Road (back) to the Queen K

Ironman Florida and new website

2010-11-09T18:19:00.003-06:00

WOW!! Just returned from Florida and wanted to update you on the race and a few other things. I went 8:59, which was at my target, finished 2nd in the AG and 22nd overall. Most importantly qualified for Kona again!!! I'll give a better account of how the day unfolded very soon. I also have started my own website. Its www.scottiott.com and that's where you can now find all the boring things that go on in my not so important life. It's not finished yet, but you can check out a beta version now. Adios!

SJI

Almost go time!

2010-11-02T14:15:00.003-05:00

Well we all leave for Panama City tomorrow to race at Ironman Florida, needless to say the past two days have been hectic!!! We are ready though, ready for the first family airplane trip, ready for the lines and waiting!! I just finished an interview with the boys at IMTalk podcast, which should be up by next week, I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I've begun to build a new website. It is very basic now but will soon be pretty cool! Go visit www.scottiott.com to see the work in progress! Hope all is well and now it's time to be off for Florida!!

Give yourself a chance

2010-10-03T06:11:00.000-05:00

When things don’t go as planned in your daily routine, don’t give up on your training. Most age group athletes do a great job of balancing other responsibilities with their training and often times don’t have the luxury of moving a key workout due to conflicts. The weather may be forecast to be bad, your child may be sick, or things didn’t go as planned the night before. Whatever the reason, don’t give up on your workout. If your motivation is lacking or you’ve had a tough day at work, give yourself a chance; get out the door and get moving. You will never realize how far you can push yourself until you try. So, the next time you’ve got an excuse to skip a daily session, give yourself a chance, who knows you may be surprised what your body has in store for you!! Happy training!

SJI

Race Day Tips

2010-09-14T05:16:00.001-05:00

The second installment in two part series that looks at the week leading up to your A priority race will focus on tips for a successful race day. This article will not discuss the training aspects rather than the execution of your training beginning 24 hours prior and leading through your race!

#1. Use your hotel floor to lay out all gear. Once you have your transition bags, lay the things that will fit into those bags on the floor, then using a checklist make sure that you have everything in its right place. This also means get you race morning breakfast ready, so when you wake, you are able to eat immediately.

#2. Stay off your feet. After you’ve checked your bike and gear bags in, take a walk through the transition area, then get back to your place and get off your feet. A big mistake you can make is to be wandering around the expo with hundreds of nervous athletes the day before your race. Watch an afternoon movie on the couch and get away from the nervous energy in town.

#3. Before going to sleep, review your race plan. Read your race plan out loud to someone, then mentally rehearse the day. Visualize each transition, especially the steps you will take. Then, put the plan away, go to sleep, or stare at the ceiling!!!

#4. Respond positively to negative situations that may occur during the race. Any Ironman race will have times that you will be feeling really, really good and really, really bad. It is how you respond to the bad times that will determine the success of your race. If you can head into your race with the understanding that things WILL go wrong at some point, and have a plan on how to deal with those situations, your race outcome will be much more successful. You should constantly be assessing how you feel, your pace/power, your environment, your surroundings. For example if your stomach is feeling a bit full, cut back on the calories. If you feel like your pacing is out of control, slow down. When you start to feel better, get back to your race plan. Remember, EVERYONE has moments in Ironman racing went they feel terrible, react positively, and you can turn the race around.

#5. Stick to your Nutrition plan. Develop a detailed nutrition plan during your race week and then be confident in it on race day. You have tested in it in your training; now execute it on race day. Do not feel the need to try something on race day that you’ve not tested in training.

When race day has arrived, there is nothing more physically that you can do to prepare yourself. You have done all the hard work and now all that is left is to execute your plan. Have confidence in the fact that you’ve prepared physically, have confidence in your race strategy, now go out execute your plan and let all the hard work pay off. Happy racing!!

Tips for race week

2010-08-17T14:50:00.001-05:00

This is the first installment of a two part series on hints and tips to use during race week and race day. We are towards the end of the racing season, and for most of us, their A race may just be a few weeks or months away. Much time and energy has gone into preparing physically for the race. This article will detail some key points an age group athlete can use to the week leading up to their A race of the season.

#1 Maintain race specific intensity in training. You are in full taper mode after giving the last 12-16 weeks of the best effort you have, now your volume has been greatly reduced. You will still need to maintain intensity, don’t make the mistake of making each workout easy. Your body needs several shorter periods of race pace to keep it fresh.

#2 Resist the urge to smash yourself. A sign of a good taper is that 3-5 days out of your key race you are itching to get out and get to business. Fight the temptation to do so, and remain focused on your race goals. Insert some short raced paced efforts to your taper workouts to calm the feeling to need to hammer for hours.

# 3 Keep a steady eye on your diet. In taper time, your training volume will be reduced. As a result, you will not be burning calories at the rate you did during heavy training. Your body will not need the extra energy, so make sure that you don’t over eat. It is natural to gain a few pounds in the last week of a taper, but don’t allow yourself to keep your hand in the cookie jar!!!

#4 There is no need to carbo-load. This tip goes along with #3, but I think it has enough significance to be on its own. Since you are not burning as many calories, your body does not need any extra energy. Remain to eat normal, and since your training level is lower, the body will top itself off naturally. Go ahead and eat well balanced meals, including carbohydrates in your pre-race dinner. But, refrain from eating pasta the entire week!!

#5 Get off your feet as much as you can. Try to stay off your feet as much as possible during your race week. This means when you register at the race site, don’t spend all day walking around the expo. Be mindful of your rest throughout the week. Get as much sleep as possible in the days leading up to your race to insure that you are 100% rested and ready to toe the line on race morning.

#6 Have a plan. You have done the work, now develop your plan. Have a plan for the days leading into the race, and then have your race plan. A detailed race plan will help you mentally prepare for any situation you may face in the race, but most importantly use it as a guide to assist you in your race pacing. I’ve written an article on race plans; you can find it here, http://scottjoe.blogspot.com/2010/04/planning-to-race.html

Enjoy your race week, enjoy the fact that you have worked so hard and your race is in sight. Use these tips to help put the finishing touches on your preparations. All for now, happy training, and good luck racing.

SJI

Rainy morning

2010-07-24T06:19:00.002-05:00

Woke up to thunderstorms all over the place and can't find any "breaks" in the weather this morning, so instead of the planned run, I'm catching up on somethings. I feel pretty strong now a week after racing in Racine. This was probably the fastest I have recovered from a long course race as I felt pretty "normal" after about three days of light sessions. Now the focus shifts to Ironman Louisville. The prep will target race specific intensity, so for now, the best power intervals will have to wait!!! Headed up to Wisconsin this afternoon to do some training, playing, and hanging. All for now.

SJI

Racine 70.3

2010-07-19T06:11:00.002-05:00

I made it up to Racine, WI this weekend for Ironman Racine 70.3 for the first race in a few months. I was definitely shaking off some of the rust!! I did not have any time or goal expectations since really have had little race intensity in my training, but I did enjoy the event. From a preparedness point of view, I was ready, but not fine-tuned. I finished in 4:32, 5th in AG, 33rd overall. It's about 15 minutes off the PR, but given the circumstances, I'm happy. I finally got to ride the new machine, however, it was only the second time on it with the first being a 30 minute ride the day before!!! It was hot out there on the run course as well. Overall, I'm pleased with how things went, and as I type this my body feels pretty solid this morning, so I'm eager to get back to preparations for Louisville!! All for now.

SJI

Thinking about thinking

2010-06-28T13:10:00.002-05:00

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
- George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

I came across this quote as I was doing some research on run training and it got me thinking about thinking. Endurance athletes are faced with many lonely hours on the bike, on the road or in the pool, and many times it’s hard to keep focused each second of every training session. I began to look at some of my long sessions, whether it be on the bike or during the run. Often times during a long run, I will find myself drifting off mentally, thinking about things that have happened in the past or random things that I have to do in the future. I am quite guilty of running mindlessly at times, almost becoming robotic. When I begin to lose focus during training, I find my mind playing tricks on me and I think that the quote above really does hold truth. As your mind wonders during your training sessions and you lose focus on the task at hand, it becomes easier to be reminded of how tired you are. When you focus your thoughts on your training, such as your running cadence or having a forward lean and good form, you don’t allow your mind to tell the body it is tired. When you get miles into a long training session, keep your focus, let the body run things and don’t let the voices in your force you to slow down. All for now, stay focused!!

SJI

Ending the first week

2010-06-20T05:58:00.002-05:00

Well, the first week back off injury is coming to a close. I really had no expectations coming into the week and was a bit unsure on how the body would react. Monday through Thursday was pretty tough. Legs felt like bricks, turnover was very slow, and had a tough time getting through 4 hours on the bike. But Friday came and things started to feel a bit better. It was the first time I felt like I was actually training again, not just getting out of the house to move!! Long way to go to get back on my goals, but I feel like I'm headed in the right direction. Happy Father's Day to all!!

SJI

Back on the wagon

2010-06-16T11:58:00.002-05:00

After six weeks of little to no formal training, I've begun to get back to a training routine. Two runs and two bikes down, many more to go. Ideally, I'm going to try the pool tomorrow (crossing fingers!) My shoulder feels well, soreness is little and muscular. Doc said that the bone was healing well, and should be 100% by next week.

I think we are going to try some new things in training that I'm excited about. However, my once ambitious racing schedule has been cut in half. There's always next season to get back to those that I missed. Hope all is well.

SJI

Getting healthy(er)

2010-06-06T12:26:00.007-05:00

Been awhile since I've posted here, but have been busy trying to focus on things outside of my own training. I've been unable to train for 5 weeks now. Tomorrow I'll go back to the doctor to see how the collarbone is healing. I'm hoping to get the green light for some easy jogging and some road riding. It is feeling better, but every now and again I'll turn the wrong way and get some pain, but I think I'm getting physically better. Mentally I'm ready to tear it up out there, but I'm being patient.

I wanted to share something with you below. It's a video of some of the analysis software I use with my clients. This video discusses my progress and demise since the beginning of the year based on the tools I use as an athelete. I strongly recommend anyone who is serious about triathlon to consider using a power meter and GPS watch during their training. I hope this video gives an endorsement for those products!! I wish I could take credit for finding this particular tool, but I borrowed the idea from a good friend of mine, even though he's a cornhusker, out in SD!! I'd appreciate any feedback, both good and bad about this tool, even if it seems like a foreign language to you!! Thanks.

Dealing with injury

2010-05-15T08:46:00.001-05:00

If you’re an athlete, chances are at some point in time you have suffered an injury or illness that has forced you to take some time away from your normal training routine. More specifically, if you are a bike rider chances are that you have crashed or know someone who is crashed. This brief article will describe a few ways to deal with your injury and ways to manage your time away from your sport.

1. Become a realist: Yes, it happened you’re hurt and you will miss some time while you heal. There is nothing that you can do to prevent that. As soon as you recognize that fact, you can begin the process of healing. Much like acceptance is a step in the grieving process, be truthful to yourself and the healing process.

2. Have a plan: Now that you have been diagnosed and can understand your injury, make a plan on how you will recover from it. This may include reorganizing your race schedule. Don’t try to race too soon following major injury as that will set you up for disaster. Talk with your coach, doctor, or support team and decide how you will work your way back into training. This may include starting back slowly by simply walking, but also should consider rehabilitation activities such as physical or massage therapy.

3. While injured, find another “thing” to focus on: Triathletes tend to be type A personalities, and spending time away from their sport can be very difficult. Since an injured athlete is not spending time training, they will find themselves with “extra” time on their hands. Find something to do with your time. Get those home improvement projects started, cook breakfast each morning, volunteer your time at a local race!! Don’t drive yourself crazy moping around the house all day with no purpose.

Dealing with injuries is not a fun thing to do, but they are a part of being an athlete. Should you be unfortunate and become injured, take into consideration the preceding three tips to help you recover from your injury and get back to your training routine with a healed body and a healed mind.

SJI

Sidelined

2010-05-07T17:51:00.001-05:00

Well the unfortunate happened to me, one of those things you read or hear about and think, “Man, I feel sorry about him, but I’m sure glad it wasn’t me.” I got into a solo bike crash last weekend on Sunday morning during my long ride. It was a bit wet, I may have let my focus down a bit, but either way I laid it down going into a turn. I was coming down a hill relatively fast, then a sweeping left hand turn to go back up another hill. Needless to say, I didn’t make it up the second hill. I landed pretty hard on my left side and now know that my left shoulder bore the brunt of the impact. I rode the 20 minutes back home one handed then immediately left for the ER (thanks, Don). ER X-ray was no fracture, but followed up with an orthopedic later. His diagnosis was that I had a crack on the clavicle, but it can’t be seen on a normal x-ray. So, now it’s pretty painful, and I’m not quite sure how long I’ll be disabled. I’ve not been able to do any sort of training this week and the outlook does not look good for the weeks ahead. I’m trying to look at this in a positive light, but to be honest, after 5 days of nothing, I’m now getting pretty disappointed about not being able to go tear the roads up. Maybe pool running or easy trainer rides next week, but I think that’s 50/50 at this state. Be careful out there, especially on damp roads. All for now.

SJI

Planning to race

2010-04-23T18:34:00.002-05:00

This is a brief article I wrote for the Training Bible newsletter for May. It is something that I believe is a key to any successful race and a requirement for any athlete of any level!

A race plan is a written document that describes in detail all things you are going to do on your race day. You have invested time, money, and lots of effort to ensure that your body and mind are ready for race day, now take the time to write your execution plan. More than just a simple checklist, the race plan is a key ingredient of any successful race. Think of the race plan as a road map for your race that guides you throughout your day. There are several key components to a race plan, and typically the longer your race is, the more detail is needed. So, grab your pen or pencil and begin to write. Yes, write it down because if it’s on paper, you will be more likely to follow it.

1.Write down the WHENs? When will you wake-up, arrive to race site, and warm-up

2.Write down the WHATs? What will you eat for breakfast, what will you wear to race in, what will be in your transition/special needs bags, what will you do if things go wrong, i.e. flat tire, bonk

3.Write down the WHEREs? Where is the packet pickup, where is the bike check-in, where do I leave my gear bags race morning, where will I eat during race week, etc.

4.Pacing – Know your target HR, watts, or pace for each split and stick to them!! Break down your race into parts, and then decide what your watts/pace/HR will be for each part.

5.Race nutrition – What will your nutrition plan be? Be specific, breaking down your intake by the hour.

There you have it, five keys to solid race plan. Write it down, stick to it, and you’ll have a successful race day. In addition to a race plan, it might help you to create a checklist or a “to do” list before arriving to your race site. This may include packing lists, daily schedules or places you need to be prior to starting the race. With proper planning and attention to detail, you can make your race experience run smoothly. Happy training!

SJI

SuperFrog

2010-04-16T05:38:00.002-05:00

Been back a for about a week from San Diego and wanted to give a quick and brief report on the weekend. I raced in a half ironman call SuperFrog, which starts a mere stone's throw away from the Navy SEALs training center. True to it's reputation, the race was difficult. Beginning with a beach start, through some tough surf and finishing with a run on a combination of soft sand, compact sand, and gravel, this race was not one to peg for a PR.
I was put into the Elite wave with 6 other athletes, of which four I knew were "I do this for a living" professionals. The swim start went much better than anticipated (Thanks to Jim and a confidence building practice session the day before), the bike was flat and fast, and the run was yet again a sufferfest mentally and physically. I finished at 4:27, about 10 minutes off my personal best, on a course that was slow. In the elite wave I was 7th out of 7, but 5 minutes better than anyone in AG 30-39, and 7th overall. I guess it's better to finish last of the best, than first of the others, right??!!
Stil taking a few days to recover, running through the beach was difficult and as a result have some sore calfs. My bike is in transit, I hope, so I'm going to ride an old mountain bike tomorrow morning. That might be fun. Big, huge, thanks to Jim and Orlanda, great hosts, friends, and supporters. Maybe we can come back again, I think Rocky's is calling my name!! All for now.

SJI

RIP Treadmil

2010-04-03T13:49:00.005-05:00

Three years ago, we bought a PaceMaster Treadmill from a local home fitness store. At the time, PaceMaster was a very reliable brand that stood by their product. It was not a cheap treadmill, but not top tier. Anyway, yesterday it finally gave in!! We had a treadmill technician come out to look at the unit, and turns out the deck was broken, the drive motor needs to be replaced, and the belt is worn so bad, it also will need to be fixed. Luckily, it's all covered under warranty, all $800 of the parts!!! So, in three years we wore out a strong treadmill, but since we bought a good model, the warranty will hook us up! Moral of the story......when making an investment in something you will use ALOT, find a reputable company that stands by their product!

We have had some nice early spring weather 'round here and have even been able to get out on the bike several times. I'm going to need it as next weekend I'll travel to San Diego to race SuperFrog and stay with Jim. I'm looking forward to it, but wish my biggest fan could accompany me. Oh well, someday! Got a few things working realated to coaching and some new things coming soon! Stay posted. All for now.

SJI

Snow marks the end of winter!

2010-03-22T12:27:00.002-05:00

With the change in weather patterns across the Midwest, I’ve seen many cyclists head out on the open roads. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to remind you on a few basic guidelines or rules you might want to keep in mind when getting back outside after a long winter hibernation. First, don’t make the mistake of thinking you will be getting right back into the swing of things and are going to be able to hit the same speeds or watts as you did at your peak fitness levels last summer. Most likely, you have done some riding indoors, however, don’t expect to quickly return to that form. Fitness comes with time, and before long you will be back to your old fit, lean self. Secondly, be more aware of your surroundings. A winter spent riding indoors will decrease your awareness of your surrounds, so be extra careful when approaching intersections, descending hills, or riding in a group. Lastly, make sure your equipment is ready to be out on the roads. This is probably the most important thing to remember since faulty equipment can lead to serious injury. Inspect the frame and fork for cracks. Make sure your brakes are working. Have your saddle bag ready and full of working repair parts. Double checking to make sure that spare tire you’ve had in your repair kit all winter doesn’t have a hole in it could save you precious time and stress if you do have a flat on the road. Trust me, changing a flat tire with numb hands is hard enough. I hope to see you out there, riding up the road, and remember be prepared!!! All for now.

SJI

Races here we come

2010-03-15T18:57:00.001-05:00

This post will be a mix on some training thoughts, politics, and finally a race schedule!! I’m sure many of you watch “Celebrity Apprentice.” One of the characters on that show is Rod Blowhardovich, the former governor of Illinois. I find it hard to watch that show since Blowhard is responsible for the fiscal crisis that lies in this state. The man goes on trial soon, and if there is any justice in the world, he will be locked up for a long time. Anyway to current events, our neighborhood school district is owed $12.5 million from the state, but is still required to educate our students to the highest level possible or face sanctions from the feds (thanks NCLB). Funding for education at the state level in Illinois is perhaps the most ass backwards operation in the world. So, demand that education be funded fully in your state, and stop the legislators from raiding general school and pension funds!! Off my soap box now……

4/11 SuperFrog Half
5/1 Peanut Butter Duathlon
6/6 Kansas 70.3
6/13 Batavia Triathlon
6/27 Big Foot Triathlon
7/19 Racine 70.3
8/29 Ironman Louisville
9/11 Lake Geneva Half Iron
11/6 Ironman Florida

This year, I have the opportunity to race during the month of April, which for a Midwesterner is quite early. I normally don’t begin to race long course until early June, racing SuperFrog Half Ironman in April will be a shock to the system. It brings me to some thoughts I had today when running. As an early race, I have no real idea of how my body will react to getting back to racing. So, as a result, we have been doing some specific training beginning a few weeks ago. While usually, I’d be knee deep in some serious base training, we’ve added some specific raced paced intervals to my long rides. I’ve been doing some 20-30 minute intervals around 280 watts, which I think is about the target wattage I’d like to ride at SuperFrog. All of you out there preparing for an early season race may benefit from doing some specific race intensity training. It could be adding some short, hard efforts during your long run or doing some 100’s in the pool at threshold. To prepare your body for racing, you must do some race specific intensities to “tune up” before heading to the start line. Happy training!!

SJI

Question

2010-03-01T18:32:00.000-06:00

“Scott, I’ve noticed my heart rate has been lower when I run now. I’ve reduced my caffeine intake, could this be the cause?”

This is a question I received from one of my athletes last week, and he was not the first and probably won’t be the last to ask it. I gave him an answer, which I think he was pretty happy with and will be described in this post.

Heart rate is an input metric that measures the internal changes in your body as a response to stress or in our case training. So, when you run, your body needs to send blood to the working muscles in the body at a much faster rate compared to when you’re sitting on the couch watching American Idol, and as a result your heart must beat faster. Thus, an increased heart rate when you exercise. Easy right? However, there are many external or environmental factors that have an effect your heart rate. Sleep patterns, diet, weather, and caffeine consumption play a role in heart rate. It is for this reason that training with heart rate alone is not the most accurate marker of effort. For example, an athlete has an early morning training run scheduled, but is unable to get ample sleep and wakes up rather groggy. As a result, he drinks two cups of coffee before heading out to run in the hot, humid summer morning air. He notices throughout his run that his heart rate is high but he is not running any faster than usual. Now, this example may be extreme, but it illustrates the many factors that can affect heart rate.

On the other hand, let’s go back to the original question. My athlete was running at the same pace, but noticing that his heart rate was lower. This can also be a good sign of adaptation. When this athlete is able to run faster at a lower heart rate, we call that efficiency. Now my athlete’s body is becoming more efficient, i.e. he is stressing his body less at the same running pace. Think of him as going from a gas guzzling SUV to a planet friendly hybrid.

Although, training with heart rate has its benefits, there are other tools an athlete can use to get the most out of their training. A GPS device that gives real-time pace is a great piece of technology athletes can use to maximize their training. So, now when you notice your heart rate lower, you can associate it with a pace and over time your coach can monitor how your efficiency improves. All for now.

SJI

Performance markers

2010-02-22T20:20:00.001-06:00

How does an athlete measure fitness levels throughout the season? That’s kind of a loaded question. There are various tools that one can use to monitor their progress over the course of a season. You have heard me discuss the great impact that a power meter or GPS watch have on training, but I’m going to put those on the back burner for now, and talk about field testing.

Most of my athletes will do several rounds of field tests throughout the season. A field test is a workout done at near threshold pace in each of the three disciplines. Ideally, the field test will take place on the same course, under similar conditions, and will be repeated throughout training, and is specific to the distance the athlete is training for. For example, a bike field test would be to warm up then ride for 30 minutes at near maximal effort. Then we take the data from the most recent test and compare it to prior tests. Again, the use of a power meter or GPS watch will make this process much easier, but these tests are still valuable in the absence of this technology. Recently, I had an athlete improve their on their run test by 20 seconds per mile!!!

I believe that field testing gives the coach and athlete markers to use throughout the season. As a coach, if I can show the athlete improvements in their fitness, motivation to train becomes much easier. All for now.

SJI

Aerobic Threshold

2010-02-09T19:10:00.000-06:00

In my last post, I discussed that most athletes this time of the year are deep into their base training period. This is a time of the season that will play a major factor when you get further into the season and begin to lay down some speedwork. So, what kind of workouts should you be doing in the base period?? For the record, I’ll be focusing these workouts for a long course athlete (half ironman and further). We can discuss short course at a later time.

The key workout in the base period is the Aerobic Threshold (AeT) ride. This workout is done in zone 2 (both HR and power), and it’s commonly mistaken as an “easy ride.” Yes, the intensity is a bit lower, but this training ride should not be easy, unless you plan on racing in the “very easy” category. After a typical warm up, ride steady for 2-3 hours at zone 2 HR or wattage, building up to the edge of that zone. Now the challenge for athletes north of the Mason/Dixon line is that typically the AeT ride will have to be done indoors due to inclement weather. This means you will be spending lots of time in your basement, garage, den, or even family room on your trainer. The trainer presents a problem for many athletes, whether they are scared, bored, unmotivated to ride it. I present a simple solution to those who struggle with maintaining a weekly long ride throughout the winter.

First, decide what type of athlete you want to be……Front of pack, Middle of pack, Back of pack. If you choose a FOP or MOP athlete then spending a significant amount of time on the bike trainer is a must. Unfortunately, not all of us live in California or Florida. Once you find your motivating force, the decision to become one with your trainer is easy. Soon enough you will find that not only are you getting the physical benefit of riding for hours indoors, but you will see how mentally tough you can be, and come race season the 56 or 112 mile bike leg of your race will fly right by!! So next time you want to wait until April to get in your base rides think of this…..there will always be someone, somewhere doing the kinds of training you might be hesitant to do, and if you don’t respond, come race time, you’ll get beat to the line. All for now.

SJI

Good morning!!

2010-01-23T09:47:00.004-06:00

Well not quite morning here, but it is somewhere! I often am asked questions about training this time of the year. For most of the nation, it's cold, windy, dark, and bleak. But that does not mean your training has to suffer. Most of you are through your "off season" and have taken time away from your sport, rejuvenated yourself, and are ready to begin training for the new season. Great, but where to start?

January marks the beginning of the base period for most athletes. This is a time to develop your aerobic engine. Lets use the analogy of building a house. To begin building a house, one must first pour the foundation. The foundation is what the rest of the house is built upon, and without a strong foundation, the house would immediatly fail. Once a strong foundation is established, only then can the details of the house can be worked on. Now, think of this time of the year to use to lay down your foundation. The intensity of your workouts should be rather low. Focus on maximizing your time doing aerobic exercise. So, if you train with a heart rate monitor, do your work in zone 2, which is approximately 70-80% of your LTHR. If you use power to monitor your effort, ride at 60-75% of FTP. If you train by feel, "conversational pace" is how your could describe your efforts. In other words, you would be able to have a conversation with a partner when training. Avoid the temptation of pushing yourself too hard, we'll save that for later in the year. When an appropriate foundation of fitness is built, you will then be able to put in those details, the intensity as your training year progresses. Good luck!! I'm almost finished with the race schedule, and will post soon!! All for now.

SJI

I'll be back soon!

2010-01-18T19:24:00.002-06:00

Not starting off great with my 2010 resolutions (which is why you shouldn't have to set new years resolutions) to be a better, more consistent writer on this blog. But I assure you that I'll get better. Seems like all I can talk about now is cold, snow, ice, darkness, boring basement, etc. Working on race schedule, so for now we'll end it here. Happy late 2010!

Off-season thoughts

2009-12-04T04:48:00.002-06:00

I find myself become more of a student of the sport then a participant of the sport, specifically during the late fall times. Many athletes take a complete break from triathlon during their off-season, and while I stray from structured training, I find myself unable to completely disconnect with the triathlon world. I'm always reading, researching, and thinking about what lies ahead, never becoming satisfied with what I've accomplished in the past. I think to become a better athlete, one must always look to improve. High performing athletes such as Tiger Woods (okay not a great "character" example, but good athletic example) have always said their goals are to become better each year. Tiger has undergone I think three different swing changes throughout his career, and these changes, for the most part, occurred during times when he was dominating the golf world. I enjoyed some great success this season, reaching some pretty high goals that I had set way back in late 2008, but while it was nice to experience those, I spent a significant amount of time looking for ways to be faster next season. That includes working on my swim form, which I'll overhaul this winter, and strengthening my running, particularly running economy.

For triathletes, I believe it is necessary to take a physical break from the daily training routine. Back in mid-October, post Kona, I was reading a blog post from Joe Friel that said he recommended athletes take 2-6 weeks after their last A priority race of the season as "unstructured" training time, for rest and rejuvenation. For the first time in my short triathlon career, I took the full 6 weeks of an "off-season." I was not confined to the couch, I ran a few times, took advantage of some mild late fall weather, but if I did not feel like exercising, I didn't. Now, after 6 weeks of rest and rejuvenation, I'm both physically and mentally recharged, and ready to work on my goals for 2010.

However, during my 6 week stay on the voluntary unable to train list, I used the "extra" time I had to start developing my interests in coaching. I'll be giving a FREE talk at Dick Pond Athletics in Carpentersville on Dec. 9th at 7 p.m. The topic will be how to improve your running, all abilities will be welcome both runners and triathletes alike! So, if you're in the area, come by and join us. I think the race schedule will be finalized next week!! Also, some cool stuff happening down the line. Later!

SJI

Waiting, waiting, waiting

2009-11-18T18:52:00.000-06:00

It's a tough time of the year to be writing a blog that has a main focus on training since I have not been doing much of it!! One more week in the off season, before we ease into some light training starting on Monday. I'll be interested to see how the body reacts, since I've just done some easy running and riding, and absoultly no swimming. I've been doing some work on the coaching front. On December 9th, I'll be presenting at a local running store, Dick Pond Athletics in Carpendersville, about ways to improve your running, my first forte into public speaking. If your local, come out and see what it's all about.

I'm getting my 2010 race schedule put together then I'll run it by the team for final approval. It looks great, and I'm excited to build on my racing success from last season.

Transition Phase

2009-11-10T18:27:00.004-06:00

It's been awhile since I was last writing here, sorry about that. The last four weeks have been very restful, little to no "training," and very nice! I have not really had the desire to jump right back into any serious training, but I am wanting to start moving again before I become a complete round mound of rebound, a.k.a. Charles Barkley. Physically, I'm recovered from Hawaii for sure, but mentally not quite there. I guess I'll know I'm ready when I'm jumping out of bed at 4:30 to get on the trainer in the basement.

The biggest news has been that two of my athletes raced last weekend and completely rocked the house. Megan ran in the Indianapolis Marathon setting a new PR of 3:49. It was great to get to see her do so well. I think she has gotten hooked on running since taking it a bit more serious this season. My other athlete, TC, finished Silverman in Vegas. For those of you not in the know, Silverman is argueably the toughest iron-distance race around. TC finished much faster than our goals, and I am also proud of how hard he worked to achieve them. Now, for the both of you, it's time to relax and rejuvinate, and get ready for next year!!

Lastly, I managed to organize my thoughts and put pen to paper and write a brief article for the website XTRI. It's my first "published" article, not very long or detailed, but it's a start. Here's the link http://www.xtri.com/coaches_display.aspx?riIDReport=6051&CAT=49&xref=xx
Going to have to do something about that picture!!! Enjoy. I also have a few things cooking on the coaching front and some more announcements about racing next season, more later. All for now.

SJI

Race Report, The Big One!

2009-10-15T19:26:00.015-05:00

The day begins at 3:30 am with some much needed coffee and a good breakfast. An hour later and we're on the way down Ali'i drive. Jim and I get down to body marking and hook up with Adam. A quick check of the bike and transition bags and we are off to the "beach."

Here is a picture of the start a few days after the race. There is really no beach, and you have to swim about 200 yards out to the start by the pier. Adam convinces me to get into the water and out to the start line shortly after the pro start at 6:45. We were treading water for about 15 minutes before the 7:00 start for the age group race. Those 15 minutes seemed like hours and I ended up starting about three rows deep behind Adam, probably too conservatively. The cannon goes off and like mad 1800 eager athletes take off. Immediately, I'm surrounded by swimmers and by the first bouy, it's a mad house. I look up and all I see is whitewater and lots of bodies. It does not really thin out until about 15 minutes into the swim, where I find a group and settle in. Unlike prior swims, this one is beautiful. The ocean floor below is within sight and while racing I'm also on a mini-snorkling trip admiring the sealife below. At the turn, I keep with my group, but start to get some cramping in my right calf, and had to swim with one leg for about 10 minutes. Never really subsiding, my cramp is managable and before I know it we are approaching the swim exit. I get out of the water, up the stairs to see the clock at 1:08. At first I thought the time represented the pro start, thus I swam it in 55 minutes. Quickly reality strikes, and Irealize that I just had my worst IM swim at 1:08. Not a good start to the day.

Just before I realized how terrible of a swim I had!

I was quick through transition and on the bike headed up Pulani to a quick right hand turn at the "hot corner." I see the family and begin a gentle but sustained climb up the road. The first 45 minutes on the bike were pretty tough. i was working out my calf, trying to stretch it out on the fast downhills. It was pretty hot, and I probably took in too much nutrition for the first hour. My stomach was not bothering me, but it was hard to find the rhythm. I was settled into my goal wattage of 255-265, but was well over that on any uphill climb. About mile 35 I started to feel really well, and was going by most of other athletes. When I got to the bottom of the climb up to Hawi, I was in stride really feeling the pace. The climb up to Hawi is gradual but long, 7+ miles. On the way up I got a front row seat to see the pro race unfold right in front of me.

Coming down from Hawi was the men's leader, Chris Leito followed by the rest of the field. I also saw Chrisse Wellington, the eventual women's winner, with a huge advantage over the second place winner. Once at Hawi, I grabbed my special needs bag, the second nutrition bottle and an instant ice pack. I heard that it was 100 degrees from about mile 30 to mile 100 on the bike. Coming down Hawi, I reached speeds of 40+ miles an hour and contrary to what I expected, the winds were not fierce. It was great to go downhill for 30 minutes but at times very scary. Back on the Queen K, we encountered a strong headwind for about an hour until we reached the airport at mile 104. This was the toughest part of the bike, as I struggled to keep pace and consistent watts. I found myself coasting a bit more stretching my back and getting pressure off my nether region. After the airport, it is basically all downhill, and I took advantage. Looking at my time, I figured that if I could average 21 miles and hour the last 45 minutes, I would come in around 5 hours. I flew back down Pulani to the transition in 5:01, 22.4 miles an hour average, with a normalized power of 244. I was so happy with the time, by far my best IM ride, and felt I was back in the thick of the age group race.

A very quick transition of 2:44, and I was out on the run........except I forgot my sunscreen and most importantly the latex glove I had trained with to keep ice in and attempt to cool the body via the hand. Finding Jim and friends just up Pulani, I knew he would not be happy with my rushing through transition. I would learn from Kelly and Megan post race that Jim was indeed very upset that I had not taken the glove with me.

The first 10 miles are out and back on the famed Ali'i Drive right past our rented house. I felt really good for the first mile and ended up running it in about 6:20, way too fast. Once on Ali'i, I quickly adjusted the pace to feel and was steady at 6:50 pace. About three miles into the run, I could feel my calf and quads begin to show signs of fatigue. Mild cramps were happening, so I decided to take on board as much liquid and gels as I could stand at the first aid station. Once the cramping was under control, I settled continued on my sub 7 mile pace. I saw Suzie, Kelly, and Megan about four miles into the run, and then again at mile seven. I can't tell you how awesome that was even if I could barely manage a simple wave. Inside I was so happy to see them, and immediately began to think how much they sacrificed to make the trip to join me. It was like an instant shot of energy as I sped past them. I got to the bottom of Pulani feeling okay, then the climb up........Pulani Drive is a short but very steep road out of town to the Queen K highway. I struggled up Pulani Drive running no faster than 10 minute miles, more like a shuffle. At the top of Pulani, we took a right hand turn to the Queen K ready for miles and miles of lava fields and intense heat. The rest of the run was similar to running on the moon, except only if the moon was on the sun. The dull lava rock landscape with little to no spectators makes each mile on the Queen K seem like eternity. I reached the half way of the marathon in just over 1:30, and began to do the math in my head. I knew I was slowing down, but wanted to manage the damage. Every aid station went like this.....four cold sponges down the back of the neck, as much water as I could down the front, sip of Gatorade, sips of water, ice in the hand, then more ice on the head. I can't begin to tell you how hot it was, there was a little relief running with the wind against me, but when the wind was at my back, I felt like my skin was going to burn off. Jim had been on a bike for most of the Queen K doing his very best to put the right thoughts into my head. Basically, I was hearing everything he had to say, but had no response, not because I did not want to, but I was so focused on what was in front of me.

Miles 13-18 are uphill to what I am convinced is literally hell on earth, the Natural Energy Lab. Entering the Natural Energy Lab at mile 18 was such a big deal. Here is where my race was either going to end or I was going to fight to the finish. It's down hill for about a mile, then flat for a mile, than back up hill for a mile. It was well over 100 degrees in the Lab, and you could see how the extreme heat was affecting the race. I got my special needs bags, another ice pack and was on my way back up the hill to leave the hottest place on earth I have ever been to. Why would anyone in their right mind want to run in a place like this, but I guess no one is in their right mind on this day!!!

Back to the Queen K with seven miles to go, I was reduced to counting to 100 over and over again and singing "When the saints go marching in," a favorite of my son, Logan. I had mental images that I consistently used to keep me moving forward. Kids, Tobi, Timmy, they all kept me in the race, even though they weren’t there. By this time, Jim was doing a great job of following me on the bike. "Lean forward, count to 100, take a risk" were all very familiar things I was hearing for the last seven miles. I won’t lie, there were times when I wish I was deaf. The problem was that I was already taking risks. The feet were on fire, and I was simply hanging on. My pace through the aid stations got down to 8:30's but I would get it back up to 7:15's back on the highway. I managed to catch a few more guys in my age group. The final climb up to Pulani was insane, then down Pulani was tough. Back through town, I just wanted the pain to end. I wish I could have enjoyed running down Ali'i Drive to the finish more, after all it’s the holy grail of triathlon, but at that point all I was thinking about was stopping running. Crossing the finish line was a huge relief. It was 26.2 mile of pure pain, by far the hardest mental and physical experience I have ever had. No way would I have made it without Jim giving me………………………well, we'll call it encouragement.

I finished in 9:29, a 10 minute IM personal best on a very, very tough day, 8th in my age group and 97th overall. I knew it was going to be hot, but this heat blew my mind. Went straight to the medical tent and received an IV for some serious cramps. Then met the team and they took me home. My mom and sisters hung in their all day, cheering in the heat, and never once complained. For that, I'm forever grateful, and so happy they got to experience this with me. I also knew that I had a fourth supporter with me the entire way looking down upon my journey, and I know how proud of me he’d be. I’m sure he asked himself why I did it too!!! I'll get back someday, this time with my wife, but for now I remain on cloud nine. Thanks for all your support, time to eat my third Whopper.

SJI

Last Day

2009-10-13T15:52:00.005-05:00

This is a picture of the Natural Energy Lab. Not going to miss this.

This is a picture of the beach, will miss this.

Today is the last day in Kona, and while I have enjoyed my stay, I am very much ready to come home. The Iott's left yesterday, and Jim left this morning, so I have been solo for much of the day. I have lots of pictures, and am intending to write my race report upon arrival on the mainland. Thanks again all, I'm going to try to do an ocean swim and light jog now before packing. See ya soon.

SJI

Pics

2009-10-12T19:23:00.003-05:00

Chrisse Wellington, women's first place and new course record holder.

Andres Releart, Me, Macca, Sam McGlone, all in top 10 pro field.

Post Race partying

2009-10-12T08:33:00.002-05:00

It's late for me, early for you. Finally letting go of some of the ironman worries. Was at a great party put on by K-Swiss. Most of the top 10 pros were there, and I got some good pics. To compare, think of it as if you saw Kobe, Tiger, A-Rod, Payton, or MJ in a bar. That was me, rubbing elbows with the worlds best in triathlon. Amazing, absolutely amazing. Time for bed.

SJI

The End

2009-10-11T02:37:00.003-05:00

Hands down the hardest physical thing I have ever done. Short story. 8th in age group, 98th overall. 9:29. Terrible swim (imagine that), great bike, and steady run. I hurt on every step of the run, had to get IV in the med tent after race. It was 100 degrees today for half of the bike, and over that on a few miles of the run. The heat is absoultely indescribable. I'll follow up later, right now going down to the finish line to see the midnight finishers and deciding on pizza or burgers for dinner!!! Thanks all, especially my cheering section 5000 miles away!!! More later.

SJI

Road ends here

2009-10-09T22:56:00.002-05:00

My journey is coming to the end. Tommorrow is the big day. Going to be one of the biggest physical challenges of my life, but have had many tougher mental hurdles!! I'm asking all from my body, and I hope it responds. I've truely enjoyed this experience and it will change me forever. I know I have a fantastic team on my side, and with them we will have a successful day. One more day of eating, sleeping, and living triathlon........................see you on the other side! This one's for you boys, the terrible two.

SJI

Here in Hawaii

2009-10-08T23:00:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all. Been in Kona for two days now. Very hot and humid. Picked the family up from the airport yesterday and we did some sightseeing today. Did a couple runs and a little biking. Trying to get acclimated or acclimitized to the weather!!! Being here at the super bowl of triathlons is amazing. Triathletes everywhere, basically an entire town devoted to triathlon for a week!!! Seen many nice bikes, dream bikes. Making dinner for the family now, salmon and veggies.......but on Saturday evening that changes to beer and burgers and pizza and candy!!! I just wish Tobi, Logan, and Kyle were with me, I miss them dearly, and think about them all the time.

I did take lots of pictures, but can't upload them yet, you will have to wait till we get to the "mainland". See ya soon, kiss 'em for me T.

SJI

A special gift

2009-10-02T14:21:00.004-05:00

So I'm about four days out from leaving chilly Illinois for Kona. I feel really good physically, and mentally I have all sorts of styff going on, typical for me during the weeks leading up to competition. I know that I will demand 100% from my body, and I'm confident that it is ready to perform, but still the conditions, heat, humidity, and wind, on Saturday will be a big challenge. Something have never experienced. But today, again, I was reminded how much support that I have behind me.

I was over at Don and Dori's house, and upon walking in, this was staring at me. My mother-in-law, an artist, bought this for me at her art gallery in Whitewater. The bike was a part of the "Wheelin' 'Round Whitewater" Auction, and made by Greg Earle. Then they added their "special touch" with motivational sayings on the wheels. It's absouletly awesome and inspiring, and will be a permenant fixture in the workout room. I only wish they all could join me in Kona! Maybe another time.

It took all of my "man-ness" not to shed some tears when they gave me this. After all, I was with my mother and sister in law, and I could not show my "weakness!" So, again, I am overwhelmed with the true, unconditional support from many people around me, and come Saturday, I'll use each one of these comments as fuel to my fire, especially, "I am with you all the way, my son, hovering just above you." Damn straight, Timmy.

SJI

Cross it off the list

2009-09-29T19:38:00.001-05:00

Bike is headed to Kona!! Glad to get that off my to do list! Many thanks to Adam!!

Meet the team

2009-09-26T04:05:00.006-05:00

With Kona around the corner, I thought I'd introduce you to the people who have supported me/put up with me on the long journey. One myth about the Ironman is that it is a solo event. This could not be further from the truth, as behind many successful Ironman athletes is a supportive and deep team. Here is an introduction to mine....

The IronWife
After a successful professional career as an elementary teacher and school administrator, IronWife gave all that glamor up for the duties of becoming a stay at home mom. With two IronKids under her watch, she has greatly sacrificed time, effort, and lots of patience cheering on the Ironman. While having both the locksmith and uhaul moving companies on speedial, IronWife has listened to countless stories of the Ironman's training successes and failures. Truely an unconditonal supporter, IronWife proudly will welcome the date of October 14th, when the Ironman returns back to reality. The Ironman thinks now thinks that because IronWife is so versed in Ironman training, she should try one of her own!!!

IronKid "L"
IronKid L has been on Team Iott for three years, and most recently has been seen running along the sidewalk yelling, "I wanna be an Ironman." (No kidding) IronKid L has been adjusting to life with a second IronKid as well as anxiously awaiting the Ironman's return from each day of long training. IronKid L usually is hiding in his favorite spot under the "fort" when the Ironman walks through the door beat from the heat, and ready to do some serious playing. Most recently, IronKid L has learned how to escape his bed and do some secret late night rendevous of his own in the toy room adjacent to his room. IronKid L has also been a willing, and unvolunteered participant in some of Ironman's training, most importantly the weekly summer trip in the jogging stroller or bike tow to 7-11 for IronWife's weekly candy fix!

IronKid "K"
While just 9 months old, IronKid K will be participating in his second Ironman race of his life in Kona. Even before he graced the earth, IronKid K was a happy supporter at IMWI 2008 as a passenger of IronWife. IronKid K has added another training hurdle for the IronFamily. Currently, IronKid K enjoys only three hours of sleep at a time, and likes to let the Ironman know how he feels about the new teeth that he is getting. With his trademark mowahwk, IronKid K always puts a smile on his face when the Ironman walks through the door. And even on his toughest days of training, the Ironman's mood is always fantastic after seeing the IronKid K smile. IronKid K eats almost as much as Ironman while training, and is always available for a good laugh!!

So folks there you have it. Behind every good Ironman is a well-rounded, sophisticated, intelligent, and supportive team. And although only three members are featured here, Team Iott extends well beyond to IronMom, IronSister K, and IronSister M. See you soon!!!

Congrats!

2009-09-15T05:13:00.000-05:00

Congratulations go out to John Kusek, an athlete of mine, who in his first Ironman attempt, finished in 14:50. I know how hard he has worked over the past year to accomplish this goal. Way to go John, you set a goal, and achieved it, congrats!

John is my first athlete to compete at the Iron distance. While watching the race and following John, I felt the same emotions yesterday as I did when I competed in Wisconsin. It truely is as rewarding to coach a successful athlete as it is to be one! Great job!

I also did some testing in a run for Kona, and had a pretty good workout. I'll run wearing a latex glove in Kona......

All for now

SJI

That will teach 'em!

2009-09-02T04:54:00.001-05:00

Mad at the doctor..........no worries steal one of their waiting room toys and get even.

Chicago Tri

2009-08-30T18:59:00.004-05:00

Raced Chicago Triathlon today. Big race 9000 people, 55 swim waves. I was in the 25th wave. Had a decent swim, 25 min, solid bike 60 min, and okay run 36:45. Did manage to win my age group M-30-34. Probably should have been racing in the elite wave. Couldn't get into it though. So for now, I'll take my sandbagging age group win!

EPIC!!!!!

2009-08-19T21:51:00.003-05:00

In the books today.....7 hour ride, 140 miles followed by an hour run, 8.8 miles getting to 6:20 pace. PM swim session 3200 yds. Time for bed, looking forward to sleeping in and taking the family out to breakfast in the morning!

SJI

PS...goods to T, while I was gallivanting around she kept the boys in check!

End of Summer

2009-08-17T14:37:00.002-05:00

First before I begin, I need some help. I need to know information about motorcycles, specifically about the buying process. No, I'm not in the market, but I do have some unanswered questions. See from my experience seeing motorcycles on the road from the view over my handle bars, it would appear that a motorcycle buyer is only interested in having the loudest machine known to man on the road. I picture this scenario.........Billy Joe enters motorcycle lot and encounters, Norm, the motorcycle salesman. Billy Joe emphatically states, "Norm, I'm not looking for comfort, aesthetics, or even smoothness of the ride. Forget chrome, leather, and a nice stereo. Give me the loudest thing on the block, I don't care what it looks like. That way, I can rev up the engine and cruise around town at 15 mph sounding like I'm in a F-16 fighter jet." Norm, responds, "Billy Joe, you're in luck. We just got these new models in. They are ugly as sin, your a$& will never forgive you for riding longer than 5 minutes, and you can trigger every car alarm within a 3 mile radius when you start her up." An excited Billy Joe says, "Well thanks Norm, I'll take it." And with that Billy Joe rides into the sunset oblivious to all other forms of transportation around him.

So please, someone tell me why does a two wheeled motorcycle have to sound like I'm sitting front row at a Jonas Brother's concert with half of the tweens from Jane B. Addams Middle School!!!!

My summer is coming to a close. I look back and see the progress that I have made. My cycling is much, much stronger. The run is coming along, and I am rededicated to improving my swim. Needless to say, my support crew, T, L, and K have been awsome all summer long putting up with my obsessions. Maybe I'll introduce you to them in the future. One more BIG DAY ahead, then I'll have to switch back to teaching mode next Tuesday!!! All for now.

SJI

Bangs Lake Triathlon

2009-08-10T14:30:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, I raced my first Olympic distance triathlon in a few years up in Wauconda. A bit of mixed feelings about the race, but I was happy with how I rode and ran. The swim was a bit of a disappointment. I finished in 4th place, but had the second fastest bike and run on the field. I gave up about four minutes to the leader out of the water, which in an Olympic race, is too much of a hole to get out of. On my drive home, I analyzed my performance, and when I got back to the house, I did some research on the computer. The guys that finished above me are short course guys, they can really fly, but when I compared my times in longer distance triathlons, it was not a contest. I always want to do my best in a race, but this time the faster athletes won. Time to work on that swim.....again!!!!

SJI

An open letter.......

2009-08-05T18:37:00.002-05:00

Dear country road car driver,

Hey, it's me, the cyclist you decided to decided to scare the !#$%&* out of this morning. I know you probably think you're doing me a favor when you lay on your horn as you speed past me, but to tell you the truth, it only puts me closer to spending the night unconscious in the ditch. Don't worry about me though, I am just glad you got to save three additional seconds on your way to work by refusing to use the other side of the road to pass me. Instead, you think that laying on the horn a fraction of a second before your '88 Chevelle buzzes my ear does the trick. After all the next car coming on was so close at about 2.5 miles away. So again, thanks for getting my heart rate higher, and next time don't bother using the entire wide road, just go ahead and finish your doughnut as you swing by me like Goose and Maverick.

Sincerely,

Your fellow road occupant

Hey.....I usually don't even work 6 hours a day!!

2009-07-28T14:07:00.003-05:00

Solid effort today. 5 hour ride, 106 miles, four 30 minute intervals at 280-290 watts. 1 hour transition run...6:30 pace. Nice!! Just got back from a little walk with Kyle. Throw in a burrito, guacamole, and a beer and it's almost a perfect day!

Up to Wisconsin

2009-07-26T06:49:00.002-05:00

We made it up to Whitewater, WI for a few days this week. I was able to do some good riding, and running, but amazingly no swimming even though we were on a lake! We were staying with Tobi's folks, www.grantviewstudio.com and we had a great time. Kids love going up to Nana Barb's and Grantpop's. We had some good Wisconsin brats with farm fresh veggies!! It was great.

The riding was the highlight of the week. I did a 6 hour ride through the rolling hills of Wisconsin farm country. This course I was riding was similar to the IMWI bike course, lots of rollers. I ended up hitting 120 miles, and got the kJ's to 5000!!!

The following morning, I went for my long run. Needless to say, it took about 30 minutes to feel sort of good on the run. Again, running through the rollers in the farmland. I got in 21.5 miles, with a solid 2 hours at 6:30-45 pace. Seems like I got stronger as the run progressed, not necessarily a whole lot faster, but felt stronger up the hills.

So, today, I'm doing my recovery stuff, jogger runs and maybe a easy swim. Build phase begins on Monday.......I think that means 12 weeks until Kona! All for now.

SJI

Week Recap 7/6

2009-07-13T15:22:00.002-05:00

I'm in the middle of a huge four week training block, so I thought I would simply recap how last week went. My ride volume is getting pretty solid, as well as the run. Getting to the pool has been a bit challenging, so if anything has not gone to plan, that would be it.

Monday: Easy 4 mile run used as warm up for my swim session. Swim was 2500 yards, swimming with closed fists, working on catch. Easy hour recovery spin on trainer.

Tuesday: 1 hour run with 30 minute tempo pace at 6 min per mile, and a 4500 yard pool session.

Wednesday: 5 hour ride, not a good one 4 hours at 214 NP, followed by a 30 minute run at 6:45 pace.

Thursday: 40 minute run with Logan in the jogger, then a 1.5 hour trainer ride.

Friday: 5 hour ride, 10 min at 332 watts, 2 x 20 minutes at 264, then 10 min at 280, 2.5 hours steady at 235. Did a 30 minute transition run, easy.

Saturday: Long run at 3:30 a.m.!!! 19 miles, then a 45 min recovery spin.

Sunday: 1 hour run at 7 min pace, and 1.5 hour trainer ride with some tough intervals.

It was a good week. 285 miles on the bike, and 55 miles on the run. Most of the workouts were solid, a few were sub par. We made it to Peoria to celebrate Tobi's grandfathers 90th birthday. Lots of good family time, and lots of great food!!! Time now to repeat again this week!! All for now.

SJI

Battling the Demons Inside Your Head

2009-07-07T06:52:00.002-05:00

In triathlon, so much is discussed about the importance of weekly volume, bike aerodynamics, or even daily nutrition. Ask any Type-A Ironman triathlete on the street, and in no time, they can tell you how many miles they rode last week or why their bike position saves them 5 seconds over the course of a 40 K time trial. Physically, these athletes have what it takes, but what I find that many athletes need to improve is their mental strength, and I even fall into that category. You can be physically prepared to race, you've done the 6 hour rides, 3 hour runs, and those fun 5000 yard swims, but if you are not prepared mentally when you toe the line, you are giving away a huge advantage. Hopefully, in a few weeks time, I'll be working with a sports psychologist on the mental aspect of racing. I'll keep you posted.

Another factor in becoming mentally strong is maintaining dicipline. I was reading the most recent Triathlete Magazine on a article about David Goggins. David Goggins is a Navy SEAL who became one of the most successful ultra-endurance athletes. Talk about mentally strong, he runs 20 + miles a day, works, then comes home to go back out running or riding. A quote from that article pretty much sums his outlook on maintaining discipline throughout his training. He says, "I wake up at 3 a.m., take a suck-it-up pill, and wash it down with a big can of hard." So next time your in bed, staring at the alarm clock, wondering if you'll get up and out the door.....think about David Goggins and take his medicine!!! All for now, off to watch one of the greatest things to see on TV, the Team Time Trial in the Tour de France!!!

SJI

A little golf, and lots of training

2009-07-02T13:08:00.003-05:00

Been gone awhile....and had a chance to play my one round of golf this year. We had a great time at our annual family golf outing, held in honor of my late father Tim, who was an avid golfer. Great time to see lots of family and friends. Funny, because I used to play tons of golf before I got a bit more serious with triathlon. Believe it or not, I once had a 6 handicap, and yes....made a hole in one about five years ago!! But just as in any sport, time away equals diminished skills. I had a great time playing, but was very dissapointed in how I hit the ball.

Grandma Sue and the boys.

I'm back into some serious training. I failed to let Jim, know that I was off of school, so I think I had a couple "lighter" than normal weeks. But now, since I have let him in on the info (I'm sure he was licking his chops while on the computer planning on driving me into the ground) we are in the middle of a 22 hour week. Kids aren't exactly cooperating, but we'll find the time. All for now.

SJI

Heat Wave

2009-06-24T10:35:00.002-05:00

Here comes summer in the midwest!!!! From weather.com......

HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB INTO THE MIDDLE 90S WEDNESDAY. HIGH HUMIDITY LEVELS COMBINED WITH THESE HOT TEMPERATURES WILL PRODUCE HEAT INDEX VALUES BETWEEN 100 AND 105 DEGREES. LIGHT WINDS AND POOR ATMOSPHERIC VENTILATION WILL MAKE THIS HEAT EPISODE EVEN MORE STIFLING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS... STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM... STAY OUT OF THE SUN... AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

My favorite part about that paragraph is "stay in an air-conditioning room," yeah right!!!We are getting some hot and humid weather this week. 90's yesterday, high 90's today, and I love it. Perfect weather to acclimate in...simulating what it will be in Kona in October. Now we need those winds to pick up.

Yesterday, I did an easy run at 2:30 p.m. and it was 93 degrees with some good humidity. Felt pretty well, but crashed at the end. If this weather holds, I'll need to take some water with me, no doubt. Today, heat index above 100......the ride will be tough!! But hey, I am getting a killer tan!!! All for now.

SJI

A new chapter

2009-06-19T06:28:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I got my Level I coaching certification from USAT. Since then, I have been working on becoming a coach with Training Bible. The fit just seemed natural, since I was already a Training Bible athlete under the umbrella of a fantastic coach, Jim Vance. Earlier in the year, I began training with Adam Zucco, and picked his brain (probably to the point of annoying the crap out of him!) about what triathlon coaching is all about. I applied to become a coach via the training bible and a few weeks later joined the team!! I am very excited about this opportunity to increase my learning about this sport that I love, and to help others the same way that so many people helped me. So, if you need some coaching help, shoot me an email at the cool, new email address, siott@trainingbible.com. I look forward to the challenges and experiences that this new opportunity has to offer!!!!

On the training front...I have put together some solid days since my mid-season break. The weather has been violent at times. We are getting some serious rain and thunderstorms, much like the weather that is playing havoc on the U.S. Open at Bethpage. Also, summer break is going very well. One thing I enjoy about being a teacher is the time off work during the summer. I love the extra time I have to spend with the kids, going to the park, playing in the sandbox, and enjoying the "dad time" with Kyle when he is up at 5 a.m.! And, kudos to my wife who is doing some interval work on the treadmill daily, up and down all those huge hills!! I don't know what she enjoys more the exercise or catching up on her celebrity gossip watching Holllywood Insider! All for now.

SJI

Shaking off the rust

2009-06-17T14:51:00.002-05:00

First real intensity in training in about two weeks.....hour long run with a 40 minute tempo section. Ran at 5:55 pace for 40 minutes. Man, I love running on "rested" legs!!!!

Batavia Triathlon and End of Transition

2009-06-14T18:53:00.004-05:00

I have not had too much to write about this week, since I have been in a transition period. Monday marks the second half of my season, undoubtedly the most important. The focus of the first half of the season was on short course racing. We will turn the tides and focus on Ironman distance now until the big show in Kona in October.

I can truly say that I have enjoyed myself this past week. It was the first week off of school, so I treated myself to some good food, and indulging in my wife's amazing baking skills, which included cookies, cakes, and many muffins! Played with the kids a whole lot, and slept in about everyday!! It was a small break from my daily routine of training, but very, very well worth it. I am now recharged and ready to put forth the effort necessary to be successful in October.

To end the week, I entered a local sprint race in Batavia, 400 meter swim, 14.7 mile bike, and 4.1 mile swim. The race is a time trial start with a swimmer entering the water every 3 seconds. I was the 38th person to enter the water on the beach. Uneventful swim, time was 4:45, and I'm guessing it was a bit short of 400 m. Onto the bike, I was in about 15th place. I started picking off other riders immediately, and by the half way point I was up to 2nd place. Rode 35 minutes and change, average speed 24.9, normalized power of 318. I left T2 as the second runner on the course, I had about 2 minutes on the guy ahead of me. I ran about 23 minutes, average pace of 5:38. Although I was second across the line, due to the time trial start, my finish time was better. I ended up first place overall with a time of 1:06. Good effort. The sprint distance is very violent on the body!! Time to get back to work. All for now. Here's an article in the paper about the race. Enjoy!
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2009/06/14/13976915/index.xml

SJI

Rockman Race Report and Transition Times

2009-06-09T21:48:00.002-05:00

So it’s been two days since Rockman, and boy thebody is still sore. I really put in a huge effort at this race. Jim did a really good job of getting me ready for this race, and convincing me to really try to ride out of my comfort zone. It really paid off! Here’s a brief race report.

I headed up to Rockford for the second time this racing season to compete in the Rockman Half Iron race. I had a really good race and PR’ed by about 15 minutes. I ended up 4:17 and in fifth place. The swim could not have started worse. About 400 meters into the race, I thought I was going to die and they would have to pull me up from the bottom of the lake. I settled into a pace and swam about 31 minutes (3 min faster than last year). On the bike, my goal was to push, push, push and ride by how I felt. Since I was so glad to be out of the water, I was keeping a pretty good pace for the first miles of the bike. I saw Adam just after the turn-around, and he had by my calculations 5 minutes on me. Adam is a phenomenal swimmer, fantastic biker, and his run has been strong all season. Little did he know, he was my carrot for the race. If I could minimize the gap he had on me after the bike, I felt like I could put a strong run on him. I had a tough patch towards the end of the ride, but managed to go 2:16 (much faster than last year!) On the run, I wanted to go out hard, and maintain. I was not feeling so hot, my stomach was bothering me three miles into the run, which at that point was all up and down hills. It settled a bit, but was never great. I ran 1:26, 6:30 pace. I can go faster, but not on that course, it was all I had.

My teammate, Adam, ran off course by about a half mile. I ran up to him, just as he and two other athletes were coming back on course. I understand his frustration, I have been off course two separate times, and the majority of the blame lies with the race directors. I ended up placing higher than Adam, but several times I thought I would just let him run up to me. It’s not fair, it sucks, and I feel the frustration. So, yeah, my time was a PR, and I finished 5th, might have been 6th, I guess we’ll have set a rematch!!!! My other teammate, Paul, had a great race as well, finishing 9th on a bum leg!!! He’ll be fast once he’s 100%.

I would also like to thank my aunt, Jeanne. WOW!!!! What a super fan. She waited in the rain, toughed out the cold, and “paced” me the last few steps of the run!!!! She came down from Wisconsin to cheer me on, and she was awesome! Thanks so much!!

My "recovery" ride the past two days, with 23lbs of cargo!! All for now.

SJI

Teacher becomes coach

2009-06-04T05:34:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I attended the Level I coaching certification program put on by USA triathlon. It was a three day clinic, covering a very wide range of topics. Most of the information was just the tip of the iceberg, and very basic, but I did manage to learn a couple of things. Yesterday, I received my official coaching certificate, as I am now a Level I certified triathlon coach!!!!! So, now I begin a new chapter of my triathlon life. I am open to potential clients of all levels wanting to race all distances. If you or anyone you know would be in need of a coach this season, let me know, I would be very glad to help them.

I am also working on becoming an affiliate coach with a well know coaching company in the very near future. More on that later. So, now with the certifications officially in place, the hard work begins. With experience in education, and many years of multisport participation, I believe that I can offer services to any athlete looking to improve their triathlon skills. If you are in need of a triathlon coach, email me at scottandtobi11@comcast.net, and I’ll get right back to you!!! All for now.

SJI

Gone for awhile....but now I'm back

2009-06-01T15:59:00.003-05:00

Man….I’ve been MIA for awhile from this blog, just have not had the time to write much. Been keeping busy with training and parenting, and sort of lost my way with the blog. I am beginning the second week of a taper for Rockman Half Ironman on Sunday. I enjoy the taper period because it allows me to sleep in a bit, and not worry too much about weekly volume. The intensity is still present, just in shorter periods. I believe that my fitness is excellent going into this race. My power numbers on the bike have been at their highest of the season, and my run off the bike is solid. I talked to Jim last night, and I am going to focus on really pushing the bike on Sunday. Wattages will guide me through the race, but I won’t rely on them. My goal is to hit the bike hard and ride aggressive throughout the race. I have confidence that I can run well off a hard bike.

In other news….I have been using some recovery aids this season that I did not use last year. One of them is the Trigger Point Massage Kit.
I have been using this product religiously each night prior to bed and after long, hard sessions. My calf was an issue at the beginning of last season, and even affected my performance at Rockman last year, but I have remained injury free this year. I believe that the TP Massage Kit has played a major role in allowing me to stay injury free. Seriously, this product is easy to use and just takes 15 minutes. I have targeted the lower leg, quads, and periformis. I think it costs around $100, but I won’t need to go to my sports masseur this year, so it definitely will pay for itself. Check it out at http://www.tptherapy.com/ More exciting news later!!! I promise it won't be weeks between updates!! All for now. Happy Training!!

Scott

Peaks and Valleys

2009-05-08T08:32:00.000-05:00

I often experience many highs during an entire Ironman season. However, with those highs, I have a number of lows. In an Ironman race, athletes will undoubtedly have a low point during competition, and most likely throughout a training season, athletes will also experience times that are tough. Whether motivation is lower or the body is exhausted, Ironman athletes will go through periods during training that force you to question your commitment to the sport. Matter of fact, if an athlete does not experience these low points during training; they are probably not pushing their bodies enough. The true way to find out about your level of success is to push your body beyond what you may think it can physically and mentally handle. Once you have found that point, an athlete can learn a lot about themselves as they push through the low points of training. This season, I have experienced a few low points during training, times when I ask myself why I am so dedicated to something that has no real monetary gain. I mean, should I get a second job instead of training to put more food on the table. Inevitably, these low points don’t last very long, and before I can start thinking about sleeping in or eating an entire plate of nachos, I get right back on the bus with a good workout. So, next time you’re in a bad place, work through it. Throughout an entire training season you can learn from these bad times, make adjustments, and be a better athlete for it. All for now.

SJI

Ok, so it's not quite Venus and Serena Williams

2009-05-04T17:27:00.001-05:00

There are many “firsts” that happen each day. The first time your child walks, your first time driving a car, or the first time you start at the office. This weekend, there was a new first for me. It was the first time two Iott’s raced on the same day (without the use of a golf cart)!! My sister, Megan, raced in Indianapolis at the Indy Mini Marathon, and I raced in Rockford at the Peanut Butter Duathlon. I am pleased to report that in each race, the Iott’s were very successful.

Let’s start down in Indy. Megan has become a more competitive runner since beginning running a few years ago. Last November, she completed her first marathon, and I believe has been hooked on running ever since. On Saturday, she ran the Indy Mini Marathon in 1:52, which was a new personal best. Although she seemed disappointed in her performance and is already looking ahead at trying another race, Megan did a fantastic job and has her best running days ahead of her, and I am very proud!!!

Back up in Rockford, I lined up at the Peanut Butter Duathlon on Saturday morning under clear, cool skies. Although this was a shorter race, my preparations were the same. I pre-rode the bike course for about 40 minutes then ran a lap of the run course for a total warm-up of about an hour. Even though this race would only last about an hour and was considered a lower priority race within the entire season, I did not take anything for granted. When the gun went off, I sprinted to the lead and never looked back. I ran the first two mile part of the run in just over 11 minutes and had a lead of about 30 seconds going into the bike. Once on the bike, I decided I was going to ride as hard as I possibly could for the entire race. The route for the bike was three laps of just over five miles with the terrain always up or down, not too much flat on this course. My bike time was about 36 minutes and I averaged 325 watts for the entire ride. Upon reaching the second transition, I could not see any other racers, and I did not know that I had a lead of over 5 minutes!!! I ran the last part of the race hard, but with no one to “race” against, my second run time was about 45 seconds slower than the first run. Ended up in first place at 1 hour and 21 seconds.

After the race was over and I was on my way home, I began to analyze how I performed. My run was a bit slower than I wanted it to be, but it was on very muddy and sloppy trails, and I think that the course was a bit slow. I was pleased with my average watts on the ride, and don’t think I could have done much better. It was a good first race of the season, and I got a chance to ride with the more aggressive position on the bike. Overall, I am happy with the performance, a win is a win, and the added race experience was a plus. Congrats to Lindsay Zucco, wife of one of my training partners, Adam!! She won the overall title for the women, which meant Team TrainingBible swept the podiums!! All for now.

SJI

Key Workouts

2009-04-30T20:51:00.002-05:00

My first "A" race of the season will be at the Rockman Half Ironman in June. However, this weekend I'm going up to Rockford to race in the Peanut Butter Duathlon. I had a great race last year and hope to use it again as a springboard to start a great racing season. It is a short race (2 mi./14mi./2mi.), but it is held at the same location as Rockman, so I will again become familar with the course.

I feel like my current fitness at this point in the season is much better than at the same time last year. My training volume has increased compared to last year, and I am definately doing more "quality" within each of my workouts. My weeks have been structure, like many other athletes, around a few key workouts. These are workouts that are race specific and often very challenging. Referred to as "breakthrough" (BT) workouts in my trainingpeaks log, these are done in each discipline once a week. An example of a BT workout for the bike that I did last week was a four hour ride followed by a 20 minute run. The ride starts with 2 ten minute intervals at Functional Threshold Pace, which currently is 335 watts. Following that, I did 3 thirty minute intervals at half ironman watts, about 270-290. Then, it's one hour steady at around 250 watts. Following the ride, I was able to run just over three miles in 20 minutes averaging a pace of about 6:18/mile. This workout is very challenging and over the course of the four hours, I burned 3300 calories. I did this workout really well, and hitting all my goals during the ride really gives me confidence that I can race at the level I want to at Rockman. It also provides excellent motivation, as results commonly equal positive motivation to continue to push myself through tough training.

There are two key workouts I do to prepare for the run. One is a track session, which includes intervals ranging from 200's to 800's at a pace faster than a 5K (about 5:40/mile). The second key workout is a long tempo run. These runs have prepared me to run fast off the bike, and I attribute these hard runs to my success at IMWI last season. My tempo runs are generally between 40 minutes and 1 hour at a goal half ironman pace of 6:05-6:10/mile. These runs definatly make me stronger, both mentally and physically.

So these are just a few examples of the key workouts that I do to prepare for racing season. I also compare my results from these workouts week to week to measure my fitness gains throughout the season. All for now. SJI

Brownies are my kryptonite!

2009-04-27T15:44:00.004-05:00

I’m kind of in a rut. Not training wise, but getting to race weight wise. I have been consistently at 161-162 lbs for quite sometime now. With my first A race coming up on June 7th, now is the time I need to kick my nutrition into high gear and get down to my goal weight of 157-158. It has taken me awhile, but I now realize that my goal weight is at a level that I can only hold for a very short period of time. Now, back to my rut. You see, every Monday morning I wake up and weight myself and glance at the scale with caution knowing that it’s going to be higher than Sunday morning. Training on the weekends is the highest volume of the week, so naturally my body needs more fuel. However, on Sunday’s my lovely wife and sister-in-law cook these fantastic meals (not Paleo) which includes an excellent dessert (yesterday was s’mores brownies)

What can I say, my sweet tooth is enormous!!! So, I have determined that I need to eat more during the day, before noon, and less in the evening. To give you and idea, here is what I ate last week and pretty much every week for breakfasts….

28 eggs (4 hard boiled eggs each day) Yeah, I eat over two dozen eggs a week. I’m not a doctor, and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express, but is my cholesterol going to be too high??
14 bananas (2 a day)
7 apples (1 a day)
5 small boxes of raisins (1 day)

My breakfast is split up during two times, once immediately following the morning workout, and the second about two hours later. In total, it is about 700 calories for breakfast. I will work on increasing that to 850 calories, as well as including more food during lunch. Hopefully that will decrease my desire to eat everything in the house when I get home from work at 3 p.m.

On the training front, I had a solid run on Sunday morning. We are back to doing long runs with tempo pacing. It was a 90 minute run, with 50 minutes at goal race pace. I ran my race pace section at 6:04 min per mile, and if I can hold that pace off the 56 mile portion of the bike in my next half ironman, I’ll be really, really pleased. All for now.

SJI

FTP Test and a giant BONNK!!!

2009-04-20T18:43:00.001-05:00

Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is the maximum power a cyclist can hold for 60 minutes, with power being measured in watts. This is often used as the defining measurement in a cyclist’s fitness throughout the season because it is a very objective number, i.e. the watts don’t lie. I do my FTP tests on the trainer to keep all environmental variables constant so the data collected can be compared equally. I have done two types of FTP tests. The first test I used primarily last season. In this test, after a warm up period, you ride for 30 minutes as hard as you can. For me, this test is extremely difficult and had to get motivated for. More than likely, by the end of this 30 minute effort, I am usually ready to shoot myself and am swearing out loud to my coach, Jim. Last season, my best 30 minute FTP test was 318 watts. Fast forward to this season…this year’s FTP test is markedly different. Instead of hammering for 30 minutes on the trainer, praying for mercy, we have used a different approach. Joe Friel has developed this new type of test that Jim has me use once already this year.

This FTP test is easier mentally for me than the standard 30 minute all out kill yourself effort. After warming up, you do several 4 minute intervals followed by a one minute easy spin. The first 4 minute interval starts at a wattage that is approximately 80 watts below current FTP. For me, this was about 250. Then in each successive interval, you increase the wattage by 10 until you reach your lactate threshold heart rate in the final interval. Yesterday, my intervals started at 250 and went 260, 277, 292, 304, 311, 333, and 350.

My new FTP, as determined by yesterday’s test is 335, an increase of 10 watts from last month. This is great because one of my goals this season is to get my FTP to 350.

On the other side of training, I had a tough 4 hour ride on Saturday morning followed by a quick 20 minute run. Unfortunately, this did not go well for me. I ended up bonking pretty hard during the last 30 minutes of the ride and the entire run. For the rest of the day, I was pretty wiped. Entering Sunday on about 3 hours sleep, I was couch-bound and did not even do any training. I was in a bad place yesterday, and consequently I did not do a good job with my daily nutrition. But, tomorrow’s another day, and next week begins another block of training. One good thing, the weather is coming around and becoming more consistent…..now let’s hope the kids sleep more consistent as well. All for now.

SJI

Active Recovery and Field Testing

2009-04-18T03:54:00.000-05:00

I am just finishing my first block of the build phase of my training. We have been adding some intensity on the bike for the first time this season, as well as upping the quality of the weekday runs. Since this is the four week of this block, the first part of this week was dedicated to recovery. Not recovery in the sense of sitting on the couch, but active recovery. Active recovery, for me, includes easy spinning on the bike and light jogging. I believe that active recovery stimulates my body to respond to an increased training load in the days and weeks to come, as the main point of training in cycles is to stress the body greatly, and then allow for it to build itself back up during the fourth week of a training block.

At the end of this week on Thursday and Friday, we will be doing some field testing. Field testing is a chance for me to test my level of fitness. The last time I did some field testing was during the last block of training (1 month ago), and I can use those workouts to compare them to this current round of fitness testing. Quite simply, field tests allow me to have objective data to look at and assess if my training plan is on track.

This morning, I completed my first field test in the pool. The plan was to warm up then do 15 x 100 on a 1:30 interval. When looking at the workout, I realized that my goal was to swim the 100’s at a pace of 1:20. I am pleased to say that I hit my goals. I swam all 15 intervals at 1:19 pace, which was faster than my prior swim test one month ago. Next up was a running time trial. My running field test is a 5k at a heart rate just below threshold. The numbers from this test were much better than last test. My 5k time was 17:35, an average pace of 5:39. Up from 18:07, with an average pace of 5:50 from two months ago!! I always have some sort anxiety when doing field tests. To me, starting them feels much like toeing the start line of a race, butterflies, nervousness, etc. Maybe I put too much emphasis on them, but nevertheless, good results in these tests equals new levels of motivation, and more opportunities for my fitness to improve!

More on the bike test later (it went well too!)……..All for now.

SJI

Closing it out

2009-04-14T05:40:00.000-05:00

As I was watching the Masters yesterday afternoon, I was surprised to see many professional golfers fault down the stretch. While it made for exciting TV and I am sure great ratings, I realized how difficult it must be for athletes of all abilities to succeed under pressure. Kenny Perry had his opportunity before bogeying the final two holes, Phil Mickleson was cruising until he missed two short putts in the final four holes, Chad Campbell missed his par putt on the first hole of a playoff after he missed the green from the middle of the fairway.

Closing out a competition or a training session, whether it be in golf or triathlon is essential to success. Throughout this season, I have had some good success in training throughout the week, only to have some disappointing performances on the weekend. As many triathletes understand, the sessions on the weekend tend to have the most volume and increased intensity. For example, I did a training ride (on the trainer, again!!) on Friday evening. It lasted four hours, and included 6 intervals that were either at threshold pace (all out) or half ironman wattage (about 250-270). I was doing really well for about 2.5 hours, and then I hit some serious trouble. My legs became heavy and it became a struggle to put out the same power that I was so easily able to do just a few hours ago. Chalk it up to boredom, improper nutrition, or just fatigue, but I was not able to close out that workout the way I wanted it to be.

Conversely, I did a run on Saturday afternoon. Per Jim's directions, I was to do a bit of a warm up then run about 30 minutes in heart rate zone two. I was feeling pretty good, and managed to run the last 40 minutes at a 6:36 pace with an average heart rate of 146 beats per minute. Unlike my prior day’s bike ride, I was able to close this run out on a high. Running that pace with a lower heart rate is a sign that my running economy is developing well. This is a good sign because a main focus of my training has been developing the run. Come Hawaii, I hope my run leads me to close out a terrific race day. All for now! Happy training!

SJI

Me, Myself, and I

2009-04-05T12:11:00.001-05:00

To all my three readers of this blog, sorry for the lack of attention it receives, been busy with the family and obviously training hard. I thought I would share a conversation I had with myself yesterday morning as I started my 3.5 hour ride in the basement at 4 a.m. Many times I view training as a form of therapy, a time to collect my thoughts and reflect on the days, weeks, and months ahead. Sometimes I think about triathlon, sometimes work, and other times family. But yesterday morning, my mind was all over the place, so without further ado………

Scene: On bike trainer in basement, no TV, no IPOD warming up for some tough intervals.

Me: So what do I need to do today after this workout?
Myself: You could fertilize the front lawn.
I: Green grass is a must in the spring.

Me: Yes, I’ll try to get that done, but maybe I’ll watch TV with the wife instead.
Myself: I wonder if I can just keep this conversational pace throughout the entire ride.
I: Man, we could get a lot accomplished then, maybe even find a solution to the economic crisis.

Me: How great would it be to be outside right now?
Myself: Wind in hair, dodging potholes, stunning cornfields…
I: But you can get some good work done here today. Dude, you should write a blog about this.

Me: Sure, a conversation between Me, Myself and I.
Myself: Didn’t they already make a movie out of that?
I: No, that was Me, Myself, and Irene….we left off the “rene” part.

1.5 hours later….
Me: Man, time flies when your mind is occupied. That was a fast warm-up.
Myself: Come on let’s continue the pace.
I: Dude, time to get to work, we can talk later…..

So, that’s a glimpse of what goes on in my head, right out of bed at 4 a.m. with nothing else to do but stare at the wall and think. Of course what followed required more focus on my part. I did some good interval work, first of the season during a long ride, and backed it up with a 60 minute steady effort and a 30 min transition run.

Before I go, I need to give some congrats to a training partner of mine, Adam Zucco, who claimed first place in the M30-34 age group at California 70.3 yesterday. He qualified for Kona, and I hear he is making the trip. I look forward to seeing him there and learning from his experiences. I also look forward to continue to train with him this season with the hope of him pushing me beyond my comfort zone. Way to go Adam!!

SJI

Distraction Tools

2009-03-15T07:52:00.007-05:00

I am a slave to my bike trainer. I ride it in the winter time, dawn, dusk, and even when I don’t want to. Currently, I am now riding it because I can’t guarantee that my two little guys are actually going to be sleeping when they are supposed to! Actually, I think that I have become a more mentally stronger athlete because of my sustained relationship with my stationary friend. It’s always there for me when it’s cold or rainy, light or dark, and I never have to worry about giving it a new place in the house. My trainer has a permanent place in “dad’s corner” of our basement.

In the summertime, it usually gets lonely (maybe not this summer!), but it’s ole reliable when Mother Nature isn’t so. I bet my trainer gets tired of always facing the same

direction, mainly due to the owner’s demand to be occupied while using it. I have heard stories about many cyclists who ride their trainer staring at a blank wall for hours and hours at a time. Not me…….I am always prepared to have something to “distract” me while getting some quality indoor miles.

This post will detail a few of them, a necessity to anyone who rides their trusty friend as much as I do.

What it Takes is one of my favorite distraction tools that I use on the trainer. I am not a fan of watching movies more than once, but I have to admit that I have seen this one many times. It is a movie about four pro triathletes and their journey to the 2005 Ironman World Championships. To me, it is absolutely fantastic to see how four athletes at the highest level live and how they approach a race that I will also be competing in.

Podcasts: I am a huge fan of podcasts for two reasons, #1 they are free, and #2 they focus on the sport of triathlon, which is very uncommon in mainstream media. My favorite podcast is called Ironman Talk. It comes from guys in New Zealand, and they focus specifically on the Iron distance races around the world. Great stuff indeed!!

So what ever the reason you are forced indoors, whether it be by torrential rain, bitter cold, two inconsistent sleeping children, or just need a quality session, check out these two motivating tools that will keep you sane on your indoor steed!! All for now.

SJI

2009-03-10T20:52:00.002-05:00

Week Recap 3/2

I had some pretty solid workouts this past week, well, not 8 gold medals solid, but not too bad by my standards. I’m still playing catch-up in the sleep department, but the weather is starting to get a bit warmer!! I had some good sessions in the pool this week with my biggest volume, 11000 weekly yards, so far this year. I had a bit of a break through in the pool. I had a workout that I did last year, a type of pyramid workout. Like this:

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 all with rest intervals between 10-40 seconds @ Threshold pace

Last season, I could hold my threshold pace through the first three reps, but then I would fall apart. Last week, I held my threshold pace, which was 1:23/100, the entire set. I ended up swimming about 4000 yards in 1 hour 15 minutes. Biggest volume swim yet this year.

My second mini-swim breakthrough was at the end of the week on Friday. After warm-up, I swam a steady 1000 yds, then 10 x 100 all descending pace. I felt great and worked down to swim the last three 100s in 1:20!!! Not fast to all you fish, but for me, it was moving!

So training is coming along. I’m in the third block of base training, and the volume is really increasing…..18:25 hours this week!! I am keeping myself organized and using my time efficiently, two important characteristics of being in Ironman training mode!! Adios!!

SJI

Honeymoon Period is Over!!

2009-03-01T19:37:00.002-06:00

Finding the correct balance in life is never easy. I am experiencing this first hand over the past week. My son is now 6 weeks old, and has developed his very own "personality." The first four weeks of his life came with few strings attached, good sleeper, mild mannered, good eater. However, we have quickly ended the honeymoon phase and now we have a challenge on our hands. For me, it has become difficult to fit in the training without driving myself crazy. With an uncontrollable baby, finding consistent training time is virtually impossible. Early morning trainer rides, runs, or swims used to be in the log book easily. Now, I find myself rocking, bouncing, and consoleing before I head out to work. Which leaves evening training time, not too bad, except you throw in about 3-4 hours of sleep and suddenly going out for a run at 7 pm is a very hard task.
To give you an example, I think I hit about 98% of my scheduled workouts last season. Consistency has been one of the reasons for my sucess in this sport. I missed a key workout today, and as most type "A" triathlon personalities, it drives me crazy. But I'm learning....learning to accept things that are not under my control. And learning that tommorrow will bring new opportunties, and challenges that will only make me stronger in the long run. So as I prepare to call it another week and put the past behind me, I am eager to start anew and continue the push to find balance. Have a great day, and sleep well :)

SJI

My Thoughts on Nutrition

2009-02-26T05:37:00.001-06:00

So, now’s about the time I start to get a bit more careful of the kinds of foods I am eating. Not that I was eating all in sight before, but around late winter or early spring, it’s time to start the process of leaning out to race/training weight. Here is a bit about how I get to a race weight.

One of the things that I got serious about after doing my first Ironman was body composition. I became obsessed with getting to a lean race weight. A lean body composition is as important in Ironman racing as your long rides or long runs. On recommendation, I read the book, The Paleo Diet for Endurance Athletes and decided I would use this approach to add good nutrition to my training routine.

The Paleo Diet’s main philosophy is to eat as our ancestors did thousands of years ago, little grains and lots of fruits, veggies, and lean protein. The book was adapted to fit the needs of the endurance athlete, and allowed traditional recovery foods (pastas, breads, etc.) in the time immediately following or prior to long or hard workouts. This was an adjustment for because, I was used to eating heaps of pastas, breads, and drinking lots sports drinks. It took a few weeks for my body to adapt to this eating philosophy, but I have never recovered as well or been as healthy on this diet. So here are a few rules I followed to get to a lean, healthy race weight.

Eat unlimited fruits and veggies. These replaced my pasta and breads, as they were the source of my carbohydrates.
Eat protein with EVERY meal. Eggs, fish, chicken, pork loin, buffalo, turkey breast, tenderloins, etc.
Eat “real” food. The only time I ate bars and gels were during workouts lasting longer than three hours.

I found that by eating large amounts of fruits and veggies, I still had the all-day energy to get in proper training and still have left over reserves for time with the family. So here’s an example of what I ate during a typical training day:

Breakfast: 3 eggs, banana, apple, coffee
Lunch: Spinach salad with an added veggie, chicken breast, apple, Clementine, pear
Dinner: Cod fish, fresh green beans, bowl of fruit
Snacks: Almonds, any kind of fruit, small serving of trail mix, dried fruit

This was my basic nutrition blueprint for a typical midseason Ironman training. If the exercise was harder or longer I would adjust in the following ways:

Add some peanut butter to any meal
Add some boiled potatoes to any meal or whole wheat toast with jelly
Eat larger portions of the protein source at any meal

Here are some hints on how you can achieve your healthy race weight…
Do your own grocery shopping……take control of what you have in the house, and buy 90% of your groceries on the outside isles, just think about where the junk food is in a grocery store!!
Eat often. Never let yourself get to the “I’m starving mode.”
Keep away from the sports drinks, bars, and gels unless exercising over three hours.
I also weight myself each morning. I find it very motivating to keep my eating on the right track.

So that’s it, I kept it very simple. Replacing the pastas, breads, and sports drinks with lots and lots of fruits and veggies, and as a result lost about 10 pounds. I can’t say it was perfect but I can really feel the difference when I commit to this diet, and how I feel and how I recover after workouts. All for now.

WEEK RECAP 2/16

2009-02-23T16:06:00.000-06:00

Yes, the lag in posts is due to being super busy around the house and super busy training. This post is going to be mainly dedicated to training, so sorry to bore anyone looking for some great insight. This past week was my biggest volume week since last summer. I hit some key workouts, and Jim is so great at setting up my week based on my schedule and my needs. (An important aspect in a great coach!) From what I hear, he also is becoming a huge Jeff Probst and Survivor fan!

Just a few details about the week…
Total Hours: 17:30
Swimming: 7000 yds
Bike: 140 miles
Run: 53 miles (second 50+ mile week in the past month!!)

Highlights….
Thursday: I did an hour tempo run, and after a 30 minute warm up, I did 30 minutes at zone 2 pace. The 30 minute tempo run felt great as I was running 6:22 miles very easily for a half hour.

Friday: Biggest day since IMWI 2008 prep. Got in an hour swim in the early in the morning about 3300 yds, then 30 minutes of strength training, then a big, huge, 3:45 trainer ride followed by a 15 minute transition run. Total hours for the day were 5:30. And I did the trainer ride starting at 7pm lasting until 11pm. I was pretty fried afterwards.

Sunday: Did my goal mile work in 10 degree temperatures on the road as the track was covered with snow. Still struggling on hitting the correct splits, but my 400’s are coming down to 1:17.

On the home front, our youngest is having a hard time staying asleep. AHHHHH! My wonderful wife bears the brunt of the work, but yesterday we were taking turns rocking, bouncing, and swinging trying to get him to sleep, and it lasted from about 8 am till 8 pm. He finally went to bed around 8pm, and got a few hours in before waking to eat. Not sleeping soundly is taking its toll on us mentally, and we can only hope that things change for the better soon, otherwise we’ll become walking zombies!! All for now, take care.

SJI

I broke a world record today.....

2009-02-12T19:02:00.001-06:00

“Fourscore and seven years ago…” Today I was part of a world record. That’s right; I’ll be in the Guinness Book of World Records soon. At 9:30 a.m., in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday, every student and teacher in Illinois read out loud the Gettysburg Address. We had to sign a petition that will be sent to Guinness, and we’ll see the results in a few months!!

On the training front, I have been back for two days after taking three off due to a horrible stomach flu I had over the weekend. Got in about 1:30 on the bike yesterday morning, with about 40 minutes at 220-230 watts. Swam this morning, and will lift later this evening. I’m eager to get back to bigger volume training, as the weather is slowly warming up! Later.

SJI

Unwanted Break!

2009-02-09T15:39:00.002-06:00

The body usually doesn't lie, it tells you things that you are in denial about. If you listen closely enough, it will just tell you to rest. Things were going really well on the training front, then we took a detour. I got sick. I usually don't get sick at all, but when I do it's extreme. Got this stomach flu thing, and I'll spare all the details, but it made for a long night. Feeling a bit better today, but doing anything besides laying on the couch makes me feel like I just ran a marathon. I did get to catch up on a new favorite show of ours, Dexter. Awesome, check it out. Hopefully, I'll be back to some SBR in a few days, that is if I decide to listen to my body!!

SJI

On the bright side, I got down to race weight thanks to the flu, lost 6 pounds since sunday morning!

2009-02-05T04:50:00.001-06:00

Tight Hips and 17cm drop

I have been struggling to commit to a direction for this blog, so I have been lazy with posting. Also, I question who actually reads it! (So if you read this, leave a comment!!!) But I will try to write more frequently about my training and triathlon doings.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a clinic put on by Training Bible Coaching. It was an excellent early season experience, and the chance for me to hook up with my coach, whom I have not seen since Ironman Wisconsin 2007. Leading off the clinic was a lecture from a representative from Infinit Nutrition. It was a treat because I will use their product this year for racing and training. That’s right; I’m done with bars, gels, and Gatorade, replaced with simply liquid nutrition!! I’ll keep you posted.

During the second half of the clinic, we had the opportunity to go to five stations and have different things assessed. The first station I went to was with physical therapist Lindsey Zucco. She assessed my flexibility and determined that my hamstrings, IT Band, and Hip Flexors were all tight. I have new stretches that I have been doing since, and they are feeling better. However, tight hips are a part of the training process!!! I am actually working on getting a TP Massage Kit that will loosen up the major muscle groups associated with cycling in the aero position. Then, the most important part of the day came up. Jim had his underwater camera to assess my swim stroke. It was not too bad, some things to work on with my right side. I got some good video (which is well worth the price of admission alone!) and tips to improve. Lastly, I visited the bike fit station. Rich and Anthony from The Bike Shop were there to help fit me on the bike. I had the powertap with me and after all was said and done, ended up with 17 cm of drop from my saddle to bars. I normally ride pretty aggressive, but this was about 5 cm more than last season. We will see how the body responds to the new position.

It was a great time, and I learned a lot about my swim stroke from Jim, and will work on it over the next few weeks. As far as training, I am still plugging away on the trainer, and have managed to get outside for some runs. Today was a 4:30 a.m. hour long trainer workout with 40 minutes at high zone 2 power, 230 watts. Got some good swim workouts planned for the next two mornings. More details to follow……

SJI

2009-01-20T15:33:00.000-06:00

Tools of the Trade….

Just like an American Express Card, I never train without the monitors! Kyle has been home now for four days, and we are adjusting to life with a newborn in the house. Some accommodations include setting up the living room as a bedroom, and using the dining room table as a dresser for all the newborn clothes. So far it has been great!!! Kyle is doing well in his new environment; it’s truly a fun time!!
On the training front….I have been strictly limited to training indoors, which means treadmill and trainer, no swimming. I have only left the house once in the past four days, not bad cause it’s still very cold out. Training during this time follows two rules:
1. My priority is to my family…no questions.
2. When everyone else is sleeping, I am training.
Obeying the second rule means, EARLY mornings, NAPTIMES, and LATE evenings. For example, this morning was a 13 mile treadmill run at 4:30a.m. Yes, the coffee pot was set at 4! I realize to compete at the level I wish to I WILL have personal sacrifices, namely sleep. May not be the best long term solution, but when you have two little guys running around the house, it works! All for now!
SJ

Majority Rules!!!

2009-01-14T14:59:00.000-06:00

The newest Iott arrived today. Kyle David Iott, 7lbs. 13 oz. Now I'll always have the majority in the family!!!!

How it started

2009-01-14T04:35:00.000-06:00

Since this is a blog dedicated to my journey to the Hawaiian Ironman, it is appropriate to start at the beginning. And in my case the beginning was September, 9, 2008……….mile 80 of the Wisconsin Ironman bike leg, flying down the long and winding Garfield road that’s when it happened, when it all started.

BAM followed by pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. Recognizing the familiar sound, I immediately thought, “There it goes.” Confirming a triathlete’s worst fear as I looked down at my rear wheel, it was a flat. Not just an ordinary flat, my rear tire had been rubbing against the inside of the chainstay for quite a while judging by the hole that was in the sidewall. Immediately, negative thoughts consumed me and panic set in. After a few minutes of thinking, a temporary solution was developed. I placed an old Cliff Bar wrapper into the tire to cover the hole. Then put a new tube in, and inflated it. Miraculously, it worked and the tire held air. So on the side of that road, watching many bikes zoom by is were the Kona dream started. I rode like hell knowing that if I could just get back to transition, I would still have a chance…..

To make a long story short, I ran my way back into the race. I finished in 9:40 with a marathon time of 3 hours flat. It was the fastest age group run of the race and 5th overall if you include the professionals. I punched my ticket to Kona.

So this blog will be dedicated to detailing the balance of real life and triathlon life. About how one lucky age group athlete prepares the body, mind, and soul to race in the holy grail of triathlon. About how I use the wonderful support network of an understanding wife and caring family. About how I use the knowledge of an expert coach and training partners. And how I try to live out a dream of many amateur triathletes.

Oh yeah, and in about 12 hours, how adding a new member to the bunch will motivate me to be my best!!!

SI