Getting There

Today was absolutely gorgeous here in Austin.  The high was above 80 degrees.  I'm not sure how much above, but does it really matter?  If it's 80-anything in February, it's a gorgeous day.  

Amanda and I had a really nice run this morning.  One of the blessings of having gotten so sick is that, while I am getting back in the groove of things, I have been able to join Amanda with her training.  Today she was doing her first long run back after her bout with the flu, so she's a few days ahead of me with the recovery.  Lucky her!   

Anyway, I opted to join Amanda for a twenty-minute tempo block on the track midway through her run.  Terra joined in, as she had some pace work to do as well.  I love acting as Amanda's rabbit, because it inspires and impresses me how well she can push herself when she's got that carrot out front.  It turns out her tempo and track paces are just right for me to run without taxing myself too terribly much.  I am hoping to keep doing this with her fairly regularly even once I'm back to full training.  It's satisfying for me to help Amanda, and it's great for her to have the motivation to move a bit more quickly.  It's not going to be long, though, before her fitness is at the point where it will be taxing for me to serve as her rabbit!  She's getting stronger and stronger.

After the run we returned to the track to keep Terra honest on her second tempo block.  She did amazingly well, and her times indicate to me that her fitness is right on track to have a great IM over in Tempe in seven weeks.  She's just got to carry some of that hard work out onto the race course, and she's going to surprise a few of her competitors.

The rest of the day was pretty mellow.  We had a great swim at Stacy pool; we stopped by Jack's shop; and we made it over to the World's Greatest Whole Foods to pick up some groceries.  We love that place, and sure wish our Boulder store would upgrade to follow suit.

On another note, I've finally committed to "un-commit" to doing California 70.3.  I have done this  race five year's in a row, and it's become a favorite stop of mine on the early-season race calendar.  I really enjoy the venue, and it's become a great way to assess my strengths and weaknesses.  However, having lost two consecutive weeks in my training, and without even being back to full-speed yet, I just don't think I could give an honest race effort in just a few weeks.  My new plan is to build back up next week, then to implement a nice little base-building block before we leave Austin.  (Fred permitting, we might be in Austin until the end of March; we're loving it her!)   

The first triathlon of the year will now be St. Croix 70.3.  We have a good friend getting married the day after the race, and our World's Best Home Stay family lives down there... and we miss them!   After STX, I'll probably race at Disney again, then power up for another go at Ironman Coeur d'Alene.

So getting sick hasn't been that bad: I get to train more with Amanda, and I even set a race schedule!

Thanks for checking in... I really am getting there!

Almost Strong

I have gotten to the point where I'm almost strong. I am not quite strong, but I'm almost there. And by strong I mean strong enough to go back to a normal routine of swimming, biking, running, walking the dogs, hanging out with my wife, eating, and, of course, climbing the stairs.

I'm almost strong. But I'm not quite there yet.

Since getting the flu, I have found new meaning in the term: I've fallen and I can't get up. Although I did not trip and fall; nor did I crash my bike and fall; nor did I even fall off the top bunk; I fell, and I fell hard! I fell flat on my back and I have been worthless ever since. I feel like I got flattened. Like a pancake.

The past couple days, I've been getting back out there for some exercise. Amanda has been kind enough to ride and run with me a few times, right up to the point when she dropped me. And she's been kind enough to come back for me... so she can drop me again. She better watch out. I'm almost strong again.

The other day I realized just how weak I had become when I couldn't even finish a proper meal. I was just too tired to do so. I seemed to have a decent enough appetite, but I just couldn't make myself keep chewing. I was worn out.

I have finally gotten somewhat used to making it up the stairs without needing a couch break at the top. Now that I have conquered that task, I'm setting my sights on putting together a good combo workout. My plan tomorrow is to wake up, climb the stairs without a break at the top, eat a full breakfast, then to ride my bike without getting dropped by Amanda. I am almost strong today, so I think I can do it tomorrow.

Once I'm back to being strong, I'll focus on getting back in shape. Just before I fell flat on my back, I felt like I had actually begun to get in shape. Almost in shape.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

We've been in Austin for just over a month now, and we've really been enjoying our time here. The weather has been incredible. The training has been great. And catching up with all the great folks in town has been amazing.

Amanda and I have established a great routine, and we're starting to feel like we're finally getting in shape! If Fred doesn't get tired of us inhabiting Casa Coogan, we just might be here until mid-March.

Last week I traveled to Nashville to participate in the USAT Southeast Regional Expo. It was a really great event hosted by Kathleen Johnston, a studly age group triathlete, amongst other things. I loved seeing a new city; I had an absolute blast with Shelby and the rest of my new Nashville buddies; and I thoroughly enjoyed giving a talk at the expo.

Just after the event, I flew back to Boulder to check in on things.

While being back in Boulder I had the time to think about our visit to Austin. I was only there for four full days, but I packed a lot in that time. By the end of the last day, I was on the phone talking to Amanda. I had really been missing her and the dogs, especially being in our empty house without them. As we were getting off the phone, I told Amanda that I could not wait to go home. I caught myself, then corrected: I couldn't wait to get back to Austin, I meant.

After living in Austin for over nine years, and after establishing the great friendships that I did, I will always think of Austin as a second home, no matter where I am living. But at that very moment in time I was at home... in Boulder... where my house is and where many of my possessions are. But I had the distinct feeling that I as about to be going home to Austin.

At that moment, it became very evident to me why people say that home is where the heart is. As much as I like Boulder, and as much as I like Austin, it became clear that for me, home is where Amanda and Luna and Blue are waiting for me. I really just don't feel at home unless I am with my wife and doggies.

And it's good to be home.

Austin Update!

OK, so I fell off the blog posting wagon. I see a comment from someone out there asking me not to revert to my old habits, but it seems it already happened. This time the excuse is that I'm in Austin, and I've just run out of time and energy to sit down at the computer to update the blog.

Let's see if I can sum up the last two weeks and a half weeks...

Amanda and I have been having an absolute blast here in Austin. We've been doing some great training, we've been hanging out with all of our good friends, and we've been enjoying the great weather.

Our routine seems to have evolved into getting up very early in the morning. I think I've seen the 5:00 o'clock hour more this past couple weeks, and I have to admit that I like it. We've been joining the UT masters at 6:30 some days; we've been doing runs at Town Lake other mornings; and we've been visiting numerous of Austin's great coffee shops and restaurants on other mornings.

Normally I come to Austin in mid-February, so I'm in a bit better shape when I arrive. My typical Austin trip is centered around logging a bunch of bike miles in prep for an early Ironman. This time around it's a bit different. We showed up here out of shape, and anxious to get going with the training.

Since being here we've come to realize that we really like getting in shape at sea level. It's not quite as painful as it is in Boulder! It's coming along nicely, and I feel that I've already made some noticeable gains.

Today was one of a few three-sport days we've had. The UT pool is closed, so we made it over to one of Austin's gems: Stacy Pool. It's free and it's 100ft in length. Notching 100 yds in just three laps makes the yardage add up much more quickly!

Next up was a nice run around Town Lake. Richie Cunningham is in town, in order to escape the cold Boston winter, so he joined me for the ten-mile loop. It was a bit cooler today, which made for perfect running weather. We ticked away at a comfortable pace chatting about pretty much anything under the sun. I haven't had too many run partners lately, so it was nice to have that company for a change.

My final session was an easy spin with Amanda through some of Austin's great neighborhoods. There are very few flat parts of town, so this ride, like most, was a bit hilly. It feels great to be at sea level, especially when on those climbs!

I'm not making any promises, but I will do my best to keep up those updates.

Thanks for checking in!

Out of Competition

I slept way in this morning, and by way in, I mean until 10:30AM. Amanda graciously allowed me to continue my slumber well past her early hour wake-up time of 7:00AM. Well past it. In fact, she was on her way back from a run when she decided to call me at home to see if I wanted a coffee from Spruce. (I love Spruce.) It was that call that woke me up at 10:30. I might have slept until 11:00 otherwise! Did I forget to mention that I'm part bear?

After a fairly slow start to the day (I opted out of the coffee offer), I found myself outside for the first time around 1:15PM. The dogs asked me to take them for a neighborhood walk, since they, too, chose to skip this morning's run with Amanda. We're a smart bunch.

We did one of our regular loops through the 'hood, stopping a few times to dive our heads into deep snow drifts (Luna), to shiver (Blue), and to pick-up some animalpoop (me). The fact that I was enjoying the 31-degree warmth indicates that I've officially made the mental switch that is key to cold weather adaptation. Temps in the forties seem balmy to me now.

Upon return to the house, I spotted a strange vehicle in the driveway. At first I thought some solicitors were too cold to walk door-to-door, and had chosen to drive door-to-door. Then the car's occupants hopped out and introduced themselves to me as USADA doping control agents. Once again, I was being tested Out of Competition.

This marks the fifth time USADA has come to my house (or to Flatiron Athletic Club) to test me outside of an event in 2007. My grand total for tests this year is eight, once you add the three tests I passed at Ironmans.

The agents told a funny story about how an athlete out in California ducked a test they had targeted him for, and he did so by hiding under the blanket on the couch. The agent testing him could actually see him pull the blanket over his head, after she knocked on his door. I laughed at how silly one must be to think this is an effective method of hiding.

However, it's not funny that he is intentionally skipping his test. I do not think he was a triathlete, but nonetheless, he's an athlete who chooses not to follow the testing protocol. He is, therefore, choosing not to play by the rules. This makes him a cheater, and I don't like hearing about other athletes cheating. I know they are out there, in all sports, taking advantage in one way or another; it just makes me sad to hear about it firsthand.

All I can do is to continue providing samples to the doping control agents; to keep submitting my quarterly schedule to USADA; and to hope that more of these cheaters get caught, and are brought out from under their blankets.

We're Heading to Austin!

We have officially made plans to make our trip out of the winter wonderland of Boulder, Colorado. While we will be very sad to leave our newly formed Friday Run Group, and we'll also miss other great things here at home, we are very excited to get going on some warm weather training!

It's been on the horizon for a while now, but the planning has finally gelled a bit, and we're planning to depart Boulder on the 2nd, 3rd, or/and 5th. Hmm... does that sound like a plan that has gelled? I hope to depart on the 2nd, but if I cannot get myself and the car organized, the dogs and I will pull out of here on the 3rd. We bought Amanda a super cheap one-way ticket departing on the 5th, but there is a chance she'll decide to join the three of us for the road trip. Either way, by the weekend after this one, we'll be in Austin!

I will actually be heading out to Nashville on January 25th, to partake of the Southeast Multi-Sport Expo on the 26th. Anyone in the area on the 26th, stop by for a visit: www.southeasttriexpo.com

From there I'll head back to Boulder for four or five days to check in with NA Sports and everything at the home front, including Frisco. We'll have some folks staying here at our house while we are gone, so Frisco won't be lonely.

On the 31st I'll head back on down to Austin to join back up with Amanda, Luna, Blue, and all the Austin crew. It feels good to have a plan!

And for the next week, I had better bundle up! (But not too much!)

Cannot Get Up

Can. Not. Get. Up.

In spite of my better efforts to drag myself out of bed this afternoon, I was just unable to do so.

Amanda and I had returned home after a chilly early morning run at the club. We opted out of the AM swim practice following the run, in favor of a dip in the hot tub and a nice breakfast. It was one of those decisions that just made sense. We were tired. We were hungry. We were cold.

Once we got back to the house, we thought we'd get changed and head right back down to the pool for a swim on our own. However, we got stalled out by a few distractions: Amanda had to pet her Fluff Friends on Facebook; I read the paper and checked email; and we played around with the dogs a bit. Then, just as we were contemplating the move back to FAC, we got sidetracked... by the bed.

The bed was calling us, and who were we to ignore it!? We jumped in, got under the covers, and before you knew it, two and a half hours had gone by. And we were so groggy when we awoke that we just could not get up. Finally we managed to drag ourselves from the bedroom.

After a short dog walk, we headed down to the club. We did a nice swim, and followed that up with some quality hot tub time. It was a good day, with plenty of relaxing and a few good workouts!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and we're looking forward to laying low once again... after a couple good workouts!

Merry Christmas!

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.