Iron Pol - Blog

Pendulum Swings

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:00:34 +0700

When younger, I participated in various youth sporting leagues. In California, it was baseball. When my family moved to Wisconsin, we found soccer the more popular summer sport. I made the change, though I found myself little better at soccer than baseball. And to be fair, I wasn't all that good at football, which I played in high school.

In the youth leagues from my childhood, two things were always celebrated. Participation and success. First and foremost, kids were recognized for trying. There were many teams on the field destined to lose many, if not all the games they played. The players shared the praise of all the coaches and parents, regardless of outcome.

Success was also recognized. Those players and teams that excelled were acknowledged for their accomplishments. Their victories didn't lessen the value of teams with fewer wins. It recognized the value of working together, training hard, and playing well. In life, there are varying levels of success, and youth sports are an example of that.

It appears some would shift from that view. In New Haven, Connecticut, one youth baseball team is being punished for, well, being too good. It seems they have a shining star in little 9-year old Jericho Scott. As pitcher, his speed and accuracy has helped take his team to an 8-0 record, and first place in the league.

Now, league officials have demanded the team's coach replace Scott as the pitcher. When the coach refused, those officials cancelled the team's last game. Given the situation, Scott's parents brought in a lawyer to force the league to allow their son to play.

Sadly, allowing the phenom to play may not be the issue. It seems the league president works with a local barbershop that also sponsors a team in the league. The second place team.

Even if the accusations are untrue, the situation is still a tragedy. Disqualifying a youth for being "too good" is pathetic lunacy.

Imagine if Team Discovery had been banned from the Tour de France because Lance Armstrong had already won five times. Or if Michael Phelps were excluded from the 2012 Olympics because he won eight medals ,this year.

Perhaps the winners of last season's Superbowl, World Series, NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs, NCAA tournament, and Indy 500 should be excluded from participating in the next season of play.

When did words like success, victory, and winner become swear words. If we want our kids to understand what it means to succeed, they must face the possibility of failure.

No Sweat Fix

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:19:29 +0700

Anyone familiar with Chris McCormack's history at the Ironman World Championships knows he paid some heavy dues on his way to becoming world champion. His early attempts at winning in Hawaii ended in failure as he struggled with heat, dehydration, nutrition, and the worst the course could throw at him. By constantly learning the lessons taught at Kona, adjusting his plans, and, most importantly, making changes to his electrolyte intake, McCormack fought his way to the top of the podium.

Last year, after learning about McCormack's plight in past races, I started looking into electrolyte replacement techniques. I saw a lot of what he experienced in myself. In many training sessions and most races, dehydration led to problems at the end of the event. Anything over a couple hours would find me caked in salt and dehydrated, regardless of fluid intake.

In the best of conditions, I am unable to swallow most electrolyte supplement in pill form. The one I was able to swallow caused GI issues both times I tried it. And one powder form I learned about, Gatorlytes, seemed unavailable for the average joe (if they're even still produced). Finally, last year, I learned that Hammer Endurolytes were available in a powder form.

The perfect solution! Well, almost perfect. It seems that while Endurolyte capsules are available everywhere, the powder is much harder to locate. In fact, the only place I was able to find it was Online. So, last week, I gave up on local sources and ordered a can direct from Hammer.

This past weekend was a great opportunity to test it out. With a four hour run on Saturday followed by a three hour run on Sunday, dehydration was sure to be a problem.

Saturday, I went with one scoop of Endurolyte powder per eight ounce bottle of Gatorade. I carry four bottles on my belt, giving me 32 ounces of fluid and four scoops of Endurolytes. During the run, I have to refuel, and opted to skip carrying additional powder for those bottles.

Saturday was already warm when I started the run at 5 a.m. Twenty-three miles later, at 9 a.m., it was considerably warmer. And I was still sweating. Normally, after this kind of run, I would be totally dehydrated, and perhaps a bit bloated. I considered this a good sign.

Sunday, I headed out late in the afternoon. Though it was a bit cooler, I went with about 1.5 scoops of Endurolytes per bottle to see if taste would be an issue. I will continue to increase the amount until it becomes unpalatable. With 1.5 scoops, it tasted fine. Again, I was still sweating when I arrived home, and didn't feel that fluids were staying in my stomach. Good sign number two.

Most importantly, I didn't spend all day Saturday and most of Sunday dehydrated. In fact, I felt very good on my run Sunday. Compared to past runs in this range, it was the best set of consecutive runs I've completed. It was also the longest run weekend I've ever completed.

I will continue to test the Hammer Endurolyte powder over the next couple of months. So far, they get a big thumbs up for resolving my "no sweat" issue.

Walk to Win

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:27:02 +0700

One of the most important "benefits" from my endurance lifestyle is when others take it to heart and find something that appeals to them. For two years I have coached junior high and high school youth as they prepare for a sprint distance triathlon. Two weeks ago, my kids completed their first kid's triathlon. And though she didn't officially swim or bike, my wife was right there with our daughter as she raced.

Like the "me" of nearly a decade ago (has it really been that long?), my wife "isn't a runner." I can relate, because a "simple" 1.5 mile run was about all I could handle in 2000. And let's face it, anyone returning to ANY sport after years (decades?) away will often struggle with even the most basic aspects of that sport.

After seeing the fun my wife had at the kid's triathlon, I suggested she could work her way up to and participate in her first sprint triathlon. While she hesitated in committing to that, she did sign up for a local YMCA program called "Walk to Win." It's a great starting place for anyone looking to ease into working out. Her goal, 30 minutes of walking five days a week.

If that sounds familiar, it should. It matches the recommended exercise levels for healthy living.

It is also a great way to become involved in shorter distance endurance events. The journey to 5K starts with those 5-10 minute walks. Misplaced somewhere in all my files is a "Couch to 5K in 30 days" plan. For my wife and anyone else interested, I'll find and post that plan.

For many of us, the finish line will never be 26.2, 50, 100, or 140.6 miles away. Sometimes, 3.1 miles is just enough to promote healthy living and encourage others.

My sister and I represent opposite ends of the same spectrum. She likes races that allow for minimum training and maximum flexibility. Her favorite distance? 5K. Why? As she puts it, "They only cost $10, they're easy to train for, they're over in 30 minutes, and you still get a cool t-shirt." Despite all my attempts to get her to run a half or full marathon with me, she's comfortable with the distances she runs, now.

For me, each accomplishment opens the door to the next challenge. Put another way, I'm crazy and just won't quit. I'll complete a 50-mile race because 26.2 has become something I can run any given day. After 50, who knows.

But the result is the same. My sister is a great example for her kids and others around her. My wife is setting a great example by starting this program, and I'll spend the next however many weeks supporting her efforts.

Maybe I'll even encourage her to start her own blog to give her an opportunity I missed. Documenting the journey from the beginning, regardless of the end.

Wiped Out!

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:42:19 +0700

Relax, The Pol-R Express and myself are fine. The "wiped out" refers to my energy levels as opposed to an "agony of defeat" crash. It's been a long week, as my posting shows.

I'm learning a lot about training for ultramarathons. First and foremost, it is, perhaps, more demanding than training for Ironman. While I have yet to spend 10 hours training in a single day, there's something to be said for the rigors of running three-and-a-half hours on Sunday after running four hours on Saturday. I have a far greater understanding of why Friday and Tuesday are off days.

I'm learning a lot about myself, though.

One of the simple truths about Ironman is that most participants look forward to the bike, so long as it means they can stop swimming. Similarly, they begin to relish the marathon if for no other reason than it represents the opportunity to get off the bike. I remember being absolutely overjoyed heading into T2, despite my concern over the looming 26.2 mile run.

My training for the ultramarathon doesn't have that aspect. I wake up on Sunday fairly wiped out from Saturday's run. And I know I have to go put more stress on an already tired body. Unlike Ironman, it is the same stress on the same body parts.

And while I can complete a marathon with little residual pain, stacking marathon distance training runs on top of each other is another story.

So, I find myself napping just about every chance I get. In fact, I find myself napping in some very odd circumstances. Last night, my daughter kept waking me up as I was dozing off while she was saying her prayers. And while I was reading her bedtime story. And while she was trying to wake me up.

And since I am both a lunatic and a slow learner, I am contemplating "kicking it up a notch." In September, I will be running a "marathon and a half." As part of the Fox Cities Marathon, I will run the half-marathon backwards, arriving at the starting line just prior to the start of the official marathon (hopefully). In October, I will complete a 50-mile ultramarathon, though I'm torn on which one.

For giggles, I am considering continuing the insanity through the end of the year. In November, I would run 60 miles, just to keep the progression going. And in December, I would run 80 miles, or twice my age.

For an encore, I would then sleep the entire month of January.

All About the Kids

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:11:11 +0700

This past weekend, we proved it isn't all about the bike. It isn't all about the run. This weekend, it was all about the kids. This was the weekend of the Oshkosh Area Triathlon put on by Midwest Sports Events. Saturday was the kid's tri and Sunday was the sprint distance race. My own kids raced Saturday, and the Brigade kids raced on Sunday.

I'll start with the kid's tri on Saturday. Mostly because the pictures from Sunday aren't yet posted. And it's my own kids.

After this brief race report, I'll post a bunch of pictures from the event.

I want to start by saying that Midwest Sports Events did an AWESOME job for the kids. From having them use the same assigned transition racks the adults use to a course loaded with volunteers, this race was very well organized. I saw lots of smiling children, and my kids went away feeling every bit the triathlete. If you live in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin or attend any race put on by Gloria West and her awesome staff, I strongly recommend letting your kids participate in the kid's events.

And now for the pictures. There are quite a few, as my kids apparently have better luck getting good pictures.

Powered Out

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:42:34 +0700

Last night was the final night of our churches vacation Bible school. And, of course, the last night means clean up. After having parents in for a review of the week and a small reception, we attacked all areas of the church with zeal so it would be ready for Sunday's service. That takes time, and it was closing on 10 p.m. when I got home with the kids.

That's late enough for me, and the kids were running on empty. Sadly, after getting them into bed, I had to get ready for the next stage of the day. Training. Because Wednesday was a late night, I postponed my 10-miler from morning to evening. Painful as it was, I grabbed my fuel belt, MP3 player, and lots of shiny/reflective/flashy things and headed out the door.

Ten miles later, I was thinking that minus a few things, it was like finishing an Ironman just before the midnight cut-off. Granted, there hadn't been a 2.4 mile swim or 112 mile bike. And the run was only 10 miles instead of 26.2. And there were no cheering crowds.

Then again, most Ironman competitors don't start the day with a long work day followed by four hours volunteering at church. Going for nearly 14 hours prior to starting a long run made finishing the run tough.

The nice thing was the run, itself. It was cool, clear, and dark. Those are some of my favorite running conditions. About the only thing I would have changed were the smokers on College Avenue (can't smoke in public buildings around here, so I get to run THROUGH the smoke), and the numerous construction zones I had to navigate. Still, it beats running at 2:30 in the afternoon.

There was one other benefit to running so late at night. I wore my regular glasses, and I now KNOW they need to be adjusted. Kids and glasses don't mix.

5-2, 10-4. Whatever.

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:02:48 +0700

After a summer preparing for the Spirit of Racine 70.3 race, I turned my attention to the Glacial Trail 50, this weekend. There are two notable changes in the preparation for a 50 mile running race when compared to a triathlon. First, everything is a run (duh!). Second, both Monday and Friday are rest days.

Friday is preparation for the long weekend. Monday? It seems to be a matter of survival. After this weekend, today was going to be a rest day, scheduled or not. And I can safely say that Mondays are going to be interesting for the next eight weeks.

A variety of activities worked together to make training a challenge, this weekend. The schedule called for a 3.5-4 hour run Saturday followed by 3 hours on Sunday. On both days, the only real "free" time was VERY early in the mornings, so I was running in the dark. And since I had NO intention of getting up at 3 a.m. on Saturday, that run was shortened. My wife had to leave by 8:30 for a conference.

In the end, I ran the same 17 mile route both days. Saturday took just over 2:47. Sunday was a bit slower at 2:49. Taking the advice of the training plan, I used the run/walk method with intervals of 5 minutes run and 2 minutes walk. It turned out pretty well because 10 minute miles is the general target I've been considering for the race.

Of course, it is obvious there is a lot of work to get there. In fact, there's a lot of work before I'll be "comfortable" putting myself on the starting line for a 50 mile running race. Around mile 12 on Sunday, my legs started to rebel against the treatment they were receiving. In fact, my left leg threatened to rep my right leg off and beat me with it.

Today, my legs are completely wiped out. They want to punish me for the training. Luckily, they can't agree on which one is doing the work and which will sit back and watch. Perhaps nine miles, tomorrow, will help them decide.

Still, it was good to get a 34 mile weekend under my belt. I've had some long weekends in the past, but my prior "longest" weekend was probably only 27 miles. Next weekend, I'll probably go well over the new record of 34.

It will, however, depend on how things go. The 9th and 10th are already fairly full. Saturday is the kids triathlon where B-Boy and Monster Girl will run their first multisport event. Sunday is the race for my youth tri club. I'll have five kids there, though one is an unofficial member (and faster than me).

Somewhere in there, I have to squeeze nearly seven hours of running. Should be fun.

Where'd the Summer Go?

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:49:16 +0700

It seems like just yesterday when I started training this year's batch of youth triathletes. Yet I know it wasn't yesterday, because their race is less than two weeks away. Where did the summer go?

Last year at this time I was getting ready for Ironman Louisville. Weekends were dedicated to long workouts. Five thousand yard swims, 100 mile bikes, and 15 mile runs were all the rage. Many Saturdays found me up at 5 a.m. and out the door, with Mrs. Pol well aware it would be dinner time before I returned. If I returned on my own at all. At least once she had to load kids into the car and pick me up along the bike route.

In the midst of all that training, I was working with members of the youth tri club getting them ready for their first race. Regardless of my own workouts, I was with them twice a week for some kind of training.

And somehow, this year seems busier. It isn't, and I know that. Yet I'm unable to explain why it seems so much more frantic. Was it the week spent volunteering at camp? Is it the laid back approach to training and racing? Is it the lack of a clear and daunting goal? (Not that a 50 mile running race isn't daunting). So much about this summer is the same as last year, minus an impending Ironman. There is no way this year should FEEL more hectic.

Mrs. Pol asked that there be no Ironman on the agenda, this year. And I have no intention of signing up for one for the 2009 season. One thing is certain, though. If next summer feels "lost" like this summer has, I will be finding a full distance race for 2010. Whether it's IM MOO, Beach 2 Battleship, or another, I'll find something to focus the efforts.

Of course, that's if I don't go off the deep end and decide to do a 100 mile running race. I've done whackier things...

Back in Civilization

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:53:22 +0700

After a long vacation week, it's time to get back to work. And for the faithful readers anxiously awaiting the Spirit of Racine race report, we start with the picture on the left. It should be noted that it is difficult to see people walking to the start, and impossible to see much beyond that. About the middle of the picture is a bouy that can just barely be made out. And this is around 7:45, almost an hour after the race was supposed to start.

Due to extremely poor visibility, the race start was delayed about an hour, and the swim route adjusted to bring the course closer to the shoreline. Even then sighting was nearly impossible and swimmers were all over the course. I missed the final turn bouy by more than 100 feet and had to swim back out and around that marker before heading to shore.

Even so, my final swim time was 37:39. That makes me question the actual distance, as it was an improvement of nearly six minutes over last year's swim. While I may have gotten faster, I question whether I'm THAT much faster.

I blazed through T2 in just over 90 seconds, and started the run in extremely hot conditions. The temperature pushed 90F as the day wore on, and I went through a lot of water for cooling purposes. I struggled on the run and finished with a time of 1:55:59 compared to 1:45:51, last year.

The gains made on the swim, bike, and transitions were enough to offset the loss on the run, and I finished with an overall time of 5:27:55. My goal was to break 5:30, so mission accomplished. I'm a bit hesitant to consider it a PR as I believe the swim was short, but I can only go by the numbers I have.

I was speedy in T1 as I went without socks and I had preloaded my drinks onto my bike. Last year, I had the bottles in a cooler with ice. Even though I forgot my gels and had to run back for them, I was way faster than last year.

I felt sluggish on the bike, and was concerned about losing time over last year. While I think my actual pace was slower, this year, I didn't stop to change anyone's tires, and came in with a bike time of 2:49:27 compared to last year's 2:53:06.

One big change from last year was the strong presence of course marshalls. They were up and down the course, and it appeared to have an impact. Last year they had full fledged pelotons all over the bike route. This year, drafting was much less prevelant, and most of that was the hard to avoid situations on major hills.

I blazed through T2 in just over 90 seconds, and started the run in extremely hot conditions. The temperature pushed 90F as the day wore on, and I went through a lot of water for cooling purposes. I struggled on the run and finished with a time of 1:55:59 compared to 1:45:51, last year.

True to my resolution to improve, or at least change, the way my run pictures turn out, I made sure to do something different as I ran by photographers. I don't know if the "arms up in victory" pose is any better (since this is at about mile 1), but it is at least different.

The gains made on the swim, bike, and transitions were enough to offset the loss on the run, and I finished with an overall time of 5:27:55. My goal was to break 5:30, so mission accomplished. I'm a bit hesitant to consider it a PR as I believe the swim was short, but I can only go by the numbers I have.

Gone Fishin'

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:22:23 +0700

I'll be out and about for the next week, and to the best of my knowledge will have little to no access to E-mail, the Internet, or even my cell phone. Here is the general itinerary:

Saturday A.M. - Head to Camp Onaway for a week as a leader.

Saturday P.M. - Head to Racine and check in for the race.

Sunday A.M. - Spirit of Racine half-Ironman

Sunday P.M. through next Saturday - Leader at Camp Onaway.

I'll try to catch things up on the 27th, but don't count on much. I'll have been away from my family for a week and will have lots of catching up to do with them, too. This is the first time my daughter will have to go this long without seeing her daddy.

Good luck to anyone and everyone racing this weekend. In particular, a co-worker's brother-in-law is running his first Ironman at Lake Placid on Sunday.