Torn Meniscus

So as you know I have been training for a 70.3 in October and also been in a basketball league on Thursday nights. Well, they are both on hold as of now. I did not have a good week 2 of training and let me tell you why:

Monday night I go to hop on Stella for my ride and as soon as I get on, I notice my chain is in the small ring up front, so I hit my lever to adjust the derailleur and pop!  My cable blows out and my lever does absolutely nothing.  I have never seen a cable blow out before, and I did not want to do anything more to my bike, so I called the ride and figured I could just miss the 9 miler. I took Stella to the bike shop and ordered the repairs which will take about a week, so I figure I always need to work on my run, so I can change it up and still not lose to much right?

So come Thursday night, game night! We play ball (and lost) but had a great time, but towards the end of the game, my right knee was hurting. Hurting me enough to pull myself out and sit down, and then have trouble getting to my car. I did not remember hearing or feeling it pop or anything that would alert me to an injury, but it felt off, and was a little swollen that night. Friday morning I got up and went to work and my knee was still feeling tight and sore. So when I got home, I went to put on some shorts and saw my knee and it wasn't good. I snapped a picture for you to see.

 

 

 Look at the size of that right knee!  I know something wasn't right, so I told my wife that I think I needed to go get it checked out. So Saturday morning, we left for our running group that we lead (No, I did not run on that knee) and then we went to Campbell Clinic to figure this out.

After a decent wait, I got to see the doctor and they took x-rays and did his evaluation on my knee and the diagnosis is that I have an old man's knee (his words). basically I have a degenerative tear of the meniscus in my right knee. It is most likely aggravated form the start and stopping of playing basketball. I was given a knee brace, some steroids and direction to stay off of it for about 2 weeks.

 

This really puts me behind on training for a half in October, so I am unsure if this will happen or not. It would mean that my training would be cut down to 10 weeks for a 70.3 and I am not sure how I feel about that, and that is assuming I am cleared and ready to go on my next visit. So I have time to decide and I hope I can get going again in July and see how things progress in July and August.

Daily Ramblings...

Yeah it has been awhile since we last talked. For some reason, I have just not been in a blogging mood, maybe it is part of my "not wanting to run funk" or because this is the busiest time of the year for me, I just don't know. However, I do have a few thing on mind to share, so here is my DAILY RAMBLINGS post:

1. The St Jude Marathon was cancelled. 1st time it has ever happened. The fear was due to an ice storm that was suppose to hit Memphis. Notice I used the word suppose! It did get very cold here and we did have some cold rain, but the streets looked good to me. I would have had no problem driving anywhere in Memphis. I also would not want to be the guy that made the call to cancel it. I am sure there are reasons that I do not know about, but its a shame that it was cancelled.
2. I do appreciate everyone that donated to St Jude on my behalf, it was still an honor to raise money for the hospital and the families of St. Jude.
3. I am already sick of seeing people post pictures of their elf on Facebook. It is only cute for your kid, adults don't care. I love watching Jesse search the house for Thomas every morning, but I will not subject my FB friends to all the pictures. Your welcome.
4. I am thinking Missouri beats Auburn today for the SEC championship. I am solely basing this off the fact that Auburn was on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Alabama was on the cover last week.
5. In January, I am looking to start working out with a trainer instead of trying to do workouts on my own. I will be in the weight room some and hopefully will get stronger, especially in my core. The trainer I am looking at working with is a triathlete and will be looking to design a program aimed at helping me in triathlons. (Look out Brad D)
6. I think I caught Stella (my bike) looking at me the other day in a flirtatious kind of way. I admit, she was looking good.
7. I also put on my Brooks Glycerin's yesterday. Yeah, they felt pretty good on my feet. I am not saying I am back to running, but we are talking again.
8.  Today I a smoking a pork butt. It is going to be so good, I can't wait to eat it. Only about 6 more hours to go
9. I found the greatest candy/snack in the world. they are called Snappers. They are a wonderful mix of pretzels, caramel and chocolate. I literally could eat the entire bag and I have hidden the bag in the house so my kids can't find it. Don't judge me.
10. I need to lose abut 10 lbs.

11 Days Out...

So I am 11 days out from Redman. I bet you will not guess what the most common question I have been getting over the last two days is???


Are you scared to death about the race???

Scared to death? I can't say I am scared at all. I have concerns about the race, but I am really not scared. But if I am honest, there is one thing that I fear doing, and it is having to make that phone call about being a DNF.

It has happened before in Branson. My first ever attempt at a 70.3. 5 flats took me out. Stupid rim tape. I am the only one to blame since I was the one that change the rubber on my tires. This year I am having a bike shop change my tires!  LOL  I know, it's weak, but it will be one less thing to worry about.

I also hate reading about other people nutrition plan. Some of these people are so detailed that it makes me second guess my own plan!  Bradleyd3 from Brad's Ironman Journey has already told me to get off the internet and train! Which I am starting to think might be a good idea. Some of these people have their nutrition down to 3 spoonfuls of peanut butter and a cup of applesauce in the morning... Crazy!!!

My plan is so simple compared to that, and that freaks me out a little. I am looking forward to the swim and the bike somewhat (although I hear the road conditions might be a little rougher than desired) but I am dreading the run.

4 loop course. A little more than 8 5K's. It is going to be mentally challenging. I plan on some walking.

They also just announced bib numbers!  I am number 65 in the full distance triathlon!!

I am also just ready for it to get here and let me do this. It has been a long time in training. A long time thinking about it and I really want to just get it going! That's normal right? So I am gonna go old school on you...

LET"S GET IT STARTED!!!!

Taper Time, It's Taper Time!

Crap, it's taper time. I hate the taper, although I know it is a much needed time. I spent this labor day weekend finishing my long workouts. Friday was a 4000 yard swim, Sat was my first century ride and Monday morning was suppose to be a 12-15 mile run, which turned out to only be 11 miles (but, I am OK with that).

I feel like I have had some strong workouts in July/Aug. I have been peaking in other words. Here are my July/Aug numbers:

July
Swim-  20,400 yards
Bike-  283.84 miles
Run- 54.88 miles

August
Swim- 19,100 yards
Bike- 359.59 miles
Run- 60.91 miles

My biggest month's by far. So Am I ready?

 

 

I mean, I believe I am. My only goal is to finish. I feel good about the swim. I feel good about the bike and eating on the bike, and I feel OK about the run/walk. I have a plan in place that I want to execute to get me to the finish line. So in other words, I think I am prepared. I am prepared for:

1. It's going to be a long day.
2. I am prepared for what I want in my specials needs bag on both the bike and the run.
3. I am prepared for it to be painful.
4. I am prepared for me to want to stop at some point.
5. I am prepared for all the awesome ideas I know I will have out on the course.
6. I am prepared to know I have no set time goals on any segment.
7. I am prepared to get an IV at the finish line!
8. I am prepared to represent my God, my  family, the G.I. Jess Warriors team & my friends well.
9. I am prepared for the satisfaction of completing the race.
10. I am prepared to find out I am not as prepared as I think.

I am excited. The hard work is done. It's time t not go crazy for the next few weeks. It's time.

I can't wait!

My Top 5 Reasons for doing an Ironman 140.6?

Why??

I get asked this question a lot after I tell people the distance of Redman.

Usually I come up with some stupid answer in order to get out of that conversation, because I understand how daunting a task this seems, but as I am deep into the heavy miles of my training plan, I have had a lot of time to think about different things, and a lot of those times I think, "Why am I doing this? It's crazy!". So this post may ramble or it may drag on, but I have my 5 top reasons for doing Ironman.

1. The Ultimate Test- Right now, I can not think of anything else that is going to test a 41 year old former athlete, physically and mentally like Ironman will. I know am pretty sure I can handle the physical part, but mentally am I tough enough to grind it out? Yes, I know it will hurt and I will be sore, but that is part of it. The two go hand in hand, either I can do it or I can't. Either I can make or I won't. Physical and Mental challenge.
2. I Enjoy it- I really do like to swim/bike/run. I joked with my bride that I wanted "Ironman finisher" in my obituary when I die, but honestly, no one else is going to care if I finish one or not. No one that cares about is going to change their opinion of me because I could run far. For me, it is a time with no cell phones or emails, time for my thoughts and a way to fight off old age.
3. To Be an Example-  I want my kids to see that their father set a goal, and he worked his butt off to achieve it. I know my running has not trickled down to my kids yet, and it may never, but I know they know that dad is getting up and training before they ever got out of bed. I want them to know that in life, you have to be willing to get up early and work and sacrifice personal time to achieve a goal.
4. The Finish Line- I have about 4 different versions of how I think the finish line might look like when I cross it and how I will react to it. I know my 1st marathon finish was extremely emotional for me, so I imagine this will be also. I know people say the last .2 of a 26.2 mile run is the hardest, but I think that .2 will be the sweetest! I always hated people saying "the race is the reward for all the training", but this is going to be epic when I hit that line.
5. The Self Discovery- Now I don't mean to sound like some hippie loving tree hugger, but I think I have discovered a lot more about myself training for this than I would have if I weren't going for it. I have discovered a lot about myself, which may be another post coming up. I am mentally tougher than I though, but am I tough enough? I am more dedicated than I thought, I mean who gets up at 4:45 to get a run in before church?? I discovered I am also an early morning kind of guy!  Who knew? I have learned that I can use these natural God gift abilities I still have to motivate others.

I could go on. I didn't mention the tattoo, or the finishers gear I could rock at local races. I didn't mention the fact that people think I eat a great diet (which I don't! Shhhhh) I didn't even mention the part about people automatically assuming I am a fast guy (which I am not, but I guess it is all relative). There are many reasons people take on challenges, some we can understand, others we can't. So basically, if I asked every racer on the course why they were doing it, I guarantee I'd get 100 different answers, and I think that is what makes this sport so great!!!

Back in a Groove...

I would not say this has been the best week of training, but it has been a good week as far as me getting back into the groove after vacation. I hit all my workouts this week, although I did make some changes to the mileage on the bike. Being away from my bike for over two weeks is never a good idea while training for an Ironman! (Write that down and remember that piece of gold!)

I have already almost surpassed my monthly total from last month on the bike! That should tell you why I am altering my rides. There is no way I could just jump back into an 80 mile ride! It is amazing how quick you can take a step backwards. I admit I am a little nervous about the bike still, but I know I have time to get where I need to be. I have been able to set up a few riding partners for my long rides coming up which will be a huge confidence boost.

I feel pretty good about my swim and run, or I feel I am where I should be at this point of my plan, and I love that feeling. I just have to concentrate on the bike. Bike. Bike. Bike.

So here is this week's schedule, a recovery week, so it is going to work out perfect for me to get back on track:

Sunday: 10 mile run
Monday: 15 mile ride, 2500 yd swim
Tuesday: 2.7 mile run
Wednesday: 20 mile ride
Thursday: 4.7 mile run
Friday: 2000 yd swim
Saturday: 45 mile ride

I know I have work to do, but the fear is slowly turning into confidence!

Stay Tuned for my Ironman Goals!!!

The Dog Ate My Homework????

There are things I am learning while going through IM training, and I think I learned an important one the other night on my 3 hour trainer ride. And no, I did not learn that a 3 hour trainer ride sucks. I already knew that.

The thing I learned, or more like realized is that I should be doing these rides in bike shorts and not tri shorts.I know I will be changing into them at the race, so why am I not training in them now? I realized this about 2 hours into my ride. BUTT, I toughed it out and made it all three hours (did you see what I did there?) I have had to move my bikes to Friday night because of a running group I am leading on Saturday morning. I am committed to this group, so I am having to stay up later at night to get it done. Anyways, I watched the following while riding. I started with Revolution, I really like that show, then I watched "Does Someone Have to Go?" This is one crazy reality gem. I then finished my ride watching the movie "Looper". It wasn't a great movie, but it was a good trainer ride movie.

Anyways, it is going to be a weird week again for me, so here is my training plan for week 3:

Sunday- 8.4 mile run, which was cut short due to high winds and storms
Monday: 14 mile bike and 3900 yd swim
Tuesday: 3.7 mile run
Wednesday: 24.5 mile bike
Thursday: 6.5 mile run
Friday: 3150 yd swim
Saturday: 60 mile ride

***One note for me to mention is that my bride has started running with me on Thursdays. I have a 3 mile loop that she runs with me and then I go any additional mileage I need afterwards. I really do enjoy running with her!

MIM Olympic Race Report 2013

This is one of my favorite races of the year, and also one of the first tris of the year, so it is always a good gauge of where my fitness stands. So, I was looking forward to having a great race this year.

The Day Before:

We got to the hotel on Saturday afternoon, and tried to check in but they had zero rooms ready, which was frustrating, but we made the most of it. This gave us plenty of time to hit the expo and get checked in and checked my bike into transition. By the time we finished all that, we had a room with a nice view of the pool. Since I had not been in open water all year, I really wanted to get the wetsuit on and jump in the lake (I also was curious about water temps). My wife and kids went down to the pool and I went to jump in the lake. I always like to swim both the start and exit of a swim, so I know exactly what to expect. The word about the race area was that the water was at 74 degrees that morning and would most likely be a wetsuit legal race, but after being in the water, I was not really sure if I would wear it or not. I wasn't sure if the time gain vs the time it took me to get out of would be better. I was not the only one that was considering not wearing it according to other racers I talked too. After my swim I went and joined the wife and kids at the pool until we decided to go eat and then hang in the room until bedtime.

I slept horribly that night, waking at 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, 4:00 and 4:58, right before my alarm was to go off. Not sure why though.

Pre Race:
I got up at 5 and went into the bathroom to wake myself up and not wake up the whole family. I ate a bagel and drank some water before gathering what I needed to take down to transition. This year I waited to get my kit on and went down to transition and body marking in shorts and t-shirt. This is one of the benefits of staying at the host hotel I guess! Transition did not take me that long to get everything set up, as I had only gone over it about 3 times that morning alone. So back to the hotel to get on my grab. I had decided to go with the wetsuit, I mean it would give me some speed, and I hardly get to wear it anymore, so why not. Back in the water and then found some friends, chatted it up and then before you know it, it's time to swim!

Swim:
27:56
1:41/100 yd Average
I dove into the water like a pro, only to have my goggles slip and I got some water in the left side. I thought about trying to tough it out and swim with it, but I had only gone like 10 ft, so I decided to stand up and fix it. Good choice! The swim went really well. There was limited bumping but I could tell there were a lot of new swimmers ahead of me because anytime I touched someone, they  would stop and look around. I felt like I passed a lot of people also. (My AG was the 3rd to last group in the water) I tried to stay consistent while swimming and not overdo it. As I was exiting the water heading for T1, I looked at my watch and knew I had PR'd the swim. I had high hopes for the remainder of the race.

Always nice to have a ton of bikes still in T1, especially after starting near the end of the swim line!

T1
2:45
Stupid wetsuit! I had a hard time getting it off my ankles, which was the one concern I had about wearing it. I also had issues getting my HR monitor on, so T1 was slower than I wanted, but I did not forget anything and that is the important thing right?

The Bike:
1:17:25
19.15 MPH Average

The bike course at MIM is extremely flat. I mean pancake flat, which is normally a good thing, but with it being so flat, there are always winds involved. usually you can count on a headwind for the 1st 13-15 miles, then it turns into a tailwind on the way back. This year was no different. The winds going out were very strong but I was able to stay in aero most of the time. I did get one massive calf cramp around mile 10 that almost made me stop, but after that I was fine. It was almost like I knew it was going to happen, so my body decided to get it over with all at once. It did not really seem very hot on the bike, but I still had two gels (one at beginning and one at mile 20) and drank my entire aero bottle and then refilled it at the bottle swap. So I felt good about my nutrition, and I felt fast when I was flying by people, another benefit of starting at the back of the line.

T2:
1:25
Not a lot to say here. Everything went about as well as I could expect. Not sure if I would have done anything differently expect maybe run faster to my spot!

Running out of T2! See the hands of my wife and kids trying to give me a high five? Well, I did not and I ran right past them!  Sorry everybody, but I was on a zone!

Run
1:03:17
10:12 mile pace

This run is the worst. It is one of the more mentally tough runs I do every year. I always think I have it figured out, but I have yet to actually have a good run on it. Somewhere between T2 and the run course, the temperature always shoots up about 400 degrees! This year the freshly paved black asphalt did not help things as far as the heat goes, but there is zero shade anywhere. The first mile seemed long, but I was doing better than I thought I would, but somewhere between 2 and 3 it started slowing down. It got to the point where I was counting the traffic cones to try and keep my head occupied instead of thinking about the heat and the struggles I had. I did get an extra bit of motivation from the guy I caught cutting the course (I blogged it here). The funny thing about this course is that the last stretch always catches me by surprise! It's like Oh we are here!! I told the one guy running next to me that I was running it out, I might puke, but I was running it out! I knew my PR was gone at this point, but I wanted to finish strong.

Finish :
2:53:19
330/872 OA

Me and my Boys, Jake, Jared and Jesse, and yes, jake is rockin a RUN DMC shirt!

Some highlights:

• I finally got to use my Timex Global Trainer in a race. It worked beautifully, even the GPS worked on my swim. Only issue was a user issue and I did not get it into multisport mode before I left out. My fault.
• I was happy with my bike, especially for logging so many trainer hours instead of road hours.
• PR'd my swim. I know it was wetsuit, but 1:41/100 is awesome for me. Top 20 AG in swim
• My Zoggs goggles really gave me no problems at all, no fogging either. Just wish I had put them on better at the beginning.
• My 2XU wetsuit still fit me like a superhero!
• My Brooks Glycerins were awesome all race.
• Was great to hear plenty of people cheering for the Warriors Team!
• Stella, my Specialized Transition Elite bike, was great. I had zero issues. I always work about a flat tire after IM Branson!
• This sounds like a NASCAR post race interview.
• Loved hearing my wife and kids cheering as I ran down the final chute, my middle son even ran along side me, and thanks for all the pictures Babe!

My cheesy Olympic medal biting shot!!!

Now I can turn my sights towards Redman and start preparing for that race. This race is going to be tough and quite the challenge!

We Are That Guy/Girl...

This is a re/re/repost that I like to post prior to the start of every year. I think it is worth reading every now and again! It is always good for me to read before the season officially starts, which is soon for a lot of us. This is not something I wrote, but I came across it somewhere and I like it, so please, take the time to read it.

THAT GUY

That Guy. You know him. He can also be That Girl, and often is.

It is that guy (or girl) who you see at every race. He's at every one. Everywhere in the country.

He is always more tan than you are. He is usually a good bit thinner too. His calves have those mysterious vertical striations that define each individual muscle; as if to say, "I have spent hours training each individual muscle in each calf- each individual muscle fiber in fact."

He/she has triathlon clothing that is super cool that you've never seen before. You have no idea where it came from. If you were to ask him- if you mustered up the courage to approach him- you would get some vague answer like, "Ahh, well, I know Dave McGillicutty at Sweetass Trisports and he got these samples, prototypes really, that he….. blah, blah, blah…." And you just wanted to know where you could buy a pair of those cool trishorts he has. Maybe they would make your ass look like Michalangelo chiseled it too. Prolly not though.

So this guy (or girl): His bike is clean. It is also weird. It has parts you think you may have seen in a magazine and, is that what carbon fiber looks like? Half the stuff he has, no, all of it, is stuff you've either only seen in magazines or never even heard of.

He's wearing sunglasses. But he didn't buy them. They just kind of "got there". He drives a special car just for doing what he's doing now: Getting ready for a ride, a run, a swim workout or the triathlon you're at now. He has stickers all over it.

You know when he talks about "Hawaii" he isn't talking about the state as a vacation destination, but rather, an event that you've only seen on TV. He is either talking about getting into it, having already gotten in, or why his last race there wasn't as good as it should have been. It had something to do with some chemical in his body you've never heard of. "Too much polychondrotineospandoplasm in my maldochondriacts during the last ten miles of the run. I should have know better." Yeah, an obvious mistake for someone like that guy (girl). Another thing that guy knows that you don't. Polywhat in his maldowho?

So you get to the race and there is that guy. Setting up all his stuff in the transition area like he's done probably a thousand times before, or so it seems.

And that guy is the reason why so many people are afraid to give this sport (and many others) a try. Because you know you are not That Guy (or girl) and they will look at you and think "Oh, another novice athlete…." And maybe you are embarrassed by that. I know I have been.

That guy is experienced, dedicated, accomplished, fit, knowledgeable, well versed and respected in the sport. You are a beginner. So you are at the bottom of the food chain here. You may be the big woman or man at work and at home. But here you feel like the first day of kindergarten and you don't even know where the bathroom is but you have to go. It's been a long time since you felt like that.

And you'll feel embarrassed in front of that guy.

Consider this though: You are that guy. You are that girl. Don't understand? Let me explain.

On the hypothetical morning we're describing you got up early, loaded up whatever bike you have (the old mountain bike you've had since you were 16, that old ten speed from college, whatever), put the gear you scrapped together in your car and went to the race. You stood there in your sweats and registered, set up your transition area as best you could.

Welcome to the show my friend. You are walking the walk.

You made that monumental leap off the couch and into the realm of That Guy. And now you, to millions and millions and millions of people- you are That Guy.

The next time you go to work when the conversation comes up about what you did Sunday morning you will say, "Oh, ahh, well I did this little triathlon, my first one, I'm not really any good, I was nearly last…."

But to the people at work, and your family, and your friends, and everyone else not there on Sunday morning (and some that were…) you are That Guy. The guy who does those endurance races. Who works out all the time (even if you don't). Who eats right (even though you don't).

Pretty soon it will get around work, what you did Sunday morning, and someone will ask you, "Hey, ahh, have you ever done that one in Hawaii?"

And then you answer, "Oh, Hawaii, no, I'm not that good. I've never done Hawaii…" And to you now it is just "Hawaii". You are That Guy. To someone out there you are That Guy.

Everyone has That Guy. He's better, faster, smarter, luckier. The interesting thing about That Guy is, to someone- you are that guy. No matter who you are, there will be That Guy. Don't let him bother you. Do what you do. Remember, to someone, you are that guy.