2011 YTD

Three races in and one BIG ONE to go.

As of last weekend Florida 70.3, Buffalo Springs 70.3 and Racine 70.3 are in the rearview mirror and Kona is on the horizon. This year has gone fairly well so far as I met my goal of qualifying for the Ironman World Championships and placed respectively well in the overall of each of the races I have competed in. There have been some disappointments like being beaten by 10 seconds at Buffalo Springs for overall amatuer and botching my nutrition last weekend at Racine but that is part of racing and these are things that we need to be reminded of occasionally so we don't make the same mistakes the next time.

My training has taken a back seat for the last few weeks and I am getting ready to dial it up again soon. I put on a few pounds from the pizza, burgers and Mickey's pancakes I've been eating but that's why we do this, isn't it?

As times change...

I haven't written anything here in almost a year. Many things have changed for me in that time. I have taken on a new job and my life, as much as I try to fight against it, has taken a new direction. This is clearly apparent in my race results, which are few and far between. I won 2 races this year- a local half-marathon and my sponsor's duathlon. Both of which I dominated start to finish let me remind you. Kidding. Besides those races I performed poorly at the Racing 70.3 race getting a flat tire and having no repair kit and calling it a day half way through the marathon at IMWI after realizing that I didn't know where I was or what I was doing there.

2010 was a humbling year start to finish, but if I have learnt anything from the people who are great champions in sport its that life ebbs and flows and you need to be able to take it as it comes. I am still well within my prime, my body is still firing on all cylinders and I have the fire in my belly required to put in the hours. What I lack is the confidence that comes along with getting good results and proving that the work is worthwhile. It will come though, I have no doubt. I will continue to work hard and see the fruits of my labor. My only hope is that I can return to the form I had in 2009 and become the swimmer that I know I can be.

...Time will tell.

Rookie no more

The race is over and I, as many before me have stated, have a greater appreciation for what it is to race the Ironman World Championships. The race is on another level from every aspect. While I didnt have the race that I am capable I could I have enough respect for the sport, my competitors and the race to finish even if it meant walking in the dark.

Before the race I felt really good about my preparation leading up to the event and was feeling as though a top 20, and possibly a top 15, was well within my reach if everything went to plan. Needless to say it didnt. I will spare the details of the swim and sum it up by saying I need to figure out how to stave off leg cramps in the water.

Exiting the water in just over 75min doesnt do much for the morale but I am used to racing from behind and was ready to go for broke on the bike to make up some time. I was ticking off the miles quite easily on the way out to Hawi and felt great. By the turn around I was on pace for a 4:45 bike and still had enough in the tank for the way back to Kona. My Quarq Cinqo powermeter was working flawlessly and my avg wattage was exactly where it needed to be. Then, after turning back on the Queen K the wheels came off. I had been feeling really good but realized I hadnt eaten enough and quickly downed my whole bottle of nutrition. This brought me back to normal but at that point it was probably too late. I tried to maintain an even tempo into the headwind around Kohala but I my energy was just not there. I had no fatigue in my legs but just wasnt able to get the power to the pedals. Just past the airport the wind turned to a cross and the speed came back a little but it was a little too late with only 5 miles to T2.

On the run I got a little caught up in the excitement and ran the first 5k in just over 18 min- WAY too fast. By mile 4 I was walking. I have had issues in the past with asthma but hadnt experienced any for the entire season so I didnt pack my inhaler. Mistake number...I lost count. The rest of the run turned into a walk/run between aid stations. I was able to run until my body's need for oxygen surpassed my lungs limited ability to supply it.

As I stated earlier I now have a greater respect for this race. I didnt have the race I wanted but can make no excuses for my performance. I will leave Hawaii knowing what I need to do to come back and race well. To those with aspirations of competing in the IMWC remember that just getting here is an accomplishment but now that I have there is a score to settle.

Kona at last

After almost a day of sitting in airports, automobiles and cramped airline seats we finally arrived in Hawaii last night and I cant convey how good it feels to be here. It has been a long time since last Sept when I initially qualified for the race at Ironman Wisconsin. Being here after an already great season of racing is, for me, the cherry that tops my sundae. Of course I am not taking the race lightly and have done all I can to get myself ready for what is the greatest test an Ironman can face.

To be here racing this time (I have been here during the race 3 other times) seems almost surreal. I appreciate the level of stress one feels when arriving and can understand why I see so many people on Alii drive running WAY faster than they should be. It is the check and re-check of the body systems so you don't lay in bed at night wondering if you are actually ready. I am not going to follow suit by sprinting up and down the hills on Alii trying to show the other competitors how fit I am but it will be tempting.

Today was just an easy swim and some last minute shopping for the necessary supplies that one inevitably forgets to pack. A short bike ride and 15-20 min run this afternoon and then off to Splash and Dash to watch my young friend Molly start what will assuredly be a long career in Triathlon. Watch out ladies 10 years from now she will be a force to be reckoned with. At the tender age of 5 she is already a fierce competitor. Good Luck Molls!

Aero watts. Aero whats?

When I first heard that Gear Grinder was working with Blue Cycles and new Blue Triad purchases came with wind tunnel time I got really excited. We are always looking for ways to go faster on the bike and improved aerodynamics equate to free speed so I jumped at the chance to get in the tunnel to see what improvements could be made. So thanks to Blue Cycles and Chance Regina for making this happen.

The A2 wind tunnel, located just outside of Charlotte, NC in Moorseville, is one of the leading wind tunnels for cyclists and triathletes in the country and my experience there made me understand why. The staff has hundreds of hours of experience working with cyclists and triathletes and that knowledge goes a long way when the subtlest changes can improve your wind cheating abilities or make riding downright uncomfortable.

My day started with a 3:00 AM wake up call and short drive to the Milwaukee airport for a 6:10 flight and connecting flight in Atlanta. I got to Charlotte ahead of schedule and made my way through baggage claim and grabbed my bike. It was going flawlessly, or at least I thought it was until I got to Budget, where I made my rental reservation, and there were no cars. I was actually 5th in line at that point and decided to cancel and try to get a car from someone else. Nope. No cars available at the entire airport. (However, at the Thrifty car rental office I ran into Dick Beardsley. I didn't know who he was at the time but he told me he was speaking at the ZAP Fitness camp in Blowing Rock, NC and I later looked him up. We struck up a short conversation and I was on my way. Had I known who he was I would have asked him for a ride.) It was now 12:15 and I had a 1:00 appointment to get to 45 minutes away. My only option seemed to be a taxi. I knew it would be expensive, and it was, but I had no other option if I wanted to keep my appointment. Ninety-five dollars later I was at the A2 wind tunnel and only 15 minutes past the hour. After putting my bike together and doing a short warm up we jumped right into the testing process.

The wind tunnel is a long corridor with giant airplane turbines at one end and intake vents at the other. In the middle was a Computrainer hidden within a round platform with four braces sprouting from the top. The platform rotated to simulate varying degrees of crosswind. Cameras are housed in each of the side walls and ceiling to capture video for later review.

A computer image is projected in front of the rider displaying all the pertinent information like speed, watts, aero watts (which is the amount of power it would take a given rider to pedal at a given speed, in my case it was 30 mph, which is pretty standard,) elapsed time and a few others. The output the rider is most concerned with is watts and aero watts. Each wind tunnel session is a series of short tests. The first few of the tests is to establish a baseline and get the rider antiquated with the process. Then each subsequent test is of a small change in equipment or position and each time you hope to see a lower reading of aero watts. Before each test a 'tare' sample is taken where you sit on your bike in the aero position absolutely still. Then the fans start up and the rider begins pedaling up to and maintains the predetermined wattage, usually just under threshold watts.

For my tests the first change was head position and this ultimately yielded the largest improvement in aero watts at 28. The other changes we played with were aerobar angle, aerobar height, aero pad width, which all told only gave me another 7 aero watts. The last run we did was with a different aero helmet that looked to be a better fit for my position and it was. All told I managed to save myself just under 10% at 30 mph, which anyone will tell you is huge.

When the testing session was over Mike Giraud, the bicycle specialist at A2, made me a DVD of the entire session including a spreadsheet with detailed information on the individual runs as well as 3-point video for each. I haven't had a chance to look over the DVD yet but am eager to see the videos of the different runs and see if there is an obvious visual difference in the positions I was in. From my perspective the new position felt different but not radically so.

At the end of the day the lesson learned was head position and helmet choice can potentially make the biggest difference overnight. Time can be spent to continuously lower the front end of your bike so the shoulders are parallel to your hips like the fastest ProTour riders you see, but for someone focusing on IM distance races that just isn't realistic. Don't forget the riders in the Tour don't have to run a marathon when their finished riding.

Although it was a long day (I didn't get home until after 1AM) and can be quite costly with bike expenses and cab fare I enjoyed my experience greatly. I would recommend it to anyone who is willing to spend the time and money to gain some headway in the largest battle we face when riding our bikes- the wind.

Also- Mike G. was kind enough to give me a ride back to the airport so I didn't have to shell out another Benjamin. So, thanks Mike!

Cold in Coeur d'Alene

The last time I sat down to write was after my lack luster performance down in Nola. While not fully redeeming myself I was able to come back from the worst Ironman swim of my life to post a solid bike and evidently save enough to snag the fastest run of the day (missing the course record by 87 seconds- too bad.

Mission accomplished. Ironman CDA is now in the past, I qualified for the World Championships and now have a much bigger fish to fry.

This week I will be enjoying everything I didn't enjoy, in any appreciable volume at least, for the last few months. Then it will be back to training table and a little diet restriction, because I may have gotten away with a 180 lbs frame in 50 degree weather but in Kona Madame Pele wont show me the same gratitude. Its freakin' HOT!

One in the bag

I recently did the New Orleans 70.3 race and have only one thing to say about it- good to have one in the bag. I wasn't really expecting to have a breakthrough race with the way my early season training has gone but the result always seems to sting a little more when you know it could have been better.

It was my first time to New Orleans and from the moment we landed I would never have thought the whole city was under water such a short time ago. Kudos to all the people who got this city back on its feet. I am now a big fan of Nola, as the natives call it. The people are beyond friendly. We asked someone for directions and got a 15 minute explanation of the best way to go (it took 15 minutes because we had him repeat it 4-5 times.) The city just had this great vibe to it.

Back to the race...
The swim was in Lake Pontchartrain, which from the shore looks like a Great Lake or Ocean, its enormous. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the water. My expectations were that it would be pretty shitty water but it wasn't. It didn't even taste that bad.

The swim was point to point and there was a short bus ride from transition to the park where it started. We skipped the massive line of people waiting for the bus and jogged to the park. I didn't have much time to warm up because of poor planning but didn't care all that much. I jumped in and took a few strokes before the announcer cleared us out for the formal proceedings. After the national anthem we were escorted back into the water for the start. The gun went off and I swam as fast as I could to try to stay in the wake for as long as I could. That lasted about 300 M and after that I was by myself. I can never really tell when there are others around me in the swim. Some people pick their head up and look back at their competitors but I know better than to look back- all my competitors are in front of me. About half way through I noticed that I was being pushed out toward the buoys so I meandered my way back toward the shore. I could feel my right hand locking up as if it was cramping but wasn't. I lost power on my right side because my hand wouldn't stay straight. The last buoy was still pretty far ahead of me, which was a disheartening feeling. Head down, kick, rotate, pull, repeat. There was a short jetty before the last buoy and another 50 M to shore. Coming around the jetty my hand scraped across some sharp rocks and my hand split open, although I didn't realize it at the time. I took a gander at my watch and to my dismay I was well over 30 minutes. I was slightly pissed off and charged through transition trying to make up for lost time. I got to my bike threw on my helmet and went.

My legs were stiff starting out and I knew better than to try to push through it. The lactic acid gods don't like it when you try to do that. I kept the gear light and tried to get the blood circulating in my legs again. After about 2 miles I began to pick off all the women who passed me on the swim (they started 2 min back.) The course was mostly flat save for a few overpasses and was completely closed to traffic. Nice work Bill Burke! The road surface was great and the wind was fairly calm, which made for a fast day. There were a few turn arounds on the course that allowed me to see how far ahead the lead rider was. Chris Lieto was out front by about 12 min after 40 km. I was a little surprised but shouldn't have been as he is one of the fastest cyclists out there. I worked my way through the slower pro men and by the second turn around moved my way up into the top 20. Then the wind picked up and not in our favor. I didn't have a computer on my bike so I had no idea how fast I was going but went from a 53x14 to a 53x17 and a much lower cadence. That's when I really started to feel my WI roots. My back was beginning to show signs of my lack of mileage on the bike. I was forced to stand every 5 or so minutes to stretch- not good. I was able to rally in the last 5 miles knowing that the end was near. My hopes of a 2:10 bike were gone, however.

The second transition went off without a hitch. I did have to put socks on my wet feet, which is always a treat but I got off quickly. As I was working my way through the racks of bikes I heard the announcer say I was 18 minutes down on the leader Lieto. 18 minutes! WTF! Early season race I told myself and kept going.

I was fully expecting to experience some Achilles pain from the start of the run but it actually felt good. I clipped off the first mile just under 6 minutes and thought this might not be as bad as I expected. Then I started feeling the heat a little as it was pushing 85 degrees and I had the wind to my back. After that everything seemed to fall apart. My left quad was dead and every stride felt like a stab wound. I tried to keep my spirits up but that only lasted until mile 7 when my Achilles started to hurt. I walked through that aid station and decided to live to fight another day. From then on my only goal was not to walk for the remaining 6 miles. My pace slowed to 7 min/mi and that's all she wrote. To my surprise I was able to catch 3 more pros in the last 4 miles without even trying. The finish was at Jackson square, pretty much the epicenter of the French Quarter. It was an amazing place to finish. The crowds were 3+ deep for at least 1/2 mile from the line. My last memory of the race was zipping up my jersey before the line, as any good professional would do. :)