Getting back at it....

It really seems like it has been a whirlwind couple of months. Since the last time I posted I got a new job, moved 900 miles, fell in love, found out I am going to be an uncle and lost a dear family member. So needless to say the normal routine I had become accustomed to was suddenly thrown out the window.

As I look back though, I am starting to realize that maybe that is not such a bad thing. Over time during training the body becomes accustomed to the workouts we do, especially if we stay in the same routine over and over. Because it gets used to it we begin to see diminishing returns and start to plateau. While the changes over the last few months have definitely been interesting to becomes accustomed to, it also has given me the opportunity to take a step back and re-evaluate my progress and mix things up a little bit.

There are basically three things at a minimum I need to make sure I have access to: pool, bike, running

1) Pool - check! Although I live in the middle of North Central Kansas now, in a place that is a fair distance away of anything resembling a city I was lucky to find a pool close enough to me that I can still swim a couple mornings a week. Now the 5am workout has moved to 6am since that is the earliest the place opens, but nevertheless I can still swim. Its indoors, heated, and has a great staff there.

2) Bike - check! Of course I still have my bike. However when I was living in Texas I could bike outside pretty much year round. Obviously that may not be possible in the middle of winter here. However for X-mas last year my awesome mom hooked me up with a bike trainer. So now I can set my bike up in my basement and ride to my hearts desire. Even if it is blowing snow and ice outside.

3) Running - check! Like the bike, when I was living in Texas I could pretty much run outside year round, which was a big thing for me because I HATE running on a treadmill. And once again, running outside in the middle of winter may be a touch challenging here. So I broke down and got myself a treadmill(albeit a used one), so on those really nasty days I can still get some type of running in, even if I do feel like a hamster on a wheel.

Now that I still have the three minimum fundamentals it is time to get back into a structured workout routine. I have already jump started it by signing up for a half marathon in less than a month from now. 28 days to be exact. Which is something that I need considering I have the Houston marathon in just over 3 months. 92 days to be exact. I am not too worried about it.....yet. I have run a marathon before and even though I hope to improve my time from last year, I at least know what to expect this time around(like the dreaded wall around mile 20).

And all that then leads into the main event, Ironman Texas. Exactly 217 days away. It seems like plenty of time to put in the adequate training, but I am sure those days will fly by faster than I can imagine.

It definitely going to be interesting getting used to a new routine in a new environment with its own set of new challenges, but you know what....I am getting back at it!

It's official...

....I know this post is a little delayed, but it has been quite the busy summer so far, and it doesn't look like it going to slow down any time soon.

But most of you probably already know that I am officially registered for Ironman Texas!! It is signed, sealed and delivered. 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run...all in under 17 hours

Yeah that's right 140.6 miles in one day under your own power.

It is still hard to believe sometimes that I am really going to do this. It has been quite the journey the past 2 + years. 26 months ago I hadn't even run my first 5k. In fact I could barely run a mile without thinking I was going to die.

And now I am officially signed up to try my hand at possibly the toughest one day I will ever go through both physically and mentally.

Although I have put a ton of time and effort in, there is still a ton of work to do....in fact I am just getting started!

Ironman Kansas 70.3 - Race recap

There comes a time when racing, that no matter what kind of training time you put in, no matter how much you prepare yourself, and no matter how much you are dialed in come race day, the conditions can prevent you from ever having a PR(personal record).

Last weekend in Kansas happened to be one of those days. I was feeling pretty confident coming into the race. I had finished with a PR in Galveston just two months before, and with the training I had done over the last two months to help fix a couple things, I was confident I would finally break 6 hours at the 70.3 distance. However Mother Nature had other things in mind. 

We had been keeping a close eye on the forecast in the days leading up to the race, and every time we checked it was pretty much the same bad news. Very windy and very hot. FML

Swim - So of course race morning the swim was pretty choppy. The wind was already blowing pretty good before 7 am which of course we all knew meant this was going to be a long tough day. 7:30 rolls around and we get in the water and within a minute or two the gun goes off and we are on our way. The swim for the most part was pretty uneventful. I only got kicked in the jaw once. After breaking free from the initial chaos in the first couple hundred meters I was able to settle into a pretty good rhythm and make my way past some of the slower swimmers. In the end I ended up going a couple minutes slower than I had hoped, but considering every athlete I heard talk about the swim talked about how much it sucked I figured my time could have been way worse. 

Swim time - 41 minutes 57 seconds

Bike - I knew coming into this race the bike was going to be challenging. It was a pretty hilly course and some of them seemed to have some pretty decent inclines to them. I do most of my bike training in the Texas Hill Country so I felt confident I was going to be ready for them. Hills are challenging enough by themselves, but on this day not only did we have to deal with hills we also had to deal with 25-30 mph head winds as well. There was one point at mile 40 where we had a half mile or so long hill with a decent climb where we were riding straight into the wind. I had more than a few select four letter words slip out of my mouth during that portion of the race. At one point another competitor and I were riding next to each other, and all we could do was shake our head in disbelief with how bad the wind gusts were. 

All things considering given the conditions I was still very pleased with my bike time. I really pushed hard on the bike, and there were several times I had to dig deep to find a little extra to keep pushing as hard as I was. The temperature was starting to rise quickly towards the end which didn't help things either. But I was just about done, and never before had I actually been looking forward to a 13.1 mile run so much. At that point I just wanted out of the wind and off the bike. 

Bike time - 3 hours 9 minutes 44 seconds. 17.71 mph pace 

Run - 

When we hit the run course the mercury was already pushing 90 degrees, and there was really NO shade on this run course. I had done a pretty good job with fluid intake on the bike, but I knew I was going to have to drink way more than normal on the run to stay somewhat hydrated. I hit the run course feeling pretty good and made my way through the first mile. I looked down at my GPS and saw I was running WAY to fast and needed to back it off if I wanted to be able to finish in once piece. About that time I also started feeling my right leg beginning to cramp up, but luckily I was also coming up on a water station. I grabbed my salt tabs I had and started taking in both water and Gatorade. It definitely help keep the cramping at bay at that moment. 

This was a race coming in I was really hoping to make a big jump forward on my run from the last race, but 1 mile in I knew that wasn't going to happen. The conditions weren't going to allow it. I made a decision at that point I needed to race smart and not push the limit too far if I was going to finish. So every water station I slowed down to a walk just so I could take in enough fluids. I would drink 2 cups of Gatorade and about 4 cups of water each station. This was just about the perfect thing to do as I could keep a somewhat decent pace in between stations without cramping up at all. 

This run course was awesome as it went through the campground area at the lake, and my family had come down and set up the camper right along the course. There is nothing more helpful than having a cheering section there to support you when you are on the run. Every time I was able to run by it injected a shot of energy in that helped push me. The last time we would go past them it was at the 12 mile mark on the run, which was perfect because it fueled us the last mile towards the finish line. After going past the last time I knew the finish line was just around the corner. 

After crossing the finish line and stopping I ended up getting a little bit of jello legs going on. I didn't cramp or anything, I just felt like I was trying to walk on wet spaghetti noodles. Definitely an interesting feeling, but after a few minutes I was able to get my legs back underneath me. 

Run time - 2 hour 26 minutes 56 seconds. 

Overall I am content with where I ended up. I was still able to finish in under 6 hours 30 minutes and I finished in the top half overall of all the 1500 competitors that day. It was definitely a humbling experience, but also one I know that is necessary from time to time. It just helps fuel that drive to put in the training and make sure you are even more prepared.

Overall time - 6 hours 24 minutes 38 seconds 

Overall rank - 626

I need to give a couple shout outs from this last weekend. 

First off I want to thank my family for making it down. Its always awesome to see you, and I am glad you got to come down and see me race. Racing has become a pretty big part of my life, and none of it would be possible without your support. So thanks to my grandparents, my mom and my sister and her husband. I am glad you guys could be there.

A second thanks to my buddy Travis who also made it in from Kansas City that day to support. It was awesome you could make it and I really do appreciate it. I know it must have been rough sitting there drinking beer all day watching us bike and run our asses off, but I am very glad you could make the sacrifice!

A shout out to my buddy Jarod(Shake and Bake!!) - Jarod pulled a muscle about a week or two before the race putting him in a less than ideal situation heading into race day. But he really dug deep to finish strong on a really really tough day. He deserves some props for sticking through it all day when most people probably wouldn't have. 

A shout out to my friend Cody Sasek. Cody completed his first 70.3 triathlon that day(and only second triathlon ever), and he pretty much kicked ass the entire day. In fact I would be lying if I said I wasn't extremely envious of you being able to come out and have the day you did in those conditions. Now the question is are you coming over to the dark side of triathlons or are you going to stick primarily with running races? lol

Couldn't do it without you Mom!

Today being Mothers day, I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge someone. Without them none of this would all be possible. Of course its my mom, Jody Oltman!

Mom I want to say thank you for all the support you have given me, not over the last couple years with my training and races, but everything you have done for me my entire life Without you none of this would be possible, and I just want to say Thank You, and I love you.

Thank you for supporting me in my journey to not only become an Ironman, but adapt to a completely different lifestyle than what I been accustomed to pretty much my entire life. With every race and training day you have been supporting me and encouraging me. Even though I am sure there have been times you have been skeptical when I have signed up for some of these races (and really I am sure everyone has including myself at one point or another) you have never shown it. It hasn't always been easy, but knowing that support is there helps keep me motivated.

You are an amazing mom and for that I love you! I hope you have a great Mothers day!!

Race Recap: Kemah Triathlon

Another weekend, another race.

This last weekend I packed up my gear and made my way east to Kemah, TX for the Kemah Triathlon. Kemah is a nice little town about halfway between Houston, and Galveston. It sits right on Galveston bay, has a nice boardwalk area, and has a great set up for putting on a pretty unique race. It was my first time doing this race, and I can tell you it probably won’t be my last. But without further adieu I will breakdown the race for all of you that care (and you must since you are reading this, or you at least do a pretty good job of faking it).

Swim

I had mentioned this prior, but I was pretty excited for this race just for the simple fact it had such a unique swim start to it. They started loading up the 800 athletes competing in the Olympic distance division onto a huge paddleboat at 5 am. By 6 am we were departing the boardwalk area for our nice little (almost)mile trip out into the bay. Once out there it was going to be a mad rush to basically jump off the boat and start swimming your ass the (almost)mile back to shore.

Once we got out to the swim area, the pro’s got to go first. They were given a 5 minute head start and then it was going to be the mad rush all of us were expecting. Once it was time one of the volunteers in charge threw the doors open to the front deck area and starting shouting at the top of her lungs “GO GO GO”, then after that it was “LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT”. I was having a hard time figuring out whether I was getting ready to start a race or if I was arriving at my first day of boot camp. Regardless I had to keep moving. 

I walked up to the edge of the boat, took a quick look down to make sure I wasn’t going to land on anyone and jumped off. In past races where we have had to jump off piers or other objects into the water, I have always obliged with a cannonball, but given the current circumstances, I figured that might not be the best idea. Once in the water I started swimming as fast as I could to try and clear the boat, to make sure I didn’t end up a trampoline for someone behind me.

I have done quite a few races before with many different types of swim starts. And I must say this was actually the most intense one I had ever done. I am not going to lie, it was a lot of fun, but I am not sure I would recommend it to someone who is doing their first race.

As you can imagine, the water a mile off shore tends to be a little bit more choppy than the water you see coming into land when you are standing on the beach. This day there were some moderate winds which made the water even choppier resulting in a somewhat difficult swim. It took quite a bit to sight and make sure you stayed on course as you had to deal with the wind and current pushing you off. But the most difficult part I found was trying to get into a breathing rhythm. This was a challenge because multiple times when I would turn to breathe a wave would crash down on my face just as I was taking a breath. I think during the course of the swim I ended up swallowing a couple pints of seawater. Eventually I was able to time the waves a little better to avoid that, and before long I could see the shore right in front of me.

Swim time (.93 mile) – 32:30. This was a touch slower than I was hoping for. Based off my swim in Galveston I was hoping to be able to hit shore right about 30 minutes. Given the conditions of the wind and surf though, it could only be expected that swim time were going to be a tad slower than normal. So I am not too disappointed all things considered.

Bike

I know these past couple races have been along the coast area. And I know with that comes the expectation you are going to have to deal with some wind. It still doesn’t make it any easier though when you are pedaling into it. For the second straight race we hit the bike course going directly into a head wind, and a decent one at that. I remember what happened in Galveston to my legs and so I wanted to make sure I was able to conserve them as best as I could. It was frustrating to say the least. I was not going near as fast as I hoped and as I continued to look at my watch I noticed it was not going to be a good ride and I might not even finish the race under my goal which made me even more frustrated.

This course was pretty much a straight out and back course so I was able to get into aero position and try to hammer down as much as you could. I looked at my watch when I hit the turnaround point, and saw it took my just about 46 minutes to make it halfway. This did not make me happy one bit. But I knew that pedaling into a headwind on the way out, meant I was going to have a tailwind on the way back.

I took advantage of this the best I could. Once I hit the turnaround I dropped to my lowest gear and started cranking it out as much as I could. With the tailwind I was flying. I was passing people left and right, and I think the whole way back I only got passed by 3 other athletes. I was making up a lot of time and it was definitely making me happy knowing I was going to be able to salvage my bike time overall.

Bike time (24.85 miles) 1:19:54/19.1mph avg. Considering the headwind we had to deal with on the way out, and hitting the turnaround at around 46 minutes I was fairly pleased with this result. I worked hard to make up some time on the way back, but still left enough in my legs that I felt like I should be able to handle the run pretty well. I had made up enough time on the way back to put me into position to meet my overall goal so I was happy about that. I keep pushing and training to try and be able to hold a 20mph pace during one of these races. I still have some work to do, but I think I am trending in the right direction for sure.

Run-

Even with dealing with the wind I came off the bike feeling pretty good. I was able to get into a rhythm early and was holding down a pretty good pace. Most of the run course was pretty scenic as it took you through some of the nearby neighborhoods and then proceeded to take you onto the boardwalk and along the seawall. I was able to fall in behind a couple runners and pace off them and things were going along pretty well. The toughest part of the run was about mile 4. From mile 4 to just past mile 5 the course took you over a bridge that went over a waterway. Any of you that have been along the coast before know these bridges are pretty steep as they have to be high enough to accommodate certain sizes of boats beneath them. This was brutal on the legs. Not only did you have to climb it on the way across but once you came down the other side you had to turn around and go back across it on the way back to the finish line. I wanted so bad to just walk both times going up in, but I dug deep and pushed myself to keep running. After getting across the bridge(the second time) it was only about a mile to the finish and flat the entire way. I came across the last turn and kicked it in to sprint down the finishers chute. After I crossed the finish line I quickly looked at my watch and was happy to see I beat my goal by going sub 3 hours overall.

Run time (6.2 miles) 54:30/ 8:47 minute/mile pace. Overall I was very pleased with this run. I was sub 9 minutes and aside from the bridge I felt pretty darn good the entire time. The week leading up to the race I had a couple of the best runs I have had to date so I was pretty confident that as long as I didn’t fry my legs on the bike the run was going to be fine.

Overall time 2:52:08 – I had a goal coming into the race of 3 hours or less, and I accomplished that. There were times on the bike where it didn’t look like that was going to be possible. But I was able to stay focused and keep pushing to put myself in position to make it happen. All things considered I felt like it was a solid race. I don’t feel like I left much time out on the course. But at the same time I also know I am just beginning break into another level of what I can do. If I keep working and putting forth the effort and increasing the intensity I know I can continue to make strides.

In this race I finished in the top half of my age group. 28 out of 62. This race is a premier race for this area so it draws a lot of good competition. I don’t know if I will ever get to the point where I am competing for a place on the podium or not, in fact I highly doubt it, but I will keep working to try and find out.

So now I am about 5 weeks out from Half Ironman Kansas. Its time to get back to work.

I'm on a boat!!

Or I will be anyway. 

Yes its race week, which means the anticipation can start to build. I have a feeling this week I am going to experience slightly more just because I am admittedly pretty excited about this race. More so than I have been of really any race prior.

This weekend I am doing an Olympic distance triathlon in Kemah, TX. Its not as long as the Half Ironman races I have done with the distances for this weekend being a 1500 meter swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run. The thing that I am most excited about is the swim start. This will probably be one of the most unique swim starts you can do in the sport of triathlon, and the number of races where it is done can be counted on one hand.

Starting at 5am Sunday morning they will start loading up the 800 registered Olympic distance athletes onto "The Colonel" which is a paddleboat.

Once loaded it will proceed to paddle us out nearly 1 mile away from shore. Once the gun goes off the entire boat will unload in under 10 minutes as every athlete jumps off the front and takes off swimming for shore. 

This method of swim start has been made famous by the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon, and since this race is a qualifier for it, it only makes sense that the Kemah triathlon would do the same.

2 years and 110 pounds later...

2 years ago this month things changed for me. I didn’t have a revelation, or a health scare, or a moment of social humiliation (at least no more than usual). I just finally made the decision that something needed to change.

About 3 years ago I made a decision in my life to live life to the fullest and quit making excuses. If I wanted to travel somewhere I was going to go. If I wanted to do something spontaneous I was going to do it. I wasn’t going to hide behind excuses and I wasn’t going to try and justify things with flawed logic. If I wanted to do something I just needed to say “screw it” and do it. Eventually it came to a crossroads where I had applied this to every part of my life except one.

Remember this guy? 

Yeah me either.

2 years ago I hit that crossroads. I knew if something was going to change, and I was going to get into shape, I needed to say “screw it” and quit making excuses or trying to justify things with flawed logic as to why I couldn’t. And so I did.

I don’t want to sound like I am tooting my own horn here, but the thing I am most proud of is I did it the right now. There were no quick fix surgeries. There was no reality TV shows. There were no fad diets or magic pills. And there were no monetary rewards dangling there to try and motivate me. It was up to me to keep myself motivated for no other reason than I wanted to, that I wanted to see something different when I looked in the mirror. I made the commitment to healthy eating and exercise knowing if I really stuck with it, it would eventually pay off. I had seen friends of mine do it, and I knew I could to. 

I’m not going to lie, this past week I have been thinking a lot about the last 2 years. About where I am now and how far I have come, and frankly what I still have left ahead of me. I know looking back at the past I should be proud (and I am to a point) of what I have done. I have definitely come a long ways. Down 110 pounds, 10 inches off my waist, and down 4 shirt sizes. But somehow I am still thinking of where else I can get to. Can I lose another 10 to 15 pounds to get to a faster race weight? Can I run a full marathon in under 4 hours? Most importantly can I complete a full Ironman? If I do is it going to be good enough? I guess time will tell.

Half Ironman Galveston - Race Recap

Well another race is in the books. It was definitely a tough and challenging day but overall pretty good.

If I had to pick a one word theme for the overall race I would probably say: Painful. It was hot, windy, and challenging both physically and mentally. And because of that it was a great race because I was able to learn a lot not only in regards to adjustments to make going forward, but also in realizing how far I have come with my training and racing.

So without further adieu its time to break down the race:

Swim

One word summary: Outstanding

More than one word summary: The swim was a salt water swim in a protected bayou just off the Moody Gardens resort. The wind can still cause a little bit of a current that can push you out away from the course if you aren't careful, but as long as you sight properly it wasn't too bad. The swim was pretty uneventful except for the one inadvertent punch to the face I took from another swimmer, but that is to be expected in a mass swim start.

Its no secret that I spend a lot of time in the pool, 3 morning a week for an hour each morning to be exact. I obviously swim a lot of laps and do a lot of work to try and swim more efficiently. Well Sunday morning I was able to see some of that work pay off. In my first two Half Ironmans I have shown improvement in my time but still had not broke under 42 minutes for the 1.2 mile swim. Well that changed on Sunday.

Swim time: 39:37

Bike

One word summary: Windy

More than one word summary: F&@king windy! The Galveston bike course is bitter sweet all at the same time. It is pancake flat almost the entire way, but it is notoriously windy since the entire ride hugs the coastline all the way down the seawall. There are no turns or navigation to worry about you ride straight out 28 miles and then hit the turnaround and ride 28 mile straight back.

This year we head out on the course and the wind was blowing in a direction where it was a slight crosswind, but predominately a head wind. I could tell right from the start it was going to be a challenging first half to the bike, but I knew if I paced myself and conserved my legs a little bit once I hit the turnaround that headwind would be a tailwind and I could take advantage of it to make up time on the way back.

It took me a little longer than I hoped to hit the halfway point, but considering it was a pretty decent headwind I wasn't going to worry about it too much because 1) I still rode the first half faster than I did last year, and 2) I was going to have a tailwind to help me out on the way back. I am not going to lie, the tailwind was amazing. I was able to gear down and really start clipping along and making up some time. Things in fact were going awesome until mile 40. That is when the wind changed directions and the tailwind we had, turned into a headwind once again. Needless to say I had a few choice four letter words to let out.

I knew the headwind was really going to take a toll on my legs considering I had already put 28 miles into a headwind before the turnaround. But there is nothing I could really do about it except put my head down and grind out the next 16 miles and hope I had enough in my legs for the run. Even with the headwind for 44 of the 56 miles I was able to improve my bike time from the last two half ironman races I had done.

Bike time: 3:05:19 - 18.13/mph

Run

One word summary: HOT!

More than one word summary: I first have to say, I love doing this run course. It is all within the confines of Moody Gardens. Its a little over a 4 mile loop that you run 3 times. It is filled with spectators and the cheering crowds are always greatly appreciated(special shout out to mine to follow a little bit farther down). At that point of the race any type of encouragement makes a huge difference and its great to be able to have that pretty much the entire loop.

The one thing that does not have is much shade. So when the sun comes out it gets hot, especially when it its a high humidity day like Sunday was. For as windy as the bike course is you don't get much on the run. In fact when the sun comes out you pretty much feel like you are running in a oven. Sunday's run was tough. Very tough. It was tough for a couple reasons. You had the heat, the humidity, and of course you were coming off a very windy bike course that took a toll on your legs. I felt horrible when I got off the bike. My legs hurt, my back hurt, and my neck hurt. Running was the absolute last thing I wanted to do.

I quickly changed into my running shoes, and after a stop off at the porto-john I was off on the run course. Did I mention I felt horrible? In fact I don't think I felt that bad since my very first triathlon I did two years ago, but I continued to power on. In fact even feeling as bad as I did I was able to run the first five miles of the run portion at a sub 9 minute mile pace. It was a mental and physical struggle but I was holding the pace down pretty well up to that point. However just after mile 5 is when my legs started to catch up to me. My pace slowly started to climb and I definitely started to get frustrated.

I wish I could tell you how I felt for the next 5 miles after that, but I was pretty much in a haze. I remember seeing my cheering section as I went past their tailgate area, but outside of that I don't remember much. I was hot, sweaty, in pain, and pretty much zoned out. I did keep running, albeit it a little slower than I hoped, but hell at that point any type of running was better than walking.

Finally I was almost a mile into my last lap. I hit my cheering section with about 3 miles left to go. Gave them a thumbs up, hit the beach ball back to them as I ran by and buckled down to finish the run.

Run time: 2:17:37 - 10:30 minute/mile

P.S.- That run time is the same amount of time it took me to run my first half marathon 18 months ago. And that was without swimming or biking before hand.

Total time: 6:09:54 - I was really hoping that I could break under 6 hours for this race, but all things considering (taking over 16 minutes off my half ironman time from Nov, and almost an hour off my time from this course last year) I will definitely take it.

I learned a lot during this race. Not only getting my pacing and nutrition dialed in to almost where I need it to be, but being able to push myself through the times when my body is feeling bad, not just physically but mentally. The mental aspect of this sport is such an important component if you are going to have any type of success. In fact more times than not you are going to hurt during races, its what you do during that point that really lets you know what you are made of.

I need to give a few shout outs to some pretty awesome people:

My cheering section! The whole Lance Armstrong craze stole their spot on the front page of the paper this year, but they still rocked it out just as hard, if not harder than last year. Jody Oltman, Alicia Kerr, Shawn Pohlmann, Justin "shirts are for work" Pohlmann, and Lauren Blair. You guys rock. You have no idea how much difference it makes to have someone cheering you on during a race like that. I wouldn't have been able to do it as well without you all!

My mentor Jarod Meinheit! This was the guy that talked me into my first triathlon, and I haven't looked back since. He was also there racing this race so he can vouch for the wind and the heat. But seriously, none of this would have been possible without his help.

The Tri-sition area! This is shop I go to here in San Antonio, and I can not say enough good things about them. Not only do they have great group training sessions I take full advantage of, but they always get my bike ready to roll for me before every race with a tune-up and any adjustments. I would recommend them to anyone!

So where does that leave me now? Well at the end of this month I am going an Olympic distance triathlon. It will help me work on my speed a little bit before Half Ironman Kansas which is a little over 8 weeks away. I am very excited for that race for two reasons.

1) I am really hoping I can register a sub 6 hour Half Ironman. I think if I work hard the next two months I might be able to make it happen.

2) By the time Half Ironman Kansas is here, I will officially be registered for Ironman Texas 2013 and will officially be training for that!

Race week....let the anticipation begin....

Less than 7 days until Half Ironman Galveston. For everyone keeping score, this will be my third Half Ironman distance triathlon. This is also the course I did my very first Half Ironman on as well which makes this race even more exciting for me.

But before we get to race day, I have to make it through race week. The crazy thing about race week is, at least for me, I love it and hate it all at the same time.

I love race week because I have put all the work in, now its time to relax a little bit and make sure I make it to the starting line fully healthy and fully recovered from the months of hard workouts. I love it because there is nothing quite like the feeling of going through pre-race registration, sizing up your competition, and checking your bike and getting your gear ready the day before.

I hate race week because of the anticipation. Because its race week, you don't go through the normal workouts that take up so much of your time. You don't put forth the intensity in your workouts because you don't want to wear yourself out. So you go from putting in miles and miles in the pool, and on the bike, and running, to barely doing anything at all. It can be quite the shock but also very necessary.

So here we are....race week. The last of the big workouts are done. My bike goes into the shop tomorrow morning for its final tune up. I will do a couple light swims Wednesday and Friday morning and a light jog on Thursday to stay loose, and then try to stay off my legs as much as I can on Saturday.

Sunday morning as the sun comes up over the palm trees the anticipation will be over and it will finally be race day.

Two Half Ironmans in a nine week span...

Its funny the reaction I get from people when they find out I do triathlons. Its even funnier to see their reaction when they find out I do long distance triathlons. It can range from "you're crazy....to you're stupid.....to that's awesome". But whatever the case its still entertaining to see how they react.

Last year I was very busy racing, doing pretty much a different race each month. Now for the most part these races were relatively short in distance. My two majors races of last year were at the beginning and the end of the season with the middle filled with intermediate and short distance races. Well this year the ante is getting upped a little bit, thanks to an agreement I have with my buddy Jarod!

I have the Half Ironman in Galveston on April 1st. To add to that I just officially registered for the Half Ironman in Kansas on June 10th. Two 70.3 miles races nine weeks apart. I am also officially registered for an Olympic distance triathlon in between those two during the last weekend in April. Crazy I know.

But you know, sometimes you have to be a little bit crazy. You have to push yourself to the limits. You even have to push yourself past them. You only live once so why not make the most of it? Like I always say, "I would rather look back and say I wish I hadn't done something, instead of saying I wish I had".

Race recap: Polar Bear Duathlon

I said in my last post that race season is just around the corner. This morning was the start of the ramp up into Galveston. Even though this race was relatively short 2 mile run/15 mile bike/2 mile run it still helped me start to knock the rust off as I get ready for the Half Ironman in Galveston. 

I must say I was very pleased with the results this morning. All things considered I don't think I could have asked for better times or the improvement I have seen in the last few months. Its nice when you can see the work you put in pay off. 

Times and splits from this morning:

2 mile run - 14:27 - 7:14 pace per mile

15 mile bike - 45:27 - 19.8 miles per hour

2 mile run - 15:18 - 7:39 pace per mile 

Four weeks out from Half Ironman Galveston I am pleased with where I am sitting. I have some more work to do over the course of the next month, but I definitely think I can make some improvements before April 1.

Even though I was pleased with today....starting tomorrow morning....its back to work....

Race season is just around the corner

Its almost here, and honestly I can't wait. The anticipation is killing me.

Race season is almost here. In fact some people may argue my race season never ends, and that is probably true to an extent. But in my mind, even though I do other types of races, my season is triathlon season. And by God it can't get here fast enough. Ever since I did my last triathlon, a half ironman the first weekend in November, I have been looking forward to this race season and the goals I hope to accomplish.
 
And this year I am jumping in head first. My first triathlon of the year is a 70.3 Half Ironman. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run (70.3 miles total). Last year I did this same race, but I was able to schedule a couple shorter distance triathlons to ease into the season. This year not so much. Its going to be my first one. And dang it, it can't get here fast enough!! This is one of my top 3 races I am doing this year. An "A" race as people like to call it. One I have had circled on my calendar since last year. Like I said, jumping in head first. And dang it, it can't get here fast enough.

Yes I am doing a duathlon this weekend. Just a short one, 2 mile run, 15 mile bike, 2 mile run. It will help me start to shake the rust off and get me primed for the first of April in Galveston. So even though technically I am doing a race I still don't consider it the "start" to my "season.

But if anything it will help calm this anticipation that has been building since my last triathlon in November. Because dang it, race season is just around the corner, and it can't get here fast enough!!!

Back to work...

Well its that time. My rest and relaxation is over and it is time to get back to work. My two weeks off from running is over and as of today I have less than 60 days to get ready for Half Ironman Galveston on April 1. Its the official kickoff to my triathlon season in 2012. 

It seems like a decent amount of time, but I know it is going to be here before I know it. I am excited for this years race for many reason but the chance for comparison being the first. Last years Half Ironman in Galveston was my first, and I am anxious to have another benchmark to compare my improvement against. I try not to get too wrapped up in certain performance expectations. I have learned in pretty much all aspects of my life the minute I get excited about something I usually end up getting let down and disappointed. So when it comes to races I try to temper my excitement and my expectations.

With that being said I would be lying if I said I didn't have a specific goal in the back of my mind for this years race. And it might be a pretty ambitious one so that is why I think it be best if it stays an unspoken goal until after race day.

Regardless I have less than 60 days to put myself in position to achieve it. Its going to be a lot of work, but damn its going to be fun.

Houston Marathon - Race Recap

Well I did it. I toed the starting line of the Houston Marathon and broke the tape at the finish 4:24:51 later.

First off, and this is just my opinion so take it for what it is, anyone that is ever considering doing a major race whether it be a marathon, triathlon, or anything, my suggestion is finding a large race to do. It may cost a little more, but it is well worth it. The production behind it is amazing. They make you feel like a rock star from beginning to the end. Small local races are great for training, fun, or just something to do. But if you are going to do something for the accomplishment make the most out of it.

This being my first marathon I wasn't sure what to expect. I had done my training and tried getting in enough long runs, but this was still going to be my first time running that far or for that long. But all I could do was trust that I had put enough work in and everything was going to be fine.

The beginning of the races are always frustrating. There are so many people packed in it can be tough to get around people that are running a slower pace than you. This race was no different. But that is also the nature of the beast so you just have to deal with it the best you can. The first couple miles of the race were pretty uneventful as I settled into my pace and tried to deal with the traffic as best I could.

The course for the most part was generally flat. There were some slight hills in a couple spots but nothing too major which was nice. At mile 9 the course split and the half marathon runners turned back and headed towards the finish line as the marathon runners kept continuing their 26 mile jog. It is funny because the very first half marathon I ran was the same type of course, and I remember thinking at that point how much it would suck to be a marathon runner and have to keep going. Fast forward to yesterday and I was actually looking forward to the split just because it would reduce the crowd of runners you had to deal with.

I was still feeling really good hitting the halfway point of the race. The legs were good, my energy was good, and I was over the halfway hump.

Marathon runners always talk about hitting "The Wall". It usually happens around mile 20-21. Its that point where not only physically but mentally everything becomes more challenging. You feel like you should be close to the finish line, but in all reality you still have about a hour of running left. I of course was not immune to it, and it started hitting me right before the 20 mile mark. I could tell my pace was slowing down a bit. I knew that I was still ahead of my goal so I had a little cushion if I needed to slow down a bit, but was hoping I didn't have to. I kept checking my watch and trying to hold my pace the best I could, but I admit it was starting to be a little bit of a struggle.

Luckily something good happened at that point. A girl came running up next to me who was about my same height, and had almost an identical stride to mine. She was running about a 9:30-9:45 pace. I was able to tuck in behind her and match her stride for stride and pace off her. This was a godsend, I didn't look at my watch or I didn't have to concentrate. I was able to really just zone out as I kept pace with her. I was able to keep pace with her until mile 24 when I started falling back as I was really feeling it in my legs.

About the mile 25 mark is when the course brought you back into downtown Houston. It was the homestretch, it was filled with spectators, and I was almost done. Its funny at that point everything just kind of disappeared. The soreness, the tightness, the lack of energy. I was getting that final adrenaline rush. Finally with a half mile to go I really started soaking everything in. I was smiling. I was waving to spectators and I was almost to the final turn into the finish chute. Once I hit the final chute, it was about a block long before you hit the finish line and I just took off at a dead sprint until I crossed the finish with a big smile on my face.

I got to say, the race wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I am not going to run out and run another one soon, but I won't say I wont ever run one again.

The last half mile of the race I really made sure to soak it all in and enjoy it. I have come a long way in the last year and a half and I would have never thought I would ever try to run a marathon, let alone complete one. But with the being said, the marathon wasn't the goal. The Ironman is, and this is just the start of that journey.

I will take a couple weeks off from running or biking. I will still swim, and then at the beginning of February its back to triathlon training. I am officially signed up for the Half Ironman in Galveston on April 1. I am hoping to improve my time from my last half ironman, and it is going to take some work.

A special shout out to Shawn and Justin Pohlmann for heading down and cheering me on at the finish line! You guys rock!

2 days, 19 hours...

...thats how long it is till I toe the starting line at the Chevron Houston Marathon.

Crazy I know. Even hard for me to believe.

I am sure it will get worse in the next couple days. I am sure the anxiousness will be palpable come Saturday morning when its time to get checked in and I am sure when I am sitting around the hotel Saturday night I will be a nervous wreck.

But I also know at this point, everything is what it is. I have followed my training plan as best I could. Has it been enough? Should I have done more longs runs? Should I have done more speed workouts? Should I have changed my diet? Should I have given myself more recovery days? Won't know till Sunday, but there is nothing more I can do at this point.

So with the being said, I guess its time to just sit back and relax for the next 2 days and 19 hours.....cause once I toe that line I will get my answers whether I like them or not.