Four Weeks To Go!

It's now the third week of July, which means that IMMT is actually less than four weeks away. Since I raced Patriot, I feel my training has gone quite well. The time spent on Nantucket with my family was great, and I really kicked off the IM training while we were there. The last few weeks of training have been pretty tough, and having a 3 1/2 month old baby certainly doesn't allow for endless hours of training time. He is super cute, though!!



My last three weeks of training have looked like this, with training time ranging from 17.5-21.5 hrs:

Swim: 16,300                   Swim: 16,100                  Swim: 13,400
Bike: 242                          Bike: 281                        Bike: 211
Run: 30                             Run: 36                           Run: 41

I've got two more weeks of some high volume, then it's time for taper, baby! This week I have two 5-hr rides, which should be around 110-112 miles a piece. This coming Sunday is another 18-19 mile run, the majority of which will be done at my target pace of 7:30. That pace seems pretty easy to hold on a long run, but I know it will be a whole different matter after a nice little 112 mile bike ride.

I think my swim endurance has improved over the course of the season. It's definitely my weakest area, but I think that I should be able to swim a 1:05-1:06. I've been hitting my faster 100's in the low 1:20's, and did a 40x100 yd workout recently where I was right around 1:27 on a 1:40 sendoff for the first 30 and 1:35 on the last 10.

My long rides have been going pretty well. So far, I've done three 100+ rides, and two that were around 95. I will probably end up with six rides of over 100 miles, which should set me up pretty well for a strong bike time at IMMT. I'm targeting around 245 watts on the bike, which I hope will put me pretty close to a 5:00 bike split. I went 2:23 in the half on 275 watts, so I feel that a time around 5:00 is reasonable.

I'm just hoping that the temperature at IMMT is relatively cool. The average high temps there in August are in the mid 70's, which would be great. After having a week of temps in the 90's here in the Boston area that would seem quite nice! However, the heat's also been a good test to do some long training in to see what my body can handle. My 110 mile ride this past Saturday was done with a heat index of around 100, and I felt pretty good.

Running has been a bit more brutal in the heat. I think it takes me a bit longer to run in heat and humidity. After all of my recent runs it's looked like I just wore my running gear into the shower.

I've also been watching some of the Tour de France, and some of the 'fans' really crack me up, none more than this guy carrying what looks like a stuffed boar with one leg that fell off. The best part is that the guy is carrying the broken leg! Simply awesome!!!!!!

Island Training

Katie, Jackson, and I have spent the past eight days with my parents on Nantucket Island, where I grew up. It's been great to be back and have some time to train. Coach Steve began my last build to IMMT two weeks ago, and I got in some solid training while on the island.

I got in the following volume while visiting my folks:
Swim: 16,300 yards
Bike: 270 miles
Run: 49.7 miles

Nantucket is only about 15x5 miles, so the biking was quite limited. I just ended up doing lots of loops on the eastern end of the island. The pool I swam at is part of the high school that I went to. I remember when the high school was brand new, but now it's around 25 years old - funny how the time goes by so quickly! For running, I was able to do some trail and dirt road running and also get some longer runs in on the extensive network of bike trails on the island. 

Katie and I also had the chance to go out to a nice dinner at a new restaurant called Company of the Cauldron, celebrating our 9-year anniversary a few days early. We were able to overlap with my brother and his wife for a day when we arrived, which was nice. Jon lives in SF, and I only get to see him a few times a year. It was also the first time that Jackson was able to meet his Aunt Marissa.

I now have six weeks left until IMMT, which probably means four more weeks of higher volume, and then a taper into the race. I've been feeling a bit beat this past week, but I attribute part of that to the crazy high humidity on Nantucket. The temps weren't that extreme (high around 80), but the humidity never got below 90%, which led to some very wet rides and runs. I'm looking forward to some more solid training and also quality time with Katie and Jackson over the remainder of the summer.

SUMMER!!!!!!

As a teacher, the summer doesn't officially end until school is over. For me, that final day was June 21st. With two hurricane days and five snow days to make up, it felt like the end of the year would never come. My class this year was a bit of a challenge behavior wise - it was definitely a learning experience, and I think I became a better teacher as a result. That being said, I'm definitely glad that summer is here so I can spend more time with Jackson and devote time to IM training as well.

The weekend before the final week of the school year I raced a local HIM, the Patriot Half. I had done this race two years ago, and went in with much better fitness. I felt that my training was leading to a race time of somewhere close to 4:20 - maybe even under that if things went perfect.

Talking with coach Steve, I decided to switch from the M35-39 to the elite wave. There was a small prize purse for the overall podium slots (only available to those in the elite wave), and I'd also be racing on a clean course (at least for the first loop on the bike). So around, 7 AM on June 16th I lined up for the first time with the 'big boys.' I felt that my swim training was pointing towards a low 30's swim. However, I quickly lost touch with the lead swimmers and my sighting was horrible. A few racers later told me they got a long course (1.4 miles) based on their Garmins. I came out of the water right at 35 minutes, feeling a bit upset, but also knowing my better legs were ahead of me. I was 10/10 of the elite men - at least I knew where I stood and couldn't move backwards!

After a quick T1 I was on the bike. Specific instructions had been given to "STAY UNDER 280 WATTS!!" Two years ago I went 2:21 on the bike on 255 watts, so I felt that being around 280 should lead to a time in the 2:16 range. That didn't happen! For some reason bike times were slow across the board. I finished with the 3rd fastest time in 2:20 on 273 watts. I was able to pass five guys from the wave, so I came into T2 in 5th out of 10. There was a bit of wind and the roads aren't in great shape, but I definitely should have been faster than that. Again, a bit of a disappointment, and I was realizing that my hopes of being close to 4:20 were gone.


T2 was set up a bit different than two years ago, and led to a slower transition. Out on the run I felt pretty solid for the first two miles, both at 6:36. After a half marathon PR of 1:20 three weeks earlier, I felt I could run a 1:25-1:26 here. It simply wasn't in the cards, though, and my pace after the first two miles stayed right around 6:50 - my legs didn't want to go any faster.

The run was quite lonely - I didn't pass anyone and didn't get passed. There were some rolling hills, but nothing crazy steep. The course was pretty exposed to the sun, but temps were only in the upper 70's to low 80's. I crossed the finish line with a 1:29 run and a finish of 4:29, pretty bummed with my overall time. I finished 5/10 in the elite wave and 7th overall.

I know this was far from my best race, but still a PR. My taper wasn't that big, as Steve has me gunning for a Kona slot at IMMT in eight weeks. I'm looking forward to this next big block of training time to really nail my nutrition and pacing for Tremblant. Bring it!!!

Settling into a grove!

Over the past few weeks our little guy, Jackson, has really settled into a good sleeping pattern. He is consistently giving us 4-5 hours of sleep initially, then another 3 or so before I get up for work. He's definitely finding his grove in terms of being a baby. He's still crying a lot, but mainly during the day. However, he's recently started smiling a lot and we think even laughing a little. He just turned eight weeks old, and here is he is snuggling on the couch with the other two boys (Dusty & Coby):

As a result of Jackson settling into his grove, I feel that my training has done the same. I'm hitting the paces coach is asking of me, and feel like I'm making some solid gains. In the pool I feel like I've hit a bit of a plateau, but I've gained some good speed in the past four months. I've gone from doing my 100 repeats on 1:45 and touching around 1:30, to now doing them on 1:40 and touching in the 1:22-1:23 range. Still no means fast by swimming standards, but I'm hoping it will translate into a swim time of around 31:00 in a June HIM, which would be a 3 min gain from last year. I'm still swimming 3-4 times per week, and getting in around 12k yards.

Biking has been steady, and I've been able to get in some good longer rides on the weekends. My tri bike was in the shop for close to three weeks, though, and I was relegated to riding the road bike. I apparently had a crack in my fork, which was covered under warranty. The only problem was that Blue sent out the wrong freaking fork initially, so it took a week longer to get the bike back than it should have. As a result, I actually borrowed a bike for my first tri of the season, but still had the fastest bike split - many thanks to Kyle, who lives near me in Chelmsford for offering to lend me his bike!!! I ended up finishing up 4th overall, behind a Boston University kid and two members of my tri team. If not for a sub-par swim, I would have been in contention for the win. It was also a bit weird being in an older AG this year, and therefore not starting in the first wave. Here are a few shots from that race:

Running has been improving, and I just set a half marathon PR of nearly three minutes yesterday in the Boston Run to Remember. I finished in 1:20:46, which was 23rd out of 6,800, and getting 13.34 on my Garmin. This is the 5th year I've run this race, finishing in 1:47 in my first go. I had a real good last 5k in this race, closing in 18:15 to crack 1:21. I'm psyched with my run gains and feel that I should have a good run in my HIM in three weeks.

Through the first 3 1/2 weeks of May I've hit the following training #'s on about 12 hrs a week:
Swim: 40,000 yards
Bike: 430 miles
Run: 110 miles

2013 Season Goals

This season will be unique for a few reasons. Number one, I'm now a father, and have a little guy who now depends on me. Number two, my sole racing focus is getting as fit as possible for IMMT in August so I can get to Kona.

My tri season officially kicks off tomorrow with the New England Season Opener, a local sprint tri. My goal for this race is the overall win. I know it will be a challenge, as there are plenty of fast local guys, including a few on my own team, Northeast Multisport. However, I feel that if I execute and race to my potential, I've got a good shot at winning.

One slight hiccup going into this race is that my tri bike has a broken fork/steerer tube, and is currently out of commission. On a long ride last weekend I nearly had a serious crash, as a car pulled out in front of me on a narrow road. I was forced to swerve and slam on my brakes, doing an endo, but somehow not ending up on the ground. However, I think the load on the fork may have caused the crack. The funny thing is that I didn't realize it was cracked, and continued for another 50 or so miles. I dropped my bike off for a pre-race tuneup, and the shop called, notifying me of the crack. Blue will cover the fork under warranty, but the new fork won't be in until mid next week.

The 'awesome' result of this incident, is that a local slowtwitch member graciously offered to lend me his bike for the race. So, I'll be racing on a blue TTX this weekend. I picked it up on Thursday night, and took it on a quick spin yesterday. After stopping four times to make small adjustments to the seat and bars, I think the fit is pretty decent. I guess we'll find out tomorrow!

Overall, training has been going quite well. I did an 81 mile ride at 274 watts avg this past weekend, and a short run off the bike felt great. My swim volume has decreased a bit to around 12,000 yards/week (from around 15,000), but my speeds have gotten a bit quicker. Yesterday I did 10x100 touching around 1:22-1:23 on 1:40, which is a good 8-10 seconds faster than where I was last year. My bike fitness is probably a bit better than last year, thanks to Steve's guidance. I did a 20 min test last week and got 361 watts, which pegs my FTP around 340 (around 4.5 w/kg @ FTP). I also feel that my run fitness has increased a bit as well, and running at faster paces definitely seems more manageable.

After tomorrow's sprint the season will go as follows. On May 26th I'm running in a half marathon, where I hope to be right around 1:20. Three weeks later I'm doing a local HIM (Patriot), and my goal there is sub 4:20. I'm shooting for splits of around 31:00, 2:15, and 1:25, plus transition times to get me there. After the HIM in mid June I have nine weeks until IMMT, which will be a solid block of training time. I think that a time of 9:40 or less is realistic, and top 5 in my AG is my goal. If all goes well, I'll have eight weeks between IMMT and a trip to Hawaii!

Katie, Jackson, and I are also planning on a bit of traveling over the summer. We would like to visit Katie's aunt and uncle in Hilton Head, and we are also hoping to spend two weeks on Nantucket with my family in early July. Of course, my bike, wetsuit, and running shoes will travel along with us so I can get in my workouts.

As a result of having our first child, I realized it was about time that we had two cars that Katie could drive. That meant that my Subaru Outback XT with a manual tranny had to go. I traded it in and picked up a 2014 Forester, which will do the trick. It's got 80 less HP than the Outback, but the mileage should be close to 30, a far cry from the 21-22 on premium I was getting before.

Being A Dad!

On April 1st I officially became a father, and the experience is unlike anything I've ever gone through. I'm now able to add 'Dad' to my repertoire of vocabulary words. Katie did an amazing job, and our 'little' man, Jackson Edward Thomas, was born at 10:08 AM weighing in at 10lb 13oz - quite the chubby fellow! We spent four nights in the hospital as a result of Katie's c-section. He had to be hooked up to some monitors initially because of low blood sugar and oxygen levels. Here I am holding him on the afternoon of April 1st.

We got home on Friday (April 5th), and have spent three nights with Jackson. The first night was actually pretty 'easy' and we got around 6 hours of sleep. The second night was quite different, and Jackson didn't really settle until 4 AM. We had a 9:30 AM doctors appointment that morning, which meant a night with little sleep. He checked out great at his appointment and is down to 10lb 4oz. Last night was a bit better than the previous night, and he settled a few hours earlier, allowing for 6 or so hours of sleep. So far, he seems to be a better day sleeper than a night sleeper. We'll be working on trying to flip-flop that for our sanity.

Katie and I timed Jackson's arrival quite well, as I took off two weeks from work, which leads right into April vacation at school. This will give me three weeks at home with the little guy. Katie is taking off the remainder of the school year, which will give her five months at home with Jackson.

It truly is amazing to think that we are now responsible for another life. Having Jackson stare into our eyes is so cool - what's going on inside that head of his?? He loves to be bundled up in a swaddle and also enjoys sleeping on my chest when I lie down. Here he is soon after getting home.

I'll be working with Steve, my coach at Darkhorse Multisport, to fit in training time around Jackson's sleep schedule. I was able to get in a good swim and run yesterday, and that will be the biggest training day of the week. Katie is 'willing' to allow my training to continue, but I'll have to be flexible in terms of when I can get it in, and some days it may not happen. I think the hardest thing will be getting enough sleep, and we'll be trying to take naps when Jackson is sleeping during the day to make up for lost sleep at night.

Bad Days

In the course of training and racing, everyone will have bad days. These are days when we just feel off, aren't hitting the numbers we are accustomed to, or happen to really hit the wall. Sometimes a bad day can be influenced by external factors that we can't control. Weather often is blamed by many for having a bad day. Fellow competitors can influence how things go - look at Macca crashing into Marino in T2 at Kona this past year. And, of course, we, as athletes, can be the root cause of many of our bad days.

I've had two recent races, one a 5k and one an indoor TT on the bike, where things didn't go as I thought they would. First, in the 5k, I just felt flat and didn't hit the paces I felt I was capable of. Sure, there were a few hills and some wind that I hadn't counted on, but I was not pleased with my race. I felt I underperformed. In hindsight, I looked at it as a good speed session, and know I'll have better days ahead.

Most recently, was an indoor TT that I competed in. Back in January I rode the exact same course (6.6 miles) and finished in 16:04 @ 352 watts. Yesterday the TT was in a large gym, and the temp was nearly 20 degrees higher than in the first TT. As a result, my time was 45 seconds slower, my power was 14 watts lower and my HR was 5 beats higher. I felt going into this latest TT that I would be able to shoot for 360+ watts. However, the variable I couldn't control was the indoor temp, and as a result it was not the ride I was looking for. Again, another good training session that will help out down the road when it really matters.

Bonking is something that many racers talk about, and I had a long ride this past summer where I completely hit the wall with 20 miles to go in my ride (it was nearly an identical ride to one I did earlier in the year, one where I averaged a bit over 255 watts for four hours, and finished the ride feeling very strong). At around the 65 mile mark I began to feel a bit off and my power began to drop. I had taken in plenty of nutrition along the way, and felt strong during the first three hours. However, the temp had reached the low 90's, and, looking back, I realized I was quite dehydrated and low on electrolytes. I pulled into a gas station, and sat in the shade for about 15 minutes, drinking a gatorade, having a snickers bar, and leaning against a trash can. For the remainder of the ride my power was way off and I felt weak and like I was running on empty.

All of these incidents are lessons learned and experiences that I can grow from. Every day is not going to be one of those fantastic sessions where everything goes perfect  (hopefully a few of these days are saved for races). When a bad day does happen, look at it as something to grow and learn from. For instance, as a result of my bonk, I began using salt caps with success, and had a solid race at Vegas 70.3 in conditions far hotter than any weather I'd trained in.

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Training update:

So far through the first three weeks of March I've hit the following numbers:
10.5 hours of biking: 233 miles
15.5 hours of running: 125 miles
16.75 hours of swimming: 56,550 yards

As the weather warms the bike volume will increase. So far, I haven't been outside on my bike since mid December. I'm really hoping that the white stuff will not reappear and that the temps begin to warm soon.

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Baby Update:

Katie's due date is less than one week away, on March 30th. We are really hoping that 'baby' decides to wait until next weekend at the earliest to decide to show up. We both have things that need to get done at work this week, but we know 'baby' ultimately decides when to show up.

We have decided to wait until delivery to find out if we are having a boy or girl. Everything is set up, and the car seat bases are in the cars. Our hospital bags are packed, and we are ready if baby decides today is the day (but please wait!). 

Winter has arrived!

Last winter, as I was training for Boston, I was able to do all but four of my runs outside. This year is quite the contrast. I've already done about ten treadmill runs, and we've probably got about six more weeks until snow is no longer a possibility. Last weekend the entire northeast got hammered, and we got over two feet of snow at our house. It took me over three hours to clear our driveway after the snow stopped flying, and that included 45 minutes with a borrowed snow blower. Even our cats were shocked with all that snow (what is that white stuff?).

Even though I've had to spend more time running inside, I'm still getting in my workouts, and I'm definitely feeling faster across the board. This is especially true in the pool, where I'm getting in four good swims per week, and around 14,000-15,000 yards. My times are steadily getting faster in the pool, and I've seen my 'cruise' pace go from around 1:40/100 to around 1:35/100. I've recently done a few TT's: a 500 in 7:30, a 200 in 2:42, and a 100 in 1:16. While no means fast, I'm pleased with my progress (that of a non swimmer up until three years ago), and know that I should continue to make some solid gains over the next few months leading into the season.

I've always loved riding outside, but I seem to be getting accustomed to the trainer this winter. My trainer experience is neither love nor hate, but somewhat of a grey area in the middle. I know I can still make some gains in terms of power on the bike, but I have to work hard for those gains. Steve has me doing a lot of shorter intervals well above FTP, as well as some longer (10-20' @90%) intervals as well. I recently did a 5 min TT on the bike, and was pleased to average 408 watts. I'd love to see that creep up closer to 420 as the season nears. As you can see from the screenshot below, I faded a little at the end, struggling to hold 400 watts. Definitely pain cave stuff, but I'm already looking forward to the next test!

 

We have about six more weeks until our lives will drastically change with the arrival of our first child. Katie and my emotions are somewhere in the excited to terrified range, not really knowing how things will go or exactly what to expect. Training will also change a bit, and I'll try to still fit in my workouts when I can. I'll be taking three weeks off from work after the baby is born, so that's nice to look forward to. As teachers, both Katie and I are enjoying our February school vacation. We're currently in Jackson, NH, and I'll be only running over the next few days while here. Then it'll be back to regular training at the end of the week.

So far, here are my workout totals for the first 17 days of February:

Bike: 183 miles in 8.5 hrs

Run: 73 miles in 9 hrs

Swim: 38,500 yards in 11.5 hrs

January Recap

On December 31st I began my year of sponsorship with Dark Horse Multisport. My goal for the 2013 season is simple: get to Kona, and I know Steve will get me there! After one month of working with Steve I feel like I have already made some solid gains. The most notable change in training has been a serious increase in swim yardage.

In previous years, I maxed out my swimming at around 40,000 yards per month, and have swum in the range of 300,000-350,000 yards a year. In my first month with Steve as my coach I swam just under 60,000 yards and have already shown some solid gains in the pool. My paces are incrementally getting a bit faster, and my endurance is definitely increasing. I also am no longer in fear of doing 4,000+ yard workouts - I'm actually starting to enjoy the water - weird, huh?

My offseason in the past has usually been run focused, and I've generally spent 2-3 hours on the trainer. I've been putting in about the same amount of time on the trainer, but the intervals have been more demanding than what I've done in the past. My usual go to workouts had been 3x15 or 2x20 at 90-95%. Steve has me doing a lot of 30" intervals at 130% and max efforts in addition to some of the 'sweet spot' intervals.

The result of this new bike training has been a bump up in my power. At my tri team's indoor TT I was able to come in 2nd @ 360 watts on the Computrainer (352 on my PT). Last year I put out 336 on my PT, so roughly a 5% increase from this time last year. Here I am somewhere in the pain cave:

I also put my run training to the test this afternoon in a 5k in Lowell. I had been doing 1/4 mile repeats at around 5:20-5:25 pace, and was hoping to be around 17:30 in the race. However, it was just one of those days where I didn't feel that great, and I ended up at 17:51, 9 seconds of my PR. I'm planning on another 5k in two weeks - hopefully the legs will be there for that one.