Happy 4th, BTC! Hard to believe we’re at the height of summer already, but clear to see in this issue of the BTC Beat! Once again, we’re bursting at the cyber seams with content here, so please take your tie to read through. Excellent contributions this month will help you plan, celebrate, and redefine your goals. D3 coach and sponsor Amanda McCracken takes a fresh and insightful look at the meaning of success; Mary Nodine taps into journey of a race that captures the spirit of triathlon at Wildflower; Eric Kenney tackles big training; and Rocky Riviera shares a recent experience that proves a valuable lesson, as well as a testimonial to one of our incredible local race directors, Darrin Eisman. Plus, be sure to check out our regular nutrition slot focusing on the importance of timing! Finally, don’t miss other news and tidbits, including a request for your feedback as we spin the clock ahead looking to the year-end banquet, a profile on everyone’s pal and much valued club member Cisco Quintero, and another mystery shot. No one’s won cookies in awhile, so I’ve been forced to bulk up my freezer stash! : )
Letter from the Prez
Considering how busy all our athletes have been this month, brevity will be my guide. The BTC rocked in June. We started our summer pasta rides, drawing big crowds and serving great food. Thank you to the Schuckies, Ann Remmers, and Jayme/Clayton for hosting our June pasta rides! The BTC fielded a HUGE aid station at the Boulder Sprint, anchored by the entire Kinsey family and captain’d by Sally Dyer. Whoot, whoot! And we had a great turnout and stellar performances at the Boulder Sprint. We had a super club gathering at Flatirons Athletic Club where we got introduced to Joga! I was sore for a few days after that and am incorporating some of the exercises into my weekly routine. Thanks to Warren for arranging this for BTC members.
Unfortunately the team clothing did not arrive until the week after the sprint. The shipment got held up in customs and would not budge despite the best efforts of the Pearl Izumi staff. But now that the team clothing is in, all I can say is WOW! I have been wearing the clothing this week and absolutely love it. I hope you all do, too; there is some extra inventory being sold at Full Cycle if you missed the order deadline. Sizes are limited, so don’t delay!
We also got our technical t-shirts completed and I have all sizes still in stock with the exception of female smalls. Track me down if you’d like a shirt – $16 for club members and $20 for BTC wannabes! We are also working on enabling the ability to order the tech tee through the website so I’ll let you know when that is available.
I am looking forward to a great July centered by the Boulder Peak and the Club Annual Barbecue and Pool Partaay! My mother-in-law has been gracious enough to open her huge home and pool in Gunbarrel to the BTC. July 11th is the date and the pool will open at 3pm – I hope to see a huge crowd there and you can find the link to the Evite on my Facebook page. I hope many of you will be able to make it along with your family. We also have a pretty good BTC contingent heading out to San Fran for the Alcatraz Challenge. This has become an informal club trip and everyone is looking forward sharing the trip and race with great friends.
Have a great July and we’ll see you at the Peak and Club Barbecue. Keep up the beat, BTC’ers.
~Graz
SEEKING PARTY FEEDBACK!
We’ve only just passed midsummer, but we’re already looking ahead to the year-end banquet. Before we wade too deep in plans, we need your feedback! This event has traditionally been a semi-formal sit-down dinner. This past year, we changed things up a bit for more of a drop-in, cocktail style feel. We’d love to know what you prefer! Please e-mail any of the leads, or all at <leads@teambtc.org>, and share your thoughts. Or, please share in person when you see us! This is a special event celebrating a vibrant season of the accomplishments, great and camaraderie within this club, and we want it to be the best it can be for everyone!
NUTRITION SPOTLIGHT
Nutrient timing, why does it matter?
When we talk about timing with customers and athletes alike, it always seems to raise an eyebrow. Why? Well, food is food, right? If you eat something you should be able to perform, right? Well not exactly. As we all know proteins, fats, and carbohydrates each have their respective functions. That being said, it’s the timing “around training” that seems to keep they eyebrow raised.
This is something you won’t find in the “newsstand” fitness magazine. To start, we recommend every athlete begin with a foundation to support overall health and increase immune system response. Components such as a recovery protein, glutamine, multivitamins, and essential fatty acids (EFAs) – are the building blocks of a healthy body and are critical to losing fat, gaining or maintaining muscle mass, and endurance. One thing to note here: getting in such nutrient rich items becomes extremely beneficial at breakfast, post training, and before bed; particularly when training on a daily basis.
Endurance training and advanced nutrient timing
Ok, here is where we help connect the dots. Endurance athletes must maintain speed and quickness while building and maintaining the muscle mass necessary for intense, extended workouts. Some of the biggest mistakes we see endurance athletes make is failing to “prime” their system w/ adequate glycogen, replace their lost glycogen, which fuels the body for the next workout. Additionally, endurance athletes need protein: in particular, a Branch Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) both before and during can significantly decrease the extent to which the muscle breaks down. This coupled with a lactic acid buffer is sure to make those interval sessions more than worth your while. Intervals – lets think about that: we do intervals to increase our spread via our body’s capacity to respond: what if we could further aid this process via immediate nutrition? Sounds like a winning combo!
We also need to look at “during training consumption” as this is popular. Really, unless you’re over 1.5-2 hours in a training session to you then need to consume extra calories. We know that on average a person’s liver will hold about 80-100 grams of glycogen along with 400-600 grams within the skeletal muscle – again, a fairy abundant supply for short duration/distance. On the other end of the spectrum, we see people woofing down a power bar, 2 gels, another bottle of Gatorade only to tell me that they had a side ache or kept feeling like they’d just got punched in the gut and could barely hold it down (bit of an exaggeration here 
). That said, our body can only assimilate somewhere around 60-80 grams of carbohydrate per hour while training: gels and liquid become a good option here to minimize stomach distress.
Correct timing of protein (and the right kind of protein) post workout leads to a greater recovery period, less fatigue, and increased power output, the key to sustaining optimal performance. Why is this so important? Well, in a nutshell, we can optimize how our bodies function metabolically by “giving it more than it expects” to allow it to “build upon” the work you just did, not simply try to “make up lost ground.” A fast acting protein, hydration protein, along with a high performance carbohydrate and glutamine at this point is going to accelerate recovery two fold.
Here’s an example of what a 2 hr training session or brick might look like:
Pre-Workout: 1-2 scoops of Xtinguisher + 2 scoops ACM (Advanced carb matrix – the amount will vary based on your body weight and the intensity of your planned workout). Xtinguisher’s carnisine and dextrose help rapidly fuel your body for extended training periods and will buffer the burn associated with lactic acid buildup. The three different types of carbs in ACM plays off of Xtinguisher and feeds of the ability to provide immediate fuel while the PH in the muscle is kept at a minimum.
These two effects will allow you to train at higher levels of intensity for longer periods.
Post-Workout: Speed muscle repair and growth by replenishing the glycogen you have depleted. 1 serving of glutamine, 5-10 grams of branch-chained amino acids (when performing two training sessions in a day), and a serving of hydration protein, 15-30 grams depending on the person, to speed absorption & nutrients back into your muscles without unnecessary sugar.
Additional help?
Need to shed a few extra pounds but want to sustain or increase performance? How about helping your body dump a few extra fat pounds?
AM, Pre-workout: 30 minutes before workout- Liquid Carnitine, 300 mg CLA, & 5 mg L-glutamine
Post workout: 15-30 minutes: Protein with 5 mg glutamine & one serving of whole-grain carbs.
Post workout mea; follow post workout recovery with whole food within 60-90 minutes.
Bedtime: “ZMA” Zinc & Magnesium have proven over and over to increase recovery. These are the two most depleted minerals in highly trained individuals leading to lack of recovery.
These are just examples and can very greatly depending on the person. Nutrient timing can have a significant effect on performance and recovery simply because we can either help or hinder our body’s metabolic processes. As everybody is different, this may take a bit of trial and error. Get educated and look for a source that isn’t afraid to explain the how and why. As always, whole food intake is ABSOLUTELY key in our performance – don’t forget it
Great thanks to letting us serve the BTC!
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.
COACH’S CORNER: More Than Numbers by Amanda McCracken
Upon returning home from my disappointing Boulder Peak Olympic distance triathlon last summer, I was greeted by my housemate with, “Hail to the conqueror!” In tears I responded, “Thanks, but, I sucked! I croaked on the run and was nine minutes off my best time on that course.” “But you finished!” she continued, sincerely impressed with my effort of which I thought very little. In my head I didn’t think it was enough to have finished. Having competed in many triathlons of varying distances, my perspective had changed and I was at a loss to know how to measure my success. I struggled to feel good about my two hour and 39 minute effort after five months of training geared to succeed at that particular race by bettering my time. I had left myself no other way to measure success and had downplayed my effort despite the 100 degree heat. I cynically concluded that competing and training was a gamble, like playing the stock market: you never know if what you are investing will make a profit, break even or go belly up. My oversimplified analogy was not a fair comparison. In order to properly gauge my success, I had to reflect on what makes me “me”. At the time, I believed in the statement “what I do is who I am” rather than “who I am is what I do”. In other words, I should have realized that how I value myself determines my performance and not, how I perform determines my self worth.
Are we too focused on what we are achieving (numbers) rather than who we are becoming? We have to slow down long enough to see whether our activities and goals support our purpose in life. Have you identified your life purpose and your related purpose in doing triathlons? We should identify a variety of targets and goals for triathlon that are both consistent with our life philosophy and fluid enough to be measurable based on our potential at a given moment.
To compartmentalize or to thread
Defining the “who” in the success equation is what seems most significant. It seems perfectly natural to me as a triathlete to compartmentalize my definition; after all, I do this for each of the three disciplines. I’m assuming that very few readers of this magazine identify themselves as solely athletes. Many are professionals, parents, spouses, volunteers, students, etc. Does one’s definition of success have to be tailored differently for each role? To succeed as an athlete means achieving X; to be a successful mother is to be Y; and to succeed in a profession is to perform Z. Or, is there a thematic thread that weaves the roles together to support an overarching purpose in life?
Abraham Maslow’s theory says that once we have secured the basics of our hierarchy of needs (air, safety, food, means, security, love and belonging) we are left to reach for the ultimate goal of human existence: to be self-actualized. This is the thread. This means to be involvedin identifying and fulfilling our life’s purpose by utilizing our potential. Isn’t this process what we, as triathletes, need to employ to define our personal success?
Potential and the moment
Becoming self-actualized is a progressive act that often requires one to stop and consider potential in the moment.A former athlete of mine, suffering from severe depression, says “not giving up” is the definition of success for him at the moment. According to two-time Olympian Alan Culpepper, success is doing his best with the potential he has on any given day and having the ability to shift perspectives as his potential changes. There is a necessity to consider “the moment” in each of these definitions.
Purpose set: now what are you going to do?
Measuring success in the sport of triathlon is difficult because there are so many factors, many uncontrollable like the weather and our equipment. Balancing three disciplines and the time, intensity, and duration of workouts are other variables to be thrown into the success equation. However, a prepared athlete ought to have a variety of targets and goals that are controllable.
Targets are statements of what we physically want. Consider the metaphor Bobby McGee uses in his book, Magical Running: Targets are like magnets that pull us along in a particular direction. Consider the possible following targets:
-win your age group at a particular race
-qualify for Kona
-finish in the top 10% of a race
-improve your power output on the bike
-improve your lactate threshold on the run
-improve your mechanics in a discipline
-increase your heart rate at which you enter your lactate threshold
-finish a season injury free
-complete a new distance
-improve your time on a familiar course
-register for a race!
-feel comfortable in own body half-naked body in public
-set a variety of goals unrelated to time or place!
-incorporate more family time in your training
Goals, McGee says, are characteristics that you require to achieve targets. For example, in order to achieve target X, I need to practice and exhibit the A, B, and C characteristics in competition, training, and daily life. These characteristics might sound like, “I need to be assertive, love my body, and remember I have options as situations change.”
Goals should create awareness, serve a purpose (not hold you back), and be realistic but high. Remind yourself of these goals during the day, not just prior to and during competition. Try writing down key words to create a steady script in your head to remind yourself of the characteristics you are seeking to embody. For example, you might repeat, “body love, assert, options” in your head during training and racing. Better yet, write them on your body during a race!
Writing it down
Go ahead, the registrations are opening and there is a buzz in the air of a rapidly approaching new triathlon season. Before you rush online to sign up for a fistful of races, overestimating your body’s potential, your available training hours and your family’s patience, take time to identify how you will define success this season. There is an endless list of possibilities, but how many of us clearly state these before the start of a season?
1. Identify your purpose in life and then specifically in the sport of triathlon. Answer the question, “Why do I do triathlons?” Write it down!
2. Write down three targets that address your purpose in doing triathlons (for this season) and take ownership of those targets. Don’t create a target based on someone else’s expectation.
3. Write down three goals for each target. Consider the question, “How do I want to feel and act before, during and after a race?”
4. When determining success for the season or a race, focus on who you are now and are becoming rather than what you are achieving (place and time) which is a very narrow perspective on success. Why limit your chances of feeling good about yourself?
Perspective
It’s easy to lose perspective on why we train and why we started doing our sport in the first place. It takes a step outside the athletic world of age group rankings, lactate threshold data and race times to better understand one’s athletic identity (the who) and appreciate the exploratory beauties of the sport (the why) that often get buried beneath the gear, race schedules and statistics. When finding success in consistency seems impossible (due to uncontrollable factors) and finishing a race doesn’t seem significant anymore, remember overall success equates to a combination of achievements at particular moments and actualizing one’s purpose. When you feel like the permanent marked race number on your arm makes you just that, a number, remember who you are and where you’ve been. These, not your race statistics, make you a success.
Amanda is the D3 Women’s Coach and a skilled massage therapist. This article appeared in the June 2008 issue of Triathlete Magazine.
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:
Kansas 70.3: Steve Pyle, 4:33:17 (1stAG, Clearwater qualifier!); Lindsey Milliken, 5:07:52 (Clearwater qualifier!); Burke Fishburn, 5:11:38; Brent Schoeb, 5:06:58; Karin Linner, 5:19:31; Tressa Ferrell, 5:25:30; Dave McMillan, 4:47:32; Wendy McMillan, 5:36:55; Pam Buderus, 5:52:59; Jim Buderus, 5:18:43; Todd Landin, 4:58:12
Boise 70.3: Mike Ricci, 5:09:01 (8th AG); Jon Haukaas, 5:42:57; Jay Lochhead, 5:13:53; Liz Larson, 6:18:18
Boulder Sunrise Sprint Tri : ScottCejka, 3rd AG, 1st ever tri!
Big Sky Duathlon: Mary Nodine, 1:17:06 (1st female overall!); Artie Sandman, 1:15 (2nd AG!); Dave Costa, 1:26:04 (6th AG); Julie Olsen, 1:17:57 (1st AG, 2nd overall female!)
Estes Park 10K: Leena Figall (4th overall, 1st AG!)
5430 Sprint: Andy Graziano, 1:27:15; Warren Schuckies1:23:35 (8th AG); Pam Schuckies1:37:54 (4th AG); Klaus Stadtler1:52:49; Mike Ellis, 1:27:38; Gail Matherly, 1:27:22 (4th AG); Valerie Trapa, 1:39:31; Brad Schildt, 1:25:52; Rakesh Ganeriwala, 1:34:24; Liz Larson, 1:36:52; Leena Figall, 1:41:47; Jay Lochead, 1:21:34; Cisco Quintero; Charles Garabedian, 1:16:14 (7th AG); Owen Hammond, 1:16:45 (7th AG); Julie Olsen, 1:23:40 (3rd AG); Meg Flanegan, 1:30:19; Simon Butterworth, 1:34:16 (3rd AG); Pam Sinel Moore, 1:35:42; Megan Phares, 1:45:01; Joni Kozdeba, 1:46:31; Dave McMillan, 1:20:12; Burke Fishburn, 1:20:12 (6th AG); Tom Kissinger, 1:26:27; Rocky Riviera, 1:47:07; Randy Rose, 1:44:36; Melissa Mosley, 1:38:13; Gaby Larea, 1:52:46; Chuck McCash, 1:31:04; Brent Schoeb, 1:24:53; Eric Kenney, 1:13:02 (4thAG); Jeff Franke, 1:36:06; Sharon Hooper Houghton, 1:21:10 (1st AG, 8th overall); Kevin Houghton, 1:24:14; Heidi Smith, 1:21:20 (3rd AG); Bruce Wilson, 1:39:21 (3rd AG); Stephanie Murphy, 1:33:39; Craig Wilson, 1:27:41; Vickie Stubbs, 1:49:04; Rebecca Green, 2:01:56; Jay Plucienkowski, 1:20:05; Brad Culberson, 1:26:18; Doug Wendel, 1:25:02; Tom English, 1:26:19
DC Triathlon: Denise Farley, 1:20 (1st female overall!)
Loveland Lake to Lake: Mary Nodine, 2:36:12 (2nd AG); Charles Garabedian, 2:22:28 (2nd AG); Jenny Georges/Cisco Quintero relay, 5th place; Lindsey Milliken, 2:38:27 (3rd AG); Derek Cicchitto, 2:43:03; Liz Larson, 3:05:18; Jim Buderus, 2:45:27; Wendy McMillan, 3:02:16; Lauren Greenfield, 3:02:23 (10th AG); Jason Kaminski; Jay Lochhead, 2:39:24; Burke Fishburn, 2:35:27; Heidi Smith, 2:37:46 (3rd AG); Melissa Mosley (aquabike), 2:13;10 (5th AG); Rocky Riviera, 3:35:29
Buffalo Springs 70.3: Gail Matherly, 5:04:29 (4th AG); Warren Schuckies, 5:13:57; Pam Schuckies, 6:04:30 (2nd AG and Kona qualifier! Yay!!); Sharon Hooper, 5:05:34 (2nd AG!); Tom Kissinger, 5:38:52
…and all other competitors in June events!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Upcoming Events
July
-7 Pasta ride hosted by Artie Sandman and Tressa Ferrell
-11 Boulder Peak Tri and BTC summer BBQ/Pool party! 1 pm, 7614 Rustic Trail, Boulder
-14 Pasta ride hosted by Dieter Bruhn
-21 Pasta ride hosted by Burke Fishburn
-28 Pasta ride, host TBA
-Heads Up: We are still looking for volunteers willing to host pasta rides on the 28th and September 1st. 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
Wildflower Tripping by Mary Nodine
Five states, four BTC’ers, three tents, two Roadside Geology books, one Toyota 4-runner, forty hours of driving and eight tanks of gas…it was a typical road trip, including spontaneous stops for wine tastings and donuts and snowstorms and tacos and Joshua trees. Throw in four bikes, four helmets, four wetsuits and a cooler full of calories (yeah that’s a full 4-runner) and you’ve got a caravan bound for the Woodstock of Triathlons!
The Wildflower Triathlon Festival’s nickname is well-earned. It’s a three-tri extravaganza (Long Course and Mountain Bike on Saturday, Olympic Distance on Sunday) set in gorgeous rolling hills near San Luis Obispo, California….i.e. the middle of nowhere. Almost all the athletes camp at the race site, making it a communal experience unlike that of any other multisport race.
Derek, Chuck, Gaby and I left Thursday and drove through the night to arrive late Friday afternoon at the race site. The place was already packed but we managed to find ourselves a sweet campsite (strategically ignoring some “reserved” signs in the process). We weren’t racing until Sunday, so we settled in for a night and day of chilling out and soaking in the triathlon scene.
You’d think we would have gotten bored with nothing to do but rest our legs on Saturday, in the middle of nowhere…but when you’re a triathlete, a long course race provides endless entertainment! We slept as long as we could on Saturday morning (I suspect it was easier on that crisp California morning than it was for those poor 70.3 Kansas folks…) but awoke at 8 to loudspeakers announcing the race. After breakfast we moseyed down to the water (and I mean DOWN….trips to the start had to be limited due to the crazy hill between transition and the campsites). We wandered the expo and entertained ourselves watching transitions and always-educational bike mounts. Then we watched the pros start their run. (Gaby scored some free arm warmers that one fast woman ditched…ah, to have arm warmers be so dispensable!) In the afternoon we sat in the shade in camping chairs for a good two hours cheering our hearts out for athletes we didn’t know…no better way to get psyched up for your own race.
Saturday evening was my favorite because we got the best experience of the triathlon community around us. We didn’t have any lighter fluid, but our neighbors in a camper taught me how to start a fire with one of those charcoal tower things. Over dinner we shared a picnic table with some new friends, including an ex-pro triathlete who entertained us with tales of disastrous triathlons in Mexico City, gave us tips for the Wildflower course, and gave us oranges fresh off a tree in his girlfriend’s yard. We carbo-loaded with toasted marshmallows (ok, I carbo-loaded with marshmallows, Derek with quinoa, Gaby and Chuck with…sausage) and went to bed early.
Sunday was race day, and hardly seems a story compared to the adventures of the rest of our trip. Wildflower is known as a seriously hilly course, and it lived up to its reputation. The swim had a pretty steep climb right around 600 yards (ok that was only funny to me…I also have an obsession with making X-Terras have off-road swims through rapids and boulders). The bike felt like a series of hill repeats….work the ups, recover on the downs. It sure isn’t fast, and it sure beats up your legs for the run….which is essentially five miles of climbing followed by a crazy downhill to the finish! But the race was a success for all four of us…especially Gaby, considering it was her first triathlon AND she had run the Big Sur Marathon one week before. (Or maybe she’s just crazy…)
By the time we finished the race, hung out and listened to a little live music, ate burritos and drank beer, 4 pm had rolled around and it was time to drive back to Colorado. Oh, joy. Long story short, we made it back intact and pretty much needed 24 hours of sleep to get back to normal. But (here comes the cheesy part) as we pulled away from the campground, driving in the sunshine through the pastoral hills, windows rolled down and hip-hop blasting, I couldn’t help noticing a shift in my typically cynical mindset. Wildflower really does manage to take thousands of Type A, equipment-obsessed, over-regimented triathletes (sorry folks, I love you all, and I certainly obsess with the best of you!) and create an atmosphere where everyone escapes from the real world, lets loose and even makes new friends…while putting on a world-class race in the process. What’s not to love about that?
Big Training by Eric Kenney
Where are you with your training?
For many of you doing a big race this year, by now you are getting into some serious training. This can mean simply being structured and more disciplined or, as a pro friend of mine is, hammering 20+ hours a week! As you come into a critical phase or block of training, there is a lot going through your head. You have probably done a few TRAINING RACES and therefore have some results, good or bad, to learn from, some adjustments to make, etc.
During this time it’s easy to get distracted and stray from your original game plan. It’s during this time that I see many athletes try to do too much. Its seems weird that someone could fail to reach their goal by trying to overly prepare… but it happens all the time. Now is the time we are looking for lots of bang for the buck. We are looking for the most adaptation possible in a given amount time. While one should always be managing training in this way, right now we are fit and efficient at our sports. We’re not far off the longest daylight day of the year, race day is drawing close, and we are looking to really push the training envelope!
As I rode home from the 5430 sprint tri in Boulder, I had several thoughts on how to manage this phase.
- Get back to basics: you should have a list of goals and training objectives that you made at the onset of training. Go back and look at them.
Ask yourself, do some need to be revised? You may have learned that you thought a 1:20/100 yd swimming threshold pace would net you a 1 hr IM swim (1:25/100yd pace). Now is it looking more like 1:17-1:18 threshold pace? - How many training objectives have you meet?
- How many have you not meet? Do you need to change things up, or do you need to keep plugging away? You may just need more time in a particular area.
- The more you train the more recovery you need. Plan extra time for rest and active recovery.
Realize that progress takes time. I have an athlete who is not making the progress we hoped for on the bike. While he feels better, his threshold watts are somewhat stagnant. However, each race he does, he performs better and better in the bike leg, and places higher and higher in his age group over all. Some things just can’t be explained. While we are still working as his riding it’s no time to be disappointed or panic!
So, you’re prepped for some big training this month. What should you do?
Block training
In the triathlon world, it is very easy to get caught up in the “routine”. When people ask mewhat a normal build week looks like for me, I say, “There is no such thing.” It’s so easy to get into that fixed mindset: Monday is off; swim Tuesday and Thursday; team run Wednesday; long bike Saturday; long run Sunday; blah blah blah… if you want to improve in something you have to work at it, A LOT!!
We all know that you don’t get faster from one workout, yet we get so crazy about doing “just this one workout” today! “I can’t miss the team run, or I will lose my running legs.” You really think so? If so, you’re wrong. If you want to maximize your time and get good riding in, you’re going to have to cut back the swimming and running. Or quit your job.
I am always doing focus or block training. One to two weeks of focusing on one sport or one aspect of that sport. Here are some ideas for a focus week of training plus an example.
- Think big picture, plan ahead. You want to get as much training in as you can. You will do this by being consistent. Frequency is KEY! While you will want to do some big training days, don’t kill yourself! Push your limits, don’t reach miles beyond them.
- Dial back other sports. If you’re doing a focus week on the bike you can still run and swim but dial it WAY back! You’re not going to forget how to run if you stop for 2 weeks. Just do 1-2 runs a week. Make them Z1-2, brick runs, easy. All you’re looking for is the bare minimum or less, for now. Same with swimming. Dial your other sports back at least 50-75% and drop any intensity. Use all your physical and mental energy for your focus sport!
A run focus week for an athlete of ours looked like this:
Mon: recovery day, easy 1 hr ride.
Tue: masters swim, longer and easier, 4k total
Run long, 90 min. 6x 20 second pick-ups at end
Wed: Easy ride, 2hrs (it was nice outside)
Thur: 3 hr ride at IM race pace
Run brick, 45’ Zone 3 pace
Fri: Masters swim, longer and easier again.
Run, 45’ tempo run, Zone 3 pace
Sat: Run: long with tempo 30’ Z2, 30’ Z3, 30’ Z2.
Sun: OFF
Interesting to note, while this was the most running this athlete has done in one week, because it was managed well and focused on running, the last run on Saturday was the best run he has had yet this year. He averaged a low zone 3 pace and having the lowest RPE ever this year for a run! The following week, he PR’d at a training race, running faster than he has ever in a sprint tri. And yes, his swim and bike were fantastic as well!
A bike focus week will be even more extreme. For me, I will have only 1 swim, and 2 short Zone 2-Zone 3 runs. Rides will be every day (sans rest day), including a hard group ride Tuesday, long mountain ride Wednesday, flat IM pace ride Thursday, recovery Friday, and a 2 day stage race (3 stages) on the weekend.
So get back to basics, get the big picture back in focus. While you want your training to be dynamic and flexible don’t “hop scotch”. If you were confident in the grand plan when you made it and progress is being made stick with it! Getting fast doesn’t happen overnight.
As always every one, train hard, train safe and have fun!
See you on the road!
Triathlon Trio: A Lesson, A Testimonial, and a Happy Ending shared by Rocky Riviera
Attention, triathletes: I’ve learned an important lesson on your behalf: don’t leave your valuables in your transition bag. I’ve rediscovered something equally valuable you already know, too: we are one lucky bunch out here in the mecca of triathlon; we’ve got the playground, the companionship, and a gem of a race director in one Darrin Eisman.
The other night, at the Stroke and Stride, and unfortunate person was hauled off the course by paramedics. Before they left, they hastily picked up his (or so they thought) transition bad. It was red, just like my bag. In fact, it was my bag! I was off talking with a couple of BTC folks, and when I returned to my spot, all my stuff had been mistakenly carted away, including my wetsuit, goggles, everything. I had Loveland Lake to Lake coming up in just two days, and wasn’t relishing the prospect of a non-wetsuit swim.
Fortunately for me, all my money, ID, and car keys were safely stored in my car, not my bag. Thus, I was able to go home and wait for news from Darrin, who personally went above and beyond. As a side note, last year at a Stroke and Stride, I forgot my running shoes. Darrin offered to let me use his! I think we can all agree, this is atypical. After Darrin and his crew cleaned up from this past race, he went to Boulder Community Hospital to retrieve the bad. I drove from Louisville back to Boulder to meet him.
So, all in all, this story has a happy ending. I have to say, though, it’s a strange feeling going back to your transition spot to find everything missing. Incidentally, the other guy, a 20-year old Riptide athlete, had his uniform, his wallet, and a blackberry in his transition bad, all items you just don’t want lying around. I have a fresh appreciation for the friendly helpfulness within the triathlon community, and for Darrin Eisman. Not many race directors would take it upon themselves to retrieve an athlete’s backpack, then drive up Coal Creek Canyon to get home and quickly process all of the times, sorting out the 750 from the 1500 m swimmers. That is huge. Still, lesson learned: if you can, leave your wallet and valuables in your car, not your transition spot.
ATHLETE PROFILE: Cisco Quintero
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Years competing in tris: 1984 to 2010= 26
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Worst tri mishap: my seat post broke and I had to ride the rest of the ride standing up
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Worst tri mistake: Forgetting my helmet at home, had to borrow a helmet scoring the slowest transition ever
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Top tri tip: “The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t’ is you. And you don’t have to listen.” Nike
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Favorite sporting accomplishment: 10 times Iron-man competitor including Hawaii
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Goals for the season/next season so far: Give back to the sport that has given me so much
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Favorite pre-race food: Power Smoothie (protein power, frozen strawberries , blue berries, banana apple honey and soy milk)
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Favorite post-race replenishment: soak legs at the Boulder creek
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Something people may not know about Cisco: Cisco has aPhD in engineering
PARTING SHOT: Who can shoulder any IM burdens with the best?
Be first to send your best guess to Wendy at mcmillan.w@gmail.com.
