400 IM

Well, after ten days of soreness, tightness, and general weakness from my push-up pyramid, I have finally returned to normal. Well, I may not be normal, but my pecks are normal again. I actually did a 100 straight of butterfly, without breaking stroke, en route to a 400m IM in the pool this evening. Completing this challenge has proven to me that I'm finally over my last challenge!

The Number Three

While typically I am a big fan of the number three, this morning I came across my first reason to dislike it. Three has been my lucky number for quite a while now, and I am normally glad to see its random appearance: on my race number; on my locker number; in my age; in the number of apples, oranges, and plums in my lunch box; and in pretty much everything else. I even used to be number three on my soccer team in high school.

This morning, however, I found a good reason to wish for a different number. As Amanda and I pulled up to the Rez for a short run with the dogs, all four of us were faced with the number three as an indicator of how many degrees Fahrenheit the air temperature was outside. Three! Now that is cold. It's very awful-damn cold, in fact. Sure, it's warmer than two, and it's warmer than -23, but it's still pretty damn cold. This morning I did not like the number three.

Amanda took off with our snow dog, Luna; and I headed off in a different direction with the Blue Dog. We busted out their coats for the occasion, so we were hoping for the best. The Blue Dog is a pretty lean, mostly hairless whippet, so he's not too good in three degrees. Luna, on the other hand, is a furry wire-hair Jack Russel Terrier; one that loves to dive her head into the snow. She is pretty hardy.

Blue and I made it for just about thirty minutes before he, in his dog way, with dog manners and dog tact, told me he was not enjoying himself anymore. We cuddled up in the sheepskin seat covers, and waited for our girls with the car heater blasting.

Impressively, about twenty minutes later, I spotted Amanda and little icicle Luna trotting up to the car. Somehow, after fifty minutes, the sun had not warmed the air up above three degrees. And somehow, these two endured fifty minutes in that three degrees. Impressive.

Watch out, folks: Amanda is motivated, and I am predicting some great races for her in the upcoming season! Even if she did chose to wear running shoes with Yaktrax, while Luna went shoeless.

Snow Day

Amanda and I called a snow day today. It was not very nice weather, and we did not really feel like doing another run on the treadmill, so we called a snow day. Just like back in school, we called off all scheduled activities. I was too sore to do much of anything anyway, so it worked out pretty well. Plus, it was nice to just hang out with Amanda for the day. We stayed in our pajamas for most of the day.

I did manage to get an hour of alternative exercising in, however. With all this snow, the dogs had no way to get out the back door, across the deck and into the backyard. I decided it was time to shovel some snow. I stared in the back, and worked my way to the driveway and front sidewalk.

After clearing a nice path for the dogs, for the mailman, for our car, and for the passers-by, I had logged an hour of challenging work. I was sweating, my heart rate was up, and I had tired muscles. It is amazing how much better it is to shovel snow with an ipod!

And I'm logging the hour.

Push Ups

Today started out pretty early in Casa Lovato. Amanda and I headed into the gym to do a 7:00AM strength and injury prevention class set up by Dave Scott. He's taking a break from teaching the class, but he's shown the full routine to a few folks, and they carry on without him. Although there is no substitute for the suffering inflicted by Dave himself in one of his sessions, this group puts up a good effort.

We joined with three others to do an hour+ of exercises cooked up by Dave's masochistic mind. Amanda and I have been hitting the gym, and even doing some yoga, so most of the session was moderately manageable. Just barely manageable, I should say.

However, near the end of the class, the group suggested we do Mel's push up pyramid. My pecks will never be the same. Thansk, Mel. And thanks to the rest of you for egging me on.

Here is the drill, for those of you who would like to play along at home:
1. Do one push up.
2. Stand up, turn 180 degrees to face the other direction.
3. Drop down and do two push ups.
4. Stand up, turn 180 degrees to face the original direction.
5. Drop down and do three push ups.
6. Stand up, turn 180 degrees, to face the other direction.
7. Drop down and do four push ups.

At this point, you have done ten push ups. Continue this pattern, adding one push up per change in directions... until you fail: push ups to failure. My pecks will never be the same.

At the start of the pyramid, the others said getting up to 12 (1-12) would be 78 total push ups. They said that was the max they'd done. They then challenged me to go up to 15 (1-15), which would be 120 push ups. This would earn a free ice cream. (From whom?)

I can never resist a good challenge or dare. My pecks will never be the same. I did all 120 of them; I quivered and shook at the end; I pushed up past my limits, past my comfort; and I did win the ice cream.

Now I'm too sore to move.

Tag Guidelines

Evidently I forgot to say what the guidelines are for being tagged. This means that each person must list five facts about himself (or herself). They can be any five things, thus my strange list of facts.

Have fun.

Yoga, Tornadoes, Marshmallows, and a Game of Tag

It would appear that I've fallen off the wagon... again. I always think I'm going to have more time in the off season to write on my blog, but that never seems to happen. Nonetheless, I'm back.

Yoga is always a part of my off season. I love the classes, I love how my body feels after a good class, and I love to slow it down for an hour or ninety minutes. My friend LT invited me to a Sunday afternoon class, because it's her favorite one. I've invited Amanda and our friend Fee to attend, and now we have a little Sunday afternoon yoga party. I love it. And my tight muscles love it. I only wish I would make time to do this during the race season.

Tornadoes? What do I mean by Tornadoes? Sure, there are a few twisters in Colorado, but not this time of year. Now is the time for blizzards and freezing temps. In fact, it's about 18 degrees right now, and there's about eight inches of snow on the ground. Sucky pants.

There is only one Tornado I am dealing with, and it's called Tornado Amanda. Lately she's been whipping through the house with a whole bunch of inspiration and motivation. She's more driven to get in shape than I've seen her in a long time. Realizing that she needs a more focused December to set herself up for January 1st training has her going, going, going. And having her going has got me going!

I love the fact that she's got me fired up to get out of bed early (we did so all week!); she's got me sticking to a schedule of runs and rides, as well as swims, weights, and yoga; and she's even got us off the holiday food indulgence plan, so we're eating better. People always want to know what it's like for two professional triathletes to be married. Well, it's great: Amanda inspires me to be a better athlete every day.

Marshmallows might not appear to fit in very well here, but they do. They are a topic that needs addressing. Last night at the grocery store, Amanda and I bought some hot chocolate (her idea). Along with that we picked up some marshmallows (also her idea). Since we were on a roll, we bought some Hershey's bars and a box of graham crackers. Pretty sure those were her ideas also. Anyway, in spite of all the good training and good eating we're doing, we still have room for treats. Amanda just made me the most delicious s'mores treat. I love it.

And as for the game of tag, well, I'm late to the party. Surprise. Seems I've been tagged to list five things about me. Then I tag someone else? Five more people? Hmmm.

1. Playing soccer in high school, I was best known for my ability to do a flip throw (front handspring while throwing the ball in bounds).
2. When I was about three years old, while riding in an elevator with my Grandma, I pulled my pants down in front of some women and proclaimed, "I am a boy... see!"
3. I went to school for one semester in Sevilla, Spain; it was there I learned how to make a tortilla de patatas.
4. When I was thirteen years old, a ski shop sales person asked me if I was a Libra, because I could not chose between florescent green and florescent pink. I've been indecisive ever since.
5. I went streaking in five national parks in five days... back in college... with some friends.

Now I'd like to tag Terra, Karen, Cody, Duane, and Zane.

Hawaii Ironman

Now that I've had plenty of time to let the race sink in, I'm going to go ahead and write the race report. To those of you who checked in earlier, thanks for your patience.

As I managed a few posts prior to the race, I'll try not to dwell on the details of my pre-race experience. To sum it up, the week and a half prior to the event went very smoothly. Amanda and I established a great routine of getting up early every day, going to bed early every night, and eating very well for each meal. I'd say the preparation was perfect.

Race morning was a continuation of a smooth and stress-free week. I got up very early, in fact, I managed to get going on my warm up run before 4:00AM. Back to the condo, I enjoyed a hefty breakfast and a delicious cup of coffee.

For the first time in recent memory (or maybe the first time ever!), I was walking out of transition (with the bike set, tires pumped and body marked) by 5:15AM. How was I this well prepared?! We had arranged with my Stephanie and Huggy Bear Hays to show up at their hotel room at the Kona Seaside at around six o'clock. As we were knocking on the door at 5:20, it seemed we were well ahead of schedule. They had graciously offered us to use their room as a "holding cell" prior to the race. It's nice to have this place to settle down, to be a bit calm, and to apply all of the necessary race lubes... in private.

After donning the incredible blueseventy pointzero3 skinsuit (with long legs!), and applying ample amounts of Aquaphor, Vaseline, and Body Glide, I made my way down to the start. I think I was the third person in the water, as I always like to have as long a warm up as possible. It was 6:25 when I pushed off, and I immediately knew I was going to have a good swim.

Just prior to the start, I bumped into Cam Brown, who was one of the few folks I had deemed worthy of towing me through the swim. I cannot think of a recent race where he has not been in the front pack, so he seemed like a good choice. I lost his feet last year, so this time around, I made sure to stick close in the opening 500 meters.

The swim was incredibly comfortable for me, and I credit this to the hard swim build I did in the month of September. However, I must also attribute it to the fact that we had, once again, been dropped from the leaders. As I cruised along, content to be with Cam and other contenders, I once again lost contact with the front guys, who ultimately formed the main bike group. Next year I will have to swim more aggressively, as it's absolutely key that I exit the water in close contact with these guys. Sorry, Cam, you are no longer my go-to swim guy!

Once through transition and out onto the bike course, I took notice of who was around me. The split to the leaders was just over a minute, and Normann, Sindballe, Vanhoenacker, and many more were nearby. Things looked very promising. I opted to really press that first five miles to see if I could bridge up to the leaders. Learning from last year's mistakes, I notched back the efforts when I realized the gap was not closing. Rather than blow myself up early on, I settled into a nice rhythm with three or four riders.

For much of the first thirty miles, I followed a very conservative strategy. My new goal was to ride with Timo Bracht (last year's number 11) and Cam Brown (last year's number 8) until we got to Hawi. At that point, I'd reassess, and begin to really race the bike. Somewhere around thirty miles into the ride, Torbjorn Sindballe and Marino Vanhoenacker gradually pulled away from our trio. Knowing that Sindballe would likely have the top bike split of the day, I chose to remain patient and to stay where I was.

Vanhoenacker's strategy proved to be brilliant, as he allowed Torbjorn to drag him all the way up to the front group, at which point he joined them, as the strong Dane pulled away. Later on in the ride, Vanhoenacker made a break from the group to enter T2 in third.

As I approached Hawi, I watched as a trio of speedo-clad riders came by my fairly quickly. I did not recognize them, but figured I'd likely see them about forty miles down the road... as the pace looked pretty aggressive to me. Timo left me with that chase trio, and Cam Brown seemed to be dropping further and further back.

I went through the turnaround in Hawi solo, and prepared myself for my weakest section of the race. For some reason, I always struggle in this race from mile 65 to about 72. I have learned to anticipate the lull, so it does not come as a shock when it hits.

Regrouping in the section, I waited to see if any of the weaker swimmers would come through to give me a boost. It never ceases to amaze me how much easier it is (mentally and physically) to ride with one or more guys. To be solo on the lava fields can be punishing.

Just as I was expecting, I was overtaken by a strong athlete who had experienced a rough swim: Rutger Beke. He is a guy who, like me, has experience racing the bike solo, only to run his way up the ranks. Unlike me, he has managed some top-five finishes with that tactic, so I was very glad to have his company.

Passing through the town of Kawaihae--at mile 78 of the race--there is a nearly-two-mile-long climb back to the Queen K. It can be a tough section of the bike, but it's a part I've always considered one of my best segments. I come alive at this point, and I know that the ensuing thirty+ miles are often my best.

I re-passed Rutger, and began my assault on the final thirty miles. On the really windy years, that final bit can really punish those who have gone out too hard. The headwinds can make you unsure as to whether you are going up or down a hill. It's not uncommon to be out of the saddle and gearing down to descend!

We were faced with a moderate amount of wind on our return trip. Folks would be hurting, but there would be no major blow-ups.

Rutger and I exchanged the lead a handful of times, as he seemed to own me on the down hills, while I had a bit of an advantage on the climbs. We managed to keep a great tempo over the closing miles, and I felt great coming back to town.

As always, we picked up a few of the riders who were spit out the back of the main group, as well as two of the unknown speedo guys. Entering T2, I was anxious to start the marathon with one of the sport's toughest runners: Beke.

Within the first mile, I was already losing ground. I took a slow transition, and lost two or three spots before the run began. My goal was to take the first ten miles very conservatively, as history has told me that Alii Drive can be stiflingly hot and humid. Many a runner has cooked himself early, only to find the tank empty out on the Queen K. I wanted to be ready to pick those guys up on the final eight miles of the run.

I think anyone who's raced Kona more than once would agree that this year's trip up and down Alii was uncharacteristically mild. We seemed to have strangely dry air (for Hawaii), and there was even a slight breeze. Although there was not a cloud in the sky, and it was plenty hot, the day was not serving up the brutal conditions it has in the past.

Once out on the Highway, I began to close in on the top ten. In 2003 I remember how much harder the fight was inside that top ten, and I tried to brace myself for those battles. As I approached twelfth place--Tom Evans--I got ready to have him match my move. As I went by, he seemed to let me go... then I heard his footsteps. He came right up on my shoulder, and I assumed he was preparing to run with me. At that point he said, "Lovato, my wife says it's OK if you beat me because I'm still better looking." Ha! I love it. Tom's the type of guy who has no problem talking a little trash right in the midst of a race. You gotta love that.

Further down the road, I got word I was catching the tenth and ninth place guys. Knowing that the race would truly begin when I hit that eighteen mile mark, I was excited to already be in the money. I felt so relaxed and so controlled up to this point. I felt that the pace was very manageable, and with the exception of the climb up Pay and Save hill, I was running every mile between 6:15 and 6:30 pace. With ten miles to go, I was imagining myself reaching that top five before we got back to town.

Assessing the competition as they left the Energy Lab, I knew that McCormack and Alexander were out out reach. They looked very strong, and they looked to be racing one another solely, something that surely pushed them to the race best run splits. Next up was Torbjorn and Deboom. They had a comfortable margin on me, but they did not look to be untouchable. Following them were Lieto, Vanhoenacker and Eneko Llanos. These guys all looked well within my range, as did the former champ, Luc VanLierde. I made the turn, grabbed my special needs, and proceeded to turn up the pace.

After nearly eight hours of racing, I was finally allowing myself to let it all hang out. I had patiently waited to that point, the point at which I'd really go for it. I made my way out of the Energy Lab, and received a split that I had closed on VanLierde. I was really moving, and thoughts of a smokin final 10K were on my mind.

As I turned back onto the Highway, I really ramped it up. For about a mile I was still holding strong. With a 20-mile split of 2:09, I was still under 6:30 average. I figured I'd be finishing around 2:50-2:51, unless I ended up in a tight battle, at which point I thought I could squeeze out a bit more.

Somewhere around 21 miles, my pace faltered. I was experiencing some serious downward pressure, and the focus shifted from maintaining pace to squeezing cheeks. I'll try to refrain from sharing the graphics and gore, but let's just say I became completely satisfied to hold seven-minute pace over the closing five miles.

The battle I was looking to fight UP the road became a battle I was looking not to fight BEHIND me. There are always athletes waiting to pick up the pieces should you come undone, and I was determined to maintain my placing.

I did my best to keep the pace alive, but the distraction of the turtle's head was too great. I settled in to enjoy my jaunt down Alii. My mom handed me an American flag, and I crossed the line all smiles.

I was ecstatic to be back in the top ten, and to have executed almost exactly as I had hoped to do; I was very pleased with my performance. As with every race, I'll take home a few valuable lessons. I'm confident that I'll be moving further up the podium next year.

Ironman Hawaii!

Just thought I'd get on here to make a quick post to the blog. It's been a quick but relaxing couple days since the race, with the only downside being that I've had zero internet time. For some reason, I've had not hotmail access, so the email replies have been behind... as the race report usually is!

First and foremost, I want to thank you all for the positive and encouraging emails you sent prior to the race. I got every one of them, and I appreciate that supports.

Next, I'd like to thank every one who has sent me a congratulatory note on my top-ten finish. I'll get back to you all soon, and I'm happy to see that you're as happy as I am to be back in the mix here in Hawaii.

And finally, the race report is on its way! I promise!

Thanks again... and stay tuned for some photos and some play-by-play reporting!

I have finally made it to Lava Java. We've spent a lot of time here in the past, but hadn't made it down this year. Amanda decided she wanted to do a bit of shopping, so I left her downtown, and came up here to grab a delicious smoothie. It's great to sit here in the evenings, as the view is just about perfect. The ocean is right across the street, and with the exeception of a few odd triathletes running by in their speedos and commpression socks, the view is unobstructed.

We've got about twenty more minutes before the sun sets. Right about now I'm regretting not bringing my camera.

Ah, another day in paradise, and another day closer to race day!

Thanks for checking in.

Days Three and Four



Finally I am posting a couple photos of the new Javelin Lugano. This bike is one fast machine, and I look forward to putting it to the test out on the Queen K next weekend. The next photo is from me at the start of my Energy Lab run.

Yesterday morning Amanda and I went out to the Energy Lab so I could do my last longer run before the race. It’s become a bit of a tradition to start the run out there, finishing in town, normally at the Jamba Juice. This time around, Amanda left me out there and then drove to town where she parked the car. She also had a long run on tap, so her plan was to start at Jamba, meeting me midway to pass off the car key.

I did an initial out-and-back inside the Energy Lab before hitting the Queen K. This part of the race is often considered the hardest part, as the wind from the highway is no longer cooling you off. For some reason, I tend to like this part of the run. It’s always hard; and it gives you a look at your competition behind and in front of you.

I was very happy at how easy it was to run along at my race pace. It’s so nice coming down from altitude, as the efforts, even in a much hotter environment, seem so much more moderate. The fact that I’m in the middle of a taper adds to the ease at which I was running along. Either way, it was a great run.

With a couple miles to go, I spotted Amanda on the other side of the highway. I crossed over, and we did an exchange of the car key mid-stride. We continued in our respective directions, Amanda toward the Energy Lab, and I toward town.

After finishing up I sucked down a delicious Jamba Juice and headed back to the condo to have some more food.

Amanda showed up about an hour later, and after she fueled up, we went out for a short spin. The crowds are starting to grow out there on the course, and unfortunately there were a few too many foreign athletes riding their bikes like idiots. It’s tough to see folks disobeying traffic laws and pissing off the locals, especially considering we already feel a bit of resentment from them regarding our invasion of their island. All we can do is to do our best to extend a few courtesies while we’re out there, and hope to keep the peace!

Today has been a nice, mellow day. We got up early and headed down to the Pier for a nice swim. I felt really good in the ocean, and feel like I’m right on track to establishing my swim rhythm. I really find that it’s important for me to spend as much time as possible in the ocean prior to race day.

After the swim we made it out for another short spin. Amanda is a bit tired from her long day of running yesterday—twenty miles—and I am all about resting! I capped off the afternoon with a massage.
It’s now the official start of race week, so we should see a huge influx of athletes arriving. It’s about to get a bit crazy out there. I’ll try to find some entertaining photo subjects to keep everyone amused.

Day 2 in Paradise!

Before I move on to today’s report, I have to point out the two highlights from yesterday. Highlight number one happened when I was enjoying my first ocean swim of the trip. There weren’t too many folks out there, as I had gone out a bit later in the morning. It was just about 10:00AM, and most of the crowds tend to show up around 7:00 or so. I was not too far out, in fact, I was just about to turn around, when I picked up my head just in time to see a dolphin flipping out of the water. I plunged my head back under to look for the rest of the group. Sure enough, just off to the left, there were about six or eight more dolphins, in two little groups. In the fist small group, there was a tiny one swimming very close to the others. It was definitely the cutest little baby dolphin I’ve ever seen. I watched them for as long as I could see them, then turned back. What a cool sight!

Highlight number two was picking up Amanda at the airport. Ever since our first trip here back in 1999, I have enjoyed surprising her at the airport in various rental cars. We do occasionally travel together, but it seems there have been many more times when we arrive separately. That first time, I showed up in my friend Doug’s Cadillac. This time around, I rolled up in my super cool convertible. But the true highlight is that I now have Amanda here with me!

Today started early, as I got up just in time to drop Amanda off at the pool for the Kona Aquatics Masters swim. She needs to keep her swim workouts going, so we planned on her joining the group a few times. I headed off to the ocean, as I am trying to get as many swims as possible out there. I really found that it helped me last year, so I’m staying away from the pool.

Once the swimming was done for both of us, we packed up the car and headed out to Hawi. Amanda was going to do a hill run out there, as sometimes it’s nice to get a break from running up and down Alii Drive. I was going to do a longer ride, back to town. Every year we head out there to do some sort of Hawi ride. It’s a great part of the island, as it’s very lush and green. Plus, it’s typically the part of the bike ride where the cross winds can be the most brutal.

Normally we’ll do an out-and-back, incorporating both the climb to Hawi and the descent. But this time around, I decided to try something a bit different: a point-to-point. I had never done this before, and I must say that it was quite enjoyable. I did get blown around quite a bit on the first 12 miles or so from Hawi. It was one of those days up there! It’s been a few years since we really got knocked around at Ironman Hawaii, and I have a feeling this is going to be one of those rough years.

After finishing up the ride, I did a quick transition run from the condo. By this time it was about one o’clock, so the temps were warming right up. It’s always nice to do a few runs right smack in the middle of the day, just like on race day. I felt incredible out there running, and I did my best to just cruise along, saving it all for next weekend.

That’s it for now; thanks for checking in!

Hawaii

I have arrived in Hawaii! The trip yesterday was very easy. I was actually surprised at how smoothly things seemed to be going. I woke up nice and early to finish packing, while Amanda was out doing her early morning track workout. By nine o’clock, I was just about done, which meant I had time to make the 9:50 bus to the airport. I had never taken this bus, so I wasn’t aware of how easy (and cheap!) it was going to be. Amanda dropped me off at the bus station about 24 seconds before the bus showed up: so far, so good. I hopped on the bus, paid my ten bucks, and settled in for the hour-long drive to DIA.

Anyone who’s ever traveled from Denver, and especially anyone who’s ever traveled on United from Denver, knows that it’s not easy to show up with overweight luggage. I had a few extra pounds in both my bike box and my suitcase, so I was prepared to pay the overage fee. For some lucky reason, the ticket agent, who is normally one of the harshest stickers for the rules, not only let me go with my heavy bags, he also neglected to charge me the bike fee! As an added bonus, my new friend at the ticket counter gave me a free upgrade to Economy Plus. I was off to a good start.

The flight to Honolulu was a surprisingly painless seven hours. I got some work done on the computer, and then I settled in to view two enjoyable movies.

After an easy layover in the Honolulu airport, I was off to Kona. My good luck seemed to be continuing, as I found both my bike and my bag to have made the inter-island flight: never an automatic guarantee. Off to the car rental, I was fortunate enough to get an upgrade to a convertible! Amanda and I had planned to rent a Jeep Wrangler for our last week here, but the opportunity to jump right into a fun car was too much to pass up.

After dropping off my stuff at the condo, I headed out for another bite to eat, and to get some groceries. Right about the time I hit the produce aisle at Safeway, I also hit the wall. My body was suddenly aware that it was just past midnight. Ouch.

Returning to the condo, I went directly to bed. Normally I’d attempt to get the bike built, as well as to unpack, but I was too beat to consider it.

About nine hours later, I awoke to a beautiful Hawaiian day. The sun was slightly hidden by an overcast sky, and the temperature was just about right. I always love that first run back in a warm and humid environment; the body just seems to work better.

However, just before I went out for that lovely run, I decided to build the old Javelin. This way it would be all set for a ride later that day. Imagine my surprise, the veteran traveler that I am, to open the bike case and see that I had forgotten two very crucial pieces of equipment: my wheels. Oops.

You see, I had packed my bike on Tuesday evening, and was very careful to put everything I needed in my box. I even managed to double-check things. However, Wednesday morning, when I was packing my suitcase, I found that there was no room for my training helmet (something I bring just in case I do not want to wear my Super Cool Darth Vader Helmet all the time). It would appear I had opened up my case, inserted the extra helmet, and sealed up the box… without replacing my wheels. Seems like that would have been a pretty obvious thing.

Ah well, it just goes to show that even on my eighth time racing this event (and my millionth time traveling with a bike) that I can still make a mistake or two. Ha!

Rest assured, our Most Excellent House Sitter and friend, Jen Martinez, has arranged for a speedy delivery of the wheels. They are slated to arrive on an 11:30 flight Friday morning with our friend Brandon Del Campo. And in the meantime, I’ll just have to borrow Amanda’s wheels! Yet another reason I’m so happy she’s arriving today!

More updates to follow… and as soon as I have wheels, I’ll post a shot of the new race rig.

After my last post about how great the weather has been here in Boulder, we experienced another four days of perfect weather. We were lucky enough to have plenty of sunshine, and even a good bit of wind to help with the Hawaiii preparation. Today, on the other hand, is our first really crappy day of the fall. It is barely fifty degrees, and it's raining. Ouch. It's not exactly the best set of conditions for a long run, which is what I have on the plan for today.

I figured I'd have a later start for this run, but now that it's approaching noon, and the sun has still not made a showing, I'm considering moving the long run to tomorrow. It seems silly to head out there into the cold, as this is no where near the conditions I'll be racing in three weeks from now. I'm always preaching to the athletes that I coach that being flexible is key. Let's see if I follow my own advice...

As a side note, I am getting dangerously close to posting photos of the new Javelin Lugano. It's pretty darn close to its race shape, and I'm just about ready to venture down to snap some pics. Along those lines, I might just have to reveal a look at my new helmet as well.... it's always fun to have all the best stuff, just in time for one big race!

Thanks for checking in.

We are having the most incredible September here in Boulder. We've been experiencing the most beautiful weather these past few days. We got a bit of scare on Monday when we woke up to overcast skies and rain, but it only lasted until about 10:30 in the morning.

Today Amanda and I got up early to hit the track for a nice little workout. She was planning on doing a light session with Dave Scott's group, and I was intent to do something a little speedier, on my own. It's no fun getting up before the sun is up, but we had to get to the track by 6:45, so we could get in a lengthy warm up.

It was a bit chilly out there to start, so I left some of my warm up gear on during the workout. It kept me sweating a good bit, so I figure it's good prep for next month's race. I'm guessing it won't be 60 degrees in Hawaii... even at 7:00AM.

The funny thing about training for an Ironman is that very often the start of a workout feels very bad. It takes a while to get the blood flowing, and the muscles moving. Today was one of those days where my warm up jog make me feel like a sack of monkey poop. I cannot explain that metaphor. By the time the workout rolled around, I was feeling peppy and fast. I am always telling the athletes I coach that this is a good sign of improved fitness: that it takes a longer time to feel good. Now it's time to hear my own advice: the longer I go, the better I feel... and that's a good thing.

One more thought before I head off for swim practice:

For those of you with cable television, and in particular the Versus network, be sure to tune into this block of Ironman broadcasts. You might just see someone you know:

Check local listings for the exact times in your region:
2007 Versus schedule of Ironman events includes:
Ford Ironman Arizona 9/16 4PM Repeat 9/19 4:30PM
Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene 10/7 4PM Repeat 10/9 4PM
Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid 10/28 4PM Repeat 10/31 4PM
Ford Ironman Louisville 11/18 4PM Repeat 11/21 4PM
Ford Ironman Wisconsin 12/2 5PM Repeat 12/5 3PM
Ford Ironman Florida 12/16 4PM Repeat 12/29 3PM
St. Croix Ironman 70.3 12/23 4PM Repeat 12/26 4PM

This morning started VERY early in the Lovato Household. Four o'clock was when the first alarm sounded. I made sure Amanda was awake, and promptly pulled the pillow right back over my head. I needed another hour. It was time for the Gillamster to get up, however, as she was heading out to Aurora to race the Harvest Moon half iron. After a few solid weeks of training, she finally decided it was time to test herself at the races.

I, on the other hand, was in need of a long run, in my preparation for Hawaii (in four short weeks). As much as I truly love playing the race sherpa for Amanda, I had to pass the role off to our friend Jen (shout out to J-Mar!), as I really needed to knock out my training before watching the wife race.

So four o'clock came, and four o'clock went (not nearly soon enough). Around 5:00 AM Amanda came back for a good bye kiss, and a good luck wish from me. I sent her on her way, and I dragged myself out of bed. With two+ hours of running in front of me, I had to get to it... as soon as the sun was up.

I ate my breakie and I drank my coffee. And just 'cause I was still sitting there waiting for daylight, I drank some more coffee. Note to self: easy on the pre-workout java.

A bit past six, I deemed it light enough to embark on the run. I had chosen to run south to Chautaqua and Mesa Trail. It's about a four-mile warm up on the roads before those trails go straight up. I needed some strength-building climbs, so I headed to one of the toughest runs around. Sometimes it's hard to drag myself from the sheets, but when I do, I sure do love those early mornings on the roads.

Rather than turn back for and out-and-back route, I came down out of the foothills to finish the run on some rolling terrain... and on the roads. One thing I have really found beneficial is to finish the long runs on the pavement. It's just too much pounding out on the Queen K if the legs aren't tough from some good old road runs.

The run ended up being a great way to start the day, and was definitely a great boost to the fitness. With only a month to go, I am feeling stronger by the day.

As soon as I finished my run, I quickly made my way through my post-workout routine: a bottle of Ultragen, a quick stretch, a shower, a smoothie, and an apple. I hit the road, intent to see Amanda come off the bike out in Aurora.

It may have cost me about ten dollars in tolls, but I made it there quickly and safely. I had some time to spare, so the dogs and I had plenty of time to find Jen, and to position ourselves for some prime viewing.

Not too much later, AG came a-crusin' in with about three minutes gap to first place. With the kind of bike miles she has put in lately, I knew she'd be strong enough to have a go at the lead. Sadly, and I'm SURE Amanda's blog will have greater detail, the lead woman made a premature turnaround, and came back to the finish after three miles of running. Oops. By the time I saw Amanda at the halfway turnaround (the actual turning point), she was in the lead. It's not exactly the way you like to take the lead, but it's good enough. We all know the importance of being familiar with the race course!

Cruising back to the finish, the dogs, Jen and I were there to see Amanda take home the victory. I realize I'm biased, but damn, she looked good out there!

Another of the day's highlights was that Amanda and I got to meet some folks we'd only really "met" via these blogs and our email exchanges. One fellow in particular, Cody, was up from NM to race the clydesdale championships. He's a guy who, about three months ago, sent me a heart-felt and sincere note about how he had found inspiration in some of my racing experiences (and not just the wins!). As a result, and through triathlon, he has made some incredible life-changing moves. He's now a part of the triathlon family, and in November will be doing his first Ironman, in Nevada. Best of luck to you Cody, and it was great to meet you in person!

So now that the Lovato clan has its first victory for 2007, I'll have to sign off. I've got a bit more preparation to do today so I can be ready to roll next month.

Until next time.

Timberman 70.3 was over two weeks ago, so, as usual, I'm a bit behind with the race reporting. I'll not bother to apologize for the delay, as it's obviously the norm now.

I traveled to New Hampshire with Simon and his friend Alan. We had a pretty uneventful trip to Boston, and the drive up to Gilford was fairly painless. Both Simon and I were slated to talk at the "Dinner of Champions", along with a few other atheltes. We showed up at the Gunstock Ski Area with just enough time to register for the race, and get in line for some food.

For those of you who have never raced this event, you owe it to youselves to someday make the trip. It's well worth it. Not only is Keith Jordan (and his whole crew at Endorfun) one of the country's premier race directors, but NH and Lake Winnepesauke are just beautiful.

This year's race day weather was absolutely perfect, as there was not a rain cloud in site. The air temps were a bit on the chilly side, but the lack of rain was a welcome change from the past two years. I must admit, I tend to prefer the hot days for my races, but it's always nice to see what you can do under perfect conditions.

My race got off to a great start, as I positioned myself on the feel of Bjorn Andersson and Spencer Smith. While Simon powered away from us farily quickly, we three held a strong pace to the first turn buoy. Somewhere after that first 600+ meters, we were joined by another fast swimming Aussie. I was then fortunate enough to be placed right behind a bit of an "arrowhead" of leaders. I was just nearing the "pat myself on the back" stage of the swim, as we rounded buoy number two (and approximately 1260 meters). At that very moment, the effort proved to be too much for me. I popped. And when I say pop, I mean REALLY popped. In the final 600 meters, I lost exactly one minute 17 seconds to my former group. Ouch. That is not good, but when I blow, I really blow!

I picked up the feet of a chase swimmer who had left the others behind, but had not made our initial foursome. He towed me back in, and I found solid groud, thankful to be heading to my new Javelin Lugano (pictures to follow...SOON!).

I was so whupped from my anaerobic swim efforts, that I struggled to find my legs at the outset of the bike. I even felt my quads cramp up a bit as I attempted (and finally succeeded) to shove my feet in my shoes (about half a mile from transition). After about five miles, I began to build the intensity. I knew my training up to that point would not allow me to wage an all out assault on the bike, but rather I needed to build up to speed. This plan seemed to work well, as I continued to reel in those who beat me out of the water. There must have been one other swimmer I had not accounted for, as I ended up passing three riders in the next twenty five miles.

As I made my way back home, I began to feel stronger and stronger. I always like this feeling when I race, but sadly, strong does not win Half Ironmans anymore; speed is now the winner. It used to be where the strongest athlete wins, as it still is in an Ironman. These days you have to be strong, yet speedy as well.

I came into transition feeling ready to roll. I knew my work would be cut out for me, for sure. The deficit to Bjorn (the day's leader) was ten minutes; the deficit to Simon was about three. I went for it right away. I have run 1:15 on this course before, so if I could do it again, I'd have a shot. I went out hard.

There again I found myself feeling quite strong, but when it came time to notch the miles down to 5:40s and 5:45s, I was not doing it. I was not terribly surprised to be stuck at 6:00 pace, but I kept waiting to find fifth gear. (Note: to those of you who think of 6-minute miles as fifth gear, I apologize; while I agree that this is fast, it is not my fifth gear!)

I continued to apply pressure, as I still had hopes of catching Bjorn. I knew that Simon was gapping me, but Bjorn looked to be fading. While he did, in fact, come back to me, I did not have enough time to catch him.

As always, Timberman was a great test for me. I chased hard, I had fun, and I came away with yet another third place. Three is my lucky number, and this makes three third-place finishes for the year. And in four races up in NH, I have found myself on the podium in each of those years. I'll definitely be back next year, trying to make it back up a step or two.

In the meantime, I'm busy preapring for Hawaii. It's just six weeks away, so the training now is very important. I'm really enjoying it, and will be back soon with some updates, and hopefully some photos!

Thanks for tuning in.

It turns out that running like a hamster is pretty hard work. I knew this at the time, but I didn't know just how hard it was, or how much it was hurting me. After my trip to Chicago, I tried to jump back into some quality training here in Boulder. I found out pretty quickly that the efforts from four hours of indoor training treated me a bit like a race, and I needed to recover from it like a race. It found this out after two moderately unsuccessful workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday. My run and ride those days were quite a struggle, and not the good kind of struggle. I made it through the rest of the week with the intensity notched back a fair bit, and starting this new week, I'm feeling back to full speed.

This morning was the regular Tuesday morning run at the Rez with Simon's group. We've been meeting there since early in the spring, and although the turnout varies greatly, we've got a nice group to motivate one another. WIth the local half ironman this weeked (5430), some of the runners were taking it a bit easy. Others of us were planning for races next weekend (Timberman), so we added a bit more to the end of the session. Although I admit that I miss running at the track, these workouts are probably a better simulation for the types of races we do. And with Simon's ever-changing workouts, we get nice dose of variety.

Next up is a visit to Dave Scott's Hour of Power, aka House of Pain, aka 11:30 swim session. I am not sure if anyone actually uses these terms to refer to the workout, but they could. And they should. It's a popular, often over-crowded slug fest in the water. As a great part of my Hawaii prep is centered around boosting my swim, this is a key element to my training.

The final part of my day will be a ride to Jamestown on my new bike. It's now three weeks old, so it's not super new anymore. However, since I have not posted the "New Bike Update" yet, it's still new to everyone else. And on that note, tune in soon for a full low down of the new Javelin Lugano!

Thanks for checking in.

Whoa! Now I'm back to my evil ways... no updates for an entire month! I have to say that this was totally unintentional: go figure! I'm here again, and I just wanted to thank you, the faithful, for checking in, despite my lack of updates.

I do realize that many of you have been keeping up with my wife, the superior blogger, so at least I rest easy knowing the readers are informed.

Now to the recap...

...bum, bum, bum...

...July ended with a bang. After attending Ironman Lake Placid, and watching Amanda's race fall to pieces at the hands of a flat tire (that I wasn't allowed to help change), I traveled to a Chicago suburb called Barrington. Right there in Barrington, there exists a place called the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, and my friends at Multisports.com invited me to attend their GSSI camp. The goal of the camp was to determine athletes' sweat rates, sweat composition, and overall ability to handle training and racing in Hawaii-like conditions.

What a great experience it was! I arrived on Thursday evening, and we began the festivities on Friday with an easy swim with stroke analysis, a bike ride, and a run with a fun group of campers.

The highlight of day two was our arrival at GSSI for a VO2 max test on the treadmill. And by highlight, I mean the most painful part of the day. The expert team of scientists needed to know at what percentage of our max we would be working during our grueling test on day three, thus the test. I have to admit that the sick and twisted part of me really enjoyed running on a treadmill as the technicians ramped up the speed and gradient. Ouch.

The highlight of day three, and again I mean the most painful part of the day, was four hours of indoor exercising. And by exercising I mean training our butts off in oppressively hot and humind conditions for four hours.

The idea was to ride our own bikes (my next post will spill the beans on my new ride for Hawaii!) on a computrainer for two hours. We were allowed to select our own effort, but along the way, the incredible team working with us took our blood samples several times, they took sweat-filled patches off our dripping bodies, and they handed us any and all fluids or foods we needed to continue.

Upon completion of the ride, we weighed in (again), we peed in cups (again), and we gave blood samples (again). Next up was the two hours of running on the treadmill. This was something that seemed very daunting, but I was drawn to the painful lure of hamsterdom. Yes, hamsterdom is now a word. I was hamsterlike.

The same routine was dupicated on the run. We gave numerous blood samples (to test our sodium levels throughout); we noted our perceived exertion and heart rate; they tested our core body temperatures (using a fancy radio thermometer which we swallowed in pill form); and they fed us everything we needed. And we needed a lot!

I lost count of the bottles I consumed somewhere about the 75min mark of the run. Around that time, I also had to jump off briefly, as the crew helped dry off the treadmill. It was so saturated with sweat that I was slipping with each footfall. I have never seen this much sweat come off my body at one time. In all my Austin summers, in all my days in Kona, and in every visit to St. Croix, I have never seen this much sweat.

We concluded the day with more blood draws, more weighing, and more peeing. It was an amazingly precise experiment, and every drop of fluid was accounted for. We left the lab, all of us, anxious to see what these guys put together as our results file. It takes a couple weeks, as they factor in every detail, including our most recent training conditions (to determine our level of acclimation to heat and humidity).

It truly was a pleasure to be involved in this experiment, and I'd again like to thank Multisports.com and GSSI for including me. With the knowledge I obtained from the top-notch lectures, and with the amazing amount of information I expect we will receive, I am sure I'll be heading to Hawaii just that much better prepared!

Thanks for tuning in!

Ironman Coeur d'Alene

About five days have passed since the race up in Idaho, and I thank you all for tuning in for my report. I apologize for the delay, but I decided to take a bit of a step back before writing the report. I know I'm not the most prompt and timely person, but this was a calculated move, as I thought it would be fun to let things sink in even further, prior to summing up the details.

My five-day hiatus from all things TRIATHLON came to an end yesterday, as the two Doping Control Agents from USADA showed up on my doorstep. It's great to see that they are doing the testing, and I'm always more than happy to give a sample. Unlike Sunday's post-race drug test, I was fully hydrated and able to provide right away. Enough about the urine, let's talk race.

Race day arrived in similar fashion to the previous several days: there was a good bit of wind, plenty of chop on the lake, and temperatures were quite cool. It was a far stretch from my first CDA experience where highs in the nineties melted away a lot of Ironmen and women.

I always take it as a good sign when I awake prior to the alarm clock sounding; I somehow feel more rested and ready go. On Sunday I did just that, and managed to get a jump start on my morning routine. I phoned Amanda for some final words of encouragement; it was great to hear her voice and to get a final boost of confidence. With a short run and a LARGE breakie behind me, I headed down the street (two blocks) to transition to prepare the bike. Everything went together very smoothly, and I was back at home relaxing by 6:00 AM.

My incredibly gracious home stay folks, Ann and Tom, have a gorgeous house only steps from the venue. I was able to don the Batman suit (ie. blueseventy helix) right there in my bedroom, before moseying over to the beach. It sure was cool out, and the sea was angry.

After a high five or two from my mom, I hit the beach and readied myself for the race. I felt a nice level of confidence heading into the water, and with my Todd Gerlach swim strategy in mind, I was itching to start.

I positioned myself to the left of the field, prepared to swim solo through the first several hundred meters. As the gun went off, I did just that. I knew Rhodesy and Evans would get a jump, but my plan was to swim my own race. I kept a watchful eye on Victor, to be certain I was on pace. By the turn buoy at 800 meters, I began congratulating myself on having such a great swim. I was timing the waves just right, and my stroke felt calm, powerful, and controlled.

By the end of loop one, I found myself to the back of our small group, content to sit on feet through the remainder of the swim. Exiting the water 90 seconds down of the leading trio, I positioned myself behind Victor (light blue cap) with Jasper (yellow cap) just ahead. Moments after I hit the waves for my second 1900 meters, my swim experience went from good to bad; north to south; fun to miserable. Oops.

I am still not sure what happened, but more likely than not, I was just fatigued from loop one. Just as I was patting myself on the back in the first half, I was moping and feeling pitiful on lap two. It was amazing how drastically things had changed in the course of twenty or thirty minutes. Lap two took me five minutes longer than lap one: a terrible positive split, in part due to a few segments of backstroke swimming. Yes, even on a good day, we professionals can have some rookie moments!

Exiting the water, I did my best to shake off the insults of cramping legs that were added to the injury of my swim gone bad. (Disclaimer and apology to those who view a 57-min swim as excellent: it's all relative.) I put the swim behind me, as soon as I hoisted myself up off the ground, after a successful wetsuit peeling (stripping).

The bike ride in Coeur d'Alene is awesome. The first fifteen-mile out-and-back is beautiful, and the sections through town are energized by large crowds of screaming Iron Sherpas and Fans. The rest of it is characterized by plenty of green rolling hills, gorgeous horse farms, and very tall pine trees. Oh, and it's tough as hell.

I did my best to ease into the ride. I felt great out there, and rolled along at a steady clip, planning to build the final forty to fifty miles. I saw the leaders' margins shrink for the entire first half of the bike. I was encouraged, as I really felt that my best riding was yet to come. Just as I thought I would increase the pressure, I watched as my plan again took a detour from reality.

Tom Evans dropped the hammer; Luke McKenzie went with him; Adam Jensen (a first-year pro) came by me on the bike; and I did not go any faster. The rest of the field stayed fairly steady, but it became evident that my back-half strength was not quite where it needed to be. In spite of my efforts to build, I continued to lose ground to the leaders. The deficit grew to over twelve minutes by T2.

Trying to be a good planner, I had in mind at least two race scenarios prior to the start of the race. If I was at or near the lead, I'd race a conservative marathon, similar to 2006 Arizona: building throughout. If I faced a ten-minute (or so) deficit, I'd get aggressive from the gun. Well, plan two was in effect.

I forced the pace from the outset, and my first four miles were all right at 5:55. I did not feel great, but figured I'd find my rhythm soon enough, and a 23:40 four-mile split got me pumped up a bit.

By mile five I was truly enjoying the day. It was incredibly cool out, and the breeze added to that pleasant effect. This would not be a meltdown day; if I was to catch anyone it would be due to my efforts, rather than to the attrition of a hot day.

As I made my way past Rhodesy and McKenzie, I realized the race was just beginning. The final eleven miles of the Coeur d'Alene race are make-or-break. I applied the pressure once again, and managed to bring back one minute from Victor, who was taking time out of Evans. That gain (from mile thirteen to fifteen) gave me all the encouragement I needed to keep the pace going.

It was still a large gap to first, but with Ironman racing anything can happen. (Anything is possible is a trademarked phrase, so I'm not using it.)

My final 10k was one of my best in all of my nineteen Ironman races. I had the strength and the drive to continue the chase. Victor and Tom were engaged in a great battle, and unfortunately, their battle pushed them just out of my reach. My efforts were good and fun and hard, but were only good enough to stay in third.

And when I say "only", I mean no disrespect to the placing. A podium finish in an Ironman event is not easy to come by, and I love that I've been able to do just that over the past few years, much less twice in one season. Along with my finish came a second US Championship title, a welcome accolade, for sure.

I have one more Ironman this season, and after a solid summer of preparation, I'll be out in Hawaii trying to make it three top-threes in a row.

Coeur d'Alene is probably my favorite race on the circuit. It's hard to beat Hawaii, but if any race can do it, this one is in contention. I have to say that the local support of the event is incredible. The crowds sure know how to make you feel loved.

And in addition to the on-site support, I had a huge boost knowing that everyone back home was tuned into ironmanlive, sending out the positive vibes. An extra special thank you goes out to Amanda and Stephanie for sitting by the computers all day long! Your support is invaluable.

OK, I just had to get on here to post a quick shout out to all of my faithful readers, before you all lose faith! I'm here, I'm happy, and I'm healthy. I have been doing a mini-build for Ironman Coeur d'Alene, and it's taking a bit of my down time from me... in other words, I'm a bit tired!

I will be back on very soon to post a couple of photos of what's new in the Lovato scene, and I'll soon be getting a bit more time to post something more interesting than this excuse!

Thanks for checking in, and I'll have more to report SOON!