tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69729919969635659692011-07-08T07:33:02.881-05:00This site is to track my journey to Ironman Arizona. The things I've learned, the changes I've made, and to put to ease those who think I'm going to kill myself doing this race.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-75521116988375967612009-12-22T16:35:00.005-06:002009-12-22T17:05:26.351-06:00

The recovery process and getting reintegrated into normal life is taking more time than expected. However, I have started on writing up the final report and hope to use the up coming holiday to get everything completed.Until then, I've found the pictures of the Nun from St. Anthony's Triathlon last April! The last couple of years I've seen her out on the race course and have always gone out of

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-79180377508342118832009-11-24T12:48:00.001-06:002009-11-24T12:48:59.346-06:00

On a tough, but fun, Sunday in Arizona I finished my first Ironman with a time of 13:13:27. Successfully beating the Nun. More details in the race report which should come tomorrow.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-32699993377956550542009-11-21T09:33:00.003-06:002009-11-21T09:37:48.818-06:00

Ironman Arizona 2009 Race PlanThis Sunday is the day. The day I've been training for since December '08. In some ways I can't wait for the start of the race, can't wait for the return to non-triathlon activities, but in others I can't believe it's already here. I've been in Tempe for a day and a half and am trying to soak it all up. As a friend said "Ironman is Disney World for adults"Race

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-57903149075547891112009-11-17T14:02:00.004-06:002009-11-17T14:06:58.121-06:00

IMAZ 09 Race Rehearsal ReportTen days ago I did my last race rehearsal and while I should have posted this sooner, some times life gets in the way. For those who don't know, my coaches and on-line team (Endurance Nation) have us do race rehearsals in preperation for our "A" race. The idea is to mimic everything you will eat, wear, and do on race day to minimize the number of surprises that pop

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-90704927039728439212009-11-06T16:16:00.003-06:002009-11-06T16:27:17.346-06:00

This is my second, and last, attempt at a Race Rehearsal. The idea is to mimic everything you will eat, wear, and do on race day to minimize the number of surprises that pop up and get used to any new equipment. After the rehearsal I'll write a report the same as a race report and review with my coaches to create a complete race plan.Saturday 11/7Weather: High 63-70 / Low 52 deg, Sunny, hazy,

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-41474879496378959582009-10-29T11:26:00.002-05:002009-10-29T11:29:52.943-05:00

This is folks! Next Thursday is 90min and the following 60. Today is the last really long run before Ironman.The weather here is much cooler than the report has you believe:Temp: 55Wind: From SSE at 9 mphHumidity: 77%I dressed for that with a long sleeve base shirt, t-shirt, and shorts. Jogged to the Chicago lakefront and headed North. I knew there would be a head wind coming

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-69446225100811483152009-10-26T11:12:00.002-05:002009-10-26T11:12:59.192-05:00

Despite all my plans for the weekend like swimming race distance on Friday and doing my race rehearsal on Saturday, I ended up sick. So instead of a 112 mile bike and a 6 mile run it ended up being a day filled with naps, video games, and Theraflu. Not nearly as fun as it sounds. For the most part I'm better and am now working with my coaches and team to structure the last couple weeks of

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-8541950160894928302009-10-21T21:57:00.002-05:002009-10-21T22:02:07.271-05:00

A part of what my team does are called Race Rehearsals. The idea is to mimic everything you will eat, wear, and do on race day to minimize the number of surprises that pop up. Also, how to handle the ones that do happen in a way that will minimize the negative impact on your race. This Saturday is my first of two race rehearsals and this is the plan that I submitted to my team where the

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-36594406771323202642009-08-26T22:01:00.002-05:002009-08-26T22:03:52.826-05:00

In previous years I managed about a race a month, sometimes more, so there was plenty of opportunity to fine tune my execution and pacing. However, this has been a slow year for me. Up to this point I've only done 3 triathlons and two running races. It's mostly due to the cost of Ironman and the cost, both monetarily and training wise, of doing these other races. Plus, more family events have

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-65778518299715309462009-08-03T11:40:00.003-05:002009-08-03T11:43:21.922-05:00

Steelhead 09 Race ReportLast Saturday was my 3rd Half Ironman and my first time racing the Steelhead 70.3. While it wasn't an A race for me I viewed it as a chance to practice what I've been learning from my coaches and on-line team (Endurance Nation). This race was also the A race for my friends EX and again, she asked me to beat him. This time I had a couple days of rest going into it so I

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-11076111987108688592009-07-24T15:43:00.002-05:002009-08-03T11:43:02.934-05:00

09 Harbor Lights Race ReportWhile this is my third year doing triathlon, last Sunday (719/09) was my first Sprint Distance race. I signed up on a whim after finding out that several friends who are new to the sport were doing it. For two of them it was their second race and two of them it was their first. A couple of us went up to Waukegan Saturday night and the other two met up with us the

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-91960030642823198892009-03-24T14:41:00.003-05:002009-03-24T14:42:14.558-05:00

This was my second week of training with power and that thing is unforgiving!  Great workouts and all very tough.  The big news is that this last Saturday I got to ride outside for the first time.  It was really something to see how the watts translated to speed and real world road conditions.  There were a couple things that really struck me.  First, how many watts you spend accelerating up to

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-2497704791482227012009-03-16T12:38:00.003-05:002009-03-16T12:41:03.637-05:00

As a birthday gift to myself I purchased a Power Tap power meter.  These devices have been around for a while and can really transform the way workouts are structured and their effectiveness.  Heart rate training is pretty subjective and is easily influenced by outside factors such as stress, caffeine, rest, or alcohol.  Power meters measure the wattage you generate while pedaling and a watt is a

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-24624216723185460902009-03-03T23:06:00.003-06:002009-03-25T16:47:22.538-05:00

I'm traveling for work this week and am out in LA. Not a bad palace to be when it's 30 and snowing back home in Chicago but getting in the workouts on the road can be challenging. Fortunately the hotel gym isn't the standard hotel gym consisting of a 30 year old treadmill and a smith machine in the space of a large closet. My company is putting me up in a pretty classy Hyatt that has teamed up

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-3827075991056135282009-03-03T15:20:00.004-06:002009-03-03T23:08:13.944-06:00

The workouts this last weekend (2/28 - 3/1) weren't bad but a little confusing for me. Saturday was a brick workout and Sunday was another running test. For those who don't know, brick workouts are workouts involving two sports, with little or no rest between, stacked on top of each other like bricks. For example, this last Saturday was the most common type; a bike/run brick. Here was

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-74031692747083310222009-02-27T14:15:00.003-06:002009-02-27T14:16:32.232-06:00

Last night, Thursday 2/26, I jumped on the bike trainer and pounded out a quick (45min) workout.  I don't have my power meter yet so used the heart rate zones instead of wattage.  With the way my legs have been feeling, that wasn't a bad thing.  Heart rate can be subjective but wattage (work) is wattage (work).  There's no faking wattage.  During the day I did pretty well eating.  Not necessarily

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-9321862120391873022009-02-26T09:40:00.004-06:002009-02-26T09:42:15.728-06:00

I'm still looking for a good workout tracking utility and haven't had much success to I'm just going to post the workouts and how they went.  Last night, Wednesday 2/25, I swam with TNT and was pretty beat from a rough couple days at work.  All I ate before swimming was a granola bar which is a lot less than normal.  Here is the workout:Warm Up8 x 50 DrillsWork Set8 x 100 (50 @ Z4 / 50 @ Z21 x

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-22498846754379508702009-02-24T15:38:00.003-06:002009-02-24T15:46:17.753-06:00

Last Saturday I went to Element for a Functional Power Test (FTP).  This is a measurement of your average wattage over a 30 minute, all out, bike Time Trial.  Like the 5K run, this test helps determine the bike pacing and lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR). The power and pacing zones for the bike and run help determine the fastest, most efficient speed I can go.  They also allow me to train in a

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-35347945874318195522009-02-19T12:52:00.004-06:002009-02-20T09:54:53.002-06:00

It occurred to me that some of the target audience of this blog do not know much about the structure of endurance based workouts.  In an effort to create a common reference point, this post is all about the language and terms used to describe these workouts.  First off are the training zones.  These are used in relation to heart rate as well as watts on the bike and pace on the run.Pace

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-88344252505055692812009-02-10T11:53:00.004-06:002009-02-10T11:55:59.082-06:00

Last night I met up with a friend, JD, for a swim workout. We only swam 1,050 yards, or just over a half mile, but the workout was focused on drills and not speed or endurance. At this point in the season I’m trying to get rid of the bad technique and form that I’ve developed. As we’re getting out of the pool someone stops us and starts asking us how to swim. No kidding!For those who don’t know

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-59403273723853734712009-02-02T17:17:00.003-06:002009-02-02T17:18:29.029-06:00

After some emailing back and forth with the coaches from Endurance Nation (EN) I received my "Out Season" plan.  Out season is just marketing for their off season training schedule.  It's to early to start really working on the endurance base but not to early to start getting fast!  Anyway, I missed the first week of the plan but decide to do the 5K run test yesterday to determine my run

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-81093542893351247742009-01-29T10:44:00.006-06:002009-02-05T17:46:47.633-06:00

After a bit of deliberation, a few meetings, and several beers I decide to go with Endurance Nation (EN).  Last Saturday I got the chance to sit down with several of the people coached by them and go over the training, the season planning, the support, and all things Ironman.  It was a lot of fun and several of the people seemed very knowledgeable and helpful.  The things that attracted me most

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-88284417750047881842009-01-24T20:55:00.003-06:002009-01-27T11:46:45.210-06:00

One of the major differences between Triathlon and most other sports is that we get to compete against the professionals and the best of the best.  They set their bikes and running shoes up in the same transition area we do and are usually pretty welcoming when you go to shake their hands.  Could you imagine playing one on one with Michael Jordan?  Playing street football with Brett Farve?  Every

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-20520492121619901902009-01-21T13:49:00.007-06:002009-01-23T17:13:39.417-06:00

Official training for Ironman Arizona (IM AZ) hasn't started yet (And won't start until I get a coach!) but I am preparing for St. Anthony's Triathlon with Team In Training.  Training with TNT helps me by getting me back into the routine of training, have people to train with, and, most importantly, help people who really need it.  This is the 3rd time doing this race with them and it was the

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-25701336684049432782009-01-21T06:56:00.009-06:002009-01-22T07:47:48.778-06:00

There are so many different coaches, training plans, and training methods out there and it's not very clear which path is the best for me. I'm in the process of trying to figure out how I'm going to go about training and preparing for this race. So many coaching sites promise Personal Record (PR) or Personal Best (PB) times and some talk about percentage improvements that their athletes have

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972991996963565969.post-91019782354067997932009-01-19T13:48:00.004-06:002009-01-19T14:07:46.228-06:00

Hey everyone,Welcome to my attempt at a blog.  Some of you have expressed concern over me doing this race and I figure this is the easiest way to put that to rest.  I plan on recording the training, thoughts, and lessons of my journey to becoming an Ironman.  Hopefully with a little insight to what's going on some of you will see what I'm doing and maybe why I'm doing this will come through.The

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12041469166642796090noreply@blogger.com2