"Don't Stop Believing" Journey to Ironman

Ironman Training Week 1

This is week one of my 20-week IM training schedule. Except not for me!

I'm finishing up a 18 week Half Ironman training block, and expected to do a race on 7/5. Thing is, we have the chance to go up to our Maine house a few days early, and I just can't resist being in paradise. There is no doubt that the race goes. Oh well. And now this puts me betwixt and between training plans. I think I'll do this...

Finish off the HIM training, including the taper. Do an "epic" day in the hills of Maine, and call it a wrap. At Endurance Nation (EN) where I train, there is always a "transition time" between training blocks, so I'll take the next 10 days to chill, go easy, and workout as I feel before recommitting to the structure of a schedule. Sound OK? I hope so.

My EN buddies will be on their way, and I'll drop in in week 5!

Training and Low Iron Issues

Drat it all! I have a long history of battling low iron, and it looks like it's back. A recent test showed my ferritin stores at 33, with the bottom of the normal range being 30. I know I've been more tired than usual the past few months, and I guess now I know why.

But here's the good news! It was my gyn who did the blood test, and is on my side to get it corrected. Whereas my primary care doc says over and over, "you're in the low normal range," my gyn said, "To hell with the 'normal range'. With what you love to do, the 'normal range' is not good enough for YOU." Wow, a doc who gets it.

After much griping with my PC doc, I finally got a referral to a hematologist. And a hematologist who, as it turns out, is a marathoner at that! (Law of Attraction at work for sure!) He echoed the same sentiment as my gyn--for me the low normal range is not good enough. He believes I would feel much better, and am a proper candidate for iron infusions. We're talking 200x the amount of oral iron given intravenously. My body says, "aaaahhhh" just thinking about it.

The bad news--stupid insurance. You won't believe the circuitous route I have to take to get the infusions covered. In conversation with the hematologist, it's clear that I have restless leg syndrome (RLS) at night. RLS is a sure sign of low iron. Insurance WILL cover infusions for RLS if linked to low iron. (Who knew?) But before I get clearance, I have to go do a sleep study night in a lab!!!! We're talking video camera monitoring, and electrodes, the whole ball of wax.

Unfortunately, I don't see the sleep doc for another month. I have to have a consultation before I can schedule the sleep study. I wish all this could happen sooner. At this rate, I won't get any infusions until August or so. By that time, I'll be starting to get deep into the IM training. The timing could be better, but I'm going to stay positive that I'll finally get some pep and feel better.

I KNEW something was off. I KNEW I always needed help with my iron levels, and I KNEW if I were better fortified in this area, I'd just feel stronger--triathlon training or not. I'd pursue this even if I didn't have an IM in the offing. I need this help.

My take away lesson is this. If you know something is off in your body, listen to it, and fight for what you need. It's no fun going up against this mess we call health care, but finding the right help can be done. I almost walked out of the hematologist's office, sitting there surrounded by chemo patients. "What am I doing here," I worried. But the doc reassured me I needed to be there as much as anyone.

I love my triathlon lifestyle, and don't want to give it up because of one doc who is unwilling or unable to think outside the box. I'll keep you posted on how this all goes. For sure, this is going to be a new experience!

Ironman Coeur d'Alene Cold Water Swimming Tips

Lots of talk over at my training place Endurance Nation (EN) about the cold lake waters at Coeur d'Alene. I heard a tip about keeping warm I want to pass on, and add a few of my own.

At past Ironman races, a few of the EN athletes used those chemical warmers in their neoprene caps, and in the toes of the swim booties to help keep warm. I'm not sure what happens when the warmers hit the water (I think they need air to work), but it might be a strategy to pre-warm before diving in.

This tip led me to thinking that you could also put a couple of warmers in your bike shoes in the early morning before the race begins. They'll heat for several hours, so you can just dump them out, and your shoes will be warm as you begin riding. I think I'd dump a handful into my transition bag, wrap my clothes around them, and change into dry, warmed togs before heading out. I notice they sell a large "body warmer" size! Might help stop the shivers a little sooner!

I think I need to buy some stock before the race...

Lake Couer D'Alene Water Temp 49 Degrees

Brrrrrr!!!!! I know all you athletes racing Coeur d'Alene in a few weeks know about the water temps. Here is a recent TV news report confirming the cold temps, and the fact that IMNA will allow neoprene caps and swim socks. They will likely require all athletes to wear a wetsuit. Best go stock up on all the neoprene you can find!

Bike Fit Series--Post 3--Using Retul In Time Trial Bike Fitting

Welcome back to the Bike Fit Blog Series!

In this post, we'll see two videos documenting the final stages of the time trial bike fit using the Retul Fit System. We’ll watch our volunteer Nolan Watts get wired up to be analyzed. The Retul sensors on the rider's body allow master fitter Husam Sahin to make the corrections that take Nolan from his before to after position on the bike. We’ll also learn a bit more about how the Retul system works overall.

Husam also has some valuable words setting up a racer’s power position as perfectly as possible. He also talks about the relationship of power and aerodynamics.

USING RETUL IN TIME TRIAL BIKE FITTING

FINAL TIME TRIAL BIKE FIT ADJUSTMENTS

Previous Posts
Series Introduction; The Laser Jig, and the Argon Fit Bike.
Introduction to the Retul Fit System

Coming Up
Dartfish Video and How to Pick A Frame
Husam Sahin, Owner of ATA Cycle Riffs on Bike Fitting in the US
Customer Nolan Watts Reacts to the Fit of His New Look 496

ATA Cycle
Husam Sahin, Owner and Master Fitter
93 Thoreau St., Concord, MA  978-369-5960
1173 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA  617-354-0907

Husam Sahin is known across the country as the go-to fitter for cyclists serious about getting the proper bike, whether they be recreational riders or Olympic athletes. In fact, Husam recently fit USA Olympic triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker who will compete in Beijing this summer, as well as his wife, Canadian champion Alicia Kaye. Customers fly to the ATA Fit Lab from all over country to work with Husam. He uses the cutting-edge technologies including the Retul Fit System and Dartfish videos.

Thank You
A huge thank you to Nolan Watts, who was kind enough to allow us to film his bike fitting. Nolan is tearing it up in the Boston area on a gorgeous Look 496. We wish him many happy, safe, and happy miles!

 

The End of Flat Tire Nightmares?

Did you know about a product called Vittoria Pit-Stop? These are, quite possibly, the most beautiful words I have ever read:

Vittoria Pit Stop is a pressurized cylinder filled with compressed gas and polymer foam sealant. You carry the cylinder with you in a bike bag or jersey pocket. When you have a flat tire you simply open your valve stem, press the nozzle on the Vittoria Pit Stop canister onto your valve stem and press toward the tire to release the compressed gas and the liquid foam sealant. Both substances shoot into the tire under pressure. The gas inflates the tire while the foam sealant flows into the puncture and instantly dries, sealing the hole and fixing the flat.

I'm sitting here thinking--are you kidding me??? Something like this exists and might work???? And I didn't know about it?????  You don't need to take the wheel off (think the rear one), or use any tools! If this isn't intervention from the Divine, I don't know what is. On top of everything else, I've heard from a couple of people that it actually works!

Yes, I can change a flat, but I really don't want to in an Ironman, or any race for that matter. It gets even more complicated when you have bad close up vision. I don't need glasses for far away, but I can't see the details of tire changing very well. I just refuse to carry a pair of "readers" in my tool bag!

This could be the stuff that peaceful dreams are made of. I, for one, am ready to lose the race-day-flat-tire nightmares. I'm going to give it a try and report back.

Here's the review I read at Bike Sport Michigan.

I also welcome any other suggestions that have changed your cycling life!

Free Webcast: Training and Racing the Half Iron/70.3 Distance

My boys at Endurance Nation, coaches Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann, did it again in this FREE hour-long webcast on "Training and Racing the Half Iron/70.3." As promised, the presentation covered:

• How to structure your training

• Key workouts to execute

• Race day strategies

• Pacing guidance

• Racing as an “A” race or as Ironman preparation

EN members were invited to take part in the live audio/web presentation on Sunday evening through a conference call. Then we had the chance to ask individual questions at the end. That event was also offered FREE to EN members. These hour-long talks with the coaches are just a small part of the ongoing services we athletes get over at Endurance Nation.

Click here, and you can download the audio and PDF presentation. You can also try out their free two-week trial membership, but that is not required to download the webcast. Have fun planning a great '08 season!

Vision Boards--Create It, See It, Believe It, Receive It

Have you ever created a vision board? Do you know what one is?

A vision board is a powerful tool that helps you focus and create what you desire in life. You find that most successful people, whether they be athletes of entrepreneurs, use some version of a vision board--no matter what they may call it. A vision board is a simple thing--a piece of cardboard, foam core, or cork board upon which you put the things you desire most in life. It allows you to focus daily on your deepest desires, and attract them into your life.

Think it doesn't work? I'm looking at my vision board as I type and see that two items need to come down since they were attracted and attained. One item involved contact and work from a client I have not heard from in eight years. They called me two days ago with a nice piece of work and a chunky contract. Nice.

I'll be using a vision board for the first time to guide me through the Ironman training and racing. I came across an interesting blog post on Tim Ralston's Vision Board Blog about athletes using this technique to attain their goals after training harder and harder and getting nowhere. It's an interesting read. He has a unique site that introduces the concept of vision boards in a more in-depth way.

Wonder what's on mine? Well, at the moment, Ironman-related things include:

• A photo of a Kuota tri bike
• The phrase--Greens, Grains, Protein--to help with my sugar addiction
• A photo of Desiree Ficker, who looks like the fittest strongest triathlete I can imagine
• The phrase Web-Based Business, to guide me to do something new
• The word "sleep" because it's part of training, and I have trouble with insomnia
• Run Like an Antelope Out of Control--a reference to the Ironman run and my son's advice
  
  AND FINALLY...my super secret goal...
• 12:59:59--Someday, I would like to break 13 hours in the Ironman!

Go ahead, get a piece of foam core find pictures of your deepest desires and give them form. See them and feel them deeply every day. Envision that new job, that new house, that injury healed--even an elusive PR--and you'll be amazed to see what happens.