Ironman Canada Race Reports

stefan on sweet bike and bad drafter on his wheel
picture of Cara at finish

Year after year people enjoy reading the reports from those racing IMC this year. Some have great races and learn a lot, while others have very tough races and learn even more. The first report is Wynne Griffith's

Wynn's Race Report.

This was my fourth Ironman and the first one I was able to get up to the race early. I'm not sure that works for me. Too much time on my hands. Like we don't obsess about Ironman enough. Thankfully I was alone most of the time so could not drive my gf crazy.

Does anybody like the swim? I felt good going into the swim and I was able to panic less than in the past. Nothing worse than that panic feeling when you are among 2500+ fellow swimmers. I completed at about 1:07 which is close to my previous best of 1:05:30.

Was that ride to Osoyoos ever fast? (37km/h) I was more or less alone just outside of Oliver when this huge peloton of 50+ riders goes by. I have never seen anything like it in any triathlon. I hate to say it but I joined the masses. I just jumped on the back, started eating and coasted into Osoyoos. I had no problems going up Richter but had to stop for a bathroom break. I'm not above going on the bike but the downhill requires concentration and with that huge group, I was not going to be alone. My fellow bikers appreciated it even if they did not know it.

I was doing fine through the rollers but started to notice a lot of people passing me coming out of the out and back. That wind was tough. It hides the fact it is hot and it takes all your energy.

I got back into town at about 5:40 which was 10 minutes better than my previous IMC bike time.

I tried hard to run slow at the begining. I really thought I was running slow and I did pound out the first 5 miles at about 8 min/mile. Once again, I was ambitious. My legs were not going to cooperate. My quads were exhausted from the ride. The I hate Ironman and I am never doing this again came about 18 miles when I was a steady mix of run/walk. This was great compared to my previous races. Luckily we can block out that part of the race which allows us to sign up for it again.

I finished the marathon in 4:21 which was 24 minutes better than my previous IM best. My total time was 11:15. I took 47 minutes off my previous best from 4 years ago and this year was much tougher and of course, I'm not younger either.

I can't think of anything I could have done differently. I trained well, I ate and drank well and did not kill myself on the bike. I had lots of salt pills and for the first time, I did not suffer muscle cramps which I have had during or after each previous IM. I didn't fall into a ditch and have to walk backwards for an hour(calf cramps 2005), walk for over an hour straight(2006 Idaho) or fall down with calf cramps stepping up a curb (post race Ironman Arizona 2008). By those standards, it was a great race plus a new pb for me.


Thanks Sean and Tara-Lee,

Wynn

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Cara's Report

Thanks! Best day of my life, had fun the whole way (well almost....). Swim was pretty good, lots of jostling around the bouys, definitely couldn't be timid out there. But had lots of bubbles to follow and some "calm" sections.

Definitely the first 60 km of the bike felt easy and smooth. I dropped my salt tablets on main on the way out, which was a bit concerning because I had a left calf cramp and it was still twitchy. But came across my friend kim near the top of richters who had an exta baggie of salt for me which got me to the special needs. Coming down richters was soooooo much fun!

I was a bit concerned that I gave 'er too hard up over yellow lake, buit I got so caought up by the crowd, it was unreal. The home stretch to main was a push because of the head wind.

When I got off the bike I thought I was in trouble as I couldn't fathom running that far, but after the first couple of km I was fine and like I said just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Ran the whole time with a bit of walking through some of the aid stations. At about the 18 km mark stopped for a pee break, and thought the porta potty was falling backwards! Realized it was me and quickly got a gel into me! Coming down main was unreal and when I crossed the finish line, couldn't believe that I had been out there for 11 1/2 hours because the day went by so fast. And I had so many family and friends out there cheering me on!

Today and yesterday my quads are pretty pooched and sore. More tired today then yesterday. Went for a spin and soak in the lake today which was good.

Thanks so much for all your help, tips and advice. Wouldn't have been as successful without you guys.

If I get any good pics I'll send them to you.

Cara

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IMC 2009 Race Report Karen Birkenhead


I had a PB at IMC 2009. Despite the nagging injury (bothers me mostly on the run), I ended up having a good race. When I heard Steve King would be announcing, I had a good feeling. I’ve wanted to race IMC with Steve announcing since I first did IMC and was happy to hear he was back at the finish line.

My swim started as per usual. Me standing waist deep in the water waiting for the start, teeth chattering out of control. I get a little nervous. But, once the gun goes off, I get into the usual rhythm. As in past years, my goal is to aim for the bouys and stick to the inside. Each orange bouy has a number and I count down. # 1, 22 left to go (there are 23 bouys - I think, but I may miss the last one, eager to get to shore – did I mention I love swimming?). Swimming close to the bouys results in a few more kicks and punches, but it does make for the shortest distance. In the end, I touched or practically swam right under the bouys as I went. However, I did get knocked/punched in the head at least 4 or 5 times. As a result I came out with a massive headache…but a PB by almost 4 minutes (1:10:10).

Onto the bike. I’m strongest on the bike, so am always happy to get out there. Unfortunately, the headache got progressively worse as I went. And, to top it all off (note to self: need new race top) I successfully caught both a wasp and a grasshopper in my tri top. The grass hopper was fine, but the wasp stung me (you can imagine where) and I had to stop and get the damn thing out, forgetting that they can only sting once. Overall, despite the wasp and the headache, the bike went well. The frustrating part being the massive pelaton’s I got stuck in on the way out to Osoyoos. At one point I said, screw it, and pulled out to the left, pushed passed the mass, then settled into a pace, but then, lo and behold, the mass caught up and was in it again. I gave up and waited until Richter where I pulled loose (I don’t mind the hills) and broke away.

Richter Pass and the rollers went remarkeably fast. I look forward to Yellow Lake (not for the climb, as I do not enjoy the ride at this point), but to the crowds and, especially, my family and friends. My dad wore his bright blue Hawaiin shirt (my request) so they were easy to spot. Thanks to all of you out there, as the cheers totally help get me over Yellow Lake. I debated telling my family how I was feeling (ie: the massive headache), but I changed my mind. In IMW I was always smiling, but also had a booming headache, which turned out to be a very, very bad sign. If I’d mentioned this to my mom as I passed on the bike, she would have called medical ordering them to pull 2424 from the course. I finished the bike with a PB of 5:38:08 (not by much, as my first IMC was approx 40 sec slower)

As I went out on the run, I said to myself if the headache gets worse, I might have to deal with it and go to medical. I’m cautious of any sign and symptoms, but it did settle down with lots of water and ice on the head and neck. I settled into a slowish pace, but was happy to be able to keep it going as, typically, I have major gut issues that slow the pace. Usually I take gels on the run, but since my gut was not bugging me (hadn’t had any so far), I wasn’t going to chance it and stuck to Gatorade. Thankfully this worked and, though, it wasn’t by much, I PB’d the run too, by about 90 seconds (4:01:58).

I missed a KONA spot by about 5 minutes, but hey, there is always next time…oh, what am I saying. This was my last Ironman… ;-) . Ok, for a while…

Overall a good day. My goal was to finish under 11 hours and although it was not by much, I did it in 10:56: 43. 8th in my age group.

Thanks to everyone for all the cheers and support, it wouldn’t be the same without you. To my sister who is always there at all my races and my number one fan. To Deb, my chauffeur (my turn next time) and all her cheering, coffee making and friendship. to my parents (thanks for being there and for the chalk on the road! And for wearing the bright blue shirt, I couldn’t miss you…) And, to Sean and Tara Lee, thanks for the coaching and all your support. Now, time to rest.
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Jeff Vanderende race report

My race went well, I'm quite happy with my time especially when i take into consideration all that went right and wrong.

First the swim. I placed myself beside Karen at the start, so i could wish her luck as we headed out and because i figured that after a couple of Half Iron starts i had worked out any phobia of crowds. It payed off, i stayed calm and saved myself that extra distance of swimming from the side, giving me a swim 6 minutes faster than i had hoped for. That being said there were a few downsides to that crowd of people, namely being punched and kicked several times in the head and goggles. One hit early on clocked me in the jaw on the left side and made it very hard to chew anything until the start of Yellow Lake.

Swim to bike transition was a bit slow....it didn't occur to me to use a volunteer for my baggage.

The bike was went well for the bulk of the course, i let the crowd do as they pleased and tried to keep my heartrate at a -20 lbp before Rickter, a little higher after and run with the down hill after Yellow. A couple of things hampered my speed though; my left leg I.T. band would flare a bit on the big hills(for lack of a better description), my feet began to numb near the end of Yellow and beyond (until i got into my runners), and halfway up Yellow i had a hell of a flat tire. A huge gash in my tire, a lack of a good insertable patch, poor connection of CO2 to stem left me on the side of the road for almost twenty minutes with no more supplies until a spectating cyclist offered one of her tubes, CO2s and a piece of plastic milk carton which got me back in the game.

My second transition was quicker but still not stellar.

Out on the run now i tried to calm down my heartrate to at least -10 lbp which took a bit of time, but ice under the hat and drenching myself in water seemed to help it come around before Cherry Lane. After that i was holding a good pace, taking in what foods my stomach could handle which turned out to be pepsi, oranges, a gel here or there followed by enough water to satisfy but never make me feel sloshy. At the same time i continued with the ice in the hat as supplies allowed and water showers. But most importantly i took electrolyte tablets. My prerace estimates of how many of these i would need turned out to be short. I had filled my race belt pouch with more than i thought I'd use in the event of dropping or spoiling, but when i started to cramp up at about 5 km before the turn around the thought began to occur that i might be failing. So shortly after the half mark i up the dose from one every water station to two every station and began to see results, my pace returned and while i walked up hills to keep my heart rate low i no longer had the desire to walk in the flat. But doubling that dosage soon depleted my stores and at 30km i was empty and 35km saw the return of the cramps (i tried to use gatorade but it just doesn't seem potent enough for me). With the worst of the hills behind me and the end less than 10km away i ran the end on plain determination, grinding my teeth with each spasms and for the first time looking at what my time would be if i help it together. I knew i had the energy and was sound enough of mind to manage the pain so i went for it.

I crossed the line, stayed standing, drank plenty of liquids, ate some fruit and broth, then collected my bike. Despite some super sore and stiff calves for the last few day, and a weird appetite, I've been fine. I'm quite certain I'll do this again in the near future, just no this coming year, gotta pay the bills and make up for all the time lost to training, but I'll be able to take all I've learnt and use it to improve upon my next race.

I'll get some pics to you soon.

Jeff
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Stefan Jakobsen's question and answer on his race to second place age group position:

1. Was this your first Ironman? What inspired you to sign up for the 2009 Ironman Canada? I like to tell myself that this was my first Ironman but the truth is that I did toe the line at this race in 1997. Back then all I knew was to race hard and hang on! This strategy does not work so well in a race of this distance and I knew that one day I had to get this monkey off my back. It just took 12 years and the knowledge that 14 other Nanaimoites were going to toe the line for me to sign up!

2. Did your training go as planned? What event/s (swim, bike, run) did you feel you needed to focus on the most? Training was good. I was most worried about the bike as it does not matter if you can run a good marathon if you get off the bike shattered and unable to run! I felt good getting off the bike and this was important. I think I was lacking some run miles due to missing 8 weeks of running due to an injury but was overall very happy with how smooth the day went. This is not to say that there was no suffering of course :-)

3. You had a lot of time to think out there... what went through your mind? It is funny, because I think of very little when I am racing outside of racing! Meaning, checking in with my body and taking splits and thinking about fueling etc. Outside of that it was a nice mental refresh every time I saw one of our great friends out on the course cheering us on. That totally made my day and it really helped in getting to that darn finish line!

4. Recovery: what's the plan? I am really looking forward to some down time! Time to spend with Ceri, time to get back in the garden, time to hook up with friends and do the little things that I have been putting on the back burner for the last few months. I am for sure taking a week fully off and then I want to get moving. I probably won't run for two weeks but after a week I will get back on my bike for some fun mountain bike rides, will do a few cyclocross races and get back to some core and pilates with Ceri. Definitely nothing structured for a few months!

5. One piece of advise for the first timer? You need a plan! I had a coaching friend (Sean Clark from Canwi coaching) help me with my training/race nutrition etc., and it really helps to have someone to bounce that information off of. Like anything, we are all novice until we do something for the first time. I had never finished an ironman as I too was a novice even though I had a good idea of what needed to be done. Having a plan just helps solidify the fact you are doing the right thing. But remember, be flexible in racing and training. Plans are only a guide and some times you have to adjust on the fly depending on how you are feeling!
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Jay Inouye
Ironman ‘09 race report.

Ironman Canada 1989 was my first stab at an Ironman so this year marked 20 years since I started this distance.
I usually feel pretty good during the swim without the stress and drama that I felt in the 80s. Now as a vet I’m usually goofy and like to scream at random to break the tension. I lined up with Erin McIlroy, Calla Barras and Harry Woo. It was kinda rough to start and we got separated almost immediately (I like to think so because some of the people who were trying to swim over got the beats). Too bad that we did get separated because it looks like they had pretty good swim times. The first 2 legs were pretty good, the scrum at the start cost me some time since there were people treading water / breast stroking all over the place. The swim home I was swimming next to someone in a 2XU gold striped suit and we merrily swam back at a good pace on the buoys from the first leg. I hate getting the paddle slap on the water from the kayakers telling me to get back on course. I don’t know what your swim course looked like, but mine looked like a reverse question mark. Anyway out of the water in 1:22 with the detour. I got to my T1 bag to see Erin having a picnic by his bag and we had a laugh as I told him I’d see him on the bike.
On the bike I was mentally prepared for my Polar power meter to give me problems as usual. Anything that comes with a DVD for an instruction manual sounds like trouble.

So off on the bike my favorite part of the race. (Maybe that’s why I spend so much time on the course). In my pre-race meeting, Sean told me to keep my wattage lower so I could ‘run’ later. Tara Lee, knowing my scary tummy troubles from last year told me not to try eating until after McLean Creek road. Since I do everything they ever tell me, I followed my instructions to the letter. Employee number 1147 that’s me!
This years nutrition included mochi a Japanese rice and red bean dessert that looks like a soft river stone about 6cm in diameter and 2 cm thick its got about 300 cal and I’m genetically programmed to eat it. Also on the menu: bananas, caffeinated gels, Gatorade with gatorlytes, water and those new powerbar gel dome things. I think if they came with salt on them they would be perfect.
Anyways Erin came rolling by looking strong and later Darcie Young came by right at Richter summit with her tummy troubles. Last year I thought I needed ‘Depends’ all day like an old man and gained 14 lbs on course since the cornerstone of my refueling was Imodium and salt tabs. (Get the visual)… So I could relate. We rode together for a bit and off she went.
Pat Bocking and Denise Roman drove by about then and told me to move my ass. I told them it was jiggling a lot but I don’t think that’s what they meant.
I tried to stay within my self and was feeling great. By the rollers I was thinking PB but before the out ‘n’ back, a layer of haze was rolling down the valley that reminded me of the camp weekend when I had a pretty bad asthma attack. I lost 10 days of peak training and went on prednisone to get it under control. I was planning on not racing / participating if the smoke came back so I was crushed. I huffed on my puffer like it was a bong and kept on going. By the false flats to Yellow Lake you could taste the smoke and visibility was down to about a km. The Yellow Lake gauntlet of supporters seemed too early (I wasn’t feeling that good) and by the end of the crowd I saw Jenny Andrews who yelled the usual encouragements. I asked her if it was the top yet and she said 4 km more. Booooo! There were tons of people stopped and resting / walking up the last pitch to Yellow Lake and I started to soft pedal since I could feel my lungs closing up shop. More meds! I was going so slow I thought I was doing a track stand. Finally at the top I was fairly angry and wanted to get back to either DNF or get he run going. Since I’m fairly to extremely slow I figured that I might be able to run as long as I kept my heart rate low.

My T2 volunteer was my old race pal Jamie Glennon from the old Superstar tri club of the late 80’s we did our first three Ironman Canada’s together back in the day. He told me to get off my ass and get out there so off I went. I saw Dana (my wife) and Hana (my daughter) and our friends Nancy, Joe, and Cathy and Bridget Luff who looked pretty excited so I couldn’t let them down. Later I found out that they were questioning the wisdom of starting a marathon with an asthma attack. So waddle, waddle, and then it felt like running and might have even looked like running but it sure as hell isn’t running. Behold The Ironman shuffle as performed 8 other times. WTF. By Skaha estates, I saw Stevi Williams smiling her happy ass off heading home and Bill Coons who wasn’t racing started to run with me. He is the moron who got me into this crap back in the day. Now after several Ironmans and Ultramans and a shiny new plastic hip he is pacing me for a bit (nothing illegal mind you). So now I have calf cramps and no lungs, but legs and lungs are over rated. Then I saw Erin still looking like he was enjoying his day and Darcie running home. By the time I hit the special needs and turn around I was getting impatient and didn’t want a PW (personal worst) so I started to enjoy less and work more. Sean told me no long walk breaks (so I took tons of little ones.) Employee 1147. In the end I actually did have fun and had to dig more than usual to finish. I think this year took more mental effort during the run and my total time was only 28 seconds off last year’s. My nutrition was about spot on: no hunger, no bonk, no tummy troubles. And my power meter worked like a champ for the first time in 4 years.


Congratulations to all and thank you all for making it a fun two decades.
I am now 8 Ironman finishes for 9 starts.
Jay

Thunderbear Retires

I met Torbjorn at Ironman Florida in November last year. I had always read about him as he is sponsored by craft as well as argon 18 both of who loved him as a sponsored athlete. Because I was staying with Tom Evans and the other penticton guys and tom had won the race we had a special table at the awards night. Torborn sat at our table. Then we all went to the nightclub where everyone partied.............one of us maybe too much but that's another story. Anyway Torbjorn and I sat and talked for an hour about craft products the ups and downs. He was so involved in the product I was super impressed. Super awesome guy and one of the few professional triathlets that I would sponsor in a heart beat with CASH! He is and was well worth the money invested in him. I have met so many triathletes that all they cared about was a meal card, but Torbjorn was different.




Unfortunately due to a heart problem he has had to retire prematurely. He will be surely missed by me as well as others. Every single poster on slowtwitch was positive about him which is saying something as usually at least one person hates the athlete being spoken about.




Here is his story:




http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/Torbjorn_Sindballe_Q_A_Part_1_895.html

Steve Larsen RIP

While I had never met Steve, his impact that he left on our sport and the sport of mountain biking was immense. I remember him when he was setting bike course records in triathlons and mt biking. He always seemed like a stand up guy, opinionated which I always respect. He left behind 5 kids so I really feel for his family more than anything. 39 years old really makes things come into perspective..........scarey. http://triathlon.competitor.com/blogs/steve-larsen-a-study-in-balance.html

Good ole Coconut

There are many studies out there saying that eating coconut butter (good stuff not processed) which is high in saturated fats is actually good for you and can increase your metabolism and lower bad cholesterol. Here is an article one of many I read:

The Latest Studies on Coconut Oil
By Mary G. Enig, PhD

One of the very useful oils in the food supply comes from the coconut. Coconut oil has suffered from unjust criticism for more than 30 years in the United States because some of the governmental and food oil organizations, as well as consumer activist organizations such as Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), have claimed that coconut oil as a "saturated fat" is shown to be atherogenic. This is not true.

There is a variety of supportive research published in 2003, 2004, and 2005, which shows the importance of coconut oil. Also, information on coconut oil is currently coming into the research literature from numerous countries, including India, Norway, Iran and the United States.

The following are some of the most recent studies showing the benefits of coconut oil. These studies contradict claims that coconut oil contributes to heart disease and also support earlier research showing an antimicrobial role for the fatty acids in this traditional fat.

BENEFICIAL FOR HEART DISEASE
Recent research contradicts claims that coconut oil causes atherosclerosis and heart disease. In a study published in Clinical Biochemistry, 2004,1 researchers looked at coconut oil as a component of diet in laboratory animals (Sprague-Dawley rats). In this study, virgin coconut oil, which was obtained by wet process, had a beneficial effect in lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and low density lipoproteins (LDL). The effects were uniformly beneficial. In serum and tissues, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol levels were lowered and HDL-cholesterol was increased. The polyphenol fraction of virgin coconut oil was also found to prevent in vitro LDL-oxidation. We know that oxidized cholesterol can initiate the process of atherosclerosis—the fatty acids in coconut oil prevent this oxidation. The results in this study were interpreted as due to the biologically active polyphenol components present in the oil.

LOWERS LP(A)
Another study dealing with lipoproteins and cholesterol was carried out in women. Researchers found that coconut oil-based diets lowered post-prandial tissue plasminogen activator and lipoprotein (a).2 Lp(a) is a blood marker that is a much more accurate indication of proneness to heart attack than cholesterol levels. Researchers had believed that levels of Lp(a) were unaffected by various forms of dietary fat intake. However, in this study, Lp(a) was lowered when the subjects consumed a high-saturated fat diet and somewhat lowered when they consumed a slightly lowered-saturated fat diet. The saturated fat used in both of these diets was coconut oil. The control diet was based on a monounsaturated oil.

POISON ANTIDOTE
One of the more interesting uses of coconut oil found in the human toxicology literature involves the beneficial use of coconut oil as a successful treatment for acute aluminium phosphide poisoning. This poison is used to control pests in grain storage facilities where it functions as a poisonous gas, namely phosphine gas, which is a mitochondrial poison. There is no known antidote for aluminium phosphide. The patient described in this case study survived following rapid treatment which included taking baking soda and coconut oil, as well as supportive care, and it was concluded that coconut oil had a significant use as an added part of the treatment protocol in this type of poisoning.3

ANTI-MICROBIAL
A few researchers have known for some time that a derivative of coconut oil, lauric acid and monolaurin, are safe antimicrobial agents that can either kill completely or stop the growth of some of the most dangerous viruses and bacteria. Many bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics but herbal oils such as the oils of oregano and the major fatty acid from coconut oil, lauric acid, which the body turns into the monoglyceride, monolaurin, are showing great promise as anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents. Monolaurin, in particular, is being shown to be useful in the prevention and treatment of severe bacterial infections, especially those that are difficult to treat or are antibiotic resistant. Difficult bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus as well as other bacteria have been studied here in the United States in research groups such as Dr. H.G. Preuss’s group at Georgetown University. They found that monolaurin combined with herbal essential oils inhibited pathogenic bacteria both in the petri dish (in vitro) and also in mice (in vivo).4

REFERENCES

Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid parameters and in vitro LDL oxidation. K.G.Nevin and T. Rajamohan, Clinical Biochemistry 37,2004;830-835).
A Diet Rich in Coconut Oil Reduces Diurnal Postprandial Variations in Circulating Plasminogen Activator Antigen and Fasting Lipoprotein (a) Compared with a Diet Rich in Unsaturated Fat in Women. H. Muller, A.S. Lindman, A. Blomfeldt, I. Seljeflot and J.I. Pedersen. Journal of Nutrition. 133:3422-3427, 2003.
Successful treatment of acute aluminium phosphide poisoning: possible benefit of coconut oil. S. Shahin, R. Mojgan, P. Abdolkarim, R. Mmohammad-Hosein, A. Mohammad. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 24:215-218, 2005).
Minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Preuss HG, Echard B, Enig M, Brook I, Elliott TB. Molecular Cell Biochemistry, 2005:272:29-34).

Unbelievable Bike Handling Skills

Okay I saw this a while back and thought wow, then a client pointed it out again, had another look and said holy shit, then just watched it again and said I need to post that the stuff this guy does on his bike is amazing.

Behind the Scenes with Garmin Chipotle

Cool video of a day in the life of a professional cyclist. Key's on Canadian Ryder Hesjedal

Montepaschi Eroica - Behind the Scenes with GARMIN Slipstream from Media One Multimedia on Vimeo.

Hardest Ironman Conditions Ever?

Here is Ironman Hawaii Champion Chris McCormack's comments about ironman china. This guy has done a lot of crazy hard races and he said the heat in IM China last weekend was the worst ever. Here is his race report

Well I am finally back home and cannot be happier about it. The past 5 weeks have been really hectic with a lot of early season racing over some really tough races. The focus for us early in the season was to sort out these hot humid races and get some tough test sets done in a racing environment so we can carry this information across into our World Championships build for Kona.

My first race of the season was a hot and humid 70.3 event in Singapore where I grabbed a solid second place finish. I flew directly to Hawaii from Singapore for a tough Olympic distance race called Lavaman on the big Island and started to find my legs a little for the season winning my first race of the year and breaking the course record.

From Hawaii I flew directly to New Olreans for my 3rd race in as many weeks and another tough Ironman 70.3 event. I was actually feeling a little jaded after two heavy weeks of racing and training and fell apart late in this race to finish second again. I was a little disappointed as I had the win in the bag, but in the hot humid conditions, the fatigue from a heavy few weeks of racing and travel came through and I lost the event in the last few miles of the run.

From the first 3 races of the season we got what we were looking for. Hot events, high humidity and lots of data. I was able to come back to Australia and have 10 easier days before getting on the plane to fly up to China for another Ironman 70.3 event in Haikou. This would be the end of a planned 4 heavy races in 5 weeks and I was looking forward to this last tough race. My form was good and a last hit out in the heat, after a week off racing seemed good to me.

The flight from Australia to China was pretty simple and the time change is only 2 hours. I arrived at the event on Friday before the Sunday race after about 13 hours of total travel time. The weather was good and I had a good look at the course. I was happy to be at this event as one of my main competitors for this years Ironman World Championships in Kona, Rasmus Henning, was racing in the full Ironman race, and I figured I would be able to get a good opportunity to watch how he raced. The Ironman started at 7:00am and the half Ironman guys were set to leave at 9:00am.

Race day dawned and the weather was set to be a scorcher. By Ironman race start time the weather was 30 degrees Celsius (90 degrees) and the humidity was oppressive at a very uncomfortable 85%. I watched the Ironman guys complete the swim and then started getting my head around the tough day I was about to face. I had 2 main guys to really contest with in the event. Ironman Japan and Malaysia champion Luke Mackenzie from Australia and Aussie flyer Paul Mathews. Both were brought up by their sponsor and race event sponsor K-Swiss, to win this event.

By race start for us the heat was incredible. The course was quite simple and flat but there was no shade anywhere and the wind was picking up and very hot. We kicked off the event and I immediately jumped on the feet of Paul Matthews who led most of the swim. By halfway through the swim event, Paul had used the tricky current to his advantage and had gapped both Luke and myself to lead out by about a minute. The water was dark and muddy and very warm.

By the time I ran from the water to my bike, a distance of about 200 meters, I was cooking. The heat was just incredible and the Ironman guys were well and truly on the bike course. We were about to start our 90km bike lap.

I put the hammer down and rode across to Paul Matthews and Luke had tagged me on the bike. We came together as a threesome about 5 miles into the bike race. I assumed that it would stay like this for most of the bike ride as it was a course that was difficult to get away on because of the flat profile and the tricky winds. By 20 miles, Paul began to struggle big time in the heat and dropped off. I immediately put the hammer down and then it was left to Luke and myself. Luke started struggling in the heat around 40 miles and I attacked him and got a gap out to about a minute very quickly. I was feeling good, but my only focus was hydration and being careful. The heat was unbelievable. I cannot describe it. I was watching ambulance after ambulance on the course putting Ironman competitors who could not get through the bike course and were collapsing into the back of them. It was like a war zone.

I got off the bike feeling very controlled. I knew I had been in the sun a long time and was feeling very exposed but I only had a 13 mile run to get through and I would win the event. That was my mindset. I had no idea at this stage my lead on Mackenzie or Matthews and was relieved when I got to the 1 mile marker of the run to see Luke come in. I knew I had a little over 5 minutes at that stage. I was trying to be cautious out there as the mercury was now well over 42 degrees (110) and the ambient temperature from the road was even higher. I was really starting to cook up but my mindset was about keeping a tempo. By 3 miles into the run this entire mindset was gone. It became a simple run for survival. The aid stations were spaced about 2km apart and the heat had melted all the ice. I saw Luke and Paul at about 8km mark and they were in a bad way. I knew that for me I had the race won, but I had to finish. It was so hot that by mile 4 I was honestly thinking that it might not be possible. I wish I could describe this heat. I wish I had better words. It was incredible.

I was walking every aid station and taking the time to drink. I was covering myself in water and carrying as many sponges as I could possibly hold. I would then put my head down and focus on getting to the next aid station which was about 8 minutes of running away each time. Every time I left and aid station I questioned whether I would make it to the next one. It was that big a struggle. I stayed in this mindset and was able to run my way to win this event. I crossed the line in 4:04 which was a real buzz for me. I have never been so happy to see the end of a race in my life. The last 2 miles was really ugly but the huge crowds in the town and the young kids running alongside me got me to the end. I crossed the line so relieved to have finished and my first words to the organizers were, concern for those behind me. I told them they needed to send people out with more aid to help people. I went straight to the medical tent and covered myself in ice and water and tried to cool my body down. The temperature in the shade at the finish line read 44 degrees (120) and the humidity was close to 90 %. I waited for Luke to finish. He was about 22 minutes behind and together we watched others cross the line. In my race only 60 percent of the field finished. It was that tough.

I have raced for 13 years as a professional and almost 20 years in the sport of triathlon. This was without question the toughest triathlon event I have ever done for so many reasons. It was probably one of the hottest days I have ever been in, let alone had to race in. I had great intentions after my event to go and watch the guys finish and complete the Ironman. This went out the door. It was just too hot. I traveled across with 5 mates and only 2 of us made the finish line. To the Ironman guys who raced, you are my new heroes. Rasmus Henning went on to win this race, in the slowest run time to ever win an Ironman. Don't let that fool you. Anybody who got to the finish line of that event is a champion and three of the toughest blokes I know never got to the end. It was a race of survival and trying to deal with an incredible day. I know that different physiologies handle this heat differently and to those that never made it, hold your head up high. This will be an event you can talk about forever. It was in my books the toughest triathlon conditions our sport has ever seen.

I will post in the next few days some photos from the event to give people a view of the day. Sorry for the long post but I needed to get something up. Thanks for all the emails I have received from people. I really appreciate it.


Safe training.


Macca
http://www.ironmanworldchampion.com/

The Man With 3 good Swim drills

Again here is Dave Scott with 3 swim drills which you can use every workout to enhance your technique.

Cycling and the Economy

Great article on New York City and how the economy has affected this city's bike industry that is dominated by wall street employees. There's also a bit about how high end trainers are still getting plenty of business. Seems the rich wall street consumers are unwilling to part with their money on things like expensive bikes, but are having no problem paying for trainers charging 150.00 per hour.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/mixed-returns-for-high-end-cycling/?scp=2&sq=Cadence&st=cse

jeanson hammered with 10 years suspension

This has to be one of the highest degrees of sanction against an athlete for doping (10 years) . Her doctors have also been banned for a life time. I remember her dominating races like nobody has ever done breaking away from competitors with hardly any effort. Very lancesque;) Back then doping wasn't as big a news item and the scary thing was she was using this stuff when she was a minor under the direction of her doctors. Now the question arises, should she be banned so heavily when she was under such influence of her coach at such a young age..........she didn't know any better in my eyes especially that young. There are many stories alleging physical and mental abuse of her coach who was also her only true "friend". Makes you wonder where her parents were during all this......... http://www.velonews.com/article/90109/canada-recommends-bans-for-jeanson-coach-and-doctor

kick drills

All tri geeks love kicking, so here is a great set of drills from "the man"

Boston Marathon Movie

Just watched a great flick on a boy coming of age who does the boston marathon. Unrealistic, but great movie. St. Ralph

Exercise and Aging

Great article on The Science of Sport Website:


Exercise and aging: Growing old gracefully, with speed!

Yesterday we began a series on exercise and aging by looking at the world records across the age categories.

A window of performance? Depends on the performance...

This seems to suggest that individuals have a narrow "window" during which they are able to excel. Bear in mind that "excel" in this case means running faster than any person in history! That's a tough bar to set, so I must make the allowance that the "window" becomes much longer when you start to lower the performance level slightly. That is, someone who is running at say 80% of the world record pace can probably much more accurately work out how their performances should change over time (which is why those calculators that predict your age-equivalent times do have some merit)

Of course, people tend to over-value those equations and formulas that work out what your time at the age of say 60 would be equivalent to if you were 30. While interesting, such predictions can't really be used as "instructive" or to judge your current performance, because you're on your own journey, and the changes over time can't really be accounted for unless you do a massive study that looks at say 500 individuals over the course of 60 years and plots the average decay in performance (and, to the best of my knowledge, that hasn't been done).

The reasons for the decline - age physiology

So now we get to the reasons for the decline. And this is relatively well-known physiology, which I promised yesterday that I'd avoid spending too much time on. However, it's important to understand as we move forward, because the next step will be too look at "Chronological Age vs. Running Age", and so we need to understand Chronological age.

So what can you expect as you get older? (That feels very morbid as I type it..., sorry)

Aging affects numerous physiological systems, including the neuromuscular, hormonal, respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic systems.

Lean muscle mass and age

Perhaps the most widely known and significant changes that occur with aging are those that affect the muscle, and happen in part because the levels of hormones like testosterone and growth hormone fall over the years. Testosterone is the one everyone knows about because dopers use it so often, and as any body-builder will tell you, is anabolic (as opposed to catabolic), because it builds up tissues in response to stress, and is responsible for muscle growth and development after training.

Testosterone levels peak during adolescence and early adulthood, but somewhere between 30 and 40 years of age, begin to decline progressively. As a result, lean muscle mass declines by as much as 30% between 25 (when peak muscle mass occurs) and 70 years of age. This reduction involves decreases in the total number of muscle fibers and a decrease in the size of the fibers. At the same time, oxidative damage causes further reductions in muscle mass, as does a decline in the number of motor neurons that provide neural “nourishment” to the muscle fibers.

The net effect of the reduction in muscle mass is a loss of muscle strength – as much as 2% per year, so that by the age of 70, strength is reduced by up to 40%, though this depends on the individual and also their activity levels. Training helps prevent these reductions, which is good news, and is the part of the equation that you can control.

One of the more obvious, and upsetting consequences of this change is that your metabolic rate slows down, and so you start to gain weight (fat mass, that is). The common misperception that "muscle turns into fat" is actually the storage of fat that is partly caused by a loss of muscle thanks to aging. It's not that muscle is converted to fat, but rather that fat now tends to be deposited much more easily. If you don't adjust your diet, "middle age spread" is the result!

Injury and adaptation

One of the more frustrating aspects of aging (and the reason you've probably been the butt of some jokes from friends) is that your ability to recover from training is reduced. Pretty much all "moving parts" don't quite recover from sessions the day before, and your body’s ability to adapt to the stress of training is also reduced. You can no longer repair damage by laying down stronger muscle fibers in response to training. One of the big benefits of taking testosterone is that it aids recovery, allowing harder training. Aging is effectively "reverse doping", since testosterone is reduced, and training can't be done to the same level as before. One of the first things people will notice is that they wake up stiff and commonly jokingly say "I must be getting old". Exactly!

Other hormonal changes further contribute to this adaptation barrier – the production of growth hormone decreases steadily from the age of 10, just after puberty, which has much the same effect as the fall in testosterone, as well as some other effects on metabolism. Growth hormone has even been called the “anti-aging” hormone, a popular choice among the Hollywood elite to retain their celebrity looks! We'll return to this hormone again in the future...(thanks to Peter for his input on that one)

Other aging effects

There is also a decrease in the number of capillaries to each muscle fiber, which means that valuable energy and oxygen delivery to muscles is compromised. Stroke volume (the amount pumped per contraction) and heart rate also fall over time, meaning less blood can be pumped to the body as cardiac output falls. Respiratory muscles get weaker, and the resistance in the airways rises, which makes breathing harder work. The ability to get valuable oxygen out of the air into the blood and to the muscles is reduced, not a great outcome for a marathon runners! It doesn't take a degree in exercise physiology to appreciate how these changes in the heart and lungs would make running or any other endurance activity much more difficult.

Inside the muscle, proteins that are important to assist with metabolism are not produced in the same quantities – you therefore become less effective at producing ATP to power muscle contraction. The muscle’s capacity to store and release energy changes with age – less glucose and glycogen can be stored, and the muscle becomes less sensitive to hormones that normally drive metabolism, like adrenaline.

Changes in women - even more pronounced

In women, hormonal changes have even more dramatic effects – menopause and the associated hormonal changes are responsible for many effects, perhaps the most relevant for running being a decrease in bone mineral density that predisposes women to the development of osteopenia, which is a precursor to the more serious osteoporosis, where the risk of fractures is greatly increased.

Here, the excellent news is that running (and other exercise), because it is a weight-bearing exercise, is one of the most effective means of preventing osteoporosis, because it helps elevate the bone mineral density at a young age so that the inevitable age-induced decline does not have potentially disastrous consequences.

The same goes for all the other changes - the body ages, this is as inevitable as death and taxes (as the saying goes). However, regular exercise slows down the rate of decline in many of these systems, or at least reduces the impact of the change. The result is that regardless of what you've read in this post, and the fact that you may be bemoaning lost youth (don't worry, I am too!), if you continue to exercise now, then you'll reap the benefits, in spite of your natural battle against father time!

Chronological age vs running age

Well done if you've managed to read this far. This was a "textbook" physiology post, not my favourite kind, but hopefully I've skimmed through all the important systems and how the years affect them. If you're a scholar or student who just happens to be doing an assignment on this topic, then you're in luck (Please feel free to donate to us through our PayPal link! And don't forget to reference everything you say!)

However, this is all a precursor to the more juicy and exciting discussion to come, probably next week. That's when we'll start looking at the impact of many years of running as compared to many years of living. There is evidence that running age is just as important as chronological age in determining running performance, and that the two interact to properly explain what you will have experienced. And the notion of a "window" of opportunity seems to be borne out.

So let's tackle that next week, when we're all three days older. Hope this was instructive and not too morbid!

McConkey RIP

I grew up idolizing this guy. He went from just an extreme skier hucking off 100 foot cliffs to base jumping wearing flying squirrel equipment to soar for huge distances. This man rocked and was one of the smoothest skiers I have seen. He died today ski jumping and base jumping (combined) in Italy while filming for Red Bull.

tour de ski

Cool video from Craft sponsored race in europe

Lance Armstrong Maybe out for Tour With Broken Collarbone?

Here is a video of the aftermath of the crash...........how often do you see a helicopter stay that focused on someone for that period of time.........only Lance.

http://www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/20090323/armstrong-cae-abandona-castilla-leon/455839.shtml

Conrad Stoltz is Tarzan

Awesome pictures of Conrad Stoltz (Xterra world champion) building a lap pool with no electricity in south africa.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/photos/Detailed/37.html

workout for next week's group swim:)

Okay here is your workout for next week's group swim, you thought last week's was tough?


http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/swim-cgi/show_workout.pl?pri_id=10000001241&work_cat=4

New Blogs

Okay, I am going to try and keep this updated as much as possible and link from our website to here to keep the front page relatively uncluttered. I can also post great links to video's for interest sake as well as technique stuff for exercises both tri related and non.

Amazing Ozzie

Okay I saw this on Jonnyo's site and had a look................very cool video, now hopefully I can get this figured out on how to post it