Training for the race basically started in June. Since January I had been on a training program leading up to a 100 mile trail run in mid-May, and I didn’t want to deviate from that program. So for four months, I lifted weights and did mostly interval runs.

Once recovered from the 100 miler, I figured it was time to start training. I took the tri bike off the race and took it in for a fitting, which included new shoes (they were 10 yrs old and basically made of cloth), pedals, seat, and aero bars. Later came a chain and cassette to handle the rolling hills of Wisconsin.

I was fine doing running workouts, but was set on not going long, or doing typical marathon training.

It was a little harder to get in the pool. I averaged 1x a week and bumped it up to 2x the last 2 weeks before heading to Madison. I also squeezed in an open water swim (to test out a borrowed wetsuit) Labor Day weekend.

Minimalist training? To a degree, yes, but I spent a majority of my time lifting. Around that schedule, I tried to fit in 2 workouts each of swim, bike, run.

Having been to Madison 3 times before (02, 04, 05), I knew the course and wasn’t too worried if I would be ready or not. Most people would look at my training leading up to it and figure there would be no way I would finish.

Longest swim, bike, and run were 800m, 60 miles, and 10k. I did most of my long rides on the Computrainer, choosing the 40 mile loop of the Ironman Wisconsin course two times, and doing the 16 mile out/back section 3-4 times.

The week before the race, I wrote down my splits from those previous years and put out there my goal splits and finish time – 1:30, 7:30, 5:00 (including transitions) for a 14 hour finish. Do able? I was about to find out.

Split up the drive to Wisconsin into 2 days with a quick layover at relatives in Illinois Wednesday night. The next few days were low key – checking into the hotel, resting, stretching, and getting registered. I tried to stay away from the Ironman village as much as possible, and all the hype that surrounds it. I did a practice swim Thursday to test out a second wetsuit (sleeveless), and was in the water all of 20 minutes before deciding I’d wear that over the full suit. Later that day I headed out on the bike course in Cross Plains for an easy 30 minute spin. I had the new chain and cassette put on the week before and this was the first time on the open road. It seemed to shift fine even though I didn’t test out any of the hills in that area.

The negative about the ride was the pain I got in my back post ride. I’d been getting it the last month, and for the last few weeks it nearly crippled me. I had difficult time breathing, sleeping, and getting up off the ground. I got through the days with icy hot patches and through the nights slathered in BioFreeze. Additionally, my IT band started acting up causing my glutes to seize up nixing most running. I did a 5K mid August, finishing under 30 minutes, and called that my last long run. Pretty much shut down all running after that. Now how about that chance of finishing?

Race morning was pretty low key even though the nerves were starting to build. Breakfast was pretty typical – some fruit, 2 hard boiled eggs, bacon. Keep the music in the ears while dropping off bags, filling water bottles, and pumping tires. I timed the walk down to the water so I was only floating for less than 5 minutes before the canon went off. The first 200m were chaotic as always with some elbows to the head and chest and being elbowed, but it comes with the territory.  At the first turn I finally got in good position close to the buoys, and by the start of the second loop I realized there were numbers on the buoys which made it easier to count them. Out of the water and stripped, I was behind on my time and ran up the helix and into transition. I had a long run from my bag to the change room and almost fell on the slippery carpet. I had an equally long run out of transition to my bike in the 7^th rack from the bike out, but tried to make it as quick a transition as possible.

It took awhile to get my heart rate down, and as I rode out of aero position for the first mile, I realized how tight my right tricep was, and hoped it would loosen up by the time it got to the hills. I also noticed how lopsided my aero bottle was. The bungee cords weren’t holding it up very well. I ditched that at Special Needs. Nutrition was haphazardly put together based on what I’d done in the past for previous IMs and ultras – concentrated CarboPro in gel flasks (~600 cal per flask), Sports Legs pills, and Salt Stick pills. Goal was to take a flask each loop, three SL pills every 3 hours, and 1 SS pill an hour. I hadn’t really planned out hydration, but tried to drink before I was thirsty. I stayed as relaxed as possible and, knowing how my back had bothered me on previous rides, I tried to stretch my neck out until I could feel the stretch in my back. I also had problems with cleat placement (numb toes), and wiggled my toes as much as possible. Everything I did was in prep for getting off the bike as pain free as possible. Seeing my family and friends on the course was always a big boost, too, and more so on the second loop when I didn’t know where they would be and things were getting down. I was happy to start the stick section back to Monona Terrace and picked it up after cresting the final hill. I was done with them. I dropped to my small chainring up front early and often and made good use of that 27 tooth cassette in the back. At one point I realized my legs felt pretty good and it felt like I had just been spinning the entire time. I was fine with that and started to mentally transition to the run.

Another long transition run from the bags to the change room, but this time I tried to not fall in my bike shoes. I took a few extra minutes to get some Vaseline under my arms after chafing pretty bad from my jersey and the wetsuit. I left transition drinking coconut juice and brushing my teeth – heaven! – and feeling ‘knots’ in the bottom of my feet. Not good.

The thought of a marathon was daunting. I used my Garmin for the bike but nixed it for the run, where I went with a regular watch and just kept mile splits. The numb toes from the bike were still slightly numb, but it felt like I was running on rocks instead of the balls of my feet, right where the pedal was located. I had this feeling almost the entire run and it made running difficult as it later turned to a hot spot. Having dealt with sore feet during 100 milers this was nothing new to me, but I ran on dirt or on grass as much as possible for some relief. I also walked a lot. I tried to keep it at mile markers and aid stations, but later I would run for as long as I could, then walked with a purpose for awhile before running again. Nutrition wasn’t an issue as I stuck with the flasks again, but hydration was as I was pretty dehydrated and feeling the heat. I took advantage of the sponges and only drank water at the aid stations. Still continued with the SL and SS. My stomach never gave me problems, and I had included a crushed Maalox in each flask for flavor, color, and to help with any stomach issues – or I just have an iron stomach. The halfway point was difficult as you start to head down the final finish chute before turning around about ¼ of the way down. The cheers lift you to keep going, but, man, it’s tough knowing you still have many miles ahead while others are finishing. From my run special needs bag I grabbed a new gel flask, can of coconut juice, and some jerky. Eating real food was just about as refreshing as brushing my teeth while coming out of T2.

I cut back on the salt tabs, but still took in only water at every aid station. I knew a lot of people out on the course, so it was uplifting to get a thumbs up or ‘good job’ from a familiar face. I never hit the wall around miles 18-22, but did get emotional when I hit State Street for the second time (mile 20?) and saw my wife, who I hadn’t really seen or had a chance to talk to at all. I walked with her for a bit and gave a brief update about my chafing, how I was feeling, and how it was tough not seeing her as often as I thought I would. She said I was doing great, my splits were holding steady, and that I’d finish before 10pm. We parted and I continued to plug away running when I could for as long as I could and walking with a purpose. And even though it was dark out, I never took one of those stupid glow necklaces. My pace slowed a little, but at that point I was ready to be done and tried to run more often for longer periods of time.

“Only 4 blocks to go” was still a long way up and around the Capitol, but it was a refreshing sight. I made sure to wipe my face with one last sponge and was greeted by my father before making the final turn down to the finishers chute, which I had by myself and could run with ease.

A finish time of 14:44:45 is about 2:20:00 slower than my PR at Wisconsin in 2004 (best year ever!). I was in great shape then, but I could barely do 5 push ups on my knees. This year I trained for almost 3 months – zero biking base, zero swim base. I would bike 2 miles to and from work every day, and that was what I had to build from. I think I was in the pool a couple times last year for 30 minutes a pop. I was injured the last 3-4 weeks (IT problems surfaced with no problems for over a year), and had other aches and pains show up with no warning. Stress? I don’t know. Fortunately, none of the problems I experienced the weeks (or day) before the race reared its ugly head, and I am very grateful.

Training for an Ironman is tough – physically and mentally and socially – and I can without a doubt say I was not 100% physically prepared. Having done IM Wisconsin 3x before, I knew the course and mentally knew what it took to deal with being in the water, on the bike, and on my feet for as much time as I was. I’m sure my swim stroke wasn’t the most efficient, and I’m sure I could’ve climbed the hills with ease if I rode more hills, and I know my run form was crappy most of the marathon, but my goal wasn’t to have perfect form.  I kept my head in the game – one buoy at a time, one hill at a time, one mile at a time.

I will happily take this time and know I beat out a hundred or so people who trained 10x as much as I did, but I’m sure there are hundreds who trained just as much – or less than I did – and finished before me. Good for them. We all had a goal to get to the finish line and we accomplished it.

I will admit that motivation to train for an Ironman has been up and down (mostly down) especially these last two weeks since I haven’t been able to run. Issues I had with my low back/glute that kept me from running the MMT 100 last year are back and in full force.  I’m thinking it has to do with my bike fitting, which I had a few months ago. I’m pretty flexible and it was set to a more aggressive position, but I think it’s hurting me instead of helping me. Going to visit my chiropractor – who fixed me in time for the Grindstone 100 last year – and hope he can work his magic in a couple of weeks. I’m also going to go back for another bike fitting to get things tweaked so my ride is a little more comfortable.

I’ll provide more detailed information of my Ironman training after the race – assuming all goes well at the doctor and I’m not broken!

Anyone else going to be at Ironman Wisconsin?

One of the drills we’ve done includes the use of a jump rope. You don’t heel strike when you’re jumping rope, so why would you do it when you’re running?

Try it out.

Jump rope in place, pull your heel up underneath, lean from the ankles, then run while jumping rope. Where is your foot landing?

Gearing up for a fall marathon? Looking to get some instruction on efficient running?

Weekly runs (and a weekend run) will be starting up again in the next couple of weeks. We will meet during the week around Lincoln Park or at The Mall at 7pm, and weekends will be TBD based on the workokut, but plan on them to start around 9-10am. As it gets warmer in July and August, we’ll move the start time up to beat the heat and humidity.

Stay tuned for more details!

Additionally, I’ll compile all 12 weeks into a PDF document to use again during the off season or even as a training program for anything from 5K – 8K – 10K - 10 mile distance.

Week Twelve

• Stretch – 3x a  week
  • Do the stretches from the previous weeks before and after the workout
• Drills – 3x through
  • - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G51OgoMqyQ
  • **Use the above as a guide. Email if you have specific questions, and record yourself doing the drills.
  • Ball of Foot hops – 15
  • Wall pulls  – 15 each leg
  • Forward Lunge – 15 each leg
  • 4 minute cadence run – count left leg pulls (minimum of 94 per minute) ** do 2x .
• Workout #1 – 8 x 200m, 2mR **Compare to week 2
• Workout #2 – 1 x 1 mile, 2 x 800m, 4 x 400m – 4mR, 3mR, 2mR
• Workout #3 – 5k TT **Compare to week 3

Week Eleven

• Stretch – 3x a  week
  • Do the stretches from the previous weeks before and after the workout
• Drills – 3x through
  • - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G51OgoMqyQ
  • **Use the above as a guide. Email if you have specific questions, and record yourself doing the drills.
  • Ball of Foot hops – 15
  • Wall pulls  – 15 each leg
  • Forward Lunge – 15 each leg
  • 3 minute cadence run – count left leg pulls (minimum of 92 per minute) ** do only one time.
• Workout #1 – 8 x 400m, 90sR
• Workout #2 – 3 x 1 mile, 3mR
• Workout #3 – 10k TT

• Stretch – 3x a  week
  • Do the stretches from the previous weeks before and after the workout
• Drills – 3x through
  • - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G51OgoMqyQ
  • **Use the above as a guide. Email if you have specific questions, and record yourself doing the drills.
  • Ball of Foot hops – 15
  • Wall pulls  – 15 each leg
  • Forward Lunge – 15 each leg
  • 3 minute cadence run – count right leg pulls (minimum of 90 per minute) ** do only one time.
• Workout #1 – 4 x 800m, 90sR
• Workout #2 – Tabata 20:10 x 8 – Try to do on a treadmill at 12% incline, 30-60 seconds slower than 5k pace.
• Workout #3 – 30 min tempo (15/15) – The first 15 min at 75% RPE and the second at 85% RPE.

Week Nine

• Stretch – 3x a  week
  • Do the stretches from the previous weeks before and after the workout
• Drills – 3x through
  • - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G51OgoMqyQ
  • **Use the above as a guide. Email if you have specific questions, and record yourself doing the drills.
  • Ball of Foot hops – 15
  • Wall pulls  – 15 each leg
  • Forward Lunge – 15 each leg
  • 2 minute cadence run – count right leg pulls (minimum of 92 per minute)
• Workout #1 – Tosh – 3 x (200m, 400m, 600m) – Rest the length of time it takes you to complete each distance. If you run 200m in :40, rest 40 seconds; if you run 400m in 1:30, rest 1:30, etc.
• Workout #2 – Hill repeats – 2 x 1 mile, 3mR. Rest for 1 min at the top, slowly decend, and rest for 2 more minutes at the bottom of the hill before repeating.
• Workout #3 – 10 mile TT. – Run. Fast

Week Eight

• Stretch – 3x a  week
  • Do the stretches from the previous weeks before and after the workout
• Drills – 3x through
  • - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G51OgoMqyQ
  • **Use the above as a guide. Email if you have specific questions, and record yourself doing the drills.
  • Ball of Foot hops – 15
  • Wall pulls  – 15 each leg
  • Forward Lunge – 15 each leg
  • 2 minute cadence run – count right leg pulls (minimum of 90 per minute)
• Workout #1 – 10 x 200m, 2mR
• Workout #2 – 4 x 5 min, 3mR
• Workout #3 – 8 mile tempo, RPE 16-18

I’m sure you’re spending time with family and friends this week, but try to take some time away from all the cookies (paleo, of course) and egg nog (rich with alcohol, of course) and get in your running homework.  There is a new drill this week that can be found in the same video as the one with the ball of foot (BOF) hops and wall pulls. Remember to keep your foot and ankle loose.

Next week, I’ll post some tips on how to stretch your lower legs and ankles.  See you in the new year!

Week Seven

• Stretch – 3x a  week
  • Do the stretches from the previous weeks before and after the workout
• Drills – 3x through
  • - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G51OgoMqyQ
  • **Use the above as a guide. Email if you have specific questions, and record yourself doing the drills.
  • Ball of Foot hops – 10
  • Wall pulls  – 10 each leg
  • Forward Lunge – 10 each leg
  • 1 minute cadence run – count left leg pulls (min of 92)
• Workout #1 – 2:1 x 6 – Run for 2 minutes, rest for 1, repeat 6x
• Workout #2 – 2 x 800m, 2mR; 2 x 1000m, 2mR.
• Workout #3 – 60 min TT. Cover as much distance as possible in 60 minutes.