Fine Fall Morning

We finally got a morning that doesn't have rain/snow, so I've been out to do a bunch of raking in the front yard. Depending on motivation, I may touch up the backyard as well, but don't hold your breath. To break up all the work, I hopped out for a quick three-mile run. Nothing too strenuous, flat terrain, a good turnover, form held the whole way. I'll keep it here for a few weeks, just nice and easy while I let my body recover from a long year.

Run: 3 miles, EZ

Picking things up

... And setting them down again. It's the essence of weight training. That's as simple a description as you'll get. Pick it up, set it down. Repeat.

So that's what I did. And things went a little better than Tuesday. I'm still weak, but less weak than I was. And next time I'll be even less weak. That's all I can hope for.

Weights:
Chaosbringer: 2x4/48
Deadlift: 3x12,12,14/145
Janda sit-up: 3x10
Chins: 3x6,6,6
Reverse flye/Lateral raise: 3x10,10,10/10
Reverse curl: 2x8,11/38
Diamond pushup: 2x10,12

Work, drill, flip

Although Mondays are supposed to be the day with assistant coach, this week things got switched around and she was our leader this morning. She comes from a pretty high-level pure swimming background, and the workouts reflect that. More drills, more kicking, and so many different sets that I'm not sure I remember it all. But it makes for a good workout.

After a solid warm-up, we were assigned into three groups, each with a different sub-workout to do. After 20-25 minutes, we changed to the next sub-workout, until all three were completed. One of the sets was a free/pull set, the next was drills, the last (for me) was flip turns. I was happy to get the "work" set done early, so I could cruise through the remainder. It's going to take a few weeks to get used to the early mornings and longer workouts, methinks.

PS- Thirty seconds of vertical kicking (not eggbeater) is tough. They might as well call that "almost drowning".

Swim: w/u - 150m free
4x30" vertical kicking, 30" rest
150 as breast/back/free
2x50 free, breathing every 3/5
400 free, 45"
4x100 pull, 20"
200 free, 45"
2x50, 30" as 1) 1-arm, 2) catch-up
100 free, 30"
4x75, 30" as 25 3-3/25 catch-up/25 free
2x50, 30" as 1) 1-arm, 2) catch-up
100 free, 30" 100 free, 30" as 25, 3-3/25 catch-up/50 free
Flip turn practice
200 free, 30" with flip turns
c/d - 200 as 50 free w/3 somersaults/50 breast
Total: 2600m

Weak sauce

OK, now this is getting embarassing. If I'm fit enough to qualify for 70.3 Worlds, you'd think I might have even a modicum of strength. But I don't. I'm a big pile of suck, smothered in weak sauce. Here are the details, I have no comments.

Bear: 2x4/48
Front squat: 3x6,6,8/95
Jackknife: 3x10
Bent row: 3x10,10,8/85
Pushup: 3x10,8,6/+60
Barbell curl: 2x8,11/38
French press: 2x10,14/20

Form

Another early morning for swimming, and we're back to where we were last year. After warm-up and an explanation of the main set, the coach asked me to get him before starting the freestyle set because he wanted "to talk to (me) about (my) form". That's never a good thing, especially after two months of non-coached swimming. There weren't any earth-shattering revelations, it's more of the same that we were trying to correct near the end of last season: my entry is too narrow and too shallow, so I need to focus on keeping my hands wide and taking a steeper trajectory for the entry. I also need to get more fluid and less mechanical. I think that stems in part from my present efforts to make sure I always finish my stroke, so I have a kind of hitch in there. As well, I should be rolling a bit more in the stroke, instead of the flatter form I have at present. He asked if I had a video camera at home (which I do not), which convinces me a bit more that I should look into the assistant coach's stroke improvement seminars (which include video-taping). I'll have to see how the schedule and budget look in the next while.

Swim: w/u - 200yds each: free, non-free, pull
3x(100 kick, 30", as 50 front/25 right/25 left
100 wide/flat/foot drill, 10"
200 ez free, breathe to windows, 30"
50 free, hard, 30"
50 ez non-free, 30")
c/d - 100 free, 100 non-free
Total: 2300 yds

Belly up to the bar

With a break in the running and cycling aspects of my training, I'm going to spend more time in the upcoming weeks on work in the weight room. The first time was tonight. I'm not going to go through all the details of my weakitude, but suffice it to say, there was lots. A break of over a year has left me pretty deconditioned. But that just means there's more room to improve.

OK, I guess I will put everything down, since this has transformed into an online training diary anyways.

Chaosbringer: 2x4/48lbs
Deadlift: 3x10,10,12/145lbs
Janda Situp: 3x10
Chin-ups: 3x6
Reverse flye/Lateral raise: 3x10,10,8/10lbs
Reverse curl: 2x8,9/38lbs
Diamond pushups: 2x10

A year ago I was knocking out repeats of 10-12 reps on chins, and deadlifting over 200 for reps, so right now I suck.

Getting my feet wet, again

It was finally time to rejoin the ranks in the pool. a year ago, you never would have predicted that I'd be so excited to go swimming I would be waking up before 4:50 alarm. I was pretty ready to get back to the swim club and start making the improvements for next season.

Since it's early in the season, this is the time to work on the parts of swimming that make you faster, but aren't just swimming fast. Those things are kicking and sculling, and lots of it. I jumped into my old lane, noticed that there had been some serious shuffling of lanes (one of my lanemates was now lane 2, a couple were lane 4, one of the lane 2 gents was back in lane 3 ... lots of movement), and started into the workout. I performed OK, but I know I need to work on my kicking, and I volunteered to be the end of the train for the sculling sets. I need some instruction on how to scull better, since I shouldn't be so slow when I can actually swim at a decent pace. I got in a good workout, not bad for the first time out a couple of months, and first swim in two weeks.

Here's to as much improvement this year as last. Two lanes to to go (assuming I don't get shuffled back to 4).

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
3x200, 30" as 50 kick/25 left kick/25 right kick/100 ez free
100 ez non-free
12x50, 10" as 25 scull/25 pull (4 each high scull, mid scull, low scull)
10 ez non-free
8x100 ez non-free, on 2:20
Total: 2800m

Don't call it a comeback

That was a pretty long two weeks. All that time since Clearwater with no training, and barely any activity. Over the ten days I was in Bermuda, I barely did enough to not be considered dead. But it was worthwhile, and the itch to go to work has returned. Actually, it had returned by Monday, but I had purposely left any equipment for training back home so I couldn't do anything even if I wanted. Kind of.

Getting really antsy on Friday, I did one of the few things that I could do with any tools, and just a little bit of floorspace: squats. And lots of them. About 210 to be exact. Now, it wasn't anything I would label a workout, so that's why it isn't logged, but after a year of no resistance training, high-rep squatting has left an impression in my legs. I've basically been reduced to shuffling like a cast-off from a George Romero classic for the last couple of days. But all that wasn't enough to stop me from heading out for a run tonight.

The plan was to do an untimed, flat three miles. That's all the running I plan on doing each Sunday for the next few weeks, just enough to keep form together while putting my focus elsewhere and allowing a slow build towards the season. I knew I was very sore, so I was just going to go as far as I could. My the time I was halfway down the street, I planned on heading back when I hit the corner, the soreness was so intense. But instead, I rounded the corner and followed my route. I was tempted quite often to slow down, or walk, or head home, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, and made my way through the run. It was a bit cool, and I didn't put on the right gloves for that, but otherwise it was great. Even as bad as my legs felt, I just enjoyed being able to get out under my own power. I'm pretty detrained right now, so no watches are needed for a while. I'll just get a bit of mileage while resting and be ready to hit it hard in the new year.

Run: 3.15 miles, zone 1-2

A long answer to a short question

Mark asks regarding Clearwater: When are you going back to implement the changes you discuss? ;)

That's a bit of a tricky question to answer. Of course, part of the trick is needing to qualify. I had a pretty good race and was able to wrangle a spot,so at least I've shown that I have what it takes to get into position for a rolldown slot. As I continue to grow in this sport, I would hope to be able to finish even higher, increasing my chances, but it's still a bit of a crapshoot.

It won't even be a consideration for a few years. With family commitments, my wife and I have agreed on a plan of unquestioned training time every five years. (Thinking about it now, maybe I should have bargained for every 4 like the Olympics?) Since this year had a lot of volume just getting my feet wet, I'll be scaling back for the next few years. My plan is to focus on my short-course speed, doing sprint races for the next two years, build to Olympic or an under-prepared local HIM in year three, be slightly more serious with a HIM in year four building volume, so that year 5 would be either Ironman, or something similar. That means, at best, I wouldn't be looking at Clearwater for four years at least.

There's also the issue of scheduling. The two month period between Muskoka and Clearwater didn't work out well for me this time. Perhaps I can figure out a better plan, but it's such a weird stretch to deal with. If I could qualify at an earlier race, that would be optimal, like Calgary in late July, or Disney in May. Enough time to properly rest and allow for a good build. So what races I can get to, and get into, become part of the equation.

But then there's also the very short answer to the question: As long as the race remains in Clearwater, I'm 90% certain I wouldn't go back. I'm glad I went, and I would recommend to any first-time qualifier to go and have fun, but once you've been there and seen how the race plays out, I can understand why so many people won't return until a venue change is made.

It seems to be the cool thing to complain about the drafting after IMFL and Clearwater, and I don't want to fall into that trap (but I'm about to). Rather than just stamping my feet and proclaiming, "It's loaded with cheaters. I was never passed a single solo rider, but tons of groups wheel to wheel" (which is true) I decided I'd do a little analysis, being the analytical sort. I took a look at the top 50 times to T2 in the men's 35-39 and 40-44 age groups. Why these two? Well, M35-39 is my group, and M40-44 is the first men's wave that followed us, and most of the people who passed me were from this wave. Both of these age groups were divided into two waves, separated by five minutes, based on last name (A-L, M-Z for M35-39; A-K, L-Z for M40-44). My table below has the time to T2, total bike leg, and time for the last section of the bike, color coded by wave (Wave 1=blue, wave 2=green). All times were taken from the Ironman results pages, which list the top 100 finishers in each AG. Any missing values are due to the athlete not being listed in the top 100, or in the case of third bike leg time, no intermediate timing.



I should start by pointing out that none of this is proof of any drafting. An athlete is legal at 7m behind, which is about 0.8 seconds at 38 km/h. It should also be noted that the last leg of the bike ride has the causeway (which is one of the few places to break up a group), as well as the finishing stretch (people dismounting and running at different speeds).

Here are a few things I see: Obviously, there's some clustering. Either speed is dependent on your last name, or groups are forming on the road. Inside some of the clusters, you can find up to 3 minutes difference over the entire bike course, but only a few seconds over the last leg, and that the difference to T2 is very close to the difference in the last leg times. Probably the most interesting observation comes from a few riders down the list. If you look at M35-39, around positions 41-45, these guys do the last leg much faster than the riders immediately above them (by 90-120 seconds). These are all wave 1 athletes. If you look up, arriving exactly five minutes earlier (by race time) is a cluster of wave 2 athletes (positions 9-12), who ride the last leg at an almost identical speed. They all get to T2 within seconds by clock time. (There's a similar thing happening in M40-44, see 48-50 vs. 20-26.) There are probably a few other minor observations that can be made, but that should be enough.

None of this includes the riders even further back, or the women's field caught between these two groups, or the upcoming M45-49 and M18-29 waves that started later. If I had the time and the data, I'd love to do this for everyone on the course, and see what patterns arise.

I want to make a point that there doesn't seem to be any real drafting at the very front of the race. These folks are absolute hammers, who may benefit from the slingshot draft of passing everyone, but they seem to be that much stronger than everyone else. It's the MOP and behind where the issues are the greatest. During my ride, I didn't see a single marshall or any riders in the penalty tents. Everything seemed to go unchecked. I just wish I could redo this for a larger sample.

As I said before, this may seem like sour grapes, and maybe it is. I was 154 out of the water, and moved up to 153 by the end of the bike. I admit that I'm not the fastest biker on the block, but I've never been in the second half of bike splits, nevermind almost the last, so to only get one spot is surprising. I know I rode legally, and I know what I saw other riders do (less riding legally). And this exercise is, at least, some vague evidence that the complaints about Clearwater might not be that far off.

So that's why I wouldn't be going back. Unless you're at the absolute front, there's little chance of getting a decent placing without resorting to drafting (in my view). If they change the venue to some place for fairer competition, I'd love to attend another Worlds, but I don't see myself returning to Florida.

Still here

I'm not doing anything (and loving it), but I thought I'd make a brief post. Recovery is going nicely. I'm starting to feel normal again, and I'm quite well-fed. I'm sure there will be a fair bit of walking and maybe some swimming in the next week on vacation, so that should be enough to get me by.

I do have a post about Clearwater I'd like to write, but I'm having some issues getting my tables that support my position into bloggable form. So it might be a couple of weeks if I don't figure it out today.

I was there, it happened - Ironman 70.3 World Championships Race Report

As usually happens on the mornings of big races, it was an early wake-up call. I had a surprisingly good night's sleep, so I was ready to go. After a little breakfast, I grabbed my morning bag and joined the parade of athletes on their way to the race site. The music was blaring, and the transition area was well-lit and busy with people. I hopped into the body-marking line, then made a quick stop over at my bike. Everything was still in working order, so I pumped the tires, filled the drink bottles, and set the watch. Then I cleared out to join my wife for a few quiet moments on the beach before everything got underway. I started putting on the sunscreen and Body Glide and slipped halfway into my wetsuit. When I looked up, right across from us, was once again Dick Hoyt, this time with his son. They were in their final preparations for the race, and after a few minutes, they left to take their place on the beach. Soon after, I bid my wife goodbye and joined the other athletes starting to congregate on the beach.

My swim wave wasn't going off until 7:30, so at about 6:30 I jumped in the water to warm-up a bit and get things flowing. I was out early enough to watch the male and female pro waves take off, then I moved into the corrals. Every five minutes we would move a little closer to the front, and conversations seemed to get a little quieter. The M35-39 age group was divided into two waves by last name. I was in the second, so it was a bit disconcerting to know that you aren't racing all of the people you're actually racing (if that makes any sense). Finally we were in the last corral, and with 2 1/2 minutes to go, we were called to the start line. I seeded myself at the back of the group, knowing my swim isn't going to win me any races. Shortly after the "ten seconds to go" announcement (probably about ten seconds), the smallest loudest cannon on the East Coast went off.

Swim:
It begins with a sprint from the beach. I followed along, and when everyone else stopped running and started swimming, I did the same. I wanted to find a decent set of feet and just follow along. Amazingly, I felt good enough to go past the group I was with, and started working my way up to the next, even faster, bunch. Knowing I wanted to catch up, I put my head down, and knocked out thirty hard strokes. It was around this point that the guy in the kayak told me I was swimming off to sea. Not a great start, but I got myself back on course, found another draft and made the first turn a half-mile from shore. (For a non-swimmer, that's disconcertingly far from dry land.) Just a couple hundred meters later, we made another right turn for home. Home, at this point, was due east, directly into the sun. If you weren't blinded by the glare of the sun, you were blinded by the glare off the water of the sun. I was able to vaguely make out a buoy, and started swimming for it. A short while later, the guy on the paddleboard informed me I was cutting across the course, apparently trying to start again. Now I could see the buoy to my left (no longer looking east), and got back on course. I pulled in behind what I assume was the group I left in the first few hundred meters (what a worthwhile exercise that turned out to be). Now I just hung in and tried to get to T1. No more heroics in the swim. I was out and up the beach in 36 minutes and change, not too bad considering I lost probably a minute or two swimming all over the place. I noticed some green caps over my shoulder as I exited the water, meaning my number one goal was accomplished. Not last.

T1:
The run from the beach took us through a fresh water shower, then to the wetsuit strippers. I grabbed my T1 gear bag and was in the change tent as quick as possible. A helper came over as I sat down, and once I dumped the contents of my bag, he grabbed the bag and started filling it with my discarded material (wetsuit, goggles, swim cap), then took it to the pile of bags to be replaced. Once I was fully suited (glasses, helmet, shoes, race belt), I grabbed my bike, hit the mount line, and was moving.

Bike:
I passed a few people on the first roads out of town, up and over the Memorial Causeway. I tried to find my rhythm and let my heart rate fall back down to where it belonged. I passed the Hoyts about 20 minutes into the ride, and felt more than a little inspired. Then it was just a matter of pedalling, and keeping up with fluids and energy.

There really isn't much to report on the Clearwater course. It's a series of relatively long stretches of flat roads, not much scenery. I had my heart rate a bit higher than I probably should have (145-150 bpm), but I was trying to stay in the game. This may have cooked my legs going into the last discipline. There was a bit of a westerly wind, which was in our faces on the homestretch, but nothing too significant. Two hours, thirty one minutes after I left transition, I was back where I started, with a half-marathon to go.

** Note: I may or may not do a post about the drafting situation in the next couple of days. (I definitely have some things to say.) Unfortunately, I'm afraid it would just come off as sour grapes as an under-performer. I will make only two points:
1. I didn't see a single person in a penalty tent on course, and I didn't see a single official during my entire ride. And they wonder why there might be a problem.
2. I can look myself in the mirror and know I rode 100% clean, and that's enough for me.

T2:
A bike-catcher took my bike from me to rack it, and I was left to go get my T2 gear bag, and get back to the change tent. This time it was a bit more crowded in the tent, so I didn't have any assistance, which slowed me down a bit, but I felt like I made pretty good time. Once I had running shoes and a hat, I left for my foot-powered tour of Clearwater.

Run:
The run course is essentially an out-and-back 6.5 mile course, done twice. Each lap goes over the causeway twice, but is otherwise flat. I didn't feel too hot right from the start, but just tried to keep one foot in front of the other. I was running again without a watch, so I had no idea of my splits. It worked at Muskoka, so I was hoping it would work here. I did some passing on the first loop, and was caught by a few, but seemed to still be moving forward. Without "age on the calf" as part of body-marking, it was tough to tell if I was making any ground in my AG though. During the second lap, I was really feeling the effort, and that, combined with the beating from the sun, and a general sense of discouragement (I felt SOOOOO slow), slowed me down even more. By the last 3 miles, I was taking a little walk break every mile. It's hard to believe, but I was still smiling though that. My attitude was pretty much "OK, I'm out of the race, but I'm at the World Championships, and that's pretty cool, so I'm not going to kill myself. Enjoy the moment." I thanked the volunteers, got a little chuckle when the electronic message board read: "#847 - D. Wilton - Your Awesome!" and I thought, "My awesome what?" I had my last walk at 12.5 miles, then did the run for home. I didn't pass anybody in the last stretch, since they fought and earned their placing. I had some clear roads, and gave a double Guns Up all the way through the line. I hope it comes out in the pictures this time.

By the numbers -
Swim: 36:23 (1:54/100m, 154/169 AG placing after swim)
T1: 3:14
Bike: 2:31:07 (22.23 mph, 153/169 AG placing after bike)
T2: 3:05
Run: 1:40:44 (7:41/mile, 132/169 AG placing after run)
Finish: 4:54:33, 132/169 AG, 768/1254 overall

So a quick glance at my feelings about the race: Even though it's easy to argue that I could have done more (by my admission I gave up on the run), I had the best day I was capable of today. There honestly isn't any more I could have done. I'm disappointed with the time and placing, but I went sub-5, and I was here. That's still the big thing.

I was sick coming into the race, and I think that's indicative of begin generally overtrained. It's been a very long season, almost non-stop since marathon prep last August. I pretty much shot my wad for Muskoka, and tried to do too much in the build for this race. Two 'A' races two months apart is tough. It's too long to just recover and go again with the trained fitness, but too short to fully rest and build back up. Looking at the last month of training, I think those bad days on the bike weren't just computer issues, but more likely real issues with fatigue that I was trying to ignore. I bet if I timed my weekly long runs, I would have seen the same thing there.

Speaking of timing, the watch-free plan didn't work. I think Muskoka was just kind of magical in that way for me. If I was conscious of the time, I would have seen that I actually was ahead of pace for the first 3.5 miles (my 1:35 half plan is 7:15/mile), and pretty much bang on at the halfway mark. That would have been a great motivator to keep things up for the second half, rather than suffer that letdown. Live and learn. I'm not going to beat myself up too much about it. I may have been able to run my way up to perhaps 120th by leaving it all out there? That doesn't change much.

Now I get to relax for a few weeks. I didn't pick up any hardware, and it takes a long time to get to my name in the results, but I have a hat and a medal that say I got to the starting line, then got to the finish line, of the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championship race.

One more sleep

Now it's time to shake things out. I had run into one of the fellow swim club members last dinner, so we made a plan to meet for an OW swim this morning. I started off by attending a brief clinic put on by Lifesport coaching about OW tactics, then was off to get wet.

The first thing you notice swimming in the ocean is the extra buoyancy of the salt water. The next thing is the taste of salt water, which is not anything like pool or lake water. It's also the last thing you notice, since it's not going to leave you for a while. I just wanted a reasonably brief effort, so I went about halfway out on the course, cut across to the homestretch, then back in. It was around 8:45 am at this point, and coming back the beach was directly into the sun. It made navigation pretty tough. I'm not sure how that will play out tomorrow. I hope the sun is low enough at 7:30 to 8 (my expected swim window) that I can see all the way through.

After a quick bite to eat and the athlete's meeting (brief course description and pleads from the head referee not to draft) I went for a short bike ride to make sure everything was in working order. I didn't go to the actual course, but followed some other roads south of the hotel. My position felt fine and the effort was good. Of course, there were a ton of other bikes out on the road. Big race weekends always have a neat feel when you can see so many of your fellow competitors out and about. There's a real feeling of camaraderie there, even if it's just a nod as you pass on the bike.

Then I went for a short run along the beachwalk to shake out the running legs. It was almost noon, and getting pretty warm. I felt loose, but the sun seemed to be draining my energy pretty quick. I'll need to stay up on my nutrition and hydration tomorrow if the weather is going to be the same.

A couple of "celebrity" sightings: I put on my wetsuit this morning fifteen feet away from Sister Madonna Buder. She was the oldest female competitor in the race, as she is in almost every race. It's hard to believe she's 78 when you see her. I almost felt like I should apologize for listening to Children of Bodom on the iPod while she was right there. Then, on the walk back to my hotel, I passed Dick Hoyt out for a walk with his wife. Another of the IM inspirational stories, and I'm right there in the same race. How cool is that?

Now this afternoon I'll pick up my wife from the airport, drop off my bike and T1 and T2 gear bags, and try to find someplace for the customary pre-race meal (spaghetti and meatballs). Can you feel the excitement?

Swim: 20 minutes
Bike: 30 minutes, zone 1-2, 2x90-120 seconds zone 3-4
Run: 15 minutes, EZ

Two days

Yesterday was a day of travel. Today was a day of (mostly) rest. No workouts, but enough walking with the various errands of the day to keep blood moving. I'll be out for some real loosening up tomorrow morning.

I started off my picking up my bike. It was shipped down a couple of weeks ago with a service that runs down for IMFL and Clearwater. It was a short walk from my hotel, so I got that out of the way early, so I could do any last-second tuning and turn my attention to other matters. Then I was off to the athlete village, for registration and souvenir shopping. The registration went exceptionally fast, I sat down with a volunteer who dumped out the package and we went through every item before putting it back into the envelope. There's a fair bit to keep track of with all of the gear bags and stickers and bibs, but it will be managed. Next stop was to go to the official Clearwater store and pick up some goodies. I ended up scoring a couple of shirts, coffee mug, and a toque to remind me of sunny Florida on the cold days.

In another expo tent I got wrangled into giving Powercranks a demo. They definitely feel different than regular cranks. Maybe it's because I learned to pedal circles years ago, but I got the hang of them pretty quick. They use the hip flexors more than normal, whether that's a good thing or a worthwhile training adaptation is open for debate. The demonstrator did mention that I probably wouldn't get much benefit to my cycling (since I already have the form it's trying to teach) but it might be able to help my running. That was actually refreshing honesty, since usually you'll hear that they will raise your FTP 40%, take 10 minutes off your marathon time, whiten your teeth and give you longer-lasting erections.

After a nap in the afternoon, it was time for the welcome banquet. A great buffet spread on the beach of Clearwater, just as the sun was setting. Not by the beach, but on it. Great set up. They went through the usual speeches, and the a local Boy Scout troop acted as Color Guard, and brought out the flags of all the nations with participants. This was probably the first huge "OK, this IS the World Championships" moment. Very cool.

Now I need to get me some sleep and finally beat this cold that's been hanging around too long.

Last legs

Well, this is it. Last workout here on the homefront. I hit the road in about 90 minutes, setting up a long day of travel. I'll get to Clearwater around 10:30 or 11 tonight. But it'll be worth all the miles. This morning was a cancelled swim, and a quick run with a couple of pick-ups to get things loose. All feels good, except for the breathing. Not that I'm struggling, but I can feel a difference from when I'm 100%. Not much I can do about it now. I'll drink lots of OJ on the plane, rest as much as possible, and hope the tropicalness of the Gulf Coast has some magical healing properties.

I don't know what my internet access will be like for the next few days, so even if you don't hear from me, assume all is well, and check me out on Saturday.

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph, w/2x90 seconds @ 8.5 mph, 3 minute recovery

Final preparations

I'm feeling slightly better, which is a nice way to say I feel good enough to get in a little bike ride tonight. There wasn't much going on, but it's better than another zero. An hour of mostly easy pedaling, with 4 short efforts at approximately race intensity. It was nice to see that my HR didn't spike too badly, only 3-5 bpm higher than I would expect at those efforts. Granted, 90 seconds isn't long enough to really see a raise in the heart rate, but at least I have some idea as to where I'll be on Saturday.

Bike: 60 minutes, w/4x90s @ 220w, 3 min recovery

#847

Race numbers are posted. That's me up above. Feel free to keep an eye on my progress over the course of the day. I'm in the second wave of M35-39, leaving at 7:30 am. With any luck, I'll be finishing before 12:30.

I'm having a lot of trouble keeping the motivation up right now. There are a few contributing factors. First, I don't think I had myself ready for the logistical challenges of racing on the other side of the country. I'm spending so much time thinking about what all I need to take, and how I'll get it there, and making sure it arrives, and contingency plans, and everything else that I'm burnt out with the idea. There's a ton of stuff to keep track of, and I hope that once I'm in Clearwater and settled, I'll be able to take a deep breath and get ready to race. Second, this sickness is killing me. If I weren't racing, I wouldn't put any mind into it, since it's a fairly minor cold at this point. But I am racing, and I'm racing a kind of big race, so that makes the cold a big deal. I'm constantly wavering on whether to do a workout or not, whether to add any intensity, how much this all will cost me Saturday morning, if I'll be able to use heart rate to manage the bike leg, and Lord knows how many other things I've built up in my own head. I knew going in that I wasn't going to be winning anything, but with even my modest goals being pushed further out of reach, it's getting a little depressing. Again, if this can clear in the next day or two, I think I'll be able to get my mind right.

One nice little serendipitous boon is my actual race number. It's a good combination, since #84 was my number at Muskoka, and 7 is a regularly recurring positive number in my life. In the words of Carl Spackler, "So I have that going for me, which is nice."

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

I just couldn't handle any more zeros in the workout log. I had to do something today, so although I skipped swimming this morning, I hit the treadmill for a brief workout this afternoon. The pace was relatively easy, of course my heart rate was extraordinarily high, but that's how things are going to be it seems. I haven't been able to shake this cold in 5 days so far, and I although I'm improving slightly every day, it's unlikely I'll be 100% by Saturday morning. Unless just arriving in Florida has some wonderful healing properties, any expectation I had for this weekend are right out the window. "Not last" will be a lot harder goal to accomplish than I had originally planned.

Run: 3 miles @ 7.9 mph

Where did you go?

I often title posts after songs that I was listening to during the workout, but there wasn't any Mighty Mighty Bosstones this morning. Instead, I have to answer for why there haven't been any posts for the last two days. Well, as it turns out, I'm the worst taperer of all time. Before Disney, I caught the flu. Before Muskoka, I wrecked my foot. This time, I've caught a bad cold that's kept me from work for two days, and I was just able to drag myself onto the trainer for an easy spin this morning. I guess if I can get back to normal, at least I'll be fully rested next weekend.

It was only a sixty minute ride, all zone 1 by level of effort, although my heart rate was all zone 3-4. That's what illness will do to you. Maybe I won't be able to pace myself off HR during Worlds.

Right now, I'm just trying to get myself right. Not much else I can do at this point. This isn't quite how I wanted to end my season, but it is what I have to deal with.

Bike: 60 minutes, zone 1 (effort), zone 3-4 (HR)