Hey BTC,
Race season is ON, and it’s clear from the stunning, varied challenges and stellar results club athletes are racking up quickly and steadily. This issue of the Beat includes key dates for your MUST DO list, as well as three great race reports, each of which highlights a unique area of the broad spectrum of racing experiences that beckon triathletes: Jason Kaminski’s candid recap of grueling IM St. George, Charles Garabedian’s James Joycian account of Escape from Alcatraz, and Denise Farley’s sleep-deprived adventure at The Relay. Additionally, Craig David provides another comprehensive, thorough response to a member’s nutrition query on plant versus animal proteins. Please be sure to take time to read through this, and send your nutrition-related questions for future issues to myself or Craig. Thanks as always for sending your ideas, photos, race plans, and updates my way (mcmillan.w@gmail.com)!
Letter from the Prez
May came off without a hitch thanks to some great BTC volunteers. The time trial series was again a huge hit thanks to Artie Sandman, Dave McMillan, Richard Streeter, Burke Fishburne, Charles Garabedian, and a host of others! The 2nd BTC duathlon also had a great turnout. When asked how he thought it went, race director Schuckies said, “Kona’s got nothin’ on this race! Heck, even Chrissie was here!”. Finally, at the end of the month, the BTC was again out in force to clean up a couple miles of roadway on 75th St. I am always amazed at the level of commitment we get from club members for all sorts of activities, and this is what sets us apart from other tri clubs.
I am happy to report that the team clothing is on track to arrive a few days before the Boulder sprint race. As well, Boulder triathlon tech T’s will become available in just a couple weeks, just in time for our Try-a-Tri clinic on June 12th. I would like to ask each BTC member to invite one friend or family member to attend this clinic. It is a great way to get more people into triathlon and grow the club.
I am looking forward to a great June and a fantastic BTC aid station at the sprint. I also look forward to seeing many of you at the Stroke and Stride, 1st club pasta ride, and another gathering at flatirons athletic club. Let it loose as race season gets into full swing and keep up the beat, BTCers!
~Graz
NUTRITION SPOTLIGHT
Q. Whey protein has generally been regarded as a great supplement for endurance athletes, but it seems it’s got its share of controversy. Can you discuss factors to consider when choosing between plant versus animal-based proteins?
A. This question is becoming more prevalent as people take a deeper look into how and where their nutrition products are produced and come from.
To really address this, let’s first understand the differences in Proteins.
Protein is an essential nutrient and unique in terms that it not only supplies energy (4 calories per gm), but that it also contains nitrogen found in the building blocks that make up proteins called amino acids. There are a wide variety of animal protein ingredients that can be used: whey proteins, casein proteins, milk proteins, and egg proteins. Plant proteins can include soy isolate proteins, Hemp protein, Chia protein, proteins found in beans and legumes.
There are two major proteins found in dairy which are the whey proteins (20%) and casein proteins (80%) – this probably makes up 80%+ of the nutrition and recovery industry. Clearly, for the world of recovery and sports enthusiast whey proteins have been in the forefront. Rising with recognition are whey protein concentrates (WPC) and whey protein isolates (WPI). Whey protein isolates absorb rapidly at around 30 minutes or less while whey protein concentrates absorb at around 60 minutes. Both are considered “fast-acting” which makes them ideal for pre- and post-workout drinks. Casein on the other hand (found mostly in dairy, primarily in cottage cheese) absorbs much slower at about 4 hours making it a “slow-acting” protein and ideal for before bedtime or for long periods without eating.
Proteins in plants still provide the same energy and similar amino profiles. The biggest controversy we see comes from plant proteins being labeled “incomplete” proteins as a resulting from the low amounts of one or more of the nine essential amino acids (building blocks to our lean muscle mass). What this means is that your body is unable to extract the proper amount of protein from the particular plant source it needs to match up the proper alignment of amino acids, not to mention it can take twice as long to break down and digest.
This is slightly skewed however; the “incomplete” label doesn’t help distinguish to the average person which are missing or in lower levels, making it sufficient in the average diet. In most cases (e.g. grains, legumes), levels of one or more amino acid are insufficient for human needs; hence the need to mix certain grains, legumes, and beans to get adequate amounts of protein. We’ve dealt with this among several vegetarian athletes. This is really why animal proteins, most commonly Whey protein, become the successor to plant proteins because of a higher “bio-availability” (a greater receptiveness from the body). One to point out is Hemp protein. Hemp contains relatively high levels of the branched-chain amino acids. Soy is another common form which from the research, shows a slightly “lesser bio-availability” to the body than an animal protein.
Most animal based proteins, particularly Whey are purified by a process of ultra filtration and ion exchange. These substances are rich in fractions needed for immunological, digestive and nutritional importance. Whey proteins are complete proteins containing all of the essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized in the body. In fact, the amino acid profile (proportions and ratios) found in whey is almost identical to that of skeletal muscle (the highest bio-availability). A nutrient we often discuss with the “weekend warrior” and athlete both is “glutamine” – I could go on and on about the benefits here, both for student athletes all the way to the professional. Muscle glutamine levels (necessary to repair muscle from strenuous training) is also manufactured exclusively by the BCAAs. It makes sense, that if animal proteins provide a much higher and greater concentrated levels of BCAA’s, that this would be an optimal source for the consistently active person needing the most efficient rout to recovery. I will say however, that those who are lactose intolerant find Soy to be a great option. On the other hand, there are folks that have an incredibly hard time digesting plant proteins because the rest of their diet lacks in providing the necessary enzymes to do so.
This is where I’d recommend you sample a few products, both in high intensity training and as part of your every day nutritional needs to find the best option. Get educated and find something that fits your recovery need!
To a great summer of training, Craig
Director, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition
Cert. Sports Nutritionist
Many thanks to our sponsor Max Muscle for making time to address questions and concerns athletes have regarding nutrition! Please send queries for future issues directly to Craig at c. david@maxmuscleboulder.com, or to mcmillan.w@gmail.com.
IM St. George: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Jason Kaminski
Race day started off with cool air temperatures, even cooler water temps, and a little anxiety about a potential mechanical. Officially, IM said the water temperature was 62 earlier that week. Unofficially, talk amongst athletes at the bike check-in on Friday sources park rangers at Sand Hollow Reservoir as saying the water was between 52 and 54 degrees. In transition that morning, my rear 1080 Zipp felt a little soft, so I had a bike tech guy try to put some air into it. He couldn’t get my rear valve stem to open up, so I was stuck with what I had; he assured me that 100 psi was fine for a tubular, but later on I couldn’t help thinking I was slowly losing air during the entire bike leg.
They herded us into the chilly water and at first I didn’t think it was so cold, armed with my full-sleeved wetsuit and neoprene cap. Then, as I dove under, my face went numb. Wow. After the national anthem, the cannon sounded and we were off. The swim was pretty uneventful, marked by the usual inadvertent kicking and hitting, but nothing too serious. Although a much improved swimmer now than when I did my first IM at Lake Placid in 2001, the equalizer was the lack of a warm-up in that cold water, and my swim time was nearly identical to my first IM. I finished in 1:11.
Transition went smoothly, and I was off. The air temperature wasn’t too bad, although I did pull on my arm warmers. We had a nice little descent out of T1 and a relatively flat first few miles. The climb out of the valley felt pretty good, and I was passing a lot of athletes early on.
The bike loop was a lollipop course, and entering the first loop, I was feeling pretty good with a 22-plus mph average. A slight breeze was just starting to pick up and the sun was warming things up nicely, so I pushed my arm warmers down to my wrists and settled in. I had driven the course when I arrived in St. George on Thursday, so I knew what lay ahead. The bike loop takes you through a portion of an Indian Reservation, and while those red rocks are beautiful, you’re essentially climbing the entire time. The 3- 5% grades weren’t too bad, and then there were a couple of moderate climbs before you get to a hairpin turn (think mile marker 15 up Left Hand Canyon and the final turn up to Ward) where the pavement rises to 6- 11% for about a ½ mile stretch. If you ignored the suffering, the view into the valley was beautiful. We had another 10 or so miles of flats and false-flats, but the major climbs were over for the time being, and the last 15 or so miles were down hill where you could pick up some speed. The wind was really in your face, and there was a particular stretch of descent that I had to get off of my bars and sit up because of them (I had a Zipp 404 on front).
The 2nd bike loop was slower than the first (aren’t they all?), and I started to realize that the few 70-mile rides and single century I did in training probably weren’t enough. I was happy to get off the bike as I rolled into T2 with a bike time of 6:20, but I was feeling pretty good and still thinking I could go under 12 hours for a finishing time. In the changing tent, the volunteers were fantastic as always.
Heading out of T2, I was determined not to walk the marathon, determination that lasted for about 5 miles into the run. Every athlete, age-grouper and pro alike will tell you this was by far the toughest IM run. Fortunately, there was cloud cover and the ubiquitous St. George winds were still there so at least there were cool temperatures. Around mile 15 or so, my quads really started to cramp up and I went into survival mode by walking 100 steps and jogging/shuffling 100 steps. Seriously, I did this for the next 9 miles. At mile 24 or so, I was determined to finish strong and started running what felt like 8:00/mi pace but was probably closer to 10:00/mi pace. I was able to walk/jog a 5:07 marathon, and crossed the finish line in 12:51:20.
I got my post-race food, drink, and massage (I dumped the food and nearly fell asleep on the massage table), and then proceeded to slowly walk the 100 yards or so back to transition to collect my bike and swim gear. My truck was parked another ¼ mile away. I got back the motel room, showered, popped open a Guinness, and called the wife and parents. After one more In-N-Out Burger, I hit the sack and dreamed of my next race.
RACING
Congratulations to everyone as always on great performances and sporting accomplishments! Here are a few results we know about. Please send me your PRs and achievements…or, boast on behalf of your modest and amazing friends!
Congrats to:
Frederick Running Festival 1.2 Marathon: Jay Lochhead, 1:33:47 3rd AG!
Lookout Mountain Hill Climb:Richard Streeter, 23:55
Sunshine Canyon Hill Climb: Richard Streeter, 59:30, 15/25 in Senior Men 45+ Cat 4
Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon: Charles Garabedian, 2:27:18, 9th AG; Mike Ellis, 2:48:18, 11th AG; Klaus Stadtler, 4:07
Wildflower Olympic Triathlon : Mary Nodine, 2:40:12, 8th AG!; Chuck McCash, 2:52:42; Derek Cicchitto, 2:42:41; Gaby Larrea, 3:55:11
White Lake Triathlon: BTC President Andy Graziano, 5:33:19; Tim Sells, 5:40:49; Brent Schoeb, 5:13:43
Ironman St. George: Laura Riviera, 14:42:44; Mike Guzek, 10:50:58; Jason Kaminski, 12:51:20
Ironman St. Croix 70.3: Barry Siff, 5:51:51 (Clearwater qualifier!)
Blue Sky Red Stone Trail Race (14.3 miles): Lauren Greenfield, 2:25:23 2nd AG/4th female!
Barking Dog Duathlon: Derek Cicchitto, 1:42:09 (4th AG); Tom Kissinger, 1:52:17; Pam Sinel, 2:00:18; David McMillan, 1:32:50 (2nd AG); Wendy McMillan, 1:48:58 (4th AG); Jay Lochhead, 1:48:11 (6th AG); Kevin Edwards, 1:41:30 (4th AG); Dave Costa, 1:49:43, Liz Larson, 2:14:59; Heidi Smith, 1:40:19 (2nd AG)
Longmont Summer Open Sprint: Charles Garabedian, 1:02:47 (2nd AG); David McMillan, 1:05:26; Christiana Glenn, 1:05:36 (2nd elite female); Heidi Smith, 1:06:34 (1st AG); Mary Nodine, 1:07:32 (2nd AG); Jason Kaminski, 1:09:18; Ryan O’Connor, 1:10:18; Jay Lochhead, 1:11:15; Brad Schildt, 1:11:18; Cisco Quintero, 1:12:23; Melissa Mosley, 1:16:57; Diane DeRoia, 1:17:52; Stephanie Murphy, 1:19:01; Laurie Mizener, 1:12:51 (2nd AG); Meg Flanegan, 1:16:07; Tressa Ferrell, 1:14:35; Mike Ricci, 1:05:25 (4th AG); Trent Niemeyer, 1:01:52 (3rg AG); Karin Linner, 1:12:58 (2nd AG); Jenny Georges, 1:10:43 (5th AG); Leena Figall, 1:27:02
Pelican Fest Triathlon: Jay Lochhead, 1:06:37 (6th AG); Liz Larson, 1:20:55 (5th AG)
All the awesome Bolder Boulder runners and Morgul Bismark cyclists!
…and all other competitors in this May events!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Upcoming Events
June
-3 First Stroke and Stride of the summer! http://www.racingunderground.com/strokestride/
-12 BTC hosting Try-a-Tri clinic to inform and encourage athletes new to the sport: spread the word!
-15 Club meeting at Flatirons Athletic Club: Core Workout with Joe Horwat begins at 5:30
-16 FIRST pasta ride of the season hosted by the Schuckies! 6 pm at 5843 Orchard Creek Lane. Triathlete Magazine will be writing a CLUB GRUB article about us for an upcoming issue!
-20 Boulder Sprint Triathlon, with BTC Run Aid Station (THANKS to volunteers!)
-24: Bike Maintenance Workshop, Full Cycle, 7:30 pm
-Heads Up: We are still looking for volunteers willing to host pasta rides on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. Please e-mail Jayme at jayme_brooke@hotmail.com if you are interested.
To keep posted on the hordes of great multisport events taking place locally, check out these incredible calendars:
Colorado Triathlete Multisport Calendar
Escape from Alcatraz: A Stream-of-Consciousness Race Report by Charles Garabedian
Cell Phone Alarm Clock Starts Vibrating @ 4AM.
15 more minutes. 2 More minutes. Ahh, get up. Eat those scones, perhaps the bagel too. Is everything in the bag? Grab bike. So cold, why am I shivering? Ride or walk to start? Walk…too fucking slow; road debris looks clear, go by bike. 228, Left calf, age 27. OK, 4 racks in…Japan Flag before trash bin. Race director must like me, location is perfect. Easy enough gear, shoes clipped in, running shoes open, Vaseline on right shoe. Who has a pump…that guy over there. Bib 620, Bib 620, Bib 620, thank him for bike pump. Transition is good, now find the shitter. Follow your nose. Line too long, walk to the others. Go,d that smells awful. Hold breath, done. Get on bus to start. She’s cute; get in line with her…
1.5 hrs till the race start. Get on boat now, take a nap. Try napping. 20 minutes till race. Wetsuit on, get his help zipping it. Here we go. Hope my training shows. One cap or two caps…one. Douche bag is not getting in front of me! Start watch. GO, GO, GO! Cold, cold, cold. Follow that line. Breathe. Go. Pull through, Pull, this is a race after all. Okay calm down, concentrate on the radio tower. Breathe, Breathe. Where am I? Gold dome, on it. Focus on dome, keep to left. Why is that group going left? Left line or right line…? Two groups – one left and right, 50 meters apart, I’m in middle. Just go with it. This swim is so damn long. Why am I by myself out here? Great, I’m the sacrificial shark bait swimmer? Where’s the shark? That gold dome is not getting closer. Why did these waves get really big? A boat must have just gone by. Shit there’s the swim exit, I’m so far back, two-three minutes behind, shit. Where’s the ground, there it is. Up, start moving legs, go. Pull cap, goggles, start taking off wetsuit. Look at those idiots stopping for shoes. I’ll run this barefoot. Ouch, ouch, ouch, Fuck that hurts! Ouch. Next year I’m wearing shoes. First, second, third, fourth rack, turn. Sunglasses, helmet…bike.
Cyclocross mount, into shoes. Pedal. C’mon legs, lets go. Power Gel time. Espresso with a hint of salt. Stay with that guy. Not in my age group, let him go. This road is terrible; is this a third world country? And now we climb, big ring, yeah that will work. Full circles, pedal in circles. Time to go. Push! First few turns no problem? I just passed this guy…why is he attacking? Cool, he just popped before the climb, idiot. Gas it. Go, follow the road bike lines into the turns. Race director is full of shit: Tri bike is still faster than road bike on this course. C’mon, climb this hill. Looks like Hunter is winning the race, must be near the turnaround. Halfway done, right on target. Wow, that’s a ton of people coming the other way. Two thousand people on the bike course, glad I’m not in that bunch. Climb, climb, climb…water. Five miles to go. Overcooked that corner, could have been ugly. Drive it two more miles, see entrance, get out of shoes. Dismount. One, two three, four, where the hell are my shoes? Damnit, turned one too early. Shoes, belt.
Pace feels good. Run, run, run. Mile marker 1, 6:02, must be a short mile. Who is this guy running next to me? This guy is not even in the race, why is he running right behind me? Annoying, run alongside if you’re going to run while I’m racing here. Wow she’s hot, that spandex is so see-through, too bad it’s only mile two. This guy alongside me looks exactly like Artie. Golden Gate Bridge, ahh that’s nice. Scenic. OK, tour is over. Run through tunnel, duck for head. No one mentioned this climb. Sanitas? Finally downhill. Jump, step, jump, step. These guys really suck at descending. Sand in shoe. Water. Sandstairs and then
all downhill. Twenty steps, then walk. Repeat. God, this hurts. All downhill and flat. Time to go. 5:20 that mile has to be short, 5:40 that mile is short too. That guy behind is getting really close. Sprint. Go, go, go, go! Phew. Collapse.
For more nit and grit on escaping from Alcatraz, check out Mike Ellis’s detail-rich blog post, too!
“The Bearded Ladies” Take on The Relay: race report by Denise Farley
They call the “The Relay”, a 199 mile relay race from Calistoga California to the beautiful beach town of Santa Cruz, the race of your life…not sure I would describe it so, but it was definitely an experience. I traveled to the San Francisco area on May 1st and met up with nine women, some of my closest “east coast” friends to compete in this epic race. Typically for these types of races, your team consists of twelve people, but due to injuries and sickness we were two people short. Therefore some of us had to take on the daunting task of doing four legs, one more than the three everyone else was doing. My friends decided that because I was coming down from altitude, and “running up mountains every day” (which I never do) I was perfectly suited to take on the bulk of the mileage for the team. I ran a total of 25.5 miles, which I know is .7 miles less than a full marathon and sounds like it shouldn’t be too difficult considering I have run several 26.2s already. However, running multiple legs in a span of 30 hours, going on no sleep, squeezing in meals consisting only of trail mix, Gu, Power Bars and massive amounts of coffee, not to mention sore legs from sitting cramped in a van, is a totally different kind of beast.
On my first leg I did feel the wonderful effects of coming down from altitude and finished my 7.1 miles doing about 7:04’s per mile. My second leg, however, was at two in the morning and definitely more challenging. It was mostly downhill on a tiny winding two lane road. It was then I started wondering why in the world I had chosen to be out there in the middle of the night. Instead of focusing on my running, I spent the 5.8 miles focusing on the 6 inch shoulder that I had to run on by using my bouncing head lamp. I have no idea how fast or slow I ran. At four in the morning, after the last girl in our van ran, it was finally time to sleep for exactly two and a half hours, and I slept in the cramped van, once again wondering why we had elected to do this. I was only half way done with my legs, and already I was suffering from sleep deprivation; my stomach was in knots from haphazard eating. At 7 am I was off for my 3rd leg; by this point my legs felt like logs…I think I ran this 6 mile leg in 7:45’s but I was in such a fog I can’t honestly say for sure. My final leg was the most fun and challenging by far. At this point of a race experience like this, you finally start to experience the highs of completing a relay that just one day ago seemed forever endless. We were running through a nearby beach town and had lots of cheers from the crowd. The first four miles were great and then I took a right hand turn straight up a hill steeper than any mountain I have ever run in Boulder. This went on for two miles. I felt like I was practically walking, but I was still passing people so they kept me motivated. In the end I averaged eight minute pace for the leg.
We have done these relays before and there are always ups and downs through-out the 25-30 hour period; in a strange way you could say this insane race mirrors life. Yet even though everyone inevitably goes through a low period (usually sometime in the middle of the night)…time always makes you forget the downers and all you can remember is the camaraderie, team work and unforgettable moment. People are at their funniest and craziest sometimes at three in the morning. No fail, six months from now someone will suggest we do another one. We have very short term memory, and I have faith that I will inevitably sign up for “our last one” again. Besides, the celebratory margarita by the pool with an ocean view somehow makes it all worth it!
ATHLETE PROFILE: Mike Ellis
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Years competing in tris: Since 1997Worst tri mishap/ Worst tri mistake: You name it, I did it in my first triathlon (the 1997 Boulder Peak). It included not training, going off course, wrong equipment, bad positioning, embarrassing outfit, overconfidence, and not knowing when to quit. I was rewarded with dead last place.
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Top tri tip: 1) If you take supplements, skip them on race morning (or take them after you finish); 2) Do not use anti-inflammatories (like ibuprofen) unless you are so injured that you can’t train
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Favorite sporting accomplishment: Most recently, completed Escape from AlcatrazGoals for next season so far: Boulder Tri Series
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Favorite pre-race food: Muesli with nuts and raisins and milk, plus secret ingredients I’m not going to share
Favorite post-race replenishment: Veggie burritos -
Something people may not know about Mike: Mike has almost 70 issued US patents
PARTING SHOT: Who’s the ironman with the iron fist?
Be first to send your best guess to Wendy at mcmillan.w@gmail.com.
