Why Fargo? People may ask...well after going to school in Fargo at North Dakota State and most of my family living in the town it is more like why not. I ran the half marathon in 2005 and the full marathon in 2009 and 2011. Coming back this year for my 3rd full marathon in Fargo. Thus far my experience has been a great one, the atmosphere of the race and the race being changed to to floods or road construction. My Dad is always out there volunteering at one of the intersections and I see most of my family along the 26.2 miles of Fargo.
This year was a little different just coming off racing Ironman St George two weekends ago I wasn't even sure I was going to run the full.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
IMSG Part III
Run 4:11:03
Taking you back over the last four weeks, I experienced pain in my knee due to ITB. I was heading out on a long 18 mile run and after about 8 miles it took a turn south and it took all I could just to walk through the pain back to my house. I was unsure of how to train with this type of injury, trying a number of things from decreasing volume to using an elliptical. Nothing seemed to help so I sought out a Sports Medicine Doctor whom I had become to know very well. I under went an injection in my knee and physical therapy for the last 2 weeks prior to the race. So I was pretty much going into this race not running more then 6-7 miles at one time. I was hoping to just push through any pain I had and run the race like I had plan/trained too. Walking wasn't an option.
As soon as I got on the run course, Jess was there and said a few words of encouragement, which I needed at that point in time. The pain had already set in during the first 20 steps of the race. I started at a pace I had trained for which was around an 8:30 pace. The first 3 miles I continued to keep with in this pace while stopping at every aid station to grab water, Ironman Perform and ice. The temperatures were still in the 80's and with the run course being in town we were protected from the winds that harassed us on the bike. The pain increased with every step. I did a quick assessment on pace vs pain, I found by slowing my pace by :30-:45 seconds per mile the pain was less, still discomforting but less. So I rolled with that and tried to enjoy the race. The course was a 3 loop course with 4 out and backs on each lap... and yes it was brutal but the crowd made up for it. During my first loop (8.7 miles) I was mostly trying to get comfortable in my pace. I was able to see the support crew twice during that time which really helped. As I began my way up Diagonal Hwy, I was watching some athletes coming down just about to finish the bike course and just before I turned around to head back, I saw a familiar face from the Pikes Peak (P2) Tri Club, John (who I saw a number of times during the run where we exchanged words of encouragement to each other). When starting from the top of that out and back on Diagonal it is all down hill till you reach the bottom of the course, then back up hill, down hill, up hill etc for each out an back. I tried to maintain a steady pace overall by taking my time on the uphill and cruising the down hills. As I got back to the hub (Tabernacle and Main) of the run course, I saw another familiar face from P2 Tri Club, Tracy, who had taken me on some brutal bike rides as we trained up. I began to think of the others I knew on the course and hadn't seen yet, maybe I will see them on the second loop somewhere. As I began the second loop I came up on an athlete walking with the same KT configuration on his right knee. I asked "IT band", he replied "Yeah (with some pain in his voice) I told him "I hear you man, best of luck" he said "you too but looks like you are handling it better than me".
That seemed to lift my spirits, since I wasn't running as fast as I wanted to but at least I am not walking. During this loop I was taking water, ice, Ironman perform, orange slices and sponges from every aid station. I soon approached the 13 mile mark on the run course. All of my veteran Ironman friends told me once you get to that point the race is half over. At the time it sounded like some crazy logic.. I first need to go 127.5 miles to get to the half way point in a 140.6 mile race??... Well they were right after the first 13.1 mile on the run, all the adrenaline that was carrying me through was soon depleted. Now came the time for the heart and drive to finish this race to take over. It didn't help having to climb the next 3 miles on the course. My splits started to slow but I wasn't going to start walking, the pain intensified with every stride up that climb. I was able to get my mind and body in two places after I passed by my Support Crew (Jess, Dad and Noah). As you can tell from the picture it was a great boost to keep pushing. I finished the out and back up Diagonal. I came running down to the hub of the course there was the sign "Loops 1, 2, 3 <--- Finish -->". The volunteer at the sign reminded me I needed to go left to start the 3rd Loop. I let her know the next one I am on my way to the finish. She cheered and high fived me as I continued the course.
Since we are on topic of volunteers, I tried to say thank you to every single one of them. The support they gave the athletes during this event was outstanding. From the themed aid stations (superhero, Patriotic, beach, jungle, etc) on the run and bike course, to the little kids holding out drinks and sponges and all the words of encouragement. Being a member of the US Army Triathlon club, I love wearing my Army tri kit: 1- not many people have it so easy for the support crew to pick me out, 2- it always sparks up conversation with fellow athletes (prior service or currently serving) mostly "where you stationed, what do you do?"and 3- you always get to hear "Go Army Dude". Although I remember a female athlete wearing Navy Tri Kit as she passed me at the start of the run she sounded off with "Go NAVY".... ha ha little did she know I wasn't a USMA grad so that had no affect on me so I just told her awesome job and continued my bout with pain. The race support was great the crowd definitely kept the athletes going and there would be no race with out them.
During the 3rd loop there was some confusion with the support crew with the number of laps I had left and surprised with the pace I was running despite the pain they could see on my face. They had gone back to the condo to get my Mom and Eli. So I didn't see them during this loop. You could tell many of us were trying everything we could to get our minds off this last 8.7 miles. With the on going conversations reference "Well I would rather run an extra loop vs doing that swim again." The conversation between most athletes had to do with the swells in the water, the gust of wind that almost took them off the road or another athlete they knew that didn't make the cut off. Sadly, the realization of the other athletes I knew may have been one of those that didn't make the swim or the bike cut offs. I tried to side line that since I still had some ground to cover. Soon I came upon the 20 mile mark, surprisingly when you have been racing all day "the wall" most people hit in a marathon doesn't really have much affect on you. I kept running and kept pace very well. I made my out and on my final back on the last street (mile 22) before I made my way up Diagonal. As explain earlier with the down hill, now I am running uphill for the next 2.5 miles. The volunteers were cheering and the cow bells were going, even seeing some guys wearing totos (if you watched the video from IMSG one guy says "People take this race TOTO serious, so I thought I would bring the party"), the energy from the crowd was enough to push that last hill. I made it to the turn around and told myself its time to go with less then 2 miles to the finish.
I started to stride out, not feeling the pain anymore and took my last cup of water, ice and Perform through the last aid station. Water and ice went on me and the perform down the hatch. It was a pretty emotional 2 mile run back remembering all the miles in the pool, the long runs and long bikes, the countless hours where I was away from my family. Prior to the race I wanted to see how far I had actually gone which might give you a sense of the time I spent training for this event: 88.5 miles of swimming, 2125 miles on the bike and 377 miles running. This training consumed my mornings before work, lunches, evenings and weekends now it all was paying off, soon I will be crossing that finish line. I made it back to the hub where I ran back to T2 then I came back to the same volunteer and proudly yelled "Finish" she again gave me an awesome high five and directed me to the finishers' chute. With a swim through what felt like a hurricane, a bike that seemed like I was getting a wind tunnel test and a painful marathon I was finally in the finisher chute. I began to high five everyone that had their arms out and then I heard the voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly began to start my introduction. I felt great I wanted to finish strong so I used everything I had left to make that trip down the carpet. Soon I raised my arms and crossed that line, I had done it. Even with the conditions mother nature threw at us and fighting an injury the last 50 miles of the race I still made my goal time. It was an awesome feeling!! I wasn't sure if I was going to fall or not but there was a volunteer there for me in the event I did. She asked "are you ok?", I replied I think so she put the medal on my neck and another volunteer handed me my finisher hat and shirt. Wow, I was finally an Ironman!! To think it was just over 3 years ago I started in the sport of triathlon and now I just completed my first Ironman. The pain was gone now I was smiling from ear to ear. She said do you want to take a finisher photo? But of course I do.
My run data:
IMSG Run Data
After the Finish
Once that was done, we started the long walk (well not long but felt long I hadn't walked that much since 6:30 that morning) to the finisher area. We passed the medical tent and she asked me if I had anyone here at the race with me, I told her I had my family and they should be meeting me afterwards. We reached the food tent she asked again if I was OK I told her yes and thanked her again she congratulated me and headed back to catch more athletes. I made my way through the food tent grabbing some pizza, pretzels, fruit and chocolate milk. I walked a bit eating along the way. I realized how hungry I was so I tried to pace myself so I did get an stomach ache later. I finally grabbed a table, sat and waited for the support crew to find me.
Soon I saw my wife and kids along with my parents. It was a great reunion. Getting to hold both my boys, kiss my wife and hug my parents. We hung out tried to take a few pictures by that time the rush I had from finishing was soon gone along with the energy level so needless to say they didn't turn out well. We made our way to T2 to get my bike and bags from the day and began the walk over to my pick up and head back to the condo. The bike worked more like a crutch as we walked back, my Mom offered to take my bike but I wasn't going to part with it. Once back at the truck (which only has 5 seats), we loaded everything and then I climbed in the back with a blanket and sat down for the ride back. It was great, the long day was coming to an end. I was able to get out of the back and walk up the stairs to the condo, took a cold bath followed by a hot bath and changed in to some sweats. Then sat and talked with the family about the day and my experience. I then learned of some of my fellow athletes that didn't make it. It was a tough day for all and I am glad they are all trying another Ironman this year. It speaks volumes of an athlete to toe the line with this distance let alone this race in St George. I wish you all the best of luck as you continue your journey to finish your Ironman. I was soon fading after being up early and finally the batteries died on the couch. It was a great day, tonight I was sleeping as an Ironman.
Thanks
First and foremost I need to thank my wife, she has been the most supportive and lovely wife. I couldn't have done it with out you baby, I love you. Thank God for giving me the strength and endurance to compete. To my parents, with a 2500 mile trip to the event, thank you for supporting me and believing in me. To my friends, many of you have provided inspiration and even tips on my work outs, thanks. To my mentors, thanks for providing your experiences and guidance. To my coaches, you have made me a better athlete and I hope soon when I join the ranks I will be able to help athletes like you have helped me. It was a great ride but I am going to enjoy some family time before signing up for the next one. Thanks to all for following along it was an Epic Journey.
Cheers
Nate
Taking you back over the last four weeks, I experienced pain in my knee due to ITB. I was heading out on a long 18 mile run and after about 8 miles it took a turn south and it took all I could just to walk through the pain back to my house. I was unsure of how to train with this type of injury, trying a number of things from decreasing volume to using an elliptical. Nothing seemed to help so I sought out a Sports Medicine Doctor whom I had become to know very well. I under went an injection in my knee and physical therapy for the last 2 weeks prior to the race. So I was pretty much going into this race not running more then 6-7 miles at one time. I was hoping to just push through any pain I had and run the race like I had plan/trained too. Walking wasn't an option.
 |
| Coming out of T2 |
 |
| IMSG Run Course (8.7 mile Lap) |
 |
| High Five from my youngest on Lap 2 |
 | |
| On the 3rd loop, 2nd out and back |
During the 3rd loop there was some confusion with the support crew with the number of laps I had left and surprised with the pace I was running despite the pain they could see on my face. They had gone back to the condo to get my Mom and Eli. So I didn't see them during this loop. You could tell many of us were trying everything we could to get our minds off this last 8.7 miles. With the on going conversations reference "Well I would rather run an extra loop vs doing that swim again." The conversation between most athletes had to do with the swells in the water, the gust of wind that almost took them off the road or another athlete they knew that didn't make the cut off. Sadly, the realization of the other athletes I knew may have been one of those that didn't make the swim or the bike cut offs. I tried to side line that since I still had some ground to cover. Soon I came upon the 20 mile mark, surprisingly when you have been racing all day "the wall" most people hit in a marathon doesn't really have much affect on you. I kept running and kept pace very well. I made my out and on my final back on the last street (mile 22) before I made my way up Diagonal. As explain earlier with the down hill, now I am running uphill for the next 2.5 miles. The volunteers were cheering and the cow bells were going, even seeing some guys wearing totos (if you watched the video from IMSG one guy says "People take this race TOTO serious, so I thought I would bring the party"), the energy from the crowd was enough to push that last hill. I made it to the turn around and told myself its time to go with less then 2 miles to the finish.
 |
| IMSG Finish Official 12:14:40 |
I started to stride out, not feeling the pain anymore and took my last cup of water, ice and Perform through the last aid station. Water and ice went on me and the perform down the hatch. It was a pretty emotional 2 mile run back remembering all the miles in the pool, the long runs and long bikes, the countless hours where I was away from my family. Prior to the race I wanted to see how far I had actually gone which might give you a sense of the time I spent training for this event: 88.5 miles of swimming, 2125 miles on the bike and 377 miles running. This training consumed my mornings before work, lunches, evenings and weekends now it all was paying off, soon I will be crossing that finish line. I made it back to the hub where I ran back to T2 then I came back to the same volunteer and proudly yelled "Finish" she again gave me an awesome high five and directed me to the finishers' chute. With a swim through what felt like a hurricane, a bike that seemed like I was getting a wind tunnel test and a painful marathon I was finally in the finisher chute. I began to high five everyone that had their arms out and then I heard the voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly began to start my introduction. I felt great I wanted to finish strong so I used everything I had left to make that trip down the carpet. Soon I raised my arms and crossed that line, I had done it. Even with the conditions mother nature threw at us and fighting an injury the last 50 miles of the race I still made my goal time. It was an awesome feeling!! I wasn't sure if I was going to fall or not but there was a volunteer there for me in the event I did. She asked "are you ok?", I replied I think so she put the medal on my neck and another volunteer handed me my finisher hat and shirt. Wow, I was finally an Ironman!! To think it was just over 3 years ago I started in the sport of triathlon and now I just completed my first Ironman. The pain was gone now I was smiling from ear to ear. She said do you want to take a finisher photo? But of course I do.
 |
| Finally done! |
My run data:
IMSG Run Data
After the Finish
Once that was done, we started the long walk (well not long but felt long I hadn't walked that much since 6:30 that morning) to the finisher area. We passed the medical tent and she asked me if I had anyone here at the race with me, I told her I had my family and they should be meeting me afterwards. We reached the food tent she asked again if I was OK I told her yes and thanked her again she congratulated me and headed back to catch more athletes. I made my way through the food tent grabbing some pizza, pretzels, fruit and chocolate milk. I walked a bit eating along the way. I realized how hungry I was so I tried to pace myself so I did get an stomach ache later. I finally grabbed a table, sat and waited for the support crew to find me.
Soon I saw my wife and kids along with my parents. It was a great reunion. Getting to hold both my boys, kiss my wife and hug my parents. We hung out tried to take a few pictures by that time the rush I had from finishing was soon gone along with the energy level so needless to say they didn't turn out well. We made our way to T2 to get my bike and bags from the day and began the walk over to my pick up and head back to the condo. The bike worked more like a crutch as we walked back, my Mom offered to take my bike but I wasn't going to part with it. Once back at the truck (which only has 5 seats), we loaded everything and then I climbed in the back with a blanket and sat down for the ride back. It was great, the long day was coming to an end. I was able to get out of the back and walk up the stairs to the condo, took a cold bath followed by a hot bath and changed in to some sweats. Then sat and talked with the family about the day and my experience. I then learned of some of my fellow athletes that didn't make it. It was a tough day for all and I am glad they are all trying another Ironman this year. It speaks volumes of an athlete to toe the line with this distance let alone this race in St George. I wish you all the best of luck as you continue your journey to finish your Ironman. I was soon fading after being up early and finally the batteries died on the couch. It was a great day, tonight I was sleeping as an Ironman.
Thanks
First and foremost I need to thank my wife, she has been the most supportive and lovely wife. I couldn't have done it with out you baby, I love you. Thank God for giving me the strength and endurance to compete. To my parents, with a 2500 mile trip to the event, thank you for supporting me and believing in me. To my friends, many of you have provided inspiration and even tips on my work outs, thanks. To my mentors, thanks for providing your experiences and guidance. To my coaches, you have made me a better athlete and I hope soon when I join the ranks I will be able to help athletes like you have helped me. It was a great ride but I am going to enjoy some family time before signing up for the next one. Thanks to all for following along it was an Epic Journey.
Cheers
Nate
Saturday, May 12, 2012
IMSG Part II
Bike 6:40:20
The wind is a very elusive creature. Just when you think your day it going well it will jump up and make you feel like a day one cyclist. Striking you with nasty head wind or crosswinds strong enough to push you off the road way. I had ridden in wind before, hell I planned some of my rides to be in the wind but this day was a full frontal attack on my cycling skills and abilities. Originally, "the plan" was to nail a 6 hour bike split which was obtainable until I finished the first loop then it just got too far out of my reach.
The ride from Sand Hollow to St George was the least amount of climbing on the course I was averaging around 18 mph during this section with a variation of head and crosswinds. There were a few climbs and also some good down hill sections. I spent most of this leg (23 miles) getting in water/nutrition (I had packed fig newtons, Clif bar Shot blocks and 2 Hammer mixed fuel bottles) and just getting comfortable on the bike. The first aid station I took a bottle of water to refill my aero drink but realized it was mostly full thanks to Sand Hollow Reservoir for keeping me well hydrated during the swim. Completing the first leg of the bike, I saw my family set up on the side of the road but not quite ready for me yet so I popped up out of the aero to say hello. I began "the loop" of the course which is a steady climb for about 30 miles then a 14 mile section of downhill back in to St George. The winds seemed to have picked up as I battled to keep my bike on the road during cross winds and attempted to get as aero as I could during the head winds. It seamed like a long sufferfest during this section of the bike with the head winds and the climbs. But I had been training for these conditions so I was prepared and wasn't frustrated or disappointed I just kept focused. After the 3 previous times riding up "The Wall" in training, I had never looked more forward to a climb then I was at this point since I knew when I got to it I was going to have a tail wind to push me up it. I made the mile climb with 6-12% grades fairly easily. Once I got to the top I reached back to grab a fuel bottle...oh no... my cage was loose I didn't want to risk losing it 45 miles into the race so I stopped and tightened up the bolts with my allen wrench. Seemed to be good to go so jumped back on the bike and headed to Vayo (only losing 3 minutes on the stop). Once making the turn south out of Vayo there were two more steady climbs then an awesome down hill section back to town. The climbs were fairly easy with the tail wind but soon it was time to get my special needs bag which I packed another baggie of fig newtons, a shot block, hammer bar and a FRS energy drink. I got everything in my fuel box and held on to my FRS then threw my bag. I was able to down the FRS drink (rejuvenation) and then it was just a short climb before the down hill. Oh how fun the down hill was, I kept pedaling and was keeping speeds up in the 40's but just as I came down in to Snow Canyon I had a nasty gust that almost threw me off the road so I decided to slow down since I didn't need to add a crash to my Ironman experience. I had made up over 22 minutes on this section of the bike being only 10 minutes behind pace to make my goal.
As I began the second loop the winds seemed to have picked up. I remember on one section it felt like I was riding in front of a sand blaster for a few miles. The splits on the second loop seem pretty consistent with the 1st, I just tried to ride even despite the increase in winds. I did more self reflection on the 2nd loop then the first since I remember thinking when I first started training early in November I was on a climb (5-6% grade) just mashing the pedals and ended up having to walk my bike up the last section of the hill. Man the progress I have made, spinning up these hills even with a head wind. I was pretty positive during the bike. Once I knew the 6 hr bike split wasn't going to happen I began to think what I needed to get on the run to get in my goal time of 12- 12:30. I still felt great I was just hoping the the injured IT Band and the knee pain would stay away. I planned to take a 800mg of Motrin toward the end of the bike to keep some pain away during the run. As I made my way up the long climb, I starting to notice some discomfort in my knee and found myself back at the bottom of "the wall". I began my ascent and then I felt a sharp pain in my knee. It took all I could to keep the pedals turning. I had never had pain like this when riding only when I ran which led to me not running more than 7 miles the last 4 weeks. I used my left leg to do as much of the work as I could to reach the top. Realizing now is the time to take that Motrin. Reaching mile 90 on the bike I knew I had two more climbs then coast the down hill to T2. Now I thought, with shooting pain in my knee there is no way to run a marathon. But then I remembered a mentor tell me "Ironman is all about heart, if you want it bad enough". So I told myself walking is not an option, Nate you are going to run this marathon end of conversation. I reached back to the take the last pull of the fuel bottle I had left and as I pulled the bottle out the cage fell off my bike at that point I was so mad I just left it. When I finished my bottle I just held on to it until I got to the next aid station and chucked it. I took the next 5 miles easy and hydrating as I was letting the medicine absorb in the bloodstream prior to the run. I didn't push the downhills as fast so I could to let the legs rest for the run. I ended the loop and began my way to T2 along Diagonal Hwy which the run course is on as well. I remember seeing some of the pros but was just ready to get off the bike even though I was unsure how my knee would handle the run. As I approached T2 I could hear my name being yelled and noticed the support crew there waiting as I got off the bike.
T2 came up faster then I anticipated, being right after a turn, with out time to un-velcro my shoes, just decided to get off with them. I looked at the clock almost 8:12 then looked at my watch.. it was still set for the pros.. I was in T2 under 8 hrs!! With the winds and over 7,000 ft of climbing can't complain about that.Click the link to check out the data from the bike.
IMSG Bike Data
T2 6:41
As I ran to get my bag, a volunteer already had it in hand so no need to yell my number again. I grabbed my bag and made my way around the tent to the entrance. But then noticed the porta potties, yep better hit that up. I got that taken care off and headed in the tent, there were a ton of athletes in there but didn't seem to be in a hurry or even attempting to get ready for the run. I started to get my cycling shoes off, helmet off and then I had a volunteer dumping my bag out. I grabbed my compression sleeves, socks and got them on followed quickly by my shoes. I took out all the extra items I had in my top from the bike and put them in the bag. Then I realized that the group of athletes in the tent all missed the bike cut off, after hearing stories and not seeing any chips on their ankles. I got my visor on, headed out of the tent and to the sunscreen station this time I had about 4 females all hit me at once, of course being me I said "So how does this work do I pay you or do you pay me?" they all laughed and said good luck on the run. I realized I might need it and one more time "Gitty Up" as I crossed the mat to start the run.
The wind is a very elusive creature. Just when you think your day it going well it will jump up and make you feel like a day one cyclist. Striking you with nasty head wind or crosswinds strong enough to push you off the road way. I had ridden in wind before, hell I planned some of my rides to be in the wind but this day was a full frontal attack on my cycling skills and abilities. Originally, "the plan" was to nail a 6 hour bike split which was obtainable until I finished the first loop then it just got too far out of my reach.
 |
| Enjoying the start of the bike with a little head wind |
 |
| Climb up by Gunlock Reservoir |
As I began the second loop the winds seemed to have picked up. I remember on one section it felt like I was riding in front of a sand blaster for a few miles. The splits on the second loop seem pretty consistent with the 1st, I just tried to ride even despite the increase in winds. I did more self reflection on the 2nd loop then the first since I remember thinking when I first started training early in November I was on a climb (5-6% grade) just mashing the pedals and ended up having to walk my bike up the last section of the hill. Man the progress I have made, spinning up these hills even with a head wind. I was pretty positive during the bike. Once I knew the 6 hr bike split wasn't going to happen I began to think what I needed to get on the run to get in my goal time of 12- 12:30. I still felt great I was just hoping the the injured IT Band and the knee pain would stay away. I planned to take a 800mg of Motrin toward the end of the bike to keep some pain away during the run. As I made my way up the long climb, I starting to notice some discomfort in my knee and found myself back at the bottom of "the wall". I began my ascent and then I felt a sharp pain in my knee. It took all I could to keep the pedals turning. I had never had pain like this when riding only when I ran which led to me not running more than 7 miles the last 4 weeks. I used my left leg to do as much of the work as I could to reach the top. Realizing now is the time to take that Motrin. Reaching mile 90 on the bike I knew I had two more climbs then coast the down hill to T2. Now I thought, with shooting pain in my knee there is no way to run a marathon. But then I remembered a mentor tell me "Ironman is all about heart, if you want it bad enough". So I told myself walking is not an option, Nate you are going to run this marathon end of conversation. I reached back to the take the last pull of the fuel bottle I had left and as I pulled the bottle out the cage fell off my bike at that point I was so mad I just left it. When I finished my bottle I just held on to it until I got to the next aid station and chucked it. I took the next 5 miles easy and hydrating as I was letting the medicine absorb in the bloodstream prior to the run. I didn't push the downhills as fast so I could to let the legs rest for the run. I ended the loop and began my way to T2 along Diagonal Hwy which the run course is on as well. I remember seeing some of the pros but was just ready to get off the bike even though I was unsure how my knee would handle the run. As I approached T2 I could hear my name being yelled and noticed the support crew there waiting as I got off the bike.
 | |
| Coming off the bike in T2 |
T2 came up faster then I anticipated, being right after a turn, with out time to un-velcro my shoes, just decided to get off with them. I looked at the clock almost 8:12 then looked at my watch.. it was still set for the pros.. I was in T2 under 8 hrs!! With the winds and over 7,000 ft of climbing can't complain about that.Click the link to check out the data from the bike.
IMSG Bike Data
T2 6:41
As I ran to get my bag, a volunteer already had it in hand so no need to yell my number again. I grabbed my bag and made my way around the tent to the entrance. But then noticed the porta potties, yep better hit that up. I got that taken care off and headed in the tent, there were a ton of athletes in there but didn't seem to be in a hurry or even attempting to get ready for the run. I started to get my cycling shoes off, helmet off and then I had a volunteer dumping my bag out. I grabbed my compression sleeves, socks and got them on followed quickly by my shoes. I took out all the extra items I had in my top from the bike and put them in the bag. Then I realized that the group of athletes in the tent all missed the bike cut off, after hearing stories and not seeing any chips on their ankles. I got my visor on, headed out of the tent and to the sunscreen station this time I had about 4 females all hit me at once, of course being me I said "So how does this work do I pay you or do you pay me?" they all laughed and said good luck on the run. I realized I might need it and one more time "Gitty Up" as I crossed the mat to start the run.
Friday, May 11, 2012
IMSG Part 1
Ironman St George (5 May 2012)
What a day!! That would about sum it up if I could. At 7:14 that night in 12 hr 14 mins and 40 seconds I became an Ironman. The forecast for Saturday was mid 80s with 10 mph winds. But it turned into high 80s with 25 mph winds with gusts up to 40 mph. We started the race with 1432 athletes: 80 of them didn’t make it through the swim, 269 didn’t make it through the bike and 61 didn’t make it through the run. With almost 29% of the field getting a DNF, Notably St George has earned the title of the Toughest Ironman Course. And by far the toughest thing I had ever done in my life. Truly an Epic Journey!
Morning of:
That morning I woke up at 3:45 as planned to eat breakfast. After getting my breakfast down I did a final check on my wetsuit, swim cap, goggles, nutrition for my bike and my timing chip (of course). I went in to kiss the family as they slept. Then my Dad and I left to head down to Transition by the finish line to drop my special needs bag for the bike and catch the athletes’ shuttle (due to the swim being 21 miles from town) to the reservoir. I said good bye to my Dad, told him I would see him at the finish line, gave him a hug and loaded up on the bus with other athletes. It was pretty quite on the bus, couple people talking about the bike course and heard another guy say this was is 5th Ironman etc. Out of the group that started only 400 of us were Ironman virgins so I knew most of the people on the bus were vets. I put in my head phones, turned on my iPod while thinking about everything I had done up to this point. I was ready and it was time to apply all the long hours of training. Soon we arrived at Sand Hollow, I got body marked right away, headed over to my bike to put all my nutrition on for the day, pump up my tires and check over everything one last time. I had brought my pump with me so of course I made all kinds of friends that morning. I grabbed my pump and went down to find a few of my friends that needed a pump as well. We spent some time in conversation while applying sunscreen talking about the training and what we had been doing that week since arriving in St George. We all seemed ready with a number of long hard months of training behind us for this one race. Then it was about time to get ready, I headed back to my bike to get changed out of my clothes and in to my wetsuit, dropped off the morning clothes bag and headed toward the swim start. The transition area closed at 6:30 even though I was early getting out I wanted to be one of the first in the water to get good position. The Pro Athletes started at 6:45 and they hadn’t even started putting them in the water yet. So we just kind of stood in a corral like cattle. Once the pros got in the water to warm up the herd started moving down to the water. I heard the announcer say the water temp was 62 degrees. It was already a chilly morning so I knew I just need to jump in over my head get it over with and swim out the start line when I could. Just as we started to get in the water the countdown and the cannon went off for the pros. Then it seemed like a mad rush to get everyone in for the start in 15 minutes. I was glad I got in right away, just treading water next to the start buoys. I looked at my watch with less than 5 minutes left and many of the athletes are still close to the shore or standing on the sand bar (parallel to the shore line about 50 yards out). The weather was perfect just a slight breeze and I thought to myself this is going to be a good day. There were a number of boats, kayaks and body boards out to support the swim. The kayaks that were forming a line to keep athletes back began to move out of the way, it was getting close to finally starting this race. I said a quick prayer for strength, heart and safety. Closed my eyes and prepared my mind for the day to begin.
 | |
| Race Start: Calm before the storm |
Swim 1:10:31
BOOM!! The cannon went off. I was able to start with the front group leading out; I lined up to not be too close to the big red buoy which was going to be our first turn in 800 meters and avoid the bottleneck of swimmers making a 90 degree turn (which is like standing in line for the bath room sometimes). There weren’t as many people in the front as I thought so I just stayed on the feet of the athlete ahead of me and got set in a pretty comfortable pace. Once we made it to first turn I glanced at my watch to see I was right on pace to swim this just under an hour, I was going to swim faster in this race for 2.4 miles then I had in any other race. As we started to swim to the next turn which was only 350 meters, I began to feel some rocking motions coming from my left side, thinking to myself those boats are getting too close to the swimmers…so I looked up to yell at someone then realize there wasn't any boats around. It wasn’t too bad just had to make sure I stayed on line to the next turn. The closer we got to the turn the rougher the water was getting. By the time we turned for the long 1600 meter leg of the swim the swells grew to 4-5 ft. I had waves going over my head; it felt like swimming in a washing machine. I was thinking "you have got to be kidding me!!" it is a mile to the next turn this is going to be a rough leg of the swim.
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| Any picture or video couldn't do the conditions justice |
Pretty soon I hardly saw any other swimmers around me but didn’t think much of it at that time. I timed a wave (getting on top of it) to look ahead so I could get some bearing to where the next red buoy was. Then I remembered from the briefing, I just needed to shoot for the corner of the island. Even with the huge waves I could sight off the island, well most of the time. I just keep sighting that island and timing my strokes and breaths off each of the waves as I continued. I realized the yellow buoys to keep us in line were drifting all over the place so many of the athletes were zig zagging the course. I kept with my plan to swim as straight as I could to the corner of the island. I then out of no where another athlete appeared next to me and we swam together until we reached the next turn. Then I noticed all the boats, kayaks from the beginning of the race were nonexistent. We passed the island out to the red buoy and back to the boat ramp to the finish. The waves finally proved some benefit during the last 300 meters of the swim pushing us to shore. I got out of the water thought “damn I hope the rest of the day isn’t like that”, realizing I had spoke too soon since the winds were blowing straight out of the north at about 20-25 mph (the direction I was heading on the bike).
 |
| Coming out of the water |
I got my suit unzipped and pulled down to my waist. I ran to the wet suit strippers, plopped down and this one guy had my suit off in no time helped me up and threw my suit on my shoulder. “Gitty Up” I thought. Looking back I think the years of experience in the water and multiple ocean swims kept me from losing my cool and giving up on the swim even though it was the hardest swim I had ever done. I am just glad all the athletes made it safely out of the water.
T1 6:05
 |
| Coming out of T1, glad the swim was over |
I ran through the T1 Bag area yelling “643…643…643” I knew where my bag was so headed right for it as a volunteer handed it to me and headed for the change tent. Once I got to the tent, I had a guy take my bag following me to a chair, dumped it out and proceeded to help get me dressed. Getting my tri top on, socks, shoes, helmet, sunglasses and making sure everything else I didn’t want to use got in the bag. I grabbed my Vaseline to hit the saddle spots and off I went out of the tent. Stopped at the sunscreen area and got my second coat for the day and then started back up with “643…643…643” to get my bike I pretty much had to grab it myself since I knew exactly where it was and the volunteer didn't even though she knew the number. I continued running down the carpet to the bike mount line. Got past a few athletes for some space hopped on my bike and away we went.
2- 1 Weeks to Go
Hey everyone,
Sorry the last 2 weeks prior to the race were very busy. I am currently working on my race report and will update the prior weeks after that is complete.
Cheers,
Nate
Sorry the last 2 weeks prior to the race were very busy. I am currently working on my race report and will update the prior weeks after that is complete.
Cheers,
Nate
Friday, April 27, 2012
3 Weeks to go...
According to my schedule this week it was supposed to be my peak week but with the injury to my ITB I was unable to get all the hours. Overall with the injury it went really well with just over 12 hours of training this week.
This week I spent 7200 yards in the pool. I spent some time doing some water running and ended up spending about 2.5 hrs in the pool this week. Focus this week was on a steady 1500 yd main set with a 500 warm up and 100 cool down. I also did a 45 min endurance swim followed by 15 mins of water running.
The bike is where I kept my volume this week. I rode for 167 miles this week with 4 days of riding and my longest ride being just over 100 miles (riding close to 9 hours this week). I had a little pain while riding but nothing like the pain I was having running.
I did try to run again this week on Monday. Running 7 miles in 52 minutes, the pain kept me from running the full hour as planned. I also ran a short 3.6 miles on Wednesday. I was pretty sore both days after running so I decided to hold off on any other runs.
Went to see a physical therapist this week on Wednesday, who gave me some ideas to speed my recovery: doing some gluteus medius exercises and using resistance bands coupled with the foam rolling and ice massage I was already doing. He thought I should try to run short distances if I could. Which I did on Wednesday after the appointment.
Right now my goal is to get the pain in my ITB down to a manageable level. I have trained hard since December so I am not worried that I will be undertrained. I want to train smart over the next few weeks to ensure the pain in my knee isn’t going to keep me from running the marathon.
Very close now, 1 week of taper and then heading out to St George early the next week.
Cheers,
Nate
This week I spent 7200 yards in the pool. I spent some time doing some water running and ended up spending about 2.5 hrs in the pool this week. Focus this week was on a steady 1500 yd main set with a 500 warm up and 100 cool down. I also did a 45 min endurance swim followed by 15 mins of water running.
The bike is where I kept my volume this week. I rode for 167 miles this week with 4 days of riding and my longest ride being just over 100 miles (riding close to 9 hours this week). I had a little pain while riding but nothing like the pain I was having running.
I did try to run again this week on Monday. Running 7 miles in 52 minutes, the pain kept me from running the full hour as planned. I also ran a short 3.6 miles on Wednesday. I was pretty sore both days after running so I decided to hold off on any other runs.
Went to see a physical therapist this week on Wednesday, who gave me some ideas to speed my recovery: doing some gluteus medius exercises and using resistance bands coupled with the foam rolling and ice massage I was already doing. He thought I should try to run short distances if I could. Which I did on Wednesday after the appointment.
Right now my goal is to get the pain in my ITB down to a manageable level. I have trained hard since December so I am not worried that I will be undertrained. I want to train smart over the next few weeks to ensure the pain in my knee isn’t going to keep me from running the marathon.
Very close now, 1 week of taper and then heading out to St George early the next week.
Cheers,
Nate
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
4 Weeks to Go
This was a rough week for me with the injury to my ITB and some treatment I had to cut back on my training. This was also my recovery week so it worked out well. Even though I only logged about half the volume I was planning but after 5 months of hard training there isn't to much more I can do with only a few weeks before the race.
I started off the week (Monday) spending time giving my ITB the RICE treatment in hopes to ramp back up on my training. Tuesday I started out with a swim workout doing a warm up, 4 x500 yd and then a 100 yd cool down. I was feeling some pain every time I pushed off the wall with my right leg so I favored my left leg during my work out. I attempted to try less impact on my knee and used our elliptical for 45 mins. I was feeling good until the last ten mins then started to get some pain in my knee. I iced my knee and relaxed the rest of the night.
Wednesday morning I did the same swim work out again and in the afternoon I had my appointment with my Sport Medicine Doctor, who is the Physician for the Army's World Class Athlete Program and personally is also an Ironman finisher. So I couldn't think of a better Doctor to see for an injury 3+ weeks before my Ironman. After some evaluation and discussion we decided to an injection with hopes the pain would subside. He recommended I rest the knee for 72 hrs and allow the inflammation to go down. I continued to ice, stretch and massage my ITB. It was a long 3 days with out training.
I picked back up on Saturday doing 55 miles on the bike with not to much climbing just sometime to work on speed, clear my head and refocus my goals over the next few weeks. After my bike I went the pool to do my endurance swim (30 mins) then spent 15 mins in the deep doing some water running. I felt really good but I didn't want to push it. I took Sunday to rest again hoping to maximize my training next week.
The race is getting close I was assigned Bib #643 for IM St George as it get closer I will post info to follow me along during the race.
Cheers,
Nate
I started off the week (Monday) spending time giving my ITB the RICE treatment in hopes to ramp back up on my training. Tuesday I started out with a swim workout doing a warm up, 4 x500 yd and then a 100 yd cool down. I was feeling some pain every time I pushed off the wall with my right leg so I favored my left leg during my work out. I attempted to try less impact on my knee and used our elliptical for 45 mins. I was feeling good until the last ten mins then started to get some pain in my knee. I iced my knee and relaxed the rest of the night.
Wednesday morning I did the same swim work out again and in the afternoon I had my appointment with my Sport Medicine Doctor, who is the Physician for the Army's World Class Athlete Program and personally is also an Ironman finisher. So I couldn't think of a better Doctor to see for an injury 3+ weeks before my Ironman. After some evaluation and discussion we decided to an injection with hopes the pain would subside. He recommended I rest the knee for 72 hrs and allow the inflammation to go down. I continued to ice, stretch and massage my ITB. It was a long 3 days with out training.
I picked back up on Saturday doing 55 miles on the bike with not to much climbing just sometime to work on speed, clear my head and refocus my goals over the next few weeks. After my bike I went the pool to do my endurance swim (30 mins) then spent 15 mins in the deep doing some water running. I felt really good but I didn't want to push it. I took Sunday to rest again hoping to maximize my training next week.
The race is getting close I was assigned Bib #643 for IM St George as it get closer I will post info to follow me along during the race.
Cheers,
Nate
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
6 and 5 weeks to go
Once again I found myself tied up in numerous life events happening and was unable to update my blog so I am going to catch you up todate on the last 2 weeks.
26 March – 1 April
I spent Monday driving back from St George, getting unpacked and preparing myself for the week. I got my official acceptance in to grad school for Exercise Physiology this week so I was on cloud nine ready for a new chapter in my life. Training wise I had a little less volume due to have 2 days off this week.
Swim: Tuesday was a light swim and did my 60 minute endurance swim on Thursday, only ended up with 5900 yds for the week due to the additional day off.
Bike: I took my TT bike to the shop for a full tune since it had almost 2000 miles on it since I purchased it so I had my road bike this week. After all the miles on my TT bike it was hard to adjust to riding my road bike again but still got some good miles in. Did two good rides during the week one with 3449 ft of climbing in 27 miles and another 23 miles ride mostly flats. On Saturday rode 90 miles with some brutal winds and 4870 ft of climbing, Totaled 140 miles on the bike this week.
Run: This is where it gets rough... I decided to focus on my long run this week which I did on Friday. I was to run for 2 hrs and 20 mins. I ran about 1:20 covered 10.25 miles having some knee pain after the first 8 miles. Come to realize I was having issues with my IT band. I will talk more about this in the next week. I decided to end my run and spend the weekend letting it rest.
2April- 8 April
I started a pre-req class I needed for my Graduate program. I also wanted to keep up on my training prior to my recovery week. So busy week balancing family, work, training and school work.
Swim: High volume swim week since I had to scale back my running. Tuesday and Wednesday did 2600 yd workouts in a 25 meter pool so it was more like 2843 yds both days. My pool (5 mins from my house) had some mechanic problems so swam at Peterson AFB. Then on Friday I did my Endurance swim. I covered 4500 yds (2.55 miles) in 1:07:23. Speaking my race I only need to swim 2.4 miles and planned to swim under 1:10 for the race I think I am in good position right now, totaled 10187 yds for the week.
Bike: I got my TT bike back on Sunday! Had my last power test Monday over lunch and saw my power increase to 236 watts average which is 3.07watt/kg, so nothing but improvement over the winter on my power. I also did a spin video that night. I did a 37 mile ride on Thursday south of my house to work on some speed, averaged 20.5 mph which is pretty good with stop lights and traffic. Then Saturday I did my first century ride of the season, covered 102 miles in 5:20 with about 4400 ft of climbing and totaled 165 miles of cycling for the week.
Run: So with my IT band I worked on stretching more (2-3 times a day), icing it and using my foam roller to massage it out. I still have pain but it was manageable. I attempted to run again on Wednesday for 75 mins hoping to get 10 miles. Well made it about 7 miles and the pain became too much so I had to walk/jog the last few miles to my house. Continuing with all mentioned above I am going to see my Sports Medicine Doctor to see what we can do with less than 4 weeks till my race I want to do whatever I can to be able to race as hard as I can.
Little info from Sports Medicine on About.com on IT Band Pain:
IT Band runs along the out side of the thigh iliotibial band friction syndrome is a common cause of knee and hip pain in athletes. Knee pain from this injury is most commonly felt along the outside (lateral) knee and the lower thigh. IT band syndrome may also result in a nagging or acute pain on the outside of the hip.
The iliotibial band is a strong, thick band of fibrous tissue that runs along the outside of the leg. The IT band starts at the hip and runs along the outer thigh and attaches on the outside edge of the shin bone (tibia) just below the knee joint. The band works with the quadriceps (thigh muscles) to provide stability to the outside of the knee joint during movement.
So with that said I am going to take it easy on running and try to heal up. I will update next week with progress on treatment.
Cheers
Nate
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
7 weeks to go and Trip to St George
Hey everyone, I had a great week. I was able to make a trip
out to St George (SG) with a fellow athlete who is also doing the Ironman in
May. I think it was more of a confidence booster of the training I have already
done. So let’s get started on the
training this week.
Swim: This week I started with a longer work out on Monday
doing 10x200 yd and 1x250yd with warm up and cool down. My times have
significant decrease due to finally getting the mechanics of my swim stroke
down going from 1:35-1:40 100s to 1:25-1:30 100s. On Wednesday I did a shorter workout with 5 x
200 yd and 5 x100. Then on Saturday while out in SG I did 60 minute endurance
swim which I covered 3900yd. This is the longest distance I have gone which was
about 2.2 miles. We swam at a community center along the course in Washington
City due to the water temp being 52 degrees in Sand Hollow so I opted for the
80 degree water. For the week I swam 5 miles.
 | |
| Sand Hollow IMSG Swim |
 |
| Some of the scenery on the course |
We rode in to town (about 21
miles) and began “the loop”. I could tell it was a long steady climb but I was
still moving along well. The roads are rough which I ran lower tire pressure
(105 -110 psi) vs (120-125 psi) and I was on my carbon Zipp 808 Fire Crest
wheel to absorb the road vibrations. I pushed ahead a few times and really was
enjoying the ride up to Veyo then I came the “The wall”. At first I didn’t know
it was the wall until I climbed to the top and met another cyclist that just
climbed it and asked him. It was hard towards the top where I switched to small
ring but nothing I haven’t done before in my training. Then there was two
longer steady (5-6% grade) climbs then it was 14 miles of downhill. I rode back to my truck and totaled 5:15 hrs
and 91 miles the first day. I was very pleased with the day. The next day we rode from the hotel and did
another loop. I climbed the wall twice just for good measure. So I ended up with some high volume on the
bike this week. Over 10 hours in the saddle and 175 miles.
 |
| Bottom of "The Wall" |
 |
| Almost to the top |
Run: Shorter week of running this week due to my trip,
taking a day to pack and spend time with the family before I left. I had a
track work out on Tuesday doing an 800 m warm up then 8x 400m hard efforts
(averaged 1:20 laps) then a nice 800 cool down. I didn’t run again till I got
out to SG. We ran off the bike on Sunday
from the hotel to T2 (Transition from the bike to the run) which was about 1.5
miles. Then we started the course. Which is almost shaped like a pitch fork
with a handle; running out and backs down 3 streets to the south then one long
out and back to the north. For the Ironman
I will run 3 laps with each lap being just over 8.5 miles. I was comfortable
with the run course. I started out with my partner but he was having some IT
band issues so he had to cut out early so I just tried to study the course and
run it comfortably. I ran just over 12
miles heading back to the hotel. It was
a great run my goal is to run a sub 4 hour marathon for the race and I think
with the motivation of seeing my family a number of times on the course I
should have enough gas in the tank to push it.
Over all, I had a great week of training and I am looking
forward to the race. Couple more long bikes and runs coming up with some high
volume weeks then it will be time to taper before I know it.
Thanks,
Nate
Saturday, March 17, 2012
8 Weeks to Go (Recovery)
Oh yes the week I have been waiting for.... Recovery week. Even though I logged just about 10.5 hrs of training it was a good week. My brother-in-law and his wife moved back to North Dakota so I was able to take a day to help them load the truck up. And the pesky time change this week threw me off. So lets get started.
Swim this week was my favorite work out which was 10 x 200 yards, 1 x 250 and 1 x 100 cool down. Totaling 2850 yards with the 500 yd warm up. I was able to keep all my times with in +/- 5 seconds of each other on the 200s so I was happy. My endurance swim was 45 minutes this week due to recovery. After missing my swim Monday, just couldn't get out of bed in time, I totaled 5600 yards this week.
On the bike this week I did an outdoor ride Monday and Tuesday, Spin class on Wednesday and long bike on Saturday which was part of my brick. Monday and Tuesday just tried to work on my speed on the flats (if you can call smaller hills flats..). I still climbed about 1300 ft on Monday riding for an hour and covered 20 miles. Tuesday was a ride on post only had a 45 minutes. Spin class was a warm up then 8 x 4 min hard effort time trials. Saturday was my brick, I had 180 min ride on the schedule. But I am also taking part in a March Madness work out with my Tri club. I drew 2 teams that were knocked out in the first round so I have a 64 mile bike for each team thanks to Davidson and Notre Dame!! So I planned to just ride 64 miles today to get one of them done. The ride went well, got a little windy but ended up with 113 miles on the bike this week.
Another good week of running with (1) 45 min speed work run and (2) 60 min runs with one of those being my brick on Saturday. All of them went well still keeping my pace between 7:01 and 7:31/miles during the week. Ran for a total of 22.6 miles this week.
Now to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Next week I start back up and will be traveling to St George to spend Saturday and Sunday riding/running the course. I hear the water temp is still below 50 degrees so not sure if I will swim or not guess we will see when I get out there. Looking forward to see if all the hill training prepared me for this bike course. I will post my St George Trip separate from my training in Colorado next week.
Cheers
Nate
Swim this week was my favorite work out which was 10 x 200 yards, 1 x 250 and 1 x 100 cool down. Totaling 2850 yards with the 500 yd warm up. I was able to keep all my times with in +/- 5 seconds of each other on the 200s so I was happy. My endurance swim was 45 minutes this week due to recovery. After missing my swim Monday, just couldn't get out of bed in time, I totaled 5600 yards this week.
On the bike this week I did an outdoor ride Monday and Tuesday, Spin class on Wednesday and long bike on Saturday which was part of my brick. Monday and Tuesday just tried to work on my speed on the flats (if you can call smaller hills flats..). I still climbed about 1300 ft on Monday riding for an hour and covered 20 miles. Tuesday was a ride on post only had a 45 minutes. Spin class was a warm up then 8 x 4 min hard effort time trials. Saturday was my brick, I had 180 min ride on the schedule. But I am also taking part in a March Madness work out with my Tri club. I drew 2 teams that were knocked out in the first round so I have a 64 mile bike for each team thanks to Davidson and Notre Dame!! So I planned to just ride 64 miles today to get one of them done. The ride went well, got a little windy but ended up with 113 miles on the bike this week.
Another good week of running with (1) 45 min speed work run and (2) 60 min runs with one of those being my brick on Saturday. All of them went well still keeping my pace between 7:01 and 7:31/miles during the week. Ran for a total of 22.6 miles this week.
Now to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Next week I start back up and will be traveling to St George to spend Saturday and Sunday riding/running the course. I hear the water temp is still below 50 degrees so not sure if I will swim or not guess we will see when I get out there. Looking forward to see if all the hill training prepared me for this bike course. I will post my St George Trip separate from my training in Colorado next week.
Cheers
Nate
10 and 9 Weeks to Go
Hey everyone, better late than never it has been a busy
couple of weeks with work, family and training.
Both of these weeks were about 14 + hours of training each week. I am feeling really good knowing my race is
just around the corner.
27 Feb- 4 Mar
Swim: Pretty good week of swimming: (2) of my work outs were
500 yd warm up, 4x250s, 5x100s, 1x500 with 100 cool down. Then Friday was my long swim 60 minute
endurance swim covering 3500 yards, totaling 8700 yards (Just under 5 miles)
for the week.
Bike: Spin class was
focused on hard Time Trial efforts this week. Monday we did (3) 4 min hard
effort then Wednesday we did (4) 4min hard effort. I also was able to get out
and ride on Monday. It was a little chilly (30’s) but rode about 29 miles. My
long ride was with a group, which I will never do again. If it is for social
and just getting out riding it is fun but when you are riding for time and
trying to cover as many miles as you can it just doesn’t work with different
abilities. I still managed to bike 71 miles in 4.5 hrs with about 6150 ft of
climbing. Total for the week I was in the saddle for 8:15 riding 132 miles.
Run: Rough week for running this week. Tuesday I ran 800s at
the track. Had about a 25 mph wind so half of the lap was easy but the other half
was brutal. I ran one 800 as a warm up then 8x800 as the work out times between
2:59-3:11, then ran a cool down 800. I was hoping to keep them closer to 3:00
but wind just got the best of me. I had a long run which I had to split due to
some scheduling conflicts but got in 1hr 50 min run total. Saturday I was
suppose to run an hour after my bike but due to the many stops and time wasted
I was only about to run for 30 mins but I felt good coming off the bike and ran
7:40/miles during this run. I was able to run 24.4 miles this week.
5-11 Mar
Swim: Great week of swimming: (2) work out were 500 yd warm
up, 10x 100s, 5 x 200, 5x 50 and 100 Cool down. Times are getting faster as I
am working on the efficiency of my stroke (i.e. using fewer strokes per lap yet
keeping speed or increasing speed). This is going to conserve energy for the
bike and run. During my endurance swim
for 60 minutes I was able to swim 3600 yds this week, totaling 9300 yards (just
over 5.25 miles).
Bike: Again another week of max effort time trials, you
would think they would get easier but they still suck, increased the number of
sets. Weather was perfect this week to ride so I took a lunch to get out for an
hour and got in 20 miles. My long bike we mixed up some hills and flats riding
81.5 miles in 4:36. Had about 4100 feet of elevation gain and kept 17.7 mph
average.
Run: Much better week of running then last. I had a 75
minute, 60 minute tempo and a 2 hr run. For my 75 min run I was able to keep
7:23/mile pace, 60 minute tempo was 7:07/mile (on the tempo runs I run 5 mins
normal pace and one min all out effort) and my 2 hr run I was super comfortable
running 7:35/mile pace. So I ran 34.4 miles this week and feel like I should be
able to maintain my running until the race spending extra effort on the bike
over the next few weeks.
Currently in my recovery week, getting ready for my trip out
to St George Utah to ride and run on the course 23-26 March. This is going to
let me ride the whole course so I know where I need to conserve energy and
where I need to put foot to pedal. Also going to let me visualize the run
course and how set my short goals for each of the 3 laps for the marathon.
I will update this weekend on my recovery week.
Cheers
Nate
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