UltramanX3: Operation - Blade Runner

Ultraman Canada 2010

2010-08-15T13:33:00.006-04:00

Well, that was big!
Definitely, top five life experiences.

Preamble
In 2005 I stumbled across a thread on Slowtwitch discussing big volume with some guy named Gordo making reference to a race called Ultraman. I clicked on his signature line and found Gordo World. What I was reading on the site made sense to me. My wife Les and I found a seminar in 2006 at the crossings in Austin with Brant Secunda (a shaman) and Mark Allen. We had a great time at the conference and who should be in the audience but that Gordo guy. I introduced myself and chatted briefly. Fast forward to 2008. The Ultraman bug had bitten. Tossed the teasers emails out to my training crew, knowing full well I could draw Trung and Sway into my trap. We all decided we would make it happen in 2010. I signed on for EC coaching in early 2009 after chatting with Gordo and outlining my plan to work towards Ultraman. I spent the last 18 months preparing. I was very happy to have a reason to train like I like to train. I have had good and bad training and racing days, but the majority have been good. I really found my rhythm after Silverman last year. I abandoned the pool, which I loath. I swam in the lakes (Les paddling for me in the most miserable of conditions)

and ocean consistently each week.

Rode and ran just like I like it, Big. The very smart EC coaching staff warned me about peaking to early in the season, however, the volume worked for me. I only got fried in the heat a couple of times this year (Du Dirty Du and Disney 70.3 come to mind).
I admire the discipline and attention to detail of the EC crew with all their data collection. I do believe that if I could ever get into the science I could go faster, just not sure if I would lose some of the joy of it all. I set the HR zones and occasinally checked in to see where I was at. The sweat rate was probably one of the most eye-opening exercses.
With occasional chiropractic from my friend, Dr. Kim Besuden and regular massages from my beautiful bride, I had no major injury issues.
Build to race went very well. With the leash pretty loose regarding volume, I never got my typical taper anxiety and irritability. I just wanted to be on the course and take it all in.

Getting there
Most of the Central Florida folks left Orlando Tuesday. Arrived in Kelowna late Tuesday night. All checked gear made it as well (I have a serious paranoia about checking bags). Les, Candice, and I drove along Lake Okanagan under a clear night sky with a gigantic moon. We arrived at our house in Penticton and it was right in the middle of town on Edmunton. I woke up early Wednesday morning still on Orlando time. Sitting out front of our house drinking coffee in the cool morning air, I had a awesome sense of peace. The mountains seen in the distance from the front yard, gave the same feeling of joy I had vacationing in Moab, Cody, Jackson, and Springdale. An hour run to loosen up the travel legs, more coffee, and I was ready to head for the lake. The lake was impressive, crazy deep. It was a little intimidating swimming out 500 meters off shore and seeing the light disappear into the depths. Back at the house bike reassembly was no problem and test ride went well. The anticipation level was palpable in a the house full of racers and crew.
On Thursday, the balance of the crews made it to Penticton. More Skaha Lake swims, short runs around town, and several short rides in the hills above town ensued. Friday was final prep day with a long pre-race meeting and breakfast. Support crews maps were reviewed. Nutrition was mixed. Coolers, bottles of water, PB+J sandwiches were everywhere. More twitchiness.

Off to bed early Friday night for a bit of sleep. See you on race morning.

It's GO TIME!!!

2010-07-30T16:07:00.003-04:00

The Ultra 4 and Rajesh - Penticton, Canada: IT's GO TIME!!!

The time has finally arrived...thousands of miles have been logged by "The Ultra 4"...Trung, Sway, Jamie and Stewie. Pounds of eload/carbo pro/hammer gel/muscle milk/Mix1/pb&j/beer/tofurky and who knows what else, have been consumed.

Tomorrow morning at 6:45 AM the gun will go off for the endurance race of our lives...ULTRAMAN CANADA!! The four of us will swim 6.2 miles, ride 260 miles and run 52.4 miles...and hopefully not more than that!! :-) Our crews will lead the way as we could not do this without them.

Some have asked...why are you doing this??? Many have stated...YOU ARE CRAZY!! My athletes have branded me with a new nickname..."ALIEN!!" Which I completely take as a compliment. :-)

There is more to this than the challenge of yet another endurance competition..."The Ultra 4" have set out to help a fellow athlete and crew member, Rajesh, to reach his athletic goal - KONA World Championships. Rajesh is a triple amputee, finishing his first sprint triathlon just over a year ago. In seeing him struggle on a set of walking legs, we decided as part of our Ultraman Canada Challenge we would help Rajesh by fundraising for a set of blade runners to assist him in competing more efficiently.

As "The Ultra 4" set out tomorrow for 318.6 grueling miles of British Columbia countryside, we ask you to do the easy part: Click here to donate: http://www.itsgotimeevents.com/

Cheers!
Sway

17 Days...another awesome swim

2010-07-14T14:06:00.008-04:00

Lake Conway swim w/ Mariah

Down to 17 Days. I think the days are getting longer now. Enjoying shorter, quality workouts. Today was a special treat having my daughter get up at 6AM to paddle for me. We finally made it to the water about 7:00AM...plans to swim 6miles.

The weather was perfect...morning coolness still felt in the air. The lake was as smooth as a mirror...not a ripple to be found...absolutely beautiful. After swooshing all the ants out of the boat we took off on our tour of Lake Conway. I was a little worried that the "snail pace" of my swim would be boring for the Alabama Rower. But Mariah was awesome staying by my side the entire time showing her excellent ability in the boat and getting some good pics along the way.

Midway into swim...a few ripples in the lake now...still moving along strong

Practicing race nutrition/hydration again. 0:30 = gu/special water; 1:00 = two thermolytes/special water/5oz muscle milk; 1:30 = gu/special water; 2:00 = two thermolytes/special water/5oz muscle mile; 2:30 = gu/special; decided here to finish up w/ 4.5 miles feeling strong and ready for more.

Mmmmmm...Hammer Gel!!

Pace was consistent and a little faster than my last few long swims. Nice bonus hearing my daughter sing while I swam, swam, swam. As we finished up a momma duck and her little ducklin's went swimming by...soooo cute.

Finished off the morning w/ a nice lunch at Mellow Mushroom and a movie with Mariah! Loving having her home for a few weeks. :-)

Now...the paddler must rest from the efforts of the morning...

Cheers!

Sway

19 Days and Waiting...

2010-07-12T12:22:00.008-04:00

Training has been steady since my last update. Counting the days...like a kid waiting for Santa to come!

7/3: Another 6 mile swim with Cherie...the best paddler ever! Nutrition was right on stopping every 30 minutes for a drink of my "special water", some gu and thermolytes; muscle milk was every 90minutes. Ibuprophen at 2 hours. The swim started off nice and smooth, but that only lasted about 90 minutes at which time the wind picked up causing the lake to be a bit choppy. Good training day ending with a 2 hour nap!!

All Done! Where's breakfast??!!

7/4: Our 120 mile ride cut to 75 miles due to weather. Headed out with my Augusta 70.3 group for the first 40 miles to introduce them to some nice rolling hills on Cherry Lake. Good Times! From there Trungster, Stewie, Pagie, her hubby and I headed to Sugar Loaf and Buckhill to finish our last 80 miles. My best crew ever...Elizabeth...headed out to provide us support...with the dark clouds rolling in we sent Elizabeth home and finished our ride short but strong. Definitely could have kept on going. Finished off with the Ultra 4 all meeting for breakfast at the Country Kitchen! Yep...all 4 of us together. You would have enjoyed that conversation...all 4 of us on adrenalin highs from all the training and anticipation of this ultra endurance event.....We came up with a little slogan: "Ultra 4 - Activate! Form of...." (you fill in the blanks with whatever you need at the time :-)

Augusta Group at Waterfront Park Ultra 4 - Refueling!!!

7/5: One last 30 mile run w/ Trungster and Stewie! Plan was to run at Clay Rd but w/ the 4 days of rain prior we opted to head out to the Western Way 12 mile loop that we so often ride our bikes on. 2 1/2 loops and we'd have our 30 miles. Was actually perfect weather for the run. A light drizzle the entire time kept us pretty cool from what could have been a melt down. Elizabeth was AWESOME! She had all my nutrition/special needs ready every 2 miles...didn't miss a beat. Finished the 30 miles w/ a 8:12/mile pace and HR at 129 average. Right on target as my last peak run before race day.

Whoo Hoo!! We did it!! Only 22.4 to go!!

Crew Elizabeth and 3 of the Ultra 4

7/11: Another good training ride. First 45 miles w/ Augusta group...boy are they getting strong! Then finished last 40 w/ Trungster, Stewie and Mike today in the rolling hills off Avalon, Porter Rd and Seidel and Western Way area. 85 miles averaging around 19.5 w/ stops. Good day for nutrition...Around 5 hours had 5 bottles of eload/carbo pro/thermolytes(230 calories); 1 bottle of water; 1 muscle milk (thanks Cherie & Nash!)

Now...only 19 days to go. This will be the hardest part for me w/ the reduced training I will be a bit on edge and anxious for race day. All part of training for a big race....refusing the temptation to go hammer out a 100mile bike ride because you are feeling so good!

Cheers!

Sway

28 Days and counting

2010-07-02T16:35:00.008-04:00

Yes...it's been too long since my last post. We are now 28 days out from Ultraman Canada(http://www.ultrmancanada.com/). I am now on edge...ready to get this thing done. The last 6 months have been challenging for me in many ways both physically, personally and mentally. In 28 days it will all come together...from the hours of training to the support of my wonderful crew! It will definitely be an adventure we will endure together. So lucky to have Cherie, Elizabeth and Rajesh behind me for this.

What's been going on....

The Du Dirty Du....Clay Road in Clermont: 10mile mountain bike; 10 mile run; 10 mile mountain bike. Super fun event...smoked the boys. :-) We raised $460 for Rajesh's legs! This will be an official event next year. Thanks to all those who came out.

Du Dirty Du...I think Mr. Turtle beat the boys too :-)Mega Swim at Lake Conway...6.4 miles. Thanks Ashley for paddling for me...let's make sure the ants are out of the boat next time. :-) I've done the distance...now if the cold water will treat me nicely all will be well.

Century Ride with Kimberly in the hills of Clermont. Great ride. Hit Sugarloaf/Buckhill twice along with the Wall and some other road I forget the name of that was 10 miles of hills X 2.

Blood Sweat & Gears Century Ride in NC...12,000 feet of climbing. WHoo Hoo! Finished strong in 6:35 ride time. Followed up the next day w/ 12.5 mile run w/ 2000 feet ascent. Feeling good!!! Is it race time yet???

A few of the BS&G Century Riders as they finished. Good times!

So...for the last long weekend of training before we begin our taper...here is what we have going on:

Saturday - 6.5 mile swim at Lake Conway. Our last long swim to make sure we have nutrition down. Cherie, bring your coffee and phone with a movie downloaded. :-)

Sunday - 120ish mile ride in the hills of Clermont. Last big push in the hills. I love Sugarloafing!

Monday - Clay Road run 30 miles. 5:30AM start. Perfect way to start the day...running as the sun rises. Done by 9:30...on the way to Big Momma's Pancakes! :-)

It's GO TIME!

Cheers!

Sway

Vegas

2010-06-13T18:15:00.003-04:00

Sorry no pics. The Verizon World Phone sure is durable but no camera.

A speaking engagement lead me to Vegas this weekend. Stayed at Paris. Nice enough hotel and good audience.
Got to Vegas early Friday and didn't speak until Saturday afternoon. Rented a car as soon as I got to the hotel. Took off for Lake Mead. Cooler weather had moved in Thursday, so suprisingly pleasant conditions. As you drive out of Boulder City, it is always a bit intimidating how far down the lake is. I drove to Boulder Beach. Filled up a couple water bottles and took off.Ran from the beach to the ramp used in Silverman and then up to the visitor center. Breeze was awesome and the run back down to thebeach was wide open. Lake Mead is always a great place to swim. Water was choppy and warm. I like to swim the buoys.
Once the workout was complete I headed for The Southwest Diner in Boulder City. It is where I always send anyone passing through. The Sante Fe Pancakes are as good as it gets. Drove back to Vegas and went to bed early. I styed on my Eastcoast clock and was up early Saturday. Enjoyed a beautiful sunrise heading back to Lake Mead. I decided to run from the visitor center up to Boulder City using the rails to trail path. Beautiful run up and then 'hauling the mail' coming back down. Many bike teams were getting their workouts in climbing the trail from the lakeshore. Drove down to the beach to swim. Was happy to discover with the wind and cool overnight temps the lake had cooled. Good excuse to use my sleeveless wettie that I had brought with me. One of the tri clubs was out with a bunch of newbies being kept safe by a couple of coaches in kayaks. A beautiful day and weekend, indeed. Two more big training weeks and I will begin to decrease the volume headed towards Ultraman. Feeling real good about the race.

2010-06-06T17:41:00.002-04:00

My swimming hole for the past 3 days.

Les and I had a great time at New Smyrna Beach for 3 days. Recovered nicely after my 3 day Ultraman test last week. Lots of sleep, healthy food, and a bit of training. I had perfect conditions for an ocean swim yesterday and today. Took full advantage. Also had a great 7.5 mile run yesterday.
Back to work tomorrow. Head to Vegas to speak at Paris this coming weekend. I can never pass up the opportunity to swim at Boulder Beach and run in Lake Mead WMA.

Right on schedule preparing for Ultramn Canada.
Jamie

Day 3 - The Test

2010-06-04T21:26:00.003-04:00

At the end of the LONG morning ride
This was my sweet reward for 3 tough days. Splendid.

Coach Gordo suggested that at some time in the build for UMC that I swim long on Day one followed by back to back long rides. So I rode long on Day Two. Day Two evening I hydrated and rested as much as possible. Day Three alarm went off at 6:30am. Laid there in bed recognizing that I had some serious fatigue and everything kind of hurt.

My plan was very shortsighted. I was going to get out of bed. Load up with breakfast, get fully caffeinated, load the bike sled, and start riding.
Some folks are built to be fast. I'm not one of those folks. What I rely on is determination, an addictive personality (I can't do anything halfway), and ADHD. Works for me and I would need all of it today.
Rolled out east towards UCF. I was unaware of the gazillion people descending on UCF for graduation. Rolled (slowly) through the University then south down Alafaya Trail. Wind was out of the south at 10mph, so tough riding. JulieJ has discovered a perfectly dreadful new piece of tarmac called Innovation Way. It is unshaded and tours between the power plant, trash dump, the prison, and a industrial park. Did two loops in the windy heat and it was time to start working my way towards home. Got buzzed by a sanitation truck for the third! time on Alafaya.

Made my way home with 84 miles. Interestingly, I had lower average heart rate (131) and averaged 18mph. Both less than Day two. This is typically a signof fatigue and I was.

Now off to New Smyrna for some ocean swimming, rest, and goofing off.
Jamie

View of the Crew - Elizabeth the "Organizer"

2010-06-03T21:55:00.001-04:00

So it was a fantastic three-day “Mock Ultraman Weekend” for Sway, Trung and Jamie who have been training for Ultraman Canada. Stewie, who is also prepping for the race, but was out of town, was also on our minds. Though we are cheering all of them on, Cherie, Raj, and I are crew for Sway. The goal for the weekend was to stay prepared to meet her needs for each of the segments of training. It is privilege to support Sway who is not only an awesome athlete and very dedicated to her training, but even more so an amazing person. If you know any of these athletes, you know that it is easy to hold each of them in high regard. We also had the good fortune to assist in supporting Trung at different times and the opportunity to take many pictures of him; this is the least we could do for someone who is an avid photographer of all of us throughout the tri seasons. Sway assisted us in supporting her by creating a spreadsheet of her needs during the swim, bike and run. The weekend culminated with a 30 mile run on the clay road on Monday. It was a hot day - we stopped every 2 miles the first lap for nutrition and hydration and then on the second lap we began to stop every mile. Sway did awesome, as did Trung and Jamie, who completed the mock training on a different day due to illness. Since we were there as Sway’s support crew, what stood out to me during the weekend was her strength, her consistent mental focus, and the time that she took to plan for and communicate the ways that we could best be of support.
But what also stayed in my mind was the care and spirit of those involved, athletes and friends alike. As these athletes show great care to the people in their lives, whether it is within the community, the training group, or with family and friends, it is privilege to assist. Other acts of kindness that were highlights of the weekend included Sherri’s hospitality and cooking for the athletes and crew for the weekend dinners, Keith’s venture to the store after his ten mile run to get more ice and water, Luc and Mike’s drive to check on the runners and crew and Sonny’s visit to the clay road with his son for the sole purpose of support. What makes this a fun and amazing endeavor is for Sway, Trung, Jamie and Stewie to reach beyond themselves to accomplish their Ultraman goal as well as to experience the sense of community and care of the athletes and friends as they reach beyond themselves to support each other.
The Organizer....Elizabeth

I've been everywhere, man.....

2010-06-02T18:15:00.003-04:00

This picture of me in my kitchen looking a bit shelled means I sendured my long ride today

I've been everywhere, I've been to Oviedo, Geneva, Lakr Harney, Snow Hill, Christmas, Taylor Creek, Lake Pickett, etc.
Slept in this morning. Kinda fun training like a pro this week. Big breakfast and fully caffeinated, it was time to train. Loaded up 'Toothless' with 4 hours of nutrition I was off to tour East Seminole and Orange County. Jere at Locomotion Bike Shop got me all set up with a replacement Profile Design Tri Saddle. It isn't as pretty as those Fizik saddles but it works for me. Rolled down Aloma Ave and when I got to Tuskawilla Road traffic was at a standstill. Went urban riding and jumped up on the sidewalk and cruised past the traffic. There was gnarly wreck at the 417 overpass. Glass everywhere. Actually shouldered my bike to walk past on the sidewalk. Backriding again I rolled out to Geneva. Lake Harney was beautiful this AM. Rode a couple miles down 46 to the St Johns bridge. Puzzle Lake alays thrills me. Ran over a metal shard on Snow Queen Rd, so got to spend a few moments underan oak tree changing my back tire. Rode to Fort Christmas park. A little girl amped up on sugar (kind of reminded me of me) told me all about riding horses while her grandmother looked on amused. The vultures were out in force noshing on roadkill. The last 25 miles were heading mostly west into the wind. Required a bit of work. Ended up with 92 miles in 5 hours 5 minutes. Successful steady long ride. Now got to hydrate, eat, and rest. Have to do it all over again tomorrow.
Jamie

I got it right - The Big Swim

2010-06-01T20:27:00.002-04:00

Expert lake guide + determined swimmer = success
So I had to miss out on the big swim this weekend due to a respiratory bug. Slept well last night. Drank a big glass of chocolate milk in the middle of the night. Woke at 5am today, no wheezing, and it was time to swim. Ate a big bowl of oatmeal and Les and I headed for the lake. We quietly got the kayak ready and launched from the beach at 6:15. The lake was a beautiful with a bit of breeze out of the south. I was happy to find the breathing was easy just like it supposed to be in sharp contrast to my Saturday swim. Across the lake we went. I breath to the left and Les paddled about 15 feet to my left. It allows me to swim and never have to look forward. Saves your neck muscles and is a big relief to just swim. The first crossing was cool in that the moon was above Les' head. It ws a beautiful sunrise behind us that I checked out a couple times. The Sun was up in all its glory when we reached the other side. I drank a 300 cal bottle of eload/carbopro. The trip back across was a bit longer due to wind pushing us off course out of the south. Back at the beach I grabbed another bottle of nutrition off the dock. Drank another 300 cal bottle and took off swimming. Felt good on my second trip across. On the other side of the lake I drank my last 300 cal bottle and took a shot of espresso hammer gel. We took off on the last crossing. About halfway across my shoulders were talking to me (and not saying nice things). Finished strong despite the shoulder fatigue. 5 1/2 mile in 3:20 minutes. I now know I will do just fine Day 1 in Penticton. It will just take a long time. I got 12 hours to get day one done and we all know how I love to ride my bike.
Tomorrow its time to ride. Yippee
Jamie

Ultraman Mock Day 3 - Finished!!

2010-05-31T20:09:00.003-04:00

WOW! What an incredible weekend. Not sure where to begin....I will start with thank yous....
Sherri Blackton...our Chef for Penticton, and our Asst Chef Candice...thank you for all the fantastic food this weekend. You are sure to keep our bellies full and happy during our adventure to Penticton.
Cherie, Elizabeth and Rajesh - I am now 100% confident I have the best crew ever. Through out the weekend they spent a total of about 20 hours taking care of me. Although none would go as far as to apply my butt slick...they pretty much did everything else. I know they will be what gets me through the 3 days in Penticton! Love you all!
To those that showed up at some point this weekend to join in for a bit of our madness, you are greatly appreciated. Seeing each of you kept me going each day, each mile: Kimmie, Robert, Eric, Luc, Debbie, Bruce, Sonny, Keith, Mike N., Mary-jo, Mike D, Leslie, Alan, Candice and Johanna...if I forgot you I am sorry.
Nash and Cherie - thank you for the lake! What a wonderful place for us to swim, not to mention the kindness you have to let us showup at ALL hours of the early morning! :-)
My Ultracrazies, Trungster, Jamie and Stewie - only 61 more days until the REAL DEAL! It's GO TIME!! So happy to have each of you to share this with!!

My Hubby...for supporting me and taking on this challenge with me. :-)
Now for the details of DAY 3!
It was a little harder getting out of bed this morning. I had the feeling I just wanted to snuggle up and go back to sleep. This of course put us behind a few minutes. Had to force myself to eat breakfast...thought to myself...uhoh...this is going to be a long day! We finally made it out the door and met up with our crews 10 minutes behind our start time (this will not happen race day). After transferring coolers, nutrtion, shoes, ice and whatever else we had packed we hit the clay trails. 6:30AM. Temps still cool, sun just starting to peak over the hills of Clermont. Absolutely beautiful and peaceful. Cherie started out running with me. We chatted a little. My legs felt pretty good considering the two previous days. Sticking to my plan I watched my heartrate keeping it under 130. We planned to have the crew (Rajesh and Elizabeth) stop every 2 miles. The first two miles I took 2 thermolytes, sip of water and eload/carbo pro then continued on. I was warmed up by mile 3 running an easy 8:40 to 9:00 minute pace...depending on hills. At mile 4 it was espresso hammer gel, water, eload/carbo pro. I decided this would be our routine alternating each two miles between thermolytes and hammer gel. Cherie decided to take a break at mile 4. She let me put on her Garmin (which I now really want one) to help keep

me on pace. I continued running feeling really strong. Nothing exciting for the next 6 miles. Ran into Luc around mile 8, nice to see a friendly face! Coming to the end of loop 1 ran into Mike, Kimmie and Eric as they started their first loop...good to see them out there too...motivated me to keep going knowing I would see them somewhere around the 1/2 way point of the loop again. Finishing loop 1 there was Sonny and his little one...he came out just to cheer us on a little! What a nice surprise!! :-) Kept running...right at 90 minutes for the first loop. Temps were starting to get a little warm and there is no shade there so you really feel it. At mile 15ish ran into Eric, Kimmie and Mike again...all 3 looking good. Goal now..finish my second loop close to their first loop...yes, I am competitive. :-) Ran into Luc again...tried to get his dog to run with me but she stayed with Luc. At mile 16 Elizabeth had a 4 minute pr running with me :-) She decided it would be better if she kept me on track w/ all my nutrition instead of trying to keep up with me:-) Definitely appreciated. Started having the crew stop every mile so I could keep the body temperature cooled off w/ cold water on head and shoulders/back. Still feeling good keeping pace between 8:40 and 9:15. At the finish of lap 2 (20 miles in 3hours exactly - right on target w/ HR looking good) I switched out shoes from my Fast Twitch to my Wave Riders. I took off and only made it a mile before switching to a second pair of Fast Twitch...a few ounces lighter...big difference!! Rajesh started running with me at mile 22...I was happy for the company as I was beginning to name the dead frogs on the road that I knew were coming up. At mile 23ish we ran into Trung who was a little delirius finishing up his 2nd loop. I sent Rajesh with him to help Candice get him through his last 3 miles to make 20. Thanks Keith for bringing out more ice and water for all of us! You are the best...can you be there in Canada too. :-) Now I have 7 miles to go. Pace is still around 9 and HR still in check. Cherie jumped out and started running with me at mile 25. Nice to have company again...she got to hear the yoga breathing I do to keep myself focused and hr down. :-) I think I heard her start doing it too. :-) Mile 28...last gu...almost threw it up. Only two miles to go...Cherie and I finished strong w/ last mile at 8:39 pace and I could have kept running. :-) Was great having Elizabeth, Trung, Candice and Rajesh there to cheer as we finished OUR 30 miles!!! Today was a true testiment of teamwork and friendship. The Sway Crew is set and ready to go!! Mission accomplished...ULTRAMAN...Here WE come!! :-)

Ultraman Mock Day 2 - Check

2010-05-30T19:55:00.002-04:00

Day 2...finished
so I forgot to mention about the swim yesterday...as I was swimming for 3 hours I was able to calculate that I breath approximately 330 times every 6/10 of a mile...that means I take approximately 990 strokes every 6/10 of a mile. If you do the calculations, at the end of the 6.2 mile swim I will have taken approximately 3,410 breaths and 10,230 strokes. :-) Funny the things you do while swimming a lllooooonnnnggg way.
Back to day 2...Goal - Heartrate Avg 120-125; drink all my nutrition bottles; drink 34oz of muscle milk, eat pb&j and zbar. Started off with a 30 mile semi-flat loop w/ a nice group of us. Felt a bit fatigued from Day 1. Kept my heartrate around 120 for this loop. By the end my legs were feeling great. Had fun w/ Rajesh, Cherie and Elizabeth practicing our bike support...Rajesh...we need more skin baby! For the remainder of the ride we shortened the loop to 15 miles to include the wall, buckhill and sugarloaf...tough little loop. Mike, Trung and I headed out on this one together. Was definitely starting to feel the heat. I handle the heat well but know I have to keep hydrated in order to do so. The three of us ended up doing our own paces making for a very good mental training day. All alone on the bike, heat bearing down, hill after hill. Passed Trung at one point and he didn't even acknowledge me as I yelled out "Hey Baby!!" Later I find out he was able to make a mailbox out to be a goat and talk to it a bit...I think the heat got to him. :-) Overall, did 5 Sugarloaf climbs today. Kept my heartrate at 130 even on the climbs. Right where I want to be...steady and controlled...end of the ride...100ish miles and all goals accomplished. Definitely will depend on my crew to help me get through 170 miles on Day 2 of the race...100 was hard today...would have really hurt putting in another 70. Great fun having friends join us out there...Mary-jo, Kimmie, Eric, Debbie, Bruce, Cherie, Elizabeth and Rajesh. Good job on your first Sugarloaf climb Mary-jo and Eric. :-) Finished off the day refueling at Sherri's again...mmmm...Candice brought grandma's sweet potato recipe, more chicken, rice, potatoes, and I forget what else I ate...oh yeah...the blue berry and peach cake! YUMMYY!! Now...off to bed for me!! Day 3 awaits
Cheers!
Sway

2010-05-30T12:09:00.002-04:00

That's my boy Bodha(he just turned 13, that 97 in dog years). He is hanging on the back patio. Why do I know this, because I'm sitting here in front of the computer instead of training. Got a nasty respiratory bug. Might have been pushing the machine a bit hard. Work volume has been huge, training volume has been huge, and sleep volume short. Not a good combination. The rest of the crew is out riding the hills today as part of day 2 of their three day mega load.
I'm feeling confident regarding the race. My training has been right on course. Need a couple 5+ mile swims in the next month as well as several back to back big runs and several back to back big rides. Those days will happen soon enough.
Now, off to the movies allowing the Azithromycin to course through my veins (and my lungs) and chase off this meanness.
Think good thoughts for the crew out training in this mega heat, I'm sure they will be updating soon.
Jamie

Ultraman Mock Day 1 - Check

2010-05-29T19:34:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful day. Ultra crew arrived at Lake Conway at 6:00AM to start the day off with a 3 hour swim. After 30 minutes of preparing for the swim and transition to bike, Trung, Jamie and Sway headed out into the glass lake - not a ripple to be found. The sun was just coming up over the horizon...absolutely beautiful. Cherie did a wonderful job keeping me on target and providing me with my nutrition. We stuck to our plan...eload/carbopro every 20 minutes; hammer gel every 20 minutes; thermolytes every hour; 4oz muscle milk at 1:20 and 2:20; sips of coffee here and there. Kept a steady pace for the entire swim...2:57 total time...distance 5.3 miles. Consistent 6/10 of a mile each 20 minutes. Ran into my hubby somewhere in the lake, gave a quick kiss and kept on going. Felt like I was playing "Eye Spy". Saw a fishing rod, golf ball, hat, beer cans, dixie cups, bricks, fish beds, turtles, fish and lots more. At the end of the swim I felt great. Was great to have Elizabeth and Rajesh there helping me out of the water...this is definitely a TEAM effort!! Ate a pb&j as I was being lathered with sunscreen before heading out on the bike...thanks momma Sherri! :-) Legs felt a bit fatigued as we started the bike ride. Was fun to be riding with Trung, Jamie and Candice. Finally found my rhythm after about 5 miles. Weather was a little overcast but not too hot...almost perfect for a summer day in Orlando. As we headed out on our bikes the crew headed out in the cars to Moss Park. Trung and I road most of the ride together sticking to our nutrition plan. We refueled every 12 miles, thermolytes every hour, 4oz muscle milk every 90minutes, Zbar, and eload/carbopro bottle every hour. Kept a nice steady pace around 20mph for entire ride...HR avg 125. The crew was awesome making sure we had everything we needed. Rajesh drew the line at helping me apply my sports slick. :-) We came up with a new version of "Pants on the ground"...."Hands in your pants, hands in your pants...what you all doing with your hands in your pants" Cut the ride short at 67 miles due to thunderstorms/lightning. Ended the day at Chef Sherri's house for dinner...best part of the day...corn pancakes, cheese potatos (mmmmmmm), mac-n-cheese, salad, chicken, mushrooms. Home...everything prepped for day two...100mile ride....Day 1 done...time for bed! Cheers! Sway

Sway and UltraMock Day 1 Prep - Gear/Nutrition

2010-05-28T21:09:00.005-04:00

Down to 64 days. Tomorrow is day 1 of our Mock Ultraman. To prepare, today I took a rest day. Slept until 7:30, did a little work, got a pedicure and ate. Just finished putting all my nutrition and gear together and I realized what an endeavor this is going to be. The biggest challenge is staying on top of our nutrition and hydration throughout the weekend. Not doing this on day 1 = bonk on day 2 or 3. Nutrition that will be cosumed on day 1: breakfast - cinnamon toast, cinnamon applesauce, coffee, banana, orange juice, mojo bar, eload/carbo pro

Swim (3hours) - two bottles of eload/carbo pro; water; 1 flast of espresso hammer gel; thermolytes, 8oz of muscle milk and coffee

Transition to bike - water, pb&j; brownie zbar

Bike (4-5hours) - 4 bottles of eload/carbo pro/thermolytes; 16oz of muscle milk; pb&j; zbar; honey oats granola bar; water; coke; lots of ice

Recovery - Hammer Recovery shake followed by yummy meal at Sherri Blacktons! Our own personal chef for Ultraman Canada :-)

Gear for tomorrow - kayak/paddle/paddler :-) thanks Cherie! wet suit, goggles, swim cap, body glide, bike, helmet, bike shoes, sun glasses, sun screen, extra tubes, towels; tri clothes; butt slick, ibuprophen, I am sure I am forgetting something.

Looking forward to putting it all together with my crew - Cherie, Elizabeth and Rajesh. Couldn't do it without them. Also looking forward to the long training days with my hubby Trung and best friend Jamie (Stewie...we miss you!!). What an adventure we are embarking upon. The memories we have made are incredible...the memories to come are going to be extrordinary! IT's GO TIME!!

ps...WHEN I finish Ultraman Canada...I will be getting a tattoo! :-)

Cheers!

Sway

Ultraman Mock Tri Weekend

2010-05-26T13:23:00.002-04:00

With only 66 days to go, we are planning a Mock Ultraman this weekend to see where we are with our training. Myself, Trung and Jamie will start off on Saturday morning with a 3hourish swim in Lake Conway. We have our kayak crew ready to go...bring your coffee and ipods! Following the swim we will head off on the bike for an 80 mile bike. We'll be riding out at Moss Park.

Sunday will take us out to Sugarloaf Mountain in Clermont where we will do a variation rollers/flat for 80-100 miles.

Monday at 6:00AM we will be a Bradshaw Rd (Clay Rd/Clay Trails) for 30ish miles. 3 X 10mile loops.

Come out and say hello if you are in the area.

Time to eat....again...

Cheers!

Sway

FL 70.3 - Rajesh Awesome Finish

2010-05-26T13:05:00.004-04:00

It's been way too long since my last post. Lots of swimming, biking and running have been taking place. Big event...FL70.3. What a fantastic day. Picture above shows Rajesh and I coming down the finish shoot. That's right...Rajesh is the first triple amputee to complete a half ironman. Swim...42:41; Bike...2:55:22; Run...2:30:01...Total Time...6:31:08. He was an inspiration to many athletes participating in the race that day. I can go on for hours regarding his efforts and amazing day...to make it short...Live Free...Live Amazingly...help us support our fundraising efforts for Rajesh's running and biking legs...go to www.itsgotimeevents.com to donate.

Rajesh...we are waiting on your race report...post it! :-)

Cheers!
Sway

A mid week ocean swim

2010-05-06T20:41:00.000-04:00

Just kidding!
Bruce and I headed for Jetty Park in Cocoa Wednesday afternoon. It was beautiful afternoon. Right before I left the house a news story on TV detailed a little girl getting bit by a shark the day before in Daytona. Good news is she wasn't seriously hurt. Had to shake off that story before I settled in for a great swim. The water was murky close to shore so I headed out for deep water. Worried Bruce a bit when he couldn't see me anymore but enjoyed my hour swim. The inland storms developing were impressive from my perspective. I will be traveling mre to the beach now that the lake water is getting uncomfortably hot.

5/1/10 Half Ironman Race Sim

2010-05-02T20:26:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday did a race sim to see if I remembered how evil Central Florida heat is. Now I remember. Candice, Mike, and I planned for a long morning. It had a little bit of everything. The highlight of the day came early on. The sunrise across Lake Conway from the west side of the lake was spectacular. Soaked it up and swam back to the east. 2.5 mile swim done, it was time to ride. 41 miles on the airport loop with a monster wind out of the south was enough. Then it was time to run in the heat. My run has gotten rather speedy, but not today. Steady pace was all I had and my stomach was still churning. 5hr40min later the workout was done. I'm now ready for the hot sufferfest that is Disney 70.3 May 16th.

Nocatee 30 hour Adventure Race April 17-18, 2010

2010-04-20T21:02:00.000-04:00

Preamble - This race would end 3 mega weeks of training. Week 1 was race sim week (documented previously). Week 2 was 16 hour week with plenty of riding and some swimming. Week 3 I swam a couple of times and ran a 5k as a taper week. I had a very busy work week but did manage to sleep ok. Made it to St Augustine About 8 pm Friday night. Had my fave prerace meal which is Chocolate milk and a Veggie patty foot long sub from Subway (I am such a simpleton). Trung and Manny were already there. Since we didn't get maps the night before, all I had to do was pack my gear. That went quickly and I laid down by 10pm.
Race day - Up at 5:30 am. Race director would give us map and instructions at 6am. Race wouldn't start until 9am. Manny was our navigator. He reviewed our passport instructions and maps in detail. Planned our route and measured all distances. Attention to detail would be an understatement. There would be 55!! checkpoints scattered around the course. Most checkpoint clues included the words 'xxx meters past the end of the trail at the water'.

Lets go racing -

Race was underway at 9am. We would come back through this transition area twice during the race and it was warm. This meant packs were lighter than usual (22-25 pounds). Race started with a brief prologue of a 1/2 mile run. Then off on the bikes. 15 miles of pavement for 3 roadies went by quickly. On to the canoes. 12 mile paddle with several checkpoints. 3 people in a canoe in shallow water is a challenge. The canoe was willful in the crosswind and shallow water. I was in the back and spent a good deal of time wrestling to steer the boat. Back on the bikes for 5+ hours of riding fire roads, jeep trails, bushwhacking, and wandering through swamps. Got back to transition with an hour 90 min of daylight left. Complete kit change and we were off on foot. Detoured to the Publix Grocery store for a veggie sub. A brilliant move for me. Came off the bike in the heat nauseated. My heart rate settled as I changed clothes. Started the long trek into the night eating a sub and within 30 minutes felt human again. 5 hours trekking and bushwhacking. Arrived at the boats at a primitive boat ramp a little after midnight. The Horse Flies and misquitoes were everywhere. I was using MaxDeet a 90% DEET spray. If you get it on your lips they get numb! One of the girls that was traveling with us got it on her sandwich. She said it it tasted terrible but she ate it. Tough stuff.

With each big course race I do try to remember the most outstanding good and bad thing I will remember about the race 10 years from now. The good thing was the night sky when we launched the boats. Clear skies, no artificial lighting, and layers and layers of stars. One of the best night skies I have ever seen.

We then spent 5 hours working up and down the river trying to locate some very challenging checkpoints. Also had a trek in the middle. The trek was around 4am. The sleepmonsters came calling but pushed through. Back in the boats for the final paddle. The tide was going out which made for tough travel. The sunrise on the river was very special. The trek back to transition area was shortly after dawn. Another 40 mile ride on fire roads with the occasional sugar sand awaited.Heat was coming up and this section had a couple of tough bushwacks. At 1pm we made it back to the transition area. This time we were all exhausted. We moved out on to the last 3.5 mile trek. At 2:27pm we crossed the finish line 29 hours and 27 minutes after we started. We finished 5th. We were elated with our results. We had cleared the course other than checkpoint #9 that we completely forgot to pick up on the second bike leg.

A great race. Trung and Manny were awesome teammates. I've got the bug for more long course races. The life list still includes a 7+ day expedition race. Maybe 2011.
Jamie

Next Up: Nocatee Conquest 30hr Adventure Race

2010-04-14T21:35:00.002-04:00

Man , I was tired after the last 2 weeks of big day training. In addition, hurt my right forefoot a bit running the 50 miler. Seems to be getting better. Laid off the running because I know the run/trek sections this weekend will be huge.
Swam 4k at Lake Sybelia for the last 2 nights. 3 of us swimming last night and a half dozen tonite.
It was windy and choppy tonite and I kinda liked it.
Running the Corporate 5k tomorrow night. Should be a big party.
The gear is all packed for the race this weekend up in North Florida. Doing this year's version of the ACC 30 hour Adventure Race with Trung and Manny. Can't wait. Aerial pics look like lots of paddling possibilities.
Will update Sunday.
Remember, ride fast and take chances.
Jamie

Day 111 - Sugarloaf/Buckhill X 7

2010-04-12T08:14:00.002-04:00

Day 111 - Just another training day. Headed out to Clermont for some Sugarloaf/Buckhill repeats. My chauffeur...I mean hubby...driving is a nice bonus nap for me. After the long trek out we were greeted with friendly faces ready to conquer the hills! Perfect morning for riding, little wind, overcast, good temps....and best of all...good friends. Great seeing you all out there...Rajesh, Kimmie, Elizabeth, Lynn, Donnie, Karen & hubby, Dwana & hubby, Barry, Nicole, Richard, Becca, Brian (didn't actually see him...but he was there). Had a deal with Elizabeth and Kimmie that if I lapped them they owed me breakfast at Cracker Barrell! We all started out right around 7AM immediately attacking Buckhill! Looping around we came to Sugarloaf where I waited to encourage everyone up...somehow missed a few of you. After waiting a bit it was go time. Rode the next 6 1/2 loops pretty steady only stopping to refuel. Muscle Milk still doing the trick for my during ride recovery. Just have to keep it super cold. Spent most of my ride trying to stay on Donnie's heals...this is the Donnie that pulled us all at the Strawberry Century a couple weeks ago. He can ride the hills too. :-) Thanks for protecting me from those ferocious dogs too! I was certain they would bite my leg off! Toward the end of lap 5 I could see Kimme and Elizabeth on the horizon...if you know me you know I like to eat...so game on...I chased them down to earn my breakfast at Cracker Barrell! Yummmyyy. There is some debate as to if I actually "lapped" them, but technically...feed me!! :-) Last two laps were difficult as the legs were screaming up the hills. Once again, chasing Donnie I finished w/ 7 Sugarloaf/Buckhill loops, 80.5 miles and a great ride with lots of smiling faces along the way! Perfect way to start your Sunday! See you next time!! Cheers! Sway

The Road Kill (not quite a) Century

2010-04-11T15:33:00.002-04:00

Nothing official, but I planned on riding 90+ miles in the hills. Seemed like around every corner the buzzards were working on something. Squirrels, possums, lots of snakes, a cat, and an alligator. Yep, a dead alligator off of Hartzog Road. Good news, it wasn't an omen for my ride. My mission is to get better at riding hills, so my quest was to ride every hill west of town. Done.

I am a little biased, but my Cervelo P2C is the coolest looking rig on the road. Les and I named it Night Fury (or Toothless). That will only make sense if you have seen "How to Train Your Dragon'. Last Thursday night and yesterday time trialin' it was Night Fury. Not today. It was Toothless. Decked out in full Endurance Dork kit (Aero bottle, Bento Box, Pola bottles, etc.) not very stealth.

Scot, Debbie, and Bruce rolled out with me. Weather was perfect. A little overcast to keep the heat down. From Windermere rode south and then way west. Down around Polk City we headed back to the north. Oh that's where that wind had been all day. The wind was strong out of the northeast. I bid the crew farewell west of Lake Louisa as they headed in. THe big hills on Citrus Tower Road were long and right into the wind. Rolled on over SR 50 on to the next set of hills. Rolled on to Buckhill Road at mile 75. TrungSway's car and few others were parked there. They were doing repeats on their fave hill loop. The last 20 miles were tough as the hiils, wind, and heat began to take their toll. Got in 95 miles. Bring on Canada after I eat and sleep.

Jamie

Day 112...Another Picture Perfect Swim

2010-04-10T17:48:00.003-04:00

Day 112...5:00AM Alarm Off...Time to make the coffee and load the car. Graham Cracker PB&J for breakfast...yummmmmy! (In the freezer section at Costco...try them!!) 5:55...out the door with Hubby (Trung) and Katie (I know...it's early but you can sleep) in tow. Plan to be in the water by 6:30AM. Meet the troops at Lake Conway...casa de Shooks. Ready to swim - TrungSway, Jamie, Candice and Stewie. Ready to paddle - Cherie, Nash (yes - we were serious about the 6:30AM start), Vi and Tatter (thanks to all of you for being there...we appreciate your time and paddling!) Start out in the cool water pre-dawn with just a hint of light making the water look like a mirror...absolutely breath taking and calming. I am enjoying the calm-water swims. Really able to focus on my stroke and get a good, smooth rhythm going. Finish the 1.2mile lake crossing with the sun slowly rising behind me. Take a swig of coffee, eload and a espresso hammer gel and head back across the lake. Sun is really shining down now making it hard to see....lucky me I have Cherie paddling for me (yes Stewie...I have the BEST paddler ever!) keeping me on course...no worries about sighting at all...straight line all the way back. Finish the 2.5 miles feeling strong with the Tri With Sway group on the shore, nervously awaiting their open water swim....IT's GO TIME!! Cheers! Sway
(up tomorrow...Sugarloaf/Buckhill repeats...4 hours! Yikes!!)

Recovery week

2010-04-10T14:23:00.002-04:00

Haven't run a step since last Saturday's sufferfest. Blister are healed. So will hit the pavement soon. The Central Florida weather is perfect. Beautiful skies with occasional brief passing storm. Windy days. swam in Lake Sybelia Monday, Wednesday, and Friday eve. Water is perfect temp with Oak pollen everywhere. Thank goodness for Claritin and nasal steroids. Rode with Scot Wednesday and checked out the North edge of Lake Jessup. Thursday night rode a fast ride in Windermere.
Recovery week was topped off with a 4k+ Lake Conway swim. The sunrise on the return back East today was as good as it gets. Then helped Sway's tri group get ready to open water swim. It is always fun to watch folks when they recognize that it is not as bad as they anticipated. Wrapped the training day with a 37 mile ride with friends out to the Moss Park loop.
Now to nap, eat, hydrate, etc. Get ready to ride in the hills tomorrow.
Jamie

Day 113...Glass

2010-04-09T21:55:00.002-04:00

And then there was glass. I forgot how nice it is to swim on a glass lake. Beautiful Lake Sybelia swim this afternoon. Myself, Trung, Jamie and Kelley all jumped in for a quick dip. Swam along side my hubby for the 1 mileish loop around Lake Sybelia. Was nice to do a relaxed swim on the glassy lake. Not a wave to be found! Hoping for these conditions in Ultraman!! :-) Finished up the lap to find Kelley had a great swim and convinced Katie to jump in with her and swim across the lake and back...good job ladies...the "alli's" were nice tonight. :-) Thanks Christina for taking some pics of us...will post those later. Another good day ending with a sunset on the lake...nighty, night...another day is right around the corner....Cheers! Sway

Day 114...continued

2010-04-09T09:40:00.002-04:00

Finished Day 114 off with a 3 mile swim at Lake Conway. Thanks to Cherie my superb paddle crew. She never leads me astray...through all the chop and wind we stayed on course the entire swim. Waters were much warmer than my last attempt. Same swim as last Tuesday when I froze. Was able to finish in 1:30 compared to 2:05. Enjoyed pushing through the choppy water on the way over. I could see the water flow streaming against me. Was flying on the way back with the current in my favor. :-) Felt super fast!! Nice sunset as we finished the swim. Beautiful....

Day 118-114 - Recovery Time

2010-04-08T09:17:00.003-04:00

After the mega training week last week it was time for some much needed R&R. Spent Easter Sunday with friends and family (hobbling around a bit) - Katie and I are the master Easter Egg Hunters! Scored the most points...good times! Monday (day 117) jumped in the pool for an easy 2500 recovery swim then off to run w/ my guys at Fresh Start - they are almost ready for their 5k! :-) Tuesday (day 116) took another rest day. Still walking with a bit of a hobble - eating everything in sight! Can't seem to get enough food lately. Wednesday (day 115) recovery spin class - worked on hills adding a gear every 2 minutes for 10 gears, coming back half way down the hill and holding it there w/ strong effort for 10 minutes. Good hill workout...try it on spin bike or on your bike. Thursday (day 114) started with a 4:30AM run w/ Cherie, Johanna and Brian. Good 10 mile run through Winter Park. Started in Winter Park Pines at Cady Way Trail area, headed to Rollins College, back through the hilly section of Winter Park, hit a few hills then headed past Glenridge and home. Good recovery run....ready to go again. :-) Lake Conway Swim awaiting me this afternoon....
Cheers!
Sway

The Big Test at end of Big Week

2010-04-03T22:34:00.002-04:00

The week had gone as planned. Crazy fast Century ride last Sunday. 5+ mile open water swim on Tuesday. 130 mile hilly ride on Thursday. 4k open water swim on Friday. Then came the big run today. I had done Croom 2 years ago but only made it 44 miles. Trung has done it twice and warned me the second half of the third 15 mile loop hurt, a lot.
To Brooksville last night. Spent yesterday afternoon and eve trying to hydrate and pour in quality calories.
Race check in was super smooth and they turned loose the 50 mile folks at 6am. 3 of the 5 mile prologue is on sugar sand. Always tough in the dark.
Rolled back thru transitiona little before they turned the shorter course folks loose. The course includes the 5 mile prologue and 3x15 mile loops. Plenty of oppurtunity to stumble or turn ankles. You run through 3 cool quarries on each lap.
For the first 35 miles I felt good. Music was good. Enjoyed taking in the scenery. Sway ran past in the second quarry in the first lap.
Got back to transitionafter the 2nd 15 mle loop. I knew then that 3rd loop was goingto hurt. A lot of fatigue in the legs from the brutal week. Every step downhill or slightly off camber killed my quads. I was careful not to fall on the last loop in that I was not sure I could get back up. Ran a slow steady pace through the last fuel stop. Started to run the final 4 miles and the parts weren't working so well. HR was high. Good news, I was still tolerating the hydration. Pouring down Hammer Nutrition 'Heed". The secret is to always drink it cold.
Alternated between a slow run and walk for the final four miles. Finished 10:25. Trung, Sway, Katie, and Amanda attended to me immediately with ice, cold towels, mountain dew, and Eload. I was back up and moving SLOWLY in 15 minutes.

The up-shot of all this training on my week off, is that I will succeed at Ultraman Canada this summer. This week I ran the full race distance, rode all but 30 miles of the race distance, and swam open water more than race distance.

Bring on Ultraman Canada (when the multiple blisters on my feet heal).

Jamie

Day 120 & 119 - Rest and Run

2010-04-03T21:18:00.003-04:00

Day 120 - Rest and the dreaded taxes...would have rather done an Ironman than work on the dreaded taxes. Lots of hydration and calories to prep for the Big Run on Saturday. Headed (me, Trung, Jamie, Candace, Amanda and Katie) to Brooksville Friday night. Carb Load at Cracker Barrrell...breakfast = two eggs, grits, bacon and the best hashbrown casserole EVER!! Full Belly and bed. :-)
Day 119 - Alarm went off at 5AM...up at 5:15. Out the door at 6AM - time to run. Had eload/carbo pro and cinnamon granola bar for breakfast on the way to the race start. Picked up packets and dropped our coolers...6:50AM...saw Jamie run through at mile 5 of his run...only 45 more to go for him. 7:00AM...It's GO Time. Me, Trung, Candace, Mike, Keith, Saidel, Hemant all start off together for the 31.1 miler...Mary-jo and Martha start off on their 15miler. Perfect morning for running. Nutrition plan...eload/carbo pro in sprint hand held bottle, hammer gel espresso, thermolytes and dentyne gum - Gu every 30 minutes, 4 thermolytes an hour, water at each stop and sip on eload/carbo pro as I go. First 15 miles...felt great. Holding about a 9min pace and keeping HR around 130-135. Passed Jamie around mile 8 or 9 - wished him good luck and continued on my way. Passed Rhett at mile 10ish...wished him luck on his 50miler. Nice course through the Withlacootche State Forest. Fresh controlled burns, lots of dips and some sugarsand - last 4 miles of the 15mi loop has BIG climbs. Paced two guys in for the 15 miler...tried to talk them into doing the next lap with me - they declined and went to breakfast. Finished loop 1 in 2:25 - still feeling good. A little IT pain but not enough to stop me from going out on the 2nd loop. Good to see Amanda and Katie at the transition area...they took good care of us ALL day! Thanks Girls!! Headed out for lap two - chatted with a couple peeps that have done Ironman Canada...kept me focused on my run and my real goal...Ultraman Canada. Nutrition plan still working well. Keeping the 9:00 min pace and HR around 130-135. The course is very quiet now...lots of runners behind me and all the 15 milers finishing up. Keep my pace steady and start counting my steps to keep my breathing coontrolled and HR down. Works well...think I got to a total of 9,000 on my counting. :-) Pass a few peeps and wish them well as I keep on going....and going....and going. Second lap getting harder but keep my pace. See two girls ahead of me...catch one at about mile 8. The other girls pace is about the same as mine. Finally catch her at the last aid station...4.25 miles to go...with the BIG hills - the hardest part of the course. I am feeling my 130 mile ride from Thursday at this point. Ready to be done. Stay focused and on top of my nutrition. Keep it steady and don't push my HR above 135. Stay within site of the other girl but not able to catch her. Finish 2nd female overall for the 31.1miles...6th out of 67 total. Final time 4:49 - pace 0f 9:02...Look out Ultraman...Here I come!!
Great finishes by all racing today! Way to stick with it and finish strong! Awesome racing with all of you! Congrats to Candace and Mike and Keith for finishing their first 50k and Jamie on his first 50miler. Whoo Hoo!!

UMC big ride test #1

2010-04-01T22:19:00.002-04:00

I picked up 'Toothless', my bike, from Locomotion yesterday. Jere had put a new set of Conti Gatorskin tires on and cleaned up the mess that bike usually is. I rested yesterday. Ate big and hydrated plenty. Put a bunch old school rock on my MP3 and got to bed early.
Trung, Sway, and myself carpooled out to the west side of Orlando. Chatted, drank coffee, and stuffed in more food. We rolled out of the parking lot in Windermere at 7:40. A little chilly with plenty of fog. Plan was to ride 70+ miles in a loop. Refuel at the cars and carry on.
We were in the hills early on. After 25 miles the ride flattened out. At mile 3o the sun came out and at mile 32 we were in Mount Dora. Lake Dora sure is a beautiful lake. We then rolled thru Tavares. The Lake Harris bridge was spectacular. Next up were the BIG hills. Howey-in-the-Hills, Buckhill road, Sugarloaf, Grassy Lake, and the hills of Clermont. We rolled into Gear for Multisport at mile 70. Kevin got our picture and we were off to more hills. Made it back to the car at mile 82. Cold chocolate milk was the bomb. We then rode 50 more miles that included a good chunk of the Disney 70.3 bike course (more hills). We finished with 131 miles a new distance milestone for Sway and I (Trung hadn't done that distance in a number of years). The fries at Five Guys rocked as well.
A little recovery swim is on the schedule for tomorrow as I prepare to wrap my head around a 50 mile trail run Saturday.

Day 121 - Mega Ride!!

2010-04-01T21:52:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful day! It was the perfect day for a meaga ride! Temps started in low 50's and got up to 70's by the time we finished. Practice Ultraman race day nutrition..pre ride: oj, coffee, cinnamon toast, graham cracker pb&j. Ride nutrition: eload/carbo pro/thermolytes/mojo bar. Started the ride feeling a little chilly and a little fatigued from the last week of training. Took a few miles to get my legs moving. Our ride took us on a tour from Winter Garden to Mount Verde where we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise over the lake, climbed the wall then headed out to Astatula to Mount Dora then through the historic Tavarres...Howey and the Hills, up Buck Hill and Sugar loaf and Grassy Lake to Clermont. Stopped in our favorite store - Gear for Multisport - for some refueling - muscle milk, more eload/carbo pro/thermolytes...we were at mile 70...60 to go. Left GFM and headed back to the cars to pickup our 2nd round of nutrition bottles. Ate a pb&j and applesauce and a little more muscle milk...now only 50 miles to go. Feeling great...perfect weather...time to finish strong. Took a tour of the FL 70.3 course and then visited Mickey Land, by the ice cream shop in Windermere, quick stop at CP's place, last miles made up on Tiny Road and finally...131 miles later... back to the cars. Time for some REAL food...5 Guys Burgers! Yummmmmy! Successful day!! Thanks Trun and Jamie for a fantastic day...looking forward to 120 more! until next time...It's GO Time...keep moving forward! Cheers! Sway

Day 122 - Recovery Day

2010-03-31T22:09:00.002-04:00

Nice, much needed recovery day. Finally thawed out from my Tuesday swim by the time I woke up this morning. Lots of hydration and calories today. Was eating something every hour...always hungry with the increased training volume. Today ate yogurt, power bar protein bar, nana's cookie, turkey wrap, frosted mini wheats, egg sandwich, coffee, water, orange juice, graham cracker pb&j; banana; apple sauce...can't remember everything else...lots of little stuff.

Getting ready for Thursday's Mega Ride!! Testing out the nutrition....
pre: graham cracker pb&j (200 cal); glass of OJ; hazlenut coffee; water; banana;
During: 20oz eload/carbo pro/thermolytes each hour (approx 220 cal); 1/2 a mojo bar every hour (100 cal); muscle mile at 1/2 way point; water as needed. Looking forward to the challenge!

Cheers!
Sway

The Big Swim Test #1

2010-03-31T10:56:00.002-04:00

This week is designed to test the last 4 months of training.

Plenty of swimming this last weekend along with a steady trail run saturday and rocket ride of a century on sunday.
Took monday off. I'm not working most of this week so I'm much more rested than usual.
3 good meals with plenty of carbs and protein mix. Lots of fluids (rather parched after Sunday).
Slept well last night. Set alarm for 5am. Ate 400-500cal bowl of cereal (kashi, raisins, walnuts, skim milk).
Second alarm went off @ 6:45am. 20oz of my fave strong coffee. Sipping along the way to the big lake.
Air temp 53 degrees with wind out of the west @ 10mph with forecast to pick up to 15mph by the time swim is done. Beautiful clear sky morning. We swim west then back east.
For the swim, the plan was to test how much nutrition I could get in without it coming back up. This included my reliable mix of sport nutrition and for a treat, chocolate milk.
Drank my first bottle of nutrition standing on the shore getting my courage up. Water is still cold and was choppy.
Took off, had brief panic, quickly subdued by long exhales. took a big gulp or two of nutrition off the back of kayak every 25 min and was back on the shore in 115 min. 3-3.5 miles done. Dizzy but ready to go again. Pounded the chocolate milk. Went down pretty easy (great news never tasted it again).
JulieJ was paddling for me. Stayed on my left the entire time and I had no neck strain.
Sway was swimming with Lou paddling. They went at their own pace. Sway was finished after the 5k+ pass.
With the second launch from the east beach, I had Julie paddle straight into the even stronger headwind. Although this is fatiguing, it is the most enjoyable swimming for me. I can think of nothing but executing every stroke and breath perfectly. Quite meditative. Swam 32 min. Drank another 1/2 bottle at turn around. 27 min back. 2:hr 55min swim well over 8k.
Finished. Very dizzy when I stood up(took about 10min for it to become tolerable). Laid on the dock. Closed my eyes (bad idea). Open my eyes and looked at the sky for a few moments and it got better. Shoulders, upper back and arms were tired, but I was not completely depleted. In other words I could have ridden my bike (Remember, day 1 Ultraman is 6 mile swim followed by 90 mile ride).

Summary
I now know that I will do fine @ UMC swim. I am ready for whatever conditions race day may bring Lots more calories than my usual are key and feasible It is much more fun when I can clear the 'noise' from my head and just focus on swimming.

Next up the BIG RIDE thursday

Jamie

Day 123 - Survival Swim

2010-03-30T22:16:00.002-04:00

Woke up early this morning prepare myself for a 3 hour swim. Graham Cracker PB&J at 4:30AM...mmmm - 290 calories!!! Got everything ready for my run group which would start at 6AM. Drank a warm cup of coffee w/ honey and a little milk. Trying to keep warm. Had a muscle milk while group was running. Approx 400 calories. Drank a glass of orange juice at 7:45 heading to swim. Was cold from the morning track...I didn't run...just coached the group but the temp was in the low 50's. Had my big red parka on along with a thick cotton sweatshirt and sweatpants. Arrive at Lake Conway still chilled from the morning, not a good way for me to start a swim...already cold. Put on my wetsuit, thermal footies and thermal swim cap. Loaded Lou-Lou, my paddle crew, into his kayak along with my nutrition. Headed out in the choppy water, not as bad as Friday, but choppy enough to interrupt any smooth rhythm. Water felt super cold. I was shiverring before we even made it 1/2 way across the lake. Tried to relax and let my body warm up, tinkled in my wet suit...still cold and shiverring. Made it to the other side of the lake...approx 1.5 miles. Had some nutrition, tinkled again, still cold...couldn't feel hands or feet. Assured Lou-Lou that I was just fine and we started our adventure back across the pool...I was imagining I was in a nice, warm 85 degree pool. Little did that help...I got colder from there. Got a bit delirius on the way back...started talking to myself, my arms didn't want to move...I would talk myself into taking another stroke as my body would sink when I let my arm relax...of course all this talk made me start asking myself why some guy, wait some merman was in the kayak and I was in the lake, and what is he doing, leaning forward and backward, why isn't he swimming...somehow I kept myself together enough to get back across the lake without Lou-Lou dragging me into the kayak. Approx 3-3.5 miles later...I was frozen but I survived...straight out of the lake into the hot shower that Cherie had running for me. That was the best shower EVER!!! Took a good 10 minutes before I could even take my wetsuit off. Spent the remainder of the day trying to warm my body up. Overall a successfully difficult swim. Learned a lot...know I need to come up with a plan to keep my body warm besides a few little tinkles. Looking forward to some warmer weather!!!!!!! Thanks Jamie, Lou-Lou, Julie and Cherie for another fun adventure...one step closer to Ultraman!! Cheers! Sway

Day 124 - Rest

2010-03-29T21:11:00.002-04:00

Sleeping 9 1/2 hours was much needed today. Spent the day eating and drinking and eating some more. Seemed like every time I sat down I was right back up eating again. Enjoyed a nice body pump class and then easy run/walk with the Fresh Start Group I am coaching for the Corp 5k. Nice recovery day....fueled and rested for another day...up tomorrow..."The Swim!" Until then...keep working toward your start line..."It's GO Time!" Cheers! Sway

Day 125 - Speedy Century

2010-03-28T23:12:00.003-04:00

Day 125 - Strawberry Milkshakes at the finish = Speedy Century. Myself, Jamie, Trung, Candice, Cherie, Mike, Bruce, Tracy, Shauna and Debbie all headed to Plant City in the wee hours of the morning to participate in the Strawberry Century ride. The morning started with breakfast...bacon and eggs and bananas and coffee and cinnamon rolls..mmm...nothing like starting your ride with a full tank! We took off around 7:30 with around 1000 other cyclist...weather was perfect. A little overcast and a little windy...well maybe a lot windy. We planned to ride a steady 20mph for the century...but will all those bunnies in front of you to catch...sometimes you just have to go for it. After 3 rest stops and 100 miles, Jamie and I battled to ride with a few others and we rolled into the finish at 4:35 ride time...whoo my legs could feel THAT! Awaiting us was baked chicken, green beans, mashed potatos, strawberry shortcake and sweet tea. And...to finish our Strawberry Adventure...mmm...the Strawberry Milkshake!! Yummy!!!

Day 126 - Need Sleep

2010-03-27T22:00:00.002-04:00

Due to Day 127 Rag Doll Swimming, husband snoring, niece up at midnight not feeling well, husband snoring, alarm going off at 5:45...I was able to get about 3 hours of sleep last night. My training today consisted of leading my group at Transition Practice at Lake Louisa. Rajesh is getting super fast switching his legs out in transition...not to mention running in general...what an inspiration!! After Transition Practice it was off to our nutrition clinic with Kimberly at Gear for Multisport followed by a drive to Daytona and back and finally a 2 hour nap. The real training came with the text at 6:30PM saying "ice cream on sale for a dollar at Publix!" We dashed over to fill up our freezer...we learned in the nutrition clinic today we could eat ice cream! :-) In the end...today turned into a much needed rest day...looking forward to a fun ride at the Strawberry Century tomorrow. Cheers! Sway

Rag Doll Swimming

2010-03-26T20:31:00.002-04:00

Day 127 - by Sway - Been too long since my last post. Vowing to post my training everyday until Ultraman...maybe that will keep my on my training plan! Headed out into the choppy waters of Lake Conway today with Jamie at my side and Cherie in the Kayak. On the way out we had Big choppy waves right in our face throwing me around like a 3 year old throws around her rag doll. On the way back I was surfing the waves...riding them all the way back to the other side...in the end around 3 miles of swimming. Was a bit chilly but great to be back in the open water...those 7500 swims in the 25m pool are getting a little too much...I feel better swimming with the fish rather than feeling like a gold fish in a little bowl. Thanks for the hot shower, brownies and hot tea after the swim Cherie...but most of all thanks for keeping us safe out there. :-) Off to devour the kitchen before heading to bed...until tomorrow...It's GO Time!! Sway

To cold to swim.....

2010-02-17T09:40:00.004-05:00

So I paddled. This is a not so good picture looking east across Lake Conway. This is our swimming hole. 1.5 miles across, on a windy day it can be a little daunting. The wind was blowing big out of the west making launching the kayak a bit challenging. It had been a while since I paddled. So after one trip in the drink, I got my act together and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my paddle. The paddle west was a strength workout and the surf/paddle back east was a balance workout. All done to the tunes Jimi Hendrix. It was a great day.

Jamie

Swamp Stomp 30 hour adventure race

2010-02-16T12:32:00.003-05:00

Obviously we have been a bit remiss in keeping up with the blog. We will try to keep it a bit more current.

Below is my race report from this past weekend. Will add pictures later.

I have a love/hate relationship with 30+ hour adventure races. They are my first love as far as endurance racing is concerned. Have finished a bunch and been beaten by a bunch. in short, this one landed in the 'been beaten' category. We assembled a team of four of us in the Fall of 2009 to race. Due to injury we revised the team and raced with Trung, Sway, Mike, and I. Sway is tough but had never raced overnight and Mike is tough but was a newbie to adventure racing. All of us multiple time IM racers. Although the race is in Florida it is on President's Day weekend and always cold +/or wet. This year would not dissapoint with overnight temps dipping into the high 20s.
The race was unsupported so you had to have all your gear with you. That meant carrying a 25 + pond pack on your back for the whole race.
The race was in my favorite area of Florida about 50 miles North of Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico. Race briefing was at the Chassawitzka River Resort on Friday night. We were warned of some very wet cold conditions ahead of us.
7am race start was a 5+ mile paddle collecting 5 points. Crazy cold 35 degrees. Paddled in my neoprene paddling shorty. Worked great. The Pelicans fishing from the sky were awesome. We paddled strong and collected all five points in about 1:40. Hydrated up before we left and ate a Mojo bar during. Off the water all good. Because there was a longer prologue paddle option (that we elected no to do) with significant navigation the race wouldn't begin again til 10am. Off to the cars to stay warm until showtime. Ate more oatmeal bars and drank E load and coffee.
10am start simple ~17mile mostly road ride picking up 2 easy points. ~1:20. Next stage was a huge trek/run. Lots of fire roads, some hiking trails, and a little bushwhacking. One checkpoint was in a cave, another CP in a huge pit. Cool stuff. Ate trail mix, 2 vega bars, one mojo bar, 8 thermolytes, a 24oz of Eload, and 100oz water. 5+ hours and done with trek feeling good.
Long transition putting on all the cold weather gear (Desoto shorts, amphib fleece tights, neoprene socks with liners, polypro shirt, fleece turtle neck,Golite lined jacket, smart wool head cover, amphib gloves). All the big stuff and I needed it all. It was a road ride. Then sugar sand (oh how I hate sugar sand. Then jeep road, then soggy tram road. Slow difficult riding. Tram roads might work well for heavy tree moving equipment but hey suck to ride a bike on. We were moving along finding checkpoints til about 10pm. I rounded a corner on a soggy trail to see a familiar Swamp Stomp sight in front of me. A swamp with Cypress trees sticking out of it. As far as the eye could see was water and trees. reflective hunter's tape on the trees indicated the trail. For the next 45 min we would make our way pushing our bikes thru ankle to hip deep cold swamp. Hadn't done that kind of hike-a-bike for a year or more so immediately slipped and fell in sliding on an underwater cypress knee. We plowed thru it but were soaked from waist down in sub freezing temps. The remainder of the bike on slow tram roads then fast limerock road was crazy cold. We arrived at the checkpoint with my hands and feet numb. Ate plenty of P,B and Js, mojo bars, vega bars, 20oz of Eload, and 100oz of water. 5+ hour bike leg. We arrived at the transition area about midnight. There was a fire pit. Tons of racers huddled around the fire trying to thaw out. I put on every piece of clothing I had and tried to dry out my water filled gloves. The cold got the better of Consuela and our day was done.
Trung, Mike, and I rode the bikes back to the finish line. A cold 15+ mile ride.
In summary, I have finally figured out long distance adventure racing nutrition, pacing, and cold survival thru a ton of trial and error. I joked with someone on the course that I owned several paychecks-worth of cold weather gear.
Although the results are not what I wanted, it was a great training weekend.
Now 2 days later, body is a bit sore and still feel fatigued. Otherwise good to go. May try some paddling tomorrow in my stealth kayak instead of a Coleman canoe. Temps are still cold so an open water swim probably not the best choice.
Jamie

Silverman - Life List continued

2009-11-29T11:19:00.003-05:00

Wow! I'm 3 weeks late with my entry. Prior to Silverman, Ironman Lanzarote 2007 had been my toughest and favorite IM experience. Climbing (and then descending) Mirador in Lanzarote I will never forget. I got a glimpse of Silverman when I did the Half in 2007. Trung was delirious when he finished Silverman in 2007 but he did mumble about big mountains in the Valley of Fire. That is when I put Silverman Full on my life list. Well, Silverman Full lived up to all its lore.
Life was busy as usual, but prep had been right on target. Race morning was perfect. I had some new found swimming confidence. I have swum much bigger volumes and swam in San Fran Bay (another life list item) with the Swim Art open water swim group the weekend before. I had my best IM swim. The Silverman Bike is simply EPIC, as the mountains are relentless. My best guess, is I had a dozen 50ish MPH descents. That is my kind of riding. I made my way into Henderson with about 30 minutes to spare before the ride course would be closed. It is dark in Nevada by 5pm. At that point I had no idea how I would run a marathon. In my opinion, this is where the Silverman reputation comes from. The Lanzarote ride is slightly more difficult than Silverman because of the island headwinds. However, the Lanzarote marathon is FLAT. There is not a flat section on the Silverman marathon. I ran the marathon for my dad who I lost last year. I reminded myself many times on the run how much he would have loved that Silverman ride on his Harley. The late goings of the marathon are always the toughest trying to maintain focus. Silverman marathon Mile 24 is behind a big casino/hotel with few spectators and volunteers. I hadn't seen Les in a week, but there she is to give me a kiss and that needed boost On to the finish line.
Silverman is one of the finest run endurance events I have participated in. Yes, Trung and I will be back in Boulder City November 2010 to take on Silverman again.
Jamie

Silverman - The Ultimate Challenge!!

2009-11-14T18:27:00.004-05:00

Sway’s Silverman Race Report – a bit long…but then again…the race was a bit long! http://www.silvermannv.com/

Finish Time: 12:36:41; 2nd female
Swim: 2.4 miles
Bike: 112 miles
Run: 26.2 miles

Headed out Wednesday meeting others from FL: TrungSway, Jamie, Stewie, Bill, Lynn, Mike, Cam, Dave, Shauna, Tracy, Radek and Jerry. Cheering Section: Mary-jo, Jordan, Jordan’s friend, Steph, Karen, Kay, Leslie and Gary (sorry if I missed anyone). Congrats to all who endured and raced this physically and mentally demanding course. What a fantastic weekend...this is life we are living!! :-)

Race Weekend – Arrived in Las Vegas Thursday evening. Enjoyed some relaxing time with my hubby Trung and friends. Boulder City, NV is a cute little town and it has the best Mom & Pop restaurants!!

Bikes arrived Friday afternoon. We go for a quick ride and I think…hmmm… these hills are not going to be that bad. Boy was I wrong…you will read later. We get all checked in at the Silverman Expo. Energy is in the air with all the athletes milling around. Dave Scott is signing autographs so we stop by to say hello and get a picture. Super nice guy. After checkin…Observing my roomies…Trung is twitchy. Stewie is Giddie. Jamie is fidgety.

Saturday Morning – Quick 30 minute run. Gorgeous view of Lake Mead. Found a house we all want to buy together overlooking Lake Mead. Legs feel really good. Yeah!! I force myself to go swimming in the freezing 68degree water. It is gorgeous, but cold. After a nice 40 minute swim it takes me a hot shower and 2 hours to thaw out. How will I get through Sunday?? Drive into Henderson for lunch at Whole Foods. Meet Gordo and some other athletes that will be racing. Everyone is keyed up and ready to go!

Bike check in is a quick ride down the hill…pushing 45mph…After a quick walk through of swim exit, bag pickup, changing tent, bike, bike mount. Don’t want to spend too much time over-analyzing everything. Back to room to play mad scientists and mix all our various nutrition concoctions for Sunday. Bags/clothes ready for the morning.

Saturday Night – Nice dinner at the local diner in Boulder City! Yummy Salmon and rice. Hit the spot. Home to bed. PB&J on night stand. Alarm set for 3:30 to eat. Turn off alarm…fall back to sleep without eating.

Race Morning – Breakfast – eload/carbo pro; oatmeal; banana; chocolate chip granola bar and ½ cup of coffee. Hammer gel espresso 10 minutes before swim start. We could not have asked for better weather. High of 75 for the day and very light winds. A bit chilly in the morning but not unbearable. Hugs and pictures from the Florida group.

Swim: Water temp – 67 degrees! FREEZING!! Picture this…5 minutes before swim…all participants in the water waiting for the start. Me…on the shore making sure my feet don’t get wet (neoprene cap on too) – wondering how the few crazy people w/out a wetsuit will ever finish the swim. No way am I getting in that water before I have to! 1 minute before start…still alone on the shore…blow a kiss to my hubby who is in the water wishing him good luck. Start horn goes off…I finally get in the water. Brrrrr…trying to focus on anything besides the cold water. I get into a groove after the first shock of cold water is gone. For the first 5 minutes I find myself going back and forth with another girl. Hmmmm…I decide to take advantage of her wanting to be ahead of me and find a nice draft behind her. I tickled her toes a few times, but for the most part I enjoyed and effortless swim with beautiful mountain views to either side of me w/ each breath. Saw a few fish in the crystal clear water. The neoprene cap did it’s job and I was able to get through the swim w/out any hypothermic issues….just a little shivering toward the end…major accomplishment for me!! Swim Finish: 1:09:11…9th female overall and a PR for 2.4 miles.

Transition 1: Goal…get on some warm clothes!! I took an extra few minutes to completely change so I would go on the bike with dry clothes. One of the few to head out sporting ear warmers, gloves and arm warmers. Took my time getting changed and on the bike…I knew it would be a long ride. T1: 0:06:10; Total time: 1:15:21

Bike: First mile...long steady climb…next 111 miles steady climbs and a couple of downhills. I am thinking…6:30 for my ride. Mile 20…have to take my 1 potty break of the day (haven’t mastered that pee on the bike trick…or do I need to for this race)…ahhh…much better when I get back on the bike. I pass a couple of girls and plan to ride at a comfortable feeling as I have been doing. Mile 40…I see the first place person pass me on his way back into town…only 20 miles ahead of me…not too bad. I see Radek…yelling GO GO GO!! The two girls in the Adventure Racing Element keep jumping back and forth on the course…cheering me on each time. Nice to have someone cheering out there on those lonely hills. There is a nice downhill that leads you to the section where you pass the special needs area…hmmm…have to keep going to the turn around. Of course I know I will have to go back UP that nice downhill…this is reinforced as I see other riders struggling up the hill…will I ever go faster than 9mph??? This Frank guy…race director they call him…torturer I call him. Not liking him too much right now! I know there are some flat roads around here somewhere…or some more downhills…have some mercy man!! I stop and grab my special needs bag and quickly get going. Heading back around the lake is challenging. The uphills are getting longer and harder or I am just getting tired. Luckily the wind is minimal today…at least the Wind Gods had mercy on us today…come on Frank! I see Jamie and Trung around mile 60 heading to the turnaround. They both look good and are smiling. Slowly…I keep going….yep…more hills…Somewhere around mile 90 I see a sign for the 3 sisters…I call them the 3 Wicked Red Headed Step Sisters! I am thinking 8:00 for my ride now!! My legs are already hurting from the previous 90 miles only to be faced w/ 3 hills…18% grade!! Somehow, albeit slow, I make it to the top of all 3. I think I see a nice flat ahead…but no…Frank throws in a FALSE FLAT for the next 3 miles or so! Funny guy he is! Finish off the ride going through a few neighborhoods. Super happy to see that 110 mile marker…and then I happily give my bike to a volunteer and tell them they can keep it (glad they did not take that literally)! This is the most challenging ride I have ever done. It is also one of the most beautiful rides I have ever done! We rode around Lake Mead for most of the ride…spectacular. I recommend this ride as a training ride! Bike Finish: 7:01:52; Total Time: 8:17:13…5th female overall.

Transition 1: Goal…make it out of the tent. Have the volunteer take off my bike shoes and helmet. I am feeling completely shot and not sure if I will be able to stand up. Somehow I get my super light Saucony Fast Twitch Running Shoes on, grab my hat, gu and thermolytes and head out of the tent. T2: 0:02:51; Total Time: 8:20:04

Run: Mile 1 – walk, hang out at rest stop, eat some chips, talk to the volunteers….talk to myself…”should I run, should I wait on Mike who I just saw finishing the bike, I’ll walk to mile 2 and see if he catches me…we can motivate each other to finish the race together.”

Mile 2 – those chips were good…have a few more. Think about taking a swig of espresso hammer gel…think not. Talk to myself again…”hmmm…still don’t see Mike…will walk to mile 3…wonder where Stewie is.”

Mile 3 – cute kids at the aid station telling me how good I am doing…hmmm…walking…not so good. Eat some more chips. Talk to myself again…”hmmmm…can’t wait on Mike. He will never let me live it down if we finish together…better yet…if he beats me…even by a second! I better start running!!” Force down a swig of my hammergel espresso and take off running…ever so slowy. 45 minutes for the first 3 miles!! SLOW!!

Miles 4-8 – moving slowly, walking all aid stations, water every mile; hammer gel espresso every 3 miles; 2 thermolytes every 45 minutes. Hear them announcing Lynn crossing the finish line for the Half. Motivating. See Tracy as she is within ½ mile of her finish…big hug. See Radek finishing his first lap. Good to see the familiar faces…this keeps me going. The hills are relentless…so much up…up…up…not so much down…down…down! Thought we had enough of those hills on the bike!!

Miles 9-13 – Feeling good now. Sticking to my 1mile/3mile/45minute nutrition/hydration plan…working well. Running good but not looking at my watch…just going with how I am feeling. See Stewie and Mike…quick hugs, wish them luck, and keep running. Nice little downhill for about 3 miles in this section. I let the momentum carry me and pass a bunch of guys. On this out/back section I can see the 4 girls ahead of me….hmmm…”can I catch them???” Turn around point...I hear a group yelling my name, slap some hands, not sure who it is...either b/c I still have my sunglasses on or I am just delirious...probably delirious! This keeps me going though...shoes are not sopping wet so I skip my special needs bag and keep running...don't want to waste any time.

Miles 14-20 – Still feeling good. It’s dark now and I have to run ALL those hills again. Gotta catch those girls…run…run…run. Around mile 18 I pass the pro girl on the course. We chat for a second, good for her that she is sticking out the course even though she is not feeling well, and I keep running. See another girl ahead of me around mile 19…plan…pass her after the turn around….by mile 22… It's at this point Rajesh crosses my mind...he ran his 6.2 miles at his OLY on a set of walking legs...pain in every step...NO EXCUSES!! IT's GO TIME!! GOTTA RUN!!

Miles 21-26.2 – Starting to feel my legs now…that achy feeling is setting in….stick to my 1 mile/3mile/45minute nutrition/hydration plan. Can’t stop now…only 6.2 miles to go. My rabbit and I cross paths around mile 21…by mile 22 I have caught her! That is my motivation to keep going. Nice downhill from mile 22 to 25…I take advantage of this and pass another rabbit. One more to go. It will be close…I see her around mile 24.5…I have to “giddy up” if I am going to catch her. My downhill is gone so now it is totally up to my legs to move me forward…this is the ONLY flat part on the course…happy I don’t have an uphill! Turning onto the trail…1/2 mile to go…I catch the last girl. She was not so happy…saying “You can’t pass me w/ a half mile to go”…I say…”Yes…come on…run with me…and I keep running.” Finish the last 6 miles at 7:30-7:45 pace…Cross the finish line where my hubby is there to greet me and put my finisher medal around my neck. Happy he was there!! Run Time: 4:16:39…Total Time: 12:36:41…2nd female overall!!

Upon finishing I was quickly wheel chaired into the med tent where I was greeted by Tracy and Shauna commenting that they weren’t getting me Burger King this time! J Two IV’s later, feeling a little better, I am released from the med tent and head out to wait on my compadres to finish…Mike, Stewie and Jamie. I nap on Jordan’s friends leg…don’t really remember this but I am told I did. Mary-jo’s blanky keeps me warm. Success…what a wonderful day and adventure!

Aid Stations and Volunteers: Wow! What support this race had…from the aid station to the volunteers on every section of the race. Fantastic. Always a smile and an encouraging word. The kids were great…definitely a community event. First Class!

Competitors: What a great atmosphere and attitude ALL athletes had. Whether going up a hill, down a hill, running, riding, sitting, passed out…everyone was so encouraging along the course.

Course: This is not a course to take lightly. Just finishing Ironman Wisconsin 6 weeks ago thinking that was a hilly course…I was taught what hilly (mountainous) is. 9,000+ feet ascending on the bike. 3,000+ fee ascending on the run. Train hard and you will have success on this course…one of the most beautifully ugly courses out there! Thanks Frank…seriously! J

Next: Look out Canada…here we come! http://www.ultramancanada.com/ http://www.itsgotimeevents.com/

Cheers!
Sway
It's Go Time...Where's Your Start Line???

What makes my world go 'round

2009-11-10T21:26:00.002-05:00

I had a Silverman (full race report to follow) celebration dinner tonite with my wife back in Orlando. She asked what I thought of my race. Although I was suprised at how long it took, I had an enormous sense of accomplishment. It is amongst my top three athletic accomplishments (included on that list is Ironman Lanzarote and the Coast to Coast 3 day Adventure Race).
Reflecting before the race (not knowing whether I could complete it) and basking in the feat afterwards, it became apparent what makes my world go 'round. The thought that what I'm embarking on, I might not be able to accomplish. The sense of living in the now descending down a mountain at 50mph on a bike or swimming in the cold current of San Francisco Bay.
These are some of the things that feed my soul.
Make sure your feed your soul (something other than the salty snacks I have been devouring since the race)
Jamie

Sugarloaf Repeats

2009-11-04T15:40:00.003-05:00

Humbled again...Sunday a group of us met to do our last ride before Silverman in Vegas. We wanted a few hills so we head out to Clermont to do Sugarloaf/Buckhill repeats. This is normal for us as we have ridden out there numerous times. Well...we invited Rajesh to join us... Picture this...an old pair of legs with some bike cleats bolted to the bottom of the foot. This allows Rajesh to clip in/out of the bike. He has only rode on his bike like this 2 or 3 times for short distances. The biggest hills he has rode are causeways. Fearless as he is he jumps on the bike and heads right through Buckhill and then up Sugarloaf....alone for his first lap as he forgot to set his clock back on hour. We caught him on the second loop...huge smile and riding strong. Now imagine this...Rajesh clipped in with his bolted on cleats and pretty much one arm...flying DOWN Sugarloaf!!! We hit 40-45mph going down Sugarloaf. Scary just thinking about it. My hubby Trung was so inspired he just road up and down Sugarloaf for 2 hours...10 trips...up...down...up...down. This alone shows the mental and physical strength Rajesh has...we are in trouble when he gets the proper equipment to ride and run on!

Hope this inspires you to get out there and GO!!

Cheers!
Sway

Miami Nice Oly Tri - Coaches View

2009-10-29T21:47:00.003-04:00

Coach Sway from the sideline at Rajesh's first Oly Tri.

Race Morning - freezing (this is Florida???!!!), windy, and rough water. My thoughts...boy this is going to be a super tough swim for everyone, not to mention Rajesh with one arm. My words...you can do this. "Take some deep breaths before you go in the water...it's just like our practice swims on the glass like water. Find your rhythm and go." My thoughts...he can do it! And that he did beating quite a few others out of the rough waters. Transition went smoothly with Jamie and Trung helping Rajesh out of the water and to his legs. After a little helmet malfunction...quite comical with me trying to fix Rajesh's helmet with my fingers numb from the cold...he was off on the bike. Super fast one way (wind at back) and a bit slow the opposite way (wind in face). Riding with walking legs and tennis shoes Rajesh finished the windy bike with cramps in his legs but a big smile on his face...2/3 done! Off to the run. I encouraged Rajesh to walk for a mile to work out the cramps and then the run would come. It was quite motivating seeing the big smile on Rajesh's face and the positive attitude despite the pain he was feeling. Off he went for loop 1 of the run. At loop 2 I could really see the pain showing in each of Rajesh's steps...time to get him to the finish line...no turning back. For the next 3 miles I ran beside Rajesh...both of us encouraging other runners and taking encouragement in return. The last mile was where Rajesh dug deeper than he ever has before. Every step was not just for him but to encourage others that they too can reach their dreams. It was one of my proudest moments as a coach watching Rajesh cross the finish line....smile still shining! Way to go Rajesh...looking forward to the next adventure!
Coach Sway

Miami Nice Olympic Traithlon

2009-10-19T12:29:00.000-04:00

Okay, this is is Slimmed down version of the race, the original is 4 pages long. :o) Special thanks to Sway, Jamie, Trung, for helping me out and supporting me. Kelley, Rocked out on her first Oly!! GREAT JOB!!

Rajesh Race Report.

It all started, at 3:30am. I woke up started to pray, thankful for the opportunity to be partaking in this race. All the months of training, and strict dieting, all coming together for this one day. As I ate my cream of wheat, I envisioned myself crossing that finish line. My #1 goal was to have fun, #2 to come in close to 3:30. My official time, was 3:35:40. Not bad taking into the conditions out there on the Bay, and on Key Biscayne. There was a nice cold front, armed with 30mph winds throughout the course. The swim was choppy and difficult with the 2 foot swells and winds blowing us off course, I was forced to power through with every stroke. There were a few times my swim cap and goggles almost got knocked off, from the swells, that didn’t stop me, as I passed people and came in 70% of my age group. Transitioned out, only after swallowing half a gallon of seawater, (extra sodium for the future!) I was ready for the bike.

Into the bike, driving over the Rickenbacker Bridge didn’t seem that bad, riding over it was a different story. 2 loops with a total with 4 bridge crossing, 5 min climbs, with winds 30mph was pretty interesting. Kicked it down into high gear, and crawled up the hill, at 8mph. Legs were not feeling good in the socket throughout the bike ride. Fighting with leg numbness, strong winds, and cold weather, I managed to maintain an avg. speed of 14mph. All I could think about was maintain my speed, and blocking out the pain in my legs from the sockets.

Happy to get off the bike, I knew the run would be challenging, because the beating my legs took on the bike, from the improper setup. Cramping and soreness started to set in, probably from the lack of blood flow, in the socket.

I knew I couldn’t stop, so I walked half a mile to loosen up. Into the run, I started with a nice 11 min pace, held that pace for all 6 miles. The run was a combination of beach, paved, and trail packed rock and dirt. Very challenging for me to negotiating it while trying to hold pace. I’ve only once ran 5 miles on paved roads.

Running after biking 25 miles, was another first. Running alone beats my legs up. At mile 4 my legs had wanted to give up. All the beating was starting to set in, I couldn’t feel them anymore. Though I wasn’t tired, my legs had had enough. But Coach Sway running by my side for the last 3 miles, pushed me to where I never been before mentally and physically. When I crossed that finish line, It was all worth it. She was right all the pain went away.

The emotions, and comrade on the race course was amazing!! No other place where I find the kindest most sincere people. Where there is no drama, no worries, no one judging, or status. It’s just everyone out there, in the element challenging themselves to see what they are made of. It’s their passion and drive for life, discovering and learning about themselves in ways they never knew. The best part, is no one keeps it to themselves, they share it and leave a little of themselves on the race course for others.

Life is Amazing! LIVE FREE! Thank you everyone for making the impossible…..possible!!

I’m off to the Next Big Adventure!!

Rajesh

Mont Leconte: A walk in the clouds

2009-10-17T21:19:00.005-04:00

Last weekend I joined my family/friends in Gatlinburg for a hiking weekend. I arrived in Gburg on Saturday. We checked out the local outfitters and waited for the balance of the crew to make their way to town. There was twelve of us. Sunday we woke up leisurely, ate hoemeade rasberry biscuits, and readied our gear. We arrived at the trailhead at 12 noon. We used the Rainbow Trail on our ascent. The Rainbow Falls had big volume and was beautiful.
That's me rock hopping.

The nine mile hike, gaining approximately 4000 ft, took about 3 1/2 hours to complete. At about 5000 ft my Brother-in-law Jim and I cleared the clouds and were treated with an amazing evening of clear skies. The sunset at Cliff Tops was one of the most spectacular I have ever witnessed.

The rustic accommodations at the summit were amazing. After a visit to Myrtle Point and a great night's sleep, we made our way down the mountain. The descent was in the rain. I had a blast hammering down the mountain with my nephews, Bryant and Boyd, and our friend Eric.

See you out there.
Jamie

Off to the Oly

2009-10-16T19:45:00.003-04:00

The Ultra 3 are looking forward to a fun weekend in Miami cheering Rajesh on at his first Olympic Triathlon. Rajesh will be the first triple amputee to complete an Olympic Distance Triathlon. Very motivating...watch for our race report.

Windy City

2009-10-10T11:36:00.003-04:00

What a beautiful city! Woke up for an early morning run with EJ while the city was still asleep. Very peaceful running through town to Lake Shore Drive. Ran along Lake Michigan watching the sunrise. Invigorating run with the cool temps of 40 and lack of humidity. Quite the difference from 95 with 100% humidity from Orlando. After a 90 minute run EJ and I picked up the marathon crew for an easy jog to loosen up the legs for Sunday's Chicago Marathon. Ended the morning festivities with a yummy breakfast. Another great start to the day! Cheers! Sway

95 to 45

2009-10-09T22:43:00.002-04:00

Hello All. Another exciting day. Started off in Orlando (temps rising to 95) with a swim at Lucky's Lake (www.luckyslakeswim.com) with Rajesh, David, Elizabeth, Richard, Lucky and a handful of others out for an early morning swim. We all jumped in at 6:30AM...still dark with the moon shining overhead. The water was as smooth as glass. I encountered several ducks as I swam along thinking for a moment they were the Cane Lake Monster... :-) Myself, David, Elizabeth, Richard and everyone else except Rajesh made it to the other side. We waited....and waited...and waited and finally realized that Rajesh took the scenic route around the lake. After a few pics with Lucky and crew I enjoyed the peacefulness of the morning as Elizabeth finished her 4 laps...way to go girl!
Now...from 95 in Orlando to 45 in Chicago. Rushed home from the swim, showered, packed and headed to the airport to join my athletes in Chicago for the marathon this weekend. Fun city full of energy. I am very thankful to have a borrowed parka for the weekend. Not only is it warm...it keeps the wet drizzling rain off you. They are calling for snow tomorrow or Sunday. Looking forward to a cold 2 hour run Saturday morning and lots of cheering for those running on Sunday...IT's GO TIME! :-)

1/3 Today

2009-10-07T22:14:00.002-04:00

Great day...started with 3200 swim w/ the Masters Group. What I have learned from my second swim with the Masters group...I have super endurance...but no speed. Kept up with the fast peeps on the endurance stuff...they smoked me on the speed drills. Must get faster!

Super awesome ride with Nina and Radek. Started off at 8:00AM in Clermont..found the flat route for the day. Steady ride w/ some 10:00 pickups thrown in. Riding along and a car started honking at us...of course we think someone is going to start yelling at us as usual...not this time. The car slows down and asks..."Hey, are you single." I get a chuckle out of this and reply, "nope not me...but He (Radek) is." :-) Ended the ride w/ 73 miles feeling strong

Food. Hydrate. Nap. Food. Work. Food. Then off to teach my spin class followed by a quick 20 minute run.

All of this adds up to about 1/3 of the swim and bike portion of Ultraman Canada...a long way to go!

Must sleep now!

Cheers!
Sway

The Beginning

2009-10-06T23:43:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone, I'm new to blogging, so i guess this is where i brain dump.

First I'd like to thank everyone for their tremendous support, and encouragement. It's people like yourselves that make the biggest difference in the world, and in people's lives. Truly a Godsend.

To make history it takes some sacrifice. To do what what’s never been done, take courage and perseverance. We all have a story....of defeating challenges both mental and physical.

So for people that are curious to hear mine, here's my 10,000 foot view. I was born congenital missing my legs and arm. At age one both my legs were amputated and fitted with prosthetics. It's been a long transition from the person I was to the person I am today. Being and Amputee is the best this that's ever happen to me.

I can honestly say I’ve never met a better bunch of warm caring genuine people ever before. Coach Sway's Group, and the people support her, definitely passionately enjoy helping people achieve their dreams and live better lives.

So with support from the group, I signed up for Miami Nice Olympic Triathlon, is my first Olympic, with 7 months of total training, since I got into this crazy sport. Crazy for a triple amputee to be doing...so it seemed, guess that is why no other has ever attempted it.

But those who know me well know I’m a crazy guy, that's into anything adrenaline pumping, always pushing the limit. (Scuba with great whites is next on the list)

Back to Miami...The nervousness is starting to slowly set it, but I’m excited!! My goal is to do something that scares me stupid, and then with prayer and faith, DO IT!! Second is to have fun, third is to Live Free, by pushing the body and mind, and showing that everyone can overcome whatever they are struggling with. Oh and of course complete this race, with my custom made sneakers for running (pics to follow)

With that said, I need some sleep. Yoga class messed me up a little tonight :o) I'm swimming tomorrow, and bricking in the evening.

Thank you again for your support....KONA better have enough room...cause here We come!!!!!
-Rajesh

A day in the life...

2009-10-06T21:08:00.002-04:00

Of a weekend warrior Ultraman wannabe. Up at 5am. Coffee and banana. 5:30 swim 2200m in the over-chlorinated YMCA pool. To the hospital to start rounds by 7am. Hospital/clinic rounds until 5pm. Hustle home. 6pm, one hour ride on the mountain bike (Tri bike in the shop). Actually felt good pushing a big gear on the mountain bike. Transition to 4 mile run. Done now, busy eating everything that is not nailed down. Got to get to bed, 5:30am masters swim awaits in the morning.
It was a good day. Jamie

299 Days of training on the log....

2009-10-04T15:30:00.000-04:00

Knock one out, get a nights sleep...298 days of training on the log.... :-)

Today was a nice 2 1/2 hour ride with one of my Athlete's, Weylin. We enjoyed a flat ride with a beautiful sunrise and cool weather. What a fantastic way to start the day. Nice steady pace w/ one super sprint as the BIG, SCARY DOG chased me!!! If you know me you know I will leave you in a heartbeat if there is a dog anywhere near...Weylin couldn't start laughing at me and how I took off like a rocket! :-) A little core work and strength training following the ride and then off to fuel up at First Watch with my partners in crime Trung and Jamie as well as Weylin and his family. PERFECT morning!

How far is it?

2009-10-02T22:01:00.000-04:00

Since I have been talking up UltramanCanada over the past year, the most common question is 'how far is it?' (complete with a puzzled look on the inquirer's face). Short answer is 6.2 miles of swimming, 260 miles of riding and 52 miles of running. A longer answer including my perspective. I am drawn to a race that is long enough where I am not exactly sure how to train for it. By the time I finish my open water swim tomorrow, i will have swam 8k this week, still 2k short of what I will swim the first morning of the race. Ouch. After we get the lake water out of our ears, we will then ride all but 20 miles of the brutal Ironman Canada course. Day 2 we will ride 170 miles. I have no perspective. The longest I have ridden at one time is 120 miles. Getting friendly with my bike saddle, indeed. Day three we will run 52 miles. I have run 42 miles on 2 occasions. By the way, it hurt both times.

We will keep you posted. I will wrap up a recovery week this weekend, following Augusta 70.3 last weekend. Monday begins 2 big volume weeks in preparation for Silverman.
Jamie

Ultraman Canda with an operation...

2009-10-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

Follow Sway, Trung and Jamie over the next 301 days as they put in miles of training for Ultraman Canada: Operation - Blade Runner! We will each be competing in the Ultraman Canada event on July 30-Aug 2, 2010 (http://www.ultramancanada.com/). Our goal for the race is to finish...bigger than this...our goal is to raise enough money to get a set of blade runners for Rajesh. Rajesh is new to triathlon, which for most is a challenge in its' own. For Rajesh the challenge is even greater...he is a triple amputee. Currently he is running on a set of walking legs/feet which is not ideal for endurance sports. Our goal is to raise enough funds to get Rajesh a speedy fast set of blade runners. Watch our blog for more info on how to help us reach our goal and to get Rajesh to his goal...Ironman!

Cheers!
Sway