This is the second in a series of Wednesday guest posts from TI coaches and enthusiasts. Steve Howard is a TI swimmer from Lafayette LA, whose enthusiasm for TI was so great that he completed our 1.0 Coach Certification Course. 

How in the world did I end up taking part in the Boulder Ironman, with total swim-bike-run training of just 4 to 6 hours a week, of which only one to two hours per month was swim training? My training has been minimal for the past two years, since my wife Debbie was diagnosed and treated for leukemia.

During her treatment, I spent many hours in the hospital with Debbie, participating in her training for recovery, which consisted of hours a day of walking the halls of the hospital together. Since her recovery, we spend our early mornings together. I’ve also had to spend more time focused on our engineering business due to the poor economy

A close friend had signed up for the Boulder Ironman.  We decided it would be fun to do the event together and for our families to vacation together in Boulder. One of his daughters was attending pole vaulting school there that week. We attended the camp one of the days.  So, three weeks before the Boulder 140.6 Ironman, I signed up for the event.

What can you accomplish on 4 to 6 hours a week of training? I consulted my triathlon coach Matt Carnal, who lives in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  We decided to do a 2-week training build, preceded by a 1-week fitness test, to include a 1-mile open water swim in Indian Creek and two long bike rides.

I’ve only ridden outside a few times in the past three years: I worry about getting run over!  The 1-mile swim at Indian creek went surprisingly well. I completed it at a pace of about 2:30 per 100y, which is my normal open water endurance pace.

Steve, holding a Long, Sleek Left-side Line (TI Skate) during pre-race practice.

My first road ride was 63 miles, broken up by 40 min. rest at Rouse’s Grocery Store.  A week later I rode 74 miles with 30 min. rest along the way at McDonald’s in Abbeville.  I did minimal running during this time.  The primary focus was bike work on the road with an additional 45-min continuous pool swim.

Based on three week’s preparation we thought I had a chance to complete the 2.4-mile swim and ride 70 miles to the bike cut off point.  If I finished the 112-mile bike, I would walk 5 miles and stop to avoid injury. Our purpose was to use the Boulder Triathlon as a training event/vacation.

Swimming was the most interesting and rewarding part of my Boulder experience. The week before we arrived, water temperature in the reservoir had been climbing through the mid-50s. On my first of four swims the water was 61-63F which—combined with wetsuit chest restriction and altitude—took my breath away.

I was working harder than I wanted to because of O2 starvation and cold water. In fact, I was on the verge of gasping, as in a panic attack. Solution: I stopped out in the lake to calm down, then slowed way down to a pace that allowed calm relaxed breathing.  That turned out to be 3:00/100y.

I think, because I was undertrained, I felt nervous about the 2.4-mile swim cut off.  But each day I was able to increase swim pace, without feeling starved for oxygen. By day 4, with the water warmed to 68 degrees, I was able to hold a 2:20/100y pace for 750 yards continuous.  I rested on Saturday.

Sunday Race Day   

The 2.4-mile swim is always most interesting/fun for me.  This was my first race in a long time where I was unsure I could make the time cut off of 2 hours, 20 minutes due to altitude, cold water and six months of swimming only one to two hours per week.  I set a goal of finishing in 2 hours 10 min.

When I started the swim, I started my watch, planning to look at it, at the end of the first leg of the swim and see if I needed to increase my pace.   But while swimming, I knew I was at an optimal and enjoyable pace that I could hold for the 2.4-mile distance and have enough strength to ride some unknown distance on the hilly bike course.

The Swim Start

The Swim Start

Consequently, I never looked at my watch while swimming.  The GPS Swim Track file shows a zig – zag at 1.5 miles, where several inexperienced swimmers swam on top of me, pushing me off course several times.  I estimate I lost 3 or 4 mins there. When I got out of the water my time was 1 hour 49 minutes, 20 mins faster than I’d projected. I attribute the better time to the four purposeful and focused days of open water practice.

Steve's GPS Swim Track

Steve’s GPS Swim Track

After the swim, I went on to ride the 112-mile bike course at an average of 14 mph on a beautiful green hilly course and then walked 6 miles, at 20 min/mile and called it a day.

The Boulder triathlon was good training for upcoming events and a great test of general health and fitness.  Because my coach and I chose for me not to complete the marathon, I left Boulder injury free, gained some fitness, and recovered very fast. In the week following the Ironman, I symbolically finished the 20+ miles of the marathon in several 4- to 6-mile runs at 11:30 to 12:30/mile pace.

The BIM is my second ever DNF.  The first was the Pikes Peak 1/2 marathon ascent in 2015. I reached the 14,114’ summit, but missed the time cut off, and so did not receive a finishers medal.   In both cases I avoided injuries.  The lesson learned was both events were fun adventures with safety nets.

The most important takeaway is “Trust your TI technique and training”. My Total Immersion Swim Knowledge and swim stroke allowed me to complete the Boulder Ironman swim and exceed my age-64 swim goal.  Terry, thank you for all you have taught me.

Steve and Debbie Howard live in Lafayette LA, where he is the principal in the engineering firm, Howard & Associates International. This week Steve is returning to Boulder, with knowledge and confidence gained from the 140.6 Boulder Ironman, to take part in the 70.3 Boulder Ironman, a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile walk/run.