Successful Racing

Athletes that are just getting into endurance sports now are very lucky. There is so much great information out there and many great coaches that will help the athlete succeed faster in years before. See, we as coaches also learn fromour athletes and have not only the data and research guiding us but also the real world information from our successful athletes. But not every athlete is successful at every race and I could argue that we also learn more from the athletes who have tough races than the athletes whose races go swimmingly.

I believe there is one KEY area above all others that can yield the best results, pacing! Whether it is rowing, cycling, running or any endurance event, pacing is crucial to a successful race. Many times though athletes waste years not pacing effectively enough to see the resutls they want. Some athletes do not understand that if they are running a 5K and want to go under 24:00 they do not need to run the first mile in 6:00. Finding the right pace does take time and patience. As I mature as an athlete I find this is more true but it is not harder to be more patient. I see new athletes try to rush through there progress and get injured and frustrated and sometimes even quit the sport. These athletes expect too muh too soon and do not let themselves devlop physically or emotionally enough to see great results. Our high octane, full throttle society gives us so much so quickly with immediate gratification on so many levels. Multi sport is the opposite. Take triathlon for example. Three sports requiring developing three seperate sport specific systems plus the mental side need to be worked on. I can see one interesting aspect of triahtlon in this day and age; with so many races out there the odds of doing well even as a newbie are good. So you can get someone who is in there first year of the sport placing in there age group in the race and that makes them like the sport more then if they didn't do well. SO they will stick to the sport. This is one of the cycles of the sport that has made it grow so rapidly over the years. For this type of athlete it is also important to measure the depth of the field and numbers at the race so they can truly gauge what type of athlete they are.

But back to patience. This will come in Pt. 2.

The other side of triathlon racing

Ok I admit it, I am an ITU racing fan. It is funny when I talk to my friends who live in Europe and they tell me how much emphasis is put on ITU racing. Here in the US it seems all about IM. Either way I love tri's.

But, I remember when I was but a young tri buck in 1996 and I would read the British Triathlon magazine, 220 from cover to cover. They would cover all the great ITU and Short Course races around the globe. For readers who don't understand the difference, let me sum up. Professional ITU racing is always a 1.5K open water swim (typically with a two loop course where the racers get out and run about 100 meters before launching into the water again), a 40K DRAFT LEGAL bike and a 10K run. The courses are usually run on tight loops to allow great spectating. This IS THE FORMULA RACE CAR DRIVING OF triathlons. These guys are super fast, crazy quick with everything. The good one's swim 17:00 for 1500 meters and bike like crit style with breakaways and other teamates pulling and then it is off to the run race where they click off 30:00 10K's. That is sub 5:00 min/miles people. As Beijing approaches the ITU events will get more attention and I frequently check out the happenings at triathlon.org for rankings and videos. Sure, some people follow the grossly overpaid NFL but I like the grossly underpaid ITU.

Back in those days when I was reading 220 (still do) I was amazed by the feats of Brad Beven, Ben Bright and Simon Lessing. They were killing it all over the world. I also kept hearing about a guy named Andrew Johns. Fast forward 10 years and I manage him and more importantly he is a true good friend who is still podiuming at World Cup races. If you can, go check out an ITU race if your eyes can keep up with the speed!
-A Fan (LeeZee)

Inspriation and Design

So what do I say when people ask what I do for a living. Mostly I coach with other time spent as an agent and consultant. But coaching is what I like most and do most of. Right now I am writing this in the midst of some pretty bad turbulence 35,000 feet over Texas. I hate turbulence. Anyway I digress. The daily interactions with athletes whether it be via email or even better when looking into their eyes is a different take on the traditional coaching with the tools of a whistle and clipboard. Lately I have been viewing my job as a creator, artist, and designer of some nature. BUMP BUMP. Oh, that was a rough couple of bumps. I often say that the essence of what we do as multi sport coaches is program design. When I prepare to design a training schedule for an athlete I have to be in the right frame of mind. I find the preparation is like a painter’s preparation before putting brush to canvas. I have to be well fed for sure but this no different than anything else I do. I always have to be fed. Next is the music. My noise cancelling headphones go on to keep out extraneous sounds from distracting my concentration, which happens easily. Where was I? Oh yeah, the music. Hahahaha. I typically go with dance or trance music like Paul Oakenfold or The Crystal Method. I pump up the volume to 11 and head into programming mode. I look through race schedules, logs and emails to plan out a two week block for an athlete that will yield the highest QUALITY of fitness. Instead of having paints and brushes as tools of the trade I have workouts, information and strategy to use to yield the best results. Oy vey, I hate turbulence. The normal program design process also has me pulling from research articles and other journals we receive monthly. Once I hit upload then BOOM the athlete can pull up there new training block and get there fix. Being an athlete as well I know the importance of having the structure. It’s a grounding feeling for some and a calming feeling for others to have their schedule laid out for them. This is especially true after they start seeing great results. This is much like the satisfaction or appreciation someone has viewing a painting or sculpture.

My perspective on Age Group racing-Specifically Drafting

As this is my personal blog I feel it is my outlet to speak on nonsense and also on issues that effect me. Cool huh? I also use this to answer questions that people ask me during my normal work week. I am in the service business and deal with many people on a daily basis so these questions and topics arise.

Drafting has been and will always be a divisive and prickly topic in not only Professional triathlon racing but also in Age Group racing. I have been racing as an Age Grouper for 13 years and have been involved in the sport from a governing side for five years. I have taken the USAT Officials course and worked at races.

Here's the real situation:
-There are more races now so more ahtletes
-Courses are held on tight single lane roads
-Sometimes the age group waves are only seperated by 2-3 minutes
-There are many athletes who are not fast swimmers but are of more even caliber in the cycling leg

So with all these things combined YES it is tough sometimes, only sometimes to get into an individual groove. Not impossible.

Ok, I am a better then average swimmer, not the first guy out of the water, but top 3-5 in most races. So the typical way Sprint and Olympic races go for me is to have very few cyclists around me on the course but I also get a good view on the course (they are typically out and back) of where people are. I see the packs and there are many of them. I know who the honest guys are and who are the consistent drafters. It doesn't matter if you are back of the pack or trying to qualify for a championship race. Get out of the draft. This is the way it is. I am not crying here but I know who the fair guys are.

Bottom line is that drafting is cheating. An athlete is getting an unfair advantage on the bike and will be going faster then they would on there own. As well and people forget this, an athletes legs will be fresher and they will be able to run faster. These two major points are at the crux of the drafting issue.

Drafting/cheating is no different then using a banned substance. If the rules said we could draft than great, let's get the pack rolling. But, they don't and we shouldn't. It is an individual sport to see who is the fastest all by themselves. The rules in the USAT sanctioned Age Group races say there must be three bike lengths between you and the rider ahead. Ok so let's say there are a lot of people in a wave and they all come out relatively close. What does an athlete do? Simple, just let the group or individual pass you and ride it all by yourself, face the wind yourself, climb the hill yourself, race yourself. Now, the rules state if an athlete passes you then you must fall back three bike lengths out of the slipstream. It is up to the athlete to fall back out of the box before they can repass (if necessary) the rider.
Get this, I have actually had an athlete say to me after a race, "Were you with us on the bike?" Jeezzzz. There is no US in our racing and there should never be an US. If you are in the situation and are drafting will you be able to hold your head high after the race and know you did your best? Will you be able to face your friends or family and know that you competed fairly and honestly?

Now there is pacing that is allowed. Meaning that if you stay more then three bike lengths behind a rider you are legal. I see some of this going on and good on the athletes for using the rules. Nothing wrong with that.

I love racing and will just continue to race hard when I can and ignore the other cheaters. But I see and hear a lot and if you are cheating then MAN up, race fair and let the chips fall where they may. If a rider comes up on me and passes me then AWESOME you are doing good work and you should keep on trucking. I ain't the best, never said I was but just love the racing! Till next time.
Coffee of the Day: Starbucks Mocha Java

Travel, TriFest, triathlon successes and meltdowns but it's all good!

Well I have been in three different cities in the las three weeks. We started with our Annual Clermont training camp which was a blast with eight fantastic athletes. I wrote about this in a previous post I just remebered. Four days later I was at the Inaugural TriFest in Tucson with TriSports which will be a huge event in years to come. This years event was a great series of training sessions, lectures and manufacturer displays. I gave two seminars which I hear were recieved quite well and enjoyed some tough training like the climb up Mt. Lemmon and the killer short but steep climb up Gates Pass. I did the river run for over an hour which was just lovely. I got a chance to hang with some great people from Rotor Bike, QR and TriSports.
Aftere Tucson Erinne, Kaia Blu and I went to Vero Beach for a few days of R and R but I had to do one of my favorite races. Floridas Great Escape. I love the course and the RD puts on a perfectevent. in Lake Louisa and it was a good race but freezing cold so my legs didnt wake up till the run. I swam :20 faster then last year but bike 1:30 slower and ran over :30 faster so a wash but a fun race none the less and I highly recommend it.
I came home and had a good few days of work.
I tapered down for about 3 days for this new MIT Triathlon that was here in Miami. It was a first time race by first time race director so I new it was going to be a crapshoot but they sure tries to get all the ducks in a row and make a polished event. I felt great going to the race with Erinne racing the Sprint and me the OD. Our friend Matty Reed was racing the Pro event. The swim started really early and it was still almost dark so I had probably the best swim start of my life. Nice and clean with two great fly strokes to kick it off. I ended up swimming hard right next to two of my fave athletes I coach, Jeremy and Gustavo. They rocked and oushed me hard so we came out all together in 15:00, OK issue 1 was the swim was 300-400 meters short but OK I mounted my new Lucero Lite (great bike and it rocks), I went out and had tight legs as usual. After about 4 miles i looked down and had no fluids. I had a cocktail of electrolytes and calories I need and it was gone. UGHHHHHHH. I got to the first aid station and missed the fluids. I stayed postive and kept going and stayed at 240 or so watts and 23 MPH so I ned i had to get fluids on the 2nd loop, which I did but it was only water and I needed my cocktial. I still stayed positive. I looked down at my SRM as the bike finished and it said 42.2K so the bike was long and swim short- a wash but how hard it is it to get distances correct with GPS and Google Earth. Off on the trot I went leaving the issues behind and feeling happy to run. Pretty trail, lots of roots and I saw a guy wipe out bad running. OUCH. i got in some fluids and energy drink on the first loop but the second they ran out of energy drink and cups. OOOOFFFAAHHHH I hurt bad the last 1.5 miles and it showed. Mnay friends passed me but TO ALL THOSE THAT YELLED FORME. THANKS- YOU ROCK AND I HEARD YOU BUT WAS IN A WORLD OF HURT!! I will say hi next time but thought I was going to end up in the Med tent. The last mile brutally sucked with no fluids and my ITB flaring up. So I finished and will get them better next time. Just another race. Erinne did well and is happy to be getting fit again. MATTY WON THE WHOLE THING. Very happy for him and we went to KFC to celebrate.
Now we are home for a while beofre going out to IMAZ and then to our NC Camp. Are you coming?
Coffe today: Murrays Market Mocha Java

Erinne and Lisbeth Kristenten posing in one of the best training locales in the US- Beech Mountain, North Carolina

Camping with BodyZen

2008 brings another round of training camps for us and after over 10 years of camps and clinics they never get old or boring. New athletes, new roads and new adventures keep us excited and getting fitter each day.
This current camp, which i am at currently, is in Clermont, Florida and we have a fun gregarious and rambunctious group with us. Clermont has hosted BZ camps many times before and unfortunately we will probably be choosing other locales in the Florida hills. Urban sprawl is the main culprit as the growth here is ridiculous to say the least. I am happy we have better restaurants and support stores to choose from but too many cars are on our old quiet roads. Not too mention any places in particular but our main training ground here has become too difficult to work with so we have some great alternate places to choose from next time. The good news is that the athletes are having a ball and in the last 24 hours have put in over 8 hours of training and tomorrow is the big day. Training groups and camps are a great way to see the effect of external motivation on an athlete. They are all here ready to fire and the smallest amount of pushing gets them to change into a bigger gear and put the hammer down. The girls are laying down the law here to and I think it is just AWESOME to watch female athletes hammer hard in the water, on two wheels and then on two feet. We intend to put the nail in the coffin tomorrow and then recover from this great dose of training.
We are looking forward to our next two big camps:
Fifth Annual Blue Ridge Mountain Camp April 16-20, Beech Mountain, NC
Villa Gaia Triathlon and Culinary Camp October 25-31, Villa Gaia Italy

Coffee today: Hampton Inn Robust Blend

Initial Impressions- SRM Professional Dura Ace Power Meter

CompuTrainer, PowerTap, Ergomo and SRM are all fine power meters each with their own strengths and weakness’. I have used them all for myself and for Coach Erinne’s training and also have used them in conjunction with many athletes training and racing programs. Recently I started using the SRM system, which is considered to be the gold standard in power meters. Through research and testing the SRM systems have been found to be the most accurate and reliable power meters in the world. They have strain gauges and circuitry built into the chainrings that measure torque and other info and relay the info to a small computer head unit.

I have been a long time reader of Pro Cycling and Cycle Sport magazines and anytime there was a good picture of a pro cycling team that had the unmistakable head unit that reads, ‘www.SRM.de’ I cringed with excitement. SRM is the power meter of choice for the pros and I just had to have one. After a few years with PowerTap and Ergomos I was excited to see what all the hype was about. So after I had my trusty mechanic Javier at Bike Tech Miami do a seamless, clean and beautiful installation I was ready to go ride, I thought. Then I remembered that power meters aren’t that simple to get up and going. So I did my hours of worth of reading and approached my unit!

I did all the torque settings and also the other calibration and set my time and date. The instructions were easy and actually quite funny to read and I set off on my first ride. I did an hour at easy pace and while I was riding I noted the following:
I liked that the elapsed ride time and the distance rotated on the top bar.
The HR, power and speed were easy to read even with a zero degree angle of the head unit.
It was easy to scroll thru the avg. and max screens

So I came home and plugged it into the laptop and started up my Cyclingpeaks WKO software. I changed the settings to SRM and the USB port and boom it was downloading. That was easier then the Ergomo and PowerTap set ups. They took hours to find the right ports. The ride was flawless in terms of no interruptions and all the info was there that I needed. SO, I am a happy cyclist with an accurate power meter. Final conclusions:
I like knowing that my data is the most accurate available
I like the size of the head unit and that it fits clean between my bars

Pretty easy and I am easy to please. I go out and ride with power on every ride, download the info and analyze it. The SRM is the way to go!

So if you want some pictures please visit the gallery here: http://www.bodyzen.com/htmlsite/qr.html

Coffee of the day: French Roast by Murrays Blend in Summerland Key, Florida