TriOdyssey

New Look

2009-08-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to my new Blog.
After 4 years, nearly out of memory space here...tired of deleting something every time I write a new post! New look to the coaching service as well. Myself and a few other coaches have combined services. New and far improved coaching web site is in the works, soon to come.

Copy and paste the below link. The pic on my new banner? That's a pic I took from the summit of Mt Sahale in the North Cascades in 2003, looking north toward Glacier Peak. That was an Epic climb!

Good Training!

http://summitpc.wordpress.com

Rice and Eggs

2009-07-21T21:15:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Jason Lester, winner of the 2009 ESPY for male disabled athlete of the year! Thanks Jason for having Ann and I down for the ceremony (far better than the televised show) and esp the after party! I'll post the link to your podcast interview as soon as it comes up on the website.

Congrats to Ty Patton, Personal Best HIM last saturday in Racine, WI 4:40 (PR by about 30 minutes...just in time for IM Wisconsin)

Congrats to Jorge Villavincencio PR in the marathon by over 30 minutes last month.

Congrats to Tim Winestorfer, who dominated the M50 AG at Desert Half 2 weeks ago, first position on the podium and securing his ticket to IM Canada in a month.

Congrats to Josh Monda Personal Best at Vineman 70.3 with 4:28 (4:23 on stopwatch but delayed from a tree obstruction in road), and 5th on Podium. I dont take credit for Josh's PR. Josh was coached by a very good, reputable local coach who has helped me during races and is an important figure in the triathlon community here in Portland. However, I encourage athetes to try various methods after a couple of seasons with a coach, even my own athletes whom I've sent to other local coaches...because I want whats best for them. It may not be me...esp. after a couple of seasons. Variety can benefit an athlete over the long run. Knowledge and diversity is power.

Posted on July 15, 2009, "Rice and Eggs"
by lancearmstrong

This is a paste from Lance Armstrongs twitter recently. Lance twittered what he was eating for breakfast on July 15th, during the Tour de France.

For my athletes, that's right....I'm not making this shit up. I've ridden with a few of you and explained what I learned from the World class athlete's I trained with back in the late 80's and early 90's. The "rice and egg whites" explanation I have given my athletes for 3 years now is a recovery formula I learned 20 years ago training in marathon, and training with sub 2:12 athlete's who knew then what worked best. We had no gels, no maltodextrin, no recovery drinks. They used recovery food that they knew helped them recovery as fast as possible. We did consistent 110-125 miles per week back then, including 3 speed workouts and a long run each week. I was not born with the knowledge. I have been coached nearly my entire adult life and have strived to take in and absorb any and all information from everyone who is better than me. Not all of it is sound, but with my education, I have been able to discern what's valid and whats is likely not. I pride myself and my coaching, as teaching what I have learned. Some things I have created by self experimentation, but the vast majority is from combing through years of logs, dissecting out what I've learned, and what I believe works best.

When I get emails and texts on how "dead my legs are" and "I am totally fatigued" please take this into account....there are certain common denominator's amongst competitive athletes. Many athletes that ascend to great heights in sport know how to get there, know the proper intensity, read their bodies quantitatively and not emotionally, and probably most importantly....know how to recover quickly. Trust me, even at the age of 24, I would not be able to handle the volume and intensity without a continuous effort of recovery. So, this is why my first response to those of you who email me regarding fatigue...is the reiteration of recovery. "have you taken recovery drink after each and every workout with intensity?" "have you taken recovery after each and every long ride and long run within 20 minutes?" "are you taking in 75..or 100 grams of protein each day?" "are you focusing on high clean carbs the evening after intensity, and the following morning?" I have emailed or texed each and every one of these comments this year. It's amazing how many, "well..sort of" or "not all the time" or "well..I try but it's hard" and of course "I keep forgetting" responses I receive.

From day 1 as a triathlete in 2004, my first ironman, I utilized my knowledge in marathon racing and recovery to gain an advantage. This is how I put together a 5:15 bike and 3:08 run (1st division and 5th OA run split) in my first ironman at age 38, despite some of the ridicule along the way regarding my "liquid calories" for an entire ironman. Consider this...since 2004, I have not changed my techniques for race day, and have not changed my techniques in recovery. How many athletes are on a constant struggle to find a nutrition strategy, and a constant struggle battling the fatigue of over training without considering what their coach is suggesting...and I'm sorry if your coach is misguided but here's a hint. If your coach cant make the AG podium in an Olympic triathlon, or is over an hour slower than you an an Ironman, has never qualified for Kona and is trying to coach you to Kona...maybe you have the wrong coach. There are methods, common denominators that great athletes use. I am not suggesting I am one of those athletes, but I've become the best I can be given my physiology, and I have painstakingly tried to learn and retain any and all information from those who are far better than me. Those that continue to fall short, those that seem to never improve, dont realize this, and dont care to. Yeah, it's tough love but the truth is, no matter how hard you train, or over train...if you go your own way, and continue to fail, if you waste a coaches time by hiding things from him because even though they're better...you know what's best. If you undermine your own training by "piece-mealing" parts of a program, and inserting your own old training methods than never worked for you in the first place... maybe you should look to someone...trust in someone who's far faster on race day. Vanity and Mistrust. This describes most athlete's failure and their inability to follow a coach. Believe it or not, the reality is, many of the best athletes in the world, and top amateurs, have a gift. No its not lactate threashold, high Vo2 Max...its simply the ability to follow a coach, and be coached.

On a personal note, I have registered for IMAZ in November. I will run fast there barring some unforeseen incident. I plan on running sub 3:18 off the bike. This goal is not unrealistic for me as I've run sub 3:18 four times in the past 8 IM races. Why bring this up? So, given my race plan is to run under 7:30 pace, I ran my 14 miler today in 8 minute pace, 1:54, which included the only 2 hills at 10 min pace up so as to keep my HR under Z3. So, for those of you who are 10, 20, 30 minutes slower than me...Please stop telling me, "I can't run 8 min pace", or "I cant run 8:30 pace". I did today...yes it is possible. For those of you who didnt achieve your running goal, maybe you ran too fast than your coach suggested, time and time again. I reiterate, its strength at a given pace and distance...not the fastest pace possible and simulating your HIM race on every long run when you're training for an IM. Matt Berg, local short course triathlete, former pro, told me this weekend on our long run that there have been a couple of studies on African elite marathon runners and the benefits of running long. Groups running literally 10 min pace vs those running 6 min pace for 3 hours. Other workouts throughout the week equal. The two groups performed equally in racing, adjusted for previous performance. I told him, I've heard of this study and read it several years ago.
So, think about this next time you are running 90 seconds faster per mile than your IM marathon goal pace in a long run, and cant seem to even run within 2 minutes of your long run pace on race day.

So, those of you who have fanatically eaten my rice and egg formula, and those of you who have done it maybe once...and blown it off because it doesnt "taste great"...think about what Lance was eating the morning of July 25. This stuff I am trying to teach you is no joke. I only coach my best and strive for the best in all my athletes. I am a perfectionist admittedly, but am also a realist. We CAN be the best we can be for who we are. But, this requires tedious attention to detail, constant monitoring of effort, CONSISTENCY when it comes to recovery, workout after workout..day after day. Improving an insidious process, and doesnt happen over night..but eventually will happen. Oh yeah, and the ability to simply follow directions when the path is layed out in front of you...this is one of the most important attributes of a quality athlete, and sorry to say not everyone has this inherent ability.
Remember when you are told to something that may sound obscure to you, something that you never learned reading "going long" or should I say...."going too long". The person that taught me such "radical" methods may very well have been 4th overall male at the NYC marathon, or may be a 3 time olympic marathoner, may have had the world record in the marathon, may have been 5th overall at Kona, or have have just run an 8:06 IM last month at age 38. Consider where the source of knowledge may be actually coming from.

Someone suggested I change TriOdyssey Coaching to "PR racing" today. I've had 14 athlete personal bests in 2009. Very happy with that. Most of these athlete fall short of their goal, but have still set Personal Records along the way. So, kudos to all of you and your personal success this season.

Lester Nominated for ESPY

2009-07-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE!
Log onto ESPN.com and vote for Jason Lester! Jason has been one of 4 AWAD athletes world wide nominated for and ESPY. Once registered at ESPN.com, simply follow the link to vote.
Jason has been a part of my service for nearly 2 years now, and a 09 member of the ironheads multisport racing team here in Portand. Jason has taken his training and racing to new levels, qualifying for Ironman World Championships 2009 as an outright age grouper. His disability has only resulted in a speed bump in his life, and he has shown he has what it takes to become an accomplished athlete in the sport.

Vote here:
http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/specialsection/espys2009/

or

www.ESPYS.tv

The Racing Paradox

2009-07-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is a past Blog I wrote 14 months ago. I thought it pertinent again given that there have been several key races in the past few weeks, and not all athletes performed as they should have or could have. In fact, I'd conclude a couple of athletes I know, and dont coach, biked faster times in their long ride the week before their key event then they actually raced. Others I coached were hoping to make huge gains in the IMCdA race, and although PR's were made, not all were happy with their performance. Mistakes are made, inevitable. Try to learn from them and you will find you'll be a better athlete. Doesnt matter if you're a 15 hour IM or a 7 hour HIM athlete...or sub 9 and sub 4:30...you'll improve and that is what it's all about.

I'm tired.
7 weeks and 3 Half Ironman events for me.
Orlando 70.3 (6th M40, 4:28)
Boise 70.3 (1st M40, 4:27)
Pacific Crest Half Ironman (4:36, 2nd amateur, 6th overall, Course PR for me, 1st Master and TriNorthwest master champion 2nd consecutive year)
I wasnt quite recovered after Boise, about 90% but not 100% My only swim going into Pac. Crest was Boise, then 2 weeks out of the water. I thus signed up for the Duathlon figuring it would be an uncomplicated win overall. On my way to the race, I started receiving text's from Matt Lieto and let's just say between numerous text's I came to the conclusion that I needed to accept the challenge and defend my masters title here, and not be afraid of a poor result. Additionally, my close collegues Grant Folske (4:21 Boise) and Bill Thompson (4:42 Boise)also decided to race at Pac Crest. So, with Matt's encouraging words, I changed over at registration. Happy I did because the day was not bad, despite 3500 ft of climbing, 3000 of which is in the first 37 miles, I felt ok. The "90% ready" came into play at about mile 11 when I stopped running 7 min pace. The run here is tough in addition, 4200 ft elevation on a curvy paved bike path with rolling hills and several areas of tree-less exposure in the sun. Regardless, this was the hammer that knocked me out so I'll rest up for the entire week, rest next week, and sharpen up with a local Olympic Tri on the 11th (Tri Northwest Olympic distance championships, defending master champion)
Strong work Bill and Grant at Pac Crest. Grant..1st amateur and 5th overall in the prize money is great, and yeah, you would have been significantly faster without Boise on your back. Bill, good to hear your injury free now, as Pac Crest was the test after running on injury at Boise and you passed. Stay healthy now!

Trust.
This is something that is difficult for an athlete. It's not necessarily the physical attributes that determine how an athlete will perform on race day. This is self evident in various athletes I have worked out with over the past few seasons. How is it that I can continually get my butt kicked in workouts or pre-season races, yet perform well beyond in my key race?

This is a difficult dilemma for many. This weekend for instance. My first time since December 2nd that I have biked in power zone 4. I have been biking intervals at a Power Zone 3 cap and mostly Zone 2 since I started my IMAZ build in the first week of January. Now its 7 weeks of training left before IMAZ and I am just now doing my first workout of subthreshold power.
My plan this past weekend to bike 3-5 hills on a 45-50 miler, each hill about 5-8 minutes climb, at 50 cadence and Zone 4 power. Hopefully, Zone 3-4 heart rate. I found I had to stand on my pedals every hill after the first because even though I was in Z4 watts, my HR was only in Z2. So, standing allowed me to get up into HR Z3 at 135-40 beats per minute on the subsequent hills.

Why do I bring this up? I heard a comment from another rider, "you must be on a big power day". This made me think. I was actually keeping my power under control on the hills. As well, I never entered into HR Zone 4 on any hill. For me, I was within my parameters, my designated Power Z4 and HR Z3. I could have pushed much harder, at least 50-80 watts and 10-15 heart beats higher, but I controlled myself well. Because I am accelerating, do others think I am pushing all out? Are the others biking with me and closely behind me in zone 3? Are they in Z4? Zone 5?

Running long runs I find the same scenario. When I am trotting along at 7 min pace in HR Zone 2 and running with others, are they in HR Z2? Z3? Z4?

My wife, who put together a 10:15 in 2007 on a hilly course, then a 9:52 on a flat course to follow, runs and bikes far slower than men who run much faster and bike with much more power each week. How can this be possible?

Its all about knowing yourself, and trust. Trust in your own honest feelings on where you are as an athlete, and what your goals are. Trust in your coach if you have one, especially if your coach is far faster than you at the distance he (or she) is coaching. I myself do have to fight with my own feelings each and every week on several workouts. I have to trust in my coach as much as I can, and yes, I know my coach has run 8:30 and 8:15 IM in 2007. Yet, still, at times I question if I am running hard enough, biking hard enough. Yet, I know deep inside what is right. This is why this summer I watched others spin away from me on the bike, and fought my own desires to keep up, and successfully stayed within my zones. I trusted my coach. I trusted that the radical change I made this summer would pay off. If it didnt, so what! I've tried other approaches, and nothing wrong with trying a new approach to training, esp when the person training you runs over an hour faster in an IM.

My point? The primary limiter in performance of amateur athletes is the lack of accepting who they are as athletes at that time, and allowing their insecurities to dominate their workouts (see Z3 syndrome blog, a couple of weeks ago). I mean, come on man...I have biked with women that end up only a few seconds behind me on hills when I am in Z4, yet they are over 2 hours behind me in an Ironman.

Try to abandon your insecurities as an athlete.

This is what it comes down to after you peel off all the layers of excuses on over-training, despite racing well below expectations season after season.

Cycling and running more than what is recommended on a regular basis, both mileage and intensity. Running a full minute faster than your realistic goal pace for you IM marathon on a long run. Cycling in Z5 power/HR three months out from your key event. Adding to your workouts and feeding your insecurities, then needing rest periods that result in missing upcoming key workouts will most likely result in failure on key race day. Over-racing prior to your key event in unnecessary events to feed your insecurites will most likely lead to failure in your key race.

The insecurities we face as athletes, the lack of trust in our own training and our coach's advice contributes to the mediocre performances and under-achieving in our key races. If you repeatedly train on the same methodology season after season, yet fail to improve, you can trust what you're doing is wrong. If you dont follow a coach's plan as close as you can, then underperform on race day, dont blame the coach. If you follow a plan, even your own plan, and you fail to perform near your expectations, try to find the flaw in the plan, then improve upon it.

This is the racing paradox.
Do you perform better at workouts than you do at your key race?

Most importantly, if you are training faster and far ahead of someone who out performs you at every race, look in the mirror. Take a deep look, and be honest with yourself.

Yeah, trust. Easier said than done.

Latest TriOdyssey Results

2009-06-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

Turning out to be another great season for TriOdyssey athletes, with 4 Kona qualifiers thus far:
Recent races include
Honu 70.3, Boise 70.3, Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon-Alaska, Patriot Half Ironman, Ironman Coeur d Alene

Kona Qualifiers in the past month include: Stacey Stern, Jason Lester, Bob Morris, Laura Matsen

Honu 70.3, June 5, 09
Stacey Stern (5:03 3rd F35, Kona qualifier)
Thomas Wood (5:27)
Jason Lester (5:43, 3rd interisland finisher, Kona qualifier)
Wayne Warrington (5:41)

What can I say....Stacey Stern, who's come within 5 minutes or so in IM events from her elusive Ironman Hawaii slot, the latest being IMAZ April 08. Then came Honu 70.3 a couple of weeks ago. Stacey is coming off her 2nd place in the F35 division at Wildflower this season and on a difficult day in Honu, managed 3rd in the F35, securing her second podium position thus far this year, and her slot to Ironman World Championships. I have watched Stacey, at 39, become a force in the F35 AG over the past year and I believe any girl in the F40 tracking results will be worried about Stacey next year. I firmly believe qualifying for Ironman Hawaii as a female is probably the most difficult thing to accomplish for an amateur athlete. It certainly is more difficult than making the podium, as very typically only 1-2, sometimes 3 slots are allocated. Sure the AG's are smaller than men, thus less slots. But, consider that in my AG for instance, I have 400 and out that, probably 50or so are legitimately have the fitness to have a shot at Hawaii, and there are 10-12slots typically allocated. In the female 35-39, very typical to have only 100 finishers, and there are probably 25-30 that have the fitness to qualify. Yet with only 2 slots allocated, it becomes much more difficult. So, congrats Stacey on facing diversity, overcoming, and you have weathered the storm. Now you get to finish your season with the fastest amateur field in the world. You wont ever forget your first one, or the pain and struggle, of what got you there. Jason Lester, M30 residing in Kona training, decided to compete at Honu in the open division, because he realized they were giving 3 slots for Kona residents. Jason, with the use on only one arm, entered the open division, instead of the AWAD category to compete with the M30 group for a slot. Very difficult day for Jason with the headwinds and limited control on the bike, secured the 3rd slot! This will be Jason's second consecutive year at Ironman Hawaii, after winning his division as world champion at Kona in 08. Congrats Jason! Jason called me a week ago, and decided to fly in for Boise 70.3 yesterday, in which again he entered the M30 open division and despite high chop and wind on the swim, thunderstorms for about 40 miles of the bike with heavy winds, managed a 5:29, a solid performance coming off Honu a couple of weeks back. I think Jason felt a bit strange going into this race, as he had a week of recovery coming off Honu because of the damage to his body in the tough conditions, then went right into a week taper for Boise, so minimal work going into this race. He learned is better to be 10% under "the line" as opposed to 1% over the line when it comes to racing. Thomas Wood M35, a solid 5:27, not his best but Tom being a surgeon has the extreme lifestyle and his schedule is hectic and sporadic with long call nights and many workouts done on tired legs. Stacey is also Thomas' wife and I am sure he's a bit tired sometime keeping up with her in the runs...kidding Tom. Average race for you yes, you'll be under 5 hours again soon. Wayne Warrington M35, is new to the service and I think has that overwhelmed feeling with the radical changes he's made in equipment, training, and nutrition. A 5:41 is again, solid for Wayne. When I write schedule for Wayne, I think, "my God, how is he going to get any good training this week!" Wayne is an ER physician and his hours are extreme to say the least, nights, afternoons, days, 12 hour shifts, completely sporadic, sometimes every other day working 12 hour night shifts, then mid week changing to Day shifts, and so on. Wayne faces tough challenges balancing his devotion to medicine, as Thomas does, and trying to excel in the sport. He'll come around, it will just take some time to adjust to the barrage of information I've unleashed on him over the past few months.

Boise 70.3 June 14, 09
Dave Ciaverella (4:27, 1st M40)
Bonnie Jensen (5:05, 4th F35, 2nd Podium in 70.3 in 09)
Dave Lowe (5:19, 1st M60)
Mike Grier (5:11)
Jason Lester (5:29)

Considering the very rough swim with white caps, close thunderstorms and wind, then thunderstorms, hail and wind on the bike and a cool rainy run, I was happy with all performances of my athletes. Jason Lester decided to fly in from Hawaii about 2 weeks after securing his Kona slot at Honu 70.3 to compete at Boise as he wasnt happy with his effort at Honu given the conditions on that day. Jason went from hot humid hell like conditions to wet, cold and windy conditions...he was very happy with his performance at Boise and kudos for giving it another shot so close to his prior race.
Bonnie Jensen has been training hard and even though she was a bit tired going into the taper for Boise, decided to register a week before the race. Bonnie races well in difficult conditions and fared well with her second podium finish this season, first of which was Wildflower 70.3 in May. Bonnie will be strong and ready for IM Louisville in August.
Mike Grier I believe is just getting his feet wet in racing this season and this is his first long course triathlon. This is not a key event for Mike, but rather to gather data for his bike power parameters and to just go out and get back into it as he progresses toward IM Canada in August. Mike fared well in tough conditions with his 5:11.
David Lowe has discovered Duathlon this season due to his swim difficulties, in which he is progressively overcoming. The swim was very tough this year at Boise and Dave still managed to set a personal best, and although he got out somewhat behind in the Age group, that soon ended as he smashed the bike and run splits to win by 9 minutes. Great work Dave! I knew I'd see you at the top of the podium if you just hung in there on the swimming!

Patriot Half Ironman June 20, 09

Kathy Graves (6:37, 3rd in division)
Kathy Graves is a first year athlete of mine who is making modest improvements thus far with about 6 months of base, now going into the 8 week build for IM Canada. Kathy I suspect will post well over an hour PR at Canada independent of conditions on race day.

Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, Alaska June 21, 09

Wayne Warrington, 4:09
Wayne Warrington, coming off Honu 70.3 2 weeks earlier hasnt been training specifically for the marathon, and has only been scheduled 1 long run over 14 miles this season, about a week before the race. Wayne had a breakthrough as he smashed is marathon Personal Best by nearly an hour. Wayne is registered for IM Florida in November and I suspect will smash is IM Personal best with a PR in both the bike and run this year.

Ironman Coeur d Alene, June 21, 09
Bob Morris (10:14 7th M45, Kona Qualified)
Laura Matsen (10:58, 3rd F25, Kona Qualified)
Aleck Alleckson (9:54, 11th M35, Personal Best)
Jake Barakat (10:24, 32nd M30, First IM)
Jason Kurian (10:26, 33rd M30)
AJ Kemp (10:59, 30th M25, First IM)
Sal Colletto (12:09, 122nd M30, 3+ hour PR, 90 min PR marathon)
Heather Reimann (12:56, 27th F25, 35 min PR, 33 min PR Marathon)

It was truly enjoyable to see so many athletes out there and to support them during the race. The hours of driving around and meeting each individual athlete to go over the race was a bit draining on me because I had just driven 7 hours to the race, but necessary. I think this was the strongest crew I have ever coached for an IM, as evident by the times, PR's and the Kona slots. Aleck Alleckson, one of the most responsive and talented athletes I've every coached, missed Kona by 90 seconds, but threw the marathon monkey off his back with his PR of 3:28 marathon...Aleck is the 5th Ironhead to break 3:30 in an IM (7th year of the team) and he should be proud of his own accomplishment. I remember barking at Aleck to "go deeper, you're not hurting enough" at mile 21, then 22, 24 and with 2 minutes to go. I know this annoyed him tremendously...But...when Aleck turned that corner for the final 400 meter stretch, he was freaking hurting in a big way. I mean, pain, full body pain I could see in his eyes. Yet, he picked it up and caught a couple in front of him. Aleck fell short by 90 seconds, which I think was simply related to a slower swim than he is capable of, but regardless, He now knows what it takes and what level of suffering you have to endure to get to Kona. Slightly short, we've all been there, including my wife Ann who fell short by under 5 minutes in her first IM. But, it makes you stronger in the long run, and you'll get there next time, I would bet heavily on it. AJ Kemp, what can I say. AJ 18 months ago was in the ICU with a brain hemorrhage, and had to go through rehab to walk and speak correctly. Now AJ is an ironman and this race was a giant weight lifted off his shoulders because he was registered for 2008 CdA when his trauma occurred. One of the first questions he asked me in the ICU when I visited him was, "can I still race ironman at CdA". I told him frankly, "no". I could see the blank look in his eyes, then disappointment, then acceptance. I knew there would be another day. Its like climbing a mountain. If you encounter harsh elements near the summit (which I have), you have to turn back and go for it another day. The mountain is always there...you have to pick your battles wisely. So, AJ summitted his mountain another day, and that day was last Sunday. Strong work AJ, although I never had a doubt, and you knew that. Jake Barakat, his first Ironman also, ran a solid race. We all laughed after as almost everyone with a power meter had a slower second bike loop by several minutes. Jake, without a power meter, was the closest first and second half bike split with only a tenth or two mph difference. His conservative pacing, and his run strategy set him up for a sub 10:30 for his first IM, in very harsh swim conditions and cold windy bike. So, yes Jake, you will drop at least 30 minutes on your next one.
Jason Kurian, solid race despite a flat. Loss in momentum cost him not only 10 minutes on the bike, but trying to make up time I am certain cut into his marathon. Very harsh swim resulted in a few mouth-fulls of water with a couple going into his lungs. This resulted in some nausea that delayed his nutritional plan onset by 90 minutes. This set Jason up with a huge caloric deficit going into the marathon, in which he ran the final 16 miles bonked. Jason has qualified for Kona before and will again. It just wasnt in the cards for him on Sunday. Regardless, he was only 10 minutes from his personal best, and that is something to be proud of. You have to overcome adversity in these races and give it your best shot no matter what the race, or life, throws at you along the way.
Bob Morris contacted me last year to coach him, and I remember him telling me he thought he had the ability to get to Kona, just didnt know how. Looking at his past races, I realized he should be going and told him I could at least show him the way. Bob executed a great race and his work, patience, and perseverance has paid off. Bob, hard to imagine you could smash your IM PR and get an outright Kona slot with only a few 80 milers under your belt! Like I said, high mileage isnt as important as many amateurs think, and you've proven that again. Great race! Heather Reimann, set a 30 minute PR in CdA, and not the strongest swimmer like myself a few years back, the very difficult swim conditions affected her more than others. She overcame this and ran her own race, stuck to the plan and managed a 33 minute PR in the marathon and sub 13 IM which I believe was her next goal. More PR's to come Heather, its a progressive process. Nice race, I know you're proud, very happy with this one. Laura Matsen, who I took under my wing about 3 months back showed character and strength Sunday in her first IM. Laura is primarily a cyclist and duathlete, well...yeah, and a runner. Laura has showed up at most of the workouts throughout the spring, as an Orthopedic surgeon intern, after working 24 hour shifts in the hospital. I honestly couldnt stand seeing her show up week after week at workouts and the tremendous hours she puts in, well over 80 in a given week...then trying to train for an ironman. So, with just a bit of guidance on methods, execution, recovery and nutrition, she was able to prevent the over-training so common amongst amateurs, and it showed in her race. After a 30th AG placing out of the water, and left T1 in 1:22 nearly the identical time in which I left T2 at my first ironman at CdA. As in my case then, I knew she would be playing "catch up" on the bike. However, Laura is very strong and it showed. Not only did she come off first on the bike with a 5:42 on a tough 4k ascent course, she was in the lead by about 3 minutes off the bike. Sure, the huge bike split cost her some minutes on the run, but Laura took that gamble. She looked focused and extremely concentrated, not even taking her eyes off the pavement in front of her as she ran. When I yelled at her that she looked great, good form, stong...she never even looked up at me, she just gave me a thumbs up and kept moving. Sure, 2 girls passed her, but still...posting a 3:49 marathon off a 5:42 bike split on this course is fantastic for a first IM. Laura's focus during this race, especially the marathon, and her willingness to go deeper than her competitors was rewarded with a 3rd place podium and Kona slot in her first IM.
Very proud of all of you.

My Boise 70.3 Race
4:27...3rd fastest HIM since taking up the sport 5 yrs back

The Good: Secured the top M40 spot and 17th amateur, dropping 9 minutes off my run split from Orlando 70.3 a few weeks back.
The Bad: Sub optimal swim, again. Choppy waves and stormy weather. I just dont have my swim down as well as last year. Followed by a 1 min run uphill to the transition, where they decided to place the timing matts. I got out of the water by 32:20 on my watch but the run 150 meters uphill then across the "swim finish" matts added a minute onto my swim time. I assume this is to decrease the transition times. But, it leads to a falsly long swim. The swim should be 1900 meters or so, not 1900 meters plus 150 meter land run.
The Ugly: Thunderstorms on the bike course, raining for about 40 miles with wind. Just not good conditions at all. Lost most of run nutrition in T2 transition but didnt realize until time to take it. Thus, I ran the entire half marathon on a total of 50 grams of carbohydrate.

Pre Race Transport. Pay the 15 bucks to take the bus up to the start. Even though the pre-race instructions told us we could drive up and drop off at the start, but couldnt park, they failed to notify us that the drop off is 600 ft below the start with a half mile walk up a gravel road to the transition. They would not allow us to drop off even near the start, as they would not allow anyone to walk across the damn on race day (except the pro's I noticed).

Swim Start
This race June 13, has an unusual start of 2pm, which turned out to be a bad call this year. As we sat there at 10 am looking at the windless 70 degree near perfect conditions, then traveled to the swim start at noon and over 2 hours watched the weather turn from bad to worse. The pros went off in minimal chop and winds at 2, and by the time it got to M40 age group at 2:50, a storm had brewed up with high winds producing 2 foot chop and white caps. The second buoy tore from its base and floated across the lake right before my wave at 2:50 so while in the water, I had realized this and swam toward the orange marker bouy. I remember smiling as I swam down the back stretch though, looking off into the distance where I knew the pros were biking...and seeing a huge thunderstorm with the sky falling with torrential rain. I was thinking, "finally! the pro's get a taste of crappy conditions!"

Bike:
OK, I was eating my words an hour later laughing at the pro's getting dumped on..my God! Braking and looking straight down on the descents as pounding stinging rain smashed my face. Wind knocking my bike half way across the lane too many times to count due to my decision to ride a disc. Pedalling through 6 inch deep "streams" flowing across the road from the run off from the desert hills, ect ect. This was truly the most difficult conditions I have ever raced in on the bike. Not even a close second. At the 45 mile mark I decided to bag my run split and just hammer in, at which I was able to hold above my Sprint Tri wattage for the final 40 minutes. Mainly motivated by racing a band of black clouds and lightning I saw off to the east as I was traveling North toward the finish. I out raced the storm and just when I realized I was in front of the leading edge, we turned East. Yep, right into a wall of pouring rain a mile later. Regardless, I really just wanted to get the bike finished as I was shaking with chills and cold. Flying down a 2% grade for 3-4 miles at the end of the bike is truly exciting and was fun to have the right lane of a busy road open for us, wide open. It feels great to fly in at 30 mph toward the finish, mentally, got me hyped up for the run.

Run
I remember putting my bike up on the rack in T2 while putting my shoes on, water pouring out the rear vent of my aero helmet down my back, I look over...and water is literally pouring out of my bike frame through every small hole and cable housing. Who knows, maybe the extra weight of my frame being filled with water helped me on the downhills. Had some problems with my race number as it ripped off on the bike so had to fasten a new number on my belt in T2, which I always keep my 2nd race number in my run bag in case it tears off on the bike. This slowed me just a bit, but out of T2 and got on my goal of 6:30-35 pace immediately. I ran the first 5 miles with another in my AG, guy with pink visor. I tried to pass at mile 1 but he stayed with me, so we chatted here and there to mile 5. First 5 miles run down river and as such is about a 1% grade down, which makes for a fast course because it establishes a good strong pace for nearly the first half of the run. Yes you have to then run back up river, but momentum is established early on, and that means alot in a race. Even though it was raining and in the 50's, we held pace. At mile 5 I turned the corner for the out and back and decided to run about 6:15 pace for 1 mile and this put him away. I rolled back into town with a ton of screaming spectators, very cool. Ann yelled that I was 4th off the bike, so I knew the guy I was running with earlier was 3rd, and now I was. Man, 2 more people to catch? I held back to my 6:30 pace which was becoming more and more difficult to hold with each passing mile. Mile 7, then 8, then 9, still no M40 to pass. At mile 8 my shoe became untied, which typically is not a big deal as I can run with some annoying loose shoe with no problem. However, with the soaking wet rain, I was actually almost coming out of my shoe and at mile 9 marker I decided to take 20 seconds and tie the shoe. I did this, resumed pace. Mile 10 at 7:20? What the?! Hard to believe you can lose 50 seconds by a shoe tie, but with the loss of momentum, that was the reality. I still saw no M40 and realized my short stop will likely cost me the AG win I wanted. I hit my split at 10 and told myself, "no more looking at watch, heart rate, or pace...just go now". I just ran, hard. Harder. As I approached a M40 running about 7 min pace I realized he was likely on his second loop given the quick pace..he was likely a strong athlete. As I passed an oncoming runner on his team yelled to him he was 2nd. That was excactly as I flew past him on the left. I still dont know if he saw my leg M44 marking because he looked to the right to acknowledge his teammate. I didnt give him the chance to see me, as I immediately stepped in front of the next runner in hopes to block him from seeing me sneak by him. Mile 12 I pushed to the point where every 45-60 seconds I had to let up the pace because my legs were aching and I was breathing anaerobic and just had to slow down. I would do this for about 15 seconds and right when I caught my breath, I would go hard again. I did this for what seemed like a long time but was only about 6 minutes or so. Every single person I saw in front of me I tried to catch, telling myself they are the AG leader. At the same time, I was desperately trying to catch my teammate Bill Thompson, who back at mile 10 yelled at me, "come on Dave, catch me". I was running hard, in pain, numb legs, you've been there before I'm sure. I could see Bill up a minute ahead of me on the final stretch, man, fighting every single breath. With a minute or so to go, I realized I flew past a M40 who wasnt moving very fast. I figured he was on his first loop, and in retrospect he was the leader. My pacing partner turns out took 2nd, and he also caught the leader on the final stretch. I still never caught Bill who was running on a calf injury and despite his adversity, ran a great race. He was just not catchable as I think we were running similar pace toward the end. Bill executed the right strategy in being a bit conservative on the calf as the race unfolded, until his confidence increased. Sure it cost him AG positions, probably a podium spot, but he finished fast and strong, faced his adversity and overcame. This is where the respect comes, at least from me. Grant Folske had a great race with a 4:21, smoking fast but the top AG racers were tough...Grant still made the podium. I did however make sure to show Grant how much bigger the first place trophy is compared to the other trophies in the division. Hang in there Grant, you'll get a big trophy some day! Yeah, he had about 7 minutes on me in this race...thats a huge lead and I know it. Strong work Grant..I love it when you kick my ass, even more so when you PR.
So, all in all happy with my sub 4:28 and a 9 minute improvement in my run compared to Orlando 70.3 a month earlier. I wont disclose my run workout strategy that I knew would work for me....if I didnt get injured in the process. I would be very reluctant to train an athlete with my regimine of 102 miles in 13 days (9 runs)leading up to Boise, every single run of which had speed work..because of the very high risk of injury. This is the chance I took, and accepted the risk that I may re-injure my calf/soleus for Boise. However, it was worth the risk for me. I signed up for Boise in Feb, while I was injured, with the hope and expectation of winning the AG in the second 70.3, and sometimes the gamble pays off.

Face Your Fears

2009-05-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

I called an athlete of mine a couple of weeks ago. I heard him eating while we were talking about his development and attention to detail I have noticed in him over the past couple of months. I asked "what are you eating?" He replied, "white rice and egg whites". I said, "dude...it's 7 pm...for dinner?" He replied, "of course". He has a couple of kids and a wife there, and he's eating white rice and egg whites for dinner following an intense workout earlier that day. This guy is going to make the podium in an Ironman as a relative rookie. If he doesnt, he'll be damn close. I love athletes that listen and make such an effort to master those details that put them in an optimal position to get to Kona. Very few I've ever coached have this characteristic.

Face your fears. Yes I will admit. I was afraid going into this race. I realized my swim was average and bike was strong, but I really didnt have any idea how I would respond in the run. I did think about cancelling this race a couple of weeks ago, and just flying down to Florida for vacation. As I was in bed one night thinking about this I reminded myself that its not my unpreparedness that was deterring me. Its was the fear of failing in the task. I then realized that "failing" is relative and to me, just making an attempt can make you feel successful. The alternative is never making the attempt at all. Many athletes undermine their own race through training because of their fears. I dont think this is intentional. Athletes place their goal on such a high pedestal that it becomes a goal too difficult to obtain, and thus the journey becomes unmanageable. Kona qualifying for instance. Athetes will place such fear into their goal, they unintentionally over train, too many relentless miles on the bike, too much volume on the run, etc. By allowing their fears of failure obsure their goal, they over train in an attempt to reach it. I am not only talking about amateurs. I traveled to Boston marathon back in the early 1990's with my coach who was a 3 time Olympian in the marathon at the time. He was a dark horse to win, coming off a 4th overall at New York marathon earlier. He became fearful if his own ability, and it undermined his final preparation. He ran from the start of Boston in Hopkington to the 13.1 mile mark the Saturday prior to the race...in 1:02, at the time, 2 minutes slower then the American record in the half marathon. He became so obsessed with blowing his race, he over trained 48 hours before his event. He "blew up" with a 2:15 on race day and stated to me he felt tired the entire race.

Dont over-think your goals and your preparation. You would be surprised how many amateur athletes train with more overall volume than pro's. Yes, most of it is useless volume and wont teach you to race well. The other aspect of course is competing in the workout and "racing" well before your actual race day. Finally, the timing of intensity, cycles, etc are what pro's do best, and there is a huge difference amongst training in that aspect, compared to amateur athletes.

My fears of racing this past weekend, and deciding to do so anyway, knowing I would get likely lose the podium on the run, was reiterated by a voicemail I received from Grant Folske, who competing with me in Orlando 2 years ago and was 9 minutes behind me. Yes, ONLY 9 minutes behind me with a 4:38 on a very windy day, and with 2 weeks of swimming, 1 month of cycling and only a bit more running under his belt. Yet, he came down, we trash talked a bit before the race, and he gave it his best shot. Grant loves to compete, no matter where he is at his fitness level. It doesnt bother him if he gets beat up in an event on occasion because he is a confident athlete. He's not afraid. I was in my top fitness back in 2007 that day and Grant was only beginning the first month of his season. He of course kicks the crap out of me in many races since, but still, I love competing when he is in the race because it drives me to strive harder. We may have our pre-race trash talk, but always, the immediate pre race genuine good wishes for us both to have PR days. Grant is one of the few athletes ever in my life that I simply enjoy to out-compete. Yet, I enjoy it even more when he out-competes me.

Enjoy your ability to compete. On race day, it is what it will be. Dont undermine your own training because of unnecessary insecurities created through fear. Dont forget why you competed in your very first race.

Why do I keep going back to Orlando, with sub optimal conditions and course? Why compete in conditions I know will be difficult year after year? Why would I take a shot at winning my AG in my final year of the M40 division? It's about confronting your fears, and irrelevant of what the outcome may be, you will build character and strength.

There Are No Miracles

2009-05-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

THERE ARE NO MIRACLES

So, I am racing Orlando 70.3 next Sunday, May 17. I have just completed my 2nd full week of running after 3 months off, both weeks of which I've logged in 25 miles.
My "key run" this past Friday morning was an 8 miler in which I averaged 7:10 pace, which nearly killed me with HR in zone 4 the final 6 miles. I would have liked to have a good race in Florida because I would be defending my 07 M40 win there. I of course need a good race to prepare for Boise 70.3 next month, but my primary motive for racing in Orlando is to put myself up against those younger competitors in my age group, seeing as I'm racing as a 44 year old this season. Of course, I will have an average swim, and I hope to set a personal best on this course on the bike, as well as a personal best for sustained watts in a half ironman.

All this is irrelevant because I will be 10 minutes slower per mile most likely at my fastest compared to my 2007 race. This is just the way it is...I am happy to be running near 7 min pace for an hour pain free, believe me, after a 56 mile time trial, I dont expect to perform some miracle out there in the half marathon. I only hope I can hold onto 7:15 pace for 10 miles...then just hold on as long as I can for the final 5k. This would put me 10 minutes slower than my time in 2007. No....there is no miracle that will suddenly allow me to run 6:30 pace next Sunday. I will race as a product of my under-fitness in running for this one. Gladly, because I am still able to run. A month ago, running my 12 minute jogs at 9 minute pace at the tail end of my injury...I knew if I stayed pain free, I could manage to get to under 7:30 pace for an hour a few weeks later. So, here I am. I will very most definitely get killed on the run, and chased down by many in my age group next week. It is what it is. For every other athlete out there, and those that I coach. That's right....there are no miracles. If your PR in the marathon is 3:15 in the past year or 2...you likely will not break 3:30 in an Ironman, unless you've managed to train yourself to get into sub 3 hour fitness prior to your race. Not just sub 3 hour fitness...but with the real-time ability to execute a sub 3 hour open marathon. Then, sure, you're ready to run under 3:30 barring some unforeseen incident on the race course. If you get in the workouts with proper intensity, without skipping too many workouts, and not over-training...you'll do just fine on race day. More so, you'll be happy with your day.

I upset a teammate a few years ago the week before IMCdA. I simply stated to her that "there is no God on the race course, and trust me...there is no God at mile 20 of the marathon in an Ironman." Sure this upset the person, which was not my intent. My only point was that if you havent properly prepared for the marathon, in part of which means running many long runs at or 15-30 seconds under your goal pace, then you wont by some miracle suddenly run 30 sec per mile faster than you've trained...and with 3-4 long runs completed prior to race day.

So, yeah, I stand by my sarcastic comments. I am not saying there is no God...dont misquote me. I'm simply stating....he (or she) wont be there to help you the final 10k of your Ironman marathon. Trust me...God may be watching...but there will be no intervention, and no miracles. You are on your own. You are isolated and alone. This is what you train for...not to be picked up and carried by something else. You are here because you want...need to do this on your own.

There is a misconception in athletes, even world elites, that the harder you train and the more prepared you are, the final stages of the race will somehow come easier. You feel that if you've put in 8+ 18 milers you'll somehow feel great running your goal pace the final 10k in your ironman. As well, hammering yourself into the ground at your PR open marathon pace each week, unable to recovery in time for the next intense workout 48 hours later will also allow you to just float to a PR on all that over-training in the final few weeks of your key race. These concepts couldnt be further from the truth, and further from reality.

Training and proper preparation, and execution, allows you to take your body deep into that lonely state of consciousness of which you are on an edge ready to fall off. It allows you to remain on that edge slightly fall over, then slowly pull yourself up.

To overcome. Yeah, that's why I do it. This is my true and singular goal for my ironman athletes on their race day. Take yourself to the brink of failure, then succeed. This is why I didnt pull out of Orlando.

Wildflower Triathlon, St Croix, St Anthony', and ironhead pics from "The Farm"

2009-05-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

First, kudo's on some triodyssey athletes who've competed over the past couple of weeks in St Anthony's Oly in FL and Wildflower HIM in CA.
Congrats to Kathy Graves, 5th Athena 40-49 week before last with a 2:27. Turns out the swim was cancelled after the pro start due to 4 ft waves and 25 mph winds. Kathy managed to get onto the podium despite the tough conditions improving on her 8th place in her division in 2007.

Hope Zak is new to the sport, completing her first Half Ironman last summer at Hulaman here in Portland. St Croix's humidity and moster hill is quite a leap for a second race and for a new long course athlete. Hope managed a 6:12 however, good for 10th in the F35 AG, in this tough 70.3 race. Great job Hope!

Strong work to all those 4 TOC athletes who raced Wildflower HIM this past weekend!

Womens Podium Performances:
Bonnie Jensen W30 4th , 5:07(9th OA amateur female)
Stacey Stern W35 2nd, 5:17(5:34 2007 Wildflower)

Couple of my men raced also:
Jason Kurian M30, 4:51(4:58 2007 Wildflower)
Thomas Wood, 5:25 (5:53 2007 Wildflower)

I believe all PR'd on this course so overall great efforts!

I have never competed on this course but I would love to someday. Its challenging and those who have also done Auburn HIM have told me Wildflower run course is more difficult. That's tough...as I've done Aurburn.

Congrats to all of you who have PR'd 2 years after your last race on this course. Realize as we get older, especially in our mid 30's and beyond, it becomes more and more difficult to set personal bests. Kudo's to all of you.

Here are a few pics from "The Farm" Hawthorne farm athletic club sprint tri this weekend. Our ironheads team has now placed first overall male 4 years running. This year, Bill Thompson First Overall, and Jennifer Woodruff 3rd overall female.

Back into Running

2009-04-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

Check out the pics I took today. Click on a pic to enlarge. Bryce Canyon is unreal.
Had my blood lactate tested last week. I knew where I was through field testing but I have always wondered where I am at as far as lactate physiology based on my training strengths. So, yeah, it confirmed that my threshold is around 310-325 and my definate sub threshold power is 275-300 watts. This I realize is true, because I can hold half IM pace on the bike at 290-300 watts and IM at 2270. The couple of nice things is that I was still under 100 beats per minute heart rate at 275 watts about 12 minutes into the test. My blood lactate levels at 350 watts were 10.8. He dropped me to 325 watts for 4 minutes which I could barely maintain, and levels rose slightly. Not clearing. He dropped me to 275 and after 4 minutes my levels dropped to 7.2. Now here's the key. He then raised me to 300 watts for 4 minutes and after the 4 minutes, my lactate continued to fall, to 7.0. Therefore, after obtaining high levels at my super-threshold wattage, I was able to keep clearing lactate at 300 watts. Thus, at 300 I can be safe to know that I will clear the lactate I produce. I in fact may be a smidgen more than this, 305-310 but 300 is for certain. When using my kg body weight and my lactate threshold levels, it comes out to just below Cat 1 level cyclist, high Cat 2. This was a pleasant surprise to me...I am going on 44 years old this year.

So, here is how the past 3 weeks have gone on the running front. I have taken it slow as the partial tear of my soleus in January also resulted in medial gastroc damage. Recall, I did get a week of running in on the first week of Feb, building to 8 min pace for 6 miles. Then on an attempted 8 mile run at 8 min pace, it blew up again, thus another painful delay in my running for this season. So, 4 straight weeks off, with PT, Massage and ART 3X per week.
The past 3 weeks have looked like this. On each and every run, I've stopped at 5 minutes and stretched the calfs for 5 minutes. Also, 5 days per week I did muscle stim with my home TENS unit, wrapping the calf in ice, then rolling it after.

March 23 - March 29
M No run, massage 60 min. ART 30 min, Physical therapy 30 min
T Run 8 minues at 9 min pace, stopped due to spasm.
W No run, Physical therapy 30 min, ART 30 min
T Run 8 min at 9 min pace, mild tightness so stopped.
F Run 8 min at 9 min pace, no pain. Physical therapy 30 min.
S No run
S Run 10 min 9 min pace 10 min, 8:30 pace 10 min. Minor tightness.

March 30 - April 5
M Run 10 min 8:30 min pace, spasm at 10 min. 30 min Physical Therapy
T Off ART 30 min, PT 30 min, 60 min massage
W Run 10 min, 8:30 min pace, spasm at 10 min.
T Off, repeat of Tuesday with my triple therapy for the day.
F Run 12 min, 8:30 min pace, spasm at 12 min.
S Off, massage 60 minutes
S Run 12 min, 9 min pace, no spasm, no tightness

April 6 - 12
M Run 20 min 9 min pace, no spasm. Physical therapy 30 min, Art 30 min
T off Massage 60 min.
W Run 20 min 8:30 pace, no spasm. PT 30 min
T Run 20 min 8 min pace, no spasm but some tightness, massage 60 minutes.
F Run 30 min 9 min pace, no spasm some tightness, PT 30 min., ART 30 min
S Off run, massage 60 min
S Run 30 min 9 min pace, no spasm some tightness

April 13-19
M Run 30 min 8 min pace, no spasm no tightness. 30 min Physical therapy
T Run 30 min 8 min pace, no spasm no tightness. Massage 60 min.
W Run 23 min 3 miles, 8:30, 8 then 7:30 mile on Treadmill. No pain or tightness.
T Run 30 min 8 min pace no pain
F off
S Run 45 min 8:30 pace no tightness. Ran at 7800 ft elevation, HR Zone 3
S Run 20 min morning, 50 min evening after hiking quite a bit in Bryce. Again, both runs starting at 7800 ft and running to above 8000 ft. Again, pain free.

So, I think I am over the injury...Finally! I will continue to take it easy, building strength on the running for several more runs before introducing any speed work whatsoever. Just under 1 month to Orlando 70.3 and my hope is that I can pull together a 7:30 per mile pace (1:37 or so). Typically I would expect a 1:26 or so. I will have to PR by a minute in the water and 10 minutes on the bike if I hope to be near 4:30, which I hope makes the podium. We will see.

Roth Germany, June 2007

2009-04-08T03:46:00.000-07:00

Congrat to Sal, who PR'd in the 10k portion (for an open 10K) in an Olympic distance triathlon weekend before last. In tough swim conditions, and difficult bike terrain, managed to pull the race together and nail down a strong 10k.
Congrats to David, Aleck and Heather this past weekend. Dave and Aleck ran Cali 70.3 and both placed high, Dave missing the podium by a minute but setting a slight PR on the course, and Aleck deciding to lay up on an injured calf and walking several times during the run, still posting a 4:44. Wisely, thinking about the primary goal to come. Heather ran New Orleans 70.3 and this race had to be tough, esp the run in hot and humid conditions compared to training all season in highs of 50 and cold rain here in Portland. Again, its the primary goal that's important and I myself was not really concerned on how anyone raced in these "B" races, used to practice race strategy, build fitness, and gain some momentum going into the final couple of months to their IM events.

Below is the blog from my IM in Roth Germany in 2007, for those who are new to my coaching there are some good points in this blog. Most importantly, to have some success in IM racing, even as an amateur, you've gotta have guts. I've forgotten the adversity I faced in this race over the past couple of years and sorting back through my race reports brings back memories on how it was to compete for a podium slot while injured, deprived and with adversity thrown at me during the race.

I have a wide diversity of athletes and train with similar diversity. A common variable in those who have the ability to go to Kona, make the Podium, is the drive to succeed. Not only in the race, but in preparation. My "star" athletes are obvious to me. They have an innate ability to absorb information, process it, and utilize it. They learn from mistakes, and they try to mimick those factors that led me to success on the amateur level in this sport.

It comes down to the bare essentials. You've got to be properly trained. You've got to have your nutrition down. But, most importantly there will come a time in every race when you have to decide. You'll have to decide. Do you want it more than the person in front of you.

I have 7 athletes this year that are able to qualify for Kona. Of those 7, I believe 5 should be on the podium in their qualifier IM. None may make it...all may make it. In the months of preparation, and in the final weeks, the personal decisions each make on a workout to workout basis will mold them into what I know they can be. As well, those decisions made may undermine their ability, and they only have themselves to blame in this case. You can only go so far as a coach, and the real decisions have to be made by the athlete.When it comes down to race day, executing the race properly is up to them. That critical decision to be made at about mile 18 of the marathon will have to be made. I am confident each and every one of them can go to Kona, but they will each have to make their own decisions, in training, properly resting, nutrition execution, and whether they want to lay it all out there when it counts. No this doesnt apply only to athletes on the verge of a Kona qualifier, but applies to anyone who is striving for a pesonal best, their first Ironman, and whether dropping 10 minute off your PR, or over an hour, it all applies.

Sunday, June 24, 2007
Roth
Myths and Facts about the Roth Quelle Challenge Ironman

1: The course is fast and flat. This couse has 5240 ft of climbing with 4 major climbs. Why are the times fast? It's one of the most competitive IM in the world, comparable to Kona. There is major talent here every year. 32 Countries represented and only 26 athletes from the U.S. although 3000 starters.
What other race other than Kona does a 9:36 place 8th in the age group other than Kona.

2: The race allows drafting. 2 people told me this. Now I realize they are full of shit. Not only is the draft rule more strict than the U.S. (8 minute penalty for unintentional, and immediate DQ if deamed intentional) I hardly saw anyone draft! I have never been in a race in the states or Kona without seeing many, many athletes cheat. I was shocked to see that hardly anyone was drafting. The male 30-40 and under 30 started after me, so alot of very fast cyclists pasted me, and I have to say, many were in lines, but definately more than 10 meters apart. The officials were all over the place, and the couple of times I saw drafting, on uphills, which should be a bit more flexible...the officials nailed them. I have never seen such a presence by race officials in any event. I never biked more than 5K without seeing one the entire race.

3: European age groupers Dope. Bull. We stayed in a camp with athletes from Spain, France, Germany, etc. These guys are the fittest people I have ever seen. Guys from spain staying beside us telling me of the 20,000 ft ascent rides they do. It's quite simple. They train very hard and they come here to race one of the largest most competitive fields in the world.

So a quick summary as we are off to Italy to relax and drink wine.
Without Hannes and his family, the race would have been very difficult. They have no special needs, but designated areas where athletes are allowed to receive their nutrition. Hannes was all over that course for his brother, Ann and I. His parents and girlfriend were at multiple points cheering us on. Hannes' father is 72 and very, very fit. He told me he biked about 90K on race day.
I have to be pleased with a 7 minute PR of 9:36, especially this year as I turn 42.
Achilles pain the entire bike and run but managable. Pretty bad now though, and I dont think I will be running for at least 3 weeks.
Overall, it was a tough day. Windy and in your face for the majority of the bike. There is hardly any length of flat here, it's predominately either up or down. Many, most, of the down hills are descending into small villages, where there are 90 degree or S turns at the bottom so alot of braking. More humid than typical here, and it got hotter than it was all week on the run. Alot of people, including me, bonked a bit second half of the marathon. McCormick missed alot as the pros start at 6:20 am, but even he was 10 minutes faster than world record pace at the 1/2 marathon mark, than finished 4 minutes slower than the record by the finish.

Pre race: unbelievable. They cover each and every bike in the transition in case it rains. The atmosphere is similar to Kona. We both felt ready to go. Ann ran into the water 2 minutes before the start! That' cutting it close. They have waves here, because they have to. 3000 starters in a canal with choppy water. The waves are sizable though, around 400 people 5 minutes apart.

Swim: 1:03. Yes, I feel this was my sub 1 hour day potentially. Got kicked in the face 100 meters into the start and my goggles flew off. I spent 20 seconds searching for them and finally found them. The nose bridge was broken. Not a huge deal, but I have contact lens' in and cant see 20 meters without them. As I saw my group swimming away from me I though, crap, here we go...just deal with it. So, thank God Bob Bruce showed us that open water drill of figuring out how many stroke you need to take before sighting. So, I closed my eyes, stroked 8 or 10 times, then lifted my head straight up to sight. I was wiggling off course all over, but after 5 minutes or so, it was bearable. I breathed to the side every stroke like usual, but just kept my eyes closed for most. It was easy until I caught my group, then became a battle as I swam into many slower swimmers. Sun directly in my eyes and I just couldnt see well enough. So, more breast stroking than I wanted but I got through it, although swallowed numerous mouthfuls of manure tasting water. I was extremely happy to climb up out of the water, check my vision in each eye, and realize I still had my contacts it. I always put a spare pair of contacts in my T1 bag, so no matter, but it saved me several minutes not having to do that. 30 seconds stuffing my wetsuit into the bag. If you dont stuff your own wet suit, 8 minute penalty.

T1: I dont know...still a bit shook up over the goggles, I wasnt thinking straight. I grabbed my shoes and ran to the bike mount across wet grass in my socks. What? What the hell was I thinking! So now I look like stupid American in the bike mounting zone, having to set my bike down on its side to put on my shoes...man I felt stupid. In retrospect, I did have a very fast T1.

Bike: 5:06. Do not come here thinking this course is fast like Florida. This was my assumption. It is somewhat flat by European standards, but it felt like Wisconsin would seem. Rolling hills almost the entire way. The 4 long stretches of flat for about 5K each were going the wrong direction, as the 15 mph headwind was present on each and every one of them. There is no doubt in my mind on a flatter course, I was looking at something around 4:50, even with missing the last 3 critical bike rides in the final 3 weeks. That's life though. I just dealt with it and in fact, pushed the bike harder than I expected to try to get close to 5 hours because I knew the marathon would be tough.

T2: Very fast and right there at the bikes.

Run: I got on the run and looked at my watch. If I ran a 3:16 I would be right at 9:30. Deep in my mind I knew I was not capable of this. I ran 16 miles at 8:30 pace 10 days prior as my only long run a month prior to the race. I put together 7 runs in the final 3 weeks, but 3 of them were during race week. Yes, my achilles injury hurt me and I knew it was a matter of time. I told Hannes before the race I knew I could run sub 3:20 for about 18 miles, but my missed critical runs would then play a factor in how I finished. Regardless, I didnt make the desision to play it safe and run 7:45 as I originally planned. I got off at 7:20 pace which would put me a couple of minutes belowe 9:30, and just tried to hold as long as I could. I held 3:15 pace for 25K and then the wheels started to fall off. I have never pushed that hard on dead legs in an IM, not even at my bonk in Kona 04. I ran my 5K from 25-30 K in 9 min pace and quickly realized my PR of 9:43 was in jeopardy. I repeated to myself over and over again, I dont know how many times. "You've made a decision to PR, now deal with it, do not let it slip away". At 30K, a relay runner ran past me moving at quick 8 min pace or so...so I nashed my teeth and slipped in behind him. By 32 K, 10K left, my legs were blown but I realized if I could just maintain 8-8:30 I would slip under 9:38 or so. At 33K, along the canal, fully explosed to the aternoon sun, I saw Ann up ahead of me 150 meters or so. I thought, this is perfect! I will catch Ann and we can finish together (she started with the pros, 40 min. ahead, and I also realized she was going to be sub 10:20) I was happy for a sub 10:20 for her, but I made the prediction to the entire Spain camper beside us that she would run 10:15...yes, I said 10:15. I still remember there eyes getting big when I told them that.
So, I ran with Ann as the very next person in front of me from 33K to 37K, pumping my arms, limping on my achilles to catch my hero. That was one of the longest 4K stretches I have ever run in an IM. She just sat there, 150 meters in front of me. I pumped my arms, shortened my stride, increased my turnover...all the tricks I've used for years at the end of a brutal race to catch someone.
At 37K, with 5K left...I watcher her run awaw from me, 200 meters, 300 meters, and by 39K she was out of sight. I almost teared up but just put a smile on my face in all the pain I was in. I knew, even with the 200 meter uphill finish, I would be under 9:37, motivated, and driven by trying so hard to catch my training partner, and life partner. And as I watched her run away from me, I thought. What an athlete. To come from no sports background just 3 years ago and look where she is now. Competing in Europe. Winning in Europe. I looked again at my watch as I heard the announcer in the distance. Ann Chivarella, heavily rolling the "L#s", the way it should be said. Looking at my watch, 9:35....she did it, she ran her 10:15.

The finish: What can I say, running into a finish with 25,000 people blows kona away. I missed most of it though as I was a bit dizzy and tired. One thing with bonking, you dont enjoy your finish as much.

The racing spirit in Europe: They treat ALL finishers with respect here. They dont separate out the pro top ten and ignore age groupers that may finish in the top ten in IMNA events. If you fairly finish in the top ten, you are recognized standing with the pros on the podium. I dont think I will ever run an IMNA Qualifier again because of this. It's insulting to me, to ignore talent.

Solar hill: The race is worth it just for this stretch of hill about 3 minutes of climbing. Estimated 50,000 in the town out watching, and forming a tunnel 10 people thick all the way up. Only one bike at a time can fit through. Thousands of screaming spectators in your face in multiple languages. You can here the screaming as you enter town, about a mile away. Then you turn the final corner and see 400 meters ahead of you a spectacle like the Alp d huez at the tour d France. It's mind blowing. The overwhelming emotion going up that hill I will never forget. The one part of the race I never notice pedalling. Just floating up in that sea of screaming fans and flags. I will never, ever forget that.

Critical Points

2009-03-25T08:53:00.001-07:00

I was thinking yesterday, while swimming my 20 X 200 in the pool, about critical points during my 40 minute time trial on the bike this past weekend. The goal of most of my time trials is to stay within a pre-determined wattage zone and specific cadence. Speed, distance and heart rate are ignored...always.

In staying in a specific watt zone, it can be misinterpreted to mean, "as long as my final wattage is in my zone, I'm ok". This is not always the case. For myself, the primary goal of Saturday's TT was to be about 315 watts for 40 minutes. Not only to average this, but to stay as close as possible to the mean. As far as time trialing most effectively goes, it's not just about the final average of 315, its how close I can stay to that number without huge shifts either way. If I average say, 313 for 35 minutes of the 40, then push to 360 (Z6) for the final 5 minutes and blow my legs up to get my average to 315, then I've defeated the purpose of the time trial. Sure, "drifting" into low zone 5, say 325, 10 watts higher will not break me toward the end. But, hammering the final portion leads to a breakdown in the metabolic equilibrium you've established during the time trial and pushing your systems to an extreme at the end defeats the purpose.

So, I typically look down at my wattage at various points during my TT. One is as I enter a hill initially, I'll see the watts spike up to 50 above my average. Another is immediately at the bottom of a hill as the road straightens out, another spike of about 50. This subtle change in terrain on a race course, if not payed attention to, will lead to short duration massive spikes in wattage that push the equilibrium into a non-sustainable state.

A third is when passing. In triathlon, yes, passing has to be on the quicker side with the limited time of 15 seconds allowed without penalty. I notice when I pass, I easily get my front wheel beyond the other riders' front wheel in 15 seconds once I break the plane of 3 bike lengths. I dont have to do this in 5 seconds. Just cruising along and increasing my watts by 10 will get me easily past. Without paying attention, commonly my watts will jump more than 50 just to pass.

A fourth is cornering and turning around. I purposely do time trials out and back for this reason some of the time. This reassures me that the drop in your average watts you see when turning around (very common in races) does not have to be "made up" in the next 1 minute. For instance, in a 20 minute TT I did last tuesday, I turned around on the road and went back at about half way. My watt goal was 330 average for 20 minute TT. I was 330 on the button at the turnaround. After turning and heading back, my wattage dropped to 327. Yes, surging to 375 watts for 1 minute would likely get my average back to 330 quickly, but again, this causes a disruption in the metabolic equilibrium I've established. So, I have learned (actually a few years back) that you can easily get your wattage back to average off a turn around and near stop during a race. It doesnt require spiking 50 watts over a minute, but rather 5-10 watts higher over 5 minutes.

These critical points above are not obvious. It requires a subtle easing up on the effort through these points, and thus your power curve becomes nearly straight on the axis during the interval.

Lastly, the "I've got balls" factor. In one recent time trial with a couple of athletes, the goal was low Z4 average wattage for 40 minutes. I purposely passed them at 25 minutes putting myself 10 watts into zone 5, and sustaining this for 15 minutes. This increased my speed by 2 mph and after 15 minutes should have easily had a 45 second lead on them at the end. Instead, one was 10 sec. back and the other about 20. So, I know it was impossible for them to have stayed in zone 4, despite their claims that they had. A similar phenomenon occurs when there are a group of guys training for similar race coming up. And thirdly, this occurs if for some reason someone falls off pace due to transient problem, then tries to "get back to the group" quickly. All these scenarios are centered around a common factor. The athlete is not confident in his/her ability. This lack of "athletic self esteem" is the primary factor that leads us to over training, peaking too early, and racing not to our potential. I have said this oh, 20 times over the past 3 years to those I train with. Nobody remembers your workouts, they remember your race. How is it possible that I TT 305 watts at over 24 miles and hour at ITU, for 75 miles, and 23 mph at 265 watts for a 112 mile TT in an IM, and yet finish way behind a group of people who are 20-30 minutes back in a race. It's simple. I am typically ready for most races through proper training, and a constant control over my real-time training stress, as well as patience and foresight that what I am doing is right.
As an athlete, if you dont have the self confidence to know that how you're performing in a workout compared to others is irrelevant when it comes to racing, then it's your limiter. Think about this next time you dont accomplish your goal.

All these "critical points" lead to unnecessary wattage spikes which take us away from equilibrium, and take us out of "the zone" when preparing for a key event, as well as during that key event. Unfortunately, you can coach and coach and coach, over and over again. Some athletes just cant make the behavior adjustment necessary. These athletes are the one's that train for a 9:45 Ironman, yet go 10:30-11 hours on race day. Myself personally, I have been coached most of my adult life in one discipline or another, and have learned to maintain control most times, and learned how to approach my maximum without exceeding it in workouts. Of course I am talking about generalizations in controlled rides, runs, and swims with structured intervals. Not those quick fun moments in a workout when we race to a sign or hammer a hill or 2. These short fun hard efforts will not make or break you in a race because they are very short compared to the total workout, and are never done during a structured interval or TT. So, when I race, I can go to my maximum and in alot of cases, exceed my maximum. How is it that racing at 43 age, and competing in triathlon for nearly 6 years that I can set personal bests in the Sprint, Olympic, Half, and Full Ironman distances just over this past year?

Do you get aggravated when someone passes you on a TT in a workout and feel you have to "go with them" or you're "not good enough"?

Do you allow someone to pass you on an uphill during a workout? especially a girl?

As a women, do you feel like you have to "keep up with the boys" in order to feel strong or feel like a competitive athlete?

Do you feel like you nearly fall off the bike after many workouts because you've hammered until you cant even stand on the pedals? Do you finish those final intervals or final few miles of your long run like you're racing for the olympic gold?

Do you nearly always finish the last 25% of a swim interval session slower than the first 25%? Are your warm up and cool downs in running and swimming near your goal race pace? Is your warm up and cool down on the bike at or near IM wattage?

Do you feel disspointed in your race performance, time and time again, and cant seem to approach your personal best in any event, yet, you're blowing away people clearly faster than yourself in workouts?

Coping with these things and learning to keep even a small amount of control can result in significant gains on race day. If you cant figure this out, I cant help you.

RACE NUTRITION

2009-03-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

I cant tell you how good it feels to have run 16 minutes today pain free.
Cycling went well this week, 170 miles with intervals on 3 rides and a 6100 ft ascent long ride on Saturday.
Swimming is coming along, 11,000 last week.

This is a summary of the use of the 3 limiting agents in endurance exercise.
Sugar (maltodextrin)
Salt
Water

Period. Everything else is pretty much marketing gimick.

The method I use to mix maltodextrin into my bottles for IM and HIM racing. You need a measuring cup and a gram scale. The mix is a pure maltodextrin, no others sweeeteners, no taste, and no salts. I add these to the solutions.

CYCLING

1) use a measuring cup to fill your water bottle, to record how much
volume your bottle holds. Lets assume its a 28 ounce bottle, like the large
bottles at Athletes Lounge.

For men 160 lbs or more:
Use measuring cup and put in 5.5 oz water into your water bottle. Mark
the water line with a black marker. Continue this up the bottle so in
a 28 oz bottle, you will have 5 "doses", each marked so you
know exactly how much you're drinking on the bike.

For men/women 125-160 lbs:

For women 100-125 lbs: You can mark off 6 lines on your water bottle. If you are using a 24 oz water bottle, thats a line mark on the bottle for every 4 oz. If you are using a large 28 oz athletes lounge bottle, mark off every 4 3/4 ounces and that should give you about 6 portions on the 28 oz bottle.
Same as above

ADDING THE MALTODEXTRIN

For Men more than 160 lbs:
Add 140 grams maltodextrin to your water bottle. This now gives you 28 grams for
each of Five "doses" or Five 5.5 ounce portions.

For Men OR Women 125-160 lbs:
Add 125 grams to your water bottle. This now gives you 25 grams for
each of Five "doses"

For Women 110-125 lbs:
Add 120 grams to your water bottle. This now gives you 20 grams for
each of Six "doses".

For Women less than 110 lbs:
Add 108 grams to your water bottle. This now gives you 18 grams for
Each of Six “doses”

For Men more than 160 lbs, 84 grams per hour
For Men 130-160 lbs, 75 grams per hour
For women 110-125 lbs , 60 grams per hour
For women less than 110 lbs, 54 grams per hour.

These are rough estimates but very accurate. You can add a few grams
per dose as you can tolerate, but I would start with the above
recommendations first. Taking more than you need does [b]NOT[/b] translate to
better performance. In fact, its not an absorption issue from the
bowel in most cases...its the limitation in our muscle's ability to
process the glucose once its in the blood stream.

SALTS
The best salt capsule out there is Lava Salts, which they sell at Athletes Lounge. Simply break open the capsule and pour the contents into your water bottle and mix it up with the maltodextrin and water.
For a 28 ounce water bottle:
Men more than160 lbs add 1.5 to 2 lava salt capsules
Men 125-160 lbs add 1.5 lave salt caps
Women 110-125 lbs add 1 lava salt cap
Women less than 110 lbs add 3/4 lava salt cap, esp if you're using a 24 oz water bottle.

Sorry, you dont need stuff in your salt capsule like calcium, vitamin B6, licorice extract, ginko, and all the other crap that increases the osmolality of your solution and thus DECREASES the absorption of your primary energy source, glucose.

It is best to stay on 20 minute cycle when racing or training. Mostly, when I am training, I dont start my drink until 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes into my ride. Why? Because I am simulating an Ironman. In an ironman, I typically get out of water in just under an hour, then I start my nutrition 20 minutes into the bike. Never take nutrition within 20 minutes onto the bike or water within 10 minutes as there is a high risk of getting abdominal cramp or side stitch. Let your body get accustomed to the dramatic change in breathing and body position before drinking anything.

For flavor, if you add a flavoring agent that contains sugars of any
kind, you have to account for this in your total sugar intake per
hour. So when you weigh out your maltodextrin, also add in any other
grams of other sugars. If you are putting in 120 grams to your water
bottle, and you add 10 grams of gatorade powder to flavor, then you
will adjust your maltodextrin to 110 grams. If you want a total of 140 grams of sugar, which includes flavoring and maltodextrin, put in 130 grams of malto, then 10 grams of flavoring agent.

FLAVORING:
The 2 major options for flavor that are the best in my opinion are: Keep in mind, its best to have a little flavoring, just enough to taste, not strong. The stronger the flavor, the more pronounced it seems to become late in the race when you are tired or its hot, etc. Just a touch of flavoring is all you need. Bland is good.

1) Crystal light: This is essentially calorie free, and only a very small amt is needed to flavor the bottle, like 1/8 teaspoon. Added advantage is that nutrasweet
increases the rate at which the fluid empties from the stomach, which
increases its rate of absorption. Sucrose, Dextrose, Fructose do not
have this property. If trying crystal light, you dont really need to lower your total amount of maltodextrin in your bottle. If you are supposed to add 140 grams to your bottle, then do that, and add in 1/8 teaspoon crystal light.

2) Powerade Powder. They sell this at the grocery store by the gatorade, etc. Gatorade endurance formula powder is an alternative but the sugar combinations in the powerade are a bit better. These flavorings are composed primarily of sucrose/dextrose. These are fine to add to your nutrition bottle in about a 10 gram amount to the entire bottle for a bit of flavor. I use powerade myself, as there is some evidence that some of these sugars do absorb by different receptors than maltodextrin (glucose) but more slowly. So, maltodextrin form of glucose is the fastest and you want the vast majority of your nutritional calories from this. Use the flavoring just as a small portion of secondary calories, mainly for flavor.

RUNNING

Decreasing the amount of grams per 20 minute dose interval or total calories per hour is an important difference in running compared to cycling. Cycling allows for higher intake of carbohydrate mostly related to the lower heart rate, and more available blood to the GI tract. Running, even sub threshold and late in exercise results in shunting of blood to the extremities, and thus less total blood pool is available for digestion. A typical term called "running ileus" has been experienced by many after long runs. Abdominal cramping after long runs due to the lack of blood in the bowel and eating a meal too soon after a long run leads to cramping and poor digestion. So, keeping this in mind, you have to decrease the carbohydrates in your running flasks during training and racing.

Decreasing the amount of maltodextrin by 3-5 grams every 20 minutes is typically fine.
You cant take as much water of course because we dont carry 28 ounce water bottles when running. I find 8 ounce flasks work best if you dont want to have to take extra water and time your nutrition cycle with the aid station to intake additional water.

For male more than 160 pounds
23 grams maltodextrin in 4 ounces. So, 46 grams total in 8 ounce flask.
If this works without bowel distress, increase to 25 grams per 4 ounce dose or
50 grams per 8 ounce flask. I would not go more than this, as when it comes to
running, more doesnt mean "better".

male 125-160 pounds:
20 grams maltodextrin in 4 ounces or 40 grams per 8 ounce flask.
If works fine on long run, can increase to 23 grams per 4 oz, or 46 g per 8 oz flask

female 110-125 pounds:
17 grams maltodextrin in 4 oz or 34 grams per 8 oz flask.
If this works, can go to 20 grams malto in 4 oz or 40 grams per 8 oz flask

female less than 110 pounds:
15 grams maltodextrin in 4 oz or 30 grams per 8 oz flask. You can get away with 15 grams in 3 onces of water if you use a 6 oz flask but 15 grams is about the limit you want to add to 3 ounces of water to absorb efficiently.

SALTS:
Male more than 160 lb add 3/4 - 1 lava salt capsule to each 8 oz flask
Male 125-160 lb add 3/4 lava salt cap in each 8 oz flask
Female 110-125 lb add 3/4 lava salt cap in each 8 oz flask
Female less than 110 lb add 1/2 lava salt cap in each 8 oz or 6 oz flask

FLAVORING:
If using Crystal light, just a small amount, about 1/16th teaspoon will suffice. Your preferred flavor.
If using Powerade or Gatorade powder, I suggest 3 grams per 8 ounce flask. This is enough to add a bit of flavor. As on the bike, you need to account for the glucose in Poweraid and Gatorade when adding. So, if you are supposed to add 40 grams total maltodextrin to an 8 oz flask, only add 37 grams of maltodextrin, then the 3 grams of additional sugar using the Powerade.

WATER INTAKE: ("normal conditions")
Male more than 160 lbs
28-32 ounces of water per hour. So in taking 3 of your 5.5 ounce doses of nutrition, you have to take an extra 14-16 ounces of water per hour or so. Therefore, you need to take in additional water as you bike through aid stations. You dont need as much water running, and as a general rule, under "normal" conditions, cut by 30% to avoid "sloshing" of water in the gut. These things absorb more slowly when running when compared to the bike so you have to account for this. When moving to the run, take in 20-24 ounces of water per hour so if you take in 12 ounces of nutrition on the run, you have to take in another 10-12 ounces of water. So, take a drink at EACH aid station on the run. Smaller frequent drinks are better than downing an entire 8 ounce cup. If of course a very hot day, you have to adjust and force as much water in as you can handle, even with a drink of gatorade every 3rd mile or so to get some additional salts.

Male 125-160 pounds. Very similar to above, just drop the total water per hour intake to around 24-24 ounces per hour (water at aid stations plus the water in your nutrition).

Females: About 20-24 ounces water per hour. This is total of water at aid stations as well as nutrition.

If you take too much water on the bike? You'll pee. Thats ok. Just dont get off of the bike to do it if you're going for a PR, Kona, or Podium slot.
If you take too much water on the run? You'll likely feel a bit bloated. Just back off a bit, even skip a water dose or 2 while running and let what you took in absorb. Its very important to stick with the nutrition plan at all costs. So, dont let taking too much water in result in you skipping a nutrition dose interval.

SUMMARY
Once you do this 2-3 times in workouts, it will become second nature
to you and mixing it up is very easy. If you dont practice your
proper nutrition during your workouts, then you get to your race and
decide to then start marking your bottles, figuring out your salt
intake..etc...then you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Cardinal rule is race how you train, esp when it comes to proper
nutrition.

Knowing how many carbs is enough can be tricky. But, a simple rule is
if you take your carbs every 20 minutes on a ride, and you dont feel
famished or overwhelmingly hungry...you're getting enough carbs.

-Dave Ciaverella

Tis the Season....to overtrain

2009-03-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday's group ride went well, considering I averaged 10 watts above my Ironman PR wattage at 280 (PR 270). So, for 62 mile ride I averaged a wattage that was only 15-20 less than my Half Ironman races, when I am in peak form.

Yup, tis the season to be over-training.

I wont be riding with the group anymore. I'll say, sure I worked a few hills, and it's tempting, but for the most part I stayed behind and my high average watts were mainly with riding off the back of the group, barely keeping up.

I threw in a 30 minute TT on Sauvie Island after the first 30 minutes and was very happy with the sustained 323 watts at 65 cadence. BUT, the remainder of the ride should have been down at the bottom of Zone 2 wattage, so my average for the ride should have been mid to high zone 2, about 50 watts below my IM wattage. I will have to be stronger and next group I hook up with, I'll have to just peel off and ride on my own. Nothing against those I ride with, but should I be working so hard to hang onto the back?

This part of the year, March, is so classic to see the over training emerge. Warm days are more frequent, and we're getting outside after long winter of spinning and riding in bad weather. We are more fit than we realize, and when we finally get out there, we want...uhhh..need, to "prove" we've done our work. We've had a great off season and are in the best shape of our lives, so we have to prove it to those we ride and run with.

Yeah, it sounds ridiculous but its true for many athletes out there. Its OK to push too hard and play around. Its OK to push the limits here and there, and compete in workouts. The most important thing to remember is appropriate rest and allow yourself to recovery. I could have ridden yesterday, but I didnt. I felt "good". That doesnt matter. Objectively, I try to see myself through the eyes of another coach watching me. What would THAT coach do if his athlete road 62 miles at near half ironman race watts....hmmm...He'd likely have that athlete rest the next day at the minimum. Well, at least I know I would. In fact, I'd have my athlete take 2 days off the legs. One full day off and maybe a swim on day 2. Then resume on day 3.
So, this is what I did. I took yesterday Sunday off. Man I wanted to spin though. But, I didnt.

This is the most difficult aspect of preparing for an Ironman, Half Ironman, or Marathon. Knowing when to rest. Understanding what recovery pace is. This is one of the primary contributions a coach can make for an athlete. Look, any of us can go out and hammer workouts, especially when we are in shape. In fact, the relative speed at which we bike or run is irrelevant. Its how we feel inside. If a 10 min per mile marathon split is your Ironman pace for the past 2-3 races....maybe you shouldnt be running your 16 miler at 9 min pace. If your PR bike power is 205 for an Ironman, uhhhh, maybe you shouldnt be averaging 270 for 65 mile rides.

Jackie Joyner Kersee, 7 Olympic medals over 4 consecutive Olympics if I remember correctly, said in an interview back in 1996. Nobody thought she could come back 16 years after her Silver in 1984, then 2 Golds in 1988. The interviewer after the long jump competition asked, "Jackie, what made the difference for you, what has your new coach done"...something along those lines. Jackie replied, "he's taught me how to rest". I'll never forget hearing that as I had just set my personal marathon best at Mens Nationals that year, at the age of 32, 8 years after my first marathon, and that season logging less miles in my prep than in the prior 2 years consecutively.

Look,
I cant get into your head. I cant be there with a rope pulling you back...although I have been known to grab onto Ann's shirt from behind during her runs, and pull on it, and tell her to slow the hell down. On the other hand, when it's time to run fast such as in super threshold work, I've barked at her to push harder, harder, harder. ANYONE can go out and run or bike as hard as they can until they bonk, and feel good that they pushed themselves to the max. But I tell you what's harder...?Knowing you can push much harder but don't. Approaching your threshold without going over....Pushing hard when you're supposed to is easy, its very easy to know what "as hard as I can" feels like. However, its difficult to know what "easy" feels like, and what "recovery" feels like. If you're out there running or cycling and you have to ask yourself, "hmmm, am I going easy enough?" You probably arent, so slow down a bit more.

Learn this. Be honest with yourself. You'll succeed or you wont. Odds are, it will be your own fault. If you fail knowing you did all you could do? Keep your head up high, you gave it your best and have nothing to regret. Then, go back and make small adjustments to improve.

The final word?
Nobody cares how you train, nobody remembers that hammer fest hill ride last March when you go for that Kona slot in June, July, or August. If you train like you're going to put together a 5:10 bike split, or run a 3:20 marathon split, then bike a 5:40 and run 4 hours guess what? THAT'S what will be remembered. You'll remember your races, not your workouts.

Workout to race, dont race the workout.

-ciav

Some words on weight

2009-03-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

So, how do you make 60x50 in the pool exciting? Well, you cant. Throwing in the use of an Ankle Band without a pull buoy from 20-30 and again at 40-50 tends to help, as you spend the majority of your time surviving and not drowning, especially with a 5 second rest interval.

My shoulders held up with this set, so probably ready to slowly increase my mileage in the pool. I will stay away from hand paddles for at least the next month. Good old fashioned push-ups in the mornings, not over-doing it, but just a few...seemed to really help the shoulder pain I've been having.

Regarding my diet over a couple days on my last post. You must remember on these days my workout loads were light. I will eat oats, rice-egg whites, etc when I need to, on intensity days and volume days. I have received more than 5 emails regarding athletes wishing to drop weight and you have to be very careful. I am attempting to get down to the weight I carried last summer for training, and my racing weight in May will be held for only about 2 weeks, then again in June. So, my 18 pound weight gain over October-December is just coming off. I am not trying to perform some miracle of weight loss. I have gone down very light in the past (148 at one point) considering I race strong at 158-160. Well, below 158 I can see the power losses and feel weak. There is a breaking point that is definitive. If you go below that, you stand a high risk of chalking up another bad race.

Cyclic eating in relation to your workout load is not something that comes easy and over-night. I have learned this over the past 18 years of being coached and in training. It takes self research, education, and most importantly a will to succeed. Now, its not all horrible. I binge, especially if going to a Trailblazers game, or out drinking with friends. But, for the most part, adherence to a relatively bland diet, and fairly limited to foods that offer me benefit is the key. Yes, and I dont love food, and food is not love for me. I eat to live. I dont live to eat. These two are important to distinguish. I eat a variety for breakfast during the week, but still very limited. My morning feedings are composed of 1 or 2 of about 6 items. Apple, Grapefruit, Whole Oat Oatmeal, Egg whites, rice, skim milk. Cup of coffee always. Now, the combination of these depends on my prior days' workout and/or the workout coming up that day. Yesterday, I only had a swim. So, 1 apple for breakfast, salad with mixed vegies and a few black beans and 3 oz chicken breast and no dressing for lunch. Protein bar in the afternoon. Today,
I have a relatively moderate ride, so 2 yogurts and 1 apple in the morning. If I had a big workout last night or a big workout to come today, likely would have been egg-whites and rice combination for breakfast.

The bottom line is taking in slightly less than you burn. Thats it. The recent major study that came out last week discusses this. They looked at multiple combinations of fat to carb to protein ratios and in ALL combinations, there was NO difference in degree of weight loss with various combination of calorie sources. So much for Adkins, L.A., SouthBeach and all the other diets out there.
The bottom line? Consume less calories then you burn and you will lose weight. There is a caviat to this and thats if you morphologically change your frame. If you put on more muscle you will gain weight. Of course, lean body mass increases and lean body mass is more important than just being "light". Too much body mass and of course you tip the scale the other direction and will hinder your performance. Keep it balanced. Eat higher percentage of carbs after long or intense workouts, keep protein at least 1 gram per kilogram body weight as a minimum while training, and always replace some calories immediately after a big workout with 3:1 Carb to protein ratio recovery drink (no not a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich) containing at least 1 gram carbs per kg body weight with proper protein ratio. So for me, I will take 75 grams carbs + 25 grams protein as a drink, within 10 minutes of long or intense workouts. These are calories you should never sacrifice. Keep total fat intake below 50 grams. Be a little hungry during the day, but after a big workout, eat and recover. Bad idea to try to intentionally lose weight on the days of 4+ hour workouts or during big training weeks. This is when recovery and building takes priority. Once you get within 2 weeks of a key race, stabilize your weight where its at and do not try to lose weight too close to your race. Treat yourself here and there and dont feel guilty about it.

Man, take a look at the pic of myself in 1996 on the right, and a pic from 2007 on the left. The 1996 race I was a lean 152 pounds, after tanking in a couple of races in the prior season when I raced at 148 pounds. As you can see, triathlon has changed me and thus the extra 8 pounds of muscle gained with all my cross training. Weights are minimal for me, a 6 week cycle once per season in Jan-Feb, then its all specific to my sport. Regardless, my 160 pound race frame today is far different than that of 10 years ago when I was a runner. Yes, you can change and adapt to better yourself for you sport. It takes time, patience, and sacrifice.

Wow, a slow start

2009-03-03T07:31:00.001-08:00

So,
I decided to register for Orlando 70.3 and Boise 70.3 this year. I dont know what it's like to not have an Ironman on the schedule as I've done at least 2 per year since 2004. Regardless, I feel my age now at 43. Nagging calf injury has prevented a proper run build as I have only run on 5 occasions in the past month. Went out for 9 easy on Sunday and it blew up again at mile 6, and thus walked in the last 3 miles.

I gave it some rest yesterday and stayed off the bike Sunday after the run. Still tight and in some spasm but I am hopeful to run short tomorrow, wed.

The swimming has gone slow with a left Deltoid strain which has bothered me since January. I am able to swim though, so happy about that, but it takes 15 min in the hot tub before and after each swim, massage, and electo-stim which I've been doing at home in the evenings.

The cylcing has gone, uhhh, average to say the least. The calf prevents giant gear work but I have been doing some climbs in my 54/23 and I have been relatively happy with my flat terrain time trialing of recent. Going into Tour of California last week, I was able to post up 208 miles in 5 days of rides, so not too bad. This is mostly because of the lack of running, so I've been incorporating a couple of extra short rides.

The weight is slowly coming off, considering I'm not really running. I weighed in at 178 lbs in January and down to 167 as of Monday this week. So, about 10 more pounds to go. I suspect I will see a change in speed on the bike as I maintain power with less weight here over the next 10 weeks. Losing weight is never easy, but it's part of the toughness that goes into this sport. Here's an example of yesterday for instance, which is a typical weekday.

Breakfast: 1 small cup yogurt, coffee
Mid morning: 1 apple
Lunch: 1 6oz bowl of chicken/rice soup, 2 small containers skim milk
Mid afternoon: Cliff Protein bar
Swim 3000
Dinner: 6oz steak, brussel sprouts, potatoes, 1 beer.
Bedtime: 4 hershey's kisses and a beer.

Today:
Breakfast: 4 eggwhites, med. coffee
Mid morning: Nothing
Lunch: Bowl soup, 1 apple, skim milk
Afternoon: cliff protein bar
Dinner: Plan is chicken breast, vegi, rice
Bedtime snack, I dont know, something small.

Yeah, I go out to breakfast, to dinner, and eat enough when having fun

So, someone asked me the other day, "dont you get hungry?" I replied "of course", I am hungry nearly all the time. So, I thought, you know...who sais we have to feel entirely full and satisfied all the time. I dont know, maybe that's a systemic problem in this country. People feel they have to feel "satisfied" all the time. This is the credit generation, soon to be moving to the cash generation, so I suppose we deserve what we get. Driving around last Christmas in Ohio, seeing run down nearly slum condition housing, with 50" flat screen televisions throughout their windows...no not once, but several houses and I made comments on this as we were driving. This is just sad. People just dont want to work for anything worthwhile anymore, entitlement and this feeling that we deserve things...what ever happened to lay-away. We want everything now....I dont get it. This generation is in for a rude awakening when the 4 trillion in total spending over the past year and over next year comes back to haunt us. Trust me, there is no bail out by the wealthy and if you think so, you need a bit of self-education. Even with the proposed 8% tax increase and elimination of the home interest deduction, which is virtually the only deduction on those incomes over 200k, we will generate a whopping 90 billion...and thats a generous estimate. So we bring the troops home...another 100 billion per year...are we getting close to the 4 Trillion spending yet? Yes it's sad...and its from the top down. We as a society count on debt, we live for debt and sustaining our perceived standard of living, of which most of us havent worked for. That's ok, we are Americans..we are entitled.

Dont get me wrong, I personally dont know anyone like this. We are triathletes...we are ironman athletes. We dont expect anyone to pick us up and carry us when things get difficult. That's the nature of the athlete. Unfortunately, we make up less than 1% of the poplulation. I am all in when it comes to helping others out, especially in a crisis. But helping someone up if they stumble is far different than carrying them.

Ok, I was getting onto a rant, sorry. The point is, yes, I feel hungry alot. I am not starving, or I'd eat. I just have a low grade hunger that seems to be there most of the day until dinner. That's ok. You get used to it. You get accustomed to the feeling that you arent completely fulfilled, and dont need to be. Its about some self-sacrifice, for the greater goal.

So, my 3k swim yesterday was simple
30 X 100 on 20 seconds rest. This is painful. Once you get to 20, at my maximum mental fatigue and desire to quit and just warm down a 1000...5 more, that's enough, I'll cool down and pull 500. No, instead I decided to drop the rest to 10 seconds, keeping the pace the same for the final 5. You have got to find ways to increase your tolerance to fatigue. I dont mean go out and overtrain, but approaching the limit mentally in a workout, ensuing fatigue in an insidious method, ever so slowly approaching that limit.
What's harder, 6 X 500, 30 X 100 or 60 X 50. They are all the same arent they? Well, I've done them all on numerous occasions and the 60 X 50 is the most difficult. Its all in the mind. Acceptance that what seems overwhelming by numbers is not only possible, but probable. On race day, conditions, or health of the athlete may make the goal seem only conceivable, when in fact, it may be probable.

Tour of California Stage 8

2009-02-22T20:04:00.001-08:00

Ann and I decided to cancel our Sunday flight, then drive the 3 hours to Mt Palomar summit, the king of mountain finale in stage 8 of Tour of California, a 5200 ft climb, 11 miles. It was well worth it to see the pain on those guys faces. Notably, got good shot of Lance Armstrong (Astana, yellow helmet), putting the hurt on those around him. However, Levi Leipheimer was in the break, 2 minutes ahead at the summit and believe me, if Lance could have gone with him he would have. So this doesnt mean he's not competitive, as it's only February and Lance has never been in top shape this time of year. As well, he led out the Astana peleton throughout the race while Levi drafted behind him, so yes, Lance probably did more work overall in the race, so he should be tired. Check out the pic of the guy with the Guinness shorts. This is Shawn Wallace, a co-teammate on Guinness Cycling Team. Shawn has won world TT championships, masters division...twice. He pedalled up the 5200 ascent on Palomar today on a beach cruiser...carrying a surfboard. And...the 4 other guys on road bikes got left behind. That is strong! For those of you who dont know cycling...no...they arent reading the newspaper as they crest the top of the mountain. Spectators hand the cyclists news paper, of which they then stuff in their jerseys for extra insulation as they descend the 14 miles off the summit.

Tour of California Stage 7

2009-02-21T19:20:00.001-08:00

Final pics, Tour of Cali Stage 7. Will miss stage 8.

Tour of California Stages 5 and 6

2009-02-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Some more pics...Stage 5, over 130 miles and you can guess the stage 6 photos, the Salvang Time Trial. Leipheimer, Armstrong, Rogers, Voigt, Hamilton, and a few other shots in the TT. I was fortunate, a rep from Columbia High Road saw me taking pics. Came over to me and said, "you look like you know what you're doing, would you mind getting some pics of the Columbia team?" He then gave me freedom to go out into the middle of the course with the cyclists coming right at me and take photos. As well, he flagged the chase vehicles around me...yeah it was funny to see the media badge photographers kept off the course while I was allowed exclusive pics. So...yeah, every now and then the little guy wins out.

Tour of California Stage 4

2009-02-18T20:22:00.001-08:00

Wow, I am not a cyclist. But, I love this sport. This morning, walking around before the start, the athletes pedalling around, Landis, Hamilton, Gaimon, Hincapie, etc. so easily mingling around with the fans. It was cool. WAY different than the Tour de France where they isolate the athletes. Here, they were just mingling around on their bikes. All except Armstrong. Man...you gotta have some pitty for this guy. There were about 200 kids surrounding the Astana trailer just waiting for him to step out. This guy is bigger than a movie star. At the 60 mile mark of today's 116 mile stage I was waiting on the side of the road for the cyclists. (See the pic with the line of Team Astana and Team Garmin). Two people stepped in front of my camera to get shots of the 3 sprinters going for the sprint points, 4.5 minutes ahead of team Astana and the rest of the peleton. Both people stated, "wow, did you see lance!!". I turned to them and said, do you know what colors Lance has on? Do you know what team he is on? (All 3 sprinters were in black and white kits). They both said to me, no....but Lance was there right? Man that's sad. These people dont even take the time to get a program to see what team Lance is on so they dont look like fools chearing and taking pics of the sprinters thinking Lance is one of them. Only in California. Well, he's probably good for the sport though....people are out here in droves.

Some Pics I took today at Tour of California, Stage 4: Merced to Clovis

Memories of a tough day IMCDA 2006

2009-02-06T23:28:00.000-08:00

Bob Morris
47 year old from Boise, ID region.
I took Bob on last season on a recommendation from another athlete, and happy I did. I have never met Bob, but in coaching, after awhile, you've feel like you know someone.
I am now coaching athletes from 9 different states, and it's good to know the diversity out there....as well as the similarities when in comes to misperceptions on training for endurance racing.
Some of Bob's races in his first coached season:

Snake River Canyon 1/2 Marathon, 2008: 1:22:16, 1st in age group

Boise Ironman70.3, 2008
Personal Best at the Half Ironman distance of 4:56, good enough for a 4th M45 AG podium spot and qualifier for Clearwater World Championships

Clearwater 70.3 World Championships 2008
Swim: 29:17
Bike: 2:28 (PR)
Run: 1:31
Overall: 4:34, a personal best by 22 minutes.

A run of 1:31 at age 47 is quite impressive. Whoa...and a 1:22 open half marathon!
Overall Bob, I know you had a bad race or two in 2008, but a great season overall and always good to finish it off with another Personal Best.

Bob is racing IMCDA in June, and coming off a productive season, will be right up there in his age group. Train wise and get strong!

IMCDA
I decided to look back on a blog I wrote for IMCDA back in 2006, that seems like so long ago to me. Well, its long, but these were my thoughts after the race.

CDA 06
The good: Kona third consecutive, I am pretty damn lucky. Podium 2nd straight. Thats just guts.
The bad: Temps hit triple digits. Felt like kona, only hotter. One of the highest drop out rates of any Ironman other than Wisconsin in 2005.
The ugly: Not a good idea to start and IM on a nagging injury.
What the hell, my parents, sister, best friend from high school all flew out to watch. I had to start. I had to finish for Ann. I want to be holding her hand treading water in Kona in October.

Some stats:
4800 ft of climbing on the bike. Still the same course with mulitple switch backs on the downhill and 90 degree turns at the bottom of most of the hills. Too many to count slow 90 degree turns on the flats.
Temps: 60's at the start, high 80's by the 70 mile mark on the bike, 97-100 at 4pm depending what part of the course you were on.
Wind: Negatively affected everyone. Wing out of the NE is the worst case condition for CDA. You are with the wind through the heavely wooded trees on the hills, and get no benefit. Then the 12 mile stretch along the highway and back to town it is wide open and exposed. We had 15 with 20 mph gusts for the first 12 mile span, 10-15 mph on the second loop.

This was the first IM I have attempted while injured, and it went as well as I could have hoped considering. I felt strong going into the race, except hamstring twinging as I walked around. Right quad still sore to touch at the start.

Start: 7am, already in the 60's. Record mass start, I think just under 2300
panic attack insued after 4-5 contiguous mouthfulls of water. When I let up to breast stroke, another mouth full as I was taking a big breath, then people swimming over me. I thought "you gotta be kidding, I am going to drop at the start". That was a split second thought, then I told myself to take control, calm down, just get out of the way. I breast stroked about 10-15 yards wide for about a minute, slowly caught my breath, then started swimming. I kept it wide, by myself the entire race. PR'd at 106 with a neg. split second half.

T1: PR, no problems. The tape straps on the aero helmet saved some hassel and time. Foot powder in socks allowed for extremely easy slip on.

Bike: Very crowded for about 2 miles. Ave speed around 16. By mile 20 I was up over 23. Hamstring was tight from the first 5 miles or so, but stable. Just like in my workouts. Hills were no problem for me. I dropped my ave to 22.8 going into the head wind. Then dropped speed to 18-20 for 40 minutes to stay within 5 beats into zone 2 through the wind. By the time I got to special needs at mile 62, my speed ave was back up to 22.5, which didnt matter because my hamstring was pulling tighter and tighter. I had decided to pull back and shoot for around a 5:15 so I could hopefully finish the marathon. I was worried at this point, so at mile 70 in the second set of hills, I pulled back, coasting and stretching on every single downhill. I dropped my pace to something in the 20's which dropped my ave down to mid 21's. I was happy with this because even though my leg felt painful, it was stable. The rest of my body was ready to race, and I am certain a sub 5 hour would have been on this day, but that's life. You take it like it is, adjust your goals if you have to. My Quad? I never remember thinking about it once I got racing.

As the temps climbed to 90 my entire head and face became very hot. Major problem with Aero helmet is no ventilation. I mean major problem. I was spraying water on my face at every station to try to cool off. I will take it to kona, but doubt I will wear it. Heat dissipation from your head is a primary source for cooling your core in hot weather. The bike geeks that create these great accessories arent concerned with minor details like that. I am sure its great in a wind tunnel and a 25K though. Urinated 5 times on the first loop, 3 on the second. Never got out of aero position during this...I have this one down.

T2: On PR pace but I took 30 seconds to stretch my leg out on the grass. I was worried just jogging into the tent. Quad felt ok considering the pain at the start, I was pretty happy with that.
Came out of T2 with around a 5 minute PR. Pretty happy considering the big slow down the final 40 miles

Run: Tried to run 7:30's for the first 4 miles to "test" the leg. Failed the test. Leg just got tighter and tighter. I calculated quickly in my head that if I could hold onto 8 min pace I would probably get a podium slot. I slowed to 8's, held for about 4 more miles and the pain returned but a little worse. Slowed to 8:30 and figured if I held I would be around 10 hours or so, and that should get the kona slot, but no podium. My only goal at this point was to get to kona to start with Ann. This is the single reason I stayed in this race. I knew I would not be ready for Canada if I didnt get a slot here, as my leg would take 2-3 weeks to heal after this one.
I was dumping ice down the back of my shorts, and water over my head by mile 6. This is the first time I urinated while running. I am pretty sure it was the cup-fulls of ice on the perineum from dumping it down my shorts. I will talk to a nephrologist about this next week. I urinated 4 times on the run.
Now the temps are around 95 at my mile 12. I start to bonk mentally, physically, spiritually, ect. I thought, "not another kona 04". Then just talked myself down and told myself it was ok. I just slowed down and ran 3 Ten minute miles. Took an expresso GU at mile 13 and my drink at 15. Took a drink of chicken broth at mile 13. Took a full glass of water at each. Then resumed my routine.

By mile 16 I was running 8:30 min miles again. Leg hurt but I figured I needed to get to mile 22 so I could be in the positon to pass all those dying in my age group the final 4 miles.
I saw Ann at mile 17, I think she was at 10. She looked great the first time I saw her. I was coming back from the 6 mile mark and she was at mile 2. Only 4 miles behind me. She yelled "will you be upset if I dropped" I yelled back "drop, you're already in Kona, this is not the day". Then I repeated that to make sure she heard me. A group I was passing as I yelled this said "she is already in kona? What the hell is she doing out here!" Our goals for Ann were to PR, not to beat yourself up and end up with a 2 month recovery just to get a podium slot. She's already been there, and its not a big deal. A PR in kona is extremely unlikely, but you still have to be able to train just to run within 30-60 min. of your PR there. I found out later her hamstring and calf were hurting... she made the right decision. This is just part of her evolution as a very young, second season athlete. Its very hard mentally, but you have to have the discipline to know when to stop. Most dont have this, and most dont have this when training unfortunately. I think I have some handle on it but I am not perfect. It took me 15 years to understand this concept, and out of around 25 marathons, I have dropped 3...its tough. I dropped out of the Wineglass marathon at mile 21 when I was in 3rd overall back in 1995, I know how tough it is. Then came back to finish 18 at mens marathon nationals a few months later. She'll be OK...even though we found out later she was 2nd in her AG when she dropped and was gaining room on 3rd.

All I thought about from mile 16-22 was "get to 22...just get to 22". When I got there, I "took off". This is more of a mental thing. I took off, meaning I held pace as I was passing everyone walking. And I mean almost everyone. It made me think how many people changed their race day stategy because of the heat. Newby-Fraser's response when someone asked her in the pre-race meeting about soduim? She said she took 2 caps of sodium every other mile on the run in a race once, and temps were in the 60's. What the hell is she talking about...taking a concentrated solution only delays absorption of carbs if the osmolality becomes too high (over 300). Thus you have to pump water into your bowel to dilute the solution, which can further dehydrate you. If its hot, taking more salts doesnt lead to increased absorption. In fact, taking too much sodium is much worse then taking too little. Coaches should know this, world class athletes should know this. I wonder how many people bonked, and took way too much sodium because it was hotter than usual. Its a bonking cycle. Your kidneys sense high salt in the blood they then preferably reabsorb water and excrete the sodium, and then you stop urinating.

Anyway, when I came across those in my age group the final 10K, I asked in a friendly way "it this your second loop?" to every 40-44 yr old I passed. If they said yes, I would reply "just bring it home man, its almost over". I passed 14 on their second loop in my age group in the final 4 miles. 8 of them in the final 2 miles. Either walking or running 12 min pace.

As I knew at the 12 mile mark. The kona slot would be taken in the final 4-6 miles of the race. I knew this because I saw people on their second lap walking already, those that kicked my butt in the swim and bike. I saw 4 guys walking at the 23 mile mark when I was at 18, 5 miles behind them, and I caught them at mile 25. All 4 were in my age group. The kona slot is either taken in those final miles, or you have to be strong enough to hold your slot and maintain pace in those final miles.

Thats what it will come down to. If you have a shot at a slot, never give up. Always adjust if you have to so you are ready for that final 10K. If you are bonking, you have to know, and catch it early, and slow way down and fix the problem. Get yourself ready to run that final 10K. This is the only part of the race that's reality.

Number 5 for me in 2 years. It doesnt get any easier. If Kona is a good day, I will hammer. If not, I wont. Figuring out what a "good day" is at Kona is the key. This is what I will teach Ann this summer.

So, yeah my blog that day was long, and I cut a couple parts out to not totally bore you! It's important to jot down thoughts soon after a race, your mind is in a state of flux then, and its a good time to get things off your mind. Ann...yeah, it was this year, 2006 in her first Kona event she ran 3:28 Marathon split. Its good she dropped CDA that year. I remember she was running her next 18 mile long run about 10 days after she dropped CDA. She became stronger than ever in the run a month or so later...this is how she broke 3:30 in the marathon...at Kona.

-ciaverella

Sacrifice, Balance, and Entropy

2009-01-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

Balance and Entropy, two opposing concepts often forgotten or unrecognized in training. Entropy is a measure of disorder, and everything in the universe trends toward disorder, or an increase in entropy. Balance is the result of opposition to entropy and result of equal and opposed forces in nature that counteract each other to achieve sustainability in a system.

What does this have to do with triathlon?

Well, I dont know, but I like to hear myself talk sometimes.

We have to fight this natural tendency to drift toward disorder, and decrease the entropy in our lives. In training, it's so tempting to push to a level of discomfort that results in diminished returns or injury. Its easy to see from a coaches vantage point, but as the athlete, its very difficult to recognize it in yourself. Time trial intervals on the bike for example. Why is it necessary to try to constantly achieve a higher level from one workout to the next? Its our innate response to embrace discomfort, believing this is where improvement occurs.

This is partially true. There is indeed a level of suffering and risk that comes with training to achieve a goal, especially a high goal. However, when training intervals day after day, week after week, I dont make attempts to improve power to the point of diminished returns. Rather, I try to have some degree of forsight, and knowing with patience, the power at a given distance and cadence will com... eventually. Working to that point takes determination and willingness to accept where I am at today, and making minimal increments of advancement. I try to achieve very similar degree of power at a given distance week to week, but most importantly, my primary goal is to feel more comfortable at that power. At the point where I feel comfortable to the point of a complete lack of lactate accumulation, I then consider an increase...not necessarily in power, but in time at that power.

This is a method of trying to maintain orderly progression in training, and to decrease the natural tendency to create disorder in our environment, and of course decrease the amount of entropy as we progress toward our goal.

PHEONIX ROCK AND ROLL MARATHON

So, I ran the rock and roll marathon in Pheonix this past Sunday. Well, not really. I injured my calf slipping on ice nearly 3 weeks ago. My calf went into spasm and more like a severe cramp, didnt recover from the run. I took 5 days off, then attempted to run, and lasted 2 miles before spasm ensued. So, I began a more aggressive therapy of ice, compression, rest, ultrasound, electo-stim and massage. These seemed to improve the calf over the following week. I didnt attempt to run at all before the marathon because my primary goal then became helping an athlete of mine get to his goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon. He needed a 3:20, and missed it in October at Detroit marathon with a 3:39. So, with only two 18 mile runs since detroit, and training all runs on treadmill except long runs, he was here to attempt again. I figured I would meet him at mile 20 and run him in. So, it was important to keep my calf healthy to assure I could run 7:30 pace for 6 miles.

I met him at mile 19, which was as close to 20 as I could find considering the huge crowds and limited access to the course. He looked good as I started running, and was in a 3:20 pace group of about 8-10 athletes. We ran together and over the next 2-3 miles I could feel him deteriorating rather rapidly, which wasnt unexpected given his long runs have been limited. At 22 it became quite difficult and I could see him struggling to mainatain pace. I told him to hit his split on his watch and we would just run a two mile segment. Only goal is to do the next 2 miles in 15 minutes, that's it. I began talking about Boston, and the experience of waiting in Hopkington before the race start, the Newton hills, Welsley college, the fire station, and of course the final stretch on Boylston. At mile 23 or so my calf blew up quickly, over the course of a half mile or so, and by 24 was in severe spasm to the point I thought I'd have to stop.

I glanced over and realized Eric was struggling more, and the pace group was down to 3-4 athletes. He was breathing quite hard, limping a bit, arms becoming more sporadic, and knees bounding more. I tried to talk him down, "relax your knees and shuffle", "relax the arms", "try to stay smooth". All this...and I am still uncertain if he even heard me. I told him, 2 miles is "nothing" and he's done this hundreds of times during training. I told him to find a focal point. This got us to 25.

The struggle became worse as we crossed 25 both for me and him, but he was in a different kind of pain, not a simple calf, but a whole body pain that we've all felt toward the end of a race. I tried to play on my previous talk on the Boston experience and started barking at him. "Man..you are not letting this slip away from you", "DO NOT let this go!", and "come on man, I know you're stonger!" His only response was a grunt here and there and that deep moan on the exhalation when your body just doesnt want to go on.

We ran stride for stride for the next half mile or so and yeah, it was a long 4minutes. In that final half mile, it was more like a daze for him. We've all competed in that dream-state before, and I think this was the first time Eric was in this "zone". Another deep moan I remember as we approached 26. As we turned to 26, another 7:30 mile, and saw the finish line ahead, he started to pick it up.

We turned the final corner and there ahead, the finish line. I put my hand on his back and pushed him from behind and said something like, "it's yours man...now go take it!"

He accelerated. He crossed the line in 3:19.18, his personal best, and he qualified for Boston.

We high fived at the line, we high fived again, a brief hug, and a huge sigh of relief.

Understand, Eric has no real running history. He is not the traditional runner in the sense that many triathletes are. For him, a Boston qualifier is a season goal and important to him. I remember my first Boston, and how important it was to me. I understand why the race is the "Mecca" of marathons, and I understand why it's so important for Eric to get there.

I cant tell you how satisfying it is to be a part of someones goal. To make a difference. Eric didnt really need me directly in his goal, dont get me wrong, but he did need someone there to show him how to approach the pain threshold, and excel beyond it. This is one of those moments I will never forget as an athlete. To be there in the moment as another achieves. This was one of the most memorable runs of my career.

Why was running the final miles of this race so important to me? Why did I go down there knowing I couldnt race? Because this race was not about me.

It was about finding the balance.

No Pain No Gain

2008-12-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to several competing in California International Marathon this past weekend. No athlete reaching their goal, but each set personal bests, even Darin at age 41. Preparing yourself for a goal, and giving yourself the best chance by solid training to reach that goal will always put you in grasp. Even though these times were about 4-5 minutes each from their goals, all had good races and all should be proud. With good training, sometimes you may not reach your goal, but still may set a personal best trying.

Jay Cech, 2:36
Darin Shields, 3:07
Julie Bergenser, 3:25
Angela Shields, 3:34

Good article from ironman.com on Jason Lester and his recent finish of Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii.

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/dawn-henry-profiles-hawaiis-jason-lester

NO PAIN NO GAIN
TRAIN INSANE, OR YOU'LL REMAIN THE SAME

These are statements I saw on 2 shirts at the club on Monday. It made me think...train insane? What the hell does that mean?

I think many athletes feel this means going to your maximum in workouts day after day until you blow yourself up. You'll never see these athletes on the podium I'm sorry to say...it's just the way it is.

I think I do train insane, dont get me wrong. I think it's insane to do the same 12 mile flat loop on an island outside of Portland, twice per week, week after week, doing virtually the same intervals, same cadence, same power.

Try spinning on the trainer when it's sunny outside because you have a specific workout goal to accomplish that day.
Try running on the treadmill twice per week when its 80 and sunny, to achieve specific workouts unobtainable outdoors.
Try riding the same exact course for 6 months straight.
Now talk to me about insane.

Methodical preparation is something you have to be willing to do in order to gain the most out of your physiology for ironman training. This may translate into missing that 100 mile epic ride with the roadies. It may mean training by yourself, in isolation, so you can control your impulses to win the hill climb that day, or keep up in front in zone 3 for a 5 hour ride. It may mean you have to drop off pace 2-3 miles into an 18 mile long run to run your own pace and not get caught up in "half stepping", which I commonly see in running.

Its about relentless preparation. It's painful to control yourself in workouts, and finishing knowing you can do more, but dont. As a coach, its about knowing what works best for most people, not weeding out the 2 or 3 best out of 25 by driving everyone into the ground to see who sinks or swims. Its about evolving in minimal increments, not huge steps, and repeating repeating repeating...the same thing week after week. Not constantly pushing to a higher level so much...but to feel more comfortable at that same level you were in a few weeks back.

Its not about pushing beyond your limits in a workout 3, 5, 7 months before the A race.
Its about feeling comfortable at a power and pace that you can repeat week after week with only slight incremental increases.
Its about knowing 95% of your competitors are likely over training, repeating the same mistakes season after season.

If an athlete who has a personal best an hour in front of you, and who races nearly every ironman more than 30 minutes in front of you....when you pass him during a tempo ride, hammer them on a hill, fly by on an interval, run 30 sec per mile faster on a run...the question is

What are they doing that I'm not...
Not...I'm blowing them away in this workout, that means I'll smash my PR on raceday.

Click on the photo I placed of my run at ITU long course worlds this past summer. I can tell you I was hurting and I dont remember ever reaching that level of pain and suffering during a workout this year. When I am having a good race, I invite the level of pain that has to be endured. I know I can get to that level, especially if I know I've prepared properly going in. The methods are not that complicated...

Its not about working to your limits in your workouts week after week.
Its about racing beyond your limits on race day.

Ironman Western Australia

2008-12-07T03:57:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Erica McKenzie!

Erica posted a 10:52 at Ironman Western Australia this weekend. This is a 17 minute personal best for Erica, her PR of which I believe was on this same course last year. This was good enough for 11th in the AG, which is strong considering this is one of the more competitive ironman events in the world, drawing athletes from all over Australia for an early Kona qualifier. Erica's twin sister, Fiona at 11:32 in her first ever ironman race was also impressive. It looked like headwind played a factor in the run as times for the first split heading south were up to 1 min per mile faster then the splits when turning and running back in the north direction. I am sure this resulted in some havoc on the course!

Ann's F35 AG course record on this course from her 2007 race was nearly broken, and we thought would be shattered by the top woman posting a 5:09 bike split off a 57 minute swim. However, as holds true in most IM events, the marathon is what defines the race and she didnt hold on in the marathon. However, a 9:56 remains an ultra fast time for F35 AG winner in this race.

The mens 40 AG winner shattered the field with an 8:43...another Australian. But the times trickled off quickly from there, 9:14 of which was 3rd in the division. The M40winner at a 12th overall finish was quite impressive.

Female amateurs routed many of the pro's which is becoming more and more common, taking 8th, 9th, and 10th overall this year.

Congrats again Erica..and coming off a marathon race 6 weeks ago!

Lester Finishes Ultraman World Championships

2008-11-30T21:22:00.001-08:00

Shot I took of Jason at Ironman Hawaii last October, out on the lava flats at sunset.

So, I'll be brief in this writing, but Jason has completed Ultraman Hawaii World Championships.
Swim 6.2 miles
Bike 260 miles, total of 26,000 feet ascent
Run 52.4 miles down one of the hottest courses on earth. The ironman hawaii bike course.

I'll post Jasons race report and allow him to detail his race. He had some struggles and pitfalls as would be expected in a race of this duration. Swimming through a large pack of jellyfish (pack?) and getting stung all over his neck right off the bat was his first "test". After being pulled out of the water because of breathing difficulty from the stings, he heard the safety boat calling 911 for coast guard assistance to pick him up. Jason asked why they were doing this. They told him, "your out, your not going to be able to complete the swim"...something like that he said. Without hesitation, he got up, jumped off their boat, and just started swimming. 2 hours behind many in the race by the finish, made his way onto the bike.
90 miles and 17,000 feet of ascent off the swim on day 1. On the flat and downhill stretches, he was unable to get into his big gear as the cable broke.

Day 2, Final stretches of the 171 mile 8000+ foot ascent, cross winds up to 60 mph and rain. Gripping the bike with the use of only one arm, barely holding his bike on the road his crew told me, finished the ride...exhausted.

Day 3, after the preceding day, to get up and run 52.4 miles on a road cutting through the lava flats, over 100 degree temps. Throbbing headache develops around mile 20 or so, and on checking with crew around mile 40....no relief in the headache. Still, he manages to gut it out and finish.

This was all you Jason. You and you alone.

I can't imagine.

Ultraman Hawaii

2008-11-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

Good luck Jason, down in Hawaii to run the ultraman this weekend! 3 Ironman races, plus the swim and run legs of Ultraman Canada in the past year, culminating to winning his division at ironman world championships this past October. He has trained his mind well for this event.

Jason is striving to be the first AWAD athlete ever to complete the Ultraman. He's certainly ready for the 10k swim and the 224 mile bike shouldnt pose a problem. Running from Hawi, the turn-around at IM hawaii, to Kailua Kona, 56 miles along the highway in the sun, will be the most challenging thing he's ever done however. This will not be easy, and will be the beyond the most difficult thing he's every done.

Send him some positive vibes this weekend, esp Sunday...please everyone.

This race means alot to Jason, as I believe it's become a metaphor for the struggles he's had throughout life. When you think you've had problems...talk to this guy sometime, and you realize it's not ever as bad as it could be.

Yet, Jason has found a road leading to success despite his struggles. He has found himself, and his identity in this sport.

He will finish. He has to...he will get to that finish line.

Jason, its been a long road and we've had our struggles in molding my coaching to your goals and preconceived beliefs on training. I am happy we met that day back in December at IM Western Australia and you've become like a brother to me, and this is why I am harsh on you at times. I dont sugar-coat things, and you know that all to well. This race will be tough and you're going somewhere you've never been...but you've got what it takes. I've seen it more than once.

Good luck Jason. Lay it out there.

http://www.chasingmemovie.com/news/

Coaching, it isnt for everyone

2008-11-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

Last week was fair to average, 28 miles in for the first week back. Solid 8 miler in Sunday, running 50 minutes at Z3/4. This is by chance. I dont really run too much with a focus in zones when training for marathon. Well..I do, but not too fanatical about it. I have "caps" of which I try to stay under. My cap for Sunday's run, because I was running a bit of a tempo, was 148-150 HR. I stayed under this and if I started to drift over 150, I would simply slow down. Now, I dont really care if I was in Z2, 3 or 4..I just didnt want to run in Z5. How do I know I was aerobic? Well, I did a few surges in the first mile to get my HR up to the junction of Z3/4, 140. Then, I stabilized my pace. My pace remained the same for then next 40 minutes and my HR drifted slowly from 140 to 148, then upon hitting 150, I slowed about 15 sec per mile and that brought my HR down fairly quickly to 142, at which it remained for the remainder of the run. So, my original fixed pace was likely very slightly above that at which I could metabolize lactate in equilibrium with production. Thus, my HR drifting upward. The very slow drift however tells me that I was damn near equilibrium. Slowing down a bit tipped me under this, and I was able to metabolize lactate faster than production, and my HR thus dropped back to Z3/4 in a minute or so after adjusting pace.

These trends in HR and the subtleties of this is something that is difficult for many to get a grasp on. Its not that it takes years of running and paying close attention to HR, but rather patience and being astute to the reactions your HR has to various intensities.

One final thing on this. If I had run just under that line of breaking down lactate faster than I was producing...could I have just kept running at that pace? No.
Performance, especially aerobic sustainability is not dependent solely on Lactate. Otherwise, we could just run in Zone 1 for hours and hours. A myriad of enzymes are utilized in the metabolic processes involved in sustained muscular work, and these are limited processes which lead to eventual muscular fatigue and recruitment. Glucose availability is another factor. But...if we sustain high blood glucose levels and run slow can we sustain? No. Glucose availability will lengthen the duration of muscle to sustain work, but it too is limited eventually by many other factors that diet, hydration..even at optimum levels..cant overcome. Working out at a gradual level, progressively over time, can increase many of these enzymes and thus lengthen our ability to sustain pace. This is about the only way. Old fashioned work. Not necessarily intensity, but duration and frequency.

Coaching

How do you know you've found the right coach? You dont for quite awhile sometimes. Coaching comes with trust and all coaches and philosophies arent right for everyone.
However, I have found that you have to make a choice on what type of coach you want to be. Personally, I have no problems with coaches that coach multiple different methods for their various athletes. This can work for beginners to elite. These coaches you'll find are typically trying to make a living on coaching, and thus will take on every single athlete that approaches them. This is not a bad thing, but not my thing.

My coaching philosophy is simplistic. I coach to help others reach their goals, but I do it my way, not theirs. That's it.

I dont care about what others tell me regarding other coaches around if consistent results arent obviously apparent. I dont care about other nutrition strategies, or other philosophies of coaches who have never run an ironman, or who have never run well in an ironman. This is not to say that you cant coach if you cant perform or have never run an ironman well. But...I feel there are very few triathlon coaches like this. Very few. Teaching the fundamentals of any sport is not that difficult, and can be learned by anyone if they care to learn. However, knowing what it takes to achieve personal gratification is something that is very difficult unless you, as a coach, have lived it yourself.

So, my coaching is simple. I coach 1 method. I will bend either direction, but the center will always remain the same. I coach the methods I myself have discovered, as well as what I have learned from those that are far better than I. Not slower than me, but far better. I did have a fair amount of resistance from some athletes this season regarding philosophy. Mostly those that have been under the influence of other coaching or by reading one or more of the numerous "guide to triathlon success" books out there. If you as an athlete cannot make the transition to accept my methods, then you need to look for another coach. If you feel you are constantly struggling with the plan, look for another coach. Many coaches will compromise to what their athletes are accustomed to, and alter themselves to what the athlete is comfortable with. I will not compromise my beliefs for a price. I dont care about the money, and I am not in this for the money. I am in it for one primary reason. To take a person to another level. To show them they can.

I had 23 consistent athletes this past 2008 season. I had 21 personal bests in half IM or full IM events, and sent 6 to IM Hawaii. I had several athletes set personal bests in each and every distance of triathlon. Those that followed, those that listened...really listened...found some success. I of course was not happy with most of my athlete's performances this year. Despite reaching goals, many athletes still fell short of following the plan adequately, with regards to workouts, intensity, duration, as well as nutrition both in terms of recovery and race-day, core work, stretching and flexibility, and finally race day execution.

I believe that most athletes followed these very well, and those that followed the plan with even greater detail, had better success.
I know most of my athletes, despite PR's this year, have more in them. I know they can reach higher. Not one of them has reached their potential.

A constant dilemma with triathletes comes down to the personality that is drawn to the sport. Those that are type A, goal oriented people tend to drift to the sport. This drive is an advantage in many circumstances, and in fact is my own personality trait. However, over the years of being coached I have struggled with, and eventually learned to resist what I think is right verses what my coach is telling me.
Ironman is most difficult to control this behavior because it's a tremendous accomplishment and many driven athletes want to find their own way. Yes, it can make the journey and the end result more gratifying knowing an athlete got there in their own way. I understand this, because in the beginning, I got there my own way. For the first 2 seasons, I did it my way. Then the evolution of trying other methods occurred, by reading the 2 most widely used training books out there, subscribing to the triathlon magazines, on-line training methods, swimming coaches, etc. Now, I did improve but not by much. It was not until I found my personal coach, one that was seasoned in the sport and far better than I, that I realized the many misconceptions in my knowledge in training and more importantly, executing on race day.
So I understand an athlete's dilemma at times. They want the knowledge of a coach, or more accurately, want to know what that coach's ideas are. But then, there is a discontinuity that occurs. They infold their own training styles or that of another athletes' program into their new coach's methods. This then undermines the entire process and carries a high risk of fall out before or on race day.

So, if you are going to hire a coach, dont waste your time and money unless you are ready to be coached. If you want to find your own way, then enjoy the journey.

-ciaverella

Lets Go!

2008-11-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

So, here is my schedule since Kona.

Oct 13-27th
Zero. Nothing. Gained 7 pounds eating whatever I wanted and copious drinking of beer.
Plan is to run the Rock and Roll marathon Jan 18 in Pheonix, qualify for Boston, then go have some fun at that one. Ann qualified for Boston from her 3:32 at IM Kona but she will run anyway to get the feel for an open marathon, which she's never done.

Oct 28-Nov 1
T = 20 min road run 9 min pace
W = 20 min treadmill run, 7:30 pace
T = 40 min road run 8 pace
F = Off
S = Off run. Raced our annual "beer crit", an off road bike and beer chug race. Ouch.
S = 20 min road run, 8 min pace

Nov 2 - 8
M = 32 min treadmill, 8:30, 8:00, 7:30, 7:00 each mile
Begin Leg Weights today, 2 sets
T = 15 min Treadmill run, 7:45, then 7:15 each mile
Leg weights, single set
W = 48 min treadmill, 8 min pace.
4:00 wu, then 6x2min at same pace, progressive incline
on each pair, 5%, 6%, 8% each with 4 min rest between.
Then, 12 min cd. 6 miles total.
T = Off
F = Plan 6 mile Treadmill progressive pace at 0% incline
First 2 miles, 7:40, second 2 in 7:20, then 5th in 7
and final mile 6:40
S = Off
S = 8 mile outdoor run, easy 8 min pace or slower

So, I a gladly going with some running again. I dont feel I'll be in any running fitness to run well at Pheonix, but goals are to run sub 3:20 for Boston which should be fairly easy for me, unless injury or some other unforseen event occurs.

-ciav

2008-10-28T00:10:00.000-07:00

Some pics from IM Hawaii. Great swim pics this year. I'll post some of Ann when I get them.
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Some Afterthoughts

2008-10-21T00:36:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Dave Lowe, M60 AG, in his first Kona finish. This has been a long season for Dave and I only hope he realizes what he's done. He's qualified for, raced, and completed the notorious IM Hawaii race, at age 62. Kelly Hovland on her way to completing the double with xterra worlds this weekend. Kelly didnt have a good race at Kona due to variable factors, one of which may be her coach, but she prevailed on a very tough day for her, and like my race in 2004, I am certain she in retrospect see will this as one of her finest races ever. Jason Lester, who realized during the race, and the days following, that you can never do an Ironman "as a workout". Sure he is in his prep for Ultraman Hawaii next month, but...you cant do an Ironman as a workout. Its always a major endeavor.

Most importantly, I give all credit to my season to my coach Olaf Sabatschus. Yeah I did the work but I cant emphasize enough on the knowledge and guidance I gained over the past 18 months. As I told some friends, this season was more of an experiment for me. To attempt a very busy racing schedule without blowing up. I lack this knowledge, as many do, even though they dont realize they lack this knowledge. One thing I learned in Med School...its not what you know that makes you intelligent, in school, life, and in teaching others. Its realizing what you dont know. I work with, and teach other docs on a weekly basis that have been specialists in their field, and yet still lack the ability to understand what they dont know. I try to be somewhat modest and the learning in my field of neuroradiology never stops. I always try to find more answers, seek out a better understanding of my field in medicine. Likewise, I try to apply this to life, and my coaching. I am not beyond anyone's knowledge...but I know what doesnt work most of the time...and I certainly know what my limitations are. You cant improve on a weakness if you lack the ability to discover what your weakness it. Its simple. Its called insight.
So, my lack of understanding of true rapid recovery in racing 9 events since IMAZ this summer, in prep for a season ending Kona was understood and I needed guidance in this aspect of coaching. I would rate it a great success in that my understanding on how to extend a season while IM training without blowing up is much higher. Not a great race at Kona but still a very strong race. There is no one else to credit but Olaf. Olaf is the embodiment of knowledge in this sport and each and every one of my personal bests are because of him. My physiology and potential are irrelevant without his guidance. So, Olaf, I am sorry for firing you. But, I have to move on now. We have to find balance in life for awhile.

Well its been just over 2 weeks and its good to be gaining some weight. Have both TT bikes and my road racing bike up for sale so maybe they'll sell. If not, I have space for them. Considering my 10:10 was 12 minutes off my PR at Kona, in worse conditions compared to that 2005 "tail wind" year, I cant be unhappy. Sure, my potential this year in these conditions was more like 9:30-40 I believe but that still would have put me just out of reach of the podium and even on a day in which I raced at the top of my expectations, still...likely no podium.

Ann on the other hand had to make a choice this summer. We talked about it. I specifically told her by racing ITU so close to Kona, there would be the chance we may not come back to the point of strength we were before ITU. This is why my original plan was to drop out at ITU after 10k, depending on how close I was to the podium. My position was completely unknown to me and in seeing others brunt the heat, I decided to stay in the race. Retrospectively, we do what we do and we cant look back. Ann on the other hand, in gaining a USA Gold ITU medal ,and her top female amateur performance at ITU? It may be tough for some to justify that, over nearly missing 5th place at Kona. For me personally...ITU World Gold medal vs 5th at Kona? I would take the USA Gold from ITU each and every time. This is worth more and the memories of her great race there will not be forgotten. So, all in all, Ann had a great run this "season" which officially began last November at Clearwater, with top podium IM finish, PR's in all distances, ITU world title, and culminating to 10:43 at Kona. Again...wow.

Ann and I spent quite a bit of time after the race relaxing, drinking, eating. We spent several hours at the beach one day, out in the middle of nowhere, on the other side of a 3 mile drive through the black lava fields to get to a local beach. In the middle of the lava flats we see Macca out doing a photo shoot. I called him over, said hello, than asked him so sign our kona poster. Trust me, I have no problem asking Macca to put the finishing touches on our poster. So we have Alexander and Wellington, the Lieto Brothers, Stadler and Macca, which makes for a great memory of 2008. The beach was spectacular and we spent the day there. 4 Hours or so, then the drive back, 2-3 mph over rough pitted lava to the main road. There's Macca...still doing his photo shoot running in circles in a red shirt, running past the flash of the camera over and over again. We were stunned he was still out there, easily over 100 degrees on the lava. Yeah, he works for a living. This was one of the 3-4 sunny days we had during our stay due to the "vog" or smoke in the air blocking the sun via the new volcanic vent that opened this past spring, the smoke of which is carried along the west slope of the mountain, along the kailua-kona coast.
Another day spent cliff diving off about a 40 ft cliff with teammate Rob Williams...into deep blue water. That was cool too. Still another day, just Ann and I, kayaked along the cliffs on the southwest shore, onto a group of dolphins. We jumped into the water and both were able to swim with the dolphins. They're very curious when someone is in the water and groups would swim right up and check us out. One brushed right up against me with his belly as he (she) passed along side of me. The awards ceremony with our group, Dave Lowe, and a few new local friends, enjoying the monsoon type rain that washed out the ceremony, eventually ending it far too early...man that was funny in retrospect. The couple of nights sipping Kona Brewing Company beers with Kelly, Teresa, Jesse, Jason, Stacy and Tom, as well as my family, out on the deck...yeah, good memories this year.

A good time at Kona, and a good year.

I know of many people, athletes, friends, teammates who have yet to experience the spirit at Kona, and who strive to get there. I dont know the precise answers, and I realize there are different paths or different means to the way. I can only hope that each and every person lives their dream in getting there, and realize not everyone will achieve this goal. However, strive for what you believe in and you wont be dissatisfied at your journey.

Ann and I left something for our teammates who will someday get there. I dont know if it will last but at least know it's there and waiting for you someday. This is far more work then I imagined, with about 6 hours in the process. Ann, myself, and Jason Lester spent our final day at Kona trying to leave our message to all of you who will be on that highway someday. That road cutting through the lava fields, in the blazing sun, the headwind, and the dreamscape that kona lives for. So you'll be someday cycling near the 90 mile mark, about 800 meters past the aid station at Waikoloa, mile marker 77 on the Queen K. You'll be tired, realizing you have over 20 miles of headwind left, and starting to come to the realization, "my God...how am I going to run in this shit." That's when you look toward your right, about 150 meters into the lava, and know we've been there. We've been through what you are going through right at that moment.
We made it, and you will too. Everyone does. Never quit here.

Kona 2008

2008-10-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

So, Ann and I in the past 11 Months:
13 races. 3 Ironman, ITU long course worlds, 3 HIM, 3 Olympic, and 3 Sprints. I am tired, not so much physically but mentally. The strain has hurt me, and I (we) are deserving of a multi-year break from Ironman.

So, this was the 30th anniversary here and word around here is that it was the 2nd most difficult year here. Arguably not as difficult as the 25 anniversary race though. So, maybe stay away from anniversary races here? Well, we knew that the streak of 3 good racing years here was bound to end eventually and were expecting the typical Kona conditions, so no big surprise. The only real issues with me were low back pain on the left, which I kept between my massage therapist and I. The source I cant be certain of, but probably the bed we slept in as the pain was each morning and subsided throughout the day. By the 6-7 day, wasnt subsiding so much. So, 30 min before the start, Jesse had me laying down on the grass outside of transition trying to knead out the knot in my back. My right foot also, moderate tendinitis along the lateral aspect, and under the ankle. Jesse worked that out pretty well and even though its moderately sore today, I didnt notice during the race. The low back held up reasonably, but pain on the bike was an annoyance. On the run, I started putting ice down my back, letting it gather against my fuel belt. I had to since up the fuel belt pretty tight to hold the ice on my low back but man, after 5-6 miles, my back started to feel better. So, all in all, pretty happy with the way things held up.

10:10 and change, 48 of 230 in the age group. Far from my potential in this race, but still...improvement from past finishes (2004, 11:07, 113/228)(2005, 9:58, 68/271)(2006, 10:59, 139/216). So, not great but my best I believe in the 4 runnings I've had.

Swim: 1:05.16, PR here for me. Definitely a sub hour swim if in a wet suit so I cant complain. The swim had a significant rip tide a few minutes after the turn and it took quite awhile to go the next 500 meters. Like in 2006, we were swimming at nearly a stand still for about 10 minutes. Looking at the pro field, it looks like only 1 pro broke 50 minutes...so, slow. Once through however, we caught the current and really flew in the final portion, making up quite a bit of time.
Pretty brutal at the start but that only lasted 5 minutes, then again at the turn around. Ann and I decided to start in the 3rd row out of about 20 so we took the chance here. The main thing is getting swam over by excited starters, and getting the goggles kicked off. I hit a few people swimming aggressively but that's how it goes. You have to hold your ground here, and I beat a couple of people up holding my position. I told Ann a minute before the start to make a decision, here up front, or lets go to the back and start last as in 2006. She said, "no, lets stay"...and, she looked a bit scared because even before the start, we were getting pushed from side to side and kicked, which I admit began to annoy me. I told Ann to just stay right behind me for the first few minutes. The gun went off. I swam out 4-5 strokes and looked back to check on Ann. She was right on my feet. So, off I went. Literally clearing everyone out of my way. Each stroke at times putting my hands on athlete's torso's and hip and shoving them to each side. I have never swam so aggressively in any race but I was bound and determined to not let another athlete ruin Ann's swim by shoving her under water or kicking off her goggles. So, yeah, I hit people that tried to get in my way. Frankly, I decided 30 sec before the start that in this race, I wont be bullied for position in this one. I may not be the best physiologically out there, but I convinced myself that I am one of the strongest. So, I did my best to blaze a path for us through that first several minutes of chaos. You cant swim Ironman races passively if you want to do well. I believe too many athletes treat the swim as a tempo workout and dont "race". You have to race. Just like a bike race, you fight to stay on the wheel in front of you despite rude people trying to steal your position. You have to hit shoulders and shove people over...you have to fight for your position. So, I believe, esp. at IM Hawaii, you have to swim aggressively like you're racing. Or...you wont have your optimum race. Difficult firt part of second half as swimming through the rip tide by increasing kick caused my right toes to cramp up. In the pool, you stop and stretch the foot against the wall which works well. Here, a mile from the finish, no options. So, every 3-5th kick, I kicked my right foot with my left foot. After several attempts, my accuracy increased and I was able to kick my right toes, 3-5 right on the tips, bending them backward briefly. After about 10 of these swift kicks, the toe cramps resolved and I relaxed and kept moving.

T1: 3 minutes. Happy with that. No problems except no sunblock readily available and I wasnt going to wait. I decided at the last minute not to place my shoes in my cleats on the bike. I thought about it...and realized we have a climb almost directly out of T1 and there is virtually no time to coast and slip into, and cinch up the shoes. Then, I walked over to the pro section and saw all of 10 bikes out of 100 with shoes on the cleats. So, that clinched it. I took them off. Someone told me later they saw a few athletes having trouble getting into their shoes because of the uphill. So, good decision I made.

Bike: 5:22.57
Wow...not at all happy with this. Watts were fair at around 250. I would have liked to have reached 260 but it just wasnt going to happen. I was nearly 45 watts higher today then my 5:17 bike split couple of years ago here, and with a wattage that much higher, the bike should have been at least 20 minutes faster. So, thats it...pure conditions. Tail wind going out for about 30 miles made for some easy pedaling. Not pure tail wind though as I only averaged 22 mph, so the hills here are still a factor. People tend to forget this course has 4500 ft of climbing. In total, near that of IMCDA and Canada. Around 30, head and cross winds started up and the downhills became a bit slower. By the turn to Hawi, about 20 miles from the turn around I could see the trees bending in the wrong direction so I whispered a "here we go" as I turned into the headwind. Then, the final 16 miles climbing with direct headwind commenced. I saw the pros coming down on the opposite side and not a single one was in their aerobars so I knew the tail cross wind coming down much be significant. So, I managed the climb without too much damage. Made the turn, grabbed special needs and, and then started the 52 mile trek back. The downhill was as expected. Gripping bars, actually braking a few times, as the bike is jerked back and forth at 30-40 mph for about 20 minutes. At the bottom of the 16 mile rolling decent, we made an east turn toward the Queen K and that 4 miles was mostly 11-15 mph as sustained cross headwind was the major limiting factor. I approached the turn onto Queen K at 11 mph. Then, a direct 90 degree turn to the south and...yeah...direct headwind. From both directions? This is Kona.
Sustained headwinds varying from 10-25 mph for about the next 30 miles. Just prodded along but at higher watts than my average going out as I expected headwinds. The final 7 miles or so, from the airport, I caught a moderate amount of tailwind so a reasonable finish.

Couple of points on the bike here: A pro told me today after the race they only caught 15 or so miles of direct headwind. This is typical here and its a reason why the pros are advantaged by starting earlier..and of course racing much faster to the turn around. The thermals create the tradewinds, and they start mild, around 11 am or so, then build throughout the day. I believe a key is to get out to the turnaround with a bit higher watts and faster than usual, then deal with what you get the final 30-40 miles. I "saved" some of my wattage expecting headwinds on the way back. Thus I got back to the 40 miles to go point probably a good 15 minutes slower than I could have. Thus, I think the winds were worse for me than the pack of my AG 10 minutes ahead of me at the Hawi 60 mile mark. That 10 minute gap lengthened to 15-20 in just the last 30 or so miles. I also think the girls had it even worse than me as they commented on no tail wind from the airport, but sustained headwinds all the way in. So, getting to the "headwind point" as early as possible is probably a better move here.

Aero helmet dilemma. Aero helmets probably arent a good idea here. Yeah, argue to deaf ears here because unless you've done 4-5 races here, no need to comment to me on this one. I dont care about aerodynamics and savings of 1-2 minutes over 112 miles at 21 mph...the ventilation is poor here, and you're ventilating your helmet with 90+ degree heat. A comment by a guy we talked to at T2 said people were taking off their helmets and sweat was pouring out like they were filled with water. He believes...and I do now..that a traditional vented helmet, one you can dowse with water, is the best thing here. The scalp is a primary source of temperature control and hyperthermia is a primary limiter in performance. In fact, hyperthermia is arguably the most important primary limiter..even over adequate carb intake. After talking to the guy in T2, and he has raced here multiple times living in Kona...it hit me that yeah..I did see at least 5 of the pros without aerohelmets on. I cant think of any other reason a pro would not choose an aerohelmet. They are just too hot here, and forget the venting issue...its irrelevant here. I know it's tempting, but at 105+ temps in the lava flats, with the typical headwind, and traveling 11-19 mph, I dont think you're gaining an aero advantage.

T2: 3 minutes. Pretty happy. Dont forget, the T1 and T2 runs are each 150 meters. That means you run around the transition about 150 meters each time. This takes about 45 seconds and you've got to be careful. There are ridges and slants and you can easily twist an ankle. So, best to just relax and jog along the matte around transition and look down at where you're stepping.

Run: 3:36.26
Second slowest run here. Not the 3:20 I'd hoped for. Regardless, it didnt much matter. First and second segments were pretty good. Second segment is skewed because I ran a 10 minute mile up palani as the HR spiked into Z5. So, this added 2 minutes onto my segment and put the average up around 7:50 when in fact I ran 7:30's virtually the entire way except for the palani hill. First problem encountered was a hot spot on the left foot, on the ball of the foot, about mile 1. I caught Mitch Gold at about the 1200 mark and his goal was 7:30's so that fit in good with mine, so we ran together and chatted on how brutal the bike was. He agreed it was one of the most difficult bikes he's ever done here. At mile 3, the hot spot was becoming unbearable, so I pulled over and sat down, took off my shoe, and sure enough..a big crease in my sock right across my foot. I straighted it out put shoe back on and took off. Mitch was a good minute in front and it took me 2 miles to catch up at 7:20or so, as the bike was taking its toll on him. Plus, Mitch had done very little running in prep for this race so he knew he would just be taking it easy today and not pushing it. Well, the damage was done on the foot and the hot spot was there to stay. The low back pain had started about mile 3 or so, when I sat down to fix the sock, and progressively began to spasm as we ran At mile 5 it hit me that I could ice my back with my fuel belt on. So, I cinched up the belt moderately tight and at each aid station, put 1-2 cups of ice down the back of my shirt. This worked as the ice build up until it was halfway up my back against my fuel belt. I kept this going until mile 11, until we were out on the Queen K heading to energy lab and my back pain had become un-noticeable. Then the demoralization ensues. My splits for the final 2 segments are a bit skewed at 8:40 type pace. I ran a few 8 min miles going into the 3rd segment, then a string of 8-9 (cant remember) 9+ miles consecutively, and through the energy lab. The sun was clouded over each and every day this week but not today. Blazing sun boiling down, and temps recorded at face level around 108 according to the paper this morning. I just didnt have it and lost confidence, and became broken. I hit my split during a mile in the energy lab and thought, "ok, lets get back into this." That mile was 9:15. My I looked at my HR...112. One thing worse than a high HR (or just as bad) is the inability to drive your HR up. I was 14 beats below top of Zone 1 and had no energy to drive forward. But, I didnt stop...I moved forward. This continued to mile 22, slogging along with not one single sub 9 minute mile. At mile 21.5, Nathan Smith passed me running about 8 min pace. He said some encouraging words to me as I watched him run away. As I crossed mile 22, I realized...if Nathan can suffer out here, I can suffer...and...I am not suffering enough. As I glanced up, the clouds were moving over the sun, cutting some of the direct heat. So, I hit my split on my watch at mile 22 and went. Within 30 seconds my legs started to become sore and I felt the heat reflecting off my face and head and felt the energy leaving me. I had to find a distraction, a focus. So, I looked down at the white stripes separating the lanes on the highway. I counted my steps running along the stripe, and in between. "1-2-3...1-2-3-4...1-2-3". I repeated this as I ran down the center of the lane and stared at my feet as they landed, repeating this mantra over and over again. I just stared down, counting, over and over, and ignored everything around me. My breathing became labored, I glanced at my watch...zone 4, HR 145. I passed Nate but he was more like a shadow. I said something like, "come on man, lets pace it in". Few minutes later, Rob Williams pedaled by and gave some words of encouragement. I asked "where's Kelly (McKean), as I was a bit worried about everyone because of the day. He said she was ok and was looking good. I resume counting. Few minutes later I cross mile 23, 8:05, and hit my split. Resume counting. Somewhere here I saw Kelly M, Linnea, and Kelly H (I think), but it was all a blur. I remember yelling "you've got all day, just finish" to someone, maybe all of them, I cant remember. Then resume counting. Somewhere I see Jason Lester, and we slap a high five as he runs by on his way to the energy lab. I thought, "Oh my God...handling the bike with one arm in those cross winds..oh my God..."
Mile 24, 7:40. I stare at the road and count. Several minutes go by and I realize I am counting over and over again but not even to my footsteps lining up along the white lines. I am just counting. This is the first time I've counted over and over again for 3 straight miles...I cant tell you how this saved me. Almost like meditation, the focal point. This...and the decision. The decision to not be afraid. The decision to put myself out there...really out there. I am human, and I am vulnerable. Its not the negative state we find ourselves in many times in life. Its how we resolve the situation, how we deal with fear...how we find our inner strength.

I see the 4-5 guys in my AG that had passed me at the energy lab as I turn the corner to Palani. I pass them right at mile 25..7:30. I stop counting and look up ahead. I see the M30 in the VO2 Max top that passed me back around mile 13, about 100 yds in front. I stare at his top and imagine I'm connected by a cable and being reeled in, slowly. I'm reeled in within a minute or so and pass. I turn right, heading to alii drive. I see the M40 in the red suit who passed me back at the turn around on the bike. He reels me in. I pass as we turn right onto alii. 400 meters and all clear in front of me. As I cross 26 I look down at my watch, 7:15. I have 90 seconds. As I look up, there's the M40 in blue who passed me way back on the Palani hill at mile 10, directly in front of me. I go, and he pulls me in as I pass within a few seconds. Now its clear in front. I see the finish lights and drive to the line. That's it. Over.

Sorry for the length. In forming my final IM race report for I hope a few years, I want to get across what we go through. How to deal with the demoralization of this course. Ideas to try to lift yourself out of the despair that comes with this place sometimes. The isolation. Find your focal point, and you'll find your way.

Why do we fall? To learn to pick ourselves up. I have fallen alot...and I've learned to pick myself up in many ways.

Never give up.
Never quit...not here.

Great Job Kelly Hovland, Kelly McKean, Linnea Alvord (who as late as friday was not even able to race due to injury), and Dave Lowe. Each of whom showed courage in spite of all the island threw at them...each of whom delt with this place in their own way. All of whom now have a 30th anniversary finishers medallion.

Jason Lester, with his use of only one arm, used this race as a stepping stone to Hawaii Ultraman next month. He won his division and is a World Champion. Strong work Jason...just another workout. The big one is coming and now you can start thinking of Ultraman, the pinnacle of your season.

Ann Ciaverella, I learned I was more disappointed than her in missing the podium by 3 minutes and I'll let her race report tell her story. But, considering she set her PR here by 15 minutes over 2006, with her 10:43, in conditions far worse than 2006...10:43 at Kona for a woman 38 yrs old, and coming off her ITU triathlon world championship victory last month...wow!

New Years Day

2008-10-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

I will be 4 years old Saturday October 11th.

I can't explain this logic to many, but those of you who live this sport to come to this island know what I mean, and those of you who dont, I hope you understand in the pursuit of your goals.

When riding my interval session out on Queen K today, preparing for the 3oth anniversary race at Ironman Worlds in Kona, I became a bit emotional as my bike was being blown from one side of the shoulder to the other, a couple of near misses off the road in cross winds of 25 mph. I ease up on the aerobars, loosen up my forearms to conserve energy for the rest of the 2 minute interval. I allow my bike to be driven forward, that jerking of the bars forward as I downstroke, and just let the bike move freely along the road. Yeah, blown around but in harmony with my forward momentum. Black asphalt, the sun bearing down...it's a feeling I've missed since my last competition here in 2006. Its difficult to explain. It's as though 2007 has been erased, my PR's over the past 11 months in the sprint, olympic, half and full ironman triathlons. All erased. All that is...is this road...in this place.

I remembered only those 3 other races here, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Yes I skipped 2007 to sacrifice in an attempt to smash my PR in Western Australia, and I did. But still...2007...I wasnt here.

But, still, living the ironman spirit means something special here. I feel as though my entire short life in this sport is only for this race. Since 2003, when I first witnessed this event as a spectator and having had completed an olympic and half distance that year, I have only thought of getting here. From that moment in 2003 altering my life, I have only thought of qualifying for this race. Each year, this race...its like a rebirth in the sport. The long training days, the endless time-trialing, nutrition, recovery, focus on not over-training, the fanatical attention to details. All for the hopes to qualify at the key race, and laying out the back-up plans if it falls through. All this....to get here, in October. Then after a brief break, it begins again, everything for this race, the next year, and the onslaught continues.

Why? Why do we dwell on such a race. I know what it feels like. I know I undergo more pain and suffering at this venue than any other race I've done. Why is this the pinnacle for me?

We all know why. We, as endurance athletes have a gift. We know how to find ourselves. Its not unlike religious suffering, or suffering for a cause bigger than ourselves. To achieve a better understanding of who we are, of where we want to be, and who we want to be. You become enlightened through suffering. Its not intentional. Intentional suffering is a disorder. However, the insidious suffering we endure to achieve greatness, or for a greater cause....this is healthy. To feel alive...this is different. To witness those lights, one by one as they trickle down alii drive, then the athlete morphs into the light of the finish line...guided by their own relevance in this place, you realize what we all have in common. This is pure...its real...and yeah, its love. I love this sport, and I love this place.

So, yeah...to me, and I know to many others to whom this place calls each year. That opportunity to reach enlightenment. To achieve beyond what we think or believe are capable of...that is the goal. This is why we are here.

Ann my wife, who has had a spectacular season, including PR's in all distances and an ITU world champion...I know you've been here before, and I know you realize what reality will be out here on race day. I know you have "it" and you will excel, despite all circumstances. Excel in terms of getting there no matter what the cost on race day. Going through this together, and knowing you're out there facing the same demons as I...that will drive me to endure what will ensue on Saturday. Go to that place one more time, we both know the passion that lies in your core, and we know you will have to go deeper, to rise higher than ever before. I know you understand all this, you'll do your best, and realize that you have a unique qift, and this is what we all strive for.

Kelly H and Kelly M. You know what it took to get here, and all the best for your very best race possible. Realize out there on that run, which will not be enjoyable to say the least...what it took to get here. All of those workouts...to be here. To experience this...the mecca of endurance sport. Try to force a smile in your suffering and come to know where you are. You are here. When you cross the line, you'll never forget it. It will seem like the first day in a new year for both of you.

Dave L, yeah, you gave me credit for getting you here, your first IM hawaii...and in the M60 age group, it doesnt get any easier. But, you and I both know what you've endured to get here. Sure I showed you a path, but you found your way. You and you alone are responsible for where you are...and where you'll be on Saturday. So, enjoy your first year of life as you're out there on Queen K, and discovering who you are. When you see the lights at the finish line in those final moments, you'll understand.

I talked to a friend last night over a beer who has run countless Ironman races over the years. He's young, M30 age group, and embarked on his journey 13 years ago with his first Ironman race. Now, after 13 years, he has qualified for Kona, 2008 (via IM China). 13 years on his journey and he's now here. Its staggering to me. He will know what I talk about on saturday. It will be the end of a 13 year quest for him. Yet, it will be the beginning of a new day for him.

So, Dean W...Godspeed to you on your New Year's day saturday.

Jason Lester, with the use of only one arm. I was asked by a reporter last night why I took on an athlete with a disability to coach for Ironman. I simply replied, "what disability".

The unique trait with Jason Lester, is that he doesnt see his disability. He knows it...but he doesnt see it. His hand slipping off his aerobars is more of an annoyance to him. When he and I swam 50 x 50 meter in the pool a couple of months back, swimming with one arm was not a concern to him. This is what makes him a top competitor in his division of disabled athletes. He competes with the non-disabled athletes. He sees himself as a competitor in the sport, despite his limitation. Jason has endured suffering that most of us will never know or understand. My hat is off to you. I will be there at the finish line, and after...we'll drink a pint to you on your New Year's day.

This is why I am here. Everyone has a story, and every story has a common ending.

That line on Saturday. Barring a mechanical failure or some unforseeen incident, we'll all get there.

So yeah...I will be 4 on Saturday. This is my New Year's day.

Good Week finishing 2 wks out

2008-09-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

"The marathon's about being in contention over the last 10k. That's when it's about what you have in your core.
You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what's left inside you.
To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon."

Rob d Castella

I do, and always have, considered the Ironman as a marathon race. A marathon race at which you prepare for, by swimming and cycling about 6 hours prior. Even then, the race doesnt truly begin until the final 10k. You dont run slow, but it is an insidious ramp up to that point. Slowly allowing the pain to set in. Settling in at a rate that's manageable. In a way, its about reaching to, but not crossing the threshold. At mile 20, you intentionally cross that threshold, and here lies my quote by marathon great, Rob d Castella.

To become fit enough to breech that threshold. To be trained well enough to sustain, despite the ensuing suffering that is to come. This is where you learn who you are...or who you want to be. This is what it's all about.

There are those that dont reach this threshold as they just putter out well before, and that's one of the secrets to success in this sport. Knowing yourself and how close to approach that line without going over throughout the race. Preparing yourself to race the final stage of the race.

Running as long and as hard as possible in hopes to survive is not an intelligent strategy and will likely lead to a very long day in the end. Putting "time in the pocket" by over stepping one's ability on the bike, in hopes to have time to spare for the marathon is likewise, not a good strategy. Sure, the strategy has worked for some, but the vast majority just cant handle the run off a bike split above their means.

This is why we spend hours and hours time trialing throughout the months, and getting to know those boundaries without over doing it.

Pretty good week to finish 2 weeks out from Kona.
About 170 miles on the bike over 4 rides and 3 high quality rides with copious time trialing.

The swim was average at just over 12,000 meters. I cut the 4th swim short Friday because of logistical issues (a thousand kids in the pool) and only got in 1600. The remainder of my swims went well. One of my good swim workouts included 40X50, each 5th 50 using the ankle band without pull buoy. After 30 or so, this begins to get difficult.

The running, very happy with 50 miles this week over 6 runs. 2 speed sessions, 1 brick run at brisk pace and to finish out the week, a solid 19 miler incorporating 12 X 1 min pickups to high Z3.

So, all in all....I dont really know how many hours but considering 14 workouts this week, probably around 20-22 hours or so.

It's not time for rest yet as I am still 13 days out. I am feeling strong on each workout and continue to feel strong during my final bigger week. This week will see a 30% drop in mileage in all 3 portions with similar intensity and I am certain I'll be feeling strong on my 60 mile ride Saturday in Kona. Final long run, as usual, will be 9 days out from race day, 16 miles.
I'll begin a more structured taper on Monday, 5 days out from race day.

I flew up the stairs today, 2 flights, skipping over a step the entire way feeling good power in my legs. Considering 72 mile ride with long TT on Saturday then 5 mile run, followed by my 19 miler Sunday...I'd say my recovery is...not surprising. I am fanatical on recovery calories, and the correct type and quantity. Its all I think about for the 24 hours post workout, and with back to back workouts, all I think about for 2-3 days following. I have emphasized recovery like beating a dead horse to those I associate with and coach. It's not about immediate results. My focus on recovery over months and months, each and every time needed, has resulted in a physiologic adaptation to stress. The up-regulation of enzymes facilitating glycogen production and storage, the facilitation of fat catabolism by scheduling certain workouts at certain times of the day. I can go on and on regarding this. With time and patience, you can tilt the fat/carbohydrate catabolism rate during exercise and competition. I am not talking monumental changes in physiology here...I am talking about fractions of a percent. These fractions translate to several minutes on the bike and run.

So, my rapid recovery after ITU Long course, Troika HIM, all of my 11 races since April this year, is not that surprising to me. I've worked hard and have been diligent regarding monitoring training stress, not-overdoing it, and recovery.
All in all though, things seem to be ok.

Of course, all this gibberish may fly out the window at Kona. This race can put anyone to their knees. It could certainly happen to me so I'll still be rolling the dice in a way that day. Regardless, I feel strong and should have a good race day barring some unforeseen incident.

Feeling Better...I think

2008-09-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

I think I am feeling better, although some soreness Monday morning after the weekend. No big workouts, just routine work pre-Ironman Hawaii. Here's how the last few days' looked

Thurs:
Work: Then
Swim 2500 meter (5x500)
Ride off swim, 50 miles. Steady Z2 Power with 50 min Z4 (306W) rpm 65. This felt great as my HR remained no higher than Zone 2 throughout TT.

Fri:
am: Swim 4000 meter (4x1000/60 descend each)
Run off swim, 12 miles, progression run.
First 3 at 8:10 per mile pace. Next 3 at 7:20 pace. Next 3 at 6:40 pace, Final 3 at 7 min pace.
Final 6 miles, incorporated a strong interval set 4 X (3min x 2min x 1min) Took equal rest on the first 2 sets then realized I would not get in the 4th set before the end of the run. So, dropped the rest to 1/2 of the interval length on the final 2 sets. This is a good interval workout. Progressively harder from the 3 min to the 1 min. Then, after the 1 min and short rest, you move right back into the next set and the 3 minute interval again. Repeat this 4 times and you'll be feeling it.
pm: On call, worked the nice 16 hr shift, 4pm to 8am saturday.

Sat:
Woke up at 1 pm after a 5 hour refreshing sleep, ate my second breakfast.
Ride 60 miles 3:30 on rolling hills. Rode with Jason Lester. The workout was to run 18 miles about 3 hours after bike. This however wasnt going to happen as my ride finished up at 6 pm. The pace and tempo of ride was solid however, mid Z2 for the entire distance. So, not the greatest idea, but forced to move 18 mile run to after tomorrow's time trial shorter ride. Its not the distance of riding before the run that concerns me, its the run following a Z4 time trial.

Sun:
Ride 40 miles: Trainer as it was cold and rainy. Maintained Z2 watts at 80 rpm 45 minutes. Then 45 min TT at Z4 watts and 65 rpm. This is not easy on a computrainer. Unlike the roads, on a power trainer, there is minimal dead spot allowed in the upstroke on the pedal. On the roads, a noticable dead spot does allow for a few milliseconds of rest on each rotation. On the trainer, the constant pressure on the wheel prevents this for the most part. If you allow any lengthy dead spot to occur, your cadence starts to drop, then its very difficult to turn over the crank in zone 4. So, yeah, I think time trialing on a power trainer, using my SRM to assure proper power zone, is more difficult than the road.
Run 18: Out first 3 in 8:20 with Jason Lester. Next 6 miles at 7:09 pace average as I got dumped on three times by downpour rain. Looked like a wet rat at the turn around. Coming home, the storm passed and skies cleared. Next 6 miles right on 41 minutes (6:50 pace). Final 3 backed off a bit to 7:05 pace to finish up. So, 18 in 2:11...pretty happy with that. Some bilateral hamstring soreness of course, final 6 miles. Today my left fibular head up by my knee sore, as well as right shin. Presumably these are from sloshing in the mud on the trail when I was getting rained on as I remember quite a bit of slipping on my foot strike. I am sure these aches and pains will fade out by tuesday's interval session.

So, leading into my big week this week, good set of workout sessions without over-doing it.
I did manage over 200 on the bike last week (5 rides, 4 time trials), 37 miles running (3 runs) and 8500 meter swimming (3 swims). This past week was a light build to get ready for the upcoming week. Hopefully, my 14K swimming, near 200 miles riding, and 50 miles running in 16 workouts this week will get me fine tuned 2 weeks out from Kona.

I started thinking about Kona during my long run this weekend. That emotional component is starting to form for me as I went through my 2006 race, and thought out that final 6 miles as I ran in with Ann. Going through the race in the final half of my long run allowed me to get back to the place I need to be, emotionally in preparation for the race. I have run 1 out of 3 Kona races healthy and am hoping to have a reasonable day this year. Conditions of course will dictate that. I am seriously considering pushing my HR up a notch on the marathon this time. My latest long run, I was able to sustain high Z3 HR for the final 15 miles, and the 30K at ITU was in a similar HR zone. This is about 10 beats higher than I have run in IM events and these last 2 long runs have built my confidence that I can run at a higher HR for a sustained period without completely falling apart. This may my answer for a sub 3:20 marathon split at Kona. Who knows, I'll make the decision in real-time....on the race course....and live with it.

Ann stronger than ever. Her long run was dead on 7:30 pace for 18 this week, and her time trials on the bike are at her highest sustainable watts all summer. She cruised her 45 min TT at the end of the week at nearly 22 mph and felt great. Her training since Arizona has paid off and regardless on how it falls together for her on race day, she had a great season, especially her breakthrough race at ITU a few weeks back. You can't help but get strong when you are consistently putting together 15 workout weeks....week after week after week for several months. The frequency of workouts without over-training has helped her tremendously. Still, her longest ride since IMAZ training has been the 75 miles at ITU. For me, I've done 2 X 80 milers pre-IMAZ, and of course 2 X 100+ milers (IMAZ, IMWA) over the past 12 months, and besides that, 75 miles at ITU and the remainder of my long rides havent been over 70.
Yet...both of us get stronger.

OK, here lies my rant:
Quality vs Quantity. Train long and slow and you will likely race slow....Train long and hard and you'll burn up and race slow. I'll take the quality of the workouts over quantity every time.

It's about finding the balance.

Black Diamond Tri

2008-09-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Black Diamond Sprint tri

Decent race but the run was a bit tough, on rocky trail.
My first masters loss this season in the NW race series of 8 races I've done. But, dont really feel that strong since ITU a couple of weeks ago.

So, I was passed while in third overall by a master, who had the fastest run of the day and just couldnt go with him. A bit burnt out and not so sharp on the run these days. Happy with the second fastest overall bike split behind the winner, although my power on the bike was 10 watts lower than in my prior two sprints, and, 2-3 watts lower than my olympic distance bike splits. So, yeah, still tired.

So, now a month until Kona. I am starting to think about it a little but not too much. Just need to rest up for 3-4 more days, then a big weekend, 2 more weeks...then I'll start thinking about it.

This weekend, planned 60 mile ride on hills, followed by an 18 mile run will be the longest workout of my season other then the ITU and IM races I've done. Hopefully, I will bounce back to have a strong week following, then bounce back for Kona.

Good write up on coach Olaf from slow twitch.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/Racing_hard_-_Olaf_Sabatschus__499.html

Recent Athlete Results

2008-09-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Check out the side bar: 100% PR IM races this year is not that bad. I think everyone has done well considering the conditions at IM races this year and on tough courses.

Ironman Canada 2008
Stacy Stern: 11:08 IM PR for 7th in AG
Thomas Wood: 11:13, solid 1:03 swim and 5:42 bike! (26 minute IM PR)
LeAnne Schrotzberger: 13:12 IM PR with big PR swim of 1:02

Ironman Wisconsin 2008
Heather Reimann: 13:31 IM PR by over 1 hour

Ironman UK 2008
Bonnie Jensen: 11:33 on a very tough course. A PR and first IM podium finish at 4th F30 and 14th overall woman

Ultraman Canada 2008
Jason Lester: Swims 10k in 4:48 in very difficult swim conditions (single arm!), Runs 84k (52 miles) in 9:05, the 4th fastest run of the race (our running strategy worked!).
Jason does swim and run as part of his preparation for Ultraman Hawaii, where he will solo the entire race. Good luck at IM hawaii in Oct 08, your final big brick before Ultraman!

http://www.apaintedrace.com/

Strong work everyone in conditions that didnt seem favorable in most of the IM races this season.

First time IM for 2008/2009? Thus far
Todd Beia, IMAZ
Tyrone Patton, IMWI
AJ Kemp, IMCDA
Eric Stimach, IM Lk Placcid or IMWI
Rachel Parker, IMCDA??

- dave ciaverella

Jason Lester finishes Ultraman Canada

2008-09-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.chasingmemovie.com/

This is a link to Jason Lester's film in the works. Jason has been an athlete of mine since December of 07 and in this short time, especially in his past 6 weeks or so in Portland, I've seen him grow as an athlete in several ways.

Jason just completed Ultraman Canada last weekend as part of a relay doing 2 of the 3 events in his prep for Ultraman Hawaii this November. He Completing the 10k swim in brutal conditions, then the double marathon, 52 miles, much of it on trail. His swim time was impressive considering the conditions and the run to say the least, well....52 miles of hills and trail. I discussed the race with Jason before leaving for ITU Worlds and specifically told him, "I'm not worried man". I truly wasnt. I knew his preparation was adequate to complete the distance and even running back to back 4:30 marathons was not a big suprise to me. And....he did it on liquid calories...figure that.

This was just a small stepping stone for Jason, as he now has to prepare himself for IM Worlds in Kona, then 6 wks later, Ultraman Hawaii. Of course in that race, he will be completing the entire distance. I believe no disabled person has ever completed the Ultraman Hawaii race, but if I am wrong, check me on that. But I am pretty certain of this. "Disabled"?? Man...that sure sounds like a funny word to describe Jason who competes at this level. But, what can you say to a man who ignores his limitation to accomplish these things. Inspiration. So, kudos Jason, good race...but now the work begins.

Check out Scott Mcmillans' site, good write up on doping. http://scottkmcmillan.wordpress.com/

As I told many of our friends....the primary reason I accepted a spot on team usa for ITU worlds this year, is because I was told they would be randomly testing age groupers, with higher percentage of testing for podium finishers. I wanted very much to run a race that I feel may eliminate some of the unbelievably fast times you see at some races this year, out of fear of being tested. I would, and many I talk to would, gladly pay an additional 25.oo for IM entry fees to test all 5 podium athletes. This small fee amongst the entire age group would easily pay for a testing program like this. Why they havent initiated something like ITU...at Kona...amazes me. By NOT developing a program of some sort to weed out the cheaters in our sport, is an assumption of guilt. Guilt by the inaction by indirectly allowing doping to occur. As Scott eluted to, doping is commonly associated with epo, steroids (glucocorticoids), and testosterone. However, I have the USOC book on illegal drug agents and the list is long. In fact, I would venture to say many athletes dont even realize they are doping.

For example, sucking on an inhaler prior to a race? If you havent had a pulmonary function test by a physician/pulmonologist with an official record of asthma or exercise induced asthma? Guess what...you're doping.

Stuff nose on race morning? You pop a couple of over the counter cold and sinus tabs? You are most likely taking pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, or some variant. Guess what....you're doping.

I strongly agree with Scott. I have brought this up to my athletes, and in fact, this just came up on our Ironheads team group site several weeks ago. Athletes taking Claritin D or Allegra D for allergy symptoms. Guess what....the D stands for pseudoephedrine, and you're doping.

Be true to yourself. Knowledge is power.

By the way, taking pseudofed on race day in an IM? Taking inhalers during an IM? These agents cause an increase in heart rate, quite dramatically, because they are in the class of drugs called sypathomemetics.
An increase in heart rate in an IM marathon will ruin your race. I have seen it happen to athletes of mine and friends who didnt know...werent told. This is an innocent mistake and not truly doping in my mind when you arent told. However, once you realize, then there's no excuse. Even so, ask look at ANY medicine you take and make sure its legal. Then you can feel good about yourself in the race. And...in cases of a doctor prescribed anti allergy med or inhaler? That makes it legal. Documentation of a medically necessary agent like these is necessary, but , if you are potentially harmed in a race by not taking your meds, then you obviously need them. There are exceptions. Very few, but there are for some people like this.

Now, my honest opinion on epo? I highly doubt many age groupers do this, and probably hardly any pro triathletes. First of all, many pro's dont have the resources to spend 1200 per month on epo, and of course pro cyclists are in a completely different financial class compared to the typical pro triathlete. I know a few of the ins and outs regarding the maintenance of epo as a doc, and its no easy task. Taking heparin (blood thinner) on a daily basis, getting pin pricked several times per week, monitoring PPT and INR for coagulation variables necessary to monitor so you dont end up with a stroke or heart attack....why in the world is going through all this worth a kona slot!! I highly doubt anyone dopes to get a kona slot, it just doesnt take that much natural talent to get a slot...it takes intelligent training, proper rest, correct nutrition, and well thought out strategy, and most importantly a relentless drive through pain. Yes, I realize we all have high pain limits during competition, but, the pain threshold for all of us is variable. While many athletes believe they have a very high pain threshold, other athletes' are even higher and they are willing to push even harder through suffering during a race. This is not a judgement, its just a fact. I myself have had high pain threshold during a race, but have backed off because I just didnt have "it" on race day. Troika HIM was an example. 2 guys passed me at mile 9 and I ran 6:20 pace with them for 2 miles. This hurt me. I backed off and let them go as they werent in my age group. Now, in IMAZ, IMWA, IMRoth, IMCDA, etc...I have driven on near my starting pace to the point of tears in my eyes. The drive to get on that podium is high for me and I believe much higher than other athletes just as prepared in my AG. I have, in past races, actually looked down at my legs and thought, 'are those my legs?' No shit. I have run with numbness in my legs, which is a point beyond of which I rarely compete in shorter races. I have discussed this with Ann. She describes the exact same feeling in her IM the final 10k. Yes I still get my ass kicked by my AG. Some of these guys dont suffer like I do. Why? Simple...they are better prepared than me and they have better physiology/fitness than me. That doesnt mean I will not try however.

Additionally, I have seen the podium finishers in multiple age groups in the past 9 IM I've done and all of these athletes look more fit then those lower finishers in the age groups, and their times are not ridiculous...they are actually achievable. Now, at Kona in 2006...yeah, 5 or so age groupers breaking 9 hours was a bit difficult to believe. However, google some of the names of the athletes who go this fast, I challenge you. You will see that in some cases where you come across race results, you'll see some of these guys have run sub 2:20 marathons, have been all american college swimmers, cat I cyclists, etc. Now, I am not saying you have to have some extreme talent in one or more of the events of triathlon to make the podium...but it sure does help. Those athletes who struggle in IM races, many I know myself, have no backgound at all in aerobic sport, or at least no background as an elite athlete. Now, you compare an athlete with no former elite training in any of the 3 components to a guy who move to triathlon from a 2:18 marathon? The one with the elite running history will likely come out on top, and there are numerous cases of the podium finishers in Kona with elite backgrounds like this. So, yeah while some of the times seen unbelievably fast...its not impossible considering many of these athletes' backgounds.

Regardless, I think it would clean up the few that do cheat if a program was initiated for amateurs in triathlon. Yeah...and if you have to dope in order to run a 9:50 to get to Kona? You have problems. Start with a sports psychologist or therapist.

ITU Worlds, Good News

2008-09-01T19:28:00.001-07:00

I'll start by saying Ann is not only world ITU long course F35 AG champion, but also posted the fastest female amateur time of the day, and out of the total, including the 23 pro women finishers (out of 28 starting), 15th, finishing with about the same time as US pro Heidi Grimm. Of course Ann will be 38 in a month which to me makes her performance even more spectacular.

Her time of 7:08 was run off a solid bike split, and a blistering 7:10/mile pace run for the nearly 19 mile 30K portion of the course. Again, only 2 minutes behind my run, as she did in Troika. She has been itching to race long course since her accident the week of IMAZ and I am very proud of her ability to put together such a good race. Still room to improve however, as she didnt ride in her aerobars on the bike, which several team USA team members commented on after the race. Once we get her new aerobars this week, she'll be set though, and will have them ready for Kona.

So,
Swim: 1:23 (4000+ meter)
Bike 3:05 (120K, 74 miles: 271 Watts, 23.7 mph, 79 rpm, 286 torque)
run 2:10 (30K, 18.6 miles)

I decided after the first loop of the 30k run that I would not drop out, even though my plan was to drop if I wasnt near the top 3 (podium in ITU Worlds) in the M40. Well, I knew I wasnt dropping after seeing the pain on many of the pro's faces as they ran by me on their second loop inspired me. I ran with a male pro in fact, language not understandable, but I think he said "good job"...or..."get away from me"...couldnt tell. We ran from 10 - 15 k and at a pace of about 6:50 per mile, and he was grunting and in obvious pain. Yet, I knew he was likely out of the top 10 and I believe was the 13th finisher because he was Danish and I checked the results after. Regardless, the venue FELT like the ITU World championships. There were about 30 countries at least, all walking around in their team uniforms with various flags, etc. On the race course, thousands of spectators yelling "go david" in multiple accents as I ran by. It was overall a good race and one I would recommend, especially as the official distance starting in 2009 is 2X Olympic instead of the 3X Olympic we ran this year.

Swim: 4000 meter? I think, as many after the race felt, that the swim was more like 4500 or so. This still doesnt account for Ann and I's 1:23 swim, esp since I've been under an hour in the past two 3800 meter IM swims, and in this one, I worked much harder, to the point of fatigue in both arms, shoulders and lats. The swim was poorly designed with over 3400 meters directly against the current and directly into the rising sun. I mean the sun was actually rising right over the buoys and sighting was very difficult. The current was tough as I swam a casual 19 minutes for the first 800 the day prior, and was 25 minutes at the 800 on race day, swimming much stronger.

Regardless, I nearly passed out when I saw my swim split. I knew I would be around 1:10 just from the way my body was beginning to fatigue and my hands/feet going numb..but 1:23? Well, no worries as I ran the 1:40 just to get to transition, then to see about 10 bikes in my row and another 10 or so in the next, all in my age group. I just immediately blew off the swim and turned my focus to the bike. I had some catching up to do.

The Bike: I made up significant time as the 3rd fastest of 119 M40 finishers (150 starters), and out split 14 of the 42 male pros. An additional 20 pros were within 5 minutes of me which is also very encouraging to me, seeing as I'll be 43 in a few months. Overall, very happy with a 23.7 mph average on this windy course. The winds are strong with long, 20 minute stretches of direct headwind. But, there were enough turns to keep the wind at bay and it wasnt that bad overall. I was looking forward to a 6-8 mile tail wind coming in on the second lap but the wind flipped on us and we had a direct head wind coming in. However, I was within a minute of my first lap and in retrospect, posted an outstanding bike split, and I cant be happier. I road with near consistent watts throughout, never let the race get away from me, and didnt push too hard.

The Run: First 10k 40 and change, about 6:48 pace. Second 10k 6:58 pace and final 10k 7:02 pace. I actually slowed down to around 8 min pace the final 3k as it was clear for about a mile in front of me from what I could see and while I kept the pressure on...I didnt kill myself, realizing I was not going to catch anyone in my AG at that point. 5th fastest running in category.

So, 6th is ok considering this is my final prep for Kona. I 'll be happy with this finish given this is ITU Worlds and was a very competitive race.

Dont ever let a bad piece of your race destroy your drive or intent. I wasnt going to allow my poor swim to dominate my thoughts, and in fact, dont remember even thinking about the swim after my initial shock after looking at my watch in T1. You can't allow negative thoughts to creep in or you will undermine your goals. Yeah, my goal of podium was not realized, and yeah, with a 1:08 swim would have been running up with 3rd place, but I pushed regardless, fighting to stay on course. This is another unsuccessful goal for me in racing, and I will have more. Very few successes come with this sport, or any sport. Nevertheless, I will not allow the odds stacked up against me to alter my will to succeed.

This is how you really get to know yourself.

Your race defines you. Not necessarily your finishing time or place...but how you feel during and after your event. This is how sport becomes your identity.

ITU Worlds

2008-08-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

Wow!

There are about 50 male and 30 female pros here as well as about 30 countries all of which are walking around in their team uniforms.

I guess I may take this race a bit more seriously....its a bigger deal in Europe and the rest of the world then I thought....feels like Kona here.

We'll see....warm temps and wind....hopefully somewhere around 6:30 total time. 4000 meters against chop one direction should be interesting! Legs have been dead and thrashed all week but as of this morning, saturday...feel fresh and race ready. I love when that happens...seems like nearly every race they turn around just in time.

ciav

Made it safely to Amsterdam

2008-08-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

Flight uneventful....Ann, myself and Ann's friend Bonnie made it safe to Amsterday today.

ITU World long course championships next Sunday, and feeling average, not really great but not bad either. Legs are a bit fatigued from 120 miles in 3 consecutive days this past week, chased with an 18 mile run in about 7:10 pace.

We'll get the bikes out tomorrow (Monday here) for a 3+ hour ride with a good long TT interval, after a morning 45 min run. Try to find a pool for a 4k swim Tuesday.

Rainy here and cool, low 60's for the high, and the rain like a mist...not really coming down hard.

So,
The course has been changed on the bike due to the increased number of athletes this year. There is about 2k of cobblestone but the remainder is flat and windy.

Who knows...on a decent day,
4k swim, about 1:05
120k bike (74 miles) in about 3:20
30k run (18.6 miles) in about 2:12
T1 and T2 about 6 minutes,

So, maybe around 6:40-6:45
Have no idea where that will place me. This time is about a 4:30 half ironman pace then with the added distances in the swim, bike, and run.

Yahoo Bullshitters

2008-08-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Ok,

I have had literally about 10 people come up to me the past couple of days commenting on me how incredible it is that Phelps consumes 12,000 calories per day. Let me think about this....

Phelps in his "high weeks" has been reported to swim 80 kilometers per week. So lets assume 12 kilometers per day, which is 84 kilometers per week.

Presumably at the slowest, Michael may knock off an average 4000 in about an hour. I routinely swim 4k in 75 minutes, and that's the whole workout, including rests between intervals. Yeah...and I swim 1:35-40 per 100 meter, not 60-65 seconds as many or most world class swimmers do (ave in workouts, not racing).

So, in an hour of intense swimming, the maximum calories burned is around 2000. This is an extreme high number and I am assuming that in an hour, the swimmer is swimming at a very high effort. So, for 12k per day, maximum time of swimming is probably around 3:30 at the most, which would be 7000 calories. This is probably the absolute maximum and assumes very high, race like efforts for the entire 12k of swimming.

Basic metabolic rate of most people varies, 1200-2200 calories per day. So lets go with the high end of 2000 calories. The higher your fitness, the lower your metabolic rate typically, and is related to resting heart rate. In actuality, Phelps probably only burns, as a baseline, 1500 cal per day at the most (resting, non-workout periods).

But we can assume absolute maximums here. With this presumption I think the absolute maximum of 8500 calories in a day may be possible, and that's assuming extremely high efforts during every workout.

So, 12000 calories consumed per day would be more than a half of a pound of weight gain per day, and of course this is not the case. So, yeah, more media/yahoo.com bullshit and failing to have any intelligent thought going into their stories.

Come on....there are world class triathletes working out 40-50 hours per week, nearly double the hours of Phelps, and dont come anywhere near 12000 calories per day of food intake!
Even us lolely age groupers...my 42 hr week last year, I took in about 5000 calories per day maximum. Yeah, its total bullshit.

Another comment I've been getting, "wow..do you see all the bacon and crap Phelps eats?" I assume more media hype to get people to take an interest, and think that world class athletes like Phelps are like the average person, and I presume a poor attempt to make it seem that these athletes have zero knowledge of nutrition and healthy eating.

I can name of many examples of thin, endurance runners, some of which are world class, that have had heart attacks and/or cardiac stents placed later in life because of atherosclerotic disease.

So, if you dont eat healthy, very low saturated fats (bacon, butter, whole dairy, ground beef, etc)
it doesnt matter how thin you are...you are still suseptable to heart disease and other related problems that come with atherosclerosis.

Emmetts Triathlon

2008-08-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

Emmetts "most excellent" triathlon

2:02.07 (PR)
4th OA,
1st M40
Swim 22:11 (PR for Oly)
Bike 58:10 (PR) , 329 Watts (PR Watts for Oly), 80 rpm HR 130 ave (Z3), 159 max (Top Z5c)
Run 39:21 (yikes), ave HR 154 (mid Zone 5), max 162(top Z5c)

Emmett Idaho, yeah, 6 days after my Troika HIM race. I thought it would be a good idea if Ann and I knocked off our third and final TriNW Olympic race to end my olympic racing season a couple of weeks before ITU world long course champs. Coming off 3 contiguous days off M-W due to my quad strain at Troika. Thursdays bike, run and swim was ok as far as the quad goes. Tightness only occurred on the run (2.5 miles) and the bike was easy but no issues.

This is a pretty good race, but be ready for over 1/2 of the bike course on chipseal. The bike is rolling with 2 climbs requiring the 39 front chainring for a minute or so but not too bad. Not the fastest course I've run but it is still fairly fast.

It has to be fast...I again set a PR in the olympic distance with my 2:02.07 today, more than a 2 minute PR over my 2:04 at blue lake this past June. While the course is definately faster than blue lake, and a usat national olympic qualifier, its not the course that set my PR...it was me.
My fitness now is a giant step above that in June, but only need to maintain this and not try to push too hard, or go for too much. Sustainability is the key to get me to Kona strong and ready, and I'm not certain I can do this, but we'll see. I dont feel over trained, that's for sure.

2 male pro's showed up as well as a female pro. The top male pro, I think Kevin Everett, broke the course record with a 1:52, and is a legit fast pro. Scott Young the 40 yr old pro from Reno, who's won this race twice before also showed. Scott is the guy I finished ahead of at Pac Crest, but this guy can run, and the oly I think is his key distance.

Swim was average for me, 22 and change, about what I swim on a pretty good day. It was a PR by about 20 seconds though. My T1 was horrid as I lost about 30 seconds looking for my bike. I had a towel over my helmet on my aerobars to sight, and someone had knocked off the towel prior to the race. So, I looked around, didnt see the towel for about 20 seconds and finally decided just to look for the bike. Once found, I took off, realizing I just turned a super fast T1 into 90 seconds.

The bike is not an easy course here. A steady morning rain while we set up before the start left the pavement damp, and I cautioned on a few corners. This only lasted 10 min or so as the pavement soon dried in the hot sun. I caught 3 or so, then a 29 yr old caught me. We passed each other repeatedly to the second climb at which he hammered up the hill to pull within a few seconds of me. We were about 30 minutes into the race when I noticed two things. The top 3 males coming the other way, and the leader was uncatchable...but...my God, second place, Scott Young was only about 90 seconds ahead and third place a few seconds behind him. I then forgot about the younger guy racing me and put my gear in the 54/11, dropped my rpm down to 70 and said to myself, "ok..this is your 30 minute TT interval". I took off pretty hard focused on those in front of me.

The next turnround with about 8 miles to go..and there they were, about a minute in front of me. Suprised a bit, I realized the 29 yr old chasing me was still within about 15 seocnds at the final turn around but I said to myself, if he catches and passes me, he deserves it...becasue I was putting down around 335 watts at this point. By 5 miles to go, I could see both 2nd and 3rd up ahead about 20-30 seconds. I upped my rpm to about 75 and tried to maintain my 54/11 but had to take several quick 3-5 second breaks from pedalling from the legs burning. Once I pulled up to within 5 seconds, I took a 30 second break at 200 watts or so to clear the lactate. Then, I poured on hard, back in my biggest gear and passed both of them upwards of 30 mph. I didnt want to pick a fight and figured if I passed them very aggressively, they would not even think about going with me.

By this point, we had about 5 min left in the race which included the trek through town. Coming into town, a huge RV ahead of me going about 15 mph was literally blocking the road and half of the shoulder they had blocked off with tall orange cylinder cones. As I squeezed past the RV, I had to slam on the brakes and yank the bike to the right, almost hitting the curb, as the RV hit one of the cones and knocked it directly into my path. Once I cleared the cone, I passed the RV giving him a gesture with my left hand and checking my back at the same time. I saw both 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place within my view, about 20-30 seconds back.

I rolled into T2 a few seconds later, jumped off the bike and what do you know? Ran down the wrong bike rack lane. I paced quickly back and forth and didnt see my shoes and realized I was lost again in transition. I took a deep breath and said, "ok..look for the blue ironheads visor". This keyed me in quickly as I saw it about 10 ft away and in the next lane. I ducked under the rack and got my shoes and visor on and took off. Unfortunately, Young got out immediately ahead of me due to the 30 seconds I lost, and he was gone. There was no way I was catching this guy running sub 6 pace right off the bat.

The run course is fast, but not super fast. 2 loops blend in with the sprint tri going on and its tough to know where you're at with about 400 people on the course. You have to cross RR tracks twice each loop and that is pretty much the only hill, but the tracks arent completely smooth as I tripped on one coming back off the first loop. At 2 miles, the 29 yr old blew past me very decisively and within 800 meters gained about 20-30 seconds on me. I pushed and for the final 4 miles was high zone 5, higher than any HR I've raced in this year at 9 beats above the top of my zone 4. This didnt help as the guy stayed the same distance in front of me the rest of the course. I just couldnt catch him, even though once he made his move to get in front of me...he ran the same pace as I.

I was pleasantly happy with the 2nd fastest bike split of 58:10, a PR for me...off a 22:11 swim, another PR for me. My run of 39:21 was an average run for me, but that is not what dissapoints me. I would have taken 3rd overall and without a doubt run around a 1:01.30 something had I not had total debockles in my transitions. Well...you win some and lose some.

I did "win" the masters, as Young got bumped out of the age division due to his 2nd overall placing. For the TriNW masters, this was my 7th win...although dont really consider this race a masters win because a master was 2nd overall. But, he is from Nevada and this state is not counted in the TriNW ranking, so it is what it is.

Oh yeah, at the end of the awards, they raffled off a new carbon Felt TT frame...and I won it.

Ann had an "average" race in her mind, which is acceptable as she just hammered the Troika HIM last week, running the half marathon portion in 1:31. She gained an Ironheads Olympic record today with her 2:15, a personal best, and took third overall, winning cash (again) this season. She was not happy with her run and realized she didnt have it mentally this week to catch the 2nd overall woman, which was only 20 seconds ahead. Ann didnt have a super strong bike either, I think 3rd overall, but she could have gone faster...she just isnt used to stacking races like this and I take the blame for this one because I told her to race. In the long run, it will be good for her but depends on how we take the next week, then a week of strong training going into ITU worlds. This then puts us 6 weeks out from Kona.

Why am I racing so many TriNW races this year and not USAT? I want to compete locally and regionally directly with most of the athletes in my area this year. Havent been that happy with USAT ranking over the 4 yrs I've competed. The few local USAT races we have are small and without numbers, you get crappy ranking points, even if you place top 3 OA or win the age division. For the larger races, you have to travel far, and I am just not going to fly out to do an oly or sprint race every other weekend. Sure, I travel to do the 70.3 or IM races, many of which are USAT, but you dont get any more points for these compared to the guy that races an oly or sprint every other weekend and gains many more points...and of course you can only race a few 70.3 and an IM each season. Cant argue with this as Ann is the proof. She received higher points for finishing 13th AG at the california 70.3 then she did finishing 11th at Kona, world championships. She got less points winning USAT Nationals in F35 in addition. It's a bit like voodoo to me, not rocket science thats for sure.
So, the nice thing about racing locally, is that even though it's a different ranking system almost each weekend there is some race going on, and its far easier to race locally, esp in the short distance.

Troika Half IM, Recent Odyssey Results

2008-08-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

Troika

Troika is Russian for "three things" or a "collection of three"...hence the name for a triathon.

Overall, 8th
Masters Win #6 this season
4:28 Overall time, respectable but dissapointing.

The good: Wow...82 degrees or so on the run, typically in the 90's so we got lucky there.
The bad: Crashed my bike on a corner about mile 8, hurt my left quad which is costing me now.
The ugly: Fell getting on my bike at mounting T1, bike falling on top of me as I fell on my back...then once on the bike, my gears were in the 54/15 or so, could barely turn over the crank so as I was jerking the gears into my rear 23, athlete having to go around me because I realize i am riding down the left side of the road out of mount area, distracted because of my gears. Ran off course on the run about 60-90 seconds and climbed a 40 ft dirt hill to get back onto the course..yeah, a bit annoying to feel like a "rookie" out there.

The Swim: 31:45
Expected to be a couple of minutes slow, as was warned by a previous winner there on race day.
Beautiful alpine lined lake though. Beach start so you run into the water. No complaints at all.

T1: Slow by 30 sec or so for obvious reasons

The Bike: 2:24.11, 287 Watts, rpm 78, 23.6 mph, 2200 ft ascent.

One of my slower rides, despite losing maybe a minute with the crash. Only real issue is I couldnt shift into my 54 right away so I had to reach down while cycling and pull the chain up onto my 54 ring manually. Not a big deal. The course is rolling almost the entire distance, with a 6 mile or so false flat heading out and back from the swim. The course is pretty fast though, as the net elevation loss is around 300 ft. Dont be fooled by the manipulation of the race sites graph showing a huge downhill toward the end of the bike. This course has plenty of downhill but the vast majority is preceded by uphill, some climbs significant, going under 10 mph. The sections of good 10% down grades in the final 6 miles or so contained pot holed roads and sewer grates, etc, so out of aero bars almost the entire time and swerving the bike all over the lane to avoid hitting rough pavement. However, dont be deterred by this..just go in knowing the bike course is normal or a bit quicker than most. The huge difference in this bike course to me is its spectacular Northwest scenery. I was glancing around admiring the landscape, the rivers, cliffs...just a beautiful ride.

T2: 38 seconds!
There were 4 pro males there and I was happy my T2 was in with them, as they were anywhere from 36-39 seconds. This is the fastest T2 I have ever seen. They catch your bike for you at the line. I left my shoes on the bike. They hand you an open bag and you throw you helmet into it and they take the bike and bag away from you as someone hands you your T2 bag. You sit on a chair thats right there, rip open your bag, put on running shoes and visor, grap your nutrition and run out of T2 which is 10 feet from where you are sitting. I dropped a nutrition bottle after I crossed T2 timing mat so went back to pick it up but no big deal.

Run: 1:29.41, HR ave 146 (high zone 4), max 165 (high zone 5)

No happy at all. The first 3.5 miles has deceivingly difficult uphill, as you take off T2 on the river, and pop out at 3.5 miles about 150 ft above the river. Hence my first mile at 7:45 and 15:15 at mile 2. At 3 miles, not very happy with 22:30. Hit my split on my watch here so I could "race" the next 9 miles, figuring I'd be an hour or so. Mile 4, 6:35...mile 5, 6:55, still going up a false flat and HR now at my max allowable, final beat in zone 4 and breathing heavily. At 5.5 miles the trail continues as gravel at a parking lot, and heads down to the river . I specifically remember looking on the pavement for arrows, or a sign to turn, of which there were none so I figured to run straight onto the gravel. I was thinking, why would they take the race onto gravel...I dont remember reading about that. Then 30 seconds into it, I saw the dead end coming as I approached the river. I looked up and left, and saw Matt Sealy (OA male pro leader) running up through the trees as I yelled "what the fu#$!!
So, I cut up a dirt bike trail right up the side of the ridge. As I popped up onto the trail, the second place male pro comes running by, looked over at me and said, "good job Dave" or "go dave" or something like that. I had met him last year at Grand Columbian ITU when he was trying to catch me as I was finishing the final 2 miles of the half IM and he was finishing the final 2 of his 25k for his ITU race (same course). I thought he was third place male (I was in second) so I kept surging on him. We laughed about it later after the race.
So, the run continued as a false flat to mile 7, then turnaround to run back. Legs were nearly trashed here and quad had sharp pain so I couldnt take advantage of the route back to the finish, which of course was only 6 miles back so less of a downhill compared to the uphill going out. Another reason the run times are a bit slow here.

I had managed overall 5th and was hanging on. I noticed the second place male master about 4-5 minutes behind me as he approached on my way back and I realized he'd have to run 5:40's to catch me if I ran 6:40's on the way back, which was not going to happen. 2 younger guys from Seattle then caught me by mile 8 running around 6:30 pace. I ran right to the side and back of the leading runner and ran 2 miles with them before I realized I was going to win the masters, and was quite happy I was going to be around 2:27-2:28 If I just relaxed in the final 5k. So, I ran in around 7 min pace to try to slightly baby the leg and held my position at 7th overall.

So that's it. Not overly happy with race. Watts typically over 300 which would have put my bike split closer to 2:20 and likely 4th overall. But it is what it is. I held 305 watts for several portions of the race but just didnt feel "right" in sustaining with my legs feeling a bit thrashed. The run...I let up mentally that final 5k but you dont always have that drive you want or need at times and that's ok. I was pretty happy with my time considering the day I had.

Ann? Well, a female pro showed up to this non-prize money predominatly age grouper race. Ann out swam and run her, and in fact Ann had the fastest run of the women by 4 minutes and 15th overall fastest run with her stunning 1:31.17
Anyone who ever runs this course will know just how fast that is. This is the second fastest time besides my 1:29 of any ironhead male or female as far as the race results go back, 2004. Anns 2nd overall time of 4:46...what?! 4:46... is the second fastest female time on this course other than yesterdays pro woman time of 4:36 since 2004, as far as the results go back.

She had an awesome day as the top age grouper, and there were 3 other top age group females out there yesterday. Ann was around 8th female off the bike and just hunted down each and every one of the other age groupers, which is amazing to me...to make up that much of a deficit on the run. Yeah the pro is 27 yrs old, but man if Ann was doing this when she was 27...uhhh, 32 years old she would quite easily have raced pro. God only knows what she would have run 10 years ago had she gotten into athletics earlier. Regardless, we are fortunate to just be lucky and healthy enough to race, as so many people never exerience a triathlon.

So, we have Emmetts Olympic race Saturday in Idaho. I will make the call as to race or not on thursday if my leg isnt feeling better. I'll watch and cheer Ann on though. I expect a few pros at this one as it has a little prize money. A race with prize money should attract pros....If I was fast enough to be pro, I would race only races with prize money. It's their livelyhood for the most part. Its a bit wierd to me however, that pros show up to a non usat triathlon, no prize money, small field, to race against 99 % age groupers. Dont get me wrong, Matt Sealy has IM Canada in 3 weeks and this guy needs to race a half IM event in his final preparation for Canada. So, yeah, he needed to run troika to get a good idea of where he's at. But I dont know about the others...I guess its a self esteem thing. I trained with pros in Florida for 3 years when I was a very fast runner, winning many local 5-15k races, and a few marathons. But, these pros (4 of them) would rarely jump in a race without prize money, and mostly age groupers. Why, they specifically would tell me that they leave those races for the age groupers, and they have plenty of pro races to compete in , which makes their sponsors happier. So, maybe runners are different. Even in a small sprint triathon here in Portland Saturday, an all womens local race...a pro showed up...and beat out a 17 year old female for the overall win. Why? Isnt there a race with actual pros to compete with anywhere? I guess not.

How'd this turn into a rant...

Some odyssey coaching results this weekend:
Bonnie Jensen posted her PR yesterday at Troika with a 5:02, a 15 minute drop from her prior PR at Boise 70.3 back in June. She took 7th AG at Boise, and 2nd yesterday F30 by about 2 minutes. A solid time going into her final prep for IMUK.

LeAnne Schrotzberger, 6:06, 9th F40, solid time in her comeback from a severe trauma less than 2 seasons ago. LeAnne is in her final prep for IM Canada and will expect a PR depending on conditions, and I know will be happy to be out there competing with her improving bike and run fitness, especially coming off a very big week just a week before Troika. Once rested, she'll bounce back strong.

Dave Lowe, winner of M60 with a 5:27, his second fastest HIM other than Clearwater 70.3 last year. Dave is finishing up his build to ITU long course world championships and will be competing on team USA with Ann and I at the end of the month in Amsterdam. Then, he will race IM Hawaii World Championships in October, his first Kona appearance.

Jorge Villavicencio. 12th M40 with a 5:06. This was a "C" race for jorge as he trains for IM Florida in November, and ran yesterday on an injured foot of which he'll recover after some PT.

Todd Beia, 14th M35 with a huge PR of 5:10. Todd is still building for IMAZ in November and is getting stronger each week.

Lets not forget Thomas Wood and Stacy Stern (4:56 and 4:59) at Vineman couple weeks ago, big PR's for both in their final prep for Ironman Canada!! Stacy secured 2nd in W35 out ot 129 and Tom 37th M40 out of 239.

Steelhead 70.3 this past Saturday included Ty Patton, 4:43, 76th M40 of 238 and Eric Stimach, 4:20, 21st M40 of 238. For both athletes, this was their first HIM event.

Jason Lester, who's official ITU WADA World Championship Olympic Distance placing of 2nd in M30 is a correction from the original unofficial result of 4th. Strong work Jason. Without the leg cramping up, a definate world championship honor. Second is a great placing though, I've been there many times, but I would only dream of it happening at a world championship.

-Ciaverella

Watts, Torque and Keeping the Balance

2008-07-28T18:19:00.001-07:00

This was a pretty good week

Swim: 14000 meter (4 sessions) 4:45
Bike 208 miles (5 rides) 12:30
Run 42 miles (5 runs)5:30)

So, about 22:45 for workout time. I wont detail my work week, but just to say I put in 62 hours at work last week. With the added coaching and my own training, I guess upwards of over 90 hours or so for the week. The only real answer is the cut out the sleep which is fairly chronic for me as I averaged about 6 hrs this week and is not unusual. Still feel fairly refreshed once I get going for the day.

My biggest ride was only 64 miles last week...what?! A 64 mile long ride so close to ITU World long course and Kona? I must be crazy! We'll see...Dont be deceived. Out of 5 rides, 4 of them contained intensity well above HIM wattage and my average wattage for all 5 rides of the week was well into zone 2, even the 20 minutes of single leg at over 200 watts to finish out the week.

My running? 5 runs included 2 intensity workouts plus a long run. My 16 miler was fair and felt ok. Out first 4 miles at Lief Erikson trail in 29 minutes (7:15) with a fair amount of climbing. What hurt were the next 12 miles with a 2 minutes acceleration at every 10 minute mark to slightly faster than 5k pace. Got in 9 of these accelerations and averaged 7:15 pace for the remainder of the run at 1:56 total time, average HR of 128, the very top of my zone 1. The real key in this workout was not my low average HR for the run, as between my accelerations, my HR dropped dramatically. During the accelerations though, my HR was very responsive, jumping up into high zone 4 within 30-60 seconds. Then dropping back into low zone 1 running 7:30 pace on my 8 minute rest periods. This rapid response of HR is a good indicator of fitness, but more importantly, lack of over-training. Not being able to "drive" the HR upward quickly and not getting good responses in HR to pace is an indicator of overtraining. The past 3 IM races I've done, I specifically remember commenting to Ann on my responsive HR going into my 7-8 day taper. Always a good sign.

Swims were ok, typical mixed intensity. Friday's 4x1200 meter hurt me as I used hand paddles in the final 600 on the last 1200. Wasnt paying too much attention and let my left hand "flash" as it entered the water. By bedtime friday I had a nasty tendonitis of my flexor tendons in my forearm. So, this cost me my swim today. Massage helped, as well as advil and a couple of ice water soaks over the weekend. Now its nearly pain free and I wont push it in the pool tomorrow. I will drop the workout if it bothers me. To boot, Ann had a crash late last week and has cuts and bruises all over her, and a nice cellulitis covering almost her entire forearm from road rash. She has held off the swimming but she still was a bit over 200 miles this week and over 40 running, with a week ending quality 18 miler. So, I dont speak too much of it because I know she's tough. I have no worries.

Started thinking about Troika HIM race this Sunday. Have tried to not think of any upcoming race until the week of. Helps me mentally a bit.

As I was cycling down the highway last week, putting together several zone 5 efforts at varying cadence I was interested in the data downloaded. These were all done on a straight, constant wind conditions and flat surface.
1: 330 watts at 50 rpm. Crank torque 455, 24.5 mph
2: 330 watts at 60 rpm. Crank torque 425, 24.4 mph
3: 332 watts at 70 rpm. Crank torque 398, 25.0 mph
4: 331 watts at 80 rpm. Crank torque 380, 25.3 mph
5: 330 watts at 90 rpm Crank torque 360, 24.0 mph
6: 332 watts at 100 rpm. Crank torque 345, 23.6 mph

This caught my interest. Lower rpm work will gain you speed but at a cost of crank torque as more torque is taxing on the flexor muscles of the legs. So, it seems reasonable that if you can lower your torque by higher rpm, you will lower the stress on the legs. This is true, but as I increased my cadence at near constant power, and my crank torque went down, it did feel easier to pedal. However, as you can see, there is a point at which my speed begins to drop. My maximum speed at a given wattage around 80 watts, maybe even 78 or 82, in that range. This allowed a lower torque without sacrificing speed. I do "race" when I race, and will push the envelope. But, to me, racing at a higher cadence, say around 95 will cost nearly a full mph assuming the same race wattage. Over a HIM event, this wont be made up for in the run most likely, as for me its about 8 minutes I would have to make up on the run just to break even.

So, I even further believe that an optimal race cadence is somewhere hovering around 80. Of course, you have to train at greater crank torques to allow you to race comfortably at a lower rpm. Once this transition is made, as I did in the summer of 2007, it can change your race.

Ciaverella

Week in Summary

2008-07-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

Had a difficult week with work and trying to get in the workouts. Working 3 "all nighters", typical 14 hour shifts that go all night, on top of my 3 day shifts has worn me out.

Managed to get just over 20 hours this week, in 13 workouts, missing only 1.
So, here's a glimpse of my week

Monday: Work 9 hrs. Resting legs off the hagg lake olympic tri this weekend
Swim: 4300 meter, mixed intervals

Tuesday: Work 4pm to 7 am Wed morning.
Swim 4000 meter, mixed intervals
Run 5 miles easy
Bike 20 miles Z2 watts. Go to work.

Wed: 2.5 hrs sleep prior to workouts. Off post call in the day.
30 min yoga when waking before ride.
Bike 50 miles, rolling hills, steady, Z2 watts, about 3k climbing.
Run 4 miles easy, steady, included a stair climb set.

Thurs: Normal 8 hr work day
Swim: Go to pool, fell asleep in car at 6:15 am. Awoken by pager going off at 9:15. Missed this workout. Write if off, so I wont get in my 16k swimming this week.
Run afterwork, 4 miles easy with 5X1 min uphill intervals. About 18% grade hill.
Ride 31 miles. Z2 watts. 2x10 min Z4 intervals at rpm 55 and 65 respectively

Fri: Normal 8 hr work day, still behind on sleep.
Swim 5200 meter. 2500 free. Then 50x50 meter on 1 min cycle. 200 cd. Ouch.
Run after swim 7 miles, 45 min. Included 3 mile tempo at 6:40, 6:30, 6:20 each mile.

Sat: Work another all nighter tonight.
Bike 71 miles and about 6k climbing. Beginning of ride, 30 min time trial Z4 watts (311). Ave power for ride high Z2
Waited 3 hrs after ride to run. 4 miles easy.
Finally checked cell phone messages, 14 of them.

Sun: Up all night until 8am. Sleep until 11:30 am, then run.
Run 19 miles. First 12 on Wildwood trail up to pittock mansion, about 3k total climbing. Then
onto main trail, 6 consecutive 7:15 miles, then bonked. Final mile 9 min pace.
Weighed before and after run. Took in total of 24 oz's of nutrition/water on run. Still recorded an 8 pound weight loss. Partly because run was in middle of day and in the high 80's.

Monday: Work my third all night 14 hr shift and have a lull in work to write this blog. Slept until 11 am this morning in attemp to catch up sleep which I think worked.
Swim 3000 meter, mixed intervals.

Not on call again until Sunday, which is a 24 hr shift so will get no workouts in that day.
As for Tues through Sat, plan on 13 more workouts and another 20 hr week.

Thought I'd give this example as I do get resistance from some I affiliate with on the inability to get in some workouts, even short 30 minute morning workouts in an 8-5 job. There is no real excuse in my opinion, unless you make an attempt but actually fall asleep at a workout due to the lack of sleep. Regardless, I just believe for those who want "it" , whatever "it" may be...the suffering that comes with it is real. There is no easy way, and those who go to kona or make the IM podium did not get there with ease.

Find a focus, a goal. Make a nobel attempt. You miss workouts on a consistent basis? Then do too much on other days to "make up"? You've only yourself to blame.
Goals are accessible if realistic, and if you dont reach them, then be proud of yourself in the effort you've made if you have no regrets.

I have said this in the past and I'll say it again. I have failed many many more times than I've succeeded. To others it may look like I 've accomplished a few things in this sport. But believe me, out of the many triathlons, Ironman, marathons....I've only accomplished a goal a few times.

A reading from the Tao states, "success comes to those who weather the storm"

OK, I've said enough.

Hagg Lake Olympic

2008-07-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Raced the hagg lake olympic on Saturday, another Tri-Northwest, AA event. Nearly perfect day for race conditions and I felt better in this one than my last olympic at Blue lake. The blue lake race was a PR for me at 2:04 at the oly distance. Hagg lake is a much tougher course with 1600 ft of climbing on the bike and a few hundred on the run. This is the USAT Nationals Olympic course this year so it was nice to race on this course.

I set my PR for this course by 8 minutes at a 2:09, won my 5th masters title this season and managed a 4th overall. Very happy with the 3rd fastest bike split of the day and 5th fastest run. While the race is small with only a couple hundred people, a few of the fast oly distance athletes in the area showed up. Matt Berg dominated the race with his 18 min swim, but his bike time not as fast. His run was pretty dominant with the top guys. I'm sure he let up a bit as he had a 2 minute lead on Dave Campbell. I managed to nip Dave at the 3 mile mark at blue lake oly few weeks back and at the 10 mile mark at pacific crest. He hammered me at the Corvalis sprint 7 wks back and again hammered me yesterday by about 90 seconds. When he has a good race its nearly impossible to catch him off his bike split.

Anyway, my legs felt fairly good on the bike which made my day here. My overall time would have placed me 13th at USAT nationals last year on this course. So, I wont be racing nationals. Ann and I have both qualified for Oly USAT nationals for 2008 and I was using this race to see how I could race this course, and get an idea on my potential placing at nationals. To me, I'll save my legs in September and wont spend the money to race this one. Ann's time of 2:22 was enough to win handedly and was the 3rd fastest time for women at this event since 2005. Her time would place her 8th at USAT Nationals, not bad considering she's not the youngest in her age group at 38 this year.

Ann was impressive as she stalked the leading female. I saw Ann at mile 4 when she was at mile 2 and told her the leader was only 40 seconds ahead and "didnt look good". I could see the womens leader was not smooth, and Ann was smooth and strong. So, I had a good feeling Ann would catch her, which she did over the next mile or so. She won by about a minute or so and its her second overall win this year.

Legs feel good today, rebounding nicely after the race. Regardless, I wont needlessly over train and we will rest a bit so we can have some good quality workouts mid week.

We've knocked out our 5th race this summer out of 9 before Kona. Next up for us is the Troika 1/2 ironman in Spokane, WA. Ann may race a sprint distance the day before so wont be quite as strong on race day, but I am confident she may win or at least be 2nd overall in Spokane even racing the day before. We'll check the race list the week of, and if a couple of really fast girls register, then its best Ann doesnt race the day before. After Troika, all we have is ITU world long course championsips (3 times the olympic distance), then I will be racing an olympic the weekend after. This takes us to Sep. 7th, 5 weeks from Kona.

We may do a short sprint 3 wks out from Kona, havent decided. Very tricky with so many races going into an Ironman and I'll keep my coaches strategy for us a secret for now.

Tough Day at Pacific Crest

2008-06-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Good: Won the masters division and Tri-Northwest long course masters champion (whatever that means..obviously there are faster masters at this distance in the NW that didnt show up). Lucky for me the masters leader had a problem with cramping or something, but not lucky for him as I am sure it was a long run in the heat for him. I am certain he'll be back and win this next year.

The Bad: Conditions were unfavorable. Headwind on the 14+ mile descent from the pass into town and found I couldnt even get into my 54/11 gear most of the way because of the headwind. Ann not very pleased with her 5:06, and especially her run, but it was a tough day on everyone and we both are a bit tired from our 4th race in about 6 weeks

The Ugly: HR Zone 5 final 5 miles at 7:15 pace...what? This is a full minute slower than my Zone 5 pace. About 95 degrees on the run course was pretty extreme mixed in with the 4300 ft elevation. Felt like I was running the final 10k of the ironman for the final 10k of this race. Usually I am fired up and ready to race but not this time. Middle 4 miles tough to break 7:30 pace was dissapointing. Overall not too happy at 4:38 considering my 4:21 last summer on a bike course with slightly less climbing and a run course far more difficult.

OK, I switched out my 808 for my disc on race morning. Why? Matt Lieto has ridden this course 3 times on a disc and he specifically told me I could use it, so I listened to him. He has the knowledge and experience on this course...uhhhh and is vastly faster than me, so I decided to do what he suggested.
Pac Crest is a tough course, and I definately have alot of respect for the difficulty here. If conditions arent favorable the 3200 ft of ascent before the long downhill you can definately blow up the legs. Course is 58 mile bike so is a bit slow as far as times go. I decided on 300 watts on this race because my legs have felt sluggish, and its a nice conservative zone considering my prior 2:08 bike split at 312 watts and a 2:18 at 3:08 watts. This payed off in some respects as at least 5 people passed me on the 4 mile climb, and of course, passed all of them very soon into the downhill, and caught 3 others over the first 8 miles of downhill. I did up my cadence to 90-95 on the steeper sections to hold my watts near 300 and the headwind didnt allow me to spend much time in my 54/11, so had to settle for me 12 and 13 on many sections.

My goal of catching last years Masters winner, the pro Young didnt go quite as planned. I didnt get any room on him on the bike and found myself trying to make up several minutes from the swim. I literally ran past him in T2 with my bike. So, yeah I caught him, and ran out of T2 in front, but he immediately surged past me and gained about 15 seconds on me in the first 800.
When I passed my teammate Varney, he let me know Young was 17 seconds in front. I slowly caught up and he surged again, putting another 15 seconds on me. Have to admit, this started to break me as I knew this guy was a fast runner, faster than me. I slowly got back onto his heels and I realized this guy could break me at any moment. As I approached.....he shut down and started walking. I slapped him on the rear and encouraged him to keep going as I ran by. I was still fearful for another mile but wouldnt check my back because its a very bad habit to race people behind you. Instead, I changed my focus to the next person in front of me, who at 4 miles had a 2 minute lead on me according to a spectator that yelled at me...Dave Campbell.

I got within 40 seconds of Dave at mile 9 and by mile 10 got onto his heels. I took a 30 sec. break and ran behind him, then surged for 30 seconds as I passed, both of us saying encouraging words as we crossed. I timed this surge to a blind "S" turn and got through the S turn to get out in front of Dave far enough so when he came out of the S turn, I would be far enough ahead that he wouldnt challenge me. One thing I dont want is to go head to head with someone as strong physically and mentally as Campbell because it could very well be me who blows up in that scenario. I surged 2 more times around 2 more blind corners, then settled into my low Zone 5 7:15 pace. This is the first HIM I've run in Zone 5 for 5 miles, but the cardiac drift was pretty extreme in the heat. I was frankly suprised to end up 9th overall, as there were several pros here this year, and shocked to be more than 20 minutes in front of the next masters male.

The keys to today's race? Power meter on the bike. I was at 310 watts, high zone 4, for the 4.5 mile climb up Mt Bachelor pass, and was passed by several on this climb. However, when they were all coasting downhill in the headwind, I was able to maintain 290-300 watts pedalling, and passed each and every person who passed me, and passed 4-5 others who were ahead by the 5 mile mark of the 14 mile sustained downhill.

The run? Critical to run by HR and not pace. I realized this soon after the start, as my HR climbed to high Zone 4 in the first mile at 6:50 pace. Typically, this is 6:30 pace for me. I put on a couple of slow sustained surges, 1-2 beats into Z5 to catch Young that first 3 miles, but that was my limit because I know I cant run a 1/2 marathon in Z5. So, I normally get to mile 10, then surge into Z5 for the final 5k. However, for this race I decided to push it a bit to further test what I can do, and I put myself into zone 5 at mile 8. Before this, my pace was 7:30 for 4 sustained miles, at the same HR it was the first 4 running about 7 min pace. This was because of the heat.

So, things worked out ok with a 4:38. I do think sub 4:30 is possible for me on this course, but you gotta have a favorable day, no headwind on the downhill, and a bit cooler on the run.

Matt Lieto ran a PR for this course by 7 minutes with his 4:10, despite his run of 1:25, which is 7 minutes slower than he typically runs here. This guy is the shit....4:10 on this course in these conditions...58 mile bike? He is as fit as he as ever been in his pro career. Matt is a true pro, saying nothing but encouraging words to everyone and is an asset to this sport. He hung around yesterday long after the awards, mingling in the crowd with a few other male pro's, stopping by some of the booths at the expo, ect. Not just bolting off after the awards ceremony. Matt is the kind of pro that will go down the finish at midnight in an ironman to watch those 17 hour finishers, despite his place in the overall standings. A real class act and its truly enjoyable to have such a classy athlete at a small venue like Pac Crest. It's very healthy for the sport. Matt is new to training with power, only a few months out, but already has massive gains in his cycling performace and in fact is now setting personal bests on the bike, even at Pac Crest on a day like today.

This race has a few flaws, but is in fact well run and I must say is a premier event in the Northwest. They do a great job here and the race feels like the calibur of a 70.3 series, but without the over-marketing sense you get from the 70.3's. Alot of crowd support and great to see so many Ironheads out there. Jason Lester did the long course duathlon on a road bike, and in the downhill headwinds, bracing himself on the non-aero bars with his left arm...God that must take alot of strength. Think about riding 58 miles on hills and headwind without any resting on your aero bar pads, just holding on with your left arm, controlling the bike on long downhills, etc. I imagined this after he told me his arm was totally shredded off the bike, and I have another level of respect than before. Jason pulled a 3rd AG and high in overall standings.

Christian Isaakson, ironhead, crashed on his bike and rolled in to the finish with road rash all over his left shoulder and arm (I think left...) Still managed to put together a solid race in tough conditions. Every ironhead out there deserves kudos on this tough day, Trevor (first HIM race), Troy, Greg, Leanne, Ann (5th OA)...I know I'm missing somebody, sorry.

Dont come here for a PR, you wont get it. It's well worth the experience though.

Disc?

2008-06-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

OK,
Talked to Steve Larsen today in Bend at the bike shop. Steve just took 5th overall at CDA with fastest bike split. Steve won IM Lk Placid. Steve has raced Pacific Crest HIM. All of these races he rode his 808's, not a disc. He advises Pac Crest on a pair of my zipp 808's due to the weight advantage, related to the climbing and particulary the 4-5 miles of climbing up the pass.

Steve is 45 min faster than me.

So, its 808's for me on race day, and I'll live with that.

By the way, Steve has 5 children, is a top pro IM triathlete. He manages to train and is one of the best in the sport. He's not at pac crest spectating because of his kids soccer game so yeah, I believe you can achieve your goals and have a family. It's whether you commit to putting in the work to achieve.

Pacific Crest Weekend

2008-06-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am confident, and I feel strong. I am ready, and I believe.

Pacific Crest weekend in Sunriver Oregon is a weekend of racing that attracts those from all over the northwest. Consists of a 1/2 Ironman, Long course duathlon, Olympic distance, marathon, 1/2 marathon, 10k, 5k, plus a few kids race events.

Ann and I have never raced here because of IMCDA or Germany over the past 4 yrs, which occur around the same weekend. So, finally, we get to race the 1/2 IM we've wanted to race for quite sometime.

The race here is competitive. With prize money to the top 5 male and female, and a top prize of 1000, it always attracts a few pros in both the male and female categories. Last year Lieto ran a 3:58 for God's sake...Even for myself, the masters category of age 40 and over, a pro from Nevada, Young, will be here. He raced to a 4:14 here last year although the course last year was altered to a very fast one due to road work on the usual bike course. Who knows, last year had I run the faster course, maybe a 4:18 or so...I doubt a 4:14. This year, the bike course is back to the original course, with rolling hills and incredible vistas along the cascade lakes highway in central Oregon. The infamous final climb up Bachelor Butte pass, over Mt Bachelor, is about 6500 ft. Then a 2000 foot descent over the final 17 miles to Sunriver, where T2 awaits us.

The swim is in a reservoir up in the mountains, uncertain which river. But, traditionally about 60-63 degrees, cold but not too cold. The swim is at about 4800 ft above sea level, and swimming here in Bend yesterday at 3500 ft, I could feel the altitude. Again, Young will be at an advantage as in researching him, I found he is the masters swim coach at one of the Universities in Reno, and an avid fast swimmer.

The run, 13 miles on paved bike trail, is in Sunriver, a resort town in which I own my second home. So, of course I have run the course many times, and am quite aware of the strategic value of the course. There are several small hills, with sharp hidden turns at the bottom of the descents. This will allow me to surge down and around the corner before the person behind me crests the hill. Getting out of a competitor's vision is a huge advantage on this course and will allow me to gain some time on anyone attacking me from behind. Again, Young comes to mind as I uncovered his 34 minute 10k run in the fall of 2007. This is definately faster than myself in an open 10k by about 90 seconds and will have my work cut out for me.

I am starting (as Ann is ) in the Elite wave at 9am. The age groupers of which will begin 1 minutes behind us, then at increments. I will start about 15 minutes ahead of my M40 age counterparts which I believe gives me the advantage of "out of site, out of mind" racing. I didnt decide to start with the elites for this reason entirely though. The primary reason was to start with any fast male masters that may also be registered as an elite. Looking at the roster, I made the right choice because Young is in the elite wave as a pro. I believe he will be the one to beat and even though by his times he is faster than me, at least I will be starting with him and will know exactly where I will stand during the race. This is far better than if I would have started in my age group, 15 minutes behind young at the start.

So, we'll see. I feel reasonably good on the bike, putting out 470 ave watts yesterday for my final 2 min interval and legs pretty strong and responsive. On my 4x4 min interval session during my run tuesday, I felt strong and responsive, with the feeling like I could have exploded my pace at any moment. The run however will be tough I believe, as I was only able to muster up 3 runs in 26 miles last week, and this week...only one 6 miler.

I hope to be close to Young, who will be the masters winner I believe, unless I can pull off a great race and he has a not so great race. My strategy, because I will have to make up several minutes off the swim on Young, and who is faster than me in the half marathon by probably 3-4 minutes, will be to out bike him. This being said, I think my bike split will have to be about 10 minutes faster to have a shot gaining enough time on him going into T2. If I do this, I will be one of the fastest bike splits on the course so I am not betting on this for sure....but I will definately put the bike as a priority in this race, pushing the hills into Zone 5 and maintaining zone 4 on the downhills, even if my cadence exceeds 100 in my 54/11 gear. The bike course is 58 miles so the 2 mile longer distance will be a few more seconds in my pocket if I can bike stronger than the other Masters. I am rolling the dice by racing my disc wheel, but am betting I can have the power to get up the hills and over the pass, then really hammer the downhill portions and hopefully put some time into some people without discs. I havent totally decided on a disc yet, and have brought my zipp 808 too. However, with the winds predicted at 10 mph, this may be a disc day, despite the 3500 ft ascent over the first 40 miles.

I am not saying that another master wont be in there too, as there are a couple out-of- staters from California and Montana, as well as Washington. However, I do think I will be a top master and will give them a run for their money Saturday. It will be an exiting race for me and I am looking forward to competing with (or near) a few pros.

Ann will have her work cut out for her, as she did her research too. There are 3 girls here, solid pros that are faster than Ann in the Olympic distance...but....Ann has a big advantage in the half marathon, of which I believe she is one of the fastest F35 in the country off the bike at the half and full IM distances. I think if any of these girls did any homework, they will see Ann as the dark horse, coming from behind them and she's not to be ignored in this one. I know she'll race her best and I know she's a bit hungry after her IMAZ event and not being able to race there.

Good luck to all other Ironheads out there racing this weekend, I know of LeAnne S , Trevor D, Troy S, Greg M and Christian I...all racing the 1/2...probably others I've forgotten. Good luck to a few others I am coaching coming down to run, Jason L (long course Duathlon) and Todd B, in the HIM. It will be interesting to watch Jason Lestor on the Duathlon course. Jason got lost on his run here in Sunriver last night, and ended up running 16 miles, 2 days before race day.

Double Fun

2008-06-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was double fun for Ann and I. We raced locally at Blue Lake, the sprint triathlon on Saturday, followed by an Olympic distance on Sunday. Pro male at the sprint and both pro male and female at Olympic...I guess they needed a workout, as this race is pretty local and no prize money.

Goal for me was to win the Masters division (40 and over) in both events to gain points in the masters division for the Tri-Northwest point system. Goal for Ann was to win the Sprint overall and place high in the olympic. Knowing a couple of female pros would be there on Sunday, very unlikely Ann would place at the top spot. For myself, a pro showed up also on Saturday...for a sprint? Regardless, I was never a pro runner, but when I was elite amateur, I would get in the big races often to compete with pro's and didnt usually jump into small 5k's and such, to whip on the local age groupers. Regardless, its enjoyable to compete in such a short distance with athletes under the age 30.

Sprint: 1:07.43
Swim 12:46
Bike 30:03 (Watts 329 ave, normal 332, rpm 74, Torque 378)
Run 20:24
T1 = 2:38, T2 = 1:52
Overall 4th and top master.

Olympic: 2:04.02 (Personal best)
Swim 22:56 (faster pace than the sprint)
Bike 58:36 (Watts 324, normal 327, rpm 79, Torque 349) (faster pace than the sprint)
Run 39:12 (faster pace than the sprint)
T1 = 2:02, T2= 1:15
Overall 5th and top master

Ann set personal bests in both the sprint and olympic and followed her win Saturday with a 4th overall Sunday and an age group win.

How can we race one day, and the next day double the distance and race even faster? Notice my transitions were even faster...I just simply took the olympic race more seriously mentally. I have to admit, my legs did feel ok on the run but I had a bit of trouble getting my HR into zone 5 on the sprint.
Now, if you cant get your HR into your zone 5 in a race or interval AND youre running slower pace than typical for that HR (like my 5k pace in the sprint), then youre a bit tired or flat. IF however, you cant get your HR up into your normal zone 5, but you are actually running faster than typical for that interval set or race, then you have gained fitness. These concepts can be tricky, and can vary, but that's a general rule. Had I not been able to run faster in the 10k at the oly the next day, I would have been a bit concerned that I was over-training in my Z5 work over the past 2 weeks. But, I had a good feeling I would both bike and run faster in the olympic the next day.

Racing Strategy

Another component is racing stress. I simply raced faster on Sunday because I had direct challenges I that weren't presented to me on Saturday.
I was passed very agressively by a male master, age 40, with 6 miles to go on the bike. I was in about 7th place overall at the time and I realized this guy just took the lead from me in the masters. I attempted to catch him briefly but my watts spiked up from mid 320's to 350 and I knew I could not maintain at that pace. So, I backed off to my racing watts and ever so lightly let up a bit. I kept him in site but decided to not challenge him and stay 30 seconds or so back. This was a tactical move by me. If I stayed back, I was betting the guy would not push as hard, thinking that he dropped me and that if I had the energy I would have caught him. So, he did let up as I thought, because he stayed about 30 seconds ahead of me for the next 5 miles and my watts were settled back down to mid 320's again, and I felt a bit of comfort. I was also gambling I would catch him on the run.

The run.
I caught the leading master at mile 1, right as we both crossed the marker. I settled down pace and ran with him for a few minutes then surged. He countered but didnt pass me. I waited another minute to bring my breathing down to a controlled level, then surged again. He countered again and caught me and stayed about 1/2 step behind me. I realized at this point he was either an unexperienced runner or just plain tired. If he was confident in his run, and felt race ready, he would have (or should have) surged past me and attempted to control the pace. Instead, he let me control the pace. We continued this surging 3-4 more times to the 3 mile mark and in the process made significant ground on the 6th place overall, Dave Campbell. Right about this time we started discussing Ironman times, and this guy probably shouldnt have inquired because when I told him I had run 9:33 and 9:11 in the past 6 months, I think I gained a significant psychological advantage, esp as his PR was around 9:50. Never, ever discuss past racing or personal bests with someone you are directly competing with in a race. You may not hear what you want to hear and it can have a negative impact on you if you realize the person you're competing against is faster. We passed Dave and I gave him some words of encouragement but he was hurting. I was fortunate because Dave has the ability to whip my ass at a moments notice...as he did 2 weeks ago at the sprint in Corvallis, putting 90 seconds on me in the sprint. He is a top amateur and I respect him alot. I finished ahead of him at CDA I remember, by about 10 minutes, 2005, and he then put 20 minutes on me at Kona that same year. When he is in a race, I know its going to be tough. I am never out to "beat" Dave, and I am only out there to race my best race. Start picking specific personal battles and you'll lose respect, as well as friends.
So, my final surge at the turn around 5k put an end to my master counterpart and he quickly faded. I had a goal to catch Dave Campbell in addition because I knew it would help my race. I was banking that the master running with me would decide I was too strong and as I surged past Dave, my competitor would decide to stay with Dave and race him instead of me. This is what happened briefly until Dave dropped him. So, I was now out alone and through this racing to mile 3, we had also come within 30 seconds of Aleck, a teammate ironhead. I was pretty happy where I was in the race and knew I was going to win the masters. After about 800 though I decided to push a bit to catch Aleck, and we ran together for awhile, to about the 5.5 mile mark. Aleck is tough and I threw in 2 surges at which he countered. My final surge at the 6 mile mark to the finish was enough to gain a few seconds on Aleck. I was thinking it would be cool to come in together but I dont know if Aleck would have liked that. We're good friends and training partners and I think Aleck would want me to give it my all and challenge him fully when going head to head. I was fortunate this time but Aleck will realize that it very well likely will be him next time who puts the final surge on me and gains those few seconds. That's how it is in races and this is why I genuinely love being an ironhead. Some of our strongest at this distance werent even racing this weekend, but a healthy competitive spirit and positive leadership can lift everyone up to a higher level. There are at least 5 or more men on our team that can out-race each other on any given day at any given distance and its healthy to have this level of amateur talent on the same team.

How the hell can I still be setting personal bests after 5 years and turning 43 this year....it's gotta slow down here soon, I'm not getting any younger.

So, Jason Lester is here in town (see last blog writing) and we swam together yesterday. While swimming, a team of about 25 came into the pool. The coach was nice enough to allow Jason and I to finish our 10x200 set and cooldown. When I asked the coach if we could stay in the pool, he looked over at Jason, in the midst of a 200 and said, "what the hell is that guy doing?" I told the coach Jasons situation with his use of only one arm and thus has to swim single arm...AND was keeping up with me. I quickly told the coach Jasons plans this summer of Ultraman Canada, Ironman Hawaii, then Ultraman Hawaii. The coach shook his head and said, "thats incredible".
So, I jumped back in the water and resumed swimming with Jason. On the next set, we looked over and all 25 kids were doing single arm. I looked up at the coach and he gave a nod, and at the same time Jason said, "look at all those kids doing single arm!". We quickly had to start our next 200 but I had to smile as I pushed off the wall. Jason is an inspiration, and that influences people, changes your perspective on what you think may be difficult. It will be put even more into perspective for me on what a true challenge is, in a few weeks, when Jason will be swimming 5x2000 on his 10k swims, single arm.

Check out the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=vMCnjMbUOFg

-ciav

Do You Believe

2008-06-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

I cant tell you how many times I've heard this. I've said it to myself in some form or another, and is a common chant amongst ironman athletes.

The common bond between all of us is self-evident in ironman. In olympic, sprint, and 1/2 IM races, I personally feel the "eye of the tiger" in me and am out to approach or outreach maximum effort to finish as high as I possibly can in the AG.

I dont feel quite the same way in ironman on race day, and never have. Sure, I want to go to kona, and I am fortunate because its been a not-too-difficult road for me. Regardless, I remember walking the transition on race day many times and seeing fellow age groupers around me. Some confident, some reluctant, and some just flat out scared. All however are my brothers in some respect and I dont feel the urgency to compete with them on an individual basis as I do in other races. In fact, my primary goal is to still finish the race, and never quit unless pulled out or I simply cant go on. "Do you believe" is a mantra I have heard over and over again and I feel is really the core question when it comes to ironman. Despite conditions, regardless of your personal situation, the question still arises....do you believe.

Sure, I think this is an ironman bond.

When watching the Boston Celtic's comeback in game 4, from a 24 point deficit, 20 points of which was lapsing into the third quarter. Then to get within 10, then tie, then take the lead with a couple of minutes in the game, then win....yeah, I thought this feat was incredible, especially with the calibur of athletes in that game, on both sides of the court.

However, when I heard on the recap this morning and saw the Celtics coach pacing back and forth, screaming at his players I actually briefly thought, "man this guy looks like Bobby Knight!"
In that instant, the commentator spoke and said the coach was yelling repeatedly to his players throughout the fourth quarter, "do you believe...do you believe...do you believe...."

I have to admit when I heard this, even running 6:40 pace on the treadmill, I immediately teared up. I felt the bond. Yeah it's a bit crazy but I know some of you know what I am talking about. I am not comparing myself to the greatest players in the NBA, well yeah, maybe in a way. I only know that when I realized this is what the coach was yelling at his players, I felt the chill. It was no different for them as it's been for me on that long 100 degree road at the energy lab on Kona. Yeah, I believe.

Jason Lester comes to my mind at times when I train. I have to say, thinking of Jason does pull me through some tough time trials and in tough conditions. This guy biked IMAZ with his left arm in those winds? Not even mentioning the swim. Jason just finished 4th AG in World Olympic Championships in Vancouver in the AWAD division, and managed the swim even though conditions were so tough they cancelled the swim for the remainder of the age groups soon after his had already started. Jason will compete at Ironman World Championships at Kona in October, and after that? Ultraman Hawaii. Jason plans on competing in the swim and run on a relay for Ultraman Canada Aug 31 and yes, the swim is 6.2 miles and the run over 52 miles.

Check out this web site
http://www.apaintedrace.com/

Yeah, Jason Lester, Macca, myself, the Boston Celtics, and every athlete out there to compete in IMCDA next week in very likely borderline illegal temperatures on the swim....we all have that common question that will arise.

Do you believe?

Good luck to all those racing CDA next weekend. Nothing comes easy.

Feeling Alive...in Zone 5

2008-06-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

Zone 5
What is it?

I can tell you, for the past 3 weeks I have been doing substantial work in zone 5 on both the bike and run, and one thing...its great to feel alive at these efforts. The progressive rise in heart rate, breathing, the sound of feet hitting the pavement, the chain churning across the crank as the bike jerks forward on the downstroke, the string of slobber stretching from my bottom lip to my front wheel hub while on my trainer, looking like I've had a stroke.

Its great to feel alive.

Zone 5 in my mind is not maximal effort. I do admitedly, in zone 5 intervals, progressively push to near maximal effort for the final minute or so, but the progression is insidious, and certainly the average effort in the interval is not near maximum.

I think of zone 5 power on the bike as the maximal sustainable power for 30 minutes. Likewise, on the run, I think of zone 5 as the maximal sustainable effort for a 5k.

Friel describes 3 progessive portions to zone 5 (a-c) but I simplify this a bit with my zone 5 correlating to Friel's zone 5a.
Maximal run efforts, that I think of in zone 5c, would correlate more closely to 400's or even 200's. Anaerobic efforts performed in oxygen debt.

These efforts can be done frequently, but when combined with distance, can result in several scenarios. Injuy is paramount, but inducing a peak which is not sustainable beyond a few weeks is the most common, as well as induction of over-training.

The over training component is extremely dangerous if you dont have a coach working with you closely, actually watching you, or unless you are very experienced. The major problem with the onset of over-training, is as an athlete, you dont recognize that you're actually in an over training period...typically until its too late.

This is worth repeating because I see this in my friends from time to time, and have been there myself. As an athlete that is not experienced and extremely attentive to details and observational analysis of training, it is almost impossible to recognize when you are actually in an over training period. Yes, obvious huge rides and runs on a weekend lead to exhaustion over the next several days, and that's not the over training I am talking about. Its the week to week insidious onset of a slight chronic fatigue that is so subtle, it's commonly mistaken for slight lack of fitness, or manageable tiredness. Very typically, once the athlete recognizes their over-training, it's too late, and only prolonged rest will alleviate. Prolonged rest of course at which fitness is lost and leads to too much rest going into the key race. Thus, poor performance.

I do believe that in training, we have to dedicate a significant portion of our workouts to zones above those at which we race in. For IM distance, the predominate zone in the race, on average, is zone 1-3, with short periods in zone 4-5, esp toward the final 5-10k portion on the run. However, the vast majority of the IM is in zones 1-3, typically zone 3 power on bike and average of zone 1 and 2 on the run with short efforts into HR Z3. This is why I spend a significant amount of effort in zone 3 and 4 throughout my builds to IM. Building strength in the next highest zone at which you will spend most of your time racing is a critical component to training. Zone 5 training leading up to an IM is arguably not necessarily needed, and in fact did little to zero zone 5 training for both IM Arizona and Western Australia, both PR races.

So why zone 5 now? Well, as I have 9 scheduled races prior to Kona, sprint to 1/2 IM distance, and ITU long course worlds, I will be racing in zone 4 and 5 for a large portion of my races this season. Training in Zone 4 predominately will not prepare me adequately to compete in distance up to and including 1/2 IM. I typically race my 1/2 IM in zone 4 power on the bike, and zone 4 on the run to 9-10 miles, then zone 5 for the final 3-4 miles. To do this, I need to train with time allocated in zone 5, above my race efforts.

Now, this doesnt mean I train at maximal efforts because I feel that the 3 components of zone 5 are distinct, separate zones. Consider them zones 5, 6 and 7 to make it easier. So, if I am racing in high zone 4 and low zone 5 for the majority of my race, training with time allocation in zone 5 and 6 with time in zone 7 sparingly applied, will adequately train me.

Case in point, my sprint tri 2 wks ago, over 30 watts into zone 5 on the bike, arguably zone 6 (or 5b), and zone 5 the entire 5k with HR progressing into zone 6 in the final mile, and zone 7 final 800. I felt very labored and uncomfortable in these zones, as I had only done a week of zone 5 training leading into this race. This weekend's upcoming sprint race on saturday will be a better gauge on how I feel in these zones, and I suspect will be more comfortable at efforts near maximal. The olympic distance the following morning will be an interesting experiment on how I can sustain ave power and HR coming off racing the day before.

To me the "holy grail" of successful racing, from sprint distance to IM distance...5k to marathon...is uncovering the timing of your work in various zones.
For instance, running for example, and classic training dictates 4 essential components.
Long distance endurance
Hill training
Interval training
Tempo training

These 4 aspects of training are well known. However, the difficult part of training is knowing what order and at what time to train in these periods. All 4 correlate to various zone training and are not too different from power training methods on the bike, or the run training required for triathlon.

Regardless, the training I am doing cannot sustain me for 4 months leading into Kona. I will have to pull back into intervals of zone 3 and low zone 4 training to avoid the over-training syndrome I will be dangerously close to. I realize I may very will do poorly at Kona and am willing to spend this season learning how to race an IM at the end of an aggressive racing season. We'll see how this goes.

For now, yesterday's 5x6 minute power zone 5 intervals followed a couple of hours later with 5 mile run incorporating 4x3 minutes uphill intervals at HR zone 5 certainly opened me up. It's good to feel alive.

Summary of week: 18 hours
Swim 14ooo meter (3 sessions)
Bike 150 miles (4 rides, 2 with Z5 and 1 with Z4 intervals, no rides in zone 1)
Run 43 miles (6 runs, 2 with Z5 intervals, 2 in zone 2, 2 in zone 1)

Sprint Tri

2008-05-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

Heart of the Valley Sprint:
The good: won the masters division and well run event
The bad: missing almost a week of running and swimming not a great thing before a race
The ugly: Got freaking hammered on the bike by the top guys, despite putting out 351 watts for 32 minutes.

Ann missed the overall win by 23 seconds or so, and I think it was mostly on the swim. I think she is just a bit reluctant on the bike still, as she hasnt been on the bike much since AZ. Her not riding a disc probably cost her half that time too. Neither of us rode discs, but the winners did, and this was a disc course even with the constant hills. The down hills were long and straight, perfect for disc speed. However, this race is just what she needed. Her ave watts of 184 is strong for her. Oh yeah, her 5k portion about a 19:40...uuhhh 6:20 pace? For God's sake she was within 20 sec per mile from me. She will beat me on the run someday. I think she'll crush her next one.

Well, my foot wasnt too bad for the race. The cycling shoe "window" worked like a charm, and the running shoe was ok but felt like I was running on pavement in barefeet almost. No cushion in my shoe as this raises my foot and the top of the "window" scrapes my stitches.

No socks as I cant touch anything to my foot. Main pain problem for the run was due to the bruising on my heel. A bit of blood toward the end but good for the wound to weep a little...cleans it out.

Regardless, my mild limitation on the bike and my poor performance on the run was primarily because of missing workouts this week. Especially the lack of running and swimming for 6 days.

Swim 12:02 (750 meter)
Bike 32:40 (12.2 miles) 351 watts ave, total ascent 1060 ft on bike.
Run 18:42 (6:03 per mile, 3.1 miles)
Total time of 1:06.42
Transitions flat out slow. T1 over 2 minutes, half of that trying to get my damn shoe on.

My time was good for 5th overall and top master (>40). I just cant run with these guys over 10 yrs younger than me. A few very fast dudes showed up anyway.

My major goal was to win the masters, so goal accomplished. Its nice to win the masters because here they treat the masters as a separate race, with separate results, and of course, the same award as the overall winner...so, yeah its nice to get something for my effort.

I have a "back of my mind" goal of winning the masters division in all 8 local races I plan before ITU worlds on Labor day weekend. This will be tough for my next race in 2 weeks as the plan is a sprint on Saturday and olympic race the next day Sunday. The Pacific Crest 1/2 IM will be just flat out competitive, in 4 wks, and I just dont feel ready to race a half. So, the goal wont be easy.

Anyway, now I know I can pull off some short runs this week, until stitches come out in 9 days. I will likely just pull them out myself on Saturday so I can run long Sunday with "normal" shoes.

At least I can bike, as I have 6 days planned on the bike this week. Big mileage? I dont think so. Frequency is the key, not mega miles. 200 miles in 6 days is far better than 200 miles in 3-4 days when you consider intensity factor. I try to teach this to my athletes....its hard to break habits and pre-conceived ideas on what makes a successful athlete.

Partial Solution

2008-05-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

OK, so my injury cost me a day off. I cant put pressure onto my heel yet, and cant even have anything really touching the area as its too sensitive. So, I figured I would try an idea of cutting a "window" into my 200.00 carbon bike shoes so none of the material touches my heel.
It takes about 45 seconds to get the shoe on as I have to try to stretch it over my injury. However, once on, I was able to get in my 26 mile ride today on the trainer, with a bonus 5 x 6 min power zone 5 intervals (320-360 watts). Works like a charm as long as I keep my toes pointed a bit downward and prevent my heel from flexing as I turn over the crank. I dont feel too bad because I got the shoes at a near 50% discount from our Adidas sponsor and they are a year old now. Fortunately, one of our other sponsors (athleteslounge.com) had a new pair in my size sitting on the shelf so I now have a new pair of Adidas tri-carbon to use when I recover. Why Adidas tri carbon? Simply the lightest carbon tri shoe out there weighing in on my gram scale at 257 grams.
Now, I tried the same idea for my Mizuno light weight trainers. However, I cant put pressure on the ground yet, but, when I can, I will be ready with the footware.

I originally had no plans on racing the sprint tri Monday I had registered for. However, I am confident I can bike now. My transitions will be a minute or so slower, and I am still not certain if I can run. If I can run in my cut-out shoe, it certainly wont be fast. I am hoping for a nice steady 8 min pace or so by Monday. The swim I think I have covered. Bought a skin patch, a waterproof thick clear cover, and will use athletic skin glue spray to afix it over the wound. I'll test this out Sunday and if it works, then my swim worries are over as far as the race is concerned. So, we'll see how the next few days go. I know I wont be missing my bike workouts now, so my injury is not a total loss!

Some unexpected time off

2008-05-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

Havent blogged for a while as I have been the usual busy with coaching, training and work.

Training well past week or so, as my recovery from AZ is over and the ramp up began about 2 weeks ago.

So, be very careful if practicing dismounting on the bike. At about 10 mph, my food slammed into the big ring, I think between the ring and derailer as my other foot was pedalling down so, hence, I believe it was caught between the chain and my big ring. Who knows...it all happened in 1 second. Preparing for some upcoming sprint and oly triathlons, so need to get my dismount as fast as possible. This is the risk you take.

I am trying to figure out how to get back on the bike and into my running shoes without 2 weeks off when stitches come out. I can get into the pool Monday if I can overlay some water proof second skin on the wound.

Stay out of the middle

2008-05-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

In my masters swim on Tuesday, the coach made a comment specifically to the triathletes.
"I see the same thing with most of you triathletes...you're always in the middle"

He stated that most triathlete swimmers he coaches have a common problem. They dont know or care to learn how to swim workouts correctly. The hard sets start too hard, then end up in a moderate pace effort. Any "easy" swimming, like that between sets, warm up or cool down, is virtually never easy, but more moderate pace.

He emphasized that triathletes seem to always swim too hard when supposed to swim easy, and when needing to swim hard, cant get to the pace they need to. There has to be a cycle of swimming easy when you need to, and then being able to swim hard when needing to. This is of upmost importance when approaching a key event, he stated.

Recall, my "Zone 3 Syndrome" several blogs back. This is the scenario our coach was discussing. Swimming in "the middle" or in "zone 3" is not unlike those triathletes that always seem to be working in power (not HR) zone 3. Thus, when needing to put out real power, or in a race, only can generate similar power to that in their workouts, and not beyond.

Just like they cant stand seeing someone pass them on a ride, or on a hill....they cant tolerate seeing someone in the lane next to them swimming past. They have to pick it up, even on the easy sets, in order to "save face". Even more common, many triathletes will insist on keeping pace with those that are far beyond them in fitness or ability on intense sets during the swim, bike, as well as run.

Trust me, most true athletes dont care about those around them. They are involved in their own workout. They resist getting caught up in the scenario of racing in workouts, and pushing too hard. Thus, when it comes time to race, many cant even race to the same level that they completed workouts.

There are those I train with, that probably wonder how I can race with so much more intensity than I train. How can I sustain the energy and power needed for an entire IM or 1/2 IM, that seems so much more then I put out training. As stated in the past, I never approach my maximum in training. I am relentless in holding the pace and watts I know I should, and resist competing with those who fly past me in workouts, both on the roads and in the water.

Thus, when it comes to my race, I am ready to race. I feel ready to "put it all out" on the course, in part because I havent over trained in over a year, and I havent spent needless emotion in "race mode" in workouts. This is why I can call on emotions, drive, and power on race day. More than I ever do in workouts for such a sustained period.

Its pretty simple. Controlling your own enthusiasm is one of the key factors in preparing correctly for a key race. Know who you really are as an athlete. Workout, and then race within your ability. Then improve upon that, making proper incremental improvements. Do this, and your big day will come.

I do not find it suprising that a world class masters swimmer picked up this common weakness in his triathlete swimmers.

Stay out of the middle, or you'll race in the middle. If you desire Kona, the podium, or more...the middle wont get you there.

2008-05-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Some IMAZ pics. I dont like the gap along my face with my new Aero helmet! Probably not as Aero as it could be. I took some shots at the Grand Canyon couple days after the race. Ann and I

took a mini vacation after the race, finishing with the craps tables in Vegas.

IMAZ 2008

2008-04-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

I'll start by saying Jason Lester is now going to Kona, so we now have 6 from Odyssey Coaching going to Kona 2008 (4 first timers). We arent finished as there are more races to come for a few of my athletes. Strong work everyone.

IMAZ 08

The good: Handled the conditions fairly well after some adjustments. 4th Kona and 4th Podium in an IM

The bad: 90 seconds from AG win. The third run segment near 8 min pace part of the race is what cost me.

The ugly: Lost an hour's worth of nutrition as the bottle fell out of my top on the run. I always carry 3 gels in case this happens, but regardless, I believe this contributed to my 3rd segment near bonk. Once getting my new nutrition at special needs and getting it down over the following hour, my pace and performance came back.

In the past 6 IM races (not including Kona) I've now placed 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7th. Yet, the number 1 spot has eluded me. It is necessary to find the weaknesses to improve. I have 3 consecutive PR's at the IM distance in this 10 month period, in part because I've improved on my weaknesses.

Never decompensate and make last minute changes because race conditions are unfavorable. I did carry extra sodium caps with me but did not use them. I did not alter my sodium in my nutrition bottles at all on the bike or the run and my nutrition remained as it has for 2 years now in every race. This is the constant factor despite all the conditions I have race in. Now, this doesnt mean a tweak is wrong, just dont freak out and make any change beyond a "tweak".

My "tweak" for this race occurred during the race, on the fly.

Part of what can salvage a race is the ability to make decisions during a race based on real-time events. Its difficult for me to coach these things if I havent encountered them before in other races, like the harsh conditions we had in AZ,. I did things during the race I havent done in the past, and I think it helped me handle this race. For me, these were as follows.

1: I stayed in the aero position in the harsh head wind at all costs. Yeah, I wanted to sit up multiple times, but sitting up was an extreme disadvantage in 20+ mph headwinds. I stayed as low and my head as close to my aerobars as possible. I saw hundreds of athletes out of their aerobars on the 2nd and 3rd laps, which takes you several minutes longer to get to the turn around to get to the tailwind.

2: My inner thighs began to get sore by the end of the first lap. I remembered this happening in Kona 2004 in the headwind. I then realized it must be from my knees bowing outward slightly more than normal to fight the headwind, thus putting more stress on the inner thighs. On the second lap, I purposely kept my knees directed forward and slightly inward, keeping an eye on my knees frequently as I pedalled. The soreness resolved by the end of the second lap.

3: I realized going 17 mph out against the wind may hurt me after 3 laps. So, at the turn around, coming back 28-32 mph in the tail wind, I decided to coast 10-15 seconds every 2 minutes, all the way back. When flying at 29 mph, I realized my average would be around 23 mph after the first lap, so several 10-15 second energy saving coasts at zero watts may help me later in the race. Thus, when my speed got up to 32+ mph, I would coast until my speed dropped to 29-30, which was 10-15 seconds, then pedal again.

4: Because of my "coast" decision above, I reset my watt meter at the end of each lap. Thus, my average wattage would start over at the beginning of laps 2 and 3. Had I not done this, my average watts would have been falsely low due to my coasts. It was critical to know my true average watts going into the headwind on each lap so as to not go over my wattage cap.

5: I decided to drop my average watts by 10 on the second lap as the headwind was just very strong and I just didnt know if 270 watts in that headwind would be too much after 2 more laps.

6: All athletes absorb fluids and carbs a bit slower in extreme heat. I realized this was happening to me as I became a bit nauseated after 1 hour of nutrition, which is not typical for me. So, the next 2 twenty minute nutrition cycles, I backed off 5 minutes. This solved the problem for another couple of hours. When it happened again during the third lap, I simply waited an additional 5 minutes again for a couple of cycles, which again solved the problem.

7: By the end of the second bike lap, my feet began to ache. I again remember this in the headwind at Kona in 04. I just remained aware of this and kept my toes pointed slightly downward on the tired lap, avoiding the "push" with my toes at the 3-6 O'Clock position. Within about 15 minutes, the aching resolved.

8: I lost one of my nutrition bottles in the first mile of the run, 3 doses, or 1 hour worth. I have carried 3 gels in my pocket for over 3 years racing now and this is the first time I have had to use them. Gels are very different than what I usually use but at least allowed me to maintain some nutrition. I did wait 25 minutes between each gel, so after 3 of them, lost a 25 gram carb cycle. I think this is what contributed to my slow 3rd segment. Once at special needs, I resumed my nutrition on schedule and within 30 min or so, started to feel somewhat "strong" again.

8: Independent of my nutrition intake, which remained relatively constant each 20-25 minutes, through each aid station I had the same routine.

Grab 2 sponges first and tuck them under my top at the shoulders. Final 10 miles or so I was just squeezing them onto my head, every aid station.
Take drink of cold water every aid station.
Take small sip, like 2 ounces, of gatorade every other aid station.
Take the next cold water and cup of ice, throw the water into the ice to mix, then dump on head every aid station.

So, that's how I tried to deal with the heat and wind on this course.

My ultimate goal for this race was to get to Kona for their 30th. I didnt want to be watching Ann out there. Now the important decision is whether to race ITU long course world's over labor day weekend or not. This race is basically 3/4 of the IM distance and if I go...I'm racing hard.
My worry is, Kona is 6 weeks later. I am uncertain if we can recover in time. Sure, recovery to race, but to have a great race may be tough.

The numbers:
Swim 1:00.42 (17th divison, 179 overall), my 2nd fastest IM swim
Bike 5:04.48 (2nd division, 25 overall), my 2nd fastest IM bike
Run 3:22.49 (3rd division, 35 overall), one of my slowest IM runs ever
T1 3:38
T2 1:35
Total 9:33.32, 2nd division, 27th overall , 24th male

So, this ones over. Its been a productive season for me, now that's its over.
3 IM races in just under 10 months, and 3 personal bests (9:37, 9:11, 9:33)
3 1/2 IM races in the same period, and 3 consecutive personal bests (4:28, 4:21, 4:15)

I will leave the emotional portions of my race report out this time. I just wanted to give some ideas on the the things I did to alter my pre-race plan, and the "on the fly" things I did which I believe allowed me to place high in this one. I am pleased with the result, but realize at the same time, I lost this race on the run. I will make a few changes in my own running plan this summer.
Well, there is the part of wearing a piece of Ann's cut-up shorts (from her accident) as an arm band for the entire race. Knowing she was with me kept me going many times during the race.

The plans before Kona?
2 1/2 IM
ITU World long course
3 Olympic
3 Sprint

I really wanted some actual rest, but with the schedule I've developed for Ann and I, we will have to start on Monday. Man, the past 5 days have been nice though.

-Dave C

IMAZ and Ford Ironman North America

2008-04-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

So, the Odyssey Coaching Kona train is loading.
So far, 5 going to Kona

Qualifiers to Kona at AZ
Kelly McKean
Kelly Hovland
Dave Ciaverella

Califonia 70.3
David Lowe

IMWA
Ann Ciaverella

on the side,
The race made us all feel like this may be our last I think. I dont know, this was definitely the toughest I've done, and even talking to my AG winner (fastest AG bike split) he also thought the race was more difficult than Kona 04.

Who knows. All I know is that everyone gave it their best and you cant second guess anyones performance out there. It was really a test of endurance and those that didnt fair so well (345 dnf) deserve the credit for getting out and fighting as long as they could. You know, luck does have something to do with it. I could have bonked at any moment and I was on the verge. The race could have taken anyone of us down. I am really proud of everyone who gave this race their best shot on this difficult day.

Ironman North America is losing touch, and respect...at least with me

One of the Ford IMNA reps at the award ceremony said, "lets hear it for the pros. Unlike the age groupers, when the conditions get tough, they cant just let up and slow down, they have to push to the end"

This is one of the most offensive comments I have ever heard, and to come from Ford IMNA. You mean to tell me that age groupers just "let up and just slow down" when conditions get tough? These people are so out of touch with reality. I dont know any age grouper out there yesterday that didnt give every ounce of energy into finishing that race. I was fighting as hard as I could to catch my leader, and I am 100% certain everyone was fighting as much as the pros in those conditions. I am really developing a dislike for Ford IMNA. Some of them just dont get what connects us all in this sport. Whether an athlete runs a 16 hour race or an athlete runs a 9 hour race, I am willing to bet both are pushing just as hard. They just may have different physiology, but they both are out there laying it all out. That is what connects us.

Erin Perkin was in bed sick 1 week ago and literally missed about 5 days of workouts, 4 of them final tune up critical workouts, including the last long swim, bike and the quality run.
She was still feeling very weak and couldnt even finish our 25 mile ride tuesday before the race.

Yet, she got out there in shit water, PR'd the swim, then got out on a 112 ride in the wind, then fought as best she could in the marathon, considering she was layed up ill just last weekend. Then to take 10th in a very competitive age group. As her coach I couldnt alter her confidence in any way on race day or during the week so I just acted like she was never sick and pretty much tried to ignore what I knew she was up against. I knew she had very, very difficult odds of even finishing on this race day considering the condition she was in 5 days prior and to be honest, when I hit the wind on the first loop, it was her I was worried about because of her recent illness. Yet, she fought and again, became an Ironman. I am very, very proud of this girl.

Kelly Hovland, who did not let up and fought tooth and nail, digging deep to gain the podium spot and finally get the elusive Kona slot she's been seeking. Well deserved...and I knew it was coming. I will be proud to be starting with her in Kailua bay in October.

Kelly McKean, what can I say...you showed no mercy on those girls with a 3:40 run, one of the fastest runs of the day. I dont know what you're potential is but you have got "it". You're an animal.

Everyone else down here, I know it wasnt your best day, and I realize for a couple, the day was a bit too much but realize it could have happened to any of us. I was very honored to be out there with you as a teammate and coach.

Hey Ford IMNA!
You trying to tell me these athletes werent pushing as hard as the pro's on this extreme day? Yeah, I am 42 and in my 5th season, but you dont think I give as much as the overall winner Jozsef Major, in my own race?
Yes, the pros have the luxury of dropping the race if they bonk, to recover quickly and race soon again. Still, when it comes to finishing the race at all costs, the age groupers typically always leave more of themselves out on the course.

It's bad enough you give many race advantages during the race that clearly allow the pros a 1, 2, up to 10 minute advantage over those elite age groupers tying to break into the top 10 overall, and thus gain qualification for their pro card. You dont think we notice?

You dont think we notice when you announce the "top 10" and ignore any age groupers the actually finish in the top 10?
Did you not think we noticed at the televised Ford IM Louisville that you listed Catherine Phillips (#1529) 4th overall with an asterisk, and actually didnt even mention her name as you were reading off the top 5 women, as if to pretend she wasnt even 4th on the list?

If it werent for the 2000+ age groupers, remember, you wouldnt have your race.

IMAZ 2008
Percentage of Age Group non-finishers: 16%
Percentage of Pro non-finishers: 29%

-Dave Ciaverella

IMNA, gotta love 'em

2008-04-12T08:54:00.001-07:00

IMAZ tomorrow.

Pulling it together a bit mentally. Ann had a bad crash on her bike thursday and we spent a few hours in the hospital. She is not able to walk on her leg and is very banged up, on crutches. So, she is out of the race. Unfortunate because she is definately stronger than she was in Australia and I am certain she would have shattered the W35 course record here too, and not finished at 11 again , but I was confident top 10 overall this time.

I realized sitting in the hospital with her that I really dont love this sport. If she had a fracture, and they were already talking surgery for her before the xray results (yeah, I repremanded them on this premature move), then I had convinced myself I was not competing and finished with the sport. To spend 100% of my time for her recovery in hopes to get her back in time for Kona. Well, that's where my love is. It's not the sport...it' not the IM or the elusive Kona slot. It's my training partner and wife, that's it.

When I picked up our bikes Friday morning from IMNA headquarters, one of the assistant race directors asked me if we were the ones who had the crash. I said yes and he directed me toward our bikes. As he lifted Anns banged up bike to me, said, "hey, drive out of here slow...dont kick up any dust". This was literally the next thing he said to me. No "is she ok", ect ect. I jerked the bike from him and said, "I'll get the bikes man". Love IMNA...."dont kick up any dust" is their encouraging word for us. Oh well, they have their 900 dollar race entries so what do they care.

Then one of the course support guys came out and asked if Ann was ok. This guy was a tremendous help during the crash. He told me they drove up a few minutes after the crash because they saw cars parked on the side of the road, and he said the dust was still settling.
He apologized and then said, "Well, we've all been there".

I politely replied, " really? I've never been there and hope I am never there".
He said, "well, I've been there and I understand"

I said, again politely, "really? Youve been in the position to break the top 10 overall, even stronger than your overall 11th finish in the prior race....then crash 2 days out and couldnt even walk?"

I didnt let him answer. I just followed up with, " I dont think you understand man, I dont and dont claim to"

So, I realized if I ever have a friend or other athelete who trains their ass off and is literally on the cusp of becoming pro, then everthing is wiped away in a split second....I'll never say to them,
"I understand".

Say...sorry, that sucks, you'll be back dont worry...ect. But, man its offensive to say "I understand" when its impossible to place ourselves in that situation.

I am fast for my AG, yeah, but I have never been even close to the top ten overall (29th best CDA 04) and cant even imagine what's its like to be so strong compared to the other athletes in my division and overall, train so hard, many weeks of 16 or more workouts...month after month..then immediately out.

Regardless, I realized I dont love this race, and I certainly have little respect for the marketing monster behind it. However, I am a competitive athlete, and this gives me the opportunity to compete with others and I do love that. So, it is what it is. After a day or 2 of pondering I decided I will race.

I have my focal point now.

I may blow up, and I really dont care too much about that. But, the guy or guys leading my age group better have a good 15 min lead on me getting off the bike, because I will be showing no mercy to myself on that run.

2008-04-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

A Congratulations to Odyssey athlete David Lowe, who just qualified for Kona at California 70.3 by placing 2nd in the M60 division. A time of 5:34 on that course...impressive to say the least.

Last week was ok, and my strength is increasing as I approach the taper. Today's 5 mile run, 4000 meter swim followed by a 35 mile ride with 30 minutes of power intervals went well, and I felt strong on all 3 segments. Heart rate is remaining low on both the bike and run, and rapidly responsive when stressed, but then falls quickly. My bike power has increased slightly allowing for the same heart rate which is a good sign. I hope to maintain this feeling for another week and a half. Other than that, no soreness, no injuries, absolutely no feeling of fatigue or lost power.

2001

"I dont think I can do this man, I gotta turn back."

"Look dude, just stare straight at the wall and just inch a little bit sideways. Step by step"

"I'm serious man, I dont think I can go on, I'm turning back"

"OK, we've gone this far, I know the top is right there. Just keep inching across the face, then we only have a 30 ft ascent to the top. Dont look down, dont look across. Just stare at the wall man, just keep moving!"

This was pretty much the final conversation I had while sumitting Mt Hood in 2001, the first of my 3 climbs up to the top. We had never climbed Hood, and decided to start at midnight in hopes to summit near sunrise. To watch the sun stream over the Columbia valley at dawn.

It total darkness except for nominal head lamps, we came across the Bergstrom. The edge of the glacier on the route up, about 10 ft across and around 30 ft deep. We decided to try to hike around it so we moved across the west slope. Then up and over. We didnt realize until on our way back down in daylight, that we scooted across a wall that was about 75 degree angle, for about 50 meters. All the while, the bergstrom only a few feet below us. This would explain the ice wall nearly touching our chests as we inched across. My friend decompensated a bit, then found the strength to forget everything around him, and just stare at the task in front of him. Once his focus point was found, we both were able to forget our surroundings, the pitch we were on, the darkness, and yeah, probably some risk.

That was my first summit of Hood and it was the most unforgettable. Seeing the curvature of the earth, the brilliant red sky, the northern volcanos perched on the valley floor with the sun reflecting off the Columbia river below...it really was spectacular.

Likewise, my first Kona, 2004 will always be unforgettable. I remember the torture I faced on each step as I felt the energy leave my body. No joke...I actually felt a wave of weakness pass right through me, then a chill, and then total shut down. All I could think about was moving forward to the next aid station so I could walk 2 minutes take some fluids and move on. This was about mile 8. With each 12 minute mile I crept on. It seemed forever to get to the energy lab which is where the true challenge began.

Like my friend on the mountain that night in 2001, I faced my wall. I had to come to a decision. To move forward? Or to just quit. I had come a long way from my first triathlon only a year prior, to my first Ironman that very summer, and now Kona. No one would be disappointed...maybe I had done enough. Then I remembered seeing Ann at mile 8, who broke down crying immediately when she saw me, apparently because she had watched me compete in the past and had never seen me in such a sad state. I wont ever forget that. That image became my focal point, and I remember, I couldnt let her down. I distinctly remember saying to myself over and over, for at least 15 miles, "one step...just inch forward...keep moving forward, this one's for Ann"

I decided that I wasnt quitting that day. I decided I would have to die on that course because I was getting over that mountain. I was not going to stop until I saw the view from the summit.

Well, that view from the summit, the final 100 meters to the finish I will never forget.

We are told when we climb to respect the mountain. We are told to respect the race.
I do respect these things, but by all means, I do not fear them. Respect and fear...these are distinctly different.

Respect the Ironman, but do not fear it. You are there to conquer it, by whatever means you have on that day. So, while one can respect a task, a goal, you should always remember the task at hand, you are there to prove to yourself you can withstand the pain, the suffering. You can, and will succeed.

So,if the cards that day arent in your favor, and you start to get a little frightened, begin to lose your sense of confidence, begin to bonk, just remember...find your focal point. It doesnt matter what your focal point is, but find it.

You will get to that line. You have GOT to get over that mountain. The view from the top is unforgettable.

Feeling Fit, but not fit enough

2008-03-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

" Paula, so did your ankle injury seem to bother you during the race?"

"My ankle didnt bother me at all. I think I just dont have the level of fitness I wanted"

Paula Newbie-Fraser commenting to NBC reporter at the finish line after her overall first place finish at 1993 IM World Championships.
Time: 8:58.23

It's hard to believe a sub 9 time for the womens overall champion at Hawaii would feel her fitness isnt what she would like it to be. The thought process in world class athletes just amazes me. One of my former coaches Peter Maher "failed" at his 4th overall finish at the NYC marathon, because he was going for the win. Steve Jones, telling me after a few guinness at Peter's home one night, commenting on his 1984 world record marathon of 2:08.05 that he "got into the crowd" at mile 20 and lost some focus by slapping some hands, and ran nearly a 6 minute mile at that point. Steve, not overly happy in retrospect with his time, realizing he could have been close to breaking 2:07 had he maintained composure the entire race.

I am bringing these situations up not to compare myself, because there is obviously no comparing myself to a pro in the sport, especially at my age of winding down in my events.

However, the characteristic of perceived failure, or perhaps just not quite reaching one's goals is common amongst many athletes, and you dont have to be a world class pro to exhibit this. It's what drives many of us to continue to excel in our sport, and in life.

There are many things in my running and triathlon career of which I can truly call failures. In fact my only real victories in IM competition have been my 2005 IM Kona race and my 2007 IMWA race. Nearly everything else has fallen short of my goal for that event, in all distances.

Dont be afraid to strive for your goals, despite the possibility of failure. You will likely excel in the process...if not physically, then psychologically and emotionally. It's well worth the try.

Last week went well considering the week after my big training week with Mitch Gold and company. Ann seems to have bounced back pretty well and seems to be feeling good. Not really "feeling" good, as any athlete who is mildly over trained will always tell you they feel good. However, Ann does look good to me, and seems to be rolling through the workouts and is more energenic now than even before our big week. So, I think she will be ready on race day. If she doesnt achieve her goals...she wont go down easy. I know her and she has the will equal to many of the world class athletes I've trained with. Just a relentless will to succeed...so, I am not worried on her part.

My left quad was sore going into Saturday's 60 minute TT. I thus slightly favored my quad by about a 10% less pressure on my left. Well, Sunday my left quad felt ok, but it was my right quad that was sore due to the excessive power I used by favoring the left. No matter, both are fine today. A little focal soreness is ok off a big week. Just dont lose control and convert it into an actual injury...personal experience here.

Saturday's 60 min TT at the junction of my Zone 3 and Zone 4 power felt strong. More importantly, my ave heart rate of 117 (top of bike HR zone 1) is a good indicator of my high fitness level, and most importantly, that I am nearly or fully recovered from the big week.

Sunday's 16 mile long run was my 4th long run in 15 days. Cruised first 8 miles at 7:30 pace and the final 8 miles in 7 min pace for a 1:56. More importantly my ave HR for the run of 125 is Zone 1 for me.

So, for this week thus far, 4000 meter swim Monday and rested the legs.
Today tuesday, another 4000 meter swim, of which included 2 x 1000, the second of which was my fastest 1000 in a meter pool to date. As well, the swim was 30 min. after a 30 mile bike with 30 minutes of Z4 intervals. Following my swim, 6 mile run and another small breakthrough in my heart rate. First 3 miles at 7 min pace, ave HR 126 (top of Z1) and final 3 at 6:40 pace, ave HR 131 (mid Z2). Considering cardiac drift from my ride and swim immediately before, zone 2 HR at 6:40 per mile pace is again, a very positive change in my HR so close to the race.

So, the rest of the week involves some more bike intervals, and a final 18 miler Sunday, 2 weeks out.

My weight? Yeah, spent the last 2 weeks eating very carefully...dropped 3 of the 4 pounds I gained at the big camp. Yeah...I gained weight at a big camp as I think the others did too. Too many damn calories....period. Not worried, the hard work is done. I'll easily drop another 2-3 pounds over the next 10 days to get to my race weight 10 days out from race day.

So overall, my fitness has come around at the right time I believe, within a month of race day...not 2-3 months from race day! But, my fitness still doesnt feel as high as it did going into Australia. I think this may be due to my lack of racing for IMAZ. The stimulation you can gain with racing can be very positive, and I think I am at somewhat of a disadvantage without some racing before my big one. Regardless...

Steady as she goes.

Vanity

2008-03-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

The pre IMAZ camp with counterpart coaching went well overall and I highly recommend these camps. All food prepared or provided and transport as well as assistant coaches for Mitch Gold were a major benefit to the success of this camp and well worth the small fee associated.

My past 2 weeks have been a bit tough personally, as the camp ended 4 weeks out from IMAZ.

Pre-Camp Week, 5 weeks out from IM
About 16:30
Swim 12,400 meter (4 sessions) 3:40
Bike 141 miles (4 rides) 7:55
Run 45 miles (6 runs) 5:00

Camp Week, 4 weeks out
About 28:30
Swim 17,100 yd (4 sessions) 5:50
Bike 286 miles (5 rides) 16:40
Run 45 miles (5 runs) 5:50

For the total 9 days of the camp, including the end of pre-camp week (Sat 3/8 - Sun 3/16)
About 35:40
Swim 17,100 (4) 5:50
bike 378 miles (7 rides) 21:00
Run 68 miles (7 runs) 8:50

Some key workouts during the Camp
Swimming: All workous were key. Mitch Gold and Scott Jones really know their stuff on swimming. This is why they're fast. We literally learned something positive each swim.

Biking: In the 7 rides, 2 were considered Z1 recovery rides. The other 5 were minimal Zone 2 power as baseline. Z2 watts are not easy rides by the way.
The pattern of riding was as follows
Day 1 = Bike 66 miles baseline Z2 watts, finishing with a 1500 ft climb 30 minutes, Z4 both watts and HR, standing on pedals entire time.
Day 2 = Recovery Ride, Z1
Day 3 = 80 mile sustained ride, Z2 watts
Day 4 = Off bike
Day 5 = 50 mile ride Joshua Tree Nat Park, baseline Z2 with 50 min TT at 305 ave Watts big gears and low rpm incorporated.
Day 6 = 50 mile ride including a 3000 ft 60 minute climb, 306 W (Z4), HR Z4, standing on pedals the entire climb (66 minutes). Very heavy winds about 40 mph some spots gave me a few trouble spots when standing but pulled it off, sometimes 3 mph. Able to hold about ave 9.8 mph though for the climb.
Day 7 = Recovery Ride, Z1
Day 8 = Ride 80 miles, Z2 baseline, incorporating 60 min TT at 306 Watts (Z4) with HR Z2 at 40 mile mark.

For the running, key workouts included:
Day 2 = 18 mile long run in Joshua Tree
Day 4 = 8 mile run baseline Z2 with 12 X 1 min accelerations to Z3/4 during run. This was tough.
Day 7 = 8 mile run brick off Recovery ride, out 7:50 pace, back 6:40 pace.
Day 9 = 18 mile long run, easy, Z1

So, there is the summary of the key workouts in the camp.
As you can see, the intensity on the rides is more than many of the typical camps, many of which include long sustained rides, coasting, ect. By keeping the rides "short", it allowed us to rebound and have 5 high quality rides and 4 high quality runs in 9 days.
This was true of every single athlete in camp I believe. On the final big ride day of 80 miles, I think every athlete had equal or higher watts in their 60 min big gear low rpm TT. Additionally, everyone felt great on the final camp day long run of 18 miles. In fact, I had to bark a couple of times for people to slow down during the run.

Overall, big success.

Vanity:
So, yesterday (wed) as I was completing my 19 mile run, the 3rd run 18 miles or more in the past 11 days, as I was trotting past some windows downtown running my 9th consecutive mile in sub 6:40 pace (overall run 2:14 about 7 min pace average), I noticed myself in the windows.

"Christ I look good...I am starting to look fit!" I thought as I ran by.

I also have noticed myself in windows while riding a few times over the past couple of weeks,
"man my position looks perfect...can it be any better? No way"

My 66 min standing hill interval at Z4 watts I looked down at my legs several times just watching the contraction of my quads, the invincibility complex began to set in on that climb.

This Vanity I express to myself I believe is healthy and a natural progression in fitness as we get closer to our race.

I believe there is a pattern, or a time line common to many athletes:

Self confidence - Vanity - Over confidence - Over training- Poor perfomance

I have been fairly self confident since my race at IMWA, and this has continued through the end of Feb of this year. The increased perspective on myself, and my fitness level leading to the vanity I express has surfaced over the past few weeks.
My point? Vanity I believe is healthy in a compeititive athlete, and in any athlete. I do not feel its wrong to look at yourself in the mirror and emulate yourself in the pattern of positive reinforcement that what you're doing is the right thing, and you're on the path to success.

However, the demarcation between the pattern of vanity and overconfidence, and overtraining is grey. The ultimate result is a poor race day performance if you allow yourself to progress along the above time line. Trust me, I have overtrained for many races, many marathons because of my lack of forsight into my past mistakes and relating them to my future performance. As a self-coached athete, this is very difficult when you are actually in the situation. Its very difficult to actually see yourself from another's perspective and it becomes almost impossible to gauge your daily perfomance once you cross the vanity into the overtraining phase.

Eventually, in only a matter of weeks, it's inevidible that the line is crossed to over confidence, over training and ultimately a poor race.

I bring this up because a primary purpose of a coach is not to tell you to work hard. As I've said before, anyone can put together an awesome training log. Means nothing without backing it up with performance. Yeah, we all have bad days, and I've had many. But, consistent decompensation during a major race event should tell you something. Those athletes who can honestly go back to their log, figure out what went wrong, do have a shot at changing the behavior that comes with hard training. However, its much more beneficial to have someone outside your "box", looking in at you and objectively making an assessment on your progression...or regression.

So many times I've over trained and the sad fact is that when I am actually in the over training phase, and I start to get more tired, the insidious onset of chronic low grade fatigue, I want to believe its because I am under-trained. Under trained...is that possible now?

This week for example. I took 2 full days off my legs after the 9 day build. Dont get me wrong...tuesday I got home and was about to get on my trainer for 90 minutes and had to fight myself. Even though I felt as though my legs rebounded, I know from the past that if I dont force the rest, I will enter the phase of psychological and physical over training thats very hard to come out of. I am 100% confident I did the right thing. I would have never had such a high quality long run yesterday had I spun for 90 minutes the night prior. Had I then had a mediocre run...say 7:30 pace, and felt a little underwhelmed...there would have been that thought creaping into my head that perhaps I am not adequately trained in the run and maybe I need to step it up. What? Step it up? These thoughts are inevidible and control is vital in this stage of training.

Well, this Sunday will be my 4th long run in 15 days. Because I forced a small amount of rest, I was able to run 7 min pace for 19, and step down to sub 6:40's for the final 9. Now I know I am fit on the run...at least as fit as I can be within a month of my race. Now I can relax on my next long run this weekend, knowing that I DO have fitness.

I am not over confident however. In looking at my log last night prior to IMWA, my second to last long run was even faster and my HR was a bit lower at that time. So, I may not be in the same fitness, or I may be. Who knows. I do know however that I am not above over training myself in these final weeks and I know there is a near zero chance that I will lose fitness. However, there is a moderate chance of over training and injury in these final weeks as my peak approaches and I push the envelope a bit.

Seeing my workouts next week from my coach, workouts that are totally managable, helps me tremendously because I have an objective workout written down on paper. The workouts are not above threshold and are not too long so I am confident my fitness will sustain.
Trust me, if I train my butt off in the next 3 weeks I will gain....a couple of minutes in my IM? However...I risk losing an hour by over training.

The choice is clear. Dont risk a few gained minutes for the chance of throwing a quality race.

Yes to have a good coach. This is a luxury in my training that has not trained me to the point of breaking, but has trained me to learn to rest. Not to always push into Z4, but to pull back slightly to high Z3. To not slam out each interval in the pool like I am racing the 100 meter finals, but to introduce a drill to slow me down.

I do respect the IM, and when it comes to race day I realize anything can happen. I can win my age group, I can podium for my 4th time in an IM, I can get to Kona for the 4th time...and I can implode. With these 4 scenarios in my mind the odds of imploding out weighs all others in an IM. This I respect. If its not happening for me on race day I will back down. My ultimate goal is to get to kona and this will not change if I am having a good race or bad race. I know most kona slots are gained in the final 10k. I will ultimately try to prepare myself for this. I realize that a number of problems could arise and I will deal with them as they come. I am not above bonking. I am not above any of the other hundred or so in my AG with a shot at kona.

This leads me to my last point, humility.
I will not second guess my coach, who at 38, has run around 8:30 or under in 2007....twice. I keep repeating this to athletes I train with to drive home this point. I followed his advice on the camp as closely as I could, and will follow his advice to the tee to race day, well...I may rest a bit more than advised, but certainly wont do more. I believe he knows the path and has proven it to me. I translate this to my athletes and realize he makes me a better coach.

Help others accomplish their goals. Encourage and care for those around you. I may not get to kona but if I can help some others get there, or help them achieve their personal goals, I will feel good about my race.

Ironheads training camp with Counterpart Coaching

2008-03-10T21:27:00.001-07:00

Limited internet access here in Yucca Valley but it seems to be restored here at our hotel.

9 of us are down here at the Mitch Gold Counterpart Coaching training camp in Yucca Valley, CA about 30 minutes into the mountains from Palm Springs.

A few observations on the camp.
The food is spectacular and Mitch's crew cooks all food and meals are hot and waiting after long days of working out.
The views and terrain are great. Our long run in Joshua Tree Nat. Park on Sunday was Epic and the views were breathtaking and nearly brought tears to the eyes. Difficult to understand unless you've seen the views we experienced.

As usual, our group spends good quality time gaining fitness, balanced with a bit of drinking in the evenings and growing a closer as a group.

Scott Jones, Teresa Rider, and Linnea Alvord are the assistant coaches at the camp and have been invaluable as well as Mitch's wife Michelle. They load and off load the bikes every day, help with getting meals to us in a timely manner, and offer great advice in general on all topics.

Scott in particular, a lifelong compeititve swimmer, has kept his eye on us in the pool, offering support and technique tips during the workouts.

The camp is not about mega miles and base building. We are all IM race-ready and are here to gain pre-race fitness strength before the race. We are a month out from our IM race and we have the base and we are all in pretty good fitness. In fact, I realized today that our camp has 6 girls that are sub 3:20 open marathon type fitness and 2 have run around 3:06. In addition, we have the national age group champions in the half IM as well as Xterra, and myself one of the top IM masters in the country, Mitch, Scott and Teresa (AG winner Kona) resulting in solid quality for the week.

First few days:
Friday: Arrival day
Swim 3400 yds, Run 5 miles

Sat: Bike 67 in Palm Springs in a good Z2 watt ride, finishing with a 30 minute sustained Z4 climb. I had a good 345 watt 30 min climb in HR zone 4 out of my saddle the entire way.
Before dinner, 5 mile run, easy.

Sun: 2:20 run about 17-18 miles in Joshua Tree Nat. Park. Epic.
Before dinner, 2 hour easy ride in the desert hills above Yucca Valley.

Mon: Early morning Swim 3700 yd. Mixed sets, 200's, 100's and 50's.
Breakfast, then ride 82 miles in about 4:15, Predominately flat with false flats I think very similar to IMAZ course. Nice strong pace throughout.

Plan for tues is a day off the bikes, Swim 4000 and Run 60 minutes in Z2 pace.

Week Summary, Feb 18-24

2008-02-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

Pretty busy week with 2 call shifts. Feel a bit beat up and tired Sunday night.
Up for about 24 hours Saturday, slept 3 hrs after call ended Sunday morning, then managed to get in long run around 3 pm. HR zone 1 average, some prolonged zone 2 as there was about 1500 ft climbing on the run. This led to a leg strength bonk about 14 miles into run and final 4 were tough for me to maintain 8 minute pace, even though my HR was under 100. Better luck next weekend.

Week summary

15 workouts in, which is about all I could handle with my call duties.

Swim: 15000 meter (4 sessions) Time = 4:40
Bike: 155 miles (5 rides which included 3 long time trials and one interval session, and 1 short recovery ride) Time = 9:30
Run: 51 miles (6 runs) 5:46

around 20 hours. This was one of my bigger weeks on the bike and run. Dont let 155 miles over 5 bike workouts be misleading. These are tough miles with climbing and time trialing. All however averaged power zone 2 at the end of the rides.

Running felt great all week until my long run Sunday. One contributor likely my 6 mile run on about 1500 ft climbing saturday morning, followed a couple of hours later (after breakfast) of 47 miler on the bike with about 3500 ft climbing and a 25 minute big gear low rpm time trial. Being up all night after this didnt allow my legs to recover for the long run. So, I shut down my long run to 7:45-8:00 pace on the flats, and 10 min pace on the steeper hills to keep HR down. This helped a bit, but only to mile 14 when the inevidible bonk occurred.

The racing paradox

2008-02-17T20:40:00.000-08:00

Trust.
This is something that is difficult for an athlete. It's not necessarily the physical attributes that determine how an athlete will perform on race day. This is self evident in various athletes I have worked out with over the past few seasons. How is it that I can continually get my butt kicked in workouts or pre-season races, yet perform well beyond in my key race?

This is a difficult dilemma for many. This weekend for instance. My first time since December 2nd that I have biked in power zone 4. I have been biking intervals at a Power Zone 3 cap and mostly Zone 2 since I started my IMAZ build in the first week of January. Now its 7 weeks of training left before IMAZ and I am just now doing my first workout of subthreshold power.
My plan this past weekend to bike 3-5 hills on a 45-50 miler, each hill about 5-8 minutes climb, at 50 cadence and Zone 4 power. Hopefully, Zone 3-4 heart rate. I found I had to stand on my pedals every hill after the first because even though I was in Z4 watts, my HR was only in Z2. So, standing allowed me to get up into HR Z3 at 135-40 beats per minute on the subsequent hills.

Why do I bring this up? I heard a comment from another rider, "you must be on a big power day". This made me think. I was actually keeping my power under control on the hills. As well, I never entered into HR Zone 4 on any hill. For me, I was within my parameters, my designated Power Z4 and HR Z3. I could have pushed much harder, at least 50-80 watts and 10-15 heart beats higher, but I controlled myself well. Because I am accelerating, do others think I am pushing all out? Are the others biking with me and closely behind me in zone 3? Are they in Z4? Zone 5?

Running long runs I find the same scenario. When I am trotting along at 7 min pace in HR Zone 2 and running with others, are they in HR Z2? Z3? Z4?

My wife, who put together a 10:15 in 2007 on a hilly course, then a 9:52 on a flat course to follow, runs and bikes far slower than men who run much faster and bike with much more power each week. How can this be possible?

Its all about knowing yourself, and trust. Trust in your own honest feelings on where you are as an athlete, and what your goals are. Trust in your coach if you have one, especially if your coach is far faster than you at the distance he (or she) is coaching. I myself do have to fight with my own feelings each and every week on several workouts. I have to trust in my coach as much as I can, and yes, I know my coach has run 8:30 and 8:15 IM in 2007. Yet, still, at times I question if I am running hard enough, biking hard enough. Yet, I know deep inside what is right. This is why this summer I watched others spin away from me on the bike, and fought my own desires to keep up, and successfully stayed within my zones. I trusted my coach. I trusted that the radical change I made this summer would pay off. If it didnt, so what! I've tried other approaches, and nothing wrong with trying a new approach to training, esp when the person training you runs over an hour faster in an IM.

My point? The primary limiter in performance of amateur athletes is the lack of accepting who they are as athletes at that time, and allowing their insecurities to dominate their workouts (see Z3 syndrome blog, a couple of weeks ago). I mean, come on man...I have biked with women that end up only a few seconds behind me on hills when I am in Z4, yet they are over 2 hours behind me in an Ironman.

Try to abandon your insecurities as an athlete.

This is what it comes down to after you peel off all the layers of excuses on over-training, despite racing well below expectations season after season.

Cycling and running more than what is recommended on a regular basis, both mileage and intensity. Running a full minute faster than your realistic goal pace for you IM marathon on a long run. Cycling in Z5 power/HR three months out from your key event. Adding to your workouts and feeding your insecurities, then needing rest periods that result in missing upcoming key workouts will most likely result in failure on key race day. Over-racing prior to your key event in unnecessary events to feed your insecurites will most likely lead to failure in your key race.

The insecurities we face as athletes, the lack of trust in our own training and our coach's advice contributes to the mediocre performances and under-achieving in our key races. If you repeatedly train on the same methodology season after season, yet fail to improve, you can trust what you're doing is wrong. If you dont follow a coach's plan as close as you can, then underperform on race day, dont blame the coach. If you follow a plan, even your own plan, and you fail to perform near your expectations, try to find the flaw in the plan, then improve upon it.

This is the racing paradox. You perform better at workouts than you do at your key race.

Most importantly, if you are training faster and far ahead of someone who out performs you at every race, look in the mirror. Take a deep look, and be honest with yourself.

Yeah, trust. Easier said than done.

Summary Feb 11-17
Not a great week for me: Really only 5.5 days. My 14 hour shift Sunday prevented me from getting in my 5th run and 5th ride for the week. No matter, I could use the rest.

Swim 12,200 meter (3 sessions) 3:52
Bike 125 miles (4 rides) 7:15 (scheduled for 5 sessions and 150 miles)
Run 35 miles (4 runs) 4:25 (scheduled for 5 sessions and 40 miles)

Swim

Week Summary, Feb 4-10

2008-02-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

First part of week, through wed, was the final 3 days of a 5 day build. Then the final 4 days of the week we took some time off.

M-W:
6 workouts

Swim: 5000 (2 sessions) 1:40
Bike: 85 miles (2 rides) 5:00
Run 32 miles (3 runs) 4:05

T: Short 2500 swim
F: Off, 2 hours of easy snowboarding
S: Off, 5 hours of aggressive snowboarding. Some good burns in the thighs.
S: Swim 4200 meter in Bend's 50 meter pool. 1:30

Total for the 5 day week:
Swim 9.2K (3) 3:10
Bike 85 miles (2) 5:00
Run 32 (3) 4:05

About 12 hours.

Feel rested now. The 5 day build was predominately running build and I feel a definate surge in my run fitness after my 4 day rest. I capped off the 5 day build with a solid 16 mile run near 7 min per mile pace. Was planning on a 4-6 mile run Sunday after the swim, but my inner thighs still mildly sore from the snowboarding the day prior. Now it's a mild 3 week build to the March Camp in Palm Springs, which will then put me 1 month out from IMAZ.

Past 5 days

2008-02-06T15:51:00.000-08:00

In the end it was well worth the short trip down. 4 days of sun and 1 day of rain. The rain here is not NW rain though, didnt really bother me since the temps were around 60. For my final run today, nearly 70 degrees and sunny.

Past 5 days
Swim 4700 (2 sessions)
Bike 147 miles (4 rides)
Run 51 miles (5 runs)
Hours? I dont know, not really counting and dont really care. Around 17 hours I guess.

Got a message from ESPN radio today, they want Ann to call in next week on a live show discussing elite amateur women athletes. I thought that was pretty cool.

The running was the clincher to this block. Running over 50 miles in 5 days, with 4 of 5 workouts quality, gained some good running fitness.

Saturday: Run 11 miles. Out zone 1 back zone 3 (out 7:40, back sub 7)
Sunday: Run 8. Out zone 1 back zone 2/3 (out 8 min pace, back 7)
Monday: Run 10. Out zone 1 back zone 2 (out 7:45, back 7:20)
Tuesday: Run 6. Easy, zone 1 (8:30-45 pace)
Wed: Run 16, out zone 1/2 (7:20 pace) back zone 2/3 (7:05 pace) (1:56 total time)

The bike went well, didnt "slog" out miles just to say I biked alot of miles. But, some not easy, but not hard power zone rides.
Sat: Bike 47 (power zone 2 with several short zone 3 efforts)
Sun: Bike 25 (power zone 2 steady entire way with a few short zone 4 efforts)
Mon: Bike 35 (power zone 2 steady entire way with a few 2-3 min zone 3 efforts)
Tues: Bike 50 (power zone 2 with moderate efforts in Z3/4 on hills. Did a zone 4 continuous 12 min in final 10 miles)
Wed: No ride.

Tuesday's ride with the Mitch Gold group and Macca was fun. Macca was on schedule for a 2 hour recovery ride and I was scheduled for a Zone 2 ride with zone 3/4 efforts so after chatting with him for a few minutes here and there in the first 5 miles, I rode away to catch the lead group ahead. Good solid zone 2 ride for me at 215 watts average with several efforts in zone 4, 300-315 watts. Legs felt fresh and solid at the end of the ride. Rode back primarily with Mitch Gold who is just beginning his training for IMCDA. Ann rode up ahead with a newer pro, 10th overall at CDA in 2007. Couple of others behind us. That was about it by the final 90 minutes of riding, everyone else circled back earlier. Funny Ann mentioned to the guy she was riding with she was aiming for a top 10 finish at IMAZ in March. He looked suprised and said something like "you mean top 10 age groupers?". Ann said, no, top 10 overall. He then said something like, "I dont want to shatter anyone's goals but yeah, go for it". I guess he didnt realize that Ann placed in the top 12 overall in the past 2 IM races. Races that were highly competitive, full of pro women, IM Roth and IMWA. In fact, her total time was in the top 10 female pro times at both races. So, yeah, this guy didnt realize he was biking with a girl that that finished high overal in her last 2 Ironmen. No big deal. I know she has it in her to break into the top 10 on a great day. As an amateur at age 38, most women are no where near her calibur in the world. Yeah a few, but no more than 10. So, for her to finish in the top 10 is not only reachable, its probable on a good day. Even at her age, she can run down a few women pro's in their early 30's. So that's that. If she doesnt have a great day, so what. Nothing wrong with having goals that are actually realistic and reachable.

The swims werent much, just to keep the consistency going. Did 2 sessions in the pool, both with long intervals. One session of 3200 and the other 2500 yards.

The end of the 5 days as a long steady run went better than I expected. Cruising along the Carlsbad marathon course plucking off 7:05 mile splits in Zone 2 HR means I am near my pre IMWA running fitness. Even better, heading out at 7:20 pace in Zone 1 was encouraging to me, especially off the preceeding days of running and riding.

All runs on days of cycling were done prior to the bike. NO bricks.

Now, tomorrow thursday's plan is a nice 4000 meter swim. Friday totally off for some snowboarding. Sat am swim then snowboarding. Sunday short run and more boarding. Monday I resume a more typical schedule and will be back on the bike.

Week summary 1/28-2/3 and some talk with Mark Allen

2008-02-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Week summary: No workout Friday, which ended up being travel day all day.
So, 6 day week:

Swim 13,000 meter (4 sessions) 4:01
Bike 140 miles (4 rides) 7:55
Run 40 miles (6 runs) 6:06

Low back became very sore on Saturday's bike ride. Became even more sore over night and worsened yet doing flip turns on Sunday mornings swim. Went ahead and ran 11 miles 2 hours after swim Sunday, and awhile later after stretching, road 25 miles in the rain, Z2 power. Felt ok until the 12 mile 25 mph headwind on the way back. Now back is so sore I can hardly sit up straight. We'll have to play it by ear for tomorrow's planned workouts of 4k swim, 10 mile run and 25 mile ride. We'll see.

On the way down, Mark Allen sat down by Ann in the airport as she was looking over the top 10 women pro times from IMAZ past 3 years. He asked Ann, "so, you doing that race?" Ann looked over at me and said, " is that Mark Allen?"
I looked up from reading my log book, and of course recognized him immediately.
We sat together on the plane and talked a bit on coaching and such. You can gather alot of information in a very short period of time if you ask the right questions, and listen.
We talked about his running preparation going into his Kona victories in the 80's. I asked him how the hell did they post nearly as fast bike times at Kona in the 80's on road bikes, with all the innovation in aero technology and nutrition, ect. He chuckled at this and just said, "yeah, I guess". I find in incredible that the overall times at Kona havent changed that much considering how many years of technology in the interim since the Allen-Scott days.

I asked him what he thought of Clearwater World Championships. He didnt seem impressed with the race as he sarcastically repeated to me "world championships?". Yeah...I explained to him my thinking in the whole thing. Many people cant get to Hawaii World's for whatever reason. The Clearwater race allows people who cant experience the true Hawaii experience to have a feeling of what it's like.
This is true, the race is run very much like Kona as far as the way they take care of athletes, the promotion, ect. Mark agreed, "yeah, its something I guess". Overall, he was very unimpressed with the creation of a 1/2 World Championship. I told him Ann and I dont plan on running there again, mainly for the obvious fact of you cant truly compete with those who cheat at the race, and cheat the sport. Again, he agreed and stated many of the athletes he trains feel the same.
Yet, it is a promotional monster that will go on. I think the ultimate key is course selection and the presence of officials.

He told me many of his athletes complain of others who draft on the course and doesnt know how to respond to some who feel cheated. I explained to him my thinking and what I tell my athletes. You CAN legally draft, just play it safe and stay 8 or so bike lengths back. If a pack passes you, go with them, but stay legal. I know this works because if I ride legally behind someone, I can see my watts drop about 5-10. Well, 10 watts is alot in an Ironman. It can translate to 10 minutes in a 112 TT. Of course, you dont stay legally behind someone or a pack the entire time. But, if you stay legal as much as you can and use people to get a bit of legal draft, you can save several minutes. Anyone who uses a power meter knows that if you literally draft off someone, the watts drop up to 80 or 100. So, catching a bit of a legal draft and saving 10 watts is legal, and can improve your race. More so, it may keep you in contact with those you're competing with, so you can make a move on the run. He seemed to agree to this by nodding his head, but I got the feeling he didnt have tremendous experience with power meters. I could be totally wrong on this though.

I explained to him why I liked Australia's course because of the "T" pattern, and the overwhelming presence of officials on the T portion of the course, which was most it, which leads to athletes not being tempted to draft. Who know's...maybe Clearwater, and IM Florida, will make positive changes in the future.

Anyway, I learned a few things in our short conversation. He wants email on our progress this season, esp from Ann, of whom he seemed very impressed in her times this year considering she's nearly breaking the top 10 overall at age 38. I told him that on our 2006 Ironman Hawaii poster, Dave Scott signed his name directly above Mark Allen's. He laughed and said, "yeah that's typical...or something like that". I told him this year we'll have him sign our poster right across the top so every other pro we see will sign under his name.

We said our goodbyes and said "see you in Kona".

5 days of warmer weather

2008-01-31T20:09:00.000-08:00

Ann and I are taking off to California tomorrow Friday for 4.5 days of warmer weather. Forcast is high of only 60 but at least it will be warmer then the mid 30's temps we've been having.

No huge plans. Ride every day Sat-Tuesday, although nothing long. Tomorrow is a travel day and only plan on a light 6 mile run once settled in.

For the first 4 days of this week? I am a little tired and will enjoy the 1 day break off the bike.

I have done 10 seperate workouts in 4 days, 9 of them in the past 3 days.
Swim of 10200 meters, Bike 4 hours and Run 17 miles in the past 3 days. Of course, pretty much nothing in Zone 1. Zone 2 minimum with higher efforts on various intervals.

Needless to say, tomorrow's travel day will be nice. By Sunday, I should have 16 workouts for the week.

Week Summary jan 20-27

2008-01-28T10:16:00.001-08:00

Easier Week this past week
Low back a bit sore. Will try to get in some pilates and yoga this week although this upcoming week is a difficult one.

Jan 20-27
Swim: 13,600 m (4 sessions) 4:15
Bike: 87 miles (3 spins) 4:30
Run: 35 miles (4 runs) 4:20

Legs took almost the entire week recovering, although still doing some interval work throughout the week. Saturday's 2 hour spin I felt my power almost back and Sunday's 14 mile run was average at 7:20 pace with some climbing.

I think part of my slower recovery off last weekend was biking post-call on about 2 hours sleep. I didnt really ever have a chance to make that up as I got a wopping 6 hours per night the next 4 nights. This past Friday I got a good 8 hrs of sleep in before saturday's spin, then slept 3 more hours after the spin. Feeling more refreshed today although coming off back to back 7pm-7am shifts today.

Zone 3? Not me.

2008-01-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

Not a bad week this past week, legs a bit tired Sunday night after my 1 hour Z2 spin.

Weekly summary: Jan 14-20

Swim: 920 m (3 sessions) 3 hours
Bike: 115 miles (4 rides) 6:50
Run: 36 miles (4 runs) 4:30
14:20 for the week.

For the first 3 days of this week, a bit of a blur. Only about 6 hours of sleep each night. Wed. was my day off so I caught a few extra Z's in the afternoon. So, thus far this week:
Monday: 4400 swim (200 wu and cd) 10x400/30
Tues: Spin 200 watts steady at 80 rpm, 40 minutes.
Wed:
morning swim, 2000 (4x500/30). 35 min.
early afternoon spin on trainer, 200 watts continuous for 1:50 at 72 rpm. Road the first couple of hours of IM Wisconsin's course. Man, it is pretty much continuous hills.
lunch and 2 hour nap.
late afternoon run on treadmill, 10 miles in 1:11 First 2 miles 7:30 then 7 min pace remainder.

So, ask yourself a few questions:

1: Do I feel pressure to bike the same loop at the same or faster pace/time?
2: Do I feel uncomfortable falling off the back on a group ride even though I am tired?
3: Do I feel pressured to be toward the front or at least finish toward the front on every group ride?
4: On a typical ride, and an unknown rider passes you decisively, do you lose pride? Do you feel pressured to have to catch up to him?
5: Do you often go out for a ride alone or with others as a nice aerobic or recovery pace and it turns into the world championships?
6: Do you believe that riding anything less than 2 hours is a waste of time and not worth the trouble?
7: Do you believe that any ride with a Heart rate below 130 is a waste of time?
8 Do you have a max heart rate of 185 and havent been able to get your HR above 165 in weeks?
9: Are you beginning and ending any rides with sore legs?
10: Are you proud of your average speeds and your record of "climbs won" on rides, and believe that others really care?

Yeah, if you said yes to any one of these, then be concerned of the "zone 3 syndrome" as Josh Horowitz puts it in an article I read a few weeks back. This is part of the chronic over-training syndrome I see in many athletes I 've trained with, including myself in the past.

I consider "zone 3 syndrome" a power zone 3 problem. Typically because you can easily produce power in zone 3 and remain in heart rate zones 1 and 2, especially as you become fit.

I fell into this trap on a ride recently, decided to stay near the group who were in my opinion pushing the pace a bit much for January. I averaged 116 heart rate for the ride, Zone 1 HR for me. Yet my power at 230 ave watts and 255 normal watts clearly in zone 3 for me. After over 2 hours of this, the weather turned poor, sleeting and rain, so I pushed home the final hour in zone 3 wattage to finish.

The fallout?

Cancelled my scheduled 5 mile run later that day.
Ran slower than I needed (original plan) on the following morning.
Cancelled my scheduled 2 x 10 Z3/4 low rpm intervals on my 1 hour ride the next day, instead just riding steady.
Cancelled my run on tuesday of this week.

So, not only was it a poor decision to not ride my own pre-determined pace, I lost a good portion of workouts planned over the next few days.

The light at the end of the tunnel? It happened once last summer...and this will be the only time I let this happen to me this year.

Some riders unfortunately, esp, IM athletes, train like this week after week. The log looks great, yet they consistenly run 10-11 hour races when they have the physiology and endurance to run well under 10. They lose their podium slot, they lose their Kona slot, they may drop out.

I have stated this so many times in the past: know yourself.
So many athletes try for too much too early, or just try to shoot for the moon for a race in one giant leap instead of taking a few steps into the water first.

Dont be proud. Be confident. I am hardly ever at my "race intensity" in workouts, and very few people have seen me race. I am a completely different person when I race. Much of this is because I am physically prepared, even though injured at times. More importanly, I am emotionally prepared. I believe spending too much time in the "race zone" emotionally in workouts tends to burn an athlete out. Now, dont get me wrong, I am all about detail and re-creating the race in workouts, but that's mostly in terms of nutrition and visualizing my goals during my TT training.
So, the zone 3 syndrome athlete tends to put too much into workouts, not really resting enough, and not really racing. Just marginally competing ride after ride. This athlete cant wait until the 3 week taper or the upcoming rest week because they are chronically tired. When it comes time to do an interval in Zone 4 or Zone 5 power? They cant muster up the performance. So, they dont get much benefit of near-threshold and threshold training. Likewise, they cant generate consistent strength throughout the race.
Thus, you race at, or perhaps only 20-30 watts above your "recovery ride watts". Then it only gets worse on the run.
6 months of training wasted. Then, for the next big race...all over again.

One piece of advice. If it doesnt work for you, try something different. Something different doesnt mean more work. Train in your own element. Save the racing for race day.