IRONMAN WISCONSIN TRAINING BEGINS
Saturday, May 13th
Since I can't do anything physical, I volunteered to help out at the Ice Age 50 mile run. I spend 6 hours watching traffic at Tamarac Road as the runners cross. My rib isn't bothering me too much just standing here waving a flag at cars and giving encouragement to the runners. Even the occasional rain doesn't dampen my spirit.

Monday, May 15th
Yesterday was a bad day! I must have slept on my broken rib the wrong way as it hurt to move around all day. Any rotation or deep breath caused a sharp gasping pain. It's worse then it was all last week. I was going to call the doctor today to see if that's normal. But, it feels better today. It still hurts to move but better is better.

Thursday, May 18th
The pain is finally getting better. Actually, I mean it doesn't hurt as much. I'm going banana's sitting around! Time to see how it feels while doing something so I head to the health club. I walk 2 miles on the tread mill with a steep incline. That's tolerable. I try swimming. That's not tolerable. It's a start.

I talk to Transition Cycle and they should have my bike repair by the middle of next week. The bad news is they cannot repair the wheel. Ugh!!!

Saturday, May 20th
I feel good enough to try a spin class. I keep the intensity pretty moderate so I don't have to take deep breaths. It goes pretty good. The other good news is I've only gained about a pound since this started. Some days go good but others I just eat!

Monday, May 22nd
My rib still hurts but it's time to see how bad. I head over to the pool at the club and swim for about 10 minutes. It's ok. This afternoon, I get my old bike out and give it a try. It shifts poorly and feels awkward but I'm on my way. I ride to Pewaukee Lake, about 10 miles and back. A woman opens her car door and I almost crashed into it. That would have hurt. I feel ok.

Tuesday, May 23rd
I go over to the club to do the PowerFlex class. I keep the weights light. Except for ab crunches, it goes ok. Later, I go to Masters swim. This is my first swim with them in almost a month. It's good to see everyone again. This is a good bunch of athletes. I keep my effort light and swim about a mile. It hurts to breath hard or twist turning at the wall but I'm happy with the progress. Tomorrow we are heading up north to the cottage. I'll take my old bike with me and hopefully get some riding time. If I feel ok, I may also try some walk / run efforts. I don't want to start my training at zero when my rib gets better.

Thursday, May 25th
It’s a beautiful day for a bike ride in the north woods. I brought my old bike with me to our cottage and head over to Rt 2. I stop several times to get the shifters to work half way decent. I really miss my bike. I ride 36 miles and my rib and back feel ok. It’s a start!

Saturday, May 27th
My son, Paul, and I head out for a run. I was thinking of running the 13 miles around the lake but thought that might be pushing it since I haven’t run in weeks. I get Paul to run out for an hour and then turn back planning to walk the hills if we get too tired. We did! The pollen this time of year is really bad up here. My contacts kept getting irritated until I eventually knocked one to the back of my eye where I could not get it back without a mirror. So now I’m running with only “one” eye. We both paid the price for the run with cramping the rest of the day.

Monday, May 29th
My rib keeps getting a little better. I do the 4 mile Little Duck Lake loop and push it a little. Well, it felt like I was pushing it but my mile times were very slow. I’m worried it’s going to be a fairly long road back.

Tuesday, May 30th
We got back from up north this afternoon and I head to my evening Masters swim hoping to get back to a regular training routine. I jump in the pool and immediately my rib hurts. It’s worst then it has been in a week. I try swimming by can’t. I’m depressed.

Wednesday, May 31st
I pick up my bike from Transition Cycle. $300 in damages and an unreparable race wheel. OUCH!! I do a loop around Pewaukee Lake and it feels great to be riding again.

Thursday, June 1st
PowerFlex class goes okay this morning. At 2:00, I head out for a run. It’s terribly hard. My legs feel like logs. No energy or strength. After 5 miles, I feel awful. This evening I give Masters a try again. My rib isn’t as sore as it was Tuesday and I’m able to do about 2,000 yd’s of the workout. I also get talked into riding the Trek 100 mile bike ride on Saturday. I’m not too sure if that’s a good idea.

Friday, June 2nd
What a difference a day makes. I run my 6.6 mile loop at pretty close to the time I was running it before the St. Croix race. It does a lot to lift my confidence. My rib doesn’t bother me at all.

Saturday, June 3rd
It’s a beautiful cool sunny day, great for a bike ride. I head out with Jeff and Doc from the swim group and we just cruse along mile after mile. After 50 miles we are averaging 20 mph, a good pace for me. We keep it going until about 75 miles when the fatigue and some hills slow our pace. After the last stop at mile 91 we pickup the pace again and blast it in the rest of the way. It’s a great ride for my training. A few beers and a massage after the ride have me feeling pretty good.

Sunday, June 4th
I’m a little stiff yet from yesterday so do an easy 4 mile run around the neighborhood. It’s awfully slow even though I try to do some speed pickups.

Monday, June 5th
I get on the computer and setup my training for the next two weeks. I feel I’m recovered enough to start back to full time training. I’m hoping to do 15 hours this week and 20 the week after. I get in a pretty hard ride around Pewaukee Lake and I feel good.

Tuesday, June 6th
PowerFlex class goes okay except my rib still is sore when I try to do some of the stomach crunches. In the afternoon, I run an easy 4 miles with form drills. I’m hoping I’ll feel good for a longer run tomorrow. Our Masters swim has moved outdoors to Worth Park’s 50 meter pool. It seems sooooo long compared to swimming in a 25 yard pool. Our main workout is 2 sets of 4 x 100 pull and 4 x 100 free style intervals. That’s about a mile. After doing 2 x 100 kicking I have to pull out. My rib can’t take it. I guess I’m not 100% recovered yet. The Schaetz’s from our swim group have a barbecue after our practice so I finish my workout day with some serious carbo loading.

Wednesday, June 7th
Time to start building up my running endurance. Today is a sunny cool day, a great day to see where I'm at. I do my 6.6 mile loop twice, patheyically slow. Even with the slow pace, my legs are very tired. I've got a long way to go to be able to run 26.2 miles. Later, I meet up with some friends who do a Wednesday evening group ride. I haven't ridden with them in quite a while so it was good to get back with them. Unfortunately, they changed the route to add more hills. I was hoping for an easy ride after my run today. I get stuck behind a slower biker at the back of the pack just when the group takes off on the last 5 miles. Twice I almost catch up only to be caught by a red light. I turns out to be a good 30 mile ride.

Thursday, June 8th
I get in my PowerFlex class but my rib still hurts during some of the ab workouts. I also get in a couple short bike rides to drop off and pick up the van. I was planning on a short run but I put it off until I run out of time. Masters swim goes pretty much the same as Tuesday. I get in 2,500 yds but have to quit because of my rib. My lower back is also bothering me a little. I hope that doesn't flar up.

Friday, June 9th
It's time for my weekly long ride. I can't find anyone to ride with so head out to Holy Hill alone. It's mostly cloudy, cool in the 60's, and windy. I take it real easy and get in 75 miles. I feel more tired then I did after last Saturday's 100 miler. The hills on this route really take it out of you.

Saturday, June 10th - 5K Race
Our church has a festival each year with a 5K run called RUN FOR THE PIG. I get my son, Paul to run it with me. About 180 sign up for the run / walk and the weather is cool and breezy. Not bad for racing. I'm very surprise with my first mile at 7:29 pace. I'm able to keep that pace for most of the race and end with a 23:18 time. I'm very happy with that.

By the way, in case you wondered, they call it Run For the Pig because they have a pig roast at the festival.

Sunday, June 11th
Today was my off day. It turned out to also be a sad day as one of my high school friends, who I played football with, passed away from a heart attack. It made me think of how lucky I have been in life and how important it is to live every day to its fullest.

Monday, June 12th
Last week was a good train week to get me going again. I got in 17 hours of training and a good restart of my running. I ran my 6.6 mile loop today with (6) 3 minute tempo efforts. The race Saturday really helped to get some of my speed back. Later, I went out to Upper Nashota Lake to swim with Mike. A friend of mine, Dennis Mueller, has a place on the lake and invited some of the triathletes to swim on Monday evenings. He has some buoy's setup for a 0.4 mile loop. We did 3 loops, 1.2 miles. It was okay except my rib still hurts while swimming.

Tuesday, June 13th
After PowerFlex class in the morning, I bike around Pewaukee Lake at a hard pace. It feels good. Later I head to Masters swim and again have to cut it short because of my sore rib. I keep forgetting to load up on ibuprin before I go to see if that will help.

Wednesday, June 14th
Long training day. I head out for a long run doing two 6.6 mile loops. It's better then last week but still below where I want to be. I was going to run a little longer but a blister on my toe ended that plan. At 5:30, I bike out with a group of friends from Greenfield Park. About 30 minutes out we get rained on. For the next hour, it rains hard on and off. It brings back memories of my crash at St. Croix on the wet roads. It finally lets up for the last 30 minutes and we ride hard.

I have trouble sleeping tonight because everything seems to be aching, my back, my neck, my rib, my legs, my right knee, my left ankle, etc. I'm worried about getting through the training I need yet to get ready for IM Wisconsin.

Thursday, June 15th
PowerFlex class this morning. I only have Masters swim the rest of today. I finally remember to take some Ibuprin before I go and it helps. I finally make it through the whole workout and get about 2 miles in.

Friday, June 16th
Except for a 9 mile temp run, most of today is resting for a long workout tomorrow.

Saturday, June 17th
I drive to Madison hoping to meet up with a group that is riding one loop of the IM Wisconsin course. Noone shows up so I ride 72 miles alone. It's windy and close to 90 degrees so I ride easy and stay hydrated. A half mile from the end I blow a tire. After 4 1/2 hours of riding, I don't feel like fixing a flat. I take off my biking shoes and walk it in. I grab my running shoes and finish with a 40 minute run. It's a good workout.

Sunday, June 18th
It's Father's Day and a rest day. It's also a special day as my youngest son became a father today. Maggie is my 5th granddaughter. My one grandson is getting greatly out numbered.

Monday, June 19th
I get in an ugly slow 4 mile run this morning. We make a quick trip to Chicago to see my new granddaughter. When I get back, I drive out to Upper Nashota Lake to swim. About 30 people show up. I do 4 loops, about 1.6 miles and feel okay.

Wednesday, June 21st
Yesterday we drove up to our Up North cottage. Today is cool and overcast, a great riding day. I head out to do a 75 mile loop through Land 'o Lakes and Presque Isle. Other then an occasional car, it's a beautiful ride throught the north woods and lakes. It goes well. I finish with an easy 40 minute run through Watersmeet. Since the city is not a mile wide, I can say I ran from one end of town to the other and back.

Friday, June 23rd
I spent all of yesterday working on the cottage but feel guilty for not running or swimming any. I lace up my shoes and head down the forest road to Little Duck Lake. I plan on running 30 minutes then turning around. I feel good and do (10) 1 minute surges on the way back. If it wasn't for the pesky deer flies, it would have been a good run.

Sunday, June 25th - High Cliff ½ Ironman Triathlon Race
Yesterday we drove back from the cottage and now have to get up at 3:30 am to get on the road by 4:00. It’s a 95 mile drive to High Cliff State Park which is on the north east end of Lake Winnebago. It’s raining a little and I’m hoping it stops before the race. I don’t want to race on wet roads.

I get my registration packet okay. My bike position is in a good location and I get everything setup before getting into my wet suit and heading to the beach. The rain has stopped and it looks like it will be a cool overcast day, perfect for me. I’m in wave 8 which starts about 7:20 am. I’m able to find good swimming lanes and only occasionally bump into others. It’s a good swim for me, 1.2 miles in 36:14. My transition isn’t the smoothest but I feel pretty good starting out on the bike. The first 10 miles are great and I average well over 20 mph. Then a gusty NE wind begins and the rest of the race is hard. Most of the second half of the race was into the wind. I was hoping to be under 3 hours but end at 3:04:48, which is 18.2 mph for the 56 miles. It was a good hard effort.

The 13.2 mile run starts with a steep ¾ mile hill climb. I’m walking up it almost as fast as some of the runners are running it. Once at the top, it is two loops through the forest camp ground trails. I love it as it reminds me of my years of trail running. Twice, I meet up with other runners and we talk for awhile to make the time go by. But they both had to drop off the pace. The run finishes by going back down the hill we started on. This is cruel. Running down a steep hill when your legs are fatigued hurts. I finish in 2:10:26 run time which I’m very happy with. My final time was 5:55:48, 221’st out of 349 finishers. I was 1st in my age but there were only two of us older then 60.

Tuesday, June 27th
Yesterday, we drove to southern Indiana to attend the funeral of Sandy’s cousin. Fortunately, I have some time this morning on my own and head out for a bike ride. Yes, I took my bike with me. It’s in a very hilly area and the roads are not the best for bike safety. I ride about 20 miles as my legs are still a little stiff from Sunday’s race. I get in 35 minutes of easy running after my ride. Tomorrow will be the long drive back home.

Friday June 30th
We drove up north to our cottage yesterday. I get in an easy 35 minute swim today. It has not been a good training week. Mike, Sherry and our granddaughters, Jane and Ella also arrive today.

Saturday, July 1st
Mike gets me up at 5:30 AM to get a long ride in. We drop the car in Land O’ Lakes and ride a route he has ridden that takes us to Boulder Junction. He takes off after a couple miles as I cannot keep pace with him. I make quite a few stops on the way and turn around in Boulder Junction. We both arrive back at Land O’ Lakes about the same time except he has ridden 100 miles and I’ve ridden 76.

Sunday, July 2nd
Paul and I head out to run around Duck Lake. We both now run a 9-9.5 minute pace. It goes okay and we finish in 2:07 hours. My legs are awful tired after.

Tuesday, July 4th
Yesterday, I took off. I plan a new bike route that is about 38 miles. It’s a loop from Land O’ Lakes to Conover to Phelps. I meet another biker on the way who started out in Denver (like Colorado) and was headed to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Now that’s a long bike ride.

Wednesday, July 5th
This morning, I drive into Land O’ Lakes to bike with my sister Carole. She is still struggling with getting use to a road bike and I promised I’d ride with her if she brought her bike. Later, I run the forest road to Little Duck Lake and do intervals. I get in about 7.5 miles. I like running on the forest road and will probably do this workout again.

Thursday, July 6th
I drive up to Watersmeet, drop the car, and ride to Marenisco and back, 57 miles. It’s a good ride.

Saturday, July 8th
Yesterday was my OFF day. Today, I head out for a long run around the lake again. It goes okay, about the same pace Paul and I did it in last Sunday. After, my legs are awfully tired again. I wonder how I ever ran more then 13 miles.

Sunday, July 9th
Sandy drops me off in Land ‘O Lakes and I plan to ride 5 hours. I head to Boulder Junction where Mike and I rode last week. She heads to Eagle River to grocery shop. I feel much better. On the only bad section of the ride, a 3 mile stretch on a busy road into Boulder Junction, a pickup truck tries to scare me by blowing his horn. A second truck also causes me to swerve into the gravel shoulder where I almost lost control. Overall, it’s a very good ride and I get in 85 mileas at a 17.5 mph pace. I was about 5 minutes late getting back to Land 'O Lakes but Sandy found a way to shop more then 5 hours so she wasn't there yet. 5 hours to grocery shop?

Monday, July 10th
I take the forest road past Little Duck Lake and do 3 minute intervals with 2 minute recoveries. After 30 minutes, I head back. I feel pretty good. In the afternoon I decide to swim to the island and back which is about 2 miles. Usually, I swim 20 minutes and turn around. This is my first time to go all the way to the island. On the way back, I sight off a boat house that I though was on a point but it turned out to be in the bay. That adds 5 minutes to my swim back. It doesn’t really matter as I feel pretty strong. It takes an hour and 5 minutes.

Tuesday, July 11th
I drive up to Watersmeet, park the car, and take off riding down Highway 2. I ride 30 minutes and head back. It’s hot, in the 90’s. I change into my running shoes and head down the snowmobile trail for 20 minutes before looping back. I feel awfully slow.

Wednesday, July 12th
I decide to do some intervals today so I take the paved road from our cottage out to Highway 45 and back, an 8 mile route. It goes okay. In the afternoon, I swim out to the island again. It take about an hour.

Thursday, July 13th
I take Sandy and my grand niece, Amanda, to Land O’ Lakes to ride on a new 8 mile bike trail. It’s mostly through the forest and great for family riding. It’s painfully slow for me. On the way back, they graciously allow me to go off on my own and I get in some short intervals down one of the local roads. Tomorrow is an OFF day. Karen, Dave, and their three kids will be arriving.

Saturday, July 15th
I drive about 50 miles over to the little town of Wakefield for an organized bike ride they have every year. About 30 people show up for the 100 mile route. The first 18 miles are beautiful, winding through the forest roads and mostly down hill heading north to Lake Superior. But, what goes down must come up and the next 22 miles were mostly up hill but still in the forest. At the second check point, I get with several others and we ride 20-22 mph in a pace line along the lake to the third check point. Now, however, the route is a 2 lane highway with a small shoulder to ride on. It is also very flat headed south and the temperature is in the upper 90’s. Everyone is slowing up and many are starting to get cramps. At mile 80, our last check point, we head west into a gusty wind. Four of us head out together but two have to drop back early because of cramping. Finally, the guy I’m riding with cramps and I’m on my own riding at 10-15 mph and feeling awful. I was never so glad to see the Wakefield city limits sign and finish 3 miles short of 100 miles. My car thermometer read 100. The guy I was riding with is sitting at the picnic table with his head down. After talking with him for awhile, I realize he may be hyponatremic (low salt from sweating). This can be very serious. I get one of the race staff to get medical help - something they should have been better prepared for.