Alex McDonald Pro Triathlete

I went for my first run down Alii drive yesterday and I forgot how much I love this island. There is truly something magical about this place. There is an intangible quality that I really can’t describe…perhaps it is the “Ironman Spirit” or the “Hawaii Spirit.” Whatever it is, the Hawaiian islands really need to be seen and experienced to understand. Additionally, the same is true for the Ironman World Championships!Another reason I love this Island is the fact that my wife and I got married here last year after the race. We decided to celebrate our 1 year anniversary with a fantastic dinner at Brown’s Beach House an amazing restaurant at the Fairmont Orchid Resort in Waikaloa. We wanted to go to dinner after the race, but due to all the different post race celebrations we decided to go to dinner early in the week. This is the same restaurant that we went to after our wedding ceremony last year. Oh man that was an amazing dinner, the scenery was amazing, and the company was fantastic. We were right on the beach and watched the sun set before our eyes! Here are some shots from the evening.  

I hope everyone is enjoying all the Kona festivities, whether you are here or following online.
Thanks,

 Any major national or international triathlon always brings with it an excitement that is truly tangible, at the Ironman World Championship in Kona it is so thick you can drown in it. I remember my first Ironman in Florida in 2006 and I was blown away by the energy and enthusiasm, not to mention in aw of the ridiculous level of fitness of many of the competitors. I found myself feeling very overwhelmed and self-doubt began to creep in. Hours of time spent training preparing were put in jeopardy because I allowed my confidence to be rattled. My coach, Kurt Perham, has a great saying, and I paraphrase “Everyone at an Ironman expo is lying, they are lying about how much training they have done or how little training they have done.” This is really an issue of confidence and I can assure you the loudest athletes are the most insecure. All I can say is at Kona I will enjoy the energy and visit the expo for a short time and avoid boisterous triathletes as much as possible. Instead of being rattled or overwhelmed by pre-race and expo excitement and energy, I internalize it, and use it on race day. I use previous race experiences and results to build and exude quiet confidence. This is not to say I am one of those aloof, arrogant triathletes, as they are just as insecure as the loud ones. My advice; at major races visit the expo early, take in a little energy and then save it for later. Trust your training and your preparation; don’t do anything during race week that was not in the original taper plan. Confidence is a major factor on race day and it begins as soon as you get to the race venue.

Thanks for reading!

I am currently somewhere high over the pacific ocean as I write this. People who have been to Kona always talk about the “magic” in the atmosphere and the spirit of the Big Island. However, they never seem to mention the 14 or so hours of traveling that it takes to get there. Hawaii really is a very long way from the east coast of the US. My itinerary took me from Raleigh-Durham airport, to Charlotte, NC to Phoenix, AZ and then to Kona, which is really not bad, as many people have to fly through Honolulu and have yet another connection. The issues is that the flight from Phoenix to Kona is 6hrs, longer than many transcontinental flights in the US. Oh well, small price to pay to such a great adventure. All I can say is be ready for the long flight and bring plenty of water and a good book, (or Macbook as in my case). One more note, many airlines are charging $2 for a 16oz bottle of water, as a person who is morally and fundamentally against paying for water this can be annoying, to say the least, not to mention the fact I felt more than a little silly carrying on 4 bottles of water!

Today is October first which only means one thing…the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI is just 9 days away! It always amazes me how fast races creep up on me. I am so focused on my training and the daily schedule of training that it always seems sudden when my taper begins 2 weeks before the race. However, it never seems real until the calendar reads October. This will be my 3rd year in Kona, however, my first as a professional and first as a married man! Last year after Kona my wife, Ashley and I got married a few days after the race. I am VERY happy to be taking here back to Kona for our one year anniversary. To me Kona is a very special place for two reasons, 1) the most amazing race is the world and 2) a very special place for Ashley and I. So I can tell you leading up to the race will be all business, however, there will be a lot of fun afterward! On another note, I am feeling sluggish in my workouts this week, but I know that this is all a normal part of my taper and if doubt creeps in the next 9 days all I need to do is just think back to some of the strongest, most powerful and fastest workouts have EVER done. So I’m looking forward to the Big Island and all the people and adventures that it holds.

Today is only day three of my taper but I am already feeling flat and the fatigue of the last several months of training is catching up to me. I know that this is part of the process of preparing for a race and I need to simply trust my training and trust the taper process. I find that a lot of athletes begin to doubt their fitness and feel the need to “test” their fitness with another big workout, however, I know that this is simply a mistake. My mottos during taper are “when in doubt, leave it out,” “nothing I can do now to get faster, only slower.” The focus of taper is rest and preparing the body and the mind for the physical and mental demands of race day. Two weeks is not enough time to lose any fitness, even three weeks, which is my recommended length of an Ironman taper for age groupers, will not make a difference on race day. My recommendation for taper is to be mentally patient and confidence. It is important to stay active, but the emphasis should be on short race specific efforts, but remember “when in doubt leave it out!”

Thanks for all the support!

For the second time this year I successfully defended my title at a regional half ironman. Last September I was here in Durham, NC completing my final prep for Kona and now that I have officially moved here and racing the Duke ½ and Kona worked so well last year, I though I would do the same this year. Also it is a great way to meet other triathletes and get into and involved with the triathlon community in the area, which by the way is huge!! In the triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) there are at least 4 triathlon clubs…and those are just the ones I know about…I’m sure there are others. I was excited to race having been focusing on solid training since IMLP in July and also being able to compare my times to the same course as last year. Setup Events does a lot a races and does a great job, this race was no different.

Enough babble…onto the race!

It was a beautiful warm morning when I arrived in transition, about 70 degrees with no breeze and the sun had not even begun to come up yet. Before I knew it, I was in the water warming up. The 79 degree bath water was not wetsuit legal, but I had planned to wear my Blue Seventy PointZero3 regardless of water temp in prep for Kona. Everything I planned to use in Kona, I used at the Duke ½.

The Swim: 29:57, 5th out of the water
The gun went off and so did the “open wave,” that is those not racing age group. The starting line was a little vague and there was no real group, it was just a long line. I wasn’t sure who the fastest swimmers were, but I took it out pretty hard and found myself in back of a small pack pretty quickly, but then they moved on and I found myself in front of the main back, but behind about 4 other guys who were pretty strung out. I honestly felt great in the water, I kept it smooth strong, yet relaxed. I find that the more I struggle the more the water pushes back. I came out just breaking the 30min mark, which was my goal. Although I was not blazing fast I have never felt that good and relaxed in a race! Thank you North Carolina Aquatic Masters swimming!

Bike: 2:17, 2nd out of T2
I was 2 minutes behind the leader leaving T1 and excited to ride hard, but consistently. I quickly found myself in second position and riding some beautiful scenic roads all alone with just me and my PowerTap , again good practice for the desolate roads of Kona. I focused on holding a steady effort despite the small rollers and some head wind. I held a higher power than last year and completed the course over 2 minutes faster in warmer temperatures and tougher winds! 2:17

Run: 1:24, 1st across the line!
I exited T2 4:30 behind the leader, who I knew at this point was Eric Bean, a great cyclist and solid pro triathlete (later I found he was doing a Kona prep race as well). My T2 was a little longer than usual because it takes a little more time to put on my compression socks , which I was skeptical of at first, but I think there really is a benefit. In all honestly, begin 4:30 back I was a little scared but I put it in gear and “ran like I stole something,” as I like to say. This run course is beautiful, but difficult, it is 90% on gravel roads and grass trails (I hate running on dried pine needles), also it is pretty hilly. To make things even more interested, but also great prep for Kona, it was getting up to 95 degrees on the run, and although there was some shade, it was still getting pretty nasty on the run course. At the halfway point my deficit was down to 1:10 so I confident I could make up the rest, but I knew the race is not over until I crossed the finish line. I moved into first about 2 miles into the second lap and kept up the effort until about mile 10, however, at the second out and back I just cruised to the finish it an effort to not be totally beat up for the next 2 weeks of solid training heading into Kona. So although my run time was pretty slow given the course, weather and race conditions I was satisfied with the result.

All in all a solid race!  I beat my time last year by 1:30 and set a new course record in certainly more difficult conditions.  Things are certainly on track for another great race in Kona.

Full Results

Thanks and train hard!

In summary Ironman Lake Placid 2008 was a memorable day. It was very, very wet…in fact in retrospect I should have just wore my wetsuit the entire race. With 3 inches of rain over 14 hours my times were slower than I wanted, but given the circumstances I’ll take it. I finished 8th and on the podium in my first Ironman as a professional, all in all a very satisfying feelingl.

Swim: 57:46, 91st overall
I’m still not sure what happened here. I swam really hard for the first 5-10minutes and then tried to settle but I was never able to find a steady rhythm. I think I probably pushed a little too hard at the beginning. I found a good draft group toward the end of the first loop but then lost it shortly into the second lap as they surged and I couldn’t stay on their feet.

T1: 3:33
Those of you have been to IMLP know that T1 can be a bit of a haul. After a disappointing swim where I was already pretty tired in combination with completely rain soaked carpeting and grass I didn’t try to go too fast and focused on moving thru smoothly and steadily.

Bike: 5:08:52, 14th overall
This course is unforgiving for those who over pace themselves on the bike, especially the first lap. As a result I pushed a little for the first 15min to find my rhythm and after that I settled into what felt like a pretty relaxed effort. I just kept my cadence up and power steady regardless of terrain. There were several people who passed me, especially up the hills, however, my mantra on race day is “the race begins at noon.” That is, for the first five hours of the race it is just a steady up tempo training day for me, then at noon if there is anyone around, then I can start racing and that’s just what I did. I saw several of those same guys who I re-passed on the second lap of the bike or the run. Additionally making this course more interesting and challenging the roads were completely drenched and there were rivers running down the road in some sections. I played it a little conservatively on the corners and the down hills as I knew losing a few seconds to minutes was preferable to crashing. My Trek performed perfectly and certainly helped me to maintain an upright position throughout the ride. The day was beginning to grind on me around mile 100 as I began the climb back up to town from Wilmington and found a little trouble concentrating and keeping my power steady. All in all I was pretty happy with my bike split and my power, although not super human it was respectable at 250w, along with a VI of 1.03, which for that course is very satisfying.

T2: 1:19
Fastest of the day…this is my 3rd Ironman in a row where I had the fastest T1 overall (including Kona last year)…so it’s fun to see how fast I can get thru! Again, not a sprint just a steady smooth relaxed process. 

Run: 3:01:36, 5th overall
I felt ok for the first few miles and then I began to settle into a rhythm and got going after mile 4 or so. I knew that there was still plenty of racing ahead and beginning the run in 18th position I was confident that I would be able to make up spots. At the special needs station at mile 13 I couldn’t get my bottle and lost most of my intended calories for the second half of the run…crap! I stayed calm and instead of my usual race day nutrition, I just drank and ate as many carbs as I could at the aid stations. Then the run began to get interesting. At about mile 16 or so a spotter told me I was in 10th position, at that point I wasn’t really sure how many guys I had passed. I thought to myself, “dig deep,” as this was really my goal in the run portion. I wanted to leave everything I had out on the race course, I didn’t want to walk away with any regrets wondering what if I had pushed harder, like I often do. At mile 22 my arms and hands began to tingle and turn numb. At mile 23 I was informed that I was 40 seconds behind fellow Timex Team member Dave Hardju (a former Ironman Champion) and I was trying as hard as I could to run him down. The last hill climbing back into town nearly destroyed me, but I kept pushing and the last mile my feet were turning numb as well. I crossed the finished line and collapsed, something I have never done before. According to my Kurt Perham, my coach, I looked like death…well let me tell you, I felt like it also. After a little while in the medical tent I felt better and then I took the greatest hot shower I think I have ever experienced.

Honestly I have mixed reactions on the day. Having finished on the podium in my first Ironman as a professional as well as obtaining a spot for Kona I am ecstatic! However, my swim was very disappointing…3 minutes slower than last year, that one I cannot blame on the weather!  Also I know that I can run faster as well. So I walk away with feelings of pride and satisfaction as well as a little disappointment and feelings of missed opportunity. At this point in my career I know that the big improvements are very few and far between, therefore I need to focus on the little victories. After placid I am taking a “mid-season break” both mentally and physically for about a week to 10 days. Then I will be ready to hit the last several months of the season with renewed motivation and my sites set on the Big Island in October.

Lastly, a big thank you to all the folks who braved the rain, rain and more rain to cheer us on all day. In particular my coach Kurt Perham , who gave me splits all day, as well as worked the phones with my wife, giving her updates and words of reassurance all day.

Normally I like to include some pictures of the day, but due to the rain and soggy illegible race numbers there were almost none taken!!  However, this one at the finish line sums up the day pretty well.

Ironman Lake Placid 2008 Results

Taper for Ironman Lake Placid officially began today!!  The tricky part of getting your fitness to peak for a big race is that it is a constantly moving target.  The two weeks of training that worked leading up to an Ironman last year might not be the best protocol to get ready for an Ironman this year.  That is part of what I love about endurance training, and the human body in general, it is not static, constantly changing and adapting and the body never responds the same way.  That being said, 2 weeks is usually the perfect amount of time for my body to recover from the hours of training and not loose to much fitness so that come race day I am both mentally and physically ready to lay it all on the line.  So all the hard work has been done and then next 2 weeks is focused on recovery.  There is still a little work left this week, but now the race comes down to the final physical and mental prep as well as race execution!

Whenever I have a conversation with a non-cyclist/triathlete about the issues of leg shaving, the main reason I quote for doing so is the ability clean up the road rash after an accident. I always tell people, “it’s not an issue of IF you crash, but WHEN you crash,” because everyone at some point or another will crash, or worse yet get hit by someone or something. Well, this past Thursday, after 5 years of competing and training for triathlon the inevitable hit…literally. I was at 4:50 of a 5 hour ride in 95 degree heat after some hard Ironman pace sets, I was exhausted and glad to be almost home. I was climbing a hill and going straight thru a green light and before I knew what was happen there was a car turning left across my lane…into me!! Had I not been so tired I may have been able to avoid the car, but I was only able to let out a yell, and before I knew it I was sprawled out across the pavement in the middle of the intersection. I immediately sat up and had a few choice words for the driver, so I knew I couldn’t have been that badly hurt.

I had landed on my right side, helmet and hip taking the brunt of the impact with some road rash on my shoulder, elbow and ankle. Aside from the terrified driver stopping to make sure I was ok and apologizing profusely, there were 2 or 3 other people who stopped as well, all willing to help out in anyway they could, which was very kind of them. My personal favorite was an older gentleman who ran up to me saying “That was totally her fault, you had a green light, I’ll be your witness if you want to sue!” I thanked him, but I thought I was ok. I asked the small crowd if my pupils were the same size, if I was slurring my speech at all and went through several other symptoms of a concussion and after realizing that I was, for the moment, ok I turned my attention to my baby…I mean bike.

Amazingly it seemed in relatively good shape. It appeared that she had hit me on my left rear wheel skewer and basically just pushed the rear of my bike to the right and out from under me. I was going slowly enough over the hill and she was turning slowly enough that there was only some cosmetic damage to my trusty Trek, although I still inspected the carbon fiber frame carefully for cracks.

After taking a few minutes to collect myself, I stood up, brushed off, collected insurance and contact information, and rode home for my transition run. That evening and even a few days later I am realizing the full extent of the bruising and general soreness that comes with hitting the pavement. However, with IMLP very near there is no rest for the weary. So, please be safe out there and no matter how safely you ride, you cannot control others. Lastly, at the risk of standing on a soap box, always, always, always wear a helmet it most likely saved my life, thanks Rudy Project! No excuses now go train!

When my buddy Ryan called me in April saying that he would be racing Ironman Kansas 70.3 and “strongly encouraged me to join him” I was unsure if I would be able to go. However, when the guy who convinced you to do your first triathlon, who you haven’t seen in over a year, calls you and tells you to race…you better go race. So that is exactly what I did. I was also looking forward to racing some of “the big boys” after a disappointing race at Ironman California 70.3 earlier in the year.

I got to Lawrence Kansas on Friday and was greeted by what seemed like an army of volunteers (really just a big family) to pick me up at the airport and take me to my home stay as well as registration. They also took me out to dinner on Friday night with Jo Lawn, her husband Armando, Lindsey Corbin and Paul Ambrose. They were certainly VERY hospitable, which really allowed me to focus on my race and I am very grateful to them all.

It was great to see my friend Ryan and my dad came out to watch the race as well, an unexpected surprise, but it was great to see him and (appropriately) spend father’s day with him. At the pro meeting we found out the water temp was 75 degrees, so there would be no wetsuits, which mean that I would be at a disadvantage not being the strongest swimmer. I went through the usual pre-race routine and got ready the race. Race morning nothing too exciting to report. I got my stuff set up and jumped in the water for a warm up.

The Swim: 33:30, 20th place
What a horrific swim…not because of anyone’s fault but my own! I missed the first, and second and third swim group. Not to make excuses but I don’t have much experience with beach starts or with the frenzy and pace of the start of a pro race. I began hard and thought I had found “the group” and began to settle into my rhythm, when I looked up and there was a 5M gap, I swam hard to try to close it but they were gone I was left to swim 1.1 miles on my own, which is exactly what I did. I came out the water and there were not too many pro bikes left on the racks…the thought of droping out did cross my mind for a nanosecond.

The Bike: 2:16, 14th place
Rolling out of T1 I knew I had work to do, so I put my head down and rode at my goal power. Having a PowerTap is really critical to my race as it helps to push me when I am all alone and helps to hold me back when the competition gets the better of me. The first 15 minutes of the bike my legs were screaming at me and I was afraid that racing Mooseman a week earlier had taken too much out of me, however, I was able to find my rhythm and ride. As usual I was all alone for about 90% of the bike ride, the good part is that 10% of the time I was passing people. The hilly and windy course made for some challenges, however, I was loving it and felt great all day and even better toward the end of the bike. I had ridden myself into 14th place.

The Run: 1:20, 10th place
I wanted to run myself into the top 10 and thought it might be possible if I was smart. I ticked off the first few miles at a great pace, then the heat and dirt roads began getting to me and my pace slowed a little, but I kept telling myself that anything can happened and push through. At one of the short out and backs I saw Timex teammate Andrew Hodges and knew that he would catch me, but I kept my pace and was pleased to hold him off until about mile 6. I thought that if someone was going to pass me “at least it is a great guy and teammate.” I pushed through the second loop and saw a few other Timex athletes and by buddy Ryan. As I approached the finish chute I heard the announcer say “rounding out the top 10…” I wasn’t exactly sure what place I was in, but was very happy to hear that I met my goal!! 

All in all a great race and I got to see a bunch of Timex teammates, a friend from med school who first got me into this crazy sport and my dad!! The post race festivities were cut a little short due to some thunder and lightning but it certainly worth the trip to Kansas.

Ironman Kansas 70.3 Race Results

I returned to Bristol, NH for the third time on June 7th to race the third annual Mooseman ½ Iron triathlon. Keith Jordan and the folks at Endorfun extended a generous invitation for me to return as the defending champion form 2007.

There was an Olympic distance race on Saturday so Ashley and I arrived Friday night to enjoy Saturday’s festivities as well. However, before I get to the race I need to share a little experience that my home stay host provided. A common friend of mine put me in contact with Jim as he is a triathlete and lives less than 10 minutes from the race site. He provided an amazing pasta dinner Friday night for Ashley and I, as well as a few other triathletes racing. During diner the topic some how arose that Jim built a cannon…that’s right a homemade cannon. After quite a few questions clarifying this “cannon,” as well as a few stories involving the police and fire department investigating an “explosion” the first time that he set the cannon off. After all this we needed a demonstration which Jim was happy to provide…all I can say it wow! The noise was amazingly loud and the 3-4 feet of flames that shot out of the cannon were incredible.

On to the race! Returning as the defending champion added a little more pressure, but it was the kind of pressure that I love. There was also a small prize purse this year which I knew might bring a little more competition. Also I had not raced since Ironman 70.3 California at the end of March, so I was excited to see where my fitness was after some solid training. Race morning was my normal routine, except I made a major mistake!! I left my nutrition in the refrigerator at Jim’s house, of course I didn’t realize this until I got to the race site. Ashley saved me by going back and getting it for me, which meant waiting in long lines of traffic. Thank you Ashley!

The Swim: 25:55, 5th position
The water temp was only slightly above 60 degrees and it made for a chilly start. However, my Blue Seventy Helix felt great and not only kept me warm it also helped me to catch a good draft group and come out of the water in a great position.

The Bike: 2:19, fastest split of the day
After passing a few people in T1 I set out on the bike in 3rd place 2:30 back from the leader. The New Hampshire roads had taken quite a beating after the winter and the pavement was pretty rough in some spots. The course also has several rollers and a few short steep climbs that required patience in order to be able to run well. My goal was to hold a steady power throughout the ride and be patient. After seeing a few cyclists on the first loop I began the second loop still in 3rd position 2:30 behind the leader…I wasn’t gaining any ground, but I wasn’t loosing any either. As the race progressed the day began getting hotter and hotter (eventually hitting about 90 degrees) and I was working pretty hard to keep a consistent pace/power, but my patience began paying dividends. As the second loop continued people would shout my position and the gap up to the leader, “3rd place 2:15 back”…”1:50”…”1:30”…”1:10”ect. I began catching glimpses of the 2 riders ahead on the long straight stretches. The three of us rolled into transition together.

The Run: 1:19, First Overall
The two other guys had very fast transitions and left transition about 10-15 seconds ahead of me. The first mile they set the pace pretty fast and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep this pace. It usually takes me ½ -1 mile to settle in and find a good rhythm and as a result I let the two guys open up their lead a little. However after about 1.5 miles I moved into second place, giving my friend Charles a little encouragement as I went. At that point I found a steady pace and caught up to the leader at about mi 2.5. We ran together for a few miles at a hard pace. I noticed that I had a little more power up the hills than he did and as a result I used a hill to surge ahead and didn’t look back. At the half way point at ~6.5 miles I had a 30 second lead. I kept the pace steady until the last turn around at about mi 10 where I had a ~1min lead and knowing that I had to race Kansas 70.3 the following weekend I cruised in the last 3 miles enjoying the experience…after all racing hurts, but I love it, but that’s why I work so hard the other 355 days of the year.

I had a great day at Mooseman and I was able to see a lot of the New England area triathletes who I will not see together for awhile since I was moving to North Carolina. I also later found out that the reason the 2 guys with me in T2 had such fast transitions is that they did not put on socks, a decision they regretted. I, by the way, always wear socks in anything over a 10k.

Mooseman ½ Iron Race Resutls