Mission Accomplished: Ironman Louisville

I did it. It took me 14 hours 3 min on a hot, hot, hot day to become an Ironman. I'm so happy my knee held up. 14 months ago I had right ACL reconstruction with a graft from my hamstring tendons. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to run marathons like I did prior to my injury. Today I'm an Ironman. Thanks to the support of family and my Team in Training coaches, mentors, and teammates. On such a grueling day, I couldn't have done as well as I did without their coaching and support on the race course. A more detailed race report will follow.
Special thank-you to all my donors who supported my fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You share in my moment of triumph, too.

The Day before Ironman Louisville

The weather has been nice here in Louisville. 70s in morning. About 90 in afternoon. This morning we had a nice swim in the Ohio River. Warm, water temp in 80s. I noticed I was thirsty even after a short 20 min swim. I'll have to pre-hydrate better tomorrow.
I packed my gear bags for the race. Now I'm relaxing in the hotel. Next up is our Team in Training brunch. The key word for today is RELAX. I'll probably be using this mantra during the swim and run tomorrow.

Welcome to Louisville, KY

Ironteam has arrived. We got in to our hotel after 10 pm. A 3 hour stopover in Cleveland is not fun. The view from the plane was nice. Very green. Very different from "brown" LA. If you take away the lights, the buildings, you can imagine what a beautiful frontierland this area must have been 200 years ago.

With taper, I have a lot of nervous energy. I feel like a coiled snake ready to strike. How do you relax before your 1st Ironman? Hopefully I can come up with something. Ironteam will register at expo, pick up our bikes, and go for a short bike ride today. Perhaps I'll have some KFC.

Ironman Louisville: Taper time...Bring on the Heat

The last several weeks after Vineman have been very hectic.  A 5 hour bike: 3 hour run brick workout in Westlake Village the Saturday after Vineman.  To get use to racing in the heat, I wore an extra layer and arm sleeves.  That was followed by a Sunday 30 mile bike: 11 mile run brick workout.
The following weekend to get use to racing in Real Heat, I took off for the desert to train in 90's and 100 degree temperature.  A 34 mile bike: 6 mile run brick in those conditions was tough, but made me mentally stronger and better prepared for Louisville.  I followed that up with another 6 mile run the following day.  My experience in the desert stressed the importance of hydration.  One thing I notice was that I didn't feel like eating...  But I know that for the Ironman, I will need to get some solids down because I won't get enough calories on a liquid diet.
Yesterday, our Ironteam had our last Saturday workout.  An easy 45 min run, followed by a talk from the coaches to prep us for Ironman.  I dropped off my bike with the Tribike transport truck and then went home.  On the way home, I stopped off at the gym and swam 1.2 miles. I got in some interval training. Believe it or not, it felt good.  I think I'm finally ready to do this Ironman thing.

Vineman Aquabike Race Report

I had a fun day at Vineman last weekend.  This was a training weekend for me, since I'm racing Ironman Louisville August 29th.  I was still very nervous though.  I got my transition stuff set up, used the Port-a-potty, then drank a little FRS, and proceeded to the gathering area for my wave.  The swim finally started around 6:55 am.  I stayed back and swam at a leisurely pace.  I didn't want to go out too fast and redline.  I was determined not to have a repeat of my Alcatraz Challenge experience from a few weeks ago.  The swim went great.  I was actually enjoying myself.  I remember the words of wisdom from Coach Rad: " You're going to do what kids love to do, swim, bike, and run."  So I just thought about being a kid again and swimming for fun.  The only downside to this of course is that I went much slower than I had planned.  I was planning on 1:30  Instead I took 1:43:45 for the 2.4 mile swim.  I know I can push myself a little harder for Louisville, but again I don't want to spend so much energy on the swim that I slow down on the bike.  The only other issue with the swim was the need to pee.  I have a hard time peeing in the wetsuit.  I paused several times during the swim in an attempt to pee, with no success.  Finally around 2 mile mark, I stood up and "mission accomplished."  A kayaker checked on me and told me that I just need to go a little further and I'll be finished with the swim.  Of course I knew I was almost finished, but I've been holding my bladder for at least a mile of swimming!  So finish the swim, out of the water, and into transition.

Transition: 7:59  Not bad, considering I drank a bottle of FRS and ate a PB+J sandwich.  Now with renewed vigor I tackled the 112 mile bike course.

Bike: 6:20:53  My best ride of the season.  Considering that I didn't taper and this was just a hard paced workout, I was very happy with my bike time.  I took it easy the first 10 miles or so, then gradually picked up the pace.  I paid attention to nutrition.  The weather cooperated and it was cool for the first couple hours of the ride.  By the time I hit Chalk Hill, I was in the groove and handled the hill with ease.  I sped down and returned to Windsor to complete the first loop.  I got to the Special Needs bag aid station.  I got off the bike and saw the long line for the Port-a-Potty and decided I'll skip the potty.  I found my bag and restocked my electrolyte fluid bottles and my Powerbars.  I also ate another PB+J sandwich.  Then it was off for loop 2.  This was definitely tougher.  I kept a good pace, but the hills were much tougher the second time around.  I stood more on loop 2 during these climbs.  When I hit Chalk Hill, I was pretty tired.  I used mental will-power to climb up.  The cheering supporters on Chalk Hill definitely helped pick up my spirits and gave me that umph to get up Chalk Hill.  Then it was a speedy descent to Windsor and the Finishline!  When I cross the finish, the volunteers had to stop me.  My body just wanted to keep moving.  A volunteer said, "Whoa, your race is finished!"  So after 8:12:38 I was an Aquabike Finisher.  Doesn't have the same ring as Ironman or even Vineman Finisher.  I know that on that day, I could easily have jogged a marathon and become a Vineman/ Ironman.  But I'll have to wait for Louisville.

Pre-Vineman Aquabike

A lot has been going on with my work that has increased my level of stress and probably impacted my training.  I was starting to feel "burned out" by training.  Instead of a joy and stress reliever, the 2 a day workouts were becoming an unpleasant chore.  I discussed this with Coach Paul and he told me that I've been going full bore with training and my "additional" activities that my body was feeling worn down.  He told me that I still have time to get my body back in tune before Ironman Louisville.  

It started with getting back from Vegas and dealing with one urgent situation after another at the hospital.  I can deal with medical emergencies, but dealing with administrative and personnel issues can be even more stressful because the situation drags on for weeks.  On top of this, training has now ramped up to 2 a days on weekdays and weekend rides + runs lasting 5, 6, up to 8 hours! Then throw in my Alcatraz Challenge Part 2... and no wonder I'm beat.

  I signed up for the Aquathon which consisted of swimming from Alcatraz to Chrissy Field and then running over and back from the Golden Gate Bridge.  My last Alcatraz swim went so well that I got cocky.  I did not prepare well and I paid the price.  20 min into the swim and I was tired and my HR was way too high.  The water was very choppy and with the fog and my leaky goggles, I could not sight my landmarks.  This increased my anxiety which increased my HR and breathing, and I was finished.  I got pulled into a boat and for the next 30 min we picked up other swimmers who were struggling or were getting pulled off course by the strong current.  The good news to this was that they took us to a point about half mile from shore and allowed those who wanted to finish the swim to do so.  I knew I had to jump back in the water to regain my lost confidence.  So I finished the swim and then ran the 7.5 miles across the GG bridge.  From the bridge the distance between Alcatraz and Chrissy Field seemed immense! 

 

For the next week I felt crappy about my swimming and psychologically I had a real negative attitude.  But after taking a couple days off last week, I feel renewed and my workouts have gone well this week.  I got a massage on Monday after Saturday"s 100 mile ride and Sunday's 16 mile run.  Today I swam 2.5 miles in the pool.  

I now feel confident again heading into Vineman Aquabike.  I will swim 2.4 miles and ride 112 miles this coming Saturday.  I leave for the Bay Area tomorrow.  Stay tuned for my race report next week.

1 year after ACL Reconstruction: Ironman Training Continues

One year ago, I underwent the surgeon's knife and had a graft taken from my hamstrings to recreate a new ACL for the one I tore on the ski slopes of Calgary, Alberta.  I have come a long way since that day a year ago.  I have kept this blog as a reminder of what I went through, and some of the feelings I had as I went through the pre-op, post-op, and rehab phases.  Looking back at the recovery / rehab from the ACL reconstruction, I don't wish this injury on anyone.  Yet I know that every year, many people do tear their ACLs and then undergo reconstruction.  In fact, two of my coworkers have undergone ACL reconstruction this past year.  I hope that my experience will provide some inspiration for those who just had or will have this surgery.  There is light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is long and torturous, filled with many obstacles.

I had a 1 year post-op checkup with my surgeon a few weeks ago and I was told that my ACL was solid and completely stable.  My surgeon said that I was the most motivated ACL patient he has ever had.  I pushed myself to regain the level of fitness I had before the surgery.  Soon after I got off the crutches, I got on the stationary bike, elliptical, and the pool.  By 3.5 months post-op, I walked-jogged the Nike SF marathon.  A month later I jogged the RnR San Antonio marathon.  The following month I ran the RnR Las Vegas Half marathon.  This was followed a month later with my 1st Ultra 50-K in Arizona.  In March, I completed the Desert International distance Triathlon and set a PR ( much faster swim, slower run from the year before).  I followed that up with Wildflower Long Course Tri, Palos Verdes Marathon, Alcatraz challenge swim, and Laguna Hills Half Marathon in May.  In June, my marathon relay team consisting of 4 old "farts" from work finished 3rd in the Men's Division at the RnR San Diego Marathon!

All of this occurred while I was training for Ironman Louisville with Team in Training's Ironteam L.A.  In a sense, raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and training with the Ironteam gave me the motivation to push on ahead when the going got tough.  When you think of those fighting for their lives against Cancer, recovering from ACL surgery seems like no big deal in comparison.  I have a teammate Gordie who is a Cancer survivor and despite the many obstacles in his path, he pushes on ahead and is there with us every week going through the same tough workouts.  He even sends weekly emails with an inspirational message to the Ironteam.  That's the kind of dedication that inspires me.

This past weekend we rode 85 miles, starting from Camarillo, down PCH to Mulholland and Encinal Canyon back to PCH and then up for a second loop of Mulholland / Encinal Canyon before finally heading back to Camarillo.  Lots of climbing, but I love hills.  I finished in about 5.5 hrs.  I finished off the ride with a 5 mile run.  I felt great and I know I'm ready for the Vineman Aquabike event.  I got another long run in on Sunday in PV before heading out to Vegas for some Rest n Relaxation.  By Relaxation, I'm talking about getting up every morning before 6am and getting in a 6 mile run in 80 degree heat ( by noon its over 100 degrees !!!)  The run is followed by swimming laps for an hour in the resort pool before the pool gets too crowded.
Other than losing several Benjamins to the Blackjack tables, it was a great mini-vacation.