My 200th Post

I realized this morning as I was looking at the blog that I had written 199 posts since I started the blog almost 4 years ago.  For some 200 posts is no big deal, but I actually find it a bit amazing that I've found enough things to write about that I've written that many posts.  I like to try and keep things interesting here by not posting the same things over and over again.  Sure I could post daily about what I ate, how many steps I've taken, how far I've ridden and daily weigh ins, but I want this blog to be more than that.

I want to highlight the more human side of what I'm doing and since I have a relatively quiet life and have periods where very little exciting is happening, I tend to not write for a while.  Today, though I'd like to reflect on what I've done and been through over the last 199 posts.

I've ridden in various bicycle related events from the Viva Bike Vegas to the Tour De Cure to the Bike:MS Vegas Challenge and even a Corporate Challenge race.  Heck, I've even completed the Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon.  Beyond that I've eaten right and lost weight only to fall off the wagon and gain it all back several times.  I've explored various tools for watching and tracking both my weight and calories, I have a Strava account as well as post all my rides to Daily Mile.

I have found friends through this medium of the Weblog and I appreciate all of you.  Thank all of you for reading, it does mean a lot to me to know you are out there even if you aren't commenting!

I am planning on continuing to share my adventures and I may give a bit more of the mundane details as I successfully conquer my weight and make a permanent lifestyle change.

Get on you bikes and RIDE!!!!!

What to do to get in shape.

Since I want to become and Ironman I need to work on my skills, stamina and ability in the 3 disciplines - Swimming, Riding and Running. I know there is a long way to go to get into any kind of shape to complete a sprint triathlon, let alone an Ironman.  The one and only triathlon I have done was Pumpkinman back in 2010.  Read about it here.

My goal then was to just complete the 3 events, which I did.  My time was horrible, but I did complete them.

Thinking about it, it makes sense to try the same race again this year, but make it a stepping stone to other triathlons of longer duration.  I am going to train to compete int he 2014 Pumpkinman Triathlon which takes place on 10/25/2014.  I've done it once so I know what to expect and I will train much harder for it.  Last time I had no time goal, this time I hope to complete the course in less than 2 and a half hours.

I know I need to train for this as my goal is an hour faster than I completed it in 2010.  I can do it, all it takes is hard work, preparation and determination.  One good thing is I am starting my training at least 2 months sooner than I did in 2010 plus I think I am more dedicated since this is but an interim goal on the way to a much larger goal and not an end in and of itself.

Anyone want to join my for some swimming, riding and running in October in Las Vegas?

Goal Oriented???

I'm starting to think that I am more goal oriented than I thought I was.  It seems without some goal for some event my motivation is lacking.  Sure I love to ride and have fun, but without a goal of some event, that doesn't seem to be enough to get me out of bed at 4:00 AM.

I have a goal to ride the RTC Viva Bike Vegas 2013 Gran Fondo Pinarello in September and I am stoked that my dad is training to do it with me, but at 17 miles I don't have a need to really do a lot of training to get ready for it.

I'm also looking to the Bike MS: Vegas Challenge 2013 on November 9 & 10 of this year. I would do the 30 mile ride on each of the 2 days.  This will take some training and will be tough, but its far enough away that I don't feel the urgency to help motivate me at the moment.

So, I have been looking around and realized that the Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon will be happening in October and that is something I can work towards.  Since I haven't done any swimming and very little (OK none) running since I last did this in 2010 (read about it here) I have a bunch of work to do if I am going to do this and beat my 3:30 time from then.  While this is certainly motivation to get out there and do the work, I'm still not totally committed to doing this event.

So I am going to continue to weigh the pros and cons for doing the Pumpkinman and see how that would mesh with preparation for the Bike MS event and decide over the next week or so whether or not to commit to it.  If I do, I will have to adapt the C25K to may 16 weeks to the event to work on my run, I will need to start scheduling time to get in the pool and get my swimming back up to an OK level, and I'll need to work on climbing on my bike in order to conquer the climb up to Boulder City.

Even if I don't I need to get back on my bike and get fit.  Its as simple as that.

Training

Training is something that takes hard work, dedication and Time. There is a commitment of time needed to become proficient at any sport or activity. Training for a triathlon takes more time because there are 3 sports involved that one must train on.


This is something that seems self-evident at first glance, but when you stop to really look at how much training, and therefore time, is needed to prepare for an event, it can be a bit overwhelming. I bring this up because I asked Michele if she would do the Pumpkinman triathlon with me this October. With a bit of reservation and some thought, she actually said yes!

I was very happy and agreed that I would work with her to get her ready. We basically have 5 months before the event and I figured this would be more than enough time. Until I sat down and really started to plan exactly what training would have to be done to get her ready. Then I started looking at how much time we had available and when and realized that we really don't have enough time.

2 things are working against us. The first is that Michele is currently not an athlete and is essentially starting at 0. The second are commitments beyond work that would limit when and where we could train. The 2 events she would need the most work on are the bike and the swim. Everything I've found says that she needs to be swimming at least 3 and more likely 4 days a week in order to get to a proficiency that would allow her to be successful. Unfortunately we do not have a pool so this becomes a much greater commitment than the 3 to 4 hours per week of actual swim time.

The second issue is we are going to have our 2 oldest grandsons for 7 weeks over the summer and this precludes both of us heading out in the morning for training rides or runs.

With all of these factors taken into consideration, we've decided that doing the Rage in April is much more realistic. So that is what we are going to do. As a first step along the route to the triathlon, Michele got up early this morning and joined me on one of my loops. It was very hard for her, but she did it and I am so proud of her!

Just do it!

Here I am, sitting and reading blogs and posts and facebook updates by a bunch of totally awesome individuals like Cyn, Robin, Gene, Fatty, etc. and realizing that there is a lot to be said for the Nike slogan. It sums up the entire philosophy that most active people have is just 3 little words.  Sure we can plan and think about and fret over work outs and gear and conditions and time, but it all boils down to one thing - to have fun, to be active doesn't take all of that, all it takes is to "Just DO It!"

That's what I need to do. put all excuses away and get out and do it.  No more waiting for this or"I'll do that once I..."  I just need to get out there and do it.

Sure having goals and dreams and things I want to strive for are very important to me, but I know I can set all the goals and write all the plans I want, but unless I actually get out there and work on it and have fun, then I'll never get there.

I tend to worry about too many details.  I tend to allow myself to take the easy path.  As I was catching up on Gene's awesome blog, I ran across this post and I am taking it to heart.  I know he in uncomfortable with the whole being an inspiration thing, but he truly is.

So, from now on, I am going to just do it.

You might ask, just exactly what "it" is, and I can't tell you exactly, other than it is to be more active than I currently am.  It is to ride my bike at least 5 days per week.  It is to concentrate on eating the right foods in the right portions.  It is to complete at least one century ride before June 1, 2011.  It is to complete both the RAGE and Pumpkinman Triathlons this coming year.

Now I have to start planning on how to work this into the rest of my life.

GOALS

I’m beginning to understand the value of setting goals when it comes to my weight, exercise and getting healthy. My big goal for the past 6 months was to finish the triathlon. Achieved! Now I need to set another goal, look at where I am vs where I need to be and create a plan to achieve it. I also need to set smaller goals to help me reach my next big goal.

I have to admit that I never really thought past the Pumpkinman as far as what I wanted to do next. Sure I have these vague, general thoughts of riding my bike, losing more weight, getting healthier, but those aren’t concrete enough to allow me to measure my progress nor give me a target to shoot for. So, I’m debating what my next goals should be. Part of me Is leaning towards running 2 triathlons this coming year, both sprint distance. The first would be the RAGE in April and the second would be to do the Pumpkinman again in October. I have to admit that Pumpkinman is practically a given so I can see how I’ve improved year over year.

Using these goals I can set some additional parameters like being able to complete the various parts of the triathlons in better times than I ran at Pumpkinman this year. I would love to be able to shave an hour off my 3:30 time. I know this is a very aggressive goal, but with hard work I think I can definitely achieve it.

One area that is ripe for improvement is the run. I know that if I can at least jog part of the course I can shave 10 to 15 minutes off my 55+ minute time.

The swim is another area where a significant improvement can be made. By learning proper technique and practicing more than I did, I know I can do better than 27 minutes. I should be able to shave at least 7 minutes off my swim time.

The bike is the longest portion and therefore the area with the most room for improvement. I was fairly happy with my performance on the bike since it was almost 15 minutes faster than I had ridden the course just a few weeks prior to the event. Another 30 to 40 minutes improvement here would be doable as well.

Taken together, 15 + 7 + 40 = 62 minutes less time overall. This would give me an overall time of around 2:28. Definitely not the fastest, but a significant improvement from this last race.

Of course I look at what I did and how I prepared for the race and I realize that I could have trained harder and maybe hit these times for Pumpkinman. But no, no regrets, no second guessing myself. I finished the event. That is an accomplishment and something to be proud of.

Now it’s time to look ahead and set goals, large and small for the next event(s).

I DID IT!!!

I finished my first triathlon! It took me 3:30:39 according to the official timing, but I made it!

Now for the race report. This should be interesting as its my first race and therefore my first report.

I had planned on going to bed early on Friday evening to be well rested for the event on Saturday. My plan was to get up about 5:00 and head off to Boulder City. Well, I didn’t get to bed until midnight and was up by 4:30. I was nervous and excited and sleep just didn’t seem to be an option at this point. So I got up and got dressed and triple checked that I had everything ready.

Camelbak – Check!
Jersey – Check!
GUU – Check!
Towel – Check!
Shoes and Socks – Check!
Race numbers – Check!
Swim Goggles – Check!
Swim Cap – Check!

I had dropped off my hat, another GUU and some Powerade for T2 the day before at packet pick-up.

I figured I was ready to go. I just needed to throw my bike in the van and head out. Ok, one more trip to the bathroom before heading out.

As it was I got to Boulder Beach at Lake Mead at 5:35, just 5 minutes after transition opened. I knew I still had a few details to attend to. I had to mount my race number on my bike, affix my bib number to my jersey and make sure my tires were properly inflated. I accomplished all of these tasks and them took everything over to the transition area.


It was a very long and narrow transition area as it extended up the boat launch ramp for a good 150 yards. I was number 873 so I was over half way up the transition area. Once I found the correct rack, I racked my bike, set out my shoes, towel and Camelbak in preparation for the transition from the swim.
It was now 6:02 and I wasn’t scheduled to hit the water until 7:35.

I walked back to the van and decided I should have something to eat before the race. In the goodie bag from packet pickup was a Cliff Bar and some all natural chocolate granola. I ate about half the granola and the cliff bar but decided I definitely didn’t want to eat too much before the race.

While I was waiting they took the official water temperature and announced that it was 66 degrees. That was a significant change as the temperature the week before had been 78 degrees. It was interesting how many cell phone conversations I heard shortly after the announcement with athletes trying to get people to bring them their wetsuits. No wet suit for me. I knew how cold the water was as I had taken a practice swim just 2 days ago in this very water. I had thought it a little cool, but didn’t realize it was that cool!

My parents drove all the way from Michigan to support me in the race. My brother and his wife flew in the night before as well. I was waiting for all of them plus my wife and daughter to arrive to cheer me on. It was getting close to 7:00 which was the starting time for the long course athletes. I headed down towards the water to watch the start.

At 7:00 the race was on with the long course men heading out on their swim. At 7:05 the long course women started their race. Now it was only 30 minutes to go and it was going to be my turn. I was in the second wave for the sprint distance, the first wave being the men 39 & under.

Michele, Ilana, Mom, Dad, Bryon and Debbie arrived and I was glad to see they made it. There I was in my tri shorts, crocs, a Tigger t-shirt and my swim cap. Quite the fashion Icon.

The wind kicked up a bit and everyone else was cold, but I wasn’t feeling it. I have to believe it was the adrenaline flowing as I was just a bit nervous. Not nearly as nervous as I thought I was going to be though.

It was getting close to time and I thought one more trip to the porta potty was in order just to make sure. As I was waiting in line there was a mini crisis as several of them ran out of toilet paper. I was fortunate enough to find one with a limited supply left on the roll.

It was now almost 7:30 and the first wave of men was in the water preparing for the start. I knew I needed to start heading that way as my turn was next.

As the starter told the first wave to go, I started heading out into the water. The starting area was horrible. The bottom was uneven with rocks up to 8 or 10 inches in diameter hiding under one to two feet of soft muck and silt. It was almost impossible to walk out to a swimming depth. Most people got out to about 2 feet of water and sort of crawled or pulled themselves along with their hands until it got deep enough to swim.


As we waited they gave us our instructions – swim out to the first green buoy make a left swim over to the last orange buoy and then head back into shore. I stayed in the back of the field and a bit to the outside not wanting to get in anyone else’s way. I knew I wasn’t going to be fast and didn’t want to cause anyone else grief.


And then the countdown 5…4…3…2…1…GO!


There was a great thrashing and splashing and the swim was on. I started with a nice and easy freestyle for about 6 or 7 strokes and then popped me head out of the water as I still had no coordination when it came to breathing and swimming. I decided that no matter what I was doing I was going to keep moving forward. Weather it was a modified breast stroke, a back stroke, or swimming the freestyle with my head out of the water, I was just going to keep moving. I noticed that there were others near me in the water taking their time, resting not swimming nearly as fast as most so I took heart from the fact.


As I was concentrating on my own race I was a little surprised to hear the next wave start behind me. It was the Sprint distance women under 40. This meant I was already 5 minutes into my swim. I was pleasantly surprised that I appeared to be about halfway to the green buoy when they started. The first strong swimmers from the women reached me in short order and most of them were by me by the time the last of the Sprint distance waves started. There was a good deal of traffic around the buoy as I made the first turn and I made sure to swim out away from the buoy so as not to impede anyone else with my slow pace.


I was actually enjoying the swim. It wasn’t nearly as chaotic in the water as I had feared or heard, I think largely due to my choice of starting position and line around the course. Sure, there were a few times when I bumped into people or they bumped into me, but it wasn’t the free for all I’d read about.


I did notice a few people needing to stop and rest by holding onto the support kayaks and a couple of the kayakers asked if I was OK. I assured them I was and kept my slow pace forward.
I started looking ahead and noticing that I was getting closer to shore and it seemed like it was faster than it should have been. Then I could see and feel the bottom and I tried walking in through the very rocky and mucky shallows.


I almost fell a few times, but them I was out and on shore and there were people cheering for me and congratulating me on finishing the swim. I realized I hadn’t done as bad as I had feared I would because the Olympic distance swimmers hadn’t stated yet. I worked hard on the swim but wasn’t as tired as I thought I would be. That’s a good thing with what was yet to come. My official time for the swim was 27:01. This was the fastest I’d ever swum this distance.


I moved up the transition area to find my bike and was surprised to note that mine was the only one left on that rack section. Apparently everyone else around me had already transitioned and was riding along. I took my time drying off my feet and putting on my shoes and socks, putting on my jersey and my Camelbak and making sure everything was ready to go. I put my towel, goggles and swim cap into the gear bag provided by the organizers and started to leave.


I had forgotten to pull the drinking tube out of the elastic on the front of my Camelbak and so I started struggling trying to get it without taking it off. A woman coming along behind me saw me and stopped to help me with it. She commented that it wasn’t like her time mattered, but she embodied what I started to really notice during the bike and especially on the run – the vast majority of triathletes are really nice people!

I finally got everything sorted out, ate a packet of GUU and headed up the hill walking my bike until the exit from T1. My transition time was 9:54 for T1.

The bike course tend to be challenging right from the start as there is a pretty good uphill from the beach to Lakeshore Drive. I had ridden this myself just the week before so I was prepared for it this time. I had the bike in a low gear and was determined not to stop before the road. I made it onto the road without stopping and with some Support from my family as they drove by on their way up to T2 and the finish line. Here I am at the turn from the boat ramp road onto Lakeshore Drive.

I rode along lakeshore drive on the way to the turn around. Following the maps on the website the week before I figured the turnaround for the Sprint distance should be just after the entrance road to the Alfred Merrit Smith Water Treatment Facility. In fact they had us turn around at the top of the hill before that. I had a feeling this meant there was a change in the course. I had actually passed 2 women on this opening stretch of the bike leg.

It was pleasant going back down the short hill from the turnaround. There were lots of people on the course. As I headed towards the toll booth some of the other distance athletes started passing me. I was really quite amazed at how supportive and encouraging most of them were. Almost every person who passed me, and there were many, gave me at least a good job, or looking good or you can do it. It really did help me through the race.

As I cleared the toll booth and headed for the dreaded 8% climb up to US 93, I noticed there was a woman just ahead of me that we had been trading positions back and forth. At this point she was ahead of me as I had stopped for a quick breather and another GUU.


There was a volunteer in the road at the entrance to the trailhead for the Historic Railroad Trail. The Volunteer stopped traffic and had her go across the street into the trailhead to pick up the trail from this point. I was both relieved and annoyed.

I was relieved because that meant that we were able to avoid the 8% grade for a much more gentle one, but annoyed because I had written to the organizers questioning the accuracy fo the published race maps and was assured that the published maps were correct. They apparently weren’t, as we were picking up the trail much sooner than the map showed. This was a slightly longer route than up the side of US 93 and therefore why the turnaround was sooner than expected.

There were 3 women whom I more or less kept pace with the entire way up the trail from Lakeshore drive until Nevada Way.


I walked my bike up the trail from the underpass to the parking lot at the trailhead where we picked up Nevada Way. Ihad tried riding up it the week before and realized there was just no way I was going to make it. I used this as an opportunity for another GUU and to take a little breather. I then remounted and rode out onto Nevada way.

Heading up the last big hill was very tough. I had to stop several times on the way to catch my breath and again was amazed at how encouraging all of the other athletes were. As they rode by me they kept encouraging me. They didn’t know me but they really wanted to see me succeed. I refused to walk my bike up the hill and the women I had been pacing walked away from me as I stopped to rest going up the hill.


I did it, though. I rode all the way up the hill! There were a number of spectators near the top who were very encouraging as well.

Once I crested the hill there was a short downhill run into the second transition. Here I am coasting down the hill.

Family and friends were there to cheer me on. It felt great.
My time for the Bike was 1:58:20. The week before, it took me 2:20 for a slightly longer route, so I did very well.

I walked my bike into the transition and looked for my bag with my hat, another GUU and some Powerade I had staged the day before. I know it had been on the left side of transition but the numbers on the racks weren’t right. They had apparently rearranged things overnight and my spot was now on the right.


Once I found it and racked the bike, I took off my helmet and gloves, ate a GUU, took a long drink from the Powerade, put on my hat and was off to conquer the run.


One of the women I had been chasing up the hill was leaving transition just in front of me. I had thought I could pace her along the run as I did on the bike, but she had more run in her than I had in me. In fact I had no run at all. I literally walked the whole run course.



As I left the transition area there were my wife, daughter, parents, brother and sister in law cheering me on to the left and there was Mary who had urged me to do this on the right supporting me.

It was on the run that it really hit home how supportive and nice triathletes really are as a group. If I heard great job once, I heard it 200 times on the run portion of the race. There were high fives. There was encouragement. One of the runners even said I was his inspiration as he ran by. There was no way I wasn’t going to finish this with so much good will and support.

I have to admit the run certainly seemed longer and harder that I thought it would be. The course wasn’t quite as flat as it seemed on the maps. I had though the elevation change was under 100 feet when in reality it was about 100 METERS with the largest uphill on the way to the finish line.

With the course being an out and back, I saw the women I had been pacing on the bike after they made the turn around on the run. We gave each other encouragement and support. I know they all finished as they were ahead of me.

As I turned the corner and headed into the final stretch of the run, there were many many people clapping and cheering and yelling their encouragement. I neared the finish line and saw all my supporters cheering me on. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking and actually tripped on the timing mat on the road.

Down I went just 20 yards from the finish line. I wasn’t hurt physically except for a bit of road rash on my knee and shoulder. It was my pride that was hurt. I figure it gave everyone something to talk about. In fact, it was just as the announcer mentioned my name that I tripped, so everyone knew who I was.

I picked myself up, put my hat back on and headed towards the finish.


2 of the volunteers from the finish came out to encourage me and tried to get me to run it in, but there was really nothing left in the tank at that point. I did make it across the line. My walk is timed at 55:25, but I think that might also include the second transition as there isn’t a separate time for that.

I did it! I completed the triathlon. Everyone came running over and was hugging me and congratulating me. It was an awesome accomplishment.

My finishing time, as I said before, was 3:30:39.

I do have to say this was the first time in my life I had competed in this type of an activity, let alone exert myself for this amount of time.

I am a triathlete.

Preparation

There is training and there is preparation. Training is something you do to improve and gain skills. Prepapration is getting ready. Until now most of what I have been doing is training. I have been working to gain skills and improve riding the bike, walking longer distances, swimming. Now, though, its crunch time and time to prepare for the actual event.

To try and prepare and know exactly what I am getting myself into I have been doing several things:

I have been reviewing the event materials to know what the course is, where I need to be and when, not to mention any requirements I need to fulfill (like having my ID at packet pickup on Friday to prove its really me!).

I have been reading blogs and forums written by first time triathletes as well as seasoned veterans to glean as much information as possible as to what I will be experiencing.

I have attempted (and will do it again) riding the actual bike course to know what torture I face.

I have picked up a Camelbak and new bike gloves to stay hydrated and hopefully alleviate some of the pain and numbness I get in my hands when riding more than a few miles.

I picked up some shotbloks and GUU to try and see how my system tolerates them and if they actually help my energy level over a long workout.

As you can imagine, many of these preparations are flowing from the reading and discussing I've been doing about completing my first triathlon. While I believe all of this preparation will help on race day, its truly crunch time and I am beginning to feel nervous and excited. I am beginning to second guess myself and wonder if I can truly complete this monumental task. I have underestimated the difficulty of tasks in the past and I hope to not do this here. I would rather think this will be harder than it turns out to be, but I'm not holding my breath. Its the invincible optimist in me that is saying "don't worry about it, you'll be fine!" I just need that to be relayed to the rest of my being and make it come true.

As more preparation/training I am planning a brick workout tomorrow with a 12 mile ride and 3 mile walk. This will be a flat course, but it will still be good to have the experience under my belt. I am also planning on biking the actual course on Sunday and this time I have researched the entire route and will make it to the top.

All of my training and preparation will be tested in a mere 9 days time and frankly I'm getting just a little scared. I figure that's a good thing!

Resilience

Resilience (noun) speedy recovery from problems; the ability to spring back quickly into shape after being bent, stretched or deformed.

Its interesting. I’ve been reading various articles and blogs on a variety of topics - from triathlons and training to childbirth to Detroit's current economic woes, and there is one word that seems to be coming up more than any other and that word is resilience.

Resilience is what is needed to recover from a tough work out and improve your body.

Resilience is what it takes to bounce back from a miscue or misstep and continue on in a race.

Resilience is what a mother displays when she is able to start caring for a newborn after having just gone through childbirth.

Resilience is what has made and is remaking Detroit.

Resilience. A fairly simple word but its overall meaning and what it allows us to achieve are monumental.

Resilience. I hope I have it as I'm going to need it on October 23rd.

TESTING

Its time to test myself. The Pumkinman triathlon is 4 weeks away and I have to be able to gauge, if remotely, if I think I can do this. My goal is simple, to complete the entire distance. For this, my first race, time really doesn't matter. So my thought is that I could run my own trio of events, all on the same day, more or less back to back, to see how I do. I figure with 4 weeks I can really try to address any issues I see coming from this test. Here are my thoughts the day before:

I have planned out exactly what I am going to do. I am going to drive to the Whitney Ranch Aquatic Center (approximately 10 minutes from home depending on the timing of the lights) and swim my 800 yards (32 laps). Immediately following that I would drive back home and transition to the bike. This is where some planning still needed to be done as I'm unsure as to whether or not I should wear my tri shorts in the pool (they recommend against training with them in the pool as the chemicals can have a detrimental effect on the fabric). My initial thought was to go ahead and wear them anyway, but that was subject to change.

On the bike I am going to follow my 6.15 mile loop through the neighborhood and beyond. I would do this twice to reach my required distance of about 12.3 miles. Tracking my time on this and the next part should be easy with my Garmin as long as I hit the right buttons. The second loop of this course takes me back to T1 which is also T2 (my house).

I would immediately take off my riding gear (helmet and gloves), put on my hat and start the run. This would be 3 laps around the one mile route in my neighborhood. I would stop my time when I finished the third lap back at the house. My thinking is that while this is basically a much easier course than the pumpkinman, it should begin to give me an idea what I need to work on over the next 4 weeks.

Now I hesitate to put this into writing because I am laying expectations for a specific outcome and making myself accountable for those expectations. Simple because I need to objectively see how I am doing and if I am progressing, I am going to put times to what I think I can do in these events. These are very rough estimates based upon individual event performance and not combining any of the events.

My estimation is to complete the swim in 32 minutes.It should then take 15 minutes to transition back to the house and get on my bike. My two loops around the longer course whould be completed in about 65 minutes. Give me a one minute transition back at the house and the run will be about 55 minutes. All together then I am looking at a total of 168 minutes or 2 hours and 48 minutes.

I am padding the times of the individual events from my best times I have completed them. If I matched those times, I would shave 9 minutes off the total giving me 2 hours and 39 minutes including 16 minutes in transition. Of course I currently don't expect to accomplish that because of the fatigue factor which is why I have padded the times. Tomorrow will tell...

Friday Morning

OK, for those who don't like to wait, I did complete all 3 events as planned in 2 hours and 56 minutes including my transitions. If I remove the long transitions, the times are 30:30 for the swim, 54:35 for the bike and 56:29 for the run(walk) for a total time of 2:21:34. As can be seen the transitions were longer than normal for a variety of reasons.

I hit the water at 6:44 am and swam my 32 laps of the pool. I was feeling pretty good about my pace and stamina. Of course then a real swimmer jumped into the next lane and was completing 2 lengths for every one of mine. This showed my how much work I really do need with my swimming technique. I was out of the water and headed to the locker room at 7:14.

It took longer than anticipated to get home, get changed and get on my bike. I had thought the transition would be 15 minutes, but was in truth 28 minutes. As I got rolling on the bike I realized that there were a lot of people out and about just before 8:00 on a Friday morning. Individuals heading to work, kids heading to school. There was certainly a lot more traffic than I was used to when I did my 4:00 am rides. I made a conscious effort to ride strong, but not overly fast when I started the bike remembering the biggest part of the test was to come. Overall the bike felt good. I thought I had kept a decent pace and wasn't killing myself. I had taken the time to put a PowerAde Zero in my water bottle and was grateful for that as I did the ride. Completing the 2 laps - about 12.3 miles in 54:35 was good since the last ride I did for this route was in 57 minutes.

I then rolled into the garage and readied for the run. this was to be a 30 second transition but turned into about 7 minutes. I stopped to get some fluids in me as well as took time to watch the grandkids before heading out. Even though I didn't get enough fluids, what I did get was vital. The first lap went well, but the second became very hard. My back started getting tight about 1.2 miles in, At the 2 mile mark I was just losing all energy and it was getting very difficult to keep going. I realized that I need to pay much more attention to both hydration and nutrition before and during an event. My lap times showed that I was in fact fading fast. Lap 1 - 17:05, lap 2 - 18:00 and lap 3 - 21:23. I did finish. It took 56:29, but I did finish.

I'm very glad I decided I needed to do this as it did give me a glimpse of what I'm going to be going through during the Pumpkinman. Sure I didn't do near the climbing on the bike that I will be doing on that day. This has given me things to look at and train for that I hadn't really comprehended. Having done the 3 stages of my personal triathlon individually, I really had in my mind the thought that it should be a piece of cake to do all 3. Sure I realized that it would be harder, but I didn't realize how hard. I know that I need more training on climbing and on the run and on proper nutrition so that I can be successful on race day.

Too Easy

I decided it was time to assess my current swimming ability, so I got up early last Friday and headed over to the Whitney Ranch Indoor Pool at 6:00 am. My thinking was I would jump in and start swimming to see how long it took me to do the 800 yards I would need for the Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon. I took my watch (with its stop watch feature), got ready, hit the start button and started swimming. I did the first two lengths with no real problem and decided to take it easy. I rested after any length I felt I needed to and completed what I thought were the required number of lengths (16), got out, hit stop on the watch.

I then looked at the time and was amazed that it showed a shade under 24 minutes. Now, I had been looking at the results from last year's Pumpkinman, at the C4097 division in particular. For those who, like me until I looked it up, don't know what that means, it’s the Clydesdale (men over 200 lbs) division for men aged 40 to 97. In last year's sprint there were 11 competitors in this category. Their average time for the swim was 18:19, with the slowest swimmer coming in at 24:19. I thought to myself, boy, this is not bad at all! Here, I hadn't trained for the swim, took several rests and I still beat the slowest time from last year's event for my division.

I was feeling rather positive about my achievement and things were really looking up for the Triathlon if I could do that without training, I should be pretty competitive with it. There was still a nagging doubt, though that I was that fast.

To make a long story short, I finally called the pool, after searching futilely on-line for the length of the indoor pool and my fears were confirmed. I hadn't swum 800 yards in 24 minutes; I had swum 400 yards in 24 minutes! Seems the pool is only 25 yards long and not 50.

Very mixed emotions. I was truly thinking that I had a chance to be competitive in my division until that bit of information came my way. Of course, now I know that I do have a lot of training to do in the pool and lake to get where I want to be.

I do have a race “pace” in my mind, without actually completing the various parts of the course in "race mode." My pre-race thinking is that I hope to finish the swim in 30 minutes or less, finish the bike in around 1:30 or less, and cap it off with the run (ok more of a walk with some intermittent trotting) in about 50 minutes. Throw in around 10 minutes for transitions and I'm hoping to finish the event in less than 3 hours. Seems very reasonable to me, but I have been wrong before!

I have been focusing mostly on the biking portion since it’s the longest and right now, the most fun! From my short rides of late that included a bit of climbing, I feel that I’m in good enough shape right now to complete the bike within the 1:30 target I’ve set for myself. The swim is my current nemesis based upon my results from the pool. Right now I’m thinking its at least 50 minutes based upon my performance. This is where I need to focus over the next few weeks to see if I can’t make a huge improvement. So biking is going to take a bit of a backseat while I work on the swimming and the walking/jogging to see what improvements I can make.

Twelve and a half weeks...

and counting. I just realized, looking at the calendar that I only have 12 and a half weeks until the Pumpkinman Triathlon on October 23.

Twelve and a half weeks.

On one hand it seems like a long time to wait to find out something. On the other it certainly doesn't seem long enough to prepare.

Twelve and a half weeks.

Its funny. When I first thought about, and then decided, to complete this triathlon I went looking for information on how I should train. I found 8 week training plans. I found 10 week training plans. I even found a 12 week training plan. At that point I told myself, I can do this on my own. I don't need anyone else's training plans because I've got all the time I could possibly need to get ready. Sure it was easy to say that then as I had over 24 weeks until the event. it would be no problem to slowly ramp up my training and be ready in time.

Twelve and a half weeks.

I now realize that my time is starting to slip away and I'm not quite where I had hoped to be in my preparations at this point. Between mechanical issues, the heat and my carefully constructed plan meeting the realities of life, I'm not in the shape I had planned to be in by now. I had planned to be riding 12 miles 4 days a week, walking/running 5 miles 3 days a week and swimming at least 500 yards 2 or 3 times a week.

Twelve and a half weeks.

Its now time to seriously reevaluate the training and put some realistic numbers in place to achieve my goal of completing the Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon. Now, I have said that my main goal is to simply finish it, but I do have a certain number in mind that I would like to beat time-wise. Would I be disappointed to finish, but be beyond that time? A little. Would I be ecstatic to finish and beat that time? Definitely! Without a doubt.

Twelve and a half weeks.

I have started getting serious as I purchased a new (used) bike this week. Its a Univega Alpina Trail. Its a late 90's model, but it has lots of life left in it. I also love the additional gearing and flexibility it offers. I am planning on swapping out the mountain bike tires for street tires and getting it tuned up at JT's bike shop this coming weekend to make sure its good to go and will serve me faithfully. I rode it a couple of times over the weekend and find that instead of averaging 12.5 mph, I was averaging 13.6. A definite improvement which I think will increase by changing out the tires.

Twelve and a half weeks.

Its time to get in the pool. Its time to seriously start to increase my speed and distances on the bike and on foot. Its time to rewrite the plan and then stick with it.

Twelve and a half weeks.

That's how long before I will know if I did enough to prepare and conquer my first race.

Twelve and a half weeks.

Another decision made…Pumpkinman!!!

OK, I’ve gone and done it now. I’ve actually told a couple of people that I am thinking about trying to complete a Triathlon in October. Specifically the Pumpkinman. Of course I will want to keep it short for my first one, so I would do the Sprint distance which is a 750 meter swim, followed by a 12.4 mile bike ride and last, but by no means least, the 3.1 mile run OK, in my case this is likely going to be more of a walk).

I’ve even taken it a step further and challenged my daughter to do it with me. She has said yes and has actually been to the gym twice in the last 4 days, but I’m not sure if her commitment will last. I hope it does as I think it would be awesome to complete this with her. Only time will tell though.

So, to make it official, and so there is no equivocating on my part – I am going to complete the Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon this coming October.

I have to say that this Is truly a new thing for me – a public declaration of my intention. I typically like to do things much more quietly so if it becomes too much of an obstacle, I can quietly back out. This is different. I will complete this and you are along for the journey.
Being the geek/nerd that I am, I started doing some online research to find out what I should be doing in preparation for this event. I have found several training guides or plans, but most of them are for fairly “normal” people to get into shape to complete a triathlon, not someone of my, er…stature!

The good news is that I have 24 weeks between now and the triathlon to get myself into shape. It sounds like a long time, but I have a feeling it is going to fly by. I am thinking that I need to work first and foremost on my biking and endurance (according to Mary a large part of the bike leg is uphill from Lake Mead to Boulder City), then my swimming and lastly my running. I list running last because right now, knowing almost nothing, I figure at the very least I can walk the 3.1 miles to the finish.

This is somewhat reinforced by what the Fat Cyclist (http://www.fatcyclist.com/) has said about his first Triathlon he recent completed (Ironman, no less!). Essentially his position is that a good cyclist who is a mediocre swimmer and average runner can in fact more easily complete a triathlon than a great runner or swimmer who is not good on the bike. It makes sense to me logically so that is where I will focus the majority of my effort – developing my cycling.

At this point, then I need to put together a plan that will get me from my current ability (or lack thereof) to where I need to be in 24 weeks.