The Coach Buzz ...

....you have a big basement...you put a treadmill in the middle....you then invite over and pack the basement full of a hundred of your closest friends and family....you have them cheer for you as you run on the treadmill. How motivating would that be? Well that is what it will feel like for me on the run course next weekend. Like the Packers playing the Super Bowl at Lambeau Field. The good sensations are back, I am sleeping well and can't wait to get out there again. Good luck to all racing at IMLou! BB

..... slooooowly coming back to me. This week is a tough one though. The body is really trying to bounce back from the big load of the last training block, but it is taking some time. I started out tired, moved to flat and am just starting to get a little pop back. I will keep you updated on my progress. +++++++++++++++ Ironman Day 2008. I have also organized a day dedicated to Ironman at The Trek Store westside location. It will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 2 nd and run from 12pm-8pm. The Timex truck and local vendors will be on hand. There will be free bike tune-ups, free food off the grill and a lot of free swag. I will also be leading an Ironman Wisconsin seminar that will start at 6pm. It should run about 45-60min, so bring your questions. Email me if you have any questions .

I have successfully made it through this I ronman build. My body is tired and I am welcoming the rest and strength that I will gain with each passing day and night of sleep. I have a solid plan that I am going to execute in a few weeks and believe in all the work that I have done. At the end of the day, my only goal is to execute this plan. Of course there are numbers in my head, but only Kurt and I know about them. Right now, I am focused on my taper and getting as strong as I can in the next 2 weeks. ++++++++++++++ As a side note, I want to congratulate all at IM Canada today. Bryan Rhodes took the win after a tough year racing, my good friend Justin Daerr took 5th (only seconds out of 4th), teamate Kyle Marcotte was 6th, Lisa Bentley had a solid comeback race after an injury, Mark Van Akkeren lead the race into the marathon, while Gordo & Jonnyo also mixed it up out there after being sick most of the year. Nice work out there today everyone, VERY impressive.

Watch 100's of videos like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nda_OSWeyn8 The best part is that almost 7 million people have viewed this one!

For those of you that are interested, here is what I have done over the previous 17 days. I am now pretty tired, but the numbers are still good. Just a few more days of tough stuff and then I get to ease off a little bit. The first week of tapering still has some tough sessions, but it will feel like a piece of cake....hopefully. Day 1 - 6.5k swim, 1:30 ride Day 2 - 5:30 ride, 50min run Day 3 - 4.2k swim, 1:30 ride, 1:50 run Day 4 - 4.4k swim, 4:50 ride, 50min run Day 5 - 4.1k swim, 3:30 ride, 1:35 run Day 6 - 4.4k swim, 2:00 ride, 40min run Day 7 - 2.5k swim, 6:00 ride, 30min run Day 8 - 4.1k swim, 2:30 run Day 9 - 4.4k swim, 2:00 ride Day 10 - 6:00 ride, 45min run Day 11 - 4.6k swim, 4:30 ride, 15min run Day 12 - 1:30 ride, 2:35 run Day 13 - 4.7k swim, 1:35 ride Day 14 - 3.5k swim, 3:00 ride, 40min run Day 15 - 4.6k swim, 1:40 run Day 16 - 3:30 ride, 45min run Day 17 - 3.8k swim, 6:00 ride, 50min run All of the training was in zones 2 & 3, with harder swimming: Total Training

WOW.....I am going to keep this post short, so my my limited grammar and spelling skills don't come though :) Michael Phelps is amazing!!! +++++++++ Track starts tonight. The 100m qualifying races are on right now and some of the guys are wearing aerodynamic sleeves. Maybe I should get some of those??? If they are making a difference in the 100m, imagine what they would do for 26miles????? Oh wait, I couldn't run a 9sec 100 if my life depended on it. Actually, now that I think about it, I couldn't run a 10, 11 or 12 second 100 meters. +++++++++ Training update: I am still working very hard so I don't get crushed and embarrassed by everyone on the start list in a few weeks. I am spending a lot of time starring at the ceiling (inside joke).

Each night, probably like everyone who is reading this, I have watched much of the Olympic coverage. In the past, I have usually just paid attention to the events that I am familiar with. Most of the time I have stuck to swimming, cycling, track, etc. This year I have made an effort to watch everything from water polo, to synchronized diving, beach volleyball and gymnastics. In watching these events, I have listened to interviews, learned the rules and know how the scoring works. Honestly, the way that some of these events are scored is rediculous. It makes sense to me that events/skills/sports in the Olympics should be scored objectively. Meaning, there are clear guidelines as to how you win. This also leave almost no room for subjectivity or the possibility of "tainted" results / cheating. Here are some examples of objective scoring. - Fastest time - Highest jump - Most goals/points - IN or OUT of bounds One event that is NOT scored 100% objectively IMO, is gymnastic

I am now halfway through my 24 days and things are rolling... Sunday and Monday included solid swimming and running, along with over 200 miles of riding, then today's key session was a VERY steady 2hr30min run at race pace. As I am "backing up" my training, day in and day out, things seem to be getting easier. I am not getting broken way down, infact my body is accepting the work and growing stronger and more fit, this is indicated by rising power numbers on long rides and faster paces in the water and on the run. Yes, there are many hours of the day when I simply stare at the ceiling because that is the only thing I have energy for. Infact , I haven't shaved for over a week and I needed to buzz my head about 2 weeks ago, but then again what do I need to shave for??? I don't see any women ever right now. Plus, I will have plenty of time during the taper. All of my time outside of training needs to be used to conserve energy and recover.

Well, I knew that I would start to get tired eventually, but luckily I have something that keeps me going out there. Coffee's Of Hawaii makes some pretty strong/great stuff that I REALLY look forward to each morning. Infact , I have given up sugar and alcohol in these last 6 weeks and at first I missed them, but now I only look forward to my HUGE pot...i mean cup of coffee in the morning and a big bowl of oatmeal. Mmmmmmmmmmm ! The above picture is probably what I look like if you seem me out training right now, except my form isn't as good as the coffee man Not much to post, just an update that things are going well. 10 down and 14 days to go in this build!!!! ++++++++++ Oh yeah, a quick post on the Olympics. Amazing is all I can say. From the opening ceremonies, to Phelps, to the 4x100 relay lastnight ....just awesome. I helps me get out the door!!

I am now 8 days into my 24 day block and I have been putting in some serious volume. I have decided to rename the training block to the "Backing It Up Block." This means that I will not only be putting in long hours, but backing those long hours up with more long hours. As the days go by, the body still feels good. I love working hard, but the only thing that allows me to do it is the fact that I have almost no training above half ironman pace and have zero distractions outside of training. This means that I am doing everything I can to recover on a daily basis. My daily routine follows below, feel free to integrate them into your own training and see what they do to your recovery time: - 2-3 self massage sessions of 20min - An ice bath - Compression socks all the time - A water bottle that doesn't leave my hand - Naps - Lots of sleep at night - A LOT of good food. - Fueling myself WELL during all sessions I am one third of the way through and so far I have just over 45

After a few days of unloading, Kurt has put together what will likely be my biggest training block of the year. The block of training is 24 days long and the focus of it is ironman pace re-enforcement. Almost nothing out of zone 2/3, which is my biggest limiter. I am officially labeling this block of training "The Bubble Block," b/c during this time I am keeping myself on a short leash, in an attempt to get that extra 1 or 2% from my training. Ironman Wisconsin is a race that means a lot to me and I would like nothing more than to finish up front. As the block rolls along, I will post training updates and a few workouts, if you are interested. I hope everyone's training is going well. Stay cool. BB