Lessons from Cyclocross

If I wasn't so worried about breaking something and forsaking my triathlon season, I would probably do more CX races. In between bouts of fear, I had the occasional "F_ _ yeah, this is fun!" moment while racing. And after watching the video my friend Jesse made, I don't look nearly as bad as I felt. Post-race, Charisa and I reflected and we both agreed it's good to get out of our comfort zone and do something that we, how should I put this, suck at?

Here are the lessons that I'll take with me into the upcoming 2013 triathlon racing season:

There's a difference between being conservative/realistic and being wimpy. I was being wimpy at the start of the race, and I let the course and the other riders spook and intimidate me. I will not be wimpy in 2013.

If I had raced the technical sections with the same attitude as I had with running my bike through the deep sand, I would have placed a lot higher. Every time I hit the sand section, I told myself that I owned the section and that nobody in the field could outrun me in the sand. I wish I had taken that attitude with the rest of the course. Attitude makes such a huge difference.

I need to do more things with my brother, he's an awesome guy and he's a great older brother. It was so cool how he waited for me on the course and we finished the race together.

Traveling to races with friends trumps going solo. Yeah, you have to coordinate more and possibly have to wait for someone else a bit, but all worth it.

Flying mounts! I love flying mounts! If you are a skier or swim the butterfly, the feeling equates to carving through the snow or getting the timing down in fly. More flying mounts in 2013!

Make Every Day An Important Day

How about some bike porn to start this post. Those red tires on the Reynolds wheels, oooouiiii! I believe consistency is the best way to improve and get fast, and for the past three seasons, I've strived to make every day an important day. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of defining an important day as a day chock full of training. If you follow me, you know that my racing season was pretty much a bust last year, and I now think it was in part to this belief that an important day has to involve some type of training. The past couple of weeks of training has taught me otherwise, that in fact, an important day might include no training whatsoever, but instead a lot of relaxation and recovery.

Since coming back from my mystery ailments, I've been averaging about 6-8 hours of training per week, way down from the 16-24 hours of training I was doing this same time last year. Not only am I training way less hours, the number of days where I take completely off, meaning no physical activity, has been averaging 2-3 days per week. And if you recall from my last post, I'm hitting season PR's and my numbers are no worse than what they were this same time last year. I'm not stressed about missing workouts and going for days without training, and as a result, I'm more relaxed and rested for when I do hit the pavement. Last season, I think I was training to train, in other words, I was training to be able to do more training. This season, I'm training to race. Granted, if I had an ironman on the schedule, I would be doing a lot more hours, but maybe not as many hours as I used to think I needed. Because when it comes down to it, you can't do the same thing over and over and expect different results. Make every day an important day.

And somehow, this blog is becoming a foodie blog. First, I discovered blossoming baby bok choy which go great in your pasta, and how about some low glycemic potatoes? I can now enjoy roasted potatoes with my grilled veggies again. Finally, I leave you with a pic of my post-run, pre-swim meal: paleo tea service (herbal tea with duck, beets, carrots, and kale), squash dumplings, curry egg salad with fuji apples, and a quinoa waffle.

I'm Lovin' THIS Life

Life has its ups and downs, and for whatever reason, there were a lot of downs last week. Thus, going into my volume block on Monday, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But sure enough the Universe provided: the sun, heat, breathtaking scenery, and a body that was willing and able. I put in close to 11 hours of training the past two days, and the goal is to hit a little over 30 hours this week. The timing couldn't be better for this volume block. I'm only teaching half days this week, and why half days? Well, our school abandons regular classes this week for alternate classes, and I'm leading a class on how to kitesurf, right on! And next week is Spring Break! For those of you who follow my blog, you know I'm all about making videos. The "creative" process goes something like this: once I hear the right song, I compose much of the video in my head, then, it's just a matter of going out and collecting the images. I collected these images from my training day on Monday. Enjoy the video and let it be a reminder that when life hands you nothing but downs, more than likely, an up is just around the corner.

Running Attitude

Years ago I was training with a running group in San Francisco and came across this coach named Jack Daniels. Yes, his name is really Jack Daniels. That alone made him stand out. I never saw or met Jack Daniels but every week, we would get an email with these awesome workouts. Turns out Jack Daniels really knew his stuff, and it is from him that I adopted my running attitude:

"Don't run as hard as you can. Run as fast as you can without straining."

The difference between running hard and running fast without strain is subtle to some, but clearly different to those who "get it". When I read this quote, dark clouds parted, the light came shining through, I heard angels singing and doves were flying everywhere, I think you get the point. Running as hard as you can will most likely lead to injuries, while running as fast as you can without strain will most likely result in fast and efficient running. If on every run, you only push a pace that is still smooth and strain-free, running will be fun, no matter how fast. And the only thing that should be hard is your breathing when you're doing those fartleks, hill repeats or track workouts. Find your running attitude this season.

Who Am I Kidding?

It's supposed to be my off-season, but two recent events make me think otherwise. Two weeks ago, while doing a 50-minute run, I thought to myself, "How is my body going to make it through the training for two ironmans next season." It's the off-season and I'm feeling broken down and burnt out? Last week, I had to stay at work late and I had to skip a workout on the trainer. I found myself stressed out, and I was desperately trying to rearrange my schedule the rest of the week to make up the missed workout. Once again, is that proper behavior for an off-season? Who am I kidding? I am training. I was doing 3 swims, 3 bikes, and 3 runs per week, and I was obsessive about completing every workout. I needed a major shift in both thinking and attitude. It was time to set up some off-season guidelines. I stopped running two weeks ago, and I don't plan to run again until the end of December or possibly until January 2*. I decided that if the sun isn't shining, then I can't swim outdoors (indoors is okay). And as for the bike, I can only ride the trainer if there is a show on Netflix or Hulu worth watching. Since implementing this plan one week ago, finally, I feel like it's an off-season.

*I broke the rule and ran today...10 miles. I got invited to a group run with some friends I haven't seen in some time. It was perfect Bay Area winter weather to run, a bit of drizzle to keep us cool. My reasoning as told in my email response:

It's the off-season, don't you people sleep in? If it's not raining, I'll be there. I'm not supposed to be running but this is social, it's like going to the bar with friends since we don't really go to bars anymore.

Tips for the 40 Year-Old Triathlete

The title pretty much excludes most of you who follow this blog. Yeah, I'm talking about the Ians and the Libbys who are still in their freakin' 20's, and the rest of you who are just barely over 30. But should you want some advice for the future, keep on reading. I was on a ride with my friend Chris yesterday, and like me, he is turning 40 next year. We've also been training mates for the past 12+ years, and we've been doing this tri stuff for almost 20 years now. During the ride, I turned to Chris and asked him if he felt the effects of aging yet? He immediately responded by saying that he always feels tight, and no amount of stretching, foam roller, or yoga seems to get him loose. If you follow my blog, you should know that feeling tight all the time is my major complaint this past year. For him, it's his calves; for me, it's my hamstring (and glutes). And we both agree that only our running has been affected by aging--swimming and running are still quite sharp, and if anything, have the potential to improve.

I miss the wealth of human growth hormone (HGH) that was flowing through my body when I was a teen and in my twenties. As its name implies, HGH is responsible for increasing muscle mass, increasing bone density, increasing exercise capacity and decreasing body fat. Beginning in middle age (that's me), the gland responsible for producing HGH, slows downs its production; the result is decreased muscles mass, decreased capacity to exercise, need I go on? To combat this, I have the following tips for the 40 year-old triathlete:

• Weights. You need to do it. Weights is not as fun as swimming, biking, and running. Thus, I made a deal with myself, I only do 30 minutes of weights twice per week. I have a circuit and whatever I can get in for a 30-minute time period, I do. Sometimes I only go through the circuit once, other times, twice, and on rare occasions, three times. Another tip is to do weights after a run or bike, your endorphins are kicked in and you will be more motivated.

• Sleep. Shoot for 8-9 hours. Your body's production of HGH is most active during sleep.

• Your training plan should have built-in recovery. I used to have a weekly plan and I followed the same plan every week. Thus, that meant I ran every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. I never had more than one day to recover from a previous run. Nowadays, I run every third day, thus I always have two days of recovery in between runs. And yes, this means my running schedule changes every week. If you're a teacher, it's like using a block schedule. This is working out well for me because I have built-in recovery and every week, my run days are different, and the variety is nice.

• Speedwork. Do it. Running 200s can help your ironman run; you'd be surprised by how much endurance you can actually get from doing 200s and 400s.

• And if you're poor like me because you blew your entire savings on a sabbatical to live life as a pro triathlete, you'll need to be creative to stay loose. The pic below is my solution.

• My final tip for the 40 year-old triathlete? Stay young at heart and when possible, go out and mix it up with those young whipper-snappers. And maybe rock it old-school and do one race in nothing but a speedo.

Cyclocross... Not... Yet

About two weeks ago, I agreed to try a cyclocross race with my brother today. But last night, I found out the bike I was going to use didn't come through so I was on the sideline watching. And to be honest, I'm quite glad. Had the bike come through, I was going to ride a cross bike in a cross race, both firsts on the same day, not smart. This course was nothing but loose dirt, gravel, and asphalt...a recipe for scraped skin if not broken bones. I will be the first to say that triathlons require little to no technical skills on the bike. I don't think you can get away with resting your forearms on your handlebar in cyclocross. The whole mt. biking/cyclocross thing totally eludes me. Yeah, I own a mt. bike but I think I've ridden it less than 25 times since buying it. In fact, I bought the mt. bike solely to race XTERRA Half Moon Bay. That day, I did enough endos to last a lifetime. Since I came out of the water in 10th (pros & amateurs), I was way up starting the bike. I've never had so many people pass me on the bike; in total, I think 200 people passed me. And so many of them were angry because I was going so slow on the single track and they couldn't get around. At one point, these pros told me to stop and get off the single track, ha ha ha. But it wasn't funny at the time, I remember feeling so stressed on the bike that when I got off, I had the worst headache starting the run. I haven't done another XTERRA race since. I recall how deep I had to dig just to survive that bike course, and in a way, I think I'm looking to be challenged like that again. I've got two ironman races on the schedule next year and the last thing I want is to recover from broken bones. I'll take the bike not coming through as a sign to proceed more cautiously with this cyclocross thing. Maybe I should practice on a cross bike a bit before I ride it in a cross race. My brother assures me that there is an upcoming course that won't put my ironman races in jeopardy. Stay tuned.

Diary of A Sick Triathlete

Wednesday: Had no power, had to cut the ride short and still barely made it home. Hmmm...maybe I'll try to go to swim practice. Got out after 20 minutes. Later that night, jaw, ear, teeth, eyes were throbbing. It hurt so much to lay down and stayed up until 2 AM. Maybe I can do that track workout tomorrow. Gotta find some speed for that half-ironman.

Thursday: Woke up with chills, painful jaw and teeth again. Saw the doctor, maybe a sinus infection, got antibiotics. Told to take one pill a day for 10 days. Supposed to be racing a half ironman in 9 days. Decide to forego antibiotics and take a rest day. I can push my ride, run, and swim to Friday. Need to get ready for that half ironman.

Friday: Jaw, teeth, etc...still hurt. Still feeling fatigued. Maybe one more rest day. I can do a 3-hour ride and 75-minute brick run on Saturday followed by a swim. It's okay, as long as I get a solid workout tomorrow, the half will still be okay.

Saturday: Just sit on the trainer for 90 minutes. Feeling okay, alright maybe 30 minutes at race pace effort, job done. Let's go for a run, whoa, just got real dizzy. Maybe that was enough. I'll just do the three days of core exercises I missed. Tomorrow, I'll ride 4 hours and run 60 minutes off the bike and swim. Gotta get in some fitness for the half ironman.

Sunday: 10 AM! Is it really 10 AM? How did I sleep in so late? Not going to happen today. Hmmm...maybe I should put my health first rather than this half-ironman first. Alright, no more plans to train, just wake up and if I feel good, give it a shot.

Monday: 90 minutes on trainer, solid. Not feeling great but I'll try the 90-minute ride outdoors. Man it's hot, why am I riding so hard? I'm thirsty, I'm getting really tired. Should I run, not feeling great. Oh, cramp, skip run. Do core exercises? Oh cramp on my ribcage? Definitely no running, I'll do the core exercises later. Feeling very warm. Man, I'm radiating heat. I'm burning up. No core exercises. I'll just run 75 minutes tomorrow, average faster than 7-minute miles and then go for a shakedown swim. Then I'll swim on Thursday morning, ride 90-min on trainer and run 30 min off bike. Friday, I'll ride 60-min on trainer and run 30 min race pace off bike and swim. And Saturday I'll just swim and Sunday, race time!

Tuesday: Jaw still hurts, maybe skip the swim until the jaw/ear doesn't hurt anymore. Oh man, I'm feeling worst as the day goes on. Chills. Eyelids heavy. There is no running today. Maybe I should get that antibiotic prescription filled. Screw the race. There's a lesson to be learned here.

Faith

For the past year, I've been following a college friend's battle with melanoma cancer. Kathy lost her battle yesterday. My thoughts are with her husband Eric and their three daughters. Eric maintained a journal that gave updates on Kathy's battle with melanoma. The journal is a lesson in strength, and more specifically, strength derived from faith. During the entire battle, and even up to Kathy's passing, Eric's writing rarely expressed fear, hopelessness, or pity. Ironically, I often found strength for my own life through Eric's journal entries. One of the most profound entries was when Eric expressed their situation as win-win. If Kathy defeated cancer, she would be able to stay on Earth with her family and friends. And if she lost her battle to cancer, then she would be healed with a new and stronger body in the kingdom of Heaven.

I would not call myself a devout Christian, but I've been taught the value of having faith. Because in the lowest of moments, when everything else around you is saying "can't" or "no", it is faith that tells you it can, it's possible, or it's okay. Faith is strength. Enjoy your new body Kathy.

Make A Different Mistake, Sheesh!

This was the thought running through my head during the second loop of the marathon and at the finish (well, maybe not the "sheesh" part). My last three ironmans have gone like this: great swim, decent bike, horrible run. There are a handful of people who have watched and supported my ironman quest for the past 12 years, and I feel like I owe them an apology. I'm embarrassed that I keep making the same mistake over and over; and I wish I would just make a different mistake-maybe a decent swim, horrible bike, and great run? I feel like we have the exact same conversation after every ironman, and I question how much longer they can (or should) continue to support me in this ironman thing. But, I came up with some reasons to continue.

I've only done 6 ironmans, not much, and in the span of 12 years so it's not like I carried the fitness from one to another. I only started racing the distance again this past March after a 4-year hiatus. The best advice I've gotten thus far is that it takes 1.5-2 years of consistent ironman training and racing to nail down a PR. I'm currently at month number eight, thus my PR should come some time next summer/fall. I'm positive that I'm on track. Physically and emotionally, I'm ready to go again, and I'm currently trying to find a way to squeeze in Ironman Cozumel. And I know what went wrong on Saturday. I focused on nutrition every 20 minutes on the bike and this worked really well. However, the last 45 minutes, I lost all my fluids because the bottles did not fit on my cages, and this in turn caused me to stop eating food. I arrived to T2 with about 800 unconsumed calories still in my jersey pocket, calories that were meant for the run. This is why I slowly faded on the run and crashed hard at mile 7. I learned that there is no hard and steadfast rule as to when to start taking coke. Coke should be taken when you feel absolutely depleted, and not just at mile 18. I was absolutely depleted at mile 11 and should have started on coke rather than waiting. My third loop split was solid and equally as fast as my first loop, and this tells me I can run a marathon under 3:30 as long as I stay on top of the nutrition. Nutrition is a lot easier to fix than lack of will/desire or lack of talent.

And speaking of talent, I keep some fast company, and many of these athletes had instant success at the ironman distance. I think watching these athletes gave me an unrealistic sense of how long it would take to nail down an ironman PR. I now know this ironman quest is solely about me and my own pace. I'm not about to quit anytime soon so sit back, be patient, and enjoy the journey. Guerneville was a great trip and I think it would make a great location for a training camp. I'll leave you with some images from the trip.

Hard Nut to Crack

Breaking the ironman 10-hour barrier is proving to be a hard nut to crack. And I almost gave up whilst laying in the med tent post race, throwing up, nauseous, and hooked up to an IV. I should have known it was going to be an atypical ironman, all the signs were there. Arriving to pre-reg late, forgetting my bento box and arm warmers for the bike, and standing in line for over 45 minutes, meanwhile, my car being towed. It's a strange feeling to walk back to where you left your car and not have it be there. Oddly, I never panicked, and I chalk it up to having recently traveled for the past five months. I simply problem solved and this meant depending on the kindness of strangers. I asked a guy to drive me to Cream's Towing (gotta love that name) out in the boondocks of Santa Rosa. This place was about as charming as a scene from the movie Deliverance. My old self would have been hoity toity and demanded immediate service. But my more wised and well-traveled self knew that these people moved at their own pace, and best that I just chill and roll with it. I found the humor in it all, and after I paid $200 for my inconvenience, I was complimented as one of their most pleasant customers and given the following tip: If you get towed, pay with your credit card and then reverse the charges.

But race day morning was a piece of cake. I splurged and stayed at the Boon Hotel, which meant a quick 3-minute bike ride down to T1 in the morning. I highly recommend this place if you are racing any of the Vineman races next year (it's all booked up for the 70.3) because it's clean, tastefully decorated, and environmentally friendly. As much as I would like to report that I did indeed swim 45 minutes, the split is incorrect. I lost my chip during the swim and I have no idea how I got credited with a 45-minute swim, maybe my awesomeness as a swimmer precedes me? The water was warm, very warm and I was scared of overheating in my full-sleeve wetsuit. I stayed conservative, and swam by my lonesome the entire swim, coming out of the water second in my wave; but better yet, I bridged up to the first wave and I was now sitting top 10 overall. The first loop of the bike felt so easy and controlled. My only concern was that I had to pee 30 minutes into the bike, and somehow, I managed to hold it the entire ride. I went through the first half in 2:40 or so, averaging 21.0 MPH. The second half of the bike became increasingly stressful as I started to use up all of the fluids I originally packed. The aid stations did not provide fluids in water bottles, instead, they were in plastic containers that did not fit on my bottle cages. I struggled to keep the containers on my bike and failed, riding the last 45 minutes with no water (foreshadowing). Still, this was my most even effort ironman bike ever, with only 2-minutes separating the first half from the second. On another plus note, Kathleen and I had been talking about me looking for her on the bike course in her powder blue Twin Six bike jersey, but we all know things like that just never come to fruition. But at around the 80 mile mark, I spot this powder blue Twin Six jersey, and yes things like that do come to fruition!

Off the bike, I felt alert and I had to immediately dump the pee I had been holding since the start of the bike ride. I was doing my zen running and felt in total control. I was making up time on the people in front of me, and I felt confident this was the marathon I would run under 3:30. I started to feel a bit depleted from miles 4-7 so I made sure to take in Gatorade, gels, and salt. But nothing was working and I kept getting more and more depleted. And I kept having to go pee. Miles 7-11 were alternating run/walk. Miles 11-15 were mostly walking and I was having a pity party for myself. Several times I contemplated quitting and each time, all the voices in my head agreed except for one voice, Libby. For some reason, her voice kept nagging me to finish. So I put my ego aside and told myself even if I had to walk the remaining marathon into the dark, I would finish. I don't like to go to coke until mile 18 or so but I thought to myself, it can't get any worst than this. I downed 2-3 cups of coke and I willed myself to run. As the miles ticked away, I felt better and better. I felt amazing during the last loop, splitting the same time as the first loop-too bad that second loop was a good 30 minutes slower than the first and last loop. As soon as I crossed the finish, I immediately started to feel nauseous. I worked my way to the med tent and proceeded to throw up and that brings me right back to the beginning of this blog post.

It was a pretty emotional day for me because in all honesty, I did not see myself NOT breaking 10 hours. My mind was set on this being the day and the ironman that I would break 10 hours. Combined with dehydration and lack of carbohydrates, and Saturn being aligned with Jupiter in the 7th moon and waning gibbous, I broke down and cried at the finish. While in the med tent, I determined that I had no fight left in me to break the 10-hour ironman barrier. But after a night's sleep, some fluids and carbohydrates, I awoke to a message from Charisa on FB: "Oh awesome. So u signed up for another?! ;)" How well do we ironpeeps know each other? The silver lining is that a not so great ironman day is now netting me a 10:38 finish time rather than a DNF or an 11:30+. Onward and upward (or should I say downward with the time).

Pentultimate Day

The day started with a bit of bike love. The Austrian Peter taught me how to clean my cog and chain so that it looks brand spankin' new. Then it was off to ClifBar headquarters to pick up some product and to try out their new and improved gels. My friend Chris works at ClifBar and from time to time, he rings what I call the ClifBar bat phone, signaling me to come and try a new product. Chris was my training partner from way back in the day, and he is a former pro triathlete. Because Chris is an athlete, he always puts a functional twist on all of the Clif products. The litter leash on the gels? Or how about the packaging of the Clif Bloks so that they are easily dispensable one at a time while on the bike. Chris thinks like an athlete and the results are obvious. This time around, Chris wanted to improve on their gels. He knew it could be better tasting and after trying the chocolate flavor in the office, I say he pulled it off. All I can say is that I now consider a Clif gel a dessert. The timing could not have been better and I'm looking forward to using them on the ironman course this Saturday. The new gels will be released soon so give it a try and let me know your thoughts.

The rest of the day included a haircut, a visit to the bike shop, a short ride, a run, and a swim. I was really looking forward to the pentultimate day because on this day, you are supposed to eat anything and everything you see and want. Yes, that means burgers, fries, milkshakes...times two if you want. I had plans to eat...and to eat a lot. But I made the rookie mistake of leaving too many things to do until today. Thus, I was running all over and I left little to no time to actually eat. I found myself hungry throughout the day, not good. But by day's end, I did sit down for my burger, fries, and ice cream. And yes, I'm eating meat again (another blog post). Don't make my rookie mistake, and disperse your "to do's" throughout the week rather than all in one day.

Trail Marathon Revelation

For my last long training run, I raced a trail marathon. Trail running is like zen running (and the trail running community is awesome, another blog post). Not once did I think about holding a particular pace, racing another person, or finishing in a certain time. I simply ran on "feel", pacing myself to complete 26.2 hilly miles to my best ability. I was absolutely, 100% positive that I was going to finish the race, and finish it without walking. This quiet and calming confidence moved me up from 10th, to 5th, and then finally taking the lead at mile 20. From mile 20 on, I was in it to win it. Though I was running a marathon with over 5000' of climbing, and on no rest, the thought of not finishing, or even walking ever crossed my mind. Why is it that I've never had this feeling in any of my five ironmans? I suspect it is because I am so worried about racing and/or maintaining a certain pace. I put this theory to test during my brick run today. Off the bike, I immediately tapped into this zen state of mind, and solely ran on "feel". My mental outlook was so different. Rather than wanting the run to end, I felt like I could run for as long as I needed. I'm so stoked to have had this revelation. I have no idea if I'm going to have the race of my life in two weeks, but I know for certain that I have a tool to get me one step closer.

Before the sabbatical, I would have never dared to run a marathon on no rest or taper, and then to follow it up with a 5 hour ride and 6 mile run brick the following day. But now I know it's possible because I've seen countless other athletes doing it day in day out. I think about Ben who raced 4 ironmans in a five-week period, or Andrew racing a 9:06 at ironman New Zealand, a 4:30 at Singapore 70.3, and then finishing under 9:30 at ironman Australia all within a five week period. I also think about Charisa and Ian who are just absolute workhorses. And then there's Bree who is the toughest competitor I know. She is relentless and she will push you until she collapses. And did I mention Bek Keat, Javier Gomez, Emma Snowsill, and Belinda Granger, all of whom I had the privilege of seeing "at work". I am constantly reminded of a particular Kiwi who told me: "Kiet, the secret is just train hard - race hard. Never stop." And to HTFU.

And in between all of this HTFU training, it's nice to be reminded of other things like spending time with the cute knee-biters.

Bouncing Back

Flat, flatter, flattest. I raced an olympic distance race on Saturday and that's the best description for the swim, bike, and run legs. There were some tell-tale signs that the day might not go so well: I slept horribly due to nightmares, I went to load my bike race morning and my rear tire had a puncture, I spaced out and missed the exit on the Bay Bridge meaning I had to go all the way to SF, and I forgot I had a gel in my back jersey pocket and laid down on it, squishing gel all down my backside (and of all flavors, it was mocha so imagine what others were thinking). I set a PR for the slowest olympic distance time and worst, I kept asking myself how could a race so slow be so painful? Post race, I was a bit of a headcase and spiraling downward. Somehow, I deduced that I was no good and not fit to race an ironman in three weeks. Oh, what nut jobs we type A, triathletes can be. But the Libster came to the rescue and composed a very thoughtful email, chalk-full of sane and useful advice. You're good Libby.

The following morning, I headed out for my last long ride, 135 miles and 9300 feet of climbing. The first hour was painful, not only for myself but for Jason, who accompanied me on the ride. When I'm in the hurt box, I go internal and do a lot of self-talk, which makes for bad company (sorry Jason, you want to ride with Bree next time, she's totally external when in the hurt box). Speaking of self-talk, here is an interesting article Jason sent me: Will I? But as the miles ticked away, my ironman fitness came through and I felt better and better. There were some challenges including a handful of wrong turns, attacking rottweilers, low-blood sugar, and a road closure that forced us onto a mt. bike trail. Three miles from the finish of the ride, I gazed at the thick fog rolling in and I thought to myself: WHAT AN EPIC DAY. This is what I live for.

I Believe

There are no coincidences in life, and thus, I was meant to meet Belinda Granger just before I left Kona. She was meant to deliver a message that would get me through this ironman volume week:

I have been in the sport for a long time now and honestly a big percentage of it is MENTAL. You truly need to believe that you are capable of so much more than you think...you are so much stronger than you think....you are so much more determined than you think....you can deal with pain so much better than you think.

Yep, that was the last message Belinda sent me on Facebook, and there hasn't been a workout the past week that I have not called upon this advice. Physically, I'm feeling tired from 325 miles of cycling (with over 20,000 feet of climbing) and 48 miles of running, including a 30K trail race with 4100 feet of climbing. If you have a long run on the schedule, the best way to tackle it is to sign up for a trail race. Mentally, I'm copacetic, bring on that ironman at the end of the month.

Some highlights from this week's training:

• Jason riding with me for 184 of the 325 miles
• Feeling AWESOME during the 30K trail race one day after my 109 mile ride, and chasing my way to second overall
• Running into the kid in the above video
• Discovering the Bike Hut on Tunitas Creek Road (restores my faith in mankind and shows that we can indeed still trust)
• A quiet (and hot) Bay Area due to everybody being out of town for the weekend
• The bread pudding at Tartine
• And Finally...the TOUR de FRANCE on Versus

One of Those Days

Today's ride went something like this:
Whoa, the legs are tired today.
Hmm...the legs still haven't come around.
Should I try to complete this workout?
Am I really bonking so soon?
Spin more.
Push the big gears more.
Spin more.
How am I going to get home?
Maybe I should call for a ride.
I don't think I'm cut out to this ironman stuff.
Is this healthy?
No more ironmans after Vineman.
Uh oh, the right side of my jaw hurts...I'm bonking.
I think I can make it home without cutting it short.
Almost there, last climb.
Is that an organic ice cream store?
"Can I have two scoops, one mocha, one coconut in a waffle cone."
The sun feels nice.
I'm home, only 30 minutes slower than usual.

Day 100!: What I learned in New Zealand

• IT'S DAMN COLD and HILLY, thus, it's the Kiwi triathletes that usually say HTFU!

• You don't meet any Kiwis in Queenstown, but you do get to know lots of English, Scottish, and Malaysian people who are on working holiday.

•Dunedin is just as beautiful as Queenstown and Wanaka, the Chamber of Commerce just does a bad job of marketing the town; and you have to pass through a lot of crap before you get to the beauty.

• Some new vocabulary: heat pump (electric heater), post shop (post office), log burner (woodstove), right-o (okay)

• The Kiwi version of the news show Nightline is much more crass than the U.S., we're talking an episode where they had 69 sex positions (including full on naked pictures) in 69 seconds.

• The country has absolutely freakin' beautiful views while driving or running.

• The Top Twins (google them).

• The radio was actually pitching a CD called "Music for Cougars" and it went something like this: "You are a cougar and you know what you like and you know how to get it. So listen to music that reflects you like Olivia Newton-John, Meredith Brooks (I think she is the one that sings the I'm a Bitch song). Makes a great gift for Mother's Day." The Kiwis love their humor.

• I got to see lots of sheep up close and personal and well, the entire back side of a sheep is covered in sh!t, makes you want to reconsider wearing wool. And there is an actual name for it, dags.

• My money went a lot further in New Zealand than it does in Australia.

• After 22+ years, it's good to know that Maggie and I still have a lot of common interests: extreme hikes, mt. biking, swimming, and eating tons of food.

Day 84: Egocentric Me

Trouble-free traveling, so nice when it happens. After smooth sails on the Gold Coast, Noosa, and Brisbane, I've hit a bit of trouble in Byron Bay (yet again). I can't get into my accommodation and the contact person is unreachable, thus I'm loitering in a cafe. I got to stay at a posh hotel in Brisbane for free, compliments of IM Oz, and the hotel had FAST wifi so I was able to upload my kitesurfing video. Don't expect much, it's just me setting up my own rig, but to a great soundtrack. I'm in Byron for the next four days waiting to fly back to Sydney. I've had some bad luck here so I'm looking to make it right. I will be doing yoga everyday that I'm here and on top of that, I have a Buddhist teachings class on Monday night, and an Insight Meditation workshop on Tuesday night. Like I said, I'm trying to make it right.

I've been so self-absorbed that I completely forgot about Earth Day. In fact, I'll be the first to admit that this whole trip is a bit self-absorbing. On many occasions, I find myself feeling guilty for just training, traveling, and playing. I mean, how is what I'm doing the past two months contributing to my community or helping to advance society? I'm sure other pro's must ask themselves the same question. And some respond by racing for charity and other causes. I guess I'm getting the full feeling of life as a pro triathlete.

Back to Earth Day. Well before the day, I came across a great article giving a bit of tough love on what we can do to help the environment. The article dished out tough and not so easy actions that will benefit Mother Earth. The average food travels 1500 miles before it lands on your plate, buy food that is local and in season. It requires a lot of energy to move all that food around. Yeah, you might have to forego certain fruits and vegetables when not in season but HTFU! The article also asked you to forego having children in order to control the overpopulation problem. I had a college professor that gave a lecture linking every major problem on this planet to overpopulation. He sold me on the idea that day and since then, I have never wanted my own kids. If I do have kids, I'm adopting, there are plenty of unwanted children out there. Get rid of your car. I've been without a car for the past two months, and though I'm managing, I have to say that I miss my car. I find myself sitting at home a lot more without a car. There have been moments when I'm sitting on public transportation and think to myself, this ain't so bad, I should give up my car. All too often that moment is fleeting. I'm not giving up my car but I will drive it even less than I already do. Become a vegetarian or at least commit to eating less meat. It requires 5,214 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. Scary. Stop using plastic. Plastic can last as long as 100 to 1000 years in a landfill, and recycling plastic doesn't resolve the situation. Simply put, don't use plastic. Pay the extra money and go solar or use some other alternative form of energy. And finally, fly less whenever possible. I should talk, my butt has flown more in the past two months than I have in 10 years. But I will commit to trying to fly less. Sorry friends, we won't be seeing each other as often. There you go, HTFU and do something to help Mother Earth.

Day 72: There Are No Coincidences in Life

The yoga website and DVDs led us to believe we were staying in ashram style accommodations right on the beach. What we got was a caravan park (for all you Americans, this is a trailer park) right off the freeway, 3-4 people to a room, and 6-8 people sharing one bathroom. It also happened to be the tail end of the Blues Festival in Byron Bay, and well, caravan park and drunk, obnoxious party-goers go hand-in-hand. Several people from the part-time intensive in conjunction with ours decided not to come back. I decided to take "a wait and see approach". After two nights of averaging 3 hours of sleep, I woke up on the third day sick. It was time to get out of Dodge. I called the Aussie Resort up in the Goldie and sure enough, Jenny had a place available. Right on. I then looked for transportation and sure enough there was a shuttle leaving in 5 hours. Was chance solely at work here? I knew I made the right decision but I couldn't help to be a bit bummed by not being able to continue. However, it did ease the sting knowing that the program was not a perfect match for me as it was very light on the practice, and too heavy on the theory and the chanting (chanting is my least favorite part of yoga). Alright, get comfortable, now begins the story telling (and there won't be an abridged version D).During the shuttle ride, I struck some conversation with Jemma, who definitely had the yoga-air about her. Sure enough, she is a practicing yogi. She explained how she just got back from a 3-day Kirtan festival (that's yoga music) in Byron. She pulled out her MAC (good taste), pulled up iTunes and played some Kirtan music for our shuttle ride. She educated me on the yoga scene in Byron, where to go and what to avoid, and she turned me onto some great Yoga retreats throughout Australia. The driver got in on our yoga conversation, as not only was he a practicing yogi, he was also an aspiring buddhist. I remember thinking, this feels right. As we approached Jemma's stop, she asked to exchange information, and she gave me her card. Pink on one side, brown on the other, very cute just like her. At first glance, I saw the word "naked" (hmmm...), and then "treaties" (huh?). I now wanted to fully process the info on the card and read the entire word: naked treaties rawganics by jemma [and at the bottom of the card it read] raw, vegan & organic, gluten, dairy & sugar free. No f___kin way. I turned to Jemma and told her that what little doubt I had remaining about leaving the yoga intensive, had evaporated during the span of the shuttle ride. She leaned forward and replied, "Isn't it great when the Universe takes care of everything?" She pulled out a white crystal, put it in my hand, and instructed me to hold it for a moment. Normally I would be too cynical not to laugh or say something sarcastic, but this time around, I obliged Jemma and I went with the flow. She left me an open invitation to practice yoga with her, and to visit her raw kitchen when I return to Byron Bay. As the driver pulled the shuttle away from the curb, he turned to me and said, "There are no coincidences in life." Check out Jemma's website and yes, that is her under the white sheets looking quite rawganic. This must be her alter ego because she was so wholesome and hippy looking when I met her.

After two days of laying around and sleeping, I'm finally shaking this cold and I'm ready for the next adventure. I'm back up in the Goldie, and my plan is to use the next two weeks as a run and swim block. I'm going to reawaken the runner that used to be in me. And yes, that means double run days, speedwork, run drills, and 90-120 kilometer weeks. Though I won't have my yoga teacher certification by the end of next week; I will, however, be a certified level I kitesurfer. What's that saying about lemons and making lemonade?

Day 59: What I Learned "Racing" Ironman Oz

For those of you thinking about racing an ironman, you might want to learn from my mistakes, or rather from my lack of knowledge. I must say that I was quite the scientist out there on the race course, observing and learning from the fast peeps on race day. I think I gathered some useful information pre-, during, and post-race.

1. No worries if you can't swim with a masters team. I did not do a single masters swim workout in the 40 days leading up to the race. I swam solo 90% of the time and basically followed this pattern every week: 3x's of this workout (2500m straight swim broken down as 500m warm-up, 500m every 4th 50 fast, 500m every every 3rd 50 fast, 500m every other 50 fast, and 500m maintaining fast as possible pace; 800m flutter kick; 2000m worth of pulling, 200m warm-down) and one open water swim.

2. Ride with a group. All day long on the bike, I kept asking myself, why am I always alone and everybody else is with a group. Here's my problem. When a group came up on me, if they looked fast, I would just let them go. And if a group close to my speed came up on me, I would increase my effort and sprint away from them, only to be caught by them 10-15K later. What I need to do is just sit 7 meters behind a group that is going my pace or slightly faster and hold this all day long. Mentally and physically, it is much easier and I'll get off the bike able to take advantage of my strength, the run.

3. Don't drink water alone on the bike. I only drink water in training and though I was advised not to drink water alone come race day, I still did it. The water just went through me and I had to pee all day long on the bike and to compensate, I took all of these salt tablets to try and reabsorb the water, even though I was not cramping at all. I'm going to do both water and an electrolyte drink next time.

4. Drink coffee, have a PB & J, and oreo cookies in the last 60K of the bike. The caffeine in the iced coffee did wonders for me and after eating gels all day long, it was so nice to have some food I craved in prep for the run.

5. If you're going for a Kona slot, you can't dilly dally in transition. 'Nuff said.

6. Don't take coke on the run until you are absolutely depleted. I took coke way too soon on the run and the high fructose really messed me up. I noticed that I would crash and go into a slump after taking the coke and it would take me a good 2-3K to recover. Instead, just stick with Gatorade and every 4-5K, do a gel and water. At about the 30K mark or when you are really depleted, start going to coke.

7. If you want to go under 3:30 for the marathon, you can't be scared to blow up on the run. You need to train to run fast off the bike and then trust in your training come race day. I spent too much time in fear of blowing up on the run and forgot all the rules of fast running like: double breathing, controlling my heartrate, good turnover, and staying right at that threshold that you can hold. Instead, I was running scared and having a pity party for myself. In the last 3K, I ran 3:50 per kilometer simply because I stopped being scared because I knew the finish was there.

8. Have a team. Having a good teammate(s) for training and the traveling. The shared meals with teammates are relaxing and fun, and it distracts you from overthinking the race. And it's so nice to see familiar faces on the course who know what you're capable of going and to remind you of the task at hand.

9. If you want to go under 10 hours, you need to HARDEN THE F__K UP. 'Nuff said.

10. No matter how good you feel in the first 3 hours, stick to the race plan. No matter how much power you have, or how much training you've done, you won't be able to call on it if you go out too hard or fail your nutrition (and both go hand-in-hand).

11. Hold off any judgment about the race course until you've trained on it several times. After driving 4 hours, I got straight out of the car and rode the bike course for two hours. I freaked out and thought it was a really tough course. After riding it again the next two days, I loved the bike course.

If I think solely of my time from the race, I'm a bit disappointed because it doesn't reflect the amount of training, and how hard I worked in the past three months. However, the way I feel post-race does reflect my fitness. In every other ironman, post-race was spent lying in bed, stomach in pain but unable to eat, couldn't walk, and I never made it back to the finish area to cheer on the night-time finishers. Post-race this time around, I ate ice cream, drank beers, walked sufficiently, and I made it back to the finish area, alert and happy. I resumed exercise three days later with a swim, then a run the following day, and then a 95K bike ride, where I hammered it. Smart? Maybe not, but it's a part of my master plan to HTFU for my future ironmans. After 20 years in the sport, I'm happy to report that I've hit somewhat of a Renaissance Period in my career and I am looking forward to many more ironmans to come. And remember, the journey is the reward.