Here's part I.
Saturday is a bit odd because it's the first Saturday in 20 weeks where I haven't had to set an alarm since I wasn't getting up early to bike. Woke up about 8 after a good night's sleep. Since you won't sleep much the night before a big event, I'm told the "night before the night before" is the key. I totally agree. I slept like a log for a solid 9 hours.
My wife and I headed downtown to do the Underpants Run to benefit the Blazeman Foundation for ALS research. My friend Kevin puts it on so I had to be there to support him. This run is an IM tradition and is only 1.5 miles so great to stretch the legs. Had a blast and saw so many friends.
Bike check-in started at noon so Jessica, me and two friends headed to the expo to check out the store and such. I did give in, sort of, and bought a $5 clearance t-shirt but it wasn't a specific Louisville shirt.
Bike check-in was very easy. Made sure to deflate my tires a bit to avoid a blown tire when I show up on race morning. The volunteers made sure to show you how everything worked, how to get your gear, etc. I then headed back home to pack up for my hotel stay. I decided to stay downtown for 2 nights so that I could be close to everything and face a lot less stress.
Got settled at the Galt House and when my pal Kevin arrived we decided to take advantage of the IM buffet which got us salad, 3 kinds of pasta, 3-4 kinds of meat, 3-4 kinds of sauce, veggies and dessert for $13. What a deal!
Went back up to the room and watched about a half of the Lions/Patriots game and then shutdown for the night about 10. 4 am wake up call would be coming...
Part III tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Ironman Weekend (plus Thursday) Part I
Thursday, August 25th.
Today is packet pick up and of course, I'm bursting with energy. I meet a fellow Ironman competitor for breakfast and we head over to the expo. I get my wristband, which must be worn all weekend for every event and my timing chip. The first 100 people also got a free pair of Tyr goggles, a nice bonus.
We then visited the official store but I resisted buying anything with an IM logo on it for fear of upsetting karma. I think you can buy just about anything with a logo on it. But I resisted! Off then for a short swim and very short (15 minute) run. During the swim, I wore the Tyr goggles and loved them so decided to use them on the big day.
Headed off to work, then off until Tuesday so I could focus completely on IM day.
Friday, August 26th.
The day begins about 7:30 am with a little breakfast then meet up with the iamtri group for a short/easy/flat 20 miler on the first 10 miles of the bike course. I did it mostly to test my rented race wheels. No issues so felt ready for Sunday.
After the ride, I drove 3 iamtri members for one lap around the bike course as they weren't local and had never seen the course. What we call hills, one of them thought were mountains. I guess it's all about perspective. That took about 2 hours but it was worth it and nice to help some fellow tri peeps out. That's one thing I love about this sport: the spirit of camaraderie.
Rushed home, grabbed a shower and a quick bite then headed back downtown for the big iamtri meet up on 4th Street Live (the site of the finish line). Probably a couple hundred of us showed up, helped to calm each others nerves, etc. The person that ran the group, also arranged for loads of door prizes. From aero helmets to local business gift cards to shoes. Great stuff! I ended up winning a pair of Asics shoes (my choice) from a local running shop and my wife a gift card to Bearno's.
The rest of Friday were official IM events and the first was the official kick-off banquet. The emcee was Mike Reilly (You ARE an IRONMAN!) who made the event fun. The best moment for me was when Mike asked people to stand up if they had lost 30 pounds, then 40, etc. When he got to 60, there were about 8-10 of us standing. What a feeling! The top loser had lost over 160, though!
My wife didn't stay for the last event, the athlete briefing. There wasn't anything earth shattering, but I'm glad I went to listen to the meeting anyway.
Part II tomorrow.
Today is packet pick up and of course, I'm bursting with energy. I meet a fellow Ironman competitor for breakfast and we head over to the expo. I get my wristband, which must be worn all weekend for every event and my timing chip. The first 100 people also got a free pair of Tyr goggles, a nice bonus.
We then visited the official store but I resisted buying anything with an IM logo on it for fear of upsetting karma. I think you can buy just about anything with a logo on it. But I resisted! Off then for a short swim and very short (15 minute) run. During the swim, I wore the Tyr goggles and loved them so decided to use them on the big day.
Headed off to work, then off until Tuesday so I could focus completely on IM day.
Friday, August 26th.
The day begins about 7:30 am with a little breakfast then meet up with the iamtri group for a short/easy/flat 20 miler on the first 10 miles of the bike course. I did it mostly to test my rented race wheels. No issues so felt ready for Sunday.
After the ride, I drove 3 iamtri members for one lap around the bike course as they weren't local and had never seen the course. What we call hills, one of them thought were mountains. I guess it's all about perspective. That took about 2 hours but it was worth it and nice to help some fellow tri peeps out. That's one thing I love about this sport: the spirit of camaraderie.
Rushed home, grabbed a shower and a quick bite then headed back downtown for the big iamtri meet up on 4th Street Live (the site of the finish line). Probably a couple hundred of us showed up, helped to calm each others nerves, etc. The person that ran the group, also arranged for loads of door prizes. From aero helmets to local business gift cards to shoes. Great stuff! I ended up winning a pair of Asics shoes (my choice) from a local running shop and my wife a gift card to Bearno's.
The rest of Friday were official IM events and the first was the official kick-off banquet. The emcee was Mike Reilly (You ARE an IRONMAN!) who made the event fun. The best moment for me was when Mike asked people to stand up if they had lost 30 pounds, then 40, etc. When he got to 60, there were about 8-10 of us standing. What a feeling! The top loser had lost over 160, though!
My wife didn't stay for the last event, the athlete briefing. There wasn't anything earth shattering, but I'm glad I went to listen to the meeting anyway.
Part II tomorrow.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
1 Week To Go!
Well, today ended the majority of the training. Just some very short sessions scheduled for the next 6 days and then IRONMAN LOUISVILLE on Sunday. I can't believe it's already here.
The biggest stresser for me the last week or so has been the weather forecast. Here are some of the high temps I've seen forecast for event day: 79, 86, 88, 84, 83, 98(!!), and so on. As of today, it looks like it will be in the mid-80s and probably some clouds. I couldn't ask for much more in August in Louisville.
So here's the plan for the week...
Monday is a short ride and then dinner with my running partners. I cannot thank my main training partners, John and Ken enough. They've encouraged, run up to 16 miles, laughed, etc. with me. Without them, I wouldn't be feeling confident about next Sunday. They are also working the finish line so they will be there when I finish.
Tuesday is a short swim and a light jog as well as a massage to clear out my muscles for one last time.
Wednesday is a short ride and I get my race wheels installed. I'm told I will see a real difference in my bike performance.
Thursday is a short swim and event check-in. I get my packet and all that.
Friday is a short bike on the race wheels. That afternoon/evening, I get to go to 2 neat events. The first is a meet-up with some people who have been a big part of my training all summer. IAmTri. They held several group training days. If you happen to be around the course on event day, look for people with "I AM" on their calves. Those are the people in that group.
The second event on Friday is the IMKY banquet and pre-race meeting.
Saturday is the Underpants Run. Yes, it's just what it sounds like. It's a 1.5 mile charity run to raise money for ALS research.
Sunday is THE BIG DAY.
There are going to be several ways to keep up with me. Ironman Live is the official way to keep with athletes. My bib number is 2112. I have tried to follow friends in other races without much luck so I've also rented a unit from here. You should be able to click track in the upper left and find me by name. My wife should also be updating this blog and my FB page on a regular basis throughout the day.
Finally, you can watch the race live online here but I assume it will focus mostly on the pros.
The biggest stresser for me the last week or so has been the weather forecast. Here are some of the high temps I've seen forecast for event day: 79, 86, 88, 84, 83, 98(!!), and so on. As of today, it looks like it will be in the mid-80s and probably some clouds. I couldn't ask for much more in August in Louisville.
So here's the plan for the week...
Monday is a short ride and then dinner with my running partners. I cannot thank my main training partners, John and Ken enough. They've encouraged, run up to 16 miles, laughed, etc. with me. Without them, I wouldn't be feeling confident about next Sunday. They are also working the finish line so they will be there when I finish.
Tuesday is a short swim and a light jog as well as a massage to clear out my muscles for one last time.
Wednesday is a short ride and I get my race wheels installed. I'm told I will see a real difference in my bike performance.
Thursday is a short swim and event check-in. I get my packet and all that.
Friday is a short bike on the race wheels. That afternoon/evening, I get to go to 2 neat events. The first is a meet-up with some people who have been a big part of my training all summer. IAmTri. They held several group training days. If you happen to be around the course on event day, look for people with "I AM" on their calves. Those are the people in that group.
The second event on Friday is the IMKY banquet and pre-race meeting.
Saturday is the Underpants Run. Yes, it's just what it sounds like. It's a 1.5 mile charity run to raise money for ALS research.
Sunday is THE BIG DAY.
There are going to be several ways to keep up with me. Ironman Live is the official way to keep with athletes. My bib number is 2112. I have tried to follow friends in other races without much luck so I've also rented a unit from here. You should be able to click track in the upper left and find me by name. My wife should also be updating this blog and my FB page on a regular basis throughout the day.
Finally, you can watch the race live online here but I assume it will focus mostly on the pros.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
2 Weeks to Go
Still training but slowing down as I continue my taper. Did about a 60 mile ride and a brick run yesterday as well as a 9.2 mile run today.
Also did a 3000 meter swim on Thursday. That swim was scheduled to use a pull buoy and paddle. But I decided to do it with no gear to get a real feel for my swim progress. Did 3000 (IM is 3862) in 1 hour 18 minutes. Since I find that open water if faster (I'm not a flip turner so those push off slow me down), that puts me right on target for a 90-95 minute IM swim. My goal is to be on my bike saddle at the two hour mark so I'm pleased.
Accuweather has its first forecast for IM day at 86 degrees and dry. If that's the real result, I won't be complaining. I know it's still 2 weeks away and things might change but the trend of more reasonable temps continues.
Finally, many cool IM related events coming up so really looking forward to it. We have the Underpants Run, the IAmTri gathering, the opening dinner, etc. I can't wait.
Also did a 3000 meter swim on Thursday. That swim was scheduled to use a pull buoy and paddle. But I decided to do it with no gear to get a real feel for my swim progress. Did 3000 (IM is 3862) in 1 hour 18 minutes. Since I find that open water if faster (I'm not a flip turner so those push off slow me down), that puts me right on target for a 90-95 minute IM swim. My goal is to be on my bike saddle at the two hour mark so I'm pleased.
Accuweather has its first forecast for IM day at 86 degrees and dry. If that's the real result, I won't be complaining. I know it's still 2 weeks away and things might change but the trend of more reasonable temps continues.
Finally, many cool IM related events coming up so really looking forward to it. We have the Underpants Run, the IAmTri gathering, the opening dinner, etc. I can't wait.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Starting to Taper
This weekend was the peak of the training: 112 miles on the bike course and a 16 mile run. Now the workload starts to decrease as I head toward the event. Not that it suddenly drops to zero but things scale back.
My confidence level is very high after the big weekend. I'm not going to set any speed records, but I'm confident I will finish. Part of the confidence comes from getting a handle on hydration/nutrition after some rough going on occasion. However, I can see that somewhere in the middle, I'm going to need something savory after so many sweet gels, etc.
Again, I won't bore you with the daily schedule but it looks like a normal week, just shorter workouts.
21 days!
My confidence level is very high after the big weekend. I'm not going to set any speed records, but I'm confident I will finish. Part of the confidence comes from getting a handle on hydration/nutrition after some rough going on occasion. However, I can see that somewhere in the middle, I'm going to need something savory after so many sweet gels, etc.
Again, I won't bore you with the daily schedule but it looks like a normal week, just shorter workouts.
21 days!
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