Are You Listening?

What do you do when you hear bad news? Do you dwell on it and let it affect your future? Does it make you want to fight even harder for what you want? What should you do? I think you have to find a healthy balance. You can't let your life and attitude be affected by things you can't control, and yet you must develop the skills of a good listener. History is filled with examples of leaders that pressed on in the face of adversity to accomplish many amazing things. Likewise, there are many examples of people who ignored the voice of reason and forged ahead... straight to their own destruction. This is the same in life and triathlon. God has a purpose for you and allows you to suffer trials so that you can be refined like gold being refined by the fire. His spirit, at the same time, is speaking to you. If you are not inclined to believe that, you might miss a blessing, or worse, plod headstrong into even more suffering. If you stop running the first time you get a stitch in your side, you're going to miss the fitness benefits that are gained when you push through the pain. And if you keep pushing through that strange little twinge in your knee run after run without giving it a rest, you might risk the possibility of not being able to run in the future. You must be able to listen.
I'm struggling right now with exactly that. I've set a goal of ironman texas on may21st. After being hit by that car during a training ride back in June, the doctor has told me to temporarily stop riding my bike and limit my running to a slow-paced 20 mins at a time. We don't exactly know why my hands go numb when I'm riding my bike, and apparently the doctor sees some lingering concussion symptoms even 5 months later. At what point do I decide that the ironman is no longer a realistic goal? I still have 6 1/2 months of training left , and I have already built my base level of fitness to a greater level than ever before. But... If I don't spend a TON of quality time on the bike over the winter, I will be in serious trouble come May. I guess I'll just wait and see... or... I guess I should say... hear.

The Joy and the Pain

At some point you're gonna have to learn to enjoy the suffering. As these old sayings go, "Nothing worth while is easy... If it were easy everyone would be doing it... What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." The burning in your chest when you try to breath after finishing your very first 5-mile run doesn't mean you dying... It means you're finally living. And the funny thing is, that feeling eventually goes away. And that means you're getting stronger.

This is a concept that every successful triathlete is familiar with as well as every saint who has a rich and rewarding walk with Christ.

The Bible tells us that if we are to be transformed into something pure, righteous, and holy, then we are to be refined with a purifying fire. So... don't look at your life and let fear overwhelm you when you consider your future, don't stress about the things you can't change, and don't check out at the first sign of adversity. Lace up your shoes a bit tighter and listen to the voice of your trainer who promises he's not going to push you past your limits.

So whether in life or in your triathlon training, you should look at the pain as part of the process of becoming an endurance athlete. Like I said, this is not a new concept. Just check out this passage of scripture written thousands of years ago.

The book of James, Chapter 1, verses 2-3. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

That brings me to this week's training. I finally got an MRI on my neck after being hit by that car back in June. I'm trying to figure out why I keep getting headaches and why my hands keep falling asleep when I ride my bike. After seeing the films, the doctor is referring me to the same neurosurgeon that did my lower back surgery this time last year stating, "near spinal chord contact". I know... kinda makes me nervous. I should be finding out this next week if I got something bad going on in my neck. So... no swimming this week, for obvious reasons. I've run about an hour every day and felt pretty good doing it. By the end of the week my knees were giving me some indication that they wanted a rest, so I took Thursday and Friday off. Today (Saturday) I went on a 4 1/2 hour bike ride and have been trying to shake the tingling feeling out of my hand for the past 4-5 hours, and since then my quads and I aren't on speaking terms... they say they no longer want to be my friends. This Ironman is truly going to be one of the most difficult things I've ever done. OH JOY!!!!!

Finding God in Triathlon

Ok, so I haven't posted in about three weeks. That's not because I haven't been training... or I haven't had anything interesting to write about... because I have. As far as workouts, just copy and paste the weekly routine and swap the weekend bike rides out with long weekend runs and that's basically what I've done for workouts. This past Saturday I ran the ten mile 10 for Texas in 1:23. Pretty happy with that. However, later that day I got sick. I rode the bike for an hour and ran 3 miles the next day to try and shake off the weakness and that pretty much laid me out for the rest of the weekend. So I've taken Monday and Tuesday as rest days, I've eaten a bunch of junk food, and now that I'm feeling better I'm gonna hit the road again today. But that's not why I haven't blogged. Not because I've been sick, and not because I haven't had anything interesting say. Believe me, I've thought about writing about the shin splint that I feel creeping in on my right leg and how I'm going to go about heading it off at the pass and keep it from derailing my training. No, I haven't written... because... I'm questioning the purpose behind the blog. I don't want to write a bunch of words that just a few people read and appreciate. I want to write something that is going to change people's lives. I don't say this to be arrogant. And I don't say this because I think triathlon has the power to change some one's life. If you do not apply yourself to triathlon and are not able to call upon some inner strength to be a success, triathlon will remain another sport or pass time that you used to think was the answer to all your problems. Much like that Solo flex machine or ab-lounger gathering dust in your garage. I don't want to be like Tony Little on his "Gazelle" and make you think that all you have to do is hop on this thing we call triathlon and all your problems will be answered.
I write about triathlon because it's a great way to recognize and have your life changed by the power of God. There is no greater metaphor in the wide world of sports for the idea of the trinity... Father, Son, Holy Spirit... than the triathlon. Three separate entities coexisting as one powerful being. So, If I am to continue writing about triathlon, I will not be writing so you can think that I am something special for attempting to race an Ironman. And I will not be writing so as to mislead you into thinking that this might help you medicate your particular emotional, physical, or spiritual needs. Much like planting a flag on a mountain, it represents a journey. This is my testimony of the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the race that I am training to run victoriously. The opportunity that was made available to me is also available to you. Not just an opportunity to get in shape and do something that a lot of people will never do, but an opportunity to change your life and live for something bigger than yourself, a chance to live your life with purpose... whether you actually run a triathlon or not.

Week 3 - Ironman Texas Training

Week three of training for IMTX (ironman texas) was great. Not so much for the quality of my training performances, but more for what I'm learning each time I go out. I am learning to listen to my body. In fact, I'm learning that your body will speak loud and clear when you're doing something it's not quite ready for. Each week I look ahead and plan what my training week should look like. I try to consider what days the family will be home and what the weather is looking like to get the best combination of workouts. I don't want my cycling days to get rained out and force me to run every day of the week. From experience, I know that's the best way to get an injury that may sideline me for a few weeks. Week 3 looked like this:

Mon- rest day - (felt so good, however, decided to introduce my shoulder to a few easy pool laps)
Tue- 1 hr run
Wed- track workout
1 mile warm up jog, 1min sprint, 1min walk, 2min sprint, 2min walk, 3min run, 3min walk,
3min run, 3min walk, 2min sprint, 2min walk, 1min sprint, 1min walk, 1 mile cool down jog.
Thurs- Brick/Core- 1hr bike @ 18-20mph, 15 min run, then Weights: arms, legs, abs, back
Fri - Easy run - 30 mins 10 min/mile pace
Sat- Long Bike Ride - 50 miles at 19-20 mph pace
Sun - 1 hr long run planned - started running and pulled the plug after 18 mins.

The week went so well as far as being able to do the workouts I wanted to do on the days I had planned to do them, I did not feel bad at all about cutting Sunday's long run short. In fact, I didn't have much of a choice. My legs were mush after Saturday's bike ride. I had difficulty putting one foot in front of the other the entire time. I thought I might be able to stretch the soreness out when I stopped at the 4 min mark. Then I thought I might start to loosen up after the 8 min mark. Then finally, after stopping to catch my breath two more times before I had even logged 20 mins on the road, I turned the corner and took it to the house.
Overall, this week was a success. Or, more accurately, I believe the last few weeks have been a success. The sheer quantity of miles and hours accomplished is what I am most pleased with. it tells me that I am doing something right. I would not have been able to complete a week like that last month.

Things I've learned: 2 bottles of fluid & 1/2 a cliff bar per hour worked well on a 2 1/2 hr ride, and core strengthening makes a big difference on a bike ride, leg strengthening makes the knees hurt less on a run.

Now go push yourself and learn something about your body. Fall is coming, you won't have the heat as an excuse for much longer.

Soulrider.

ironman and pit bulls

The second week of ironman training is now in the books and it gets packed away with quite the exclamation point. Today was to be my long run at the end of a very productive week that only saw one rest day. But instead of a 2-hour 12 miler, I had to settle for 9 miles in 1 1/2. The credit and blame for todays performance goes to my amazing new neighbors throughout the community. The reason I am able to pull off a long run without any hydration issues is the fact that I can stash a couple of water bottles in my mail box and loop back around by the house as soon as I need one. But who wants to carry a water bottle the whole time they're running? Not me. But I don't have to worry about that... whether trash day was yesterday, today, or tomorrow someone somewhere will have there trash cans at the corner. Hooray for no deed restrictions... (note the sarcasm.) But seriously, here's the bad part about training here. Today I was attacked by a loose pit bull. I saw him run into the street ahead of me and tried to stay behind. He turned around and saw me... stopped... and waited for me. I kept my pace and decided to assume the best about this innocent looking puppy. Maybe he was just taking in the sight of a 6'5" human running past him at such blazing fast speeds (again... sarcasm). The instant I passed him I see him out of the corner of my eye break into a sprint heard him bark like he just found his next meal. In a matter of two seconds the following thought process went through my head. One... "I'm going to die." Two... "He can run faster than me." Three... " I guess I better attack him." At that point I started barking and running toward the dog. He wasn't backing down. we got 6" away from each other ... both barking... before he finally backed off and ran away...

what away to end week two of training.

Here's the breakdown...

Monday - 2 hr bike ride

Tuesday - 1 hr run

Wednesday - rest day

Thursday - Strength training/Core workout & short fast run

Friday - 1 hr run

Saturday - 2 hr bike ride

Sunday - 1 & 1/2 hr run + a single canine fartlek (yes I just invented that)

1 week down 35 to go

The thought of training for an Ironman can be a bit overwhelming. Eventually the soundtrack from last year's NBC coverage of Kona stops playing in your head and you actually have to lace up your shoes and go out for the first of your 100 or so upcoming hour-long training runs. The negative voice inside your head needs little encouragement, but nevertheless, continues to be fed. Whether it be through comparison with other more accomplished athletes who consistently perform better than you, non-athletes who insist that the distances you are attempting are unsafe (if not impossible), or setbacks when evaluating your own training expectations. I am quickly realizing the importance of racing your own personal race, and training accordingly.
One only need to visit slowtwitch.com and drop into the forum for a matter of minutes before getting a taste of training-geek-paradise. Anyone and everyone has an opinion about what YOU should be doing, and are more than willing to offer you their advise. If you have some serious questions, it's a great place to bounce some ideas around and hear some suggestions, but by no means should anyone automatically assume that what works for someone else will also work for them. At some point you must do the work for yourself and find out what will work for you. The good news is that there is a good little voice inside you as well, albeit much less boisterous at times than his evil twin, whispering a quiet truth.... "You CAN do it."
Here's a snapshot of the first week of training. I decided going up front that I did not want to miss out on my daughter being 3 yrs old, and I could not afford to miss out on sleep and have my job suffer, so my training needed to be the flexible variable in this IM equation. This was put to the test right at the beginning. My flexibility has never been an issue, or has it? The true test of an object's flexibility is the ability to bounce back. Otherwise the object is not really flexible is it? It's more malleable or pliable. So being willing to cancel my workouts for family events or other occasions is not the true test of my flexibility. The true test is my ability to re-arrange the rest of my week to achieve my training goals. My personal training goals for each week include 2 run days, 1 run/cross training/core strength day, two long multiple activity SBR workouts on the weekends. This would give me two rest days per week, which I have found that my larger frame responds quite well to when doing that much running. So what am I faced with the very first week of training? My favorite people in the world (my mom and dad) came into town on the very first day, and were able to spend two days with us. I am not going to miss out on quality family time like that for something as selfish in nature as Ironman. Nope, family comes first, and what an amazing time it was. My dad and I got to talk about the Bible, our faith in Christ, and all sorts of things more important (in the grand scheme of things) than triathlon. But nevertheless, I do have some training goals. If I am going to be truly flexible I needed to set a precedence in the first week of training and not simply cancel these two workouts, but fit them in somehow.
Day 1 Mon - rest
Day 2 Tue- rest
Day 3 Wed- 1 hour run
Day 4 Thur - Brick - 45 min bike - 15 min run
Day 5 Fri - 1 hour run
Day 6 Sat - 2 hr bike (40 miles) - 5 min run
Day 7 Sun - 30 min light run (easy day)
It was a little more difficult than i thought it would be to get motivated for each workout. I was a bit more sore than I expected. But it definitely started to prove itself worthwhile. On my two run days, i found out that i lose approximately 6 lbs. per hour running when it's hot and humid out at 10k pace. That's valuable information I did not know beforehand. This lets me know that I am on the high end as far as hydration needs are concerned in the IM. Gonna have to work on ways I can stayed fueled. This just might be the source of my cramping calf muscles.
Now go outside, exercise, and learn something about yourself, before it starts getting cold out there.
Soulrider

Ironman Training For The Type B Personality

It's getting close to commitment time. A typical ironman training schedule is about 36 weeks. So right now, I'm not beating myself up if I miss a workout, or if I have the fried rice instead of steamed with my triple delight and egg roll. Those that know me, know that I rarely beat myself up over that stuff anyway. But, things are going to have to change. Or are they?
I've been searching for a training program online that will fit me perfectly. I'm still searching.
The typical ironman-in-training may or may not have a job that requires 50+ hrs a week (like me), may or may not have a family (like me), and may or may not care if he finishes under 12 hrs with enough energy to skip across the finish line in the daylight (not like me). I am playing referree to an internal battle between my heart and my mind. The majority of the training programs out there are written by and intended for type "A" personalities who really enjoy counting their calories, logging their workouts, and monitoring their progress searching for "trends" that will help them alter their training, fueling, recovery etc. to maximize their performance on race day. These programs START at 12 hrs a week and move up to 16-18. Well, what if you truly just want to finish before the cutoff with a smile on your face and walk away with a great story you'll be able to tell the rest of your life. Where's the training program for that? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying one should not approach an ironman without a great deal of respect and seriousness. There is a lot at stake. You can really hurt yourself attempting one of these. And I believe I have an appropriate amount of respect for the sport to know what I'm getting into. This is not a decision I've made on a whim. I've been involved in the sport of triathlon for almost 5 years and while an ironman may be on my "bucket list", improved fitness is not. Fitness is more of a lifestyle commitment that I have to make every day. It's an investment in my future with my family. Besides, an Mdot tattoo just wouldn't look right if it got all fat and stretched out, HA!
I could stress over finding and committing to the right program a bit more, but that would take a bit of the fun out of the process. Coach K (of the Duke Blue Devils) says that champions aren't just passionate about competing, they are passionate about preparation. He's right. But I'm not trying to qualify for Kona. I might not ever do anything longer than Olympic distance tri from here on out... who knows? My point is this, unless I find a program that will allow me to train before 6:00am (I work construction) and after 8pm M-F (my daughter's bedtime) and squeeze in long bricks on the weekends, my daughter will be 4 by the time ironman TX comes around and I will completely miss out on her being 3... and I am quite enjoying her as a 3 yr old. And I'm sure my wife would like to see me every once in a while. I've had a bad habbit of letting my hobbies get in the way of what is truly important to me, and that's NOT a part of the plan this time around. Discipline (the character that every triathlete recognizes as a virtue) is primarily about improving the quality of your life, not mis-aligning your priorities so that your life and everything truly important in it begins to suffer.
So train, and train hard. But put it into perspective every once in a while.

Training or Working Out?

Do you workout?... Or do you train? Training implies that you are preparing yourself to perform at some level for a specific activity at some future date. Working out has a much more generic implication. I find it much easier to train than workout. Infuse my excersice routine with meaning and all of a sudden I don't have near as much trouble waking up early for a run or eating a bunch or egg-whites for breakfast instead of a bowl of cereal. And not just a long term goal... I need something immediate. When I think about doing Ironman Wisconsin in 2011 I don't feel the urgency to train the way I do when I know that the Cap-Tex triathlon in Austin is only two weeks away and the other two guys in my relay are hoping that I give them the fastest mile swim I can possibly give them.

I say this to emphasize the importance of short-term goals. Much like college... when the professor assigns a major paper the first week of class and makes it due the last week of class, I'm probably not even thinking about the paper until the last couple of weeks before it's due (if not the night before). However, it is not possible to "cram" for an Ironman triathlon (or even smaller events like a marathon, half marathon, or even 10k). The sudden onslaught of training only leads to injury and pain. So pick a few events throughout the year that you can work toward. Cram for those smaller events and you'll end up building that base level of fitness without having to develope a grand scheme for some far off event and commit months and months in advance. This will keep you from getting frustrated with interruptions in your training schedule, and help overcome the urge to abandon it all together.

So far I couldn't be happier with the way this year's training has gone. The CB&I triathlon went great. I placed 10th in my Clydesdale division (and that happend to be my specific personal goal). The back is holding up well with the bike riding, running, and swimming. I think the strength training over the winter after surgery has made all of the difference. It has enabled me to exercise worry free. And so far, I've lost at least 10lbs since December. So keep at it!!! It does eventually pay off. And if you think triathlon is too difficult and you would never be able to do one. I encourage you to attend one. The race day environment is like none other on the face of this planet. You will see people in far worse shape than you are participating in something you never thought you could do. You just might get hooked. Congrats to my buddy Stephen Shaw for completing his first CB&I (he did quite well as a matter of fact!) I know he had a blast and I'm sure he will do it again.

Now go sweat it out!!!
Soulrider