Again, again, to Base Training

Fitness Journal was kind enough to provide me with my latest distance so far through this period of my base training. It's been 358 miles in riding, running, and swimming and I feel great.

Check out my latest map.

Just how far do we train here anyway?

One of the most significant collective stats that my friend Doron shared with me my after our first ironman was just how much distance we had covered in training. He used a number that I can barely fathom at this point, and wondered if we had been on the same training plan.

This year I want to see how far I end up traveling on my "trip" to ironman. To that end I've been logging my workouts in a personal workout log as well as the one that we are given access to through the teamintraining ironteam.

There's even a nifty map that shows how far I would have gone across the country.

Tri Saturdays - Just a ride in the park

I love Saturdays. Friends of mine sleep in or do brunch or even go skydiving. Me? Well me and mine go out for bike rides. Yup, you heard me bike rides. For the two races that the Los Angeles Chapter of Team in Training "IronteaminTraining" participants will have either seven or almost ten full months of training to tackle the Wildflower Long Course (a half iron distance triathlon) and/or Vineman (a full iron distance triathlon). Today's mission was simple, ride as a team for the first time. So with a little parking lot assessment of equipment, and bike handling ability the team set out on a short hour/hour-and-a-half~ish ride around Griffith Park from the Los Angeles Zoo.

After an easy five mile warm up the lead pack upped the ante and the group spread out over the 17-mile course.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1430246

If you were there this weekend it was great to see you. No worries about anything at all we have months (and I mean MONTHS) of training to go. If you weren't there you missed yet another opportunity to join us at Portos Bakery and my favorite part of almost any training day, lunch.

In the words of one of my coaches, it was a good practice; Nobody drowned. Next week it's off to Santa Monica for some Westside riding. See you then -dean

(link to this blog post - tri-saturdays-just-ride-in-park)

The importance of a little eye contact

I've taken to riding my bike to work. With only a handful of rainy days in the last 12 months why not. Luckily I live in Southern California where the weather is forgiving enough nearly year round and my job is flexible enough dress code wise where this is possible. Unluckily people around me, and I mean on the road, seem to be paying less and less attention to the ROAD!!

I'm not certain what the issue is. Driving is fun. It is the transference of a little change in the angle of your foot/heel, to raw horsepower and speed, or drop in speed depending on what your needs are. Perhaps the problem is that cars are just too big, or that there's too much to look at and be entertained by inside the car. Regardless the power and convenience of this powered conveyance is being taken for granted.

As a rider, and now a riding commuter, I have come to one universal truth. It is this: No matter how well I train myself to ride, nor how RIGHT I am in the right of way, when struck by a quarter to a half ton of aluminum, steel, and plastic, that RIGHT of way doesn't mean anything. Nothing that is but an overall loss in the ability to walk, talk, and possibly breathe. I'm not ok with that. But making sure that that doesn't happen is on me.

I have been freed from my car and the shackles of big petroleum companies for my work week. I have been liberated, one might say. And eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. It's now on me to watch and make sure that I am safe. To that end a little eye contact is important.

What good is eye contact you might ask? A little eye contact can tell you what a driver is going to do, or better yet what they're not seeing, most importantly you. Riding in traffic is made safer by knowing as much about your fellow commuters as you can. Are they even looking at you? Have they noticed that you too are making that left turn? Are they sleeping?

Looking in to a driver's eyes can make them aware of you. At the very least it causes 99% of people a second thought, which still might be two more thoughts than you would have gotten before. It's harder to hit something that has looked in to your soul BWAHHAHAHAHAHA. I jest, but I'm not kidding. Try it sometime. Walk across the street, at an intersection, look at the driver that was looking left at the cross traffic, notice that they don't see you, then find their eyes. What do you see? Is it shock that you were there, disgust that you're holding them up, disappointment that they can no longer run you over innocently (in the "shoot, he saw me, now I HAVE TO stop and wait" tone)?

Tour de Fr... Denver?

Hello out there. I got an email from one of my coaches and it looks like he's out to ride the Tour de France... but in Denver & LA, minus car support and while working.

http://tourdedenver07.blogspot.com/

Quoted from Coach Gareth Thomas:

With the Tour de France just around the corner, i thought I'd share
my latest mad thought with you......

I am going to attempt my very own "Tour de Denver (and LA)" to
coincide with the stages or this years Tour de France. I figured that
perhaps i can do a third of the length of the tour rides on the same
days with similar profiles to the Tour stages. Near my home in
Colorado I have access to some major climbs and time trial courses so
I figured I could find HC style climbs and routes to match what our
Tour heroes will be doing each day. On my work days in Los Angeles I
can ride the computrainer courses in my office. Of course there are a
few considerations...

1. the altitude in colorado starts higher than the finishes of the
hardest stages of the TDF!
2. it is often above 95 degrees most days now
3. i'll have to do most of it "solo"
4. I have to work and travel during it all

i have no idea if this is going to be an "easy" task or impossibly
hard. No one day is longer than 45 miles but there are many days back
to back and the intensity is going to be way hard.

Anyway, I am going to track my progress on a blog - it should throw
out some interesting info along the way. I'll be riding with an SRM
powermeter so I will provide data from each days ride. I'll be
getting somewhat regular massage and chiro along the way. I am going
to do weight and % fat pre and post Tour and also i am going to lab
test with lactate and VO2 pre & post. So if anyone is interested in

1. also following my stage plan
2. following my progress
3. giving me some encouragement
4. joining me on a ride or 2

then please visit my Blog and let me know what your thoughts are....

http://tourdedenver07.blogspot.com

Watch out Lance, here I come!!

Gareth Thomas
--

Should be a kick. Give it a look and shout out some support would you!

Race Report : 2007 Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Bike

This year in Coeur d'Alene marked the first year of an all new bike course. There are a number of reasons that I have heard for this, but they don't really matter to me. The old course took riders out to the Idaho/Washington state line with a fair amount of climbing and had pieces of the ride that in retrospect felt like unnecessary filler. There was a long piece past mile 35/85 (or so) that followed the centenial trail along the highway and caused riders to hit a decent headwind.

The new course took us out of Coeur d'Alene and in to the town of Hayden. This year's course was quite a bit harder. Though in looking at my polar altitude data from last year and comparing it to this year, it seems like there 4300 feet of climbing (30 miles or so) and last years course had 4600 feet of climbing over the same distance. Though there was 300 fewer feet of climbing I'd say that this course was harder, if only in my mind. I'd say that last year had the climbing over a shorter distance forcing riders this year to climb for a longer period of time.

The biggest change was that the course was far prettier than last year. To the uninitiated this might sound petty, but over a seven hour period having great stuff to look at makes the time that much better. The rolling hills were beautiful, and the long line of riders looked like ants climbing over them.

For me I had the opportunity to talk to several people over the ride. (Most of them were passing me). It was by all accounts, despite being difficult perhaps, a great ride. The weather we had was wonderful, mid 60's to low 70's with a small headwind for most of the ride and a longer stronger headwind right near the end of the ride. If they keep the course the way that it was and you intend to ride this race next year, I'd recommend longer sustained climbing as a large part of your training.

End result, last year 7:50~ish, this year 7:20 (and that's with 12 minutes worth of bathroom stops because of the cold weather and hydration planned for a warmer day).

Cruising the coonejo

Today the ironteam did a century ride in thousand oaks, ca. Put on by the Conejo Valley cycling club, this challenging ride featured several distances for the casual 25 mile, to the 100 mile course with over 6000 feet of climbing.
It was my first long workout in close to six weeks and had to call it quits at seventy miles. For the first time even Ipulled a DNF.

More to come on this event later.
-dean

http://irondean.blogspot.com

Begging forgivness from the Tri-Gods

If the training of an athlete for an event was under the supervision of god, like in Greek times, and the actions of an athlete answerable to that god, this is what my most recent prayer would have looked like.

Dean: Hear me oh great god of triathlon, one who speeds transitions, suppresses the head wind, and calms the currents of the open water swim.

god of triathlon (GOT): Greetings athlete. What brings you to me today?

D: Forgive me for I have sinned (for lack of a better phrase) in my training.
GOT: How have you sinned?
D: I allowed my bike to fall in to disarray and somehow damage it to an unrideable state.
GOT: Equipment is sacred. You must not allow yourself to err in this way. Without gear we cannot complete the distances we strive for.
D: Yes, I have erred. I will endeavour to be more mindful of my equipment. There is more.
GOT: What else then?
D: I'm in the last phase of my training for my next Ironman race, Ironman Coeur d'Alene in Idaho. Without my bike, I have not been able to ride for three weeks. Please forgive me.
GOT: That is what base training is for you idiot. Nonetheless you're probably fine and thus easily forgiven. Besides you've been injured too haven't you?
D: *GASP* How did you know?
GOT: Do you question my omnipresence?
D: Oh, right. See everything, hear everything. Slipped my mind. Got it.
GOT: The rest probably did you a lot of good. Tell me, do you now want to run?
D: Oh yeah!
GOT: Do you want to go out and ride?
D: You better believe it.
GOT: Did you want to do these things three weeks ago?
D: Not nearly as much as I want to now.
GOT: Then you're most definately better for having been off for a few weeks. No skimping on the training now that you're six weeks from taper.
D: This I can do. Is there anything else?
GOT: No, and stop stealing my lines.
D: *Ahem* Thank you for listening, it stills the demons of doubt that haunt me. Amen.
GOT: And while you're at it go chase down an ironman PR why don't you!
D: You got it... Amen.
GOT: Don't forget the hydration or the salts!
D: Um... Amen.
GOT: Get some rest!
D: Umm.. Really, got to get back to work now, so... Amen?...
GOT: .....
D: Hello?... Amen?... Hello?
GOT: Yes, I heard you. Your sins have been forgiven. Get back to work.
D: Amen.

The 2007 Ironman California - 70.3

A tremendous season opener. The Ford Ironman California 70.3, a mouthful of syllables and no shortage of meaning. Ironman 70.3 races are distances formally known as "half ironman" races. Don't let the "half" fool you it's a race not to be taken lightly. For many present this was not only their first race of the season, but also their first at this distance.

In previous years this race was two weeks earlier and more often than not race day brought cold water, rainy weather, and slick asphalt. This year on March 31st the race was held to bright blue sunny skies, and a swim nearly five full degrees warmer than last year. For Southern Californians this is the closest race at any ironman distance.

Ahh the swim, a 1.2 mile loop through the boat bay. I'm usually pretty anxious to get in the water. Not so much because I like swimming, though I do, but more because I can't wait for it to be over. In most places I'm perfectly comfortable in the water, but in the open with that may people around me, the irrational part of my brain takes over and starts to freak me out. I say irrational because this year and last year I've trained at double this distance and am fine when I get out of the water. For the next race I need to know how hard and/or how fast I can go and still go out and have a good day. I was in the 18th wave, starting over an hour after the first group of professionals. Basically I watched the first pro, Andy Potts, finish his swim in 22:35 (according to the preliminary results), before I had gotten in to my wetsuit and staged in the starting chute.

Getting out of the water the charming water scenes of Oceanside, CA give way to Camp Pendleton and the hills that lay ahead. I've been on base once, and that was a much shorter ride. This ride had us riding on roads that had markings pointing out artillery ranges and signs that notified you not to proceed ahead of a particular point due to falling ordinance... The most striking notice was a crossing for, yes, tanks. A freakin' tank crossing sign. How was I NOT going to notice a 50-60 ton piece of fighting machine crossing the road?

A scant three hours and twenty minutes later it's on to the run. The run for me has always, and I mean always, been the hardest part of the day. There's nothing but road in front of you and only your legs to cover it. We ran on the strand in Oceanside from the Marina past the pier. If I haven't said it before I'll say it now, it was a beautiful day.

Final for me on the day was a 6:32. I dropped an equivalent six minutes on my swim from Ironman last year, and hopefully something equally significant on my bike and run. For me, keeping that pace for Ironman would be phenomenal. I know today that I benefit from a great training program, a year's worth of base training, the support of a fantastic team (Go Team), and the luck of having such a beautiful day on the course.

Special thanks go out to my Ironteammates, Matt (who had the fastest time on the course for our team at 5:50, go and donate to his team in training campaign if you can), Jen (who beat me by two minutes), Christy (whose persistence on the run continues to inspire and drive me), Karen (whose experience on the bike and run mirrored in many ways my '06 Ironman Coeur d'Alene experience), and to Kevin (whose experience in racing helped us all, and who went back on to the course after finishing the race himself, to find and run with Karen as she finished her race).

I was powered by Lemon-lime Motortabs, Vanilla Crisp Powerbars, Enduralytes by Hammer Nutrition, and despite a little cramping in my calves due to an overall lack of flexibility, had a fantastic day. Success is due in no small part to training, but equally to nutrition. I can't thank the fine people at Motortabs, Hammer Nutrition and Powerbar enough for bringing fine products to market and continuing to improve as endurance sports progressively evolve.

A new milestone

So we're back in Malibu for the weekend. I can seriously think of worse places to be for a Saturday. We break through a new milestone for us this weekend. The five hour ride. Five hours at fifteen miles an hour puts you at seventy five miles.

More importantly it requires a higher level of attention be paid to nutrition planning and pacing. From here on out expect longer and harder rides. At the very least this ride will prep people who are training for the California Half... opps, California 70.3 race in Oceanside at the end of next month.

We should have some nice weather though:

Looks like that's all from me for today! See you at Zuma.
-dean