Ironman Louisville

IRONMAN Louisville turned out to be a true Ironman experience for my first attempt at the distance. That is to say survive and finish over place and time. Back in 1978, when the first 15 participants toed the line, they weren't sure if finishing in a day was possible. The evolution of the sport since then has shown that not only can it be finished but the best in the world are capable of doing it in under eight hours. I respected the distance enough to know finishing my first was the primary goal. With that in mind I still had my goal efforts set and the range of times/places I estimated that would be possible.

 My brother texted me the night before and reminded me it would be a great accomplishment just to finish. I thought about those words as I sat in a strangers car at mile 25 trying to stop shivering. I finished, and despite some difficulties, really did enjoy my first experience at this distance. 

The day started out in the 40s and raining. The swim was shortened to a .9M downstream swim due to a fast current. I was out in 14min.
Out on the bike I immediately knew I was not prepared enough as my gloves and arm warmers soaked through and I began to shiver uncontrollably by mile 15. My goal turned to survival and making it to the special needs area where I hoped to find help warming up. And that's where I ended up in my amazing volunteer's car with heat on full blast.
Although the cyclist in the back seat who had joined us for the same reason didn't hesitate to call his wife and throw in the towel I never considered it. Everyone says Ironman is about problem solving so all I knew was I needed to get my core temp back up before I put myself in a position of medical need and then secondly to find clothing that would allow me to continue without encountering the same fate again. Thus the heated car and then a gift in the form of a raincoat from another amazing volunteer, Andy, who was my second hero of the day. It took me 45 minutes to stop shivering and I headed back out (slightly behind goal pace:). Within a couple miles I knew I had found my remedy. The teeth still chattered but it was rideable now. The hilly countryside and backroads really were serene and I'm sure if not suffering makes for viewing pleasure. I also pulled off a 4 car pass...not sure that's completely legal but we'll call it a grey area.
Still shivering a bit, and beginning to cramp a little, I headed onto the flat marathon (my 2nd ever). The rain was letting up and low 50s was perfect running weather. I warmed up and ran a fairly steady pace for the marathon finding the pain and focusing on keeping ahead on my nutrition. I finished strong and slightly faster the last couple miles with the pull of the family who I was excited to see again after a hard day at the office.
Although it wasn't a perfect day, they rarely are, and like my brother said it was a big accomplishment just to finish. I really enjoyed the journey and have such an appreciation for the volunteers as well as the opportunity just to be able to participate in such an event.

Thank you to my unbelievable family and support team who prove daily they are just as invested in my goals as I am.

Long Course Age Group World Champion

Let's be honest, it's a little late for a race report from September's ITU Long Course Worlds (2.5 mile swim, 75 mile bike, 18.75 mile run). In fact, the new year is in full swing with races registered for, hotels booked... oh yea, I've done a little training too. Perhaps it gives a different perspective when you've had time to reflect on it for several months. I also figure I better set the record straight somewhere since one of my home-town newspapers reported I was a "National" champion. The nerve, that was so 2016.

Two weeks before the race I spilled my bike early one morning on some fresh chip-seal that I couldn't see at an intersection injuring my hip (yes I rode it home). This created some cause for concern when I couldn't get in the areo position. I did finally get my range of motion back a few days before the race thanks to my massage therapist, Eddie. He worked wonders on me that last couple weeks to get me ready.

If you weren't there, didn't talk to someone who was in OKC, or haven't read another race report the swim had some fantastic chop. It was probably the most difficult swim conditions I've been in. Bouys were floating away, people were pulling the plug after the first lap and it felt like you were swimming in place. I came out of the water about 20min down on the leader in my age group giving myself a pretty good handicap.

Despite the concerns from my crash the bike went well and I reeled the 35-39 yr old competitors back to me in what I considered pretty ideal conditions (light wind maybe 10-15mph). An ITU official tried to talk me out of my disc wheel because of "high winds expected" at check in. I asked him if he'd ever been to Kansas. This probably explains why the ITU temporarily banned disc wheels before Chicago last year before coming to their senses. That was even less wind...but I digress.

The run went mostly to plan with a few bad spots.  It got the job done though and I earned my first age group World Championship of my career. An ITU photographer nabbed the above pic as I was leaving transition and trying to stuff everything from my bag into my belt. This was also about the time I took over the lead in my age group. I would have liked to have been a little closer to the pointy end of the overall amateur race. But considering the circumstances of the year I've come to appreciate how fortunate I was just to make it to the start line and even more so the finish. I was even more grateful to be able to share that moment with my family and friends who came to cheer me on.

My goal each year is to qualify for and be at my best for at least one or two national/world championship races. Luckily, there has been a fairly steady stream of World Championships rotating through the US and I have participated in four in the past five years. The trend continues as 70.3 worlds comes back to the US hosted by Chattanooga in 2017. I hope to be on the start line.

Triathlon Off-Season Top 10

I recently presented my "TOP 10: Tips for Triathlon Off-Season" at our triathlon club get together and thought I would share it here as well. Although I wanted it to be a true top 10 list, beyond the first two, it's hard to say what the actual order is as they are all necessary ingredients to have a successful off-season. How much time should you take off? Your body will tell you when it's ready. In my "younger years" it was almost standard two weeks completely off. Now it's often 3-4 of rest and rehab before I start itching to begin cross training. Good luck on your off-season journey of fun activities!

1. Family Time: Spend time with, and do some extra nice things for your family and friends. They put up with all of our training and racing needs following us around to races, running for things we forgot, dealing with our over-training induced mood swings the rest of the year. For the next few months go above and beyond to show them how much you appreciate it by doing extra house chores, take the kids on play trips, etc.

2. Time-Off: If you use TrainingPeaks there is a reason the symbol is a little couch. Day off means day off...not a light run or ride or “Hey now I have time for 10 hours of yard work.” Those “light” or “recovery” days have their place too but the body needs it’s rest at some point. Perfect the art of relaxation on these days by playing with the kids, reading, seeing a movie, or just enjoy sleeping in past 5:30am.

3. Rehab: Rest, rehab and heal your injuries from the season. Don’t forget about them just because you’re training less and assume they’ll heal themselves. If it’s something that’s been bothering you for a while get it checked out by a specialist or a PT to get you on the mend (The Summit, Hutchinson).

4. Strength Training: Use a comprehensive program utilizing all major muscles with at least 2-3 sets of 8-12 exercises, 8-12 repetitions each exercise, 2-3 times per week to prepare your body for the pounding of miles that are coming. Spend additional time on posterior muscles that see less action...hamstrings, glutes, back, shoulders or additional corrective exercises to address muscle weaknesses (Pinnacle Sports Performance, Hutchinson).

5. Cross Train: Try new sport activities to scratch the exercise itch. If weather is nice, kayaking/canoeing/SUP are all great cross training activities that develop underutilized muscles. Mountain biking, cyclocross, road bike, hiking, and walking will also provide a great benefit.

6. New Shoes: As soon as you are ready to start hitting the road again double check the mileage on your shoes and make sure it's less than 100 miles. I’ve been taught this lesson several times the hard way by lacing up old shoes and ending in pain on my first run back (First Gear Running Company, Wichita).

7. Massage: Get a massage from someone who ideally works with triathletes (Eddie U. Massage Clinic, Wichita), or a sport specific massage therapist who works with athletes, to work out the kinks from a season worth of training and lets face it, you earned it.

8. Bike Overhaul: Take your bike(s) over to your local bike store (Bicycle X-Change, Wichita) and get your tri bike overhauled so you won’t have to part with it when next season starts and your off-season bike (mountain/road/cross) for a tune up.

9. Yoga: Put a little extra attention into your flexibility whether through a yoga class or a set aside time for your own 15 minute stretching routine. If you do yoga you'll get the bonus of some strength and meditation as well.

10. Triathlon Weakness Focus: Late off-season/early pre-season is a great time to do some focused time on your weakest triathlon sport. Get a coach or go workout with people who only do that sport. Group runs/trackworkouts (First Gear Running Company, Wichita), masters swim club, or a cycling group that will push you to be better.

Gluten Intolerance: An Endurance Athlete's Quest for Health and Performance

I have been on a lifetime long search for race day nutrition that my sensitive stomach would allow me to eat. Most of my triathlons and road races of any distance in the past 6-8 years resulted in stomach pains/cramps that I had attributed to two things over the years 1) it was just a part of the discomforts of racing that go along with endurance sports, and 2) not being able to find the right race day nutrition that agreed with my stomach. On shorter races I could push through it but on longer races I had become less and less willing to accept that pain as part of my race and would just simply slow down to alleviate the discomfort.

I had given some thought to a general sensitivity like gluten or dairy being my downfall, and had even experimented some with my race day meals and nutrition, but without successful results. In a somewhat random occurrence I confirmed that I do have an intolerance to gluten by doing some longer term experimentation to try and alleviate some other sinus inflammation I had been dealing with in which I experienced prolonged sinusitis throughout the winter months. In February 2015 I made a concerted effort to cut dairy and gluten out of my diet as two known troublemakers for a portion of the population. I saw an improvement to my sinuses in just a few short days and eventually narrowed it down to gluten being the biggest trouble maker. Granted this was not easy for a Kansas boy who grew up on wheat pasta and bread at almost every meal. Our home is literally surrounded by wheat (pic above just out our back door). But the benefits have, by far, out weighed the costs of change.
The bonus came once I started getting back into higher intensity training, and eventually my 2015 racing season, as I appeared to be having less stomach pain associated with race efforts. This established a new pain free baseline that I didn’t know existed for me and has led to the fairly simple diet plan of “if it makes you feel bad…don’t eat it!” The list has grown to include other items that my sensitive stomach just doesn’t tolerate, or perhaps as I said, was just willing to live with the discomforts as “normal.”

I’m not sure of the relevance of this on a greater population scale and the many who, like me, have eliminated gluten from their diet without evidence of an allergy or positive blood work / diagnosis, etc. I would be a firm believer that there are a percentage of people who fall into this category. Although it may be somewhat tolerable to live with, you may not be performing at your best be it as an athlete or even more generally as a thriving and healthy human being. I have since found a book by Pip Taylor, The Athlete's Fix, that outlines almost exactly what I went through during this discovery process. I would encourage you to read it as well if something I have said hit home with you. I believe what makes endurance athletes unique is their ability to continue the quest for the goal despite the pain and discomforts associated with accomplishing that goal. However, you may be accepting more than just the burning of your muscles as "normal" parts of the sport. You may find yourself with a new baseline level of comfort you didn’t know could exist.
It has now been over a year since I adjusted my diet to gluten free and I have not only avoided my usual winter of sinus attacks but I haven't been sick once in the last 15 months. This is by far the most significant part for my general health and well-being that goes beyond the improved performance gains I have also noticed. I have also talked with others who have experienced similar life-changing effects, but also those who did not notice any changes at all.
I think what we know about nutrition effects at an individual level is still very much in it's infancy and we must become our own experiment in order to determine what our body truly needs. We must also realize what was true for our body five years ago may not be how our body continues to respond as it ages and changes. Good luck on your own self experimentation and quest for a healthier you.

Slaying Unicorns - 2015 Season Review

In the past I have had a couple of race venues take on the identity of my achilles heel in which there seemed to be a steady trend of mishaps and sub-standard results that did not mirror the training I had put in. I called them Unicorns in an earlier post representing the creatures I could not tame. Even more than the race venues themselves it had really become an issue of a distance, 70.3 / half ironman. I could count on one hand the decent finishes I have had in the twenty plus attempts. Ironman Kansas was the pinnacle of these failures in which I had attempted it six times with my best finish seventh overall amateur. The failures had worsened in recent years to the point I was often reduced to walking as a result of abdominal pains, overheating, or a combination of the two. Only perhaps three times had I felt I put together a complete race. I was in search of a full season of consistent race finishes across all distances that would, at the very least, be representative of the training I had done.

I had held to the belief that much of my failure at the 70.3 distance was a combination of non-training factors since my workout times were not translating to comparable race times. I needed to figure out how to attack what I had already identified as my main limiters; heat acclimation and abdominal pain issues.

Heat acclimation

Last year I wrote a more detailed post on Heat Acclimation as I have come to understand it. I've stayed dedicated to my protocols this year and it's paying off.

Abdominal Pains
I discovered this year I have a gluten intolerance that had been contributing to abdominal pain while racing. This discovery definitely made this the most enjoyable racing season I've had in years. I have more thoughts on this that I will share later.

Conquering Unicorns

With new hope and commitment to my primary limiters I found success, and more importantly consistent success, over the entire course of my season. Eight sprint and Olympic victories including the Kansas City Triathlon, 3^rd place overall amateur at the Des Moines Triathlon, 12^th place 30-34 AG at ITU World Championships, and 2^nd Overall  and 30-34AG National Long Course Champion at Redman Half Distance Triathlon. The Nickel Racing Support Crew always had something to celebrate.

Unicorn #1:

Kansas 70.3 (now Legend 70) in Lawrence

First Place Overall Amateur

It was a hot day (humid and temps near 90, dew point likely in the mid 70’s) I set my planned HR and power efforts of what I knew I was capable in those conditions and had patience to stick to them. For the first time in a long time at this distance my primary limiter was my legs and I pushed them all the way to the finish. Stephan was stoked!

Unicorn #2:

Des Moines Triathlon (previously HyVee)

3^rd Place Overall Amateur

This was another race where I never felt like I had achieved a worthy effort in my previous five attempts with my best finish being seventh place. Although some of the mystique of HyVee was gone with the elimination of the world class pro race not much changed with the amateur race and prizes. Again I raced much more to my physical potential on the day and cruised to a podium finish; even without tapering as I would have for all previous attempts. Corynn cheered me on!

Unicorn #3

Redman 70.3 Triathlon

2^nd Place Overall / National Long Course Champion 30-34 Age Group

In 2014 I had what was the epitomy of my 70.3 distance racing troubles as I stumbled home to a lackluster 8^th place finish in 4:41. Fast forward to 2015 I swam and rode strong, but patiently, and then ran 1:26 to finish second again with my legs as my primary limiter. Maybe not the most fit I’ve ever been but I was very happy to race to my capabilities on the day and without any abdominal pains or heat stress. Dad was delighted (me too)!

In 2016 my plans are to take advantage of the proximity of AG Nationals (Omaha, NE), take my spot for Long Course Worlds in OKC, and look for a couple of other 70.3's with a renewed optimism for what I am really capable of achieving.

Season Wrap Up - 2014 Racing Results

The 2014 tri season opened with the usual preamble that has set my course for the last number of seasons. Although it has become somewhat routine I have no real reason to change it up as they provide speedy competition and great venues and quality race productions. 

Ultramax continues to put on an amazing event with TriZou and this year brought my 3rd elite win by besting Iowa legend Michael Girard and my good friend Joe Company. In the process I set a new bike and overall course record. As you can see the youngest Nickel Racing team members grabbed the spotlight.

The Kansas City Triathlon is equally as classy and I was glad to find no overlap with KS 5150 in the schedule this year so I could do both. Although a past champion in 2012, this year I was beat by a very speedy Kevin Denny and edged out by Cole Bunn to take the last podium spot. It was a bit disappointing and my first reality check on the lack of conditioning I had from my lackluster off-season. Add Denny to the list of triathletes to watch after posting a very solid 32 1/2min 10k and since then a top 10 at AG nationals.

KS 70.3...6th try and same 'ol story with a host of nutrition, acclimation, and conditioning issues. I'll be back.

I ran the table in the central KS sprint circuit with wins at Spring Migration, El Dorado, Mudwater, and Derby. A highlight of the year was reclaiming my KS 5150 title from 2012. It was nearly a race to the wire as I edged out Juan Torres of Chile by 20s and qualified for the 5150 National Championships.

My year end goal races were a combo of AG Nationals and Hyvee 5150 National Championships three weeks later. Nationals was a solid race and mostly reflected my fitness for the year. Not where I would like to be but hard to ask for much more in a goal championship race. I finished 4th in my age group and 36th overall. This race is easily the deepest field I've competed against at that distance and it was fun to be a part of it. For the amount of quality athletes in this field USAT does an amazing job organizing and spacing waves to reduce conjestion. Although I was in a late wave (9am) I rode almost the entire bike by myself and didn't see many packs on a flat course. Following the race we were able to see the pro super sprint race which is a high octane multi loop double triathlon that was a lot of fun to watch.

A few weeks later the blue minivan was once again on the road to Des Moines for HyVee and the 5150 National championships, a race that has become one of my favorites. There is always a very competitive field and the race is very professionaly produced. This year the course was shortened to a sprint due to flooding conditions. I was fine with this as I had been battling a bug for the week leading up to the race and only decided to still go after begining to feel a bit better late on Friday. I finished 13th elite amateur and best bike split as I tried frantically to get back in the race after a horrific swim. I ended a stones throw from the top 5 of my original goal. All things considered I felt fortunate just to be on the start line and give a solid effort.

My 2014 tri season came to a close in a somewhat anticlimactic fashion as I once again tried to fake my way through a 1/2 ironman without proper conditioning. I was fourth out of the water and into first overall about 10 miles into the bike and riding pretty conservatively. My conservative pace began to feel less conservative in the final miles and several guys came around me. Out on the run I again set out at a conservative pace but could already tell it was going to be a tough day with the heat. I briefly moved up to second then the wheels came completely off in the last half of the run putting me at the finish in 8th overall (3rd age group).
Overall the year was a good experiment in quality training for short course racing but 6 or 7hrs a week of training isn't going to get it done for the 1/2 ironman distance.

I feel confident in my ability to put on a few more miles going into this next year. My current plan will be to focus on a couple of 1/2 ironman distance races in the first half of the season and my year end goal will be ITU World Championships (oly) in Chicago late September.

It really was another great year of racing culminating with 7 overall wins and 10 podium finishes. My family continues to be an amazing support crew attending almost all of my races and I can't thank them enough for what they do. My sponsors have really become a second family who are fully committed to giving me the very best support as well. I look forward to strapping on the aero helmet once again to represent the Nickel Racing Team in 2015.

Vegas 2013 - Heat Acclimation Tips

--Suggestions for successful heat acclimation at end of post; you won't offend me if you skip down.--

The latest issue of LAVA arrived recently and among great articles about the winners an even more enlightening article was written by Jordan Rapp about his own failed performance. He breaks down what went wrong and the likely explanations. What hit me the most about this article was not the content, although it was strikingly similar to my own Vegas problems, but the speed at which he processed it into written thought. I am much more eager to write about success than failure, although we usually learn more from the latter, hence the three month delay on this post.
Before I get into the acclimation issues, here are some brief thoughts on the race itself. Race morning dawned, oddly enough, with rain and cooler than expected temperatures. My swim was similar to last year with a 31:52 and it was a struggle to find a rhythm with my toes cramping up after the half way point. The rain continued for the first half of the bike or so at which point it began to get warm and steamy. The bike felt good until about the last major uphill in which my legs completely left me and turned what was looking like a comfortable sub 2:30 into a 2:33. Out on to the run my pace did not match my effort and I was running slow. Just as I did the previous year, and despite trying to cool myself every way I could, I was bent over on the side of the road at mile 10 trying to figure out what went wrong. I jog/walked the last 3 miles dragging myself to the line with my slowest half marathon ever (1:49) and my slowest 70.3 ever 4:59.
What did go wrong?
Similar to Jordan I made the mistake of not being completely acclimated to the heat. Although it makes me feel slightly better that a professional who races much more often than myself would make a similar mistake, this is little consolation since I have made this mistake several other times. I should have prepared properly given past experiences, not the least of which was at the same race the previous year. Like Jordan I have a proven strategy I've used to prepare for races in the heat which involves uncomfortable methods such as no fans, extra clothing, and space heaters if needed in the weeks leading up to the race. Ironically, my best acclimation preparation has come early in the season when I was most worried about coming from a cool climate to a warm climate. Upon further break down of every single half ironman distance race in the last three years (not kidding) I also noticed several other trends in the successful races including at least four days of QUALITY acclimation training per week in the previous three weeks. Both the frequency and type of acclimation training were likely my major downfall as I still performed my acclimation training as I had in the past, albeit with less frequency and trying to substitute overdressed outdoor cycling with indoor trainer riding without a fan.
Other readings have confirmed these methods such as successes had by Ron Daws in preparation for the hot olympics coming from mild climate (T. Noakes, The Running Lore). Perhaps I am more predisposed to heat exhaustion thanks to my northern upbringing or just plain old genetics. But I have seen others find success with this obstacle. Regardless, though I feel like looking for all cool climate races next year, I know I must further make adjustments in my training to reduce the chances of heat exhaustion so I can attempt more warm weather races.

Final thoughts for heat acclimation...
1) I have never had luck cooling myself during a race in which I was overheating. It's like using a garden hose on a house fire. It will get you to the finish but nowhere near your goal pace.
2) Obviously, the ideal way to acclimate is to arrive at the race site several weeks prior to the race. Lets be honest if you have a job other than professional triathlete it ain't happening.
3) Tolerance to heat needs to be built up in the 3-4 weeks (minimum) prior to the race with acclimation workouts of overdressing, turning off fans indoors and space heaters if needed to bring air temperature and humidity up.
4) Acclimation workout duration or intensity needs to be gradually increased over at least 3-4 weeks which can be a bit difficult to mesh with reduced training of a taper. In Noakes' book (The Running Lore) he recommends building from 30 min to 120 min and using your long run. When I've tried to do too much too late and close to the race I just end up getting heat exhaustion in the workout itself, which is obviously counterproductive. START EARLY!
5) Running with over dressing and indoor cycling workouts are the easier methods to obtain the desired core temps.
6) Hydrate to thirst (T. Noakes, Waterlogged). Have available liquids for what your body is actually experiencing and desiring, not the current outdoor temperature.
7) Be safe and listen to your body.

Here is a related article from Torbjorn Sindballe with a similar protocol.
http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/10/training/torbjørn-sindballe’s-perspective-heat-management-through-acclimatization_4889

Triathlon Training Camp

As much as I love sitting on my trainer and riding the flat roads of central KS day in and day out eventually the hills beckon to prepare for the up coming season end championship races. I say that only half sarcastically because in reality I really don't mind my normal training regimen which enables me to hang out closer to home. But I know if I truly want to give an honest effort at a hilly course like 70.3 Worlds in Las Vegas I must do the training to help better prepare. To that extent I have done some short , albeit intense, weekend training camps away from home the past couple years in the time lead up. This year I chose to do several of these, each with a different focus. I have a favorite training spot with a few hills on the Smokey Valley Road by Lindsborg. I visit there periodically and went out there a few weeks prior to my Branson training camp to get the legs thinking about hills again before the bigger ones in Branson. There are only a few hills so it's a better place to do repeats than anything.

For the second year I attended Joe Company's (Endurance Company) training camp at Branson, MO. The timing of this camp works out nicely as it is three weeks out from Worlds and is definitely the hardest weekend of training I have all year. I have written about the training from last years camp in a previous post (here) and we followed a similar regimen of swimming in Table Rock, cycling on the High Road, and brick running; as well as reconing the Branson Rev 3 course. Joe pulled out all the stops this year and improved an already great camp by bringing in retired pro cyclist Scott Moninger (below) and dietician Cassie Dimmick. Both were amazing and offered up an amazing amount of information.

Joe does a great job to keep all the workouts flexible so you can do more or less mileage as desired. I would highly recommend it, especially if you plan to do the Rev 3 race in the future. 

I finished off my block of training by trying a new location at Wilson Lake near Wilson, KS on I70 between Salina and Hays. This is a terrific spot if you're within a couple hours with both short and long climbs for biking and minimal traffic. Not to mention they boast having the clearest lake in KS. I tried it out and they weren't lying according to the few lakes I've been in. They also have one of the best mountain bike trails in KS with the Swtichgrass Trail. I caught some glimpses of the trail hugging the lake side cliffs and will definitely go back to test it out.
We will see if these training camps pay dividends come Sunday. On to Vegas.

Mid Summer Race Report

Ironman Kansas 70.3 is forever my unicorn. That's a "Gone in 60 Seconds" reference if you haven't seen it. Fabled creature…impossible to capture despite numerous attempts. Although last year's race was somewhat a departure from this with a 2nd AG 7th AM, there always seems to be a number of things that go wrong. I'm starting to think it could be me. This year, coming off of a better than expected 28.57 swim, a guy spilled his bike right in front of me on our way out of transition and I had no where to go but over his bike and to the ground. This was not the end of my race but it did epitomize what has become my unicorn. After a solid 2.19 bike I finished with a ho-hum 91min run. I did get the opportunity pre-race at the Tri Club lunch to meet the two eventual pro winners: 5 time world champ Craig Alexander and Emma-Kate Lidbury. The best thing about this race has been my brother's resilience to continue to come watch my attempts.

The rest of my June and July race schedule were my usual stops at El Dorado and Mudwater Triathlons, both of which I won. At El Dorado I had the pleasant surprise of receiving a new Coleman travel grill for my victory (below). At Mudwater we had a rain delay and then a shortened bike course to make sure we got it in. This made things more interesting as my chief competition for the day, Jeff Francis, is a much stronger swimmer than myself so I would not have as much room to reel him in. It took me the entire 15M bike to ride down his 4 minute swim lead and then finished off the race with a 36.37 10k to secure the win.

6 peat, 3 peat, and a flat tire

The weekend following Galveston I got right back at the local tri circuit and defending my title at the Spring Migration Triathlon. This race is almost always the windiest I do all year and this year was no different. It's a true Kansas race and I enjoy the challenge it presents. Although it was not one of my faster performances on the course it was a good effort coming off the half iron the week before.

Two weeks later we were on our way to Columbia, MO for TriZou. Not counting the year I wrecked this race has been good to me with a couple of amateur titles and now three elite titles. We love staying with Joe and Amy Company and it's been fun watching our families grow year to year to where our kids are now old enough to interact and play together. RD Mark Livesay once again trusted me with the mic so I could thank my beautiful wife, coach, and the amazing people of Columbia I get to hang out with for a weekend every year.

Last weekend we let our sense of adventure finally get the better of us as we decided to camp out the night before KS 5150. Now we love to camp, but this time we had a 10 month old and there was severe weather in the forecast. Severe weather in KS in May means thunderstorms and high winds at the best and tornadoes at the worst. By midnight the storms hadn't even arrived yet and Stephan had already decided he didn't want to sleep. I ended up sitting with him in the van and watching the storms come and go as Yvette and Corynn held down the tent and actually got a little sleep. In the morning the lightening had not subsided and the race was delayed a half hour. Once we got underway at 8am they had cancelled the swim despite clearing conditions and we headed out in TT start format on the bike.

I rode solid, however my day would be plagued with bike problems; first a chain that jumped off a pulley and I had to dismount to pop it back on, then with two miles to go a punctured tire (glass?) which was big enough that the fix-a-flat couldn't seal it and I had to pull off the rear wheel and change the tube. All in all I lost about 6 1/2 minutes according to my garmin. That is also about the time I lost by overall so it may have been a close race for the win but that's all part of racing and I was glad to rally for the day's best amateur run split. 

 In two weeks I'm back on the same course at Clinton State park for Kansas 70.3. Hopefully the result is a little better.

Ironman Texas 70.3

This was my second year to put Texas 70.3 on the schedule. Last year I flew down (Texas 70.3 2012) but this year I decided to make the long drive with my good friend Bob Sanderson. He was also interested in competing and since we had taken a road trip last year (Branson Training Camp) we thought we would double our distance and head out again.
Race day was a beautiful one with temps in the low 70's and a light breeze coming off the gulf. The swim was uneventful, and having only several swim workouts under my belt due to a shoulder issue that had me out of the pool for a month, I settled in with the goal of completion. The result was far better with my shoulder behaving and getting around in around 31 minutes. I was looking more forward to the bike and run which have both been going well in training this year. My fitness proved to be coming along and I cruised the bike course 11min faster (2.16) than last year and followed it up with a similar 1.22 run as last year. Total time was 4.14 and a PR for the distance which was a nice bonus. As you can see from the picture we both took honors in our age group...Bob 2nd in the 60-64 and myself 3rd in 30-34 (12th overall amateur). We had a great time and I'm sure this won't be the last of our road trips.

A week later I successfully defended my title for the 6th time at Spring Migration Triathlon, Emporia, KS.
This week, in what has become a family favorite, we head back to Columbia, MO for TriZou sprint triathlon for the 7th year. This race has garnered quite a bit of history for me with my first big amateur win my first year there, two elite title wins in TriZou 2011 and TriZou 2012, as well as the many great people we have gotten to know there including our home stay for the last few years with my great friend and advisor Joe Company www.endurancecompany.com and his family.

BXC Pro Bike Fit

Throughout my early harrier days as a high school and college cross country runner, and then as I transitioned into triathlon, my training and racing philosophy has always been old school. Keep it simple, train hard and long, and race without holding back. I figured if I'd done the work in practice it wouldn't matter how many grams I was saving with part A over B. As I've gotten farther into my amateur triathlon racing career I have slowly become more interested in how attention to some of the details can benefit extra speed as well as stay injury free to hopefully lengthen the years I am able to race at a competitive level.
An example of this was my decision to add regular massage to my regimen last year which I have continued now for about a year and a half. Working with Eddie Ulloa at his Eddie U. Massage Clinic has added another level to my recovery and performance that I didn't previously have and frankly didn't think I needed. A second example was partnering with my coach, Joe Company, who has provided great feedback on my training.
This off-season I wanted to take a deeper look at my riding position. As I mentioned I wasn't too particular on details early on so in 2004 I bought my first tri bike based purely on what appeared to be the best buy in my price range for that year's models. I performed a quick search to determine the preferred body angles for the tri position since I already had access to the measurement equipment in our exercise science lab at OU. Once I was in the ballpark I adjusted until I had achieved comfort.
After eight years riding in pretty much that first position I decided it was time to have a professional bike fitter give me some feedback. I used Patrick Scanga at Bicycle X-Change in Wichita, KS who I have a good relationship with and trust his opinion. If you want to make a family outing of it like we did my wife and kids had a good time searching for the downtown troll sculpture while Pat and I got to work.
I found this to be a very educational experience. Although I thought I was aware of my position on the bike there were just some things that could only be noticed by the trained eye of another observer. Because we are all different shapes and sizes having a trained eye to make adjustments to position, and even equipment if necessary, to achieve YOUR ideal fit can have a big impact on both comfort and performance. If, like me, you never took the time for this important step it is never too late. I think you will be surprised how a Pro Bike Fit could benefit your riding. Additionally, your body undergoes change as you age including your strength and flexibility. This was part of my reason for working with Pat since I have had some injuries and no longer am able to ride the position I started with. Likewise, if you're just getting started I recommend getting a Pro Bike Fit, or even the less expensive Performance Bike Fit depending on your goals, as part of your initial investment with purchase of bike and accessories. Your fit on the bike will have as much, or likely more of a factor on performance than the bike itself.
What can you expect? After spending time with Pat I would say you can expect a quality fitter to assess your individual needs such as biomechanics, flexibility, experience, riding goals, etc. You can expect to spend probably 45-60 minutes; and although their will be a fee for the service think of this as part of your investment that is just as important as your choice of pedals, shoes, and the bike itself. Then you can hit the roads this spring with the confidence you're dialed in with your machine.

Season Reflections

Another season has come to a close. The results on paper show 13 races, 8 overall wins, 3 top 8 finishes at the 70.3 distance and 51st at Worlds 70.3. I won my first 5150, Kansas City, and repeated as the elite winner at TriZou in Columbia. Glancing back at my season goals I see that I did not have a top 3 finish at either Worlds 70.3 or Long Course Nationals. However, I pretty much gave away a second place at Long Course thanks to bad bike tactics and completely blowing up my legs.

Not to dwell on races that are now barely visible in my rear view mirror but I’ll provide a few thoughts on a couple experiences from the past three months; which is coincidently the age of our new baby boy Stephan.

- Training with a newborn –

Being “caged” in a hospital for a couple days straight is not my idea of a good time. Experiencing the birth of a child is truly amazing, something I've been fortunate enough to experience twice now, and I’d spend 100 days there if it were necessary to take home a healthy child. However, once I know everyone is good I’m jingling the car keys. So after only a couple days in the hospital, and another at home, I was feeling the urge to get outside. I figured I better make the most of my leave and dug in with a 75 mile ride with race pace intervals followed by a track workout with some race pace 800s ending in 100 degree heat. I had done the workout on a cumulative few hours of sleep from the past several nights and earned myself a little cold from the taxing workout. After that I did ease into it a little better and tried to find more of a balance.

- Worlds 70.3, Las Vegas –

Worlds in Las Vegas was a great experience that I was fortunate enough to have my friend and coach Joe Company along to run some support making it pretty low stress. It was a good learning experience with a sub-par result which makes me anxious to return.

- Long Course Nationals, OKC –

With Nationals so close to home I was able to pack up the family again and have my support crew in greater numbers. An unusually low water level had us running 200 yards just to get to the boat ramp. I was 7th out of the water and chased fairly aggressively and caught the leaders at about mile 20. I paid for my aggression and rode the back half in survival mode trying to regroup for the run. I ended up 5th but missed an opportunity coming home just 40s out of 2nd place. In hindsight I needed to take that risk on the bike after feeling I had been a little conservative with some others this year. But it ended up being a lesson in what not to do.

I look forward to the rest of my time off as I play with the kids more, get projects done around the house, and try to heal up some injuries and work on some deficiencies that will make me stronger when I resume training.

Thank you to my family and friends for your amazing support once again this year.

Branson Triathlon Training Camp

Endurance coach Joe Company (www.endurancecompany.com) has held a training camp in conjunction with the open water Swimming in Moonshine race at Table Rock Lake the last several years. This year the race was cancelled but he decided to hold the camp anyway and so I headed down to Branson with my good friend and fellow triathlete, Bob Sanderson, for the two day event.
It is about a 5 hr drive for us from Newton but the drive isn't bad and the 7 workouts in two days that we did in such a gorgeous location made it well worth it. We based ourselves out of a friendly little hotel called the Branson Motor Court, which is just a few blocks from The Landing.
Saturday Day 1
The first Swim workout was scheduled for 9am for those still driving in on Saturday so Bob and I took the opportunity to get a short morning on the Branson 70.3 run course down by the lake. We then drove out to Table Rock Lake to the Dewey Short Visitors Center where we planned to swim. Although the water was down a little it didn't make a difference for our swim location which was the No Boating bouy line on top of the Dam. 10-12 others joined us and Joe hopped on his stand up paddle board to provide support. The water was warm and quite comfortable. I use a Garmin 910 and it measured right around 600yds across. We had about an hour so I used it all and got in 3 1/2 laps, about 4200yds.
We drove up to the High Road, the signature road of the 70.3 bike course, which is a four lane with full shoulder and pretty much a perfect biking road. It provides multiple challenging hills and we added the off-shoot to the 70.3 race turn around at the high school for our 18 mile training loop. We coupled it with a Brick run from the far South end of the dead end High Road. By basing our brick workout on the high road people were able to do as much or as little as they wanted on both and customize their total workout. I did three laps on the bike with some intervals and added a 6 mile run brick. We headed back to the hotel to relax in the pool and get some good food down at The Landing.
Sunday Day 2
We didn't have a open water swim scheduled for our 7am start so Bob and I took it upon ourselves to arrive out at the Dewey Short Visitors Center to get in a quick 30min swim prior to the bike ride. Our bike loop for the day started out on the 7 mile climb up hwy 265 from the Chateau on the Lake Hotel which is the 70.3 bike start. We then did another loop on the High Road exiting on Hwy 248 and descending to Shepherd of the Hills Parkway where we finally got off the 70.3 route. Then it was a whole lot more descending to the final great climb of the day which is a 19%, 1/2 mile climb back up to Hwy 265. Joe led the way up in just under 2min I believe. This is a climb you must test yourself on if you're in the area.
On our final descent back to the lake we had to make one final turn and ascend the entrance to the Chateau which is a short, really steep climb to the host hotel for the Branson 70.3 race. With Quads now completely shot we finished up our ride back to the Dewey center for our brick run down the lakeshore trail path. This is a beautiful out and back path and everyone was able to do however much they wanted. I tacked on 8 miles to finish off our amazing training weekend and we headed down to cool off in the lake before heading home.
Hope to see you there next year!

Kansas City 5150 Amateur Champ

I collected my first Ironman 5150 amateur win on May 20 at The Kansas City Triathlon 5150. This was the first year with the 5150 name attached which did add a little draw because I had otherwise planned to attend Memphis in May again. Although I have not yet decided whether or not to attend the 5150 Championship at HyVee in Des Moines, I wanted to collect my free entry (top 5) and have it in my back pocket.

At less than three hours a way the KC Tri does provide a bit of a home court feel which was reinforced by the big group of family members wearing their "Nickel Racing Support Crew" shirts all over the course.

The amateur elite mens' field consisted of about 20 or so and we went off after the pro waves. I was eighth out of the water in 22.10 and about 2.40 down to the leader. The KC bike course is a two lap fairly hilly course with 3 out and back sections where I could easily check on where the leaders were at. I probably have a tendency to chase too hard so around mile 8 or 9 I moved into the lead and settled into a more controlled pace. I got off the bike with a 58.08 which was the best amateur bike split and a top 5 split overall including pros. The run was uneventful and I cruised around 2 laps for a 35.18 10k with the only hiccup a side stitch for the second lap. My finish time was 1.57.35 and 14th overall with pros. Next weekend I will be at Ironman Kansas 70.3.

TriZou Title Defense

We made our way to Columbia, MO for the 6th year in a row to attend the ever growing TriZou triathlon. This year was extra special as I was the returning champion after my first elite wave victory last year and I had no intentions of giving up my hard earned title. This trip is always a special trip for the whole family because we stay with our good friends Joe and Amy Company and our daughters are now both old enough to interact and play together. So we made a weekend of it and went up Friday already to spend a little more time with them. Joe, who owns Endurance Company (pictured above) and is the home town favorite thanks to his numerous amateur and pro accomplishments, would not be in the elite wave this year due to the number of athletes he now coaches who were racing. This, along with the absence of other recent past champions Andrew Starykowiz and Ben Kanute, meant the field had some new names and was wide open.
The pool swim is a 400m in the University of Missouri's 50m pool which is a great swim venue. The elites each get a lane to swim but then the real action starts once we are out of the way as the remaining 800+ athletes enter one at a time and snake swim from lane to lane in time trial format. It is quite a site to see that many athletes lined up.
As usual there were some very talented young swimmers who bested me out of the pool but I was out in a personal best 5.44 in 4th place. A long transition run at this course took us out to the intramural field during which I picked up one place and moved into third. The bike course at TriZou is a hilly two loop course and is the most technical I have raced. By mile 3 or 4 I had pushed my way to the front and kept hammering. The weather was warm and humid but calm which made for some good cycling conditions. My time was 32.31 which was the fastest of the day by several minutes and a new bike course record beating Starykowicz time from the famous TriZou dual between him and Simon Lessing in 2009.
After negotiating the multiple tight turns back into transition I took off onto the 3 mile run. I hadn't received a time split since I took the lead so early so I kept pushing with the assumption that second was not too far behind. I finished the run with a 15.23 on the newly revamped run course but a few seconds shy of my best effort at this race. My finish time was 56.41 just 21 seconds shy of Starykowicz course record from the 2009 race. It turns out the anxiety of my pursuers was unfounded as second place came in just over 5 minutes later.
I will be making a stop in Kansas City on May 20 for the KC 5150 race before making my way to KS Ironman 70.3 (half ironman) on June 10.

Texas 70.3 Report

I boarded the plane at KC International knowing that the stars were aligning for a smooth trip. For whatever reason I was chosen for an upgrade and moved up to the front row where I now had extra leg room. Perfect! It was only a 2hr flight but it sure was comfortable. My bike arrived unscathed, I found my home-stay with only a minor detour, and built my bike without trouble Friday evening. The calm continued through Saturday with my pre-race routine...drive the bike course, 30min bike, 20min run on the run course, and check in. I was back to the house with plenty of time to relax and watch the first half of KU vs. Ohio St.
Race day was as expected with temps in the mid 70s, humidity in the 80s, and a slight breeze. I had already been looking forward to my unusually early wave time of 7:20 (20min after pros) since most 70.3 races put my age group towards the end it seems like.
The swim was wetsuit legal and I actually had some unexpected troubles with my goggles filling up with water. This was a little perplexing since I had used them all week to make sure they were still good. Despite it I managed an ok 29:24.
Out of the water and onto the bike we weaved through Moody Gardens and made our way onto the Seawall, which is a giant concrete wall to hold back the gulf waters during storms. Then it was a simple 26 miles out, 26 miles back. On the way out we were into a slight breeze but it wasn't much of anything and the roads were butter for the majority so I just settled in the bars and stayed low. Around mile 22 or so Lance Armstrong and the leaders came flying by the other way which ended up being my only Lance sighting of the day. I hit the turn around and sure enough a little tailwind was going to push me home. I finished out the bike with a solid 2.27 (~23mph) which was a little slower than I usually bike but I had made my bike focus about hydration and being ready to run since it had been quite a few races since I had given myself a good chance to run well off the bike. I put an extra amount of thought into my acclimation for this race as well and will detail some of that in a later post.
It worked and I got off the bike feeling great and started knocking off the miles and cruising past other runners. I held even splits around 6:15-20 pace and kept trying to stick to my plan to negative split the 3 lap course and finish strong. When the third lap finally came around I quit looking at my watch and let my stride open up a little more. I finished the last few miles at a sub 6 pace and had nothing left in the legs. My run time was 1.21.20 or an overall 6.12 pace. Although it was a little bit of a "safe" race it was what I needed for the first 70.3 of the year. My finish put me at 6th in my age group, 8th amateur overall, and 36th overall including pros out of about 2600 finishers. Awards were 5 deep and so I left empty handed.
I finished my day by getting a tour of Galveston, being introduced to the excellent food at "The Spot", and watching "Real Steel" with my host family.
I want to say a huge thank you to my sponsors. They are once again behind me 100% because although it didn't look like this race was going to work they stepped up and helped make it happen. I am humbled to represent such amazing people.
My next race will be Emporia Spring Migration on April 15th.

It Begins

I have updated my tentative race schedule for 2012 which can be accessed on the right toolbar.
I'm taking a giant leap out of my normal routine and starting the year out with a Half Ironman (70.3). Typically, I like to set up my season by building to longer triathlons through sprint and Olympic distance events. However, this year I want to get more Half Irons under my belt and thus am heading for Galveston, Texas to start my year off at Ironman Texas 70.3 on Sunday, April 1st.
Although it has been unseasonably warm in Kansas, Galveston will no doubt have the added challenge of high humidity. I have attempted to acclimate for this but will wait to provide details until the success of the acclimation has been determined.
This will also mark the first time I have flown to a race with my bike and am hoping for a very uneventful trip as far as that is concerned. If you wish to follow along race morning you should be able to find a race tracker on the race website... http://ironmanlonestar.com/. Bib # 425.
Thanks for your support.

New Sponsors for 2012

I am so proud to have such extremely loyal companies that I have developed long term relationships with over the past 4-5 years. These include Pinnacle Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics, Bicycle X-Change, and Brooks Running Shoes...all of whom are back with me for the new season. All of my sponsors are companies who I believe in (and in the case of Pinnacle am fortunate to work for), whose products I use and love, and who I encourage you to use as well.
This year I've partnered with two more businesses who's products and services I've been very happy with and encourage you to explore yourself. I have been using Eddie Ulloa, CMT of Eddie U. Massage in Wichita, KS for my massage therapist needs. Eddie was especially helpful this past year with some hamstring injuries I dealt with most of the year, as well as effectively preparing me for my end of year races at HyVee and Austin 70.3. This off-season I've been getting worked on about every two weeks to fend off the over training bug that develops from the long training hours.
Joe Company, founder of Endurance Company, is an amazing coach who has experience as a professional triathlete and a wealth of education and knowledge in the exercise sciences. Joe has built a large base of endurance athletes and has been a tremendous adviser to me. If you have been looking for a tri coach to help reach your potential it would be time well spent to talk with Joe and see how his plans can benefit your needs.
I'm looking forward to getting back to racing. First up will be Texas 70.3 on April 1st. I will post the rest of my schedule shortly.

Massage for better performance

After almost three weeks completely off it feels good to be hitting the roads again.
I wanted to write just a bit about my recent use of Massage at the end of my season to those who might be, like myself, unsure if it would be worth including in their training regimen. I had been dealing with pesky hamstring injuries since February and had cut almost all running out and modified other parts of my workouts due to the long time it took the tightness to go away after a hard workout. I decided I needed to do more than I already was to heal them to ensure being ready for HyVee US Nationals and Austin 70.3. My colleagues at Pinnacle Sports Medicine, who are my first defense on all injuries, had recommended some additional massage from the beginning for this type of injury but I was resistant mostly due to cost.

With a little more on the line in the last two races I figured it was maybe time to try. I set up a series of appointments with Eddie Ulloa at Eddie U. Massage starting before HyVee and running until Austin. I figured I would probably need a series of treatments to give it a fair assessment. I was rewarded with acute relief immediately that had my legs feeling much looser and pain free already at HyVee for my strongest performance of the year even with the lack of run training. With each successive massage the tightness I was experiencing during and after hard workouts was decreasing and I was recovering much more quickly. I specifically remember going out after a massage for a key workout several weeks before Austin at the hills I train on by Lindsborg. It was a hilly 50 mile ride with the last 25 a hard Time Trial followed immediately by mile repeats on a gradual hill all to simulate Austin. Based on where my running had been I was hoping for a 6min pace average on 30s rest. I surprised myself with a 5.35 avg. that felt easy and I finished having some left. I knew my legs were ready and unfortunately didn't get to show it after overheating in Austin.
My hamstrings are very near 100% but I will be making massage a more significant part of my routine because I can tell it is facilitating the healing and recovery, and allowing me to continue quality training. I can only imagine I will have similar experiences with recovery once completely healthy again that will lead to a higher level of performance.

If you're looking to try some massage I would recommend Eddie Ulloa http://www.eddieu.com/ since my experience with Eddie has been terrific. He has a wide array of useful modalities for every situation and adjusts techniques based on current training or up-coming races. He has a good knowledge of working with athletes which you have probably noticed since he makes it a point to be at almost every endurance event in and around Wichita. This was also something that drew me to use his services. I'm a believer in supporting local businesses that sponsor, provide support, and often volunteer at races sacrificing their own weekends to do so.
Good luck to everyone that is embarking on off-season training. Be safe.