Friday Funny 107: How to Keep Your Bike Safe

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My Coach Has “Friended” My Wife on Facebook

This won’t end well.

Now I’ll be getting this from TWO angles: “Stop eating that cinnamon crap cereal!”

BTW, it’s been 4 days, and I have 7 of Coach Jen’s workouts in the bag. AND we’re still on speaking terms... ;)

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Ask Steve: DNF Advice

If you’re out of the loop, “DNF” means “Did Not Finish.” It’s worse than DFL (“Dead F*cking Last”), but better than DNS (“Did Not Start”) - or at least in my mind.

Someone left a comment on Monday’s post just as “Melanie,” and she said this:

Hi Steve,
I love your blog and know that you have had your own DNF experience, but I was hoping that you and your readers could help me out. I had to DNF my first half ironman yesterday (my hands went totally numb on the bike and I had the worst headache of my life). I am dealing with the disappointment, but the worst part about yesterday was after I had made the decision to quit and was feeling so terrible, the spectators and race staff (even other racers) were so great, yelling "looking strong" or "keep it up", etc. I felt awkward knowing that I was quitting but didn't want to be rude. Hopefully this won't happen again, but maybe it could help other readers if you could solicit suggestions about this. Also, any advice about how to deal with post-DNF blues would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post and thanks!

I knew of an official 70.3 on Sunday, so I went to their site and searched the results. I found 2 Melanie’s, and 1 of them was a DNF. I found this person on Facebook, and we sent a few messages back-and-forth. (Man, this “social network” age can be a little freaky, huh? And I think I freaked out Melanie when I first sent her a FB message asking if she was the Melanie who had just commented on my blog 5 minutes earlier!)

If you’re a newer follower of my blog, you maybe don’t know about my marathon DNF from 2 years ago. Melanie had apparently found those posts on my blog. I went through similar things as she described. In fact, here’s a really zoomed in shot that Borsch took of me walking past spectators trying to hold back emotion as they were “yelling ‘looking strong’ or ‘keep it up’, etc” as Melaine had stated:

One of my notes back to her looked like this:

[....] That really stinks. I'm sorry your day was shot to hell. When I DNFed my first (and only) marathon, I was completely fine with it when it happened. I was hurting, I had thrown up, and things were going grey now-and-then (my eyesight was fading or I was getting close to fainting or something...).

It sounds cheesy and stupid, but I KNOW I learned something from it. I learned my limits. I learned how far my body can go. I learned I hadn't done the training that I THOUGHT I had.

But....

After a few weeks, I started thinking "well, I could have FINISHED the race..." and I started beating myself up a little more. That was 2 years ago, and I still haven't tried another marathon. It still nags at me a little.

[....] I don't know if you saw my 2 posts (and comments) from my marathon DNF, but one person commented that they dropped out of an Ironman that same day I dropped out of my marathon. She said this: "When I did my first half iron, I met a guy in transition. He had done 15 ironman races and finished 9 of those. I've never forgotten the advice he gave me. #1 Ain't no shame in walking. #2 Sometimes a finish just isn't in the cards."

I hope you're feeling OK today. All my best,
Steve

Generic answers. I didn’t feel like I could help her much. I told her I’d post her story and her questions for my readers if she’d like that, and she sent me this final note:

Steve,

Wow! Thanks so much for taking the time to write. I am feeling better today but like you I am questioning my decision and feel like maybe I could have stuck it out and tried to finish, but ultimately I know that I made the right decision by stopping and not digging myself into a deeper hole. I would be more than happy to share my story about what happened yesterday. As an FYI, his was my first attempt at the half iron distance after two sprints, two half marathons, and half a dozen 50+ mile training rides.

The week before the race had been stressful as I had ordered a rental wetsuit from Xterra wetsuits six weeks prior to the race. As the week went on I got more and more nervous but was hopeful the wetsuit would arrive. By Friday evening it hadn't arrived and I basically began freaking out. I know I'm not the fastest swimmer and was hoping for the time advantage of a wetsuit if nothing else. The wetsuit never did arrive (looking back now I'm thinking I should have taken this as a bad omen). However, I had done a swim at the reservoir a week before and knew the water temperature wasn't too cold. Nonetheless, standing at the beach before the start of the race I felt like literally the only person without a wetsuit and seriously began to question myself. As we headed down to the water the announcer said over the speakers "I know I will see each and every one of you at the finish line". In my head I was thinking, "I sure hope so". The start of the swim wasn't as bad as I thought it would be- I didn't get kicked or shoved, etc. The water actually felt refreshing and I just tried to enjoy the experience (being surrounded by the Rocky Mountains didn't hurt either). It felt like the swim took forever but around the turns I could see that I wasn't the last person in my wave, so that was a confidence booster. Coming out of the water I felt great and ready to tackle the bike. I ran into transition and was in and out. After getting on my bike, though, I knew something felt "off". My legs felt like lead, my helmet inexplicably felt like it was choking me, and my head was pounding. I tried to shake it off and just try to have fun. After only a mile or so, though, I was struggling. For some reason both of my hands went completely numb soon after getting on the bike (after logging hundreds of training miles leading up to the race and having never had this problem before, I have no idea what may have caused this). It seemed like the next 10 miles were a slow steady grind. I was constantly getting passed. The few racers who took the time to say "great job" or "keep it up Melanie" really were the highlight of my day. I was hoping that the pounding in my head would go away, but it started getting worse and worse. It got to the point that I was wincing at every crack and bump in the road. Every vibration felt like my head was going to explode. My hands were so numb that I was taking turns having one hand on the handlebars at a time, trying to shake the other one out to try and regain some sensation. As it was I was having a hard time keeping hold of the handlebars at all. At this point I knew I was done. It was both a blessing and curse that the course was two loops- it gave me an easy "out" after the first loop, but I knew that if it hadn't been looped I would have tried to hold on for the whole 56 and ended off in even worse shape. As I got to the end of the first loop I could either go straight or turn right to the finish. As I neared the turn a police officer was waving me through to go straight, and it was so hard to make that right turn and have to say "no, I'm done, I'm quitting". I was stopped by a race official who took my chip and called in my number on his walkie talkie. As I headed down the road back to transition, it was demoralizing to pass all the spectators cheering for me, knowing that I was quitting. I headed back to transition and went up to a volunteer to tell her I had quit the race and ask when I could take my bike out. She said "Eh, shit happens. Go on over to the beer garden, it'll be a while". I took some Advil I had in my transition bag and sat on the side of the road for an hour before I could get my bike out and go home. Of course as soon as I sat down my hands and head started to feel better and I was questioning my decision to pull out of the race. Ultimately I know it was a good decision to stop when I did. Had I decided to keep going on the second loop, I probably would have had to stop eventually and call for help.

Needless to say, I am feeling dejected. I hate having to say "I quit". I am wondering how other people got back on the horse, so to speak, after a DNF. I don't know why I was feeling so badly, and am gunshy now about doing another race lest this sort of situation repeat itself. I would love suggestions on how other people have conquered the feeling of "I'm a failure" after a DNF and stories of going back to conquer a race, distance, etc. My biggest concern is that since I have no idea why this happened, how do I sign up for another race and be confident it won't happen again?

Thanks again for your support,
Melanie

[Bold added by me for emphasis.]

Looking at her note again, maybe Melanie was COMPLETELY ready for the race, but she just worked a little too hard in the swim. And maybe the water was just too cold, and that chilled her body (and head) too much to really recover. Those 2 things combined might have ended her day. But who knows...

Who has a DNF story / experience to share with Melanie? I know a lot of us have one, and I think we can help out Melanie by sharing our experiences and how we responded to them. Please, leave a note here for her! Good luck Melanie!

(Oh, and if you want to read about my DNF at the 2008 Grandmas Marathon, click here for the first part, and click here for the final part.)

p.s. If you have a question or an issue that you’d like me to help you with OR you’d like my readers to help you with, leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail. I might post it under the “Ask Steve” tag. I’m always glad to help!

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Photos of that Bright Speedo at Work!

If you haven’t had enough of that bright Speedo from 10 days ago, here’s some more.

Giving the “peace sign” early on in the bike


Matt riding in his second triathlon


Katherine looked stone-cold and focused all day!

With about a mile left in the bike, Katherine, Matt, and I were all within a few seconds of each other (as mentioned in my race report). The next photos were back-to-back-to-back because we were all right there with each other:

Still super-focused on the way back


Matt just behind Katherine


And me just behind Matt. And yes, I’ve been told by everyone that
my left knee tracks wide. It always has. I don’t know why.


This kid and I talked pre-race. I helped him convince
his friends that EVERYONE pees in the lake! ;)


Lydia (3rd female in the 1/3 Iron race) looking super focused too!
Jeez, what’s with these tough women in this race! ;)


Mario striding in to a 3rd place sprint finish


In pain on the run...


....but at least I look good bright.


Katherine STILL looking focused as she’s about to win the sprint race!


Matt = hot


Bill running with a smile! (Bill was the race director at this race
last year, but this year he got to enjoy the race as an athlete!)


Awkward finish-line shot. But at least they caught me hitting my watch! Yes!


Suzie looking rough and hot as she takes second in the 1/3 Iron race

I found three other photos that I’d like to use to make 3 different points.

1. Ponytails are your friend. Pharmie and I saw this women the week before at the Chisago race, and she raced Waseca as well. Her hair has to be soooooooo snarled / twisted / nasty after this:

2. Little known fact: Roller Blades are USAT sanctioned and legal in triathlons, but only in MN and WI:

(No, not really)

3. Reason #4,593,302 that I wish I had THESE:

YES! AMAZING!

Finally, there were 2 other photos I forgot to share in my race report. After the race, I threw on my khaki shorts over my Speedo for the awards. Needless to say, the shorts got pretty “funky” while sitting through awards and while driving 90 minutes home. So when I took them off, my cats fought over who got to enjoy the stank:

Then, I hopped in a gentle ice-bath. I didn’t buy any ice, but I just filled the tub with cold, cold water, and then added all the ice in my freezer:

If you missed it, click HERE to go to my race report from the Waseca Triathlon, and click HERE to see some more photos from that race.

Oh, and if you did see it, make sure to check on my great news in yesterday’s post. Thanks everyone!

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My Big News

I’ve been thinking for a while now: it’s time to get serious about the Twin Cities 10 Mile in 8 weeks. Last week, I went on a long run of just over 8 miles, and it went well. And I planned on doing intervals on Friday.

On Thursday, I wrote a Facebook Note and tagged a bunch of my athletic friends. A few of these friends are coaches, a few are pro triathletes (who ill-advisedly added me as a friend), and the rest are speedy, speedy triathletes and runners. Here’s what I said:

Request for my Athletic / Fast / Coach Friends-

Here's my issue: I'd LOVE to break 60:00 in the Twin Cities 10 Mile just over 8 weeks away. But I don't know if there's time, and I don't know if I can do it. I'd like to at least get close. I'm looking for any and all advice on what I need to do to get near to that goal.

Background:
- At the TC 10 Mile last year (my first 10 mile), I finished in 1:02:43.
- 4 weeks later, I did my second 10 mile in 1:02:19.
- This past March, I did my 3rd 10 mile in 1:02:44.
- This spring, I set a 4 mile PR (22:42), a 5K PR (17:11), and a half marathon PR (1:22:51), and I felt like my running was the best it had ever been.
- 8 weeks ago (or so), I killed my old Oly Tri PR with a 1:15:37 (with a 38:14 10K).
- BUT, after that race, I took about 4 weeks completely off due to a sore tendon (or something) in my foot.

Now I'm running strong, feeling pretty injury-free, and I ran 8 miles (long run) last night in a fair amount of heat and everything felt great. That being said, I still only feel comfortable running 3 (MAYBE 4) days a week. The rest is tri training. (I still want to do a tri and a du this late summer, with the focus of my training being the TC 10 Mile.) Plus, if I run more than that, THAT'S when I get injured.

WHAT SHOULD I BE WORKING ON NOW? Crank up the endurance and then work on speed work? Build tempo runs, long runs, and interval training up together until a few weeks before the race? If you have any general or specific advice for me, I'd LOVE to take it!

Or, if you want to say something like "Steve, for $XXX, I'll build you a plan that can guarantee you a sub-60 10 mile," I might just bite! ;) Ha! But really, I'd be interested....

Any help would be appreciated!!!!! Thanks everyone! Happy training!

Steve Stenzel

I told Pharmie that I figured someone might get back to me saying, “Steve, I found this great 10 mile plan online last year, and I think it will fit you well - here it is...”

But something even better happened.

Coach Jen Harrison got back to me ASAP. She told me she wanted to coach me for a super, SUPER, SUPER low price. I couldn't believe it! I was thrilled! She wants to see what she can do with me. [That’s what she said.] She told me that if this were to happen, she had a few conditions:

Under TWO stipulations....you blog about it & listen to me. How is that? Let me know if you are interested. AND if you say yes, you must listen and behave!!!!

I asked her if she would restrict my diet, and she said “You can keep eating Chipotle but not cinnamon crap cereal.” I resisted the urge to hop in the car, drive 8 hours to Chicago, punch Jen in the face, and then enjoy a bowl of “Cinnamon Crap Cereal” while standing over her as her nose bled. And don’t be mad at me for that last statement – I RESISTED that urge. So that makes me a good person. ;)

Jen asked me a lot of questions to figure out where I was at with my training. She told me she’d start having workouts for me today (Monday). She also told me what to do for my intervals on Friday. She told me to do 4 x 1600 with LOTS more rest between intervals than I was used to. BUT, she wanted me to start in the 5:40 region, and drop to the 5:20 region. She told me that the 5:20 “...may be a tad of a stretch.” Telling me that it “may be a tad of a stretch” was enough to make me want to hit it right on the nose. So I went out and got it.

2:44 + 2:56 = 5:40
2:49 + 2:45 = 5:34
2:44 + 2:41 = 5:25
2:41 + 2:37 = 5:18

Heck yeah. I’d NEVER done a 1600 interval under 5:20, not to mention as my 4th interval!! First unofficial “Jen workout” in the bag, and it was a good one!

So I won’t tell you just how GREAT of a deal Jen is giving me for 8 weeks of coaching, but I’ll share with you what she told me to say:

OK to say you got some deal, but do a fun spin on it and tell them that IF you fall off the wagon and misbehave you owe me $499! LOL

*gulp*

Over the weekend, Jen sent me her plans for me for this week. She had me running nearly 40 miles this week alone. That’s great... only my last few MONTHS of training have been only 50 - 80 miles TOTAL (per month). So we scaled back and discussed what I could safely do without getting injured, she changed my weekly plan, and I’ve got a solid set of workouts set up for the week! She’s going to make me a man yet.

So stay tuned for these next 8 weeks and see what Jen Harrison can do to me. Now excuse me, but I’m off to do a run where Jen told me “If you do not want to puke on that last mile, you have not gone hard enough. That last mile better be killer...RECORD TIMES.”

Super.

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TT Photos

Apparently, there have been some people (maybe the same person) taking photos at some of the Tuesday Night Time Trials that Matt, Pharmie, and I have done. I looked through a few of the albums, and I found photos of us at work.

Here are 3 from the second TT of the year. Matt and I were out there working hard.

Awkward glance to the photographer


Matt heading back in


Matt heading out

Then I found photos from the next one we did together, which was Pharmie’s first ever TT. The best thing is Matt’s consistency. Look at that LAST photo of Matt from the end of May. Compare that with this NEXT photo of Matt from a few weeks later:

The dude’s consistent!

Here are a few more from that TNT:

Just after I was passed


Glasses and the helmet visor are a nice look together, right? ;)


Heading back towards the finish.
(This is before my bike fit. I look so stretched out!)


Pharmie heading back to the finish of her first TT!

Back with some BIG news on Monday!! No, there’s no Ironman in my future. No, there’s no marathon either. Still, this is big news for me... Check back Monday!

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Friday Funny 106: 10 Things I Find To Be True

#1: The Internet:

#2: It’s important to teach your pet tricks:

#3: I was a Metallica fan in high school, and I’m 99% sure this is what he actually says:

#4: This is where Tetris pieces come from:

#5: I always need to have my feet tucked in, but this got me thinking otherwise:

#6: I wasn’t teaching in 1960, but I find this to be true today:

#7: This is the way it should be. 100% of the time. I’m talking to you, Grandma S:

#8: Well, if it’s “for the kids,” I suppose I can lend a hand:

#9: This is so true:

#10: Again, this is so true:

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More Photos of a WAY TOO BRIGHT Speedo

Sean, a tri buddy and one of the guys that helps run Final Stretch races, took a few photos of me out there racing the Waseca Sprint Triathlon. And so did my cousin-in-law Bridget (seen in my last post). Here are some of their photos.

Sean got the first pic of me out in public in my new suit. I was walking to the lake to fill my bucket.

I love how it seems to glow in this photo! ;)

I took my bike for a test ride in just that jammer, and Sean snapped a photo (with Suzie in the foreground) as I was heading back towards transition:

Steve, the owner of the Final Timing (the timing company that timed the event), told me “You’ve already got a ‘bowl full of sunshine!’ So what are these? A bowl full of Tutti Frutti?” Love it. ;)

Next, Bridget snapped a lot of photos during the race.

Just before my start.


Just after starting. That’s me in the lower left. (I think.)

I forgot to mention this in my race report: I started towards the outside, but with a number people in front of me. But I didn’t have to swim through or around them in the water, because THEY all got out of MY way! I’ve never had this happen before! Here’s basically how it went down:

That’s really how it happened! I had clear water in front of me and a straight line to the corner buoy about 20 seconds after starting!

Sean was out on the bike course, and he yelled like a mad-man and grabbed a photo of me heading back in with about 2 miles left:

Katherine was about a block in front of me, and Matt was just getting ready to pass me at this point. Bridget was back at transition, and she got a photo of Matt and I running in:

Katherine running out, me running out while clipping my race belt, and Matt getting into his shoes.


Coming to the line as 5th overall.


Why do my ankles look so weak / dainty / helpless?

Soon, Matt came storming to the line as he held off an “attacker” to take the 2nd Clydesdale spot by 1 second! Here’s Matt running strong and the 3rd place Clydesdale trying to make a pass just on the edge of the frame:

And post race, Sean grabbed a photo of me talking to heat-stroked Lydia in the med tent. And you can see Suzie’s feet laying on the cot behind me as she was trying to cool down too:

I hope you 2 are fully recovered and FINALLY cool!

I posted an Examiner article about the race with more photos than what have been seen in my last 2 posts. CLICK HERE to check that out.

Thanks again for the photos Sean and Bridget (and Annie in the last post)! Now everyone, go get some soap for your eyes! ;) I promise I'll put away those "bowl full of Tutti Frutti" shorts for a while...

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