Lance Armstrong confirms his Ironman Triathlon plans

( www.everymantri.com ) In a post Leadville 100 Interview Lance Armstrong confirmed that he intends to return to his first love triathlon

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Lance Armstrong confirms his Ironman Triathlon plans

Insurance Cookies

I’ve been swearing off sweets but last night was an exception. I can be a bit, er, demanding (to put it lightly) when dropping off Torch for my Ironman tune-up. Last year, I brought them homemade brownies as a peace offering. This year? After dropping off Torch with a laundry list of (mostly needless) things to do to him, I went home and started baking. (The guys at B&L were able to convince me that it was ridiculous to take off 2 perfectly good $100 tubulars and replace them for fear of not being able to get them off on race day. Solution? Pocket knife!) I realize I get a little weird during my taper. Today, when I went to pick up Torch, I delievered, much to their delight, two batches of chocolate chip cookies! I received many hugs. I call them my Ironman Insurance cookies! And, yes, I succumbed and ate a few last night. It would have been bad luck not to, right?

Originally posted here:
Insurance Cookies

Insurance Cookies

I’ve been swearing off sweets but last night was an exception. I can be a bit, er, demanding (to put it lightly) when dropping off Torch for my Ironman tune-up. Last year, I brought them homemade brownies as a peace offering. This year? After dropping off Torch with a laundry list of (mostly needless) things to do to him, I went home and started baking. (The guys at B&L were able to convince me that it was ridiculous to take off 2 perfectly good $100 tubulars and replace them for fear of not being able to get them off on race day. Solution? Pocket knife!) I realize I get a little weird during my taper. Today, when I went to pick up Torch, I delievered, much to their delight, two batches of chocolate chip cookies! I received many hugs. I call them my Ironman Insurance cookies! And, yes, I succumbed and ate a few last night. It would have been bad luck not to, right?

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Insurance Cookies

Taper Time

Is it that time again? Already? Wow, that snuck up fast. Taper does crazy things to a person. Last year, for my first Ironman ( Ironman Arizona ), I did the standard 3-week taper, which was almost not enough. After my “final push” block of training, I was extremely fatigued and had a hard time with reducing my volume by only 25% that first week. I ended up feeling sluggish on the start line. This year, I’m trying something different. A little experiment (gulp). I hope it works! After my crazy, 3-week “final push” (I only did a 2-week final push for Arizona), I took a (gasp) recovery week. That’s right! A full recovery week. And I’m SO glad I did! I took several off days and did a lot of whining, sleeping, and eating. I finished out the week with a hard-effort workout (Camp Pendleton Sprint Tri–see post below), perfect for revving the body in preparation for the official taper. I feel absolutely wonderful this week and ready to tackle my taper with gusto. Now, I am officially beginning my 3-week taper: Week 1 (this week)–reduce volume 25% from my average highest volume block (about 16 hours so 25% reduction is 10-12 hours) Specifics –pretty much a standard training week without extra bikes or runs (each sport 3x plus weights 2x; volume of each workout somewhat reduced, especially long Saturday ride (50 miles; but still including rolling hills at a hard effort), and Sunday run (America’s Finest City half marathon–13.1 miles at race pace. Yippee!!! One complete rest day (Boo).) Week 2 –reduce volume 50% (6-8 hours) Specifics –(bike 3x and swim 3x but run only 2x to allow legs to heal; long bike is 30-40 miles (pretty flat but hard intensity); long run is only 6-8; only 1 weights; 1-2 complete rest days (or 1 rest and 1 active recovery) Week 3 (race week)–reduce volume 75% (3-4 hours before race day) Specifics –everything is very short this week; goal of each workout is to keep legs feeling fresh, prevent stiffness and sleep well at night (nerves, mental well-being). Only 1 run, 2 very short bikes (~30 minutes each), 2-3 swims (also short: ~30 minutes each). 3 complete rest day with Saturday (day before race day) as one of those (mandatory rest day) The goal is to rest…but not too much! This is my opportunity to put the final icing on the cake. I’m adding some high-intensity bursts to each workout, especially since the volume of each workout is reduced. Some track workouts, sprints on the bike (especially on the trainer), 100 m sprints in the pool–just enough to feel good and fast and stoke the anaerobic engine. It’s about time! At the same time, I’m making sure I feel well-rested and eager to tackle each workout. If I don’t, no worries; I’ll skip it. If there was ever a time to be a slacker, this is it. However, the high levels of anxiety (I’m driving Brent crazy with my full-on, “spring”-cleaning-the-house-project) and restlesness I’m feeling indicate that the taper workouts will do me good. Plus, it helps me sleep soundly at night! In addition, I’m eating really, really healthy. No sweets until after race day! This is helping my IBS immensely and prevented unwanted pounds from creeping on now that my volume is reduced. Lots of healthy carbs though (cereal, rice, pasta, whole-grain bread, fruits, and veggies). Comparison to Ironman Arizona (April 2008): How does my preparation for Ironman Canada stack up against Ironman Arizona last year? Let’s look at the data: Everything is increased (mostly because my training period for Ironman Canada is quite longer–starting in December with a long, gradual build-up) but what’s most striking is how much the run jumped up this year. Almost a 200 mile increase! Whoo hoo! My swim increased from 72 miles to 97 miles…also nice. And my bike increased from 2014 to 2475, almost a 500-mile increase! I wish I recorded elevations on my bikes because I feel like I’ve trained more on hills this year (since Ironman Canada is significantly more hilly than Arizona). Let’s take a closer look: To make the comparison easier to evaluate, I lopped off the first 5 weeks of prep from Ironman Canada (I pretty much had 2 prep periods anyway this year). Now my Ironman Canada training is 25 weeks, whereas Ironman Arizona is 20. My Ironman Canada training is all over the place between the Prep and final 8 weeks of training, probably owing to a few winter illnesses (including the sinus infection from hell weeks 16-17). However, I maintained my base throughout and during the final 8 weeks, blew my training out of the water. I trained harder than I ever have before, and it’s evident. My volume during this period is unsurpassed. Here’s a closer look, dissecting the swim, bike, and run for Ironman Arizona (cool colors) and Ironman Canada (warm colors). My swim for both is about the same. My bike for Canada Prep really takes off the last 8 weeks. And my run for Canada Prep is consistently the same or much higher. All-in-all, it looks like I have bigger peaks and valleys in my Ironman Canada training than for Arizona. I guess when you train harder, you have to recover harder. I know I feel as fit as ever. I feel I prepared as hard as I could have. When I got sick or injured, I rested. When I got tired, I rested. I did what my body told me and pushed when I could. I just have to taper well now, keep my fingers crossed, and hope that what I did was enough. Ironman Taper Links: http://ironman.active.com/page/The_Art_of_the_Ironman_Taper.htm http://www.multisports.com/archives/ironman_hawaii_taper.shtml http://ironman.com/training/taper-time http://www.byrn.org/gtips/taper.htm http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Countdown_to_an_Ironman__Dave_Scott_s_21-day_Tapering_Plan.htm

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Taper Time

Taper Time

Is it that time again? Already? Wow, that snuck up fast. Taper does crazy things to a person. Last year, for my first Ironman ( Ironman Arizona ), I did the standard 3-week taper, which was almost not enough. After my “final push” block of training, I was extremely fatigued and had a hard time with reducing my volume by only 25% that first week. I ended up feeling sluggish on the start line. This year, I’m trying something different. A little experiment (gulp). I hope it works! After my crazy, 3-week “final push” (I only did a 2-week final push for Arizona), I took a (gasp) recovery week. That’s right! A full recovery week. And I’m SO glad I did! I took several off days and did a lot of whining, sleeping, and eating. I finished out the week with a hard-effort workout (Camp Pendleton Sprint Tri–see post below), perfect for revving the body in preparation for the official taper. I feel absolutely wonderful this week and ready to tackle my taper with gusto. Now, I am officially beginning my 3-week taper: Week 1 (this week)–reduce volume 25% from my average highest volume block (about 16 hours so 25% reduction is 10-12 hours) Specifics –pretty much a standard training week without extra bikes or runs (each sport 3x plus weights 2x; volume of each workout somewhat reduced, especially long Saturday ride (50 miles; but still including rolling hills at a hard effort), and Sunday run (America’s Finest City half marathon–13.1 miles at race pace. Yippee!!! One complete rest day (Boo).) Week 2 –reduce volume 50% (6-8 hours) Specifics –(bike 3x and swim 3x but run only 2x to allow legs to heal; long bike is 30-40 miles (pretty flat but hard intensity); long run is only 6-8; only 1 weights; 1-2 complete rest days (or 1 rest and 1 active recovery) Week 3 (race week)–reduce volume 75% (3-4 hours before race day) Specifics –everything is very short this week; goal of each workout is to keep legs feeling fresh, prevent stiffness and sleep well at night (nerves, mental well-being). Only 1 run, 2 very short bikes (~30 minutes each), 2-3 swims (also short: ~30 minutes each). 3 complete rest day with Saturday (day before race day) as one of those (mandatory rest day) The goal is to rest…but not too much! This is my opportunity to put the final icing on the cake. I’m adding some high-intensity bursts to each workout, especially since the volume of each workout is reduced. Some track workouts, sprints on the bike (especially on the trainer), 100 m sprints in the pool–just enough to feel good and fast and stoke the anaerobic engine. It’s about time! At the same time, I’m making sure I feel well-rested and eager to tackle each workout. If I don’t, no worries; I’ll skip it. If there was ever a time to be a slacker, this is it. However, the high levels of anxiety (I’m driving Brent crazy with my full-on, “spring”-cleaning-the-house-project) and restlesness I’m feeling indicate that the taper workouts will do me good. Plus, it helps me sleep soundly at night! In addition, I’m eating really, really healthy. No sweets until after race day! This is helping my IBS immensely and prevented unwanted pounds from creeping on now that my volume is reduced. Lots of healthy carbs though (cereal, rice, pasta, whole-grain bread, fruits, and veggies). Comparison to Ironman Arizona (April 2008): How does my preparation for Ironman Canada stack up against Ironman Arizona last year? Let’s look at the data: Everything is increased (mostly because my training period for Ironman Canada is quite longer–starting in December with a long, gradual build-up) but what’s most striking is how much the run jumped up this year. Almost a 200 mile increase! Whoo hoo! My swim increased from 72 miles to 97 miles…also nice. And my bike increased from 2014 to 2475, almost a 500-mile increase! I wish I recorded elevations on my bikes because I feel like I’ve trained more on hills this year (since Ironman Canada is significantly more hilly than Arizona). Let’s take a closer look: To make the comparison easier to evaluate, I lopped off the first 5 weeks of prep from Ironman Canada (I pretty much had 2 prep periods anyway this year). Now my Ironman Canada training is 25 weeks, whereas Ironman Arizona is 20. My Ironman Canada training is all over the place between the Prep and final 8 weeks of training, probably owing to a few winter illnesses (including the sinus infection from hell weeks 16-17). However, I maintained my base throughout and during the final 8 weeks, blew my training out of the water. I trained harder than I ever have before, and it’s evident. My volume during this period is unsurpassed. Here’s a closer look, dissecting the swim, bike, and run for Ironman Arizona (cool colors) and Ironman Canada (warm colors). My swim for both is about the same. My bike for Canada Prep really takes off the last 8 weeks. And my run for Canada Prep is consistently the same or much higher. All-in-all, it looks like I have bigger peaks and valleys in my Ironman Canada training than for Arizona. I guess when you train harder, you have to recover harder. I know I feel as fit as ever. I feel I prepared as hard as I could have. When I got sick or injured, I rested. When I got tired, I rested. I did what my body told me and pushed when I could. I just have to taper well now, keep my fingers crossed, and hope that what I did was enough. Ironman Taper Links: http://ironman.active.com/page/The_Art_of_the_Ironman_Taper.htm http://www.multisports.com/archives/ironman_hawaii_taper.shtml http://ironman.com/training/taper-time http://www.byrn.org/gtips/taper.htm http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Countdown_to_an_Ironman__Dave_Scott_s_21-day_Tapering_Plan.htm

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Taper Time

Watch Team World Champs Online

The broadcast television show of the ITU Triathlon Team World Championships and Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon Elite Cup from Des Moines, which includes exclusive behind the scenes footage, can now be viewed on demand and in high quality on the ITU’s streamed TV site, www.triathlon.org/tv Premium users can access the footage whilst new users will have to sign up at a cost of just €5.99 to watch the show; or for only €19.99 to watch all the races on demand from the entire season. ITU is committed to ensuring that triathlon fans can watch all the ITU race action and highlights, no matter what country they live in. For the first time a new premium internet service gives viewers the opportunity to watch all the races live. Fans can access live video free of charge from each Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship race on www.triathlon.org/tv. In addition to being able to view the live broadcasts of each race, premium service users will be able to access the full length 52-minute highlight shows which are available to watch on demand. The premium service gives viewers the opportunity to watch streaming video with high-quality bandwidth with exclusive access to live heart rate and GPS data from selected athletes.

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Watch Team World Champs Online

Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon 2009 Race Report

http://www.camppendletonraces.com/sprint.html I took a hard recovery week last week. I was annihilated after my grueling 3-week “Final Push” block. Of course, in addition to resting, I was starving and exhausted, causing me to eat and sleep constantly. And, I was having the PMS week from hell. It was “the Perfect Storm”. On Wednesday, I tried in vain to do masters swim. I got there late (unable to wake up on time) and feeling the size of a runty mouse. Overwhelmed by the 9, aggressive guys in lane 2 that I normally swim in, I slipped into the slow lane since there was only 1 other girl there, and started swimming. I wanted to swim with Brent, but he had been moved to an even faster lane. Which further deflated me. I forced my groggy arms to turn over in the water. I kicked my sluggish legs. After 1,000 meters, I’ll feel better , I told myself. Like I always do. But I didn’t. I felt worse and worse. And worse. After 2,000 meters, I got out. Sickie came over and asked what I was doing. “I feel like crap.” “That’s weird.” “It’s a recovery week. I’m coming off a big-volume week.” “Normally, you feel better the farther you swim.” “Not today. I feel worse the farther I swim.” “Huh. That’s weird.” Panic rose in my throat. Great. That made me feel a lot better. As if sensing my unease, Sickie reassured me, “Don’t worry. You’ll recover by race day.” I ran off to the locker room and once nestled safely inside, found a private shower stall, locked myself inside, and started sobbing. Brent later asked Sickie if he had seen me. “She got out early. She didn’t feel well.” “I’ll have to give her crap about that,”Brent teased. Sickie, normally always joking and poking fun, just shook his head, “No…no. I wouldn’t do that….not a good idea.” Thanks, Sickie! Nice to know someone’s got my back. That pretty much is a perfect example of how I felt all week. A basketcase. Ranting, raving, crying, depressed, hungry, tired, exhausted. Partly because I was so tired from all the training and partly because I couldn’t work out as much. I didn’t have my outlet. Whenever my training dips below 8-10 hours a week, watch out! I become a bear. After complaining to Brent that I sucked and was slow and worthless and should just quit the sport of triathlon all together, I packed my gear bag and put on Torch’s race wheels to prepare for the Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon . In the back of my head, I perked up. Maybe this was just the confidence booster I needed. I was well rested and needed something fun and easy to tackle. I had done this race at the end of the season last year , burnt out and without heart. In actuality, I had just wanted to sleep in that day. It would be fun to do it this year full of enthusiasm. I hadn’t raced since California 70.3 in April; I was raring to go. I found a great spot in transition, unpacked, met up with Brent and some other buddies and walked down to the beach for a practice swim. I felt calm, relaxed, and excited. Such a nice change from years prior where I was so nervous, I thought I would throw up! I chattered nonstop to my friends. “I’m really fast on this course,” I babbled, full of confidence, a complete 180 from the day before. Everyone looked at me with amusement. “Is that so?” they replied. I hushed up, feeling embarrassed. Now, I’d have to work even harder so as not to eat my cocky words. As we swam out for the practice swim, I was rudely reminded of how choppy and violent the waves are on Camp Pendleton. This would not be easy , I thought to myself. We watched the first waves go; it took them a looong time to swim to the first buoy. Oh well. At least I won’t be upset when I have a slow swim , I told myself. Everyone will! Brent’s wave left, and I plopped down on the beach to wait. I still had 30 minutes before my wave! Ugh! The worst part is the waiting! Can I go now? Now? How ’bout now? Finally, someone from my wave recognized me, and we started chatting. We’re both talkers and, unfortunately, I was ill-prepared when the gun went off. I wish I had been more focused! The Swim: I surged into the waves and dove into the water….way too early. Everyone else was still standing. It was difficult to swim in the shallow water and manuever around all the other legs. A giant wave pounded over me, and I came up coughing and sputtering. Dammit! At least I won’t need any extra electrolytes! I had been soundly humbled by the great majestic goddess, the Ocean. I started diving under wave after wave, swimming water-polo style out past the breakers….which took F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Then, finally, I started swimming, still gasping for breath, after working violently to fight the waves. The right side of my goggles was full of water. Ugh! Believe it or not, that’s the first time that’s ever happened to me! Feeling very protective of my contacts, I tried, futilely, to adjust my goggles. No good. They still leaked. Stupid goggles! Luckily, I swim equally well to both sides. I swam to the left side and focused on reaching the buoy. After much jostling, kicking, bumping, and dirty looks (sorry, gals, I didn’t mean to!), I turned past the first buoy, sighted and started swimming the shortest distance (a straight line) to the 2nd buoy. I wanted to draft sooo badly but all the other gals were swimming high. I had to decide: swim farther with a draft, or swim shorter without a draft. Maybe I should have opted for the former but I’m not the best at drafting so I opted for the latter. I turned past the 2nd buoy and began swimming in. After getting pummeled by that first wave, I was very cautious, overly so, and swam each stroke while looking back over my shoulder to make sure I didn’t get blindsided by a giant wave. The water got shallow very quickly, and I stood. It was still too deep to run efficiently, however, so I dolphin-dived into the next wave and body-surfed onto the beach. Way more fun! I then made my way to transition but not before being forced to run through deep sand for a 1/4 mile. Ugh!!! Huffing and puffing like a fat, out-of-shape smoker, I forced myself to do a pathetic jog into T1. I glanced at my watch. WTF? My swim was SO SLOW!!! Almost 15 minutes!!! I’ve never swam a 500 so slow in my life!!! (Later, after consulting with Brent and others, they all described similar times and experiences, making me feel a whole lot better). T1: I couldn’t find my bike. This has never happened to me before. I can’t believe I made such a rookie mistake! I was soundly humbled, yet again. I had erroneously relied on an orange cone by my rack as a marker but it had been moved!!! And some of the signs that labeled the racks had come down!!! I stood in the wrong rack, looking frantically around, thinking, Oh, my God. Someone stole my bike! I was about to have a hissy fit! Then, I looked 2 racks over and saw Torch, safely nestled among the other bike. I made my way over to him and shook my head in frustration as I put on my helmet, sunglasses, and shoes. I was very pissed at myself. On the bright side, my bike was one of the first out of my rack! Bike: I felt awesome. I hadn’t ridden all week, and my legs felt fresh. Hmmm. So this is what it feels like to have glycogen in your muscles. Since I had been one of the last waves to go, I enjoyed passing bike after bike on the course. Such a confidence boost! I worked very hard on the uphills and into the headwind, thoroughly enjoying how the aero helmet and race wheels sliced through the wind. Ahhhh, I’ve missed that. Time to take off the training wheels! After training on them for 6 months, it’s absolute heaven to switch to such light, aerodynamic wheels. And I feel so speedy! I reached the turn-around and cruised in the tailwind coming back momentarily. Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Three girls passed me. WTF? I guess I’d been daydreaming. Snapping back into it, I burned the engines and caught up to them. I need to focus more on the downhills and tailwinds on the bike! I work like a demon when it gets tough and then cruise on the easy parts. I trick myself into thinking, “This is fast enough. I’m going 20.” And that’s when I get passed. I got caught in a pack of girls and had a hard time getting around so as not to draft. We were all giving each other dirty looks; I know each of us was mad at the other for “drafting.” It’s so hard on a crowded course! Thankfully, a short, steep uphill loomed up ahead. Using all my hill training, I sprinted up the hill and surged ahead of the group. I wasn’t bothered by them again. Another gal in compression tights zipped by; I let her go but kept her in my sights. She was a very good cyclist. I observed how she conserved her energy on the hills and then let loose near the top, instead of powering down (like I do when I hit it too hard at the beginning of the hill). I cruised into T2 right behind her. My average was 18.8, faster than last year! I felt terrific. The Run: After a quick T2, I toiled up the long (only 1/4 mile) hill out of transition. A hill right off the bat? How cruel! I tried to settle in and let the jelly feeling work itself out of my legs. I knew it would get easier after the hill. Thankfully, by the top, my legs were feeling better and better. I picked up the tempo, grabbed a cup of water, gulped it down, and began accelerating. I was amazed at how good my legs were feeling all of a sudden. Must be all the 5K cross-country “races” I’ve been doing lately. My feet were light and quick; my legs springy. I passed tons of people, including the amazing cyclist I had tailed on the bike! My confidence, regained, I surged ahead. I focused on running just hard enough to make myself have to work; my breath was quick but still rhythmic, my legs quick and springy. When I would push too hard, my breath would become raspy and my legs would feel like noodles. I’d pull back a little, recover, and surge forward again. Oh, yeah. I love this part! It was actually a lot of fun. Running is my favorite. I surged down the finishing chute with as much kick as I could muster (not much), and then let the marines take my chip off (I knew if I bent over I would puke and pass out). According to my watch, I managed sub-8:00s (still waiting for the official splits). Total Time: 1:43:34 Aftermath: All in all, I had a FANTASTIC time. This was just what I needed to boost my confidence and get me back on track. Later, I found out I placed 4th in my AG! If I had been 1:06 faster, I could have medaled!!! I’ve never been so close to medaling before in San Diego. I’m super stoked! I know I could have gone a little over a minute faster! Last year, even though I was burnt out and didn’t care, my time was :20 faster. I need to be more focused at the start and more efficient in transitions. I guess I’ve let this slip because I keep telling myself transitions don’t matter in an Ironman but it all counts! This race was just about having fun, and I did that. However, if I’d worked just a little harder, I could have medaled! I want to try just a little bit harder next time. Be a little more focused. I think I could have earned that minute with a better swim and T1 and T2. I know it!

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Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon 2009 Race Report

Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon 2009 Race Report

http://www.camppendletonraces.com/sprint.html I took a hard recovery week last week. I was annihilated after my grueling 3-week “Final Push” block. Of course, in addition to resting, I was starving and exhausted, causing me to eat and sleep constantly. And, I was having the PMS week from hell. It was “the Perfect Storm”. On Wednesday, I tried in vain to do masters swim. I got there late (unable to wake up on time) and feeling the size of a runty mouse. Overwhelmed by the 9, aggressive guys in lane 2 that I normally swim in, I slipped into the slow lane since there was only 1 other girl there, and started swimming. I wanted to swim with Brent, but he had been moved to an even faster lane. Which further deflated me. I forced my groggy arms to turn over in the water. I kicked my sluggish legs. After 1,000 meters, I’ll feel better , I told myself. Like I always do. But I didn’t. I felt worse and worse. And worse. After 2,000 meters, I got out. Sickie came over and asked what I was doing. “I feel like crap.” “That’s weird.” “It’s a recovery week. I’m coming off a big-volume week.” “Normally, you feel better the farther you swim.” “Not today. I feel worse the farther I swim.” “Huh. That’s weird.” Panic rose in my throat. Great. That made me feel a lot better. As if sensing my unease, Sickie reassured me, “Don’t worry. You’ll recover by race day.” I ran off to the locker room and once nestled safely inside, found a private shower stall, locked myself inside, and started sobbing. Brent later asked Sickie if he had seen me. “She got out early. She didn’t feel well.” “I’ll have to give her crap about that,”Brent teased. Sickie, normally always joking and poking fun, just shook his head, “No…no. I wouldn’t do that….not a good idea.” Thanks, Sickie! Nice to know someone’s got my back. That pretty much is a perfect example of how I felt all week. A basketcase. Ranting, raving, crying, depressed, hungry, tired, exhausted. Partly because I was so tired from all the training and partly because I couldn’t work out as much. I didn’t have my outlet. Whenever my training dips below 8-10 hours a week, watch out! I become a bear. After complaining to Brent that I sucked and was slow and worthless and should just quit the sport of triathlon all together, I packed my gear bag and put on Torch’s race wheels to prepare for the Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon . In the back of my head, I perked up. Maybe this was just the confidence booster I needed. I was well rested and needed something fun and easy to tackle. I had done this race at the end of the season last year , burnt out and without heart. In actuality, I had just wanted to sleep in that day. It would be fun to do it this year full of enthusiasm. I hadn’t raced since California 70.3 in April; I was raring to go. I found a great spot in transition, unpacked, met up with Brent and some other buddies and walked down to the beach for a practice swim. I felt calm, relaxed, and excited. Such a nice change from years prior where I was so nervous, I thought I would throw up! I chattered nonstop to my friends. “I’m really fast on this course,” I babbled, full of confidence, a complete 180 from the day before. Everyone looked at me with amusement. “Is that so?” they replied. I hushed up, feeling embarrassed. Now, I’d have to work even harder so as not to eat my cocky words. As we swam out for the practice swim, I was rudely reminded of how choppy and violent the waves are on Camp Pendleton. This would not be easy , I thought to myself. We watched the first waves go; it took them a looong time to swim to the first buoy. Oh well. At least I won’t be upset when I have a slow swim , I told myself. Everyone will! Brent’s wave left, and I plopped down on the beach to wait. I still had 30 minutes before my wave! Ugh! The worst part is the waiting! Can I go now? Now? How ’bout now? Finally, someone from my wave recognized me, and we started chatting. We’re both talkers and, unfortunately, I was ill-prepared when the gun went off. I wish I had been more focused! The Swim: I surged into the waves and dove into the water….way too early. Everyone else was still standing. It was difficult to swim in the shallow water and manuever around all the other legs. A giant wave pounded over me, and I came up coughing and sputtering. Dammit! At least I won’t need any extra electrolytes! I had been soundly humbled by the great majestic goddess, the Ocean. I started diving under wave after wave, swimming water-polo style out past the breakers….which took F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Then, finally, I started swimming, still gasping for breath, after working violently to fight the waves. The right side of my goggles was full of water. Ugh! Believe it or not, that’s the first time that’s ever happened to me! Feeling very protective of my contacts, I tried, futilely, to adjust my goggles. No good. They still leaked. Stupid goggles! Luckily, I swim equally well to both sides. I swam to the left side and focused on reaching the buoy. After much jostling, kicking, bumping, and dirty looks (sorry, gals, I didn’t mean to!), I turned past the first buoy, sighted and started swimming the shortest distance (a straight line) to the 2nd buoy. I wanted to draft sooo badly but all the other gals were swimming high. I had to decide: swim farther with a draft, or swim shorter without a draft. Maybe I should have opted for the former but I’m not the best at drafting so I opted for the latter. I turned past the 2nd buoy and began swimming in. After getting pummeled by that first wave, I was very cautious, overly so, and swam each stroke while looking back over my shoulder to make sure I didn’t get blindsided by a giant wave. The water got shallow very quickly, and I stood. It was still too deep to run efficiently, however, so I dolphin-dived into the next wave and body-surfed onto the beach. Way more fun! I then made my way to transition but not before being forced to run through deep sand for a 1/4 mile. Ugh!!! Huffing and puffing like a fat, out-of-shape smoker, I forced myself to do a pathetic jog into T1. I glanced at my watch. WTF? My swim was SO SLOW!!! Almost 15 minutes!!! I’ve never swam a 500 so slow in my life!!! (Later, after consulting with Brent and others, they all described similar times and experiences, making me feel a whole lot better). T1: I couldn’t find my bike. This has never happened to me before. I can’t believe I made such a rookie mistake! I was soundly humbled, yet again. I had erroneously relied on an orange cone by my rack as a marker but it had been moved!!! And some of the signs that labeled the racks had come down!!! I stood in the wrong rack, looking frantically around, thinking, Oh, my God. Someone stole my bike! I was about to have a hissy fit! Then, I looked 2 racks over and saw Torch, safely nestled among the other bike. I made my way over to him and shook my head in frustration as I put on my helmet, sunglasses, and shoes. I was very pissed at myself. On the bright side, my bike was one of the first out of my rack! Bike: I felt awesome. I hadn’t ridden all week, and my legs felt fresh. Hmmm. So this is what it feels like to have glycogen in your muscles. Since I had been one of the last waves to go, I enjoyed passing bike after bike on the course. Such a confidence boost! I worked very hard on the uphills and into the headwind, thoroughly enjoying how the aero helmet and race wheels sliced through the wind. Ahhhh, I’ve missed that. Time to take off the training wheels! After training on them for 6 months, it’s absolute heaven to switch to such light, aerodynamic wheels. And I feel so speedy! I reached the turn-around and cruised in the tailwind coming back momentarily. Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Three girls passed me. WTF? I guess I’d been daydreaming. Snapping back into it, I burned the engines and caught up to them. I need to focus more on the downhills and tailwinds on the bike! I work like a demon when it gets tough and then cruise on the easy parts. I trick myself into thinking, “This is fast enough. I’m going 20.” And that’s when I get passed. I got caught in a pack of girls and had a hard time getting around so as not to draft. We were all giving each other dirty looks; I know each of us was mad at the other for “drafting.” It’s so hard on a crowded course! Thankfully, a short, steep uphill loomed up ahead. Using all my hill training, I sprinted up the hill and surged ahead of the group. I wasn’t bothered by them again. Another gal in compression tights zipped by; I let her go but kept her in my sights. She was a very good cyclist. I observed how she conserved her energy on the hills and then let loose near the top, instead of powering down (like I do when I hit it too hard at the beginning of the hill). I cruised into T2 right behind her. My average was 18.8, faster than last year! I felt terrific. The Run: After a quick T2, I toiled up the long (only 1/4 mile) hill out of transition. A hill right off the bat? How cruel! I tried to settle in and let the jelly feeling work itself out of my legs. I knew it would get easier after the hill. Thankfully, by the top, my legs were feeling better and better. I picked up the tempo, grabbed a cup of water, gulped it down, and began accelerating. I was amazed at how good my legs were feeling all of a sudden. Must be all the 5K cross-country “races” I’ve been doing lately. My feet were light and quick; my legs springy. I passed tons of people, including the amazing cyclist I had tailed on the bike! My confidence, regained, I surged ahead. I focused on running just hard enough to make myself have to work; my breath was quick but still rhythmic, my legs quick and springy. When I would push too hard, my breath would become raspy and my legs would feel like noodles. I’d pull back a little, recover, and surge forward again. Oh, yeah. I love this part! It was actually a lot of fun. Running is my favorite. I surged down the finishing chute with as much kick as I could muster (not much), and then let the marines take my chip off (I knew if I bent over I would puke and pass out). According to my watch, I managed sub-8:00s (still waiting for the official splits). Total Time: 1:43:34 Aftermath: All in all, I had a FANTASTIC time. This was just what I needed to boost my confidence and get me back on track. Later, I found out I placed 4th in my AG! If I had been 1:06 faster, I could have medaled!!! I’ve never been so close to medaling before in San Diego. I’m super stoked! I know I could have gone a little over a minute faster! Last year, even though I was burnt out and didn’t care, my time was :20 faster. I need to be more focused at the start and more efficient in transitions. I guess I’ve let this slip because I keep telling myself transitions don’t matter in an Ironman but it all counts! This race was just about having fun, and I did that. However, if I’d worked just a little harder, I could have medaled! I want to try just a little bit harder next time. Be a little more focused. I think I could have earned that minute with a better swim and T1 and T2. I know it!

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Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon 2009 Race Report

People are People and Why There's No Such Thing as an A…

This continued for the next six miles and then a STP (Super Triathlon Person) passed me and told me my rear memory lock was loose. Huh? I looked down and back and the lock that holds my rear axle in place was indeed loose. …

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People are People and Why There's No Such Thing as an A…

Combating GI Distress

Because I suffer from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), it comes to no surprise that I commonly deal with GI distress when racing or training, in particular, on the run. Turns, out I’m not alone. Over 63% of athletes share this problem. Because I’ve had to deal with it on almost a daily basis, my stomach and I are much better prepared (trained?) on race day. Here are some tips: Before Race Day: Search for the Perfect Sports Drink Gatorade is often a bad recipe for people with sensitive tummies. Search for a sports drink with maltodextrin instead of simple sugars. Avoid drinks with fructose as this has been proven to cause stomach upset. It seems that when you mix different chain length carbohydrates in the sports drink, you can absorb a higher concentration without GI upset (probably because there are more receptors available for the different sugars, as opposed to saturating a single receptor with only 1 sugar). Some people like Carbo Pro. I really love Infinit ( http://www.infinitnutrition.com/ ) because you can customize the drink to your needs (# of calories, strength of taste, amino acids, protein, electrolytes, etc.). Train Your Stomach During Training You’re not just training your muscles and heart; you’re training your GI system as well. To toughen up to the jostling while continuing to absorb and digest food with less blood. Practice what you will eat and drink on race day. Practice the amount and frequency. Then, once you have it dialed in, all you have to do is repeat what you know works in training on race day. If you do have GI upset during training, keep going. It will give you really good practice for how to handle it on race day. Eat Healthy Meals 48 Hours Prior to Race Day Be very conscious about what you’re putting in your bellies. That means no roadside Joe’s Taco Shop stands. Avoid foods high in fiber and fat. Go for things high in carbohydrates (although be aware that too much of this can cause bloating). Things I like are chicken, fish, lean beef, white rice, cantaloupe, cereal, bread, nonfat yogurt, bananas, and other easily digestable foods. Go with foods you know have worked for you in the past. Eat light, frequent meals. Don’t try to “carbo load” only 1-2 days in advance (proper carbo loading takes 1-2 weeks and doesn’t involve over-eating). Eat Breakfast (but not too big) It’s important to replace our glycogen stores that are used up while we sleep. However, a 300 calorie meal will suffice. Avoid the pancakes, bacon and eggs. Go for easily digestable foods like cereal with skim milk, bananas, or a bagel with peanut butter. If you’re still having a hard time getting it down (most people with sensitive stomachs have a hard time with breakfast in the wee morning hours before a race–this is often due to excess acid), try liquid calories. If you’re still having a hard time, pop an antacid like Pepcid or Tums to see if that helps. During the Race: Eat/Drink Little and Often It’s easier to absorb small amounts of liquids and foods frequently. Try to drink every 10 minutes or so. Most importantly, follow the plan you worked out in training. Mix Solids with Liquids In an Ironman, my stomach has a hard time with liquids all day. I feel better ingesting some solid foods at some point during race day. Sounds counterintuitive but it works. I think the solids (e.g. PB&J) help sop up the acid produced in the gut. For some, the opposite is true and they do better with only solids. You need to practice and experiment in training to get it all nailed down. Always Drink Lots of Water with Solids and Salt You need water to digest food. Popping a GU or salt tab without chasing it with 8 ounces of water is a recipe for stomach upset. Keep Water Separate from Calories GI distress can be a sign of dehydration. The last thing I want to do when my stomach hurts is drink nasty sports drink. I always keep my sports drink in a more concentrated form and chase it with a shot of water (in my aero bottle–I refill at aid stations). On the run, my cocentrated sports drink is in my fuel bottle and I chase it with a cup of water at aid stations. That way, I can customize as I go. If my tummy gets too full, I cut back on the sports drink and up the water. Or vice versa. But I’m never “forced” to drink sports drink when I really want water. Avoid Caffeine Caffeine is known to cause stomach upset. I normally drink coffee but not before a race because it overstimulates my gut. If it’s late in the day on a long race and my tummy feels go, I might take some in the form of Cliff Blocks (since 1 block of Orange = 1/3 a cup of coffee so it’s more easily regulated). When Your Stomach Acts Up: Listen Take care of it earlier, rather than later. Mild symptoms will become worse and are much harder to reverse when the GI distress has progressed from yellow to red. Pop Some Pills Practice in training so you know how you respond. However, don’t be afraid to down 2-4 Tums or Gas-X. Do it earlier, rather than later. Remember, you will have to wait 15-20 minutes for a benefit (luckily it should take effect sooner since our blood is flowing and our heart rates are up). Other meds that have been heaven-sent for me include Bean-O, Pepcid, and Immodium. Avoid Advil or Ibuprofen–this is really hard on the stomach. Slow Down The blood is shunted to your muscles and away from your gut when running, making it more difficult to digest food. If there is stuff in your gut (i.e. GUs, gels, etc.), this makes it difficult to digest. First thing to do when your tummy begins to rumble is slow down. Sometimes it just needs a little time to process the GU you just slammed. Also, when we race, we often go faster then in training. Often, this causes a surprise GI upset. Just be aware if your stomach starts complaining on race day but was quiet in training, it may be because of your adrenaline-spiked speed. Drink and Eat More Sounds counterintuitive but GI upset is the first sign of dehydration. I force down some water and liquid calories at the first sign of a rumble and wait 5 minutes. If I feel worse, I try something else. 9 times out of 10, however, my stomach feels better. Go to the Bathroom Much better to get it over with and out of your system and go on with your race than to hold it and suffer for hours on end. Often, once relieved, your stomach will settle down. Overall, I have to say that triathlon and exercise have improved my IBS symptoms on a day-to-day basis. And, my stomach has gotten “tougher” in training and in races because I’m so used to dealing with it. I can recognize the early signs and correct them before it gets out of hand. This may actually be an advantage for me in really hard conditions, like heat, where everyone comes down with GI problems. Other athletes who’ve never had stomach upset don’t know what to do. I, however, knew what to do 30 miles ago. Sometimes, I think it’s my body’s way of signaling to me that something is amiss (like with my pace or nutrition). Some people get calf cramps; I get GI distress. Links on Running and GI Distress: http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/nutrition/tri-gut-check-avoiding-race-day-gi-distress-001358.php http://www.poweringmuscles.com/article.php?id=65 http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/Overcoming_Athletic_GI_Distress.htm

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Combating GI Distress