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Dean Sakihama's fitness training and lifestyle blog

Resetting and rebuilding

What the F! I spent all this time training, travelled far and wide to find terrain, and climate suitable for preparing myself for what was (possibly) one of the signature moments of my life, the long course, and now... What's going on?

A multitude of things occurred throughout your day or days leading up to the race, and for wahtever reason you day ranged from a glorious demonstration of how proper training/preparation/nautural ability to the worst you've felt for an entire day and finding fault with having paid for the opportuinity to hav e done so.

It's possible to fall at both ends of the spectrum at the same time and several places within throughout the experience.

I probably wasn't there for your day (sorry about that), but I wanted to say that I'm proud of you. Too much can be made of a finishing time. Time is a relative mark in our human abilty for understanding the world. It matters not in the slightest to the satisfaction to committing to a distance and pushing through the discomfort that is a race. You may have set a time to finish by or a total time to complete the race in, but it was made in a vaccum. It came from a perfect world of controllable training sessions and the rosy lenses of the best case scenario. On race day all that gets chucked out the window and you rely on everything that you can squeeze from your body on that one day. Be proud of what you've accomplished. I'm proud of you.

But now what?

Long course race preparation requires an amount of sacrifice that sane people don't really inderstand. You've done that. You have given what was possible and some that wasn't. Your body needs rest, but more than that your mind deserves rest. It's been your brain that saw the date on the calendar and pushed your body towards it. It was your mind that held everything together at the peak of training.

Take now to reconnect with your life. Sleep! Call or see people you had to push to the side. Sleep! Make good on your promise to your boss or life partner to do that thing you said you'd do right after ironman. Sleep!

Try not to think about the next race or event. When you're ready your brain will know where to fong your running shoes.

I've been off for a little more than 90 days, it's my biggest true layoff from training in close to five years. In that time I've been going to concerts at the hollywood bowl, worked on my relationship with the greatest woman to have ever come in to my life, retaken up cooking for fun, and enjoyed long walks with a golden retriever puppy.

Life is yours to live. The next thing will come. For now rest, handle the chaos that comes from a new span of free time in your life that resembles the loss of a part time job. Remember what you used to do with that time, and think about whether or not to reintroduce those things in to your life again.

Every second counts and they are yours for you to do with them what makes you happy.

Here for you as always.
-irondean

Lake Placid Update

Just got back from Strawberry Fields where LA Tri had a great day.

But on with the news. Running time in Lake Placid is 12 hours and 15 mins. It's raining, and has been raining all day long. Kevin and Christy are out on the run, and according the live athlete tracker have yet to split on the marathon. I'd say that they're about a half hour away from finishing the first half of the marathon. Mark "Irondad" Cook is out on the run and put away the first half of the marathon in a tidy two and a half hours. Look for him to finish in the 14 hour range.

Depending on what minute you check the weather in Placid it's either raining or just cloudy. We're seeing temps around 65 degrees with 80%+ humidity.

I'll check in later
-dean

Video Post : Who Wants to be An IRONMAN?! Ironman Cd'A Swim Start

Just a quick moment before the race start

A day of 43 posts

I went back and counted my posts from Ironman day. The answer is 43.

A necessary revision

In the heat of the moment I posted here the winning time to Ironman Cd'A by a pro this year at right about 8 hours even... (See here)

It should be noted again for the record that that was unoffical "dean" time, and here's why. I started my watch at the sound of the cannon during the age group start, a full forty minutes or so later than the pro start. Thusly I must correct my previous post and say that in right about 8 hours and 40 minutes the first pro crossed the finish line. Still badass? Absolutely.

A weather update for the weekend (Ironman Cd'A, 2008)

According to the Weather Underground (Click here for the report)
Windspeed for June 22nd, 2008 was as follows:
Average: 12 mph
Gusts: 18 mph

So for those of you who believe you witnessed wind on the course, believe it. There was some wind on that course.

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

glowsticking

Just had to close with this picture.

From here to midnight

Hi folks. Looks like from here til midnight I'll be walking up and the course. So I'm not sure how much more posting I'll get done. From here on in, I can say with more than a little experience that its a grind to the finish for anyone still moving forward @ this time of night.

Before I sign off I'd like to thank my Treo 700w,my APC usb charger that has kept my phone up, verizon with the data connection, and of course all of you for following along.

Please comment if you can and let them all hear you. Today has been phenomenonal, incredible, and as unforgettable as always.

Thanks also to the volunteers and goodnight.

Cord finishes

Unoffical time is 11:55

Blast from this ironteam's past.

This event has had a convergence of campaign managers. Amy Graavengard just passed me on her way to mile 15. She said she might still be cold from the swim. Maria saw Jessica. And I saw Jayme who has been working with 2XU.

Interesting is all I'm saying.

Pitstop #2ish

Rules for spectators continue.
-stay fueled. Nothing ruins a day faster than dehydration and/or grumpiness brought on by a severe case of low blood sugar.

Dean's example...
620pm - Coeur d'Alene Brewing company (just to stay consistant.)
Burger, medium, cheddar & bacon. Accompanying is a vanilla bourbon stout. So far everything is excellent.

(Cord should be finishing in the next 30 mins. Should be exciting.)

Reindeer games

So theres this huge endurance event in town. Gatorade & powerbar are in town. On a front lawn I joined in a quick round of pong... Beer pong.

Relief

It's 10 to five and I just saw Karen with Laurie and Kevin @ mile 109. They're gonna make it on to the run.

Sixty little minutes

That's all that remains in the bike portion of our day. I think we still have four out on the course. I shudder to think what the wind was like on the backside of the course.

In case I haven't mentioned it

In case I haven't mentioned it, the race is over. 1st pro crossed right around 8 hours even. I wasn't at the line so I'll have to find out later who it was.

109 miles

I've plopped myself down less than three miles from the bike finish. I remember being at this oint last year on my bike and knowing almost down to te second how long it'd take me to be off my bike. The look on the faces of the oncoming cyclists tell me that we all share that feeling.

The attached video is of the stretch I'm sitting at.
-dean

New @ mile 109

Raul passed me just now at dean's unofficial mile 109

I've started walking

In search of teammembers I've started walking the bike coursw in reverse. The turn out in the residential areas has been huge.

So far I think almost everyone is still out on the bike. Cord and a few LATC folks have transitioned to the run. I'll keep you posted.

-dean

And now a word from our sponsor...

For 100 years (only about 30 active between prohibition) the Coeur d'Alene Brewing company has been brewing beer here in town. Today its seeing its share of the over 10,000 people and fans of the race.

So far I've had the Honeymoon Wheat, the Strawberry wheat, and the centennial pale ale. If the bar stays open long enough tonight I'll try them all (all 12 locally brewed beers on tap)

Have I mentioned that I'm looking for sponsorship? (no not an AA sponsorship)

Reorting as news comes in

Sounds like the wind is picking up outside of town. Reports have the wind projected to 10-11 mph. I hate wind. I'd rather do Latigo with only my big chain ring than face a headwind. (I might need to rethink the analogy but you see what I'm talking about.)

I hate wind.

Runners on the course

Just heard from Paul, he saw christina cord on the course. Roughly a 6hr bike ride. Way to go!

Pro update 2nd run lap

Bib#2 ''Tom'' is in 1st place on the 2nd lap run (mile14 or so) heading out to the lake road. 2nd place is likely over a mile behind.

Karen on her second lap

I just saw Karen chasing down Christy at the 68 mile mark.

Pro half done w marathon

Michael Lovato (or whoever is bib#3) is running second 5-7 mins behind first on dean's unofficial clock at the 12 mile mark.

Pro update

At just past mile 2 heather is the 2nd place pro woman. Shes headed out to the run and is looking strong.

Cowbell good

Lesson 1 for spectators. Bring noisemakers. It saves the hands and voice.

I just saw kevin at mile 56 (probably 60 by now) and Raul @ mile 68. Everyone is looking strong. I'm expecting to see Christy pass me in about 20-30 mins. What a beautiful day.

(Lesson 2 would be bring sunscreen and cash, definitely cash.)

One lap down

Unofficial time for christina is right around or under 3hrs for lap one.

Just to stop and take it all in.

A look from in front of the Cd'A resort out towards the lake. LOVE IT!!!

A look out at northwest blvd and lakeside dr.

This corner sees every cyclist for times; out and back for each loop.

Off for a ride.

The team is out on their ride. I'm off to lunch. Should have an update in an hour or two.

On the bike

I don't have my bike yet, but I'd guess that karen is a little ove 20 miles out on the course.Christina is probably pretty far in to Hayden at or around 30 miles.

Welcoming in the last official swim course finishers

At 2 hours 19 mins and 40 seconds the last official swimmer makes their way to t1. For everyone who follows, it will be an ''I'm sorry'' and maybe we'll see them next year.

Unofficial swim times

Cord 111
Megan 115
Karen 130
Christy 137
Laurie 140
Raul 140
Trish 155
Kevin 158

A smoking swim

Christina Cord is out of the water in a smoking one hour and eleven minutes (dean time)

Swim start video

Not sure how much you'll be able to see. I got this started a few seconds after the cannon went off.

Anf the 1st age grouper just finished the swim in 47 or 48 mins. Holy crap.

Weather update

Hopefully the weather hasn't changed. The clouds have just rolled in on the swim.

Holy crap

1st age groupers man and women just rounded the corner of the 1st swim lap. 30s faster than the pros. Just awesome.

Pro's done with the swim

In just under an hour the first five pros are out of the water on their way to T1.

Laurie all set

Here she is. All ready to go.

There's Raul

Raul, ready for the day.

Pros to start in a minute

The lake looks beautiful after a short rain last night. The pros are warming up. We should hear the gun any second.

Oh look there's Christina Cord!!

Karen all good

Just checked Karen in to the bike transition. Tons of people around. You can really feel the prerace ironman energy running through this place.

I'm getting goosebumps and I'm not even racing.

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Athlete tracking

Here's a cool feature for the race.
Up-to-date tracking of athletes throughout the day. If you're anything like me you'll be hitting refresh throughout the day.
http://ironman.com/events/ironman/coeurdalene?show=tracker

Karen #1801
Trish #2212
Laurie #2010
Raul #1584
Kevin #1452
Christy #2163
Christina #1862

It's 4am. Do you know where your breakfast is?

With the race start just three short hours away, most of the team is up. The day's first calories, some coffee, and last minute prep are the order of the morning. (And yes, it's still very dark outside.)

Field testing.

Just checking to see if I can post from the field tomorrow.

Live tracking available tomorrow at ironmanlive.com

Karen #1801
Trish #2212
Laurie #2010
Raul #1584
Kevin #1452
Christy #2163
Christina #1862

Peace everyone and goodnight.
-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.