. Very, very lucky. The elbow and knee are still a little sore but otherwise I'm good to go.

I'm making use of the long July 4 weekend for a big volume training block. In two days I've ridden 176 miles and ran 3.5 miles. Gearing up for another ride today. More details later.

Please take note of the new "Favorites" link to the right. As in 2007, I'm using my Ironman training to raise money for the Bridge of Hope www.bridgeofhopelcc.org. More on that later, too!

Too shelled to put much mental energy into blogging today...

Eagleman Race Report - EN Version

2010-06-20T14:43:00.003-04:00

Preview:
• I caught a head cold during race week. I didn’t feel sick and my energy was high, but I did have significant congestion.
• Race day was really, really hot. The heat index reached 101 F. I expected the heat but hadn’t been able to train in conditions this severe.
• My finish time was 5:25. My goal was 5:00.

Swim:
• It was long and we couldn’t wear wetsuits. There’s been enough documented about that. I wasn’t very smooth in the first few hundred meters, but eventually settled down and counted strokes. Enough said.

Bike:
• You can see from the power profile that my peak hour was in the front half of the ride (1st shaded region), after a warm-up period.
• My peak 30 minutes started at the midway point of the ride (2nd shaded region). I was preparing to set up a negative split.
• Around mile 40 Chris Walz caught me and streaked passed. Right on his heels was a group of 5 riders of somewhat equal ability. They caught me and I got stuck in their pack. My power numbers dropped off because I decided to stay within the group. My only other options were to blast through to the front or to coast for a significant period of time and let them go. Both of those options seemed foolish. We all did our best to maintain four bike lengths but still found ourselves playing leap frog. It all seemed OK to the race official who spent some time watching. I focused on staying hydrated and as cool as possible.
• I finished the ride with TSS = 143, NP = 200, IF = .75, VI = 1.02 at a little under 2:32. I ran well during my last race rehearsal after a more aggressive effort of IF = .82. I really thought I was headed for a strong run.

Run:
• I stuck to plan on the front half of the run, going quite slowly for the first three miles. I ran my target paces through the next six miles but took as long as a full minute walking through aid stations, compared to my plan of 15 seconds.
• Somewhere between mile 9 and town I started to develop a significant pain in my upper back and had some trouble catching my breath. It felt like asthma and I grew paranoid about having a major attack. For the remainder of the run I took turns walking and then jogging after the pain subsided. The pain would come back quickly after running again and I spent an awful amount of time walking those last three miles. Really disappointing.

Nutrition:
• Breakfast of 1-1/2 bagels with peanut butter, banana, and coffee around 4:30 to 4:45.
• Sipped water between 4:30-ish and 6:30.
• About 20 minutes before my wave I took a gel and some water.
• During the ride I drank about 550 cals of Infinit, which is basically the Ironman formulation. I drank a ton of water and poured a lot over my head. I opted for my vented helmet in lieu of aero due to the heat.
• During the run I popped a total 4 Hammer Endurolytes and alternated water / ice and Gatorade / ice at the aid stations.
• I did pee at mile 4 of the run, so really think I hydrated better than most.

Lessons Learned:
• Either estimated my cycling functional threshold too high or had physical issues from the combination of the heat & my head cold (or a little of both).
• Though I dialed the ride way back, it wasn’t enough in the heat. I rode IF .75 versus my rehearsals of .82 - .83.
• I did not measure heart rate during the race. If I did I probably would have noticed that my cycling effort was too high. Won't make this mistake at IM Louisville.
• Gained valuable experience racing in the heat, which is likely to be the case at IM Louisville in August.
• “The One Thing:” I need to figure it out between now and August 29. It’s going to matter.

Call to Action:
I’m worried that I have some giant blind spot. Anyone out there see anything else?

Eagleman Race Report

2010-06-14T22:00:00.003-04:00

I didn’t come close to achieving my goal time of 4:59:xx on Sunday. I have plenty of external excuses including a non-wetsuit swim that was definitely longer than 1.2 miles (the scuttle butt is that it was close to 1.5), a head cold, and the incredible heat. The latter two contributed to a significant asthma problem that reduced me to a fair bit of walking in the final three miles.
That said I exhibited a lack of mastery over a few things that were within my control, which also contributed to falling short of expectations. Things like…

• Applied sun block in transition before the race. No mirror. No assistance from friends. I missed some spots. My giant red blotches aren’t feeling so great today. I’m too experienced to do that. Really stupid.

• While I dialed my cycling effort back quite a bit, it obviously wasn’t enough. I rode at 200 (IF = .75) normalized watts instead of my target of 220. It felt right at the time, but I could’ve / should’ve recognized the heat was taking a big toll. My great bike split was overshadowed by some late walking on the run. The EN philosophy is true: There’s no such thing as a good bike followed by a bad run. The bad run is usually caused by a stupid ride.

• No clear purpose for racing. Yes I had an asthma attack. But clarity of purpose would have made a difference. It was too easy to shut it down when the self-negotiating started on the back half of the run.
So there’s plenty for me to work on as I head into training for another long, hot day at Ironman Louisville.

Overall I’m really pleased today. I finished. I had fun with friends. I pushed a little beyond my limits. Overall a cathartic experience.
After a short recovery it’ll be time to pump up the training volume for Ironman. More news to follow! It’s all good.

For power junkies, here are my numbers:
Duration: 2:31:50
Work: 1798 kJ
TSS: 142.8 (intensity factor 0.748)
Norm Power: 200
VI: 1.02

Time to Taper

2010-05-31T18:53:00.004-04:00

We're a little less than two weeks out from the Eagleman 70.3 race in Cambridge, MD. Originally scheduled as my 'A' race, it's now serving as a stepping stone to Ironman Louisville on August 29th. The allure of Ironman sucked me back in! I'll be training with my friend Ryan, who will be competing at the full distance for his first time. Ryan's a good bit stronger than me, so repeatedly trying to hold his tire on long rides will surely have me ready to go on race day.

On Sunday I completed a race rehearsal for Eagleman. The goal of the rehearsal was to ride at target wattages for the full distance of the bike leg, then hop off and practice the discipline of running slowly for the first three miles before ramping up to target pace for another three. While not an easy workout by any stretch, it is more of an exercise in holding back than a suffer fest. The rehearsals also provide an ideal opportunity to practice the race day nutrition plan.

I did well on this rehearsal and feel pretty confident heading into race day. The attached graph of wattage over time indicates a fairly steady output of power, with the strongest hour being in the back half of the ride (black shaded section). That's good and, admittedly, a little more disciplined than usual for me.

I have a good bit of accumulated fatigue and am looking forward to regaining the skip in my step as I taper over the next two weeks. My goal is to break the five hour mark. My training metrics indicate the goal is within my abilities, but I'll need good weather and nearly perfect execution to pull it off. My previous best at this distance is a little over 5:05.

Training in Blackwater

2010-05-11T19:18:00.003-04:00

During our recent heat wave I snuck away from work for two days to do Eagleman 70.3 on course training. I enjoy riding on Maryland's eastern shore. The roads have huge shoulders and the natives are generally bike friendly. I get a sense of escape while riding through the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. The flat, windy marsh land, with its unique and plentiful wildlife, feels like another world.

Day 1 featured a 91 miler, during which I snapped some photos. Day 2 was a race rehearsal consisting of a 56 mile course ride followed by a one hour run. It was good to get on course training in that heat. I was pretty wilted after day 2.

Race day is Sunday, June 13. I'm planning on setting a new PR for the 70.3 distance. My training metrics are on target. To hit my goal I'll have to stay consistent & healthy over these final four weeks, and then execute like a champ on race day.

Return on Investment

2010-04-09T21:19:00.004-04:00

So now that I dropped a fair amount of change on a geeked out bike, I'm afraid of being no faster than before. Building my fitness engine is only one of the necessary ingredients to gaining desired speed. How I fit onto the bike is just as important. A great fit will have me producing high power output while cutting through air with minimal aerodynamic drag, in a position that I can hold for several hours at a time.

Pros like Lance have access to high end wind tunnels where they can tweak positioning with realtime data. The rest of us have to learn through a longer process of trial and error.

It looks to me that we have my positioning pretty well dialed in. Thanks to Todd Kenyon at ttbikefit.com for the help. Check his site out if you're questioning your own positioning.

So what do you think... Should I make any other adjustments?

Defying Convention, and Loving It

2010-03-21T19:19:00.002-04:00

I like no nonsense high ROI stuff. Work, play, personal – doesn’t matter. I like performance benchmarks.

My career depends upon it. In an industry that too often hides behind legal documents and errors & omissions insurance, my group delivers performance guarantees. We can’t fall prey to doing things just because popular trends or conventional wisdom say so. Our decisions are made on case-by-case analyses: On data that we’ve measured or our vendors have measured and, then, specifically applied to our clients’ particular situations. By doing things that way we uncover a lot of myths. We prove a lot of industry-wide sacred cows wrong (not our goal, it just works out that way). Many within the green building industry aren’t ready to accept our assertions because they sometimes defy convention, so we’re left serving a minority of intensely loyal clients; a loyalty developed out of proven performance.

So it is with my multisport training.

Conventional triathlon training wisdom would have me coming out of the winter with a huge “base” comprised of long hours of easy swimming, cycling, and running. Most training guides and >$500 per month coaches preach this old school philosophy, saying the method provides metabolic benefits like increased capillary density and fat burning capacity. I’m sure that’s great for folks who choose to burn 15 to 20 hours (or more) per week in pursuit of athletic domination. I don’t want to do that. I have a career, a family, and like to stay connected to my community. This triathlon thing keeps me sane and provides an appropriate competitive outlet, but it’s ultimately just for fun.

Enter the coaches and athletes at Endurance Nation. I just completed a 20 week “out season” plan that had me cycling and running very hard for six to seven hours a week - Pretty countercultural in endurance sport circles. At the conclusion of that 20 week period, my cycling threshold power is:

• 20% higher than it was at the beginning of the program.
• Just 5 watts shy of my all time high.
• Just 12 watts short of my lifetime peak goal.

Additionally, today I ran the hilly Caesar Rodney half marathon in Wilmington, DE. I broke my previous personal record for that distance by more than 2-1/2 minutes. I didn’t taper for the race and I did my final painful bike test less than 24 hours earlier.

Not bad for a 42 year old fella on the first full day of spring, eh? I’d say the guys at EN are on to something. Wonder how strong I’ll be this summer?

5K Madness

2010-03-14T19:51:00.002-04:00

When my Afib issue surfaced in the fall of 2007 I thought my days of hard racing might be over forever. Last season taught me that clearly wasn’t the case.

The Endurance Nation training strategy includes relatively short but highly intense workouts throughout the winter months. We use 5K races for running fitness benchmarking. The last two seasons had me sitting on the race sidelines, “guesstimating” my running fitness, while I learned to manage my heart electrical problems. So this season I was really itching to train and benchmark the EN way. I signed up for five 5K road races. Today was the final of those, the third of three Frozen Foot series races in Elizabethtown. I was happy to walk away with the third place age group medal for the race series. In all I placed three times over the course of the five races. My first road running medals since I was a teenager. Pretty cool.

My times progressively improved throughout the winter. I started at 21:14 in early November and finished today with a 20:20. My pre-season goal was to break the 20-minute mark by the first day of spring. I didn’t quite make it, but the aggressive goal kept me focused. I still hope to break that mark at Lancaster’s Race Against Racism in late April. Performance goals keep me focused and I have more fun when I set them.

My mom passed away the day before my fourth race – just three weeks ago. I woke up Sunday morning and felt like I’d been whacked over the head. As you might imagine the prior day was quite an endurance event in its own right, but on an entirely different plane. I was at her side when she died just 12 hours earlier. After a brief appearance at church I decided to run that day. I wanted a sense of normalcy. It wasn’t easy and I almost quit about 10 minutes in out of apathy, but somehow I summoned the energy to keep moving forward. My mom certainly did not teach me to quit. She was a fighter.

All that pain for a stupid 20-minute 5K? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m no Ryan Hall. When it comes to endurance sports I’m the guy who metaphorically busts his ass just to make the team. And that’s what I love about it. The beauty is in the pursuit of excellence, in being “the man who is actually in the arena,” as Teddy Roosevelt said. The lessons of mental tenacity taught through endurance sports translate to all facets of life.

A New Adventure

2009-10-09T19:28:00.004-04:00

I managed a decent race at the Brierman 50-miler on Sunday, October 4. This despite missing the start of the race. I sorta ran a little behind schedule when I took care of some "urgent business" that required my wetsuit to be removed. I've never squeezed into that neoprene body suit on so fast... The entire field was already out to sea before I had a chance to put it on! Somehow I still managed the 7th fastest swim out of 85 starters. Still trying to figure that one out. I basically held my position on the bike and run and managed to finish 8th overall. My season's now over... One month of unstructured exercise before launching an out-of-season plan on November 1. It was a good year: 3 podium finishes (bronze, silver, & a gold), a half marathon PR, and a respectable Ironman 70.3 that included a lousy 3-week lead-up.

And now for my announcement....... With the help of Deeter Gallaher Group (http://www.deetergallahergroup.com/) I've launched a professional blog. Check it out for yourself! http://blog.mcclureco.com/. They used the word "pithy" in our press release. Anyone know what that means? Please follow me if you're so inclined. Should be fun!

Deferred Projects

2009-09-26T06:31:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about my endurance sports time commitment. What would I do with the 500 hours each year dedicated to exercise if I hated exercise or, worse, found myself unable to exercise? Sleep would occupy a significant amount of that time for sure. But there are a number of things on my bucket list that aren't likely to become reality while I remain addicted to the multi-sport lifestyle. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Take a car apart and put it back together. I'm an engineer that doesn't know nearly enough about cars short of theoretical internal combustion engine problems. I love cars and would surely spend way too much money on them if I didn't already do that with bicycles. My bikes are actually worth more than my cars.

2. Learn Spanish. I find it a little embarrassing to be mono-linguistic (I think that's a word. If not, forgive me. I have an engineer's education. See #1 above). I had 3 years of French in high school. When touring France in 1989 I realized how little those 3 years prepared me for actually interacting with the French. Too much time spent on proper sentence structure and ordering from menus, not enough time spent actually learning how to converse in real time. Anyway, there are obvious reasons to learn Spanish while living in America. I think I'd try Rosetta this time.

3. Get life guard certified. I spend a fair amount of time around the water. Some day something bad's gonna happen and I want to be fully prepared. The number of teenie boppers and old men on the life guard chairs scares me. Despite the cost of entry, I might still make this happen some off season.

4. Become a jazz musician, not just a note player. I'm blessed with some genetic gifts for playing the trumpet. It sounds good, but the reality is I just know how to read notes and make a good sound (I'm just an engineer. See #1 above). Learning to play for real takes serious study and commitment. I would love to become a middle aged understudy of a great jazz musician, but am too addicted to endorphins to ever make it happen.

A couple of my college buddies are full professors at Penn State. One of them's on sabbatical. Geez... I can't even imagine. Think I could negotiate a paid sabbatical in my private industry job? :-)

Positive Feedback

2009-09-14T19:18:00.008-04:00

First off, no announcement yet. It's looking like October 6th or so. Stay tuned...

The Lancaster YMCA Speedwell Forge race went really well on Saturday. I raced hard for more than 2 hours without any AFIB and FINALLY broke through for a podium spot by finishing 2nd in my age group and 15th overall. My tri club showed up in force, earning 5 podium positions - and 6 if you count local pro Andrew Yoder as part of the club (a stretch, for sure!).

Of note: I raced without a watch. The gun went off and I just went. My strategy? Get out front and stay there. It worked and was a blast! My fastest swim pace EVER. A solid ride, too, during which I averaged riding at 95% of my guesstimated threshold pace. The run hurt from the first few steps but I kept it going & put together my fastest tri run pace EVER. This no watch thing is the bomb for short course racing... Was totally focused on perceived effort.

I never thought I'd race shorter distances like this again. Soooo thankful and so fun! My '09 summary: 2 podium spots, a half marathon PR, and a solid IM70.3. I'd say the Endurance Nation training & execution philosophy is working out just fine.

A wince as I make my way thru the mud in front of the finish line!

Training buddy Ryan approaching the finish.

Training buddy Shane.

Training buddy Don.

It's Been a While

2009-09-01T19:33:00.002-04:00

I'm still here but concentrating my blogging energies in a new & more appropriate direction. Hopefully I'll have an announcement in a little over a week!

Semi-structured training of 9 to 10 hours a week these days (I know what I plan to do but don't write it down). Getting prep'd for the Lancaster YMCA olympic distance triathlon on Sept 12th. I love that race and am excited to do it again in '09!

Ironman Lake Placid 2009

2009-07-29T20:06:00.005-04:00

Spent four days completely unplugged from the grid with multisport-minded friends in
Lake Placid. Here are Steph, Jen, Ryan and I at Marcy Dam a few hours before reaching the summit of Mount Marcy. On Saturday I joined Patrick McCrann, Rich Strauss, and another EN athlete for an epic 105 mile ride looping from Lake Placid to Lake Champlain and back.

Sunday arrived early after that ride (& a few beers by the campfire)! Our training buddy Joe Ruiz had a great, great day, as you can tell from this photo. At that point he had only swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles, and ran 14 miles... Still 12 miles to go!

It's looking like another run at Lake Placid for me in 2011. Hard to watch that race and not get the fever!

Rhode Island 70.3

2009-07-14T21:05:00.004-04:00

Finish Time 5:13:15
This was my first “big” race in two years and I was anxious to see how my body would respond after dealing with training with Afib. Based on my training metrics and evaluation of the race course, I expected to finish in about 5:10. Perfect execution would have gotten me there. My previous HIM best is 5:05 on a flat course. So, unfortunately, no PR to report, but I still had a solid day.

On The Swim… (31:21)
• The swim was delayed 25-minutes due to rough seas (!) and the buoys coming untethered. I lit a few matches in the first 400 meters of fighting the surf. I settled down by finding a good swimmer’s feet. The swim back into shore was much, much easier & I found a nice rhythm. Body surfing into the beach was an unexpected bonus.

On The Bike… (2:47:44)
• It is very difficult to maintain a low VI (for “variability index,” a measure of consistent riding in which the goal is a metric of 1.0) on a rolling hill course when you start in the 12th wave. Given the amount of blocking from folks recovering down hill, I was pleased with a VI of 1.06 (I was able to do race rehearsals at 1.04 on more difficult courses).
• Peeing in the tuck position at 38 MPH brings a smile to my face. It’s a skill, just like anything else.

On The Run… (1:48:48)
• My primary goal in this race was to run a negative split and a sub-1:45. Darn!
• I was focused until that massive hill on the second loop (mile 7+), which felt like a Mike Tyson body blow. Then my will to race began to evaporate & I battled the internal negotiation of walking & easing the pain versus pushing to the end. Ultimately my “one thing” (my main mental / verbal cue to keep me moving) paid off. I kept reminding myself that I wouldn’t forgive myself in the morning if I stopped running. I also knew that the fastest way to end the suffering was to push harder. Regardless, I was not able to negative split the run as I had hoped.
• I bought Chris G’s (an EN athlete) concept of painting parts of my feet with NuSkin in lieu of wearing socks. As the post race photo of my bloodied shoe clearly illustrates, this falls into the category of THINK FOR YOURSELF! I look at my torn up feet and can hear the voice of my wicked second grade teacher resonating in my head, “If somebody else jumped off a bridge…” But, hey, it saved like 15 seconds in transition!

On Nutrition…
• I owe the coaches and several EN athletes a beer for giving me a race nutrition wake-up call. This was the first long distance triathlon (7th at HIM distance or longer) in which I didn’t experience some form of GI issues. They’ve never been completely debilitating, but I never knew what a clear / clean system felt like during a race. I just assumed it was a sort of occupational hazard. Not so!

On Sanctioned Ironman Events…
• The level of competition at the sanctioned races is humbling.
• I really like the 70.3 distance and will hold on full IM sign-up until the stars appear aligned for another attempt. I achieved great personal / work / training balance this season & HIM provides enough of a challenge to keep me happy.

On Continued Improvement…• I need to determine if going sub-5 on a hilly course is truly enough of a motivator to elevate my cycling discipline. Focused, consistent, and hard riding is the only way I’ll get there. I can easily set a goal of getting to 4W/kg sitting at this computer… then comes the 4 am wake up call in mid-February.
• My watts are lower this year than last for good reason. I skimped on many of the bread & butter threshold repeats. Basically, if I had to do the workout on the trainer I cut it short. If it was on the road I got it done. I tried to compensate by building in two 250+ mile weeks. Those weeks helped, but the results speak for themselves – lower FTP in 2009 as compared to the consistent effort in 2008.
• That said, I think I’m still going to blame on my bike and buy a new one. Seriously, I’ve been saving my allowances and might pull the trigger this fall!

In Summary…• Racing to the best of my abilities is very cathartic, regardless of AG placing, split times, etc.
• This training season and race have provided clarity on how to deal with my on-going health issue. There’s absolutely no reason for me to hang it up. For that, I’m deeply grateful.

Thanks for reading.

Early Summer Vacation

2009-06-27T16:23:00.003-04:00

You'd never guess we're in a recession down here. Chalk this trip up as "never say never." It was actually (mostly) fun!

Training Part 2

2009-05-26T19:16:00.002-04:00

Predictably the endorphin euphoria wore off on day #3. Joe and I covered 54 miles on our road bikes through many of the climbs in Manor Township. We climbed pretty hard, which is a necessity when the grades start exceeding 8%. I'd like to see Joe's power data as I have none. We pushed way over power threshold several times and managed to torch ourselves. Joe started to pull away from me later in the ride and would graciously slow down on the downhills. He's going to be ready for Ironman, for sure.

When I got home it was family time to eat, so I bagged my brick run. From a human perspective it was the right decision... from a training perspective it was a mistake. I tried to run later in the day and my muscles just said, "NO!" I shuffled around the neighborhood for 1/2 hour and called it a day.

Joe wanted to start at 5:30 am on Memorial Day. I had no intention of opening my eyes before 7:00, so we decided to go solo. I rolled out the door at 9:15 on my tri bike. My goal was to ride 50 miles at my half Ironman target wattages knowing that, if I could hit them while extremely fatigued, race day would be an exercise in holding back. I did great for about 40 miles... then started falling off the tracks. At first my attention span started to evaporate. This was followed by pain in my right calf. When I hopped off the bike for a short run, my calf started to rebel. I stopped and walked back into the kitchen... End of training block!

There's no way I'm going to try to push through that pain. Injury is the worst case scenario. Instead of doing my long run this morning, I did an easy swim and went back to work.

It was a great session... 254 miles in 4 days. I had hoped to compile more swimming and running hours but can't say I have any regrets. The week will surely prove a success. I'll know for sure in a couple weeks when I'm ready to test functional threshold power again.

For elites / pro / unmarried & uncommitted athletes, my four days were hardly "epic." (As an example, I've read of one particular camp that includes 14 century rides in 15 days... Heck, why don't they just ride the Tour de France instead? Not my league!) But, for me, much more training would have served only to pile drive my health and well being.

Training at home was a positive experience. I slept more, ate better, and didn't miss my family & friends so much. I do wish more folks would have joined us. It got a little lonely out there. There was also the disadvantage of feeling guilty for not getting more done around the house. I thank my family for being so incredibly supportive.

My season continues to trend in the right direction... A half marathon PR, a solid middle distance triathlon, and two big cycling weeks. Six weeks to go!

Epic Training in Amish Country, Report #1

2009-05-23T17:54:00.000-04:00

Day 1: The Prologue
• Early morning swim, 1-mile.
• Group breakfast with friends from the Tri Club.
• 45 mile moderate ride with Joe and Jen. Average speed 18.5 mph on road bikes.

What an incredible day! Breakfast with my friends had its fair share of laughs. We had an amazing morning to ride, with the highlight being a tour of the Nissley Vineyards. We set up a beautiful pace line that held together the entire ride. It felt so easy, and was so enjoyable! I don’t do enough group riding!

In the afternoon I shook my legs out by taking a solo hike in Mount Gretna, then poked around town looking at real estate. Kyle played a home game at 6 pm. They lost but it was a very competitive game and… well… my son’s quite a player. He walked, singled, and doubled with the bases loaded. He pitched in relief, inheriting the bases loaded with one out in the third. He finished the game with 3-2/3 innings pitched and no earned runs. Sorry for the digression… I can’t help myself!
Nice swim, fun with friends, incredible ride, several hours of introspection, a great baseball game with my son… no e-mail, no internet, no cell phone. Pretty much the definition of a perfect day!

Day 2: The Century
• 105 mile ride with Joe on tri bikes. 5-1/2 hours, 19 mph average, 270 TSS points.
• 2 mile brick “run” on the HARC treadmill (‘cause they gots air conditioning in thar).
• 45 minutes of stretching and yoga-ing.

This day was characterized by the heat (“The heat was hot,” he sang as he crossed the desert on a Horse with No Name). When I got home and downloaded my power data I was a little surprised it said TSS = 270. I sort of expected to see something higher given my level of ouch-ed-ness (MS Word doesn’t like that word, even with hyphens added). I suppose a benefit of riding relatively fast is a lower total training stress. We’ll see how 270 points translates tomorrow when I’m ready to mount up and ride again.

I tried to nap when I got home but my body was too keyed up to settle down. I stopped fighting it and went out to cut the grass. We’re now in the car heading to my sister’s in Harrisburg (no, I’m not driving). My brother’s visiting from Pittsburgh. A picnic and a Penguins game in my very near future. These two days have been a little slice of heaven…

Will report back when able!

NJ Devilman 2009

2009-05-12T11:54:00.003-04:00

May 9. 0.9 mile swim, 40.3 mile bike, 8.8 mile run.

Yes, this is the heart rate profile from the New Jersey Devilman “half lite” triathlon last Saturday. I’m skeptical of the high readings during the swim. I think they might have been caused by interference from other HRMs on the athletes surrounding me. It was a crowded swim. I got pushed back early and couldn’t get clear of the pack.

The couple of blips during the bike and the nearly continuous 190+ BPM readings during the run were very real, though. The sensation is one of my chest rattling. It doesn’t affect my stride. There’s no shortness of breath, dizziness, pain, etc, only the buzzing plus a slight sense of anxiety. You can see, late in the race, where I walked aid stations. My heart would settle back into a normal rhythm and then - boing! - Back to the arrhythmia as I picked up the pace again. Most unusual is how the rhythm settled into a normal rate during my final 3 miles, as I pushed the hardest. Very odd!

The arrhythmia was probably induced by some pretty bad indigestion, which was caused by a thoughtless nutrition plan. I drank 1,000 Calories while riding - far too much for a 40 mile intense ride.

Despite my trials with palpitations and a sick gut I managed to score 3rd place in my age group, “losing” to first place by a mere 58 seconds. I did the race almost on a whim at the tail end of my first three week training block. It was my first triathlon finish in 22 months and my first real race specific fitness test since signing on to Endurance Nation. I’d say the EN philosophy’s working out just fine for me, thank you!

While placing is gratifying, I’m most pleased with my pacing execution & mental toughness. I managed to negative split the bike and run legs. Despite some serious self-doubt early on that run (during which I said to myself, “I can’t possibly race 70.3 Rhode Island in July”) I rigidly STUCK. TO. PLAN.

There’s a lot of room for improvement in other aspects of my racing, too.

I made my aero position much, much more aggressive last fall. But notice here that my forearms are dipping downward. That’s not good and is probably inducing more drag. I’ll be adjusting the aero bars before my Saturday ride. Also notice that I’m wasting the benefits of my dorky aero helmet by sticking my head up too high and tiling my head down. Those two adjustments could speed me up with zero additional fitness… “Free speed.”

Check out this AWFUL running form! This is early in the run. Check out my hand position… I’m fatigued and just not thinking.

OK, this is much better as I approach the finish line. Funny how running faster tends to improve form.

A final note is that I wasted gobs of time in transition. Gotta make them more efficient for my key race!
Onward. So pleased to be back among the racing... I love this stuff…

Visit with the Doc

2009-04-28T20:40:00.002-04:00

I met with Dr. Pulliam today - the cardiologist that would conduct the radiofrequency ablation procedure if I decide to have it done. I really liked him. He's a direct communicator that's able to pull it off without being rude. He has a sense of humor. He listened to me. He explained EXACTLY what he would be doing, what the risks are, what the chances of success are, etc, etc. His track record is great. I suppose if I'm ever going to have this thing done, he's the guy I would want to do it.

That said, I'm no closer to making a decision. We decided to wait until the fall.

Lots to consider:

PROS: (1) The younger you are, the greater the chance of success. He said my chance for a "once and done" success is greater than 80%. (2) Recovery is amazingly fast... like a couple of days fast. (3) He's certain we could get the insurance company to cover the procedure... Good thing, because it costs about the same as a new BMW 500 series.

CONS: (1) 80% chance of success means 20% chance of failure (yes, thinking like the engineer that I am). (2) A 1% to 2% chance of complications, which is roughly equivalent to the same odds as open heart surgery. (3) The potential complications are really, really bad - death from rupturing my heart or esophagus (sp?), or stroke from blood clotting. (4) I'd be on blood thinners for 6 months post surgery.

That's the facts. Wishing for some great epiphany, but not really hopeful the decision will come that easily!

Epic Week, Lancaster

2009-04-19T18:07:00.002-04:00

We're planning an epic "week" of triathlon training around the Memorial Day holiday weekend - Thursday, May 21 through Tuesday, May 26. The week will be geared for athletes training for long distance triathlons, but will have a distinct cycling focus. Think 50 to 100 mile rides with short brick runs and maybe a longer run or two thrown in. Maybe also a trip to Mt Gretna for group open water swimming.

Please let me know if interested in joining us. As of today we have up to four athletes training the entire time with a few others joining on random days. If you're not from Lancaster we can hook you up with a home stay if you're nice. :-)

These weeks are exhausting, but they work! They don't just build physical fitness, but also the "mental six pack" (think abs, not beer) you'll need to thrive on race day.

12 Weeks Out

2009-04-18T06:15:00.001-04:00

If I want to have a good race on July 12 in Providence, it’s really time for me to knuckle down and take my training a little more seriously. My 12-week training plan kicks off Monday morning. That said I plan to remain committed to my 2009 mantra of “triathlon is supposed to be fun.” There’s simply no need to pile drive myself!

Despite feeling an absence of training discipline, a glance at the ’09 scoreboard leaves me feeling optimistic - one PR and one epic week already in the bag. Maybe I needed to step back a bit. I did, after all, end up peaking way too early last year. I am enjoying myself this year, for sure!

This week was supposed to be one of recovery but I managed to cook myself mentally. Playing for Easter services last weekend wasn’t exactly restful. I headed into a difficult week – one that held the promise of two evening board presentations – already tired. Then my mom found herself in the hospital, again, and my fabulous don’t-worry-about-it-I-got-mom-covered sister took a golfing vacation to Myrtle Beach. So I got a taste of being primary caregiver this week, too. My eyes are burning! There’s a lot more activity in the works this weekend between Kyle’s season-opening baseball tourney and our Tri for Life Sunday morning. I’ll need to sneak a nap and long bike ride sometime this weekend to keep mentally stable. :-)

It’s all good. A little insane, but good.

Deep Breaths

2009-04-11T12:59:00.001-04:00

Since recovering from my big bike week, I’m back to training like a triathlete. I’ve put together three consecutive “basic weeks,” which have included four runs, three rides, and two swims each. My discipline is improving from the off season, but I’m fighting my OCD urge to get too geeked out about training. This is plenty. I’m enjoying my sleep and hope to enjoy my fitness.

The rain has done a nice job of slowing things down today. I needed this. It was a tough week – work deadlines, mom in hospital, an emerging adolescent in the house, and preparing the play for Easter services. Burn-out is lurking… I’m wound a little tight!

Elective Heart Burn

2009-04-02T20:09:00.002-04:00

I had a good appointment with the EP on Monday. In summary, my ECG looked good and my health is very good. I shared a mini-report of how things have been going over the past 14 months. She asked me to consider, again, having a radiofrequency ablation procedure. See link: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4682. This article indicates a 90% chance of success. My EP says it’s more like 75% to 80%. The risks are stroke (about 3 in 1,000) or catastrophic failure.

I’ve now lived with atrial fibrillation for 17 months. It isn’t going to permanently go away. Physical fitness is an essential component to my quality of life. It clears my head and makes me a better father, husband, engineer, manager, citizen, etc. I now can’t give my “training” 100% effort. It’s very frustrating. I can accept that I’m getting older. I can accept that I’m not the most gifted of endurance athletes. I struggle mightily to accept the cloud of doubt that heart arrhythmia has cast over my life – especially with a 75% chance of complete cure.

Last year the prospect of a heart procedure took me off guard. I wasn’t ready to deal with that decision. I wasn’t sure I really had a long term issue with my heart. Now I’m more afraid of living with the condition and its effect on my quality of life. Over time, the condition will likely become more dangerous.

The prospect of healing is exciting.

I’m meeting with the surgeon later this month. I’ll make a decision sometime after that. Know anyone who's had an ablation? Please let me know. Peace…

Time to Ride!

2009-03-24T20:42:00.003-04:00

I wasn't nearly as disciplined on the bike this off season as I was on the run. Seeing some nice running gains I decided it's time to get in my first big biking week. The numbers aren't huge like the Lake Placid camps, but I'm sure big enough to give me a significant boost in aerobic fitness and functional power. Here's a snapshot of my week:

Saturday: 40+ miles with Joe R (who's training for Ironman). It was supposed to be an easy aerobic prologue. It turned into a Joe and Dan ego-fest! Why does that always seem to happen? :-) Something like 2,500 feet of climbing as Joe & I took turns pounding each other.

Sunday: 65-ish miles with Joe. He started out fast again! I stayed with him for the first 25 miles and then slowly started to melt down. I limped in the last 10 miles. 4,000 feet of climbing.

Monday: 50 miles with Joe. Punishing head and cross winds, but what a difference a day makes! I convinced Joe to ride slowly for the first 25, then we tempo'd it home. How could I be so strong after bonking the previous day? Funny thing about these epic weeks...

Tuesday: Drive to work in AM and work 'til 3:30, then bike it home! 42 very easy recovery miles. Ahhhhh!!!

Tomorrow I'll end the week with my commute to work in the AM. Hope to split it as 21 miles easy & 21 tempo.

So I'll get something like 15 hours of cycling in 5 days. That after riding an hour or so per week for 3 weeks! Of course I'm a little sore and tired, but I had enough reserve fitness to pull this off.

Annual visit to the electro-physiologist next Monday... Keeping fingers crossed!

Say Goodbye, Mr. Monkey

2009-03-15T17:15:00.001-04:00

I finally knocked the monkey off my back by completing the Caesar Rodney half marathon this morning – my first race finish of any kind since July 2007. It was a good day, indeed.

I was afraid it wasn’t going to work out. Saturday morning I took my time waking up before an easy three mile run. I ate a small breakfast and downed a nice big mug-and-a-half of what was intended to be decaffeinated coffee. I headed out on my run feeling a little edgy. Though jogging easily I was battling heart palpitations. When home I went straight to the pantry and pulled the coffee off the shelf. It read, “Starbucks Cafee Verona Bold.” DOH!!! I thought that stuff was gone! I felt like I was on speed! It’s funny now, but I spent the day trying to flush my system of the toxin.

So I showed up this morning with three goals, depending on how things played out:
• Primary goal: Finish the darn race! Don’t take finishing for granted.
• Goal #2: If the first goal is in the bag, dial in a PR. For me a PR would constitute a pace of less than 7:30 per mile.
• Goal #3: If I’m having a spectacular day, dial in a sub 1:35:00. A stretch goal, for sure, but my speed work indicated it was within the realm of possibility.

I didn’t wear a heart rate strap this morning because I just didn’t want to fixate on my heart. My sense of pacing is good and I was more comfortable just hitting the “lap” button at each mile split.

As in two years ago I wanted to establish a relatively comfortable pace and treat the race as a 10 mile run followed by a hard 5k. It went exactly as I had hoped. Mile 1 @ 7:30, miles 2 thru 5 at 7:34, mile 6 @ 7:18, etc. I was comfortable and my heart rate was in perfect equilibrium. I reached the 10 mile marker, with most of the major climbing behind me, at 1:15:29 (7:33/mile pace) and knew my PR was within reach if I could kick it in. I did – running the final 5k at a 6:57/mile pace. Final time = 1:37:04, or a 7:25/mile pace. Goal #2 achieved!

Nobody will ever mistake me for Alberto Salazar but, nevertheless, I’m a happy man today. I PR’d at age 41… on a hilly course… in March… while managing a heart arrhythmia. Maybe that caffeine jolt did me some good! Thanks to the Hempfield Tri Club folks (14 of us!) who were evidently very happy for me today. Also thanks to my friends at Endurance Nation - for a great “out season” plan and providing the camaraderie necessary to push hard through the winter months.

Tri for Life 09

2009-03-14T20:17:00.004-04:00

Local athletes, please sign up for the Hempfield Triathlon Club's "Tri for Life," on Sunday, April 19. New this year... a duathlon for the hydrophobic! Also new... Chip timing! As a recovering manual timing captain all I can say about the chip timing is IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! Manual timing and triathlons are not made for each other. Let me know if you have any questions about the race. This will be our fourth year - long enough for us to call it an "annual" event!

http://www.hempfieldtri.com/

Lenten Discipline

2009-03-09T20:19:00.002-04:00

I'm sticking to my goals two weeks into Lent, so am thinking it's safe to share what's up...

First off, I have more free time on my hands now than at any time in the past several years. No kids' sports until later this month and basketball has been over for a while. What a huge difference this makes!

With evenings available I'm a little surprised that I haven't had to fight the temptation to fill time with hard training. Instead I've been sticking to a steady diet of 5 runs per week with a few core training sessions and a bike ride or two. I peaked at about 40 miles per week and have been taking my resolution to take ample recovery time seriously. I'm tapering this week for Sunday's half marathon.

So what have I been doing? For one - dusting off my trumpet. I've been playing every night with the goal of rehearsing 40 times through Lent. Playing the horn is very similar to athletic training - you're just training trumpet playing muscles instead of running & cycling muscles. I really want to be strong for Easter services this year. It has been a great outlet. I'm definitely a more gifted trumpeter than endurance athlete!

Time with the boys, reading, and working... those are my other activities these days. You won't hear me complaining about work. Better to be working 50+ hour weeks than none at all.

My other vows are alcohol and caffeine abstinence. Alcohol is pretty easy anymore... I allow myself one drink per week - usually in a social situation. Caffeine is going well, too. I had three "no caffeine" days last week. At first I struggled with caffeine withdrawal, but seem to be past that barrier now. The most I've had in two weeks is half a cup of real coffee in the AM and a Diet Coke in the PM. I'm definitely not as high strung without the caffeine... Those closest to me are hoping I give it up for good!

Mixed Outlook

2009-02-23T21:43:00.001-05:00

OK, I’ve wrapped up my off season training plan and am on cruise control for my target half marathon on March 15. Very different results from the OS plan this year than last. In short, I had no patience for my bike trainer this year. I never found my cycling legs and I just sort of faked my way through. After two years of Ironman training, I’m finding myself fairly burned out on trainer workouts. The killer instinct is gone!

In contrast my running has never been stronger. Something just clicked this off season. My VDot has jumped to somewhere between 49 and 50. Considering my preseason goal was to reach a 50 VDot by mid-summer, I’m pretty happy! (I thought it was a “stretch” goal)

According to my metrics, I should be able to crush my half marathon PR by something like six minutes. Unfortunately that is not my target. In the cold & wind, there’s a very high probability that a race situation will induce my Afib if I push anywhere near threshold. The wind, especially, seems to be a trigger.

I still intend on toeing the line, but with the goal of simply finishing the stupid race. I haven’t finished a race since Ironman Lake Placid in July 2007! Last year was a total bust from a racing perspective.

So we’ll have to see what Mother Nature has in store for March 15 in Wilmington, DE. I’ll start out at long run pace and adapt on the fly. I need to check my ego that day and just be content with my fitness (and get the monkey off my back!). Hopefully the coming spring weather will allow my symptoms to disappear, just like last year.

American Heart Month

2009-02-14T08:02:00.001-05:00

It’s Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month, so I’ve just got to write something about hearts today.

To all endurance athletes reading this blog, repeat after me… “I am not invincible. I know that I must still take care of my heart.”

About Eating…
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times – Some geek endurance athlete says that all of their hard training gives them license to eat whatever they want. So wrong, my friend, so wrong!

Yes, you need more calories than the average person but, if anything, this makes eating even a little more complicated. You still need to make healthy choices, so you have to keep more healthy food around the house. Refueling with high saturated fats is a really bad idea for anyone – endurance athletes included. “You are what you eat” isn’t an old wives’ tale. It’s true. Seemingly perfectly healthy runners have heart attacks & strokes, too. I know of at least three.

Electrical Issues…
My problems are electrical in nature. There’s debate whether problems like mine are actually caused by high volume / high intensity training, or whether the training simply uncovers a genetic predisposition. My electro-physiologist believes it’s the former. In her opinion I have a case of “athlete’s heart,” in which my heart walls have thickened from training, causing electrical disturbances. I have to say that I disagree with my EP’s opinion. I think it’s the latter with me, that I am predisposed to atrial fibrillation.

Whichever is the case, there’s no denying that arrhythmias can be very dangerous. The American Heart Association says arrhythmias are the number one cause of sudden cardiac death. Many a runner is haunted by the thought of Ryan Shay’s sudden cardiac death at the 2008 Marathon Olympic trials in New York City.

Arrhythmias are also a leading cause of stroke. I am five times more likely to have a stroke than someone without my condition.

Freaked out yet? Good. Go get yourself checked out. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (That’s not an old wives’ tale either…)

My Typical Week

2009-02-05T20:11:00.002-05:00

'Tis the off season, but I'm still following the general framework of a speed-boosting plan. I'm in week 14 of 16. Here's the structure for week 14 (EN folks, I've modified the runs to suit a target half marathon):

Monday: Day off. Sweat out hangover from Steelers victory.
Tuesday: Bike - 2 x 20 minutes at functional threshold power (FTP)with a 4 minute recovery between. Run - 30 minutes easy with 3 x striders.
Wednesday: Run - 3 x 1.5 miles at 10k pace.
Thursday: Bike - 3 x 10 minutes at FTP with 4 minute recoveries.
Friday: Easy swim / goofing off session with tri club group.
Saturday: Run - 12 miles as 4 @ long run pace (LRP), 4 @ target half marathon pace (HMP), 4 @ LRP.
Sunday: Bike - Hopefully a 2-hour outdoor hill ride. If not, then a "30/30" VO2max session on the trainer, followed by a 30-minute brick run.

That's it... Running late for Colin's game. Gotta go!

Fulfilling Potential

2009-01-27T20:47:00.002-05:00

There’s a great thread on the Endurance Nation forum right now that has a lot of us, once again, wondering how fast we can get. Typical questions asked… What role does genetics really play? Can hard work overcome physical limitations? Can I run an 18-minute 5k? If so, how many years of training will it take to get me there? Etc, etc…

These questions are frequently followed by someone or several folks telling of dramatic gains over the course of time… Like how one fellow went from a 30-minute 5k to qualifying for Kona in a six or seven year span. Another guy professed to never running for endurance prior to 2004, but through “patient” application of training load, he was able to break a three-hour marathon last year.

While I love reading these stories and am truly happy for those who share them, there’s a flip side to this story as well – the story of those who tried and didn’t get the results they were looking for. Unfortunately this opposing story isn’t frequently told, because most of the folks who would tell it have given up and moved on! Did these guys give up out of impatience? Maybe they set unrealistic expectations and were doomed to failure? Did some of them do the requisite “work” and just not get results due to physical limitations? Of course the answers to these questions are some combination of yes, yes, and yes.

I try to keep a “never say never” attitude, but I’d be a fool to develop some sort of scheme to get myself to a sub-three-hour marathon by year “x.” I used to be that fool! No more fairy tales. At some point over the past two years I turned a corner. There was no distinct epiphany, it’s just happened as an outcome of consistent training, observing, thinking, and living. I’m a slow learner.

So, yes, I’ve stated that getting to Kona is my goal (I’m hardly unique among triathletes!). But I don’t have a distinct road map to get there. The goal is there because striving for it will help me reach my fullest potential. That’s why I love triathlon. It translates well to other aspects of life.

All I can do is control what’s within my grasp. I can work at becoming a faster runner and cyclist. I can work at building the “iron mind” that’s necessary to pull off the goal. Steady, consistent, forward motion. Easier to accomplish when you set an audacious goal! I won’t sacrifice my family or career to get there, either. I only say this because some folks do just that.

I just returned from a business trip to Chicago. It was so very, very cold there and I really wanted to make use of some free time to get a good running load. My goal half marathon is on March 15 and I’m nowhere near where I want to be! I ended up totally trashing my quads by doing back-to-back interval workouts on the hotel treadmill. Saturday was a 4 x 1-mile interval at 10k pace and a 2% incline. It felt great so the next day I did 1-hour at long run pace followed by 20-minutes at my goal half marathon pace. I took Monday off. This morning I woke up with loaded quads. I headed outdoors and ran along Lake Michigan. I felt like there was a parachute tied to my back in that big, windy expanse! Back to my cycling pain cave in the AM...

No Regrets

2009-01-19T19:04:00.002-05:00

What a game, what a game! We had a super time at the AFC Championship last night in Pittsburgh. I'm feeling too lazy to write much of substance tonight, but I'm doing well on my quest to live without regrets. Maybe more on that another time...

Vive Lance

2009-01-17T08:50:00.000-05:00

Lance is back. I’m a fan. I don’t care what other folks think of him. I’m a huge fan. I probably like the fact that he’s such a polarizing figure. Despite professional jealousies & so many trying to poke holes in his character he just keeps on winning. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened for cycling in the U.S. End of argument.

That said, I don’t worship him. He’s an imperfect mortal just like the rest of us. I probably like that about him, too. I finally got to read “his” first book in 2008, “It’s Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life.” http://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-About-Bike-Journey/dp/0425179613.

There are two passages in that book that I love…

In talking about his early career, “I still struggled with impatience at times. I would ride smart for a while, and then backslide. I just couldn’t seem to get it through my head that in order to win I had to ride more slowly at first. It took some time to reconcile myself to the notion that being patient was different from being weak, and that racing strategically didn’t mean giving less than all I had.” So true for all of us, regardless of ability or genetic gifts. Here enters the gap between superior fitness and superior race day execution. It takes BOTH! I, like 99% of other age group endurance athletes, have an overwhelming tendency to focus on fitness, fitness, fitness, and under estimate the importance of race execution.

Here’s another, “There is an unthinking simplicity in something so hard, which is why there’s probably some truth to the idea that all world-class athletes are actually running away from something. Once, someone asked me what pleasure I took in riding for so long. ‘Pleasure?’ I said. ‘I don’t understand the question.’ I didn’t do it for pleasure. I did it for pain.” I’d make an edit, Lance. Remove the words “world-class” and insert “ultra endurance.”

Energy Management

2009-01-10T08:20:00.002-05:00

I’m sucking wind with a stressful start to 2009. It’s so much more than just “the economy.” I probably know too much about the energy industry for my own mental well being. I’m seeing the glass as half empty. We’re (i.e. pretty much the entire global economy) living in a state of denial and it is going to bite us very, very hard. The recession, which is very real, is artificially pushing down the cost of energy commodities right now. Don’t get used to less than $2.00 gas unless we have a very protracted and deep recession.

Another stressor this week was learning that our company’s cost for health insurance will climb another 27% this year. It’s been doing that for a long time now… When will it stop?

Professionally I’m going a little radical and intend on focusing almost all of my division’s efforts toward the energy industry. Our local market is in desperate need of real leadership in the form of soap box preaching. I’m in danger of digressing way off the intent of this blog, so I’ll just stop now.

By the way, we finally launched a new website www.mcclureco.com. It’s not easy explaining in just a couple words what I do for a living. The site says it all. From the main page, click the orange “Design Build” section. Also from the main page click “Energy Solutions” to find the sub domain for that piece of our business. I run both of them (I say "both" but it's actually the same group of folks). The site I about 95% complete. I still need to do some editing.

OK, enough on that. I recently shared my triathlon-related New Years’ resolutions with the Endurance Nation forum. Here’s what I said:
• Deliberately plan recovery.
• Self-reliance on bike maintenance.
• Two epic weeks.

Recovery: Easy to say, hard to do. You gain fitness while resting after hard work. Rest is an essential component of peak fitness. At 41 with an inclination toward atrial fibrillation, I need to take recovery more seriously than I have in the past. Self-coached athletes generally work too hard and recover too little. Patrick was very good at opening my eyes to that reality, but it is still hard to convince yourself that less can be more. I vow to do it this year. I exhausted myself last year… Not good.

Bike maintenance: I’m lazy. I take the bike to the shop without investigating very deeply on my own. I only get good service at the shop 50% of the time. It’s annoying. I need to be more self sufficient. Going to happen in ’09.

Two epic weeks: I’ve seen huge gains from my epic weeks in past years. My fitness increases dramatically. My mind also gets very, very strong. I enjoy using vacation time to challenge myself physically and mentally. I’ll do two weeks this year instead of one. Details will follow some day on this blog. If anyone out there has any interest in some big riding this year, drop me a line.

New Years Day Run

2009-01-01T13:55:00.000-05:00

An easy 5 mile trot this morning with a few hardy Hempfield Triathlon Club souls. Lousy cell phone photo, but I'm wearing a Penn State football jersey & Stephanie's wearing a "Happy New Year" sign and party streamers. We turned a few heads in our 2F wind chilled weather.

So ends my Endurance Nation Holiday Run Challenge. 48 miles in 8 days. Not extreme mileage, but a good early season strength-builder. I alternated easy days with hard track interval sessions. My speed is actually better than it was in the middle of the summer. No more running for a few days... It's back to the cycling "pain cave" for a little while!

Happy New Year!

Another Ironman Ramble

2008-12-26T21:15:00.000-05:00

Christmas night I finally sat down and watched the NBC coverage of the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI. I see this program every year and it's the first time that I can remember them showing how brutal an Ironman bonk can be. Did you see it? Folk staggering, sobbing, crashing, barfing, and getting carried off on stretchers. Good family fun! They still can't do the race justice by editing it down to a little over 1-hour of air time, but I applaud them for allowing viewers to see it's not all about story book endings.

I read and copied this quote when training for Ironman in 2007. I can't remember who wrote it (maybe it's in "Going Long" by Friel & Byrn?), but I used this passage to keep me focused during training,

"The Ironman rewards preparation, planning and patience and it can brutally punish those under prepared, those with self doubt, those who are physically under -trained and equally those that assume their right of passage instead of earning it.
I often think a video clip showing athletes at the back of the run course, sobbing in pain or just sheer fatigue would portray a very realistic side of the Ironman. This portrayal would not be good for marketing, but the reality of the event is that if you get it wrong, you usually get it horribly wrong."

Most athletes have a good healthy respect of the Ironman distance. But I can attest that it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling this "right of passage." In the past couple years I've surrounded myself with Ironman freaks - literally hundreds of athletes that live and breathe Ironman. We publicly track training metrics. We talk about training, gear, and nutrition. We plan epic training weeks and share race reports. Training and racing is still cool, but the magic can get stripped away. It's like waking up one morning and realizing Santa isn't real. Christmas is still cool, but the mystique is gone forever.

Converting my mindset from simply wanting to finish strong to wanting to compete and contend is proving to be so very hard! My ego has taken a good healthy pounding by masses of athletes that can just simply kick my ass. I've been practicing what I preach to my boys, "If you want to get stronger, you should play with the bigger boys." It's a difficult position because, even though I can't keep up with the varsity kids, many of my JV buds no longer want to train with me as I get faster. The way I see it, the only thing to do is keep my foot on the gas pedal.

Holiday Run Challenge

2008-12-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

I'll be interrupting my normal training to participate in the Endurance Nation holiday run challenge. http://www.endurancenation.us/en_coach/challenge_run_Dec2008.php. If you have any interest in participating in one or all runs with me, let me know! I'm thinking a group run on New Year's Day might be fun (& interesting)!

Craving a Silent Night

2008-12-20T08:38:00.000-05:00

My little experiment netted a little over 20 less e-mails per week. The past two weeks I’ve sent 51 new e-mails as opposed to my previous 70+ weekly average. This was a really healthy exercise that I hope to sustain over the long haul. If you figure that an e-mail consumes 3-minutes of time on average, I’ve either gained an hour per week or used that time communicating with colleagues in a more effective way. Win – win.

This time of year is pretty tough on me. My quiet alone time almost completely evaporates among the cacophony of parties, sporting events, travel time, & church activities. Work doesn’t slow down for the holidays anymore (I’m thankful for this given our economic crisis). Added to the noise this year is the ongoing renovation to our home. We’ve been living in a partial, dusty home for quite a while now. Introverts need their sleep & quiet brain recharging time! Two moments in particular sustained my week – One evening Kyle & I shared a couch and read in a quiet room for an hour. Last night we sat and watched a movie in a quiet room. No channel surfing, no kids arguing, no telephone rings, no food / candy negotiations. Just quiet – family – time.

Planning the upcoming triathlon season has also been therapeutic. I’m thinking of turning exercise ascetic for some time this year - Just me, my bike, some books, and a bed.

My body seems to be adapting to the new off season training stimulus. No arrhythmia issues for a couple of weeks despite pushing hard on several workouts. This makes me very happy! Last year at this time was one of the more stressful periods of my life as we were trying to diagnose my condition.

I wish you a peaceful Christmas. Count your blessings. Reflect on the past year. Listen to your calling and plan accordingly.

Tough Love thru E-mail

2008-12-05T16:15:00.000-05:00

My "in box" is completely out of control. Last weekend I cut the in-box count by 300+ e-mails and I still can't dig my way out. That only scratched the surface. For the past month or so I've been dishing out some tough love and only reading those e-mails that seem truly urgent or important. Everything else has gone unread. If you are one of those unread affected writers just know that, yes, I still love you. I AM JUST LOSING MY FREAKING MIND with these darn e-mails!!! Ahhhhh (eyes dancing, fingers quaking)!!!!!

I've been looking at my own sending patterns just to make sure I'm practicing what I preach. This week I sent 74 e-mails. Of those, only 16 were initiated by me with new content. My goal next week is to improve that ratio of new content versus perpetuating discussions via Outlook. There are just much better, old fashioned ways to communicate! (Sometimes we don't need to communicate at all - you know, the FYI e-mails and cc: deals)

Just doing my part to stamp out adult ADD.

Change of Seasons addendum #1

2008-11-30T12:18:00.000-05:00

Friday evening I forgot to mention the importance of nutritional discipline, and how it basically tends to disappear once the triathlon season ends. This fall I started to fall off the caffeine abstinence wagon (I never fully abstained, but managed to reduce daily intake to somewhere around 40 to 50 mg). So yesterday, in my predictable overly reactive fashion, I COMPLETELY abstained from caffeine. I felt fine until I woke this morning with a raging migraine headache! A nice breakfast, a couple Advil and a stiff cup of coffee later and I am now back among the living. Obviously pumping my body full of stimulant has adverse effects on heart rate. Caffeine addiction is practically celebrated among endurance athletes. Not good...

So yesterday morning I said yes to a game of pick-up football. With the stop & go sprinting involved in that sport, I had legitimate fear of bad Afib onset. Early in the game my heart was fluttering a bit, but I was able to keep a quiet mind (also a factor in preventing onset) and prevented my heart from racing. As my body adapted to the game, all symptoms completely disappeared. My old fast twitch gifts kicked into gear and I generally had a blast. So what happened? How could I possibly completely redline and avoid Afib symptoms? I HAVE NO IDEA! It is simply a mystery. Somehow my cardiovascular system found a state of equilibrium as it was simultaneously being thrashed.

So what will happen today as I complete my run workout? My main set will be 2 x 2.5 miles at a zone 3 pace (of 5 training zones). My prediction... If able to keep a quiet mind I'll complete the main set without having to shut it down. If not, I'll be walking. We'll see what happens!

Change of Seasons

2008-11-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

Alrighty… time to post. Life marches onward.

The boys both won their respective football championships last weekend. I’m proud of them. Not because they were on the winning side, but because they are thriving and generating their own glory days (Although I must admit, watching Kyle pick off two passes and score two touchdowns & a 2-point conversion in the semi-final game caused my voice to disappear for a couple of days!). Their discipline and attitudes remained strong through a long season. I’ve become a big believer in youth football. I could go on about that subject but will save it for future post. Suffice to say, I welcome the youth football debate!

On to basketball we go. Kyle made the Hempfield 5th grade travel squad. I’ll be coaching Colin’s 7th & 8th grade team. Hope the boys are ready to run! :-)

Unfortunately my incidence of heart arrhythmia is on the rise. This is precisely the time last year that it first surfaced with some continuity. (Reflecting on my life before triathlon 7+ years ago, I can remember some incidences during pick-up basketball games). Why? My theory – that no doctor seems to fully comprehend – as follows:

• Stress... October through March is “make or break” time for my department. During these months we simply must acquire about 80% of the work that will carry us through the coming year. Finding, advocating, proposing, defending, risk reviewing, and negotiating… I take these responsibilities and the livelihoods of my employees to heart. I think literally.
• Change of seasons... Darkness. Cold. Cold weather seems to make a difference. Of interest, my father died from a heart arrhythmia in late October several years ago. I don’t think this is coincidence! I think it’s genetic.
• Change in training stimulus… By now I’ve cycled down from my late summer – early fall training peak. I’ve gone through some period of “de-training.” Now I hit myself with short & intense workouts aimed at boosting functional threshold and VO2 max. This might not be the best approach for a chap with my condition.

I’m going to stick with my training plan unless the Afib turns chronic. If it does, I’m going to have to shift gears and follow a more traditional training approach. I’ll keep you posted! My outlook is good, regardless of outcome.

Happy Thanksgiving…

Playoff Bound...

2008-11-08T17:06:00.001-05:00

Both boys' football teams look strong heading into the playoffs this weekend. Kyle had another big 50-yard reception last week to help seal a 14 - 0 win. So cool! Hopefully we have games for a few more weeks!

I started my Endurance Nation Off Season plan this week. My focus for the next 15-weeks will be low volume, high intensity - an attempt to boost my top end speed on the bike and run. I'll say bye-bye to the pool for a little while.

Random October thoughts...

2008-10-23T19:11:00.000-04:00

On fitness - Darkness + cooler temperatures = hibernation. I'm really untired. I still manage to get some exercise in every day, but it doesn't resemble training in form, focus or effort!

On cycling - I went on a legitimate rock hopping mountain bike ride last weekend. I only screamed like a little girl once. I only ended up on my back side three times. The bruises on my abdominals are already turning yellow, so I'm about ready to hit the trails again.

On living arrangements - Contractors started tearing our house apart two weeks ago. The house is still bearable to live in, but life will get much more complicated when the boys don't have to go to football practice every night. The work should be done by XMas.

On football - I just don't get tired of watching the boys play. I definitely have a football addiction.

On work - People generally like me more now that I'm not so grumpy. I'm using the off season to take care of some bigger picture initiatives. I'm lucky to LOVE my career. It's an interesting time to be in the energy biz.

The Big Dance

2008-10-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

Today’s the big show in Kona, Hawaii… The Ironman World Championships. All long course athletes dream of getting there. All but 200 (I think) athletes get there by qualifying through another Ironman event. The remaining 200 are selected through a lottery system.

As badly as I want to make it to the big dance, I’ve decided not to enter the lottery. At best my chances are very slim of qualifying. Slim - but not impossible. As long as I think there’s ANY possibility of qualifying, I will try to get there through sweat, blood and guts rather than through luck. If I’m ever able to reach the starting line of IMHI, I want to feel as if I’ve earned it.

For me, qualifying for Kona is the stretchiest of stretch goals. The Ironman motto is “Impossible is nothing.” There are many folks (including several voices in my own head) that like to tell me that qualifying is impossible for a non-lifetime endurance athlete. That might ultimately prove to be true. But I also know that not setting the goal – and not expecting that outcome – will definitely result in failure. So I’m going to go ahead and embrace the motto. I want to race in Kona by qualifying. So there! I said it. Vision without action is hallucination.

Many of my non-endurance athlete peers openly criticize me for pursuing (what is in their minds) a worthless goal. My personal favorite criticism is, “I guess you don’t have anything better to do.” I guess not.

What those folks just don’t get is that extreme endurance sport can be about so much more than athletic achievement. There’s no doubt that I have grown personally, professionally, and spiritually since deciding to proactively pursue athletic goals. Three words: Not a coincidence.

This sport enforces discipline of lifestyle. It holds you accountable for action and inaction. Striving for excellence permeates all facets of life. Humility – Patience – Perspective - Tenacity – Self Awareness – Gratitude – the list goes on… Attributes that transcend athletics and all reinforced through the discipline of the endurance lifestyle.

For sure there are also pitfalls to living this way. Many a triathlete has ditched the family or other relationships / vocations to pursue athletic ambitions. I’m not apologizing for those folks. I’m also not saying I’m perfect. I’m just saying…

Type A has a plan already

2008-10-05T08:01:00.000-04:00

It's nice not being exhausted. I've already formulated my basic plan for the next 2 years:

2009: IM 70.3 Rhode Island as "A" race. Sounds like a tough race with lots of rolling hills and a choppy swim. Will do local events as lead up. Probably no camps for me in 2009. I went over my spending limit this year. In late July I plan to travel to Lake Placid with friends with the goal of signing up for the 2010 race.

2010: IM Lake Placid as "A" race. I'm very excited about my lead up that year... My "B" race will be the Desoto American Triple T, a 2-day, 3-triathlon event that covers the entire Ironman distance over the course of the weekend. I tentatively plan to race the Triple T as a 2-man team, where the athletes are allowed to work together (i.e. draft).

Stick a fork in me

2008-10-04T07:43:00.000-04:00

I raced for 1-1/2-hours last weekend before my mechanical breakdown. Considering my goal was 10:45, the silver lining to my day was that almost no recovery would be required. I could still race this year before shutting it down. I batted around a few ideas... A late season HIM (there's one in NJ this AM) or, possibly, a run at a BQ at the Harrisburg Marathon. Even with a lack of focus at open marathon racing, my Daniels VDot numbers (48) say I could qualify (sub 3:20).

As the week wore on my body & mind were obviously begging me to shut it down for the year. When my heart was giving me problems during the winter I made an oath to always listen to the signals my body was sending. So I'm doing that. I've officially entered my off season.

So 2008 will go down as the season that I didn't finish a single race. Ironically it was also a breakthrough year in my training. As you might imagine, I have mixed feelings about the way it ended. The word that best describes my thoughts about Chesapeakeman is "disgust." But beyond that sense of unfulfilled potential, there is a huge sense of satisfaction with the season. I am sitting on a new plateau. My fitness gains are still outpacing the effects of aging. IOW - I'm faster than I've ever been (excluding, of course, my ability to run short distances really fast 20+ years ago).

I set a pre-season goal of reaching 4.0 watts per kg on the bike. I didn't quite make it (263 watts over 69.1 kg = 3.81), but I worked awfully hard to get there. Last year I peaked at 3.65 w/kg. 4.0 will now be my goal for '09. I had intended on getting there by working on the numerator AND denominator of that equation. My preseason goal was to show up on race day at 65.9 kg. That would have resulted in a 3.99 at 263 watts. It's become apparent to me that dipping below 69 kg is an uncomfortable place. I'm better off focusing on boosting watts and allowing my weight to fluctuate naturally. I don't struggle with body comp, so I should just let it go.

When I cognitively review my season I'm left with a smile on my face. Focusing on that will help me overcome the race day disappointment in short order. I'm very, very thankful that my atrial fibrillation went into hibernation as the spring of '08 arrived. The one change I'll make in my next training cycle is pre-planning my recovery cycles. I reached a new level of accumulated fatigue in August and September. I think that could have been avoided.

Moving forward I've decided to take a year off of Iron distance training. I signed up for Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island in July 2009. That will be my "A" race. Then, perhaps, a competitive run at IM Lake Placid in 2010. I'm hoping Joe Ruiz will let me tag along on some of his Ironman training rides next spring.

Enough blogging for today. Life is good.

Race Day Bust!

2008-09-30T19:21:00.000-04:00

Not much in the mood for writing tonight. I'll elaborate another time, but I posted a DNF on Saturday after having bike mechanical issues. Darn! All that training and... ouch!

All is not lost. I had an incredible season of training, which, frankly, is more fun than racing. After experiencing some pesky new health issues I managed to reach a new level of physical fitness. Pretty cool...

The Arena

2008-09-26T07:51:00.000-04:00

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Teddy Roosevelt
"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

One of my favorite passages. So a toast on the eve of Ironman... "Here's to living in the arena!"

When my diagnosis wasn't clear in the winter of '07 - '08 I had a couple of sleepless nights. I never would have guessed that I'd have the opportunity to do this again, let alone just a few months later. Through that time period I had two friends that understood my situation better than anyone else. They were instrumental in helping me remain positive. It was comforting to have friends that had complete empathy. One of those friends was recently hospitalized for his own heart disease. He won't have the opportunity to race Ironman, so I promised I'd race this one in his honor. Steve, when the going gets tough out there tomorrow I'll be thinking about you!

The Mental Game

2008-09-22T22:04:00.000-04:00

Five days and counting. It's time for some serious introspection. Once thing I've learned the hard way - If I take myself too seriously, it'll be a very, very long day. I've named my fears... literally. You can go ahead a roll your eyes, but I'm telling you this works and will keep me focused.

The choppy waters of the Chesapeake are "Chuck."
The jellyfish are "Barbara and Margaret."
Inclement conditions are "Mother."
Involuntary adrenaline flow is "Andy."

Of my heart rhythm and asthma issues?

My heart is "Steady Eddie."
My lungs are "Larry and Daryl."

I have two allies on race day, named for my belief in my Endurance Nation training plan...

My extreme fitness is simply "the EN-gine." It won't let me down.
My personal race director is "EN-rique." He is the collective wisdom of the EN forum. He will accompany me on race day, interpreting all that unfolds, keeping me focused on my race plan, and smack me around when I deviate from plan.

I have several key phrases, many of them stolen from last year:

Steady is smooth. Smooth is fast.
One day.
Detach.
No highs - No lows.
Focus.
Smile.

And finally, my chosen mantra...

Hope is stronger than fear. Confidence trumps indecision.

8 Days Out

2008-09-19T12:23:00.000-04:00

Tapering is never easy. Less exercise, less food, more time to obsess about the race. Battling the inevitable self-doubt is difficult although ultimately a healthy exercise in itself. I've developed a strategy to face my fears head on. I don't have time to write about that right now... Will hopefully get to it this weekend.

Just like last year, my body is going through some sort of pre-race metamorphosis. My weight has suddenly dropped by 4 pounds. As long as it doesn't make me weak or sick I invite the little bit of pre-race weight loss. I notice improvement in running when I carry a couple less pounds.

I get a lot of questions about my diet. I stopped counting calories because it's too much work with very little gain. I seem to instinctively know how much, how often and what to eat. Taper time brings on an added dimension of nutritional discipline. My focus over the last two weeks goes like this:

1. Only eat when hungry.
2. Eat as soon as I feel hungry to prevent binging.
3. Replace energy dense foods with nutritionally dense foods. IOW eat a lot of spinach salads, fruits, veggies. Don't eat a lot of breads, pastas, potatoes.
4. Stick to chicken, fish, eggs, and protein shakes as primary sources of protein.
5. Red wine a couple nights per week keeps me from feeling like I'm being deprived.
6. No desserts except for fruit.
7. No nighttime snacks.
8. More calories in AM than PM.
9. Water frequently.
10. Eliminate power/protein bars from diet (I eat a bar each day through peak training).

In the final two days before racing I'll salt my food lightly. The day before the race I'll eliminate fiber from my diet after breakfast and sip Gatorade all day.

There you have it!

Surviving Part 2

2008-09-12T18:59:00.000-04:00

A couple of follow-up thoughts on my last post regarding increased training volume...

1. No injuries or illnesses in '08. Last year I had to nurse a bruised foot and recover from a post half-ironman cold.
2. No "B" races in '08. Even lower priority races require an interruption to consistent training.

That said, my little experiment to find that perfect blend of training, sleeping, parenting, working, etc. has produced a data point... 14-weeks at an average 14-hours of training per week is too freakin' much! I'm whipped. Got no race day mojo. Luckily I have two weeks of taper to go!

Yesterday I completed my final race rehearsal - 112-miles of mind numbing, windy flatness followed by a 4-mile run. The wind was tough. Despite losing my feed bottle somewhere between miles 80 and 85... and then getting bit on the thigh by some vicious little black bug at mile 99, I had a strong, consistent ride.

Time: 5:25:20
TSS: 242.9
IF: 0.669
HRave: 139 BPM
1st Half Time = 2:45:00
2nd Half Time = 2:40:20
PNorm for ride and both halves = 174.

I'm looking forward to frequent aid stations on race day. I just can't carry enough water on these rides to prevent dehydration.

Note for race day: Use the inhaler before starting... Don't wait for problems.

Survived the Summer

2008-09-03T20:04:00.000-04:00

So I finished my long run this morning and am officially tapering toward the big day (although a couple big workouts to go). I’m a subscriber to the Ironman training philosophy that the longest run shouldn’t exceed 2-1/2 hours. Any pure marathoners reading this are probably gasping right now thinking, “No 22 milers? Is this guy nuts?!” Well, yes, of course I’m nuts. I’m voluntarily doing an Ironman. Look - The Ironman marathon is mostly about raw guts. Sub-10 minute miles will have you passing masses of otherwise fit people during the final half of the marathon. There's no healthy way to train for that!

My running and riding paces are slightly faster this year than last. I’m swimming a bit slower. Overall I think I’m in a very good place.

To convince myself I’ve done the requisite training, I sat down and compared my three month lead-up training in ’08 to ’07. Going into that exercise, I would have guessed that my ’08 swimming volume is lower, cycling is significantly higher, and running is slightly higher. Actual results?

• ’08 swimming is more than 8% higher than ’07
• ’08 cycling is more than 9% higher than ‘07
• ’08 running is more than (drum roll please) 56% higher than ’07
• Net training volume is 19% higher than ‘07

How’d I manage that?

For one, I eliminated weight training and substituted swimming and running. I’m a fast twitch guy that doesn’t need supplemental weight training. Save that for the scrawny endurance types. :-)

It also seems I am sneaking in short runs all over the place. Do a swim …follow it with a run. Do a bike… follow it with a run. Make an omelette… follow it with a run. Etc, etc,…

Traditional training philosophy states that you shouldn’t increase training volume by more than 10% per year. All I have to say to that is, “doh!” It wasn’t exactly on purpose and I’ve managed to stay injury free this year (knocking on wood).

Chessyman Race Rehearsal #1

2008-08-25T20:35:00.000-04:00

The Chesapeakeman course is close enough to home that we loaded up the family truckster and headed south for the day. The wife and kids enjoyed the last day of summer vacation on the bay while I recon’d the course. This ride is totally flat and, coming from hilly country, I had no idea what my ride time would be. I wanted to get an idea in advance of race day.

The wide open roads and abundant wildlife scenery make for a beautiful ride. The course is set up as a 17-ish mile out & back followed by two 47-ish mile loops. Perfect for setting up a pacing strategy. I used the out & back as warm-up and then attempted to negative split the two loops.

In layman's terms I had a good day, finishing in 5-1/2 hours with a negative split. The data reveals I could have actually pushed harder and still have a reasonable chance at running a respectable marathon. So for my next rehearsal in 3-weeks, I'll focus on giving it a little more gas.

Here's the raw data for any geeks checking in:

Goal watts = 182, based on 70% of 260w FTP.
First hour goal = 173 w
Goal headwind watts = 191 w
80°F
Entire workout (170 watts):
Duration: 5:31:45
Work: 3393 kJ
TSS: 248.6 (intensity factor 0.671)
Norm Power: 174
VI: 1.02
Distance: 113.038 mi
Min.Max.Avg
Power: .0.303.170 .watts
Heart rate: .0.0.0 .bpm
Cadence: .30.189.88 .rpm
Speed: .0.26.7.20.4 .mph

SRM #1 (Out & back):
Duration: 54:20
Work: 502 kJ
TSS: 34.2 (intensity factor 0.614)
Norm Power: 160
VI: 1.04
Distance: 17.473 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 222 154 watts
Heart rate: 0 0 0 bpm
Cadence: 30 96 86 rpm
Speed: 0 23 19.3 mph

SRM #2 (Loop #1):
Duration: 2:16:50
Work: 1421 kJ
TSS: 103.7 (intensity factor 0.674)
Norm Power: 175
VI: 1.01
Distance: 47.13 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 303 173 watts
Heart rate: 0 0 0 bpm
Cadence: 36 189 88 rpm
Speed: 0 23.9 20.7 mph

SRM #3 (Loop #2):
Duration: 2:15:30
Work: 1454 kJ
TSS: 108.1 (intensity factor 0.692)
Norm Power: 180
VI: 1.01
Distance: 47.81 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 248 179 watts
Heart rate: 0 0 0 bpm
Cadence: 68 100 89 rpm
Speed: 14.7 25 21.2 mph

Numbers spun a different way…
1st half: 2:48:15, PN 170, VI 1.03, TSS 120.3 (0.655)
2nd half: 2:43:00, PN 178, VI 1.02, TSS 127.7 (0.686)

Nutrition
1,000 calories from Infinit, 1-Clif bar @ 250 calories, 4 gels @ 100 calories = 1,650 calories
300 calories per hour.
Drank as much water as I could carry.

Successes
• Negative split with strong finish.
• Ability to focus on loop #2 (did not take caffeine).
• First long ride in new position. Felt fine. Big difference from previous position!
• Lowest TSS ever for 112 mile ride.

Room for Improvement
• Confidence to ride at higher watts on out & back and loop #1.
• Polar transmitter being serviced. Need HR data on RR#2 in 3 weeks.
• Gut was sick on run… Overheating, dehydration, ran too hard???
• This rehearsal focused on the bike. Need to plan better for 6-mile run on RR#2 (i.e. start slow!).
• Core temperature management. Way too hot.

General Notes
• Tested FTP at 263 and set at 260. Questioning that result… Was it just a really good day?
• Recalibrated SRM 3 times during ride.

Getting Close to Race Day

2008-08-21T16:58:00.000-04:00

If anyone is still reading my infrequently updated blog, the above photo was taken at our surprise birthday party for Lori. That’s Carl with us. His skill at deep tissue massage is largely responsible for keeping us injury free through heavy training. He’s a great guy. Drop me a line if you’d like his contact information.

We returned from Colorado and I started to get sweaty palms and quaking knees when I realized my “A” race was less than seven weeks away. I wrote these notes to reaffirm that I’ve done everything in my ability to ensure being properly prepared.

What have I done differently this year as a step toward improvement?
• Cut out weight training entirely & reduced core training to maintenance only.
• Reduced swim training to make room for bike and run training.
• Long run Weds or Thurs versus Sunday.
• Two long rides on weekends.
• More intensity on rides – more focus on session goals than just getting time in.
• More focus on swimming form.
• Overall bike training volume significantly higher.
• Made adjustments to tri bike fit. Increased drop by 3 cm. Changed hydration system.
• Spent more time learning functionality of SRM.
• Changed run training from HR-based to pace-based.
• Almost eliminated caffeine from diet.

What I plan to do differently on race day:
• Ride closer to my “ceiling.”
• Do not lose focus on bike beyond 75 mile mark.
• More liquid calories.
• Less time in special needs.
• Less time in transition.
• Time “planned” walking through aid stations.
• Run EN pacing goals established by VDOT (Daniels method).

To hit these race goals, I need to do the following in my remaining training:
• Pre-plan and then crush my race rehearsals – pacing, nutrition, focus.
• Experiment with caffeine intake deep into bike rides.
• Pre-plan special needs and transitions. Become more comfortable in ability to “live off the course.”
• Practice walking intervals in my long run training.

America the Beautiful

2008-08-09T21:54:00.000-04:00

We just got home from a pretty incredible trip to Colorado. Although pictures can't capture the full splendor of the mountains majesty, I'm still disappointed with the poor quality of our photos. I think I'm going to invest in a decent camera! Here are some random snapshots...

Taking a break from a canyon mountain bike ride.

Goofing off at the hotel.

Colin airborne on a bungee!

The boys at the US Olympic Training Center. One day before Beijing!

Me at 14,100 feet on Pike's Peak. Cold and thin air! I can only imagine the difficulty of an Everest expedition.

Beyond Healthy

2008-07-20T14:44:00.000-04:00

It's pouring rain today at the Lake Placid Ironman race. Hard to believe they're all freezing in the rain given the heat and humidity here. I'm not sure which is worse. I'm feeling pretty wilted after my early morning rides this weekend.

My training is definitely more intense than last year. I've moved my long run to mid-week to allow two long rides on the weekends. On Wednesday I ran 16-miles. Thursday and Friday were training days, with a focus on easy aerobic pacing to promote recovery before a big weekend. Saturday was a long and hard (and hot!) ride. Ryan and I covered 85 miles at a 19 MPH pace. This morning I managed 40-miles of interval riding and a four mile brick run.

While I'm managing to hold things together in terms of family & work obligations, I'm definitely on the edge of digging myself into a hole. I sneak naps whenever possible. I've had good success at avoiding alcohol - less success at avoiding caffeine - less success, yet, at avoiding refined sugar. It's hard when your tired, OK!!! I'm fighting an ice cream craving right now...

It can be difficult to do "normal" things during a training peak. This week I succumbed to peer pressure and played wiffleball. Sadly, even wiffleball can lead to injury when your legs and shoulders are weak and trying to recover. The same holds with launching your kids from your shoulders at the pool. Ouch! I'm looking forward to my recovery week - our family vacation in early August.

On an unrelated note - Lori won a 5 mile race... as in won the entire race outright, not just the women's division, on Saturday. She picked a good one to win. First prize was a crisp $100 bill!

Kerr Family Reunion

2008-07-12T21:56:00.000-04:00

This weekend is dedicated to Kyle's final baseball tournament of the season. Last weekend we headed to western PA for the Kerr family reunion.

Not sure what's up with my camera, but here are my uncles Emery and Bill. Only 2 of the kids left from Dad's generation.

Sibs, sons, and nephews. I'm not so short in Kerr-land.

An afternoon search for creek creatures.

June Wrap-up

2008-07-04T21:01:00.000-04:00

I had a really great month, starting with another camp in Lake Placid. Seeing the campers training for their Ironman events gave me the fever again and I signed on for the Chesapeakeman Ultra in late September.

This week I had my best cycling power test... ever. My fitness is really kicking in and I'm only 7 watts and 2 pounds short of my pre-medical condition season goal of hitting 4.0 watts/kg functional threshold power. I thought it was a stretch goal at the time. After my heart issue I thought it might never happen, let alone this year. Now sitting at 3.8 w/kg my motto has become "I can." I'm amazed and very thankful... and having loads of fun!

Athletic accomplishments of the month:

First 100-mile ride of the season.
Six other rides greater than 50 miles.
Long run at 1:45.
First 3x swim week of the season.
56-1/2 hours trained.

My goals for July are pretty ambitious... Run 5x/week by end of month, consistently swim 3x/week, long run up to 2:30, hit all ride targets on my plan.

I can, I can, I can...

Field of Dreams

2008-06-18T20:00:00.000-04:00

You've seen the movie "Field of Dreams?" Set to the backdrop of baseball, a number of men are given a chance to live out something they've only dreamed of in the past. For one reason or another wishes are granted. Yeah, a little corny for sure, but nevertheless an American classic.

An interesting twist is that the wishes aren't always granted exactly as they've been dreamed. Take Moonlight Graham for instance - A beloved small town doctor that's brought back from the dead and granted his wish to get an official "at bat" in the majors. His exact dream? To stretch a gap shot double into a triple. In "reality" he produces a sacrifice fly before he's sucked from the field to save the life of the main character's daughter. Not very deep, eh?

I had a wish granted last evening - one that I suspected would never be fulfilled. My exact dream? To coach both of my sons in key positions on the same baseball team. I used to have this vision of paying a mound visit to Colin as Kyle, his battery mate, comes out to share in our game changing strategy.

It really played out like this. Kyle fell at a hiking camp and headed for the doctor's office late in the afternoon. As he was getting six stitches to repair his shin, Colin and I drove to Columbia for the final game of his season. As 6:00 approached, it became clear that we were only going to have eight players - a forfeit. I called Lori and asked her to put a uniform on Kyle if he was up for playing. Our opponent graciously allowed us to start the game with 8 players as Kyle and Lori hopped in the Batmobile for Columbia.

One inning later Kyle and his freshly stitched leg arrived and took left field. Colin was on the mound. Kyle was inserted into the #9 hole and led off the top of the third inning. On deck? Our lead-off hitter - Colin. The Kerr boys hitting back-to-back. Pretty cool. I really enjoyed myself. They looked awfully good out there!

Remarkably, I was granted this wish in what will likely be the final game of Colin's baseball "career." Though a good and highly motivated athlete, he doesn't share my passion for baseball. Those boys have no idea how much fun I had last night. By the way, we got our butts kicked.

Life is good.

Father's Day Gift

2008-06-15T12:46:00.000-04:00

I received the best Father’s Day gift late Saturday morning. Kyle was scheduled to head for a friend’s cabin in the woods that would have him returning home late Sunday afternoon. We were chatting as he played video games. Kyle’s huge on creature comforts, so it has always surprised me that he enjoys heading to a rustic cabin in the woods. I questioned him on the pending trip and he said, “I’m not going.” I responded, “Why not?” Answer, “Because I want to be home for Father’s Day.” It truly made my weekend.

Today we heard the words of the Apostle Paul,
“…but we also boast in our sufferings
Knowing that suffering produces endurance
And endurance produces character
And character produces hope
And hope does not disappoint us.”

(To the devout Christians checking in, please forgive my omission of the all important “because” that follows.)

13 years ago this summer I selected that passage and then read it at my brother’s funeral mass. The words were so appropriate, as I watched Dennis suffer and physically deteriorate through years of terminal illness. Through that suffering he most definitely gained endurance, character and, yes, hope. The passage is so true and so perfectly representative of the persuasiveness of Paul’s frequent logical progressions.

On a somewhat different plane, this passage goes a long way in explaining my attraction to the Ironman challenge – a challenge that I’ve decided to chase again this year (hello “Chesapeakeman” on September 27). My mind has gone a complete 360 degrees during this roller coaster ride of a year. My body is cooperating right now, and I just wasn’t happy setting my sights at less than the ultimate goal.

There is beauty in extreme endurance sports. Not so much in the races themselves, but in the journey to get there. I’m going to ante up again. I’ll seek perfection and surely fall short. But there’s more to be gained from quest than there is to be lost by failure. For me, a form of redemptive suffering that will ultimately produce hope. The battle is not to make it to the finish, but to the starting line.

Peace.

Camp wrap-up

2008-06-08T19:13:00.000-04:00

Friday was race simulation day. I rode a loop of the course as 90-minutes steady, and then a 90-minute build to the finish. It was a tough ride as the heat arrived with winds whipping the second half of the loop. I hopped off the bike and ran a steady 5 miles before shutting it down. After a good lunch and some R&R, I walked to Mirror Lake and got in an easy recovery swim.

The Ironman athletes felt more pressure to ride long. Most of them, if not too shelled from earlier rides, worked in another 112-mile ride and a short run.

This morning I woke up, threw on the running shoes, and trotted an easy seven miles. We grabbed a quick breakfast, packed the car, and hit the road. We were in Lancaster by 4 pm.

I achieved some key objectives this week. I got in a VERY solid training block without having any heart arrhythmia. While my volume numbers weren't quite as impressive as my Ironman lead-up last year, the intensity of my training was far higher. In all I trained just under 20 hours, with 280 miles of hilly riding, around 20-miles of running, and some light swimming. I was smart in not digging myself into a hole. My body was ready for the training dose that it received, but not much more. Now I need to have a few easy days as my body "absorbs" its new fitness.

I checked out Patrick's blog on EN... His photos are way better than mine. Check them out under my links in the righthand margin.

I think tomorrow's actually Monday? That means back to the routine...

Day 4 Curveball

2008-06-06T20:35:00.000-04:00

We headed out for a "friendly 106 mile ride today." Words that just shouldn't be used in the same sentence! "Friendly" because we were supposed to work as a group, allowing for some long hours of spinning while folks took turns working the front.

About 1,000 meters into our epic ride, the clouds let loose a solid downpour that soaked us all through. We split apart, but tried to keep together in small groups. Not an easy feat for a bunch of individually-minded triathletes!

The roads had a lot of debris washed out from the hard rain. Around mile 46 I ran over a rusty nail that punctured my tire, tube, and aluminum rim. I was done for the day, but not injured. Incredibly, Patrick was driving sag just about a mile away when this happened, so I was happily within the confines of an automobile within 5 minutes of the mishap.

Tomorrow's supposed to be another 100+ miler. I'm glad that I brought a second bike. Otherwise I'd be dealing with repair shops instead of riding.

I'll eventually post some pictures. You can get official updates from camp central here: http://www.endurancenation.us/blog/

Some Numbers

2008-06-06T07:05:00.000-04:00

The numbers are indicating stronger cycling performance in '08 on less training volume. Some numbers from lap number two of the 112 mile loop as compared to '07:

2007: Time = 3:24, Normalized power = 169 watts.
2008: Time = 3:08, Normalized power = 188 watts.

I think two factors are at play. #1 - I'm stronger and #2 - I have more confidence in my ability to survive!

Day 3 Thursday

2008-06-05T21:05:00.000-04:00

101 miles for me. That's 36 longer than my previous long ride this season. Coach P threw in a 13-mile time trial at mile 75... OUCH! I was just happy not to finish last.

Another long one on tap for tomorrow. I'm really tired, but the group dynamic pushes us all harder than we would push ourselves.

Just had some Ben & Jerry's. I earned it! That's all I have the energy to write this evening...

Wednesday - Day 2

2008-06-05T07:01:00.000-04:00

56 miles of intervals followed by a 30-minute run. I'll be interested to see how long riding feels after two hard riding days. I'm definitely stronger than last year, riding primarily the big chain ring up Whiteface. Now it's time to further develop the endurance engine.

A great group of athletes this year. Everyone gets along. We're up to 16 including coaches.

Photos and more thoughts later.

Lake Placid Camp - Day 1

2008-06-04T06:04:00.000-04:00

Tuesday: After a tough 5:30 am 18.5-mile hill ride, Mike and I hit the road. We made good time and arrived around 4:30 pm. In the evening we got aquainted with the other campers and reviewed a basic agenda for the week. A nice group of 12 campers this year with widely ranging abilities. It was good to see a couple of the guys from last year's camp.

84 miles on tap for me on Wednesday, with maybe a swim in the morning. The camp rumor is that the water is 47 degrees. I will most definitely NOT be swimming if that's the case! With no Ironman race hanging over my head, I feel free to do whatever I want.

Training Focus

2008-05-31T22:09:00.000-04:00

Partly out of necessity, partly as a result of experience, I'm not competing in any "B" races this year. I don't enjoy racing in less than peak fitness. The "B" races feel like lost training opportunities.

Instead of racing, I'm focusing my energy solely on getting faster through training. On Tuesday I leave for training camp in Lake Placid. My time there and the following week of recovery will be very telling. I'm planning about 375 miles of cycling in 4-days. I really want to bust through to a new cycling fitness plateau.

I'm pondering Ironman again. I feel great and my training metrics are showing solid improvement.

Got the Nerve Triathlon

2008-05-24T14:31:00.001-04:00

Nice photo of about 3/4 of our tri team this morning. I did not race, but provided support to other athletes. I'm in the midst of week #1 of my race specific program that ends in early September. My training jumped quickly from 7-1/2 hours per week to 13-hours. A lot of 4:30 am wake-up calls this week! So far so good!

Ugliness in Competition

2008-05-13T20:27:00.000-04:00

I've tried to avoid using my blogging as a venue for spewing negativity, but tonight's baseball game was another example of why competitively-minded adults should keep physically active with competitive outlets of their OWN. Read: NOT USING THEIR CHILDREN FOR SATIATING THEIR COMPETITIVENESS.

In the past two weeks, I've personally observed the following-

A 12 & under baseball team picked up players from another team and inserted them in their line-up to humiliate an opponent they classify as a rival...

In that same game, said team was up 12 - 0 in their last at bat and the coaches gave the steal sign. I guess they wanted to reach the teens. Maybe someone had a bet to fulfill...

A 10 & under team, losing to their "arch rival," tried to sneak a better hitter to the plate out of order...

In that same 10 & under game, an otherwise well respected dad publicly melted down on his son for making two errors in the same inning. It was very loud and very embarrassing. The boy is 10-years old...

Parents.... COACHES... Get a hold of yourselves! You're an embarrassment to your kids and not doing them any favors.

Pushing Too Hard

2008-04-28T21:28:00.000-04:00

Great time watching my two boys race this weekend at a local 5k. Colin (aka Slow Twitch) has "been there, done that" and was ready to break some land speed records. Kyle (Fast Twitch) was just looking to finish.

Photo #1 are the boys looking confident pre-race.

Photo #2 are the boys post-race... All - strung - out - on - lactic - acid. Ouch! Live and learn boys! :-)

I'm now more than 12 weeks into an off season training plan. My cycling is still pretty weak, but I'm running faster than I have in many, many years. In mid-May I'll transition into a half-Ironman training plan targeting a race on September 7th.

The power chart posted last weekend illustrates a difficult but fun VO2max trainer ride. We're trying to "raise the roof" of my fitness to make more "ceiling space" available. You'll have to see me in person to get a more detailed explanation.

I'm only training 7 to 8 hours per week right now due to heavy work and volunteer loads. Some bigger hours are coming this summer. My heart rhythm has been fine on all but the most strenuous workouts.

April Bike Data

2008-04-22T19:18:00.003-04:00

I'm back! More on this later...

In & Out Like a Lion

2008-03-28T12:32:00.000-04:00

What a month! I've had a lot of thoughts about priorities, time management, and perception versus reality but have simply been too busy & lazy to write about it. Maybe I'll find the energy this weekend, maybe not...

Baseball season started this week. I'm coaching again. This photo is of Kyle on the mound last fall. A picture is worth a thousand words. Some thoughts as I look at it - His delivery would have had my knees quaking at his age. He obviously modeled his approach from a certain major leaguer who doesn't take Human Growth Hormone, but his wife does.

No Substitute

2008-03-09T14:02:00.001-04:00

Do you like my new toy? I sold my old road bike a few weeks ago and finally pulled the trigger on this one yesterday. I shopped for a solid six months before deciding exactly what I wanted.

My cycling ability just isn’t where I want it to be. The only way I’ll achieve my goals is to spend some serious, consistent, painful time in the saddle. As Thomas Edison said, “There’s no substitute for hard work.” It was a chore to get on a bike I didn’t really like. This one’s calling out, “Ride me!”

Five weeks into my off-season training program and a couple things have become clear:

· My days of pure anaerobic training are over. I attempted a 10k run test last weekend and managed to induce atrial fibrillation less than one mile into the race. I’ll have to establish pacing goals based on sub-threshold testing - and I might as well forget about my target sprint race in late May.
· I can govern heart rate and still lay down some serious work sessions on the bike. My 1:40 Saturday interval session left me completely shelled.

Though behind schedule, I have to believe I’ll attain my cycling fitness goal - 4.0 watts/kg functional threshold - by September. I’ve been able to add cycling training load pretty quickly, from a 144 total TSS* in week one to a 241 total TSS in week five. I’ve accumulated these points through a series of three trainer rides per week, which vary in time from 40-minutes to 1:40.

With daylight savings time in effect, I’m looking forward to grabbing some early evening training doses as the weather warms up.

*TSS = Training Stress Score. A single number used by power junkies to help quantify overall training load, taking into account intensity and duration of each training session.

Swim Clinic E-book

2008-03-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

The folks at Endurance Nation are graciously offering their swim clinic e-book to the public at no cost. Download it from here http://www.endurancenation.us/blog/2008/free-endurance-nation-swim-clinic-ebook/. Excellent stuff!

So far, so good

2008-02-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

I managed to cram 11-workouts into 7-1/2 hours of training this week. This schedule is very manageable and will prevent me from overtraining. Assuming my cardiac response remains strong, I’ll definitely be heading into this season under-trained and over-motivated.

My training philosophy comes courtesy of the folks at Endurance Nation (see links on right). Right now I’m using frequent short runs to build some aerobic foundation. My cycling consists of targeted interval sessions - all on the trainer. I got in the water twice this week, with one 3x300 fitness test and one drill session.

Two months off of the bike has cost me about 10% power output. I’m hoping to reach intermediate power plateaus pretty quickly. It won’t be easy but my motivation is high.

I’m enjoying myself these days and look forward to every session. I’m committed to remaining well rested and hydrated. Those are my two primary goals. I’ve made an oath not to let the training happen if those two essential components aren’t already in place. So far, so good! Thanks for checking in…

February Update

2008-02-17T19:52:00.000-05:00

I had a good visit with Dr. McKernan on Wednesday the 6th. I think I finally have a comprehensive understanding of my condition. In summary:

· My condition is atrial fibrillation associated with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH), otherwise known as “athlete’s heart.”
· The do nothing option – as opposed to drug therapy or having an ablation procedure – is acceptable to the doctor. The decision for further treatment is up to me and will be based upon my tolerance for the symptoms. For now my only treatment is a daily aspirin.
· My training regimen is also up to me. There aren’t any restrictions, per se, but the doctor encouraged me to avoid ultra distance training for a while. She clearly believes that detraining can have a reversing effect on the arrhythmia, as detraining will allow my heart wall to get thinner.

This is, indeed, very good news. My imagination was getting the best of me and I started to believe many other more precarious scenarios in my head. A firm diagnosis with a clear understanding has allowed me, once again, to start looking ahead – although a little more cautiously than with my “All Systems Go!” fever…

I’m now two weeks into a low volume training plan that will take me to a goal of completing a sprint distance race in late May. My hope is that I will be able to put together a quality program targeting a Half IM in early September. It will take all of that time to regain the cycling fitness lost from two months of zero riding. For now, though, I’m trying to take exercise one day at a time.

Looking over the last several months I can see how I ended up “cooking” myself. After Ironman I lost my nutritional discipline. That was probably OK for my recovery period, but in early October I started training in earnest again. I was training HARD on the bike – at intensity levels far surpassing anything I had done over the past two years. I convinced myself that a low volume/high intensity training regimen didn’t demand the same nutritional discipline as heavy long course training. I was wrong! My body was starved of electrolytes among other essentials. It rebelled and forced me into a December detraining program of walking & yoga.

With the stress of uncertainty lifted and a return to the discipline of healthy eating and daily intake of vitamins, electrolytes, and protein shakes I’ve been remarkably free of arrhythmia. It’s like I’ve found a newborn state of equilibrium. This is all very reassuring. Stay tuned for more… and thanks for the many words of encouragement!

The Pendulum Swings Hard!

2008-02-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

At work, my colleagues and I sometimes refer to the cyclical nature of the business climate in terms of a swinging pendulum. A pendulum swings with perfect regularity. It swings from one extreme to the other – passing the averaged midpoint at its peak velocity, only to slow down again, stop at the other extreme, and begin the journey in the other direction. Go through enough of these various cycles in the business world and you learn to handle the extremes in stride, realizing that over the long haul the cyclical nature results in a predictable average.

Unfortunately my health outlook – and subsequent mental state - has been going through a vicious swinging cycle of its own. Consider this…

High point: July 22, 2007. Cashing in my life’s peak fitness at Ironman USA
Low point: December 10, 2007. Inducing ventricular tachycardia during a doctor-ordered hospital stress test.
High point: January 14, 2008. After a series of tests, getting cleared by a cardiologist to resume training as normal.
Low point: January 21, 2008. Receiving news from an electro-physiologist that my triathlon training “career” might be over unless I consider an ablation procedure (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4682). She prescribes daily aspirin to prevent stroke.

So much for “All Systems Go!” Potentially compromising my family’s welfare through surgical complications (i.e. death), however low they might be, is serious business. With a family to feed, is surgical risk worth taking for the sake of personal satisfaction through triathlon training? It actually sounds silly to read it out loud.

My outlook has had its own highs and lows…

High thoughts: This is an opportunity. Good thing we caught this before it became more dangerous. I’m being called to do something new. I can still lead a healthy life. More time on my hands to coach sports, develop musical abilities, etc.
Low thoughts: Lots of whining, jealousy, and envy at the loss of my unique lifestyle. A lost sense of purpose.

Powerful lessons can be learned through painful or extreme circumstances. The most thankful folks I know – those with the best perspective on life – have generally lived and learned through personally traumatic events. In my case, could there be a better way for me to overcome my desire to control than to completely lose it over my chosen lifestyle? I try to tell myself – the pain, the anxiety – they’re necessary variables in the growth equation.

I’ll be meeting with the E-P again this coming week. I have a lot of questions. I hope she has some answers.

All Systems Go!

2008-01-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

Great news this week – The cardiologist cleared me to resume training and referred me to an electro-physiologist for treatment of atrial fibrillation. I slept hard this week with my mind now free of worry.

So looks like it’s “game on” for 2008. Don’t feel much like writing complete sentences tonight. Here’s a sketch plan of my 2008 athletic goals:

Goal Race: Chesapeakeman Ultra Triathlon http://www.tricolumbia.org/ChesapeakeMan/
September 27, 2008

Race Goals: Show up to race with 4W/kg functional threshold power.
Cycle closer to my “ceiling” than last year.
Follow ride with a sub 4-hour marathon.

Training Calendar Overview:

January: Re-establish consistent foundation
Feb & Mar: boost VO2 max & threshold strength. Focus on cycling and running.
Apr thru Jun: Base training
Early July: Transition & Recovery – Family vacation time!
Jul & Aug: Big block of training.
September: Taper toward race.

Other events: Got the Nerve? Sprint triathlon on May 24.
Nightmare Ride around Lancaster County on August 16.

Keys to season:
· Cardiac response to training.
· Staying consistent through base training, which will be very difficult in a busy spring. Higher priorities in April through June include coaching baseball (Colin this time), a couple of camping excursions with the boys, and helping to organize the Tri For Kids’ Sake on April 22.
· Quality cycling sessions.
· Quality race simulations.

Looking Back

2008-01-12T15:52:00.000-05:00

I turned 40 a couple weeks ago and I’m already sidelined with a health issue. You can see what’s happening by looking at this heart rate data. During intense exercise my heart has been going bonkers, with 30-second episodes of excessively rapid beating. For the past five weeks I’ve been going through a series of evaluations to determine the cause. We now know that the condition isn’t being caused by anything imminently life threatening, but I had a few uncertain weeks right around the holidays.

I came across this meaningful passage yesterday, “It is true that, as a society, we have a tendency to greatly overestimate what we can accomplish in a year, while grossly underestimating what we can achieve in a decade purely by applying unrelenting patience and persistence." (http://alancouzens.blogspot.com/). Wow… What a timely summary of my current state of mind!

After almost exactly a decade of consistent and persistent fitness building, my body has now forced me to pause and exercise “relentless patience.” In the narrow terms of 2008 athletic goals (trees), my health issue is a serious setback. As compared the coming decade (forest), it’s a blip – and a blip that will surely cause me to gain broader perspective on athletics and life in general.

My heart has given me a proverbial slap in the face. Truth be known, I needed it! My athletic goals had become incongruent with my vocational goals. A relatively short-term goal of qualifying for the Ironman World Championships would have massively interfered with my higher vocational priorities. It wouldn’t have worked.

Forced to slow down, I’ve had a lot of time to think with more clarity about the next decade. What does it hold? I only have vague ideas at the moment, but big changes are likely on the way – kids leaving home, career transitions, falling away from my physical prime, etc. A part of me (Mr. Type A) wishes I could control every outcome over the next ten years, but I only need to look back to realize it’s best to leave someone else in control.

I find myself frequently thinking about the past decade – like yesterday when I was driving Kyle to his basketball game. It occurred to me that his lifespan coincides almost perfectly with my adult athletic development. Kyle turns 10 this week. It was 10 years ago, at age 30, that I resolved to make physical fitness a central component of my life. I’ve persistently stuck to it and can clearly see a steady upward trend since my epiphany in 1998. Had you told me 10-years ago that I would complete an Ironman triathlon by age 40, I would have suggested you find a good therapist. A lot can happen over the course of 10-years!

Kyle’s now a strapping and industrious young lad. The comparisons between his development from infant to bright young boy and my athletic growth flow easily. To name a few, I’ve experienced metaphorical teething pains. I’ve had growth spurts followed by plateaus and aggressive behavior followed by time-outs. I’ve had a few night terrors (before triathlon #1 and during IM training). Just like him, I’ve explored with curiosity and surrounded myself with like-minded peers. I’ve attached myself to a few mentors and bothered them with unending questions. I haven’t peed in my bed, but I have peed in my saddle! OK, enough of this. I now need to give myself the advice I’d give to my son in this situation, “Take your time. You’re growing fast enough.”