Thursday, September 25, 2014

Surviving the "KILLER Brick"!

In late-March I told you about the "CRAZY Brick", interval workout that the coaches over at TriAttic (http://www.TriAttic.com) hosted for area triathletes. You can read all about that workout and the lessons learned in my "Oh no, Let's Go... Crazy Brick!" post.


Last Sunday, my journey to my first IRONMAN at IRONMAN Florida went through a workout my coach calls a "KILLER Brick"! The "KILLER Brick" is done as:
  • Bike 40-miles / Run 4-miles.
  • Bike 30-miles / Run 3-miles.
  • Bike 20-miles / Run 2-miles.
  • Bike 10-miles / Run 1-mile.
Total mileage for the workout is 100-miles on the bike and 10-miles on the run!

This workout is great for helping you lock in your hydration/nutrition and especially for getting your body used to that transition from bike to run! If you think a standard brick will help you get in touch with how your legs feel when you run right off the bike, imagine what doing it four times in one workout will do!

Other than the logistical issues and longer "transitions", as you lock up your bike and occasionally refill your bottles from your cooler between sets, there are really no downsides compared to the many great things to learn from this workout.



My "KILLER Brick" workout started with temperatures in the upper-60s. The workout ended a little under 8-hours later with temperatures in the lower-90s.

The "step-down" nature of the sets are a real psychological benefit to this particular workout. After the first set, you're "Nearly halfway done!" Well, 40% done, to be exact, but I trick my brain into thinking "nearly halfway". Then, as you're doing the second set, you realize that the second set is the combined distance of the third and fourth set. And, when you're done with the second set, you're "Nearly three-fourths of the way done!"

Yes, these little mind-games really helped me get through this one. Naturally, the challenge grew as the day progressed and the temperature rose. However, I managed to stay completely tuned in to my effort, my hydration, and my nutrition.

Assessing the overall workout afterwards, it really struck me that, even if I kept the excessive transition times in my total workout time, I'd still have over 9 hours to complete a 2.4-mile swim, an additional 12-mile bike, and an additional 16-mile run. So, if I even took 2 hours to do the swim, rode the last 12-miles at a 12 mph pace for 1 hour, and then walked the 16-miles at a 20:00 min/mi, I'd still finish well under the 17-hour cutoff. I'd have 40 minutes to spare, in fact!


While a 16-hour IRONMAN isn't what I'm planning, the confidence I gained, that I can do this, from the KILLER Brick was huge!

So, get out there and tackle a KILLER Brick to build your confidence! And if you're successful, feel free to grab a little bite to eat after, as a reward!




Friday, September 19, 2014

One In A Row!




As triathletes, we all have fears. Fear of not living up to our potential and meeting our own goals. Fear of not living up to the expectations of others. Fear of not finishing. And, many more! These certainly apply to my IRONMAN journey. More important than the fears themselves are how we proactively deal with those fears. Some common recommendations for dealing with fears are:




  • Breaking Down Roadblocks: Creating a roadmap of individual tasks that will help you gain confidence. This is more valuable than simply focusing on the overwhelming totality of your final goal.
  • Facing Your Fears: Once you've identified the individual tasks, you set out to accomplish them. You face those fears and put them aside. Examples for IRONMAN training might be completing your first 100-mile+ bike ride, completing your first half-IRONMAN distance triathlon, completing your first open water swim, etc.
  • Don't Compare Yourself to Others: I sincerely hope you read my previous post, "How to ALWAYS Win!", on Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation?! MOST people will perform better and be much happier by being intrinsically motivated. Find what is inside you and within YOUR abilities and focus on that. This not only applies to races, but to individual training events! You might outswim, outbike, and outrun your training partner 99% of the time. Do NOT let an off day allow fear to creep in or intensify.
  • Begin: Making the decision to simply start breaking down roadblocks by facing your fears is a commitment to finish!

One of the ways I have dealt with MY fears has been to set goals and milestones. These were roadblocks to be broken down as I faced my fears. One of my biggest goals was to do my BEST to NOT miss workouts. I am not Superman. I did not have any false, fixed expectations of not missing a single workout during the months and months of training I was undertaking for IRONMAN Florida. More than most, I have an incredibly supportive employer, family, and network of friends. They have all gone above and beyond to ensure that the daily requirements of work, family, and life, in general, have not stood in my way anymore than necessary. I plan to devote an entire post to this amazing support system in the future!

By now, I hope you have also read my "IRONMAN Florida Training Camp Lessons!" post about my big, IRONMAN Florida Training Camp?! This was a weekend of big workouts and a very important milestone in my journey. Having less than stellar workouts weighed heavily on me physically and mentally. For some reason, I also did not sleep very well during the weekend. Regardless of the weekend's let-downs, I reached deep and managed to rally and have a really strong swim on Monday.

Then, Tuesday dawned with lots of promise. Throughout the day, I was watching the weather closely and it looked like having to head home a bit early, after an eye care appointment with my youngest daughter, was going to be a real blessing! An early start might allow me to get in a tough, 1:40 bike workout just before the heavier rains came in. The weather wasn't on my side, this day. Leaving my daughter's appointment, we were met by heavy rains. By the time we got home, the rain was accompanied with thunder and lightning. No outdoor ride, for sure. Feeling a little more tired than usual, I was going to pass on a hard, trainer workout and maybe do a nice, one-hour spin to at least get something positive in.

After dinner with my daughters, I decided to take a very uncharacteristic nap. Two hours later, I awoke to stumble downstairs, give the girls final instructions for the evening, and promptly return to bed. My eyes didn't open again until the alarm went off at 4:15 am for the next day's swim workout. It was official, workouts for Tuesday... MISSED! Streak over!

When speaking with people who are undertaking "streaks" of one kind or another, you often hear of a kind of relief once that streak comes to an end. I guess I do feel that to some degree. Putting things in perspective, my body was clearly in need of some quality rest. We are always encouraged to "listen to our bodies", but often fail to do so. Based on how I felt the next day, I'm really glad I listened.

Another key thing that I've always understood and support is something I saw stated, better than I ever could have, in a recent Triathlete magazine article, "A well-planned training regimen is not a fragile house of cards, and one missed workout (even a big one) will not cause the house to come tumbling down."


As a mediocre, at best, age group athlete, there is no "Kona slot" in my future. I'm doing this (IRONMAN) to find what I'm capable of. I have an outstanding coach and my plan is not a house of cards. My journey will not come crashing down based on missing this or possibly even some additional, future workouts!

BUT... I did wake up, completely refreshed, at 4:15 am the next day. I shaved and got myself to the pool for a 1-hour swim workout. My 100-yard swim times were well below my usual T-Pace. I felt GREAT after! My workout streak became ONE IN A ROW! One. In. A. Row! Woot! Yahoo! Let's do this!!!




Wednesday, September 17, 2014

IRONMAN Florida Training Camp Lessons!

This past weekend, I came face-to-face with one of the milestones I have had for my IRONMAN Florida journey since well before even signing up. Watching my friends accomplish their IRONMAN Florida dreams last year, I made note of the incredible sense of accomplishment and confidence they gained from attending the IRONMAN Florida Training Camp. I wanted that sense of accomplishment, the confidence, and the camaraderie offered by the IRONMAN Florida Training Camp. I counted down the days.

The 2014 IRONMAN Florida Training Camp, hosted by LifeSport Coaching, with coaches from LifeSport Coaching (http://lifesportcoaching.com/) (Chuck Kemeny and Marci Gray), Velocity Multisport Coaching (http://www.velocitymultisport.com/) (Jennifer Vogel), and Revolutions Triathlon Coaching (http://www.revtricoaching.com/) (Jeff Bowman) was held the weekend of September 12 - 14 at the amazing Laketown Wharf in beautiful Panama City Beach, Florida!. This offered a chance to swim, bike, and run the IRONMAN Florida course with first-class support from a dedicated and super-helpful group of volunteers. Evening educational/Q&A sessions and networking with the other 80+ athletes in attendance was incredible!

One of the personal highlights of the weekend was finally getting to meet the incomparable Shawna Block. Shawna is an incredible triathlete and fellow blogger. Having followed the blog detailing her IRONMAN Florida journey, I have consistently wondered if she could actually be as personable and down-to-earth as she reads in her blog. Somehow… she is! Shawna is probably one of the most genuine people I have met in my life! Please go get to know Shawna over at her Building Block blog at: http://buildingblockblog.blogspot.com/.

Now, before I get to the main point of this post, I just want to, again, stress how AMAZING all of the coaches and volunteers were. They did an AMAZING job of keeping up with the 80+ athletes on the 100-mile+ bike course, the 14-mile run course, and during the mass, swim start practice on the beach. We were kept safe and well-supported throughout the weekend. Just an amazing bunch and I am grateful for their time!

Did I mention that they charged NOTHING for this training camp?! Instead, they simply invited attendees to make a voluntary donation to a collection of three charities selected by the coaches! It was an awesome feeling to get so much from this camp AND know that I was also able to do something for some very worthy causes! In fact, if you would like to make a donation (Every little bit helps!) to these worthy causes, please click here before Friday, September 19, 2014: http://www.microgiving.com/cause/im-training-camp-fundraiser-for-cops-for-kids-south-city-multisport-club-and-dsaj

Now, on to the good and bad of IRONMAN Florida Training Camp. My goal on Saturday was to ride 100+ miles of the IRONMAN Florida course. At the beginning of the ride, I had a number of things I wanted to “focus” on during this ride. I wanted to get a really good feel for the course and memorize as many landmarks as possible. Cutting my rides/runs up into chunks helps me get through them and know when and where I need to put out and pull back on my energy usage. Knowing, “I have a pretty good downhill stretch after this turn!” or “There is a turn coming up after this stretch and the wind will be at my back!”, can be a big help on race day! Another point of focus, as always, was to stay on top of my hydration and nutrition. When it was time to eat, I was eating. When it was time to take a SaltStick, I was taking a SaltStick. When it was time to drink, I was drinking. I started off slower than I wanted to and picked it up after the first 11 miles. There, I made a few, very crucial mistakes.

My minor goals were given too much focus and I lost focus of the most important goals. I did not pay attention to what should ALWAYS be your main goal… knowing your plan and listening to your body. I simply did not stay within my goals for effort. For me this can be measured by heart rate and/or rate of perceived effort (RPE). In hindsight, BOTH of these were telling me that I was riding too hard.

The day of the bike at IRONMAN Florida Training Camp saw temperatures in the mid-90’s with a heat index well into the 100’s. Fortunately, this was not that foreign to me and I had trained in similar and even hotter. The problem I encountered was that, even though I stayed on top of my hydration and nutrition for my NORMAL effort, I was not taking in enough electrolytes for the increased effort I was putting out that day. 

The heat and the increased effort depleted my electrolytes. Going up the steep incline of the bridge, at mile 89, I started feeling the first twinges of cramping. I went over the bridge at an easy pace and pulled into a parking lot shortly after. I was doing OK until I got off of the bike to stretch. I was immediately hit with cramps. My legs (quads) locked up, tight. I have a pretty good idea that this was related to electrolytes as I was cramping everywhere… legs, groin, arms, feet, and even my jaw. Fortunately, I was not completely disabled by this and was able to do some light stretching and quickly mounted back up. The final 11+ miles were completed much, much slower than my normal pace, but I was really trying to save myself for the rest of the weekend’s workouts.(Bridge Photo)

Of all of the negatives I brought upon myself that day, I still managed to find some positives. The biggest was that I did a good job of realizing I was in trouble and changing things up to minimize the damage. Continuing to push would have been catastrophic! As it was, I was able to get back, replenish electrolytes and ended up having a very respectable swim that afternoon and ~14-mile run the next morning! Even with a body still sore from the cramping!

I have worked very hard this year and have had some really terrific, long workouts. I think this lead to a certain amount of complacency. IRONMAN Florida Training Camp could not have come at a better time to give me a proverbial smack on the nose to remind me that I am not impervious to suffering if I go to hard. You can rest assured that no matter what happens during the rest of my training and on race day, I am going to remember to always put the main focus on my plan and staying in touch with my effort as it compares to that plan!