Fast Forward Triathlon

Adversity: How will you respond?

2013-05-14T23:55:32Z

At the onset of the revolutionary war, during the cold and bitter winter of 1776, Thomas Paine wrote to his fellow patriots: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Freedom would have to be earned, and sacrifices would have to made. Who would stand to the challenge? Although not to the same severity as liberty and war, everyone will encounter trying times in all facets of their life. Adversity is so greatly feared, but also so greatly inevitable

As my dad always says: “shit happens.” It happens when you least expect it, when it’s least convenient, and when everything had seemed to be going your way, but nonetheless, it happened. Now how will you respond?

Among the great frustrations, but also perhaps among the great beauties, of triathlon, are the elements and uncontrollable factors that will be encountered during the course of a race. Unlike sports such as swimming and track, for example, which are held in relatively controlled environments, triathletes subject themselves to Mother Nature, varying routes, mechanical mishaps, nutritional issues, topographical difficulties, and various other unforeseen situations. These factors, along with normal race performance volatility, will lead to adversity.

I was reminded of how trying adversity can be last weekend at my race at Rev3 Knoxville. My first big race of the year, I had nothing but high expectations. My training had been fantastic all year and I was ready to roll. I rested in the days leading up to the race, scouted the course, and had my equipment ready to go. But halfway through the bike, while enjoying a 3+ minute lead, I missed a turn on the bike course. Between dealing with a pouring rain hitting my eyes, navigating puddles that were drenching the roads, and swerving around a pro female athlete that nearly cut me off, I momentarily lost focus and flew past a poorly marked turn that I was supposed to make. The ordeal ultimately cost me 7 minutes, and I considered dropping out of the race. My frustrations had never been so high. But I hung in there, entered the ‘hurt box’ on the run, and came back to win the overall amateur race by 10 seconds. Although winning was great, I had hoped to see how fast I could go on the course, and how high among the pros I could finish. But the race reminded me of an important lesson, not just in triathlon, but in life: don’t give up.

The finish line at Rev3 Knoxville.

I thought back on the difficult situations that I’ve encountered over my 10 years and 70+ races of experience. Coaches often tell athletes to visualize the race, but I’ve learned that doing so can only be limiting, as you are engraining the mind to expect one possible outcome. In triathlon, nothing will ever go as expected, and those who cannot adapt to a changing dynamic will suffer. Instead, having a flexible mind and positive attitude are the crucial components to becoming a strong racer. In my history of racing, I’ve only dropped out of a race twice: once due to a flat tire on a sprint race, and another due to having the flu. The moment a person drops out because a day isn’t going as expected is the day that the athlete can start a slow decline in mental fortitude. One rationalization that dropping out is ok will lead to another rationalization, and then quitting will becoming a habit. The mind’s evil demons will become over-powering. As in life, shit will happen. How you respond will separate the men from the boys. Because although physically demanding, I’ve found triathlon even more mentally challenging, and when the going gets tough, the mentally tough get going. Here’s a list of some times that tried my soul:

August 2006: At the ITU Junior National Draft-legal Championships in Connecticut, I came out of the water with a better-than-expected swim, only to find my bike with a flat tire, ending my day. It had popped from the beaming sun while I was in the water. I came back in 2007 extra motivated, and went on to win the junior sprint world championship.

October 2008 & October 2010: I’ve had two incidents that took place at the Toyota US Open Championship in Dallas. Although victorious in 2009, my other races didn’t go as smooth. In 2008, while starting the run, I dropped my visor coincidentally right next to where my parents were cheering. Because my dad picked it up, as opposed to me, I was assessed a 2 minute penalty, and the incident dropped me from the podium. Seriously? Even worse, in 2010, while riding with the leaders, a race official mistook me for a pro and ordered me to “Stand down” for 2 minutes for not staggering (staggering is a rule only applied to pros). When she finally realized her mistake, and allowed me to resume, I was essentially out of the race. Afterward, head USAT official Charlie Crawford, instead of apologizing about the incident, asserted that I should have ignored the official’s order to stand down because amateurs are assessed penalties after the race, not during the race. Who in the heat of the moment would ignore the order of an official? Regardless, these are the type of things that will happen with enough races under your belt. Shit happens, move on.

August 2009: After a few elite amateur wins, I entered the USAT age-group national championships with lofty expectations. However, I had my worst race of the season. I felt flat throughout the race and made several tactical errors. I was extremely frustrated, and lost confidence. But as is the case for me, after about 48 hours of severe venting, I re-focused, and got hungry. Over the next 6 weeks, I went on to win, in dominating fashion, the Nation’s Triathlon, the Best of the US Amateur Championship, and the Toyota US Open Elite Amateur Championship.

Winning the 2009 Toyota US Open Elite Amateur Championship.

October 2011: Many know of my Kona experience. After winning my age-group in the swim and riding great on the first 35 miles of the bike, I encountered severe stomach issues, vomiting profusely, and developed relentless SI joint pain inhibiting my pedal stroke. After nearly dropping out, I rebounded with one of the day’s best runs (2:58 marathon) to move up from 20^th to 5^th in my age-group, making the podium at the Ironman world championship.

May 2012: While competing at the St. Croix 70.3 on a rainy day, I wiped out 5 miles into the 56 mile bike, cutting open my elbow, and shredding off the skin on my palm and hip. With blood gushing, I re-collected myself, used adrenaline to suppress the pain, and did enough to qualify for Kona.

July 2012: After a string of poor performances relative my expectations (and relative to my races a year prior), I lost confidence, questioned my coach, and didn’t think I could win nationals, which was just a month away. After a week or two, I re-focused and believed in the long-term plan. I went on to win nationals.

August 2012: At the USAT Age-Group Nationals mentioned in the previous paragraph, my goal was a fast swim to limit my losses to one of my competitors who is among the best in the water. Anticipating being 45-60 seconds behind him, an off-course swim caused me to come out of the water 2 minutes behind. Immediately I thought the race was over, but after a few miles on the bike re-focusing, I made the most of the situation, caught him on the bike, and won on the run.

Those close to me may know that I can become very emotional with my race performances. I have high standards and expectations for myself, and will be frustrated when I don’t meet them. I’m sure many other athletes are the same. But you can’t let one bad performance or one black swan event affect your psyche going forward. I typically allow myself about 2 days after a race to feel sorry for myself and vent my frustrations. But then I use the anger as motivation. I train harder, race smarter, and use it to become a stronger triathlete. The only two things worse than making a mistake are 1) letting it negatively affect the future, and 2) making the same mistake again.

You never know what will happen. In triathlon, anything is possible. Whether it’s coming back to win a race after a missed turn, or rebounding from a poor performance to win the national championships, you won’t know until you try. There will always be bumps in the road; those who are committed mentally to the entire journey will have the most success. Although I am by no means the expert in dealing with adversity, writing down some of my past experiences above has helped me remember that I have prevailed through trying times. I encourage you all to recall the incidents where you overcame the odds, or rebounded from a low.

Later in the writing, Thomas Paine would challenge his fellow rebels, commenting that those who rise to the occasion and show courage during the depths of adversity will be the ones that are most greatly rewarded: ”The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”

The human body is an amazing thing, and will power should never be underestimated. Although your physical strength is the engine the powers you through the race, your mental strength is the key to ignite that power. So the next time something unexpected occurs, take it with a smile, appreciate the opportunity to be doing what you love, and make the most of the situation. Building character in these moments will make you stronger when it counts.

Please visit my personal blog at: http://bdufftri.blogspot.com/

Thank you to all my Fast Forward Triathlon sponsors listed to the right, as well as my personal sponsors below:

Lucky Well BBQ

Bryn Mawr Communications

TYR

A Triathlon Trifecta

2013-05-06T15:48:58Z

By Erika Erickson

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. – Confucius

I’ve been trying to think of what to say in this blog post for 2 weeks. But my words don’t seem to capture or articulate all the emotions and sensations and half-formed thoughts swirling through me. Even now after the initial glow of a fantastic weekend has worn off, replaced first by a nasty flu, then by the constant demands of the end of another semester… It’s been two weeks, and I’m still not quite able to comprehend just how happy and lucky I am.

The funny thing is, the story I keep returning to in my mind isn’t the story of USAT Collegiate Nationals 2013, but the story of a team. My team. But that is a long, and necessary tale for another day.

Cal Tri at Winter Training Camp in Oceanside, January 2013

Today, though a little (lot?) after the fact… I have a very happy story to tell of the whirlwind weekend that was Collegiate Nationals.

Leading up to the race, I put myself to sleep each night examining my excitement and determination and self-motivation. This is an awful way to fall asleep if that is your goal, I should add, especially if you are tapering! I would start thinking about the races, then get so excited I didn’t want to sleep anymore, except I knew I needed to sleep! And whereas normally I’m so exhausted from lab work and training that I fall asleep instantly, I was just too pumped-up sometimes to manage it right away. So, poor Yoni had to listen to my thoughts, fears, and excitements many a night before bedtime. Good thing for him I was determined to go to bed before 11 each night, and he had no such plans typing away like a little code-monkey at his computer.

The thing is, after my experience for all of last season, I was determined to do this year differently. Nationals, I decided, would be all about where I am in my head, because the race fitness is in the bank (this of course didn’t stop me from swimming every day for 2 weeks leading up to nationals, for fear of losing my feel for the water, but that’s probably even more in my head than the rest of it…). And the best way for me to be focused, happy, and hungry for the win is when I am working for a team. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have the distinct honor and pleasure of being a member of the best collegiate triathlon team in the world. And this year, we weren’t each hoping to do our best and just see what happened collectively. After months of hard work, after the shedding of blood and sweat and tears, with unwavering dedication, and plenty of talent on our side, the members of this team brought their game faces to Tempe, AZ, ready to lay it all on the line, to make sure Cal Tri was part of the conversation. We wanted to be the biggest team, the loudest team, the most supportive team, and, of course, the winning team.

Before I go into any of the race results, I just want to say, I have never been more proud of my fellow bears in my career thus far: for their composure, their attitude, their support – not just for me, but also for everyone on the team, and everyone on the course.

Part of the Finish Line Cheering Crew – So Much Spirit and Sportsmanship

The weekend started on Thursday with a rambunctious flight from Oakland to Phoenix, where 26 of the 45 Cal Bears headed to PHX were on the same flight. The stewardesses loved us, and I’ll pretend the other passengers did too. Since Yoni and I were the only ones racing Friday, we got to leave the airport early and head to the pre-race briefing at the race venue. Let’s just say, it was warm. About 90% of the participants were 18 years old, which made Yoni and I feel ancient… So this is what happens when USAT focuses on Jr. draft legal development and brings it to a grad-dominated collegiate field. After packet-pickup, we finagled a ride to the hotel to rejoin the team and unpack, stretch out, and get some dinner.

I did a very short spin to test out my shorty aero-bars for their inaugural race, attempt some wrong-direction U-turns since the course ran against traffic, and try out some flying mounts. Yes, you will be so proud: I decided to put my childish fears aside and just go for the flying mount in a race. That’s right, this is my fourth season racing triathlon and I have only attempted a flying mount once before this, which was a catastrophe. Feeling good about my rubber banding skills, I hit the shower and headed to dinner.

Yoni Getting 3rd in the Draft Legal Sprint – Like A Boss!

Friday morning, I decided to get ready and head to the course with Yoni, even though his race was a while before mine. The tone of Yoni’s pre-race preparations was best described by JD, “Yoni, man, coming out of retirement! It’s been 5 years since you’ve raced draft-legal!” JD and Shannon made me stay in the van while he warmed up, and it was excruciating not being able to walk around and cheer! We almost missed the start, even, because they insisted I stay sitting in the van for as long as possible! As the rest of the team came pouring into the venue doing their race prep spin and jog, Yoni was coming out of the water on the feet of the lead pack. He bridged up a group on the bike to catch the leaders, and started the run with the lead pack of three and a sizeable gap on everyone else.

He finished strong with a smart run in 3^rd place and I was so proud! But also inspired. The men’s field for this race was more predictable than the women’s, and it included some really impressive racers. If Yoni can come out of “retirement”, run easy to save his legs for Saturday, and get third against this field… it meant it was game time.

Shelley sent me into the line-up with this quote:

Be strong, go with your heart, and believe in miracles, because anything – ANYTHING can happen.

High Five!

The absolute best time I’ve ever had before a race start was before the draft legal sprint – my very own 40 person cheering squad was making so much noise during the call-up, that no one could hear the announcer. Short story short, the cheering before the race was awesome, the race was awesome, and I had a ton of fun. I got 2^nd place in the draft legal, and finished giving high fives to everyone along the finish chute (I’ve never done that before and it was amazingly fun), ending in a giant crowd of my teammates. A big congrats to some strong races by the ETA athletes from UCCS who fielded three strong competitors. I managed to save my legs for the race on Saturday, even though it came down to a running race. I wanted so badly to go with her to see what would happen, but I knew it would wreck me for the next day. One down, two to go!

Then it was time to rest-up, get some dinner, and get the rest of the team ready to rumble. While preparing my TT bike before dinner, I questioned whether I should tape on my flat kit, or just forget it, and Yoni looked me in the eye and said – “You must. Absolutely you must. Because even if you get a flat, you will change it faster than you’ve ever changed a flat, and you’ll finish, because the team needs you, and it needs every point. Tomorrow is going to hurt, flat or no flat, but that doesn’t matter, because it isn’t about us.” Inside, obviously I know this, but I hadn’t truly internalized it until he said it so clearly.

The team meeting that night was… magical. Every single person was excited, we had a huge alumni support network sending its best wishes, and the whole team was ready to go into what felt like battle, for each other. Seriously. Shelley gave me a few more window-box quotes to inspire. My favorite being: Be so good they can’t ignore you. But also special was: “You can’t make footprints in the sands of time if you’re sitting on your butt. And who wants to make buttprints in the sands of time?” I told her I’d do it only if they were badass prints…

The men got underway on Sunday morning with some incredibly strong performances. Yoni led the way in 10^th, which he was happy enough with, but had given his all. And Brandt finally had his breakout race with a stunning performance. He came down the finish chute at lightning speed with the biggest smile on his face that I have ever seen, and nothing in the entire world has inspired me more than that. I may have started crying a little when he gave JD a hug at the finish line after the race…

This Picture Is Worth At Least A Million Words…

The men had delivered, and the girls were beyond excited to get out there.

Too Much Excitement: Shelley Dancing Before the Start

As the day was heating up, the girls’ race was going to be on fire. I was particularly prepared, since my race number was #666. One of the officials offered me a different number when I registered, but I wouldn’t have traded that number for the world! Shelley was out of the water first with the fastest time of the day – including the men, where she beat her brother’s time from the men’s race by 3 seconds… HOLY CROW! Christie and I, as always swam mostly together and were nearly side-by-side into transition. By halfway through the bike, Shelley had moved into second, and Christie and I were in 4^th and 5^th, just behind Brittany Braden. While riding, I was definitely feeling the effects of the sprint the day before, but I was so excited to see how well we were doing! Off the bike, CU’s Michelle Mehnert held the lead through to the finish with a really strong race. I moved up into 2^nd at around the mile and half mark, and Christie had a beautiful run for a 4^th place finish for the 2^nd year in a row. I felt both awful and amazing during the run, and was closing the gap on the leader – according to the crowd (who are questionably to be trusted) I had closed to the gap to her to only 30seconds. But on the final straight, flat, hot mile and a half, I knew I wasn’t going to catch her so I took the opportunity to enjoy coming through the cheering crowds along the waterfront, the familiar faces, and support for my second 2^nd place finish in 24 hours. With that, I had sealed up the Women’s Overall Title and was again welcomed across the line by a huge crowd of my teammates. Christie crossed the line shortly after me, and the happiness was palpable.

Happy To Be Almost Finished When They Called My Name

She’s Truly One of the Best Teammates I’ve Ever Had the Privilege of Knowing

Finish Line Group Hug! A tremendous job done by all these ladies

Super Sprint Draft Legal Relay Podium

Next up, the Super Sprint Relay! Last year, in its inaugural year, my team won this race. Fielding the same racers, we were excited to give the repeat a try. Cal Tri had three teams on the course – Cal Tri Team Shake, Team Bake, and Team Shake&Bake. I had the first leg for Team Shake, and just like last year, I started the run with the leader. Last year it was Marissa Ferrante, who runs faster than the wind, and even though the distance is short she still opened a gap on me. This year, the racer from UCCS also opened a small gap on me during the run, but I can’t help but think it’s because she had fresh legs, not having done the Olympic a few hours before. Regardless, they were impressively quick – the ETA team held the lead for the rest of the race. It then became a close race between the Navy team and us for the 2^nd and 3^rd leg of the race, but by the time Christie tagged Yoni to close day, we were safely going to get 2^nd place.

After 3 races in two days, I should have been exhausted, but instead, I was just insanely happy. The whole team gathered at our tent at the finish line and cheered for every team to cross the line, even through to the imaginary last team… which didn’t exist – they had finished much earlier but the timers had missed them so we all thought they were still out on the course!

We packed the bikes in the Penske and cleaned up the tent, with the satisfaction of having done everything we could. Every single person did their job to the fullest, and there is nothing from anyone we could have asked more. We knew we’d done well, but all of our preliminary calculations put us too close to call for the team victory. It was as near a dead tie as possible, and we just had to wait until the awards ceremony to find out. Cal Tri was heavily represented at the awards ceremony, between the individual results in the draft legal and Olympic race, and the individual Overall, plus the Relay, and a 2^nd place Men’s Team and 1^st place Women’s Team. As the combined team awards were being announced, the emcee paused for an excruciating amount of time between announcing 3^rd place and 2^nd place… We were in the back of the crowd, 45 pairs of hands holding each other’s tightly, eye’s closed, hoping. “And in 2^nd, UC Berkeley!” While we so badly wanted the team victory, I have never been more proud. An instant of delay dissolved into the craziest screaming and cheering, and rushing of the stage. We got second by the narrowest of margins – 2 points.

It was a weekend that won’t soon be topped for me. And I’m still glowing a little from how much I loved the experience. Also, this keeps making me want to cry a little every time I see it… But they are happy tears, mostly.

Even though I’m 27, it’s fun to be a kid sometimes, and this weekend was a wonderful time to be a college kid! It makes me so happy to be a part of another team as well, Fast Forward Triathlon. I have the biggest, most supportive triathlon family all over the country! And a big thanks for Eric for all of this sage advice and coaching, helping to prep me for this crazy weekend. And also to all of our sponsors for making this possible.

Fort Yargo: Opening Salvos

2013-04-28T18:59:28Z

Summary: first triathlon of the 2013 season; first off road triathlon; I won and had fun doing it.

The biggest news of my week: Vicky completed her preliminary exams. Potential PhD candidates are quizzed in both oral and written exams, and it takes about a month to do it all. Needless to say, she’s been studying every evening and on weekends! She’s now an official PhD candidate set to graduate next May.

This weekend was my first off road triathlon – ½ mile open water swim, a 10 mile mountain bike, and a 5 mile trail run. The event was at Ft. Yargo State Park, about 25 miles west of Athens, GA. Gone Riding put on an excellent race, most noteworthy for its atmosphere and near-perfect organization. They played great music, with NO TECHNO or DUBSTEP! – pay attention other race production companies. And they were super nice too. There’s also a much larger mountain bike points race that goes on the day after the triathlon. And there’s the Twilight Classic in downtown Athens. It’s a much recommended weekend for outdoors enthusiasts and bike racers, alike.

I hadn’t ridden the trails at Ft. Yargo but had heard they were sick – moderately technical but flowing and in excellent condition. I had hoped to ride the trails on Friday afternoon to get a feel for the course but couldn’t get away from work until nearly 4 pm.

So Friday night, Vicky and I drove over to Athens, GA to meet up with Steve Lee. Steve and I shared an office (lovingly called “the dungeon”) during graduate studies at Auburn. He’s currently finishing his PhD at the University of Georgia in a field of agronomy similar to mine – weed science. We talked shop over a few beers and burgers at a local pub then headed back to his place for some sleep. After a nice rest, we awoke at 5 am and headed to the park.

It was dark, so I couldn’t warm up on the trails until about 6:45. Meanwhile, I saw Craig Evans, who won the race last year and is sort of famous. I told him this, and he laughed. Craig was second at the ITU off-road triathlon held at Oak Mountain last year. He opted not to wear a wetsuit for the 68 degree swim. I didn’t want to be cold during warm up, so I wore a wetsuit (sort of cheating but I don’t like being cold, ever). I even contemplated switching to my TYR Torque swim skin for fun – just to see if I could stay with Craig. But I’m not stupid, I probably couldn’t. So I kept my Hurricane wetsuit on and swam the half-mile at his feet only to pass him in the last two hundred yards. I exited right in front of him and another guy but got my foot caught in my wetsuit during transition. That mistake set me 20 seconds back on the bike, a gap I couldn’t close until the run.

Riding unknown trail at race pace wasn’t ideal, but it’s good practice for races to come. The trail was well maintained and pretty easy to navigate. I grabbed too much brake here and there, but at first I was gaining on Craig. I had about 15 seconds at one point, but I guess he saw me around mile 4 and sped up. At this point, he started putting time on me (having nearly a minute’s lead at the next transition).

The run was fun. I wanted to win, so I pushed hard to catch Craig. He saw me under the power lines at mile 2 and picked it up again. I didn’t catch him until about mile 3 or 3.5. Anyways, we raced together for a solid mile before I got away (or he let me go). I eased into the finish for about a 15 second margin of victory.

Afterwards, I got to do a long cool-down run with Ryan Wolfe (3rd overall) who went to school at UGA and now lives in Atlanta and does bike fits for All 3 Sports. All in all, it was a very fun day.

May is a busy month. Next up, St. Croix 70.3. XTERRA Southeast Championship and Memphis in May are back to back on the same weekend in three weeks. My brother and his wife are having a child in less than two weeks. I hope to make a trip to see them in early June while hitting up Raleigh 70.3 along the way and maybe doing some job searching.

Speak soon,

Jay

Onward to 2013

2013-04-05T00:14:26Z

We’re just a month away from race season! This is the worst time of the year for me. Everything is so close, but still so far away. Racing is just a few weeks away, but there are still plenty of painful workouts before then. The weather is trending in a positive direction, but there are still 38 degree days that sting the fingers. The days are getting longer, but it’s still dark at 6:45 am. My fitness is coming along, but there are still moments when I realize how far I am from last year’s peak. A few new triathlon toys are about to be shipped, but I still don’t have them in my hands. In aggregate, everything is headed the right way, but the closer the goal, the longer it takes.

Logging yardage at my alma mater, Malvern Prep.

Looking back at Q1 2013, things have panned out as well as I could have expected. After hitting an all-time emotional low in mid-October, I took some extended downtime and then started back at the grind in mid-January. There were times when I didn’t think I would be able to re-discover the motivation to wake up early and put in the effort. But then in early January after speaking with Coach Eric Bean and determining the year’s plan of attack and season goals, the self-motivation returned. My key each year for the first 6 weeks is to just be patient. It’s easy to get over-excited, or over-emotional, in each and every workout. You naturally just want to be where you were at the peak of the last year, and can get discouraged realizing how much work it will take to get back there. But just putting in the time and going through the motions is the most important early on. My fitness progressed slowly, and there were many dark and cold days where it would have been easy to take some short cuts. By mid-February, my confidence started building, and fortuitously, more free-time in my life provided me the opportunity to really focus on the early stages of the season. My good friend from Duke, Andrea Martin, paid me a visit in Philly and we crushed some trainer together like the good ole’ days from Duke Triathlon Club! Go Devils!

Early on, Bean and I decided to insert a two-week high volume block in late March to compliment the anaerobic work I do for the most of the first half of the season. After just wrapping this phase up a few days ago, I’m feeling a lot stronger and fitter. Due to a colder-than usual winter, I’ve only had the opportunity of riding outdoors 4 times in the first 3 months of the year, but I was able to log two 4+ hour rides. I’ve also put in some serious time on the CompuTrainer. Running has taken the least focus so far, as I spent slightly more time than usual in the pool to get my swim going, but have been able to hit two 15+ mile runs. In the water, I hopped in a few high school swim practices. It’s always a treat to get your butt kicked my 16 year old girls!

Although work (real job) has been picking up and responsibilities have been expanding, I’ve been able to manage thus far. Balance is the key. Each year I make a couple tweaks. Last year, for example, I incorporated some blood lactate testing (which was interesting, but not entirely telling), and increased my cycling volume from the previous year. This year, aside from interspersing two-week high-volume blocks, I’m putting in more time in the gym to focus on core and strengthening, and focusing on my pedal stroke, as the CompuTrainer Spinscan analysis showed some significant inefficiencies.

Now that April has rolled around, I feel like a kid again. I just want to race! After reading highlights of the dual between Andy Potts and FFT graduate Jesse Thomas at Oceanside last weekend, and checking out other early-season races, I’m ready to toe the line. Thanks to Inside Out Sports, I have a few extra toys to play with this year as well; notably, a Zipp Super 9 Disc wheel, Specialized Sworks Trivent bike shoes, and Giro Selector aero helmet. It’s all about the watts baby!

The focus for the year is Olympic distance. The end-goal is Age-Group Worlds in London on September 15. I plan to race in Olympic and sprint distance races before then, with a block of races in the early-part of the season. Stay tuned to see which races I decide to do. After this current recovery week, I plan to hit it hard for a few weeks, then get ready for some racing!

Thanks again to all of my sponsors. New for 2013 are Bryn Mawr Communications, The Lucky Well BBQ, TYR, Oakley, as well as my Fast Forward Triathlon sponsors Inside Out Sports, First Endurance, CompuTrainer, CEP Socks, and TrainingPeaks.

Balance

2013-03-21T19:23:41Z

By Erika Erickson

As an athlete, I struggle a lot with finding and maintaining balance in my training. This isn’t so shocking, because I struggle with finding balance also as a grad student, a friend, a daughter, a sibling, a roommate, a significant other, a…well, you get the idea – it’s hard to balance all the things you’ve got going on! I won’t pretend I have an answer for how to do this successfully. It’s a daily struggle.

In terms of training, though, I find it particularly hard to intuit the right proportion of endurance training to high intensity and speed training. My swim coach in college used to call me a “distance creature.” I may look more like a sprinter, but I’ve got some deceptive genetics leading you astray. My “get-up and go” is way more like “go… and she’s still going and… yep, that’s the same split she’s been holding all day… “ If left to my own devices, I would probably do all endurance training. I like to go fast, sure, but I need some pretty hefty motivation to “sprint.” We’re talking fear of sharks in the open ocean kind of motivation here. And even then I might just hope to outlast them…

So while Eric will cringe at my lack of physiological terminology, I’m going to share some things I’ve learned about endurance and speed during my clumsy attempts at being an athlete over the years.

First of all, regardless of the training I do, I find that speed is far more dependent on focus than on fitness. I’m still in awe of every race I watch now that isn’t a triathlon, because the duration of the race seems so short. How did those racers get everything done that they wanted to in only a few seconds or even just a few minutes? At the last swim meet I went to watch (where the Cal women were phenomenal, I might add), I remembered all the emotions and rawness of swim meets, even though I was never near the level of these ladies in competition. But the most awe-inspiring part is that they have some seriously intense focus, which scared the heebee-jeebees out me and I was just in the stands spectating. They are present for every single stroke and kick and instant of the race, which is all happening at incredible speed. That presence is something I’ve always struggled with. Go figure, I have a lot of competing thoughts bouncing around up there and I’m not sure I ever really silence them adequately to achieve this kind of focus.

Endurance training and racing requires quite a lot of focus as well, but it is a different kind of presence. It is the kind of focus you melt into – finally understanding all the inner-workings of your body at a very intimate level, often for many hours. This is my forte. Even though I don’t necessarily want to be an ironman triathlete in my life, this is my strategy for training, and well, nearly everything in my life. You don’t go into biology research, after all, unless you’re willing to finish a 100 mini-preps in a day or repeat the same experiment for 12 straight hours just to see if you did it right. I don’t want to call it the long-suffering approach, but it seems kind of apt. But, it isn’t really suffering. It is like holding yourself over the white heat of pain, inching ever closer, but never falling into the abyss. Sure, it hurts, but it’s also fun and wickedly entertaining and strangely rewarding. It hurts so good…

So I’ve clearly established my bias, but how does someone with a bias achieve a good balance here?

A 5k time trial I did in the fall of 2012 – It’s nice to simulate a race so you can practice your focus.

Well, good coaching is a start! Luckily, I have a wonderful coach and training program with Fast Forward Triathlon who encourages me to train in the most physiologically productive way possible. But besides that, it starts in your mind. It is insanely easy to half-ass a sprint workout. Seriously, you get way more rest than seems reasonable and if you’re as bad at sprinting as I am, you might even sprint more slowly than you do threshold…. Sigh. And when you’re busy outside of triathlon and just want to put your hours in, you’re not going to get the work you need to do accomplished in a high-intensity set – Because it takes all your concentration. So my first bit of advice is to really give the high-intensity work its necessary focus.

My swim coach in college also had a few other anecdotes that I find incredibly helpful for assisting me in this so I’ll share them with you and hopefully they will inspire you the same way. That being said, there is always room for improvement, so if you have any of your own, I’m always looking for helpful tips to get faster!

My swim coach from MIT is a really spectacular woman. When she swam in college, she was facing some pretty crazy adversity, and this is a story that made me pause and thank my lucky stars for how easy I have it in life. She spent a lot of her young life undergoing crazy treatments for a pretty bad illness. She was undergoing chemo, and swimming was the one thing that made her feel like a normal person. When everyone else would dread coming to practice when the season would start to drag on and get really hard, she wanted nothing more than to be there, because it was an escape from all the things that made her different. And she rocked! One thing I like to reflect on is how her attitude made all the difference. If she could focus through that, I can focus too, even though it will be hard.

And one more little bit of inspiration that she shared with the team is something her coach would tell her, which is equally applicable to endurance and speed work. When it gets bad, and you want to quit and the pain is nearly unbearable, you’ve just got to remember that there is always more toothpaste in the tube.

My Top 7 Training Tools

2013-03-07T03:57:58Z

Often friends and training partners ask me what products and tools I use for training and recovery, so I thought I would share my list of favorites. These are all tools that I find most essential to training, racing, and recovering (other than my bike, running shoes and swim goggles!) I wanted this list to be as objective as possible. Some of these products are sponsors, but more than half are not (and some are even absolutely free!)

1) Sleep and Rest. Tops on my list of training tools are both sleep and rest. The best part is, they’re free!!! We all know how essential sleep is, but I don’t think a lot of people comprehend how integral it is for the recovery process. I won’t go into all of the scientific details, but if you’re frequently not recovering well, get injured easily, and/or not seeing an increase in your performance as the season progresses, it’s likely you need more of it. Getting enough sleep can be challenging for many people, but with proper planning (and sometimes, some sacrifice) it IS possible. Similarly, scheduled rest days and recovery weeks from training are important, but so is rest from the stress of life. Being constantly on the go and trying to accomplish something is the norm for me, so I have to really plan ahead and schedule time for rest and doing activities that make me feel mentally and physically restored. I’ve definitely had “recovery” weeks from training where work simultaneously gets really busy and I have a bunch of other commitments scheduled (perhaps some travel in there), and I ended up feeling just as physically exhausted at the end of the week as the beginning. Sleep and rest = improved athletic performance!

2) CompuTrainer. The CompuTrainer is my #1 training tool other than perhaps my bike and running shoes. With the exception of the very occasional warm winter day, all of my winter cycling from December through February is done on the CompuTrainer, as is more than half of my bike training during the rest of the year. When you’re on the CompuTrainer, you’re in a controlled environment. You can ride at a consistent wattage without stopping at traffic lights, encountering traffic or animals running across the road, or encountering terrain that makes it difficult to hold an even wattage. The best part, in my opinion, is that you can set CompuTrainer at the wattage level you desire to hold for your intervals- you just have to worry about making your body do the work, not about whether you’re working hard enough (because you know that you’re hitting your goal pace/watts). The only thing getting in the way of a good workout is YOU, so it’s a great way to see what you can really do, no excuses. It’s not always fun, but the results are worth it! It comes with a lot of other great features that will help keep you motivated and/or improve as a cyclist, a spin scan analysis that will help you identify and correct dead spots in your pedal stroke for each leg, real course rides, and riding/racing against a virtual training partner whose pace you can set (in draft or non-draft mode). I highly recommend it as a high-priority training tool purchase, even above a Power meter in terms of performance benefit, in my opinion and experience.

3) Recovery Nutrition. After a long or hard (think long run/ride or track workout) training session, immediate (ideally, within 30 minutes) recovery nutrition is important, because your body can much more efficiently use these nutrients to rebuild glycogen stores during this window (and thus, you will recover better). The best recovery fuel I’ve found is First Endurance‘s Ultragen, and I use it after all of my long/hard workouts. I have noticed a big difference in terms of recovery even compared with other similar products on the market.

4) Ice Baths. After a very hard run session, ice baths (or in the winter months, cold water baths as the water itself is cold enough to fit the temp range) are my favorite recovery tool (favorite in a painful way). I’ve been using these for many years since my college days as a XC-track runner (when the icebath was conveniently waiting for us in the training room after practice, whereas now I have to go to the grocery store and lug home 20-40lbs of ice in summer months before having the pleasure of sitting in the icy cold water). And, it’s really not as bad as I am making it sound, and gets less difficult the more icebaths you’ve accomplished. Granted, there has been a lot of controversy about the effectiveness of icebaths in terms of improving recovery. But in my experience, as far as one can tell, they make me feel better and recover faster. Beginners tip: The proper temp range is 54-60 degrees F, and wearing socks will make the icebath much more bearable!

5) Massage Therapy. Without a doubt, my twice-monthly massage sessions with a gifted sports massage therapist (Nicole Allen Massage Therapy in Bethesda, MD) have helped keep me injury free and helps resolve any issues that might be cropping up. My massage therapist (Nicole), zeros in on any trouble areas even if I forget to mention them. Finding someone who really knows what they’re doing (and works with a lot of endurance athletes) is key.

6) The Holy Hand Grenade. This is really a racing tool (though some people use it in key training sessions too, so I’ll include it here) for that extra performance boost during a race or key training session. To make this, you mix half a gel flask of First Endurance EFS liquid shot, one serving of First Endurance PreRace, and fill the remainder of the gel flask with First Endurance EFS drink. Mix it all together really well and bring it with you to take on the bike during a race (I like to take it around the mid-point of the bike in an olympic distance race or during the last 10-15 miles of the bike for a 70.3 or an Ironman). It will give you a burst of energy and improve your pace/power (without feeling like you’re pushing harder). Since it’s not as thick as a typical gel, its easier to drink and will not leave you with stomach issues. However, like anything, it’s best to try in training before a race so you know how your body reacts!

7) Swim Spray. I just discovered Swim Spray recently thanks to my friend and training partner Shannon, and it has changed my life. OK, maybe not quite, but if you are tired of having dry chlorine damaged hair, itchy skin all day, and smelling like chlorine at all times, this product is for you (and it is not a sponsor). You basically rinse off after swimming, spray it on your hair and skin and rinse off again off, and the ascorbic acid (vitamin C) eliminates any remaining chlorine on your hair/skin. Unlike the marketed “swim shampoos” this product actually works (and works really well). It may not directly make you faster, but by removing the negative consequences of chlorine it could improve your desire to spend lots of time in the pool. Thus, it makes my top 7 list

Greater Expectations – Goals for 2013 Season

2013-03-03T14:54:25Z

From the time we’re in grade-school until we’re settled in our 20′s – some of us, even in our 30′s – we’re told that setting goals is a key, if not the key, to achieving what we want in life. Some people are better at setting goals than others. That is, they either knowingly or unknowingly set achievable goals. Others set goals that seem unachievable and foolhardy to all of us but not unto themselves. I’ve never professed to be good at setting goals, or achieving them. In fact, I think it’s best to set very lofty goals and fail trying to reach them than to set a low first bar, so to speak.

It seems that those who are willing to fail – risk takers – are at some point going to succeed. And yes, these people are good at triathlon and life. But more importantly, it seems to me that risk-takers enjoy life more than those who are static and safe. So I’ll take a risk, and I’ll set some goals.

The goals for 2013

I want to go to Kona and race the Ironman and Xterra world championships. The Kona points requirements for pros means targeting 5 or more WTC races before August. There’s always the possibility of qualifying after the July cut-off, but the chances seem slimmer.

To do this, I need results. I’m hungry for a podium spot at a half and a full. The best I managed last season was 4^th at Augusta. The distance events, IM’s and halves, are my best shot. I’ll be placing emphasis upon halves in the early part of the year, with St. Croix 70.3 in May and Raleigh 70.3 in June. I’ll race one or two more events prior to August. Then I hope to race IM UK in August and IM FL in November.

I want to try my hand racing off-road triathlons. My plan is to race the Ft. Yargo Xterra near Athens, GA in late April to get some experience. Then I’ll race the Xterra Southeastern Championships at Oak Mountain in mid May. My bike skills need improvement, but it should be good fun.

Probably my most lofty goal: graduate within the year. I’ve had a lot of support. I’m grateful to my wife, friends, and family for their support and tolerance. Thanks to FFT for a second season of coaching and camaraderie. Thanks to our supporters. Without all of you, I couldn’t take risks and seek to achieve my goals.

For a complete race schedule and results, check out my website: www.jamesdmccurdy.com.

Jay

Base Training: Laying the Foundation for a Successful Season

2013-02-03T01:58:27Z

It’s the beginning of February and another triathlon season is right around the corner. The holiday’s are over and January has come and gone. Now is the time (if you haven’t already) to start thinking about what races you want to do this year and to begin preparing for a successful triathlon season. You have probably taken some good time away from training or maybe have just been doing some light training over the past month or two without much structure. If you haven’t been doing any training, now is the time to start getting back into your routine. Slowly start easing back into things. Don’t stress about your times or paces being slow, just focus on getting some time under your belt and start finding that rhythm you had at the end of last season. It’s also a good time to reflect on last season. What went well? What didn’t go as well as you had planned? What do I need to do differently to have a better season this year? These are all important questions to ask yourself in order to help you move forward and have even greater success in 2013.

If you’ve been doing some light training here and there for about a month (if you haven’t been doing anything, give yourself a month of light flexible training where you do what you feel like doing with no real structure), the next thing you want to do is is begin base training. Base training consists of mostly easy to moderate aerobic efforts. If you’re brand new to triathlon or have only been racing for a few years, your emphasis on base training is crucial to set yourself up for a successful season. If you’re a seasoned veteran and have been racing for many years, your base training isn’t quite as important, as the years of swimming, biking, and running you have done will help lay your foundation for a successful year. However, even seasoned veterans should not neglect the base phase of training. If you’re a seasoned veteran in one sport such as swimming or running, but are newer to triathlon, you may want to emphasize the sport or two that you’re newer in to help you become more efficient in that sport.

So by now you’re probably asking yourself what does this base training look like. For you newer triathletes, your base phase should be about 3 months long with an easier week every 4th week to allow your body to rest and recover. As mentioned earlier, your focus should be easy to moderate efforts in all three sports. You should not being doing any long, sustained intervals during this time. A good goal to shoot for is three workouts in each discipline per week lasting approximately 30-60 minutes for each workout including one longer workout for each discipline that you gradually build upon each week. For example, you may like to do a longer endurance bike ride on Saturday and you may build each week starting at 60 minutes, going up to 75 minutes, then 90 minutes, and back down to 60 minutes during your recovery week. In the 2nd month you might do 90 minutes, 1 hour 45 minutes, and 2 hrs, and go down to 60-75 minutes during your recovery week. The same idea can be applied to the run. This can obviously be modified depending on where you are starting off with your training to meet your needs and also your goals for the season. During the base phase, it’s a good idea to include some short pickups/strides once or twice a week in each discipline; during the bike, you might include 3-6 30 sec to 1 minute intervals around olympic distance pace and in the run you might include 4-6 30 sec pickups building to 5k race pace. Give yourself plenty of easy time in between these short intervals in order to perform them with good form and prevent any major fatigue. These short intervals are meant to increase your neuromuscular coordination and ultimately help you become more efficient. The same concept can be applied to the swim as well. Additionally with the swim, it is a good idea to include some drill work at least once a week if not with every swim to help improve your form. If you’ve been training and racing for many years, you may only need to do one or two months of base training applying the same concepts just talked about. Again, it is important to to start with the base phase before moving into more specific training phases.

There are a number of physiological benefits of base training including increasing your VO2 max as well as improving your cardiorespiratory system or your bodies ability to efficiently supply oxygen to your working muscles. This includes improving the efficiency of the mitochondrial/aerobic enzymes which will ultimately help you be a better triathlete and allow you to train at higher capacities later in the year.

It can be a long season for many of us with races going into October and November so there’s no point in running your body into the ground or getting frustrated if you’re not feeling great right away. Be patient and allow your body time to recover and adapt to the training that your doing. Now is also a good time to begin working on your nutrition plan, especially for those of you racing longer distances. Begin experimenting with different products and find what works best for you, tweaking things throughout the year to help optimize your performance. If you’re looking for more guidance, consider contacting myself (Colin Riley), or one of the other Fast Forward Triathlon coaches to help you provide more structure to this initial phase of training and to help you reach your 2013 goals.

Happy training!

Off-Season Workouts

2013-01-24T14:36:26Z

Everyone needs some time to recuperate from a hard season. But the longer we take completely off, the more we risk a slow return in the spring. I use these key workouts to keep me healthy and sane.

1. Group swim: Twice a week, usually Monday and Friday, I find the time to do something fun in the pool. Master’s swim groups offer something for everyone. I tend to push myself when swimming with others.

Performance Tip: Keep it easy if you’re just returning to the water. If you’ve been in the pool 2 or 3 times a week for a couple of weeks, then its time to start pushing the pace. Mind them shoulders. Do the stability and core work necessary to keep ‘em strong all year long.

2. Fun run: I run with my friend Ian on Tuesday. We work in the same department at Auburn. This is a great opportunity to network and chat about things that interest us. I try to include ~5 race pace efforts for no more than 2 minutes. Keep it fresh if you’re recovering from a hard weekend.

Remember to keep those extremities warm during the winter. Jay’s rule of thumb: If it’s below 50°F (or 60°F and precipitating), I wear loose tights on the run.

3. A good ride: Whether it’s with your local group, spin class, or on a mountain bike, get out and ride. I travel for work this time of year. So on Wednesday’s, I find a trail near my destination and crank out some laps on some knobby tires.

Ideally, you want to get the legs spinning for at least an hour. But if you can’t, use this as an opportunity to do a skills set on the trainer. 10 minutes warm-up, 5x 1 minute single leg sets alternating legs. Then 3 sets of these high cadence drills on ~2:1 rest as 1 minute on, 2 minutes off, 30 seconds on, 1 minute off, 15 seconds on, 45 seconds off, repeat. Finish up with 5 minutes easy cool down. Then hit the showers.

4. Longish run: It’s difficult to get out of bed at 5:30 on Thursday, but I do it. I take a coffee, black. I roll out the muscles a bit. Then I shoot for 80 to 90 minutes of comfortable running. I try to stay on soft surfaces as much as possible.

Tips to stay sane: Use this as an opportunity to do something enjoyable. Explore your city. Run some trail.

5. Go to the gym: Pumping iron is a great way to work on weaknesses, but if you’re a newbie, it’s also a great way to get hurt. Find someone who knows what they’re doing. Do some circuits of pull-ups, lat-pull downs, straight arm pull-downs, and rows. Work on your weaknesses with low weights and high reps. Do not do repetitions until exhaustion without consulting with a trainer.

Remember, you want to be able to swim, bike, and run all weekend.

6. Weekend Warrior: Find a 5k or group ride that keeps you off the couch. Weekends are a great time to ride bikes. I do my long run on Thursday so I can ride back-to-back days on the weekends. If I’m feeling spry, I ride 3 or 4 hours on both days. I like to switch it up, riding the mountain bike on one day and the road bike on the other.

Performance tip: Keep it simple. If you’ve eaten a solid breakfast, a PB&J, a banana, and some sports drink (like EFS) may be all you need for even a moderate workout. Ride at least an hour without dipping into your ride food and/or sports drink.

If you should remember one thing from this article, it is this: Having fun isn’t just for the off-season. Rather, the off-season is the time to learn how to have fun all year long.

Suffer well, my friends,

Jay

And 2013 Has Arrived

2013-01-21T18:45:43Z

It’s time to start the grind. I wrote a blog last year that talked about the difficulties in training during the winter, and how it had a positive affect in toughening me both mentally and physically. It’s a positive spin on a tough reality. By all means I’d prefer to be in a warm and comfortable area, but have to embrace the challenges that come before me.

If you ask me what I do over the off-season to stay active and motivated, I’m not the best person to speak with. After Kona, motivation was not something that came easy, but was also something that wasn’t necessary. I needed a break, but once the break became part of my daily norm, it became tougher to escape. I stayed relatively active, frequenting the gym, riding the trainer on occasion, and hitting the pool and running at lunch about once a week. But it was no where near what I would do during the season, or even what I had done the winter prior. Instead, I spent many a night in the city, hit the casino, slept in, did many 12 ounce curls, and rationalized taking several days off. I also worked a lot more, read various books, and explored things I typically didn’t have time for. I didn’t worry though. As my coach told me, “Come January, I’d rather you be 100% recharged mentally, but physically depleted, then 50% recharged and 50% fit.” I set January 14 as the day that would mark the formal beginning of my season. I knew that once workouts were laid out for me from my coach Eric Bean, I’d re-discover the passion for the build and preparation that leads to success.

One week in, I’m starting to find my groove again, just as Stella once did. But ouch it hurts! The key is patience. The beginning weeks are always miserable. You were just recently at the peak of your physical fitness, but are now at the nadir. The reality hurts, and can be daunting, but with patience, all will be well. In my experience, it usually takes me about 6 weeks of consistent training to start finding my rhythm and re-gaining confidence. I’m looking forward to a successful year that will primarily focus on the Olympic distance. My goals will be the HyVee US Open Championship and the ITU London Age-Group World Championship. I’m still finalizing other parts of my schedule. I’m looking forward to a 2013 season with Fast Forward Triathlon and our sponsors First Endurance, CompuTrainer and Inside Out Sports.

Lastly, I thought I’d make a comment in light of the recent revelations with Lance Armstrong. Say what you want about the man, but I will always credit him for introducing me to the sport of triathlon, which has forever changed my life.