No, I'm not talking about saying no to drugs or sex. I'm talking about saying no to racing and or training when your body is telling you not to. This is perhaps the hardest skill, especially for age group triathletes, to master. Far to often amateur endurance athletes attempt to train through injuries to the point where they may end their season prematurely. In addition, many self coached athletes don't allow themselves ample recovery time between intense or long efforts. This can lead to injury also.
Our human physiology is like a rubber band, somewhat. We can only stretch and push ourselves so far before something snaps. The idea behind proper training is to stretch ourselves to just before that point, with out going over, and then let ourselves recover so that we addapt to the new limit that we just set. If we go to far though, beyond our previously established limits to quickly, then we are setting ourselves up for a lot of time in the ice bath nursing injuries.
There's a phrase floating around out there that I bleive is getting a lot of people in trouble. You've probaby heard it - HTFU, wich stands for: Harden The F#$* Up. You know, suck it up, tough it out, don't be such a wussy! This is all fine and well, unti you end up with your leg propped up on an ice bag, and aren't able to train for weeks or even months.
I'm a firm beleiver that there is a time and a place for HTFU, and for the most part that's pretty much racing. Training needs to be more calculated than just gritting your teeth and pushing as hard as you can every day. Our bodies adapt better to slow and incremental additon of resistance.
This past week I was tested. I developed an inflamed achilles tendon the week before I was supposed to run the Thrills in the Hills half marathon at Fort Yargo State Park. I could have run and HTFU'ed my way through the entire thing. Chances are I would have been out for 2-3 weeks of training trying to rehab my achilles afterwards. Instead I took the hardest pill there is to swallow and opted not to race in an event I had signed up for. It was a bitter pill to swallow but I knew it was the right thing to do. Instead I gave the race entry to my friend Patrick, and I spent the day spectating (and icing my achilles) as Naomi and him ran. I really didn't feel 100% good about the decision until the day after the race. After only a day of rest and rehab, my achilles was already feeling better. When this is all said and done I will probably only miss 2-3 days of training, as opposed to the 2-3 weeks I may have missed had I run a hard trail half.
So the lesson is learned. Always listen to your body and don't be affraid to rest it when it's telling you. I will look back on this season and see the decision I made not to race as probaby a pivotal point in my year of racing. Although I missed a few workouts, this was probably my smartest and most productive week of training yet.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
now my front hurts...
Whiny warning: 99.9% of the time I'm a pretty tough triathlete, but after 3 months of grinding it out in the name of swim, bike, and run - I need to whine!
Every once in a while I'll see something that really sum's up how I'm feeling. Video below:
The past 4 or 5 days have included some just really tough training. On the surface the workouts that my coach planned didn't seem that lengthily or taxing, but I think it was the combination of them that really got me. Up until now this season I've pretty much been able to recover pretty well between one workout to the next. Like I said, up until now.
It all started with the Tundra TT this past Saturday. Then Monday a long run/bike/run brick at aerobic threshold pace. Then I followed that up with a 62 mile ride in gusty conditions on Tuesday. My legs now have this deep tissue tiredness to them, an almost dead feeling. The kind of tired you can feel just standing there. Luckily my coach has the foresight to know that these workouts were going to be a tough combination, so the 3 days following that combination are pretty easy days. Saturday I'm running a trail half marathon - it will be tough because I'm sure I will still have some level of fatigue, but It will make a great training run non the less.
Every once in a while I'll see something that really sum's up how I'm feeling. Video below:
The past 4 or 5 days have included some just really tough training. On the surface the workouts that my coach planned didn't seem that lengthily or taxing, but I think it was the combination of them that really got me. Up until now this season I've pretty much been able to recover pretty well between one workout to the next. Like I said, up until now.
It all started with the Tundra TT this past Saturday. Then Monday a long run/bike/run brick at aerobic threshold pace. Then I followed that up with a 62 mile ride in gusty conditions on Tuesday. My legs now have this deep tissue tiredness to them, an almost dead feeling. The kind of tired you can feel just standing there. Luckily my coach has the foresight to know that these workouts were going to be a tough combination, so the 3 days following that combination are pretty easy days. Saturday I'm running a trail half marathon - it will be tough because I'm sure I will still have some level of fatigue, but It will make a great training run non the less.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tundra Time Trial - Race Report
This was my 4th year in a row racing in the Tundra TT. It was sunny and 60′s out by the time my start time rolled around, I could not have asked for better conditions. I always look forward to this race to see how my early season fitness stacks up against other area triathletes and also to see how I fair against a pure cyclist.
I brought along my dad so he could enjoy the Silver Comet and check out the race. It was nice to have someone there to help out carry things, hold my bike while I pee, and not to mention pick up the lunch tab after :) Thanks dad!
I brought along my dad so he could enjoy the Silver Comet and check out the race. It was nice to have someone there to help out carry things, hold my bike while I pee, and not to mention pick up the lunch tab after :) Thanks dad!
After a lengthy warm up on the trainer I was ready to go. I got my HR up a towards LT a few times during warm up, and I think that was the first time I had hit that kind of intensity on the bike this season. I knew this was going to be painful with out any kind of TT work or intervals on the bike coming in, but my fitness has really felt great lately so I was pretty optimistic that I could improve my time from last year.
I built into the first 3 or 4 minutes, then I hit the gas to see how deep into the pain cave I could get. It didn’t take long before my lungs were burning like crazy from the cool air and my legs were on fire. I hit the turn around in just over 14 flat and had visions of breaking 28 minutes this year. It always get’s me pumped up when I know I have a chance to hit a PR, so I turned for home and let it rip again. The 2nd half of this race was an absolute suffer fest but I just kept pressing and holding HR right around LT. I hit the line in 28:14, about 45 seconds faster than last year. This was my first time over a 25mph avg for a significant length of time, so that is encouraging – especially knowing that I have yet to add in any kind of speed work on the bike. I took home the W in the Cat V race that was a very competitive field of about 100, many of which are triathletes. My previous 3 years I was 14th, 4th, and 3rd – so it felt good to be moving in the right direction once again.
Friday, February 11, 2011
the psyche of endurance
I often find myself wondering what is the key to developing oneself into a fast endurance athlete. What really gives one person an advantage of the other? Is it physiology that gives one person the edge over the other? I do think that this is a big part of it. For instance one person may be born with a naturually larger capacity to process oxygen into the blood stream, and therefor to their muscles to delay the onset of lactate build up.
Then on the other hand, maybe we are not that physiologically different at all. Perhaps the advantage that one athlete has over another is more psychological than anything. There are plenty of triathletes out there that share my same build, 6'0" and 165 pounds. Our body fat percentage, BMI, muscle mass, and lung capacity may very well all be the same. What I find most intriguing is the thing that separates one endurance athlete from another may very well be, in simple terms, the way we are wired.
To put this idea in perspective, you can have two Ford Mustangs of identical year and build. You can race them down the track and they would probably tie or come close to it. Both of these Mustangs engines are controlled by a computer chip. Next consider if one of these had an upgraded chip, allowing it to optimize it's timing and fuel intake - therefor creating more horsepower. In the athlete what it if is the same idea, with the brain being the "chip". While the naturally gifted athlete may have a better "chip" that allows there body to perform better and to push themselves further, is it possible to upgrade your "chip" by training it?
Over a long period of time it is scientifically proven that our bodies can adapt physiologically as we gradually increase training load, intensity, etc. over time. Looking back on my time as a swimmer, runner, rower, and triathlete, I believe that over a period of time your "chip" matures and learns how to operate your physiological gifts closer and closer to their maximum capacity. Those athletes who excel early and eventually to the highest level are gifted in that their "chip" started at a higher level. I can only imagine if I had the mental capacity to push myself that I have now back in my high school swimming days. There's a chance my swimming career would have ended much differently.
On the other hand, this is the beauty of endurance sports. Physiologically men and women seem to be hitting their peak well into their 30's. Combine this with a highly developed mental capacity that has upgraded over time, it's no surprise that more and more of your top endurance athletes are pushing 40. This certainly drives me and many other triathletes, that at 28, I'm not even close to my prime in the sport of triathlon. It also helps that this years Ironman World Champ, Chris McCormack, was only 37 years old. Here's to the fountain of youth....triathlon and endurance sports!
Then on the other hand, maybe we are not that physiologically different at all. Perhaps the advantage that one athlete has over another is more psychological than anything. There are plenty of triathletes out there that share my same build, 6'0" and 165 pounds. Our body fat percentage, BMI, muscle mass, and lung capacity may very well all be the same. What I find most intriguing is the thing that separates one endurance athlete from another may very well be, in simple terms, the way we are wired.
To put this idea in perspective, you can have two Ford Mustangs of identical year and build. You can race them down the track and they would probably tie or come close to it. Both of these Mustangs engines are controlled by a computer chip. Next consider if one of these had an upgraded chip, allowing it to optimize it's timing and fuel intake - therefor creating more horsepower. In the athlete what it if is the same idea, with the brain being the "chip". While the naturally gifted athlete may have a better "chip" that allows there body to perform better and to push themselves further, is it possible to upgrade your "chip" by training it?
Over a long period of time it is scientifically proven that our bodies can adapt physiologically as we gradually increase training load, intensity, etc. over time. Looking back on my time as a swimmer, runner, rower, and triathlete, I believe that over a period of time your "chip" matures and learns how to operate your physiological gifts closer and closer to their maximum capacity. Those athletes who excel early and eventually to the highest level are gifted in that their "chip" started at a higher level. I can only imagine if I had the mental capacity to push myself that I have now back in my high school swimming days. There's a chance my swimming career would have ended much differently.
On the other hand, this is the beauty of endurance sports. Physiologically men and women seem to be hitting their peak well into their 30's. Combine this with a highly developed mental capacity that has upgraded over time, it's no surprise that more and more of your top endurance athletes are pushing 40. This certainly drives me and many other triathletes, that at 28, I'm not even close to my prime in the sport of triathlon. It also helps that this years Ironman World Champ, Chris McCormack, was only 37 years old. Here's to the fountain of youth....triathlon and endurance sports!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tybee Island Half Marathon - Race Report
I was looking forward to a fast and flat course down on Tybee Island, what I got was a battle with the elements.
I woke up to a drizzly and balmy morning with temps in the 50′s. I went through my warm up routine and toed the start toward the front with the runners and a few other triathletes. A few of the skinny runner dudes were shivering and convulsing due to the “cold”. Me and the other triathletes we’re quite warm and comfortable.
With in 5 minutes of the start it began to downpour. So off we went into the torrential rain. The water doesn’t drain very well when your at sea level, so the course was flooded with many deep puddles. The first few miles I had the wind at my back, then we would make a turn and I would get blasted in the face with a big gust. Between the wind and charging though the puddles my HR was all over the place, but I was feeling strong and for the most part the conditions weren’t getting to me mentally.
About mile 7 I had a guy right on my heels as we ran down the main drag that runs through the island into a strong wind. I moved a bit left and so did he, I moved right and so did he. He clipped the back of my shoe once and I had enough! I’m certainly not giving anyone a free ride out of the wind on this day. I didn’t have the breath to say anything so I just decided it was a sign to make my move and shift it to another gear. It took about a half mile but I finally dropped him and held steady 5-7 beats under my LT for the next 3 miles and it felt oddly comfortable.
I hit 3 miles to go and had 4 guys strung out 400m ahead of me. I let it rip and ran the rest at LT, passing all of them by the end. This was probably the hardest I’ve ever pushed myself at the end of a race, but for some reason I was just really able to embrace it this time. The course measured .15 miles long according to Garmin and I confirmed it when I mapped it out online. My time according to when I hit 13.1 on the Garmin was a PR by 15 seconds. More importantly I was happy with the way I handled the conditions and attacked with no fear at the end. Can’t wait to stick a swim and bike in front of an finish like that!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
lost in the miles
It's been nearly 2 months since I last wrote in the blog, so I figured I would give a good recap on how things have been going.
My training for this season began on November 29th, and since then I've trained around 80 hours between swimming, biking, running, and strength training. I've biked 610 miles, run 200 miles, and swam 23.5 miles. On top of that I have put in a solid 14 strength workouts. December was a little tough as I got back into a training rhythm, but once I hit January I seemed to find my stride. Most importantly, I do not feel tired at all. Thanks to my coach, I am doing the right type of workouts at the right time and not over doing it to early in the year. My fitness feels about as good as it's ever been....and it's only the end of January! That's pretty exciting stuff and I'm just chomping at the bit to get to race in some triathlons and duathlons.
I have been focusing a lot on my running and laying off the cycling and swimming a little. I did a few 5k's back in December and they were rough! The 5k distance is just a hard and painful distance to race. No time to relax and get into a rhythm, just all out and legs full of lactate. I ran about 19:30ish in both of them - not bad for no 5k specific prep and only a few weeks into the training year. My next test would be the Hogpen Hill Climb, but it was rescheduled for the 29th due to the winter storm we had. So I signed up for a half marathon in Warner Robins. Much to my surprise I ran a PR, 1:25:26, taking nearly a minute off my previous best. Details here:
Team Sport Factory - Museum of Aviation Half Marathon
Next up is the Tybee Half Marathon on the February 5th. This course is flat and fast so I'm hoping to bust a big PR at this one. After that I'll have my first test on the bike on February 19th at the Tundra Time Trial, out in Hiram GA at the Silver Comet Trail.
I also have been able to fit in two backpacking trips that served as some great cross training, and also helped to not make the daily grind of being a triathlete not so monotonous. To me this is one of the greatest advantages of being coached. If there's something I want to go do my coach can plan around it and make sure I still get the work done. Being self coached I usually would panic and try to do to much before and after to try and make up for lost time. It took me a while fully feel comfortable letting someone else take the reigns, but now that I am I think it's really going to pay off this year.
It's also been amazing being on the Sport Factory elite team. I've been taking advantage of the strength classes, grinds, and bike fittings that are afforded to me. A few years ago I would have given anything to be a part of a team like this and receive these kind of benefits, so I feel very fortunate and thankful for the opportunity and can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings for Team SF and myself! Such a great facility, coaches, and teammates!
My training for this season began on November 29th, and since then I've trained around 80 hours between swimming, biking, running, and strength training. I've biked 610 miles, run 200 miles, and swam 23.5 miles. On top of that I have put in a solid 14 strength workouts. December was a little tough as I got back into a training rhythm, but once I hit January I seemed to find my stride. Most importantly, I do not feel tired at all. Thanks to my coach, I am doing the right type of workouts at the right time and not over doing it to early in the year. My fitness feels about as good as it's ever been....and it's only the end of January! That's pretty exciting stuff and I'm just chomping at the bit to get to race in some triathlons and duathlons.
I have been focusing a lot on my running and laying off the cycling and swimming a little. I did a few 5k's back in December and they were rough! The 5k distance is just a hard and painful distance to race. No time to relax and get into a rhythm, just all out and legs full of lactate. I ran about 19:30ish in both of them - not bad for no 5k specific prep and only a few weeks into the training year. My next test would be the Hogpen Hill Climb, but it was rescheduled for the 29th due to the winter storm we had. So I signed up for a half marathon in Warner Robins. Much to my surprise I ran a PR, 1:25:26, taking nearly a minute off my previous best. Details here:
Team Sport Factory - Museum of Aviation Half Marathon
Next up is the Tybee Half Marathon on the February 5th. This course is flat and fast so I'm hoping to bust a big PR at this one. After that I'll have my first test on the bike on February 19th at the Tundra Time Trial, out in Hiram GA at the Silver Comet Trail.
I also have been able to fit in two backpacking trips that served as some great cross training, and also helped to not make the daily grind of being a triathlete not so monotonous. To me this is one of the greatest advantages of being coached. If there's something I want to go do my coach can plan around it and make sure I still get the work done. Being self coached I usually would panic and try to do to much before and after to try and make up for lost time. It took me a while fully feel comfortable letting someone else take the reigns, but now that I am I think it's really going to pay off this year.
It's also been amazing being on the Sport Factory elite team. I've been taking advantage of the strength classes, grinds, and bike fittings that are afforded to me. A few years ago I would have given anything to be a part of a team like this and receive these kind of benefits, so I feel very fortunate and thankful for the opportunity and can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings for Team SF and myself! Such a great facility, coaches, and teammates!
Friday, December 3, 2010
back into the cold...or not.
Not long ago I was suffering through a brutal winter while training for Ironman. I recall a ride sometime in February when I got to the lake around 16 miles into a ride and stopped to pull my gloves off to eat and drink. I opened a package of shot blocks and put them in my mouth, they were near frozen solid and it felt like chewing on a chunk of rubber. I got them chewed up and reached down for a swig of water, turned the bottle up and....nothing. The bottle was frozen solid! It had to have been under 30 degrees and blowing wind terribly.
Today I took off for a short ride in calm winds and 45 degrees. A few layers and some gloves- I was fairly comfortable. I know there will be days when I will be taken out of my comfort zone, but I also know that after last winter I can handle just about anything. Today was just the beginning of even starting to approach what I consider unsavory temperatures for outdoor training, but with any luck I won't have to endure as many brutal days as I did last year.
This year though, I have a secret weapon. I have the option to hit up a session at The Sport Factory called "The Grind". It's essentially an indoor torture fest on bikes that leads to well, nowhere. It strangely parallels my time with the UGA Rowing team where I spent countless hours on the erg (rowing machine). At "The Grind" a large number of semi-psychotic triathletes such as myself subject themselves to up to 2 hours of pedal mashing on a trainer. I attended my first Grind this past Tuesday night and I was not disappointed....there's nothing quite like doing body squats after working up a decent amount of lactate in your legs. Based on the video below though from a previous grind, I suspect it get's much tougher than what I experienced this week. So here's to a warmer winter and The Grind to get me through those days when frozen water bottles just don't seem like something I want to deal with.
Today I took off for a short ride in calm winds and 45 degrees. A few layers and some gloves- I was fairly comfortable. I know there will be days when I will be taken out of my comfort zone, but I also know that after last winter I can handle just about anything. Today was just the beginning of even starting to approach what I consider unsavory temperatures for outdoor training, but with any luck I won't have to endure as many brutal days as I did last year.
This year though, I have a secret weapon. I have the option to hit up a session at The Sport Factory called "The Grind". It's essentially an indoor torture fest on bikes that leads to well, nowhere. It strangely parallels my time with the UGA Rowing team where I spent countless hours on the erg (rowing machine). At "The Grind" a large number of semi-psychotic triathletes such as myself subject themselves to up to 2 hours of pedal mashing on a trainer. I attended my first Grind this past Tuesday night and I was not disappointed....there's nothing quite like doing body squats after working up a decent amount of lactate in your legs. Based on the video below though from a previous grind, I suspect it get's much tougher than what I experienced this week. So here's to a warmer winter and The Grind to get me through those days when frozen water bottles just don't seem like something I want to deal with.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
get off the couch.....
And start training again. That's what I did this week, after a month long hiatus from any real physical activity. In the past 10 days I've gotten together with my coach, Jen Henry of The Sport Factory, and planned out one heck of an exciting tri season.
Monday was my first day and coming off a cold and a month off, I'm definitely feeling a little lethargic out there. At the same time I feel better than I did towards the end of my off season. So what's on tap for this year? No full Ironman, that's for sure! I'll be focusing on a combination of the olympic distance and the half iron distance.
What excites me most about this year is having a coach from start to finish. Last year I blindly threw myself into Ironman training for nearly 5 months before I started working with Jen, and I paid for it dearly in the end. Looking back I did way to much to early, which may have helped me have a great day for Ironman - but left me with nothing left as far as training mojo after that. I felt lucky to have the results I did the last few months of the season. With that being said I'm looking forward to a more metered approach this year.
Here is my planned schedule for this year, the light gray races are the ones I'm still not sure about and depending on how I'm feeling I may or may not do them.
Monday was my first day and coming off a cold and a month off, I'm definitely feeling a little lethargic out there. At the same time I feel better than I did towards the end of my off season. So what's on tap for this year? No full Ironman, that's for sure! I'll be focusing on a combination of the olympic distance and the half iron distance.
What excites me most about this year is having a coach from start to finish. Last year I blindly threw myself into Ironman training for nearly 5 months before I started working with Jen, and I paid for it dearly in the end. Looking back I did way to much to early, which may have helped me have a great day for Ironman - but left me with nothing left as far as training mojo after that. I felt lucky to have the results I did the last few months of the season. With that being said I'm looking forward to a more metered approach this year.
Here is my planned schedule for this year, the light gray races are the ones I'm still not sure about and depending on how I'm feeling I may or may not do them.
Dec 11th Jingle Jog 5k Dunwoody, GA
Dec 18th Virginia Highliands X-mas 5k Atlanta, GA
Jan 9th Lakeview 10k Gainesville, GA
Feb 5th Tybee Island Half Marathon Tybee Island, GA
Feb 19th Tundra Time Trial Hiram, GA
March 27th Powerman Alabama Duathlon (long course Duathlon Nationals) Birmingham, AL
April 17th PT Solutions Cartersville Duathlon Cartersville, GA
April 30th TryCharleston Half Charleston, SC
May 14th Peachtree International Tri PTC, GA
June 12th West Point Lake Lagrange, GA
July 10th Chattanooga Waterfront Chattanooga, TN
July 24th Tri the Mountains (Sprint) Blue Ridge, GA
August 13th Mountain Lakes Tri (Sprint) Guntersville, AL
September 11th 5150 Series race Gainesville, GA
September 25th, 2011 Augusta 70.3 Augusta, GA
October 2nd Lake Lanier Islands Triathlon (sprint) Buford, GA
October 16th Hickery Knob Olympic Hickery Knob SP, SC
November 12th, 2011 Beach2Battleship Half Wilmington, NC
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Why I Train (the real reason)
I often ask myself when I'm exhausted from a hard workout, or in the middle of a hard workout, why I'm doing what I'm doing. During hard training and during hard workouts, the answer is usually something macho like "so I can kick everyone's ass at that race in a few weeks" or "I can get closer to my ultimate goal of a pro license".
It is in the off season though, that I realize the true reason for all the madness- I just feel better when I'm training. I feel better mentally, physically, and most importantly I'm more emotionally stable.
Training for a sport like triathlon has a list of benefits to long to list on this blog. The obvious benefits are a more healthy cardiovascular system. It helps me avoid things such as coronary artery disease - which if I were to lead a more sedentary lifestyle, I'd be at risk for. Vigorous exercise has been shown to improve and maintain brain function in adults. In other words if keep at it as I age, I have a better shot at being one of those old dudes you talk to and think "man he's pretty sharp for and old fart".
For me, the endorphins released from training is the greatest benefit. It acts as a natural pain reliever and anti-depressant in the body. This is somewhat counter intuitive in that one would expect to be sore and tired while training. While this is somewhat true I certainly sleep better and feel better when I get out of bed when I'm training. Right now since I've been taking it easy, I feel stiff and achy when I wake up. This means during training I'm probably more tired and able to reach REM (rapid eye movement) sleep easier and for a longer period of time. Training keeps my anxiety under control and allows me to truly relax.
I often have heard of those who have completed events such as Ironman and marathons talk of being addicted. It's not that these folks and myself like torturing ourselves, it's that we are addicted to how training for and competing in these events makes us feel. How often do you here of person who was serious marathoner or triathlete being over-weight? Not every often. How often do you see former football, baseball, basketball ect. ("popular sports") who are out of shape and over weight? Very often. This shows me that endurance sports are lifetime sports and create quite a unique addiction. Once you know what it feels like to train and compete in sport like longer distance triathlons - it's a hard habit to break. Triathlon is my drug - what is yours?
Mile 130 of Ironman Couer D'Alene - no words to describe how it feels.
It is in the off season though, that I realize the true reason for all the madness- I just feel better when I'm training. I feel better mentally, physically, and most importantly I'm more emotionally stable.
Training for a sport like triathlon has a list of benefits to long to list on this blog. The obvious benefits are a more healthy cardiovascular system. It helps me avoid things such as coronary artery disease - which if I were to lead a more sedentary lifestyle, I'd be at risk for. Vigorous exercise has been shown to improve and maintain brain function in adults. In other words if keep at it as I age, I have a better shot at being one of those old dudes you talk to and think "man he's pretty sharp for and old fart".
For me, the endorphins released from training is the greatest benefit. It acts as a natural pain reliever and anti-depressant in the body. This is somewhat counter intuitive in that one would expect to be sore and tired while training. While this is somewhat true I certainly sleep better and feel better when I get out of bed when I'm training. Right now since I've been taking it easy, I feel stiff and achy when I wake up. This means during training I'm probably more tired and able to reach REM (rapid eye movement) sleep easier and for a longer period of time. Training keeps my anxiety under control and allows me to truly relax.
I often have heard of those who have completed events such as Ironman and marathons talk of being addicted. It's not that these folks and myself like torturing ourselves, it's that we are addicted to how training for and competing in these events makes us feel. How often do you here of person who was serious marathoner or triathlete being over-weight? Not every often. How often do you see former football, baseball, basketball ect. ("popular sports") who are out of shape and over weight? Very often. This shows me that endurance sports are lifetime sports and create quite a unique addiction. Once you know what it feels like to train and compete in sport like longer distance triathlons - it's a hard habit to break. Triathlon is my drug - what is yours?
Mile 130 of Ironman Couer D'Alene - no words to describe how it feels. Tuesday, November 2, 2010
TryCharleston Half Iron: new and affordable
I enjoy things that are new and affordable. I also like things that are a great value. Who doesn't?
I've been plotting and planning my racing schedule for 2011 and am pretty certain come April/May I want to get another half iron under my belt. The past two years I've gone down to Panama City Beach for the Gulf Coast Triathlon. This race has has treated me well, but the thought of going and doing the same course again for the 3rd year in a row is not as appealing as I'd like it to be. So what could be wrong with taking a year away from the redneck riviera?
I found out about a race that is going into it's 2nd year in existance. The TryCharleston half, which takes place in Charleston, SC on April 30th. Last year this race had around 400 entries so hopefully it will go up this year (they cap it at 600). It's about 3 hours closer than PCB, and the entry fee is about 70 bucks less...only $130, which really isn't to bad. I've never been to Charleston and a change in scenery would be nice. The course appears to be flat and fast, although all courses are described as flat and fast according to race directors.
So a change in scenery is feeling like the right thing to do this year - gotta keep it fresh and exciting! Other potential new races for me are looking like the Augusta 70.3 in September, possibly the Rev3 half iron in October, and the Beach2Battleship Half in November. Another plus is that I can drive to all these races and lodging should be relatively cheap.
So if your trying to figure out what races to do this year, try something new with me @ TryCharleston - and save some serous cash over WTC races also!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Movin' on up! SF Elite Team for 2011
Just a quick note-
I got some exciting news today. I confirmed with The Sport Factory owner and head coach, Matt Russ, that I will be on the Sport Factory Elite team for 2011! So far all I know is that I will be signing a formal sponsorship contract and am eligible to earn prize money. Hopefully I'll be getting more details soon - because I'm psyched about this opportunity.
Want to know more about the Sport Factory? Check out the Team Sport Factory and The Sport Factory web pages.
I got some exciting news today. I confirmed with The Sport Factory owner and head coach, Matt Russ, that I will be on the Sport Factory Elite team for 2011! So far all I know is that I will be signing a formal sponsorship contract and am eligible to earn prize money. Hopefully I'll be getting more details soon - because I'm psyched about this opportunity.
Want to know more about the Sport Factory? Check out the Team Sport Factory and The Sport Factory web pages.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Grand Rapids Half: race report
Last weekend I ventured north....way north, to Grand Rapids, Michigan to run the Grand Rapids Half Marathon. Naomi and our friend Lauren would tackle the full. I signed up mostly on a whim since I would be going anyways to support Naomi. I had zero expectations for this race and figured I would just run however I was feeling that day. I had not really run a half in about 3.5 years, since I ran the Tybee half in February of 2007 in 1h 28min. I only ran 3 or 4 times in the two weeks coming into the race, but I'd done a lot of fast tri racing in the last month.
On race morning we awoke to perfect racing conditions. I had a good nights sleep - thanks Naomi's brother Dennis and his wonderful family for hosting us. They also showed up at 8 AM for the start of the race and cheered us both through the whole ordeal. I toed the line feeling optimistic. When the horn blew I positioned myself with the 2:59 full marathon pace group and decided I would run with them and see how it felt. We glided along and it was feeling almost effortless at 6:45 miles. I Passed the Newton gang after a few miles
and gave them big goofy wave - I was having a grand ole time. The leaders of the pace group did a fair amount of talking which was pretty entertaining, the miles were ticking away fast and smooth. Doing some quick math in my head I figure we were right on pace for me to be just about at my PR.
Nearing the half way point I started to feel myself surging off the front end of the pace group and decided I must not waste this opportunity to run a fast half marathon. I brought my tempo up and left the pace group in the dust. My garmin read of my mile 7 split at 6:18 and it really didn't feel to frantic. Seeing a low number like that got me really excited so I did some more math...if I could hold onto that for the last 10k of the race I'd be around 1:25 or 1:26 total time. The next three miles I ripped off 6:19, 6:19, and 6:20.
5k to go and I started to have to work for it a bit, and my HR was letting me know it - I was only about 3 beats from my threshold of 185. The greenway path I was running along came to a T with another path and there was no course markings. I went right, then quickly realized 3 guys behind me went left, shit - that just cost me a couple hundred feet of extra running and maybe 15 or 20 seconds. This kind of knocked me off my rhythm a bit and my HR went up even more. Garmin tells me that mile was 6:30, not to bad only 2 to go and I star
t to get my rhythm back. I'm really gritting my teeth now running way outside my limitations at this point. As I start to double back on the course we ran out, I see all the 4:30+ plus full marathon pacers prancing along like their out picking fricking dandelions. Meanwhile I'm grimacing like a gazelle trying to escape a couple of hungry lions, full on foaming from the mouth.
Garmin beeps again saying 6:27 for that last mile. The course breaks from outgoing traffic and I'm pretty much all alone. Wide open and flat to the finish there's only a handful of runners ahead of me. I passed a few more runners, make a right turn and see the Newtons giving me a big cheer so I stick my tongue out in the fashion of a dog that just can't stop chasing his ball. The Garmin beeps 6:23 and I'm at 1:25 something with the last tenth to go. Hit the line in 1:26:15, an new PR by a couple of minutes - definitely a fist pump worthy performance (and yes I did a fist pump).
This was easily the most fun I've had at any marathon or half marathon I've done. There's nothing quite like feeling great on a long run and having it all come together when you least expect it. I had a nice recovery brew while soaking in a hot tub at 10:30 AM thanks to Dana! Naomi wasn't to happy to hear that I was living the good life while she was crankin' it through mile 20 of her marathon, but I felt it was well deserved after all the races I've had this year.
Time to start planning the 2011 racing schedule - more to come on that later!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Bordom
A couple of weeks have passed since my last race of the year and I have done my due diligence in taking some much needed down time. I've gone on couple of mountain bike rides and runs here and there just to keep myself from going crazy, but not two weeks into the "off season" I'm starting to be wishing I was training for something. I'm definitely bored.
This weekend I'm running a half-marathon in Grand Rapids, MI while Naomi runs the full. I decided long this was not a race that would be high on my totem pole of importance after the year I've had. I think I may actually just run it for fun - now this is something that I have never done. Gonna take it nice and easy and enjoy the course and the trip.
I'm certainly not very good at working out just to work out. Training for me is a means to and end. That end usually being a race with a specific goal in mind. I think one thing that got me last year was not enough down time in the off season. I ran the Rocket City Marathon in December of last year which I training pretty hard for, and then went right into Ironman mode. I was in really good shape right away, but the second half of the year I struggled to stay with it. I read a quote that I really liked about the off season:
Don't be a (January) National Champion
With that being said, I'm going to keep my training very unstructured and keep my racing to a minimum this off season. I want to make sure I totally recharge the batteries mentally and physically before I get into next year. On that note - I think I'll go for a run. How far and how fast? Well maybe just whatever I'm feeling like :)
This weekend I'm running a half-marathon in Grand Rapids, MI while Naomi runs the full. I decided long this was not a race that would be high on my totem pole of importance after the year I've had. I think I may actually just run it for fun - now this is something that I have never done. Gonna take it nice and easy and enjoy the course and the trip.
I'm certainly not very good at working out just to work out. Training for me is a means to and end. That end usually being a race with a specific goal in mind. I think one thing that got me last year was not enough down time in the off season. I ran the Rocket City Marathon in December of last year which I training pretty hard for, and then went right into Ironman mode. I was in really good shape right away, but the second half of the year I struggled to stay with it. I read a quote that I really liked about the off season:
Don't be a (January) National Champion
With that being said, I'm going to keep my training very unstructured and keep my racing to a minimum this off season. I want to make sure I totally recharge the batteries mentally and physically before I get into next year. On that note - I think I'll go for a run. How far and how fast? Well maybe just whatever I'm feeling like :)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Favorite spots
Just like anyone else who is into endurance type sports, I have my favorite places that I like to train. Today I visited one of those spots for a mountain bike ride. This particular place I have been going to for nearly a decade now. I've watched the mountain bike trails grow from not much at all to a great 13 mile loop - they are also a wonderful place to trail run. Fort Yargo State Park is only about 25 minutes from our house which really isn't to far to drive for what you get to enjoy! Often I go out to Yargo with the intention of busting out a serious hard workout, so today I figure I'd take a more relaxed approach in my ride around the park. I brought along my camera to snap a few shots of the more scenic spots along the trail. Pretty amazing what you can find so close to home :)
Here's to the off season...a time to "go mountain biking and drink a beer" as my friend Kat Tindol likes to say.
Here's to the off season...a time to "go mountain biking and drink a beer" as my friend Kat Tindol likes to say.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Kona Obsession
This weekend is the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. This is race is the super bowl of triathlon - it doesn't really get any bigger. This year I find myself particularly invested in the race. I've been following the top contenders all year and their race results from all the marquee races around the world. Sadly, this is not an event that I can watch on TV live. I'll have to settle for following the results on the day of the race and then waiting a few weeks until NBC shows it on tape - paired down to about an hour of coverage. I've decided the only way to really watch this race would be live. With that being said there may be a trip to Kona for Ironman week in sometime in my future.
There are a couple of websites that are giving great race week coverage. A lot of athlete interviews and reporting of the general goings on in Kona.
Everymantri.com
Triathlon.competitor.com
One of the great things about this sport is that there is really nothing differentiating the pro triathletes from the age groupers. Lets say you are a golf fan and just an average Joe golfer - could you go enter a tournament that Tiger woods was entering? Probably not. Triathlon, on the other hand, is much different. Craig Alexander, the two time Ironman world champion, raced a fair amount of half-iron distances in the U.S. this year. Any of these races I could have easily entered. Our bikes would have been in the same transition and we would run the same course. Chances are, if I really wanted to I could go up to him and shake his hand after the race. I could probably also have a conversation with Craig, just as if he were any other competitor. How cool is that? Pro's and Amateurs toeing the same line at the start and crossing the same line at the finish.
There are a couple of websites that are giving great race week coverage. A lot of athlete interviews and reporting of the general goings on in Kona.
Everymantri.com
Triathlon.competitor.com
One of the great things about this sport is that there is really nothing differentiating the pro triathletes from the age groupers. Lets say you are a golf fan and just an average Joe golfer - could you go enter a tournament that Tiger woods was entering? Probably not. Triathlon, on the other hand, is much different. Craig Alexander, the two time Ironman world champion, raced a fair amount of half-iron distances in the U.S. this year. Any of these races I could have easily entered. Our bikes would have been in the same transition and we would run the same course. Chances are, if I really wanted to I could go up to him and shake his hand after the race. I could probably also have a conversation with Craig, just as if he were any other competitor. How cool is that? Pro's and Amateurs toeing the same line at the start and crossing the same line at the finish.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Lanier Sprint: race report
This was my last triathlon of the year, and it took place right in my back yard. I live near the race site and ride up to the islands about twice a week. I rode the bike course twice this week during training just to give myself every advantage. It was a massive field for a sprint – over 1,100 competitors. This being my last race of the year I made a decision going in to just race it like my hair was on fire. I figured if I blew up it couldn’t be that bad with only a 5k at the end.
I started off in the 3rd wave and had swim over, under, around, and through the racers in the waves in front of me. The 400m swim was over before it started and was followed by a 200 yard steep uphill sprint to T1.
The cool temps made for a bit of a chilly bike ride but it kept my HR uber low, I wasn’t anywhere near my normal sprint HR so I just let it all hang out. I rode the entire bike leg on the left side of the lane as I was constantly passing. It was good motivation to keep me red lining it for the ride. Hit T2 with a 31:25 split for the rolling 13 miles – 24.8mph. Fastest split on the day. Got off the bike just hoping I could still run after that!
Took off on the run with a high tempo and numb feet from the cold concrete in T1 and T2. Felt like balloons on the bottom of my feet but I just hammered on. That cool crisp fall air was treating me right today and felt strong to the end. Hit the line in 58:45 and an 18:45 run split. Good enough for 2nd overall on the day. The trophies for top 3 were these amazing blown glass sail boats made by Thom Lillie from Lillie Glassblowers – coolest Tri trophy I’ve ever seen! Great race by GA Multisports and props to Roswell Bicycles for the excellent bike support. SF had a good showing and I was pumped to end my year on a high note! See you in 2011 :)
I started off in the 3rd wave and had swim over, under, around, and through the racers in the waves in front of me. The 400m swim was over before it started and was followed by a 200 yard steep uphill sprint to T1.
The cool temps made for a bit of a chilly bike ride but it kept my HR uber low, I wasn’t anywhere near my normal sprint HR so I just let it all hang out. I rode the entire bike leg on the left side of the lane as I was constantly passing. It was good motivation to keep me red lining it for the ride. Hit T2 with a 31:25 split for the rolling 13 miles – 24.8mph. Fastest split on the day. Got off the bike just hoping I could still run after that!
Took off on the run with a high tempo and numb feet from the cold concrete in T1 and T2. Felt like balloons on the bottom of my feet but I just hammered on. That cool crisp fall air was treating me right today and felt strong to the end. Hit the line in 58:45 and an 18:45 run split. Good enough for 2nd overall on the day. The trophies for top 3 were these amazing blown glass sail boats made by Thom Lillie from Lillie Glassblowers – coolest Tri trophy I’ve ever seen! Great race by GA Multisports and props to Roswell Bicycles for the excellent bike support. SF had a good showing and I was pumped to end my year on a high note! See you in 2011 :)
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Ride the Divide
Last night I stumbled upon something that was very entertaining - at least for me, and the best part was that it is free. It is a documentary that is currently showing free on you tube through midnight today.
"Ride the Divide" follows 15 cyclists as they attempt to finish the Continental Divide Trail race that runs from Bannf, Canada to the Mexican border. If you have any sense of adventure it will make you want to plan something big. If you have 80 minutes to spare today I highly suggest you check this out!
"Ride the Divide" follows 15 cyclists as they attempt to finish the Continental Divide Trail race that runs from Bannf, Canada to the Mexican border. If you have any sense of adventure it will make you want to plan something big. If you have 80 minutes to spare today I highly suggest you check this out!
Friday, October 1, 2010
end of a long road
My triathlon season is drawing to a close. This weekend is my last Tri for the year - the Lake Lanier Islands Triathlon. It's just a little sprint that is about as close to home as a race can be. I ride the roads that this race takes place on at least twice a week.
I have never raced as much as I have this year, and it didn't all go down without it's challenges. I've had a pretty big year in the sport and a lot of good surprises along the way. I picked up a sponsorship and a coach. I also managed to check off all of my major goals for the year. Which included:
1. Finish my first full Ironman
2. Lower my half-Iron PR by 15 minutes
3. Break into the top 3 over-all in some local races
Towards the end of this run I've stumbled a bit and became unmotivated. I took a step back in training load and seriousness and made sure I was having fun doing this - and this seemed to make the biggest difference. This adjustment allowed to to relax and coincidentally I turned in some of my best results of the year. This also has really gotten me very excited for next year!
Back to the Lanier Islands race - I actually got to pre-ride the bike course yesterday. I'm psyched that I know it so well and will feel so comfortable on it during the race. I actually did this race 3 years ago and rode the bike course in 36 minutes. Yesterday I rode at a moderate pace about 15-18 BPM (talking HR here) under my race pace and it only took me around 33 minutes. There's something that puts me at ease about know exactly what is coming on a race course that also allows me to push myself very hard.
I'm hoping to close the year out with another over-all podium finish - and wouldn't it be nice to do it in my own backyard? While it is a sprint, it's a HUGE sprint with about 800 competitors - so you never know who is going to show up. Guess we'll find out on Sunday!
I have never raced as much as I have this year, and it didn't all go down without it's challenges. I've had a pretty big year in the sport and a lot of good surprises along the way. I picked up a sponsorship and a coach. I also managed to check off all of my major goals for the year. Which included:
1. Finish my first full Ironman
2. Lower my half-Iron PR by 15 minutes
3. Break into the top 3 over-all in some local races
Towards the end of this run I've stumbled a bit and became unmotivated. I took a step back in training load and seriousness and made sure I was having fun doing this - and this seemed to make the biggest difference. This adjustment allowed to to relax and coincidentally I turned in some of my best results of the year. This also has really gotten me very excited for next year!
Back to the Lanier Islands race - I actually got to pre-ride the bike course yesterday. I'm psyched that I know it so well and will feel so comfortable on it during the race. I actually did this race 3 years ago and rode the bike course in 36 minutes. Yesterday I rode at a moderate pace about 15-18 BPM (talking HR here) under my race pace and it only took me around 33 minutes. There's something that puts me at ease about know exactly what is coming on a race course that also allows me to push myself very hard.
I'm hoping to close the year out with another over-all podium finish - and wouldn't it be nice to do it in my own backyard? While it is a sprint, it's a HUGE sprint with about 800 competitors - so you never know who is going to show up. Guess we'll find out on Sunday!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
cankle and RICE
I'm talking about how yesterday I had a cankle. What is a cankle you might ask? It's when you don't have ankles. Your calf just goes right into your foot.
Urban dictionary definition:
The absence of a defined ankle on a person - whereby the calf of the leg merges directly into the foot. The calf appears to replace the ankle - hence the term "cankle".
I achieved this by running on a trail on Tuesday and rolling my right ankle. Around 9.5 miles into a planned 12 mile run I came down on a root or rock. This is always unsettling and is pretty painful. At first I tried to run it out but it became apparent after about 50 feet more of running that this wasn't going to be the case. Sometimes depending on the severity you can just run it out and it feels better. This was a bonefide ankle sprain I believe so I was forced to walk it back to the car a little more than a mile.
What was I going to do now? "I have a race this weekend" was my first thought. I received some great advice from my friend Daniel who's had more than his fair share of traumatic rolls and cankles, and also from my brother-in-law, Leo. They both said to "RICE the hell out of that thing." RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, elevation. An old remedy for well, anything that you injure - but amazingly this works particularly well for my cankle situation.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/rehab/a/rice.htm
I woke up Wednesday and my cankle was as big as a softball. I gave it an ice bath every so often, wrapped it up in between, and sat on the couch with my ankle 4 feet up. Toward the end of the day the swelling was about half of what it was and I was in a lot less pain. I'm not one who usually does a good job of taking care of myself recovery wise, but I guess the idea of not racing this Sunday was enough to get me motivated this time. I've got a lot less Cankle now and more ankle. Going to give it some more rice today and now I'm thinking I'll be good to go by Sunday.
Urban dictionary definition:
The absence of a defined ankle on a person - whereby the calf of the leg merges directly into the foot. The calf appears to replace the ankle - hence the term "cankle".
I achieved this by running on a trail on Tuesday and rolling my right ankle. Around 9.5 miles into a planned 12 mile run I came down on a root or rock. This is always unsettling and is pretty painful. At first I tried to run it out but it became apparent after about 50 feet more of running that this wasn't going to be the case. Sometimes depending on the severity you can just run it out and it feels better. This was a bonefide ankle sprain I believe so I was forced to walk it back to the car a little more than a mile.
What was I going to do now? "I have a race this weekend" was my first thought. I received some great advice from my friend Daniel who's had more than his fair share of traumatic rolls and cankles, and also from my brother-in-law, Leo. They both said to "RICE the hell out of that thing." RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, elevation. An old remedy for well, anything that you injure - but amazingly this works particularly well for my cankle situation.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/rehab/a/rice.htm
I woke up Wednesday and my cankle was as big as a softball. I gave it an ice bath every so often, wrapped it up in between, and sat on the couch with my ankle 4 feet up. Toward the end of the day the swelling was about half of what it was and I was in a lot less pain. I'm not one who usually does a good job of taking care of myself recovery wise, but I guess the idea of not racing this Sunday was enough to get me motivated this time. I've got a lot less Cankle now and more ankle. Going to give it some more rice today and now I'm thinking I'll be good to go by Sunday.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Triathletes are gear heads.
So the Ironman World Championships are coming up in less than two weeks, so I've been all over the web checking out the media and race material on my favorite tri websites. One of my favorite things to do is take a look at the old results. One thing that always fascinates me is how more than 20 years ago, the winning times for Ironman are as fast as they have been in recent years.
Bike manufacturers would say "oh the conditions weren't as harsh on the big island back then". I say this is hogwash. Could it be that the athletes from the 80's and early 90's were just forced to be stronger due to equipment that was not as technologically advanced as what we have today - so therefor the current crop of athletes aren't as strong? With more technological advances in equipment, do we now have less physical resistance to overcome?
If you go to any triathlon, particularly of the half-iron distance or greater, you'll see thousands of bikes worth well in excess of $5,000. Not to mention all the fancy wetsuits ($600), aero helmets ($200), pricey tri clothes, shoes, etc. Below is a picture of Dave Scott from the 1989 "Budlite" Ironman World Championships. He's riding a basic tri bike. Note the lack of $2,500 set of Zipp wheels, $3000 SRM power meter, HRM (does he even have a computer on that thing?) and aero helmet. I'm not even sure if there's any carbon fiber in this picture anywhere? Do you see any compression socks on him? He took 2nd to Mark Allen who was riding an almost identical set up. Notice the downtube shifters as well. They went 8:09 and 8:10 respectively. Fast forward to 2009 and Craig Alexander won with an 8:20.
My guess is that we've all been duped. Tricked by the industry into thinking that you need all the aero carbon 11 speed $9,000 self floating wetsuit compression gear we can get. Notice that I say we - I'm guilty as charged! Do I think that all the new stuff is actually helpful - yes, I do. With that being said I do think the advantages in speed are marginal. If Scott and Allen can rip off times like that with the most basic equipment - maybe we just need to train harder!
Bike manufacturers would say "oh the conditions weren't as harsh on the big island back then". I say this is hogwash. Could it be that the athletes from the 80's and early 90's were just forced to be stronger due to equipment that was not as technologically advanced as what we have today - so therefor the current crop of athletes aren't as strong? With more technological advances in equipment, do we now have less physical resistance to overcome?
If you go to any triathlon, particularly of the half-iron distance or greater, you'll see thousands of bikes worth well in excess of $5,000. Not to mention all the fancy wetsuits ($600), aero helmets ($200), pricey tri clothes, shoes, etc. Below is a picture of Dave Scott from the 1989 "Budlite" Ironman World Championships. He's riding a basic tri bike. Note the lack of $2,500 set of Zipp wheels, $3000 SRM power meter, HRM (does he even have a computer on that thing?) and aero helmet. I'm not even sure if there's any carbon fiber in this picture anywhere? Do you see any compression socks on him? He took 2nd to Mark Allen who was riding an almost identical set up. Notice the downtube shifters as well. They went 8:09 and 8:10 respectively. Fast forward to 2009 and Craig Alexander won with an 8:20.
My guess is that we've all been duped. Tricked by the industry into thinking that you need all the aero carbon 11 speed $9,000 self floating wetsuit compression gear we can get. Notice that I say we - I'm guilty as charged! Do I think that all the new stuff is actually helpful - yes, I do. With that being said I do think the advantages in speed are marginal. If Scott and Allen can rip off times like that with the most basic equipment - maybe we just need to train harder!
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