4.5 weeks to go...

So... lets get caught up on how I got here. December 2008 I was reintroduced to a past tri competitor when joining a weekday long run group. He and I exchanged blows on the bike and ran the first mile together only to have him clean it up for the win as I passed a gal stone (yes you heard correct... I would later learn that I was taking in WAY too much calcium) I ended up finishing 4th. So most of december was spent running together and talking about the strategy to really get on a program to improve. January was another big running month and a slow increase in bike volume. Nick (my training partner) did RAAM last year and is a beast on the bike, so most rides Im happy to ride his coattails.

February I joined Swim Masters at Solana Beach Boys and Girls Club. I grew up swimming competitvely till I got into 7th grade so getting back in the pool for practice brought back memories... sad to say, as a 7th grader I could beat the living daylights out of myself even now as Ive established myself in the pool. (back then I was dropping 24 sec 50s and 55 sec 100s, today Im lucky to get a 29 and 61 respectively) for those of you who think that isnt much you have no idea the difference between the two, think of 6min miles compared to 5min miles. The masters workouts were great for accountability and Ive met a couple characters in the pool. This one girl Al has found a permanent place right on my toes during workouts so she can draft to hold onto our intervals... doesnt bother me at all but its kinda funny, Ive almost plowed into her off of flip turns shes so close!

March was all about loading up and the run and bike volume got pretty cranked. The month was mainly spent keeping the run mileage over 30/ week, bike 90/ week, swim 14k / week. I definately had a few mornings that were hard to get out of bed to get in the pool. Another factor that has been starting to become more evident is that you really find out who your real friends are because they are willing to put up with you going to bed at 830 and 9pm.

I gotta say that having understanding friends and family is not only paramount for one to achieve such time comsuming goals, but its a blessing!

April kicked off with Ironman California 70.3. My training going into the race was pretty good, one sick week and a few missed key workouts were the only holes in it, then a one week taper, and it was gametime.

Race Day 330am, Oatmeal, maple syrup, almond butter and some chocolate soymilk and coffee. Get up to oceanside around 530am and its pretty damn cold. All the big fish were starting to roll into transition, Potts, Reed, and company all started rackin up.

swim - The water temp was perfect for a wetsuit smim, probably 61. The swim was great I wanted to do about a 75% effort on this to save energy, but as all swims go... you gotta swim faster than the masses, which means sprint the first 400m then when they blow their load you can settle in and get some work done. It always amazes me how terrible people pace the swim yet they stay glued to their pacing for the bike and run. I felt good during the swim and got out of the water in 26:24.

T1 - 1 GU and one cliff bar and sip of water

bike - Biking out of the harbor I had a much more controlled heartrate than expected. The first 30 miles were just peachy, nothing too terrible. Then onto mile 30, the climb to the heavens, its a 7% grade that definately sobers you up a bit, and then rollers, followed by a false flat and then the next good climb that really rewards those who paced well. After the second big hill the course winds out to vandergrift which heads right back to the harbor and right into the prevailing wind off the ocean. We got lucky this day cause the wind wasnt blowing all that hard. rollin at 25mph on the way back. Legs feel pretty good, junk is a bit sore. 2:32, 22mph avg

T2 - slap on the garmin and nail a GU

run - the run was pretty flat, and pretty warm, the goal was 1:25, and the training seemed to predict that was possible. To kick off this run I was given a special treat of running next to race leader Matt Reed and then runner up Andy Potts (they were on loop 2). First 4 miles were a bit painful as I had some gas cramps in my abdomen, but a few turbo boosts later I was good to go! At the turnaround for the end of the first loop I knew that I was getting a bit tired but I knew that I didnt have very far to go. Running the last mile or so was challenging but I still felt pretty good. 1:29 run, not to shabby, although I still wonder why I couldnt have squeezed out a bit more speed.

So we cap off the day with a 4:34 which at this point is my PR for this distance and a good result. I would hang round afterward to snag a roll down slot to IM Coeur D Alene to try and snag a spot to Kona... Lets find it!