Week in Review - Jan 26th 2014: Recovery

I think that it will be useful to start a weekly review so that I can capture any lessons I may have learned and so that my readers, you know who you are, can keep up to date on my trials and tribulations. I'll try to do this on Sunday from now on.

It's been a long week with almost no exercise. After going to the ER on Monday I decided to take the rest of the day off and the next for rest. On Tuesday I scheduled a followup appointment with a cardiologist and was informed that I'd have to wait until Friday to see him.

Wednesday I worked my regular 10 hour day and as I was packing up to go home a work emergency arose that required my attention for the next couple of hours. By the time I left my chest was beginning to burn heavily.

I had decided that I would not exercise again until after the cardiologist appointment so Thursday was quiet and I spent the day helping out around the house and catching up with my children.

Friday morning I went to the cardiologist. They checked my blood pressure and ran another EKG. The doctor didn't find anything exciting so he scheduled a followup stress test and echo-cardiogram. He thought that it was unlikely that my heart had anything to do with my chest pain so my appointments weren't prioritized. The stress test will be on 2/3 and the echo on 2/6.

I have to admit that I am excited to perform the stress test and to get the results. Maybe I can follow up with another stress test in a couple of years and compare...

After the appointment I went to the gym and swam a few laps. I really wasn't too motivated and had to get home so I only swam 700 yards. My chest burned a little afterwards but not too bad.

A couple of hours later I went for a 34 mile bike ride. This was to be a test of my stamina and chest pain. I felt a little weak during the ride and there was some definite chest burning afterwards. I also started coughing a bit over the next few hours. Not as bad as before the marathon, but not altogether healthy.

On Saturday I was beginning to go stir crazy. I was feeling full of energy and wanted to test the lungs further with a steady state run. My daughter needed markers so I took the opportunity to run to the store and get 5 miles in. I kept the heart rate to a 160 bpm pace for the 1st 4 miles and then picked it up for the last mile. It felt good and my lungs only burned slightly afterwards.

I worked Sunday but was able to get a 1500 meter swim and 20 mile ride in for lunch. I'm not feeling 100% but I'm getting there.

Next week I will continue to take it easy and hopefully will be able to get a long run in the following week in preparation for the Phoenix Marathon.

Race Report - 01/19/2014 - Arizona Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

Location: Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe AZ
Race Type: Run
Participants: 2878
Overall Place: 640th
Age Group Place: 91st
Time: 3:51:18

Pace: 8:50/mile

This was my 2nd year participating in the Arizona Rock n Roll Marathon. The 1st time, last year, was also my first endurance event. Since then I believe that I have come a long way in my training. Having said that, my race result doesn't reflect it at all. 

I have been fighting a chest cold for the last eight days. I thought that I'd kicked it mid-week but it flared up again on Thursday and came back in full force Saturday. This made me hesitant/nervous to do the race but I didn't want a cold to stop me from getting the 3:23 PR that I'd trained for. Just three weeks prior I'd completed a 3:31 marathon during a training run without much difficulty so I knew that I was capable. More on this later...

The morning started at 5:15 followed by a friend picking me up at 6:00 am. The four of us headed to the light rail station and caught the beginning of the line. This was the first time that I'd taken the light rail but my more experienced friends were wise to the idea of catching the rail at the beginning of the line instead of the second stop that was slightly closer to our house. As you can see, they knew what they were doing.

1st Stop (empty)

 2nd Stop (full)

Upon arrival at the start line we immediately headed to the long line of people waiting at the bathrooms. We'd arrived 30 minutes prior to the start but used up 25 minutes of it waiting in line. 

With five minutes before the start I was off to the 1st corral while stripping my cold weather clothes. Having left my clothing donation on the corral fence, I still had a minute to snap a couple of pictures of the start line.

Corral 2 and Up

 Corral 1

The horn sounded at 7:50 and we were off. I was feeling OK the first mile while running through the not-so-exciting streets of downtown Phoenix. 

During the second mile I glanced at my watch to see that my heart rate was 15bpm over target. I wasn't happy to see this but was hoping that it was just the excitement of the race start and would calm down. On the third mile I was beginning to wonder whether doing this race was such a good idea. I normally start to warm up on mile three and by mile four am in my groove. Not today... I felt drained and my heart rate hadn't gone down at all. I slowed my pace down a bit but it didn't help.

The rest of the race would be a mental battle to overcome my tired body. On mile five I gave up on my 7:45/mile pace goal and let it slip to 7:50. The next 15 miles saw a steady decline in pace with a heart rate that wouldn't go down. It wasn't a lack of hydration or calories as I had drank 150 ounces of water/day for the last three days and was carrying 70 ounces of Mike's Mix sports drink on my back in addition to three sleeves of Clif Bloks. I simply shouldn't have been doing this with a chest cold.

Mile 20 came and I accepted the inevitable. My pace had fallen to 8:11/mile and my heart rate had increased to 180bpm. The next six miles were split between walking and shuffling my way to the end.

I finally collected my finishers medal and picked up a few drinks in the finishers corral. Boy was I glad that this marathon was over!

Here I am an hour later after meeting up with my friends and recovering a bit.

After getting home and taking a shower I decided that I should have my chest looked at (something I should have done prior to the race). I headed to an Urgent Care and they took an x-ray, EKG, and blood. The X-ray and EKG looked normal so they sent me home and told me that they would call later tonight if the blood results were concerning or the next day if they weren't. I got a call at 1:30am...

My blood work indicated that I'd had a heart attack recently and I was urged to go the the ER. I debated on heading there immediately but felt that it was more likely that the blood sample was skewed due to the marathon and that having more than three hours of sleep would be time better spent. 

After a few more hours of restless sleep I headed to the ER. I'd heard good things about the speediness of this hospital and I wasn't disappointed. Before I had a chance to sit down I went through triage, met the doctor, had my blood drawn, and had another x-ray. The doctor agreed with me that the previous blood result was likely skewed but he wanted to see for himself. 

I was moved to a bed where they monitored my heart, blood pressure, etc until the blood results were analyzed. After another hour the doctor came by and gave my heart a clean bill of health. He prescribed a steroid for chest inflammation and sent me on my way. Total time in the ER, ~2 hours. 

Final thoughts: Overall, this marathon was harder than last year because there wasn't a mile where I felt comfortable running along. While I could have held it together for a shorter race, an endurance event is not the place to try to push through being sick. Lesson learned. Oh well, I'll just have to make it up March 1st when I compete in the Phoenix Marathon!

Race Report - 1/4/2014 - ThaiRun 10K

Location: Chandler, AZ - Tumbleweed Park

Race Type: 10K Run (more like 6.55 miles)
Participants: 34
Overall Place: 3rd
Age Group Place: 3rd
Time: 00:44:11

Pace: 6:41/mile

This race was a 5K and 10K fundraiser for a husband and wife Lutheran missionary team that lives and works in Thailand. This was their first attempt at managing a race but they received sponsorship from a local tri training organization that helped them manage the event. 

Upon arrival I picked up my registration packet and then roamed around the various tables of Thai raffle items, shirts for sale, and the unique trophies (they were donated from racers that had received them at running events in Thailand). 

I expected the race to be small and I wasn't disappointed. There were 34 participants in the 10K and 55 in the 5K. At 7:55 the organizers said a prayer and provided details on the course layout. The 10K runners were required to make four laps of the course. 8:00 came and the 10K runners started. For some reason I didn't bother to position myself near the front so I had to run around a few people at the beginning. 

Once I was able to get around the slower runners ahead of me there were still four people to chase. I passed two of them (1 was the sumo guy) about half way through the 1st lap and the 3rd person mid way through the 2nd lap. There was no way I was going to catch the lead as it looked like he was running a sub 6 min/mile pace. 

The remainder of the race I was being trailed by the event organizer, Brian, who was pushing his six month old in a stroller. In the middle of the 4th lap he overtook me and held to 2nd place. I'm not sure if I had it in me to beat him but I also didn't try. I was impressed by his passing me with a stroller and also felt like, as the organizer, I would give him the win. 

All in all, a good race. My GPS had the course as 6.55 miles and I confirmed it against Brian's and another racers units. For just the 10K portion, I ran a PR of 41:26. I didn't stay around for the medals or post race activities due to other commitments but if Brian puts out another running fundraiser I would gladly attend. 

2013 - A Year in Review

2013 has been an exciting year for me. There were so many "first times" that I'm not sure I'll be able to capture the essence in one post but I'll give it a shot. Prior to this year I had only entered into a few other races in my life. This year I competed in 23 races/events covering aquathlon, road cycling, running, and triathlon. While training and racing I learned a lot about my body, my mind, the outdoors, and the active community. I also reconnected with old friends, made new friends, and spent a lot of money on equipment!

2013 has been an exciting adventure that I hope to learn from. I want to remember and share some of the good and bad highlights along with a few of the lessons that I have learned this year.

The Good 

• I can run! My first big running event was brutal. I decided that I would tackle a marathon and while I trained hard my body just wasn't ready for that kind of pounding. I finished sub 4 hour but the last five miles were the hardest thing that I have ever had to convince my body to do in my life. That race didn't stop me from future abuse though. Over the year I completed 11 more running events where I typically placed in the top 10 percent of runners. I achieved a decent number of medals for my age group and even a couple of overalls. Never did come in first overall though... ;-(
• I can swim! Not fast, mind you. I'm working on that and have hired a personal trainer. Anyway, after the first horrific open water swim I was able to conquer my fears and pull off seven more swimming events. At this time I'm a mid-pack swimmer but I'm pleased that I can tackle a 1.2 mile swim with plenty left over for a bike and run.
• I am a triathlete! This was never something that I considered. It just seemed to be a natural progression after putting in a few thousand miles on the bike and so many miles running. I felt like I was neglecting my upper body and believed that cross training regularly would improve my health and physique. It did. With my decent bike and run times I have been able to place in the top 1/4 to 1/3 of participants and top 10% during a couple of races. 
• I've met some great people over the last year who have motivated and inspired me. I also like to think that I may have done the same for others. It's great to have a group of people that I can call when I'm looking for a partner to ride, run, race, or commiserate with. It really helps to know that there are others out there facing the same struggles and achievements as me every day. I was also grateful to re-connect with an old friend while using the excuse of a triathlon to bring us together.  
• I've discovered the outdoors, somewhat. I have biked all over the Phoenix area and have run the roads, canals, trails, and even a couple of mountains. I've also been fortunate enough to travel a bit for a couple of my races. I can't imagine being cooped up in a gym when I have open roads right out my door! 
• My mind and body are stronger now than ever before. I have discovered that I need plans and goals. In this case the goal is the upcoming race and the plan is, well, the workout schedule. If I have a plan than I can get out of bed early and do that swim, bike, or run while my family is sleeping. I can push myself physically so that I can achieve acts that I had never thought possible. Last weekend I ran a full marathon distance as a training run and while my legs were tired I felt great! I beat my previous marathon race time by 21 minutes and came out of it with sore muscles but no pain. A year ago I wouldn't have been able to take the stairs for a week due to joint pain.  
• I acquired a sponsor. Mike's Mix has been providing me with recovery and sports drinks for the last few months. I appreciate their product and their sponsorship. 

The Bad

• I entered my 1st half ironman distance event in November and also had my 1st DNF (did not finish). Four flats in 46 miles and no tube to repair the last was enough to call it a day. 
• Taking corners too fast on the bike can be hazardous. During two different races I almost wrecked by not following this advice but was lucky enough to keep going.
• Racing costs money, lots of it. I acquired debt in 2013 to fuel my passion. 
• Training and racing can be dangerous. While I was fortunate to have had an injury free year I witnessed numerous accidents ranging from scrapes to broken bones. 

Lessons Learned

• I like racing, medals, and winning
• I no longer "work-out", I train
• I'm a good runner, a decent cyclist, and a mediocre swimmer
• The right kind/amount of fuel is needed for every race 
• Fueling starts 2-3 days prior to standing at the start line
• I dread speed workouts but know that they make me faster, faster
• Winter is for running, Spring is for triathlons, Summer is for biking, and Fall is for triathlons (again)
• There will always be someone that is faster than me; hopefully they skip the race that I am in!

Next Year - 2014

• I already have a number of running and triathlon races on the calendar
• I will travel to my home town of Syracuse, NY to complete my 1st official Ironman event (the name, not the distance; it is a half ironman)
• I will focus on increasing my running speed so that I can qualify for Boston during the January 2015 Rock n' Roll marathon
• I will swim a minimum of 2x per week
• I will complete one bike interval workout per week
• I will have fun and tri to achieve!!!

 2013 Timed Races

2013 Workout Hours

2013 Bike Summary

2013 Run Summary