I finished a half Ironman in August and am training for a 50 miler and have a full Ironman looming in May. The 30 miles run scheduled up a mountainside this Saturday has me in a perpetual state of anxiety/doom. I’ve done the 50 mile race twice before. I know how it feels when I hit mile 30, and 35, and 40. I know how an Ironman feels, after I get off the bike, get two miles into the marathon and realize there are 24 miles left to go. I know the pain and the sheer concentration required, to focus on this one mile and then the next one. I know that I will lose four toenails. I know how I will feel afterward, when I have crossed the finish line and think that I can’t possibly feel this sick when I have FINISHED the race.

Maybe I know too much. I know that there is both a mental and a physical game to be played here and I know how much they cost. It is a lot. Maybe I am forgetting the feeling of accomplishment that hits me, the next day, or the next week, as it sinks in what I have done. What I can do. Things I never thought I could do before.

Or maybe this is simply part of the cycle of training. I’m at the week of the highest volume of training. Last week wasn’t easy either. I ran 41 miles over two days and I was in a lot of pain throughout. Sometimes I couldn’t tell where the pain was. I just felt terrible all the time. And yet I kept going. A few more steps, and then a few more. To that turn. And then to the next one. If I needed to walk for thirty seconds or a minute, I did that. And then started again. It’s hard to start again. Sometimes it’s easier to keep going.

I think that everyone who trains for a physical milestone hits a point where they realize how much they will have to put into it. And they are no longer sure that they want it enough. I am calling this the week of doubt, though unfortunately it may last longer than a week. It is a miserable time. For me, I have nagging knee pain on both sides, scrapes and bruises from a fall on my bike that are still healing, a tight Achilles tendon on my left side, a tight hip on my right, blisters, black toenails, and the feeling whenever I breathe that I might not have enough air left for the next breath.

I wonder if this is what they mean when they say that sometimes we sabotage our own success, or that some people are afraid of success. It’s not the success that’s past that we are afraid of. It’s the success that is just ahead, just within reach. But still beyond us. We have to tell ourselves that we are almost there. Cheer ourselves on when it feels like we are in a race alone. We have to remember what brought us to the starting line and focus on just one more mile.

TriHive welcomes pro triathlete, coach and Park City resident Marcel Vifian as a columnist.  Marcel’s career highlights include U.S National Champion (2000), Memphis in May Champ (2002) and two-time U.S. Olympic trial competitor.

Jamie from Salt Lake asks: What do I do to stay motivated in the winter?

I can answer that in two words:

Nordic skiing!

We are so lucky here in Utah to have Nordic skiing as a viable training option. In my opinion, there is no better single exercise for simultaneously improving your muscular strength, endurance and cardiovascular fitness.

After a long season of running, biking and swimming, I relish the opportunity to do something different while still maintaining and improving my fitness. Nordic skiing is fun, easy on your body and soothing to the soul.  Merely the thought of skiing in the Uintah Mountains on some serene Saturday morning this winter motivates me to stay active so I can fully enjoy Nordic skiing in our winter wonderland.

I do also set small, short-term goals for myself to stay motivated. Usually preparing well for races motivates me but when the racing season is over half a year away, I need something a bit more extant to keep me motivated and focused. So, every three to four weeks, I swim a 1000 yard time trial. My goal is to consistently whittle away a few seconds each time! This does wonders for my motivation in the water. I do the same thing with my running (treadmill) and Nordic skiing so I have the motivation of a small challenge. Every time I meet the challenge and improve my previous time, I’m hugely encouraged! What’s more motivating than seeing improvement?

Lastly, to stay motivated at this time of year, I create my tentative race schedule for the next season and sometimes, during a winter workout, I’ll focus on the race I’m most looking forward to – Scofield Escape!. I’ll actually envision myself somewhere out on the course going really fast and feeling great while I’m doing a winter swim, run or bike workout. It really motivates me to think of myself on my favorite race course racing smoothly and effortlessly. It takes a little imagination but we can all do it and benefit!

So, Jamie, I would encourage and challenge you to sample the treat of Nordic skiing, set modest, short-term goals in your training and focus on your favorite upcoming races to keep you motivated this winter. Enjoy!

Email questions to Marcel by emailing editor(@)trihive.com.
Learn more about Marcel’s coaching services by visiting http://www.opt-in4life.com/.

Dave Pruetz was given the gift of racing the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona. Hear his story by clicking the following link:

Click Here for Dave Pruetz

Click the following link to open the October ‘09 TriHive (pdf): TriHive_Oct09

Click advertisements to go to advertisers website.

3rd Annual Lake Powell Triathlon

I won’t say it went off without a hitch. There were a few things that went wrong, and some things that could have been better, but I’ve never been to a triathlon where there wasn’t room for improvement. Given that this is the first year for Gold Medal Racing under new ownership, I’d say the Lake Powell Triathlon went pretty well, and I look forward to a better race in the future.

The Drive

The first thing anyone notices about the event is that it’s not anywhere close to where most of us live. In my case, the drive from Draper, Utah was slightly over six hours. For those driving from the  St. George area it’s a mild two hour drive. But if you want to get in one more event before the end of the season, this is it, and somehow that makes the drive seem like a minor issue.

And, it’s not as though it’s an unpleasant drive. From northern Utah the drive takes you through Panguitch and Kanab and a few small towns in between with beautiful rock formations, mountains, rivers, and farms.  At this time of year many of the leaves on the trees are bright yellow and at about 5 p.m. they are lit up wonderfully by the setting sun.

Checking In

My wife, 20-month old daughter, and I arrived at the Stateline Marina, where the event would be held the next day, just before the sun went down. The weather was cool, but not cold, and the skies were entirely clear. I had done the inaugural Powell3 triathlon in 2007, so I didn’t feel a need to drive the course, but I wanted to see the new location for the transition area.  They moved the transition to accommodate the larger number of participants. I was glad to see that the distance from the swim to transition would be approximately 100 yards on cement and asphalt, rather than a half mile on sand and rocks like the previous years.

We left the event site and drove a few miles further into Page, Arizona. The Italian joint we had eaten at two years ago had been turned into a completely different restaurant, so we tried out another place instead, which turned out to be acceptable but nothing special, which is probably why the name of it escapes me. I wasn’t terribly hungry anyway, having had a large lunch, so I wasn’t too concerned about what I ate as long as it didn’t make me sick.

We stayed at the Rodeway Inn, which was the cheapest motel we could find when we had made our reservations a month earlier. There was a large contingent of bikers (Harley Davidson type) in front, but they appeared to be German tourists and didn’t give us any trouble. Lucky for them.

Race Morning

I like to be at the race site early enough to be able to rack my bike anywhere I want, so we woke up while it was completely dark, packed up, and got to the transition area just as the staff was getting set up. I racked my bike and was the second person in body marking. Of course, the other side of being early is that you then end up waiting around with nothing to do. At least that’s what generally happens, but I struck up a conversation with a fellow named Chris who racked his bike next to mine and we had a good chat for a while.

As opposed to the night before, it was not merely cool but a bit chilly, so instead of posting race updates to Facebook I kept my numb fingers in my pockets and walked around trying to keep warm.

The Swim

I remember the water being colder the first year I participated, but maybe that’s just because I wore a sleeveless wetsuit that year versus a full wetsuit this year. Either way, there were a few people who opted to swim without wetsuits, and I don’t think they were too uncomfortable. There was no shock of cold from the water as I’ve experienced before.

I was in the first wave of Olympic racers, and although I was expecting to have a few minutes in the water to warm up, I suddenly heard the race director shouting through the megaphone that we would be starting the race in one minute. It was all I could do to make my way towards the front of the pack in time for the start.

As seems to always happen at the beginning of every swim portion, I thought I was going to die. I was getting pounded by everyone around me and I couldn’t catch my breath. It was all I could do to keep moving and hope that nobody piled right on top of me.

I struggled to the first buoy, and then all of a sudden as I turned the first corner it was as though someone opened my lungs and I could breathe. I was able to get into a rhythm that felt more like a normal training swim in a pool, and then I was fine the rest of the way.

Before I knew it, I had gone around the loop twice and was on the home stretch. At this point there was a bit of confusion because I wasn’t sure whether we were supposed to exit onto the sandy beach where we had started, or to the right of the boat dock where a cement ramp led to the transition area. But everyone seemed to be getting out on the beach, so I went that way as well.

T1

I stomped out of my wetsuit, put on my old shoes which I had left at the bottom of the boat ramp so that I didn’t have to run all the way up in bare feet or flip flops, and started the run up. I quickly realized if I ran all the way up the steep grade I’d probably pass out before I got on my bike, so I settled for a quick walk.

The Bike

After a slight issue getting a strap on my right cycling shoe, I was able to put some real speed into the bike. The course starts out mostly flat with some slight uphill portions that wind through the state park.  Then riders face a few miles on a slightly bumpy park road (it’s not bad but it would be a dream if they would resurface it), we exited the south entrance to the park, turned right for 100 feet, and then turned right again onto the highway, which is where “The Hill” begins.

“The Hill” is not that bad. It can’t be much more than a quarter mile,  and it’s nothing compared to the hills around the Salt Lake valley. Still, if you haven’t been training on hills and are used to flat then I can see how it could be a bit of a workout.

After that hill it is mostly flat again with some slight uphill portions until you come to the north entrance of the park where you leave the highway. At this point the course is mostly downhill where riders can really pick up some speed other than for the two or three sharp turns and one set of speed bumps.

We looped around past the transition area where the last Sprint distance racers were just coming out on their bikes for their first and only loop on the bike course while we were starting our second loop.

I had held back on the first loop because I couldn’t remember well enough what it was like from my first year. But realizing it was quite a bit shorter than I thought it would be, I picked up the pace on the second loop, cutting my time the second time around by a few minutes.

T2

Having gotten some tips on transitions from David Warden’s Tri-Talk.com podcast (check out episode #48), my transitions in this race went a lot better than in previous events, although I did have a little struggle getting my Zoot shoes on, which I’ve only run in four or five times and should have practiced getting into a few more times just to get comfortable in them.

The Run

One of the aspects of this course that I really enjoy is that it is a downhill coming off of the bike and onto the run, so your legs are feeling pretty good as you start out on the run and you don’t have that “brick” feeling of lifting legs made out of lead. I started the run feeling great, but with my 205 lb. frame and lack of running history I knew the run was where I would really feel it.

My conversational companion Chris, whom I had met that morning, caught up with me (he was in the second wave of Olympic racers) and we started chatting again. The course which had seemed relatively flat while on the bike turned out to be more of an uphill climb when running. Not too steep, but a 1% grade is all it takes on the run to make it challenging. Whereas on the bike course I had been passed by other racers slowly, here I was being passed quickly by all sorts of thin, fit people who seemed to glide by while my thick legs pounded heavily into the asphalt.

At this point I was thankful for my Garmin GPS, which helped me keep on pace, and for Chris, whose conversation made the time pass faster. The run started out feeling slow, but it wasn’t long before we reached the turnaround and started back, which happily meant that it was almost all downhill.

I was aiming to maintain a 9:00 per mile pace, but was at 9:17 at the halfway point. Chris and I picked up our pace to about 8:30 on the way back, but walking through those aid stations really adds the seconds back on that you just worked hard to take off. By the time we reached the Sprint turnaround point, which let us know that we were 75% of the way to the finish, we were down to about 9:07. We picked it up some more and held a pace that was under 8:00 for most of the rest of the way, which meant our pleasant conversation came to a halt, since neither of us had the breathing capacity for speaking anymore.

Chris and I crossed the finish line together, and for the first time in all my triathlons, including a Half Ironman, I felt like I was about to pass out and wake up in a med-tent. I had never pushed my run that hard. In retrospect, I probably should have eaten the Gu that I ended up carrying the entire way but which I hadn’t opened for fear of getting a side-ache.

Fat Boy, one of the sponsors, had come through once again with a cooler full of ice cream sandwiches, which were like heaven. There was a table full of Myoplex, and I was exhausted enough that even that tasted good. But mostly I stuck to downing as much water, Heed, and orange slices as I could.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Let’s start with the bad and ugly. It wasn’t until the event was all over that I found out about some other glitches. I had noticed on the bike ride that the aid stations were giving out Heed and water, which I hadn’t taken since it would have required slowing down, plus I was carrying more than enough drink with me. But apparently there was a miscommunication and the aid stations weren’t supposed to hand anything out to bikers, and this resulted in at least one of the aid stations running out of drink for the later runners (there had been plenty of liquids left while I was running). While this didn’t effect me, I see how this could have been a major problem for some of the slower runners who probably needed the liquids the most.

There were also problems with people having taken all of the raffle prizes, some of the medals having disappeared under mysterious circumstances, people walking off with boxes of Myoplex before all the racers had come in and had a chance to get even one, and some general disorganization that manifested itself here and there.

But I think the good things far outweigh any of the negatives, which could easily be overcome with some relatively minor changes.

The weather both years I’ve participated has been perfect. People often think of Lake Powell as a hot place, but at this time of year it’s in the 60s and 70s during the time of the race and only starts getting up towards 80 degrees after the race is over. There was also a nice breeze to keep you cool and dry, but not so much of a breeze to constitute actual wind resistance.

The scenery is beautiful. You’d be hard pressed to find another event with a backdrop of the huge cliffs and rocks rising out of the waters of Lake Powell.

Other than the portion of the bike course that runs on the highway, the course is virtually devoid of auto traffic.

One little known secret—there is an area that is just a 30-second drive from the transition area offering private showers and costing only $2 in quarters. My wife wishes we had known about this the first year.

I felt like it was a great event, the minor issues notwithstanding. I’m sure it will be a bit more polished and even better next year.

The Lake Powell Triathlon is managed by Gold Medal Racing (goldmedalracing.com).

Joshua Steimle is the CEO of MWI, an Internet marketing firm (mwi.com), and blogs about his triathlon experiences at IronmanDiet.com.

Brock Logan and Erin Jenkins were victorius in the Olympic distance race at the third annual Powell3 Triathlon, at Lake Powell on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Over 300 athletes participated in the event.

Logan won the men’s Olympic race with a solid performance through all three disciplines and beat runner-up Cedric Wane by over two-and-a-half minutes. Ryan Stevens rounded out the men’s podium.

In the women’s Olympic race, Jenkins edged out runner-up Ashley Scott by a mere 27 seconds. Jenkins trailed Scott by nearly five minutes in the swim but made up nearly all of the time back on the bike. She earned her lead in the run, where she posted the fastest split of the day (46:16). Jennifer Rischard rounded out the women’s podium.

In the Sprint race, George Esahak-Gage and Jane Esahak-Gage won their respective events. Esahak-Gage and Aja James were not only the top two women’s finishers, but they also finished second and third overall in the Sprint race.

See below for top finishers. Click here for complete results.

Top Olympic Men
Brock Logan, 2:02:37
Cedric Wane, 2:05:10
Ryan Stevens, 2:07:07

Top Olympic Women
Erin Jenkins, 2:30:04
Ashley Scott, 2:30:31
Jennifer Rischard, 2:34:11

Top Sprint Men
George Esahak-Gage, 1:08:29
Peter Knecht, 1:13:41
Craig Menden, 1:14:03

Top Sprint Women
Jane Esahak-Gage, 1:11:01
Aja James, 1:12:29
Rachel Buzzard, 1:19:58

Photos Courtesy of Joshua Steimle

By Mette Harrison (mette(@)argonautfilms.com)

My first triathlon was the Jordanelle Olympic in 2004. I remember the red and black tri suit I wore. I didn’t have a wetsuit, but I figured since I was a high school swimmer, I didn’t need to worry about that. I remember how cold the water was when I first stepped into it. I remember doing a few strokes to warm up and then trying to figure out how to position myself. I remember when the gun went off and I had to put my head in the water and swim my heart out. I felt panicked after about ten seconds and thought that I might actually have a heart attack at the age of 33. I told myself to slow down, to breathe more, and keep going. And I made it through the swim somehow.

I had never done an open water swim before. So when I tried to stand up for the first time, the dizziness was not familiar. I’d read about it, but I had never felt it myself before. I thought I was going to fall over on my head. I focused on moving forward and I think it took me 3 minutes to get my running shoes on and start on the transition run up to the biking area. I forgot to take my cap and goggles off and had to go back after I had already come out to put them back with my other stuff.

I had a rented bike because I didn’t own a road bike. I had done all my training on a mountain bike that belonged to my husband and was too big for me. I had no idea how to use clip pedals or shoes, so I just pedaled on top with my running shoes. I remember the feeling of elation that hit me when I passed my first person on the bike. It was a man, and he had started 5 minutes ahead of me. I had never passed anyone in a race in my life.

I remember the guy who shouted out to me as I started the run that I was the fifth female. I wasn’t, but it was encouraging anyway. I had never done a trail run before and this was a rude awakening. Running on rocks, skipping over the parts of the trail that had been washed out with rain, straight up and then straight down, sweat dripping down my face—it was all new.

I remember seeing the finish line ahead of me, knowing that I was almost done, and then crossing it with a sense of surprise. It took a few minutes to sink in that it was over. I saw my husband waiting for me with a water bottle. I didn’t feel like drinking anything and I didn’t know yet that I have to drink anyway, whether I feel like it or not. I stood around for a while and the pain hit in and I collapsed until the awards ceremony started.

I took first place in my age group, women 30-34. I wore that medal proudly around my neck the rest of the day. It was fun and I chattered about the different parts of the race. I do not think I realized then how profound this moment was, how much it would change me.

You have to understand first that even though I say I was a high school swimmer, I was not a good one. I swam for three years, one year for four hours a day, and I took second place in a race once. The rest of the time I took either last or second to last. I hated competitions. I dreaded standing on the blocks. I asked my parents not to come to any meets. I asked my boyfriend not to come. I couldn’t stand the pressure. After high school was finally done, I figured I would swim as fitness exercise for the rest of my life. I certainly never intended to compete. I never intended to win.
They say winning isn’t everything. Of course it’s not.

And that day, when I drove home from Jordanelle, it didn’t feel like anything had changed. I wasn’t skinnier. I wasn’t prettier. I hadn’t gotten rich. No one was asking me for an autograph. It had never been a dream of mine to win a triathlon, so it was not a dream come true.

But the girl who had never won a race had suddenly won something. I wasn’t me anymore. I no longer had to believe in the limitations that had once existed for me. I had spent a long time assuming that I had already found the things in life that I was good at. I was a writer. I could analyze literature, since I had a PhD in German. I could make great homemade rolls.

I couldn’t dance. I couldn’t play any instruments. I didn’t read music or understand it at all. I didn’t even listen to music. I couldn’t run very far without hurting my knees. I had a lousy sense of humor. I didn’t make friends easily and I wasn’t a person who could just sit and chat with a random stranger. Also, I was terrified of the dentist.

But it turned out I could run. I ran a 50 miler soon afterward. And I started taking piano lessons. I bought an i-pod and started listening to it as I worked out. I found myself able to start up a conversation with other racers, because I already knew I had something in common with them.

The idea that you can’t teach an old dog (me) new tricks was absolutely wrong. It was a revelation that gradually unfolded, instead of striking me with lightning on race day. But for all that, it was no less blinding, no less amazing.

There are people in the neighborhood I live now who only know me as the woman who does triathlons. They do not remember the other me at all. They don’t remember the me who looked at runners and winced on their behalf, thinking that no one could possibly WANT to do that. They don’t know the me who swore never to go to the gym to work out, or the me who promised never to give up ice cream. They don’t know that I once called triathletes “crazy.”

I still love to write. I still love books. The old me is in here, underneath the muscles and the gear. But there is a new blend of personalities. I am not who I was, or not only that anymore. I suppose in spiritual terms, you’d call it a rebirth. And a part of it was coming out of the water. I do feel younger in some ways. Older in some ways, too. On those days when my knee creaks getting out of bed, for example. But it is also like stepping out on a ledge and discovering that there is no drop, after all. That you can keep going and the wind is blowing around you and you feel like you are floating, but there is no fall.

Who would want to go back to before?

This new world is a wonderful one. I hope there are others out there, waiting to be crossed into, as well. After all, I am still humor impaired.

And the dentist? Well, Dr. Hadley isn’t too bad. One of these days, I think he’s going to do a triathlon, too.

Below regional finishers from the Ford Ironman World Championship on October 10, 2009.

Idaho
DJ Snyder, 104, 9:30:35
Bryan Shiflett, 384, 10:13:51
Dan Stephens, 390, 10:14:51
Greg Gervais, 472, 10:23:34
Keith Hertel, 775, 11:00:18
Molly Obetz, 1044, 11:43:45
Bob Morris, 1241, 12:37:46

Nevada
Jay Heller, 1374, 13:31:26
Melodie Cronenberg, 1613, 16:09:41

Utah
BJ Christenson, 274, 9:58:50
Randall Olsen, 361, 10:11:22
Brett Wilking, 826, 11:08:23
Andi Jones, 1318, 13:04:35
Bob Whitman, 1340, 13:13:34
Dave Pruetz, 1504, 14:43:17
Kevin Balfe, 1610, 16:06:46

Wyoming
Dick Weinbrandt, 1394, 13:43:16

by Te Koi Smith (tekoi(@)trihive.com)

If you follow and/or race Ironman, you are undoubtedly aware of the strong presence of K-Swiss at all Ironman and 70.3 events. You likely know that  K-Swiss has teamed up with Ironman to be the exclusive footwear and apparel provider of the world’s most popular triathlons and if you haven’t noticed already, you will see the K-Swiss name attached to almost everything Ironman.

Did you know that when the K-Swiss K-ONA shoe debuted to the public last year in Kona, Hawaii at the Ford Ironman World Championships there were just a handful of pros racing in shoe?  Only a handful were given to these elites during the summer to use during the season.  Oddly enough, there were more than a dozen age group triathletes that crossed the finish line in Kona during K-ONA’s debut week wearing the recently unleashed shoe. Surprisingly, these experienced triathletes broke “Rule #1″ of racing and raced with something they did not train with!

You might asking yourself “Why would anyone even think about breaking “Rule #1?”" Simply put; These. Shoes. Are. Amazing.

The day after I received my pair of K-ONAs I put them to the test and took them out for a 5+ mile run. Immediately I noticed how they molded to my foot and felt like a shoe I had been running in for several months and had over 100 miles in.

Aesthetically, you will notice that the  front of the shoe has several holes that are apart of the Flow Cool System that runs along the toes into the mid-foot area to allow air to pass through and keep your foot cool and well ventilated. Many other small holes are built into the shoe’s lining, which again allow the foot to breath. However, they also serve as a drain. In the sole itself  are 10 holes that allow access water from building up in the sneakers. So, keep dumping water over your head or take the detour into the neighbors sprinkler.  Any water that goes into your shoe will literally pass through so you dont feel like you’re running in a puddle for your 10K or marathon.

For the mid-forefoot runner the sole is sturdy and supportive, and for the heel striker the sole is extended near the back of the heel.

I noticed that the shoe felt a little big around my foot. My advice is that if you usually wear a size 10, stick with the size 10 K-Swiss K-ONA. They will feel slightly bigger, but they will mold to your feet and feel like you’ve already broken them in.

Coming in at just 6 ounces per shoe (size 11 ) the K-ONAs have everything a triathlete needs.

At $90.00, the sticker price is not unreasonable. It didn’t take me long to decide that K-Swiss has exactly what I want in a shoe. K-Swiss has done an amazing job in researching and finding the right fit for everyone across the board from the pros that will be racing this weekend in Kona to the everyday triathlete and/or runner.

Speaking of Kona, be on the lookout for Chris Lieto, Luke McKenzie, Matt Lieto, Torsten Abel, Andreas Raelert,Terrenzo Bozzone, Heather Gollnick, Bree Wee, Belinda Granger, Leanda Cave, Gina Ferguson and Kim Loeffler all wearing K-Swiss footwear as they cross the Ironman World Championship finish line!

www.kswiss.com

Guess Craig “Crowie” Alexander’s final time from the Ford Ironman World Championships and win a prize package from Dunning Sportswear, including:

- Tour Slim Fit Polo
- Cotton Tee
- Cotton/Coolmax Short
- New Era Coolmax Visor

The time closest to Crowie’s finishing time WITHOUT GOING OVER will win the complete package.  Include splits for each discpline.  In the case of a tie, the tie-breaker will be chosen from the entry with closest splits.

Email your entry to editor(@)trihive.com.  Contest closes at 12pm MST on October 10, 2009.