Philip’s Impressive Ironman PR

In his sixth Ironman, Philip PR’d by over an hour!  Here’s how he did it:

Ironman Louisville ‘09

At a bit of a loss as to what to write about this race and this season. My blog has a lot of the details as far as numbers go. And I have a lot of numbers from Louisville (pronounced ‘LuhVul’, as one syllable). But those don’t really tell the whole story.

The days leading up to the race were uneventful and went well. No real stresses. Being my 6th IM, and having a fair amount of confidence I was well prepared for this one, helped quite a bit.

Got to Lou Thursday evening. My buddy Wes was already there. Keri came in on Saturday with good friends of ours, Megan and Erik. The rest of the F4 folks were already there. Got settled in and relaxed. On Friday, did all the race check in stuff, blah, blah, blah, put on numbers, got weighed, etc etc

Let’s just jump to Race Day shall we

Swim :
In line a little before 6 and was a good 1/2 mile from the swim start down the line. Ugh. In the dark on the sidewalk, no facilities. IM really needs to address the logistics of this swim start. The line moved fast once the cannon went off and I was in the water ~ 7:30am.

The swim felt long, but really was uneventful. I did get a kick to the jumblies that hurt quite a bit, but did my best to shake it off and keep swimming. Actually, it was a real ouch. But what are you going to do, just keep swimming. My mind wanted to wander and I found myself dreaming of “fast finish times”. I’d catch this and give myself a mental slap on the wrist and remind myself to stay in my box, focus on what I can control.

Eventually, I made it to the steps. 1:11 something. No biggie, got up, took off to T1

Got through T1 as relaxed and quick as I could. Took some extra time to sunscreen and was off. One the way out, to the mount line, I heard my folks yell. I ran back a gave them hugs and kisses. They have always supported me with this crazy sport. They were there for my first IM, which was a tough day, and it was good to have them there for this one.

Bike:
Started out easy and brought it down a notch. Not a lot to say here. Just tried to keep things under control for the first few hours. The bike course was very pretty, lots of green, grass, trees, rolling farm land. Since I started so far back in the field there were lots of folks to pass. Aside from a few folks refusing to ride to the right (I don’t understand why this is so hard for some people to do), the traffic wasn’t that bad. I didn’t see much drafting going on either which is a nice change from the last few ironmans I’ve been at.

Things were going smooth until about mile 80. I noticed my stomach was a little upset and taking in more calories seem to make it worse. I was on the back side of the LaGrange loop and headed home at this point. I knew the course was pretty friendly here and originally had planned to pick up the effort here. But with this stomach thing going on, I went to plan ‘B’. Plan ‘B’ in this case was to shut it down and soft pedal home. I sipped water and rolled along as easy as I could. I hit my target power numbers going up the hills, but then let off the gas for the downs and flats. I kept telling myself that the race didn’t start until mile 18 of the marathon. I was hard to let my “fast finish” plan go, but the day is bigger than bike split.

The last 10 miles felt like they took forever, but eventually, I rolled into T2 with a bike PR and my stomach in decent shape. I was, however, super stiff. My neck and upper back were killing me from all that time in the aero bars. (Note for the future, this is an aerobar course for sure, the hills are plentiful, but fast).

T2: I wasn’t sure how this was going to go. I was moving very slow off the bike and walked to my transition bag. Into the tent for a costume change, med tent for ibuprofen for my sore neck, and a stop at the blue closet. 8 + minutes later it was time to get’r dun.

Run:
Wow….I really can’t believe how well this run turned out. Started stoopid slow per my plan. Took off out of T2 and heard Keri yelling, stopped for a hug and kiss. It was one of the highlights of the day actually. I’d been looking for her on the bike, so it was super to catch her there. Out on the run I went. Came through the first mile at 9, perfect….but off the bridge and through town I ended up running too fast. Five miles came along fast, 41 minutes. WAY too fast for this early in the run. I backed off a little and took some extra time in the aide stations for the next few miles. I was rolling past people very quickly. It was sort of fun to be “that guy”. Normally I’m the one running and getting pasted thinking “who was that guy running so quick”. At ten miles I was still feeling decent. At 13, I saw 1:50 on my run split and decided that sub 11 was going to happen. At 18, I saw Rich and Patrick from EN and they yelled “race starts here!”. I started my ‘road kill’ count and got to 283 people passed some where near mile 24. I lost track after that as the race finally got tough. I kept the pressure on, kept walking the aide stations, eating and drinking, and was able to hang on for the rest of the run. Proper and realistic pacing brought me to a 45 minute run PR.

Finish:
Hard to explain what it feels like to finish an ironman. This one was specail to me as well. My folks were there. My girlfriend, who gave never ending support and kindness was there. I ran down the chute feeling like I was graduating. I am proud of this race and of my season. And being able to perform on the biggest race of the year was the perfect ending to the season.

General Thoughts:
*Keep it real. If you haven’t done it in training, you can’t do it race day.
There’s no such thing as ‘race day magic’
*The solution to most problems is ’slow down’. Take a few minutes to fix a problem
when it appears, rather then waiting until the problem is out of hand
* Stoopid slow on the first hour of the bike and first hour of the run. Start off easy and then back it down!
*Patience. Let the race come to you. Don’t attack the hills on the bike, let them come to you, don’t push on the run, the run will get hard enough on it’s own. Patience
*Passing people is FUN
*This ironman was different in that, I decided when it was going to be tough. I made proactive decisions on pace and effort rather than reacting to fatigue and conditions.
*Another difference was that I had a very solid idea of what my race day paces could be. since my goals were realistic, I was making decisions on realistic data, rather than “swags” or “would be nice”s. In other words, I was truly in control of my ‘box’

Below are the numbers and such for reference purposes. so if you are a data geek, read on.

OVERALL PLACE : 209
TOTAL TIME : 10:43:39
LAST NAME : MAZZA
FIRST NAME : PHILIP
RACE DIVISION : M40-44
DIVISION PLACE : 30
SWIM OVR PLACE: 411
SWIM TIME : 1:11:57
SWIM 100M PACE: 1:52
T1 : 4:36
BIKE OVR PLACE : 337
BIKE TIME : 5:38:05
BIKE PACE : 19.9
T2 : 8:42
RUN OVR PLACE : 171
RUN TIME : 3:40:18
RUN PACE : 8:25

The last Kona spot in my age group went 10:12, finishing 12th in the AG.

If I ever want to go to Kona, I need to get faster on the bike.

Power numbers and pictures to follow shortly.

Kia Kaha

For future reference: Power Tap numbers for IM Louisville 2009

Note. I think my IF numbers (% of FTP) are high as I was using a test from the beginning of the summer. Not sure why I didn’t test more during the Ironman build. Fear I suppose. I’ll be better about this aspect of training next year)

0 to 56 miles
Time: 2:48
TSS : 161
IF : 75.9%
Pnorm : 169 watts
VI : 1.08
Pavg: 156 watts
Cad: 93rpm
Spd: 20.0

56 to 112
Time: 2:48
TSS: 137
IF: 69.9%
Pnorm: 156 watts
VI: 1.1
Pavg: 142 watts
Cad: 92 rpm
Spd: 20 mph

Total
Time: 5:37
TSS: 300
IF: 73.1%
Pnorm: 163 watts
VI: 1.09
Pavg: 149 watts
Cad: 92 rpm
Spd: 20 mph

This tells more of the real story….rode too hot for the first 80. Not eating enough…figured this out later than I should have. The course was faster from here on in to the finish though. This was plan ‘B’. I figured if I got in trouble, just make it to ~85, then soft pedal in, fixing whatever problem I was dealing with. It worked out ok.

First 82 miles
IF: 75.6%
VI: 1.08
Pnorm: 169 watts
Pavg: 156 watts

last miles 30
(Shut it down here. Focused on getting home in good shape. Worked the hills, coasted as much as I could, just rode the avg speed, anything over 22mph and I let up)
IF: 63.9%
VI: 1.11 (worked up the hills, but then coasted as much as I could. used the down time sip water and take in a few additional calories)
Pnorm: 142 watts
Pavg: 129 watts

Steve’s IM Louisville Report

My First Ironman, Steve van Schouwen

Louisville, KY

August 30^th, 2009

Travel Day Thursday:

Cindy, Story, Maggie (my wife and daughters) and I flew into Indianapolis on Thursday, rented a car and stopped in Bloomington for dinner and to visit Cindy’s alma mater, Indiana University. After a nice dinner and stroll around campus we headed down to Louisville and arrived at our hotel, The Galt House, at around 11 pm. We checked in, dragged our luggage to the room and hit the sack. So far, so good.

Lesson Learned: I should have sent my tri-bag with TriBike transport. That way I could have sent CO2 cartridges which you can’t bring on the plane and it would have been one less bag to drag around the airport. The cost, $30, was the same as checking a bag.

Friday:

The Fast Forward team took an easy swim in the Ohio River. The river current was barely perceptible, but the split times going upstream and downstream were significant. My first split was 10:00 up /7:30 down. After the swim several of us picked up our bikes from TriBike Transport and headed back to the hotel. I registered for the race, picked up my race packet, checked out the expo for a bit then headed back to my room.

At 1:04 the FF crew split into groups to drive the bike course, it was raining heavily which made viewing the course and navigating difficult, but I had a general feel for the bike course, it was hillier than I expected.

That evening we met for the Welcome Dinner which was inspiring. The youngest (Steve from our group) and oldest (77) participants were pulled on stage as were those who has lost the most weight (the biggest loser lost over 100 lbs). We were also notified that the water was too warm and wet suits were not allowed. I expected that and had trained for it so I wasn’t concerned.

Saturday:

We started the day with another quick dip in the Ohio as a team; the water was warm and visibility was better than I expected. After the swim I packed my transition bags and brought my gear down to the transition area where a helpful volunteer walked me through the swim-in, bike-out, bike-in and run-out. Cindy, the girls and I then drove down to the swim start and had lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the swim course. That evening we had our team dinner, which included friends and family, very nice, though I would have been a bit more social if I weren’t so nervous.

After dinner it was back to the hotel to go to sleep–or so I thought. That night I did not sleep more than 15 minutes at a stretch, I watched the clock all night and calculated how many hours of sleep I would get if I could fall asleep immediately, 7,6,5,4,3,2 and 1. (Cindy told me not to get iced tea at lunch, but didn’t listen.) I’m not sure if it was the caffeine or nerves, but I was wide awake at 4:00 and turned off both of my alarms before they went off. The good news is I wasn’t tired and I was ready to go.

Lessons Learned: No caffeine after 10AM the day before the race, plus get to bed early to allow some time to unwind/relax/read to fall asleep.

Race Day:

I ate my traditional race breakfast of coffee (sweetened with a couple oz of chocolate hammer gel), coffee-maker-oatmeal, and hammer perpetuem, plus 6 fig newtons. Then I headed down to transition with Cindy for final bike set up and to drop off my special needs bags. I found Scott in transition; he came right over to see how I was doing and to top my tires off with air. I told him I had 15 minutes of sleep that night, his response was “that’s optimal” which cracked me up.

Cindy and I then walked down to the race start where Sherpani Jen spotted me and directed me to the rest of the  F4 crew. The line eventually started moving, I packed up my morning clothes bag, said goodbye to Cindy and started down the line to the start. Louisville has a time trial start, we formed 2 lines then walked to the end of a dock, crossed a time mat and jumped in the water one after another.

Swim:

Ah the swim.

The swim course went upstream for about a third then downstream for two-thirds. The upstream portion was protected by an island in a relatively narrow channel. I was able to stay out of the pack long enough to warm up and felt pretty good at the beginning of the swim (aside from the 2 logs I ran into).

Things started going south for me when I made the U turn to start heading downstream. Somehow I got stuck in massive traffic; I had swimmers in close proximity on all four sides. The swimmer behind me kept trying to make his way over me, with hands hitting behind my knees pushing my feet down. It was very frustrating. I was occasionally able to get out of the pack and was able to swim with decent form, but I could never fully break away, (specifically from one very choppy swimmer who seemed to find me throughout the swim).

I was fighting foot and calf cramps but was able to swim through them. At about the halfway point I had a swimmer up on the backs of my legs, he stayed there for about 10 strokes and I had enough, I decided to do a few strong kicks to pull away and give that swimmer the message to back off. I kicked hard with my left leg and immediately my leg cramped-solid from my hamstrings down to my toes. I couldn’t believe it. I thought that might be the end of my race.

I hobbled my way over to the side as much as I could and tried to pull with my arms and relax my leg, which was contorted in a twisted, bent, curled fashion.

I swam with one leg and my arms for a bit, then I got a foot cramp in my other foot. Unbelievable! At that point I’m dragging my spazzed leg and stiff kicking my other leg through the water. Thankfully the traffic had let up (probably because the pack had passed me). I concentrated on moving forward as fast as I could and tried to gently kick-out the cramps. Eventually, the leg cramps subsided and I was able to finish the swim. Scott greeted me as I came out of the water and I made my way to transition with some tense calves.

Lessons Learned: 1. Stay in your bubble, even if you are surrounded by bad swimmers. Don’t do anything rash which could result in a cramp or worse. 2. If you can’t get out of a pack and it is affecting your swim, take the time to break away from the pack so you can get back to your race, even if you have to go to the edge of the course. 3. focus on swim kicking to strengthen legs and hopefully prevent future cramps.

T1: (My transitions took forever; I think both were about 12 minutes.)

I changed from my swim suit to my bike shorts and jersey, put on my HRM. Then put my helmet and shoes on grabbed my sunglasses and headed over to a table in the transition tent for some sun screen. I managed to cover my HRM screen with sunscreen and glob some on my arms. I put my sunglasses on only to discover that one of the slider lenses had fallen out. I panicked a bit and began to look for my lens on the dimly lit grass floor of the transition tent. I was relieved to find it quickly, I proceeded to grab the lens and slide it into the frame while covering it with sunscreen. I sat down, cleaned my lens and my HRM, then headed over to the porta-let line. FINALLY, I headed out on the bike.

Lessons Learned: Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast. I might leave sunglasses and helmet on bike next time.

Bike:

At the start of the bike course I was feeling pretty fresh (after my leisurely transition). My legs were still a bit tight from the swim but I knew they would loosen up after a few miles. I took about 10 miles to warm up then set into my pace, using heart rate as my indicator. I noticed my heart rate was about 2 beats slower than I would expect, I assume that was from the low altitude. My right leg quickly loosened up, but I noticed a dull pain building in my left knee when I would push forward and down during the pedal stroke. It wasn’t a sharp pain and I knew I would be able to finish the bike portion, but it slowed me down a bit and by mile 60 I knew I would not hit my goal time. I set a new goal time and kept cranking. The bike course was beautiful and I got to see most of my fellow Fast Forward teammates which was great. I hit the porta-let about 5 times during the bike since I wasn’t sweating much and I was depending on Gatorade for most of my calories. The last 10 miles of the bike were mentally taxing; I couldn’t wait to get off the bike and to start running.

Lessons Learned: I need to factor weather into my nutrition plan. I need to be able to get non-liquid calories when the temp is below 80. I need to practice with solid foods and Carbo-pro. I need to measure my sweat-rate at different temperatures so I can optimize my liquid intake during races.

T2: (Pretty smooth and easy, but too long.)

I quickly changed from bike clothes to running clothes, put on some body glide, then got sun-screened by a helpful volunteer. I hit the porta-let then headed out, I saw all my family and supporters as I left transition which really pumped me up for the run.

Run:

I have never been so happy to start a marathon. My knee was really bothering me by the end of the bike and I was hopeful that running would be easier it – it was.

I felt great at the start of the run, I did my first 3 miles at about a 10 minute pace. I ran into Scott at mile 3 who reminded me to take the race a mile at a time. I didn’t feel I could realistically keep my current pace so, to be cautious, I slowed a bit and maintained that pace for the rest of the race. I walked through the transitions and drank Gatorade. The miles went by and I got to see my family and teammates again which kept me going. The support provided at the aid stations was phenomenal and the citizens of Louisville cheered the racers on throughout the course.

Lessons Learned: Spend some time improving running efficiency.

FINISH:

It was night when I finished. The final stretch to the finish line was an unlit street. At the end of the dark street I could hear the cheering crowds and see the bright white light at the finish line. When I crossed the finish line the crowd went wild and I felt like a rock star. Scott was there to present me with my finisher medal, to listen to my babble and hand me off to my family. Priceless.

I crossed the finish line at 14:09. That was an hour and ten minutes past my goal time of sub-13, but I am very happy with that time because I gave it everything I had.

Many thanks to race Louisville sherpas Lida and Jen whose worried about the details so the racers could concentrate on their race.

It’s been a true pleasure training with all the members of the F4 2009 IMAN team. You all have my email, give me a shout anytime you want to ride, run or swim, (or drink a beer)!

I couldn’t have completed this race without the Fast Forward Ironman training program and the coaching of Scott, Michael, Phillip, Lance and Cameron. The program literally transformed me into an Ironman athlete. It has been an amazing experience.

Doug’s Excellent Adventures at Ironman Canada

Posted courtesy of Doug’s Blog.

Thursday morning around 10:20 a.m. Jolene dropped me off at the airport. It was an uneventful day of flying. Met Michael Kelly and Susan Davis at the Spokane airport, got a rental car, and drove to Penticton. Beatrice, (a.k.a. Navigon on the iPhone), gave us a small run-around in Spokane but all in all things went pretty smoothly (well, okay, there was about THIRTY miles of grooved pavement and one-way traffic, but besides that things went well). The city of Spokane isn’t particularly pretty however the drive up highway 395 was.

We arrived at the rental house sometime after 8. The driveway was pretty hard to find – an unlikely in-between sandwiched in two other driveways. Finally pulled in and saw that there were no other cars or signs of habitation. The three of us debated what to do for a good fifteen minutes – text messages, a phone call, and brainstorming all possible ways we might have gotten the wrong address. I finally got out of the car to knock on the door and found the sticky note, “Gone to dinner, come on in!”

Friday morning we walked into town, visited Tri-Bike Transport to pick up my gear, and went for a quick swim. The water is SO clear. I was concerned about the wavy conditions since I’ve never been in water like that. I felt like I was “flying” over a miniature forest of trees (well okay, they weren’t trees obviously, they just kinda looked like them) at the bottom of the lake. It really was surreal to glide over the undergrowth in such clear conditions – quite a contrast to the Boulder Reservoir where your hand disappears about a foot from your face.

Walked back up to the house, got the car, went into town to get registered. Very smooth process later in the day – definitely a good idea to wait until the lines went down.

Friday night – dinner at the house, crashed out early, waited for Jolene to make the late-night drive into town. Her flight didn’t get into Spokane until 11-something and she didn’t escape the airport with her rental car until almost 12. I saw her at around 4 in the morning after her somewhat eventful drive across the border, getting lost in town, and finally figuring out where she was on a map to get here to the right address. That’s dedication for you!

Saturday morning – Went for a short bike ride to check everything out. Bike was working well though the shifters needed some tuning. I decided to leave it alone since it worked and I didn’t want to screw anything up this close to the race. We rode into town, checked the bikes and transition bags, and got ride back up to the house. The crew made a fantastic pasta dinner that night. Everyone was there: Me, Jolene, Michael Kelly, Susan, Mike B, Jocelyn, Paul, Michael Stone, Kitty, and Ivy. Great meal, some good laughs, and lots of carbs to burn the next morning. I was stuffed. I think I ate more in the two days leading up to the race than I ever have in the past. I felt calorie-saturated, though as I was to discover on race day, I don’t think I gained a single pound in the end.

Race morning: Woke up early, had breakfast, and got ready for the big day. I personally need a lot of mental focus race morning to walk through everything that’s going to happen during the day. I like to imagine all of the key events in the race and make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. Got a ride down to the race from Jo, dropped off one special needs bag for the bike (which I never used), found Mike and Jocelyn and wandered over to the beach for the swim start. Looked around for my girl but didn’t see her (though she was there taking photos of course). 15 minutes prior to our race the pro racers were released. The countdown to chaos begins! 3, 2, 1, and the flags are lifted, officially beginning what promises to be a long day of physical and mental exertion. More than 2600 athletes, 140.6 miles, and a very special brand of fun.

The swim was chaotic of course – how can you put 2600 people in the water at the same time and expect anything different? There were quite a few bumps and unexpected detours but nothing really bad ever happened. No elbows to the nose or goggles knocked off my face. I think I swim fairly conservatively in that respect. When I feel someone swimming over me, I kick a little harder just to let them know I’m there, and if they’re on my side I bring my elbows up a little to make sure their arms, elbows, and hands tend to deflect above my head. I probably pay for that with a slower swim time, but I suppose it makes me feel pretty secure and non-stressed for the start of the day. It paid off as I had a great swim (for me at least) at roughly 1:10 and I actually enjoyed the whole thing.

Transition 1 was a busy affair. Exiting the swim beach is actually a little painful as the rocks on the bottom are large and uneven. My advice to those doing this is to swim as close as possible to shore before standing up. It’s tempting to walk/run it in very early as the water is shallow; however the lake bottom is less than ideal until you’re much closer to the exit. A quick run into the transition area to collect my T1 bag and into the changing tent. There were a LOT of volunteers in here, but at this early stage of the day, even more athletes and thus I (and I think most people in the group) did not receive any personalized attention. You’ll probably be on your own at this point so just be efficient and get your bike gear on. I opted to leave my bike shoes off at this point and run to my bike barefoot. (Note that you are not allowed to leave your shoes on the bike – you must have shoes on your feet before mounting the bike.) I put my shoes on at the bike and ran it out to the T1 exit. All in all I think this took me a little more than 5 minutes. Not spectacular – I’m sure I could have streamlined the process a bit – however it was quick enough and more importantly much faster than the transition times from IM Wisconsin which was all I was hoping for (a goal that was virtually guaranteed due to the nature of Wisconsin’s transition area).

Off on the bike ride! The first stretch of the course is actually pretty mellow. I chose to really take it easy here, taking to heart some advice coach Michael Kelly offered in the last few weeks leading up to the race. My plan was to ride the first 70 miles as conservatively as I felt I could and then really pick it up in the second half. I think a lot of riders probably busted that section of the course out much more quickly than I did. There’s a short climb before Richter Pass which I didn’t think was terribly difficult. Then the fun begins! For those of us in Colorado, I will say that I feel this course favors our riding terrain in that there are longer steady climbs and steep descents. The rollers are also much longer and typically gave a bigger payout with nice steady downhill sections. Having said that, there IS a fair bit of climbing at this point so be prepared. I also had to pee and opted for the “on the bike” experience for a second time (the first being in Wisconsin and it ended with a shoe full of warm yellow water). The strategy this time was to snag a bottle of water and host myself down as I was… hosing myself down. Worked out just fine! Felt much lighter for the climb at least. There was a good crowd at the top of the pass to give some much-needed encouragement and a nice sendoff down a long and gorgeous descent.

On the way down I had one freaky moment as another rider closed on me from behind. I was in my aero bars enjoying the speed, likely going around 40 MPH, and I heard this guy shout “oh!”, felt a hand push my butt, and then I heard him crash right behind me. I only had a moment to glance back but I can’t imagine he made it out of that one in good shape. I can only guess that he was tucked down in his aero bars, didn’t see me until he was about to run into me, gave me a shove to “fix” the situation, and wound up crashing out instead. It happened so fast I didn’t even get an adrenaline rush – it was just an instinctive wobble-correction and then the other guy crashed. Awful. I hope he was OK and damn am I glad he didn’t push me over at that speed.

After the pass, the course retreats to a series of long rollers up to the funky T-shaped out and back. I enjoyed this section of the course though it could be mentally challenging for many riders. The road is also rougher here so be prepared to have your butt massaged by your bike seat.

The final difficult section of the bike course starts at the base of the climb to Yellow Lake. This climb was actually shorter than the elevation profile led me to believe. I think it’s because the out and back portion of the course actually starts a subtle climb which then significantly increases at the entrance to the pass. It IS pretty steep and I was in my granny gear for the entire climb. Also be prepared for the throng of incredible supports on this climb. I felt like I was riding a stage in the tour – it was slightly overwhelming, especially since I was working my ass of just to get up the pass, but looking back I’d say it was a highlight of the ride. It’s just intense!

Don’t be fooled once you get to Yellow Lake. You are most certainly NOT done climbing at this point – there are actually several climbs to follow. I think it was more of a mental letdown as I had heard you’d be mostly headed downhill after this point. There is some good downhill riding to be had but not until you climb out above the lake itself. From that point, you start to get your payback in the form of a series of descents back down into Penticton. You know you’ve got it in the bag when you see the big lake below you and the city in front. It’s not a free ride, but you can seriously kick some butt in the last section of this course.

Once back into the city I ran into some congestion. We were riding peloton-style for a good 3 or 4 miles simply because there was no other option. The course narrowed to less than one lane and there were too many riders coming in to avoid drafting. We also slowed to around 14 or 15 MPH so it really didn’t matter – I suspect we all would have been through the gate sooner without the traffic. My GPS also froze at this point and I really didn’t know what my bike split was.

Finally to T2 – drop off the bike with a volunteer, run to retrieve your T2 bag, and head into the tent. This time the throng of athletes had thinned enough and there was a volunteer to help me with my things. I tossed all my bike gear on the ground, put a *$#@-ton of Body Glide on my shoes, strapped the gooey monsters on my feet, and headed for the exit. (I opted to race the entire day with no socks, hence the need for body glide in the shoes.)

The first 1/3 of the run went pretty well for me – I was definitely on track for a good running day. Unfortunately fatigue and minor GI distress struck around mile 10. I slowed down at this point, taking an extra walk break beyond the aid station to settle myself and bring my heart rate down. I think I’d simply had too much sugar and not enough salt to cover myself at this point in the day. I took some extra salt capsules and only water for a few aid stations and things settled down for the most part. I was still quite fatigued though, enough such that I really didn’t have the mental or physical gusto to make the mile run to each aid station for my short walk. Also worth noting is that the run course is relatively flat in the first 1/3 and then becomes much hillier in the outer miles. It follows the lake for the most part but the road also follow the contour of the surrounding hillsides. My strategy at this point was to walk the uphill sections and run as much of the downhill and flats as I could. It was definitely the weakest point of the race for me.

4-ish miles from the end I saw Ivy again (he was EVERYWHERE – how did he do that?) and I finally got up the nerve to ask “what time is it?”. I had mentally set a goal for myself to finish this thing in under 12 hours and at this point it was a complete unknown. I actually thought that I had gone so slow on the run that there was no way I’d finish in time. Ivy answered with another question, “What’s your PR for this distance?”. I told him 13:04 at Wisconsin last year. He took one more glance at his watch and said “You’re going to have a very good day.”. Turns out I had 55 minutes to complete the last 4 miles and still be under 12 hours! This really lit the fire under my ass and I started running harder (which means running again at this point ). Kitty passed me somewhere around this point as well, looking for all the world like a woman just out for her Sunday afternoon easy jog.

The out and back “Kona-esque” finish is a little rough – the last straight-away before the home stretch seems awfully long, but once you round that corner you are basically done. I also saw Jolene for the first time on the course (though of course she’d been there at all the key transitions and I was too focused to see her) and I have her a huge kiss. Finally the clock looms into view and I read 11:48. I think to myself that if I bust my ass I can buy 10 minutes extra beyond my goal time. It’s actually amazing what the body will still do for you at the end of a really long day like this. My mind said “go” and the body followed at a pretty rapid pace, crossing the finish line at 11:49:34.

Finishing the race is an experience in its own right. The volunteers are there for YOU and will absolutely take amazing care of you. They were awesome and I am very grateful for their generosity. Pizza hand-delivered to me, inquiring if there was anyone else they could find, ushered straight to the massage line, and wouldn’t let me go until they were sure I was completely OK and in good hands.

Some random thoughts:

To Jolene, you were awesome and such a great supporter. Thank you SO much for helping all of us out with transportation and being a rock-star out there on the course. I can only imagine how long the day is for a spectator and you handled it (like you do everything else) with amazing stamina and a great attitude. You are the best and I love you.

To the team: Training with all of you this year (Canada, Louisville, Wisconsin) has been awesome. I am constantly inspired and pushed by your individual spirits. For some of you this comes in the form of the right words at opportune moments, for others it’s the spirit of friendly competition that’s driven me to push harder than ever before to keep things interesting.

To Scott and Michael: Being a coach must be hard with so many athletes, competing schedules, ups and downs, bad weather, injuries, doubts, fears, and of course the daunting task of logistically organizing a schedule to get ALL of us to the start in the best possible shape. Somehow you both did just that and every single one of us has made it to the start and finished! I have no doubt the MOO racers will also experience the same success we’ve already seen at Canada and Louisville.

Can’t wait to see what 2010 holds for all of us.

See Pics here

Erica’s Ironman

The 2009 F4 Ironman Team sent 14 athletes to IM Louisville and 5 to IM Canada on August 30th, while 3 more will visit Madison, WI for IM MOO next week.  Enjoy a selection of their race reports below:

IM LOU Race Report by Erica Shifflett

It all started over a year ago when Scott sent out an email announcing that Fast Forward was going to do IMKY.  I had just completed my first half Ironman, during which I remember thinking there’s NO WAY I could ever do a full.  The body and mind have ways of playing tricks on us though, and I found myself anxiously trying to get signed up the very second they opened online registration.  I had a lot of questions after I registered: Will I be able to do this?  What if I don’t make it through the training and I’m out all this money?  What is training going to feel like?  Will I be tired all the time?  Can I manage to work full-time, train, and have a social life?  I think that first week or two was the most anxious I felt through the whole year of training.  I settled down, put the worries out of my mind, and impatiently waited for training to start in March.

The six months that we spent training went so fast.  I enjoyed the workouts and getting to know the team.  My training group became my social life.  The concern about being too tired was alleviated—I only had a few days here and there when I was tired or sore.  Work was insane but I found time to get the training done anyway.  I trusted that we were doing just the right amount of training to be fully prepared for the race.  I couldn’t have and didn’t want to do more.  I missed a few workouts but overall was very diligent about sticking to the plan.

I arrived in Louisville Thursday evening.  I found the hotel lobby to be pretty overwhelming with the fancy bikes, nervous energy, and super-fit bodies, so I ate dinner in the room.  The next morning we swam in the river and the level of excitement was much better.  Ironman events are so well-managed—they had music playing, bag check, and Gatorade in the swim finish area.  I had a great swim in the Ohio River, which helped alleviate my concerns about river swimming.  The current wasn’t noticeable, except that my time was so much faster swimming downstream.  Friday and Saturday were mostly relaxed, doing things like checking in, turning my bike in, and attending the athlete dinner on Friday.  I slept well every night and didn’t feel nervous at all in the whole week or two preceding the race.  I attribute that to trusting the fantastic training and the mental preparation.  Sunday morning came and it was time to race!

I woke up at 4am on Sunday.  As I got ready, I felt calm and peaceful.  All my bags and bike were down at transition and ready to go.  I had my swim stuff and dry clothes bag that I would drop off at the start.  My friend Sharon walked with me to the swim start.  I hit the porta-john (twice) and found my teammates.  Seemed like no time passed at all and we were moving.  In the rush to take off my dry clothes and turn them in, I forgot to take out my swim cap and goggles.  I didn’t even realize this until I was down much further toward the docks.  I ran up and found the volunteers who were loading the dry clothes bags into the trucks.  Thankfully, they have a great system of organizing these bags, so it took about 5 minutes to get my stuff and I was running back to where my team was.  We waited a few minutes and then started moving.  The start was so fast—volunteers were yelling, “go, go, go” and we jumped or dove into the water like lemmings.

I had a great swim.  The water temp was perfect.  It was a little congested at the start and around a few of the buoys but for the most part I had my own space.  I did get kicked and clobbered a few times, but kept my goggles and my cool.  Swimming is a good time to let your inner autistic child take over, and get into a good repetitive rhythm.  I have a few mantras that I repeat while I swim, the one I used this time was “long smooth strokes.”  I maintained a speed that was comfortable and that allowed me to breathe every third stroke without getting short of breath.  I lost my focus a couple times, but did well overall.  I was so happy to see the red buoys at the swim finish, but I started getting nervous about transition and how the bike was going to be.  I jogged up to transition, taking in all the excitement and getting my land legs back.

Transition went well.  I shouted out my number and ran to where my bags were.  The volunteers all day were so helpful and nice.  The poor girl who was trying to help me kept trying to hand me the run bag and I kept saying that it was the wrong bag.  She kept insisting that it was the right number so I had to ignore her and find my own bike bag.  Lida was waiting outside the changing tent and she helped me get changed and ready to bike.  I got a quick swipe of sunscreen and I was on my way.

I started out smooth and steady on the bike.  The weather couldn’t have been better.  Cool breeze, plenty of shade, and low humidity.  All of a sudden, I was at mile 5, then mile 10, 15, and I started wondering how many miles would go by before I started feeling like it was work.  I think it was about 20.  I saw my parents at mile 34, which gave me a big boost.  It was cool to think that I’d be back at the same spot and see them in another 30 miles.  The hills were rolling, some bigger and some smaller.  I stayed in my zone.  My heart rate monitor was reading as a percentage, which I didn’t figure out how to change until about mile 60.  It was showing the same number the whole time, and I felt like I was in zone 2, so I didn’t worry.  Once I switched it over, I stayed at 140-145 bpm the rest of the ride.  I stuck with my nutrition plan—200 cal/hour as solid food (Shot Bloks and Powerbars), and as much water and Gatorade as I felt like drinking.  I saw Lida, Jen and Scott at aid station #4, and then stopped to use the bathroom and mix a drink bottle.  It was nice to get off the bike but it cost me some time.  The only other stop I took on the bike was at mile 60, the special foods bag stop.  I got the rest of my nutrition out, used the bathroom, and then continued.  I repeated the loop, saw Sharon, my parents, Jen, Lida, and Scott.  Everything was harder the second time.  I even looked down at my tires on some of the hills to make sure they weren’t flat.  There were 2 sections on the bike that kind of sucked—from mile 50-65 and 80-95.  I’m not sure if this was due to the road, my energy, or what.  But both times, I was able to rally and start feeling better.  That second section was the only time all day that I felt like stopping.  I couldn’t help but wonder how in the world I’d be able to run a marathon after getting off the bike.  The last part of the bike was mostly downhill, and except for the seams in the road, went smoothly.

Coming in to T2 was such a relief.  Thank God I was off that stupid bike J  I took my time changing.  I had some face wipes that I used on my face, arms and legs.  I changed into my running clothes, got more sunscreen, and was off.  I saw my parents and Sharon again, smiled and waved, and took off for the marathon.

We did an out-and-back halfway across the bridge to Indiana, and then did 2 out and backs, each about 12.5 miles.  My stomach started bothering me at mile 2 or 3.  I made myself eat a Gu because I hadn’t eaten anything in the last hour or more.  I drank a lot of plain water, trying to get rid of the nausea.  I walked almost the entire 4^th mile.  I heard Tim coming up behind me so we stuck together from mile 4 till mile 17.  We ran some and walked some, and kept each other company.  The course was cool in that we passed our teammates several times as we were all running back and forth.  I started drinking Coke at the aid stations because everyone said it helped with stomach issues and it was the only source of calories that my body could handle.  At first, I had to make myself drink it, but then I started looking forward to each aid station.  We ran and walked, averaging about 12:30/mile.  My heart rate was less than 125 that whole time.  I was a little frustrated, knowing that my legs, heart and lungs could handle running faster, but that my stomach was holding me back.  It was comforting to know that I could keep that intensity up all day though.  There was no question of not finishing.  I was definitely hydrated, and not worried about fluids.  I finally felt better at mile 17, and thought, ok, I can easily run the last 9 miles.  Tim and I separated, and I ran at about a 10 to 10:30 pace for the rest of the race.  Even at that pace my heart rate was never more than 135.  For some reason, I wanted to stay that conservative.  Each mile flew by and soon enough I was really close to the finish.  I could see and hear it!  Saw Lida and Jen again, and got more and more excited.  The finishing chute was so exciting.  Everyone was cheering, it didn’t matter that they didn’t know me.  I heard them announce my name and where I was from.  My parents were standing just to the right of the finish line and I saw them and waved.  Then I put my hands up and crossed the finish line.  I was an Ironman!!!

Scott was waiting at the finish line and he put my medal on.  He also helped me walk through, making sure I didn’t fall over, and making sure I got my t-shirt and whatever drinks I wanted.  I was a chatterbox!  With the adrenaline, the coke, and the thrill of being done, I probably was talking a mile a minute.  I really felt good—my legs didn’t hurt at all and I could walk normally.  He handed me over to my parents and we went to get pizza and my dry clothes bag.  I was pretty dazed, and very indecisive.  I signed up for a massage but didn’t feel like waiting so we left.  I think it took me an hour to eat one piece of pizza.  I showered, had some food with my parents and Sharon, and then went back out to cheer for the people who were still finishing.  I saw Dianna and Donna cross the finish line.  Our whole team finished!

Since I’m a tri-geek, here are my splits from the race:

Swim:1:17:13; T1: 7:22; Bike: 6:56:53; T2: 9:46; Run: 4:51:18.  Total time: 13:22:32

I am writing this report on Friday.  Here’s how the past 5 days have gone:

Monday: got up, turned in my gear bag, had breakfast.  Ate a ton—the hotel had a breakfast buffet and I bet they lost a lot of money that day!  My legs were sore but it felt like marathon soreness.  My parents and I drove to St Louis that day.  I slept a little in the car and ate a lot.  We got back and I was fine but then totally crashed about 5 or 6.  I even felt like I had a mild fever.  I went to bed at 7, didn’t even have dinner.

Tuesday: had a massage, which made a world of difference.  Walked back and forth in the pool for half an hour.  Still sore, still having difficulty on stairs.  Still eating like a pig!

Wednesday: legs felt much better.  Pool walked for 30 min.

Thursday.  I think I came off my high.  Still eating a ton, very little soreness in my legs, but overall fatigue was pretty high.  Swam 30 min in the morning, pool walked 30 min in the afternoon.  Took a nap.

Friday: no soreness in my legs, but I get tired going up the stairs.  Appetite is normalizing (bummer!).  Swam 30 min, biked 30 min, pool walked 30 min.  Energy is coming back up.

Just a few final thoughts.  I’ve touched on this a little in the report already but I want to say more.  I could not have done this without Scott and Fast Forward.  We had the best training, the most thorough mental preparation, and the most awesome camaraderie.  It was so helpful to learn from others’ experience, and in particular Michael and Susan helped so much!  We had a few long, detailed discussions along the way and I so appreciate their time.  We had 2 awesome sherpas along with us in LOU—Jen Szabo and Lida Letowt.  They were so energetic, helpful, and made the race and the few days before go so smoothly.  I know none of the race volunteers will read this report, but they were so awesome and deserve major kudos.  They went out of their way to meet our needs and make the race as enjoyable as possible.  I highly recommend Ironman events for this reason.  And, finally, a HUGE thank you to my parents and my personal sherpa Sharon.  They cheered for me, took care of my stuff, helped me walk, and got food in my belly.

Will I do it again?  HECK YEAH!

More Great Stuff from the F4 Coaching Staff

From TRI Coach Heidi Smith’s Weekly Group E-mail:

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are enjoying our recovery week!  After we have finished our hard work from weeks past it is time to taper and restore our bodies for the upcoming race. During a taper period our bodies and minds can do all sorts of things.  We may expect to feel energized and itchy to race as the week go on, and although sometime we do, it is quite common to feel sluggish.  In the article on tapering for an IM, Mark Allen points out how many athletes tend to feel during taper time and tells tells us to “Give yourself the luxury of this less-than-stellar feeling. It is just a signal that your body is repairing itself and getting ready for a big effort.” Read more below:

Taper is tricky because of what is happening internally when our bodies try to recover. When athletes start to give themselves rest, the system in the body that responds to stress (which is the system that allows you to get up for big workouts) starts to shut down. It is like working on the engine of your car. You cannot have the engine running at the same time that you are giving it an overhaul. You have to shut the engine off.

The same is true for our bodies. You have to shut the “engine” off for it to recover and charge up in the way that it needs to be ready for the big race. And when you do this, you will probably feel like you are out of energy, sluggish, and getting out of shape. THIS IS NORMAL.

Give yourself the luxury of this less-than-stellar feeling. It is just a signal that your body is repairing itself and getting ready for a big effort. We do this naturally each night when we sleep. We get a mini-taper. You sleep and you recover. You are not working out when you are sleeping.

But during the taper, a lot of the recovery is going to happen in the day when you are used to working out. This will require a readjustment of mindset. Allow yourself to feel lousy, out of energy, and sluggish. This is what a taper is for. Resist the temptation to go out and test your fitness just to make sure you are not losing it. As best as you can stick to the planned reduction in volume and overall intensity. This is the toughest part of a taper – the rest. …

For full article:  http://www.triathlontrainingarticles.com/Taper.html

This article can be true; I know for me this is often the case.  One other article stated that 50% of people who were tapering felt sluggish while the other 50% were energized. There is no right way to feel.  The important things is to look back on hard work you have done and know that you will cash it in for a solid journey on Sunday.  Your job now is to rest, recover, stretch, pamper yourself…

For some of you this is your first Half and I am so excited for you!  I am tempted to say this may be my favorite distance.  The thing I love about the Half Ironman is that it is more like a journey than a “race.”  the Half is not something you just go guts out but you set a sustainable pace, and keep clippin away. When you think you’re feeling tried you’ll get a second wind.  If you keep your eyes open you’ll make a couple friends along the way.  We have worked on strategy for fueling and hydration as well as our mental training throughout the season.  We have invested in challenging workouts and races that have boosted our fitness.  Yes, you said it, you are pre-recorded for success!

I look forward to sharing the journey with you on Sunday weather you will be on the race course, volunteering (thank you!! you guys are awesome!!!!) or there in spirit.  I will be thinking and rooting for you!

——————————————————————-

From RUN Coach Anna’s Weekly Group E-mail:

Happy Recovery Week!

Some things to remember about recovery weeks:

1. It is helping even if you can’t feel anything.  As I was saying at the end of the run today.  Recovery is actually what makes us stronger.  Every time we workout, we tear down our muscles a little bit, and it is during recovery that the muscle repairs itself and gets a chance to grow back stronger.  So of course we all remember that from 8th grade health.  But the part to keep in mind is that although the 24 hours in between workouts during a normal week of training is important, it is also crucial to have slight longer recovery periods every so often as well.  Like this week!  Sometimes, our body does not a get a chance to repair everything back to 100% after each workout and some fatigue and deep tissue damage can linger. This week your body will get a chance to do not just the day to day repairs but a basic system over-haul if you will.  This will give it a chance to go in and actually repair any lingering damage that needed a little extra time and attention – stuff we often are not even aware is there!

2. Feed and take care of yourself just like you would on a pretty demanding week – give your body what it needs to do that repair work! Eat really well, try to get some extra sleep, and definitely hydrate.  Remember the gas tank analogy from today - don’t use all your fuel for the running, keep it for recovery purposes this week!

3. Use the extra time wisely.  Sometimes recovery weeks can make us antsy.  So try to be deliberate about how you spend some of your free time and extra energy.  Maybe look up new recipes for good running fuel meals, maybe make your own granola bars you can freeze and use for running snacks in the next couple of weeks, when you don’t have time and are tempted to grab something less healthy.  Maybe catch up on your training log, which has been neglected (hint, hint) or fill out that health form that you were supposed to give to your F4 running coach weeks ago!   Maybe actually do your exercises for those shin splints and ice three times a day!  Buy new running shoes cuz you know they are old, and old sneakers can cause over-use injuries….Ah! how I could go on!  My point is, don’t sit around feeling antsy, if you feel the need to do something, do something fun that motivates you for your training even more!!

4.  If you are having trouble deciding whether to go harder or easier on a given workout this week, definitely go with easier.  Give yourself some extra walk-breaks if you feel tired, if you have had an injury that has been nagging take one of your X-train days as an extra rest day and stretch, roll and ice that injury.  If you are not sure how fast to be running, slow down!   Don’t worry what you will gain from the recovery far out weighs any fitness you think you are losing (which you aren’t by the way)  you will come back even stronger for it!

5. Talk to me! If you are having trouble taking it easy, talk to me! I will give you permission, and sometimes that makes it easier, so if you are waffling about whether to take an extra day off this week, or whether or not to go slower or shorter, send me an e-mail and I will be very willing to encourage you to take it easy!

Lastly, in case you did not catch the not so subtle hints earlier, this week would be a perfect chance to fill out that health form so you can get it to me next week, or buy new shoes, because I am going to start checking foot gear!

Some Thoughts also on Fuel/sports drink/weight gain or loss

1.  If you are feeling weak, light-headed, dizzy after a race – there is a good chance you need some water, electrolytes, food or all three.  Some ways to prevent this yucky feeling is to hydrate and fuel in advance of an extra long, or hard workout – I am not saying go to town three days beforehand on whatever looks or sounds good. but actually pay attention to the food you are eating and make sure it is nutritious and make sure you have a water bottle with you and you are hydrating beforehand.

After the run is a good time to keep drinking water, sports drink, and have a snack immediately, followed by a pretty nutritious healthy meal almost as soon as you can stomach it.  if you are trying to lose weight, this is NOT the right time to cut calories, you can be healthy, but make sure you give your body what it needs (more on this later)

2. What to eat/drink when/how…good questions and unfortunately, you are the only one who can answer those questions for you.  Some GENERAL guidelines are have some sports drink and/or goos and/or shot blocks or other fuel once your run exceeds an hour. Aim for a sports drink that has something in it other than sugar.  Try some of the samples Scott brings for us in the truck!  Just sugar will give you highs and lows which can sort of mess with your run or race.  Now the rest is up to you.  Try different drinks and see what you can stand – the point is to consume it, so if you hate it, and don’t drink it, I don’t care how much it cost it is doing you no good! So find something you like.  decide for yourself at what point you feel better having a sports drink as opposed to just water – maybe it is an hour, maybe it is only 30 minutes -each of us is going to vary a bit on WHEN a sports drink is a good idea. Also figure out what sort of food fuel you like, and when it starts being a good idea – maybe if you are running for an hour and a half or more you will need fuel.  Remember the point is to give your body what it needs before it actually needs it, so if you know you need a sports drink for anything over an hour, you start sipping that sports drink within the first 10 minutes of the run, so by the end of the run you are still going strong, you don’t just drink it after an hour has passed, same thing with food, if you know you will need fuel on the run, figure out at what interval works for eating and start eating when it works – that could be 20 minutes in to a 2 hour workout – but you know you will need that fuel later and need to get it started….Try lots of stuff, see what tastes and feels good, and please ask if you have questions!

3.  Weight loss and fueling for success.  I want to say right way I am not a nutritionist.  If you are serious about wanting to learn more about nutrition and training, I can recommend books and nutritionists are great to talk to!! But some basics:

a. Don’t skimp as a method to lose weight.  This doesn’t work for a number of reasons.  first our body is sensitive to not getting enough food, if it senses it is not getting what it needs, it slows down your metabolism, which makes you sleep and lazy and basically prepares to conserve energy and fuel.  Our fat stores are viewed as very important to the body and it will not give them up easily -especially if it is afraid you are starving.  So DON’T cut back on healthy amounts of healthy foods you know you should be eating…If you feed your body regularly healthy stuff, it will allow any speeding of your metabolism to happen naturally, which will burn more calories and will allow you to lose a few pounds if that is a healthy decision.

b.  Make sure you fuel properly for longer and harder workouts especially.  Again, don’t skimp, as these workouts will go less well if your body is lacking nutrition, you will not get the fitness benefit you were looking for, you will be more prone to injury and it won’t be fun! Know that after a workout like this your metabolism can stay elevated for hours! So if you are healthy you will burn plenty of calories without starving your body during the workout.

c.  A calorie is a calorie.  I know there is a lot of discussion out there as to what pace burns the fat and what pace burns carbs.  Yes there is some truth to that, but the easiest thing to remember is a calorie is a calorie, try to make as many of your calories good ones and you will feed good, and know that almost anything excess you put in can and will be converted into fat and stored regardless, so the balance is burn about as many calories as you consume or burn A FEW (and only a few) more then you consume each day to lose weight.  Yes, you might be running in the carb burning zone for a given workout, but the harder you run, overall the harder it is on your body and the more fuel it will burn, which means calories are being burned regardless, who cares where it comes from, it is burned! Plus those harder workouts keep your metabolism up for several hours like we talked about, so even if you are burning carbs in the moment, your body will probably resort to burning fat again after you cool down.

As always, let me know if you have questions!

Anna

Lactate Threshold Explained… Sorta

The below was written by F4 Coach  and Exercise Physiologist Adam St. Pierre.

In 1922 scientists determined that lactate was produced when carbohydrate broke down in an anaerobic environment. They also saw that increasing energy expenditure resulted in acidosis, decreasing pH of the cell.Their research never proved that lactate production resulted in acidosis, but a cause and effect relationship was assumed and not questioned for nearly 80 years!

During exercise, ATP is broken down into ADP and a phosphate molecule, releasing a hydrogen ion in the process. Under aerobic (moderate and low intensiy exercise) exercise, these hydrogen ions are used for cellular energy production. During high intensity exercise you produce more hydrogen ions than you can use for energy production and they build up in the cell. This build-up decreases the pH of the cell (increase the acidity). This acidity has been referred to by athletes and coaches as “the BURN.” I will now try to explain why lactate is not the cause of the BURN.

During intense exercise, the body breaks down carbohydrate and stored muscle glycogen to form energy quickly through glycolysis. The end product of glycolysis is pyruvate and ATP. As pyruvate builds up in the cell, energy production slows so the body converts some of that pyruvate to Lactate (pyruvate+2hydrogen ions=lactate). Lactate production is a result of cellular acidosis, not a cause. Lactate is actually a buffer molecule that serves to delay the onset of acidosis and fatigue.

So why do we even bother measuring blood lactate or talking about a lactate threshold? Despite lactate not causing fatigue, it is a good marker for fatigue (and relatively easy to measure). As you exercise harder (i.e. run faster) you produce more energy through glycolysis, therefore you produce more pyruvate, therefore you produce more lactate. Lactate leaves the muscle (pyruvate can not) and enters the blood stream where it can be taken up by other cells and used for energy (lactate can be converted back to pyruvate and used for energy aerobically (in the same way fats are used for energy). Eventually you reach your maximum sustainable energy generating capacity, called the lactate threshold. Above this speed/effort lactate begins to accumulate in the blood, it is still being produced but not being removed as quickly.

Dr. George Brooks from UC-Berkekely’s Physiology Department has done some research showing that IV infusion of lactate during exercise actually improves performance.

This kind of research excites me. At this point in time we do not know what causes fatigue. Scientists love having a question to answer!

We do know that Lactate has gotten a bad rap for a long time. Lactate is not the cause of fatigue, rather lactate is an easily measured compound that is created by your body during high intensity exercise in an effort to prolong fatigue. Lactate is a valuable molecule, essential for life and exercise.

Coach Mark Loehr’s Next Challenge

Thanks Mark for your outstanding coaching this season and for epitomizing the true spirit of the FastForward athlete these past few years.  All the best in your next venture… I’m sure we’ll see you at the races!

Fellow Athletes, Coaches and Friends

Farewell to FastForward

After months of part time looking, I have finally found my next corporate challenge. I accepted a new position that will give me the opportunity to build a consulting team for a small software company, which will be both challenging and rewarding. I really look forward to the new position.

Unfortunately, with all good news comes some bad news. I will be relocating to Atlanta over the next month. Leaving Boulder, my sister and her family, and my extended F4 family was the toughest part of the decision.

It was less than 5 years ago that I ran my very first half marathon during FastForward’s inaugural season (at 180 lbs.). Though never really fast, I fell in love with running and a year later was introduced to triathlons. It was the awesome coaching and guidance in that first triathlon year that really solidified the sport as a lifestyle for me (thanks Kitty!!). Just three years after that first 5430 Sprint, I crossed the line in Madison to become an Ironman. It was the crossing of that line that made me realize that if I can do this, anyone that wants to do a triathlon can!

Shortly after the Ironman finish, Scott and I discussed coaching a group. He agreed to give me the opportunity to assist with the Holiday program, and then as an assistant to Dean during the Canyonlands this past spring. I loved it!! Being able to share my experiences with fellow runners was great. During this time, I received my Level 1 certification from USAT and this spring, I coached my own group. I still love it, even more now! Working through everything from sore muscles to “too much travel and work” to “how do I setup my transition?” has been the best part.

So many people, over the past 5 years, have made a major impact on me and my life through this program. They are far too numerous to mention here, but THANK YOU to each. It is this support, confidence, encouragement, friendship, camaraderie and fun that I will always remember! Many people ask me “how do you manage to get through being laid off and for so long?” and the easiest answer is “surround yourself with happy, motivated, endorphin high athletes”. To me it is the prescription needed to get through the toughest times.

The one person I can not thank enough is Scott Fliegelman . As mentioned, Scott gave me the opportunity to pursue a career I have found more rewarding than anything in the corporate world. It still amazes me how he remembers SO many people’s names!! First being coached by Scott and then coaching for him, he REALLY cares about each and every athlete. He is always willing to lend a hand with anything that comes up. Thanks Scott!

Who knows what the future brings? I will be traveling with the new job and back in CO as often as possible and I am sure our paths will cross again, so please keep in touch! If you are ever in the Atlanta area, look me up. I plan to keep the same phone number, 303-564-0349 and my email is markloehr@yahoo.com.

More Fotos of F4 Athletes

Thanks Ron Dreasher for more great images from the 5430 Sprint and Boulder Peak.  We look good!!!

FastForward 4-Mile Time Trial is this Sunday

To help get ready for the inaugural Denver edition of the F4 4-Miler, Coach Jean Crowley has provided us with some excellent tips for getting the very most from the event and ensuing training period.

Why a time trial?
A time trial provides a flat controlled course for you to run your hardest and reveal your current fitness level. It is very important to understand the difference between current fitness level pace and goal race pace. We should not be able to run a half or full marathon at goal race pace today.  If you could, you would have already peaked, and wouldn’t need a training program.  The F4 coaches will use your time trial results to calculate your running zones. The F4 zones chart describes your zones by pace, effort and heart rate; it also identifies race distances you can expect to run in each zone. Since our target races are a half and full marathon, pay special attention to the lower end of zone 2 for your marathon pace and upper end zone 2 for your half marathon pace.

How to use the information from the time trial
After completing your time trial, you will be provided with per minute paces for each zone. You’ll notice a gap between where one zone ends and the other begins; this is by design. The gap helps ensure you get into the correct zone – no overlapping. By knowing our current fitness levels and our current race pace, we can train our bodies to feel our race pace.  Most runners ruin their race by starting too fast or too slow.  Remember, when we talk about a pace, it is an average for a mile.  You may go up hills a little slower, come down hills a little faster, run into a strong head wind or catch a tail wind, plus many other factors that can affect your pace.  So you don’t want to stress if you’re running 5 seconds too slow or too fast for a quarter mile, but you want to monitor it to see if the pace is becoming a pattern and adjust accordingly. Each zone is also described by heart rate, effort, and conversationability. Do not run by one description alone, use at least two of the attributes that make up your zone (and race pace) to see if you are on target. Pace and heart rate need to be averaged over a duration of time and perceived effort will also change based on the conditions and terrain. So use all the information you have available to identify if you are within your zone limits. If you suspect you are outside of your zone, make the necessary adjustments. You need to practice this during your training runs so that it becomes second nature to you during your race.

With the time trial results, we set a baseline for our training. We know what our fitness is on July 19, and can measure improvement moving forward. So use the results of your time trial to set reasonable training goals and race goals. You will also be able to train smarter instead of guessing your zones for each workout. Remember, the ideal training program has you running in each zone for a percentage of your training. Always running fast and short will not help you run an endurance event; just like always running slow and long will make your a really good long, slow runner.

What is expected of you at the time trial
You want to prepare for the time trial as if it is a race, so get plenty of rest, stay well-hydrated, and eat good carbs. If you run the time trial with the group, your mile splits and total time will be tracked for you through a chip timing system. So pretty much showing up, warming up, and running your hardest for 4 miles is the expectation. Be smart about the run though. We all have a tendency to start out to fast, don’t. Take the first mile to get a feel for the course and allow your muscles time to warm-up. Since the time trial is 4 miles, you should plan on running a negative split (the second half of your race is faster than the first half), but don’t run one mile very fast and the next mile very slow. Try to find a steady state that pushes you. Throughout the run, adjust your pace and effort as necessary so that you maintain a high level of exertion (8 on a scale of 1 – 10) while finishing strong. The effort level should feel hard to very hard and you should not be able to talk in sentences, but just be able to utter a few words here and there.

If you run by heart rate, you will need to keep track of your average heart rate for the 4 miles . You’ll notice the zone description uses a percentage of your 4 mile average to describe the zone.

Time trial on your own
A few people have already told me they can not make the time trial, no worries. Plan a day to run 4 miles on a relatively flat course. You can use this link to see the course F4 used at the Boulder resevoir in April 2009 (http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/co/boulder/289666). Don’t wait to complete your time trial since we’ll probably be doing some zone sampler workouts the week of July 20th. Take the opportunity to get your time trial done as soon as possible. You can replace any scheduled F4 workout this week or next with your time trial. I can work with you individually to rearrange your training schedule if necessary.

You are responsible for collecting your mile splits and total time. Please send this information to me as soon as possible so I can calculate your zones and return them to you.

Mental focus
Running can be very mentally challenging. You laugh, but who hasn’t heard the “voice” inside their head telling them you can’t do it. Those negative thoughts will probably start creeping in around mile 3. Don’t wait to take action, start thinking positively and visualizing a positive outcome. Repeating a few mantras are a good way to help with the negative thoughts such as “I feel good”, “I feel strong”, “I am confident”. I tend to be a realist  and prefer to go into the time trial with the understanding that I am going to experience discomfort. I find it easier to deal with if I embrace that discomfort as an achievement. I still need to think positively and focus on my goal but I monitor my progress and if my goal is out of my reach, I re-group and set a new goal to focus on. Regardless of how you deal with the negative thoughts, you need to replace them with something positive. Because if you tell yourself you are defeated and tired, you will be and your results will reflect that feeling.

Jean

Week #1 Wisdom

As we start our new Summer/ Fall Season, here’s some excellent advice from veteran F4 Coach Scott Gurst:

Congrats on completing your first workout of the new training season!  It was great to see some old friends, meet some new running partners, and enjoy a nice easy run last night.  Hopefully, you enjoyed it too, and were able to run at a nice comfortable, conversational pace.

As I mentioned last night, we will do a significant percentage (about 65% by volume) of running in Zone 1.  This pace allows us to build a strong base, and get in some good mileage without taxing our aerobic systems too much.  We will eventually do some harder work, but we don’t want to jump into it without having a good base first.  Building a good base will help prevent injury, and enable us to be more effective, and get greater benefits from the harder workouts to come.  And, as a bonus, the Zone 1 runs just happen to be the best workouts for burning fat, and teaching our bodies to select fat as the preferred fuel for our longer runs.  (If you like that sort of thing.)

If you think of your training as a pyramid, with Zone 1 at the base, you’ll quickly realize that the bigger the base, the more you can build on top of it.  Thus, the more Zone 1 you do, the more Zone 2 you can do, and the more Zone 2 you do, the more Zone 3 you can do, etc.

The guidelines for Zone 1 are as follows:

•         Easy

•         Able to hold a conversation while running

•         100+ sec/mi slower than threshold (5K) pace

•         35+ BPM less than heart rate at lactate threshold

•         Should be able to run at this pace indefinitely

•         Stresses muscular and skeletal system, not aerobic system

•         Benefits:  core strength, fat-burning, base-building

During a workout, your body has three main sources of fuel to choose from to generate energy:

• Fat – you (not you personally, but in general) have a large supply of this, though it takes longer for your body to convert this to energy than the other fuel sources
• Carbohydrates – you have a moderate store of this, depending on what you’ve been eating in the past few days, and it takes less time to convert to energy than fat, but longer than glycogen
• Glycogen – this is rocket fuel, converts to energy very fast, very high octane for high effort for short periods of time, but you don’t have very much of it

The largest source of fuel available is fat, but because it takes longer to convert fat to energy, your body will only choose fat as a fuel source if you are going easy enough to allow enough time for the energy to be converted.  In case you haven’t already figured it out, that’s Zone 1.  As soon as you start going harder than Zone 1, your body will no longer choose fat as a fuel source, since it can’t convert it to energy fast enough to keep up with your needs.  The more you run in Zone 1, the more your body adapts to using fat as a primary fuel source, and the more fat you will burn!

On Thursday, the main set (the part between the warm-up and cool-down) is the same as we had last night, 2 x 18 minutes in Zone 1, with a 2 minute break in between.  The only difference is that the 6 x 15 second strides at the end will be on a slight uphill.  On Saturday, we have 70 minutes total of easy running.  Note that the total time includes warm-up and cool-down.  Feel free to join the Thursday and Saturday groups if you would like to have company for your workouts.  It’s always nice to have a group to run with to provide a little extra motivation and accountability.

Topic of the Week – Personal Responsibility

As I mentioned last night, there is more to training than just running.  Each week, I’ll try to touch on a topic that I believe is important to having a successful training program, highlighting the habits and personality characteristics of successful runners.  As we start a new training program, I want to stress the importance of taking personal responsibility for your training.  This manifests itself in a few ways:

1. Take responsibility for your pacing.  As I mentioned last night, within our sub-9 group, there will be some people running slightly faster, and others running slightly slower.  Run the pace that’s right for you.  Workouts are not intended to be races.  If you try to keep up with someone who is running too fast for you, you won’t be doing the right workout for you.  Walk if you need to.  There is no penalty for doing what you need to do to take care of yourself, and getting what you need out of the workouts.
2. Take responsibility for getting healthy.  If you want to get the full benefits of a training program, you might consider taking a more holistic view of your life beyond the workouts.  Now might be a good time to make some changes.  Can you eat better, hydrate better, minimize stress, or get more sleep?  Every small change counts.
3. Take responsibility for staying healthy.  In training, growth only comes if you are willing to put up with some discomfort.  However, there is a big difference between discomfort and pain.  The first indicates that you are in the growing zone.  The second indicates that you are injuring yourself.  Nobody can know how you are feeling except for you.  If you feel like you are in pain, then stop running!  There is no stigma for stopping and walking if necessary.  In fact, if you feel like you are injured, then you should do whatever it takes to take care of yourself, even if it means missing workouts until you are healthy again.
4. Take responsibility for doing your workouts.  There are great benefits to be gained by sticking with a training program, benefits way beyond anything you might have imagined when you signed up.  Unfortunately, those benefits don’t come for free, and they don’t just come from signing up.  There are no shortcuts.  You actually have to do the work.  (Shocking.)  The more you can make time for your training, and stick to the schedule, the greater your chances of having some amazing things happen to you before we’re all through.  So, if you miss a workout, don’t apologize to me.  Apologize to the person in the mirror.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that while I will be happy to be your coach, I won’t be your mom, or your drill sergeant.  Hopefully, you signed up for this program for a reason, and know what you want to get out of it.  If you’re here to socialize and run easy, that’s fine.  If you want to work hard, push yourself toward a lofty goal, and see what you’re capable of, that’s good too.  Regardless of your reason for being here, I will support that, try to help however I can, and give you whatever you feel you need to succeed.  But in the end, whether you really push yourself or not, and whether you do 90% of the workouts or only 20% is totally up to you.  You’ll get out what you put in.

Hope that helps.  Have a great week of training, and as usual, feel free to e-mail with any questions, comments, or concerns …

- Scott