IMAZ in 16:21:12!

Where do I start? It has been such an amazing week that I now am finding myself thinking of everything as B/IM and A/IM as in before and after the Ironman. But surprisingly not for the reasons that I thought. Yes, I finished the “Ironman” Yes, it was very hard! (more on that in a minute) and yes, I can now say “I am an Ironman”. All of that just seems secondary to the amazing time that I had at the race itself. The energy of all the spectators and the volunteers was so inspiring that the whole experience became less and less about what I was doing and more about the what they were doing and the whole sense of community. As I sit here writing this, the people are what I remember the most. Boy, how unlike me.

I have always been a very motivated person, so much so, that most of the time I have been so focused on my goals that I’ve never stopped to TRULY enjoy the journey. When you do that, you miss out on so much. It is great to be goal oriented, but not to the point of not enjoying how far you’ve come. I’ve always said that I never look at the people that I have passed and feel good, I look at the people in front of me and strive to be better. This can be a good thing, but it can also consume you and rob you of a lot of joy. And if you are not careful, it can also make you bitter and jealous. I have learned so much. My thoughts are a little scattered so bear with me if I jump around a bit.

I went into this race with the intention of “just finishing”. There are so many things that can happen in a race that long, that you need to complete the distance so you can have some kind of bench mark, then learn and adjust for the next time. These things I know but still I usually set an unreasonable goal and am disappointed if I don’t achieve it. I imagine I do this to push myself, but it usually robs me of any happiness from what I have accomplished. I mean how can you happy about where you are if you are always looking forward to where you have to go? Anyway, I digress again. I finished the race in 16:21:12. slower than I would have liked to finish, but I finished and with a HUGE smile on my face, despite the grueling conditions.

Hot and windy! 95° with 23 mph gusts of wind. Was it a tough day out there? To put it in perspective, 18% of the field did not finish the race. That is the 3rd highest DNF rate in Ironman history. It was brutal out there.

I want to write a proper race report, but I am really tired, so I will continue this tomorrow with details of the swim and hopefully some pictures.

Paul

IMAZ eve

It’s Saturday afternoon, the day before the BIG DAY. I have prepared for this race for so long, over a year, that it seems a little surreal now. I can’t describe how beautiful and magical it is here in Tempe Arizona. I have always loved the desert, but this past few days have been nothing short of AMAZING. There are so many things I want to write about, that it is probably best that I wait until after the race so I can go into better detail. Brittany and I have a 6 hour drive back home on Monday, perhaps if I am able, I will write it then. We are off to dinner in about an hour, then I will try and get some sleep before I get up at 3:30 in the morning. I am surprisingly calm. I have never felt better physically or mentally my entire life. So, I figure it is a great time to be doing an Ironman. Life and God is good and I am so thankful to be here doing this race. If you are interested, you can track my progress at Ironman.com and enter my bib #75 in the “track an athlete” section.

Thanks for following me on this amazing journey. I’ll post a race report after the race.

Paul

Sick of being sick

I rarely get sick, so being sick going on 4 days now, has really sucked. Especially with the race 11 days from now. I am contemplating skipping todays training. That would be 2 days of training missed. It is a tough decision. It becomes a question of diminishing returns. If I go ahead and do todays scheduled training, which is still a relatively light day consisting of a 50 minute ride and an hour run, do I risk making myself even sicker? Or, is it possible that I will feel better? Or, if I skip it, am I somehow lowering my fitness level and making myself less prepared for the IronMan? And the even bigger question is, why now? I have stayed VERY healthy for the entire 9 months that I have been training for this event. Well, I guess it could be MUCH worse. I could be having other problems like ITBS or some other training related injury. I mean this is really just a bad cold or flu. It’s just interesting that it hit me so close to the race. Oh well, I am going to wait a few hours and see if I feel any better. If I do, I will do my session and take it real easy.

Work has been slow the last week or two. So, aside from training, I am getting plenty of rest. Hopefully it will pick up soon. Of course I am sure it will get very busy......right around the time I am getting ready to leave for Arizona :). Life keeps you on your toes.

Paul

Taper time

With less than 2 weeks till IMAZ, I am officially in my taper. I will only train for about 10 hours this week, a significant reduction in time. Next week I have 4 hours of scheduled sessions. In this time, my body will be repairing itself and getting stronger in preparation for the LONG day on April 13th. Usually, I am not too fond of the taper because I get a little bored and sometimes cranky. Maybe it is the lack of endorphins during this period. In any event, I am welcoming it this time. The LONG weekend sessions have left me spent and often times sick come Monday and on a couple of occasions into Tuesday. This last weekend I trained 8 hours and yesterday I woke up feeling like crap. I thought it may have been allergies. I was congested and my heart was doing backflips in my chest. Monday was a rest day and I didn’t have much work so I went home and went to bed. This morning I am feeling better, but I am going to do a little rescheduling and take another rest day. I will make up the sessions later in the week.

I can’t believe that we will be leaving for Arizona in 1 week and 2 days. The race has been “so far away” for so long, that it seemed like I would always have time to train. I know that doesn’t make sense, but I have had my training schedule in my calendar since April 12th of last year when I registered. Now here we are. I am nervous. Mostly for the swim, of course. Luckily I will have a chance to do 2 practice swims in the lake before the race.

I am going to try and up my posting in the next 2 weeks leading up to the race, so I won’t say everything that is swirling around in my head right now.


Paul

IronMan and the Special Olympics

Dear Friends and Family

As many of you know, I have been training for the last 5 months for the IronMan in Arizona. The race is April 13th and consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run that must be completed in 17 hours or less. It has been a huge commitment of time and energy that has demanded a large portion of my life. It has been the most satisfying and challenging endeavor of my life. At the same time, it borders on being a somewhat selfish sport in that it takes away from other commitments and obligations such as family, friends and work. I am thankful that the people in my life have been understanding of this and have been VERY supportive. So it is with some trepidation that I ask for any more from you. One of the great things about endurance sports is their affiliations with various charities. Many of you recently donated to my Daughter, Brittany's charity of choice "Run For Mobility" during her recent first full marathon. She completed her marathon and raised over $600, supplying 12 people in 3rd world countries with wheelchairs. These are people that were unable to get from one place to another on their own power. Now they are able to be mobile, literally changing their lives. Thank you for your generosity!

IronMan athletes are given the opportunity to use the visibility of their event to raise money for their charity of choice. All of the money goes directly to the charity. I have chosen the Special Olympics of Southern California. I have learned so much from my participation in this sport of Triathlon. It has shown me that anything is possible through hard work and dedication and that we are all running our own race, no matter where we are in the pack or what our abilities are. One day Brittany and I were doing a long (14 mile) run in Mile Square Park and we saw the athletes from the Special Olympics competing in a bike race. It was then that I decided that that would be my charity. It was inspiring to see challenged athletes competing at their peak ability. No matter what their individual abilities were, they can train and challenge themselves to be the best they can be, and that is a huge win.

A common misconception is that the Special Olympics is held once a year, or every four years like the regular Olympics. That is not the case. It is a year around program with several events throughout the year and training throughout the year as well. There are several sports such as Bowling, Golf, Swimming and of course, my favorite, Track and Field. The money donated goes towards training these athletes and sponsorship of the events.

I appreciate you reading this and your support of me (and my ramblings of all things triathlon:). If you are so inclined, you can donate to the Special Olympics of Southern California through my page at the Janus Charity Challenge website.

IronMan athletes don't get anything from this other than bringing awareness and donations to our charities. We've all been so blessed, and to share those blessings is the ultimate gift. And of course it is tax deductible.

Paul

http://januscharitychallenge.kintera.org/az08/paulboth
http://www.sosc.org/orangecounty.html

Half Ironman simulation

Which culture is it that takes a nap midday at work? I think it is the Japanese. I need to adopt that schedule. Training an average of 2 1/2 hours in the morning then going to work has really started to take its toll. By about 3:00 I am fried. I get an average of 8 hours of sleep at night, but I thing an hour nap midday might be beneficial for me. We’ll see if I can sneak it in somehow.

Brittany and I did the “OC Half Marathon” on January 6th. It was an AMAZING day for a race. It was overcast, cool, with a light drizzle. You couldn’t have asked for a better day. I was very pleased with my time of 1:57:22. It was a fairly hilly course so I figure that 1:22 over my PR was a good time. This was Brittany’s half marathon run, one month before her first marathon on February 3rd. In addition to running her first marathon, she is raising money for “Run for Mobility”. It is a charity that makes wheelchairs for people who cannot walk. Pretty amazing to give the gift of mobility to those who can’t get around on their own.

This weekend I am doing a half Ironman simulation in preparation for IMAZ. I will swim 1.2 miles, ride 56 miles and run 13.1 miles. I am going to do this at the gym for convenience sake. It may get a little boring on the bike but I will load up my iPhone with some movies and try to pass the time that way. I figure that if I can complete the distance in around 6-6 1/2 hours I should be in pretty good shape. It will be my longest run off the bike, but I seem to run better off the bike for some reason. Maybe because I am very warmed up :).

I have decided on my charity for the Janus Charity Challenge. I will be raising money for the Special Olympics Southern California Orange County chapter. You can donate here. Triathlon can feel like a selfish thing to do, since you spend SO much time training in the pursuit of bettering yourself. So it is a great feeling to use it to help other people. The Janus Charity Challenge enables athletes to do that. Pretty cool!

Well, I’m off to bed and who knows, maybe tomorrow I can get in a nap.


Paul

Why do an Ironman?

I have been asked this question along with, “how far is that?” I start out saying “the swim is 2.4 miles” as soon as I say that, I usually get interrupted with “2.4 miles, are you kidding, I can barely get to the other end of the pool......” At which point I say, “wait there’s more, then a 112 mile bike and a marathon at the end”. Most people just shake their heads and say “that’s crazy, I could never do that”. I guess that is the interesting part to me, and what I find fascinating. I now that they can do it if they wanted to. Just about anything (within reason) IS possible, you just have to commit yourself to it, believe and be willing to follow the steps to achieve your goal. You can run, or walk, across the country if you want to. It might take some people a little longer than others, but, IT IS possible. I think where we as humans get hung up is, looking at the whole distance to our goal, whatever it is, and getting overwhelmed and intimidated, then start feeling like we can’t measure up in our current state. I have a couple of areas in my life where I am battling this. I am training for the Ironman to remind myself that the seemingly impossible Is possible.

Jasmine is doing GREAT with her swimming. We went Monday night and she did 10 laps. There was a coach at the pool that coaches at Marina High school. She gave Jasmine a couple of pointers and couldn’t believe that this was only her second time swimming. She seemed a little discouraged at first and said “by the time I do my 1280 laps, no one will even want an IPhone anymore” I thought that was pretty funny and cute. By the end of our session she seemed more encouraged and I told her that I think she will get up to 30-40 laps per session and at that rate, if we go 3 times a week it will only take 10 weeks or so. That sounds much more manageable. And that, I think. is the trick. Break any goal down to manageable tasks and do them. Just do them, anything to get you towards the finish line. But, you gotta start the race.

So to answer the question “Why do an Ironman?” I guess the real answer is that I think I am not training as much for the Ironman distance as I am training to remember that I can truly reach any goal that I set out to accomplish. So after IMAZ, I will apply this to those other two areas of my life. That is why I’m doing the Ironman.

Change of plans

After careful consideration I have decided not to run the full marathon, and go back to my original plan of running the 1/2 marathon at the Surf City Marathon in February. I was getting bummed out whenever I looked at my run log and the weekly mileage was about 1/2 of what I am used to running. Although I could probably add the extra miles into the already high weekly training schedule. The real problem would arise after the marathon and the ensuing recovery process. It takes a good 3-4 weeks of recovery to get back to normal after a full marathon and that would completely screw up my Ironman training at it’s most crucial time.

So, after some great advice from some of the people over at Cool Running. I have decided to do the 1/2 then meet up with Brittany for the last 5 miles or so when she'll need me the most. I think it will be the best of both worlds.

It is funny how we, as flawed humans, can hear really good advice and know it is the thing to do. But, somehow rationalize things in our own head and formulate an opposing plan. I tell people not to do this all the time, then find myself doing that very thing. Life is a continual learning process. Just when you think you have everything figured out ........

Todays training went really well. I was feeling very tired yesterday after a long training session on Sunday. I didn’t have a lot of work yesterday so, I was able to get some much needed rest.
I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and did 1:10 on the bike and :40 run.

Tomorrows plan is a :45 swim, :50 bike and about an hour of strength training (weights). I have enjoyed lifting again. I had stopped for awhile while I was mainly running. But, now I have made it an integral part of my training plan. Three times a week, full body exercises. I don’t look as scrawny in my upper body area. I am sure swimming is helping too. When you are running so many miles a week, it is easy to neglect your weight training. But, it is VERY important since a lot of your power comes from your core.

On a completely different note. I am having so much fun with my iPhone. If you look on my home page you’ll see pictures with a caption that says “image of the day”. I am able to snap pictures from my iPhone, then send them to my webgallery and they automatically update on my site. Amazing!

That’s it for now.

Paul

Running season!

Now that triathlon season is over for me, I have ramped up my running mileage to prepare for the 5-6 road races that I plan on doing over the winter. It is tough because I am training for the Ironman and the weekly hours are getting steadily longer and longer. But in order to do the races that I have planned, the miles in the IM schedule are not quite enough. So, the trick will be adding the miles while not getting injured or over trained. It has felt great to start getting back to, what is for me a normal weekly mileage. 33 miles this week.

The Long Beach Marathon is two weeks away, where Brittany and I will be doing the half marathon. My PR for the half is 1:56:05 which I did last year in Phoenix. It was very cold that morning. 28 degrees which I think was a record for that date or something. In any event, it proved to be great for my finishing time. We will see how Long Beach goes. I hope the weather is cool and I hope to finish in under 1:50:00.

I have decided to do the full marathon at the Surf City Marathon in February. I had planned to do the half, while Brittany was doing the full. After thinking about it I decided to pace Brit and use it as a great warm up for the marathon I will be doing after the 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike at IMAZ. It is going to mean more running miles in my training, but, I love running so.....

I took it easy today with a :30 swim and a :40 min bike. I needed a little rest and clear out some lactic acid from my legs and get refreshed for tomorrow. 1:00 swim, 1:50 bike, 10 mile run.

Paul

Long Beach Triathlon race report

Well, yesterday was the last triathlon of the season. It went really well. I was very happy with my times. But, I was a little disappointed with my placing. Triathlon is a tough sport and the field is usually stacked with some heavy competition.

The swim is my weak point. I did the 1/2 mile in 17:49 which was 4 minutes faster than LA Tri and that was 250 meters shorter. So, I am happy about that. The bike went well. I averaged 18.8 mph. The run was great although I felt I could have shaved a little time off of my 8:20 min/mile pace had I not been so tired from the swim. I have to hit the pool and open water HARD over the winter. If I could have sped up the swim I am sure that I could have placed much higher as my bike and run were all in the top 25-35% of my age group. Train train train.....

Paul Both
race # 1021

overall place 428/921
age group place 54/74
gender place 347/528
overall time 1:25:24
swim distance 800 m
swim time 17:49
T1 time 4:32
bike distance 11 miles
bike time 36:29
T2 time 1:16
run distance 3 miles
run time 25:16

It was an absolutely awesome day. Brittany came out and took a ton of pictures. She had a 12 mile run the day before and this was supposed to be a rest day with just a 2 mile run. Well she did almost that running around snapping shots on the course. Man it was a great day!


Paul

Long training day

I usually do my long training days on the weekend. But, since I am racing in the Long Beach Triathlon on Sunday, I switched my long day to today. I “slept in” till 6:00 am, got up, had a couple bowls of Trail Mix Crunch and headed to the gym. I started with a 1:45 minute ride on the bike. My legs were feeling a little tired so I stayed in the lower part of my “easy zone”. My heart rate was fine and I was feeling pretty good. It’s just that my legs were just kinda sore and felt like I could get to my LT pretty easily. So I just took it slow and steady. I was on the bike 1:45 for a total of 26 miles.

On to the run. I love running after cycling. I guess I am blessed that I don’t really get dead legs. They just get a little numb, which makes it even nicer to run. I ran for 1:10 at a pretty slow pace. I felt pretty amazing the whole time. 1:10 for 6.5 miles. I did a little stretching, calves and hamstrings, and a set of back extensions and some crunches. Next up, :45 swim. I am starting to enjoy swimming more and more. I just started swimming about 4 months ago. I bought the DVD “Freestyle Made Easy” from the company Total Immersion, per the advice from several Triathletes. I have no idea how I would have ever learned to swim as fast as I did had I not watched this video. I have become fairly efficient in a relatively short amount of time. Still, swimming is still my weakest discipline. I’ve gotta work on that. :45 swim for a little under 1500 meters.

I feel really good. Tomorrow I’m going to do an open water swim in Belmont Shores and rest for the rest of the day in preparation for Sunday’s race.

I am shooting for at least top 35% in my age group. It is the last triathlon race of the season and I will be happy with if I achieve that goal.

I will post a race report after the race.

Paul

Long Beach Tri on Sunday Sep. 23rd

I am getting ready for my 3rd triathlon this Sunday. It is a 1/2 mile swim, 11 mile bike and 3 mile run. Pretty short race actually. I am attempting to place in the top 30% in my age group which should put me in the top 20-25% overall. We’ll see how it goes.

I have been training 7 days a week for the last 8 weeks. I am in the 9th week of my 36 weeks of Ironman training for Ironman Arizona on April 13th 2008. It is a huge commitment but I have never felt better physically.

Tomorrow I have a 1:05 bike session and a :35 run. I’ll train at the gym since it is logistically easier than training outside. I wish I had more time to train outdoors. I moved to Long Beach about a month ago and it is a great place to train because I am so close to the beach. There seems to be a lot of triathletes that live and train around here. The race starts and finishes about 3 blocks from my house. It will be nice to not have to drive to the race. How often does that happen:)

Tomorrow is another typical day. Get up around 5, out the door by 5:30, train for 2-3 hours then off to work at Post Modern Edit. Then when I am done I will come home and try and work on some music. My song “Red Bloody Sun” was just used in the NBC show “Friday Night Lights” episode #105 “Git’er Done”. Pretty cool and unexpected. I need to keep writing.

Paul