Category Archives: Triathlon

The Ironman Taper

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I’m NOT the original author – going to keep it here so it can be linked in the future….

Per Ellen Frasca Evans the original author is Bob Mina. Written before before Ironman Canada in 2002

There are a lot of different sources and a couple of versions – this one hit’s it just about right and was posted by my teammate Ironman Paul Beaty before 

his first Ironman at IMAZ 2016.  I hope to cross the finish line of Arizona in 2017.

It’s been a long year of “the grind”.   The coaches and the team have me prepared.  Family is ready for this first Ironman to be done.   IM Arizona in seven days.

 

Enjoy!

The Ironman Taper

Right now you are about to enter the taper. Perhaps you’ve been at this a few months, perhaps you’ve been at this a few years. For some of you this is your first IM, for others, a long-overdue welcome back to a race that few can match.

You’ve been following your schedule to the letter. You’ve been piling on the mileage, piling up the laundry, and getting a set of tan lines that will take until next year to erase. Long rides were followed by long runs, which both were preceded by long swims, all of which were followed by recovery naps that were longer than you slept for any given night during college.

You ran in the snow.
You rode in the rain.
You ran in the heat.
You ran in the cold.
You went out when others stayed home.
You rode the trainer when others pulled the covers over their heads.

You have survived the Darwinian progression that is an Ironman summer, and now the hardest days are behind you. Like a climber in the Tour de France coming over the summit of the penultimate climb on an alpine stage, you’ve already covered so much ground…there’s just one more climb to go. You shift up, you take a drink, you zip up the jersey; the descent lies before you…and it will be a fast one.

Time that used to be filled with never-ending work will now be filling with silent muscles, taking their final, well-earned rest. While this taper is something your body desperately needs, your mind cast off to the background for so very long, will start to speak to you.

It won’t be pretty.

It will bring up thoughts of doubt, pain, hunger, thirst, failure, and loss. It will give you reasons why you aren’t ready. It will try and make one last stand to stop you, because your brain doesn’t know what the body already does. Your body knows the truth:

You are ready.

Your brain won’t believe it. It will use the taper to convince you that this is foolish – that there is too much that can go wrong.

You are ready.

Finishing an Ironman is never an accident. It’s the result of dedication, focus, hard work, and belief that all the long runs in January, long rides in April, and long swims every damn weekend will be worth it. It comes from getting on the bike, day in, day out. It comes from long, solo runs. From that first long run where you wondered, “How will I ever be ready?” to the last long run where you smiled to yourself with one mile to go…knowing that you’d found the answer.

It is worth it. Now that you’re at the taper, you know it will be worth it. The workload becomes less. The body winds up and prepares, and you just need to quiet your worried mind. Not easy, but you can do it.

You are ready.

You will walk into the water with 2000 other wide-open sets of eyes. You will look upon the sea of humanity, and know that you belong. You’ll feel the chill of the water crawl into your wetsuit, and shiver like everyone else, but smile because the day you have waited for so VERY long is finally here.

You will tear up in your goggles. Everyone does.

The helicopters will roar overhead.
The splashing will surround you.

You’ll stop thinking about Ironman, because you’re now racing one.

The swim will be long – it’s long for everyone, but you’ll make it. You’ll watch as the shoreline grows and grows, and soon you’ll hear the end. You’ll come up the beach and head for the wetsuit strippers. Three people will get that sucker off before you know what happening, then you’ll head for the bike.

The voices, the cowbells, and the curb-to-curb chalk giving you a hero’s sendoff can’t wipe the smile off your face.

You’ll settle down to your race. The crowds will spread out on the road. You’ll soon be on your bike, eating your food on your schedule, controlling your Ironman.

You’ll start to feel that morning sun turn to afternoon sun. It’s warmer now. Maybe it’s hot. Maybe you’re not feeling so good now. You’ll keep riding. You’ll keep drinking. You’ll keep moving. After all, this is just a long training day with valet parking and catering, right?

You’ll put on your game face, fighting the urge to feel down as you ride for what seems like hours. You reach special needs, fuel up, and head out.

By now it’ll be hot. You’ll be tired. Doubts will fight for your focus. Everyone struggles here. You’ve been on that bike for a few hours, and stopping would be nice, but you won’t – not here. Not today.

You’ll grind the false flats to the climb. You’ll know you’re almost there. You’ll fight for every inch of road. The crowd will come back to you here. Let their energy push you. Let them see your eyes. Smile when they cheer for you – your body will get just that little bit lighter.

Grind.
Fight.
Suffer.
Persevere.

You’ll plunge down the road, swooping from corner to corner, chaining together the turns, tucking on the straights, letting your legs recover for the run to come – soon! You’ll roll back – you’ll see people running out. You’ll think to yourself, “Wasn’t I just here?” The noise will grow. The chalk dust will hang in the air – you’re back, with only 26.2 miles to go. You’ll relax a little bit, knowing that even if you get a flat tire or something breaks here, you can run the damn bike into T2.

You’ll roll into transition. 100 volunteers will fight for your bike. You’ll give it up and not look back. You’ll have your bag handed to you, and into the tent you’ll go. You’ll change. You’ll load up your pockets, and open the door to the last long run of your Ironman summer – the one that counts.

You’ll take that first step of a thousand…and you’ll smile. You’ll know that the bike won’t let you down now – the race is down to your own two feet. The same crowd that cheered for you in the shadows of the morning will cheer for you in the brilliant sunshine of a summer Sunday. High-five people on the way out. Smile. Enjoy it. This is what you’ve worked for all year long.

That first mile will feel great. So will the second. By mile 3, you probably won’t feel so good.

That’s okay. You knew it couldn’t all be that easy. You’ll settle down just like you did on the bike, and get down to your pace. You’ll see the leaders coming back the other way. Some will look great – some won’t. You might feel great, you might not. No matter how you feel, don’t panic – this is the part of the day where whatever you’re feeling, you can be sure it won’t last.

You’ll keep moving. You’ll keep drinking. You’ll keep eating. Maybe you’ll be right on plan – maybe you won’t. If you’re ahead of schedule, don’t worry – believe. If you’re behind, don’t panic – roll with it. Everyone comes up with a brilliant race plan for Ironman, and then everyone has to deal with the reality that planning for something like Ironman is like trying to land a man on the moon; by remote control; Blindfolded.

How you react to the changes in your plan will dictate your day. Don’t waste energy worrying about things – just do what you have to when you have to, and keep moving. Keep eating. Keep drinking. Just don’t sit down – don’t EVER sit down.

You’ll make it to the halfway point. You’ll load up on special needs. Some of what you packed will look good, some won’t. Eat what looks good, toss the rest. Keep moving. Start looking for people you know. Cheer for people you don’t. You’re headed in – they’re not. They want to be where you are, just like you wanted to be when you saw all those fast people headed into town. Share some energy – you’ll get it right back.

Run if you can.
Walk if you have to.
Just keep moving.

The miles will drag on. The brilliant sunshine will yawn. You’ll be coming up to those aid stations fully alive with people, music, and chicken soup. TAKE THE SOUP. Keep moving.

You’ll soon only have a few miles to go. You’ll start to believe that you’re going to make it. You’ll start to imagine how good it’s going to feel when you get there. Let those feelings drive you on. When your legs just don’t want to move anymore, think about what it’s going to be like when someone catches you…and puts a medal over your head… all you have to do is get there.

You’ll start to hear the people in town. People you can’t see in the twilight will cheer for you. They’ll call out your name. Smile and thank them. They were there when you left on the bike, and when you came back, and when you left on the run, and now when you’ve come back.

You’ll enter town. You’ll start to realize that the day is almost over. You’ll be exhausted, wiped out, barely able to run a 10-minute mile (if you’re lucky), but you’ll ask yourself, “Where did the whole day go?” You’ll be standing on the edge of two feelings – the desire to finally stop, and the desire to take these last moments and make them last as long as possible.

You’ll hit mile 25. Your Ironman will have 1.2 miles – just 2KM left in it.

You’ll run. You’ll find your legs. You’ll fly. You won’t know how, but you will run. The lights will grow brighter, brighter, and brighter. Soon you’ll be able to hear the music again. This time, it’ll be for keeps.

Soon they’ll see you. Soon, everyone will see you. You’ll run towards the lights, between the fences, and into the night sun made just for you.

They’ll say your name.
You’ll keep running.
Nothing will hurt.

The moment will be yours – for one moment, the entire world will be looking at you and only you.

You’ll break the tape at the finish line, 140.6 miles after starting your journey. The flash will go off.

You’ll stop. You’ll finally stop. Your legs will wobble their last, and suddenly…be capable of nothing more.

Someone will catch you.
You’ll lean into them.

It will suddenly hit you.
YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

You are ready.
You are ready.

Buffalo Spring Lake 70.3

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Lubbock, Texas

June 25, 2017

This was expected to be a 90+ degree race with winds exceeding 20mph.   Instead, we had moderate temps in the 80s with a 8-10mph SE winds and overcast skies.   This is a tough race course with history.

I’ll get into the race to begin with and then add details at the end.   The goals are what I send to my coach (Ben Drezek) prior to the race:

Overall. I want to enjoy the BLST race experience and collect good data for my next phase of training.   I don’t have pace/time goals per say.    I want to enjoy the BLST race experience and collect good data for my next phase of training.   I don’t have pace/time goals per say:

SWIM

My pre-race notes to coach: Swim. Good swim focusing on lines of sight and effort level during the swim.  I would like to be able to get onto the bike in great shape with a clean transition that’s efficient but not rushed.   What to pay attention to get some good liquid in me during transition to stay ahead of hydration.   Steady swim pace.  

From my Galveston race report: “Need to learn to use my arms as oars and pull myself through the water – I’m thinking about swimming in the wrong way – need to continue to change and make this part of the race easier – not faster, just easier.”

Last race: Time: 00:40:34

This was a easier swim that allowed me some distractions. I’m still learning to draft and I got caught in this game during the race.  I would have had a much better swim without worrying about others and simply swimming between the buoys in clean water.   Nothing special on the swim but cool 74 degree water.  I had a steady swim pace and certainly COULD have pushed the pace at points.  I settled during the swim and kept a great rhythm.  I did use “use my arms as oars”.   This was a decent improvement from the last race and can be put in the win column.  I swam slower that capability, but felt good coming out the water – need to find a middle ground.

Swim Time: 00:38:01

I would have like to have seen this closer to :35, but I’m happy where I’m at for the moment.

For my upcoming training:  Continue to concentrate on bilateral breathing and use speed/strength training to improved upper body pull strength.

BIKE

My pre-race notes to coach: Bike. I’m going to push the bike but not to breaking – with nutrition at the forefront of my thought.  Want to see what I can steadily maintain over the distance.    What to get good nutrition and stay ahead of hydration.

Last race:  Time: 2:54:08 [wreck]

This was a much harder bike course and I did my best.  I hung about 15 minutes off of our KMF team leaders for the duration of the bike and felt strong on a challenging climb course with elevation change of approximately 3000 feet.

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This is by far the most fun that I’ve had on a race course.  Never looked at my data during the ride, but knew that everything was clicking on the day.  Happy with an 18.5mph average on the bike.  If you are interested, top speed was 39.8, slowest 6.9 on the final climb.  My training preparation was on point and I was where I needed to be as I transitioned to the run.

Bike Time: 03:01:40

For my upcoming training:  Continue to put miles on the bike with a concentration on long and steady.

RUN

My pre-race notes to coach: Run.  Little bit lost as to how this one will work out, but I’ll play this one by ear.  I plan to take a moderate/easy pace coming off the bike and see where the legs are for the run. From last race report: “Next time: I will have a hydration bottle with me on the run.  This is something that I need to start using on every long run to get use to the idea.”   I’ve worked on this since Galveston and I’ll take your advice on a small ice chest with a throw away bottle of cold water rather than carrying a bottle the whole time – this seems a more reasonable solution.  I’ll again take in some salt on the ride and run.

Last Race: Time: 2:57:14 [walked due to bike problem]

Prior to the race, this run course had me scared to death.  The idea of coming off a very tough bike course onto a challenging run course left a lot of room for error.   In a pre-race seminar it was mentioned many time that this course was decided in the run.

The course was made of many small hills of 20 – 100 yards and a large 1/2 mile hill with a 10% grade – yes, we got to do it twice..   I started on the run course beside my teammate Paul Beaty and took the first mile of the course a little faster that I should – my decision.  We parted was and he continued his race as I settled to a 12 minute pace – my chosen pace based on how I felt and what I thought I could maintain for remainder of the race.  Screen Shot 2017-06-26 at 4.59.03 PM.png

I alway feel uncomfortable for the first 3 miles, but try to distract myself to plan my run. I don’t necessarily like running wet, but ice cube in my kit sounded like a fine idea.  They were a GREAT addition and likely saved my race from heart rate spikes when the sun made its appearance.   I settled into the race in mile 4, forgot the miles between 5 and 10, and the last three miles were TOUGH  but my pace didn’t suffer too much.

Run Decision 1: Denise and the kids gifted my with a camelback running bottle, and per my training I carried it throughout the race – this was an asset that I keep with my during my next races.   The ability to sip throughout the race was remarkably comforting and helped my maintain an appropriately hydrated throughout the run.  This was a race time decision since I put it in transition – it paid.

Run Decision 2:  I made the decision to walk the aid station.  This is different from having to walk the aid stations (at least in my mind).  I’ve heard this advice in the past and was too stubborn to do it.   I’ll never run through an Ironman aid station again.  Paul Beaty will tell you that it’s more like a power walk, but still it allowed me to fill up with gatorade, water and ice as needed and let my my body recover.

Decision 3:  Don’t walk.   This sounds easy, but it was the toughest one of the day.  There’s not a single team mate that wouldn’t have patted me on the back and congratulated me if I would have walked part of this run course, but on the drive to the race on it became my number 1 wanna do for this race. Decision 2 made this possible. Success.

Teammates on the run course were remarkable to be able to give a small boost when you were climbing our an attaboy when you were rocking a downhill.  I little bit of run time with Paul and Tim were valuable and up lifting.

After Galveston I stated: “Buffalo Spring will be in 89 days.    This means that I have a significant training block to increase my long-course fitness.  I would like to see a swim less that 00:40 with less effort and a completed run.    This is a much harder race from my understanding – a DNF is waiting if my preparation is lacking.”

For my upcoming training:  I need to continue to work on my run strength.   It’s very different to run a 1/2 marathon or a marathon versus putting swim yardage and bike miles in prior to a running race.  BRICKS, BRICKS, BRICKS.

Run Time: 2:30:50 

OVERALL TIME: 06:19:19

SUMMARY

This was a much harder race – a DNF was waiting if my preparation was lacking – my training wasn’t lacking.

I’m going to use Coach Amanda’s prompts for the next portion:

Mentally

I was 100% ready for everything that the race could have thrown at me.  I was ready for the worst.  The course was challenging, but nothing more than what I expected.

Done Right

Stay with my phase of the race.  Nutrition was on point with little need for change – more liquid nutrition is better.

Improvement

These remain from the last race: Fitness and daily nutrition.   Need to be at race weight by next race in 89 days – said before – I’m getting there.

I’m 1/2 Iron fit.  This is good at this time of year.   Now, Iron Fit.

Differently

I have little that I would have done differently at this race.  Planning and execution were as good as could be expected and was able to experiment with hydration, ice, and aid station breaks

Lessons

Continue to trained harder and longer with more bricks – the long distance is fitness, fitness, fitness.  Full-iron distance is scary from today’s viewpoint.

Just swim.  To Hell with everyone else.  My sighting and lines are fine.  I lose time worrying about others.

Back to Training

I want to continue to improve my intensity during training and push my work sessions. It was a pleasure to be prepared.

Next race

[going to leave this on blank – deciding on the Redman/No-Redman 70.3]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ironman 70.3 Texas

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April 2, 2017

First ½ Ironman!

Weather overcast and 70 – 80 degree for race time with 90% humidity.  Water 74.5

This was a much-anticipated race and the first of three 70.3 races in preparation for Ironman Arizona 2017.   This was a race – not a training session. I’ll find myself often saying that I’m using one race to prepare for the next, but nothing can be further from
the truth.   During each race, I purposefully experiment with a couple of different ideas to learn how they work.  Since I’m not yet a podium racer, I have the luxury of testing during my races.   I love competition and have a goal of getting my time faster than the mean of my age group – not quite there yet.

I’m going to treat this as a race report and provide a little more insight than I’ve normally taken in my report/blog.

Skip next two (nutrition and hydration) sections if not interested:

Nutrition

Nutrition was an important part of preparation for this race and a weakness in previous race preparations.  Here are the numbers prepared and used:

Pre-race        100 calories – Tailwind liquid nutrition in throw-away bottle
150 calories – Cliff squeeze | replace with real banana next time.
150 calories – Honey waffle

Pre-race nutrition was planned at 300 calories – due to lack of two bananas, it was supplemented with other nutrition with no ill results.  I prefer the real food of bananas with the potassium, carbs and sugar.   Light breakfast and 250 calories consumed during 1.5 hour prerace – couldn’t stomach squeeze nutrition.   250 calories are perfect for prerace and after light breakfast upon wakeup.

Bike               600 calories Tailwind liquid nutrition in two bottle on back of bike
Water in torpedo on front of bike
200 calories in squeeze Gu
300 calories – Honey waffles
One tube of Base salt

My goal of bike nutrition was planned at 250 – 300 calories per hour on the bike on the bike   – took in 1100 calories for 2:54:08 the only remaining nutrition was approximately 100 calories of Tailwind that was inaccessible after mile 45.   It was tough consuming calories and tough juggling bottle in a hard crosswind.   But done.

Run                200 calories in squeeze Gu
200 calories Cliff Shot chews
One tube of Base salt
4 sticks of gum
4 pieces of ginger candy

Run nutrition was unable to be tested.   But, based on what I consumed of course fuel, I should have packed 400 calories of squeeze Gu rather than 200. 400 emergency calories should be just about right.   Candy/gum is good, but ½ what was packed.  Chews are unnecessary with course nutrition.  I’m traveling slow enough to consume course nutrition if not Gu.   Course squeeze nutrition cannot be counted on since you don’t know the flavor.   I picked up course squeeze nutrition on bike and run and only tasted it before disposing.   Nothing wrong, but not the mouth tasted I WANTED.  Next time:

400 calories in squeeze Gu – coffee and peanut butter
one tube of Base salt
4 sticks of gum
4 pieces of ginger candy

Hydration

This was an area of experimentation on this race.   I wish I did better here and thought it through completely before the race.   I trusted that my liquid nutrition would hold me on the bike and course hydration would hold me on the run.   I was wrong.

Next time: I will have a hydration bottle with me on the run.  This is something that I need to start using on every long run to get use to the idea. I sweat a lot and I need to have a better idea of my liquid intake.  I skipped some watering holes because I simply didn’t want to deal with the little bit of water/Gatorade.   I observed bottle filling on the course and it’s a good way to load up on one and skip a couple and easily water/Gatorade mix.   My hydration test after the race showed not enough water consumed on course.  PLENTY on the bike and prerace, but not on the run.
Base Salt:  I believe that this saved my race.  It was a planned experiment for the race.  This is the first time using salt during any of my training or racing.  Yes, I took the chance of something brand new on race day.   But, it was planned three weeks before the race. Not a high-risk chance.   I consumed salt on the bike approximately every 5 mile until mile 34 when the tube was lost (more in bike report).  There were a LOT of people hurting during this humid race – I wasn’t one and contribute it more to the salt than consistent water intake.   This will now be a critical part of my plan since I will be on the run course during the hotter parts of the day.

The Race

Overall, it was a bitter-sweet race.   In a wreck at mile 34 that I cost me a very good bike time it turned from sweet to bitter.  Before mile 34 my race plans were on track.  After mile 34 the race was about finishing strong despite the race problem.  The details:

Swim

I did not know how to estimate my swim time for my first open ocean swim, I simply calculated what I could do in the pool – 1:47.   Wrong.    This was a rough choppy swim with big choppy/inconsistent swells on the backside.   Summary, the swim was great.

I used my coached pointer of getting my space (Thanks Coach Liz!) and mixed it up in the mass start. It was a fun start and I made it out of the first 300 yard largely unscathed by defending space. Big and strong helps here.

Screen Shot 2017-04-03 at 6.53.08 PMThe first and second turns required a left side breathe and the next two required a right – lucky, I got fussed at about this about 4ish weeks before and had worked at every practice with opposite breathing each length of the pool.   This correction and my athlete follow-up of consistent practice saved my bacon on the swim. Salt water on the swim is nasty.

A lot of work is needed on swim drafting.   I tried to draft with only mild success and finally stuck to the clean water – review of my swim map showed consistency in sighting.

Last turn, I messed up by experimenting: I had not previously tried a 90 degree tight turn around a buoy in practice but, I decide that this was the right time (idiot).  Calf cramp from my inexperience and a wave that hit at the wrong time.  Lesson learned!  I executed an advanced swim technique that I had seen and tried once that could have cost me as the day went further.

For the first time in race conditions, I trotted out of the water in good shape – best I’ve felt after swimming any distance.   1:55 / 100 splits.  Inconsistent paces during the race need to be cleaned up, but overall very satisfied.

Time: 00:40:34, Estimated: badly.

Transition 1:

Garmin showed a 2-minute transition and Ironman recorded 04:37. Ironman results seem right after I changed into socks for the bike.   This was a smooth transition for the day with shoes packed in plastic in case of rain.   My transition area was laid out well and I felt good.  Nothing that I would change for transition, apart from a place planned for my used swim equipment.

Bike

This was the toughest bike conditions that I have had during a race.   Inconsistent crosswind between 18 – 25 meant working to handle the bike all day.   Minimal elevation change meant that power had to be controlled and maintained on this out-and-back course.   Humid ocean winds meant that bottle were wet and slippery think juggling and navigating a bike.

Screen Shot 2017-04-03 at 7.11.42 PMMy bike nutrition, hydration and salt were consumed on time and were digestible.   The first 34 miles were textbook for me with an extra Gatorade endure pulled from an aid station for easy slug right after the turn around.

The bike accident at mile 34 was at the top of a windy bridge with an ugly front crosswind.   An ?inexperienced? cyclist couldn’t handle themselves and decide that I was their safe space and crashed me.   I was devastated when it happened.   I saw my race vanish in puff of smoke.   Four minutes and fifteen seconds had me back on my bike and heading home. I apologize to any on the bridge to the mainland for my language during this time – it would have made sailors blush.  A second quick stop for a check of wheel and alignment double-check cost me another two minutes and fifteen seconds.   I was then stuck to one gear for the next ~14 miles (within walking distance of transition) before I began experimenting with gears.  This meant little ring and little gear – not bad, just not what I need to make optimal power/time.   I then tentatively changed gears and created a better attitude (less cussing) for the remainder of the bike.

I pulled into transition, for the first time, with a sigh of relief that I had survived the bike portion and made it to the run.

Time: 2:54:08, Estimated: 2:57:02.   Great time for a tough race day course and an accident mixed in.

Transition 2:

Transition time was 05:26. I wanted to hurry with purpose, yet gather myself for the 13.1 miles left in the race.   But, I was looking forward to the run.  I worked my winter training season to improve my run fitness. I did change my socks, possibly unnecessary – simply wanted dry socks. Nothing that I would change for transition.  I bottle with nutrition would have been a bonus.

Run

Trotted from my bike to the run before turning the corner and starting a jog.   Didn’t feel great, but I had a full-bladder. Well-hydrated.  Didn’t want to stop, but it was welcomed.   I started my jog with tired legs for the first mile and felt my head begin to pound.    I had busted my noggin on the concrete during the crash and my slight headache increased dramatically.   I slowed and walked and started again with a run/walk to see if I could shake what I was feeling.   Yes, legs were tired, but the impact difference between a walk and jog was dramatic.   Again, race hopes faded.

Screen Shot 2017-04-03 at 7.13.45 PMI walked for the next two miles to settle and experimented again in mile 4.  I knew that my race was done and my goal was completion – with a long walk “this is my race”.   This is the way it continued to the end.

Medically, all is good.  I simply relegated myself to the fact that that a walk was manageable today.   In mile 5, my mind was settle and I set my pace at a stiff power walk and mild cussing.  It was good to be on the course with other competitor that were in much worse shape and fighting their own demons.

Time: 2:57:14, Estimated: 2:57:02.

I’m going to use Coach Amanda’s prompts for the next portion:

Mentally

DNF on my first attempt at a 70.3 was stuff of nightmares (literally from two-nights before).  This was a mental race after the bike crash – after assuring I two wheels to ride back to transition.  Age has its advantages.  I knew that even with a possibly chipped elbow or re-broken clavicle that I WOULD ride if the bike would take me – road rash was just an irritation.  I had 43 different references that were worse situations than my current position.  If I would get me and my bike back to the transition, I knew that I could conquer the run.   Little did I know that the race had another surprise – no run for me.

Not running again conjured images of a DNF on my first attempt at a 70.3.  My inexperience in triathlon gave me plenty of room for stoppage reasons.   By the end of the 1st of three laps, but attitude was much better by managing my expectations.  A one hour lap meant that my race goals were blown.

Done Right

Researched, recorded, and successfully implemented nutrition plan.  Stay with my phase of the race without much planning beyond the next 10 minutes in front of me – this kept.   Swim had many places for hiccups, found my happy place and stayed there – pacing was good.

Improvement

Fitness and daily nutrition.   Not 100% sure that I could have run the entire 13.1 miles; not required, but desired.   Need to be at race weight by next race in 89 days – said before – I’m getting there.

Differently

Need to be aware of the others that were doing  things on the course.  At my normal start time, there are numerous unprepared athletes that can impact your race.   Additionally, salt and hydration needs to be a mainstay of my long course plans.

I regret not celebrating this race more at the finish.  I was pissed as I came into the finish line.   I’m not sure that it was reflected in any of the pictures, but it was there.  I have a great family, teammates and coaches that committed a lot of time to getting me across that finish line.  My pride was hurt that I couldn’t put it all on the line.   I saw, twice, my race finish vanishing from me.  Over 84 in my age group did not finish (I counted that would have been pleased to be in my place walking across the finish line.  Suck it up buttercup. Need to enjoy the good and bad – embrace the suck.

Lessons

Trained harder and longer with more bricks – the long distance is fitness, fitness, fitness.  Use upper body for swim and use it as a good “warm-up” for the remainder of the day.  Overcome what you can and accept what you can’t is easier said than done.

Back to Training

More bricks – the long distance is fitness, fitness, fitness.  Need to learn to use my arms as oars and pull myself through the water – I’m thinking about swimming in the wrong way – need to continue to change and make this part of the race easier – not faster, just easier.   Need to stay in the moment during training and concentrate on what I’m training rather than filling the time with other “non-training” activities.

Next race

Buffalo Spring will be in 89 days.    This means that I have a significant training block to increase my long-course fitness.  I would like to see a swim less that 00:40 with less effort and a completed run.    This is a much harder race from my understanding – a DNF is waiting if my preparation is lacking.

 

 

Mean Green Duathlon

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I did this one to myself – on purpose.  Why?  To make me train the run.   This is my first race of the 2017 Triathlon season.   There was a choice for this race to run the triathlon or duathlon.   So, I chose the duathlon option so that I would be “forced” into a second 5k run rather than a 400 yard swim.

Short races hurt.   In my opinion the short races are tougher in many ways than the longer distances.

Screen Shot 2017-03-19 at 10.23.38 PMDuring our clubs February wintercamp, testing showed what I should be capable of at different distances.   These are scary numbers.   I did run the mile in 7:43 and it was the hardest that I can remember physically doing in recent memory.

The Mean Green Duathlon was planned as a training race – meaning that my preparation for the Galveston 70.3 race would continue with little variation to my normal training plan.  On the morning of the race I was still muscle sore due to the week work, but I wasn’t surprised.  You have to race the race.  Race the day.

The plan:  Race the first run leg (5k) at 9:00, ride the bike at maximum capacity (12 miles), as then see what was left on the second running leg (5k).   To be honest, I had no plan.  A short coach discussion solved this problem.

The temperature, wind, humidity, and other conditions were great for a Spring race in the mid 60s.

First Run Leg: I never like the start of a run, any run.  The first mile or three hurt and it take time to find a rhythm.  For this gun start race, the field started fast and I traveled with them for the first 400 yards, and then settled into a pace that was about 30 seconds too fast.   I moderated the pace back down to 8:50 and felt comfortable…except for the heavy breathing that seemed to come from another monster of a person.  This is two lap course and I continued to hold the pace.   The first leg of the race (actually 2.85 miles) at end witha 8:52 average pace – and exceeded my goal pace.   I trusted the number and pushed sometime you don’t quite know your capabilities – trust the coach.

Bike Leg:  I came into transition worn out.   I knew that I would be tired, but I was really tired.  I took about 30 seconds to calm my breathing and thanks to Paul Beaty I put my helmet before leaving transition – by the time I mounted my bike I was ready for a new race.   12 miles (actually 12.6) miles with 20.2 mph average.   I thought I did better!   I felt as if I was flying down the course, but I’m guessing that my legs had enough by the end of the week.    No worries – it’s a training race.

Second Run Leg: Rubber legs aren’t a good start, but I knew the feeling from brick training.  Shut up legs!   I started the run with positive attitude, but with some trepidation as I looked at another 5k run.  I was right.  Within a half mile my legs wanted to stop.   What kept me from walking?   The athletes that were walking – I just didn’t want to be that guy.  I ignored my data and just kept moving forward.  A 9:55 pace tells the tale, but I’ll take it.  I survived!  I enjoyed the course, a great set of volunteers and the alway present cheering section.

Could my second leg have been faster?  Maybe.   I settled at about 1.5 miles into the second leg.  However, I ended the race tired and satisfied.

Next stop?

Ironman 70.3 | Galveston, Texas | April 2nd

 

Postscript Notes:

Nutrition:   Nutrition was good for this race.   Quick breakfast 3 hours before, a banana one hour before, and a banana 1/2 hour before start time.  Since this was a training race/day I kept things simple.    On course used Tailwind (200 calories in water bottle), consumed 1/2 bottle in transition, and on bike (200 calories) consumed 1/2 bottle.    Course water/gatorade mix during run (3:1).   All good for nutrition – but

 

 

 

 

Austin 70.3 Relay (bike leg)

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This race report is a little bit different than others since it’s not truly a race report, but self-feedback on a single leg of a race.  Additionally, there was no swim leg….so it was a walking start to the line, mount and ride.  However, I think you’ll find something useful with the information.  This race report was especially useful (in hindsight for my Dallas Marathon on December 11, 2016):

The Problems

  • Cramping – not hunger / bonk. My hypothesis is that it was an electrolyte problem, rather than a food problem.   1 bananas consumed hour before start of bike.   Felt good about my food prior to the start of the bike.
  • Average HR of 169, high 181. Zone 5 95% of time, Zone 4 5% of time. This is an overall fitness problem, but will improve naturally.
  • Don’t like the higher HR, but the goal was to “hammer” and reach 20mph average (successful).
  • Cramping at 45 mile marker:   QUAD cramping.   Gotta correct this one. Able to correct to some extent and stay engage on bike, however was locked up with I dismounted. Horrible. Need to do a lot of reading on the subject and get it corrected.

What was Right?

  • Able to stay in aero position 85-90% of time. Rough spots and 90 degree turns through 43 were the only time out of aero.   Out of aero on part of the climbs after 43, but overall satisfied with the position.
  • Quick on the bike and able to get into a steady sustainable rhythm until mile 17.  Issue at 17 (user error) cause a double calf cramp – able to stretch this one out and continue on ride with little delay.   This is a “that day” problem. Able to correct the problem quickly with stretching.   Felt great through 40ish.
  • Well trained going into bike relay
  • Completely comfortable on the bike. 

Mounting the bike

  • Need to work on shoes pre-placement and working to get shoes on bike in when starting the ride out of T1.
  • No opportunity in this race, but needs to be noted for my personal winter/spring practice.   Tim McCurry has right idea for shoes during out bike training sessions – leave them on bike perm….

Speed

  • Austin is a hilly course, but with the capability for me to carry 21mph.
  • First half was simply faster than the second half with slow decline throughout the course.
  • Decline was steeper than it should have been due to muscles (cramps) rather than fitness. Is this speed appropriate for ½IM? No. Eighteen to nineteen is reasonable to run the 13.1 after.

Equipment

  • Water: Carried for the day: 4 bottle slots (torpedo, three bottles).
  • Shoes were great, singlet worked fine. Gloves were nice for relay, but not
  • Food: One package of Skratch chews, one package of cliff shots (1/2 consumed during bike.
    • Need to consume more during ½ iron for transition to the run.
    • Not a huge amount of food, but something at 45-50 for transition to the fun.
  • Bike: Bike maintenance was good. Like the setup – cockpit and shorter crank shaft would be good next upgrades.

Next Time

  • Carry 3 bottles, one EMPTY slots for course bottles for on course liquid.   How?
    • Torpedo filled (Nuun),
    • two bottles on the back with liquid nutrition(tailwind), Bottle under horizontal is empty – allows easy reach of Gatorade/ water bottle to fill torpedo.
  • Bike bag: solid food that need to be place in left singlet leg
  • Run bag: solid food that can be consumed at the start of the run – not sticky sweet to slow down the beginning of the run.
  • Bento Box:      Need to find an easy to consume solid food that I can best consume on the bike in aero position.

I like a lot of what I did here, just small changes to make sure there is no calorie deficiency going to the run.   The run would have HURT due to cramping, but otherwise I would have been physically capable of transitioning to the run and finishing.

Screen Shot 2016-12-27 at 4.20.33 PM.png

Garmin Data

 

Disco Olympic Triathlon September 2016

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September 11, 2016
– Jeff Allen

Statistics

Swim – 1500 yards (actually ~1850)
Bike – 24.0 miles
Run – 6.2 miles

Temperature was cool and the water was warm. Nearly perfect temperature at the starting line. The Texas wind was sleeping in for the day and left the lake with small swells 800 yards out from the start line. A dream scenario for a virgin no-wetsuit open-water one-mile swimmer. I remain a toddler at triathlon – my third race – a longer distance. I continue to build as an athlete.

A Quick Diversion

 Repeated in my mind countless time during the training whether hard, early, or in overtime: “You can’t cheat the grind…it knows how hard you’ve worked, the effort you have put in, and the time you’ve dedicated…it will only give you what you’ve earned.”

I made a very deliberate decision to cancel my planned races after the Texas man Sprint (May 22nd) to train rather than race.   I have a long journey in mind and the pit stops for celebration of accomplishments had to be put on hold so that I could get very serious about my triathlon training over the summer.

Why? I’m an old fat man that takes time to taper and to recover. This means two weeks of off time for every race for me.   I figured this would cost me up to 6 weeks of serious training over the summer. So, the summer training schedule was set. This included a one-week June trip to Leadville, Colorado to train with KMF beast in the mountain that were stingy with oxygen. In Colorado the fitness level of the KMF athletes again demonstrated the rewards of steady, progressive hard work.

 Off to the race

National Anthem meant a little more today.   9/11 remembered.

The question before this race: Am I a triathlete?   Each person has a different question in their mind before each race, this was mine – no explanation. I know I have the training, I know I’ve done the work. Can I put it all together in an Olympic-distance race?

SWIM: My first open-water swim without a wet suit and double my furthest race distance. This was a beach start for the open water swim, but the chaos of the last races didn’t appear.   The start for me was calm and my heart rate stayed steady as I entered the water and found a line. Michael Kaiser reiterated sage advice to find a pace swimmer. I worked to get in the draft of another swimmer…it didn’t work.

I repeated my race swim goal to myself. Prior to the race I stated “My goal is to keep a pace between 1:50 – 1:55 . . . I want to feel good leaving the water without weak legs.  Need to concentrate on my pull”.   I then ignored other swimmers and worked on a clean line between the swim buoys. A calf cramp at about 1000 yard forced me to concentrate more on my pull stoke and rest my legs for the next section of the swim course – just calm my kick a little bit. The cramp was a small blessing and I came out of the water feeling good. Goal accomplished.   However, flat water and a 2:10 swim pace meant that I was slower than I should have been for the conditions – I left some in the tank when I left the water. But then again, I stayed on plan – I’ll take that as a segment win.

BIKE:   My first Olympic distance bike race. Race plan: “Goals is to stay between 17-18mph.  Heart rate no higher than 160.” I set my bike goal too low. I knew it – coach knew it. Ben and I are still getting to know each other as coach and athlete so he kindly let it stand without censure.Screen Shot 2016-09-12 at 3.20.29 PM.png

My summer training, especially on the bike, had produce results moving me from a 215 ftp to a 255 ftp. My pre-race goal on the bike was really stating that I’m afraid of the run. I wanted to have enough left after the bike to put in a decent 6.2 mile run. So, I pushed a 19.9 on the bike with a heart rate between 165-170. This was not hammering – it was a controlled strong pace.   At this pace I knew that I could still run after the bike.  I raced the bike where my goal should have been for the distance.

NUTRITION: Struggled with my nutrition plan, again, but it was better than the last race – progress. Drinking/eating in fear of the bonk. It’s a work in progress. It showed in my run – too much intake of liquid. Simply didn’t need it.

RUN: My first 10k race segment.   My legs felt fine after coming off the bike. Coach Ben said AFTER race that the Olympic distance race is a dangerous– you want to go too fast in the beginning and if you do you pay for it at the end. Truth.   I never have a good first two miles. I couldn’t find my pace and I wanted to run…bad decision – immediate heart rate spikes that I worked to manage.   Race plan: “Negative split on run.  Keep the first three miles under control (11:30 – 12:00) and push last three miles at 10:30-10:45.”  I didn’t keep the first three miles under control. I didn’t keep the last three miles under control.   I felt out of control the whole time. I simply couldn’t keep my heart rate down. Finally in mile 4 my mind settled and simply ran the conditions. This meant a stiff fast hike up a two hills to settle my heart rate during the race – this hurt my ego. BUT, at the end of the race I keep an 11:09 pace – pace was steady(ish) from mile 1 to 6.2. Beat my run segment pace goals, but not the way that I should have done it.

Lessons

  • Positive not negative: Triathlon, like boxing, does not favor the coward. My race goals were extremely reasonable, too reasonable.
  • Nutrition tells the race: Need to continue to dial race nutrition in before NOLA ½ IM. Pre-race nutrition was perfect.
  • Enjoy the race: I stuck my tongue out at the first buoy (literally). I was enjoying the swim and knew that I had it beat at the 750 mark. The 1500 yard swim showed closer to 1850 yards. The distance didn’t matter on race day and I could have done twice the distance – at the pace. ***More racing, less enjoying. Enjoy the race!***
  • Building my base: At the end of Texas man I wrote: “Summer is coming and I have the opportunity to again concentrate on my base fitness. Game on.” My base is now solid and I can begin to build distance.
  • Running, Running, Running: Smooth is fast. My time/pace will improve on it’s own. I have to learn to be a better runner and become a comfortable runner. I’ve thrown down a gauntlet with the Dallas Marathon!   But, you can’t cheat the grind. I haven’t earned any better with my running thus far. It will come after a hard Fall of running.
  • Coaching: At the end of summer, I invested in structured coaching. Good move. It’s enhanced my absorption of triathlon knowledge. “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.”

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Texas man Tri Sprint 2016

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May 22, 2016
– Jeff Allen

Statistics:

Swim – 500 yards
Bike – 16.1 miles
Run – 3.1 miles

Temperature was perfect at the starting line and the water was cool (wetsuit legal). There was a wind blowing into the cove that left a swelling chop coming directly at the start line.

I remain an infant at triathlon – my second race.

My personal life is crazy and the week leading up to the race left little time to prepare. Then Friday happened. A blown tire led to a barefoot walk on warm asphalt (with molten holes of tar). I realized when I reached home that I created a quarter-sized blister in the middle of BOTH forefeet.

The time leading up to the race was then filled with moleskin and athletic tape. Followed by feet propped up to heal. Of course, this didn’t happen – a banquet, packet pickup, groceries, etc. kept on me on sore wrapped feet. There was nothing to make the best of the bad situation. I walked to markup on sore feet and doubted my capability to finish the race. The way that the week developed it’s also little surprise that my morning nutrition was not my normal pre-race meal. A DNF on my second race?

SWIM: The beach start was chaotic and the predicted chop was actually swells with chop on top. This isn’t what I imagined for my first open water race. I got a rhythm and started sighting on the top of every second swell. I swam hard with the pack and took Ben’s advise on stroke turnover and churned against the swells. My only thought – get to the first turn and all will be good. Except it wasn’t exactly – I was toasted. I flipped my belly to the sky after clearing the first buoy and took a ten count (with a strong kick) to calm myself. This made all the difference in the world to my swim.

I couldn’t believe how tired I was after 250 yards. Turning the second buoy was a gift and it was downwind from that point. I hit the beach after 500 yards tuckered out – and, yes, on sore feet. I didn’t know at the time that I hit a 1:41 pace on the swim (big win). The recent open water practice made all the difference in my mind.

On to the strippers!

T1: Meant sitting in front of my bike (an understandable sin). But two precut moleskins were applied to damp, sandy feet and high-quality socks were added on top. A little bit of time was lost and it seems to take more than the true 30 seconds of application. After the race they were still to be perfectly positioned around the blisters. A stroke of luck! How did this happen with the sand, water?

BIKE:   This is when my pre-race lack of nutrition planning hurt me. My speed was fine at 19.1, but my gut didn’t like my nutrition and fluid choices – live and learn. Much of this was left in the grass at mile 6 with one foot off the bike. It was worth the break. But, I was fearful of was putting anything else in my system. Since it was a sprint, I chalked it up as a lesson and went on about my race. Getting passed by a 14 yo badass girl was great – there’s work to do! I admire her fitness. Good stuff.2ndTriSwim.jpg

T2: An easy transition filled with trepidation – I could stop with no fear of ridicule. To run or not to run. TO RUN! HTFU and get on the race course.

RUN: I had to run. My new Altras demanded a race. I started off too fast, but quickly settled into a pace I could keep for the course. The beginning of the run felt awkwardly, slow, and off while I experimented to get some relief from my self-created blisters – this wasn’t going to get the job done. I dug deeper and determined that there was no way to run around the blisters. I sank into my normal run cadence and simply ran on the blisters. By the one-mile mark the blister pain was set to the back of my head and and I had a normal-ish race ahead of me. My pace wasn’t the point today: 31 seconds off of my last race. This run was a mental win. Thanks team mates and coaches!

Lessons:

  • Mental is important: This was a short sprint but there was a lot involved. The blisters put me into a different place on the run and made me work on a different aspect of my game.   Past experience in other venues transferred to the race and provided me an opportunity to manage my race
  • Nutrition: Need to dial this in more and remember that pre-race is just as important as the race itself. This isn’t the first time that this issue has raised it’s head.
  • Race the day: The race is the race. The day is the day. The wind and weather will do whatever wind and weather do. Everyone has a different race.
  • Building my base: Summer is coming and I have the opportunity to again concentrate on my base fitness. Game on.

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Mean Green Triathlon Sprint

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March 20, 2016
– Jeff Allen

The morning of March 20th was exciting – the annual Mean Green Tri. Breakfast was great and the nerves were well under control. It was fast and I finished my race. Hit the podium in third place My virgin triathlon experience was complete and I was ready for the next. So, there’s the story – the beginning, the middle and the end.

The reason of why, for me, is the important part of this experience.

I observed my first triathlon over a year earlier in August of 2014. I didn’t run that triathlon, but ran the 5k option as a weekend training run. The opportunity to train for triathlon began slowly enough in 2015 with a few 5ks, a 100-mile bike race, and ended with the Dallas ½ Marathon in December 2015. The desire to run a triathlon was strong in Fall 2015, but I didn’t simply want to do it to say that I just did a triathlon – I wanted to be prepared to compete. I had a great mentor in Max Atkinson during 2015 and knew what was ahead of me. 

Joining a club team was step #1 in my preparation for Mean Green. I researched and found THE team that would fit. After talking with Coach Ben, I sat in training for a few weeks to make sure that there was a match. KMF’s “do work” attitude was perfect for my style of training and the welcome to the team was simple: don’t waste our time, do work, find your place – perfect. I found everything that I needed in a competitive family of racers.

Do the work in winter training. I showed up in the midst of winter training and dove right into training – What was the training the second night: Sufferlandria Nine Hammers. Holly SH*$! YES! This was the day that I realized that the team was serious about training and knew that I had a home. My problem – I’m old, fat and slow. I worked during winter training to physically keep up and attended the training sessions (including every Tuesday Night Track session).

Winter training, for this newcomer to the sport, also meant: reading; watching countless training videos; asking questions; trying equipment; improving my race legs, improving my lungs; attending Tri Shop training sessions; finding extra workouts (swim); and developing a beginner’s training plan. The big winter questions: How do I optimize best training load to recover? What’s the balance needed for achieving my goals? Recovery takes more time with age…

 The starting of the season was March13th were I watched the team dominate at the St. Patrick’s Sprint. Yes, I snuck into the transition and took endless picture of setups and took a lot of “remember this” notes. This generated an intense week of completing quick laps at the stadium to work the transition and testing my setup.

The day of the race actually was COLD. 34 degree, 10mph wind out of the Northwest. This sound like a great start doing a singlet for the first time. My nerves were GREAT. My heart rate was under control and no butterflies. This surprised me – but, I’ve competed against other boxers for the last six years. This time, I was competing against me. What was my goal?   Hit a PR in all stages.

Swim:              2:00/100yd pace      PR/baseline

Transition 1:   1:15.0                        PR/baseline

Bike                  19.3 mph pace         PR/baseline

Transition 2:   52.7                           PR/baseline

Run:                  10.08 mph pace     PR/baseline

Total:               1:20:10.7                   PR/baseline

The serpentine swim was nuts. My lungs and legs were well prepared, but I stumbled over weaker swimmers in front of me – got caught behind a crowed pack. I slowed down to my average pace (1:55) and relegated myself to a slightly slower pace. I certainly could have pushed harder, but didn’t know where the edge was at this first race. I cracked the top of my right foot on the pool edge coming out of the pool though it didn’t impact my race. The time was expected. I was TIRED coming out of the short 400 yard swim – the nerves caught up with me.

I made a very clean transition in the pen and seemed to try my best to wreck by multitasking in my bike mount. Lesson learned. The bike leg was good, not great. I have do say that I was amazed and to be on the course with a number of my teammates that were much stronger than me. I never expected to see them. This gave energy and pushed my bike pace. I pushed hard on the bike to make up for my next leg. The time was expected.

I came into transition fast and ran through the transition in a perfect effort for me. Now my nemesis – the run. I’ve trained and worked on changing my running style during winter practice. Tuesday nights are priceless. My pace during the race was steady but I found myself settling into “relegated” pace rather than pushing. My third mile was better. Bullet Bob was behind me and the only thing that I would do was TRY to hold him off. Not really, hold him off, he is a much better athlete – but it gave me a running goal. I survived the run – my time was slightly better than I expected (thanks Bob).

meangreenbiketransitionAfter the race I felt relieved and accomplished – even for a sprint that was another training day for most. I have now competed in one race. I’m a superman – a PR in every category. My race PRs could also be called baselines. My goal of the race was to set baselines and rise to my training.

Goals? Of Course! Olympic in September, Dallas Full Marathon in December, ½ Iron in Spring 2017 and 2017 IMAZ. Why? I can stand on the shoulder of giants in our club that have an amazing base of knowledge. These goals are set without full confidence in their ability and my work ethic. Can it truly be done? I don’t know yet. I’m simply a new triathlete with an amazing team.

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