Fun Tri Training

A few of us from the Gear West Tri Club have been riding on Wednesday nights for the last few weeks.  Last night we rode 27 miles with an average of about 19 mph...very social bunch.  



We did a timed 30 minute swim in Masters swim group this morning.  My pace was within 10 seconds of last month; 1,700 yards in 29:27.  My Half Iron swim on June 8th is 2,112 yards (1.2 miles).  I feel ready!
   

Eventful Weekend

As mentioned earlier, I had an intense weekend training schedule lined up.  I knocked off a 14 mile, 8:50 endurance paced run on Saturday morning and felt pretty strong throughout.  On Sunday, I hooked up with a group and rode the 56 mile Liberty Half Iron bike course.  And then immediately following the bike ride, we hammered out a 3 mile, 8:30 paced run.  I finished the long holiday weekend with a 50 minute endurance swim on Monday!
One interesting thing to note was how effective my two ice baths were.  On Saturday after my run I sat in a tub of cold water for about 20 minutes and then again on Sunday after the biking.  I have not totally submersed my legs in ice cold water before despite being told it's very good for healing.  I've iced, but not like that.  It seems to really work!  My legs seemed to have recovered much faster and I did not feel the stiffness nor typical fatigue that I believe I would have after a rigorous workout.

Last week I received generous Kenya Children's Fund donations from my friend and bible study leader, Mike as well as family friends Amy and Chad!  Thank you so much for your encouragement toward my race efforts and for believing in KCF!  To date I've received sponsorship for 40.6 miles of the 140.6, totalling $1,543 toward the $5,343 goal.

Remember a few posts back when I mentioned that as part of their 4H project Will and Sarah had 12 mallard eggs in the incubator?  Well...we had lots of action at the Hetherington household this weekend!  Turns out that it's quite the ordeal hatching eggs! We were on pins and needles all weekend as 5 of the 12 eggs have hatched!

        
And then to top off the weekend it was fun to see my daughter compete in her season-opener horse show.  Sarah and her horse Pal, looked and preformed great together!

A Time To Reflect

I’m embarrassed to share this with you, but, it relates to my Ironman training experience of which I’ve committed to post here.    

Last weekend I clumsily knocked a heavy pointed object off the wall.  It dropped point down onto the arch of my right foot– Wham!

My immediate reaction was to loudly cuss and swear.  My wife and daughter came running down the stairs, concerned and wondering what had happened. Still in shock I was irritated by their questions and let them know this!  Soon after, I hesitantly removed my shoe and sock to reveal a sore and bruised foot.     

Fast forward 4 days…On my run yesterday, I had an epiphany.  Rather than expressing anger over my minor injury, (although still bruised) I should have rejoiced and been thankful that I did not suffer a serious bone fracture in my foot that could have potentially shut down my training and caused a long road to recovery.  In the midst of difficulty I often miss the blessing. 

I’m humbled as I listen to the interviews of people in Oklahoma that have suffered destruction and complete loss of their home and community.  Numerous times I’ve heard them express on national television how truly blessed they are…so genuine and humbling for sure!   

Please forgive my selfish behavior, Lord.  Thank you for answering the many prayers of people seeking your blessing and favor over my injury-free training.     

Killer weekend of training on my doorstep...see post below for lineup.

Blessings to you all on this Memorial Day weekend.  

Lee             

The Blessing of Encouragement

I receive very few comments on this blog, but I know you're out there, the analytics indicate 2,200 views to date.  When I do receive encouragement it's humbling and uplifting - thank you!  With permission from Ginger I share her encouragement with you.   

Love your blog, Lee. 
I want to thank you for such a humble commitment, first to our Lord, and secondly to His precious little ones in Dandora.  Participating in this venture with you and realizing all of the challenges you are facing as you train, I am reminded of Paul's words in;
1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Running an Ironman is no small feat and I admire all of the discipline and grueling preparation you are putting into the training.  It is truly inspirational and I would like to use your example to motivate our KDS students as they "run the race" in developing the essentials for Godly leadership.  We must all strive to train diligently in our faith journey.  Our daily ups and downs can be stabilized through prayer, Bible study and worship.  Christ will give us the strength to persevere in ministry and the grace to run strong…because in Him we have already won the race! Thank you again, Lee.  I plan to write about you in my own “blog” and how your Ironman Adventure challenges all of us to “go the extra mile” for Christ Jesus.
In Christ Alone, Ginger
President/CEO
Kenya Children's Fund
http://kenyachildrensfund.org/about/news.php#19
We can't change the whole world...but we can change one child's world  --Matthew 25:40

Worry Free Racing

I found this interesting snippet from an USAT article on "worrying about what might go wrong in a race."   

Conclusion:

If you’re not enjoying the training – the process – then why do it?  You have to enjoy the time spent on the long rides, at the track, the long hours in the pool. To quote someone much smarter than me:  The journey is the destination. Yes, we all want to perform well.  But focusing on what is beyond our control is a fruitless endeavor.  Did you become a better athlete over the past six months of training, most likely, yes.  You’re a better triathlete even if your race doesn’t go well.

-Dave Burgess; USA Triathlon Level I Certified Coach 

Liberty Triathlon



My Minnesota season opener tri is in 16 days and counting... Training wise, I'm feeling a little flat as of late and have hit a plateau.  I'm not feeling that I've made much progress and seem to be in maintenance mode.  Having said this, my training schedule is ramping up significantly in duration and distance in order to prepare for the Liberty Half Iron (1.2 mile swim / 56 bike course / 13.1 mile half marathon).

• Monday - 60 minute swim
• Tuesday - 45 minute bike followed by 3 mile run
• Wednesday - 60 minute morning spin class  / 90 minute evening bike
• Thursday - 60 minute masters swim / 5 mile evening run
• Friday - Rest day
• Saturday - 14 mile endurance run
• Sunday - 3 hour bike followed by a 3 mile run

Two other notes of interest.

• I'm back on a vegetable, fruit and lean protein diet in order to shed five pounds before race day...I feel good about this!
• I pushed it a little hard yesterday in my spin/brick class with some sprint intervals and tweaked my right hamstring...stay tuned!

          

Gear West Duathlon

Despite encountering ridiculous thunderstorms complete with hail on my way to the race venue on Sunday, the race went on as scheduled.  By the time I arrived at the race site the rain had let up a bit and 45-minutes later it had stopped completely...go figure!
I felt calm and ready to rumble.  My first run felt solid.  Glancing at my watch I knew my pace was around 7:45 for the first 5k. The transition to the bike was quick.  Once on the bike, my heart rate seemed to be high so I consciously relaxed while trying to maintain my pace.  I felt strong.  At about mile 8 of 18 I dropped my chain, meaning my chain fell off of the front chain ring while shifting to an easier gear.  I had been sensing a problem with my chain for about two weeks, but nothing had really happened other than a  bit of slippage.  Now however, my fear was realized.  I remained calm and returned the chain to the proper position.  I was amazed how long it took me to catch the people I had been riding near. My second run was good as well although by this time the mud we had to run through was often above my ankles!

Post race I was disapointed with my time.  Despite feeling fast I was 5 minutes slower than last year...I could not believe this.  Later I looked at the 2012 results and found that most were between 5-6 minutes slower this year compared to last year...I felt better about my time considering a dropped chain!  I continue to have confidence and am injury free!

I'm making a push for Kenya Children's Fund and have recently sent many sponsorship forms to friends and co-workers. This week, I received a very generous donation from my friends David and Dede.  I've only known them for a short while which makes their encouragement even more special.  Thank you! 

I hope you are well!

Lee

   

Pre Race Nurtition Blunders

I found this article interesing...

5 Common Pre-Race Nutrition Blunders 

By Trisha Reeves
Active.com

Proper nutrition during training is just as important as your weekend long run for a strong race performance. But all your healthy salmon and spinach dinners won’t mean a thing if you fall off the wagon just before the race.

Poor pre-race nutrition choices can leave you feeling ill, groggy, or exhausted on race day—all things that can spoil your performance. Don’t make these rookie mistakes at your next big race. 

Lazy Hydration
A well-hydrated runner is more alert, stays cooler, and needs less fluids during a race. But many runners love their beer and coffee. Especially at big races, it’s tempting to celebrate the night before with fellow runners and a few brews, some salty beer nuts, and wake up the next morning in desperate need of coffee.

When it comes to an important race, do right by yourself and replace some of that beer and coffee with water. Don’t just dump two 20-oz. bottles of fluid down your throat ten minutes before you hit the starting line. Concentrate on staying hydrated for one or two days before the race, to ensure your body is ready. 

Greedy Carbo-Loading
I once ran a 10k on the morning of January 1. The night before the race, I celebrated with friends and stuffed my face. I thought this would give me plenty of energy for the race, but it also gave me some stomach misery. I achieved a PR that day—because I was racing for the bathroom.

Eating too much pre-race food is a big blunder because your body may not have enough time to eliminate everything before gun time. Since running stimulates your bowels, you might find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation. Have a good pre-race dinner, but don’t overeat. 

Missing Protein
If I earned a quarter every time I heard the phrase “carbo-loading” used to describe pre-race nutrition, I’d be up for early retirement. Sure, a certain amount of carbohydrates are needed for energy during a race, but consuming a meal made entirely of pasta and bread the night before race day isn’t your best bet. 

Carb-laden meals like pasta and bread are satisfying, but they’re made of mostly simple sugars that burn off quickly and can leave you feeling sluggish. Runners may forget that fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of complex carbs.

Fruits and veggies also contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They provide energy with less calories. They also digest more slowly and thoroughly, which means less waste the next morning. 

Skipping Breakfast
Your jumpy nerves can make it hard to think of food on race day. But as bad as overeating can be, going out there on an empty stomach can be just as detrimental. You’ll go through your energy stores quickly and you may end up hitting a wall.

Your best bet is to have a small meal made up of protein and carbohydrates, one hour or two before the race. My preference is to allow myself an extra few minutes in the morning so I can make a smoothie with some quick-digesting whey protein. Some other options are potassium-rich bananas, a bagel or a PB&J sandwich. 

Creative Experimentation
It’s always good to try out new ways to fuel before and during running. Just don’t do it on race day. Think logically when you’re deciding what to eat right before your race. You wouldn’t wear a brand new pair of running shoes on race day, and the same goes for new foods. 

Trisha Reeves is an ultra-marathoner with more than 10 years of running experience.

This article originally appeared on Active.com 

Emotional Roller Coaster

Yesterday, I was talking to Laura my Tuesday morning spin instructor about bad eating habits and confessing my downward spiral and the fact that I've put on 5 pounds, blah, blah blah...Among other things we agreed how important healthy eating is to performance.  Her last comment however, made me stop and think.  She said "Ironman training is certainly an emotional roller coaster!"

It occurs to me that it's easy to focus on the training challenges and mechanics of swimming, biking, running, recovery, the time commitment, etc. etc. But Laura hit it on the head; the emotional aspect of this adventure is significant.  Reminding myself to keep things in perspective and to keep a positive attitude on the daily ups & downs and realizing that this is a journey.  The emotional aspect is as much a part of successful training as the fitness.  Good stuff for sure, thank you Laura!            

As I hoped and mentioned here earlier, USA Triathlon generously included a write-up of my Ironman adventure and desire to bring attention to the Kenya Children's Fund in their current newsletter.  I'm humbled and feel blessed to receive national exposure for this wonderful organization! Thank you USAT!

You can click on the image above to see the full story.       

And remember, keep your emotions in check...you're doing a great job!
Stay healthy and train smart.
Lee

A break in the action

Last weekend I ventured north to our family cabin for the traditional Minnesota fishing opener.  Despite ice-covered waters and a hellacious 25 mph northwest wind that basically prevented us from fishing, we had a wonderful time!   

There were 11 of us in camp and only three fish caught all weekend...My son and I caught all three!  There is a tremendous amount of planning & coordination to this trip so it's hard to pull the plug when the weather pulls a fast one. While we had fun doing numerous other activities it was a bit of a bummer to miss out on what can be excellent fishing!     

The silver lining was that I was able to get in a solid 4-mile and a 6-mile run which eased my mind a bit from missing a weekend of training.  The downside, this trip is plagued with lots of tempting food that I allowed myself to indulge!  And despite my constant anxiety about gaining weight during the last month, I continue to really struggle with unhealthy eating and have gained back 5 pounds in the last month. 

Moving on...
On Sunday, I run the Gear West Duathlon (run/bike/run).  I'm looking forward to it despite being 5 pounds heavier than I care to be and not feeling as fit as I want right now!  
I have a very full training schedule for the next three weeks leading up to the Liberty Half Ironman...more on this later.

Keep your mind clear and your eyes focused on the goal!
(not sure where that came from, just made it up)
Lee

Strong Effort

My training post half marathon has been solid.

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 60 minute masters swim (2,200 yards)
• Wednesday - 30 mile bike ride with some of the Gear West Tri Club guys 
• Thursday - 4 mile run followed by 60 minute masters swim (2,800 yards)

Let the games begin!
I feel strong and very prepared for increased endurance training which starts next week! I have two races scheduled within the next 30 days.  The Gear West Duathlon (3 mile run, 19 bike, 3 mile run) is on May 19th and the Liberty Half Ironman triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 bike, 13.1 half marathon) June 8th. 
More details on these two events coming soon. 

I'm headed to Lake Vermilion for the Minnesota fishing opener later this afternoon.  I've been doing this trip for as long as I can remember...some 40 years! Most of the guys including my father are in their 70's and 80's.  The exception is my son, Will (15) who regularly joins the group.  A tradition-rich experience that is hard to beat.  Unfortunately, due to the terrible weather we have had here in Minnesota this spring, our lake is mostly ice covered which of course will make fishing very difficult.  I'll give you a report next week.       
Lot's going on for sure...
Mothers day is Sunday!
Regards,
Lee  

Lake Minnetonka Half



Saturday's running of the Lake Minnetonka half marathon was wonderful...my effort was relaxed & social.  

As planned, I ran an 8:00 minute pace (1:45) for the 13.1 miles.  Slower paced than a typical half for me which is more like 7:25-7:30 but still challenging.  My coach cautioned me from "racing" due to having very little margin for recovery and could not miss training due to the Half Iron (1.2/56/13.1) distance triathlon scheduled on June 8th.  

During the race I ran with the Minnesota Pacers...runners assigned a specific finish time; 1:30, 1:40, 1:45..etc. etc. Race participants can run with a pace group and enjoy running while not paying attention to their watch, the Pacer does it for you!  It can be very social and fun or if you're trying to put the hammer down you only need to focus on your effort.  We talked, laughed and generally had a great time the entire time!  Liz, Will and Sarah met me at about mile 8, 11 and at the finish...so fun to have family support.  And, as predicted my friend Bill was watching out his living room window which looks over Crystal bay!  Always fun to see Bill.  A few years ago it was by coincidence that we happened to see each other.  Now it's become a bit of a ritual that we look forward to.  

 

I'm finding that my overall enjoyment of an event is much higher when I don't place pressure on myself to preform to a set goal time.  By nature I'm competitive and enjoy a race atmosphere.  That said, I was chasing the clock most of last year and despite several PR's (personal records) I was disappointed due to not achieving my set goal!  I left races disappointed and that does not feel good.  The last three races, (Get Lucky half marathon, Sand Diego Olympic tri, Lake Mtka, half marathon) my coach gave me one goal; to FINISH STRONG! He encouraged me to come away from the race full of confidence and feeling strong. 

I have and what a great feeling of success and confidence it creates...rather than defeat!  

Side note:

I saw a man running in the race on Saturday wearing a race shirt with Philippians 4:13 on the back.  "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!"  We talked about how meaningful this verse is to us.  

Here's to you and your family!

Ironman 140.6

This is long, but found it to be an interesting read...comes from the Ironman website.

A “Magic School Bus” tour of your body's inner workings over 140.6 miles.

You may know what it feels like to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles, but do you know what’s really going on inside your body? 

Pre-Race

Even before you start moving, your body has begun preparing itself for the 140-mile course ahead. At the mere thought of exercise, blood starts rushing to your muscles and the pre-race jitters hit, due to the release of epinephrine—also known as adrenaline.

The Swim

While 2.4 miles sounds like a breeze compared to the entire event, the average swim takes four times more energy to complete than running the same distance. Your body expends a considerable amount of energy maintaining buoyancy and overcoming the drag of variables like the choppy open water.

As soon as you jump in the cool water, it begins to pull excess heat away from your body. This eases thermoregulation, or your body’s process of regulating its own temperature. Your muscles run on Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) but use it up quickly due to the strenuous activity. Because your oxygen system is a little preoccupied, your body has to start producing ATP without any oxygen, entering a stage called  anaerobic glycolysis. You’ll feel this process as your legs and arms start to burn. (As you deal with competitors around you and swim to the finish, surges of epinephrine will push you forward and dull the discomfort.) Your body will continue working with a cocktail of fuel sources like oxygen, glycogen, lactic acid, and stored fat to create its much-needed muscle fuel. 

The Bike

After shedding your wetsuit and getting on your bike, your body temperature will start to rise rapidly before leveling off. Your capillaries have widened and blood is sent to your sweat glands to start the cooling process. Sweat rids your body of water, sodium, potassium and other chemicals, keeping you from overheating in even some of the harshest climates. This rapid loss of fluids, while necessary for cooling, hinders performance: If you don’t stay properly hydrated, a loss in blood volume minimizes the availability of oxygen getting to your heart. 

Muscle tissue stress starts setting in during the second half of the bike, as your body begins to choose burning fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates, which are in shorter supply. While fat is a nearly unlimited resource, it isn’t enough to keep you moving fast, so you’ll need to regain electrolytes quickly and build up a new source of carbs to work with as you approach the run.

The Run

One hundred and twelve miles later, you’re back on your feet to run the last 26.2 miles of the race. Just when you think there’s no way you could possibly run a marathon, another burst of adrenaline runs through your body when you hear the crowd. This propels you forward, but the jolt doesn’t last for long. Soon, your legs begin to feel the burn of glycogen depletion as your carbohydrate levels bottom out. Your body’s fat oxidation increases and it turns to one last fuel source to power your hardworking muscles the rest of the way: amino acids, or muscle protein. During this process (referred to as catabolism), you face muscle tissue damage since your body is taking the proteins straight from the muscle. This is the muscle fatigue or “burn” you’ll be feeling as you near the finish.

Post-Race

Both brain and body are exhausted after burning nearly 9,000 calories during 12 hours of intense exercise. Your body’s immune system reacts immediately, attempting to rebuild the muscular and cardiovascular systems. For the days following the race, you’ll be more susceptible to sickness since a lot of your amino acids are still at low levels. 

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/04/zeasorb-physiology-of-an-ironman.aspx#ixzz2RO8hDRU9