Turkey Day 5K - PR!

Another day of learning to let go...

The plan was to race the Annual Turkey Trot 5K in Cape Coral with Mel, Benjamin and JJ. We woke up late. It was a frigid 44 degrees. No time for breakfast. No time for coffee. No time for a good visit to the throne...We rushed through registration. We rushed to pin on our bibs. We rushed to find JJ's friends. We rushed to get Mel and Ben settled. We rushed to figure out how to work JJ's IPOD so he could listen to music.

No warm-up. No striders. No mental imagery which has become a ritual for me before any race.

So with no expectations, I decided this was all about JJ anyway. Maybe I would just run a hard mile and then jog back to enjoy the end of JJ's run. This was only his second 5K and he was a bit nervous - especially when a record crowd of 1,250 runners and walkers showed up to do this race.

So I go out with the crowd and feel good...No oxygen debt; no heavy legs; just a good strong pace. Then, at mile 1, I hear the timer..."6:05; 6:10..."

You have to be kidding me! That felt like a walk in the park! I am way ahead of PR pace. But that's impossible...I didn't psyched myself up...I didn't warm up...I didn't stride out.

So I decide to keep going...see if I can get to Mile 2 in under 13 minutes...for sure, I went out too fast and I would die before the 2nd mile. My mouth was dry, my feet were frozen, my nose was running.

Then, at mile 2, I hear the timer..."12:45; 12:50..." No way...I am under a 6:30 mile pace at mile 2 for the first time that I could remember...I could go sub 20 for the first time ever!!!

Then, all the sudden...some cramps...some doubts...two heavy legs...a bit of oxygen debt...the negotiation begins...Maybe this should be a PR day...NOT a sub-20 day. Today should really be about JJ...

So, I held a steady pace and shut it down at about mile 3...and jogged the last 100 meters...I actually watched the timer click mercilessly toward 20 minutes and pointed to it when I passed my wife with 10 meters to go...But I knew I had a PR...an EASY PR...I love saying that. An EASY PR!!!! 20:10 - I beat my previous PR by 11 seconds.!

For about a minute after I finished...my mind wandered...Did I podium? How far under 20 minutes could I have gone if I warmed up and did some striders? Is there something to this "stay loose" and "don't take yourself so seriously" approach? It is working for golf, maybe it could work for racing. There was lots of contemplation as I jogged out to find JJ and run the last mile with him...

I concluded that for the first time, I know...I really know that triathlon training is making me a FASTER and more fit runner. For a while there...I was feeling like I was getting better at 3 discliplines at the expense of 1 discipline - running. That felt terrible...All this hard work and I couldn't go sub 20:30 in a 5K anymore??? What's up with that?

That mentality is over. Decreasing my running and increasing the time in the pool and on the bike is making my cardio and my endurance much better. My legs are stronger. My "forever pace" is much faster and longer...

I found JJ...running and humming to his IPOD. Steady Eddy! He ran a 33:25 5K which was over 3 minutes faster than his first 5K last February. For the first time, he sensed the fruit of his training labor. He says, "OK Dad, I admit it, I walked through a water stop but that was IT!" I laughed. He is starting to get "hooked" - and without his Dad pushing him. He saw that 21 other 10-12 year olds beat him but he also saw that he beat 10 other kids his age...He wants to work at it which is all I can wish for.

Perhaps the most touching moment was at mile 2.5 when my coach and members of my tri team screamed for JJ Gamba...we could hear the cheers all the way to the finish line...that gave me goose bumps and again made me so grateful for balance, perspective and the serenity that I now have in my life.

These are great feelings to have on a blessed Thanksgiving morning!

100K on the Bike and Wiped!

Yesterday was a great training day on the bike. I did the Caloosahatchie River Ride which was a 100 kilometer charity ride through the flatlands of Florida. That's 63 miles for all those who are metrically challenged. The distance was tough. The fact that it was 90% into the wind made it even tougher.

The Bike is my weakest link. I always thought that swimming would be my "achilles heel" but that seems to be working itself out. And I have been running consistently for 4 years so the run seems to be a strength. But for some reason, I can't seem to get my "bike legs" under me. I did the 63 miles in 3:45 with two 5 minute breaks at rest stops. At mile 55, I hit the wall and was begging my odometer to go faster!

Experienced friends and team members state it is all about "miles" - that I have to ride for miles and miles and miles before I become comfortable on the bike.

Speaking of being comfortable on the bike. Huge Props to my man Brian Melekian. He finished IronMan Arizona in 10:09! He passed almost 1,000 people on the 112 mile bike route. Here are his amazing splits:

Swim: 1:16:30
Bike: 5:06:54
Run: 3:37:20
Overall: 10:09:48
Rank: 171
Division Position: 23

171st in a major IronMan Event! Insane in the Membrane!

My Hero!

No Doubt about it. I could qualify for Kona, The Boston Marathon or the US Open; but nothing would make me as proud as I am for my son JJ!

Yesterday, he was recognized as one of 10 4th Grade students at Canterbury to receive straight "A's". But wait, it gets better! He also won the "All-around Academic Achievement Award" which is bestowed on the Number 1 student in his class. WOW!

The coolest part was that he accepted the award with a "ho hum" humility that has come to characterize JJ's personality. He expects to do well academically. He loves to learn. He loves to read. He loves science and social studies and language arts. He is unbelievably curious. He respects the authority, influence from his teachers.

Our family has moved around a lot. DC, Malibu, Santa Monica and now SW Florida. I have often felt stressed about my hectic work and training schedule, and what that could do to his growth and development. I am grateful that Mel has really been the "rock" to keep us all together. I feel so blessed that JJ is so grounded and so connected to his academic life. He is a winner...a humble and grateful winner...

What a role model...

Wednesday WORKouts

Wednesdays are usually my hardest workouts and today was no exception. Wednesday is always a pool work-out followed by a run on the track and then today we added functional training. If Monday night was cold. Tonight was FREEZING. 56 degrees when we hit the pool.

Swim:
- 500 free warm-up
- 150 side kick drill
- 8 x 200 free on 5 seconds rest
- 500 choice cool
2750m total

Really working on the Total Immersion technique. Trying to not splash at all with slow, long extended strokes. Felt great on the 1600 set. Felt like I could go forever.

Then, we did our track work:
- 2 mile warm-up @ 8:00 mile pace
- 6 x 300 intervals @ 1 mile pace (6:00 minute pace)
- 100 meter recoveries
3.5 miles total

The 6 x 300s were TOUGH! Especially the last two. Trying to incorporate some speed work in the hope that I can stay in the 20:00s for the Turkey Trot next Thursday. Don't think I have enough miles behind me lately to PR (20:21)...but feel I should be able keep it under 21:00.

We then did 30 minutes of functional training:
- 2 minutes Single leg hops
- 2 minutes lunges
- 2 minutes slow negative pushups
- 2 minutes planks
- 2 minutes crunches
- Repeat 2 more times

Day Off Tomorrow! Then get ready for the 62-mile Caloosahatchie River Bike on Saturday.

Slap Happy

Had a great 10 mile run last night.

Started with a warm-up with JJ who is getting faster and faster. He ran a mile with me in 9:03 and then coasted home...total of 2 miles. The key to JJ is keeping it fun. He enjoys playing with "time" and getting faster and faster. He is going to run the Turkey Trop with me on Thanksgiving. I am thinking he can do it in 31:00 which is pretty fast for a 10 year old.

I did my next 8 miles at a "forever pace" of 7:45. Felt great.

Tonight, it was the coldest it has ever been for our Monday swim...about 60 degrees when we got in the pool. Pool was WARM! We are still in base training so we took it easy:

- 250 free warm-up
- 250 stroke
- 250 free
- 250 stroke
- 150 kick
- 150 free
- 150 stroke
- 150 free
- 150 stroke
- 5x100 moderate all on 15 second rest
- 200 knuckle drag
- 200 cool

Working hard on my stroke...more of a long, slow extension...less splashing and more "landing" my arms on the run-way (in the water). This promotes less drag, more rotation of my body and more of a "power pull" of my arms under water. I am a huge fan of Total Immersion Swimming...

This is one of the best demos of open water swimming I have ever seen. Note the "siting" and the absence of any splash through the water:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9TCKUFSmj0

Shinji Takeuchi is the man!

Going Bananas!

So my great friend Sam introduced me to his Moms a few years ago. She has this awesome garden in her back yard in LA. There are flowers, fruits and vegetables everywhere. I was blown away by her grove of banana trees. So she gives me a sapling and tells me to plant it. I get it back to Fort Myers and planted it. I have watered it, trimmed it, re-planted it, talked to it, fertilized it...Three years later, I have 6 huge, 15 foot banana trees that are now starting to bear fruit! One tree is just bursting with bananas!!! I am sure there is a tacky training analogy here somewhere; something about perseverance, patience, reap what you sow...

Here is a picture of the latest bushel of bananas. My wife made banana bread last night. Absolutely delicious!

Just when I say I am "bored" by golf...I go out and win two tournaments in a row. Last weekend Randy and I won our club's "Member-Member" tournament and today I won a Member-Guest with my dad and cousin Tony Massi. Great times. Played well. No expectations.

Did a quick 15 mile ride yesterday followed by a 2 mile TR.

Just finished a 26 mile ride and am doing some functional training in my office.

Longer run tomorrow. 10 miles easy @ HR-1-2.

Feeling Good.

Louisville Here I Come!

This is the official launch of my Blog to chronicle my bid to finish IronMan Louisville, 2009 and to qualify for Kona sometime *soon* after my 40th birthday in 2010.

Why?

Why do I this? Why do I challenge myself to achieve the impossible? Not sure yet. I know that I am addicted to "action" and often find myself spread too thin. My logic is, "If I am good at multi-tasking, why not try to be good at multi-sport?" I know that multi-sport training is a great "release" for a compulsive person like me. Run today. Pool swim tomorrow. Ocean Swim and Run on Saturday. Long Bike on Sunday. Numbers. Miles. Meters. Times. Splits. Details. Never a dull moment.

As a 3 handicap and former golf addict, I now feel "bored" on the golf course. I need a new "action". I recently found myself in a golf tournament, on a Par 5, looking out at the lake on the left and wondering how long it would take me to swim across it. It's funny to think about the difference between golf and triathlon. In golf, the harder you "try", the worse you sometimes do. "Trust and let go" is the rule. I would find that the longer I practiced, the more my expectations would go up. In a tournament, I would think, "how could I hit that shot...I spent 20 hours on the practice range this week working on that shot". Stinkin Thinkin. In triathlon, the opposite has been true...how many times has this thought saved me..."This is a 1900 meter swim, this is only 30 minutes...you have swam for over an hour at a time on several occasions...you can do this." Hard work converts into endurance. Endurance into confidence. Confidence into performance.

It started with a dare in 2005. Run a 5K. I had never run 3 miles in my life. I was 204 lbs. I did it at the Brentwood, 5K. As a life-long athlete, I was cocky...I can do it. well, I did it in 29:13. I was humbled but hooked. I loved the people, the air, the challenge, the oxygen debt and the community of wellness. I like that I have never met an unhappy person at a running race...ever. I love driving to an event in the dark. I love the spiritual time 5 minutes before the gun. I love finding a clean bathroom 10 minutes before the gun.

The times came down. 27 minutes. 24 minutes. 22 minutes. 20:12 PR (I am dying to break 20 minutes). The distances went up. 10Ks. Half Marathons and then the LA Marathon in 5:33. I made a pledge that I would do a marathon every year until I couldn't. I did Disney and then Marine Corps. in 3:47. I raised money for needy children in Kenya. I treasure my bibs and charting my times, dates and places on the bibs. I love the individuality of venues. Running with my sister around the Pentagon during a 9/11 tribute race. Running on Highway 1 in theBig Sur Relay (which we WON!), running in the River Roots and Ruts in Alva, FL in the middle of what could be consider a jungle. Running with my soon to be 70 year old Dad in Ventnor, NJ. It never gets old.

I did my first Sprint Tri. this year in Clearwater, FL and loved that. I struggle on the bike but I am getting better. Can't believe the feeling of "spaghetti legs" when I get off the bike and then a mile in, I am okay. I enjoy being coached. I suck at transitions. I understand that diet and equipment is as important as the workouts and training regimen. I plan to do a Half IronMan in April. New Orleans 70.3. There will be 3 half marathons and 2 Olympic tris inner-spersed before April, 2009. Then, there is IronMan Lousville in August, 2009.

I have an awesome coach and a great team. I thank God that after 15 years of workaholism and running through airports to chase the next business deal, I work at home, have time for my family and time to train. But I still struggle with "balance" and "extremes."

I have awesome triathlon friends who support me even though I am the slowest and ask a lot of dumb questions. Three or four of them should qualify for Kona THIS year...what an inspiration! So much to learn from them. I am grateful for the wellness this sport delivers. My resting pulse is 50, my body weight is down to its lowest since high school (167lbs) and my body fat us around 15%. I eat like a horse. But good food. Crazy.

So this will be a chronicle . It will be fun to chronicle the trials, tribulations, agony and ecstasy of this journey. I welcome any and all insight from anyone...