Morning Music…
Posted in Morning Music, Music
Frank Black – Headache
That Time of Year…
Posted in Good News
It’s finally light enough and warm enough for me to have my coffee and read the paper each morning out back on our deck. I’ve done it for the last few days, and it will only get better as the summer continues. I get fresh air and sunlight. I get to see the sun rise, even though it’s over a garage and an alley, and it still feels nice on my face. My wife has done a great job planting hanging flower baskets on the porch and plants in the backyard. It’s a beautiful, quiet space, and it’s about the best way I know to start a day.
All the Endurance Training Emotions in 48 Hours
I was pretty discouraged after Monday’s ride. It was slower and harder than I wanted it to be. I know I made mistakes – and I’m fixing them – but it was one of those rides where you start wondering if you’re ready for the 70.3 in two weeks and, more ominously, whether you’ll ever be ready for the A-race in 15+ weeks.
Then yesterday happened.
I got my 9-mile run done. It wasn’t fast, and it definitely felt hard, but my legs were dead going in, so that was expected. Honestly, finishing that run actually encouraged me. Running 9 miles on trashed legs is probably a good sign. Add in the fact that I’m actively fixing the bike issues from Monday, and the discouragement started to fade.
I think this is just part of endurance training. Maybe all endurance training. There’s always a point where you question everything – even when training is objectively going well.
You hit your 20-miler while marathon training and immediately think:
“Great… now I just have to run ANOTHER 6.2 miles.”
So I did what everyone does: I went online looking for reassurance. Thankfully, the internet delivered. Yes, most people feel this way. No, I am not racing tomorrow. Yes, there are still months of training left. Relax. Trust the process.
Unfortunately, last night I made another mistake.
I made a fantastic homemade pizza and topped it with salami. Now, at my age, I know better than to eat spicy/salty food near bedtime. And yet…
I washed it down with not one, not two, but THREE Olipops. High fiber. Excellent decision-making.
From about 2:00 a.m. until 5:30 a.m., my subconscious decided to put on a festival of insecurities.
In one dream, it was like some Mad Men-era dinner scene where my wife and her ex-fiancé were discussing getting back together… while I sat there. She agreed and left me. Cool, cool, cool.
Then another dream had me in a bizarre job interview in a hotel room. One guy was sitting on the bed, two were in chairs, and my mother was there for some reason. I sat on the bed during the interview and afterward became convinced I bombed it because I should’ve chosen a chair. Meanwhile, my mother silently disapproved of everything.
So apparently, the Spicy Pizza-Olipop Dream Trilogy covered:
- abandonment
- inadequacy
- maternal judgment
Good stuff.
When I finally crawled out of bed this morning (after stopping myself from clutching my wife like a life raft), I noticed something surprising: my legs felt… good. Not “auditioning for Riverdance” good, but legitimately recovered. Like I could actually go run again if needed.
I foam rolled last night and again this morning before work, and I’m honestly thrilled with how well I bounced back from the long bike and run combo. That recovery gives me confidence.
Today is just a swim, and then easing back into the rest of the week reasonably recovered.
Nutrition: The Missing Piece
I also realized something important: my training nutrition this cycle has been very different from previous Ironman builds.
My diet is actually better overall, but my training nutrition has been terrible. I haven’t really been using gels, carb drinks, or recovery drinks consistently.
That obviously hurt me on Monday’s bike ride, but looking back, I also did basically nothing before, during, or after yesterday’s 9-miler. No gel beforehand. No recovery drink afterward. Nothing.
That’s dumb.
So I’m fixing it:
- gels ordered
- carb drink coming for the bike
- recovery powder on the way
I also took my bike to the local bike shop yesterday for:
- major tune-up
- new tires (slightly wider too)
- fresh grip tape
I’m adding a second bottle cage too. And yes, I’ll actually bring the bottles next time.
I’m also really liking my newer shoes: Hoka Mach X 3.
Most importantly, I’ve reframed the June 14 70.3. It’s a supported training day. That’s it. I don’t care about PRs. I don’t care about the finish time. I’m just practicing putting three sports together over a long day.
That mental shift feels healthy.
All good. Onward.
Relentless forward motion.
Today in How Not To Train…
Last week accidentally became a rest week after Friday. Honestly, it was needed. I was beat up, had some life stuff going on, and training just wasn’t going to happen the way I wanted. Even after two full days off, my legs still hurt. That should’ve been a clue.
Because next weekend is also going to be goofy schedule-wise, I decided to flip the week around and do my long bike today and long run tomorrow. Seemed smart enough.
The plan was to ride the Rockford 70.3 bike course. I drove up to Rockford and was rolling by about 8:15. Unfortunately, I was hurrying because I wanted to “still have a day left” afterward. That rushing led to a spectacular collection of unforced errors.
First mistake: I didn’t bring or take any pain meds even though I knew my back would start hurting in the first hour. Which it did. It eventually loosened up, but I spent half the ride standing up to stretch it out.
Second mistake: I accidentally left my phone in the car. Not a huge issue… until it potentially becomes a huge issue.
Third—and this one was genuinely stupid—I didn’t notice my water bottle came out in the car. I noticed about two miles in that I didn’t have it. I absolutely should have turned around. Even if it added time or mileage. Instead, I figured, “Eh, I can go a while without water. I’ll just stop at a mini mart somewhere.”
Which would’ve been a great plan if there had been a mini mart somewhere. The only “town” I rode through wasn’t even halfway, and I thought, “I’m sure there will be other chances to buy some water.” Nope. Not a one. It got so bad that I was looking for any farmer with a hose on the side of the house. Didn’t see any of those either.
Hurrying also meant I didn’t check the weather carefully. Which I should have because it was 85 degrees and sunny. So now my arms and knees are sunburned because I also forgot sunscreen. Great work all around.
By mile 50 of 56, I had to stop and sit in the shade by someone’s house for five minutes because I felt faint. Pretty sure I was flirting with heat exhaustion between the heat and the no-water strategy. This was also the point where not having my phone suddenly seemed like a much bigger mistake.
At mile 53, I had to walk one uphill block because I was absolutely cooked. Some of that was dehydration, but honestly, the bigger factor was the wind. The entire second half—about 28 miles—was straight into a headwind.
I should’ve known the first half was too easy.
In the front half I was actually wondering whether I should extend the ride beyond 56 miles to hit a total time of 3:30. The universe answered that question for me. The headwind took care of any “extra miles” thoughts immediately.
So did the heat.
And the lack of water.
And the elevation.
The course map claims 1,931 feet of climbing. My Garmin says 2,733 feet. One of them is lying, and I’m siding with Garmin. It felt like 10,000 feet by mile 50.
Also, I swear there was no downhill. Mile 54 might’ve had some. Maybe. I know I sound like some old man saying they rode to school uphill both ways, but that’s what it felt like!
And despite having turn-by-turn navigation on my Garmin, I still made a wrong turn. Thankfully, it didn’t add distance because part of the course is parallel to out-and-back roads, but naturally, I’m convinced the route I missed had all the downhill sections. You can see on the Garmin file where I should’ve kept going straight instead of turning onto 70
Final numbers:
- 56.69 miles
- 3:34 ride time
- 2,733 feet of climbing
- 16.5 average speed
When I finally got back to the car, I chugged water and drove straight to a mini mart where I purchased:
- one gigantic water
- one gigantic soda
- one bag of chips for the salt
It took most of the drive home before I could even eat the sandwich I had packed.
Initially, sitting in the car, I was discouraged. The whole ride felt like a disaster. And honestly? It was kind of a disaster.
But I stopped the negative spiral pretty quickly and reframed it as a learning ride. Because it was.
Lessons learned:
- Water matters. (Groundbreaking…smh.)…My Garmin estimates I lost 2910ml of water. For someone 205 lbs, that’s 3.1% of my body weight lost and puts me in moderate dehydration. So, MORE WATER!
- I need a second bottle cage before race day.
- Sunscreen exists for a reason.
- Feeding still needs work.
- Bananas mid-ride don’t sit well for me.
- Honey packets are magical.
I also recalibrated my goals for the 70.3. This is really just a training race. I’m probably not PR’ing compared to my last 70.3, which was 12 years ago. And that’s okay. The race is basically a supported long training day.
Honestly, I’d like to ride the course again before race day if I can. I like reconning courses, and Chicago doesn’t exactly prepare you for rolling hills and endless false flats.
Once home, I took a long shower, kept sipping water, sat on the couch reading, and had a nice family dinner.
Tomorrow I’ll attempt the long run, though I may scale it back to the actual planned 7.5 miles instead of the How Not To Train version of 9.5.
We’ll see.
But I will bring sunscreen.
And water.