Day 1

Well, there are over 200 days until I - hopefully - get a glimpse of the finish line at IM Florida, but you gotta start somewhere.

And today was that somewhere. Day one.
IM training has officially begun, and I'm excited and grateful to be in a position - physically and otherwise - to begin this journey once again.

I remember attending a group pre-race dinner put on by a triathlon coach friend of ours several years ago for her athletes that were about to take on IM Wisconsin. The coach asked some of us who had already completed the race to give a few words of advice on race strategy and the like, and, when it was my turn, I got choked up just thinking and talking about the experience again. I think I actually had to stop and check myself before continuing. I'm not generally a mushy person, but the memories created by an IM race - and the effort that I made to get there - are so vivid and so deep, that the emotions were just right there. So much can go wrong - in the days and weeks leading up to the race, and on race day itself - you realize that the journey could have ended at any point along the route. But if it all comes together, those are memories you'll have for the rest of your life.

It meant a lot to complete that Ironman race, and the two I've done since then have been equally rewarding, so to be in a position to once again start that trip is reason in itself to give thanks. I'm lucky that I have a wife that supports this lifestyle, generally good health, and the disposable income to throw on race fees and travel. I'm lucky to have friends that enjoy spending their weekends on long runs and rides in the middle of nowhere, days which typically start way too early in the morning. And I'm lucky to have the genetics to be somewhat proficient at all three sports that make up this silly sport.

I hope I make it the start line in one piece this year, but I also recognize that the true value of finishing an Ironman race comes from the training you put in to get there. The race, itself, is just frosting on the cake. So I'm going to relish this feeling and the days that lie ahead because it's this effort that will make another IM finish so memorable.
Here we go.

Cheers!

The final countdown

So, as previously mentioned, I'll be following the Be Iron Fit training plan for this round of "Can John Make It Through Another Ironman Without Dying."

With the race falling on November 5 this year, that puts the first day of the 30-week training plan on April 11 (although, because the plan gives you Monday as a rest day every week, the training really starts on the 12th). That's fewer than 30 days from now, and feels like tomorrow. Gulp.

But what I like about Fink's plan is that it starts out rather tame, and the increases in training are moderate - the first week, for example, is only six hours of exercise, and only averages less than 10 hours per week for the first 11 weeks of the plan. Considering I'm already in the gym six days per week, this should be a pretty easy adjustment.

And I'm looking forward to following a plan again, while at the same time easing off on the high heart rate activity - sadly, Peak Performance (otherwise known as "60 minutes of pure, painful, agony not designed for a 42-year old man") will have to go on without me. Long and slow, here I come!

The only down side is having to pick up another day in the pool - I've been going once per week, just to remember how it's done, but will need to add another day in order to gain a bit more endurance. And I hate swimming. Especially with other people. A week or two ago, I was forced to share a lane with a guy much larger than myself, with the more bizarre stroke, and who was entirely unable to stay on his side of the lane. Totally threw off my swim, as I was terrified that a fist was going to come crashing down on my head every time we passed each other. But, I guess that's just comes with the territory. Hopefully, the warm weather will arrive as quickly as the cold did last year, and we'll be swimming in the lake before Memorial Day.

I also can't wait to get the bike outside again - it's been so long since we rode out in the suburbs that I'm afraid we'll get lost on our tried-and-true route. Did 90 minutes on the trainer on Saturday and it seemed like an eternity. I'd rather get buzzed by rednecks in pickup trucks than muscle through an indoor trainer session, so we may venture out a bit early this year. Again, praying Mother Nature turns on the warmth early this year.

Hope you're making through this winter in one piece!

The list

It's really no secret that I hate Chicago.

I've felt this way for about 10 years now. It's loud, the people are inconsiderate douchebags, the weather sucks, and anything resembling nature is at least a 45 minute drive away (and your definition of "nature" had better be pretty broad for this apply). Luckily, the wife shares my contempt for this place, and we have rather unscientifically come up with the following possible destinations for our ultimate escape from the frigid Midwest. When this escape will be pulled off is anyone's guess at this point - I had a dream the other night that our condo was appraised at $15,000, which may not be far from reality. But, it's still nice to dream of leaving this all behind, especially when you're walking to work in single-digit temps. So, here's the list of frontrunners so far, in no particular order:

1. Bend, Oregon - sits pretty much smack-dab in the middle of Oregon, not far from Mt. Bachelor and the Cascade Lakes. I love the fact that it sits in the high-desert, and has less than 60,000 full-time residents. It's also the home of the Dechutes Brewery, and closer - but not too close - to my folks. Perfect.

2. Boise, Idaho - is the state capital and the largest city in Idaho, which isn't saying much - the tallest building is only 20 stories, and there's around 200,000 residents. Outside magazine recently rated it the number one place to live in the western US. Sounds good to me.

3. Santa Fe, New Mexico - another capital city, Santa Fe sits at 7,000 feet above sea level and has just over 73,000 residents. I love desert climates because there's no humidity, and Santa Fe's temps are just my speed - not too hot, and not too cold. And 300+ days of sunshine each year. I could get used to that.

Cheers!

Galena

So, Drew and I signed up for the Galena triathlon, set to take place on May 21, 2011, in scenic Galena, Illinois. I've actually signed up for this race three times, but have finished only once - my very first triathlon, back in 2003. Since then, the race was cancelled because of thunderstorms, and I DNF'ed in 2009 (Cath had a tire melt-down, and I stopped to try and help, but the damage was too severe and we bailed).

But, despite the fact that I've only crossed the finish line once, it's a beautiful race - the scenery in that part of the state is lovely, and the course is very challenging. Rolling hills everywhere, on both the bike and run. And Galena, itself, is a cute little town, very popular as an antique-lovers destination and summer B&B getaway. Drew and I also like it, because it presents a nice early-season training weekend - the race is on Saturday, so, if you choose to spend an added night, you have half the day on Sunday to ride and run some more. I'm very much looking forward to it, and strongly recommend the race as a great way to kick off the tri season.

Unfortunately, May still seems like a million miles away, especially as Chicago got hammered with an epic blizzard last night, and more snow is falling today. I think they're expecting two feet of snow on the ground by the time it's over, so I guess the bike can keep sleeping in the closet. It'll be awhile before those two tires will be hitting the road. But, snow or no snow, the IM training plan starts on April 11. Can't wait!

Ragnar

So, Cath and I were recently invited to participate in our friends Ross and Diana's Ragnar relay team. Apparently, they think that we will bring a bit of speed to the squad. Little do they know that we've been doing nothing but drink beer and watch football for the past four months. Oh, well, Ragnar is all about fun, right? No podiums, no medals, no Kona slots.

But we're actually very excited - I had my heart set on Hood to Coast a couple years ago, but we didn't survive the lottery, and I frankly forgot to get an application in for 2011. Huge registration fail. But leave it to Ross (//http://road2imoo.blogspot.com/) - who has recently taken the triathlon world by storm - to set up a team that will, no doubt, finish squarely in the top 90 percent of the field. It should be a hoot.

The relay "race" goes from Madison to Chicago, 193 miles, and is broken down into multiple legs. Each of the 12 participants runs three legs, varying in distance from three to eight miles per leg. The only kicker is that the race goes all night, so sleep will be in short supply, and the 11 non-running runners are stuffed into two econo-vans for 30+ hours. Like I said, should be a hoot.

Have a great weekend!

New Years Fail

Can we just all agree to push "re-start" on 2011?

I don't know about you, but this year has gotten off to a ridiculously poor start - the weather blows, work blows, and it seems that - overnight - the number of duchebags in Chicago has more than doubled (from what was already a huge number...).

Anyway, I had silently decided to blog more in 2011, but that hasn't really happened due to a number of pending issues, mostly related to work - personnel issues have dominated my days, leaving less time to ponder training plans, workouts, nutrition and other triathlon silliness. But I'm going to try to be better. You - my three or so loyal followers - deserve better.

Exercise-wise, I've been pretty good - swim, bike, run has taken a backseat to higher heart-rate training, and using a greater variety of gym toys has been a ton of fun. We're still hitting that Boot Camp class once a week, and have been doing a bit of TRX training, as well (that's some random guy using the TRX straps in the figure to the right). The TRX stuff is strength-based, using your body's own weight as resistance. It's great for the core, and gives you a nice cardio burn, to boot. Good stuff. If you have access to a TRX class, I'd definitely check it out - it's much harder than it looks, and the results are awesome.

Other than that, I've been swimming just once per week, and just over a mile at a time (which is about as much swimming as I ever consider "fun"). I run about once a week, as well, for about an hour. Biking is more-or-less my recovery activity, so I'm afraid my first time back on a real bike outside will be beyond painful. But it is what it is. I decided this year to really step away from tri stuff in the off season, and it's been great for me mentally. Physically, I'll probably pay a price, but I'll deal with that later.

Later, taters!

Vacation fail

Well, so much for a winter vacation.

Southwest decided - 11 hours before takeoff - that fog was on the horizon, and cancelled our flight out of Chicago. Which would have been fine - the flight was scheduled for 6:40 a.m., and I wouldn't have minded a later morning or even afternoon flight instead. But that's not what Southwest offered up as an alternative.

Instead, they insisted that they had no other flights out until January 3. Unfortunately, our family gathering was centered around New Year's weekend, and everyone was leaving on the 3rd. So, with no other option available, we bagged the trip. Pfft.

Thanks, Southwest. I hope your 2011 is filled with enormous financial loses and eventual bnakruptcy. You suck, just like the other "big" airlines that you think you're so much better than.

On the bright side, the wife and I were able to spend a relaxing weekend at home with the dogs, watching hour-upon-hour of bad television and rarely venturing out of doors. The weather has been colder than ususal for this early in the winter, but we went on a great group run with friends last Sunday and it felt great - beautiful, blue skies and very little wind. Lovely. I'm hoping that this becomes a weekly event.

Tonight we are taking a class at our gym called "Peak Performance," which should really be called "Death in 60 minutes." It's a bootcamp-style workout, with equal parts cardio and strength exercises designed to break both your mind and spirit. At least, that's what it feels like. As you can imagine, it's very popular - despite starting at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday night - and as much as I dread it, the class is addictive like the ol' crack rock. Or so I've heard. I mean about the crack rock thing. But it's a good class.

Hope your 2011 is off to a crazy good start!