Alex McDonald Pro Triathlete

Ok, somebody pinch me!! It’s been 4 days and still does not seem real, I have to keep checking the results to make sure it wasn’t a dream!!

I drove over from Burlington, VT to Lake Placid on Thursday evening. It felt very odd packing my car to drive to an Ironman. No need to box up my bike or make sure my bags weren’t over weight! It was also really exciting knowing that because this was a “local race” there would be tons of family, friends and Green Mountain Multisport team members there.

I had high expectations for this race, knowing full well that I needed to execute the perfect race to meet my goals. I always try to focus on race execution rather than time or placement and I find that the time seems to almost take care of itself. Being the women’s professional championship many of my friends had told me that I was going to be first across the line, but anyone or anything can happen on race day and I wasn’t going to expect anything, I just wanted to execute.

The weeks of cloudy and rainy weather leading up to race weekend were beginning to get to me and I was starting to get down, along with the usually woes of taper. However, race weekend came and the excitement of Lake Placid quickly lifted my spirits as well as the break from the gloomy weather! On race day there were sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70’s - 80’s…not ideal, but I’ll take it! The days leading up to the race were filled with meeting other athletes, sponsors and participating in the Timex panel on IMTV, which was really a lot of fun. Especially since I was able to share my pre-race meal and admit to my pre-race psych up music (80’s hair bands!!). My fiancé and I ended up staying in Wilmington, a good 12 miles from town, so it was a little tough driving back and forth, but it was also nice to be out of the chaos of downtown LP on race weekend.

I’m the kind of athlete who would prefer way too much time on race morning rather than not enough. As a result Ash (my awesome fiancé) and I arrived downtown at about 4:50am race morning. I usually can’t sleep anyway, so getting going early is actually easier than lying in bed. I was able to get body marked, check my bike, walk through transition several times, hit the porto potties and be at Mirror lake at 5:30. I put on my tunes, laid down, closed my eyes, relaxed and visualized my day for about 30min, which is a pre-race routine I highly recommend!

Swim: 54:11 I got in the water and warmed up for about 10mins right after the pro women started at 6:25. Then I found a spot to hang onto the end of the dock for the next 20 minutes. By 6:50 the water and dock were ridiculously crowded with people hanging onto people hanging onto the dock! With about 5 minutes until race start I moved away from the dock and positioned myself as best I could right at the front and on “the line” to swim the shortest distance. The gun went off and the pummeling began. I received quite a few blows in the first few hundred yards and continued to have quite a bit of contact for the first lap. I swam hard and made sure I was always in someone’s draft, trying not to work too hard, but just cruising. I was able to cruise with ease and spot really well as my Blue Seventy goggles and wetsuit worked perfectly and were amazing comfortable. The second lap I caught onto the feet of the swimmer leading the second major pack and went along for the ride as he bridged up to the next group, we only caught them toward the end of the second lap, but none the less I was pretty happy with my swim. I got out of the water in 24^th place.

T1: 3:18 As many of you know you have to run about a 1/4mi from mirror lake to the oval and then through the transition area. I had practiced my transitions in person and in my mind multiple times and it paid off with the fastest T1 of the day and I began the bike in 10^th place!

Bike: 5:17:54 The bike was tough for me, I was never able to get into a rythum and go. Honestly, I thought given good conditions I should be able to bike 5hrs. I had done quite a bit of training on this course and knew it would be a tough, but realistic goal. The first lap felt ok, but never the way I wanted it to and as I passed back through town completing the first loop in 2:33 I was hopeful I could make the second lap just about as fast. However, the wind began to make an appearance as there was a head/cross wind from LP to Essex and then a head wind from Essex to Jay along the flat and “fast” section of the course. As I began climbing the hills out of Jay I came to the realization I was not going to bike 5hrs. But I kept telling myself “that’s ok, it’s a long day and I still have to run a marathon.” I kept my cadence high and relaxed and made sure not to push too hard on the return back to town. I got off the bike in 5^th place about 12:30 down from the leader.

T2: 1:04 Again rehearsal and mental practice paid dividends as I swiftly moved through transition to make up a minute of my deficit and claim the fastest T2 of the day.

Run: 2:59:36 My fiancé was waiting for me at the beginning of the run and yelled “you’re in 5^th place 11:30 down, RUN!!” As I ran out of town I thought to myself, “it’s a long day anything can happen.” I ran at a comfortable pace and at about mile 2 moved into 4^th place. I began to see a lot of friends and spectators out on the course, who were giving me splits and telling me that I looked great and the guys ahead were fading. As I made my left turn onto river road at about mile 3 I saw Belinda Granger with the lead biker and gave her a big cheer, (she’s awesome!). But I had work to do and I remained focused. At about mile 11 I moved into third position, right in the middle of town. Being the under dog everyone was cheering for me and they were amazing, I felt like a rock star! I used the energy of the crowds to push me and I moved into second at about mile 16.5, I was running steady and giving encouragement to everyone out there to help keep my mind-set positive. At the turn around on river road around mile 19 I saw the Timex team manager, Ben Harper and he informed me with a big smile on his face that I was 28 second behind the leader. At mile 20 I moved into first place and turned in on a little bit. My goal for the entire day was to run a solid last 10k and that time had arrived. Up until this point I had been running “moderate-steady” knowing the last 6.2 miles were critical. I had been sipping my concentrated calories from my awesome new Helium Fuel Belt since the start of the run and now was the time to use that energy. I began to pick a pace that was slightly out of my comfort zone and just went, I was too afraid to look back! I began the “short” out and back on Mirror lake drive, which seemed very long this time around, and the crowds were amazing! With one particular spectator shouting “I knew you were going to catch them, I knew it! You look awesome!!” As I entered the oval I could hear Mike Reily calling my name and I was overjoyed! I finished in 9:16:02 as the Ironman Champion!!!

As I crossed the line and 4 days later I am still filled with so much energy and gratitude for everyone who helped me get to that finish line. My coach Kurt Perham, my fiancé Ashley, the Timex Multisport Team, all my sponsors and most importantly all the people out on the course, friends, family and random stangers!! It sounds really cheesey, but I said it at the finsh line and I’ll say it again, it does not take a person to win an Ironman, it takes a community and I have the best community I could imagine!

Thanks!

Alex M-M

We all know that fiber is an important part of a healthy training diet, but what exactly does fiber do and can it lead to gastrointestinal (GI) upset during a race?

Fiber is the part of a plant/grain that the body cannot digest or use for fuel and is an important part of the diet for numerous reasons. There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber, while in the GI tract may help to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, by trapping the cholesterol in the gut and not allowing absorption into the body. Soluble fiber also helps to maintain blood glucose levels and aid in metabolic function. Consuming high levels of fats along with soluble fiber may cause loose stools, another unwanted problem on race day. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apple pulp. According to the American Heart Association, soluble fiber has been associated with increased diet quality and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Insoluble fiber is the type of fiber that typically concerns athletes due to its ability to cause lower GI problems on race day. Foods high in insoluble fiber include whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, wheat bran, rye, wild rice, barley, most other grains, cabbage, beets, carrots, brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower and apple skin. Insoluble fiber, as the name suggests, simply passes through the GI tract adding more bulk and absorbing water into the stool, promoting proper bowel function. This is not to say that if you eat no fiber you will have no waste; it will just be less bulky. The reason a high fiber diet is an important part of an athletes diet is two fold; one, it slows digestions of other carbohydrates by prolonging gastric emptying. This increases satiety, and may help prevent overeating, as well as prevent blood glucose spikes and valleys (i.e. sugar high and crash). As a result, your body receives a steady glucose supply. The second reason insoluble fiber should be incorporated into your diet is that it helps to cleanse the bowel by maintaining optimal bowel pH as well as remove dead cells and other debris, which in turn can prevent diverticulosis and possibly colon cancer.

Daily dietary fiber intake among adults in the United States averages about 15 grams. The Institute of Medicine recommends consuming 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories which, for most, correlates to a daily requirement of 25-35 grams of fiber, although athletes may require more based on a higher caloric intake. It is important to understand that hydration and dietary fiber are interconnected and the proper combination of both is required for a healthy GI system.

A common problem in triathletes, particular during longer races, is GI distress during competition, particular while running. Every athlete’s body will respond differently to the stress of race day and no single fiber protocol will work for everyone. However, because fiber adds bulk to the stool and or loose stool, eating a diet low in both types of fiber for one or two days leading up to a race may help to ward off lower GI problems. If this does not help, some may recommend taking an anti-diarrheal agent, such as immodium prior to or even during the race. However, carefully follow the recommended dosage and do not take more than suggested on the package. As always practice any race protocol in training or lower priority races.

The bottom line is 25-35g of fiber from a variety of sources is an important part of a healthy training diet. However, reducing fiber intake prior to a race may prevent frequent stops on the run course.

Some people are natural born runners, while others have to encourage their inner runner to emerge.  Here are 5 tips that, if incorporated regularly into your training, will help you to work your way up in the pack.
 
1) Transition run.  After you return from a long ride, no matter how tired, take at least 10 minutes, and up to 40 minutes, to run right after getting off the bike with as little transition time as possible.  Teaching our muscles to run efficiently and fast after cycling requires physiologic and anatomic adjustment which can be trained and practiced and as we all know, practice makes perfect.
 
2) Vary your training pace.  Running at the same pace or intensity all the time will teach your body to run that speed.  However, “that” speed is often not our projected “race pace” and in addition your running will stagnate without new stimuli to encourage constant physiologic and anatomic adaptation.  Therefore, make sure you run various paces through a training week or cycle.  For example, long slow distance (LSD), tempo, track workouts and striders are all run at different speeds, which help to keep your run progressing and moving forward.
 
3) Frequency.  Running 7 days a week is not necessary. However, running 4, 5 or maybe even 6 days a week can have benefits.  Each run does not have to be long, the goal is frequency.  In fact varying the distance throughout a training cycle can help to keep things interesting.  Even a 20 minute run after a hard workout or the next day can have neuromuscular benefits and “teach” your legs to run efficiently while fatigued by recruiting different motor units. 
 
4) Drills.  Although no one really likes taking the time to do drills, they can help to reinforce proper form, mechanics and increase efficiency.  Once a week is all that is really required, and can be performed before or after a run, however, the effort should be high and you should not be significantly fatigued before starting the drills.  I recommend three drills 3×20″ each followed by 3×20″ striders.  Some of my favorite drills are high knees, butt kicks, pull-throughs and skips.
 
5) Head for the hills.  A great way to build physical, as well as mental strength, is to incorporate hills into your training.  In addition, proper technique can help increase hill running efficiency.  While ascending, keep your body vertical with respect to gravity, as a result you will be leaning into the hill at the same time, drive your knees forward and up while concentrating on a quick explosive push off.  While descending, maintain your upper body perpendicular to the slope, as a result it will feel as if you are falling down the hill, keep your foot strike beneath your hips and not in front, as this applies a breaking force.  It will initially feel as if you are going to fall, however, with practice it will become more natural. 
 
As with any endurance sport, changes will not be seen right away, and simply “doing more” will only lead to burn out and injury.  There is no substitute for consistent and progressive training; however, the above approach with a little patience will help you to take your running to the next level. 

I grew up around water.  Most summer’s in my childhood, my mom would drop my brothers and I off at the local pool first thing in the morning and not pick us up until closing time.  It got to the point where the pool staff would be worried if I did not show up and once called my home to make sure I was ok.  As a logical progression I joined the swim team, volunteered as an assistsant swim instructor, became a lifeguard and taught swimming lessions the moment I was old enough.  The only problem was, I hated staring at the black line on the bottom of the pool and had no real motivation to swim and train hard or even consistently for that matter.  As a result of this history I am a good swimmer by general standards, but average in the triathlon world. 

So the question on everyone’s mind…how do I get faster?  When I began training for triathlon it had been several years since I had done any kind of structured swim training, I had played water polo in college, but that was not the same as “swimming.”  As I got reaquainted with the water and that ever so entertaining blackline I found I was muscling my way through workouts.  I took the popular newbie tack of “the faster I moved my arms the better!!”  Well as you can imagine this didn’t work very well or for very long.   

A training buddy of mine and former all-american swimmer in college, took pitty on me and decided to help me out!  The first thing we did was go back to basics and rebuild my technique, although I have know this for sometime now, I am still amazed at how mechanics trumphs all in the water.  For the last 4 years I have been working on my technique and performing drills almost every time I get in the water.   

I also recently attend a swim clinic by Doug Stern, one of the great swim coaches in the country.  Aside from the ab workout I got listening to his stories and thoughts on life I learned a lot about my stroke.  A picture is really worth a thousand words, as I had not seen a video fo myself swim in a very long time.  Doug gave me several aspects of my stroke to tweak and practice.  Although it was, is, and will be at times a frustrating process I had fleeting glimpses of a stroke here or there that just felt really good, but then was gone.  Initally my times in the pool got slower and the frustration mounted, but those glimpses of a perfect stroke began to occur more frequently.  Before I knew it my times began to drop again and now I am swimming faster with less effort!!  Don’t get me wrong I still have crappy swims at times and I still need to be EXTREMELY cognizant of my mechanics with every stroke, but I’m getting there. 

Here are some drills I recommend, Distance Per Stroke (DPS) – try to glide  

Having just swam a PR at Ironman

California 70.3 you might think I am done working on technique and will now focus entierly on aerobic fitness in the water.  NOT SO!!!  If there is one thing that I have learned in the past 4 years it is that swim technique (much like my desire to become a good cook) is a never ending process. 

After a seemingly short month, my Santa Fe training camp comes to an end. It has been a great experience where I was able to focus solely on quality sleep, great southwestern food, quality early season training and studying for my medical boards. I am, however, looking forward to getting back to the comforts of home particularly my fiancé. The dry sunny 40-50 degree days will soon be replaced by the cloudy 10-20 degree snow covered roads of Vermont.

I arrived on February first with my bike, running shoes, a few bathing suits, a pile of books and two goals. The first of which was to study for and take step II of the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam) a test which will partially determine where I will do my medical residency, but before I continue with my medical career I will try my hand, and feet, as a professional triathlete. Which brings be to my second reason for escaping winter for a sunny southwest town at 7,000 feet. Having signed up for Ironman.

California 70.3 I was a little afraid of racing other triathletes, many of whom have the luxury of riding outside for Feb and March. I also wanted to give my race season an early jump start. My training is feeling great and although I will not have my test score back for a few weeks, I think it is safe to say, “mission accomplished.”

Santa Fe is a great southwest city that is very unassuming; driving down the highway you might miss it due to the fact that the red-brown adobe and stucco 1 to 2 story buildings blend into and seem to wander across the landscape. There are small boutiques and many art galleries partially due to Georgia O’Keefe’s influence in the area. Museums and historical sites are also a popular attraction throughout the region, in fact I often found myself running thru a region of the city known as “museum hill.” There is also a strong Native American influence as many street vendors can be seen selling Native American jewelry and art around the downtown square. Lastly I should mention the wonderful southwest cuisine as well as the multitude of options for the health conscious athlete. The elevation, bright sun, breath taking views, and funky coffee shops of Santa Fe made for an ideal training locale.

After my morning swim at the Chavez Community Center (50M pool) I would often entrench myself at one of many local coffee shops for a few hours of quality study time while I waited for the temperature to rise before I headed out for an afternoon workout. Although the temperatures at night where frequently in the 20’s by mid day the temperature would be 40-50 and almost always sunny, which would cause any of the previous evenings snow to quickly melt and evaporate into the arid climate.

After about a week I had sufficiently adjusted to the altitude, although I was never fully able to adjust to the winding streets of Santa Fe. I had many great workouts some of which I found myself a little lost, but I always managed to find my way back again. One particular sunny warm day I climbed the 15 miles up to the Santa Fe ski basin a mountain pass that took me almost 3,500 feet above the city of Santa Fe. From there I could seemingly see forever, not to mention feeling a little extra short of breath. Another day I rode south through the plains where I could observe the gigantic mountain ranges from a distance. On this particular day the winds were gusting to 35mph and virtually blew me off my bike. I just thought of it as good practice for a particularly race known for the windy conditions. I had two notable struggles while enjoying my time in Santa Fe. The first of which was adjusting my taste buds to the southwest spice. I like spicy food, but not extremely spicy, I tend to think of myself as a “medium” to “hot” kind of guy, however, out here, I am a whippy “mild.” I still am amazed at the degree of heat than many food carry.

The second obstacle is not a new one for me. Every early season when I get outside, especially on the bike I have recent memories of last year’s final race where my fitness was in top form. After a few months of the off season and indoor training I tend to get a little stale. I always have to remind myself that in order to ultimately climb the fitness ladder I have to slide back a few rungs in the off season. While I consciously know that I am not going to be as fit as last October, my body is always a little thrown off when I’m not able to ride as far or as fast especially in February. The altitude at Santa Fe further compounded this problem and caused me to question my off season training. Instead of comparing training logs, I try to focus on one workout at a time and train with one workout with a goal of that single workout in mind and not yet worry about the big picture. By sticking with this strategy even after a short month I am able to see the fitness gains and feel my body readjusting to the rigors of in season training.

This camp has been has been a great experience. I was able to get some great early season work in as well as experience a great city. However, I am happy to be heading home knowing that spring eventually arrives, even in Vermont.

In only it’s third year the Mooseman Triathlon Festival has come into it’s own with all the makings of a world class event. Endurofun puts on this great event and much like that of their more widely known Timberman Triathlon Festival, Mooseman is a top notch triathlon event. The atmosphere at this event is for the most part pretty relaxed and friendly, as it is primarily a local race and, for the mostly New England based triathletes, the first race of the season. Mooseman has particular importance to me because it was my first ½ Ironman in 2005 shortly after I began racing triathlon.

The day began with an overcast sky and low lying clouds which obscured most of the pristine landscape surround New Found Lake in Bristol, NH. However, the rain stayed away from most of the morning and the air temperature hovered in the mid 60’s to 70 all day making ideal race conditions. I began my day meeting and talking with several athletes in transition and around the race site. I always enjoy showing up very early so there is plenty of time to relax and take care of any problems that arise. After a short splash in the water I was ready to face the day.

New Found Lake was around the low 60s, a great temperature as long as you had a wetsuit. The perfectly flat, cool water made for a fast course. With the help of my new Blue Seventy Helix and goggles, I achieved a swim PR, exiting the water in the lead pack chasing Nicholas Dufresne with a blazing 23:16 swim.

A quick T1 and I was on the bike course, which did not have many long sustained climbs, but there were consistent rollers and quite a few difficult spots on the scenic course. It would best be described as a technical and relatively challenging course. I decided to push my Trek TTX pretty hard knowing that I would have to if I wanted to finish well. Shortly into the race Dean Phillips cruised on past and I kept him in my sights for most of the first loop. Completing the first lap having seen only one other cyclists I wasn’t exactly sure where in the field I was, until completing the first loop I was told I was about a minute behind the leader. Although I wanted to see if I could catch him I decided to simply maintain a steady effort and set myself up for a solid run.

By T2 my legs were feeling the effects of the choppy hills on the bike course. I threw on my Brooks Axiom racing flats, Fuel Belt and headed out on the run. “You’re 1:30 behind him!” a few folks yelled as I began to find my stride. I was expecting it to be a long chase and as result I decided to take the first three miles at a slightly conservative pace, but to my surprise at mile two I took the lead. At the first turn around I got a good look at the competition and they looked strong. Tim Snow and Billy Edwards were running especially well only a few minutes behind. I picked up the pace on the way back to the halfway point opening a 2:15 gap over the second runner. Again, I relaxed a little into my pace back to the second turn around; however, at that point Billy Edwards had closed the gap to about 1:30. This made me a little scared and knowing that I had come this far I pushed the pace to cover the last three miles at a 5:47 pace to cross the tape in 4:06.

What an amazing day! I couldn’t have dreamed of a better race. I finished feeling on top of the world, probably due to the adrenaline and all those sets Kurt Perham has me do late in my workouts. I thought that I might have a chance to tie my ½ Ironman PR, but I never dreamed that I would set a new course record and set a new PR by over 8 minutes! There were a lot of athletes out on the course who I knew and it was great to see them along to way, especially Timex’s own Keith Myer racing his first ½ Ironman. Keith Jordan and Endorfun again put on a top notch race that did not disappoint, I can’t wait until next year.

http://www.lin-mark.com/moosehalfoof07.txt

It’s April 4th and despite the fact that snow is in the forecast for this weekend in Burlington, VT my 2007 and inaugural season on the Timex Multisport Team has officially begun. I knew that an early season race, especially a big race like Ironman California 70.3, would be a challenge but despite a few hiccups all in all it was a great day and a great race!

My day began bright and early at 4:30am, it was cold, even for a Vermonter!! I had plenty of time to shiver standing around contemplating my day, becasue swim wave was the last to start, over an hour after the pro men. I was able to watch many athletes swim and make there way through T1 before I even began my day, which was a unique experience for me.

After what seemed like a very long time, I finally got into the water and to my surprise it wasn’t really that cold. Navigating the swim was not too difficult, being in Oceanside harbor the water was relatively calm, however, after the turn around I was swimming directly into the sun and really had no idea where I was going. At one point I literally swam over an athlete from a prior wave because I literally could not see anything. Out of the water I was happy with a new swim PR, then through T1, which involved a lot of running, but possibly one of the most organized and “fair” transition areas I have ever seen.

The first 10-15min of the bike I was having a rough time due to the chill from the water and the cool morning temperatures. The bike course was really a lot of fun. I was thrown for a little loop at the first aid station as North America Sports mixed it up this year serving Orange Gatorade Endurance on the bike and Lemon Lime on the run. But no matter, it made for a little bit of a change. There were a few narrow sections on a bike path and some spots where I’m convinced the surface area of potholes out numbered the smooth pavement, but that’s alright. I did get a little nervous due to the number of people I saw changing flats on the side of the road, but I was lucky!! Most of the bike course is very light on traffic with wide smooth roads through Camp Pendleton Marine Base.

There are a few gentle rollers at the beginning of the course, but around the half way point I took a turn and saw a long climb in the distance. My first thought was, “I hope the course doesn’t go that way,” but sure enough as I got closer I could see specs of little bikers slowing ascending the climb. There were only 3 steep climbs, but I was wondering if maybe I would have been better off with a 12-25 cassette at this early point in the season.

I got back to T2 feeling great, a little slower than I would have wanted but given I had owned my new Trek for only a little over a week, and although my position wasn’t quite where I wanted to it be, the TTX is a fast bike!!

As I said my wave (M25-29) was one of the last swim waves to start the race over an hour behind the pro men. As a result, as I was heading out of T2 I could hear Mike Reilly interviewing the winner Andy Potts. It’s always a little depressing when you are just beginning your run knowing that others are already done with their day.

No worries, there was still work to be done. The run course is a great double out and back, and much to my pleasure due to high tides the portion of beach running was removed from this year’s course. There were tons of spectators and it passed right along the beach and through some sea side neighborhoods. Mostly a flat course although there were a few small grades to be conquered.

I got into a good rhythum and focused on motoring down the road. At about mile 5 I caught up with the eventual age group winner (Mac Brown, who by the way is a really nice guy and great athlete, we talked briefly after the race) we ran together for about a mile then he began to pull away. I had enough to stay with him, but I decided that I would stay consistent and keep my pace. I kept plugging away not knowing where I was in my age-group or overall classification due to the staggered wave start. I have to admit at the second turn around I was ready to push it in and began to pick up the pace as much as my legs would allow. I actually wound up catching and passing Mac at around mile 12 and lead him into the finish by ~20 seconds, but he had started in the swim wave behind me, so wound up with a total time about 2:40 ahead of me. But it just goes to show that pacing in a triathlon, especially the run is key!

All in all it was an amazing race and the perfect way to kick off my season. A 4:18 is not my best time, and a little slower than I was hoping, but given that it’s March I was excited to see where my fitness is at this early in the season. I had a great experience and would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for an early season kick start!

The next three days of Timex camp were equally as encouraging and inspiring (see Tim’s blog). Thanks to Ben, Tristan and Doug for getting our new Treks up and running in a matter of what seemed like minutes. It’s going to be a great year for Team Timex!

Swim Fast. Bike Strong. Run Hard. J

The spring is a time of year when we all begin to think about the upcoming triathlon season with varying levels of anxiety, hope, excitement and enthusiasm. It’s well known that the early season base workouts lay the foundation and in many ways dictate how high our fitness will climb this year. However, due to our varying levels of excitement, many of us tend to make the mistake of going too hard, or doing too much too soon.

I coach an athlete, let’s call him Bill, who is very dedicated and is very consistent in his training. As the days get longer and warmer, for some, Bill has begun to train outside and has recent memories of late last season where he achieved a PR in his “A” race. Although consciously he knows that he is not in race shape during the off season, this spring he subconsciously expects to ride just like he did last season.

Bill recently went out for a bike ride that was supposed to be 3 hours of easy heart rate zone 2 to low 3 riding. However, within the first 20 minutes, he met up with a group of cyclists and his easy zone 2 ride went right out the window. Bill stayed with the pack and even tried to prove his worth by taking his turns pulling at the front. His heart rate ranged from zone 1 to zone 5!! After 2 hours with the group, Bill realized that he had ruined his workout and wearily rode home on his own. He was frustrated at having “wrecked” his workout, but also because last year he would have easily been able ride with the group in zone 3.

Although many of us stay active in the off-season, just like Bill, we can have some rust to shake off. It can be daunting to think about how “out of shape” we are and how much training needs to be completed to rebuild our fitness. Some may want to go out there and “hammer” to get back in shape. Instead, I encourage Bill, and all athletes, to focus on one workout at a time with the goal to “Win the Workout.” Complete every workout with at least a RPE and HR goal. Also, it is important to stay within your abilities at this point in the season and not rush back to late season fitness. If your coach says to run 4 miles in HR zone 2 you should do that, just that, and nothing more. By doing so, you “Win the Workout.”

There are many “Bills” out there and we all have workouts that don’t go according to plan. However, we can learn from those workouts and remember that fitness is built slowly and patience is required, especially in the early season as our bodies adapt to higher training loads or simply training outdoors. Every mile we run is one more than yesterday and one mile closer to our goals. Be patient and focus on steady progress and recovery between workouts. Our achievements this season are being built right now. Even as you read this, you are resting and letting your body rebuild itself for the next workout. Remember, don’t approach each session with the goal to win your next race, go to “Win the Workout.”

The Tupper Lake Tinman was celebrating it’s 25^th year! Wow, I was 1…ok so aside from being a youngin’ I was excited to be a part of a triathlon that has been in existence for such a long time. However, this race also had a little bit more special meaning for me. My father use to compete in triathlon many years ago and the Tupper Lake Tinman was a race that he used to attend!Being three weeks out from Ironman LP, my goal race, I didn’t want to alter my major build weeks, so as a result I didn’t really take much rest for this race and was treating it much like a lower priority race, however, being the 25^th year they were offering a nice prize purse for all the participants involved, not just the pros, and I wanted to race well. Let’s just say the race went exceedingly well and I could not have asked for a better day!

An 8am start time made for a very relaxed morning where I had plenty of time to check my bike in, get in a swim warm up and talk with a few friends before the start. The race went off in 8 waves, mine being the first, with the M30-34 and M35-39 5 and 10min behind respectively. As a result I wasn’t going to be able to watch the race unfold in front of me or see where the other racers were.

I got a great start and before I realized it I was swimming with only 2 other people. The swim was beautiful and fast, until I hit the turn around and was swimming directly into the sun, sighting was…well interesting…although not my fastest swim time, I’m sure I swam off course more than a few times.

A quick T1 and out onto the bike, but not before being stopped at the bike exit by a race marshall to let a few cars go past…I couldn’t believe it! I took that frustration and put it into the pedals and was riding right at my goal power. The bike was an out and back and the only chance I would really get to see the competition. The first 10mi included some hills and then the leveled out into a gradually rolling course. The roads were smooth with nice wide shoulders, and the sunny and 70 degree temperature felt great, the only issue was the relatively gusty wind that was constantly changing direction. At the turn around I was 4min ahead of the next cyclist, only I had no idea if they were from my wave or another. No bother, I kept my power constant and rode back into Tupper.

The run was interesting to say the least. It consisted of 2 loops, but they were not the same loop. The first loop took me through downtown Tupper Lake and out through some main roads with a more scenic return. That loop was pretty well populated with a few spectators and several athletes in the sprint race. The second loop was far more scenic, consisting of several small residential areas, an ATV trail through the woods and even a short section of single track. I wasn’t sure where I was going at times, but just followed the chalk arrows and occasionally not sure where I was or even if I was on the course. On this section of the course there were a few scattered aid stations, some with simply cups of water on a table, and no one there, I also only saw a few other racers heading out towards the second loop in the final few miles as I made my way back into town. Racing in IMLP in just three weeks I didn’t want to totally beat myself up so I cruised in the last few miles of the run feeling pretty good. As things turned out the arrows did not steer me wrong and I crossed the line in 4:05:03 a new PR!! I had to wait another ten minutes or so to see if anyone from any of the later waves caught up, I was pretty happy when the clock ticked 4:15 and it seemed as if no one caught me!

I had a great time at the 25^th anniversary of the Tinman triathlon, it was a great race and I had a lot of fun. To read the local paper write up follow this link, (anyone know how to make a hyperlink from this text?)http://www.lakeplacidnews.com/sports/sections.asp?Section=sports. Now I just can’t wait until IM LP in 2 weeks!

http://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.php?lang=eng&racecode=41554