I found the race start on youtube, here is the link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t1zRCgErJ4
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Race Weekend Report (long)
Wed:
Finally time to go. I was packed and excited to get going. Not that nervous, plenty of time for that as the week progresses. The drive was about 7-8 hours, but it seemed to go by quick. I got there in the evening and got into the hotel in Spokane Valley. It was a nice location, close to everything and far enough away from Spokane. I gave my buddy Cam a quick call to let him know I was there, also talked to the GF back home.
Thurs:
Today morning Cam and I decided to meet and go for a quick swim in the lake. It was freezing cold even with the wetsuit on and it got me worried. I don't swim that well period because of the asthma, the cold around my lungs doesn't help. It took me a good 15 minutes to get used to the temp and even then I couldn't put more then 5 strokes together before I had to stop and catch my breathe. Oh well, the weather was supposed to heat up before the race a bit, so there was time for the water to warm up as well. We also registered today and I got to meet some friends of Cam's from Europe.
Fri:
I wanted more time in the lake so we went for another swim. The water had warmed up a bit so that was a nice relief, I could only hope that it would warm a little more. I had a much easier time breathing and was able to get into a good rhythm. However the water was quite choppy. Another reason for me to worry. Today we also decided to bike the run course. Cam had been here for all 5 CDA ironmans so he knew it well but he thought it would be good for me to get to know. Not to mention it would be the perfect distance for an easy ride. Then in the evening it was off to the Carbo loading dinner held in a tent. It was quite exciting and my nerves were already starting to show themselves as race day was only a couple days away. The meal was very very good considering they had to cook it for 2k + people. We had planned to show up and go somewhere else for the real meal after, but decided that this was edible and loaded up on it.
Sat:
Didn't do much today except check in the bike and transition bags. Everything has to be sooooo well organized. I've done 7 marathons and I gotta say Ironman is a LOT more stressful in the days before with all of the things you CANNOT forget. So I dropped off the bags, hung around the race site, got a picture with Paula and Greg(two former world champions) and drove back to the hotel. We went to Olive Garden later that evening for the second Carbo loading dinner. Later that night I got all my nutrition ready(infinit) and put it in the fridge for cooling over night.
IRONMAN DAY:
I got up in the morning around 4. I had breakfast, as much as I could eat. The breakfast consisted of Oatmeal, bananas, ensure, and some sport drink I think it was Poweraid. Drove over to pick Cam up and off to CDA we go. We got there with plenty of time and did all the necessaries. Dropping our bags off, washroom, body marking, bike check(filling tires). I was a bit rushed for time at the end as I went to the washroom later and had to wait in line. Ahhhh the first stress of the day, putting on my wetsuit in a hurry and trying to get to the beach on time for a warmup. It was freezing cold and I was shaking. I could have cryed I was soo nervous and with the waves being so big I really wanted to back out. I could see others were nervous about this too and Cam and others all told me that the people would mow the waves all down so I shouldn't worry. That helped a bit but I was still very afraid. They wouldn't let us get in the water before so this also worried me. How would the water temp be?
The gun finally went off and we all ran in. It took a while to get to swim, the first couple hundred meters consisted of dog paddling, swiming head up, and pushing others away from me. I actually considered dropping out. I was not enjoying this AT ALL!!! It's a good thing I didn't hear the announcer offering the option for a duathlon or I might have taken it. Eventually I got going and found that the waves didn't bother me much and that the water temp was fine. My forehead got really cold on the second lap and I went off course a couple times. I excited the water and checked the time. 1:24 Crap! Not what I'd hoped for. Oh well it really didn't bother me at all, I was just sooooo happy to get on the bike. I got the wetsuit off and ran off to get the swim-bike bag and saw Cam right there with me. I grabbed him and we got to exchange a few words as we were changing. Then off to grab the bikes and on to the bike course.
I thought I'd freeze with out arm warmers, but was pleasantly surprised as my arms dryed off quite quickly. My chest was cold for the first bit, but that dryed off too. I had the HR monitor on and made sure to keep the bike effort low. At least for the first lap to make sure I can take the necessary nutrition to last me the entire day. It wasn't hot(the high was supposed to be 20C) so I had to pee constantly. I guess I was drinking lots. I peeed 3 times on the swim and 11 times on the bike!!!! I guess I had trouble getting it all out, which is why I had to soo many times. And yes I peed while riding. My hamstring starting aching a little half way through the first lap and I started worrying about. I had had some problems with it earlier on in the month and I had to lighten up for a bit on the bike till eventually it went away. The bike was 2 laps, each lap consisted of a small out and back which had some small hills, Then a big out and back that took you out into the country. Loads of rolling hills there and a head wind on the way back into town. Everyone seemed to complain about the hills and wind, but honestly they didn't seem to bother me. I'd done a few long training rides in way worse which I'm sure helped me. I tryed to avoid the drafting as much as possible, but sometimes it was unavoidable. There's just too many people on the course, especially on the flat sections into the wind. My feet started to swell up a bit, but it didn't get too bad. At times on training rides I'd had to stop because of the pain in my toes. Supposedly your feet swell up and puts pressure on nerves between your toes. Anyways we got back into town and ran into transition. I was actually looking forward to running(my strength). My neck hurt sooo bad by that point I was happy to trade my bike for my bike-run bag. Bike split = 5:58
I changed in the tent and ran out with my bottle of infinit. The first part of the run was pretty uneventful. I was just relieved to be on foot and start passing some more people. Later on I found out that I went from aprox 12xx --> 34x in my placing by the end of the day. Aprox 900 people passed in the bike and run!!! By 6 miles I started to feel the effects of the long day. I wondered how I could complete this thing. I kept running but was starting to have doubts. I made it to the turn around of the first lap and actually was able to run the big hill. Around 11 miles I had to make a big decision. The decision wasn't to stop, but rather a change of strategy. I was starting to get wobbly/dizzy and really tired so I finished up the infinit and started on the coke and water at each aid statioin. I also allowed myself to walk through aid stations. I hadn't walked up till that point. So I started running between aid stations. The coke worked really well and I was even able to pick up the pace a bit at times. I still had rough patches. At times I didn't know how I'd ever complete it, my hamstrings and calves were fine, but I was just soooo tired. I made it to the shoreline again on the second lap, aprox 18 miles? Here I made a deal with myself. If I could just make it to the turn around I'd let myself walk the hill. So I slogged on aid station to aid station till I made the turn around. This must have been around mile 21 or 22? At this point I knew I could do it. I was soo happy I had run 99% of the marathon. My pre-race goal was just to finish strong(run most of the marathon) and I was doing that!! The miles went by slow but eventually I got to the last run and I could see the banner down the street in the distance. I actually felt great at this point running down the long street towards the finish. I saw the clock and realized I'd go under 11:30 which I was really happy about, and later on I found out that I had also gone under 4 hours for the marathon which was the goal. 3:54 was my run time. For a finishing time of 11:28.
Reflection:
The swim was a little tough, but my bike and run were perfect. What a way to end the day. I finally got to hear those cherished words, "Darryl Penner you are an IRONMAN!!" The finish was a little rough, after the massage I started puking and was super cold even with the blankets wrapped around me. The volunteers were great and waited on me hand and foot till I recovered enough to walk to the car. It was great to hang out with Cam over the weekend. Cam thank you soooo much for being so hospitable and helpful not only over the weekend but you’ve helped me so much through out the past year. I barely knew the guy at the start and you sorta took me under your wing and taught me so much about the race. I had to learn it all myself, but it helped loads to be able to bounce ideas off of you and find out what works for you. Thanks to Curtis for the long runs, I know you do em as much for you as for me, but I’m still very thankful for the friendship and the company over the long miles. We’ll of course continue with the long runs over summer as soon as I heal up. Thank you to family and friends who’ve all given me their support, it helped so much to have you guys behind me believing that I could do it and praying that I could accomplish this big dream.
Finally time to go. I was packed and excited to get going. Not that nervous, plenty of time for that as the week progresses. The drive was about 7-8 hours, but it seemed to go by quick. I got there in the evening and got into the hotel in Spokane Valley. It was a nice location, close to everything and far enough away from Spokane. I gave my buddy Cam a quick call to let him know I was there, also talked to the GF back home.
Thurs:
Today morning Cam and I decided to meet and go for a quick swim in the lake. It was freezing cold even with the wetsuit on and it got me worried. I don't swim that well period because of the asthma, the cold around my lungs doesn't help. It took me a good 15 minutes to get used to the temp and even then I couldn't put more then 5 strokes together before I had to stop and catch my breathe. Oh well, the weather was supposed to heat up before the race a bit, so there was time for the water to warm up as well. We also registered today and I got to meet some friends of Cam's from Europe.
Fri:
I wanted more time in the lake so we went for another swim. The water had warmed up a bit so that was a nice relief, I could only hope that it would warm a little more. I had a much easier time breathing and was able to get into a good rhythm. However the water was quite choppy. Another reason for me to worry. Today we also decided to bike the run course. Cam had been here for all 5 CDA ironmans so he knew it well but he thought it would be good for me to get to know. Not to mention it would be the perfect distance for an easy ride. Then in the evening it was off to the Carbo loading dinner held in a tent. It was quite exciting and my nerves were already starting to show themselves as race day was only a couple days away. The meal was very very good considering they had to cook it for 2k + people. We had planned to show up and go somewhere else for the real meal after, but decided that this was edible and loaded up on it.
Sat:
Didn't do much today except check in the bike and transition bags. Everything has to be sooooo well organized. I've done 7 marathons and I gotta say Ironman is a LOT more stressful in the days before with all of the things you CANNOT forget. So I dropped off the bags, hung around the race site, got a picture with Paula and Greg(two former world champions) and drove back to the hotel. We went to Olive Garden later that evening for the second Carbo loading dinner. Later that night I got all my nutrition ready(infinit) and put it in the fridge for cooling over night.
IRONMAN DAY:
I got up in the morning around 4. I had breakfast, as much as I could eat. The breakfast consisted of Oatmeal, bananas, ensure, and some sport drink I think it was Poweraid. Drove over to pick Cam up and off to CDA we go. We got there with plenty of time and did all the necessaries. Dropping our bags off, washroom, body marking, bike check(filling tires). I was a bit rushed for time at the end as I went to the washroom later and had to wait in line. Ahhhh the first stress of the day, putting on my wetsuit in a hurry and trying to get to the beach on time for a warmup. It was freezing cold and I was shaking. I could have cryed I was soo nervous and with the waves being so big I really wanted to back out. I could see others were nervous about this too and Cam and others all told me that the people would mow the waves all down so I shouldn't worry. That helped a bit but I was still very afraid. They wouldn't let us get in the water before so this also worried me. How would the water temp be?
The gun finally went off and we all ran in. It took a while to get to swim, the first couple hundred meters consisted of dog paddling, swiming head up, and pushing others away from me. I actually considered dropping out. I was not enjoying this AT ALL!!! It's a good thing I didn't hear the announcer offering the option for a duathlon or I might have taken it. Eventually I got going and found that the waves didn't bother me much and that the water temp was fine. My forehead got really cold on the second lap and I went off course a couple times. I excited the water and checked the time. 1:24 Crap! Not what I'd hoped for. Oh well it really didn't bother me at all, I was just sooooo happy to get on the bike. I got the wetsuit off and ran off to get the swim-bike bag and saw Cam right there with me. I grabbed him and we got to exchange a few words as we were changing. Then off to grab the bikes and on to the bike course.
I thought I'd freeze with out arm warmers, but was pleasantly surprised as my arms dryed off quite quickly. My chest was cold for the first bit, but that dryed off too. I had the HR monitor on and made sure to keep the bike effort low. At least for the first lap to make sure I can take the necessary nutrition to last me the entire day. It wasn't hot(the high was supposed to be 20C) so I had to pee constantly. I guess I was drinking lots. I peeed 3 times on the swim and 11 times on the bike!!!! I guess I had trouble getting it all out, which is why I had to soo many times. And yes I peed while riding. My hamstring starting aching a little half way through the first lap and I started worrying about. I had had some problems with it earlier on in the month and I had to lighten up for a bit on the bike till eventually it went away. The bike was 2 laps, each lap consisted of a small out and back which had some small hills, Then a big out and back that took you out into the country. Loads of rolling hills there and a head wind on the way back into town. Everyone seemed to complain about the hills and wind, but honestly they didn't seem to bother me. I'd done a few long training rides in way worse which I'm sure helped me. I tryed to avoid the drafting as much as possible, but sometimes it was unavoidable. There's just too many people on the course, especially on the flat sections into the wind. My feet started to swell up a bit, but it didn't get too bad. At times on training rides I'd had to stop because of the pain in my toes. Supposedly your feet swell up and puts pressure on nerves between your toes. Anyways we got back into town and ran into transition. I was actually looking forward to running(my strength). My neck hurt sooo bad by that point I was happy to trade my bike for my bike-run bag. Bike split = 5:58
I changed in the tent and ran out with my bottle of infinit. The first part of the run was pretty uneventful. I was just relieved to be on foot and start passing some more people. Later on I found out that I went from aprox 12xx --> 34x in my placing by the end of the day. Aprox 900 people passed in the bike and run!!! By 6 miles I started to feel the effects of the long day. I wondered how I could complete this thing. I kept running but was starting to have doubts. I made it to the turn around of the first lap and actually was able to run the big hill. Around 11 miles I had to make a big decision. The decision wasn't to stop, but rather a change of strategy. I was starting to get wobbly/dizzy and really tired so I finished up the infinit and started on the coke and water at each aid statioin. I also allowed myself to walk through aid stations. I hadn't walked up till that point. So I started running between aid stations. The coke worked really well and I was even able to pick up the pace a bit at times. I still had rough patches. At times I didn't know how I'd ever complete it, my hamstrings and calves were fine, but I was just soooo tired. I made it to the shoreline again on the second lap, aprox 18 miles? Here I made a deal with myself. If I could just make it to the turn around I'd let myself walk the hill. So I slogged on aid station to aid station till I made the turn around. This must have been around mile 21 or 22? At this point I knew I could do it. I was soo happy I had run 99% of the marathon. My pre-race goal was just to finish strong(run most of the marathon) and I was doing that!! The miles went by slow but eventually I got to the last run and I could see the banner down the street in the distance. I actually felt great at this point running down the long street towards the finish. I saw the clock and realized I'd go under 11:30 which I was really happy about, and later on I found out that I had also gone under 4 hours for the marathon which was the goal. 3:54 was my run time. For a finishing time of 11:28.
Reflection:
The swim was a little tough, but my bike and run were perfect. What a way to end the day. I finally got to hear those cherished words, "Darryl Penner you are an IRONMAN!!" The finish was a little rough, after the massage I started puking and was super cold even with the blankets wrapped around me. The volunteers were great and waited on me hand and foot till I recovered enough to walk to the car. It was great to hang out with Cam over the weekend. Cam thank you soooo much for being so hospitable and helpful not only over the weekend but you’ve helped me so much through out the past year. I barely knew the guy at the start and you sorta took me under your wing and taught me so much about the race. I had to learn it all myself, but it helped loads to be able to bounce ideas off of you and find out what works for you. Thanks to Curtis for the long runs, I know you do em as much for you as for me, but I’m still very thankful for the friendship and the company over the long miles. We’ll of course continue with the long runs over summer as soon as I heal up. Thank you to family and friends who’ve all given me their support, it helped so much to have you guys behind me believing that I could do it and praying that I could accomplish this big dream.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Last day of work
Hey,
Crazy to think that I signed up this thing they call Ironman and now it's almost upon me. I've been waiting and looking foward to it for so long and now that it's almost here I wish I had more time. lol Oh well things will work out somehow. I'm confident in the training I did, I just have to go out and do it. I'm at work for the last time, tomorrow I start the drive to Coeur d' Alene.
I weighed myself the other day and it seems I've lost another couple pounds. I weighed in at 162 pnds. Probably 2 years ago I was over 200 pounds so that's nearly 40 pounds lost. WOW!! If I think of where I've come over the last 1-2 years I am humbled. Not just the weight but the fitness, it feels sooo good to be fit. I guess Ironman has given me the opportunity to reach a level that I never thought was possible. I am very blessed to be able to say that I am ready. What ever race day throws at me it can't take that away from me.
Crazy to think that I signed up this thing they call Ironman and now it's almost upon me. I've been waiting and looking foward to it for so long and now that it's almost here I wish I had more time. lol Oh well things will work out somehow. I'm confident in the training I did, I just have to go out and do it. I'm at work for the last time, tomorrow I start the drive to Coeur d' Alene.
I weighed myself the other day and it seems I've lost another couple pounds. I weighed in at 162 pnds. Probably 2 years ago I was over 200 pounds so that's nearly 40 pounds lost. WOW!! If I think of where I've come over the last 1-2 years I am humbled. Not just the weight but the fitness, it feels sooo good to be fit. I guess Ironman has given me the opportunity to reach a level that I never thought was possible. I am very blessed to be able to say that I am ready. What ever race day throws at me it can't take that away from me.
"Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever"
I almost forgot, some wanted the address to check out the race and results. Here it is;
Either one of these will follow the race and you should be able to get some kind of live results. IE. post the swim results maybe a couple hours after, and the bike splits a couple hours after, etc.
Cheers
Friday, June 15, 2007
Bib #555
It's official now, I have a number!!! Easy to remember eh? They have a roll call on slowtwitch and I posted it there. Hopefully I'll get some strangers cheering me on by name, I know that'd lift my spirits in a tough moment. Ok we have just over a week, 9 days till race day. There's a bunch of things I need to do yet. I still haven't figured out the health insurance. I know I have coverage through work, but I don't have the card anymore. I guess if I just have the plan number and my ID that would be all I need really. Oh and the numbers to call.
As for training, I'm not really planning much. It's day to day so I basically do what I feel like which isn't much since I'm quite happy to taper. I didn't do a huge amount of training, but for me it still feels like I need a break mentally almost more then physically. I didn't get much riding in this week, as usual (haven't had many good weeks of riding) but I think I should be ok for a 2 hour ride. As long as I go easy enough. I'll just go one gear below what I could comfortably do and spin it out. I might go out one last time with Curtis, for a easy 10k run. We'll do maybe 3-4 work outs in CDA. Not sure to really call them work outs, more like staying loose and keep from going insane and ripping my hotel apart cause I'm so nervous needing to burn some energy sessions. Not sure what else to say so I"ll stop here.
As for training, I'm not really planning much. It's day to day so I basically do what I feel like which isn't much since I'm quite happy to taper. I didn't do a huge amount of training, but for me it still feels like I need a break mentally almost more then physically. I didn't get much riding in this week, as usual (haven't had many good weeks of riding) but I think I should be ok for a 2 hour ride. As long as I go easy enough. I'll just go one gear below what I could comfortably do and spin it out. I might go out one last time with Curtis, for a easy 10k run. We'll do maybe 3-4 work outs in CDA. Not sure to really call them work outs, more like staying loose and keep from going insane and ripping my hotel apart cause I'm so nervous needing to burn some energy sessions. Not sure what else to say so I"ll stop here.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Random thoughts
Shave or not to shave:
Do I shave my legs or don't I? That is the question. I really don't see a use for it, swimmers shave for speed gliding through the water as well as feel for the water. Cyclists shave their legs in case of a crash and to aid in road rash bandaging. Both of these things aren't really an issue for a ironman triathlete. Especially one who is doing his first. Although I'm still not convinced, I may simply do it just to fit in. Or as a buddy said when I asked him for some insight on the subject, "The chicks dig it".
A quote I like from the founder of the ironman John Collins:
"You get to find out in a non-lethal way what you're made of, and what your friends are made of. You get put into a position where you have to make a choice of either going on, or not going on. You can make the decision either way and convince everyone except the right back part of your brain that you have a good reason to quit. If you decide to go on, you win, if you stop, you loose...."
10 days and counting till the cannon goes off. Yesterdays run with Curtis was nice and cool. We did an easy loop around the res. My calves were a bit sore, but I'm pretty sure that was from my massage therapist digging into my knots. She found plenty again yesterday and again I was nearly crying at times on the table. The good news is that all of the spots that she dug into on monday were 100%, so she's straightening them out. I promised I'd mention her name at the awards banquet if I won the race. ha ha
Cheers
Do I shave my legs or don't I? That is the question. I really don't see a use for it, swimmers shave for speed gliding through the water as well as feel for the water. Cyclists shave their legs in case of a crash and to aid in road rash bandaging. Both of these things aren't really an issue for a ironman triathlete. Especially one who is doing his first. Although I'm still not convinced, I may simply do it just to fit in. Or as a buddy said when I asked him for some insight on the subject, "The chicks dig it".
A quote I like from the founder of the ironman John Collins:
"You get to find out in a non-lethal way what you're made of, and what your friends are made of. You get put into a position where you have to make a choice of either going on, or not going on. You can make the decision either way and convince everyone except the right back part of your brain that you have a good reason to quit. If you decide to go on, you win, if you stop, you loose...."
10 days and counting till the cannon goes off. Yesterdays run with Curtis was nice and cool. We did an easy loop around the res. My calves were a bit sore, but I'm pretty sure that was from my massage therapist digging into my knots. She found plenty again yesterday and again I was nearly crying at times on the table. The good news is that all of the spots that she dug into on monday were 100%, so she's straightening them out. I promised I'd mention her name at the awards banquet if I won the race. ha ha
Cheers
Monday, June 11, 2007
Zoom Zoom Zoom
Here's Natasha kickin ass on the bike this past weekend. Provin she still has it. I didn't know she was this speedy in the 70.3's. Anyways ya she broke the world record in a time of 4:08 at the Eagleman in Cambridge MD. Wow that's fast!! Is that fast? That's fast!!! The guys winning time was around 3:48. That's gotta be a really fast course. I don't think saying fast one more time will emphasize her speed anymore. Shee's fast!! 
PAINNNN
Hey,
It's getting closer to the big day. I'm just tryin to get everything in order, it's the time to rest and heal up. I'm taking the training easier but I thought to help heal my aching muscles (yes I have some aches from the miles) I thought I'd get some massage. Maybe two sessions giving me a full week to recover from that before race day. Today was my first session and I gotta say WOW did I ever hurt!!!!! I knew it would be painful, but I was still surprised at how much knots there were in my gluts, hams, and calves. She gave me some extra time, making it almost an hour and that's all she pretty much had time for. I don't scream or swear (she gave me permission to swear) but I certainly pulled back more then once, forcing her to stop even though she said, "I can't go any lighter, I'm not even putting any pressure on it". Some of the knots were so bad she hardly had to press at all and I was freaking. Sooo anyways I'm a big old school boy with the thinking that "no pain no gain" so I figure it'll help a lot. She right away extended it to 3 sessions and she thought by the third she could get most of the knots out of my legs. My hams have been bugging me lately, even when I'm not working out, they ache just from sitting in a chair so I hope this will help me recover and help me perform the way I want to come race day. So ya Conclusion: If you want to feel pain go for a massage after a ironman build, one word describes it..... PAIN!!!!!
It's getting closer to the big day. I'm just tryin to get everything in order, it's the time to rest and heal up. I'm taking the training easier but I thought to help heal my aching muscles (yes I have some aches from the miles) I thought I'd get some massage. Maybe two sessions giving me a full week to recover from that before race day. Today was my first session and I gotta say WOW did I ever hurt!!!!! I knew it would be painful, but I was still surprised at how much knots there were in my gluts, hams, and calves. She gave me some extra time, making it almost an hour and that's all she pretty much had time for. I don't scream or swear (she gave me permission to swear) but I certainly pulled back more then once, forcing her to stop even though she said, "I can't go any lighter, I'm not even putting any pressure on it". Some of the knots were so bad she hardly had to press at all and I was freaking. Sooo anyways I'm a big old school boy with the thinking that "no pain no gain" so I figure it'll help a lot. She right away extended it to 3 sessions and she thought by the third she could get most of the knots out of my legs. My hams have been bugging me lately, even when I'm not working out, they ache just from sitting in a chair so I hope this will help me recover and help me perform the way I want to come race day. So ya Conclusion: If you want to feel pain go for a massage after a ironman build, one word describes it..... PAIN!!!!!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Swim start
This is my desktop right now. Take note of the guy with his goggles ripped off, he looks like he's had better days. lol Or the poor sap that he's climbing on top of that's currently under water. :P Not sure which ironman this is, maybe wisconsin.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
2 weeks till I leave for CDA
Weird how you get hit with more and more reality. The big truth here is that in 2 weeks I will leave for CDA and complete the biggest race of my life!!! I know ironman is for anyone these days, plenty of people finish them all the time and it's really not that big a deal for lots of people. But, for me it is a big deal. You see I've followed this event ever since it was a novelty. Ever since I was probably a young teen, which puts Ironman in it's early years, have I watched this race. Wondering perhaps I could some day toe the line and see if I have "what it takes" to complete this grueling distance. I've completed 7 marathons, a bunch of half marathons and even more road races and triathlons, never having completed the 2.4/112/26.2 mile event. Somtimes I get overwhelmed and feel like I should not do it. There's too much pressure, what if I get kicked, or flat, or go out too hard on the bike and end up walking the run. What if the weather is really bad, hot or windy. What if I get sick the week before, will I know when to call it quits? Have I done ALL I can to be the very best I can be??? Oh sure my training buddies will pipe up and say stuff like, "Dude, you're in awsome shape!!" or "Don't let these thoughts get into your head, think positive!!" But honestly do they know what will happen on June 24th? I think not!!! We can only hope and dream that everything will fall into place. That the training that has been done is adequate and that there are no injuries, illnesses, or mechanical problems to prevent me from doing my best. It's not like I'm that negative, almost every run I do alone I dream about running the last 10k and feeling good, finishing strong. I don't know if that's possible to actually feel good in the last 10k, but I dream about it anyways.
I have to remind myself that worrying about what I can't control is pointless. That doesn't mean I won't think about it, just won't worry, there's a difference. The things I can control are things like nutrition, I haven't got this sorted out yet.
1. How am I going to get enough calories on the bike, and what am I all putting in my special needs bags.
2. What am I wearing, haven't figured that out yet either. Tri singlets make me look fat, but I probably will wear one, if I can find one that fits ok.
3. I need to make sure my bike is ready, I'll need to clean it again just before the race.
4. One thing I thought of today is blue cross, what if I have a medical emergency. I don't want to "worry" about it, but I should be prepared.
5. As the departure arrives I have to make sure I pack everything I'll need, and also plan my pre race meal. I don't know really what I'm eating the day before as well as the morning of.
6. I think I'll be needing a new pair of shoes. However race day is approaching and I don't have time to fight around with a pair that don't fit me right. I need a pair that I like right out of the box and that I know from past experience work well with my feet after 100 miles of training.
I'm sure I've forgotten some things for now, but I have two weeks to come up with them. These are just a couple things I was thinking about lately.
I have to remind myself that worrying about what I can't control is pointless. That doesn't mean I won't think about it, just won't worry, there's a difference. The things I can control are things like nutrition, I haven't got this sorted out yet.
1. How am I going to get enough calories on the bike, and what am I all putting in my special needs bags.
2. What am I wearing, haven't figured that out yet either. Tri singlets make me look fat, but I probably will wear one, if I can find one that fits ok.
3. I need to make sure my bike is ready, I'll need to clean it again just before the race.
4. One thing I thought of today is blue cross, what if I have a medical emergency. I don't want to "worry" about it, but I should be prepared.
5. As the departure arrives I have to make sure I pack everything I'll need, and also plan my pre race meal. I don't know really what I'm eating the day before as well as the morning of.
6. I think I'll be needing a new pair of shoes. However race day is approaching and I don't have time to fight around with a pair that don't fit me right. I need a pair that I like right out of the box and that I know from past experience work well with my feet after 100 miles of training.
I'm sure I've forgotten some things for now, but I have two weeks to come up with them. These are just a couple things I was thinking about lately.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Golden trip
I believe you can see kicking horse ski hill.
Cam and Guy just off the trans can and onto the first big climb.
Cam and I climbing side by side. Yes I took the pic while riding, but don't worry there were hardly any cars on this road.
Up the road back to Golden.
Hey there,
Sorry this took awhile to come. I don't know why but I'm not as pumped to write in the blog anymore. :P Plus I had the pictures on my camera/phone which were to big to send wirelessly so I had to wait till I had a minute at home to do it.
Calf muscle pull:
I was a bit leary to train with my sore calf muscle since my long run as I seemed to have pulled it then. Well I took friday off completely, as well as saturday(travel day) I just swam before I started the drive to Golden. I'm happy to say this helped immensly as I trained this weekend with out any pain at all, it was gone. I also have Lisa's hands to thank as she massaged the calf a little on Friday. Either way I am 100% and can now officially start the Ironman taper.
Trip:
The trip went awsome!! I couldn't have asked for a better weekend, nor a better venue. I got there Friday night and was treated to a nice pasta dinner that Cam had created. He's a good cook and of course we talked and talked till it was time to hit the hay. The next day we got our nutrition ready, infinit/gels and hit the road. It was a hot one, but not too windy. We started out on the trans can. highway, about 20k + out and then cut off on a gravelly VERY hilly return trip. There was lots of climbing in this section as this basically led us up and out of the Golden valley. At the top of the hill we'd stop at the tourism rest stop and water up. That was about a 40km loop. Our riding partner Guy was a bit back so this gave him a chance to catch up and for us all to rest up for the next lap. After this stop we got back on the trans can. and headed down a big hill back into town which started our second loop. We did 3 laps total. Each lap got consistently hotter and the hills seemed to get bigger. Not sure why that is, it just happens in long rides. We rode back into town, up a really STEEP hill to Cam's house and then we went out for a 8km run in the heat. The run was great and took us through lots of the town through paths and sidewalks. I don't remember much of the actual route as I just followed Cam's lead. I guess I was a bit out of it, but still in good spirits and not hurting too too badly. Guy didn't join us for our run but decided to run on his own after a double latte and somthing else I can't remember.
Reflection:
The day was awsome and when we got back we found out it was 35 degrees!!! I was stoked as this was the one element that I didn't know if I could handle if CDA threw at us. Now I knew I was ready, or at least ready as I'll ever be. Maybe next weekend it'll be hot again so we can get some more heat training in. I'm so lucky to be able to train with others. It was awsome to ride with Cam the last weekend. Cam thank you so much for your hospitality and for the training! It was really scenic as well which leads me to the pictures. Cam is used to his awsome suroundings but I had to get a couple pics at least for the blog. As you can see they're posted at the start not at the end. This blog thing doesn't always do what I want. Over and out,
Darryl
Friday, June 1, 2007
Sore calf muscle
Hey,
Well looks like I'm going to have to peak a little earlier then expected. I was doing some good mileage on the bike this week and my calves were already starting to feel it down on the bars. So yesterday I went out for the long run with Curtis and my right calf muscle pulled or somthing. Good thing it was right at the end so I could stop immediately and not have to walk a long ways back. It doesn't feel too bad walking and I can even stretch it a bit with out pain, but I just don't want to take the chance of getting an injury. Sooo I'll take today completely off, then maybe go for a easy ride/swim tomorrow depending how it feels. I should still be able to ride with Cam on Sunday but I'll definatly be playing it by ear. If I feel anything on the run after the bike I'll pack it in. It's not all bad as the bulk of the training is in, all I really have to do is make sure it heals up and I should be ready. If anything this could force me into tapering properly before the ironman. Another good thing is that this was just an overuse twinge, cause I felt both calves were super sore towards the end of the run. Most injuries are due to a imperfection or imbalancing of somthing in the stride, however in this case both calves were sore, either one could have gone. (sorry for the bad english) Maybe a couple massages are what I need as well. So maybe what I'll do is take a couple easy days, do the long ride/run(if I can run with out pain) and the following two weeks get a couple massages. Like I said earlier all I have to do is maintain and heal up.
Oh, I almost forgot. Somthing that was kind of cool last night while running with Curtis. We had a pretty close encounter with a beaver. I was quite surprised this fat guy was out of water and not in any rush to get away from us. Obviously he is used to having humans around and thought a couple skinny runners won't bother him. He was right beside the path and only after we ran past did he slowly waddle off to the lake and swim away with not a care in the world. I just hope he wasn't hurt.
Well looks like I'm going to have to peak a little earlier then expected. I was doing some good mileage on the bike this week and my calves were already starting to feel it down on the bars. So yesterday I went out for the long run with Curtis and my right calf muscle pulled or somthing. Good thing it was right at the end so I could stop immediately and not have to walk a long ways back. It doesn't feel too bad walking and I can even stretch it a bit with out pain, but I just don't want to take the chance of getting an injury. Sooo I'll take today completely off, then maybe go for a easy ride/swim tomorrow depending how it feels. I should still be able to ride with Cam on Sunday but I'll definatly be playing it by ear. If I feel anything on the run after the bike I'll pack it in. It's not all bad as the bulk of the training is in, all I really have to do is make sure it heals up and I should be ready. If anything this could force me into tapering properly before the ironman. Another good thing is that this was just an overuse twinge, cause I felt both calves were super sore towards the end of the run. Most injuries are due to a imperfection or imbalancing of somthing in the stride, however in this case both calves were sore, either one could have gone. (sorry for the bad english) Maybe a couple massages are what I need as well. So maybe what I'll do is take a couple easy days, do the long ride/run(if I can run with out pain) and the following two weeks get a couple massages. Like I said earlier all I have to do is maintain and heal up.
Oh, I almost forgot. Somthing that was kind of cool last night while running with Curtis. We had a pretty close encounter with a beaver. I was quite surprised this fat guy was out of water and not in any rush to get away from us. Obviously he is used to having humans around and thought a couple skinny runners won't bother him. He was right beside the path and only after we ran past did he slowly waddle off to the lake and swim away with not a care in the world. I just hope he wasn't hurt.
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