IRONMAN Arizona 2015 Race Report

 Most of my race reports start out with the morning of the race, or the night before, however, this race report will be different, because well, let’s face it… this just isn’t a normal race, this was an IRONMAN.

Flashing back to July 1st, 2014, frantically hitting refresh on my work computer trying to see when IRONMAN would open up Volunteer slots for the 2014 IRONMAN Arizona race. The only way to give me a shot into the 2015 race, as Arizona is a popular race that sells out within minutes of being opened up online, so if I was serious about it, I was going to need to start preparations almost 18 months prior. Finally, the volunteer registration opened and the slots were filling up fast. Stephen and I both got a mid day bike handler position where you hand the bike off to volunteers after the ride and they place it back on the bike rack for you.

In November 2014, Stephen and I headed to Arizona to fulfill out volunteering obligations and sign up for the 2015 IRONMAN Arizona, as volunteers get priority registration before the general public can register. The only triathlon’s I had been a part of before my volunteer shift were small local ones, with a maximum of about 800 competitors, this race had about 3,000 people and 4,000 volunteers, it was crazy to be around that kind of atmosphere and energy. The volunteer shift when good and we were able to secure a wristband that allowed us priority registration when it opened the following day. At 6:00am the next morning, lining up in IRONMAN village, we were 2 of about 2,000+ people ready to pay and commit to racing the 2015 IRONMAN Arizona Race.

---Fast forward one year and several hundred hours of training---

The morning of the race I found myself in a calm place. The hotel was about a mile and a half from the transition, so we decided to walk, in order to avoid traffic and road closures. The rolling start of group of 3,000+ age groupers were scheduled to start at 6:45am, and we arrived to the transition and I was dressed into my wetsuit and in line by 6:40am.

At 6:45am, the sound of the horn rang out and the race was on. Where swimmers lined up was self seeded, you decided how fast you thought you would complete the swim and then lined up near the sign indicating that time. I lined up between the 1:10:00 sign and the 1:20:00 sign. I was hoping to swim somewhere between 1:18:00 and 1:20:00 but I wanted to get in with a faster group. When I climbed down the steps into the water there was no treading water, or warming it, it was just swim. I found my stroke almost immediately and felt good.  My arms never got tired and I was able to make quick work of the beginning portion of the swim. Besides the water being dirty (I was not able to see your hand in front of your face), I had a great swim. The swim course was 1 loop around the lake and I was able to keep a straight line for the majority of the race, never swaying to far from the buoys. There were a couple times when swimmers would come to close, and their arms would grab your waist, or a pair of feet would appear a few inches in front of my face (I did mention you couldn’t see very well in the water). Coming into the final turn and a straight shot to the stairs I had entered I gave it a final push, kicking my legs harder to get the blood flow back into them. My final swim time was 1:11:30, a full 7-8 minutes faster than I had predicted.

A volunteer quickly grabbed my arm as I reached for the stairs and helped me up. I instantly starting ripping my wetsuit off, preparing for the change tent, Getting my wetsuit down to my waist I jumped in front of two other volunteers, wetsuit strippers, and they wasted no time at all and getting the wetsuit off my legs and leaving me free to for a quick run to my transition bag and change tent.

I have mixed emotions of the change tent. It was about 10-15 Degrees warmer, which was nice, but the smell of sweaty bodies still in a hurry was something I could have done without. But, hey, that got me in and out the change tent in a few minutes.

The bike course was roughly a 37-mile loop that needed to be completed 3 times, that plus the bike in and bike out portion equals 112 miles on the bike. The bike portion for IRONMAN Arizona has you go out 17.5 miles at a slight increase, there’s about 700 feet of elevation gain heading out, but at that distance and rate, it’s mostly flat. The way back is along the same route, so it’s considered downhill, but again, mostly flat, but the speeds on the way back were promising. I finished the first lap in about 2 hours, and halfway through the second lap it started to rain. This made an already cold day not only colder, but now everything was wet. The course was slick, which caused for slow turns. I was able to maintain myself and avoid all issues. The second loop was a little slower, coming in about 2 hours 6 minutes. It pretty much rained for the entire remainder of the bike course, the third loop, and the hardest loop, as I had already completed 75 miles on the bike was going to be in the cold rain, but as much as I wanted the ride to be over, I knew that there was only a couple more hours until I was off the bike and onto the final portion of the race. The third and final leg was my slowest leg of the bike, but still much faster then I thought. It took me about 2 hours 10 minutes on the bike, able to maintain a pace above 17 mph. My goal time for the 112 miles on the bike was 6:45, my actual time was 6:19:18, about 25 minutes faster.

Now that I was off the bike I realized how cold it actually was. I got into the again warm but smelly change tent only to not want to leave. A volunteer showed up to wrap me in a Mylar blanket and gave me a bottle of water. I was cold but grateful there was someone there to help me. I took my time in shredding my bike shoes and putting on my race number and run shoes, I was dreading heading back out into the cold, but I had a thought, I was 26.2 miles away from finishing the race, now I just wanted to get it over with. The run course was a 13.1 mile loop that required 2 laps before I got to enter that finisher chute and be immortalized as an IRONMAN for the rest of my life, so off I went. Remembering my training I started off slow, the tendency for triathletes in an IRONMAN is to come flying out of the final transition only too bonk in the run after a few miles.  To get to the finish line that was my plan. I felt like I had a good stride during the run, only stopping to walk the aid stations during the first loop and realizing now I only had 13.1 miles to go and nothing was going to stop me. I had PLENTY of time to finish and wasn’t about to go this far without finishing. Around mile 19 of the run was when I hit the wall. I couldn’t run anymore, my run had already turned into a slow shuffle and now I had to walk. I walked for about the next 3 miles, then was able to find my legs and legged out another mile before the final hill of the run course. Not being stupid, I walked up the hill, and started my run down the hill, and saw the Mile 24 sign.

That’s it 2 miles left, it was renewed strength, I was able to trudge along over the final bridge and to the mile 25 sign. Oh my god, oh my god, 1 mile left, I was slow close, but do you realize how far 1 mile is after 139 miles were all ready completed. There it was, the finish line, the final 100 feet. Suddenly, every pain, every ache, every muscle came alive and I felt just as good as I did at the start of the race. About 20 feet from the finish line, I heard the 6 words that had consumed my life for 17 months, Steven Burkett, you are an IRONMAN!! I had done it. My goal for the run, was 4 hrs 42 minutes, and my time was 4 hours 47 minutes, 5 minutes slower, but it doesn’t matter I completed it.

My official time was 12:33:59. I had done it, I never expected I would have been able to break the 13-hour mark, and here I had done it by almost 30 minutes.

I was greeted at the finish line by a volunteer with another Mylar blanket and then I saw my friends and family waiting for me on the other side of the fence. The race may have been over, but the experience is something that will last a lifetime.

Goleta Beach Triathlon Race Report

RACE PREP:     After the Redondo Beach Sprint Triathlon last month, in which I placed 9th in my age group (M25-29) and 112th overall I was determined to do better then that. Looking around for some other sprint triathlons, there were 2 that caught my eye, Carlsbad Triathlon and Goleta Triathlon, both in July. Well, I think the choice was obvious, Goleta. Show my home town whats up.

Now in all fairness, I was talking some trash on the Goleta Race, talking about how it was a small local race, and that I'd show the locals how it's done by getting on the podium. But then realization started to set in when on Saturday evening, the night before the race, I was sitting with my mom going over my projected splits, based on my training routines, that obtaining a podium finish was all but a foolish dream. Based on the 2014 Results information, I estimated that I would have to finish under 1:04 live up to the smack talk. However, my breakdown quickly made me realize, that I was in trouble. Here's my pre-race prediction:

1/4 Mile Swim -      8:00
              T1 -           2:00

11 Mile Bike -       36:00

               T2 -          2:00

2.5 Mile Run -       20:00

            Total -    1:08:00

So yeah, I needed to write a pretty big check to cover what my mouth was spitting. After some Trash talking from my mom, about no need to stay late for awards.. yada yada yada... I fell asleep on the couch, only to wake at 4:00 to start getting ready.

RACE MORNING:     Getting to the Transition set up at 5:30am to insure a parking spot was easier than I thought, it was one of those mornings where everything fell into place. With a prime spot near the Bike out area, I was determined to have some good transition splits. I opted out of using a wetsuit and instead decided to swim/bike/run in only the tri-kit I was wearing, to save some valuable seconds, because I was going to need second to live up to the dream.

Sound of the horn and we're off, Wave 1, consisting of about 40 athletes in different age groups, and I wanted to get settled into a pace and just survive with some sort of lead pack. At the turn around spot, I had a good line, and was feeling good, I may have gone out a little too fast, but I wasn't going to stop now, no time for rest! Getting out of the water (by my parents estimates about 12th of 13th out of the water) and usually the time where I have a hard time getting into a good run pace to transition, however, since it was a short 1/4 mile swim, I felt good, passing up one of the swimmers while still on the beach running to T1. Officially my swim split was 9:28, already behind schedule!

The Transition to Bike was smoother than I thought, I had strapped my bike shoes to the bike, in order to save time from strapping the shoes on, and then clipping in at the mount line, this way I could do it with a running start and just slide my feet into my shoes once I was out on the bike, again saving valuable seconds, which I desperately needed now. Officially my T1 split was 0:49 seconds, only 9 racers in the sprint triathlon were able to achieve a T1 split under a minute, mine was the 6th fastest.

Since I was in the lead half of the swim group, there wasn't much action for me on the bike, all I could hope to do was not lose any spots on the bike and just maintain momentum. The bike course was flat and quick, where I was able to only get passed by 1 other biker, but I was also able to pass another, so my position was neutral. Officially, my bike split was 32:32, three and a half minutes ahead of my predicted time, and averaging over 20 mph during the bike portion. I had made up some valuable time, however, at what cost to my run.

 I was able to slide my feet out of my shoes and jump off the bike and into a sprint to enter the second transition, and since my bike was near the bike in/out area, I didn't need to run too far to rack it. Since I was already barefoot and the run portion was short, I decided to go sock-less, less time in transition. Bike Racked. Helmet off, Run shoes on, sip of gatorade, and I'm out of T2. Officially my T2 time was 0:36.

While out on the run, my legs felt good, definitely not "fresh" but no where near the point of needing to walk or cramping up so I just pushed on. Seeing that the run was a 2 lap course, I decided to pace the first lap, to see how the legs felt, and then pour it on during the second lap if needed, that's precisely what happened. I was able to push harder and faster than I thought on the run, and was able to maintain sub 7 minute. Within only a couple minutes of being out on the run course, I was able to run down the only racer who passed me on the bike, however, I had no idea where the other racers were, I wasn't sure who was ahead of me and which age group they were in, so I just kept digging. Offically my run split was 16:59.

Official Race time: 1:00:22, I had beat my prediction by almost 8 minutes, and ahead of my prediction for where I needed to be on the podium, but still unsure as There were a few racers ahead of me.

Waiting around for 15-20 minutes until there was a results page posted, I quickly ran over and saw my name, Steven Burkett 3rd M25-29! I had done it, I got on the podium! WINNER, ME, I DID IT!!! Well, now we HAD to stay for awards, which wouldn't be for another hour or so. Waiting around, I got a feeling that maybe they would update the results for any bad chips and I would be bumped from 3rd down to a much disappointing 4th. After some time, I re-checked the results and was delighted to see they had moved me, instead of down, I got bumped up to 2nd place. AWESOME!! I was awarded 2nd in the Mens 25-29 Age group Division.

All roads lead to ironman

With everything going on, both Stephen and I haven't posted much on this blog.. the last post being Stephen's race recap from April. We've completed quite a bit since then... so if you don't like reading.. go no further.

13 days after Ironman 70.3 California Oceanside we had another extreme adventure ahead of us, We again signed up for the Ragnar SoCal Running event, except that this time we decided to do an ultra team. Normal Ragnar, crazy enough, involves 12 people split into two vans and running 200(ish) miles from point A (Huntington Beach, CAa) to point B (San Diego, Ca), but an ultra removes 6 people and 1 van from the equation. Each runner, ran between 30-40 miles in the course of 32 hours, running 6 separate times. No lie, it's run, change, try to sleep, stretch, run, repeat. The spirits were high the whole time we had a blast, with the exception of a couple stress fractures in Stephen's foot, that he still managed to put up 20+ miles on the run, impressive.Discipline will be my key, it will be the reason I will endure the long road ahead of me.. wish me luck.

In May of this year, I ran the Orange County Half Marathon and received legacy status, running either the 1/2 or full marathon for 3 consecutive years. Nothing major to say about the race, I ran it in 1:42, about a 90 seconds off of my PR, but I went out there to pace my friend Troy who was determined to run his first half marathon in under 1:45. At about 11 miles Troy turned the boosters on and went ahead finishing in 1:41, a solid performance for his first half marathon.

The next adventure 6 weeks later was the Born to Run Ultra Marathon Running series, where Stephen was gearing up to run 30 miles on trails, I was fortunate to be able to run the first lap or roughly 10 miles with him, I have no interest in running more than 26.2 miles in 1 sitting, however, there may be a time in my day when I do an ultra marathon, just to say I've done it. I'll let him discuss this race further, if he does a post race report on it.





With a few more training races between now and November, the last 4 months of training is when it get's real, the daily training sessions will be the base and core of what will get me through the ironman. Sometimes there are times when motivation is fleeting or non existent, and I find it hard to get off the couch, or out of bed to go for a run. Oddly, one of the most motivation things I've read was something anonymously posted online, when someone asked how to stay motivated.

"It's a fickle and unreliable little state that isn't worth your time.

Better to cultivate discipline than to rely on motivation. Force yourself to do things, to get out of bed, to go the gym, to work harder and smarter; force yourself to do stuff when you don't feel like doing anything.

Motivation is fleeting, and it's easy to rely on because it requires no concentrated effort to get. Motivation comes to you, you don't even have to chase after it.

Discipline is reliable; motivation is momentary. The real question isn't how to keep yourself motivated, it's how to train yourself to work without it."

Stephen's Ironman Oceanside 70.3 Race Report 2015

Oceanside Ironman 70.3 2015

Registration process
We waited online for registration to open and it seemed like it was about an hour past the opening time for the website actually went live and we were able to register. Reminder for next year to register the morning of opening to make sure to ensure a slot

Checking in
We left Long Beach at about 1130 in the morning got to Oceanside. Parking was really hectic and there was a lot going on in the city of Oceanside. We finally found parking and had to bring our bikes down to the check-in area because we didn't want to leave them on the back of the car. I remember thinking that it would've been nice to have somewhere to leave the bikes in the hotel or in the car rather than walking them through the entire expo. The checking process went smoothly it was fun to walk around and check out all the vendors. I bought a new Bento box (Stealth Pocket 300) from X lab and those guys were really cool to help me put it on my bike. Now I have solved the problem of what to do with all the food during T1.

We can bring the bikes into the merchandise tent so that was a bummer but when Ashley and Jamie found that there were free backpacks for participants we went in and got the coolest backpacks ever for free. Glad we didn't miss that on!

We went to the prerace info session and I remember thinking that it was really hot out and I wish I was drinking more water but didn't have access to water so next time bring a lot of water bottles during the check-in process to make sure that I'm staying hydrated before race day.

The pro panel was really cool we got to grab a picture with Jan Frodeno which was great when he ended up winning the next day. 

Next we dropped off our bikes at bike check in and left the Ironman village. At this time it was around 430 and we were getting pretty anxious to eat dinner.

Pre-Race Dinner
We could not break tradition and had to go to Macaroni grill for dinner. luckily there was one right in Carlsbad.

I got chicken with pesto and pasta. We drink lots of water and a lots of bread. We went back to the hotel checked all of our gear one more time loaded everything into the car and went to sleep. It was very easy to go to sleep because we it started transitioning going to sleep earlier and earlier the week before so wasn't any problem going to sleep at 7:30 or 8 o'clock at night. 

Race morning
Race morning we got up at 2:45 and I took a shower. I ate a bagel with peanut butter. And started sipping on some Gatorade. I put on my tri kit and a long sleeve shirt and we headed to the car.

We made it down to the parking lot. All the parking on the street was free but we couldn't park in any of the Ironman parking lots because we never grabbed an Ironman parking pass. Remember next year to find out where we can get a parking pass. We made it on the first shuttle that started at 4:30 and we were in the transition area by five.

It was colder than I expected and I remember wishing that I had a sweatshirt or a jacket not just a long sleeve shirt. I set up my transition area underneath my bike and started slowly getting ready. Around 6 o'clock I started getting hungry again and I ate a Clif bar. I continued to sip on Gatorade throughout the morning.

I got body Marked and then carelessly put on sunscreen. Something I wish I put more focus on in hindsight. I then put on my website to keep my legs warm and another thing that I forgot to do was put body glide on my neck for chafing. Luckily they had a lady volunteer putting it on our next as we were getting into the water.

The Swim
The water was warm 67° which was absolutely beautiful. As the swim started I stayed towards the back outer corner and found myself in a rhythm pretty early. I remember wishing that I had known how many buoys there was to the next turn that realize than buoys were numbered but I had no idea how many buoys I needed to pass. It just would've been nice for pacing purposes. 

Right before we got in the water of fog rolled in and it made this body of the boules a bit difficult as we were headed out to the turn. As we made it out to the turn the water got a little bit rough and I remember it was difficult to see the second red turn buoy about halfway through the swim.

About three quarters of the way through the swim I remember feeling really really hungry and I wish I'd eaten more.

I stopped my watch just as I got out of the water and I finished the swim portion in 41:20.

T1 
I felt like I was running forever in T1 before I finally made it to my bike. I was literally out of breath by the time I got to my bike. I stripped off the wetsuit and put on my shoes helmet and sunglasses and I was out I put my bicycle gloves on my handlebars and down hindsight I wish I would've just put my gloves on. It didn't save that much time

Again I was so sunburnt for the next week that I really wish I would've put more sunscreen on as I got out of the water.

The Bike
The nutrition plan on the bike was to eat one Clif bar and three bottles of Gatorade that had a full scoop in each bottle. The nutrition on the bike seemed fine and I didn't have any problems while on the bike. I remember thinking that I was going really fast after the first water station, and through San Onofre State Park but it seem to be flat. Now looking at the elevation map it was a slight downhill which made for a nice recovery over the first 90mins or so. 

I knew that I was up against some pretty big hills on the backside of the course so I saved myself for those and I'm glad I did. I needed to pee starting around mile 15 but I didn't pee for about an hour. I finally found a port o potty that no one was using and made a quick pitstop. 

I remember going much faster than everyone else on the uphold but lost a lot of ground on the downs. I think I could have definitely make up a lot of time on the down hills if I was just a little more comfortable. 

I'm just glad I didn't crash. 

Over the last 10 miles or so there's a really strong headwind they are battling the whole way back to Oceanside. I started to get some saddlesore's and I remember the seat feeling really uncomfortable in the last six or 7 miles of the ride.

I got back into t2 and the ride totaled 3:34:16. 

T2 
T2 was quick. I got off my bike I used some Vaseline to aid with the chafing between my legs and I slipped on my running shoes. I remember thinking that I wasn't going to be able to run but as soon as I got my shoes on I felt great. I ran out of transition and completely miss the sunscreen table again. Disaster in the making.

The Run
I came flying out of transition doing sub nine minute miles and I felt like I could take on the world. I was just glad that I was off the bike. I felt like I wanted more nutrition so I sucked down a chocolate gu gel in the beginning of my nutrition disaster was in the making.

The water station support was incredible and as I passed each water station I was taking big gulps of more Gatorade and throwing ice in my pants. The ice in my pants was great. More calories was not. 

The first 2 miles went great and I ran 2 sub 10 minute miles. when I got to mile three I started to feel rumblings in my stomach. I began walking a little bit hoping that my food just needed to digest and everything would be okay. I remember running almost straight through for the next 5 miles and then at mile eight the rumblings began again.

I slowed to a walk hoping that my walking remedy would fix my problem once again but I had no luck. I walk ran walk ran and my average pace was still okay until I got some Isleton.

I have mild 10 and I hit a complete wall. I couldn't run anymore I couldn't eat anything I felt like there was a wild animal inside of my stomach trying to tear out. Every time I picked up the pace from a walk it just got worse.

I thought I was gonna have to walk the next 3 miles. I walked for about a mile and a half looking at my watch. I remember thinking if I could just slowly jog I can salvage a seven hour race but I couldn't. I didn't have the running in me. 

With just about 2 miles left my stomach still felt horrible but things seem to have subsided just a little bit. I started in on a slow walk jog strategy and brought the pace up just a little bit. At this point based off my current pace I was gonna come in just five minutes over my seven hour goal. And I was really really determined to get to the finish line quicker.

As I got to the last mile I was finally back in a run. It took everything for me to keep running as I felt like I was gonna have stomach issues at any moment. I tried drinking the Coca-Cola but I could barely get it down. As I came back off the backside of the race course and back onto the beach I could see the finish line and I knew that I just had to push through eight more minutes. I was just drinking water and throwing water on myself like a fool at that point I must've looked like a zombie but I was trudging through and I pick the pace back up. I knew was gonna be close and the support was incredible. 

My run time was 2:32:23.  

I reach the finish line in 6 hours and 57 minutes 54 Seconds. 

I had done it. I gotten back on the horse and conquered my fear over the last 70.3 miles I had reached the red carpet that I have been waiting for all year. I was so proud of my achievement but what meant the most was that I had close family and friends there that I could share the moment with.

I found myself crossing the finish line with tears streaming down my face. It was an emotional moment for me. But soon this the exhaustion setting and I needed food. I had ran a half marathon with almost no nutrition as my stomach couldn't handle anymore calories. It took me about an hour and a half before I was finally a normal human again. 

This course was incredible. The on course support was more than I could've asked for and the support of my friends and family was more than I could've asked for. Thank you for everyone for supporting me. I look forward to my next adventure!

Folsom Long Course Triathlon in Review

Prefix:
Most of my races usually start the night before with a big pasta dinner at Macaroni Grill followed by an early sleep only to wake around 5:30am to get in the car and drive anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to the race. This one in particular was different from the beginning. 

Up until Sunday, the only racing I had ever done was running, half-marathons, marathon, and the relay race from Huntington Beach to San Diego, but Folsom was to be my first triathlon, and a Long Course to boot. I knew I could run, not the fastest, but also not the slowest, I knew how to ride a bike, and I also knew how to swim pretty well from swimming lessons as a kid, but string the three together without stopping, that...... would be interesting to say the least.

There are varying distances of triathlons but the most common ones are as follows:

Sprint: .47 Mile Swim, 12.4 Mile Bike, 3.1 Mile Run
Olympic: .93 Mile Swim, 24.8 Mile Bike, 6.2 Mile Run
Half: 1.2 Mile Swim, 56 Mile Bike, 13.1 Mile Run (known as Half Ironman or Ironman 70.3)
Full: 2.4 Mile Swim, 112 Mile Bike, 26.2 Mile Run (known as Ironman)

I was skipping the Sprint and Olympic and jumping straight into the Half Ironman distance.
Where to start? I think the proper place to start for this race review is with a race preview, about my training... and sometimes lack there of.

Chapter 1: A Lap down, a lot more to go
Come February and my last marathon over, I was able to slowly shift into Triathlon training. I had the bike and bike gear, I had my run gear, but now I needed swimming attire. I was swimming laps in the Olympic Pool that Long Beach has, which is located out doors on the beach, so glad I live in SoCal and can train in an out door heated Olympic sized pool. Let's do this!

I quickly learned that swimming, all be it, something easy for me to do in short bursts, was tiring for me to do continuously. I could easily accomplish 50 or 100 meters, but then I would have to stop on the side and have a quick breath. But that would slowly evolve into 200 meter sets, and 400 meter sets, and finally I did a 1000 meters non stop in the pool. Pretty proud at myself, I did it in around 20 minutes, and at that distance, it's just over half the swim portion of the race. The time came to start open water swimming, to get used to continuously swimming, instead of pushing off a wall, which meant it was time to order a wetsuit, another costly purchase.

In the interest of preparing for the Triathlon in June, I signed up for a local Sprint distance triathlon that would involve an ocean swim, and a require a wetsuit, luckily, and conveniently, the triathlon offered a discount on a wetsuit company's website, saving over 50% off the wetsuit, took advantage and used the promotion code. Unfortunately, the day of the event came and it was far to windy to compete and the race was postponed.

But with the wetsuit purchased, I wasn't too upset, because with the promo code AND the entrance fee, I still saved a few hundred dollars on the overall purchase of the wetsuit and now I could start training in the open water. Without a wetsuit, I would have frozen in the pacific ocean, that was is C-O-L-D COLD, however it seems to be tolerable with a wetsuit. I quickly learned that doing a straight 1⁄4 mile swim in open water is different than doing 400 meters in a heated pool. But I would prevail I had time!

Chapter 2: The Wheels just keep Spinning
I purchased a new road bike 2012 Focus Variado 2.0 in November in anticipation for the new adventure that I was considering, Triathlons. At the time I knew very little about the sport, except that it strings together swimming, biking, and running into one long day. I realized quickly that cycling isn't as simple as buying the bike, and going out to ride, there are plenty of accessories that you can (and will) buy to get the most out of it. From $100 cycling shoes, to $100 pedals, all and all I spent quite a bit of money on the bike, which I figured was a simple, one time purchase, boy was I wrong. However, with many more running races ahead of me, my bike training would have to subside for a while I focused on other obligations.

Along with swimming, biking took shape, I had all my gear and slowly but surely my rides showed themselves to be quite nice and easy. My usual route is out of my house, in Long Beach, down the Pacific Coast Highway to Huntington Beach and back, around a 20-22 mile trip, which could be completed in just over an hour. On the weekends, I would sometimes increase my distance to 30, 35, and 40 miles, and eventually attempted to do a 56 mile ride down Pacific Coast Highway, which lead me from Long Beach to Laguna Beach and back, and my legs were killing me.

About a month before the race, I got the opportunity to ride with the Pasadena Cycling Club to do a 45 mile mountain ride with them. That ride, up to that point, was one of the hardest things I've ever done. The first 9 miles, also the hardest 9 miles, made me want to stop and quit. At mile 3, I thought I was done, at mile 5, I knew I was done, at my 6 I had mentally quit, at mile 9, I decided to keep going. At one point I remember thinking, there's no more up to this mountain, it has to stop somewhere, right!? But the downhills, ohhhhhhhhh boy, those downhills were great, hitting speeds in excess of 40 mph, It was a great feeling to go that fast on my bike. That 45 mile ride felt more like 70 miles with all the climbing we had to do, and the rolling hills in between the peaks of the mountain were no joke. It took almost 5 hours to complete. But I felt ready.

Chapter 3: Left, Right, Repeat
Now I knew that I had the running stamina, I just had to keep it up, running with “A Running Experience Club” helped keep me running, on Wednesday’s when I could get to the run start in time, and the occasion Saturday morning when I could pry myself out of bed at 6:30am to meet up with the group. Nothing to exciting in my run training so let's just say it was all the norm? Okay? Cool, moving on

Chapter 4: The determination, the motivation, the drive... the long drive
As I mentioned earlier, most actually start the night before, however, this one started Thursday. With the race being in Folsom, CA, I had to drive to Northern California a couple days before so I could get situated and pick up my race day items. Leaving Friday morning, and a not so quick pitstop in Los Gatos, California, we arrived to Folsom around 9:30pm, the total trip up there taking about 10+ hours. The first thing I noted when stepping out of the car was the heat, which I had seen would be much higher than the climate in Southern California coastal cities. At 9:30 at night, the temperature was still in the 80s, and the next day only proved to be hotter, and Sunday, the hottest yet.

Waking up mid morning, and a quick conversation with Stephen's aunt and uncle, who graciously put us up for the nights we were to be in Folsom, we drove over to the lake where the swim was to take place, in order to see how cold it truly was going to be... it was the most refreshing thing I've felt in a while. It was cool while the air was hot, not much more pleasure then that.

But the day quickly progressed as any other pre-race day would, we ate at macaroni grill for dinner, I was glad that my parents took the time to drive up from Santa Barbara to watch the race, it was a great feeling to see them at dinner, to joke and laugh as I mentally prepared for the day ahead.

Chapter 5: RACE DAY
What's that old saying? Early to bed, early to rise, makes a grown man healthy, wealthy, and wise? Well, I don't think that applies to someone who has been tossing and turning all night nervous and excited for the next day. WHA WHA WHA WHA WHA the alarm clock sounds, 3:45am, could it be that early all ready? I felt like I had just finally gotten to sleep, but yeah, It's time, sun's not even up, but I'm fully awake, my body not so much, but my mind was. After attempting and failing to eat an entire bagel at that hour, I succumbed to packing up the car to make the 15-20 minute drive to the start line for the race. The race in which I hoped to finish in about 6 hours. *The time Breakdown that I was attempting is as follows: 40 minute swim, 5 minute transition from swim to bike, 3 hour 20 minute bike ride, 5 minute transition from bike to run, 2 hour run, total time 6 hours 10 minutes. We arrived at the parking lot at 5:10am, well before the sun rose, only to find that it seemed like most people were arriving then too, traffic slowly crawled, but we finally made it to the parking lot and grabbed our gear. Into the transition area where I would store all my items for the day I headed, quickly grabbed by a volunteer who marked my bib number (28) on my left arm followed by my age (25) on my left calf. I was lucky enough to get a spot near the side, so my parents could be close and offer words of encouragement as I changed for the next activity, boy was I wrong.. thanks for the “jokes” dad. Some of the classics like “Hey, so you know, girls already came out of the water” were told real fast.

The Start of the race was great, at 6:30am with a water start and the horn sounding, it was on, like a free for all prison break mayhem, all swimmers in my group take off. The swim was a giant 1.2 mile loop in the lake, and that first leg felt like it took FOREVER. It just kept going... and going... and going... I assumed the energizer bunny was sponsoring this part of the race. The firs turn came, and I took the opportunity to see where I was in the pack, hoping not to be dead last, because it felt like that's how long it was taking me, I noticed that I was somewhere around the middle of the field, not bad, but no time to stop, just put your head down and swim, and so I did. The second turn came quickly and then I was on the back half, with half the swim over, I was feeling great, my pace was good, and I wasn't too tired, I simply just pushed forward. The Final turn arose, and then it was a straight shot back to the beach, where I could strip outta my wetsuit and into sometime a lot more revealing, my cycling suit. Running onto the beach, I quickly got out of my swim goggles and swim cap and ran into the transition area, not before glancing at my mom and dad and thinking, “alright sweet, 1 down, 2 to go”

I found that my swim had gone better than expected, I got out of the water in 36minutes 41seconds, over 3 minutes faster than my prediction. I quickly changed into my biking attire, and biking shoes, while hearing some of the great one-liners from my dad. Jumped onto the bike to start the next adventure, 56 miles of road awaited me, and it was already getting hot out. My transition from swim to bike also went better than expected, it was completed in 4minutes 5seconds.
The Bike terrain was hot and sunny, with little shade offered as the early morning turned to mid-morning, the hills which seemed so small the day before while driving the course, now seemed more like mountains, but I dug deep, down shifted and just keep pedaling, knowing that every foot uphill, was one foot downhill. Quickly the miles added up, 10 miles, 20 miles, 30 miles... at mile 38, I was treated to ice cold water at an aid station which was half drank, half poured over my helmet to cool myself, the heat had to have already been well into the 90s. Then the miles seemed to slowly tick by, 40, 42, 43, 43.5, 43.75... I couldn't catch a break, with the last turn into a canal I figured that would be nice a cool, running water always seems to bring the temperature down of the surrounding area. WRONG. It seemed to get hotter, but with 10 miles left I know my legs had it in them. Finally, the last turn came, came down the last portion to see my mom and dad waiting there, phones in hand to take pictures of me riding in, “2 of 2” complete. Quickly glancing at my watch I was still ahead of schedule. The bike portion which I hope I could complete in 3hours 20minutes took me 3hours 16minutes and 16seconds, by now I was about 7 minutes ahead of schedule. But that's when good news went to bad news.
As soon as I dismounted my bike, I was informed that Stephen had fallen on his bike, and rushed in ambulance to the hospital, I thought about quitting the race, packing up my gear and going to see him at the hospital, but new that he would want me to finish, plus there was nothing for me to do there, but get in the way. With that in mind, and a conversation with my parents, my transition from bike to run was slower than anticipated, at 6minutes 15 seconds. Off on the run I go!
Trying to push the thoughts of my training partner and friend out of my head, I knew I had only 13.1 miles ahead of me and finishing this thing, which I had trained months for. Not a mile into the run, I got a pain in the left side of my ribs, and every time I tried to take a deep breath it felt like someone was stabbing me with a small but very sharp knife. I had to walk, hoping that the pain would subside. After a few minutes of walking I decided to try running again, but then again pain. I continued this walk/run combination for a few miles, before I was nauseous and couldn't even stand the pain to try and run. The run course was a 6 1⁄2 mile loop, that was to be run twice, where you literally see the finish line and have to turn around to do another 6 1⁄2 miles. Too be honest, I was shooting for a 2 hour run, but at the halfway point, I was well over 90 minutes, I decided I was just going to finish, no matter how slow. The nice part was that there was a water station every mile on the course, and they all had ice water to help keep the runners cool. I believe that running is my strongest sport of the three, considering I've done mostly running for over a year, and just picked up the other two, but my legs were sore, my side was killing me and it was hot. At the time I crossed the finish line it was 106 degrees! I walked the last loop, which took me about 2 hours, only running when I came into eye site of the finish. Running past my parents, the only words I could muster were “I'm hurtin” but I did it, I completed the 70.3 miles that the triathlon offered, in a heat that was well into the triple digits. It took me 7 hours 33minutes and 56seconds, but I did it, I earned it.

I found out after the race that Stephen suffered a broken clavicle and will be out for who knows how long, I'll let him tell that story on his own.

But I have to give a huge shout out to my parents who took two days off of work, drove several hours, and withstood god awful heat to watch me, It means the world to me that they were there for the race, words simply do not say enough to how much I love them.

After the race and gathering my items, I realized that I did in fact NEED them. While packing up my bag, I pulled two shoes out so I could walk to the car, one race shoe, one causal shoe, both left. Then I couldn't find my helmet, which I had placed conveniently on my head as to not lose it. My brain was fried, no way in hell I was driving.

Zen and the Art of Triathlon

I listen to Brett Blankner's Podcast every week for inspiration and updates on what is going on in the Triathlon and Endurance sports world! If you are just getting into the sport you definitely have to check it out.

His podcast is chalked full of nutrition tips and real world experience that has helped me learn a lot!

Check out his Website: http://www.zentriathlon.com

Check out the Podcast:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/zen-and-the-art-of-triathlon/id76096322?mt=2

He's the real deal too!

@BBtransformer thanks so much! Means a lot.
— ZenTriathlon (@ZenTriathlon) January 16, 2014

Ironman 70.3 Training Schedule

Variety is overrated in triathlon training. It’s certainly important, but coaches often make it out to be more important than repetition when the opposite is true. There are only a handful of workout types that you need to include in your training program. You can practice these basic types of workouts in all kinds of different ways, and doing so may make the training process more interesting for you, but there is no particular physiological advantage of complex training compared to basic training.

I favor simple training plans for a few reasons. First, I find them to be less mentally stressful than complex training plans. Why make your training so complex that it is unnecessarily mentally taxing in addition to being necessarily physically taxing? Second, the results of a very basic, and highly repetitive, training plan are predictable, and predictability of effects is a major virtue in a training plan. You want to know exactly what you’re going to get out of it. When your workouts are always familiar, there’s little mystery about what they will do for you. Finally, it’s easier to measure and monitor progress in a training plan with lots of repetition. You can make apples-to-apples comparisons of your performance in difference instances of the same workout, whereas such comparisons are more difficult when you never do the same workout twice. This is important, because seeing progress inspires future progress.

Of course, a training plan has to have some variation. First, the overall workload has to increase as it goes along. Second, the key workouts must become more race-specific. The following is a super simple 16-week training plan for half-iron-distance racing. It features nine workouts per week—three swims, three rides, and three runs—and is appropriate for “intermediate” level athletes.

You will find the workout descriptions self-explanatory for the most part, but the intensity and pacing guidelines require some explanation. Here’s a key to understanding them:

5K race pace = An effort performed at approximately the fastest pace you could sustain in a 5K running race.
10K race pace = An effort performed at approximately the fastest pace you could sustain in a 10K running race.
Comfortably hard = An effort that is right on the threshold of making you really suffer.
Easy = A very comfortable effort, deliberately slower than your natural pace in swimming, cycling or running.
Hard = An effort that is very challenging but not maximal for the prescribed duration (such that a two-minute hard effort is performed at a slightly faster pace than a three-minute hard effort).
Jog = Very slow running.
Moderate = An effort that feels comfortable but not dawdling.
Race pace = An effort performed at your anticipated half-iron-distance race pace.
Sprint = A 100 percent maximal effort.
Time trial = A maximal effort relative to the prescribed distance.

SOURCE: http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/09/training/super-simple-ironman-70-3-triathlon-training-plan_12364 

Matt Fitzgerald provides a simple-to-follow 16 week training plan for the half Ironman distance.

Week 1

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes moderate with 4 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 8 x 25 yards, rest interval (RI) = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate + 2 x 10-second hill sprints.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate.
Friday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 3 x 100 yards race pace, RI = 15 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 20 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 6 miles moderate. | Swim 800 yards moderate.

Week 2

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes moderate with 6 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 850 yards total. Main set: 10 x 25 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 5 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 850 yards total. Main set: 4 x 100 yards race pace, RI = 15 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 25 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 7 miles moderate. | Swim 1,000 yards moderate.

Week 3

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes with 8 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 900 yards total. Main set: 12 x 25 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate + 6 x 10-second hill sprints.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 8 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 900 yards total. Main set: 3 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 15 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 30 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 8 miles moderate. | Swim 1,200 yards moderate.

Week 4 (Recovery)

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes with 6 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 8 x 25 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 5 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 3 x 100 yards race pace, RI = 15 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 25 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 7 miles moderate. | Swim 1,000 yards moderate.

Week 5

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 45 minutes with 8 x 1-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,000 yards total. Main set: 6 x 50 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles with 6 x 30-second hard efforts scattered.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 8 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,000 yards total. Main set: 2 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-sec. hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 35 miles moderate + 10-minute transition run at moderate pace.
Sunday: Run 9 miles moderate. | Swim 1,400 yards moderate.

Week 6

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 45 minutes with 6 x 2-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,100 yards total. Main set: 8 x 50 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles with 6 x 45-second hard efforts scattered.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 10 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,100 yards total. Main set: 3 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 40 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 10 miles moderate. | Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 1,000 yard time trial.

Week 7

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 45 minutes with 4 x 3-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,200 yards total. Main set: 10 x 50 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles with 6 x 1-minute hard efforts scattered.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 12 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,200 yards total. Main set: 3 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 45 miles moderate + 15-minute transition run at moderate pace.
Sunday: Run 11 miles moderate. | Swim 1,800 yards moderate.

Week 8 (Recovery)

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes with 6 x 1-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,000 yards total. Main set: 8 x 50 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles with 6 x 30-second hard efforts scattered.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 8 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,000 yards total. Main set: 2 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 35 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 9 miles moderate. | Swim 1,400 yards moderate.

Week 9

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 50 minutes with 6 x 2-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 6 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 1 mile easy, 8 x 600m at 5K race pace with 400m jog recoveries, 1 mile easy.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 15 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 2 x 300 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 50 miles moderate + 20-minute transition run at moderate pace.
Sunday: Run 12 miles moderate. | Swim 2,000 yards moderate.

Week 10

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 50 minutes with 5 x 3-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,400 yards total. Main set: 8 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 1 mile easy, 6 x 800m at 5K race pace with 400m jog recoveries, 1 mile easy.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 18 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,400 yards total. Main set: 2 x 300 yards race pace, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 5.5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 55 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 13 miles moderate. | Swim 2,000 yards total. Main set: 1,500 time trial.

Week 11

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 55 minutes with 4 x 4-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,500 yards total. Main set: 10 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 1 mile easy, 5 x 1,000m at 5K race pace with 400m jog recoveries, 1 mile easy.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 20 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,500 yards total. Main set: 3 x 300 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 6 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 60 miles moderate + 10-minute transition run at race pace.
Sunday: Run 14 miles moderate. | Swim 2,200 yards moderate.

Week 12 (Recovery)

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 45 minutes with 5 x 2-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 6 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. Run 2 miles easy, 1 miles at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 10 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 2 x 300 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 5 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 45 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 10 miles moderate. | Swim 2,000 yards moderate.

Week 13

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 20 minutes easy, 20 minutes comfortably hard, 20 minutes easy.
Wednesday: Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 6 x 100 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 2 miles easy, 2 miles at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 45 minutes with 5 x 2-minute hard efforts scattered.
Friday: Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 2 x 400 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 6 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 50 miles moderate + 10 miles race pace + 15-minute transition run at race pace.
Sunday: Run 10 miles moderate + 2 miles race pace. | Swim 2,200 yards total. Main set: 500 yards race pace.

Week 14

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 20 minutes easy, 25 minutes comfortably hard, 15 minutes easy.
Wednesday: Swim 1,800 yards total. Main set: 8 x 100 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 2 miles easy, 3 miles at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 45 minutes with 4 x 3-minute hard efforts scattered.
Friday: Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 2 x 400 yards race pace, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 6 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 45 miles moderate + 15 miles race pace + 20-minute transition run at race pace.
Sunday: Run 12 miles moderate + 2 miles race pace. | Swim 2,400 yards total. Main set: 600 yards race pace.

Week 15

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 15 minutes easy, 30 minutes comfortably hard, 15 minutes easy.
Wednesday: Swim 2,000 yards total. Main set: 10 x 100 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 2 miles easy, 3 miles at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 45 minutes with 8 x 1-minute hard efforts scattered.
Friday: Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 2 x 400 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 40 miles moderate + 10 miles race pace + 10-minute transition run at race pace.
Sunday: Run 12 miles moderate + 2 miles race pace (beat last week’s time). | Swim 2,400 yards total. Main set: 600 yards race pace (beat last week’s time).

Week 16

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 10 minutes easy, 10 minutes comfortably hard, 10 minutes easy.
Wednesday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 5 x 100 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 2 miles easy, 1 mile at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 45 minutes with 5 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Friday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 400 yards race pace. | Run 3 miles easy.
Saturday: Swim 10 minutes easy with 4 x 30 seconds at race pace. | Bike 10 minutes with 4 x 30 seconds fast. | Run 10 minutes with 4 x 20 seconds at 90 percent effort.
Sunday: RACE!