When I applied for the WS100 lottery I knew I had a slim chance of getting in however I had fun doing some Ultras in 2010 so I thought hey I qualified, I deserve to apply. Someone had led me to believe that you basically don't get a look in if its your first year applying so I thought what the hell apply and let fate deal your hand.
Well as fate had it I got selected. A double edged sword as I knew it was the same weekend as Ironman Coeur d'Alene a key race for many of my athletes and for several their first Ironman. I can honestly say I don't really have any personal ambitions left in the sport that I want to achieve. Don't get me wrong I will always race 'hard' when I race and if I am in shape then hey who knows what the outcome will be but long gone are the days when I get worked up about the outcome of a race.
A number of weeks have passed since I got the 'news' I was in WS100 and many weeks of trying to get my head around Ironman St George a race quickly creeping up on me and at the forefront of my mind. Also many more weeks have passed for my athletes preparing for Ironman Coeur d'Alene and as they are changing gear and really getting into some consistent meaningful training my mind keeps drifting to IMCDA 2010 where a good number of Team Vo2Multisport athletes and supporters alike made the journey to race and support. I have not missed an Ironman Coeur d'Alene since I moved to the US and in the process I have made some wonderful friends and collected some fabulous memories. A special mention at this point needs to go to Susan and Robert Cliff who have been the home stay of Cindy and I for the last several years and have the 'best' house in town (those of you who know where we stay can vouch for that).
I asked myself the question, how would I feel not being in Coeur d'Alene this year and the answer was heart broken. I love being there for my athletes and simply put have such an awesome time helping them get through their day and the lead up to the race that I don't want to miss it. So in short I am withdrawing from WS100 and am instead going to do what I love, look after my athletes, help them when they need me and generally enjoy the warmth and splendor that Coeur d'Alene has to offer.
The Vo2Multisport Inspiration station will bigger and better than ever before so stop by during race week, or give us a shout or a smile on race day. We will be there for you and will cheer just as loudly for the first person as the last ;).
The infrequent ramblings of a triathlon veteran
Friday, January 28, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Road to St George - Weeks 9-12
Okay I admit I am woefully behind with my blog. Time to catch up and make amends. A lot has happened since my last update, some fun trips and a couple of decent races. Still very little in the way of meaningful long workouts but none the less I actually feel in a good place. Health status is great, this is something I take pride in and employing every recovery protocol that is practical after my workouts certainly helps my recovery and allows my body a fighting chance to hold up to the intensity/volume. Point of note here is the last two weeks executing back to back races (RnR AZ and 4th Dimension Off Road Duathlon), performing well and recovering after them in a timely manner with minimum disruption to the 'plan'.
Going to focus on highlights from the last several weeks rather than detailed training summaries as in previous posts:
Thanks to everyone following this blog and those of you that are supporting me in my coaching, training, and racing. My sponsors Brooks, GU, TYR, nuun, Sports Reaction Center, Headsweats, Dilettante, Rudy Project, QR, and Orca Compression all make my life so much easier as I have everything I need to race fast, recover well and look sharp.
Going to focus on highlights from the last several weeks rather than detailed training summaries as in previous posts:
- New Year at Sage Cliff (Cave B) with Cindy and the dogs. A great time had by all, nice and relaxing and a chance to re-charge the batteries a little. Good food, good wine, wonderful company and of course a couple of short very very cold runs. Beautiful views of the Gorge and the Columbia River, will explore this area more in the Summer fingers crossed ;)
- First Week of the New Year. A great training week which saw me hitting 16 hours or so of training with great balance. Only downside was getting lazy about signing up for Bridle Trails and for the first time in its history it sold out leaving myself and many other team mates out in the cold. I see this as a good thing though as it means the popularity of trail running is continuing to rise and people are gettting outside and getting it done.
- Rock n Roll AZ. A much needed escape to the sunshine with our training group who had been preparing for the last 20 weeks or so. Cindy and I left late on Friday which was not optimal but once there soon found our bearings and with the use of our good friend Eric Wynn's condo and car for the weekend we were all set. The Saturday was a bit of blur, woke up, ate breakfast, did some work, went to register, ran a solid six miles, then out to dinner with the team at Oregano's and back to the condo ready to get some sleep after getting race kit ready for the morning.
- The Race. Well what can I say I had an absolute blast pacing Max (and Joe for a while but he was suffering with some kind of stomach bug from earlier in the week, long story but between porta potty stops he still locked down a Boston qualifying time) to a huge marathon PR (over 20 minutes) and enjoying the atmosphere along the way. It was a great way for me to help a team mate and get a solid training run in. Max finished in 3:09:54 and was rock solid all day never once faltering even under my shouts and screams to hold things together in the last 8km (which he did) when the going got a little tough. We essentially even paced the entire run with mile splits ranging from 7:10-7:15 for the first 22 miles then a combination of the climbs and the fatigue slowed the next three miles to 7:20's before the final mile where I ran strong knowing Max would do his best to come with me and in the process break 3:10. He only needed to go sub 3:20 for Boston so he really knocked it out the park, awesome experience. I will do more pacing in the future (truly enjoyed it) so if anyone wants to shoot for Boston who knows they are a little erratic and/or need a little motivation when the going gets tough look me up ;).
- Team Mates. Cindy had an awesome day in the half for her comeback race after getting hit by the car several months ago and ran 1:35. Not her best time but considering the lack of any speed work and limited mileage a great performance. We had five Boston qualifiers as a team and a bunch of people with PR's and satisfying experiences on race day. A real success for the Rock n Roll run program and something we will repeat for next year with a few tweaks here and there.
- 4th Dimension Racing. Roger Michel and Kevin Reinkensmeyer did a fabulous job of putting on a super great Off Road Duathlon at Ft Steilicoom this weekend. It was race one of a two race series and was a blast. I am no mountain biker but thankfully there was nothing too technical and other than couple of rookie errors I got through the ride okay, so don't fear the bike course you guys, come join us for race two on Saturday February 26th. Some great racing to be had, what a way to test your fitness against some very elite MTB's. Now if only that second run was 20km ;). Thanks to all the volunteers (many provided by Team Vo2Multisport) and Roger and Kevin for such an awesome awesome race.
Thanks to everyone following this blog and those of you that are supporting me in my coaching, training, and racing. My sponsors Brooks, GU, TYR, nuun, Sports Reaction Center, Headsweats, Dilettante, Rudy Project, QR, and Orca Compression all make my life so much easier as I have everything I need to race fast, recover well and look sharp.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Road to St George - Weeks 6-8
Well it seems i have gotten a little behind with the updates, sorry folks! I will redeem myself by catching up today. It has been a similar picture to the last several weeks overall. Some good key workouts achieved and unfortunately some very key workouts missed. Good things are my health and body, both are in a good place. A not so good thing is that wine consumption seems to be back where it was before I entered my preparation phase ;).
So to give you a quick summary of where things are at from a training standpoint. Week 6:
Week 7 was a mixed bag. Improvement in run frequency but less swimming and core work. I did take a day off this week my first for 27 days! I tend to only take days off when I feel I need them and/or when circumstances conspire against me and I simply can't fit something in. As you can gather most days I don't struggle with at least getting something done. Consistent training leads to consistent results and helps develop a robust athlete. Stats as follows:
Week eight was Christmas week. In spite of the crazyness of Christmas I still managed a solid week. Diet was not optimal but could definitely have been worse. More wine and chocolate than I care to recall but all in all I did not put weight on and was at a season low of 152.5lbs Christmas morning ;), since moved up a little but hey, I am only human..... Here are some stats, oh and Christmas day was a day off ;o0:
I shall try and get back on track with the weekly updates in the New Year and get back to adding some nutrition information and other good stuff. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year to you all.
So to give you a quick summary of where things are at from a training standpoint. Week 6:
- Swim - A big swim week by virtue of Laura's planned 100x100's that took place on Saturday. I wanted to challenge myself and my swim stroke with this epic swim and was very pleased with the outcome. I won't bore you with the details but the week ended up with 5 hours of swimming and 17,000+ yards of swimming.
- Bike - Another week of indoor only riding, if nothing else I am a good marketing tool for my business! I managed to get in 5 hours of ride time with a real mix of work across all ranges, although no vo2 sets just yet. Most of the focus was around IM Power and LT.
- Run - Not a great week. Three runs for a total of 20 miles (2.5 hours). Should have run Sunday just didn't happen, no excuse here just lazy I guess!
- Core/TRX - Three solid sessions, feel really strong in a functional kind of way! I am certain the core work helped me get through the 100x100 without any 'fade' or loss of form. I need to work a little more on scapular stabilization and external rotation using the TRX but this is easy to implement.
Week 7 was a mixed bag. Improvement in run frequency but less swimming and core work. I did take a day off this week my first for 27 days! I tend to only take days off when I feel I need them and/or when circumstances conspire against me and I simply can't fit something in. As you can gather most days I don't struggle with at least getting something done. Consistent training leads to consistent results and helps develop a robust athlete. Stats as follows:
- Swim - Just two swims this week but they were both decent. 7000 yards 2 hours. Felt strong in the water during my 2000 straight through, did not 'tt' it but swam strong and went around 26:55. That will do for now!
- Bike - Well biked four times Mon-Thurs. No riding Fri-Sun. Not optimal but not the end of the world. That outdoor ride still missing! 4 hours ride time, some intensity for sure!
- Run - Four sessions this week, 33 miles and about 4 hours total run time. Long trail run, track workout, m pace tempo on the treadmill and a trail run with Hawi. A nice rounded week of running.
- Core/TRX - Just two sessions this week but both were very solid. Not much more to say on that.
Week eight was Christmas week. In spite of the crazyness of Christmas I still managed a solid week. Diet was not optimal but could definitely have been worse. More wine and chocolate than I care to recall but all in all I did not put weight on and was at a season low of 152.5lbs Christmas morning ;), since moved up a little but hey, I am only human..... Here are some stats, oh and Christmas day was a day off ;o0:
- Swim - Two sessions, one of 3700 and one of 4150. Pleased with Thursdays swim, hit 4k in an hour which including rest intervals which was decent. Need to hit three sessions next week though.
- Bike - Four sessions, one road ride (1:45), and one longer ride on the CT (54 miles). A decent week, averaged about 240w for the Wildflower course on Friday and it felt good (about 85% ftp). Other sessions had some intensity but nothing noteworthy, either that or I am just keeping it a secret ;). Time on the bike 6.5 hours.
- Run - Four sessions, a short night time trail run with Hawi, an M pace tempo run (6 miles at 6:48 pace), t-run (transition run) after the Wildflower ride and a long trail run with Gerry and Eddie on Sunday. Total run time 4:15.
- Core/TRX - Another week of just two sessions......must try harder!!!
I shall try and get back on track with the weekly updates in the New Year and get back to adding some nutrition information and other good stuff. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year to you all.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Road to St George - Week 5
Sorry this is late, been a hectic week. Week 5 was decent, again a couple of 'planned' sessions never happened but there were a couple of bonus workouts in there so I was on the whole pleased. Here is the training week in detail:
So as I promised in last weeks blog here is some detail as to how my year will shape up with regard to planned races, training camps and 'big weekends'. Having key BT (breakthrough) workouts/camps/prep races on the calendar really helps to break up the year when training for an early season race where inevitably you have to train through some rather inclement weather. The more things you have to look ahead to the more focused you will be on your intermediate goals, and the more likely you will be to hit key workouts and get to the starting line mentally and physically ready to toe the line:
The big addition to my 2011 race calendar is the Western States 100 trail race. If you like this is kind of like the Kona of trail running in that you have to qualify (unlike Kona however it is not that challenging) however unlike Kona once you qualify (along with 1600 or so others) you then have to register and wait for the lottery which this year was on December 4th. Only 220 or so runners get selected so as you can see the odds are long. I entered more because I was proud of my race at Whiteriver and less to actually get into Western States but as 'luck' would have it my name came out of the hat!! It will not influence my St George prep other than I might try and get a couple more longer trail runs in than i would otherwise have done and then after the ironman it will be run, run , run and run some more!
The blog now has good reason to continue after Ironman St George so keep reading.
- Swim - I managed three swims this week and two of those were masters workouts. I missed my normal post swim4tri workouts due to the pools being closed at Samena so to get three sessions in was pleasing. I swam approx 10,000 yards and am starting to feel decent in the water. Monday's Masters session was pushing the envelope for me with super tight send off's, I normally hate swimming like this as I feel my stroke falls apart however I believe there is some value in challenging yourself in the water sometimes (with a tight send off) provided you get the opportunity to re-set and bring your stroke back during the session with some well timed drills and easy swimming.
- Bike - Again the big downer here is the lack of a decent outdoor long ride. Time to re-evaluate my schedule and look for a day that is a better fit for this. I don't have the flexibility to just get out when the weather is good and need to factor in my ride leads at the Performance Center with any other planned riding. Five rides and a total of 6.5 hours of ride time, all on the CT with a decent amount of work at/around IM watts. Introducing more and more NM work into my rides now and am feeling the benefit.
- Run - An interesting week! For the first time in a while all my runs were on technical trail with two of them being in the pitch dark. Not sure how many of you have run off road in the dark with a head torch but it is challenging. Biggest concerns with this are rolling an ankle and then being out of action for a while, can't afford for that to happen but still got to get the runs in. I did indeed roll my ankle on Saturday evening which meant I missed my planned run with the team on Sunday but it was not a serious sprain fortunately. The big news on the run side this week was winning one of the much sought after Western States 100 lottery slots, more on that later! Total for the week was three runs and 3.5 hours of running.
- TRX/Core - Another good week here and feeling the benefits of hitting these workouts with consistency. Three very solid 30-45 minute sessions with lots of functional movements. Helping the body co-ordinate movement patterns and improving NM function makes for a more balanced athlete and a more resilient one, I will build to five sessions a week here and start mixing some TRX into the middle of my bike and run workouts over the next couple of weeks.
So as I promised in last weeks blog here is some detail as to how my year will shape up with regard to planned races, training camps and 'big weekends'. Having key BT (breakthrough) workouts/camps/prep races on the calendar really helps to break up the year when training for an early season race where inevitably you have to train through some rather inclement weather. The more things you have to look ahead to the more focused you will be on your intermediate goals, and the more likely you will be to hit key workouts and get to the starting line mentally and physically ready to toe the line:
- January 8th Bridal Trails 50km - This will likely be a game day decision. If conditions are good (would prefer cold snow covered trails or dry conditions, slim chance) then I will likely run if not then maybe the 10 mile race will be the way I go or talk Cindy into the pairs race!
- January 16th Rock n Roll AZ Marathon - I will leave on Friday evening, and return on Monday. My plan is to run long on South Mtn Trails on Saturday and race the marathon on Sunday. I care not about the outcome of the marathon the goal is come out of the weekend with two solid over distance runs healthy and injury free. I will still however run as fast as my legs will allow me. Would be nice to go under 3:10 for the marathon.
- February 10th-13th - Tour de Palm Springs Century ride. This will be combined with a moderate duration ride the day before with a short t-run, the century on the Saturday and a long run and swim on the Sunday. This will probably be the first real opportunity to get in a solid long ride outside on the tri bike since training started in November, will be good benchmark as to where my riding is as I will aim to ride the century (where congestion etc allows) at goal IM power.
- March Tucson Training Camps - Week 1 will be dedicated to bike volume with at least one key session dedicated to work at LT. As the focus in on the campers though it will be a case of simply getting in what I can while ensuring everything runs smoothly and the campers leave happy and fulfilled (read as completely shattered from all the training ;)). Week 2 will be a hardcore training week as I shall hopefully have Cindy along to do most of the support duties and as this is labeled the 'elite week' the quality of the athletes in attendance should ensure I get adequately smashed in training. Would like to rack up at least 300 miles a week of riding, 40-50 miles of running and 12-15k in the pool.
- April 13th-17th - St George and Rage - Plan is to fly to Vegas on Wednesday early morning, drive up to St George and ride one loop of the bike course followed by running a portion of the run course. Thursday will be full ride of the course followed by a loop of the run course (big day). Friday, early swim, then drive to Vegas and register etc for the HIM on the Saturday. Saturday will be interesting if nothing else. I will 'race' to the best of my ability given the fatigue I will be carrying into the event. Sunday will be a chilled day with perhaps a recovery spin or more likely a short open water swim (opportunities to get in open water will be limited before race day so makes sense to take advantage while I can).
- April 21st-24th Ironman Coeur d'Alene Camp 1 - This is now two weeks out from IMStG and will be my last week of significant volume. I won't train a lot during the camp but will execute on some final key sessions to ensure my race plan is dialed in and my power/paces are locked in.
The big addition to my 2011 race calendar is the Western States 100 trail race. If you like this is kind of like the Kona of trail running in that you have to qualify (unlike Kona however it is not that challenging) however unlike Kona once you qualify (along with 1600 or so others) you then have to register and wait for the lottery which this year was on December 4th. Only 220 or so runners get selected so as you can see the odds are long. I entered more because I was proud of my race at Whiteriver and less to actually get into Western States but as 'luck' would have it my name came out of the hat!! It will not influence my St George prep other than I might try and get a couple more longer trail runs in than i would otherwise have done and then after the ironman it will be run, run , run and run some more!
The blog now has good reason to continue after Ironman St George so keep reading.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Road to St George - Week 4
The end of the first four weeks and I feel like I am beginning to hit my stride although there are still some key workouts that seem to not be happening. Not a problem as this 'prep phase' was about establishing some semblance of a routine and working out which days will work for certain workouts. Not as easy for someone whose hours are not set like a regular job but still I probably have a little more flexibility in my day than most so things kind of balance out in the end. Whenever I have worked in jobs with consistent working hours I have always found my training to be more effective and my schedule to be easier to follow, your training windows are somewhat forced upon you.
The training week in summary:
"A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet. Some countries define dietary supplements as foods, while in others they are defined as drugs or natural health products."
So what does the typical triathlete with a full time job, family and demanding training schedule need to add to their normal diet to ensure they are not going short on any key nutrients that may then hinder their recovery, and/or effect them in any other way that might prevent them being able to execute on their workouts, be productive in their job and be involved with their family? I am not qualified to give that answer/advice although what I can do is give you an idea as to what I do and how I feel my health and performance are aided by what I take.
My primary goal is to eat fresh, organic, non processed food where I can. I know that when I succeed in doing this on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis then I typically (regardless of stress and training load) stay healthy and avoid any prolonged illness and/or injury. However there are times when I for whatever reason - convenience, laziness, time constraints, travel, etc am not able to do this. When this is the case and/or during periods of hampered recovery due to lack of sleep, rushing from training sessions to meetings or simply a much higher than normal training load (training camp for example) then I need to include some dietary supplements to help me keep on top of this. Here are my favored supplements:
Thanks for reading. Next time I will detail my ATP in the lead up to St George and what races, training camps etc I have planned to help me get there in the best shape I can.
The training week in summary:
- Swim: I actually managed to again swim three times this past week, all three workouts in a SCM pool. I prefer swimming in meters pools, it is what I grew up swimming in and I like making fewer turns for a given workout. The highlight was Tuesday, the crazy snow day! I felt like Peter Reid in the movie 'What it Takes', I showed up to no lifeguards, one receptionist and the maintenance manager. None of my swimmers showed for their scheduled workout (swim4tri is every Tuesday/Thursday at 6:45am) and so after making the journey from Newcastle to Bellevue I was determined that I would not miss out on my swim (I usually swim after my class) so I managed to persuade the staff at Samena to let me sneak in a quick session. I managed to get in 2100m and felt good about it! My other two sessions were both around 3000m and included a decent amount of work at or around my CSS (critical swim speed).
- Bike: Not the week I wanted here as no ride over 75 minutes in duration. Not going to build the necessary IM bike fitness with hour long rides no matter how many of them I do! I got in four decent sessions, most of which included an element of tempo and/or LT work. There were also a couple of NM type sets included. Not the end of the world so will look forward to building volume on the bike through December.
- Run: A much better week than the previous two. I managed a double run day on Tuesday with a 5 mile and 11 mile session. Both of these were at E pace (for me right now about 7:30/mile), so 2 hours for the day. I finally reaquainted myself with Cougar Mtn this week and got in two decent sessions, one with Ethan, Erin and Cindy on Thanksgiving in the snow (with yaktraks of course) which was a ton of fun and a second with Gerry, Eddie, and Ethan on Sunday. I was amazed by the young guns, they are making leaps and bounds in their fitness. Ethan schooled us out there but I think I still managed to keep them honest on the climb up the Wilderness Cliffs trail ;). My forth run was a short commute from Samena to the Performance Center on Saturday, felt remarkably good which was nice. I usually hate running immediately after a hard pool session (and hence avoid it) but today instead of legs feeling empty because all the blood is pooled in my upper body I felt great. A four and half hour run week has to be considered a success.
- TRX/Core: Three decent sessions completed. Going to make this more of a focus going forward and am now at a stage where I am ready for some more dynamic, power based functional movements. Great article in Lava Magazine featuring TRX this month written by Matt Dixon, you should all check it out.
"A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet. Some countries define dietary supplements as foods, while in others they are defined as drugs or natural health products."
So what does the typical triathlete with a full time job, family and demanding training schedule need to add to their normal diet to ensure they are not going short on any key nutrients that may then hinder their recovery, and/or effect them in any other way that might prevent them being able to execute on their workouts, be productive in their job and be involved with their family? I am not qualified to give that answer/advice although what I can do is give you an idea as to what I do and how I feel my health and performance are aided by what I take.
My primary goal is to eat fresh, organic, non processed food where I can. I know that when I succeed in doing this on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis then I typically (regardless of stress and training load) stay healthy and avoid any prolonged illness and/or injury. However there are times when I for whatever reason - convenience, laziness, time constraints, travel, etc am not able to do this. When this is the case and/or during periods of hampered recovery due to lack of sleep, rushing from training sessions to meetings or simply a much higher than normal training load (training camp for example) then I need to include some dietary supplements to help me keep on top of this. Here are my favored supplements:
- Vitamin C: The king of antioxidants. Lots of research has been conducted on Vitamin C supplementation and much of it concludes that supplementation can help counteract the damage caused by free radicals produced by training and racing triathlons. It is also associated with immune system function and I can definitely say that when I feel like I am on the edge a big hit of Vitamin C often brings me back. I have been known to ingest upto 5g of Vitamin C in a day, not something I recommend but it has worked for me in the past.
- L-Glutamine: Essential for protein synthesis. Lots of research to support its use to help promote recovery (cell damage) at times of prolonged stress. Although a non-essential amino acid (the body can produce it) it is now considered 'conditionally essential'. Needless to say with the training load we are typically under as atheltes it is a smart addition to your diet through supplementation. I add it in free form to my recovery smoothies and when I feel like I need it.
- Quercetin: I take this for its anti-inflammatory and anti oxidant properties. It is abundant in the multi vitamins I take by the inclusion of Green Tea, Broccoli, and a host of other ingredients. Again simply a ton of good research on the benefits and I swear by it.
- Omega 3's - I supplement with a couple of oils rich in Omega 3 (DHA and EPA). There is strong evidence to suggest a diet rich in Omega 3's leads to a lower incidence of Coronary Heart Disease, boosts immune system function and reduces inflammation amongst other positive benefits. I take it in the form of Udo's Plant Based 3-6-9 Blend and also Barleans Fresh Catch Fish Oil
Thanks for reading. Next time I will detail my ATP in the lead up to St George and what races, training camps etc I have planned to help me get there in the best shape I can.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Road to St George - Week 3
Is it poignant that St George is the Patron Saint of England, my country of birth. St George has been pictured as a soldier since the 7th century, coincidentally I very nearly took that route myself and was one small step away from RMA Sandhurst. How vastly different my life would have likely been had I committed to that decision. I am a patriotic person and love my country, in some respects I feel I owe it to 'St George' to knock it out the park come May 7th, it provides a little added motivation. Sorry for the side story but I think some of you might see its relevance. Back to the training......
This week in summary:
Thanks for reading.
This week in summary:
- Swim - Yeah finally three sessions this week and a total of 9200 yards. Felt good about this and knocked out a couple of good quality sessions with some work at LT and a pure technique session. Amazing what a difference the third swim makes from a 'feel' perspective.
- Bike - Solid week for me here. Monday became an impromptu FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test. I was really not sure how it would go although obviously had a range of numbers in mind. It went better than expected and I averaged 298w for an FTP of 282w. Three other rides left me with about six hours of ride time, all on the CT.
- Run - Poor poor week here. I really feel my running has gone backwards since the return to 'tri' training. I am sure the reality does not match the perception as I know a couple of low volume run weeks won't ruin all the hard work I did this year preparing for the White River 50. Regardless though I am still disappointed with my run week. Three sessions, two of six miles and one of four miles for a measly total of 16 miles and about 2 hours of run time.
- TRX/Core - Another solid week here with three good workouts, two TRX sessions and a core workout at home on the rug again! Feel strong and fluid on the TRX now, time to add some progressions!
- Breakfast - no change here, the usual oatmeal, banana, almond butter and Udo's 3-6-9 washed down with two cups of coffee and plenty of water. Oh, I did start taking a vitamin c supplement this week at breakfast.
- Mid Morning - If I swam early then I had second breakfast of two eggs, half an avocado in a sandwich of Dave's Killer bread. I only ate this one morning this week as on Thursday a meeting followed my swim and on Saturday I was straight to the PC after my early swim.
- Lunch - My usual sandwich, no real variation here although I think I ran out of sun dried tomatoes and on one day had no avocado in my sandwich.
- Dinner - Bad week by my standards. A late Tuesday led to the convenience of CPK Frozen Pizza with a salad, boooo. Sunday night ended up being a Pagliacci night, much better Pizza but much more of it!!! Two nights were pasta nights (wholewheat of course) with a simple sauce (not really a sauce, the ingredients are olive oil, fresh garlic, olives, green onions, sun dried tomatoes, and regular tomatoes preferably heirloom). I also add some protein, this week it was Aidell's Chicken and Apple Sausage one night and an organic skinless chicken breast on the other. Other meals were Couscous with lots of veggies and Wild Sockeye Salmon and Aidell's Sausage with Yam Mash and Broccolini.
- Snacks etc - Some of Cindy's protein bars and cookies (don't want to disclose numbers here ;)), various fruit, protein shakes after key workouts, and a little dark chocolate.
- Signed up for the Western States 100 lottery. I got goaded into this by Amber Montforte who I spent some time running with during the White River 50 (we finished together). Amber is an awesome athlete (Xterra Amateur World Champ) and her post on my FB wall spurred me into action. I may of course not be successful but it sure means I will have no choice but to run more if I am lucky (maybe unlucky is the right term) enough to get picked!
- A great week at the Performance Center, things are moving in the right direction and business is solid. Worked on the new class schedule and am excited to roll out TRX to all our members free of charge, a huge benefit for everyone. Exciting news to announce soon about a couple of very special guests who will be visiting in the New Year for some clinics, Q&A's etc, very cool!
- Cold...brrrr the snow is here. Made me think more about supplementation, I will talk more on this next week.
Thanks for reading.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Road to ST George - Week 2
A summary of the week from a training perspective:
So my goal for this week is 12 hours split s3/b5/r4 excluding core/trx which will total approx 2 hours. Nutritionally I will continue the trend of reducing wine intake and eliminate one or two of the treats that I got a little greedy with this last week. I also want to focus on using my time more effectively to ensure a better chance of more quality rest between work and training.
Just to conclude this post, I am in my 'preparation phase' right now with the goal of establishing a routine that will stick. I am also simply trying to reintroduce the swimming/cycling and core training that I have not been doing this year safely so as not to unduly stress my body. As I get older I have to be more patient and a little smarter with what I do. There is no real focus on data right now although I am logging my training in RaceDay to give me a general idea as to progression and fatigue cost of workouts that I am completing. I am not collecting power data as such right now although am using power on the compu-trainer and will be using my Quarq Power Meter when it arrives!
Until next week, thanks for reading.
- Swim - Two decent sessions this week, both over 3000 yards so progress on last week. Heading into week three I will make one out of my two proposed masters session (fingers crossed) to add an additional session. I do feel solid in the water, 1:15-20/100 feels comfortably hard.
- Bike - No outdoor ride, Tuesday was my planned day but it rained all day and I was land locked without the car to get to the PC. I rode 25 miles on the CT on Monday, 40 miles on Wednesday and about 20 miles on Thursday. The first two sessions were at/around IM power and the Thursday ride had some work at LT. No weekend ride.
- Run - Well the calves have calmed down a lot, I know what caused it and have made the necessary changes. I was concerned at one stage that I had torn something in the right calf but plenty of trauma oil and some self massage as well as sensible stretching (and a light run week) have worked wonders. Four runs two t-runs (of three and four miles), one E pace run of eight miles and a E pace -20s six mile run to finish off the week.
- Core/TRX - A great week for core and I am excited to continue to build my functional strength with the TRX. Feel strong. Three sessions this week, two on the TRX one on the living room rug! Stretching post workout has been very thorough this week and this trend will continue. Also added some theraband work focusing on abduction and lateral stability.
- Breakfast - Every morning the same - Oatmeal, Banana, Teaspoon of Almond Butter, Tablespoon of Udo's 3-6-9 blend, two cups of coffee with half n half (eliminated vanilla creamer, yeah!), at least a liter of water.
- Mid Morning Snack (Only Tuesday/Thursday after my swim workouts) - Dave's Killer Bread with two eggs, and half an avacado. Liter of water.
- Lunch - Every day the same (I am nothing if not consistent) - Dave's Killer Bread Sandwich with Hormel Turkey (three slices), Spinach, Avocado (half/quarter) and Sun Dried Tomatoes. Piece of fruit or two. Liter of water.
- Afternoon snack - Water with nuun, no calories
- Dinner - Monday: Wild Salmon, Yam Mash and Salad, Tuesday: Couscous with lots of veggies and chicken/apple sausage, Wednesday: Wholewheat Pasta, lots of veggies and prosciutto, Thursday: Pagliacci Pizza, Friday: Wild Salmon, Salad, Yam Mash, Saturday: NZ Grass fed Lamb Steak, Yam Mash, and Broccolini, Sunday: Salad and Morning Star Veggie Burger
- Other - A couple of protein shakes after key workouts (Arbonne Figure 8, Almond Milk, Water, Ice, Almond Butter, Udo's, L-Glutamine). Some chocolate (dark). A couple of TJ's vegan choc chip cookies. Various nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews), fruits (bananas, pears, oranges, raspberries) and the occasional Dilettante chocolate ;)
So my goal for this week is 12 hours split s3/b5/r4 excluding core/trx which will total approx 2 hours. Nutritionally I will continue the trend of reducing wine intake and eliminate one or two of the treats that I got a little greedy with this last week. I also want to focus on using my time more effectively to ensure a better chance of more quality rest between work and training.
Just to conclude this post, I am in my 'preparation phase' right now with the goal of establishing a routine that will stick. I am also simply trying to reintroduce the swimming/cycling and core training that I have not been doing this year safely so as not to unduly stress my body. As I get older I have to be more patient and a little smarter with what I do. There is no real focus on data right now although I am logging my training in RaceDay to give me a general idea as to progression and fatigue cost of workouts that I am completing. I am not collecting power data as such right now although am using power on the compu-trainer and will be using my Quarq Power Meter when it arrives!
Until next week, thanks for reading.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Road To St George - Week 1
A review of the week then:
- Swim - Manged to get two sessions in, one of just over 3000m (just under an hour) and another of 1500m (ran out of time, had to get the car to Cindy, the challenges of being a one car family!). My goal is to swim four times a week with two lunch time masters sessions at BAC but it's only week one and I figure I have time to build back to four sessions!
- Bike - Three rides achieved, one as planned (a two hour L2 outdoor ride), and two CT rides the first went well (3x3m 85%, 2m 95%, 1m 105%) yet the second was a wash mainly due to a crazy busy day and not having the desire to be on the bike any longer than an hour.
- Run - Been suffering this week with very very tight calves, beyond anything I have experienced before, ever! I attribute it to starting to ride again and running a rolling 12 miles last Sunday at 'M' pace (average 6:48/mile). It has been very frustrating and definitely curtailed my running a little. Having said that I still ran three times, one run of 16 miles (6:59 avg), one very painful run of 8 miles on a rolling route at E pace (7:30 avg), and a 10 mile treadmill session with 2x2 miles at M pace inserted into some E pace running. I shall evaluate the calves this week and get some treatment, I hope it is nothing too serious although they are crazy tight. I have been self treating with ice, compression, arnica, and a little gentle self massage.
- Core/TRX - Two solid sessions here, would have liked to get a couple more in but time was simply not on my side this week. Still, felt strong and starting to work some more dynamic exercises into my routine.
I am still picking up some additional classes at the PC while Cindy continues her rehab following her accident and this Sunday marked the first of a three part swim clinic that I am running out of Samena. Combine that with a couple of unplanned meetings, some busy days at the Performance Center and a couple of new coaching clients starting with me this week and it has been a busy but productive work week that has eaten up a little planned training time. Work comes first and I expect this to be a somewhat common occurrence as we move into our busy season. My plan is to find a 'business manager' for the Performance Center, so if anyone out there knows of a suitable candidate do let me know, oh they have to be content with good perks but low wages ;).
Other notes - Not been sleeping great over the past week or so, definitely impacts my recovery and general energy levels. Nutrition in general has been good although Cindy had an Arbonne party at the house on Friday and has been 'baking' this week. Being the glutton that I am if there are baked goods around then I eat them, all of them!!! For me it is simply best not to have them in the house, I don't crave them but if they are there they will get eaten. A big goal for me this week is to reduce red wine consumption! Now some of you may laugh but Cindy and I literally drink a bottle of red wine every night, I can't actually remember the last night we went without. Okay its 'only' two classes each but I believe it is impacting my recovery, my body composition and my sleeping patterns so this week (you heard it here first) it goes down to two nights out of seven!!!!! Don't worry Thursday night is still Pagliacci night.......
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Road to St George!
After a year of not competing in triathlons to focus more attention on developing my coaching business and getting Vo2 Performance Center established it is time to jump back into the sport I love. I was not completely idle in 2010, in fact I set myself the goal of running the White River 50 trail race (race report on blog) in an attempt to help address my limited run endurance without the distraction and fatigue cost of swimming and cycling. I actually raced three ultra's in 2010 one of which I won, a second where I got lost, and the White River event which was a success. I still cycled and swam a little, more as a way to spend time with my athletes than with any real conviction and I continued to lead rides at the Performance Center which helped me hold on to a little bike fitness.
My goal is to write a weekly (yeah fat chance) short blog detailing my training and preparation for Ironman St George along with the trials and tribulations of managing my own business and trying to keep everything else in my life in order. I realize that some of you out there face many more time constraints than I but I think by providing some insight into how I coach myself, decisions I make around what workouts happen and don't happen and how that fits with training commitments that might not necessarily fit with my own plan will provide learning opportunities for you all.
A quick snap shot of where I am starting from with my training, body comp, etc is below:
My goal is to write a weekly (yeah fat chance) short blog detailing my training and preparation for Ironman St George along with the trials and tribulations of managing my own business and trying to keep everything else in my life in order. I realize that some of you out there face many more time constraints than I but I think by providing some insight into how I coach myself, decisions I make around what workouts happen and don't happen and how that fits with training commitments that might not necessarily fit with my own plan will provide learning opportunities for you all.
A quick snap shot of where I am starting from with my training, body comp, etc is below:
- Age 37, height 5'9", weight 155lbs (goal race weight 150lbs)
- Swim - Averaged probably one swim a week this year (maybe), recent workout in a SCY pool was 2x(300s 30s rest, 2x150 rest 15s, 3x100 rest 10s) all at LT, times - 3:50, 1:58, 1:15-18
- Bike - Averaged two rides a week this year of approx 1 hour in duration. My guess as to where my FTP is right now is 265-270w (last year when preparing for Kona it was 290-295)
- Run - Strong right now, averaged four to five a runs a week this year. Recent 10km with my new found 'slow' ultramarathon legs was 37:26 at Salmon Days. Will run Rock n Roll AZ with the goal of going under 3 hours (never run an open marathon before ;)) on January 16th.
Monday, August 2, 2010
White River 50
Pre Race
The day had finally arrived for Cindy and I to head over to Greenwater nr Enumclaw WA. A good friend and one of my athletes Joe Silvernale had kindly offered us the use of his cabin for the weekend which was perfectly located and in an idyllic location overlooking a river. We arrived mid afternoon after a stop in Enumclaw to grab some lunch, a rather sloppy (but tasty) Panini from a little Italian place downtown. I enjoyed mine, Cindy, not so much.
After arriving we unloaded the car, made ourselves at home, dog proofed the cabin (don't worry Joe, Hawi did not chew anything up honest) and drove to Crystal Mtn to register and enjoy the pasta dinner provided by the race organizers. Simple fair but more than adequate and plenty of it. We sat down to dinner with three other first timers, Joel (Seattle), Pablo (Bellingham) and Nicholas (France, yes the European one). They were great company and we all chatted about a variety of topics mostly ending up back on the task of getting through 50 miles of running on some of the more challenging trails in the PacNW. I bumped into another friend and former coached athlete Win Van Pelt at dinner and chatted to him about strategy etc. Win has done several ultras including two White Rivers so has a lot of experience. He is also a true mountain man so always worth listening to. I knew Win had a sub 9 hour goal so I was intrerested to see if our paths crossed on raceday!
Just as the race briefing was starting Cindy and I left!! We had to get back to the dogs and have a pre race glass of wine and piece of chocolate to feel truly ready for what the morning might bring. It's funny but we both went into this Ultra Marathon adventure very relaxed and laid back. In no way were we being complacent but just having so many years of endurance racing in the bank and countless races under our belt provides a kind of confidence that you know, come what may, you will get the job done. After getting back to the cabin and walking the dogs we packed our drop bags, drank our wine and settled down for a short fitfull night of sleep.
I awoke at 3:30 to my alarm, damn no way was I ready to wake up so I reset the alarm for 4am knowing that my digestion window would be reduced but given the low relative intensity of the event this was a risk I was willing to take. 4am rolled around and I headed downstairs turned on the coffee and woke Cindy, in that order. I drank a liter of water immediately after waking and then consumed 2 cups of coffee, one and half bagels with butter and honey and a banana. I also drank 750ml of nuun, took three sports legs and one salt tab. I continued to drink water/nuun in the short car ride to the race start (about 15 mins away). After arriving we checked in to register ourselves as starters and then did the usual porta potty line thing. I realized I had left my vest and visor back at the house leaving me with only the Brooks long sleeve tech shirt that I threw on in the morning. Solution - Cut the sleeves off the top and turn one of them into a headband, perfect! I bodyglided my toes and all the other areas that were likely to rub/chafe and tied up my Brooks Ghosts. I was unsure what shoe I was going to wear for a few weeks leading into this race, i could not have chosen better, they worked like a charm.
The Race
So 6:30am rolled around and one last pit stop before wondering over to the start line. A quick kiss and good luck to Cindy and I lined up on the right hand side toward the front of the pack. The usual suspects were there, Scott Jurek, Greg Crowther, and Anton Krupicka plus many other esteemed trail runners who being so new to the sport I don't know by sight. The race starts and the first 3.9 miles is somewhat flat, a touch technical but generally just a nice soft compliant surface. I went out very relaxed and just let the 'pack' sort itself out. I was very conscious to not over stride, spot clean foot placements, not get boxed in and to generally run this section as easy as I could given the excitement factor of being in a race. I went through four miles in about 35 mins feeling super smooth and easy. The group had formed a long Conga line that stretched about 30-50 meters long up the trail. Everyone seemed happy to do their own thing and not make any moves. Seemingly everyone was running conservatively however sometimes its tough to tell.
The climb up to the Ranger Station began in earnest. Early sections of this are to most of us mortals not really runnable. We were all pretty much power hiking this section until we climbed the log steps to some slightly less steep terrain. A couple of movers were evident trying to leapfrog people up the mountain but for the most part status quo was maintained. I passed a couple of people and was hydrating and eating according to my plan (300 cals/hour, 2 bottles every 90 mins). I reached the 11.7 mile Ranger Station at about 1:55 feeling like I had run/hiked very conservatively until that point. Here is where I began to make some moves. I quckly refilled my bottles and headed out, passing three or four people immediately. I then saw Win ahead of me by about 100 yards, gradually reeled him in and we chatted a bit, mostly just checking on how we were feeling etc and dealing with the terrain. We caught Arthur Martineau on this section to Corral Pass which concerned me a little. I know of Arthur and have tracked some of his results and knew him to be a very solid trail runner. I was confident he was probably going to pace this pretty well so I was a little concerned but took confidence in how I was feeling and how well I had been managing my hydration/nutrition. Both Win and I passed him wishing him well. It was at this stage Win (who had been leading) hopped off the trail for a bathroom break. I took off and continued to build pace continuing to pass other runners.
It was about at this stage that the leaders were returning from Corral Pass so it was very cool to see how they were looking, who was winning etc. Not sure who was in the lead (sorry) but Anton was in 2nd looking super relaxed and Scott was running with another guy in 3rd/4th respectively. I gave way, literally stopping on the trail and moving over as it was very narrow single track at this stage. They were all super appreciative and everyone of the top 10 or so guys had a smile and nod or a few words which was very cool. What was weird is that very few people extended me the same courtesy on my return from the Corral Pass aid station, not sure why as it was very clear you were to give way to runners returning from Corral Pass!! Slighly annoyed by this but not enough to influence my day.
Reached Corral Pass (16.9 miles) in around 2:50 not really caring how long it took or what pace I was on, more concerned with how I felt and managing my calories, fluids and electrolytes. Eric Sach of the Balanced Athlete helped me refill my bottles and handed me some s-caps while I necked my RedBull, very refreshing. Back down (with some up) to the Ranger Station the way we came, very beautiful section this, with simply awesome views of Mt Rainier, it was a joy to be running. Passed Cindy who looked great and we stopped for a quick kiss (with each other ;)), feeling rejuvenated I continued on my way.
I was back at the Ranger Station (22.1 miles) in about 3:29 feeling good and looking forward to the descent back to Buck Creek. I had run this once in training with Cindy although relatively fresh as we just headed up from Camp Sheppard to the Ranger Station and then down again and ran very smooth and fast, not so much today. I struggled a little into and out of the hairpins which were very sandy and loose. Essentially I caught the 3rd place female here and thought it best to hang back and follow her down. I figured I was probably in the top 30 by now and did not want to be 'that guy' that has to walk the last 10-15 miles due to poor pacing and execution. I kept Amber (3rd place female) in sight, took a pee break and ended up at the bottom of the descent in good shape. Passed Amber, the 3rd place female and a couple of guys going into and heading out of Buck Creek which i felt good about. I got to Buck Creek at about 4:20 into the race (27.2 miles and a whole lot of elevation gain) again feeling good and running all the descents and flat to rolling sections.
Here is where the fun begins, the climb to Fawn Ridge and Sun Top!!! Definitely more of a hike than a run for me (and most I think). I still felt pretty good at this point, legs good, mind good, hydration etc spot on. Just could not carry any speed on the climbs. In my mind this climb was much more challenging than the first. I caught some guy who was struggling on the climb, offered him some cals but he simply said his quads were killing him, fair comment thought I! I also got repassed by eventual 2nd place female Amy Sproston, we went back and forth a little but after the aid station at Fawn Ridge I never really saw her again, she seemed to be running a lot more of that climb than I was that's for sure. Amber Monforte also passed me again here but I could at least keep her in my sights. Again what stood out to me was that she too was running sections of this climb that I simply could not (or would not). Maybe my 45miles/week (biggest run mileage of my life) for the last six months without any really specific hill work other than the ones encountered where I train was simply not enough. I sometimes rely on my overall leg strength and 20+ year endurance base as a triathlete to get me through, it does not always work ;). On the plus side I felt great and I mean that. Legs were doing what they were told, mind was strong and I was looking forward to the long descent to Skookum Flats even though I knew it would hurt. I reached Sun Top 6:37 into the race. I repassed Amber here and took off on the descent on a mission to 'make up' some lost time.
First mile according to my Garmin 6:54, a little hot maybe but felt okay, the remaining miles all ticked by in the low to mid 7's a little more sensible, I walked a couple of times just to give the quads a little break before the last section of the race. Can't say I enjoyed this part of the course but I think I probably made up some time on the folks in front of me here and made a top 20 finish realistic. I reached Skookum Flats in 7:38, wow I had been running for over seven hours, this is simply crazy stuff, my previous longest run was the 50km I did at Soaring Eagle State Park as a prep race for this in the middle of July, that took me 4:24......the body is amazing and continues to surprise me!
The Last 6.6 miles along Skookum Flats are probably the most beautiful. They are also arguably (given the fact it is so late into the race) the most technical. Here is where I nearly had my first serious fall. I had left the aid station (huge thanks by the way to all the volunteers, you rocked all day) and was running, not fast but I was running. They had told me at the aid station I was 22nd male, that gave a little incentive to at least 'try' and run this last section so I did. I caught and passed two guys, cool I am in the top 20 of the USATF 50 Mile Champs in my first ever run over 31 miles. My feet I guess were getting heavier and heavier, I kicked something (likely a root, maybe a rock) very very hard with my left big toe and tumbled toward the floor, arms outstretched a lunge forward and somehow I managed to stay upright. This was a blessing in disguise as it sure focused the mind for the last several miles of single track. During this section I was caught yet again by Amber just as we were exiting the woods, funny thing was my Garmin only had 48 miles on it at this stage yet Amber's Suunto (I think) had over 50 so I was thankful to know that it was highly unlikely we had two miles to go based on the fact we were back at Buck Creek. We ran in together and I did the chivalrous thing (I think) and slowed up at the line to let Amber cross in 22nd overall good for 3rd female overall. I later found out Amber is a bit of a legend having won Ultraman Canada, placed very highly overall in a number of IM's and raced in Kona several times, wow!
For me to take my minimal mileage approach to an Ultra Marathon of the magnitude of White River was a risk. It worked out. I felt great all day. Yes there were times I wish I could have run some of the steeper climbs, and times when perhaps the 'power hiking' was not necessary but to go 8:30 and place 23rd overall (20th male) in a field of stud athletes is very very pleasing. It has given me a new found appreciation of running and during this process both Cindy and I have come to truly love trail running in all its shapes and forms whether running through a PacNW forest or cruising a desert trail in Tucson. I will continue to race the occasional ultra, maybe not another 50 miler for a while but probably a couple of 50km's. I will also use this deep running base to have a crack at a fast open marathon (never done one outside of an Ironman) in January and then do my best to rock Ironman St George in May which I signed up for a couple of weeks ago.
Huge thanks to Cindy for putting up with me and for being my partner out on the trails on so many occasions. To Hawi for getting me out for a run more because he needed it than me. To Brooks, your shoes and equipment helped me enjoy the training process and stay healthy, to GU huge product (Gu Chomps and GU Energy Gel) got me through the day with energy to spare and nuun for the active hydration along the way. I could not have done it without you guys. Also a big thank you to Joe and Beth who trekked over to Greenwater the week before Cindy and I to clear up the dead mice from the cabin and ensure we got no 'surprises' when we arrived at the cabin, you guys are awesome. It goes without saying that everyone associated with the Performance Center and Team Vo2Multisport has also provided inspiration and kind words over the course of the last six months that I know Cindy and I have both leveraged during some of our more challenging weeks when we wondered what the hell we had gotten ourselves into. I can't believe we got away with it ;-) and live to tell the tale.......
To more amazing adventures for us all.
The day had finally arrived for Cindy and I to head over to Greenwater nr Enumclaw WA. A good friend and one of my athletes Joe Silvernale had kindly offered us the use of his cabin for the weekend which was perfectly located and in an idyllic location overlooking a river. We arrived mid afternoon after a stop in Enumclaw to grab some lunch, a rather sloppy (but tasty) Panini from a little Italian place downtown. I enjoyed mine, Cindy, not so much.
After arriving we unloaded the car, made ourselves at home, dog proofed the cabin (don't worry Joe, Hawi did not chew anything up honest) and drove to Crystal Mtn to register and enjoy the pasta dinner provided by the race organizers. Simple fair but more than adequate and plenty of it. We sat down to dinner with three other first timers, Joel (Seattle), Pablo (Bellingham) and Nicholas (France, yes the European one). They were great company and we all chatted about a variety of topics mostly ending up back on the task of getting through 50 miles of running on some of the more challenging trails in the PacNW. I bumped into another friend and former coached athlete Win Van Pelt at dinner and chatted to him about strategy etc. Win has done several ultras including two White Rivers so has a lot of experience. He is also a true mountain man so always worth listening to. I knew Win had a sub 9 hour goal so I was intrerested to see if our paths crossed on raceday!
Just as the race briefing was starting Cindy and I left!! We had to get back to the dogs and have a pre race glass of wine and piece of chocolate to feel truly ready for what the morning might bring. It's funny but we both went into this Ultra Marathon adventure very relaxed and laid back. In no way were we being complacent but just having so many years of endurance racing in the bank and countless races under our belt provides a kind of confidence that you know, come what may, you will get the job done. After getting back to the cabin and walking the dogs we packed our drop bags, drank our wine and settled down for a short fitfull night of sleep.
I awoke at 3:30 to my alarm, damn no way was I ready to wake up so I reset the alarm for 4am knowing that my digestion window would be reduced but given the low relative intensity of the event this was a risk I was willing to take. 4am rolled around and I headed downstairs turned on the coffee and woke Cindy, in that order. I drank a liter of water immediately after waking and then consumed 2 cups of coffee, one and half bagels with butter and honey and a banana. I also drank 750ml of nuun, took three sports legs and one salt tab. I continued to drink water/nuun in the short car ride to the race start (about 15 mins away). After arriving we checked in to register ourselves as starters and then did the usual porta potty line thing. I realized I had left my vest and visor back at the house leaving me with only the Brooks long sleeve tech shirt that I threw on in the morning. Solution - Cut the sleeves off the top and turn one of them into a headband, perfect! I bodyglided my toes and all the other areas that were likely to rub/chafe and tied up my Brooks Ghosts. I was unsure what shoe I was going to wear for a few weeks leading into this race, i could not have chosen better, they worked like a charm.
The Race
So 6:30am rolled around and one last pit stop before wondering over to the start line. A quick kiss and good luck to Cindy and I lined up on the right hand side toward the front of the pack. The usual suspects were there, Scott Jurek, Greg Crowther, and Anton Krupicka plus many other esteemed trail runners who being so new to the sport I don't know by sight. The race starts and the first 3.9 miles is somewhat flat, a touch technical but generally just a nice soft compliant surface. I went out very relaxed and just let the 'pack' sort itself out. I was very conscious to not over stride, spot clean foot placements, not get boxed in and to generally run this section as easy as I could given the excitement factor of being in a race. I went through four miles in about 35 mins feeling super smooth and easy. The group had formed a long Conga line that stretched about 30-50 meters long up the trail. Everyone seemed happy to do their own thing and not make any moves. Seemingly everyone was running conservatively however sometimes its tough to tell.
The climb up to the Ranger Station began in earnest. Early sections of this are to most of us mortals not really runnable. We were all pretty much power hiking this section until we climbed the log steps to some slightly less steep terrain. A couple of movers were evident trying to leapfrog people up the mountain but for the most part status quo was maintained. I passed a couple of people and was hydrating and eating according to my plan (300 cals/hour, 2 bottles every 90 mins). I reached the 11.7 mile Ranger Station at about 1:55 feeling like I had run/hiked very conservatively until that point. Here is where I began to make some moves. I quckly refilled my bottles and headed out, passing three or four people immediately. I then saw Win ahead of me by about 100 yards, gradually reeled him in and we chatted a bit, mostly just checking on how we were feeling etc and dealing with the terrain. We caught Arthur Martineau on this section to Corral Pass which concerned me a little. I know of Arthur and have tracked some of his results and knew him to be a very solid trail runner. I was confident he was probably going to pace this pretty well so I was a little concerned but took confidence in how I was feeling and how well I had been managing my hydration/nutrition. Both Win and I passed him wishing him well. It was at this stage Win (who had been leading) hopped off the trail for a bathroom break. I took off and continued to build pace continuing to pass other runners.
It was about at this stage that the leaders were returning from Corral Pass so it was very cool to see how they were looking, who was winning etc. Not sure who was in the lead (sorry) but Anton was in 2nd looking super relaxed and Scott was running with another guy in 3rd/4th respectively. I gave way, literally stopping on the trail and moving over as it was very narrow single track at this stage. They were all super appreciative and everyone of the top 10 or so guys had a smile and nod or a few words which was very cool. What was weird is that very few people extended me the same courtesy on my return from the Corral Pass aid station, not sure why as it was very clear you were to give way to runners returning from Corral Pass!! Slighly annoyed by this but not enough to influence my day.
Reached Corral Pass (16.9 miles) in around 2:50 not really caring how long it took or what pace I was on, more concerned with how I felt and managing my calories, fluids and electrolytes. Eric Sach of the Balanced Athlete helped me refill my bottles and handed me some s-caps while I necked my RedBull, very refreshing. Back down (with some up) to the Ranger Station the way we came, very beautiful section this, with simply awesome views of Mt Rainier, it was a joy to be running. Passed Cindy who looked great and we stopped for a quick kiss (with each other ;)), feeling rejuvenated I continued on my way.
I was back at the Ranger Station (22.1 miles) in about 3:29 feeling good and looking forward to the descent back to Buck Creek. I had run this once in training with Cindy although relatively fresh as we just headed up from Camp Sheppard to the Ranger Station and then down again and ran very smooth and fast, not so much today. I struggled a little into and out of the hairpins which were very sandy and loose. Essentially I caught the 3rd place female here and thought it best to hang back and follow her down. I figured I was probably in the top 30 by now and did not want to be 'that guy' that has to walk the last 10-15 miles due to poor pacing and execution. I kept Amber (3rd place female) in sight, took a pee break and ended up at the bottom of the descent in good shape. Passed Amber, the 3rd place female and a couple of guys going into and heading out of Buck Creek which i felt good about. I got to Buck Creek at about 4:20 into the race (27.2 miles and a whole lot of elevation gain) again feeling good and running all the descents and flat to rolling sections.
Here is where the fun begins, the climb to Fawn Ridge and Sun Top!!! Definitely more of a hike than a run for me (and most I think). I still felt pretty good at this point, legs good, mind good, hydration etc spot on. Just could not carry any speed on the climbs. In my mind this climb was much more challenging than the first. I caught some guy who was struggling on the climb, offered him some cals but he simply said his quads were killing him, fair comment thought I! I also got repassed by eventual 2nd place female Amy Sproston, we went back and forth a little but after the aid station at Fawn Ridge I never really saw her again, she seemed to be running a lot more of that climb than I was that's for sure. Amber Monforte also passed me again here but I could at least keep her in my sights. Again what stood out to me was that she too was running sections of this climb that I simply could not (or would not). Maybe my 45miles/week (biggest run mileage of my life) for the last six months without any really specific hill work other than the ones encountered where I train was simply not enough. I sometimes rely on my overall leg strength and 20+ year endurance base as a triathlete to get me through, it does not always work ;). On the plus side I felt great and I mean that. Legs were doing what they were told, mind was strong and I was looking forward to the long descent to Skookum Flats even though I knew it would hurt. I reached Sun Top 6:37 into the race. I repassed Amber here and took off on the descent on a mission to 'make up' some lost time.
First mile according to my Garmin 6:54, a little hot maybe but felt okay, the remaining miles all ticked by in the low to mid 7's a little more sensible, I walked a couple of times just to give the quads a little break before the last section of the race. Can't say I enjoyed this part of the course but I think I probably made up some time on the folks in front of me here and made a top 20 finish realistic. I reached Skookum Flats in 7:38, wow I had been running for over seven hours, this is simply crazy stuff, my previous longest run was the 50km I did at Soaring Eagle State Park as a prep race for this in the middle of July, that took me 4:24......the body is amazing and continues to surprise me!
The Last 6.6 miles along Skookum Flats are probably the most beautiful. They are also arguably (given the fact it is so late into the race) the most technical. Here is where I nearly had my first serious fall. I had left the aid station (huge thanks by the way to all the volunteers, you rocked all day) and was running, not fast but I was running. They had told me at the aid station I was 22nd male, that gave a little incentive to at least 'try' and run this last section so I did. I caught and passed two guys, cool I am in the top 20 of the USATF 50 Mile Champs in my first ever run over 31 miles. My feet I guess were getting heavier and heavier, I kicked something (likely a root, maybe a rock) very very hard with my left big toe and tumbled toward the floor, arms outstretched a lunge forward and somehow I managed to stay upright. This was a blessing in disguise as it sure focused the mind for the last several miles of single track. During this section I was caught yet again by Amber just as we were exiting the woods, funny thing was my Garmin only had 48 miles on it at this stage yet Amber's Suunto (I think) had over 50 so I was thankful to know that it was highly unlikely we had two miles to go based on the fact we were back at Buck Creek. We ran in together and I did the chivalrous thing (I think) and slowed up at the line to let Amber cross in 22nd overall good for 3rd female overall. I later found out Amber is a bit of a legend having won Ultraman Canada, placed very highly overall in a number of IM's and raced in Kona several times, wow!
For me to take my minimal mileage approach to an Ultra Marathon of the magnitude of White River was a risk. It worked out. I felt great all day. Yes there were times I wish I could have run some of the steeper climbs, and times when perhaps the 'power hiking' was not necessary but to go 8:30 and place 23rd overall (20th male) in a field of stud athletes is very very pleasing. It has given me a new found appreciation of running and during this process both Cindy and I have come to truly love trail running in all its shapes and forms whether running through a PacNW forest or cruising a desert trail in Tucson. I will continue to race the occasional ultra, maybe not another 50 miler for a while but probably a couple of 50km's. I will also use this deep running base to have a crack at a fast open marathon (never done one outside of an Ironman) in January and then do my best to rock Ironman St George in May which I signed up for a couple of weeks ago.
Huge thanks to Cindy for putting up with me and for being my partner out on the trails on so many occasions. To Hawi for getting me out for a run more because he needed it than me. To Brooks, your shoes and equipment helped me enjoy the training process and stay healthy, to GU huge product (Gu Chomps and GU Energy Gel) got me through the day with energy to spare and nuun for the active hydration along the way. I could not have done it without you guys. Also a big thank you to Joe and Beth who trekked over to Greenwater the week before Cindy and I to clear up the dead mice from the cabin and ensure we got no 'surprises' when we arrived at the cabin, you guys are awesome. It goes without saying that everyone associated with the Performance Center and Team Vo2Multisport has also provided inspiration and kind words over the course of the last six months that I know Cindy and I have both leveraged during some of our more challenging weeks when we wondered what the hell we had gotten ourselves into. I can't believe we got away with it ;-) and live to tell the tale.......
To more amazing adventures for us all.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The New Athletic Challenge
Moving on - I was thinking about racing some low key triathlons and a couple of 70.3 events this year to keep my hand in but with my personal triathlon objectives and goals accomplished many years ago and my primary focus now being my own athletes and the Vo2 Performance Center I asked myself what do I really enjoy doing (answer - trail running), what is the most time efficient single sport discipline to train for (answer - running) and what have I never done before due to being plain ole scared to death of it (answer - a trail ultra marathon), Eureka! So an off road ultra marathon it is!
Which one? Well another decision that was somewhat easy to make. First it had to be Epic in the true sense of the word as if I am going to put myself through this it might as well be a real challenge so instead of 'just an ultra marathon' (defined as any running event further than 26.2 mile) I decided on a 50 mile trail race. Secondly it had to be somewhat local as traveling takes me away from my athletes and the Performance Center. Thirdly it has to offer some spectacular scenery (I guess if I going to run this far there will undoubtedly be some low points and a nice view might take my mind off it). With my criteria in place it did not take much finding, the White River 50 is a legendary event in trail running circles, local, 50 miles and is set in the shadow of beautiful Mt Rainier so should provide some spectacular views! The date of the race is July 31st so it could not be better timing. Oh, did I mention in my excitement at entering this race that I also signed up my beautiful wife Cindy? Well I needed someone to understand what I was going to be putting myself through and what better way than for her to share the experience with me ;-).
Running an Ultra Marathon such as the White River 50 will be a completely different challenge to racing an Ironman. Similarities exist in the time it might take to complete (an Ironman usually takes me around 10 hours) and the fact pacing and nutrition are critical however there are many unique things, for starters it is all one form of locomotion! From a training perspective it poses a new challenge and has meant I have had to broaden my own knowledge base in order to ensure that Cindy and I are sufficiently prepared for the demands of the event. I intend to post several updates going forward on our progress towards this goal so that those of you who might be interested in following our journey or are maybe thinking of doing an Ultra yourself might learn something from the trials and tribulations we shall no doubt face along the way!
Already in our preparation we have learned 1. there is no place for speed work, 2. it is okay to walk, 3. weekly mileage might need to be greater than 25-30 ;-).
Thursday, December 17, 2009
When To Get Serious Again?
With thoughts of qualifying for Kona, doing your first Ironman, completing your first 70.3 or simply doing a triathlon many of us believe starting the training process sooner is better than later. My take on this is when you start your training depends on a number of things, and let me clarify that what I mean by 'start training' is commencing a program of structured workouts where each session has a purpose and a goal and you are following a structured periodized program.So what might influence when you start? Firstly how long and arduous your current season was. Ask yourself how hard and how often you raced, how long your season was from that first race in anger to the your last race of the year. How healthy were you, meaning were you forced to take time off at all during the season due to illness/injury? How experienced are you, do you have several years of endurance training in the bank or are you relatively new to the rigors of training for three very aerobic sports? The last and arguably most important question is how motivated are you to get back into things mentally. If you don't feel a fire in your belly to be out there running, swimming laps and/or riding your bike then wait until that desire returns and then start working out with some structure and not before. I have seen many athletes burn out in my 20 years of racing, training and coaching, mostly it is mental fatigue and rarely physical!
Some guidllines I use with my athletes:
- If your season started in April (or earlier) and finished in October/November my suggestion is you do not even consider formal, prescriptive training until January 1st. If by the New Year you feel ready to rock then great, if not and you don't have an early season 'A' race then you can afford to leave it until February. Now let me clarify before I move on that informal, unstructured training must still take place during this time off, it is absolutely the wrong thing to do to take time completely off!
- If you are new to the sport (less than three seasons) then formal training is acceptable as early as November 1st provided the volume/intensity are low and the focus is on skills and limiter development. The caveat here is mental readiness and good health as alluded to above.
- If you have multiple years of consistent training (more than five) and your 'A' race is in July or later then in my mind their is no need to start focused training until January/February.
- If you were ill or injured more than once in the current season and had to have a week or more of forced rest then no matter when your next 'A' race is I would not advise commencing formal training until February 1st or later.
That's it for now, thanks for reading.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Ironman World Championships
IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009
THE LEAD UP TO THE RACE
For those of you who might be unaware I qualified to race at the Ironman World Championships at 70.3 Honu on May 30th this year. Honu is one of the few 70.3 races that has qualifying spots and for me it seemed the obvious way to try and punch my ticket as it is a better distance for me. Knowing that it was within my ability to get a Kona slot at this race I made it a focus and trained very consistently towards that objective. As you all now know it went well and I achieved my goals - a podium finish and a Kona slot.
I took a break after Honu due to the level of preparation that had gone into that race, this break unfortunately got extended as I was hit by a car while riding my bike in Coeur d’Alene during Ironman week. It did not set me back too much but did dent my confidence a little and I definitely saw my fitness (especially run fitness) decline between the end of June into the early part of August. Most of this was due to back pain suffered as a result of the accident and the confusion caused to my body by all the Chiropractic treatments I was receiving.
For those interested my weekly averages for swim/bike/run from June through to the end of August were:
· June – SWIM 6800 YARDS, BIKE 104 MILES, RUN 16 MILES
· July – SWIM 6660 YARDS, BIKE 188 MILES, RUN 26 MILES
· August – SWIM 6400 YARDS, BIKE 166 MILES, RUN 22 MILES
· September – SWIM 10,500 YARDS, BIKE 163 MILES, RUN 28 MILES
I have always advocated quality over quantity but do realize the importance of running frequency and volume for a successful race. I knew going in my durability would be a little questionable with only one road run of two hours and one trail run of just under two hours during that four month period.
In order to give myself a chance at using the fitness that I did have on race day I planned to get to Kona two weeks ahead of time. This was a good plan as it gave me the opportunity to acclimate and settle into Hawaii time. It also gave me a great opportunity to refresh myself with the course and see how my feedback mechanisms (pace/power) behaved in the heat/humidity so I could better dial them in for race day. I tracked and logged every bike/run workout in detail and often did the exact same routes so as to make the data more comparable. The big variance was the weather day to day which I could not control so I simply got on with it.
I made no conscious dietary changes leading into this race and would actually say I was leaner going into Honu than I was going into this race (just check out the photos ;-)). No good reason, I simply did not want to exclude anything from my diet going in as I felt I had already made enough sacrifices along the road to getting here.
My biggest concern going into race week was how my heart would hold up during the swim. This has been a big source of stress over the past several months since the incident at Black Hills where I was forced to stop during the swim. I genuinely believe it was stress related (I have experienced a similar arrythmia before) but the last place I needed it to manifest itself was here!!! With this in the back of my mind and the long build I had mentally let alone physically going into this race I think I was more anxious and wound up than usual. No question this is counter productive but I simply tried to get all the pre race stuff taken care of as early as I possibly could and settle down hoping the ‘taper’ helped out with my dodgy heart! Now before any of you get too concerned about this it is not uncommon for an ‘athletic’ heart during times of stress (physical/emotional) to react this way.
Race week went smoothly. Cindy was a huge help and drove me around and helped me get everything I needed sorted out such as my bike, gluing on tubulars, cooking for me and generally being an awesome ‘iron mate’. I tried to keep a low profile and stay away from all the craziness during race week (you have to see it to believe it) which was difficult. I had to work two half days for TYR (Monday and Tuesday) which meant a little more time than I would have liked on my feet but nothing too serious. Workouts were going smoothly until Thursday where I swam in the morning for 20 minutes without issue and then later in the day did a bike/run workout of 1 hour/30 minutes. It was a very hot day, the hottest so far during my stay however I thought I had acclimated sufficiently for it to not cause any issues. My heart rate on the run that day was 15 beats higher for the same given pace I had been running at for the past 10 days. I tried to put it out of my mind and blamed it on the heat and the fact I was running in the afternoon at peak temps.
My mind had the chance to relax on Thursday evening having dinner with Alexis, JP and her parents Dave and Kathy. A truly great night was had by all and the conversation and wine were flowing (don’t worry I only had two glasses), it did a lot to take my mind off race day and was a lot of fun, thanks you guys ;-).
On Friday I did no training. I have done this before for Ironman races and it has not worked against me as far as I can tell. I was still active, walking about and getting my bike and gear checked in and chatting to a few folks I know along the way. Friday went by quickly and before I knew it I was back at the house with my feet up and Cindy cooking up my pre-race meal of salad and pasta, yum! An early night after getting all my swim gear and nutrition together and I hoped for a sound night of sleep. Oh I should mention throughout the day on Friday I drank Pedialyte diluted down, this I believe was a huge factor in keeping the cramp at bay during the race as those of you that know me know I have a very high sweat rate and high sodium loss through that sweat.
Funny thing on race morning was Cindy waking up ahead of me and turning on the coffee machine. Now this never happens as whether racing or not Cindy is always the second one to get out of bed. In a strange way it actually made me relax a little, not sure exactly why but it did. I went back to Oatmeal, UDO’s, and Banana for my pre race breakfast. Along with this I drank a 500ml bottle of nuun, finished off the small amount of Pedialyte I had left over from Friday and my two cups of coffee. I felt good, obviously a little anxious but good none the less. Cindy drove me down to town (we were approx four miles out of town) at around 4:45am. I arrived at body marking and my line was the shortest, very cool. I even got filmed by Universal TV while they applied my numbers with the stamps that are the norm in Kona. This year only arms were being marked which I thought was cool as that would mean less scrubbing in the shower post race and only potential ‘tattoos’ on my arms and not both arms and legs! I left body marking gave Cindy a hug and a kiss and walked into transition. I set up my Garmin, pumped my tires, put my water bottles on the bike (one with water, one with gu2o) and then went to find Cindy. One of the coolest things about race week (and race morning) was hanging out with my friend Nick Kinsey, a super cool guy who has been racing triathlons since the mid 80’s. He used to hold the fastest IM time for a Brit and has been on the podium before at Kona as well as winning his AG at many international IM events around the world. Fun to be around he helped make race morning a real hoot and further helped ease my nerves. Another very cool thing about race morning was hanging out with Thomas Hellriegel (IM Canada course record holder, and former IM world champion). He is a lovely guy and so willing to simply chat about the thing he loves, triathlon! I have huge respect and admiration for Thomas, a true gentleman and great ambassador for our sport.
Transition was not fast but methodical, no sense in rushing today I was not looking for the podium I was more concerned with comfort. I biked ‘easy’ for the first 30 minutes and then built from there. My AP for the first 10 miles was 209W, average HR 141. I was targeting sub 140 HR and close to 200W, this was close enough and certainly I paced this section of the ride better than most of my peers! I rode very evenly, here are my numbers by 10 mile increments:
· To 10 Miles – AP 209, AVG HR 141
· To 20 Miles – AP 206.5, AVG HR 143
· To 30 Miles – AP 198.5, AVG HR 142
· To 40 Miles – AP 196.5, AVG HR 143
· To 50 Miles – AP203, AVG HR 142
· To 60 Miles – AP 206, AVG HR 144
· To 70 Miles – AP 193, AVG HR 144
· To 80 Miles – AP 207, AVG HR 146
· To 90 Miles – AP 191, AVG HR 142
· To 100 Miles – AP 203, AVG HR 144
· To 110 Miles – AP 188, AVG HR 144
· To 112 Miles – AP 163, AVG HR 139
The last 30 miles were into a strong headwind, I focused on keeping on top of calories and salt and just about everyone seemed to be in survival mode for this section of the ride. I still had power when I needed it and tried to ride even although with all the other riders in close proximity it made this difficult as I had to surge away at times and then drop back to stay legal. I came off the bike knowing I had ridden well and with an even application of effort (other than the times I had to surge to get away from people or drop back after being passed). Although from my numbers is looks like I faded in the last 12 miles I made a conscious decision during this stage of the ride to conserve energy as you can see from my declining power.
The run. I took my time in T2 as you can probably tell ;-). Managed to leave my 310xt on my bike (doh!) and sent a volunteer to go get it while I changed shorts (wore bike shorts for the ride). He came back fast so there was no real delay. I headed out very easy and relaxed although the very first part of the run is uphill which kind of sucks. I settled into a nice rhythm and began my cooling strategy of walking aid stations, using ice, drinking water and popping thermolytes. I ran very even and held my pace around or just under 8’s for the first 6-8 miles. I decided to walk up Palani (very steep long hill) to keep my HR down and was glad I did. The first 10 miles of the run here are the hottest and most humid (it is sheltered so no cooling trade winds) so I was glad to be getting on the Queen K where I knew the trade winds would be blowing and offer some respite from the humidity. I was running with a guy who was very even paced and seemed to be intent on breaking 3:30 as I was. He was great until about mile 15-16 when he started to suffer and I had to leave him, felt bad about this as he had been a perfect run partner. I did not bonk or crack I just progressively faded and slowed in the last half of the run. I know why. I simply lack run miles. My avg weekly mileage over the last three months was, Sept 28miles/week, August 22miles/week, July 26miles/week. Simply not enough to build the durability and resilience necessary to sustain a moderate pace over 26.2 off the back of the ride. Going forward I need to safely be running 40 miles/week for a sustained period of 12-16 weeks. No worries I can make this happen ;-)
Overall I am not unhappy with the outcome. Yes I would have liked to break 10 hours but hey wouldn’t we all ;-). A solid day at the office! I think I in hindsight I could have spent less time walking through the aid stations (they are very long here in Kona), there were times where quite often I would have to ask very clearly where the cola/water/ice were as it was not very clear, this meant a little more time than necessary spent walking. Other than this I ran the entire run with the exception of three or four brief stops to stretch out the early stages of cramp in my left adductor and right hamstring. I think this is actually my best Ironman run ever given the heat and humidity which was extreme on this day. Simply read some of the race reports out there now and you will get an idea how hot it was out there. No-one really ran ‘fast’ bar the off person such as Miranda Carfrae. Even Crowie recorded his slowest run split in his three times racing here.
The run. I took my time in T2 as you can probably tell ;-). Managed to leave my 310xt on my bike (doh!) and sent a volunteer to go get it while I changed shorts (wore bike shorts for the ride). He came back fast so there was no real delay. I headed out very easy and relaxed although the very first part of the run is uphill which kind of sucks. I settled into a nice rhythm and began my cooling strategy of walking aid stations, using ice, drinking water and popping thermolytes. I ran very even and held my pace around or just under 8’s for the first 6-8 miles. I decided to walk up Palani (very steep long hill) to keep my HR down and was glad I did. The first 10 miles of the run here are the hottest and most humid (it is sheltered so no cooling trade winds) so I was glad to be getting on the Queen K where I knew the trade winds would be blowing and offer some respite from the humidity. I was running with a guy who was very even paced and seemed to be intent on breaking 3:30 as I was. He was great until about mile 15-16 when he started to suffer and I had to leave him, felt bad about this as he had been a perfect run partner. I did not bonk or crack I just progressively faded and slowed in the last half of the run. I know why. I simply lack run miles. My avg weekly mileage over the last three months was, Sept 28miles/week, August 22miles/week, July 26miles/week. Simply not enough to build the durability and resilience necessary to sustain a moderate pace over 26.2 off the back of the ride. Going forward I need to safely be running 40 miles/week for a sustained period of 12-16 weeks. No worries I can make this happen ;-)
Overall I am not unhappy with the outcome. Yes I would have liked to break 10 hours but hey wouldn’t we all ;-). A solid day at the office! I think I in hindsight I could have spent less time walking through the aid stations (they are very long here in Kona), there were times where quite often I would have to ask very clearly where the cola/water/ice were as it was not very clear, this meant a little more time than necessary spent walking. Other than this I ran the entire run with the exception of three or four brief stops to stretch out the early stages of cramp in my left adductor and right hamstring. I think this is actually my best Ironman run ever given the heat and humidity which was extreme on this day. Simply read some of the race reports out there now and you will get an idea how hot it was out there. No-one really ran ‘fast’ bar the off person such as Miranda Carfrae. Even Crowie recorded his slowest run split in his three times racing here.
I would like to say a special thank you to my wife Cindy for all of her support during race week and in the weeks and months leading up to the race. I would also like to thank all of my team mates and friends who sent well wishes and words of wisdom to me during race week. I truly felt your positive energy out there on race day. I actually taped a piece of paper to my aero bars with amongst other things ‘team mates’ written on it, this helped keep me focused on the task in hand. I would also like to thank my best friend Ben Garrard who I knew was sharing the experience with me on Ironman live back in the UK as well as Nick Kinsey whose humor and warm nature helped ease my nerves during race week. This list would not be complete without thanking my sponsors, TYR (that Sayonara is quick), blueseventy (the Element goggle is simply perfect for me), GU (whose gels I used exclusively out on the course), nuun, TriSports.com and Veloce Velo.
I am back to reality on Friday, this has been a wonderful three weeks shared with some wonderful people. I am now ready to work my tail off getting Vo2 Performance Center set up and ready for its grand opening on November 1st. I hope you will all join me there for a celebration of multisport and a bright future.
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