What I'm up to lately...

Anybody that tells you that you can do full Ironman training and have a normal life is just not being honest (in my humble opinion...). It's not just the training time and the prep/recovery time; but in general it just leaves you a little more fatigued and less energetic, which makes you less likely to do things like cleaning the house, taking care of the yard, etc. For me, it seems to also have affected the frequency and depth of posting to my blog (that, and I don't want to be the guy in the "I'm training for an Ironman" video...).

Of course there are other factors, like the time I'm putting into coaching. Add that in to the mix of IM training, regular job, family/home, and other things like planning for the Haiti trip later this year... and you get tired JD. Not complaining, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy what I got out of it, just a fact of life that's on my mind at the moment.

In more upbeat/happy news, next week I head to Boston for the Boston Marathon! I did it once before, in 2009 (race report here); and I'm really looking forward to the trip this year. Due to it being 5 weeks out from IM Texas, I'll definitely be looking for just a steady, training type of day; this will NOT be a PR type of run for me. I will be sporting my Alex Lemonade Stand Foundation colors, though - maybe even carry a couple of leaflets with me...

Back to coaching for a second... I'll be one of the coaches for a new triathlon training program starting next week. I'm really looking forward to that - it's geared towards new triathletes and I really enjoy seeing someone accomplish that first triathlon that they never thought they could do : )

OK, time to get back to training. Getting in one more 100 mile plus bike ride tomorrow, since I'll be traveling next weekend. Hopefully I stick to my moderate race plan in Boston, and then I can recuperate quickly and get a couple more good weeks of training in between then and my taper for the IM.

JD

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Help the kids!

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: to find a cure for childhood cancer for kids like Ishani ... Please help them by donating HERE

Hope For Kidz: program to help educate children in Haiti
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Ironman Texas Bike Course directions/info

Update April 2012: Bike course has changed slightly (new course posted here). Nothing of major significance, but something you will want to review.

Update June 2011: Here are just a couple of quick notes on the actual course differences from what is below; in case anyone wants to come back and use this info in the future:

- Instead of going straight thru Conroe-Huffsmith to Mahogany Way, you turn left on Weisinger and take that to Mahogany Way (then left on Mahogany and continue).

- Instead of going straight down 149 to State Spur 149 and turning left; you take the left at 1488; and then turn RIGHT onto State Spur 149; then a LEFT on Dobbin-Hufsmith.

- Instead of turning right on W Branch Crossing Dr, you turn LEFT and head to Woodlands Pkwy. For practice rides, I'd still recommend turning right and spending less time on Woodlands Pkwy.

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For folks doing IM TX; here's some information I have gathered on the bike course, and then checked out myself this past weekend via both car and bike. This is the most current and accurate info I can come up with, which hopefully can be helpful to those of you that might want to pre-ride the course. There will likely be one or two changes to the bike course before race day... If I find out about them I'll try to come back and make updates. Also, leave a comment if you have any corrections or items to add...

So, first of all, here's an elevation chart that I got from my Garmin 310XT by driving the full course in a car. I followed the course directions below faithfully, other than an extra 1/4 mile where we missed the turn from 2854 to 149.

Bike Ride Directions/Tips (All mileages approximate)

As many have learned, there are currently (as of this writing) some inaccuracies on the official website description of the bike course. Here is my attempt at directions that correct those errors, as well as some miscellaneous tips and alternate routes. 

(Here's a LINK to a mapmyride course that incorporates most of these directions; created by Iron Buckeye from the slowtwitch tri forum)

*** Note on starting point: Woodlands Pkwy is not very biker friendly, especially later in the day (OK early am). Lots of traffic lights as well, even on the alternate route along Lake Woodlands/Sterling Ridge (see end section for that alternate route)

• Start at Town Green Park (practice rides you can park/start from the HEB parking lot across the street)

• Left on Lake Robbins

• Left on Grogan’s Mill

• Right on Woodlands Pkwy (BEFORE MILE 1)

• Right on 2978 (BEFORE MILE 9)

            Good starting point here, strip mall being built has lots of empty parking spaces

• Bear right onto Egypt LANE (MILE 10)  ; Or use ALTERNATE ROUTE below

• Straight thru 1488 onto Conroe Hu­ffsmith

• Left on Mahogany Way (Short) ; this one isn’t listed on the official map; but is the only way to get back to Honea Egypt

• Right onto Honea Egypt (MILE 12)

-> ALTERNATE ROUTE: Simply stay on 2978, which turns into Honea Egypt/Egypt Community Road after you cross 148

• Bear right (mostly straight) onto Sendera Ranch Road/Fish Creek

• Left on 2854 and turn right/west at the light after ramp (approx MILE 19) ; go thru 105, becomes Lone Star Pkwy

• Right onto 149 (approx MILE 30) ; not marked well, large intersection with stop sign

• Right onto Osborne Rd (MILE 36.5) ; Look for big carport on the right of it and a black wooden fence around it

• Left on FM 1375 (dead end around MILE 40)

• Right on 149 (dead end around MILE 42.5)

• Right on 1791 (MILE 44)

• Left on Taliaferro Rd after small bridge (approx MILE 45)

• Left on County Rd 209 (Just BEFORE MILE 47) ; really just curving left on what seems to be the same road

• Left on Bays Chapel (Just AFTER MILE 49 ; Short)

• Right on 149

*** First convenience stores you’ll see are on this road right around mile 52. Next ones are another 20 miles or so.

• Left on FM 2562 (MILE 57)

• Left on FM 2819 (Just BEFORE MILE 60)  ; this road is missing from official map

• Right on 1486 (MILE 65) ; continue all the way past 105

*** Convenience stores at miles 72 and 78 (second one on left before crossing 105)

• Left on Jackson (Just before MILE 81)  ; or use ALTERNATE ROUTE below

*** Look for small brown sign on left for High Meadow Estates

ALTERNATE ROUTE: stay on 1486, LEFT on 1774, LEFT on 1488, RIGHT on 149

            Adds just under 4 miles to the route, but safer roads

• Straight on 149 ; Jackson turns into 149

*** EXXON around mile 88.5

• Left on State Spur 149 (MILE 91) -> short distance

• Right on Dobbin Hu­fsmith ; Look for flashing yellow traffic lights

SHORTCUT: Turn LEFT on Hardin Store Road to get back to 2978 (save 4-5 miles)

• LEFT on 2978 (before MILE 100) ; says RIGHT on the official map, but only if you’re going to Houston…

• Right on Greenmoor (approx MILE 102.5)

*** Look for yellow street intersection sign, and then entrance to “The Woodlands” neighborhood sign

• Immediate Right onto May Valley Drive ; you’ll get to intersection on this road where you turn right to stay on the road

• Right onto W Branch Crossing Drive (MILE 104)

• Right onto Woodlands Pkwy (MILE 106) ; Or use ALTERNATE ROUTE below

• Left on Grogans Mill ; exit to the right in order to turn left

• Right on Lake Robbins

ALTERNATE ROUTE: Continue on Branch Crossing Drive thru Woodlands Pkwy, Right on Sterling Ridge, Left on Lake Woodlands, Right on Grogan’s Mill, Left on Lake Robbins

• Finish at Town Green Park

Not much to say I guess...

I realized today that it's been a really long time before I posted anything. I think that's partly because I just haven't felt like I had much to say that would be interesting, and partly because I've just been too busy. Work training, tax preparation (ugh... PLEASE do something to simplify this crap!!!), getting things going for the Haiti trip coming up at the end of September; coaching stuff -> sometimes it just all adds up to way too much to do.

The Boston Marathon is coming up next month, and then IM TX the month after that; so I am in full-blown training mode at the moment. Recovery week this week, but my normal training weeks I'm going for 9000+ yds of swimming, 180-200 miles of biking, and 40+ miles of running. My wife has pretty much written me off for the weekends. She's a good woman to put up with this obsession of mine.

The training itself is going very well, I feel like I'm rounding into form in terms of the endurance. Just praying that I can continue on that track, and then have the opportunity to do the race that I have trained for (i.e. no major mishaps or issues). I'll be heading down to The Woodlands, TX in two weeks to check out the course in person and do some riding and running out there.

That's it for now I guess... : )

JD

3M Half Marathon - the results are in!

In my last post (see HERE), I was previewing the 3M Half Marathon that I'd be doing on behalf of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. I asked folks to consider a donation, and included a challenge for myself to see how far under 1:40 I could get. The race was held yesterday, and Ishani and her family actually came out to cheer me on... that definitely provided some extra motivation! Here's a pic of Ishani (on left) and her sister Monisha holding up the ALSF banner at the race:

So, I am happy to report that the race went very well and I finished in 1:31:16! It was a lot of fun to test myself at the half marathon distance as a stand-alone event, and that extra motivation came in handy by about mile 8 or so...  For any of you that would like to help the ALSF cause and provide some hope to Ishani and the kids like her, just click HERE. Oh, and for the sake of the challenge, I guess we can say that I beat the 1:40 by 8 minutes  : )

Thank you!
JD

PS:  Quick overview of the race:

It was pretty warm and humid for January (even in TX), with starting temp around 65 degrees and nearly 90% humidity; but a great course that is mostly downhill (point to point). The first 4 miles I just tried to maintain a steady pace and watch the HR, since that section has more uphill grade and I didn't want to burn myself out too early. I was pleasantly surprised to see I was holding around a 7:00/mile pace, and felt good.

Right around mile 4 there is a big downhill section that lasts a couple of miles, and I tried to keep the same relative effort; but allow the pace to pick up naturally with the downhill. That worked out well, and I was able to cut some time. Then things leveled out a bit for the next few miles, with some gentle rolling action. That can be a mentally challenging part of the race, as the adrenaline and excitement have worn away and you still have a way to go before the end. The Garmin came in really handy during that section, as I was able to use the pace and HR readings to keep myself on track.

Finally, I reached the final 3 miles, which is mostly downhill grade. At that point, I just let myself take off like I was starting a 5K; and didn't hold back. I had set an in-race goal for myself just before I reached that section to see if I could break 7:00/mile; and that became my focal point. It got a little tough on mile 12, but when I saw the finish line I had enough left for a final sprint and finished with 1:31:16; which works out to a 6:58/mile pace : )  And here's a pic with me (the blur of yellow) crossing the finish line:

Fun day, and thanks again for the support!

Time to talk about Alex and Ishani

It's been a while since I've done much to promote the cause of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF); other than the footers on some of my posts; so I thought it was time to revisit that topic. As a reminder, ALSF is an organization that battles childhood cancer, started by the vision of a 4 yr old girl named Alex. Her own fight with cancer made her determined to do something about it, and that determination led to the establishment of this great organization.

My own involvement with ALSF comes by way of another determined young girl named Ishani that I met through a friend. Ishani is 7 years old and has already had to battle cancer twice in her young life, yet still maintains an amazingly positive attitude.It's hard to get to know somebody like that and not be inspired to do something to help.

So... I'll be running in the 3M Half Marathon on January 30th, and in order to help promote the ASLF cause, I'll be wearing my "Team Lemon" ALSF yellow shirt/hat (see pic below). Besides raising awareness, I'm also hoping to raise a few dollars (every little bit helps!!!), and I have a plea for you and a challenge that goes along with it...

 

The plea is to make a donation of any size, which you can do through this page. For Ishani and the other kids, it really does means a lot when they see people making donations, whether it is $5 or $50... it just lets them know that somebody out there cares about them and what they're going through.

The challenge that I have is tied to the plea, and is in regards to my expected pace/time. A fast and quite difficult pace for me would be to average 7:20/mile; which translates to completing the half marathon in about 1:36. I'd love to be able to get my time down to 1:30; but that would require a 6:52 pace; which just isn't going to happen : )  To make me work at it, though, maybe you can pledge a donation tied to my pace... For example: $5 if I break 1:40, and then an additional $1 for every minute I get underneath that. That will provide some extra motivation for those last few miles when the mind keeps telling the body to slow down!

Regardless of whether or not you make a donation, I'd love to have you leave a comment with a note of encouragement for Ishani and the other kids, and maybe say a little prayer when you think of them.

Finally, if you want to see more information about ALSF, Alex, Ishani, and pediatric cancer in general - click HERE.

Thank you for your support!

JD

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Help the kids!

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: to find a cure for childhood cancer for kids like Ishani ... Please help them by donating HERE

Hope For Kidz: program to help educate children in Haiti

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Back from Mexico, Back to Training

Had a great trip to Piedras Negras over the holidays... My daughter and I went down there for a mission trip in conjunction with a couple of local churches. There were tons of donated clothes, toys, shoes, etc. to be sorted and distributed, kids clubs to run, and a lot of construction at a new soup kitchen. Orlando and his wife Merriam run this new soup kitchen, and they have a great vision to feed every child in their neighborhood at least one meal a day Monday thru Saturday (right now they only have supplies for Saturdays). It's always inspiring to see people that have truly dedicated their lives to helping others (to the point where they and their 4 kids will skip meals to make sure there is enough to feed the others). Here's a few pictures from that trip:

 Working on inside of soup kitchen

Fence built (to keep out wild dogs that have been killing the goats)

Group photo at one of the Kids Clubs

This lady just had to have a beanie baby when she saw them! : )

With the holidays and Mexico trip behind me, it's back to the training grind for IM Texas. I'm at the point now where the long bike rides have reached 90 miles and the long runs up to about 15 miles. I'm trying to keep my emotions and expectations in check, and just take each day of training one at a time. There is so much that can happen between now and race day; and on race day itself; so the smart thing to do is try and enjoy the journey as much as possible, and not get caught up in too much hype about the race. The fitness will be with me regardless of what happens on May 21st, right? : )

Here's to a Happy New Year!
JD
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Help the kids!

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: to find a cure for childhood cancer for kids like Ishani ... Please help them by donating HERE

Hope For Kidz: program to help educate children in Haiti
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Just a few updates

Wow, things have been really busy... so just a few quick updates:

- Completed my USA Triathlon Level I Coach recertification. So, 2 more years that I can torture people and have them pay me for it.

- Heading back to Piedras Negras, Mexico soon for a mission trip. Hopefully will have a couple stories and pictures in the near future.

- Still training for IM Texas. Five more months of this before the actual race... wow. Well, I guess it's really only about 4 months of training before the taper. That makes me feel a little better, but just a little.

- Boston Marathon will come up before that, and I'm thinking of doing a local half marathon in January. Hadn't really thought about this in advance, but winter training means you don't get a lot of chances to do shorter races to test out all your hard work.

- For the half marathon and Boston Marathon, I'll be promoting Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation again. Need to rev that back up a bit. Ishani has stayed cancer-free so far; which is terrific news!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
JD