Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Official Ring The Bolus T-Shirt!!!!
Tai of TaiGraphx.com took my stick figure concept to create one of the best t-shirts designs I've ever seen! The official Ring The Bolus logo is a sideways D since through this Ironman journey I'm looking to turn the preconceived notions of a chronic illness on their side. In the future I'm hoping to have some sort of fund raising effort with the T-shirts but Sunday comes first! The Ring The Bolus crew will be out on the course with the shirts on so if you see them be sure to send them a wave or stop by to say hello.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Lake Placid Nutrition & Pacing Strategy
Coach Egg and I are finalizing the details of my race day strategy but what you see below is pretty much what I'll be following on the 20th:
| Pre Race | |||
| 4:30 AM | 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter | ||
| coffee | |||
| 5:30 AM | Turn pump down to 40% basal rate | ||
| 6:00 AM | Cliff Bar | ||
| 6:15 AM | Pre-race nutrition mix | ||
| 6:55 AM | Pre-Swim Mix | ||
| Swim | |||
| 7:25 - 7:35 AM | Power Gel (chocolate) should be on the home turn when taken | ||
| Mid-way | Test blood sugar, if below 180 take nutrition mix | ||
| 1.5 Miles Into Swim | Power Gel (chocolate) | ||
| T1 | |||
| Post Wet Suit | Test | ||
| If Blood Sugar is below 160 take nutrition mix | |||
| Bike | |||
| Every 15 Minutes | Sip on nutrition | ||
| Water Stops | Change water bottle at each stop - should go through 3 Aero bottles per hour | ||
| After descent into Keane | Test & have 1/2 Clif Bar | ||
| After climb into Wilmington | Test & have 1/2 Clif Bar | ||
| After Wilderness Inn II | Ramp up nutrition intake, keep bike in small front ring | ||
| Special Needs Pick Up | Test | ||
| Repeat Above for 2nd lap | |||
| Pacing & Cadence | |||
| Climb into Keane | Cadence should remain at or above 90, speed should be around 15 mph | ||
| Route 9N | Keep pace under 24 mph with a cadence of 100 - don't hammer! | ||
| Climb into Wilmington | Small gear and spin, don't get frustrated, speeds will top out at 11 mph | ||
| Out & Back | Keep pace under 24 mph with a cadence of 100 at the fast part - remember the hills and don't burn the legs | ||
| 86 First Part | Mostly downhill, large front ring, cadence of 90 and speeds of 20ish | ||
| Last 11 Miles | If you're not in the small ring, you're wrong! After Whiteface and before the Cherries you can get speed - don't be tempted to shift to big ring; smooth pedal strokes, Papa Bear is waiting and you want your legs fresh, cadence better be above 90 to get the lactic acid out, remember to drink and take in nutrition mix | ||
| Special Needs Pick Up | Don't worry about your time and relax - still a long day to go; patience and don't be obsessed with the negative split, just follow the same strategy | ||
| T2 | |||
| After Bike Is Racked | Test | ||
| If Blood Sugar is below 160 take nutrition mix | |||
| Run | |||
| Each Aid Station | 3 cups of water, if cups are less than 1/2 way filled have 4 cups | ||
| Between Each Aid Station | Sip on nutrition mix, if carbohydrate intake at aid station, skip nutrition mix | ||
| Test | Every 5 miles (about every 45 minutes) | ||
| Pacing | |||
| First 13 | Head out at a 9:30 pace, increase to 9 minutes if feeling strong after 3 miles | ||
| Second 13 | At mid-way point, increase to an 8:40 pace, hold for 7 miles, if legs are available increase pace by 10 to second increments each mile, with 3 miles left empty the tank | ||
| IT'S OK TO STOP AND STRETCH! | |||
Friday, July 11, 2008
The Places We've been
As this chapter of my life rapidly comes to an end on my last day of work for about 2 years I've had alot of time to reflect on my past and my development. In thinking about the places I've been and who I've become I'm startled by some of the influences that have shaped my path.
My boss suggested I read Robert Pirsig's "Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values." A specific passage I read helped drive home who I've become over the 7 years of my professional life and make
"To the untrained eye ego-climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical. Both kinds of climbers place one foot in front of the other. Both breathe in and out at the same rate. Both stop when tired. Both go forward when rested. But what a difference! The ego-climber is like an instrument that's out of adjustment. he puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late. He's likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step shows he's tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see what's ahead even when he knows what's ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about somewhere else, something else. He's here but he's not there. He rejects the here, is unhappy with it, wants to be farther up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because it will be "here." What he's looking for, what he wants, is all around him, but he doesn't want that because it is all around him. Every step's an effort, both physically and spiritually, because he imagines his goal to be external and distant."
In the past few years I learned that the goal isn't external or distant; that the goal is within your heart, within your soul. The work put in is about developing inner-strength and that the opponent is your mind, not someone else. The ego-climber treats the mountain as the opponent thinking he needs to defeat it, the selfless climber knows that his mind is the opponent, that the goal of the climb is not to get to the top the fastest but to enjoy every moment of the challenge. Of course you can also interpret Pirsig as saying to just enjoy the journey, flow with it and let it take you where it wishes but it's still the internal battle of your mind that allows you to get to that point.
It wasn't until this Ironman voyage started and I was faced with diabetes that I truly realized that the battle was between my ears. I think in too many things in life I had been that "ego-climber," but then it started to dawn on me that in the things I've been successful in have been things that I had to look deep into my soul to overcome or acting as the selfless climber.
Getting over Papa Bear on the Placid bike course isn't about screaming out it's name as your quads are burning, but rather remembering the path you took to be able to flow over that hill. Success in my life hasn't been determined by "defeating" something it has been determined by convincing myself to believe in who I am. The slogan on the back of my Ring The Bolus t-shirt may be "Defeating Diabetes One Tri At A Time" but to do that required me to embrace the challenge and enjoy the journey. The journey forced me to push myself to understand the disease, to be willing to try every avenue to define how diabetes would affect me; success is about trying again after a failure and learning from that experience. Perhaps I'm not just closing a chapter today, I may be starting an entirely new book.
My boss suggested I read Robert Pirsig's "Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values." A specific passage I read helped drive home who I've become over the 7 years of my professional life and make
"To the untrained eye ego-climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical. Both kinds of climbers place one foot in front of the other. Both breathe in and out at the same rate. Both stop when tired. Both go forward when rested. But what a difference! The ego-climber is like an instrument that's out of adjustment. he puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late. He's likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step shows he's tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see what's ahead even when he knows what's ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about somewhere else, something else. He's here but he's not there. He rejects the here, is unhappy with it, wants to be farther up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because it will be "here." What he's looking for, what he wants, is all around him, but he doesn't want that because it is all around him. Every step's an effort, both physically and spiritually, because he imagines his goal to be external and distant."
In the past few years I learned that the goal isn't external or distant; that the goal is within your heart, within your soul. The work put in is about developing inner-strength and that the opponent is your mind, not someone else. The ego-climber treats the mountain as the opponent thinking he needs to defeat it, the selfless climber knows that his mind is the opponent, that the goal of the climb is not to get to the top the fastest but to enjoy every moment of the challenge. Of course you can also interpret Pirsig as saying to just enjoy the journey, flow with it and let it take you where it wishes but it's still the internal battle of your mind that allows you to get to that point.
It wasn't until this Ironman voyage started and I was faced with diabetes that I truly realized that the battle was between my ears. I think in too many things in life I had been that "ego-climber," but then it started to dawn on me that in the things I've been successful in have been things that I had to look deep into my soul to overcome or acting as the selfless climber.
Getting over Papa Bear on the Placid bike course isn't about screaming out it's name as your quads are burning, but rather remembering the path you took to be able to flow over that hill. Success in my life hasn't been determined by "defeating" something it has been determined by convincing myself to believe in who I am. The slogan on the back of my Ring The Bolus t-shirt may be "Defeating Diabetes One Tri At A Time" but to do that required me to embrace the challenge and enjoy the journey. The journey forced me to push myself to understand the disease, to be willing to try every avenue to define how diabetes would affect me; success is about trying again after a failure and learning from that experience. Perhaps I'm not just closing a chapter today, I may be starting an entirely new book.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Bib # 286!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes!!!!! Yes!!!!! Yes!!!!! I can not begin to tell you how happy I was when a certain triathlete e-mailed me a comment about racer 286. When I went to Ironmanusa.com to find out my race number low and behold - 286 was me!!
Normally a sane person wouldn't be so excited about some digits. But in all honesty can someone who is relishing the opportunity to work their butt off for 140.6 miles be considered sane? Ever since I signed up for Ironman Lake Placid I have been praying that my race number would contain a 6 and a 2. 62 was my college football number, and represents so freaking much to me. Oh man this is awesome - every once in a while things all come together at just the right time; the 20th can't get here fast enough.
Normally a sane person wouldn't be so excited about some digits. But in all honesty can someone who is relishing the opportunity to work their butt off for 140.6 miles be considered sane? Ever since I signed up for Ironman Lake Placid I have been praying that my race number would contain a 6 and a 2. 62 was my college football number, and represents so freaking much to me. Oh man this is awesome - every once in a while things all come together at just the right time; the 20th can't get here fast enough.
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Quiet Before The Storm
On Thursday afternoon I anxiously packed my Pathfinder for the last weekend of training hell. I was unsure of what to expect, unsure of my level of preparation and nervous as to how my nutrition plan would hold up. To simulate race day as best as possible I brought all the food I would need for the weekend and cut myself off from the outside world to focus. When I arrived at the Placid Bay Inn, and came to find Rocky IV on TV, I started to think that my July 4th Weekend would be something special.
It's kind of embarrassing to admit but one of my heroes growing up was Rocky Balboa. The underdog who always fought to the finish, the size of his heart and will to win always overcame his shortcomings as an athlete. Oddly enough I think both Rocky Balboa and Hulk Hogan, 2 fictional characters helped develop who I am (a post for later this week). When Duke, Rocky's trainer told him "you're going to have to go hell and back to get ready for this fight and you're going to have to do it alone," I couldn't help but think he was talking directly to me.
I woke Friday morning to perfect blood sugars, with anticipation for what the day would hold. I got to Mirror Lake at 7:55 am but was distraught as the lake was filled with crew shells; after speaking with some of the crew Coaches I found out that there was a big race on July 5th, and while they had been training on the lake for weeks now a bunch of "new" teams were there and they didn't know how observant of swimmers in the water these teams would be so it probably wasn't safe to swim. No problem, I had a ton of other stuff to do so instead of getting into the water, I hopped on my bike and set out for the 112 mile ride.
I can't exactly explain the feeling I had during the first loop of the bike course. But something "clicked", for some reason I kept smiling. I kept thinking of my Mom's final words to me before I left the house on Thursday, "just remember to have fun." Instead of fearing the course I respected it. Under gorgeous blue skies I realized how lucky I was to be out riding, to be pushing myself and to be chasing a dream. I started to have a slight belief that I might actually be ready for the race.
The first loop was incredible, the 3 hours and 10 minutes were the best I had ever biked. During my 70 mile ride on Tuesday my quads were burning and my mind was tired; however for the first 56 of the Placid course I felt "perfect". My blood sugars were only 91 after the decent into Keene so I added a banana to the nutrition plan; at the end of the loop I was at 180 and was psyched to head out to enjoy the course again.
My second loop didn't go quite as well, but wasn't a disaster by any stretch. After the decent my blood sugar was 121; I should have just stuck to my nutrition plan but instead made a HUGE mistake and took in a hammer gel. About 15 miles later my blood sugar had spiked into the 220 range and sapped alot of my energy. The second I took the gel I knew it was a mistake but also learned a really valuable lesson. I need to adapt for my blood sugars but need to be smart about it. I shouldn't take products that Lauren and I haven't tested 100 times before and should use my training experience to know how I need to adapt. The stupid move slowed my pace down 1.5 mph compared to my first lap for a final time of 3 hours and 27 minutes; however I was able to finish strongly and did a 1/2 hour brick at a 8:30 pace - a pace I couldn't come close to holding after the 56 mile bike at Mooseman - tangible proof of improvement!
I was asleep by 10 pm on Friday for a 4:50 am wake up call. To get in some quality swimming at Mirror Lake I needed to be in the water by 6am. There was something incredibly serene about swimming during a sunrise; it was just a fisherman and me in the lake - vastly different than the experience I'll have with 2,000 other people on the 20th though. Most importantly I didn't have any blood sugar issues pre or post swim and my new wet suit felt incredible, my confidence was growing with only 1 hellish session left, a 2 and 1/2 hour run.
After biking more than 200 miles, running close to 40 miles and swimming about 5 miles in a 6 day period my legs shut down on me at mile 10 of my run (I was able to finish 13 miles in all). I didn't run the 20 miles I wanted to on Saturday but in all honesty that didn't matter. 6 or 7 miles into my run on the Lake Placid course, I smiled the biggest smile I've had in months and out loud said "I'm Ready." At that moment I knew I had prepared as best I could, I knew my nutrition plan was spot on, I knew all those people I had placed my faith in hadn't led me wrong. I finally believed in myself, I finally believed in my ability to complete Ironman Lake Placid. The biggest distance we race for an Ironman is the space between our ears - it took me nearly a year to cover that distance but 15 days before race day I finally crossed that finish line.
So much happened over the past 72 hours that I'm not 100% sure how to put it into words. This is the quiet before the storm, the calm confidence that lets me know I'm ready for race day. Before the butterflies come and before I'm holding back vomit in Mirror Lake, I know I'm ready. At this moment I'm not worried about my blood sugars, and I'm not worried about my preparation - I know I've done all I could to prepare for the race. I also had an incredible time sharing all this with a certain triathlete while swimming in Walden Pond on Sunday.
I think all the doctor visits, all the time spent researching about nutrition, the buckets of sweat, the hours of sacrifice and the pain endured are all to reach this confidence and the self-belief that one is ready for race day; I had to put myself through a week of hell after 50 weeks of training to achieve it but now I can't wait to be on that starting line.
It's kind of embarrassing to admit but one of my heroes growing up was Rocky Balboa. The underdog who always fought to the finish, the size of his heart and will to win always overcame his shortcomings as an athlete. Oddly enough I think both Rocky Balboa and Hulk Hogan, 2 fictional characters helped develop who I am (a post for later this week). When Duke, Rocky's trainer told him "you're going to have to go hell and back to get ready for this fight and you're going to have to do it alone," I couldn't help but think he was talking directly to me.
I woke Friday morning to perfect blood sugars, with anticipation for what the day would hold. I got to Mirror Lake at 7:55 am but was distraught as the lake was filled with crew shells; after speaking with some of the crew Coaches I found out that there was a big race on July 5th, and while they had been training on the lake for weeks now a bunch of "new" teams were there and they didn't know how observant of swimmers in the water these teams would be so it probably wasn't safe to swim. No problem, I had a ton of other stuff to do so instead of getting into the water, I hopped on my bike and set out for the 112 mile ride.
I can't exactly explain the feeling I had during the first loop of the bike course. But something "clicked", for some reason I kept smiling. I kept thinking of my Mom's final words to me before I left the house on Thursday, "just remember to have fun." Instead of fearing the course I respected it. Under gorgeous blue skies I realized how lucky I was to be out riding, to be pushing myself and to be chasing a dream. I started to have a slight belief that I might actually be ready for the race.
The first loop was incredible, the 3 hours and 10 minutes were the best I had ever biked. During my 70 mile ride on Tuesday my quads were burning and my mind was tired; however for the first 56 of the Placid course I felt "perfect". My blood sugars were only 91 after the decent into Keene so I added a banana to the nutrition plan; at the end of the loop I was at 180 and was psyched to head out to enjoy the course again.
My second loop didn't go quite as well, but wasn't a disaster by any stretch. After the decent my blood sugar was 121; I should have just stuck to my nutrition plan but instead made a HUGE mistake and took in a hammer gel. About 15 miles later my blood sugar had spiked into the 220 range and sapped alot of my energy. The second I took the gel I knew it was a mistake but also learned a really valuable lesson. I need to adapt for my blood sugars but need to be smart about it. I shouldn't take products that Lauren and I haven't tested 100 times before and should use my training experience to know how I need to adapt. The stupid move slowed my pace down 1.5 mph compared to my first lap for a final time of 3 hours and 27 minutes; however I was able to finish strongly and did a 1/2 hour brick at a 8:30 pace - a pace I couldn't come close to holding after the 56 mile bike at Mooseman - tangible proof of improvement!
I was asleep by 10 pm on Friday for a 4:50 am wake up call. To get in some quality swimming at Mirror Lake I needed to be in the water by 6am. There was something incredibly serene about swimming during a sunrise; it was just a fisherman and me in the lake - vastly different than the experience I'll have with 2,000 other people on the 20th though. Most importantly I didn't have any blood sugar issues pre or post swim and my new wet suit felt incredible, my confidence was growing with only 1 hellish session left, a 2 and 1/2 hour run.
After biking more than 200 miles, running close to 40 miles and swimming about 5 miles in a 6 day period my legs shut down on me at mile 10 of my run (I was able to finish 13 miles in all). I didn't run the 20 miles I wanted to on Saturday but in all honesty that didn't matter. 6 or 7 miles into my run on the Lake Placid course, I smiled the biggest smile I've had in months and out loud said "I'm Ready." At that moment I knew I had prepared as best I could, I knew my nutrition plan was spot on, I knew all those people I had placed my faith in hadn't led me wrong. I finally believed in myself, I finally believed in my ability to complete Ironman Lake Placid. The biggest distance we race for an Ironman is the space between our ears - it took me nearly a year to cover that distance but 15 days before race day I finally crossed that finish line.
So much happened over the past 72 hours that I'm not 100% sure how to put it into words. This is the quiet before the storm, the calm confidence that lets me know I'm ready for race day. Before the butterflies come and before I'm holding back vomit in Mirror Lake, I know I'm ready. At this moment I'm not worried about my blood sugars, and I'm not worried about my preparation - I know I've done all I could to prepare for the race. I also had an incredible time sharing all this with a certain triathlete while swimming in Walden Pond on Sunday.
I think all the doctor visits, all the time spent researching about nutrition, the buckets of sweat, the hours of sacrifice and the pain endured are all to reach this confidence and the self-belief that one is ready for race day; I had to put myself through a week of hell after 50 weeks of training to achieve it but now I can't wait to be on that starting line.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Final Push!
Tonight I head up to Lake Placid for my final push towards becoming an Ironman. Some argue that the taper period should be 3 weeks, others argue for a 2 week taper period; however for diabetics the taper period is the most difficult time of training. Coach Egg and I are trying to avoid the pitfalls of Mooseman, where the taper period destroyed my basal rate profiles. So our plan is to work my a** off this weekend and then recover my legs through hour or two hour workouts up until the Ironman. It's a risky strategy but I'd rather have my legs somewhat sore than my blood sugars flying out of control.
The plan for this weekend:
And yes, I am that big of a dork that I mapped out my entire nutrition plan in Excel. My future Darden classmates would be proud!
Then the highlight of the weekend will come as I get to spend Saturday night in Boston with my new favorite Triathlete, commiserating about our fears of IMLP. The final push to Placid is going to be a blast! And if you're out training in Placid this weekend I'll be the guy wearing at least 1 article of orange clothing, make sure to say hi!
The plan for this weekend:
Friday:
1) Full Ironman Lake Placid Swim Course (2.4 Miles, 2 Loops Mirror Lake)
2) Full Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course (112 miles)
3) 3 - 4 Mile Run Around Mirror Lake (30 Minute Run)
Saturday:
1) 1/2 Ironman Lake Placid Swim Course (1.2 Miles, 1 Loop Mirror Lake)
2) 3 Hour Run On Ironman Lake Placid Run Course (Hopefully At Least 20 Miles)
Taking Cliff's advice I've mapped out my entire nutrition plan for the 2 days of hard core training. This plan should help me just focus on what needs to get done without worrying about anything else:
Then the highlight of the weekend will come as I get to spend Saturday night in Boston with my new favorite Triathlete, commiserating about our fears of IMLP. The final push to Placid is going to be a blast! And if you're out training in Placid this weekend I'll be the guy wearing at least 1 article of orange clothing, make sure to say hi!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Keep On Trucking
Momentum in training is a funny thing. One day you can feel like everything is going perfectly, your confidence will be at all time high only to be ruined during the next training session by a blood sugar low, bike breaking or otherwise feeling totally run down. Last weekend I was fortunate enough to experience all those things in a 48 hour period!
Friday evening I was tremendously excited for a huge training weekend. That evening I met with Cliff to discuss some IM nutrition strategy and go over some of my other fears about the race as a type 1 and as an athlete. The best advice he gave me was to write everything down in a schedule for the 72 hours prior to the race - leave nothing to chance. By following a schedule I essentially don't have to think about anything and can just focus on the race. I've noticed that in the workouts where I write down my nutrition and pace strategy I'm vastly more successful than in the workouts that I try and do all that via memory - so I think Cliff may be onto something!
Saturday morning I was up at my parent's house nervous as anything for an open water swim practice. After the disaster at White Pond I went searching for a new OWS venue and came across Putnam Lake at the suggestion of Jordan Rapp (a professional triathlete and part of the Slowtwitch.com family). Putnam Lake is a private lake near Patterson, NY; I contacted the community board president to ask her permission to swim in the lake. After explaining my story Barbara was tremendously supportive and simply asked that I sign a waiver and have someone follow me along in a row boat. So Saturday morning I entered Putnam Lake with my Mom & Dad rowing close behind.
Putnam Lake was beautiful! For an hour and 10 minutes I swam to my hearts content, was relaxed in the water and FINALLY felt comfortable in an open water environment. If only I could have added 2,000 people hitting me in the head while swimming I really would have gotten in a great practice. My parents were a bit less successful in their rowing as I had to re-enter the water to drag them into shore. Although a huge heart felt thank you goes out to my Mom & Dad for getting in a row boat (probably for only their first or second time ever) just so I could chase down this crazy dream. After the swim things took a horrible turn however.
I returned to my parents house, loaded up my bike with the day's nutrition and headed up Dahila Dr. ready to attack Bear Mountain. 2 minutes into the ride disaster struck:
Now if you look closely at the picture you can probably notice an essential piece of my bike is missing - I'll give you a hint; THE FING AEROBARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As I climbed the steep hill out of my parents drive way I snapped my deck right off the front fork and crashed to the ground. If my Mom wasn't arleady nervous about the Ironman, witnessing her only son crash to the pavement did nothing to alleviate her fears. Thankfully I was going up hill or I would have gotten pretty badly hurt. Strictly Bicycles replaced the fork for free but this ruined my Saturday workouts.
Stupidly, I tried to go out for a run Saturday afternoon after bringing my bike into the shop. However, my nutrition plan for the day was shot to hell. Starving I had a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch which has far too much fat (from mayo, bread and cheese) and protein in it to digest quickly enough for the carbs to be absorbed 2 hours before a long run. However, I arrogantly thought I could beat physiology and proceeded to follow my nutrition protocol. As I left my apartment for the last time for a run(I moved up to my parent's house Sunday for my final days before heading to UVA!) I was greeted by a monsoon.
For the first 45 minutes of the run I felt strong, but then could tell I wasn't digesting my nutrition properly. An hour into my run my blood sugar was 95 and I could barely maintain a 9:45 pace (my E pace is 8:50). So workout # 2 of the day had to be scrapped. The digestive and fatigue issues had me fighting off lows throughout the night on Saturday and all day on Sunday where I took a self prescribed much needed day off.
Ironman training is a grinding process, I knew I still needed to get in my long run and ride so I spoke with my boss letting him know I'd be in late on Monday and out on Tuesday to do my long run and ride respectively. Monday morning I woke up at 5:30, was out the door by 6am and completed my 2 hour run. Tuesday I hopped on my bike for a 70 mile ride followed by a 30 minute brick. Each workout went as well as they could have but my performance in those 2 workouts isn't really the point. Ironman training requires adaptation and life as a diabetic requires adaptation. Environmental factors, life events and stress all effect how my blood sugars will react to certain foods and my ability to complete workouts. Each day presents a new challenge and if I just keep on trucking I'll find success in both.
Friday evening I was tremendously excited for a huge training weekend. That evening I met with Cliff to discuss some IM nutrition strategy and go over some of my other fears about the race as a type 1 and as an athlete. The best advice he gave me was to write everything down in a schedule for the 72 hours prior to the race - leave nothing to chance. By following a schedule I essentially don't have to think about anything and can just focus on the race. I've noticed that in the workouts where I write down my nutrition and pace strategy I'm vastly more successful than in the workouts that I try and do all that via memory - so I think Cliff may be onto something!
Saturday morning I was up at my parent's house nervous as anything for an open water swim practice. After the disaster at White Pond I went searching for a new OWS venue and came across Putnam Lake at the suggestion of Jordan Rapp (a professional triathlete and part of the Slowtwitch.com family). Putnam Lake is a private lake near Patterson, NY; I contacted the community board president to ask her permission to swim in the lake. After explaining my story Barbara was tremendously supportive and simply asked that I sign a waiver and have someone follow me along in a row boat. So Saturday morning I entered Putnam Lake with my Mom & Dad rowing close behind.
Putnam Lake was beautiful! For an hour and 10 minutes I swam to my hearts content, was relaxed in the water and FINALLY felt comfortable in an open water environment. If only I could have added 2,000 people hitting me in the head while swimming I really would have gotten in a great practice. My parents were a bit less successful in their rowing as I had to re-enter the water to drag them into shore. Although a huge heart felt thank you goes out to my Mom & Dad for getting in a row boat (probably for only their first or second time ever) just so I could chase down this crazy dream. After the swim things took a horrible turn however.
I returned to my parents house, loaded up my bike with the day's nutrition and headed up Dahila Dr. ready to attack Bear Mountain. 2 minutes into the ride disaster struck:
Now if you look closely at the picture you can probably notice an essential piece of my bike is missing - I'll give you a hint; THE FING AEROBARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As I climbed the steep hill out of my parents drive way I snapped my deck right off the front fork and crashed to the ground. If my Mom wasn't arleady nervous about the Ironman, witnessing her only son crash to the pavement did nothing to alleviate her fears. Thankfully I was going up hill or I would have gotten pretty badly hurt. Strictly Bicycles replaced the fork for free but this ruined my Saturday workouts.
Stupidly, I tried to go out for a run Saturday afternoon after bringing my bike into the shop. However, my nutrition plan for the day was shot to hell. Starving I had a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch which has far too much fat (from mayo, bread and cheese) and protein in it to digest quickly enough for the carbs to be absorbed 2 hours before a long run. However, I arrogantly thought I could beat physiology and proceeded to follow my nutrition protocol. As I left my apartment for the last time for a run(I moved up to my parent's house Sunday for my final days before heading to UVA!) I was greeted by a monsoon.
For the first 45 minutes of the run I felt strong, but then could tell I wasn't digesting my nutrition properly. An hour into my run my blood sugar was 95 and I could barely maintain a 9:45 pace (my E pace is 8:50). So workout # 2 of the day had to be scrapped. The digestive and fatigue issues had me fighting off lows throughout the night on Saturday and all day on Sunday where I took a self prescribed much needed day off.
Ironman training is a grinding process, I knew I still needed to get in my long run and ride so I spoke with my boss letting him know I'd be in late on Monday and out on Tuesday to do my long run and ride respectively. Monday morning I woke up at 5:30, was out the door by 6am and completed my 2 hour run. Tuesday I hopped on my bike for a 70 mile ride followed by a 30 minute brick. Each workout went as well as they could have but my performance in those 2 workouts isn't really the point. Ironman training requires adaptation and life as a diabetic requires adaptation. Environmental factors, life events and stress all effect how my blood sugars will react to certain foods and my ability to complete workouts. Each day presents a new challenge and if I just keep on trucking I'll find success in both.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)