Running for my Father

Thursday, June 30, 2011

2 Big Announcements, 1 Race Report

Training has been going well. But first, some killer news...earlier this week I finished writing the theme music for the Tour de France! That's right, my tunes will be featured daily on Versus starting this Saturday. Check out my "real" website to find out more. www.codywestheimer.com

Pretty excited about this gig!

Secondly, I think I eluded in my short Wildflower Race Report, but I got in the Kona lottery! This means on October 8th I'll be going for my second Ironman on sacred ground. I'll write more about this later, but this one is VERY personal as Hawaii was very much THE SPOT for my dad and I. And we were in Kona about 2 months before his stroke - our last vacation together. I haven't been back since. Should be amazing.

Finally, I raced this last weekend, the "Breath of Life" Olympic distance in Ventura. I had a crazy swim - 23 minutes! (Pretty sure the course was short...) The bike was rocking it at 22 mph or so until I flatted! No! Then to realize I had the wrong size valve stem for my race wheels...yada yada. 14 minutes later I rode back at speed and put down a solid 51 minute run - by far my strongest run off the bike in shorter course racing (I still consider my Ironman - which was over a year ago my best.) All in all a good race, would have been a sub 2:35 effort but instead I settled for a 2:47 or so. Oh well!

Next up is the Vineman Full Aquabike at the end of July. It's basically an Ironman without the run. I'll be testing things like what it's like to ride 112 miles in an aero helmet in hear, nutrition, etc. Just about 3 months out! I should also mention I'm working with a great dude from Carmichael Training Systems - David Forkner. Super nice guy - thanks Jason Koop (my friend from the UltraMarathon Man movie I scored) for the hookup. More soon!

Oh, and some pics from last Sunday's race...

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Wildflower Long Course Race Report

I'll make this one somewhat short. Don't race when you're sick. That's right after 3 months of decent training I was set to fly through the bike course, but unfortunately got sick early in the week.

After a sleepless night camping at Lake San Antonio coughing and blowing my nose (in my tent with the air bed that flatted) I woke up and took to the water for a shockingly decent swim (considering I've barely swam the last month.) I mounted the bike and as soon as I hit the first little climb knew this was gonna be one long day. Sheesh. The moment I started to work the pedals I would start coughing uncontrollably. The only way I was going to be able to continue was to go easy the whole way --- REALLY EASY. It was endless, the wind was terrible and I got hot in my Aero helmet on my flashy bike watching people on cheap road bikes go by me. Very humbling. The only really happy moment on the bike was when I saw a bald eagle (yes!) perched in a tree right before the infamous climb, Nasty Grade.

I finally got of the bike and as if being sick wasn't enough my back seized up. I was reduced to a measly shuffle, then walking, then coughing. I ended up walking 80% of the run and it took forever. I ended up crossing in about 90 minutes past my time goal, but alas it was not my day. I am proud I finished as this one was likely the hardest race I've ever done given how I felt. The big news is that with the finish under my belt I officially "validated" my entry into Kona! Yes, if you haven't heard, I got in the Ironman Lottery and will be doing the World Championships in October! The road to Kona begins in a week after several days of much needed rest! For you, dad. We're going back to the big island. That was really the only thing that kept me from dropping out yesterday.

Monday, April 18, 2011

LA Marathon (LATE) Race Report

Well it was already like 20 days ago, but I like to make sure I log these events in some (shoddy) way! So long story short, I registered for the LA Marathon about 15 hours before the start. Totally impulsive. I had participated in an intense training camp at Wildflower the previous weekend and logged nearly an Ironman distance of bike and run in 4 days. I had several friends running so I thought "why not?" After talking to a several friends I decided to go for it. Crazy, indeed.

Got to the start at about 5:15 and it literally started raining as I got out of the cab with my friends Richard and Ann.

Oy. 2+ hours later I was crossing the start line about 10 minutes after the gun. I forgot my Garmin, which I had been debating anyway. So the first few miles were fun and relatively dry. I was going nice and easy and my usual talking to anybody around me who would participate. Going through downtown the rain REALLY started coming down. It was awesome. Totally crazy.

I was clicking off the miles and really enjoying this one - more so than my other marathons/races where I'm going against the clock. With no Garmin and many of the mile markers unclear I was really going completely by feel. The route was awesome - a little bit of everything. WAY better than the 2 different routes I've done in the previous 2 times I've ran LA.

I had fans in Julia and Henry braving the rain and meeting me at mile 18. It was great to see them. Julia was very surprised how calm I was and how I was pretty sure I might even PR! From mile 20 on it was basically downhill, and with my 2+ year old PR of 4:28 I was just ahead of the 4:30 pace group, and I had seen them cross the start way before me - so I had time on them! We said our goodbyes and I was on my way.

I've gotta say with those conditions I was extremely grateful to the volunteers and spectators. They had easily as hard a job as we (the runners) did! At mile 20 I picked up my good friend Jessica as she wanted to run the last 6 with me. She even told me she was "somewhat disappointed" to see how well I was doing! I kinda agree - you shouldn't be able to register the day before a marathon with no long runs in your legs and trot to the finish?! She wanted me to learn my lesson I guess! But I was going strong, and with just a few miles left I was excited to make the descent into Santa Monica. I also saw my friends Eric and his wife Paige. We all trained for our Ironmans together and they're great people. Picking up the pace, we finally rounded the final corner at mile 25 and it was like a monsoon hit us. I swear the wind was blowing 30 mph. Crazy. I crossed the line, being out kicked by some big hulky guy at the pointless sprint. I'd later find out that I did a 4:20! 8 minutes off my PR!

What happened after was a 3 hour affair trying to get a ride out of the chilly Santa Monica back home. It was actually pretty horrible, but that's how things go sometimes. I was so cold it took hours to warm up.

But in the end I'll remember an incredibly fun, cool and impulsive day!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

New Year, New Races

So I've started 2011 well, working hard professionally and physically. Last week I had my first week of structured training since last June (pre-Ironman.)

It was my first trip back to the pool and surprisingly felt pretty good! Anyway...

1) I did a 20k time trial on my new bike last weekend out in Piru. I did a 34 or so minute ride --- and I was hoping for 30! Oh well. It was windy...but I still got first in my age group! (Out of......three.....) I look forward to improving on this soon.

2) Last Sunday I ran the LA 13.1 for fun. It was actually a blast having zero pressure. I basically just chilled out and ran with my friend Jess. She wasn't feeling so hot, so during one of our breaks I decided to jump in and volunteer at an aid station. I yelled "water, water, water" as fast as I could. It was pretty goofy and included skipping (as in the gait, or style of moving, not bypassing) the finish. I want to carry a penny whistle next time so I can play a jig at the same time. Scary thing is that I'm serious!

Anyway, I've got tunnel vision to Wildflower Long Course (70.3) on May 1. Why do I always pick the hard races? There are many easier courses for my first 70.3. Oh well!

Monday, December 6, 2010

SB Ride and 13.1 Los Angeles

So I did my 2nd longest ride on T-day. From LA at dawn to mom's house North of Santa Barbara at about 3pm. The windiest ride of my life! I almost got blown off the bike at one point! It was in my face for about 50% of the time - at my side for about 40% and at my back (which was awesome) for maybe 10%. But it was a great day, and I even had time (and energy!) to hike to Ellwood (where my dad is) at sunset. Then I ate probably 2000 calories worth of food. A good day.

I took this pic at the start:

And this pic about halfway up:

And this pic (with the good camera, multiple exposures fused together) at Ellwood:

Just like last year, I'll be running in the 13.1 Los Angeles.

http://www.131marathon.com/

I probably won't be going fast, as I've been recovering from some minor knee issues. I'm much better now and am starting to run regularly again. And just like last year, I've got a free entry to give away! So first person who responds here and wants it....it's all yours. Good luck and see you there!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Long Time? I'm back to blogging. Oh goody.

Wow it's been a long time...

I guess I've taken a hiatus on structured training, structured goals and blogging. It sure is nice to have my life back after 9 months of hard training and a long European vacation! But I can't complain.

I've done no racing since the big day and have started to plan my 2011 season. I'm already contemplating another Ironman for 2012, but next year is all about one main goal and two main races.

The Goal:

I want to fly on the bike. I feel like I have some untapped potential riding and I really love it. I hesitate to say I enjoy parts of it more than running, but it's a close one. I think with some hard work (I've learned to be pretty good at working hard!) I can make huge improvements on the bike. I'm hoping my run doesn't suffer too much as a result, but I've been taking time off that anyway due to some knee issues. (No big deal, just playing it safe for now...)

The Races:

Wildflower Half Ironman on May 1. I've never done a half (ironically) and this one is tough. I guess I like it tough...I'm not sure on time yet, but I'd love to break 2 hours on the run (pretty ambitious for me - it's hilly, as is the bike) and MAYBE, just MAYBE sub 6 hour finish.

Vineman Full Aquabike on July 30. This is an intriguing idea....an Ironman...but without the run! This will allow me to go all out on the bike. I gotta say I'm pretty excited about this idea.

The Bikes:

So...I now have 3 bikes. You can definitely say I'm addicted. I have my road bike, my commuter bike (a single speed I use around town on errands and stuff) and the newest addition, my Look 576 Tri-Bike. It's AMAZING! I love this thing. Fun stuff.

The Plan:

I'm cycling from my house in LA to mom's house in Northern SB on Thanksgiving, in part to avoid the car ride with the inlaws. It's 115 miles and I plan on starting at about 6am. Should be epic and I'll sure earn my Turkey! I start training for Wildflower in December and I'm excited to have a bit more structure then. I'll have some other races along the way, including the LA 13.1 (more on that on the next post) in January and a reverse sprint triathlon in February.

I'm also toying with the idea of doing a road race or two on the bike but must say I'm a little scared of crashing. (gulp)

We'll see!