Rev3 South Carolina

Last weekend Leigh and I headed south for the second edition of Rev3's half iron distance race in Anderson, SC.  I've quickly become a fan of the Rev3 race series, (and this race in particular) which finished off my 2011 triathlon season.  Rev3 South Carolina carried a little extra incentive, though.  The quantity of the pro prize purse and the quality of the field meant that the top three age groupers would earn professional cards.

Not to crush the hopes of anyone dreaming of another long, drawn out race report from me- but I'll go ahead and provide the spoiler that it wasn't in the cards for me at Anderson.  I finished 8th overall in the amateur field, and I wasn't really in contention for a top three finish after I turned in two sluggish 6:35/min miles to start the run.  No excuses or explanations, just not a great performance.  The amatuer field was very competitive at the top, several dudes like myself with pro-card motivation were on the start line.  One highlight from the race was that I made and hung on to the front swim pack for my wave- a definite first.  I finished with the 4th best swim split on the day- which I'm still stoked about 48 hours later!  Sometimes you have to hang on to small victories....

I'll leave you with some race pictures courtesy of top notch iphone Photog and Super Wife Leigh.  Rev3 Florida is 12 days away, one more crack at this triathlon thing in 2012.

Thanks for reading,

jw

Race Results

Summertime and the living is easy....

It's been an interesting couple of months.  At my last check in, I was lulling you to sleep with a race report about another mediocre performace from the Triangle Triathlon.  I won't say that I've had a "busy" couple of months, because who hasn't?  I'm always amused when someone feels it's necessary to share with me at great length just how busy/hectic/important their lives are- squandering their hard to come by time in the process.  I usually squash the urge to say "Dude- everyone is busy, most much more so than you or I."

That being said, I've been lucky and unlucky enough to have experienced a few personally significant 'life events' since my last post.  I figured I would take some time out of my not so busy Saturday to share them.

P-Ride bike crash

This sucked.  I don't have a more eloquent or colorfully descriptive way of summing up the situation.  Most major cycling communities have something like Carrboro's P-ride, where the local Cat 1-2-3 riders flog themselves trying to drop one another every weekend that they aren't racing.  The Saturday after the Triangle Tri I got out the road bike and set out to mix it up with the roadies.  Occasionally Coach Dave will prescribe the P-ride as a bike workout for me, the context usually being: "stay near the front, take pulls, and hang on." 

To make a lame story shorter, roughly half way through the ride I was working hard to bridge a gap to the lead group of 4 riders, and I hit a small pothole that sent my front wheel sideways.  I went down hard, but THANKFULLY, I didn't take anyone down with me.  A few of the dudes where nice enough to stop and help get me back on my feet.   After some tinkering to get to where I could at least ride it back home, I soft pedaled on in, grass stained, a little bloodied, and feeling really sheepish.  Admittedly I'm not a tough dude at all when it comes to physical discomfort.  A mild cold will have me convinced that I'm dying, and I get woozy at the sight of needles.  However, the fallout from this wipe out was pretty legit.  Chest X-rays were negative, but my doctor diagnosed me with a torn intercostal muscle on my right side. 

I was forced to take four full days off, before graduating to a week of meager rides on the indoor trainer.  It was three weeks before I could swim pain free (but to be perfectly honest I enjoyed the short rest from the pool).  All that is done and over with now, I'm back at it- and hopefully I've fulfilled my bike crash quota for loooong time.   

The Big Move

Leigh and I relocated to Carrboro, NC last year from Birmingham and are loving every minute of it.  Great progressive community that's also a college town, with miles and miles of bike lanes.  Our big move a couple of weeks ago was actually just 0.72 miles down the road to an old renovated mill house, but it was a move none the less- complete with moving trucks, cardboard boxes, scrubbed cabinets and strained backs.  I'm choosing to mention it here because it seems like a major event, and my Mom makes up probably 50% of the people who check this blog on normal basis- hi Mom!

From Duke to UNC

Probably the biggest thing on my plate has been leaving my research position at Duke to take a job with UNC Hospitals.  In this new role I'll be the working as the Performance Center Coordinator for the UNC Wellness Center.  I'll have a hand in working with both athletes and the occasional clinical rehab patient.  For those interested: VO2, lactate threshold testing, run gate analysis are all within the scope of what we do at the UNC Wellness Center.  I'm definitely stoked about this move from a professional standpoint, but the endurance athlete junkie in me is equally excited.  Now I head to work each day with resources like treadmills, an indoor pool, and a computrainer at my fingertips.  This job change has definitely streamlined my life in general, and helped me to find time/balance between work and training.

 
Thanks for checking in.  Next up is the White Lake Olympic on September 8th, before going all in for the Rev3 South Carolina & Rev3 Florida 70.3's in October.

jw

2012 Triangle Triathlon

Earlier this month I raced in the Set Up Events Triangle Triathlon, part of the IOS North Carolina Triathlon Series.  I think I may just now starting to shed my 'new guy' status in the Piedmont, but I've learned from the locals that the Triangle Tri is one of 2-3 can't miss events if you live in North Carolina.  I'm usually not too keen on sprint races, feeling that the travel and race day prep should never exceed the actual time spent racing an event.  Hearing so many great things about the Triangle Tri, I decided to temporarily squash my sprint tri snobbery and have a crack at it- and I'm glad I did!

The Triangle Tri is a 'big' local event with 600+ racers, but pre-race logistics went smoothly- as they always do with Set Up Events races.  This year I've been experimenting with different pre-race warm ups, ranging from well, nothing, to a 20 minute shake ride and a 10 minute run with some pickups before hopping in the water.  Generally speaking, as race length increases the amount of time/energy I reserve for warming up decreases inversely.  The race morning energy surrounding the transition area at any race site is HUGE, like a human bee hive with racers nervously moving in every direction.  You could really start to question your own pre-race routine if you paid too much attention to the gobs of shaved, permanent markered, aerodynamic people running/riding/stretching/fretting all around you.  Something intuitively told me to skip the shake out ride/run, and just focus on staying hydrated.  On what was a crazy humid morning I headed down to the swim start to see if I could find my swim stroke.  

Starting with roughly 15 other racers in the Open/Elite wave, I fought like hell to make the lead swim pack.  The 'lead' pack was actually chasing first year pro Doug Van Wie, who came out of the 750m swim with a 2:00 lead.  I didn't quite latch on to the lead pack of 4, and ended up working side by side with two other dudes who set good pace despite the fast fish pulling away up ahead.

Frustrated with my swim, I pressed hard on the trek from lake into T1, and I was able to pass a few dudes while getting out onto the bike course in decent time.  The rolling 17.5 mile bike course was visually stimulating, if otherwise uneventful.  I pulled back one spot early on, then was entirely on my own for the next 30 minutes.  Somewhere around mile 15 TMS-IOS founder Cid Cardoso Jr flew by me like I was standing still.  This snapped my head back into the race, and I turned myself inside out for the last few minutes of the ride trying to keep Cid from completely disappearing up the road.

Coming out onto the run course I could see that there were two TMS-IOS red/black race kits shortly up the road.  This stoked me to see that TMS-IOS was all over the front of this race, and also because I was hoping to have some run company.  One good thing about being such a medium cyclist is that it always leaves you with plenty of dudes to try and catch on the run.  The 5k run course was fun, with all but the first 1/2 mile on the trails/fire roads of Harris County Park.  I felt like I was holding strong form out on course, pulling back a couple spots, but I ran out of run course before I could reach anyone else who may have been faltering, or before I was caught from behind by any fast runner dudes.  All in all a fun day, finishing 7th overall, as the 5th amateur.  Big congratulations to Doug Van Wie who lead the race from start to finish, and to the TMS-IOS Triathlon Team, who had four athletes in the top 10 spots.

Race results can be found HERE.                          

Rev3 Quassy Race Report

Last weekend I traveled to Middlebury, Connecticut to have a crack at Rev3 Quassy.  Everything about this 70.3 distance race is big.  The race itself is big, with 1000+ racers.  The pro field is stacked, with at least 10 top tier pros on each side, included the women's reigning IM World Champion. The professional prize purse is one of the biggest in the sport.  The race course itself?  Super duper big.  More elevation change than I can fit in this blog post.  Committing to race at Quassy was a bit of a big deal in itself.  I wanted to put myself out there to try racing on more of a national level this year, and Quassy fit the bill based on the logistics and anticipated competition.  I've always heard that Rev3 races are quality events that attract great competition- and I wasn't definitely wasn't disappointed on race day.

Everything went smoothly in the days leading up to the race.  I redoubled my efforts to eat clean and get quality sleep.  It seemed like every decision I made all week was weighed with its potential impact on race performance in mind.  With Sunday being race day, we broke up the 10.5 hour drive over two days, stopping Friday night in Annapolis, MD for an overdue visit with good friends.  Saturday we were up early and tackled a short but rather interesting drive through New Jersey/New York- Leigh's Honda Fit wasn't to keen on the NJ Turnpike potholes, but we survived.  We pulled into the race venue at Lake Quassapaug a little before lunch, and bike check/packet pick up were a breeze.  

Coach Dave had me type up a structured itinerary that started two days before the race and ended at the finish line.  This wasn't something I'd done before, but it really helped me to envision the chronology of race weekend.  I was thankful for his instruction as I clicked off the tasks leading up to the starter's signal on race morning.  Saturday afternoon was an easy shake out jog with a few pick ups, and dinner with Leigh and my brother in law who drove down from Mass to check out the race.

Race Day

Other than 10-12 minutes in the water finding my stroke/getting the heart rate up, I don't warm up too much for a 70.3.  On race morning you can always find age groupers running, sprinting, mashing around on their bikes, doing push ups, etc.  It would be easy to get caught up in the nervous energy of the morning and overdo it, but I feel like age groupers like me have to take care to respect the race distance.  The wetsuit legal swim was one big clockwise rectangle in cold, clear lake Quassapaug.  The 30-34 males were the 6th wave to send off, and I positioned myself on the left side of the beach to hopefully avoid getting boxed in and avoid the scrum.  Success!  After a hard first 3-4 minutes I was slightly ahead of the pack with two others, and clean water in front of me.  It didn't take long for those two fish from my wave to pull ahead, but I didn't mind all that much.  There were several hundred athletes already in the water from earlier waves, and I was dialed in to picking good lines to each buoy and navigating around slower moving packs of racers.  I'm feeling a little more confident about my swimming with each race, and with a controlled effort I came out of the water 4th (30-34 wave), which was good for 26th overall on the day.

I could probably write something that would rival the page count of Ulysses about this bike course.  The scenery was incredible, when I allowed myself to take in the Connecticut countryside a few seconds at a time.  With more climbs than I care to remember, and tight technical descents, this is one of the hardest bike courses in triathlon.  I worked hard to press on with a consistent effort, keeping efficient form and cadence on the climbs, and tucking low to use the descents as much as possible.  After not riding a very smart race last month at the Columbia Triathlon, I was encouraged by how many racers I was passing on the descents.  I eventually gave up four spots on the bike- not ideal, but bike quality/volume are something that I'm working hard on this summer.  My 2:37 bike split was good enough for 13th overall.  Did I mention yet how crazy hard this bike course is?

I came off the bike feeling pretty good about my situation.  I had ridden hard and made my way through most of the field that had started before me.  I had also been disciplined about taking in calories throughout the bike leg, and I was feeling like I had quite a bit left for the run course.  The first mile of the Quassy run course lulls you into a false sense of complacency with a few shade trees and a relatively flat pitch.  After that, it doesn't take long to find the hills, and after that initial mile the rest of the run course is comprised of steady rollers.  This didn't rattle me nearly as much as the several hors categorie climbs on bike course.  In fact, the run course was not all that different from the daily runs I log in Chapel Hill, NC.  Out on the run course I was becoming more aware of my position in the field, and I needed pretty badly to make up those 4 spots I gave up with the mediocre bike split.  By mile two I had pulled back one spot from an uber biker with a couple of 6:30 miles, and I was feeling pretty confident.  Right about then an age grouper overtook me running at a pretty good clip, and I glued myself to his right hip for the next three miles.  I suffered to hold pace while silently cursing this dude who looked like he was cruising effortlessly on a Sunday jog.  We pulled each other back and forth for 30 minutes until he slowed pretty significantly at an aid station, and I was able to make a move to get away.  I ran pretty consistently, trying to put forth a controlled, steady effort on the varied terrain.  Ultimately I pulled back three of the four spots I gave up to the bike animals, but then gave up two more spots to different run animals.  I finished with a 1:30:15 half marathon.  Not my best work, but DEFINITELY not my worst 70.3 run split (I've had some pretty sweet melt downs), putting me with the 10th overall run split.  

In hindsight I wish I had pressed a little harder on the bike course, but my efforts set me up for a pretty decent run on a challenging course.  It was definitely a new experience to feel like I was still racing ten miles into a 70.3 half marathon, and perhaps this means that I'm starting to figure out this distance to some degree?  Well, maybe.  My 4:40 finish would indicate otherwise, but that was good enough for 10th overall amateur on the day.  Race results can be found HERE.  Rev3 Quassy is an incredible race at a spectacular venue.  I couldn't have asked for more from the cool New England weather or the dozens of super volunteers.  A rightfully epic event.       

Thanks to Coach Dave Williams of Triangle Multisport for the valuable insights and the big vote of confidence.  Big thank yous to Inside Out Sports and Fleet Feet Sports Carrboro for the support- at least you guys help me to look fast, even if I can't necessarily back that up with fast performances!  Lastly, a super big thank you to Leigh & Paul Naps for spending their Sunday watching me run around looking uncomfortable.  The two of you made the whole weekend an enjoyable experience.

Photo credits to P Naps- iphone camera ninja! 

    
     

       

Too Much of a Good Thing?

“Americans are drowning in a sea of very bad nutrition information” – T. Colin Campbell, Cornell University.

Dr. Campbell couldn’t be more accurate in his assessment of the western diet, and athletes are no more immune to commonly held misconceptions about diet and nutrition than the morbidly obese.  There are countless topics one could take issue with under the umbrella of nutritional habits of athletes, but I would like to focus this discussion on the most sought after macronutrient in the the sports world- PROTEIN.  I readily admit that there are many aspects of the Great Protein Debate that are well beyond the scope of what I am discussing here.  Methods such as protein intake during prolonged endurance efforts, or exact post-training protein requirements are better left to those much more qualified than I.

Often I am asked how much protein one should be getting to adequately support athletic pursuits; from the weekend warrior to the serious runner logging 100 miles a week, and I am shocked at the wide range of assumptions people hold about the ‘right’ amount of this misunderstood nutrient.  Based on my experience, the most prevalent thoughts on protein in the endurance sports world seem to be:

a)      Protein must be consumed after all workouts

b)      As a general rule, more is better

The best way to combat misinformation, rumors, and ‘hype’ produced by magazines and for-profit supplement companies is with unbiased science.  Here are some known truths about daily protein requirements.  The current Dietary Reference Intake for protein is 0.8/g/kg/day for adults- regardless of physical activity status.  This standard satisfies the protein requirements for 97% of all American adults, but is probably not exceptionally relevant to this audience.  The American Dietetics Association (ADA) recently put forth revised protein requirements for recreational and competitive athletes, (but what might come as a shock to those slurping protein shakes daily) the dietary protein needs of athletes are not all that different than those of society at large.  The ADA Sports Nutrition Manual for Professionals (4^th Ed; 2006) advises the following (male & female):

Individual Demands	g/kg/day	Approx % of Daily Energy
Sedentary	0.8	8%
Endurance	1.2-1.4	9-10%
Strength	1.6-1.7	14-15%

   

Based on the above model, a 154 lb (70 kg) male endurance athlete consuming 3800 calories daily should be striving for 84-98 grams of protein a day.  With a diet rich in whole grains, legumes, fruit, vegetables, and fish or some other animal source, reaching 85-100 grams of protein is a fairly easy task…WITHOUT the aid of protein bars, shakes, excess meat or supplement consumption.  More is not always better! 

GRRRRR! Man muscle need truckloads of protein!

It also concerns me that many athletes think that after any training session/workout, protein is a critical and immediate need.  Yes, after a hard 2.5 hour brick workout or tough 3500 yards in the pool, glycogen replenishment (and a little protein) should be the first thing on your agenda.  Where most go wrong is in thinking that the protein bar is a necessity after a 35 minute recovery run or light strength training session.  If you are taking in small, nutritionally balanced meals throughout the day- hydrate and skip the extra calories, you might be lighter and faster for it on race day! 

The take home message here is that protein is not a magical nutrient that unlocks athletic potential. Although protein is a necessary component of the diets of athletes and non-athletes alike,  carbohydrates are much more critical to athletic function/success for endurance athletes.  The vast majority of endurance athletes eating a well thought out diet of minimally processed foods are meeting their respective protein requirements without the use of protein supplements.  Lastly (and most importantly), be critical of where you get your nutrition information.  Gravitate towards peer reviewed journals based in science, NOT health or fitness magazines from the local news stand.

Some great nutrition resources:

The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell (2006)

Sports Nutrition; A Practice Manual for Professionals, Marie Dunford (editor) (2006)

In Defense of Food; An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan (2008)

Thanks for reading,

jw

A Few Steps in the Right Direction (Beaverdam Olympic Triathlon Race Report)

This past Saturday marked the start of the 2012 triathlon season for me, with the Inside Out Sports Olympic Triathlon at Beaverdam.  A pretty long name for an event that historically attracts less than 200 people- but this race always lives up to it's drawn out moniker.  For the past two years Beaverdam has served as my first S/B/R competition of the year, giving me a chance to clear the mental & physical cobwebs, while also giving some insight to the effectiveness of the past winter's training efforts.

This year's Oly at Beaverdam didn't kick off until 9:30am on Saturday, and with the Falls Lake race venue only ~ 35 minutes away, I was able to grab a full night's sleep in my own bed.  The logistics of race morning are always a breeze with the FS Series Race Crew, and so by 8:30am I was checked in and ready to go.  Through trial and error I've found that you can easily get caught up in the nervous energy that abounds on race morning.  Regardless of the event size or distance, race morning usually has people hurriedly running, stretching, mashing away in the parking lot on a bike trainer, etc.  In terms of physical prep there isn't really much that you can do on race morning that will lead to improved performance, but jeez- you sure can hurt your performance with an over-cooked, frantic 'warm up'.  So after a light 10 min jog with a few pick ups, and 5-6 minutes getting used to the wetsuit in frigid Falls Lake, it was time to race!

The Swim

With an in-water swim start, I positioned myself as far to the left as possible to give me a straight line to the first turn roughly 400 meters out.  At the gun I went out as hard as I could for the first 2:00 to try to get ahead of the main pack, and I found myself on ETT teammate Dave Williams' feet.  I didn't expect it last long, but I told myself to hang on to Dave's draft as long as I could, with the hopes that he could pull us both into a gap in front of the others.  By some miracle I was able to stay connected with Super Swimmer Dave, and the first third of the swim course flew by.  The longest leg of the swim had us turn into a stiff wind in the center of oblong Falls Lake, which on race morning happend to have a few waves churning.  I swallowed more than my share of lake water with each attempt to sight, and I fought hard to stay connected to Dave.  Super Dave ripped up the swim, unaffected by the waves, and he pulled me all the way through in the process.  We came up onto the beach with a sizable gap to the next swimmer, and we both made quick work of sprint up the beach into T1.

The Bike

The rust showed in the S to B transition, and Dave Williams got out and up the road as I made a mess of getting my feet in my cycling shoes out on course.  Have you ever seen a cyclist kook tip over and fall while at a stand still?  I almost did that. Twice.  After I finally got into my shoes and in the right gear I was off to to see if I could get Dave back in my sights.  My one stated goal of the day was to leave it all out on the bike course.  Historically I give up some time to the eventual winners on the bike, and I faded badly on the bike at the Cary Duathlon three weeks prior.  Beaverdam has a rolling 43k bike course with a 3 or 4 short out of the saddle climbs.  Not much else to say about this ride other than that I buried myself.  I wasn't sure what kind of run would be left after going for broke on the bike, but I was determined not to lose this race to a soft effort on the bike.  Dave kept things interesting on the bike, and it was good fun as we continually overtook one another for the better part of an hour. 

Not only can Dave swim like hell, but the dude can flat out ride a bike.  Did I mention that Dave is recovering from a fractured pelvis from a bike fall in March?  He's not a guy who ever looks for excuses, and what he did on Saturday was just sick given the circumstances.  Really refreshing attitude, especially in light of some who are quick to reach for excuses after a perceived poor performance.  We all deal with adversity along the way, and I admire guys and gals like Dave who accept things as they come and try not to complain about the hand that they are dealt.  

I managed to gap Dave by a small margin late in the bike course, and I was super relieved to see the last turn into Falls Lake Park.  The Beaverdam bike course hurt me significantly more than I was able to hurt it, especially the last two successive hills leading into the park!

The Run

Heading into T2, I had a small lead that I didn't want to give up.  I had hoped to get out onto the run course quickly to stay out of sight of anyone who might be close behind.  WRONG!  I did put together a pretty quick transition and was mentally patting myself on the back as ripped up the hill out of T2, when one of the FS Series race directors cheerfully pointed out that was missing my run number.  Cursing myself all the way, I blew back into transition to grab the offending bib belt, before I was back out on the run course with a self imposed 70 second penalty.  I ran the first ten minutes pretty angry with myself for such a bonehead move in transition.  Embracing the anger inside while trying to channel it into effort on the pavement, I ran hard.  I told myself over and over that I started with the first swim wave that morning, and while I the virtual leader on the course, there were probably more than a couple fit guys from later waves who were in contention.  The run course was a rolling two loop 10k through Falls Lake Park, and a few of the other runners out on course had me crunching numbers and calculating splits to balance out the hurt put on by the hills.  I was able to cross the line out front with a 39:10, two transition 10k.  

Great race put on by the FS Series crew.  These guys are class acts that put on professional events with a friendly, local feel.  Awesome venue, awesome course.  Thanks to Inside Out Sports for supporting this event and its participants, and to the coaching (and competition!) from Triangle Multisport.  Also thanks to Fleet Feet Sports in Carrboro for helping this dude along the way...

Thanks for reading, I hope you didn't fall asleep in the process.

jw             

    

 

Greenville Duathlon Race Report

My stoke level increased by a factor of at least 10 this past weekend, as the 2012 race season is officially here!  I’ve been following the early season pro race reports on Slowtwich.com for a couple of weeks, but the upcoming triathlon season became much more tangible for me on Saturday when I hopped in the FS Series Greenville Duathlon.  The different races put on by the FS Series crew are ALWAYS well thought out events.  I was excited to be there, and I’ve been ready to mix it up with local competition to see just where my fitness stands.

The weather in central North Carolina on Saturday morning looked to be a little more than questionable, but we lucked out on race morning.  The duathlon was largely unaffected by the storm clouds that hung thick and dark just above our heads.  The first leg of the race was a two loop, three mile off road run covering the high school cross country course at Boyd Lee Park.  Dirt path, soccer field, cinder trail, and even a few feet of sidewalk; we covered it all as rain threatened overhead. 

With the relatively short nature of the race, my plan was get out with the lead pack, and press on hard without much concern for pacing.  Off the gun I got out front quickly with two other dudes I wasn’t familiar with.  It wasn’t  long at all before one of these two put :15 seconds into me and Dude #2, and he ran comfortably up ahead while Dude 2 and I pressed on behind.  Dude 2 turned out to be Richard Bailey, a Triangle Multisport-Inside Out Sports Triangle Tri Team member I hadn’t met yet.  I immediately learned that Richard is a) FIT, and b) a competitor.  We jockeyed hard and banged elbows for position on the trail for two miles before RB made a move and pulled away in the last 1k.

When I hit T1 Dude 1 was already through, but with a quick transition I still had contact with Richard as we got out on the bike course.  I tend to be a ‘second half’ rider, usually getting a little stronger the longer the bike leg lasts, as it takes me a few miles to find a rhythm.  This is certainly not something I consider a strength, and working on bike strength will continue to be a priority.  I wasn’t particularly concerned with RB pulling slowly away from me early in the bike leg- although it turns out I definitely should have been!  I’ve always thought the FS Series guys put a lot into course design, and the Greenville Du was no exception.  The 14 mile bike course was on smooth country roads, and was set up to be fast.  I pressed on pretty hard, feeling good about my bike legs that morning.  I rolled into T2 having averaged just a touch under 24 mph for the 14 mile bike split, but RB and Dude 1 had each put 2 minutes into me- which was not at all insignificant in a short course race.

I blasted out of T2 with another pretty good transition (usually not a strong area for me) and resigned myself to running at absolutely max effort for the 1.5 mile run leg to see if I could get back in the mix with the two ahead of me.  I was pleased with my run, I felt strong and poised from a full winter’s worth of interval running that Coach Dave and Triangle Multisport have pushed me through.  In the end, it wasn’t in the cards, and I never had contact with 1^st or 2^nd place, who were much stronger on the day.  I crossed the line in 3^rd with a time of 1:03:07, a full three minutes behind Glen Thompson and Richard Bailey.

I headed back to Carrboro Saturday afternoon pretty happy with the experience- great event, great competition, and a great race pace effort banked for future battles.  Congratulations to all finishers, and a big thanks to FS Series, the race volunteers, Triangle Multisport, and Inside-Out Sports for sponsoring the event.  Race results can be found here.     

Quick Training & Racin' Update

I'm really stoked to say that this year I am joining the Triangle Multisport-InSide Out Sports Triangle Triathlon Team.  Yes, that is a mouthful.  Most of us just refer to it as TMS-IOS.  Hefty name or not, I'm super excited to be mixing it up with this great group of age group and professional triathletes in 2012.  I can't say enough how thankful I am to both Triangle Multisport and Inside-Out Sports for the support they providing this team as co-title sponsors.  As part of my commitment to TMS-IOS this year, I will be a big part of the local race scene, hopping in local events early and often this spring, before settling in to focus on some larger races later this summer.  My 2012 race calendar can be found here.  

As we wait for the water to warm up a little here in the Mid Atlantic, I'll be racing at the next two stops in the Inside-Out Sports Duathlon Series in April.  A few more local events in April/May, before heading up to Connecticut for Rev3 Quassy on June 3rd.  The second half of the year is still up somewhat for discussion, but I am without a doubt focusing on ending my season with strong efforts at both Rev3 Anderson and Rev3 Florida in October.  

Thanks for reading,

jw

It's in the Details....Part II

My last post highlighted some of the ancillary details outside of actual training sessions that can have a huge impact on long term fitness-  in a positive or negative way, depending on the actions of the athlete.  I’d like to expand on that topic further.  Training and competing at a high level demands that no compromises are made with respect to training.  High level endurance performance truly IS found in the detailed decisions one makes with regard to training.  The previous post focused on the athlete’s emphasis on recovery, this post explores the approach to individual daily sessions. 

Whether you’re an recreational triathlete or an elite post collegiate runner- I’d like to assume that all athletes are dedicated to their craft, and would like to see the maximum benefits from their sweat equity.  First and foremost; every day of training logged is important to advancing your fitness level- there are no ‘throw away’ training days.  The last statement isn’t going to be earth shattering new to many, but have you ever thought about how slight variations in an individual's approach to training sessions can drastically alter their effectiveness?

Sacrificing effectiveness for convenience-  I have a couple of very talented training partners who I see compromising the effectiveness of what they are trying to accomplish by opting for convenience more often than they should.  There’s no denying that a treadmill can be a useful tool, but how much of your total weekly mileage are you logging indoors?  Used too often, I see treadmills as sort of a security blankets.  A treadmill insulates the user from any training variables they might encounter out on the roads.  Given two athletes of equal talent, who is going to end up the better runner over time: the one who logs all of his/her miles in a controlled climate on a plush treadmill, or the one who charges up hills as they come, mixes it up with other talented runners, and learns to adapt to adverse weather conditions in training?  I’ll take runner #2 every time.  If you think that logging the mileage is the only variable that matters, you may be cheating yourself.    

Timing matters-  Sometimes the timing or placement of training sessions within the day can have a huge impact on the effectiveness.  Ultimately, putting in the effort is most important- but if you make a habit of stacking sessions close together to save time you are compromising the effectiveness of the training!  Each session is key, and should be treated as such.  Immediately following up a hard group swim with an interval session on the bike because you hope to take the evening off may diminish the benefits of either session.  In this case, respect what you accomplished in the pool.  Rehydrate, take in a quality meal, allow your sympathetic nervous system to take a deep breath, and for your muscles to enjoy a few hours of less rigorous demands before getting after it again.

My aim here is not attack anyone’s training habits, but rather to provoke some thought as you plan your training.  The above is nothing more than a few thoughts I chose to share, and I respect individual methods and ideas.  Maybe after reading this someone out there will reflect on what they are doing, and find a way to maximize the effectiveness of the hard work they are surely doing day in and day out.

Thanks for reading, and be safe out there on the roads.

jw

It's in the Details...Part I

Let me start by saying this is not a post inspired by New Years Day 2012.  I feel as if the last few days I’ve been inundated by headlines touting that predictable annual January topic of self improvement.  There are a few popular triathlon and/or running publications out there inquiring about what you're going to do to be faster/stronger/better in 2012.  I’d like to take it a step farther and ask; what steps are you taking DAILY, in order to be better EVERY DAY?  This is not about hitting all of your planned sessions.  If you are- that’s great.  Not very many people can say that too often, and consistency is the foundation on which great endurance athletes are built upon.  I'm asking you to take a deeper look at your body of work- what are you doing to ensure that you are recovering properly, and getting all the benefits of these workouts you are putting yourself through?

If you’re an athlete (of any kind) who is truly reaching the limits of your physical potential, then this is a question that you're probably familiar with.  It’s a simple notion you revisit frequently, and the answers are often varied, but seldom complex.  Every athlete is unique;  with different performance goals, and we are all trying to thrive under wildly different circumstances.  That being said, let the following serve as loose guidelines for some common needs of all endurance athletes.

Are you getting enough sleep?  I’m not saying anything earth shattering here, but this is by far the most overlooked aspect of training for many endurance athletes.  Contrary to popular belief, being tired is not a triathlete status symbol.  It's great that you have the drive and self discipline to hone your craft at an early AM Masters swim or a long midweek run, but at what point does fatigue start to hand you diminished returns on your sweat equity?  

Adequate sleep ensures proper recovery from workout to workout, allowing you to progress as an athlete.  Under-rested athletes risk experiencing a decreased time to exhaustion during exercise exertion, impaired hormonal response to exercise, or even developing over training syndrome.  Without sleep, the ceiling of your athletic potential is much closer than you think.

Are you taking advantage of ‘restful opportunities’?  Rest is often a much different concept than sleep.  Regardless of your profession, there are several small yet significant points in an endurance geek's day that can either contribute to physical stress on an overworked body, or provide small bouts of recovery.  Get off your feet when possible, avoid hours of uninterrupted screen time, if you can- take a few minutes each workday to just be still. 

Here's a scenario that helps to illustrate my point: So it’s Sunday evening, and you absolutely smashed your long run this morning.  Maybe you even got in a recovery spin this afternoon.  Now your favorite football team is on TV, and you never miss a game.  That’s fine, but for the sake of your recovering body; did you catch that game on your couch with your feet up, or bouncing around at a sports bar?  If you truly want to see the maximum gains from your sessions, and you have a choice in the matter- opt for the more mellow situation, every time.

Thanks for reading,

jw