Serena Williams Did The Same Thing...

Last night while watching Virginia Tech hang 70 points on Clemson in the Orange Bowl there was a brief ESPN news update with footage of Serena Williams, the tennis player, rolling her left foot during the Australian Open yesterday.  It looked like exactly what happened to me.  Except she escaped with a bad sprain, no broken 5th metatarsal.  And she didn't step on a rock like I did.  This just proved to me again that all you have to do is step just right (or wrong), with enough force and that foot/ankle will buckle.  Man, it was hard to watch.

Things are good.  Going better than I thought they would.  Zero pain.  Maybe some occasional stiffness around where the fracture was but nothing big.  Plantar Fasciitis is not as bad as it was (knock on wood). 

Up to a 90 minute run about every 10-14 days.  I'll keep it there for a while.  Pacing on the run is improving as well.  Threshold pace had started out around 7:20/mile and I've dropped that to 6:50/mile after a half dozen threshold workouts.  Still work to do but I've got it headed in the right direction.

Bike fitness is on the same track.  I haven't tested for a while but my FTP is likely around 270 watts which is close to where it was in June.  The big shot in the arm for my bike fitness has been the Max VO2 work that I've been doing.  It's enabled me to break through the plateau I was sitting at for several weeks. 

Great weather outside for riding, bad for skiing.  No doubt that will change soon and I'll be stuck on the trainer.

Clint Juhl - The Ironman

It's been a while since I've written about my recovery.  And there hasn't been much to say except I'm battling a case of Plantar Faciitis in not one but both feet.  The fracture in my left foot is hardly noticeable anymore.  Bike fitness continues to improve - dramatically, I might add.  Time to increase the baseline threshold power and see what happens.  Have increased my *Long* run up to 65 minutes.  My speed is good in kind of that Zone 1-2 range.  But when I run at threshold I'm finding that gets the Plantar Fascia and the tendons in my feet pretty mad.  So, I've had to work on the speed here and there and try to find a happy place where my feet don't bug me.  Ok, enough of this.  I want to tell a story about a real Ironman and his name is Clint Juhl.  

Clint Juhl is our very own triathlon legend living in Sandy, Utah.  Clint "grew up" in triathlon in SoCal with all the legends like Mike Pigg, Scott Tinley and the father of the Time Trial bike, Dan Empfield.  Clint was doing triathlons right alongside these dudes back in the day.  He has great stories about the emergence of this great sport.  As a result, it's no surprise that he's very passionate about triathlon. 

I've known Clint for a few years.  He leads some killer spin classes at Alta Canyon Rec Center to the tunes of Jimmy Buffet (his favorite).  It's like walking into Margaritaville there every morning.  You can't help but feel happy around Clint.  So Clint has dreamed for 25 years about doing an Ironman.  I think I dreamed about it for a year or so...like starting when I signed up for my first Ironman and said, "What the hell did I just do?".  Clint is passionate about triathlon and he's a walking encyclopedia of the sport.  He started training for Long Course triathlon (defines Half and Full Iron distance races) and knocked over some Half Iron distance races (Oceanside a couple of times IIRC).  He continually refers to himself as the "Old Guy" which I don't get because he's 51 years young, super fit, motivated and in great condition.  Anyway, so Clint has always wanted to do a Ironman so a year ago he signed up for the 2011 Ironman Arizona.  Clint is smart.  He signs up for a race that's literally in the backyard of where he works (he travels to PHX weekly for his job) so he can train on the course regularly.  This past year he trained for the Ironman and along the way nailed some great PRs in races and set himself up for a great performance at Ironman Arizona.  Fast-forward to last Sunday, and he completed his life-long goal and dream of becoming an Ironman.  And he did it in style wearing a Utah Utes jersey!  I've posted his race report below...it's a great recap of his experience.

No question Clint inspires me as a triathlete.  But what's more compelling about his character is his positive attitude and his genuine friendship to other people.  The day after I broke my foot he was on my doorstep, with a Jamba Juice in hand, smile on his face, and assuring me that I'd be back.  And then a couple weeks later Clint I'm startled by Clint running into my garage knocking on the door (mid-Long Run I might add) to check in on me.  He's that kind of guy.  His positive attitude is contagious.  I've often thought that when I am 51 like Clint that I want to have the drive, motivation and fitness to keep doing cool endurance sports and living my dreams like he does.  But I think I'd rather have his character, compassion and positive outlook on life. 

So congratulations Clint, #2722, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

Here is Clint's race report:

Greetings Family and Friends,

Monday  morning  11/21/11

After Swimming, Biking and running for 140.6 miles………..and 14 hours, 17 minutes and 54 seconds later….I am an Ironman!!!!

Greetings from the car driving from Phoenix to Las Vegas where Stephanie and I will enjoy a well deserved get away night in sin city. We are then driving to Huntington Beach tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with my mom and Scott & Randall. Plan is to then drive back home on Friday.

I had the most awesome, fantastic race ever imaginable!! I was so mentally and physically prepared, it was so fun. Remember my goal was to just finish, standing up, with a smile on my face avoiding the medical tent. Secretly I had 15-16 hours in my mind. Heck I blew that away.

I had an awesome swim, 1:22, I never got in any trouble at all, there was lots of bumping and pushing but I swam right at the sight line buoys the entire swim, I kept my composure and focused on what I was doing. I was so quick (for me) that Team Iron Juhl almost missed seeing me come out of the water.

On the bike we had a slight head wind going out on the (3) loop, out and back bike course. Coming back, there is a section between about 20 miles to  25 miles where I averaged 29 mph on the decent. On the next loop the wind switched and was really strong in our face and I averaged 14 miles in that same section. By the third loop (early afternoon) the wind had died down a bit. I was extremely pleased with a sub 7 hour bike ride.

My nutrition was spot on, I executed it with precision and ate energy gels, shot blocks and bananas and drank tons of water and a Gatorade type drink. (So much that I had to stop and pee twice on the bike ride). I say this because hydration has been a huge problem for me during the ½ Ironman distance races I’ve done the past couple of years. I have traditionally not had enough to drink during the races. Dehydration and Hypothermia are major problems as the race goes on. Every time I came back into town there was “Team Iron Juhl”, going crazy and cheering so loud. Steph, Tara, Brett, Scott, Randall, Tanya, Jim, Dad, Judy, Brian, Andrea, Jannalyn, Kat, Bill, Steve. It was such an emotional lift that it pumped me up soo much every time I saw them. I have an amazing family and friends.

When I came out of transition from the Bike to the Run. They were all there, I stopped and hugged and kissed and high-fived everyone.

During the previous week I had taken time to write a personal note to each person on “Team Iron Juhl” that came to cheer me on, I wanted them to know how much I loved them and appreciated their support. I had stashed my notes in my back jersey pocket transition hoping to see them rather soon (otherwise they were going to get pretty stinky and soggy). So I was glad I saw them right off the bat. There was not a dry eye in the bunch. I had to get the heck out of there or I would have been in tears as well.

The run course was a three loop figure 8, the group had set up a canopy and had chairs, blankets and a cooler full of all kinds of food and snacks and used that as home base. It was located about 500 yards from the finish and right next to the run path. I got to see the group 2 times per lap, which made the 26 mile run more bearable knowing I had them to look forward to. Then on the final lap I saw them for the last time and told them I would see them at the finish line. They all made their way there and were among the hundreds and hundreds of people that lined the Ironman finish line. What a thrilling experience.

Throughout the day I had purposely ignored my race time, I only paid attention to my Heart Rate Monitor. I honestly had no idea what time it was during the race or what my race time was until mile 24 of the run, much to my surprise it was before 9PM and knew that I would be finishing under 15 hours!

I can’t express the feeling that overcomes you when you make the last turn and see the finish line (roughly 100 yds long) at this race, you truly have to experience it to really understand what I am talking about. It is a magical place.

I want to thank all of my friends and family all over the USA and Germany that were following me throughout the day and into the night. The outpouring of emails, phone calls and texts I received after my goal had been accomplished was unbelievable. I dropped my phone this morning and it has died, so if you have tried to call me and couldn’t contact me today, that is the reason. I have an appointment at the Apple store late tomorrow afternoon in Southern California.

Thank you for letting me share with you all and take you thru my awesome adventure and mental and physical test…………. of being an Ironman.

Love, Clint

Ironman

This is Clint (told ya, the dude is fit) and Mike Reilly, who is known as "The Voice" of Ironman.  This is the guy who announces your name when you cross the line and says, "You are an Ironman!".

Clint, a Utah Man Am I, crossing the line!

Running Is Hard...

Been "off" for two days - traveling for work and decided to just take the time and rest.  I've been running on a regular basis (nearly every day) for three weeks.  I'm following a plan from a running coach named Barry Pollack who trains triathletes and elite runners.  Barry's rule is that running short and frequent is the best way to improve run fitness and avoid injury.  I've been doing runs of 10, 15, 17 minutes and a "long run" (yes, it actually felt long) of 21 minutes last weekend.  It's hard to tell if I am doing much for injury-prevention because before I started this plan I had a little case of Plantar Facitis (long, thick tendon running along the bottom of the foot that attaches to the heel).  Rarely hurts during a run but then later in the day my heel flares up and it hurts pretty bad. 

On the bike front things are progressing.  I've increased my threshold intervals to the 12-14 minute range.  Tomorrow is the big day - the dreaded 2 X 20 minute FTP test.  Goal is to go as hard as possible for two 20 minute segments and then take the average watts.  This will become the new baseline for threshold training.

Pain at/near the fracture site is nearly gone.  Bone is amazing.  When it heals it heals and there's no retraining or balance between stress and rest.  When I am out running I rarely feel any pain near the fracture...but the rest of the tendons and ligaments in my foot are the limiter.  I'm still afraid of uneven ground, rocks in the road, manholes, etc.  It's going to be interesting to see how I deal with this in the winter.  I've had thoughts of using the dreaded treadmill on snowy/icy mornings so that I limit my exposure to dangerous terrain.

That's it for now.  New TT bike is fun and fast!

"Things Are Going To Start Happening To Me Now" - Navin R. Johnson

 

It's time to make a bigger plan; a plan that will get me in position to train for Ironman Coeur d' Alene in June 2012.  I say "into position" because I'm nowhere near that right now.  I've been doing some research, have cross-referenced some of my training plans from the past and have come up with the following.  This is just the macro-level plan.  It could be disrupted by injury or other unforeseen situations - but we don't want to discuss that now. 

Regarding the current state of my fitness:  Dr. Rodney Roof, my good friend, triathlete and foot surgeon from Ohio said, "You built a massive aerobic base leading up to 3 days before the Ironman in June when you broke your foot.  Your aerobic engine is likely pretty solid right now but it's going to try to write checks that your legs can't cash."  In other words, my legs are considerably weaker than my heart and I need to give them time to catch up.

Objective:  They key objective is to be prepared on October 31st to begin the Endurance Nation OutSeason 20 Week plan.  This plan is the high intensity work that is necessary to prepare for heavy Ironman distance volume in February through June. 

Here's my current status in each category and what I need to do to be prepared on October 31st.

Swim:  This is where I need the least amount of focus.  At this point I could just flop around in the water 1X per week and be fine.  I will stick to swimming 2X per week and mixing it up with some endurance and intensity.  The #1 goal is to just maintain a feel for the water.

Bike:  I can make some big gains in four weeks on the Bike with very little work.  I estimate my Functional Threshold Power to be around 245-250 watts (down from 275-280).  With 2-3 Threshold workouts per week I can bump that back to near peak levels by October 31st.  Weather-permitting I will add some volume to this as well (get in some 2-3 hour rides, etc). 

Run:  This is the wild card and the area most prone to setbacks along the way.  I am currently at a 10 minute run and I'm running nearly every day.  My pace, on average, is about 9 minute miles.  Pre-injury I was holding 6:45 minute miles while doing threshold work.  I got a long way to go.  Dr. Van Boerum cleared me to experiment with pace when I am ready.  But at this point I simply want to progress the run time up to 25-30 minutes before I start doing any intensity.  So I'm conservatively setting the goal for running to two things: #1 - progress the time to 60 minutes in duration and then #2 - experiment with some speed/pace work.

Nutrition:  I'm fat.  I've put on 10 pounds.  I am soft around the middle.  I need to drop some weight in October.  It will start coming off naturally as I ramp up my workouts but I need to pay attention to what I am eating and then just exercise some self control. 

Equipment:  My TT bike fit is still a bit off.  I am working with a guy in Rhode Island (virtually) to get it dialed in.  This needs to happen before October 31st.  

The plan is clear.  It's time to execute.  

13.5 Week Update - Bottom Line...I'm Healed

A lot has happened in the last two weeks.  Jenny and I were in Maui for a week and while there I started running again.  I slowly progressed my walking schedule up to a 60 minute walk.  On Monday, September 19th, I ran for 4 minutes during my walking "workout".  Wow!  Everything hurt: knees, quads, hips, ankles.  But my fractured foot was fine.  I've been running the last 8 out of 9 days and it's been great.  I've progressed from 4 minutes up to 10 minutes.  The goal this week is to get to 15 minutes on Sunday. 

Yesterday I had a follow-up appointment at Dr. Van Boerum's office.  X-rays look great.  Still a small notch in the cortical bone that needs to fill in.  But the fracture line can't be seen anymore and with some of the views you can't tell it was broken.  The doctor said I have "graduated" and there's no reason to come back unless I feel pain.

On the pain front things get better every day.  No joke.  I can tell a difference from day to day.  The walking/running is helping to strengthen the bone.  I can go full gas on the bike now without any issues.

More Bike Threshold Work

This morning 2 X 8' @ 258, 263 watts respectively.  Heart Rate was in a more manageable zone.  No issues.

Walking is up to a 31 minute walk.  I'm convinced that this is the single most important thing I am doing.  I feel like I get stronger everyday and my foot discomfort is less and less.  Should be able to run in less than two weeks. 

3K Swim tomorrow.

Back on Wasatch Doing Intervals

My friend Dr. Rodney Roof, a foot surgeon/ortho and Ironman triathlete from Ohio, told me last week I could probably go out and give some 5 minute intervals @ full gas a try.  The goal here is to be able to baseline or at least get a sense of where my Functional Threshold Power is.  From that number I can begin to do some focused training on the bike to build fitness.

So...this morning I rode up to Wasatch on my Cannondale.  Did a few 1 minute warm-up intervals to test the legs and more importantly, test the foot.  No issues.  Did 3 X 5' @ full gas which turned out to be 272, 271 and 271 normalized average power.  Not too shabby.  Zero foot pain...maybe a little stiffness but no pain or nothing telling me to back off.  Heart Rate was sky high - a whopping 182 bpm.  My HR hasn't been that high in years.  A true sign that fitness needs to be rebuilt. 

Based on this information I would SWAG my current FTP @ ~240 - I'd say that's conservative.  If that's the real number then I'm pretty happy.  I'm confident that in about 5-6 weeks of focused work I could build that back to 270+.  

But before I begin working on rebuilding my FTP I need to be able to handle a full 2 X 20' test.  The 2 X 20' is a very taxing workout (even for someone who's not returning from injury) and so I will wait until I see Dr. Van Boerum on Sept 26th before I attempt it.  Need to see solid signs of radiographic healing before going full gas for a total of 40 minutes.

Total ride this morning was 83 minutes with 207 average normalized power.  I haven't been at that level on a ride in more than 3 months.  Legs hurt.