For me, one thing that has distinguished Ironman preparation from that of preparation for a marathon or half-Ironman is the smaller margin of error. Going 140.6 miles involves far more meticulous preparation and execution than a Marathon or even a Half Ironman. Overtraining can leave you just as stuck as not doing enough. Nutrition and hydration failures--which I experienced both at Marathon and Half-Ironman distance--could bring about an early end to the race. More than any format, Long Course IM absolutely requires some degree of thought, planning, and improvisational ability to handle the inevitable SNAFUs, and keep them from going to TARFU or FUBAR.
Within the context of sports, I am happily competitive and aggressive by nature. I want to win; I love to do my best and see what I'm capable of, and I genuinely enjoy a wholehearted effort. This is well and good for shorter distances, but one of the particular challenges of the Iron Distance is that this approach is highly correlated with burning out. The cost of burning out can be anything from a slow Marathon, to a walking Marathon, to a DNF. According to those who have gone before, there's really no chance to push things until the very end if one wants to finish.
For me, and for most if not all who have the internal drive to attempt a Full IM distance, taking it easy runs contrary to my intrapsychic makeup. My inner beast craves the raw thrill of pursuing and overtaking prey. As I found out in the Half-Ironman I did last June, the chase has its own seductive rhythm, which has little regard for pacing or plans. My inner Competitor wants to be better and faster, for the sheer vanity of it. And the Boss has to get them all on the same page.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Bike Calisthenics, Pending Tri Bike, Natatorium Update
Yesterday I added bike-related calisthenics to my standard ride days. Hindu squats, calf raises with slow lowering, lunges, and backside-blasting leg extensions with a band. Today, I feel like a gay dinosaur, so I'm taking the day off. No weights yet, but I will add some when I'm sure I can do it without injury.
I told Karen that if all works out, my butt was going to be even larger. Her enthusiasm was resounding. ;-}
My current steed is an entry level road bike with aerobars. It has been berry, berry good to me, but if I am to do a full Ironman, and to continue with this sport, I think I could kick a bit more ass on a real, light, aero, slick-looking tri bike. At least that's what I keep telling Karen.
I'd been planning the purchase of a real tri-bike sometime before the end of the year, but I found the one I wanted on ebay for a ridiculous price (Allegedly NIB, $1000 less than retail!!), and nailed it down yesterday. Hope it's not too good to be true. Tune in next week.
This is not our only personal effort to jumpstart the economy. Construction of the Quigley family Natatorium continues apace. We've moved from plumbing only to rebar.
Amenities will include hot tub, lagoon with umbrella pole so parents can supervise from inside the pool, and a few jets grouped together in the deep end which should, when coupled with a swim tether, sorta-kinda simulate a swim stream. We'll see about that last one. It's for the kiddos anyway.
I told Karen that if all works out, my butt was going to be even larger. Her enthusiasm was resounding. ;-}
My current steed is an entry level road bike with aerobars. It has been berry, berry good to me, but if I am to do a full Ironman, and to continue with this sport, I think I could kick a bit more ass on a real, light, aero, slick-looking tri bike. At least that's what I keep telling Karen.
I'd been planning the purchase of a real tri-bike sometime before the end of the year, but I found the one I wanted on ebay for a ridiculous price (Allegedly NIB, $1000 less than retail!!), and nailed it down yesterday. Hope it's not too good to be true. Tune in next week.
This is not our only personal effort to jumpstart the economy. Construction of the Quigley family Natatorium continues apace. We've moved from plumbing only to rebar.
Amenities will include hot tub, lagoon with umbrella pole so parents can supervise from inside the pool, and a few jets grouped together in the deep end which should, when coupled with a swim tether, sorta-kinda simulate a swim stream. We'll see about that last one. It's for the kiddos anyway.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Swimming--technique, tools, etc.
Swimming, meaning the sport, is something we as a species do with a shocking lack of grace. Even the best of us bears more resemblance to shark bait than a waterborne mammal making deliberate efforts to get somewhere.
As a youth, I was a competitive swimmer, devoting myself to this retrospectively silly and boring pursuit to the exclusion of other sports that I likely would have enjoyed, to the exclusion of a balanced life, proper rest, friends. . . So I've got a little baggage around this particular leg of the Triathlon, which has to this point kept me from putting a significant effort into it. Yet it's far and away my best leg, relatively speaking. So I'm going to set the past, and my fundamentally land-based nature, aside in the service of overall speed.
To this end, I took my new Go Pro HD Father's day present to the pool to video some swimming. I attached it to a helmet mount, the helmet mount to a rock, and set it on the bottom of the pool. In addition to cute kid swimming videos likely to wind up on FB, this is what I came up with:
For the sake of comparison, here's Michael Phelps, our finest specimen of shark bait:
While I clearly ain't no Michael Phelps, I think my technique is pretty good. Just need to put in some time to get back a little of my youthful swimming strength, hopefully not at too much cost to running/biking.
Suggestions welcome.
As a youth, I was a competitive swimmer, devoting myself to this retrospectively silly and boring pursuit to the exclusion of other sports that I likely would have enjoyed, to the exclusion of a balanced life, proper rest, friends. . . So I've got a little baggage around this particular leg of the Triathlon, which has to this point kept me from putting a significant effort into it. Yet it's far and away my best leg, relatively speaking. So I'm going to set the past, and my fundamentally land-based nature, aside in the service of overall speed.
To this end, I took my new Go Pro HD Father's day present to the pool to video some swimming. I attached it to a helmet mount, the helmet mount to a rock, and set it on the bottom of the pool. In addition to cute kid swimming videos likely to wind up on FB, this is what I came up with:
For the sake of comparison, here's Michael Phelps, our finest specimen of shark bait:
While I clearly ain't no Michael Phelps, I think my technique is pretty good. Just need to put in some time to get back a little of my youthful swimming strength, hopefully not at too much cost to running/biking.
Suggestions welcome.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Firecracker Sprint Tri 7/3
Yesterday, I went for a long bike ride--54 heat and water supply limited miles, including halfway up Mt. Lemmon--followed by the recommended "quick run"--usually 15-30 min. The previously discussed Elixir of Life worked wonderfully, and didn't get lost because I added a between the aerobars bottle for it. I arrived at my post big-bike run with tons of energy, and ran 5 miles in 98-102 degree temps.
As with the Olympic distance triathlon I did in May (I'm 55th), I didn't take a rest day before this one, mostly in the name of keeping the pressure off and the expectations low. We had out of town friends staying at our house, so it was easy not to think about it. Too easy, actually, as I forgot a floor pump, water bottle, and extra CO2 cartridges for the tires. Luckily, there was a kids' race first. Then, race participants left at 15 second intervals with the slowest swimmers first. I was the third to last starter, and I had 1 hr and 45 minutes to go back home and get the extra stuff after racking my bike. Next time, I'll use an idiot-box checklist.
My avowed goals were to keep a solid, yet sub-meltdown, HR Zone 4 pace, and not let myself get thrown off my game by my own competitive urges to pass or avoid being passed. The savage lurking within my limbic brain had other plans, though, and the minute I saw a competitor, I snapped immediately into I wanna kick your ass you skinny little punk mode. The last half-hour prior to the race was spent warming up and wrestling with my inner competitor. By the time I lined up for the swim, the beast was harnessed again. Goal #1 accomplished.
The only race SNAFU was a temporary failure of HR and cadence monitors, which left my inner data geek a little vexed. The swim went well and smoothly. My swimsuit-only pace was about the same as my wetsuit pace in the Tempe Triathlon. Both transitions were reasonably quick and screwup-free. The 12 mile bike was the fastest race pace yet, and my first time averaging over 20 mph (21.4. to be exact). My glutes ached a little from the previous day's exertion, but they didn't fall off. Despite the blossoming heat--probably 93 degrees at the finish--I finished up strong on the 5k run, holding sub 7 minute miles, with just the vaguest hints of heat cramps towards the end.
All in all, it was fun. Maybe next time I'll prepare a little more. My time was 1 hour, 8 minutes and 20 seconds, which was good for a first one. It's still a perspective shot to realize that elite Ironman Triathletes do a race that is essentially eight times longer at my pace or faster.
As with the Olympic distance triathlon I did in May (I'm 55th), I didn't take a rest day before this one, mostly in the name of keeping the pressure off and the expectations low. We had out of town friends staying at our house, so it was easy not to think about it. Too easy, actually, as I forgot a floor pump, water bottle, and extra CO2 cartridges for the tires. Luckily, there was a kids' race first. Then, race participants left at 15 second intervals with the slowest swimmers first. I was the third to last starter, and I had 1 hr and 45 minutes to go back home and get the extra stuff after racking my bike. Next time, I'll use an idiot-box checklist.
My avowed goals were to keep a solid, yet sub-meltdown, HR Zone 4 pace, and not let myself get thrown off my game by my own competitive urges to pass or avoid being passed. The savage lurking within my limbic brain had other plans, though, and the minute I saw a competitor, I snapped immediately into I wanna kick your ass you skinny little punk mode. The last half-hour prior to the race was spent warming up and wrestling with my inner competitor. By the time I lined up for the swim, the beast was harnessed again. Goal #1 accomplished.
The only race SNAFU was a temporary failure of HR and cadence monitors, which left my inner data geek a little vexed. The swim went well and smoothly. My swimsuit-only pace was about the same as my wetsuit pace in the Tempe Triathlon. Both transitions were reasonably quick and screwup-free. The 12 mile bike was the fastest race pace yet, and my first time averaging over 20 mph (21.4. to be exact). My glutes ached a little from the previous day's exertion, but they didn't fall off. Despite the blossoming heat--probably 93 degrees at the finish--I finished up strong on the 5k run, holding sub 7 minute miles, with just the vaguest hints of heat cramps towards the end.
All in all, it was fun. Maybe next time I'll prepare a little more. My time was 1 hour, 8 minutes and 20 seconds, which was good for a first one. It's still a perspective shot to realize that elite Ironman Triathletes do a race that is essentially eight times longer at my pace or faster.
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