Countdown to Lake Stevens Triathlon

The race officials at Lake Stevens Triathlon registration are so impressed when they note that I have come all the way from "exotic" Tokyo - some 5,000 miles -- for the Lake Stevens Half-Ironman.   I don't want to point out that I was born in Seattle and actually used to run along Lake Stevens some 20 years ago.  The starting line is only a 20-minute drive from my parents house north of Seattle.

The 5,000 mile trip from exotic Tokyo on Wednesday was not optimal preparation for tomorrow's half-ironman.  I feel really jet-lagged.   But I decide that I have been whining about jet-lag too much and I will simply not let it enter my mind  tomorrow.  It is not something that thousands of milligrams of caffeine cannot solve.  And caffeine is in abundance here in Seattle.

 

The old bicycle I left at my parents starts to worry me.  As I look around at the bike check it seems apparent that my bike is easily the oldest, the heaviest, the cheapest in the entire field of 1,100 participants.  But I decide this isn't terribly important either.  Keren sends me an email exhorting me to pass as many people on $8,000 carbon bikes as possible. 
 

The fact that I haven't done any open water swims since last September could also be a source of concern.  Especially since the water will be cold in the morning and we will have little or no opportunity to warm up.  Nothing like the shock of icy water to precipitate panic and hyperventilation.  But I have swam frequently in choppy oceans, and a calm lake will not be intimidating.

All in all, my preparation for Lake Stevens has been adequate.  I may not be at the level I was for Sado last September, but I certainly should better the mark at my only official half-ironman - Wildflower in 2003.  And it will be fun.


 
 

Dog running

To support my triathlon lifestyle, pay off the huge yoga bill I have accumulated at Be Yoga, and push back the yonige (see my May 2006 blog posting), I have been thinking I need to find other sources of income. Since so much of my time (15 hours again last week) is pure training time, my colleagues have encouraged me to generate income from the sport I enjoy so much.

Alas I would have to improve by extraordinary lengths to generate prize money, my casual, instinctive training mindset does not lend itself to coaching, and as far as I know this blog does not achieve the level of traffic that could be monetized.

One thought is to hook my indoor cycle trainer to the electric power grid. Even better is the huge new industry of "dog running" as outlined in yesterday's New York Times article "They Take the Bounce Out of Bowser" In New York the going rate is $20 - $40 per dog , per run and business is growing 20% per year. Apparently pet owners find their dogs are too hyper to deal with, and simply walking the dog does not adequately exhaust the pet. I know from my own vast experience running with dogs how much they love to run and they are fine training partners, especially for tempo runs on trails.

Sudden frenzy of half-ironman training

At the airport lounge in New York I am seized by a burst of inspiration and I register for the Lake Stevens Half-Ironman.  Suddenly the prospect of actually competing in a triathlon to be held only a month later launches me into a week of frenzied of training:

June 9 -
I wake at dawn (jet-lag) and ride through empty streets to the Arakawa River.  Unsurprisingly I find my teammate Keren Miers is also cycling along the river this morning (Keren's training regiment for Japan Ironman is so intense that I presume he is doing intervals on a 24x7 basis).  On this morning he is comfortably cruising along at his ironman race pace.  I desperately struggle to keep up for a 20km stretch.  Keren talks about his ironman race strategy, but I am too winded to say anything in reply.

June 10 -
I wake a little past dawn (still jet-lag) and join Chuck, Mary, Manuel and Gary at Oi-futo.  In the afternoon I do painful and slow 15k run.

June 12 -
I strap my running shoes to the back of my bicycle and head up to a running track alongside the Arakawa bike trail.  I can just feel the disgust and dismay emanating from the other cyclists when they spot my shoes and bike bag clumsily bundled to the awkward-looking bike rack I affixed to my bike seat stem.  Cycling is 95% about looking cool and streamlined on your ultra light-weight bike.  The fact my shoe laces and bag are flapping in the wind is a grievous affront, a slap in the face to everything these more serious cyclists hold so dear.   But it is great training to jump off the bike after 75k and step right onto the 400 meter tartan track for a 5k at 20:00.

June 13 -
The one constant in my life - I run the grueling track intervals with Tokyo's most "serious" international running club.

June 14 -
I make the effort to swim in a "grown-up size" pool after months of lazy, hedonistic swim sessions at the 20-meter Roppongi Hills Spa.  Halfway through the first length of the 50-meter Sendagaya public pool I begin to worry about drowning -- 50 meters is just so far to swim without the comfort and reassurance of touching the side of the pool. I manage to calm down, collect myself, and do 2,400 meters. 

June 15 -
A long day of work combined with a short swim and a medium-length run.

June 16 -
An hour of furious pedaling on my indoor trainer followed by 24-kilometer long run.

So all this adds up to some 19 hours of triathlon training.  The experts do not recommend such a burst of training - any effect at all is more likely to be counter-productive.  But mentally I feel better knowing that I have done all this.

Running in New York

 

Of course the highlight of this week's business trip to New York is the opportunity to run in Central Park where I joined my friends Robin and Subash for a 10k jog with the Reservoir Dogs, a group of friendly and  relatively casual runners.  

It was the club's Recovery Run which was good for me since I was recovering from jet lag (OK, I tend to always be recovering from jet lag - being jet-lagged is my natural state) 

 
The 10 block run from the Waldorf Hotel to the Park up Lexington and Park Avenue at evening rush hour is not a smooth cruise, but a combination of walking combined with brief bursts of running in the bus lane allows me to cover the distance in less than 10 minutes.

The river of runners and cyclists circling the Park was remarkable on this summer evening - a steady stream  of twenty-something Wall Street types, many of them racing past us.  As intense as these runners appeared, Central Park did not seem nearly as high-caliber as Sydney's Harbor, or even Tokyo's Imperial Palace, perhaps because there were enough extremely slow joggers to bring the average speed down. 

Both the number and speed of the runners were even greater this morning when I ran with Jim Weissman at 6:30am.   What really impresses me is the packs of cyclists circumnavigating the Park at high speeds.  Next time I need to bring my bike.
 

5,000 meters - 17:26

Last night I attempt to shift gears and run a fast 5k at the Godo Time Trial.  Back in the halcyon days before my ironman training began, I have rose-tinted memories of  running much faster in shorter distances. 

I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the track, but fortunately my teammate Juergen knows my condition better than I do, and told me firmly that I should run a 17:30.  I was also fortunate that another teammate, Gordon, was targeting 17:30 and led me through the first 3k.  Thanks to the cheers of other teammates who endured pouring rain to support us, I managed to  pick up the pace on the last 2k and run a respectable and gratifying 17:26.  Here are my rough splits:

3:31 / 3:29 / :3:35 / 3:27 / 3:24

Triathlon Step Cycles

Triathlon training programs typically follow a "Step Cycle" - three to four week blocks of training in which the first 2-3 weeks entail a heavier load and the last week offers a lighter training load for recovery.

Looking at my weekly training hours listed below you might remark on how diligently I have been following a train/recovery step cycle:

March 4 -10 11:00 hours
March 11- 17 16:00 hours
March 18-24 14:45 hours
March 25-31 4:15 hours
April 1 - 7 10:30 hours
April 8 - 15 12:00 hours
April 15 - 21 4:30 hours
April 22 - 28 11:00 hours
April 29 - 5/5 12:15 hours
May 6 - 12 4:15 hours

Well, actually rather than being a carefully calculated training program, I just found myself with some extra time on my hands in mid-March and so my triathlon training went from very little after the Tokyo Marathon, to a massive 16:00 hours the week of March 11. A business trip the week of March 25th forced me to cut back. The same pattern repeated itself the last 4 weeks with a business trip to Europe forcing me to cut back my swim and cycling to nothing, then returning from two weeks in the US wiped me out last week.

I am convinced this pattern of build and recovery is effective. I am just not so certain that it is ideal that the recovery be composed of a hectic business trip entailing very little sleep. In the optimal training situation, the recovery week is composed of sleeping, lounging around on soft pillows, receiving massages and sipping carbohydrate/protein milkshakes -- not seven flights in 10 days.

Cycling on Whidbey Island

Seattle may rank on par with Mogadishu and Karachi in the global city rankings of quality of life, and I have to assume my hometown's poor showing is driven by the gridlocked traffic, constant rain, Mariner pitching, high suicide rates, etc. However when it comes to cycling, I am even more convinced that the area is among the best in the world.

Last week I took a 20-minute ferry boat ride from my parent's home in Mukilteo to Whidbey Island and rediscovered miles and miles of quiet, almost car-free roads.

Here is a rough map of my approximately 50-mile route.

Most of the ride was through forests of Douglas Firs, past small farms and along the waterfront. My ride included the town of Langley which seems to be composed almost entirely of bed-and-breakfasts and art galleries. This being the Seattle area there was no shortage of cafes selling organic coffee.

In addition to the Whidbey Island ride, I rode for 40 miles along Seattle's most popular route, the Burke-Gliman Sammamish Trail. This is a 41-mile dedicated bike path that runs from the center of the city out to Seattle's eastern suburbs. I joined the trail near Lake Forest Park and followed a huge pack of cyclists north along Lake Washington. The trail becomes quite rural, leading past wineries and houseboats before it terminates near the Death Star (Microsoft Headquarters) in the town of Redmond.

Unlike Australia or Tokyo, most of the riders on the trail seemed rather casual, and not the least bit competitive. In fact I observed an unusually large number of cyclists pulling dogs in carts, and at least a third of the other cyclists were on tandem bikes.

Running in Zurich

The consulting firm Mercer ranked the Swiss city of Zurich number one among global cities in its 2007 quality of life ratings (Tokyo is 35th. My hometown, Seattle, at a distant 49th at least managed to edge out Dhaka and Port Au Prince).

I certainly found Zurich a pleasant place during my stay there this past week. Everywhere I looked was so aesthetically perfect that it ceased to seem real, and felt more like a movie set or a Las Vegas casino faux version of a European city.

Of course the real criteria of livability for the readers of this blog centers around triathlon conditions. I can report that Zurich ranks pretty high on these standards. Most impressive was the sight of people swimming in the clear blue water of Lake Zurich right outside of the center of the city. In April no less. I also saw a number of cyclists on the bike lane around the 55-kilometer lake.

As far as running, fellow Nambanner and native of Zurich, Christian Sommer, suggested a wonderful course from where I was staying in the center of Zurich, the Hotel Schweizerhof; http://map.search.ch/8023/bahnhofplatz-7

The only real traffic I encountered during the entire 15km run was the trams and train commuters pouring onto the street just outside my hotel at 7am (people start work early in Zurich). After negotiating the first 200 meters from my hotel to the river, I was never forced to stop for traffic. I crossed a pedestrian bridge and followed the Linmat (river) straight out to the lake, running along the "Gold Coast" side of the lake until I reached China Garden, a gift of Kunming. I then returned back to the river, take the first bridge and continuing my run on the other side of the lake. It was all very convenient and efficient. Apparently if I had just a bit more time, the nearby mountain forests offer even more appealing runs.

While I am not yet convinced Zurich would rank at the very top of my triathlon location list (cycling must be tough in January), it was certainly scenic and efficient. Now I am pondering signing up for 2008 edition of Ironman Switzerland

Running in Edinburgh

Now I understand why Edinburgh has produced such great runners. The city center is remarkably compact and remarkably hilly, and my 15k, seventy minute run incorporated several ideal running areas and wonderful scenery. (MAP)

I was told that Scottish triathletes thrive by consuming lots of haggis, the local delicacy. Determined to emulate their stamina and keep my protein intake up, I had a hearty meal of haggis and mashed potatoes upon my arrival in Edinburgh and found it quite tasty with a smoky spicy flavor and nutty texture. I later learned was made from sheep`s guts (intestines, liver, hearts, lungs..) sauteed in the sheep`s stomach and then mixed with onions, oatmeal, herbs and spices.

Sufficiently fueled by my fine meal, I headed out yesterday morning at 630am from my hotel, The Scotsman, a building much like Harry Potter`s school Hogswarts. I ran down the Royal Mile, a medieval street scape which took me to Holyrood Park an extinct volcano that looms over the east side of the old city center. I followed a dirt ridge trail up around the mountain which provided a panoramic view back at the spires and castle towers of Edinburgh.

Coming down out of Holyrood it was only a few blocks to The Meadows, an expansive lawn crisscrossed by tree-lined paths. Apparently this is the running epicenter of Edinburgh, I spotted a half-dozen other runners around the perimeter. After a few kilometers around The Meadows I climbed a bike path through the University of Edinburgh campus to the Castle.

then looped back through town to the hotel.

The hotel manager told me that the Edinburgh marathon is coming up in May and Edinburgh is such a wonderful town that I am tempted to stay for it.

Running in London

 

Having run with throngs of competitive runners around NY's Central Park, Tokyo's Imperial Palace, Sydney Harbor, etc., and given the British reputation in the sport, I was expecting to be jostled by packs of fast, fellow runners around London's Hyde Park yesterday morning.  

 

Instead the run was an experience in wilderness solitude, more like a hike into the depths of the Olympic Mountains.  I was all alone in the vast emptiness of the Park even at the seemingly peak hour of 7:30am.  Finally I spotted another runner far, far in the distance, but as he approached I noted he was wearing an Iowa Hawkeye shirt which made me doubt he was a local Londoner.   

 

I begun to doubt that the British were such serious athletes after all, but then after a full day in central London it became increasingly apparent that no actual English people live or even seem to work in London at all.  The Russian and Saudi billionaires who do reside in the homes surrounding Hyde Park would not appear to be avid endurance athletes. 

 

Shame too, since Hyde Park is a splendid urban run with the perimeter trail creating at least a 7-kilometer loop and wonderful views of lakes, gardens and the vast open fields.  

 

Ishigaki-jima Triathlon

Today's Ishigaki Island Olympic Distance Triathlon had been the focus of my March training. But, alas, I am off in Europe this week on a business trip and could not join teammates Keren and Motoza for the tropical island adventure.

A large incentive for participating in the Ishigaki-jima triathlon was the excuse to visit the magical Okinawan islands of Ishigaki and Irimote.

But perhaps more importantly、it has become increasingly crucial to me to always have some upcoming target events for endurance sports. The events serve to greatly enhance my motivation, performance and overall enjoyment of the sport.

Now the question is what am I aiming for? What is the purpose of my current training? My teammates are urging me to sign up for another grueling Japan Ironman in June, however the Lake Stevens Half-Ironman in early July has a certain appeal.

Running in Sydney

Americans have a reputation for the diligence and intensity of their exercise regime, but the runners in NY's Central Park and along the ocean trail in LA are a casual bunch compared to the morning runners around Sydney's harbour.

I struggled to get out the door of my hotel Friday at the painful hour of 6:30am and was quickly greeted with an impressive sunrise over the harbour and the impressive sight of the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge. I was also almost immediately passed by a pack of 7 runners doing some sort of fartlek type workout. I thought this was an isolated case, but as I ran through the Royal Botanical Garden another group zoomed up beside me. Everywhere there were runners, swimmers, and people doing yoga. The most intense scene of all was at a steep set of stairs on a hillside at Macquarie Point which was filled with people doing stair repeats.

I have heard that Australia is a large and spacious place, but I cannot confirm this, my two trips to the country being confined to business meetings in the canyons of Sydney's central business district. But I certainly can say that the 6k loop around Sydney's harbour and domain is a great urban run.

Running in Hong Kong

 

I traveled to Hong Kong a dozen times, never venturing beyond the monotony of the hotel treadmill for my workout.  So it was a revelation when my Hong Kong savvy friend Mitch showed me an impressive network of trails less than a kilometer from my hotel in HK's Central business district.

 

Apparently Bowen Road, a 4k stretch of flat, wide pedestrian-only paved trail running a long a ridge, is something of a mecca for HK runners.   Hong Kong has fallen out of favor as a running location with horrific waves of toxic smog blowing in from the factories of China, but I saw more than 20 other runners during our hour run, more runners even that people walking their pets.  

 

The views from Bowen Road were impressive, but then Mitch and I ran up the almost vertical Wanchai Gap trail to a loop around the top of Hong Kong island via Middle Gap Road, dirt trails, and Blacks Link which provided even more amazing views.  As we finished the run in the early evening, the lights of Hong Kong's skyscrapers seemed close enough to touch, even as we descended through a dense jungle. 
 

No more treadmills for me in Hong Kong.

 

Transition

• One day of recovery is required for each of the marathon's 26 miles according to some ancient wisdom. 
• Several of my teammates entered races within three weeks of completing a marathon, and suffered debilitating injuries that left them shells of their former running selves for years afterwards.
• Cutting Edge  Runner insists on AT LEAST 2 weeks of "transition" after a major endurance event.

I keep this all in mind as I begin swimming and cycling training in earnest these past three weeks since the February 18 Tokyo marathon.  In fact my muscles do feel sore, and I have been almost continually fighting off a cold.  But the sun has been shining, work has been slow, and my teammates Keren and Mary asking me to join them on rides along the river.  What can one do?  Here is my weekly triathlon training totals over the past five weeks:

Jan 28 - Feb 3     5:30 total hours  / Run  59 km / Swim 3km / Bike  0     (taper)
Feb 4 -  Feb 10    6:45 total hours / Run  58 km / Swim 5km / Bike 0      (taper)
Feb 11 - Feb 17   4:45 total hours / Run  18 km / Swim 4km / Bike 20km (taper)
Feb 18 - Feb 24   7:00 total hours / Run  47 km / Swim 3km / Bike 0     (marathon)
Feb 25 -  Mar 3  10:00 total hours / Run  32 km / Swim 5km / Bike 125k  (recovery)
Mar 4 -  Mar 10  11:00 total hours / Run  37 km / Swim 5km / Bike 120k  (recovery)

Tokyo Marathon

I ran well at the Tokyo Marathon Sunday, finishing in 2:55:50, a personal best by over 10 minutes.

When I say I ran well, what I mostly mean is my pacing. Or to a certain extent Martin Verdier's pacing, since we ran together and traded off on pace for almost the entire run. Here are my 5k (gun) splits:

5k 22:32
10k 20:26
15k 20:28
20k 20:39
25k 20:35
30k 20:29
35k 20:45
40k 21:07
42k 9:18

Among the most challenging aspects of the day was coping with handing in my bag of warm clothes and then waiting in driving rain at the starting line. After that, the running felt relatively easy, at least until we reached the first turnaround at 15k and faced a bit of headwind.

When I reached the halfway mark in 1:28:20 I wondered about my chances of breaking 3 hours. I was already tiring, and everyone knows that marathoners slow down after 30k. That I actually managed to run a slightly faster second-half of the race could be attributed to:
1. Gels - 30grams of carbohydrates every 35-minutes
2. Martin and the other supporters - Elite athletes stay within themselves and focus on form, but talking and cheering other people helped me considerably
3. The psychological boost of overtaking 2,500 runners from the 2k mark to the finish.
4. Long training runs - My overall training was moderate, but I did four quality 30k-plus runs in the final weeks leading up to the marathon plus many long trail runs

Apparently I was 353rd overall. Given the caliber of the local running community, I am surprised to finish so high.

When I staggered to the finish of the Seattle Marathon in a time of 3:07 I told myself that I would be back and break 3 hours. Well it took 26 years, but it is good to finally run sub 3 hours (as evidenced by the film footage of the finish