As Bolder would say . . .

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

The Good:
Yesterday I had to go in to work early for my appointment with the FootMechanic. So I moved my morning swim to last night, right after one hour of kick-butt weight training with Jess. Swam 2000 yards (200 wu, 3x500, then 300 cd drills). It is now the next morning and I just got done with a 2-hour bike ride. I'm slow, but I look back to the beginning of 2006 and I couldn't even walk out my front door to my car in the driveway without being winded, exhausted, and having extreme back pain! And yes, rarely do I ever have the back pain that plaqued me for so many years! This is all soooo good!

I also found a bike shirt in size 4XL that will help in the heat! It fits well except it is, well, see below.

The Bad:
My feet! Ouch! When I got off the bike I could barely walk into the house. I have bruised or strained the arch on my left foot. If I was in Iowa today I would have not finished. I am going to ice it down in a few minutes. I need a very fast recovery or I may have to consider withdrawing, which would really bum me out. It hurts more than my right foot which has been the problem for so long. My left foot NEVER bothers me, what gives?

The Ugly:
My shirt. Fits rather nicely, looks good, feels great. But when I ride my bike, it rides up and pretty soon my stomach is poking out! Argh! So I tucked my shirt into my bike pants! Can you say D O R K ? Both options are just so, well, ugly! :-)

I have 3-4 days to decide on the foot and whether to go or withdraw, healing suggestions welcome!

The Foot Mechanic and the Cornman

My right foot is still hurting even with the "metatarsel bar" on my shoes. I hate my orthotics. Saturday I rode without them and bruised the arch of my left foot. Now both feet hurt. Tomorrow I am going to "The Foot Mechanic" at the U of Denver. He does the orthotics for the sports teams at the University of Denver, Colorado State U. and CU Boulder. I need some relief! I hope he can help me.

Only 9 days until the Cornman and I'm worried about the hills and the humidity. I have to admit I am more nervous about this race than the two previous ones. I am waiting to hear back from my nutritionist on my use of Endurolytes during the race (as in how many, how often). I will do a better job hydrating and eating right before the race (no tater tots this time!).

I will get to meet both Krissy and Danielle there (more blogger royalty). They have a great sense of humor!

Have a great weekend training (and living for that matter!)
Duane

Great Day Today

Okay, so much to tell, where do I start? First off, Momo and Benny are out on the IM course. Don't know Benny's bib # but he apparently rocked on the rough swim course and Momo did too! Pretty cool! Xtra, xtra, just watched Momo cross the finish line on Ironman Live, way to go Momo!

Kelly and I just came back from watching a local race called "My Way or the Tri Way", where you can choose the order of the disciplines and can even do 2 out of the three as long as you do three segments. We got to meet Tea who was doing the race and her husband Mike, and IronEric and his wife Nicole who were volunteering. What a great group of people, I must to get to know them all better (I wonder if any of them like beer?). Tea had a pretty decent race even with a bum knee and just getting over the flu!



There was a wheel chair athlete, and a Super Clydesdale (like me) named Pat! Had to stick around and watch him finish his first triathlon! Way to go Pat! You could tell there was a whole lot of emotion for him and his family. I can hardly wait to hear his story!




Still have to get in a brick workout of 30 walk/30 bike/30 walk, but I think I will let it cool off a bit! Have a great week!

Oh lest we forget - Wes and Dee Dee rocked the tri in Georgia!

Stupid

I do not like cell phones. I have one in case of emergencies and limited talking, I do not talk on them for long. I don't talk on it when I'm merging onto the highway, going through busy intersections, etc. I don't slouch over and drive 20 mph under the speed limit as some do because they are so wrapped up in their conversation. I like the bumper sticker that says "Hang up and drive!"

So what did I see on the way home from work? A guy riding a bike and talking on a cell phone! This is the second time I have seen this, but this one was great! The guy rides across the intersection holding his cell phone up to his ear yacking away and misses the little "on-ramp" and runs smack dab into the curb and goes down hard! I was just amazed. Then he jumps up and damn if he doesn't have the phone in his hand and he's talking on it again! AND, he didn't have on a helmet! As Forest Gump would say, "Stupid is as stupid does".

Kelly's Training

Kelly is back from youth camp and we went swimming tonight. She did 750 yds total and I had her sprint a couple lengths. Little turkey smoked me! 7 seconds faster that me! I'm gunning for her! These next couple weeks will be a lot of fun training with her. Her first tri is on July 14th - the Table Mountain Triathlon.

To say I am excited would be a huge understatement!

Addendum to the Race Report

I shared that Jay had called me on my cell phone and told me I was not in fact the last one on the course, that there was still a person out there. And as I thought, Jay, Blink, and their families stayed until the person finished! Kudos to them!

Topeka Tinman and Tater Tots!

First of all, Happy Fathers day to all you fathers! One of the best things about my life is being a dad!

Second, thanks to Diane for her support and driving and packing and organizing and ...

And thanks to Jess and Pete for their training me, and thanks to you bloggers for all your encouragement! I finished! I was in doubt for a while, I will get into the details shortly, but first, a bit more on the people who are triathletes!

I met 5 cool people at the race. The first was Mark, I don't know if he blogs, but Diane and I are sitting on this rock wall and Mark comes by and says" Hey, you're Duane! I read your blog"! Now how cool is that! Hey Mark! Then I get to meet Tri-Dummy (Jay) and his wife Amy! Very nice people! Jay is doing IM Wisconsin this year so you tri-bloggers need to meet up with him - great guy!

I also got to meet Blink after the race. He and Jay came out and met me on the course long after they had finished and walked in with me. They both believe in staying until EVERYONE finishes, they are adamant about it. Two solid guys for sure! I believe Blink came in 5th place overall and won his age group! We thought I was the last one on the course, and we had to drive back to pick up my youngest daughter, so we hit the road as as soon as I could muster up the strength to grab my bike and gear. We were driving out through town and Jay calls me and tells me their is still another athlete out on the course, I'm sure they were there waiting! That is what it's all about!

I also got to meet the cutest little gal but I didn't get her name. We encouraged each other out on the course and got to talking in the transition area after the race going to pick up our gear. She was about 20-25 and African American. We saw another African American guy earlier, it was nice to see a little color diversity mixed in with the ripped, fat, in-between, ex-hippys, GQs, old, young, and everything else you can imagine. She was talking about how beautiful the course was and what a great day it was. She had been taking in all the beauty of the day and relishing it. I knew what she meant (part of the time anyway). She said her friends who race never notice that stuff, they just get so focused. I liked her right away.

Then there was Bev, who I actually beat in from the bike portion. (I did beat in one other racer but he had bike trouble, his pump was broke and mine didn't match up with his type of valve, so he had to walk his bike in the last two miles - he passed me on the run later with a great smile and hearty encouragement). This was the 6th or 7th tri for Bev and she was always last - today she beat me and was so happy! I was happy for her too! I was way behind where she placed and they were going to take down the finish line and mat and she stood on the mat and refused to let them do it. She stayed to watch me finish too! Instant friend!

So now for the race report!

4:00 am- hot shower
5:00 am - leave hotel for race
5:30 am - pick up chip and get marked
5:35 - 8:30 am - sweat profusely, drink water, sweat some more, drink some more. Set up transition:
Hang out and observe:
Drink, sweat, drink, get ready for the swim:
The swim went well, I didn't panic and felt very comfortable. I wanted to finish under ten minutes and my time for the swim was 9:48. Ran into a couple people, got smacked pretty good once, and went off course once, but overall I was pleased But when I got out of the water I was DIZZY! Took a minute or so to get my land legs. I look at the pictures and see how big I am, I forget sometimes I am so large! But wait till all the fat comes off, I will be so much faster!!
Name: Duane Newton
Time: 2:45:00
Overall Place: 298 of 298
Place in Gender: 183 of 183
Place in Division CLYDE: 28 of 28

Swim: 9:48 Rate: 3:16 Place: 286
Trn1: 5:45
Bike: 56:02 Rate: 8.8 Place: 306
Trn2: 2:34
Run : 1:30:52 Pace: 29:15 Place: 295

The bike was all rolling hills and inclines. The guy who said the course was "pancake flat" must be doing drugs! I cranked on the downhills as much as I could to get up the hills as far as possible before going down to granny gear. I did make it up a couple hills in 1 or 2 gears higher than granny so progress is being made!

At mile 6 of the bike my left calf started to cramp. I stretched it on the pedal as much as I could. By the time I started the walk I was in serious pain. Ever have your calf cramp when it tightens up into a baseball sized knot? Man it hurts! I wanted to do the walk under an hour but it took about an hour 20 as I was doing the pirate walk! I had to keep my toes pulled up towards my knee and my heel pressed down so the muscle wouldn't cramp. Then I had to swing it out just a bit and felt like a pirate walking with a wooden peg. That was the longest three miles I have ever walked. And hot! And humid! OMG!

Finally at about 3 miles the cramp went away. Jay called my on my cell phone and said he and Blink were on the way out to meet me. They walked in with me which as very nice. Blink's family, Jay's family, Diane, and Bev were all there waiting and I made it! It was a lot shorter than my first tri, but it was every bit as tough or tougher to finish. I feel good about my effort.

Here are some more photos (the tater tots story is at the end):




















So, I went to Topeka without my dinner prepared. I was tired and we settled on a Sonic drive-in, I don't eat bread anymore and I needed some starches so I ordered tater tots - Sonic Sized. When they brought them out they were smothered in chili and cheese, but did I send them back? No, I indulged. And from 2 am - 3 am I could not sleep as I had a very bad stomach ache. Lesson learned, take my meals with me!

I also learned that I need some kind of race shirt that will let my body breathe and the sweat evaporate!

Thanks again for all you support and I hope you all have a really good week!
Duane

The Land of OZ

I've packed, visualized the race and transitions, and all I have left to do is rest and head out Friday morning to Kansas. We are going to leave about 6 am which should get us into Topeka around 2 or 3. We will check into the hotel, go to packet pickup at 4, then go see the course.

It's been 9 months since my first tri which seems very long ago. I've read about triathlon all winter and spring, blogged and trained (even when I couldn't walk), read about it, talked about it (my co-workers are now bored with it LOL), and now I finally get to do another one. I'm nervous yet I know I've put in the training. I'm glad it's a short one, especially for my first open water swim. I am going to try and meet Tri-Dummy and Blink, who are doing the long course at Topeka.

I thank you all for the encouragement you given me and I hope to have some pics and a race report up Sunday morning. Have a great weekend of training or racing!

Major Shrinkage (Brrr!) The Beast and a Small Victory!

First off, the pool was 76 degrees this morning! (can you say shrinkage?) Where's my comfortable 80 degrees? But this was a blessing after all, as the temp in the lake this next Saturday (and 3 short weeks after that) will probably be between 75 and 78. It was not so bad after a minute or so. By the time I was done I forgot it was cold. My body fat should protect my core temp pretty well, yes? LOL! Pete added two swim workouts for my taper, today was a short warm-up then 2x300, then 200 CD. Wednesday will be warm up, then main set is 10 x 50(20),then a CD.

I will start working on my list today of things to take/do for the race/trip and mentally going through the race using a lot of visualization. I hope to mark off state #2 out of my goal to do all 50 states by the time I'm 70.

The small victory yesterday was when I was riding. There is this small ramp leading up to a bridge that is about 20-25 yards long and is very steep, maybe a 25-35 degree slope and I never make it up it without having to get off my bike. Yesterday I made it up it 3 times! Hurray for granny gear!


Now I'm off for a "Very easy recovery spin on a flat course. Small chain ring only." one hour ride, according to the plan. One hour - recovery? Surely you jest! Small chain ring only? Well that's my usual modus operandi! . . .

. . . I'm back, took my bike in for a new tires (slicks) and further adjustment on my front dérailleur. Walking my bike out it kind of reminded me of a Wildebeast. And my seat is oh so comfortable! hopefully I will tear up the bike course like the beasts on the left (well, as much as a Super Clydesdale can!)

Have a good one,
Duane

Doctor Results

Just came back from the urologist. They have decided to attack the stone with drugs versus the sonic wave (or whatever it is). I start that protocol on Monday after collecting urine for 24 hours and having my blood drawn again Monday morning (oh goody!).

The surprising find to me was that I am severely dehydrated! I was way off the scale! Over 1.3 whatever that means. I am going to start measuring and recording how much I drink. I do it already with the food so it will not be a big adaptation.

The other big change is that I have decided to go gluten free (my dietitian agrees). I think this with the increase of water will help me break through this plateau of weight loss. Today was day one.

Today was my last swim before next week's race (1700 yards). I swam with my bike shorts under my trunks to see if they would stay up, I'm going to do that next Saturday and then strip off my trunks and I'll be ready to go!

I have a brick workout tomorrow (walk/bike/walk/bike/walk/bike) for a total of 1:30. Sunday is a one hour bike ride. Tuesday is a 30 minute easy ride and Friday a 10 minute walk and 10 minute bike to make sure everything is working. I am taking my bike in for slicks and a look over on Sunday afternoon. I think I'll get a massage on Tuesday.

Have a great training weekend!

Misc

First a shout out to the Winz who helped me get my bike straightened out! Thanks Andy! Finally put a computer on my bike to see how slow - er, I mean, how fast I ride. On my one hour ride yesterday, I had a max speed of 18.5 coming down a hill, kind of scared me! I haven't gone that fast on a bike since I was a kid! I don't know how people sustain that or more on the flats! My average speed was 6.6 but I included three hills that for me were very tough and I was blasting up them in granny gear at about 3.5 miles an hour. I made it to the top of them without stopping so I was happy. I think my average speed on the flats sections is about 9 miles an hour. I am going to try and take advantage of any down slope I can find. I'm not sure if I should coast and save my legs or if I should pedal and go faster. Your thoughts? Here is the ride course graphic:

Only a few days of training left, I am really looking forward to next week's taper!!!!

It's Getting Closer!

In less than 2 weeks I will be participating in my second triathlon, the Topeka Tinman in Kansas ( a mini-sprint). It has a 300 yard swim, an 8.26 mile bike, and a 5k. Quite a bit shorter than my first one but I get nervous at times thinking about it. It will be my first open water swim (except for fooling around in lakes in Arkansas when I was a kid). So today I was thinking that it seems like a lot of people panic on their open water swim. I’m thinking, okay, if I start to panic or hyperventilate, I can make it 300 yards hyperventilating or swimming on my back if need be, so I have decided that the swim should not be an issue.

What is sometimes an issue with me is being seen in my swim suit. I will just have to get accept it and hopefully I will inspire more people to make a change. I know at least 4-5 people have made huge changes or are going for their first tri because they saw my story. That really makes me feel good and is worth any embarressment I may feel June 16th! As Mary (who is totally awesome) shared with me: We must live our dreams in the bodies we have. We don't have to prove ANYTHING to anyone.

The bike is supposed to be pancake flat. I hope so, although some downhill action would sure be nice! My bike’s front derailleur is messed up and as much as I tinker with it I cannot get it to come out of the small chain ring without using both hands to press on the lever and then it only goes to the middle chain ring. I need to get that fixed and I am going to take off the tires with small nubs and replace them with slicks (I need any advantage I can get as I am slow as a turtle and I still have visions of the lady who must have been 60+ , blowing by me on last years tri and telling me to “Hang in there!” I laugh whenever I think about that! It really was pretty funny).

The 5k I will walk, I am hoping to do it under 1:20, but we’ll see. I will probably be last on the course again and I am fine with that, it is all about just finishing at this point.

3 weeks after Topeka is the Cornman Sprint in Iowa with a really killer hill and lots of “rollers”. I think the “rollers” will all seems like killer hills! I am going to bike up hills every time I get outside on my bike. I know I will probably not make it up the killer hill all the way without getting off my bike, but I want to make it up as far as I can and I want to make it further up the hill than at least one other person. Then I have 9 weeks of training before Glenwood Springs on September 9th. Then another 7 weeks until the SOMA Quarterman in AZ, in late October.

Today’s workout was swim 300 warm-up,main set: 4x 5minutes straight, and 200 kick cool down.
Tuesday is a brick workout of 15 minutes walk, 30 bike, 15 walk and 30 bike.
Wednesday is 30 minutes on the treadmill and then strength training with Jess.
Thursday is bike outside 1 hour.
Friday’s swim is 1700 yards with strength training in the evening.
Saturday is another brick of walk 10 minutes, bike 20, repeat three times.
Sunday is 1 hour bike outside.

Then it’s a taper week with Monday and Thursday off all together, Tuesday is a bike of 30 minutes easy, some core on Wednesday, and on Friday a 10 minute walk and then a 10 minute bike to make sure everything is operational. Then Saturday is the race. Now that I see how little training I have left before the race, I’m getting nervous again (I’m so silly sometimes!)

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but again I have to say thanks to everyone for their encouragement and support. I have met some really great people here in blogland and am making some really good friendships. Over the course of this summer I am going to be able to meet 6-10 more bloggers in person and that will be great!

Kelly is swimming tonight and biking tomorrow. She is doing great on her tri training and I am so excited to be training with her!

I hope you have a really great week!

Duane

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good: I only have one kidney stone and the Dr does not have to look inside my bladder with a camera! Hurray! Kelly is liking her training and we are having fun working out together. I have had a good week working out, just looked at my Training Peaks account and since 4/2/07 I have swam 22450 yds, I feel good about that.

The Bad: I have a kidney stone, 2 cm in size, ouch! I have to go in for a special x-ray next Thursday so they can see what kind it is. The treatment will be either drugs to disolve it or some kind of sonic wave to blast it apart based on the type. I should know on Friday afternoon. If we have to go the blasting route I may have to wait until I drop some more weight before the treatment, bummer!

The Ugly: People's attitudes. The PA is telling me that I may have to drop some weight for the blasting of the stone and maybe this is a good thing as it may help me change my ways and lifestyle and I should start exercising and drop some weight. How dare she assume! I wanted to say "you stupid (insert cuss word here)I work out 10-12 times a week and probably eat healthier than you do!" But I held my tongue and politely informed her I have already dropped about 80 pounds and work out 10-12 times a week, so no change will be necessary, thank you! Ugh! Maybe I'll show her my workout schedule for the past month just for fun!

Have a great weekend! Kelly and I will be doing some serious biking tommorrow! Yay!