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May 12th: Back in the swing and Little Caesars 50th
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Now that I've had a few weeks to recover from Ironman China, I'm back into the swing of things. I've got about 5 weeks before my half-Ironman racing begins. This next month will have a lot of intensity to get me ready for the coming races. I'm beginning to feel pretty strong again, but the first few workouts with intensity after coming back from an Ironman usually leave me pretty sore for a day or two. It's something that I've learned to push through for a few days and then my body responds much better. I'm back to working with Whitney on my swimming. We're working on my strength and turn-over in the water. The last two weeks and for the next month, I'll be incorporating a lot of water-polo style swimming with my head-out of the water. This is a great wat to build strength, especially for open-water swimming. So this is the next area where I feel I can make the next step forward in my swimming.
Last weekend, I had the opportunity and pleasure to go to Detroit to attend Little Caesar's 50th birthday party. It was a really neat even held at the Fox Theater and Comerica Park in Detroit. It was fun to go, spend time with Caesars, and spend time with my family. Little Caesars is a great company with very strong values. I enjoyed seeing this at the 50th party and it made me feel part of the Caesars team.
That's it for now. Basically, it's nose to the grind-stone for the next month to get ready for the coming Ironman 70.3 races in June and July. I'm hoping the strength and endurance gains from this winter training for and racing Malaysia and China will be complimented with a speed focus for several weeks.
Pat
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| April 28th: Back in Austin from Ironman China |
I'm back in Austin after a wonderful race and trip to Ironman China. I've updated my travel blog with my final update from the trip and some last pictures from the last couple days of travel.
Click here to read my full race report from Ironman China.
Click here to view my Ironman China 2009 travel photos.
Click here to read my Ironman China travel blog
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| April 23rd: Ironman China, 6th place in the male pro field |
What a crazy race! With temps soaring to 113 deg F, it made for an insane day out there. I was really happy to bring home another top-10 finish!!
Click here to read my full race report from Ironman China.
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| April 9th: Heading out for Ironman China |
In two days, I'm leaving Austin and heading over to China to race Ironman China. This will be my second full Ironman of 2009 and I feel even better than I did before Ironman Malaysia. I'm really excited for the race and the trip. The race takes place in the city of Haikou on Hainan Island in the south part of the country. The race conditions will be similar to Malaysia, very hot, very humid, and tropical. It's been warmer in Austin over the last several weeks than when I was preparing for Ironman Malaysia in January and February. We've had a lot of days in the 80s and even a few in the upper 80s and close to 90. This will make heat acclimation that much better for this race.
I'm traveling and rooming with two of my buddies from Austin and team Jack and Adams, Lon and Stephan. We're staying in the race hotel which is supposed to be a 5-star resort. After the race, I'm going to stay on the island and travel around on my own for a few days, then fly up to Shanghai to stay with my friends Paul and Lori for a few days. All in all, I'm very excited to race and travel again.
The hotel is supposed to have internet and I'm hoping I have an easier time accessing the tools I need to update my website. If so, I'm going to try to put a few updates with pictures up on my site during the trip. I'll post a race report following the race.
Click here to go to my Ironman China 2009 travel page for updates while I'm gone.
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| April 6th: Posting my Masters Thesis |
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I decided that I want to post a copy of my Masters thesis on-line on my site. There are a couple reasons for this. First, when I was researching my topic, I found a couple theses on the web very helpful. So although the topic has nothing to do with racing or triathlon, I hope that somehow by adding to the collective knowledge on the web, I may help someone interested in my topic. Also, if you're having trouble sleeping one night, feel free to use this rather than counting sheep. I've also had a few friends and family members express interest in parusing the thesis, so posting it here makes it easier to share with family and friends. I finished it and submitted it back in December, but just recently thought to post it on-line.
For those interested, the title is:
Operation Palliser: The British Military Intervention into Sierra Leone, a Case of a Successful use of Western Military Interdiction in a Sub-Sahara African Civil War
Download my thesis: 
In the thesis, I examine the scenario in Sierra Leone in 2000 when Tony Blair ordered Operation Palliser, the deployment of British forces to Freetown to evacuate British and EU citizens as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) moved towards the capital city. After the evacuation, the 'paras' from the First Parachute Battalion stayed in Freetown and bolstered the struggling United Nations UNAMSIL peacekeeping troops. Meanwhile the Royal Navy deployed its Amphibious Readiness Group to Sierra Leone. The task force parked a contingent of Royal Marines from 42 Commando as well as air and other naval assets off the capital city. The presence of the British forces seemed to create a pause in the fighting long enough for the peace process to take hold and the UN to re-posture itself. After Operation Palliser, the British continued its presence in Sierra Leone to support the peace process with Operations: Basilica, Barras, Silkman, Khuhri (Indian operation with support from British), and Vela. The British Joint Task Force Headquarters also integrated with UN and Sierra Leone military leadership. They also committed to a long-term training process with the Sierra Leone military with the creation of IMATTs.
I examine these actions, as well as political actions by the British within the historical and cultural context of Sierra Leone's civil war. I discuss complexities of the use of military forces in humanitarian interventions and unilatteral/coalition/multilatteral actions in complex political emergencies. Additionally, I apply the lessons from the British actions in Sierra Leone to other historical cases of Western Military interventions: Somalia, Rwanda, Liberia, and East Timor.
It was a very fascinating topic to explore. Although I'm very happy it's indeed finish, I learned a lot throughout the process. I hope my work can help someone else's research or perhaps by reading my work, open others eyes to the issues, complexities, as well as the potentially positive impacts Western governments can have on the tragic situations throughout the world.
Pat
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| April 2nd: Future Contributions to Austin Runner Magazine |
Some of you around Austin who pick up and read Austin Runner magazine may have noticed in the March issue the new addition of the "triathlon section". Going forward, the monthly magazine will contain a triathlon-specific feature. The editors have asked four of us from the Austin triathlon scene to be the contributing editors for this column. Jack Murray (owner of Jack and Adams Bicycles), Desiree Ficker (pro triathlete), Rip Esselstyn (former pro triathlete and founder of the Engine 2 Diet), and myself will be reporting, writing, and answering questions in the magazine on triathlon specific topics. Start looking for our contributions in upcoming issues. Below, I'm posting a picture of the announcement from the March issue of the magazine.
Also, I've decided not to go race in Galveston this weekend. I decided it would be the smartest move for me at this point. I'm leaving for China in 10 days and am now tapering. I had originally chosen the Galveston race as a tune-up for China, but feel that since I raced an Ironman only 5 weeks ago, a tune-up race really isn't necessary. After big training over the last 2-3 weeks with Richie, I've found myself really tired and trying to rest, recover, and properly taper for China. I had a few days where I really put myself into a physical debt and really needed extra rest to get my energy back. So now I'm resting and tapering well and my body is responding how I want it to at this point. The downside potential of racing this weekend is that with traveling and racing, I could put my body further into debt and potentially hurt my China race. I'd be traveling across the state, sleeping on a hotel room floor, racing, and traveling back, only to turn around and travel to the opposite side of the globe 5 days later. Not the smartest of moves on my part to ensure I'm rested and my body isn't overly stressed. Also, there isn't a prize money purse on the Galveston race, so I'm really not hurting my potential to support myself. If the race had money on the line, then it'd be a different scenario.
So the next 10 days for me are focused on executing on the key workouts as I taper, resting as much as possible, and preparing for the trip to China. I'll write more before I leave for the trip.
Pat
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March 23rd: Schedule change & looking forward to 2009 races |
I've been back in Austin for two weeks now and am fully back into the swing of things. I was really sick for a good week after I returned from Malaysia, but kicked that bug and have been able to get myself back on track. My buddy, Richie Cunningham is in Austin training this month, so we've been pushing hard this last week. I'll keep the hammer down one more week and then start tapering down for Ironman China on April 19th. I'm going to jump into the 1/4 Ironman distance race in Galveston, the Lonestar Triathlon on April 5th as a warm-up/knock the cobwebs out race before China. Everything seems to be tracking really well right now for China. I was a bit worried when I got sick after I got home from Malaysia, but after the solid week of training last week, I feel confident again and am getting really excited to go race another Ironman. The 7 week turn-around between Ironmans Malaysia and China is the shortest time I've ever had between Ironmans, so this compressed recovery-build-taper is a bit of an experiment for me. So far so good!
I've also revised my race schedule and overall racing goals for my 2009 race season. I originally wanted to go back to Kona this year to throw my hat back into the ring. I was really happy with my race in Malaysia, but it again reitterated my need to continue to make gains on my swimming to get me "in" the race more from the beginning. I feel that another 1.5 years of swimming gains, working with Whitney at University of Texas and working with my buddy, Richie will help get my swimming to a point where it needs to be to go back to Hawaii.
So after Ironman China, I'll take 2-3 months and focus on training and racing half-Ironman distance races (70.3s). I'll race a few Ironman 70.3s in early-to-mid summer, then focus on Ironman Wisconsin in September as my "A" race for the season. The idea is that I take my base/strength gains from this winter and these early Asian Ironmans, then take the speed gains from my 70.3 racing and training in early summer, then put them together into a solid build to Ironman Wisconsin. I think Wisconsin will be a good race for me. I like races with a tougher bike course, especially one with some hills which break up the drafting from the guys in the pro field. The flat courses allow guys to sit in on the bike and have fast bike splits without doing as much work. I'm biking alone regardless of the race, so a tougher bike course is good for me. Wisconsin is also a qualifier for Kona for 2010, so if I have a good race there, I can qualify for Hawaii for 2010 and then pressure is off for next season in terms of picking races to qualify. Also, racing Wisconsin instead of trying for Kona opens up my schedule in October so I can race the Ironman 70.3 race here in Austin. It felt like a crime last year when I couldn't race the 70.3 race in my own back yard. Normally I pay hundreds of dollars to travel to races and here's one of the same quality where I don't have to travel and can sleep in my own bed the night before!!!
So I'm really excited about this new plan. I think it fits my needs and goals better at this point in my racing career rather than taking another shot at Kona this October. 2010 will be the Kona focus year. Until then, I've got a ton of hard work ahead of me. More about Ironman China to come in the next few weeks.
Pat |
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| February 16th - March 5th: Ironman Malaysia |
Click here to check my Malaysia trip photos.
Click here for my Ironman Malaysia race report and race photos. |
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| February 9th: Rumble in the Jungle |
One week from today I leave for my first race of the 2009 season, Ironman Malaysia, or as I like to call it, the Rumble in the Jungle. I've never traveled to Asia so not only am I excited to race, I'm really excited to visit a new part of the world, and a beautiful country as I've heard from those who've been.
I haven't written anything yet about my upcoming races this season because I wanted to get some of the logistics lined up before I started openly discussing my plans. I'll take the opportunity now to write about my first race of the 2009 season. On February 28th, I'll be racing in Ironman Malaysia in Langkawi, Malaysia. I decided to open my year with Ironman Malaysia for a few reasons. First, since Ironman moved Ironman Arizona from April to November, our first opportunity to race a full Ironman in North America isn't until the end of June. So if I wanted to race before then, my only options were international. I looked over the spring-time races and looked for a race which I would be excited to train and race, a fun place to visit, and one that I thought would fit my strengths.
Malaysia fit all of the above criteria perfectly. After last season, I went back and examined my race results from the last 3 years. One of the things I noticed was that all of my best placements and fastest times have been in hotter conditions. If the temperature was below 85 degrees, I didn't race as well. So this whole upcoming year, I'm looking for hotter races. I figure, I live and train in Austin, Texas one of the hottest places in the country where we regularly have +100 degree days in the summer. So I think I'm better in the heat than the average joe.
Malaysia is hot, I mean jungle hot. In past years it's been over 100 degrees on the run and in 2001 the temp reached 110 degrees during the run. Humidity? Did I mention that it's jungle? So this is the kind of race where the heat and humidity just tears through guys on the run. The race's website boasts that Ironman Malaysia is "the toughest show on earth." My kind of day. Many friends have asked me about training here in the winter and then going to a hot race. Most exercise physiology research suggests that if done right, heat acclimation can be achieved in 10-14 days. So I'm heading to Malaysia two weeks before the race, actually getting there 11 days before, so I can taper and hang out in the heat for a while. Coming from Austin, even though it's winter we're so used to the heat, I think we acclimate pretty quickly. It also hasn't really been a cold winter. We've had some cold days, but we've been mostly 60-75 degrees all winter with a couple 80 degree days. So it's not like I've been training in 30 degree weather.
Langkawi is the island hosting the race and is one of Malaysia's tourist and resort islands. All the pictures I've seen are beautiful. I leave next Monday night, then 33 hours of travel time and losing a day from time-change, I get there Wednesday night. The swim is a two loop warm ocean swim in the bay on the island's largest city. The bike is a rolling, 3 loop course. I've heard the roads are amazingly smooth and closed to traffic (very nice, not all races are closed to traffic). I've heard the most dangerous part of the race is monkeys running across the road on the bike course. You hit one of those at full speed and you'll be eating pavement. I've also heard it's not unusual to have a water buffalo wonder onto the road during the race. That all sounds like a blast to me. Nothing like weaving around a water buffalo to stop some clown from drafting off you on the bike!
The run is the great equalizer with the environmental conditions. Leaving transition, you run one kilometer to the main part of the course and then it's 4 loop out-n-back run. 5K out, turn around 5K back times four. This is great for those racing who are stronger runners because they can see the guys in front of them many times, how strong they look, etc. It can be a spirit breaker to see people running you down every 20 minutes if you're in front and fading. That's my kind of run course. If you're hurting and wanting to dial back, you see all the guys right behind you and you can always find a little more guts to try to hold them off.
It's going to be very fun. I'm staying on the island for another three days after the race to kick back, sight-see, and sample all the local food (which I'll be too scared to try in the week before the race). Then on my flight home, I intentionally arranged a full day layover in Kuala Lumpur. I'll check my bike and suitcase at the airport and go see the city for a day and just stay in a youth hostel or something along those lines.
I'm really excited for this trip, I'm feeling really fit now, and am ready to race. I'm going to check to see if the hotel where I'm staying has internet. If so, I'll bring my laptop and post updates and pictures while I'm there. If you read my site while I was training in Europe last spring, I'll do something similar. If there's no internet, then I'll just update when I get home.
Pat |
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| January 12th: Runtex 20 miler, a great training race |
You may be able to tell that today is a rest day because of all of my website updates. I'm resting and recovering from a great training race yesterday. I jumped into the Runtex 20 Miler running race as a way to compliment my Ironman Malaysia training. The idea was to get a hard, long training run on tired legs to simulate the intensity of the run in an Ironman. I achieved this goal, by placing 4th overall on completely trashed legs.
I didn't want to rest for this race or come in fresh. Doing this race on rested legs wouldn't tell me how well I could run long on trashed legs. So I had a huge training week including a big day on Friday and a huge day on Saturday and went into the race to see what kind of pace I could hold. The day before the race on Saturday, I woke up and went to the early morning swimming practice at University of Texas. My swimming coach Whitney said she could give me my own lane to do a time trial swim. So after a really short warm-up of 200M, I did a 4000M swim as hard as I could to get my time, then a 500 cool-down with drills. I swam pretty well, but could tell that I need a few more weeks of hard and long efforts before my Ironman swim is there. I've been doing a lot of form work and drill work on my swimming this winter, which is great for making improvements in my form, but I need to get back to some whooping practices to get ready for Malaysia.
Anyhow, after the swim practice, I biked a solid 118 miles, got off the bike and ran a hard 5.5 miles. So Saturday night after that day of solid training, on top of a big week, I went to bed with smashed legs. Sunday morning I went out to the running race to see what my body could do. If I were to blow up in the later miles, oh well, it was a chance to find some limits.
I ran really solid. I held a 6:00/mile pace solid for the whole 20 miles. I was holding mostly 5:50-5:55 pace, but found a couple miles with uphills really taxed my legs and brought my average pace for the run back to 6 minute/mile. I was really happy I could run that well on tired legs. It was a really nice course and the volunteers were great. It was up in Georgetown, about 30 min north of Austin out in farm country. Lots of sweeping landscapes. It was nice to watch the sun rise over the farms as we ran.
The race was also good for training because I could get a solid long run without stopping. When you're doing long training runs on your own, it's hard to get long miles without stopping to get water. Even if you stop for a minute or less at a drinking fountain, your body is buffering the lactic acid in your legs. So if you make 4-5 water stops in a 20 mile run, you have 4-5 minutes of rest sprinkled throughout your run. I've seen local marathon groups training for their long runs and often the groups have extended water breaks of 2-5 minutes. If they do this several times thought their long runs, they're getting a lot of rest. So when the marathon comes along, many people are surprised by the accumulated fatigue in their legs. It's hard to avoid stopping for water in training runs unless you have a friend riding a bike and handing you water bottles so you don't have to stop moving. But, it's hard to find someone to ride by you for a few hours. SO, the 20 mile race was a great way to get this type of race simulation. After a warm-up and cool-down, I got in a good 23 miles on the day.
After a killer nap, an hour easy spin on the bike trainer, and an easy hour recovery swim, I was really surprised how good my legs felt yesterday evening. I have almost no soreness today, but I'm still taking the day off for recovery. I'm trying to heed my advice to others to take one day completely off each week for recovery (that's also my time to do all the "normal people" things I neglect during training blocks like laundry, grocery shop, clean, cook for the week, etc.) So today I rest, update my website and get everything in order for another big training week. More to come....
Pat |
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| January 5th: New Year = New Gear |
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It's a new year and looking towards a new racing season means getting everything lined up and ready to go. Today, working with Jack and Adams Bikes, we moved one step closer to that goal by getting on a new bike. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this new machine. I've been working with Jack and Adams and I can assure you that this bike is going to be fast. Today, James, the head mechanic at Jack and Adams did the final build on the bike and Jack and I spent time dialing in the fit. Tomorrow I get to take it for its maiden voyage.
I'll be riding the Kuota Kueen-K time trial bike. I've ridden two different Kuota bikes, both Kalibur frames, and have absolutely loved the rides. The Kueen-K is Kuota's latest and greatest bike released last year. The frame is super stiff and the way the carbon is laid and tubes designed gives the bike a very substantial feel. The bike's geometry is really steep. This means the angles of the tubing places me further forward than other bikes. The reason this is good for my body and the way I tend to ride is that on my past bikes, I've naturally ridden further forward by scooting forward on the saddle. Now the bike is designed so I can sit properly on the saddle while achieving the position relative to the rest of the bike that feels natural to me.
We tweaked the position a little more from where I was in these pictures. We brought the front end in another centimeter and brought the saddle forward a centimeter resulting in more of a 90 degree angle on my elbow. Also, I've decided not to go any lower on the front end because I found last year that I didn't run as well off the bike when I was slammed super-low. I think it contributed to some lower-back tightness I experienced in a couple races. Comfort is much more important for Ironman than one centimeter worth of aerodynamics. With Jack's help, we've got me ready to rock out on this bike. Thank you Jack and Adams for your support! We'll have to talk to Kuota about making an orange bike.
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