MarkAllenOnline Boulder Training Camp

Leading up to an out of town race, a lot of the concerns that arise are related to the "unknowns". This is especially true of Ironman Boulder, where the uncertainties of the affects of altitude hang heavy on my mind. Having only been to this area once, and having gone there when I was much more unhealthy than I am now, I remember gasping for air at every climb of the stairs and feeling generally exhausted throughout the whole trip. Needless to say, this had me nervous about trying conquer 2.4 miles of open water swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and a full marathon. On top of that, my only impressions of the course were the 2D images provided courtesy of Google Earth, which never do any justice to hills, heat, or wind.

I've been less worried about the hills, heat, and wind due to my recent experience at Ironman Los Cabos. No longer were these variables "unknown" to me, and so I knew that I could at least overcome them. The altitude, however, was still a bit scary. If only there was some way to get some experience on the course, to see how the altitude would affect me during the swim, bike, and run, and how I might better prepare to face on these effects.

Enter the MarkAllenOnline Boulder Triathlon Training Camp. Coach Luis Vargas hosts this camp every year as a means to give athletes an opportunity to work up close and personal with a word class triathlete, and coach of world champion triathletes. This year, the added incentive was that the camp would help athletes to prepare for Ironman Boulder, which would take place 5 weeks after the camp. The timing could not be more perfect. I jumped at the opportunity to attend and hopefully quell my fears.

The trip itself was a great opportunity to meet some new and like minded people with varying hopes and expectations regarding their respective events. While in most triathlon clubs you have a variety of skill levels and people training for different events, this camp was specifically geared for iron distance races, thus everyone was somewhat on the same wavelength. Furthermore, everyone had a great story, and I really enjoyed being inspired by everyone's individual journey.

Luis' training over the weekend was fantastic as well. In addition to experiencing the course first hand, we had lectures where Luis shared valuable insight and experience from his years as a Ironman triathlete, and his knowledge about racing at altitude. Having this setting to learn from his experience was priceless. I would highly recommend this camp for anyone wishing to get to the next level in Ironman, or simply to meet and train with some great people.

Bike Training

The bike training was my first introduction to training at altitude, and it was a "head first" introduction. The morning after I arrived in Boulder, we would take on the entire 112 mile bike course. I would very quickly get to experience how going from 0 to 5,000 feet would affect me. Fortunately the pace was not fast, rather it was rather leisurely throughout the first half. I was expecting a noticeable spike in heart rate, but that was not the case. In fact, my heart rate was in a very comfortable 110 - 130 range all day. I even felt as if I was able to go faster with the thinner air, but I certainly didn't feel any effects of the altitude playing a factor on my ride.

While the altitude wasn't much of a factor on the bike, the weather itself proved less forgiving. The majority of the ride (as demonstrated by the photos below) was absolutely perfect. But about 70 miles into the ride a storm descended on us rather abruptly. Large hailstones and lightning was all around us. Fortunately, Luis had a trailer in which we were able to hunker down for the half hour the storm was upon us. The very next day riders reported winds gusting at 60 mph, thus making the course more challenging. This was demonstrative of how the weather can change abruptly on this course.

Riding the course early gave me a chance to think about race strategy as well. Since the course has a lot of false flats and straights, the impulse will be to go out hard and fast. However, since the first 30 miles is where most of the "hills" are located, it will be best to take it easy at the beginning, and then build throughout the ride, paying close attention to the fact that there will still be some climbing in the last 15 miles of the course (oh, and a marathon too).

Swim Training

Noticeably my weakest sport, and one which I need the most work, still I wasn't necessarily too concerned about how the altitude would affect my swim. That is, until we got into the reservoir to practice the second morning of our trip. The wind started blowing pretty early, and created a bit of chop in the water, but nothing I don't often see in other open water swims. This swim, however, I was having a really hard time finding a rhythm. I felt like I couldn't get a full breath in, and consequently, I started panicking a bit. I completed one 600 yard lap feeling a little uneasy, but halfway into the second lap is where I began feeling panicky. Rather than try to complete the loop (as the buoy became dislodged and began to drift in the wind) I decided to call it a swim and get toward shore.

Boulder Reservoir

I felt quite defeated after this swim, and a little embarrassed, however, Luis got us into the pool later on to do some drills. I was able to get through the workout, but felt more winded than ever. Demoralized, I went back to considering my race strategy, specifically my swim time and pace.

I was dreading the next day's swim. Luis said that he was going to work us hard in the pool, and after the previous day's performance, it wouldn't be pretty. Fortunately, a little more volume and a bit of a challenge was all I needed to regain my confidence. He had me in a lane with faster swimmers, which forced me to push the pace, but it also helped me to work through my issues with rhythm. That and the technique drills were most helpful in giving me a way to improve my swim over time. All this swim work at altitude gave me a good amount of confidence for the Ironman swim, and made me realize that I will need some daily swim training when I arrive for the race 10 days early.

Run Training

I had a three hour run scheduled for this week, so I planned on doing it on the Ironman Boulder course. The course runs right along a shaded creek path, which makes it a little cooler than the expected "exposed" temperature we'll get on the bike. The only exception is the Easternmost part of the course which leaves the creek and is unprotected from the sun. The Northeast section has a bit of a climb which we'll have to hit twice on each loop. Unfortunately, this will happen around miles 18-19, which is where I melted down in Cabo. Not to promote a self-fulfilling prophesy, but a meltdown here would not be fun.

The altitude affected me slightly on the run, but not significantly. I was about 20-30 seconds off my pace, but it felt more due to lethargy (from a 8 hour bike ride the previous day and excessive travel) than altitude. Furthermore, the run was all on paved concrete, which played terribly on my calves. After 20 miles, I was in quite a bit of pain and had to slow significantly to avoid injuring myself.

It's not a hilly course, but there are a few punchy sections, specifically some of the bridges and overpasses, which will chew up the legs quite a bit. But the important realization was that the East to West portion of the course is a false flat (naturally, since the river flows Eastward). It will be necessary to pace myself heading West, but the pace can increase pretty significantly going East.

All and all a great trip and camp, which provided a lot of insight and confidence for race day. Today I feel as prepared as I will every be for this race, and am excited to experience the joy not only myself, but through the others that I met who will be experiencing this as well. A big thanks to Luis Vargas for a great experience.

Taper to First "A" Race - HITS Palm Springs Half Iron Triathlon

We're a little less than a week out from my last race of the season, which I have considered my "A" race - the race I have trained for this season. It is strange to think of this as a primary race, when I still consider it a warm up to the full Ironman in Cabo San Lucas. It is also strange to think of this as the last race of the season when it is only three and a half months until my next "A" race. However, it helps me to think that there is a break between the two so I can catch my breath and get ready for some more intense training volume.

While these things are strange to me, it is also fitting that The HITS Palm Springs Half Iron Triathlon be an "A" race, as it is my first attempt at this distance (half a full Ironman, at 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a half marathon). It also happens at the beginning of December, right before Christmas, at which time I fully intend to briefly break away from my strict diet and indulge in the culinary delights of the holidays, including Christmas cookies, chocolate, and figgy pudding (whatever the heck that is, but I'm sure not leaving until I get some!). Moderation is key, of course, and as soon as Santa tucks himself in for his long Winter nap, I'll be back on course for my plan leading up to Cabo.

But back to this race. With less than one week to go, I am in full taper mode, and have been for about a week and a half now. I did a bit of a warm up at about the same distance on Thanksgiving day and felt really good. I can say at this point, barring any sickness or injury between now and then, that I am completely ready for this event.

The swim will take place in a reservoir, which will be a new experience for me since I've never swam in anyone's drinking water before. It's also quite possible that the water can be very cold. Last year it was in the high 50's. The bike and run will be very flat and at or below sea level, so it should be relatively easy to pace. The only challenges are that the weather and wind can be unpredictable. In the desert it could be very cold or very hot. I've planned for very hot, because I can always add layers if it gets cold. When the weather changes, so to does the wind, and it could be pretty brutal. We'll see how it shakes out.

It's amazing to think that after I finish this race, I am only a few short months away for the main event of this journey that I began almost a year ago. To think of where I came from and where I am now is amazing. I look forward to posting a race report next week, and beginning the next leg of this journey. Until then.

Smile

Image by Larry Maurer

This is Chrissie Wellington. Yes, she's smiling. She hasn't won (yet). Heck, she hasn't even finished. She's still on the bike, which tells us she's somewhere between a 2.4 mile swim and a full marathon. Not a lot of people would be smiling at that point! It seems to me that she is aware of something very important that a lot of people ignore; it is just as important to enjoy the journey, not just the finish. This understanding is clearly reflected in her attitude, and she wears it proudly on her face in the form of a smile.

Wellington ended up winning the Ironman World Championships 4 times, and held world records for her finish times (and likely world records for smiling in some capacity).

At some point during the process of taking a dramatic leap into a personal challenge, the enthusiasm begins to wane just as our perception of the difficulty of the challenge becomes more apparent. The exercise of working toward a goal becomes mundane, and we struggle to find motivation, to wake up early, to put in the required work, or even remember why it is we are pursuing this goal in the first place. We forget to smile through the journey, and our results and motivation suffer.

I have found myself in this very spot recently. Training has become more difficult, as I begin to get into more speed work, longer swims, and earlier mornings. I found I was just going through the motions, but not becoming very motivated. I needed to step back and remember why I am working so hard. I want to set an example. To show that great joy can be found by honestly sharing your story and being in service to others. That joy can also be found in challenging yourself and following through. Yes, the training is hard work, but it is necessary work to experience the joy of the accomplishment. And joy is worth smiling about.

I decided to do just that this past weekend during my long run. I would try to maintain a smile for the entire 2 hour run, and see how I felt during and after. First thoughts? I felt absolutely ridiculous. I knew that everyone would be looking at me and wondering why this creepo had a wild ear to ear smile on his face. Further, it felt forced. It's not easy to smile while you're working out. That is serious business, of course!

However, as I drove on and kept forcing that smile, something magical began to happen. I began feeling a new level of joy with what I was doing. I naturally began thinking positive thoughts, rather than the typical thoughts I have, such as "I wish my pace were better," or "man, am I tired!". Gratitude began to naturally sink in, and I just felt thankful that I could be out on safe road on a sunny day with two working legs. The people I thought would be looking at me as creepy instead smiled back and often waved hello. The smile became part of my attitude, and was clearly affecting others as well. It was truly therapeutic. Ms. Wellington is definitely on to something!

That long run became my longest to date, at a little over 16 miles, and my pace was much better than expected. I ran this experiment on my next two runs as well, and one of them became my fastest hill workout. Likely this was a coincidence, as I don't think smiling actually made me faster, but I do think it affects performance to some extent, as well as ongoing attitude. Exercise could be a form of meditation, and if you are happy and at peace during meditation, that peace continues throughout the day. At the very least I find myself feeling more joyful and positive throughout the day. I am also confident that over time I will be able to perform better because the attitude is already shaped toward success.

I have talked about how listening to your body is important to physical and mental fitness. If you monitor your heart rate you can have more success at burning fat, becoming more fit, and becoming healthier. I now believe that a smile can be the return feedback you are giving your body. When you smile, you may just be telling your body "I am enjoying this activity and the results it offers. Let's keep it up!" You're body will abide.

Upon seeing Chrissie Wellington smiling during an Ironman race for the first time, I thought she must be crazy. Now I think I get it, and I'm buying what she's selling. I would highly recommend to anyone, in an effort to reinvigorate your activities and bring life back into your passion, to force a smile. I am confident that eventually it will become natural, when you once again begin to experience the joy of your accomplishments.

Until next time, have a nice day!

Balance

My training is starting to get longer, I'm in the middle of my first racing season which is going much better than expected, and I'm beginning to "feel" like I can actually compete in, not just finish, this Ironman event. However, despite the obvious upswing in the positives, it's far to easy to get caught up in all of it and let my ego and pride take hold. There is an event horizon at which point I cross my competitive spirit becomes greater than the purpose for which I am doing all of this.

My goal is to become healthy, fit, joyous, and free. To hopefully benefit others, and show that hope can overcome hopelessness through moving beyond fear and significant obstacles. I can not achieve this if my primary goal becomes to win simply for the sake of winning. "Winning" can be defined in many ways, and I want to continue to define it not by crossing the finish line first (although that is always a nice outcome), but by getting and giving the most out of the whole experience. Bragging rights are one thing, but inspiring others to give the best of themselves to experience true joy is another level of winning altogether.

Earlier this week I received an interesting email, which at first I believed to be a hoax. The email said "Congratulations Adam Hill. You have qualified for the Olympic-Distance race at the 2014 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship." Turns out it is not a hoax. Since the Long Beach Triathlon was a sanctioned USAT event, and I finished in the top 10% of my age group, I qualified for the Nationals, to be held in August 2014 in Milwaukee, WI. My immediate reaction was to think of how cool this was, and how far I had come in such a short time. Last February I was scarfing down donuts and playing Call of Duty, and less than a year later I have been invited to compete with Olympic-level triathletes. That's pretty cool!

My second thought began to focus on the "what ifs". This was a trajectory that was not even on my radar until I had opened the email. But now I was considering that I had a shot at making Team USA and competing in the world championships. Perhaps even becoming an Olympian myself! A goal far removed from Ironman training.

See how quickly my mind veers off course from where my heart and spirit are guiding me? My ego takes hold and I am already winning races I never even knew existed until moments earlier. I want to do well in these races, but I want it to be a reflection of my training as well as success in practicing humility, acceptance, and patience. A balance, but one which is becoming more and more apparent in many aspects of life. It is good practice within the arena of triathlon.

This race is still something I am deeply considering, but not because I desire to win (to be in contention for a team slot, I would not only have to swim like a dolphin, but bike consistently at a 25 mph pace and run at nearly 6 minutes per mile for the course of the race), but simply because I would love the experience. How often can one say they had the opportunity to race in such an event? I'll keep you posted, but if you want to weigh in on what you think I should do, I would much appreciate it (just bear in mind that I will be racing in an Ironman two weeks prior to this event).

Speaking of championship events, be sure to check out the Ironman website this week, as they are ramping up to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii this Saturday. If you have some time, check out the live coverage. Some of the most inspirational moments will be seen at the finish line. Ali'i Drive has been crossed by many people overcoming their own hardships, demons, or limitations. It is truly the greatest finish line in all of sports. If you miss it on Saturday, make sure to check it out when NBC airs their coverage. You can also see last year's powerful coverage here. 

As far as my training is concerned, I passed a couple other milestones recently. I actually biked to work, which was quite a jaunt of about 45 miles (San Clemente to Anaheim). This was my first ride through Santiago Canyon, and it's amazing what you miss despite living somewhere most of your life. I had never been back there, and it is absolutely beautiful. So beautiful in fact that I decided to ride through there again to get to visit my sister (San Clemente to Norco). This trip was tough. The Santa Ana winds were blowing, which were in my face the whole way, and there is a very steady uphill over the last half of the ride which I underestimated. Total climbing was over 4,000 ft, and it took me an hour longer than I expected. You can see my workout summary here with the elevation profile. I did snap some photos along the way, and once I arrived. I met my wife and kids there so we could ride some horses... Well, my wife and kids anyway. I had enough saddle time.

Capistrano Beach

Santa Ana River Trail - Acts as a wind tunnel during Santa Ana winds

Horses near Corona

Santiago Canyon

San Juan River trail with perfect view of Saddleback

Santiago Canyon reminds me of the central California coast

Horseback in Norco

More Support for Slowing Down

It's been about six months since I began devoting at least 90% of my training to low heart rate, fat burning training. In contrast to how I felt when I was exercising with higher exertion (granted, while also drinking heavily and eating unhealthily), I have more energy now, my form is better, exercise is far more enjoyable, I'm leaner, and I am now much faster.

In case more evidence is needed to support this, I decided to do another MAF (maximum aerobic function) test this past Tuesday. The MAF test is performed by running at your target aerobic heart rate for a few miles on a flat course and recording each mile pace. The result is then compared to previous months.

It has been a few months since I've tested my pace, since I had some injuries from a couple of bike accidents which I thought had slowed me down, and I didn't want to discourage myself. However, yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by the results:

As you can see, at my aerobic heart rate of 142 (the same heart rate I've been sticking to for the last few months), my pace has improved dramatically. I have posted my first miles under 8 minutes ever. Even when I was exercising at high exertion, I was never able to consistently stay below 8 min/mile over multiple miles. Here I have done it through 5, with more in the tank to run farther and faster if necessary. I'll say again, running at this pace is easy because I am doing so at a low heart rate.

The patience and humility from a few months ago have paid off, and I can say with absolute confidence that this type of training is highly effective. I will reemphasize the need for patience. For this to work, it is vital to have patience at the beginning when the pace is painfully slow, and patience throughout the course of training when you hit a variety of plateaus that seem never ending. Eventually, with enough persistence, you will break through the plateaus.

Setbacks

I hate sprinting. I hate having to breathe that quickly and heavily, to the point where every part of my body hurts, my heart is beating out of my chest, and I am on the verge of vomiting every few steps. To look on the bright side of my current state of injury, "sprinting" is nowhere on my radar.

Although, it should be. And to be honest, I would welcome the opportunity to pick up my pace and feel the burn, so to speak.

As of a few weeks ago, I left behind the base stage of my training, during which time I was exercising in strictly aerobic heart rate zones, and entered a stage where I was adding short intervals of speed work to my training. It's not that much, less than 10% of my total volume, which is why it is tolerable to me. It was also proving highly beneficial. I found that over the course of the last couple weeks I have been able to break through my plateau and start to get faster, simply because I was mixing up the workouts.

Unfortunately, my failed experiment testing how well my bike could navigate safely through an automobile (turns out not so well) left my left knee sprained, at the very least. Thus, depending on the severity of the injury, I will not have full capabilities of my leg for about 8-12 weeks according to my doctor. Speed work is out of the question, but at least I can resume activities with pain as my guide (in the lower aerobic zones). Setback #1.

Well, that's only half right. I can resume activities as long as I have the equipment to do so. I was informed earlier this week that my bike is damaged beyond repair. One of the unfortunate realities of carbon fiber road bikes is that they can bend in a crash. And when they bend, they don't go back easily. In this case it is a small but significant bend near the rear derailleur. That little bend makes shifting impossible and makes the frame useless. RIP Orbea Ordu. Setback #2.

My new BFF

Well, that's what insurance is for, right? The other party's insurance to be more specific. After all, they were at fault, right?... Right?

Not according to San Clemente's finest. Apparently, as a bicyclist you can still be at fault for faceplanting into a car even if the driver of the car runs a stop sign, doesn't signal, and performs a reckless right turn into your oncoming path. My crime? Must be my inability to successfully pass through solid objects without causing damage. I suppose they're right, I DO need more practice with that. Back to the Physics textbook. It just means I'm out of pocket for the hefty cost of the damage on the bike I just bought (since it's less likely insurance will cover that). Setback #3.

I recognize I'm venting here. A little of that is healthy, but for my own sanity and as a condition of my success going forward I have to refocus my energy on the positive. After all, the very purpose of this whole adventure is to overcome challenges to achieve something great, and do do my best to be in service in the process. I wasn't skipping away from the accident, but I was at least on two legs, with a healthy back and neck, and a fully functional brain (some could argue otherwise, but it wasn't affected by the accident). On that perspective alone, I'm in great shape. Bikes can be rebuilt, pain will subside, and the money comes and goes. The experience, the learning, the joy that comes with success after overcoming an major obstacle is lasting and priceless. 

I'll paraphrase what I heard once from someone (how's that for a reference?). There are good days and great days. A good day is when everything goes well and you don't succumb to your demons. A great day is when everything goes wrong and you still don't succumb to your demons. My wife's wise words are also relevant. The more obstacles I run into the stronger I will be.