IM Date: 9/24/09 - It all starts again...

IM Date: 9/13/09 - Race Day - Part 5 - final time

My final, official finishing time was 13 hours, 27 minutes and 25 seconds.

(Special thanks to ASI Photo for the picture.)

IM Date: 9/13/09 - RACE DAY part 4 - the run

RUN - As I made my way out to the run course the crowds downtown were huge. It was about 3:00pm and it was pretty hot, but I knew I would take the first 6 miles easy and then take it from there. I crossed paths with the overall winner shortly after I started my run which I thought was cool to see.

The course was two-loops and started by taking us from downtown over to the campus of UW-Madison. We ran one lap around the football field that the Badger football team played on the day before. We then made our way over to a park area around the some campus buildings and just after mile 5 (and again mile 18) encountered the largest hill on the course. After running down the backside of the hill we went back into an area of town with tons of people.

We made the turn around and I was happy to be about 1/4 of the way done. I was hot and tired but overall I felt pretty good, all things considered. We followed a path through some woods around a lake and came back through the same park as before. I chatted a bit with other runners on the course which was nice, especially for someone who does the vast majority of their training alone.

As I approached downtown I finally saw Jodee for the first time all day. I was happy to see her finally and even more happy that she had a big smile on her face. I made it back into down town and could see the finish line as I made my turn to start my second loop. I stopped at the "special needs bag area" and changed my shirt. This felt as good as anything since the compression shirt I had on was starting to feel like it was squeezing like constrictor. I headed back out and felt myself starting to slow down. I knew I was ahead of any time cut-off and ahead of where i thought I'd be at this point so I didn't really care too much. Finishing was the number one objective and now that was in sight.

I tried to just stay hydrated and wouldn't have thought that having cola at the water stops would be as great as it was. I took water and some oranges as well and had my GU gels every 45 minutes or so and made my way through the last half of the course with a combination of running (okay, a jogging-type motion) and walking. The balance between the two slowly (and steadily) shifted from more running to more walking over the course of the two loop run.

The sun started going down as I made my way through the woods on the second lap and it was completely dark by the time I made my way out of the park. I saw Jodee again at about mile 23 as I made my way closer to downtown and again she was smiling which was great to see. When I got back into the downtown area, the crowds got thicker and thicker along the side of the road. I saw my dad just before I made the turn on the last long straightaway and last few blocks of the race. It was great to see a familiar face and hear his words of encouragement and to hear him say how proud he was.

The last couple of blocks seem kind of like a dream...so many people and it was so loud from all of the cheering. All of my aches, pains and fatigue vanished and I felt like I was floating on air as I came up to the big IronMan finish-line archway with my arms raised over my head.

Run Time - 5:01:12 - about what I had hoped for.

The 372 days since we registered had passed.

All of the planning, training, time, money, blood (literally), sweat and tears were all worth it.

It was done.

I made it through.

I had finished.

I was an IronMan.

IM Date: 9/13/09 - RACE DAY part 3 - the bike

BIKE -

As I ran out of the convention center, I had to run up one level of the parking ramp to where our bikes were. I heard a volunteer yell my number down to another who had my bike waiting for me as I ran up to him...are these volunteers great, or what?!?!? I then ran down to the bike-mount area and rode down the "helix" and out on to the bike course. As I was leaving the convention center area I saw my dad on the side of the road and we yelled to each other. Friendly faces are always nice to see.

We headed out of town and started the first of two loops. As you can see from the elevation chart above, the bike course was not only long...but VERY hilly. Jodee and I had heard a wide range of comments about the bike course before the race. Everything from "It's the worst" to "It's not really that bad". Well, all I have to say is that all of those people who said it wasn't "that bad" lied! That's right, they lied! There were three of the most punishing hills I have ever ridden in my life on that course. And not only did we get to ride them once...but twice. The coolest part of them (if there is one) is that it was just like watching the Tour de France on t.v. There were people lined all the way up the hills, sometimes 2-3 people deep and some would run along side of you, yelling encouragement to you as you pumped your way up. That was cool...that was really f---ing cool.

It's hard to recall very much more of the bike...the words "it was hell" just seem to keep popping up in my mind. I did see my dad on my second loop...just before getting to the big hills for the second time. I saw one poor cyclist just run out of gas on one of the big hills. He was standing up, trying to make it up and just couldn't do it. He then proceeded to fall over...ouch. The only other crash I saw was during my first loop. We were riding along this country highway and we saw an ambulance parked facing us in the opposite lane. As we passed it I saw two cyclists, standing with a medic looking at one of them. As we got passed you could see the whole side of his face was scrapped off and bloody along with scraped and tears in his shorts and jersey...double ouch.

I had to make just two bathroom breaks on the course and my eating went well. But by the end of the ride I was tired of almond butter sandwiches and Hammer energy gels. The ride back into Madison seemed much longer than the ride out of town (go figure) and it was only then where we really felt much wind.

As we approached Monona Terrace I happy with my thoughts that the long, hot (85 degrees and humid) and hilly ride was over. But alas...it wasn't. To end the ride we had then ride back up the helix of the parking ramp to dismount our bikes. All I could think was, "Really? One more more? We couldn't dismount down here and take an escalator or something?" Oh well.

Bike Time - 6:45:56 (16.6 mph pace) - about what I figured. I was ahead of the cut-off times and I was a pretty happy camper.

As I dismounted my bike a volunteer took it for me and I ran inside the convention center to get my run bag and change. Again a volunteer helped me with all of my stuff and I changed as quickly as I could. I took a minute to stretch my hips a bit and ran out of the building. I made a pit-stop at the port-a-potties and the sunscreen station before heading out to the run course.

Transition 2 time - 10:46 - better than my first one, even with the potty break.

IM Date: 9/13/09 - RACE DAY part 2 - the swim

SWIM - We got into the water at approx. 6:50am. Unlike most every other triathlon, the IronMan starts as a mass, deep-water start. What that means is we all get out into the water and when the cannon goes off, we all start at once.

With more than 2,500 of us in the water, when the cannon went off, to say it was crowded would be an understatement. But overall the swim went pretty well. A couple times as I was swimming, when I breathed to the side I could see the convention center with all of the people and all I could think was: "Wow...it's finally here, we're finally doing it!"

By the time we we were about half-way through the first of two loops the "crowd" had begun to spread out somewhat. As I rounded the first lap I was able to take a quick look at my watch and saw I was at approx. 38 minutes; a little ahead of where I thought I'd be. I knew with all those swimmers I'd end up swimming a little more than the 2.4 miles just from trying to stay clear of people and not being able to hug the inside of the buoys. Aside from some kicks and elbows and one instance of being swam over and inhaling a mouth/lung full of water, I made it through the rest of the swim pretty well. It was great to see the volunteer at the edge of the lake extend his arm to help me out.

Swim Time: 1:17:58 - well ahead of where I thought I might finish. I was a happy camper.

After getting out of the water we came up a row of volunteers and one looked at me and said: "Lay down!" I don't know if they find volunteers with super-human strength for this particular assignment, but as soon as I did, she proceeded to strip me of my wetsuit with one big pull. I checked to make sure my little swim briefs were still on me and I grabbed my wetsuit and ran back up the "helix" (which was lined with people 3-deep) and into Monona Terrace to get my bike bag and change. I have to say the volunteers were amazing and once inside, a volunteer come over and asked what he could do for me. He emptied my bag and laid all of my things out for me as I changed into my bike gear. Not sure who you were...but THANK YOU!!! I got in and out about as quickly as I could.

Transition 1 Time: 11:35 - not bad, about what I thought it would take.

IM Date: 9/13/09 - RACE DAY part 1

PRE-RACE

Race came early for Jodee and I as our alarms went off at 3:30am.

We got up and I had my usual race day meal of oatmeal with protein, banana and some brown sugar. (Why break tradition now, right?)

We ate, got dressed and grabbed our wetsuits and morning clothes drop bag and headed over to the Monona Terrace Convention Center. Everything would be centered around Monona Terrace. Our swim would take place in Lake Monona, our bikes were "racked" on the top level of the parking ramp, our bike and run clothes were in rooms in the convention center and we would be changing inside the convention center as well.

After filling our water bottles on our bikes and checking our tires, etc. we met up with my dad and talked a bit before putting on our wetsuits, dropping our morning clothes bags and heading down to the lake. As we walked down the "helix" (spiral down ramp) of the parking ramp, the size of the crowd was unreal. As we walked to the water's edge...it all became very real.

IM Date: 9/11/09 - 2 Days to go...

It's Friday night and there's just two days to go...really just one day and 6 hours before we get body marked and ready to go into the lake.

We are all signed in, got our numbers and bags and swim caps, etc., etc.

Time to sort everything out and hand in our transition bags and our bikes tomorrow.

My dad and Sue will meet us in Madison tomorrow afternoon to meet up and eat before Jodee and I head back to our hotel for (hopefully) a good night's sleep.

The time is drawing near...

Race Day Weather Update

Updated forecasts today seem much improved...at least from a rain perspective.

Sun
Sep 13

Mostly Sunny

79°
54°

10%

79°F

That would be a bit on the warm side...but I'll take some heat over the rain.

Now let's hope the wind isn't too bad.

IM Date: 9/10/09 - 3 Days to go...

Well, here we are...travel day.

We are heading to Madison later today.

We are all packed and ready to go.

I have a lot of traveling to do in the next few days before the race.

Not until today did I start to feel anxious about the race, but now that we are leaving today I just want to get there and get it underway.

I'll be happy when we are out in the water and the gun has sounded and we are under way.

I'll try to post at least once more before race day, but if not...I will post as soon as I can afterwards.

Before I go I want to just say thanks to everyone who has helped us out with this event.

From moral support, to coming to watch us compete, to help with Andrew while we trained...THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to EVERYBODY.

It means the world to us and we couldn't do it without every one of you.

Updated Weather -

From our friends at channel3000.com - the updated weather for Madison on Sunday:

SUNDAY:
Mostly cloudy with scattered showers.
Low: 53
High: 71

I can deal with those temps...hopefully "scattered" will "scatter away from the area by then!

IM Date: 9/9/09 - Welcome to Race Week - 5 Days to go

Here we are boys and girls...it's race week.

All of the real training is in the books.

Not too much left to do except hydrate, rest and eat well.

We picked up some cold-weather gloves over the weekend just in case.

We'll be watching the forecast closely in the coming days.

Other than that, Jodee and I are packed and ready to leave on Thursday.

I will post as much as I can until the race...a lot of that will depend on web availability.

More to come...

IM Date: 9/6/09 - 7 Days to go...

Yeah, I said it...7 days. Just one week and we'll be in Madison, racing the 2009 IronMan Wisconsin.

We had a good bike and run today - 3 hour ride and a short, 20-minute run.

Starting tomorrow, training is all but done. No day has more than an hour of training and we have 2 full rest days.

But the rest of our schedule for the week is nuts.

Getting everything done and getting back and forth to Madison Thursday/Friday/Saturday will be a juggling act...but we'll make it work.

My dad and Sue will be meeting us in Madison on Saturday...it will be great to see them and have them there.

More to come...

IM Date 9/4/09 - 9 Days to go...

All I can say is "Holy %@#$" there's only 9 days to go...

I had a great run this morning, as the sun was coming up, the fog was coming up off the ponds near my house and it was very calm and still. It was the kind of morning you wish every morning was like.

I was thinking about everything we've put into this race and I thought, in honor of that I'd do my very own "12 Things about IronMan"

So here goes...

12: 12 months since we got up at 2:45 to drive to Madison to stand in line in the rain to write our names on a piece of paper then turn around and drive home.

11: 1,100 (eleven-hundred) plus miles I have run this year already in preparation for this race.

10: 10 visits to the Chiropractor

9: 9 trips to Brainerd, Hugo, Hinkley, Wyoming and Forest Lake for long bike rides.

8: 8 peanut butter (actually almond butter) sandwiches I will pack to eat on the bike leg of the race.

7: 7-plus hours we spent riding from Hinckley to Carlton, Minnesota on our longest (112 mile) training ride this summer.

6: 6 trips to the bike shop

5: 5 cartridges of CO2 I will carry on the bike

4: 4 pair of running shoes I've gone through this year getting ready for the IronMan.

3: 3 iPods I bought this training season - one a casualty of getting caught in the rain, one stopped working for an unknown reason and one (knock on wood) that still works!

2: 2 lost toenails this summer.

1: 1 singular, all-important focus this year...finishing this race. It all comes down to this.

IM Date: 9/3/09 - 10 Days to go...

Just 10 more days...

Today was good. I got in my last long swim; 3 miles in the pool this morning.

Tomorrow we'll be in single-digits...

Next week at this time we'll be in Madison.

IM Date: 9/2/09 - 11 Days and counting...

Just a quick post for the day...

As you can see from the photo to the left, I got through my first "torture" appointment with Kelly at the chiropractor's office. Painful just doesn't seem to capture the true spirit of the appointment.

But hopefully it pays off on race day.

That's all for now...I have to go fill up my water bottles and try and flush all of the toxins from my poor, limp body.

IM Date: 9/1/09 - 12 days and counting...

12 days and counting...had to order a long-sleeve jersey, hopefully it will get here by the end of the week to wear it on Sunday's ride. We need to pick up full-finger gloves before we leave for Madison as well. Not sure what the temp will be on race day, but I'm sure the morning will be chilly.

Just a few more small details to take care of before the race.

IM Date: 8/31/09 - Week 17 - 13 days and counting...

Wow...here we are, less than two weeks to go until race day. Things begin to taper this week, but we still have three swims on the program. Our long ride this week is just 3 hours and running mileage is way down. It will be tough to taper after training so hard for so long. But it is very important that we do.

Yesterday's long ride in very chilly temps has made me realize we need to both pick up some full-fingered gloves before the race. It very well may be a very cold morning in Madison.

This week I have my first of two "torture" appointments with Kelly at Dr. Nash's office in Hopkins to work on my legs to loosen them up (hamstrings/IT bands) before the race. Cramping up in the middle of a 2.4 mile swim in the middle of Lake Monona is not on my list of things to do. It will hurt, but if it keeps me going and feeling good on race day...it's all worth it.

That's all for today...I will continue to try and post every day until race day.

More to come...

8/28/09: 16 Days and Counting...

A sweet sixteen days to go until race day...

Happy Friday...had a good swim yesterday afternoon and again this morning. (Man I hate chlorine)

Arms are feeling it today...

Need a good massage.

My last intense day of training will be tomorrow. (Good because I'm taking Andrew to the State Fair tomorrow too–I sure do miss Jim & Joe's)

8/27/09: 17 Days and counting...

I'm just sitting,

waiting for an email

so I can send off a project

and get to a meeting.

Hoping that all of the confusion

doesn't interfere with my plans

to leave early (I was in at 6:30 am)

and get my long swim in this afternoon.

Feeling better though...

planning, training, eating, etc.

Where's that email?!?!?!?

IM Date: 8/26/09 - 18 Days and counting

18 days to go and just a quick post for the day. We read through the "Athlete's Guide" that was sent to us and all I can say is....Holy Crap! Lots of rules!

I had good ride (90 minutes) and run (30 minutes) this morning, and the weather was very nice out...which is always a plus. Planning to get some training later today at MMAA.

Need to get my head in the right place...too much stress with too many other things and it's getting close to race day.

Back soon...

IM Date: 8/25/09 - Week 16 - 19 Days and Counting

I planned to do a countdown from 20 days out, but was at a training seminar for work all day yesterday and didn't get a chance to post. Wow, less than 3 weeks to go...just 19 days. Lots of things happening as of late. We got our "Athlete's Guide" for the race and the schedule leading up to the race will be crazy-hectic to say the least.

There are some mandatory things that I hadn't accounted for and it looks like I will be driving to and from Madison twice before the race. It should be fine, my sleep shouldn't suffer much so sitting in my truck versus sitting my office chair isn't much different. As long as I'm there and ready on Sunday, I don't care how I get there. Like I said in one of my first posts, if I have to drag my limp body across that finish line I will do it.

As far as training goes, it's a full week with our last long day coming this Sunday with a 4 hour ride and a short, 20 minute run. Lots of swimming this week too. Then next week we really start to taper down...which will be tough to do after all this time training so hard.

I'm going to try and post even more frequently in this last 19 days...so stay tuned!

IM Date: 8/18/09 - Week 15

With less than 4 weeks to go, our longest rides and runs are now behind us (20 mile run Saturday and 112 miles on the bike a week ago) training starts to begin to taper now and we are on the "down-side" of the training program.

We have our bikes back from trailhead, nutrition pretty much dialed-in for race day and the rest of our equipment in place and ready to go. We just need to sit down and make lists of everything we need for each part of the race. There are check-points and drop bags we can leave at the half-way points of both the bike and run, which will give us a chance to "re-load" our supplies of food, hydration and any equipment or clothing we need.

This week's training is pretty much in-line with recent weeks, Swim 1.5 hours/run 1 hour, a two hour run, ride 30 min./run 30 min. and the longest day on Sunday riding 5 hours with a 40 minute run. Tapering can be hard to do after training this hard for this long...but we need to stay "on-program" and taper when it tells us to so we are not over-trained when we get to Madison.

Have a great week...

IM Date: 8/13/09 - One month to go...

I thought I would take a minute to recognize this day...we are now one calendar month away from the big day in Madison.

Let's all collectively hope for the following things:

- the rest of training goes smooth and injury-free

- the weather on race day is decent (I'd love to say "ideal", but decent will do)

- our bodies hold up throughout the event and we have a great race

that's not too much to ask...is it???

IM Date: 8/12/09 - Week 14

Just 5 weeks left and time is flying by. We got our longest ride out of the way and now our bikes are at our favorite bike shop (Trailhead Cycle - www.trailheadcyclingandfitness.com) for a tune up and some additional equipment. This will give us a few weeks to make sure everything is good-to-go before Madison.

This week sees our program begin to taper the distances, but we do more and more combo days of training two things together. I think one of the best things to come out of this experience is our much improved knowledge of nutrition and the ability to listen to our bodies to make sure we have the fuel and hydration we need. We've done a fair amount of research on these topics and it seems to be paying off in training...let's hope it continues through race day in Madison.

Tomorrow is August 13th, one calendar month away from race day...any additional prayers for good weather would be much appreciated!

As always...more to come!

IM Date: 8/10/09 - Update

2.4 miles swim - Check

26.2 mile run - Check

112 miles on the bike with "road-side maintenance" - CHECK!

Well yesterday we did knocked out our longest ride yet...112 miles. We rode from Hinckley to just past Carlton, MN yesterday. After a stormy Saturday night complete with Tornado warnings and everything, we were a bit nervous about what Sunday would be like. The skies when we woke up Sunday didn't help to calm our nerves much. It was very dark and cloudy as we headed out towards Hinckley, MN.

But as the morning wore on, the clouds broke a bit and it was a nice day weather-wise. We ran into some mechanical trouble just after we turned around at the half-way point and after not one, but two failed CO2 cartridges, we were down to just one left and the goofiest pump I've seen...but we made it work. And good thing, because we were more than 50 miles from our truck and in the middle of nowhere. But we finished out the ride and ended it feeling good, but happy to be done.

Just five weeks to go...

IM Date: 8/5/09 - Weeks 12 -13

Wow...time flies and I apologize for the lack of updates. Things have been crazy and time has gotten away from me. Let's see...where to start; the Chisago Lakes Tri went well: Jodee smashed her time from last year and Andrew's bike was AWESOME! He averaged 17.85 mph for the 22-mile ride. Incredible for just 10 years old. My swim was "blah" but my run was good and over all Andrew and I came in 7th in the relay division. Pretty good for an 10 year old and an old guy : ) Last weekend Jodee and I rode the Tour de Tonka ride and did pretty well. It was very hilly and very windy that day. But our over all time was good and we ended the 75 mile ride feeling good.

On the injury front, my arm is getting better and I almost feel ready to start lifting again. Hopefully I will be able to start lifting again soon.

This weekend Jodee and I have the longest ride of our training program: a seven-hour ride that will take us from Hinkley almost to Duluth and back to Hinkley again. Hopefully the weather will cooperate that day and we'll have a good ride.

More to come...and more often, promise!

IM Date: 7/20/09 - Week 11 (Race Week)

Week 11 and the times continues to fly by. Last week was a decent week for training but a bad one for injuries. On Monday of last week I hurt my left arm, something in my elbow pretty badly and basically my arm went tingly and very weak. Come to find out the ligaments in my arm were stressed and pulled out of joint, rendering one of the muscles all but useless. After seeing Dr. Nash twice I have some strength back in it. I was able to swim 30 minutes by the end of the week, which was a huge improvement. Hopefully by later this week I can resume swimming like usual.

This week is more of the same, even more combination days of training. A couple of "highlights" this week will be running the torchlight run with Jodee and Andrew as well as doing the Chisago Lakes Triathlon as a relay team with Andrew on Sunday. I'll be swimming and running and he'll be handling the bike leg (20 miles) for us. Jodee will be doing the half Iron Man distance that day. Should be fun.

Let's all hope for quick healing!!!

IM Date: 7/13/09 - Week 10

Here we are...week 10 and the start of the second-half of the training program. Just like I thought, the time is flying by and Madison is getting closer and closer. This past weekend was the LifeTime Fitness triathlon in Minneapolis and it was a good event. Jodee and I both basically used it as a training day, but our times were better than last year and overall things went smoothly. It was the first event I've done using my wet suit and what a difference it makes. It's a totally different feeling swimming in a wet suit. The new bike was great too. I had a little trouble with nutrition this race, trying a new flavor of something I hadn't used before which gave me some stomach issues going into the run. But luckily they subsided after about a mile and I was able to have a decent run.

Andrew also had a race this past weekend–the LIfetime Fitness Kids Triathlon. He did very well finishing 2nd in his division and 3rd overall in the junior category. His strongest leg was not surprisingly the bike where he finished 1st in his division with a pace of 18.2 mph. As always...Jodee and I are very, very proud of him for competing.

As far as training goes this week, it's more of the same...nothing out of the ordinary. We are getting into more combination days where instead of just doing 2 hours on the bike, we do 90 minutes on the bike and a 30 minute run. These are good to help get the muscles used to transitioning from one activity to another. The biggest thing I need to do this week is get back on track with lifting. It has suffered as the other things (swimming, biking, running) have increased in training time.

More to come...

IM Date: 7/7/09 - Week 9 (Race Week)

Wow...week 9 of 18 and lots going on. This past weekend we ran the annual "Firecracker Runs" in Excelsior, MN and I ran with Andrew for his first 10k race. It was awesome and he did great. The picture in this post is he and I as we came into the park at the end of the race. On Sunday Jodee and I loaded up the bikes and drove to Hinkley, MN (about 80 miles north) and jumped on a trail and got in a great 75 mile training ride. It was a nice trail and a beautiful day.

This week is another long week and includes the LifeTime Fitness Triathlon. We are both doing the Olympic distance (.9 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike and a 10k run). We are both basically using it as a training day and hopefully I will finally get to use my wet suit for the first time. It's always a great event and very well run.

Other than that it's more of the same, lots of biking, running and swimming. By Sunday we'll be half-way through the program and September 13th will be here before we know it.

More soon...

IM Date: 6/29/09 - Week 8

Well here we are, week 8 of 18 and time is flying by. After a couple of weeks of traveling and other distractions, this week should be pretty much back to "normal." This weekend (on the 4th) Andrew will do his first 10k race. It's just .2 miles more than his long run last week, but this run will be on a very hilly course. It won't be an easy run for him. But I'm proud he wanted to try and do it. He planned on doing a 10k (that's pretty flat) on Labor Day and work towards it all summer...but then changed his mind and wanted to do this one first. I think after this one, the one on Labor Day will seem much easier.

This week I'll spend a lot of time in the: 4+ hours are planned. I got a little more than 2 hours in this morning and plan to be back in on Wednesday as well. A couple of long-er bike rides and a 2 hour run are all on the schedule this week. Hopefully the weather keeps up being nice...it sure is nice to train outdoors versus being "trapped" inside the club on a machine.

More to come...

IM Training Weeks 6 - 7: Review

Well, time has slipped away and the past couple of weeks went by with no posts. I was traveling both weeks: the first for work and then last week we were in Brainerd from Sunday - Thursday evening. Training was good and the week in Brainerd was better than good...it was great. I got a lot of miles in, both running and biking. We did a 63 mile bike one day and even Andrew did his longest run yet putting in 6 miles on the "Paul Bunyan Trail". The weather was nice and warm and we got some swimming and canoeing in too. It was a nice getaway and a great place to train. Jodee and I plan to go back up for our 6-7 hour training ride in August. Now on to week 8...

IM Date: 6/9/09 - Week 5 and updates

Wow...here we are at week 5 already.  The time is already flying by and the Iron Man will be here before I know it.  This week I will get two long swims in (one done this morning) along with 4 runs and two bikes.  Speaking of bikes, I haven't been out on mine since I got fitted last week at Gear West.  Last Sunday was cold and rainy, so I did my 3 hours on the trainer...I'm just thankful for iTunes and Entourage.  Hopefully the weather cooperates a bit better this week.  It's been pretty crappy so far...it is June and the high temp for the day should be at least in the 70's, not the 50's.

A little housekeeping to get out of the way as well:  May has come and gone very quickly and I logged 147 miles running.  Most of my injuries are feeling better.  My hip and shoulders are doing much better.  This is certainly a grueling training process and injuries just seem to come along with all of it.

More to come!

IM Date: 6/4/09 - Week 4

Sorry for the late posting this week...it's been a busy one, both with training and other things.  This past weekend Jodee ran the first Minneapolis Marathon and Andrew and I ran the 5k.  It was a nice day and everyone did well.  

This week's distances and times stay about the same except for the run "ratchets up" on Saturday with a 2 1/2 hour run.  I have two swims this week, one I have done and one I will do tomorrow morning.  The weather in Minnesota is getting nicer and nicer which is great.  The more I can train outside, the better.

Tonight I am going to Gear West to get my bike fitted for me and I can't wait.  It seems to have made a big difference for Jodee.  And I will take all the extra help I can get...112 miles is a long, long way.

Back soon...

IM Date: 5/29/09- Update

Time for an update...yesterday's long swim went very well.  I got about 2.5 miles in and felt good.  My goggles still tend to feel like cheese cutters on my face about an hour so yesterday I picked up some new TYR, wide view goggles that should be much more comfortable.  I will try them out next week and I hope they work.

Last night Jodee and I paid a visit to Gear West and got Jodee re-fitted on her bike - very cool.  They set her up on a trainer and then set up a video to analyze her riding.  It took about an hour and I think they made some HUGE improvements in how she'll ride.  They changed everything from her seat height and angle to her stem height and the angle and length of her aero-bars, angle of her handle bars, etc.  I think it will pay off over the next few months and most importantly over the 112 miles of the Iron Man.  I made an appointment for next week for myself and I can't wait.

With the additions in the last week, we have now jumped ahead on our "expenses list" for the event.  The new goggles, the bike fitting and new saddle, as well as picking up an old bike for Jodee's trainer have tacked on a nice new chunk of money to the list.  I guess I can't complain too much...we hadn't had any additions to the expense list since 2008.  Oh well!

Have a great weekend...I know I will. : )

IM Date: 5/27/09 - Week 3 (in progress)

With the holiday Monday, I am getting my posting in a little late this week.  We had a great weekend of training and took advantage of the extra day off to get in a long swim and bike on Monday.  This week sees the longest swim (hour and a half) and the longest bike (four hours) sessions yet.  Jodee is running the inaugural Minneapolis Marathon this Sunday and Andrew and I are doing the 5k.  It should be a good time, Jodee's just running it to do it...not for any specific time.

But my hip is starting to feel a little bit better which is nice.  I think I may have to do the 4 hours on the trainer Saturday, so I have already downloaded the next Season of "Entourage" (my favorite new, but old show) that I haven't seen so I can entertain myself.  If I can get outside to ride that long, I will...and if not, I will get very used to looking at the walls of my basement.

More to come...

IM Date: 5/21/09 - Update

Just a few things to update:  

Yesterday the toenails went "bye-bye".  Well, one came off as I was pulling some running shorts on and the inside of the shorts caught the edge of the nail and WHAM!  It was pulled off.  Fortunately the new one had started underneath, so it wasn't too painful.  Gross, yes...but at least not too painful and I was able to go out on my run immediately afterwards.  And the other I started to cut off and it's almost gone.  So I guess it could have been a lot worse.  Too much info???  Sorry.  

Which leads me into my next topic:  When the hell did Minnesota turn into a wind-tunnel???  Holy crap, we had 30 mile an hour sustained winds yesterday.  Which made the 94 degree temps easier to run in...but man, that's what I call a "head-wind".  Mother Nature could lay off the wind for a while...

Today I had my first long swim of training and it was good.  It was an hour swim and I got somewhere between 1.25 - 1.33 miles in.  Best of all, I felt good.  The swim is where I need to be my most diligent with training...because there's no coasting or walking in the swim like on the bike or run.  You stop – you sink.

That's all for now...hope you all have a great holiday weekend.

Bri

IM Date: 5/18/09 - Week 2

Week one is in the books and it went well.  Week two is here and everything begins to get "cranked up" just a  bit.  The biggest changes are my 1.5 hour run on Saturday last week is now 2 hours this week, and my 3 hour ride yesterday is 4 hours this coming Sunday.  My hip is still bothering me a bit, but not quite as bad...which is nice.  I'm on the "wait list" to get in to the Chiropractor this week.  It would be nice is someone has to cancel and I can take their spot.  If not, I'm in a week from Wednesday for sure.  Either way, I hope it will continue to improve.  

Back soon...

IM Date 5/11/09 - Week 1

Week 1:  This week isn't too bad.  The first few weeks of the program gradually build (as they should) and by the time we get into the middle of the program I'm not sure how much of a life I will have.  But I'm sure we'll talk about that later.  

But for now, back to "week 1".  I have just 4 hours of running, 1 hour of swim time, 5 1/2 hours on the bike and two scheduled lifting sessions.  I will try to get my usual 3 lifts in this week as well as teach my jiu-jitsu classes and train some jiu-jitsu like usual too.  

Hopefully the weather is cooperative this summer...it will make training much easier.

Here we go!

IM Date 5/11/09 - Training Begins

Okay, the training began a long time ago and never really stops, but my OFFICIAL training program starts today.  18 weeks of training focused on just one thing: September 13th, 2009 a.k.a. Race Day.  Each week I'll try and post the week's "activities" and if something comes up that is out of the ordinary in between I'll post about that too.  

I hope the injuries are now getting behind me because it's time to get to work.  It will definitely be an adventure and I hope to see the finish line at the end of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running.

Lot's more to come...

Bri

IM Date: 5/8/09 - TC 1 Mile Results

Last night was the TC 1 Mile and after total chaos trying to just get down to the race itself, the results were good.  I finished in 5:54, which with injuries and having run and lifted earlier in the day was very good for me.  So I'm happy.  It was a nice course...straight down Nicollet Avenue from 2nd Street to just after 15th.

IM Date: 5/7/09 - TC 1 Mile is tonight!

So tonight we'll run the TC 1 Mile in downtown Minneapolis.  All three of us, Jodee, Andrew and myself, will "hit the streets" and see how we do.  Jodee and I did this event 4 years ago and I think I finished in about 7:20 or so.  I will be curious to see how I do tonight.  I did run and lift this morning as part of my regular program so, with that said, I haven't positioned myself for any record-setting times.  But we'll see.  It should be fun either way.  It's always fun when the three of us are able to do an event together.

IM Date: 05/04/09 - Housekeeping

Well, April has come and go and we are almost ready to start our "official" Iron Man training programs.  We got the bikes out this past weekend for the first long, outdoor ride of the year: a 30-mile trek from Plymouth out past Lake Independence and back.  I have to say the new bike will be a HUGE plus on the Iron Man course.

As far as April goes, with all my hip problems, I got just 119 miles in.  But things are slowly starting to improve and I think my new lifting routine is helping already.  The picture above is from the LTF indoor triathlon...Jodee's boss was kind enough to send it to us.

More to come...

Boston Re-cap

It was a good trip...Jodee ran well and finished a couple of minutes faster than her time last year.  It was VERY windy and even the pro's times showed that a bit.  But it was fun, even more fun than last year.  I got some good runs in and the 5K went well too.  We were able to stay an extra day this year and see more of Boston than we did in the past.

The "Official" Iron Man training program starts in a couple of weeks...then the real fun begins.

More to come soon...

IM Date 4/13/09: Race Week

Well we head to Boston later this week and I have my second event of the season.  It's a short 5k, but as usual I have some goals of where I'd like to finish.  Of course the real reason we are going is for Jodee; who will be running her second Boston Marathon.  I started having a lot of hip pain this past weekend (possibly from trying to keep up with Andrew during our 4 mile run on Easter Sunday) and hopefully it will be better by Sunday's race.  

We had a great time in Boston last year and this year we are staying an additional day after the race to enjoy ourselves.  The TWINS will be playing the Res Sox while we are there and I believe we are going to the game with some of the people from Jodee's training group.  Last year I got some good mileage in while we were there and I hope to again.  We'll see what the Chiropractor can do for me this week.  

More to come...

IM Date - 3/31/09: Housekeeping

Where did March go???  Well it's now the 31st, the last day of the month and I closed the month out with 177 miles logged.  72 of which were ran in Los Cabos around the marina in the picture above.  It is truly my favorite place to run...I'd probably log 2,500 miles a year if I lived there.  All I would do is run!  I'm putting together my Iron Man training program which will start soon...more details to come, but suffice it to say, it's time to get in the pool!!!

Vacation: Good for my mind, my spirit, my tan...but not my feet.

Sorry for the scary pic of my feet...but after a week of vacation in Cabo, and more than 72 miles run in 6 days (including a great 20 mile day last Friday) my feet could use a vacation.  But vacation is great for both Jodee and me, we can get out and train every morning.  We have a great route out of the resort where our condo is, around the marina and out towards the edge of town.

We'll see how long the toenails last...

Indoor Triathlon Results

Well, the first race of the 2009 season is in the books.  All of these are just training sessions for the race mentioned in the title of this blog, but it was a good first race.  Being an indoor tri, the format is a little different than a "regular" triathlon.  It is all set up by time, so we swam for 10 minutes, rode for 30 minutes and ran for 20 minutes.  I hit my goal of getting 3.0 miles in on the run portion so that made me happy.  Along with 9+ laps and 15.7 miles on the bike I finished a respectable 6th in my division and 9th overall.  Not bad considering everything.  I know some pics were taken during the race and I'll post them if I get them.

IM Date - 3/3/09 House Keeping

Well, the month of February has come and gone and I finished with a respectable 124 miles ran for the month.  It would seem that we are making our way through winter and soon, running outside will be much more enjoyable.  Jodee and I plan a 20 mile run one day while we are on vacation this month as well as another 12 mile run in addition to our regular 6 mile morning runs.  More to come...

IM Date - 2/25/09: First Event of 2009 on Sunday

This Sunday the 2009 race season kicks off with the Lifetime Fitness indoor triathlon.  My ankle has been feeling better and hopefully it holds up well.  The event is short:  10 minute swim, 30 minute bike and 20 minute run on the treadmill.  We'll see how it goes...

Link not working...Sorry!!!

Just put "B.J. Van Beuskom Running" into Google or any other search engine and you'll find it.

IM Date - 2/4/09

224 days and counting until the big day.  My ankle is feeling better and last weekend I got to run outside for the first time in 2009.  I barely made my goal to "run outside in every calendar month of the year"...whew!!!  Of course I ran outside both days so I'm good for both January and February now.

Yesterday I helped out a friend of mine who decided that for his 30th birthday he'd spend 24 hours running and try to "run" a 5k for every year of his life.  That's right...your math isn't wrong, 5 x 30 is still 150; 150k or 93 miles.  Well I got up and took my shift running with him yesterday from 4 am to 5:30 am.  He finished yesterday and made it through all 24 hours and putting on more than 80 miles.  Amazing.  That's more than 3 full marathons in just 24 hours time.  Below is a link to some of the news footage.

The year is off and running...and so am I

IM Date:  2/3/2009 and I'm almost back to normal again.  There is some residual pain that comes and goes after a workout, but at least I am able to run.  January has come and gone and I have a fairly respectable 93 miles logged so far.  I did a great run today that I will blog about soon...