Metabolic and Threshold Testing

Well I finished my annual metabolic and threshold testing sessions.  Last year I did an LT test for the run only.  This year I decided to do it for both the run and the bike.  I also threw in an additional base metabolic rate test.  The tests were performed by Rob Lockey at Optimize Endurance Services who provides very thorough testing and results at a reasonable rate.  I paid $250 for all 3 tests versus $145 last year for just the run test up in Boulder and that was with a $100 coupon from my friend Barb.

Anyhow, so why does someone get said tests?  Primarily to know where we are today and the best way to get where we are going.  Triathletes and endurance athletes are primarily guilty of working too hard on their easy workouts and too easy on their hard days.  This leads to way too much time spent working out at the level where we already are our strongest and most likely race at.  Needless to  say that leads to the unenviable plateau.

So with the tests we can figure out what the appropriate efforts are based on heart rate and bike wattage.  I started 2 Saturdays ago with the base metabolic test.  This test simply tells you how many calories you burn sitting around.  It was valuable for me because based on my weight and age my base metabolic rate estimate was 10% lower than the test showed I actually burned.  The test requires a 12 hour fast and then 10 minutes of lying down and breathing into a tube that analyzes the composition of the breath you exhale to determine calorie burn.  After reviewing my nutrition log and considering the test Rob and I determined I need to eat more carbs and fat as well as more overall.  This has helped me sleep better and go harder on my workouts and I have actually not gained any weight with the increased intensity.

The following Tuesday I headed back over for the Lactate Threshold test on the bike.  The test involves warming up and calibrating the machinery for about 10 minutes.  9 minutes in we take the first blood sample from my finger tip.  Rob notes my heart rate, power output and blood lactate level.  We then continue this process of pricking my finger every 3 minutes with increasing tension on the bike.  Finally when we reach the point of no return we take the last reading and begin a cool down.  After 10 minutes of cool down we take one last reading.  So the result was a 220 watt threshold power and 147 heart rate.  This was about 30 watts below an interval workout I did at home and we considered my trainer was off.  But upon a little digging we determined it is being driven by my recovery rate.  Namely I recover from hard efforts very efficiently.  From my peak of 10.5 moles per liter of blood lactate I was able to clear 7 of that lactate down to 3.5 in 10 minutes.  So on intervals I can average a higher power output than a steady climb.  This will be useful on a hilly course.  I can power up a hill and recover on the back side.

A week later I went for the run test.  Same idea with a prick of the finger and blood sample after 9 minutes then every 3 and a 10 minute cooldown.  Here the results showed more efficiency with a lower blood lactate during the initial ramp up and a 7:12 pace at 155 heart rate.  This basically is the pace I should be able to run for about 2 hours, a little less for someone just starting out in training.  In other words as fitness improves the longer we can sustain threshold pace especially with proper fueling and training the stomach to digest food at pace.  Rob projected a properly tapered marathon time in a couple weeks of 3:20 which seems fast but makes sense given the effort I've put into running lately.  My VO2 max on this test was 61 which is in the top 1% and gives me confidence with my potential for hard work.  It is also out of whack with my bike which came in at 45 and although the bike is always lower (less muscle mass used on a bike) it should be closer.

So with solid bike work I should quite realistically be able to lift my threshold wattage up to 270.  Bottom line, proper swim technique, a 270 watt threshold output and about a 10 minute faster straight marathon time (IM marathon should be within 20 minutes of your straight time otherwise it is bike fitness that is lacking) put all my goals for Ironman Lake Placid within reach!  Time for me to get after it!  If you are looking for proper training zones, go see Rob!

Happy Training!

Highlands Ranch Turkey Trot 5k

So Thanksgiving this year was my first Turkey Trot and first 5k. Yes some parts of my endurance world are not linear in the normal progression sense. Ironman before 5k would be a shining example. But I digress. After having raced the Wildcat Mountain Half Marathon, I am a fan of the Highlands Ranch Run Series. It is all very well organized, and a great value. Since we didn't have much planned for Thanksgiving anyway, the Turkey Trot seemed like a good idea.

The weather was perfect. Sunny, around 50 degrees nice and crisp. I arrived at the race around 8:30 and found some parking in the back of Shea Stadium. Race time was at 9am so I walked over to grab a t-shirt, timing chip and a goodie bag (like I said well organized for a little local race). There was a good crowd and about 1250 racers. I saw my friend Jackie and spotted my buddy Scott near the starting line. I got about 10 feet back from him. That put me about 100 people back which ended up being about right.

I had no real expectations other than close to 7:30 minute miles. The gun started us on our way and I went out feeling pretty light. I was passed by some folks and passed some others. The first half mile was gradually down hill but the next mile and a half was a gradual up. So I stayed strong and kept my pace between 6:50 and 7:50 depending on the hills. Around 2 miles I saw my friend Mark who manages the races and was running today. He said it looked to be downhill the final through the home stretch so I gave what I had and came in at 23:0 I think that is around 7:25 so not bad. I passed my friend Jackie near the end, but alas gun time and finish time can be different and she got me by about 4 seconds. Scott was in the top 20 and I was around 125 out of 1250 overall so top 10% and about 100 back from him which is where I self seeded myself. Some people don't get that I guess.

Anyway I hung around and chatted with folks for awhile and wished everybody Happy Thanksgiving. I said goodbye to Scott and his wife Jenn and headed home. Dana and I went out for a good hour and a half road bike ride. Thanksgiving was very chill, pizza and a movie.

Happy Thanksgiving and more importantly Happy Training!

Tri Obsession: Data and the Droid

It is an understatement to say that triathletes are data obsessed. For the most part we are right up there with the best of them, baseball fans, gamblers, general fans of statistics and probabilities. Triathlon for the most part generates relatively simple data points. However the volume of training and racing creates infinite environments and sets of circumstances for this data. Couple that with the ongoing to desire to improve against the always moving against us clock (both in races and as we age) there is a strong need to see lots of data and how it is progressing.



The data mainly exists in swimming as time and location (so you can calculate speed). Heart rate monitors don't work well in the water. There is no decent way to measure power. In cycling we have time, location, cadence, power and heart rate. Cycling has the holy grail of data. Running is the same as cycling sans power. Though I am hearing that accelerometers which currently determine cadence on the run will soon give power readings.





Interestingly nothing great exists for capturing all this data in a single device. Swimming just needs a stop watch assuming you know the distance you are swimming, very easy in a pool, relatively easy on a marked open water course. There are some devices that count laps and such but not a big deal. Biking has some slick power meters and cadence computers, those coupled with a good heart rate monitor provide data but it's not all easily accessible. Running is a little better since you don't need to pair a heart rate monitor.





The best product out there (which I don't own and can only report on based on my shopping research) is the Garmin Forerunner XT310. This is similar to the Garmin Forerunner 305 except it is compatibly with power meters with the ANT+ technology. However 3 major complaints on this deal. Like the 305 it is like wearing a small brick on your arm. 2 the GPS doesn't function in the water to deliver anything meaningful. Lastly it sets you back 350 bucks and you don't have the power meter (a grand) or a cadence sensor (1oo bucks for the bike and the run) and that is the price without a heart rate sensor.





Now you can go way down the spectrum to the Garmin Foreruner 50. If you buy it at Costco you get a run speed/cadence sensor, a heart rate monitor for $79.99. For $40 more bucks you can pick up the bike speed/cadence sensor. So you have a good portion of data sans power and gps for $120. This is a pretty good deal and it comes with the upload antenna for you PC too. In fact when you compare what you get here for what you don't on the higher end stuff you'll understand why I am still using it. I have Timex Ironman with a heart rate monitor, GPS, and data upload for the computer. No cadence capability (let alone power) on the run or bike and I have to wear a big GPS monitor on my arm and carry the data recorder in my pocket (though I believe Timex finally put the recorder in the watch, not so with the GPS). My wife bought me this for my birthday several years ago for several hundred dollars and it still costs this much with the GPS on your arm and data recorder in the watch. Again not much for the money. So best value in my mind the Forerunner 50 especially since it is the size of a normal watch.



http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/ci.Motorola-DROID-US-EN.alt

This brings me to my Droid phone made by Verizon/Motorola and the elephant in the room Google. The phone as is has a compass, accelerometer, GPS and level built in. If it could read a HRM and bike Power Meter it would be 99% of the way there and those two things are probably programmable since it has bluetooth and wifi. It's not waterproof and not a watch but my point is that a phone is probably already closer to the holy grail of triathlon data collection (it probably needs to store 24 hours of data too) than what the big companies in the biz, Garmin, Timex and Polar (not to mention Suunto and some others) already put out. Google also has the mapping capabilities on its website with Google Earth to allow you to visually "see" your data. Heck people are giving away an app to calc your exercise using the GPS and accelerometer already. So why doesn't somebody step up and deliver the product that triathlete's and endurance enthusiasts would gladly pay a reasonable price for? I have no idea. But I'd love to see Google shake up this market (admittedly much smaller) like it is doing in the mobile phone market along with Apple and the iPhone. Competition is good for these types of markets.





Happy Training

Rebuilding My Tri Bike

Triathlon is in fact about the bike. Over half a race is spent on the bike. For most of us the bike is a work in progress. The bike itself and our relationship with it. You get comfortable on the bike and then you make it less comfortable but faster. As your body adapts to this change you repeat the process.

I raced my first race on a mountain bike. It was a road race in Boulder and the director assured me the little charity race would have plenty of folks on mountain bikes. Being new to Colorado and not knowing really what Boulder was (aka World Class Athlete Mecca) I didn't know this was a ludicrous statement. But I wasn't prepared to buy a new bike at the time so it didn't matter too much. I suffered through my first tri but was hooked. I decided if I demonstrated a certain level of commitment to training on my mountain bike I would purchase a road bike. In the summer of 2008 I got a great deal on a Giant from Craigslist with full Ultegra components and a carbon frame. It was gently used by a mountain biker who decided it wasn't for him. Luckily we were the same size.

I rode this bike in a half Ironman in 2008 and all of my 2009 season. During the 2009 season I made 2 changes. I added aerobars and a 0 offset seatpost with the help of Bicycle Pedal R in Highlands Ranch. These changes shift you forward on the bike and make you more aerodynamic. After 2009 ended I was really itching to buy a new bike but I also try to choose my spending decisions wisely. I decided a good project would be to convert the front of my existing bike to a full tri bike which would basically give me the ability to shift in the aero position thus allowing me to stay in this position for a great portion of time. Also by changing to carbon bullhorn handlebars I would save significant weight. So I began this project and did become a little nervous that I was in over my head.

I carefully continued the recabling and installation progress and was able to add the aerobars, shifters, bullhorn and brakes with little fanfare. I went with Profile Designs Carbon Stryke and their Cobra bullhorn.

Next was the big decision and the primary reason I was going this route with my spending. I really felt I would benefit from race wheels. But a new bike and race wheels would be exorbitant. So through some research I decided to patiently look for race wheels gently used on Ebay or Craigslist. I decided I wanted Hed H3 carbon race wheels with tubular tires (versus clinchers). This would save me about 1.6 pounds from my current wheels and significantly reduce my rolling resistance. I lucked out and found a pair from a masters racer in California.

The wheels arrived and I went through the process of taping the tubulars with Tufo Extreme Tape. I added a cog from Shimano's Ultegra line to match my training wheels. And with that the mission was complete. Net monetary savings for my bike is about 60% off retail and the weight savings is approximately 2.8 pounds. That combined with improved aerodynamics and lower rolling resistance should save me around 15 watts or improve my speed by about 1.5 mph. Now it's time to ride, because at the end of the day real improvement comes through consistent training.

Happy training!

Wildcat Mountain Trail Half Marathon - Race Report

Saturday Nov 14, 2009 - I woke up for race day around 6:15. The race started at 8:30 and was 2 minutes from the house but I wanted ample time for breakfast, coffee and just to stay relaxed. It was snowing the night before so I was happy to see minimal accumulation outside as this was to be an offroad trail run. I looked outside and saw the temperature at a brisk 38F. It also would have been my Mom's 52nd birthday. She passed away when I was 16. I thought this race would be a good healthy way to celebrate her life.

I arrived over at the race around 7:45. It was pretty packed but well organized. I picked up my race packet and headed over to Southridge Rec Center to change and put my stuff in a locker. One of the big pluses of the Ranch is the Rec Centers, along with the ample trail system. After changing, taking in some EFS gel and a banana I headed back to the starting area. I was looking for my friend Scott Swaney and also Jackie Branch. Both were racing today and they happen to be very fast. Scott's a world class adventure racer (he'll laugh that I wrote that, but it is true) and Jackie is a Boston Qualifier in marathon. Anyway I found Scott (easily recognized by his ginormous calves) and we chatted near the start. I saw Jackie too and wished everybody luck. I scooted back a little from them since I didn't plan to be up too close to the front of the pack.

The start went off at 8:30 and we were off down the hill. This was the first time I ever ran a half marathon without it being at the end of a half Ironman. So I wasn't real sure on strategy but figured I should hold some back for the first half. If a few people passed me on the way out then I was probably doing it right. I felt very good from the start and my heart rate stayed in a pretty good range for me. The first 3 miles seemed mostly up hill. This was an extremely hilly race. The race organizer Mark Geibel said nobody should plan for a PR today. Anyway after the uphill we got some rolling hills and I was still feeling pretty good. I was going below 9 minute miles at this point and happy with that given the hills. I had a rough target of 1 hour 50 minutes which would be a 10 minute PR for me. I figured no swim or bike first should more than compensate for the hills.

Around mile 6 there was a big aid station with porta potties, etc. The race was incredibly well organized with aid stations every other mile and even a pretty good crown considering the temperature and general overcast day. I was still feeling good and so I started to push a little harder. I felt very relaxed and was able to stroll down the hills and muscle up the next hill. The course was relatively solid with minimal mud.

As we meandered through the remaining miles my strength held and I started to pick off people. I counted around 11 people I passed and was passed in the final mile by 2 people. So net +9 turnover ratio (a football term) on the second half and like football I guess the best defense is a good offense. The whole race was a very fun experience. I thought about my mom a lot and smiled and said hello and thank you to every volunteer I saw on the course. I finished the race in 1:52. Good enough for an 8 minute PR and 41st out of 245 people. Not bad for me at all. The hilliness and elevation of the course is probably worth about 12 minutes for me (rough estimate comparing other people's times). So my speed is coming along in the running department.

My wife Dana was at the finish line and made sure they got my name write not Benzon or Benson. We chatted with Scott, Jackie, Scott's wife Jenn and others at the finish line and waited for the awards ceremony. Congratulations to Scott, finishing 3rd in his age group...which would have been better sans his late night of watching midget wrestling, but enough for a medal. And congratulations to Jackie, winner of her age group and 2nd overall female.

Happy Birthday Mom and happy training!

Denver Marathon Relay - Race Report

Going to a race completely for fun is indeed great fun. The Kernel Jsssup relay team was a mixed team, 2 gals and 2 guys. My friend Susan from work and her twin Sarah and my buddy Scott. We decided to meet at Susan's since it was close to the race venue in downtown Denver. I picked up Scott at 5:50am and we headed north to downtown. Everyone was ready to go and Susan's boyfriend Roland was our driver to the relay transitions.

We all loaded up the car and headed to drop Susan off for the first leg of 6 miles. The race start was 7am so we got her close by 6:30am and the rest of us headed to Starbucks to hang out. Susan was targeting below 10 minutes a mile so we had about an hour before we needed to make our way to the first transition (are the called transitions in a relay?).

After some coffees and lattes we got our numbers and timing chips fastened and loaded into the car again. We made it easily over to the relay station and got ready for Sarah to take over the running. She would be running the 4.2 miles and aiming for close to 9:30 per minute miles. Susan made it right around on time. It's hard to tell exact on relays because the start time is officially unknown until well after the race for the individual. But she was close to her goal and we were looking good so far.

Sarah took off for her 4.2 miles and we headed to the car to get Scott to the next station. We didn't a ton of time given this being the shortest leg. Again no problems getting the car to the next station. We all kept watch for Sarah. It was a beautiful day at this point crisp cool air and sunny. The atmosphere was very festive and the crowds and runners seemed to be enjoying themselves. Sarah made it through and looked to be right on her target as well. Scott took off on the big leg 9 miles and he was aiming for 6 to 6.5 minutes per mile. Not too specific but he was looking to move fast, our fastest team member.

We all piled back into the car with a decent amount of time to get to my transition station. We unfortunately got stuck in a traffic line blocked by the marathon. Minutes ticked away and we weren't too worried at first but we sat longer and longer. I figured I'd be happy to have 10 minutes to spare and hit the porta potty and eat a gel pack before my turn at the wheel. We got closer and closer to the crossing and watched one guy get out of his car to complain. That was comical. Well we made it with 10 minutes to spare and I got prepped to run.

We were waiting for Scott and the Ace Venture team, complete with pink frilly skirts, feathered back hair and a football made there hand off. Scott came roaring through right on target and I took off on the final 7 miles which I was hoping to do below 8 minutes per mile. I have raced several tris where you have the benefit of seeing the R on the back of relay team calves. I did not have such an R and got to enjoy that feeling of passing boatloads of people. It's always such an annoying feeling in a tri especially when you see that R. Well I felt good and kept my heart rate in the low 160s for the most part. I gave an OK kick for the final few hundred yards and looked at my watch which said 11:34am...official time to come later on.

We all met up and headed for brunch with a handful of folks. Thanks a bunch to Roland for driving and great job to the team! Official time 3:31. Susan 9:50 / mile. Sarah 9:36. Scott 6:25. Me 7:49. We all were right in line with our individual projections. Good enough for 39th of over 300+ relay teams and a top 20 for mixed teams. Well done!

Happy training!

Coming up soon...rebuilding my road bike into a racing machine!

Training as a Vacation

Triathlete magazine often talks about races as destination vacations. There are also a multitude of training camps out there to pay money and have them tell you what do. How about just picking a cool location and going there for an extended weekend focused on training and recovering (aka, relaxing)? I've done it in the past and was fortunate to do it again last weekend in Moab, UT.

My wife loves camping, mountain biking, road biking and skiing. This is instrumental in me balancing work and training with a happy marriage. We headed over to Utah on Thursday for a 3 day camping and mountain biking trip (a day and a half off work doesn't hurt) with the Denver Mountain Bikes Meetup.

Thursday night we met up with some folks at a restaurant and I kept it clean with some salmon on mixed greens. We headed over to the camp site and set up our tent in the dark (with the help of some headlamps). We headed to bed early to wake up for the big Slick Rock ride on Friday.

Friday morning we both woke up around 8:30. I broke out the camp stove and cooked some Canadian Bacon, toast, mixed fruit, banana and eggs (same breakfast again Saturday). After breakfast we headed over to Slick Rock. It was pretty crowded (as is often the case). We had about 15 folks so we just went out and rode the 15 mile or so ride. It's basically a practice loop and then a big lollipop course. Slick Rock is a bit of a misnomer because it's sandstone and you bike tires get traction like nothing else I've ever ridden on this planet. Anyway it took awhile to ride as we were liberal with stops to keep the whole group together. We finished a little over 4 hours later counting our lunch break.

We headed back to the camp site. Some folks went for showers. Dana decided to do some yoga and I figured this was the perfect time to get a brick workout in and changed gear for a desert run. I refilled my CamelBak and put on my trail running shoes, grabbed the iPod and was off. I headed out for about 9 miles (4.5 mile out and back). Theelevation gain on the way out was incredible. But I felt pretty good and after finishing it was time to shower up and head out for dinner. We hit Pasta Jay's with our big group and I had some chicken and penne.

I went to bed early again. I slept unbelievable well there considering we were sharing an air mattress in the tent. Saturday we woke up and had breakfast. Then we loaded the car and headed to Sovereign Singletrack. Some folks took a shuttle to do Porcupine. I've done and thought it was a little too technical of downhill for Dana. Sovereign was some good climbing and rolling hills so it worked well. We got ahead of the group along with Anelise another rider and so we waited a few times but to no avail. Then we kind of got turned around with some folks (Don and Jody who I did not get contact info for) we met out on the trails so we just kept at it. It was a long 5+ hour day of riding and we all ran out of water with about an hour to go. Given it's the desert I was beat by the time we were done (I took a little longer route back than the ladies).

We headed back to camp and dropped off the bikes and headed for showers again. We (about 30 of us) had dinner at Eddie McStiff's that night. Dana had Salmon Putanesca and I had a strip steak with mashed potatoes. We shared and then had 2 big desserts, which were well deserved and tasty. I had hoped to run that day but was totally destroyed and had a pretty good wreck on Sovereign hurting my right wrist and left shoulder.

Sunday we decided to head back in the morning instead of ride since it was windy and rainy and generally not so great. Plus my wrist was pretty banged up. We grabbed breakfast with the group at the Pancake House. I had an omelet and muffin. Then we hit the road for 5:30 hour trip back to Denver. We got back with plenty of daylight to spare and my legs felt pretty good. So I grabbed my 4 bottle fuel belt and headed out for a run. I decided since I felt good I'd just do a half marathon and call it a successful weekend training vacation. The 13.1 miles went well. I felt strong the whole time and finished under 2 hours without pushing too hard.

Dana was quite happy with her first riding in Moab. The last time we went she just had knee surgery so she read at the campsite. This time she got to fully partake and said it was blast. I was quite happy with the diversions of new mountain biking terrain and the joy of going hard all day and then resting well afterwards. I recommend it anybody looking to balance work, training and family.

Endurance & Charity

So there seems to be a very strong connection between the world of endurance sports and charity. This starts at the very entry level of running/walking a 5k for a local cause. It ratchets all the way up through Team In Training, Livestrong, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Team Challenge, Endure to Cure (E2C), and my personal endeavor for 2010, Ironman - Janus Charity Challenge.

Team In Training raises money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Livestrong Challenges raise money and awareness for all types of cancer. Crohn's and Colitis raises money for those respective diseases. E2C, started by Jason Sissel, raises money for pediatric cancer. The Janus Charity Challenge allows an athlete who is racing in a full distance Ironman to raise money for the charity of their choice. Janus provides the management and documentation tools. For Ironman Lake Placid July 25, 2010 I will be raising money for Autism Speaks. I will be trying to help children like my cousin, Malachi Fleck-Raybuck, in their battle with Autism. The more we raise the better the odds of getting matching funds from Janus.

So where does the tie between endurance and charity begin? That's a tough question, but I think it lies in the initial motivation to undertake something outside of our comfort zone. Endurance activities particularly on the longer end of the spectrum aren't done on a whim. They require planning, sacrifice, prioritizing and often a single minded focus. These qualities lend themselves very favorably to a fundraising campaign. The similarities are not lost on potential donors. People see someone willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears in preparation and completion of some event, and figure OK I can put a few bucks behind that.

It becomes quite the virtuous circle. The athlete has motivation for those early morning training days. Donors have something tangible to cheer for in the fundraising and the event. The charity receives more money than is likely through simply asking for donations. The awareness raised also pushes those buttons in others, who think, "I could pick up that torch and carry it too!" When all is said and done, the completion of the event is icing on an already fantastic cake.

Happy training!

Harvest Moon Half Ironman Race Report

Sept 11, 2009...8 year anniversary of 9/11 and the day before my race. Having lived and worked at ground zero that day and watched the horror fly over my head into the South Tower, the day is a stark anniversary of various emotions. Today I was pretty relaxed and focused for the day. I woke up at 5 and did 15 minutes each of swimming, biking and running with a couple of quick pickups in each. I kept my nutrition plan well. Nothing too fibrous. No caffeine (3rd day in a row...yikes). Lots of water to sip. I was looking forward to the first race this season (and my last tri of this season) in particular because I got to sleep in my bed the night before. I picked up my race packet after work at the Red Lion Hotel with no particular fanfare. At home I prepared a dinner of salmon and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy and washed down with some water. I got the 4-runner packed and headed to bed at 9:30pm.



Sept 12, 2009...Race Day. I slept very soundly, a true benefit of a very local race. I woke up sharply just before 5 and headed downstairs to get coffee and breakfast. 2 cups of black coffee, 3 poached eggs, 2 bananas and a peach. A good mix of macronutrients and my first caffeine in 4 days. I felt good. I grabbed my prepacked nutrition from the fridge (1500 calories of Heed and one water bottle). I ran back upstairs and kissed Dana goodbye and headed out in the dark. I arrived at the Aurora Reservoir at 6:15 with a good hour and a half before my wave started. I methodically set up my transition and was pleased to again find the rear tire bike racks. After getting set up I headed over to the reservoir to check out the swim course. It was chilly so I headed back to transition and put my wetsuit on and a long sleeve shirt over it and waited. About 7:30 we all headed toward the water. I decided to get in and warm up a little. Being that the water was about 16 degrees warmer than the air (66 vs 50) I decided to stay in the water while the 3 waves in front of mine took off. I ate a Hammer gel and headed toward the start area.



Swim 1.2 miles - 35:20 - Perfect. Funny thing is I started out and felt strong. Then as the swim leg wore on I felt like man this is really taking long. I didn't want to look at my watch as I felt the impending disappointment. Alas I stepped out of the water and saw 35 on the big numbers of my watch and was very I happy. The 4 weeks of work I had done at Swimlabs www.swimlabs.com had paid off. 9 minutes faster than my swim a month earlier at the Boulder 5430 Half Ironman. I quickly ran up toward transition.

T1 - 3:03 - getting there. I am finally starting to get some rhythm in transitions. I decided this race to not take in gels in transition. I would rely on 1,000 calories of Heed on the bike and take some gels out on the run. I peeled the wetsuit quickly and got the bike gear on. For the sake of caution I sprayed my shoulders with sunscreen and headed out for the bike.

Bike 56 miles - 2:50:50 - 19.7 mph. I was worried about the bike. It was considered tougher than Boulder with the hills and wind. Here I would find out if I was fitter and if the long mountain bike rides in my legs would provide meaningful benefit. Also I was 5 pound lighter and hoping to get the 15 extra watts. My weakness would be whether my knee would hold up as it had really been bothering me the last 2 weeks and some massage work I had done was quite holding. Well it was windy and cold. My feet were freezing. Fortunately, I was able to keep in aero position most of the flats and downhills and really came up only for the tougher climbs. I methodically took in calories every 20 minutes. My knee held up great and I had no problems until after mile 41. Then the started to ache and the climbs really got tougher. But I gritted out and finished with the same time as Boulder. Definitely fitter on the bike and didn't give up my swim victory. Now time to run.

T2 - 1:38 - Awesome - except not. I put Yankz in my racing shoes for this race. So I quickly got out of my bike gear took a big 250-300 calorie gulp from my Heed bottle in transition and slid on my easy shoes. I grabbed my hat and was off. Buuuuuut 150 yards out I realized no race number belt. There was a strict warning that no number at the run turnaround = DNF. I changed direction and sprinted back to transition. I told the gate keeper I needed my racing belt number, she smiled. So from the looks of things on this transition time and my forthcoming run time this minute lost was stuck onto my run.

Run 13.1 miles - 2:01:15 - Great. I was really hoping to break 2 hours. I am certain my forgotten belt was worth a minute maybe not a minute 15, but given the stomach problems I encountered the final 4 miles and the aching knee the whole run, I don't really care. It was a solid performance and given the effort I put out on the bike everything held up including my psyche. I met a guy named Josh on the run who said he was aiming for under 2 hours about a mile into the run. We were spot on in terms of pacing so we just went with it. I was figuring if I could keep up with him I'd be good. He said the same. So we chatted and dealt with our individual pain. He had a nasty gash on his foot from the swim and cramping legs. I had a bad knee and some soon to be strongly felt stomach issue. Anyway we chatted occasionally and just hammered it out. My wife was out on the run course and took our picture. With 4 miles to go I was cramping and feeling the pain in my stomach. Burping helped a little and water helped a wee bit. But I figured I'd just keep pushing. Finally with the finish line in site I felt a little burst of strength and was able to give a little at the end, but not much. Josh and I shared congratulations. He thanked me for running with him, and I told his wife he did great. Then I went in search of a bathroom and to figure out what was going on in my stomach.

Total time - 5:32:05 - ECSTATIC. A month after shattering my PR, I raced a tougher half ironman and took 9 more minutes off my PR. 1 minute lost for not being mindful but all in all a very solid effort for my last triathlon of 2009. I look forward to the offseason, with a few run races, skiing and base building. 2010 looks to be quite promising. I'll need to figure out that issue with my stomach. Maybe too many calories taken in. Maybe not enough water since I backed off as it was cold. I'll figure it out. I give this race and 2009 an A for triathlongs. 1 full Ironman, 2 half Ironmans, 1 Xterra World Cup and 1 Xterra America's Cup offroad triathlon.

Happy Training!

Bike Trainer vs Cross Trainer

I have a very nice bike trainer down in the basement with a wireless power meter and all kinds of little bells and whistles. It's a fluid trainer so the harder I pedal the harder it gets exponentially (fancy talk for a heckuva lot harder). A bike trainer let's you put whatever bike you like to ride on outside in front of the TV or iPod and ride inside. It gives a lot of useful information and allows for a lot of workouts that cannot be done outside. Most importantly mother nature's weather whims are a non factor, which is great in the winter. The bike leg of a triathlon is the biggest portion of time so you can't really get away with skipping the bike all winter.

Some of the useful parts of a trainer ride are one the power meter. This lets you know how much effort you really are putting out at a particular heart rate. I can't do this on a road bike because convincing my wife of the merits of a $1200 on board power meter would require more endurance than an Ironman. Also a trainer allows me to ride at a consistent pace. I have yet to convince any local communities to wall off traffic for my training rides, so the trainer is the only place red lights don't exist (except of course mountain biking...which could constitute cross training). A trainer is also a controlled environment so no hills or dales (I don't really know what a dale is) and no wind. Lastly drills are easy on a trainer, 30 second spins, single leg pedaling drills (great for working out that kink at the top of your pedal stroke by pushing your toe forward). I've never been successful trying to single leg pedal outside and people give me really funny looks.

So why don't people just ride the trainer all the time? It is i n c r e d i b l y b o r i n g... I mean really boring. After an hour I get really antsy. Magazine or book on my little music stand, tv, movies, ipod...make it bearable. Plus with that boredom, intensity can be hard to muster. So for the motivated athlete who hates the trainer there is hope. Cross Training. Now there are several options. Simply a different form of biking like mountain biking. Or a new thing I am looking at called Cyclocross. This one takes place in the fall on muddy courses. They are basically set up in an obstacle style course with sand pits and walls and other things you have to get off your bike and carry over, around, or through. The bike looks like a road bike but with fatter knobby tires. Never done it...looks real cool. It was featured in this month's Bicycling Magazine.

The other option is to rely on the winter sports. Namely downhill bumps skiing, cross country skiing and snow shoeing. Think of bumps as your intervals. Cross country is your endurance. Lastly snow-shoeing can serve as your tempo. Mix these up with a swim in the pool first or a run after and you have a heck of a brick workout. Part of the pain of Ironman is the fact that you have to go so long 8 to 17 hours. So a solid 6+ hour day of bumps followed by an hour run will give you some serious mental fortitude to draw on when the triathlon season is in full swing. Now you don't get out of riding on the trainer all winter, but these detours do serve as a useful and enjoyable way to not just maintain but improve fitness. Xterra even offers winter triathlons to prove the point...Alpine Skiing/Skinning (cross between downhill and cross country), mountain biking and snow-shoeing are your 3 events.

Happy training!

Triathlon Evolution - Finishing to Racing

Triathlon is a very fast growing sport. It attracts a wide range of folks, but typically starts off in a very similar fashion. Namely people want to answer the question, "Can I do that?" "That" usually takes the form of a shorter race, be it a sprint or olympic or some slightly off middle ground of the two.

That first triathlon is the scariest. What to expect? We look to friends who've done one or know somebody who's done one, to offer us some mentoring or pointers. How much should I train? We underestimate the swim. Maybe we borrow a bike or use our mountain bike, cruiser bike, hybrid to get ready for the bike. Did anybody do a brick workout for their first triathlon? We go online and find a freebie program or buy the current month's Triathlete Magazine and see if we can't make sense of what should work.

Race day arrives that first time way too fast and way too early, getting up before sunrise to head to the venue. Everything is strange, getting bodymarked with those smelly black magic markers. Getting your timing chip (does this really stay on when I pull my wetsuit off). Setting up transition, hmmm where do I put everything? Oh that guy looks like he know what he's doing. She doesn't look nervous at all. How much am I supposed to eat?

Then the race starts to line up for the start. God this wetsuit feels tight. I should have swam in this before today, ugh. Everybody's in the water. Are we really going to all swim at once? My heart is pounding. BOOM! Start, chaos, madness. Oh this wetsuit is too tight. Why is this person hitting my feet? Ouch, my goggles are around my neck. I can't breathe. PANIC. Oh why I am doing this? RELAX. BREATHE, stroke, stroke, better breathe again not like the pool. Ok I am getting this now. Cool. Just keep it up. Hey almost done here is the bouy, oh man people are all over me. Ok just take it home.

You crawl out of the water weary yet relieved. Ok where is my bike? Ouch my feet hurt on these rocks. Ok helmet first. Shoes, no wait I have to take off this stupid wetsuit. Where is the zipper cord? Ahhhhhhh damn it. Ok all ready to go on the bike.

Fast forward a little while on the bike. Man my legs are sore. I am hungry. Oh I should eat a gel I guess. Oh man when is this gonna be done. My legs are aching. I am slow. Wow how is that lady passing me? Does it say 62 on her calf? This sucks. Oh almost done 3 more miles. My head hurts, my legs are sooooo tired. How on earth am I gonna run? Oh there's transition.

Ok rack the bike. Get the running shoes. I guess I'll have another gel. Ready to roll, half way out of transition. SH!T! My helmet is still on. Run back and grab my hat. Oh my God my legs hurt. This is so stupid. Ok just put one foot in front of the other. Ok this isn't so bad. Ahhhhh side cramp. Ok that's gone. Just a mile to go. Man I am so tired, why I am I doing this? Oh there it is the finish line. Just run strong baby. Head high. You're the man. Oh this is SWEET. Done!!! Panting...I...can...definitely...do...better.

So there we are one triathlon done. It's finished. We know we can finish better but we are still in a finish mentality. Maybe we'll move up from Sprint to Olympic and finish that. Then we progress maybe try to do a half Ironman. Sometimes we stick around and do a few of the shorter distances. Almost inevitably we aim for the Granddaddy of them all. The Full Ironman, 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile (aka a marathon) run. To which friends and family are equally likely to respond, "All in one day?" or "What's wrong with you?" Any of these endeavors it approached initially with the finishers mentality.

We want to know what we need to do to "get through it." In many ways the finisher has a tougher goal than a racer. As my aunt was insightful enough to point out at my first Ironman, all of the fittest and best triathletes spent the least amount of time out on the course. Relatively speaking we all compete in an aerobic zone. Granted a pro puts out a lot more power in their aerobic zone than a first time finisher. But who has the harder day (relatively speaking in terms of self pain of course), the pro going for 8 to 9 hours as hard as they can or the first timer going as hard as they can for 14, 15, 16 or even 17 hours?

Anyway, at some point the switch is flipped and we start looking to do more than finish. How did I do overall? How about in my age group? What were my splits? How were my transitions? Now we delve deeper into the data, the theory, the training and strategy. Maybe we hire a coach or find a little more robust pay program on the web. There are endless choices for coaches. Now the focus is on training, nutrition, active recovery, heart rate, anaerobic threshold, power output. All the buzzwords start to mean something. We join the local tri club. Maybe we chat on message boards looking for pointers. Our significant other wonders why we are obsessed. We will improve! Once the switch is flipped there is no turning back. The ideal cannot be reached, but we devote enormous time, energy and resources into moving along that path toward that goal. The closer we get the better we become.

My wife bought me a T-shirt that says: "TRIATHLON If you have to ask why you will never understand." She says she doesn't get it but she sees the positives it creates for me. The why is difficult to put into words. But every triathlete has it in their mind's eye whether they are an elite racer or a first time finisher. Happy training!

Boulder 5430 (2010 Ironman 70.3) Race Report

Saturday - August 8

Well given the race was about an hour and 15 minutes from the house and started at 6:30am driving in the morning was feasible but not optimal. Our friends had a house closer to the venue so we were fortunate. We went up Saturday to check in and attend the race meeting. My friend Barb was there with Colorado Multisport, so it's always nice to see a familiar face and make introductions. Beth and Joe came by to meet us and we headed to Pearl Street to wander and get some tapas. We wandered around some more and watched the street performers, which was cool. Dinner was pasta and chicken at Jay's Pasta (I think is the name)...pasta and chicken are becoming a pre-race favorite I guess. After dinner we headed over to the "spare house" to get settled. I got to bed by 9:15 for my 4:15 wake up.

Sunday - August 9 - Race Day

Woke up at 4:15 with no problem. It was a typical crappy pre-race sleep but I slept like a log Friday which had me feeling good. I had a peach, banana and 2 cups of black coffee courtesy of Joe's brother Carl. We headed over to the race venue at 5am. It was still pitch dark which is always kind of eerie (like why am I up right now?) We got over to the race site and I got bodymarked, picked up my timing chip and set up transition. Transition was cool with rear tire bike racks instead of the bar to hang your bike by its seat. After setting up transition I chatted with Dana and Joe while we waited for the start. I took a quick dip in the Boulder reservoir and found the water kind of warm, but still wetsuit legal. It was a wave start so I had till 6:55am to wait with the other men 30-34 in our nice pink swim caps.

Swim - 1.2 miles - 44 minutes - I had projected 36 minutes given swimming 1 mile in 31 minutes at elevation 3 weeks prior. I never felt any great rhythm in my stroke and felt like I kept getting off target, plus I did kicked in the face once and had to readjust my goggles. Regardless it felt like the swim grade was probably a C and I have the next 4 weeks scheduled at Swimlabs for them to video my stroke and figure out some efficiencies. It was nice to see Dana and Joe as I made my way out of the water, but I admit being discourage seeing 8 minutes more than I hoped for on my watch.

T1 3:30 minutes - pretty good here for me considering I took a Hammer gel and some water before peeling the wetsuit, getting shoes, helmet, gloves and another spray of sunscreen...me being the very pale type. Probably should be a minute faster.

Bike - 56 miles - 2 hours 50 minutes - that works out to 19.7 miles per hour. I started the bike in the proper gear and went out relatively smooth. I was getting passed a good bit at the beginning (the longer the race the more this is probably OK). I kept climbing the light hill and was going about 16 mph which felt good. On the downhill I noticed I was hitting high 20s and then on the flats being in the mid 20s. For my first lap this was seeming pretty good. I had decided against solid food for the race and didn't even touch my gels on the bike. I took in 600 calories of Heed from 2 bottles and one of the race provided Gatorades. On the second lap I started passing huge chunks of people on the uphills. I was feeling strong and started coming out of the saddle to charge the uphills. I was picking up a little speed and feeling good. When I knew I was close to finishing at the fast end of my projection, I started to wonder if I was going to blow myself up on the run, especially given my poor swim. But the bike was a B+ at that point and I was feeling more upbeat.

T2 - 3:22 minutes - probably a minute and a half available here. But I took in another Endurolyte (I had 3 before the race started) as it was getting hot and I was sweating. I also had a Hammer gel and stuck one in my race jersey pocket.

Run - 13.1 miles - 2 hours for the half marathon. The run was hot and I hadn't seen Dana (Joe had taken off to do some training), but I figured I just missed her. I just started to go at my pace and noticed I got passed a good bit. But I figured 13.1 miles is a long way and I was in it for the long hall. At the first 3 mile markers I noticed I was close to a 9 minute mile pace which was decent for me. Then on mile 4 my stomach was bothering me a little and it was uphill. Luckily the stomach was just a brief moment of gas. Given the heat I was taking the ice at the aid stations and sticking it in my hat then ducking my head down into the hat and putting it on with the ice in there. Worked wonders for the heat. Mile 5 I started to feel pretty good and started to give it a little more gas. Around mile 6 I took my Hammer gel and got ready for what I would hope would be one more hour. My pace felt good and again on the 2nd lap like on the bike I started to pass quite a few big chunks of folks on the uphills and even on the flats as I was running strong. I heard my wife yell out from near the parking lot "keep going JB." Heard lots of little cheers from nice job to keep running strong. I felt good. I hammered the home stretch with a little sprint finish. The run seemed like A- to me.

So I wrapped it all up 5:41:14 which was almost 35 minutes better than my 6:15:59 personal record down in Austin last October. I also finished 465th out of over 1,000 participants. I was hoping to break into the top half, which meant a lot to me. Boulder was the site of my first tri, a little sprint swim and run with an olympic distance bike for charity. I was the last place male finisher that day in the world's triathlon mecca (both Ironmen world champs male/female live there as well as many pros, elites, olympians, etc). In fact the women's race today had the current Ironman, current Ironman 70.3 and Xterra world champs racing...Dibens of Xterra won. So to be above average in a half Ironman less than 2 years later gave me some redemptive pride. And in a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts I give the race itself an A. Racing my race (versus finishing my race, more to come on this topic), staying strong and getting stronger and ultimately leaving it all out there on the course.

Anyway a nice burrito from Qdoba was waiting but still no sign of my wife. So I wandered around a little bit and then decided to go start packing my stuff. Mental note keep the cell phone in transition rather than hand it off to her. I left transition and headed to the car. I spotted her walking toward the race. She said she thought when she yelled I was starting the run. She now new it was my second lap. She also realized I must have been going pretty fast (for me anyway). She had gotten sick while I was riding and went to the car to rest. She's all better now so all in all a great day!

Xterra Indian Peaks - Race Report

Friday July 31, Dana and I headed up in the early afternoon to Fleet Feet Boulder to check in for the race. Afterwards we continued on to the Best Western Lodge at Nederland near Eldora Mountain Resort. This was a great little spot to stay, a nice log cabin with split beam ceilings and log walls, the works. It also has breakfast in the morning, a giant hot tub, and is 5 minutes from Eldora Mountain. After checking in we headed over to the race site to check out the sites and do a little riding. It was freezing cold and raining so we kept it quick.

For dinner we headed over to Kathmandu, an Indian and Nepalese restaurant within walking distance of the Lodge. There is also a Smokehouse restaurant recommended within walking distance, cool little town. Anyway I had chicken curry for dinner with some rice and na'an. It was very tasty. A lady stopped by to say hello and congratulate me on Ironman CDA (I was wearing my finisher's t-shirt). She had just finished Ironman Lake Placid on Sunday, with her nice Ironman jacket on. She was a little hobbled and told me the hills were killer. She also did CDA two other years and said Lake Placid was much harder. Her advice, if you think you did a lot of hill training and climbing on your bike go out and climb some more. Anyway great piece of advice for my next year of training all for simply wearing my t-shirt :) .

August 1, Race Day, My Birthday - The race didn't start till 9:30 which was very nice. I actually slept a half hour later than I do during the week. Unfortunately I slept poorly and woke up congested with a scratchy throat. I think it was the altitude (sleeping at 8200 feet) and the chill the day before. I had some whole wheat toast, a half bowl of cereal and a scrambled egg for breakfast. We headed over to the race about 8:15. Everything was very smooth to get bodymarked, timing chips, etc. My buddy Joe arrived at the same time with his girlfriend Beth and brother Carl. So we had a good little crowd for the race.

Swim - 1000 meters - 20:16. The race was a time trial start, a first for me, every 3 seconds based on your own projected finish. I said 20 minutes and was right on within 16 seconds. My throat and nose cleared up nicely in the freezing cold water. The swim was pretty uneventful but I did like the start, not commotion just get out and swim.

T 0.5 / Run 600+ meters - 6:46. This was also a first. We had to bring shoes down to the lake and peel our wetsuit, put on the shoes and run with our wetsuit, swim cap and goggles up the hill to transition.

T1 - 3:51 - still need to pull about 2 minutes off this spot especially since my wetsuit was already off. I had a Hammer gel, Heed and put on my helmet and bike shoes. Oh and some more sunscreen this time so I wouldn't end up fried like Beaver Creek.

Mountain Bike - 10 miles - 1:31:18 - The bike was an incredible challenge. First the swim was at 9300 feet so the bike and run both take place above that elevation. Colorado has had one of the wettest summers on record. The rain has rutted the mountains, leaving trails rocky, choppy and with the rain at Eldora the night before for this trail...very muddy. The trail was primarily rocky access roads and muddy single track. Around mile 3 the hike a bike began. It's about 800 meters of hill that is easier to climb with the bike than to ride. I did not see anyone ride it. After the hike a bike it was a lot of rolling and climbing. The muddy conditions made descents challenging and climbing a little slower. It was on one of the climbs I tipped over on a switch back. Then a little further along on a descent I got caught in a rut and went over the handlebars. Nothing broken or punctured so I jumped back on the bike and wrapped things up.

T2 - 1:54 - there's about 30 seconds available to improve here. Though if you check my race times I am focusing on the actual events in the near term for my improvement before I start nit picking about minutes and seconds. Just get faster in the big spots first...speed kills.

Trail Run - 42:48 - The run was pretty brutal. It was all up and down, up and down. I kept my pace the best I could and had to revert to hiking a couple of steep uphills and even some downhills, more like hopping down them. The whole race was well managed with lots of aid stations and people directing traffic. Trails were well marked and easy to figure out where to go.
The run wrapped up with a nice little flat reprieve into the finish.

Dana, Beth and Carl were all at the finish. It was great to cross that line on my birthday. It was the first time I felt like crap at the finish though. My chest was killing me and my lungs were burning. I think the altitude had taken its toll. After sitting for a few minutes I started to feel better. I enjoyed a taco from the Qdoba taco bar. Like I said very well managed race and just a fun experience. My buddy Joe bolted across the finish, about a minute ahead of me, after you factor in the staggered start while I was finishing my taco. It was a great day and I felt very fortunate to spend my birthday having so much fun.

Race Report - Xterra Beaver Creek

So I decided to enter this race a few days before Ironman just for fun. It was a little close to Ironman to race again but I thought it would a good test of where I stood in terms of a faster paced race. Plus I just love off road riding and running.

So we arrived up at Beaver Creek ski resort Friday July 17, the day before the race. We checked into the Comfort Inn right near the resort, which I recommend for convenience, quality and value. We headed over to the Xterra venue to check in. We ran into Cindi and Cirk, Dana's mountain biking coaches, Xterra ambassadors and all around bad asses on the offroad frontier. Check in was not Ironman smooth. 5 people working, 4 people in line and a 20 minute wait. You can see where that doesn't make much sense. Anyhow I got done with registration and we headed out to dinner at the same place we had New Year's Eve dinner. A nice Italian place where I had some pasta and chicken breast. Perfect the night before the race.

Race Day - I woke up around 6am and given a 9am race time I was able to eat a normal breakfast. I had 2 hard boiled eggs and an English muffin with some black coffee. We quickly packed up the car and headed over to T2 (different from T1 as this was a point to point race). I set out all my run gear and then we drove/walked to T1 where the race was to start. I got my swim to bike transition set up and then got bodymarked and picked up my timing chip.

Swim 1 mile - 31 minutes - the swim started off pretty uneventfully. The lake was a little small so we were right near the edges for 2 laps. About half way through the first lap I was having a little trouble with the rhythm of my breathing. I thought maybe my race suit was too tight. Then it dawned on me, I was swimming at 7,000 feet. DOH! Anyway I got my breathing under control and proceeded to swim pretty decently.

T1 - 5 minutes - getting better at this but still can save 3 minutes. Need to get the wetsuit off and the helmet and shoes on. Had a Hammer gel and some Heed.

Mountain Bike - 15.5 miles 3600 feet of climbing - 2:20 wow the first 2 hours were climbing. It was incredibly hard and remember we started at 7,000 feet so the air was thin. I just kept plugging away and laughing about ridiculous it was. Then to add insult to injury (really no injury except maybe my pride) since it was point to point you don't ride all the way back down just about half way. However some of the downhill was a little technical and I passed some folks who were walking down the hill, which was nice. I just let it rip. Too tired to brake much anyway.

T2 - 3 minutes - maybe can save a minute and a half here, but Dana was there cheering me on and taking pictures and I was laughing still about the torturous bike ride.

Trail Run - 5.75 miles 1300 feet of climbing - 1:04 more Heed and Hammer gel. My heart rate was drifting into zone 4 on the hikes up hill given the steepness. I was basically close to redlining most of the bike and run. The run finally leveled out and I could jog at a decent pace. Once the downhill came I ran hard. It was pretty fun and I passed a couple folks.

Finished in about 4:04 which was on the slow end of my expectations. At the finish line I met up again with a guy I had chatted with on the bike named Ben. He was from Ohio and saw my Ironman Coeur d'Alene hat. He said he raced it too, his first Ironman and marathon. Anyway he was out for a family vacation and signed up for fun and rented a mountain bike. We've kept in touch and it's always nice to make new friends in triathlon. It was a brutal race but a fun experience. I'll do it next year if it's not too close before Ironman.

Race Report - Ironman Coeur d'Alene

A little late as I just started blogging, anyway I digress.

Wed June 17, we arrive in Spokane, WA and pick up the rental car. Everything was quite smooth. Luggage and my bike arrived in one place. We headed over to the hotel (Comfort Inn) in Coeur d'Alene, ID and checked in. The hotel was pretty nice, particularly the morning breakfast setup with a waffle maker and the free access to the local health club. We went up the room and I put my bike back together while Dana got to work. She's the fortunate or is it unfortunate type with a job she can do anywhere with an internet connection. After putting the bike together I headed over to the gym. I got in a light 30 minute pool swim and 30 minute treadmill run as it was rainy. Afterwards I picked up groceries at Safeway and we had some thin crust pizza for dinner. I touched base with my aunt Sharon who arrived the day before with her 3 kids, cousins Zoe, Noah and Ty (Sharon's a brave woman). I also chatted with my aunt Barb who arrived that day with my uncle Jarlath and their 2 kids, cousins Allison and Molly. Game planned to meet up the next day at Barb and Aunt Kristy's rented lake house.

Thursday I woke up around 7am and went downstairs for a waffle and some hard boiled eggs. I took the bike out for a thirty minute spin and made sure all cables were shifting correctly. All clear! Then I headed over to the Athlete's Village and checked in. Ironman is run like a well oiled machine. Check in was a cinch. I met a nice couple from Alaska, Jason and Kim. It was their second Ironman. After check in was time to go meet up with the family. They had quite a nice beach house and I took advantage of the lake access to get 30 minutes of swimming in the wetsuit. Big Frittata for dinner courtesy of Aunt Barb. Aunt Kristy and Uncle Stan arrived with my cousin Zack that evening.

Friday was a complete day off and rainy. I lounged while Dana worked. Around 5 we headed over to the Athlete's Village for the pre-race dinner. I bumped into Jason and Kim again so we dined with their Alaska crew. The food was rather bland but the atmosphere was cool. I got to stand twice, once as an Ironman virgin and then when they wanted to know who lost the most weight for the race. I sat down after 40 pounds. The winner dropped a buck fifty from 375 to 225 for the big day. INSANE! My brother Zeke and his fiance Sabra arrived that night from LA. So there is a Zeke, Zack and Zoe in my family, hmm.

I woke up early Saturday and headed over to the swim course to test the waters. Simple 15 minute swim and the water was choppy which would be a good foreshadowing of the wind on race day. I followed that with 15 on the bike and 15 on the run. Then we headed over with Zeke and Sabra to drop off my bike and transition bags. The four of us headed over to the lake house and spent the day lounging which is the prescribed prep for Ironman. Anything to keep from going crazy. All in all I was pretty mellow and felt relaxed. Uncle Stan cooked some Elk filets from his hunting success earlier in the season and some fish he caught too. Everything was delish and the lean protein was right up my alley. We headed back fairly early and made plans for Zeke and Sabra to pick us up at 5:30 the next morning before the race.

Relative to all I've heard and experienced in other big night before, I slept pretty well. I had 3 good 2 hour dozes. I woke up before the alarm at 4:30. I had 2 cups of black coffee and an apple with my vitamins. Not supposed to really eat inside of 3 hours before a big event so my plan was a Hammer Gel before the race started and that was it. Zeke and Sabra were right on time and we headed out. I got to the race a little before 6 am. Not much time but that was what I wanted, less time to think. I checked my bike and topped off my tire pressure. I situated all my water bottles, gels and bars throughout my transition bags and special needs bags and on my bike. One quick bathroom break while the pros started (they go 35 minutes early to get out of the masses' way). Then I went across the timing mat and down for the mass swim start.

The Swim - 1:36ish (about 15 minutes slower than hoped) - well I was warned in advance but seeing over 2,000 people all on a beach getting ready to jump in is freaky. It's a ton of folks! I went and quickly jumped in the freezing water and let some in my wetsuit so I wouldn't be shocked at race time. So the countdown began and the gun went off. CHAOS! You do indeed get kicked and punched. And the climbed over and bear hugged. I didn't take any direct shots to the face or nuts so that was a victory! The first lap seemed relatively smooth all things considered and I got done in around 41 minutes. I was pleased and figured I'd go faster the 2nd lap without all the crowd as folks spread out. It seemed the wind and surf picked up though as I kept getting smacked in the face with waves. So I just muddled through it the best I could and finished 8 minutes slower than the 1st. I felt a little weary stepping on dry land but I've managed through that before.

T-1 - About 7 minutes (1 minute slower than my preference). Wetsuit peelers rock. They yank that thing off you. I ate a hammer gel after I changed and hopped on the bike.

Bike 112 Miles - 6:55ish I started out on the bike really not sure where my pace would be. All I was aiming for was to go as fast as a zone 1 or 2 heart rate would allow. So when it started drifting up I backed off. People passed me but I figured I had a hundred and twelve miles to see them later and if not then perhaps on the marathon. I was determined to race my own race and let my results be what they were. STAY MENTALLY DISCIPLINED. So I took some calories in from Heed in my water bottles, Hammer gels and Kashi bars. I also had a few Endurolytes to keep the muscles firing. It was about 50 degrees for the bike so I actually had to pee a few times (was planning on once) since I wasn't sweating as much. The bike course was a challenge and after the first lap I knew it would be on the slower end of my target and was also pushing my "12 hour ultimate goal with everything perfect" out of reach. The other 2 goals were 1 finish and 2 14 hours seemed reasonable for my first Ironman although you are advised to make no time goals it's just my nature to make a goal. I had made the decision after getting beat up in the swim to not be disappointed by anything and just take the whole thing in and have a ball doing it. So that's what I did. And I negative split the bike riding the second 56 miles faster than the first. I smiled, rode and took in fuel and at one point thought wow this is going to be a really long day, hopefully I can get done before dark.

The bike course is cool because they take you back and forth through downtown about 6 times with the start and finish. I saw my family almost every time. You cannot imagine the lift that gives. I thought about it a lot while training or when trying to drag out of bed at 6am on a Saturday for a long training day. Then when they were there screaming and cheering it was just monumental to say the least. I knew I would be finishing this deal no matter what.

T2 - 4 minutes (right on target) Quick off the bike. Switched the shoes and threw on a hat. It was cold and starting to rain.

Run 26.2 miles - 4:55ish - the marathon, wow this is indeed a long day. My legs actually felt OK. I fueled with Hammer gel and Kashi bars again and the Gatorade on the course. I also stashed a Heed in my special needs bag with another Endurolyte. The rain came down pretty good and I was getting colder. After about 6 miles I was freezing and tired. I kept plowing forward and debating how to warm up. The mind definitely slows down and tolerates a lot of things during Ironman. Somewhere around mile 8 I had a real need for a bathroom break. Luckily a portapotty was just a half mile ahead and I quickly took care of business. Then by the powers that be (those powers being the great volunteers of Coeur d'Alene that help get us through this ordeal) I was given a trashbag cut out as a poncho. The run really seemed to go forever especially being my first marathon. I kept plugging away. With about 8 miles to go I almost started crying thinking about the year of blood, sweat and tears and how SWEET that finish line was going to look. Then with some 5 or so miles to go (most of which my pace would indicate were uphill) my crazy, awesome, cool family had driven from downtown out on to the run and were there screaming for me. My 12 year old cousin Ty was running beside me quite faster and laughing. But it was awesome! I told them with around 3 miles to go I should be able to get in to the finish in 35 minutes or so. They hopped in the car and sped off. I ripped off the trashbag. With about 500 yards to go you reach the top of a little hill that turns left and points down into the finishing shoot. It has stadium seating and a roaring crowd and lights (though there was still a little daylight out, thankfully the race was on the longest day of the year). WOW I JUST SPRINTED FOR THAT FINISH WITH MY ARMS HIGH AND MY HEAD AND HEART HIGHER!

"Jason Bezon from Highlands Ranch Colorado...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN" blared over the speaker.

My race concierge met me at the finish to make sure I was OK. He was cool and took me to get my hat, t-shirt and finishers medal. I saw my family standing at the finish and had them come hop in a picture with me. It was pure joy. I could not stop smiling. Smiling right now as I type this.

We all headed over to the Pan Asian Bistro right beside the finish line as I was starving and really wanted the taste of endurance supplements out of my mouth. I ate 2 dinners, Sezchuan beef and cashew chicken and a big bowl of brown rice. Perfecto. Zeke, Sabra and my crew chief, aka wife, aka "Dana the best" headed over and grabbed all my stuff as it started to rain some more. We loaded up their rental car and headed back to the hotel. Text messages of congratulations from my cousin Grant (the first Ironman in my family) and some friends rolled in. I slept like a rock!

The awards ceremony the next day was cool and I would definitely recommend it. I was actually walking ok the next day. One of the most incredible personal experiences of my life. My next Ironman is bought and paid for and will be July 25, 2010 at Lake Placid, NY!

About This Blog

So, I've taken the plunge to start writing again. The primary purpose of my blog is to touch on the various aspects of my endurance life. Endurance sports, primarily triathlon but also mountain biking and skiing, have been a passion since way back in my NYC 80 hour work week days. After moving out to Colorado that passion has had a chance to be examined deeper.

My first duathlon took place in Central Park NYC back in 2005. It was a very short race and fit well with the difficulty I had finding a place to regularly train for swimming. I mainly remember the race being difficult, especially the road ride on my mountain bike but also loving the atmosphere of competition and camaraderie. I kept hitting the gym with no real purpose and reading about triathlon.

My wife and I moved to Colorado in the spring of 2007. I quickly put a short charity triathlon on the calendar for September. I trained with what seemed to me to be intensity. My wife and I stayed at friends' house the night before the race up in Boulder. Again I suffered through a road ride on my mountain bike (I hadn't shown myself enough commitment yet to warrant a road bike). But again that permeating feeling of competition wrapped with camaraderie had me feeling more like this tri idea had potential for my obsessive personality.

My training waxed and waned and my wife and I skied most of our first winter in Colorado. It was wonderful! My weight actually began drifting higher during the winter than when we lived in NYC. 226 and struggling with 2.5 mile runs something was about to give!

Spring of 2008 I decided to buckle down and give this a real tri. I signed up for the Buffalo Creek Xterra - Sport Distance in late June 2008 and the Longhorn Ironman 70.3 early October 2008. Through some training more realistically approaching intense I took my weight down 20 and the 40 pounds for these respectively. Both were for me personally huge successes. After Buffalo Creek I decided to jump in the deep end of the pool and signed up for Ironman Coeur d'Alene this past June 2009.

Ironman was incredible and personally very successful to me at an additional 10 pounds lighter (that nets to 50 or so pounds, and yes 2.5 mile runs are quite manageable). I also competed in the Beaver Creek Xterra a month after Ironman. It was probably a bit too early but it was fun even though brutally difficult. Coming soon (before Friday I hope) will be race reports for these 2009 races as they are quite fresh in my mind.

My goal with this blog is to touch on various aspects of training, nutrition, the lifestyle, and challenges. Also I would aim for it to be a place for friends and family to keep up to speed with what is going on in my endurance life.