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June 27th, 2016

6/27/2016

The lifestyle I’ve chosen and subsequently subjected Karen to (Love you Babe!) is quite different than what I could have ever imagined. Yes, I travel to scenic and far off lands to train and compete…I don’t just wake up, work and come home like I used to while in the Air Force. When you're working for yourself, there are very few days off and the pressure is always on. This journey has now led me to the completion of my first IRONMAN, finishing 9 hours, 13 minutes. I broke the yoke or popped my cherry so to speak. I chose to do it in Austria of all places, not entirely sure why…but it had to be somewhere, right? I suppose if I rationalize, it’s because for years I’ve known Rene Vallant, a former Austrian Professional Triathlete who would visit St. Pete w/ family and friends during Austria’s colder months. Through a large network of athletes, I’ve become good friends with him, traveling to races and training together often. I believe for me, the “unknown” is a thrill and I love the idea of being in Europe. It’s intriguing and ultimately a huge challenge I wanted to take head on. I think deep down it’s why the adventur-er in me took over. While in Austria, I’ve been hosted by the Pewag team staying with Gerhard and Sonja and another American guest David Frazier (also a St. Pete local).

Here in Austria you will not find any large Walmart sized super centers, Starbucks or ANY other common establishments/chains. I’ve been shopping at a local butcher, local baker and have had a total of 2 restaurant meals. Everything else has been home cooked! It’s awesome! I’ve eaten roast deer, some of the best-dried meats, a Noodle from a local market, a bunch of sauerkraut and more bread than I care the mention. Thankfully I've enforced some self control
, as Austria is known for sweets and cakes! I’ve managed to choose them wisely and in small portion…after 5 hour training days. The food is good, the company is perfect and the views are unforgettable. I'm ONLY missing my KAREN!

IRONMAN Austria Race Report

Preparation: The week before the race was probably a tad higher in volume leaving me quite tired until around Thursday race week. Not ideal, however with another IM coming up soon, I wanted to put together some longer sessions for mental confidence. The swim and bike I knew would be decent, especially if I was able to make a bike group (which did not happen) and I knew the run would be a ultimately survival or slowing down as little as posisble. My pre race goals were quite vague, knowing I’d love to swim under an hour, bike near 4:40 and run under 3:30. I think since I put together a open Marathon early this year @ 3:10, this should be doable. Just set the freaking cruise control on the run and deal with the pain! All in all, race week was great! The Pewag lounge and social gatherings are more than what I’m used to but really, I enjoyed meeting so many people. The owner of Pewag, Castelli, Stork bikes and other heavy hitters made appearances! Pewag, for those who don’t know, make industrial strength chains for tires and other heavy machinery. They sponsor a lot of athletes on a race team but specifically have Marino, the winner of IRONMAN Austria 8 times (as of yesterday). This lounge and the support on course were among the BEST I’ve ever seen. At one point I felt like I was in the Tour De France!

What did I do race week? Not much to be honest, mostly shorter efforts at race pace, plenty of sleep and maybe a bit more nervous eating that I’m proud to remember. I think this week was near 8 hours in total with little time spent running. By Friday, I was antsy…ready to get on the course and see what the day will bring! We knew the weather was going to be a toss up, with predictions of rain and storms but we didn’t get much wind or rain until the back half of the course. It was a sprinkle here and there, enough to wet the roads. On the run, it rained a bit more but it was for 15 minutes. Normally It’s much much warmer, so I was very happy for mild temperature.The race director made the most common sense decisions I've ever seen. Stefan Leitner was a huge supported of pro athletes and made some decisions that made this event flow! Huge recommendation for this venue!

SWIM – What an amazing swim course with blue water! The start was lined with so many LOUD and pumped up spectators. Funny thing, while we waited to start in the last few seconds, a spectator blew a horn and we all took off…but had to come back! There was a pro lounge with towels and inflatable chairs before the race, TONS of media and a non-wetsuit legal race (barely). The water was PERFECT temperature for racing. The start was not as aggressive as I’ve experienced before in 70.3's as I think most take a bit longer to warm up, this was nice. I started behind Marino but lost his feet around 400meters, but took advantage of a nice draft shortly after. I stayed on his feet the rest of the swim! I DID try and take a pull but realized we were basically swimming the same pace, so it was best to save energy. Around ¾ of the way through, my right calf locked up and I had to drag the leg for around 3 minutes until it released. I didn’t panic; lose faith or stop…I just kept swimming, waiting for the agony to subside. Swimming a 55 minute 2.4 miler without a wetsuit was amazing for me! I think I was 13th or 14th out of the 50+ men’s field! SO GLAD volunteers were helping me out of the water though as I was really disoriented for a few seconds.

BIKE- I came out with a Pewag athlete, Vincent and I was hoping the other 2 he was with would start working together however this bike scenario turned out to be less than ideal. After riding behind them for 10k, constantly having to let off as to stay out of their draft zone, I knew I had to pass and maybe bridge to the next group who I could see. This however, was impossible after I realized they were riding around 70.3 race effort and eventually caused 2 of them to pull out of the race. I was split between the two. This was the dilemma, do I wait for the group or hold my own #’s. I decided I would hold my #’s, until my power meter decided to read 0 for the entire second lap, thank goodness I wore my HR strap to gauge effort a bit more accuratly! I knew I could slow down and wait for them, making the ride less lonely, however I wanted to see what I could do. I think they came in 3 minutes behind me so realistically; sticking with them would have been the smarter choice. None the less, despite riding even a little harder than I wanted to on the first lap, I still came in 56.2 miles at 2:22, 5 or 6 minutes slower than I’d hoped. The front half of the bike course is rolling on the coast of the lake, then turns inland with 3 major climbs….6 six total (2 loop course). They last around 5-10 minutes and believe me; you are at threshold even trying to keep it easier (5-10% grade)! This course is said to be good for beginners but I think this is only true I the beginner lives near mountains! The turns are a bit technical and I see a of guys bleeding off vital speed so I take a little more risk, banking my bike as you would see in motorcycle racing. The roads are good for it. The entire course, Pewag members were giving me splits! “There is 1 guy 1 minute ahead, 3 guys 2 minutes back”. This was GREAT. Plus, as I was in a Pewag race kit, the crowd all cheered and I would randomly hear “Ahh it’s the American”, since I was the only American pro on that day (for the men). The bike, didn’t kill me, I was patient and I stuck to the plan….10 minutes slower than I wanted despite giving a harder effort, I know I have some work to do in the future on tactics and execution.

RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN – The theme of the run is, I got passed, dealt with the aftermath of the mega calf cramp and had random stabbing pains in my kidney area. Rinny, passed me around 9k and then 5 or 6 guys blazed by me after. I was very tempted to go but I KNEW I’d be screwed (even more) around mile 20. Finish strong and have a good race...that was the thought process. My goal was to hold a 7min mile to 7:30 as long as possible. This lasted until the end of the first lap, when I think my form was gone, I was running heavy and I was in a lot of pain. The old marathon throb was back in action. However, despite the pain all I need to do is look around at people just staring their first lap, walking and then I'm thankful to only have such a short time remaining in the hurt locker. I think I just need to keep losing weight and running long long long…like 60-100 mile weeks. Once I lose leg speed, I’m losing it for good. The Pewag support and overall crowd support was unbelievable! So loud and inspiring! I loved it despite hating my legs, shoes, shoelaces and anything that involved me slowing down! The finish line brought me few tears (behind my sunglasses of course) and I was SO surprised to see I was close to 9 hours. I know it’s possible, I know it’s in my wheelhouse for a sub 9….maybe in 3 weeks @ IRONMAN Switzerland?

NUTRITION – Breakfast was definitely large. I also has a huge brain fart the day before the race. My goal was to have a very large…colossal breakfast and have all my eating done before 10am but I misplaced that thought. Why do this? So you eliminate any chance of a poop later in the run…trust me, it was a close one! So back to breakfast on race day. I soaked about 1.5 cups of oats overnight as it makes them easier to digest, I cooked in the microwave, added 1 scoop of INFINIT Mud, a shit load of salt, 1 over-easy egg and went to town. I think this was a good choice 3.5 hours before the race. I refrain from drinking much water or any liquids race morning as I don’t want to flush out any electrolytes and I really don’t SLAM liquids all week. I take in a LOT of sea salt and the day before the race, really really use a lot of salt. Still, I probably need to find a way to get in more. 30 minutes before the race I take a gel, and then I’m ready for fun! Straight out of the swim, I took in 10 Perfect Amino pills, and start drinking in after 10 minutes on the bike. I then take a gel (honey stinger) within the first 15 minutes. After that, every hour I take a gel, every aid station I hit coke and between, I have my special INFINIT mix with lots of salt. One bottle is a concentrate as well. The last 40 minutes on the bike is coke only. Is helps settle my stomach and gives me some immediate energy for the run. Coke is seriously one of the best ways to keep topped off (for me). Plus in Europe, it’s all REAL sugar, no HFCS! On the run, Ella (Rene’s Wife) was handing myself and Marino our special gels @ special needs. I would see her 4 times so I made 4 rubberbanded gel packets. The first was 2 High Five gels, no caffeine and my container of pink Himalayan sea salt. Round 2 was 3 gels, still no caffeine. Round 3 had all caffeinated gels and some more perfect amino pills and round 4 was 2 gels having 50mg of caffeine each. But honestly by the 4th time I could barely stomach any more gels…only coke for the most part. I was taking in a lot of salt as well, but still didn’t have any crusty white residue anywhere.

Will I be back for this race next year? YES! My plan is to maybe spend some more time in Europe, in this mountainous terrain. Maybe I will plan to race a 70.3 and a 140.6 instead of 2X 140.6. The village it took to get me here is truly something I reach for on days like yesterday. I think of those who will still be on the course hours after me, those tracking me, those who love me (a short list I’m sure, lol) and those who are screaming at me to GO GO GO even though I couldn’t go any faster even for 1 billion dollars!! Finally, the financial burden of this trip has been heavily cut down at it’s knees by staying with Gerhard and Sonja, cooking my own meals and doing little else. Without my financial sponsors, Brett and Karen, I’d be on a college kids diet of ramen and bullion cubes.

Now…I must plan for IRONMAN Switzerland and it’s 4 loop run course, yikes!

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20+ Hours of Quality Time...In The Adventure Mobile

6/6/2016

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This race and its travel plans were solidified a few weeks prior, after adding another member to our family; Rinny. While I was away in Salt Lake City prepping for IRONMAN 70.3 St. George, Karen decided our older, 12 year old Dachshund, Rudy, needed a younger, fresher perspective. I will say though, the puppy advertisement fell into her lap, she asked me and I responded “whatever makes you happy”. After the puppy meet was set, I knew I would be coming home to a bigger family! Needless to say, with this past trip being all on the east coast, it made for a perfect family road trip. Soooo here’s the skinny…(or fat)

We left for Santa Rosa Beach on Monday! Loaded my red Jetta Wagon (The Adventure Mobile) to the brim and headed to Karen’s Aunt’s house located right near our wedding destination; Watercolor Resort. Why didn’t we just stay at the amazing resort? Because we have 2 dogs and sadly, no dogs allowed in the 5 star-ish resort. After 7 or so hours on the road with multiple pee breaks and a couple dog stops, we made it! We headed straight to The Bay, the restaurant we plan to use for the rehearsal din din. Despite some GREAT food, we opted to sit outside under a covered patio facing the water and proceeded to get eaten alive by Deer Flies. 7 days later and my welts still itch so bad they hurt…but I can’t stop itching!! The next day (Tuesday) was my mandatory pre race “fat” day. It also happened to fall upon our wedding plan day, cake tasting day and menu tasting day. I ate things I haven’t had in YEARS! Let’s just say, I can’t wait to eat on wedding day. Thankfully, Karen’s parents also came along to help this process along!

After a solid day of eating, I took a nice stroll on the IRONMAN Florida course since it was only 10 miles away. Let’s just say after all that jet fuel, I felt awesome! However, don’t get too excited, we have a 10 hour car ride to Raleigh, NC. I actually did something smart though. I was like, hey…we should break this drive up over 2 days! So on Wednesday, we headed to Jacksonville where I booked a pet friendly hotel. Why was it pet friendly? Because the bed could be hosed down with a power washer after we left. Basically….a bed, television and bathroom on damp tile floors….ooops. No big deal, it’s only 1 night! Thursday morning was another 6 hour stent to Raleigh, where we stopped at Savanah and Florence for some Panera and other dog related activities. Finally…Thursday at 3pm, we arrive at the Air BnB I booked in Raleigh! 10 minutes from the convention center and T2!

This time….my decision was solid! Our host does research on all public bike path usage in the state of NC. A total bike enthusiast, who recycles, composts, has her own jam, bike decorations and chickens in the backyard. Totally awesome! Anyway, it was a great place to get settled in with the pups and Karen loved it!

From here onward…it’s standard race stuff, but I promise to make it fun!

Friday – Wake up early, head to Pullen Aquatic Center and try to break of the crusty, tired, tight body that has been cooped up in a car for 2 days. I can’t lie, anything “race” effort felt impossible. Arm speed was garbage, attitude was too relaxed and I definitely knew I had some physiological skills to sharpen up pre-race. I hadn’t though about it until then but the race was sort of an after thought given the weeks activities. Plus, being in the car that long really put some knots in my neck and traps. All in all, I was a bit of an internal whiny biatch. This is probably pretty standard though :/ After the swim I sought after a nice jog but was hit with a sweaty, itchy reality. The flies were in full attack mode in Raleigh and even at 7 am I was in a sauna with 95% humidity. My intervals were longer than expected and were basically sprints to avoid packs of bloodthirsty flies while my hands are spastically waiving around my head like a crazy person attempting to strike one of them dead! Not a great run but another reality that this race would likely be stickier than IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico. After a grocery visit to Whole Foods and some awesome Lebanese dinner, I fell asleep with Karen and Rinny.
Saturday – Woke up like a normal person. No early, blaring alarm clock with a shuffle straight to the first training session. I woke up, had a normal breakfast and got a freaking haircut! I mean it took me 3 days to finally get a decent barber to cut my hair. What the French? I needed to de-ice my tips a bit, bro! After the haircut we took a 45 minute drive to T1, it’s seriously FAR away. It was again, sweltering and I cut my pre-ride from and hour, to 30 minutes…and didn’t even bother swimming. It’s a weird pattern to break at times, but I’ve been doing my best to do much less the day before the race. It’s why I’m almost always irritated by the Pro-Athlete meeting. I wish we could just do a Pro-Athlete tele-conference. We all meet up in this room, hear the same thing at every race and mainly stalk who actually showed up to race. After the meeting where some athletes complained about the color of the swim buoys and I asked if we could get our bikes out of transition early, we were off! Where to? WHOLE FOODS DINNER! I love having control of my pre-race meal but most importantly I LOVE the variety! I can sample tons of stuff in smaller quantities for 10X the price! So as lame as it sounds, Karen and I (but mainly me) love a Whole Foods dinner around 4pm the night before the race. After dinner, I polished off 4 French macaroons and a dark chocolate toffee bar. Then…in bed by 6:30 for a 3 am wake up.
Sunday – Race Day – I wake up at 4 am almost daily, so 3 am came without any groans. This pre-race ritual is a bit of a “black out” zone for me as I try and think as little as possible. How am I feeling, what do I want…yada, yada. It really doesn’t matter because in a few hours, I’m showing up to race. The fabled question “are you ready” often makes me cringe. Why? Because it opens the door for excuses. Whether I’m “ready” or not, I’ve done everything I can to get to this race in the best shape possible. And quite frankly, who gives a shit If I’m “ready”…this is my job, it’s not a question…it’s an inevitable driving force. I’ll be as ready as I make myself - BOOM!

Text, email, training peaks, college....always working

Karen politely wakes up around 4 am so she can drop me off at T1. I’ve already had my breakfast which was, a few sips of coffee, heaps of oatmeal mixed with INFINIT Mud, Collagen Protein powder, Honey and a Banana. From then on it’s sports drink and maybe a bite or two of a bar. I try to get about 600-800 calories in 3.5 to 4 hours out. Plus, what I eat on race morning doesn’t change from what I eat normally pre or post workouts. I actually look forward to finishing 5k swims so I can destroy that same oatmeal concoction!
I arrived at T1 around 4:20 am quickly dropped off my run gear and headed to the shuttle for a 45 minute ride with a 70 year old driver who had no idea how to use his GPS or navigate in the dark! Getting there on time was a relief…however, I still had about 90 minutes to kill before the race started. I was among the first Pro’s to reunite with their bike, assessing just how much rain we got as I emptied my front hydration reservoir. I saw about 6 Scott Plasma 5’s on the rack…this is a first! It was awesome! As the masses began trickling in, I found a pump, noted a few fast fellas and took note of what everyone was doing. One guy's tire must have exploded over night and about 10 other age-group athletes forgot random items like socks, helmets, more socks, goggles…it was nuts! Luckily, everyone is so giving at these events, everyone managed to get what they needed. After a warm up jog and some drills to open up the hips, it was time to suit up. I opted to go topless under my swim skin as my tri kit has sleeves. It just doesn’t feel good to swim with ¼ sleeves. This decision ultimately cost me about 10 seconds in transition, so no big deal.

SWIM START – After a 10 minute warm up we were off. As I said before, I prefer not to “think” about how I feel or what might/could bother me…I just try and GO. I started off neck an neck with some faster guys but lost them around 400 meters in. This is pretty normal though, however after 600 meters I gained back that ground. I ended up catching the lead pack with about 3 to 4 min of swimming. 6 of us came out of the water together and headed onto the bike.

BIKE BIKE BIKE – I have made some conscious notes to try and be very conservative on the first 20 miles, but damnit this fails often. It’s not as easy to do when the group is getting away. I will say, that I let them go after 15 min of hard work, as I was putting out around 320 watts, watching them creep away while going down hill. I knew it was best to get back to my numbers and stay around 290-300. After 60 min or so, they started getting sloppy as more riders got in the group and were faced with a looming referee at all times. On a rolling course with 5 or 6 guys in a line, it’s near impossible to put out steady efforts. Why? As the lead guys bomb downhill and hit the next uphill, we all turn into an accordion and have to sit-up, soft pedal or just BLAST our load and pass the whole group at once. For this reason, a large group on a rolling course is defiantly not ideal. 3 guys would be ideal as there is plenty of breathing room. Also, it’s near impossible to break away. I know we all rode as fair as we possibly could have, never making forward progress if we sensed we got to close, but something needs to be done about how we ride…it’s simply not conducive to a fluid, self paced bike race. This topic is constantly up for debate and I’m sure there are better ways. Around mile 45, it’s pretty certain that it’s a foot race…no one is getting away on the bike unless you’re a super biker and we all know who they are.

RUN, run, Suffer, Jog…finish - After IRONMAN 70.3 St. George I was confident I could produce a solid run again. However, I didn’t truly account for my sweat rate and salt loss. My HR was about 10-15 bpm higher on the bike than usual and on the run, it was over threshold after mile 2…I was a ticking time bomb. Heat training certainly didn’t make this hot race more manageable. It’s something I know I truly need to work on because It’s defeated me too many times. After getting to 7th place it was very frustrating to know it was slipping away. I’m definitely a mind over matter type of athlete, but I know there wasn’t anything I could do. I worked on form, leg speed, attitude, positive thoughts, tried smiling, tried yelling, more coke, more salt…it just wasn’t happening. That’s just the way it went down.

Next Week, I’m off to IRONMAN Austria where I’ll be racing my first 140.6 and then 1 month later, my second in Switzerland. Look for pictures as I’ll be a social media whore during that period. Thanks for reading, thanks for the thoughts and support! I truly love you guys!