The Swim

In my opinion there is only one good reason to be awake at 4:15 in the morning, and this was not it. But, the transition area opened at 5 and I was not about to waste a year of training to show up late for a day-long triathlon. So awake I was, quintuple and sextuple (tee-hee) checking my special needs bags (which I ultimately largely ignored), waking my body up, and trying not to freak out.

I was not the first person to the transition area, not by a long shot if the lines for the port-o's was any indication. Drop off my special needs bags, check. Ascertain the road worthiness of my bike, check. Join one of the port-o lines, check. The time counting down to the inevitable, but I am blissfully occupying a timeshare in denial land as I don my wetsuit, cap, and goggles and join the gaggle heading towards the water. Not sure what everyone else is doing here, must be cool. I reach the edge of the water, spot some of my adoring fans, the pro start cannon sounds, I hop in the water...

and reality hits me like only 61 degree water at 6:50 am can. Holy Shit, I'm about to do an Ironman! What am I thinking? No time to think now fool, move or get jumped on by 2,000 eager beavers.

From here on the worst part of the swim was the waiting. Because of the location of the swim event this Ironman had a floating start. Which is exactly what it sounds like. 3,000 people crammed up as close to the starting line as possible, treading water, and most of them doing a pretty terrible job of it. I'm having a great time though, this being my first time in a wet suit I find the buoyancy positively delightful. Almost zero movement on my part keeps me afloat, and the faces of nearly everyone else in the water (most triathletes are not as comfortable in the water as former collegiate swimmers) was priceless. The cannon goes off, and so do we. Avoid getting kicked in the face, check. Avoid getting kicked other uncomfortable places, check. Swim zig-zags to the turnaround buoy, check, wait...

It is real easy to lose your bearings in an open water swim. I learned this in my half ironman as I watched some poor soul miss the first turn by 500 yards or so, but it bears repeating. After some early corrections though I made a beeline for the turn buoy. And run directly into my training/racing companion Greg. Which is impossible. I can't see my hand in front of my face, but I can find Greg among 3,000 other competitors in open water. We exchange excited "Hey!"s and continue on. I don't run into a single person the rest of the swim and just cruise to the swim exit. There are a TON of bikes still in transition, that is a good thing. I realize wet suits live up to their name and I forgot a towel in my bike gear bag, that is a bad thing. But, thousands of screaming spectators make me quickly forget or not care about that as I run to the change tent in my banana hammock. Time for the real test of the day, the bike portion.

Time to get to work.

Miles covered so far:
Swim: 2.4

Ironmandom Attained

Success!

A year of training, over 3700 miles covered by bike, foot, and speedo, and 13 hours of working out in the desert, I am an Ironman. I finished the Ford Ironman Arizona Sunday November 21 in a time of 13:02:27. Finishing the 2.4 mile swim portion in 59:10, the 112 mile bike portion in 6:37:03, the 26.2 mile run in 5:05:57, with my transitions accounting for the difference. I am very thankful for everyone who came out to watch me tackle this task, each cheering spectator, and every encouraging word offered. I'm going to break down my thoughts on the race as a whole and each part over the next few days, but for now...

Miles Covered:
Swimming : 2.4
Biking: 112
Running: 26.2

Mission Accomplished

#205

That's my number ball and chain.

Two weeks to go sports fans. Two weeks until an entire year's worth of training is boiled down into a dozen or so hours of racing. Two weeks until I'm an Ironman, and as the inimitable Tom Petty once said, 'The waiting is the hardest part." I'm physically ready, I've got my affairs mostly in order, but this is still a little terrifying.

In other news my partner in crime Greg VanVolkenburg and myself crushed a century ride this weekend. There are days when you just don't have it, and the workout can become a mental liability and cause you to doubt your ability to even finish half of what we're asking ourselves to do. And then there are workouts like the one we did on Friday morning. The weather was beautiful (if a bit blustery) and our spirits were high from mile 1 to mile 100 (ok maybe from mile 20 when we started feeling our fingers again). I got off the bike with a ton of confidence, and as it was the last real-long ride I'll get in before the race (I have to turn my bike in to tribike transport Friday) it was a great way to cap off the serious bike training. Also this weekend we learned that Tempe Town Lake has been refilled and reopened to the public. Amazing news because, despite my slacking off in the swimming department, I plan on giving myself quite a time-cushion in the first leg. I've also decided to participate in "No-shave" November (also known as Movember in some circles) in order to raise awareness for Prostate cancer (read: to grow facial hair without Jackie being able to get too angry). The progress is slow and patchy, but I love it. So at the finish line look for the Forrest Gump look-a-like, "I'm pretty tired, think I'm gonna go home now".



The time is now, now is the time.



Miles covered so far:

Swimming: 108.85

Running: 644.31

Biking: 2922.41

The Good, The Bad, and The October

The Good

Check this shit out:Yup. That's the weather for the next 10 days here in Houston, and it's been like this the past 10 days, and most likely will be like this for the foreseeable future (if foreseeable future means until December). Weather like this makes training easy. Here's a scene from "Rob's Ironman Training Adventures." (working title, open to suggestions).



(Our hero returns home from an 8-ish hour work day, his energy level is low, his feet are dragging and his back is stooped as he walks through the door and up the stairs to his room.)

"Man that was a looooooong day" He thinks to himself, "Do I really want to train today? 2-3 hours of isolation and punishment sound a bit much..."

(Opens the curtains and the sunshine blinds the screen for a second before revealing a Utopian world of cloudless skies and smiling faces, music pipes in from a passing car "It's a beautiful morning" by the Rascals, odd because it is actually evening, but just go with it. Our hero's face brightens)

"Absolutely!"

It's kind of like that right now.



The Bad

The changing weather is also a sign of the changing seasons. Houston has seasons? Kind of... Here's a quick rundown of Houston's seasons and corresponding months.

Mid-February to Late May - Awesome

Late May to Late September - Hell, also Hurricane

Late September to Mid December - Awesome

Mid December to Mid February - Slightly less Awesome

But, I digress. With the changing seasons the days get shorter and the sun sets a little bit earlier every day. This is bad for two reasons, number one training in the dark is obviously less than ideal, number two Houston drivers do not drive better at night. I've got lights for my bike, and a reflective vest to run in, but these are not helpful when posted signs are completely ignored.

And, I'm not talking about the stupid "Share the Road" or "Bikes are Vehicles Too" signs which only infuriate Houston drivers more by informing them they may encounter a biker in their frantic race against nobody to get to wherever they are headed. So they are primed when they pass me. Nope, not those signs, I'm talking about the important ones. The signs that say "Stop" or "Yield" or "No Turns", in all the fancy shapes they come in. I'm half convinced Houston motorists cannot read, or at least don't know the meanings of these words. So I'm here to help with a handy guide to street signs.

STOP - these signs are everywhere it seems, totally getting between you and your all you can eat fajita buffet (I'd be in a hurry too if that's where I was going, totally understandable). But, they're also important. They are red with white lettering telling you what to do. Can't read? This guide won't be much help to you then, but the clever road sign makers have you covered, they are also octagon shaped, and they're the only signs out there shaped this way. So if you come across a red Octagon stop moving. Don't know what an Octagon is? It's got 8 sides and looks like a pointy circle.

Yield - This one is like a Stop sign, but not. So I can see where the confusion lies. Plus, the word "yield" you probably don't use in everyday conversation. Argggh what does it mean? Well I'll tell you what it means. It means be cautious because you're about to enter another roadway, and you don't have the right of way. Outrageous isn't it? That you wouldn't have the right of way, but it's true. So your ass needs to be sure no one is in the lane you're entering before you enter it. Don't blindly drive straight through the ting at speed, because as long as you're going the same speed as the other traffic you'll be ok, or if they hit you it's their fault, or because I'm on a god damned bike! I still have the right of way, Toyota Camry! Your half ass apologies at the red light that you barely made don't make up for the fact that you almost hit me going 45 mph in your car. Can't read? that doesn't surprise me because you are an idiot, it's an upside down triangle with a word that starts with the letter Y (the chromosome you lacked by the way). Don't know what a triangle is? Get off of the road. Mentally retarded people know what triangles are, all of them do. So next time you're blowing through that yield sign merging from Memorial to Waugh just take a teensy weensy peek in the direction of oncoming traffic and then try to resist the urge to hit whatever you may see with your car. Idiot.

NO TURNS - This one is more of a bother for me when I'm running than anything else. And really these sometimes don't even have words (just like your favorite books). Just a pictograph of what you can't do, turn left. So don't do it, and don't look pissed at me when you do and have to stop short because I'm running through that intersection and you're dumb. Sorry to embarrass you by stopping and pointing at the sign that forbids what you are in the middle of doing, actually no I am not.

With that guide you should be on your way to better driving, for more guides to better driving look for the bestsellers "Stop at Red lights", "Turn Signals; Their purpose and how-to guide" and "There's a completely wide open left lane on this road, who knew?"



The October

October is here, and the training has stepped up accordingly. A little over a month until the competition, and I really wish it was sooner. 10 months of serious training have me ready to go, so let's get this thing over with already.



Miles I've covered so far:

Swimming: 95.35

Biking: 2361.41

Running: 553.41

September?

Two posts in two weeks, what's going on here? A Lot.



Last weekend kicked off a whirlwind autumn that culminates, hopefully, in ironman glory. It was Jackie's birthday last weekend, and we celebrated in grand style. Wednesday trivia as usual, Thursday a trip to the Continental Club (my first, but certainly not my last), Friday getting lied to by the Internet and winding up at the Porch Swing, and Saturday dining in style at Brennan's (One of the top ten meals I've ever tasted) and finishing up the night at Nouveau Antique Art Bar. I managed to get some decent work in during the weekend despite the distractions, and I only hope I'm as lucky moving forward. Here's a glance of what's going on the next three months.



Sept. 5th - Jaryd and Lindsay's Wedding - Ocean City, NJ

Sept. 10th - Tubing - New Braunfels, TX

Sept. 17th - Vegas with Jackie

Sept. 22nd - The Black Keys

Oct. 2nd - Daniel Tosh

Oct. 9th - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Oct. 16th - New Orleans Bachelor Party

Oct. 23rd - Tobe and Jo's Wedding - Raleigh, NC

Oct. 29th - Interpol

Oct. 30th - Halloween

Nov. 13th - Matt and Staci's Wedding - Here in Houston

Nov. 18th - Leave for the Ironman

Nov. 21st - Complete Quest for Ironmandom



Whew, but not to worry most of those weekends I'll be in Houston and training hard. I'll just be having a ton of fun as well. Also anyone in the Houston area looking for a DD you can contact Greg VanVolkenburg, as my partner in Ironman-crime has gone dry until after the event. Except for the wedding that happens the week before apparently...



Miles Covered So Far:

Swimming: 83.55

Running: 466.41

Biking: 1957.41

Blood in the Water

It has been a little over 4 years since I stepped up to blocks for the last time. A little over 4 years since my competitive swimming career came to an end. Not an abrupt end, nor an unforeseen end, but a logical conclusion to a campaign spanning a decade and a half of swimming. Starting with 1 lap in early June and ending with 66 in late February 15 years later it was not so suddenly over. The next morning wasn't the beginning of yet another off season, it was the beginning of THE off season. No more cramped locker rooms, no more 4-5 hour bus rides, no more 5 am wake-up calls, no more Saturday morning sessions, no more training, no more competing.

But the competitive fire doesn't switch off quite as easily, and I found myself training, and racing again. Competition is inherent to all of us, and there is really only one reason that I can see; overtaking another competitor. There are few feelings that rival overtaking someone. Whether you are training or racing, in that moment when you realize you're gaining ground on the person ahead of you, nothing else matters, you need to catch them. The pursuit is gripping, I've run extra miles chasing someone down, and stopped talking mid-sentence to mount an attack on another group of bikers. It's primal, it's the hunt, you can smell the blood in the water, and you care about little else.

Three months to go, I hope I'm the Shark.



Miles Covered So Far:

Biking: 1839.41

Swimming: 79.75

Running: 441.64

Survival Guide: Houston Summer

Nearly three and a half years ago I moved from Central Pennsylvania to the quaint metropolis of Houston, Texas. It was during the month of March, the weather was perfect, blue skies, 70 degree weather, rarely a drop of rain, and I thought I had moved to paradise. Then March turned into April and April turned into May, and slowly my paradise became a sticky, oppressive, concrete broiler. My first taste of summer in Houston was a wet hot mess. Heat and humidity and relatively unpredictable storms make training for anything more physical than a chess tournament a tall task. This summer is no exception, with rain stealing weeks of training and the heat reaching record highs once the rain subsides, it's tough out there. I've been through 3 previous summers, training for various events, and I'm using lessons learned from those trials (by fire) to keep my training on track. The following is a short, but hopefully helpful, list of tips to survive the Houston summers.

1. Stay Hydrated - This doesn't mean simply water, as you train you'll lose vital electrolytes such as sodium and potassium to sweat as well. Sports drinks can help you replenish those as well as many of your favorite beverages.



2. Train Early in the Morning- And...



3. Train Late at Night- Pretty much avoiding this part of the day is key..


4. Train Indoors - Treadmills and Stationary bikes suck, but they are occasionally necessary, and sometimes fun.


5. Swim - 71.11% of the Earth is covered in water, and if those dirty hippies are right that number is only going to increase. So stay cool and prep for the inevitable future.


6. Use Common Sense - It's triple digits out there, but your mug is frosty. You can always run tomorrow...

Miles Covered So Far:

Swimming: 73.75

Biking: 1580.3

Running: 398.64