rich roll

richroll.com

2009-05-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone -- just another post to let you know that I have migrated my blog to my new website, so please visit me from now on at richroll.com as I will no longer be updating the blog here.

Thanks!

Down Dog -- FUNNY OR DIE!

2009-05-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

Down Dog - watch more funny videos

Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't post here any more. But as my parting farewell gift, thought I would upload and share the short film I wrote and directed. Yes, I swim, run and bike. But I occasionally do other things, like write & direct when I'm not practicing law or raising small children:)

Just posted it to FunnyOrDie.com, so if you have absolutely nothing better to do, PLEASE give a watch, vote and share with me your thoughts!

New Website!!

2009-04-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

Hey there.....

Wanted to let everyone know that I will no longer be posting my blog here, as I just launched my new website at richroll.com

Very excited!

Please visit the site, where I have not only relocated the blog but have included copious photos, press, and sections I am continuing to build on all things endurance sports, nutrition and coaching. In addition, I have also uploaded DOWN DOG, the short film I wrote and directed.

I hope you enjoy it and look forward to meeting you on the journey.....And many many thanks to the brillant Arno Kroner for his fantastic work building my site while simultaneously working full time at Disney, raising a family with his wonderful wife Justine Halliday (who also cut my short!) AND training for Ironman Coeur D'Alene!!

Cheers,

Rich

Spring Fever

2009-04-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and I'm feeling the great optimism that always greets me when the sun warms my Santa Monica Mountains, I can remove my arm warmers and let loose.

So much going on....My training has resumed after an admittedly lackluster few months as I currently prep for the Wildflower long course triathlon in a few weeks. For me, this race is way too short. I can't say I'm "fast", as so much of my prep is ultra-focused. I'm the guy who has one speed -- the "go all day" speed. The guy who doesn't feel like he's warmed up until I've been riding over 4 hours. But I've been doing some interval work for the first time ever and am going to give it a try. My expectations are low -- again I'm no jackrabbit. But it will be fun. Going to bring my boys, camp out, hang with friends and treat it like a fun training / camping weekend. Like I said, I'm just getting back into it -- its a long road to Ultraman Hawaii in November and I'm just pacing myself. Heavy weeks on the horizon. I'm super excited to see what I can do this year, but I don't want to burn out.

On other fronts, so much is happening.

I signed a sponsorhip deal with TriathlonLab recently, which is fantastic. Check out my bio on their website HERE. Owners Lloyd & Teresa are great people and I truly appreciate their support on every level. I feel like I have a pro support team behind me for the first time and it feels great. Not to mention the great company they keep sponsoring cream of the crop pro triathletes like Chis McCormack, Andrew Lockton and Chris Foster. Were even talking about doing some local training camps this summer, using my house in the Santa Monica Mountains as home base. Should be awesome.

Also, I was just invited to speak to the Disney Triathlon Team on May 7 along with pro-triathlete phenom Chris Lieto -- one of the guys I truly look up to in the sport. Not only is Chris an unparalleled athlete (and one of the best cyclists in the sport), he is an environmentalist, active through his Green Athlete program and blog, which supports green / carbon neutral living and nutrition initiatives -- not only totally cool but consistent in some ways with my plant-based nutrition advocacy. You can always spot Chris' presence at the big races with his monster biodeisel SUV. In any event, I am honored; just not sure I'm worthy! It will be a thrill just to meet him.

Next week I'm heading down to San Diego to do some promotional work for Zoot Sports -- more great people, great products and a great company.

And coming in June, it looks like I will be profiled in a major men's magazine. I'm sworn to secrecy at the moment, so just stay tuned -- its very cool (unless they change their mind!).

Finally, I am putting the finishing touches on a new website -- richroll.com. In the next month I will be migrating this blog to the new site. I'll let you know when I make the switch.

So much good stuff God is putting in my path -- all evidence that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing. When I think back to just one year ago, I'm amazed at how much my life has positively changed. Economically times are still very tough, but I feel a shift. The sun is out and things are turning around. Looking forward to a fulfilling and prosperous Summer 2009!

Jai Seed

2009-03-25T10:14:00.001-07:00

I am so proud of my wife. An artist extraordinaire, she defies labels. Painter, photographer, sculptor, musician, yogi, healer, mother, wife, and on and on.

So I wanted to take a moment of departure from my typical posts to share with you her new website JAI SEED, which we launched this week.

In particular, please visit the PHOTOGRAPHS. This is her new collection of gigantic tree photographs, entitled SEED TREES. They are all high-resolution digital format, colorized in photoshop, printed on metalicized paper and mounted to glossy plexi-glass atop a 2” aluminum box framing. The high gloss accentuates the vibrant colors of the print and adds an additional dimension of room reflection from the people, furniture and media in the space.

All SEED TREES are large format -- up to six feet in height -- and great for large walls. But even the images don't do them justice. We have a couple in our home and one in my office, and they are truly striking and beautiful.

We are in the process of putting together a gallery show in the LA area, so I will keep you posted on details.

I hope you enjoy them! If you want more information on the images, including prices, etc., you can contact me, or e-mail Julie at jailifestyle@aol.com

Thanks to Joe & Vicky Curtis for doing such an amazing job on the site -- in and of itself a work of art. If you like the site design, check out Joe & Vicky's work at CURTIS & COMPANY. They are amazing.

Being Here NOW

2009-03-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Once again, I've been off radar, but not because nothing's going on. In fact, alot is happening, which has left me with so little time to even reflect, let alone blog. But with Spring in the air, I am ready to share.

In truth, things have been pretty tough lately. The economic landslide has taken its toll on me, my professional life and my family and I have been forced to focus in a way I never have. Pure survival. With 4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cars and my dreamhouse, my overhead is huge, and its all I can do to just try to keep the machine moving forward without my head exploding in fear. Its been a struggle just to get the mortgage paid, and the unpaid bills keep stacking up. Business is OK, but its growth has been stifled. And the location shoots we generally hosted at least 1-2x month on average over the last 5 years have virtually evaporated with the steep decline in the advertising and production industries.

Its an understatement to say that the pressure is on. My anxiety level is high. Very high.

And yet my wife and I have never been more in love. I am so grateful that the crucible has brought our family closer, as I know it so easily could tear us apart. Were in it together. Not just my wife and I, but the kids too. Everyone pitching in to help, getting creative. Coming together to solve our common problems.

I came across the above photo today and it really reminded me how much I love my family. The picture was taken before my 2 little girls were born, when we were in the middle of building our house. For 7 months we lived in a 22' Airstream trailer and a Tepee. Yes, a true to life Souix Tepee. It had its romances, but it was also challenging. It was winter (LA winter, but still cold); a very rainy winter. Our "campsite" was down a hill from the construction site and I remember nights when we would run out of propane in the middle of the night. Or mornings when it was so muddy we couldn't get the VW Bug up the hill. We kept our laundry in the car. We lived like vagabonds. But it was wonderful. We were in love and we were building a house. It was a great time. And just looking at the picture says it all. Takes me right to what is really important when that fear creeps in. And it definitely creeps in.

As the patriarch of my brood, I battle feelings of emasculation. I NEED to solve this problem for them. Its up to me t make it right. Believe me, it keeps me up at night. I have what we call in AA, "self-will run riot". The idea that if I just apply my will to the situation and barrelforward, I can solve all these problems and everything will be OK. I can work harder. Work later. Pull all nighters. That sort of thing.

But what I have learned in sobriety (but mostly from my wife) is that this is not the solution. In fact, it is counter-productive. I am not in control. There are things I can do, sure. But it is incumbent upon me to identify what I can control and what I can't. And for those things I can't, I need to let go. Surrender. Because God is my employer.

The same thing applies to training. And its why so many endurance athletes overtrain. The idea being to just work harder than everyone else. Push the limit, day in day out. And any experienced endurance athlete will tell you this is a recipe for disaster. For injury. For burnout.

It would be elementary to conclude that I need to table my training for now and focus on "real life". But I also know that the experience of training -- for me -- is crucial to maintaining my presence of mind. And without this, I lack the tools to properly function.

Balance. Temperance. This is the key. Not just in training, but in life. And for me, it is really the event horizon -- something I am not good at. Something that takes alot of work on my part every day.

I worked till midnight last night, the woke up with what my mom always called "racing mind" -- its that thing that keeps you up at night. Worries about what might happen. Or what if I did this instead. But I know all too well the woes in living in the past or obsessing about a future that hasn't happened yet. My job is to stay present. Do what is in front of me. And most importantly, to be balanced.

So despite every inclination that I needed to race into work and grind out a solution founded in my self-will, I did the opposite. I went on a ride. It was a beautiful morning in the Santa Monica Mountains and as I climbed Topanga, I realized that this is what grounds me. What keeps me in the "moment". Present. And its this presence of mind, body and soul that is the greatest weapon in my arsenal of taking on the rigors of daily life.

And yet at the moment of this realization, I quickly forget. I'm dumb that way. I need to be constantly reminded, vigilant when it comes to the idea of what my favorite yogi Bhagavan Das (he married Julie and I) coined "Be Here Now" or what my main man Eckhart Tolle calls "The Now". That odd spiritual equation that contravenes every obsessive fiber of my body to live anywhere but here.

I don't know where I'm going with this other than to say that the more present I can be, the more productive I am. When I look at my children, I see that rare ability to just be in the moment. And its in that place -- and only that place -- where true joy and happiness can reside. When I see that twinkle in their eyes, it is the most potent reminder of what is truly important in life.

For me, the only way to embody some semblance of Now is to be on my bike, tackling a tough climb. Out on a remote trail, running in solace, at one with nature. In the ocean, swimming along with the tides. Or maybe just a moment of meditative silence during the work day.

It doesn't come easy, but when it does, I experience a happiness that that is otherwise rare for me. And this -- this is why I love endurance sports. Its not the racing. Don't get me wrong, I love that. But its the daily experience of presence that the training brings. Its truly a spiritual practice, and for this I am forever grateful.

Gold Medal Mel Interview on SwimNetwork.com

2009-03-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

Check out Gold Medal Mel's interview with me on SwimNetwork.com, competitive swimming's "go-to" web source for all things swimming. The site recently began airing Mel's great work, which is great for Mel, but even better for swimming. He is a great example of service to others and to something he loves, which in my opinion the only real reason we're here on Earth. To help others. In any event, Mel is a huge inspiration to me personally and someone I look up to and aspire to emulate in some small personal way.

Since this piece went live on SwimNewtork.com yesterday, I have been inundated with so many very cool e-mails and Facebook messages from people from all walks of life who watched the interview and visited the blog. I am so grateful for all the kind words, and especially to Mel, who has been a good friend and huge support.

What is most gratifying is this slowly growing notion that somehow, in some way I am inspiring people. Believe me, this is a huge surprise. I chose to change my life and pursue something that made me happy. Along the way I changed my life and decided to write a little bit about it. To share some insights from the journey, mostly for my friends and family. In truth, I thought I was being selfish. Training for something like Ultraman commands an unreal level of dedication that took more time away from my friends and family than I care to admit.

But what I did not originally realize, and what is only now becoming more clear, is that I have a small but slowly growing platform that is creating the opportunity for me to help others. Over the last 6 months I have been blessed with so many new and great people coming into my life as a result of my Ultraman adventure. People who have read the blog, the interviews, etc. People that are inspired and looking to grow in new ways outside their comfort zone.

In these difficult economic times, I have taken pause to consider my path. To ponder what is truly important. And what has become clear is that I love being of service to others. This notion has taken firm hold and I have become energized to divine an organized way to expand my love of not only endurance sports, but of a healthy holistic lifestyle. In short, I know I'm here on Earth to help others. But now I have a clear idea of just how I can help. Whether its just to share a bit of nutrition insight, help someone lose weight, change their diet & get back in shape a bit or even to tackle something like Ultraman, consider me an open door resource.

I'm nobody special. Just an average family guy. I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist or a professional athlete. But I have learned a lot in the last two years and am committed to helping others discover their own innate potential. To discover the value of overcoming our own internally set limitations. To expand -- not just athletically, but mentally and spiritually.

I hope you join me along the way.

Gordo Byrne -- Change Your World

2009-03-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Gordo Byrne is a stud. He inspires me in so many ways. To be a better athlete, yes of course. But even more, his blog provides a wealth of fantastic insights into not only multisport training, but on issues ranging from nutrition, family, balance and business.

Gordo went from "average joe" (see the "before" Gordo pic, below if you don't believe me) to Ultraman Champion in 2002. He is an incredible athlete, with a slew of amazing ironman and endurance accomplishments, but what I find unique about him is his holistic approach to life as a very well rounded, mature and insightful person. A realistic approach to balancing family lives and economic concerns against a passion for athletic prowess and the outdoor active lifestyle.

If you haven't already, check out his website Endurance Corner, as well as his blog. In addition, you can subscribe to his Endurance Corner podcast on iTunes, where he shares tremendous wisdom and insight, as well as compelling interviews with some of multipsort's elite.

Totally Inspired -- Shepard & Lance

2009-03-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

He started with those ubiquitous Andre The Giant Posters, which morphed into the omnipresent "Obey" movement. I recall living in NYC in the early 90's, and you couldn't walk a block without seeing the graphic pop art of Shepard Fairey -- from small painted reliefs adorning the sidewalks and kiosks to massive paintings covering entire buildings in SoHo -- and wondering, "What is this all about? Who is responsible for this art?" Yet he seemed to fly anonymous. A mysterious dark knight of high graphic art, with all of NYC as his canvas.

His images became a brand. An industry into themselves. But it wasn't until recently that this amazing artist was thrust into the mainstream with arguably one of the most iconic images of our generation, our time, our country -- the Obama "HOPE" image.

And now he's done it again -- these huge murals of Lance adorn the intersection of Hollywood and Vine and take the movement of Obama hope one step further in inspiration.

There is just something about Sheaprd Fairey's art that strikes a deep, resonant populist chord. Maybe its the thinly veiled inversion of its propaganda art ancestry. The converse of the communist era Lenin posters, or cold-war era of Soviet propaganda, his images subvert traditional notions of propaganda, infusing them with a post-modern message to lift a democratic people in these difficult times -- images of hope, change, courage, defiance and action. Messages which transcend politics or partisan idealogy. A transfixing call to action aimed at a country desperately in need of a main line infusion of positivity and change.

They are evocative, provactive and lingering. Once you seem them, you simply cannot remove the image from your mind.

And personally, I am thrilled with the Lance murals now gracing my city. We need this. We need to heed the words of our new Commander in Chief who is demanding not that we go out and "spend" (as his predecessor urged), nor that we "trust government" to take care of things. Rather, he is demanding that everyone must sacrifice. That our problems will be solved only with a collective movement. A movement not only of "hope", but one that requires, as Lance so fully embodies and as so artfully articulated by our President, of "defiance" -- defiance not only of the norm, traditional modes of status quo, or of partisan divides -- but defiance of the limits other people put on ourselves. And the limits we perceive within ourselves. Defiance, coupled with the unifying message of "courage" that is empty without "action". Powerful stuff.

Thank you Shepard. Thank you President Obama. And thank you Lance.

And so, I am inspired. Inspired to better embody these themes, this "ethos" into my personal life. Through my approach to work, my own financial crucible, my relationships with others. Through my quest to promote plant-based nutrition for athletes and the general public. Through my approach to training and racing. But most importantly, through the limits other people place on me, and more importantly I put on myself.

Yesterday I was out on a ride with my coach Chris Hauth and the crew. A beautiful morning, we headed up PCH, then turned to tackle Malibu's Latigo Canyon, a long challenging ascent very popular with the local cycling crowd. My time off showed. I was not up to form. I was getting dropped. It was awesome, because it really gave me the wake up call I needed to re-focus and begin applying myself. I can't wait to start anew.

And to boot? I found out after we crested that Lance himself was several minutes behind us, tackling the same climb. On the same morning. Unfortunately I never saw him. But my disappointment was eclipsed by the simple and deeply felt knowledge that I was where I was supposed to be. Or at least in the general vicinity.

Engine 2 Diet and Gold Medal Mel

2009-02-25T12:18:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone -- apologies for being off radar for so long. I have been incredibly busy at work, treading water in these difficult economic times. So just haven't had time to stay on top of the blog.

And that said, I only have a few minutes right now, but I wanted to share a couple quick thoughts.

First, I wanted to share this clip from the Today Show last week in which Rip Esselstyn shares some recipies from his new book The Engine 2 Diet. In short, Rip was a stud swimmer back in the day, tearing up the backstroke for the University of Texas Longhorns. Although I didn't know him, I knew his prowess well and followed his fantastic career. After his swimming career, he was a stud pro triathlete for years. These days he's a fireman in Austin and still tearing up the pool in masters swimming competitions. I had the honor of having a few interactions with him via Facebook and he gave me some props on Ultraman, which was very cool.

In any event, Rip became a vegan, then inspired his fellow firemen to follow in his footsteps. He helped some of his peers get healthy, particularly a few who were staring at looming heart attacks. Its a great story he captures in his book and speaks about in this clip. His person, his story and his book have inspired me and I hope it does the same for you.

Secondly, I shared the Today Show clip with Mel Stewart the other day. If you follow my blog or Mel, you know that he is a former Olympic Gold Medalist in the 200m butterfly, World Record holder and 14 time national champion that now covers all things swimming via his Gold Medal Mel blog and video interviews. Mel interviewed me a while back about Ultraman and I send him articles or things of interest from time to time. Glad to see he enjoyed the clip I sent him and he just blogged about it, so check it out! Great guy that Mel -- he is doing a huge service to swimming and I encourage all of you to follow his blog, as well as his Facebook and Twitters. He is a social networking machine.

I promise to be more active on the blog, so look forward to more posts in the upcoming days and weeks. I'm looking for a great 2009 season in endurance sports!

Click HERE to order The Engine 2 Diet

Click HERE to visit Rip on Facebook

Click HERE to visit the Gold Medal Mel blog

Click HERE to visit Mel on Facebook

Click HERE to visit Mel on Twitter

Social Networking / LA ULTRA!

2009-02-06T16:49:00.001-08:00

I'm becoming a bit obsessive about social networking. Let's just say its starting to get a bit obsessive. But like I've said, that's just how I am.

I have loved being active on Facebook and have re-connected with so many people from my past and made countless new friends, especially in the endurance community. But Facebook aside, my new obsession is Twitter. I am a total convert.

In addition to posting news about my training, I love throwing up interesting articles and insights throughout the day. But what has been really cool is following some of my favorite inspirational people. And as far as athletes, its the cyclists that have really taken to the medium in a huge way (due I'm sure in large part to Lance's fascination with the tool). Many of the top names in the sport have really jumped on the Twitter bandwagon in a big way. Lance is on fire, twittering and posting photos several times a day, on everything from his training, drug tests, travels and race reports to iChats with his kids.

And it seems like he has recruited his peers -- everyone from George Hincapie, Christian Van de Velde, Dave Zabriske (by far the funniest tweets) to Michael Rogers and even Ivan Basso are all over it. Its pretty cool. As for triathletes, they are fewer. You can find McCormack, but Chris Lieto seems to be the guy who is most active.

Twitter can be so intimate -- it almost makes you feel like you are buddies with these guys, which is a little weird. In fact, Hincapie tweeted that he was in LA training. The next morning, I was pulling out of my driveway and saw him fly right by my house on his bike -- I assume this is some sort of good omen? Who knows.

Anyway, this leads me to thinking about how I can use these media to help promote endurance sports, as well as plant based nutrition. So I have become more active on Twitter myself.

And along these lines, I just created a new group on Facebook called LA ULTRA! A place for all LA based ultra-endurance athletes to build community -- through sharing insight and info on training, racing, nutrition, etc.

I hope you join me on the journey.

You can find me on Twitter by clicking HERE.

You can find me on Facebook by clicking HERE.

And you can find the new Facebook Group LA ULTRA! by clicking HERE.

RAAM!?!?!

2009-01-30T19:30:00.000-08:00

The latest? My buddy Josef Ajram of Spain and my Ultraman compadre is trying to talk me into doing RAAM with him as part of a 2 man relay this June. Say Whaaaat?

At first, I was all like, no way, no how. Too hard. Too expensive, too cray, too this, too that. Every reason to pass it off as ludicrous. Irresponsible. Insane. For those of you who may not know, "RAAM" stands for "Race Across America". And what, pray-tell does that mean? Exactly what it says. A race across the entire United States. Its "Cannonball Run". Only on a bicycle.

Then I started to think about it. That's how my addictive brain works, you see. A crazy idea just gets lodged in there. It festers. And before long, it becomes an obsession. That's how my Ultraman journey began. And I feel it happening again.

Because when you think about it, you realize, wow, that could be pretty darn cool. 2 guys and a crew guttin' it out in June for 3000 miles across the entire U.S. of A. From Oceanside, CA all the way to Annapolis, MD. And unlike Ultraman, this ain't no stage race. Its straight through -- stop at your peril. From what I understand, the top soloists essentially ride non-stop coast to coast in about 12 days, on a diet of Ensure and 40 minutes of sleep per night in the bushes along the road. Can there be anything more insane? Of course. But this is right up there at the top of the lunacy chart.

Then again, what an epic experience. I can hardly say I'm ready for something like that solo, but I think I can begin to wrap my brain around doing it as a 2 man team in shifts. Hardcore Absolutely. But plausible? Definitely.

My boy Jason Lester from Ultraman is doing it solo. And he only has one arm. Ultraman Alums David Goggins & Tony O'Keefe (3rd at UM this year) are doing it solo. And Shanna Armstrong from Ultraman is the reigning queen of this event. If they can gut it out alone, I'm confident I can do a relay.

I'm not saying I'm committed. Yet. Let's just say its swirling around in the brain at the moment. But it is exciting to think about. Its 6 months away -- so just enough time to get ready if I shift focus. But I would have to decide soon. Very soon.

The only true limiter is finances. But I know from experience, that when I have faith and just begin to move forward, if its in alignment with God's plan for me to do this, then somehow it will work out.

I'm told it would take a minimum of about $25 - $30K to fund the adventure -- crew vans, support, etc. And I certainly can't afford to foot that bill. Josef said he can raise 1/2 the budget from Spanish sponsors, which leaves me with needing to raise about $12 - $15K in sponsor funding. So I have a few sources I plan to approach, but if anyone out there has any ideas for me or any companies / persons who would be willing to jump on the funding bandwagon, I'm all ears. I guess what I'm saying is that if I can raise the money to do it, then I'm in. And if I'm in, then I plan to raise alot of charity money.

Did I just commit to this? I think I just did. No, not really. Well, maybe. God help me:)

For more information on RAAM, click HERE.

TriathlonLab, Sponsorship & Update

2009-01-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

I've been offline for a while, but plenty of things afoot!

First, I've been slowly inching back into my training, which has been great. Put in a big 120 mile ride down in Carlsbad last Saturday with my boy Dave Meyer. We rode the infamous "German Ride" -- the training loop Norman Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan trained on prior to their Kona wins. I felt it working for me and my fitness was great for such an early season ride. When I compare my current fitness to that of a year ago, its a joke. I'm off to a great start headed into 2009 and super excited for quantum improvement, especially in my cycling, which was my major limiter at Ultraman last year.

In addition, I've been in the gym doing alot of CORE work for the first time ever and coming into an understanding of just how important this type of strength work is, especially at my age. After only a couple weeks of working a rigorous core routine, I can feel my entire body working better, stronger and more efficiently.

On the sponsorship front, I've made some great inroads. A couple weeks ago, I met with Lloyd and Teresa Taylor, the owners of TriathlonLab in Redondo Beach. They are excited to sponsor me for 2009 and I am thrilled to have their support. If you don't know these guys or the shop, this is the premiere triathlon specific retailer in the Los Angeles vicinity -- they know what they're doing and more importantly, they are great people. And what is even cooler is that they just signed a deal with Chris McCormack to be his official retailer for all things triathlon. So needless to say, I am in very good company and look forward to working with them. I'll keep you posted as this relationship continues to develop.

Check out this video of Lloyd talking about their partnership with Rocket Science Sports, the manufacturer behind a great line of wetsuits. If you follow swimming, you know that Rocket Science just came out with a competition swim suit that by all scientific accounts is FASTER than the Speedo LZR. Skin suit issues and debate aside, this is incredible!

I wore the Rocket Science sleeveless wetsuit at Ultraman and it was just great. The best wetsuit I have worn to date. I look forward to experimenting with some of their new TriathlonLab branded suits this year.

On other fronts, I was contacted by Sziols Eyewear about sponsorship. They have a very cool line of performance sunglasses, so I look forward to seeing what develops there.

In addition, I look forward to continuing my relationship with Vega and Juvenon, who supported me in 2008.

Training will remain a bit light for a period to avoid burnout when things really start to ramp up in the Spring. But I am itching to start really hitting it!

If you are in FACEBOOK (who isn't?), Check out TriathlonLab HERE.

Ultraman Documentary

2009-01-23T15:17:00.000-08:00

Check out this short (16 minute) documentary on my fellow Ultraman competitor Josef Ajram produced by Canal+ that aired on Spanish network television this week.

Its a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at Josef's Ultraman journey with epic cinematography and music that really conveys the emotional drama behind what this experience was all about.

Watching it, I relived every painful beautiful moment.

Its in Spanish, but even if you can't follow the language, its well worth a viewing. You don't need words to get into it.

I was not able to embed the video, so click HERE to screen the film.

Interview With "Gold Medal Mel"

2009-01-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

Thought you would enjoy this video and print interview I did with Mel Stewart for his “Gold Medal Mel” blog/website.

For those who may not know, Mel is a giant. A true champion among champions and one of my all-time swimming heroes.

When I was a swimmer back in the 80's, Mel was a god — the greatest 200 butterfly swimmer of his era. Not only did he hold the world record in the 200 fly (my event) for eons, I believe he still holds the record for the most national titles in one event -- an unbelievable 14! More than any other male swimmer in USA Swimming history, Michael Phelps included. Mel highlighted his amazing swimming career with 2 gold medals and a bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Of course Mel doesn't remember, but I will still never forget the drubbing he gave me at Junior Nationals in Ft Lauderdale back in the summer of 1984 when he was only 14 years old. It was clear back then that he was truly special -- that he would become a major swimming star. And he did not disappoint. He remains one of the greatest swimming talents of all time.

In any event, today Mel is a model renaissance man himself. A husband, father, screenwriter, filmmaker, television broadcaster, journalist and overall phenomenal ambassador for the sport of swimming. And if that's not enough, Mel is selflessly giving back to the sport he loves as an active spokesperson on behalf of the US Swimming Foundation, a fundraising organization that (among many other things) brings swimming education to underprivileged youth nation-wide. In short, he is a guy who is not only passionate about all things swimming, but committed to giving back to the sport he loves -- an inspiration for us all.

To point, Mel is relentless blogger and advocate of all things swimming through his voracious social networking on Facebook, his articles on SwimNetwork.com and his very entertaining blog posts, articles and videos on his Gold Medal Mel website, where he chronicles with a unique "bon vivance" all aspects of the sport from world champions to human interest stories.

It has been very fun following his journey and getting to know him a bit through Facebook and I am honored that he found my Ultraman journey worthy of his blog. Hope you enjoy it!

Click HERE to visit the GOLD MEDAL MEL site.

Click HERE to visit the US SWIMMING FOUNDATION site.

Click HERE to visit SWIMNETWORK.COM

Click HERE to visit Mel on Facebook.

The Vegan Athlete, con't...

2009-01-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

I continue to get a lot of interest and intrigue on the advisability of a plant based diet for high performance athletes. So I thought I would drop some more info on not only what I have experienced, but also what's out there on the subject.

Granted, this is somewhat new terrain. There are not yet a lot of professional athletes dedicated to this program, but there are a notable few -- Track & Field's legendary Olympian Carl Lewis, NFL's Tony Gonzales, UFC Fighter Mac Danzig, Ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, NBA's Salin Stoudamire and pro triathlete Brendan Brazier among them -- courageously challenging and overcoming traditional notions of what an athlete "needs" or "should" be eating. I love this stuff. I'm telling you, this is not a hippy birkenstock thing. If anything, its pure punk rock.

But rather than writing a voluminous primer on the subjects of protein intake, absorption rates, the benefits of an alkaline diet, recovery rates, and the connection between an animal based diet and heart disease and liver cancer, I will briefly outline some links that go into these various subjects in great detail.

THE CHINA STUDY: A fascinating study performed by Cornell University researcher and professor Dr. T. Colin Campbell, who initially sought to determine why Asian nations suffered lower rates of heart disease than Westernized nations. What he determined was that communities with the highest incidence of animal product intake suffered the highest rates of chronic illness. He challenges the "low carb" craze and takes on government interest groups while establishing a plant based diet as the healthiest form of good overall nutrition

GETTING BIG AND STRONG ON A VEGAN DIET: Article by vegan body builder and strength coach Mike Mahler on strength training, and plant based protein / amino acid intake. I love the fact that this guy is a bodybuilder and vegan. People, this is no longer a hippy-dippy deal. Its about high performance nutrition, optimal nutrition intake and absorption, enhanced recovery rates, injury prevention and overall long-term wellness.

VEGAN ATHLETES AND PROTEIN: Article by Robert Cheeke, elite bodybuilder (and VEGA Sponsored athlete). Great primer on the misinformation out there concerning the amount of protein necessary for optimal recovery and muscle building strength. Even elite athletes only need about 10% of their diet to be protein based. The trick as a vegan is to ensure that the foods consumed contain all of the 10 amino acids (building blocks of protein) necessary for muscle building, recovery and regeneration.

THRIVE DIET FUELING: Article by Brendan Brazier, pro triathlete, vegan and author of THRIVE, a primer on plant based nutrition for athletes and normies alike. Here Brendan shares a few performance recipies designed to maximize workout performance and recovery.

THE 247 LB. VEGAN: Article in the Wall Street Journal about Kansas City Chiefs star tight-end Tony Gonzales, maverick vegan and highest paid tail-end in the NFL.

MAC DANZIG: Mac is a top ranked mixed martial arts and UFC fighter as well as dedicated vegan. This is a link to his official site. Click HERE for an article in Men's Fitness on his vegan regime, where he is listed as one of Men's Fitness "Fittest Guys in America". Mac, Robert Cheeke and I are both sponsored by the VEGA product line of plant-based nutrition products.

SALIM STOUDAMIRE: A brief interview with Atlanta Hawks guard Salim Stoudamire on going vegan. I believe he is sole NBA player on a plant based diet.

MONKEY BAR GYM: Official site of Jon Hinds, the former trainer for the LA Clippers, who is vegan. This site contains voluminous information and articles on plant-based nutrition for athletes, including some of the above-listed articles.

THRIVE: Finally, I had lunch with Brendan Brazier the other day, the guy behind VEGA. He was a wealth of knowledge on the subject of athletics and plant-based nutrition, most of which can be found in his book THRIVE. If this subject at all intrigues you, I suggest you read this book!

I will leave you with one compelling thought as it relates to the vegan athlete and strength / power training. Based upon the response from athletes Brendan has worked with, empirical studies, anecdotal evidence from other vegan athletes and my own personal experience, there is a strong correlation between vegan nutrition and a significant reduction in inflammation since a whole food plant-based diet is more alkaline forming. Therefore, such athletes have been able to avoid injury and recover from their workouts more quickly and schedule the next one sooner.

It cannot be controverted that this is the touchstone for all athletes in all sports where strength, power and endurance are a factor -- whether you are a baseball, football or hockey player or a swimmer, runner or triathlete. You are always trying to get stronger and faster. And advances in training science have heavily highlighted the importance or proper recovery between workouts as a key (if not the key) in achieving these goals. If you can train hard and recover more quickly, the better and harder you can train the following day or week without overtraining. This obviously leads to greater gains in shorter time periods, maximizing training results in a given season.

Brendan has written an article on the subject, which I will add to a future post.

EverymanTri Podcast Interview

2008-12-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

Check out this print and audio podcast interview with Roman Mica of EverymanTri.com about my Ultraman experience.

As I am an avid listener of Roman's show, it was an honor to be interviewed by him. And if you've never visited the site or listened to the podcast, check it out -- its loaded! Great interviews with endurance and triathlon legends and tons of news and information on all things endurance and triathlon.

Click HERE for the article on EverymanTri.com

Click HERE to subscribe to the podcast.

Click HERE to listen to the podcast online.

Vega Ambassador

2008-12-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share that Sequel Naturals / VEGA just featured me in their recent subscriber e-mail. Pretty cool. They also added me to their site as one of their "Ambassadors".

Click HERE for the link.

Here's the blurb that appeared on the site:

About Richard Roll
Title: Ultraman Triathlete

Richard Roll is a man of many hats. A husband, a father of four beautiful, healthy children, an entertainment attorney, filmmaker, writer as well as a passionate endurance athlete who placed 11th overall (third-fastest American, second-fastest swimmer) in the 2008 Ultraman World Championships-a multi-day uber-endurance event held on the Big Island of Hawaii at the end of November.

Considered one of most daunting and grueling endurance races on the planet, this 3-day / 320-mile, double-ironman distance triathlon circumnavigates the entire Big Island. Limited to only 35 carefully selected invitation-only participants from all over the world, Day 1 involves a 6.2 mile ocean swim, immediately followed by a 90-mile cross-country cycling race. Day 2 is a 170 mile cycling race, with the event culminating on Day 3 with a 52-mile, double-marathon run.

Having competed at the global level as a world-ranked swimmer at Stanford University in the late 80s, Richard has a robust and accomplished athletic background. He literally hung up his swimsuit in 1989, never to look back-or so he thought. By age 40, Richard was 35 pounds overweight and completely out of shape; it was time for a major life change.

To celebrate his 40th birthday in 2006, Richard overhauled his diet, became a dedicated vegan, put on his running shoes and jumped back into the pool.

Adopting the principals of Brendan Brazier's Thrive Diet, it wasn't long before ambition took hold and Richard's quest to participate in Ultraman began. Two years later, Richard has slimmed to a 165-pound machine, prepared to tackle the most challenging mental and athletic endeavor of his life—as a vegan.

Richard is probably the only vegan athlete to ever attempt Ultraman.

The Vega product line has been essential in not only ensuring my proper nutrition and wellness but also in aiding recovery between grueling dawn to dusk workouts that often exceed 140-mile rides and 40+mile runs. I could not have achieved my level of fitness without the help of Vega.

Out of Shape!

2008-12-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

Man, how quickly it fades....

Yeah, I know I have this giant base built inside me, constructed over the last year as I trained for Ultraman. But right now I feel like it has completely evaporated. Like a magic trick -- POOF! and its gone.

I took 3 weeks off after the race and did NOTHING except eat, spend time with my family, eat, work, eat, watch late night TV, eat, play with the kids, and eat.

In this brief period of time, I gained over 10 pounds, lost a good part of my muscle tone, became lazy and quickly reverted back to some old "former me" habits (let's not go there). Oh how quickly it fades....

I realize (and embrace) that this is all part of a heathy long-term approach to training and racing. I need to let my body heal, reset, rest and hibernate a bit. Its healthy and necessary. You just can't go all year round and remain fresh and excited about training and racing. I pounded so hard, so relentlessly without a break for 7 months straight, that I needed to do this. To avoid burnout and injury, to let my body and mind repair itself. I'm not a head case. I'm not the guy who can't resist overtraining. I learned my lesson on this during my swimming career, during which time I obsessively and compulsively overtrained myself right out of the sport. I know too much to make this mistake again.

But I'm over the break. I built such a huge fitness / endurance base that I don't want to let it slip through my fingers. I have a shot at quantum improvement by building on what I've done for a great 2009, so I started easing back into it this weekend. With an emphasis on ease......

A leisurely long trail run on Friday, a social ride up PCH on Saturday with the Chris Hauth disciple crew on Saturday, and a swim / run on Sunday. The verdict? Officially out of shape -- in just 3 weeks! This was most noticeable on my Saturday ride and my Sunday swim. My running feels OK, but man, I felt like a total novice on the bike and was sucking major air in the pool. It is astounding how quickly this happened.

That said, I know it will come back quickly with a little consistent effort. This winter will be about core work in the weight room and a focus on cycling. Looking back on my UM results and split times, it is clear that cycling is my limiter -- and also the easiest to improve with a concerted consistent effort. I believe I can make major improvement here and return to UM next year with a huge leap in performance.

But that's a long way off. Right now just dipping my toe back into it. My ankles are sore and stiff, still ailing a bit from UM so I nee to be vigilant to avoid injury. I really don't want to be sidelined.....So just slow and steady for now.

Brendan Brazier

2008-12-17T20:57:00.001-08:00

In my last post (and in several previous posts), I mentioned Brendan Brazier, pro triathlete, vegan, inspirational speaker, writer of The Thrive Diet and the person behind the VEGA nutrition products that I use and have promoted on this site.

However, I have never met or spoken to Brendan. Until now. I just got an e-mail from him giving me a thumbs up on my Ultraman performance and thanking me for putting the word out on all things Vega. My pleasure, Brendan.

And if that's not cool enough, turns out he recently moved to LA from Vancouver, so trying to hook up with him for lunch at my local favorite vegan joint, Real Food Daily.

So cool.

Check out this little video he put together....Nice.

Vegan Nutrition

2008-12-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

In the wake of Ultraman, I have been asked several times -- how did you train for and race Ultraman on a vegan diet!?! No meat? No dairy?!? That is impossible!

No, it is not impossible. Not only is it possible, I suggest that in some cases, and for some people, it just might be advisable.

I realize that conventional wisdom suggests that one MUST eat meat and dairy if you want to train and race at your peak, build muscle, and recovery properly. I respectfully disagree, at least when it comes to me. Maybe its the punk rocker that lives deep down inside me, but part of this past year has been taking this notion head on and putting it to the test. Turning it on its head. And I think my Ultraman result speaks for itself.

Again, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a nutritionist. I only relate my personal experience. This is an effort to show what has worked for me this past year as I endured 20 - 30 hour training weeks through a top finish at Ultraman, all while simultaneously working full time and being a husband and a father.

First off, if this subject interests you at all, I suggest checking out pro triathlete Brendan Brazier's book The Thrive Diet. This is a cornucopia of information on not only overall wellness but also on performance nutrition on a plant based diet. It is pretty fascinating.

Also, I am lucky in that I live near a fantastic vegan restaurant Real Food Daily, among others. Plus my wife is a great vegan cook. But if you are not in LA and don't have a wife like mine, no worries -- you can get the RFD cookbook, which has great recipes for everything from nachos to burgers, all vegan. Click HERE for the link to the cookbook.

Second, get a juicer. This has been the centerpiece of my program. You can get a relatively inexpensive Jack LaLane model at your local Costco or Target for around $100.

Overall what I have discovered by virtue of this diet is that I tend to have good lasting energy all day, without the peaks and valleys. I eat smaller meals and sometimes more than 3 meals per day. I recover well from workouts and am able to bounce back fresh day in and day out. Believe me, if I felt like I really needed to eat meat or dairy, I would have. I just never felt like I really needed to.

There is this notion that you need a lot of animal protein in your diet to perform. This is simply not true. In a future post I will address this subject in detail. But for now, suffice it to say that there is alot of misleading information out there about protein and just how much (and what kind you need). In essence, you can and will get all the protein you need from a plant based diet.

However, one caveat. I am human. I am fallible. And I do have urges. Over the last 7 months I was not absolutely perfect in this. I had a few (but only a very few) weak moments when I had some pizza or a piece of cheese. And going totally gluten free is a very tall order. There were times when this just wasn't possible and I had some bread or pasta. I'm not a monk. Like you I live in the real world -- business lunches, etc.. But overall, these moments were very few and far between.

Ultra marathon legend and vegan Scott Jurek claims that his body has become so adept at absorbing his nutrient rich foods that he needs to eat less and operates at a higher efficiency. I can honestly say that I know what he is talking about. And I think he (and Carl Lewis) know what they are talking about?

Here's a rundown of some of my standbys and favorites, meal by meal. If you have a Whole Foods nearby, you can get everything there. Otherwise, you may need to check your local health food store for some of these foods, such as gluten free pastas and breads, etc. If you strike out there, everything is available online.

BREAKFAST:

Carrot, beet, kale (or spinach) and orange juice with flax seed oil (or VEGA EFA Oil)

Gluten free toast with peanut or almond butter

Gluten free cereal (corn flakes or corn or rice based cereals)

Almond milk

VEGA meal replacement powder

Hemp or soy protein powder

SNACK:

Organic energy bars

Almonds

Raisins

Kombucha

Gluten free crackers

LUNCH:

Rice & beans

Veggie Burritos (preferably with a gluten free tortilla, but this can be a tall order)

various veggie broth based soups

Veggie Sushi

Salads of all kinds (just no dairy based dressing)

Avacados

Juice (carrot / beet / kale / wheatgrass / orange / berry) - preferably organic

DINNER:

Rice

Beans

Lentils

Salads

Vegan nachos (see Real Food Daily Cookbook -- cashew cheese)

Veggie Burgers (make sure gluten free -- most of them are not -- its the gluten that makes them stick together)

Gluten free pasta (with tomato or vegan pesto sauce)

Veggie chili

Soups

Greens of all kinds -- broccoli, spinach, green beans, brussel sprouts, etc. The more the better.

More juicing!

Potatos -- salad, baked, broiled, even fried

Water -- lots of water!

CONDIMENTS:

Bragg's Aminos

Vegan Ceaser dressing

Olive oil

Flax seed oil

Mustards

Veganaise

Peanut / almond butter

Jellies

TRAINING & RECOVERY NUTRITION:

Hammer Perpetum / Sustained Energy

Cytomax

Base Performance Aminos

BCAA's (Branch Chain Amino Acids)

various gels (EFS is my current fave)

Soy Protein

Hemp Protein (Living Harvest)

Peanut butter

Bonk Breakers

Potatos / hash browns

CarboPro / CarboPro 1200

Endurolytes / Thermolytes

L-Glutamine

Creatine powder

Water!

I plan on going into some additional detail on some favorites as well as race / training nutrition in future posts.

Carl Lewis - Olympic Legend and.....Vegan!

2008-12-15T13:48:00.001-08:00

As many of you who have followed this blog may know, I am a vegan. Part of my Ultraman quest was to prove to myself and to other athletes out there that not only can one participate in athletics as a vegan, but rather that this is a recipe to excel athletically.

I think Ultraman proved my point -- 11th overall. 3rd fastest American. 2nd fastest swimmer. Plant based diet. Pretty certain I was the only vegan.

I will be posting more about my thoughts on nutrition in the coming weeks. And I will be speaking only from my own experience. I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. I only share what has worked and not worked for me.

But here's a thought. Olympic track and field legend Carl Lewis had his best performances on a vegan diet. Don't believe me? Check out this video. And Carl is not alone. It is my belief that this is the advent of a new movement in athletic nutrition. And as always, its the triathletes and ultra athletes who are at the vanguard. I hope to play a small part.

First Woman to Swim Across The Atlantic

2008-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

OK, now this pretty much takes the cake.

On approximately Decmber 20, 56 year old Aspen resident Jennifer Figge (and mother of LeMans series race car driver Alex Figge) will attempt a trans-Atlantic ocean swim from the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa to Barbados -- 2,100 miles!

The plan? Swim 6-8 hours per day for 60 straight days. During the other hours she will rest, eat and drift aboard her escort boat. Her customized catamaran has a makeshift shark cage made of Kevlar attached to the back carrying her, her captain Bill Ray, a doctor, and at least one crew member and diver on a trek that will cost at least $250,000. The sailboat will be using its motor much of the way to slow down for Figge, consuming more than 700 gallons of fuel. Figge hopes to get sponsors to defray some of the cost, and Ray also has footed part of the bill.

Who is this person?

First, she's a mom. Her son Alex Figge is LeMans series race car driver Alex Figge -- another endurance athlete in his own right.

Second, she is not new to pushing the limits. As a runner, Jennifer has run 400 miles across France. 350 miles across Romania. 450 miles across India. 576 miles across South America. 300 miles across Thailand. 300 miles across Iceland, and 180 miles across Mexico, the final 60 miles in a leg cast!

As a swimmer, she has swum the Straights of Gibraltar, from Tahiti to Moorea, from Turkey to Greece, across the Cozumel Channel and through the heads of Sydney Harbor. Last year she conquered 8 foot swells to swim from Cay Sal Bank in the Bahamas to marathon in the Florida Keys.

What she now attempts has only been accomplished by 2 people, both men. Allegedly. Both attempts are somewhat suspect. The first guy used a kickboard and was unsupervised. The second guys (Frenchman Benoit Lecomte) swam 3,716 miles from Cape Cod to Brittany over 73 days, but he stopped along the way at the Azores Islands.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I functioned on common logic," Figge said. "Those who don't know the impossible are the ones who make things possible."

Click HERE for both a video and print interview with Figge in the Miami Herald.

Click HERE to follow her trek via GPS for real-time navigation.

And if you are on Facebook, click HERE to join her fan club.

Jason Lester's Ultraman Race Recap

2008-12-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

If you want to be truly inspired, check out my man Jason Lester's first hand account of his Ultraman experience. As I've mentioned many times on this blog, Jason is the first physically challenged athlete to complete Ultraman.

But that is only one dimension of his story.

Physical limitations aside, this guy's spirit, determination and perseverance are beyond that of mere mortals.

Click HERE for the report and get ready to be INSPIRED!

Ford Ironman World Championships on NBC

2008-12-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

Damn if NBC doesn't know how to dramatize. Check out the promo for this weekend's broadcast of the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championships on NBC. The tympanic drums, and symphonic musical score, the epic cinematography, the panoramic landscape, the warrior athletes -- NBC has a way of making this event seem like the Battle or Algiers or Saving Private Ryan. Pretty cool though, I must admit, especially since I just traversed this same hallowed ground only 2 weeks ago.

Every year NBC does a great job on this broadcast, balancing the pro race against always compelling human interest stories. And speaking of inspirational human interest stories, Jason Lester told me the NBC crew was tracking him pretty closely during this event, so I have my fingers crossed that he is one of the highlighted athletes.

Pumped to check this out -- tune in December 13 at 2:30 (EST).

More Photos From Ultraman

2008-12-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a bunch of photos taken by my crew buddy LW throughout the UM odyssey. He gave me a disc with over 800 photos he took along the way. This is the first batch. I'll post a few more later. But this should begin give you an idea of just how hard, fun, exhausting, exhilirating and incredible this event is.

Day 1, and well into the 6.2 mile swim. I tied an orange squid fishing lure to the back of the kayak with some ribbon and weights and just focused on watching it bobble all morning, like a mantra. I still can't get that image out of my head.

My dad seems happy. But this was only the first day in the van. Its not easy spending 26 hours in a van with a bunch of guys you don't know, but they were beyond great. And although I'm sure he had no idea what to expect, I know he had a great time. I am so grateful he made the trip. Josef Ajram told me he is poaching my dad for his crew next year.

Coming out of the swim. Other than a few minor stings, I didn't suffer any sever jellyfish attacks. Many others were not so lucky.

Out of the water and onto the bike. 90 miles and almost 8000' of climbing ahead of me before I can rest. Honestly, I floundered in transition. It took me forever to get out of here. I was completely out of it and dehydrated. I think I drank 3 water bottles on the first 2 mile climb out of Keahou Bay.

Brief father-son bonding moment before I head out on the Day 1 bike. I think my dad is trying to figure out what to do.

LW on the road. Pretty much sums up this guy. He doesn't mess around. Glad he's on my side. He was rock solid.

My dad and Shanna Armstrong's crew dude Johhny Phillips. I tried to convince my dad to put on the skirt. It didn't really work out. He was too focused on LW's tattoos and musing about the Hawaiian national bird, the Ne Ne.

Day 2 bike -- 170 miles / 8600' of climbing. Nice and steady for the first 100. Not sure where we are here -- had to be about 1/2 into the day's ride -- but I'm thinking about that steep climb up the Kohalas at mile 150.

My crew captain Chris Uettwiller, always prepared and ready with my nutrition and motivation. He worked his butt off for me. I totally underestimated how hard the crew job really is. I think he did too, but he totally rose to the occasion and beyond. I owe him big time.

My dad and Chris. Shirking their crew responsibilities for a bonding moment.

Day 2 again. As you can tell, it was starting to get hot.

Pre-dawn, Day 3 at the athlete and crew breakfast in Hawi. Everyone is lathering up with sunscreen for a long hard hot day on the lava fields. On the left is Tony O'Keefe. A true badass super stud. Not only is he Director of the Royal Canadian Military College, he is a perennial top finisher at UM, including a slew of runner up finishes as well as a couple appearances at the RAAM cross country bicycle race. He crushed Day 1 with the fastest time. I won't forget him whizzing by me a couple hours into my Day 1 bike leg. He smiled at me, flashing a toothless gap that scared the crap out of me. No doubt a hockey injury. On the right is Dan Bodden, another member of the Canadian Military Mafia. If we had been attacked during the race. these guys would have taken care of business.

Lathering up for Day 3, 52.4 mile run from Hawi to Kona on the scorcher lava fields.

Chris paces me with my nutrition. No blisters, no stomach issues, no cramps. I was being looked after very well.

This should give you an idea of just how hot it was out there.

DONE!!!!!

3 Days

320 miles

26 hours

33 minutes

42 seconds

11th overall

3rd fastest American

2nd fastest swimmer

I can't believe I just did that.

Peter Mueller, Shanna Armstrong and me, post-race.

My dad and his girlfriend

Above, Josef Ajram totally out of it after the run. I gotta give it to him -- he really went for it. Out in 3:45 at the marathon mark, only to hit the wall with cramps, blisters, heat exhaustion, you name it. He still finished the run in 8:33, but here he is in medical shock. But after a couple cheeseburgers back at the hotel, he was fine.

Jason Lester and me at the awards dinner; the results waxboard; and Alexandre Ribeiro, the 2008 Champion.

Marathon des Sables

2008-12-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

OK, this got my attention.

My new Ultraman buddy Josef Ajram from Spain is trying to convince me I should do Marathon des Sables -- a ludicrous 6 day / 151 mile (243km) endurance race across the Sahara Desert in southern Morocco. Many consider MdS to be the toughest foot race in the world, covering a distance equivalent to six marathons over six days. On sand.

This is insane, incredible, compelling, exhilarating and absurd. If you don't believe me, click HERE to watch this beautiful short documentary by Canal + / Spanish television of Josef and his his friends making the attempt last year. One of Josef's teammates is former Spanish soccer star Luis Enrique. It is beautifully shot, and although in Spanish, you will quickly get the idea.

Josef has done the race twice and is going back in April for a third attempt. Despite his urgings, don't think April is in the cards for me. But I admit the wheels in my head are turning -- maybe 2010? It will be the 25th anniversary of the race. Hard to think of anything more epic.

Click HERE for the Marathon des Sables website

Lester Does It Again

2008-12-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

Check out this sweet article that appears on the front page of Ironman.com today on my Ultraman buddy Jason Lester. I can't say enough about this guy. I had the honor of getting to know him in Kona, and he never ceases to inspire and amaze me.

Lester Does It Again

Dawn Henry profiles Hawaii's Jason Lester

Published Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Jason Lester was nearing the end of day two of the 2008 Ultraman World Championships. He was 160 miles into a 170 mile bike ride on the Big Island of Hawaii, clinging to his bike with one hand, working his brakes on the steep, winding descent with two fingers, while crosswinds repeatedly blew him across the road.

Every athlete who has competed in the Ford Ironman World Championship, or who has watched coverage of the race on television, knows of the legendary "road to Hawi." Slicing like a blade through barren volcanic plains, the narrow strip of asphalt transports suffering athletes through undulating heat and body-pummeling crosswinds along the sparkling northwest coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

There's a second road to Hawi that escapes the attention of most Ironman fans. Rising from the ranch town, Waimea, it winds like a serpent up and over the rippling flanks of the Big Island's oldest volcano, Kohala, romping along through the birth place of the winds that each year haunt even the strongest Ironman World Championship competitors.

Here, the Ultraman World Championship course requires cyclists to endure switchback after endless switchback through cloud-dusted hillsides. As Lester had ascended toward the peak of the mountain, a screaming tailwind carried him and his fellow competitors along at speeds of more than 20 miles an hour.

The road bent down and those tailwinds became crosswinds that blew through scraggly tree stands and bore down on everything on their path. Calorie-depleted, with muscles from his neck to his ankles spasming and cramping, Lester battled his way against the invisible demons to the day two finish line in Hawi. He'd made it in just over 10 hours. A remarkable feat for any endurance athlete on the planet, made more so by the fact that Lester's right arm is paralyzed.

Lester has been an athlete all his life. Growing up, he took to one team sport after another, including football and baseball. He was hit by a car at 12 and was fortunate to survive the accident that left him with 21 broken bones, a collapsed lung and a paralyzed right arm. With incredible determination, Lester returned to sports as a teen, even with the paralyzed arm.

A high school teacher who was training for the Ironman World Championship inspired Lester to try multisport events. It didn't take long before he was a top duathlete and for years he raced biking and running events. Then, in October 2004, he happened to be visiting the Big Island on the day of the Ironman World Championship.

Lester came out to watch and found himself identifying with the competitors on a very deep level. He told himself, "This is you. This is what you've always wanted to do. This is your lifestyle. This is everything you represent."

By the end of 2006, Lester had left behind a successful career in California and moved to Kona. He signed up for the 2007 Ford Ironman Arizona, although he still hadn't managed to swim the length of a pool.

Enter Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen, Kona resident and masters swimming world record holder. Pipes-Neilsen worked with Lester to teach him how to make the most of his one-armed freestyle stroke. In his very first Ironman, Lester exited the water in 1:29:29. His finish time was 12:38:53. Lester was hooked. He asked himself, "What's next?"

The next challenge came at Ironman Western Australia last year, with a 1:35:00 swim and a race PR of 11:48:06. There, Lester met his current coach, Dave Ciaverella, who offered Lester something other coaches had failed to do – a plan to prepare for an even larger challenge – the 2008 Ultraman World Championships.

Held each year on the Big Island of Hawaii over Thanksgiving weekend, the Ultraman World Championship challenges 35 of the world's most rugged endurance athletes to 320 miles of racing over three days. Day one includes a six mile swim starting from the famed Kailua-Kona Pier. Competitors swim out to the turn-around buoy for the Ford Ironman World Championship and then just keep on going, through five more miles of ocean swells and currents. They top off day one with a 90-mile bike ride to Volcano. Day two is a scenic, undulating 170-mile bike ride from Volcano to tiny Hawi. On day three, the Ultraman athletes put on their running shoes for a double-marathon from Hawi back to Kailua-Kona, along the same broiling route that Ironman competitors bike in October.

Although other physically challenged athletes have attempted to complete the Ultraman World Championship, none had ever succeeded. Lester decided to become the first.

While training last spring, another dream came true. He was selected through the lottery to participate in the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship. Lester says he's watched every Ironman World Championship on video. He says he went in knowing he was prepared, knowing that "I belonged there."

With the Ultraman just six weeks after the Ironman World Championship, Lester says he did not race all out. Instead, he "really tried to enjoy it, enjoy every moment." Lester still managed a 1:35:56 swim and a 13:07:21 overall time, placing first in his division.

Two days later, Lester was training again, preparing for the Ultraman. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, he walked into the clear, blue Pacific Ocean at Kailua Pier for the start of the race. Despite ocean currents that added hours to some of the swimmers' times, Lester managed to make the swim cut-off and bike one-handed through rain and mountainous ascents, finishing in the darkness in Volcano within the race's allotted twelve hour time cut-off.

Day two finished with Lester's charge up and over Kohala mountain and his refusal to give in to the Big Island's strongest winds. On Day three, Lester ran the same course he'd ridden six weeks earlier to return to Kailua-Kona, finishing the double marathon under Hawaii's relentless sun in just over ten hours. All told, Lester completed the Ultraman World Championship in 24th place, racing just over 32 hours in three days and becoming the first physically challenged athlete to complete the event.

Lester says he couldn't have accomplished his incredible year in triathlon without the help of so many in his life, but even he acknowledges how important mental determination has been to his successes. "When I got hit by that car, I could have stopped ... I kept telling myself, 'never stop. Keep going forward.' We all have setbacks. We all have amazing stories."

Lester's most amazing story from Ultraman came during the swim. Halfway through, Lester ran into a pool of jellyfish. Tentacles wrapped around his neck and down the length of his swimming arm and he began to have trouble breathing. A rescue boat plucked Lester from the water and, after checking him out, told him they were going to have to call 911 and bring him to shore.

Eighteen months of training and sacrifice flashed through Lester's mind and he did what came naturally. He jumped out of the boat, back into the same pool of jellyfish, and swam for all he was worth. "I refused to allow that to be the ending," says Lester. Congratulations to a man who, no matter what script he's handed, writes his own ending.

Ultraman Year-By-Year Results Comparison

2008-12-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Because I am obsessive compulsive, I just had to take a look back and compare my Ultraman finishing time of 26:33:47 against prior year results to see how I might have fared. Don't hold it against me. I can't help it.

Of course, time is close to meaningless in this absurdly long event -- there are so many variables that play such a major part -- ocean currents, high winds, rain, mechanicals, etc. And this year we had GREAT conditions. Although I'm told the swim currents this year were quite adverse and cost swimmers anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, I can't honestly say that I noticed anything major (although I have nothing to compare it to). But we had basically no rain and despite some occasional headwinds, it probably wasn't bad as compared to prior years.

That said, I couldn't help but notice that my time holds up pretty damn well against prior year results. In fact, I would have placed substantially HIGHER in every year other than one over the last 15. I would have been top 10 in every prior year except one (in 1999 I would have finished 11th just as I did this year). Amazingly, my time would have been 2nd in 1992, 1993 and 2005; 3rd in 1994 and top 5 in 7 of the last 15 years!

Again, I can only assume that conditions were horrible in those years, as I just can't believe I could have placed that high. But still, I admit its sort of cool to wonder....Then again, maybe the field this year was just that fast. Just that deep.

Here's how my time would have measured up over the last 15 years of Ultraman Hawaii. This kinda blows my mind:

2007: 8th

2006: 4th

2005: 2nd

2004: 6th

2003: N/A

2002: 5th

2001: 7th

2000: 5th

1999: 11th

1998: 6th

1997: 6th

1996: 6th

1995: 8th

1994: 3rd

1993: 2nd

1992: 2nd

What Now!?!

2008-12-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't say I'm depressed. None of that big post-race letdown. Actually I'm enjoying a bit of time off and resuming some balance in my life. Time with the family and getting on top of work. Money has been very tight (I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir for many), so I'm focused on bringing in some dough.

But in the back of my mind is: what's next? I am already getting enthused for the next challenge. I need to put some thought into what I want to accomplish athletically in '09. With the huge base I have, I am thinking about working intensively on my running and popping off a good LA Marathon in March. Then maybe Wildflower or Vineman? But I think I'm set on going back to Ultraman as my key race for next year. I thought about trying to qualify for IM Kona, but its just so competitive in my 40-44 age bracket, maybe I should wait on that until I age up. Focus now on some ultra events -- Bulldog 50K (in my backyard), a double marathon, I dunno. If you have any interesting ideas for me, I'm all ears.

On another note, I wanted to set the record straight on something. I'm no pro athlete. Yeah, I swam in college. At Stanford. With world record holders. But I wasn't one of them. I was good. But not great. I was lucky to score a point or two in a dual meet, but never met the qualifying standards for the NCAA Championships or the Olympic Trials. We won 2 NCAA Division I Championships while I was at Stanford, but since I fell just shy of the qualifying times, I didn't make either of those trips. I was on the team, but no rings.

After college, I began a slovenly 15 year descent into alcohol addiction that came close to killing me, and those around me. By 32, I was basically a broken man -- unemployable and alienated from my family and friends. Its a long boring story. But needless to say, during those years there was absolutely nothing athletic about anything I did. I got drunk. I fell down. I crashed cars. I got DUI's. I never showed up. I was an asshole and a liar. It was a dark time. But through the grace of God I was able to get sober in 1997 and begin the long slow process of piecing my life back together. It wasn't easy.

And for the next 9 years, that's what I focused on. After a year of sobriety I met the love of my life and we have been together ever since. 10 years later and again through God's grace I am still sober, happily married, self-employed and the father to 2 wonderful little girls and 2 stepsons, who make my world go around.

But from 1998 through most of 2007 I barely lifted a finger. I was completely sedentary for the most part. By October 2007 I weighed 198 lbs (30 lbs more than I currently weigh) and decided to make a change on my 40th birthday. I got a bike for my birthday (I hadn't ridden a bike in about 18 years) and decided to get "active". There was no big goal. Just wanted to get my blood moving again. But like a good addictive personality, once I started riding, I wanted more. But again for the record -- I'm no bike racer and I'm certainly no born runner.

On New Year's Day 2007 I decided to do a 7 day "cleanse" and went vegetarian. Two months later this morphed into a total vegan diet. It felt really good. I started working out more and some weight gradually started to come off.

But I was still a weekend warrior -- one ride a week and maybe a 45 minute run or swim here and there; nothing to write home about. I tried the Wildflower long course triathlon in the Spring of 2007 and DNF'd. The bike killed me and I quit 1/2 mile into the run. I was pissed and decided (again gradually) to start training a bit more. Just on my own. I entered the Long Beach Marathon but ended up walking after 18 miles (told you I can't run). Not impressive.

It wouldn't be until May of this year that I would hire Chris Hauth as my coach and begin to "train". I looked around to try to get into an Ironman race, but all the races were sold out. I had no idea that you had to sign up a full year prior. What was I going to do? I'm officially "training" with no race! I had read an article about David Goggins and Ultraman and was instantly captivated. It just sounded like the coolest thing ever -- what a great way to celebrate 10 years of sobriety. I have no idea why, but I felt compelled to do this. So I just called up the race director and asked if she would let me in! I had no idea what I was undertaking, nor what I was asking her to do. Here I was, a duffer. No IM experience. No ultra running. My only attempt at something like a half-ironman resulted in a DNF. Not even a decent marathon result to fall back on. But Jane was gracious and open. And after a few weeks of decent training my coach e-mailed her and told her he would have me ready. That made the difference and she let me in.

I stuck to Chris' training plan. I think I only missed about 4 workouts in 7 months. I was terrified. Only 7 months to go from duffer to Ultraman. But somehow I did it, and often against the protestations of some people close to me who said I was taking on too much. That I was risking my health. That it was foolish or compulsive or the manifestations of "untreated alcoholism". But with the help of so many people, and in particular the unwavering love and support of my wife and my coach, I saw it through to a fantastic and life-altering result.

Not only did I finish Ultraman, I raced it!....I was competitive! I was riding and running with world-class athletes that have been doing this race and other insane ultra events for years, and in some cases decades. Guys who have been racing their bikes and going pro and breaking records and running fast for the better part of their lives. And although I'm not saying I was up there with them, I was in the 'hood. In the mix. 11th overall. 3rd best American. I still can't believe it.

This is all a very long way of saying that I am nothing special. God inspired me to do this. I trained hard and was supported. But I'm just a regular guy. Married with kids and a career who somehow pieced this crazy adventure together.

I'm not saying that I'm anything special.

I'm not saying Ultraman is for everyone or that everyone should try it.

I'm just saying that you just might be more capable of achieving something (anything) you think you can't.

I'm just saying there's something to be gained by exploring yourself outside your comfort zone.

Because from where I sit, and where I was 10 years ago, its almost unfathomable to see where I now reside.

Thank You!

2008-12-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to drop a line of thanks to everyone who supported me over the last six months in pursuit of my Ultraman goal. As I mentioned from the podium at the awards dinner, nobody gets to Ultraman alone. I know this for sure.

First, my incredible wife Julie and my 4 kids. Without their love and support, it would not have been possible. Julie is and has been so supportive, it moves me to even think about it. Despite all the long training weekends, she has been my backbone and my biggest fan. And I can honestly say that we have come out the backside of this experience more in love than ever. My only Ultraman regret is that she and the kids could not make the trip due to finances. This is something I intend to correct for '09 and a great experience to go back next year!

To my coach Chris Hauth. The man with the plan. Chris knew exactly how hard to push me and wrote the perfect training plan for me. Then came through with the optimal race strategy -- including my strategy for the 52.4 mile run that made all the difference and kept me up high in the overall rankings. There is NO WAY I could have even approached this feat without Chris.

To my UM Crew -- Chris Uettwiller, LW Walman and my dad. I had no idea what a rough job this would be. They rose to the occasion with flying colors, always ready with the solution. I owe all of them big time!

To the Maximum Hope Foundation -- Jill & Kimberley have been a fantastic support throughout. I raised a fair amount of money for this worthy charity, only wish I had raised more. Again, another reason to return in '09!

To my training buddies -- Chris Uettwiller, Dave Meyer and Vinnie Tortorich, as well as the occasional rides with Tony Pritzker, Darren Wald, Bob Steinberg, Jeff Seabold and Gary Bub. Although most of my training was lone wolf, these guys kept me going both on and off the bike.

To the Ultraman staff and particular Jane Bockus. When I called her 8 months ago and begged her to let me in the race, she must have thought I was crazy ("You've never even done a half-ironman?"). So grateful that she took a chance on me and let me in the race. She had no reason to let me in, as I had done close to nothing to warrant an invite. Jane, you changed my life. No joke.

To all the great friends and colleagues I met at Ultraman, always quick with encouragement and advice for the newcomer -- Grant at BikeWorks who worked on my fit; Gary Wang who had tons of advice for me and made sure I was invited / included in all the pre-race athlete rendezvous; Jason Lester, with whom I know I will be growing closer; Shanna Armstrong, always in control -- just another day at the office for her:); Peter Mueller, Miro Kregar, Brian Smallwood, Josef Ajram and on and on.

To my law partner Steve Kaplan, who supported me throughout, despite some afternoon arrivals at the office and a few sneaky Fridays mysteriously gone from work.

To my parents and my sister, always encouraging, so much so that my dad flew all the way from DC to crew for me, certainly unprepared for what he would encounter, yet thrilled by it all.

To all my friends all over the country and overseas who followed my journey on Facebook or by e-mails and phone calls. The outpouring of support was truly moving.

I love you all.

A Few Pictures

2008-12-05T17:33:00.000-08:00

Still waiting on a disc with tons of Ultraman photos, but in the meantime, thought I'd post a few from the UM website. They are low res thumbnails, so apologies for the small file size & fuzziness.

Here I am at the end of Day 1. I was 2nd out of the swim and held that spot for a while before being passed by Seedhouse, O'Keefe and Ribeiro a couple hours in. I gave it all I had but was starting to fade on the 22 mile climb ('3950 of elevation gain) to the finish. Here Miro Kregar passes me with only 1/2 mile to go for the day. That was hard to swallow, my only comfort being that Miro went on to win the 52.4 mile run in a stunning 6:14 to finish 3rd overall.

Another one of Miro blasting his move on me. I was powerless!

Out of the water and onto the bike for the Day 1 90 miler with 7600' of elevation gain. My crew captain Chris Uettwiller hooks me up.

Coming out of the water in 2nd position, 2 minutes behind leader Marty Raymond. He busted a surge on me at 2K, opened a gap but never widened it. Should have gone with him. I'm looking pretty wobbly. Though my time was a bit slower than I was expecting, the currents were not favorable this year, slowing everyone at least 10 minutes.

Group photo of all the competitors at the pre-race meeting the day before. That's me in front, 3rd from the right.

More Ultraman Photos on Slowtwitch

2008-12-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

Click HERE and HERE for some great pictures of Ultraman taken by Timothy Carlson for Slowtwitch.com.

There's a nice one of me running alonside my crew captain Chris Uettwiller in the pre-dawn early / feeling good phase of the Day III 52.4 mile run -- last photo in the first series.

Ultraman Recap on Slowtwitch

2008-12-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

Click HERE for a great UM recap article on Slowtwitch.com by Timothy Carlson. Great profile and insight on the top guys -- Tony O'Keefe, Eric Seedhouse, Peter Kotland, Alexandre Ribeiro, Miro Kregar and Shanna Armstrong.

KREGAR, RIBEIRO AND KOTLAND ON THE LAVA FIELDS

KOTLAND

RIBEIRO, 2008 UM CHAMPION

SEEDHOUSE

O'KEEFE

Ultraman -- Day 3 Recap

2008-12-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

I set my alarm for 4:30, but awoke at 4:00, restless and unable to sleep. How is it possible that I could have problems sleeping after the past 2 days? The mysteries of the body. Top UM finisher Peter Kotland said he couldn't sleep for 3 days after winning the event (with his epochal 5:33 course record setting double marathon) 10 years ago, so I guess its a thing.

Anyway, I got out of bed, hyper aware of just how tired my legs were. I wouldn't say sore, just a deep fatigue. Running at all (or even getting out of bed) seemed like a bad idea. But the notion of throwing down 52.4 in the Hawaiian Sahara? Almost inconceivable. But my heavy training and the 5 race simulation weekends I had under my belt had prepared me both mentally and physically for this. Just five weeks ago I rode 140 miles then woke up the next day on shredded legs to run 45 miles, so I knew I would be fine.

Had some coffee and Chris, LW, my dad and I headed down the road to the competitor and crew buffet breakfast. I rarely eat much of anything before a long run, but again I knew I needed to get some calories in. I loaded my plate as Josef Ajram looked at me like I was crazy. "You can't eat like that before running!" Maybe he was right. But I was starved.

As we finished eating, it began to pour rain. Great.

I headed for one last bathroom break. Waiting for a stall I chatted with race leader Alexandre Ribeiro, who would be facing a battle today with Miro Kregar and Peter Kotland. I told him I wished I could be around to watch the showdown and asked his thoughts on the day, particularly if he thought he could beat Kotland. And it was at this moment that Peter Kotland himself appeared from the stall we had been waiting on! Dude, that was seriously embarrassing. Not that I had cast any dispersions on him, or any of these guys for that matter. They are all incredible athletes and champions.

But as we ventured out to our vans to caravan about a 1/2 mile down the road to the race start, the rain mysteriously stopped just as abruptly as it began.

Crowding along the side of the highway in the dark, the runners and crew readied themselves with last minute preparations as race director Jane Bockus gathered the competitors in a circle around a native elder. Arm in arm in a large circle, we bowed our heads in unison as an elder said a prayer blessing, then blew a resounding tone on a huge conch shell to begin the day. We all moved to the road and within seconds we were off.

5 seconds later, our fearless leaders -- running gods -- were off. Miro Kregar, Alexandre Ribeiro, Peter Kotland, Tony O'Keefe -- gone and never to be seen by me until the finish line. Today was to be my tortiose moment. Slow and steady. Conservative and smart. So slow and conservative in fact, that almost the entire field was ahead of me by the end of the first mile.

My plan was to break the run into an interval workout. 8 x 1 hour repeats, with about five minutes of walking in between. I ran the first hour according to plan, right along side Jason Lester. We chatted nervously, agreeing that we would take it super easy. Its a long day and we both knew there would be countless roadkill by mid-afternoon. The first long section is a descent, which may seem easy but can prove fatal to the thighs later on if one is not careful, so my pace was nothing to write home about. Heart rate steady at 128 - 134 max.

I took my break at the one hour mark and was being very careful to hydrate and take in proper nutrition and electrolytes. The morning sky was very clear, so I knew it was going to be blazing on the Queen K highway lava fields very soon.

I had been unable to get my coach Chris Hauth on the phone that morning and I knew he wanted to impart some stratagy, so I had Chris call him from the van. He wasn't able to reach him initially, but around the 90 minutes mark, they connected. Chris hopped out of the van and jogged alongside me. "So what's the news?"

"Well," Chris said, reluctant. "he wants you to run 4 miles, then walk a mile. Then repeat."

"What?!?!? Walk a full mile every fifth mile? You gotta be kidding me! I trained to run this thing! I did a 45 mile run 5 weeks ago! I can do this."

"I think you should listen to him." Chris' words fell like a ton of bricks. To me this sounded like conceding the day. A loss of faith in my abilities. Like throwing in the towel. Giving up. Not an option.

"He says it will pay huge dividends late in the day. You need to follow his advice."

Shit. The guilt trip. Hauth knows what's he's talking about. This I know. He is a top ironman pro. He has trained people for this race. Chris was right. I needed to take the advice. It was just so counter to every competitive fiber in my body. But I relented. And this restraint was probably the hardest part of the entire race. Harder than the swim, the Day 1 climb or the ascent over the Kohalas. I knew I needed to be a tortoise today, but not a slug.

I agreed to give it a shot. The first mile I walked, I was passed by so many people my head was spinning. On the second cycle I think I was in 32nd place. Only 3 people behind me. I was in 9th place overall dammit! This was not how I though the day would play out. And this is precisely why my coach didn't lay the strategy on me the night before -- he knew I would revolt.

At the 1/2 marathon mark, I was still in 32nd. It was the slowest 1/2 marathon of my life. "Can I please start running!?"

"No." Chris said abruptly. I get the walking part. Just not the full mile part.

But it wasn't long before this highly suspect strategy started to prove its point. Every time I ran, I would pass bewteen 2 to 4 people. Then when I walked, 1 of these people would again pass me, but not the others. When I again ran, I would pass that person, plus 2-3 more. On and on. Again and again. Leapfrogging. I started to believe.

By the marathon marker, I had begun to slowly move up the field and had seriously negative split the course so far. But even better, I felt totally fresh and fine. 26 miles so far? No problem.

By now it was hot. I mean really hot. about 88 degrees with intense humidity. I took in water, CarboPro1200 and Endurloyes. I held ice cubes in both hands to cool my core temp. I was holding an even pace on the running, still maintaining about 135 bpm.

By mile 30, things were starting to get ridiculous. The bodies began to pile up on the road and I became the hunter. The highway is so straight and long, you could spot people 1/2 mile up the road, like blurry oases. I would spot someone, then challenge myself to pass them before my 4 mile spurt would end. And generally I would do it. "Whose next?" I'd ask the crew. Then I'd reel them in. One after another.

And if I still wasn't a full believer, around 38-40 miles I passed Gary Wang, who was ahead of me in the overall. Gary is a supreme ultra-runner, having competed several times in the Western States 100, among other legendary races. He was hurting badly and suffering from stomach issues. And I just kept feeling stronger.

But 52 miles is still 52 miles. And the Kona heat is still the Kona heat. All bets remain off and at around 40+ miles things started to get difficult. I didn't want Chris or LW running alongside me anymore -- any outside stimulus was too much. I had to narrow my focus and conserve as much energy as possible. I had no room for any movement not essential. And each 4 miler became progressively more difficult. The first mile was all about finding my running legs again. Miles 2-3 were hitting a solid stride. And mile 4 was holding on to that pace until it was time to walk again.

And the Kona landscape can be so deceiving. When you pas the airport, you think you are almost home. And yet still so far to go. Every mile started to feel like 10. With about 9 or so miles left, I took my last walk break, which I cut short when I saw Mike Rouse behind me just a little too close for comfort (he was still almost a half-mile behind). So I cut the walk break short and focused on running the last 7-8 miles straight through to the end. Chris ran with me through the intersections to ensure my safety. But everything began to hurt. I resisted every temptation to slow, thinking about how much I sacfrificed for this moment -- time away from wife and kids, missing my stepson Trapper's soccer games (he made the All Star team), date nights with my wife, trips to the zoo, birthday parties with my 4 year old daughter, and all semblance of a social life. There was no way I was going to slow down. So I sped up.

I pass the Marina and headed for home. Just a couple miles until the turnoff down the hill to the finish line. Every stride was painful and I could feel my left hamstring and right calf / achilles starting to go out on me. I finished the last salt tabs I had and prayed I wouldn't get a cramp, the only thing I feared could sideline me at this point.

As I made the turn down the hill, the emotions began to swell. I got goosebumps. My crew was cheering. Chris ran along side me for a bit, telling me it was an honor to be there for me. The feeling was mutual. Tears began to well as I laid down the last half mile into Old Airport Park. And yet the actual finish was still so far down the road! I tried to pick it up, but I was maxed. It was all I could do to just hold my pace across the line.

I finished. 9:00 hours even. Certainly not a time I can brag about. But I did negative split the course and I am pretty damn sure I was the only one who did. That said, I was again prepared to learn that I had plummeted in the overall rankings. I was so far back. There was no way I was in the tope 15, maybe not even in the top 20 anymore. And I was OK with that. I had given it everything I had that day.

Final place: 11th.

Shock. I had only dropped 2 spots from 9th the day prior. That can't be right. Some people must have dropped out. Or been DQ'd. Nope.

11th place. 10th Fastest Male (Shanna Armstrong kicked my butt on the run to move up on me). 2nd Fastest Male American. And (I think?) the top finisher amongst the UM first-timers. Fair and square.

Damn if Chris Hauth wasn't right. A freakin soothsayer. Had I ran my race, I would have been keeled over on the side of the road. Or at least in the medical tent, like so many others I saw at the finish line.

Josef Ajram was experiencing shock. His toes terribly blistered and suffering from going out way too hard. He was 3:45 at the marathin (I think I was like 4:40 or something absurd like that) and yet he only finished 27 minutes ahead of me. And many others. Sure my legs were toast and I could barely walk, but I was lucid. And happy.

I was greeted at the finish by my crew, as well as by Chris' girlfriend Erin and her parents, who supported throughout. I was elated, if not depleted, exhausted, dehydrated and all sorts of other "-ted's".

But I was an Ultraman. I am an Ultraman. And I will never forget this experience.

More thoughts, reflections and tons of photos to come. But for now, below are the official race results:

24th Ultraman World Championship
November 28-30, 2008
The Big Island, Hawaii
S 6.2 mi/ B 90 mi./ B 171.4 mi./ R 52.4 mi.

Final Results

Men

1. Andre Ribeiro (BRA) Swim 3:12:00 (7) Bike 1&2 12:22:06 (1) Run 6:15:32 (2) 21:49:38
2. Tony O'Keefe (CAN) Swim 3:04:06 (6) Bike 1&2 12:40:40 (3) Run 6:46:58 (4) 22:31:51
3. Miro Kregar (SLO) Swim 3:19:53 (16) Bike 1&2 13:06:00 (5) Run 6:14:16 (1) 22:35:24
4. Peter Kotland (CZE) Swim 3:19:53 (12) Bike 1&2 12:45:30 (4) Run 7:33:20 (5) 23:38:48
5. Carlos Conceicao (BRA) Swim 3:29:27 (14) Bike 1&2 14:11:42 (9) Run 6:46:28 (3) 24:27:17
6. Erik Seedhouse (CAN) Swim 2:55:53 (3) Bike 13:37:16 (7)) Run 8:03:59 (7) 24:37:08
7. Josef Ajram (ESP) Swim 3:35:03 (16) Bike 12:31:50 (2) Run 8:33:45 (11) 24:40:38
8. Scott Gower (USA) Swim 3:03:39 (5) Bike 1&2 13:56:03 (8)Run 8:24:46 (10) 25:24:28
9. Peter Mueller (SUI) Swim 3:14:33 (10) Bike 1&2 14:33:18 (10) Run 8:17:14 (9) 26:05:05
10. Richard Roll (USA) Swim 2:41:28 (2) Bike 1&2 14: 51:42 (12) Run 9:00:32 (15) 26:33:42

Women

1. Shanna Armstrong (USA) Swim 3:02:44 (1) Bike 1&2 15:05:06 (1) Run 8:17:13 (1) 26:25:03
2. Suzy Degazon (USA) Swim 4:59:08 (3) Bike 1&2 16:22:47 (2) Run 10:01:57 (2) 31:23:52
3. Catherine Paulson (USA) Swim 4:37:33 (2) Bike 1&2 16:52:33 (3) Run 11:16:11 (3) 32:48:22
DNF Leslie Holton (USA) Swim 5:46:58 (4) Bike 1 DNF Run 11:48:12 (4)

JASON LESTER, ME & BRIAN SMALLWOOD

AT THE FINISH LINE

Ultraman - Day 2 Recap

2008-12-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

Alarm went off in my Volcano House Hotel room at 4:30 and quickly up again with the crew to head down to the nearby Military Camp for the UM buffet breakfast.

During training I was never big on eating much before a long ride, but today I loaded as much as I could down my throat. And I am very careful about my diet -- vegan, gluten free, etc. But today there wasn't much to choose from and I needed as many calories as possible. So it was a mountain of fruit, bagels, muffins, juice, coffee and yogurt before heading down the road to the start line.

Another harried process of Chris getting the bike ready and getting me dressed for the chilly morning -- which involved a blistering 25 mile descent down from Volcanoes towards the East end of the Island. This time the crew vans journeyed ahead down the mountain before the start to convene with us at the bottom of the descent. Luckily my big fear of rain or wet pavement for this descent was a non-issue -- it was an unusually clear pre-dawn as the gun went off.

The descent was draft legal, and a lead group immediately formed and blasted ahead, churning 56/23 gear ratios and way too fast for me to join, especially in light of the 170 mile journey ahead. I let them go (actually I didn't "let" them do anything -- they took off!) and I settled into a second group of about 12 riders, which included Eric Seedhouse, Peter Mueller and Shanna Armstrong. We were a flying peloton, averaging between 35 - 42 mph for the entire first 25 miles, during which I barely pedaled. It was a thrill. At the bottom of the descent, we took a right turn and headed south towards the lower eastern region of the Island where riders met up with crews, flinging their shell jackets and warm weather gear off onto the highway shoulders.

I saw my crew and had to pee, so I decided to quickly pull over, get some food and remove my jacket. In retrospect, I should have tried to pee off the bike (which I succeeded at doing later -- very proud about that!) and keep going, as I lost touch with Seedhouse, Mueller and Shanna. Needless to say I never saw Seedhouse or Mueller again, and it would be hours before I would catch up to Shanna again in Hilo.

But my coach Chris Hauth's race day plan was for me to eat as much as possible all day, keep it very conservative and even for the first 100 miles, keep my energy levels high and have something left for the climb into Waimea and the steep ascent over the Kohalas at mile 140. I focused on high carbs, regular foods and staying away from the sugary stuff until the last third. And this worked great -- peanut butter sandwiches, hash browns, bananas, perpetum, water, repeat. Level energy all day.

As we continued South, we embarked upon a counter-clockwise loop from Pahoa to Kaimu, then north to Kapoho along what is called the "Red Road" (because its literally red). Crew vans were not allowed to join for this section, as the roads were very narrow. It was unfortunate, as I found this untouched section of the Island the most beautiful -- lush and tropical in stark contrast to the endless harsh lava terrain of the previous day. I was on my own here with no other riders in sight, constantly worried about missing a turn, as this was the only section of the course I was not able to drive prior. But I was riding comfortably, eating and keeping my HR around 130-135 and feeling strong. I passed 2 riders before travelling through Isaac Hale beach, a local surf spot. I was admiring its beauty and the perfect set of surfing waves lining up just off the beach when I felt a sharp sting on my right hip -- I turned to realize a bunch of local kids were throwing unripe fruit at me, using me for target practice! But I had to ignore it; let it go and soldier on, just grateful I didn't get hit in the face or seriously hurt.

As I emerged from the bumpy uneven pavement of the Red Road, I made a left turn at Kapoho where I was rejoined by my crew, ready with food and water. I forced myself to eat and drink and just kept going, headed for a long stretch of highway up to Hilo, where I passed Marty Raymond and rejoined Shanna Armstrong, along with Dan Bodden, another member of the Canadian Military Mafia. As we neared the Island's biggest town, we were forced to slow down, stopping at red lights as a light misty rain started to fall. It was a welcome forced break, during which point I was able to recharge as we circled slowly around the beautiful Hilo coastline.

As we headed north out of Hilo, I was re-energized and picked up the pace, leaving Dan and Shanna behind as the course roughened with several rolling hills through a series of beautiful gorges and bridges across miles 701-100 before a 1500' gradual long ascent from Honokaa to Waimea. This was another climb I underestimated from my pre-race scout, as it doesn't look like much from the car, but it was fairly challenging. But avoiding the sugary foods began to pay dividends, and I was feeling far better than I did the previous day. Hit mile 100 feeling fresh and ready for the 70 ahead.

I rode in no-man's land all the way into Waimea, with about 5-10 minutes on Shanna behind me, preparing mentally for the steep 5 mile windy ascent from Waimea through the Kohalas. I began to hit the sugar -- Cytomax and gels -- as we came into town and very worried about missing the turn onto Route 250 for the climb, as I had missed it on my drive. A perilous hazard because missing it leads you on a rapid descent you have to reclimb to get back on course. I was so afraid of missing it that I thought I had overshot it as my crew drove ahead. I freaked out and yelled at them that we missed the turn and had to do turn around. I panicked, turned around and started heading back to Waimea, only to see Shanna ride by going the other direction! I was the one who screwed up -- not my crew! Holy crap. I 180-ed around and tried to catch and follow Shanna, who clearly knew where she was going, losing at least 5 minutes in my lunatic mishap. I apologized to my crew for my freak-out and tried to calm down and ready myself for the climb.

My only true challenge was some serious numbness in my left hand. This is a normal occurrence for me (despite countless bike fits) so was not overly concerned. Usually I can just shake it off and I'm fine. But even after shaking it out, I found I had lost any ability in my fingers to exert force. This meant that I became unable to use the left gear shift withe my left hand to shift in/out of the big chain ring. I actually had to reach across my handlebars with my right hand to shift the front derailleur, creating a bit of an instability on the road. Just one of those things....

Chris hit me with a Red Bull at the base of the Kohala climb and I paced the first half of the ascent, which reminded me of Stunt Road, my backyard training climb. I just kept reminding myself, this is just like Stunt. You've done this climb a million times. You know what to do. Relax. And although my butt was starting to hurt from all the hours in the saddle, I felt great after 145 miles. I caught Shanna early in the climb as the winds started to really blow. As always, she was chatty and encouraging. Just another fun day at the office for her, unfazed by anything, her stuffed animal monkey resting on her handlebars. She warned me about the cross-winds on the descent (particularly with my deep rimmed wheels), then I decided to push on, laying down the hammer, powering the last 3 miles of the climb as hard as I could, knowing that when I crested, I was looking at a fast 20 mile descent to the finish line. All I had to do was summit, and the day was over. I felt so good, I thought maybe I should have rode a bit harder earlier in the day. Whereas I took it out a bit too hard on the Day 1 ride, maybe I was too conservative today. But no matter. All alone, I peaked, welcomed by cheers from my crew and unreal views of rolling pastures, cattle and Kona coastline below. It was a true high as I began the fastest descent of my life, battling heavy crosswinds that were blowing my bike (and my deep rim Zipp 404's) all over the road. It was like the best roller coaster ride of my life, averaging close to 40 mph for the entire last 20 miles down into Hawi and across the finish line.

Again, and as I was riding basically alone almost the entire day, I had no idea where I stood in the rankings. I was certain I had dropped considerably. With so many strong riders over 170 miles, there was no way I was still holding on to a descent placing. But I was amazed to discover I had only dropped 2 places to 9th overall -- top 10! I truly could not believe it.

Haggard and throbbing, my back tight and my shoulders still burning from Day 1, my crew once again met my every need -- getting me my recovery food, stretching me out and getting me to our accomodations at Lew Whitney's nearby Kokolulu Farms retreat.

Overall - a great day. My best ride ever. And despite the 170 miles, a much easier day than Day 1. And once again, the Island blessed us -- no flat tires. No mechanicals. No bonking. No stomach problems. No rain. No crashes. A perfect day.

Chris, LW and my dad unloaded my luggage for me at Kokolulu and then Chris & my dad headed back to Kona for the night. I took a long shower, then Lew drove LW and me down the hill into Hawi for dinner at Bamboo -- one of the best restaurants on the Island. We had a great meal, then LW and I walked back to the Farm, marvelling at the amazing stars in the sky -- it looked like you could reach out and touch the Milky Way.

In bed at 8:30, almost too tired to think about the Day 3 double marathon waiting for me in the morning. As it was, my legs were toast. Spent. The idea of running at all, let alone 52.4 miles in the blazing heat of the Kona coast, was almost unthinkable. So I didn't think about it. I just went to bed.

Done! -- Day 1 Recap

2008-12-01T07:16:00.001-08:00

Completed the Ultraman World Championships yesterday afternoon in an overall time of 26 hours, 33 minutes and 42 seconds for 11th place overall. It was truly an experience of a lifetime, epic in every way. I awoke at 4 am this morning unable to sleep and overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude for every challenge, every surrender and all the astounding support and love it took to get me across the finish line.

In every imaginable way I was supported in this endeavor -- by my wife and 4 children, my parents (and in particular my dad, who flew all the way from DC to crew for me!), my sister, my amazing crew (Chris Uettwiller and LW Walman), the Maximum Hope Foundation, the race officials, my fellow competitors and countless friends. But of particular note is the Island itself. I could feel the power and support of this special place in every way. In reverence, humility, respect, faith and surrender, the spirit of the Kahunas, Akuas (spirits), Kapunas (elders) and the Island blessed our experience, carried me and my crew through and kept us safe. To all, my most humble thanks and love.

My body isn't able to move so well right now, but my typing fingers are fine, so here's a full recap.

I'll start with Day 1 and post each day under separate headings.

DAY 1: 6.2 MILE SWIM / 90 MILE BIKE

With my crew Chris Uettwiller, LW Walman and my dad Dave Roll all in town, I spent the prior day getting all the equipment properly packed and organized, then headed down Ali'i Drive to the groovy beach bungalow where Chris was staying with his girlfriend Erin and her wonderful parents, who graciously cooked a Thanksgiving feast for us, including a vegetarian cornucopia just for me. Then it was back to the hotel for lights out, but I really couldn't sleep. I think I tossed and turned until about midnight.

THE CREW VAN

Packed and ready!

Alarm clock went off at 4:30 and I sprang up VERY nervous about getting underway and task ahead of me. The butterflies were very intense. Grabbed a quick cup of coffee and met the crew in the hotel lobby and we headed down Ali'i Drive to pick up Chris. The first snag was a locked gate at his bungalow. He had to hop the fence and lift extra equipment and our backup bike (a sweet Calfee Bamboo he rented at BikeWorks) over the gate. Surrender, surrender. I only hoped this was not a portend of things to come.

MY INCREDBLE CREW!

Dave Roll, LW Walman, me and Chris Uettwiller

Headed down to Starbucks on Palani Drive then down to Kailua Pier to get ready. There was some chaos, due mostly to my nervousness. I still had yet to meet my paddler Linda, who didn't arrive on the scene until literally 15 minutes before race start, which caused me some stress. I was able to convene with her briefly and Chris gave her the rundown on my nutrition and strategy as I got my wetsuit on and warmed up. I am always so harried and everything seems rushed, but everything fell into place just in time as I got in the water only a couple minutes before the start.

PRE-RACE STRATEGY CONFERENCE WITH MY DAD

RACE START AT KAILUA PIER

I waved at paddler Linda so she could spot me and before I knew it we were off! I lined up next to Marty Raymond -- a member of the 1980 Canadian Olympic Swimming Team and last year's top finisher in the swim. I knew he was gunning for the swim win and not knowing the course myself, I knew I had to track him closely.

The gun went off and Marty and I immediately established a clean lead. I swam right on his heels to ensure a proper line and just relaxed into a very eay and comfortable pace. But after about 1000 meters, my paddler Linda was nowhere in sight. I started to panic a bit -- where the heck is she!?! I exerted a lot of anxious energy worried about her and tried desperately to calm down and just focus on staying with Marty. We swam alongside each other for another 10 minutes or so, and still no Linda. I was trying to let go, thinking I may just have to do this on my own without any water or nutrition, making it even more critical that I stay right on Marty, stroke for stroke. I felt great -- long, strong and easy. And then around 2K, Linda FINALLY showed up. What a relief. I constructed a rubber squid lure and weight tied to a ribbon to hang behind her kayak so I could just stare at the squid and never have to break stroke to lift my head. Sort of a meditation practice that worked really well. With Linda in tow, I settled down and just focused on my form, still right with Marty.

Then the power move. Marty turned up the heat. I matched for a while but then decided his pace was just slightly out of my comfort zone and I decided to back off for a bit. We were only about 35-40 minutes in and with about 2 hours to go, I did not want to make the mistake of going too hard too soon. Plus, I didn't know if he was just surging or whether he could hold the quicker pace for the entire remaining distance. He opened up a gap that grew to about 100 meters max, but after this the gap never really widened. What he told me later was that he was desperate to shake me and just made a power move then settled back to the same pace I was swimming. In addition, he told his paddler to let him know every time I stopped for nutrition so he could surge again. In retrospect, maybe I should have gone with him.

In any event, I was squarely in second position, about 100 meters behind Marty and a country mile ahead of everyone else, for the remainder of the entire swim. It was a beautiful morning as the sun rose over Kailua and I felt no adverse current. I was relaxed and feeling great and just focused on swimming and enjoying it. No shoulder problems, no tightness, no wetsuit rub. All good, riding high and smooth. I took in Cytomax, water and some gel at 20-25 minute intervals, but I definitely under-hydrated, underestimating how salty the water is.

The last 30 minutes of the swim seemed interminable, but I was swimming comfortably, so I just tried to let go and be present. As we rounded the last buoy into Keahou Bay I could see Marty, still only about 100 meters ahead and just swam comfortably to the finish.

Out of the water at 2 hours 41 minutes. Very far ahead of all the race favorites by anywhere between about 15 minutes to an hour, depending upon the competitor. I was a bit disappointed in the swim time, hoping for somewhere around 2:20 - 2:30. But I later learned that despite the calm waters, we lacked a favorable current present in past years that can easily account for 10 - 20 minutes, so I felt better about my time.

What I also learned later was that a few competitors had some very serious problems with jellyfish. Aussie Kelly Duhig was attacked so terribly he experienced anaphalactic shock and had to be taken to the hospital where he was given a morphine drip. Duane Franks and my personal hero Jason Lester (attempting to become the first disabled athlete to complete the race) also suffered serious attacks. The stings were so severe that their limbs went numb. Jason was hauled into his support kayak and pondered dropping out altogether, until he overheard the officials saying that he would be disqualified, at which point he jumped back in the water and toughed it out, despite being unable to move the only arm he has. If that is not inspiring, I don't know what is. It took Jason 5 hours and 27 minutes to complete the swim, but he did it. I am humbled by his spirit and determination.

I stumbled up the ramp and was very wobbly. Chris and LW helped me out of my wetsuit and I ran into the nearby bathroom for a diarrhea break and to put on my cycling bib, which was difficult as I couldn't use my hands and fingers very well and my salty skin was so sticky. I took way too long in transition, but finally got on the bike and headed up the steepest climb of the entire race -- something like 11% grade for the first 2 miles, then 5-7% for three more. I was totally dehydrated and took in 3 full water bottles on the climb, just trying to relax and not push the climb too hard. My mouth was so salty -- I had no idea how much the swim dehydrated me. But got through the climb and tried to settle into a comfortable pace, lowering my heart rate and trying to relax, taking in as much water and fluid nutrition as possible -- mostly Perpetum with some Fluid recovery drink mixed in, which proved a little too sweet.

Then it was rollers for hours, wondering if I was gaining on Marty. Up and down. I held onto second position for at least two hours until we hit some heavy headwinds heading south along the Route 11 coastline. My crew was great and Chris was super focused on taking care of me, getting me all my nutrition timely. Many people told me to beware of having friends in your crew, as I would be gruff and irritable at times. This was definitely the case. I was really hard on the guys but they worked their butts off to take care of me in every conceivable way. Chris as crew captain in charge of nutrition and equipment. LW as my Buddha spiritual guide and my dad as #1 cheerleader and chief navigator.

On a gradual climb about 2-3 hours into the ride, I was passed over the course of an hour first by top contender Eric Seedhouse from Canada (dubbed "The Terminator" by my dad), UM veteran Tony O'Keefe, director of the Royal Canadian Military College, and Alexandre Ribeiro -- an incredible Brazilian Ultraman veteran who would go on to post the fastest bike splits and second fastest double marathon to win the overall event. Each of them passed me like I was standing still; but that's fine. I knew any of these guys was capable of winning the entire event. But there went my (unrealistic?) pipe dream of taking the Day 1 victory.

After these three guys passed me, I was alone for a long time, eventually passing Marty, who was suffering from mechanical wheel problem on the side of the road. Bummer -- I felt really bad for him, as I know he too really wanted to take Day 1. Comfortably in fourth position, I hit the final climb of the day -- a 20+ mile gradual but unrelenting 3950' ascent into Volcanoes Nat'l Park. I hit the Red Bull and focused, thinking fourth place for the day would be just fine. But with headwinds, a very tired upper body and a very stiff lower back, I completely underestimated how difficult this climb would prove. I kept my cadence high and my pace even, but couldn't believe how rigorous the climb would be -- it never gave an inch and never evened out even for a moment. With about 30 minutes left, my Spanish buddy Josef Ajram powered by me looking ridiculously fresh. I told him he wasn't supposed to pass me until Day 2! Fifth place now. and with a mile left, Slovenian Miro Kregar (from the Peugeot commercial I posted) passed me (he went on to post the fastest double marathon time). And with only 200 meters left, Czech native and pro triathlete Peter Kotland passed me (he has the course run record at an unbelievable 5:33!). Passed by three guys right at the end! That was very challenging to handle mentally, the only comfort being that I knew each of these guys were top contenders and outstanding cyclists. In truth, it was an honor just to be in their company -- I have to remember that I am a complete newbie -- I have never even finished a half-ironman (I DNF'd at Wildflower a year and a half ago), let alone something like this

So 7th overall for Day 1. Not my dream of winning the day, but not bad for a guy who had to beg to get into the race. A guy who pre-race predictions had me finishing last or near to last. I definitely surprised a lot of people and was graced with a lot of congratulations by the top guys. I was even interviewed by Slowtwitch.com which was really cool!

What I learned:

I didn't take in enough water / nutrition on the swim;

I took in way too much sugary / sweet liquid nutrition too early in the day;

I suffered terribly by not having a proper time trial bike -- my Trek road bike is fine, but hard to compete with a true TT bike -- I know it cost me at least 10-20 minutes on the ride;

I didn't respond to the riders surging on me nor did I try to match them. Maybe I should have surged more in the last 30 minutes and tried to match. If I had avoided the sugary stuff early in the day, I might have had better energy at the end.

Crew is EVERYTHING. My guys were incredible and really kept me going. They handled every detail for me.

Post race LW rubbed me down and we headed for the Volcano House for a shower and dinner. Chris's girlfriend Erin and her parents met us for dinner which was fantastic. Such cool people, they drove all the way up to meet us and support.

Hit the sack early, much more relaxed about Day 2. My goal for Day 1 was to put my imprint on the race and make myself known, which I accomplished, hands down. Good day. Really good day.

REQUISITE FATHER SON MOMENT

HIS AWESOMNESS CHRIS UETTWILLER, MY INCREDIBLE CREW CAPTAIN!

Final Day!

2008-11-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow it starts! I can't believe it!

Well I thought I would be out here resting, but in fact I have been running around like a lunatic taking care of all the last minute details -- bike check, registration, extra parts, race wheel configuration, laundry, blah blah. I need to rest today for sure, but we have a big pre-race meeting this morning, then a crew team meeting, then I pick up my final crew member LW Walman at 1:40 at the airport, then we need to pack the van. Somewhere in there I have a race strategy call with my coach and we will head down to cook some race food and have some down time with my crew captain Chris Uettwiller and his girlfriend Erin and her parents, who have rented a groovy bungalow just down the beach.

On Tuesday I drove the course; and so glad I did, even though it took me almost 7 hours by car! Really helps to visualize the whole thing and there are quite a few tricky turns I don't want to miss. The most striking thing was how wet it was on the other side of the Island, which makes me very nervous. I can deal with the heat, but I really don't want to crash on some technical descent on wet pavement. That said, its definitely a beast of a course, but the climbs don't seem as bad as I feared. Not nearly as challenging as the climbs I have trained on, which is an awesome confidence boost. But if its windy, all bets are off. The steepest climb is the first 5 miles of the first day ride -- straight up a relentless grade right out of the water. After this its mostly rollers with a couple very gradual low grade but very long ascent (which is likely to be very windy) to finish Day I at almost 5000 feet at Volcanoes Nat'l Park.

The beginning of Day II is a long and very fast descent from Volcanoes -- the pavement will likely be wet and so this has me a bit spooked. Then a lot of flats and rollers until the ascent from Waimea to Hawi, which could prove beasty. Its 170 miles, so its going to be very hard no matter what.

And if Day III is hot, its going to be like running through a humid Sahara.

Can't wait.

Yesterday I went for my last very easy run, then just took care of details. Down at the pier I finally met Josef Ajram from Barcelona, who I have been chatting with alot on Facebook. He did the race last year and is super cool guy -- quite a character (and has quite a fan base back in Spain!). Fully tattted and topping it off with a hoop piercing on the INSIDE of his mouth under his upper lip. And he is sporting a new custom titanium bike with his name etched into the frame. Pretty damn cool. He should move to LA. Anyway, that's him in the picture with me at BikeWorks.

Then went to registration, which was quite intense. Alot of forms and so many little details to attend to. I walked away with a huge orange Gatorade cooler filled with stickers (for the van), race numbers, water bottles, wrist bands, etc. Looking around, I noticed no shortage of very intimidating looking athletes -- these guys look like gazelles. Like they were genetically bred for this stuff. Lean fighting machines, with legs bursting with striated slow twitch fibers. Including Peter Kotland, who owns the course record for the run -- 5:33 for the double marathon! That is truly incredible, bearing in mind its after 2 days of brutality. Not to mention bikes that look like they came out of some sort of Manhattan Project. I was humbled.

Last night I picked up my dad at the airport. So cool that he would fly all the way from DC to be in my crew. Will be interesting to see what he makes of all this. Its certainly a world apart. And its his first time to Hawaii, so as much as I don't want it to be hot for the race, I also want nice weather for him.

What else? (1) People here love Spam. The even serve it at McDonald's; and (2) the ATM machine ate my card last night (as if I don't have enough financial adversity at the moment) -- did I say surrender to the Island? Well this takes it to a new level.

Otherwise, getting very excited. Woke up at 5 am today and couldn't sleep. What am I thinking about? What am I doing here?...How am I going to pack everything into the van?...I don't want to crash.....I don't want to make a wrong turn. I hope my butt doesn't hurt too much on the bike....I'm getting out of shape...I haven't trained enough.....I'm not eating right...I forgot to buy potatoes and the stores are closed.....I can't believe the ATM ate my card....You name it.

Time to go downstairs to meet my dad for breakfast...Check in later.

Latest from Kona

2008-11-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

First off, check out this groovy commercial. It features Miro Kregar, a Slovenian professional endurance athlete who is here getting ready for his fourth Ultraman. This guy is a super stud -- 18 Ironmans (PB 8:52) and a slew of insane races, including the Slovenian 24 hour bike record - 676 km.

Anyway, I'm told this spot ran in Europe like crazy and won a bunch of awards -- its pretty funny.

This morning, I met up with Miro, as well as UM athletes Gary Wang (CA, USA) and Peter Mueller (SWITZERLAND) for a swim in Kailua Bay. It was great to be out there and my stroke feels great in the buoyant salt water. And my new Rocket Science sleeveless wetsuit is working well -- very buoyant, not hot, no leaks, and no rash. I think I will be wearing this rather than my Sailfish speedsuit on race day. Was great to just be out in the warm water, spotting all the exotic fishes and just enjoying the morning -- felt like freedom.

After the swim, had breakfast with Gary Wang at the famous Lava Java on Ali'i Drive. Gary is a studly cyclist and runner getting ready for his 8th Ultraman! If that's not impressive enough, Gary has also competed in alot of ultra running events, including 10 finishes of the famous Western States 100 mile run -- probably the most prestigious ultra-marathon event. Could he be any more experienced? Gary was a faunt of knowledge and patiently answered all my knuckeheaded newcomer questions with aplomb. Learned alot and feeling more relaxed about everything. Check out Gary's site RealEndurance.com for all things endurance & ultra.

This afternoon I stopped by BikeWorks Kona and chatted up the staff. This place is dialed -- I should have left all my race nutrition at home, as I could have picked it all up here! Tomorrow they are going to look at my bike fit (particularly my ongoing saddle issues) and help me get my ride race ready. While browsing, I ran into Jason Lester -- attempting to be the first challenged athlete to complete Ultraman (see my post dated October 23, 2008). I had spoken to Jason a few times on the phone over the last couple weeks, mostly about the documentary that is being shot about his journey. Such a cool cat -- it was great to meet him in person finally.

Was on my feet way too much today, so now back in my hotel room resting and catching up on some lawyer work. Plan on driving the entire course tomorrow.

The Doping Suit

2008-11-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

Check out Tony Austin's SCAQ Masters Swimming Blog. Great stuff. I love this post on the advent of speedsuits. This picture pretty much says it all.

The photo above comes from Ben Vankat's photostream

Arrived in Kona!

2008-11-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Finally here in Kona. Its been a long road. Can't believe I actually made it. Now all I have to do is get ready and race.

Ran into the Stanford Tennis Team in the Oahu airport during my layover (pouring rain and dark skies). Chatted up one dude. I seem to think I'm sort of still in their age range -- I forget I'm 20 years older than these kids. He was cool, but probably wondering why this old man was talking to him. He asked me if I swam for Skip Kenney. Sure enough. Can't believe Skip has been coaching the Stanford Men's Swimming Team 20 years after I graduated. Feels like yesterday.

Arrived in a very overcast and raining Kona too; in fact, supposed to rain next couple days. Can you believe that? Not exactly what I had in mind, but then again, you can't control this island, that's for sure. Just gotta surrender to it completely.

My bags arrived (good news) but my big TYR backpack had a big rip on it. I opened it at baggage claim to discover my Fluid powder recovery drink was open, and the sugary crystals had poured out over everything in the bag. Sort of a mini-disaster. Luckily no clothes in this bag, but it was a huge mess. And the thing is, I KNOW I screwed that lid on tight. I have no doubt that TSA opened the bag (ripped it) and opened up all my jars of various nutrition, then failed to screw the Fluid jar properly. I was furious, all ready to make a stink, then just took a breath and decided to forget it -- not worth it. I'm here, aren't it. Leave it alone and just enjoy the fact that you are finally in Kona, 7 months and countless miles after I first dreamed up embarking on this crazy journey. The only real bummer is that Fluid is hard to find and I need it! Doubt they sell it anywhere on the Island, so I am going to have to dispatch my crew member Chris Uettwiller (still in LA) to go pick more up for me -- only place I've seen it sold retail is at TriathlonLab in Redondo (awesome store by the way) -- not exactly convenient for Los Feliz Chris. But the important thing is that bike arrived intact -- no damage. Just put it back together and looking forward to a spin in the morning.

When I checked into the Outrigger Resort (OK, nothing fancy) -- get the feeling the island is pretty dead. Tourism is at a close to all time low given the economic landscape and it would appear this hotel is pretty empty. Anyway, wasn't going to train today, but was so ansty after sitting all day (despite only 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night), went out for a 60 minute run in the dusky drizzle. Warm and very humid, I recon-ed the area, looking for the local grocery, etc. Felt pretty good. Now just getting settled and hitting the hay early, hoping to see the sun for at least a bit tomorrow.

Unpacking, couldn't resist a couple shots of my nutrition. Sort of insane. And even with all this astronaut food, I'm looking at it thinking I didn't bring enough -- I need more.

On My Way....

2008-11-22T07:06:00.001-08:00

At LAX right now with an hour to kill before I board my flight, thinking about how I will be going for a swim here by the Kailua Pier.

Ran around all day yesterday picking up supplies -- fresh pair of Brooks running shoes, socks, tire tubes, a running singlet, a sweet Castelli cycling bib, new cycling gloves, some Fluid recovery drink, and a sweet new Rocket Science sleeveless wetsuit -- this is the company that just came out with a new FINA approved super fast swimming bodysuit -- apparently faster / more boutyant that the Speedo LZR -- causing quite a controversial stir in the competitive swimming world. Check out this article in SwimNews.com for the beef. Anyway, I now have the essentials to compete. Will still need to pick some stuff up on the Island -- backup bike parts, tools, coolers, etc. But I was able to get what I need, so very psyched to be dialed!

Packing was a bear. Thank god I was able to rent an TRI-ALL-3 bike case on a tip from my buddy Brian Lasky. This is the premium box, making the bike packing process far simpler than those crazy clamshell cases that require basically taking the entire bike apart. Up till midnight packing, then up at 4:30 to get to the airport. We loaded the 2 little sleepy girls in car, fit the bike box in (remarkably -- thank god for the Volvo SUV with 3 rows of seats) and my wife Julie dropped me off. Hawaiin Airlines charged me $140 for my luggage! $100 for the bike box and $20 for each of my 2 other bags. What!?!?! They told me that since I booke my flight after August they had to charge me for ALL checked bags. Never heard of that one before. But whatever -- I'm going to Hawaii, right?

I have a 2 hour layover in Oahu, then a connector to Kona. It will likely be dark by the time I get all checked in, so no training today. Plan to wake up and get out on the bike in the morning, head down to the pier and go for a swim. Can't wait.

Props from Lance Armstrong's Agent!

2008-11-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

Just got an e-mail on Facebook from Bill Stapelton -- Lance Armstrong's long-time uber-agent -- wishing me good luck at Ultraman. Could there possibly be anything cooler than that?!?!

Alot of people know of Bill as Lance's long-time agent -- he has been with him from the very beginning (since 1995) -- but what most people don't know is that Bill was a member of the 1988 Olympic Team in swimming (200 Individual Medley), a US Champion, an NCAA All-American at the University of Texas, and a double Gold Medalist at the 1987 Pan American Games. If that isn't enough, he is a former VP of the US Olympic Committee and CMO of LIVESTRONG.

I can't say I really know Bill all that well -- I swam against him a few times back in the day (he repeatedly kicked my butt) and we have some mutual friends in common from swimming.

But I just think it is super cool that he would take the time to send me a good luck e-mail. That definitely made my day.....Coolest thing ever.

Almost There!

2008-11-20T18:04:00.001-08:00

Only one more day before I leave for Hawaii and so many damn things I have to take care of before I take off. Just trying not to get too overwhelmed, but I feel like my head is going to explode.

What is amazing is that I am so obsessed with the logisitics of pulling this crazy thing off that I haven't even had time to think about the actual race (maybe that's a good thing my wife says). In truth, I will be relieved to just be standing in the water, lining up for the race. Right now I'm running all over town getting things I need and taking care of countless details -- medical waivers, bike box, race wheel rental, confirming hotel and minivan rental reservations, making sure my crew has all the information they need, and on and on. And the equipment never ends -- tools, bubble wrap for the bike case, extra tubes, CO2 cannisters, cleats, headlamp, reflective tape, blah blah blah. Its seriously like moving a MASH unit. It reminds me of when I produced and directed my short film -- sort of like producing a 3 day movie...And on top of that, tending to my growing law practice. Its been a high-wire act, no doubt.

Not to mention that this race is proving a seriously expensive endeavor. My current budget to cover upcoming costs is about $3,800 -- and that is barebones, cutting out alot of the frills I would like to have but realize its just not going to happen and I am going to have to just make due with what I have; that said, there is no end to the amount of cash you can sink into high end bicycle equipment.

Why can't I just find a good corporate sponsor or two to help me out with all of this? Believe me, I've tried. As far as the nutrition companies, they are great for getting free or reduced rate product. But purse-strings are tight. And I'm not exactly a pro with the resume. I guess they just can't justify the ROI. I'm not asking to make a living, just to cover some of the costs so that getting to the event isn't harder than training for it....Is that too much to ask? Maybe. I dunno. Its just all part of the challenge I suppose.

On that note, my very talented photographer and commercial director friend Stacie Turk approached me yesterday about coming out to Hawaii to produce one or more "spec" commercials revolving around my participation in the race. She has the funding committed by a production house to do it if she can get a product sponsor to commit to use the piece if they like it -- sort of a zero risk scenario marketing opportunity for the right company. And even though its ridiculously last minute, you would think that someone would be interested, so we'll see. She has approached a number of the companies who produce the products I use -- Trek Bikes, Vega / Sequel Naturals, Newton Running, Hammer Nutrition, etc. So far she has come up against some resistance (Newton passed, thank you very much), but she is a firecracker, so if anyone can pull it off, its Stacie. And she is a genius with the camera -- I have no doubt that she could create an amazing and beautiful spot for the willing client. So stay tuned for an update on that one.

Just sent out another e-mail trying to rally the troops to donate to Maximum Hope Foundation. I hope it spurs another round of donations. I had lunch with Jill & Kimberley from the foundation the other day and it was great to connect with them in person -- they have been a huge support to me, so I hope I can be worthy of their support and raise some more funds for them. They gave me a big bag full of MHF T-shirts for my crew and to hand out at Ultraman, which is pretty cool. If you haven't donated already, there is still time! Click HERE to visit the foundation website and follow the links to donate online -- its easy, and remember, every dollar counts -- even a $5 donation will help a family in need buy milk.

Got out on my newly detailed bike today for a 2 hour spin and a couple Z3 hill repeats up Latigo. Felt great. My body is finally healing and the taper is coming together -- felt like I was flying up the hills no problem -- cool sensation and the beauty of taper. None of that deep burn and fatigue I was feeling on Saturday.

Back to the logistics......Until tomorrow.

Taper!

2008-11-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

Finally, a time to heal.

Well I'm now less than 2 weeks out from Ultraman. Still training, but the load has lifted and now its mostly shorter stuff with some Zone 3 interval work. Its taken my body a full week to even begin to feel slightly normal after that last Race Simulation, and I can still feel the deep fatigue of all the training, especially when I try any speed / top end work. But come race day, I know I will be fresh and ready.

This weekend was very light -- a 3 hour spin on the bike and that was it; quite a change from countless dawn to dusk Saturdays and Sundays. Headed south from the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica through Hermosa and back to avoid all the terrible air quality up north from the Sylmar fires. All flat with some speed work, riding with a group of guys, most of whom are prepping for Ironman Arizona and are also coached by Chris Hauth -- good time and fun to ride with a cool group of guys for a change. Did a bit of Z3 work and was able to hold in the high 300's for watts, getting up above 400 watts a few times, which was pretty cool. But I could feel the deep burn and know I am still very tired from all the heavy weeks prior. At least I didn't have to dumpster dive. Some of the guys I rode with had read my blog, so I caught some grief for that -- well deserved.

After that, I took my bike into Helen's Cycles for a pre-race tuneup. And took the opportunity to stock up on my race nutrition -- I bought $300 worth of stuff -- 2 giant bags of a lifetime supply of EFS gels, eGels, Perpetum, Cliff Blocks, Cytomax, Bonk Breakers (I love these), Endurolytes, Enervit, you name it. I cleaned them out. This plus the 10 bottles of CarboPro1200, and I think I have what I need for the race. I was hoping to land some demo race wheels, but couldn't convince them to loan out their Zipp 303's. So I resorted to renting some Zipp 404 clinchers from Race Day Wheels, which should be delivered to Kona by next Wednesday. I have yet to ride on proper race wheels, so I am excited to check them out.

Tomorrow I have a 90 minute swim followed by a 2 hr 30 bike; Wed a 5 hr ride; Thurs a 90 min run in the am and 60 min run in the pm; Friday is scheduled as a rest day, but this will likely shift, as I travel on Saturday. I dunno about you, but this seems like quite a bit within 2 weeks of the race! I'm going to play it day by day. I'm 42, need the rest and do not want to go into this thing tired. I've done everything my coach has asked of me (maybe missed 3-4 workouts in 6 months), but when it comes to resting, I may have to take it into my own hands a bit. I feel like at this point, I need to err on resting versus overdoing anything. I still have a tender right calf / upper achilles, and the last thing I need is a problem on that 52 mile run/

On other fronts, fundraising for Maximum Hope is going well -- thanks to all those who have already contributed! I believe I have already raised somewhere around $3,000 with more people pledging daily. Jill Gillett of MHF hooked me up with a publicist, who I spoke with today -- he is endeavoring to get some press on me and the foundation revolving around the race -- so stay tuned on that front.

Meanwhile, I'm working late, trying to shore up all my legal work before I head out on Saturday. And trying to make sure I have enough money in the bank to cover all the impending costs of the trip -- hotels for me and my crew, minivan rental, equipment costs, backup bike rental, food for me and the crew, kayak & paddler rentals -- it all adds up pretty fast. Like a 3 day movie shoot. Or moving a MASH unit. My current budget going forward is $3700. Might need to cut some non-essentials....

Training Recap

2008-11-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

2 weeks out -- time to taper. Finally.

Last weekend I completed my final "Race Simulation" (the third consecutive torture session in three weeks), designed to approximate race conditions. It was beyond brutal, essentially training dawn to dusk three days straight on the heels of three exhausting weeks of punishment, completing 95% of the Ultraman distance. I almost didn't make it, but somehow I survived. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger....so they say. And this time I took it to the brink.

Here's the breakdown:

THURSDAY -- Warmup: 55 mile climbing ride -- hit some of the major Santa Monica Mountains climbs in my area -- Topanga and 2x Stunt, a steep 4 mile ascent. Felt pretty magic on those hills -- it was nice. But this was just my warmup for the 3 days to come...

FRIDAY -- Approximating DAY 1 of the race, which will be a 10K ocean swim followed by a 90 mile ride from Kona to Volcanoes Nat'l Park: started the morning with 10,000 yards of swimming as follows -- 3000 swim; 1500 pull; 2500 swim; 1000 pull; 2000 swim -- 60 secs rest in between. My shoulders were screaming that last 1000 yards, but made it through in decent shape, holding a pretty even pace throughout. Then jumped on my bike for a 75 mile ride. Hit the climbs early -- Topanga (again), Piuma (8 mile ascent) and Rock Store (very steep unrelenting 4 mile climb), then down into Westlake Village for a flat loop home in the dark. Felt pretty good, flying up the hills and powering the flats home. Solid 9 hour training day with about 4,000 feet of elevation gain.

SATURDAY: Approximating DAY 2 of the race, which will be a 170 mile ride from Volcanoes to Hawi: 130 mile ride from Calabasas to Ojai and back. This was a learning experience -- the very hard (and humiliating) way. I was meant to go 145 miles, but fell short. Here's why: I FORGOT to bring any $$ with me to buy food along the way. Idiot! I loaded my bike with about 1800 calories of CarboPro, plus one banana and one Cliff Bar. I generally stop and buy some food about 1/2 into my long rides, as I can't carry any more (french fries are my preferred on the road food -- high in fat / carbs). But at 60 miles in, I realized I had forgotten to bring any money. Arrggghhh! At this moment I should have turned around and headed back to my starting point to get some cash, but I stupidly pushed on. And at about 70 miles I began to bonk. HARD. 65 miles from home without any money or energy. I was lightheaded, a bit delerious, my butt ached and I didn't know what to do. My solution? I dumpster dived. I literally ate some leftover fries and onion rings sitting on a table at a remote burger stand in the middle of nowhere on Route 150 outside Ojai. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? In retrospect, I should have just asked for some free food, but I was too embarrassed. I then turned back and headed home. I was also developing saddle sores and could barely sit. That last 2 hours was grueling -- my power output had plummeted and I just wanted to get home as darkness set in. I crawled to my car after 130 miles, ate everything in site and figured I would bust out the last 15 miles. But it was too late. I tried to go, but I was spent. I couldn't make up for the severe calorie deficit I had created and had to call it a day. Ultra-Bonked. So I learned the hard way what I already knew intellectually. You have to eat! I went home that night completely exhausted, ate everything I could stomach and tried not to think about how I was going to handle a 45 mile run the next morning.

Sunday -- Approximating DAY 3 of the race, a 52 mile run from Hawi to Kona: 45 mile run. Another long hard day at the office. I awoke terribly exhausted and legs throbbing. My wife looked at me like she was ready to take me to the ER I was so fatigued. I did my best to combat the calorie deficit by eating a large breakfast (something I rarely do before a run), knowing that I will nonetheless still be running not only on exhausted legs, but also on inadequate nutrition (and all day at that!). As if running 45 miles on rested legs isn't enough, I seriously doubted how I was going to get through this day so absolutely fatigued. But I checked my thinking brain at the door and headed out, fuel belt loaded up with CarboPro 1200, a super high calorie / electrolyte syrupy drink (which worked great by the way), plus water and Enduroytes -- salt / potassium / magnesium tablets which keep my electrolyes in balance and prevent cramping. I ran the first 21 miles from the Commons in Calabasas to "Dirt Mulholland" -- the dirt road portion of Mulholland Drive which begins in Woodland Hills and climbs East basically to the 405 Fwy. I took it to the Nike Missle Tower (the back), which is a very hilly ascent with over 1000'+ of elevation gain. I wanted to run on the softer surface, but I also wanted to train my legs not only for the climbing, but the punishing descents. But I really paid for this on the second half of my run -- a long flat out and back from Calabasas down Valley Circle Blvd, around Lake Chatsworth to Santa Susana Pass in Simi Valley and back. At about 28 miles I started to cramp in my right calf, despite all the Enduroytes I was gobbling down. I slowed but continued to run to mile 33 when it seized up on me pretty good. I stopped for 5 minutes, stretched, took in fluids / electrolytes but to no avail. I thought I was done and got ready to call my wife to come and pick me up. Then I thought -- this is what Ultraman is all about! I need to push through this, because this is precisely where the rubber meets the road. What separates the men from the boys. This is the purpose of a run like this -- to push through the pain at those moments when you want to give up; when you feel like you just can't make it. Its easy to run long when you feel good. Its when its hard that you have to elevate your game beyond what you think you are capable of. I recalled the words of my favorite ultra-runner David Goggins, who said that when you think you are at your limit, you are really only at 40% of what you can actually do . So with these thoughts in mind, I started running again, refusing to cave. Slowly, but at least I was running. And as long as I don't stop, I might have a chance at getting home. The sun set and I began my 15 miles death march, but I made it; and I made it without walking -- but when I was done I couldn't have run one foot further; and I looked like hell doing it. I was cooked. Absolute toast, thinking "maybe starting the run with 1000'+ elevation gain and drop wasn't such a good idea after all...."

Sunday night I could barely walk. But then I woke up the next morning feeling pretty good, thinking I haven't trained enough. And therein lie the insanity....

Now I start my taper. Which in Ultraman terms still means 16 hours of training this week, albeit much lighter. The hard work is over and I know in my heart of hearts that I have given it my all. So when I line up at Ultraman I have the confidence to endure. And when it gets tough (and it will), I know I have it deep inside to see it through.

Maximum Hope.......And Final Push

2008-11-07T20:20:00.001-08:00

Just a load of gratitude for all the amazing e-mails I have received over the last day since I sent out my request for donations to the the Maximum Hope Foundation in support of my Ultraman quest. I am overwhelmed by all the support and growing groundswell of immediate contributions to this worthy cause.

Its amazing to me that when I am in service to something greater and bigger and more important than myself, it all becomes worth it. Yes, I love the training. I'd do it anyway. But when its not about me, it makes all the difference.

I have received such incredible words of support from so many people -- high school classmates I have not seen in over 20 years, college classmates, work colleagues, friends and extended family. I am overwhelmed with emotion at the support. So what started out as a fun personal challenge has morphed into a quest with much greater meaning. A quest where the stakes are raised, and we can make a real and immediate positive difference for people in need.

So PLEASE PLEASE contribute anything you can -- no matter how small -- to this most worthy charity. Remember, every penny counts, as 100% of the funds I raise will go DIRECTLY and IMMEDIATELY to a family in need. So even $5 will allow a struggling family with a chronically ill child to buy milk...or juice...or help pay their gas bill. Literally, the smallest contributions make a difference.

Again, click HERE for the link to the Maximum Hope Foundation.

And click HERE for the online contribution page -- you can contribute via PayPal or a credit card.

I've had some great e-mails with Jill Garrett, the founder of Maximum Hope. She is thrilled at the response already, so let's keep the $$ flowing in! She's even working on getting me a publicist so we can get the word out on a wider mass level. SHe is also going to put up a page on the MHF site with some info about me and the race. That is so cool -- I am simply beyond words.

On the training front, I am into my last super hard "race simulation weekend". Today I banged out a 10,000 yard swimming workout -- first time I've done that in over 20 years and I could probably count on one hand the number of times I have EVER swam 10K in one workout. Then I jumped right on my bike and rode 75 miles -- alot of climbing on what was a gorgeous perfectly clear 80 degree sunny and windy day here in LA. I just finished -- a 9 hour training day.

Tomorrow I ride 140 miles. Then I will wake up on Sunday morning and attempt my longest run yet -- 45 miles! Should be interesting.

Maximum Hope!

The Real Ultraman

2008-11-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

My buddy Drew sent me this rockin' pic. It doesn't get any better.

Maximum Hope Foundation

2008-11-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Well I'm less than a month away. One more excruciating weekend of training ahead, then a big taper as I approach the final weeks of preparation for Ultraman.

Which brings me to a vital and essential component of my participation in this years event -- raising funds on behalf of the Maximum Hope Foundation.

For anyone who knows me personally or who has followed this blog, you know that I have taken my commitment to preparing for this event very seriously, sacrificing an unbelievable amount of energy, finances and most importantly, time away from my work, family and four children to properly prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

But even a successful personal result at the event would be a loss without service to a cause greater than myself. Therefore, racing on behalf of a charitable organization I believe in is a vital and essential component of my participation. I considered many worthy organizations before becoming involved in the Maximum Hope Foundation, a small non-profit organization founded by Jill Garrett dedicated to providing financial assistance to families who have been financially devastated due to the excessive costs and problems associated with caring for a terminally ill child or adult battling a life threatening disease. Maximum Hope’s goal is to alleviate some of the anguish of these daily financial challenges and burdens by supplying a ‘boost’ to families in need who can no longer handle the every day expenses of rent, car payments, food, counseling, utilities, etc, which can be insurmountable when faced with the costs of extensive, ongoing medical care.

Unfortunately, too many people die waiting for medical treatment because they can’t afford it or that they survive, but then literally can’t afford to live. What impressed me about Maximum Hope is that (unlike almost every other charitable organization) virtually 100% of the money raised goes directly to people in need here in L.A. and California. Even with insurance, cancer is a very expensive illness and we all know that not everyone is insured and not everyone has someone to turn to. Although my family has not been directly affected by catastrophic illness, I have many close friends over the last year alone that have been devastated by cancer. Raising funds on behalf of Maximum Hope is not only my way of giving back but is an opportunity for all of us to do something to positively impact our community and all of the people who so desperately need the kind of help Maximum Hope offers.

I sincerely hope you will join me to help provide Maximum Hope with a donation so the maximum number of people who need it can benefit.

If you are interested in supporting my effort for Maximum Hope, here is how you can help. You can donate by pledging a flat donation of any amount you wish. I realize these are challenging economic times, and that finances are difficult for everyone right now. But even a small donation can go a long way towards making a significant difference for families in need. Therefore, both myself and Maximum Hope greatly appreciate any contribution you can afford to make.

For more information on Maximum Hope, click HERE.

Donations can be made very easily online via credit card or PayPal by clicking HERE.

And again, for more information on the 2008 Ultraman World Championships, click HERE.

In addition, I am happy to answer any questions you may have about Maximum Hope. Feel free to e-mail me anytime at rich@indielawgroup.com or call me at 310.804.8857.

I sincerely hope you can take the time to donate to this most worthy cause!

Final Countdown.....

2008-11-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been off radar for a bit, but I honestly just haven't had a single free moment to update the blog. Its pretty much been training, working, training, kids, training, sleeping, training, eating, training, wife, training, training.....Almost there -- just trying to keep the unbalanced parts of my life from completely falling apart in the meantime......Just need to hang tough for one last final hard week push...

I keep thinking my work is done. That I should be tapering full on. But not quite yet. In the last 2 weeks I have laid down 2 race simulations....One more to go and that's it. And believe me, as much as I love it, I'm ready for the training to be over. I have blasted my body so far beyond anything I ever thought I would be capable of and only have to get through what will be my toughest weekend yet, then I can breathe a sigh of relief and KNOW that I am ready for Ultraman. That I have done everything I can over the last 7 months to be ready..

Here's what's been going on:

2 WEEKS AGO: RACE SIMULATION #1: After a relatively light week, I put in a solid race simulation weekend, which included a 100 mile ride on Saturday followed by a marathon run on Sunday. I have to say this is the best I have felt yet. The 100 mile ride felt like a light walk in the park, clocking in at 5 hours 20 minutes at a very manageable / conversational Z2 pace. When I was done, didn't feel like I had done anything, which was quite remarkable! Sunday morning I could feel some heaviness in my legs, so eased into the marathon, holding a steady yet very manageable Z2 pace, building to a negative split to finish in 3:30 -- my fastest marathon ever -- done on tired legs on a whim. This was a huge confidence building weekend. I just felt great, fast and easy. And Monday morning, my legs felt fine -- would never have guessed I ran brisk marathon the day before, let alone a marathon on the heels of a 100 mile ride!

LAST WEEK: RACE SIMULATION #2: This was my hardest week yet. An absolute bone crusher, made all the more challenging by uncooperative cold and rainy weather. The focus here is light on the weekdays, with all the focus on Fri - Sun. Here's how it went down, day by day:

TUESDAY: 5500 yd swim workout in my new Sailfish "Furious" Skin Suit -- (pictured above) a gift from my coach who is sponsored by the company and also the fastest skin suit on the market -- over 1/2 of the top 20 pro male finishers at Kona wore this suit. Like a Speedo LZR type suit with a bit more neoprene for a semi-wetsuit effect and feel. Felt great. Can't wait to use the suit in the warm Hawaiian Pacific...

WEDNESDAY: Light 3 hour spin ride -- nothing focused or too challenging -- just to work out the kinks in the legs.

THURSDAY: 90 minute Z2 run -- 10.9 miles easy. Felt like nothing. Easy and light, like brushing my teeth.

FRIDAY: Here's where I upped the intensity ten-fold. 7 kilometers of swimming (pool), including some long sets (15 min / 10 min / 5 min swims; 10x400 @ 60 secs rest, etc.). Right out of the pool and onto the bike for 60 miles of focused Z3 climbing and Z2 flats. Hit Topanga and Stunt Road (twice) climbs. Felt really good, fit and strong -- could feel some good power in my legs.

SATURDAY: 125 mile ride. Long hard day in the saddle. Rainshowers and cold. Wet and miserable. First 65 miles all climbing -- Topanga, Piuma, Stunt, Rock Store, interspersed with very careful wet descents and 3 flat tires, which was really tough mentally -- wet and cold changing tires, the loss of momentum and cooling off, etc. This was not fun. Then hit flats around to Las Posas / PCH to Neptune's Net, where the sun set as I turned to climb Mulholland Hwy from PCH to the 23 -- a 10+ mile climb in total deserted darkeness, which was cool but a bit creepy, especially since I had no more tubes and risked getting stranded if I flat again. But got a good second wind on this climb and finished strong, dumping back down into Westlake and finishing in Agoura. But what should have been about a 7 hour ride took me over 10 hours with the rain and mechanical issues, so didn't get home until about 8:30 pm completely spent, wet, fried and starving, wondering how in the heck I was going to wake up the next morning and run 35 miles.

SUNDAY: Awoke early to pouring rain and throbbing thighs. Drove to my office in Venice and embarked on my 35 mile run from here, thinking I'll give it a shot, but my legs are so tired, I may just end up bagging it after 8-10 miles. I loaded up with a new fuel option -- CarboPro 1200 -- a thick orange syrupy type liquid that contains 1200 calories per 16 oz bottle. Its been highly recommended (as well as used by David Goggins), so giving it a try. The first hour was a slugfest struggle, my legs aching. But after about an hour I gradually loosened up and felt OK. Certainly not great -- just OK in a surviving kind of way. I just put my head down, discarded any thought of looking at my pace, focused on holding my HR at 134 and getting it done. Which I did. The last 4-5 miles were quite tough, but the sun did come out which helped and just put one foot in front of the other, completing the run at around 8:00 - 8:30 pace over the last 5-6 miles. And importantly, no walking. I negative split the loop and finished in 5 hours 17 minutes -- certainly nothing great, but not bad at all considering I was so tired going into this run I really didn't think I would be able to do it at all. And the CarboPro 1200 worked great. No stomach issues. No bonking. No need to eat anything else. Took Endurolytes & Thermolytes for electrolytes, plus water. That was it -- no gels, no Cytomax, no bars. So I think I've found the right nutrition for my Ultraman run....In any event, last night I was the most tired I have been yet and almost unable to move my legs at all.

THIS WEEK: Again, a few relatively light workouts leading up to the weekend, where I will do my LAST but LONGEST and HARDEST race simulation yet -- 9K swim / 75 mile ride on Friday; 155 mile ride on Saturday; 45 mile run on Sunday.

I'll let you know how it goes...But I can honestly say that if I can make it through this next week in one piece, I will be so ready for Ultraman -- mentally, physically and spiritually. I will be as fit as I ever could have imagined becoming 7 months ago when I embarked on this journey...

Goggins

2008-10-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

Such a badass...At the Ironman World Championships in Kona a few weeks back, Goggins parachuted into the bay for the swim start, then did the full IM, by far his shortest race of the year, I'm sure.

Click HERE for a great interview with Goggins on slowtwitch.com

Jason Lester -- How Cool Is This Guy!?!?

2008-10-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is so inspiring.

Jason Lester is an experienced Ironman triathlete who will be participating in this year's Ultraman. This year alone he has completed the Hilo/Volcano Ultramarathon, Ironman Arizona, the ITU World Championships, the Pacific Crest Endurance Duathlon, Ultraman Canada, AND the Ironman World Chamionships in Kona a few weeks back.

Unbelievable. And if that is isn't impressive enough in its own right, Jason has only one functional arm -- the result of a car accident back in 1986.

He is an inspiration to many and I for one am really looking forward to meeting this guy when I get out to Hawaii.

Click HERE for a recent article on Jason in the Honolulu newspaper.

The clip is an excerpt from a documentary on Jason and his journey. And I believe he is also developing a narrative feature film on his life story.

Click HERE for the website for the film CHASING ME.

On Tap...

2008-10-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

42 days till Ultraman. That's just 6 weeks left. 3 more "hard" weeks, then taper.

This week has been pretty intense. Put in 12,000 yards of swimming on Thursday (yeah baby!) and a 5 hour ride today (a walk in the park). This weekend I have a 10 hour ride on Saturday, then a 4 hour run on Sunday, capping a 26 hour training week. Feeling strong!

After this weekend, things will begin to shift a bit. Weekdays will become progressively lighter, but I still have 3 Race Simulation weekends -- doing 80 - 90% of the Ultraman double Ironman distance on each of the next three Fri/Sat/Sun cycles. Then the taper.

Recovery is good, endurance is huge, confidence is growing and speed is on the horizon. But the reality of the task at hand is also starting to become very real. I wouldn't say daunting, but real. Let's say I have a healthy respect for the intensity of my goal....

I'll check in on Monday....

Another Beast of a Week Under My Belt

2008-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

I am spent.

Another 25 hour training week under my belt. And this was the hardest one yet -- a beast, culminating in another 4 day "Race Simulation" and my longest swimming and riding days to date. Here's how the 4 day simulation went down:

Thursday: 12,000 yards of swimming over 2 workouts. In the morning I went 8,000, broken at the 2,000 with 20 seconds rest in between. My goal was just to maintain a consistent pace throughout with no energy dropoff, approximating my pace for the 10K Ultraman swim. I felt good and got it done in under 2 hours, finishing just as strong as the start, which is a good indication of my fitness over my longest swim workout since college. I came back in the afternoon with another 4,000 swim workout, a set of descending distances, picking up the pace as the distance decreased. Felt pretty good. Aerobically no problems and shoulders seemed to hold up well.

Friday: Shoulders were a bit sore but otherwise felt pretty fresh. Put in a solid 4 hour ride up PCH to Hueneme and back and felt as good as I have ever felt on the bike. Fought headwinds on the way up and blasted the back half with tailwinds, feeling like I was in the pro peloton, hitting an average speed above 25 mph, which was really fun, finishing as the sun went down around 7pm. Gorgeous sunset on the PCH as I cruised by all the sail surfers at dusk. This was a great ride. But not much time to recover before the big day....

Saturday: 11 hour / 160 mile ride. This was a beast. I woke at 4am and was on the road before 5 am. It was absolutely pitch black dark and FREEZING. I knew it might be a cold morning, but I was totally unprepared for just how cold. Despite 3 layers and arm warmers, I don't think I've ever been this cold. I rode shivering for the first 3 1/2 hours, my feet and hands completely numb -- up through Calabasas, north across Santa Susana Pass and down into Simi Valley, then West on Los Angeles Avenue, through Moorpark to Somis. At 8:30 am the sun was finally up, but I wasn't warming up. I stopped at a gas station and had to soak my feet and hands in boiling water for 20 minutes just to get the feeling back. But after this I was fine. I rode through downtown Ventura, then up Route 33 through Ojai, then East on Route 150 to Santa Paula -- gorgeous countryside and great riding. Was keeping my pace consistent and working on eating enough to keep my energy solid, although I still struggle with solid foods on the bike, resorting mostly to Perpetum, a high caloric liquid. I tried to keep away from sugary drinks until the last 4 hours for fear of bonking. From Santa Paula I headed East on Route 126, then South on Route 23 through Grimes Canyon, which looks like the surface of the moon -- very eerie sandy desolate canyon pass. Then back to Los Angeles Avenue into Simi and back up Santa Susana Pass into Chatsworth, then to Calabasas. I still had about 45 minutes to go, so I headed up Old Topanga Canyon for one last climb in an effort to approximate the Ultraman Day 2 ride, which is relatively flat for the first 2/3 of the day before alot of climbing at the end. My energy started to waiver that last 90 minutes, but I held tough and got it done. One thing I learned -- I need to work on eating more solid foods. And I need a new saddle. My butt was killing me and this hurt me tremendously as I couldn't get comfortable the last 4 hours. But all in all, my longest ride yet. I was supremely spent when I got home and actually had a hard time getting food down -- my appetite was shot. But I forced myself to eat as much as I could and hit the sack, worried about how I was going to handle Sunday's long run.

Sunday: 3 hour run. When I woke up, my legs were so thrashed, I seriously doubted whether I was going to be able to handle this run. When faced with these thoughts, I just have to turn my brain off and go. I loaded up my fuel belt and headed out. My legs were very heavy the first 30 minutes, but they loosened up and I ended up feeling fine. I built into the run and ended up feeling pretty good, a big surprise and great indication of just how massive my endurance base is right now. I worked on my climbing and descents, trying to acclimate my legs to the pounding of going downhill, which can bury a runner on a long run when not used to this. I also had no issues keeping my heart rate squarely in Zone 2 between 130 - 140 bpm, which has become very comfortable -- I could run all day in this zone. The last 30 minutes were tough no doubt, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how well I did on this run. But as soon as it was over, my legs were throbbing. Thank God for Monday's rest day.

Another great confidence boost at 50 days out from Ultraman. And the 11 hour ride really gave me a sense of just how hard that Day 2 ride is going to be. A couple more hard weeks before taper. Just trying to keep my focus....

Today...Swimming

2008-10-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

Just swam 8200 yards. My longest swim workout in 20 years. 8000 broken every 2000 with 15 seconds rest, then 200 warmdown. Can't say I was "fast", but felt pretty good to get this under my belt. Gotta get ready for that 6 mile swim in 7 weeks!

Tonight -- another 4000 yard swim workout. I should sleep well tonight.

Josef Ajram -- Spanish Ultraman!

2008-10-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

I have been chatting on Facebook with Josef Ajram, a Spanish endurance athlete who did Ultraman last year and will be competing this year. He is a pretty studly athlete and has put together a few cool little promo videos from last year's Ultraman I thought I would share. I can feel the heat and pain coming through the computer, but these are helping me get psyched up....

All the pain and stiffness from my 40 mile run have evaporated and I'm back to work. Put in a solid 5200 yd swim workout yesterday followed by a one hour spin ride. This morning I hit the bike pretty hard, tackling a few of the hard climbs in my beloved Santa Monica Mountain backyard playground -- Piuma, Stunt and Saddle Peak. Feeling great and ready for the last hard push. Committing to focusing more on my nutrition as well. No more late night potato chip feasts! Tomorrow -- a 2 hr morning swim workout and a 1 hr evening swim workout. Time to really get ready for that 10K swim.

40 Mile Run Recap

2008-10-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

I smoked that 40 mile run like a cheap cigar.

Have to say, the experience of doing my first 40 mile run exceeded my expectations on all levels -- physically, mentally and spiritually. It was my first time attempting a distance longer than 26.2 miles and although confident in my training to date, I was definitely unsure about how my body, and in particular my legs would handle the volume. Mentally I was ready. And spiritually I was enthusiastic. Only my body could hold me back. But I am happy to report that not only did I get through it, I rocked it.

First, I chose a route that was relatively flat -- from my office in Venice up the Santa Monica bike path, then onto PCH all the way up to Pt. Dume in Malibu and back. Also factoring into my route choice was the fact that there are several gas stations along the way, so I would always be able to pop in, go to the bathroom and rehydrate. I didn't want to be out in the middle of nowhere if something went wrong. I think it was a good choice.

I used an Amphipod fuel belt with 5 large 16 oz. bottles. I filled 2 bottles with Perpetum, a high calorie carbohydrate drink from Hammer Nutrition, each with about 350 calories. The other 3 bottles were filled with Cytomax. In my pouch I carried about 20 Endurolytes electrolyte tablets (another Hammer product), which proved essential, plus several eGels. Then of course, my iPhone.

As advised, I began at a very slow jogging pace for the first 10 miles, erring on the side of overly conservative and keeping my HR at 120 and below. Although my legs were still quite fatigued from all my training, I felt pretty good. I got lucky with an unusually cool overcast day in the low 60's with cool ocean breezes. At the one hour mark, I stopped for 3 minutes at a gas station to take a quick bathroom break and grab some water, then back on the road. Felt good and easy for the next hour, stopping again at the 2 hour mark for 5 minutes to again go to the bathroom. Even though I didn't feel like I needed it, I quickly grabbed some water, gatorade and a Cliff Bar, making sure I was taking in at least 300 calories an hour and 16 oz of fluid -- the last thing I wanted was to bonk in the final few hours. As for my listening pleasure, I chose to listen to an audiobook for the first 4 hours to relax -- Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Heady I know, but it allowed me to relax and gave my mind something to focus on other than running. I knew if I listened to music too early, I was likely to get excited and go out a bit too fast.

I began to ever so slowly pick up the pace for the next hour and hit the 20 mile turnaround point at 3 hours and 17 minutes feeling relatively fresh. My legs felt totally fine and aerobically I was great. My heart, lungs and breathing all felt relaxed, almost a non-issue as I maintained a HR around 130-135 bpm.

I began to increase the pace a bit for the next ten miles, raising my HR to around 130 - 135 bpm, switched to my favorite music playlist and built each mile. I made my final quick pit stop around 4 hours, grabbing water and a big Red Bull for the final 2 hour push. At this point, my thighs were starting to really burn, especially on the sides. But my knees, calves and achilles heels all felt fine. I had been worried about injury, particularly in the knees, but they were holding up well despite all the pavement pounding. I started taking in the Endurolytes every 20 minutes or so, worried about thigh cramps and was reluctant to make any more stops for fear my legs might seize up.

At the 30 mile mark I was joined by my friend Arno Kroner, a marathoner preparing for the Long Beach Marathon this upcoming weekend. He was a godsend -- brought me another Red Bull and paced me for the final leg, pushing me to pick up the pace. My thighs were screaming and I was starting to leave my body -- a very ethereal spiritual experience. By all accounts I was exhausted and without Arno I likely would have slogged to the finish. But instead, we accelerated and I was able to begin holding sub-8 minute mile pace over the last 8 miles, finishing with a surge and far stronger than I ever imagined I would be capable of.

Final time: 6 hours 21 minutes for 41 miles (due to crossing the street, etc. the run ended up being a bit longer than the google map version). The great thing about this was that I negative split the route -- my second half was a full 13 minutes faster than the first half (3:17 / 3:04), which is a great indication of my level of fitness. The data shows that most great endurance performances and records are achieved in negative split scenarios, so I was very happy about how I paced this run. I probably could have gone a bit faster from mile 10 to 20 and from mile 20 to 30.

And I never cramped. Endurolytes were huge in staving off my cramping -- I highly recommend this product from Hammer Fitness. Afterwards I was extremely sore in my thighs and very tired, but not delerious or overly out of it. I took an ice bath that night which did wonders and the next day I felt pretty good. Sore of course, but nothing too serious.

Although I have to say that I'm not sure I could have run another 12 miles, it was still a huge mental confidence boost at 56 days out from Ultraman. Beyond the additional mileage of the Day 3 double marathon, I will have to contend with tired legs, 85+ degree heat, 90% humidity and strong winds, which will prove quite challenging compared to the chilly drizzly day I had on Saturday. But I'll be ready. And knowing I can do 40 miles will prove a huge mental boost. The double marathon run has been my biggest worry but now I know I will be able to handle it. It was a quantum leap physically and mentally.

On the spiritual front, this was one of the more spiritual endeavors I have ever experienced. I had several moments of out of my body, a disassociation of spirit from mind and physical, where the pain was gone and I was floating. Akin to a deep meditative state of no mind generally only achieved through a deep meditative state. It was glorious.

Its now Monday morning and my legs are healing and I'm ready for another hard 2 week training cycle. Getting down to the nitty gritty.

Having now run a distance longer than a marathon, I guess I can now consider myself an official ultra runner. Feels great.

Bengal Tigers, Navaratri, Durga, "Life" and a 40 Miler....

2008-10-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well, its been an interesting few days.

First, we rented our house out to NBC to shoot the prime time TV show "Life". We live in a modern architectural home and it has been an attractive destination for location productions over the last few years. In fact, its been a great side business. But over the last year, it has dried up somewhat. Money has been quite tight and I have had alot of anxiety about how I am going to incur all the expenses of Ultraman. Its not a cheap endeavor. I need flights, hotel rooms, bike transport, minivan rental, crew costs, lots of food. I need to put up and feed my crew. I need alot of extra bike equipment. I need race wheels. A new wetsuit. New cycling shoes. Lots of stuff. Believe me, it all adds up. I truly didn't know how I was going to swing it all. But I had faith that getting to UM was consistent with God's plan for me. And God delivered. This 3 day shoot will pay alot of bills and cover my trip. Just in time. So grateful. And the irony that the shoot is for a television show called "Life" is not lost on me.

But what is really cool, interesting and more than auspicious is that there were 3 Bengal Tigers at my house for the last couple days. These supreme cats were part of the shoot. On Wednesday the cats arrived and they spent the day acclimating to the environment. My wife took some amazing photos and video of these spectacular creatures walking around our house on leashes, on the pool deck, in our living room (I will post them later). It was simply amazing. But what is more incredible (bordering on stupefying) is the fact that the day they arrived happend to coincide with the first day of "Navaratri", which is one of the biggest celebrations in Hinduism, particularly in the BENGAL region of India. It is the celebration of the goddess “Durga” -- a fierce warrior goddess that rides a BENGAL TIGER. Navaratri is the celebration of the warrior spirit, the manifestation of abundance and creative wisdom. Needless to say, I find this mindblowing "coincidence" to be quite a good and auspicious sign. An infusion of warrior energy for my training and a solid high five from the Creator that I am meant to go to Hawaii!

Tomorrow I attempt my first 40 mile run. And I will take the warrior spirit of Navaratri with me. Should be quite an experience. Report to follow......

Garmin Forerunner 405

2008-10-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

I really really want this. And I'm gonna get it.

Training Update

2008-09-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

I just completed a ridiculously intense 2 weeks of training, with a spotlight on running -- crunch time to get me ready for that Ultraman Day 3 52 mile run. Almost 25 hours this week, including 60+ miles of running -- by far the most running I have ever done in a week. The good news: my running is progressing very well. My endurance is huge and I am gaining confidence in my ability to handle the double marathon.

The bad news: by Sunday I was totally spent. Had nothing left in the tank and had to cut my 6 hour ride short; I was borderline hallucinatory and couldn't push my HR above 100; indicia of extreme fatigue and overtraining. Despite my obsessive / compulsive urge to get the 6 hours in anyway, I know myself well enough to know when my training becomes counterproductive, so I called it a day. I suppose this is somewhat good in that it indicates that I gave this 2 week cycle everything I had -- took it all the way to the line. Today is my first rest day in 2 weeks and this week will be a rest week (16 hours of training is considered a rest week!). Then this weekend I will attempt that 40 mile run. I am actually getting excited about it. And after this past 2 weeks, I have greater confidence in my ability to get it done.

It was a very hot week in the West Valley with temps in the 96 - 98 degree range, so it was a great opportunity to acclimatize to what it will be like in Hawaii. In particular, I tried to time my runs for the hottest part of the day to work on hydration and nutrition. Here's how last week went down:

Monday: 3800 yd swim workout followed immediately by 2 hour Z2 (32 mile) ride

Tuesday: 1 hour 45 minute (13 mile) run

Wednesday: 3 hour 45 minute (60 mile) ride

Thursday: 4000 yd swim workout followed immediately by a 2 hr 15 minute (17 mile) run

Friday: 4300 yd swim workout followed immediately by a 3 hour Z2 (50 mile) ride

Saturday: 2 hr 45 minute run in the morning (20+ miles); and 90 minute (11 mile) evening run -- 31 miles of running in one day!

Sunday: was meant to ride 6 hours, but as I said, I was toast. Put in less than 3 hours of weak effort and had to call it a day.

40 Mile Run -- Say What!?!?

2008-09-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Got some good feedback from my coach Chris Hauth today -- seems I'm progressing nicely in prep for Ultraman, which is now just a little over 8 weeks away, leaving me about 5 weeks of real training before a 3 week taper.

I'm on the second week of a heavy training cycle (24 hours this week), then a rest week, then, ready for this.......a 40 mile run!

Suffice it so say that despite all of the heavy training I have done over the last 7 months, I have never run longer than 2 hours 30 minutes in one session -- part of the Chris Hauth philosophy of building the majority of endurance on the bike and avoiding unnecessary injury. And although my training is becoming more "run focused" as I approach race day, I have never attempted anything like this. The run is definitely my blind spot and I am far from even considering myself a "runner" let alone an "ultra-runner". In fact, the farthest I have ever run at one time is a marathon, and not a very fast one at that. But obviously, I need to get ready for a 52 mile run (or jog, run, walk), so this type of run is necessary and inevitable.

I need to start mentally preparing now...I am equal parts excited and terrified. But it will be an adventure. And I know if I can get through it intact, it will pay huge dividends on the mental front when I'm staring down a boiling hot highway after 2 days of racing trying to finish 52 miles. I'll keep ya posted!

NYT -- Staying a Step Ahead of Aging

2008-09-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

My buddy Arno Kroner sent me the link to this interesting article published early this year in the New York Times on staving off age deterioration through proper training in older athletes.

The article surveys studies done on runners in their 40's, 50's and 60's and determines that consistent training at high intensity is a key determinative of maintaining or improving performance later in life. Basically, consistent training at intensity over volume.

Click HERE to check it out.

Training Update and Race Simulation Recap

2008-09-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

I just rounded out another 25 hour training week, culminating in another 3 day Ultraman "Race Simulation" over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The good news is that I was able to crank out the simulation stronger, faster and easier than my last bout a few weeks back. Most noteable is my running ability, which is really progressing well as my training focus has shifted into more running intensive weeks in prep for that daunting Ultraman Day 3 52 mile run.

Here's how it went down:

Monday: was supposed to swim 4800 yds., but had to miss this workout. I have to work sometimes! I hate missing any training sessions and have only missed maybe 4-5 over the last 6 months. But if I have to miss one, the swim workouts are the best to miss for me, as this is my strength. I can't afford to miss any cycling or running workouts.

Tuesday: 71 mile / 4 hour Zone 2 ride. Nothing too focused. Legs felt great after a rest day and a light training weekend due to the Nautica Malibu race.

Wednesday: 15 mile Zone 2 run. Felt great. Like brushing my teeth in the morning.

Thursday: 2 hour / 36 mile Zone 2 spin. Easy riding, nothing to stressful, getting ready for the race simulation.

ULTRAMAN RACE SIMULATION

Friday (DAY 1): 8000 yard swim workout (8x1000 alternating pull/swim); felt great and just as strong on the last 1000 as on the first. Hopped out of the pool and banged out a 4 hour hard climbing ride on a hot afternoon, including ascents of Topanga and twice up the steep Stunt Road. Legs fresh as a daisy. Pushed it hard, trying to simulate race effort and finished strong.

Saturday (DAY 2): 7 hour / 120 mile ride with Kona qualifier Dave Meyer and fellow attorney Bob Steinberg. Up PCH from Cross Creek, acended Latigo to Mulholland Hwy to Route 23, down into Westlake, around Lake Sherwood, up Portola to Lynn Road and out to Las Posas. Then cut over and up to Oxnard and north to downtown Ventura, then back to Malibu down PCH. Long day in the saddle and finished strong, able to hang with Dave for the most part, but struggled a bit on the climbs due to my previous day's ride. But much stronger and faster than my previous Day 2 simulation.

Sunday (DAY 3): 2 hr 15 minute Zone 2 run in the morning (about 17 miles) and felt incredible. No residual fatigue from the previous day's long ride, which was amazing. Legs were tired mid-day, but then went out again in the early evening for another 1 hour 30 minute (almost 10 miles) run and felt great. Legs were tired for sure, but was able to bang out the same pace and felt I could have kept going at least another 30 minutes at that clip. This beats my previous simulation not only in pace but in distance / time (added 45 minutes to the runs). Also, not quite as tired on Sunday night. Legs were shot, but I wasn't completely out of it, which was great.

Monday: normally this would be a rest day. But I only have about 6 weeks left of real training, so I was at it again -- 3800 yd swim workout followed immediately by a 2 hour ride. My legs were fried and had a hard time getting my HR up into Zone 2 - an indication of fatigue.

Here's what's on tap for the rest of the week (24 hours of training total for this week):

Tuesday: 90 minute Zone 2 run

Wednesday: 3 hr 45 minute ride

Thursday: 4000 yd swim / 2 hour run

Friday: 4300 yd swim / 3 hour bike

Saturday: @ hr 30 minute run in the am; 1 hour run in the pm

Sunday: 5 hour ride (a light day!)

Pablo Morales and Gold Medal Mel Stewart

2008-09-18T13:58:00.001-07:00

Just a quick little interview I though I would share conducted by Mel Stewart, 1992 200 meter butterfly Gold Medalist in the 200 meter butterfly with my old teammate and friend Pablo Morales, the winningest swimmer in NCAA history, 2 time Olympian and multiple world record holder.

Pablo and I not only swam together at Stanford, we completed our final year at Cornell Law School together when he returned after his historic swimming comeback when he won the Gold Medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 100 meter butterfly.

Pablo is now the head women's swimming coach at the University of Nebraska and is also a partner in FINIS, the swim training manufacturer that produces the monofin and center-mount snorkel (as well as an assortment of other great swim training products) that have both become integral training tools.

Pablo was not only the Michael Phelps of his day (as well as a huge influence on Phelps himself), he is a first rate class act guy.

Click HERE to view Pablo's Gold Medal winning 100 meter butterfly at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. After a celebrated 1984 Olympics in which he fell short of an individual Olympic Gold Medal, Pablo overtrained in 1988 and failed to make the Olympic Team, shocking the swimming world0. He retired from the sport and headed to Cornell Law School, only deciding to attempt a comeback after 2 years of sedentary studies when his mother fell ill and passed away. Miraculously, he not only made the team in 1992, he won his first Olympic individual Gold, staging one of the greatest comebacks in Olympic history.

Podcasts

2008-09-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Many people ask me, "How do you handle the mental drudgery on your 7 hour+ rides?"

In general, I don't find it to be that difficult. I have become acclimated to them and actually find it to be quite meditative. Generally, the first hour is toughest until I settle into a rhythm, and then I typically enter into a place of total "now" (as Eckhart Tolle would say). It becomes deeply meditative -- I lose time, I am present and I am nowhere to be found. Something about being in that Zone 2 aerobic zone allows me to quiet the mind completely. To coin a trite phrase, it is extremely Zen. And despite the heavy legs, I generally feel completely refreshed mentally and spiritually afterwards. It is definitely a spiritual practice, part of what is so appealing about it for me.

But there are times when I need a bit of assistance to get me through the day. And although I resist overdependence on my iPod, I'm not afraid to use it during my longer training sessions. But I can only listen to my favorite music so much before I tire of it. And I can't listen to music for hours on end. I generally reserve my favorite training tunes for the last hour on a ride or the last half hour on my longer runs when I want to kick things into a higher gear and finish strong. But what about all the Zone 2 slogging hours? My solution -- podcasts! Why not learn something while you are training? I suppose I could listen to audiobokks (I've done this), but podcasts are free and many can be highly informative. A simple search on iTunes can bring up podcasts on every conceivable subject you may be interested in. And I listen to alot. It can require a bit of experimentation before you land on the ones you really like, as quality varies tremendously -- the vast majority are very hack and amateurish. But persistence will prevail and you will no doubt find what you are looking for with a little effort.

Because this is a multisport blog, and upon the urging of my fellow multisport buddy Arno Kroner, I thought I would give you a run down on some of the triathlon, endurance training & multisport podcasts I subscribe to -- I have gleaned alot of great information from these and it can be fun and motivating to listen to them while you train.

Here's a list -- I have included links to the respective websites, many of which also have great blogs. You can also search / subscribe directly through iTunes:

Competitor Radio -- Bob Babbitt of Competitor Magazine & Paul Huddle interview top athletes across a wide variety of multisports; I love these guys.

Ironman Talk -- Top Ironmen Jon Newsom and Bevan James Eyles discuss "all things ironman" from New Zealand.

Deck Pass -- the latest news in competitive swimming. However, this one seems to be on hiatus at the moment.

Endurance Nation -- great training and racing insights from coaches Rich and Patrick; I've learned alot from these guys. Great for the first time ironman.

The Age Grouper -- a couple of average Joe's with heavy midwest accents talk about their racing and training. Sort of a guilty pleasure as these amateurs make their way through the midwest tri circuit.

Endurance Base Camp -- great information on endurance training & nutrition from husband and wife coaching team Gary & Nikki; only annoying when Gary broadcasts while he's running -- it takes him 5 times as long to spit out what he's trying to say. I don't get the appeal. But if you can tolerate this, he has some good things to say.

Endurance Corner -- hosted by endurance legend and top coach Gordo Byrne. This guy really knows his stuff. It can get highly technical, so get your geek on. I love Gordo, not only becuase he won Ultraman in 2002, he has been there and done that and is still cranking. Great tips and some good interviews. One of my favorite podcasts

Endurance Planet -- Interviews, insights and recaps, mostly from the world of ultramarathon running and cycling; very folksy, but some good interviews with top ultra guys like Scott Jurek and Dean Karnazes.

iMultisport -- decent insights on training and racing from the coaches at iMultisport.

IronmanLife -- the official podcast of Ironman, hosted by Kevin McKinnon of Ironman.com and Ironman legend Greg Welch; mostly interviews and race reports from various Ironman events.

Training Bible Coaching -- great training and racing content with interviews and Q&A with Joe Friel and the staff at Joe Friel's TrainingBible coaching. Highly recommend.

TriTalk -- for the super geek; host Dave Warden will tech talk you until you feel like you are in an engineering or biochemistry lecture. But I find it super informative on subjects ranging from nutrition, training, biology, mechanics and gadgets / gear. This guy really does his homework, including reviewing medical journals on the latest findings in sports medecine. One of my favorites, although he seems to have gone off radar lately.

Non-Multisport Podcasts -- just a few I like:

KCRW's The Business -- Claude Brodesser-Ackner delves into the business of Hollywood.

Ted Talks -- brief 20 minute talks from the Ted Conference; pioneering geniuses bring you insights from the cutting edge of technology, politics, media & science. This is an AMAZING podcast.

This American Life -- Ira Glass' well known radio show. I love it, but it can be a bit depressing at times; maybe not the most motivating thing to listen to while training.

LOSTCasts -- I'm such a dork; everything you didn't want to know about LOST and LOST theories. I'm a nerd; I admit it, but I love it.

Creative Screenwriting Magazine -- Jeff Goldsmith interviews top screenwriters.

Nautica Malibu Olympic Distance Triathlon -- Race Recap

2008-09-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

I still have a lot to learn. But I hate when stuff goes wrong that you have little control over.

I raced the Nautica Malibu Olympic Distance Triathlon on Saturday. I had a great time doing it, but had some frustrations too. Here's a bit of a recap:

SWIM: First off, it was a beautiful warm foggy morning. The ocean was glassy, with the exception of a perfectly formed beach break about 100 feet offshore. When the gun went off, it was a bit of a run to water's edge (more than I'm used to) and couldn't decide how hard I should hit it -- I didn't want to spike my HR too much before the first stroke. But competitiveness got the better of me, and I was off. But once I started swimming, I eased up into a very manageable rhythm and at about 100 meters in, I was tucked in second, with only one other guy on my flank, everyone else in our wake. The leader rounded the first buoy just ahead of me and I decided to let him go; I promised myself I wouldn't overdo it on the swim. Soon I was all alone in second with nothing but clear open water. This can make things difficult, as there is nobody to draft off or follow -- you have to continually lift your head to make sure you are on track, which can be depleting and interrupt your rhythm. But after about 1/2 mile I started catching the slower swimmers from the previous wave and realized I was about 10 meters too far off shore. I kept tacking in, crawling all over the other swimmers, but for some reason I remained in this position. Anyway, no matter. But then my wetsuit started to collect water in my arms -- just enough in each arm to feel like I had 5 lb weights on each wrist. This no doubt slowed me considerably and began to unnecessarily fatigue my shoulders. I'm telling you, I hate wetsuits. True, they can make you faster and I like the bouyancy in my legs, which I generally just drag behind me with little to no kick. But I think I need a sleeveless one -- I can't stand not being able to feel the water with my arms -- which is the key to an efficient stroke for me. Anyway, I still finished in a decent 20:40 -- second in my age group and 4th fastest amateur swim overall (one of the guys who beat me was only 17 years old!) . Its just annoying when I know I could have gone an 18:00+ without the wetsuit mishap, which would have put me right with the times the top male pros were posting. My ego wanted that, but I guess it will have to wait for another day.

T1: Terrible. After 2 weeks of absolutely brutal training, my expectations for this race were pretty low. My goal was to race smart and controlled. To be relaxed in T1, allow my HR to drop to a reasonable level and start the bike slow and build. But I clocked 3:02 in T1, which is frankly embarrassing. I easily lost another minute here for no reason whatsoever.

BIKE: Again, I promised to start slow and build. Despite my slow T1, my HR was still racing out of transition -- somewhere around 160+, so I coasted the first half mile, barely pedaling. I expected my HR to drop, but it was taking a long time! Still I eased off and waited. But this was only 40K, so I didn't want to wait too long. When it got down to about 150, I started an easy pedaling rhythm. Soon my HR normalized around 148 and I started to feel OK. But I started getting frustrated when around 8K I started getting passed by guys on top end tri bikes and disc wheels. I'm a decent cyclist, but I'm still riding my road bike with an average training wheelset. I hate the fact that I am giving up precious time due to equipment. Oh well. I stuck with the plan. Frankly, I really didn't even start to feel warmed up until just before the halfway mark. A tribute to all the very long Z2 rides I have been doing, which includes absolutely ZERO speedwork. No top end. Anyway, started to increase my push at about 25K and finally began passing some people who had passed me earlier, including a cat and mouse game with one guy that went on for miles. At about 30K, I felt my bike start to sway a bit in the rear and realized that my rear tire was quickly losing air. A FLAT! But it wasn't quite flat all the way, so I pushed on, deciding to take it as far as I could. With about 5K left, the tire was toast. Totally flat. But what was I supposed to do? I just couldn't bring myself to stop and change the tire with less than 3 miles left, so I leaned my weight far forward, trying to take weight off the back wheel and pedaled on. But I had to slow down significantly to avoid fishtailing. So I was getting passed. Alot. I gently cruised to the end, barely pedaling, hoping I didn't irreparably damage my Ksyrium ES. What a disaster. But I still clocked a semi-respectable 1:08 for the 40K, which gave me a 21.6 mph average. Not bad, considering.....

T2: My third disaster. Again, I lollygagged. How did I spend 2:07 here when everyone else seemed to be between 1:05 - 1:10? I need some work here. Another precious minute down the tubes.

RUN: Again, my plan was to build the run. And this time I did it, and did it well. I felt great in my Newtons. Flying in fact. Surprisingly comfortable at a 160+ HR. I built into it ever so slightly and just felt superb, passing alot of guys who passed me on the bike. I didn't feel any residual fatigue from the bike and no energy dropoff, finishing strong and I believe negative splitting the course for a time of 40:55 for a 6:35 / mile pace. Would have been about 10-15 seconds faster, but we were diverted to the sand for a 200 meter slow jog to avoid a helicopter taking off to airlift what I believe was a competitor who crashed on the bike. Don't know any more than this, but I hope he / she is OK. In any event, the run made my day.

TOTAL TIME: 2:15:43. 38th overall (out of about 500), but only 17th in my 40-44 age group, which I suppose is an indication of how competitive my age group is. Pretty decent, especially since I have done zero speed work of any kind in any discipline for the last six months. In fact, I almost never run faster than 8:00 / mile pace, so was quite surprised I could throw down a fairly easy 6:35 pace after the bike. But not great, considering I know I could have gone at least 2:09 without the wetsuit and tire issues and a little energy in the transitions. But like my coach says, these races are basically a completely different sport from what I'm training for. Sort of like a marathoner trying to run the 400 meters. When I think about it this way, I suppose I should be pleased with my result.

On Sunday, I went back down to the race to watch the start of the Sprint. There were 10 times the number of people, including a zillion spectators there to catch a glimpse of JLo and Matthew McConnaughey. I watched Chris McCormack (Macca), Ironman supreme through T1 (way ahead of everyone), then (I admit) I hung around to watch McConnaughey (Movie Macca) start his bike leg before heading out on my 90 minute Z2 training run. I ran up PCH on the return portion of the bike course (conscious of staying out of everyone's way) and gave Macca a "hang loose" when he passed (he waved back) and Movie Macca a "Hook 'Em Horns" when he passed in his LiveStrong kit (no doubt a gift from Lance himself) (he gave me a shout out back). Felt great on this run and no soreness or fatigue from the previous day's race. When I finished I found some friends and chatted before heading into the VIP Brunch (courtesy of my buddy Arno Kroner at Disney), where I felt like an important poseur, sitting at the table next to the one where Movie Macca, his wife & baby, JLo and Mark Anthony were heavy in convo. Papparazzi flushbulbs everywhere -- Felicity Huffman, William Macy, Bob Iger.....it was quite a scene. For a triathlon. Weird. But I admit it. It was fun.

Now heading back into another heavy rotation of training. Ultraman looming......The light at the end of the tunnel approaching fast....

Racing for Recovery & Phoenix Multisport

2008-09-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

I was perusing the list of 35 competitors who will be participating in Ultraman and came across Todd Crandell. I was intrigued.

Like me, Todd is a long-time sober guy turned endurance multi-sport athlete. But Todd has taken it to whole new level. Todd is the founder and Executive Director of Racing for Recovery, a non-profit foundation with the mission of preventing substance abuse in adolescents and individuals and offering a positive alternative to those currently battling addiction.

Todd’s own 13-year struggle with drugs and alcohol nearly destroyed his life, devastating relationships with family and friends and shattering the promise of a professional hockey career. He quit using drugs and alcohol on April 15, 1993, and has been sober ever since. In the process of rebuilding his life, Todd realized traditional recovery programs weren’t enough. He needed something more. He chose the most grueling sport imaginable, the Ironman Triathlon – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. Todd ran his first triathlon in 1999 and has never stopped. He has completed fourteen full-length Ironmans all over the world. His experience running these events and inspiring others on their road to sobriety led him to form Racing for Recovery in 2001.

Racing for Recovery now operates a residential facility in Ohio and sponsors support meetings and racing events across the United States to promote a lifestyle of fitness and sobriety. Todd and Racing for Recovery have been featured on CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS, and NBC News, ESPN’s SportsCenter, ESPN2’s Cold Pizza, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated.com, Runner’s World and Triathlete Magazines, the nationally-syndicated Mitch Albom Radio Show, and a number of other radio, newspaper and magazine interviews across the United States and throughout the world.

In addition, Todd's book, “From Addict To Ironman,” co-written with John Hanc, gives an unflinching account of his addiction and recovery and has motivated thousands in their fight to overcome drug and alcohol addiction. Todd Crandell regularly speaks to groups and individuals to convey one important message: “With sobriety anything is possible.”

Although I have not yet touched on it yet in this blog, I too suffer from the disease of alcoholism and have been in recovery for over 10 years. Drugs and alcohol came very close to destroying me, but through recovery I have been blessed with a second chance and have taken the miraculous opportunity to rebuild my life into what is now a very rich, full and loving existence. And a huge aspect of my involvement in endurance multisports is an effort to inspire others, especially those that deal with addiction issues, as a means of promoting a healthy lifestyle alternative to the throes of addiction. So it goes without saying that I have huge admiration for Todd. I have had the opportunity to correspond with him a bit lately and am really looking forward to meeting him in Hawaii and helping him out in any way I can.

On a related note, I have also been speaking with a similar organization called Phoenix Multiport, a Boulder Colorado-based non-profit organization that fosters a supportive, physically active community for individuals who are recovering from alcohol and substance abuse and those that choose to live a sober life. Executive Director Scott Strode will be in LA this week and I am scheduled to get together with him to discuss how I can help the worthy cause.

This is all a long way of saying that I am actively trying to use Ultraman as a platform to promote sober healthy living. So if anyone out there has any ideas to help further this effort, I'm all ears. If I can help inspire even one person who is struggling with addiction, then its a good day at the office.

For more information on Todd Crandell and Racing for Recovery, click here.

For more information on Phoenix Multisport, click here.

Training Update

2008-09-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

I am cooked.

Back to back 23/24 hour training weeks, including an Ultraman "race simulation". Tons of climbing, long runs and very high heat. Today is my first (and much needed) rest day in 2 weeks.

Here is what I've been up to the last 7 days:

Monday: Mt. Baldy climbing ride with Kona qualifier Dave Meyer. Per my previous post, this was a 28 mile climb to 6350 feet -- 3 hours up, 1 hour down. As for Meyer, he just won his 45-49 age group in this past weekend's LA Triathlon, clocking the fastest bike & run splits in his division, 66th overall with a time of 2:15 -- including a 41:01 10K run split -- that is 6:36 pace. And I know he was not rested for this one -- putting in heavy hours getting ready for Kona. Long way of saying I'm in good company training with this guy. He is fast.

Tuesday: My "rest day" -- a 3500 swim workout.

Wednesday: 3 hour climbing ride, including hill repeats - 3x Stunt Road, a rather steep unrelenting 4 mile climb right in my backyard. One (of many) great things about this climb is that there is a water fountain about 1/2 mile from the peak that a friendly resident installed in his driveway. So I could make quick stops on each descent and take in some water, which was great. Legs were surprisingly fresh given that I just completed my Ultraman race simulation a couple days prior and clocked relatively even times on each of the 3 repeats. Felt really good that my legs seem to be recovering quickly not only between workouts but between repeats as well.

Thursday: 90 minute morning pavement run. Felt pretty darn good considering the cycling miles under my belt over the last week. Negative split my loop at 8:00 pace overall. Not bad. Added a 90 minute afternoon pavement run in the super high heat (100+). Generally double run days are the toughest for me, but this one felt pretty good and they are getting easier. I try to do my afternoon runs at the hottest part of the day (around 3pm) on sunny blazing hot pavement as deep in the Valley as possible -- trying to do everything to acclimate myself to high heat in preparation for Hawaii; in this case, I handled the heat well and finished strong.

Friday: Double swim day -- 5000 yard interval workout in the am (some pace 1000's and sets of 100's on 1:20); 4000 in the afternoon (some pace 800's and again sets of 100's on 1:20). I haven't put in 9000 yards of swimming in one day in twenty years. Felt good to get this done and my per 100 pace is slowly getting better. Starting to be able to conceptualize a 10K swim.

Saturday: 6 hour ride with my buddy Vinnie Tortorich, ultracyclist supreme, fitness trainer and cancer survivor. Vinnie is currently training for the Furnance Creek 508 -- the world's premiere ultramarathon bicycle race covering 508 miles (nonstop!) with a total elevation gain of over 35,000 feet crossing ten mountain passes, and stretches from Santa Clarita across the Mojave Desert, through Death Valley, to Twenty Nine Palms. Vinnie has done this badass race (and many other ultracycling races) many times, and trains like an animal -- generally putting in 12 hour climbing rides most Saturdays. Anyway, I am proud to report that I hung pretty well with him. Several hill repeats and some long hard flats. Given that Vinnie has been doing this for decades and averages about 210 watts on his 12 hour rides, I feel pretty good about being able to stay with him or at least in his general vicinity. He would generally pull ahead near the climbing peaks and after a spell on long flats he would drop me, but I stuck it as best I could without exceeding my Zone 2 HR of 130. And he was a wealth of information and knowledge on training and nutrition. I learned more from Vinnie in this 6 hours than I could reading 10 books. Really hot day but improving on my nutrition and finished last hour quite strong.

Sunday: Woke up with super fatigued legs and pounded out a 2 hour trail run up the dirt section of Mulholland Drive from where it dumps out onto Topanga in the Valley all the way to the Nike Missile Lookout above Mandeville Canyon and back. Lots of long ascents and rollers. Unfortunately I forgot my fuel belt, so did the whole thing without any water, Cytomax or electrolytes / gels. This was a very bad idea. I did take in a bit of water at the Lookout water fountain at the halfway point, but that was it -- and I paid for it. I was dead in the afternoon after spending a couple hours playing with the kids at the beach on a scorching day, dreading my one hour evening pavement run. Figured I would survive it and focus on form, but once I got going, felt surprisingly good and built the run to a swift (for me) sub-8 pace for the second half. An hour after my evening run however, I was as tired as I have been since I started training. So tired in fact, I had very little appetite and could barely move. Note to self -- do not forget your fuel belt on long runs.

Monday: Rest day. Finally.

Scott Jurek -- Ultra Vegan

2008-09-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

In the world of endurance running, people may know the name Dean Karnazes, as he has been wildly instrumental in popularizing ultramarathon running and elevating consciousness of the sport into the mainstream.

But in truth, the undisputed king of ultrarunning is Scott Jurek. Yeah, you've probably never heard of him, but let me assure you, he is a true badass. Jurek has won the prestigious Western States 100 mile race something like 7 times -- a distinction elevated by the fact that he is the youngest winner (1999) and also set the course record in 2004. In addition, and among countless other ultramarathon victories, Jurek has won the famed Badwater twice -- a blistering and surrealistic 135 mile run across the Mojave Desert in 120 degree heat ending on Mt Whitney at 8350 feet in elevation.

And if you have heard of Jurek, you might not know one very important thing about him -- Jurek fuels his body on a COMPLETELY VEGAN DIET!

In addition to his rigorous training schedule and competing in 10-12 ultramarathons per year, all seven of his consecutive wins at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run were performed on VEGAN FUEL.

Actions speak louder than words people. Again, I'm not advocating a vegan diet for everyone. But even contrarian minds would have to agree that this is is pretty extraordinary evidence that one can excel athletically on a world class level on a vegan diet.

Check out Scott Jurek's website here.

Check out this GREAT interview with Jurek at EliteRunner.com here.

Check out this interview with Jurek in JAI! Magazine (ironically unrelated) here.

Race Simulation Recap

2008-09-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

Just finished a pretty intense few days of training, including an Ultraman "Race Simulation". Over Friday, Saturday & Sunday I put in approximately 90% of the overall Ultraman load (and exceeded the elevation gain I will experience in the race), which gave me an initial taste of how I will feel come race weekend, as well as a very good sense of how prepared I am currently and where I need more work. Overall I am super pleased with how I handled the heavy load and am feeling great as I embark upon the final 2 months of hard training before I begin my taper. Here's how it went down:

Friday: I put in a 7500 yard swim workout consisting of some hard long distance repeats -- a series of 800's and 500's interspersed with sets of hard 10x100 repeats. Jumped right out of the pool and onto my bike for 4 hours of very hard climbing in high heat. I tackled some of the longer and more challenging climbs in the Santa Monica Mountains, including (if you know the area): Piuma -- a laboring 7 mile / 2 peak climb that never gets too steep but doesn't relent; Rock Store -- a very steep climb (about 3 miles?) that gets tougher as you go; and Kanan. Felt really strong and had no energy dropoff. Did a good job of making sure I took in 300 cals / hour, all liquid -- Perpetum and Cytomax.

Saturday: Joined 2008 Kona qualifier and fellow barrister Dave Meyer for a 7 hour 115 mile ride. We covered a wide variety of terrain, including some good ascents (Latigo & Portola), descents (Route 23 into the Valley) and flats (Westlake, Lake Sherwood, Hidden Valley, Lynn Road, Las Posas and PCH) across both high heat and cold heavy fog. We took a few too many pit stops for my liking, but overall a very solid long day in the saddle. Started to get a bit lightheaded the last hour and a half, so need to work on taking in more solid food earlier and more consistently in the day on my long rides. But felt great to hold pace with Meyer, who is a very good cyclist and has a higher power output and lactate threshold than I do, based on my most recent test results first week of August. So this was a great confidence boost and evidence that my cycling is improving significantly, as (based on Dave's power meter) we were throwing down a consistent 200 watts without my HR climbing out of Zone 2. (115-130 bpm). Overall, a very good day.

Sunday Morning: With VERY heavy and fatigued legs, I put in a super solid 2 hour / 15 mile run in the morning. Felt great and negative split my loop, finishing strong while remaining in my Zone 2 (125 - 140 bpm). Could have run another hour at this pace, which I built to a sub 8:00 / mile. Definitely one of the better runs I have had in a while, all the more satisfying in that it was done in the wake of several very difficult preceding training days (including a hard 15 mile train run on Wednesday).

Sunday Afternoon: Another 1 hour Zone 2 run. In general, these double run days are very difficult for me, as I get quite fatigued in the afternoon. And today did not disappoint. The first 15 minutes were horrific -- my legs were just cooked. But after this "warmup", all my base training kicked in, I loosened up and felt just as good as I did in the morning. Concentrating primarily on good form and swift cadence, I again negative split the course and finished very strong. An hour later however, my legs were shot -- dead tired.

Monday: My race simulation was technically over but still another hard day on the bike. Meyer and I embarked from Glendora (east of Pasadena) and headed straight up for the next 3 hours to the ski lifts at Mt. Baldy. What an incredibly challenging and scenic ride. 22 of the 28 miles of climbing through the Glendora Pass were on a gorgeous road closed to vehicle traffic -- no cars, banked turns, great pavement and breathtaking views. Just a few cyclists, a couple badass land-lugers and one coyote to keep us company. We climbed above the snow line into the idyllic Alpine village of Mt. Baldy and finished the last 3 miles of the climb on very steep (15% grade) and trecherous switchbaks all the way to the ski lifts at 6350 feet of altitude. I felt like I was in Switzerland. Cool clean (but thin!) air, log cabins and that unmistakeable pine scent. After a brief rest we headed back down -- and what took us 3 hours to climb only took us 1 only one hour to descend, averaging 28 mph despite rollers and a few climbs! Again, no cars & banked pavement -- the most fun I've had on a bike in a long time and so refreshing to traverse new terrain. It was epic!

Nutrition: For the most part I handled the nutrition / food intake aspect pretty well, although I need to take in more solid real food on the long rides. I have to start eating more than just bars and Perpetum and get used to real food. So I still have some experimenting to do here.

All told, the past few days have given me a huge confidence boost going into Ultraman. That 52 mile run still has me scared stiff, but I'm getting there....Today I'm tired, but not too bad. Ready for more.....

Next Few Days...

2008-08-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

Just a brief training update. I'm slowly building back up to some big weeks ahead. As for this week, I started slow and am ending it with a bang. I was pretty sore after the SB Triathlon!

Monday: 4800 yd swim workout;

Tuesday: 4 hour Zone 2 ride;

Wednesday: 2 hour trail run (@ 15 miles+);

Thursday: 2 hour light spin ride

Fri/Sat/Sun -- my first "Race Simulation". This will be a (lesser) approximation of Ultraman. Sort of a reduced load version of the Ultraman race to help my acclimate to the 3 day stage race. It will go like this:

Friday: 7400 yd swim workout, followed immediately by a 4 hour hard climbing ride

Saturday: 7 hour hard ride

Sunday: 2 hour run in the morning plus a 1 hour run in the afternoon

Should be interesting. Going to experiment with my nutrition by taking in more solid foods on the rides. Usually I am totally liquid, but for Ultraman I need to get by system used to eating actual real food on the bike. I'll report back in on how it goes.

Juvenon Sponsorship

2008-08-28T09:16:00.001-07:00

I'm happy to report I just picked up a second product endorsement with Juvenon, a cellular health supplement company founded by my childhood swimmer friend and business / biotech wizard Nathan Hamilton of Archangel BioVentures, LLC. Juvenon will be a critical nutritional and anti-oxidant compenent of my nutritional regimen in prepping for Ultraman on a vegan diet.

Here's the lowdown on the product:

A patented combination of natural micronutrients, Juvenon™ Cellular Health Supplement was developed based on tests that enabled elderly laboratory animals to function at levels characteristic of much younger animals. In humans, Juvenon™ Cellular Health Supplement has an overall effect of promoting a healthier, more energetic body. Juvenon cellular energy supplements are particularly effective in protecting tissue from toxic oxidants, which increase with normal daily stress-producing activities and exercise, as well as the natural aging process.

How Juvenon™ Cellular Health Supplement Works

Juvenon™ Cellular Health Supplement acts on the mitochondria, the organelles within the cell where energy is produced. As we age, oxidants cause cellular damage, which accumulates over time. Oxidants damage mitochondria in three important ways. They damage DNA, lipids and protein. Juvenon™ Cellular Health Supplement facilitates the entry of fuel (starches and fatty acids) into the mitochondria and stimulates production of natural antioxidants that protect the cell from age-associated increases in tissue-damaging oxidants. For more information on this process, click on Science.

For more information on Juvenon, click here.

First Picture of Michael Phelps

2008-08-26T19:25:00.001-07:00

Santa Barbara Triathlon

2008-08-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

Just an update on the race I did on Saturday -- the beautiful Santa Barbara Long Course Triathlon -- 1 mile swim, 34 mile bike, 10 mile run.

Overall I fared much better than last year, although quite honestly I thought I would be even faster given all the work I have put in. That said, my training is oriented around a completely different type of race. I am definitely not used to going fast and hard -- and it hurt. bad.

Swim: This is my strength. I easily moved immediately into the lead for my age group wave by the first buoy and basically crusied the swim without pushing too hard. As I increased my lead on my group, I swam in no-man's land until I started to catch up to the slower swimmers in the previous wave. Then it became a matter of crawling over what felt like hundreds of bodies to the finish! Felt good with this effort at 21:18, almost 2 minutes faster than last year at a fraction of the energy output. Good start to the race and I ran up the beach feeling quite good and confident. 17th fastest swim split overall (out of 800+); not too bad considering I went pretty easy.

Bike: I had a decent T1 at 2:02 but then things went a bit downhill. I made a couple unforgivable rookie mistakes. MISTAKE #1: I got overexcited by seeing so many riders and immediately went hard, depriving myself of my rule of always building into a stage. My HR was in the 150-160 range in the first mile, I quickly started to accumulate lactate in my legs and was huffing and puffing. I should have just started easy and built into it (my pre-race strategy), but my competitive nature got the best of me. So I never established a rhythm and just felt awful for the whole ride, a fact that was exacerbated by the fact that this was a highly technical course -- several climbs and tricky descents (there was even a really bad crash sending 2 people to ER). I finally started to feel good the last couple miles, but by then the damage was done. My split ended up only being about 25 seconds faster than last year when I was only riding like once a week! But part of this is that my training is entirely oriented around maintaining a 120-135 HR all day -- no hard speed work and as such, I just can't push it and get results. But that's fine. Its all about Ultraman for me.

MISTAKE #2: Like an idiot, I contravened all that I know by putting clip on aero bars on my road bike (I don't yet have a proper tri bike) the night before and then raced with them without ever training or even riding on them in the past. The result? My back seized up quickly and I was terribly uncomfortable for the entire ride. What an idiot.

Run: I felt strong running right off the bike after a decent 1:57 T2. Probably should have gone easier the first mile, but again, got excited.....My left calf has been giving me problems ever since it seized up on me at the end of my 2 1/2 hour run the previous Saturday and it started to tighten up around mile 4. I thought I might have to drop out, but I eased off and it stabilized, allowing me to run to the finish without stopping. That said, I could feel it and its definitely an issue I need to monitor. I finished the run in 1:12:36, which is 7:16 pace. Not great, but not too bad either.

Results: I was 10th in my age group out of 84; 97th overall out of 830. Nothing to brag about, but not so bad considering I have zero speed and everything I am doing is about long easy zone 2...

I am very sore and tired. That took much more out of me than I expected and I am looking forward to getting back to some good ole Zone 2 training.

Vegan Nutrition

2008-08-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

"Your doing what!?!? A DOUBLE Ironman?! That is insane!"

This almost daily response I get when telling people about my endurance endeavors is amplified exponentially when I tell them that not only am I doing it, I'm doing it VEGAN.

"Impossible."

I get it every time. But the truth is, I've never felt better or stronger, and my aerobic capacity and endurance is absolutely through the roof.

A former mega carnivore, I was pushing a sedentary 198 lbs when I turned 40 about a year and a half ago. I was sick and tired of being out of shape, especially given that I am a former world ranked competitive swimmer. By looking at me then, you would never have guessed.

So I decided to make a change. In January 2007, I did a 7 day cleanse, using Dr. Shulze's Superfood and herbal products. I bought a juicer and basically fed on organic fruit and vegetable juices and herbal broths using the Shulze products. I kicked caffeine and finished the cleanse feeling amazing and ready for a new start. This is when I embarked on a vegetarian diet and began a long slow process of getting fit once again.

But honestly, after 6 months on a vegetarian diet, I was not dropping any weight and didn't feel that much different than I did as a meat eater. Probably because I was eating large volumes of cheese, but alas....Frustrated, I was about to abandon the plan altogether, but decided in June 2007 to experiment with going vegan. Almost immediately, I felt a HUGE energy shift. I felt lighter and my energy levels escalated and remained high throughout the day. Absent were those energy lulls I felt after meals, something I thought I just had to live with. In short, I felt amazing. My strength and endurance levels increased quickly and my cravings for dairy slowly dissipated. I began working out more, the weight came off and I just started feeling better and better. I did a few traithlon races, and after only a small amount of training, I did well. Six months into the vegan diet, I was down to a lean and mean 165 lbs (30 lb+ drop), ripped and hooked.

A year later, I am working with a coach, am training 26 hours a week and am as fit as I have been since I was 20 years old. I'm not as fast as I was in the pool in those days, but I am handling similiar pool yardage and I have to say that my running and cycling are far better than they have ever been, despite being competitive in the sport in my 20's. And my endurance is far beyond what I could do at that age.

I'm not saying that being vegan is for everyone. But I am saying that it has more than agreed with me.

"What about protein?"

Without going into a discourse on the misconceptions about the body's protein requirements and the ills of conventional wisdom on this subject, suffice it to say that I get more than enough protein through a diet of vegetables, fruit and various grains. I do supplement during heavy training weeks with some soy, hemp and rice proteins, as well as amino acid supplements and Bragg's Amino's. And this seems to work out just fine. Like I said, I'm ripped. And I don't lift weights.

"What do you eat in a typical day?"

I get this question all the time. So here is an example of some of the foods I typically eat. Made all the easier by virtue of my wife's excellent cooking:)

Early Morning / Pre-Workout:

I drink a concoction of organic fermented enzymes and various green superfoods and antioxidants that is created by my quasi-nutirtionist Compton Rom of Ascended Health. Mixed in with this is a powder comprised of macca and a variety of other anti-oxidant, endurance enhancing ingrediants -- I will get you the full list of ingredients on both of these potions.

During Workouts:

If the workout (whether swimming, cycling or running) is 3 hours or under, I generally only take in water and an electrolyte drink (without any whey protein) such as Cytomax, sipping in 20 minute intervals to take in roughly 300 calories / hour. I really don't need anything more. For longer workouts in the 4-7 hour range, I still remain on a liquid based diet of water, Cytomax and Hammer Nutrition's Sustained Energy or Perpetum, high carbohydrate drinks with a modicum of soy protein -- again at 300 calories / hour. I try to avoid eating any solid food, but if I need it, a Cliff Bar generally suffices.

Post Workout:

I usually juice. Organic beets, carrots, kale, spinach, blueberries with some flax seed oil, almond milk, and VEGA. I try to have one of these drinks every day within an hour of my workout to replenish glycogen levels-- this is the key daily thing for me for overall wellness, health and post-workout recovery. I also like FRS, a fatigue-fighting recovery drink that contains Quercetin, a powerful natural anti-oxidant.

Lunch / Afternoon:

I try to eat relatively light. Brown rice, lentils, gluten free pasta, fruit/vegetables, black beans or a light salad with avacados and vinagrette generally does the trick. Sometimes an eggplant salad or veggie sushi. And always a Kombucha. I love that stuff.

Snack:

Cliff bar or Organic Green Energy Bars. You can find them at any Whole Foods. Or a bowl of gluten free cereal. I like Gorilla Munch. And you can find great organic gluten free granola at Whole Foods. I forget the brand, but I will get back to you on this

Dinner:

Much like lunch. Rice, beans, salad, lentils, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, green beans and another organic fresh juice with VEGA. Gluten free pasta, veggie burrito and veggie sushi on other days. Potato salad made with Veganaise (this stuff is great) or baked potato with Veganaise.

With all the calories I burn, I do not subscribe to the "low carb" fad currently so popular. And I've found that by keeping the body vegan and all my training, I really don't worry about weight anymore. In fact, my appetite has decreased and I now find that I generally don't binge like I used to, eating really only what my body seems to require.

I can get into more specifics on particular foods later, but this is a good overview for now.

VEGA Sponsorship

2008-08-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

I just got of the phone with Sequel Naturals, the company that makes VEGA, my favorite vegan meal replacement & daily health optimizer.

I'm super excited to report that they have asked me to be an "Ambassador" of the product, which basically means I will be a sponsored athlete and spokesperson of the company. I will be featured on their website and will be promoting their product, which I truly believe in -- VEGA has been a key component in not only my training nutrition but overall health in ensuring my body is getting everything I need as I train for Ultraman on a pure plant based diet.

What I have noticed the most through my use of the product is overall wellness, enhanced energy levels throughout the day, and a significant reduction in my recovery time between workouts. In essence, this stuff rocks. I stand behind it completely and they are the perfect partner in my platform to advocate plant-based organic nutrition and lifestyle for not only the average Joe but for athletes on all levels.

I can't say enough about the stuff -- they help make the case easy that plant-based whole foods are the true future of optimal health!

So what is it? VEGA is an all-in-one, natural plant-based formula that provides 100% RDI of vitamins & minerals per serving. Its rich in plant-based protein, fibre, Omega-3 EFA's, antioxidants & phytonutrients. Its also alkaline-forming, easy to digest and contains no common allergens.

VEGA was created by Sequel in partnership with professional Ironman triathlete, speaker and author Brendan Brazier, one of the most well-known and influential professional athlete advocates of a 100% plant-based diet.

Find out more about VEGA and other Sequel Naturals products here, or visit your local Whole Foods Market.

Training Update

2008-08-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

This week has shaped up to be a very time intensive, run focused week. Not my heaviest week, but one of the heavier. Here's a look at what I've been up to over the past several days and what's on tap for the weekend:

Sat 8/9: 6 hour Zone 2 ride

Sun 8/10: 5 hour Zone 2 climbing ride -- @ 8,000 ft of elevation gain

Mon 8/11: 4000 yd swim workout & 2 hour Zone 2 ride

Tues 8/12: 90 minute Zone 2 flat run

Wed 8/13: 3 hour 45 minute ride focusing on climbing and "Big Gear" interval work

Thurs 8/14: 4000 yd swim workout followed by a 2 hour Zone 2 / 15 mile run

Fri 8/15: 4300 yd swim workout followed by 3 hour Zone 2 ride

Sat 8/16: 2 hour 30 minute morning run & a 1 hour evening run

Sunday 8/17: 5 hour ride

Totals: 24 hours of total training for the week (35 hours if you include last weekend 9 day total) or 24:45 of riding, 7 hours of running and 3:25 of swimming.

And its just going to continue to ramp up, with a few rest week cycles sandwiched in over the next 3 1/2 months as Thanksgiving approaches. Focus is turning to getting ready for that 52 mile run -- my biggest achilles heal and unknown. Swimming form is slowly returning and the consistency on the bike is proving results. Feeling great and never stronger. Very confident in the program my coach has laid out and looking forward to the 5-6 very hard weeks ahead. Viva Ultraman!

One issue that continues to come up is my vegan diet. People seem to have a hard time conceptualizing that I can do this training on diet that is devoid of meat, eggs, dairy -- even gluten. All I can say is that I've never felt better -- I'm getting stronger by the week and my recovery between workouts has been good.

Stay tuned -- I have some future postings on my nutrition and overall diet coming up soon in future posts.

Gary Hall Jr: Cavic will upset Phelps

2008-08-15T15:27:00.001-07:00

Check out todays post from the always outspoken and sometimes outlandish Gary Hall Jr. in the LA Times Olympics blog in which he states that the pole position Serb/So Cal swimmer Milorad ("Mike") Cavic will upset Phelps in tonight's 100 fly. From watching the prelims and semis in the 100 fly, its clear that Cavic is gunning for it big time. I hate to say it, but Phelps is definitely in jeopardy. I think Cavic is the biggest threat to the quest for 8. But then again, Phelps' schedule is finally lightening up, giving him some much needed rest going into the final, airing tonight. And if anything, Phelps is a fierce competitor, a closer.

It promises to be a true barn burner.

NYT: Age Is Little Match for Money, Science and Effort

2008-08-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Great article in today's NY Times on how advances in training and nutrition and sponsorship funds are paving the way for ground-breaking, never-before performances by middle-aged athletes.

In essence, it makes the case that conventional wisdom about age and sports is more urban legend than fact.

I live for articles like this.

Relay Freak Out

2008-08-11T18:38:00.001-07:00

Gotta love Gold Medal Mel Stewart. Check out his home video taken poolside during the 4x100 freestyle relay.

If you are a fan of swimming, check out Mel's blog Gold Medal Mel -- his video reports will make you feel like you are in Beijing with him -- he's a blogging vlogging machine.

NYT Graphic Analysis of Men's 4x100 Free Relay

2008-08-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

From today's NY Times website. This is a very cool analysis of the greatest swimming relay race of all time using groovy graphics to break it down. I love technology.

Training Update

2008-08-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm back into a heavy training rotation and feeling very strong after my recovery week.

I rode 96 miles on Saturday and felt totally tapered. Could have thrown down another 90 no problem. Sunday I got back on the bike for a 5 hour climbing ride, taking on 3 of the harder long ascents in my area -- Topanga, Piuma and Mulholland -- altogether about 9,000 in elevation. Felt no real residual fatigue from the previous day's ride.

Today I blasted a 4,000 yd swim workout of 10x400 and finally feel the strength returning to my upper body. Followed this with a 2 hour ride and still feeling fresh despite the heavy weekend.

All said, my confidence in my program is growing by the week. Can't wait to do the Santa Barbara triathlon at the end of the month to gauge my progress.

Lezak is God

2008-08-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

Best. Relay. Ever. Supplants my memory of Bruce Hayes holding off Michael Gross of Germany in the final leg of the men's 4x200 free relay at the 1984 LA Olympics.

No words to describe the superhuman performance of Jason Lezak, who split a mind-numbing 46.06 -- fastest 100 free relay split of all time.

This is what the Olympics is all about, baby.

With his hardest 2 races out of the way, I don't see Phelps failing to get his 8. Lochte was off form in the 400 IM, leaving the 200 IM wide open for Phelps. And according to Rowdy Gaines, Phelps pushed an incredible 51.4 100 fly in the middle of practice at the Singapore training camp, a time that would have garnered bronze in Athens. So frankly, I just don't see Crocker beating him in the 100 fly.

Tonight -- the 200 free final. Cant wait.

Lactate Testing

2008-08-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Reporting in with results from my lactate testing this past Tuesday. Happy to report HUGE improvements in my aerobic capacity from my last test 3 months ago -- giant strides and a big confidence boost in my training program and I stare down at the last 3 months left before Ultraman.

What is lactate testing? Its basically a structured experiment whereby my aerobic capacity (or VO2 max) is established by monitoring my blood and heart rate levels across increasingly difficult resistance. In essence, my bike is hooked up to a stationary trainer that measures my power output in watts. Every 4 minutes a blood and heart rate sample is taken and the wattage is increased. I repeat 4 minute intervals, each at 30 additional watts above the previous interval until failure. My blood is tested for accumulated lactic acid, a measure of anaerobic fatigue. The resuls help establish my "Training Zones".

I begin with a warmup, then 100 watts. Increasing by 30 watts every 4 minutes until failure.

I May, I began accumulating lactate in the second stage at 130 watts, where my heart rate was at 120 bpm. Now, I am totally stable at 160 watts with a heart rate of only 115 at that level, which is a huge leap. I don't begin to accumulate lactate until I am riding at 190 watts at a heart rate of 131.

What does this mean? It means that before I could only put out 120 watts and remain in my "Zone 2" aerobic zone (lactate levels below 3mmo/L), which is the zone I will be in for most of Ultraman. Now, I can easily ride at about 175 watts in the same zone at a lactate level around only 2.5 mmo/L) -- outputting significantly more power (and thus forward motion) at the same level of exertion.

Before, I maxed out at 220 watts with a lactate level of 16.2 mmo/L. This time, I went up to 250 watts at only 8.25 mmo/L and failed only when I got up to 280 watts.

A long way of saying that what was hard before is now easy. I'm faster with less energy. I can ride at 220 watts at a heart rate of only 148, whereas before my heart rate would have been 160 at that wattage. I'm absorbing the training quite well.

This gives me renewed optimism in my plan -- can't wait to get tested again in 3 months to see more improvement.

Gary Blogs for the LA Times

2008-08-06T08:30:00.001-07:00

My favororite outspoken and colorful swimmer Gary Hall Jr. is now blogging for the LA Times. Check out his first post here.

At age 33, Gary was still in the hunt for a fourth Olympic berth, narrowly missing with his 21.91 50 freestyle attempt at Olympic Trials. A time that would have won any previous Olympic Games and still landed him at 18th in the World. At age 33.

Gary is never short on opinions or flair. He's a guy the sport needs and right now he carries the lion's share of the PR burden in trying to keep the general public interested in the sport in the intervening years between Olympiads.

Whether its his costumed capes, his fearless indictments on doping, his laissez faire approach to life and sport, his work on behalf of diabetes (he is a diabetic) or musings on his pet monkey, I always look forward to his thoughts. His charisma is rare in the sport of swimming and I hope he continues to share himself with the World. I look forward to more blogs. Keep it up Gary!

Japanese Cyclist to Wear Speedo LZR in Olympics

2008-08-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is wild!

AFP is reporting that Japanese Olympic cyclist Tomohiro Nagatsuka plans to wear Speedo’s record-breaking LZR Racer swimwear beneath his track racing suit in his quest for a medal at the Beijing Games.

Knee-length LZR shorts helped him slash his personal 250m record by about 0.2 seconds to 17.8 seconds in training, Nagatsuka told reporters, according to local media yesterday.

“I thought what was effective in swimming would be also good in cycling,” said Nagatsuka.

“I presume it is Speedo’s body-squeezing effect, not a reduction in air resistance, that helps,” added the 29-year-old.

The LZR Racer was developed with the help of the US space agency NASA. It uses a high-tech fabric of water-resistant polyurethane and is structured to squeeze the swimmer’s body into the right posture.

It has taken swimming by storm, playing a role in 44 of the 48 short- and long-course world records since it debuted in February.

“In swimming, they speak highly of LZR’s effect to constrict the body’s surface area. I myself liked the way it supported muscles with a strong embrace,” Nagatsuka said.

Will we be seeing the LZR in track & field in the near future? Speed skating? Luge? Ironman?