Feeding the Spirit

I feel most spiritual when I’m out in the woods. I feel part of nature.

                                                                                                          Pete Seeger

Sunday morning I went to church for a little bit of spiritual renewal. It wasn’t enclosed and there weren’t any other parishioners, save for Riley, who I met at the trailhead. I was going to church in the forest and instead of my Sunday best I was sporting my thermal bib kit. After a week of running I was happy to be out on my mountain bike heading toward Phil’s Trail.

Years ago I gave up trying to find spiritual growth inside a building on a Sunday morn – turned off by the politics and the hypocracy of organized religion. I found my spiritual solace and affirmation in forays to the river to fish or to the trails where I could enjoy nature on my mountain bike as I rode through the forest. The sights and sounds of nature served to re-confirm my belief in a higher authority without the baggage.

The air was brisk with a hint of moisture. The unusual high winds from the previous day were long gone. A faint blanket of new snow graced the foothills above. The trails would be tacky – not too muddy, but enough moisture that the tires would hold through the turns. It was an absolutely perfect day to go out on the mountain bike for a fun and easy ride.

Jaime had emphasized that my rides needed to be easy. I followed the course and resolved that I would just enjoy the ride, not press things, and have a good time. Riley and I briefly discussed where we’d ride and then we set off into the sunlight. I could feel a slight drizzle hit me. Oregon is the only place I know where the sun can be shining, there isn’t a cloud in the sky, and yet you’re still getting rained upon. Weaving through the trails brought a sense of appreciation and a chance to reflect. We chatted a bit in areas where the trail opened up onto an old logging road, but for the most part we simply rode. Every so often I would catch a glimpse of a beautiful vista and would make a little mental thank you note for that visual opportunity. Up and down the hills we went, passing very few people. There were a couple of challenging traverses up rocky passages and also a few thrilling descents with technical drops but mostly it was just choice single-track weaving through Manzanita and Ponderosa Pine.

I ended my ride as I always try and do when I go to Phil’s with a ride through the rolling hills of Tetherow. The forest opens up into a rolling meadow, that offer vistas to the east of the Paulinas as well as Powell Butte, the Ochocos, and the Oregon Outback. It’s a nice transition from the trails of the forest, where you can easily get turned around, to the wide-open vistas just before you come back into town. Riley had a longer ride so we fist bumped, parted company, and I headed home. 

Even though it was an easy ride I flew home on my Niner, energized from a chance to be outside and enjoy the beauty of the world around me. I knew that I’d have a week full of runs but for the here and now I was thankful for the opportunity to get out in the forest, renew my spirit on the mountain bike, and appreciate the time I had enjoying life.

Pump Up the Volume

My coach Jaime deserves better. 

I’m sure he probably feels that way after the past two weeks.

We’ve begun training for my Ironman in earnest. I came off my last race feeling really good and champing at the bit to keep it going. Jaime has spent the better part of the past two weeks pulling back on the bridle and trying to keep me from blowing up. Much like a young colt, I have not responded well to the guidance and have kicked my back hooves a couple of time and put my ears
back. It’s taken me the better part of two weeks to finally understand what it all means.

It’s all about the volume, stupid.

Years and years ago I had another coach who, among other things, made the comment to the effect that I would never be an athlete and never amount to anything. It’s a comment that has haunted me for years. With my new found confidence I have perhaps developed a bit of a chip on my shoulder.

When Jaime would try to rein me in I would push back. When he’d try and explain that different athletes (including himself) needed different training I’d just see it as another example of me not being good enough. When I was relegated to runs while Jaime and other teammates swam and biked together I became resentful.

Like I said, he probably deserves better.

Much like a horse that finally accepts the saddle and stops using up energy mindlessly bucking at unseen ghosts I finally came to terms with things. I realized I frankly needed to stop thinking, stop worrying, trust in the plan, and just take a long deep breath.

It didn’t come easily. After Jaime and I agreed on Ironman Coeur d’Alene the first task he had assigned me was to find a marathon. Once that was done the training began. I’m not sure what I thought would occur. Part of me knew I was training for a marathon but the other part of me was still focused in on Ironman and the swim and bike that would come with that. I kept watching my run volume numbers rise and my swim and bike volume numbers plummet. I’d spent all summer working on getting stronger on the bike that I wasn’t willing to watch it waste away. Jaime kept telling me that my bike would come back up after our camp in February and that I would come back stronger but I just had a hard time believing what he was saying.

I’m not sure when it finally began to make sense. Maybe something about volume – I remember back when my daughter was young she’d have a problem with pouring liquids into a cup. It took her awhile to understand that eventually the cup would completely fill, you couldn’t get anymore in, and it would start to overflow, run everywhere, and that everything would become one big mess.

As part of my training I was undertaking a marathon. Even though I had run

several half marathons I would need to bring up my running volume in order to be successful in completing a marathon and then transferring that run fitness to an Ironman. Between work, family, other commitments, and training, I only have a finite time within which to work in getting ready for the Ironman. Coeur d’Alene comes in late June so the majority of my training would take place in the late spring when I’d still be working full-time. Jaime said he’d get me to CDA but it would take some unorthodox means and it would mean making the most of the training I had. There was only so much volume I could undertake so it would be essential to get the biggest training bang for the buck so to speak. I remembered that Jaime had written back in a blog when he and his family went to Hawai’I in which he puzzled the benefits of focused training in one specific area. He told me over and again that we’d focus on the run,undertake a marathon, and then start bringing up the volume in the swim and the bike. As my volume would have to increase with the run it meant that either something else would have to be reduced or I’d more than likely blow up or become fatigued, injured, ill, or all of the above. Essentially, there was a point where I could no longer take the volume and if it went over I’d be reduced to one big mess.

It’s a tricky balancing act but for now I’ll have to trust in what Jaime has been telling me and understand that it’s all about volume. In the past my training has ranged from 10 to 18 hours a week. That will more than likely stay the same and will no doubt increase as I get nearer to racing at CDA. None of my runs will be under an hour and my long runs will increase in time, most going over two hours. There will be hill workouts and pyramids, but there will also be a lot of time spent simply building up the volume and putting in the hours.

I had conversation with Jaime today. I simply asked him about the bike and whether or not my fitness would return. He told me it would take awhile to come back but that it would come back stronger. As with weight lifters all the gains would come out of recovery and to have faith in my body. He noted that my fitness had allowed me to be able to ride and feel good these past few weeks but that I now needed to focus on the marathon. I needed to make each run the best it could be and understand that it was a big part of the preparation for CDA.

It’s all about the volume. I’m sure Jaime and I will have this chat again in March when my bike volume numbers start to increase. Like I said, he probably deserves better 

Vacation

I need a vacation, like nobody’s business.

                                                   Jim Wann

Two weeks ago I finished the Leadman, my last race of the year. Since then I

have kinda of been taking a vacation from training. Well, I guess I should say,

I’ve been taking a break from the monitoring of my training.

The Tuesday after the race Jaime and I met up to discuss the coming year. We

decided that October 6th would be my start date for Ironman Training.

Specifically, I’d be training for a marathon prior to working the bike and the swim

back into the equation on an equal rotation. He had told me to look for a

marathon earlier when I decided to go after the Ironman brass ring. The race

needed to be in January and I was able to locate one in Redding, California, just

under 5 hours away. It would be held over Martin Luther King weekend so I

wouldn’t need to take time off.

The A (or perhaps Super A) race for the year would be Ironman Coeur d’Alene. I

picked this race because it would occur in June. I knew that July would be taken

up with a trip to New Mexico for my folks 70th Wedding Anniversary. I knew that

this would prove challenging but I didn’t want to have to worry about a race while

I was in New Mexico (such as racing Whistler, another race I had eyed).

February would involve Jaime’s triathlon camp in Tucson and then March and

April would be where my bike training would dramatically increase. In the past I

had done the Beaver Freezer over in Corvallis the first weekend in April but

Jaime put the kibosh on a sprint race. My first race would be an Olympic

distance so I imagine I’ll look at the Oregon Dunes over in Florence. He talked

about wanting me to do the Boise 70.3 and using it as a training race. We’ll use

the time between Oregon Dunes and Boise to see how the body is feeling. My

focus will be Coeur d’Alene and once that is done we’ll regroup and look to finish

out the race year, more than likely with the 70.3 in Lake Stevens and then finish

up with Best in the West and hopefully with the Leadman.

My calendar set. It was time to have a little fun. Jaime had told me that my

workouts for the week after Leadman were optional. I tried my best to stay with

the workout though I made some adjustments. I decided that rather than worry

about pace or heart rate I would just go out and either ride or run. I’m not sure if

that was probably what Jaime had in mind but it was a nice bit of release. A

week following Leadman my wife and I met up with some fellow Bendites at the

north entrance to Crater Lake to ride the road around the lake. The following day

I met up with Jaime and Riley to ride the Twin Bridges route. It was a great

weekend and I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. This past week was run

heavy but I did find some time to sneak off to the pool to swim in the

unseasonably warm weather. I capped off my vacation with a 30-mile mountain

bike ride with Jaime and Riley. I came away from my vacation refreshed,

recharged, and rebooted.

It’s time to get back in the saddle so to speak. I know the journey ahead will be

long, tough, and at times, lonely. For now it will be building up the volume to

successfully run a marathon. From there, the bike and swim will increase in

volume as well. I’m excited about the prospects. Whether or not I’ll be feeling

that way in May or June will remain to be seen. For now it’s the excitement in

going after something new and unknown. For many, the excitement is the build

up to the vacation. For me, it’s the buildup to the Ironman. Let the journey

begin.