The Post is Coming, I promise!!!

I have gotten a lot of requests for me to tell my story in pictures and words about Ironman last Sunday. I apologize, I am still trying to compile the photos and compose the story, I should have it up in a day or so. In the meantime, this is us just before the start of the race. Brian, Jesus, Myself, Trista, Renee, and Jerald in a group hug before we hit the water. We spent a lot of time together over the last year and are now forever bonded by this team, this race, this moment.

Louisville Crew

These are my teammates that are coming with me to complete Ironman Louisville. As my friend Jeremiah said "The ass is there to be kicked, go KICK ASS!!!"

Tonight I learned and it is with a heavy heart that I say to you an honoree from the Peninsula Run Team, Travis Wallace is now losing his battle with Leukemia. Travis was in his early 30's and very active on the team, participating in several marathons. Whenever I would go to support him in a race he would tell me "go help someone who needs it, I'll be OK." He was a powerful example of how one could overcome a serious illness and live life to it's fullest. Earlier this year he relapsed and after several months of fighting the disease, there is nothing left that can be done. I am dedicating Ironman Louisville to him and his wife Amy and infant daughter, McKenna. My event starts and ends on August 31st but the fight against blood related cancers continues...

Go Team.

How to swim at Redwood Shores

For those of you that have never swam at Redwood Shores, imagine swimming in water comprised of bay water, decaying plants, fuel, and duck poo which not only gives it it's distinct flavor but it also makes the water hue of green that can be best described as spit pea soup. We swim there because it's safe, it's not freezing, and it's free. Those of us training for Louisville and won't be able to use a wetsuit in our event due to the heat have been frequenting RWS to swim suitless. The actual act of swimming is no different than anywhere else but it's after the swim when you need to take extra steps before you are ready to re-enter society for obvious reasons. Anyone who has ever swam at RWS has at least once asked themselves "how nice would it be to have a shower in this parking lot right now..."

BEHOLD!!!!!

TAPER!!!!

After 10 months of intense training we have finally reached taper. This is the part of an endurance training season where the long, hard workouts become shorter, less rigorous, and geared towards recovery and rest. This is obviously a very celebratory event. There was an unusual buzz in the air on Saturday as we could feel the sense of relief that comes with taper and as you can see, it spilled out during our ride on Saturday.

We are in TAPER!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!

You Are An Ironman

Last Saturday was the Vineman Ironman which roughly half the team did as their event. Those of us who weren't participating volunteered to be wet suit strippers in Transition 1 in order to be close to our teammates and support them at the start. The plan was to see them off, do an 80 mile ride as our workout that day and then go to the finish and see them all come in. What we didn't realize at the time was we were about to witness something absolutely amazing and dare I say it, probably the most beautiful moment in my entire time with Team in Training. In order to give you my perspective of what happened, I need to take you back to 2003 when I first started as a participant on the run team.

One night at track, my mentor Scott Davidson was introducing me to people and at one point he pointed to Stephanie Frances. "See that lady over there? Her name is Stephanie, she is a grandmother and last year she was on the Ironteam." I looked at him like he was crazy "you've got to be shitting me, Ironteam???" "yeah" Scott said "but she didn't make the swim cutoff and they pulled her out of the race. She's going for it again and I think she's going to make it..."

That race was Ironman Canada and she missed the swim cutoff by 20 minutes. She returned the following year and missed it again. She took a few years off before coming back to Canada, this time making the swim cutoff, but missing the bike cutoff. Each time she put in 10 months of training only to be turned away each time. Like a lonely soul looking for a partner, she never gave up despite the number of heartbreaks along the way.

August 2nd, 2008 she came to Sonoma, California to try once again at the Vineman Ironman. She arrived before the sun rose, her bike and gear seemingly outweighing her, she set up her transition area when I saw her. "I'm really nervous, Chris" she said to me as I got there. She and I talked for a bit but I could tell half of what I was saying wasn't registering. We hugged and had some laughs. Smiling the whole time, there was no place she would rather be than right there.

About an hour after the race started the first swimmers started coming in. Stripping wetsuits is chaotic, loud, somewhat violent, and a lot of fun. The time passed so quickly as we helped athletes undo their suits, everyone of them thankful and praising us as they went through. We were pretty professional about it until someone from the team came in, which of course made the scene that much louder, chaotic, and exciting. It was just before 2 hours after the start when I heard "here comes Stefanie!!!" and there she was, sub 2 hour swim! When we told her, it was if she won the lottery. She's jumping up and down, screaming and celebrating while the rest of us were yelling at her "GOOOO!!!! Get to your bike!!!!" And with that she left screaming the whole way. It was pretty amazing.

Her celebration however would end suddenly on the bike, About 3 miles into the course, another athlete crashed into her knocking her into a mail post. Both women on the ground, Stefanie got up quickly and helped the other, gave her ointment for her wounds (who in the hell carries ointment in an Ironman? A grandmother, that's who...) and helped her on her way. At mile 10 with the heat rising, the dry air caused Stefanie's contact lenses to curl inside her eyelids. She was forced to remove them, obviously affecting her vision. She continues on and gets lost. Crying on the side of the road she is asking for help from anyone near her, finally getting directions to the high school, her destination. Despite all that drama she continues on with the heat and distance. When she finished she knew she didn't make the cutoff. Crying and seemingly defeated, she arrives to find family members and coaches from the team. "I'm sorry, I got in so late..." she says. Coach Mike then says "are you ready to run?" Stefanie thought she was going to be pulled but as it turns out, they were going to let her go. "OF COURSE!" she says. and off she went to the changing tent to get her run gear on.

Waiting for her on the course was every available member of the Ironteam to cheer her on and support her. I saw her 3 times from the course and not once was she not smiling. You could see the pain and exhaustion in her face but you could also feel the determination in her eyes. She finished the first of three loops when a race official took her racing chip. He warned her that after 9pm there would be no more medical support on the course. She said to him my team and family were all out there for me, don't you worry about a thing..." It was at this point that Amy Chang started running with her. Amy and Stefanie both started Ironteam together back in 2002 and now they were going to finish the race together. After 11pm, the aid stations were breaking down and most of the athletes had finished, and Stefanie still had 13 miles to go. At midnight you might have thought the President was running, with a motorcade of coaches cars and Ironteam members running alongside, and cheering on the sidelines, Stefanie was well protected from the darkness and despair that comes at the end of any endurance event. Powered by pringles, coke, the support of everyone around her and her faith, nothing was going to keep her from finishing.

At 2:20am, with a couple dozen people at the finish line, the clock and crowds long gone, a victory lane was set up complete with a finishers tape fashioned by a metal foil wrap. As the headlights turned into the High School Parking lot, the clapping and cheering resumed. With a slight limp and her aching back forcing her to lean to her right as she ran, a beaming grandmother who started her day at 7am ran her way to the finish line where she was swarmed by her family. In unison, the coaches and teammates all yelled "STEFANIE FRANCES, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!!!"

I couldn't help but stand there in awe of the whole scene. Coach Wasserman fighting back tears as he placed a finishers medal around her neck. People hugging each other as if someone they cared for deeply with a seemingly incurable illness was finally healed. I remember telling myself to wait a minute before I went to congratulate her because I didn't want anyone to see me cry too! It was could be the most powerful event of my TnT life, which is bold statement to say the very least.

I am so grateful for joining this team, I cannot adequately describe it...

TRIPLE BRICK

Since I uploaded my last post we swam at Lovers Point followed by a 20 mile run. We did the Vineman half Ironman and the Aqua Challenge at lake Del Valle, nothing you haven't heard about before so I saw little point in bothering you with all that. However on Sunday we had one of the notorious Ironteam workouts that you hear about as an outsider and ask about before you join. The Triple Brick is one of the last big tests in the training season. It consists of three brick's, back to back. A brick is a bike ride followed by a run. If you say Bike and Run really fast and add the word "Ick" at the end, you have brick. Each bike segment was 2 hours long followed by a 50 minute run, and they gave you 10 minutes to transition between the two which made for a 9 hour day. The picture above is the home base which was located at the corner of Edgewood and Canada roads. Each bike and run was different but they all started and ended right here.

This is me at the start, it was overcast and cool but that did not last long...
Some of my teammates are in taper, their event is this Sunday. Therefore, while we languished on this tortuous day, they got to dick around. Bastards....
Two hours later it was back to home base for a quick bite and a 50 minute run in Edgewood Park. Coach Wasserman and Captain Christy Barney are making sure that I am eating. Nutrition is of the utmost importance in workouts like these. Without it you will fail.
Renee is putting on a nutritional clinic...
While others take it a bit less seriously.
I found that as the day grew warmer, it was much better to be on the bike than running. However, the bike requires a lot more nutrition. I ate about 1200 calories in E-gels, Shot Blocks, Carbo Pro, and the PBJ at home base. I would end up burning 8,000 calories before the day was over.
Clearly it was the bike that proved most challenging to me. I found that I started getting serious pains in the bones of my feet from the shoes. It would be so bizarre, I'd be in hell for an hour, hop off the bike and get into my running shoes and all was right with the world. In this picture I am absolutely irate about my feet and the fact that Dan was taking my picture, but at the same time I was elated that I didn't have to ride anymore. And as only Dan can, he made me laugh when I was really pissed off, and when I needed it most.
This is me finishing. Sunburnt, legs fried, sore shoulders and arms, and a bloated belly full of sports drink, I am as happy as I have been after anything that wasn't a PR in a marathon. At the time I felt like this was one of the hardest things I have ever done, and 24 hours later I still feel that way.

The day before, 5 of us bound for Louisville did a 2 mile open water, non-wetsuit swim and it went really well. If there was any doubt in my mind about any of us being ready for Ironman, it was erased this weekend.

Mental Toughness

All year we have been put through tests of endurance and perseverance. As the weeks would roll by the workouts would get longer and more intense. This weekend had a different focus. Mental toughness was either to be forged or discovered, I wasn't sure which. I guess that all depended on who you were. But the main thing was that we were tested not only with extreme workouts for physical fitness, but testicular fortitude as well.

Saturday was the main set. a 100 mile solo bike ride with no support. So sag, no aid stations, simply your bike and whatever God gave you to survive the day. I had no problem storing enough food, it was hydration that I would need to address while I was on the course. Most of the ride was in the back country without stores or parks with running water. A $20 bill would solve that issue just as long as I could get through the first 67 miles without refueling my 3 bottles which I was able to do. The only real test on this day was when I arrived at the intersection of Foothill Expwy and Homestead Rd with less than a quarter mile from my house, and I had 12 miles to go before I could finish. I sooooooo wanted to make that right turn, but no. I headed out the 6 miles and back to finish with 101 miles in 6:45.

Sunday we went to Redwood Shores for the next two legs of the Mental Toughness tour. A 3000 yard open water swim followed by a 10 mile run. I had never swam willingly in open water without a wetsuit before. The wetsuit and the buoyancy it provides is a security blanket of the mind. It not only keeps you warm in cold water but it also pretty much ensures that you won't drown regardless of what happens to you. However, my event in Louisville might get too warm for wetsuits so it really did behoove me to swim without one and today I did it. Once I got over the initial "I'm out here with my pants down" feeling it was a piece of cake. Another checkmark on the road to H.T.F.U.*

Lastly was the 10 mile run. And in the spirit of mental toughness weekend I shed yet another security blanket of mine..... NIP GUARDS!!!! At about mile 0.50 I realized that I forgot to tape up the nips and it was too late to go back. I had pilot lights from mile 6 on but hey, I'm on the Ironteam, baby. I can't let a couple of chafed nubs get in the way of my training.

*H.T.F.U. is the code of the Ironteam subculture, Harden The F#%k Up.

Ironteam Fundraising 101

Ironteam is all about going long and staying strong. No matter what we are involved in, the length of the season, the intensity of the workouts, or in this case the fundraising, we are all about doing more that what most would consider normal. My fundraising minimum was $8,000.00, nearly 3 times the amount I needed to raise on the run team. Thanks to most of you that read this blog, I made it. However, some of my teammates have not been so fortunate, and with the deadline looming, drastic measures need to be taken. Richard is one of these teammates. He needed $2,000.00 to reach his minimum and he had an idea. He put out an email telling people that if they pooled together $2,000.00, he would do this...

Just in case you had any doubt in your mind about how crazy people on the Ironteam are, there you go. Richard made his minimum that day and he lives to talk about it.

Go Team!

Nice Weekend

Edgewood & Canada Roads, Woodside

Not much new to report on this week. The weekend was the usual, spending most of it with the Ironteam proving to anyone and everyone of what a bunch of bad-asses we are. On Saturday I completed my longest swim to date, 2.4 miles in 1:29 followed by a 10 mile run. Sunday was a 75 mile bike followed by yet another 10 mile run. The folks doing Lake Placid and Vineman Full did their "triple brick" which consisted of a 2 hour ride and a 5 mile run, 3 times.

One of our teammates, Jenn Sussman completed her event in France today. Our first Ironwoman of our team! Her accomplishment reminds us all that our events are right around the corner, no longer this far away thing that we would do someday. I have 71 days before my event, not that I am counting... I truly feel that I am ready and I know they have prepared us well, but there still seems to be that anxiety that I haven't felt since the first marathon I trained for. The not knowing of what to expect motivates me to train harder. Nothing drives fear like the unknown. Once again I find fear as my biggest motivator, it simply works everytime. And if this is how I feel 71 days out, I am going to be motivated like a mo fo come raceday...

More Milestones

I am going through Milestones like they are going out of style... Saturday was a Swim/Bike, Sunday was a run.

2.1 mile swim - 1 hour 14 minutes

98 Mile Bike with 10,000+ feet of elevation including Hwy 9, Old La Honda Road(hi Amy), and Tunitas Creek Road - 8 hours 06 minutes

Sunday we ran 15 miles which made for 15,000 calories burned for the weekend.

We are so bad ass, we should be wearing capes....

Milestone

80 Miles, 5 hours 13 minutes, holy shit my ass is sore.

Hanging up the Whistle

Next Thursday is our last Track workout on the run team, and it will be my last day as a coach on that team. I have been a part of the TnT run teams for over 5 years so to say this isn't going to be easy for me is an understatement. I really didn't think it would be tough for me. But I have to say, everytime I start thinking about next Thursday I feel a bit of sadness.

The above picture is the Coaching staff at kickoff minus Amy Chang who was probably in China at the time. Ken is on the far right, Carl the head coach is holding the flier, and in between us is Shamal who actually thought we were going to run that day. Greenhorn....

As a coach you wear many hats on the Run team. You are a healer, motivator, psychiatrist, cheerleader, teacher, and the role I ended taking on, taskmaster. I was the "core strength" coach which didn't earn me many friends early on but as the team got stronger they really impressed me. I would take the Ironteam core workouts, dial them down to about half speed, and still be told afterwards that I was too hard on them. Whatever...

At the end of the set I would give them words of running wisdom or things to think about for the upcoming run that weekend. It never ceased to amaze me what a captured audience they always were, hanging on every word. Eyes wide open and zero background chatter. Almost to the point where it was spooky. I really loved that. It really did feel like I was helping them accomplish this massive goal that I at one time thought was impossible. There really is something to helping people do what you love to do. The reward is the look on their faces when they complete their goal, you can feel the happiness beaming off of them. Knowing you had a hand in that is a powerful thing.

I'll definitely miss seeing my friends like Amy. With them I could always count on having some laughs on Thursday. I could get all mushy about all the friends I've made and the amazing experiences, incredible highs and devastating lows that I came to encounter by being a part of the TnT run teams over the years but I won't. Over and over again in my life the same occurrence of one door opening as another closes continues to pace me through my life. As much as I have to look back on, I have way more to look forward to. I refuse to sit around and mope about this, life is just way too short for all that.

Speaking of which...

So when I first bought my bike back in September of last year I took it to Mt Eden road. When I reached the top of the hill I required a 5 minute rest break to catch my breath and gather myself before it was safe for me to head back. Last Wednesday the team went to the same spot for hill repeats. We went up and down that thing 7 times, doing drills each time all the way up. I couldn't help but think of how far we have all come. 80 mile ride tomorrow and my biggest concern is making it back home in time to watch the horse race. How cool is that?

This is me after my 2nd trip up and down the hill when Coach Dan told me to go back up standing the whole way. This explains the "you have got to be shitting me" look on my face.

The worm has turned...

Southbay Triathlon

Uvas Reservoir
Morgan Hill, CA
5/18/08

Today we received the next and last batch of workouts in the training schedule from the head coach. This latest "phase" is called RACE PHASE. This segment is geared to get us ready for longer days and harden us to the misery that comes with endurance racing. Mainly what it means is that we will be required to spend even more time working out and even less time with anyone or anything outside of the Ironteam. We all knew this was coming, we have been told over and over but I guess the reality of it never settled in until we all saw it in black and white.

If I had to sum up how I feel about my feelings right now in one word it's selfishness. Next weekend we have two big workout days and I am going to miss most of them due to my having to lead a long run for the Run team on Saturday, and Sunday being my Mom's birthday. In any normal situation I would just blow off the workouts and make them up later, and not think twice about it. But these workouts are so long and intense, you simply cannot make them up on your own later in the day. Not only that, my event is 14 weeks away and I actually fear falling behind at this point. The selfishness rears it's ugly head when I find myself not only fighting the guilt of not doing the workouts, but also fighting the resentment of the events that stand in their way.

I guess when I signed up for this I understood this side of training for an Ironman as much as I did every other part of it, little or nothing at all. As much as people try to explain to you or even warn you at times, until you actually go through it, you cannot imagine how much you ask of yourself, and ultimately of others when you spend 20+ hours a week working out. This is as selfish an endeavor as I have ever undertaken.

Now here is the part that might concern some. When the coaches email went out and the new schedule was unveiled, there was actual shock expressed from the group. Some sounded like they were astounded while others seemed to even fear it. But to be perfectly honest, when I opened that email and read that schedule I thought to myself.... "RIGHT FUCKING ON!!!!"

I am having the time of my life. God help me, I love this Ironteam...

WILDFLOWER 08

This weekend was the Wildflower Triathlon and for a lot of us, our first official event. The long course or half Ironman was held on Saturday while the Olympic (or as Ironteam calls it "short course") was held on Sunday. We arrived on Thursday afternoon and set up camp, went to the expo to register, and mainly just relaxed. The race starts in waves based on age group. Each age group is assigned a different colored swim cap so that the officials can ensure that people are starting in their proper waves. Of all the colors in the spectrum, Men ages 40 to 45 drew neon pink...

The morning of the race started at 5:30am. Breakfast was coffee, oatmeal, and fear served by Trista!

This is me getting ready to head down to the starting area. How stressed out do I look here? The roads are closed to cars which means the only way to get down there is pack your tri bag on your back and ride on down...
Once in the starting area we found our assigned spots, set up transition, and got body marked. With a felt tip marker they put your race number on both hands, arms, thighs, and your age on your calf. For some reason I was able to relax and be more my usual self the closer we got to the starting gun. Weird...
We had about an hour to kill before the start which we used by eating, drinking, and having some laughs to stay loose.

When it was nearly time to start, we put on our pink caps and headed down to the boat ramp.

I started in the middle of the pack and got bounced around a bit, slapped a few times, and did some slapping of my own but I never got kicked as I feared. 40 minutes later I was running back to my bike. Man do I look silly in that cap...
I tried to get through transition 1 quickly but I sucked. 10+ minutes to eat, put my cycle shorts and shirt, gloves, helmet, Garmin bike computer, and give Jerald shit because he was beyond ridiculous in his transition. He got out of the water 4 minutes after I did and just look at him. I'm ready to roll and he is putting on Oil of Olay.
This is on the infamous "Nasty Grade" which really isn't that big of a deal to us on Ironteam because we have a cycle captain who takes us on insane rides from hell on a weekly basis. I saw people walking their bikes up that thing. Crazy...
3:28:27 later I am back in the transition area, hauling ass to my running shoes. This time my transition time was a bit better at 6+ minutes.
This is Jerald and I just before we headed out to run. He is faster on the bike than I am. Even after his makeover in T1, he caught me at mile 36 on the ride. I did manage to catch him in T2 before he left, apparently the showers ran out of hot water.
Finishing the run was a great feeling. 2:23:32 is a long time to run a half marathon, but not on that run course and after riding 56 miles and swimming 1.2. I am really happy with my finish time of 6:52:35

Jesus and I celebrating

Myself, Jerald, and Jesus

By far the happiest of the 4, Renee finishes with a huge smile on her face.

Half Ironpeople!!!!

The next morning we had pancakes, eggs, and sausage.

Later that day we all went to the expo where Jesus and I bought some kick-ass helmets!!!

It's becoming increasingly apparent that what we on Ironteam are doing is beyond what most athletic people would call normal. Just about everyone at Wildflower trained for that event, while for us it was a training day. We have covered these distances and then some, just not in an actual race setting which was a huge wake up call for me. I have a lot to learn about racing and nutrition on the course. I can't tell you how rewarding it has been to be going from being the guy expected to know everything to being a student with so much to learn. The relationships I have made along the way only grow stronger. As these workouts get longer and harder, I realize more and more that joining this team is one of the best things I have ever done for myself.

PS Jesus and I didn't buy those helmets, but I did keep my swim cap. It's kind of growing on me...