Ironman 'Zona 2008 or Bust

From Zero to Hiro*

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:53:30 -0600

* Inside joke, cuz I'm dating a Japanese woman...

Hey everybody! Well, I FINALLY got off my ass and started my Ironman base training last week. Ironman Arizona is not til Nov, but I can already feel the fear factor (mostly about the 2.4mi swim) coming on.

To recap my training suckiness, I haven't ran since Oct 27th last year (the Lakefront Ultra 50K, where I reinjured my left hip), haven't swam since Aug 26th (Accenture Chicago Triathlon), and haven't ridden my bike (outside or indoor on trainer) also since Accenture, saved a couple times while down in Austin.

So, after giving my hip enough time to have hopefully healed again, I braved the cold-ass Chicago weather last week, bundled up like an Eskimo, and ran outside Tues (streets), Thur (streets), and Fri (trails). Oh, how I missed running outside!!! It felt so~ good, especially the trail run on Fri. I wanted to hit the trails again for the long run on Sun, but wimped out cuz of the cold and hopped on the treadmill at Bally's, doing a 60min tempo session instead of a long run.

Total numbers last week:
Swim - 2x, 2700yds total
Run - 4x, 165mins total (hopefully not too much too soon!!)
Weights - 4x
Bike - none (trainer acting up, no way was I riding my bike outside!)

All in all, not a bad start to the long road to IMAZ. The weekly plan for base building for a while, until I can find an official training plan for Ironman, will be 2x swimming, 2x biking, 4x running, and 4x weight training. I talked my girlfriend into training for the Chicago Marathon this year (her first!), so I'm pumped about training with and supporting her in her running!

Speaking of marathons, don't forget the Spirit of Marathon Movie is playing this Thurs!! (One date only!) Find a local movie theatre on their web site.

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Pork - it's what's for dinner

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:20:54 -0600

Din Ho Chinese BBQ restaurant, Austin, TX. Delicious food, very popular restaurant. They probably shouldn't leave the chopped off pig's head out like that though... no?

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Therapy ponies at Christopher House (Hospice Austin)

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 13:40:09 -0600

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My sister and a pony

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 13:35:20 -0600

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Radiohelmet

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:52:23 -0600

Radiohead + bike helmet = Radiohelmet!

Just sharing the awesomeness that is Radiohead. Check out the video below of them performing one of their songs wearing bike helmets! (this is from their recent webcast. Check out other videos from the webcast here. How did we live life before the Interweb?!).

Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place (thumbs down version)

Rocking out can be dangerous! I love that song. If you haven't checked out their new In Rainbows album yet, you're totally missing out. They had the awesome cajones to release the new album via the web only, and allowing you to purchase it (via download) at any price you want, including, yes, $0.00! And totally DRM free.

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4th Cup. Outside st louis.

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:50:46 -0600

4th Cup. Outside st louis. Last leg home.

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Yesterday, Austin. It was 81F!!

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 10:20:53 -0600

Yesterday, Austin. It was 81F!! 42m ride

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Tempe here I come

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:41:25 -0600

Oddly enough, I'm totally ambivalent about this right now. I should be excited, but it's just, meh... hopefully, I won't come to regret it in about 7 months, when I'll be neck deep in training in the middle of summer in balls hot Texas...

This message is generated as confirmation of your recent registration on Active.com. You have been successfully registered for the following:

Registration:2008 Ford Ironman Arizona (November)
Purchase Date:11/26/07
Category:Entry Fee
Event Date:11/23/08
Name: Paul xxxxx

There's 3 things about the IM Arizona course that I like:

1. The swim is in a small lake (really a river) - Tempe Town Lake. No chance of 4ft swells or crazy choppy waters, ergo less chance of drowning for me.

2. The buoys will be on the LEFT! Sadly, I can still only breathe on one side - my left. This will make sighting a hell of a lot easier, although I'm sure I'll still swim in my trademarked zip-zag pattern.

3. Both the bike and run courses will be 3 loops. I like the 3-loop setup, same as the Chicago 50K course. Makes it much easier mentally, I think. 1st loop: "piece of cake", 2nd loop: "just one more after this", 3rd loop: "finish this and you're done!"

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IM Sadistic

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:55:02 -0600

That should be an official Ironman race.

Christmas comes early this year, at least for those of us who are gluttons for physical punishment, as they just made the following announcement:

November 23, 2007
TEMPE, AZ - North America Sports is pleased to announce the addition of a second Ford Ironman Arizona Race to their 2008 event schedule. The city of Tempe and the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community will again partner with NA Sports to host a Ford Ironman Arizona event on November 23, 2008.

Perfect timing, for, as per my usual self, I'd been slacking off in deciding whether to sign up for an Ironman in 2008, and then which Ironman race to do, by which time all the IM races had been sold out. My procrastination paid off cuz this is a race that I wanted to do, is late in the season, and will be drive-able from Austin. For those not in the know, Ironman races (each with about 2000 slots) sell out in an INSANE amount of time, like <30 mins for the more popular destinations (like Lake Placid, Canada) and 1-2 hrs for the "less" popular ones. Effing crazy if you think about it, because people are clamoring to shell out $500, a WHOLE YEAR in advance of the actual raceday, to sign up to willingly put themselves through 11, 12, 14, 15, or maybe all 17hrs of physical pain. No wonder people think we're nuts.

So, having said that, who's in for the new IM 'Zona?!! Registration opens Monday 11/26 @ 11am CT pronto! I'll be there online. Let the journey begin...

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Made it after 19hrs on

nobody@vox.com(wefloat) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:54:06 -0600

Made it after 19hrs on road last nite . I love Austin!

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