Triple Threat Triathlon

Kona Race Report 2018: Julia Slyer

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 02:26:00 +0000

Julia Slyer out of New York is simply amazing... check out her race report from the Ironman World Championships!

Kona 2018 was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a triathlon. After a disappointing race and age group placement last year, I had a fire burning in my belly all season to punch my ticket to the big dance for the third time and get back out in the lava fields to show Madam Pele what I’ve got. I had a few setbacks early in the season, but clearly my training whipped me into shape once the summer got started. I had some spotty training in April and May as I was approaching graduation and, ahem, enjoying college life a bit as I had been so focused on training for all four years of school. I also had my first ever DNS at Rev3 Quassy 70.3, making the game time decision to pull myself due to bronchitis literally two minutes before the start.

Luckily, I ended up having a great race at Ironman Lake Placid in July, winning my age group and qualifying for Kona, as well as clocking the second fastest age group female bike split in some seriously challenging conditions (hello confidence boost!). After about two weeks of forced rest and recovery while volunteering in Cambodia (so hot, so humid, so much air pollution) I was ready to jump back into training and give the last block everything I had. I ended up getting in some amazing workouts in August and September, and I really feel I was in the best Ironman shape of my life when I got to the Big Island.

Swim – 1:10:32

I decided to line up a bit back from the front and further to the left this year to try to avoid the washing machine effect of 650+ uber-competitive women starting at once, and it seems to have helped me successfully avoid the thick of it. I only got swam over once, and even found some feet to hang onto on the way out. I started the swim feeling fantastic – a bit of a surprise considering that my swim training has been almost non-existent since IMLP (pools are the worst). However, about ¼ of the way through the swim I developed possibly the worst headache of my life. I figured it was probably from my swim cap or goggles, but having had some massive leaking issues with my goggles in all my practice swims, I didn’t want to take the chance of adjusting my goggles. I ended up pretty much leisurely swimming my way back, and was honestly expecting a much slower time. I was so happy just to get out of the water and take my goggles and cap off, and even happier to see it was still 2 minutes faster than my 2015 split!

T1 – 3:53

I rinsed under the cold showers for way longer than I normally would because the cool water felt so good on my head, and thankfully my headache went away. I grabbed my nutrition (2 gels and 3 packs of blocks) out of my bike bag, tried to get through the ridiculously crowded changing tent as fast as possible, and went down the wrong aisle to grab my bike. Cue about 5 seconds of panic when I thought someone else was out on course on my rocket bike until I spotted it.

Bike – 5:11:22 (28 minute PR!), 166 W, 21.7 mph

I was so happy to finally be out on my bike! One of my 2018 goals was to break 5:30 and I felt I had the fitness to do it on this course. I felt great immediately, although my boyfriend later informed me that I looked so slow while getting my shoes on at the very start that he thought I might actually fall over! Once I got going, I immediately started passing people. I had no idea how far back I was in my age group, but I knew I usually passed a ton of girls on the bike at Kona, so I was excited when I flew by about 10 girls in the first 15 miles or so. Turns out I’d exited the water in 28th (out of 36) in my age group, which is definitely the furthest back I’ve ever been.

I had planned to use my own liquid nutrition on the bike, alternating between Infinit and red Gatorade that I’d concentrated in my bottles, and mixed with aid station water in my aerobottle. About 30 miles in, I decided this was not going to work for the rest of the ride, as my bottles were so hot that they wouldn’t mix with the cold water. I chucked my Gatorade concentrate and went only with diluted orange Gatorade endurance for the rest of the ride, which my stomach handled much better than I expected.

I was keeping an eye on my power and heart rate, and even though my power was at the low end of the 162-172W range my coach had given me, my heart rate was pinned at 160bpm, and I felt like I was flying past the majorly drafting groups so I decided to keep taking it “easy.” I knew I hadn’t been passed by any girls in my age group, and only about 10 women passed me over the course of the entire bike. Every 10 miles I would look at my splits, realizing I was well over 20mph. Heading up to Hawi I felt great, but was mentally preparing myself for the headwind on the way back – which never came! Feeling fast but a little disappointed since my bike handling skills usually give me an advantage, I killed it on the descent.

*Drafting rant ahead.* I was then informed that a woman had been drafting on me nearly the entire first 70 miles, slow pedaling and never making a move to pass. After she was called out by the woman who informed me, she seems to have dropped back, but not after getting a 22mph pull for about 3.5 hours. Especially at this level of competition, it’s just ridiculous to blatantly cheat and take advantage of others. Do better, drafters. *End rant.*

I passed three more girls in my age group on the way back, and realized around mile 70 that I may break 5:20 for the bike split. After I passed an 18-24 girl around mile 85 and she tried to stay with me, I decided to drop the hammer the last 25 miles to put some time into her. I managed to increase my average power by 5W in a little over an hour, and felt great doing it. I was super excited by my time and I knew when I got off the bike that I was somewhere within the top 5 in my age group.

T2 – 3:09

It was nice to have an uncrowded changing tent, and the volunteers practically dressed me and got me out on Ali’i Dr. super fast. I took a gel to make up for my lack of eating on the bike and ran out smiling my head off ready for the marathon.

Run – 3:54:53, 8:53 min/mile

I started out strong on the run with 3 sub-8 minute miles, which was the pace I’d been training my long runs at, but I knew from my heart rate that I needed to slow up to avoid blowing up and losing my position. At this point my race became less about the time and more about running a smart marathon to ensure I ended up on the podium. I decided the best way to keep my heart rate down and stay cool was to walk the aid stations, so that became the game plan for the rest of the run.

After drinking Gatorade Endurance for most of the bike, I couldn’t even think about drinking it on the run as well. I stuck to water and Coke, taking some Base salt a few times, and dumping ice down my kit and water on my head to stay “cool.” I knew it wasn’t going to be my fastest marathon but I was still feeling pretty good until I got out onto the Queen K around mile 8 and started dry heaving every time I had liquids. Not the most fun way to spend a marathon.

Heading in to the Energy Lab my legs were feeling good still. I saw at the turn around that I was running in 4th, with one of the girls ahead of me walking, and 5th place fairly close behind me still running strong. At this point it became a game of not getting caught while realizing I still needed to run my own race and not blow up or mentally freak out. I managed to pass a girl who was walking for 3rd at mile 23, and just pushed as hard as I could to the finish without looking back. Turns out I beat her by 48 seconds!

Finish – 10:23:46, 3rd place F18-24, 24 min PR!

The finish line was amazing, and I remembered to celebrate as I crossed! I stopped my watch and then immediately felt my legs absorb the 140.6 miles and needed a volunteer to haul me over to the medal tent, where I found out I had placed 3rd! This is definitely my greatest athletic achievement so far, and the most fun I’ve ever had during a race. The conditions were great, my fitness showed, and I had the time of my life achieving my giant goal for the year. A huge thank you to my crazy supportive family and boyfriend, amazing coach and awesome sponsors for helping to make this year and this performance possible. Now to have some free time and do “dangerous” sports with my offseason!

Kona Race Report 2018: Cassie Whittington

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 01:47:00 +0000

We're always super proud when a teammate qualifies for and races on triathlon's biggest stage, the Ironman World Championships. Here's Cassie Whittington's (Ohio) Kona 2018 race report, which is an awesome read. Some races throw curveball after curveball at you, but Cassie never gave up (and still threw down a very solid time!).

Congrats to our friends Julia Slyer (New York) and David Wild (Hawaii) for their Big Island performances as well!

Kona 2018 was an adventure for me. I’ve been feeling down that I wasn’t able to have the day I wanted, but always thankful to be able to race on this stage against the best in the world.

Preparation for the race wasn’t the easiest. Six weeks out from the race I injured my left achilles and had to take some time off of all three sports as I couldn’t push off the wall swimming, put pressure on a bike pedal, or run without pain. After some time off, I finally felt great again, only to roll my ankle on a run two weeks out from the race. Both injuries made me step away from training for a bit, at a time where my training volume and intensity needed to be the highest. When I would train, I felt completely exhausted, my legs felt heavy, and I just couldn’t motivate myself to push hard. Despite these set-backs, I was looking forward to racing and seeing what extra rest would feel like on race day.

I felt calm coming into race day, as last year's experience allowed me to understand the course more, particularly how rough and aggressive the swim is, how windy the bike is, and how hot the run course is! Last year I ended up with hyponatremia after the race, so I wanted to perform some sweat testing while in Kona to help determine my sweat rate and sodium loss in Kona conditions so that I could better fuel on race day this year and avoid the medical tent. I first did a bike sweat test with Gatorade and discovered I needed 1,000mg sodium and 38 ounces of water each hour…totally replaceable on the bike where I can carry multiple bottles.

The next day I worked with Levelen and performed a more detailed bike and run sweat test. The bike test came back similar, with a loss of 1.4 L an hour and so to replace 75% of that I needed 36 ounces of water an hour and 1,006 mg sodium an hour. The crazy numbers came with the run, which weren’t that shocking because I’m well aware of my super high sweat rate running. Running I lost 2.2 L water an hour, so to replace 75% of that I needed 55 ounces an hour, not easy running. I, however, lost 2,660 mg of sodium an hour, more than most people need in an entire day. This was going to be much harder to replace while running and my current nutrition plan included taking in 1,700mg an hour. Making some electrolyte changes the day before the race was not the best idea, as I would find out later.

The swim went great this year. I think it is one of the hardest aspects of the race because of how aggressive it is and swimming is not my background or strength. Swimming in the ocean also makes me motion sick. I didn’t start right at the front like last year, but chose to start further back to avoid some contact. Well this didn’t help at all, as the cannon mass start just makes it so chaotic and you feel like you are in the middle of a washing machine of people all fighting to get ahead. I remained calm, was ready for the hour of punching and kicking and large gulps of salt water I would ingest, and even looked around a bit at the beauty of the course. I came out around 1:08 and was happy, as I knew I could make up time later on the bike and run and didn’t need to kill myself in the swim, just use it as a warmup.

Transition was super fast and I jumped on my bike and was glad to feel strong, as my last few weeks my quads felt very tired and sore. Around mile 10 I hit a big bump and something broke loose in the front of my bike and I lost both my water bottles. I stopped to check my front wheel and straighten it out, left the water bottles behind without worry as the first aid station I would replace them, and went on. Except the problem was still there, something on the front of my bike was off alignment or broken and rattling. I didn’t have many options but to ride on. When I stood on my pedals on uphills, the front wheel shifted so much it rubbed on the frame. Lesson learned quickly, I couldn’t stand on my pedals.

My sprained ankle also hurt when I stood on the pedals, making me a bit nervous that it would limit my running later. All this worrying about what was wrong with my bike slowed me down as I was trying to ride cautiously over any bumps, but I was still averaging 20 mph and got up the largest climb without standing up and was happy to have the fast return to town. Well what happened when I hit the bump was that I forced my tube to bulge out of my wheel and when I started flying down Hawi, the tire rubbed too much and too fast against the frame and popped the tire. I pulled over, pretty sad that my shot of a really great day was over, but I could still change the tire fast and have a good day. I changed the tube, threw on the CO2 cartridge to inflate it, and NOTHING! It wouldn’t work. So I sat there for 10 minutes until the race support van found me, feeling very defeated watching hundreds of people fly by on what should have been the fastest part of the course for me.

The mechanics tried the CO2 as well and said it must have been empty (what’s the chances?!?), grabbed their own pump and pumped the tire. Except the tube kept popping out of the wheel when we tried to inflate it fully. They took it back apart and tried to put the tube in correctly multiple times, and then the fifth time said it was good and they put it on my bike, and I went off. About a minute later, the bike started rattling like crazy and making noises. Now I was just praying the bike would stay together until I got to transition, still 60 miles away! At mile 80 the front skewer rattled completely open and the front wheel almost flew off, luckily I saw it happening and stopped again, tightening everything on the bike yet again and hoping for the best. I am use to being surrounded by other cyclists in racing, but I had fallen so far behind that I was on the road all alone.

It was a very lonely time, with lots going through my head. It is very hard to push your limits and race without others around you encouraging you to push a harder pace and keep with the group. I was still thinking I could end this race on a high note with a great marathon, which kept me from going to a dark place. I kept riding very conservatively, trying to avoid any bumps in the road, as any jolt made the bike make even more noise. The rattling of the front bottle cage alone almost drove me crazy! My back began to hurt, something I haven’t experienced before but was most likely due to absorbing the shock of the rough ride. I was SUPER thankful to make it to T2 without any more flats and my bike in one piece! When returning the bike later that night, I found out the tube popped out again. The mechanics thought I may have bent my wheel when I hit the first bump and knocked my headset loose as well, so every revolution of the wheel made the whole bike rattle.

I was never so happy to start a marathon in my life, with the intent of passing as many people as I could. The first 6 miles I knew I had my running legs that day and this was going to be fun. I was being super careful to keep up with my exact nutrition plan, but with the sweat testing I decided to add 2-3 extra Gu electrolyte tabs with extra water to bump up my intake closer to the 2,600mg sodium mark and 50 ounces an hour. Maybe it was this, or maybe my body just wasn’t having it that day, but at mile 6 my stomach started cramping and I needed to go to the bathroom. This was the first time in my 5 Ironman history (and 5 half-Ironmans) that I had ever stopped to go the bathroom.

I went and was confident I wouldn’t have to go again. Well that just wasn’t the case for me that day. From mile 10 on I stopped at every single bathroom on the course…my goal just being to run to the next mile marker and praying there was a porta-potty there and hoping I’d get there in time. I tried curing my stomach problems with coke, bananas, oranges, Gatorade, pretzels, ANYTHING they had along with my typical nutrition I carried. But whatever I put in my body came right out. At mile 22 I started puking the second I put a gel in my mouth. I was on the pitch black Queen K with absolutely no one around me wondering what the heck was going on! The good thing is that quitting was never a thought, my only thought was HOW LONG IS THIS RACE GOING TO TAKE ME?!?

Well, I got to the finish line with a time of 11:42. I tried to take it in and smile, and walked right by the medical tent thinking I was just fine. I went to get my finishers picture and almost passed out. I laid down on the ground, my whole body cramped up, my hands curled into balls and everything was tingling from head to toe. Medical put me into a wheel chair and took me to the med tent, where they drew labs and found out my sodium was low and my potassium was 2.1 The doctors exact words were “HOLY SHIT! This can’t be right! How many times did you get sick??” I guessed I puked or shit my brains out (sorry people) 8-10 times. They gave me anti-nausea meds, an oral potassium, then hooked me up to an IV but didn’t want to start it until they could confirm the labs a second time. Well the second draw showed my potassium even lower, under 2. So with 6 blankets on top of me, an IV pumping, one doctor asking me questions to make sure I was coherent, another doctor feeding me bananas and chicken broth, and a third med just trying to get me to relax my body, I finally felt good enough four hours later to sit up! So I got up and went to the midnight finish so I could see the truly amazing and motivating athletes of the day!

I had bigger goals for myself on race day than what I was able to achieve, but that wasn’t the day I was dealt. I still tried the best I could and am in no way mad at my effort, just extremely disappointed in the result and the fact that I didn’t get to truly compete. Some races just don’t go your way. Some races are simply about perseverance and overcoming difficulties. But as I said before, I am still thankful to be able to race in Kona with the best athletes in the world. AND I am MOST thankful for all the people who support me no matter what my race outcomes are.

Ironman Texas Race Report 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Tue, 09 May 2017 13:13:00 +0000

Congrats Gina Shand (Virginia) on a stellar Ironman Texas!! Here is her report.

Days leading up - crazy nervous on Friday. Felt nauseous and anxious all day. Wasn't really thinking about the race, not much going through my head, just anxious about what I couldn't control. I knew I had put the work in and really wanted a solid race, ideally a PR, but was okay with solid and no GI issues. Wanted to push, keep my head in the game and not self-negotiate.

Race Morning

Got up at 4am, ate a Clif bar and a banana. Got everything together and headed up to the race. Stomach and head were in better shape than I expected. I did not get as emotional as usual and was not dreading the swim like I had at Placid or Wisconsin. Stopped at transition, dropped off bottles, pumped tires, easy peasy. Decided to use the porta john at transition, figuring the lines would be shorter. Turned out to be a good call. Also, became the hero of the line when we noticed there were a few bathrooms that no one seemed to come out of. I jumped out of line when no one else wanted to check the doors and pulled on one of the doors to find a never been used portojohn. Winning! Line felt I earned the right to use it! Helped everyone out to get the line moving faster. Good race karma.
Munched on some Glukos chews and water on the way to the swim. Nerves were under control. Got to swim, dropped our bags and weaved our way up to the front of the swim pack. The time signs were gone, so we just kept moving forward until we found some space. Turned out to be a good spot because we were in the water within a minute with not a lot of drama.

Swim 1:17:47 - Got my swim title back!

Once in the water, really only took one hit to the face. I'll take it. Felt steady and strong. Not all that fast, but solid. I felt the chafing on my neck almost immediately. My left calf started to cramp as I was headed into the canal. Was able to manage it by flexing my foot off and on. The canal seemed to take a long time and I was getting passed a lot. I knew I wasn't flying but kept moving forward. As soon as I got out of the water I heard Coach's voice asking how do you feel and his hand on my back. Looked at my watch and said, slow I guess. I assumed that my Dave was ahead of me but didn't want to ask. Decided to shake it off and head to the change tent. Nothing I could do to change the swim time but now needed to find 10 minutes on the bike and run.

T1 6:04

Found my bag and the change tent was not busy. Volunteer was great as usual, got changed pretty quickly. Used the bathroom, stopped for sunscreen and confirmed, my neck was in fact chaffed. Ouch. On the run through transition to grab my bike, I saw Frances. Great to see her there! She said that she had not seen Dave. I thought for sure she had just missed him. Grabbed Armando and headed out. I should have used the shower caps to cover my cleats. Ended up with more mud than I needed in them.

Bike 6:05:54

Hopped on and got ready to settle in. Was looking for Dave on the out and back, assuming he was in front of me. Was shocked (but a little giddy) to see him after I hit the turn around. After about 30 minutes, my power meter started reading low so I decided to focus on cadence and not worry about it. Started taking in my Infinit on schedule every 15 minutes. After the rough section before the highway I thought I heard something rubbing my front wheel, made a quick stop to make sure it was all good and got some of the mud out of my cleats because my left foot didn't want to stay clipped in. I really had to use the bathroom coming up on mile 30 but didn't want to stop until I saw Dave. Fortunately he caught up to me right before the aid station so I was able to say hi and then stop. Easy stop and headed back out. At two hours my power meter went out altogether. Didn't faze me too much since it wasn't reading right anyway. I decided to keep my HR down and ride one gear easier than I wanted to. Just wanted to ride strong, keeping an eye on the time to keep me about where my BBS had projected. I was expecting more of a headwind at the turn around and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that bad. Stopped again at mile 50 to pee ahead of special needs since there wasn't a line at the bathroom.

Got to see Dave again after he turned. Coming up on the turn around, sky was reallllly dark and there was a definite drop in temperature. Stopped at special needs, got my new bottle, some sunscreen and chamois butter. I was rolling on this 20 mile section and knew I would pay for it at the turn around. Kept in aero, rode strong, didn't have any issues with drafting or crowding. Even though the course itself was a bit boring, I entertained myself by watching for Dave coming back the other way. I saw him about 2 miles before the turn around and asked him how bad the wind was but he was gone before he could answer. After the turn, the wind was worse than I thought it was going to be 12/13 mph. I made sure to just spin through it and remind myself that I still had to run a marathon. Got caught by a big group that sucked me in about mile 90. Quickly did what I could to get out of that. Didn't want any part of it. Stopped to pee a third time at the final tollroad turn around. My four stops only cost me 5 minutes, but that is still 5 minutes. Gotta learn to pee on the bike. Went back and forth with a few people on the way back in, but was very happy to see the course was a bit short. I was ready to get off the bike, but not desperate to do so. Stomach was a little upset, but nowhere near as bad as it had been before. I took in all the calories I brought, but did not take in all the sodium.

T2 5:45

Dropped Armando off, ran down the sidewalk, made a quick stop to take off my bike shoes since I knew it was a bit of a jog back to the change tent. Was great to see Coach and smiled because I was feeling good. I actually wanted to run through transition cause I could. Volunteer had my bag, grabbed and changed. Great change tent volunteer. She was a bit thrown when she asked if I needed vaseline and I said yes and raised my arms. I knew they were chaffed but I couldn't see it. She said, oh, you want me to put in on? No one has asked me to do that. Ooops. At least it was my arms. Changed shorts, shoes, knee compression, more sunscreen. Out on the run. I was feeling good. No pepto needed!

Run 4:40:37

Came out, ran into Coach. Totally should have walked and chatted. Looking back I feel bad for making him jog with me. I was supposed to slow down anyway. Felt good to have someone to tell that I was feeling good! Words of encouragement are always uplifting and a good reminder to slow down. On that first mile I had to keep telling myself to slow down. Opted not to take anything in on the first water stop since my stomach was feeling good and I wanted to keep it that way. Made one portojohn stop at the park, but that was my only stop on the run. Was watching my HR and kept it under 150, pace was comfortable, walked briefly at every other water stop for the first loop. Took water and ice at each stop, put ice in the bra to snack on, took chews at every third stop. Mile 7, legs were beginning to hint at cramping, so I took some base salt. It was amazing to run and not feel like I was going to vomit. Got a boost when I saw Frances from the finish line as I was starting loop 2.The little things. I was looking forward to seeing Coach at loop 2 to tell him I hadn’t walked yet outside a water stop. Didn't see him, but probably for the best cause now I needed to make another loop to tell him the next time I saw him. Was getting tired, told myself no walking until 13. Made it to 13, told myself, make the second loop. Thought I might see Dave as he was finishing his third loop and I was finishing my second, but I didn't see him. Got to see Frances again. On my third loop it was crazy that I was the only one running. It kept me moving. Nice and steady. At mile 19 I was really tired and all of a sudden I was walking. I knew I could PR as long as the wheels didn't come off. I was doing the math in my head and I think that it was allowed me to walk a bit. I pulled it back together and kept going. Met a couple people who were on their third loop and we would go back and forth a bit. I couldn't believe my stomach was still cooperating. I took in about 70 calories every 30 minutes or so. My stomach was cooperating and my energy level did not feel like it was going down. Added some coke over the last few aide stations. No consistent salt, but felt like I got enough in because I didn't wipe out at the finish line when I raised my arms.

Total race time: 12:16:07

I am over the moon with this race and this time. I am most proud of how I kept it together all day. I never had the "this sport is BS" moment. Don't get me wrong, there were moments that were not great, but I kept my focus and plan together. It was really one step at a time. I knew I put the work in and trusted that I could go after what I wanted to accomplish. My leg was bothering me all day but because I had pushed it in training I knew the difference between just enough and too much that it is going to go out. It was pretty cool to rely on myself.

Overall, I really enjoyed Ironman Texas. The headwind on the bike was worth the lower temperatures on the run for sure. Now I have to get my leg healthy and figure out what is next for the rest of the season!

Boston Marathon Race Report: Daniel Mikula

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Sat, 29 Apr 2017 22:28:00 +0000

Daniel Mikula (Pennsylvania) is fast, a father of 5, and the newest addition to the Triple Threat Triathlon national team. Here is his report from the most famous marathon in the world.

At the risk of losing readers I will do my best to summarize the year leading up to my first (yes I plan to make it to Hopkinton again) Boston Marathon. While I will never admit there is any truth to this, I have been told that I am not as young as I once was. Clearly, my body started to listen to all of this drivel and I took advantage of the two for one special they were running at Hershey Orthopedic…sort of like Wal Mart but the special was on surgeries. They cleaned up a torn labrum in my left hip and did some work on the meniscus on the same leg. Needless to say, there was a long road ahead of me before I could toe the line in Hopkinton.

Fast forward through months of PT and a slow return to training and I found myself just a few short months from Patriots Day finally putting together some solid longer runs, never feeling quite 100% but certainly optimistic that I was on the right track. Then It snowed! One of my favorite things to do is run in the snow, a survival skill I developed growing up in Michigan and that I tap into from time to time living in Central PA. Once again, what I like isn’t necessarily what my body likes and I wound up with a deep calf strain, sidelined by my Physical Therapist for three weeks. Not what I needed to hear as I kept turning pages on my calendar. Back to training and I was doing great…until two weeks before the race when I tweaked the same knee that I had fixed a year earlier. I promptly sought my surgeon’s advice and was promptly told not to run Boston…yeah….right! I spent the last two weeks prepping for Boston running in a pool and on the elliptical, doing anything I could to maintain fitness without aggravating the knee. I know what you are thinking…where is the race report? Well, now that you know that I was feeling undertrained, let me tell you about the good stuff…Race weekend!

I was feeling better and we made the 7 hour drive to Boston the Friday before the race. My family and I (all 7 of us) checked in to the Hyatt Cambridge (great place to stay…they really take care of their guests) and we made plans to head to the expo Saturday morning so that I could get my bib number and we could spend the rest of the day doing the Boston thing with the kids. The Hotel shuttle was able to get us about a half mile from the convention center and we made our way there. You can probably imagine my surprise when we found a line that would take us well over an hour just to get into the building, so we could stand in the line that snaked around the building…for another hour. Not sure what happened there, but the word on the streets was that this had never been the case. I was finally able to get my bib and gear check bags, but the natives were restless…and for good reason…so we headed back to the hotel. The day was pretty well shot, but we salvaged what we could by hitting the hotel pool on the top floor overlooking Boston. We ordered in and had some delicious pasta while hanging out in the hotel, not having enough energy to venture out into the city after line standing all day.

Sunday was Easter and we were able to celebrate Mass at St. Paul’s in Harvard Square before catching a beautiful Easter brunch back at the hotel. Huge spread, but I was good and ate sparingly, not wanting to risk GI issues the next day. Have you ever had a huge spread of fresh seafood calling your name but knowing you are not going to go there? NOT FUN! The remainder of the day was spent lounging about, trying to stay off my feet as much as I could. Unfortunately, that left my Beautiful wife to handle logistics for 5 kids. Have I told you how much I love you Margaret?! The crew went for a walk along the St Charles River and hit the pool again. Can you tell I feel guilty that I wasn’t confident enough to take them sight seeing? It will be different next time! I spent the evening obsessing about what I needed in my gear check bags and had everything laid out the night before.

5:13…time to roll. Needless to say, it was a restless night. I am pretty sure I ran the race 5 times over throughout the night, but I woke up feeling pretty good all told. The weather was beautiful and there was no need to wear the parka I picked up at the local goodwill store. Our Hotel provided a tour bus to the Boston Commons where we would board school busses to take us out to Hopkinton. Shared a seat with a great guy from Quebec and I am grateful for that as the ride out just seemed to go on forever. I remember at various times thinking to myself that we were driving pretty far and that I was amazed that people would choose to run that far…and then I realized I was one of them. I had to chuckle as we got off the expressway because the State Police was stopping all traffic except for us. At first I felt like we were honored guests heading to the dais but then recalled a scene from one of my favorite films…”Dead Man Walking.” Now I know how the bank robbers from the old west felt as they were being led down the dusty streets to the gallows!

We finally arrived at the High School where the staging areas were set up. The B.A.A did an amazing job organizing things and everything was great. As expected, the port-o-john lines were ridiculous, but I heeded some advice I had read and waited until we were being staged towards the actual start line. There is a whole other bank of toilets on the way and the lines were much more manageable. Took care of what needed to be taken care of and it was time to get into my corral. After walking a couple of blocks, I found myself nestled in with my partners in crime and we anxiously awaited our turn. I am pretty sure I heard some mooing and the nervous stomping of hooves before the gates were opened until it started as a shuffle and then we moved in unison as one organism into a slow jog, and then it happened…I was running the Boston Marathon.

I am not one to be glued to my watch, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t overcooking it for the first few miles as runners apparently have a tendency to do that with the perfect storm of excitement and the slight downhill run. I was slightly up on my pace so I dialed it back a tad and found myself running the race I wanted to run. I felt great and found myself amongst a pack that was holding a similar pace so I settled in and just enjoyed the moment. Mile 10 came and that is when the combination of recent injuries and slight undertraining coupled with the hot sun started to make themselves known. Nothing too bad yet, just an inclination that this was not going to be a PR day. I wasn’t prepared to give up the ship yet so I did my thing and stayed on pace. At this point, I felt like I still needed to give myself a chance at my goal time. I maintained my race plan for another 5 miles or so and then realized that I needed to be smart about what I was doing. Runners were literally dropping from the field and I saw some pretty ugly stuff out there as the heat was getting the best of folks. I made the decision (well my body had a big part in this too) to adjust the race plan and I shifted into survival mode. I walked a fair number of the fluid stations, making sure I was hydrated so that I could make it across that line in Boston. I am a known to be a pretty heavy sweater and I knew I was working to take in as much as I was putting out. The weather had moved into the upper 70’s. I am not sure if it made 80’s, but it felt like we were running on the surface of the sun out there.

The rest of the miles were a battle of attrition but I kept the train moving forward and found myself on the streets of Boston with only one quad pounding downhill leading into the final stretch left to run. I summoned all of the courage I had and allowed the amazing energy of the Boston faithful to help me bring it home. I had decided that I would run the middle of the famous blue lines which indicate the last mile of the race and I had some room around me, so I followed that line. I have had some amazing experiences in my life…My wedding (love you babe)…the birth of each of our 5 children (love all of you guys)…my first Ironman finish…but Boston is now in the mix. I have to admit that I was feeling pretty emotional when I crossed that line. I didn’t shed a tear, likely because I had no fluids that my body was willing to sacrifice, but I did take a moment to just soak it all in…and it was good!!!!

The rest was making my way back to the hotel to meet up with the crew, being greeted there by the staff of the Hyatt, and my family cheering as I entered the lobby of the hotel. Pretty good stuff if you ask me. After making our way up to our room, I laid on the bed as my kids unshoed me and placed a big bag of ice on my feet. Man did that feel good! A half hour later, I was up in the pool playing with the kids trying to keep the legs moving so that they didn’t lock up on me. My wife and I went down to the bar for a nice celebratory cocktail and we spent the rest of the night at the post party at Fenway. Not much there for the kids, so that didn’t last too long. We hit the rack early and we were waving goodbye to Boston after having breakfast in Harvard Square. That’s it….until next time!

Ironman 70.3 World Championship Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 23:49:00 +0000

We're super proud of Cassie Whittington (Ohio) for qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships and making the journey Down Under for this prestigious race.

In her own words, this was an amazing trip and race experience that she will never forget!

Before qualifying for the World’s at Eagleman 70.3, I signed up for the first ever Ironman branded race in Ohio. I was super excited to get to race in front of my friends and family. The only problem was Ohio was just two weeks before the World Championships. While this was enough time to recover properly, the two races, with the extra travel time required for Australia, wasn’t ideal for me.

I was just getting use to my new Argon 18 bike when I found out I had to ship it to Australia three weeks before the race, which meant before the Ohio race took place. The Thursday before Ohio I jumped on my older bike I hadn’t been riding, and something about the position change caused my ankle to tweak a little. Luckily I had two days before the race was taking place, so I rested the ankle and hoped for the best. On race day, my ankle felt fine during the swim and only hurt slightly during the bike, and luckily was okay for the run. I ended up having an amazing race, finally breaking 5 hours with a time of 4:56. This was enough to qualify me for World’s next year, a good feeling to have going into the race this year!

A few days after the Ohio race, my ankle started to feel worse. I decided to avoid running and had three massages on the ankle, hoping it would help. I had to fly out on Tuesday for Australia, and on that morning I couldn’t even place weight on my ankle (start the FREAK out!!). I PAINFULLY made it to Australia, with the 24 hours of travel to get there only making things worse as I hobbled through the airports. The 14 hour trip from Los Angeles to Brisbane was painfully long, both in duration and the fact that my ankle was throbbing most of the way. My ankle was swollen, it was definitely impinged, and I could barely walk to the expo to Athlete check-in. I’m sure my competitors were wondering what I was doing limping through the line. I checked in, grabbed my bike from TriTransport (had a quick panic attack, the brakes rattled loose on the flight and weren’t working but the bike mechanics fixed them), and went to my perfectly located apartment RIGHT across the street from the race start to take a quick nap and try to adjust to the 15 hour time change forward. I began doing banded distraction of the ankle…which I continued for the next three days along with plenty of self-massage with a lacrosse ball. This gave me temporary relief, enough to feel a little more confident that I didn’t fly all the way to Australia only to be unable to race.

Since running and biking were out of the question, I attempted an ocean swim. Mooloolaba was simply beautiful with the sun shining and athletes everywhere. The weather felt perfect except for the wind was horrible! It was so bad that the surf club advised that nobody go out into the water! Well, athletes were still swimming so I thought I would try since I would be in a wetsuit. There were big swells and crashing waves (this isn’t Ohio!), so after getting killed by waves, swallowing a ton of salt water and swimming nowhere, I quit after 10 minutes and a messily 200 yards….the only part of the race I was calm about now was scaring me! Being tossed and tumbled made me motion sick, which would show up again race day. I tried to remain positive and smile through all of these obstacles, because it’s insane to complain and be negative when you are at the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN AUSTRALIA! There were athletes from 83 different countries, and I was simply in awe of the magnitude of this race. I enjoyed the parade of nations and the welcome dinner, making friends from all over the world. It was now time to chill and hope for the best race morning…I had so many people sending well wishes that I couldn’t help but be excited and grateful for all the love and support I had, no matter what happened race day.

Race morning was gorgeous!! The wind was much calmer, making EVERYONE breath a huge sigh of relief. My ankle was still impinged, but wasn’t extremely painful like the days prior. I was hopeful and figured no matter what, I was finishing this race! The only positive about the injury was that it allowed me to stay relaxed since my expectation for the race was now only to finish without permanent damage to myself.

I set up my transition and headed down to the start to watch the pros go off, as my wave was the last one so I had a few hours to spare. I’ve yet to figure out why they have our age group go last, as it means we have to pass many slower age groups, but I’m not sure my complaining will get anything done. I stood by many of the pros as they got ready to race, feeling lucky to be able to race alongside such amazing athletes.

The ocean swim had me a little nervous since I’d never raced in the ocean, but it did not start on the beach but instead was a deep water start and I was very thankful for that. Our age group was huge and it was a very chaotic swim with bodies everywhere, I never found clear space and was being hit the whole time. The chaos did help me forget about the ankle for the time being! The rocky-ness of the swim plus swallowing salt water made me a little motion sick, so I swam the whole race breathing every stroke so that I could focus on the sky, which seemed to help. If I took multiple strokes before breathing, something about looking down made me nauseas. I was thankful when the swim was over, yet nervous to run on the ankle to transition for the first time. Swim time was 30:51, not a bad start to the day but not as fast as I had hoped for.

Transition was narrow and LONG, a half mile long to be exact – it took up five blocks of street. Most of that had to be run in my cycling shoes, so I was extremely cautious jogging to my bike with my ankle and was actually shoved to the side by numerous competitors. Definitely my first experience with full on contact in transition! It was a reminder of how serious this race was.

Jumping on the bike is where the fun began. The ankle felt weird from the get-go, so I had to be cautious putting too much pressure on the right pedal. I typically mash the pedals and ride at a very low cadence, but with the ankle I had to pedal lightly and fast. I had a large group of girls in my age group around me, so that was fun as we all kept trying to get ahead. We were going fast for the first 30 miles on a straight highway averaging over 23 mph and I was feeling great since my legs were very well rested. But I knew what was ahead, so I tried to keep myself in check.

At mile 33-ish came a very steep close to 20% grade hill, a grade I certainly have never ridden or seen in my life. I couldn’t believe how many people were walking their bikes up the hills. There was no way I was going to do that, so I weaved through the carnage and got to the top, afraid to death to stand on my pedals because of the ankle, so I tried to do the climbs seated most of the way. I thought climbing was an absolute blast, but the descend was scary! I never had a chance to ride or drive the course before hand, so I didn’t know how the descends were or where the sharp 90 degree curves were, so I had to slow down quite a bit to feel safe. I also didn’t have the handling skills on my new Argon since it’s relatively new and I haven’t ridden it much yet. I lost a lot of ground riding my brakes down the hills, as many flew by me, but I was okay with that. Coming into the last 10 miles, I had a few girls blatantly drafting off of me, which was annoying. I went about my own race without worrying about it. My bike split was 2:42.

Starting out on the run, I felt great. I always try to avoid looking at my watch during my run and just go on feel. I actually do the whole race that way, only looking at time to fuel and never wearing a heart rate strap or using a power meter to gage intensity or looking at my speed splits. For some reason I glanced down at the 3 mile marker and was excited to see 20 minutes…I started to feel good about things! THEN the hill at mile 6 is when my ankle got impinged again and I would get sharp pain on landing. I walked it out for a minute and then managed to run on the outside of my foot to avoid the pain, which was awkward and slowed me down.

I was having an interesting conversation with myself at this point, but certainly wasn’t going to stop. By mile 9 it felt loosened up again and the pain lessened. I began staring at the ground, never looking at the crowd (I wish I did because they were amazing!), and just counting every single step to distract my mind away from the ankle pain. I found a nice pace that felt okay with the ankle, but then by mile 11 I started to cramp in my right hamstring.

This has happened before with my left hamstring, but never the right leg…which I attribute to the awkward running gate I had to do because of the ankle. I did walk it out a little, and at this time I looked around at the amazing crowd support along the whole finishing chute. It was so cool, and felt like the crazy fans you see at the Tour.

I began seeing people in my age group passing me, but I knew I just couldn’t do anything about it because my body wasn’t cooperating and I was doing the best I could. I grinded it out and found that finish line! Finishing time was 5:06, enough to place 31st in my age group. Races like this teach you a lot about yourself and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to race!

I am so thankful for all the love and support I received from my friends and family and work family at Goodbodies. Having everyone behind me got me through the toughest race I’ve had. Thank you to Triple Threat Triathlon for the support and Argon 18 for the FAST bike.

IRONMAN: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 02:46:00 +0000

B.J. Christenson is a local legend in my state, a 9x Kona Qualifier who has won more races than you can shake a stick at.

After this year's Ironman World Championships???

Let's just say the legend has grown...

Paul Bunyan territory.

Kick back and enjoy this read... hopefully it inspires you to do something epic yourself, in any aspect of life!

The Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI was supposed to be my “A” race in 2016. In fact I hardly raced this year trying to put together a race at the world championships that would finally let me step on to the podium and collect a coveted Umeke. On my final training ride the day before I left for the Big Island I decided to go do some testing to verify the machine was ready to perform. I have a route that I have taken over the past 10 years and have numbers telling me where I am at relative to myself and wanted that last bit of confirmation I was ready. I set out on the ride feeling quite good and after my first 2 intervals I was feeling very optimistic about my fitness. I had 4 intervals left and debated on whether to eat some nutrition before I started my 3rd or after. I decided it would be better to eat after the 2nd and then again after the 4th. Well I took my gel after the 2nd and proceeded to put the wrapper in my back jersey pocket. As I did this I began to veer off the road and when I got back to my handlebars I realized I was getting dangerously close to riding off the road. My anxiety was at full alert as I tried to save it but at the last second my front wheel slipped off the edge of the road and down I went. As a result of the crash I landed on my side and shoulder blade. I felt a deep sharp pain in my back as it happened and thought I may have torn a muscle. I sat on the ground for a minute or two digesting what had just happened and as it sank in I knew I was pretty hurt. A kind man picked me up off the ground and took me to the instacare and with each passing minute I knew I would not be OK to race or at least race the way I had intended.

As a result of the crash I fractured my Scapula for the 3rd time. Albeit the left one this time but nonetheless I was broken and the race was happening in 9 days. After confirming the break I had to decide if I would even go to Hawaii. I decided I would go because after all the freight had been paid and let’s be honest Hawaii with a broken wing is still a great place to be. I called my friend Mike Mamales and Arwa Jundi over to help me pack. Because I had fractured this bone before and that surgery would not be needed I knew that in 9 days it could be possible, albeit slow and painful, to finish before the 17 hour cut off. The Doctor was kind enough to call in a larger prescription so that I would have enough pain medication if I needed it. I knew I couldn’t take my super-fast Dimond race bike out of fear of stabilizing in the hard winds in Kona. I took my old bike with shallow rims and hoped it would be enough. I still didn’t know about racing but thought I would come prepared if I felt it was possible.

The trip over wasn’t too bad at least not when you are taking some good meds and I arrived in Kona with my gear and an attitude of I still have 2 good legs and one good arm. Some people have a hell of a lot less than that and besides I am still in HI. My friend Bob Macrae from the Dimond club picked me up and had to take me under his wing a little while I mended. He was looking fit and focused and also ready to smash the day. I spent a few days doing very little and decided to see if I could swim with one arm fast enough to make the cut off. We went to the swim venue and low and behold when the weight of the arm was supported by the salt water of the ocean it didn’t hurt as much. I couldn’t use it but at least it didn’t hurt. I swam .5 of a mile with one arm and after looking at my watch I knew that as long as I didn’t get hit in the shoulder or grabbed by another swimmer I would be able to complete the swim in time.

After another rest day the next test was to see if I could ride and stabilize the bike in the wind. So Bob escorted me through town as I was scared to death of falling again and I did a 30 mile ride on the Queen K and felt confident I could complete the bike portion. I knew that in order for me to make it I would have to stop at each aid station to drink and eat because doing it on the bike was not going to work. I started to feel more optimistic that it would be possible. I hadn’t ran yet because moving and bouncing my arm caused the most pain.

The Thursday before the race in Kona there is an annual tradition known as the Underpants Run. This is a great way for athletes and family and friends to blow off steam and run around town in their undies of course. This was the only run I did for the race and it hurt like hell. I started to think walking the marathon might be my only option, peppered in with some bouts of jogging. If something was going to keep me from finishing this was probably going to be it.

Race day came and it was time to see just how far this one arm bandit could go. I decided I would start in the back of the swimmers and wrap my arm to my waist with saran wrap out of fear of having it grabbed by another swimmer. My friends Mike and Dan wrapped me up and I headed into the ocean. My strategy was to stay consistent and not panic and take my time and be safe. This was a new adventure and I was going to see the race from a new perspective. One of the coolest things about being hurt was that I no longer felt pressure to perform and was able to relax and really soak up the experience of bobbing around in the pacific waiting for the cannon to fire. Usually I am on the front row wrestling with other men for the perfect start and running through my head how I would attack the day. This time I relaxed and waited and watched the sea turn white without much anxiety other than stay clear and try not to let the women who would start 15 minutes later kill me when they caught me. I let the fish swim away and started my 2.4 mile pacific tour with one arm and one mindset. The mindset was that this was going to be one very long day but I would do my very best to see it through.

I finished the swim in 1 hour and 40 some odd minutes so I was happy to have some time in the bank. I walked into transition calm and collected and rinsed the salt water off of me. I changed into cycling shorts and a jersey because I knew that if I was going to take my time I was going to be comfortable. I walked to my bike and laughed because it was the only one left on my rack. I walked to the mount line and saddled up. The one part of the entire bike I was most afraid of was in the 2nd mile. You do a small loop in town and part of that loop is a steep descent down Palani with a sharp left hand turn. I was able to rest my broken arm on the left bull horn and do the steering and most of the braking with my right. I descended cautiously and made it safely around the corner. Once that was over I felt some relief other than I still had 110 miles to go and the sun was out for blood. My plan of riding and stopping worked great even though I think some people were wondering why I kept stopping only to repass them again later. I saw some of the same bikes dozens of times throughout the day. One thing I began to appreciate even more than ever was the volunteer force at these races. Being in the back you get to see the carnage from all the racers who went through the aid stations as if a tornado had gone through. I mean every aid station had water bottles and garbage spread for at least a half a mile and there were thousands of bottles. The other thing I noticed is that the people in the back often get the raw end of the deal.

Towards the end of the bike aid stations had run out of water and reinforcements were not there yet. They did have Gatorade but I started to feel bad for the times I would take a bottle just to rinse off or cool down when I was at the front end of the race. You think the race organizers should have enough but when they run out before more can get there people suffer for it. In the future I will try to remember that. God bless the volunteers they put up with a lot and because of that we as athletes get to do what we love. I think I will try to volunteer more often and would love to see it as a prerequisite to racing. I took a pain pill about 8 miles before finishing the bike knowing I might need to take the edge off a little for the run.

I finished the bike in 6 hours and who knows how many minutes, I honestly haven’t looked, I just knew I was well ahead of the cut off and that if I needed to walk the marathon I had a fair amount of time in the bank to do it. I got off my bike and walked to transition not feeling the best but hoped a change of clothes and some cold drinks would pep me up. I took my time and changed into my running clothes and put my arm in a sling. Sure enough I felt a little better and set out on a jog starting to feel the pain soften from the narcotic.

My plan was simple and that I would run as long as I could and walk through each aid station, also known as my life rafts. This plan worked like a champ for about 16 miles but the shortened gait and pain in my hips were taking their toll. By mile 20 I walked through the aid station and found I couldn’t jog anymore. By this time I had befriended another athlete not having a great day either and we had settled on walking to the finish knowing we had plenty of time in the bank to do it. The run was a lot of firsts for me. The first time I watched the sunset in the race. The first time I got handed a glow stick. The first time I ate chicken broth. The first time seeing once again what the volunteers do to make this race happen. When I finally made it to the finish line I was overcome with joy. I mean real joy and gratitude for so many people. I thought often of Jason Crompton and grew my side burns out in his honor. There are many finish lines in life and the parables one gains from this race are countless. I have come away with a new perspective and a new fire burning.

The motto of the ironman is that anything is possible. Life has lots of obstacles and challenges and they come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes they prevent us from doing what we had originally intended but it will open up a new path that just might give us a new perspective and new outlook that would have never been possible without it.

Ironman Maryland Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Sun, 09 Oct 2016 19:50:00 +0000

We're super proud of Elaina (Iowa) and Michelle (Minnesota), who competed at yesterday's Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. Speaking of Kona, Julia Slyer (New York) has already punched her ticket for 2017... here's her report from her Kona qualifying performance at Ironman Maryland.

Congrats Julia!!

Although Maryland has been seemingly plagued by bad weather, the race itself was exceedingly well run, and with the exception of a spread out finish area / transition / parking situation, I thoroughly enjoyed my somewhat unusual race day experience in Cambridge. The volunteers were top-notch, and the race director Gerry Boyle is a step above the rest. The only reason I won’t be returning in 2017 is my newly punched ticket to the World Champs!

Swim (or not…)

My goal for the swim was to come out before 1:10, and generally not give up too much time to some of the stronger swimmers in my age group. I was a bit nervous given the chop on the Choptank River on Friday, but was told by several other athletes that the forecast for Saturday was calm. Either way, I was ready to survive the swim and hopefully not see any sea nettles. The self-seeded start was scheduled to go off at 6:45am (before sunrise), and at about 6:43 it was announced that water safety was delaying the start for 30 minutes. After finding my mom and grabbing a jacket to stay warm, we watched the lifeguards attempt to launch their kayaks and paddleboards with little success. I hopped back in line at about 7:10, ready to go, and watched the clock hit 7:15 with no announcement or movement. A minute later, the swim was cancelled and a mass exodus towards transition ensued.

I was a bit disappointed to miss out on the swim, but being my weakest discipline, the change didn’t affect my race much, and I agreed with the safety decision. The only downside was having to take off my wetsuit (which I had already peed in…). All I can say is that my mother is the ultimate Iron-supporter and luckily had a garbage bag in her backpack.

Bike (shortened to 100 miles due to major flooding)

Goals: Average Power 150-160W, HR under 152 bpm, nailing my nutrition plan

I got some really solid bike training in during my first month of school in extremely flat Buffalo, NY, so I was really looking forward to seeing what I could do on such a flat course (~2000ft elevation as opposed to ~5000ft at both IMLP and Kona). Originally, my goal had been 5:36 over the full 112 miles, or 20 mph average. I ended up sticking with my power, heart rate, and speed goals even without the swim and with a shortened bike, and it served me well.

this isn't Julia, but gives you an idea of the day!

Because there was no swim, the bike had a time trial start by number (lowest to highest). As #152, I was happy that I wouldn’t have to weave around a lot of people and risk drafting penalties, but also a bit nervous to be starting ahead of and completely separate from my competitors in my age group. (This is one of my not-so-favorite parts of Ironman’s All World Athlete program). Because I am a middle of the pack swimmer, I’m used to racing to the front, not from the front. I took it as a challenge and decided to use my confidence on the bike to my advantage. I concentrated on racing my own race and not getting caught up with the fast age group guys passing me from behind. With the exception of missing my first sports drink at aid station 1, I matched my nutrition plan exactly and felt great. The course was beautiful for the most part, but the wind was unrelenting all day. I could have pushed a bit harder, but because of the run conditions, I’m glad I held back just a bit and saved my legs for the marathon.

Time: 4:56:29

Avg. Power: 155W

Avg. HR: 150 bpm

Avg. Speed: 20.1 mph

Run (actually the full length!)
Goals: HR 150-156 bpm, 8:30 pace

After a not so stellar run at IMLP (which cost me a Kona slot), I’ve focused more on my running and nutrition to ensure I don’t bonk and have the power in my legs for a strong showing. I started out quite a bit faster than I planned to, running the first 13 miles at a 7:50 pace. The run course was totally flat, with two separate out-and-backs and aid stations every mile on the dot. I was feeling great until about mile 9, when an off-road (and extremely muddy) section took me by surprise. The change of terrain shot my legs a bit, and the second time over this section around mile 11 left me feeling a little drained. By this point, both my mom and my coach were telling me I could slow down a bit, presumably because they knew I had a large lead and didn’t want me to bonk in the second half of the marathon. Around 14 miles, I started to feel a bonk coming on, and took their advice (begrudgingly) by walking the aid stations in order to get all my nutrition in. I was still maintaining 9:00 miles and I was happy with my plan.

The fun really started around mile 18. The road heading towards transition on the run course floods every day at high tide, but due to the high amounts of rain all week, the river was higher than usual. About 100m of the road was under a few inches of water, and while most people were not so happy, I was in a good mood and also a little warm, so I decided to lay down and cool off. Unfortunately no one got a picture, but repeating this in all the large puddles made the run much more fun and bearable. Another section of the course was soon under water as well, and I decided to walk all the flooded sections to save some energy. The only real downside was the heavy shoes and blisters from wet socks. Considering the conditions, I’ve very happy with my time, although I’m curious to see how much I could have broken my 3:44 PR by if the streets were dry.

Time: 3:45:23

Pace: 8:36

Avg. HR: 165 bpm (oops!)

Takeaways – 8:46:33

Although I’m bummed that the race was cut short and would like to have seen what my times would be for the full 140.6, I’m proud of my performance at Maryland. I pushed hard and more importantly remembered why I love this sport and this distance. I also achieved all of the goals, the foremost one being to qualify for Kona again! Placing 1st in F18-24, I qualified for the Ironman World Championships for 2017 and get to return to the Big Island next October to see what more I can do! I’m looking forward to the next year of training and I can’t thank my family, friends, and coach enough for supporting me and believing in me throughout this journey!

Top 10 Ironman Do's & Don'ts

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 00:15:00 +0000

A while ago we posted "Ironmen Don't Walk!!" which laid out the Top 10 things spectators should not say to Ironman competitors. A few members of our team got together for Ironman Coeur d'Alene last week... this follow up post actually crossed my mind a couple times on the course, so thought we'd share it again.

Note: most Iron men & women are positive examples of each of these… a small minority of the field, however, "not so much."

10) DON’T wave your arms in the air like you just don't care encouraging the crowd to really “give it up” for you. You should be excited. You deserve it. Not trying to be rude, but some actions just look foolish. Do you know how many hundreds of people we’ve already seen and rang the cowbell for from this very spot?

9) DO savor the day, especially the finishing chute, and celebrate crossing the line!

8) DON’T showboat at mile whatever on the bike course (eg. I witnessed a few exaggerated, arrogant nods of the head, people flashing the "I'm #1" sign, thumping their chest like a gorilla, etc.). Again, it just looks foolish.

7) DO have some fun out there, and acknowledge every person (a smile, thanks, thumbs up, etc… whatever you can muster) who’s standing in the sun giving you encouragement.

6) DON’T provide fodder worthy of @TriExcuse during or after your race. It’s Ironman, it’s haaaaaarrrrrddd. Everybody knows that.

5) DO promise yourself you’ll give 100% to finish no matter what obstacles come your way during the day.

4) DON’T allow your thoughts to turn negative on you… the mind is a powerful thing.

3) DO stay positive by, among other things, encouraging other competitors where appropriate and (if you have the strength), giving kids “five” if they’re stretching their arm out for you. My son was actually pretty bummed spectating at Boulder last year when he was ignored!

2) DON’T give your support crew grief for not making it to every possible spot on the course… it’s not easy!

1) DO be humble, both during and afterwards. Thank all volunteers as much as you can, as well as any support you may have for being there for you. It’s a long day for them as well!

Ironman Canada Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 20:11:00 +0000

Ever thought about Ironman Canada? Here is Michelle Andres' (Minnesota) race report for some inspiration!

Sometimes it can be the simplest words of advice which mean the most. One day driving in the car with Wes talking about my goal of qualifying at Ironman Canada for the World Championships he simply says…If you work for it, Mom, you can do it. Well I decided right in the car that day…we would be going back to Kona.

Yep, that’s right… I’m still a triathlete. I’m pretty sure it's in my DNA or something because each time I say I’m walking away and I completely plan on walking away (selling my bike and all my gear) I find myself at another starting line. We were having pizza (of course) as a family and one of my boys says, "Remember when Mom was done racing”. We all laughed. Yes, I know….I’m a broken record.

It was May 17th when I decided to race Ironman Canada…about 9 weeks out.

Continue reading here!

USAT Nationals - Course Preview!

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 12:22:00 +0000

Omaha is famous thanks to now-retired legend Peyton Manning, but it's also the home of this week's USAT Age Group Nationals! Planning on making the trip? Here is a little preview of the course, courtesy of our awesome Nebraska teammate Katie Foster.

VENUE

The venue is located on the north side of Levi Carter Lake, which is less than a mile from Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska. These fields are the location of the venue, transition area, and parking.

SWIM

The swim takes place in Carter Lake, pictured below. I had an opportunity to swim in Carter Lake in a practice swim a week ago and the water temperature was around 84 degrees. Hoping that cools down before race day. There are plenty of open areas to the west of the swim start for spectators to watch.

BIKE

The bike route is an out and back course that starts heading east on Carter Lake Blvd, which has recently been repaved, as shown below. Then the route meets Abbot Drive which turns into Storz Parkway. Storz has a small climb before turning north on 16th street. The quality of the roads is nice and smooth. There are train tracks on 16th street that are particularly rough and I am hoping they are covered for the event. The route then heads northwest onto John J. Pershing Drive, which has been partially repaved. This is a long, low grade incline. The route continues north under the Mormon Bridge, and along Hummel Park. There are at least four manholes on the north side of the Mormon Bridge that can present obstacles for cyclists, otherwise, the road is smooth. The one significant hill on this course comes up on N. River Drive. It is a long, steep climb. I think it is a tougher climb on the way out than on the way back.

RUN

The run is flat and fast. It starts along Carter Lake Blvd and heads south on 11th street to T.D. Ameritrade Park and back. T.D. Ameritrade park is a beautiful venue and easy for spectators to access. Spectators looking to cheer on their athletes on the run course can drive on 16th street or Abbott Blvd to Locust Street.

OTHER

Looking for restaurants near the venue?

1) Twisted Fork Grill and Bar
2) Roja Mexican Grill
3) Hiro 88 Sushi
4) Blatt Beer & Table
5) Pitch Pizzeria
6) The Upstream Downtown

Make your reservations now as these places tend to fill up on event weekends.

Looking for activities for your kids?

1) Henry Doorly Zoo – bring their swimsuits to enjoy the new splashpad.

2) Children’s Museum – located downtown

IMLP Race Report Part II: What Does it All Mean?

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 12:20:00 +0000

Considering Lake Placid?? Here's an excellent write up from Kristen Lodge (Colorado).

Now that six days have passed I can finally process what race day 2016 meant to me - what this 14 plus hours of swimming, biking and running meant to me.

First, I finally met Than’s wife, Kathy. Than has been Mark’s Ironman Sherpa since 2009. And he was both Mark and my Sherpa at Ironman Wisconsin in 2013. Kathy was my sherpa meaning that she would help me during race weekend (carrying bags, etc) and on race day would be responsible for getting my bike from transition to TriBike transport.

Second, going to New York I was on Nash and Oren turf since they grew up near Albany and both attended college in New York. This would be Mark’s third Ironman Lake Placid.

I knew I was going to be in good hands and would get all the pre-race prep done efficiently and on time. This reduced every bit of stress.

I wasn’t nervous since they took care of everything. I was in awe of the place.

I grew up one hour north of Lake Placid in Plattsburg so it was a bit of a coming home for me.
All the history of the Olympics was inspiring, being in the Olympic Oval and knowing I would finish in it, was pretty emotional.

The day before the race was the Nash Family Reunion and I got to meet Mark’s family. They were so happy to be there and I felt a part of the family instantly.

Mark handed out shirts to everyone (every year he designs a shirt for all the sherpas and spectators) and thanked them for coming out to cheer.

Race Day:

The swim was fantastic. No fighting for space, no kicks in the gut or face, just swimming my race. The water was a perfect temperature – 73 degrees, clear and calm. I didn’t have to sight as much since I could see people next to me and just followed them in the right direction. After the first lap I felt pretty good and pushed the pace.

The wetsuit strippers were amazing. Since I have such back pain after swimming I asked them to help me up after they got my wetsuit off and the one man just grabbed my torso and I was up. Amazing.

In the shoot I saw many of our group cheering and it felt so good!

The bike was challenging. I knew I needed to pace myself for the hills so I tried to recover on the downhills. The uphills were intense, especially the 10 miles heading back to Lake Placid but I felt okay on the first loop. The second loop my left foot started bothering me, thinking it was from my inserts. But looking back I think that is when the swelling started from the heat and dehydration.

The course is really beautiful and everyone said to be sure to look around, but I didn’t really look around. I just biked like I always do. I was happy to see Mark a few times and I tried to keep up with him, but he took off and I didn’t see him again until the run.

I saw my Mom, Dad and Carol, my mom’s sister from Pennsylvania, a few times. I was so happy they came to see me.

The run did me in. I knew it was going to be slow. My feet hurt and it was hot. The crowd cheering was amazing. Knowing I would see our team made me run more than I wanted, which is a good thing. I started to walk a lot and knew I was never going to make my goal and I was going to be closer to a 14 hour finish. I was completely bummed out.
I just kept moving forward. I started to talk to people.

I started talking to a man who was wearing a shirt that said “Cancer survivor”. At first we talked about our race and other races we had finished. Then, I knew I couldn’t keep walking. I asked him if he would play my running game with me. I would pick a spot ahead and we would run to it. He was game. Then he told me about cancer. This race was his redemption race. He would finish; even if it took him 17 hours despite having 11 and 12-hour Ironman races in the past. We knew we had to run more so I started picking objects farther in the distance.

Finally after the last out and back we ran to the finish. I heard my Dad yell – Go Kristen – as I dropped my wings cover shirt and almost tripped. I saw my Mom and Carol just before the finish. I saw Than and Kathy.

I finished and got my medal.

I went into the food area and Than pointed out where Mark was sitting. Mark and I sat and talked about our race. My slowest Ironman ever – Mark’s too. We were happy to finish, but..

I got up to go meet our team and I looked over to people cheering and a sea of green shirts were cheering wildly! Mark looked over and I was happy again. Wow.

My sadness of my time slipped away and the accomplishment set in.

We sat and talked to everyone. Than grabbed my mother’s arm from the finishing area and guided her to sit next to me. She was so proud of me. We talked and took a photo.

This is what matters.

Family and friends sharing an important day.

I will always remember this day. Always.

What does it all mean?

I didn’t achieve the time goal I set out for myself on July 24.

But I didn’t do the training I set for myself either.

This is the all-important Life/Career/Sport take-away:

I cannot expect to the have the results I want when I don't put in the time required to reach a goal.

However, I was able to toe the start line and finish a race in one of the most beautiful places in the US – Lake Placid, New York.

I got to meet an amazing group of people from Mark’s family who reminded me how important it is that family supports family.

My Mom and Dad got to see me finish an Ironman for the second time.

I got to spend time with Mark who shares so many of the same goals that I have. I simply enjoy being with him for a few days a year for a Racecation. He is able to calm me just with his presence. I’m so thankful he is in my life.

Mostly I am grateful. I am grateful for my health so I can do these races. And, I am grateful for my family and friends who support me in my endurance goals.

Ironman Lake Placid 2016 Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 01:15:00 +0000

Still a teenager, Julia Slyer (New York) is simply an inspiration... here's her report from last week's Ironman Lake Placid. Rumor has it she's since signed up for October's Ironman Maryland as well!

As the oldest Ironman in the continental US, Lake Placid is an absolutely amazing place to compete. This year was my third time racing at Placid, but my 17th time (out of a possible 18) at the race, whether I was a three-year-old spectator, 15-year-old lifeguard, or, this year, the youngest female athlete. In short, IMLP feels like home, and I’m already signed up for next year!

Race Week

I drove up with my dad on Friday morning for check-in after trying to stay off my feet all week. After a short ride Saturday morning (and a short freak out over fixing a shifting issue) I packed up my transition bags and checked my gear in. I also got to meet Gina Shand (Virginia) and chat in the transition area! Later, I met with my coaches to go over my race plan and goals before turning in early.

Swim – 1:09:01

A few years ago, IMLP switched from a mass, in-water start to a rolling start using self-seeding. While I’m not a huge fan of this system (unable to gauge where your competitors are later, bad self seeding), the rolling start system is definitely safer for all involved. That being said, this year’s swim was the most violent I have experienced at Lake Placid. After a solid first lap (32:35) of being swum over and hit, I was forced underwater at the last turn buoy and swallowed a good amount of water. The queasiness this induced forced me to slow down quite a bit on the second lap (36:26), giving me a final swim time of 1:09:01. This was a fairly average swim time for me, but a bit slower than my goal of 1:05.

Bike – 5:58:07

This year, I have been focusing on improving my bike with the help of my coach, a power meter, and training through the winter indoors. Because of this, I have been feeling great on the bike, and set a goal of breaking six hours for the relatively challenging IMLP course. My race plan was to temper myself and take in enough nutrition on the first lap, and try to ride both laps of the course as evenly as possible. I felt great the entire ride, and even managed to get even splits on both laps (2:59, 2:59) for an average of 18.8 mph. It was a little hotter than expected, but the headwinds LP is famous for were much more calm than in years past. Although I met my time, power, and pace goals to a tee, my nutrition was not quite on point. Due to the heat I drank more sports drink from aid stations than I had intended, and some aid stations didn’t have the bananas I prefer to eat on long rides. Some of these nutrition decisions probably contributed to my run performance.

Run – 4:05:58

My goal for the run was to match my performance at Kona 2015 (3:44), and for the first six miles, I thought I might beat that time. My heart rate was low, and I was easily running 20 sec faster per mile than I had planned. Once I hit the first turn around on River Road, the uphill’s hit me hard. After the first hard uphill at the ski jumps around mile 8, I started to bonk, badly. Normally, a glucose tablet will break my bonk in a few minutes, but this bonk persisted for three miles, forcing me to walk on and off. Feeling a little desperate to get running again, I broke to golden rule of “don’t try anything new on race day” and drank some Red Bull in hopes of the caffeine helping. This turned out to be a big mistake. While I did break my bonk and get running again at mile 11 (feeling good too!), I was unable to keep anything down, water included, on the entire second half of the marathon. Although I can’t be 100% sure of the cause, I believe this stomach issue was at least contributed to by the Red Bull. After switching from KQ mode to survival mode at mile 8, I was happy to finish and still perform well considering the circumstances of my run.

Takeaways – 11:20:46

I finished only 3 minutes off my 11:17 PR from Kona last year, and I beat my course PR by 33 minutes, most of those taken off in the bike. Taking second in the F18-24 age group, I didn’t qualify for Kona, but I did learn some great lessons, and I’m still proud of my performance at Lake Placid. Before next year, I will be working on learning to swim better with such a large group of people, improving my nutrition on the bike and run, and focusing a bit more on training for the run. I also learned that even when times get tough, I can push through and finish. My dad told me after the race that when passing me during my bonk, he thought there was a good chance I would be pulled to the medical tent then and there. Although I was in a pretty bad place mentally at that point, I was able to get through it and get running again. I’m coming out of this race without a Kona spot, but with an even great drive to succeed and push my limits in this sport. Ironman Lake Placid is a truly amazing venue, with a beautiful and challenging course, and some of the best spectators and volunteers in the world. I can’t wait to return next year!

Andres the Giant - Kona Bound!

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 00:38:00 +0000

Just a quick post to congratulate our teammate Michelle Andres (Minnesota) on the huge accomplishment of punching her ticket to Kona! She finished 3rd overall at Ironman Canada this past Sunday, winning the F3539 age group.

Check out that sweet ride!

Tips For Exercise in the Heat

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 01:52:00 +0000

Elaina Biechler (Iowa) is fast, as in Kona fast. She's also smart, as in PhD smart, teaching college courses in Sports Nutrition and Anatomy & Physiology. Put these two together, and she knows a thing or two about athletic performance... here's some great info on training in summer heat.

Tips for Exercise in the Heat:

As we enter the dog days of summer, I’ve been asked by multiple clients for tips on how to deal with the heat. The unfortunate news is- no matter who you are, the heat will negatively impact your performance. I can however offer a few tips for how to minimize the negative effects, as well as a few nutritional advices in hopes of preventing dehydration in a hot environment.

If you monitor your exercise intensity via heart rate: know that in a hot environment, your heart rate will be elevated significantly compared to a cooler environment. If your heart rate is normally around 150 bpm while running an 8:00/mile, when it’s hot out, and running the same pace, your heart rate may be 165 -170 bpm. This tends to be more significant in females, but males will also see some increase in heart rate. This doesn’t mean that you’re suddenly out of shape.

It means that your body is trying to complete two major tasks: maintain your exercise intensity, and get rid of heat. Our perception of exertion is also significantly higher in a hot environment. If running an 8:00/mile is moderately challenging on a normal day, in a hot environment, it might seem significantly harder. The more overheated or dehydrated you become, the more significant your increase in heart rate and perception of work effort will be. Don’t worry, this does NOT mean you are out of shape, it does not mean to throw your training out the window! Don’t panic! If 8:00/mile is your normal running pace, don’t be afraid to slow this down in the heat. Trying to maintain your regular speed in a hot condition (particularly if it is humid) could result in heat illness.

Can we acclimatize to the heat?

A classic study done by Nielsen et al. (1993) showed that heat acclimation can occur in 9-12 days of consecutive exposure to heat. Optimal exercise duration during the acclimatization phase is around 90-100 minutes. Following regular heat exposure, subjects were able to exercise 80 minutes to exhaustion on average compared to 48 minutes leading up to acclimatization! Subjects also showed a lower core temperature and an increased sweat rate following regular heat exposure (which is good!). Adaptations to the heat depend highly on exercise intensity, duration, number of hot exposures and whether the heat is dry or humid.

What if you can’t acclimatize to the heat where you live?

New research supports the concept that heat acclimation may actually occur with a hot water bath as well! Zurawlew (2016) recently reported that a 40 minute hot water bath immediately following exercise had heat acclimatizing properties. 17 males completed six days of hot water bath immersion after exercise, and resulted in significant improvements in endurance performance in a hot environment. Seems like a reasonable idea if you are planning on traveling somewhere warm for a race, yet you live someplace cold!

Regardless of who you are (novice or elite, male or female), studies generally report that a hot environment will decrease performance by at least 10-20%. With heat acclimation, you may evade this by about 5-8%, but will still ultimately have some decrease in performance. The traditional recommendations regarding heat acclimation:

10 days
100 minutes per day (doing more than this doesn’t induce a faster/ better response)- less than this may require more than 10 days
At the temperature you wish to compete at
At the intensity you wish to compete at
The majority (75-80%) of the adaptation occurs in the first 4-7 days

Nutrition/ Hydration Tips for the Heat:

The key to proper hydration in a hot environment involves increased hydration prior to the exercise bout, increased fluid intake during the exercise, and rehydration immediately following. The major issue in the heat is with such a high sweat rate it is almost impossible to intake enough fluid during the exercise to prevent some level of dehydration. While drinking water might be good enough under normal circumstances, in the heat, it might be appropriate to also consume some carbohydrates and electrolytes as well. There are many effective brands for carbohydrate beverages and endurance supplements- my recommendation is to try many types, and find out what sits well/ works best for you. Ideal fluid guidelines, which of course can vary from person to person depending on exercise intensity, body size, and environmental conditions:

20 ounces of fluid prior to exercise (1hr)
7-10 ounces of fluid every 20 minutes during prolonged exercise
In a hot humid environment we can lose up to 2-3 L of fluid per hour!!!
Following exercise, consume 16-24 ounces of fluid per every pound lost

Related Posts:

Tapering 101: The Hard Facts

Triple Threat Profile: Elaina Biechler - Iowa

Treadmill Drudgery vs. Outdoor Running?

Nielsen, B., Hales, J., Strange, S., et al. (1993). Human circulatory and thermoregulatory adaptations with heat acclimation and exercise in a hot, dry environment.

Tatterson, A., Hahn, A., Martini, D., & Febbraio, M. (2000). Effects of heat stress on physiological responses and exercise performance in elite cyclist. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 3 (2), 186-193.

Zurawlew, M., Walsh, N., Fortes, M., & Potter, C. (2016). Post exercise hot water immersion induces heat acclimation and improves endurance exercise performance in the heat. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 26 (7), 11.

A study looking at elite cyclists reported a 6.5% decrease in power output in a 30 minute cycling time trial in a hot environment when compared to a thermoneutral environment (Tatterson et al., 2000).

Rio Bound! Interview with Chris Hammer

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 00:47:00 +0000

Introducing Chris Hammer, an incredible athlete who is preparing to represent the US in Rio. Thanks for the time, Chris, we'll be cheering you on!

What’s your background and how did you get into triathlon?

I grew up in Michigan playing a bunch of different sports. I started running in middle school - mostly to get in shape for hockey - and found that I was actually pretty decent at it. I ended up running collegiately and a little post collegiately. It wasn't until after the 2012 Paralympic Games that I decided to pursue triathlon.

As respectfully as I can ask, were you born with the partial defect of your arm/hand or did something occur later? Does it hold you back in any practical ways as a triathlete or has it driven you to overcome and be great?

I was born without a left hand and my whole left arm into the scapular is slightly underdeveloped in general. Since I was born like this, it is hard for me to really think about what I am missing out on or what challenges I face that are unique to me because this is all I know.

Don’t be modest here… by your best estimation, just how strong are your forearms? : those of a toddler ( ) Taylor Swift-ish ( ) your average ColdStone employee (X) Serena Williams ( ) Arnold in his prime ( ) Popeye ( ) The Incredible Hulk ( ) Zeus ( )

I have to go with ColdStone employee, but mostly because I scoop ice cream for myself on a nightly basis.

When did you decide to go for the Olympics in Rio, when is the big day, and what are your goals?

After the London 2012 Paralympic Games we were invited to the White House. When I was sitting in the airport to go back home, I was surfing the internet and saw that paratriathlon was going to be contested for the first time ever at the 2016 Paralympic Games. That's when I sent an email to the USAT Paratriathlon program manager to inquire about the sport. I didn't really consider the fact that I didn't know how to swim and that I never road a road bike before. The Rio Paralympic Games takes place a few weeks after the Olympics, so I race sometime in early September. The goal is for me to get to the starting line healthy and knowing that I did everything in my power to be as prepared as I possibly could be. If I do that, hopefully the results take care of themselves.

Do you have other races on your schedule in getting primed for Rio?

I am not sure if I will be doing any other local races, but I will race the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands at the end of July.

How has Balanced Art Multisport helped you in your preparation?

Having committed coaches has been one of the most beneficial things that has happened to me as a triathlete. You don't really realize how much goes into a training plan and proper periodization, so having someone take care of that for you so that you can just focus on the actual training is a necessity. And then I also have an awesome bike coach (Jeff Sherrod) and strength coach (Andrew Stasinos) whose help has also been so important for my development as a triathlete. I also train with BAM athletes on a daily basis and have become good friends with a number of them, and that has made training even more enjoyable. Being a part of BAM has just really allowed me to connect with a network of really cool people who I am so fortunate to get to know.

You've dominated the local scene, including a slew of young BAM talent. Like a dad proving he can still "take" his teenage son, do you feel some sense of personal duty in teaching the young bucks a lesson on race day?

That's a funny question, but there is some truth to that. I train with a lot of these guys and we all wish the best for each other, but at the same time we are competitive and we want to win. But I do hope that I can set a good example for these young guys and help them achieve their goals, because they are so talented and are going places in this sport and in life. It won't be long until I am chasing them. But also, I feel a responsibility to race well to represent paratriathlon. A lot of people see the Paralympics and para sport in general as more of a feel good story rather than high level sport. I feel that by me racing at a high level locally, I hopefully bring a little bit more awareness or maybe credibility to para sport.

Tell us about your family, you have a young daughter, correct?

I have a wife, Amy, who I met in college. We both ran on the cross-country and track teams. She was an All-American athlete and could run a 5k in the 16:40s. She works as a physical therapist now. Being in a relationship with a triathlete is not easy because it is such a demanding sport, but she supports me despite all my travel and training, and for that I can't thank her enough. We have a daughter, Peyton, who is almost a year and a half. She wears us out because she goes non-stop, but she is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

What are your plans in the next couple years post-Rio, both racing and non-racing

My focus after Rio is to complete my PhD from the University of Utah and then I probably should get a real job. I really don't know what my triathlon future looks like at this point, but hopefully I don't get too out of shape after Rio.

Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 00:24:00 +0000

Nick Hetro (Washington) reporting on the inaugural CDA 70.3 in northern Idaho. Would he take the guaranteed spot to 70.3 Worlds in Australia or hold out for a chance at Kona??

Having raced 7 years now at the sprint and Olympic distance, I was ready to try something different for 2016. The goals for this year are to race my first half Ironman and full Ironman in Coeur d’Alene (CDA), Idaho. IMCDA being my A-race and 70.3 CDA a B-race.

As you may know, Ironman shuffled locations and dates this year for their PNW races. 70.3 Boise was dropped. A half Ironman was moved to June in CDA. IMCDA was pushed back to late August. Therefore, this was the first year for 70.3 CDA.

CONTINUE READING HERE

8 Konas & Counting - Interview with B.J. Christenson

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 01:35:00 +0000

From sprint to Ironman, B.J. Christenson is widely considered to be the fastest all-around triathlete in my state. I caught up with him (for once!) as he ramps up for his 9th trip to the Ironman World Championships this October. Thanks for the time, B.J., and best of luck this season!

Let’s start with a question you’ve never heard before. How tall are you?

6’7

I bet you hear a lot “oh, those long legs, it’s so easy for him!” Do you ever get annoyed with that?

Yeah… people don’t realize how much you hurt, and they don’t understand the mechanics. It’s a lot about turning the levers over. Technically bigger guys are disadvantaged in heat, but I try not to buy into that mindset. On descents I will say it’s an advantage. In swimming there may be an advantage to having a longer body. But as a disadvantage I punch a big hole in the air… and they don’t make bikes my size!

one of B.J.'s many trips to Kona

I take it you’ve put in a massive amount of time on the bike to keep the “pocket rockets” in sight for the run?

It’s all relative, but not really tons of time. In a really good week I’ll get in 150+ miles, 3-4 rides. When I hear what other guys are doing who really dominate the bike… man. But I’m trying to ramp it up this year.

How would you sum up your 2015 season, and how is 2016 looking so far?

Last year I broke my scapula in a bike crash, which set me back the whole year. While recovering I ran a lackluster Boston Marathon and participated in St. George 70.3 with my wife. My training was really lacking getting ready for Coeur d’Alene. Then CDA was crazy hot. I beat myself up mentally and had a little pity party on the course… when I got to the halfway point of the run I thought “another 13, do I really want to?” It gave me a different perspective, just wanting to finish. Of course Ironman is monumental for everyone, just going the distance.

I lost some motivation, but things came around for Lake Tahoe in September. I wasn’t as prepared as past years, but was able to qualify for Kona 2016 (editor’s note: first in AG in 9:49).

I took a really long offseason after Tahoe. I’m a big believer in timing. I take a lot of time off… 8, sometime 12 weeks. If I’m planning on peaking in October I gotta have the fire to train. I raced St. George 70.3 this year (note: 4:35, 4th in AG), but I never want to have my best race in May. “The grind” as I call it has started, and I’m gradually building up more and more. But I enjoy training.

What’s motivates you to keep gunning for Kona?

Ultimately I got into triathlon because it’s fun. Racing for me is still about finding personal victories. It’s less about competing against someone, but competition brings out the best of me. Kona and I have a terrible love/hate relationship. I enjoy trying to figure out the code. I’ll have two good races there, then a disaster. That gets me hungry to go back. I’d like to go back for #10, then be done with the Kona conquest. I just have a personal goal I haven’t been able to reach.

Can you share what that goal is?

Uhhhh, I’ll probably keep that to myself. I don’t want to offend the Kona gods!

The vast majority of triathletes never qualify for Kona, and those that do might go once. For you not qualifying is the exception… how many times have you been to the Big Island now?

My first time was 2006, then I didn’t go back in ‘07. I’ve been back every year since except last year, so this Kona will be my 9th.

Would you say it’s getting harder or easier to qualify?

If anything it was easier in the past when there weren’t so many Ironmans. My first IM was actually Kona, because I qualified at a half (Hawaii/Honu 70.3) back when you could. I had never run a marathon, even though I was a runner. I did Oceanside 70.3 three or four times and didn’t make it. They don’t even have spots there anymore. At the time there were only ~15 full Ironmans in the world. At Lake Placid, where I qualified in 2008, there were a full 10 slots in the M3034 age group! (now there are way fewer). A lot more chance for a rolldown, too. Kona has continued to race the bar… the competition is getting better and better.

Some people have friendly local rivalries, are yours pretty much around the world? Have you ever talked trash to a German dude you pass at mile 23?

Ha, yeah… I stalk a few people. Couple Aussies, a Belgian, an American and some Germans. Also you never know, every year is new. I feel like half of’em don’t have jobs.

No trash, I’m usually the joker at the start trying to make people laugh. Kona is a sharkfest… most aggressive start you can ever be in. It’s a beat down, with so many swimming within that hour mark. I try to crack jokes to make light of the situation. I do get mad at drafting. It happens a lot, you just hope the referees call’em out. They do a pretty good job… you’ll see a penalty tent on the course with 40-50 guys in it. My first 2 Konas I got drafting penalties… wrong place at the wrong time. You have to be astute, pay attention.

Have you ever raced at 70.3 Worlds? How does that compare?

I did it when it was in Vegas. It was fun. I’d consider racing in Chattanooga when it’s back in the US. That said, in terms of the pageantry and the hype, there’s no comparison. Vegas was basically a glorified 70.3. Kona definitely has that international feel. They’re rockstars. The first time you’re just happy to be there. I’m much more level headed now but you just marvel at the level of good athletes. It still can be intimidating… so many people who are so good.

What are the 3 races you’re most proud of?

1) Kona 2013 was my best. My best Ironman, best Kona, best placing… it gave me hope to do something more, to get the result I feel I’m capable of. That was a special year. (note: 65th overall including pros, 8th AG, S 56, B 4:59, R 3:02, Overall - 9:03:34)

2) My first Spudman win. I first raced it at age 15 or 16, and came close to winning so many times. I took 2nd 5-6 times, 3rd a few times. It took me 13 times. Spudman had some good ringers that would come through simply because there weren’t that many triathlons back then. It’s still a great event locally.

3) Lake Placid 2008 I was the 1st amateur and had the fastest run split of the day including pros. Was my first Ironman to qualify. It rained all day. I do ok in the rain because I’m so big and generate a lot of heat. I came off the bike 12th in my AG and ran people down (2:56 marathon).

What are your thoughts on continuing to grow the sport at local levels?

I think there’s been a lot of healthy growth over the years, and I hope we keep seeing positive things from the club world in terms of involvement. The next chapter for me will be giving back to the sport and encouraging people to get involved. This is a sport of inclusion, whether you ride on your mom’s mountain bike or your neighbor’s 10-speed. I never want people to feel that they can’t belong to a club or get involved unless they’re racing on a fancy bike. You don’t need a $5,000 bike to play in the game.

ahhhhhhhhhh, girl look at that body... I work out

I also look at the clubs with a little bit of caution. It used to be you showed up, did your thing, everybody was supportive & cool. Now I’m afraid people will only be cool to people in their club. It hasn’t happened necessarily, I just get nervous. Be individuals as opposed to “I’m with this group.” I hope I’m making sense here.

Do you usually train solo or with a group?

Train solo, I like going when I want to go. I like doing workouts late at night… 8 pm, 9pm. Timing is part of it. I’ll do some rides with people.

I’ve had the displeasure of seeing you out on a course spectating in a speedo (SG 70.3 in 2014 I believe)… have you ever gone old school, full Al-Sultan in a race?

I did for my very first race at Kona and my first Spudman win. I do love to pay tribute to the old days. These days I get a little annoyed with people caught up in tech. Full body skin suits… you’re not riding 30 mph the whole day. Ridiculous. In the old days, the Sultan look… so hard core. Oh I also did the Kokopelli half back in 2002 with a shaved head and no top. Back then you didn’t have to. There was 100 bucks up for grabs for the win. Full Al-Sultan. I remember I was a bit numb, but it wasn’t too bad.

Follow B.J.'s journey back to Kona @67irongiant

recently retired German pro Faris Al-Sultan and his signature look

Hetro Hammers Coeur d'Alene!

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 00:17:00 +0000

Just wanna take a minute to brag up our teammate Nick Hetro (Washington). Two weeks after Cassie Whittington (Ohio) punched her ticket to Ironman 70.3 Worlds at Eagleman, Nick won the M2529 age group at Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene in a blistering 4:25!

He was faced with a dilemma... race in Australia or go for Kona at the full Ironman CDA in August?

Race report with his decision coming soon.

From Skin Hat to Speed Monster: A Brief Helmet History

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 03:13:00 +0000

Today helmets are seen everywhere – ubiquitous with the peloton and highly scrutinized by triathletes looking to gain even the slightest advantage. But it hasn’t always been that way. Just as other headgear (think American football) and the bike itself have evolved, so to has the bike helmet. How did the industry and the dome protector evolve from simple strips of leather to the expertly engineered wonders of science we have today? Here’s a high-level look at the timeline of the helmet: where it’s been, where it is, and where it’s going, focusing in the modern era on the contributions Rudy Project specifically has made in helping us cheat the wind while keeping us safe on the roads.

1800’s - While there’s some debate surrounding whether the chicken or the egg came first, as you might expect, the bicycle was invented before the bike helmet. Almost immediately, however, the market for helmets was born, as 19th century cyclists discovered that it hurt really bad when you crashed… especially when landing on one’s head.

1900 – 1960’s - Around the turn of the century serious cyclists began using "helmets" made of strips of leather-covered padding. These evolved over time, but by and large the best available were made from good old cow hide. As you might imagine, leather helmets weren’t extremely protective and had a tendency to rot away over time.

Although triathlon wasn’t invented until the 1970’s, time trials have been a part of the Tour de France since 1934. The prevailing thought for many years regarding TT’s was that the regular bikes and equipment being used would forever be suitable for TT’s as well.

1970’s - Cycling, once considered child’s play, booms as a means of exercise and entertainment.

Leather strips still reigned supreme (often referred to as "hairnets" due to their shape) and the nicest ones were made in Italy. Approaching 50 years later, the country that brought us pizza and lasagna continues to be a major player in the helmet industry, with Rudy Project’s global headquarters in the northern Italian city of Treviso.

1975 - The Bell Biker helmet pioneers the use of hard, crushable foam with a hard plastic shell. Other manufacturers played the role of copycat, and this was the dominant model for a decade.

According to Triple Threat Triathlon national team member Stewart Nixon (Colorado), “in the mid to late 70’s people started to give more thought to their equipment. For example, some would actually drill holes in their steel bikes to make them lighter. On the helmet side, most cyclists were wearing the leather hairnets or none at all.”

1978 - Something called “Ironman” is born on the islands of Hawaii, the combination of three established local events: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 mi), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 mi reduced to 112), and the Honolulu Marathon.

1980 (circa) - While he wasn’t exactly Thomas Edison, some historians trace the “aero helmet” to British cyclist Dave Lloyd’s “skin hat” invention. According to Nixon, “It was kinda like one of those FloJo track suits with the hood. It looked ridiculous, and only the 3,000% dedicated wore it… it never really caught on."

1984 - The famous title of a futuristic book written around 1950 is a pretty funny era to look back on. The US Olympic cycling team was no different, busting out some attention-grabbing gear on their way to 4 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals. So they transfused blood, big deal! Well, it is a big deal, but actually wasn’t against rules at the time. Similar to baseball writers attributing home runs in the steroid era to the ball being “juiced,” the media clung on to the US team’s high-tech equipment, including their funky “tear drop” helmets.

In addition, Francesco Moser, nicknamed “The Sheriff” in his native Italian, breaks the one hour time trial record held by Eddy Merckx since 1972. He rode 50.8 km, or 31.5 mph, aided by far superior aerodynamic thought and equipment compared to Merckx. This sparked another round of interest in aero testing and technology.

1985 – The brand "Rudy Project" is officially launched in Treviso, Italy. Although Rudy Project was still a few years off from designing helmets, they immediately made a major impression on the cycling world with performance glasses designed specifically for the sport.

the notorious skid lid

This is also the year the “Snell B85” was introduced, the first widely adopted safety standard for bicycle helmets.

Leatherheads, the Bell Biker, something called the “Skid Lid,” and other older helmet styles get kicked to the curb as the Giro Prolight takes center stage. It offered a lighter and more comfortable option thanks to an outer cover of thin lycra cloth.

1986 - Giro follows this up with the release an aero helmet called the “Aerohead.”

1987 - Although lacking the sex appeal of their counterparts on the "elite aerobic" scene, triathlon continues to boom, led by Ironman celebrities Dave Scott, Mark Allen and the popular Bud Light Race Series in the US. Pioneering aero products begin emerging from triathlon, such as Scott clip-on aerobars.

1989 - Aero pandemonium! Going into the final stage of the Tour de France, a mere 24.5km (~15 mi) time trial into Paris, Greg LeMond trailed Laurent Fignon by a seemingly insurmountable 50 seconds. Whereas the man known as “le professeur” rode with no helmet and his ponytail flapping in the wind, LeMond showed up armed with both the Aerohead and Scott aerobars, something never seen before at the Tour. Fignon rode the 3rd fastest time for the stage, but couldn’t hold off LeMond, who out road and out-teched Fignon to win by 8 seconds.

LeMond was ahead of his time

According to Nixon, “LeMond blew the aero scene up with that ‘89 TT. Totally blew everything up. After that there was a lot of attention to aero design, research, and testing. It was the advent of a whole lot of aero things coming out.”

1990 – On the casual helmet front, the Prolight’s dominance was toppled by the return of thin plastic glued to the helmet, which had significant safety benefits over a cloth cover.

1991 - Cycling’s governing body tries to introduce a mandatory helmet requirement for professional racing. However, the riders’ protest proves effective and the rule is not put in place.

Early 1990’s – LeMond’s fully-functional foam helmet from ’89 is overtaken by thin plastic shells, which had aero advantages but provided essentially zero protection in a crash (as mentioned above, protective helmets were not yet required). Regarding the era, Nixon commented “we had Bell and the Aerohead, and that was pretty much it as far as something that ‘Joe Athlete’ could pick up. But you would see all these radical (for the time) designs popping up on the professional scene.”

1995 – Speaking of radical, according to Rudy Project USA CEO Paul Craig, “Rudy Project’s entrance into helmets all started when legend Miguel Indurain (Rudy-sponsored for sunglasses) asked us to make him a racing shell in the ‘94-95 timeframe. It was basically a piece of plastic and had bugeye lenses… it looked pretty badass.” The so called “Sweeto” was definitely sweet looking, but wasn’t available to the general public. Added Craig, “many rode without helmets, but there was interest among some of the top pros in the aerodynamic benefits of a shell.”

1998 - With such lightweight, thin shells to work with, TT helmets grow longer over time due in part to increased wind tunnel testing. Soon cyclists were sporting helmets that doubled as back scratchers, sticking a foot up in the air when putting their head down. Many correlate this with the “Armstrong” era.

2000 – Italian headquartered Rudy Project naturally launched helmets in Europe before the US. In the year 2000 Rudy entered the US market with the T-Rex road helmet. According to Craig it was a nice foray into helmets, but pales in comparison to today’s technology. “We can make fun of ourselves now and say that it was hot, heavy, ugly, and stood out like a sore thumb!”

2001 – The Giro Rev V and other prototypes were made primarily for Armstrong, born from Texas A&M wind tunnel data, and never available to the general public.

2002 - Rudy Project releases its first mass-produced TT/triathlon helmet, the Syton. It was immediately lauded by critics, winning the ‘Timeless Design’ award from Men’s Journal and enjoying a great run, even up to a full decade later on the head of top pro Andy Potts at the Ironman World Championships.

2003 – Jan Ullrich out time-trials Lance with this bad boy on his head (left), a custom made Rudy Project design available only in Europe.

Also, as is unfortunately often the case, it took a tragedy to get a safety rule change pushed through…

29-year old Kazakh rider Andrey Kivilev crashed and hit his head during the Paris-Nice race. He was not wearing a helmet, slipped into a coma, and subsequently died of his injuries. A full 12 years after initially attempting to require helmets, the rule was finally implemented and enforced. This sparked a flurry of retrofitting, as manufacturers attempted to revamp their existing TT shells to meet the safety standard.

Mid 2000’s – From its phenomenal early growth, triathlon stagnated a bit as a sport in the late 1990’s. It was primed to make an enormous comeback, but as late as 2004, Stewart Nixon recalls having a triathlon helmet shipped to him from France due to limited options. The US market would soon catch up.

Late 2000’s – Rudy Project begins investing heavily in helmet R&D with the assistance of legendary aerodynamics guru John Cobb.

2010 – Rudy Project and other companies begin to re-think wind tunnel results that led to the extreme elongated tails of the past, the underlying thought being that real life riding is different from pristine wind tunnel conditions. The result is that recent models demonstrate something of a compromise… no tail, or too short of a tail, and you end up with an inefficient aero shape that spikes drag. However if a tired rider regularly puts his/her head down with a long tail, they’ve essentially wiped out any aero benefit from the wind tunnel.

This is also the year that Rudy Project introduced their best-selling road helmet, the Sterling (above). Crafted with the aid of an old Italian hat designer, the Sterling has been called "the world’s most comfortable helmet."

2011 – With its combination of aerodynamics, massive exhaust vents to keep cool, and good looks, Rudy Project’s newly released Wingspan quickly dominates the prestigious “Kona Count” as the #1 helmet worn at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

2013 – Rudy Project’s Wing57, the “ultimate speed monster,” as Craig puts it, is released to much fanfare. It is the first Rudy helmet available to the general public with an integrated shield, and like the Wingspan, was developed in collaboration with Cobb. As Andy Potts put it in our recent interview, “I feel like a fighter pilot when I wear it.”

2014 – Between the Wing57 and the Wingspan, Rudy Project dominates the Kona Count for the 4th consecutive year.

Future

According to Craig, Rudy Project has another breakthrough product in the pipeline for the coming years that “will change the whole way people see helmets.” What will the next Rudy Project innovation be?? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

the Wing57 in action

About Triple Threat Triathlon

TripleThreatTriathlon.com is a rapidly growing triathlon site centered around a US national team. Age group triathletes are selected as representatives of their individual states and local ambassadors of the sport, while contributing to the team's collective, national goals.

About Rudy Project

Rudy Project designs and manufactures performance-oriented helmets, sunglasses, goggles and Rx/prescription eyewear solutions by applying advanced science, cutting-edge technology and innovative aesthetics. Designed and crafted in Italy since 1985, Rudy Project has grown quickly as a premier brand throughout North America. Rudy helmets were recognized as the #1 most worn aero / time-trial brand at the IRONMAN® World Championships Presented by GoPro™ in Kona, Hawaii for the last four consecutive years, and have been designated the Official Helmet of IRONMAN® for North America. Rudy Project offers unparalleled customer service backed by a Lifetime Replacement Lens Guarantee and an industry-leading three-year frame warranty. Learn more about Rudy Project at www.e-rudy.com.

Eagleman 70.3 Race Report - Cassie Whittington

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 02:50:00 +0000

Cassie Whittington (Ohio) just crushed Eagleman 70.3. Here's her report!

This weekend I participated in my first Ironman branded 70.3 race, Eagleman in Cambridge, Maryland. Eagleman was such a great experience, not only because I had a good race, but because I got to finally meet some of my Triple Threat teammates. The day before the race we hung out and had many laughs, and I think due to this, I went into race morning very relaxed.

We headed to the race transition at 5 am and Rob’s car said it was 79 degrees. I made sure to ask him whether that was actually right...imagine my disappointment when he stated it was.

We got to the transition with plenty of time to spare, so no nerves there, just conversation with some others around me who were all being super supportive (except one girl who seemed SUPER business!) My swim start wasn’t until 7:48 so I had over an hour after transition closed to stand around and get nervous about the rising temperatures and wind speed. I was told it was already 85 degrees when we jumped in the water…such joy.

The swim was super crowded. I don’t understand why you want faster competitors starting later, as it means we have to pass everyone, and I could tell this on the swim. It was a little rough, with the wind and just the volume of people, so I swallowed more than one mouthful of salt water…my first experience racing in salt water not so pleasant. I kept calm as I was constantly getting kicked. I swam easy as I always try to do, using the swim as a warm-up to the race and never a race in itself.

I was a little dizzy taking my wetsuit off, so transition was a little slow but I got out on the bike and felt great. I tapered harder for this race than I usually do, and I could tell my legs felt rested. As soon as I got on the bike, I was faced with a horrible headwind. I’m not sure we ever got the tailwind, as the whole ride felt like a headwind to me. In the past I have had hamstring cramping, and the whole bike ride felt like they could cramp up at any second. I stood up a few times to stretch my legs out, since the course is dead flat with no change in body position, but my legs would cramp a little, so I just kept drinking water and keeping with my nutrition strategy. I drank more water on this ride than I ever have. The wind and the heat were wearing me out. I stuck to my nutrition plan of a bar every 30 minutes followed by a gel and Gatorade on each hour. I made sure to grab water to sip and then pour on myself every aid station. With the strong wind, I just tucked down and grinded. I tried to ease up on the last 10 miles of the ride since my legs were a little crampy, and I didn’t want to set myself up for pain on the run.

I had a pretty decent transition, but I was super careful putting on my running shoes, with fears of a hamstring cramp by bending down. Luckily, all was okay and my legs felt good as I went out on the run. I could tell that I was going to have to run slower than I wanted, because running faster would instantly cramp up my calves or hamstrings or arms (yes my arms, I apparently hold onto my aero bars for dear life, so they are exhausted when I get off the bike). So I went at a nice pace, looked at my watch at the 3 mile marker and was completely defeated when my mile split was 8:44, so much for that sub 8 pace. I didn’t freak out though, as I knew I needed to re-set my goals with the 90 plus degree weather. The run course is HOT with virtually no shade. The way out was hard, but the way back was brutal as the sun just beat down on your body. I grabbed water, coke, red bull, or chomps at each aid station…whatever I felt my body needed. I walked at every single aid station to dump ice down my suit, which promptly melted before I hit the next station. I began skipping the cups of ice they had laid out and going straight to the tubs where the ice was stored, and took huge chunks of ice instead of individual cubes. It was great, until one huge chunk slid down to my bottom and I probably looked like I was carrying a load in my pants…but I didn’t care, it felt so good.

After I got to mile 10 I knew I was in the clear so I picked up the pace, still not able to go full speed without the hamstring whispering to me to slow down, but a little faster. The volunteers dumped gallons of ice water over you as you finished, amazing!

I had goals of a faster time, but I’m happy with the 5:06 considering the conditions. I’m excited to see how much faster I can get on my new Argon bike coming in this week!!! The support from teammates and their families was so amazing, making the race experience so much better. After I finished, Lauren Kucharski let me know I got fourth, so I knew I had a chance to go to Worlds…which was the goal for me. After the awards were handed out, we all waited patiently for them to announce the slots to Worlds and I was VERY excited when I learned I earned one. I had no doubt I was going to accept it, who wouldn’t want to race in Australia?!? I was glad I had my teammate Mark’s credit card so that I could pay the entry fee (which you have to do immediately!)– who carries their credit card to a race?!? And another reason it was so great to have teammates around.

So now I am excited about World’s. I take great pride in just getting there…as I did every swim, bike, run and lifting session all by myself – coaching myself and motivating myself. I’ll first have Ohio 70.3 to race only two weeks prior to World’s, so that will be a challenge to figure out. But this week is about rest, pizza, drinking adult beverages, donuts, and no stress about racing!!

Heading Down Under!

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 04:08:00 +0000

More to come on this, but just a quick post to congratulate Cassie Whittington (Ohio) on her incredible performance at Eagleman today. Cassie placed 4th in her AG in 5:06 to earn her way to the Ironman 70.3 World Champs in Australia Sep 4th. We're super proud of her!

Aero Assault: Interview with Reynolds Cycling

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 02:07:00 +0000

I had the opportunity to visit Reynolds' gleaming new headquarters building in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. Reynolds' Director of Sales & Marketing, Rob Aguero, was gracious enough to answer some questions for the blog, as well as giving me a tour of the facilities. In addition, I was able to spend some time with aerodynamics guru Paul Lew, Reynolds' Director of Technology and Innovation. If you've ever ridden a carbon fiber wheel (of any brand), you can thank Paul... he literally invented and patented the carbon clincher 17 years ago!

Tell me about Reynolds’ history… when was the company founded and how has it evolved over time?

Rob – The Reynolds brand has been around for over 100 years, but it has undergone major changes over time. In 1996, Paul’s company Lew Composites created the first carbon fiber clincher wheel. He literally holds the patent for the carbon clincher. At first people thought he was a little nuts, but really he was just ahead of his time. Eventually elite cycling teams caught the vision, and demand began to grow. The first carbon fiber rims ridden by Lance and the US Postal Service teams (under the Rolf Carbon brand name) were all made by Paul. Two other well-known early adopters of Paul’s carbon wheels were Marco Pantani and Jeannie Longo.

In 2002, parent company MacLean-Fogg saw the potential of carbon fiber, acquiring both Reynolds and Lew Composites. In the early days we made all kinds of carbon fiber products, such as the tubing for Trek bike frames, seatposts, handlebars and forks, as well as products for motorsports such as the HANDS device, windsurfing, and the hoods for Chevy Corvettes to name a few. Wheels were just another product. We were a manufacturing company, not a cycling company. Our engineers and employees didn’t necessarily ride… it was just business. During that era, from 2002-08, there wasn’t much innovation with Reynolds wheels. Around six years ago due to the commoditization of carbon fiber, we sold off product lines, deciding to focus solely on wheels. In 2008, Paul, who had been focusing on his unmanned aircraft business (he designs unmanned aircraft for the US Government) united with Reynolds board to push innovation, new technologies, and products. Today cycling isn’t just business… it’s personal. Our employees are passionate about cycling, triathlon, mountain biking, etc, and it makes a big difference.

Your industry seems to be quite fragmented, with well-known brands such as Reynolds, but many smaller players as well as new entrants. What differentiates Reynolds from your competitors?

Rob - Lots of competitors go to China and say ‘we need a wheel with these specifications, this weight’, etc. They take shortcuts and outsource their production process. We control our production process from start to finish, from the resins selected for our carbon fiber to our wholly owned and operated manufacturing facilities. We have the most experience working with carbon fiber and were the first carbon clincher brand. There are a lot of cheap knockoffs in the market… for example we know about newspaper and other fillers in some of them. Our wheels begin with innovative ideas that are brought to market after years of testing and development.

In addition to the quality of our wheels, our “Ride to Decide” program is one of the best promotions in the industry. You go to your Reynolds dealer and say you want to test some wheels. You then have 30 days to test them… train, race, whatever. Once you return them, you have 45 days to decide to purchase the wheels. If you do so within that window, we send you a kickback of $100 cash, in addition to providing RAP coverage (Reynolds Assurance Program, a $250 value) which protects your wheels against any damage for two years.

What is your role within the company and what does it entail?

Rob - I’m the Director of Sales and Marketing, and have been with the company just over two years. I’ve been in the bike industry since 1998. I steer the marketing boat, with a focus on Reynolds’ brand development. We’ve been re-building the brand here over the past two years, which has been an exciting process.

Can you give me a high-level summary of the manufacturing process? How long does it take to produce a Reynolds wheel?

Paul - What you see on the market from Reynolds today was in development for 2-3 years prior. All of our extensive development and testing is done here in the US. Mass production takes place at our factory in China, which we own and control. Production time for each individual wheel varies from ~10 man hours all the way up to ~40 hours for our RZR series. Think about that, roughly an entire work week devoted to a single wheel set!

Rob - Production is entirely controlled by us, whereas others outsource much of their process. For example, we source our raw carbon fiber from Mitsubishi, and we also control the resin chemistry in the carbon prepreg (raw material). Not all carbon is equal… there’s a lot of junk out there on the market.

this oven ain't for bakin' brownies

Reynolds is an official sponsor of the Rev3 triathlon series, while also teaming with well-known athletes such as Kelly Williamson, Richie Cunningham, and Chris McDonald… what do you look for when selecting athletes and events to partner with?

Rob - Results are great, but results alone don’t “touch” the consumer. Taking results away, all of our sponsored athletes are great people. Being approachable is very important to us. For example, think what you want about Lance Armstrong, but most people would say he never was extremely approachable. We want athletes who have an interesting story to tell, someone that the consumer can connect to. Having a social media platform is also important, and self-promotion is huge. We want athletes who will support us as their sponsor and be brand advocates.

We’re thrilled to partner with the Rev3 series as well. The atmosphere at Rev3 races is very welcoming and family oriented… there are fun things for kids to do, your kid can cross the finish line with you, etc. They really connect with the consumer. Don’t get me wrong, we love Ironman too. They both just have their own unique vibe.

The Magnificent Kelly Williamson

What wheels would you recommend for a triathlete living in an area with more climbing vs. flat? On that note can you talk a bit about the tradeoff between weight and aerodynamics?

Rob - Deep wheels make a bike look hot, but may not be the best for the rider. With all the climbing here in the mountains, I prefer a shallower wheel. It’s a personal choice, and we try to provide something for everyone. We do a lot of business in Florida, selling a lot of deep wheels and discs well-suited for flatter terrain. If you live right on the coast, you may want a shallower wheel as well to deal with ocean breezes. For triathletes it can make a lot of sense to mix, such as 90mm on the rear and 72mm on the front. With all your weight over your front wheel, mixing provides a balance of more aero on the back with greater control on the front. We sell a lot of deep wheels, but our 46mm wheel is actually our best seller and our 29mm Attack wheel is a great seller as well.

Paul – If you typically ride roads with an incline of 5% or less, then aerodynamics is the most important component. When riding at greater than 5%, weight becomes more important. The thing is, most triathlons don’t have that kind of sustained climbing, so aerodynamics should be the focus. I would say go with as deep of a wheel as you can personally handle. The Reynolds RZR has no compromise… it’s a deep wheel, but also super light.

Paul Lew, the man who started it all, with the Reynolds RZR

Let’s cut to the chase – how much faster will Reynolds make me compared to my stock aluminum wheels?

Paul – There are a lot of factors, but what I can tell you is you’ll average ~2 mph faster on a flat course. At least 1 mph, guaranteed, but lots of people will be even faster. People come back to us all the time and say things like ‘I was 5, 8, 10+ min faster at my 70.3’.

Rob - Wheels are absolutely the best upgrade you can make for your bike... you start seeing the return on investment immediately. My girlfriend bought a really nice bike, a Pinarello, and I later got her some wheels for Christmas. She made comments such as “it feels like I can go up hills faster” and “I feel like the bike is pedaling itself.” I’m used to riding with guys who talk about watts and stuff, so as a marketing guy it was cool to hear her communicate her experience in simple terms like that.

What are the key differences in Reynolds new wheels vs. previous models? For example I noticed the shift to wider rims, which seems to be an industry trend. Is this driven by wind tunnel testing?

Rob – Really everything… in many ways we started from scratch, while leveraging our history and experience. We have a new wheel to be introduced for 2014, as well as completely redesigned versions of the Attack, Assault, and Strike (all of these available late Fall 2013). Models from a few years ago were 21 mm wide, with a basic aero shape. They were good wheels, but our new ones absolutely kick the tar out of them and have gotten unbelievable reviews. We have a proprietary shape with superior aerodynamics to all major brands. Our new for 2013 Aero lineup comes in 46, 58, 72, and 90mm, with new shapes, wider 26mm rims, and improved braking technology that dissipates heat more effectively thanks to our proprietary braking surface. The trend towards wider rims in the industry has something to do with aerodynamics, but also stability. Wider rims simply handle better, giving the rider greater safety and control. You can still ride a standard 23mm tire on a 26mm rim… what you don’t want is the other way around, creating a “vacuum” that traps air. That said, many tire companies are coming out 24, 25, and even 28mm tires.

Paul – Our new 90mm wheel is now faster than a disc. It has lower drag and, as an example, requires 20 less watts to push 30 mph. A disc wheel doesn’t have the lift that our 90mm provides, which cancels drag. Plus the disc is heavier. For a long time there wasn’t anything faster than a disc, but our technology has caught up.

How important is wind tunnel testing to Reynolds? It seems like many bike, wheel, and other companies make claims regarding wind tunnel tests… is there sometimes smoke as well as wind coming from the tunnel?

Paul - Wind tunnel testing is very important, but only after we’ve amassed tons of our own data in the development phase. We go to the A2 tunnel in North Carolina on an annual basis to validate our data.

There are really two aerodynamic theories: “low drag, low lift,” and “high drag, high lift.” For illustration purposes, for “low/low,” let’s assign a drag value of 1, as well as a lift value generated by the wheel of 1, therefore offsetting the drag. The power required to move the wheel in this example is therefore zero. For “high/high,” let’s assign a drag value of 2 and a lift value also of 2, netting to zero once again. Since the drag is offset in both scenarios, what’s the difference?

Well, the generation of lift on a wheel is caused by wind. However, in addition to this lift theoretically helping the rider, the rider feels a side force from the wind as well (think crosswind). A low drag, low lift system generates less lift, but therefore also less side force. The result is that the cyclist rides with much greater stability in crosswinds.

Reynolds triathlete Chris "Big Sexy" McDonald in the wind tunnel

Bikes such as Cervelo, Giant, Canyon, and Felt to name a few use low drag, low lift principles in their design, whereas Reynolds is the first and only low drag, low lift wheel on the market. Bikes such as Trek and Specialized implement high drag, high lift principles, as do other wheel manufacturers besides Reynolds.

Wind tunnel testing can at times be a bit misleading because, well, it’s always windy in the wind tunnel! On a day without much wind, a high drag, high lift system can’t generate as much lift as on a windy day.

The 'Kona count' (a simple count of brands represented at the IM World Championships each year) clearly isn’t everything, but it seems to be a decent proxy for the market. Does Reynolds look at that metric?

Rob - The Kona count is a huge metric… it’s a big deal. We were 5th out of 30 wheel brands last year, but only a few bikes away from moving up further. We’re hoping to crack the top 3 this year.

In conclusion, I was blown away by Reynolds... I couldn't believe how light yet strong their wheels are. Toss in the fact that they have the guy who invented the carbon wheel pushing the limits of product development, and to me it becomes a no brainer.

I'm looking forward to testing out some wheels, and would encourage you to do the same!

Reynolds Main Site

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Marathon Breakdown: Runner's High to Legs of Stone

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 23:39:00 +0000

Ran the Jordan River Marathon, my first non-Ironman 26.2 since 2002. Small race, fantastic course... wish I felt fantastic the whole way. Here's a quick synopsis.

mile 1: let's do this!

mile 2: perfect day!

mile 3: I love these trails

mile 4: this is better than almost anything in the world

mile 5:

mile 6: 1/4 of the way done already... this is a walk in the park!

mile 7: minor hiccup. let's seize the next opportunity to dash in the woods and take a leak

mile 8: roger that, mission accomplished

mile 9: so high right now!

mile 10: seriously, how has it been 14 years since my last road marathon?!? I need to do these more often!

mile 11: legs feel great

mile 12: (seeing my wife) "Linds, you gotta do this race next year, this course is awesome!"

mile 13: right on my target pace, already halfway home!

mile 14: hmmmmmmm................................................

mile 15: ok.................... minor rough patch. let's regroup here

mile 16: only 10 miles to go. wait a minute, seriously, a full 10 miles to go?!?

mile 17: this was supposed to be over easy!

mile 18: come on let's hold the pace til mile 20... can you hold this pace for 2 measly miles?!?

mile 19: legs.. slowly.. turning.. to.. stone

mile 20: $&@$ #$(#^@&#(@ @$(^@#(&#$!($!#&$!

mile 21: come on, dig!, this is mild compared to a few weeks ago

mile 22: "I shake hands with the pain. I shake hands with the pain. I shake hands with the pain." (a favorite Chris McCormack quote)

mile 23: (seeing my fam, smiling, but yelling out) "AGGGHHHHHHHHH" "How you feeling?" "Like I'm at mile 23 of a marathon."

mile 24:

mile 25: counting steps mode....

mile 26: finish line, hallelujah! Just as planned, that was a piece of cake. I mean, I could eat an entire cake. Maybe we should get one.

Top 10 Triathlon Race Week Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 00:53:00 +0000

Well, at least according to our team...

10) “Develop a checklist over time so you don't have to re-invent the wheel (no pun intended) every race. This will reduce your stress on what to pack, how to prepare, and a nutrition plan for that distance.”

9) “Take a deep breath. For Ironman, the IM Village can be intimidating. Repeat to yourself. I belong here. I belong here.” Gina (Virginia)

don't let race week stress make you forget your goggles

8) “Don't do anything new race week. Your work, preparation and body isn't going to make any gains during race week. Keep it in tune and start to mentally prepare for race weekend.” - Chad (now repping North Carolina)

7) “Three things: 1) For race week, you can't build fitness. Trust in the fitness you built in your training and trust in your taper. 2) Get your bike ready the weekend beforehand. This means putting on your race wheels and finishing any last tweeks. By readying bike the weekend beforehand, you'll eliminate that stress from your race week and allow time to fix any last minute snafus. 3) You can save a decent chunk of watts by racing on a new chain. Still, remove the slow factory lube, apply your own (I like wax), and give it a few rides to break in.” Nick (Washington)

let's hope you've got bike/run clothes on under that wetsuit

6) “Do not eat anything crazy that can mess up your stomach for lunch or supper the week of the race. Do not wait until the night before to pack.” Mark (South Carolina)

5) “Create a list for the night before and day of, including the absolute latest time you can leave. Include e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g - Body numbered? Body Glide on? Sunscreen on? etc.. Make sure you double check that shuttle schedule so you aren't trying to find a cab at 4AM to get to the race start.” Sean (now repping New Jersey)

heart rate monitor? check!

4) “I start by making a timeline of the entire race day starting with waking up and then writing down the time of every activity that will be done pre race and post race. I also write out my race plan and highlight what my goal pace/power is. Once that’s laid out I spend the week visualizing that and then execute it on race day!” Rob (Massachusetts)

you've prepared for this, now let it rip!

3) “I usually watch my nutrition closely, but especially during race week when I have more free time and may feel tempted to eat more to feel the void. Also, I'm a perfectionist/focused person, but contrary to many triathletes, I am laid back during race week. I know I've done the work, so I take advantage to relax, enjoy time with my wife, and to prepare myself mentally for race day.” David (Florida)

2) “As much as it's possible I like to plan to drive the course the day before to get a sense of road conditions, climate, landmarks, etc., even if I've been on the course before. Having that extra bit of familiarity is extra comfort on race day that keeps me focused on executing and not worried about unknowns.” Dave (Connecticut)

1) “My tip is to rest!” Jeff (Oregon)

2016 Ironman Texas Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Utah Tri Buzz) — Sat, 28 May 2016 20:52:00 +0000

With a controversial pre-race change shortening the bike course, a last-minute change of swim venue, and insane weather, Ironman Texas 2016 was one for the ages. Despite these obstacles, Jeff Kirkland (Oregon) is a stellar example of staying positive no matter what the day throws at you. Here's his report of that crazy day.

Let me start this report off by saying, it will probably end up being like any other race report you can find in a number of outlets. I, however, would like to attempt something that maybe you haven’t read before.

First let me get the important things out of the way. Anyone who has ever done any kind of endurance racing knows you can’t do it alone. I say a huge thanks to my wife, Kim, and my boys Kaiden and Parker. Parker who is now 6 months old was born right in the middle of training. Kim has been so supportive of all of the extra workouts even in the midst of a brand new baby. So as we celebrate 15 years of marriage this week she gets the biggest shout out because she deserves it the most! Another big thanks goes to my father-in-law who travelled with me to help and support me for the race. Also a huge shout out to my Triple Threat team and all of the sponsors who help us out. I am always thankful to be able to use gear from companies like Roka, Rudy Project, XX2i, and Hammer nutrition. All of my teammates are crazy fast and good at this sport and are an inspiration to me.

Now for the actual race report. Like I said, I would like to do this different mostly because the best way to describe Ironman Texas 2016 was "different!" It was an Ironman so I think it is a given that it was hard. It was in Texas so most everyone knows that it was also hot. The best way to describe the day would be like this.

1. Water = dirty! I mean the water was like dark brown, can’t see your hand in front of you, dirty. So dirty that they had to change the course the day before because some “parts” of the swim didn’t pass water quality. My swim time was slow. Like 10 minutes slower than I thought it should be. Some say it was long, others say it was crowded, I say I just need to get better.

2. Ride = turn city! The bike course was changed in the weeks leading up to the race so no one really knew what to expect. I ended up clocking it right at 98 miles but overall I thought the course was fine. Well marked and volunteers everywhere to help. I felt really good about my time and ended up right at 4:45 which is solid for me. I did see a crazy amount of drafting. Some on purpose and some due to so many turns. There were a lot of people in the penalty box paying the price. Oh and let me add one more thing. I live in Oregon, we have hills and mountains everywhere. Ironman Texas has no hills! It is super flat. If you like a flat ride then this is hands down the place for you. Although you don’t have to worry about climbing, you also never get the downhill to grab a rest.

3. Run = craziest thing I have ever been a part of! The run was a 3-loop course through The Woodlands. It was actually a great run course but things got super sketchy! The first 2 miles for me were super hard. I was hot. It was hot out and so super humid. I felt like it was tough just to get a deep breath. By mile 3 I felt better as my legs loosened up and I hit a section that was in the shade. When I got to mile 10 I saw the clouds rolling in and thought some rain might be nice as it would help cool things off a bit. Ok, so I was wrong! By mile 12 it didn’t just rain, the temperature dropped like 20 degrees and the wind was blowing 20 or so miles an hour. There was lightning and crazy thunder. It rained sideways and then dime-size hail started to fall. At one point I just laughed and thought, is this really happening?

As I hit an aid station and water was building on the course, I was told we all had to stop at the next timing mat and the race was being suspended. So, I got to the timing mat stopped with a 100 or so others and nearly froze to death. All I kept thinking is, I still needed to run another 13 miles. I also stood and observed some racers refuse to stop and advance on the course with the time turned off (seemed a bit unfair to me). After 58 minutes, we were released and sent back on the course. I finished up the run feeling like a 2x4 after being stopped for an hour, but it was what it was. After time adjustments my unofficial time (because the timing was so messed up) was 10:52. Overall I was happy with the day!

I thought it was a super fun race and would absolutely do it again. The times were crazy fast from lots of people and despite all of the logistical challenges the organizers did an outstanding job with the event.

Related Posts:

Ironman Texas - Lessons Learned

Ironman Texas Race Report