Normandy

From Album: Normandy

Thanks to Al and Lotte (Charlotte) for hosting us in Dives Sur Mer, which served as a great base to explore the Normandy coast. It was a heart felt experience seeing the D-Day landing beaches and the American Memorial and Cemetery. Interest that it was paired with trying tete de veau (calf's head) and deep fried calf's brain at Le Bougnat which I would actually highly recommend. Favorite part of the trip was going to the Saturday food market in Dives where we bought sausages, cheese, and fresh vegetables to make lunch.

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Granada, Spain

From Album: Granada

Joe and I went to Granada, Spain soon after his "2 Ironman in 1 month" craziness. We visited an old co-worker and stayed in her family's home just outside the city. Estela, her family, and her girlfriend Carmen were the most amazing hosts. Joe bonded with Estela's papa as he was happy to finally have a man in the household amongst 3 daughters. I don't remember much due to the heat, but I do remember Los Italianos ice cream. Yummmm.

Enjoy the photos! It was the 1st time I only carried around my 35mm L lens (forgot my zoom lens :P). It was challenging at first but I definitely fell in love (again) with this lens as it proves to be quite a good walk around lens when traveling. Got interesting profile shots and had fun figuring out how to frame photos so they are interesting because of what was in them rather than the expanse they covered (which I got used to with a wider zoom lens).

Verona, Italy

From Album: Verona

Like my Zoolander pose?

Went to Verona back in June for the opening of opera season. A quite unique experience being that the opera is performed in a Roman arena built in AD 30. For opening night they chose to perform Carmen amongst a fantastically theatrical set (i.e. horse and carriage on state) and the finely dressed audience (i.e. floor length gowns and security detail).

Being my first opera, I struggled through scene 1 of 4 and decided to knock back an espresso so I wouldn't fall asleep during this once in a lifetime experience. As scene 2 started in full swing, we heard a rumbling from the audience in the back of the Arena. My friends and I turned to see a curtain of rain heading towards us!! Gasp! Maybe I didn't need that espresso after all. We dashed to the exit with seat cushion in tow.

As we huddled in the arena tunnels, we could hear the waterfall of rain running down the stone steps. We hoped that the rain would stop and the opera would continue, but that didn't happen... No money back after the show starts sorry! I grumbled that we just paid about 3 Euro/minute for less than 1 hour of entertainment. =/

Now what? Luckily we had made post-opera dinner plans, initially booked for 1am. Is it too early to show up at 10pm? Well let's go an see. We skated to the restaurant about 1/2 a mile a way. Yes, skated as it was impossible to walk in the rain in high heels on marble tiles. We skated on the balls of our high heeled shoes :P.

And by the way that restaurant was amazing! Can't end the story without a restaurant recommendations!

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS

* Antica Bottega del Vino (Post opera dinner w/great wine. Try Amarone, red wine from the region) - 3 Via Scudo di Francia, Verona. Tel: +39 0458 004 535

* L'Oste Scuro (Seafood) - Vicolo San Silvestro, 10, Verona, Italy. Tel: +39 045 59 2 650

* Venchi il Gelato (Dark chocolate gelato to die for! Also on the main shopping street ;) - Via Mazzini

2009 Ironman Lake Placid (I did it! 2 IM's in 1 month!)

Click here to view album: Ironman Lake Placid Overall: 12hr 21min -- 706 overall (about 2258 total), 110th in AG (about 210 total) Swim: 1hr 15min Bike: 6hr 33min (splits: 3hr10min, 3hr 21min) Run: 4hr 21min (splits: 2hr08min, 2hr13min) First of all -- THANK YOU so much to my wife, Sandy, she made this year one of the most exciting of my life. Also, many thanks to my family who came to watch/support me at Lake Placid. It was a big boost seeing you throughout the day. Wow - this race was tough. I knew going for 2 IM's w/in 3 weeks was nuts, but having to finish w/ Lake Placid made things even more challenging. This race scraps away at you. Imagine getting scratched in one place over and over again...basically, the 2nd half of the run is like pouring salt on that sore that's been scrapped away! Conditions were great, we were really lucky to get dry weather and sunshine. The forecast was for pouring rain and it ended up raining a bit on the swim, but stopped thereafter. In fact, it became a bit too hot for some people. I heard 400 participants got IV's -- about 20% of the field. Sun was blazing and tempurature was anywhere from 27-30c (~85-90 degrees F) w/ some humidity. I really wanted to enjoy the experience. An old coach of mine asked if I had "goals" for the day and I said "finish." After having a great experience and overall time at IM Germany 3 weeks prior, I just wanted my family to enjoy the great city of Lake Placid and see an Ironman race. I didn't know what to expect, coming into the race I had caught a cold the week before, traveled from London to NYC, and drove from NYC to Lake Placid. Thus, it wasn't the perfect taper, but I knew I already had the fitness to enjoy the race. More detail on my time splits found when you CLICK HERE to the website Swim (2.4 miles / 3.8km): 1hr 15min Comments: Popped a gel about 30 min before start. Best water I've ever swam in. Clear, cool and perfect for 2000+ swimmers! I stayed clear of everyone and found clear water. Probably could've sighted better on the 2nd loop, but all things considered, I came out feeling pretty good. T1 - 8min 50sec: Long transition run. I'm guessing this is about 400m. Also, I took my time getting my bag, going to the bathroom, and getting on to my bike. Loved the help taking my wetsuit off. Bike (112 miles / 180km): 6hr 33 min (splits: ~3hr 10min, 3hr 21min) Comments: Very challenging bike course. EVERYONE told me to be patient on the first lap and that the bike course doesn't really start until mile 80-90. I took this to heart and "thought" I was being conservative on the first lap, but looking at my splits, I probably still went out a little harder than I should've. The hills just keep coming and coming -- just impossible to get any rhythm. I remember thinking I was never going to finish during my first lap, but felt much better on the 2nd lap. Click HERE for comparison bike courses in North America Ironman Races (YES - Lake Placid is a bit hilly). Overall, I kept these things in mind on the bike: 1. Don't destroy yourself on the hills -- LET EVERYONE GO AND BE PATIENT -- When I got to the hills (and there are a LOT of hills), I kept my pace as low as possible and was able to have a conversation or eat while climbing. I didn't want to blow it and knew there was a lot of hills to come. Also, I was starting to feel the fatigue from the last Ironman! 2. Get some speed and keep your pace on downhills/flats -- Guessing my confidence has gone up this year on the bike and all my pilates/yoga classes have helped kept my form throughout the ride. I really went for it on the downhills and my core kept me very stable going 50+ mph! I just wanted to gain as much time as possible and keep my legs turning over instead of taking long breaks then pushing uphills. 3. Keep the fluids going - it's hot! -- The weather was pretty warm and the humidity wasn't helping. I went through about 5 bottles of water/nuun and 1.5 bottles of carbo pro/gatorade. Not sure I managed this great, I had to go to the bathroom 3 times during the bike ride. I wanted to be sure my energy was good going into the run, so I kept hydrating and pouring as much water on my head as possible. Definitely helped! Nutrition -- hour 1: 1 bar, 1/4 bottle carbo pro, pack shot bloks, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~80g cho hour 2: 1 bar, pack shot bloks, 1/4 bottle carbo pro, bottle of nuun (sodium) = 80g cho hour 3: 1 bar, 3 shot bloks, 1/2 bottle of powerbar drink, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~70g cho hour 4: 1 bar, 1/4 bottle of Gatorade drink, gel, bottle nuun (sodium), 3 shot bloks = ~70g cho hour 5: 1/2 bottle of Gatorade drink, bottle nuun (sodium), 2 gels = ~60g cho hour 6 (only about a half hour): 1/4 Gatorade drink, water, gel = ~30g cho T2 - 2min 48sec - Felt good during transition, went to the bathroom and started at an easy pace. Run (26.2 miles / 42.2km): 4hr 21min (splits: 2hr08min, 2hr13min) Comments: 2 laps (~13.1 miles each) of quite hilly surface. There were a lot of up and downs including 2 pretty steep and long hills each lap. This is NOT an easy run course. I had a strategy to walk through each aid station (about a mile a part) and drink a cup of something (gatorade/water). Overall, tough run and my body was really starting to feel the beating from doing races so close together. Here is a description of each lap: Lap 1 (mile ~1-13.1): I had the crazy idea of thinking I could do a sub-4 hr marathon, but didn't end up getting close. On the first 2-3 miles I was clipping the miles off at a decent pace (sub 9 min), but those were mostly downhill miles. Almost immediately afterwards you start the rolling hills and my pace quickly went down. I felt OK and started feeling a bit worse through miles 7-13. My energy was going down a bit and I knew my pace was slowing. At that point, I made a decision that an evenly spaced marathon is better than exploding on the 2nd half...thus, I slowed down. I started taking my salt pills (~2/hour) each hour which helped my energy levels and absorb some of the nutrition. Half Marathon split = ~2hr 08min Lap 2 (mile ~13.1-26.2): After seeing my family and giving my wife a kiss, I felt much better. Mentally/physically, it's so much of a lift to pass the halfway point. I quickly told Sandy that it was going to be a long marathon and I definitely won't break 4 hours. My spirits and energy were decent, but I had a long way to go. I quickly noticed how HUNGRY I was and how much I had to go to the bathroom, again! I think I'm a salty sweater b/c even after ~10 salt pills, fluids were going right through my system. Thus, for about the last 8 aid stations, I took in a cup of chicken broth and pretzels -- not much more water or gatorade or gels. I felt much better on the 2nd half after taking the nutrition. I thought I was going to negative/even split the marathon, especially b/c I was passing a lot of people who were starting to walk. I am happy that, albeit slow, I was able to run the entire race (other than the aid stations) and feel pretty good -- even the 2 crazy long hills! Half Marathon split = ~2hr 13min 2 Ironmans in one month = mission accomplished!!

2009 Training Log

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAINING CHART

1. Support - Any triathlete will tell you that NOTHING happens w/out the support of their loved ones. I think there are many many other triathletes/athletes who manage their time better than I do (don't have kids, yet, etc...). Although, my wife, Sandy, has been my rock and completely on board w/ helping me fulfill one of the most incredible lifetime achievements. Without her, I wouldn't even come close to getting through these races! She always provides me w/ great feedback and encouragement which helped me reach this goal. Thanks so much and I love you!!

2. Consistency - Compared to previous year's I really focused on quality and consistency. The difference in hours/week from beginning to end never wavered that much. It was the quality of workouts that changed and the ability to recover, get stronger, work hard, and do it again. I also got back to BASICS. Decided to use my training tools as guides, but go by feel. Thus, I used Heart Rate monitor, but used my pacing on the run and swim to determine my interval paces. For the bike intervals, I used feel....During the races, I also went completely by feel which seemed to work well.

3. Coaching - This year I got coached from Carmichael Training and my coach, Natalie Bojko really helped put things in perspective and got me super ready for my races. I have to admit, I was really sceptable and wasn't that confident in the lack of hours of required training. I questioned the number of intervals and "short" weekend bike rides (w/ intervals of course) vs. the traditional "long" slow bike ride. What I found was the intervals destroyed me, but I kept coming back after recovery weeks SO much stronger and able to hold a consistent pace for a much longer time. If you told me in the last 4 years I would ride any IM bike course 6 hours I would've laughed, doing a 5:28 in IM Germany w/ even splits and feeling incredible off the bike for a great run was amazing. The other thing I learned was to keep pedaling evenly throughout the bike, this kept my legs fresh and pace strong. In addition, my running has never been stronger. I've got a long way to go, but definitely ready to keep improving!

4. Rest - REALLY resting and taking it easy during the "recovery" weeks was something I never could get my head around. BUT, this really works. I had to test my body to see how it would react to rest since I was going for the double IM in such a short amount of time. This worked terrifically and I defintely came back stronger each week. Also, being fairly consistent about SLEEP (~7-8 hrs/night) was a KEY to staying healthy and fit.

5. Core Strength - Enrolling in Pilates and Yoga since Fall of '08 has really made a difference. It was the perfect mix for all the aerobic training and helped me keep my form during the long swims, bikes, and runs. Having a strong core makes a HUGE difference when holding an aero position on the bike for 5-6 hours then feeling fresh for a marathon.

Ironman Germany

From Picasa Album: Ironman Germany

Overall: 10hr 53min -- 722 overall (about 2300 total), 128th in AG (about 294 total)
Swim: 1hr 12min
Bike: 5hr 28min (splits: ~2hr39min, 2hr 46min)
Run: 4hr 2min (splits: 1hr55min, 2hr8min)

Finally! Can't believe I've finished and I am incredibly pleased w/ the entire experience. I had the best support crew w/ Sandy and Caleb. My lovely wife, Sandy has been responsible for most of the success of this day, NO WAY I could enjoy this sport w/out her - Thanks so much!!

It was like a week w/ thousands of like-minded crazy triathletes talking everything triathlon from race strategy to lycra compression socks. I spent the few days before the race eating a lot and drinking a ton of water/sports drink. Did a few runs and easy bikes, but it was too busy to do anything else, other than get all the race logistics squared away. A bit more challenging than other races since the swim transition is about 10 miles from the bike/run transition.

Conditions were great, but maybe on the hot side. Sun was blazing and tempurature was anywhere from 27-30c (~85-90 degrees F) w/ some humidity. Really came into effect on the run. The race support and people are amazing. It makes this race one of the best in the world!

I just wanted to enjoy the race, but in the back of my head I had some time expectations/aspirations -- I thought I'd have an outside shot at breaking the 11 hour mark, but it depended a lot having things came together. I didn't know what to expect, so I just enjoyed myself and stuck to my plan. After the swim, I didn't think I would have a shot, but halfway through the bike I started calculating the times and thought I could get to the run w/ a chance. I just wanted to get to the run w/out having too much pressure to break a 4 hour marathon. It worked out perfectly. More detail on my time splits found when you CLICK HERE to the website

Swim (2.4 miles / 3.8km):

1hr 12min

Comments: Popped a gel about 20 min before start. Water was murky and on the border from wetsuit legal -- very warm water (~74 Degrees). Probably the toughest swim I've ever had to do. Battling 2000 other swimmers w/ 5 buoys made turns very slow. After getting kicked and pushing a number of people, I tried my best to stay focus and calm knowing that this part would be over soon. Breathing and effort weren't that bad since I stayed patient knowing that panicking wouldn't make or break my day. I'm, unfortunately, a middle of the pack swimmer, thus a majority of swimmers are about my pace, so it's a battle until the end!

T1 - 6min 25sec: Had to run to the porta pottie to pee (#1) - Jumped on my bike and was ready to go.

Bike (112 miles / 180km):

5hr 28 min

Comments: FAST bike, wow!! 2 lap course which goes through the city center, incredible fun towns, beautiful country side, and a lot of fun crowds. All closed streets and smooth roads! Great conditions for fast times!

Never thought in my wildest dreams could I have felt that good throughout the entire ride. I was expecting around 6-6.5 hours, but the course was easier than anything I had ridden during training...glad we hammered through a ton of hills during training! Great news is I didn't have to go to the toilet the entire bike ride! I discovered how important sodium is during these long efforts (~500mg/hour of activity is needed - especially when it's hot).

My legs felt strong from the beginning, but I was a bit worried I was going to hard when my quads felt a little tight and I was passing a ton of people. I didn't want to blow up on the run, so I tried to hold back. But the "evil" side of me took over and I pushed fairly hard.

Overall, I kept these things in mind on the bike:

1. Don't stop pedaling and keep your effort even -- Basically, I was able to hold a decent conversation during the entire ride. In fact, I was getting a little bored and tried to talk to some people only to find out many didn't speak English. I passed a few Koreans whom I spoke to for a bit, but just kept pedaling :). By pedaling at a constant rate, even on the downhills, I think my legs stayed fresher than taking breaks in b/t (eg: not pedaling down hill and pedaling too hard uphill).

2. Don't destroy yourself on the hills (not that steep, but be patient) -- When I got to the hills, I was patient and kept my pace down to enjoy the fun crowd. Getting the crowd going was a lot of fun and they appreciated the responsiveness. Also, I was able to keep my pace steady after going over the hill.

3. Don't stop eating / drinking -- By keeping a mental note what of my nutrition, I ticked off the hours and felt strong throughout the ride. In fact, My legs felt stronger at the end so I pedalled a bit harder than I should've (but I saw an opportunity to break 5hr 30min so I went for it). The sodium tablets made a HUGE difference on the bike and focusing on getting nutrition during the 3-5 hours really kept my energy up.

Nutrition --

hour 1: 1 bar, 1/3 bottle carbo pro, pack shot bloks, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~90g cho

hour 2: 1 bar, 3 shot bloks, half bottle carbo pro, bottle of nuun (sodium) = 80g cho

hour 3: 1 bar, pack shot bloks, 1/4 bottle of powerbar drink, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~65-70g cho

hour 4: 1 bar, 1/4 bottle of powerbar drink, gel, bottle nuun (sodium) = ~60g cho

hour 5 (only about a half hour): 1/2 bottle of powerbar drink, water, gel = ~30g cho

T2 - 3min 2sec - ran to porta pottie for a pee, was pleased since I didn't have to go the entire ride....fuel intake was good.

Run (26.2 miles / 42.2km):

4 hr 2 min

Comments: 4 laps (~6.2 miles / 10k each lap) of relatively flat pavement - some small ups/downs when you cross bridges. Overall a great course which goes around a lake and a lot of fans enjoying a sunny day on the grass. The heat had picked up at this point and while there were some nice shaded parts, there was a lot of exposure to the sun, thus probably around 30c/90f....I didn't feel too bad though, I think I like the heat! :)

I had a strategy to walk through each aid station (about a mile a part) and -- drink a cup of powerbar drink/water & drench myself w/ a cold water sponge.

Here is a description of each lap:

Lap 1 (mile ~1-6): When I came off the bike, my quads felt pretty tight, but strangely enough, right when I got out of transition, they felt fairy normal. I had to tell myself to calm down, calm down,

calm down...pace yourself b/c I was feeling so good -- "...just run 9 min/mile and you'll hit your goal...be patient." Felt great and kept trying to slow down. I had one gel w/ water.

Lap 2 (mile ~7-13): Same strategy b/c I was feeling good still...just stay calm and slow down. I was feeling good, then started noticing by the end of the lap that my stomach wasn't right.

I was getting knots and had to stop by the toilet to pee. I just tried to stay calm and knock out the miles. I had one gel w/ water

Half Marathon split = ~1hr 55min

Lap 3 (mile ~14-21): PROBLEMS kicked in this entire lap. My stomach was pretty bad and starting to shut down. I didn't want to drink anything during the rest stops and must've went to the toilet 5-6 times. By the end, I was trying my best to keep going to each rest stop and I noticed my body didn't want ANYMORE sweet drinks (eg: powerbar drinks). Although, I did force another gel down w/ water. I walked through the stops and finally took a cup of plain salt, downed it w/ water, and then had another half cup of salt water. My stomach seemed to have settle down. I barely made it through and got a lift seeing Sandy, her "high-five" gave me a boost to get through the last lap! I think I was at the beginning stages of Hyponatremia (click here for more info), which is a serious condition where you flood your body w/ too much water and not enough salt to absorb anything.

Lap 4 (mile ~21-26 -- The END): I still wasn't feeling that great, but my stomach was at least settled down. All I kept focused on was running to the next rest stop -- "don't stop, you'll get to walk soon, just make it to the rest stop..." At the rest stops, I would be very focused on a point where I'd start running again. For some reason, the rest stops started coming faster and faster. I'd sip on salt water and keep going through. Every stop, I'd start calculating the times w/ my watch and what seemed so easy before, seemed like very challenging -- the 4 hour marathon! I kept second guessing my times and vaguely knew I might have a 10 min cushion (thus a 4hr 10min marathon could've gotten me sub-11hour overall). By the time I hit the last rest stop, I went right passed it b/c I was so close, then I just started running hard to the end....For how I felt during the middle part, my half split of ~2hr 8 min wasn't that bad.

I learned how important salt is during a hot day on the run. If I had started w/ salt earlier, I could've definitely shaved 5-10 min on the marathon!

Half Marathon split = ~2hr 8min

Over the past years, anytime my training runs got challenging or at the end of most of my runs, I would imagine seeing the finish line gate and all the people. It was incredibly exciting and I can't describe it now b/c it happened so fast and I was so happy.

Oundle, Northamptonshire

Photo from Album Oundle Mill

Can't believe it's May already! April went by in a flash with a myriad of leaving drinks and leaving dinners to say good bye to more friends moving back to the States. This economy does not bode well for our friend base here in London as it grows thinner and thinner. We'll miss you Diane, Taruna, Ying and Chris, and Patrick. Joe and I are even unsure about our future in London as he's job hunting for the next great opportunity -- contact Joe if you have any job leads around business development type functions. 

Above are some photos (posted late) from our short Easter break out to the English countryside in Northamptonshire where we stayed at Oundle Mill (highly recommended and very dog friendly). Another Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotel checked off my list ;). A bit sad we pushed out our Japan trip to October, which was initially scheduled around Easter, but glad we could fit in another holiday with Bailey.

In other news, I just came back from almost a 2 week trip to NY (for fun) and Dublin (for work), and am very happy to be home. I was greatful to see our nephew Rand in NY as he grows and grows. Joe barely survived taking care of Bailey, starting a new project, and having really tough work out weeks all by himself. Thank goodness our friend Caleb was around to feed him (Joe).

Let's all hope for a great summer! /s

Welcome Bailey!

The first addition to the Ko/Pak family...

From Family Photos Album

Since our last update, we've acquired a new family member! We welcomed Bailey into our family about 3 weeks ago. Bailey is a 11 month old Norfolk Terrier. His vet calls him a 'calm spirit', as he's pretty chill and quite friendly.  It's been interesting forshadowing to what kind of parents Joe and I will be. Joe is the worrying father figure, and I am the grooming crazed bad cop :P. Above photos are from a weekend trip to Whitstable (Kent), where our friend Caleb was kind enough to capture a series of family photos.

So hope all is well so far in 2009, i.e. wedding planning, family planning, careen planning, life planning, or simply growing up (@ Sophia :). It was a reflective end of 2008 for the Ko family with the loss of our great grandmother and grandfather. My great grandmother reminded us to 'not be lazy', to make the most of life, and we intend to.

For anyone wondering what the seaside in Kent looks like, feel free to browse through our Whistable Album.