The Blog of Author and Athlete David Glover

I’ll be racing at the Quelle Challenge in Roth tomorrow morning for the fourth year in a row. When I first came to Roth in 2005, I came to experience the legendary atmosphere of what is the largest Ironman-distance field in the world with more than 2,500 individuals and 500 relays competing and more than 100,000 spectators cheering. I was not disappointed in the experience.

I also came to break nine hours again in an Ironman after first going “sub nine” at the inaugural Blue Devil Iron Distance Triathlon in 2007. Because of the fast times posted at Roth including the 7:50 world record set by Luc van Lierde, I mistakenly believed the Challenge would be an easy course. Fast, yes. Easy, no. It took me three tries to break nine hours, which I finally did in 2007 with an 8:51 for 23rd overall with the help of my coach, top German pro triathlete Olaf Sabatschus. You can read about my experiences at least year’s race here.

Photo: Me finishing in 2007 (Photographer: Courtney Johnson)

Tomorrow will be different. My original intent in signing up for the race was to post a faster time than last year. Unfortunately, some earlier recurring leg issues and a bout with over training followed by my stubborn unwillingness to back off leave me in decent (but not great) swimming and biking shape with no run base.

So tomorrow I will swallow my pride and only do the swim and bike. I will forgo the run as my leg is still bothering me and I need to let it heal. I will finish early then spend the rest of the day cheering on my Virginia friends: Shawn, Reid, Jennifer and Mark. I plan to have fun. That’s a good enough reason for me to do the event.

After a spectacular 2007 season with an 8:51 PR at Roth, an overall win at Vineman and another strong finish at Ironman Louisville within a 2-month span, 2008 is turning into a temporary reprieve from Ironman training and racing in order to recharge mentally and physically. It’s taken me a while to get to the point where I am willing to admit that I need a break from the disciplined training and focus, but deep down, I know this is the right thing to do. This is not to say I won’t do 4 hour bike rides with Brady or Krista when they need training partners for their long rides, but rather that I can choose what I want to do instead of what I need to do.

Plus, there are many unique and challenge events outside of triathlon to sample. Next week, I’m heading down to the Swiss Alps with my friend, Dave Tipler, to do a week of hiking in the mountains, and in the fall, I am looking forward to experiencing a few adventure races.

Next year will be here soon enough and I will be back with my passion.

Live life boldly and richly,

David Glover

—-

David B. Glover
Professional Triathlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net

© 2008 David B. Glover

The Power Of Team: Three Ordinary People and Their Run to Greatness
by Peter Wortham

I had the opportunity and privilege to meet Joel Burrows AKA “Ghost” when we both participated in the Special Operations Force Academy in the last week in April. With an extensive background in endurance events including Ironman-distance triathlons and marathons, Joel was the one participant at the Academy with whom I could most closely identify. Joel earned his nickname “Ghost” by maintaining a low profile during the week - by staying under the radar. Yet, on the final day and night, Ghost took over as the team leader of the 44 participants (our initial group of ten from the week long Academy merged with 34 more participants for the final 24-hour SEAL Adventure Challenge).

Joel had also done something, which still seems incomprehensible to me now: he, along with his then wife, Nancy, and friend, Dave, won outright three of the four “Racing the Planet” Desert Races. The “Racing the Planet” races are a series of seven-day, 250-kilometer (~150-mile) footraces across the world’s largest and most forbidding deserts - the Atacama Desert in Chile, China’s Gobi Desert, the Sahara and finally “The Last Desert” in Antarctica. Each participant had to carry 30 pounds of their own survival gear, clothing and food on their backs, running across sand and rock, climbing dunes and mountains.

I asked Joel afterwards why he chose the Special Operations Force Academy. This is what he had to say:

After 11 Ironman races, more marathons than I can count, and winning outright 3 of the 4 Racing the Planet Desert Races, I was looking for a new challenge. In 2003 I saw a flyer about this camp, and it has been on my mind ever since. Now that I am going through my divorce and am able to choose the events that I want to participate in, I felt this was the time to go after the SEAL camp. I began training in January and only took about 6 days off between then and the start of the camp. I am always looking for the next challenge and really wanted to show up to the camp in the best shape possible. I felt like I achieved that goal.

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Yesterday, I sweated out 23 pounds of sweat in 3 x 1.5 hour Bikram Yoga classes. I feel awesome today!

In my continuing search for a new challenge, I decided to try three Bikram Yoga classes in one day. If you’re not familiar with Bikram Yoga - also called hot yoga - it’s a series of 26 postures that are performed in a specific sequence in a very hot and humid room. I wrote about the benefits of Birkam for athletes in an earlier blog post.

The challenge for me in doing multiple Bikram classes in one day is not surviving the heat but rather replacing fluids and electrolytes lost by sweating during class. I’m a heavy sweater. During a single class, I will completely soak a full-sized beach towel and leave puddles in the carpet around my mat.

Three classes in one day was an experiment by me on me. Could I take in enough fluids and electrolytes to successfully and safely complete all classes?

In order to to determine sweat volume lost each class, I weighed myself immediately before and after every class. I also wrote down what I drank before, during and after class.

Here is what happened during each class:

Class 1: 9:30AM

• Beginning weight before class: 175 lbs
• Fluid consumed during class: 5 lbs
• Ending weight after class: 170 lbs
• Sweat volume lost during class: 10 lbs

Comments: I brought 3 large water bottles into class with me - 1 of Cytomax and 2 with Emergen-C. I drank all three during class. Normally, I take only 2 bottles in with me. I was still 5 pounds lighter after class even after drinking 5 pounds of fluids during class.
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Image: Triathlete Magazine’s home page with a picture of me crossing the finish line at Vineman

I have always joked that my triathlon career would not be complete until I was on the front cover of either Triathlete Magazine or Inside Triathlon. I think Triathlete Magazine’s home page counts.

I was interviewed for an article previewing the Vineman Full (Ironman distance triathlon) on August 2nd. If the home page photo has changed by the time you read this, I saved a pdf version of the home page that you can download here.

Here’s the link to the full article in the magazine: Previewing the 19th annual Full Vineman

If your curious about my experiences winning last year’s race, please check out my blog article.

Live life boldly,

David Glover

—-

David B. Glover
Professional Triathlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net

© 2008 David B. Glover

Given the recent heat wave we’ve been experienced in the mid-Atlantic region, I thought I would share my “Staying Hydrated in the Heat” answers that I shared with a reporter earlier this week.

Q: If someone has dark urine could it be because they are dehydrated?

A: Yes, dark-colored urine is a good indicator of dehydration. Urine should be clear, pale yellow like lemonade if fully hydrated.

Another indicator is weight loss during an exercise session or race. Weighing yourself before and after an exercise session (or race) in the heat and taking into account fluid consumed during the session is a good way to determine what your fluid replacement needs are.

Q: If you do become dehydrated what can you do to treat it instantly?

A: Drink fluids to rehydrate as soon as possible. When training and racing for more than an hour and especially in the heat, I would use a sports drink with electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) to both replace electrolyte loss from sweat in order to mitigate cramping and to replace energy stores. Taking in sodium will also mitigate a condition called hyponatremia, which is essentially water intoxication caused by too low of sodium levels in the blood.

Dehydration could also be accompanied by heat conditions such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. In that case, it’s necessary to get person out of the heat ASAP, cover with cool towels and seek medical attention.
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Photo: David rappelling off of Cullasaja Falls

Thanks to extreme adventure athlete Jono Senk of Hairy Scary Evolutions, I had the opportunity on Sunday to rappel through the Cullasaja Falls near Highlands, NC.

WOW, what a RUSH!!!!

That’s the best description that I can think of to describe thousands of gallons of deafening, blinding water crashing down on my body, as I attempted to maneuver myself down 200 feet of rope as I bounced off of moss-covered rocks. Because of the water’s tension on the line, which creates a braking affect, I was in little danger of falling down, but I felt like I was fighting for my life - pure survival and intensity!

Image: David in the middle of the cascades

For more waterfall rappelling photos, please visit my flickr album.

Please check out Hairy Scary Evolutions - they provide exhilarating adventures that will take you outside of your self-limiting comfort zones: BIGGER, BADDER, BETTER, BRAVER, BOLDER!!

Live life boldly,

David Glover

—-

David B. Glover
Professional Triathlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net

© 2008 David B. Glover

Mouse Popsicles? What the heck are Mouse Popsicles…? I’m not sure that I want to know.

This is a sign along Hwy 28 in South Carolina just north of the Town of Walhalla. I’ve passed this sign dozens of times over the years while riding my bike up and down that stretch of the road, which leads to Georgia then North Carolina - three states in one ride! Every time I pass the sign, I’ve always wondered, “What the heck are Mouse Popsicles?” I can guess but the vision in my mind is not a pleasant one.

Why is the sign relevant?

It’s a piece of a memory that I associate with that section of road and the rides that I’ve done on the road when training for Ironman triathlons in the past. In past years, my friends Steve and Brady have both ridden with me along this road, which leads to a punishing 7 mile climb up to to the Town of Highlands. It’s one of those climbs where if you’re not feeling good, it’s really going to suck. Ahh, the memories of the suffering, lightheadedness and muscle burn as we went up that climb!

So when I took the picture, I had to send it them. “Hey, guys, remember the Mouse Popsicles?”

I still don’t know what Mouse Popsicles nor do I really care. It’s the other memories that matter.

Peace,
David

–
David B. Glover
Professional Triathlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net

© 2008 David B. Glover

Photo: My view riding at the back (not the front)

Normally, by this time of the season, I’m fully engaged in training for an Ironman, feeling strong and eager to toe the line in a race. However, right now, I’m just not “feeling” it.

After I had watched the Columbia Triathlon a week ago, Krista had asked me, “Did you miss not racing?”

I answered, “No, I was happy to just watch.” Truthfully, I was.

I guess it’s not surprising when I think about it. I’ve raced in 24 Ironman-distance triathlons since 1997. Last year was an amazing year for me: Marathon PR of 2:46 at Disney Marathon the day after running a 1:22 in the Disney 1/2 Marathon, Ironman PR of 8:51 at the Quelle Challenge in Germany, winning Vineman and being inducted into the Vineman Hall of Fame.

I think it’s time for a break until my desire returns. I’m not sure if that’s a few more days, a few more weeks or the rest of the season. No idea.

I like how Timothy Gallwey in his book, The Inner Game of Work, talks about desire:

Desire wants what it wants. Desire is a feeling that can produce a picture or a vision of what it wants. It may or may not be similar to what other people want, but true desire is never borrowed from anyone else. So the hardest thing about getting a clear picture of your direction is to be able to distinguish your picture from that of the many pictures that are painted by other people.

I’m trying to get a clear picture of my direction and my true desire. Last year, my desire was to go faster in Ironman so that set my direction: train smarter and harder. I’m not feeling that same level of desire for triathlon this year.

Does this mean no swim, bike or run? No, of course not! It just means swim, bike and run how I feel. So likely I’ll be riding less at the front.

Participating in the Special Operations Force Academy a few weeks ago re-opened my eyes to all of the other cool things out there to experience that I’ve ignored in the past because of my singular triathlon focus: waterfall rappelling, climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, diving adventure racing, ultra running, XC skiing, hiking, etc.

I’m excited to try some new things!

Peace,
David

–
David B. Glover
Professional Triathlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net

© 2008 David B. Glover

“The only easy day was yesterday.”
- Navy SEALs motto

Photo: David ready to skydive (Photograph by: Gunnar Örn Arnarsson)

Each day was different. Each day brought new challenges to push each of us outside of our comfort zones.

We learned to skydive and ended the week with an assisted freefall jump. Two skydive instructors jumped with us out of the plane at 13,000 feet and stayed with us until we arched, located and threw our pilot chute at which point we were on our own. We became certified in open water SCUBA driving beginning with the classroom then moving to the pool and finally to Lake Rawlings to practice in cold water. We learned about navigation at night with a compass and map to get from point A to point B, estimating distances by counting our steps and moving cohesively as a team while remaining undetected. We learned combat medical skills that we practiced on each other: stop the heavy bleeding first then worry about the breathing. We learned to shoot rifles, shotguns and pistols.

The days and nights blurred together.

The only constant evolutions each day were the PT sessions. We never knew when a PT session would begin, and once it began, when it would end. “Be in the moment,” became my mantra for coping with the uncertainty of what was next.
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“There are 2 aspects in life that will haunt you for the rest of your life that will last forever: Regret and Glory…which one do you want burned into the memories of your soul - Regret or Glory?”
- Special Operations Force Academy Instructor Jono

Photo: Team “Slit Throat” dressed up for our late night Field Training Exercise (I’m in lower right hand corner)

The following is a copy of an email that I sent to the Instructors of the Special Operations Force Academy (SOF/A) and SEAL Adventure Challenge (SAC):

Dear SOF/A and SAC Instructors:

Second, as an athlete, I hit a bad spell of overtraining a little over a month ago - I was sick, tired, irritable, had an elevated heart rate, slept poorly, etc. I decided not to do Ironman Arizona on 4/13 because of health concerns. I also experienced weakness, especially on the right side of my body, to the extent that I could not even do 10 push ups (truth).
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