IMCdA aquabike. Report is longer than my race.

My A race going into the season was IMTX however after a cold-induced fatigue funk and poor Oceanside showing, I decided IMCdA would allow me more time to prepare. I don't regret that decision one bit.

My preparation for IMCdA was by far the best I have ever had going into an Ironman. Kevin, you work magic! Bike power was solid and I logged over a dozen 2hr runs. Swim was in maintenance mode but I wasn't looking to win the swim. My goal was to have a solid smart race and I truly believe if I was able to do that a Kona spot would be in reach. I have been within 90 seconds of that golden ticket and going into this race I felt prepared to take it to the next level.

Race week

On Friday I started to get total body muscle cramps. That night I was breaking out in cold sweats. I tried to keep the positive MOJO flowing so chalked it up to caffeine withdrawal. The night before the race I was up with a dry cough that I convinced myself was dry air or allergies.

Swim 60:xx

This was the best part of the day. My buddy and teammate, Andrew, and I started together and came out of lap 1 side by side. Felt like team ITU racing. Fist bump and we were back at it for lap 2!

This is where my day started to unravel. Cough came back with a vengeance. I was having trouble keeping my breathing consistent and then came a wicked headache.

Bike

Immediately my power was down. Felt like a struggle to push my goal power. I kept telling myself that it would come because I've had similar feelings in the past and after a bit my power would be up. I dialed it back slightly and stuck with my hydration and nutrition plan. Things seemed to be on the up when the gradual climbs felt ok. I was staying hydrated and had a good pee. Around mile 45 stomach cramping started then up it all came. Vomited breakfast (eaten 3.5 hrs before race start) and 2 bottles of coke all over my right leg and right arm. M2 rinses off well BTW. Trying to give my stomach a rest I got out of aero and didn't take in anything for about 30 mins. Still cramping I needed to get something in or I would be done regardless so I tried water. Up it came. A gel, up it came. More time then tried again. Same results. My friend and coach, Kevin, passed around mile 60 and despite his encouragement I had nothing left. My stomach shut down, my legs felt like jello, and my entire body felt achy. I entertained the thought of lying on the side of the road to rest and then try again, but it didn't seem worth the risk. So, I decided to head for the hotel, feeling defeated and shameful.

Right around this time I saw Andrew riding on the run course and I rode on over (yes this is how we got 4min/mile run splits). He had crashed and had abrasions all over him and a busted up bike. I felt broken and the sight of Andrew literally broken made me want to tear up (which I actually did when I found out Kevin had to pull out too).

Keeping perspective can be hard when so much is dedicated to a single day, aiming for one shot at perfection. It turns that I was sick with a virus from before the start of the race. It's been a week of fevers, night sweats, coughing and green phlegm. I'm just now getting over this. It wasn't the heat or race nutrition related stomach issues. My immune system was very likely compromised from a combination of any or all of these factors: dropping too much weight too fast, excessive heat training, sick exposures at work and working night shifts. Wouldn't have started if I was feverish on race morning. I feel fortunate I was able to toe in at all.

Thanks for all the love and support! I'm grinding my teeth thinking of my next plan of attack!

Best,

Jan

Oceanside Race Report 2015

Goals

#1 Have fun.

Check! Had a blast racing with old and new friends!  

#2 Have a well paced run.

Not even close.  Cramp city

Swim 29:28

Started off steady, not hard, and got into a groove. At the turnaround ran into a bottle neck of previous waves which turned the swim into a slalom. Sun on the way back also made sighting tricky. My swim yards are down this year, YTD averaging 8500 yards/week, so happy with an easy sub 30.  

T1  4:08 (lost about a min on my closest competitors)

LG suit sleeves tough to put on when wet which is where I likely lost my time.   Noticed lots of triforce guys swimming with octane sleeves up. Will try sleeves on for the swim.

Bike 2:28:xx

Started off super easy to bring hr down.

Around mile 4 things got interesting. Massive bump launched all 3 of my bike bottles (2 UCAN, 1 Water) in what seemed like slow motion. I didn't hear any crashes behind me but I sure hope I didn't hurt anyone. Thought about turning around but stupidly didn't. At the time it seemed dangerous to slow down and try to retrieve a bunch of bottles. UCAN'T drink it if you don't have it.  This has never happened on any of my training rides.  My solution was to bum a gel off another athlete. Soon I rode up along Sven who handed me a delicious piece of chocolate cake. Thanks Sven!

I realized I had some time till the first aid station around mile 14 where I could get some goodies so I kept it easygoing.  Over an hour without hydration was not the start to my race I had in mind.  I restocked with water and Gatorade and carefully tried to catch up on my hydration. In total I had 4-5 salt tabs, 4 bottles of water, 2 bottles of Gatorade (320 calories), 1 gel (100 calories), and 1/2 peice of chocolate cake (delicious calories).  Breaks down to 210ish calories/hr.  Actually felt fine with that, even on the run, however I don't think I would have been able to sustain that approach for a full IM.  Energy level wise no bonk but not ideal and not enough hydration.  

Best Bike Split projection at 80% FTP 2:24:xx at 256 avg power, 266NP, 0.79IF.

Actual time  2:28:xx, 231 avg power, 254NP, 0.77 IF,  144 avg hr.

Yes the Dimond is fast!  Dragging my fat ass around that hilly course in under 2:30:xx at 231watts is ridiculous!

Power was closer to that of a full IM and it felt easy.  Although I would have liked to have pushed it harder I also felt strongly about sticking to my power caps and coasting on descents to set up for my goal of a strong second half run. Found it challenging keeping my average power up without going over caps given multiple no pass zones, speed limits and lots of congestion on the road from previous waves.

T2  3:00 (very close to my competitors)

Run 1:37:xx Cramp city

Started out around 6:50 and this felt slow but I held back knowing things would change soon. At mile 5 I started to get hamstring cramps that worsened with each mile.  Never had leg cramping issues before and I'm fairly certain it was related to my lack of hydration and diet/nutrition.  Some fun blisters in Hoka Cliftons (for me a narrow toe box). These didn't pop up in training but wet socks, sweaty feet contributed.  I slowed to a shuffle between cramps and foot issues.  Given the amount I held back on the bike I am fairly disappointed in my run, my slowest HIM run since 2012. Going into race day I thought if I held back on the bike I could blast out a 1:26:xx.  Typical statement of an overzealous triathlete but we gotta aim high right?   Although I would like to point at hydration/nutrition/fatigue/being distracted by beautiful scenery as my excuses I believe at the root of it is a need for more mental toughness.  This shit is hard and is going to hurt!  Excited to make some changes and get back at it!

Total time 4:42:xx

A note on diet

7-10 days leading into the race I experimented with high fat, low carb diet in an effort to maximize my fat burning efficiently.  I loved the diet and felt my appetite was easy to control and my energy levels were very consistent.  I read and heard some athletes have issues with low sodium and cramps on this diet so I was supplementing sodium in the form of bouillon cubes.  

Takeaways

• Embrace the suck!
• Strongly consider going back for dropped nutrition and I need to find a reliable nutrition plan
• Cramps are real and can hurt (first experience with true leg cramps)
• Caution with diet changes before a race... duh!!!  Would like to do more strenuous and longer training days on the high fat low carb diet to see if the cramping I experienced was related to the diet or poor race day fueling/hydration.
• Do bike shakeout in morning the day before the race.  Allow for time to make small fixes. I did my easy ride in the afternoon and found I had a touch of rear brake rub that wasn't present during my last ride prior to leaving for So Cal.

Victoria 70.3

So the Dimond arrived about 2 weeks ago.  I must admit that I was nervous racing with only about 60miles of training on the new set up.  Folsom long course aqua bike, a week out, was a good final prep to nail down the seat height, other small adjustments, and nutrition to make sure things were good for the race.

The decision to race Victoria half ironman was a bit last minute.  Once I got the bike I got really motivated to get out and race. Victoria happened to be the only championship qualifying race that fit my work schedule prior to our trip to Spain in July. Having a sponsor is super cool but it also adds pressure to get out there and kick ass and race against the best. 

Leading into the race I wasn't sure what to expect.  My training this past spring was absolute rubbish.  With getting sick multiple times, wife's family visit, and working way to much I wasn't able to build up the fitness I usually have going into a race.  Last time I ran more than 10 miles before race day was in Arizona 7 months ago.

My goal was a top 5 in my age group(check) and to qualify for the half ironman championship(check).  I knew I wasn't going to set any records which in a way helped keep me from going out way too fast in each leg of the race.

The Ruster Sport crew came up with an amazing bike case, The Hen House, for traveling so I can just fly with my bike rather than shipping it around.  This is great because in the past I had to ship it out at least a week before and it usually cost $300.  The Dimond packs better than any bike I have ever had, leaving tons of room for other gear in the Hen House.

So here we go…

Pre-race Nutrition
No salad and minimal fiber starting 48hrs out

3hrs before race

Banana, Boost, 2 Rice cakes

2hrs before Starbucks double shot

1hr out sipped on Gatorade 

Air horn sounds!!

Swim 27:36

The swim was my fastest to date and the new Roka wetsuit fit great!  It really helps coming out of the water near the front.  Based on my Garmin distance and pro times it looks like it wasn't a "short swim"

Bike 2:29:xx
NP 265, Avg HR 144

The Dimond bike is ridiculous!  It is crazy fast but more importantly I feel really comfortable on it.  Biking is my strength but I didn't want to over do it and have nothing left for the run.  The course consisted of 2 hilly laps and being a beefcake (particular beefier than usual) I knew my weight would be a big limiter with all the climbing. I held back on the first lap, got in a groove then picked it up for lap 2. I passed tons of people on lap 2 that went out way to hard at the beginning.

Run 1:32:xx

The run was tough as expected but I tried to keep  6:50min miles which felt good till mile 10. I suffered through the last 3 miles and just missed out on 4th place.  

Looking a wee bit soft in the middle

Total 4:32:xx

Overall I am very happy with my day. Given my current fitness I couldn't have asked for more. It's kinda cool that smarts and experience helped make up for my less than ideal fitness. 

Key Points


Swim Keys

- good wetsuit fit

- training with sim shorts

- pull with paddles to keep arm muscular endurance up

- 100s for time to keep speed up

Overall my 2 HIM swims this past week we improved from priors despite considerably less pool time

Bike Keys

- comfortable fit

- drilling race power leading into the race

- holding back the first half (this will be super important going forward)

- nutrition: gel 20-15 min (start and end with less), 2.5 bottles water (go with feel. Don't take in to much)

Run Keys

- Newton Distance with Dust (lots) and Silk spray.  No socks

- Coke sips. Nutrition wasn't a limiter this time around!

- drilling race intensity leading into race

- will add box jumps to try and improve last race leg fatigue/aching

Now time to get back to solid training.  Pumped to bring the ruckus come 70.3 Worlds!!!

Billy Jean King on Visualization

Billy Jean King is a tennis legend and champion of gender equality

Below is an except from an NPR interview.

"Visualization I really used a lot. I use - I use to think about everything that could go wrong and then try to picture myself how I would react to it or how I'd respond to it. For instance, with the wind blowing, like last week at the U.S. Open it was really windy, and it was so hard on the players. So I always thought about the wind. I thought about the sun. I thought about bad line calls. I thought about rain if we had to wait, things that were probably out of my control, and how would I respond to them.

And I would think about how I wanted to act. Like they teach in acting, act as if, it's the same thing in sports. Do you stand up straight? Do you have your body language speaking in a confident way? Physically do you - how do you think - because 75 percent of the time when you're on the court, you're actually not hitting a ball, and I think that's where the champions come through.  So I would visualize all these different possibilities."

Her words struck a cord in many ways... in my life as a physician, as an athlete, and in my family. The first thing I thought of was my life in the emergency department.  Each day is something new and I never know what will come through the sliding doors next. Visualization is one of the most important ways we as emergency medicine physicians learn and prepare. As resident physicians we constantly had algorithms drilled into our heads to help visualize real situations in the ER.   

Attending: "Ventricular tachycardia!" 

Resident:  Stable or unstable?

Attending: "Unstable!"

Resident:  "Shock!"

The list of split second decision drills goes on indefinitely and their importance cannot be stressed enough.  Being a ER doctor is not just memorizing algorithms but we use them because quite simply they save lives.

In triathlon goggles get knocked off, tires go flat, and thighs chaff.   Make no mistake shit happens.  The phrase "don't worry about things you cannot control" goes out the window.  How we prepare for what we cannot control allows us to succeed when things go wrong or are unexpected.  Just as I cannot control what illness or injury my next patient might suffer from I can control how I treat them through hard work, constant learning, and diligent preparation.

My wife often talks about how her mother did her best to teach her children the importance of body language.  My wife every once in a while shares this with me.  "Stand up Straight" my mother in law would often say.  "Look your best at all times because you never know who you will run into" is one of my favorites.  My usual reply is "who cares who I run into", but this is short sighted and misses the point.  The point is true excellence is a habit and must be practiced with each movement and each decision.

Yes there are things we cannot control but it's how we respond to what happens that make us who we are.

The entire King interview is powerful in ways well beyond what I have discussed above touching on topics I don't dare dive into in a triathlon blog.  Well worth a listen if you are so inclined.

Fueling Window- Busting up the Bonk

Puking up a Bonk Break (ironic) on the IMAZ run  has become a theme

All 3 Ironmans I have done were slowed down by run bonks

If I'm gonna race to my potential I need to work on fueling!

Below is an excerpt from THE TRIATHLON FUELING WINDOW by Jesse Kropelnicki

"We’ve proven this concept year after year with some of the fastest run splits across the age group, and PRO levels, including multiple athletes running sub 3:00 and over 27 Kona qualifiers last year. Our athletes have trained themselves to hit the run better fueled than almost all other athletes on the course…..this is the “secret” to how we do it. This is one of our most important concepts used to get results. The primary issue that athletes have with the higher carb approach, if they have any, is that they don’t practice it seriously enough. This would be like doing an Ironman without training at all, and then after DNFing the race saying, Ironman isn’t for me. To be done right, fueling needs to be practiced day in and day out, every single session from 30 minute recovery runs to 6 hour rides – EVERY SINGLE TIME! If it’s a warmer weather race, and you are a heavy sweater, you should likely be drinking 3 to 4 24oz bottles of Powerbar Perform every hour in training. Yes, this is overdoing it, but it takes nutrition off the table as a limiter on race day – you’ve trained yourself to handle more than your body requires, thereby improving your “fueling window”. I can honestly say that I have never seen an athlete who practices their fueling properly have lingering issues on race day. Some need to practice harder and longer than others."

Things I have done to tackle this / Things I need to do to get better

Coke on the run and training leading up to race / Drink more coke (when running!) Can also drink water to get stomach used to liquids.  

Gel every 15-20min on MXOG and long rides/ Take gels while going hard and drink Perform

Summary of things to work on

-Drink with every run

-Gel every 15min and sports drink while going hard on bike (not between sets.  Smack in the middle)

I

IRONMAN ARIZONA - November 17, 2013

09:25:24 (swim 1:00, bike 4:46, run 3:32)
5th in 30-34 age group and 68th overall

I have heard over and over that Ironman is all mental toughness and that never felt more true than on race day.

In the end I fell short of qualifying for Kona by 95 seconds. This year there were only 3 spots in my age group.  Really sucks for the guy in 4th place. Just gotta go faster!

Although missing a Kona spot is disappointing I still feel proud of my effort.  There is always room for improvement and I'll keep chasing the Hawaii dream...after I have refueled with Thanksgiving goodness.

Swim 1:00:56  (~5 min faster than 2012)

Blue Seventy Helix 2nd generation, B70 Vision grey lens  (baby shampoo rinse)

Lined up 2nd row middle

Went out hard breathing every 6th stroke

Got some distance from the mob fairly quickly and it was easy to get in a groove of breathing every 3rd stroke

Older wetsuit felt great.  I have heard they "dont break in" but the new suits I have tried are not anywhere near as flex

T1 3:45 (~2 min faster than 2012)

Bike 4:46:39 (~4 min faster than 2012)
Cervelo P5-6
Front  Zipp 404 with 23mm Conti GP4000s and latex tube @100-105 psi, rear Zipp super 9   23mm Conti GP4000s and latex tube @105-110 psi 
Aerobar bottle holder, rear bottle holder 
Flat kit in bag between seat and rear bottle

extra tube under seat

Goal NP was 235 and I was considering this "holding back"

Lap1 went well  maybe slightly overbiked 

AP240 NP242 HR145

Lap2 AP222 NP224 HR148

Started having trouble taking in my nutrition 

I didn't start to drink Perform sports drink till lap2 because in IMC It made me feel crazy bloated.  I Still think this was a good idea to hold off on the Perform but need to focus on taking in more gels.  They sit better for me.

Lap3 AP203 NP207 HR149

Pee break down the hill (do everything while moving)

The wind picked up and my HR was going up and up

Decided to pull back on the power and try to get my HR down so I could take in more nutrition.  The higher my HR the tougher it is for me to digest gels and energy drinks.  By slowing down on lap3 I was trying to prevent a bonk early on the run

Power Avg 223 
NP 227
HR Avg 147
Cad Avg 89











T2 1:22 (~same as 2012)

Run  3:32:42 (~9 min faster than 2012)
Newton Distance w socks and silk dust 

Was aiming for a 3:20 at a 7:35ish pace

Miles 1-9 went surprisingly well and I was believing in my plan to take the last part of the bike easy.

Seeing my mom near mile 4 gave me a big boost then when I came up to mile 5 someone shouted out, "You're first in your age group!"

I made a strong effort to keep my pace near 7:35 despite feeling really frisky but as the run progressed my HR started to drop into the 140s and taking in coke became harder and harder.  I was bonking and was convinced my day was over. The pace bottomed out at 9:10 at mile 16. I was puking up bits of the sole bonk bar I ate 3 hours earlier on the bike in hopes of getting some dense calories. Shortly after making room in my stomach I came up to my mom again wich gave me a little lift but I was still struggling. As I came up to the TirForce aid station I saw Kevin Coady, the Man, the Legend. He screamed words of encouragement, "you're doing awesome just don't stop!"  Such simple words yet they were 100% spot on.  I was doing awesome and all I needed to do was keep going.  As far as I knew only one AGer passed me (in reality it was 4) so I said to myself "I'm not out of this yet. Keep taking punches and push on forward. They are going to have to rip this from my dead hands."  I forced down coke when I could and gradually tried to pull back some time without going over the edge. As much I as wanted to go sub 7 that last mile I had nothing more to give.

Crossing the finish line was awesome, but I could not help but feel disappointed in my run. I fought back but it was more like I was trying to just survive rather than hunting like a champion.  From now on I want to hunt like a champion!

Pace 8:07 
HR Avg 153
Cad Avg 96 

Splits

1	7:17.9
2	7:38.8
3	7:34.8
4	7:36.7
5	7:37.4
6	7:37.6
7	7:35.7
8	7:38.9
9	7:42.0
10	8:02.8
11	7:58.9
12	8:30.8
13	8:28.2
14	8:32.5
15	8:48.7
16	9:10.4
17	8:41.0
18	8:29.8
19	8:37.5
20	8:23.6
21	8:20.4
22	8:19.3
23	8:26.6
24	8:06.5
25	8:17.1
26	7:52.8

Total Time 9:25:24