The Kindzia Blog

Ironman Louisville - August 30, 2008

Sometimes when you have a less than optimal output for a particular endeavor, you are anxious to buck up and try again.  I was recently asked if I wished I had a "do-over" at Ironman Louisville tomorrow.  My response, "NO WAY!"

My eyes will be glued to the computer.  I'll be tracking JOE REGER throughout the day.  But although I'm definitely anxious to get back to training and I am very much looking forward to racing Ironman Florida in November, racing tomorrow still doesn't sound too appealing to me right now.  My legs are still not 100%, my eating and sleeping is still not back to normal and I'm quite fatigued.

Watching Joe will be exciting but in some weird ways I'm not sure how I want him to do tomorrow.  But let me explain further.  Completing an Ironman is no small feat.  It doesn't matter the finishing time of the athlete.  It's a big deal.  But the faster the athlete goes relative to their potential, the longer the recovery period afterwards and the higher the risk of injury or burnout.

It's possible that Joe (or other athletes) can have fantastic races within 8 or 9 weeks (Hillary Biscay has shown she could have great races within a week or two of one another...ughhhh!)  But I know I can't turn it around in a week or two.  I'm hoping I could turn it around by November 1 to have my greatest race ever and go on to set a new PR.  That's been the case the past two years where I've done Lake Placid and have been able to turn it around from late July to early November and go on to set new PR's.

The recovery time Joe needs will depend on how his day goes tomorrow.  If his day goes well and he lights it up with a fantastic race, he might need 4+ weeks to get his legs fully back under him.  That takes him to the the end of September.  If that's the case, he might be able to get in a week or two of training in early October before starting a taper for the November 1 race.

But, I think Joe has already thought this through.  He did a 23 mile long run just 3 days ago and when I questioned him on it I got the answer that made sense.  He's more or less, "training through this one" and will hopefully get a boost of fitness along with some practice for Ironman Florida.

We have a whole crew of people going down to Florida to race and to cheer on and I think it's going to be a fun day for everybody as we get to see each other on the course and use each other for support and motivation.

I'm up in North Carolina for the long Labor Day weekend.  I came up for some rest and relaxation.  I'm learning that getting away from Atlanta quite often is good for my spirits.

I snapped this picture while out keeping my streaking challenge alive.  I actually laced up the running shoes and ran a mile, then walked about two miles before gazing into this trout stream.  The 50 minutes of outdoor activity wore me out.  I ended up needing a nap later in the afternoon that exceeded an hour.  I spent most of the day at the computer reading and also with my feet up while reading with some college football in the background.  My sore throat is now gone (thankfully) and although I'm feeling much better I'm pretty worn down and tired.  I slept a little over 10 hours last night.  My motivation to train is quite high so I'll have to balance the desire to get back to work with adequate rest and recovery.  I don't want to jump in too soon and diminish my chances at Ironman Florida.

By The Numbers

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 208 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 64 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 330 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

• Only 118 shopping days remaining until Christmas
• Only 114 days until Hanukkah (Happy Hanukkah Caplan)

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 208 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 64 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 330 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

Ironman Recovery - August 29, 2008

I'm slowly starting to get my legs back under me.  The soreness is almost completely gone.  I hope to continue to do some walks and get in a very easy and enjoyable ride this weekend.  I just need to kick this sore throat and hope a full on cold doesn't hit me.  I don't seem to be getting as bad as Angela who was basically laid out for a few days.  Let's hope I stay lucky.

"I think some of the most celebrated moments in human achievement should be those times when everything is going against a person and they are down in the dumps, but they simply choose to get up.  That's real greatness!" - Ryan Hall (American Marathon Runner)

That quote was passed on by streaker Jim Wagener who is down to his final 6 weeks of countdown to the Chicago Marathon.  Jim's been logging some serious run miles this summer and his training volume peaked out with 100+ mile run weeks.  He's in the home stretch and it will be fun to watch him race in an attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  Jim's no stranger to endurance events and has multiple Ironman finishes under his belt along with plenty of marathons to boot.  He's one fast runner and I think a sub 3 hour marathon may be in the making if things go well for him.

Some people have asked how long it takes to recover from an Ironman.  I find it comes down to two things; how hard the person was able to race during the event (especially on the marathon) and the persons natural ability to recover (which is even contingent on age).

I can recall two specific races (Ironman Brazil in 2005 and Ironman Arizona in 2006) where I never was able to get cooking on the marathon.  Both races were in the 12:20 range but I didn't trash the legs like I do when I can push it on the marathon.  In both of these cases, I literally was able to step off the plane and start training again.  Albeit I didn't jump right back into monster volume or intensity the first week back, but it wasn't a three to four week recovery block.

The smartest and safest thing to do is take one week off from any type of training that is designed to build fitness (or even maintain fitness).  I use the first week to do things like walk or swim only and just keep things moving.  It's really easy to lock up and stay stiff and I find that if I take walk breaks or go for walks of longer duration (up to an hour) I feel much better.  Swimming is great as well if you do it just to keep loose.

Week two I find it's ok to start resuming swim training (without going bananas) and do some easy riding.  By week three, swim and bike is basically back to normal training and I start introducing jogging and running.  By week four I'm pretty much back into the swing of things.  It also depends if I am recovering from a mid-season Ironman race or it is my season finale.

I've been fortunate where most of my season ending Ironman races have been good races and I pushed really hard on the marathon.  I'm a bit more trashed and there isn't a need to come back quickly.  I usually find that I'm anxious to get back outside and be active with some easy trail runs by the Thanksgiving weekend but I don't worry about getting back on any particular training plan.  I just try to keep things moving and stay in a groove. 

I don't do well with breaks in my daily habits.  I find if I stop working out, it becomes pretty easy to just keep skipping another day.  So rather than skipping a day, I make myself do something even if it is just a long walk or a hike.  This way I stay in the groove of staying active and getting fresh air.  Then over time it's easier to just start adding volume or structure to the swim/bike and run.

Streaking Challenge

Here's the latest stats through last Sunday.  We are still missing a few entries but hopefully we'll be caught up after this Sunday - Download streaking_challenge_august_24_08.pdf

By The Numbers

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 207 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 65 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 331 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

• Only 119 shopping days remaining until Christmas
• Only 115 days until Hanukkah (Happy Hanukkah Caplan)

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 207 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 65 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 331 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

Pride and Self Worth - August 28, 2008

I was on the phone with my good bud Paul Carriere this morning and the conversation got me thinking about endurance athletics and how it fits into our lives.  I've come to realize that one of the unique things about endurance athletics is that it somehow moves us to create a social ranking scale that is different than normal social ranking norms in a developed society.

In normal society, people seem to place "worth" or "prestige" on things like job title, net worth, good looks, a car/house that you own, and social connections (like what golf club you belong to).

Endurance athletics has a different social scale.  We seem to have a habit of judging people based on how fast they are.  If someone is faster than us, we look up to them, we ask them their opinion and we seek acknowledgment from them.  We may even seek to imitate or emulate those that are faster than us.  We want to know how they live their lives, what foods they eat, how they train, where they choose to live, what kind of bike they ride, or running shoes they wear.

If we aren't careful, we can end up placing too much of our pride and self-worth contingent on how fast we are (or how fast we aren't) relative to what we think our peer group is. 

Our peer group creates a "loaded" environment that gives us a distorted perspective on social norms.  We first start out with a bunch of obsessive compulsive, over-achieving, type-A personalities who push themselves to the limits.  This small percentage (very small percentage) of the general population then becomes our peer group, our "social norm."  We don't compare ourselves against "normal" people.  We compare ourselves against each other.  And when we don't feel we stack up against somebody that we feel we should, our pride is impacted and our sense of self-worth becomes diminished.

When we compare ourselves against each other, we don't really end up comparing ourselves using the normal social values of job titles, net worth, etc.(not that these are appropriate ways of comparing real values...)  In endurance athletics, we usually don't care if you are a CEO, a postal worker, man, woman, boyscout or nun.  If someone is faster than us, then they are higher on the pecking order than ourselves.  It's a strange social phenomenon.

Being the numbers guy that I am (and I happen to be wrapping up some research on this subject) here are some stats that may help keep things in perspective;

• There are 300 million people living in the United States
• There were an estimated 39,563,000 runners in 2007 (13.19% of the population)
• Frequent runners (100+ runs a year) were 11,731,000 (3.91% of the population)
• USAT Annual Members were 100,674 in 2007 and there were 223,594 one day triathlon licenses sold last year for a total of 324,268 total triathletes (0.01% of the population...1/100 of 1%)
• In the United States there were 6 sanctioned Ironman races last year for general entry (Arizona, Couer d'Alene, Lake Placid, Louisville, Wisconsin and Florida).  Average participants were 2,200 for a total United States Ironman participant number of 13,200 (0.0044% of the population...less than 1/1000 of 1%)

Now it's like the old saying, "Half of all doctors graduated in the bottom half of their class."  (It has to work out that way statistically.  Think about it the next time you visit your doctor and realize there is a 50/50 shot that he/she graduated in the bottom half of their medical class.) 

But my point is that whether you are in the top 50% or bottom 50% of self-imposed peer group, there is a good chance that you are well into the top 1% of all people in the United States.  Have some pride and let that improve your sense of self-worth.

By The Numbers

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 206 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 66 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 332 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

• Only 120 shopping days remaining until Christmas
• Only 116 days until Hanukkah (Happy Hanukkah Caplan)

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 206 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 66 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 332 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

Batting Percentages - August 27, 2008

More luck of the Polish over the past 24 hours.  We arrived back in Atlanta very late last night due to some flight delays from Toronto to Atlanta.  This morning Angela woke up pretty sick and stayed in bed all day.  Thank goodness we were home before she got really sick.  It would have made for a very miserable travel day of that length to be sick while trying to catch flights all day.

When I arrived in Toronto from Vancouver I had to go through U.S. Customs and eventually was standing around for a long time while saying to myself, "OK, where's my bike?!?!"  The bike never made it.  While I was anxious to get home, my Cervelo wanted a further tour of Canada and took a detour to Montreal where it was stuck without an owner.  The airlines said that they "knew where it was" and that "it would be delivered this morning."  To no surprise this morning came and went and "no bike."  I'm lucky that the bike was lost after and not before the race and that Angela got sick after and not before race day.

I called this evening hoping to get some positive news and I spoke to an Air Canada rep with a very strong French accent.  She said, "Ah jes, Mee-stir Kin...Kin..Kin-dee-zee-eye...what is your name?"  She assured me that not only did they know where my bike was but it was in transport as we spoke.  The funny part is that right after she said it was "in transport to my house" she asked if she could have my address so she knew where to send it?  I immediately thought, "How could it be transported for delivery to my house if you don't even know my address?"  To provide more comfort, she asked, "where is Georgia and how do you spell it?"  I was tempted to say that Georgia is just west of Russia and is taking some heavy bombing so if the mailbox is knocked down, I'll spray paint my house numbers on the front door.

Batting Percentages

As I'm updating my tracking spreadsheets, I've been able to conclude that I'm officially batting 5 of 11 on Ironman races.  My batting percentage is back below 50% and stands at 45%. 

Out of 11 Ironman races, I've had 5 where I've been able to race to my potential and 6 where I've either hung on or just "survived."  This is coming as a bit of a surprise but also demonstrates that Ironman racing has a myriad of factors that come into play that impacts performance on race day.

In the past, when I was just starting out, I'd often be critical or judegemental of professionals and elites that didn't meet expectations (my expectations of course) on race day.  But as the races and years are starting to add up, and I'm dealing with my own successes and set-backs, I'm a lot more aware of how the stars have to align to "nail" an iron distance race.

The training build up has to be strong with getting in solid and consistent training sessions.  The athlete has to avoid injuries and sickness.  The lives have to allow for the training time.  Work, family duties/responsibilities, additional responsibilities and unplanned inconveniences all have to come together to allow for the preparation.  All it takes is for a family member to get sick, a big work project to come up, a household emergency or many other things to come up and an optimal Ironman is out the window.

During race week, sickness can't come into the picture.  I feel terrible for athletes that do all the training, make it through taper and then right before the race they come down with a cold, the flu or some other sickness.  That would be very frustrating.

On race day, the weather, equipment malfunctions, other athletes (that can knock us for a loop during the swim or crash into us on the bike) can all be spoilers.  These are outside of our control.  And finally we need to be in that "zone" to stay tough mentally for the duration of the entire event.  Once a few things start to happen on race day, it's very easy to lose it mentally and switch to "hang on" mode.

One of the things I really enjoy about my iron journey is the perpetual iron distance races.  I often get asked, "How do you do it?  How do you just keep rolling from one to another?"  I find it's a very motivating process for me personally.  Obviously I love endurance athletics.  But I find that if I have a bad race, I can very quickly get past it, put it behind me and I have another race coming down the pipeline.  There really isn't much time to dwell on things if you are into the next countdown.

If I have a strong race, well then I'm normally fired up, motivated, flowing with adrenaline and dreaming up the training that I'm going to do to go even faster.  So if it's a bad day, it's easy to move on and if it's a great day, it's easy to move on.

That's not to be confused with never getting frustrated, confused or dispondent.  I feel all of those emotions not only after certain races, but throughout perpetual training.  Why did that long run go so bad?  Why was my bike ride so flat?   How come my swim times aren't getting faster this week?

But it's those frustrations that somehow provide the spark and the fulfillment when we make the breakthrough and go past our previous limits.  How fulfilling would something be if it came easy and didn't require any work to be good?  It would be boring and we would get stale.

That's the essence of iron distance racing and endurance athletics.  It's the fulfillment that we get through executing the process of achievement.  It's trying to get the batting percentage up.  It's striving for that next breakthrough race where we cross the finish line with arms raised and a huge smile on our face.  It's going farther or going faster (and maybe both).

So whether it's bumping up from a 5k to a 10k, a half marathon to a full marathon, a half iron to a full iron or trying to go faster in a full iron, we aren't all going to bat 1.000.  Once in a while we strike out.  It's not if you strike out because we all do.  It's if you go back to the batting cages and work to improve and then show back up to the plate and swing for the fences.

Streaking Challenge

How is everybody doing on the streaking challenge?  If you could send in stats through last Sunday, that would be great so we could keep everything updated through last week.

By The Numbers

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 205 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 67 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 333 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

• Only 121 shopping days remaining until Christmas
• Only 117 days until Hanukkah (Happy Hanukkah Caplan)

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 205 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 67 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 333 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

Ironman Canada Fond Memories - August 26, 2008

Yesterday afternoon we packed the bike up and dropped it off with the Air Canada truck that will ship my bike to Vancouver where it will be flown to Atlanta through Toronto.  Last night we packed up and prepared to depart for an early morning flight out of Penticton. 

It's been a wonderful trip and I'm taking away a lot of fond memories.  Here are a few that will be reminding me of another fantastic stop on my iron journey.

I often pull out old race numbers which trigger thoughts of my past adventures and travels.  I love Ironman racing bib numbers which are preprinted with all of the athletes names on them.  They give you one with your last name and one with your first name.  I wear the one with my first name for the marathon so as I run down the street, the crowd yells out, "GO PAULLY!"

I spent a few hours on race day running along Lake Skaha which is the main part of the marathon route.

The valleys surrounding the area of Penticton, British Columbia are loaded with abundant fruit fields; cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines and TONS of grapes.  There are wineries everywhere along the bike route between all of the mountains.

The view from Yellow Lake, the second of two big climbs along the bike route.

Chatting with Heather Fuhr before the race.  Heather Fuhr is one of the successful female iron distance athletes of all time and former Ironman World Champion.

I've always wanted to have an opportunity to watch Gordo Byrn race as an elite before he retires as a pro.  Gordo has been one of the most positive influencer's in my life and I have an enormous amount of respect and gratitude for his sharing ways. 

I used to clip the Watson LifeSport advertising ads out of the triathlon magazines which featured Lisa Bentley's annual training numbers and hang them on my refrigerator.  She basically averaged 12,000 miles of biking and 3,650 miles of running each year (that's 250 miles a week of cycling and 10 miles a day of running all year long).  If we ever wonder what it takes to be an 11 time Ironman champion, well...there's one possible answer.  To watch her race while pushing herself to the max was inspiring.

Hanging out with the lovely Ms. Angela and John Bashe.  We had a lot of laughs on this trip.

It was a lot of fun to meet and hang out on Friday morning with Robbie Ventura, his wife Lori and the Vision Quest Tri-team.  Robbie passed me on the bike about 2 hours and 6 minutes into the race.  I out swam and outran him, but his 1 hour and 15 minute advantage on the bike over me was laughable.  It was fun to see the kind of abilities a former professional cyclist and Tour de France competitor could do first hand.  His 4:51 bike split (23+ miles an hour) was incredible.  When he went by me, there was no pace line, there were no drafters.  It was just a single guy in the left lane blowing by people like a Camaro passing a U.S. postal vehicle on a country road.

For those doing Louisville, Wisconsin and Kona, enjoy your adventures and soak up the memories.  For those doing Florida, I look forward to making some with you!

Cheers from Penticton!

Kindzia 

Exceeding Personal Limits - August 26, 2008

 On Sunday, August 24, 2008 I completed my 11th Ironman Triathlon.  Hailed as one of the most grueling endurance competitions, the Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile open water swim, a 112 mile bike followed by a complete 26.2 mile marathon run.

The Ironman has been providing me with an endless opportunity to challenge myself on a physical realm.  It all began when I did my first running race, the popular July 4th Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia.  I trained for the race but still was unable to finish in under an hour.  I remember crossing the line completely exhausted, a desire to vomit and anxious to lay down.  Yet, as depleted as I found myself as I crossed the line, I left that race with a burning desire to push myself to new limits.

I continued my run training with new vigor and I set my sights on a longer race, the Atlanta Half Marathon held on Thanksgiving morning.  Not only did I want to complete the distance, but I wanted to do it in under 2 hours.  This was a big challenge as the half marathon is 13.1 miles.  The Peachtree Road Race was a 10K (6.2 miles) and I couldn't finish that in under an hour.  But with the help and encouragement of some good friends (Mike and Kate Parker), they paced me and encouraged me to run my very hardest that morning.  I finished in 1:58.  That was it, I WAS HOOKED!

The rest is history.  I HAD to do a marathon.  Then I HAD to do another one to see if I could go faster and finish in under 4 hours.  Then triathlon entered my life.  I wanted the extra challenge of swimming and biking prior to the running.  The only swimming experience I really had as a child was doing cannonballs in my neighbors pool and doggy paddling back to the exit ladder.

What I'm reminded of is that I am most fulfilled in my life when I strive to exceed myself and push myself past my current limits.  I attempt to push myself in three dimensions; mental, physical and emotional.

This past summer I decided I was going to push myself to new heights in my career and my skill set and am learning new technology skills.  At 39 years old and years and years of education under my belt, I didn't think I would have the desire (or the courage) to expand my continuing education.  It comes with nervousness and fear.  What if I can't keep up with the younger kids?  What if I can't do it?  What if I fail?

So I'm left staring at a quote that I tucked away for just such an occasion;

"It is far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, then to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

Here is to exceeding our personal limits!!!

Exceeding Personal Limits - August 26, 2008

 On Sunday, August 24, 2008 I completed my 11th Ironman Triathlon.  Hailed as one of the most grueling endurance competitions, the Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile open water swim, a 112 mile bike followed by a complete 26.2 mile marathon run.

The Ironman has been providing me with an endless opportunity to challenge myself on a physical realm.  It all began when I did my first running race, the popular July 4th Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia.  I trained for the race but still was unable to finish in under an hour.  I remember crossing the line completely exhausted, a desire to vomit and anxious to lay down.  Yet, as depleted as I found myself as I crossed the line, I left that race with a burning desire to push myself to new limits.

I continued my run training with new vigor and I set my sights on a longer race, the Atlanta Half Marathon held on Thanksgiving morning.  Not only did I want to complete the distance, but I wanted to do it in under 2 hours.  This was a big challenge as the half marathon is 13.1 miles.  The Peachtree Road Race was a 10K (6.2 miles) and I couldn't finish that in under an hour.  But with the help and encouragement of some good friends (Mike and Kate Parker), they paced me and encouraged me to run my very hardest that morning.  I finished in 1:58.  That was it, I WAS HOOKED!

The rest is history.  I HAD to do a marathon.  Then I HAD to do another one to see if I could go faster and finish in under 4 hours.  Then triathlon entered my life.  I wanted the extra challenge of swimming and biking prior to the running.  The only swimming experience I really had as a child was doing cannonballs in my neighbors pool and doggy paddling back to the exit ladder.

What I'm reminded of is that I am most fulfilled in my life when I strive to exceed myself and push myself past my current limits.  I attempt to push myself in three dimensions; mental, physical and emotional.

This past summer I decided I was going to push myself to new heights in my career and my skill set and am learning new technology skills.  At 39 years old and years and years of education under my belt, I didn't think I would have the desire (or the courage) to expand my continuing education.  It comes with nervousness and fear.  What if I can't keep up with the younger kids?  What if I can't do it?  What if I fail?

So I'm left staring at a quote that I tucked away for just such an occasion;

"It is far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, then to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

Here is to exceeding our personal limits!!!

Exceeding Personal Limits - August 26, 2008

 On Sunday, August 24, 2008 I completed my 11th Ironman Triathlon.  Hailed as one of the most grueling endurance competitions, the Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile open water swim, a 112 mile bike followed by a complete 26.2 mile marathon run.

The Ironman has been providing me with an endless opportunity to challenge myself on a physical realm.  It all began when I did my first running race, the popular July 4th Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia.  I trained for the race but still was unable to finish in under an hour.  I remember crossing the line completely exhausted, a desire to vomit and anxious to lay down.  Yet, as depleted as I found myself as I crossed the line, I left that race with a burning desire to push myself to new limits.

I continued my run training with new vigor and I set my sights on a longer race, the Atlanta Half Marathon held on Thanksgiving morning.  Not only did I want to complete the distance, but I wanted to do it in under 2 hours.  This was a big challenge as the half marathon is 13.1 miles.  The Peachtree Road Race was a 10K (6.2 miles) and I couldn't finish that in under an hour.  But with the help and encouragement of some good friends (Mike and Kate Parker), they paced me and encouraged me to run my very hardest that morning.  I finished in 1:58.  That was it, I WAS HOOKED!

The rest is history.  I HAD to do a marathon.  Then I HAD to do another one to see if I could go faster and finish in under 4 hours.  Then triathlon entered my life.  I wanted the extra challenge of swimming and biking prior to the running.  The only swimming experience I really had as a child was doing cannonballs in my neighbors pool and doggy paddling back to the exit ladder.

What I'm reminded of is that I am most fulfilled in my life when I strive to exceed myself and push myself past my current limits.  I attempt to push myself in three dimensions; mental, physical and emotional.

This past summer I decided I was going to push myself to new heights in my career and my skill set and am learning new technology skills.  At 39 years old and years and years of education under my belt, I didn't think I would have the desire (or the courage) to expand my continuing education.  It comes with nervousness and fear.  What if I can't keep up with the younger kids?  What if I can't do it?  What if I fail?

So I'm left staring at a quote that I tucked away for just such an occasion;

"It is far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, then to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

Here is to exceeding our personal limits!!!

Iron Perspectives - August 25, 2008

I call it, "The luck of the Polish."  The weather today in Penticton is far less than desirable race conditions; cool, wet and dreary.

I still haven't crunched my data from yesterday (I'm sort of afraid to look).  But I had some other things to take care of that were more pressing.  John Bashe and I were at Denny's ordering up a storm before the sun came up.  We weren't the only athletes with the same idea.

Iron Perspectives

I've had a bit more time to reflect over the past 18 hours.  There was lots of time to think as it's tough to sleep the night after an iron distance race.

There were a few brief moments during yesterdays race where I actually thought, "I wonder what people are going to think of my performance?"   But I did my best to quickly squash those kinds of thoughts.

Matt Erbele passed on a quote to me a while back that was along the lines of, "To the people that love us the most, our race splits/finishing times don't matter.  To the people that only care about our race splits/finishing times, they don't matter."  Important words to keep in mind.

It's not until race day that I remember how difficult it is to complete an iron distance race.  It doesn't matter whether it took less than 9 hours or less than 17 hours.  Traveling 140.6 miles in a single day under your own power is a brutal physical task.

There are athletes that don't make the midnight cutoff and dream about finishing under 17 hours.  Those that finish in under 17 hours hope for a 14 or 15 hour finish time.  Those that can go in 14 or 15 hours train with the desire of finishing in 12 or 13 hours.  The 12 or 13 hour athletes wonder how the sub 11 crowd, "goes so fast."  The sub 11 crowd wants to go sub 10. The sub 10 crowd wants to race with elite times.  The elite want to podium.  And ultimately there are people that get to a point where if they didn't win the race, then it wasn't a successful outing.

It's probably a good idea that we realize that we are capable of getting into this loop of thought.  Iron distance racing can either be very fulfilling or very draining depending on our expectations (especially if our expectations aren't in alignment with a myriad of other factors).

If you've ever had the opportunity to watch a live Ironman finish, it's quite exciting.  You'll see athletes that are on top of the world with full adrenaline pumping when they cross that line.  They were victorious in their pursuit of the physically impossible.

It's important for us to understand the reasons why we participate in endurance sports, including iron distance racing.  Some want to finish as they think, "I wonder if I can."  Others love the training and the process of achievement.  Some relish the iron lifestyle that is filled with discipline and daily actions/behaviors.

Some of us like to train alone on those long runs where we enjoy the quiet solitude of nature as we watch the sun come up in total silence.  Others love the group rides with the coffee stops afterwards to relive the memories of the training event.  Some like their trainers, some like the trails.  Some can only get through the weeks with three stops in the wee hours of the morning to jump in a cold pool with 25 other certified nut cases who participate in masters swim practice.

It's ok if we are just trying to finish.  It's ok if we are trying to break our previous personal record.  It's ok if we are just having fun with our friends and enjoying the iron lifestyle.  It's ok if we are trying to podium or trying to win.  It's all ok.  One reason shouldn't trump another.  It's just important that we know why we are doing it and don't get frustrated with others who are doing it for different reasons or with different results.

If we compare ourselves against others, who have different goals, different lifestyles, different ambitions, talents, genetics, work ethic or time, it's easy to put ourselves in a negative spiraling loop of unfulfillment.  We'll never end up enjoying our own journey and our own accomplishments because we were too worried about our neighbor.

Ironman isn't just about the race itself.  It's about all the things that went into making race day happen.  It's about the training, the focus, the priorities, the decisions, the eating, the triumphs and the failures that went into getting us to the starting line.  All those things contribute to our actions and abilities once the cannon goes off.  For some, they exceed themselves, while others fold and quit.  In the end, once the circus leaves town and everybody goes back to work, another season begins.  And once that happens, nobody really cares what anybody else did, except what we think about ourselves of course.

And finally, I want to thank the person who gave me wonderful support this trip and the official photographer and logistics manager during the trip, my lovely Angela.  It's impossible to ever get a picture of her (she's very talented at avoiding camera's like a top spy).  But I did it!

By The Numbers

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 203 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 69 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 335 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

• Only 123 shopping days remaining until Christmas
• Only 119 days until Hanukkah (Happy Hanukkah Caplan)

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 203 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 69 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 335 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

Random Thoughts on #11 - August 24, 2008

It's 9:40pm local time and 12:40am eastern time.  I'm starting to regain my senses but make no promises on this quick recap before I relax for the rest of the evening.  I'll make sure I do a full recap tomorrow when rested and thinking straight :)

Things you don't want on race day;

1. Diarrhea
2. The squirts
3. The runs
4. All of the above :)

Obviously a big bummer to deal with all day that switched me from "racing" mode to "survival" mode.  But I survived fine by just taking it swim stroke by swim stroke, swim buoy to swim buoy.  Then pedal stroke by pedal stroke and mile by mile.  By the run it was just keep moving the feet, telephone pole by telephone pole and mile by mile.

I noticed that the power/motivation of survival mode in an Ironman isn't anywhere as strong as being in a racing/competitive zone.

On occasions where I've been in a position to race and push myself, the pain threshold goes up exponentially.  You seem to have an ability to trash yourself while you are on a mission.  It's a good feeling to be in a racing mode and push yourself beyond your own limits.

Right before the start of the swim, announcer "Mike Reilly" had the following quote that set the stage for me for the entire day, "Athletes, there is one thing that all of you can control today, and that is your attitude."  Very fitting for me.  I thought about that all day today and did my best to smile and appreciate the opportunity that I have to race at these events.  As much as I like to think, "Ah heck, time to just move on and focus on the next one (and the next one after that), there are no guarantees that there will be a next one.  All kinds of things can quickly change in our lives.  It's best that I live in the moment and do the best that I could with what I could control.

Enjoying the moment.  A huge aid to a positive attitude is to smile, smile, smile.

By mile16, the temperatures started dropping and so did the rain.  OK, it was pretty tough to keep a positive attitude every single minute ;)

Everything that I was eating and drinking throughout the day was just running out of me from the other end.  At mile 20 I really started craving Saltine crackers (thinking it would help absorb what was going through my gut).  At the next aid station I came upon a big aluminum pan filled with pretzels.  I reached in and it was as if I was trying to grab into a bowl of oatmeal.  The rain filled the pretzel pan and turned the pretzels to mush - YUK!

I certainly notice a trend.  On races where "it's on like Donkey Kong" it's all about the numbers.  I'm constantly looking at my watts, heart rate, cadence, timing my nutrition, mile timing splits, etc.  Day like today, all the numbers go straight out the window.  Survival mode is all about going as quickly as you can (not to improve your racing time) but to get things over with as quickly as possible.  It's a mode of "how fast can I go while minimizing the pain and discomfort as much as possible."   

What caused the problems?  Who knows.  I felt ok for most of the early morning and it wasn't until I was into the swim that I said, "Uhh ohh...this isn't good?!?!"  I don't know if it was something I ate yesterday (all relatively safe food?).  Not sure, which is sort of frustrating. 

Am I disappointed?  Absolutely.  It's tough when you train hard and have some good fitness and never get a chance to use it.  But in the scope of things, it was a good race and sometimes we have to take the bitter with the sweets.  I'm also glad I'm ok.  There were a few times out there that I thought things weren't going too well.

Did I think about quitting?  Quitting...No...not once...Hoping that the swim would go by quickly?  YES!  Hoping that the bike would end?  YES!  Wishing the run would end soon?  Oh yeah.  It was one of those days where I just wanted to speed up the clock and I was dreaming of my hotel room.  That's not to be confused with asking myself those funny questions we ask ourselves during an Ironman like, "Why am I doing this?"  "Why is this fun to me?" (I'm not having fun right now.)  "Do I really want to do more of these?"  I asked all those questions all day long.

What to do at this point?  Get fully recovered and get back to training.  Last year I had a less than optimal race at Placid (albeit self-inflicted) and then went on to have a great race at Ironman Florida in November. 

Finally, thanks for all the comments and emails.  It was awesome to receive all the well wishes and I greatly appreciated it!

By The Numbers

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 202 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 70 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 336 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009

• Only 124 shopping days remaining until Christmas
• Only 120 days until Hanukkah (Happy Hanukkah Caplan)

• Injured Jan 1 through June 30 with plantar fasciitis and achilles problems on the left leg.
• 202 - Days in a row of consistent training 
• 3 - Days missed of training at least 30 minutes in 2008 (goose-eggs in 2008)
• 70 - Days remaining until Ironman Florida
• 336 - Days remaining until Ironman Lake Placid 2009