vmscoaching

End of Season Notes - A year end review

2012-12-08T07:10:00.003-08:00

(This is so long only my Mom will read it - sorry it was a whole year :))

It is 5 weeks into my off season and I am totally enjoying it…I feel like I earned it this year so the reward is “accepted” but I am also really looking forward to a next year as well.

2012 Recap -

I started to write this as a simple race report…I did this and I got that etc., but after starting and stopping so many times, this is more of a year of my sporting life report.

It is also funny as I wanted to include pictures in this write-up. When I looked back through the years photos, I quickly realized that I had forgotten a LOT of what we had done.

Sure I have bunches of pictures of ice baths and gnarly toenails but I also had so many pictures of smiles that I had to include those as well.

So intermixed with the race report are family, friends and fun and if I were to say what is really the best part of the year, it is these moments.

Originally I had the goal of qualifying for Kona 2012 but due to family commitments and works commitments I needed to realign those goals and pass on Kona this year. In the end I think this was the ONLY solution that would have worked as there is no way that I would have been able to balance the training needed with my time available and I definitely would have missed some very important time with the family. So, in hindsight, it was a great decision for me.

Once Kona was off the list for this year, I also changed my race strategy for the year. I started at the HIT in Ocala and then IM New Orleans 70.3 (the proverbial Duathlon) and then IM Texas.

The HIT went well except for Jeff making me puke all over myself. Drew took the win and it was fun representing the Wattie team.

At NOLA I bounced off my face going into T2. I would like to say it was a rookie mistake but I am not a rookie and in the end it was just my fault and very stupid. The result was a busted up face and a broken hand. It made for a good photo and everyone on Bourbon street was told by my friends that I was a UFC fighter…John Bones Jones. If you don’t follow UFC which I do, he is African American but most of NOLA didn’t know that so we got a good table and I think a few free drinks. J

My real concern with the bounce was it made it really stressful leading into IM Texas. Drew and the team at JOI got me going in record time.

With the Kona goal off the list, I decided to just feel good all day at Texas and really enjoy it. Amazingly, I did. I enjoyed the entire day. With the training I had put in, I was able to roll through to a very solid and well-paced 9:52 and that was good enough for 6^th. 6^th was one place off the podium and one spot away from Kona so I didn’t have to decline which also made that decision easier.

It was also time to settle into the “break” and do something other than SBR.

I am very sure that if I were younger again I would have pursued more bike racing as I absolutely love the tactics. The summer break allowed me to compete in a few road races, TT’s and even a few crits. It is completely opposite of the triathlon and the difference is probably what I enjoy the most. With the Velobrew Crit series, Nocatee and NC stage races, I got my fill of the racing peloton.

The summer was awesome as I really got to enjoy hanging with the family and actually vacation without having to be on a “schedule”.

After the usual, albeit slightly longer than usual and less tri specific summer break, I started the build to IM FL. It started really with an “unplanned” opportunity training week as my Drew and Bone went out of town and work was very light so I ended up with a 20H+ (1200TSS) 1^st week. This seemed to set the stage nicely and I don’t think I really have EVER had as many weeks strung together without real recovery focus. This really seemed to work and I definitely would be willing to try this again.

Using only 4 day recovery weeks around busy work weeks seems to be the best for me and allowed me to string together multiple weeks in larger blocks. In total I had 3-4 “down” weeks in the 16 leading up to Florida. This consistency is really key in my opinion.

Coming into the fall build I kept up some cycle racing on the weekend and just moved the longer sessions to midweek. This really seemed to help the high end engine and I would say I think this helped. Besides, it is fun J

I don’t think there is anyway better to prepare for a fast 70.3 than to be in the middle of an Ironman Build. The distance feels “short” and if you have any speed in your legs, it really feels good to race this distance as it is shorter than a typical weekend training session.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 in September was very good day in terms of execution for me. I was not tapered at all and I set out an aggressive plan and followed it. The weather was absolutely perfect for a fast racing and the net result, 2^nd place in AG and Vegas spot for 2013 so I was very happy with that.

This also gave me a lot of confidence going into the final block for Florida.

Ironman Florida was also different for me this year as I wanted to go very fast but I also knew that I could not take a Kona spot even if I got one due to a work conflict for 2013.

I had a long conversation in June with a surgeon / client / friend of mine who asked me if I had truly gone “all out” in a race. Being that I race pretty conservatively, I said ‘I race tactically and I don’t usually have to go “all out”’. His response, “Then how do you know what you are really capable of unless you tested it?” I tried to find some bullsh!t answer to hide behind but in the end, I had to own up to the fact that I don’t race “hard”.

Basically, I train hard so I can race easy or within myself.

At the end of the conversation and with my tail between my legs I said he was right. He was also former Harvard debate team and I went to ClemPson so I might have been outgunned. I promised that at Ironman Florida in November, I would race differently. I would go all in from the gun and see what happens. I would not hold back and I would try to end up at the line completely empty.

Surprisingly, it was MUCH harder than I expected.

The swim was choppy and I could not find good feet or a good rhythm and the water temperature was too warm for me for a full suit. I was overheating badly on the second lap.

The bike was the typical FL tactical race and also a great example of using bullets when needed. I went “redline” a number of times to stay with the 4-5 big guys who I was legally pacing off of. Anyone who thinks that riding in a pace line is NOT better / faster just has to look at the power file. We had draft marshals with us for a LOT of the ride, literally sitting there for 10-15 miles and we all stayed legal but we were rolling. There in no doubt that I saved 10-15 watts off of a solo effort. There were a lot of surges and one effort in particular was over 300 watts for a few minutes to “get back on” after a BIG gap had opened when someone up front attacked. I remember thinking, “This is the race, go now or you are out of it.” It was and I was happy I went.

The run was actually pretty straight forward but that does NOT mean easy. I broke the course up into 4 laps. And I set out to run ONLY by pace and disregard PE or HR. I only put 1 number on my Garmin watch, lap pace. No total time, no HR, just pace. I am very proud that I ran 26.2 miles with no mile over 8:00/mile. I tried very hard to stay at 7:47 but miles 18-26 were one of the hardest efforts I have EVER done. I was trying to “cut deals” and slow down but the promise to go “all out” was there and I just kept pressing the effort until the pace was there. From miles 22-24, finishing was NOT guaranteed as I was in a really “bad place”. After mile 24, I felt like I should be able to finish and I started to feel little “better”.

I finished in 9:21 overall and it was a PR. I was second in my AG and top 50 overall.

More importantly, I am also 100% sure that there was NO MORE in the tank. I went “all out” or “all in” on this one day and I now know what I am capable of. By the way, I don’t need to do this again J.

Looking back across the season I would say the biggest differences to this year were a few changes to the “basic week”.

We incorporated the following on a pretty regular basis:

Multiple Irondays (4 total) including midweek Ironday with a “typical” big weekend

Motor pacing on the bike

4 day big block camps

2 longer runs per week (Thursday was 12-16 miles and Sunday 16-20 miles)

Midweek run with more structure (3 mile intervals x 3 built into longer runs)

Crowie / Macca style T-run’s with fast miles (6:30) on race pace send-off’s (7:45)

In terms of Recovery:

VERY frequent use of ice baths – almost every big session. 60 pounds of ice for 15 minutes.

Compression pants after bigger days.

Naps were a big part of the plan for bigger sessions.

Body and Equipment:

Focused on buying “free speed” with Latex tubes and faster tires – these REALLY work.

Ceramic bearing in the BB and rear hanger bearings as well – again…less power used.

I got down to 162-165 pounds for most of the training and cut to 160 pounds for race day.

I cut out all “junk food” for the final 6 weeks and really only used good fuel.

Overall –

I am incredibly happy with the results this year and I think Alan continues to improve the formula to create VERY predictable results and I just have to execute. He really has this dialed in.

Goals For 2013

#1 Goal for 2013 is to Qualify for Kona 2014 at Ironman FL and be able to go this time J

#2 Top 5 Podium at all races except IM 70.3 WC.

#3 Top 20 in AG at IM 70.3 WC.

#4 Under 1:30 in 70.3 off the bike.

#5 Under 9:30 at IM FL.

Plan for 2013

Start back to training December 15^th with the cycling / base plan.

Add marathon run program in over Christmas break.

Continue that program until Camp late January to 1^st week February in San Diego.

Complete Donna 26.2 on February 17^th to get a Boston time for 2014 (need only a 3:15)

Ironman New Orleans 70.3 April (for fun – no taper)

Gulf Coast ½ May (Go hard but no taper)

Ironman CDA June (for fun but would still like to Podium if possible)

Recovery week post IM CDA with family

Vegas prep in July / August

Vegas 70.3 September (just a solid day – go hard but not an “A” race)

Recovery week post Vegas 70.3 in Jackson Hole for work

IMFL Camp (4 days)

Augusta 70.3 September (Vegas 2014 – no taper)

IM FL November (A race – Goal of Kona 2014)

“Slight” Changes to the recipe –

I want to try to do a steady build across the entire year without the bigger summer break that I usually have. I am not too concerned with this as I don’t have any real goals until November so I can train through most of the races until then.

Also, family vacations are planned for the spring and they will be in CDA so we will have lots of time to “do nothing” together and just chill.

Other changes…I really need to stop blowing off the pool so much. I went :59 in FL this year that was OK but I didn’t feel great. I was really working and I felt behind for most of the swim. Next year I need to swim more consistently. I have 2 new pools to swim in so that should help.

Find a way to stay in the gym for more of the year. I tend to blow this off as the season gets more into full swing. I have 2 new gym memberships which are much easier to use so this could help.

Find a way to build in “hill training” prior to IM CDA and Vegas.

Keep the added “new” basic week sessions for next year.

Specifics:

Race weight less than 160 pounds

Training weight = 165 pounds

Swim pace less than 1:10 / 100yds on 20 x 100 on 1:30

Increase LT power to 315 watts and IM wattage to 225NP.

Run sub 39 10K, sub 1:30 off the bike ½ marathon, sub 3:15 open Marathon (training race)

Increase total swim yards to 20K per week standard.

Increase total run miles to 60 miles per week for big weeks.

Increase total bike miles to 300 miles for big weeks.

That’s it…that is my year. I am incredibly happy that I made the decisions I made and choose to make family and vacations a priority over Kona. It was a great decision.

Next year looks like it will be a LOT of fun and I have great friends and training partners for all of it.

Enjoy the Holidays…eat…drink and be merry…and take time to appreciate the people around you.

All the best - Shawn

Ironman Execution

2012-11-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

Confessions of an Obsessive Compulsive Age Grouper :)

I don’t remember exactly where he said it or his exact words but I think Mark Allen’s message (http://www.xtri.com/features/detail/284-itemId.511712039.html ) was something simple like… ‘Visualization is important and you can’t win Kona unless you can see yourself doing that. But, in the end, if you have not done the work, it doesn’t matter how much you visualize your win, it is not going to happen.’

So with that…the first of 10 keys to ironman execution – DO WORK SON!!! (The best AC quote ever)

#1 Do work. If you have not done the work then the rest really doesn’t matter. I would guess that my personal number for work tolerance at 47 years old is much different than that of a 30-34 year old athlete, but my magic number is above 120 CTL to be in “the mix”. If I want to be very confident then I need to be over 125 CTL and, for a PR attempt, I probably need to be north of 130 CTL. Finding your own CTL magic number and establishing this as a baseline will allow you to set expectations. Tracking this year to year will allow you to monitor performance with respect to this baseline. The chart below is for my last 8 seasons and the corresponding results. While wind, weather and nutrition can derail anyone, the concept is simple. A pilot doesn’t take off if he doesn’t have enough “gas” already in the tank, (a high enough CTL done through training), to make it to his destination. Takeoffs are optional, landings are mandatory ☺

#2 Do specific work. My coach is Alan Couzens and while most “work is good”, specific work as you get closer to race day is critical. Multiple longer race simulations give me a lot of confidence and a great chance to practice my nutrition and pacing. Two of his go to sessions are a 3 hour descending trainer ride done at 1 hour slightly below race pace, 1 hour at race pace and the final hour over race pace. This is followed by various t-run distances and paces. The second race simulation session is called Iron Day and it is more about mental fatigue and nutrition but when this session gets dialed in it is also a HUGE confidence booster. It is a 6 mile pre-run at an easy pace then directly to a 5 hour or 100 mile ride whichever comes first. This ride is done at a race pace effort while practicing nutrition and hydration. After the session you go directly into t-run of 10 miles which is done as 6 miles at race pace then the final 4 at faster than race pace (race pace minus :20 per mile). The final four miles should take you to a mental low place that is very similar to miles 16-24 of an Ironman marathon. We will do 2-3 of these sessions during a specific build and the timing of these is usually just prior to recovery day as these are very hard efforts. Once you get comfortable with the distance and the pacing on an Iron day and the 2nd t-run feels “easy” then you know you are race ready.

#3 Plan. Create a plan for race day execution that includes goal times, transition times, power goals, and pacing for all 3 disciplines. Breaking your race plan into key sections (1st lap of the swim, miles 20-60 of the bike, key hills for the run segments etc.) further helps define expectations. Having this plan set in advance takes a lot of the emotion out of the day. Putting this plan down on paper also commits you to it. The back half of an Ironman Marathon is a full on Monte Hall “Let’s Make A Deal” discussion with myself. Having the plan “out” in public makes Monte a little less persuasive ☺

#4 Have a plan to deviate to. Race conditions do not often line up perfectly with expectations and, as a former military pilot, there is a saying, “Have a plan and then have a plan to deviate to.” In Aviation we plan for “alternate airfields” if our destination is not reachable due to weather or fuel. This is what you do and where you go when things go wrong or conditions just change. Using the pro field to judge execution and adapt your race plan is an excellent way to see how you will be effected. They will almost always start ahead of the age group field and I look to see how the pro field is riding coming back from a turn around to see what kind of energy they were using. This is a good gauge for winds, how bad the heat is, and how I will feel in 20-30 minutes. It is also a very good way to judge early run pacing. At a brutally hot (90+) Ironman Louisville a few years ago, I began the run and observed multiple pro men walking with the “face of death” towards the end of their 1st lap of the run. I immediately backed off my pace to allow for the heat as I knew if they were struggling this bad then it must be really hot, and I would be in the same spot or worse in another 8-10 miles – it worked.

#5 Control whatever is controllable. Ride and run the race pace that you have practiced in training and planned to do. Using a power meter on the bike or a GPS pace watch on the run provides a non-emotional metric for execution. Tapered racing can give you false highs and even false lows and having something non-emotional to reference is often very helpful. If you are racing for places, podiums or Kona spots, build in some “band width” between your planned race pace and your maximum sustainable race pace in case the tactics of the day require you to adapt. Say you “could” ride an IM bike at 77% of FT and have a good run, but instead you plan on riding only 74% and only going harder if the lead pack dictates that tactic. Keeping a few % in reserve for course conditions and tactics allows you to adapt to the dynamics of the race. If you are already at 100%, there is no band width available to respond to conditions.

#6 Train for power but race for speed. I have to constantly remind myself that a good power file is a training goal but THE race goal is to go faster and do less work. There is NO DOUBT that at the front of the field lead packs or non-drafting pace lines are a huge advantage. Just look at Kona and you can see how hard the guys who are behind in the swim work to catch the lead group. It is that important to ride with the pack. I always look for the biggest guys in the field to ride with. In Ironman they have your name on your bib and I always look for the Erik, Lars, Jens or Torsten or any European “buy a vowel” name as those guys typically bike really hard and are much bigger and give off a bigger “wake”. There is no doubt that you can ride and run much faster at 7M (4 bike lengths) off the back of an 80KG guy than putting your nose in the wind for 112 miles at 10-15 more watts. I also find it MUCH easier mentally to ride at someone else's pace versus having to press my own race pace for 5 hours.

#7 Buy speed and efficiency. Optimize all your equipment for the fastest possible race day setup. This is critical as it saves you from having to do more work. Better wetsuits, speedsuits, aerohelmets and racing flats are all “givens”, meaning that everyone is doing that. The key to executing ahead of everyone else is to find an advantage. Experiment with what works for you but I look for advantages that most people would not pay attention to. For the bike, using ceramic bearings in the bottom bracket and rear rerailuer pulleys is “standard” in the Tour de France but this is not common for most age group triathletes. These bearings help reduce the amount of power needed to turn over the gear at a given speed. More speed – less power – better run off the bike. The company Ceramic Speed (http://ceramicspeed.com/) offers this for most bike frames and wheel sets and this an excellent option to consider. Choose a wheel set that is best for the course and the conditions. Zipp wheels (http://www.zipp.com/) offers great choices for almost all courses and they also offer a course selection guide for their wheel sets. Deeper is NOT always better so look at the course and the winds or look at what the pros are using and don’t just grab the disk and roll. Tire selection and tubes are much more important than I ever thought. If you need a reference check out this article from Slow Twitch http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Things_that_Roll/Tires/Fast_Tires_for_2012_-_1_2684.html. Using latex tubes inside of clincher tires really improves the ride quality and it feels almost like a tubular – I can’t explain why but the difference is noticeable and positive.

#8 Plan for problems. You don’t have to look very hard to find examples of poor planning even at the very top of the sport. Look at Norman Stadler “How much glue did you put on this tire?”, Chrissy Wellington “CO2 anyone anyone?”, and this year Sebastian Keinle, all sidelined by flat tires. http://triathlon.competitor.com/2012/10/features/video-sebastian-kienles-kona-comeback_64731. If you have a flat on a tubular then you have to get the tire off first to fix it. This is what cost Norman and Sebastian the most time. If you carry a small razor knife in your flat kit this will allow you to cut the tubular across the bead. The tire is trashed already so it doesn’t matter if you cut it more. This will allow you to grab inside the tube and pull it off the rim versus trying to roll it off the rim. Preventing flats to begin with is best and Café Latex makes a product that can help prevent punctures. http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Things_that_Roll/Tires/Tire_Sealants_2765.html If you use this and then you still puncture you can use Café Latex Espresso which is basically “fix a flat”. This is a good first option but carrying a spare tube or tubular and CO2 is still necessary. Besides flat tires, the body can give you problems throughout the day. Using the T1, T2 and special needs bags to pre-position any products you might need is helpful. I make up 4 “baggies” and put one baggie in each spot I can access it on the course. In the baggie there is Salt Stick, Pepto Bismol, Tums, Gas X strips, Vivarin caffeine (I am a BIG coffee drinker and I get headaches unless I have coffee) and small 9ml packet of chamois cream for chaffing http://www.pacelineproducts.com/Category.aspx?MenuElementID=56&FileName=Chamois_Butt_r. This works REALLY well even on the run as it is easy to apply and not nearly as gross as the 13 oz. community jar of Vaseline – that is just simply disgusting ☺

#9 Get ahead of problems. I think it was Crowie who said ‘I keep asking myself – what can I do to make my job easier right now?’ Closing the feedback loop between brain and body and action is probably one of the hardest parts of racing long distances. 9+ hours of “How am I feeling?” and “What do I need?” can be mentally exhausting but, I would say, it is completely necessary if you want to prevent bigger problems down the road. Asking yourself if you are at the right pace, if you are on track for nutrition, for hydration, for salt, for cooling on a regular basis can trigger an alarm that can be dealt with early and help prevent a major issue later. Keith Brantley is an Olympic Marathoner who lives in our town and spoke about his “top down” check list which he did at every KM on the run. Is my head ok? Mentally am I good? Can I focus on the positive or just try to be neutral? Relax the neck, relax the shoulders, swing the arms. Is my HR ok? Do I need to speed up or slow down? Is my stomach ok? Do I need more food, more water, less food, less water, salt? Hips should be rotated forward and legs turning over at a high cadance. This systematic approach of “polling” the body helps to detect a problem and treat it at the earliest / easiest point. Running form reminders late in the race can trigger better speed with less effort rather than just muscling through.

#10 Keep your focus. A good friend and top AG Kona qualifier once screamed at me “Wake up…don’t go to sleep”. I have to say that is the BEST advice for the back half of the marathon. I use a lot of caffiene and sugar to help maintain mental focus during the last 2 hours. Red Bull is always in my run special needs bag as it helps me “wake up” and it also tastes completely different than most of the sugary liguids and gels that are taken all day. It also looks and feels pretty cool if you throw it up and the bubbles come out your nose – you’ll look like a running pink foaming volcano ☺ Coke is almost always on the course and it is there because it works. I worked an aide station at Mile 18 of the run last year and EVERY pro who came through was yelling “Coke…Water” I try to wait until mile 16 to start drinking it but once you make the switch to Coke, stick with it every mile. As for the true mental game, there will undoubtedly be low points throughout the day. They happen for everyone. Trying to get through a race without having to deal with a single low point is futile and just sets you up for failure. I really prefer to acknowledge that bad moments ARE going to happen and by acknowledging that they will occur it lessons the anxiety “when” they happen. I also like to keep track of them. If it is a really low point, I will look at my watch, note the time, and then try to go into a neutral state mentally. Most people will say, “stay positive”, and if you can do that good for you. For me, I am not that lucky so I try to stay neutral; if I just don’t “go negative” then I am really happy. Also, by looking at your watch you can see how long that low point really is. Most of these true low points last no more than 5 minutes in most cases. I also find I typically have around 5 of them. When I have one, I will say (out loud most times) “Ok, there is #1 – 4 more to go”. If I end up with 6 or more, it is not such a great day but if I have only 4, that is pretty good ☺

That’s it…that’s a wrap.

I don’t consider myself an expert at anything except for baking Bread Pudding and mine is the 3rd best in the world. In case you were wondering, the best in the world is Palm Valley Fish Camp in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 2nd best is at Red Fish on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and I am third ☺.

So, with that disclaimer, I am 100% sure I missed some really key points as there are probably 90 more ideas which are equally if not more important, but I hope these 10 will give you a few thoughts and/or solutions that you might not have considered.

I am sharing this with hope that it helps a hard race become a little easier and you can hit your goals - whatever they may be.

And no, before you ask, I will not share my Bread Pudding Recipe – that is a secret ☺

(Thanks to VMS #1 for the proof reading and editorial corrections – my ClemPson education strikes again J)

The Meaning of Life and other simple things :)

2012-07-18T13:04:00.001-07:00

It has been a really long time since I have written anything of substance for this Blog and I have been really wanting to put fingers to keys for a few weeks now.

When I log out of my Training Peaks account the page automatically resets to the VMS Blog page.

For the last 8-9 months, I have been greeted by the smiling face of Don Packard finishing in Hawaii last year. It’s not that I don’t like that picture I do…but…9 months…sorry Don…you been replaced :)

So, after a 9 month break…how do I want to reenter the digital noise?

I thought of writing a piece on training, racing, some eccentric metric which only 2 or 3 people would even understand but I am not going to do that.

Instead I want to write about something simple…something very VERY simple…yup…the meaning of life. :)

Seriously, I think this maybe a MUCH smaller and simpler concept than most people would think.

What is the meaning of life???

To be happy…and maybe…more importantly…to make others happy…that’s it.

Call it Joy, Love, Bliss, Hope, Faith, Charity, Caring, Compassion…call it whatever you want…almost all of these relate to the same to me…Happiness…

I know many of you are probably thinking, “I wonder what is wrong with him”…no…I don’t have a terminal illness and there was no life changing event.

I did summer school with a really great teacher who took this student to a new level. I just had a chance to spend some really quality time with people I love and I realized that I am very happy…and hopefully I made them happy too…

That’s all…you now know the meaning of life…welcome back :)

Next Blog will be on heat management as it relates to ideal hydration volume and I will still be happy writing that…I know…I am a geek…a happy Geek. :)

ride this weekend 10/20/11

2011-10-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

This is from last week in Hawaii but I think this is a GREAT shot!!!

Don Packard at the line...empty but very fulfilled...

This has been a REALLY hectic 1 and ½ weeks and unfortunately it doesn’t look like I will be home doing the “usual” for another couple more weeks so I better just get used to it.

From Hawaii to Jax to Austin to Orlando to Kansas City to Jax to Miami to Las Vegas to Cleveland to Panama City to Jax…yes…that is all in 3 weeks – wow :)

With that…not doing any training in town so short email this week….

So…on to it…

The countdown continues:

1 week until IM Miami 70.3…I hope the speed shows up before then 

2 weeks until IM Florida…glad to be just cheering at this one…at least it’s cold now.

Results:

A win is a win and we had TWO!!!!

Big time congrats to Karel who took 1st in the 35+ race on Saturday…you have heard me say it before but it is a REAL trick to win a bike race…

You have to be in the right place, have the right skills and then execute…Karel did all that!!! Way to go mate!!!

Speaking of executing…how about being in the lead from the 1st turn buoy to the finish – now that is racing from the front!!!

Congrats to Drew Heideman on the OVERALL WIN at the Atlantic Coast Triathlon with a smoking 4:21:02!!!

Could not be happier for Drew as he executed EXACTLY to his plan…ok…he was off by 2 watts  Seriously – perfect race!!!

Lots of other great results are listed here http://www.drcsports.com/ARCHIVE/2011/ACT.shtml - congrats to everyone who raced.

Last – congrats to Owen, Jo and the crew from JRC who put together a GREAT race / event for the kids last weekend at the Zombie run…that was AWESOME!!!

Sorry Matthew – I thought you had first place zombie locked up until I saw the melted face guy…it was close but I think he got you by a nose…a melted nose :)

Racing this weekend:

Good luck to Juan and the crew at Great Floridian…1st time Iron Distance for Juan…have fun and enjoy…it will be over before you know it :)

Good luck to Curtis and the shaved legged tough guys heading down south for a TT, Crit and RR…have fun and race hard!!!

On to Training – sorry – not in town…have fun and stay safe.

Music –

Usually I have to get a referral to find something REALLY good but this one I found on my own and I must say…he is EXCELLENT!!!

Check out Alexi Murdoch “Time without Consequence” – fantastic mellow music http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/time-without-consequence/id327926927

Food –

For the traveler…in Austin…fantastic restaurant http://congressaustin.com/ - this is really a great find and the Gnochi should NOT be missed!!!

Movies –

Bone and I went to see Real Steel and it is definitely worth it as a “guy movie” – robots doing UFC…whoooooo ahhhhh :)

Tri-gear for the Tri-geek –

Lot of cool stuff from Kona – here is a really good looking new helmet from Rudy Project http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/press/?p=1085

For Sale –

From David Mariotti (DavidBMariotti@aol.com) – this is a great deal on a complete bike and really good power solution if you are looking – power makes the difference!!!

2011 TREK SPEED CONCEPT, 7 SERIES –
BIKE IS RACE READY WITH RACE WHEELS AND MANY UPGRADES…
NEW CONDITION WITH LESS THAN 150 MILES.

$3,500
BIKE –
Speed Concept 7 series, SIZE M - $2,619 retail
SRAM Apex
UPGRADES – purchased for this bike:
2011 Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 Carbon Clincher Aero wheelset, never ridden, showroom condition Shimano/SRAM freehub, and new Bontrager Race tires (cassette not included) $1,400 retail
Bontrager RXL carbon bar - $220 retail
Bontrager Speed Concept carbon ski bend extensions - $180 retail
Bontrager Speed Concept Draft Box - $45 retail
Trek Red Shield insurance, 3 years - $169 retail
I have less than 150 training miles on this bike.
This Speed Concept was purchased locally only 45 days ago from TREK.

ZIPP 404 WHEELSET (FRONT AND REAR SET), CLINCHERS with POWER TAP
$1,000 (2010 wheelset) with Power Tap2.4SL (2008 model wired)

Contact, David at 904-612-2710

Links of interest –

Retul Fits work!!! Contact me at sbkona@gmail.com - they are expensive but really worth it!!!

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green www.greenhealthchiropractic.com If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

That’s a wrap –

For the latest rants and raves – check out http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a Geritol sale and Bone and I hitting the all you can handle coasters on Saturday night…main event…8 year old versus old man and former aviator…1100+H in the air and I am betting that the young gun is gonna school me bad :)

Take care,

Shawn Burke
Velocity Multisport Coaching
http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com
shawn@vmscoaching.com
(904) 537-5294

"A scientific approach to coaching and training"

Kona 2011 - Longest Race Report EVER :)

2011-10-12T18:30:00.001-07:00

It’s that time of year and this entry is written for only two people…my coach and my mom :)

My race reports have always been a very important process for me and nowadays a lot of athletes and coaches utilize this to detail / analyze the event or to say thanks to people who might have helped them.

Many of the reports that I read, and I read a lot of them, are totally analytical…I took 2 vanilla flavored GU at mile 12.5 of the bike and 23 and a chocolate at mile 35…not sure what the flavor has to do with anything :)

While others are totally emotional…I laughed…I cried…I pee’d…and…

To be perfectly honest…I think both are equally important.

On the analytical side…I try to race like a metronome…planned…practiced…paced and executed…

I use all kinds of metrics to control my effort or to motivate me for any up regulation of speed, power or effort or for containment of excitement which is equally valuable.

But on the emotional side, one pro once described Ironman as a 10 hour argument with yourself.

Race day can be a relatively “easy” day where you have “mostly” positive or motivating thoughts.

It can also be a deeply dark experience not unlike lying in bed as a child wishing your parents miraculously wake up and come into your room to kill the fanged tooth slimy green swamp monster that was surely in your closet or just about to crawl out from under the bed and if you dared to say anything aloud or touch a foot to the floor to run it would immediately trigger the creature to attack…

Yeah…most Ironman events are more like that swamp monster thing :)

More training and fitness can bring about more of the “happy days” but even on the best days, there are dark patches that every athlete goes through that are of an unexpected depth, duration and temperature…the hottest day can be a deeply dark and cold place.

Sometimes the day before event can be the darkest…and this year…that was my experience.

Dr. Phil was out…I called…he didn’t answer…

Laura Schlessinger won’t talk to me as I am friends with my ex-wife but she did suggest I call Jerry…

But seriously…if you EVER think calling Jerry is a good idea…your wrong.

Rules for life…

If Jerry wants you on his show…pass…

If a 60 minutes camera crew is at your door…don’t answer….

So far these have worked for me….wait…I am digressing.

So…Dr. Phil was out so I called VMS #1 and explained my problem.

Zero sleep two days before the race and a night spent on the toilet with nerve induced food poisoning had me convinced that competing was not an option.

I am not talking about “racing”…I am talking about “starting” at all.

I told Paul if I didn’t come correct then I was going to be on the “hot corner” cheering on my friends.

He replied, “You will be the fittest spectator on the course.

”I of course replied…”No actually Macca is here :)“

Seriously…Paul provided me with a mental reset…he simply said, as only a former boss and New Jersey born guy could say…

”Come on man…are you serious…this is silly…you know you are going to race…you know you are going to be fine…you always are…you get like this before every race…you just need to get in race mode…you need to get your head in the game…your gonna be fine…you always are”.

To say that is one thing and to hear it is another but to believe it…that was different….and in his message I was completely convinced that he believed it.

My deep dark and cold Ironman day finished when my head hit the pillow at 8:44pm on Friday evening...yeah…good thing the race was Saturday 

Saturday morning I woke at 4am after nearly 7 full hours of blissful sleep.

I felt so INCREDIBLY good compared to the day before that I immediately knew that I was going to be fine…just like Paul said.

I will close this emotional conversation with this…

Ironman pushes me to my limits and those are very rarely physical. It makes me look into the deep dark corners of my mind and what we find is often the same scary monsters of our youth.

Luckily for me…my race day was a 10:00:27 of happy chatter with myself (actually out loud at times) and a few 5 minute moments of ”oh s%^” but the night light was on and the monster stayed under the bed all day :)

All about my friends and family…

Like I said in the video…this year was special to have so many friend on the course.

I am SO impressed with their races and all of the training they did to get there…it was a pleasure to help along the way…

Here are a few pics from the day…

Now for the numbers – boring stuff for trigeeks and my coach :)

If Alan and I ever get to go to Vegas…look out :)

I told him earlier this year (after TX) that I wanted to race Kona this year and go sub 10.

Here is his response:

Just adding notes here on Kona sub 10 for the database..
I looked at your Texas file (thx for posting). Elevation for the 98mi on the file was 1934ft (0.37%). Kona elevation gain is ~3700ft over full race dist (0.62%)
Average winds for the day in TX were (according to weather underground) 6mph. Kona winds are variable but the average seems to be 6-9mph.
If I plug the TX numbers into the power equation, 22.8mph on 224NP implies an effective CdA of ~0.39m^2. If I apply that 0.39m^2 to Kona using the above elevation and wind data, it suggests a power output of 220NP for 21.33mph/a 5:15 bike split. This lines up well with last year where you went sub 5:18 on 211NP but with light side of average winds (6mph average for the day). I'm pretty confident that with your current position if you ride tactically like you did at TX with 220NP, if winds are in the average range you'll break 5:15. If you have a decent swim and go 3:3x on the run, you should break 10.
I think the going 3:3x on the run will be more contingent on how much fluid you get in on the bike and run than on your fitness. I'm very confident you'll be fit enough to run that pace given the plan that we laid out. Most important item will be lots of practice with heat management in humid conditions which, given your locale, shouldn't be too much of an issue :-)

If you don’t think his math is impressive…this is “blind” from Colorado and here is how it played out.

Entire workout (207 watts):

Duration: 5:15:42 (official time was 5:15:11 off by 11 seconds :))
Work: 3816 kJ
TSS: 286.4 (intensity factor 0.751)
Norm Power: 218 (off by 2 watts)
VI: 1.05
Pw:HR: 2.34%
Pa:HR: 3.25%
Distance: 113.966 mi
Elevation Gain: 3520 ft
Elevation Loss: 3482 ft
Grade: 0.0 % (31 ft)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 620 207 watts
Heart Rate: 97 162 134 bpm
Cadence: 1 153 86 rpm
Speed: 0 43 21.4 mph
Pace 1:24 0:00 2:48 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 410 31 lb-in
Altitude: -98 509 89 ft
Crank Torque: 0 1577 208 lb-in
Temperature: 80.6 93.2 86.6 Fahrenheit

Oh yeah and for the run…

Entire workout (145 bpm):
Duration: 3:32:03 (official time 3:29:21)
Work: n/a
rTSS: 274.5 (0.829)
NGP: 8:01 (200.8 m/min)
VI: n/a
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: 4.59%
Distance: 25.992 mi
Elevation Gain: 1959 ft
Elevation Loss: 1937 ft
Grade: 0.0 % (26 ft)
Min Max Avg
Heart Rate: 110 180 145 bpm
Speed: 0 13.3 7.3 mph
Pace 4:31 0:00 8:11 min/mi
Altitude: 45 266 139 ft

Preparation

The approach to training and racing over the years has been dialed in to a really great recipe but each year Alan refines it to make it just a little better.

This year the twist was moderately hard recovery weeks (700 TSS versus 500 TSS last year) and they worked…just like all the other little tweaks over the past few years.

Camps continue to be my best bang for the buck in concentrated training and I will continue to build those in for next year…it is my only chance to get in 25H+ and 1200+ TSS

Gear is MAXED out and there is no chance to buy any more speed…I looked :)

Taper was PERFECT and I didn’t feel tired or any of the other annoying tapering effects.

Plan was solid (designed by AC) and the change in metrics actually gave me a little more latitude to play with on race day and I really like that.

All season long has been wattage focused and HR secondary…here we switched to HR primary and power secondary…it allowed me to ride tactically which is HUGELY important in Kona.

The Swim

Lined up to the left of the Ford Car and went off 2-3 people back from the front as the scrum was in full swarm. The 1st 5 minutes were a$$holes and elbows and it was a washing machine…stayed even with everyone but protected my face with short strokes.

Got cleaner water in about 10 minutes and settled into a “very easy pace” with a BIG pack that was dragging me along. With the recent shoulder injury I was worried about pressing the pace too much so I figured I am moving well and using no energy…choose to stay where I was. Finished the swim in 1:05.

T1

Uneventful but still need to focus on free speed.

The Bike

Rode smooth and easy but tactically for the 1st 15 miles and then started looking for faster trains going by. Picked up my training partner around mile 15 and then pressed on to get rolling. Got with a few good groups but it was early and very much the typical surge and recover but I stayed with them.

On the climb to Hawi I think I rode really smart and stayed with a guy named Twelsik and a guy named Jenz…they were BIG and I figured that riding with a “Jenz” couldn’t be all bad :)

About 5 miles from the turn around the pace went REALLY hard and I let them go. I am pretty sure I saw Jenz again at mile 80 and Twelsik on the run so I think it was the right decision.

After the turn and special needs to get Red Bull…I remembered AC’s advice and really pushed the pace. This was my peak 60 minutes (223 NP) and I caught on to a great legal train that was really working well together. It was hard to catch them and hard to stay with them but it was worth it as I REALLY did not want to ride back to town alone.

Made it back to scenic point and the group broke up in an aid station and I was fine to pace myself in from there.
The final 20 miles felt really easy and I probably went a little too soft here with an NP of 200.

Turning right from Queen K to T2 I had to remind myself (outload) that the run was still a marathon as I was REALLY feeling good and REALLY excited to test the legs.

T2

Took my time to make sure I was not going to get torn up and in hindsight…this in hindsight cost me the sub 10.

Stopped to pee and then headed out to run.

Run

Really held back to 8:00’s (per AC) for the 1st 4 miles…actually had to reset ever ¼ mile as I was feeling great.

At mile 4 I said “finally” and let the legs free and got to a running pace of 7:40 with slower splits to get water, ice and sponges.

Was through 10 in 80 minutes and started to realize it would be close.

Decided to run HR and hold 8’s through the energy lab and then try to press the pace from the turn around to home as things were getting tougher but not horrible.

Had a quick but mandatory porto pottie stop at the top of the energy lab and was back running in around 1 minute – pro tip from New Orleans…sponges…nuff said :)

At mile 20 I still had a REALLY good chance for sub 10 and dialed it up significantly and started to make a big press and was feeling pretty good considering.
20-22 were around 7:30’s slower with aid stations.
22-24 were around 7:20’s and then 24-26 was actually the hardest I have ever run in an Ironman race as I knew I would be VERY close and I think I hit 5:40 pace descending Palani in full stride.
Made the right on Ali’I and knew I was probably going to miss but I kept pressing harder.
Gave Coen (son) a high five and sprinted for the line but came in 28 seconds shy of goal.

The finish

First time ever to nearly fell out at the line…now I know what that feels like to race :)

Took a few minutes to get my composure and wobbled back to the greeting area.

Met up with the family and chilled before heading back to the hotel and for “real” food at Huggo’s.

Nutrition

Took 2 Ensure (1 at 2:30am – 1 at 4am) and then had 1 bagel with almond butter, oatmeal and coffee at 4:30.
Took 2 salt pills and sipped water until the start.
Took in 1 sip of EFS Quick shot (approx. 60-75 kcal) every 15 minutes from 1:30 on the bike until 6:00 on the bike and only missed 1 feeding.
Took in 2-3 bottle of water per hour sipping from aerobottle and pee’d 3 times on the bike and T2 so that was probably fine.
Took in 10-12 salt stick pills total (approx. 1-2 per hour) and 2 pepto bismol tablets (mile 8 of run) and 2 Advil mile 10 of run.
Took 1 Vivarim (100mg caffeine) at 2:30 and a Red Bull at 4:45.
On the run used 2 x 100mg Caffiene Mocha Macca shots, one at 7:00 and one at mile 14 (8:30?)
One additional gel (no caffeine) and a Red Bull at mile 17 and Coke from 18 to finish every mile.
ICE and water at EVERY aid station.
Crowies tips to IM racing…salt pills and caffeine :)

Post race

Really incredible how clean I came through with only a small amount of missing skin and no real ortho or muscle injuries.

Need to “fix” shoulder or stroke but overall still very healthy considering.

Close

I said this before I will say it again…

Alan is the mad scientist of fitness and he is scary at predicting outcomes.

I am disappointed that I did not hit 9 something (28 seconds is so close) but that is completely my fault.
There will be other chances and I am VERY confident with some better decisions in execution (especially in transition)…I can go quicker…even as I get older.

Thanks AC for all the help…you rock!!!

Props
Alan Couzens – my coach…you are the man!!!
Jeff and Karel of Trek JAX for taking such good care of me and my Trek Speed Concept Shaila…Karel…I don’t think she ever rode so smooth and that is due to you – thanks man 100% confidence in my ride.
Josh Myers of Kswiss – you kept pressing me to change and I am so happy I did – Kwicky Blade Lights ROCK!!!
Skin Fit – the suit is money…you guys got it there on time…best gear for racing long distance
Biestmilch – best new supplement I have tried – seriously great stuff
Biobuilde MAP – never leave home without it.
Extreme Endurance…that is good stuff…back..back…back… it up boyz.
Margorie – (Massage) – you like to hurt me but you are so good
Alvin Green – (Chiro) – you straightened out the kinks
Drew Heideman (PT) – Dude – the healing hands – muchas gracias
Gus of Planet swim – you did your job and I took it too easy…next time mate…thanks for the help.

To all my training partners and friends on the course...it was a great day!!!

Andi and the Boyz – thanks for allowing me to nap, be grumpy, sleep during movies and the rest…Much Love :)

Planet Swim

2011-08-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here is the before and after video of 4 sessions (<4H total time) invested with Gus at Planet Swim.

Stroke is not perfect but it is better and went from holding 1:26 / 100 to < 1:20 with less effort.

He has a program which is REALLY incredible as it allows you to learn what you are doing wrong yourself without having all of the swim coach "technique talk" that often confuses people.

It is worth checking him out if you need swim help.

Gus is at www.planetswim.org and his email is gmc@planetswim.org

Ride this weekend 8/2511

2011-08-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

There is a LOT going on this weekend so let’s get started.

1st – Irene looks like she is going to smack someone hard but thankfully it is not us…last update I saw had it drawing a line to the outer banks…those guys NEVER get a break.

2nd – Surf is UP!!! Wow…on track for some epic waves on Friday and Saturday…when the wind shifts west…look for every kook (me included in that) to run for the beach…6-8 and off shore – yee ha :)

3rd – It is Hurricane season and that means time to love to your trainer – no Hercules that is not your “personal trainer” :)

Last…it is Ironman Season…3 IM races in the next 3 weeks…this is good stuff !!!

So…on to the email…

The countdown continues:

IM KY is this weekend
IM Canada is this weekend
2 to IM Moo
2 to IM 70.3 World’s in Las Vegas
6 to Kona
9 to Ironman Florida

Results:

Congrats to the runners in the Beaches Summer Run…Bone and I did the 1 mile fun run and he was a consistent runner and finished without any stops at all…VERY proud of him!!!

Congrats to Walter Campbell – dude did the First Street Cycling Group Ride (formerly known as the Lodge ride) with us in the morning and then ran the 5M race and finished like 7th overall!!!

Imagine if he took it easy in the “am”??? He is always impressive!!!

Congrats to Baby Burke, Peter Litsky, David Wilson, Alex and especially Chuck Jerabec in Velobrew practice crit B race…that guy is STRONG!!!!

Curtis took out the A race with Karel doing some strong training in a few breakaway efforts…nice work guys!!!

Racing this weekend –

I usually give big shouts out to my Ironman athletes with times and goals and etc…not this time…these 3 guys don’t need that and my guess is they don’t want it…

I will say that all three of them have put in ALL of the work…not 90%...all of IT!!!

They are ready and they are going to execute…they have done 1000’s of yards in the pool, thousands of miles on the bike (literally) and hundreds of miles running.

They have done 7+ hour Irondays in training on more than one occasion and have the details dialed in.

They are ready…I know it…they know it and it will be awesome to watch them enjoy the fruits of their labor…

Good luck to Paul (VMS #1) in Ironman Canada, to Lyndon and Don in Ironman Louisville…race smart…it is NOT over until it’s over!!!

Also – special shout out to my friend and friend of VMS – Walter Arnold – kick a$$ Walter!!!

Good luck the rest of the town racing at the HOT…there is a VERY good chance for a 1,2,3 VMS podium on the men’s side…

Good luck to shaved legged tough guys at the Nocatee Races…cycling races on our “home court”….I am all geeked up for this :)

On to Training –

Saturday

Doing a little different this weekend…leaving the house at 6:30am for a 2H ride up front of the Nocatee Road Race then racing the 45+ at 9:30am (2H) – hopefully racing with the Greek Freak…I smell smoke…he’s on fire 

Finishing up with 1.5H ride home and 30 T-run and start recovery.

Throw on my 110% gear, grab an Ultragen, meds, food and chill with Bone…

Later in the day is the Time Trial (6pm) so probably head there at 5:00 (by car) and do a warm up then a 5 mile TT.

Time to bust out the penis helmet, disk wheels, speed suit and shoe covers…big time geek gear for 5M – I may not be fast but I will look fast :)

Cool down and do dinner in PV somewhere then bed.

Sunday

Sunday morning is the circuit race…starting again at 9:45 so leaving the house at 7:30am (by car) to drive to Nocatee then warm up, race, warm down then recover.

Sunday late afternoon long run…starting at 3:30pm leaving for 2.5H heat run – this might not be the smartest idea…oh well.

Throw on my 110% gear, grab an Ultragen, meds, food and chill with the family and friends for a nice Sunday dinner…

Movies –

Bone and I saw Spy Kids last weekend – pretty good…we missed the 4D part but the rest was good http://spykidsmovie.net/

Music –

I think I already had this one before but that’s ok…he is worth repeating…check out Darrell Scott http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/darrell-scott/id253791 - Crooked Road

Food –

Really like to support businesses that support races or sports that I love and could not be happier that Smash Burger www.smashburger.com is the sponsor for the US Pro Cycling Challenge…

They have a GREAT salad and Veggie Burger – and I also hear they cook some mean cow as well…seriously great food…good place…near new Public on Atlantic in AB.

Check out the Blog for Bone’s Smash Burger review…

NEW SECTION - Sassy’s Corner –

This new section will feature the latest medical news from the good Doctor Basmati.

Here he addresses a common problem for middle age men

Tri Gear for the Tri Geek -

Check out a VERY cool link from Kerry “mate” Mowlam…these scales are great for hydration monitoring.

http://ironman.com/training/sponsors/information-based-on-data-collected-at-ford-ironman-louisville-from-2008-to-2010.#axzz1Vz8i9Q79

Good Causes –

Check out Spokes of Change http://www.spokesofchange.com/ - sponsoring US Pro Cycling Challenge.

For Sale –

This is from Jerry Troyer (jtroyer@trekjax.com) who is both a fireman and mechanic at Trek…this has never had a “speck” of dirt on it for more than 6 hours…the dude takes GREAT care of his gear!!!

2010 TREK TTX
Frame: full OCLV black carbon Size: Medium
Wheels: 700c Carbon Zipp 606's (404 front 808 rear), Tires: Bontrager R3's, Cassette: Shimano ultegra 11-23, Skewers: Zipp titanium
Bars: Bontrager RXL carbon bars, Stem: Race XXX light 80mm 12degrees, Shifters: Shimano Dura-ace Front derailer: Shimano Dura-ace 7800 Rear Derailer:Shimano Dura-ace 7800 10speed
Crank: Zipp Vuma Chronos 175 54/42t with ceramic bottom bracket Brake handles:Bontrager race light, Brake Calipers: SRAM Rival
I can do $3800 with the Zipp wheels and Zipp Crank or seperate Wheels $1200 and Crank $400
The bike without the Zipp Wheels and Crank would have Bontrager Race Lite Wheels, R3 tires, and full carbon FSA Crank 172.5 This set up I can do $2500
The bike is in excellent condition because as you know, I just started riding again.
For pics I posted it on Craigslist http://staugustine.craigslist.org/bik/2562138564.html

From Juan Estrella (JEstrella@pilotpen.com)

Here are the specs to the Cervelo P3C I’m trying to sell.
$2000 with a brand new set of Bontrager Race wheels (came with my SC).
$3000 if buy race wheel set - 60(Flashpoint - front)/80 (HED – rear with Wireless Cycle Ops Power Hub). Includes heart rate strap and computer.
No reasonable offer will be turned away.

From Josh Becksmith (jbecksmith@bbjax.com)

I have a brand new Sram Rival 172.5mm 50/34T 10spd 110BCD Powerglide compact crankset (Silver ring, black arms), Sram Rival rear Derailer (Black), and Bontrager Race Bullhorn 2014-T5 Alum handle bars . Came off 2011 Trek SC 7.2 I upgraded to Sram Force on the crank and derailer. All are new in box. Looking to get the following: Crankset (Retail $229)-$185, Derailleur (Retail $90)-$60, Bars-(Retail $69) $35

Links of interest –

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green www.greenhealthchiropractic.com If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

That’s a wrap –

For the latest rants and raves – check out http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a Geritol sale and me and the Greek Freak attacking each other in a two person breakaway…we have no skills…no tactics…no problem…Big T is all gas…all the time…wait…do I really want to be behind him??? This should be fun :)

Take care,

Shawn Burke
Velocity Multisport Coaching
http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com
shawn@vmscoaching.com
(904) 537-5294

"A scientific approach to coaching and training"

Ride this week 8/18/2011

2011-08-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Too Hot…too cold…too short…too long…this one I hope is “just right” :)

Bone had a great time at the party last weekend...it was AWESOME!!!

So…on to the email…

The countdown continues:

1 to IM KY
1 to IM Canada
3 to IM Moo
3 to IM 70.3 World’s in Las Vegas
7 to Kona
10 to Ironman Florida

Results:

Congrats to all of you who braved the pre-race Shark Week Marathon on cable and raced on Saturday…seriously…the timing of that is crazy.

Congrats to the finishers in the Ocean Marathon - here is a link to all the results… http://1stplacesports.com/swim11longres.htm

Special props to Blake Ehlers and Wil Friedman…these guys are FAST!!!

Blake not only swims but also does tri’s as well and Wil is the real deal swimmer…hey he had help…his mom is Kitzi and she is a GREAT swim coach!

One more special mention to the speedy Master’s swimmer, biker and runner Johnny White…dude slipped in at 1:02 for 3rd place overall…speed is in da HOUSE!!! Nice work Johnny!!!

Congrats to all!!!

Racing this weekend –

Good luck to anyone doing the Summer Beaches Run 5M…should be a great night and we’ll be there to cheer you on!!! http://www.1stplacesports.com/sbr.html

On to Training –

Saturday -

Long one this Saturday so starting on the trainer at 5am for 2H and then heading outside at 7:00am.

Trying to get in 6H and a t-run and be done by noon in time for lunch at the movies.

Heading from the house to Nocatee (we will be already warmed up so if you need an easy ½ hour…you might want to roll out early) as we will be “rolling” south 22-24 from the house.

Link up with the Lodge Ride at 8:45 in Nocatee and surf off the back of them until 9:45-10:00 and then one more loop through the Valley or Nocatee and then home by 11:15.

30 minute T-run and start recovery.

Throw on my 110% gear, grab an Ultragen, meds, food and hit the Spy Kids with Bone…

I hope they don’t check my backpack…last week I was loaded with Sandwiches, pretzels, Chips, Drinks…LOADED…but Christian and I are cool like that…I hope :)

Saturday late afternoon nap then ride bikes to watch the Summer Beaches Run with Bone and grab some dinner on the way home then bed.

Sunday-

Up at 5am and leaving the house at 6:00 for 20 miler…doing a 8 mile out and back.

Plan on stopping at Quality suites, Sean’s “free range” water stop and again at the Inn and Club. Same stops on the return.

Then 4 miles off the back at harder pace…home by 8:45.

Quick jump in the pool, throw on my 110% gear, grab an Ultragen, meds, food and nap…Retul fits starting at 11am.

Sunday night…chill with the family and friends for a nice Sunday dinner…(this time I am cooking :))

Menu is Summer Salad, Filet (Steak or Salmon) with Balsamic reduction served with oven roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic, Potato Croquettes – hey I watched Bitchin’ Kitchen and it looked awesome http://tinyurl.com/3c3gn3y

Movies –

Smurfs was actually really good…not as silly as I would have expected…Bone gave it 4 out of 5 stars!!! http://www.smurfhappens.com/

Music –

Really worn out and overplayed my latest purchase…it is still excellent and that is after 20-30 times… http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/watch-throne-deluxe-version/id455402261

Food –

Been hearing GREAT reviews on Nippers…have not made it there yet…I will…but check out http://nippersbeachgrille.com/ - reservations are pretty much needed for the weekends.

Tri Gear for the Tri Geek -

Recovery is a KEY component to being able to do hard sessions more frequently and yesterday was a tough session. After icing with 110% shorts, I used my CEP Clone Compression pants http://www.cepcompression.com/clone/ from JRC for 4-5H and my legs were not perfect this morning but really not bad either.

Check the CEP Clone and other compression gear from Jacksonville Running Company… http://www.jacksonvillerunningcompany.com/ …they are a certified Clone “fit” center.

Good Causes –

I am really digging the “bikes for Africa” charities and I would recommend this if you are looking for a place to donate some money…look here…it just makes sense.

There are quite a few of them but the idea is to give a bicycle as a means of transportation to a family…kids often walk 10 miles total to get back and forth to school a day.

These are not carbon fiber race bikes but instead 40 pound beasts that can survive the elements…

Many organizations exist and I support World Bike Relief http://www.worldbicyclerelief.org/ but Spokes of Change is also very good.

Check out this information from Jo Shott and a deal that map my ride and Spokes of Change have going (from Jo)

Let's do this... from Aug 22-28th every mile we log into map my ride- $1 goes to Spokes of Change, a non-for profit that raises awareness of Community Health Workers in helping young mothers and children of Africa. By supporting this foundation it's providing health workers with essential medicines, bicycles, supplies and training to help communities across Africa move toward ENDING extreme poverty. I'm doing it!

www.spokesofchange.com and http://www.mapmyride.com/challenges/challenge/14/

For Sale –

From Sean Crichton -
• Scott Spark 10 (full-carbon frame / full-suspension with lockout) - size large (fits from about 5'9" - 6'2")
o Fox F32 Front Suspension Fork (with lockout)
o Shimano XTR cranks, shifters, disc brakes, fr & rr derailleurs
o Bontrager Race-X-Lite Tubeless wheels
o Ritchey carbon seat post
o Bontrager Race-X-Lite Carbon bars
o Thomson Stem
o Crank Brothers Double Ti pedals
o Bike weighs around 22lbs.
• Pics are up at http://uzedbikes.blogspot.com
• Price $2200 obo
• Contact Sean @ seancrichton@gmail.com

Links of interest –

Retul Fits work!!! Completely full for this weekend…Contact me at sbkona@gmail.com for the weekend of August 20,21 - they are expensive but really worth it!!!

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green www.greenhealthchiropractic.com If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

That’s a wrap –

For the latest rants and raves – check out http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com – new video and pix from the camp going up this weekend.

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a Geritol sale and Bone and I at the Jaguars game on Friday night…yes…Hercules…Football…no…I have no idea who they are playing and neither does Bone and we don’t care…we are there for the hotdogs and we are only staying until the 5th inning :)

Coen Skates

2011-08-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

xTerra Video from Hanna Park

2011-08-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ride this week 8/11/2011

2011-08-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

Clemson was absolutely fantastic last weekend and I highly recommend it for a training base for anyone looking for easy access to swim, bike and run.

The drive is long but not unreasonable (6H) and completely worthwhile.

Lake Hartwell offers great open water swimming, the hills and mountains in and around Clemson are not crowded and very diverse in terrain (solid climbs and rollers) and the running around the Campus and trails is perfect.

Add to this a college town where the food is solid (not gourmet but good), cheaper places to stay (www.hamptoninn.com) with an awesome breakfast buffet.

Mix in some over the top southern hospitality and you have a PERFECT training location - all 7 of us had a blast.

Congrats to everyone who did the camp…totals for 3 days of training…17H…5K of swimming…14H of riding including 248 miles and 15,000’ of climbing and 10 miles of t-runs.

Aaron, Hercules, Peter, Sassy, Tony, Larkin all did great and I think we all would be happy to go back up there again.

Next Camp is Tucson AZ from February 3-10, 2012…

So…on to the email…

The countdown continues:

2 to IM KY
2 to IM Canada
4 to IM Moo
4 to IM 70.3 World’s in Las Vegas
8 to Kona
11 to Ironman Florida

Results:

Congrats to Owen Shott for the solo trifecta in the Jax Tri Series – 1st, 1st, and hmmmnnnnn…..yeah….1st  Way to go Owen!!!

Also – congrats to 4th place overall Jason Graham…nice work Jason!!!

Here is a link to the rest of the results - http://www.drcsports.com/ARCHIVE/2011/jax3.shtml

Racing this weekend –

Good luck to everyone at the Hammerhead Ocean Marathon…why…every year….Ocean Marathon and Shark week….that is just wrong!!!

I think you can still sign up and / or volunteer….help support local races… check out http://www.hammerheadtriathlonclub.com/default.aspx?pg=e126f9c3-33a8-4f6c-a46a-874e49582f6c

On to Training –

Saturday (Coen’s Birthday)

Birthday breakfast from Dunkin Donuts in our family is a tradition. It started back in the early 70’s by my Grandfather Carl Tudryn and I am very happy to continue it today.

So…up at 4:45am…Go to Dunkin Donuts at 5am for 2 dozen.

Set up the Donuts at home and head out for a 2H descending 16 mile run leaving at 6am.

Goal pace (average) is 7:30 so should be done in 1:59:59 or better and back home (with water stops) by 8:15.

Little man requested the Dr. Allen Lim (yeah – the power geek from Cycleops is also a cook) breakfast so it will be Savory Rice and Eggs with Parmesan at 9:00-9:30.

If you want to come to breakfast – you are welcome…just bring a gift :)

Birthday party in the afternoon at the rock climbing gym and sleep over Saturday night…I might need nap somewhere in here :)

Sunday (long ride day)

Up at 5am and leaving the house at 6:30 for a 4H ride + 30 minute t-run.

Probably heading down to Mickler’s then over to meet up with Jim Wadsworth group and tag along with them for a few and then head home.

Home by 10:45 and easy t-run…done by 11:30.

Throw on my 110% gear, grab an Ultragen, meds, food and hit the movies with Bone…we have 3 new ones to choose from :)

Chill with the family and friends for a nice Sunday dinner…I am cooking and it will include roasted sweet potato, burnt broccoli and beets…I am digging the veg thing :)

Movies –

Really looking forward to the Smurfs…Weekend afternoons and the movies with the Bone just makes sense to me.

Music –

I did 5 straight days of folk and country and I love that stuff but I also dig the other end of the curve…this is great!!! New Kanye West and Jay Z http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/watch-throne-deluxe-version/id455402261

Food –

The guys and I were in Greenville SC for dinner on Friday and the food at High Cotton was excellent!!! http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/highcotton/greenville/

Excellent menu with a great selection grub from local farms…worth checking out if you are traveling.

Tri Gear for the Tri Geek -

It is really hard at my age to change muscle memory from 36 years in the pool.

The IKKOS advanced techniques that Gus uses at Planet Swim (www.planetswim.org) are simply amazing!!!

The best way I can describe it is that it teaches you the “correct” swim technique by having you learning it yourself instead of someone trying to “tell” you what to do.

If you are looking to improve your stroke and save energy for later in the race – contact Gus at gmc@planetswim.org

Good Causes –

I am really digging the “bikes for Africa” charities and I would recommend if you are looking for a place to donate some money…look here…it just makes sense.

There are quite a few of them but the idea is to give a bicycle as a means of transportation to a family…kids often walk 10 miles total to get back and forth to school a day.

These are no carbon fiber race bikes but instead 40 pound beasts that can survive the elements…

Many organizations exist and I support World Bike Relief http://www.worldbicyclerelief.org/ but Spokes of Change is also very good.

Check out this information from Jo Shott and a deal that map my ride and Spokes of Change have going (from Jo)

Let's do this... from Aug 22-28th every mile we log into map my ride- $1 goes to Spokes of Change, a non-for profit that raises awareness of Community Health Workers in helping young mothers and children of Africa. By supporting this foundation it's providing health workers with essential medicines, bicycles, supplies and trining to help communities across Africa move toward ENDING extreme poverty. I'm doing it!

www.spokesofchange.com and http://www.mapmyride.com/challenges/challenge/14/

For Sale –

From Sean Crichton -
• Scott Spark 10 (full-carbon frame / full-suspension with lockout) - size large (fits from about 5'9" - 6'2")
o Fox F32 Front Suspension Fork (with lockout)
o Shimano XTR cranks, shifters, disc brakes, fr & rr derailleurs
o Bontrager Race-X-Lite Tubeless wheels
o Ritchey carbon seat post
o Bontrager Race-X-Lite Carbon bars
o Thomson Stem
o Crank Brothers Double Ti pedals
o Bike weighs around 22lbs.
• Pics are up at http://uzedbikes.blogspot.com
• Price $2200 obo
• Contact Sean @ seancrichton@gmail.com

Links of interest –

Retul Fits work!!! Completely full for this weekend…Contact me at sbkona@gmail.com for the weekend of August 20,21 - they are expensive but really worth it!!!

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green www.greenhealthchiropractic.com If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

That’s a wrap –

For the latest rants and raves – check out http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com – new video and pix from the camp going up this weekend.

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a Geritol sale and me “on belay” for 10 x 8 year old climbers…no…no stress here – the Clemson Rangers and the military did not prepare me for this :)

Ride this weekend 6/9/11

2011-06-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Ok – last weekend of the break….man that was quick…now it’s over

Check out the video link below for the latest results, rants and raves

The countdown continues:

Next week training starts back for the Kona Crew

2 to IM CDA
4 to Badwater
6 to IM USA
11 to IM KY
11 to IM Canada
13 to IM Moo
17 to Kona

Training – mid-season break week III

In DC for work and then staying to play this weekend with Drew and Bone…so I am out of the loop for any training…sorry…see you all next week.

Links of interest –

Retul Fits work!!! Contact Jeff at jkopp@trekjax.com or Shawn at sbkona@gmail.com – better fit make for faster more comfortable rides and runs!!!

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green www.greenhealthchiropractic.com If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

Yoga – new studio in Jax Beach and it is for the athletes – check out www.bigfishpoweryoga.com

Spin, TRX and Yoga at OM-Velo – This is a great venue for an off season change of pace…good core work…focused efforts for cyclists and triathletes. Check out www.omvelo.com

The Beaches Thursday Night Beer run – the run is every Thursday night @ 6:30pm from the Trek Beach store. 4.25 mi or 3 mi options ending at Engine 15 Brewing Company – this is getting to be the social event of the week…check it out.

That’s a wrap –

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a Geritol sale and me and the little man doing the Smithsonian shuffle on Saturday…the Air and Space was EPIC and I am psyched for Natural History and American History…this place is VERY special !!!

Take care,

Shawn Burke
Velocity Multisport Coaching
http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com
shawn@vmscoaching.com
(904) 537-5294

"A scientific approach to coaching and training"

Ride this weekend 6/2/11

2011-06-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ok – so the break continues :)

Check out the video link below for the latest results, rants and raves

The countdown continues:

This week to IM Hawaii 70.3
2 weeks until training starts back for the Kona Crew
3 to IM CDA
5 to Badwater
7 to IM USA
12 to IM KY
12 to IM Canada
14 to IM Moo
18 to Kona

Training – mid-season break week II :)

This week it was back to the basics and getting back to a “regular” routine without structured work.

Gonna try and get back to work on my J-Lo and Core and just having fun and playing with Bone and my friends…

This weekend is Bone’s first swim meet so I will be there to cheer him on.
With Saturday on the pool deck that means a backwards training schedule.

Saturday -

Heading over to Eagle Creek at 7am for the meet and running in between races…sorry…won’t know when or how far until we see the meet sheet.

Hang with Bone in the afternoon and then chill out with the family on Saturday night.

Sunday –

Not 100% sure on the plan yet…

Option 1 is leaving the house at 6:30am for longish ride…Nocatee…Valley…St. Augustine etc etc.

Or

Option 2 is might go link up with Jim Wadsworth and ride with them.

If you are interested in riding either option…email me and we can try to link up.

Afternoon will be spent hanging with Bone and Family maybe at Selva and the Sunday Dinner Texas Barbecue style :)

Good Causes –

Jacksonville Beach, Fla—On June 3 & 4, OmVelO Indoor Cycling/Yoga/TRX, Big Fish Yoga, and the Jacksonville Beach’s athletic community will come together--elite athletes, yogi’s, surfers, football players, golfers, tri-athlete’s, runners—to shine a spotlight on The Challenged Athlete’s Foundation (CAF), & the Brooks Adaptive Sports&Recreation sponsored Life Rolls On ‘They Will Surf Again’ event.

Jacksonville Jaguar Eben Britton, MaryLyn Jenkins of Big Fish Power Yoga, Ultra Runners Chris Roman and Kellie Smirnoff, Abbie Britton of OmVelO Indoor Cycling/Yoga/TRX, lululemon Athletica and a host of volunteer athletes are putting their power together to raise funds for CAF—The Challenged Athlete Foundation on June 3, and the next day volunteer for the Brooks Adaptive Sports&Recreation sponsored Life Rolls On Adaptive Surfing Event at Jacksonville Beach.

The CAF fundraiser on Friday evening June 3rd will take place from 7-9:30 pm with 50 minutes of inspired cycling and 50 minutes of power yoga. The $30 donation for each session goes directly to CAF. The event will also be a send off for ultra runner Chris Roman a board member and long time supporter of CAF who will, on July 11, run the world’s toughest footrace --135 miles across Death Valley-- the Badwater Ultramarathon.

On Saturday, June 4 the Brooks Adaptive Sports&Recreation sponsored Life Rolls On- ‘They Will Surf Again’ event will happen from 9-2. They need about 100 volunteers to help support this event where physically challenged individuals, who normally could not surf, will gather together for a day of surfing, inspiration and camaraderie. Roughly 7 volunteers will be paired with each surfer, for a day of excitement, joy, and best of all, surf! Register NOW at: www.liferollson.org for the OmVelO volunteer team for an absolutely inspiring day! Proceeds from the purchase of the first 20 $20 Ride the Radiance t-shirts will go to Life Rolls On. Please VOLUNTEER WITH TEAM OMVELO!

Links of interest –

Retul Fits work!!! Contact Jeff at jkopp@trekjax.com or Shawn at sbkona@gmail.com – better fit make for faster more comfortable rides and runs!!!

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green www.greenhealthchiropractic.com If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

Yoga – new studio in Jax Beach and it is for the athletes – check out www.bigfishpoweryoga.com

Spin, TRX and Yoga at OM-Velo – This is a great venue for an off season change of pace…good core work…focused efforts for cyclists and triathletes. Check out www.omvelo.com

The Beaches Thursday Night Beer run – the run is every Thursday night @ 6:30pm from the Trek Beach store. 4.25 mi or 3 mi options ending at Engine 15 Brewing Company – this is getting to be the social event of the week…check it out.

That’s a wrap –

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a Geritol sale and an “off season” swim dad cheering on the 8 and under’s…I am 99% sure someone will think Phelps is swimming in the final relay :)

Take care,

Shawn Burke
Velocity Multisport Coaching
http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com
shawn@vmscoaching.com
(904) 537-5294

"A scientific approach to coaching and training"

Ride this weekend 5/25/11

2011-05-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

Well the Iron Buttz went to Texas and it was HOT, humid, windy and hard…but…it’s supposed to be…it is an Ironman :)

For all the gory details with lots of cool pix and props…check out the video below…

The countdown continues:

1 to IM Hawaii 70.3
4 to IM CDA
6 to Badwater
8 to IM USA
13 to IM KY
13 to IM Canada
15 to IM Moo
19 to Kona

Training – mid-season break :)

I am a BIG fan of focused training followed by unstructured breaks to allow for some decompression both physically and mentally.

I get the next 2 weeks “off plan” and that is really nice…
It doesn’t mean that I don’t exercise…I will do quite a bit but it is only when, where and how I want to versus having to do 3H with 6 x 5 minutes at XXX watts with X:00 recovery etc etc etc.

I do it for fun and that is what this sport is supposed to be…so…

Saturday -

Leaving the house at 7am for 3-3.5H ride on road bikes.

Heading out to the valley riding “nice and easy” and then linking up with the group.

Back at the house at 10:30 and then Retul fits x 2 starting at 11am.

Bone and I are gonna do Kung Fu Panda II in the afternoon and then hanging out with the family at Cheeseburger in Paradise…at the Club :)

Sunday –

Leaving the house at 6:25am for the 10 miler with the Sea Turtle group at 6:30…running in the back and being social.

Breakfast with Bone and Drew…then hanging with Bone all day…play…play and more play.

Monday –

Might ride again if there is a group ride…we’ll see what is going on and then hang at the beach or pool and chill.

Good Causes –

Jacksonville Beach, Fla—On June 3 & 4, OmVelO Indoor Cycling/Yoga/TRX, Big Fish Yoga, and the Jacksonville Beach’s athletic community will come together--elite athletes, yogi’s, surfers, football players, golfers, tri-athlete’s, runners—to shine a spotlight on The Challenged Athlete’s Foundation (CAF), & the Brooks Adaptive Sports&Recreation sponsored Life Rolls On ‘They Will Surf Again’ event.

Jacksonville Jaguar Eben Britton, MaryLyn Jenkins of Big Fish Power Yoga, Ultra Runners Chris Roman and Kellie Smirnoff, Abbie Britton of OmVelO Indoor Cycling/Yoga/TRX, lululemon Athletica and a host of volunteer athletes are putting their power together to raise funds for CAF—The Challenged Athlete Foundation on June 3, and the next day volunteer for the Brooks Adaptive Sports&Recreation sponsored Life Rolls On Adaptive Surfing Event at Jacksonville Beach.

The CAF fundraiser on Friday evening June 3rd will take place from 7-9:30 pm with 50 minutes of inspired cycling and 50 minutes of power yoga. The $30 donation for each session goes directly to CAF. The event will also be a send off for ultra runner Chris Roman a board member and long time supporter of CAF who will, on July 11, run the world’s toughest footrace --135 miles across Death Valley-- the Badwater Ultramarathon.

On Saturday, June 4 the Brooks Adaptive Sports&Recreation sponsored Life Rolls On- ‘They Will Surf Again’ event will happen from 9-2. They need about 100 volunteers to help support this event where physically challenged individuals, who normally could not surf, will gather together for a day of surfing, inspiration and camaraderie. Roughly 7 volunteers will be paired with each surfer, for a day of excitement, joy, and best of all, surf! Register NOW at: www.liferollson.org for the OmVelO volunteer team for an absolutely inspiring day! Proceeds from the purchase of the first 20 $20 Ride the Radiance t-shirts will go to Life Rolls On. Please VOLUNTEER WITH TEAM OMVELO!

Links of interest –

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green Www.greenhealthchiropractic.com If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

Yoga – new studio in Jax Beach and it is for the athletes – check out www.bigfishpoweryoga.com

Spin, TRX and Yoga at OM-Velo – This is a great venue for an off season change of pace…good core work…focused efforts for cyclists and triathletes. Check out www.omvelo.com

The Beaches Thursday Night Beer run – the run is every Thursday night @ 6:30pm from the Trek Beach store. 4.25 mi or 3 mi options ending at Engine 15 Brewing Company – this is getting to be the social event of the week…check it out.

That’s a wrap –

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a geritol sale and UCI bank deposits.

For any of you who read down this far…you know I almost always close with “As always – “F” Floyd Flandis, Alberto Cheatador and Ricardo Ridiculouso!!! Et tu Tyler ???” or something like that.

Appearently I need to remodel my I love Lance Wall at work and take back all the bad things I said about “these guys” as they ALL seem to have skeletons in the closet…

If the UCI is implicated in the “cover-up”…man…that is just incredible.

Last…props to Tyler for coming clean and manning up and ALWAYS saying it was him as well…I am holding out hope but I think Big George is next.

Take care,

Shawn Burke
Velocity Multisport Coaching
http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com
shawn@vmscoaching.com
(904) 537-5294

"A scientific approach to coaching and training"

Ironman Texas 2011 post race recap

2011-05-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ride this week 5/20/11

2011-05-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

Super short email this week:

For the results, props and pimps and upcoming races check out the video:

The countdown continues:

This weekend is Ironman TX
2 to IM Hawaii 70.3
5 to IM CDA
7 to Badwater
9 to IM USA
14 to IM KY
STILL REALLY LONG time until to IM Canada :)
16 to IM Moo
20 to Kona :)

Training – all done…race day :)

Links of interest –

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green greenhealthinfo@gmail.com - If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

Yoga – new studio in Jax Beach and it is for the athletes – check out www.bigfishpoweryoga.com

Spin, TRX and Yoga at OM-Velo – This is a great venue for an off season change of pace…good core work…focused efforts for cyclists and triathletes. Check out www.omvelo.com

The Beaches Thursday Night Beer run – the run is every Thursday night @ 6:30pm from the Trek Beach store. 4.25 mi or 3 mi options ending at Engine 15 Brewing Company – this is getting to be the social event of the week…check it out.

For Sale –

From Saswata (saswataroy@mac.com)

Zipp 404 dimpled. Recently rebuilt by Zipp with new hubs, bearings, rims and spokes. Original carbon flaring were the only parts retained. Less than 200 miles. Zipp skewers included. $1550

Zipp Sub 9 tubular disc and 808 tubular front. Practically brand new. Includes durace freewheel, zipp tires and zipp skewers. $ 1900

That’s a wrap –

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a geritol sale and Florida flatlanders in Texas…Freddie I wish you were here!!!

I want my hat :)

As always – “F” Floyd Flandis, Alberto Cheatador and Ricardo Ridiculouso!!! Et tu Tyler ???

Take care,

Shawn Burke
Velocity Multisport Coaching
http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com
shawn@vmscoaching.com
(904) 537-5294

"A scientific approach to coaching and training"

Ride this weekend 5/13/11

2011-05-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

New format this week…

Shoot me an email if you have problems viewing this or if you love it or hate it :)

For the results, props and pimps and upcoming races check out the video:

The countdown continues:

This weekend is IM FL 70.3
1 to Ironman TX
3 to IM Hawaii 70.3
6 to IM CDA
8 to Badwater
10 to IM USA
15 to IM KY
STILL REALLY LONG time until to IM Canada J
17 to IM Moo
21 to Kona J

Training – next week is Hat, Chicken and Cookie Day – so close I can almost taste the cookie :)

Saturday –

Starting at 6:30 from house for 3-3.5H more and NO Lodge ride this week…

Be back at house NLT 10:15am for 45 minute T-run.

Then “the usual”…110% Gear, grab an Ultragen, meds, food and roll…Retul fit at 12 noon.

After the fit, hang with Bone at the game and then go to a wedding...

Sunday –

Leaving at 6:10 as the long run is only 12 miles this week so doing 2 upfront then the Sea Turtle Group 10 miler.

The usual, throw on my 110% gear, grab an Ultragen, meds, food and cook breakfast for the family..

Swim at Selva in the early afternoon then getting some Marjorie love at 4:00 then cook dinner for family – Nasi Goreng – Shane’s Birthday is Tuesday and this is what he wanted – we’ll see ???

Links of interest –

Ironman St. George - http://c28157.r57.cf1.rackcdn.com/2011/05/StGeorgeResultsBook.pdf

BFAS Results – http://www.altavistasports.com/results/2011results/bchtriathlon05072011.htm

Gulf Coast Triathlon Results - http://chiptimes.com/?TabId=65&EventID=541

Music – Chris Thile and Michael Davies - http://michaeldaves.com/

Good Java - http://www.coffeesofhawaii.com/catalog/family/19?promo_code=kau2011

Cool Read - http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/triathlon/how-to-nail-the-ironman-marathon.aspx?utm_campaign=Argyle+Social-2011-05&utm_medium=Argyle+Social&utm_source=twitter&utm_term=2011-05-12-07-04-00

Tri Product - http://cepcompression.com/clone/ available at JRC www.jacksonvillerunningcompany.com

Retul Fits – we have 1 opening Saturday 5/14 – 1 slot available @ 1pm…email me if you are interested – sbkona@gmail.com

Massage by Marjorie check it out at www.marjorielmt.blogspot.com or call (904) 945-4540

Dr. Alvin Green greenhealthinfo@gmail.com - If you are in need of Chiropractic care

110% Play Harder - check them out at www.110playharder.com !!!

Yoga – new studio in Jax Beach and it is for the athletes – check out www.bigfishpoweryoga.com

Spin, TRX and Yoga at OM-Velo – This is a great venue for an off season change of pace…good core work…focused efforts for cyclists and triathletes. Check out www.omvelo.com

The Beaches Thursday Night Beer run – the run is every Thursday night @ 6:30pm from the Trek Beach store. 4.25 mi or 3 mi options ending at Engine 15 Brewing Company – this is getting to be the social event of the week…check it out.

For Sale –

From me – sbkona@gmail.com

ZIPP SPEED WEAPONRY Z999 WHEELSET – this is a Zipp 808 Tubular Front and Zipp Disk Tubular Rear.
http://www.zipp.com/support/identify/discs.php
These are all ceramic bearings through and through and roll for days.
The set comes with wheel bags, 2 tubular tires and a spare tubular, standard cassette and 2 skewers.
These are race ready – regularly priced at $4000 – selling the pair for $1750 reduced.

From Saswata (saswataroy@mac.com)

Zipp 404 dimpled. Recently rebuilt by Zipp with new hubs, bearings, rims and spokes. Original carbon flaring were the only parts retained. Less than 200 miles. Zipp skewers included. $1550

Bontrager Aeolus 6.5. Carbon clinchers. Black flaring with white spokes. No crashes or races. Includes skewers and rubber. $1550

Zipp Sub 9 tubular disc and 808 tubular front. Practically brand new. Includes durace freewheel, zipp tires and zipp skewers. $ 1900

That’s a wrap –

If we miss, watch out for text messaging soccer moms, pickup trucks, grey Porsche 911’s, pellet shooting panel vans, Grannies racing for a geritol sale and the TPC traffic in the round about…seriously the Valley should be very crowded this weekend – please be careful.

As always – “F” Floyd Flandis, Alberto Cheatador and Ricardo Ridiculouso!!!

110% TRI HRDR Kits and Pix

2011-03-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

Here are the new Louis Garneau Custom Triathlon suits that are available for everyone to purchase.

You can pre-order these from Trek Jax by calling (904)246-4433, you can buy them in stores Jacksonville Running Company and Trek Jax beginning in Mid April or buy them online from www.110playharder.com

The quality from LG is excellent and graphics look really cool.

110% TRI HRDR and Dirk Bockel

2011-02-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

NEW ELITE TRI TEAM!!!!

2011-01-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

Team “110 TRI HRDR” is an Elite Triathlon Race Team sponsored by: 110% Play Harder, Trek Bicycles of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Running Company and Velocity Multisport Coaching.

The Team will consist of male and female athletes competing in various distances selected through an open application process.

Applicants should complete the Application PDF and submit it by email to info@110playharder.com not later than January 15th 2011 - Team selection will be announced on January 30th 2011.

As this is a Jacksonville team, only applicants living in the area can be considered.

This is a great opportunity to be part of a top level team!!!

Kona Hawaii 2010

2010-10-17T06:31:00.001-07:00

It was an awesome family vacation and oh yeah, a really cool race day too :)

Kona has been a goal of mine for years and years - every since high school swimming.

This year I was lucky enough to go back again for the big dance and I simply love the experience.

The Island is really incredible and there is truly energy to the place which is unmistakable and I think that is what brings so many people there every year.

We decided were going this year either way. Back in July we were thinking of a vacation and I wanted to be in Hawaii (racing or not) and we started making plans.

A good day at Ironman Louisville meant I would have a chance to race on a course I love and I have a hard time passing that up…so I was in.

I was really committed this year to making sure we were not focused on the race but instead did all of the vacation things that you want to do. Other than chilling a little more than usual Friday afternoon – it was a pretty normal week.

It is impossible not to get caught up in the hype of the event as the town is little turned upside down by this but I tried.

I did have to get my pre-race haircut :)

We swam, snorkeled – we did SUP (stand up paddle) – we boogie boarded, we went and saw the manta rays and we ate lots of shave ice…a lot :)

All in all it was an awesome week with the family and I was lucky enough to have Shane, Josh, Coen, Andi and my sister Miah all there.

I want to go back next year again and then take the boys to Oahu to surf afterward for a few days…that sounds like fun!!!

For anyone interested…only the triathletes would really care about this next part…the race specifics are listed below…

For the rest of you…here are a few pix and videos you might enjoy…

Aloha and Mahalo

Shawn

Race Report:

I think “racing” Kona is still “over my head” and I not sure that I will ever be in those ranks but I am pretty committed to trying to get there again next year.

I felt great race morning and had no hip / back pain at all…which had been locked up and really bothering me all the week leading up to the race.

I popped my SI joint at 6:15am at the PowerBar Performance Bottle and it was so loud I think a few pros thought the race had started :)

Seriously – I was probably 95% on race day and that means no excuses…really fit, 7 hours sleep and perfectly tapered.

The Swim

For the swim I went to the South of the Ford Edge again like last year to avoid the melee and thought I was pretty smart.

I drew a good line to the 1st turn and I was not beat up too bad at the start.

I actually worked the swim pretty hard and made the turn for home in good shape I thought.

Then I got the sh!t beat out of me by a bunch of women and that was in the final 1K – crazy rough swim for the final 1K.

If I am to compete next year I need to shave some time here which is possible if I stop snorkeling and checking out the fish and swim harder during the season.

Came out of the water in 1:04 and not cooked at all.

My T’s were pretty fast (I think) as I didn’t change this year.

The Bike

The bike course was a mess as expected. Lots of drafting and pace lines for the 1st portion.

I came out with a BIG pack and sat legal on them for 20-30 miles until the fast train came by and went with them to Kawaihae.

At the start of the climb to Hawi I was having a REAL rough patch and my head was all over the place…I took some Vivarin and tried to ride steady and I tried to work through it…but I was struggling.

The cross to head winds were BRUTAL (30+mph) and the pace group was hammering so I let them go and rode 230 watts by myself – I seemed to settle in pretty well with this but I was losing places big time!!!

At the turn around at Hawi I got special needs bag and I slammed a Red Bull and the descent was a screamer – no chance for aero bars and it was crazy windy – really scary stuff.

I made up some ground and my head came around at mile 65 thanks to the Red Bull and I was again stoked to be racing (read as not wanting to quit anymore:)) and started to press hard.

Making the turn back onto the Queen K toward town I just kept saying relax – the winds will be the same for everyone and it is only 30 miles to town…

I made the turn and we had wind in the face as always but after 1-2 miles it switched and it was a tail cross and I got really excited.

My power jumped to a lot of 240-260 on the climbs as I was hammering trying to get in before the wind switched again.

This worked and I made it to 102 miles at 4:50 and soft pedaled the last 10 miles at 180 watts just holding north of 20mph…I figured I might have gone too hard and this would let me recover.

Came in at 5:17 even with resting the last 10 and my NP was 211 watts – VI of 1.08

T2 was fine and I was feeling good about the run.

The Run

I went out at just under 8’s and was feeling good for miles 1 and 2.

At mile 3 my head was out of it again and I was falling asleep at the wheel so I took another Vivarin and started hitting GU w/ caffeine.

I came correct again at mile 6 or 7 and the rest of the race was really pretty uneventful…just cruising 8-8:10’s and splitting 8:30’s with walking aid stations.

A few prolonged porto pot stops due to lines slowed me down a little but I would guess I “ran” 3:35 and finished in 3:45.

I wanted to enjoy miles 10-26 as last year they beat the shit out of me and made me “retire” – this year I chatted with an Aussie named Nathan and we yapped the whole way in.

The Finish

The finish was incredible as always and I got to chill with the family and was not at all beat up so I know I held back a lot…

If I had gone all out on this day with 100% effort and maybe gone medical I could have gone “maybe” 20-24 minutes faster over the course.

Even with that kind of effort I would have been 20 minutes off the pace for anything serious…so I got work to do for next year.

I have always said that if I am not in the hospital then I would be at the finish at midnight…I just love this and this year I got to enjoy it with Miah, Shane, Josh and Susan.

Midnight and the final finisher is really something...

So that’s a wrap…

The night of the race is always a very relaxing and enjoyable time for me…all the work is done and it is time to chill…

Now it’s the “off-season” and I need to address some weaknesses (core and strength) over the winter months and I will be ready to start back full stop Jan 1.

I will come into the season 1/1/11 ready to work with 70.3 New Orleans, maybe Gulf Coast ½ and then IM Houston in May as an A race for a Kona slot and a podium place.

Take my summer break for a few weeks and then hit it for Kona.

Overall it was a great year for racing…probably due to the great plan by my coach, the mad scientists of fitness, Alan Couzens.

He put together the plan and I did the work:

From 1/1/10 through Kona:

Swim - 93.05 hours / 253504 yards
Bike - 380.44 hours / 7058.91 miles
Run - 164.17 hours / 1213.16 miles
Strength - 28.25 hours

665.91 hours total - damn glad I went fast enough in Kona to not hit "66X" as that would have freaked me out :)

I hit all of my goals…two podiums in M dot events and a trip to the big dance…

But just to make sure...I asked the expert (Bone) was this all worth it?

I guess the juice was worth the squeeze :)

I also have my mental image for next year :)

The Basics

2010-10-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

The basics of triathlon...

Swim, bike, run and have fun but the most important - have fun :)

I'm still in Canada but this was emailed to me...

Here is Coen working on his skills and having some fun today.

Mom is working the cow bell...Oh yeah - he won his age group!!!

Ironman Louisville 2010 Race Recap

2010-09-10T03:12:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that the single biggest fan of this blog is my mom…

In fact, she may be my only fan but no matter - I will continue to post these as she seems to find them interesting…

Also, in keeping with the race report / recap rule that the afterglow and subsequent telling of race stories can only be as long as the race itself, I will try to keep this short, but it is a long race and a longer build up to the event than I have ever done.

Ironman Louisville was a big focus for me this year and I am very happy with the way it turned out – the end - the rest of this is just for you Mom :)

The Plan

At the end of last year, I was not planning on doing an Ironman in 2010, but I ran in January for 3 days in a row and I got the bug

(http://vmscoaching.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html)

For many years, I have had a focus, a single goal race for the year and this year without that I just felt lost.

After picking a race and starting to plan, everything seemed to feel “normal” again.

I also needed someone who I could count on to train with and who would be as committed or more to doing the work I knew we would need. For years I have trained with Shawn “Hercules” Francis but he hurt his shoulder and had to have surgery so he was out.

In going through the mental rolodex of possible enablers, I wanted that person to have the best chance as pulling off a great time, podium finish and potentially a Hawaii spot as the work would be hard and I wanted them to reap the rewards.

I had one person in mind having trained with him for Arizona last year and I asked him to train with me. When he said he was in, I knew I was on track for a good season. I train with a lot of great partners but for this course, this year, I really wanted to train with Kerry “Mate” Mowlam. Quite simply, he is faster than me in all three sports, trains just as consistent and has only been grumpy about training twice in the 2 years we have been training together. He is also not afraid of doing the work and we did an amazing amount of work getting ready.

The Training

Since January, we logged 567 hours of training with 218,900 yards of swimming, 6096 miles of cycling, 1043 miles of running. That is a LOT!!!

We did more work than I have ever done to get ready for a race. We did camps, big blocks, massive weekends and much more.

We actually drove to Clermont at 5am on a Friday to ride 80 miles of hills and a t-run grab a burrito before we came home for the long “usual” weekend grind (8 more hours of training...

did 3H descending trainer rides and still got to work by 9:30...

met at 5am at Brooks for 20 mile run before work (and it was his birthday), swam in the kiddy section of UNF (which was VERY salty for some reason), learned EVERY pothole on A1A on a 120 mile out and back ride, tried and failed at an 8H ironday in 100+ temps but in the process really adapted to training in the heat.

We did a LOT!!!

All of this got me more fit than I have EVER been – I know the same was true for Kerry.

With all of the fitness in the bank - the only thing left to do was stay healthy, not get injured and execute.

Pre-Race

The logistics of getting ready to race are not easy…there is a LOT of gear...

But once we are finally there and settled in…unpacked...things start to take shape.

This year my coach used a really flat taper and it was much different and worked awesome.

Even with this - I still had the normal race week tweaks and to make sure things were 100% - I did my least favorite thing a few times…OUCH!!!

According to Accuweather, race day was shaping up exactly what we had hoped for, VERY HOT which meant very hard.

Kerry and I figured that we would have better chances the harder the course as we were used to the heat.

A few days before the race I had the usual mental meltdown which I can never avoid. I know that I am ready, I know that I will race hard but I just can’t seem to connect the dots until race morning.

Louisville was different and I became focused on Saturday thanks to a video I did back in May. It also helped that Andi was coming in to town and I would have my security blanket of my family there in case things went to crap.

I went through the usual rituals…bags checked…checked again…unpacked and rechecked then turned in…after checking them again :)

With all the gear stowed away - there was nothing to do but chill...

After a great pre-race dinner at Bistro 301 with Kerry and Rene and a little last minute stress trying to find oatmeal at 8:45pm, we settled back into the hotel, checked the morning bags one last time and went to sleep.

Race Day

I slept awesome with some help from pharmaceuticals and woke up refreshed but really relaxed at 4am. 7 hours sleep is a great way to race.

I drank a few cups of coffee, forced down my Oatmeal, sipped a Gatorade Pro Pre drink and double checked all my gear for a final time.

I gave Andi a kiss, told her to have fun and headed down to T1 at 4:50am as the announcement that it would open at 5am was way off…it was almost empty of people by the time I rolled in at 5:05.

It seemed like everyone had a BIG push to get tp the front of the swim line as soon as possible.

I linked up with Kerry and we walked the 15 minutes to the start where we had people holding a place for us in line.

I flopped down, put on my iPod and just chilled like never before. I was so relaxed for the race and the day that it felt great. I think I pissed off a few people as they were all stressed out and I was just really mellow – hell I was half asleep :)

The venue is really beautiful...

The Swim

We did our final checks, wished everyone a good day and started the traverse to the dock and the TT swim start.

The swim was pretty straight forward, pretty hot water and more or less “nasty” but it was not the usually Ironman scrum for the 1st 200 yards so that was nice.

I felt smooth and tried to stay comfortable for the most part and was really happy to get out at 58:46 feeling like I didn’t burn any matches.

The Bike

T1 was pretty smooth and I was out on the bike and getting dialed in for the day.

The course for Louisville is a flat 10 miles then 92 miles of rollers, never ending rollers and then 10 miles of flat back into T2.

I found a group of guys to pace off and I tried to make sure I stayed with them figuring I would dial it down later if I needed.

The first set of climbs, big climbs, these guys went off like cannons. I could not believe how hard they were riding and I was pretty sure they must be doing a relay as I can’t picture how anyone could ride that hard and hope to run.

I let them go and then the second wave came by and I figured – ok – maybe it’s me and I need to ride harder. So, I did.

I rode so hard for 40 miles that I was 100% sure that I would pop if I kept going at that pace.

Kerry came up to me at and said “WTF Mate? These guys are flying!!!”

I told him that I was red line and I couldn’t go with them and hope to run.

Right then I heard him say “Ohhh F” – he had flatted. He said I will be back with you in a few minutes…

This 1st flat turned into 3 and 1 hour and 30 minute wait for tech support

Kerry in typical Kerry fashion just dealt with it like he always does…make the best of everything.

His day ended up differently than what he wanted but as always – he made the best of it http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2970326;search_string=kmowlam;#2970326

I would end up not finding him until mile 20.5 on the run…

I didn’t know what was going on with Kerry but everytime I saw Andi I asked where he was and how he was doing…unfortunately no one knew

I was bummed for him as he should have been 10 minutes or more up the road on me at the finish and as he was WAY MORE fit and ready than I was for the race.

The loops and hills continued for the next 46 miles and then at mile 86 the terrain started to get back to Florida flat and I felt more comfortable.

At mile 106 I was thinking my ride was good and I would be close to my goal of 5:20 and ended up coming in at 5:19 and change…things were really starting to look pretty good.

T2 was uneventful and I opted for compression socks which I have sworn I would never race in becuase they look so bad…ok…I was wrong and they are great – they also help you stay cool in the heat - they still don't look so great :)

The Run

I headed out on the run and immediately had to check my pace a LOT the 1st few miles as I was running 7:45’s and 7:50 and I kept slowing myself down to run 8:00 as I was affraid the heat would smack the crap out of me on the back half.

I started ice and sponges at Mile 1 and got really ticked at myself when I missed ice at one aid station.

I rolled steady 8’s through mile 4 or 5 and then started to see the carnage that was the pro’s returning from the 1st loop and it did NOT look good.

I checked my pace down even more to 8:30 and made sure that I was icing every aid station to keep cool.

At mile 13.5 I hit special needs and grabbed a Red Bull and some more salt and went through the turn around in town for the 2nd loop. I saw Andi and I was going through a tough patch but it helped to see friends and family.

Mile 14-16 were really pretty tough and at mile 16 I gave myself a good old fashioned a$$ chewing – took 1 minute to get my crap together and decided to run 10 miles hard. I set off and was back at 8:10’s and felt much more in control of the race.

Mile 20 was right before the turn around for the last leg back to town and I saw Kerry for the 1st time since the bike.

He yelled at me, “Come on Mate, I will run you in”. I said I was fine and he should keep going.

He said “Mate, I have been on the side of the road for 1 and ½ hours, this is NOT gonna matter.”

We ran in like we had run so many miles in training – him yapping away and cheering for people and keeping me focused which I can tell you was starting to fade.

At one point I did actually ask him to “Tell me a story”…he did :)

With 1 mile to go we ran into another of "Kerry’s team" that he created on the day and it was a guy in the 40-44 AG named Jimi Young…Kerry had done the same for him from mile 14-20.

We passed Jimi with Kerry doing his best Coach Ditka impersonation and he kept yelling at him all the way to the finish.

I was able to pick it up the last mile to chase down a guy in AG and pass him within the last mile but he started some 15 minutes after me due to the time trial start. It was still good to “race” into the chute.

The Finish

At the finish I was really happy to see Andi and ended up feeling pretty good all things considered.

I came in at 10:04 which was 3rd in 45-49 AG and 32nd overall – my highest ever finish in the overall results.

Jimi Young went on to finish in 35th overall and 4th in 40-44 AG – we will be in Kona together and fulfilling a promise to our pacer as we both owe Kerry a beer.

There were a bunch of people on the course from Jacksonville and it was awesome to see them all. I have to say that this was one of the hardest IM courses/ conditions I have raced in and the DNF rate was 15.9%.

Kerry went on to finish in 12:15 by running in another friend from mile 20-26 – not yelling this time – talking instead about how soft and squishy the finish line was and how good it would feel…the guy was hurting pretty bad.

The After Party

Andi and I did our usual, Chicken sandwich, fries and diet coke and hung out at the finish line until midnight…I really love that part of the race.

Only one toenail casualty this year…

Awards

It was really cool to finally make it on the podium at an Ironman race…Mike Reilly could make a spelling bee exciting…he is like the Ironman version of Snoop, just that cool.

Gratitude

This year is the highest results I have ever achieved and I credit all of my success to the plan that was created by the mad scientist of fitness, my coach, Alan Couzens. He is just incredible at pushing the load and keeping me healthy and focused on paces and goals…I could not have asked for a better Coach.

Without my training partners, the race and the training would be brutal and boring. There are only a few days when I truly did not want to train and that is due to the company I am lucky enough to have. Thanks very much to Kerry for all the help and for making the last 6 miles enjoyable…I will be on the course in Florida and I can guarantee you have a LOT of great karma coming your way.

To Hercules and Lisa, thanks for watching Bone - with you two it was really nice to not have to worry (yes - I would worry if it was just Shawn :)

Last but definitely not least, to Andi, Shane, Josh, Coen and Kava – it is really great to have your support in doing this…I could not do any of this without you – especially you Andi…you make training very easy.

Ok – that is the limit…race recap is as long as the race…time to sign off…

Here’s to Kona, Shave ice with Bone and a cold beer for Kerry!!!

Aloha!!!

Nose and Toes

2010-09-04T15:30:00.001-07:00

A really good friend of mine, Dr. Basmati, is a pediatric craniofacial surgeon.

What does that mean?

He takes little kids that are born with significantly misshapen skulls and does amazing surgery that makes them look very normal afterward.

The process is pretty extreme…they roll down the face…they cut off the bones, reshape the bone and then put it all back together again…pretty serious stuff and he is really good at it.

I work on the stuff that helps put everything back together so we do have a professional relationship aside from our friendship…

AND…for any of you that know me…no matter what…

I pretty much have to be a smart a$$ all the time :)

Lots of times I would talk with him just before one these cases or just after and when we were done talking or right before we hang up…

I would say…

”Hey wait man…(pause for effect)… don’t forget…”

“Don’t forget what?”

“Nose and toes, nose and toes, make sure you put the head on the right way this time.”

And I would giggle…ok laugh…pretty hard as he would get pi$$ed.

His response every time – “ohh whatever dude” click – I think his phone cuts out sometimes :)

I have pretty much stopped doing this now after the speaker phone incident and I really do want to keep my job :)

Anyway…

In almost any sport that involves movement, one of the 1st things you try to learn is lead with your head.

Whether that is a front flip off a diving board, a back flip on a supercross bike or a handle pass to blind ralley in kite surfing – lead with the head.

Triathlon is no different except the movement begins with getting your head and your toes pointing the same direction – mentally and physically.

For Ironman distance racing this is not an option – it is a requirement. The day is simply too long and the grind will break you down if you don’t have your head fully focused and pointed toward the finish line and the reasons why you are doing this lined up like sand bags on a bank of a cresting river of self doubt.

There is one question, one silly little question that can unseat all the fitness in the world and it can unravel even the toughest of athletes if the answer is not burned into their brains.

The question that rattles the nerves of endurance athletes everywhere…

“Why am I doing this?”

The answers vary from person to person – with goals and times and causes... but rest assured....

You NEED to have an answer…and you need to have it before you begin your day.

You will (sometimes over and over and over for 10+ hours) ask yourself this same silly question and if you struggle even momentarily for the answer- stutter or stammer or doubt…the sand bags will start to crumble and the rising tide of doubt will crest the banks.

Like a biblical act, the gods of all endurance sports will hear this siren to the heavens and they will rain down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who see fake the funk…and you will know you are not worthy…as they dispatch Vincent Vega to choreograph the monkeys dancing in your head :)

(Sorry - I love Pulp fiction – one of the best movies ever made :))

So – all around the block to get to this point…

You have to know why you are doing this to yourself…really…know why… and make it something worthwhile as this point is as crucial as long rides and t-runs.

I was lucky enough to have my epiphany in May of this year and it kept me motivated to train VERY hard for the whole summer.

As I got closer and closer to the race, my inner demons decided to show and question my resolve and motives.

Lucky for me…I had the moment…this moment of clarity…recorded and the day before the race – I watched it…

All is right with the world again…and demons are dispatched… silenced and my purpose reestablished…

This is not my race report…I will bore you with that next week…

This is just a prequel to the saga with the real chapters to be written in a few weeks.

I am very happy to have accomplished 1st goal and plan on enjoying every minute of the victory lap…

I missed my goal time by a little...I missed my place by one...but overall...I am content - my bread pudding still is great :)

Now I am focused on some shave ice with Bone...

Noses and toes aligned at the start and all the through to the finish :)

Tips on Recovery and Time Management from the 110% Play Harder evening

2010-07-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

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