My ultimate fitness goal for 2008 is to complete the San Diego 100-mile endurance run (SD100) on the third weekend of October. With some guidance, I’ve outlined a series of incremental goals, races and periods of rest over the course of the year that will gradually prepare me for this main event.

After finishing 2007 with a 52-mile training run and beginning 2008 with a 50-mile race, I’ve decided to use the sport of triathlon to build my fitness while taking a small yet strategic break from ultra running. My first half-Ironman distance triathlon is on March 29 in beautiful Oceanside, California. To prepare for this particular 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run, I’ve broken my training schedule into three phases and the first phase began Monday.

Bike course:

For the next 16 days, I’ll be training in all three triathlon disciplines, a variety of cross-training exercises, plus racing a Triathlon Club of San Diego (TCSD) Duathlon on February 2. My next break is President’s Day weekend, where I’ll use a long-weekend of backcountry skiing in the Sierra Nevada as active recovery before beginning the second training phase.

The focus of phase two is “brick” training or the combination of two triathlon workouts into one and less of a focus on cross-training. For instance, upon arriving home from cycle-commuting, I will immediately go for a run. The purpose of this is to train my legs to learn how to make this transition and get used to the switch so on race day, I can jump off the bike and break out into a fast half-marathon. During this phase, I will bump up the weekend mileage on the bike and race in another TCSD Duathlon on March 3.

Phase three includes brick training, a long training ride, plus a trail race in San Luis Obispo called the Mountain of Gold on March 16. I plan on running the 25km option and Marie will run the 50km race. This way, I can fit one last long run in before my event and I will be able to pace Marie for the first two loops of her four-loop course.



I’m nervous about the half-Ironman since it is an unknown but I like the pressure since it is rapidly approaching. I need to focus right away and get to work. Having confidence in my base fitness helps, but I’m honest with myself and admit that my swimming needs work, my cycling needs work and I must include plenty of brick workouts between now and March 29 to have a decent race.

Now that I have my sights set on the SD100 in October, I’m excited to get into triathlon shape and to roll over the fitness into the next event on the list: The Leona Divide 50 on April 19. This year is off to a great start and I plan on checking in with you all along the way. Let's make thisa fun and exciting year. All the best to you and your 2008 goals!

Yours in Adventure,
~Toby

The Avalon 50 was a tougher race than I expected, but it still went really well and I learned an important lesson. It was a hot day, mid-70s, and the race wasn’t on trails—it was on fire roads and paved roads. The hard-packed terrain punished my feet and joints since I primarily train on trails that offer more natural cushioning.

Special thanks to San Diego ultra-runner Jerry Armstrong, who ran the race last year. He advised me to wear my road shoes for the race, so I ended up packing them in my drop bag, which was accessible at mile 18.9. As beautiful as the sunrise was from the highest ridge on the island, all I could think about was changing out of my trail shoes and into my lightweight road shoes.

Once I made the switch, another issue surfaced--but not so obvious. I had slowly become hyponatremic because I was not taking in enough sodium to counter-balance my water intake. I was still thirsty as I took in more and more water. I developed a headache and I couldn’t think clearly so it became increasingly difficult for self-diagnosis. I finally figured out what was going on when I recalled Joe Decker’s story from his first Badwater 135 experience. He told me that he literally had to drink salt out of a Morton’s salt container to counter-balance his over-hydration symptoms, which were very similar to mine.

At the next three aid stations, I used potato wedges to scoop-up and ingest heaping piles of salt. I finally began to feel better around mile 38 which was over 7 hours into the race. As crazy as it sounds, I felt my best for the final 10 miles. My head was clear, I had positive self-talk, my run-walk intervals up hills were pain-free and I had solid momentum. I finished with a personal record of 10 hours, 21 minutes, which is almost five hours faster than my last 50-mile race. It sounds like a significant improvement but it’s relative to the terrain differences. Mt. Disappointment was all above 5,500 feet of elevation, through rugged mountainous terrain. The Avalon 50 never climbed above 1,400 feet on hard-packed fire roads.

It was a learning experience to say the least. I have a much better understanding of my hydration needs and I’m just thankful I was able to hold it together and finish on a positive note. Now I’m excited to start training for the Ironman-70.3 in Oceanside on March 29. I’ll be taking a break from long runs to concentrate on swimming and cycling, but I’ll get into those specifics in my next series of blog posts.

I want to be sure to mention the outstanding performance of my girlfriend in her debut 50-mile race this weekend. Marie made the giant leap from 50-km races to the 50-mile distance on Saturday and finished close on my heels with a time of 10 hours, 55 minutes. I’m so proud of her and thankful that we had such a great experience together on Catalina Island.



I couldn’t do this stuff without your support--thank you all so much for believing in me.

"To Achieve Your Dreams Remember Your ABC's"
Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits.
Believe in yourself.
Consider things from every angle.
Don't give up and don't give in.
Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come.
Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches.
Give more than you planned to.
Hang on to your dreams.
Ignore those who try to discourage you.
Just do it.
Keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier.
Love yourself first and most.
Make it happen.
Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.
Open your eyes and see things as they really are.
Practice makes perfect.
Quitters never win and winners never quit.
Read, study and learn about everything important in your life.
Stop procrastinating.
Take control of your own destiny.
Understand yourself in order to better understand others.
Visualize it.
Want it more than anything.
'Excellerate' your efforts.
You are unique of all God's creations, nothing can replace YOU.
Zero in on your target and go for it!"
-Wanda Hope Carter