Another Week Closer...

Week 8 of my training is complete!  This week was a recovery week, a welcome sight for me.  It is a time of less time training but still with sustained effort.

I need to get a photographer to go out and take pictures of when I am training, so I can post something other than words to my blog.  Here's a picture of something I have spent considerable time looking at lately, whether it be on my bike or on the run.  It has become an invaluable tool for me to track how I am doing. 

[I saved the picture the way it should look...for some reason, it did not come over that way]

I am going to have my daughter Katie put together a poster for me to put on my door, so that I can look at it to remind myself of the goal.  I had a poster on my door for Ironman Steelhead 70.3 last year that I looked at every day.  A good reminder, especially on days when I don't necessarily feel like getting up early or go do the second training session of the day.  I am going to put things on it to motivate and inspire me.

I recently moved my gym membership from the Y to LA Fitness.  It is less expensive, but, more importantly, it is closer to home.  Also, I rarely have to share a lane for swimming and they open early on Sunday.  It's all about timing and finding some of it to get a workout in.

I have enjoyed being able to ride a bike on a trainer this winter, as it is helping me get used to being on my bike and to get stronger.  I need to work on working the lactic acid out of my legs from running and biking.  I did a cool bath yesterday after my 10-mile run; it helped somewhat....can't do an ice bath...too cold for me and my heart.  I am considering getting compression tights to help me do this.  ...man, what an expensive sport! 

For those of you who want to see where and what I/we will be doing on August 26, here is a link to the IM Louisville website.

http://ironman.com/louisville#axzz1nWRXCbnL

While it is a long training period, I am glad for it, as it gives me time to get better and develop my endurance that I will need to successfully complete the race.

I am working on developing a calendar of races that I am going to do in preparation for the Ironman event.  Here's what I have so far:

April 15 Carmel Sprint Triathlon
May 5    500 Festival Mini Marathon
May 19  Geist Half Marathon
June 9    Muncie Man Triathlon - Olympic Distance
July 7    Muncie Ironman 70.3 - Half Ironman
Aug 26  Ironman Louisville

There are a few other events that I am considering, and will be working with Coach Sean to determine which ones are best to do.

One day at a time, one training session at a time, one week at a time...

Building The Base

Joe, Raj, and I ran 13 miles today.  13...already?!  It's only February 18th!  Don't question, just do it!  Trust the process.  I am glad to have people to train with, especially when we get to the long bike rides and bricks.  Good to have Ginger, Lu, and Shawn out running with us for a few today.

I do ask a lot of questions and get good feedback from coach Sean, which is good for me, as I want to learn.

It was a great day to run. 

This is the portion of the training where we are building our base of endurance so that we can be ready to hit the major training that is coming. 

My learning curve continues to be steep...lots to learn. 

This is the first time that I have ever done a bike trainer.  It's a great workout and not as easy as one would think. 

I am learning that I need to recover so that I can do the next day's workout.  That includes food and drink, stretching, and rest.  Also, I am thinking I need to do cool baths or get recovery tights so that I can work out the lactic acid out of my legs to reduce soreness the next day. 

I am finding that I am hungry more often now, so I need to eat more than I am used to.  

Tomorrow ends week 7 of training.  Next week is a step down week, to let my body recover from all of the training.  Intensity is still there; the duration of the workouts decrease. 

With having 16- and 12-year old daughters with active lifestyles, my wife, mother-in-law, and I are shuttling them to tennis and soccer and the rest of the things they are involved with.  Each day is full of activity, as well as figuring out when to get my workouts in...and work.

By the way, welcome to the IM Louisville team to Chad Sperry!...yes, Chad, I did mention you in a previous post...I wanted you to break the news to your wife, not me.  btw...get training, mister!

Adjusting on the fly...one day at a time...

I just completed week 4 of my training.  How time flies!

I am starting to settle in to a routine for my training (though the training is not routine).

I figured out that I needed another bike trainer, as the one I had been using is not working (or I have channelled my inner Lance Armstrong and all gears are easy).  Fortunately, Coach Sean is letting me use one of his trainers. 

I prefer to train early morning during the week, but that doesn't always work.  Also, when I travel, I will have to plan how and when I am going to travel.  My boss is supportive of my endeavor and allowed me to get out of a meeting in Chicago coming up (the meeting wasn't really necessary, in my opinion).

I'm sure some of you saw this You Tube video about triathletes and what they say.  Had to laugh, as I have heard most of them at one point or another. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KTEgLKhjIw&sns=em

(I couldn't get the link to work...just copy and paste it into a separate page if you want to watch it)

I know it sounds corny, but that is how I am approaching this journey...one day at a time.  I know the mileage and workouts are going to increase as time goes on.  I am focusing on what I have to do today and let tomorrow take care of itself.  [Deep Thoughts by Vince Auten...it's true, though]

My learning curve is high right now.  Even with all of the other training I have done, training to complete an Ironman is totally different. 

I am learning lots of new things, like how to set up my bike, GPS, nutrition, etc.  I feel fortunate that I have teammates that I can ask questions of.  There is no way I would have taken this on had Ellen had not okayed me hiring a coach.  The questions will keep coming, Coach Sean! 

I am looking into getting compression socks...not to look like an elite triathlete...to help me recover.  I am realizing that recovery will be important, so that I can successfully complete my next day of training. 

When I first saw that I would have to do strength and core training, I thought, "oh great, that sounds like fun...not!"  I am realizing how important that will be to me being successful in my training.  I realize that I need to get stronger, especially to help my swimming.  I think part of my shoulder soreness is due to not having enough upper-body strength, which is probably why my shoulders have been sore.  I realized when I swam today that having a strong core will help me swim more efficiently.  Again, my learning curve is steep!

I always thought I was a pretty organized person...this training is going to take that to another level...another notch (as per chef Emeril Lagasse').  Balance is another word that is part of my mantra.

By the way, welcome to Dru Sexson and Chad Sperry to the IM Louisville team! 

The more the merrier

The list of people who have signed up to do IM Louisville is growing...that's exciting!

Joe Abiog, Ginger Kobliska, Mark Ahonen, Raj Danala, and Polly Weitzman

It will be great having a big group of people doing the race, including having training partners (especially on the longer rides and runs).

We also have our own photographer and historian, Rachel Abiog!

There is one other person who is thinking about doing the race, but I will leave his name anonymous until he signs up.

Last night, we had a group social for Personal Best Training.  There was a lot of talk about doing various events.  If you weren't careful, Coach Sean or someone else was talking you into do a race, including IM Louisville.

This is week 3 of my training.  Today, I swam for an hour and ran for an hour.  Due to the weather, I had to run on the dreadmill.  I was actually glad, as I have been dealing with what I hope is not turf toe.  I am learning that there will be aches and pains and to not get too excited, as it is a long season.

I am finding myself getting hungry more often.  That will be a challenge going forward...to find food that will fill me up and that is good for me to eat with my training.

As some of you may know, I am a newer swimmer.  When I signed up to do Nation's Triathlon through Team In Training in 2009, I took beginner swim lessons at the Y.  I am still working on technique and endurance.  Some days, I feel like I am making progress, while other days I feel I have a long way to go.  I trust the process and coach Sean.  I might go to Indy Swim Masters and swim with others. 

I am keeping my mantra of "one day at a time, one training session at a time", not getting too far ahead of myself.  It is a long journey, but one I am ready for.

We watched the video of Kona World Championship last night.  When they showed people crossing the finish line, that reinforced my reason for doing (and completing this race...one of many reasons)...I want to hear my name being called as being an Ironman! 

Behind the Scenes

I need to take a few steps back to explain how I got to where I am today with this journey.

Last year, when I was training for Steelhead 70.3, I toyed with the thought of doing an Ironman.  My wife Ellen said that she thought it was inevitable that I would do an Ironman event.  I told her that if I were to do an IM, I would need a triathlon bike.  When she didn't flinch at my comment, I knew I was on my way if I wanted to do it.

Back in November, Ellen and I talked about the possibility of doing an IM.  The top two issues came up next; time and money. 

I had heard about the time commitment needed to train, but there were things to talk about and do.  When Ellen approved my endeavor, the topic of expenses came up.  She already knew that it was going to take significant amounts of time to properly prepare and train for the event. 

Long story short, Ellen figured out how we could pay for a triathlon bike.  Some of you might be wondering, "why do you need a triathlon bike?"  I have 112 reasons why.  Since I am going to be on the bike for 112 miles, I need to be able to be aerodynamic, efficient, and comfortable (well, relatively comfortable).  I found out that I needed all of the extras for the bike, including spare bike tube, C02, speedometer, training tire for riding indoors, etc.  It all adds up fast!  The bike became my birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, etc presents. 

That's just the beginning...the entry fee for an Ironman event is $600! 

We discussed and Ellen agreed that I needed a coach in order to successfully train for and complete the event.  I joined Personal Best Training and hired Coach Sean Edwards to prepare me for the IM event.  More costs but well worth it.  Coach Sean will be putting together my training schedule and monitoring my progress, as well as meeting with me and monitoring my training. 

Fortunately, I already had a YMCA membership, which is where I will swim (and sometimes run, when the weather outside is not conducive to running). 

Another cost that I needed to incur was a triathlon watch to train with.  While the one I had was good for running, it's battery life was not sufficient for my long training sessions to come.  Cha-ching!  I used Christmas and birthday money to finance that.

So...we're in and highly committed to doing the race...and maybe should be committed! 

Where am I doing my Ironman event?  Louisville, KY. 

http://ironmanlouisville.com/

With the expenses already adding up and many 2012 IM events already full, I decided on Ironman Louisville, on August 26.  While the weather will be hot, the location is only two hours from home.  That will allow me to go down and ride and run the course so that I can get familiar with it.  

When my daughter Katie heard I was going to do an Ironman, she said "we're going to Kona!" [as in Kona, Hawaii, site of the Ironman World Championship...I wish...]  I had to laugh.

For those of you who are not aware of what is involved with an Ironman event, it is a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2 mile run.  While I have completed nine marathons, I have never done them after swimming and biking those distances. 

Here we go!

I decided that I wanted to chronicle my journey towards becoming an Ironman, in words and pictures.

How and why did I decide to do an Ironman event?  I decided for many reasons.  A few of the top reasons was that it became a "bucket list" item, even though I do not have a formal bucket list written down.  Second, I wanted to hear my name called as I cross the finish line..."Vince Auten, from Indianapolis, Indiana, YOU are and Ironman!"

I watched Ironman Kona last November.  Amazing!  That is when I said I was going to do an Ironman.

My wife thinks I am crazy, but she is supporting me 110%...that's the only way I would be able to do this.

More to come.  I wanted to get my blog started.