Monthly Summary - August 2008

Here's August 2008:

Swim: 21,325 yards
Cycling (outdoors): 194.3 miles
Cycling (indoors): 1:50 (hours)
Run: 45.23 miles
Strength Training/Yoga: 5 sessions

Approximate monthly total training/racing time: 28.25 hours

Weight: 164.5 pounds (totally happy with that weight)

A fairly steady month. Just like in 2007, recovering from the Ironman took a little longer than I'd expected. This year, I feel like I recovered from the race more quickly, but the IT band issue took its toll physically and psychologically. I managed to spend a fair amount of time on the bike (especially in the last 10-or-so days) and also in the pool. Of course, I would have liked to have gotten back into running sooner, but hopefully the easy month plus the ART will help me get back into it for the fall. My last triathlon of the season is coming up a week from today. I'm excited, and a little nervous, for SOS. I'm sure it will go fine, and all along this race was just for fun. On the other hand, 52 weeks from today is Ironman Canada. Wow! That definitely came as a surprise to me, but I'm excited for it. I'll have to think carefully about my training plan to try my best to avoid the burn-out and injuries of this season. I'm still going to plan on doing Boston in April. The fact that Canada is five weeks later than LP should make training for the marathon a little easier - after the marathon, I'll have 19 weeks until the Ironman, which should be plenty of time to recover and get it back together for IM.

For now, though, I've got to concentrate on my IT band and enjoying the rest of this beautiful late summer weather!



Run - August 29
Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 30:30
Average heart rate: 132
Course: Wainscott
Conditions: Evening run, clear, high-60's

Bike - August 30
Distance: 40.5 miles
Time: 2:00
Average heart rate: 133
Course: Wainscott, Rte. 114, 27 towards Montauk
Conditions: Rain! Low 70's. A lot like IMLP!

Bike - August 31
Distance: 20.4 miles
Time: 1:03:30
Average heart rate: 126
Course: Wainscott, Sag Harbor
Conditions: Beautiful morning! Mid70's, slight breeze, sunny

Run - August 31
Distance: 5.0 miles
Time: 41 minutes
Average heart rate: 151
Course: East Hampton to Wainscott Beach
Conditions: Afternoon run, sunny, hot, mid-80's

Shit. Change of Plans.

Yep. I'm back in.

Ironman Canada. Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. August 30, 2009.

Spur of the moment act? Sort of. Reasoned decision? Sort of. Either way, I'm officially registered.

Background: Historically, unless you're on site on race day, it's been impossible to get into Ironman Canada. I think that in some years, being on-site wasn't even enough. This year, though, for whatever reason, there were spots available after the on-site registration. Those spots were available on-line at noon EST today and were gone by 12:05. I got one.

It's the oldest (mainland) North American Ironman race and gets rave reviews for the location and the course. It's been on my list of races to do, but honestly, I figured I'd never get in. I saw the opportunity and grabbed it. Now I have to figure everything else out.

So much for being "done" with Ironmans for the time being...

Bike - August 28
Distance: 21.8
Time: 1:05:50
Average heart rate:
Course: Wainscott, hills
Conditions: Nice evening, low 70's, clear

Swim - August 29
Distance: 3,600 yards
Time: 1:10

ART

I've officially given up on PT again. It's a pain in my ass and I don't really believe that they do anything beneficial that I can't do myself. I'm disciplined enough to do the strength training, stretching and trigger point massage on my own and I'm not convinced that the ultrasound or E-stim actually help.

But, I'm still not 100% and I'm still not convinced that doing just strength training, stretching and trigger point massage are going to help me beat this and keep it away. So, with a recommendation from blogger friend Sarah over at Love of Shoes, I had an appointment today with a chiropractor for some ART. So far, I can tell you that A.R.T is sorta like a deep massage, but the purpose is to put pressure on certain soft tissue points while moving the body in certain ways. For example, the doctor might put pressure on my piriformis while I move my leg up and down from the hip. I can't say that I feel better already, but the doctor said to give it a few sessions and see how I feel then. I'm definitely willing to do that!

I ran yesterday and today. Both short runs. Yesterday was an entirely pain-free run on the treadmill. Today wasn't as comfortable, but still not too bad. I'm just trying to keep a little running fitness so I'm not totally dying during SOS.

Here's to hopeful optimism...

And to the beach; we're headed back tomorrow morning!

Bike - August 24
Distance: 47.4 miles
Time: 2:26
Average heart rate: 136
Course: Wainscott to Montauk Point
Conditions: Beautiful, sunny, high 60's

Swim - August 25
Distance: 3,000 yards
Time: 58 minutes

Treadmill Run - August 26
Distance: 3.43 miles
Time: 30 minutes
Average heart rate: 141

Strength - August 26

SOS Brick - August 27
Run 1:
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 11:43
T1: 4:21
Swim:
Distance: 1,000 meters (1,093 yards)
Time: 19:22
T2: 3:40
Run 2:
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 12:32
Total time: 51:40

Trying to prolong the lazy days of summer

Regular readers probably know what an extended absence from new posts means. It means that all is not right in the world of Josh. And all is not right right now.

I swear I'm going to try to not bitch and moan very much, but I hate hate hate not being able to run. Some days I get really discouraged about it. Other days, like today, I feel a little more optimistic and hopeful. There's no real rhyme or reason to how I feel on a given day. This morning I had a really good swim, so maybe that's why. Or maybe it's just because it's hard to complain too much when we're at the beach enjoying the summer.

With only about a week left of summer, we decided to spend some extra time out in Wainscott. We drove out here Thursday morning and, except for a day or two in the City next week, we're planning on being out here through Labor Day. So far, the weather has been absolutely beautiful! I'm psyched for another week+ of this.

I love running out here, but I've been very careful and haven't run since Tuesday. For now, I'm going to swim and bike as much as I can.

Yesterday I went for a swim at Wainscott beach. It was a beautiful afternoon and the water was warm and calm. I jumped in and felt like I could stay out there forever. Pretty soon after jumping in, I started swimming through swarms of these strange little ball-bearing sized opaque jelly "balls" (maybe they are baby jellyfish or jellyfish eggs?). They didn't sting, but were definitely annoying. I still don't know what they were. After a few minutes of swimming through the jelly balls, I slapped my first jellyfish. Then, a couple minutes later, I got stung on my leg. Bummer. There weren't nearly as many jellies as there were that day at Brighton Beach, but there were enough to take the fun out of what should have been a really relaxing swim. Bummer. I lasted 16 minutes and then, after sitting on the beach for a little bit, jumped back in to try again. The second time, I lasted five minutes. Bummer. As a make-up, this morning, I went and swam laps at the East Hampton Y. I love that pool, but it's not the ocean!


Indoor Bike - August 15
Time: 1:00
Average heart rate: 130

Strength - August 15

SOS Run - August 17
Run #1
Distance: 3.1 miles
Time: 26.75
Average heart rate: 143
Rest #1
Time: 10:45
Run #2
Distance: 2.1 miles
Time: 16:00
Average heart rate: 152
Rest #2
Time: 21:00
Run #3
Distance: 5.0 miles
Time: 44:00
Average heart rate: 148
Total time: 1:58:15
Total distance: 10.2 miles
Course: Chevy Chase to Cabin John, MD, trails, path around Cabin John
Conditions: Beautiful morning, sunny, high 60's/low 70's

SOS Brick - August 19
Run 1:
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 11:20
T1: 5:37
Swim:
Distance: 1,900 meters (2,077 yards)
Time: 48:16
T2: 3:57
Run 2:
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 12:54
Total time: 1:22

Strength - August 20

Bike - August 21
Distance: 35.5 miles
Time: 1:44
Average heart rate: 199
Course: Wainscott to Montauk
Conditions: Beautiful - sunny, high-60's

Ocean Swim - August 22
Distance: ~1,000 yards
Time: 10:00
Location: Wainscott Beach, NY

Swim - August 23
Distance: 2,600 yards
Time: 51 minutes

Frustrated. Again.

It's been a busy couple of weeks. A trip to Los Angeles bookended on either side by some particularly busy days at work. I got back Tuesday morning (after taking the red-eye Monday night - yuck!) and today I am finally feeling caught up. Caught up with work, caught up with sleep, caught up with all the other usual nonsense.

My training continues to be up and down; well, mostly down. There's no question that I needed and deserved a break after the Ironman, but I am now getting a little frustrated. It's been almost four weeks and I am psychologically ready to get back into the training and am really looking forward to SOS. I am also physically recovered except for this damn nagging "knee" injury, which is really bringing me down. I'm trying all the recommended steps - stretching, rolling it out with the foam roller and the Trigger Point Quadballer, strength training, ice, time off my feet and I've even gone back to PT. It is feeling much much much better than it was a couple weeks ago, but it's still not 100%. I don't have any pain when I walk, but sometimes when I go from standing to sitting or vice versa and sometimes when I move in a certain way I get a nanosecond burst of pain, generally around the bottom right corner of my patella. When I or the PT guy digs around below and behind the patella, there are some sort spots. There are also some nice spasms in my quad, IT band and calf. I've been working a lot on rolling those out.

The problem is not so much that I feel like I need to run to prepare for SOS or the JFK50. I've already decided that I'm doing SOS no matter what and I've resigned myself to the fact that if I can't start running again soon the JFK50 is out. The issue is that I'm happier and better balanced when I'm running. I'm calmer, nicer, can handle stress better, feel more awake (even on less sleep) and am generally a better person to be around. I don't get the same thing from cycling, swimming or strength training. Maybe it's the fresh air, maybe it's the exertion level. So, for the sake of everyone around me, I need to get back to running!

Strength - August 6

Swim - August 7
Distance: 2,500 yards
Time: 52 minutes

Run - August 8
Distance: 2.8 miles
Time: 24 minutes
Average heart rate: 149
Course: Coldwater Canyon/Beverly Hills - big hill!
Conditions: Warm (70's), sunny

Run - August 10
Distance: 3.8 miles
Time: 30 minutes
Average heart rate: 155
Course: Coldwater Canyon/Beverly Hills - opposite direction from August 8, still a very big hill!
Conditions: Nice (low 70's), sunny

Indoor Bike - August 11
Time: 50 minutes
Average heart rate: 129

PT - August 11

Strength - August 12

SOS Brick - August 13
Run 1:
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 11:35
T1: 4:53
Swim:
Distance: 2,300 meters (2,515 yards)
Time: 48:43
T2: 4:04
Run 2:
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 12:50
Total time: 1:22

Run - August 14
Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 40 minutes
Average heart rate: 145
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Nice (low 70's), sunny

Swim start video

I was screwing around on line this weekend and found these videos. Pretty cool stuff!

The swim start - I think it looks much worse from the sidelines than it feels from inside. I love that the video opens with the announcer (Mike Reilly?) shouting, "Have the best day of your lives!" I sure don't remember hearing it, but it makes me smile.



This is some dude's long video of the day. Even I didn't watch the whole thing, but I love the start of it with the very appropriate music choice.



And this one definitely gives you a good sense of the weather!



We're headed to LA tomorrow for a long weekend trip. I was hoping to get some good running in while we're out there, but that's a little up in the air for now.


SOS Brick - August 4
Run 1:
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 11:40
T1: 3:45
Swim:
Distance: 1,500 meters (1,640 yards)
Time: 30 minutes
T2: 3:21
Run 2:
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 11:30
Total time: 1:00

Bike - August 5
Distance: 28.7 miles
Time: 1:34
Average heart rate: 124
Course: West Side Highway to Central Park (3 loops)
Conditions: Beautiful, sunny morning, low 70's

Two weeks later... Some reflections on IMLP 2008

I've been thinking a lot about the race. Probably too much. But this is one side effect of having all this extra time on my hands, while I recover from the race and try to let my IT band heal (which does feel much much better today!).

• I've said it before, but the volunteers really make this race what it is. I think there's something like 3,000 of them out there on race-day, doing everything from passing out water and Gatorade, to stripping wetsuits, sitting underwater in the lake to watch for any "sinkers", guiding traffic, catching finishers, giving massages, cleaning up discarded water bottles and cups, etc. etc. They were there this year in the pouring rain, they have been there before in searing heat. Some of them are there because it helps them get priority to register for next year's race, some are there just because they love being part of the race; whatever the reason, the race could not go on without them. At some point, I really want to go up there or to another Ironman race and volunteer. It looks like such a rewarding way to spend the day and I sorta feel like I owe it to some future racers. I tried to thank as many of them as I could on the course, but in case a volunteer is reading this, thank you again!
  
  
• Lake Placid is also a very special place. It's beautiful and friendly (except a few restaurant employees...) and makes the Ironman community feel at home all weekend long.
  
  
  
• Also, obviously the race would be a totally different experience without all the spectators. The family, friends and community members who line the streets around the course - especially in the general area of the Olympic Oval - are a huge source of inspiration. They also brave the elements and spend 10, 12, 17 hours outside to cheer on and encourage anyone passing by. My family has been so supportive during these past two years. (That's us above at Caribbean Cowboy on Monday night - yummy!!) The knowledge that I would be seeing them as I came around the bend back at the Oval or climbing the hill back into town on the run was always on my mind whenever times got tough.
  
  
• Speaking of "times getting tough", this may make me sound like a jackass, but despite the fact that I went considerably faster in all legs of the race, this year's race was a lot easier than in 2007. "Easy" in a relative sense, of course. My memories from last year are a lot of pain and discomfort, a lot of setting mini-goals ("I just need to make it to 'X' point in the course") to prod myself along. A lot of "What the f am I doing this to myself for?" This year I had a blast! There were a few points when it was considerably less "fun" than others, but in general, I felt in control and entirely aware of what was going on in my body and in the outside world. I talked to some people during both the bike and the run. It was fun to be conscious and "meet" nice people - I was sure spending a lot of time being around them! In fact, my heart rate during the bike was really low - I spent a lot of time in zone 1 and low zone 2. I know that I could have pushed it harder on the bike and probably gained a little bit of time, but I'm sure that staying smooth and relaxed made the ride more enjoyable and helped set me up well for the run. As I came into transition both times, I was able to visualize exactly what would happen and what I needed to do. And, I felt "good" pretty much the whole day. I'm certain that that is the result of three things: First, having done this distance and race once before, I was relaxed and knew what to expect. I didn't have that "oh shit, now I have to do a marathon?!" moment that I had last year near the end of the bike. Second, my base is obviously much stronger. I now have over three seasons of triathlon and the fall 2007 season of ultra training under my belt. Heading into the 2007 race, I did my first 100 mile bike ride. By the time I got to July 2008, spending 5-6 hours on the bike was something I was getting used to (not that it's easy or routine, by any means, it still pretty much sucks). I may not feel as "fast" as I was a couple years ago, but I can go and go and go. And I can do it pretty quickly at a relatively low intensity level. The distances don't scare me. Third, there's that old saying that "Less is More" and it worked for me this year...
  
  
• "Less is More". This is a saying that shows up pretty regularly on coaching blogs and Slowtwitch. But no one, myself included, really believes it. How can less training time or intensity possibly cause you to be more successful at racing? This year, I had a pretty substantial break in my training from mid-March until mid-May. During that time, my training time was down about 35% compared to 2007. And even after I started up again, I didn't train with the same intensity as last year - no hard races, very few high-HR efforts, no bricks. I put in the hours and the distance, but didn't strain or push myself to any limits. I guess I came to the race more relaxed and less fatigued. And it worked. I'm still not sure that "less is more" works in all situations, but my theory today is that, for me, for long-distance endurance races, I don't need to red-line. I can hold back some. I still definitely need to put in lots and lots of hours, but mental and physical recovery time are just as important - or more important - as training time.
  
  
• As I mentioned in my race report, I saw two top pros struggling mightily on the course during the run. Desiree Ficker and Bjorn Andersson both were in contention for podium spots at one point during the run and both had to spend a considerable amount of time walking. But both of them finished. Why would they finish? For most of us, just finishing the race is an accomplishment and if I broke down and had to walk the entire marathon, I would have done it. I'm only there once in 2008 and any finish is better than a DNF. The pros though have nothing to prove and they risk injury, pride, hypothermia, etc. If they have a bad race today, they can call it quits and try again the next week. They could have easily pulled out because of any number of "debilitating" reasons. But they finished. Bravo for them! (For the record, there was only a 6% DNF rate in the general field this year. That is very low for an Ironman, especially given the rainy conditions.)
  
  
  
• Even though I am so psyched about my own finish, coming in a close second for best part of the day was going back to the Oval at 10:30pm to watch the last 200-or-so finishers of the day. (The picture above is the finish line bleachers about 16 hours into the day.) These were people who had been racing between 16 and 17 hours - the first 12 in pouring rain and the last 3 or 4 in the dark. We're talking 8 hours on the bike and 7+ hour marathons.
  But they didn't give in or give up. I have no idea how those people do it. There was a dude in his 70's and a woman in her 60's. Amazing. The bleachers at the Oval were packed, music was blaring and the spectators were cheering their lungs out. Mike Reilly had been out there since before dawn and still announced every finisher as if they were the first he'd seen. It was such a special sight. And the most amazing part is the very end. As it gets close to the midnight/17 hour cutoff, everyone is anxious, "Who's still out there?" and "Will they make it in time?" One family standing near us was waiting for their athlete and it was getting very close. (She finished with 10 or so minutes to spare, I think.) The final official finisher finished with less than four minutes to go - after nearly 17 hours, he made the cut-off by 3 1/2 minutes and he looked like a champion as he came through the finishers chute. (That's him to the right, find his blog and great race report here.) And then there were the three unofficial finishers who didn't make it - 8 seconds, 36 seconds, 47 seconds. No medal, no t-shirt, no hat, but plenty of cheering and encouragement and they did cross the finish line. And hopefully they'll be back next year with a plan to crush that cut-off time.
  
  
• Finally, I'm not going back next year. Two races, two finishes, a very successful second effort and I'm done. (For now.) I made this decision that long before getting up to Lake Placid before the race. Next year, I'll do some shorter triathlons and hopefully a hundred mile ultra. And I was really cool with that decision before the race. After spending the weekend up there and being around all the athletes and being part of that community, and then having a successful race, I got very nostalgic as we drove out of Lake Placid on Tuesday morning. This had been a very special weekend both years. Time with family and some triathlon friends. A strong feeling of accomplishment. And I've become a pretty good long-course triathlete. (If I don't say so myself!) I am going "out" on a high note, but I couldn't - and still can't - stop thinking about how I can improve. How I can cut a few minutes here and a few minutes there. I know it's the right decision for a whole host of reasons, but that doesn't make it any easier. I'll miss it next year, that's for certain.

Lots of action today...

A few "little" things on my mind today (while I should be working!):

• Success at the pool!
  
  
  This morning I got up and walked and walked and walked to the Lower East Side to Hamilton Fish Rec Center to try another outdoor city pool. The pool is nearly two miles from our apartment, which under normal circumstances wouldn't be bad, but it not convenient to any trains and would likely take just as long (or longer) to get there on the train or bus as it would just hoofing it. (And there's no way I'm taking a taxi!)
  
  Anyway, the pool is pretty great! First, it's Olympic size. I've never swam laps in a 50 meter pool. It was awesome! Second, it's outdoors. And third, even though there were a lot of swimmers there this morning (probably 5 or 6 in my lane), there are a lot of lanes and it was easy to find one that was my pace. The lockers are about mailbox size and there's no real locker room, so that's a bit of a problem, but I can manage those issues. The one crazy thing about the pool is that it's only about three feet deep! With all the swimmers plus the shallow depth, a strange "current" is created that battered me around a little and created small "waves". It was a fun challenge and reminded me a little of open water swimming.
  
  
• Facet Joint Injection:
  I went straight from the pool to the doctor's office for my injection. Facet joint injections are a little more complicated than normal cortisone shots. The doctor has to use a fluoroscope, which is something like an x-ray machine to watch inside your body and see exactly where the needle is going and to watch how the cortisone disperses in your body. As it turned out, the video monitor for the fluoroscope was in my line of vision so I could watch as well. It was sweet. I could see my spine and joints and watch things move a little as I breathed. I could see his hand and the needle approaching my back and then could friggin' see the needle go inside me! That helped take my mind off the discomfort I felt from having a large needle inside my back!
  
  I guess I'll know in a few days whether the cortisone is helping. He told me to take the weekend off from training and then go see my PT again next week. I'll work on some core strengthening and my IT band.
  
  
• 10,000 Steps:
  I complain a lot about my job. Probably too much. But I have to give them credit for something. Starting July 1, we are part of this program called "10,000 Steps-a-Day". Obviously, it's a fitness thing, trying to encourage people to get out and be on their feet a little more each day. They have given out basic pedometers to anyone interested in participating and you log-in and update your step total from each day on a special website.
  
  I average about 14,400 steps per day - something like four or five miles. It has become natural for me to put the pedometer on my waist. I don't wear it when I'm running, but I estimate my steps based on time and include that in my total. I don't need any prodding to get out and walk around, but it's been interesting and fun for me to track my steps. I can definitely see how tracking steps could become a "game" or a challenge for people. In talking with some people around the office, it's also clear that people are making an offer to get out and walk more. That's definitely a good thing for some of them!

Swim - August 1
Distance: 1,300 yards
Time: 26 minutes