well all there is to do now is to wait. the days are passing one at a time, and i luckily have work to act as a distraction. unfortunately i get very frequent access to the internet to observe the 10 day madison forecast. the damn weather has changed 10 times today. first it was raining, then cloudy, then sunny, then raining, then sunny, now raining again. at least now it says scattered storms with a big sun in the background. maybe i will get lucky. it seems the weather will be dependent on gustav and no one can figure out where it is going. ... at least it looks like it will be cooler...
ok, no more weather checking for me, at least for tonight
more tomorrow
T-6 days 9 hours
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
can it be true?
Madison weather forecast
Sun
Sep 7 Partly Cloudy (mostly sunny)
73°
52°
20% of rain
From the West Northwest 8mph |
Race starts 9 days from right now
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
my fast "new" bike
i got my bike back from the shop today. best money i have spent in a while. it rode so smoothly this afternoon. the brakes are very responsive. the shifting is spot on. brand new chain. all clean. and the bike was soooooo quiet. not a single little squeak or sound to be heard. i felt like i was riding a brand new bike, despite the fact that basically everything is the same. yipppeee
my ride this afternoon was nice and relaxing. 40 miles. spent a good portion of the ride talking with someone else which kept my speed reasonable and allowed me to spin. my leg felt a little tight when i started to ride but then loosened up. i spent a good 20 min stretching after my ride. felt refreshed. now tired
i'm testing my watch today. i started the stopwatch just after 7am. so far we are doing good just over 13:30. i want to see how long it will go....just in case.
race numbers are apparently going to be posted on friday.
10 days and 10 hours to go
my ride this afternoon was nice and relaxing. 40 miles. spent a good portion of the ride talking with someone else which kept my speed reasonable and allowed me to spin. my leg felt a little tight when i started to ride but then loosened up. i spent a good 20 min stretching after my ride. felt refreshed. now tired
i'm testing my watch today. i started the stopwatch just after 7am. so far we are doing good just over 13:30. i want to see how long it will go....just in case.
race numbers are apparently going to be posted on friday.
10 days and 10 hours to go
Monday, August 25, 2008
the calm before the storm
today i went swimming in the lake. it was kind of an eerie experience. to begin with, the wind was howling out of the north creating 2-3 foot waves, some intermittent white caps, and really impeding my ability to see where i was going, and at times get a good breath of water. regardless i had a blast. even more interesting was the fact that there was no one else swimming. ok maybe i saw one or 2 other people in the water the entire time i was there. granted yesterday was the chicago tri so i am sure that the majority of the people are either done with their seasons or taking the day off. regardless it was just me, the lifeguards, the random onlookers on the path (it seemed like there were a lot of those today) and the waves beating me up.
i got out of the water feeling refreshed, well as refreshed as i could be for having worked overnight and then slept for 4 and a half hours....
the bike is in the shop now. hopefully they can get shifting will a little tighter. i liked the feel of the new tires on my ride the other day.
the t-shirts came in today. i am pretty happy with the way they look. here is the image on the back. nice red shirt. i'm thinking they will stand out better than the original grey design so i can spot people more easily.
one day closer, T minus 12 days
i got out of the water feeling refreshed, well as refreshed as i could be for having worked overnight and then slept for 4 and a half hours....
the bike is in the shop now. hopefully they can get shifting will a little tighter. i liked the feel of the new tires on my ride the other day.
the t-shirts came in today. i am pretty happy with the way they look. here is the image on the back. nice red shirt. i'm thinking they will stand out better than the original grey design so i can spot people more easily.
one day closer, T minus 12 days
Sunday, August 24, 2008
uncertainty
the problem with a big event for me has always been the fear of the unknown. in the first competitions in high school sports i never quite knew what to expect. after the first event things got better, i settled into a pattern and felt much more comfortable for the second race. i thought i knew what to expect for the ironman, now everything is confused.
have i trained enough? or more importantly have i done the right type of training...were my long rides long enough, or too short? did i do enough long runs or was the last one too early? did i do enough bricks? have i done an adequate job of testing my nutrition plan before the race? will my body hold up for an entire marathon after the 8 hours of swimming and biking before? will i be able to eat enough on the bike? will i get the crap kicked out of me during the swim, or will i escape unscathed? will i get to the start line feeling relaxed and ready?
i'm sure the majority of these concerns are born out of uncertainty. after seeing the race, i know it is possible to do. i have a mental image of the swim, transitions, and bike. i have watched video of the run, and seen parts of the course. it can be done. i just hope it can be done in a relatively tolerable fashion and that all of my preparation was adequate.
2 weeks from now i will be somewhere on the bike course, the day will have just begun, let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather and a start just like last year...
have i trained enough? or more importantly have i done the right type of training...were my long rides long enough, or too short? did i do enough long runs or was the last one too early? did i do enough bricks? have i done an adequate job of testing my nutrition plan before the race? will my body hold up for an entire marathon after the 8 hours of swimming and biking before? will i be able to eat enough on the bike? will i get the crap kicked out of me during the swim, or will i escape unscathed? will i get to the start line feeling relaxed and ready?
i'm sure the majority of these concerns are born out of uncertainty. after seeing the race, i know it is possible to do. i have a mental image of the swim, transitions, and bike. i have watched video of the run, and seen parts of the course. it can be done. i just hope it can be done in a relatively tolerable fashion and that all of my preparation was adequate.
2 weeks from now i will be somewhere on the bike course, the day will have just begun, let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather and a start just like last year...
Friday, August 22, 2008
It's TAPER TIME
i am going to try to chronicle my thoughts in the last 2 weeks of my journey to the start line, check back often these next two weeks.
well, after a long 10 months of training, it is time to put the machine into autopilot and pull back on the intensity. time to focus more on rest, stretching, relaxing, and less on destroying my body. i remember back in highschool when i swam that we would always look forward to the taper, probably because it meant that after a season a hard work we would not have to work as hard. now it is just the last step along the journey.
i think a lot of theory of tapering comes from the idea that very little aerobic benefit will be obtained from anything that is done in the two weeks (or so) preceding a big race. instead much greater benefit will be obtained through allowing the body to get enough rest.
the ultimate goal for the next 2 weeks... to show up to the start line feeling refreshed, rested, loose, pain free, and ready for a great race.
the bike is going into the shop this week, this will serve two purposes. first, it needs a tune-up. need to fine tune the rear der shifting, and fix a little on the front as well. a nice cleaning of the drive train will make it even more shiny. second, it will keep me off my bike for a little.
i think the best part of the taper is that i have earned it. i have worked hard for 10 months, i have endured the long work-outs, the long days, going home early from bars to get up early the next morning to work-out, or go back to work and then work-out.
but the next 2 weeks will not be easy, my work schedule will keep me busy, and it will be a challenge to really pull the throttle back on the intensity. in the end if there is a decision between sleeping late and training the answer will be to sleep.
i will be rested, i will be loose, i will be ready to go in 15 days.
well, after a long 10 months of training, it is time to put the machine into autopilot and pull back on the intensity. time to focus more on rest, stretching, relaxing, and less on destroying my body. i remember back in highschool when i swam that we would always look forward to the taper, probably because it meant that after a season a hard work we would not have to work as hard. now it is just the last step along the journey.
i think a lot of theory of tapering comes from the idea that very little aerobic benefit will be obtained from anything that is done in the two weeks (or so) preceding a big race. instead much greater benefit will be obtained through allowing the body to get enough rest.
the ultimate goal for the next 2 weeks... to show up to the start line feeling refreshed, rested, loose, pain free, and ready for a great race.
the bike is going into the shop this week, this will serve two purposes. first, it needs a tune-up. need to fine tune the rear der shifting, and fix a little on the front as well. a nice cleaning of the drive train will make it even more shiny. second, it will keep me off my bike for a little.
i think the best part of the taper is that i have earned it. i have worked hard for 10 months, i have endured the long work-outs, the long days, going home early from bars to get up early the next morning to work-out, or go back to work and then work-out.
but the next 2 weeks will not be easy, my work schedule will keep me busy, and it will be a challenge to really pull the throttle back on the intensity. in the end if there is a decision between sleeping late and training the answer will be to sleep.
i will be rested, i will be loose, i will be ready to go in 15 days.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
it's gonna happen
so i have been away from blogging for the past 2 weeks due to training. i have had 2 phenomenal weeks of training, 22:28 and 19:49 respectively. I have ridden 370 miles, swam 11k meters, and run 52 miles.
the greatest accomplishment capped off the two weeks of training with a 20 mile run this morning.
the three big mental barriers to starting the race have now been taken care of, a 4K open water swim, 100 mile bike, 20 mile run.
the race is 4 weeks away. i can't wait to get out there and tackle the course.
i've laid down a great foundation, cemented it the past several weeks, now it is just time to fine tune the little details and and get some rest
the greatest accomplishment capped off the two weeks of training with a 20 mile run this morning.
the three big mental barriers to starting the race have now been taken care of, a 4K open water swim, 100 mile bike, 20 mile run.
the race is 4 weeks away. i can't wait to get out there and tackle the course.
i've laid down a great foundation, cemented it the past several weeks, now it is just time to fine tune the little details and and get some rest
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