Dinner day 9 & Urban update

Juice #29
apple
beets
celery
broccoli
cilantro
squash
kale
spinach
sweet potato

Experimented with cilantro. Not too much...it was pretty good. I'll be using it again.
I have enough veggies for the morning then I'll need to make a Natural Grocers run before my lunch juice.

Urban Update

Just got off the phone with him. He's wrapping up day 3 and feeling good. He's going to wait until Sunday to weigh. Also been experimenting with different veggies and finding out what is NOT good to juice...like half an onion. HA! He chased that one this afternoon with a fruit juice. Don't blame him...ick.

------

Day 9 in the books. Feel good. Stopped and got a coffee on way home from work today. That perked me up a little. I haven't had coffee since Saturday...normally only drink it if I'm on a road trip for work and start getting heavy lidded which is like once or twice a month.

Walked about a mile with the girls tonight, too. Planning on mowing tomorrow and riding my bike at least a couple of times over the weekend. Monday is Day 13.

I wrote out all the veggies that I'm going to eat on Wednesday night at Jason's. Can't wait to eat:
mixed greens
spinach
tomatoes
cucumbers
red bell peppers
cauliflower
broccoli
carrots
onions
mushrooms
olives
red wine vinegar
pepper
pepperoncinis
slivered almonds
sunflower seeds

then some slow baked pinto beans when I get home.

The plan is to stay VFBNS as long as possible. I do that the majority of the time with the exception of sprouted wheat (Ezekial bread) on occasion.

Also planning my meals for after the fast and after I get back from San Francisco.

Dinner will look the same: large salad, cooked veggies, beans (or wild caught Alaskan salmon maybe 2-3 times a month), maybe some oats, barley, or wild rice, too
Then my night time snack will be smaller, maybe do mainly raw veggies with homemade hummus and go easy on the fruit except on weekends. I'd like to keep my weight around 175 all the time.

That homemade hummus I make has no oil in it and I think I'm going to add black beans and cilantro and onions and some other stuff I haven't normally put in there. It's fun to experiment. Better than the oily, salty stuff you get at the store. A great filler upper before bed, too: tons of raw veggies with that hummus spread.

Ok...I'm rambling. Good night.

Lunch Day 9 (with video)

 

Had some help today (click here to see)...more than happy to share!

Juice #28

apple

beets

carrots

celery

squash

sweet potato

kale

spinach

broccoli

All these juices make about 35-40 ounces. They're big.

Breakfast Day 9 and weight update

Juice #27
carrots
celery
strawberries
apples

Weight was the same as yesterday. This is about the time of the fast where my body seems to settle in. I think much more than 15 days would have a negative effect. I should lose anywhere from 3-5 more pounds over the next 6 days.

What I Learned from Ironman

Last May on the front sidewalk of Natural Grocers in Abilene, I registered for Ironman Texas on my brother's smart phone. It was a Sunday right after church. Registration opened at noon. I was registered at 12:01 PM.

The frenzy of getting registered took control of my mind that morning, then when I was registered...it hit me.

2.4 mile swim
112 mile bike
26.2 mile run

What am I nuts??

I didn't know how to train for that distance, how my body would respond to training, how I could train and take the last three courses of my MBA at the same time, while Jenn added a class to her teaching load, with a 2 year old, and a 1 year old...yeah, I must be nuts.

I still had some races to finish up that year. I did an Olympic triathlon in Austin on Memorial Day, then was registered for another Olympic and Half Ironman in October, and the Whiterock (now "Dallas") marathon in December.

Little did I know that the Memorial Day triathlon (Capital of Texas Tri) would be my last triathlon until the Ironman.

Check the archives of this blog for the story about me getting run over on my Specialized Transition about a month before the Half Ironman.

At that point not only did I not have my training specifics figured out for the Ironman, but I had to wonder whether or not I was even going to be healthy or strong enough to DO an Ironman at all.

To make a long story short, I nearly PRed the half marathon at Whiterock in  December and recovered from that injury extremely fast with no lasting side effects save for a big U-shaped scar on my left quad.

I decided to go with no animal products in my diet for the 16 weeks to show that it could be done. That you don't need animal products to fuel your system in preparation for one of the most physically challenging feats there is. That if you eat a nutritionally excellent diet, you can finish an Ironman with energy to burn, feeling absolutely great (I didn't sign up for the Memorial Day tri because I figured I would be too wiped after the IM, but I should have signed up because I felt great three days after the race).

I found a training plan that I thought looked good and made my Ironman training "binder" in late December. I'm very structured and have to know exactly what I'm doing, when I'm doing it, how hard I'm doing it, and where I'm doing it far in advance.

The 16-week plan began on January 30. It ended on May 19.

During those 16 weeks I felt great. I felt terrible. I slept great. I tossed and turned. I sat up all night with a puking baby. I sat in cold tubs. I got a deep tissue massage. I ran in rain. I trained in the freezing cold. I trained in sweltering heat. I rode my bike to Cross Plains, Merkel, Winters, Tuscola, Clyde, Baird, Stamford, Buffalo Gap, Hawley and Albany. I was chased by dogs. I ran intervals. I ran long distance. I biked for hours inside while watching non-fiction shows on Netflix. I biked in hotels. I got sunburn. I got stung by a bumblebee. I ran on my treadmill while listening to ColdPlay, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Jimmie Hendrix, and the Beatles. I ran through some tar. I trained in the dark. I trained at dawn. I trained at dusk. I trained all day. I left my running shoes in a hotel. I trained in Midland, Amarillo, Lubbock, Arlington, Georgetown, Las Vegas, Plano, and of course, Abilene. I only missed one scheduled work out. I swam. I swam. I swam some more. 116,000 yards in the water. I swam in pools and in open water. I swam in cold water and in warm water. I rested. I did Crossfit WODs. I ate vegetables. I ate legumes. I ate fruits and nuts and seeds. My treats were LARA bars, Nikki's yogurt, and bean burritos. I trained in wind. I trained on the most incredibly still day I've ever experienced. I produced buckets of sweat. I woke up at 4:30 AM. I went to bed at 9 PM. I was in the thoughts of my family and friends...all the time. I was motivated by my three girls, my parents, my brothers (including Ryan), my in-laws, my close friends, my heroes, and my God. I day dreamed about crossing the finish line. I day dreamed about failing. I worried. I prayed. I finished.

I posted a few days ago my total training volume for the entire 16 weeks. But that was just the physical training. There's no telling how many hours I spent thinking about the race, my nutrition, my training plan, how I was going to fit in my workouts for the week, how I was still going to get quality time with my girls, how I was going to fit in training on the road, and how I was going to finish my Master's work. I would guess it was somewhere in the hundreds of hours.

I learned some things from this process as well.

I learned that you don't conquer the Ironman. There is no mastery that is gained of the 140.6 mile behemoth. Ironman doesn't change. It is constant.

YOU change. You master YOURSELF. You conquer YOURSELF, and by doing so you complete the task at hand. It is an amazing feeling to be in the kind of physical shape that Ironman requires. There is a unique sense of strength and confidence about it. It's probably the reason 2,500 people signed up for Ironman Texas.

I learned a bit more about what the human body is capable of. I believe that most people are capable of doing something like an Ironman. Most of us have it in us, we just never try to find out if the ability is there...or not.

I'm not anything special. I don't have great genes (sorry mom and dad). I can't eat whatever I want and thrive like some people seem to do. I don't have a butler or a chef or a nanny or a chauffeur. I'm a regular guy that wanted to do something challenging, I made the sacrifices, changed myself through a long and daunting process, and got it done.

You can, too.

All you have to do is come to the realization that it will never be the right time to do anything monumental in life. You just have to make the sacrifices, change yourself and get it done.

Take your brother's smart phone and register for that next big challenge that's calling out to you.

Dinner, Update, and Urban Update

Juice #26 was:
carrot
apple
kale
spinach
broccoli
squash
beet
sweet potato

Good stuff.

Feeling good. Day 9 is tomorrow. When you run 15 laps around a track, getting to lap 9 is practically like being done. Dinner time is always the hardest part of the day. But once you get through it, piece of cake rest of the day. Went on a walk tonight. Probably about 3/4 mile.

Urban (my dad) is nearly done with day 2. I think he just might be bull-headed enough to power through the "sluggish" times he's about to face. He had a fruit-juice "pick me up" last night. And was in good spirits today around lunch time. I'll keep his progress updated.

Fact of the Day

"In 2010 the National Cancer Institute budgeted about four million dollars to promote the virtues of fruits and vegetables. Compare that with McDonald's $1.2 billion spent on U.S. marketing."

             Joel Fuhrman, MD
                -Eat to Live

#funfoodfacts

Lunch day 8

 

We will, we will...rock juice.

Juice #25

Breakfast Day 8

 

Here's looking at juice...kid.

Apples

celery

3 strawberries

carrots
#24

Weight down another 1.4 pounds.

15.5 cumulative which is already a pound more than I lost last time...granted, about five pounds of that is water weight from the post-Ironman retention...but still. It's 15.5 pounds.

Dinner day 7

 

Juice #23 ingredients from left to right:

squash

carrots

apples

celery

kale

sweet potato

spinach

cucumber

beets

Yum. Also had a glass of herbal tea tonight...fell asleep on the couch. Day 7 in the books. More than halfway there.

Interesting fact...

Truth has three steps:

1. ridicule
2. violent opposition
3. acceptance

Seatbelts went through this...cigarettes, handwashing...now it seems nutrition is going through it a smidge as well.

#funfoodfacts

Juices 20-22

I'm slacking on pictures. Been busy today.

Breakfast was carrots, celery, apples (green). #20

Natural Food Centers in Abilene has a juicer!! Got a 16 oz (celery, apple, carrot, spinach, ginger). #21

Snack juice was 5 carrots and 2 small sweet potatoes. #22

Weight Update

Down 1.3 from yesterday.
Total of 14.1 lost from last Wednesday morning...

Feeling good this morning.

Quote of the day and update

"Imagine commuting to work every day with a leaking tire. You can pump air into the tire every morning, but wouldn't it make more sense to stop the leak?"

            -- Forks Over Knives

Lost power from 7:30 - 9:30 PM. My last juice before that was at 2 PM and I had ridden about an hour since then. I was needing some calories bad with a no-juice-before-bed night looming.

But we got power and I made the Moose Juice. Feel good. Day 6 is done.

Really excited about my dad's 10 day juice fast which he is starting tomorrow....I'll keep the blog posted on his progress.

#funfoodfacts

"Moose" juice

What's that in the background you ask? Oh it's the ventilation system because this picture was taken in the attic...that's where all my sports memorabilia has been cast out.

apple

beet

carrots

celery

cucumber

ginger

spinach

Juice #19

Need to run to store tomorrow...need just about everything.

Bike ride

We cleaned out the garage this morning and while we were out there with the garage door up, I noticed how beautiful a day it was. Low wind. Hot. I couldn't help myself...

When girls went down for naps I took off for a 20 miler.
Specs:
Ride time - 1:03:49
Miles - 20.03
Calories - 634 (according my power meter)
temp - 98 when I got done (power meter said 105)
Avg watts - 165
Avg mph - 18.8

Pretty happy with that considering I haven't had food since Tuesday night (nearly a week ago). Wasn't pushing it at all. Winds were there but mild. I'd guess 10-15 out of the south. Sipped on water the whole ride.

Lunch day 6

 

daikon

spinach

carrots

broccoli

cucumber

beet

ginger

apples

juice #18

Felt a little sluggish this morning but picked up early afternoon...when I actually got up and started doing something (cleaning garage). Time goes by faster when you're occupied...obviously.

Cleaning the juicer

My dad is going on a 10-day juice fast starting tomorrow. I made this video for him to show the best, fastest way to clean the juicer filter thingy.

Thought I'd post here in case anyone else was wondering. Just trying to make juicing a little easier for everyone else!!

Weight Update

Day 6:
0.9 from yesterday
12.8 from Wednesday
I'm exactly where I was on Day 6 of the fast in January...to the hundredth of a pound.

Memorial Day Pancakes

 

Made Buckwheat pancakes for girls this morning. They use honey instead of maple syrup...they both love 'em. I added blueberries in with the banana, too.

Breakfast - Day 6

Glute Ham Developer juice.

apples

celery

carrots

Juice #17

Fact of the Day

Here were the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2007...

1. Heart disease
2. Cancer
3. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases)
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases
5. Accidents
6. Alzheimer's disease
7. Diabetes
8. Flu and pneumonia
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis
10. Septicemia

Most of these causes are nutritionally related...pretty crazy.
I want to live to ensure that I die in one of two ways: old age or accident.
Morbid, yes. Effective, yes.

#funfoodfacts

Dinner day 5

Moon juice. (#16)
apples
beets
celery
cucumber
spinach
red kale
4 grapes
1 strawberry
1/2 sweet potato

Unveiling of new term

Micro-nutritarian.

That's what I am. Not vegan. Not vegetarian.

My nutrition goal is to eat my fill of micro-nutrients (fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and on and on), which is all the stuff that doesn't have caloric value but it's where all the immune building and disease fighting power comes from. It's the stuff that helps you battle stress and keeps you at low risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, auto immune diseases, dementia, heart disease, high blood pressure and many other debilitating, nutrient-deficient diseases (which make up a huge majority of our causes of death).

I believe if your goal is to eat a plethora of micro-nutrients you don't have to worry about calories, protein, fat or carbs...all that will take care of itself.

So how do you get your micro-nutrients? Eating tons of green leafy veggies, a colorful assortment of raw and cooked fruits and veggies, a wide variety of legumes, nuts and seeds. Pretty simple.

What has little in the ways of micro-nutrient variety?
Meat, cheese, milk, processed foods, sugar, oils, dairy, white breads and pastas.

Sent from my iPhone

Lunch (# 15)

The juice....is loose.

Breakfast Day 5

Juice #14
apples
carrots
celery

Down another 0.9 pounds today. Total of 11.9 pounds since Wednesday morning.

Quick fact

4.2 grams of sugar is equal to 1 teaspoon.
So if you are eating something with 20 grams of refined, processed sugar (not what you get from fruit, veggies, or nuts), you're eating around 5 teaspoons of sugar. And 3 teaspoons is about 1 tablespoon.

#funfoodfacts

Quote of the Day

"The frequent-feeing system (followed by many people today) is where you eat relatively small, frequent meals throughout the day. Those who advocate frequent feedings say that it puts less pressure on the digestive tract and keeps sugar levels stable. And, especially for physically active individuals, it allegedly enables them to ingest more protein throughout the day to further build muscles.

I understand the philosophy and science behind this, but I also see the down side. With all due respect, the huge disadvantage of the frequent-feeding system is that the body never gets a break to detoxify, to recuperate, and to let the pancreatic system rest. Additionally, when you deposit material so often without giving your body enough time to detoxify, you basically deplete your body's pool of enzymes. This often results in compromised digestion, especially of proteins. The loss of digestive power weakens the immune system, and if this is unchecked, it may lead to waste of lean tissues and disease. A large percentage of those who practice frequent feeding no longer have a healthy feeding cycle. It's no wonder that so many people today suffer from digestive disorders, constipation, weight gain, and related diseases. These problems are so pronounced that the companies who sell drugs to help people become "regular" make a bloody fortune.

The Warrior Diet is built on daily detoxification and enzyme loading. If you practice this diet, you'll eventually reach your own natural cycle and should be able to sustain prime health and increase your resilience to stress and disease. This makes the Warrior Diet radically different from all conventional diets today..."

         Ori Hofmekler, The Warrior Diet

I have been following the Warrior Diet (which is basically eating one big meal at night) since last September.

#funfoodfacts

Deuce Juice and observation

Apples

carrots

beet

Daikon

spinach

red kale

celery

broccoli
juice #13

I think the daikon has a taste that I'm not found of. I'm not sure what the taste is...maybe I'll get used to it. I only used half of one tonight...have 1.5 left.

OK...so I'm convinced that my "Day 4" was Day 3 on this fast. Looking back, I think I was in a glut yesterday and just really didn't realize it. I feel fantastic today...lots of energy with very little juice. Small breakfast juice and lunch juice were all I've had.

I did have about 20 ounces of coffee late this morning. Green tea around dinner time, and I'm sipping on the Deuce Juice as I type this.

Hopefully it's all downhill from here.

Juice fast update

Down 1.3 pounds from yesterday...11 pounds total.

Last juice fast I felt pretty rotten on day 4. This day 4 I feel fantastic. Shot free throws this morning (made 46 out of 50 including 28 straight...certainly a Urban and Melissa Rogers court record which will never be broken).

Have plenty of energy today. Feel great. I'm either past the "slump" stage which hit me earlier...or I have yet to hit it. It'll be interesting to find out.

My dad watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and wants to do a 10-day juice fast...very excited about that. I would advise anyone who wants to do one to do at least five days before you fast of just VFBNS (veggies fruits beans nuts seeds) to get your body a little bit acclimated.

And if you do a fast...keep in mind that the first week or so (especially if you're eating a lot of inflammatory, acidic, processed foods) you're body will go through sort of a detox phase. It's like when a smoker stops smoking they feel terrible as their body starts to "heal" itself. A cigarette will cure the pain but then you're back to where you started.

If you can just hang tough through those tough few days, your life will be forever changed for the better. Anyway...Day 4 is going good.

Break fast and Lunch day 4 (#s 11 & 12)

This was lunch:

broccoli stem

strawberry (3)

carrots

cucumber

sweet potato

apples

kale

spinach

Good one...much better than yesterday.

Breakfast (#11)

2 apples

carrots

celery

Quote of the Day

"We are continuously being bombarded by messages telling us that healing will come to us from an external source: Take a pill - rather, a whole handful of pills - in order to make yourself well. Eat foods that have been genetically modified and contaminated with additives, refined carbohydrates, and overly processed to the point of tricking your body's "I've had enough" regulation. This has resulted in excessively high rates of obesity, heart disease, and a multiplicity of disorders that are all preventable..."

                - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
                    Intro to The Power of Self-Healing by Dr. Fabrizio Mancini

#funfoodfacts

Juice Fast Update

Feel good after three days.
I'll be interested to see how I feel tomorrow.
Last time, Day 4 was the worst day.

Drank about a gallon of water today, too. Also had three glasses of either green or herbal tea.

Dinner. Juice #10

Juicy Fruit.

Apple

beet

carrot

celery

cucumber

spinach

kale

My fall-back juice. Always good...about 35 ounces. Yum yum...

Snack

Juice #9.
Needed a snack before dinner.

Had one with just carrots and apples...needed something good on the palate. Really perked me up. Feel much better.

Lunch. Day 3

OK...I'll be honest. This was the worst juice I've ever had. Nearly made me puke.

Dino Kale

Red kale

spinach

broccoli

sweet potato

apples

carrots

Daikon

cucumber

celery

Not enough apples (only used one) or carrots. It made about 40 ounces...it was a struggle to get it down but I did it.

Breakfast and update

Juice #8
Apple
Carrots
Celery

Feeling good. Down 9.7 lbs n two days. Pretty insane.

Sent from my iPhone

Fact of the Day

"Just to make this clear, I am saying here that a piece of chicken is like a cookie: they are both foods without a significant antioxidant or phytochemical load. Both animal products and processed foods lack these immunity-supporting nutrients. The more phytochemically deficient foods we eat, the weaker our immunity and the higher our risk of getting sick and possibly developing cancer. The various low-fat diet trends of egg whites, white meats, and pasta are actually immune system-destructive and cancer-causing for various reasons, primarily because of the aforementioned lack of protective phytochemicals..."

             Super Immunity // Joel Fuhrman, MD

#funfoodfacts

Juice Fast Update

Day #2
Feel fine. Energy level is moderate.
Weight loss the first day was 6.6 pounds...mostly water weight...and a reason I don't get too excited when I lose five pounds.

That first juice of the whole thing is kind of sobering, but you just have to stick it out. I've missed the "going to bed hungry" feeling...Jenn thinks I'm crazy.

I've had hot lemon water the last two days as well. Had lunch at Pappadeaux today and just had water and hot lemon water...no biggie.

Can feel the "cleanse" beginning throughout my digestive tract.
Wondering if Day 4 will be as tough as the last Day 4...

Dinner day 2

Juice #6. 48 ounces total.

apples
beets
celery
ginger
spinach
kale
carrots

Drank both at Whole Foods. Have had nearly a gallon of water today, too.

Breakfast day 2 (juice #4)

Dinner (#3)

Beets
Carrots
Celery
Spinach
Kale
Sweet potato
Apple
Ginger

Fact of the Day

"Today, the American diet takes over 60 percent of its calories from processed foods - a percentage that has increased gradually but inexorably over the last hundred years..."

                                 - Joel Fuhrman, MD // Super Immunity

#funfoodfacts

Lunch (juice 2)

Juice 1

Reasons for 15 day Juice Fast

I'm not any sort of amazing athlete or physical specimen of any kind. I mean, I was second team all-team for the ACU Wildcats in 2000 (1-9 that year) but that was 12 years ago (by the way that means I was a backup).

So I'd like to think I've maybe proven some sort of point: that an excellent nutritional regimen can lead to faster recover times, which lead to more productive training, which allow my body to handle greater amounts of stress, which allowed me to finish an Ironman feeling great with energy to burn (yet I didn't have much more skin to burn). And that's not even getting into what cutting out animal products does for the environment and our communities...that's another blogger on another soap box.

All that being said, I'm doing another 15 day juice fast for two reasons:
1. I want to give my body the most densely nutritious source of energy on the planet during my two weeks of recovery in which I will do little more than ride my bike a few miles or swim a few hundred yards at a time, and
2. To try and get people to think about what they put in their mouths everyday...and if they decide that there's room to change, to make small changes.

Every single cell in all of our bodies are made up of exclusively what we eat and drink everyday.
So, please, put this blog on your favorites if you're so inclined...follow my progress...and see that "extreme" nutrition may not be as extreme as you think it is.

I'm not anything special. I'm a regular guy. If I can do juice fasts, and Ironman triathlons...so can you. I absolutely believe that.

Results Specifics

238 participants in Male 30-34
2,109 overall finishers (about 2,700 signed up)

Overall Time - 11:30:26

74th in Division (top 31%)
383rd overall  (top 18%)

Swim split - 1:19:19
121st in division (51%)
739th overall  (35%)

T1 - 9:37

Bike split - 5:49:15 (19.24 mph)

104th in division (44%)
647th overall (31%)

T2 - 7:11

Run split - 4:05:07 (9:21 mile)
49th in division (21%)
didn't provide overall rank on this one but it had to have been pretty high

Based on these numbers I passed 92 people on the bike and 264 people on the run.

VOLUME UPDATE

Week 16 Totals (including Ironman):

Swim - 10,224 yards (3:25)
Bike - 8 hours, 20 minutes
Run - 28.4 miles (4:25)

Total time -16:10



TOTAL TRAINING VOLUME FROM JANUARY 30 TO MAY 19:

214 HOURS, 15 MINUTES (about 9 days total)

SWIM - 116,243 yards (66.05 miles)
BIKE - 102 hours (roughly 1,836 miles or the distance from Abilene to Philadelphia)
RUN - 348.9 miles

Sign from sweet friends

Thanks Brandon and Caitlin.

Reward

Weekend Menu

After Ironman I had all but one piece of a large veggie supreme from Papa Johns and some M&Ms.
Sunday we went to Black Eyed Pea in The Woodlands. I got a veggie flatbread sandwich with a side of beans. Then had about 8 pieces of cornbread with honey, a few rolls, 3 onion rings with ketchup, spinach artichoke dip with chips.

Last night...a take and bake large pizza from Papa Murphy's in Georgetown - spinach, mushrooms, peppers, onions, olives.
Dessert was a pint of Southern Blackberry Cobbler blue bell ice cream (haven't had ice cream since New Year's Eve of 2010) then about 1/2 pint of Butter Crunch ice cream, some peanut M&Ms, and some Reese's minis.

Planning on a couple of "normal" days today and tomorrow. Then will start with a scrumptious veggie juice on Wednesday morning...and that's all I'll have until June 6.

On Site Support Crew shout out

Could NOT have done it without seeing these people on race day:
Jenn Rogers
Hope Rogers
Haelyn Rogers
Urban Rogers
Melissa Rogers
Debra Barker
Randy Barker
Ryan Barker
Brandon Farr
Caitlin Farr
Francesca Nizza

Thanks guys. You kept me going. I'll never forget it.

IRONMAN Stream of Consciousness

Bed at midnight. Woke at 4 AM.
Made a "pudding" at 4 AM (frozen blueberries, oatmeal, lemon juice, almonds, hemp protein, flaxseed, carob powder, banana)
Made all bottles and made sure bags were packed. Made blended salad (romaine, spinach, avocado, dates, banana)...put it in a tupperware to eat before swim. Sipped on water with Nuun tablets.
Read Psalm 40. Prayed on my knees.
JB got up at 4:50. We left at 5 AM. Stopped at gas station and got coffee.
Made it to transition at 5:30 AM. Bike was damp from morning dew/humidity. Taped gels to frame. Wiped off handle bars with paper towels. Put computer on bike. Borrowed a pump from a dude and aired up tires. During this time (before sun came up...total darkness), we heard a tire blow out while someone was pumping up and a collective "oooohhhh" /groan went up from the masses in transition.
John also borrowed a pump and aired his tires up.
We left transition and started the long walk to the swim start with thousands of other people.
About 3/4 of the way there I decided the lines to the porta potty would be too long so I walked a few feet into the woods and relieved myself (1 and 2). Par for the course.
I dropped my special needs bags off and we found a place to sit and relax for a few minutes. I ate my blended salad at 6:15. Put sunscreen on.
We decided to just sit until the pros started at 6:50. Peed one more time in the trees.
Some guy came up to us and borrowed my Body Glide...he called us "boys" twice. That was weird.
Non wetsuits started at 7 AM. We put our wetsuits on and went into the water about 7:02.
Gun went off at 7:10.
My right calf was twinging from about the halfway point to the end of the swim. I swam very relaxed. Very steady...smooth...straight. Never even felt like I even worked on the swim. Mentality was that we were at a park, our bikes were in transition, and we just needed to get over to our bikes for the ride.
200 yards into the swim I felt my chip start coming loose on my leg. I had just gotten clear of some slower swimmers. I grabbed it right before it came off and went over to a kayak. The guy couldn't help me. The velcro wouldn't stick so I stuck the dang chip down the front of my wetsuit and continued. Every 40 strokes or so I would feel to make sure it was still there. Loved swimming down that canal. Felt like the lazy river with so many people swimming the same direction.
Water was calm. That wetsuit is awesome (TYR Hurricane).
Goggles never fogged or got water in them...good goggles.
Checked my watch a few times.
Scared that my calf was going to cramp when I took a step up the stairs out of the water but it didn't. Came out of drink and started yelling that my chip wasn't staying on. Had to go over to a table and get another strap deal.
Wetsuit strippers got my suit off and I WALKED to the bag area. People were running...that just didn't make sense to me.
I found my bag easily and went into the tent.
The best way to describe inside the tent at that time is a busy bus station/chicken coop in India. Naked people, screaming, stuff flying everywhere...it was insane.
I found a seat and very calmly got all my bike stuff on (helmet, glasses, HR monitor, sox, cleats). Drank some water. Drank some accelerate. Sat back and ate my LARA bar. Peed in porta potty right outside tent.
Walked to my bike. Foot felt OK...relieved.
Walked bike to mounting area. Hopped on and said "here we go."
Saw at least 20 bikes stopped on side of road. Prayed every time that it wouldn't happen to me or John.
Saw one guy laid out on the road with blood covering his face.
A couple of spots there were the remnants of a wreck: bottles and gels scattered all over the road.
Traffic on the two lane hiways was backed up for MILES.
I tried to thank every police officer and volunteer I passed. There were lots of them.
Kept my watts in the 150s for the first 50 miles. Had the wind at my back. Taking it really easy. Ended up 158 watts for the whole ride ... my normal average is 190ish.
Calf was twinging again so I would stretch it about every 30 miles.
Stopped at special needs bags at mile 60. Got off bike. Taped more gels to frame. New bottle of accelerade. Peed...good sign. Ate a LARA bar. Saw parents at mile 28...gave me a boost.
Saw parents at mile 61...stopped and chatted a second. They went back and got my tube and CO2 cartridge.
Nearly hit a guy with a full water bottle. Just needed one swig of it and threw it back towards the trash area as I passed and he barely dodged it. I apologized profusely. He laughed.
Ride was beautiful in most areas. Roads were good.
Nutrition strategy was followed perfectly the whole time. Gel at 2 hours. Sipped water for 3 straight five minute intervals, then had accelerade the 4th interval. Drank about 20 ounces of water in between aid stations, squeeze top bottles were easy to empty into my bike bladder.
One person said "nice bike" and I said "yeah I had to wait five months to get it" ... he laughed. I didn't see many shivs out there.
Gel every hour. I started singing to myself late on the bike. Sang "I walked today where Jesus walked", "the Lord's prayer", "Who'll take my place when I'm gone"...all Vocal Majority songs.
Rode around and with the same group for most of the ride.
A guy sprayed me with a hose at mile 102 so I couldn't see anything for the last 10 miles looking through the water spots on my glasses.
Off the bike, left shoes on clips.
WALKED to bag area. On they way I used a volunteers shirt to wipe my glasses off.
Found bag easily and made it inside tent. Not as hectic at this point. Put my helmet in the bag. Peed...good sign. Ate LARA bar. Shoes on. Visor on. Race belt with bottles on. Took two Advil.
Walked out of tent and the run start snuck up on me...said "here we go." And started running.
Ran 9 minute miles for first 8.5. Felt like I was barely moving.
Signs said:
don't you wish you had your bike back
you should've taken a dump when you had a chance
worst parade ever

Stopped to #2 at mile 6. Can't believe I didn't pass out in there. So hot and stuffy. Terrible experience...but felt much better afterward.
Saw my family as I ran by on the other side of canal. That gave me a boost. Saw them when I went by on their side. Stopped and chatted. Great seeing everyone.
Felt good on second loop, too. Ran that one slower. Got my special needs bag but didn't eat the LARA bar...stomach was feeling full.
Lost my nutrition strategy somewhere on the run. It would've been too much.
Had some of the Ironman drink or my drink and water every aid station. Walked through end of every aid station for a few steps.
Dropped ice down front or back of my jersey at every stop too. Poured cold water over head every chance I got. Never felt like I got overheated. HR was in the 130s for most of the run. Ended up averaging 133 during bike and run which is low.
Got passed by the first place female. Said "it's an honor getting passed by you." and she never even looked at me or said anything...ha!
Peed at mile 16....good sign.
One part of the run loop was slightly uphill into the sun. I would start to get hot, HR would go up, calf would start twinging...but it was followed by downhill through a wooded trail and I would recover immediately.
I honestly never felt like it wasn't even hard until mile 22...then it all came at me at once.
I picked it up on the last loop. Risky...HR up in the 140s. Advil started to wear off. Inside of ankles began hurting. Foot pain from yesterday never came up. Knees never started hurting...or hips, or back or anything. I'm serious, up until mile 22 I was thinking "this is going to be too easy"...but then mile 22 came. So really I was only in dire straits/pain for about 1.5 miles.
Three times I was expecting a certain mile marker to come up and the NEXT one did. Like I was thinking mile 15 would be the next sign I saw, and it was actually 16...that is a great feeling and it happened three times.
From mile 16-22 felt great, fast. Mile 22 was bad...hurting. But then I caught John and we ran together for a while which gave me a boost.
It was the slowest marathon I've ever run but it went by the fastest. Really picked it up last two miles. Started passing people.
Adrenaline rush the last half mile.
Banshee screamed when I crossed the line.
Tons of energy...felt great. Others were collapsing into wheelchairs.
Saw one guy laying in the woods with an IV during the run.
Saw a lady cramping and crying on a curb.
On the bike I was shocked at some of the people I was passing late in the ride. People that LOOKED like they had no business doing an IM had stayed ahead of me for the whole swim and most of the bike. Incredible. The human body is incredible.
Several people commented on the mohawk.
Lots of people gave encouragement. Running down canal lined with spectators was a boost, too...all yelling at you, clapping.
Seeing my family was a huge boost every time too.
You're supposed to answer the question "why am I doing this?" so when your tired body asks you that towards the end of the run, you have an answer, cuz if you don't, you'll be like "yeah, why the heck AM i doing this?" and it makes it harder to finish.
My answer was "for my girls." So it made it easy. I was running faster so I could see them.
Didn't get as emotional as I thought I would at finish. Was more amped up than anything. Mom and Jenn were crying hard. OK I cried a little. Whatever. Didn't want or need water or food right afterward...good sign that I nailed my race day nutrition.
This morning I feel like I was either thrown in a cage with a gorilla or put inside a large tire and rolled down a hill. EVERYTHING is hurting. But that's OK.
Planning on getting an IM tattoo on Tuesday afternoon.
Saw lots of IM logo tattoos all day.
Saw a couple of guys on the run that had to have weighed 270+. Crazy that they can do stuff like that.
Talked to a few people on run. One guy from Mobile. A girl who was only getting to run first loop cuz she had a flight to catch to Oregon cuz her g-ma just died. She said "thanks for listening" as I ran off.
Volunteers during the race were ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. The help they gave and confidence they gave you was staggering. At aid stations, on bike, everything.
Cops that I would thank were very upbeat and happy towards start of race...by the end I would say thanks to some, and they would just ignore me or give me a dirty look...can't blame 'em.
When ankles started hurting I just thought, "i'm taking two weeks off, who cares???"
Not working out again until June 5 or 6. Doing a 15-day juice fast starting Wednesday, can't wait actually.
Might swim some this week just to help recover...but I won't be "working out" just doing very easy movements.
Can't believe it's over.
Oklahoma City in 2014???
Doing Half IM in Austin in October and Half IM in Galveston in April of next year.
Still have my mohawk.
Ok...what am I leaving out......
thought i was going to have to change or wring out sox towards start of run cuz they were soaked and squishy, but that somehow went away.
Wind was never an issue.
Heat never an issue.
Didn't even feel humid to me.
counted strokes on swim for a long time
counted steps on run
thought about all the places I'd trained during last 16 weeks throughout the day (Midland, Lubbock, in Abilene towards lake - towards ACU/town, Las Vegas, Georgetown, Arlington, Amarillo)
spit up stuff out of my chest all day, blew snot out all day, started coughing towards end of run.
other signs:
my mascara runs faster than you
marathon = cooldown in Ironman language
Pain is temporary, being an IM is forever
Don't stop and walk, people are watching

People were literally camped out on bike route. Looked like they had spent the night out there.
Hahahaha...OK one weird thing happened, I was riding the bike out in middle of nowhere, looked up and this guy just appeared out of nowhere, had on green long pants and long sleeved shirt, huge beard, and was just standing there. He looked like grizzly adams or something...a woodsman. Didn't give encouragement or say anything...just standing there. I thought I was seeing things. LOL.
Thought about my brothers a lot on the bike....random stuff like when we were little and how I'm thankful of what good friends we are. Thought about my girls, Ryan, my parents, my in-laws, my cousins, aunt, uncle, niece, sisters-in-law, everybody. Would get a lump in my throat thinking about it almost being over and thinking about seeing everyone.
I also thought about the people that follow this blog and care about me and how I was doing during the race...I wanted to do good for everyone. Everyone like that, who ever asked me about training, who ever gave the slightest care about me and this race, played a role in me finishing. I did it for everyone to some degree.
Had a moment of inspiration about my tattoo design on the bike...it's a surprise though.
Names I remember from bike:
scott
woodie
sue
Luz

I can finally understand why people say they'd rather do an Ironman than just a marathon.
For example, mile 18 of a marathon you're 68% done.
Mile 18 of the run on Ironman you're 94% done.
Seriously, when you get to the run you think "I'm almost done" since you ONLY have four more hours to go...and you've been going 8.

....what else......
I think that's it.
Going to write a "What I Learned from Ironman" sometime soon. 

Week 16, Day 5 - 16 week full IM training

Just realized...Week 16 only has 6 days. One more day. And all I can think about is how my right foot is going to feel when I take that first step of about 40,000 I'll hopefully take on the marathon. I'm not going to test the thing until I get done with the bike tomorrow.

Dr. Badylak has me on a strict Advil regimen which I'm following religiously. He looked at me this morning and thinks it's a tendon thing, not a stress fracture, which is good.
My parents are coming, Jenn's parents will be here. My brother in law, friends, supporters, so many people have gone far out of their way to support me tomorrow and the last thing I want to do is fail.

My stomach is in knots.

Swam for about 20 minutes in Lake Woodlands this morning with no wetsuit. Felt really good, fluid with not wetsuit.

Then John and I rode for about 8 miles...total of about 10 when you factor in us trying to find the transition area and swim start.

We rode from Macy's parking lot to the swim start, parked our bikes, swam, then rode back to our cars...packed our gear bags and went back to IM village. John needed goggles and a race belt. I got a Memorial Hermann IM long sleeve shirt, a cowbell for the girls, and some 2XU calf sleeves.

Made it back to hotel about 11:40. Went to T and K's for lunch. I had a juice right before lunch and some cashews at T and K's. I iced my foot there, too.

Been sipping on water with Nuun tablets in them all day. As of 4 PM, I've had 2 liters plus a 17 ounce bottle.

I'm going to give Jenn my phone tomorrow during race and hopefully she'll be able to post some on facebook and to the blog during the race. Planning on posting lots of pics, too.

Man I hope everything goes OK. The pain of the actual race will be nothing compared to the jubilation I'll be feeling if my foot is OK.

Menu:
orange in the morning
Juice and cashews in afternoon
Dinner - salad, cooked veggies, mung beans.
Snack - cashews, pretzels, frozen cherries

Week 16, Day 4 - 16 week full IM training

Bed at 10:30 PM. Woke at 6:30 AM.
Didn't sleep very well...but feel a little better this morning. Fever feeling is gone. Now I just feel like I'm breathing through a straw...coughing up and blowing out some nasty stuff. Great timing...

I think my body thought graduation was the end of my stressful time and gave up not knowing we still had one week to go.

Total rest day...
Picked Hope up out of her pack n' play after nap and had an incredibly, horrible sharp pain shoot through my right foot. What the heck? Basically crumbled to the ground while making sure Hope got back on a soft landing spot. REALLY nervous about my stupid foot. Never felt anything like that before. If that pain comes back, I won't be able to even walk a marathon...trying to stay positive though. Was probably just an awkward position holding a little chunky baby.

Checked - in at Ironman village this afternoon. Drive to Houston was terrible. I don't know why anyone would choose to live here. Got a really cool backpack.

Planning on swimming and riding a little tomorrow morning before checking stuff in. Then will have the rest of the day to relax tomorrow.

Tonight was bad. Foot feels terrible. Iced before bed then was up from about 2-4 AM with it shooting pain through my foot and leg....really scared this is going to cause me to have to walk the marathon. I'm just sick worrying about it.

Menu:
juice this morning (all juices last few days have been apples, carrots, broccoli, celery, sweet potato)
juice at hotel around 3 PM
2 packets of Emergen-C.
Dinner - 2 trips through Jason's Deli, walnut/cranberry mix
Snack - JD crackers, raw veggies with hummus

Week 16, Day 3 - 16 week full IM training

Yeah...feel terrible.
Woke at 7:30.

Open water swim (20 minutes). Didn't want to swim at pool and get chlorine up in my sinuses...guess dirty lake water is a better option?

20 miles on bike in just more than an hour in Georgetown.
Ran 20 minutes. Inside of left ankle is starting to make me nervous.

I feel like a have fever, achy all over.
Lots of Emergen-C (vitamin C), oranges and veggie juice today.

Menu:
2 oranges this morning
Juice at around 3 PM.
Dinner - salad, cooked veggies, mung beans
Snack - frozen fruit, cashews, handful of chocolate chips, raisins, celery/almond butter

Week 16, Day 2 - 16 week full IM training

Feel weird...like something is settling in my sinuses.
Woke at 7:30 AM.

Rode an hour inside at lunch.
HR 118.

Swam 1,500 yards in 26:41.
Feel good physically but lots of snot...hope it's just allergies.

Went and saw Dr. Anthony this morning...last adjustment before race. Only issues today are inside of left ankle and top of right foot (minor).

Menu:
juice after swim
Dinner - salad, cooked veggies, lentils
Snack - frozen fruit, cashews, carob raisins, celery/almond butter

Week 16, Day 1 - 16 week full IM training

RACE WEEK.
Wow.

Bed at midnight. Woke at 7:30 AM.

Recovery swim
3,000 yards
1 hour
WU - 500
MS - 2 x 1,000 on 1' rest
CD - 500
Did first 1,000 in 18:53, second one in 18:40...feel good.

Lot of snot tonight...

Menu:
dinner - salad, cooked veggies, lentils with pico
blue corn chips, frozen fruit

VOLUME UPDATE

Week 15 totals

Swim - 2:48, 7,975 yards
Bike - 5:17, about 100 miles
Run - 2:50, about 19 miles
CF - 1 hour

Total of 11:55 for the week

TOTAL VOLUME THRU 15 WEEKS
SWIM - 109,019 yards (61.94 miles)
BIKE - 93 HOURS, 41 MINUTES (about 1,700 miles)
RUN - 320.5 MILES

198 HOURS, 5 MINUTES OF TOTAL VOLUME

Week 15, Day 7 - 16 week full IM training

Bed at 10:30 PM. Woke at 7:40 AM.

Key run
1 hour
7.5 miles
stinkin' inflammation on inside of left ankle and on top of right foot will not go away. Starting to get scared that's going to be an issue on race day.


Menu:
cashews right when I woke up
strawberries on the way home
large carrot and homemade salsa before run
Dinner - Blue Taco burrito, Nikki's yogurt
Snack - 1/2 a small watermelon, LARA bar, dried banana, bagel with almond butter, handful of carob almonds, 1.5 Nana's cookie, Almond/sea salt chocolate bar (Free at NG today)

Week 15, Day 6 - 16 week full IM training

Bed at 10:30 PM. Woke at 7:40 AM.

Key bike//run
3 hours total
50 mile bike
(details are on the way...)

Menu:
banana before ride
1 lb strawberries, celery/almond butter and 2 LARA bars around lunchtime
Dinner - 2 trips through JD salad bar, crackers, walnut/cranberry mix
Snack - LARA bar, Nana's cookie from NG, veggies and hummus, leftover burrito from Jenn's lunch

Street art genius

Week 15, Day 5 - 16 week full IM training

COMPLETE REST DAY.
Bed at 11 PM. Woke at 7 AM.

Menu:
Juice around lunchtime
Dinner - 2 trips through JD salad bar
Snack - watermelon, cashews, JD crackers, carrot/almond butter

Planned Juice Fast

I've mentioned it in some previous posts but wanted to inform anyone who's reading that I'll be doing another 15-day juice fast starting the Wednesday after the Ironman...Tuesday night, May 22 will be my last "food" meal until Wednesday night, June 6.

I believe taking two weeks off and doing that fast will speed up my recovery and get me back into my CF/CFE training faster and more efficiently...guess we'll see.

Week 15, Day 4 - 16 week full IM training

Bed at 10:30 PM. Woke at 5:50 AM.

Key run
WU - 15'
MS - 4x 3:3
CD - 15'
Went close to six miles. Cold this morning. Hard to type. Hands numb.
50' total.

Finished my MBA last night. Weird feeling. Like a huge weight has been lifted. Can't believe I'm done.
First morning to look at 10 day forecast for Woodlands.
88/71 degrees, 20% chance of rain. SSE winds at 9 MPH.
That will no doubt change every day, but those conditions would be perfect.
Let's stay < 90 degrees, < 10 mph winds, no rain, mild humidity...

CF
7x
7 front squat w/ 135#
7 chest to bar pullups
12:10
Slow...going to be sore, too. Especially after all those thrusters the other night.
That will be my last CF WOD until the first week of June so I wanted to do something "violent."
Next week is race week...then I'm taking two weeks off afterwards. Plan to start CF again in San Francisco.

Menu:
2 lbs of strawberries from time of waking until I got home.
Dinner - salad, cooked veggies, lentils with pico (Haelyn and Hope ate most of the lentils...ha!), LARA bar, 5 dates, celery//homemade salsa
Snack - cashews, frozen bananas/mangos

Complete rest day tomorrow.

Week 15, Day 3 - 16 week full IM training

Bed at 11 PM. Woke at 6 AM.

Recovery ride
33.33 miles
160 average watts (took it nice and easy)
18.6 mph
118 HR average
1:47 on the bike

Took off at 7:15. 50 degrees. Didn't feel that bad though.
Met Brad McCall 8 miles west of Amarillo in Bushland. We rode together for about 8 miles.
My heart rate is definitely getting more efficient. Thought maybe it was just a matter of me not working as hard...but I can see now that it's not. My heart has become even more efficient. Good sign...

Key swim
4,375 yards (4,000 meters)
WU - 800
MS - 3 x 800
CD - 800
Yeah, so five 800s. Felt good in the water. Took me 1:24 and change.

Menu:
16 oz strawberries before swim
16 oz strawberries at around 2 pm...guess I'm on a strawberry kick. 1 pound of strawberries has 145 calories.
Dinner - 2 trips through JD salad bar, crackers
Snack - cashews, carob cubes, celery/almond butter, veggies, celebratory Nana's cookie from NG.

Week 15, Day 2 - 16 week full IM training

Bed at midnight...woke at 8 AM.

Key ride//run
indoors
WU - 15' (including 4' of 30" fast, 30" easy)
MS - 10/8/6/4/2 with 3' recovery between each
CD - 15'

- 3' transition

ran about 2 miles
total time was 1:30
HR averaged 117

CF 806
4 x OHS (95, 105, 115, 115)
4 x back squat (185, 225, 225, 225)
20 x 40y shuttle
8' AMRAP
8 x thrusters with 95#
8 x kettle bell swing with 1.5 pood
4 burpees
5 rounds + 2 thrusters

Tough hour at CF 806. Love it.

Menu:
strawberries before CF
Dinner - 2 trips thru JD salad bar, 5 crackers
Snack - cashews, carob cubes, 2 LARA bars, strawberries, leftover veggies from Jason's

Week 15, Day 1 - 16 week full IM training

Fell asleep on the couch at 10:30...crawled into bed around midnight...woke at 7 AM. Needed sleep.

Aerobic, recovery swim
WU - 4 x
            2 x 100 on 15" rest
            4 x 25 on 5" rest
         12 x 50 (25 drill, 25 free)
MS - 4 x 200 on 20" rest
        6 x 100 on 10" rest
        4 x 25 fast on 1' rest
CD - 6 x 50 on 15"
Took me 1:24. No one told the person who made this workout up that "12x50(25 drill, 25 free)" TAKES FOREVER...ugh.
I feel tired. Didn't feel fast or strong in the water today. Guessing it's a result of a 15.5 hour week and a tough last couple of days. I wasn't too sore this morning but as the day has gone on I have gotten progressively more sore...very painful. Legs, arms, lats...glad it's a taper week.

Menu:
Nothing all day until Jason's Deli at around 8 PM. 3 trips through. 5 organic, wheat/seed crackers.
Snack - 2 LARA bars, cashews, carob energy cubes (from Market Street), handful of dried mangos

So I ate from 8 PM - 10:30 PM today...feel stuffed. Drank lots of water, too. Really need to reduce calories to correspond with my reduction in training. I really need to lose about 4-5 pounds these last two weeks, which isn't impossible.

13 DAYS OUT - PROGRESS REPORT

Crazy to think I can start checking the 10 day forecast in three days. Exciting.
Body feels great.
The only thing to mention is that tendon on top of my left foot (the one that started bothering me after the 120 mile ride - think my bike shoes were strapped too tight that day), and a tendon on the inside of my right ankle. The same one that was bothering me on the left ankle towards the beginning of the training. But it's nothing major.

Volume is going to drastically reduce the next two weeks. It's going to feel like I'm losing everything I've gained to this point. I've read that's normal and to not freak out about the volume reduction and to trust the training.

Only thing I can do now is pray for mild wind, mild temperatures and mild humidity!!

VOLUME UPDATE

Week 14 details:

Swim - 9,600 yards (3:24)
Bike - 7:43 (roughly 145 miles)
Run - 22.3 miles (3:22)
CF - 1 hour

Total volume for week 14 - 15:29

TOTAL VOLUME THROUGH 14 WEEKS

SWIM - 98,044 YARDS (55.71 MILES)
BIKE - 88 HOURS, 25 MINUTES (ROUGHLY 1,592 MILES)
RUN - 302.5 MILES

TOTAL TIME: 186 HOURS, 10 MINUTES

Week 14, Day 7 - 16 week full IM training

Woke at 7 AM...bed late...past midnight.

Key run
1:20
Just under 9 miles
HR averaged 130
Definitely think my heart has become more efficient on these longer workouts. This run 8 weeks ago would have averaged closer to 140...plus it was hotter.

CF WOD
3 x
1000m row
30 thrusters w/ 45#
30 pullups
23:29
tough...

Menu:
orange in the morning (made girls orange juice with new juicer)
leftover kiwi from Hope's lunch
juice before WOD
Dinner - 2 trips through JD salad bar, 3 organic crackers, walnut/cranberry mix with some swirl ice cream
Snack - coconut dates, dried bananas, LARA bars, Ezekial tortilla (2) with homemade guacamol

Week 14, Day 6 - 16 week full IM training

Bed around 11 PM. Woke at 5:45 AM.

Drove to Beltway Baptist..site of the Hammer Down Duathlon. Registered, got my chip, set up transition area and set out for 30 miles. Here are the details of that ride...

30.1 miles
184 watts
19.2 mph average
126 HR average

Made it back to transition at around 8:36. Got my run stuff on, started race at 9 AM.

1.8 mile run
10 mile ride
1.8 mile run
Finished in around 55 minutes...first overall. Told myself I wasn't going to push it but ended up pushing it towards the end on the run. And you can see below that my watts and HR on the ride were higher than normal during a long ride. Fun race. I figured since it was a shorter day (70 miles) that I could spend a little time giving a little bit extra effort. 

10 mile ride specs:
10.37 miles
224 watts
20.8 mph
157 HR average

After race I set back out for another 30 miles. Both 30 miles (before and after) I did an out and back. Down Hardwick/Iberis to Bell Plains, to 127 til it dead ends by the Homeplace in Tuscola, then west to Lemons Gap road which was where I turned around. Winds were strong today. Riding with the tail wind was fun.

Normally we ride 1/2 into the wind then 1/2 with the wind. But today I battled into the wind on three separate occasions. Think that was good because there's going to be some of that on race day.

Details on second 30 miles...
30.11 miles
171 average watts
18.3 mph
140 average HR

Not sure on the exact specifics, but had 1 gel and 1 bottle of Accelerade (300 calories) during the entire race/ride. Lots of water. Pretty humid today. Total of 70.5 miles and about 4 mile run. Good day.

Optional swim:
2,500 yards total
1 hour
WU - 400 free
         300 kick
         500 free
         12 x 50 (25 free, 25 kick)
MS - 14 x 50 with varying rest intervals

Lots of kicking in this one...ugh. 600 yards worth. Good to get in the water after a long, hot day.

Menu:
blended salad 1 hour before race/ride
recovery pudding after ride
juice after swim
Dinner - salad, pinto beans, carob raisins, carob cubes
Snack - 3 ezekial burritos (2 with black beans, 1 with hot sauce), chips//guacamole, brown recovery drink
Would have eaten something sweet but we didn't have anything!
Long run and CF tomorrow and we're into week 15...crazy.

Week 14, Day 5 - 16 week full IM training

Sick kid all night...stayed at home.

21.41 mile bike
1:08
165 watts (easy ride)
18.7 mph
HR average 125
got hailed on

Did this late afternoon. Glad I got SOMETHING in...rough day.

Menu:
juice before ride
Dinner - salad, cooked veggies, lentils with pico and avocado, Ezekial tortilla
Snack - frozen fruit, dates,
ate some other stuff but can't remember...been a long weekend. Nothing crazy...

Week 14, Day 4 - 16 week full IM training

Bed at 10:15 PM..woke at 5:30 AM.

Recovery ride
1 hour on trainer at 118 HR

Anaerobic threshold swim
3,600y total
1:12
WU - 800
MS - 5 x
        4x50 on 5" rest
        200 on 20" rest
        (so a total of 2,000y)
CD - 800
Good swim...

Biketown 10 mile Time Trial
25:07...third place overall.

Menu:
Juice after swim
blended salad before time trial
Dinner - salad, cooked veggies, lentils with pico
Snack - cashews, popped amaranth, frozen fruit

Week 14, Day 3 - 16 week full IM training

Bed just past 11 PM. Woke at 5:30 AM...decided I needed more sleep. Slept until 7:20AM.
Going to have to run at lunch....

Key run
1:02 - 7 miles
WU - 15 (including 6 accelerations)
MS - 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 2:1, 1...done
CD - 20'
so that's 4 minutes of work, 1 minute rest, 3 minutes work, 1 minute rest, etc...




Menu:
juice after run (carrots, apples, celery, spinach, lemon, cinnamon)
Dinner - salad, cooked veggies, mung beans with pico
Snack - cashews, bowl frozen fruit, popped amaranth, raisins, pecans
good eating day...

Week 14, Day 2 - 16 week full IM training

Bed at 10:30 PM. Woke at 4:30 AM.

Key bike//run
Did inside on trainer and treadmill
WU - 15' (including 10' of 90 RPM)
MS - 5 x 5' hard effort
              2' 90 RPM
              2' big gear climb out of saddle
              1' fast spin
CD - 15'
off bike at 1:32

- 3' transition -

ran just under 3 miles on treadmill
2:00 total work out.
HR averaged 116.

Based on my perceived exertion and sweat volume, I'm not working any less hard than I have been...but that HR average is really low. I hope it's a sign that I'm becoming more efficient and not a sign that I'm not putting forth enough effort.

Menu:
juice around lunchtime
salad, veggie//bean soup, cashews, 3 dates
snack - popped amaranth, cashews, frozen fruit