Congratulations Kale R P,
You are the winner of a 3 night stay in Turner, ME!
Thanks to your purchase of a shatty 1999 Land Rover that over-heats, you get one extra night in paradise.
Great.
As if I didn't have enough on my plate, now I have to figure out how I'm going to get to Presque Isle, how I'm going to get my vehicle fixed, and how I'm going to come back down to get it.
So...I'll escape this situation by sitting here and blogging.
If I ignore it, it'll just go away... right?
With the most exciting Tour de France I have ever seen, my blogging took a back seat in July.
Sorry.
One cool thing- we ran to Houlton last monday from UMPI- a 45-50 mile affair.
It was so hot, and the railroad bed is so open that shade is hard to come by.
It was a long day, but a great day until the end. Not going into that though.
The point is that Joe did unbelievably well in his first ultra situation, and though I would never call running that far easy, it was the easiest Ultra I have ever done. No mental issues, just blisters.
EVALUATION
Right now, I feel good, but I am done riding and running intensely.
A group ride spoils the rest of my weekend training.
Riding for 2 hours red-lined is going to do nothing for me after 20 hours on the bike.
I need some good back to back long days on the bike.
I need pool time.
I need flexibility time.
Leah's return from camp mid-August directly coincides with what I am going to call...
"No Effing Around" Training- a month-long, wisely planned out cram of all the last chance training I will need.
Long rides, long swims, and long run/walks, and plenty of sleepiness.
I told Pete(Deca Dude) in an email today that I was starting to get nervous, to which he replied,
"You should be nervous. You are about to do the longest triathlon in the US."
So anxious.
kp
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
no grammar
if you haven't figured it out, i'm a quote guy.
i heard this quote once:
"there is no such thing as burnout,
just loss of appetite".
i also heard that over-training
leads to burnout.
i think it's all attitude.
right now, i'm a mess.
my eyelids droop, and my shoulders slump, and i want to lay down and sleep for 3 days.
i don't look at it like..."i need to slow down".
i look at it and say..."damn dude, you better harden up".
when i'm training and the pain sets in, my new mantra is "what's it going to feel like in virginia?"
it puts it all in perspective, and my head shuts up.
interesting, yea?
picked up the Coffee News the other day, saw another old quote:
"shoot for the moon,
so even if you fall short
you'll still be among stars."
i thought that was kind of funny, because
in my early triathlon days, i wanted to be a pro triathlete, just for the glamour of it.
now, here i am, rubbing elbows with some of the
world's most prominent (or should i say only) ultra distance triathletes
and if i finish, i'm all of a sudden one of them.
the best part?
we're too crazy to attract professional funding.
the sport is still super obscure.
i'm not doing this for the fame of it anyways.
frankly, i cringe when people
i didn't tell ask me about it.
pretty much the whole town knows now,
so i guess it's extra motivation to finish.
87 days.
i heard this quote once:
"there is no such thing as burnout,
just loss of appetite".
i also heard that over-training
leads to burnout.
i think it's all attitude.
right now, i'm a mess.
my eyelids droop, and my shoulders slump, and i want to lay down and sleep for 3 days.
i don't look at it like..."i need to slow down".
i look at it and say..."damn dude, you better harden up".
when i'm training and the pain sets in, my new mantra is "what's it going to feel like in virginia?"
it puts it all in perspective, and my head shuts up.
interesting, yea?
picked up the Coffee News the other day, saw another old quote:
"shoot for the moon,
so even if you fall short
you'll still be among stars."
i thought that was kind of funny, because
in my early triathlon days, i wanted to be a pro triathlete, just for the glamour of it.
now, here i am, rubbing elbows with some of the
world's most prominent (or should i say only) ultra distance triathletes
and if i finish, i'm all of a sudden one of them.
the best part?
we're too crazy to attract professional funding.
the sport is still super obscure.
i'm not doing this for the fame of it anyways.
frankly, i cringe when people
i didn't tell ask me about it.
pretty much the whole town knows now,
so i guess it's extra motivation to finish.
87 days.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
89 Days
Just wrapping up a fantastic 7 day block of training, and other than a little tired, I feel great.
I put in about 30 hours over the last week..lemme break it down:
10 hours of running/walking
6 hours of PT/plyometrics/resistance
14 hours of biking
Notice the lack of swim in there.
I am having a real challenge finding swim time.
Open water swimming solo is dangerous, and pool time directly collides with PT and work. I'm going to have to work something out here..
The good news is that I'm beginning to feel really awesome on the bike. I can really feel the difference from the plyos I'm doing. Less slouch, better muscle recruitment, fantastic.
8 days until the run to Houlton via trail, a 40 mile affair. This week will be a rest week until sunday night, and then it's right back into some heavy duty sleep deprivation and major volume. It'll be interesting to see how this Houlton run goes on minimal sleep with a good bike ride prior to it. It's Joe's first Ultra type workout, and he's amped. I'll be depending on his enthusiasm to get me through. Although I have never done anything like this, I am hoping the training I've done up until now will make it "easy", i.e., no major mental crisis. Either way, it's going to be a really cool day.
I put in about 30 hours over the last week..lemme break it down:
10 hours of running/walking
6 hours of PT/plyometrics/resistance
14 hours of biking
Notice the lack of swim in there.
I am having a real challenge finding swim time.
Open water swimming solo is dangerous, and pool time directly collides with PT and work. I'm going to have to work something out here..
The good news is that I'm beginning to feel really awesome on the bike. I can really feel the difference from the plyos I'm doing. Less slouch, better muscle recruitment, fantastic.
8 days until the run to Houlton via trail, a 40 mile affair. This week will be a rest week until sunday night, and then it's right back into some heavy duty sleep deprivation and major volume. It'll be interesting to see how this Houlton run goes on minimal sleep with a good bike ride prior to it. It's Joe's first Ultra type workout, and he's amped. I'll be depending on his enthusiasm to get me through. Although I have never done anything like this, I am hoping the training I've done up until now will make it "easy", i.e., no major mental crisis. Either way, it's going to be a really cool day.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Chronic Fatigue and Ratings (94 days)
I am tirrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeddddddddddd.
I'm sure it's spillover from saturday's long bike day and sunday night's long hike/run.
Mix that in with the lack of sunshine, and I am feeling very dreary and unphotosynthesized.
I know it's not a word, but while we may not benefit nutritionally from sun, lack of it sure can have negative effects on us.
Ever since Pete and I chatted, I've been very gung ho. I want to train at the level of those ultra endurance veterans, but my body just doesn't have that huge base yet.
26 is simply too young, and my price for trying is chronic fatigue.
How can I counteract this? Extra sleep would be my first suggestion, but sleep is the enemy right now.
I need to know what mass amounts of aerobic activity on very little rest feels like. Not only that- my body needs to learn how to repair itself on what it gets for rest.
It's going to have to be diet. It wouldn't hurt to cut out group rides, 5ks, and other intensity workouts. It takes too long to recover and eats into my energy for the rest of the week.
RATINGS ON MY PREPARATION 1-10...(1 is bad)
-Swim- 3
Very little swim prep under my belt. I will begin with 2 hour swims in the pool and work up over the next few months in open water as well. I have not been very proactive because 1) the swim comes to you rather quickly with little wear on the body and 2) the swim is only, at worst, 1/12 of the event. I am not underestimating it.
4 to 5 hours is a long time to have your face in the water, and will take a serious toll on my legs if I'm not prepared.
-Bike-5
I have plenty of intensity miles on my bike..but intensity does nothing over 336 miles. The goal from here on out is ridiculously easy mileage and long hours in the saddle.. Culminating in a mid-august ride from Lubec to Kittery in one sitting...either until I hit Kittery or I bonk really, really, really hard.
You know what scares me the absolute most about the Triple? The bike. That's a long time on the saddle.
I know what to expect: the sore neck, the sore hands, the sore butt, and how it feels like your tires are flat when you're pedaling..and how you go to switch into your easiest gear and realize that you are already in it...
The course will be all flat, which means no coasting, which...you guessed it, means full-time pedaling.
No fear, dude. Riiight.
-Run-8
I feel as though I am right where I need to be for every sport, including logging all my hardest and heaviest mileage for running early in the year with plenty of time to recover in the last couple of months..My legs felt great the other night. The real test for my running legs will be my long bike ride in the wee hours of the morning of July 20 before me and Joe Mortland's 40 mile run to Houlton.
-Sleep deprivation-4
This might scare me just as much as the bike ride, because it's all new and completely unknown.
How will my body react to two nights without sufficient sleep and 3 days worth of continuous aerobic activity?
CONCLUSION
I'm coming to a point where I just want race day so that I can stop focusing on unknowns. I'm getting more nervous and anxious with each passing day.
My natural reaction is to go out and figure these unknowns out, but I can't just jump into multi-day bike rides.
I'm doing well at following a natural progression; something I've struggled with in the past.
I'm being patient, and listening to my body. If I can keep it up, I will stay injury free until October, and if I can stay injury free, I can finish.
I'm sure it's spillover from saturday's long bike day and sunday night's long hike/run.
Mix that in with the lack of sunshine, and I am feeling very dreary and unphotosynthesized.
I know it's not a word, but while we may not benefit nutritionally from sun, lack of it sure can have negative effects on us.
Ever since Pete and I chatted, I've been very gung ho. I want to train at the level of those ultra endurance veterans, but my body just doesn't have that huge base yet.
26 is simply too young, and my price for trying is chronic fatigue.
How can I counteract this? Extra sleep would be my first suggestion, but sleep is the enemy right now.
I need to know what mass amounts of aerobic activity on very little rest feels like. Not only that- my body needs to learn how to repair itself on what it gets for rest.
It's going to have to be diet. It wouldn't hurt to cut out group rides, 5ks, and other intensity workouts. It takes too long to recover and eats into my energy for the rest of the week.
RATINGS ON MY PREPARATION 1-10...(1 is bad)
-Swim- 3
Very little swim prep under my belt. I will begin with 2 hour swims in the pool and work up over the next few months in open water as well. I have not been very proactive because 1) the swim comes to you rather quickly with little wear on the body and 2) the swim is only, at worst, 1/12 of the event. I am not underestimating it.
4 to 5 hours is a long time to have your face in the water, and will take a serious toll on my legs if I'm not prepared.
-Bike-5
I have plenty of intensity miles on my bike..but intensity does nothing over 336 miles. The goal from here on out is ridiculously easy mileage and long hours in the saddle.. Culminating in a mid-august ride from Lubec to Kittery in one sitting...either until I hit Kittery or I bonk really, really, really hard.
You know what scares me the absolute most about the Triple? The bike. That's a long time on the saddle.
I know what to expect: the sore neck, the sore hands, the sore butt, and how it feels like your tires are flat when you're pedaling..and how you go to switch into your easiest gear and realize that you are already in it...
The course will be all flat, which means no coasting, which...you guessed it, means full-time pedaling.
No fear, dude. Riiight.
-Run-8
I feel as though I am right where I need to be for every sport, including logging all my hardest and heaviest mileage for running early in the year with plenty of time to recover in the last couple of months..My legs felt great the other night. The real test for my running legs will be my long bike ride in the wee hours of the morning of July 20 before me and Joe Mortland's 40 mile run to Houlton.
-Sleep deprivation-4
This might scare me just as much as the bike ride, because it's all new and completely unknown.
How will my body react to two nights without sufficient sleep and 3 days worth of continuous aerobic activity?
CONCLUSION
I'm coming to a point where I just want race day so that I can stop focusing on unknowns. I'm getting more nervous and anxious with each passing day.
My natural reaction is to go out and figure these unknowns out, but I can't just jump into multi-day bike rides.
I'm doing well at following a natural progression; something I've struggled with in the past.
I'm being patient, and listening to my body. If I can keep it up, I will stay injury free until October, and if I can stay injury free, I can finish.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Kill the Man, Become the Monster
I remember the summer after high school.
I worked at FedEx loading trucks from 3-9 in the morning, did landscaping all day, and then worked at a restaurant at night.
A good night was 4 hours of sleep.
Although insane, I held a certain amount of pride in being able to do such a thing...and I was rich that summer.
If only I knew where that money went..but I digress.
I bring up the summer of 2001 because I am set to go on a whole new level of sleep deprivation.
Many of you know I've been seeking advice from Pete Lefferts, the only American Deca-Iron athlete at the World Championships last year.
Yes, 10 Ironmans. Yes, all in one go.
Yes, swimming 24 miles, biking 1120, and running 262.
Get your head around that.
He's telling me I need to do about a week at a time with no sleep, except for 45 minute naps here and there.
Anybody can gut 1 night out on the course, but he says, it's the second night, running through the night after already biking all night the night before that's the tough part.
The crew becomes essential on the second night and during the third day, because the athlete has turned into a robot and can no longer really think for themselves. The crew needs to know what the athlete needs just by looking at him.
In talking with Pete yesterday, I am more fired up than I ever have been about an event. It kind of reminds me of training for my first half ironman. The fear; the not knowing what to expect or how it's all going to unravel.
People keep asking me why I'm doing it.
It's the training. It's the challenge. I need to know if I can do it.
If I can, a whole new realm of my life will be opened.
Race Across America, Ultraman, Great Divide Race, Self Transcendence, Swimming the English Channel, Eco Challenge, Primal Quest, Le Tour Ultime.
Google any of these, and you will find they are some of the hardest races in the world.
People keep telling me that what I am doing is awesome, and I am only humbled because what I have done thus far, in the words of Ricky Bobby, "isn't worth a picture of a whale and a dolphin getting it on".
I haven't accomplished anything yet. Lots of people run 50 miles.
Some do 100, some do 200.
Yiannis Kouros has run 1000 miles in 10 days.
A Triple Ironman is an accomplishment that only a handful of people in the world can say they've done.
Am I too young?
I guess we'll find out.
kp
I worked at FedEx loading trucks from 3-9 in the morning, did landscaping all day, and then worked at a restaurant at night.
A good night was 4 hours of sleep.
Although insane, I held a certain amount of pride in being able to do such a thing...and I was rich that summer.
If only I knew where that money went..but I digress.
I bring up the summer of 2001 because I am set to go on a whole new level of sleep deprivation.
Many of you know I've been seeking advice from Pete Lefferts, the only American Deca-Iron athlete at the World Championships last year.
Yes, 10 Ironmans. Yes, all in one go.
Yes, swimming 24 miles, biking 1120, and running 262.
Get your head around that.
He's telling me I need to do about a week at a time with no sleep, except for 45 minute naps here and there.
Anybody can gut 1 night out on the course, but he says, it's the second night, running through the night after already biking all night the night before that's the tough part.
The crew becomes essential on the second night and during the third day, because the athlete has turned into a robot and can no longer really think for themselves. The crew needs to know what the athlete needs just by looking at him.
In talking with Pete yesterday, I am more fired up than I ever have been about an event. It kind of reminds me of training for my first half ironman. The fear; the not knowing what to expect or how it's all going to unravel.
People keep asking me why I'm doing it.
It's the training. It's the challenge. I need to know if I can do it.
If I can, a whole new realm of my life will be opened.
Race Across America, Ultraman, Great Divide Race, Self Transcendence, Swimming the English Channel, Eco Challenge, Primal Quest, Le Tour Ultime.
Google any of these, and you will find they are some of the hardest races in the world.
People keep telling me that what I am doing is awesome, and I am only humbled because what I have done thus far, in the words of Ricky Bobby, "isn't worth a picture of a whale and a dolphin getting it on".
I haven't accomplished anything yet. Lots of people run 50 miles.
Some do 100, some do 200.
Yiannis Kouros has run 1000 miles in 10 days.
A Triple Ironman is an accomplishment that only a handful of people in the world can say they've done.
Am I too young?
I guess we'll find out.
kp
Thursday, July 2, 2009
If and When
I'm done watching the news.
Everything is so gloom and doom about war and financial crisis.
I'm just tired of hearing about it every hour....every second even.
You know, if things are going to happen, let's get it over with already.
If every state is going to go bankrupt, let's go, so we can start over again.
If North Korea is going to bomb us, get it done, so we can retaliate and wipe them out.
I get so tired of hearing about what's coming, or how this or that is on the verge of happening.
It's all speculation.
Honestly, why bring it up if it might not even happen?
I might die tomorrow.
I might die in a minute.
It might be possible for the world to explode at any given second.
Thing is, we can speculate and analyze everything, but the one truth is that nothing is 100% predictable.
Chance. Isn't it a beautiful thing?
It forces us to live in the moment in a world where everyone is trying to figure out what's going to happen next.
I'm reminded of a tee shirt I saw last summer that had me laughing for a while.
Haikus are awesome,
Sometimes they don't make much sense
Refrigerator
Life is that random. So let it go, media. Report on what's happened, not what's going to.
Everything is so gloom and doom about war and financial crisis.
I'm just tired of hearing about it every hour....every second even.
You know, if things are going to happen, let's get it over with already.
If every state is going to go bankrupt, let's go, so we can start over again.
If North Korea is going to bomb us, get it done, so we can retaliate and wipe them out.
I get so tired of hearing about what's coming, or how this or that is on the verge of happening.
It's all speculation.
Honestly, why bring it up if it might not even happen?
I might die tomorrow.
I might die in a minute.
It might be possible for the world to explode at any given second.
Thing is, we can speculate and analyze everything, but the one truth is that nothing is 100% predictable.
Chance. Isn't it a beautiful thing?
It forces us to live in the moment in a world where everyone is trying to figure out what's going to happen next.
I'm reminded of a tee shirt I saw last summer that had me laughing for a while.
Haikus are awesome,
Sometimes they don't make much sense
Refrigerator
Life is that random. So let it go, media. Report on what's happened, not what's going to.
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