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I'm now scrambling to get a quick entry in so my family can take me out to lunch- BLESSING #1!
The report goes as such:
What seems like a year ago (actually a little over a week) was the Racine/Class Reunion/Okoboji triathlon weekend. As you know we decided on skipping Racine 1/2 to focus on recovery. I had decided that doing the local tri near my home town might be fun and just add a spark to the year. I was excited with the probability of a win and getting to race with Kate Monster (also a good chance of a win). After taking a week off there was certainly some rust. The swim was harder than I thought but I kept up with the leaders and came out second. The bike felt AWFUL the first few miles but as I broke into the lead all of sudden I was ROLLING! With probably about 3 min. lead going into the last couple miles of the bike I was just cruising and thinking about how much rust I'd have to knock off the first miles of the run. Well, long story short, I missed the turn! I figured it out after going about 3 miles out of the way and then 3 miles back. I cashed it in but rode into the transition ready to get in a nice run. Luckily Kate had started 5 min. behind me so I wasn't far off of her coming into transition and was able to run in with her. She won in a fairly close race! It was a blessing to get to run in with and help her.I'm so proud of her. It was lot of pressure on her as the local favorite- she's one tough chick! In hindsight it was also good for me to not have pushed into run hard and saved my legs. Blessing #2.
The reunion was AWESOME! It was really neat to see how grown up all of my classmates have gotten. I was really able to lay some old demons to rest about growing up and going through all the issues we all have in high school. I'm really looking forward to our next reunion- hopefully not another 18 years. Blessing #3
This weeks training was AWESOME! I finally feel like my mojo has returned. It makes me extremely excited about doing another Ironman! We had our Wisconsin Ironman Camp this weekend and it was so inspiring to see all the athletes make realizations and get more and more confident in the upcoming finish of their big day! I had planned to do all the training with them but I had done a lot of good work during the week and, although hard, I stopped myself with the thought in my mind "didn't you just get out of a bad over training/racing 6 week slump!" . Hence the 112 miles turned into 30. WHAT A GREAT MOVE! The run the following day went really well and I feel ready to tackle more preparation! Blessing #4-????
I'm so blessed to have the opportunities I do. And FINALLY this season I'm realizing that!
Thank you to ALL OF YOU! You are all a blessing to me and each other. I pray you all feel as blessed as I do!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Time Off
Well, last weeks race did not go well. By this I mean the result was not what I wanted. However, some positives remain. I came out of the swim 1st with what felt like not a huge effort. My effort level was there! I felt really bad on the bike. NO GAS! But I kept on fighting. The run was much of the same. No legs, really struggling, just no SNAP. Once again I hold onto the fact that I pushed it HARD on the run and never once gave up. I slowed a little to give the girls a HIGH 5 but then turned it back on to sprint in. The result was a distant 4th in a race that should have been battling for the win. BUT another great positive was Danny Boy grabbing the victory in what I think may be his best race yet! A solid swim, strong bike and outstanding sub 34:00 6 mile run. NICE!
Continuing with the positives our family was lucky enough to have a cabin to stay in for free. What transpired was a really great impromptu VACATION! We stayed two nights longer than we planned and had a blast. Boating, fishing, swimming, bonfire and LOTS OF FOOD! To sum it up, a quote from Quincy- " Mom and Dad I never want to go home, I want to stay at the cabin." I think it was a little bit of the entire family's sentiment.
During our stay it was also decided that we would not be dragging the family to Racine for another 1/2 this season. Enough was enough. I really think it was a good decision as it allows for recovery time and a much earlier start on specific preparation for IM Louisville! I've also developed a new goal- simply have my best Ironman ever. No more delusions or stresses of trying to qualify for Hawaii or go for some unrealistic time. I will simply prepare and race to the best of my ability with the situation that presents itself.
I had a long talk with my coach and we agree that the thing missing for me is recovery. With my health status, my family, age and work schedule I just can't hope to race so many weeks in a row. It leaves no time for recovery and no time for training- it's an evil spiral.
This week I've taken the week off of triathlon activities. However, I'm back home for a reunion and as fate would have it the Okoboji Triathlon (my first triathlon I think) is being held tomorrow so I just have to join Kate Monster for the fun. The key word is FUN! It would be great to have both of us win but it will be much more important to enjoy it! Monday we're onto the new attitude, new schedule for Ironman and NEW RESULTS!
Thanks again to all of you- God Bless!
See you out there...
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Best Thing About Being a Coach
Lake Stevens was, once again, an awesome trip! Thanks to the sponsors for making it all possible - go Rome or go home I always say!
I was really looking for that race that says "I'm back baby!". I'd have to say that in days before it seemed that we would get just that. However, as I somewhat suspected weeks ago, this process will be a slow, step by step one. We swam on Thursday and I felt super smooth and just AWESOME in the water. I'd have to say that even after a lot of laying around and doing nothing my legs felt pretty darn great during our tune up run , swim and bike. It was exciting to be getting all that rest and starting to feel like myself again. Kate provided a nice diversion of attention with her flat tire (of which we had no spare and had to send the Sherpas to Seattle to fix) and after the pro meeting I suddenly felt very relaxed. However, I did not have a restful sleep and for the record did not sleep well in naps, or at nights this entire trip. The debate is still out as to have going in and out of the tent is affecting recovery, sleep and performance.
Race day was upon us and it certainly was exciting. The pro wave was a NON-WETSUIT swim which I have realized can often affect the entire race for me. It just seems that not only are the swim times slower but the kicking and effort involved seem to leave me a bit more fatigued for the rest of the day. The swim went OK but I feel out of the main pack near the end and decided that taking it a bit ez could help the remainder of the day. WRONG! The beginning of the bike felt like someone injected large amounts of lead into my leg veins. I spent most of the time trying to figure out why I wasn't catching anyone. The nice thing was that for 1 miles no one caught me either. There was some serious contemplation of dropping out but then BAM! Danny boy caught me, gave me a word of encouragement and all of a sudden the legs began to come around. Misery loves company I guess. We battled together through an extremely difficult bike course with another pro (#8). The 10 meter rule was a bit strange as we've been racing at 7 meters so much that I think all of us were overly cautious about getting too close. It worked out fine and did help to have other guys around. We ended up passing a couple more pros en route to a slow but somewhat OK bike leg. Coming out of transition I once again struggled but Day caught up to me again and we began a nice long run together. At first we were in good spirits and clipping along at 6:15 to 6:30 pace. At the first turn around ( about 5 miles in) we could see the final money spot held by Australian Brian Rhodes and it even looked as if we would catch him. We put in another good few miles and then the wheels slowly began to come off. We began the game of waiting for each other as each one struggled. By the last out and back we realized things weren't going to come to fruition and we began to slow. We finished somewhat respectably but still questioning why we thought we needed to turn pro and how much fun we USED to have doing this as amateurs. It is crazy how as amateurs our finishes would have looked pretty darn good but as pros it looked quite the opposite.
BUT...... as a coach the day isn't over then!! The Kate Monster was out on the run course TEARING IT UP! Running herself into her 2nd qualification for Worlds in Clearwater with a monster 1/2 marathon PR and a course PR (on a much tougher bike this year) by nearly 17 minutes!! She saved the day for the entire team! It was great to be able to see her get that spot and watch the sense of relief and joy in her eyes. It spins the trip in a whole different direction and makes everything seem like a huge success. Being a coach is great. There are always plenty of chances to have success outside of yourself. We all celebrated the afternoon away. It was a wonderful trip with great friends. I missed my family dearly but a big thanks to Sherpa Bob, Craig and Kate for making me feel the warmth of a family.
Onto the next race this Saturday at Timberman!!
I was really looking for that race that says "I'm back baby!". I'd have to say that in days before it seemed that we would get just that. However, as I somewhat suspected weeks ago, this process will be a slow, step by step one. We swam on Thursday and I felt super smooth and just AWESOME in the water. I'd have to say that even after a lot of laying around and doing nothing my legs felt pretty darn great during our tune up run , swim and bike. It was exciting to be getting all that rest and starting to feel like myself again. Kate provided a nice diversion of attention with her flat tire (of which we had no spare and had to send the Sherpas to Seattle to fix) and after the pro meeting I suddenly felt very relaxed. However, I did not have a restful sleep and for the record did not sleep well in naps, or at nights this entire trip. The debate is still out as to have going in and out of the tent is affecting recovery, sleep and performance.
Race day was upon us and it certainly was exciting. The pro wave was a NON-WETSUIT swim which I have realized can often affect the entire race for me. It just seems that not only are the swim times slower but the kicking and effort involved seem to leave me a bit more fatigued for the rest of the day. The swim went OK but I feel out of the main pack near the end and decided that taking it a bit ez could help the remainder of the day. WRONG! The beginning of the bike felt like someone injected large amounts of lead into my leg veins. I spent most of the time trying to figure out why I wasn't catching anyone. The nice thing was that for 1 miles no one caught me either. There was some serious contemplation of dropping out but then BAM! Danny boy caught me, gave me a word of encouragement and all of a sudden the legs began to come around. Misery loves company I guess. We battled together through an extremely difficult bike course with another pro (#8). The 10 meter rule was a bit strange as we've been racing at 7 meters so much that I think all of us were overly cautious about getting too close. It worked out fine and did help to have other guys around. We ended up passing a couple more pros en route to a slow but somewhat OK bike leg. Coming out of transition I once again struggled but Day caught up to me again and we began a nice long run together. At first we were in good spirits and clipping along at 6:15 to 6:30 pace. At the first turn around ( about 5 miles in) we could see the final money spot held by Australian Brian Rhodes and it even looked as if we would catch him. We put in another good few miles and then the wheels slowly began to come off. We began the game of waiting for each other as each one struggled. By the last out and back we realized things weren't going to come to fruition and we began to slow. We finished somewhat respectably but still questioning why we thought we needed to turn pro and how much fun we USED to have doing this as amateurs. It is crazy how as amateurs our finishes would have looked pretty darn good but as pros it looked quite the opposite.
BUT...... as a coach the day isn't over then!! The Kate Monster was out on the run course TEARING IT UP! Running herself into her 2nd qualification for Worlds in Clearwater with a monster 1/2 marathon PR and a course PR (on a much tougher bike this year) by nearly 17 minutes!! She saved the day for the entire team! It was great to be able to see her get that spot and watch the sense of relief and joy in her eyes. It spins the trip in a whole different direction and makes everything seem like a huge success. Being a coach is great. There are always plenty of chances to have success outside of yourself. We all celebrated the afternoon away. It was a wonderful trip with great friends. I missed my family dearly but a big thanks to Sherpa Bob, Craig and Kate for making me feel the warmth of a family.
Onto the next race this Saturday at Timberman!!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Simplify
Well Waconia did not go as well as I had hoped. Basically a theme for my last two seasons. It's been very frustrating being so inconsistent. In seasons prior to this I was the model of consistent racing and had no new equipment, no tent, and not nearly as many expectations. In this vein, this year, I changed my nutrition plan. Never mind that my wife said "what are you doing that for" or that the plan I had developed was from years of trying things out. No, No, NO I had to improve everything this year. What has happened is a phenomenon called- overthinkyourselfitis.
When I got my pro card it was obvious I was a long shot at best to post any type of high result in the pro field. However, I did know that to be competitive I really only needed to work on a couple things; sleep and recovery, race weight and maintenance of strength training over the season. Since then I have : changed bikes, changed nutrition, increased my anxiety about getting rest, taken the fun out of racing and caused a very large slump! So what's a guy to do?
Relax. Enjoy your children. Enjoy having to work more than many other pros. Simplify race nutrition. Rest as much as you can without worrying. Rely on the wonderful family and friends that got you this far. Most importantly- continue to battle. The one thing I will never have to say is that I gave up on my goals or quit any race I entered. It's an honor to live the life I do. I would like to honor all who support me by stepping up to each day, race, challenge and walking through it no matter what.
I tell so many athletes that racing is simple. Just prepare as best you can, rest and then give all you can when in competition- it's really all you can do. Now if I can only follow my own advice we might get a result that makes the finish even more sweet!
I love you all. Keep fighting whatever fight you're in!
God bless you!
When I got my pro card it was obvious I was a long shot at best to post any type of high result in the pro field. However, I did know that to be competitive I really only needed to work on a couple things; sleep and recovery, race weight and maintenance of strength training over the season. Since then I have : changed bikes, changed nutrition, increased my anxiety about getting rest, taken the fun out of racing and caused a very large slump! So what's a guy to do?
Relax. Enjoy your children. Enjoy having to work more than many other pros. Simplify race nutrition. Rest as much as you can without worrying. Rely on the wonderful family and friends that got you this far. Most importantly- continue to battle. The one thing I will never have to say is that I gave up on my goals or quit any race I entered. It's an honor to live the life I do. I would like to honor all who support me by stepping up to each day, race, challenge and walking through it no matter what.
I tell so many athletes that racing is simple. Just prepare as best you can, rest and then give all you can when in competition- it's really all you can do. Now if I can only follow my own advice we might get a result that makes the finish even more sweet!
I love you all. Keep fighting whatever fight you're in!
God bless you!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Well, this was going to be a well thought out, heart felt, and wonderful blog about how much fun I've had the last 24 hours just being a dad. I got to go out with my two daughters (just daddy time) to WALL - E , the movie, and then played with them a lot of the morning today without trying to email , answer phone calls, train and write programs. It was reall awesome to actually pay attention to them!
However, after getting them to bed (literally screaming and kicking us) at 8:30 (wow what a blessing- this never happens) Clancy woke up 20 min. later screaming and is still up as I write this. My back is killing me and I can't do anything about it. This reminds me of most nights before races. In fact the last time it was this bad at home was the night before Gear West Duathlon- here's hoping things turn out that well.
More tomorrow. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
However, after getting them to bed (literally screaming and kicking us) at 8:30 (wow what a blessing- this never happens) Clancy woke up 20 min. later screaming and is still up as I write this. My back is killing me and I can't do anything about it. This reminds me of most nights before races. In fact the last time it was this bad at home was the night before Gear West Duathlon- here's hoping things turn out that well.
More tomorrow. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Getting it all done?
Wow! It's just too much for me sometimes! Tomorrow Micki leaves for Arizona to teach for Spina Bifida Association, I leave for Des Moines- then Arizona and the girls head to the farm then back home with my folks until we get back. I'm going to miss them so much and feel pretty horrible to leave them for a week. It makes getting everything ready tougher- not motivated. I think it's probably from guilt as we are so blessed to be able to do these cool things!
Another reason I'm fretting is trying to get some monster training in while all this is going on. I have a 5 hour ride and 2 hour run to try and squeeze in this weekend. I'll be helping coach the MJETS team as well as do some Regional Development Coordinator stuff. It's great to get to go down and see so many awesome athletes and be on my own a bit but I do get overly worried about how it will affect rest, recovery and my general health (which hasn't been good lately).
All of this is such a blessing and my children will be with both sets of Grandparents which is also too cool for school. I guess I need to heed my own advice: "enJOY what your doing while doing the best you can".
I hope you all have a blessed and safe weekend of training, family time, work and anything else we are privileged to do!!
* I gotta get Kate to help me get some pictures up on this thing!
Another reason I'm fretting is trying to get some monster training in while all this is going on. I have a 5 hour ride and 2 hour run to try and squeeze in this weekend. I'll be helping coach the MJETS team as well as do some Regional Development Coordinator stuff. It's great to get to go down and see so many awesome athletes and be on my own a bit but I do get overly worried about how it will affect rest, recovery and my general health (which hasn't been good lately).
All of this is such a blessing and my children will be with both sets of Grandparents which is also too cool for school. I guess I need to heed my own advice: "enJOY what your doing while doing the best you can".
I hope you all have a blessed and safe weekend of training, family time, work and anything else we are privileged to do!!
* I gotta get Kate to help me get some pictures up on this thing!
Monday, June 16, 2008
1/2 Iron Success!!
This weekend was exciting! Not a mile from my house was a two race event that filled like an Ironman (waiting list and everything), drew a solid field in both races and made use of the park I train in daily and have grown to absolutely love. It was a race in my own backyard!
After a few down weeks I was ready to have a solid race again! I had almost forgotten how it felt. Two weeks ago was the start. An absolute flop at Pigman Sprint. This was the beginning of the downward slide.
Coming up on Alacatraz I got two different infections and ended up traveling and sleeping the nights prior in chills and cold sweats. One infection was a saddle sore which made it almost impossible to sit on my bike. NOT FUN! The weekend was really awesome though as our hosts (Ted and Mai) were absolutely awesome again. We also got to gather as a Fellowship of Christian Athletes crew and minister a bit. It was awesome! The race was pretty crummy but overshadowed by a beautiful day and great experience!
So coming up on this past weekend I was beginning to feel better , able to sit on the saddle and ready to rock my neighborhood triathlon! It started well but alas I ran into more of the same. NO GAS! I later figured out I was several pounds low and likely dehydrated. It was somewhat of a blessing in disguise.
In my struggling coming back in I was going slow enough to enjoy seeing so many impressive athletes out there going hard and finishing STRONG!
Congrats to : Dawn Keller (first 1/2 finish! Awesome!), Greg Meyer (1/2 finish), Bob Mackenzie (1/2 finish), Erin Schindler (Olympic Finish), Jamie Heying (first 1/2 finish!), tons of others out there who soldiered through and MADE IT!
Special Congrats to Kate Monster- 4th overall Olympic finish and PR 2:27!!!
It was an honor to be out there with all of you- it's inspiring to keep going and try harder!
More to come...
After a few down weeks I was ready to have a solid race again! I had almost forgotten how it felt. Two weeks ago was the start. An absolute flop at Pigman Sprint. This was the beginning of the downward slide.
Coming up on Alacatraz I got two different infections and ended up traveling and sleeping the nights prior in chills and cold sweats. One infection was a saddle sore which made it almost impossible to sit on my bike. NOT FUN! The weekend was really awesome though as our hosts (Ted and Mai) were absolutely awesome again. We also got to gather as a Fellowship of Christian Athletes crew and minister a bit. It was awesome! The race was pretty crummy but overshadowed by a beautiful day and great experience!
So coming up on this past weekend I was beginning to feel better , able to sit on the saddle and ready to rock my neighborhood triathlon! It started well but alas I ran into more of the same. NO GAS! I later figured out I was several pounds low and likely dehydrated. It was somewhat of a blessing in disguise.
In my struggling coming back in I was going slow enough to enjoy seeing so many impressive athletes out there going hard and finishing STRONG!
Congrats to : Dawn Keller (first 1/2 finish! Awesome!), Greg Meyer (1/2 finish), Bob Mackenzie (1/2 finish), Erin Schindler (Olympic Finish), Jamie Heying (first 1/2 finish!), tons of others out there who soldiered through and MADE IT!
Special Congrats to Kate Monster- 4th overall Olympic finish and PR 2:27!!!
It was an honor to be out there with all of you- it's inspiring to keep going and try harder!
More to come...
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