Top 10 Reasons You Know You Are A Triathlete

Race reports can be boring and all the philosophical stuff is a bit serious.  A recent Powerbar Tweet about how you know you are an Endurance Athlete prompted me to have some fun.  

10) You take the elevator to the second floor.

9) When your significant other reveals plans for a magnificent vacation to some exotic oasis, the first thing you do is go to the resort's webpage > pictures > amenities > fitness center.

8) You eat near perfect until about 8PM, and then its time for cereal.

7) You have to question the definition of "shoplifting" when in the bulk aisle of the grocery store.

6) You assign activities of daily living a purpose; dinner becomes a "recovery meal" and sleep becomes an "adaptation phase."

5) When someone asks your age, you respond "25 to 29."

4) "Honey, I drunk ordered a new wheel-set."

3)  You eat over 4000 calories a day, yet your friends and family question whether or not you have an eating disorder.

2) You look forward to Mondays because they are "easy days."

1) Everyone else knows your a triathlete!! 


*** In full disclosure, # 3 I originally saw on a Slowtwitch thread***

HITs Napa Valley Half Iron Race Report

At the highest level, this just wasn’t my day, and that’s putting it nicely.  I was really looking forward to the race and while I’m certainly not at my fittest this early in the year, I was feeling strong and ready to go.  Unfortunately, the triathlon Gods had other plans for me.  It’s actually kind of funny that typing that last sentence got me thinking quite the opposite; outside of not getting a flat tire or having your goggles ripped off, there isn’t a lot of luck in this sport.  Simple logic explains that something about my preparation leading into the race must have been the culprit, and it means I’ll have to work with my coach to problem solve in an attempt to figure out what variables need tweaking.  I have some early hunches and they all surround my taper; in particular, I think 1) I had too much lag-time from my last long workout to race day and 2) my nutrition in the 48 hours before the race may demand some serious overhaul.  Part of why I really love long course racing is because it can be every bit as challenging intellectually as it is physically, and my performance this past weekend just tells me I’ve got some serious brain work to do.

Swim: This was my first mass swim start ever (about 400 athletes, so still not that massive), and as expected, it was a total non-event.  While it doesn’t help with much else in the sport, I truly believe that my background as an inside receiver in high-school football has let me ease so comfortably into triathlon swim-starts.  After a few hundred meters things spread out, and I did my best to find feet, stay on them, then hop to the next set.   Although I felt like I was working pretty hard throughout the swim, I exited the water and caught a glimpse of my watch, and saw a “6.”  WTF.  36?!?!  Even if the swim course was 200 meters long this time was way too slow.  I’ve put in a ton of work in swimming this off-season and was expecting to be 31ish, so this was pretty pathetic.  Knowing it’s a long day, I told myself “short memory,” and to just get on with the race.  Post-race a lot of the athletes said they swam 3-4 minutes slower than usual, so perhaps the course was a bit long, but this was a poor swim result for me regardless.

Bike: Things only got worse.  I’ll start by saying this is one helluva a course.  Garmin clocked over 3200 feet of climbing, and I swear-to-god every descent and or/flat stretch had crappy patches of road.  Unfortunately, riding with a power-meter very quickly gives you an honest take of external factors versus an athlete’s legs, and in this case, it was as much the athlete as it was the course and conditions.  I just couldn’t get the power up to save my life.  Both my wattage and heart-rate were down 10-15% from target, which very clearly screams my peripheral system (e.g., legs) was stale from the get-go.  After multiple efforts to bring the power up, I realized it wasn’t happening, and I shifted focus to just being as aero and efficient as possible.  It was a double out-and-back, so throughout the second half of the bike, I literally couldn’t avoid seeing the fact that my hopes of a top-5 finish were as cashed as my legs.  I hit T2 glad to be off my bike, but also very concerned about running a half marathon.  1) See bike and swim summaries above and, 2) due to a foot injury, my land-running volume had been about 35 miles...over like the past two months…

Heading out onto the run; I feel 10x worse
than I look at this point...uh oh...

Run: The first 3 miles of this run hands-down marks the worst I have ever felt during any training/racing of my life to date.  My legs were total bricks, I was running at a near-recovery pace/heart-rate (and couldn't go any faster), and after each longer uphill (pretty hilly course) my left foot went kind of numb.  Knowing there was an aid station at 4, at the third mile marker I went well past the usual “maybe I should DNF” thoughts that come up not-so-rarely in these things and into the realm of truly considering a DNF.  It was the first race of a long season, I was coming off an injury (though oddly enough, it was the other foot that was numb), and a respectable finish seemed hopeless.  But then I got my shit together and remembered that a respectable finish is just that; a finish, so by the time I hit mile 5 (at the pace I was running, this was plenty of time for the thinking/reflection process) I had committed to the race, even if it meant walking the second half of the run.  I was slogging along in quite a bit of pain and then the day got weird.  I would guess at around mile 7 (slight downhill) I started to feel great -- like really as good as I've ever felt during the run of a 70.3 great.  I’m actually still kind of perplexed as to what happened (I started drinking Coke in an effort to save myself at mile 1, so no magic bullet there) so if any physiologists out there have ideas, I would love to hear them.  I ripped off some very fast miles and although I simply didn't have enough real-estate to do what I wanted, I managed to run myself up a few spots into 14 overall and 4^th in the 25-29 age-group.

Take Away Stuff: Patience may be more a virtue in long-course triathlon than anywhere else, and this was only a half…I’ll surely call on this experience during IMAZ later in the year.  Drastic changes to diet in the 48 hours leading up to race (e.g., lots of simple and processed carbs) may not make sense for my individual body; even if it takes more effort, I will attempt to go whole-foods for my next carb load and not change nearly as much from how I eat regularly.  Getting in touch with a great sports doc re; foot numbness as this isn’t the first time I’ve had this, and think it has to do with lower leg compartment crowdedness and potential nerve compression (since blood flow to foot was fine…I may be stupid, but not that stupid as I did stop and check this).  While I can deal with it in a half, I won’t feel as good about racing a full Ironman if this is still lingering.

And finally, although it doesn’t change the fact that I am hugely disappointed in my race, I am so grateful that I have the ability to go out and compete in a sport that continues to teach me so much about myself.  I’m writing this from 30,000 feet on the way home to support family through some medical issues, and although I like to think I keep good perspective always, this is just a reminder that even having the shittiest race in a triathlon is a privilege and one should never be taken for granted. 

Killed myself to run this athlete down around mile 10 thinking he was in
my AG (25-29 year-olds) only to learn he is
42 at the finish line. He liked hearing that!

Sponsorship of Amateur Athletes

The topic of “sponsorship” in multisport has been discussed repeatedly across venues from magazines to forums ever since I became active in the sport(s) some three years ago.  There is a lot of variability in thinking/feeling (the latter being more decisive) on the topic, and for what it’s worth, I figured I would share my thoughts based on recent experiences working with a small number of companies in the industry:

Yes, I am an amateur athlete (e.g., I do not have a pro card) and am "sponsored" by a few companies...although I do not like to think of the arrangement as a "sponsorship" but more of a partnership or symbiotic relationship. I can't say what it is like among the pro ranks because I do not know, but I can say way too many amateurs have a mindset that they are super-fast, finish well, and therefore companies should be sending them free and/or heavily discounted product. In my opinion, this just isn't how it works. For one, in this day and age, way too many guys are super-fast and finish well so "standing out" because of good results is likely harder to do than it was in the past. And far more important, results are just one dimension of a total athlete that matter to companies, and for many companies in the industry, results may fall behind other things such as: prevalence and reputation in the multisport community, knowledge about their brand and product(s), and motivation and skills to communicate. 

Sure, maybe some folks will see a logo on Craig Alexander's kit/blog and decide to try a product because of it, but unless you are Craig Alexander, even if you are killing it in the AG ranks, generally a conversation occurs about a logo on your kit/blog prior to someone trying it. So yes, while results matter, they are just part of the equation, and if anything, more often than not a conduit to shine as a spokesperson.

In my partnerships, I am so fortunate to get...comped and/or discounted product from the companies that I partner with, and I think this is the case for many age-groupers as I don't know of a single amateur who is getting cash, and it is my understanding that even just a minority of pros have cash sponsorship deals. Going into details about these arrangements would actually go against the spirit of a true partnership since to companies, athlete partners are likely thought of as parts of a broader marketing toolkit, and no companies that I know of openly share their marketing strategies with each other.

What I give...is a combination of multiple things that hopefully work together to help my partners out much like they help me out. First and foremost, I give an honest opinion about the products, and only use them if I think they work. Athletes that chase deals because they think it "sounds cool to be sponsored" makes *no sense* to me and epitomizes the sometimes negative stereotype thrown at triathletes. So the first thing I give is an endearing personal endorsement of a product because I use it and believe it works. After and because of that true personal endorsement and belief in the product(s), I share my experience with others in the triathlon community that could benefit and think of myself as an ambassador/spokesperson [in my triathlon circle, which is different from Craig Alexander's] for the companies I partner with. This involves writing product reviews and small-talk at my Masters swim group, on group rides, and at the track. As you'll see on my blog, I also post links to company websites, and use other social media vehicles (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to help get the word out about these products. Finally, I wear their logo's on my body (e.g., on my Kit) at races, and strive for great results. That said, and as I mention above, I don't think anyone has ever tried out a product because they saw the logo on my uniform, but multiple people have asked me about a product because of this...which gets to the role of the importance of being a good spokesperson.

As an aside from helping in a marketing/branding role (as outlined above) I also try to act as a product-development and strategy consultant, constantly giving feedback on products (both based on my experience and what I am hearing from others) and also offering business ideas that are spurred from what I observe day-to-day "in the field." It's so great to work with companies that really value this type of engagement too, as some of these ideas have lead to a website re-design, new newsletter generation, etc., etc.  Truth be told, I don't think I would be nearly as much of an asset to companies that didn't engage with their athletes in this manner. 

So, to make a long story short, it's all about a partnership and mutually beneficial relationships, and as an athlete, it is important to see results as just a part of the equation. Make no mistake, when I evaluate myself as an athlete about the only thing that matters is how fast I go on race day...but when I evaluate myself as a brand ambassador, this is one factor among many. The good news is, I don't think very many companies look down upon good results...so the two most certainly go hand-in-hand. 

Race Report: Golden Bears Duathlon

Pre-Reading Context
First thing I will say is that I am particularly glad this one is behind me and in the books.   The quick context: just over two months ago, while getting greedy (hindsight is 20/20) in the ramp up to an early season half-marathon, I sustained a pretty legitimate foot injury.  Although I never got a definitive diagnosis, my bone-scan lit up like a Christmas tree and I was told it was either a Stress Fx or very sever case of Plantar Fasciatis. Same foot I had a Stress Fx in 2.5 years ago...not good...

Anyways, after the usual 48-hour period of being down, I got my junk together and pledged to treat this as a minor speed-bump.  I biked and swam more than ever, and took 80% of my planned run volume and moved it into the pool for deep-water running.  I was optimistic and read every single study that showed minimal fitness loses for injured runners who commit to a deep-water running program, and although it was tedious as hell and a logistical nightmare, I ran in the pool a lot...even took my long runs executed them making 8-meter laps for 80 minutes.  I plan on writing a short post with a bit more detail about my deep-water running experience soon, but long story short, it sucks, and about the only thing that sucks worse is losing your run fitness...

Anyways, after an aggressive 8 week progression (off crutches, out of boot, walking, jogging, running) I had built my longest run on land to 3x3 miles with 5 minute walk breaks in between.  Needless to say, I had some concerns about running 7 miles at threshold, but kept reminding myself of all those deep-water running studies, and was ready for some empirical evidence.

The Race (5 mile run, 19 mile bike, 2 mile run, extremely hill course)
First run went fine. Two guys went off the front at a pace I had no business running and I was fine to let them go, especially since I knew ahead of time one runs for Nike's club team, and the other is the current Short-Course Duathlon National Champion.  I was in the second group of about 5, and after the second mile, the pace starting picking up a bit.  Instead of trying to stay in the group, I let them go and just focused on keeping them in site, confident in my biking ability, and not wanting to push the run too hard given my lack of land running.

Transitions. Were slower than they needed to be and may have cost me a spot to be honest. First race of the season though, and a good time to identify issues (e.g., order of operations with shoes and helmet, etc.)

Bike: Couldn't get my power up to save my life. Road 20 watts lower than planned.  That said, stayed in the race, and reeled in those guys from the pack ahead of me on the run, and also Peter from Nike's club team (who is a helluva runner, just hasn't been biking for very long).  About midway through the bike on the first real climb, watched some dude in an all-black kit fly by me out of the saddle, so I had myself in third position.  I wasn't happy with the bike, but also not surprised.  I was coming into this race on just 5 days rest and I know my body generally comes around after 8-9 days, and I was carrying a monster 5 week trailing average volume.  Also, as much as I was there to race, I had to be honest with myself that the program was set up to peak at HITs Napa Valley 70.3 on April 13, and this was just a step in that trajectory. So, no excuses, but explains some stuff and sheds insight into why I just didn't have it out there. For the numbers nerds, my FTP is right around 290-295, the plan was to ride at around 275-280 on the day (given a high-intensity 5-mile run first), and I ended up with an NP of something like 259...poop.

Second run hurt: I forgot how much these Duathlons hurt.  I think a mix of cashing myself just to be able to race on the bike, along with not much land-running leading up to this race really caught up to me.  I ran about 6:25 pace on some good trails/hills, but my god I had to fight for dear life to hold it.

Finish: Third place, 30 seconds down from second, and minutes off of first who went to defending National Champion Greg McNeil (guy is the real deal, privilege to race against him).  Happy to stay in the race when things weren't feeling great, hold people off on the run, and make the podium.  Tighter transitions may have closed the gap to second, but truth is, my bike split was 2-5 minutes off what it could have been, so I am not going to beat myself up over seconds in transitions.

Take-Aways: "Local" races here in Northern California are on a different level than they were in Michigan.  The pointy end of the field in both this race, as well as the shorter course option, was very very fast, and included a few pros, national champion, multiple All-Americans, etc. I am pumped about this and amazed at how fast the sport is getting even at the amateur level.  Just more proof that I constantly need to adapt and evolve if I want to stay competitive.

I continue to learn about my body. Sure enough, the day after this race I hit a 3x15 minute session on the bike with better power numbers feeling 10x better than day before during the race, and two days later, I set 5 PBs at 100 meters during a 10x100 set in the pool...needless to say, my taper for HITs Napa is 8 days!

Deep water running works (more on this later), but it works well enough and that is important to note too.

Duathlons are real hard, and while I would say that Triathlons are a more challenging sport, Duathlons hurt significantly worse, and I will argue anyone on that.

Thanks! I am so lucky to be working with and supported by such great companies in the industry, and truly filled with the utmost gratitude for not only their support, but also for their genuine caring about me as an athlete.  From exchanging emails to phone conversations and beyond, they truly care, and that is awesome.  Kiwami, Greater>Than, Extreme Endurance, and Nuun.  I don't want to sell myself nor my goals short, but at the end of the day, I am a pragmatist...I'll never be a top-notch pro, which just goes to show other aspiring athletes that while results matter, it is just a part of the equation when it comes to industry partnerships.

Also thanks to Coach Wes at BAM, who finally admits I am one of his higher maintenance athletes...but seriously, thanks for making this one work and getting me to the start line given the speed-bumpy road.  And Caitlin of course.  It's a team effort, and I've got the best point guard in the nation (second to Trey Burke).

HITS Napa Half in just a over a week.  Looking forward to it!

Rolling out of T1, still looking too much like a Middle Linebacker, but all part of the plan