Have you ever thought about working with a coach but been deterred by the cost, long term commitment, and not knowing if you'd improve?
For the month of November all Bretscher Multisport coaching will be FREE and offered for anyone and everyone. I'm doing this to give all of the multisport athletes who are curious about what it is like to have a coach an avenue to do so without having to invest any money. So if you've ever thought about hiring a coach but were not sure if the gains would be worth the money, this is your chance to 'test out the waters' without any $$ investment. There will be no pressure placed on anyone to continue beyond November, and it is perfectly acceptable to sign up without any intentions of continuing past November. All new November athletes will be coached the same as the full time Bretscher Multisport athletes so you will get a true sense of what it is like to work one-on-one with a coach. I will have plenty of free time since November is my off season so am prepared to take on a lot of November athletes.
To sign up just send me a note via my contact link below and I will get in touch with you shortly.
http://www.bretschermultisport.com/contact.html
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Powerman Muncie-Pro Duathlon Debut
This past Saturday I took part in the inaugural Powerman Muncie Duathlon. Although I've officially been a pro duathlete for three years now this was my first pro duathlon and just my second duathlon ever. In all we had eight pro duathletes make it out to Muncie Indiana for the race including two of the top ranked duathletes in the world who made the trip over from Europe.
Run 10k: 34:49 7th fastest split
The run went out very hard. I went out hard but being in 7th position and watching everyone run away from me I was having some serious negative thoughts. Most of those thoughts went away when I saw a mile split of 5:10, nearly everyone in front of me was under 5. Now the first mile is a net downhill but that's still very fast when we have 20k of running on tap for the day. I got the pace under control after that and just tried to focus on my race and setting myself up for a good bike and run. Having not done much speedwork with my focus on Ironman training, the fast early pace caused me to get some severe soreness in my calves as well as blisters on my feet from being up on my toes for the first time in months. Those weren't a major issue in the first run but they caused a lot of trouble in the second.
Bike 61k: 1:30:33 25.4mph 2nd fastest split
Onto the bike in 7th with only one other person in sight. From the very first pedal stroke I felt very good. Took no time to get into a groove and I was moving. About 5 miles in a cold rain arrived and it wouldn't stop until well after the race was over and everyone had left. Caught 6th place after 5 miles and by 10 miles I was all the way into third and feeling good. Through 20k in under 29 minutes. Now all that remained in front were two European Du stars. After 25k I made the pass into second and then wanted to put as much time as possible into everyone for the second run. I couldn't shake third place off my rear wheel. I won't say he was riding illegal but he finished the first run 2 minutes in front of me. I made those two minutes up in the first 25k of the bike. In the final 36k of the bike I put zero seconds into him, you can surmise what that means. Good ride for me, ended up with a 25.4mph average for 38 miles on a somewhat hilly, somewhat windy, wet course. I'll take that.
Run 10k: 40:12 7th fastest split
On the second run my very sore calves and blisters immediately started causing me a lot of discomfort. The French athlete I came off the bike with ran away no problem. The same first mile which I ran 5:10 on the first run was 6:00 on the second. Was having to alter my stride due to the discomfort. Got passed by another and then another. Had gotten myself under control and was able to stay with the final athlete who passed me to the turnaround. We were holding 6:00 pace, racing for 4th place. At that final turnaround I saw that we were a good 7 minutes up on 6th place. Then the option was with fight it out for fourth place or jog to the finish 5th. With all the discomfort I was in from my blisters and sore calves and only $140 difference in payout between 4th and 5th position I decided pretty quickly to call it a day and was content to run 8 minute pace to the finish and 5th place on the day.
Overall: 2:47:03 5th place
Was a little disappointed that my body let me down since I think I had the fitness on the day to get on the podium, but that's part of racing. At the finish I thought maybe I was just being a wuss and could have just pushed through it but then I saw the red stain coming through my shoe. I've had enough blisters in my day to know that when you see the red stain all the way through the shoe it's going to be pretty bad and it was. I can't complain though because my friend Nick W. started passing a kidney stone on the bike and still finished the race. Really pleased with my bike, only a multiple time Du world champ out split me. But the highlight on the day was competing in a Pro race in the state of Indiana. I've been saying for years that we need a major race since every surrounding state has one and it felt great to have multiple athletes traveling over from Europe to compete in Indiana. Likewise it felt great to compete in a major race just two hours from home. So want to thank the crew at Muncie Multisport for making this race happen. And it's only going to get better because next summer we'll have an Ironman 70.3 coming to town. I've got July 9 2011 circled on the calendar! Now the entire season is down to just one more race, Ironman Florida on November 6. Time to train again.
Run 10k: 34:49 7th fastest split
The run went out very hard. I went out hard but being in 7th position and watching everyone run away from me I was having some serious negative thoughts. Most of those thoughts went away when I saw a mile split of 5:10, nearly everyone in front of me was under 5. Now the first mile is a net downhill but that's still very fast when we have 20k of running on tap for the day. I got the pace under control after that and just tried to focus on my race and setting myself up for a good bike and run. Having not done much speedwork with my focus on Ironman training, the fast early pace caused me to get some severe soreness in my calves as well as blisters on my feet from being up on my toes for the first time in months. Those weren't a major issue in the first run but they caused a lot of trouble in the second.
Bike 61k: 1:30:33 25.4mph 2nd fastest split
Onto the bike in 7th with only one other person in sight. From the very first pedal stroke I felt very good. Took no time to get into a groove and I was moving. About 5 miles in a cold rain arrived and it wouldn't stop until well after the race was over and everyone had left. Caught 6th place after 5 miles and by 10 miles I was all the way into third and feeling good. Through 20k in under 29 minutes. Now all that remained in front were two European Du stars. After 25k I made the pass into second and then wanted to put as much time as possible into everyone for the second run. I couldn't shake third place off my rear wheel. I won't say he was riding illegal but he finished the first run 2 minutes in front of me. I made those two minutes up in the first 25k of the bike. In the final 36k of the bike I put zero seconds into him, you can surmise what that means. Good ride for me, ended up with a 25.4mph average for 38 miles on a somewhat hilly, somewhat windy, wet course. I'll take that.
Run 10k: 40:12 7th fastest split
On the second run my very sore calves and blisters immediately started causing me a lot of discomfort. The French athlete I came off the bike with ran away no problem. The same first mile which I ran 5:10 on the first run was 6:00 on the second. Was having to alter my stride due to the discomfort. Got passed by another and then another. Had gotten myself under control and was able to stay with the final athlete who passed me to the turnaround. We were holding 6:00 pace, racing for 4th place. At that final turnaround I saw that we were a good 7 minutes up on 6th place. Then the option was with fight it out for fourth place or jog to the finish 5th. With all the discomfort I was in from my blisters and sore calves and only $140 difference in payout between 4th and 5th position I decided pretty quickly to call it a day and was content to run 8 minute pace to the finish and 5th place on the day.
Overall: 2:47:03 5th place
Was a little disappointed that my body let me down since I think I had the fitness on the day to get on the podium, but that's part of racing. At the finish I thought maybe I was just being a wuss and could have just pushed through it but then I saw the red stain coming through my shoe. I've had enough blisters in my day to know that when you see the red stain all the way through the shoe it's going to be pretty bad and it was. I can't complain though because my friend Nick W. started passing a kidney stone on the bike and still finished the race. Really pleased with my bike, only a multiple time Du world champ out split me. But the highlight on the day was competing in a Pro race in the state of Indiana. I've been saying for years that we need a major race since every surrounding state has one and it felt great to have multiple athletes traveling over from Europe to compete in Indiana. Likewise it felt great to compete in a major race just two hours from home. So want to thank the crew at Muncie Multisport for making this race happen. And it's only going to get better because next summer we'll have an Ironman 70.3 coming to town. I've got July 9 2011 circled on the calendar! Now the entire season is down to just one more race, Ironman Florida on November 6. Time to train again.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Rev 3 Race Report
Completed my first Ironman and marathon this past Sunday, race report is below.
Transition setup, ready to go
Ready to go, trying to stay warm
Swim: 54:02 6th fastest split
Had a great swim. Didn't get off to the best start, Lake Erie has a very gradual slope and the first minute or so was spent navigating through less than waist deep water which I'm not real good at. Once the actual swimming started I had a lot of ground to make up but swam past a lot of people and got into one of the front groups. Once I was in my group I just relaxed and felt real good, had a lot of energy and positive spirits. The swim went by quick, pretty effortless, and I was out of the water in 6th position, a great start to a long day. Looked around coming out of the water and was right with all the strong cyclists, it was exactly where I needed to be. Then had some major bad luck going through T1. Went to grab my changing bag and it was missing. Spent about 30 seconds looking for it as it contained some of my nutrition for the bike but eventually lost patience and decided I had to try my luck with the nutrition they had on the course. After the race when I went back to retrieve my gear I figured out what had happened. My T1 bag was hanging right where it should have been but had someone else's wetsuit in it. Turns out one of the athletes who came out of the water in front of me grabbed my bag by mistake, didn't correct his mistake, and it cost me. I looked at the wetsuit to see whose it was and ironically, that morning there was a foreign pro who showed up to race with an illegal helmet. Officials wouldn't let him race with the helmet so I loaned him my road helmet so he could race. That same athlete was the one who took my bag. It only cost me about 30 seconds, but that 30 seconds was the difference between me starting the bike with a group who rode 4:36 and starting the bike all alone which is what happened.
Out of water in 6th position, great start to the day
Bike: 4:43:23 23.8mph 7th fastest split
On the bike and briefly entertained thoughts of time trialing my way up to the group I missed but decided not to and chill out. Having done my research on the course and weather I knew we were looking at a pretty significant headwind the entire last 30 miles of the ride and my entire strategy on the bike was to be strong those last 30 miles no matter what. So I just relaxed and tried to put the T1 snafu out of my mind, in fact I convinced myself that it was better that I missed the group so that I would ride my own pace and not be suckered into over-riding the first half. Checked the flags we passed by on the way out and confirmed that the winds were out of the west as predicted. The first 45 miles were quite enjoyable actually. I was pretty much alone the whole way, the pace was pretty easy and physically I felt great, could tell I was really clicking. Was getting anxious to pick the pace up but kept telling myself I had to hold back. Moved up one position and didn't know it at the time, but was riding in 5th for a good while. 45 miles is when the race really started for me, a big group of six guys rolled me up and, although my plan was to race my own race all day, when I dropped six positions within a minute I decided that I needed to go with this group because this is where the race was. The pace and effort definitely went up a notch but it didn't feel too hard. 65 miles in is when the pain of the day started and the first time I went through a bad phase. The pace felt too fast so I backed off and let my group go and relaxed until I felt better. The rest of the ride was pretty much spent alone for me although I would catch a few stragglers from the group in front. At 80 miles we made the turn to head back west towards Sandusky and pretty much the entire rest of the ride was into a steady 15mph headwind. I started pressing the pace a little at this point per my plan, wasn't quite as strong as I would have liked but was holding together pretty well. At 90 miles I was really feeling bad, lonely, and the wind was just crushing my spirit. I couldn't see any of my competitors and felt like I was losing so much time. I wasn't bonking, but could tell I definitely wasn't producing as much power as earlier. Rode the last 20 miles in sheer agony, not able to enjoy the experience at all, and couldn't stop questioning why so many people pay so much money to do this. I thought experiencing Ironman pain would be a fun, new experience and I was really looking forward to seeing what it was all about. But the pain wasn't fun at all, I was absolutely demoralized, never wanted to do this again. In all the types of endurance racing I've done this is the first time I've ever experienced pain that has gone beyond physical. Ironman pain is just as physically painful as anything else but what takes it to a different level is that it also reaches your spirit and soul. I felt like my soul had just been sucked out of me and I had no emotions or life left in me. There was no silver lining to this pain or light at the end of the tunnel, it was just sheer agony. As I got past 105 miles I couldn't even think of running a marathon, or even running at all. I remember passing through 110 miles and feeling so depressed that I still had a whole two miles left to ride. Hardly the mindset to take into a marathon. Finally reached T2 and didn't even do a flying dismount as I wasn't sure my legs would support me when I hit the pavement. Ran very slowly into the changing tent and saw a two pros who were in front of me sitting down, they quit after the bike. In fact turns out everyone was pretty much in the same boat those last 20 miles and a lot of people decided to call it a day. Getting my runners on in T2 the volunteers told me I was in sixth position which shocked me as I didn't think I was in the top 10. That was an instant boost to the confidence and really helped jump start me for my first marathon.
Starting my first marathon
Marathon: 3:11:54 12th fastest split
After the last 20 miles of the bike I had pretty much thrown away my goals for the marathon and just started running easy. I refused to look at my watch because I knew the pace was slow and just spent the first few miles recovering physically and mentally. Loosened up and was actually feeling pretty good, checked my watch at mile 4 and I had been holding 6:45 pace. Stopped for a 30s bathroom stop on the side of the road at mile 5 as the course was too crowded with people right in downtown Sandusky that I couldn't do my usual bathroom on the go trick. Then really felt good after that and got rolling, even clicking off miles 6-8 in 6:30 pace. Lost two positions in the first half but just focused on going my own pace and taking care of myself for the second half. At mile 11 I started having some slight GI discomfort and made a 90s port-a-john stop. Went through the half in 1:31 and within the first 3 miles of the second half my pace slowed by nearly a minute per mile despite no change in perceived effort. At first I thought the miles were off but they weren't. My mentality started slowly creeping south again and at mile 16 the thought of going 10 more miles was almost unbearable. Lost another position and then at mile 18 had to make another bathroom stop, for a full 2 minutes. In all I spent 4 minutes of my marathon in the port-a-john, normally not a big deal in an Ironman but in this case it would be. Started trying to project my finish time with 10k to go and knew I could be under 9 hours with 8min miles. Wasn't sure if I'd be able to manage that, 7:30 pace was becoming really difficult and in addition I was getting a really bad headache. Took some electrolyte pills and those seemed to help. Miles 20-23 seemed endless and the legs were so heavy, I couldn't believe I was only going 7:30 pace for how hard I was pushing. I thought about how bad I wanted to break 9, how long I had been going for and how little I had left but 4 miles still seemed so far. Through 23 miles, could see the Cedar Point roller coasters in the distance and knew that was the finish line, got a boost of confidence and clicked off 7min pace the last 5k. With one mile to go I could see another pro up the road and a while later I could see a second, but they were too far ahead. Crossed the line in 8:52, 9th place. 7th place was less than 2 minutes up so I can only wonder what could have been if it weren't for those bathroom stops. But that's racing.
Overall: 8:52:36 9th place
Had mixed feelings at the finish. Really happy to get under 9 hours in my first attempt and get through the whole thing with only small mistakes but dropping 3 places on the run really left a sour taste in my mouth about the whole day. Having had a few days to reflect on it I feel better about it now with each passing day. It feels great that when someone asks me my Ironman PR the first number out of my mouth will be "eight". On the whole I executed a pretty solid race, I slowed a bit at the end of the bike and the run but never had a complete bonk, never let my run slip below 7:30 pace. Nutrition wise I think I got it about right, held together the entire way and was in pretty good shape afterwards, avoided a visit to the med tent. If I could go back and reconstruct how I raced I think I would have gone 2-3 minutes slower the last 15 miles of the bike and hope that would make my marathon 8-10 minutes faster. I was really hurting at the end of the bike but kept pushing because I thought I needed to be strong riding into the wind but in hindsight I was not setting up to have a good marathon in doing so. I think I should have given in to the pain a little more and backed off the end of the bike. My run training probably went the best out of all my training and I'm sure I had a sub-3 marathon in me, but didn't quite execute correctly. As they say with Ironman racing, there's no such thing as a good bike followed by a bad run. If you run poorly then you did not execute the bike correctly. I also wonder if I may have been a little mentally weak the second half of the run because I went from 7:30 pace to 7:00 pace instantly with 5k to go and nothing changed other than realizing I had just 5k to the finish. It pains me to say that because I was already suffering so much, but maybe I need to learn to suffer more the second half. All in all a pretty good first outing, small adjustments can always be made but I avoided all the major pitfalls of the Ironman. Moving forward I think knowing exactly what to expect as far as the pain and suffering of Ironman racing will be the biggest asset that I take away from this into the next one. I've always thought that mental training was a bunch of garbage but I think you have to have a very sound mind to be a good Ironman racer because Ironman pain goes beyond physical and into your mind. I was pretty certain after the race that I was not doing another Ironman this year but now, four days later, I'm already entered in Ironman Florida on November 6. I find myself very intrigued by Ironman racing and the challenge of trying to put everything together/find the right balance. There's definitely a formula to success with 70.3 and olympic racing and once you figure out the formula it's pretty easy to replicate over and over. With Ironman racing, unless your name is Chrissy, I don't know if you can ever have it figured out.
I would also like to endorse the Rev 3 series and encourage everyone who reads this to consider including one or more of the races on your schedule for next year. I did two out of three Rev 3 races this year and can say that the organizers of this series have the best intentions of the sport at the forefront of their minds. I can't say that about the other major long course racing series. These races are organized and run as well as the other series, the venues are much more carefully chosen, and the series is centered around being family oriented. Did you know that on Saturday the entire Cedar Point Amusement Park was shut down and open to just the athletes and families? Every entered athlete was given two park passes and on Sunday the finish line was inside of the actual park just feet from some of the rides. If you're not trying to qualify Kona or Clearwater then why not save a lot of money and give yourself a better race experience at Rev 3? And don't tell me that the words "you are an Ironman" is worth the extra $200 in entry. Rev 3 is working with the intentions of bettering the sport of triathlon, that can't be said for certain other race series.
I would also like to give a shout out to the BretscherMultisport athletes who went 5 for 5 on the weekend with career races. Two conquered one of the most difficult 70.3courses on the series up in Muskoka Canada and one of those even managed to win his first overall age group 70.3 title claiming his first World Championship slot! He was 11th overall on the day including pros, a full 6 minutes ahead of the second place age grouper, and ahead of some of the pros! Another athlete raced his first olympic distance to cap off his first year as a triathlete. It's not too often that you put your best s-b-r performances together in the same race but he did just that. Another athlete made his full-Iron debut with me at Cedar Point as the culmination of a life altering decision to get in shape 3 years ago when he was 40 pounds heavier. The goal he made at the time was to finish an Ironman before the age of 40 and he didn't just finish, he finished under has top goal of 12 hours with an 11:44 and his sunglasses still on (before the sun set). Finally the gutsy performance on the day went to my athlete out at Ironman Wisconsin who was making her Ironman debut. Despite crashing her bike at mile 103 and a severely bruised rib she managed to negative split her ride. She brushed off getting medical attention in T2 in favor of her race, ran the entire marathon clutching her side with one arm and even negative split it as well. Finished in under her "A" goal of 13:30, in the top third of her age group, and claims she "can't wait to do it again". Great job to all!
Transition setup, ready to go
Ready to go, trying to stay warm
Swim: 54:02 6th fastest split
Had a great swim. Didn't get off to the best start, Lake Erie has a very gradual slope and the first minute or so was spent navigating through less than waist deep water which I'm not real good at. Once the actual swimming started I had a lot of ground to make up but swam past a lot of people and got into one of the front groups. Once I was in my group I just relaxed and felt real good, had a lot of energy and positive spirits. The swim went by quick, pretty effortless, and I was out of the water in 6th position, a great start to a long day. Looked around coming out of the water and was right with all the strong cyclists, it was exactly where I needed to be. Then had some major bad luck going through T1. Went to grab my changing bag and it was missing. Spent about 30 seconds looking for it as it contained some of my nutrition for the bike but eventually lost patience and decided I had to try my luck with the nutrition they had on the course. After the race when I went back to retrieve my gear I figured out what had happened. My T1 bag was hanging right where it should have been but had someone else's wetsuit in it. Turns out one of the athletes who came out of the water in front of me grabbed my bag by mistake, didn't correct his mistake, and it cost me. I looked at the wetsuit to see whose it was and ironically, that morning there was a foreign pro who showed up to race with an illegal helmet. Officials wouldn't let him race with the helmet so I loaned him my road helmet so he could race. That same athlete was the one who took my bag. It only cost me about 30 seconds, but that 30 seconds was the difference between me starting the bike with a group who rode 4:36 and starting the bike all alone which is what happened.
Out of water in 6th position, great start to the day
Bike: 4:43:23 23.8mph 7th fastest split
On the bike and briefly entertained thoughts of time trialing my way up to the group I missed but decided not to and chill out. Having done my research on the course and weather I knew we were looking at a pretty significant headwind the entire last 30 miles of the ride and my entire strategy on the bike was to be strong those last 30 miles no matter what. So I just relaxed and tried to put the T1 snafu out of my mind, in fact I convinced myself that it was better that I missed the group so that I would ride my own pace and not be suckered into over-riding the first half. Checked the flags we passed by on the way out and confirmed that the winds were out of the west as predicted. The first 45 miles were quite enjoyable actually. I was pretty much alone the whole way, the pace was pretty easy and physically I felt great, could tell I was really clicking. Was getting anxious to pick the pace up but kept telling myself I had to hold back. Moved up one position and didn't know it at the time, but was riding in 5th for a good while. 45 miles is when the race really started for me, a big group of six guys rolled me up and, although my plan was to race my own race all day, when I dropped six positions within a minute I decided that I needed to go with this group because this is where the race was. The pace and effort definitely went up a notch but it didn't feel too hard. 65 miles in is when the pain of the day started and the first time I went through a bad phase. The pace felt too fast so I backed off and let my group go and relaxed until I felt better. The rest of the ride was pretty much spent alone for me although I would catch a few stragglers from the group in front. At 80 miles we made the turn to head back west towards Sandusky and pretty much the entire rest of the ride was into a steady 15mph headwind. I started pressing the pace a little at this point per my plan, wasn't quite as strong as I would have liked but was holding together pretty well. At 90 miles I was really feeling bad, lonely, and the wind was just crushing my spirit. I couldn't see any of my competitors and felt like I was losing so much time. I wasn't bonking, but could tell I definitely wasn't producing as much power as earlier. Rode the last 20 miles in sheer agony, not able to enjoy the experience at all, and couldn't stop questioning why so many people pay so much money to do this. I thought experiencing Ironman pain would be a fun, new experience and I was really looking forward to seeing what it was all about. But the pain wasn't fun at all, I was absolutely demoralized, never wanted to do this again. In all the types of endurance racing I've done this is the first time I've ever experienced pain that has gone beyond physical. Ironman pain is just as physically painful as anything else but what takes it to a different level is that it also reaches your spirit and soul. I felt like my soul had just been sucked out of me and I had no emotions or life left in me. There was no silver lining to this pain or light at the end of the tunnel, it was just sheer agony. As I got past 105 miles I couldn't even think of running a marathon, or even running at all. I remember passing through 110 miles and feeling so depressed that I still had a whole two miles left to ride. Hardly the mindset to take into a marathon. Finally reached T2 and didn't even do a flying dismount as I wasn't sure my legs would support me when I hit the pavement. Ran very slowly into the changing tent and saw a two pros who were in front of me sitting down, they quit after the bike. In fact turns out everyone was pretty much in the same boat those last 20 miles and a lot of people decided to call it a day. Getting my runners on in T2 the volunteers told me I was in sixth position which shocked me as I didn't think I was in the top 10. That was an instant boost to the confidence and really helped jump start me for my first marathon.
Starting my first marathon
Marathon: 3:11:54 12th fastest split
After the last 20 miles of the bike I had pretty much thrown away my goals for the marathon and just started running easy. I refused to look at my watch because I knew the pace was slow and just spent the first few miles recovering physically and mentally. Loosened up and was actually feeling pretty good, checked my watch at mile 4 and I had been holding 6:45 pace. Stopped for a 30s bathroom stop on the side of the road at mile 5 as the course was too crowded with people right in downtown Sandusky that I couldn't do my usual bathroom on the go trick. Then really felt good after that and got rolling, even clicking off miles 6-8 in 6:30 pace. Lost two positions in the first half but just focused on going my own pace and taking care of myself for the second half. At mile 11 I started having some slight GI discomfort and made a 90s port-a-john stop. Went through the half in 1:31 and within the first 3 miles of the second half my pace slowed by nearly a minute per mile despite no change in perceived effort. At first I thought the miles were off but they weren't. My mentality started slowly creeping south again and at mile 16 the thought of going 10 more miles was almost unbearable. Lost another position and then at mile 18 had to make another bathroom stop, for a full 2 minutes. In all I spent 4 minutes of my marathon in the port-a-john, normally not a big deal in an Ironman but in this case it would be. Started trying to project my finish time with 10k to go and knew I could be under 9 hours with 8min miles. Wasn't sure if I'd be able to manage that, 7:30 pace was becoming really difficult and in addition I was getting a really bad headache. Took some electrolyte pills and those seemed to help. Miles 20-23 seemed endless and the legs were so heavy, I couldn't believe I was only going 7:30 pace for how hard I was pushing. I thought about how bad I wanted to break 9, how long I had been going for and how little I had left but 4 miles still seemed so far. Through 23 miles, could see the Cedar Point roller coasters in the distance and knew that was the finish line, got a boost of confidence and clicked off 7min pace the last 5k. With one mile to go I could see another pro up the road and a while later I could see a second, but they were too far ahead. Crossed the line in 8:52, 9th place. 7th place was less than 2 minutes up so I can only wonder what could have been if it weren't for those bathroom stops. But that's racing.
Overall: 8:52:36 9th place
Had mixed feelings at the finish. Really happy to get under 9 hours in my first attempt and get through the whole thing with only small mistakes but dropping 3 places on the run really left a sour taste in my mouth about the whole day. Having had a few days to reflect on it I feel better about it now with each passing day. It feels great that when someone asks me my Ironman PR the first number out of my mouth will be "eight". On the whole I executed a pretty solid race, I slowed a bit at the end of the bike and the run but never had a complete bonk, never let my run slip below 7:30 pace. Nutrition wise I think I got it about right, held together the entire way and was in pretty good shape afterwards, avoided a visit to the med tent. If I could go back and reconstruct how I raced I think I would have gone 2-3 minutes slower the last 15 miles of the bike and hope that would make my marathon 8-10 minutes faster. I was really hurting at the end of the bike but kept pushing because I thought I needed to be strong riding into the wind but in hindsight I was not setting up to have a good marathon in doing so. I think I should have given in to the pain a little more and backed off the end of the bike. My run training probably went the best out of all my training and I'm sure I had a sub-3 marathon in me, but didn't quite execute correctly. As they say with Ironman racing, there's no such thing as a good bike followed by a bad run. If you run poorly then you did not execute the bike correctly. I also wonder if I may have been a little mentally weak the second half of the run because I went from 7:30 pace to 7:00 pace instantly with 5k to go and nothing changed other than realizing I had just 5k to the finish. It pains me to say that because I was already suffering so much, but maybe I need to learn to suffer more the second half. All in all a pretty good first outing, small adjustments can always be made but I avoided all the major pitfalls of the Ironman. Moving forward I think knowing exactly what to expect as far as the pain and suffering of Ironman racing will be the biggest asset that I take away from this into the next one. I've always thought that mental training was a bunch of garbage but I think you have to have a very sound mind to be a good Ironman racer because Ironman pain goes beyond physical and into your mind. I was pretty certain after the race that I was not doing another Ironman this year but now, four days later, I'm already entered in Ironman Florida on November 6. I find myself very intrigued by Ironman racing and the challenge of trying to put everything together/find the right balance. There's definitely a formula to success with 70.3 and olympic racing and once you figure out the formula it's pretty easy to replicate over and over. With Ironman racing, unless your name is Chrissy, I don't know if you can ever have it figured out.
I would also like to endorse the Rev 3 series and encourage everyone who reads this to consider including one or more of the races on your schedule for next year. I did two out of three Rev 3 races this year and can say that the organizers of this series have the best intentions of the sport at the forefront of their minds. I can't say that about the other major long course racing series. These races are organized and run as well as the other series, the venues are much more carefully chosen, and the series is centered around being family oriented. Did you know that on Saturday the entire Cedar Point Amusement Park was shut down and open to just the athletes and families? Every entered athlete was given two park passes and on Sunday the finish line was inside of the actual park just feet from some of the rides. If you're not trying to qualify Kona or Clearwater then why not save a lot of money and give yourself a better race experience at Rev 3? And don't tell me that the words "you are an Ironman" is worth the extra $200 in entry. Rev 3 is working with the intentions of bettering the sport of triathlon, that can't be said for certain other race series.
I would also like to give a shout out to the BretscherMultisport athletes who went 5 for 5 on the weekend with career races. Two conquered one of the most difficult 70.3courses on the series up in Muskoka Canada and one of those even managed to win his first overall age group 70.3 title claiming his first World Championship slot! He was 11th overall on the day including pros, a full 6 minutes ahead of the second place age grouper, and ahead of some of the pros! Another athlete raced his first olympic distance to cap off his first year as a triathlete. It's not too often that you put your best s-b-r performances together in the same race but he did just that. Another athlete made his full-Iron debut with me at Cedar Point as the culmination of a life altering decision to get in shape 3 years ago when he was 40 pounds heavier. The goal he made at the time was to finish an Ironman before the age of 40 and he didn't just finish, he finished under has top goal of 12 hours with an 11:44 and his sunglasses still on (before the sun set). Finally the gutsy performance on the day went to my athlete out at Ironman Wisconsin who was making her Ironman debut. Despite crashing her bike at mile 103 and a severely bruised rib she managed to negative split her ride. She brushed off getting medical attention in T2 in favor of her race, ran the entire marathon clutching her side with one arm and even negative split it as well. Finished in under her "A" goal of 13:30, in the top third of her age group, and claims she "can't wait to do it again". Great job to all!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
8:52 9th place
Made the full iron debut today with a 8:52 finish good enough for 9th place. Happy to break 9 hours and nice to get a paycheck. Right now I have so many different emotions about the race and I think it's going to take a few days to fully process what happened today, check back for the official race report. Thanks to Ryan Bates for shooting some video.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Go Time!
Just 10 hours from now I will be on my way in my first ever Ironman competition, also my first ever marathon. Throughout my training block for this race the goal I had in mind was a top-5 placing in this race. This past week as the training has diminished and the idea that I'm actually about to race an Ironman has hit me full force I've sort of had one thought I keep coming back to; you only get one first Ironman. Now I've sort of forgotten about trying to place well, race others, break 9 hours. I'm heading into tomorrow's race just wanting to take in the experience, enjoy myself, and savor every minute no matter how painful. This will be my only first Ironman and marathon, and most likely my last time to move up in distance. I'm absolutely still going to race hard, but I'm not putting any thought into other people or my placing, the focus is solely on myself and taking in this whole experience. I'm confident that I have the fitness to place top-5. But I also realize that Ironman racing has a very steep learning curve and I'm going to be experiencing something I've never experienced and making decisions I've never made before. While reading literature and talking with others can give you guidance towards what decisions you should make in certain situations, my experience is that things are best learnt through trial and error. I hope to execute a good race tomorrow, but almost certainly I'm going to make some mistakes along the way without the experience of a veteran Ironman racer. I just hope those mistakes don't result in me walking 14 minute miles. So while I hope to do well tomorrow and believe I can, really I'm in it for the experience of a first timer. Finishing fast and placing well would be an awesome experience. But you know what, even if I'm walking 5 miles into the run and finish in 11+ hours, finishing an Ironman and a marathon is still a pretty cool thing. Live race coverage tomorrow at www.rev3tri.com, race starts at 6:50am EST. I hope to post a short update Sunday evening about my experience. Very excited for tomorrow, Thanks for reading!
Would also like to mention that tomorrow is also the biggest day of the year for the BretscherMultisport athletes. I have five athletes who are all racing their peak races tomorrow. Two are up north in Canada for the Muskoka 70.3, one is making his Ironman debut with me at Rev 3, another making her IM debut over at IM Wisconsin, and finally another racing his first olympic at the Nation's triathlon in Washington DC. Excited to see how everyone does!
Bike all set to tackle its first 112 mile race
Personalized transition stalls at all Rev 3 events, the crease through my face is a representation of what I'll likely look like at the finish
Began growing the beard on August 1, the day I started Ironman training
All shaved down and ready to take this on!
Would also like to mention that tomorrow is also the biggest day of the year for the BretscherMultisport athletes. I have five athletes who are all racing their peak races tomorrow. Two are up north in Canada for the Muskoka 70.3, one is making his Ironman debut with me at Rev 3, another making her IM debut over at IM Wisconsin, and finally another racing his first olympic at the Nation's triathlon in Washington DC. Excited to see how everyone does!
Bike all set to tackle its first 112 mile race
Personalized transition stalls at all Rev 3 events, the crease through my face is a representation of what I'll likely look like at the finish
Began growing the beard on August 1, the day I started Ironman training
All shaved down and ready to take this on!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Rev 3 Cedar Point 140.6-All in!
On September 12 I will be making my full-Iron debut at the Rev 3 Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. After performing below my ability and expectation for most of the summer I decided it was a good time to try something new for a change, I had nothing to lose. I put together a very aggressive training plan which I did not know if I was physically capable of completing and launched full force into Iron distance training with the mentality that if the training didn't break me first then there's no way I wouldn't be ready to go 140.6. It was full commitment and focus, all the eggs into the Rev 3 basket. I did not race once during the month of August, everything was focused on completing the training necessary to get me into peak shape for Rev 3. Now, just 13 days out from race day and transitioning into taper mode I am happy to report that the training did not break me and I believe that I have put together the fitness necessary for a successful 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling, and running. Below is a recap of my August training, the most extensive training block I have ever put in.
Week 1 August 1-7: This was a cycling-focused week which started the day after my last race, the Steelhead 70.3. Highlight workouts for the week include a 22 mile long run and a 120 mile long ride. In total I logged 45 hours of training for the week-broken down that's 13k swimming, 500 miles on the bike, 75 miles running, and 90minutes of strength/lifting in 7 days. Four of my seven rides this week were in excess of 70 miles.
Week 2 August 8-14: Run focused week which was made difficult by the fact that we went 7 straight days this week where the heat index broke 100. Highlight workouts include a 24 mile long run and a track workout of 12 x 1600. 34 hours of training this week broken down as 20k swimming, 260 miles cycling, 90 miles running, 90 minutes lifting. These numbers would have likely been a little higher without the heat.
Week 3 August 15-21: Cycling focus. Highlights include a 7.5 hour 140 mile ride and a track workout of 40 x 400. 45 hours of training broken down as 17k swimming, 500 miles cycling, 75 miles running, 90 minutes lifting.
Week 4 August 22-28: Swimming focus. Highlights include a 10k straight open water swim, my first day off of the entire month, and a race day simulation where I rode 75miles in just over 3 hours and then proceeded to blowup hard running afterwards-that part wasn't really a highlight. 32 hours training this week broken down as 38k swimming, 280 miles cycling, 60 running, 90 minutes lifting.
That brings us to this week and I am now resting up, allowing my body to absorb all the training of this past month. Hence, I actually have some free time to update my blog. So after tomorrow, for the 31 days of August my training totals will be:
91k swimming: 3k/day average
1617 miles cycling: 52/day average
312 miles running: 10/day average
165 hours: 5.3/day average
A result of all of the training from this month is that I've lost about 5 pounds of body weight and have leaned out significantly. I've been pleasantly surprised by how well the training has gone and how I've handled the volume. I think the key to the success of this training block was a combination of the change in routine, focus on one race, and the pure fun of taking on a brand new challenge. I think my training and my mentality had gotten a little stale over the past year without a single, clear-cut focus, and the same sort of training routine week in and out, a lot of the fun was gone. This training block has been a very refreshing, welcomed change. Even though it is significantly more training than I have ever done I have actually felt less tired this month than in the past and have been a much more motivated, positive, and having more fun than I have in a long time. After all, it was Ironman that first got me excited about triathlon way back at the age of 12. Excited to see what September 12 brings.
Week 1 August 1-7: This was a cycling-focused week which started the day after my last race, the Steelhead 70.3. Highlight workouts for the week include a 22 mile long run and a 120 mile long ride. In total I logged 45 hours of training for the week-broken down that's 13k swimming, 500 miles on the bike, 75 miles running, and 90minutes of strength/lifting in 7 days. Four of my seven rides this week were in excess of 70 miles.
Week 2 August 8-14: Run focused week which was made difficult by the fact that we went 7 straight days this week where the heat index broke 100. Highlight workouts include a 24 mile long run and a track workout of 12 x 1600. 34 hours of training this week broken down as 20k swimming, 260 miles cycling, 90 miles running, 90 minutes lifting. These numbers would have likely been a little higher without the heat.
Week 3 August 15-21: Cycling focus. Highlights include a 7.5 hour 140 mile ride and a track workout of 40 x 400. 45 hours of training broken down as 17k swimming, 500 miles cycling, 75 miles running, 90 minutes lifting.
Week 4 August 22-28: Swimming focus. Highlights include a 10k straight open water swim, my first day off of the entire month, and a race day simulation where I rode 75miles in just over 3 hours and then proceeded to blowup hard running afterwards-that part wasn't really a highlight. 32 hours training this week broken down as 38k swimming, 280 miles cycling, 60 running, 90 minutes lifting.
That brings us to this week and I am now resting up, allowing my body to absorb all the training of this past month. Hence, I actually have some free time to update my blog. So after tomorrow, for the 31 days of August my training totals will be:
91k swimming: 3k/day average
1617 miles cycling: 52/day average
312 miles running: 10/day average
165 hours: 5.3/day average
A result of all of the training from this month is that I've lost about 5 pounds of body weight and have leaned out significantly. I've been pleasantly surprised by how well the training has gone and how I've handled the volume. I think the key to the success of this training block was a combination of the change in routine, focus on one race, and the pure fun of taking on a brand new challenge. I think my training and my mentality had gotten a little stale over the past year without a single, clear-cut focus, and the same sort of training routine week in and out, a lot of the fun was gone. This training block has been a very refreshing, welcomed change. Even though it is significantly more training than I have ever done I have actually felt less tired this month than in the past and have been a much more motivated, positive, and having more fun than I have in a long time. After all, it was Ironman that first got me excited about triathlon way back at the age of 12. Excited to see what September 12 brings.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Steelhead 70.3
Steelhead 70.3 Benton Harbor, Michigan
Swim: 25:47 10th fastest split
I arrived at the race in the dark as a steady, cold rain fell. Sat in the car for about 10 minutes watching everyone getting soaking wet. Thought about how much I didn't want to mess with it and almost convinced myself to just drive the four hours home instead of racing. 6 of my 11 races this year have involved rain or wet roads. Got everything set up and then nearly missed the race start, made the mile run down the beach and got to the start as the National Anthem was finishing with just about 90 seconds to spare. It was actually kind of nice because I didn't have a chance to think about what I was about to undertake and get nervous. Never thought I'd race in Lake Michigan without a wetsuit but this year the water is like a pool. Seemed to pick a good spot on the start line because I got right into a good group off the start. The pace seemed easy and I stayed on the same set of feet the entire way. Exited the water at the back of a group of six.
Bike: 2:11:40 25.6mph 10th fastest split
Was last onto the bike of our group of six and I rode the first 5k nearly all out to keep contact with the group as I know the importance be being in a group on a flat course. Positioned myself legal distance back and then just rode comfortably taking advantage of what draft there is. Our group caught a person or two in front and had another group catch us from behind. For a while I was sitting 8th in line holding 28mph at about a 22mph effort, at legal distance. The pack eventually broke up but I had company the entire way. Fastest average speed of the year although it wasn't entirely my own effort. That's racing.
Run: 1:20:03 8th fastest split
Took the run out pretty conservative coming off a terrible blowup in Racine. Conditions were very favorable for fast running, coolest temps I've felt in about two months. Just picked up the effort steadily the entire way, produced very consistent splits holding 6:10 every time I checked. Passed a few and got passed by a few. At the end we managed to have a showdown of Indiana pros, the three of us all finished within a minute. I held off Nick but couldn't run down Zach.
Overall: 4:00:38 8th place
Felt like I executed a very good race and fixed the nutrition and pacing errors I made in Racine. This was a BIG step forward from what I did two weeks ago. I think I got the most out of myself on this day, I'm just not as fit as I've been in the past or should be right now. Not sure what is up next for me, it could be my Iron distance debut at Rev 3 Cedar Point on the September 12. I should have a definite decision made in about a week, check back.
Swim: 25:47 10th fastest split
I arrived at the race in the dark as a steady, cold rain fell. Sat in the car for about 10 minutes watching everyone getting soaking wet. Thought about how much I didn't want to mess with it and almost convinced myself to just drive the four hours home instead of racing. 6 of my 11 races this year have involved rain or wet roads. Got everything set up and then nearly missed the race start, made the mile run down the beach and got to the start as the National Anthem was finishing with just about 90 seconds to spare. It was actually kind of nice because I didn't have a chance to think about what I was about to undertake and get nervous. Never thought I'd race in Lake Michigan without a wetsuit but this year the water is like a pool. Seemed to pick a good spot on the start line because I got right into a good group off the start. The pace seemed easy and I stayed on the same set of feet the entire way. Exited the water at the back of a group of six.
Bike: 2:11:40 25.6mph 10th fastest split
Was last onto the bike of our group of six and I rode the first 5k nearly all out to keep contact with the group as I know the importance be being in a group on a flat course. Positioned myself legal distance back and then just rode comfortably taking advantage of what draft there is. Our group caught a person or two in front and had another group catch us from behind. For a while I was sitting 8th in line holding 28mph at about a 22mph effort, at legal distance. The pack eventually broke up but I had company the entire way. Fastest average speed of the year although it wasn't entirely my own effort. That's racing.
Run: 1:20:03 8th fastest split
Took the run out pretty conservative coming off a terrible blowup in Racine. Conditions were very favorable for fast running, coolest temps I've felt in about two months. Just picked up the effort steadily the entire way, produced very consistent splits holding 6:10 every time I checked. Passed a few and got passed by a few. At the end we managed to have a showdown of Indiana pros, the three of us all finished within a minute. I held off Nick but couldn't run down Zach.
Overall: 4:00:38 8th place
Felt like I executed a very good race and fixed the nutrition and pacing errors I made in Racine. This was a BIG step forward from what I did two weeks ago. I think I got the most out of myself on this day, I'm just not as fit as I've been in the past or should be right now. Not sure what is up next for me, it could be my Iron distance debut at Rev 3 Cedar Point on the September 12. I should have a definite decision made in about a week, check back.
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