from ironman to FAT!
admittedly, i feel as if most of my posts are “it’s been a while” type posts. but, i suppose the reality is that i’m always busy doing SOMEthing; i have too many ideas that i’d want to write about so i get overwhelmed and decide to “do it another day”; or, i’m just plain old LAZY!
LAZY…
Ironman Wisconsin
let’s rewind to about a month before ironman wisconsin…so about early august 2012… I! WAS! OVER! IT! i didn’t want to train anymore! i had seen what i learned to be “dark spots”…and THERE WERE TOO MANY! or, was i just lazy?
i learned later that i probably just needed to eat something. therefore, i was borderline hallucinating – at least, that’s what i’ll call it! but, i also learned from interviews while in Kona with Timex Sports Multisport Team Elite & Pro athletes that they were normal, even if you DIDN’T need calories.
OR, WAS I JUST LAZY? who knows, but there’s always a kernel of truth to every thought, right? MOVING ON!
Ironman World Championships with TimexSports
while i was in kona covering the week of the ironman world championships with Timex Sports, i sought inspiration, a re-ignition of the flame that i had way back when i originally signed up for wisconsin just a year earlier. it was the fire that quickly turned to smoke about a month before MY race day.
i needed renewed purpose AND an understanding about what my brain was going through before and after my race. before, it was, “CAN I BE DONE ALREADY?!?” during the race, it was, “HOLY! I’M GONNA DO THIS! BUT, I’M NEVER GOING TO DO IT AGAIN!” after, it was, “THAT WAS THE HARDEST, YET MOST REWARDING, THING I’VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE! NEVER! AGAIN!”
so, what did i do?
Me Time=Fatty Time!
i took time for myself and TRIED not to overly guilt myself for not doing workouts. i TRIED to remind myself that i worked my ass off for a year, especially LEARNING TO SWIM, and deserved the break. it was time to give burnt-out-brain a break!
well, i was successful in not doing many workouts. yes, i was still shoveling calories in my mouth as an elongated celebration of my hard work and accomplishment. too bad, my body couldn’t burn calories without the ironman training type fitness though!
what started at the end of july as 178 pounds, leaning out even more up to august, turned into today’s ONE HUNDRED NINETY FOUR (yes, 1-9-4!!!) pounds! ken needs to get back into the rhythm, ya think?
granted, at the start of november, i started one-on-one personal training sessions and group classes with coach mike of fast & fit coaching, so i have built up some muscle but, SHIZNIT, i gotz to GET BACK TO WORK!
and, photos don’t lie.
mike is sure to document measurements using calipers AND photos. i’ll save you from the most recent shots until i’m more pleased with the outcome (then, i’ll show before & after shots), but let’s just say i don’t look like i did about 2 years ago in this shot for the Cupid Undie Run…which is where I’d like to be once again!
how am i going to get back into that type of shape or EVEN STRONGER & BETTER? well, i’ve established purpose and accountability.
i’m going to continue the strength sessions with coach mike, but i’ve also moved to more of a paleo eating lifestyle, cutting out processed foods, grains, unnatural sugar, etc. google “paleo 101” or “paleo grocery list” and you’ll get the idea. better yet, grab a copy of paleo diet for athletes and read it!
additionally, i’ve committed myself to proudly represent TrainingPeaks (where i log and analyze (OVER-analyze) my data) as a brand ambassador in 2013, so i’m kept accountable there. i’m most excited here about sharing my TP workouts on social media and here so you all can stalk and see how much better than me you are! AND, i know that you’ll be interested in watching my progress so that’ll keep me accountable too! it’s my hope that you’d share with me your workouts as well so i can be inspired and vice versa too! to inspire & be inspired!
*COMMERCIAL ALERT*
oh…before i forget, you get get their premium version for FREE for 2 weeks with my code: ken13. their free version offers a good amount, but if you are yearning for more analysis and visuals, GO PREMIUM! it’s inexpensive, AND FREE FOR THE FIRST TWO WEEKS! SIGN! UP!
*END COMMERCIAL*
Group Training
finally, what best to keep me accountable than working towards something WITH A GROUP! i’ve got several races planned for 2013. but, i’m actually looking forward to GROUP TRAINING so we can share war stories and “talk shop” together about nutrition, hydration, salt pills, chamois cream (ok, maybe not that)…but, you get the point. i’m gonna find a group to train with so THEY can give me heat for not showing up and, most importantly, so i can feed off of their energy during training as well. i’m just not the “solo trainer”–i learned that last year. i need the group. so, that shall be my plan!
Supporters
in closing, i want to give special recognition to Timex Sports, TrainingPeaks, Fast & Fit Coaching, The Running Institute, you all, my close friends, and, most importantly, my better half, for believing in and supporting me in 2013 as i reach for and tackle my goals. i sure hope to add more brands to my SAG wagon and will be sure to give them recognition when appropriately as well!
CHEERS TO AN AWESOME 2013 TO COME! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
from DQ to 1/2 IM to getting to the peak of Ironman Wisconsin training…
I musta been kidding myself when I thought I was gonna keep a blog.
Nevertheless, here I am with an update after a couple months when,at that time, I was telling you all about my DQ and how I was pulled out of the water during my first triathlon.
Because that was my first triathlon (sprint) and first open water swim (EVER) , I went ahead and took the bull by the horns and began doing open water swims like crazy before my upcoming olympic distance.
I needed to build confidence in the open water. I needed to be okay without having the ground so close to save me. I needed to not have the wall there to rest on each length. I needed to be able to be okay with being blind in the water and begin sighting in order to make my aquatic journey.
I did it.
The hard work paid off when I got to the Olympic distance triathlon. I had done a few 1 mile dry runs at Chicago’s Ohio Street Beach in preparation… 59 mins, 68 mins, 54 mins.
Mentally, it’s good to know that I can cover the distance. Next, is doing it within the cut off times.
For cutoffs in swimming, I always think in relation to the 70 min half Ironman cutoff and 140 min full Ironman cutoff.
The Olympic distance I did was completed in about 43 minutes. Sh*t! I covered JUST shy of a mile in the water in under 45 minutes! WOOP WOOP!
That was just 2 weeks before my 1/2 ironman distance at Racine… So, all I had to do was a little over two tenths of a mile more… Piece of cake!
It wasn’t really a piece of cake but I did get it done! It took me about 54 minutes to complete that swim!!! The hardest parts?? Just two things…
It was point to point… So, seeing that line of buoys line the shore was a little intimidating. We had to walk pretty much the whole distance from transition to the start line.
It felt like forever… I started getting bored and tired and just wanted it to be over.
I got it done though!!! And, once I hit dry land, I can survive the rest (knock on wood!).
So, another mental boost… I just gotta swim double in about 2 months (now exactly 4 weeks away) from then.
Then, we get to last weekend where I was out with CES for a training weekend in Mad Town. It started on Saturday morning with a swim in Lake Monona (race site).
It was really early (by my standards) and at 6:15 I already saw several people swimming about in the lake. WHOA! COOL!
I get there… I start getting into my full wetsuit… Folks coming out say to me, “you’re going to regret that. It’s hot!”
I tell them, “I’ll suffer through with it because I’d otherwise just drown. Amd, in my head I was thinking I’d be just fine!
We started with a little clinic where we had to tread water while listening to the coach… Umm… KEN DOESN’T TREAD H2O!!!
Well, Ken had to keep calm and make it seem like he could. And, he did for about 10-15 minutes. Go Ken!
Ok, time to swim… We were going to do 45 minutes.
HOLY HECK THAT SWIM SUCKED!!!!! I was hotter than the cake that I was craving in the oven at the local bakery!!! I could not believe how HOT that water was! And, my wetsuit just made it worse!
When I checked the water temp, it said 85 degrees! Whoa! Now, I know why 83(?) is the cutoff for wetsuits for safety reasons!
83, degree water temperature plus body temperature plus insulation properties of a wetsuit just equaled disaster!
Needless to say, I didn’t get very far… I only got from the jetski ramp (race start line) to the end of the terrace parking entrance and back while most everyone else was way off in the distance.
How did I survive?
Well, I tried not to panic too much. And, I went to my back a few times to just relax, float and breathe. Oh, and I kept sighting for the most direct route back to the boat ramp so i could get out as soon as possible!
When I got out, I was relieved. But, I was also really worn out from that short little swim because of the heat. Even when I was just out of my wetsuit and only in my jammers after drying myself off, I started to sweat like crazy!!!! I was POOPED!!!
That hot swim haunted me mentally during my first of two loops on the bike course.
Some of the many thoughts:
What if the race isn’t wetsuit legal? What if it doesn’t cool off? If it’s hot but wetsuit legal, will I go for it? Or, will I just spectate? How the heck am I going to do this without a wetsuit? Swim buoy to buoy and hang out to take breaks? I wasn’t able to complete the prescribed swim by my coach because it was so damn hot- am I in trouble?
…
Fast forward to today…
During the week, I found the USGS site that reports water temperature. And, the charts, showed the downward tend of the temperature. In fact, the temperature read just 72 degrees yesterday!
So, I was put at ease. I went to the pool (in lieu of choppy, gas filled, stinky Ohio Street Beach) to swim my 2 miles for the day. And, I did it in about 1:50.
Here, I admit that I use a pull buoy without gripping it hard just so I can get a little help with the buoyancy. Don’t worry, I’m still kicking from the hips and have the chafing from the pull buoy to prove it!
So, that’s a huge accomplishment for the day. And, next week I get to cover a full 2.4 miles in Lake Monona as part of a race. Just don’t get bored, right?!?
When did I ever think I would be BORED while swimming?!? I NEVER thought I was ever be in this place now! Just a tiny bit over a year ago I signed up for Wisconsin without knowing how to swim. Now, I’m getting bored?!?
I’m ever so thankful to those that have gotten me this far today! My coaches that continue to teach me, my friends, my co-workers and my ever so awesome partner, Anthony!
I’ve become a ball of emotions in the past couple weeks because of all the rigors of training, the mental battles from missing workouts, and just every day life. Apparently, this is not uncommon as I near the peak of Ironman training.
Since I became active in 2007, I have continued to prove to myself that I’ve got more in me to give physically and mentally. The road isn’t always paved like fresh blacktop, but the feeling of accomplishment, especially as i reflect back on the past 11 months of training, is huge!
I always thought Ironman athletes were crazy! Well, I’m going to soon become one of those crazy ones!
my first tri…wanna know my time?!?
a lot has happened since my last post.
i found my balance in the water. my coach, andrea, always tells me to think of going over a barrel and my hands going into holes and pulling my body forward. what i’ve changed significantly, however, was RELAXING my kick and only doing so much to keep them up. OH…wait…i gotta give andrea awesome credit for correcting my form in the water for numerous things, but in particular keeping my arms from crossing over in the water. but, in general, the good thing is that i can swim lengths of the pool without my legs hitting the pool floor any longer. i think by the end of last week, i was coasting through the water doing 50s in just a touch over 1 minute. that’s huge! i remember telling coach andrea, “remember when i couldn’t do this AT ALL?!?” i’ve come a long way. i remember fighting to get to one of the pool, stopping several times before getting there!
i’ve also changed coaches. my new coach is mike thomson of fast & fit coaching in chicago. dan of vision quest coaching, where i’m a proud member, was GREAT, but we didn’t have the best chemistry so i had to make a change. mike has tackled my nutrition, running form etc. i get a good amount of one-on-one time that has been priceless!
and then i make it to my first TRI here in galena, il. it took place yesterday and was a “simple” sprint distance.
luckily, i had andrea, senorita swim coach, to help me setup my transition areas. and, she was kind enough to help get me in my wetsuit and keep me calm before i entered the water…which was to become my FIRST open water swim!
so, the event…
i was in wave 4, going off at 9:09am. i slipped into my longsleeve wetsuit and immediately started sweating bullets because it was so warm. but, i’d be getting in the cold lake soon anyway, right? right!
3-2-1…HONK! TIME! TO! GO!
i stayed to the back of my wave to avoid being kicked in the face at all costs. and took my time getting into the water. but, before you knew it i started swimming freestyle. it was TOTALLY new…when i looked down, there was no line. there was no tile. there was no ‘bottom floor’ that i could see. instead, there was a lot of green stuff flying around. no big deal, right? NO! i kept going. i wanted to be sure i wasn’t going the wrong way so i kept checking. i didn’t want to go too far out. i didn’t want to cut in. i wanted to be JUST right! I THOUGHT i was the last one to get in…but, i had actually passed some people…GO ME!
i got around the first buoy…had i thought about my options and what was about to happen, i would’ve grabbed it and hung out for a while.
i noticed my wave pretty far ahead. so, mentally, i started to think that i needed to catch up. instead, i should’ve been thinking…just take a break by going to your back if needed and it doesn’t matter if you don’t catch them. it’s your FIRST time in open water. just go to your back and relax.
well, i went to my back once. but, for some reason, i didn’t stay there and relax. i immediately flipped back over and tried to swim freestyle again.
panic started.
i went to my back AGAIN.
i freaked.
“HELP!”
i go under the water.
“HELP!”
another swimmer leisurely on his back asks me if i need help. i say yes, so he gets it for me. the universal sign of hand up just made me sink. so, i’m glad he was there.
the boat and kayak came to my rescue.
i was thinking irrationally at the time and thought they MIGHT give me the option to hold on and take a quick break. instead, they proceeded to pull me out of the water.
i sat on the boat, ripped off my cap, and started to cry, yell 4 letter words, and announce that it was my first race,
i was embarrassed and disappointed with myself.. i hoped that nobody saw me from the shore line.
“great!” i thought,”…now i get to ride a bus to the finish line.”
i walked back to the shore with my head hung low. i was embarrassed. i was pissed. i was disappointed. my day was done.
after i calmed down a bit, i decided that i could still get a workout in so i proceeded to do the bike and run. and, i did decently on those disciplines on what was a very HOT and sunny day.
… ….
so, you wanna know my time? duh! it’s officially a DQ. that’s really eating at me. and i can’t help but think that i’m a failure, a wuss, weak, a quitter…
but, when i take a step back…i remind myself that i have an awesome coach overseeing my training and a great swim coach as well. and, they’re determined and confident that i can swim and just need to get comfy in open water. so, i’ll believe them. and, i’ll do my best to put out the thoughts in my head of dropping out of my goal half and full ironman distances this year. i’ll save the duathlon thing for when i’m REALLY sick of swimming. for now, i’ll try to conquer it!
i’ll get over the “debbie downer” symptoms shortly…but, that’s where most of me is right now. i’ll snap out of it soon.
catchya next time!
WETSUIT THAT IS POOL FRIENDLY?!?
Yeah… that Google search and all its derivatives didn’t prove to be very successful. It was like those times when I frantically search for the lowest price on a product, insisting in my head that it MUST be hidden SOMEwhere!
… to no avail!
Oh well…
Next best thing….
Attach a noodle to each of my legs.
Yup… That’s what I would do.
Can you believe it?!?
That is what I’d do!!!!!
But, I really didn’t.
I settled for just making LOVE to my beautiful pull buoy!
During my two most recent workouts (after a great lesson with Ms Andrea Rudser-Rusin and when I believed to have received permission), I used the pull buoy to keep what mobsters would consider an easy night’s work (aka my legs made of concrete) afloat.
I shoved that thing between my legs and used it! I used it and it built my confidence! Oh yeah, it did!
At my lesson, I was told not to kick… But, I was still having an issue with my legs falling, no matter how how much I thought chest down… shoulder down… relax… blah de blah de dahh!
So, I kick with that thing between my legs. Yes m’am, I am kickin’ from dem hips… Not dah knees! Promise!
So, on Saturday…what’s also known as my long training day… I did 50s pretty easily… Then, I surprised myself with a few 100s.
COOL!!!
Tonight, I surprised myself and did some 150s and I think a couple 200s… AWESOME!
But, is that cheating??? Won’t I have even MORE help from a whole wetsuit on race day???
I ALWAYS WANT TO PROVE THAT I'M GREAT BECAUSE I WANT EVERYONE TO LIKE ME!
it’s like i post a dramatic two paragrapher and leave y’all hangin’! sorry!
i had my issue on the bike last tuesday…a WHOLE 10 days ago…
that also happened to be the last day i worked out (until i snuck into the gym to do a quick “efficiency upper” workout after work today!)…
this is how it played out…
POOR ME! eh…whatever!
so…bike…dizzy…flush…tired…weak…worried…took time off…planned to try back up easily this past monday.
no go…got hit with some flu bug that had me with a sore throat and REALLY tired beginning saturday evening.
it must be related to everything else, right?
OH…and, it MUST be related to my blood pressure which tends to “ride high”, right?!?
RIGHT?!?
probably…but…who knows…
saw doctors…they just think it’s a virus…and that my body has been spending time telling me subtly with the random dizziness during workouts and then suddenly reared its head this weekend. AND, that blood pressure…nope…no need for drugs yet! just gotta keep an eye on that salt (wahhh!) and keep the activity high (yay for training! ugh!)
ok…thanks…i wish you drew blood and did more to be sure but that’s just super-neurotic me!
what do i think?
yes, i think they were correct.
i also think that a lot of everything was MAJORLY due to stress and fatigue… the nutrition thing i think is next on that checklist.
i’m a high strung guy. i’m super anal-retentive. i’m a worrier. i want everything i do to be 200% great so it takes a lot for me to delegate. therefore, my plate is typically OVERFLOWING! oh…it probably doesn’t help that i pretty much self diagnosed myself with attention deficit disorder too, does it?!? (i did an online test!)
I ALWAYS WANT TO PROVE THAT I’M GREAT BECAUSE I WANT EVERYONE TO LIKE ME! so, i take on everything and try to do tons at once and make tons of notes to myself so i know where i left off on the project i just walked away from. (post-it would make a fortune off of me if i didn’t enjoy evernote so much!)
yup…i laid it out there…so?
how do i continue accepting that all of the above that i just threw up onto you is…hugely…just me?!? how do i make it not literally get me sick?!?
i share it.
i think about it.
i try not to over-analyze it (keyword: TRY!).
and, i work on taking care of it…
“it” is ME!
i need to say “no” more often when asked to do something. i need to understand that it’s okay not to be perfect all the time. i need to let go more and trust in others. i need to allow myself to get a massage more often than i have to help me relax because i recognize that it’s really difficult for me to just stop, close my eyes, and take deep breaths in the middle of the day…i need to “schedule it”.
clearly…i haven’t been doing much training…almost two whole weeks…so…i’ve had time to think.
where do i go from here?
my plan is to feel good that i just shared all that with you…
then, i’ll work tomorrow…then, i’ll hopefully get to the vision quest workout at the UIC 50 meter pool in time to get a few laps in…and then i’ll enjoy my evening…
i’ll try to disconnect more and make sure i’m “doing me” enough so i can be “on and fresh” for training and the rest of my life at work and with my friends. this is a perfect time for a restart. i mean, it feels like spring in chicago already! AND, i’ve been given permission by my coach to follow doctor’s orders and ease back into training by doing 50-60% of what is prescribed this weekend.
i’ll balance it.
i’ll figure it out.
i’ll let go a tad.
but, i won’t try to change me.
BONK!
so…i’m nervous…is it something medically wrong with me? did my parents give it to me? am i just stressed out and it’s carrying over to my training? or, is it nutrition? is it hydration? is it high blood pressure?
WHAT THE F*CK IS IT?!?
i was planning on doing my usual tuesday intensity ride this evening…but, i got to the first SE interval after my warmup and started feeling really dizzy…flush…as if i was in REAL trouble when i was a kid…i got cold…
i made it through…then, i had my 1 minute recovery…we’ll see how round 2 goes…not any better…
i called it and surrendered so i didn’t pass out on the bike. i only got 29 mins in. i still feel funky/weak.
the immediate email that went out to my coach was what happened… how i think it might be from my stress… but how i also wonder if it has something to do with genetics or the high measurement in my blood pressure when i’ve seen my doctor in the past few months.
i am going to get something on the books… maybe a stress test… blood test… SOMEthing!
i hope i’m not sidelined… i’m pissed and scared at the same time!
Video Update!
It’s been a while but here’s a brief update on my training. This is moreso to test that this will work. It’s loud in here @ vision quest so you may have to listen closely. Gotta admit that it’s weird looking at myself so closely.
Yeah!
I’ll
be back with y’all via video soon but wanted to share this fun photo of me with you!
I’m spending 15 minutes in this Normatec thing at Vision Quest! It feels great, especially because my legs have felt worn out recently!
Laugh at how stereotypical I look!
Ummmm…I’m numb “down there”…
This is the first time I’ve gone numb…”down there”…
It was the oddest of feelings… it’s like when your foot falls asleep…
Do you get the point?!?
Maybe, this is my cue to add to my to do list “look for another bike seat to address numbness.”
Other than that and my contact folding up on me, it was a great ride at Vision Quest!
And, I ran into my coach (Dan Litwora) on his way out and my way in. I sum up his plan for me in the pool…”You will run in the pool what you aren’t swimming!”
Awesome conclusion to an otherwise stressful day!
TRAINING ROCKS!
daRevoluCHIN - to inspire & be inspired! 