Ironman Cozumel…Day 4…Ironman Eve…

Another awesome sleep, about 10 hours, I feel like Rip Van Winkle.

Before bed I made sore I took the roller to my legs and did some Isometrics. This morning my legs felt stronger. The roller and isometrics help for sure, they keep the muscles working even though you are resting.

Up early again, same old routine. Down to the lobby, get online and connected to the world. Over the last couple days Alice and I have been communicating via chat. Something we haven’t done before. I kind of like it. I can stay more focused on the conversation.

Normally when we are having a conversation on the phone or even in person, shinny objects, or my thoughts easily distract me. I’m told I misunderstand or hear a conversation, not with Chat, it’s very clear. Moving forward I think I may use chat for everything, even if I’m in the same room with the family. I’ll communicate solely by chat. It allows me to multi-task without misunderstanding.

I was surprisingly very motivated to get in my pre-race bike and run. It’s normally been a chore. I never do a pre-race swim. It doesn’t help, I’m slower regardless, and I find it’s easier to just preserve the use of my upper body until race morning.

The interesting thing about swimming is it’s not worth the extra effort to increase your speed. You can speed 3 hours a week in the pool only to improve your Ironman swim time by 5 – 10 minutes over 1 hour a week. It’s not worth it in the scheme of an 11-hour plus day. Two quick transitions can save 2 – 5 minutes or a good run or bike can shave 30 – 60 minutes or more off your overall time.

Plus when you add drive time to the pool to and from it’s inefficient and easy follows the principals of the law of diminishing returns.

I tested out my new speedometer during the ride. I compared it to my Garmin. Before I could I had to figure out how to set the Garmin to biking mode. I only use it for running. I knew it could switch but it took me about 5 minutes of pushing all sorts of buttons until I figured it out.

Then I quickly found a problem, the speed on my Garmin was way off the time on the bike by about 5 km per hour. Damn. Not good.

Good news was I realized I didn’t have the Garmin set right. I had it monitoring average speed not current speed. But of course before I figured that out I started adjusting the wheel circumference on the bike speedometer. I tried to adjust it to match the average speed on the bike. DOH!!!

It took me only two more stops and more adjustments to the bike speedometer until I figured out I was comparing apples and oranges. When I reset the speedometer back to my original settings and adjusted the Garmin to track speed everything compared perfectly. Winning. Mentally I need a speedometer. I race against myself and keeping an average speed keeps me motivated to keep pushing. It’s a goal of sorts.

The run went well as well. I took it easy and the pace was good. My legs felt strong running same on the bike. I had some power. Power I haven’t felt in a while. The big test is going to see if I still have that power after an hour. If I can last an hour with power I find I can last 5 plus hours with it.

Part of the feeling great was I was wearing my DeSoto tri shorts. They are super high compression. I love them. Problem is sometimes they rub too much at the back where the tag is. I was really considering wearing them for the race then I thought about it and followed the first cardinal rule of Ironman…”Don’t do anything new in a race that you haven’t done in training”.  Therefore no DeSotos, going with the 2 XU’s which shouldn’t be a problem I did qualify for Kona wearing them so they can’t be that bad.

That bike and run was probably the most enjoyable I’ve had in a long, long time. It was effortless and relaxing.

It gets better. When I got home I had some rumbling in my stomach. Perfect. You don’t want to race backed up if you know what I mean. I was a proud papa on this one and took a few waves good by.  Enough said, maybe even too much already.

Race morning will include some Advil. Not only does it help with reducing inflammation it causes water retention and constipation. Just what you want when doing an Ironman by reducing any stomach issues.

Lunch was more pasta carbs. Not too much. Then as I walked back to the room I saw the transport bus to the bike check in waiting. Even though it was an hour before I was to be there, I got my bike and gear and caught it just before it left. Winning.

I was originally going to ride my bike down to the transition. I’m glad I didn’t. It wasn’t where I thought it was, it was about 20 km away. The bus ride was the right thing to do.  In the bus, one side the seats had bikes in them with seat belts. On the other side was the where the athletes sat.

For most every Ironman I’ve done I never read the race packet. Because of that I realize this race had two transition zones. It does. I had to drop off my bike, which was quite the line up. There was some mix up as the body marking area wasn’t clear and I had to do an extra walk and find a way back in after I got out. The security for the most part was pretty good. In fact they even took digital pictures of everyone with their bikes when before you entered the transition area. That was a first.

It then turned out that we had to take another bus to Transition Zone 2 to drop off the run gear. I’m glad I left an hour early, there was a lot of waiting.

On the bus ride to T1 I had a weird sensation, I was a little nervous. More nervous than I think I have been or a least that I can remember. This race is a big deal to me. I need to finish. I was scheduled to do Ironman New Zealand in March and had to drop out due to blood clots. Then I was scheduled for Ironman Mont Tremblant and couldn’t get up in time to make the 6-hour drive to Quebec before the registration cut off. I had just got back from our Sales Rally in Vegas the night before and there were residual effects.

So her I am, third time is hopefully a charm. I need to finish this race. I’d like to keep doing one a year at least. I also want to get this DNS (Did Not Show) of my back. I need to keep my Ironman card. Although Jevon O’Neil figures you do one Ironman you keep the card for life. Probably True.

I’m actually still nervous about showing up, at least on time. Things have been going too well. Frankly until I’m in the water I won’t believe I made it.

Often I’ve had dreams that I showed up late for the start of Ironman races or I don’t have my gear. I’ve had this dream a number of times. Basically in the dream I oversleep and rush to the race site only to find that everyone has left and I try to get started and make the cut offs. Or I get to the bike and I don’t have my shoes. It’s just one mishap after another.

In real life I almost had that happen in Kona. I just got into the body marketing with minutes to spare or they don’t let you race if you miss it. They are hard asses when it comes to that stuff.

Anyways, tomorrow will be the test. I’ll be setting at least 3 alarms to wake me up and calling for a wake up call. I don’t want to take any risks. I just want to get into that water and let the pre-race jitters and excitement begin.

On the bus to T-2 I met a guy from New Jersey, Scott. He’s my age and was a professional cyclist. In fact about 8 years ago he did the World Championships in Burlington / Hamilton Area. I know the course. Parts are not that easy. I asked him about Rattlesnake Point Hill and he definitely remembered it. He said it was tough. I told him that the course they rode is about 5 minutes of a bike ride from my house door. I’m totally blessed to live where I live, from a biking and many other perspectives.

We had a great chat. It’s his first Ironman. He just got into triathlons and did 12 this summer. That’s every weekend he raced. He hopes to do a 5:10 off the bike.

He’s also staying at the same hotel as me. He mentioned that one of the aid stations is right beside the hotel. It got me thinking about my buddy Jamie Grant who did an Ironman in New Zealand. His hotel is on the race course and he was feeling lousy on the run so he stopped at his hotel. Went into it. Had a shower, a nap and then a couple hours later got back on the course and finished. In a way I’m not happy about my hotel being on the race course, too much temptation.

After dropping off my run gear at T-2 I headed into the Mega Supermarket. It was right beside T-2. It was a blessing. They had Ensure and I only brought 3 from home, I was one short. Ensure to me is like spinage is to Popeye. It’s the best-kept secret. The perfect nutrition for an Ironman, I have one out of the swim, two on the bike and a fourth at the beginning of the run.

They also had multi-vitamins, it was the one thing I forgot to bring. With all the water and liquids I’ve been drinking I’ve been peeing a lot. Getting rid of lots of vitamins and minerals I’m sure. I was so glad when I saw they had them. Actually the place was pretty impressive. It rivaled any supermarket we have at home. It actually felt like home. I also picked up a loaf of bread and some peanut butter for the morning and some peanuts, pork grinds and popcorn for tonight. I like to eat a little of it for the high salt content. It’s a tradition.

Unfortunately, Bagels haven’t yet made it to Mexico from the looks of it. Nor has Powerbars.

Other than that I’m pretty much set nutritionally. I had my whey and Recoverite. The only thing that is a ritual that I’m not having this race is a couple of beers the night before. I swear it’s the best thing. It will be interesting to see if it hinders.

The rest of the evening is R & R. My legs are a little tired from the walking around to get everything set up. From the time I left until the time I got back to the hotel it was near 4 hours. It’s not a fast process getting everything set up.

Plan is for a light dinner and early to bed.

Tomorrow is the big day. All the preparation comes down making it happen and finishing that race. All that matters is finishing. Period. The time to finish means nothing to me. (wink, wink). Ok. Truth be told if there is a 12 hour anything, I’ll be happiest. But I’ll still be very happy with just a finisher medal.

Pre-race Run – 15 min

Pre-race Bike – 15 min

P.S. Race number is #1900. You can track the race at www.ironman.com .

P.S.S. They just changed the swim, down to 3.1 km from 3.8. Port authority says the water is too rough. They are going to bus people to the Presidente Hotel and swim one way to the finish. Hopefully it's with the current,  may not be.

Ironman Cozumel…Day Three…

Another great sleep. I’m getting paranoid, I’ve never been so rested for an Ironman, when’s the problems going to start?

I had such a good sleep I had to get myself up, lying in bed or oversleeping I find can cause my back to hurt. I don’t want that.

I spent the morning in the lobby using the Internet. The wireless isn’t strong enough to make it to my room. I sat for a couple hours, did some work blog posts, cleaned out my emails and did the social media stuff.

Afterward I headed down for a light breakfast. I don’t want to over-eat too much from now until the race. I want my body to spend more energy repairing muscle than digesting. I also don’t want to load up on too much food and have to deal with it during the race, if you know what I mean.

Breakfast was light. I met up with Lochlin again and met his wife Debbie. We had a really good talk about some personal stuff he was experiencing that I’ve experienced. It’s amazing how a chance conversation turns into something very meaningful and unexpected. Afterwards he was thanking me very sincerely for providing my insight from experience. It was a special moment. I felt it.

Now this is wear the unbelievable happens. I head back to my room and start getting ready for the race, two days before. That’s unheard of. I started with my bike. I tried to get my broken speedometer working. Tried as I might it wasn’t working so I had no choice but to take the new one I bought yesterday out of the package and assemble it and put it on my bike. Easier said than done.

First off I’m no mechanic. My ability to assemble things from instructions never goes well, at least the first time. When I build things, like a BBQ, I inevitably have left over parts and always misread the instructions and have to disassemble and reassemble.

That happened today as well. Only difference was I was in a calm Zen like state and nothing bothered me. I guess it was because I had nothing else to do so I may as well enjoy putting the speedometer on and together even thought he instructions looked pretty daunting.

To do it I had to adjust my front water bottle by taking it all apart and moving it back. In the end I did it. Mission was accomplished and the speedometer worked.

I also lost control of the bike and it feel into the bed with the gear side out putting grease all over the inside of the bed spread. Doh!!! Between that and dropping and losing screws and parts, it was even more of a challenge.

The pre-race preparation didn’t stop there. I then took off my two behind the seat saddlebags and removed some of the items and manage to fit the remaining ones into one bag. I still kept my pedals and a wrench to remove the old one. I got a bad feeling about the existing ones. Although the lubricant helped, I’m still nervous that they will seize up. I’d rather risk the extra grams of weight than have to drop out because my pedals broke.

From there I kept going. I washed my bike down with the bathroom face towel, which was filthy afterward. I put the race numbers on the bike and helmet. I prepared and packed all my transition bags. Prepared my nutrition, put Perform in my water bottles, sans water. Then charged my Garmin watch, even thought he charger had broken, I figured out a way to use my Steve Jobs book to put weight on it so it could charge. Then I started organizing and folding all my clothes, cutting tags of my new Ironman shirts.

I was in a major organization and clean up mode. When I was done it felt so good, like I cleansed my soul. I was in no rush and it was actually enjoyable in a therapeutic way.

Next was some more hanging out in the lobby using the Internet, then a lighter meal. I found out that they have an a la cart menu in the main area. I didn’t have to eat from the buffet. So Greek salad and pasta it was, trying not to overeat.

By 5 pm I was back in my room relaxing and watching "Back to the Future II". It’s amazing how bad of a memory I have. I know I watched it years ago, but remembered basically none of it. It was like watching a new movie, like it was the first time.

I think I have all this time on my hands because of the Thanksgiving Holiday, normally I’m dealing with lots of emails, conference calls and decision making. Who would have though going to Mexico to do an Ironman would feel like a holiday.

The rest of the night was rest and relaxation and mentally preparing myself to have fun on Sunday. I’m visualizing the swim, bike and run with me staying in the moment, not wishing it was over, and enjoying it and having it make me feel alive.

It’s all about attitude.

Rest Day – No Training – Pre-race Preparation.

Ironman Cozumel…Day Two…

I love hotel window blinds, I swear they are made out of bullet proof Kevlar, when fully closed there is no light. The material reminds of the vest that the dentist puts on you when you get x-rays.

Needless to say, I had the blinds closed and I slept until I could sleep no more. Kind of, what did wake me up was the multiple bathroom trips throughout the night. The good news is I’m hydrated, the bad news is I always have to get up when I’m in a super great part of my dream, then as hard as I try I can never seem to get back. Although I’m proud to say, once in my life I was able to get back.

I got a good 8 hours of sleep. Near first thing I did when I woke up was put my bike together. I’m pretty fast at it now, I’ve done it enough times. I set the stopwatch on my iPhone and got it done from beginning to end in just over 16 minutes. I’ve had flat tires that almost have taken that long to change. 

After building the bike I made my way to the breakfast buffet area. I wanted coffee. I met a guy from Calgary in the buffet area, his first name Lochlin Mclellan, bib #283. He looked so familiar. I asked him if we had met, I couldn’t place him. I told him I came from Winnipeg, he said he lived Winnipeg for his high school years, attended Kelvin and gradated in 1983. He’s the exact same age as me and Kelvin wasn’t too far aways. Anyway, neither of us could place it.

He was telling me that last year’s swim was a freak of nature due to a weird storm. He was so believable as he described it. I was going to ask him if he was a meteorologist.

Looking at the waves and wind today, if it continues into Sunday this is not going to be an easy race. I was surprised to see a guy training in the water this morning, the waves were pretty bad, swells would come, and I’d see him, and then lose him.

I don’t want to over eat so I had a smaller breakfast. I also started the day pretty bloated. Yesterday’s dinner must have a lot of salt in it.  It is better to have too much salt in your system prior to the race than two little. Not enough salt in the system is number one reason that people start cramping.

Today was my last real training day. I had a bike and run on the schedule. There was a swim too, but I find swimming 3 or 4 days before a race does no good for me, in fact it makes me weaker. I find it’s better to let my arms fully recover as I’m not a fast swimmer and it’s the law of diminishing returns if I spend time swim training any longer.

I was a little nervous before my ride today. I didn’t know what to expect from the local drivers. I put on my new fluorescent yellow jersey Alice got me for my birthday and attached my flashing red light to the back of the jersey. It was all for not, the drivers were great and after the first 10 km I was onto the course and the part I went on was a dedicated bike lane and there was no cars. Lots of other triathletes getting in last minute bikes and runs, but no cars, in general the drivers are pretty good her.

I stopped a few times on the bike. A couple times to adjust my handlebars, they didn’t seem in alignment with my wheels, the other time was to try and adjust my back tire. The crank was squeaking and often it’s caused by poor tension in the chain. Although pulling back the chain didn’t seem to help, it’s still squeaking.

My speedometer also doesn’t work and my pedals are clicking. When I stopped the first time I put some lubricant on the chain and on the pedals. It seemed to help. I did find my old pedals and have them in the bike bag under my seat just in case.

People laugh at me for having so much gear on my bike because it adds weight and will make me go slower. My opinion is I don’t care. I’d rather go a little slower and have all the stuff I need if I have a mechanical failure on the course. I didn’t come her to race and not finish due to bike mechanical issues that could have been in my control if I had the right stuff on me. I currently have everything I need in the bags but a new chain. I could have got one but don’t know how to build attach them so it doesn’t make sense having them.

When I got back to the hotel I wasn’t feeling like going for a run but it doesn’t matter, it’s part of the plan, so I went for a run. I’m glad I did. My legs needed the bike and run. I was starting to feel them atrophy. Now they are feeling much more pumped and stronger. There is no greater feeling than finishing your training session when you didn’t feel like doing them. It’s a rewarding accomplishment.

On the bike I was feeling hungry. That is not normal for me, but it seems that in the last 6-weeks it’s happened near every time on my rides in Arizona. I’m not sure why? Perhaps the whey protein and supplements? Either way I’m aware of it and know I need to really make sure I’m eating 300 – 400 calories per hour on the bike.

My run was pretty cool. I went off the beaten path. I ran to the end of the paved road and then it turned into a trail. I had a choice, turnaround and play it safe and run in the known, or go for the adventure into the bush and risk twisting an ankle or being attacked by an animal or some wild kids or a guy with a shot gun who is going to chase me off his property. So I did the responsible thing and kept running into the bush. You only live once and what possibly could go wrong? Famous last words.

At first it was a challenging run, lots of big puddles on clay like ground. It was tough to get around some of them as they crossed the entire road and I had to near run into the bush, and then the wet clay was slippery. Like a potters clay.

As I ran I had no idea where the trail was going, at one point a group of kids in a dune buggy drove buy, then there was a parked truck near the side of the bush that pulled out just as I got closer. I didn’t see them inside, but waved anyway, just trying to be friendly.

I did manage to make it out unscathed.

After my training and before I could start stretching I had to eat something. Down to the buffet area. It hurts me to say that. I hate the buffet area, it’ brings back bad all inclusive vacation food memories. I had no choice I was hungry.

While in line I met another older guy from Texas and by older he was probably my age. He was a heavier guy, he saw my Ironman St George shirt and asked if I did it, I had, twice. He said his buddies did it and said it was the hardest Ironman every. It’s probably true. The no longer have it. I think it was too hard. The bike is hilly, yet extremely beautiful and the run was just up and down. I liked the race and yes it was tough, but when you like a race you don’t remember how tough it is. Unfortunately he couldn’t race, he broke his foot 6 months ago, he’s had 4 operations and it still not healed. He came to watch and cheer on friends. Bummer.

I finally got to my stretching and make sure it was good. Had my Whey protein, Recoverite and other supplements. It’s a major chore doing all that stuff. No joke. The stretching continued in the shower as I did my pre-race body shave. I only nicked myself a couple times and I’m sure I missed a lot. I don’t know how girls do it.

By this time it was 3 pm. I started my day at 8:30 am and it had been non-stop go, go, go. Still no rest for the wicked, I needed to catch a cab and get down to the registration area 4 miles away. I really wanted to get all the Ironman stuff out of the way today so I can do nothing but relax tomorrow.

My family is sick of watching Ironman races. They’ve been to enough to know that they are not fun. The first one or two are fun, they are meaningful, they are special moment and accomplishment you want to share and they want to support. As you do more, they aren’t so special to them or you anymore. My son Reid says that if I want to know what watching and Ironman is like, he’s going to videotape what they do for 12 hours and make me sit and watch it. I get it. It’s boring. I don’t blame them.

Being on my own is actually easier. I don’t have the added pressure to keep them entertained and more importantly I’m less on edge. When they are there, I’m usually pretty focused and grumpy is a nice word for it. An example is one Ironman Alyssa joined me and we climbed Angels Landing, one ofthe tougher hikes in Zion National Park. It was lots of climbing that took at least a few hours. Next day I had to race the Ironman. The hiking definitely made it a little tougher.

So tomorrow I’ll get to relax, and most of the day Saturday, other than bike check in.

The registration was pretty uneventful and surprisingly well organized. When I think Mexico I think slow and poorly training. Not the case. Everything went well. It was mostly young kids and they did a great job. Very good and very friendly.

I was surprised to see the race swag giveaway was not a hat or shirt, it was a jacket. Yes, a jacket. Nice one too.

I’m definitely an Ironman veteran. I’ve learned from my mistakes. After they give me the registration stuff, I check it. I make sure they have all my transition bags. I’ve had it happen to be before that they are not all there, then you have to go back and it’s a real hassle when all you want to do is rest. I also make sure to get the timing chip activated. I’ve not done that in the past either. I’ve also forgot to put on my timing chip, more than once, that’s a different story. Now I attach it to my swim goggles. You never forget your swim goggles.

The expo didn’t have much in the way of bike repair stuff. They were smaller booths. I made a list of what I needed....Powerbars, Compressed Air, Cateye Strata speedometer and Speedplay pedals. They only had compressed air, no Powerbars, no pedals and a brand I’ve never heard of speedometer, which I had no choice but to buy. The last thing I want is not to know my speed during the race. I need the motivation to stay at or exceed a specific pace. I couldn’t imagine racing blind. I’d probably think I was killing it and I’d be going slow. I don’t know what any of it cost me it was in pesos.

The Ironman tent was another story. I consider this my personal clothing store. Some people go to Armani or Hugo Boss stores, I go to the Ironman tent. My first look is for work shirts and by work shirts I mean anything with a collar and an Ironman logo. I found about 4 of them. Three of them were the same as what I have but in a smaller size. The other ones are mediums but fit loose, I now need small.

Getting smalls are not because I’m smaller than my old mediums, it’s that the manufactures are making sizes bigger. Maybe it’s an ego thing. Someone that was a large is now a medium and they think they are getting smaller, losing weight, gaining muscle. It’s a fun game the manufacturers are playing.

The lineup to pay was long. Everyone had a basket or two filled with Ironman M-dot gear, it’s just not me. My total came out to over 5000 pesos, however amount of money that is. I almost bought an Ironman wallet, but didn’t for two reasons. First was I didn’t like the inside pockets although that wasn’t the decider. I couldn’t replace the Pulp Fiction Wallet the kids got me that has imprinted on it “Bad Mother F#cker”. If it was on the Ironman Wallet I would have bought it regardless of the inside pocket layout.

By this point it was 5 pm and I was tired. Legs were tired and I wanted to get home to rest. I started walking to find a cab and got to see the town of Cozumel, it’s pretty cool, lots of shops and action. I went by Senor Frogs and it looked like a rocking party on the second floor. Music was blaring and people were dirty dancing. I must have stood and watched for about 5 minutes. I was so jealous. It brought back memories and it got me thinking how much fun must those people be having right now and how I’d love to join them. Then remembered I have an Ironman to do and I quit drinking. It took me a while to snap out of my trance and move on. I saw out of the corner of my eye one guy looking at me, I assumed he was wondering, “why’s that guy so still and mesmerized?”. It was like a movie flashback scene.

As I walked, I saw restaurants and made the decision to go to one. I couldn’t see myself eating from the buffet again today. I now know what prisoners or soldiers must feel like when they go to the mess hall.

I found a decent looking place and the first thing that jumped out at me on the menu was a 12-ounce Rib Eye steak. I’m a firm believer that your body tells you what you need. Sometimes I go to a restaurant and the last thing I want is steak, this time it was hands down steak and baked potatoes, no questions asked after I did the math of how many days until race day. Calculating entry and exit time and future room for carb up more time.

When I got back to the hotel I had a craving for sweets. Since getting back from Arizona I got into the sugar snacks a little bit. Again, I convinced myself that my body is craving it and got some M & M’s and deep chocolate. The deep chocolate with Cocoa I can explain as healthy, the M & M’s are just my favorite.

Now it gets worse. I walk up to my room and two doors down is a buffet hall that I didn’t know existed. As I walked by I looked in and saw two large beautiful looking turkeys being carved. At first I thought it looked so good that it must be an exclusive executive party, perhaps just for the pros.

I got to my room and couldn’t stop thinking about that room. I wondered if it was exclusive. Not that it mattered I’d just sneak in anyways. I made my way back to the room and scoped it out. It was open to all. It was a buffet. I didn’t know if it was a one-time thanksgiving buffet or regular. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.

I went back to my room and still couldn’t stop thinking about those turkeys. I had to have some. So I headed back again and got some. Not a lot, but enough for a good taste and took it back to my room. It was my way of celebrating Thanksgiving. I knew if I didn’t do it I’d regret it as strange as that sounds. Post turkey I topped it off with my M & M’s and chocolate. Today is my last big eating day. From now until race day it will be smaller meals intentionally.

Tomorrow I plan on relaxing for the most part. I’m going to try to fix my existing speedometer and if it can’t be fixed I’ll put on the new one. I’m also considering taking my bike to the onsite hotel bike mechanic to check out the squeaking in the crank. I’m on the fence about that. I don’t want him to screw it up. Next decent ride will be race day and the number one rule is “don’t do anything in the race that you haven’t done in training”.

The good news is I have two full days of nothing to do before the race.

Now I can rest.  

Oh, last thing I almost forgot. If you need Viagara, Mexico is your destination. Not only is it in Pharmacies, I stopped to get some extra strength Advil, it’s also in my hotel gift shop. Simon Cross would be in heaven. 

Mod Bike – 1:45:21 / 51.32 km / 29.2 km avg

Mod Run – 33:22 / 5.96 km / 5:36 pkm pace