Week 18 is history and I’m in the home stretch on this training schedule. Many of you know, as one of my “tune-up races”, I did the Steelhead Half Ironman in Benton Harbor/St. Joseph yesterday. There were several reasons I decided to do that particular race. I grew up in St. Joe (age 11 through high school graduation) so it was old home weekend (sort of….everything has changed). Also, I needed to know I could “go long” and a 6 hour race lets you know that. I finished so I guess I proved that part.

But the main reason was to test fitness level, nutrition and hydration so see that everything is where it should be. Hence the title this week, back to the drawing board. One of the cardinal rules in any race is “Don’t try anything new on race day”. So naturally, since I knew it would be a hot humid day, I took several Endurolytes before and during the race. They are electrolyte replacement capsules that help replace the salt, potassium, calcium, etc. that are sweated out during the race and I hadn’t taken any in a couple of years.

For the first time in at least two years I was “pukey” feeling on the bike and run. I also used too much Carbo Pro too soon in a too concentrated form. For the entire bike I felt bloated and nothing was emptying from my stomach and getting absorbed. Consequently I became dehydrated going into the run. The run started with an 11% grade hill in the first mile (it was at Rocky Gap Park where we used to have beach beer parties my senior year of high school so I’m sure it was payback). After mile three the run went through an old industrial area, over the bridge to St. Joe, over two more bridges to Benton Harbor, an out and back along the St. Joe River, an out and back down Main Street, and back to the start at Jean Klock Park. None of those 10 miles had any shade and by then it was around 83 degrees without a cloud in the sky.

I make it sound like a dismal race for me and it wasn’t. I did as well as I could for the conditions. The run was hot and, other than the aid stations where everyone walks through, I walked about 400 yards (the two uphills on the bridges coming back from Benton Harbor to St. Joe plus a short walk to get out and take another endurolyte capsule). My total time was 6:08:49 and consisted of a 44:17 swim, 5:45 transition, 2:54:28 bike, 2:37 transition, and a 2:21:42 run. I can’t compare the times to any other race because each venue is different.

So now in the next 6 weeks I need to work on the nutrition part of the race. Going into Madison I want to do everything I can that works for me. That won’t necessarily mean a perfect race there either, but I’ll feel like I’ve done all I could to make it work.

I may need to work on my pre-race mental state as well. Bill, Nancy and Becky came over Friday night before the race for pizza and wine. I only had a glass or two, but the conversation turned from a nice genteel discussion of how to decorate MY HOUSE, to a repeat of Bill’s comment on the male way to decrease prostate problems, to a discussion of one of Jean’s classmates who used to work at the Algonquin store and, for fun, would help a male Chihuahua reach climax, to a discussion of Becky’s dog breeding business where she used to do the same thing to get rid of the old sperm before a breeding session (not her’s, the dog’s).

Saturday evening was spent at an outdoor restaurant with Gary Ivinskas, Jean, Becky and one of my high school friends, Skip, and his wife. That conversation turned to the time, before Jean and I were married, that we went down to St. Joe with another couple to charter a fishing boat. We met Skip at the Elks club and proceeded to drink a little more than we should. I woke up the next morning with a terrible hangover and, since Jean and I weren’t married, I was sleeping alone on the bench where you sit down to take off your shoes, naked, with Jean’s sweater wrapped around my neck (just joking Mom).

So my pre-race focus and planning were out the window. It did take my mind off the fear of the race and the bad spots in the road but it didn’t help me organize. Jean and Becky both noticed that I have difficulty focusing on tasks after the bike accident. That will (I hope) get better with time. During my set-up at the race it took me a long time to arrange the bike and run paraphernalia. Eventually I remembered everything (the swim cap was located at the last minute) except my heart rate monitor. I remembered that on the shuttle ride to the North Pier where the swim started.

By now most of you know that Jean had a good race at Lake Placid and qualified for the World Championships at Hawaii in October. She has the support of a lot of people and will continue to train for that one after a recovery week off.

Just (Nose to the Grindstone on Nutrition/Hydration) Jack