Congratulations to the girls for all their hard work. They went from finishing last in a lot of their meets last year to the upper division this year.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tapering
Keys to tapering training to peak for a key race:
- can yeild about a 3% performance boost over simple rest
- should usually begin 6 or 7 days before a key race
- time/distance spent training should be reduced by at least 50%
- the last hard workout should be 3 days prior
- cut down easy training primarily
- include training at goal pace or faster
- workouts during the final 48 hours should include only warm up and relaxed sprints
The most common errors are to make the taper too short and decrease intensity rather than volume, resulting in a "flat race."
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Link to article in The Journal-News. They heard about my race and wanted to put it in the paper. I'm glad they thanked Fusion for use of the pool.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Ironman Louisville Average Joe
2007 Median Male/Female Performance:
Swim: 1:17/1:19
Bike: 6:16/6:49
Run: 5:06/5:22
Finish: 13:04/13:49
2008 Median Male/Female Performance:
Swim: 1:23/1:23
Bike: 6:26/6:53
Run: 5:23/5:31
Finish: 13:35/14:06
Taken from results on Athlinks.com
Monday, September 8, 2008
2008 Ford Ironman Louisville Afterthoughts
It's hard to know how to judge a performance that occurs in a difficult race situation like the 2008 Ironman Louisville. Without any further information a 4:40 marathon doesn't sound like anything special. So I looked at my Louisville result as compared to 2008 Spirit of Racine Triathlon a half-iron distance race.
- Swim: SORT 24.4%, IMLou 37.3%
- Bike: SORT 74.7%, IMLou 69.4%
- Run: SORT 86.3%, IMLou 76.3%
- Total: SORT 79%, IMLou 75.4%
So what was the cost of the fall at mile 88 of the bike? If I had performed at the same percentile at Louisville that I did at Racine, my bike would have improved to 5:58:30 and my marathon to 4:20:00 and with these my finish time would have improved by 29:30 to 11:53:00 for 242nd. The 79 percentile at Louiville finished in 12:09:30 for 297th. This essentially gives back my better swim at Louisville. In summary Ironman Louisville participants should plan for a hot day and race conservatively. The most important thing I learned was to be very careful on the bike because an accident is just waiting to happen, a situation not unique to Louisville.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
2008 Ironman Louisville Race Report
The Galt House:
We stayed at the host hotel. It was a good experience overall. The room was clean and the staff is friendly and helpful. We were on the 15th floor and paid a little extra to have access to a light breakfast and afternoon appetizers on the 16th floor. This was nice for our kids as they are always hungry and need to be kept busy. It was also nice to have fresh fruit available and it was very convenient. I took breakfast back to my wife most mornings. Elevators were busy at peak hours, but would stay there again.
Swim: 1:27
I had read a lot about the Ohio River, good and bad. I swam at the Gatorade practice swims on Friday and Saturday and of course on race day. In summary I would say that there were no concerns for me. The water didn't smell, there was no obvious pollution, the water was not clear but I've swam in worse. I had read that others felt they smelled like gasoline after swimming, not this year. The current is a factor. Swimming upstream at the start is slow going, but when you turn into the main channel the going gets easier. Swimming with a faster stroke rate while going upstream and swimming farther into the middle of the river while heading down stream have been recommended by others and I would recommend it too. Chances of wetsuit swims in August are next to zero. I took mine and took it back home. I did swim in an Xterra Velocity speed suit. It probably made a small difference, perhaps a few minutes if I had to guess. This is an individual return on investment decision. I swam with mirrored goggles. Clear or smoke lenses would have been better, but not yellow. Swimming is not my strong suit, but it was the easiest part of the day. The time trial start really worked out well for me. It allowed me to just be left alone and swim. Get a look at as much of the course as possible and work on sighting. The bridges really help with sighting. The last point I would make is that for every 3 minutes you spend swimming upstream expect to spend 5 minutes covering twice the distance while swimming downstream. In other words, once you finish swimming upstream, you've got it made! You can do this swim.
Transitions: T1 in 2:26 and T2 in 6:43
I decided that I was not going to look back at my result and wish I had not wasted so much time in transitions. My approach was minimalistic. I wore my number belt under my speed suit, which came off fast and easy. At T1 dumped out my bag and put my goggles and cap in it and put a gel bottle and handkerchief in my back pocket. I put my helmet on while I ran rather than stop at the bike. My shoes were on the bike. For T2 I left my shoes on the bike. I got my bag and sat in a chair outside the tent. I'm not sure why it was there. There was only one. I wore socks and Asics DS Trainers with Yankz. I got a clean handkerchief and kept a gel flask. I had a spare contact lens in my pocket all day, just in case, but never needed it. I used the PortaPotty once all day, in T2. I feel keeping transitions simple and smooth saved me some time and probably kept my final time under the half hour.
Bike: 6:05:31, NP 164, 0.656% of FT, VI 1.14, TSS 262
My final FT test yielded an NP of a round 250. When it became clear that the weather was going to be in the low to mid 90's I decided to try to keep my NP under 170 for the ride. I really wanted to give myself every opportunity to run well. I think this decision saved my day. But first let me tell you about my equipment. The Powertap wireless has been flawless all year. I used a wheelcover cut by wheelbuilder as well. This is a no brainer. My bike is a Cervelo P2C. I did 2 things which others might consider. I rented a Hed3 clincher from Echappe for the day. This $750 wheel cost $40 to rent. It was faster than my training wheel and I got to try it out. I also used a Vision Drinkmore horizontal bottle cage between my aerobars this year. After getting used to it I liked it. It is aero. No more bottle filling. Consider it. For nutrition I took into account that it would be hot. I decided to go with liquids. When it's hot I like fluids cold. I aimed for about 250 calories an hour and a minimum of 20 ounces and then drank to thirst. I started the bike with a 1 hour bottle of Perpetuem and drank Gatorade Endurance from the course all day. I also had a 600 calorie gel flask with Hammer gel. Going into the out and back portion of the course all was calm My watts were way under 170 and my speed was satisfactory. The out and back portion of the course I felt was pretty crazy. There was a crash at the bottom of a steep hill. An ambulance came on the course and took up a full lane with bikes filtering through. I was passing constantly and yet I was not riding hard. The first loop through La Grange passed and I just stayed in control. On the second lap before La Grange there was another accident. A gel flask was in the road and the rider I was passing was pedaling really slowly. To avoid it he over steered right into me, said "oh sorry" and just tipped over. Poor guy. I just rode on. I hope he finished. Through special needs I got a second bottle of Perpetuem and stopped to add some cold water and pick up a gel flask with caffeinated gel for the ride home. All was going well through mile 87. At mile 88 I wanted a bottle of water to drink if I needed to take some caffeine. I got it and had all I needed. Before I could cage it the guy in front of me said to a volunteer "Oh OK", braked suddenly and stopped jackknifed in the middle of the road and got the last water bottle. I was in the middle of the right lane, and he stopped right in front of me. Right before I was to hit his rear wheel I braked with my left hand, my rear wheel swung off the ground to the left and I skidded to a stop on my right shoulder. Three things went through my mind, besides get up before you get run over. First I thought, you're hurt but you can finish, next I thought, your goals just went out the window and lastly, you've just got to finish. So I got back on the bike and rode the final 24 miles in 9th gear, unable to shift after I got the chain back on. I felt no pain until 100 miles, but then my left arm began to throb. The worst part of the day was the final few miles of the ride. I couldn't drink much because I couldn't rely on my left arm.
Run: 4:24:30
I hadn't seen much of my family to this point in the day, so I was glad to see my wife 4 kids, sister and brother-in-law. At first Lori didn't notice the abrasions on my left side. The palm of the hand is equal to 1% body surface area and I had 3 to 4% of the skin missing from my left leg, hip, arm and shoulder. I told her I was OK, as she realized something had happened. Leaving T2 she ran along side me and I let her know what had happened. She was worried, but we both knew I would finish. I had planned to run around 9 minute miles for the first 10K and see if I had anything faster in me. I didn't and I knew it right away. I was losing probably about an ounce of fluid an hour from my abrasions and I hadn't been able to drink at the end of the bike, so I began drinking. It was hot. It was mile by mile. Nothing was in "the box" but me and fluids. From mile 12 to 20 I had occasional hamstring cramps, but they didn't cause any trouble until mile 20. Coke got me to mile 25, which was all I needed. The last half mile I began to space myself out from the runner in front and behind me. When I turned that last corner I had it all set up. My "one thing" was to run and not stop until I walked across the finish line. As it turned out I wasn't able to walk across, because the guy behind me decided to sprint. When I turned and realized this I said "What are you doing?" He forced me to sprint in front of the poor guy in front of me and steal his moment. There are 140.5 miles to race and a tenth of a mile to enjoy the finish and I did. The finish line is as good as it looks and better.
Final thoughts: At the time I didn't realize I crossed "the line" at mile 110 of the bike. That was torture. I also didn't realize that some of my most important workouts were the runs with my wife and kids. I remember the first rest day I had after the last hard 3 weeks at the beginning of the taper. What did they want to do? Run? I ran 10 miles that Monday. That's what helped get it done. So my first Ironman happened in 12:24. For me to improve I need to solidify the improvements I've made and continue to improve my running.
We stayed at the host hotel. It was a good experience overall. The room was clean and the staff is friendly and helpful. We were on the 15th floor and paid a little extra to have access to a light breakfast and afternoon appetizers on the 16th floor. This was nice for our kids as they are always hungry and need to be kept busy. It was also nice to have fresh fruit available and it was very convenient. I took breakfast back to my wife most mornings. Elevators were busy at peak hours, but would stay there again.
Swim: 1:27
I had read a lot about the Ohio River, good and bad. I swam at the Gatorade practice swims on Friday and Saturday and of course on race day. In summary I would say that there were no concerns for me. The water didn't smell, there was no obvious pollution, the water was not clear but I've swam in worse. I had read that others felt they smelled like gasoline after swimming, not this year. The current is a factor. Swimming upstream at the start is slow going, but when you turn into the main channel the going gets easier. Swimming with a faster stroke rate while going upstream and swimming farther into the middle of the river while heading down stream have been recommended by others and I would recommend it too. Chances of wetsuit swims in August are next to zero. I took mine and took it back home. I did swim in an Xterra Velocity speed suit. It probably made a small difference, perhaps a few minutes if I had to guess. This is an individual return on investment decision. I swam with mirrored goggles. Clear or smoke lenses would have been better, but not yellow. Swimming is not my strong suit, but it was the easiest part of the day. The time trial start really worked out well for me. It allowed me to just be left alone and swim. Get a look at as much of the course as possible and work on sighting. The bridges really help with sighting. The last point I would make is that for every 3 minutes you spend swimming upstream expect to spend 5 minutes covering twice the distance while swimming downstream. In other words, once you finish swimming upstream, you've got it made! You can do this swim.
Transitions: T1 in 2:26 and T2 in 6:43
I decided that I was not going to look back at my result and wish I had not wasted so much time in transitions. My approach was minimalistic. I wore my number belt under my speed suit, which came off fast and easy. At T1 dumped out my bag and put my goggles and cap in it and put a gel bottle and handkerchief in my back pocket. I put my helmet on while I ran rather than stop at the bike. My shoes were on the bike. For T2 I left my shoes on the bike. I got my bag and sat in a chair outside the tent. I'm not sure why it was there. There was only one. I wore socks and Asics DS Trainers with Yankz. I got a clean handkerchief and kept a gel flask. I had a spare contact lens in my pocket all day, just in case, but never needed it. I used the PortaPotty once all day, in T2. I feel keeping transitions simple and smooth saved me some time and probably kept my final time under the half hour.
Bike: 6:05:31, NP 164, 0.656% of FT, VI 1.14, TSS 262
My final FT test yielded an NP of a round 250. When it became clear that the weather was going to be in the low to mid 90's I decided to try to keep my NP under 170 for the ride. I really wanted to give myself every opportunity to run well. I think this decision saved my day. But first let me tell you about my equipment. The Powertap wireless has been flawless all year. I used a wheelcover cut by wheelbuilder as well. This is a no brainer. My bike is a Cervelo P2C. I did 2 things which others might consider. I rented a Hed3 clincher from Echappe for the day. This $750 wheel cost $40 to rent. It was faster than my training wheel and I got to try it out. I also used a Vision Drinkmore horizontal bottle cage between my aerobars this year. After getting used to it I liked it. It is aero. No more bottle filling. Consider it. For nutrition I took into account that it would be hot. I decided to go with liquids. When it's hot I like fluids cold. I aimed for about 250 calories an hour and a minimum of 20 ounces and then drank to thirst. I started the bike with a 1 hour bottle of Perpetuem and drank Gatorade Endurance from the course all day. I also had a 600 calorie gel flask with Hammer gel. Going into the out and back portion of the course all was calm My watts were way under 170 and my speed was satisfactory. The out and back portion of the course I felt was pretty crazy. There was a crash at the bottom of a steep hill. An ambulance came on the course and took up a full lane with bikes filtering through. I was passing constantly and yet I was not riding hard. The first loop through La Grange passed and I just stayed in control. On the second lap before La Grange there was another accident. A gel flask was in the road and the rider I was passing was pedaling really slowly. To avoid it he over steered right into me, said "oh sorry" and just tipped over. Poor guy. I just rode on. I hope he finished. Through special needs I got a second bottle of Perpetuem and stopped to add some cold water and pick up a gel flask with caffeinated gel for the ride home. All was going well through mile 87. At mile 88 I wanted a bottle of water to drink if I needed to take some caffeine. I got it and had all I needed. Before I could cage it the guy in front of me said to a volunteer "Oh OK", braked suddenly and stopped jackknifed in the middle of the road and got the last water bottle. I was in the middle of the right lane, and he stopped right in front of me. Right before I was to hit his rear wheel I braked with my left hand, my rear wheel swung off the ground to the left and I skidded to a stop on my right shoulder. Three things went through my mind, besides get up before you get run over. First I thought, you're hurt but you can finish, next I thought, your goals just went out the window and lastly, you've just got to finish. So I got back on the bike and rode the final 24 miles in 9th gear, unable to shift after I got the chain back on. I felt no pain until 100 miles, but then my left arm began to throb. The worst part of the day was the final few miles of the ride. I couldn't drink much because I couldn't rely on my left arm.
Run: 4:24:30
I hadn't seen much of my family to this point in the day, so I was glad to see my wife 4 kids, sister and brother-in-law. At first Lori didn't notice the abrasions on my left side. The palm of the hand is equal to 1% body surface area and I had 3 to 4% of the skin missing from my left leg, hip, arm and shoulder. I told her I was OK, as she realized something had happened. Leaving T2 she ran along side me and I let her know what had happened. She was worried, but we both knew I would finish. I had planned to run around 9 minute miles for the first 10K and see if I had anything faster in me. I didn't and I knew it right away. I was losing probably about an ounce of fluid an hour from my abrasions and I hadn't been able to drink at the end of the bike, so I began drinking. It was hot. It was mile by mile. Nothing was in "the box" but me and fluids. From mile 12 to 20 I had occasional hamstring cramps, but they didn't cause any trouble until mile 20. Coke got me to mile 25, which was all I needed. The last half mile I began to space myself out from the runner in front and behind me. When I turned that last corner I had it all set up. My "one thing" was to run and not stop until I walked across the finish line. As it turned out I wasn't able to walk across, because the guy behind me decided to sprint. When I turned and realized this I said "What are you doing?" He forced me to sprint in front of the poor guy in front of me and steal his moment. There are 140.5 miles to race and a tenth of a mile to enjoy the finish and I did. The finish line is as good as it looks and better.
Final thoughts: At the time I didn't realize I crossed "the line" at mile 110 of the bike. That was torture. I also didn't realize that some of my most important workouts were the runs with my wife and kids. I remember the first rest day I had after the last hard 3 weeks at the beginning of the taper. What did they want to do? Run? I ran 10 miles that Monday. That's what helped get it done. So my first Ironman happened in 12:24. For me to improve I need to solidify the improvements I've made and continue to improve my running.
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