Training Camp - Getting There

36,000 feet above Utah it hit me. What a wonderful experience I had just been

fortunate to be part of and now it was all over. I was reminded of my niece who

years ago proclaimed after ripping through all her Christmas gifts, “Oh no, it’s all

over!” Triathlon camp was that good. Months spent waiting and now it was over.

It began in the summer when my coach Jaime showed me information on the

triathlon camp he created and ran in Tucson. I was intrigued and immediately

started to figure out how I could take time off and attend camp. By the fall I had

put my deposit down. I was going to attend my first training camp.

The original idea was for he and I to fly to Tucson and ship our bikes and some

equipment down with another teammate that was going to drive down to Tucson.

Jaime would leave on Saturday, rent a car, and I would follow on Sunday.

The week before camp there were indications that a major winter storm might be

heading our way. The Tuesday night before we were set to leave I went for a run

in the snow. It was magical and invigorating but it was only the beginning of what

would be an epic winter storm. On Wednesday it was clear and the temperature

had dropped severely – freezing the ground and cooling the road surfaces. This

cold weather bled into Thursday. By Thursday evening things had begun to

warm up a bit but with it came the snow. I woke Friday morning to about 2

inches of snow – nothing major by Bend standards. Throughout the day it

continued to snow and get deeper and deeper. That afternoon I drove home in

4-wheel drive. I talked briefly with Jaime and he expressed concern about his

flight being cancelled. It would be a long evening of wait and see and through it

all, the snow continued to fall and pile up all around us.

Early Saturday morning at about 5 am Jaime texted me from the airport to tell me

his flight had been cancelled. He noted that he was trying to get out on a later

flight. An hour later I got a text telling me my ski lesson that I was supposed to

instruct up on Mount Bachelor was cancelled because my student could not

make it in from Eugene. Throughout the morning Jaime and I texted back and

forth about what was developing and throughout that time the snow continued to

rapidly fall in large and heavy flakes.

By all accounts it was one of the biggest snowstorms in the history of Bend. I

passed the time shoveling the snow out of the driveway – upwards of two feet or

more of the white stuff. By 11 a.m. the airport was completely shut down. Jaime

was going to catch a ride with Wendy – the person who was going to originally

drive to Tucson. She was going to be joined by her roommate Justin, who was

supposed to be in Portland, but had remained in Bend due to the weather. I

cancelled my reservation – it would later be cancelled hours later – in order to

join all of them in driving down to Tucson.

I packed everything up and headed out into the snow. I figured I would start

walking and meet them out on the major road that ran by our neighborhood

because I was concerned that Wendy’s car might get stuck if she attempted to

drive onto the unplowed streets that surrounded my house. About 30 minutes

down the road here they came – a Subaru with 4 bikes on the back. The road

trip to Tucson had begun!

1/2

This is a great opportunity to practice calming the mind. It doesn’t matter if you

are in a sea of 3000 swimmers before an Ironman or 100 runners in Bend. You

should be able to look inside. There you will find that voice that is with you in all

your workouts. This day is like all others. Listen to that voice. Just cut out all

the exterior static and do what you are programming yourself to do. Have a great

run.

Jaime Dispenza,

Coach, all around good dude, dispenser

of uplifting quotes before races

It had been almost four months to the day since my last race. Today I was going

to run my first half marathon in almost 18 months.

When I met with Jaime after the Leadman to discuss my base season he told me

that he wanted me to find a half marathon to run in the winter months. This

would give me something to focus on and build upon as we worked towards the

next triathlon season. Rather quickly I discovered and signed up for the Cascade

Half Marathon, held just 2 ó hours west of Bend in Salem.

It was now mid-January. Rising early, fueled by food, and sustained by Dutch

Bros. coffee, I made the drive over Santiam Pass into the Willamette Valley.

After Detroit Lakes I dropped into the valley and into a thick and soupy fog. I

made my way to the rural high school where the race would begin and end. My

friend and teammate Riley was already there. I picked up my registration packet,

got dressed, and then headed out with Riley onto the high school track to run a

couple of laps and warm up. As we ran around the track we discussed our goals

for the race. Mine were pretty modest. I simply wanted to finish my race in

under two hours, have fun, and send out positive comments to my fellow runners.

We made our way to the start. I felt good. I knew I could run the distance. It was

an extremely flat course that was a simple out and back. It would boil down to

finding and maintaining a rhythm and following the plan Jaime I discussed. The

plan for this race was to start out at a nice even pace and slowly build at threemile

intervals. My fastest and strongest part of the race would hopefully occur

during the last quarter of the race.

I positioned myself in the middle of the pack at the start. The gun went off and

we made our way out onto the rural roads. There was a lot of jockeying at the

beginning of the race as runners sought to fall into an appropriate pace. I found

a pace that worked for me and began to enjoy the run. The fog leant a peaceful

and eerie addition to the rural landscape as I ran.

I actually enjoy out and back races because it allows a face-to-face interaction

with other runners. Some runners get into a very focused state. I tend to like to

yell out positive comments. It puts me in a good place, allows me to focus, and

takes my mind off the monotony of the long race. As I began to slowly quicken

my pace I alternated my encouraging words between, “Nice job!”, “Keep it

going!”, and “Looking good!.” Every so often I made sure to high five a runner

who looked like they needed a bit of encouragement.

Just past mile three I was surprised to see runners already heading back to the

finish line. I then remembered that runners who did not wish to be timed could

begin the race an hour ahead of schedule. These were the runners I was

meeting. Relieved, I slightly picked up my pace to the next level.

Before mile five I came upon a woman runner who appeared to be struggling, but

also had a determined look on her face. I greeted her with a smile and

exclaimed, “You are rocking this race girlfriend. Keep up the good work!” She

laughed and said, “Thanks Laughing Dog!” At first I was surprised by her

recognition of my team until I realized I had my team kit on – duh!

I was pleased to not see any of the elite runners until just before the six-mile

marker. This told me I was doing ok and I picked up my pace. Just beyond the

six-mile mark Riley came by and we fist bumped one another. He was looking

strong and I knew he was going to have a good race. At the turnaround I

understood that the race was in the bag in terms of finishing and meeting my

goals.

Now that I was running back to the finish I got the chance to encourage those

racers behind me. Many greeted me with sudden smiles of appreciation and

some yelled back their own encouraging word. When I hit mile nine it was time

to start cranking. Just a little over a 5K left! I saw the woman I talked to earlier

and yelled out, “Girl, you are so owning this race. It’s time to kick some lycra!”

She busted out laughing and said, “Hey Laughing Dog, how ‘bout you run by me

so I can check out your ass!” I was only too happy to oblige.

With each mile I slightly picked up the pace and encouraged those I passed with

a positive comment. I finished with a strong kick and crossed the finish line in

1:42:51, content and happy with my accomplishment. I met my goal and ran a

sub 8-minute race. I got my medal, called Jaime to tell him about my race, and

then I headed for the feed room. I grabbed a quick bite, gathered my things up,

congratulated Riley on a well-run race, and made my way to the parking lot. As I

walked by the finish line I paused and saw a familiar face running toward the

finish line. As before she was struggling but had a determined look. When she

crossed the finish line she broke into a grin from ear to ear. I met her in the finish

chute, gave her a high five and congratulated her on a race well run. She

hugged me and said, “You don’t know how much those words of encouragement

meant to me Laughing Dog. Coming from an athlete like you made it even more

special.” She hugged me again and then walked off to meet up with some of her

friends who were already done.

I was a bit dazed. What had she meant by saying an athlete like me? For a

moment there was no fog surrounding the race site. Instead a ray of sunshine

and warmth pierced into my heart. It was the voice of gratitude but it was also

the voice of content in a race well run. All those workouts in the cold and dark

evenings had paid off. I found my voice and with it I found happiness and

success. I got in my car to begin my journey back to Bend. As I pulled out of the

parking lot I realized I had met my time goal, had fun, and encouraged others. It

was a great way to kick off my first race for 2014.

Taking Your Foot Off the Gas

One of my favorite places to run in Bend is Shevlin Park. It is a large and

forested park about a mile from my house. The park is bisected by Tumalo

Creek and it reminds me of the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico where I used to

hike and fish.

It had been awhile since I had run through Shevlin. I looked forward to losing

myself in the run. As with most of my runs things started out a bit sluggish. As I

dropped down into the park I began to feel things wake up. Usually I would pick

up the pace and fall into a rhythm. Today was different. It wasn’t that I was

fatigued. In fact I would say the opposite. My senses were alive and taking in

everything around me. I had the trail to myself. The air was warm, the creek

was burbling, the birds were conversing, and the park seemed like it was waking

up from an extended winter slumber. It was there I found myself making a

conscious decision to enjoy my surroundings and to take my foot off the pedal.

Recently I heard veteran triathlete Linsey Corbin describe how difficult it was to

ease up during a training run. While I can’t necessarily say I have been burning

up the pavement, I have gone out on each run with the purpose of bringing my

time down.

Each time out on a run I would find myself focusing solely on running at a certain

pace. With each run I was trying to run faster and faster. I don’t necessarily

think I was losing focus but I do think that part of me felt like I just needed to go

out and enjoy a run for the simple sake of running.

When I thought back on my training programs for swim and bike there were times

when my goal was to kick it up a notch and others when I was simply backing off

a bit and doing a regiment at 75-80% of overall effort. It would only make sense

that every so often I should back off a bit on my overall effort for running as well.

I think in my desire to run at a faster pace I lost sight of the fact that my training

journey covered a wide spectrum of time. My improvement in all aspects of my

race had come with time and effort. In looking at the anecdotal evidence I could

see how my times had dropped and my fitness level had improved.

While there is still room for improvement in all aspects of my race I think that it is

also important to remember that it is ok to every once in awhile take my foot off

the pedal and simply enjoy the run.

Motivation

I took a long good draw on the cold beer and savored the taste.  It was Spring Break.  It had been a very long day at the end of a very long week and this was my own personal Happy Hour. It was one that had been a long time in coming and capped a day that had been both difficult and mentally trying.  I was tired and had a lot of difficultly getting motivated to address the workout my coach had planned for me that day.

In my post race analysis of that workout I wrote, “This was about exercising the demons between my ears.  I was more motivated to go to Happy Hour than I was to go run, and yes, I have only myself to blame because I know today was supposed to originally be a rest day.  I made my bed and I ran in it.  It wasn’t about my body being fatigued. It was about my mind wanting to stop for a beer or a margarita.  I needed to push through this.”

I should confess that when my original training week was given to me I had a recover day set for that very day.  Because I wanted to have Sunday available for recovery I requested that Jaime switch workouts around.  Additionally, he and I had not been able to swim together for some time so there was a lot of creative shuffling going on so we could meet prior to him leaving with his family on an extended Spring Break trip.  The old adage ‘be careful what you wish for’ certainly seemed appropriate. 

I have found training while I work full-time to be an interesting balancing act.  There is the time element, the need to keep my nutrition up throughout the day, the family responsibilities, and then there is the whole issue of motivation.  As a teacher I spend a lot of time during my day motivating my students to give their best effort.  The majority of my training happens immediately after school.  Some days it’s pretty easy to go out and hit things because the training ends up being a great stress release.  This in turn allows me the chance to get home, relax, and focus on my family duties.  Of course there are other days that prove to be more challenging.  One such day was the day I describe above, the Friday before our school district shut down for Spring Break.

Prior to locking up my room on that Friday afternoon before Spring Break I declined an offer from a colleague to go have a beer.  I had a swim session and an hour long run ahead of me before I could officially even begin to think about Spring Break.  I arrived at the pool to find it almost completely deserted and got to work.  It was kind of therapeutic to swim, stretch out the body, and crank out the laps.  An hour went by and I had the pool pretty much all to myself.  2100 meters in the bag, it was time to head home.

It was a clear, sunny, and pleasant day.  The snowcapped mountains were beautiful against the clear blue sky.  On my way home I passed 10 Barrel Brewpub.  The patio was full of folks enjoying a microbrew and the sun.  I drove past LaRosa and thought about how good one of their Bahia Margaritas would taste right about now.  My motivation from a good swim was waning and I needed to get home and get my run started.

I arrived home to find an empty house.  My wife was not yet home from work.  My son was attending a robotics competition in California.  My daughter was enjoying the beginning of Spring Break by hanging out over at a friend’s house.  My coach was in Hawai’i.  The dogs greeted me at the door with wagging tails but their motivation had mainly to do with wanting to be fed.  Clearly if I wanted any kind of motivation it would need to come from within myself.  These are the moments when your goal or your reason for doing something like this has to come from deep down in your heart.  If you are doing this for someone other than yourself then this would be an opportune time to simply give up, throw in the towel, and say to heck with this.

Since I had decided to dress for my run at the pool all I had to do was dr a few things off and hit the road.  I was thankful for my foresight.  I headed out toward and through Tetherow, on up to Phil’s Trail, and into the Deschutes National Forest.  The first couple of miles were numbing and slow.  I didn’t pass anyone and, like at the pool, I pretty much had the forest to myself.  It was as if everyone in Bend was out at Happy Hour.  As the initial sluggishness of my run wore off I began to feel my legs and my body wake up.  My pace quickened and I fell into a comfortable rhythm.  I began to loosen up, relax, and enjoy the run.  All too soon I got home from my run.  I was pretty content in what I accomplished.  Yes, perhaps Happy Hour would have been fun but all being said I really didn’t miss that much and I enjoyed my time outdoors.  Sometime taking those first couple of steps is all the motivation you need in order to keep going.

12 Weeks Out

As a teacher it is always interesting to gauge the progress of my students. Sometimes it is difficult to see the progress unless you track this from day to day over time.

A couple of weeks ago I finished a long run of approximately 11 miles. As I talked to my coach Jaime about the run he reminded me that we were only 12 weeks out from my first half ironman. It is a race that we will be doing together in Boise in the early part of June.
This reminder initially stopped me in my tracks. It hit me hard because I thought back to when he said something similar to me prior to my first long coarse event that I competed in last fall. In that memory I was reminded of just how far I had come in the last eight months.
Jaime and his wife Heather had just moved to Bend. I had just completed my first open water sprint triathlon and had just begun working under Jaime’s guidance to train as a triathlete. I was helping Jaime down in his garage put together some storage systems. As we worked I told him that I wanted to do the Leadman 125, a race that would be held in Bend in three months. After a pause Jaime told me he could get me there but that it would take a lot of work and that we were 12 weeks out from the race. He noted that over the next three months we would be working to get me into shape, complete the race and not blow up in the process. As I look back at my training log the distance and times were smaller and shorter. It was all about trying to get in shape and build up a base fitness that would allow me to finish the race.

Fast forward to now. It’s no longer about simply being able to finish. It’s about being able to race. I’m lighter, faster, fitter, and more confident. It has gone from just a race to embracing a lifestyle. Training has become an integral part of my daily life. With that has come an increased fitness. My training time frames are longer and the distances that I go are further.
One of the benefits of a program such as Training Peaks or Strava is that it allows you to go back and analyze as well as chart your progress over time. Even if you don’t choose to use a program it is still beneficial to write things down and keep track of your workouts. Progress occurs incrementally. Early on, like most athletes new to training, my gains came quickly. Over time these gains became more gradual. It was only after I looked back over several months of training that I began to see and understand the progress I had made.

This coming weekend I will race in a sprint triathlon for the first time this year. This is a race that I did early on last year. It is part of my buildup to my first half ironman in two months. I’m excited to be racing again but I’m also interested in how well I do. Last year I went into this race with very little formal or organized training. This year is quite different. It is my hope that I will readily see the benefits of my training. Hopefully this will manifest itself in a faster time and an easier and quicker recovery for my body. Either way my coach and I will use the data to determine a game plan for the next two months as I work towards my racing goal. It will be fun to compare the results from last year and I’m hoping it will confirm how things have changed in regards to my training and my fitness.