Not quite as pretty as I was hoping for, but at least I crossed that finish line. Part of me really wants to try again to improve. To do that, though, would be to put my family and my body through a rough beating again. Might take a while till I get around to something of this magnitude again.
Registration - 852
DNF - 103
DNS - 91
DSQ - 18
Chris Padgett (797)
swim - 1:15:56
bike - 7:04:15
run - 5:33:04
total - 14:31:30
Total finishers - 821
official site - http://www.challenge-family.de/results/2011_BarcelonaFull_Individuals.pdf
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Race Video
Here it is. Actual video proof that I crossed that finish line.
Amy did a fantastic job getting some great video of all aspects of the race. Thank you!
Amy did a fantastic job getting some great video of all aspects of the race. Thank you!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Challenge Barcelona
Day of Iron (Oct 2, 2011)
Pre-Race
No matter how relaxed I tried to stay, it was nearly impossible to sleep the night before. I took an Ambien at 9:00pm the night before. Passed out and then woke up at 12:30am. Tossed and turned, then took another at 1:00am. Was able to get back to sleep, but again, woke up at 3:45am. By 4:30, I knew that I wasn’t going to get back to sleep. Fantastic! The longest day of my life lie ahead of me, and I barely got any sleep. One more thing to worry about: would I have enough energy at the end of the day to complete the race?
But the day was going to be an exciting one. The weather was going to be perfect, very little wind during the swim, and mid-70’s for the temp. The sunrise that Amy and I witnessed beginning over the ocean was gorgeous. Huge and red. Coupled with that were 1,100 participants, a large handful of participants & race officials, and countless friends, family & other fans there to cheer all of us on.
At 8:30am, the professional men took off followed by the women 2 minutes later. Wave after wave started, and then it was my turn! Standing in the “age 35-39 Men” wave, surrounded by 150+ of my fellow, anxious athletes, we waited for that cannon to fire. “One minute to go!” I turned to one of the lady officials beside me who would be on the microphone all day. Told her this was my first Iron distance race and was returned with a hearty, “You will do fantastic. Enjoy your day.” Little did I know that I would be connecting with her off and on throughout the race.
Boom!
The Swim
I was off and into the Mediterranean Ocean for my 3,800-meter (2.4-mile) swim. The water ended up being warmer and calmer than I was expecting, plus I was able to see all the way to the bottom. We swam straight out 200 meters to the first of many buoys, then took a right turn. After participating in numerous triathlons before, I knew that I wanted to hang back a little and let the speedsters take the lead. Nothing like getting kicked in the face or tackled from behind or punched in the sides (all on accident) that always happen in these open water swims. Reading beforehand, I had the mentality that I needed to cruise for 90% of the swim. Find my rhythm and stick with it.
Since there were so many people swimming, it didn’t need to “spot” very much. Just follow the feet in front of me and hope they were going straight. I still looked up every once in a while to make sure I wasn’t veering off at an angle. Aside from ingesting what felt like several gallons of salt water, I was doing fantastic in the swim. But don’t push too hard, I still have a marathon to run.
Throughout the swim, I would feel a some hands on my feet as people were drafting off me. Then they would pass. At the same time, I would draft off someone else and play pitter-patter with their feet before passing them. It’s all part of the game. With about 800 meters (1/2 mile) to go, I glanced at my watch and knew that I was truckin’. My goal was to come out of the water before 1:30:00. The fastest I had swam in the pool was 1:12:00. Climbing onto shore, I noticed my watch said 1:15:13. Pretty stoked about that. Unfortunately, the time I had saved was about 5 minutes away from not even mattering.
Transition 1 (swim-to-bike)
In the tent, I took some time to catch my breath, burp out the sick feeling from the salt water and get dressed for the bike. I was thankful to be on dry land and looking forward to the next discipline. Along with the masses, I come running out of the tent and into the bike park. I find my bike and my heart sank.
The back tire was flat! What? Then I noticed that the front tire was flat as well! Are you kidding me? It was surreal. I was in a state of shock. Both tires were blown. Do you know how long it takes to change one tire, much less two? I quickly ask a nearby official where the mechanic is so that I can get some aid. “Oh, he’s about 14 miles down the road in the middle of the course.” Uhhh…is there a pump nearby so I don’t have to use the tiny, portable one? “I will look for you.”
After about 3 or 4 minutes, I finally get past the denial phase of what’s happening and get to work on changing both tires. I’m still breathing hard, not thinking straight and terrified that I just trained this long to barely get out of the starting gate. Plus, it’s very challenging to change a bike tire in a hurry. You keep messing up and not getting it to fit. After another 5 minutes, I have both tubes in the tires, the tires back on the bike and now looking for a pump to use. I wasn’t the only one with a flat, but I was the only one with 2 flats. After waiting about 2 more minutes for a guy to pump up his tire, I grabbed the pump from him and began airing up. The back one, filled up no problem. The front one, almost at 100 psi, I hear a loud hiss and it was blown. Seriously?!?!?! A 3rd flat tire. You can only imagine the depression setting in at this point. Here is where the mental training comes into effect to not give up.
Remember that sweet lady official I mentioned? Well, by this time she is standing nearby blaring into the microphone to “Cheer on Padgett from Texas! He came all the way and is struggling with 2 flat tires. Wait. Now his front tire went flat again. Poor guy. Let’s encourage him not to quit.” A group of about 10-15 people had all gathered nearby to root me on. A few more minutes after that, I had changed a 3rd tire and it was pumped up and ready to go. People cheering, the lady on the mike pressing me on, a long bike ride ahead.
Instead of blazing out of the bike park with all that encouragement from the group of folks around me, I had to pee. So I leave my bike on the stand and run over to the porta-potty. Guess who is announcing to everyone what I am doing? Yep…mike-lady. But after my painful ride in Lisbon 5 months ago “holding it”, I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. And then I’m out of there after about a 30-minute delay!
The Bike
Now it was time for the 180-kilometer (112-mile) bike ride. Well, that depression that started to sink in during the tire changing only grew stronger and stronger for the first 1.5 hours. Amy had been waiting up the road for me to pass and was concerned that the swim was harder than I anticipated. When I passed her and told her what happened, she tried to encourage me. But the roots of depression were too deep.
The mechanic station was about 14 miles down the road. I had no more spare tires on me, my back tire was only partially pumped up and my front tire kept thumping every rotation. It’s like I was driving that car in “Blue’s Brothers”. I was just waiting for the bike to fall apart. I don’t know how, but I made it down to the mechanic after about 45 minutes of pure depression, anger and frustration. I was completely defeated mentally. The gracious man then pumped up the back tire and tried to pump up the front one.
But you can probably guess what happened again. Hissssssss. Yep…the front tire was blown again. So he changed it out, but added some plastic tubing to the inside of my wheel to keep it from blowing again. All told, that little pit stop cost me another 10-15 minutes. By that time, I was just downright pissed.
I hopped back up on my bike and began the grueling ride. It took a long time to clear my head and get properly focused again. Songs in my head, video clips I had watched, words people had spoken to me. Whatever it took, I had to get back on track. At one point, I rode up alongside and guy from the UK that was waiting for his 60-yr-old mother-in-law. My response to him when he asked me how I felt: “absolutely miserable.”
“How bad do you want this? If you want it more than anything else, YOU WILL COMPLETE IT!” he told me. “If you have competed in Tri’s, you know that a lot of people walk on the run. Plenty of time.”
Head down, pushing into the wind, I just kept going even though I couldn’t. Numerous times on that bike ride the thought would rage in my mind, “I can’t do this. I’m not able to get it done.” But by faith, my answer was always, “BUT I DID IT!” Sometimes it is better to live in the future looking back than to live in the moment. (Might preach on that someday)
With about 34 miles to go, I realized that the cut-off time for the bike was rapidly approaching. If I didn’t pick it up, I wouldn’t even have the opportunity to embark on the marathon. With head down and legs pumping, I pressed into the 15-mile-an-hour head wind for the first 17 miles, then soared back those last 17 miles in about 35 minutes. I don’t know how to explain it, but one of the best times I felt the entire day was biking from mile 95 thru mile 112. It was exhilarating. Plus I passed about 7 or 8 people.
Just before pulling into the bike park, faithful Amy was there on the side of the road to keep cheering me on. She told me not to give up and that she would see me later during the run. Boy, was that an understatement.
Transition 2 (bike-to-run)
Not a lot to say about this transition. I did notice that most of the professionals had already finished the entire race before I had even started my 42-kilometer (26.2-mile) run. But they need to feed their families on days like this. I was just out to enjoy myself.
I did meet a man named Dominic who had just finished his bike. We decided to start running together, but I quickly peeled off cuz the dude had super-human legs. I couldn’t keep up with that. Plus, I remembered that my Triathlete Hero (Keith Riley) had told me “slow and steady finishes the race.” Was he ever telling the truth.
The Run
It was during the very 1st mile of the run that I knew in my mind that I was actually going to finish and become an IronMan. Plus I still had 6:40:00 left to complete the race before the official cut-off.
The first of my four 6.5-mile laps went by relatively smoothly. Sure wasn’t tearing through the course, but I felt pretty good. It took a while to get the legs stretched out and transitioned into running. And I did make sure to walk a couple of minutes at every aid station instead of pressing through it. You can’t sprint a marathon (unless you need to feed your family).
By the time I started the second lap, things started to get a little more hairy. The bounce in my step had somehow called it a day. The hopes for a 5-hour-marathon vanished real quickly. But I kept pressing on! I knew that a mile down the road, Amy would be waiting for me to cheer me on. Couldn’t let her down.
When I finally did see her (about mile 7.5) she tried to encourage me by saying, “You in the home stretch! Almost there!” For anyone who has ever run a long distance, you are generally just warming up at mile 8, not finishing. Since I had broken the day up into numerous bite-sized sections instead of one large mass, I just started laughing. Mentally, my marathon was broken up into 16 parts (aid station to aid station every 1.75 miles). Her encouragement came at part 5. No way was I in the home stretch. But to her, I had just completed 121 out of 140 miles. Seeing it from that perspective, I get it now.
Miles 7 – 13 were a blur. Passing people, being passed. Shuffling along, walking a chunk. Just making sure to put one foot in front of the other. I knew that once I finished my second of four laps, I would only have a half-marathon left to go. The way the route was set up, we had to run right by the finish line three times before we could cross it on our fourth. It was at that second passing that the mike-lady saw me and wanted to know how much further I had. In front of hundreds of spectators waiting at the finish line, she said, “Keep cheering on Padgett from Texas! He had such a hard time this morning, but only has 2 more laps to go.”
About mile 14, I came upon Amy again. I had run through the previous aid station so that I could take some time to walk with her. We walked together for about 5 minutes, knowing that the 3rd lap is by far the hardest of the 4. She was such an encouragement the entire race. But the last 2 laps I really do not think I could have done without her by my side.
Since most of the “fast” folks had finished the race by this time, us turtles were allowed to listen to music if we desired. I popped in my iPod nano and trucked down the road at a great pace for miles 14.5 through 17. I didn’t stop once and was feeling great, relatively speaking.
But what almost always happens about this time in a marathon: THE WALL!
I have hit the wall in other Tri’s and races before. I even knew it was coming. But I have NEVER felt that bad before in my life. It was beyond horrific.
From miles 17 through 18.5, I wanted to throw up, my stomach dropped out, was completely light-headed, could barely move my legs, had nothing mentally in me to push and just wanted to sit on the nearby bench and die. I think I walked for at several 5-minute stretches before shuffling again. “Just make it to Amy. Just make it to Amy.” Finally, I saw her sitting under the lamp post waiting for me and knew everything was going to be alright. I had pressed though it. She walked beside me and prayed for me. She then tightened the backpack and jogged a good half-mile with me. I don’t think I ever want to experience that 20-30 minute period again for the rest of my life.
Once past it, I finished lap 3 and saw mike-lady near the finish line calling out names. And again, she got the crowd to cheer me on for my final lap. And oh how delightful that final lap was!
I saw Amy back at the bridge where I had just left her. Told her that I was going to be okay and would be at the finish line soon. Go and wait there for me!
Miles 20 through 25.5 were absolutely amazing! I turned on some more worship music and connected with Jesus in such a sweet way. Obviously the course was pretty much a ghost town by this time. That enabled me to sing out loud and praise Him while still encouraging all the other tail-end stragglers out there. Plus, I didn’t stop once to walk during that final lap. I found my easy 12-minute-mile pace and kept it up. And for some reason, I think I passed at least 10 people on that last lap. Can’t even begin to describe how great it felt.
For some reason, when I was about ½ mile from the finish line, I started to get nauseous and light-headed again. I was staggering a little bit and got somewhat concerned. Then I realized that I was afraid of success. I was about to accomplish a huge feat that I had been training for years on, and got really nervous for being successful. Once I pushed those thoughts out of my head, I pressed on that final 0.2 miles to the finish line.
The Finish
I wasn’t quite sure if there would still be anyone left in the stands waiting at the Finish Line for all of us stragglers. But I did know that my wife was there waiting for me! As I turned the corner, I heard the music blaring and noticed at least 100 people still waiting around. It was fantastic! And faithful microphone lady was ready to call out my name.
“All the way from Texas, and with the longest transition time in the bike area, here comes Padgett to the finish line!”
Cheers & cheers, high 5’s from those waiting, the overhead clock reading 14:51:00 (minus 20 minutes cuz I started in a later wave) and my faithful wife standing right next to the line videoing the finish. As soon as I crossed that finish line, they put a medal around my neck and handed me my shirt that says, “2011 FINISHER”
I don’t think I will ever be able to fully describe how I felt when I finished. The joy, the relief, the sense of accomplishment… Words can’t begin to describe how I feel after completing a life goal.
Misc
* For my birthday, I got a Texas cycling jersey specifically to wear for this event. Throughout the day, esp during the run, I would hear people yelling, “Go Texas!” or “Hook ‘em Horns!” It felt so awesome to represent the great State of Texas here in Spain!
* During the last month of training, numerous aspects of my body felt like they were breaking down on me: one of my big toes, my left ankle, both my hamstrings, my left bicep and then pulling the muscle in my back about 10 days before the race. I guess overtraining can do that to you. I spent the last week before the race doing very little. And I also asked numerous folks to pray for my health. I am able to say that not a single thing bothered me the entire 140.6 miles except for my right hamstring wanting to tighten up with 3 miles to go. (These couple of days after the race are a different story. My legs are aching!)
Pre-Race
No matter how relaxed I tried to stay, it was nearly impossible to sleep the night before. I took an Ambien at 9:00pm the night before. Passed out and then woke up at 12:30am. Tossed and turned, then took another at 1:00am. Was able to get back to sleep, but again, woke up at 3:45am. By 4:30, I knew that I wasn’t going to get back to sleep. Fantastic! The longest day of my life lie ahead of me, and I barely got any sleep. One more thing to worry about: would I have enough energy at the end of the day to complete the race?
But the day was going to be an exciting one. The weather was going to be perfect, very little wind during the swim, and mid-70’s for the temp. The sunrise that Amy and I witnessed beginning over the ocean was gorgeous. Huge and red. Coupled with that were 1,100 participants, a large handful of participants & race officials, and countless friends, family & other fans there to cheer all of us on.
At 8:30am, the professional men took off followed by the women 2 minutes later. Wave after wave started, and then it was my turn! Standing in the “age 35-39 Men” wave, surrounded by 150+ of my fellow, anxious athletes, we waited for that cannon to fire. “One minute to go!” I turned to one of the lady officials beside me who would be on the microphone all day. Told her this was my first Iron distance race and was returned with a hearty, “You will do fantastic. Enjoy your day.” Little did I know that I would be connecting with her off and on throughout the race.
Boom!
The Swim
I was off and into the Mediterranean Ocean for my 3,800-meter (2.4-mile) swim. The water ended up being warmer and calmer than I was expecting, plus I was able to see all the way to the bottom. We swam straight out 200 meters to the first of many buoys, then took a right turn. After participating in numerous triathlons before, I knew that I wanted to hang back a little and let the speedsters take the lead. Nothing like getting kicked in the face or tackled from behind or punched in the sides (all on accident) that always happen in these open water swims. Reading beforehand, I had the mentality that I needed to cruise for 90% of the swim. Find my rhythm and stick with it.
Since there were so many people swimming, it didn’t need to “spot” very much. Just follow the feet in front of me and hope they were going straight. I still looked up every once in a while to make sure I wasn’t veering off at an angle. Aside from ingesting what felt like several gallons of salt water, I was doing fantastic in the swim. But don’t push too hard, I still have a marathon to run.
Throughout the swim, I would feel a some hands on my feet as people were drafting off me. Then they would pass. At the same time, I would draft off someone else and play pitter-patter with their feet before passing them. It’s all part of the game. With about 800 meters (1/2 mile) to go, I glanced at my watch and knew that I was truckin’. My goal was to come out of the water before 1:30:00. The fastest I had swam in the pool was 1:12:00. Climbing onto shore, I noticed my watch said 1:15:13. Pretty stoked about that. Unfortunately, the time I had saved was about 5 minutes away from not even mattering.
Transition 1 (swim-to-bike)
In the tent, I took some time to catch my breath, burp out the sick feeling from the salt water and get dressed for the bike. I was thankful to be on dry land and looking forward to the next discipline. Along with the masses, I come running out of the tent and into the bike park. I find my bike and my heart sank.
The back tire was flat! What? Then I noticed that the front tire was flat as well! Are you kidding me? It was surreal. I was in a state of shock. Both tires were blown. Do you know how long it takes to change one tire, much less two? I quickly ask a nearby official where the mechanic is so that I can get some aid. “Oh, he’s about 14 miles down the road in the middle of the course.” Uhhh…is there a pump nearby so I don’t have to use the tiny, portable one? “I will look for you.”
After about 3 or 4 minutes, I finally get past the denial phase of what’s happening and get to work on changing both tires. I’m still breathing hard, not thinking straight and terrified that I just trained this long to barely get out of the starting gate. Plus, it’s very challenging to change a bike tire in a hurry. You keep messing up and not getting it to fit. After another 5 minutes, I have both tubes in the tires, the tires back on the bike and now looking for a pump to use. I wasn’t the only one with a flat, but I was the only one with 2 flats. After waiting about 2 more minutes for a guy to pump up his tire, I grabbed the pump from him and began airing up. The back one, filled up no problem. The front one, almost at 100 psi, I hear a loud hiss and it was blown. Seriously?!?!?! A 3rd flat tire. You can only imagine the depression setting in at this point. Here is where the mental training comes into effect to not give up.
Remember that sweet lady official I mentioned? Well, by this time she is standing nearby blaring into the microphone to “Cheer on Padgett from Texas! He came all the way and is struggling with 2 flat tires. Wait. Now his front tire went flat again. Poor guy. Let’s encourage him not to quit.” A group of about 10-15 people had all gathered nearby to root me on. A few more minutes after that, I had changed a 3rd tire and it was pumped up and ready to go. People cheering, the lady on the mike pressing me on, a long bike ride ahead.
Instead of blazing out of the bike park with all that encouragement from the group of folks around me, I had to pee. So I leave my bike on the stand and run over to the porta-potty. Guess who is announcing to everyone what I am doing? Yep…mike-lady. But after my painful ride in Lisbon 5 months ago “holding it”, I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. And then I’m out of there after about a 30-minute delay!
The Bike
Now it was time for the 180-kilometer (112-mile) bike ride. Well, that depression that started to sink in during the tire changing only grew stronger and stronger for the first 1.5 hours. Amy had been waiting up the road for me to pass and was concerned that the swim was harder than I anticipated. When I passed her and told her what happened, she tried to encourage me. But the roots of depression were too deep.
The mechanic station was about 14 miles down the road. I had no more spare tires on me, my back tire was only partially pumped up and my front tire kept thumping every rotation. It’s like I was driving that car in “Blue’s Brothers”. I was just waiting for the bike to fall apart. I don’t know how, but I made it down to the mechanic after about 45 minutes of pure depression, anger and frustration. I was completely defeated mentally. The gracious man then pumped up the back tire and tried to pump up the front one.
But you can probably guess what happened again. Hissssssss. Yep…the front tire was blown again. So he changed it out, but added some plastic tubing to the inside of my wheel to keep it from blowing again. All told, that little pit stop cost me another 10-15 minutes. By that time, I was just downright pissed.
I hopped back up on my bike and began the grueling ride. It took a long time to clear my head and get properly focused again. Songs in my head, video clips I had watched, words people had spoken to me. Whatever it took, I had to get back on track. At one point, I rode up alongside and guy from the UK that was waiting for his 60-yr-old mother-in-law. My response to him when he asked me how I felt: “absolutely miserable.”
“How bad do you want this? If you want it more than anything else, YOU WILL COMPLETE IT!” he told me. “If you have competed in Tri’s, you know that a lot of people walk on the run. Plenty of time.”
Head down, pushing into the wind, I just kept going even though I couldn’t. Numerous times on that bike ride the thought would rage in my mind, “I can’t do this. I’m not able to get it done.” But by faith, my answer was always, “BUT I DID IT!” Sometimes it is better to live in the future looking back than to live in the moment. (Might preach on that someday)
With about 34 miles to go, I realized that the cut-off time for the bike was rapidly approaching. If I didn’t pick it up, I wouldn’t even have the opportunity to embark on the marathon. With head down and legs pumping, I pressed into the 15-mile-an-hour head wind for the first 17 miles, then soared back those last 17 miles in about 35 minutes. I don’t know how to explain it, but one of the best times I felt the entire day was biking from mile 95 thru mile 112. It was exhilarating. Plus I passed about 7 or 8 people.
Just before pulling into the bike park, faithful Amy was there on the side of the road to keep cheering me on. She told me not to give up and that she would see me later during the run. Boy, was that an understatement.
Transition 2 (bike-to-run)
Not a lot to say about this transition. I did notice that most of the professionals had already finished the entire race before I had even started my 42-kilometer (26.2-mile) run. But they need to feed their families on days like this. I was just out to enjoy myself.
I did meet a man named Dominic who had just finished his bike. We decided to start running together, but I quickly peeled off cuz the dude had super-human legs. I couldn’t keep up with that. Plus, I remembered that my Triathlete Hero (Keith Riley) had told me “slow and steady finishes the race.” Was he ever telling the truth.
The Run
It was during the very 1st mile of the run that I knew in my mind that I was actually going to finish and become an IronMan. Plus I still had 6:40:00 left to complete the race before the official cut-off.
The first of my four 6.5-mile laps went by relatively smoothly. Sure wasn’t tearing through the course, but I felt pretty good. It took a while to get the legs stretched out and transitioned into running. And I did make sure to walk a couple of minutes at every aid station instead of pressing through it. You can’t sprint a marathon (unless you need to feed your family).
By the time I started the second lap, things started to get a little more hairy. The bounce in my step had somehow called it a day. The hopes for a 5-hour-marathon vanished real quickly. But I kept pressing on! I knew that a mile down the road, Amy would be waiting for me to cheer me on. Couldn’t let her down.
When I finally did see her (about mile 7.5) she tried to encourage me by saying, “You in the home stretch! Almost there!” For anyone who has ever run a long distance, you are generally just warming up at mile 8, not finishing. Since I had broken the day up into numerous bite-sized sections instead of one large mass, I just started laughing. Mentally, my marathon was broken up into 16 parts (aid station to aid station every 1.75 miles). Her encouragement came at part 5. No way was I in the home stretch. But to her, I had just completed 121 out of 140 miles. Seeing it from that perspective, I get it now.
Miles 7 – 13 were a blur. Passing people, being passed. Shuffling along, walking a chunk. Just making sure to put one foot in front of the other. I knew that once I finished my second of four laps, I would only have a half-marathon left to go. The way the route was set up, we had to run right by the finish line three times before we could cross it on our fourth. It was at that second passing that the mike-lady saw me and wanted to know how much further I had. In front of hundreds of spectators waiting at the finish line, she said, “Keep cheering on Padgett from Texas! He had such a hard time this morning, but only has 2 more laps to go.”
About mile 14, I came upon Amy again. I had run through the previous aid station so that I could take some time to walk with her. We walked together for about 5 minutes, knowing that the 3rd lap is by far the hardest of the 4. She was such an encouragement the entire race. But the last 2 laps I really do not think I could have done without her by my side.
Since most of the “fast” folks had finished the race by this time, us turtles were allowed to listen to music if we desired. I popped in my iPod nano and trucked down the road at a great pace for miles 14.5 through 17. I didn’t stop once and was feeling great, relatively speaking.
But what almost always happens about this time in a marathon: THE WALL!
I have hit the wall in other Tri’s and races before. I even knew it was coming. But I have NEVER felt that bad before in my life. It was beyond horrific.
From miles 17 through 18.5, I wanted to throw up, my stomach dropped out, was completely light-headed, could barely move my legs, had nothing mentally in me to push and just wanted to sit on the nearby bench and die. I think I walked for at several 5-minute stretches before shuffling again. “Just make it to Amy. Just make it to Amy.” Finally, I saw her sitting under the lamp post waiting for me and knew everything was going to be alright. I had pressed though it. She walked beside me and prayed for me. She then tightened the backpack and jogged a good half-mile with me. I don’t think I ever want to experience that 20-30 minute period again for the rest of my life.
Once past it, I finished lap 3 and saw mike-lady near the finish line calling out names. And again, she got the crowd to cheer me on for my final lap. And oh how delightful that final lap was!
I saw Amy back at the bridge where I had just left her. Told her that I was going to be okay and would be at the finish line soon. Go and wait there for me!
Miles 20 through 25.5 were absolutely amazing! I turned on some more worship music and connected with Jesus in such a sweet way. Obviously the course was pretty much a ghost town by this time. That enabled me to sing out loud and praise Him while still encouraging all the other tail-end stragglers out there. Plus, I didn’t stop once to walk during that final lap. I found my easy 12-minute-mile pace and kept it up. And for some reason, I think I passed at least 10 people on that last lap. Can’t even begin to describe how great it felt.
For some reason, when I was about ½ mile from the finish line, I started to get nauseous and light-headed again. I was staggering a little bit and got somewhat concerned. Then I realized that I was afraid of success. I was about to accomplish a huge feat that I had been training for years on, and got really nervous for being successful. Once I pushed those thoughts out of my head, I pressed on that final 0.2 miles to the finish line.
The Finish
I wasn’t quite sure if there would still be anyone left in the stands waiting at the Finish Line for all of us stragglers. But I did know that my wife was there waiting for me! As I turned the corner, I heard the music blaring and noticed at least 100 people still waiting around. It was fantastic! And faithful microphone lady was ready to call out my name.
“All the way from Texas, and with the longest transition time in the bike area, here comes Padgett to the finish line!”
Cheers & cheers, high 5’s from those waiting, the overhead clock reading 14:51:00 (minus 20 minutes cuz I started in a later wave) and my faithful wife standing right next to the line videoing the finish. As soon as I crossed that finish line, they put a medal around my neck and handed me my shirt that says, “2011 FINISHER”
I don’t think I will ever be able to fully describe how I felt when I finished. The joy, the relief, the sense of accomplishment… Words can’t begin to describe how I feel after completing a life goal.
Misc
* For my birthday, I got a Texas cycling jersey specifically to wear for this event. Throughout the day, esp during the run, I would hear people yelling, “Go Texas!” or “Hook ‘em Horns!” It felt so awesome to represent the great State of Texas here in Spain!
* During the last month of training, numerous aspects of my body felt like they were breaking down on me: one of my big toes, my left ankle, both my hamstrings, my left bicep and then pulling the muscle in my back about 10 days before the race. I guess overtraining can do that to you. I spent the last week before the race doing very little. And I also asked numerous folks to pray for my health. I am able to say that not a single thing bothered me the entire 140.6 miles except for my right hamstring wanting to tighten up with 3 miles to go. (These couple of days after the race are a different story. My legs are aching!)
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Recovery/Taper Phase
After a very hefty week, I am finally at the recovery / taper phase of my training. With only 29 days to go until the big event in Barcelona, my body is starting to break down and rebel.
This past week were several larger swims, a bike up to Ifrane (where the chain busted again and I didn't have the joy of returning down the hill), and an 18.5 mile run. This morning was a light 30 mile bike to stretch out the legs and grease up my new chain.
In regards to the bike, Simo and I were planning on a 6-hour ride. We humped it up to Ifrane in a little less than 3 hours without stopping. Three weeks ago, I did the same trek and stopped twice for 5 & 10 minutes. Overall it took 3:15 riding time, but 3:30 total. I was very encouraged by the strength in my legs, the ability to breathe just fine and how much I still had in my tank when the chain broke up at the top of the mountain. Really buggered that I didn't get to return, but was greatly encouraged mentally.
In regards to my run, I started out at a nice easy pace. I was actually focused and engaged within the first mile. Normally it takes about 3 - 4 miles for me to fully get focused and in the groove. It wasn't until mile 7 or 8 that I realized I might be able to hit 13 miles around 2 hours. I pressed on and was able to complete the first 13 in 2:04:00. By far the best time I have ever run. I realized that on a race day for a half-marathon, I really could post under 2 hours. That's encouraging. I finished the final 5.5 miles just fine. At the end, I was still able to get my pace below 9 minutes/mile. And the amount I still had in my tank was outstanding. Overall, my pace was 9:45/mile. That is way faster than I have ever done on a long distance run. Greatly encouraged again.
To be able to finish my final push week posting some of those times and distances, I am mentally encouraged and excited. Now I need to rest my legs, my arms and my mind for a couple of days. Then I need to keep pushing on and finish the training strong. But not over push myself. Trust the training plan.
This past week were several larger swims, a bike up to Ifrane (where the chain busted again and I didn't have the joy of returning down the hill), and an 18.5 mile run. This morning was a light 30 mile bike to stretch out the legs and grease up my new chain.
In regards to the bike, Simo and I were planning on a 6-hour ride. We humped it up to Ifrane in a little less than 3 hours without stopping. Three weeks ago, I did the same trek and stopped twice for 5 & 10 minutes. Overall it took 3:15 riding time, but 3:30 total. I was very encouraged by the strength in my legs, the ability to breathe just fine and how much I still had in my tank when the chain broke up at the top of the mountain. Really buggered that I didn't get to return, but was greatly encouraged mentally.
In regards to my run, I started out at a nice easy pace. I was actually focused and engaged within the first mile. Normally it takes about 3 - 4 miles for me to fully get focused and in the groove. It wasn't until mile 7 or 8 that I realized I might be able to hit 13 miles around 2 hours. I pressed on and was able to complete the first 13 in 2:04:00. By far the best time I have ever run. I realized that on a race day for a half-marathon, I really could post under 2 hours. That's encouraging. I finished the final 5.5 miles just fine. At the end, I was still able to get my pace below 9 minutes/mile. And the amount I still had in my tank was outstanding. Overall, my pace was 9:45/mile. That is way faster than I have ever done on a long distance run. Greatly encouraged again.
To be able to finish my final push week posting some of those times and distances, I am mentally encouraged and excited. Now I need to rest my legs, my arms and my mind for a couple of days. Then I need to keep pushing on and finish the training strong. But not over push myself. Trust the training plan.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The bleary after the sickness
Earlier this week, I was on track for a very hefty week of distances. On Monday, I knocked out a nice 6 mile run. Tuesday saw me ride for 20 miles, swim for 2500 meters and then run in the afternoon with the kiddos for a few. The morn of Wed, I endured 3500 meters in the pool, then pulled up a little early due to a tiny pain in my bicep. Didn't want to push it too hard.
But then the stomach bug hit that afternoon and I was incapacitated for 48 hours by some major D. The worst I have experienced in many years. Think I lost close to 10 pounds in 3 days.
So today I wanted to get back into the swing of things. A nice 10-miler helped this morning, but I could tell by the end that I am still not back to 100 %. I felt fine, just a little on the slower side. No worries.
Think I am sad, though, that half a week of major workouts got taken from me. Wasn't able to run 3.5 hours like planned or bike for 5 hours today. But I will make those happen this next week. Should push fairly hard for the next week and a half or two, then start my taper.
But then the stomach bug hit that afternoon and I was incapacitated for 48 hours by some major D. The worst I have experienced in many years. Think I lost close to 10 pounds in 3 days.
So today I wanted to get back into the swing of things. A nice 10-miler helped this morning, but I could tell by the end that I am still not back to 100 %. I felt fine, just a little on the slower side. No worries.
Think I am sad, though, that half a week of major workouts got taken from me. Wasn't able to run 3.5 hours like planned or bike for 5 hours today. But I will make those happen this next week. Should push fairly hard for the next week and a half or two, then start my taper.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
From Meknes to Rabat
88.5 miles
5:13:30
About 17.5 mph
Strong head wind for the last 35 miles
And I still felt great upon arrival at Mark's door. Could have easily popped on my running sneakers and gone for a stroll.
5:13:30
About 17.5 mph
Strong head wind for the last 35 miles
And I still felt great upon arrival at Mark's door. Could have easily popped on my running sneakers and gone for a stroll.
Friday, August 5, 2011
oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...........
I just finished running 17 miles in 3 hours. And my dogs are barking so loud. Guess I have run many long distances in the past few months. Sure could tell today. Why do we do this to ourselves?
Monday, August 1, 2011
...but at least 20 people didn't cross the finish line.
The Rabat Sprint Tri a couple of days ago was a lot of fun, but fairly warm. Like usual, they like to try do different things in this country. So the event actually started at 3pm. I think it was one of the first events they have thrown. Numerous reasons to support that theory:
* no t-shirt or medal or anything given to the participants
* complete lack of communication in regards to details of the event
* only handed out water throughout the event
I really didn't know any of the details until about 3 minutes before the start of the race. And even then, 1 official told me 6 loops on the bike and another told me 7. But got it figured out before the horn sounded.
The swim was about 250 meters, with 70-100 people jumping off the same dock and flailing their way to the first buoy. It was a little scary watching some of these folks try and swim. But I actually passed loads of people. Then climbing up the dock was like trying to scale a fence, but after swimming.
The bike was tough. Right out of transition was the first of the six climbs on this hill. Couldn't even get the legs working in time. But overall I was happy with my time. I still was slower than most, but I did average over 18mph. First time in a race. I am slowly getting better.
Finally, the running portion came around. Since there were so many cars being held up, the police finally let the cars go right before I completed my first of 2 laps. As I finished that lap, the race officials told me to finish early. Whatever. I complete what I set out to complete, not quit early.
That is the main reason that I ended up being dead last in this race. Because I chose to complete the entire race, not just cut it short because of a little traffic.
The Rabat Sprint Tri a couple of days ago was a lot of fun, but fairly warm. Like usual, they like to try do different things in this country. So the event actually started at 3pm. I think it was one of the first events they have thrown. Numerous reasons to support that theory:
* no t-shirt or medal or anything given to the participants
* complete lack of communication in regards to details of the event
* only handed out water throughout the event
I really didn't know any of the details until about 3 minutes before the start of the race. And even then, 1 official told me 6 loops on the bike and another told me 7. But got it figured out before the horn sounded.
The swim was about 250 meters, with 70-100 people jumping off the same dock and flailing their way to the first buoy. It was a little scary watching some of these folks try and swim. But I actually passed loads of people. Then climbing up the dock was like trying to scale a fence, but after swimming.
The bike was tough. Right out of transition was the first of the six climbs on this hill. Couldn't even get the legs working in time. But overall I was happy with my time. I still was slower than most, but I did average over 18mph. First time in a race. I am slowly getting better.
Finally, the running portion came around. Since there were so many cars being held up, the police finally let the cars go right before I completed my first of 2 laps. As I finished that lap, the race officials told me to finish early. Whatever. I complete what I set out to complete, not quit early.
That is the main reason that I ended up being dead last in this race. Because I chose to complete the entire race, not just cut it short because of a little traffic.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Breaking the 10% rule
Bike - 4.5 hours
Run - 20 minutes
As I get into the longer distances, the age-old recommendation is that you do not increase your distance each week more than 10% from the previous week. Obviously this is to help prevent injuries from sneaking up and knocking you out. Last week, I did about 62 miles in 4 hours on the bike, primarily due to the tough wind and climb of El-Hajab. This week, though, I decided to go for 4.5 hours and see where that got me.
I started out at 5:30am so as to be done before the heat of the day. Unfortunately, the lights on all the roads start getting turned off about that time. On 3 different streets, it went from a well-lit bike ride to complete darkness. And with all the potholes and broken glass bottles everywhere, let's just say that first 45 minutes of my ride was on the slower, safer side.
Then it was back home to fix my breaks that squeaked louder than the grand taxis. But once that was done, it was off to the coffee shop to meet up with my biking buddies. As usual, they strolled in at a leisurely, late pace. But I knew that wasn't going to last long.
Once we were going and outside of the city, they were gone. The trek they chose for the day was new to me. And lots of hills accompanied that. At one point, they all waited for me to catch up. Hashuma!!! Get going and don't worry about me. I will pull up the rear...again. On the way back down the hills, I stayed up for a while, but still remembered that I had another 1.5 hours to tack on after they were done. Wasn't gonna be a race for me today.
The wall hit me about mile 50, and then the challenge began. I was thankful for a tougher ride. It was a push mentally as well as physically. But in the end, I knocked out 75 miles. That included a very slow first hour. Was thankful that in the end, I averaged about 17.5 mph. For me, that is great.
The final 2.5 mile run afterwards was more of a slow, warmup and stretching run. But by then, it was 11:15 in the morning and getting pretty darn hot.
Run - 20 minutes
As I get into the longer distances, the age-old recommendation is that you do not increase your distance each week more than 10% from the previous week. Obviously this is to help prevent injuries from sneaking up and knocking you out. Last week, I did about 62 miles in 4 hours on the bike, primarily due to the tough wind and climb of El-Hajab. This week, though, I decided to go for 4.5 hours and see where that got me.
I started out at 5:30am so as to be done before the heat of the day. Unfortunately, the lights on all the roads start getting turned off about that time. On 3 different streets, it went from a well-lit bike ride to complete darkness. And with all the potholes and broken glass bottles everywhere, let's just say that first 45 minutes of my ride was on the slower, safer side.
Then it was back home to fix my breaks that squeaked louder than the grand taxis. But once that was done, it was off to the coffee shop to meet up with my biking buddies. As usual, they strolled in at a leisurely, late pace. But I knew that wasn't going to last long.
Once we were going and outside of the city, they were gone. The trek they chose for the day was new to me. And lots of hills accompanied that. At one point, they all waited for me to catch up. Hashuma!!! Get going and don't worry about me. I will pull up the rear...again. On the way back down the hills, I stayed up for a while, but still remembered that I had another 1.5 hours to tack on after they were done. Wasn't gonna be a race for me today.
The wall hit me about mile 50, and then the challenge began. I was thankful for a tougher ride. It was a push mentally as well as physically. But in the end, I knocked out 75 miles. That included a very slow first hour. Was thankful that in the end, I averaged about 17.5 mph. For me, that is great.
The final 2.5 mile run afterwards was more of a slow, warmup and stretching run. But by then, it was 11:15 in the morning and getting pretty darn hot.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Hill Climbing
One of my major weaknesses on the bike, esp when I am with all my Roc buddies, is climbing hills. I can easily keep up with them on the flat and downhill portions. But once I hit a little hill, they are gone! It's like a 50 lb. cement bag is dropped on my shoulders and I just lose all my speed.
And as I look at the site for the Tri in Barcelona, along with some youtube videos of the race, I notice that there are going to be some light climbs along the way. I am treking over the Rockies and scaling a volcano. But I am going to have to climb some.
So yesterday evening I decided to go over to one of the hills near our house and do some intervals. I don't know how far it is from bottom to top or what sort of grade hill it is, but I do know that it feels pretty long.
Deciding ahead of time what the workout will consist of is one of the best things for me. Internally I had agreed upon 10 treks up the thing. But I decided I wanted to sit in the saddle for half of them and stand to push for the other half. So we alternated.
Times from bottom to top
Standing:
2:15
2:06
1:55
1:50
1:55
Sitting in the saddle:
1:45
1:50
1:55
1:55
1:52
Wasn't too tired at the end. Guess I could have done another 10. Maybe soon!
And as I look at the site for the Tri in Barcelona, along with some youtube videos of the race, I notice that there are going to be some light climbs along the way. I am treking over the Rockies and scaling a volcano. But I am going to have to climb some.
So yesterday evening I decided to go over to one of the hills near our house and do some intervals. I don't know how far it is from bottom to top or what sort of grade hill it is, but I do know that it feels pretty long.
Deciding ahead of time what the workout will consist of is one of the best things for me. Internally I had agreed upon 10 treks up the thing. But I decided I wanted to sit in the saddle for half of them and stand to push for the other half. So we alternated.
Times from bottom to top
Standing:
2:15
2:06
1:55
1:50
1:55
Sitting in the saddle:
1:45
1:50
1:55
1:55
1:52
Wasn't too tired at the end. Guess I could have done another 10. Maybe soon!
Open Water
Yesterday, Thomas and I headed outside of Ifrane to a great little lake for an open water swim. After quite the off road adventure (in a Peugeot Partner no less), we arrived at this beautiful pond. Numerous kiddos from the little Berber village had to see the foreigners drive up and change into their wetsuits. But we knew that we were going to stick out no matter what we did.
After getting used to spotting the faraway tree line, we set out on our hour-long swim. What a delight it was to swim out in nature, not worrying about folks jumping on you in the pool or waves crashing over your head. It was so refreshing being out there.
And then the amazing family that watched our belongings on the side of the pond and our car, invited us into their humble home for some great Mint Tea and some of the best bread I have ever eaten. Did that stem from a 2,000 meter swim, or was it the incredible apricot jelly and pure virgin olive oil that we had to dip into. I don't know, but it was well worth the 1.5 hour drive and adventure to find this lake.
After getting used to spotting the faraway tree line, we set out on our hour-long swim. What a delight it was to swim out in nature, not worrying about folks jumping on you in the pool or waves crashing over your head. It was so refreshing being out there.
And then the amazing family that watched our belongings on the side of the pond and our car, invited us into their humble home for some great Mint Tea and some of the best bread I have ever eaten. Did that stem from a 2,000 meter swim, or was it the incredible apricot jelly and pure virgin olive oil that we had to dip into. I don't know, but it was well worth the 1.5 hour drive and adventure to find this lake.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Registered
Last week, I officially registered for the Challenge 2011 Calella on Oct. 2nd. I am now in the full throws of training for my first Iron Distance Tri. A little less than 3 months till game time.
Got a great apartment for the week, have purchased my really cheap tickets, nailing down childcare so Amy can come watch for the day.
It's all coming together, and the nervousness is right there. Every once in a while, I think I am crazy and there is no way I will be able to make it. At other times, I think realistically and am aware of how challenging it will be mentally on that day. Trying to stay focused for 13+ hours.
I need to go into that day mentally prepared, as well as physically.
Got a great apartment for the week, have purchased my really cheap tickets, nailing down childcare so Amy can come watch for the day.
It's all coming together, and the nervousness is right there. Every once in a while, I think I am crazy and there is no way I will be able to make it. At other times, I think realistically and am aware of how challenging it will be mentally on that day. Trying to stay focused for 13+ hours.
I need to go into that day mentally prepared, as well as physically.
Long Weekend
Just changed training plans!
The ONTRI wasn't really doing it for me. They didn't give any specifics on workout sessions. Just go for a set amount of time. But then I went to beginnertri.com or something like that. Their training plan was much more detailed. Just a few weeks behind on distances than I am already at.
So I am just trying to transition to this new program.
Over the weekend, I worked on lengthening my distances.
Saturday - run 2:30:00
I did a great job on this run, except for running out of food and money at the 2 hour mark. That last 30 minutes, I could feel my stomach dropping out and crying for food. It was pretty rough that last stretch. But since I wasn't worried about speed, more about time, I spent most of it at an easy clip. I did leave a little too early in the afternoon. A good chunk of that run I had the 85 degree sun right in my face. But once I turned the corner to head home, it became much easier. All told, I think I almost hit 15 miles.
Sunday - bike 4:00:00
I specifically focused on nourishing my body every 20 minutes. Lots of Goo packets, Cliff & Granola bars. I could tell by the last hour I was losing the mood to keep eating. Lacked the desire to eat any more. But since I only knocked out about 65 miles, I could tell that continually nourishing for the remaining 47 will be a major discipline. That's why I need to keep working on it. Had it not been for the fierce headwind (that seemed to hit me from every direction I turned), I think I could have shaved at least 30 minutes off my final time.
But I did make it to the top of Al Hajb for the 2nd time. That is one tough 4-mile hill with no place to break. And I was still able to make it back home with no problems. Because I had nourished myself so well, I felt great upon arrival at my door. My legs were naturally a little tired, but internally and mentally, I felt great. Gotta keep focusing on that nutrition discipline.
The ONTRI wasn't really doing it for me. They didn't give any specifics on workout sessions. Just go for a set amount of time. But then I went to beginnertri.com or something like that. Their training plan was much more detailed. Just a few weeks behind on distances than I am already at.
So I am just trying to transition to this new program.
Over the weekend, I worked on lengthening my distances.
Saturday - run 2:30:00
I did a great job on this run, except for running out of food and money at the 2 hour mark. That last 30 minutes, I could feel my stomach dropping out and crying for food. It was pretty rough that last stretch. But since I wasn't worried about speed, more about time, I spent most of it at an easy clip. I did leave a little too early in the afternoon. A good chunk of that run I had the 85 degree sun right in my face. But once I turned the corner to head home, it became much easier. All told, I think I almost hit 15 miles.
Sunday - bike 4:00:00
I specifically focused on nourishing my body every 20 minutes. Lots of Goo packets, Cliff & Granola bars. I could tell by the last hour I was losing the mood to keep eating. Lacked the desire to eat any more. But since I only knocked out about 65 miles, I could tell that continually nourishing for the remaining 47 will be a major discipline. That's why I need to keep working on it. Had it not been for the fierce headwind (that seemed to hit me from every direction I turned), I think I could have shaved at least 30 minutes off my final time.
But I did make it to the top of Al Hajb for the 2nd time. That is one tough 4-mile hill with no place to break. And I was still able to make it back home with no problems. Because I had nourished myself so well, I felt great upon arrival at my door. My legs were naturally a little tired, but internally and mentally, I felt great. Gotta keep focusing on that nutrition discipline.
Friday, June 24, 2011
So tired
Swim - 1000 meters
I am so tired. This heat is getting to me. Could barely make the 1000 meters today, and that was in the water in the AM. But I am having a rough week. Guess I better eat better and get lots of rest before my 4 hour bike ride on Sunday.
I am so tired. This heat is getting to me. Could barely make the 1000 meters today, and that was in the water in the AM. But I am having a rough week. Guess I better eat better and get lots of rest before my 4 hour bike ride on Sunday.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Improvements
Bike - 2:00:00
Swim - 3500 meters
Yesterday, I took the normal route around the city and out the Marjane road. The handful of times I have done this route, I normally make it to the larger roundabout at 1:15:00. One time, I actually made it in 1:12:30, but I think it's cuz I didn't do my beginning warm-up lap. But yesterday was a little different. I felt better on the bike, I climbed the hills a little easier and I made it to that same spot in 1:08:30. It's not a race-winning speed, but it is a little bit of an improvement for me. Little by little I will be aiming to knock off some of my time.
At the same time, this morning was my longer swim day. I went into it planning on hitting 3500 meters, and I got out of the pool at about the 1:20:00 mark having completed the 3500 meters. The more encouraging part in the whole thing was that I did it without my flotation device, the amazing wetsuit. In it, I really do feel like a torpedo. But I trudged my way through the whole thing today, taking some 10-second breaks every 1000 meters.
And then that 1.5 hour nap that I just awoke from...INCREDIBLE
Swim - 3500 meters
Yesterday, I took the normal route around the city and out the Marjane road. The handful of times I have done this route, I normally make it to the larger roundabout at 1:15:00. One time, I actually made it in 1:12:30, but I think it's cuz I didn't do my beginning warm-up lap. But yesterday was a little different. I felt better on the bike, I climbed the hills a little easier and I made it to that same spot in 1:08:30. It's not a race-winning speed, but it is a little bit of an improvement for me. Little by little I will be aiming to knock off some of my time.
At the same time, this morning was my longer swim day. I went into it planning on hitting 3500 meters, and I got out of the pool at about the 1:20:00 mark having completed the 3500 meters. The more encouraging part in the whole thing was that I did it without my flotation device, the amazing wetsuit. In it, I really do feel like a torpedo. But I trudged my way through the whole thing today, taking some 10-second breaks every 1000 meters.
And then that 1.5 hour nap that I just awoke from...INCREDIBLE
Friday, June 17, 2011
Getting Hotter !!!
Run - 1:55:00
Couldn't get out on my run till I got the kids to school at 8:00 am. Then I was scheduled to knock out 1:55:00. Let's just say that it is warming up here quickly. Just last week, it was in the mid-80's. In the matter of a few days, the temp has jumped up to the high-90's. But thankfully I was able to still get out while the sun was at an angle. Most of my run consisted of finding the shady spots and spending time in them. Wasn't all that bad.
Was able to settle in at an easy 10:00/mile pace. I felt fantastic until the last couple of miles, then I could feel my legs and knees getting a little weary. Was still able to finish right around 11.5 miles.
But these long workouts are getting so boring!!!! Esp since I am choosing to workout without any music or other distractions. Not only am I training my body, I am really working on strengthening my mental fortitude. Staying focused for that long is the real challenging part.
Couldn't get out on my run till I got the kids to school at 8:00 am. Then I was scheduled to knock out 1:55:00. Let's just say that it is warming up here quickly. Just last week, it was in the mid-80's. In the matter of a few days, the temp has jumped up to the high-90's. But thankfully I was able to still get out while the sun was at an angle. Most of my run consisted of finding the shady spots and spending time in them. Wasn't all that bad.
Was able to settle in at an easy 10:00/mile pace. I felt fantastic until the last couple of miles, then I could feel my legs and knees getting a little weary. Was still able to finish right around 11.5 miles.
But these long workouts are getting so boring!!!! Esp since I am choosing to workout without any music or other distractions. Not only am I training my body, I am really working on strengthening my mental fortitude. Staying focused for that long is the real challenging part.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Swimming the Distance
Swim - 3 km
It does take a while to swim nearly 2 miles, esp at my pace. But I am getting faster and having a wetsuit on does help immensely. I was pretty happy with my splits, esp since the last was almost as quick as my first. But I still have a lot of speed to make up.
First 1000 meters - 19:45
Second 1000 meters - 21:15
Third 1000 meters - 21:40
I am getting there. I could have swam the last 800 meters no problem, but will wait a couple more weeks to get up there. I believe I need to get in at least 3km every time I swim. That sounds like a great base to work from.
But oh how tired I was throughout the day after that swim. I didn't nap, but could have gone to sleep for the night at 5:30pm. I made it till 9:15 barely, but that sleep was delightful.
Little by little I am getting these distances down.
It does take a while to swim nearly 2 miles, esp at my pace. But I am getting faster and having a wetsuit on does help immensely. I was pretty happy with my splits, esp since the last was almost as quick as my first. But I still have a lot of speed to make up.
First 1000 meters - 19:45
Second 1000 meters - 21:15
Third 1000 meters - 21:40
I am getting there. I could have swam the last 800 meters no problem, but will wait a couple more weeks to get up there. I believe I need to get in at least 3km every time I swim. That sounds like a great base to work from.
But oh how tired I was throughout the day after that swim. I didn't nap, but could have gone to sleep for the night at 5:30pm. I made it till 9:15 barely, but that sleep was delightful.
Little by little I am getting these distances down.
Coaches are tough
My friend Simo is one tough guy. He has been my buddy for a while now, but when we get on the bike, he specifically told me that we won't be friends until we get back into the city limits of Meknes. The first time he told me that, I was a little confused. We were right outside of Al-Hajb, about an hour bike ride from our city. I didn't fully understand and thought it must be the language barrier that was challenging. But once we got moving, I fully understood his meaning. A coach is a coach and a friend is a friend, and never shall thine two meet during training.
The other day, I had an hour ride scheduled with him. He keeps taking me on these routes around the town that I have never been on. So this day, I wanted to take him on one of my routes cuz I knew it and knew when the relaxing spots would be. As we were exiting the city, he threw his curve ball and told me of a different trek close by with a few hills.
LIAR!!!!!
Within 5km, we were heading down this long, large hill that I knew wouldn't end. Eventually it did and I knew that would be a tough climb to get back home. What really got me was at the bottom of that hill, immediately we had to start another climb. This one was as steep as what we just came down, but it was at least twice as long. I don't know how long or steep that climb was, but it took a very long time to get to the top. And then at the top, guess what...
He only gave me about a 5-minute rest before we had to turn around and head back. So, down that hill and back up the first, much steeper hill. Talk about exhausting. I reminded him several times that the race I am shooting for is more of a flat track. Also, that I want to finish my Iron Distance, not win the thing. By the time I got home, I could barely walk. And the temp being around 95 that day never does help anyone.
The other day, I had an hour ride scheduled with him. He keeps taking me on these routes around the town that I have never been on. So this day, I wanted to take him on one of my routes cuz I knew it and knew when the relaxing spots would be. As we were exiting the city, he threw his curve ball and told me of a different trek close by with a few hills.
LIAR!!!!!
Within 5km, we were heading down this long, large hill that I knew wouldn't end. Eventually it did and I knew that would be a tough climb to get back home. What really got me was at the bottom of that hill, immediately we had to start another climb. This one was as steep as what we just came down, but it was at least twice as long. I don't know how long or steep that climb was, but it took a very long time to get to the top. And then at the top, guess what...
He only gave me about a 5-minute rest before we had to turn around and head back. So, down that hill and back up the first, much steeper hill. Talk about exhausting. I reminded him several times that the race I am shooting for is more of a flat track. Also, that I want to finish my Iron Distance, not win the thing. By the time I got home, I could barely walk. And the temp being around 95 that day never does help anyone.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
In front of people...
After all these years of riding a bike, it finally happened to me. Those clips on the bottom of the shoes that are always necessary and beneficial backfired in front of a group of people.
I have started training on the bike with the guys on Sunday mornings. This group has been riding a long time and the only time I can keep up with them is on their warm-up. How embarrassing! But I am getting better and better. On the downhills and mostly on the flats, I can keep up. It's the hills that generally separate them from me.
A few days ago was out 70km ride up to the top of Al-Hajb and back. I definitely had the paddy wagon covered. No one was going to get behind me. Once we got to the top, I noticed half the group fully rested and waiting for me. But they were there cheering for me. On the ride back down, I was able to keep up with them (with a few pushes on the back from someone.) It wasn't until about 5km out that I just couldn't keep up anymore. So I let them finish their race as I slowly came hobbling into town.
As I was pulling in, I noticed the group of guys sitting under a tree waiting for everyone (ME) to finish up. As I came up to stop alongside, they were cheering again, but I didn't notice too much cuz at that moment, I unclipped my left shoe, but was too exhausted to get the right one out. In front of the group of 12, I then proceeded to lean to far to my right and fall onto my side and back with the bike on top of me.
I think I heard the roar of laughter come up, but was way too beat to care. I am sure they have done that once or twice. But it sure is a healthy feeling to be humbled in front of a group of people from time to time. That keeps your head down in reality.
But I am getting faster and faster as the days go by. Hoping to keep the bike time on October 2nd down to around 6 hours vs. 7-8 hours. I think that 18.6 mph over 112 miles is very doable if I can just let these guys train me well.
I have started training on the bike with the guys on Sunday mornings. This group has been riding a long time and the only time I can keep up with them is on their warm-up. How embarrassing! But I am getting better and better. On the downhills and mostly on the flats, I can keep up. It's the hills that generally separate them from me.
A few days ago was out 70km ride up to the top of Al-Hajb and back. I definitely had the paddy wagon covered. No one was going to get behind me. Once we got to the top, I noticed half the group fully rested and waiting for me. But they were there cheering for me. On the ride back down, I was able to keep up with them (with a few pushes on the back from someone.) It wasn't until about 5km out that I just couldn't keep up anymore. So I let them finish their race as I slowly came hobbling into town.
As I was pulling in, I noticed the group of guys sitting under a tree waiting for everyone (ME) to finish up. As I came up to stop alongside, they were cheering again, but I didn't notice too much cuz at that moment, I unclipped my left shoe, but was too exhausted to get the right one out. In front of the group of 12, I then proceeded to lean to far to my right and fall onto my side and back with the bike on top of me.
I think I heard the roar of laughter come up, but was way too beat to care. I am sure they have done that once or twice. But it sure is a healthy feeling to be humbled in front of a group of people from time to time. That keeps your head down in reality.
But I am getting faster and faster as the days go by. Hoping to keep the bike time on October 2nd down to around 6 hours vs. 7-8 hours. I think that 18.6 mph over 112 miles is very doable if I can just let these guys train me well.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
I did it !!! (the half at least)
Here's an email that I sent to some folks an hour after finishing the race in Portugal:
I had done the half ironman distance in my city about 5 months ago, but I have officially crossed a finish line at that distance. I completed the race in a little over 6.5 hours. I was 2 minutes faster than the other time. We will thank the Lord for sending another slow guy to this race named Kevin from the UK. We spurred one another on the last 5 miles of the run.
The swim was normal: getting hit and kicked for 40 minutes by numerous people, all while inhaling cold salt water. I almost couldn't get out of the water cuz my hamstrings locked up on me at the end.
During the bike, I literally passed 5 people. I got passed by 300-400. A beast of a slow climb hill in the middle we had to fight 4 times. On the last lap, I shook my fist at it.
Then came the half-marathon. Started out strong, then got out of the transition station and had to begin the 13.1 miles. Again, 4 laps on a beautiful park road. The main problem was at the end of each lap, you could either go another 50 meters to cross the finish line or turn right to start the next lap. That's like showing me a Dr Pepper and telling me to wait an hour to drink it. Torture, esp at the end of lap 3.
And then the wall hit me. I was going to slow to hit it, so it came after me. BAM! I had encouraged Kevin for the past 2 miles, then he carried me. I was content walking the last 3, but he wouldn't let me. Btw...there were only a small handful of people left. Not a lot of cheerers by that time. But we slodged our way to the end.
6:37:15 was the official time. I then noticed the podium for the winners and apologized to it for not getting to stand on it this time. But if there were some sort of prize for placing in the Top 10 from the bottom, give me that medal.
Then I was given a teal "finisher" shirt. Dumb luck.
Thanks for all the support. I need to go eat my second dinner in less than 1 hour. I am starving.
Chris
I had done the half ironman distance in my city about 5 months ago, but I have officially crossed a finish line at that distance. I completed the race in a little over 6.5 hours. I was 2 minutes faster than the other time. We will thank the Lord for sending another slow guy to this race named Kevin from the UK. We spurred one another on the last 5 miles of the run.
The swim was normal: getting hit and kicked for 40 minutes by numerous people, all while inhaling cold salt water. I almost couldn't get out of the water cuz my hamstrings locked up on me at the end.
During the bike, I literally passed 5 people. I got passed by 300-400. A beast of a slow climb hill in the middle we had to fight 4 times. On the last lap, I shook my fist at it.
Then came the half-marathon. Started out strong, then got out of the transition station and had to begin the 13.1 miles. Again, 4 laps on a beautiful park road. The main problem was at the end of each lap, you could either go another 50 meters to cross the finish line or turn right to start the next lap. That's like showing me a Dr Pepper and telling me to wait an hour to drink it. Torture, esp at the end of lap 3.
And then the wall hit me. I was going to slow to hit it, so it came after me. BAM! I had encouraged Kevin for the past 2 miles, then he carried me. I was content walking the last 3, but he wouldn't let me. Btw...there were only a small handful of people left. Not a lot of cheerers by that time. But we slodged our way to the end.
6:37:15 was the official time. I then noticed the podium for the winners and apologized to it for not getting to stand on it this time. But if there were some sort of prize for placing in the Top 10 from the bottom, give me that medal.
Then I was given a teal "finisher" shirt. Dumb luck.
Thanks for all the support. I need to go eat my second dinner in less than 1 hour. I am starving.
Chris
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