Alex McDonald Pro Triathlete

I have kicked off the last 2 season in Oceanside and 2009 was no different. The Timex Multisport Team holds it’s annual training camp in Carlsbad following the race and aside from getting some California sun, going to team camp, and having some fun racing, it is a great chance to test my early season fitness against some of the best athletes in the world. This year was no different, only instead of just 1 or 2, there were several world champions and Olympians racing.I arrived in Oceanside Tuesday night and was hosted by a great family, along with 7 other athletes racing! It was a fun environment to be in prior to the race and we were very well fed. A huge thank you to Felicia! ☺My race week was unremarkable and I was excited to race and see the results of my training the last 4 months. A visit to the expo, a few short loosen up workouts and lots of lying/sitting around. It was especially fun to see some great friends who were also racing/spectating whom I had not seen in a long time.
I arrived at the race site at about 5am, plenty of time park, get settled and do a short mental prep. It was about 45 with a pretty stiff wind and I was freezing and not at all looking forward to getting into the 59 degree water.

However, before I knew it I was in my wetsuit and standing on the boat ramp. I felt pretty good in the brisk water, I lined up right on the front and off we went. I found a pretty good group and cruised along expecting about a 27 minute swim, however, I was VERY pleasantly surprised to read the clock at 25min as I exited the water. Over the last 4 months I have been working very hard on my swim with the help of the NCAC masters group at UNC as well as on my Vasa Ergometer.
Cali 70.3 has a great bike course and I felt phenomenal during the first 45min or so as we flew up the coast with a slight tail wind. This winter cycling has been a key piece of my training, however, I was not expecting anything amazing. I pushed pretty hard these first 45min and then I settled down a little and still felt great. The back side of the course is rolling and has a few climbs, but some newly paved roads made for a very enjoyable ride. The last 15min or so of the bike I again let my power fall a little to make sure that I had something left in the tank for the run. In many of my races recently I have pushed pretty hard on the bike and I think that my run has suffered a little. As a result, I decided to give up a few minutes on the bike in order to run well.

I was into T2 and onto the run course before I knew it. My T2 was a little slower than I would have liked, but it was primarily a result of taking a few extra seconds to put on my CEP compression socks, which certainly allowed me to more than make that time up on the run.

I knew the run was going to be fast, especially give all the ITU athletes that were racing, so I dug in and kept my cadence up. There was section of beach that we had to run on (4 times) and it was miserable, but aside from that I was pretty satisfied with my run, not quite where I wanted it to be, but I was pretty satisfied.I finished in 4:13 which was about 10minutes faster than last year and was good enough for 21st place overall. Given the fact that it is only April I am happy with my results and it is a sign of very good things to come this season.

Making this race even more special is that my wife and dog were able to watch me race! My dog was also very thirsty after so much excitement so she helped herself to some water from my Fuel Belt.

I arrived in San Diego last night after a rough 5hr flight. The flight was pretty bumpy and I didn’t actually get sick but my stomach and head certainly ached pretty much the whole flight. San Diego airport is pretty easy to navigate and I was in my rental car cruising up to Carlsbad where my home stay hosts were more than generous to wait up for me. Now I am in So Cal, where it is not so sunny this morning but I am getting pumped to race on Saturday.

As for the “it” that made it as well, I am referring to my race bracelet from Ironman Arizona this past November. As many of you know at races they give every athlete a bracelet with the name of the race and your bib number on it to keep track of everyone and allow athletes access to certain areas. I normally take this bracelet off right after the race, however, after IMAZ and the less than ideal results I let it on as a reminder of why I get up everyday and why I push myself to the breaking point at times and struggle to be the best athlete I can be. After a few days I just left it on and it eventually began a little game of how long with it last without breaking. Well, it has made it 4 months! That’s 294,000 yards of swimming, 2600 miles of biking, 665 miles of runner, 3 holidays, my birthday and who knows what else. It is hardly even recognizable any longer, the silver backing has long since wore away along with the writing and the several layers of plastic are breaking apart and disintegrating…but it is still around my writs. It has served as a reminded of why I am working so hard and pushing myself. Now that the 2009 season is virtually here I will take it off and see what the results are from leaving this bracelet on thru 4 months of steady, consistent and at times hard training.

It has been almost 4 months since my last race and it has been a long time. The hardest part of training the last few months has been the steady day-in and day-out training without and immediate race goals. All that changes next Saturday at Ironman California 70.3. My 2009 race season officially kicks it off in Oceanside and I am getting excited. The last 4 months of training have been solid and I think that I can count the number of days off on one…(maybe one and a half)…hands. I have never begun my season feeling this fit and never been able to bounce back from tough workouts this quickly. I attribute this to my attention on the daily “details” of recovery and focusing on the foundation of health and fitness. I have made sure to get enough sleep, wear compression socks during and after tough workouts, take ice baths, daily use of trigger point technology products, proper and balanced nutrition include the daily use of Base Performance Nutrition product line. In fact I have not been sick or had any illness that has limited my training in the last 4 months. Focusing on the little daily details to make sure I am healthy and ready to do the hard training is the most important piece of the puzzle. Next week in Oceanside I will kick off the 2009 season and see just how much the last 4 months have paid off.

I spent last week in Santa Fe, NM to enjoy a mid winter altitude training camp.  It was really my wife’s vacation and we wanted to get a little change of scenery as well as see her parents new house.  So it was a last minute trip, for just a week, but it was great! 

For those of you who don’t know Santa Fe is located 7,000 feet above sea level…let me tell you that is high…in fact 2,000-1,500 feet higher than Denver and Boulder, CO.  I could barely do a flip turn without gasping for breath! J  Although I did feel flat for most of my workouts there was one great ride I have to share.

The Santa Fe ski basin is at 10,000 feet and there is a single 15 mile winding access road that snakes it’s way from downtown to the summit.  I decided that I needed to make this trip on my bike, just to say that I did.  I began in the late afternoon when the sun was strongest and the temperatures were warmest.  However, as I began the ascent the clouds quickly hide my heat sources.  I had prepared for the descent, so I put on a few extra layers sooner than anticipated. 

About 30minutes into my climb I began a 30min tempo work set up the hill holding about 80% of my FTP, this helped me warm up quite a bit, even though I was barely going 8mph! J  As I got closer to the top the sun began to rapidly sink in the sky, the snow banks began to increase in size and the water on the roads soon turned to slush.  I considered turning around, but I had made it this far I had to continue. 

I reach the summit at about 5pm, significantly later than I had hoped, but just as the sun was setting and it was beautiful.  I snapped a few photos on my phone and prepared for a cold ride back down to town.  It took me 1:35min to climb the hill and less than 45min to get back down!  It would have been a lot more fun if I didn’t have to slow down for the ice and I didn’t need to stop a few times and breath on my hands and into my gloves to keep my fingers from going numb! By the time I got home it was pitch dark and I was FREEZING!! When I got home I took a steaming hot shower and a huge vat of my new favorite 53×11 coffee!  It was not the best planned adventure, but it was great fun!  

I always like to look back at the end of the calendar year at all the training I have done. There is certainly a sense of accomplishment when I see these numbers all nicely lined up and broken down into various categories. These numbers have special meaning to me, because they not only represent what I have done, then represent a commitment to my athletic career and help to reinvigorate my desire to reach my goals. These numbers can become somewhat of a contest between people, as in “I trained more than _____” or I ran farther than ____.” The point is not to brag or show off the point is it make the most of the time we have to train and have a purpose and a goal for every working leading toward our larger objective(s) regardless of what they may be. So I added up my numbers and I encourage you to do the same.

Time (hrs):
Swim 210
Bike 460
Run 201
Race 26

Total Time: 897 hrs

Distance (mi):
Swim 430
Bike 9640
Run 1783
Race 693

Total Distance 12546 mi

Can I top this 2009? Yes!
Thanks for reading.

With a few weeks of down time and nothing exciting over even remotely interesting happening I thought I would spend my free time being productive; so I decided to give my training bike a long overdue cleaning…man did it need to be cleaned! That’s to Carson and the folks at Inside-Out-Sports I took my Trek in for a overhaul, something I hadn’t done for over a 1.5 years.

After stripping the bike down to it’s frame I realized just how dirty it really was! The parts washer was key in helping to remove all the grease, grim, and who knows what else was stuck in all those hard to reach spots.Also I cleaned out the frame as much as I could, including the inside. After taking the seat post off and turning the frame upside down what seemed like a gallon of water poured out! Like I said this cleaning was long over due, but now my bike is ready to take on the grim of winter riding…and will probably be just as dirty as it was in about a week. Oh well, at least it was clean…and I’m sure that it will work better at least until it needs to be cleaned again!

I told you I had some down time…and nothing exciting is happening!

It is fitting and a little ironic that my rookie pro season began (IM California 70.3) and ended (IMAZ nov.) with lower back spasms and a subpar run. In both races I felt pretty good on the bike and did not really over extend myself. However, when I got off and began to run my lower back seized up…and I mean seized up to the point where it was in spasm and I was in agony. My lower back if often a little tight at the beginning of the run whenever I do a brick workout or in a race, however, it usually relaxes within the first mile or two. That was no the case at either of these races. By mile 2 or so in both races I knew I was in trouble.

This is a perfect example also of how important the kinetic chain is in your bodies movement. My legs were not that tired in either race, however, due to my back spasms my running form and everything from my neck to my feet was thrown out of whack. As a result I just couldn’t run, not matter how much I tired to relax and find a rhythm and proper form it was not happening.

There may be several reasons for my back melt down, however, I have noticed a theme with these two races. The last few weeks before both California and Arizona I was very busy and did not take care of the “details” of recovery. Mainly, I omitted the 10-15 minutes of yoga and stretching I usually do 4-5 times per week. I have a pit in my stomaching thinking that something as simple and easy as taking a few extra minutes to stretch could have been the difference between a top 10 finish along with a 25min Ironman PR and then dreaded DNF. Although this may have only been a part, and not the whole cause I can assure that I will never find out, because my yoga/stretching routine will never be skipped again. Yet again, another important lesson learned from my 2008 season.

So please learn from my mistakes, don’t neglect the little “details” of recovery, you may not realize just how important they are until you skip them.

My rookie pro season ended on a mixed note in Tempe, AZ on Sunday. It was a last minute decision to race one last Ironman after Kona this year. Given the length of the season, the proximity to Kona and other factors I knew my race was going to be ridiculous…the only question was if it was going to be ridiculously good or ridiculously bad. It may sound obnoxious, and apologize if it does, but at this point in my career finishing an Ironman is no longer the goal, finishing an Ironman as fast as I can is the goal. Unfortunately, my race was ridiculously bad and my day ended with a DNF in the medical tent, although there were many silver linings.

I used this race to test my limits and see where things shook out. My goals were to swim hard, bike hard (harder than I usually do) and see what was left for the run. Quite frankly I accomplished my goals, so I can’t complain too much. I set personal best times in the swim at 52 minutes, exiting the water with the main group and then had the 14th fastest bike split of the day in a time of 4:39, another PR by about 16 minutes. I learned a lot and have certainly gained some confidence and insight that will serve me well in the future and will ultimately help me to become a better athlete. Enough about that…onto the days events.

The swim was a little chilly to begin with, as the sun was not even up at 6:50 when the pro wave started. It was actually pretty hard to see while I was warming up because of the tinting on my goggles. I lined up right on the front line behind some top swimmers and began hard right from the gun, yet made sure to not red line for too long as I have done in the past. I also made sure to stay focused and if I was not right on someone’s feet then I pushed the pace to make sure I did not lose the group, as I have done so many times this season. It was certainly a break through swim for me and I was able to figure out a strategy and pacing that works for me which will help me swim with some of the best in the sport.

As anyone who I have spoken to about IM biking pacing and power I certainly mixed thing up and tried a new strategy in this race. Part of my reason for this tactic was because of the nature of this course. IMAZ bike is a 3 loop, out and back course where there is a gradual 500 foot climb, which happened to be into a head/cross wind on the way out on race day. I had decided to push hard the first hour, around 80% of my FTP to try to get into a group and then let others dictate the pace on the way back into town. If the group slowed down too much then I would ride hard for 5-10 minutes to the next group if I could make it. I continued with this strategy until the last 5 miles where I just cruised in an attempt to prep my legs for the run. Despite this bike pacing I virtually evenly split all three loops at 24.09, 24.03 and 24.06 mph respectively. There were some very tough moments on the bike course, particularly into the wind and up the hill, however, I felt pretty good on most of the bike and my total AP power was actually pretty conservative, however, it was not nearly as steady and consistent as I normally ride and I think this high variability was part of my undoing on the run course.

I was 19th out on to the run at a race time of 8:35 with a top ten finish and a 20-25min Ironman PR within my grasp if I was able to run my “normal” IM run. However, I was not taking anything for granted. The first mile of an IM run is usually pretty uncomfortable but then things loosen up and I am able to settle into a rhythm. However, around mile 2 I knew I was in trouble. My lower back is normally a little tight for the first mile or two of the run, however, today the spasms set in pretty early, began getting worse and was effecting my run stride. A very similar problem occurred at my first race of the 2008 season at California Ironman 70.3 in April. I continued on hoping that things would work themselves out, after all as I constantly tell myself on race day “it’s a long day and anything can happen.”

At mile 16 the spasms in my lower back became unbearable and my run stride had turned into more of a hopple/shuffle. As a perfect example of how interconnected the entire body is, due to my odd “running” form and interconnectedness of all the muscles in the kinetic chain involved in running my quads and hamstrings began to seize up as well. I began limping, and at this point my run had turned into a side ways shuffle/limp. Additionally I began shivering despite the sunny skies and temps in the mid 70’s. I knew at this point I was in serious trouble and if I continued I was in danger of doing serious damage to my body. I walked/limped for about a mile and a half before I finally made the decision to throw in the towel which was a very difficult decision, I could have walked the remaining 9 miles or so, but at what cost? I deiced to limit my injuries and live to fight another day…and went to the medical tent.

This was the first race I have ever DNF’d, in fact it was one of the first time I have ever quite anything I started. I am certainly disappointed in myself, as I have mentioned in the past, quitting is just not my style. However, given the situation, as painful as it was both physically and mentally to drop out, I know that I made the right decision. The worst part is that, I feel like I let down, my family, coach, friends and everyone who has supported me in my passion to reach the pinnacle in the sport of triathlon.

I know this race and a DNF will only fuel my fire and I know that this race in general, the good and the bad, has put me in a much better position to take 2009 to a new level, as my coach said, “sophomore year will be much better.” Additionally, my sister-in-law, who deals with famous, professional athletes on a daily basis, put it all into perspective. “Pros get injured and sick but the rules are different since they do it all in the public eye. What separates champions from the rest is the ability to refocus and learn from the imperfect days. Tiger Woods has had rounds he’d like to forget. Brett Favre has had games with multiple interceptions. This is a great experience for a young pro….you went out too hard and now you know what happens. You will have that perfect race and when you do, you will appreciate it all the more.” I couldn’t have put it any better myself.

A huge thank you to Timex, Team Sports, my sponsors and all the people who have supported me this season…there are just far too many to count. Thanks for reading…now a few weeks of down time and then back in the saddle with renewed focus on 2009.

http://www.nasports.com/results/results.php

It has been a long season!  I began racing at Ironman California 70.3 at the end of March and for some reason I thought that Ironman Arizona in November would be a good way to end the season.  Well I must admit it has been a very long season, although my body is holding up pretty well.  Training 20-30hrs a week for almost 8 months certainly takes it toll on the body, however, I have been taking the time and energy to focus on the little details of recovery to make sure that I stay healthy to get out their day after day.  Ice baths, Trigger Point Technology Massage Balls, CherryPharm, MAP, yoga, regular massage with Jeff Wells, a well balanced diet (with some help from Pam - At Nutrition for the Long Run) and sleep, at least 8hrs a night are all an important part of my routine.

However, the physical abuse is not the toughest part of racing as a pro triathlete, I really think the hardest part is staying mentally focused.  I do 90% of my training solo, due to the nature of my training schedule and the fact I am still new to the Durham, NC community so I am not really plugged in with many training partners….although I’m working on it.  As a result the beginning of yet another 5+ hr ride or 2+ hr run can be a little daunting, however, I approach training days a lot like race days, just break it up into small bite size segments, even if all you can stomach that day is running to the end of the street.  I find that starting is the hardest part, once you’re out there the time seems to go by pretty quickly. All that being said I am feeling great after Kona.  I took a week off after the race and did nothing (incase you are interested Rachel) that’s right I didn’t look at my bike, touch my running shoes and showing was the closest I got to swimming.  Although I did stay on top of my recovery routine.  After that week I got right back into the swing with 3 weeks of pretty solid training which ends this Sunday and then it’s taper time…again.

I am feeling very good physically and mentally, despite the late calendar date, and I am very focused on Ironman Arizona.  There are a lot of great athletes signed up at this point, but I know that I am going to go race hard and push my limits to end the 2008 season on a high note.  Just like Palani Hill in Kona, the end of the season is down hill to the finish so go hard and empty the tank! :) 

Ashley and I made it home from HI in one piece and am very happy to be reunited with my coach…my napping coach that is.  Kurt Perham is my triathlon coach, who lives in Brnswick Maine, but my napping coach is right here in North Carolina.  In fact she is right next to be while I write this.  Doing what you ask?  That’s right, napping!  A lot of coaches simply tell their athletes what to do, my napping coach leads by example…so I have to go, my coaching is telling me it’s time to take a nap, besides it’s an important part of recovery.