Day After

So, dinner last night had the potential to be awesome!  But the roof of my mouth was so raw I could barely eat.  Even the milkshake caused pain...bummer.  So I finished eating, took a hot bath.  I fell asleep in the tub and only woke up because I slipped down and my head went underwater.  Got out, laid down and I was out in minutes.  Today I am really sore and sunburned but I am doing good.  No signs that I am sick like I was after my first Ironman.  So, here are some pics for you.  Bike and run pics will get posted as soon as they come in.  

Swim start, just be fore the horn.  I lined up all the way on the left.  I would be just below those bushes.

Looking at the menu

Yes, it hurts a little.

Holy *#&% It's over!

They were not kidding when they said this race was the toughest in North America.  It...was...brutal...period!  So here's a summary.

The swim:  Great.  Man made lake, calm, warm and very wide so you don't get the crap beat out of you at the start.  I don't know my official time yet.

The bike:  Man...whatever.  10000 feet of climbing, half of which was in a 10 mph headwind, maybe a little less.  The last 12 miles were absolutely unbearable...truly.  A steady, false flat climb that finishes with three climbs up three steep (talking easiest gear and standing on the pedals) hills called the 3 Sisters which I renamed the 3 Beeotches.   No shade left me a nasty sunburn on my upper thighs where my tri suit rode up leaving the leg unprotected.  I seriously gave thought to quitting after the ride until I saw the girl riding her bike with one leg...no prosthetic.  So no way in hell I am giving up.   Saw a few gnarly crashes out there and a LOT of people suffering.  It was a lonely course, I was by myself for long periods of time.  Didn't get passed but a couple of times and passed a few people.  Curious to see what bike time was.  Ok, onward to T2 the bike to run transition.

They have nice tents for you to change into your run gear.  So, needless to say my transition time...hella slow!  I digress.  Lets talk about the run shall we!  So, after a brutal 112 hell ride one would think a 26 mile run on flat terrain would be welcome...right?  WRONG!  Holy crap, the run course had 2000 feet of climbing... long ass hills to!  Fortunately, aid stations were at every mile.  My diet on the run was water, flat Coke and Endurolyte electrolyte capsules.  I tried eating animal crackers...stomach no likey.  Again, I am not sure how long my 26 miles took but I wasn't breaking any records that's for sure.  Saw a few people pass out and get picked up by ambulance.  Oh, mental note, wearing a tri suit covered with a Physio Control logo and a Firefighter patch...not good.  People were like "HEY, you...Paramedic guy.  Can you help".  "Oh, sure.  Let me pull out the defibrillator from my shorts".  Nah, they didn't bother me.  Anyway we ran into the night, up the damn hills and through a shopping/dining district.  Another bunk idea cuz when you run through there people are offering fried mozarella sticks and wings and beer.  Anyway, my second half of the marathon was much faster than the first once my legs got use to the running.  SO, I finished.  Here are stats for you all.

Total time to complete the race:  13 hours 11 minutes.
Pre race morning weigh in:  178 pounds
Post race weigh in: 172 pounds
Heart rate this morning at the hotel:  52
Heart rate at the swim start:  120
Average heart rate for the whole race:  140 About 99,000 beats total
Pre race BP:  116/65
Post race BP: 99/50
Calories consumed:  About a 1000 total
Calories burned:  12,500

I will post pics from the race with official times.  Now, it's time to eat.  On the menu...salmon, tofu salad and hummus.  NOT!!!!  Room service!  Pizza, french fries, milkshake, coke.  Looking forward to it...kinda.  You see, when you breath so much, hard and fast from your mouth the roof of your mouth gets raw and makes it hard to eat :(  Tomorrow, pancakes for sure!   So, goodnight all cuz after dinner I am going to bed!  Take care.

Race Day

Had my alarm set for 0430 but got woken up by the Coyotes howling...sweet.  Time for breakfast then I am out of here.

A few pictures

This is T1 or the Swim to Bike Transition.  This is where the swim begins also.

So, we drove the course a bit.  This is at about 15 miles.  Lots of hills here!  Lots!   But is it ever beautiful.

Well, the day is winding down.  Gonna try to get a light jog in tonight if not jog to the swim start in the am.  Tonight is shower, watch a movie and try to get some sleep.  0400 comes early!  At that time I will get up, eat a light breakfast, mix up my drink bottles, pack my gear then lie down for a bit.  Then at about 0545 I will make the jog to T1 and get the race going.   Next pics you will see will be from the race tomorrow night.  Take care everyone.

Race Meeting

So I am at the race meeting. I LOVE triathlon! It's so cool seeing so many types of people at these races. Slim ultra fit pros to average joes. Again the crowd is eclectic. Lots of nervous chatter. Watching people eat giant stacks of pancakes to plates of sausage to fruit I refused to share my breakfast of tofu, beans, fruit and coffee. Ok, nobody would touch that! The arena is a sea of t shirts from races past,compression socks and Oakley sunglasses. As usual I am representing the 510 and East Bay in my tank top, camo shorts and Chuck Ts. I am pretty sure I am the only heavily tattooed athlete. If I see another one of my kind I will be sure to bond with them.  

Lots of foreigners to.  I am hearing French, German or Dutch, Spanish...  I ran into some Canadians at Whole Foods who were rifling through the Clif Bar section like they had just broken into Fort Knox.  When I said "Whoa, whoa...save some for us eh"  They said "We only get 3 flavors in Canada eh.  So when we come to the US we stock up."  I nodded and said "Try the peanut butter pretzel bars"  Their eyes got big and they said "BEAUTY!"  and took the whole box. :)  BUT, the most interesting person award  goes to the young man that showed up to register in a silk suit with two Vegas stripper looking girls escorting him.  How do I know what Vegas strippers look like?  I saw The Hangover!!!  

The race meeting was pretty....uh...simple.  All the guy said was "Welcome, it's a brutal course, finish before midnight"  Well, that's all I heard.  Ok, time to go and try to eat something.  Nerves are kicking in.

MADE IT...to the race venue that is.

8.5 hour later and we pulled in to the beautiful Lake Las Vegas.  Ok, it was dark BUT the place looks great all lit up.  Of course their are tri-geeks everywhere, looking each other's bikes up and down and giving each other the stink eye.  They all wear t-shirts from previous races, some  talk nervously while others talk like they are gonna win the damn race.  I just minded my own business, walking around in my I Hella (heart) Oakland t-shirt, Social Distortion hat and Vans.

We got checked in, unloaded the gear and decided room service would be awesome which it was:  Whole wheat pasta with portabello and shrimp, greek salad, grilled salmon, warm flat bread and wine...for my girl, I drank water.  Afterwards I did some stretching and rolled out the legs, took a stroll around the hotel and ran into some dude named Dave Scott.  I guess he was kinda big in triathlon at one time ;)  He was really nice, and still fit!  Bastard.

Tomorrow I will be up at 0700 for race packet pick-up and the race meeting.  Gonna check out where all of the transitions are because I have to have all of my bike and run gear turned in by 6 pm tomorrow.  Also going to take a little drive on the course for a small preview.

Earlier today, during the drive...oh, which by the way was still shorter than this race will be :(  This one guy who saw my bike at a rest area asked me how long my race would take.  So here's how I put it into perspective for this family man.  I said "Well sir, you can get up tomorrow around 8 am, have breakfast with the family, then go to church, then go to lunch, go to a matinee then come home and watch the football game, have a snack, BBQ hamburgers for the family, relax and watch 60 Minutes and get ready for work on Monday while the kids get ready for school and I may STILL be out on that course."  His response, albeit it typical..."You are crazy mister."  I shrugged my shoulders and said "Yep, guess so"  Welcome to triathlon

 Good night all.

Lake Las Vegas

This is Loews Resort at Lake Las Vegas.  We will be staying here which puts me right at the swim start.  The swim starts just beyond this bridge..I think.  We swim under it which give spectators a great view.  The swim start is suppose to be a mass start which means all 250+ of us Full Distance racers go at the same time.

Packing for the race!

Packing for race day! 

Tapering Down.

Today was a good day.  The sun was out, it was in the 70s.  Got up and went with my girl to Moma's Royal Cafe where we had coffee, shared a scone then I had the tofu scramble with wheat toast and fruit.  We read the paper and enjoyed the morning.  Shortly after I got my day going and realized that my workouts were now much shorter!  Designed to not to put too much stress on the body but keep the muscles familiar.  So, it was 1.5 hour ride an easy climb up the Oakland hills then a cruise back down with a quick stop to buy some nutrition products for race day.  This evening it was a 2000 yard swim followed shortly after by an awesome dinner of Korean food.  Even though tomorrow is an "off" day I have lots to do!  Dentist, drop the bike off for a tune up, hair cut, massage...  But, I think I will force myself to sleep until 9 or 10.  Thursday is my last workout.  Friday morning we leave for Nevada.  Going to take lots of video and pics and post here during the trip.  Hope you all have a good night.

SF Giants.

And that's all I need to say today.

Goals

Another question I get asked is "What is your goal for this race?"  Goals will vary from person to person.  Some will want to win the entire event while others will just want to cross the finish line.  Here are some of my goals.

-Not hyperventilate during the first few minutes of the swim.
-Eat and drink consistently while on the bike.
-Don't let others dictate my pace, race my own race.
-Run, not walk through the aid stations during the marathon.
-Get to the finish
-Be able to walk back to my room under my own power
-Bypass the medical tent
-Encourage as many people as I can to get through the race...cuz it's gonna hurt.

Today was a good day. 4000 yard swim, a little lunch break and then a 2.5 hour ride on a beautiful 68 degree day in Oakland.  It was great to see so many people out riding.  I am working tonight so hopefully I will get some sleep.  Oh, got to give a shout out to Alfonso Munoz who is registering for his first Ironman 70.3 tomorrow.  I am going to do the race with and look forward to training with him.  Sleep well all.

Easy day...kind of.

On Thursday night I got about 2 hours of sleep.  Then last night at work I got a grand total of about 2-3 hours of sleep that were broken up by medical calls.  I left work and went right to the pool.  Halfway into my 4500 yard swim I was stopped and informed that the H2O aerobics class was going to start so I got the boot.  Oh well, make up the difference tomorrow.  This afternoon I went on 1.5 hour run in the Oakland hills.  It felt...ok.  I was tired, it was cold and damp but it still felt good to get out on the road.  Very tired tonight so I am going to get a full eight.  For Brook, here is my training menu for the day.

Breakfast:  Bagel and fruit (no cream cheese) coffee
Lunch:   Black bean and green chili burrito with a wheat tortilla.  Small bowl of Kashi cereal.
Snack:  Clif Bar
Post workout:  Gatorade, Clif Bar
Dinner:  Mahi-mahi burger on wheat bun, baked potato fries, watermelon
Dessert:  Vegan carrot cake
Indulgences:  1 Reeses peanut butter cup and cup of cereal.

Tomorrow:  Long swim and 3 hour ride.  Good night everyone.

Picture is a view from the top of my run.

Video from ride up Skyline Blvd

Early Morning Workouts...SUCK!

They say working out early in the morning is good because it helps simulate the time you will be getting up and ready race morning.  If that's the case then I am going to be a train wreck next Sunday. 

So, got up at 0415 after sleeping...oh...2 hours fully.  Raining out so I threw on some warm clothes, shouldered my backpack and went to the car.  The short drive to the gym was uneventful.  I checked in and went to the spin room to jump on a bike.  That's when it began to show that I was out of it. 

First, I had a UFC match with my backpack straps much like Snoopy fought the lawn chair in the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special (jelly beans for dinner...brilliant!)  I digress.  Anyway, after winning my bout by a narrow margin I threw my opponent to the floor.  Took of my hat and jacket and..."What the "BEEP!"  "How did my tri suit get under my clothes?!!"  "Dammit!  Where are my underwear then?!" A shake of the head and a heavy sigh later I take off my pants, set the bike and put my water bottle in the cage...ok, acutally I tried putting it in the damn foot strap of the pedal!  GRRRRR!  I stand up, give my self a neurological stroke test to make sure I am ok and climb aboard.  "ARRRRRG" I put my UGGs back on!  Tri suit and UGGs...hot.  NOT!   Whoa, whoa...don't be haters.  UGGs are warm and toasty despite their appearance. 

Finally, FINALLY I get my ride going.  Going for an hour.  15 minutes in, go to take some fluid...SPLOOSH...the lid on the water bottle is not on all the way and I get drenched with Gatorade.  Great.  Keep going anyway.  40 minutes in I am feeling pretty good for the exception of my hands being sticky.  So sticky that I open my hand up and my ipod doesn't fall! 

With 15 minutes left the unthinkable happens.  A young woman mounts a bike in front of me, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!  There are 50 bikes and nobody else in the room!  I know, some might say "Ooooo, van Luen, she was trying to show off for you."  Well, you would think differently after what happens next. 

10 minutes away from being done I am pedaling and all of a sudden I feel a subtle but noticeable breeze...a whisp if you will.  For a second I wonder "Did a fan get turned on?"  Then, out of NOWHERE this pungent odor invades my nares.  I mean, blink a couple of times, shake your head kind of pungent.  Thrown off by what my senses are experiencing my first thought was "Oh my, are we near a sulfur factory?"  "Did I leave an old container of Muscle Milk in my bag that is rotting?"  "OH  NO!  It's Al-Qaeda!"  After this brief, 10-20 second thought process I realized what or who the culprit was. 

The smell dissipates quickly, I shake it off, not judgemental.  Like I said before we all have our moments.  Until I was getting off my bike.  I took my ear buds out.  I was bending over to wipe up the floor when I noticed something strange in this girls cadence, it wasn't regular anymore.  I looked just in time to catch her get out of her seat, lean to her left and on the upward pedal stroke on her right side she opened up her leg and....FART!  Ok, it wasn't "FART".  I just can't describe the sound!  It was a hybrid sound of tearing paper and when you rub your hands over a balloon.  This time I was overcome by the smell of Fritos and wheatgrass!   I...could....not....believe... it! 

I policed up my stuff double quick and as I was leaving I turned to the Phantom Frito Farter cuz I had to give a "What the hell?" look.  She didn't look at me but I saw her face.  She was almost in tears trying not to laugh.  OMG, she had been planning this all along!!!  Sitting at home eating Frito pies and drinking Jamba Juice to unleash on some poor, unsuspecting soul.  Of course the tri suit and UGGs...easy target.  AHHHH!  Anyway, I changed into my swim gear (in the locker room) put on my swim cap, goggles on my head and jumped into the pool.  Mmmm, nice warm pool.  I reach up to pull my goggles down.  DAMMIT!  My sunglasses!  I hate morning workouts.

Are you ready?

This question was asked of me yesterday.  Where does the answer lie?  I honestly don't know!  I mean, I have been training, watching my nutrition, trying to stay healthy.  But will those couple of nights where I had pizza and a light beer throw me off?  Will the days where I listened to my body and took an "off" day come back to bite me?  How about the week I had a cold?  Overall, I feel good but as with any race there are so many variables.  Weather, terrain, sleep or lack thereof the night before the race, equipment issues.  I guess I really won't be able to answer the question until I cross the finish line.

Enough about me.

Yesterday, at work, I took an elderly woman to the ER who was having a heart attack.  She was very uncomfortable, nauseous and very scared.  She underwent an urgent procedure to re-open her clogged arteries.  Then, there was a young man who broke his femur in a car accident.  There was a 41 year old woman who could barely breath because of an embolism in her lungs.  Today, I also received word that a good friend has cancer and the wife of another friend, who has been battling cancer, is having exploratory surgery to see if it may be back.

So, today I trained and I trained hard.  Harder than I probably should have this close to the race.  But every pedal stroke, every swim stroke was powered by the vision of all these people, strangers and friends alike, who are hurting in their own way.  No matter how much my legs burned on the ride or lungs burned during the swim I just shook my head and told myself "Suck it up because you are lucky to be able to experience this kind "pain".

So, next week if I am strong enough to make it to the marathon I am going to dedicate one mile to each person I know is having a tough time in life right now.  If anyone out there knows or has met someone and you would like to share their story, please do and I will run a mile for them as well.  The marathon is 26 miles.  I will post the names at the end of the race.  Until tomorrow, be well, be safe and get out and enjoy the life you have.

2 weeks left!

Woke up this morning for what I hope will be my LAST early morning workout.  0430 came quickly this morning, it was dark, windy and raining out.  The love of my life is sleeping like a baby and all I want to do is crawl back under the covers and drift off to sleep with her.  Instead, I suck it up and get ready to go. 
A piece of toast with peanut butter, some Emergen C in water, jacket, scarf, backpack and off I go to work to get my long run in.

Rather than risk the elements and get sick...again, I elect to do a half marathon on the treadmill.  I set the elevation at 1 to start then alternate between 1 and 2.  I hit the start button and up the speed to 6.5 mph for my warm up.  I immediately go "Uh-oh".  My dinner from last night has not quite digested and along with the toast and PB I feel heavy and sloshy.  Like I am trying to run in one of those Sumo costumes!  At minute 1!!!  ARG!!!   Again, a few deep breaths and I suck it up and keep going.  Then, around minute 15 something glorious happened....well it happened several times actually.  Without getting into too much detail lets just say I didn't know the human body could produce sulfur fumes.  But OH MAN the relief!  Each step got lighter and lighter, breathing much more easy.  Now come on!  Don't be making sour faces and saying "eeeeeeeewwww"  You all have been in PE class doing sit ups and crop dusted your partner holding your feet.  You know what I am talkin about!  Anyway, the rest of the run went fine.  7-8 mph with 1 mile at 9 mph.  13 miles in about 1 hour 45 minutes. 

Tomorrow is a light run, a long swim and a 3 hour ride.  Then sometime this week I will put together my travel / race checklist. 

Last Long Training Ride Before the Race

Today was the perfect day for a training ride.  Cloudy, 68 degrees and light breezes.  Climbed up Skyline out of Oakland, over Wildcat Canyon to Grizzly Peak and down through Tilden Park into Contra Costa County.  Again, lots of climbing but the legs felt good.  6 hours yielded 85 miles which I am good with considering the climbing.  Nutrition breakdown:  I averaged 150 calories an hour and drank one large bottle of fluid per 1.5 hours.  Didn't feel thirsty or hungry.  Got rained on a bit but really got rained on when I got home and found out the Giants lost!  Nothing that a large Korean dinner can't cure.  Now it's time for a Skinny Cow and then crawl into bed with my girl.  Long run and swim on deck for tomorrow.  Good night all.

THe first step always seems the hardest!

Woke up, well rested today but for some reason it was just hard to get motivated to workout.  It was all I could to do to steer my car toward the pool.  At the pool it was all that I could do to pull on my tri suit.  I stood at the edge of the pool and stared down at the water, my mind telling me "Well, get into the pool fool!"  My body saying "Eh, maybe we can just go to breakfast and then take a nap."  Well, the mind won.  Took a deep breath and stepped into the water.  One more deep breath and the workout begun.  After one lap the body got warmed up and it was business as usual.  Sometimes the hardest part of training is just starting.  Well, long ride begins in less than a hour. Looking forward to coming home tonight and spending the evening with my girl.  Have a good day all and GO GIANTS!

Only a few days left until the taper begins!

I am working today at the firehouse today but still managed to get in a speed workout on the treadmill.  1 hr 20 mins. 10 min warm up then 1/4 mile at 8.0 mph with 1 min rest.  Main set was 3 miles mile 1 was a 6:30 mile.  Mile 2 was a 6 min/mile.  Mile 3 was a 5:30 mile (3 minute rest between all).  Final set was eight 1/4 miles at 8-9mph then a 10 minute cooldown.  Did some abs and stretching now it's off to bed for some...well, you never say the "s" word at the fire department.  With a 4000 yard swim and a 6 hour ride with a 30 min brick tomorrow I will need all the rest I can get. 

Nutrition for today:
-Kashi cereal (big shocker)
-Cashews
-Tofu burger
-Papaya
-York peppermint patty :)
-Handful of tortilla chips
-Dinner:  Turkey meatloaf, Greek salad, papaya.
-Dessert:  3 small cookies

I dont know about all you other folks out there but it seems weird to know that when I take off for my ride tomorrow the Giants game will have started and ended before I get home.

Good day. Training and the SF Giants get a "W" against Philly!

Day got off to a slow start.  Had every intention of getting up at 0730 but a cold grey morning and a warm bed made that 0930.  A little breakfast of Kashi and fruit and off to the pool for an easy 30 minute run followed by a 5000 yard swim.  Made lunch for me and my girl.  On the menu: scrambled eggs X2, tofu, pinto beans, corn tortillas, papaya, and steamed rice.  Sat down to watch the Giants and when the score was 3-0 in the 8th it was time to suit up for a ride.

3 hour training ride through the Oakland and Berkeley hills yielded 45 miles.  Slow pace but it was pretty much nothing but climbing which I hope will benefit me at Silverman.  Coming back down Skyline Blvd it was  nice to see so many people climbing up, sweating it out and enjoying an amazing sunset.

Good night all

Bees Suck!

I don't care if they pollenate flowers or produce the honey that makes my peanut butter taste so delicious but bees really suck when they fly into your face during a ride!  Here I sit with my right eye swollen shut hoping the extra edema will create one hell of a seal with my swim goggles for my swim today.

Weather today...rain actually and a little cool.

Todays workouts:
2 hour 40 minute run
4000 yard swim

Off Day

You ever wake up suddenly on a Saturday morning thinking "OH NO!  I missed the alarm!  I am late for work!  Then, when you wake up just enough to figure things out....  You get that feeling of calm.  Take a deep breath, smile and realize "Its Saturday and I am off today!" then curl back up under the blankets, close your eyes and fall back to sleep. 

That's what happened today when I realized that I didn't have to train today.  No jumping into the cold pool, no 5 hour rides, no 2 hour runs, no worrying about every last calorie.  A day to let the muscles heal a little and open up and have some "bad" calories.  What did this triathlete enjoy on his day off besides watching the Giants win game 1?

-Breakfast:  4 Nutrigrain waffles

-Snack:  Kashi Go Lean cereal 

-Lunch:  Huge slice of Pizza from Pizza Piazza (tomato, mushroom, spinach, garlic, cilantro)

-Snack #2 Cashews

-Dinner:  Salad with some Ranch, Pumpkin/Green Chile/Cheddar tamale, pinto beans, Corona Light

-Dessert:  Vanilla ice cream with strawberries, peanuts and chocolate sauce

-Before bed snack:  Spoonful of fresh, organic honey roasted peanut butter.

It's about bedtime.  Back at it tomorrow.  Tomorrows schedule is:

-1 hour easy ride

-4000 yard swim

-2 hour 40 minute.

Bike Course Profile...yipe.

Triathletes long for bike courses that are flat...pancake flat.  A fast bike course profile will resemble a flat line on a patient's heart monitor (paramedic in me coming out).  The Silverman on the other hand resembles a 9.0 on the earthquake Richter scale.

Countdown to Silverman 2010

Hey everyone,
Well, the countdown has begun!  I have one more week of full training before I begin to scale back or "taper" for the big event on Nov 7th!  I am going to document my race from the day we leave, our stay at Lake Las Vegas and everything in between to give you an idea of what life is like on the road for a big race.  Expect to see lots of pics and some video of the race as well.  In the meantime, check out the video for the Silverman.  Take care!