The Endurance Pig: The Truth Behind The Training

When I signed up to do the Ironman in September, I made a set of "rules" for myself to follow throughout my training schedule. "Rules" might not be the right word to use, guidelines might be better suited. As soon as I had finished my training plan, I created a binder. I spent some time putting together this binder, which utilized page protectors for all the pages and I even used up all our color printer ink printing every page in full color. Inside this binder, I have my daily training plan, swim workouts, strength workouts, motivational quotes, and various articles I have found throughout the years regarding training and racing Iron distance races. But the very first page is my set of rules/guidelines. Some of the rules on this page include, "Expect hard days and work through them. Don't give up and don't give in." "Know that you are beginning a very long journey that will test your mental and physical toughness. Expect it to be hard as hell and don't think for one second that it's going to be easy." "Train and live the life of a truly devoted triathlete and leave no room for regrets or excuses come September 8th, 2013." But right near the top of this list reads, "Enjoy time with your kids and wife and make time with them." It seems that I have lost sight of this bullet point. Or I should have written it, "Enjoy time with your kids and wife and make time with them around your training." It's sad, but that's how it's been, and more times than not, that's how it has to be.

I am starting to think I had a false sense of reality back when I signed up for this endeavor. But, I am just as new to this level of training as my family is to having a dad train for an Ironman. So, honestly, I had no idea what to expect going in other than my training volume would increase. I had trained hard in the past, I have done years with 2 marathons, one in May and the second in September; all with a half Ironman sandwiched between in June. I have been racing when I can for the past 6.5 years. Along with racing comes the inevitable hours of training. You simply cannot walk into a marathon or triathlon without some level of training. My educational background in exercise and sports science has given me a good grasp on training and building a successful program to obtain my goals. As I have said countless times on this blog, an Ironman has always been at the pinnacle of my goals. But, I never wanted to simply jump into an Ironman, I wanted to build up to one. I wanted to build on my previous race experiences and build on my annual training. Ultimately, it was as though I have been training for this years Ironman for the past 5-6 years. So, it's not like my family isn't used to me training. But, maybe that's not the issue...

I have just completed my 15th cycle of training. I'm Officially half way through my training plan. In everyone of my previous posts, I have talked strictly about the joys and positives of my training and my life. However, it would be deceptive and misleading for me not to talk about the truth in the struggles that this endeavor has taken on my family life. And truthfully, it extends way past my family, but to my extended family, friends, and even to some extent work. Truth be told, and this may come as no surprise to others, but signing up for this Ironman is the single most selfish thing I have ever done. I knew that I would have to make sacrifices. I was 100% willing to make those sacrifices. In fact, in an odd way, I was kind of looking forward to making those sacrifices. In my eyes, I knew that the sacrifices I would be making would better me in the long run and make me a stronger triathlete. I knew that I had to make a ton of sacrifices when I signed up. But the truth of the matter is I am not the only one making sacrifices. My wife and kids are also making sacrifices. Unfortunately for them, the sacrifices that they are making, are not only to benefit solely me, but there is no reward for their sacrifices in the end. I make the personal decision to sign up for this race and in the end I am the one who gets to reward of running in the 2013 Ironman Wisconsin and hopefully gets to be called an Ironman Finisher. My wife and kids however get to be rewarded that day by getting their dad/husband back.

The difficultly with training for an event like this compared to a marathon or other shorter distances is the inflexibility in the training schedule. For instance, in this cycle alone my off days consisted of a 2600m swim followed by a 3 mile run, the next day was a 40 mile bike ride, and on the final day was a 22 mile long run. In the past, my off days would consist of one long run, a shorter bike or swim, and typically and off day for recovery. There was a ton of flexibility in the scheduling. I could move my run on any of my three off days. It was relatively easy to take a weekend camping trip or go visit friends in Minnesota if we wanted. There was even a time or two where I did my long run immediately after a night of work, just to get it in and have some extra time on my off days. But with Ironman training, everything builds on what was previously done, so there can't (or shouldn't) be a lot, if any, skipping, or cutting workouts short. Hypothetically, if I were to do my long run a day early, I would have to find a way to schedule in a 40 mile bike ride on another day. It's the ultimate domino effect, only the more rescheduling and skipping that's done, the bigger the hole you dig yourself into. This is the exact dilemma I have put both myself and my family in. Every single weekend of mine is booked with training this summer. The tougher aspect of my training is that I only get one and a half weekends off a month with my job. So when I have a Friday, Saturday, Sunday off, its booked with training. When my weekends fall on weekdays, it's a complete other issue. My wife works a typical job, Monday through Friday. So, when I'm off from work on a weekday, she's at work and I am at home with our two daughters. I need to try to find additional help with child care simply for my training. If I opt to bring them to my aunt's house (their day care) it's costs us more money.

In the past my wife's family try's to book a weekend camping trip at some state park or other campground throughout the state. In the past I have had no problems going and have always been able to do some sort of impromptu training while we were camping. Whether it be a moderately long trail run or a bike ride, I usually never had an issue working some type of training into the trip. This year, of my only weekend "weekends" I have key training sessions scheduled. I am unable to work it out to be able to go along with my family to the camping trip. My unwillingness to go, leaves Sarah with two choices, first, she can go and be a single parent bringing 2 kids under 3 to a weekend camping trip, or to simply not go. Sadly, this isn't the only instance of my training directly having a negative impact on our life as a family. It is just as difficult to schedule small day trips that we have always done in the past that have never been an issue. Simple things such as going to a Brewer's game, going to the Milwaukee County Zoo, or spending the weekend at an indoor water park. These are all things that have become just that much more difficult, or are being put on the back burner for the year. It's hard, it really is. I love my wife and kids to death. They know how important this race is to me. But they have been making sacrifices for me and my racing for the past 6 years. It seems as though this is the race that just became too much for us to handle. They say hind sight is 20-20 and looking back, maybe I shouldn't have signed up for this race at this point of my life. Maybe I should have waited until the girls were older.....

And it's not just my family, but it directly effects my friends, and all for the same reasons. But along with the schedule conflicts of my training schedule, now it seems that any free time I do have, I would much rather spend it with my daughters and Sarah. I shouldn't sound as though I am defending my decision, because I will place my family over work or friends no matter what and will continue to do so. The truth is, this training consumes you, it consumes your time, your efforts, your thoughts, and in the end, after the race has come and gone, I can't and wont forget the sacrifices my daughters and my wife have made to make my dream come true. I'm not 100% certain what 2014 will bring, but I know one thing, my racing and training will be cut dramatically.

Brief Recap

This past cycle was a scheduled recover cycle. There was only one two-a-day training day and my volume saw a decent cut. My big workouts throughout this cycle included a 9x800m interval run which lasted a full 9.25 miles, a hard 40 mile bike ride, and my final long run leading up to the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon of 22 miles. During this cycle I also added one additional workout; a 3.1 mile run, or a 5k. This was not an organized event per se, but a fundraiser I chose to partake in to benefit those impacted by the bombings at last week's Boston Marathon. All things considered, it was one of my proudest moments as a runner/endurance athlete. I stumbled upon this opportunity on the Runner's World Magazine website, where they had a list of various activities, events, and fundraisers to support those impacted at the Marathon. I found a link for a "Virtual 5k" organized by New York City Runs (www.nycruns.com). The cost was $25 and 100% of the proceeds went directly to The One Fund. I signed up that day. The procedures were simple. You simple go out and time yourself on your own 3.1 mile route on your own time. You had to complete your 5k by the end of the day on Monday April 22nd. Then you electronically submit your race time. Obviously, there is an element of honesty to this event, but the overall purpose was not to promote competition, but to raise funds for the Boston Community. They did not post any race times, but randomly drew a male and female winner to receive free entry to a years' worth of races that were put on by New York City Runs. The prize in itself would be fantastic, if I lived in the NY area. But, it didn't matter, I did it for the City of Boston. I was able to recruit a couple others to join me in supporting this cause and run with me; my father (2 time Boston Finisher), and my co-worker Bob Zill (aspiring Boston Qualifier). I organized a run on Monday April 22nd at 1:50pm CST, exactly one week since the first bomb went off at the finish line. I all met at Stone Cellar Brew Pub, which is a local brewery/restaurant in Appleton. It also happens to be my favorite bar, restaurant, and have some of the best craft beer I've tried. Below is a link to my Garmin website with our run route. We did not go out shooting to set a record pace by any means. It was more of an opportunity to enjoy each other's company and just get out and run for the sake of running. My dad and I both wore our 2011 Boston Finisher shirts, and I borrowed a Boston technical t-shirt I bought will out in Boston for Bob to wear. I also dug out my race bib from the 2011 race and wore it during our run. After the run we went to Stone Cellar for a few beers to remember those who lost their lives in the bombings. It was a really neat experience I won't soon forget!

Runners for Relief Virtual 5k by brewcrew0031 at Garmin Connect - Details

Just finished our Virtual 5k!

My dad and I after our run.

Inside Stone Cellar, from the left; my dad, me, and Bob.

Favorite Workout

My favorite workout from this cycle would have to be my final long run before the marathon. It was a race pace specific run and it was long. I planned on running 22 miles, which is the longest I have ever run in training before. 12 of that 22 were to be done at or near my goal race pace of 6:50/mile. My plan was to run 9 miles at a comfortable pace, then pick it up for 12, and finish with a slow mile for a cool down. In the past I have always been able to wear my race day outfit at least once before the race. This is just a little reassurance that I will remain comfortable in that outfit and I won't be susceptible to chaffing, scraping, or other nasty stuff that comes with repeating the same motion over and over again for hours. My plan is to wear my tri suit from TheTriShop.com. First, because they are my sponsor and I am partially obligated to wear their equipment at races. Secondly, is because I am treating this marathon as a training run for my Ironman, so I want to know that I will be comfortable running a full 26.2 miles in a tri suit. I do not foresee any issues coming up, but, hey, you just never know. The weather was a cool 42* when I started my run, and I was not completely happy as I had full intentions of getting pretty cold, because I went out in my spandex shorts. I still wore long sleeves up top though. I did not take music, as I normally do not on my long runs, to help mentally prepare me for running without music during marathons, as I just prefer to not do. My run went flawless, difficult, but flawless. I had no issues, no pains, no cramps, nada. It was, however, one of the most difficult workouts I have ever done to date. It was physically exhausting and mentally draining. I finished the run with a final distance of 22.29 miles in a time of 2:42:29 or an average pace of 7:17/mile. I would say my average pace during the 12 mile goal race pace portion was in the range of 6:50-7:00 which was right in the range of times I wanted to be in. The session was had an extra challenge in that I had a hard 40 mile bike effort late in the evening the day before, leaving little recovery time between a long, hard bike effort and a very though race simulation training run. I don't know if I will say that I am confident that I can run a sub 3 hour marathon yet, but realistically, I probably won't be until I do. But, I will say that I am confident in my training leading up to the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.

Moving Forward

My volume jumps right back to were it should be this week. Now, the difference is my run volume will start to take hits and my bike and swim volumes will start to increase. This is all done by design. My intentions when I put this plan together was to focus on my run training early in the season, when biking and swimming outside are just not possible and then switching gears and putting running on the back burner after the marathon. I do have a race schedule in the middle of my work week though. The Jailbreak 5k is a small 5k race in central Wisconsin that is put on by the Waushara County Crimestoppers. Waushara County is the county directly West/Southwest of Winnebago county. The unique thing about this race is they have what is called the Bloodhound Challenge, which is a "race within a race." It is a seperate race for any law enforcement professional, either in corrections or patrol. They even have a separate traveling trophy they send to the winner to display within the winners department. I was fortunate enough to win this award last year and now have to go back to defend my title. Rumor has it Wauhara hired a new corrections officer that can put up some really strong 5k times, so we'll see if I can be lucky to win it back-to-back! You can check out their website HERE, where you will even find a picture of yours truly! :)

As always, thanks for reading and there is still time to donate to The One Fund or groups to support the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombings!

Be fast, be strong, and carry on!