It's 1am... Duh, that's all I have left

So here's where we are. Everyone is still standing, the race is over, t-shirts and medals have been passed out and it's now 1 am. If you've ever done/trained for one of these things you know one inescapable truth. What is it you ask? Simply put, when you're done you're hungry... duh. Me? Not this time, but everyone else absolutely.

What's open at 1am in the outskirts of Coeur d'Alene?... A Mc... yup. one of those. And that's where they went. Probably got a shake too.

Dean's short recap of the experience goes a little like this:
A calm mostly perfect looking morning in Cd'A sent a few clouds and a robust sustained wind through the town of Hayden (where the hills were). Dean wrote as much as he could about everything that he was seeing and hearing, not to mention texting updates to family and friends, and family of friends who where here in town unable to read the blog from the street.

Weather is one thing on a long list of things that are not in your control. You have control over yourself. Not water temperature, not cloudy nor rainy days, not the slow ass guy at Dennys that forgot your pancakes, just yourself... That's why we train/practice.

The unpredictable causes us to adapt and change. Some days it produces uncommon results both large and small, good and not so good. Today it produced all of these in both amounts. At the end of the day though we have finishers, whether you finished all or pieces, we have finishers. Each person putting themselves through as much of the day as they have control over, and adapting as best they can to the rest.

Perhaps this ramble is longer than I meant it to be, and perhaps it's because I'm tired. It's not the brief piece it was supposed to be.

So I'll close with this, from a coach of mine. It was a good day, no one drowned.

Peace. Good night.
-dean

IM C'dA 2008 - What Dean's Bike Would Look Like

Let's say hypothetically that I was to go out and "look" at a new bike... Here's what it might look like...

IM C'dA 2008 - Here we go

It's Saturday night and the work has been done. Workouts completed. Nutrition dialed in. Bags and bikes to transition. Practice swims nailed. It's 630pm and dinner has been take care of. As of now we're T-minus eleven hours to the starting cannon and we're down to last minute prep. Think, night before any major workout. Mixing bottles and getting in a good nap.

This is my third trip to Idaho, and every year the town seems to grow a little bigger. Thankfully the race distance remains the same 140.6 miles. Weather tomorrow looks pretty good. The paper this morning projected that tomorrow would have a high of 75 degrees and not be raining. Not bad considering that it snowed here less than ten days ago.

The good news is that it felt like the lake was warmer today than it was yesterday. I have to say that I'm a little bummed that I'm not racing. For reasons that are all my own, it's good that I'm not, but that competitive part of my brain still objects; softly.

This is my first year as a spectator at an iron distance event and I expect it to be killer. I have the advantage of having completed the course twice so I know where everyone will be and where the best burgers are.

I'm an irongeek

Here I am, in the afternoon post workout, errands all done and I'm watching the 2007 Ironman World Championships from Kona this past October on NBC. From Chris McCormack powering his way through the run to win his first Ironman to the final age-grouper to finish at midnight they are champions every last one of them.

Stolen lines, ironically the two letters that you have to remove from impossible to make it so, are I and M; IM as in Ironman.

have a good afternoon. -dean

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.

New starts at odd times

Let's take a look at what's going on for me this year in the world of endurance sports. I'm probably not a beginner anymore, though there's still tons to learn. I've completed a handful of half marathons, a half iron distance triathlon, a couple olympic/international distance triathlons, two full iron distance triathlons, and there still seems to be room for more. In the world of triathlon we're coming to the end of the racing season with many locations having held or are nearing their championship event. For me and several friends of mine we're starting true base training in prepartion of another "going long" season.

For me this will be a focused year, trying to get the most out of training and the least amount of skating that I've done. And by skating I mean going through the motions without purpose. Laying this out there today, I'm not going to qualify for the big race in Hawaii, not this year, and probably not this decade. But this year is for reaching down and seeing what I'm capable of doing. Setting new PRs at all my distances and having fun while that happens.

I'm also helping out with Team in Training again this year as a mentor. We'll be going to Vineman in Sonoma, a full iron distance race as well has taking many to Wildflower for the long course, a half iron distance race. I look forward to introducing them to you as the season progresses.

I'm also working with the LA Tri Club to increase the club's presence at local races to support our member athletes from beginners to elites, and to recruit new members.

Oh yeah, then there's working, dating, and sleeping that has to get done between all the training, eating, and recovering that is already planned. So like I said last year, I send my apologies in advance.

-dean

Friends of mine in print

If you look at this month's issue of Triathlete Magazine you will see that Janus took out an ad that spans several pages in the magazine in order to recognize participants in their ironman fundraising program. If you look at the top you'll see my friend Doron who raised over $40,000. I'm equally impressed with each of my teammates who raised funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, all of whom trained with me this past year. Kudos all around.

Race Day Footage from the 2007 Ironman Coeur d'Alene Swim Start

Hello everyone,
As evidence of the start of the day I've posted video of the 2007 Ironman Coeur d'Alene swim start. This is REAL footage broadcast on local television in Coeur d'Alene and shot live on the morning of June 24th.

It is in fact not my imagination or my memory messing with me. The water was a little rough. See the video below (and the one below that):



Look at the flag on the beach almost dead center in the frame:

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).

Race Report : 2007 Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Swim

A year ago I was here in Coeur d'Alene it was summer. The air was warm and the humidity a little higher than anything I'd had trained in. Race day last year brought (see last year's race report here) high temperatures and an introduction to one of the most beautiful courses that I've ever seen.

This year the course brought early spring-like conditions with air temperatures in the low 50's to low 70's, and a 8-12 mile per hour headwind. Of course the more observant amongst my readers will ask, "How can there be a headwind the whole way?" I ask the same thing.

The lake wasn't the smooth glassy surface that I remembered from the year before. Instead we were greeted with an uneven wind chop that produced 1-2 foot white caps depending on the day and time. Conditions were such that as of the race start the swim became optional, with those who wished, an opportunity to work the day as a duathalon beginning the bike at 9:30am. For those of you out there who know me, this wasn't an option worth considering. I didn't come all this way just to bike and run. For those of you who don't here's a little background. I've been around water for a good bit of my life and would tell just about anyone that I'm a fair swimmer. However in open water conditions with a mass of people around me that are kicking and clawing their way forward, I experience a little more anxiety than I'm used to. As a result my swims are a little slower than my pool times would reflect. This time around, the messy conditions did a fair job of seeding the field, pushing those unused to ocean swimming around the course. Many of my team reported finding huge pockets of open water. I was not one of them. I seemed to follow several swimmers who were having a rough time. At almost every chance I had to pass some one would swim cross and close out my path.

That being said I was remarkably more comfortable in the water and despite the water conditions and traffic I finished the swim four minutes faster than last year.

I hear that back in LA while we were in the water rumors were circulating that the swim was cancelled. Rest assured it was not. Though close to 35 people opted out.

Stay tuned, more reports to come.

Touchdown! Home at last!

Yup this ironman is in the books. I'm back in Los Angeles now and I know I still owe you a recap. Stay tuned. -dean

http://irondean.blogspot.com

In the works

I'm working on my race report now. I'm just trying to work all the lactic acid out of my quads. More on this to come. In the meantime congrats to all my Ironteammates. You were awesome out there! I met some new friends on the road too. Congrats to everyone! You are all now IRONMEN (IRONWOMEN too). Much love goes out to Mike Riley, the voice of ironman, as well for once again for sending us out and calling us all in straight up to midnight.

Those words...

I remember this. Sitting at the race banquet, siping my gatorade and watching the inspirational videos. I missed this place. It's more than the town, though I love it. It's more than the distance. It's the whole event, the stories, the lead-up, and my team in training Coeur d'Alene Ironman Team. Most are ironman first timers and are a joy to have spent time with, and have trained with all this weekend.

Love you guys. I'll see you on the course on Sunday. Stay focused, remember all the training, enjoy the day. It's a single moment that takes eight months, and one 17 hour day to create. And when it's all said and done, you'll hear, ''YOU ARE AN I-....'' nah, you'll hear it just fine when you all cross the finish line.

-dean
http://irondean.blogspot.com

Iroman Coeur d'Alene - Anything is possible

Anything is possible. That's the theme of what I'm calling my sport. For me over the past three years my journey has netted me four new personal records in endurance sports, what I'm hoping will be my second healthy Ironman start, new friends, and a smoother healthier lifestyle.

In taking a moment, there are a number of groups that have made getting here easier if not making the notion of all of this possible in the first place.

First, as should be, are my family. Yes, that solid group of people who desite calling this crazy have put up with slowly returned phone calls & emails, dinners cut short due to exhaustion, and a smaller amount of time in general.

The same could be said for my friends.

I'm not not formally sponsored but I've made some friends along the way. Special thanks go to Motortabs. After trying several available hydration options, Motortabs with the remainder of my carbohydrate needs filled by Carbopro and Powerbars, have been the best practice and race day nutrition for me

Lights, camera, inaction

Yup... 430am... And the only light I can see of any kind is on the ceiling of the lobby at LAX. Almost saw a fight at the ticket counter. Some couple that was standing in the wrong line for check in.

Travel is stressful enough without packing for a vacation and a race. Translation: watch for the ring side perspectrive and commentary in a future post.

-dean

http://irondean.blogspot.com

AND WE'RE OFF!!

Here we go. It's a little before 4am and we're on our way to the airport. Usually I think anything this early is unholy. Who am I kidding? It is unholy. Next stop LAX.

http://irondean.blogspot.com

11pm - Do you know where your sanity is?

I'm getting on a plane in six or seven hours to fly to Seattle to then fly to Spokane to then get in a car or a shuttle to ride for another hour in to Idaho where my race weekend will begin. A year ago I was sitting in my apartment in Long Beach, my bags weren't packed, my brain heavily in denial over where I was going and what was about to happen. I tell people at work that I'm going on vacation, but this is hardly a vacation from their perspective.

I'm leaving the state for a couple of days. I'm staying in a hotel in a resort town. I'm travelling with friends. We'll see the sights, eat good food, and enjoy each other's company. All true. It's a Holiday inn express in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, a picturesque town on a lake in Idaho. I've trained the whole year with a fantastic group of athletes and we're going together to Idaho. Ironman is in our future, but that's not until Sunday. We'll drive the bike course and see the hills and the long straight aways in our future.

To be honest it'll be an experience not to be missed. I can only hope that it means as much to them as it has to me. A chance to return to a course that pushed me to test myself and my desire to get what I wanted. I don't think that I wanted any thing more in my life than to finish that course that day. Nothing was going to stand in my way, nothing was going to keep me from that finish line. I'd worked for nine months, given up my weekends, and my nights to train my body to accept distance, pain, and the joys of a hard day's work. At the end of it all it was a joy; A joy to walk through the airport. A joy to walk the expo. A joy to see my teammates on the out and back stretches as we passed one another. Training for ironman was worth every minute.

And now here I am again. Five hours from having to be in a cab on my way to the airport all over again. I feel ready. Though I'm not sure I know what that really is yet. It takes time to know what that means. I feel better than I did last year. Stronger. Leaner. Smarter. I want it just as much.

It's ok. I'll sleep tomorrow and Friday night. I'll see the things that make me happy. Wake up in a new place. Swim in a lake. Ride in the mountains. Run near a beach. It'll be a vacation. A vacation called the 2007 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene. An adventure. I'm ready.

G'night.
-dean

A quick recap

It's Ju.. err May. We're so close that it might as well be June. This will be my 45th post of the year. All in all not bad, that's 9-10 posts a month, 2-3 posts per week. It's been a kick for me to write for all of you. Thanks for following us so far and taking any possible learnings from the missteps that I've made thus far in my training.

Here's a little of what I've learned:
- Training = Hard Work
- Ironman training = INSANELY HARD WORK
- Workouts are best done in all conditions to prepare the body and mind for anything.
- Training for the long course is made better/easier when working with others.
- EVERYTHING tastes better after 100 miles on a bike.
- NOTHING feels better after a marathon than a nap.
- When in doubt, Go team
- For some reason this is fun.

The day nears

I'm starting to get that pre race feeling. The buttterfly-like nervous in the pit of my stomach. Race day must be coming. It's not for another five weeks, but all I see in front of me on my calendar is Ironman Coeur d'Alene. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that there are other things on my calendar, but this is all I'm seeing. Peace, dean.

http://irondean.blogspot.com

2007 Wildflower Recap

Yes I know what you're thinking, a recap? From a guy that didn't even race? Yup! That's me. I was out there supporting my team. Which team is that you may ask? Well that's the Los Angeles Team in Training Ironteam, the very one bound for Ironman Coeur d'Alene in Idaho in June.

The very best news about training with a group of people on their way to an early summer ironman race is that Wildflower is a tune-up race. YEAH! You heard me, a tune-up race! (Again, not that I did it.) We, that is to say the team, had a great day out there. Good race day decisions made by all. Everyone approached the day knowing that they couldn't kill themselves out there, after all there's a race to do in six or seven weeks. hint hint. That having been said, there was no slacking out there. (Just ask someone about the famous naked aid station or the streakers that ran through camp Saturday night after the race.)

To quote coach Paul, "It was a good day. No one drowned." It's funny, he says that after run practice too. And why shouldn't that be the measure of a good day? With so many participants and waves that the start of the race stretched over an hour and half with each wave separated by five minutes it's a great thing that no one drowned. Everyone I saw from our ironteam group emerged from the water on fairly fresh legs bounding up towards transition. Collectively I'm sure that the concensus was "Thank God I'm out of that. Now all I have to do is ride."

The team looked strong with Gregorio, Chris, Heather, Raul, Maria, Trish, and Laurie moving with excellent pacing through the field. The day was long, but everyone came through just fine.

For anyone not having experienced Wildflower, even from the vantage point of a spectator, Wildflower is a spectacle and a sight to be seen. Talk to any group of triathletes and you're bound to hear that Wildflower is the Woodstock of triathlon. With many races today taking place in or near sizable cities or towns, hotels and motels are the common lodging of choice. With Wildflower, taking place in the scenic locale of Lake San Antonio, and the nearest populated area being close to an hour away by car, camping is the way to go. (Or an RV if you're so inclined.)

On Thursday the bulk of races start to arrive. Many carry tents to setup for friends, color tape to rope off sections and get ready to put their flag in the sand for race weekend. Come Friday and you'll still find a spot on the ground to stake your tent. Get there too late and you might not. By the time all is said and done the ground is covered in tents, RVs, parked cars, campfires, and athletes either relaxing before their race or celebrating a finsih. I grew up camping in that same campground and the long hot days of July and August are no where near as crowded as this past weekend was.

Saturday morning starts early with the long course athletes going in first and then the sprint athletes, which includes a youth division. Sunday is all olympic distance athletes. I was fortunate to have been able to volunteer on Saturday. Wildflower is actually run by students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Volunteers are pooled from each of the campus groups and the race was well supported throughout. I actually found myself out of a job before 930am. So I went with Karen, one of my ironteammates, to the swim exit to try and spot our teammates coming out of the water.

Now a moment for this: Triathlon is a hard sport to watch. It really is. Think about it. Football, football (soccer), tennis, baseball, even nascar, these are all sports that occur on closed grounds for the most part where the objective or source of the action occurs in one place, more or less, for the duration of the event. Triathlon, marathon running, cycle road races, these are sports where athletes goal is survival first, then to thrive over distance and time. Where an hour covers several miles of work. For spectators this blows! Of course if the race took place on a track or in a small loop it would be the worst race in the world, but then, to watch a race means that one has to be in one place to spot their athlete for the 30 seconds tops, as they zip by on the bike, a minute or two as they pass on the run, and forget about the swim. Anyone who can spot and honestly keep track of a swimmer from a 2000 person mass start to the finish of the race from shore deserves a finisher's medal too, but dip this one in gold or something. When you see them you were standing or sitting in one point not longer than a couple of feet in a race that lasts 70.3 or 140.6 miles. Maybe they'll be back on the second loop or when they come in to finish, but that's it. Unless you hoof it cross course to see them at another point in the race.

From an athlete's perspective, there's little that I've seen on the course that lifts my spirit than a familiar face and the sound of someone calling my name cheering me on. Not even a cup full of ice at mile 20 of an Ironman marathon lifts my spirits like that. Better still is that familiar face in a bar or restaurant after the race with an ice cold pint. But that's neither here nor there. We could run the race without support. It would be harder and less fun, but it could be done. If you know an endurance athlete and want to support them go to a race. It's hard and trust me the vast majority of the day will blow, you'll do a lot of waiting around, but for a couple of minutes and more miles than you will know you will carry your athlete's spirits.

For some, race season doesn't start until Wildflower race weekend, which comprises of a long course (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run aka half ironman distance), a mountain bike sprint, and an olympic race. For others this is the race for which they've trained the entire year. From the crudest point of view a race is just a race. But Wildflower is battle, bragging rights, and a rite of passage in this tribe of athletes. Completion can be seen in the same vein as winning, a finish, any finish is a victory and something of which to be proud.

So, Go Team! Be proud.