UGH!

First race of 2013. What’s the saying? It can only get better from here on out(hopefully). PLUG #1- I spoke about the race on the latest episode of “Jim and the Other Guy” but I want to get my thoughts down on “paper” so I can look back at the end of the season and know what I was thinking at the beginning of my 2013 campaign. Plus I am not a huge fan of listening to my own voice. Is anyone?

I have not raced a triathlon since September of 2012 so I am using the excuse that this one was a Rust Buster. I came into California 70.3 on a great deal of strength/base work without a great deal of speed/intensity work. In fact, the first real intensity I did was a week and a half before the race. I look at my season like a contractor looks at the steps to building a house. Foundation, structure, interior, furniture. I am sure there are a few more steps in there but this is a race report not a blueprint. If the contractor were to leave a step out he may get a finished product but it will not be the best product he can produce. Each step takes time in order to get the most complete and quality result. I have been doing strength/base work for the past three months knowing my intensity was suffering, but that my foundation would be big and strong. A week and a half prior to California 70.3 I added a 4 x 1 mile repeat run session and a 30 mile TT session on the bike. It felt great to “open it up” but I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to maintain those paces(5:15/mi for the mile repeats and 25 m.p.h. for the 30 mile TT) for the duration of a half Ironman. I was curious to see how I held up.

Let’s get to the race.

The swim was fast. I found myself alone after the first 400 meters but I felt efficient. I have been working on a lot on technique in my swim stroke. I have tried to up my yardage and swim more in the past and this did not have great results, so this off season I backed off the intensity and worked on my technique. Although I was still not near where I need to be in relation to my competition I was happy that I felt as though I was working less and moving quicker than I have in past races. I came out of the water in 27 minutes(and change-I can say this thanks to Bob Babbitt) feeling fresh and ready to hit the bike.

After a transition that took way too long(my helmet strap got tangled somehow) I hopped on and started my 56 mile Revelation Ride. I got on the pedals immediately and dropped the hammer. This “dropping of the hammer” lasted for a whole 45 minutes. Then it became more of a sputter and crawl to the finish. I came up on the Women’s leaders rather quickly (They passed me in the swim). I passed them and got up to a fellow male pro James Burns. We took turns legally working with each other through mile 25. When we turned to start the Camp Pendleton portion of the ride where it was hilly and windy I sputtered. Not only did “Burnsy”(that’s his new nickname as of right now) ride away from me, but all of the lead girls rode past me like I was standing still. I have a very tiny EGO I guess because I am not afraid to say that I got chicked multiple times. I really wish that meant something else because I would love to say “I got chicked by multiple women in a very short period of time, I couldn’t keep up with them, so they went on without me, and I loved watching it happen.” In this case though, I didn’t care if it was a guy or a girl I was not happy about any of it. I actually did fight the whole way through the bike, but as I stated at the beginning of the paragraph, this was a Revelation Ride. It revealed that I can put out some good hard efforts but for very short periods of time. I didn’t have that Top Gear that I could maintain for the entire duration of the ride. I came off of the bike in 2:32 which might be my slowest bike split in the past 4 years.

I racked my bike.

Oh yeah, on a positive note Specialized sent me a matte black S-Works Shiv which is totally BA looking. At least Iooked kewl while riding like Princess.

I threw on my Skechers GoBionics which truly are the BEST racing flats I have ever run in. I am not just saying this because I am sponsored by Skechers. I am really impressed with what Skechers has done with their running line. They went from nothing to being one of the best in a very short period of time.(PLUG #2- Listen to “Jim and the Other Guy” and you may win a pair. We give them away frequently.)

Back to the race. I decided not to wear my Garmin 405 on the run. I conscientiously left it in T2. I knew I had struggled on the ride and this would take it’s toll on the run. Instead of getting frustrated at my inability to hold a quick pace I made the choice to go off of feel and do what I could. As I ran out of T2 Leslie Patterson flew by me. Within no time she was out of sight. I put my head down and grinded it out. I was working but the “pop” wasn’t there. Let’s find a Silver Lining. As I ran on the 13.1 mile course I heard countless shouts- PLUG #3- “Go Jim and the Other Guy!” This was great! The feedback on the show was awesome to hear and it justifies that I am doing something with the show and people are listening. It helps to hear stuff like that so THANK YOU!

Back to the race. I held a consistent effort and finished the run in 1:20 for an Overall time of 4:25. WAY behind the winner.

It’s a long season. I can’t get negative after the first race or it will be a LOOOOOONNNGGG season. This is a process. I want to produce a quality product and that takes time. I could have built in intensity earlier but I want to be strong and intense. A baker doesn’t use an Easy-Bake Oven to make a superior cake. He has patience and knows a good cake takes time to make. I want to pull my cake out of the oven in 10 months and find it to be tasty and complete without any missing ingredients. I think/hope this Jim cake is going to taste delicious eventually. We’ll see. PLUG #4-Listen to my talk show Podcast and Subscribe to it on iTune “Jim and the Other Guy” (Blatant promotion). RACE HARD!

1. Intro to the Show- Jim and the Other Guy

2. Dr. Michael Tebbe- www.backword.com

3. Jennifer Tetrick- www.jennifertetrick.com

4. Pro to Pro- Jim’s E-Book

5. Tyler Olson- TJO Photo

6. Dr. Jenni Plane- www.JenniPlane.com

7. Sonja Wieck- http://gosonja.com

8. Gui De Zwirek- www.GuiDeZwirek.com

9. Coach Muddy Waters- www.CoachMuddy.com

10. Caue Suplicy- www.Barnana.com

11. Dr. Phil Goglia- www.pfcnutrition.com

12. Ian Mikelson- www.IanMikelsonRacing.com

13. Jessica Jacobs- www.JessicaJacobsIronman.com

14. Chris Schauble- Facebook Fan Page

15. Dr. Mike Tebbe- www.backword.com

16. James “Cook” Carson- www.Cooksrag.com

17. Nicole Luque, Katiem Kyme- www.powerbar.com

18. Jim’s RNR Race Report w/ Tyler Olson- TJO Photo

19. Carly Johann- www.carlyjo.org

20. John Heiss- www.Herbalife.com

21. Sean Jefferson- www.jeffersonracing.com

22. Becky Barron- Team in Training

23. Jim Manton- www.areyouaero.com  Jim Meyer- www.quarq.com

24. Sarah Piampiano- www.SarahPiampiano.com

25. Bernard Baski- www.trifitla.com www.livePurPak.com

26. Dr. Phil Goglia- www.pfcnutrition.com

I wasn’t going to write about this incident because I found it a bit disturbing to talk about, but I wanted to give my fellow cyclists a “heads up” as to a mistake I guess I made yesterday, December 19th.

I was out on PCH doing a three hour strength ride.  I got on the road late because of a Skechers commercial I shot in the morning and then an interview I did on Endurance Planet in the afternoon.  I am usually pretty good at turning around in order to make it home before it gets dark.  I made it out to Encinal Canyon and decided to turn, for I felt it was later than I was used to being out that far.  I headed South and put the hammer down.  The sun was setting as I hit Topanga Canyon and I figured I was home free.  I did not want to be on the roads of Santa Monica post sun-down because I know the people of SM have a hard enough time driving and seeing cyclists in the daylight, let alone the darkness.

I got up to San Vincente relieved that I had made it.  I headed east on San Vincente.  It was dusk and I was wearing a black cycling kit so I knew I wasn’t the most visible person on the road.  There was a lot of traffic out being that it was around 5 o’clock.  Although I didn’t have a bike light, there were cars’ headlights lighting up the road and it wasn’t dark yet, it was just getting dark.  As I approached 14th Street I saw a maroon Toyota Camry looking to turn left onto 14th Street in front of me.  I came up to the intersection and looked the driver in the eye(or so I thought).  She hesitated so I figured she had seen me.  She had a stop sign. I did not.  I proceeded across the intersection when all of a sudden she sped across the Eastbound traffic. I could not do anything.  It felt like slow motion as she rammed, at an accelerating speed, right into me.  Luckily she hit the front wheel of my bike which I turned as she hit to absorb the impact a bit.  I flew with my bike about five feet where I landed on my shoulder, elbow, and hip.  I laid there for a second to make sure I was with it and coherent.  I know the feeling of being “crushed” because of all of my years of getting hammered on the ice rink.  I unclicked my one cleat that was still clipped in and got up.  By then the woman had come running out of her car, white as a ghost.   I think she thought that she had killed me.  I set my bike aside, felt my arm, hip, knee, head, and any other area that may have been affected by the impact of the car/street.  I seemed to be in pretty good shape.  My handlebars were askew and my one cleat had been cracked off of my shoe, but other than that I was OK.  I told the woman and the other witnesses who had stopped that I was OK.  They offered to call an ambulance, give me their info, take me home, etc. I refused and told everyone that I would be fine.

I told the woman who had hit me, “Don’t worry, I am fine, and have a Merry Christmas.”  I pedaled home with one foot, being extremely cautious.  It was completely dark and I knew people were not paying attention.  In fact, I think I may have gotten hit two more times on the way if I had not been extra careful.

I made it home.  By then, my neck was a little stiff, my shoulder was a little sore, and I didn’t feel right.  Luckily my buddy Mike is a Chiropractor.  He straightened me out and did what he could to ease the slight pain I had.  Like I said earlier, I have had plenty of concussions in my life and I don’t think this was one.  I just felt discombobulated.  I relaxed the rest of the night and woke up feeling better.  I was a bit groggy this morning, but all seems to be well.

So here are my words of caution.

1. Don’t take any risks and get off of the road before the sun is even thinking about going down.  We, as cyclists, are always trying to get in that one extra mile.  Unless your bike is lit up like a Christmas Tree(seasonal reference) do not take a risk.  Get off of the road and live to ride another day.  In L.A. especially, drivers are more concerned about texting and celebrity sightings than us cyclists.
2. Do not forget to train your upper body.  I am extremely diligent at strength training my upper body as well as my lower body.  Yes, you may have to gain a little more mass, but I believe my strength is why I do not have a broken shoulder, collar bone, wrist, concussion, etc.  I hit the ground hard, but I had the muscular structure to absorb the impact.  I will get a video out ASAP of an easy strength routine I do that helps to strengthen the upper body.
3. Don’t try to be He-Man.  If you do get hit by a car go to the hospital if you have any inkling there might be something off.  Like I said, I know my body and I know when I am really messed up.  I was OK after this, but I don’t want this to be a testament to how you should act in the case of a crash.  Take care of yourself first.

There’s my story.  It happens.  I am happy I wasn’t one foot further into the intersection or she would have smashed my leg and that would have been a whole world of problems.  Take care, happy holidays, and RACE HARD!

PS: Read me JUST RELEASED new e-Book Pro to Pro

As I was racing today I was thinking about this question.  As the blood was filling in my lungs, the taste of iron was creeping up my throat, the puke was rising out of my belly, my muscles were burning hotter than any furnace, my mind was saying No Mas!”, and my chest was on the verge of cramping with every step; I thought….  I wanted to quit, but in some strange way this “want” caused me to push harder and harder.  The pain of the race caused me to want to push harder.  I knew that upon crossing the finishline all of the pain would be gone and I would feel the satisfaction of pushing my body to the limit(and beyond) and surviving.  So I kept pushing.  While heading back to the finishline I was passing the masses of other committed runners just heading out for the brutal second half of the course I heard countless shouts urging me on, “Go Jim!” Go Lube!”  I can’t tell you how much this helps deal with the pain.

So as I sit here and collect my thoughts I think I can answer the question, “For such a big person, how do you run so fast?”  I’m not going to lie.  It’s been years of building and building, but I think a main reason is that I hurt. I know I am going to hurt. I take the pain.  I deal with the pain.  I push and push and push.  I am sure I am the LARGEST Elite Runner in the sport, but I think my ability to push through the pain knowing I will come out of it alive allows me to hang with some extremely talented runners and keep making gains day after day, month after month, year after year.

Allow yourself to hurt and you will be a better athlete for it.  No matter your size, shape, ethnicity, etc. you too can push your body to previously unthinkable limits.  RACE HARD!

Today I met my new nephew, Peter.  He was born October 2nd.  He is awesome.  As I look at him, I think of the possibilities for his future. I think of the adventures awaiting him in his life.  I am excited for him to experience this awesome world.  Yes, it poses challenges both mental and physical, but in the end we only live once.  You have to live everyday and take it all in for we are blessed to be here breathing this air, seeing the beauty we see, and  interacting with the individuals we do.  I hope I can help Peter appreciate everyday and see that no matter what happens, life is special.  We need to always remember that.  Thank you for all of birthday wishes.  I feel truly loved.

So much for an easy ride.  I’ll never try that again.

(Side Note: For all of the nerds out there, I know “With great power comes great responsibility” is Spiderman)

I don’t know why I thought this was so special, maybe it was because it brought a sense of a team aspect to the race.  We were all out there killing ourselves on our own, but we stuck together in the end to bring home and congratulate the Women’s winner.  I really liked to see this and I think it should be something we should adopt for every race.  RACE HARD!

Race Morning

As I lined up to enter the water, I looked around and noticed I was surrounded by almost every “name” in the Men’s and Women’s triathlon world. I didn’t see this as a moment of “awe” but more as a moment of, “Damn this is going to be a fast race!”

Let me back up. Upon arriving at the venue I racked my bike and went off on a warm up jog with Chris “Cross” Bagg. We ran approx. 200 meters before I started pouring sweat. It was hot and the sun hadn’t even come up yet.

Back to pre race. We finally got the go ahead to enter the water. I dove into the bath like water and began to get some warm up swimming in . It was pretty trippy. The water was a thick, disgusting hue of brown. I couldn’t see my hand as it pulled through the water. It was warm and I was sinking, as I always do in a nonwetsuit swim.

Swim

The gun went off and I was left in the dust. I tried not to over extend myself knowing it was going to be a long race. My plan was to ease into the day. I would save my energy for the bike and really get after it on the run. The swim took forever and for some reason I kept veering to the left. On the way out this was fine because it allowed me to cut the tangent, but on the way back I added way too much swimming to my race. I was sighting frequently to try to combat this but still I was going left. I eventually pulled myself out of the water. Although I didn’t go super hard I felt really spent. I have been putting in some really big swimming weeks and I was spent after a 1.2 mile swim. I don’t get it?

Bike

I got on the bike ready to find a rhythm and get rolling. The first few miles went fine. I was holding 300-310 watts like I had planned, but soon, it started to go down hill. 300watts became, 270watts. 270watts became 250watts………Eventually I was struggling to hold 200watts. What was happening? Like I said I knew I wouldn’t be up with the rest of the pack, but I thought I would be able to race my race. I always preach to the athletes that I coach, “If you’re having an off day and you can’t hold your watts turn off your power meter and go off of feel.” I should have taken my own advice, but I didn’t. I kept looking at my Garmin and getting more and more frustrated. My bike started making squeaking noises, I began getting passed by athletes who started way behind me, and my mental focus was waning BIG TIME! I was telling myself, “Fight through to the run and then you can do something,” but in the back of my mind I was thinking, “There is no way your run is going to be strong if you can’t finish the bike strong.” I put my head down and grinded it out. At one point another athlete passed me and said, “Wow! That doesn’t sound good.” I assumed he was talking about my bike, but maybe he was a mind reader and he could hear my thoughts. I pulled into T2 and looked at the absurdly slow time on my Garmin Edge 500. I thought, “I never want to look at this power file again(Little did I know I wouldn’t have the option-more on that later).”

Run

It was a disaster from the start. I was right. I was spent from the bike. I was struggling to put one foot in front of the other. I was helped through the course by all of the on-lookers who were yelling “LUBE!” This really helped me fight through and it was pretty cool. Thanks guys. I wanted to get calories in which I thought would help me regain my mojo, but every time I took in a gel it would go right to my gut. This would give me some really bad stomach cramps. I would relieve the cramps by squeaking out some air(if you get my “drift”) which would be a gamble every time, but we were in Vegas so why not?(GROSS!) I managed to stay clean. By the third lap I realized that if I stay away from the gels and just stick to water I could get into a somewhat quicker tempo run pace. I eventually finished with my slowest Half IM time since I started triathlon in 2005.

After Thoughts

Sometimes it’s just not meant to be. I have never had stomach problems in a race before. If I am veering off in a swim I veer right 99% of the time. My worst performance on the bike since I have had watts has been an average of 250watts, this race was WAY below that. I could keep going, but long story short, let’s chalk it up to experience and say I can only go up from here(I hope). Post race I had to go pick up my car from T1 and head back to T2 to get my bike(Point to point race). When I got back to T2 I noticed that some scumbag had stolen my Garmin Edge 500 off of my bike. The transition area is super secure and only athletes are allowed to enter to get their bikes. This means that some other athlete at this World Championship race had went to my bike and lifted my Garmin off($370 value). He probably thought, “Wow I really want to see Lube’s power numbers.” Little did he know that I know who he is because I can hear him laughing at my numbers from here. So that capped off a completely crap day(Almost literally).

Thank You

Although it was a tough one, IM 70.3 World Championships was a goal of mine and I did make it there. The journey was long and the season has been full of countless experiences. I would like to thank all of my supporters. Especially the ones who were out there last Sunday cheering me on. Without you I would have never made it through to the end.

My parents were out there battling the heat on Sunday and I would like to acknowledge how much they mean to me and how much of a better person they have made me. They have supported me through all of my successes and failures and they are always there to offer their support no matter the circumstances.

Other thank yous’ are in order: Eric and his crew at Cynergy Cycles in getting me to my races looking good and ready to roll; George and everyone at Skechers, you guys have created the best run flat on the market in the GoBionic; Robert Torres my Body Mechanic who gives painful massages which allow me to hammer day in and day out; Michael Tebbe, the Triathlete’s Chiropractor; Gerry Rodrigues and Tower 26, we work harder than any masters‘ team out there and we have the best leader; Joanna Zeiger, you gave me the guidance to be the athlete I am today; Phil Gogglia, the Nutrition Guru; Jim Manton, Bike Fitter Extrodinaire; Powerbar; Xterra Wetsuits; and last but not least Cortney Haile, we have been on this journey together and without your support I would not be where I am today.

Up Next

I am slated to race Branson 70.3 and Augusta 70.3 before heading to Kona to take in the IM World Championships.

Final Quote

“Keep everything in perspective and move forward without dwelling on the past.”-Me