Coyote Hills

Yesterday I went to a party and for some reason, I ended up with a pretty upset stomach last night. I suffered some mild emesis and lost quite a bit of sleep. Not good. Then I had to wake up early this morning to drive Alistair to the Early Bird Criterium Series in Fremont. When we left it was once again quite windy and we had to open the garage door for a very brief period and get everything squared away, lest it blew all around.

We arrived early. When Alistair left to warm up, I fell asleep in the car for about three quarters of an hour. It was not really comfortable and also a little cold but it worked. I wore shorts and a t-shirt and that was not enough for the chilly morning. Fortunately, it warmed up quite nicely and by 10 AM it was in the upper sixties again. Even though I forgot an undershirt and socks I was able to go on a run wearing just one layer. Without running socks, the shoe fit was a bit tight and that would come back to haunt me later.

I ran the same 12 miles I had run earlier and once again it was a magical experience. This time the Bay was filled with haze and one could not see across. But there were birds and a strong smell of salty water hung in the air. There were a few more bikers this time around, but they were hardly noticeable. Long stretches of silence with no one in sight.

When I got back to Coyote Hills I had to stop briefly because my right toenail was hurting badly. It is loose -courtesy of the Arizona ironman- and can be lifted up, but it remains attached on one side. It was bumping against my shoe and causing some damage and minor bleeding. I was not able to rip it off but I did manage to move it out of the way a bit so I could finish the run.

By the time I got back the pro-1-2-3 race was finishing and we got in the car and drove back. Alistair did well in his race, and he also got his team clothing while there so he was a happy camper. Feeling exhausted I fell asleep after lunch.

Toe surgery and watts

First things first. If you look at yesterday's post you can see I banged my toenails pretty bad in the Ironman. But looks are deceptive. I think my right big toe is fine. I clipped the nail yesterday and some fluid came out but it immediately cleared the nail. I don't think it is separated so it will probably recover. The left one is different. That one is actually black (not so obvious in the shot), and was lifted up by a rather large hematoma. I punctured it yesterday and let out lots of fluid. But the nail did not clear, and the nail bed is still elevated. That one will go I think.

Next, some data. I downloaded the numbers from my Ergomo. I recorded 5:19:20 on the bike. The overall official time was 5:21:04. It took some time to get the device started. During those 5.33 hours I averaged 215W. Compare that to Landis' infamous "testosterone" ride in the Tour, where he averaged 280W for 5.5 hours. The difference between me and Landis is a 65W bulb for 5.5 hours.

However, Landis' 280 were worth quite a bit more. I weighed 172 lbs. and Floyd was probably more than 15 pounds lighter. Looking at the pictures you can see he is also a lot more aero. The picture you see is about the best I can do.

Other numbers: 75 RPM average, 20.7 speed average, 407 W max, and 101 max RPM. Top speed 32.8 mph. Estimated calorie loss 4,428. Altitude gain, 1,549 or about 500 per lap (which compares well to the published data). My normalized power was 225NP. If one thing, it showed I was very steady and did not do crazy stuff. The closer NP is to real average, the more "even" the ride was.

The official data reads: lap 1, 21.34 mph, lap 2, 20.5 mph, and lap 3, 20.97 mph, total 20.93 mph. That too compares well with my recordings. The bike leg moved me up from 1,518 to 533, meaning I passed almost 1,000 people on the bike. In my age group I moved from 85th to 20th or 65 places. I gained another 77 / 6 in the run.

Adding 4,000 calories for the swim and the run, I must have burned somewhere near 8,500 calories. I ate one bagel and some banana bread for breakfast, about 15 gels on the bike, and one powerbar. I estimate another 600 calories in sports drink on the bike, and 600 in Cola on the run. My total intake was close to 3,500 calories for the event. Net loss is somewhere around 5,000. I made up half of that with margaritas and drinks after the event. Cheers!

25 mile mountain bike ride today. Felt great and good fun too.

Stiff, sore, and black

One thing I have learned is that you can run a marathon with cramps but you will pay for it afterwards. Several times now I have been able to complete Ironman without any day-after pain or soreness. In all cases, I was able to exercise the next day. No, this is not due to some magical pill or potion, just good old training. It is also not due to lack of intensity. Those last Ironman races were new PR's and I made significant gains in both.

However, a few years ago I had very bad cramps on the bike in Wildflower. I ended up walking and jogging the entire half marathon (Wildflower is a half-ironman race). Afterwards I paid for it. I was sore for a whole week. Sore, stiff and almost unable to walk. It is the price you pay for continuing to race when your body tells you to stop.

As for cramps I also learned now that dehydration has little to do with it. I did not grab for salt tablets and did not start drinking excessively. That was good, because the cramps came and went as they always do with little or no difference. The key benefit was that I did not get an upset stomach on top of it as I had many times before when I tried to "cure" my cramps by guzzling water and eating salt.

Apart from the soreness, my blue toenails are the most painful memory. Ironically enough I never knew about the toe condition during the race. I only "discovered" it in the shower. It reminded me of all the shoulder bruises I discovered after I went skydiving a few years ago. There are some magical effects of adrenalin.

Yesterday I swam 1,500 meters. It felt good.

The ironman raised nearly $14,000 for the brain aneurysm foundation.