For Beginner Triathletes, Bike Hard and Bike Often!
Ed. Note: This is a guest post from 10-time Ironman, 2-time NothingMan (self-supported Ironman) Sheila Plemich. You can keep up with her training exploits at http://crackheadfe.blogspot.com
I’m pretty sure someone told you that you need a bike. If you are going to do more than sprint triathlons, it should be a road bike—although a hybrid or MTB can get you through your first few sprints. If you have money to burn, go ahead and get that tricked out triathlon bike, but realize that “it’s not about the bike.”
It becomes pretty obvious that no matter what distance triathlon you choose to race, it’s important to be a good cyclist. There are several reasons:
- the stronger you are on the bike, the less painful it will be to run
- triathlons are heavily weighted towards time spent on the bike, so as long as you are going to be biking for most of the race, it makes sense to try and be good at it, right?
- biking is the part of a triathlon where you are going the fastest, and fast is fun, right?
So how do you get good at biking? Do you buy a bunch of lightweight parts for your bike or race wheels? No. Those things may improve your speed slightly, but once you have them and have used them for a bit, they won’t make you faster.
You get good at biking in two simple ways: bike a lot, and bike hard.
Obviously, if your race is going to include a 25-mile bike leg (an Olympic distance triathlon’s bike leg is 24.8 miles or 40K), then you want to be fit enough to ride 25 miles at a pretty good clip. Depending on how fast you ride, 25 miles might take you 1-1.5 hours. That’s not a long time. But you might want to actually ride further than that sometimes, so it makes the 25 miles seem easy (you’ve probably heard this concept applied to running and swimming, too!).
If you are very dedicated, you’d ride 25 miles maybe three or four times a week. Or, you might ride less than that, one to three times, and then ride longer (say, 40 miles) once a week. Three to four rides a week is usually plenty when it comes to building your bike fitness.
What about the hard part? Just as for swimming and running, you don’t always want to ride at the same pace. You need to have some sort of benchmark to measure what is easy vs. hard for you. Speed is not a good benchmark unless you live somewhere where it is flat, the same temperature and the same amount (or lack) of wind all the time, since hills, temperature and wind significantly impact speed.
Good benchmarks are heart rate and power—power being the gold standard. Most beginners don’t have power meters, so they use heart rate, or a combination of heart rate and perceived effort. Perceived effort is always a good measurement, since even if you do someday spring for the power meter, you will still want to stay in touch with your body’s overall sense of effort, especially at longer races like the half and full Ironmans.
Why do you need to ride hard sometimes? Because climbing hills requires more effort than flats, you might need to surge to pass someone (legally), and because when you ride hard, just like in running, you are working on raising your lactate threshold, meaning that if you do it often enough, you will be able to ride faster at a lower heart rate (or power output).
How often and for how long in each ride do you need to ride hard? When you are first starting out, you may only want or need to spend less than half of your total ride time going hard. You should always begin with a warm-up, and a good rule of thumb is 10-15 minutes for a short ride, 15-30 minutes for a ride of 1-2 hours, and 30-40 minutes for a ride of 2.5+ hours.
As you build up the amount of time you are able to ride hard, you will find it feels easier and easier or you are going faster and faster. This is where the heart rate monitor (or power meter) can really help you out by telling you precisely what you are doing. You should stay at a given level for a few weeks or prove your fitness at that level in a race before you try and go even harder.
What does hard really mean, though? “Very hard” would be as fast as you could go for 25 miles, as in a time trial. Hard would be not as hard as that, where it feels hard but you can maintain it for about 30-40 minutes easily. Below that you have basically moderate and easy, and when you warm up it should be easy building to moderate to prepare you for the hard stuff.
Just as for running and swimming, it can feel easier to push yourself in a group setting. Try and hook up with a local cycling club, which will probably have several levels of riders, or find some other folks you can ride with that are slightly faster than you. Ask around about where the killer hills are in your area. A good workout is to warm-up and then ride a hill or several hills in “repeats,” where you ride up very hard, and then take it easy going back down.
What do you do during the winter if you live in a place where outdoor riding would be dangerous or impossible? You purchase a bike trainer, which is a device where you attach your rear wheel to it and there is a resistance drum that the tire rubs against to simulate road conditions. There are many good trainers on the market, and if you can test ride one before you buy, that’s great, because depending on how strong you are, you might want a different type. If you ride indoors on a trainer, you will want a fan blowing on you because you will sweat a lot due to not creating your own wind.
There is discussion as to how time on the trainer equates to time on the road. Some people think that time on a trainer is “worth” more than time on the road. Forget about it. It is the same. Time is time! But it’s OK to spend less time during the winter months on the trainer than you would if you were riding outside, but make the time count by spending more time going hard than you normally would. You can watch TV, movies, footage of bike races, triathlons, whatever gets you going, and you can have your favorite music on.
You can also buy DVD’s called Spinervals that guide you through specific workouts. My philosophy is that if you put in a lot of hard time in the winter, then the transition to longer outdoor riding is easy. I build up to a 2.5-2.75 hour trainer ride, and once it warms up, I can easily ride 3-4 hours outdoors the very first time I go out. You don’t want to burn out mentally during the winter, so if you cut back your biking time, you can add more swimming or running, because winter is a good time to work on those skills.
It’s as simple as that—bike a lot, and bike hard!
Sheila looking quite aero!
Sheila embarked on triathlons in 2000, coming from a background of 10 years of strength training, two years of running, zero swimming and negligible biking. She completed her first Ironman (which in 1999 she said she would never do) in 2001 and has continued to do one or two a year, a few half Ironmans and sprints just to keep things entertaining. In the process, she has become a student of the sports and has adopted the triathlon lifestyle. You can find her on Facebook and on her blog at http://crackheadfe.blogspot.com.
Iroman Canada Registration Fee … Buh-Bye.
My training has been sparse as of late, as I just seem to be lacking the motivation to run in the freezing cold. I didn’t used to be this way, I promise. I used to run right through the winter. At night, solo, around a big dark lake. I trained for a marathon right through the winter just last year.
This year, however, I have grown accustomed to my living room, letting babies crawl all over me by the warmth of our indoor heating. I registered for the White Lake 1/2 Ironman, but I think I’m skipping it. I think Ironman Florida, a late Ironman held in November, has done a whammy on my motivation this year. I am still going to race, but it will be sporadic and only when I feel like it. I have done two Ironmans in two years. I have also done three standalone marathons, five 1/2 Ironmans and many international and sprint distance races over the past four years.
A break from “racing” will be good for me, and it will allow me to train more with kettlebells, my absolute favorite training tool. I might even try to become RKC Certified. I’m sure it will be difficult, you have to snatch a certain amount of reps for time based on your weight, along with other brutal punishment. I have heard great things about what great people the RKC folks are, so I look forward to learning all I can from them.
I really think functional training is important for anyone who is looking to extend their ability to “race” well into their 60s and beyond, and I think using kettlebells is a great way to do this. Bodybuilding, or what most people call strength training, is not helping anyone, and it seems to me a lot of new triathletes, especially those who have lifted in the past, are now really doing all the wrong things. Seeing a line of guys doing curls and benching seems the silliest thing to me.
Kettlebells will make your core ridiculously strong, hamstrings, quads, glutes, back, arms, shoulders. The entire posterior chain is worked with the swing. It sounds ridiculous but I can tell you from just the tiny amount of training with kettlebells I have done, I’m leaner and stronger than I’ve ever been, and I used to be a body-building guy, too.
At any rate, triathlon is still my passion so I’m sure I’ll do a few races this season. My ultimate goal for this year, and I have no idea of whether it’s realistic, is to try and qualify for Boston at the San Antonio Marathon in November. My wife has family there, so the race would be kind of a family vacation wrapped into one. I will need a 3:15 to qualify as a 39-year-old. A more realistic goal would probably be to wait until I’m 40 this coming November. Then the qualifying time drops to 3:20. Realistic goals are no fun, however, so that’s the plan as of now.
I’m still planning to do some long rides and perhaps some fast ones during the week. I’m also going to run, a lot. I hope not swimming and cycling sporadically will open up some time for me to train with kettlebells as well as yoga. We shall see. Tops on my list is being a good husband and father. Next is progressing on my freelance consulting business. Next is this blog. Next is Boston and RKC. Triathlon and racing are next, so do not laugh as you pass me on the bike.
Our local training group, the Growling Geckos, have a our annual showdown at the Triangle Triathlon in July, so I will definitely do that one, along with a few more. Ironman Canada is out for now I’m afraid. I kind of panicked when I signed up in the first place, not realized how far away it was and how much it would cost to go, stay, race, etc. I also know much of a commitment Ironman training is, and how much it takes me away from home. With 23-month-old children who are just learning to talk and who are doing new things each day, it’s hard for me to be away for a minute. 
Missing one of the twins say something or do something new because I’m out on a six hour ride is too much to bear for this guy at this point. The cost of getting to Canada, much less racing in the NCTS, is also bit prohibitive for the Cornwright clan at this point. We are making our ends almost meet, but they ain’t meeting just yet, so racing is far down on the priority list.
I am still very excited about providing some articles and making this blog a good of a resource for new triathletes as possible. I will also be posting my training and random thoughts on triathlon, endurance training, and my progress on a BQ in October. Possible RKC certification is something I’m definitely excited about, so I will post some of the training I’m doing with that here, too.
I’m meeting with a ocal RKC guy, Tim Anderson, on Monday, so I’ll let you know how that goes. He has a garage gym and he’s going to give me a session to see where I’m at. I’m hoping my form in the swing and the snatch is decent, but I have a feeling Mr. Anderson will have a few things to say about that. Stay tuned!
Why You Don’t Need a Triathlon Specific Bike
If you are new to the sport of triathlon, probably the last thing you need to do is rush right out and buy a brand new triathlon specific bike. I have seen any number of bikes in races, especially shorter races, including mountain bikes and cruisers. Nobody is going to care what you ride in your first race. So, let’s take a look at a few of your options.
When I first got involved in the sport four (or five) years ago, I didn’t have a bike and I didn’t have any money to buy one. Thus, I started trainining for my first race by attending spin classes at my gym. You could also simply ride on the stationary bikes in your gym’s cardio room. This is not exactly like the real thing, obviously, but it will get you used to pedaling and it will build a tough rear-end that will see you through those long rides.
My Cervelo P2SL at Ironman Florida.
For my race, I borrowed a road bike from my brother-in-law. He is a big bike geek, so he had several to spare. I actually ended up buying the bike from him later, but before I bought, I wanted to make sure that triathlon was something I enjoyed and was going to stick with. I would be willing to bet that many garages have a fancy new tri bike sitting there collecting dust. Someone signed up for a race, got talked into buying a triathlon-specific bike, and never used it again after they realized how hard triathlons are!
For my first two years of training, I used a road bike with clip-on aerobars. Only after I decided I was going to stay in the sport for awhile did I go out and by my first tri bike, a Cervelo P2SL.
For now, simply borrow a bike, any kind of bike, from a friend or neighbor. After you finish that first race, you will have a better idea of what kind of time and money you want to invest in the sport. In a future post, I will discuss the benefits of a triathlon specific bike, but for now, stick with something that rolls fairly well and you will be fine!
Training Update
I am nursing a cold today but I’m hoping to make a 42 mile ride tomorrow morning. Beginning Monday, I will resume triathlon specific training once again. There are three months until the White Lake 1/2, so I need to get my butt in gear if I want to have a decent showing in my first Master’s Clydesdale race.
My friends often ask me why I don’t race in my age group. Although I wouldn’t be upset if they did away with the Clydesdale category, which is for men who are above the 200-pound Mendoza Line, since there is a category that I fit under, I’m racing in it. It’s not as simple as saying that I race in this division to win stuff. It’s true, I do like to win stuff. However, one of the big reasons I stay in this category (and I realize all of you could probably care less), is that I like to have people to race!
If I were to race in my age group, which, as of this year, is men 40-45, I would perhaps finish 10th on a good day. Top 10 would definitely be an excellent race. The top five of those guys I would likely never even see during the race. In the Clydesdales, or Master’s Clydesdales as the rules states that I now am, at least I have an idea of who’s in front of me, and who I may or may not be expecting to come knocking on the run.
In the North Carolina Triathlon Series, I’m usually one of the first out of the water for Clydes. Then, about three of them pass me on the bike. They make it easy to tell who’s who in triathlon by writing the category you are racing on your calf. If you get passed by a “C” you have just been passed by some fellow who’s north of 200 (well, he’s supposed to be anyway. I’ve seen “Clydesdales” who looked 190). Anyway, three or four of them pass me on the bike. Usually, and in fact likely if I’m having a good race, I will catch at least three of them on the run. Sometimes, I win. Other times, I will darn near kill myself trying to make it to the finish line and just as I cross, I spot some large dude standing there sipping a Diet Coke while yukking it up with his boys.
At any rate, my training begins in earnest Monday, following the 42-mile ride Sunday. Or not. My goal is to swim three times, run three times and ride three times per week. Until I can fit that in, I don’t really even need a plan. One longer ride, two harder ones. Three longish runs (two around 8 miles, one longer up to 15 or 20). Three swims with long sets focused on technique. I have a poster that is signed by one of my triathlon heroes, Gordo Byrn, where he has written “Keep it simple” and he signed it. What can I say, he made an impression on me.
I just finished swinging a 16 kg (35 pounds for the metrically challenged) kettlebell around and I feel as loose as a goose. I did the following with the 16 kg:
– 20 swings, rest 15 secs.
– 5 one-handed swings, right into 8 snatches (R&L), rest 30 secs
– Repeat 3 times
I kid you not, my heart was still pounding for awhile after I finished. My resting heart rate is 49. That workout took probably 3 minutes, tops. I cannot believe how much swinging and snatching a kettlebell works the aerobic system, or anaerobic as the case may be. Wow. Just wow. Not to mention the strength workout you are getting for your entire body, especially the core, the hamstrings, and back. My shoulders are loose, back is loose, hips are loose!
Throw some pressing in there along with a few turkish getups (see video below) and you have done more good for you self in about 6 minutes than every single soul who went to the gym this morning and pushed a pin into a Nautilus machine or slapped another plate onto the curl bar. If you have not tried kettlebells, you have got to give it a try. You will be amazed when you put it down after a set of swings and you stand up straighter.
Training Update
Since my Ironman, I haven’t run but twice and have been in the weight room a few times. It has been a little over a month since my race and I am starting to feel the itch again to get out and start training for next season. I have been sick for about two weeks with a really bad chest cold, so I’m trying to work that out of my system. It is widely known that your immune system is depressed for several weeks after an Ironman, so I’m taking my time to let my body recover.
The good news about all of this is that although the going will be slow at first, giving myself a break and losing some fitness will help me to get even fitter as I go forward. I will do several months of long, slow base work, which is my specialty. Perhaps around April or so, I will add in some speed work to prepare for what I hope will be my first race of the season, the White Lake 1/2 Ironman.
I am currently without a full-time job so my race budget is quite limited at this point. I have a few things in place that should start providing a steady stream of income soon, so hopefully I’ll have some cash to do some races in 2009!
In the meantime, I hope to continue adding articles here that are targeted to first-time triathletes. If you have suggestions, feel free to leave me a comment or email me at brett (at) triathlonjones (dot) com.
10 Reasons to Complete Your First Triathlon
Many people think that triathlons are the ultimate test of fitness. Images of Julie Moss staggering across the finish line in the 1982 Hawaii Ironman (see the video above) have probably contributed greatly to that idea. However, there are many triathlons that cover very short distances, relatively, so almost anyone can complete one. I have seen people of all sizes and shapes out there, including one particularly motivating individual at the 2007 Ironman Coeur d’Alene, Scott Rigsby, who was a double amputee. So, if you are considering getting involved in this great sport, consider a sprint or international distance race as your first. These are races that usually take 1-3.5 hours to complete. The following are a few reasons that you should do so:
1. All of your friends will think that you are in ridiculously good shape.
2. You will save money on going out at night, because you have to be up early to train.
3. You will have done something that probably 95 percent of the world’s population has not done.
4. Bodymarking is cool.
5. Races are very family friendly. Take the kids and let them cheer you on!
6. If you sign up around the first of the year, you have a built-in New Year’s Resolution.
7. Being able to swim 500 yards or so pretty easily is especially handy when your boat is sinking.
8. You will find out exactly what it feels like to run after riding a bike.
9. You will be cheered on, even by those that pass you.
10. You will be on top of the world when you cross that finish line!
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A Guide to Starting Out in Triathlon
Triathlon: Swim, Bike, Run!
Many people consider triathlons to be one of the great tests of human endurance. A lot of sports-minded folks have seen or heard about the Ironman World Championships in Kona through the tape-delayed broadcast shown around the first week of December on NBC (the race is actually in held in October).
The Ironman, a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run, is certainly a distance that most people can’t relate to, at least at first. However, the good news is that there are several different distances of triathlons that the average person can enter and comfortably complete with only a few months of training. Read on to learn more about the sport of triathlon and the things you should know before you sign up for your first race.
Distances and terrain vary from race to race, however, there are generally four different distances of triathlons:
Sprint
- 500-800 yards of swimming (pool or lake)
- 12-15 miles of biking
- 5K, or 3.1 miles of running
International (Olympic) Distance
- 1650 yards of swimming (lake, ocean)
- 25-30 miles of biking
- 10K, or 6.2 miles of running
Half Ironman
- 1.2 miles (2,200 yards) of swimming (lake, ocean)
- 56 miles of biking
- 13.1 miles of running
Ironman
- 2.4 miles (4,400 yards) of swimming
- 112 miles of biking
- 26.2 miles of running
It’s fairly easy to see what you are getting in to with each distance. Most people opt to start out with a sprint as it offers just a taste of what you can expect from the sport. There are, however, athletes that I know personally that started with the Ironman right off the bat. This is not what I would recommend, but if you are daring, have at it. It all really depends of what kind of shape you are in now and what your experience level is with each sport.
Again, check your local rec departments or do a search on triathlons in your area. I guarantee you will find a race that is appealing in proximity, distance, and price of entry. A word to the wise though … triathlon is a growing sport and races fill up quickly. I live in North Carolina and our state triathlon series, the NCTS, opens up its races right at the first of year. So, be attentive to when your local race season starts and be prepared to sign on the dotted line when you see a race that fits your schedule and budget.
Things to Consider
1. General Fitness Level. What kind of shape are you in right now? Are you active, or have you been more watching than doing? If you are in reasonable cardiovascular shape, you can complete a sprint triathlon in as little as four months of effort, no problem. You will need to work up to about an hour’s worth of steady aerobic activity, be it walking, riding a stationary bike, elliptical machine, whatever. Just get moving and give the individual sports of swimming, biking and running a try to be sure you like them. If have run before, taken a spin class
2. Training Plans. There are many books and web sites that offer fabulous training plans that will suit any athlete looking to complete any distance or race. Many of the these are free, some you can buy memberships to, and you could even go as far as hire a coach. Depending on what your goals are, you have decision to make. How much money are you willing to throw at your new hobby? How well do you want to do in your first race? Are you racing to finish, or do you have a specific time goal in mind? All of these will factor in to what works best for you right now. I would choose a plan, follow it to the letter, and finish your first race. Once you go through the process once, you’ll be better prepared for the triathlon addiction that ensues.
3. Bike. What kind of bike will you ride? Do you have a road bike, a mountain bike, or anything with pedals? If you do, you’re ahead of the game. If you have chosen a local sprint or international distance for your first race, the bike really doesn’t matter that much. Many people complete triathlons on all sorts of bike. Do your first one and see if you like it before you go out and buy an expensive triathlon-specific bike. You can find cheap bikes all over Craigs List, eBay, etc., if you don’t have one. You can also simply borrow one from a friend and do some of your training on a stationary bike at the gym. Keep it as simple as possible for your first. You will also need a helmet. These range in price from an adequate one for $30 at Wal-Mart or a sleek $150 model at your local triathlon or bike shop.
4. Swimming. Do you have access to a swimming pool or a nearby lake that will enable you to work on your swimming? Many gyms have small pools that will suffice, as will local ponds, lakes, etc., in warmer months. Swimming is often an obstacle that scares people about triathlon. Rest assured, though, that many folks start out in triathlon without being able to swim, period. They take lessons and often quickly learn to be a more than adequate swimmer. If you haven’t done alot of swimming in your life, it’s a good idea to take some lessons, or look into one of the fabulous swimming programs like Total Immersion. Swimming is mostly technique, so getting it right the first time will pay huge dividends down the road.
5. Running. How far can you run now? Have you run previously, say, over the last five or six years? The answers to these questions will need to be assessed honestly by you. It is perfectly fine to walk in a triathlon. I have seen many elite athletes walking in short races over the years. Running comfortably across the finish line is much more fun, though, I can assure you. Be prepared to work up to about four miles of running. If you can’t cover that distance now, don’t worry. Running is something that is a skill, much more than people realize. You can learn to be a better runner in a few hours by learning about proper posture, foot strike, cadence, etc. A book that I found immensely helpful in improving my running is Chi Running, which teaches you proper form and how to run from your core.
6. Gym Membership. Do you have access to a gym with a pool and stationary bikes or spin classes? This is a great way to train for a sprint triathlon in the winter. Many clubs offer triathlon specific spin classes, swimming classes, etc. You can go to your gym and do mini-triathlons anytime. It also gives you a good sense of how riding on a bike, then running for awhile feels, all in the comfort of indoor heating! A short run on the treadmill following a spin class is an excellent workout, and you have a built-in transition area in the lockerroom. Consider a gym in your area for convenient access to equipment and possibly new training partners.
7. Training Partners. Are you peers in to the sport? If so, you are in luck. If not, you need to get out and meet some like-minded individuals. Triathlon is a lifestyle, as you will soon see, and if you surround yourself with people who excel at the sport, odds are you will, too. I would be willing to bet that there are more triathletes in your area than you thought. Do a search on tri-clubs with your city and see what you come up with.
8. Online Resources. There are several online resources which offer excellent tips, advice and other resources that will help make your first race a snap. Visit www.trinewbies.com and www.beginnertriathlete.com and check out the forums these sites offer. Many of the questions you have will be answered right there. Also, to find a race near you, visit www.trifind.com.
Welcome to TriathlonJones.com!
Crossing the line at 2008 Ironman Florida.
Welcome to my new blog. I created TriathlonJones.com to help others get involved with the sport of triathlon. As a former ex-smoker who weighed 265 pounds, I can attest to the fact that triathlon is a great way to get back in to shape and an excellent way to re-create yourself.
This is exactly what I did when starting on my triathlon journey four years ago. Triathlon has helped me become a better person, a better husband, and a better father. I hope to share my passion for the sport through articles on getting started in triathlon, resources, and frequent posts about my own training, racing and holistic living.
I recently completed my second Ironman, Ironman Florida, in November. For my race report, click here. For articles on getting into the sport, click here. For an in-depth bio on me, click here. The revenue the ads on this site produce go directly to helping feed my toddler twins, so if you see something you like, don’t hesistate to click. Please contact me with feeback, either positive or negative, at brett (at) triathlonjones (dot) com, or just leave me a comment. If you want to keep up with the goings on here, please subscribe via RSS here.
2008 Ironman Florida Race Report
The family at the finish!
Well, we finally made it back home from Panama City Beach, Florida, via Savannah. The trip, which we had hoped to be a mini-family vacation, actually turned into a full-fledged family vacation. This was aided by the fact that I’ve just resigned from an unfulfilling job in hopes of starting a career that I have some passion for. Thus, I had no job to return to. My wife is a stay-at-home Mommy, so we took our sweet time about returning to Raleigh.
We left early Wednesday of last week with a packed mini-van and visions of bright Florida sunshine in our heads. The drive down was fairly uneventful, fortunately, although neither baby slept much so they were a bit fussy when we got to our condo. This was to be my second Ironman, my first being Ironman Coeur d’Alene in June of last year. I was under the weather for that race, and didn’t have nearly as many cycling miles in my legs, so I had high hopes for the flat, fast Ironman course in Panama City.
On Thursday morning, I took the short walk down the beach to the race site for the Gatorade practice swim. I met my Iron training partners Tony, Jerry, Stephanie and Blake for a little 2000-yard jaunt in what turned out to be a bit rougher water than we expected. I also had time to chat with my pal Sheila who was volunteering for the swim and down for the race in support of Iron-blogger Shelley. After chatting and catching up with everyone, we headed down to the water. I quickly jumped on the feet of Jerry and Tony and was able to stay with them for about half way to the turn. I haven’t been swimming much at all really this year, so just keeping up with them for a while was good enough for me.
With our kids getting more mobile and my lack of swimming motivation, I had only swam once per week for most of this season, opting instead to leave more time for riding, running and recovery. This strategy paid off perfectly for me I think, as I’ll explain later. Anyway, on the practice swim, the way out was very smooth and pretty quick, as the tide was going out. After we turned around, you had to fight the current to get back to shore, which, when swimming by yourself without the benefit of a draft, was difficult. We would not be without a huge draft on race day, so I wasn’t too concerned. An Ironman swim is about as predictable as a broken stopwatch, so it wasn’t worth worrying about until you were actually in the washing machine of 2,200 flailing arms and legs.
After the swim, it was time to register for the race and check out the expo. We took the babies down to the beach for the first time and they loved it. After some apprehension, they played in the water and Bree actually ran toward and tried to jump in several times. I’m hopeful that they will be water kids! So far, so good on that front. The following day, Courtney took the babies to a nearby park so I could pack my transition bags and drop off my bike. I pretty much lay around all afternoon after that, as the time-zone change had the kids getting up at 4:30 am each morning, so afternoon naps were at a premium.
Race morning, I got up at 4 am and downed three Lara Bars and a Coke Zero. Normally, it would have been coffee but I had a bit of a problem with our coffee maker. Oh well, I still had two Red Bulls to sip on before the race started. I headed for the race site right at 5, as our condo was right next-door. I highly recommend staying as close to the race site as possible, as it sure takes the stress out of parking, etc. After dropping my transition bags, I went to put my fluids on my bike. I ran into Sheila and Shelley again, but unfortunately never crossed paths with any of my training crew from N.C.
I waited in line to get my tires pumped up, then stood and around and watched people. There is a lot of nervous energy before an Ironman, but it is also brimming with excitement, so the environment, albeit stressful, can be fun. I eventually said goodbye to my bike and went to get changed into my wet suit. It was dark in the changing tent, but I was in and out pretty quickly. After that, I headed down to the water in hopes of finding Courtney. I walked over the timing mat and into the corral, then went down to the right to try to spot her and the stroller walking up the beach. Eventually, we met up and exchanged hugs and kisses. It is always emotional just before a race, especially an Ironman, so a few tears were shed, just like it was my first one! Apparently, the magnitude of the day comes out no matter what!
I said “bye bye” to the babies and to Courtney, then headed back in the corral to find a starting spot. I ran into training buddy Dave Larson and we decided to start together, about 200 yards outside the buoy line, three or four rows deep. Mercifully, the gun sounded and we headed off on our adventure! The going was rough as usual, and I got swatted a few times right off the bat. Just like at Ironman CDA last year, I had a mild panic attack with so many bodies all around me trying to move forward. After a couple of minutes I calmed down and got down to business. It’s weird how that works, as I always calm down eventually, and I’m very relaxed the rest of the way. I just have to get things under control in my head before I can progress!
The first loop was crowded but fairly uneventful. Rounding the first buoy was hell as usual, then we turned directly into the rising sun, so you really couldn’t see much. Everyone seemed to be going the right way, though, so I just followed along. I tried to stay on feet the whole way and conserve my energy as much as possible, although I did find myself alone a few times caught between groups. I need to avoid that in the future. When I made it back to shore to begin my second loop, the clock read 34 minutes, so I was happy with that, as I had planned on a swim time of somewhere between 1:05 and 1:15 or so. As I mentioned before, I swam only once per week all summer long. I figured I could really train hard and maybe take five minutes off my time, or just cruise the swim training and not worry about the potential small gain.
I really took my time getting back to swimming on the second loop, as there was a huge sand bar you could walk on before having to swim. I pretty much just gathered my composure and rested while wading back to deeper water. I think, on hindsight, that my lollygagging there probably cost me two minutes. However, the rest was more important to me at that point. Anyway, the second loop went pretty well and I came out of the water with a 1:10 swim, just about what I expected. No black eyes, bruises or too much swallowed salt water, so I was pretty happy!
I broke my necklace trying to get my wet suit unfastened, and because it was an engagement present from my wife and I haven’t taken it off in four years, I was concerned that I would lose it. Thus, I was totally unprepared when I got to the wet suit strippers. That probably cost me another two minutes in transition, but I still have my necklace! The changing tent was totally crowded, so, after grabbing my bag, I went to the exit side and changed there on the ground. I put on a cycling jersey and shorts to make the ride a bit more comfortable and I was on my way.
I immediately figured out why IM Florida is always under the microscope for drafting. There were packs everywhere and it was hard not to draft unless you were trying not to. I’m happy to say that I rode totally clean the whole way, despite many opportunities to tag on to the back of someone. My friend Jackie Miller, who was shooting for an elusive Kona spot, and I saw each other many times on the ride and we commiserated over the blatant drafting and the lack of people in the penalty tents. In defense of the race, it is tough because there are no climbs to separate folks, so packs are inevitable. I also heard several people after the race say the ride was windy, then some said it wasn’t. I thought it was very windy in spots, then there were other times when it was at your back. All in all, I think it was a wash.
I thought I paced the bike pretty well, as is evident by my negative split. However, the front part of the ride saw the wind in your face, and most of the second half it was at your back, making a negative split fairly easy to come by. I only saw a few of my peeps on the bike, including Stephanie and Jackie. Tony, Jerry, Dave and Blake all had great swims and smoked me on the bike, so I never saw any of them.
On the bike, I took in about 1500 calories of my special Infinit Nutrition drink, followed by about five or six bottles of Gatorade. I also took in seven gels and about 10 salt tabs. After my misery from cramping at Timberman in August, I was determined not too let lack of sodium foul up this race. I’m a heavy sweater and my sweat is intensely salty, so I require more than most folks. I’m also 210 pounds, so my calorie requirements are higher than the majority of the field. Anyway, I was pretty happy with the way things were going, especially when I checked my time with about four miles to go and saw 5:30. I got a little crazy there and actually took my feet out of my shoes, thinking I would be prepared for transition and my feet would get a little time to un-numb themselves. I think that’s a good strategy with about a mile to go, but probably a stretch for four miles left! Oh well, lesson learned.
When I finally reached the dismount line, though, my feet felt great and I was actually able to run without my feet killing me. My bike clock said 5:45, and that’s about what I was shooting for, so I was happy. I had a pretty good second transition, which included a pee stop, so I was feeling pretty good about things. I set out on about a 9:00/mile pace, my heart rate was just where I wanted it (about 145 or so), so things were rosy for the time being. Little did I know that that 9-minute pace would be about all I was good for the rest of way. At about three miles in, I stopped in for another bathroom break, this one of the No. 2 variety, and that took me about four or five minutes I guess. After that, I didn’t stop again except for brief walks at aid stations. Along the way, I saw several pros I recognized, and I eventually ran into Dave, Tony, Jerry and Blake, all of whom looked strong. I never did see Stephanie or Jackie on the run, which was kind of weird, but I saw everyone else several times.
When I was coming back into the turnaround for my next 13-mile loop, I ran into Sheila, who was the cheering on several folks. She ran with me for a bit, which was big energy boost for me. That, paired with the liquid gold known as Red Bull that I had stowed in my special needs bag, and I was all set. I thought that for sure I would be able to pick it up at mile 20 and finish really strong. At this point, I still had visions of cracking the 11-hour mark. At about mile 18, I was glancing down at my watch when I tripped and fell. Everyone around me I’m sure thought I’d just kicked the bucket, but I was OK, albeit a bit bloody. I cut my hand, my elbow and my knee; it hurt but I wasn’t too bad. I think the embarrassment was the worst part. Anyway, I got back up and kept on going, so it was all good.
At mile 20, I started calculating that I would need to run a 48-minute 10K without stops to break into 10-hour territory, so I immediately wrote that off. My time goal for the race was 11:15, so I knew I had that in the bag barring something ridiculous (like tripping and falling again). The only other goal I had for this race was to break the four-hour marathon mark. I think if you can do that in an Ironman, you are going to have a respectable overall time. At about mile 23, I started to panic as my math was getting fuzzy. One woman asked me if we would make it to the finish before dark. I said of course, it’s only 5:30. However, I got to thinking, did I re-set my watch (the one my friend Amie so graciously let me borrow)? Panama City is an hour behind Eastern Time, so I couldn’t remember. Then I got really down on myself as I thought I had been calculating wrong all day and that I was actually going to have a 12-something finish! I was so bummed. Then, I eventually remembered that I did set the thing after all, so I was back to being a happy camper, although my four-hour marathon goal was slowly drifting away.
Over the last mile, I was literally sprinting for all I was worth, as I wanted that to obtain that goal. I don’t remember much about coming down the line, although I heard several people comment on my frantic pace. I was looking for Courtney and the kids but never spotted them. When I crossed the line, I saw Stephanie sitting down in chair with a shiny blanket over her. She had just come across about a minute or so before me. I told her she should have stopped and we could have crossed together! Anyway, I finally got a big kiss from my wife and congratulations from Jerry, Tony and everyone else that was around. I felt pretty good for having just done an Ironman. I was certainly pooped, but not depleted or anything likes the year before.
My splits were 1:10:52 for the swim, 5:44:35 for the bike and 3:57:35 for the marathon. It turned out that I was fifth-place Clydesdale (males over 200 pounds). However, they only gave awards for the top three. I was 97 of 351 in my age group and 563 of 2,268 overall. Not a bad result!
After the race, I went with Courtney to put the babies to bed. I then showered and walked back down to the race site to watch some of the finishers coming in. All in all, it was a great race and great experience. I must admit that I didn’t train as much as I should have, but that leaves me with hope for further improvement in the future. I averaged about eight hours per week of training this past summer and leading up to Ironman Florida. Obviously, that is far from ideal, but I was willing to sacrifice the outcome for time in other areas. I recently resigned from my job, the twins are keeping us crazy busy, and there was just a lot of stress it seemed over this past summer. I got in all of my key workouts — long run, long rides — but I skimped on everything else.
The good news was that I was very rested and very fresh come race day. Better to be under trained and rested than over trained any day. I think it also helped that I have a fitness base in place from steady, moderate training over the past three years or so. It doesn’t go away, it just needs to be primed every now and then. The marathon training I did over last winter also was very helpful, as most of my “short” training runs were 8-10 miles, rather than 3-4. I did absolutely no speed work, just slow and steady. My long rides were absolutely perfect, aided by my absolutely wonderful training partners. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have a group of fast friends pushing you. That long ride and the faster, harder rides I did during the week, along with my longer slowish runs were the keys to a pretty good race for me. I hope to build on that in the future. Perhaps when I do decide to actually follow an Ironman plan to a tee, that base fitness will be there and I’ll be able to crack the 11-hour mark at some point.
Thanks very much to all who supported me, especially my wife. She deserves about seven Ironman medals for all of the extra effort she makes everyday taking care of our twins. She is always supportive and encourages me to get out there and do the work, even when I feel that the time would be better spent helping her. She is the true Ironman of this family. A big thanks also goes to my friend Nasrin, who set out a plan for me to follow, even though I didn’t do the best job of following it. I really want to thank all of the Growling Gecko training group – Nas, Jerry, Tony, Amie, Blake, Dave, Denise, Robert, Stephanie, Sophie, Patrick, Carolyn – who consistently made it fun for me to join them on long rides and runs. I’m looking very forward to another training year with you all! Congrats to everyone who raced at Florida and Bridge to Battleship. I think the Triangle area made a strong showing at both of those races!
2008 Timberman Race Report
As my A- race for this season, I was really looking forward to Timberman, a race in the Ironman 70.3 series, as several of my tri buddies were making the trip to New Hampshire to do the race. The Growling Geckos made a strong showing up North, I must say. Pictures are here.
My friend Carolyn and I headed out on a long drive Thursday afternoon. We stopped about half-way and spent the night at Fort Dix Army Base near Trenton, NJ. She is retired military, so we got a room for pretty cheap. After eight quick hours of sleep, we were on the road again to Gilford, NH.
We got in around 5 pm, picked up our packets, and joined some other buddies for dinner. After an excellent steak and seafood chowder, I was sleeping soundly. We did see a skunk in the hotel parking lot on the walk back from dinner … perhaps a bit of foreshadowing?
The next day, we took a short swim in the beautiful lake that was nearby the hotel, then a quick bike and quick run. We dropped our bikes off and pretty much just kept it low key for the day. My race stuff was packed by 5 pm, which must be some sort of record for me.
I didn’t sleep very well the night before the race, which is unusual for me. Oh well … Up at 4 to get some coffee in me and we headed down to the race site at 5. I had a good spot in transition, right on the end and right beside the wet suit strippers and the end of the swim, along with the start of the run. The only negative was that I would have to push my bike a long way through transition twice.
The swim kind of sucked out the outset as my goggles filled with water twice and I had to flip on my back to try to re-suction them. I need some new ones, these are doing this too often of late. Anyway, finally got on some feet and cruised. 36 minutes was slower than normal, but I felt like I hadn’t used much energy, so that was good.
The bike started out with about 10 miles of hills, some of which were steep climbs. I didn’t realize how steep until I actually was huffing up them. Descents were also a key for this race, and unfortunately, because my wave started dead last, over an hour after the start of the race, the folks around me weren’t exactly comfortable flying downhill at 50 MPH.
After the group of the hills, I saw the race leader, Andy Potts come by, and good lord was he flying. It really made me appreciate how fast the pros are going. I was working hard on the bike at this point, as the middle miles were pretty much flat into a cross-wind. When I got to the turnaround, I looked at my bike computer, expecting to see a 20-plus MPH average. Guess I should have checked earlier. It was 19.2 I think. My heart rate was where I wanted though, so I was was still feeling OK about things. I picked it up on the way back and negative split it barely. More hills over the last 10 and I was so glad to get off of that thing, but then it seems I always am at races.
I was still feeling decent when I came of the bike. I started picking people off on the run immediately after transition. After about mile three, my hamstring cramped up and it was downhill from there. I took 6-8 Endurolytes during the bike, but I wasn’t aware that the sodium in them was so low. I normally take Succeed, which has 340 mg of sodium, three times that of Endurolytes, so I screwed myself. Rookie mistake cost me what might have been a decent run. Instead I ran until I cramped, walked and stretched until it went away, repeat. My arms were cramping, which means it was obviously chemical. I think I just have a very high sweat rate and I lose a bunch of sodium.
So, 5:40 or so, when I was hoping for a PR (5:14). I did meet both the second place female after the race, as she was slinging her bag on her back, hopping on her bike to ride back to her car. I was riding back to the hotel. She said hello and I knew immediately she was a pro. Amanda Stevens, a very fast young lady, for those who care about that sort of thing. Also met Chrissie Wellington at the post-race dinner. Also very cool. She smoked the course in 4:11 or something ridiculous.
After a pretty cool meal of lobster and more chowder, I went too bed. Other folks stayed up and had the Growling Gecko awards, won by my pal Tony Mostek who smoked it in 4:57, but I was whooped. We then got up and hit the road from Gilford at 6:30 am and I arrived home at 11:30 pm after dropping the rental off. I drove the whole way, 800 miles, Boston, New York, Trenton, Baltimore, D.C., Richmond. It was an epic drive. We did stop at one of the 5 million Dunkin’ Donuts we saw and bought a value pack of Munchkins, so all was not lost.
IM Florida draws closer. Lots of training, for me, over the next seven weeks. Ran six Saturday, rode 80 Sunday, ran seven today with the kids in the stroller for the first time. I think I have found a new training tool for Ironman. Strength is crucial I think on the run, so adding 50 pounds of babies in a 20 pound stroller seems like a pretty good tactic. The babies are still unsure, but they hung in there until about mile 5, then they were ready for a snack. Two gels and some Fruit Punch Gatorade and they were back in the game.
