Monday, December 5, 2011

Staying True to Yourself in Times of Distraction

At times it can be challenging to maintain training momentum when travel and/or family obligations find their way into your training block.  This seems to be where a lot of athletes succumb to to 'life', and let sporadic training influence what could have been an otherwise great run of fitness changing workouts.  Consistency is, and always will be key.  It has to be year round, and I've had this reinforced for me by having the good fortune of being around some REALLY dedicated athletes.  

A mentor of mine is Blake Boldon, the head Mens/Womens distance coach at the University of Pennsylvania.  Blake isn't too far removed from his days of running professionally for Saucony, and with a little prodding from me, he would often tell me about the repeated daily sacrifices he would have to make in order to make sure he was maximizing his potential.  Often these talks were precluded by me taking some shortcut, or compromising a training session for the sake of convenience.  One thing that really hit home for me was Blake recounting how for several years he would have a 2x run day on Thanksgiving.  Often this was an actual workout in the morning, followed up by 50-60 minute recovery run in the evening.  Blake would tell me how much he hated judiciously picking and choosing what he ate for Thanksgiving dinner, while everyone around them stuffed themselves silly, in order to have a functional stomach for a 60 minute run effort while the rest his family settled in to watch football or nap.  The part of Blake's turkey day strife that is seared into my memory is how empowered Blake said he always felt while finishing that second Thanksgiving day run.  On a day synonymous with over indulgence, Blake could have reasonably taken a rare day off- knowing that just about everyone else would be doing the same.  Instead, Blake would chose to put in effort to make himself a better athlete.

Stay the course, and be inspired by your own will to improve.

Thanks for reading,

jw

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Exercise Testing Part I... VO2max

Earlier this month I underwent some graded exercise testing at Duke University.  The objective was to find my (run) VO2max, lactate threshold, and max heart rate.  VO2max is a measure of aerobic capacity.  Also referred to as maximal oxygen consumption, VO2max is a test of cardiovascular fitness.  In practical terms, your VO2max represents the highest level of 'work' your body can function at for any length of time.  From a well executed VO2max test This is expressed in milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min).  A person's VO2max is found during a graded exercise (in my case, treadmill) test in which exhaled levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide are measured while exercise intensity increases every few minutes until exhaustion.  You may have seen this test depicted before on TV.  A Gatorade commercial comes to mind for me, a person running at near max effort wearing a mask with tubing from a mouthpiece leading to a computer that analyzes the runners expired gases.


The physiologic characteristics that come together to make up a person's VO2max are largely genetic.  Heart size, heart rate, stroke volume (amount of blood pumped with each beat/stroke), muscle fiber composition are some of the more rigid physiological influences of VO2max.  This is not to say that your VO2max can't be increased through training.  Fitness level, muscle capillary/mitochondrial density, and optimal power to body weight ratio (losing excess body fat) are all responses to training that can have a positive impact on your VO2max.  Think of this in terms of exercise efficiency.  As your body adapts and becomes increasingly fit as a response to aerobic training, many of the physiologic characteristics listed above fine tune themselves, making you a more efficient aerobic machine.  This in turn can have a positive impact on your maximal aerobic working capacity (VO2max). 


VO2max is a great indicator of a person's endurance capacity, but not the best indicator of training efficiency or race performance.  (A better indicator of predicted race performance is lactate threshold, which will be discussed in my next post.)  Generally speaking, the more aerobically fit you are, the higher your tested VO2max should be.  That being said, there are documented cases of world class male distance runners with VO2max values hovering around 60 ml/kg/min, and multiple instances of local 10k weekend warriors that have tested in the 75+ mil/kg/min range.  Steve Prefontaine (American distance runner) had a tested VO2max of 84.4 mil/kg/min.  American cyclist Lance Armstrong has tested at 83.8 mil/kg/min.  Norwegian cross country skier Espen Harald Bjerke holds the distinction of having the highest VO2max ever recorded...96.0 mil/kg/min!  If you were wondering, I tested at 70.0 mil/kg/min.  Hardly a Norwegian X-country skier.


Here you can find some age graded VO2max reference norms for men and women.  Check back soon, my next post will deal with lactate threshold/max heart rate values and how they relate to training.  Thanks for reading.


jw

 

 

       

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Chickamaunga Battefield Half Marathon Race Report

This past weekend Leigh and I were lucky enough to spend some time in Chattanooga, Tennessee for a short holiday with several of our incredible friends from our time in Birmingham.  While I guess the official reason for the gathering was to be the Chickamaunga Battlefield half and full marathon, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was a little more excited to catch up with friends than for a cold, hilly foot race.


 
I didn't know much about the CBM, other than that it's supposed to be a really pretty course, and that every year it sells out well in advance.  I was really stoked for a three day weekend and a little vacation with Leigh and friends, but I was still 100% committed to turning out a good effort on race morning.  One thing that I've noticed as I (try) to mature as an athlete is that I have the ability to turn on or off my competitive juices fairly quickly.  I've always thought that the ability to keep a level head is an underrated quality for an endurance athlete to possess.  I try to ride emotional highs and lows without letting nervous energy take over.  Fortunately I can stay pretty relaxed and just sort of roll with the punches leading right up to the start of an event, but without exception- when it's time to toe the line I am ready to fight to the death.


This was definitely my approach at Chickamaunga, keeping things light and loose the day before and even the morning of- but as I stood on the starting line I was thinking about what I needed to do to win.  There were certainly unknowns- I wasn't familiar with the course or any of the half dozen or so fast looking dudes on the start line who I assumed would make up the lead pack after the gun (or cannon).  


I forgot to mention, the race is held on an old Civil War battleground, and let me tell you- they take their Civil War history pretty seriously around here.  There were bearded dudes in navy coats and grey coats milling about complete with muskets and sabers, and the these fine characters started the race for us with a blast from a cannon on wheels that looked like it was from Black Beard's pirate ship!


Right from the gun one guy took off out front, separating himself from me and 4 others within the first 200 meters.  He seemed to be daring anyone to run with him, and I was pretty sure he wasn't going to last long in the lead with the pace he was trying to establish.  I ran the first 2 miles on the rolling trail with the chase group, coming through in 12:15.  This was a little off my goal pace of 6 min/mile, so I picked it up just a touch, and the other guys were content to let me slip off the front of the pack.  That is the way it stayed for the next 40 minutes or so- I trailed the leader by about :30 seconds, with 2 or 3 in the chase group another :45 seconds behind me.  I was still having a hard time believing that the rather 'mature' looking dude in the lead was going to hold his sub 6 min pace for the entire 13.1 miles, but at mile 10 I still hadn't closed the gap.  It was right about mile 10 that I hit a rough patch.  I took in a gel and tried to focus on form and economy, and I slowly dragged myself through a minor come apart, but I lost a few more seconds.  I lost sight of the leader at each curve in the path, and picked him up again at the top of each hill.  At mile 12 there was no one in sight behind me, and he was maybe :50 seconds up the road in front.  I fought like hell to reel him in, but it just wasn't my day. 



I finished 2nd in 1:20:56, and although I was :10 seconds/mile off my goal time, I was fairly pleased with the effort.  I try to treat event as a totally new learning experience, and I definitely took something from this race.  In the future if I find myself near the leaders early in a race- I need to suck it up, hang with them and see what happens.  By making assumptions about what would happen later in the race consciously letting dude get away- I effectively took myself out of the race.  I never gave myself a chance, and that's something I won't let happen again.

Race results can be found here:   http://chattanoogatrackclub.org/raceResults/results/raceResults_239.txt       

Thursday, October 27, 2011

FFTTP (read: An Epic Weekend)

     This past weekend I fell into the good fortune and great opportunity to be a part of Fast Forward Triathlon's fall training camp in rustic White Lake, North Carolina.  Hosted by Pro Alex McDonald and Elite Coach David Williams, this camp was designed as a last big training block before a fall race for some, but for me this weekend represented the start of offseason base building.  Despite my inclusion, this camp brought together some of the southeast's more serious amateur triathletes, and I was stoked to be rubbing elbows with some very skilled and experienced athletes.


     Good friend and training partner Hallie Blunck made her way over from Birmingham, Alabama, and Friday morning we hit the road for White Lake before sunrise, fired up for a hard bike session upon arriving in White Lake.  The first workout of the day did not disappoint, as 15 eager riders set out for a 55 mile cruise through Singletary Lake State park and the surrounding countryside.  The ride was the key workout of the day, and the tempo was jumpy and quick from the start on a crisp fall morning.  With a rotating paceline of strong riders, the group quickly fractured, and by the second hour it became a 4 or 5 person smashfest with a 2 minute pull off the front.  The most fun I've had riding a time trial bike in a long time.  The rest of the day brought a big lunch, a wetsuit legal drill swim in Singletary lake, and a progressive tempo run with a couple of mates to flush the legs.  After a pasta dinner, I crawled into bed at the late hour of 8pm, crushed from the day. My belly was full and my legs were weary, and I was determined to rest hard so that I could hop right back into the mix the next morning.


Our swimming hole for the weekend, Singletary Lake at the start of another great day.

     Saturday brought an early run with drills on a chilly morning, followed by breakfast- and my new favorite thing in the entire world....pancakes garnished with greek yogurt and strawberry jam.  AMAZING, but maybe not suggested for those counting every last breakfast calorie.  Saturday afternoon was reserved for a another bike bike loop and a strong open water swim in White Lake.  My open water swimming skills leave something to be desired, and the two swims at camp were a huge opportunity to work on this weakness.

    After a long run Sunday morning on the fire roads of Singletary State Park forest (and one more big pancake breakfast), I headed home determined to rest and fully absorb this short, planned overreach.  I met some great people and established a few good contacts.  Most important was that I had a ton of fun.  Crashing in a sleeping bag on a bunk at night, wearing myself out each day and gorging on summer camp style meals.  No cell phones or email and showers were at a premium- It was an incredible weekend.  

A big thanks to Alex McDonald of Fast Forward Triathlon, Dave Williams of Triangle Multisport, and Lawrence Garcia of InsideOut Sports for making everything happen!     

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Battle of the Bridges Triathlon- A Family Affair

Earlier this month Leigh and I headed south for visit with our parents, and a little racing in Melbourne, Florida.  As excited as I was to race again, I've gotta say that it was even better to spend a little time with my parents and my in-laws in the sunshine state.  The Health First Battle of the Bridges Triathlon had always been on my radar while I was living in Gainesville, but I never managed to get over to the Atlantic coast for it.  Earlier this summer Leigh decided this race was to be her first crack at an olympic distance tri, and I was immediately stoked for her journey- as well as some flat and fast racing.

Leigh had a great experience, and I'm really proud of her.  Like many triathletes (myself included), running is her first love- but holy smokes can that girl ride a bike!  With rather limited time to train, my wife put together a :30 minute swim, a 1:20 bike split, and a :48 minute run.  She finished in 2:42:26, winning the F25-29 age group.  Did I mention that this was her first Oly tri ever??  My favorite part of the whole day was when I made a left turn on the run course to start the steep trek up the causeway, and I saw Leigh absolutely MASHING down the causeway off ramp to finish the bike.  Down in the drops, teeth gritted, pushing a big gear- an incredible sight to see.  

In case you couldn't quite tell from the tone of this post, I'm a huge fan of my wife- but I really admire anyone who makes the often unnerving decision to step outside themselves to meet a self imposed challenge.  There is nothing more inspiring to me than seeing someone commit to a goal where the outcome is uncertain.  I feel strongly that those are the moments in life that you learn the most about yourself.    


Although Leigh was the star of the day, here's a brief rundown of my experience on race day.  The weather conditions were great on race morning, cool (for central FL) with almost no breeze.  With the swim being held in the Indian river, I was anticipating a calm, fast swim.  I was in a large swim wave, and when the gun went off I fought hard to establish a good position before the first turn in the rectangular swim loop.  Hopping on some feet, I was able to settle into a nice rhythm, and I came out of the water in 6th position.  The 43K bike course was pancake flat- except for the two large causeways that span the Indian River, and give the race it's name.  These bridges were small chain ring climbs for sure.  I was hoping that I'd be able to overtake a few ahead of me on the bike course.  My legs felt great, but I came in off the bike course in the same position I started (6th).  After I rather goofy/slow T2, I was off on the run course to see if I could hunt some dudes down.  The first part of the run course was really pretty, unique looking houses and big oaks along the river.  I was pressing a bit in the first two miles, putting myself out there and hoping to hold off any meltdowns.  Surprisingly, I was rewarded with my aggressive pace out of T2, and I found a pretty good cadence that I was able to hold for the duration of the 10k.  A few of the guys in front of me were paying for their big efforts on the bike, and by the time I crested the Pineda Causeway at mile 5, I had run my way into 2nd place.  That's where I finished- second overall, and somehow I found myself with the days best run split (37:24).

Race results for the Health First Battle of the Bridges Triathlon can be found here:
http://www.racesmith.com/results/2011results/HealthFirstTriathlonOlympic100211ag.html

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Staying the Course

"Keep things simple, train hard, and be consistent with what you do."

Short, sweet, and full of truth.  Pound for pound, the above might be one of the more powerful things I have heard- and its something I repeat to myself often when I am tired, in the middle of a big training block, or otherwise lacking motivation.  As a relatively new endurance athlete, one of the harsher truths I have learned during this journey is that triathlon is a sport that rewards consistency over a period of years.  After a (very) small amount of success racing last season, I figured that my ascension in this sport would incremental and fairly rapid.  I couldn't have been more wrong about that, but I am buoyed by the fact that I have been turned on to the formula for athletic improvement.  It happens to be pretty simple.  

1.  Train hard- positive changes in fitness are triggered by progressively and specifically overloading the body system you hope to improve.

2.  Keep things simple- An athlete who adheres to structured daily efforts will always trump the athlete who compensates for sporadic training with crazy complex/hard, yet inconsistent sessions. 

3.  Be consistent-  This is the most important, yet probably the hardest part of the winning formula to adhere to, yet it's as simple as it sounds.  As I said above- athletic success is rewarded by consistency over a period of years, not weeks.  Be the one who shows up daily, and eventually you will experience the fruits of your labor.

Until next time,

jw

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Lake Logan Olympic Race Report

Well, I'm back- and after a couple of weeks learning to manage training while balancing a few new job related responsibilities, I resolve to pay more attention to this blog thing.  Two weeks ago Leigh and I made the short trip over to Asheville, NC for the Lake Logan International Triathlon on August 6th.  In it's fifth year, this great race draws more than 500 racers and a talented pro field.  After racing poorly three weeks prior in Charlotte, I was jonzing to get back on the start line and have the opportunity to put together a solid race.

The Swim

Race morning in the mountains was a little cooler than what I have been waking up to each morning in Carrboro, and I was stoked for the cool temps.  At 73 degrees, Lake Logan was serving up a rare August wetsuit legal swim.  The open wave was the first to send off, with a deep water start.  With Pro/uber swimmers like John Kenny and Kevin Lisska in the field, I didn't have delusions of swimming off the front of the race.  My plan was to settle into the tail end of whatever breakaway pack formed in the rectangle swim course, and just hang on.  There were 30+ people in the open wave send off, and I was able to do just that.  I found some feet pretty quickly after the chaotic scrum in the first 300 meters.  I stayed on the tail end of a decent paced swim train of four racers, until breaking away and soloing the last 400 meters or so, coming out of the water in approximately 13th position.

The Bike

After some self analysis of past racing so far this season, I was determined to let it all hang out on the bike course at Lake Logan.  I felt as if conservative riding in the past had not left me in any sort of competitive position coming off the bike.  Lake Logan was going to be an experiment in finding my run legs after (attempting to) smash up the bike course.  After a decent T1 I made the 50 second sprint down the gravel road to the mount line- which was kinda weird.  From the transition area you couldn't even down the road and through the trees to the bike course start!  Out onto the course I quickly tried to settle into a rhythm, pushing the biggest gear I could keep at a 80-90 cadence.  Outside of one steep climb in the last few miles, the LL bike course was surprisingly absent of any epic climbing, given the race location.  Rolling hills and winding roads keep things interesting, and I was able to pull back four racers on the ride.  I stuck to the plan of mashing hard and putting myself out there on the bike, and I rolled in with a 59:19 bike split.  I was pretty stoked with the ride, and hoped my legs had something left to give on the run course.

The Run

Coming out of T2 I knew I was somewhere in the hunt for the top 10, but other than that I wasn't sure of who was up the road.  The Lake Logan run course was a pretty simple out and back 10k.  The first three miles are a slow, steady climb out of town at a 2-3% grade, with the back half of the run cruising down the mountain back to the finish.  I felt pretty good in the first mile, keeping the legs turning over and looking around each bend for the guys ahead of me.  Somewhere close to mile two I started dealing with some oblique cramps (body low on salts?) that forced me to back off the pace a little, but by the time I hit the turn around things subsided a little and I was able to refocus on the task at hand.  Although at times I could see two racers up ahead, I could never quite close the gap.  I started the run in 8th position, and that's where I finished, with 38:55 run.  I wasn't too keen on a 38:55 10k, but given the course I guess it was a decent effort.  All in all I finished 8th in the open wave, with a new Oly distance PR of 2:04:35.  Great race venue and great weather, and a great time with friends in beautiful Asheville after- not a bad weekend.     
    

Saturday, July 23, 2011

It's HOT out there!

Here's a quick update as to what I have been up to training wise.  Like just about everyone else in the continental U.S., I have spent considerable energy the past several weeks trying to figure out how to manage training sessions effectively with the summer heat.  In the way of strategy; I have started longer bike efforts earlier in the morning to avoid the hottest part of the day, and moved afternoon recovery rides indoors to the trainer.  At least once a week I am logging a run on a treadmill.  I typically like to tackle swim workouts in the morning, but I have moved a few swims (at Chapel Hill's fantastic Homestead Aquatic Center) to the afternoon.  This has been allowing me to smash a quality ride or run in the morning, and hide from the 112 degree heat index in a lap lane during the hottest part of the day.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina....or at least how it feels on a July afternoon.
       

As an exercise physiology geek, I feel that treadmills and bike trainers are great supplemental tools that can be leaned on sparingly during a training week- but neither can truly provide the specific benefits of an outdoor ride with multiple hilly climbs or the quick turnover of a track session.  I've been looking at daily training decisions with a critical eye, picking my battles with the North Carolina heat wisely.  The potential value of certain workouts can only be reached outside, but there is definitely a point of diminishing returns when working in high heat/high humidity conditions.   

I had a great week in the pool- with right at 15k yards of quality group workouts.  Fast dudes Mark C and James D pushed me hard this week, and I'm glad they tolerated the slow dude in the lane with them.  This was also a bit of a big volume bike week for me, with a little over 10 hours in the saddle from Sunday to today- topped off with the Carrboro P ride this morning.  Tomorrow's long run rolls right into a week of high volume/high intensity, while looking ahead to the Lake Logan Olympic Triathlon on August 6th.

Wishing everyone a healthy, safe week of tackling your goals.

jw

Friday, July 8, 2011

Quick Update

The weekend before last I raced at the Morton Plant Mease Triathlon, a sprint triathlon in Clearwater, Florida.  The MPM triathlon is unique in that it is a sprint race that offers a fairly big prize purse, which in turn attracts a pretty competitive pro/age group field.  Unfortunately mother nature decided on race morning to change the dynamic of this race, so I don't have a full race to report on.

On race morning we were greeted with  cloudy skies and thunderstorms in the distance.  Maybe 35 minutes before the scheduled start the skies opened up, and the rains came down hard.  I wasn't sure how this was going to affect the start, so I continued my pre race routine as normal.  Lightning delayed the start by 45 minutes, and just before the race got underway it was announced that much of the bike course was flooded- forcing the race directors to change MPMT to a swim/run biathlon.  I wasn't too excited about the new 600m swim/ 5k run format, but sometimes you just have to take what the day gives you, and I felt like I was ready to run a fast 5k.

I toed the line at the waters edge with the rest of the 25 man/woman elite field- which also included 30 or so kiddos who are a part of the USAT Elite Athlete development team.    With over 50 of us attempting to make the left turn at the buoy less that 75 feet from the beach, I knew I was going to have to charge the swim with absolutely everything I had- or be swarmed by mob of 13 year old super swimmers.  As it turns out, I was dominated by these guppies.  I had kids swimming over me, under me, and just about right through me.  I thought my size/weight advantage would help me hold my own for a third of a mile- but several several of these kids gave me an adult sized thrashing.  Swim: 7:29....11/19 elite wave.

With a short swim and no bike leg, I blasted up the beach and through T1 holding nothing back.  I was looking to chase a few people down and absolutely redline the effort for 5k.  The run course was on the sand and had 3 complete 180 degree turns, (certainly not set up for PR's) but the course did give you several looks at who was up ahead, and what it would take to catch them.  There were several places where I had to pick my line to avoid the softest sand, but I felt like I was running so hard I was going to bleed from the ears.  I crossed the finish line in 9th place, out of the prize money but somewhat pleased with 5:54/mile on the beach.  With a shortened race, only 67 seconds separated the 3rd place dude and me (9th).  Who knows- maybe if we had been able to keep the bike leg I might have been able to chase down a few more of those up ahead?  Maybe next year.  Run: 18:21....8/19 elite wave.   

Thursday, June 23, 2011

A closer look at static stretching

An accomplished triathlete and good friend of mine asked me recently about the proper placement of stretches within his weekly workout cycle.  That got me thinking, and this post was born out of my answer to him.  It is a generally accepted principle that regardless of your status as an athlete, stretching proves to be beneficial.  There are plenty of different methods to apply a stretch to tissue in need- what seems to be the best practice for endurance athletes?
One theory that is enjoying increased clarity from the findings of current research is that static stretching prior to activity can be detrimental to endurance athletes.  Static stretching can be described many ways, but for my purposes I will define it here as holding a single isolated stretch for greater than 10 seconds. Performing targeted static stretches prior to placing demands on stretched muscles compromises the muscles ability to produce power.  One of the proposed mechanisms for the observed loss in power is that long static stretches pull apart neighboring fast twitch muscle fibers.  This unbinding of muscle fibers at the cellular level hampers their short term contractile ability.  I feel like this is something that sprinters have innately known to be true for years- well before there was research to back the theory.  You would be hard pressed to find a sprinter or power track & field athlete performing long, slow, static stretching before an event. 
Let me stress that the negative effects associated with static stretching are found when static stretching is performed pre exercise.  I haven't found much in the way of credible literature that reports negative effects of post exercise static stretching.  One method that I have put into practice is called active isolated stretching, also known as the Mattes Method.  Hold a regional stretch for 3-5 seconds, release, and repeat 5-6 times.  This allows for approximately 30 seconds of stretch on targeted muscle/tissue, and the short stretch/release cycle allows for blood flow back into stretched tissues.  This is important because a prolonged stretch creates a ischemic environment in the targeted muscle, and the stretch/release cycle allows accumulated toxins to be flushed out with each release.
To learn more about active isolated stretching, please visit:  http://www.stretchingusa.com/
To read more about static stretching and it's negative effects on endurance performance, please visit Sweat Science, an excellent resource for athletes of all types. http://sweatscience.com/

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Too Much vs. Too Little

After racing just three times in the first three months of the triathlon season, Coach Derick and I have decided its time for a few tweaks to the race season plan.  After a big two week training block that kicked off this past weekend, its time to jump in several races and just let it fly.  Admittedly, I haven't produced any acceptable results in the early going- so now I am going to experiment with some aggressive, more frequent racing.   

Figuring out the right dosage of competition vs training is something that every endurance athlete deals with, and the appropriate answer is often highly dependent on the individual.  It's easy to overdo things with the increasing popularity and explosive annual growth of available races in the U.S.  From March to November, almost every weekend gives you the opportunity to be a rock star- and that is exactly what some overeager triathletes try to do.  Racing is a great way to reach a training stimulus you can't quite replicate on a midweek run, but there does come a point of diminishing returns.  An athlete that races too often risks interfering with the recovery from each race effort.  Sometimes during the cycles of progressive overload that training and competing bring, you have to rest as hard as you race.  Additionally, an athlete that jumps in races two weekends out of every four probably doesn't get to apply appropriate blocks of beneficial training between races.  If you are always in constant flux of recovering from last week's race while trying to apply a taper for this weeks big event, when does the work get done?


Racing too little can prove to be detrimental as well.  As mentioned above, a properly timed race provides an intensity and training effect that you just can't replicate during a normal training week.  An early season race can be a great indicator of current fitness during a build towards an 'A' race, while giving you a chance to work on the sometimes overlooked technical aspects of triathlon- fueling, transitions, etc.  Shorter events can be a great way to integrate bouts of faster than race pace speed into a training block.     


The second half of 2011 will have me racing 7-8 times as it mapped out now, starting with the Morton Plan Mease sprint triathlon down in Clearwater, Florida. 


The MPM sprint is a popular race on the Gulf Coast, drawing 1,000+ athletes while offering a small elite field and a prize purse.  I am really looking forward to seeing my parents on this trip, an added bonus is that I'll get to spend several days riding on familiar country roads and getting some yardage in at the local 50 meter pool.  A couple of July events will be decided upon in the next few days, check back to the race calendar after the weekend and I should have everything updated.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Rock n' Rollman Race Report

If you are not one of the two or three people worldwide that have ever visited my blog, or follow my tweets, you probably aren’t aware that I raced this past weekend in Macon, Georgia.  I will try and fill you in, although I am probably squashing all of the building anticipation prematurely by admitting right here that it was another mediocre performance.
The Swim
The 1.2 mile swim was a one loop affair in Lake Tobesofkee, one big rectangle in the bath-like 86 water.  I had managed to get myself in the Open/Elite starting wave, which was first to go off on Saturday morning.  There were nine of us in the Open, and my tactical plan for the swim was to swim a controlled first 100m and hopefully find myself in 3rd or 4th position coming around the first turn.  In a nine man Open field in a regional race like this, I figured there would be at least one unreachable uber swimmer off the front, and a couple of guys getting dropped off the back pretty quickly.  I guessed right, and 400m in, there were two dudes way off the front, five of us (me included) working hard but losing ground in the middle, and two more dudes way back.  I fould Clermont, FL resident pro triathlete Simon Malo about 200m into the swim, and immediately latched onto his feet, where I stayed until the last 200-300m of the swim.  Simon swam pretty consistent, and he took great lines to each bouy, and I thought I was sitting pretty.  I came out of the water in 31:15, which I was kind of surprised- and disappointed with.  Although that is my fastest non-wetsuit swim so far, I was expecting better, and my perceived effort level in the water told me I was going a little harder than 31:00.  I guess next time I need to find a faster dude to draft off of!
The Bike
The Coliseum Rock n’ Rollman website describes the bike course as ‘rolling,’ and ‘not the most difficult course around, but certainly not the easiest.’  False advertising.  Living in Birmingham for a few years, and now in Chapel Hill, will go along way to remove any fear of hills.  Besides- just how mountainous could southeastern Georgia be?  Well, I can say that this was the most challenging bike course I have raced on.  Not really techincal in any way, just lots of long, gradual climbing.  I worked hard and spent much more time grinding up out of the saddle than I thought would be needed.  Coming out of the water in 7th position, I was alone for almost the entire ride.  There were two or three age group guys that passed me early on, and I just let them go, with thoughts of catching lots of over extended bikers on the hot run.  I tried to put together a consistent, hard effort, and I overtook one Open athlete late on the bike course.  All in all though, it was an unremarkable 2:34 bike split.
The Run
This is where I was hoping my race would be defined.  Coach Derick had advised me earlier in the week that hot races like this would be “races of attrition.”  As I was coming out of T2, Leigh shouted that I was currently running in 9th position (she is incredible, sooo supportive).  I was pretty confident that there were going to be some meltdowns on the steamy run course ahead of me, as some of the big riders found that they had to pay the piper for their fast bike splits.  As it got close to 11am the temperature was climbing past 90, and I went to work establishing a steady pace to try and reel in some racers.  The majority of my previous experiences racing the 70.3 distance have ended with me fading hard on hot run courses, so avoiding my own meltdown was front and center in my mind.  I clicked off the first four miles in 29:00, taking in fluids trying to settle into a rhythm.  It was pretty strung out at the front of the race, and I found myself alone for most of 13.1 miles.  I was able to catch three guys in the second half of the run, but these were all due to other athletes losing their battles with the course and the heat, and certainly not due to the pace I was setting.  I ended up running 1:38, and after discussing the run with Coach D, (and some post race self reflection) I ultimately was too conservative out on the run course.  I was running scared- waiting for the meltdown that I never came on Saturday.  Had I just put it all out there, could I have run into the top 5?  Perhaps, but 11th overall was where I ended up after all the dust had settled, 5th out of 9 guys in the Open/Elite division.
Congratulations to all 200 or so athletes who competed- it was a very challenging day in steamy Macon, Georgia.  A big THANK YOU to my family- my wonderful wife Leigh and my parents, the best support team I could ask for.  Thanks also to Coach Derick of DURATA TRAINING, for helping me disect this race and giving me the tools to fair better at the next one.  Lastly, thanks to Brooks Running for putting me in those sweet orange and blue ST 5 Racers….Go Gators!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Coliseum Rock N' Rollman Race Week Thoughts

It’s Colesium Rock N’ Rollman race week, and I am taking all of the necessary steps to be rested and ready for the physical trials Saturday morning will bring.  Rock N’ Rollman is a ½ Iron distance triathlon in it’s 8th year in Macon, Georgia.  RN’R features an elite field and a pro prize purse, and roughly 800 athletes are expected to race on Saturday. http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_detail&eventID=1746 
This week I am tapering, and so naturally, all the facets of the taper have been my mind quite a bit.  Fitness can be undermined and great blocks of training can be sabotaged by too much, or to the same extent- too little training activity in the days leading up to an event.  Being a wannabe triathlete/weekend warrior for a few years now, I have heard LOTS of opinions on the best approach to race week preparation- some of them make physiological sense, while others sound more like unfounded superstition than proven methodology.  Tapering implies a reduction in training leading up to an event, but one thing is for sure- applying a taper does not mean sitting on your rear for several days to ‘rest up’ for your event! 

The degree to which an athlete integrates a taper can be dependent on several factors, below are a few:
·         The current fitness of the athlete- an athlete with high loads of recent training volume is likely to employ a lesser taper than an athlete training to finish his first race at a certain distance.
·         The importance/weight placed on the upcoming race- is this an ‘A’ race the athlete is hoping to peak for, or is the race going to be used as a training stimulus or gauge of current fitness?
For my present goals this includes a gradual reduction in training volume over the preceding 6-7 days, achieved through shortening the scope/duration of some staple workouts, while integrating a couple of rare days totally off from training.  This week I’ve careful to try and preserve what little speed I have with a couple of short, hard efforts in the pool, on the bike, and on foot.  I feel like I have put together a great block of training since May 14th, and now I am focusing on taking care of the ancillary details of race week- finding the perfect balance of training effort, rest, nutrition, and hydration.  All signs are pointing towards having the fitness to put together a balanced race, so lets see what happens on race day.   
Although we enjoyed some mild, late-spring temperatures well into May here in North Carolina, summer is definitely now here in the southeast, and mother nature is making her presence known with record or near record high temps from Austin to Orlando.   This weekend’s race is in Macon, Georgia- and the forecast high of 100 will surely play a role in the outcome for most of the participating athletes.  The Exercise Physiology gurus at Durata Training recently put posted several excellent strategies for training and racing in the heat, which you can find at the link below. 

Friday, May 27, 2011

Two Part Post- Blazeman & a Quick Training Update

A short post covering two things- acknowledgement of the four year anniversary of the passing of Jon “Blazeman” Blais, and a much more insignificant rundown of the past few weeks of training.  I realize it has been too long since my last post, and a shout out to Blazeman and the War on ALS was just the thing I needed to get me back into blog mode.
Part I
Blazeman

If you are unfamiliar with his story, Jon Blais was a special education teacher and lifelong triathlete who completed Ironman Hawaii in 2005, five months after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  More commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a neurodegenerative disease caused by progressive breakdown of neurons in the spinal cord.  There is no cure for this fatal disease, and life expectancy is typically less than five years post diagnosis.
Jon Blais was said to have always lived life to the fullest, and to me the proof of this is evident in his completion of the most grueling single day endurance test on the planet- Ironman Hawaii.  Jon’s battle with ALS, as well as his courageous outlook on life were brought to the world’s attention by NBC’s coverage of the 2005 Ironman Hawaii.  Fighting from start to finish, this was Jon’s first attempt at Ironman, which he finished by log-rolling across the finish line after more than 16 hours of racing in the windy lava fields of Kona.  Today, hundreds of triathletes honor Jon and the War on ALS by finishing races in the same style; log-rolling across the finish line in races around the world.  To date, Blazeman is the only person ever to have finished an Ironman after being diagnosed with ALS.  Jon Blais passed away on May 27, 2007, but his legacy lives on.  To learn more about what you can do to help defeat ALS, please visit the Blazeman Foundation for ALS at   http://www.waronals.com/index.php

Part II
After a couple of days of total rest following the Gulf Coast Triathlon, Coach D and I slowly took back to light training, trying to shake this bug I had come down with while also trying to preserve fitness.  The past two weeks has been a big block of training that has seen its shares of highs and lows.  Some great high volume/intensity weekend sessions have been tempered by some less than stellar run workouts as I try super hard to acclimate to this North Carolina heat that has settled in over the last week or so.  Two more high quality sessions remain Saturday and Sunday before beginning a taper for the Coliseum Rock n’ Rollman on June 4th.  I am pressing on in search of a balanced 1/2 race performance from start to finish, and I am feeling as if June 4th is going to provide the opportunity.  Stay tuned for a piece on ergogenic aids, and a Brooks shoe review.  http://www.brooksrunning.com/

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Gulf Coast 1/2 Iron Race Report

This past weekend was my early season ‘A’ race- the Gulf Coast ½ Iron Distance Triathlon.  The stage was set for this race to be significant for me in many ways; from the size of the participant field, the presence of professional racers, and the relatively large financial/time cost of participating in an event four states away.  All of the training completed from December 2010 until now had in some way or another been designed and executed with this event in mind.  Unfortunately I am here to report that it did not go as I hoped it would have.  There were a few small positives that I was able to take from the race effort, but all in all, this was a disappointment. 
The Swim-
We woke up Saturday morning to a very calm Gulf of Mexico.  The almost glass-like ocean conditions were a departure from the the previous couple of days, where the gulf wind had been churning up some longboardable surf.  The water temperature on race morning was comfortable 75F, making this a wetsuit legal swim.  Mine was the first male wave to go off, and I stood at waters edge sizing up the other athletes, trying to position myself on sight alone next to who I guessed to be the faster swimmers in this anonymous crowd.  The gun went off and I attacked the water like it was 100m sprint.  After 4 or 5 dolphin dives and a very hard 50 or so meters, I found myself at the front of the pack, with one athlete just a few feet ahead.  I worked hard to bridge the gap and make contact, knowing that I would be rewarded with a draft to tuck into.  This worked- temporarily.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that this dude was superior swimmer, and for the first 2/3 of this 1.2 mile swim I battled to stay on the guys feet.  It was a repeating pattern of me gradually falling off of the pace he was setting, and surging to pull back into his draft.  Not an ideal swim strategy, but I was pretty satisfied with the end result, as this guy forced me out of my comfort zone, and paced me to a ½ iron swim PR- 29:31.
The Bike-
After a LONG run across the beach, up the boardwalk, through a hotel breezeway, and (finally) through the hotel parking lot, I put together a decent transition.  The first 5 miles of the bike course run parallel to the beach, and were fairly uneventful.  I spent the first few miles waking up the legs with a high cadence, taking in a few calories, and reminding myself not to get too excited in the early miles of the bike.  Coach Williamson has said that he considers me a “second half” racer, so my intention for the first 30 minutes of this 56 mile bike split was to kept the effort level hard yet controlled.  Whether it’s a training ride or a race, I generally don’t feel like I am firing on all cylinders until 30-40 minutes into the ride, so I didn’t put too much stock into the lack of snap my legs were showing early on.  The Gulf Coast  Tri course is flat and fast throughout, and I could see one age group male just a couple of minutes up the road.  Eventually I caught the guy, and we spent the middle hour of the ride repeatedly overtaking one another.  After about 75 minutes on the bike, I was coming to terms with the fact that I was feeling sub par.  My legs felt heavy- despite the fact if anything I was over rested.  Each time I tried to reach a little deeper to separate myself from this other guy, I just wasn’t able.  I was feeling pretty flat, and I was forced to spin an easier gear than was normal.  I kept grinding on, hoping that this malaise was limited to the bike, and I could still put together a great run.  My wave had started the race immediately after the last female wave had gone off, and by the end of the bike I had made it through almost all of the female riders, although the dude I had been battling on the bike gradually pulled away from me over the last 20 minutes.  I cruised in at 2:26:42, disappointed with the performance, but determined to execute a fast T2 and put in some quality early miles on the run course.
The Run-
Out onto the run, I didn’t feel too bad at first.  Buoyed on by cheering spectators and a fresh pair of Brooks ST4 Racers, I felt like a solid run split was in the cards.  The first mile went by conservatively in 6:49, which was the plan.  What wasn’t in the plan however, was my inability to pick up the pace any further.  The lifeless legs that had plagued me on the bike had followed me out onto the run.  This wasn’t a case of a bonk or a lack of fitness- I just had no snap, no kick, or any spring in my legs.  My body only seemed able to sustain an aerobic effort, and I slogged out an anti-climactic run in 1:40.  Running the ½ marathon at 7:38/mile pace was definitely not my plan, and I gave up several spots on the run course.  When the dust settled, I ended up the 25th overall amateur male, out of 527 dude racers.

Recap-
Although I gave just about all I had to give on Saturday, this was certainly a forgettable race performance for me.  I had much loftier (if only marginally realistic) expectations of a top 5 finish.  My fitness and the workouts I had been turning in during the preceding weeks certainly lead me to believe that a 4:20 finish was within the realm of possibility.  Sometimes, a big part of executing a great race is arriving at the starting line healthy and in one piece.  I came down with a pretty severe cold the Saturday before the race, and this had a huge impact on my taper going into race week.  Tried as I might to will the unwanted sickness away with extra sleep and the power of positive thinking, the lingering effects were apparently still with me on race day.  In fact, the race itself was sufficient physical stress to bring back my body ache and chest congestion in full force the day after the race.  Although I prefer to avoid anti-biotics and treat these things holistically, enough is enough, and tomorrow it is off to the doctor for me. 
I thought long and hard about even mentioning being sick in this race report, because I don’t want it to be viewed as making excuses for a poor performance.  I can’t stand it when I hear people reaching for reasons (read: excuses) as to why they fell short on race day.  I love reading stories about pros who race and win despite an illness, a broken hand, a recent wreck, etc.  That kind of stuff is heroic, and demonstrates a rare ability to block out any and all distractions, and rise to the occasion on race day.  A couple weeks ago at Beaverdam while standing at the finishline, a very fit looking dude I overtook on the run told me more than I wanted to know about his ill fitting orthotics, his GI problems on the course, and the mono he had back in 2009- no shit.  To me, that’s not ever how a winner acts, and I refuse to make excuses about my race this weekend.  Some days are better than others, and I fought hard for that 4:40:42 finish.  I can take comfort in knowing that I never succommed to quitting on the race, and there is always another opportunity on the horizon.  For me, this next opportunity will come June 4th at the Colesium Rock N’ Rollman ½ Iron Tri in Macon, Georgia. 
Thanks to Brooks Running, Coach Derick at Durata Training, and to Leigh for all the support!              

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Inspiration Has Many Forms

Occasionally I catch myself getting wrapped up in negative thoughts about my lack of run speed, or the current state of my training (some days the list is longer than others).  Usually this is triggered by poor results in a workout, or a training session with far superior runners/triathletes.  I try not to allow for these pity parties to last too long, and I have a particular method for snapping out of a spell of feeling sorry for myself.
 When I find myself wishing that I had just a little more natural ability, I think about people like Amy McDonaugh.  This past weekend, Amy raced and won the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio.  She  bested all 4,295 female competitors with a smoking fast 2:58:14.  Amy McDonaugh’s accomplishment is impressive enough, without ever mentioning the fact that she is legally blind 
Hearing about stories like Amy’s are incredibly motivating for me.  How could I ever waste any time feeling sorry for myself when there are incredible athletes like Amy who are pushing athletic boundaries, and living life to the fullest despite coping with what some would view as a considerable physical disability?  There are thousands of athletes who wake up every morning and chose to move, compete, and celebrate life with the hand that they were dealt.    This is more inspiring to me than any record holder or world champion.  Keep on racing Amy, your tenacity inspires us all.
To read about Amy’s win in Cincinnati, check out this link-- http://goo.gl/5ObVF 

To find out more about incredible athletes like Amy who come from all walks of life, please check out the Challenged Athletes Foundation at-- http://goo.gl/mpu5W

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Michael Pollan's 7 Rules for Eating

One of the things that I am slowly coming to realize is that if an athlete wants to compete at the highest level, the athlete's nutritional habits must reflect much of the same planning and execution that is applied to actual training.  Many endurance athletes mistakenly think that because such a high volume of calories are burned during training and racing, that it gives them license to eat whatever they want- all the time.  Sure, runners and triathletes expend more calories than the average couch wrangler- so the occasional extra calories from a coffee shop pastry probably won't push anyone too far down the path to obesity.  Where I feel that some endurance athletes go wrong is when workouts are used as justification for indulging in foods with no redeeming nutritional value.  You know what I'm talking about: "Oh, its cool- I had a crazy 3 hour ride this morning, so I can afford to have a 5th slice of mega meat extra cheese pizza and another Mountain Dew."


I am by no means an authority on nutrition, but I like to read the works of those who are.  So I thought that I would share Michael Pollan's 7 Rules for eating.  These 'rules' can serve as appropriate guidelines for much of America, while allowing for individual nutritional needs/influences. Mr. Pollan is an author and professor at the University of California, Berkley.  His literary contributions include the Botany of Desire (2001), The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006), In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (2008), and Food Rules: An Eater's Manual (2009).


7 Rules for Eating; As recommended by Michael Pollan


1. Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.  "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing in there?"


2. Don't eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients that you can't pronounce.


3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop the perimeter of the store.  Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh food when it goes bad.


4. Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot.  "There are always exceptions -honey- but as rule, things like twinkies that never go bad aren't food."


5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat.  "Always leave the table a little bit hungry.  Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full.  In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.""


6. Families traditionally ate together, around the table and not at a TV, at regular meal times.  It's a good tradition.  Enjoy meals with people you love.


7. Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline.  In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.     

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Beaverdam Race Report....A mixed bag

I feel like I have to start out this race report by acknowledging the weather yesterday- absolutely crazy!  By far the most adverse weather conditions I have ever had to cope with while racing.  But of much greater importance than any insignificant race- more than a dozen people in North Carolina were killed in the storms that swept through the state on Saturday, and I certainly have been thinking about the damage that was done and the lives that were lost.  
I am not building up the external conditions as an excuse for a sub par performance in this race report.  Far from it, as I actually feel like I managed the conditions fairly well, but the weather definitely played a role in the race for a lot of people yesterday, but more on that later.  
Beaverdam was the start of my 2011 triathlon campaign, hopefully marking the beginning of a summer filled with  personal triumphs and continued growth as a pseudo-athlete.  I had a short list (2) of goals for the day going into this olympic distance race, but as I write this I guess I can say that I didn’t accomplish either one of them.  Earlier this winter when I was mapping out the upcoming race season, Coach Williamson and I decided that the Beaverdam race in mid April would be an excellent place to test my early season fitness.  The primary goal of this race would be to get a baseline gauge of olympic distance swim/bike/run splits while mixing it up with some of the good local competition.  Although I feel like I put forth a solid effort, giving all I had to give on the day, the strong winds and wet course didn’t really allow for me to get an accurate snapshot of my 1.5k/40k/10k fitness.  My secondary goal for the day was to win.  Not to ruin the suspense, but I didn’t do that either.  Actually not even close.
On to the actual race.  I was stoked for the swim, while dreading it at the same time leading up to the starting gun yesterday.  I was pretty fired up to actually swim hard for 1500m, because I have been working really hard on my swimming this winter.  I realized last fall that if I ever want to make it anywhere in this sport, I needed to make improving my swim stroke a priority.  It feels like it has been a long winter/spring of waking up hours before the sun, flogging myself repeatedly in group workouts with much more aquatically gifted athletes.  Anyway, so I was ready to RACE this swim- but I was not so excited that the lake on race morning was measured at 61 degrees!  I’m from Florida, I’m used to floating in the Gulf of Mexico like it is a warm bath- 61 is nuts!  Well, I had a rotten swim- and it didn’t have anything to do with the water temp.  I somehow missed out on connecting with the lead pack in the first 400m, and after that I just couldn’t seem to find a rhythm.  I couldn’t hold a straight line, sighted way too often, and spent pretty much the whole swim trying ineffectively to reconnect with the lead pack of 3.   
After a sluggish T1, I was off on the bike to hopefully chase down a few of the fast swimmers.  The wind from the looming squall line had been picking up all morning, and it had a pretty big impact on the bike course for all the competitors yesterday.  Ask any cyclist and they will tell you that there is something very ungratifying about putting massive effort into the pedals only to crawl along on a windy day, which at times felt like exactly what we were doing out on the bike course.  There were several racers that had a hard time with bike handling in the windy conditions, and I actually saw one poor dude with  a disc wheel get blown right off the road into a ditch!  Thankfully I was able to avoid any catastrophies on the slick, blown out course.  Coach D has had me riding lots of big miles to prep for some upcoming longer races, so I felt pretty confident that I could mash pretty hard and still have some legs for the run.  After pressing hard on the bike and a much cleaner T2, I had picked up 3 spots heading out on the rolling, 2 loop run course.
The run was solid but fairly uneventful except for the rain, which started and stopped a few times while I was out on the course.  Being a winding, two loop afair, I had several chances to see how much of a time advantage those ahead of me had.  I fought hard with the eventual 5th place finisher, overtaking each other several times before he faded at mile 4.  I tried hard to reel in some other peeps on the run, but to no avail.  I started the run in 4th place, and that’s where I finished it, coming home with a 38:08 run split.
All in all, I am satisfied (if not pleased) with my efforts yesterday.  It was a tough day to race, but I didn’t give in to myself or the conditions.  I am coming away from this event keenly aware of some things I need to work on, and I was eager to get back to work today.  The Gulf Coast ½ Iron Triathlon is 20 days from today, and I will need to put forth a stronger effort across the board.  Congratulations to everyone who raced at the Inside-Out Sports Olympic at Beaverdam, it was an experience I won’t soon forget.  A huge thank you to all the race volunteers, as well as the FS Series Race Production crew- who put on another great event and managed to keep all the athletes safe.  Another big thanks Brooks Running, Durata Training, and my wife Leigh.  Without you guys I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do this stuff.
Thanks for reading….