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RACE DAY
A quick check of the weather and revealed a small 72 in the lower right corner. Could that be right? 72 degrees at 5 AM? Ouch. Stepping outside to load up the van, the humidity slapped me in the face. I had instant flashbacks to my 2005 Ironman in Wisconsin. Only I didn't have a full summer of heat acclimation on which to rely. Instead, I had a full winter of riding in my 45-degree basement with only a fan to provide a light breeze and all runs completed in sub-freezing temps and windchills.

Transition was a buzz from the get go. I set up my stuff, found Chris and we set off to the shuttle bus. Ah, make that we set off for the swim start on foot, mine bare, as the shuttle lines were a bit crowded and likely not going to get us there before our wave started. My over anxious self was ready to go with the PROs, but I settled in to wait for my wave. Luckily I didn't have to wait too long. My age group was the first to go, and I was in the second of two, fourth on the day. As usual, I found a spot near the front, and settled in. The water was calm and I breathed deep. The ten second warning was announced and then I was off.

I'm new to this whole sponsorship thing, so I'm totally blown away by what it offers. Let's review:

First, I was able to obtain a BMC TT03 bike frame. It is so sweet. The way the carbon is shaped makes looks fast just sitting on the stand. Strapped into the front fork is a ZIPP 404. In the rear dropouts is a ZIPP 808 around a CycleOps SLC+ PowerMeter. Both wheels have the trademarked dimples that cut through the wind like a golf ball. Strapped to the back wheel is a 10-speed SRAM Force derailleur system, powered by ZIPP VumaQuad compact cranks. The flight deck is controlled by ZIPP VukaAero bars. Of course, all of this will sit in transition waiting for me to get out of the water, wiggling out of my 2XU Elite wetsuit.

Sadly, I have yet to try out any of the new gear above. I'm waiting on tires and a saddle for the bike. And the ice hasn't melted on the lakes, so no wetsuit swimming yet. But, the tires are on the way, and I'll get a saddle when I get fit on my bike next week at CronoMetro.

Hopefully the weather holds and I'll get a few rides in before we leave on our road trip to New Orleans, which is only two weeks away!

This morning I finally got in the one-hour bike time trial on the schedule from earlier in week. Since the Wisconsin weather hasn't allowed me to get outside, I once again was on the trainer for the duration. I've never done a pure time trial before, so I didn't know what to expect. I planned to keep things in check in the beginning and build from there.

The hour was a success and I finished strong with my legs quivering a bit, though not as much as I thought they would be. I got off the bike and spent the morning thinking I hadn't gone as hard as I could, until I got up from my desk to get some lunch. It took a bit for me to get my balance and climbing some simple stairs were more effort than it should've been. Guess I did something right.

Five weeks left until IM NOLA 70.3. Fun!

One of my favorite distance sets is to increase your distances to a max and then work your way back down. It kind of looks like this:

Last night, I did this set, working the 300s & 500s hard, and maintaining a steady, moderate effort on the 400s & 600, while warming up and cooling down the 200s, respectively. Nothing too earth shattering, but I did like the results of the two 500s. With one week left before the Alumni meet and my annual swimming of the 500 against the JV, I was psyched to see some OK times. Because of the mountain, I didn't go my hardest, but I did concentrate on form and kicking. That lead to two 6:08s, which is just over 1:13 per 100. And then on the second 300, I went a 3:35, slightly slower than my T-pace average of 3:32, but again, I wasn't going all out and it was after 3000 other yards. This means I should hopefully be able to go under 5:40 next week, which is the main goal.

In other disciplines, Coach Will Smith has been keeping the bike training lively with all sorts of intervals, big gears, high rpms (120!), and long, grind it out type rides. I've been working my way through season 2 of The Wire for the shorter rides and look towards other action movies for longer rides. This weekend it's Hancock. I'm totally getting my money's worth in Netflix.

Running has been easier, but that's on purpose. The first few runs after the marathon were quite surprisingly grueling. Yet another reminder at just how tough a marathon is. So we started slow and short to get used to running again. I've worked myself up back to where I think I need to be. In fact, just this past Sunday, I covered 8.2 miles in 1:09. The best part is that my perceived level of effort matches years past, but the actually pace is faster. I owe all of that to the marathon training.

I should be getting my next training plan from Coach Will any day now, which will start my formal training for Ironman New Orleans 70.3. I can't wait to see what type of pain he has in store. Bring it!

Although work has been crazy busy (in Florida last week, going to Cali this week), I'm liking the ability to train. Saturday, I covered 5.6 miles in 57 minutes on a 4:1 minute run:walk ratio. And then this afternoon, I went OUTSIDE for a ride. At 35 minutes in, I paused contemplating whether to continue and find a extended loop, which would push me beyond current comfort levels. Or, return home safely and comfortably on the route I took out. Like Robert Frost, I continued on, letting myself discover my own path. I found a Rustic Road with a few bumps to keep me honest and lots of open fields and fresh air. When I got home, I was surprised with the results: 30 miles covered in about 1 hour, 45 minutes. Nice! I knew there was a good reason I keep doing this.

The day dawned beautifully. Sunny and potentially warm. I switched my long run and bike just so I could avoid biking in the rain on Saturday. (Luckily, I ran during the only hour and half that it didn't rain.) It was sunny as I ate my breakfast and I was getting more and more excited for my first outdoor ride of 2007. I got ready, clouds thickened, so I gathered some extra layers just in case. A line of storms was heading towards us, but I had enough time to get out and back b1fore it hit. The last thing Kris says to me as I leave is, "The storm is at the county line." Shit. That won't leave much time. I go anyway.

It was windy (as expected) the entire way out. At times, I was leaning diagonally into the wind to stay upright. If I didn't, I would've gotten in the way of vehicles. It was a constant battle as I weaved down the shoulder of county Highway T. At Highway N. I stop for a bite to eat and the bathroom. Now I'm biking directly into the wind, going slower than ever before. As I get to highway BB, the first drop hits. I'm know the furthest point on the loop, and must ride the entire way back in the rain.

In the rain, I thought little about my misery but rather focused on how hard it must've been to ride 112 miles in this crap. It was the exact same conditions: rain, wind and mid-50 temps. My respect for all those that did Ironman Wisconsin in 2006 grew as every rain drop pelted my face, and every grit of sand got in my teeth. I couldn't imagine going for a 2 mile run after my 21 mile ride, let alone 26.2 miles after a 112 mile ride.

Mad props to y'all.

When IronWil first announced she'd registered for Ironman Wisconsin, I immediately contacted her and invited her to Madison to check out the course. After some planning and a bunch of e-mails, the weekend was picked and an itinerary was set.

I was a bit nervous for my role in the weekend. I was playing host, offering my lone year in triathlons as "expert" experience. Thankfully, there were others, particularly Thomps and SimplyStu. Both had also completed several tris and IM WI in previous years and would be along for the ride. I was also a touch apprehensive because I knew the others only in digital form. Although lots get shared via blogs, that is only one part of the person. There's much more to a personality than a digital representation.

I met up with Stu and Jeff (Thomps) for dinner on Friday. Then SLS and her husband arrived from the Twin Cities. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. It was all good because the five of us shared lots of fun stories. And then the ladies showed up. In walked IronWil, TriSaraTops, and Elizabeth and took the place over. All had fun sharing stories of eating, training and fender-benders long into the evening.

Saturday morning would dawn bright, hot and windy. Perfect conditions for a training ride. Because, as tradition has it, Ironman Wisconsin tends to be on the hottest day of the summer. I met Thomps and the ladies at their hotel and we caravaned to Fireman's park in Verona. It traditionally is the base for all IM WI training rides, but IronWil thought (at first) it was all for the WIBA ride. Alas, not all 50+ riders were there for WIBA, but about 15 were. A very nice crew set out.

Based on a tip from Stu, we decided to visit the entire course, rather than do two loops. So, we set out for Madison on what I call the IronLink. In 2005, I rode the IronLink 20 times in various training rides. Seventeen were just the Link itself; the remaining three included rides with the loop (aka IronLoop) in some capacity. In 2006, I had only been on it once. It felt good to be back on the familiar course. We got ourselves a touch spread out, but were able rejoin as we reached Madison and the Monona Terrace. We spent some time staring up at the parking ramps, used on race day as the swim-in and bike-out & bike-in entrances to the transition area within the convention center. The lake lapped at the shores, begging the future Ironman competitors to go for a swim. And they will in two months. Defueled (we peed), we made our way back out to Verona to tackle the main section of the course, the IronLoop.

Now refueled, we set out for the hills on the Loop. Not too long into the ride, I get a call from IronWil. She took a digger and thought she was lost. A quick review of her turns got her back on course (she never left it) and then my phone froze. It didn't shut off or drop the call, it actually froze up. The screen froze, no buttons worked, no beeps, nothing. I checked the battery, took it out and put it back, but nothing came back on. So I turned back to see the group coming along. Phew. Now I was just down a phone. Who cares? Let's just keep riding. We got caught up at the next turn and made our way to Mt. Horeb. (You also might hear it as "Mt. Horrible.") Just a few rollers and then the long steady climb.

Wait, my phone's ringing...It's Stu! Turns out he missed us in Verona and now will meet us in Mt. Horeb. Sweet! (And good news that my phone works again!) Out next rest stop was at the Kwik Trip and featured another stop to record some audio and comment on Elizabeth's sweet purple helmet. She promised us a new one with a custom paint job was in the works. Stu added a huge spark to the group and the change in scenery from the valley to the hilltops wowed our flatland friends. Up and down the rollers along Witte Rd and the big descent on Garfoot Rd brought us into Cross Plains and our second rest stop.

Now the tough stuff. From Cross Plains, we turned south into the wind and heat. This is always the hottest part of the course. I could sense some tension rise as we talked about the hills to come. This next section has three: Old Sauk Pass, Timber Lane, and Mid-Town Rd. The first and longest is Old Sauk Pass, followed nearly immediately by Timber Lane. Back to back, this section is formally known as the Degree Toughest Section and draws the largest crowd (including the local Devil) next to the party held on Main Street in Verona. Everyone cruised right up the hills without any problems. We did run into some issues on Midtown Rd. It was recently chip sealed and the loose gravel proved to be a bit much for some of us and traction was lost.

Traction aside, it was amazing to see the confidence of SLS, IronWil and TriSaraTops grow as we announced there were no more hills. Like any good fish tale, with every thought of the course, the hills in their mind had grown to be insurmountable peaks that lift straight into the clouds. The weight of the course dropped off their shoulders as we cruised back into Verona. They knew they have the ability, strength and courage to complete the course.

Overall, I had a blast riding the course with everyone and it reaffirmed that having fun is just as important as any workout. When I'm asked how the Ironman was from me, I still surprise everyone by telling them that most of all, "I had fun." If I'm not having fun, it's not worth it. So, to those that spent the day together sweating, swearing and climbing the hills, thank you for reminding me that it's all about the fun. Amongst a hectic life, I've missed that this year and didn't even know it was gone.

My one last piece of advice for all those out competing, enjoy what you're doing. You're doing it because you choose to do so. You're doing it because someone told you you couldn't. You're doing because you saw someone else and said, "me, too." But most of all, I hope you to do it because you enjoy it. I know this group does.

Pictures from Steve (click on each for a description):

Heee hooo heee hooo heee hooo heee hooo heee hooo
THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP
Do we walk? NO! DO NOT WALK! one-two-three-four-five-one-two-three-four-five-

That's my breath, heart and mind as I struggle to climb the road into Blue Mounds State Park. It's the last climb of eighteen major climbs on the ~100K course. Sixty-seven miles in the searing heat of an early Wisconsin summer.

***

The Horribly Hilly Hundred's website advises that minimum gearing to complete the course should include a 27-tooth cog in the cassette. Many have attempted the course with mountain bike deraileurs and the third (or 'Granny') chainring in the front. All to provide as much mechanical advantage as possible to climb efficiently as possible.

Last week, I woke up early to pre-ride the course to get a sense of what was coming up. My bike was still set up in the original 12-23 cassette that came with the bike. Kris suggested that because I did the Ironman in that setup I'd be just fine. So I set out in the 45-degree morning, my teeth chattering as I headed to the penultimate climb up Blue Mounds Road. Fifty miles later, I discovered two things: 1) Chocolate milk is the best recovery drink ever, and 2) A 27-tooth gear was definitely in order. My thighs demanded it.

***

Me: "How much longer until the end?"
Supporters: "Not much. You're looking good."

I can't imagine how bad I did look. I certainly didn't feel like I was "looking good." I could feel and see the sweat dripping from my forehead, helmet, nose, sunglasses, chest, just about anywhere there was a sharp edge where sweat could drip off. I was "doing the paperboy" to get up the hill, biking back and forth across the road, much like a paperboy would cris-cross the road delivering papers from house to house. I finally sucked up everything I had, put my head down and counted my pedal strokes in groups of five to get myself to the top.

Never did the chirp of the timing mats sound so good. I purposefully slowed down, just to hear them for that much longer.

***
Overall, I enjoyed the ride. Everyone was super nice and the volunteers and rest stops were spetacular. The only hang-up was to have to pick up your timing chips right before the race, rather than putting them in the swag bag with the race numbers. It was hot, and the organizers provided extra water stops along the routes so that everyone could refill their water bottles and grab more gels. Highlight of the food was the hard-boiled eggs and slim-jims.

Nevermind that I showed up a half-hour later than I wanted to. I forgot my bag with my jersey, race number and other esential items at the house. Thankfully I discovered that only fifteen minutes from the house, rather than at the race start.

Below you'll see two graphs that show both the elevation and grades over the 68 miles that were recorded by my Forerunner. On a side note, I set a new speed record on my bike. 46.9 miles per hour. Sweet.

THUNK!

THUNK!

My bike shoes lock in the pedals and the cool morning bites my exposed skin. I pull onto John Nolen Lake Shore path and settle into my aero bars.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Three fish jump in unison in the lake, coordinated enough to make me think they're wishing me well on my morning ride. I passed early morning runners, fewer than during the week -- must be the holiday weekend. Saturdays are a good reason to sleep in.

But not for me. Mornings are my time. A co-worker commented that finding time to train for a marathon was hard in his life, let alone finding time for three sports. I told him it's all about 5 AM. I continue east on McCoy Road, my shadow growing in front of me. It' hard to believe that's me. I see my two legs imitating a set of pistons, cranking on the pedals as I settle into a nice pace. The wind whistles through me ears, but it's silent. There's no one around. For two hours, it's me and my bike. Just the way I like it.

T-Minus 7 days...

As I alluded to in last week's summary, I am at the beginning of the end of my training. For me and for you, I hope to document my last weeks of training, and include all the range of emotions as I prep for The Big Day. I don't think they'll all be this long, though. All will be categorized under "T-Minus."

Today was exactly 40 days before September 11. It also started three weeks of lots of time swimming, biking and running. I hope to average about 15 hours each week working out. Two emphasizing the bike, one on the run. Swimming will occur in Lake Monona, getting used to long, continuous swims, the lake and my wetsuit. I woke up this morning at 5 AM to darkness. Just a month ago, the sun had been up for nearly 20 minutes. Now, it hadn't broken the horizon. As a result, I was treated to a giant orange glow about twenty minutes into my ride.

When I started, mid-week rides pushed 45 minutes and went around Lake Monona. Soon, I needed a longer ride, and I pushed it to an hour around the Capitol City Trail. Lately, I've pushed it even more, and now I close in on two hours a ride, following the Ironman bike course to the loop portion that starts in Verona. I call it the Ironlink. On the Ironlink, there's one hill that takes some effort. At the crest, there's a mailbox post made from PVC pipe, connected and painted to green to represent a cactus. As such, I've name the hill "Cactus Hill." Every time I reach the top of Cactus Hill, I wish that I had a camera to capture the view. In it, quintessential Wisconsin is captured. Green rolling hills, large farms, and bypasses around small cities. Today it held up to the expectations, with patches of morning fog trapped in the valleys swallowing up the farms in the nooks and crannies of the driftless hills.

The run tonight wasn't so serene. In an effort to stay cool and get errands done, I quick ran to Qdoba and got dinner. In a sincere lack of judgment, I ordered a burrito and swallowed it whole. I then got the errands done and made it home to get ready to run. Unfortunately, the burrito hadn't settled, nor did the weather. It was still near 90°F and sticky. The tummy wasn't too happy with my speed, so I made do and was out when the sun set.

So that marks t-minus 40 days. Up and down with the sun.