Peter Vu's Ironman Blog - Vineman 7/31/10

I'll give you a hint. Flat Vegas In December. Beating Sarah Palin's time. Getting my diet in check.

If all these factors come together, I think I can get it done. A great way to top off an amazing year so far!

Probably shouldn't get ahead of myself though.

Still tapering. It's funny how my body feels so anxious to work out.

I swam 2.4 miles in the Westwood pool today in 1 hour and 28 minutes. Since I'm a slow swimmer, I really can't complain. To think, I could barely swim 100 yards 9 months ago...

I'm a 2nd half athlete - slow in the first half and strong in the second half. Let's see if I can trim some more time off of that in the next couple weeks.

Taper - by the way, we are officially in taper mode now. We completed our longest workout this past Saturday: an 8 hour session (80 miles of biking and 3 hours of running). We trained up in Westlake - 2 40 mile loops on the bike and then a couple loops of running. I didn't have the best day initially as I fell coming around a turn and received some scrapes on my right side (they still sting!). I also rolled my tires and flatted both of them right before a 3 mile hill climb on Mulholland Highway. Now, that's adversity. I was mentally shaken up since I was having a good ride up until then. I didn't feel like running, but I started to run and felt better. By mile 10 of the run, I was able to compartmentalize all my negative thoughts about that day and just focus on completing my run at a good pace.

At the end of the day, it's how you deal with all the bad things that happen on the course that really proves how much character you have. I would have never had known what I could deal with if I had a perfect training session. People talk about having a good training day when you smoke the course. I disagree. It's when things go wrong, and you have to look inside you and ask whether you can channel your energy to focus on the task at hand. Those are the best training days.

Anyhow, no more long weekend sessions...just shorter SPRINT sessions (that's the Ironteam for you). We still have long swims though.

Almost there, almost there...

See, Team in Training is more than purple jerseys. We are more than the “Go Team!” cheer. We are more than a group of individuals who gather each Saturday or Sunday to log our miles, share our frustrations of the week’s workload, complain about chafing, rejoice in conquering extreme distances, and cheers over giant plates of eggs, bacon and toast.

Eight season has taught me that we are greater than the drug, Gleevec; we are greater than the over $1 billion raised to fight cancer; we are greater than the 13.1 or 26.2 miles that stare us down on race day. We are all these things and more. We are a collective of individuals who, through our fundraising and through or dedication to walk and run down the miles before us, can actually make a difference. We change lives – others' lives and our own.

Emily just finished her first Ironman triathlon in Couer D'Alene, Idaho. She trained all by herself for the event - a herculean feat even by many Ironmen standards. She is just an amazing individual all around!

Read the rest of her brilliant post about why you should join Team in Training below.
An Open Letter To Those Considering Team In Training

I just swam 2.4 miles in the pool today - my longest distance ever! I couldn't swim properly nine months ago. What limits?

Believe in yourself...hells to the yea!

Today was probably the worst and one of the best training days I had on the team. We were supposed to do a 6 hour brick this Saturday morning-60 mile bike and 12 mile run. However, I never finished my bike ride because I got 3 (yes, 3) flat tires on my ride today. I ran over something 18 miles into the bike and it screwed up my tire. Alex Chin came over to give me a hand with my first flat. After getting it fixed, I was a little mentally shaken up because I was having a strong ride up until then (19 mph pace). I forced myself to just not think about it and just make it to the 30 mile or halfway point. On my way back at mile 32, I got my second flat on the same front tire. This time, Andie and Ale stopped to help me out - giving me a spare tube and CO2 cartridges. Linda, who was SAG for today, and Efren also drove by to lend a hand. They showed me that my tread had a hole on it, so pumping up the tube might not help. We gave it a shot, but after biking 200 feet, I heard a "whoooosh"! Not cool. My tire was officially jacked. Linda eventually came over to pick me up and drive me back to our team stop at Ocean and San Vicente. I tried to not focus on what just had happened, telling myself that it was out of my control, but it bugged me that I couldn't get my full workout in. I still had to run 12 miles (2 loops of Amalfi), which I wasn't entirely excited for either. On my first loop, I was mentally going through the motions, taking more breaks than I usually do and dreading the long hills. I just wanted to be done already. Sometimes, when you push yourself to the limits, it can have negative consequences. It can be very hard on you, and you start doubting yourself and what you can accomplish.

Upon finishing my first loop, I just took a mental timeout. I reminded myself why I was training and how easy I have it. I'm training for an Ironman. An I-R-O-N-M-A-N. It's not supposed to be easy. All this adversity that I was facing today was what makes the Ironman so special; if you can conquer yourself, you can do anything! You are your worst enemy. You can do this, you just have to believe you can. The flat tires, tiring hills, extended pain, self-doubt, 90 degree temperatures are good training for me. You have no one else to rely on but yourself out there on the course and you just have to GET IT DONE...no excuses. There's a great Ironman motivation video on Youtube. It basically says that at the end of the day, you will know how you dealt with adversity out there on the course and you will remember it all your life.

Why do I have it easy? Because I'm not battling cancer like some of my honorees. I don't have any crazy injuries like some ppl on the team (i.e., stress fractures). I can afford to fundraise. I have the time to train for an Ironman. Most people say it's too hard to train for an Ironman. I am grateful to have this opportunity. It's a luxury. Yes, I have had to make a lot of sacrifices, but you only live once and sometimes you have to try the impossible - isn't that what makes life so amazing? Never complain. I'm not some amazing athlete. I'm a fairly normal person, but I set my heart on this goal and I believed I could do this. 

So here I am. Second loop - I sucked it up. I kept a good pace going up the hills, helped out a teammate and had a decent run down San Vicente. 12 miles in a couple hours - not amazing, but I'll take it.

I didn't do the full workout today, but I had a great workout. I battled myself, and I chose not to let my negativity get the better of me. It's the same with life, right?

Go Ironteam! (My teammates saved me on the bike today - they're awesome and wonderful people!)

I also got a 10 minute sports massage after. It was not a massage, but 10 minutes of pure pain..."Mike" just hammered my muscles and twisted/pressed in places I didn't know existed. As Efren usually says, "that sh$@ hurt". Indeed.

I think I bruised or pulled a muscle in my rib section this past weekend. I swam today with a slight piercing pain all throughout the workout. Can't stop. Won't Stop. As the coaches say, injuries are inevitable during this tough part of the training. You just have to pull through and deal with it.