IMAZ, just about the race of my life

The recovery process has just started to begin from the grueling day
on Sunday. But every bit of pain now is worth it. I think I had the
race of my life!

Swim:
We hopped in at about 6:40 for a 7:00 start but I wanted to be sure I
started near the front, or at the front for that matter. The pros took
off at 6:50 with the sun just starting to rise straight in front of
us. 2000 people just treading water waiting for our gun. After the
national anthem and a few thank yous and quick speeches we were off. I
took it out pretty fast not wanting to have to deal with too many arms
and legs flapping around. But then after about 500 meters I got a
horrible pain in my lower abdomen/groin. Every stroke I took was
extremely painful. Being the over analyzer that I am I was worried
that it was a hernia. I thought to myself, "Game over?" All of that
training, down the tubes in 7 minutes? I had to significantly change
my stroke and to shorten up so as not to aggravate it too much. I
decided to finish the swim at an easier pace and see what it felt like
on the bike. As we made the turn around I started realling in the
pros, men and women. I ended up 4th in my age group out of the water
and had a safe transition. Not too fast, but it is an Ironman, so
what's the rush?

Bike:
My abdomen wasn't bothering me as I hopped on the bike so I decided to
take off. I had read a pro's blog about wattage output on his bike
being ~270W so I decided to stick it there. At times I would see it
pop up over 300W but would always tone it down a tad before it hit
310W. The course was three out an backs. Flat for a while, then a
gradual false flat rising 450-500 feet per "lap". The first two
lengths had a head wind out and a tail wind back to transition, but
the third leg, the wind changed. I dont know what direction, but it
changed.
Knowing that my goal was to stick it at 270W rather than XX mph, I was
able to measure my energy output without being caught up in speed.
That being said, I was moving. I caught the lead Age Grouper (30 year
old from San Diego) coming back to transition on the first leg. Plus,
I was starting to real in the pros, men and women. It took me until
the 3rd leg to catch Joanna Ziegler, but I finally picked her off. The
third leg was definately the hardest. I think my nutrition was good,
but 180k (112 miles) is a long way no matter what. My eating strategy
was the following:
Hour 1: GU Roctane every 20 min plus water (<30 oz for that hour)
Hour 2: 2 scoops of Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem in a 20oz water bottle,
+ a little normal water
Hour 3: like hour 1
Hour 4: like hour 2
Hour 5: like hour 1(44 min)
This was a great plan that I took from a handful of resources, but
primarily from Hammer Nutrition's site.

Run:
A marathon! Are you kidding me? The farthest I have ever run was 2:06.
Maybe 16-17 tops! So I just set into a good pace. Hindsight looking at
my splits I may have went out too fast because I was in a tunnel from
mile 12-20, but I was able to keep with it. For nutrition I did 4
bottles on my fuel belt. Each had a Gu Roctane and a 1/2 a Nuun. This
gave me some calories and extra sodium/electrolytes. I ditched belt
about 1/2 way and grabbed a few GU Roctanes to run with. I was
grabbing sponges at the front and end of every aid station to pour on
my head. I think this really helped regulate my body temperature.
After a long run, the longest in my life, I was finally coming to the
last few miles. I knew I was still in the Age Group lead. The last
couple miles I was able to soak in the race atmosphere some. That
being said I had no idea how big or small the lead was so I never sat
up. I ended up running a 3:08.xx marathon. Fast enough to qualify for
Boston if it was a stand-alone race. Maybe I will do one some day.
It was an amazing experience crossing the finish line. I was so happy
that it went so well. The time was faster than I expected and getting
a slot to Kona is a real treat.
See you all in Kona next year!

Thank yous!:
Thank you Mom, Dad, Danny and Kelly! It was a long drive out and a
really long day in the sun to be able to see me about a dozen times
over 9 hours. I have an amazing family that truly cares about each
other. I could not ask for more.
Thank you to all of my friends who rooted me on. Many of you may think
I am crazy, but imagine how boring I would be if I wasn't.
Thank you to the Olympic Club. Great friends, great resources, great
people. I love racing for the flying O.
Thank you to Muddy Waters for a little guidance while at the race.
Plus cheers from Hauth, Matthew, Eve and Andy.
Thank you Cyclepath San Mateo including Gebhard, DMan and Roger for
helping me out to get the bike set up and ready to go. A 4:44 was
faster than expected.
Thank you Hammer Nutrition for such great guidance and fueling
products. I am a true believer.
Thank you to anyone I left off. Everyone has an impact on my life and
has helped shape me to who I am today. Good results or bad, I have my
friends. And since I am really picky, I have only have really good
friends.

Coble

T minus 5 days and counting

Easy ride yesterday out to the bike path and back. When rolling back
to the bridge I ran into Hal and Bart. Bart was on his second flat of
the ride. Better to get it over with on Monday rather than Sunday.

Smooth swim and easy run today.

Eat smart and sleep a ton...

Coble

One week and counting

Its Monday morning. My final "training" is in the bag and I will be
focused purely on rest and nutrition for the rest of the week. Sat
morning I met up with Hal and Steve for a easy spin in Marin county.
We decided to wait for the Kook ride since Garrett, Aliano and Drew
were in the pack. Easy spin through Ross, Fairfax etc. The OC guys
(Mostly Romjue) hit the front up over Sir Francis Drake. On the decent
I hopped into the aero bars and put in a good minute effort down to
the right turn. TT bikes are much faster the road bikes.
Climbing up the grade we lost about 1/2 the pack and they never caught
us. Left up front was myself, Romjue, and Garrett. After the steeper
parts of the decent and the little bump I attacked with the focus of
holding >400W all the way to the sprint. Since I had a good night's
sleep it was relatively easy. I had a huge lead and sat up to watch
what ever sprint for second there was.
Rolled down to Pt. Reyes and then all of the way down the coast.
Wicked headwind coming out of Stinson Beach. Finished the ride in a
tad under 5 hours ride time. Ate some food and then headed down to PA
to meet my family for the Stanford-USC game.
Sunday was a relaxing day as well. Some easy swimming/skulling and a
1 hour run. Some food and a couple trips to Sports Basement, and I am
getting good to go.

Tonight I will get out of the office early, ride a tad, and then swim
a tad. Tomorrow will be an easy run and swim workout. Plan is to have
the bike into Gebhard for a check-up for a Wednesday pickup.
Coble

Some secret training for taper time

I was able to find some time over the last couple days to get some
good focused training in. Monday I had that great "taper workout" but
I followed it up with a strong Tues. I was able to sneak out for a
quick 1:45 on the bike, focusing on staying in the aero and putting
out the right amount of power. Tuesday evening I put in a good 4k in
the pool. Nothing super special to write about for Wednesday either. I
hopped in the pool for 6am workout but only felt like doing a 1000 so
I went for soak.

In the evening yesterday I put on some running pants and a long sleeve
shirt for a comfortable run. I am not sure I have figured out how to
do that though. I seem to run at about the same speed all of the time.
Hopefully it is a pace that will set me up well for IMAZ. I think for
my next big race I will need to go back to a more focused training
regimen. I give myself a B for this season. But up until Hood to Coast
my grade was about a C+ at best.

As for a gear update. I am tempted to get a fixed gear to cruise
around on. The goal would be to set it up just like my road bike,
including 172.5 cranks. I will find out more and keep you in the loop
if possible.

Coble

Ultimate taper workout

After a pretty solid weekend of riding and brick workouts I was due
for a active rest day.

5 min hot tub
5 min scull in the pool
5 min hot tub
5 min hot room
5 min shower

TAPER TIME!!

Coble

The final countdown

Well, taper has officially begun. My last brick yesterday was rather
successful. Since it rained pretty good on Saturday I decided to have
a little later start so that the ground could dry some. The plan was
to meet at Peet's on Chestnut at 9am, watch a few "walk of shames" and
then head out. The SF crew was a no show, but Matt Talbot and Matthew
Davie both happened to show up just by chance. I chatted with them for
a bit and then headed out solo. Did a good Lucas Valley loop, with
some good efforts. I'll check the SRM and post the data a tad later.
But it was about 65 miles in total. I had 2 bottles of Hammer
Sustained Energy + Hammer Gel on the ride and also tested the new
Speedfil. I think I have stuff dialed in for race day.
After cruising through Chestnut and Union to see the beautiful people
I headed home and threw on the running shoes for a brick. I decided
that a good plan would be to do 1:30. Grabbed the fuel belt
(fuelbelt.com) with 2 Hammer Sustained Energy + Hammer Gel and 2
water. My plan is to take in 4 oz every 12 min. Water, fuel, fuel,
water, fuel, fuel, water, fuel, etc. 1+2 ratio. I would like to be
between 200 and 250 cal per hour during the run. Assuming I took in
the proper amount on the ride.
Run was smooth and did not have too much pain. Sun was out and it was
only a little windy. On the way home I grabbed a Peet's and the took a
cab up over the hill back to my house. Taper had officially started.
Coble

Does this thing work?

Technology is impressive. Work locks me out. Let's see if an email is all I need.
Coble

Sat Kook ride +

My brother and I went to see Jim Gaffigan last night at the Warfield. Danny is a big fan so he was pretty excited to see him come to town. The #1 take away was a joke about making your bed. His argument against it, "I don't tie my shoes after I take them off." Thank you Jim, I will never lose that argument again.
Dan dropped me off and I did a little extra work on the bike. The sleeve on the tube for my new hydration system, the Speedfil (http://www.invisciddesign.com/), won't slide on easily. So today I will had to ride with just two bottles. Unfortunately, the bottle with the Base Amino (baseperformance.com) popped out immediately. So just one bottle for the whole ride. Luckily I now know where lots of places to refill are, now that I have been on a few rides. I also had with me 10 servings of Hammer Gel.
I headed out on the Kook ride, saw Brock and Mack, and then Ryan Bennett joined us. Brock took off to ride to Muir Woods but my Cervelo P3SL is not made for that route. I headed up Sir Francis Drake and then U-turned back to San Rafael where I rode the Marin Tri course. As I headed back it looked like the clouds were getting darker. As I was coming into Sausolito it started to mist. Now the race is on because I did not want the new SRM to get wet.
Speaking of, the SRM is sweet. I am putting out good wattage, and am able to clip along at ~35-38 kph. My goal for IMAZ will be to stick it at 270 watts and 37kph. That would put me in at a good ride. Lets just hope I can run off it.
No run after, too wet and cold.
Coble

150k=???

I was bumping up against my max for vacation at work so I decided to take the day and go for a great ride. Last night after a work dinner with an advisor and his wife at Scott's Seafood in San Jose I headed over to Fremont where I promptly crashed on my parent's couch.
After a 7am conference call with my new business partners (working on vaca?) I headed out on a ride. Decided to head south down through Los Gatos, Almaden, and then out to Uvas Resevior. After 70k I U turned and headed back home. A couple flats later, I stopped at a Cupertino Bike Shop to grab a couple extra tubes for the last 30k or so home. CBS is a solid shop. The owner/s love bikes and you can tell based on the collection of classic rides they have on their top shelf. There is not quite the same feeling as Cyclepath in San Mateo, but if you are stuck down in that area they are a solid shop.
But one thing I need to work on is programming my SRM. Its still in metric, which is fine, but I think the power numbers are low. I am clipping along at 40k/hr, but the wattage shows 120W. Seems pretty low. I'll have Gebhard, Roger, or D-Man check it out soon.
Maybe a swim before the banquet/buffet a little later.

Beautiful day.

Coble

Off Day

Another busy day at work today. More meetings about meetings. Luckily I will be able to get a huge ride in tomorrow. I am up against my max for vacation, so Thursday I only have one meeting about a meeting. Hmm, seems odd that I would work on a day off huh? Well with the way the market is, you just work. But I will get a long ride and a medium run in. And then I get to take part in the Olympic Club buffet tomorrow. 6pm Swim Banquet with buffet to follow.

I'll let you know how the SRM does on its first road ride.
Coble

Reverse Brick? I guess

Decided yesterday that I would try and get a healthy run in. Was able to get out of the office at a reasonable time and was able to start my run by 445. About 30 min to Fort Point, and then back. Not too much pain in the leg, but still noticeable.

I think hopped in the pool for a quick 2500. I was starting to feel the leg get really tight from going from a run to the pool.

A little advil, water and some sleep and I should be good to go.

Coble

Brick: Good idea or dumb as bricks

Monday night it was raining pretty good, so I decided to run a few errands. In my apartment in SF my circa 1992 clock radio does not get very good reception, so I decided to get a new radio and a fan for when I am riding the rollers. Best Buy (sorry mom, I know you hate that place) had a cool looking one that claimed to get good reception. A bit expensive for my liking but if it works it works. But there was not one fan for sale in all of SF. None at Best Buy, Office Max, or Costco. As any rider who lives somewhere other than LA, San Diego, or AZ knows, if you want to maintain fitness in the off season you need a set of rollers. But you sweat like a dog if you don't have an industrial fan blasting air on you. I guess I will continue sweating like a dog until I can steal one from my parents' house this week.
After 50 min on the rollers I was bored and drenched so I had the bright idea to go for a transition run. But as I mentioned in a post yesterday, my calf is injured/hurts. I took it easy, ran down to the Embarcadero, south around the Willie Mays statue and back north to Fisherman's Warf. I nice easy 50 min jog. I felt the strain, but the more I think about it I think my diagnosis is correct. I was dehydrated and ran on a cramp. I got a similar feeling in my quad sunday night and while I can feel the strain, I think it is not a limiting factor.
When I got back I had a small shake and iced the bejesus out of my leg. Felt great all night.
So 50 min rollers, 50 min run. Not a bad rainy day training as taper is getting ready to start.
Coble

And the countdown begins

Three weeks and counting... IMAZ Nov08

Now that I am all caught up lets focus on the future. Ironman AZ November 23rd. Pretty excited, but now nervous because I have a pain in my right lower calf. So I guess I will have to go light on the running for a few days as taper time looms. But actually that is ok. The biking could use some work and swimming is low impact. Part of my theory is that I was taking in too much protein now that I have fallen in love with my new smoothie concoctions and I was becomeing dehydrated. Maybe there was a cramp that I didn't notice and I unfortunatly ran through it. Now there is small concern in my brain.

Sat Nov 1st:
1 hour treadmill run (hurt the leg)
1:20 tt bike on the rollers
Ate too much junk for dinner

Sun Nov 2nd:
4 hour ride on the road bike since it was wet outside. Stayed in the saddle so not to bother the calf.
2200 swim, a tad dehydrated and starting to cramp (where my hydration theory started)

Coble

Marin County Tri 10/26/08

My plan for this race was to swim fast, ride fast, and then set into a good rhythm for the run. There was a wicked current for the swim, that was 90 degrees from your right on the way out to the first buoy, and then basically a tailwind till the last buoy.

I was in the second wave behind the 3 pros (Mr. and Mrs, Lavelle, and some other guy) and the relay teams. Since there was such a strong current there was very little drafting, so I didn't see anyone on my feet the whole race. I ended up coming out of the water in about 15 min, 10th overall including the first wave of 50 or so.

Quick transition and then up the steep hill from the parking lot (think Wildflower with less glory). After winding my way through China Camp State Park and through the Civic Center I headed up Lucas Valley Road. A few miles up and I see Mrs. Lavelle with a flat on the side of the road. What a bummer. She was treating it as a training race I am sure so it was no big deal, plus she was the only women pro/elite.

U-turn and then race back to T2. Another quick transition and off on a suprisingly hilly run. Didnt see another racer on the track until we crossed paths in the last mile. Hands up across the finish, just sneeking under 2 hours. The smoking fast swim helped of course. Oly distance may be the ideal length for me. I will have to explore more of these races. Wildflower maybe?
Results:
http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?pubID=3&rsID=72138
Coble

Photos from Pac Grove

Hopefully you have a small laptop and can turn your it to see these photos. Some how I look like the terminator in the wetsuit shot. This is me coming out of the water in 6th place (bad for a swimmer, huh). It is the infamous "kelp crawl" of Pacific Grove. But Crossing the tape is always fun. Rarely happens so when it does you have to enjoy it. If only my transitions would have been faster I could have been under 2:05.

It is a well run race though. My brother, Danny, raced really well. So did a few co-workers who put up impressive times.

I had to wait around for the awards ceremony to accept my Alcatraz slot for '09. So I will see you on the "Rock".

After the ceremony, my brother, Dad and I jammed home to I could race the twilight Crit on Union Street in SF. Fast nighttime racing at its best. Stuck in there as pack filler but had a good day. Maybe I will double up again in '09.

Welcome

I would like to welcome everyone (anyone?) to my new blog. Seeing as I am overly competitive and cannot stop myself from training, racing, and then training again, I felt I should joining the blogging armada and start writing.

About this site:
It will be ~90% about athletics. There are plenty of political (vote tomorrow) blogs and I doubt you want to hear my opinions. There are plenty of religious blogs and I doubt you want to hear my views. There are plenty of social commentary blogs and I doubt you want me to cast judgments on you. But if you would like to hear my opinions/views/judgments I would be happy to do it in another venue, offline. Lets just focus on sports here, and let me know if I get off topic.

The sports I like are swimming, cycling, and running. I can do some, all, or just one at a time. And I race a lot, so you will hear about it. There will be product reviews, some biased, some with very little info, but I like looking and reading about gear so if you read this site you will too.

I also have a great family, so some of them may sneak in for that last 10%.

Thank you for reading my first post.
Chris Coble