Looking Ahead
As I think over my classic bonk session a couple of days ago, here's what will change. More sodium. I did some quick research today, and the highest sodium gel I could find is Power Bar Gel with 4X sodium @ 200 mg. It also has 27 grams of carbs, and at $1.50 per pack, its probably a good investment.
Then I did a little more research. Reduced Fat ToastChee from Lance has 250 mg sodium and 23 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein. It retails for less than 40 cents per pack.
Then I thought, why not just add salt to my water bottles. More to come...
Wake Up Call
Yesterday was a wake up call for me. After returning from a vacation at Cape Cod, I went on my last long bike ride before the Duke HIM. Temps up there were a cool 65-70 degrees for the last couple of days, and buttered lobster was everywhere. Wanting to ride the course, I drove to the race site and started off at around noon. I wasn't prepared...for quite a few things.
The first hour saw 20 miles go by without a hitch. Not bad, I thought. The second hour saw only 13 miles. The road was full of 18-wheelers and construction trucks and I was constantly pelted by their flying debris. I was almost run of the road by a construction crew truck escorting cars past a resurfacing project and had to ditch on the shoulder. After a few minutes rest and an equipment check, I was back in business and rode hard for a while longer.
By this time the temperature was 97 degrees, probably hotter on the road. Salt crystals were forming on my skin, dehydration was setting in, and my legs started cramping really hard. I didn't anticipate the heat, and hadn't even looked at the weather forecast. Luckily, my head was clear, but it wouldn't stay that way with more hard riding, so I slowed down. I ran completely out of water and had to stop three times to fill up. One stop was a random house at the side of the road. After a short chat with the extremely nice owner, the well water went down nice and cool.
I limped back to the car, and barely rode over 10 mph for the last 15 because of the cramps and my overall sorry condition. I cursed myself for being so stupid. I've been in heat before and have seen the damage it can do. I've called in med-evac helicopters for heat stroke victims, and known people who have come close to death. It takes a long time to replenish water and electrolytes, and I put myself dangerously close to a serious state.
Lessons learned:
1) I will not train for a long time in hot conditions.
2) I will do long rides on the weekends.
3) I will always carry more water than I think I need.
4) I will take salt tablets during long rides; or find some other way to get more sodium.
5) I will be more prepared for the upcoming race and other events in general.
6) I have a hard head and need to make mistakes in order to truly appreciate the consequences.
Dad's World II
Here are the pics of my older son. The last one is awesome as he pushed it at the end. He really swam well, and wants do do more.
Other training news; the Duke half iron training is going well. 60 mile ride and 10.5 mile run last weekend. Tomorrow is a 2500 yd swim. Next week is the final build week according to Friel. Then I start my taper. I'm headed on vacation next week, and I'm looking forward to many training opportunities. We've rented a house on a pond; open water!
Have a good week folks,
Dad's World
I have two great boys. They act crazy most of the time at home (they're fine at school), but we usually have fun doing just about anything. I've mentioned before that my insanity is rubbing off on my family. My wife ran her first 5K in June, and seeing her compete and finish strong was so exciting. Recently, she heard about a group that does kids triathlons and other events in order to promote fitness for children. I was excited when I heard about it, and the boys just about jumped out of their skins when asked if they wanted to race a triathlon!
My 6 year old would swim 50 yds, bike 1.5 miles and run .5 miles, and the 10 year old would swim 100 yds, bike 3 and run 1. They were stoked!
I had one problem. The Mission Man sprint was scheduled the same day. There was no way to do both, and my wife even said, "You go ahead and run it." Well, the thought of my two boys whom I love more than anything competing in a sport that I love was too hard to pass up. After some schedule switching, Mission Man was dropped, and the Kids In Training Triathlon at Meadowmont was added to the schedule.
We had a blast swimming laps at the Y, I found it worked best if we all jumped in the same lane and did pull bouy, kick board or whatever in no particular order. At their ages, its all about attantion span. We biked and ran a mile course in the neighborhood. They always asked me to take them out; it was great! When the day came they were ready to race and I was ready to watch, and take pictures of course. It was awesome watching them go. The pictures are below and just about speak for themselves.
My youngest waiting for his turn.
He laid a huge black skid mark right after I snapped this image and almost ran over a course volunteer.
I wish I smiled when I ran...
I can't get any others to upload, so I'll post the older son's pics soon.
New Favorite Workout
I have a new favorite workout...brick intervals. This morning I with a 3 mile bike that includes a large hill, and I added a .75 mile run immediately afterward. I completed 2 reps in the time available. The next session I'll go for 4 or more as I move toward the "build" phase of my half-iron training plan.
The weekend has a 60 mile bike scheduled. Looking forward to testing the new saddle. I've increased the frequency of bike workouts, so that they're at least half of my total workout time. Afterall, "its all about the bike..."
Other race thoughts include getting a "bento box" to mount on my top tube to hold gels and a PBJ or two! I also want hold a cell phone to call my wife and update her on my progress. Is it against the rules? I won't ask her and the boys to wait for hours to see me four times. We live about 45 minutes from the race site, so if I call her half way into the bike, she and the boys can see me transition to the run, and follow the race from there.
Latest Itunes download: Stardog Champion - MotherLoveBone
Training Highlights
I started the weekend right with a 1' 20'' run on Friday night. The temp was a sultry 87 degrees at 8pm, but that is summer in the south folks. I had a gel after mile three and cytomax throughout with no stomach upset. Worries are starting to subside about the half-iron nutrition plan; as long as I save the black bean salsa for the post race party! What to eat for solid food is still a concern. Without it I will be starving during the 6 hour endurance party. I thought of cereal bars; low in fiber; small enough with enough carbs, and if eaten during the bike leg, they should be OK for the run.
I bought a new saddle last week hoping to ease some discomfort in my left leg. After about an hour of pedaling in the aero; I get a pain that starts under my left "sit bone" and travels down to the knee. My stock saddle has a channel running down the middle; and I think the edge of the channel is rubbing on a nerve. This will be a good experiment; but I need to get it right soon, or the highlight of my racing season could turn out to be 3 hours of torture.
This week will see a long run mid-week and long bike this weekend. I may go to the course and do some advance recon; but the jury is still out (haven't confirmed with my better 2/3rds yet).
Later,
Well, summer break is over. At least mine is. I totally fell off the blog wagon. I have some catching up to so on your posts; which I look forward to reading.
I've done two races, Kerr Lake Olympic and the Triangle Sprint. Kerr was the first one for that distance and it was a total blast. I finished in 2:28, so I completely suprised myself. The Triangle Sprint saw improvement too, 1:28. I learned a valuable lesson on that one my friends. Black bean salsa is not good to eat the night before. Cramp city...
Today I signed up for the Duke half iron on September 10th. More to come on the mental saga that has been. I'll close for now, need to get the monkeys to bed. I'm back friends!
