Road to Ironman Arizona 2011

Closing out Ironman Arizona 2011 Adventure

Henry — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:31:19 +0000

Boy did I neglect this blog. To put some closure to my journey Ironman Arizona 2011 adventures:

BIB	AGE	STATE/COUNTRY	PROFESSION
1095	29	Tustin CA USA	Computer Analyst

SWIM	BIKE	RUN	OVERALL	RANK	DIV.POS.
2:24:30	–:–	–:–	–:–	–	–

LEG	DISTANCE	PACE	RANK	DIV.POS.
TOTAL SWIM	2.4 mi. (2:24:30)	3:48/100m	2545	142

BIKE SPLIT 1: 37.4 mi	37.4 mi (–:–)	– mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 2: 74.6 mi	37.2 mi (–:–)	– mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 3: 112 mi	37.4 mi (–:–)	– mi/h
TOTAL BIKE	112 mi (–:–)	– mi/h	–

RUN SPLIT 1: 2.5 mi	2.5 mi (–:–)	–/mi
RUN SPLIT 2: 11.5 mi	9 mi (–:–)	–/mi
RUN SPLIT 3: 20 mi	8.5 mi (–:–)	–/mi
RUN SPLIT 4: 26.2 mi	6.2 mi (–:–)	–/mi
TOTAL RUN	26.2 mi (–:–)	–/mi	–

TRANSITION				TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE				–:–
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN				–:–

Yep, you saw that right. I was a DNF. A damn proud DNF at that. Going from an anvil in the pool to being able to swim 2.4 miles in open water in 1 year was quite an accomplishment for me. And even though I didn’t make the swim cut-off of 2 hours and 20 minutes, I got out of that cold murky lake with a great big smile because I knew I had accomplished at least 1/3 (the most difficult part for me) of my childhood dreams of being an Ironman.

A special thank you goes out to the volunteers especially the one guy in the kayak that helped lead me back the last mile or so. I wish I was able to shake his hand and say thank you. And all the people yelling and screaming at the tops of their lungs as I rounded the last buoy with just a little bit of time left on the clock. That was such an awesome experience. Believe it or not, it was also an awesome experience to hear all that noise on one stroke and then hear nothing but my own breathing the next stroke – signifying that I wasn’t going to be able to make the cut-off.

Alas, I will try again another year. This upcoming 2012 year will be dedicated to other things. Perhaps I can squeeze in some swim efficiency training and take another crack at #IMAZ in 2013.

Swimming Milestone – 600 Yards

Henry — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:38:52 +0000

With about 1-week left before my first triathlon (1000 yard swim), I was able to hit 600 yards in the pool. Planning on going for 1000 yards tomorrow.

Training Update

Henry — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 22:59:50 +0000

Last time I updated this blog was nearly 4 months ago. My has time flown by. I’m short on time as any triathlete should be so I’ll keep this short and writing just for posterity sake.

January 8, 2011: First Half-Marathon- Kaiser Permanente Southern California Half Marathon in Irvine
Did ok. IT band issues started appearing around mile 10/11. Had the chip in my pocket instead of my shoe so it didn’t capture official time. But I finished in under 1:50 according to my watch with 1 restroom break and one stretch break.

February 2011: No races, just a lot of running in preps for the LA Marathon. Major flu bug and something else happened, perhaps an IT band issue that sidelined me for 2 weeks. Lost a lot of mileage.

March 14, 2011: First week @ Quest Software. Started daily regimen of strength training during the lunch hour.

March 20, 2011: First Marathon- LA Marathon. Had only run one 16-miler 2 weeks before as the longest run. Had IT band issues around mile 13 in the training run. Was reproduced during the marathon. Most horrendous weather conditions ever. Stats:

Clock Time	08:04:49
Chip Time	07:56:35
Overall Place	19208 / 19890
Gender Place	11721 / 12055
Division Place	1415 / 1437
Age Grade	26.2%
Pace	18:10.9
10K	1:03:01
15K	1:38:59
20K	2:19:36
25K	3:12:18
30K	4:23:59
35K	6:33:57

First half wasn’t bad and was roughly on pace. Add on an extra 6 hours for the 2nd half plus feeling close to death wasn’t fun but I finished… seeing marathon walkers finish before me…

March 25, 2011: Started almost daily regimen of going to the pool in the mornings before work. Swimming has become much more comfortable and trying to increase yardage by 50 each session. Currently at 400 yards non-stop. Bought a Kestrel 4000 from OneTri.com.

April 6, 2011: Finally figured out that I actually have IT band issues. Wanted to get evaluated in order to see if I can run Ragnar or not in 10 days. Started physical therapy. Still extremely tender. Rausch Physical Therapy in Laguna Niguel is the place to go! Scheduled and will be doing PT everyday until race day. Hopefully I’ll be ok…

April 7, 2011: Started yoga and serious stretching.

Upcoming:

April 9, 2011: Hitting a wall with self taught swimming. Scheduled first swim session with coach Jen Schumacher.

April 15-16, 2011: Ragnar! 3 shifts – Lengths: 11.5 Miles; 6.2 Miles; 14.7 Miles. Total mileage: 32.4 in a 24 hour period. Yikes! Dropped out last minute to prevent imminent risk of injury.

May 14, 2011: First triathlon! LA Tri Series @ San Dimas. Championship Distance =1K Swim, 26.4K Bike, 8K Run.

June 11, 2011: Mud Run @ Camp Pendleton.

August 6, 2011: Sprint Triathlon @ Camp Pendleton. 500 yard Swim – 30K Bike – 5k Run

November 20, 2011: Ironman Arizona. 2.4 Mile Swim, 112 Mile Bike, 26.2 Run. Am I crazy?

Swim & Jog

Henry — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 07:02:31 +0000

Swam 5 out and back laps today at the pool + a 5.5 mile jog.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/60400116

6-Mile Run

Henry — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 22:22:22 +0000

Need to start running more regularly again. It was wet and cold but not raining. Speed and endurance has definitely dropped off.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/60140118

Running and Swimming in the Rain is Fun!

Henry — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 06:24:16 +0000

It’s mid-December and the weather is gettin’ pretty wet! Working out in wet weather can be pretty fun if you’re feeling adventurous but it can also be pretty rough. Today was my first run in about 8 days and was only able to do about 4 miles where I walked almost .5 miles. My legs were definately getting acclimated for the first 2.5 miles or so and then I started getting chest pains the last .5 mile so I just walked it. Bummer.

The swim was pretty fun though. It was quite a beautiful sight to see all the steam rising from the pool as it was tattered by the rain drops. Seems like my form is getting better and I actually did a full out and back lap for the first time today. Woohoo!

30-Minutes of Swimming Today

Henry — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:18:43 +0000

Didn’t have time for much of a work out as I had to meet with my new little brother for the first time as a volunteer for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

For some reason, I seem to get motion sickness being in the water for awhile. I wonder if that’s something that I’ll just get use to or perhaps all the chlorine is starting to get to me…

Swim & Gym

Henry — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:56:10 +0000

30 minutes in the pool and gym time. Pretty tired/sleepy today. I think I’m going tomorrow off and not do anything.

1 X 10 pull-ups @ 80lb assist
3 x 10 row @ 80lbs
3 X 30 crunches
3 X 10 incline press @ 60lbs
3 X 10 leg lifts (abs)
3 X 10 dumbbell curls @ 25 lbs
3 X 10 leg crunches (abs)

Body Stats
154.8 Lbs
23.5 BMI
65.6% Muscle
14.1% Fat
61.6% Water

55-Mile Bike Ride to Seal Beach & Back + Swim

Henry — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 06:41:20 +0000

Did a morning ride today with my training buddy. Overall, I am feeling much better although my legs aren’t completely in tune with the pedaling motion yet. It seems that my left leg/ankle is not as solid and tends to buckle oddly on the down strokes. I was on the big chain ring and mostly the 2nd and third cogs to build up more leg power.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/59555462

I ate and rested for about 2 hours or so before jumping into the pool for about 30 minutes of swim time.

Gym Log – 12/11/2010

Henry — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 06:38:21 +0000

3 x 10 dumbbell shoulder press @ 25lbs
3 x 10 seated row @ 100lbs
3 x 10 dumbbell hammer curls @ 30lbs
3 x 10 incline chest press @ 65lbs
3 x 10 ab crunches @ 110lbs
3 x 10 chest press @ 70lbs