Shaking the Rust Off

Today marked the first outdoor triathlon of the year for me and it didn't disappoint. I somehow got it in my head that the race started at 8:30. It started at 8:15. So at 8:13 I was casually walking through transition down to the beach when I realized my error. Quickly I had a volunteer zip up my wetsuit as I sprinted off towards the water. Only to realize my goggles and swim cap were still stuck in my jersey pocket. With no time to unzip the wetsuit, I tried yanking them out with it still on. It almost worked. Unfortunately for me however, this caused the rubber fitting on my goggle to come off! Luckily they had just started the national anthem and I had another minute or so. When the lens came out as well! Calmly I figured out I could snap it back in and shortly after by a stroke of pure luck (this took me 30' later...) I somehow got the rubber piece back on and aligned just good enough to mostly seal the water from coming in... Seconds before the gun goes off!

Like a shot I'm off. Heart rate is already good and up and I'm off sprinting (as much as one can in 2-3 feet of water) down the shallower right side of the beach with the lead group. Soon though my arms become jello and I fall off the pace and, as usual, end up leading the chase pack. I don't realize this until the turn though because I can't see anything going straight into the sun. Another guy comes around from the outside though, and I jump on his feet for the remainder.

Transition is strength sapping with a fast run up the long, sandy beach. However, I fly through with a flying mount better, quicker and smoother than the vast majority of the ITU pros that raced the previous day. But this is the first race of the year, and I struggle to get in a groove on the bike. My power and cadence constantly surge too high from adrenalin and I end up averaging a wattage far below my goal. To make up for it though my turns are tight as I fly through the transition area at 20mph and stay down pedaling in aero for all but one S-junction and the U-turn for each of the four loops. Average was 23.8mph total which I was quite happy with considering the actual watts averaged. The one lap where I was able to hit my target watts I went 24.5mph, which isn't too far off the fastest guys at just a hair over 25mph.

Dismount from the bike is smooth and fast and though my legs are toast I hit my running stride immediately. From here I don't know what to expect so I keep it at threshold the whole way and only let one guy pass me. I'm off the pace here a bit as well though as the plan was for a 19 flat 5k and I come through that mark about 30 seconds back (run course was a bit long). For a first race though I can't complain as I started on time and the fitness was there, it was just a bit rusty. I got a feeling it's going to be quite fun this season as I start to hit my stride in the races ahead.

Photo Courtesy of Duncan Productions.

Ironman training has begun!

After my 3 month hiatus to replenish funds working in Tulsa I am now back in my favorite winter training destination of Clermont, Florida, to pick up where I left off and resume full-time training in preparation for my first Ironman in hot, humid Texas. I wish I could tell you all that work sucked and I couldn't wait to get done with it and move on, but the truth is... I loved it. I was surrounded by a great group of knowledgeable engineers that were a pleasure to work with and I got to learn a ton of really cool engineering stuff as well as relearn and finally understand a lot that I had forgotten in college. On top of that, I picked up latin dancing in the form of Salsa and Argentine Tango. Knowing myself as well as I do, that could be the next big thing I get really competitive with and go all in to.

Some things have changed over the winter. On one hour per day average training, I have gotten faster in the pool and on the bike. Quite significantly so. All of the rest I was getting finally caught up with me and has allowed my body to recover and lock in all the gains made from training hard full-time all last year. It was something I knew was possible but did not consider probable because of the mentality of more is always better that gets stuck into the head of an endurance athlete. The run is even not far off my peak and is something I know will come back even faster with the increased volume, as it always does every year.

Another thing that is new... Journey To Go Pro is now an officially registered Wyoming LLC! The business is currently funded through my engineering consulting work but may incorporate fitness and triathlon consulting as well on down the road. Also planning to give back and create a team at some point to sponsor whenever I find a few likeminded individuals who are doing something similar (crazy) and trying to make that jump from elite AG to pro (or regular AG to pro like me...), yet do not quite have the resources I have to make it work without help. Because of this, though I am personally still not accepting sponsors of any kind, I will soon be considering sponsors for this team whenever it starts to get off the ground.

Back to training, I am going very swim/bike heavy for the moment, as the race down in Texas will require some good swim speed to have a chance at getting away from the chaos before the first turn of the narrow mass start at Ironman Texas. The goals for improving swimming involve consistency, master's swims, and more power. The plan is to swim every day, even if it's just 30' easy, hard masters swims twice per week, and to continue to work on pulling harder and faster through the water to gain the strength needed for faster swimming.

Since I believe running off the bike at the level I am at is more about bike fitness and general endurance (along with nutrition) than run fitness, I will keep my run mileage relatively low until the summer months in Boulder where all those great running trails are, and really focus on the bike workouts here in Clermont. I am currently transitioning from the shorter intense threshold/interval focused workouts of winter to longer endurance/tempo focused workouts to gain the endurance I will need for Ironman.

That about wraps it up. Look for more posts soon, as I have time to write again.

Spin Classes

I see a lot of discussion about spin classes, so since I'm back to the grind of winter training with my new job I thought I'd share my top 10 tips on the subject

1.       Keep yourself as cool as possible. Overheating just makes your heart work harder and will slow you down. Sweating more does not burn more calories. Amount of power produced over time determines how much energy is burned, and the hotter you get, the harder it will be too keep putting out a certain power output. Making your body work harder to cool itself is generally only a good idea when heat tolerance is desired (which should be done sparingly and close to race day).

2.       Do not go too hard. Most spin classes I have done tell you to go at a specific intensity based on RPE that is generally way too hard. Proper triathlon training consists of riding at Endurance, Tempo, and Threshold. There are times for VO2 max work as well, but with a particular interest in increasing threshold power. Anaerobic and Neuromuscular should be done sparingly. However, these top three zones are typically where spin classes will try to have you working at if you listen to them.

3.       Do not go too easy. Riding in Recovery is only acceptable after a hard/long interval. If you are fit and only have a short amount of time doing intervals that switch between Tempo and Endurance could be too easy for a short workout that is only done a few times per week. Longer intervals (10-20’) at Sweet Spot (right between Tempo and Threshold zones) are highly recommended.

4.       Do not stand up. The only reason to stand up in a triathlon is if you are not strong enough to climb seated or if you need to stretch your legs on a long race. Because of the latter, I do practice standing for a minute or so occasionally at Ironman watts, but that is the extent.

5.       Avoid ultra low cadences. These sessions are typically too easy and not effective at building specific strength. If you’re goal is to simulate climbing, keep your cadence up!

6.       Avoid too much ultra high cadence. These sessions can be great for improving muscle efficiency specific to cycling and increase your comfortable cadence range which can help find your optimal cadence. However, it is likely that for most a very minimal amount of this training is necessary.

7.       Do train with the opposite sex if possible. For males, at least, RPE goes down for the same power output when females are present. Always trying to impress…

8.       Do go to cycling specific spin class. The classes bike shops offer where you bring your own bike and trainer are typically great. They usually keep you in the proper training zones and you are able to train in your exact aero position with correct hip angle. Over time, this can make a difference in ensuring fitness gains are made in the correct areas, particularly if your hip changes when riding a spin bike or road bike. There are a few roadies out there with good TT fits who see a drastic difference in their TT position power.

9.       Do go early and stay late. Extra riding time in Endurance zone is always a good thing. STAY out of recovery!

10.   Make sure you feel good after. If you feel trashed, you went too hard (I.E. too high intensity/wrong training zones). You should feel good immediately after, however, if you went hard enough, you WILL feel it in your legs an hour or two after. If you trained in the proper zones and still feel trashed, then you likely either need recovery or to build more fitness in easier workouts first. You should not be sore. Rarely ever, in endurance training, should you be sore from any workout. There are a FEW exceptions, but not many.

Hope these help! And as always feedback is always appreciated.

Back to Work!

So... if you read the last post, it had a twist at the end. Turns out, I've been overtrained. But, a few weeks of easy workouts, and all of a sudden my energy has returned like the Apollo 11 spacecraft crashing through the atmosphere down into the Pacific. Fast, fiery, and wondering if I should be quarantined for others safety, lest I release too much of it at once.

In comparison to how I felt before, it's as though lightning is coarsing back and forth through my veins looking for a way out. But it can't. It's trapped. And no matter how much I release, it comes right back. Oh, the incredible feeling of being healthy again!

Fitness is coming back as well. Much quicker than I thought. In fact, based off my power data, RPE, and heart rate, it's likely I'm every bit as strong on the bike as when I was fully tapered. I suspect I might have been training this discipline a bit too hard and the forced rest has done me very well.

Along with the prep phase beginning for my first Ironman build, I have also returned to work in another sense. I recently took a contract position in the aerospace industry in Tulsa. I am not sure how long it will last, but it couldn't have come at a better time. I will, of course, now have to fit the large majority of my riding into the weekends now, but what better way to spend a weekend than a solid 8-10 hours of good riding?

The major benefit to this will of course be the replenishing of funds. No longer will I have to cash out stocks on a monthly basis and wonder about how I will be able to afford to go to Kona if I am able to qualify or live and train in the mountains of Boulder again this summer. But the more hidden benefit includes not having the time to train so much that I send myself right back to an overtrained state as well as fully rehabbing a stubborn Achilles. Done right, I should be able to build much more smoothly this time around and be ready and waiting to hit it hard full-time again once I am no longer needed.

So, though I will have to suffer through the cold and wind once again for the time being, I couldn't be more excited about what winter has in store. Ironman Texas will be here soon enough and I will be ready!

Stay tuned for a next installment detailing the training mistakes I made that led to this dark and frustrating period of my athletic career.

Battling with Anemia

The last couple of months since Redman have been rough. So many ups and downs. So much struggling. Too much rest. No desire to write. No desire to read. Or do anything, at all.

The week after Redman was a struggle, mentally, to move. At this point, I think I simply needed rest. Racing the Sprint and Half back to back took a lot more out of me than even I thought it would. For awhile though, I couldn't understand why I couldn't get myself off the couch. Motivation was non-existant.

I tried after a couple days, but literally failed. Two workouts had my legs feeling fatigued to the bone and I was back on the couch for another couple days.

This time I started slow and tried to build even slower. By day 3 of easy workouts, I was struggling just to finish a slow, 4 mile run. Something was very wrong.

My first guess? Anemia. Since easy training was not making things better, but instead worse, I popped an iron supplement to see what it would do. The next day I had the best run interval workout I've ever had. I thought for sure I had things figured out. I mean, problem solved, right?

Well what happened is I listened to everyone else tell me that I was simply overtrained and that it was a coincidence and taking iron supplements was risky. So I stopped. I figured if it was iron deficiency, I would just cut out the enormous amount of fine Japanese green tea that I brew and drink every day and focus on a high iron and vitamin C diet to help it absorb.

Well it didn't exactly work, as I had a terrible race at the US Open, and then proceeded to run my body into the ground for the next couple of weeks with a lot of hard run training. Though I was able to do quite a bit more work on the high iron absorption diet, I still wasn't close to right. By the time, I was getting prepped for my next race, the Fall Classic Duathlon, I knew something was very wrong. This time I ascribed it to overtraining.

Surprisingly, I still raced fairly well at the duathlon, taking 3rd for the state championship event. However, I felt like I had been racing for 5 hours afterwards, and not the hour and a half that it took. I decided to try a week off and see what happens.

After struggling to keep myself indoors for a solid week of good weather, I couldn't wait to get back to training. But when I did, it felt like my fitness had completely deserted me. I felt very fresh, but I was very slow. My watts were down about 10% on the bike and my run pace had slowed by more than a minute per mile. And I simply wasn't really recovering from the easy workouts I was doing. How could I expect to qualify for Kona, much less Vegas again, like this!?

By the next week, I wasn't just back where I was a month ago, struggling with slow, easy 4 mile runs, I was even starting to get sick. I never get sick. Not without so much training stress, work stress, and lack of sleep that my entire body breaks down and finally succumbs to illness. No way I could get sick while resting and sleeping all the time without something being very very wrong.

The illness also did not go away in a day like normal. So for three days I suffered along, until, finally I decided I had to revisit the anemia hypothesis and go get my blood tested. Well I decided not to wait on those test results. There were just too many signs. My systolic blood pressure had magically dropped 10-15 points consistently. I got a slight headache. I never get headaches. I felt tired during and after recovery workouts. My body was even starting to ache in a way that was dull, but constant and uncomfortable enough to make getting to sleep difficult.

It was time. I was ready to try anything. I again popped an iron supplement, and the very next day I was miraculously not sick anymore and running 20 seconds per mile faster for the same heart rate while actually feeling good during and after the run. The next day I rode half-Ironman watts at the same heart rate and effort as I did while in taper and racing at Redman! A few days of iron supplements later and another 20 seconds per mile had dropped off my run pace!

It was unbelievable. The energy started flowing back. In a matter of days. I'm now even writing again! Turns out that my fitness hadn't completely deserted me after all.

Now here's the kicker. The blood tests show that my iron levels are good, and that my hematocrit is actually 2% higher than when I was tested last year. I'm not anemic. Am I now completely and utterly confused? Absolutely. But as long as I'm on track to getting my training back to normal, I'm at least happy.

My First Win!

After the Redman Halfmax National Championship was done and over, I immediately got to eating and drinking as much as I could stand in the hopes that I could get my weight and glucose stores back up enough that I might be able to race the Redman Sprint the next day.

Possibly, it was a good thing that I felt tired, sluggish and like my legs could seize at any moment, becuase, I had no expectations on race day morning. During the pre-race meeting at the swim start, I realized I didn't have my chip. No worries, I simply jogged the half mile to transition and back to get it. If I missed the start, oh well. No expectations. Just start the race and enjoy it.

As soon as the gun went off though, my body was moving. I was off to a great start by lining up on the shallower end and next thing I know I'm sitting in a small front group with only a few off the front. It gets shallow again in the middle and I dolphin dive for a bit, but realize I have nowhere to go as the guys off the front are way off and not remotely catchable, so I settle back in and let myself get pulled to the swim finish. Without my heart exploding through my chest.

Transition goes well and fast as usual despite struggling with coordination quite a bit more than normal. That is until I jumped on my bike and somehow managed to slip off the top of my shoe and have to come to a complete stop for a second before getting to speed again. At the time though, I wasn't worried, I could feel it in my legs and they just were not there. For the first two miles, the half-Ironman watts I had easily put out yesterday were a struggle.

But then, instantaneously, everything changed. My legs woke up. I mean really really woke up. All of a sudden, I was putting out more power with ease than I ever had. I caught a first guy and then a second and looked to the next, so far ahead I could barely see him. Within a mile he was mine. And then another one bit the dust. And another one, until finally, the last one was in sight.

But he was moving. I had been barely gaining the whole time. I made the pass, but we were too close to transition, there was going to be no time to gain additional ground on the bike, I was going to have to do it on the run.

I flew through transition as fast as I ever have and immediately surged out onto the run course at a pace I knew I couldn't keep for long. After a few minutes, I chanced a look back. No one in sight. I stepped it down to threshold and held on as I blazed through the run course with my first lead in a race ever.

The whole time my legs were threatening to seize up and stop me from moving, but I couldn't risk slowing up, I had no idea who might be behind me. At the turnaround, I saw the gap I had on the others and knew I had it, as long as I could hold this pace. I kept the pressure on and held it all the way with a determination I'd never felt before. The legs held up, and I flew into the finish with a big lead. That feeling, of running into the finisher's area past all the triathlon clubs and spectators, is one I will never forget. My first win in an outdoor triathlon!

Redman Halfmax National Championship

After dehydrating and struggling just to run at the World Championship in Vegas, I was determined that this race would be different. Well it was. I made the opposite mistake. Two miles into this run, my legs were fresh, I was well-hydrated, I was running relatively fast, but I was already battling horrendous side stitches from running with a stomach too full of fluid.

Two weeks ago, I had recovered surprisingly well from my disastrous and tough race in Vegas. But as soon as I arrived in Oklahoma, I was immediately battling allergies worse than any I'd ever had. Which, once again, put a hamper on the intense, finishing workouts I wanted to get in before race day. However, on race day, it didn't matter all that much, the fitness was once again there.

After a long (literally, it was a long course), but solid swim, I was again on the bike and feeling very strong. Surprisingly though, this was a much faster national championship than I had thought, and I had to hold myself back as I was passed by several riders at the start. For most of the first half of the ride, I was mostly alone, riding at my specific power output. However, at the turnaround, I was caught and passed by a paceline of riders. At first I thought it to be a draft pack, but closer inspection showed that they were mostly riding legal, if maybe taking a bit long to pass each other at times. It was perfect. I picked the power up a bit to latch on and make sure I wasn't going to be left behind.

This is when I realized exactly how much a benefit a paceline can have. Sitting around 5 or 6 bikes back, each bike at a legal distance apart, my power went way down. However, when passing, I was often having to put out over 50% more power than my target at times just to make sure I could pass everyone in the required amount of time (to stay legal). After awhile, I started to realize it was probably a good idea just to sit in somewhere if I could.

Unfortunately, it was at this time that I could no longer hold it in. I had been overcompensating for underhydrating two weeks ago, and now I had reached a point where I could no longer stand it. I had to go. So for the first time, I stopped pedaling, and watched as a stream gushed out of my shorts and down my leg and all over my bike. And the paceline disappeared in the distance.

I was now in the last hour of racing though, and still felt very fresh. Heart rate was very low this time, and I felt it was time to bump the power up and see what happens. It took miles to catch the paceline, but once I did I soon left them behind as they started to drop off. In no time, I was back on the edge of the lake, racing around it in anticipation of a blazing fast run.

And there it was again. Except way worse since I was running. My stomach was not only too full of fluids, but my bladder as well. As I blazed out of transition, I started to realize the mistake I had made. There was no bathroom anywhere in sight. I had just left it behind. I was going to have to run quite a ways before I was going to find one.

I did, of course, but I barely made it another mile before the side stitches started to get really bad. At this time, I made the decision to stop taking in fluids, except for a few sips at each aid station. Since I was also getting my nutrition from aid stations I knew it was going to be dicey if I could make it to the end before I bonked. However, the side stitches were keeping me from dropping under a 6:30/mi run pace, and I did not want them getting worse.

It turned out to be another mistake. The last several miles I slowed considerably from the lack of nutrition, and of course, still had to battle side stitches. Still though, at least I wasn't hot and extremely dehydrated. In fact, with temps under 90 and plenty of ice and cold spongues it felt almost cool at times. I was likely still very dehydrated at the finish, but it was nothing like my experience two weeks ago. Overall, it was a solid race that taught me yet another lesson about race nutrition and ended with a very positive 2nd in age group placement and a PR of 4:36:01 (not bad considering the long swim and rough roads).

Still though, like always, for more than an hour after the race was over, the pain was almost as bad as it had been during the last few miles of the race. Fairly normal for me after a race of this distance. But, how the heck was I going to get up and race again tomorrow!?