Trevor is an Ironman - Part 1

I've tried to collect my thoughts over the last 24 hours and have still not come to terms with everything that I experienced and saw yesterday. What most people might think is a long day, seemed to whiz by me as a collective stream of cowbells, yelling and aid stations. While I did take some time to enjoy the experience, I was also very keen on staying focused mentally throughout the day to ensure I accomplished my primary goal.

For the sake of keeping this manageable, I'll break this into three parts.

First, swimming.

Honestly, I'm not a fan of open-water swimming let alone a mass-start with 2700 other determined and hungry triathletes. My plan was to start in the back part of the field close to the buoy-line to ensure I wasn't swimming any further than I needed. I jumped in about 5 minutes before the pros were set to take off.

Cold. Cold. Cold. 61 degrees will make anyone's pieces-parts shrivel just a little...

I personally take a while to acclimate to the open water, the pressure of the wet suit and the general uneasiness of not being able to see your hand in front of your face. If that alone is not daunting enough, actually seeing the distance you have to swim put a small amount of fear and doubt into my head...can I really swim that far? At that point in the day however, you really don't have a choice...

At the sound of the cannon, the "washing machine" begins. If you aren't familiar with that term, check out this Ironman video. 2,700 bodies jockeying and fighting for personal space is an amazing site - except when you're an average swimmer like me and are caught in the middle of it.

After about 15 minutes of struggling through the field, I was finally able to get some open water and get into a rhythm. The crazy thing about open water swimming is that just when you think you've found your pace and a good stroke, someone comes cutting across the water at a 45 degree angle to you and smacks you in the head. Someone probably blogged about me doing the same thing several years ago when I started triathlons as well. Oh well. You pause, collect yourself and keep going.

I was just about to the Rural St bridge (the turn-around point) and thinking to myself, "sweet, half-way done". Only to discover that once you go under the bridge, there are probably another 200-300 yards before the actual turn to head back to the Mill St. bridge (start/finish). Oh well. Just keep swimming, right?

Three-quarters through the swim, it dawned on me that I had some pain on my neck from the wet suit rubbing and chaffing. There was little I could do about it since it was already in the advanced stages. I tried alternating my breathing from left to right but that just aggravated the suit even more and twisted the Velcro to be flush on my skin regardless of which direction I turned my head.

To add to the fun, my goggles started leaking. Not bad, but enough to be annoying. I noted it and told myself that I'd stop and fix it if I couldn't see where I was going. Fortunately, it never got that bad and I was able to make it to transition without any other incidents.

I was super happy to be done with the swim. My fitness felt good. Even though I was a bit wobbly coming out of the water (which is normal from being horizontal for 1.5 hours), I managed to make it though the chute and into the changing area to prepare for the bike.

Time = 1:30

More on T1 and the bike ride tomorrow.

Just keep swimming...

I've blogged several times in the past that swimming is probably my least favorite of the three disciplines. In reality, the logic escapes me for why I continue to have such a disdain for the sport - it's the least impactful on the body, requires little to no gear and is one of the best cardio workouts you could ever get. I think it's mostly the chlorine.

Some people have a gag-reflex with yogurt (my wife) others with cottage cheese (my wife)...for me, chlorine. It's not that I'm drinking it on purpose. Towards the end of my 4,500 yard swim today (2.5 miles), I was getting lazy/tired and not twisting my body enough to get my face fully out of the water to take a breath. Chlorine ingestion commenced and I had to stop to clear the pipes...still can't get that taste out of my mouth. Ugghhh.

Someone asked me what I think about when I'm swimming (it seems people are very curious about that goes through the mind of a triathlete when swimming, biking or running these crazy distances). Truth-be-told, for the first 2 miles, I am concentrating on a smooth stroke, trying to alternate my breathing and keeping my body balanced so my legs don't drop too far. Between 2 and 2.5 miles however, I replay the scene from Finding Nemo where Dory and Marlin are on the edge of the dark precipice considering swimming down into the dark abyss to find the diver's mask.

Dory delivers the classic "Just keep swimming..." line and it repeats over and over in my mind during every race and swim session I do. May sound childish and insignificant but when your shoulders are about ready to burst and your lungs are about ready to pop out of your chest, it is the one thing that keeps me going.

With less than 4 weeks to go to Ironman Arizona, that is all I can do is just keep swimming. Later.

Know when to fold 'em

In my last post, I mentioned a strange 'tweak' in my knee that cropped up earlier this week. I'm happy to report that it's feeling better but I'm still a little weary of how much time to give it before it starts to feel 'normal' again. I haven't run since Tuesday and suspect that the best thing to do is to stay off it for another couple days. I would rather lose a week of training than blow out my knee completely.

Setbacks like this put me in a weird place mentally for some reason. If you could see my piece of paper that maps out my training you might chuckle, but it's the one thing that helps me stay accountable to "The Plan". When I miss a training session, it gets an "X" - seeing a few X's this week because of my knee has put me in a little funk.

I know in the back of mind, it's the right thing to do. Heal. Be well. Fight the fight another day. I liken it to playing hold 'em poker. There are hands when you know you're beat. You REALLY want to call. The disciplined lay-down is the right thing to do however.  Fold and play another day, right?

So even though my runs didn't work out this week, the silver lining is that my swim mileage dramatically increased. I figure, if I can't put the mileage in on the road I might as well get 'er done in the pool. Overall, I've put in a bit over 4.5 miles across 3 sessions -

Monday - 2.1 miles
Wednesday - 1.5 pyramid drills
Friday - 2.1 miles

I'm pretty happy with that.

Long ride on tap for this weekend. I still plan to keep it shorter than planned to ensure there is no additional issue with the knee. Talk to you next week.

Goodbye to The Hills

Today is our last day in South Dakota. I truly have enjoyed being back in my old stomping grounds to visit with friends while rediscovering the Black Hills through my training.

A big shout out goes to my buddy ToddG - I have trained by myself for such a long time now that I forget what it's like to have someone to chat with on bike rides or haul your ass out of bed on those "don't wanna" days. Thanks for the motivation and awesome trail runs!!

I was reviewing my training log last night and realized that I have only been swimming once since we've been here. Not good. On the other side of that coin however, I have taken full advantage of the elevation and hills the last couple weeks and am riding and running stronger than ever. For example, my last ride with Todd was a scorcher - now, we had almost perfect conditions that day so it's no surprised but still...

That previous ride was part of a brick that I decided to do the night before-hand. Realizing that there are many more weekends left before Lake Stevens 70.3, I added on a 6 mile run over the very same hills we just got done riding (ignore the splits, just look at the time - my Garmin freaked out halfway through so I only have a few splits and total time). Not a bad run if I do say so myself. I haven't seen anything under a 9-minute pace for quite some time.

So here ends a chapter of training that I must say I'm very very happy with.

Howling prairie winds....you can suck it.
Steep hills & elevation....kiss my ass.

I'm coming for you Lakes Steven's (and you too Mikel!).

All's well in South Dakota

Things have been looking good as we've made our transition from the desert heat to the lush green hills of western South Dakota. Part work and part vacation, I was very worried that training and nutrition would take a header as I adjusted to not only the altitude but the reality of being in a new home, bed and routine.


I'm happy to report nothing but good news so far - my bike arrived (unscathed I believe), we've been eating well (and right) for lunches and dinners and I've been able to mix up my training with some trail running and elevation ta boot (man, that's fun).

I managed to get in an hour swim this morning - don't ask me how far I swam because I couldn't tell you...I haven't been sleeping well and have some tightness in my neck and shoulders. I wasn't feeling great when I got into the pool so I wasn't really interested in any sort of distance. So I just swam. Took breaks when I was tired or winded and then kept going. I felt better afterwards, so that's good. I just hope this musical beds doesn't cause any additional issues.


Going to get the bike assembled today and then take it in for a tune up in the hopes of going for a ride Friday or Saturday.


My secondary concern is all the rain - it's mostly at night but it does put a damper on things. Rain, rain go away...

Rainy, unmotivated week

It's been a tough week to get motivated. Aside from not having a very good training outline, it's been cold and rainy they entire week. I freely admit that I'm a fair-weather athlete these days - it has to be at least 65 before I even consider riding or running.

Aside from the weather, I feel like I'm in this rebuilding stage - yet it's a bit more work than I remember it being when I was first training for my first 70.3. Amazing the stamina and endurance you lose in 6 months time.

Part of my rebuilding involves learning to swim better. I've been reading (and following) the Total Immersion book - it has completely changed my perception of swimming and makes it easy to see the many things I've been doing wrong with my swim technique.

Before, I was using all muscle and force to power through swims - my mind set on doing a distance no matter what the technique or pain. This book 'resets' your mind to realize that power and shear force is NOT the way to swim efficiently. I have yet to put enough drills and practices together to actually swim with these techniques but I can already tell that my attitude towards swimming has changed and I'm sure this effort will pay off.

I looked back at my training schedule last year when I first started - it's blotchy too. Missed morning swims, X'ed out afternoon runs and shortened rides...I don't feel bad (yet). I know my body and mind are slowly making the adjustment to all this effort. In time, I'll be back to racing form...in time.