When you begin thinking about your upcoming race season, how do you find your motivation? As you get into your training regimen and do all the thing you will need to do to accomplish and enjoy a terrific race season, consider motivation.
Motivation is key; without it your training won’t get done, your fitness will not be there and your race season will elude your expectations
Here’s how to fine tune your motivation.
How do you know if you are doing a good job with your training and racing? It could be: “My coach says good job, my training partners call out good job, my social media connections give me kudos.”
It could also be: “I completed my workouts as prescribed. I hit my targets on the intervals. I got it done.”
The former hints at a leaning toward an external reference—your evidence and feedback for a job well done comes from other folks—your coach, training partners, others.
The other style is internally referenced—your evidence comes from your own self and you don’t rely so much on other folks tell you, although you might appreciate it.
Your motivation is tied to the feedback you get on your workouts, and your feedback is tied to how you are referenced—internal or external.
If you lean toward the externally referenced side, then arrange your feedback so that other folks can provide support. Ask your coach, training partners, family members and others to give you kudos. Set up workout appointments with your training partners. Go to masters swimming and group runs and rides. Give folks a chance to know what your training program looks like and how to acknowledge your accomplishments and progress. Strava, Garmin Connect and others also help with badges and shout outs.
Ifyou tend toward the internally referenced side, line up ways to see your data. Training Peaks records your accomplishments with different colors depending on compliance to your training plan—you do want to record all green on your calendar, do you not?
Using this little tweak customized to just how your feedback style sits will help youfine-tune your motivation to get out and get your workouts done. This leads to more positive feedback, which enhances motivation and increases your ability to succeed at your workouts. Your race season awaits.
It’s getting lighter! We are not into spring yet, but it’s coming and those of us who live in colder climates are having a few days in the mix with warmer weather. That being said, salads are back. I love my salads and in the cooler months I find it helpful to add some warm to the salad. It could be squash, cooked grain, baked fruit, or even warm turkey bacon.
Winter Warmer Salad
• 1 medium delicata squash, seeded and sliced into 1/2″ half-moons
• 2 tbsp. avocado oil
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 10 oz. baby arugula or hearty mixed greens
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• 4 oz. goat cheese or vegan cheese
• 1/2 cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
• *option to top with chicken or fish easily.
Dressing
• 5 sprigs rosemary
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. honey mustard
• 2 tsp. maple syrup
Instructions:
Toss squash in avocado oil and bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until tender.
For the dressing, cook the olive oil on low heat with the rosemary, after 5-8 minutes, strain out the rosemary and mix the mustard and maple into the oil.
Place the greens, squash, cheese and shallot on a large plate and top with the dressing. Like noted above, you can top this salad with anything…tofu, Pumfu, chicken, fish, or nothing.
As a multisport coach, one question I often get is, “Why so much Z2, Coach?”
First, let me define how I use Z2. Since we don’t often have access to a lab, I often use heart rate threshold data. I do NOT use power or pace for Z2, because if you have excess fatigue, you might be riding or running in Z2 pace or power but your heart rate is working too hard and in Z3.
I compared many of the different methods you could use for calculating heart rate. From Dr’s Seiler to Cougan, Milan, Coach Joe Friel, and coaching methods from USAT, Cyclesmart, and others, it is a pretty crazy spread. Using my bike heart rate data of 155 threshold heart rate, the low end of these zones would put my heart rate in the mid-’90s to low 100s heart rate, while some of these Z2 calculations would put me all the way up to 143 for Z2. Wow, I would be crushed if I went for a 3hr Z2 ride at a 143 heart rate, that’s closer to a Half-Ironman effort- that’s 92% of my threshold!
Physiologists use 65-75% of max heart rate to get Z2, assuming that threshold is roughly 90% of max. Therefore we can assume 75-85% threshold is our Z2. Since the threshold is the most applicable and probably the most frequent data we can get from races, this makes sense. If you have very valid max heart rate data it’s worth running both numbers at a percent of threshold and percent max heart rates to see where your Z2 lines up.
I’m a firm believer in Dr’s Inigo San-Millan and Seiler. World-class athletes are not born in a lab. Yet when we reverse engineer their success across decades and across multiple disciplines from running, rowing, cycling, cross-country skiing, and triathlon, we find some common themes. They create a huge aerobic base with lots of aerobic work at 65-75% of heart rate max. Ideally 70% of max, or 80% threshold. There is so much work you can do at this level, without excessive fatigue or risk of injury.
We know too, that lots of aerobic Z2 work increase the number and size of mitochondria in the muscle cells. In fact, according to Dr. Millan, Z2 is the greatest stress for the mitochondria because it uses the most fat oxidation and the body is able to transport lactic acid into the cell and use it as energy. As you may remember, mitochondria produce ATP. Now the more mitochondria you have the more lactic acid you can utilize for fuel and clear from the bloodstream and the more apt you can produce. However, the excess lactic acid does not allow for mitochondrial growth; in fact, it’s an inhibitor of growth. Therefore, from a physiological view, you don’t really want to be doing a ton of high-intensity work. Too much lactic acid is unable to be brought into the mitochondria, which creates hydrogen ions that are acidic and toxic. Since focused Z2 work improved our metabolic efficiency through fat oxidation, lactate clearing, and lactate production, this allows us to be able to do more work. All this Z2 benefit is really rewarded in Z4, thus further improving Z4 power and speed.
If you run or ride, simply limit yourself to a Z2 heart rate- ignore the pace, ignore the power. I’m willing to bet with patience and consistency, you will grow your endurance, increase the pace and power at that Z2 without any excess effort and improve your PA:HR or PW:HR ratio (aka your cardiac drift will become smaller ratio.) A ratio of less than 5% of PA:HR is pretty good for an endurance run or ride without intervals. Once you have mastered heart rate and your aerobic engine is strong, your threshold and VO2 intensity as well as duration or repeatability of intervals- will likely be better than before! Good Z2 work is not necessarily easy. Using a talk test, you can hold a conversation, but the other person definitely knows you’re exercising. Z2 is very sustainable for 60-90 minutes; however, after 2-3-4 hrs you might be feeling a pretty good amount of fatigue.
If you have the data and the metrics to show your recovery, such as an Oura ring that tracks HRV and resting HR, you might want to play around with how much and how often you do intensity. That’s the micro level of heart rate variability. However, on a macro level, you might notice fatigue exists if you’re struggling to get your heart rate into normal zones. Should you do a hard session anyway even if it’s on the schedule? I recommend getting some sleep, increasing your glycogen through a higher-carb meal and getting hydrated, and doing that higher-intensity session the next day. But talk with your coach about this.
In reviewing all this fascinating research and information from the best physiologists, we can determine the following:
– Z2 is at 80% threshold or 70% max heart rate.
– Z2 frequency and duration would dictate 80% of your workouts should be at this intensity
-Z2 grows mitochondria
-Z2-improves fat oxidation
-Z2-improves lactate clearing.
-Z2 is repeatable with low risk, however, the reward is like any investment it takes time.
I hope you have your best year ever in 2023, and I hope you spend plenty of time in Z2 and that brings you nothing but personaly bests! Good luck!
After a two-year hiatus from structured training and racing due to COVID race cancellations in 2020 and having a baby in 2021, Kalee Tyson had a remarkable 2022 race season highlighted by several breakthroughs while earning a slot to both the 70.3 World Championship in Finland and IM World Championship in Kona for 2023. Kalee shared with me her experiences being a new mom and her journey back to racing.
First and most importantly, you had a baby girl in August of 2021! How has motherhood been and what advice do you have for someone who is trying to balance being a parent, working and training?
KT: Motherhood has been amazing, challenging, exhausting, and exhilarating! It’s been the biggest learning curve of my life! When it comes to balance, I wish I had some perfect advice but I honestly spent most of this year feeling like I was failing at all three – motherhood, training, and my job. The best advice I have is to be patient and flexible. Lean on others for help. I feel so fortunate to have my husband and parents to lean on so I could train. I felt a lot of guilt for having an Ironman on my schedule when my daughter was still a baby and needed me. It felt very selfish. Instead of wasting my energy feeling bad about it, I tried to focus on being as
present as I could in each space of my life. I couldn’t give all of myself to any one part of my life – but I could certainly give it my ALL when I was doing each part. That completely shifted how I showed up as a mom, triathlete, and employee. I don’t know if the mom-guilt ever actually goes away, but it definitely helped.
With your return to structured training and racing, what were your main goals and do you feel you accomplished them?
KT: When I started structured training again, my main goal was to be able to complete the 4 races on my schedule and feel proud of the outcome. For the first time ever, it felt like I was starting the season from scratch – almost no fitness or endurance. I didn’t expect the year of racing after a baby to be full of PBs but I wanted to feel like I did the best I could for where I was at! My return to running was full of hurdles, so every running milestone I hit throughout training felt like a major accomplishment. I did my first speedwork right before CDA 70.3 and it felt like a HUGE accomplishment to be able to do intervals during a run! Then I ran two back-to-back days! That was something I wasn’t able to do early on in the season because of pelvic floor issues. Then, each long run I did felt like a huge accomplishment. At the beginning of 2022, it felt like it’d be impossible to ever get up to 15+ miles. I vividly remember sobbing at the end of a 6 mile run at the beginning of training (the longest I had run after having my baby) and thinking there was NO WAY I was going to be able to do an Ironman later this year. This body was a different one and it would NEVER hold up for a full Ironman. It’s wild how all the small, incremental increases in training really build up into something big without you really noticing!
After a two-year hiatus from racing, were you surprised by anything within the training process or on race day?
KT: I was surprised that I had to completely relearn how to fuel during training and races! I completely forgot what I used to eat and drink during training and races. I also forgot how exhilarating race morning is. It really makes you feel alive. Every part of racing and training makes me feel alive.
You had a very successful season in posting PBs across various distances from Olympic to 70.3 to IM. What stands out to you as the impetus for these improvements? (training protocol, better race day fueling/hydration, increased focus on recovery/sleep/nutrition, etc.)
KT: A lot of my improvements came because of consistency. I show up, get my workouts done, and trust the process. While my training might not be perfect, or on the day it was originally scheduled, I stay consistent and get those green boxes in TrainingPeaks (I am overly motivated by a green box). A change I did make throughout this season was to increase my fueling while training and racing. I almost doubled the calories I was taking in on the bike and it made a HUGE difference in my best two races of the season (WA 70.3 and IM Arizona). I also took in more calories on the run during those races which helped a ton. It felt like I was funneling Maurten gels way too often, but I never over-fueled or had GI issues so it worked! The last thing that stood out for me this year was the growth in my mental strength. It took a while to rebuild the muscle in my brain that would push when it hurt. I had spent my whole pregnancy and a lot of early motherhood “giving myself grace” and not putting extra pressure on myself – and that mentality naturally transferred over to training and racing. “I’m amazing for just doing this training” was how my mind was thinking. Halfway through this season, I realized it was time to make it hard again – stop giving myself grace in training and start applying myself more. My baby was 1 year old and was sleeping through the night. I was well rested and it was time to push in this part of my life. During WA 70.3 I pushed the bike and had my best 70.3 ride ever on a tough course – and with all the extra fuel I took in my run felt amazing… until it didn’t, and then I reminded myself that “it hurts and that’s ok” and pushed through to a 13.1-mile run that I could be proud of! That 70.3 PB SHOCKED me, but it helped me
grow a ton of confidence in my Ironman AZ build. Mental strength is like a muscle – you have to keep pushing it and growing it every day, and the build into Ironman AZ only made it stronger. My mind was READY for IM AZ. That race is the race I’m most proud of so far in my life. So many times doing an Ironman this year felt impossible – physically, mentally, emotionally – and it’s the best race I’ve ever had. It was absolutely a test of mental strength and that muscle showed off that day!
Please share one or two key training sessions you did this year that really boosted your confidence.
KT: I love all types of training – but I HATE testing. You could probably give me a “test” type workout without the word “test” and I’d do great and hit my targets, but the moment I see “run test” or “FTP test” it’s a PANIC. I used to emotionally break down during every test – I just put a weird pressure on myself! I had my first run test on the schedule mid-season. Brad very clearly stated to not worry about this run test, and that we just needed some data now that we were doing actual run workouts. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my run and wasn’t even sure my body would hold up pushing for three straight miles of effort! For the first time EVER I didn’t totally melt down and stop mid-test (I considered it, but reminded myself that no one cared about the results of this run, only me) and my speed wasn’t even that far off from my last run test in early 2020 when I was a faster, fitter runner in my opinion! I had not imagined that great of an outcome! I was super thrilled all around – but mostly with my mental performance and ability to talk myself out of quitting when the test got hard. At that time, “control” was a mantra-type word I was leaning on because the rest of my life felt like I had no control, and training was where I DID have control, so that word helped during the test. I had CONTROL of my speed, of my body, of the outcome. Before Boulder 70.3 Brad had a 1 hour run with some effort coming off a long bike on the schedule. I hadn’t run long off the bike outside of CDA 70.3 and it looked way too hard to me (also, it was HOT that day)! Because of my lack of faith in my run all season I was already talking myself out of this run while I was riding. “You don’t have to do the effort part of the run” I told myself. But when I actually went out on the run I thought, “might as well give it a go! What can it hurt to TRY”. It was a 30 min race pace and 30 min easy. I was SHOCKED at how well it went! I ran well, in the heat, coming off a long bike! It gave me a lot of confidence going into the second half of my race season that maybe my run could come back around this year!
What are you most excited about in racing both the 70.3 World Championship and IM World Championship in 2023?
KT: I have never done a World Championship race before and it’s such an honor to get to do BOTH World Championship races! It still feels like a fever dream that I’m getting to race Kona. I’m incredibly excited about both races! I’m hopeful that I can show up fit and able to try to race my best at both!! I’m also excited about the travel – Finland will be my and my husband’s first trip without my daughter so I’m looking forward to that, AND I can’t wait for my daughter to get to go to Kona and maybe, kind of understand what’s going on. She definitely doesn’t understand any of this stuff yet so I’m excited for her to be there with me in Kona. This last year I kept reminding myself that I’m laying a healthy foundation for her and the kind of person she’ll grow into – she’s going to know that she can do extraordinary things and that hard work pays off because she sees her mom and dad do hard things – but for now all she knows is that mom leaves the room and then she bursts into tears. So, I’m looking forward to sharing these moments with her when she can understand them and be a part of them.
Anything else you want to share with our D3 community?
KT: The best thing I learned this year was to let go of expectations of training and racing going perfectly. When I showed up to training knowing that it was something I do for fun, something I do for ME because I love it, it completely transformed that time for me. It wasn’t an obligation, it was a joy. Certainly, each day wasn’t pretty, but it was a gift to get to DO it. After so many years of not getting to actually do this stuff (covid, pregnancy) I was just happy to be back in it. The attitude you approach things with can change the entire experience and outcome (this also really applied to parenthood, too).
For most triathletes, the winter is a time to back off on structured training and let the body and mind recover from the rigors of racing and training throughout the Tri season. But why not take the opportunity to make some gains in other aspects of training while still recovering? Swimming is a great activity to focus on in the off-season reaping many benefits. These benefits may vary from athlete to athlete based on an individual’s swim background and race goals, but listed here are 5 advantages of focusing on swimming throughout the winter.
First, what a great opportunity to focus on technique. In the part of the season where high yardage and high intensity are not necessary, slow things down and get back to the basics. Pick one to three aspects of your stroke that may need some fine-tuning or perhaps even an overhaul: catch, body position, underwater pull, bilateral breathing, etc. It could also be beneficial to take a swim lesson or 2 to hone in on where your inefficiencies may be within your stroke.
Some may also find value in swimming through winter to build up a base in a manner that is fairly easy on the body. Keeping intensity low, but building up yardage could benefit those that do not have a strong swim background and want to improve swim fitness and efficiency. Be mindful, though, if you tend to have shoulder issues and build up the volume slowly.
For those of us that live in colder climates, it can be challenging to get out the door to train outside when it is in the single digits. Maintaining swimming during the winter is a way to stay consistent with activity even when the weather does not cooperate. That 80-85 degree pool is there waiting for you! Also, consider joining a master’s group to swim with for these months, if you don’t already. What a great way to build community and take a break from triathlon-specific freestyle sets and branch out with the other strokes.
Finally, swimming is a great way to stay fit during the holidays. With family and food abounding in November and December, take a break from both and head to the pool. At easy to moderate paces, swimming burns roughly the same amount of calories as jogging, yet you are working a wider variety of muscles in your body. Plus, as mentioned above, swimming tends to take much less toll on your body allowing for more frequency, therefore burning even more calories, if that is your goal.
There are so many great benefits to focusing on the swim during the winter months. Hopefully, this can encourage those that don’t love swimming, and for those that enjoy swimming perhaps, this can give a different perspective on some of the benefits it offers.
If you are on board to focus on swimming over the winter, here is an idea of how you can plan the training to maximize your time in the pool. Remember to start from where you are with fitness and skill level, then progress from there.
Monday-technique work: keep swimming easy, and focus on skills; this may be a good day to fit in a lesson
Tuesday-aerobic base building: this is the day to reinforce the skills you worked on yesterday. Sets will be a little longer with shorter rest, effort of about 50-70%
Wednesday-speed day: long warm-up then sets with shorter duration and more rest between. You can put fins on for some of this to work on the kick and add more speed.
*if you are just starting your swim training, wait a few weeks before you add in the speed. This can be an active recovery day, working further on skills
Thursday-OFF from swimming
Fri-technique/kicking work: back to the basics with skills, keeping it easy, and add a kick set to work on the kick-vertical kicking is a fun way to do this
Saturday-aerobic base building; as your fitness increases, you can push into anaerobic endurance with repeats between 50 and 150 yds with higher intensity and medium rest
Sunday-OFF Day
I checked off the bucket-list NYC Marathon. My results were underwhelming. I thought I’d share a few notes for others to learn from.
My training was solid and fitness strong coming into race weekend. I’m a decent runner, but not the fastest coach in the D3 stable. My last long run (10 days out) was 16 pretty comfortable miles, negative split in 2:15, at 272 watts (thanks Stryd) at the end of a training block (and at altitude). The Stryd race predictor suggested that I could race in the 3:20’s at 295 watts but that felt too fast for me so I set my goal for 3:35 at 280 watts. I got a solid taper and headed to New York with high hopes and a plan.
Key factors why it didn’t happen:
1. Travel
My wife and I had a mid-morning non-stop flight booked for Friday. The flight was delayed several hours and eventually canceled. It became a mad scramble to get to New York—our airline rebooked us on a Sunday flight, arriving the afternoon of race day. We managed to find a flight on another airline leaving late Friday, connecting through Chicago with under 30 minutes to make the connection on a different concourse thanks to a delayed first flight. There was running in the airport, but we made it. We arrived in Manhattan at 1:00am and didn’t get a full night’s sleep.
Takeaway: Travel can be stressful and disruptive. While a lot of travel day is outside of your control, remember that time is a buffer. If it’s possible to arrive an extra day or two early, when travel delays happen, the stress and logistics won’t have as great of an impact.
2. Fueling (know the rules…)
My fueling plan was to carry my own Infinit mix in my race vest that I have been using successfully in training and racing for years. Before bed on Saturday night, I learned that race vests are not allowed at NYC. There was no realistic way to carry my own nutrition and I really didn’t have a plan B that could get me through the whole race. I brought a handheld with me on the trip but I was pretty much at the mercy of aid stations on course. Gatorade endurance plus gels that I haven’t used in training (only available at miles 12 and 18). I took in as much as I could during the run but got fewer calories than I would have with plan A. Luckily, I didn’t have stomach issues with the unfamiliar products, but I just couldn’t get everything that I felt I needed out there.
Takeaway: I’m a triathlete, not a runner. I was unfamiliar with the rules of this race and didn’t review the details until it was too late. We’ve all ignored athlete guides—it can be worth giving them a thorough read even if you’re an experienced athlete.
3. Race plan
My training partner is better than me (in almost every way). Most importantly, she’s more marathon experienced and is a little faster than I am. Her plan was to go out aggressively and shoot for a time in the low 3:30 range. It was a bit of a stretch for me, but this wasn’t an important race for me in terms of results—this was a bucket-list race for the experience of it all. So my plan was to run together until the course brought us back to Manhattan (just past mile 16) then if she was on a good day, I’d dial back and run easier to the finish. If she was not on a good day, we’d just stay together. We ran to plan and I was stretching a little but nothing crazy. My heart rate was too high (note also there was unseasonable heat/humidity/dew point) but my watts were on target and my legs felt good. She was on a good day and once we split, I dialed it back for a few miles per plan, but the damage had been done and the wheels came off by mile 19. I was in a walk/shuffle pattern to the finish from there.
Takeaway: Your race plan can be aspirational and aggressive if you’re willing to suffer bad results. I would have preferred to finish strong, of course, but I also loved the experience of running with a partner and launching her to a strong day. Don’t pick a dumb plan if you’re not willing to live with the consequences. I’m fine with what went down because this was not a key performance race for me, but if I’d put my hopes on a PR, mine was a terrible plan.
A final thought. The NYC Marathon is much more than 26.2 miles of running. It’s a spectacle with a rich history. Aside from the few miles when you’re going over bridges, the entire course is lined with enthusiastic spectators (some in the neighborhoods already drunk and extra entertaining by late morning). I haven’t done a lot of stand-alone running races, but this one has to be among the most amazing experiences in the world—highly recommended!
Coach Dave Sheanin believes that becoming “triathlon literate” is key to meeting your goals. Triathlon is indeed a lifestyle and like the other important areas of your life, knowledge is power. I encourage you to explore the nuances of the sport, be open to new ideas and ask questions – of yourself, of fellow swimmers, cyclists and runners, and of your coach.
With the racing season wrapping up for many of us in the Northern hemisphere, it is an excellent time to increase our knowledge and catch up on our reading. I’ve compiled a short list of my favorite prehab and strength and conditioning book recommendations. Many of us will aim to get stronger and work on movement patterns during the winter months. This list will give you an excellent starting point or add to your current knowledge. I want to hear back from you and your favorite books on racing and training. Train hard and train smart and have a great winter.
Becoming a Supple Leopard, by Dr. Kelly Starrett with Glen Cordozza
Ready to Run, by Dr. Kelly Starrett with T.J. Murphy
New Functional Training for Sports, by Michael Boyle
Functional Training, by Juan Carlos Santana
Born to Walk Myofascial Efficiency and the Body in Movement, by James Earls
Movement, Functional Movement Systems, by Gray Cook
Athletic Body in Balance, by Gray Cook
Olympic Weightlifting, By Greg Everett
Starting Strength, By Mark Rippetoe
Coach Simon Butterworth was invited to give a talk at the Iron Gents and Iron Ladies annual dinner held during Ironman week in Kona. The invitations are given to all athletes over 60. The MC for the evening was Cherie Gruenfeld a 16th-time winner in Kona who this year set the record for the oldest female finisher. Before Simon talked Missy LeStrange shared her wisdom from almost 30 years of experience racing in Kona and a similar number of wins. She won again this year. He felt humbled beside these two legends who had won more often than he had raced.
Here is his talk which he has edited for a wider audience.
“Thank you Cherie for inviting me to talk. I have to pinch myself at times to recognize how lucky I have been to be able to race here so many times. Lots of great support from many friends and family ( Simon lost his biggest fan, supporter and partner/wife of 52 years this summer postponing his 16th race in Kona).
You don’t have to be first second or even in the top ten to win in an IronMan, especially the World Championship. I got a reminder of how true that is in 2009.
Coming to Kona that year I was feeling strong. I had won Buffalo Springs 70.3 by 46 hard-fought seconds beating a friend who in 10 years of competition had left me in the dust every time. I had placed 7th then 6th the last two times I was out here. I was beginning to think I could get on the podium.
The swim and T1 went well. The bike felt good as I powered up the first short hill. I started to accelerate on Kuakini when with a clunk, the pedals froze. The bonded to the frame derailleur hanger had broken. I knew that it could not be fixed. Ideas came quickly as I walked back to T1. Single speed, find a mechanic borrow a bike. I got some puzzled looks on the hot corner.
I found a mechanic but had to walk back to where I had stopped, as those were rules. I had, and still do, Rotor oval chainrings and we could not get the chain tensioned to stop the chain from moving up and down 2-3 cogs. We gave up on the single speed after an hour of trying. The mechanic said he would look for a loaner at T1. After about 20 min of increasing frustration and waiting I was leaning against a telephone pole and crying. It seemed my race was over.
I composed myself and again walked back to T1 to make one last appeal for a loaner. I thought for sure one of the bike companies that had many demo bikes at the expo would not have packed up everything in 24 hrs but I was wrong. I was about to give up and collect my bags when a voice behind me said “I can lend you I bike”. I turned around and found myself looking into the eyes of Rocky Campbell, they were the same height as mine. Rocky at that time was the manager of construction for the race. (We had another great lunch together this year with his wife and other friends.) He set off to his warehouse to get the bike retuning about 40 min later. His day job as the owner of a lumber yard, and the bike was covered in a fine layer of sawdust. He apologized for that, I assured him that was just fine as the mechanic helped me adjust the seat height and transfer bottles and other stuff. Two and a half hrs after I got out of the water I was moving forward again and so happy.
At the first traffic light I discovered what was going to be the norm for much of the ride. The lights were now working and not just flashing, the timing mats were gone at the turnaround at the top of Kuakini. All the way back through town I was carefully following the rules of the road.
All the way up the Queen K the aid stations were now on the other side of the road for the retuning athletes. Starting up the climb to Hawi I passed my first competitor. In Hawi the mats were gone but there was staff to observe my passage. It’s nice flying down the hill with the wind at your back with no traffic or bicycles, I did not even have to worry about race Marshalls. Halfway back to Kona the van pulls up beside me and starts asking me questions and they left me worrying that they were not sure if I had completed the course properly. That sure had me worried but it wasn’t the time to fuss over that and I must have answered the questions satisfactorily.
Somewhere around Waikoloa I passed sister Madonna Buder and Rudy Garcia Toloson. Sister was attempting to become the oldest female Kona finisher at 80. Double above the knee amputee Rudy was attempting to set a new mark for Challenged Athletes, it was his first IM. Struggling into a stiff headwind sadly they did not make the cut off. He did go on to finish Ironman Florida. Above the knee amputee‘s lose the use of their quads and hamstrings and the only muscle to drive the leg of the Gluts. Think about that the next time you try and climb a hill.
I pulled into T2 at about 5 o’clock to find that my predicament was viral. Two ART friends were waiting to work on me. (I reconnected with one of them this year, Dr Charles Renick from Columbia SC). At 5:30, the cutoff time for the bike, I was threatened with disqualification and hustled out of T2. I was the last person to get on the run course.
I was on fire heading up the first short hill, a marathon PR seemed possible. I got down to the waterfront on Alli and found Lou Hollander. I hatched a new idea. Lou by this time was one of the 80+ superstars of the sport. Running with him to the turnaround was like being with a rockstar; everybody knew him and they were shouting out his name and giving him encouragement. Progress was slow but it was a hoot.
Finally, Lou had convinced me to press on by myself. But the stage was set. I was going to try and talk to anybody who was willing to engage with me. Time passed quickly chatting in the dark all the way to the energy lab and it was easier than I had ever experienced in six races. When I wasn’t talking to someone I was running fast so I made overall progress reasonably well. As I approached the energy lab I got into a conversation with a woman my age who was making good progress but having a hard time. We set off down the hill when suddenly she wasn’t there. She had gone off the curb and fallen. I helped her up. She was OK and we continued to the turnaround where she also chased me off and said go finish.
Somewhere back on the Queen K, I see a woman ahead of me in the traffic glare, cars were back on the road on the other side, weaving all over the road and almost into that traffic. As I came up on her I asked her what was wrong, “Back spasms” – she was doubled over at the waist. I told her she should get help. She thought that would disqualify her, but I explained it would not. Then I discovered that she was being followed by medics in the van. I wished her well and pressed on to the finish.
That finish was the one I will never forget, I was on a cloud, I had won placing 38th out of 42. And there were some bonuses.
NBC had been hiding behind me filming my encounter with the lady with back spasms. That was on their special in November as was my finish. Bob Babbit gave me a shout-out at the awards dinner telling my story and getting a big cheer.
Then two years later when I won my AG at Eagleman a lady walks up to me and says, “Simon you don’t remember me we ran down the Energy Lab road together in 2009. She said it saved her day.”
I already knew that the best part of the triathlon and any sports are our fellow competitors and the common bond we have and the friendships we make. This race was the coda to long-held idea and will be with me forever.
Remember even at the darkest moments on the darkest nights you always have friends out there. Put your mouth to work to help you move forward.”
During the week or two before your big race, you may be tempted to do some things to enhance your race performance. You have extra time on your hands due to reduced training time during your taper period, and you may be pacing to and fro like a caged tiger. You may be thinking about some of the workouts that you missed during your training period, and a little nagging voice wonders if maybe you could make up those workouts now, close to race day. Our physiology and neurology give clues about things you can do in the week or two before your race. You can relax your body. Your training plan provided the stimulus for your body to get faster and fitter, and that design also specifies your exact taper to let all that work absorb, resulting in increased fitness. More work now will not add anything but may interfere with the designed recovery, actually impeding your fitness gains. Some extra running sprints or bike intervals cannot make you faster now. But relaxing and recovering will help you accumulate the gains from all your training. Stay off your feet as much as possible. Go through registration and the expo efficiently and get out of there. Put your feet up whenever you can. You can get plenty of sleep. Sleep is among the most powerful forms of relaxation. Get to bed early in the nights before the race, especially the two nights before the night before the race. Sometimes it is challenging to get a good night’s sleep the night before the race, understandably, so the two nights before that one is key. You can relax your mind. Early in the week, take care of all your chores. Assemble your race gear and pack early. Give your bike a look over check the nuts and bolts, see that your tires are not worn and are free of cuts and sidewall blemishes, clean the drivetrain, and check the brake pads. If you take care of the details early, should any last-minute issues arise you will have plenty of time and attention to accommodate them as calmly and serenely. You can go over your race plan. Study the race map and profile. Walk through the flow of transitions. Imagine in your mind’s eye how the race will go by making imaginary movies of your well-executed race. Run this imaginary movie just before dropping off to sleep in the evenings before your race so that your brain already knows what do to when race day comes. For specific instructions see this article on USAT’s website
You can trust your training. All the work you put in will be there for you. Thinking about the workouts you missed doesn’t help instill confidence but remembering all the work that you did complete will bolster your resolve and let you race with resolve. In the days before the race with a little surplus time on your hands, you could easily get yourself into some trouble—sneaking in an extra strength workout, going for an “easy” ride with your pals, trying to make up for past missing workouts. But really, any extra-credit workouts during taper are just tearing you down and messing with your recovery. Instead, replace the temptation to do extra training with those things that will really help you. Then you can race unfettered and serene and free.
Most running training plans when preparing for a 70.3 triathlon will indicate a specific pace or heart rate (HR) to establish the desired amount of intensity of a workout. There is often great debate between pace or HR and the best matrix to maximize training benefits and race day performance. For many athletes, pace is a quantifiable matrix to judge their performance during a workout. The athlete will compare paces between runs and evaluate the quality of the activity solely based on this information. However, many factors will affect an athlete’s run pace on a given day, such as wind, rain, humidity, hills, the workout the day before, and GPS accuracy, to name a few. Thus, giving them results that may not represent the actual intensity of the workout. Factors that affect the validity of HR training include dehydration, sleep, caffeine, cardiac drift, and the accuracy of the heart rate monitor. Choosing between HR or pace when determining training intensity could significantly impact your physiological benefit and performance goals. Whether using pace or HR, it is vital to establish the correct training zones to match the proper amount of stimulus for each prescribed workout.
Typically, I will have an athlete perform a running time trial to determine lactic threshold (LT) pace and LT heart rate. The hard effort must be constant without a drop in intensity to establish a heart rate defection point to determine the lactic threshold and create accurate training zones. Below are examples from a run test to set both pace and HR training zones. I will repeat the testing several times to confirm the results and will regularly repeat testing during a racing season to update the training zones.
For several reasons, most of my 70.3 run training plans are in heart rate. First, if we look at the pace chart above and view zone 3 (tempo), we see a pace of 6:01 to 6:29 min/mile. We established this pace zone with minimal fatigue in the athlete. Generally, the run test is conducted after a rest day or at the beginning of a training block, where fatigue is not a prominent variable in the results. When we retest after a training block, the same conditions are established to determine if we have made performance gains. It would be challenging to develop pace training zones when fatigued since fatigue is a complex variable to replicate. Fatigue is also a challenging variable to measure. We train to build fatigue resistance.
The more fatigue resistance an athlete has, the faster they will go. An example of a workout to build fatigue resistance would be a morning Bike 4 x 10 min. @ 95 – 100% FTP, evening Run 4 x 15 min. @ 6:29 -7:20 pace (zone 2). After a high-intensity bike workout in the morning, it may be difficult for the athlete to maintain the correct pace zone, and they will commonly run at a higher intensity than required. However, suppose the same run workout is written in HR as 4 x 15 min. @ 85-89% of HR LT. Now, we focus on the correct physiological stimulus based on the prescribed workout, and the pace becomes arbitrary. However, monitoring pace and HR together is a great tool to monitor aerobic endurance with a matrix called aerobic coupling, where HR and pace are coupled with a less than five percent separation. If the separation between pace and HR is greater than five percent, this is decoupling. For example, if you do a two-hour run-in zone 2 HR and your HR and pace remain consistent, your fitness is optimal, and you’re ready to increase intensity. Another reason I prefer HR over pace is the training environment and weather conditions. On page ten in Daniels’ Running Formula by Jack Daniels’, the author states, “switch days to accommodate weather” if your workouts are based on pace, that may be a viable option but not very practical for the triathlete.
However, when your workouts are based on HR, a very windy day has little impact on your training. During the winter months, many of us utilize a treadmill during training. Since GPS on your watch cannot measure pace indoors, you then become dependent on the accuracy of the treadmill. Unless you can calibrate the treadmill, the chances are the pace numbers will be erroneous. Again, in this scenario, training with HR is a better option. As a coach, the more data I collect from an athlete’s workout, the better. This data set includes HR, pace, temperature, and other valuable data points. So, the more information you can record from your workout, the better. There are also times when workouts written in pace are appropriate for an athlete’s training. Still, I generally reserve those types of workouts when working on specific goals or when we can limit the variables that could affect the results. I will also use pace training when I need to see an immediate response to an increase in intensity where HR will lag.
An example may be a high-intensity track workout consisting of 400m intervals where HR may not reach its peak until well into the interval. Also, pace training is valuable when doing workouts above LT, where achieving a specific response may be difficult since there may be only a few heartbeats between zones. The gap between zones above LT is significant because our max HR will continue to decline as we age. However, HR is also beneficial in this scenario, providing information on how quickly the athlete is recovering from the effort and is valuable in determining the volume of future workouts at that intensity. A good training plan will have workouts written to address detailed training zones to achieve a specific physiological response. HR training provides a prodigious option to complete your training with optimal results. Good luck with your training and racing. Hard work does pay off.
Jennie Zinchuk had a great first-time Ironman at Ironman Canada last month in Penticton, British Columbia. I haven’t seen many, if any, first-time Ironman performances, as Jennie had. It was a lot of fun to watch in person!
and it made me realize how much I’ve missed going to live Ironman events and seeing athletes put it all on the line.
I have been coaching Jennie for almost 3 years and she worked incredibly hard for this result. She did an amazing job balancing her demanding job, her super energetic young boys, her husband Dan’s ultra-running and her own training. Every week had a plan wrapped around work, kids’ activities and working around her husband’s races and or long training days. I’m not sure how she does it, but she really gets every second out of each day and shows up the next day ready to get back to work. Jennie is a great example of determination to achieve a goal and the daily discipline it takes to bring it all together. I hope you enjoy this interview!
Q: Hi Jennie, can you tell us a little bit about how your day went overall?
Jennie: Overall, the day was a pretty amazing experience. The venue was incredible. Penticton, BC is a beautiful place and I wouldn’t have even considered it unless Mike suggested it as my deferral option from the 2021 IRONMAN California debacle. The swim was in a gorgeous, calm lake and I felt pretty smooth throughout the swim. I still need to figure out how to find feet to draft off of, but ended up close to the split I was aiming for. The bike went by faster than I thought it would. I was able to drive the course a few days before, which is one big loop and the scenery is just insane. I underestimated some of the false flats and hills, and there were a few times that it was more of a grind than I thought it would be. I was at a point towards the end when I was doing the math in my head to determine if I was on track to hit my bike split goal and as soon as I figured out I wasn’t, it became a mental game. Ended up about 15 min over my goal split, but it seemed as if most people were a little slower than anticipated. The run is usually where I make up the most time and as soon as I started I was shocked at how good my legs felt. That set me up for a positive mindset that it would be a good run day. The first mile was up the most ridiculous half-mile hill that had most people walking. Fortunately, the sufferfest was followed by an out-and-back trail through beautiful vineyards, so I guess you could say it was worth it. The rest of the run was through town with tons of spectators cheering us on.
One part of the loop that went all the way down Main Street was a mental struggle because it was a slight decline down and straight headwind back up…twice! I would say the last 5k was when it got really hard. I found a second and third wind a few times, but once I got on that last loop of the run, I was ready to be done. Ended up right at my goal run split and still made it just under 11 hours. Having my mom, my mother-in-law, and Mike there to support me really helped make the day successful. Crossing that finish line was the BEST finish line feeling I’ve had yet. Nutrition-wise, everything worked out perfectly. I worked with Megan Dopp to create a plan that ensured I had enough sodium and calories for the bike and run. I have a very sensitive stomach, so I did a lot of testing during training and Maurten works well for me. I consumed only Maurten drink mix, gels, and solids the entire day. I ended up consuming a few extra gels on both the ride and run which definitely helped keep my energy levels up.
Q: Ironman is definitely the longest distance you’ve done. You’ve swum more than 3 miles before and you’ve biked over 100 miles plenty of times. You did run the LA Marathon last year after IM California was canceled. But you’ve never had that long of a training day. So, what did you think was possible?
Jennie: I knew I was capable of sub-11, but only if it was a good day. I also knew that there was really nothing else I could do to be more prepared physically to have that good day. I try to keep calm before big races and try not to put too much pressure on myself, despite any expectations I have. I give myself grace and mentally prepare for the uncontrollable. If shit happens, it happens, and that’s ok. So far that mental strategy has worked out pretty well for me.
Q: Obviously, there are points during the race where you may think, “Wow. This is really hard and it hurts a lot” but in the opposite vein, at what point did you think, “I’m actually having a great day and this is fun”?
Jennie: When I was running through the vineyards about 2 miles into the run. I was running at a pace that felt easy and it was faster than I thought I would be moving. I thought, ok, this marathon can actually be enjoyable if you can keep this pace up!
Q: On the opposite side of the coin, when did you think, “This is really hard and I want this to be over now”?
Jennie: Stopping never once crossed my mind, which is actually pretty shocking. But, there was a point late on the bike where I was going up a hill that didn’t look like a hill and there was a pretty good headwind at the same time. I looked down at my watch and I think I was going maybe 6-7mph and I literally yelled out loud, “oh, come on!!” in frustration. I was giving so much effort and barely moving.
Q: That’s pretty funny. Talking out loud to yourself. I can totally see that. Tell us about some of the key workouts you did ramp up for the race – which ones stand out?
Jennie: I had several 5-6 hour bike rides that mentally prepared me to be out there for so long. I also had a weekend of back-to-back 2-hour ride/2-hour run days and a few double 90-min run days that really helped my run endurance. My key swim workouts were longer race pace sets that added up to 4-5k.
Q: Great – double runs are definitely challenging and that 8 hours weekend of 2-hour bike/run on back-to-back days is hard as well. Tell us about some of your bread and butter workouts that you just ‘punch the clock’ on and get it done.
Jennie: I really enjoy the bike trainer workouts. For the most part, I execute those well. And tempo run workouts.
Q: If you had to guess, in the past 6 months, going all the way back to April 1st, how many days in your Training Peaks were NOT green (completion)?
Jennie: Not many. If it’s in TP, it will get done. I’m type-A so my TP MUST be all green, but there are probably a few orange ones in there because I’m also an overachiever
Q: True on both accounts. I think I counted 2 workouts that weren’t done and it was probably because you weren’t feeling 100% or something like that. Lastly – let’s talk a bit about your run fitness and dive into some details: Your coach (me) claims that when you started working together you were reluctant to run too slow – I had you running at a Heart Rate below 150 which was around 9:10 pace starting out. True or False? How do you remember that period – new coach – new workouts etc.
Jennie: I do remember this and it was an adjustment. When you go for a run, usually you don’t actively force yourself to go slower to…improve! I hadn’t paid too much attention to HR before and typically went by pace. So moving to a HR-based plan was new, but it’s definitely made me more aware of my effort levels and has significantly improved my endurance.
Q: Running in Zone 2 a lot – like 70-80% of the time builds a huge foundation of strength and aerobic power. What is your normal run pace and HR, if you don’t mind sharing? What was your run pace and average Heart Rate at IMC?
Jennie: My Zone 2 is somewhere in the low 8:00 min/mile range, sometimes faster, at 137-148bpm. My run pace at IMCA was 8:35 min/mile at 146bpm.
Q: Great – it’s amazing how even after a big swim and bike, your HR was dialed in and you were very close to your normal long-day run pace. We all know a great bike ride sets up a great run, and did you ride to the correct power/watts during your IM? Did you ever think “I need to hold back a bit”?
Jennie: My watts were slightly lower than we planned. I tried not to overdo it on the hills, but that was really the only time I held back a bit.
Q: Ok, good, well that leaves some low-hanging fruit for the next one.
What is the one thing that you think you could do to help you improve?
Jennie: Finding more gears in the pool and running. I’ve been told (not by Mike) that I don’t have many gears in the pool. My sprint pace is not much faster than my tempo pace. It’s true. And for running, I can go long and steady all day long, but sprinting is a struggle for me. This is not me asking to sprint more, Mike,
Q: Well, it’s always good to know there are more aspects to work on! Anything else to add about your IM build-up and/or workouts you didn’t like or never want to do again?
Jennie: I don’t hate anything about the process. Doing an IRONMAN and doing it well is a commitment. There were a lot of workouts leading up to the race that I didn’t execute well. Do I like riding for 6 hours on the bike every weekend for several months? Not really, but I know what happens if I don’t. Do I feel guilty about missing my kids’ sports games (occasionally) because I need to get a long training day in? Absolutely, but I like to believe that I’m showing them what hard work and dedication looks like.
That’s a great final quote to end it on – thank you for your time!
Here is a race week swim - (1 week out or the Monday before a Sunday race):
This would be your last real hard swim 1 week out from an A race on Sunday. This workout hits all the key components as you're tapering. A good warm-up with technique work; a fast pre-main set with fast 25s; fast 50s to work on get out speed on race day and 100s done quickly at race pace.
Modify as needed for athlete's yardage needs
2-3x(200 free + 100 drill) * moderate descend on the 200's as you get warmed up; * drill as 25 rt arm/25 left arm/25 fists/25 catch up
12-16x25 as 3 FAST/1 easy on :30 or :40; 1-8 swim, 9+ swim w/ fins
200 aerobic swim or pull w/o paddles
9-12x50 as 2 FAST/1 easy on interval with at least 20 SR150 aerobic swim
4-6x100 as odd race pace/even aerobic on interval w/ 20-30 SR100 aerobic swim or pull
200 as 25 FAST/25 easy
D3 Coach Susan Williams has led many athletes to Race Day PRs
See the full race report here: [LINK]
Race Clothing:
Most people wore several layers during the race. We had about two hours of rain on the bike and at least that much on the run (with some significant downpours during the run). Even when it wasn’t raining, it was misting or was otherwise super humid.
My recommendation is to do full changes in T1 and T2.
For the swim, I wore a full suit and two caps. That worked well for me, but many people wore thermal caps and neoprene booties. Remember that you cannot wear gloves per the rules. I opted against booties because the drag slows me down more than I would have benefitted from the comfort. The double cap was plenty for me. Wear clear/indoor goggles for this one–assuming the overcast conditions are what you’ll see every year here.
On the bike, I wore bibs with a base layer, jersey, and vest plus arm/knee warmers and wool socks. That combo was enough for me. I did see a lot of racers in full rain jackets.
For the run, I wore running shorts and shirt plus a vest for warmth and arm warmers plus fresh wool socks. A hat with a brim was key in the rain. I also wore a hydration vest with storage–in which I stashed a rain jacket which I put on or took off depending on conditions through the day.
I strongly recommend having body glide in each of your transition bags and taking time in each transition to apply liberally. I was amazed that I did not chafe or blister at all despite racing wet pretty much the whole time!
Travel notes
From Colorado, it’s about a 2.5 hour flight to Seattle, then another 2.5 to Juneau. We opted to fly one leg in the evening and the second flight the next morning (Tues/Wed going up and Mon/Tues coming back). This adds cost and a little bit of hassle (hotel and dinner in Seattle each way) but felt way easier than a single 8+-hour travel day (by the time you figure in ground transportation and layover). I felt fresh when we arrived in Juneau on Wednesday morning.
Plan to carry on everything you need to race. My checked bag just had all of my hanging around clothes. My carry-on included my race day clothing, bike and run shoes, helmet, pedals, etc. If the checked bag had been lost or gotten delayed, I was still set to race. Only Alaska Air and, on a more limited basis, Delta fly into Juneau. They fly 737s, but relatively smaller ones and there’s limited baggage capacity. On the Friday of the week before we traveled (9 days before race day), Alaska Air sent out an email recommending that athletes make other arrangements for getting bikes up there because they couldn’t guarantee they would all fit on their planes. I had opted for Tri Bike Transport, which had picked up more than a week prior. People scrambled a bit in the ensuing panic and some shipped via UPS/FedEx while a few others apparently went as far as canceling their trips!
Ultimately, it’s probably best to go with TBT despite the very high fees to this race ($625 for the bike). Juneau is effectively an island–there are no roads in or out. So your only way in is by plane or boat (or birth canal). Regardless, you have to plan way ahead for travel.
Lodging notes
Juneau doesn’t have tons of lodging but there seemed to be enough this year. Note, it’s unusual for Ironman to list local campsites in their recommended lodging section… Most of the tourists come to Juneau on cruise ships–they arrive in the morning and leave in the evening so people don’t stay in hotels (of which, there are not a lot of).
There are two main areas with hotels–downtown and by the airport. We opted for the airport area because it’s less crowded and also is much closer to the race site. I recommend this choice with the following understandings. First, there was no Ironman shuttle service to the airport area. The shuttles ran from downtown to the high school (Ironman Village) to the college (start/transition/finish) and then back downtown. From the airport area, it was a little under 1.5 miles to the high school and about 2.5 miles to the college. You have to be willing to do a little walking/riding to make a stay by the airport work out.
For us, it was perfect. We rented e-bikes which made getting around easy. On race morning, I e-biked to the race and locked the bike up just steps from transition.
Bike transport
As noted above, I opted for TBT despite the high fee. Having been through the race now, I would 100 percent make the same call. I never worried about my bike getting there and they set up just steps away from transition. It was super simple to pick up, and especially drop off the bike. Given the TBT location right next to transition and the finish line, I didn’t (and wouldn’t recommend) opt for the valet service.
The TBT dropoff for Boulder was two and a half weeks prior to the race (and then another two and a half weeks to get it back after the race). It’s a long time to be without the bike, but I managed my taper on my road bike and sending the bike ahead made my travel very low stress.
Weather
Summer in Juneau is not like summer elsewhere in the lower 48. Temperatures are generally in the 50s and 60s with plenty of moisture. We had one gorgeous blue-sky afternoon with temps in the mid-60s while we were there but the rest of the time was damp/raining and overcast with temperatures in the 50s. With the high humidity, it never felt cold, but we were mostly dressed in layers the whole time.
Note that waterproof outer layers were key. Jacket, pants, shoes. And wool socks all the time. Especially riding around on the bike/e-bike, it’s nice not to have wet clothes touching your body all day.
Sightseeing
There are a lot of opportunities for sightseeing! We did a Segway tour on Douglas Island, a private whale-watching tour, explored on our own on e-bikes, and my family did an awesome kayak/hike tour up to Mendenhall Glacier. Plus there’s shopping and restaurants and museums and my kids found the local rock climbing gym. There are also pricier options for helicopter and airplane tours. Plenty to do for a week up there!
Cost
This is an expensive venue and there are pretty limited options for going on the cheap. We found that basic restaurant meals (not fast food) were $30+ per person, our airport Super 8 was about $200 a night per room, and the sightseeing options were generally a couple of hundred dollars per person (and went up from there). Cabs/Lyft are good to get around and we tipped everywhere as well. We were in Juneau for six full days/five nights and I’d estimate the cost around $2,000 per person with shared hotel rooms. (This does not include race entry, bike transport, etc.–just our travel expenses.)
Community Support
The community was unbelievable! I heard that locals showed up at the airport in the days when everyone was arriving to see if anyone needed a ride. The Facebook group included lots of people who were not racing–just part of the community who wanted to offer help and advice. During the race, it seemed like there were people out on every driveway with block parties at many intersections. Fire pits, tents, music. It was like the Bolder Boulder of triathlons! After the race, someone who had taken photos at the start of the bike course sent me a really professional shot of me (see main article). Perhaps this was the curiosity of a first-year race, but if this level of interest continues, it is not to be missed!
Odds and Ends
A few additional thoughts:
Ironman Alaska was an amazing experience and I just couldn’t be happier about having been a part of this inaugural event! Overall, I am very happy with my day even though it wasn’t a perfect race. I had a flat on the bike and wrestled with tummy issues for about 5ish miles of the run. The road conditions were safe but slow, with some very rough tarmac for about a third of the bike course, and then of course were the constant hills. It was a great reminder to stay focused on the inputs and allow the outputs to come on their own.
This report is focused on my day on the course. I created a separate write-up on logistics that I recommend reading if you’re thinking about registering for this race yourself.
Swim:
Auke lake is cold. Ironman had pulled 10 years of data on water temperatures in this lake at this time of year and found an average in the mid-60s. Auke Lake is spring fed–it’s not the ocean. The lake temperature had been 58.5 degrees on the Thursday before the race. Then an “atmospheric river” came through for the next two days, dropping a lot of rain…and the lake temps to 56. With the morning air temperature in the low 50s, Ironman shortened the swim to one lap (1.2 miles)--making the final announcement 10 mins before the start. That meant a 630 start rather than 600. I went with double-cap but no booties (because I didn’t want to lose time from drag).
There was no opportunity to warm up in the water so hitting the cold for the first time at the race start was...very cold! I’ve swum in similar temperatures but not usually with such low air temps. The first 200 meters were take-your-breath-away cold. I focused on the exhale and kept my breathing under control. While I was getting adjusted to the temperatures, I found myself drifting a bit off course but nothing major. Aside from my goggles fogging from the cold, the rest of the swim was generally uneventful.
By about 400-500 meters, it just felt cold but no longer debilitating. Once I was warmed up, I felt I could have gone around for another lap, but for the folks who might be flirting with the cutoff, it would have been a long time of exposure. Ironman made the right call by shortening the swim. I was initially disappointed, but ultimately, it didn’t really make any difference to my race.
T1:
The run from the water to T1 is long–at least ⅓ mile–maybe ½–and all uphill. Because my plan was to do full changes in each transition, I swam in a swimsuit under my wetsuit. Coming out of the water, I hadn’t lost much feeling in my fingers and toes. There was carpet about halfway up than asphalt. It got a little painful on the feet, but not too bad or for too long. The change tent was heated–amazing! I dried off and made a complete change–the whole thing took about 17 minutes. What a crazy transition time!
Bike:
Out of transition, you ride a long driveway out of the campus than a short, steep downhill to the traffic circle and to the right. These were the only turns on the course (aside from the same coming back and the three u-turns at the out-and-backs). Next to nothing on this course is flat. You are always climbing or descending but none of it is super long or very steep. There was a tailwind heading north–the direction we were headed on the way out. The wind typically blows south to north like this. Around mile 18 on a descent, I rolled my back wheel over a rock in the bike lane and flatted. In general, this part of the course was in very good shape with good pavement and a wide bike lane. I changed the flat but found that my spare had a bad valve so it barely took air. I changed it again after removing and replacing the bad valve (I had an extra because 2 is 1, 1 is none…). Neutral support arrived during the second change and I handed them my wheel to pump up once I got the tire seated. They took my trash and put the wheel on–off I went. It looks like I lost about 8-9 minutes total, and now I was further back with a lot more racer traffic. About a mile or so after restarting, I hit the start of the 10-mile-long chipseal segment. This is no ordinary chip seal–it rattles your teeth for 20 miles (because it’s out-and-back) each lap. I found it tough to get a strong rhythm with the rough road and up/down but at least there was a tailwind to the turnaround. I made the turnaround at mile 30 then continued on the rough road up and down into the wind and onto the mile 56 turnarounds. Coming off the rough pavement around mile 40 feels good and the next 16 to the turnaround feel relatively fast, despite the headwind.
By the time I was back to the turnaround (around the ferry pier), I had ridden back up enough that I didn’t have a lot of other athletes around me. I was feeling strong as I headed out onto the second lap with the wind at my back again. I was careful to monitor my watts and was proud of my discipline not to override. The 20 miles of chip seal sucked again on the second lap but were the same for everyone. The return trip felt relatively easy and I was happy with my effort overall–the legs felt solid. That last climb up to campus was steep but pretty short.
It was generally overcast and misty/drizzly throughout the ride. We did see our shadows for a couple of minutes at one point, but I’d estimate about two hours total of real rain on the bike and the rest was drizzle/mist. I opted for a pair of rose-tinted shooting glasses that I bought at a local outdoor store by my hotel the day before instead of a tinted visor or sunglasses. That was definitely the right call.
T2:
For T2, I left my shoes clipped in as I came off the bike and ran in my socks. I handed the bike to a volunteer, grabbed my bag, and then into the change tent again. My outer layers were pretty wet, but the base layer did its job. I made another full change, this time into run shorts and a tech shirt. I wore a vest for warmth and left my arm warmers on. I opted to wear a hydration vest with my rain jacket inside for easy access.
Run:
For the first time ever for me at a full-distance race, I felt like a million bucks as I came out of transition. Of course, the big crowds are inspiring and I saw my family here too. I had to be very deliberate about holding my pace to something reasonable and sustainable. The first few miles of the course rolls a bit and then you hit the biggest climb of the day around mile 4 on the out-and-back section. It’s only a little more than a half mile that includes a pretty steep section that’s maybe 400 meters or so. I focused on being efficient and didn’t overrun it, then felt solid coming back down. The first lap went by quickly. I walked about half of the aid stations and made one bathroom stop, but otherwise felt really good about how my run was progressing.
I opted to carry all of my own nutrition in my vest so I stopped at the aid station by the swim start (just shy of halfway) to refill bottles/add Infinit powder. I wasn’t stopped for long, but when I restarted, I could feel a slight crampy pain in my stomach. Because I hadn’t felt that at all prior to stopping, I figured it was muscular and that it would work itself out as I kept running.
I saw my family as I went by transition for the second lap. My wife let me know I was sitting in the 12th position and would catch a couple of people at the same pace on lap two. I was quite surprised by my position and was feeling good but decided to hold pace–not to push it until I figured out what was going on with my tummy. Around mile 15, it had become clear that the issue wasn’t muscular and I backed off a little. I was now walking every aid station to try to give it a chance to settle. As I hit the big hill again, this time at 17, I decided to walk it both to conserve energy and try to settle the tummy. By the top of the hill, it became a dash for the porta-potty. After a relatively short but unsuccessful stop, I headed back out but could only run in spurts with lots of walking mixed in each time my tummy came around. Of course, it was pouring rain at this point too. I only had 9 miles to go so I knew I would get in, but was upset that my race was looking like it would end with a whimper.
The next 4 miles were jog/walk and porta-potty stops at every aid station. I finally made a good “deposit” at the mile 21 aid station and came out feeling pretty good. I tentatively ran the next mile and then felt confident that I was back in business from there. My last 4 miles weren’t my fastest–my legs were definitely feeling the day–but they weren’t too far off my early pace and I was passing people constantly. I pushed the last uphill mile as hard as I could (which was 10+ pace, but that’s what was left in the tank) and then slowed down to find my family and enjoy the finish chute. I had only dropped one spot in the end, finishing 13th in my age group.
This race is not for everyone, but it’s an amazing experience for the right athlete. I wanted a cool-weather race and knew that rain likely came along with that bargain. I expected the limited options of a small, relatively remote location. I knew that this would be expensive, logistics would be a little tricky, and lodging wouldn’t be plush. It was everything I expected plus so much more with the amazing support of the local community. I absolutely loved everything about Juneau and highly recommend this race!
D3 Coach Dave Sheanin is looking forward to another Ironman in 10 years. For now though, this was his 'last ironman'.
Taking on a New Challenge
After spending the last 2.5 years training for an Ironman, David decided to focus this year solely on his true passion, biking. However, to keep things interesting he chose to take on gravel racing. Not only does gravel racing require excellent fitness, it also requires excellent bike handling skills and a keen understanding of race tactics. In order to improve his downhill bike handling on loose gravel, David practiced specific skills over several months in addition to his normal training. Additionally, he worked on the tactics of pack riding. To learn these skills, he initially started doing virtual races on Zwift and then progressed to outside races. Knowing when to take a pull and for how long, when and how to fuel while in the peloton and when to cover a move, and when to let it go are all skills that he specifically practices over several races.
With greater knowledge of these skills in hand, David picked the 106-mile FOCO Fondo as his “A” race with a time goal of 5:45 which qualifies for the coveted bolo tie. (Leadville has a belt buckle. If you do enough races, you could put together an entire outfit.)
David’s willingness to embrace specific skills practice both in “b” races and training sessions, as well as completing over 88% of his scheduled workout hours enabled him to place 31/204 overall and 4th in his age group. He also received the bolo tie. All in all, an excellent first season of gravel bike racing.
Summer is upon us, it’s hot and your triathlon training and races are happening in the heat. Because of this, your recovery needs to be at its best! To ensure you are getting what your body needs, the following is a checklist of things to keep in mind each day you are out there.
I know that it can be hard to plan out your sports nutrition especially for your long ride/brick and then also plan out all of your regular meals. My suggestions are to find places that offer quicker “on the go” options like a rotisserie chicken or salad bar, or give yourself a night or two off from cooking and get to a healthy faster-food restaurant. This way you can better get your feet under you for planning and cooking for the other days of the week. One of my favorites is a large build-your-own salad with avocado, various veggies, olives, roasted sweet potato chopped up with grilled fish on top. You can make this ahead and change it up constantly!
Stay on top of your snacks and hydration too so that you ensure you are always ready to go and you never get in a hole.
Keep up the great training and enjoy your summer racing.
Megan Dopp is D3's go-to nutritionist. She supports athletes beyond D3 too, and we know her expertise is valued to help athletes achieve a breakthrough as they dial in or fine-tune their fueling choices and habits.
We all know we have to be careful about what we say to ourselves in the privacy of our minds because they have a significant impact on the productivity of our training and racing. Mental Skills Performance Coach Will Murray offers how to strategically use these two words (Yet and Only) to help you persevere during difficult times.
D3 Coach Jim Hallberg and D3 Athlete Michael Re got together for a conversation about what it takes to achieve breakthroughs at the Masters level. Training, racing, and improving are the themes of this conversation and we know you'll walk away with insight and inspiration to achieve your own goals from what they cover.
Most of us don't spend enough time - if any time - practicing transitions yet they are an important area where we can gain time during a race.
In the video D3 Coach George Epley shares an important rule of thumb about your transition times and he also references this article (link below) by Head Coach Mike Ricci for more tips to improve your transitions.
Bold, Reclaimed, Joyful ... take-on Coach Brad Seng's 'Single-Word Challenge for Goals' and you'll find yourself more focused as you head into your race season.
In his video (above), Brad references this article (link below) from D3 Head Coach Mike Ricci about effective goal setting.
