Athlete Reports

★★★Trey Buttriss: Ironman Texas Report,'My first marathon involved a 96 degree day'

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:15:41 GMT

My first Ironman was quite the experience. The place was Houston Texas May 18 2013 in the Woodlands. I only had about 4 months of training with coach Adam Daniels. With 3 major colds and flu over the winter it made training very tough. In the past I was self trained and did a pretty poor job of it. I drove myself into deep exhaustion, fatigue and injury. The day of the event came and I felt so amazing and ready to conquer. This was to be my first Ironman, my first 2.5 mile swim, and my first marathon as well. I had expectations for a great overall time. The morning jitters were nerve racking but I remained calm and anxious for the day to begin. At the swim start I was one of the first in the water to warm up. I need plenty of warm up time for my nerves. I had not swam in open water in 7 months but felt confident for the swim. I knew to just relax and take my time so I would not be fatigued on the bike. At the start I was positioned at the front line and to the left of the buoy. My strategy was to be in front on the inside and draft to help with my time. There was a lot of flailing arms and legs for most of the swim but I remained calm and just swam for myself and just relaxed. I kept a very steady and easy pace so I would get out of the water feeling fresh and not exhausted like all my other races. I exited the water feeling ready to go on the bike. My time was 1:33 which is a lot longer than I hoped but I was happy to do my first long swim non stop. T1 was rather long due to a bathroom break and really loading up on vasalene, sun screen, and Chamois butter. I scarfed 3 mini muffins and several GU packets. On the way out on the bike I ate a bagel which I kept hooped on the aero bar. I needed lots of fuel for the bike. The bike was very difficult to hold back. I wanted to do my old ways of hammering it since it is my strong point. But I listened to Adam perfectly and stuck to my numbers. I kept the first half easy and the second half I wound up repassing most of the people that hammered too hard in the beginning. By the time I was done I felt very fresh and was not sore at all.

To do a half hour faster would have been possible but not smart in this heat. My nutrition and hydration on the bike was perfect. Not one bathroom break or stop with the exception of my special needs bag. T2 went fairly quick as I watched people puking all over who over did it on the bike . I headed out for the run which I was looking forward to the most of this event. My first marathon involved a 96 degree day and within the first 5K I knew this was going to have disasterous results. I was hoping for a sub 4 hour run but the heat and pain that set into my glutes was so bad at mile 14 that I seemed to have lost the desire to fight it and push on. Every aid station I gulped so much water and Perform to not become dehydrated. Plus I had about 12 salt tablets during the course of the day. I never cought a single cramp or had any nausia from dehydration. I could not have had a better nutrition and hydration plan. The heat had just done me in and caused my run to suffer. The last quarter mile to the finish line was a sprint like none other. I had so much energy and drive. I sprinted what seemed like a 6:00min/mile pace. All the way down the chute I was high fiving and having a great time. I ran so fast that my hat blew off. All in all I was happy with the results of the day even though I was hoping for an 11+ hour race. It was a great experience and to just be a part of an Ironman made me feel very proud.

★★★George Ferris: Kansas 70.3, 'Good Day here in the heartland'

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:30:40 GMT

Good day our here in the heartland. Weather was windy but mild so was quite comfortable. Swim had an out and back design; straight into wind on way out with waves coming in; then riding them back home which was fun. Bike course had lots of long straight aways with mild rolling hills. Run was generally flat other than a couple of climbs. I swam 39 mins or so; fastest yet for that distance. Bike was 2:52; also fastest yet for that distance. Run was a 1:56 or so, which was fine but a little more than I thought I could do.I definitely eased up on the hill climbs although average output was probably 250 - 275 on the hils with a few spikes north of that. I lost concentration a few times and found myself well above 300 watts so dialed it back. Very frustrating to see everyone pass me on the bike, but I was trying to stick to the plan and it obviously helped with the run. I started with 8:15 minute miles on the run even though HR was probably a bit too high, and ended up around 9 mins; with a few walks towards the end, but I definitley had more energy on the run than in races past. All in all, I thought my 5:30 goal was achievable but I could quite get there and finished with a 5:33 or so, but I'm happy with the outcome as it is probably a PB at that distance by 10 mins. So, I will send you data later tonight or tomorrow when I get home. Right now I'm enjoying a cold beer; it is awesome. GF

★★★Ali and Ryan: Bronx Duathlon Du Report!

Tue, 28 May 2013 14:22:00 GMT

Ali and I were excited for our first race together of the season. This race was all about practicing. Practicing following race plans, practicing pre-race logistics (including rental cars, directions, etc), practicing transitions, and practicing winning..... If you don't feel like reading the whole report, what you really need to know is that Ali took 1st place overall and I took 15th overall and 4th in my Age Group, certainly a successful outing.

WINNER!

Pre-Race

The overwhelming feeling pre-race was excitement, for both of us. We had put in 3 hard months of training and were ready to test ourselves in a race situation. We were both a little nervous but we both felt confident, healthy and not too tired. Probably the most stressful part of this race, and a new thing for us this year, is figuring out how to get there. In previous years we have had a car and it was simple to just throw the stuff in, plug the address into our phone and go. But now, each race requires a little extra planning both in the week leading up to the race and on race morning, including reserving a car, picking it up, finding a parking spot, etc etc etc. A little extra stress added to race morning, but also something that allows us to focus on the upcoming race.

The other big debate was the "flying mount." We practiced our transitions a bit on Saturday in the park, but it would be generous to say that we looked "decent." Both of us, up till this race had stuck with the old school put your bike shoes on, grab your bike and mount, still a bit intimidated by the whole shoes already clipped in thing. NOT THIS TIME. We both decided to go for it, hopefully it wouldn't backfire.

Pre-Race Routine? Or just being a weirdo?

The Course and the Plan

We were excited to execute on a race plan for the first time. The course is a 2.4 mile run out on the Orchard Beach Boardwalk (which is more like a concrete sidewalk), followed by a 14.4 mile bike made up of 6 laps of 2.4 miles each. This made the bike very much like a Crit, which lead to some unique tactics that don't really match up with an Olympic distance triathlon race but still some good bike handling practice, a chance to hammer a bit and really fun. Finally, another 2.4 mile run on the Boardwalk to finish up.

We knew going in that we would be "holding back" a bit on the first run. Basing that run off a relatively conservativeheart-rateto set ourselves up for a strong bike and hopefully a really strong finishing leg. We had slightly different strategies for the final run but our plans closely mirrored each other. Largely the race would be a test of our running legs post-bike and our transition times and fluidity. If we were lucky enough to get results, great!

Me, Pre-race with my super sweet DA4 and my new Lazer Aero Helmet

Run 1: Stay Within Yourself

The first run felt slow. It was hard to watch people running past. I saw Ali watch the girl who had beat her at the Central Park Duathlon slowly pull away, I could almost feel the agony, probably because I had similar agony watching Ali pull away from me.... But, we had a plan and for the day it made sense to stick with it and see what panned out. The run is actually quite nice, very flat, very fast and runs the full length of the boardwalk with two out and back sections. The beach is beautiful, a little gem tucked into a corner of the Bronx.

Bike: Round and Round We Go (watch the speed bumps)

First off, TWO SUCCESSFUL FLYING MOUNTS. I was half looking for Ali on the side of the road chasing after her shoes, but nope, we both pulled it off. Which is great, and it was fast! my best transitions ever, actually. Ok back to it....

It was clear before the race that a lot of people were nervous about the bike. Triathletes aren't exactly known for their bike handling skills, and, frankly, the course looked like a big parking lot with soccer cones around with small signs telling you where to turn. It did not inspire confidence. We were lucky enough to have Coach Cliff, the founder of Tri Star Athletes, on hand racing (Congrats on 2nd Overall!), who rode a warm up lap of the course and shared some insider knowledge about the layout, the turns and things to watch out for. The race director also shared his thoughts and at the end of the day, I thought the race director and the volunteers did a fantastic job manning the course. We commented after that one sweep with a street cleaner would go a long way, but, what can you do.

The bike was actually a ton of fun, lots of turns, quick accelerations and then dropping back down into the aero position. I caught up to Ali on the 4th loop, giving her a cheeky "on your left" as I whizzed by. I felt like I was moving pretty good and was only passed by one young gentleman who flew past me like I was standing still....reality check. Other than that, I mowed through a lot of guys who may have burned their legs on the first run and some who clearly weren't used to "turning" on their bikes. Riding a road bike on hilly, twisty roads for the last 3 years FINALLY paid off.... That being said, the speed bumps after the toll booths (yea...) were pretty gnarly and I saw a poor guy go down hard on his shoulder after flying over one. If you are doing the race next year, have fun on the course but seriously, watch the speed bumps...

I came into transition way off the lead, but happy with the bike and focused on putting in a huge effort on the run. My legs felt better than I expected and I even had pipe dreams of holding off Ali.

Ali meanwhile laid down a great bike split, the best of the day for the women, and came in about 30 seconds behind me. As usual, she flew through transition.

Run 2: GO GET HER

Really it is Ali that should be writing this part of the report, because this leg of the race was all about her. It really was an amazing thing to watch. Ali came off the bike in 2nd place, a full 43 seconds down on the 1st place girl WHO just happened to be the girl that outsprinted her in the Central Park Duathlon. She knew she was out in front, and she knew she was a strong runner and in her heart and mind she knew that neither of those things mattered.

Ali hit the run course and within a half mile flew past me. I wasn't running slow either. In fact, this run was BY FAR, my best run ever off a bike. And there she was, a woman possessed, HAMMERING already. I was excited to watch.

The best part of the layout of the course was that the two out and backs allowed you lots of glimpses at the people in front of and behind you. This meant that Ali could see the leader pretty much the whole race and that I could see (and talk to Ali) for the whole race as well. Throughout the first mile Ali was closing on the leader and at the first turn around she was taking off her long sleeve top and trying to tie it around her waste.

"Drop the shirt, we'll get it later, go get her, you've got this," I yelled to her. She dropped the top. (We never went back for it, totally forgot, a sacrifice to the tri-Gods). I watched as she pulled away from me (even as I kept increasing my pace each quarter mile as planned), and pulled closer to the leader. (I admitted later that it was really hard for me to focus on my own race as I was watching her race unfold. Here I am having the run of my life probably BECAUSE I'm not thinking about my run at all instead I'm trying to somehow give all my run energy to Ali so that she can chase down the leader.

At the second turn around I was busy taking splits for Ali, which I also shouldn't have been doing... What happened to running your own race Ryan?!? Oh well, who cares, this is too much fun. I could tell she was about 7 seconds down, with about .4 miles to go. The leader looked tired, she was oncruisecontrol, didn't have her foot on the gas. Meanwhile, Ali was like that motorcyclist that passes you at 165 mph on the right side of your car on the freeway and you are like, "man that guy is going to die or kill someone but whoa he is going fast." Ok, maybe not that fast, but she was HAULING. I yelled to her, "You've got her, she is fading. When you go past her, go right past her." (This I have to attribute to reading Jesse Thomas's blogs about races he has won (and lost) in the final miles. I love the quote he uses about having 5 seconds in a running race to respond to an attack. That was what I was thinking about....again....super focused.....)

The course turns off the Boardwalk for the last quarter mile for a sprint down the finishing shoot back to transition. As I turned the corner I got to watch as Ali flew past the leader in the last 800 meters, running a sub 6 minute pace for the whole leg, and claiming victory. What did I do? I literally jumped. yea, i jumped, in the middle of a race. Then I just sprinted, as hard as I could, mostly so I could congratulate her and laid down BY FAR the best quarter mile I've ever run in a race...... funny how that works out.

It really was a pleasure and aprivilegeto watch Ali on the hunt for the win. The focus, determination, athleticism and effort that she put in were staggering. She was smart throughout the race, trusted Coach Adam and delivered in crunch time. All signs of a maturing, smart, strong, tough athlete. She is going to be tough to beat this year.

Reflections and Lessons Learned:

For me, I learned that I can no longer say I suck at running. In fact, I am quickly getting dangerously close to laying down respectable run splits. I'm no longer a swimmer that loves biking and hates running and does triathlons. I'm starting to find that balance and the reality is I owe that all to consistency. In previous years I found unique and innovative ways to cut short my runs, or not hit my numbers and this year, every time i'm out on a run it is the most important thing I'm doing. This race offered me a reminder that the hard work IS paying off, which is always a good feeling.

For Ali, first and foremost her first overall WIN. A huge hurdle and a huge accomplishment. She knows the feeling now, knows what it takes. I think her biggest learning comes from execution and in a new found ability to trust in her run. Previously Ali always used her very strong bike to mow through the field and then try and hold on for the run. She, too, is finding a balance, one that is allowing her to be a force to be reckoned with on both the bike and the run, a scary and exciting 1-2 punch.

Collecting Hardware....

Thanks:

A few people to thank for another great race:

Coach Adam at Tristar Athletes. We really can't say enough. Great race plans, great training plans, great support, great attitude and probably above everything else a coach that communicates and listens. Coach Cliff, for setting us up with Coach Adam, first and foremost, and for the race day support and debrief afterward. We are super excited about the season ahead. Frank Totino and the crew at Sunrise Tri for setting us up with new bikes this year and getting us the perfect fit. We are both super comfortable and feeling fast. The team at the New York Triathlon Club who put on a another great race. They kept it safe, fun, and fast, just how it should be. To our Wild Turkeys teammates, we are excited to get your race reports soon and proud to be representing on the east coast. To the team at Picky Bars, we LOVE your bars and are so proud to be a Picky Team, proud to be "PickyPowered" and will continue to spread the good word and a special thank you to Jesse Thomas, Picky Bar CEO (who I don't know at all but find hilarious and is also pretty good at triathlon) for his run tactics advice, that paid off. To Gwen Jorgensen (who we also don't know, Hi Gwen!) who inspired Ali with her crazy San Diego ITU run split, to just hammer the whole run and reel in the leader. And finally, as always to our families who give us lots of love and endless support.

★★★Josh Pokrzywinski: 2nd in the Age Group at New Paltz Duathlon.

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:26:00 GMT

Race report

Heading up to New Paltz, NY for the local 2mi/11mi/2mi sprint duathlon lacks the cache of a big WTC race, for sure. This was just meant to be one of Cliff's prescribed "sharpen the spear" races to build some top speed and get a feel for racing on the new bike.

Standing around the start with the normal crowd - the ageless racers who I'm positive will crush me, the weekend warriors, and various overachievers. Feeling great about the prospects for the day until the gun (substituted by a hand wave and a quick ready-set-go) goes off - and suddenly I'm getting completely walked by 35% of the field - even though I'm running a steady, tempered 7:00/mi pace right at LT. While I would love to gear up and retake some of the field, I'm determined not to blow my race early. I'm relieved later to find that we're up against some relay folks who don't need to "save" anything for the next forty minutes. In on the first leg in 13:54. A good day's work in the making.

On to the bike, supposedly my strong suit. I'm all decked out with the new Orbea Ordu. full electronic shifting, Zipp 808s and a complete lack of excuses for why I shouldn't PR every time out. We're off a good start - pouring on the watts right at threshold power - when the "open to traffic" quality of the course starts to look like a liability. After hanging out behind an errant dump truck for a mile and wondering quite aloud if high V02 max matters when most of the air headed your way is diesel exhaust, I pull in for just over 30 minutes for 12 miles. Not a bad effort, but I've been here before - so many good bike legs have demolished my legs and ruined a run. I've come to realize bike fit was the culprit, but it's still a concern.

Off on the final run, I have no expectations. The goal is to finish on empty. Pace is secondary, but I'm surprising myself at how I'm hanging on to my legs. I'm faster than LT for now and if I can turn off the pain for the last mile this one is going in the books. I can hear footsteps getting louder behind me, though, and the thought of a "finishing kick" starts to develop. I've never really had to worry about that as a mid-pack finisher with no "gears" on the run. What's more interesting than the thought of a finishing kick is the thought of losing to someone else's. I wind it up with a half mile to go and try to find out where the red line is, somewhere around 6:25/mi pace. I hold the stalker off by a couple seconds and wonder if this is what it's like to be halfway decent as a triathlete, knowing full well that a half dozen grizzled "old" racers beat me anyway.

First race of the season in the books - the entire race above LT HR and pace, holding off the advancing horde and sharpening the spear. Cliff and I have been working on speed for the past six months and have come a long way - with more to come before IMFL in the fall. 2013 is off and running - watch out for the pointy stick.

In the next race report I'm doing an investigation into where we're breeding these grizzled old bad asses - in the meantime consider them armed and dangerous.

Alia Crum: TriStar Athlete and Researcher - The 'Positive Effects of Stress'

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 05:43:00 GMT

The Positive Effects of Stress TriStar Athlete Alia Crum shares with us the positive effects of stress from her research.

Monday, 3/4/2013 at 5:20:27 PM

By Joe Donatelli

Books, daytime talk shows, Jack Johnson—everywhere we turn someone is telling us to avoid stress. But those authors, experts, and mellow crooners might be doing everyone a disservice. Stress can be good.

Alia Crum of Columbia University and her colleagues will publish research in the April 2013 edition of The Journal of Social and Psychological Sciences that shows training people to view stress as a positive thing can significantly improve job performance and health.

Crum defines stress as the experience or anticipation of a threat or challenge in one’s goal-related efforts. "We don’t get stressed about things that don’t matter to us,” Crum says. "I think that’s critical because we’re spending all of our time and money and energy trying to get rid of our stressors. What we’re really doing is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Somewhere underneath there is something you really care about.”

She breaks stress into three categories:

1) Conflict: When what you have and what you want is different
2) Pressure: When you need to do things faster or better
3) Uncertainty: When you don’t know what is going to happen

Crum believes mindsets shape outcomes, and she wanted to test her theory on stress. She and her team conducted two studies.

The first was at a large investment company where layoffs were occurring. Three-hundred-eighty employees were split into three groups. Group 1 watched a series of videos that showed how stress can be enhancing—for example, LeBron James making a clutch free throw along with a message that said stress brings out the best in people. Group 2 watched a series of videos about how stress can be debilitating—LeBron James missing an important free throw along with a message that said stress can cause people to crumble. Group 3, the control group, watched no videos.

Group 1, the one that watched the stress-is-enhancing videos, had a significant reduction in stress-related physicalsymptoms such as headaches, backaches, muscle tension, and insomnia and also experienced a significant improvement in productivity assessment.

In a separate study, the researchers studied the cortisol level of students. Cortisol is a hormone related to stress that’s fine in small doses, but it can be harmful if you have too much. The researchers found that stress brought students to an optimal cortisol level.

If this sounds counterintuitive, consider a parallel. Exercise is a form of stress that benefits the body. Muscles are broken down to make them stronger. To operate efficiently, the mind needs similar challenges or stresses. Why this occurs, physiologically, is a mystery—one that Crum and her colleagues are attempting to solve.

In the coming weeks the researchers plan to release an e-training video for people who want to orient themselves into thinking stress is a good thing.

Or you can YouTube LeBron every morning.

Whatever works.

TrIstar Athletes: "hone their swim skills at the swim lab..."

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:08:02 GMT

★★★Brennan Cassidy: IMAZ Report: 'I learned a lot about myself and the way I want to live my life'

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:28:39 GMT

For anything prior to the start see the pre-race report.

Swim

I never thought the Ironman swim start would be a relief but it was. The second that cannon went off I finally forgot about the cold water, put my head down and went.

Let the hitting, kicking and shoving begin. Having been mentally prepared for the worse made the whole thing easier. Think of all the idiot's you drive near in traffic; veering, cutting you off, almost getting accidents. Now picture those people swimming next to you; hitting, kicking and shoving; 2,900 of them to be exact. Quick video of what it looked like below.

The swim is an out and back course in Tempe Town Lake, along the river's side wall. I could see Jamie running along the side for about the first 3/4 of a mile. At some points I would feel I had an opening and had gotten away from people only to soon be consumed by more swimmers. It was hard to get in a real rhythm, not that my lack of swim background ever gets in a great rhythm.

Just before the turn I got kicked pretty good in the face, jamming the left side of my goggle into my face. I debated for the next couple of minutes if I would stop to clear the water that got in. Once I decided the answer was no I forgot about the sloshing water near my eye.

There seemed to be no true "sighting" on the way out with the rising desert sun in full view at the end of Tempe Town Lake. After the turn everything was much more clear. I could feel my right leg cramp slightly, I stopped kicking all together for a 100 yards or so to relieve the compression from the wetsuit on the legs. I took full assessment of how I was feeling at this time and realized that today was going to be a good day.

I made the final turn on my way to swim exit and got to the set of stairs to exit the water. I had to wait what was probably a minute for two gentlemen in front of me to get up on the stairs and out of the water. When I first stood up my left leg cramped again, a few longer strides and it went away. At this point I could see the race clock; 1:18.

Thank you Jamie for working with me on the swimming this last year. Without you I'd still be in Tempe Town Lake struggling for air. Another thank you Ben Lablonc who convinced me when we graduated college that it would be a good idea to start learning to swim.

Transition 1: Swim to Bike

Ironman uses wetsuit strippers, why anyone would volunteer for this blows my mind but Jamie made a good point that morning; "Don't let them pull the top off your wetsuit, they'll rip the omnipod off (insulin pump)". At that moment I had that very thought. I pulled the wetsuit down far enough below my lower back then let the wetsuit strippers pull the wetsuit off my legs as I sat on the ground.

I got back up and started running, back to not knowing how the transition bags would work. I had two gels in my hand that I kept in my wetsuit for a potential low blood sugar. I saw a friend from Sergio's workout and after passing thought how I should have thrown them to him. Next person I knew, Lyndsay Riffe, got the gels.

I grabbed my transition bag. Saw people sitting on the ground and did the same. A race employee didn't like this, "you can't change out here!". "I'm not getting undressed", I yelled back. She yelled it again and I yelled back the same thing. It was a stressful moment. This is what they get for not explaining transition.

I dumped out my belongings, first throwing on my vest I had loaded with food and my heat sleeves. I started to take my blood sugar and my first thought was; "I get one shot at this, if my fingers are too wet I'm not doing this a second time". It worked, 134, it was a happy moment to see that number. I took the syringe out of the case and gave myself the injection.

Cycling shoes and helmet on. Wetsuit in bag. Start running to bike. I don't remember how I grabbed the bike or handed off the bag but some how all of that happened.

Time: 9:04

For the recond, if you don't have diabetes (or some other issue) and you're transitions are slower than this, get it together.

Bike

The Arizona bike course is three loops, it's an out-and-back course that goes uphill on the way out and back down on the way in. As soon as I got out on the course I started eating. Honey soaked gluten-free waffles! Delicious.

The first loop was pretty uneventful. The course at this point was packed with riders. All 3,000 participants in small lanes of traffic. I heeded a friends advice from Sergio's workouts and kept the pace easy for the first twenty miles, there's no reason to push anything during a long day. While triathlon is suppose to be draft free, there was no help but riding in packs at this point. Course marshals were giving penalties to everyone.

After an hour I decided it was time to check if my blood sugar was in line. Except...no meter. I checked my pockets multiple times. No dice. I either dropped it or left it in my transition bag (next day when I looked through my bags I found I had left it in the swim-to-bike bag). I would have to rely on the continuous glucose monitor (which for those of you not familiar with diabetes, it isn't always the most accurate thing during exercise). Six hours, no testing.

I dropped my vest and cotton gloves near the end of the first lap. Getting the vest off was not easy but I'm really glad I had it during the chilly morning hours. It was also at this time that my stomach started to rumble.

That bathroom break I felt when my wetsuit went on (see post about prior to the race) was starting to show its face. It was decision time. Stop for a seated bathroom break (if you know what I mean) or fight through it. I weighed the options in my mind and realized I wouldn't be able to keep eating comfortably if I didn't stop.

After passing the cheering fans I stopped on the second lap at the first aid station, where Jamie and I volunteered last year. The fastest bathroom pit stop ever, three minutes according to my bike computer and I was back on my bike.

At the end of the race, I'd come to want those three minutes back but it was needed. At least this wasn't "race induced" bathroom break, just a natural break for the body.

I started to hammer again and was up and back down the turn around. The headwind coming back down this time was a little stronger. I caught Blair on the bike around this point. I'm pretty proud of pranking her. I could tell it was the Insulindependence jersey so I yelled out "Get out of the way" (she was riding perfectly on the side like we all should be, not in anyone's way). She started looking around like crazy, so funny at the time. "Brennan! I was going to say, I wasn't in the middle of the lane". She would later pass me on the run while looking like a gazelle, myself a wounded shot elephant. She had an awesome race and I hope to convince her to another one some time.

I felt great the whole bike. I tried to hold back not knowing what the run would bring. I grabbed water at each aid station, taking the right amount of salt tablets and eating a lot.

My continuous glucose monitor read great blood sugars the entire time and I had to trust it was correct. I will say I was happy when the bike was over, 112 miles is a long way.

Time: 5:39:45

Transition 2: Bike to Run

Off the bike, grab the run gear bag and put on the shoes. Funny that both Peter and Blair had the same stories after the race. The volunteers are almost...too nice. Hovering. Do you need anything? I can help! Should I take this? Should I take that? No, no, it's okay.

I put on my shoes, visor and heat shirt and ran with my gallon zip lock bag full of run items.

Time: 2:44

Run

I use that gallon bag to slow me down off the bike. I want to run slow to start and this helps. There's no reason to start sprinting off the bike when you have a marathon to run and you've just biked 112 miles. Yanking items out of the bag; watch on, new blood sugar tester in my pockets, new gels and a water bottle. Dropping the bag next to a cameraman and the run was on!

As soon as I had everything in my pockets I took my blood sugar while running. 141. No complaints there. My inner thighs were cramping a bit but it went away after the first two miles. I had downed a gel at the end of the bike so I waited to eat again. At this point I was consuming mainly Vega gels and coke at the aid stations.

The run was much more fan friendly than the bike course. It's essentially a figure-8 loop with everyone passing friends and family twice. Getting to see everyone and hearing people cheer your name really helps in those dark moments when things start to hurt and the mind asks how long a marathon truly is. Big thanks to Nate Heintzman for setting up the tent so my parents, Jamie, Jamie's Mom Ann, Felicia Gelsey, Tom Reiber and many others had a place to cheer us all on! Also big shout out to Blair's Dad, Dean, for all the awesome pictures.

The second time I saw the fan group on my way around I stopped and gave Jamie a kiss. I'm sure she was plenty embarrassed but it put a smile on my face.

I felt great during the first ten miles, only ever slowing down to get water and coke down. Things started to unravel at that point, not terribly but it started. I took my blood sugar around this time and it was over 300. I don't know if the pod (insulin pump) was failing or I simply didn't have enough insulin going in me from my plan. I gave myself a very small dose via the insulin pump and after 30 minutes it hadn't come down so I used one of the syringes I had in my tri-shorts.

Somewhere between mile 14 and 15 I made myself throw up. I'm not sure what upset my stomach. It may have been partly the high blood sugar, my other guess is the orange I had around that time. Either way I felt better after things came back up. At this time I took three Tums. I didn't totally know how this would go over in my body but I felt great after (I owe this strategy to Greg Sexton, thank you Greg). Next long race I'll start taking the Tums right when the run starts.

There's a lot of time to think out there. A lot of time to think about why you're doing this, what it means to you. I thought a lot about playing catch with Dad when I was a kid. How those games of catch lead to this moment. I thought about how happy I was for family to be at the race. It's those small thoughts that can get you through the race.

Starting the third loop felt good. The mind had temporary relief that it was near the end. I couldn't come up with many positive thoughts this last lap. Mile 18 on was like an atomic bomb going off in my body. What hurt the worse was my feet honestly, I don't know if I'd wear Newtons again, their "lugs" started to hurt pretty bad once running form broke down. The knees ached as well but nothing that would stop anyone. Truthfully, for being this far into my first Ironman I felt as good as I could have hoped.

I started running 3 minutes, walking 1. I figured I could do anything for three minutes. The walk pace was quicker than your mall walker but still not fast. I had broth at the aid stations this lap. Curiosity of Jeff Temple's Ironman Louisville blog post I knew when the stomach was failing this would help.

Seeing the mile 25 sign was like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I could hear the cheers of the finish line. Coming around that corner was one of the greatest feelings I've ever had. I slowed down a little and tried to take it in. I heard Jamie yelling, ran pass and then came back to grab her for kiss. This was what all those early mornings and long rides were for, this moment. Below is video taken by Jamie.

I crossed the line and was then grabbed by a volunteer. Passed through the shoot and got to see my family. Seeing the smile on Jamie's face and then my parents made everything worth it. Blood sugar at finish 161.

Run: 4:52:00

Total time: 12:02:29

Aftermath

If I could go back I wouldn't change anything. For my first Ironman the stomach issues were relativity minor thanks to the knowledge imparted on me from friends during Sergio's workouts. I had great blood sugars until the second half of the run and I have Cliff Scherb to thank for that. I finished very happy.

Crossing that line was the accomplishment of a lifetime and I hope to do more. I've gained many new friends through training, new experiences and learned a lot about myself and the way I want to live my life.

★☆★Gary Schmidt: IMAZ Race report '.....you are an Ironman'!

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 18:33:23 GMT

Gary Schmidt, You are an Ironman!

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

14 hours, 17 minutes and 13 seconds after the canon went off over Tempe Town Lake I heard those famous words from Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman… ”From Waterloo, Illinois… Gary Schmidt…. You are an Ironman!”

Somewhere during the course of the marathon I stopped referring to Ironman Arizona as my first and started calling it my only (We’ll see…). As so many people do, I found myself in the "dark place” and was hating what I was doing. I wanted to be done. Why would I do such a thing? I just wanted to stop moving.

FYI… Ironman is hard. Harder than I thought. I had always thought that if I couldn’t run, at least I’d be able to walk. Well, when walking hurts more than running, you find yourself in quite a pickle.

Oh, and one other thing… never, NEVER, think "I got this, no problem.” Cause before you know it, you will be on the pavement bleeding and lucky not to be in an ambulance.

7:00 AM - Bang!

The canon signals the start of Ironman Arizona. I started towards the middle and the back of the pack. My goal was to remain calm and just take it easy. I knew – or at least hoped – that I would be far more nervous signing up for this race a year ago than I would be waiting in that 63* water for the start of the race, and I was right. I was remarkably calm. With my full wetsuit, neoprene cap and booties, the water felt comfortable to me and I had no problems breathing and taking it easy. The IMAZ swim course is not straight and you swim out towards the rising Arizona sun. This made sighting a little bit of a challenge. I swam right in line with the buoys or even to the inside of them and just plugged along. There definitely was some contact, especially under the bridge and at the turns, but it wasn’t terrible. The worst part of the swim was that my legs started cramping. Any time I really needed to kick, one of them would cramp up. I knew this would affect me later in the day and (spoiler alert) it did. Aside from the cramps, I had a good swim. My split was 1:24:03. Not fast by swimming standards, but for me this was solid. A sign of how well I did in a triathlon swim is how much breast stroke I did and during this swim, I did very little. The time spent sweating in my wetsuit at my local YMCA pool working on sighting did the trick.

I was a little dizzy and out of it when I got out of the water and given the cramps there was no telling what my blood glucose would be… 99. Well, that’ll work. I had been running low all night before the race, so I was concerned how I would do in the swim. I was around 65 when I woke up and cut some off my planned bolus for breakfast. By 6:30, I was comfortably up around 200. I ate one GU before the start without a bolus and unhooked my pump for the swim. I nearly dropped too far, but it worked out and I was good to go.

After testing 99 and just about to head off on a 112 mile ride followed by a marathon, I did something crazy… a 5.8 unit insulin shot. I was following an insulin plan from THE MAN Cliff Scherb which included a shot in transition 1 followed by decreased basal rates through the day. The plan worked perfectly and Type 1 Diabetes was barely a factor in my day.

Off on the bike. I instantly felt the affects of the leg cramps. My calves were tight and never fully loosened up. I just couldn’t get comfortable. The bike course at IMAZ is a 3 loop out and back course. It’s a long gradual up hill on the way out and a long gradual downhill on the way back. On the first lap the light wind was in my face and made for slow going. It changed around for the last two laps, but wasn’t bad at all. Flat courses always sound good, but it means you will be PEDALING. No coasting here.

So, there I am cruising along on my second lap out to the turn around. I had a decent swim and with my projected bike time, I’ll have no problem getting under my 14 hour goal. ”I got this, no problem”. I had just stared in on a Powerbar and was sitting up with my right-hand on the horn and took a bite. The next thing I know, I hit a road reflector (they stick up about an inch and run along the white and yellow lines). I remember seeing my front wheel go 90 degrees and bam! I was on the ground.

Oh. My. God. Did that just happen? It’s amazing how quickly you can go from riding a bike to being on the pavement. I took stock of my injuries. A scrape on the palm of my hand left hand. Scrapes and cuts on my left forearm including a dime size… let’s call it a… hole near my elbow. Oh my. Scrapes and cuts near my left knee. Bleeding, but not bad. I skidded on my pump, but it appeared to be fine. Dexcom was fine too. Didn’t hit my head and didn’t tear my shorts. Ok. The bike? I completely expected to see the front wheel bent, but it and everything else appeared perfectly ok. Back on the bike I went. I held my hand over the "hole” and it quickly clotted, so I was good to go there. Holy Hell. Did that really just happen? My day could’ve been over. DONE. Whew. This happened around mile 48. I missed the first aid at the 50-ish mile aid station, so I rode onto the turn around (mile 55 or so) and stopped and had an EMT – who happened to have Type 1 Diabetes – wrap my left forearm. Strangely enough I felt better after the wreck than I did before and now I was even more determined to push on and finish this thing.

My bike split was 6:41:02. I expected to be a bit faster, but given the nature of the course and the fact that I freakin’ wrecked(!) the time was fine and still gave me plenty of time to finish and possibly still get under 14 hours.

I got through the bike-to-run transition quickly and headed out for the marathon. I felt good initially and was running right at my normal easy pace (a little under 10:00/mile), but I quickly realized that it was far more painful to walk than it was to run. This was going to be a problem. You always think during these types of events that if all else fails, I’ll just be able to walk. Now, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do that. The leg cramps during the swim were seriously affecting me now. The run course consists of three 8.7 mile loops around Tempe Town Lake. I was able to run most of the first lap. When I stopped at the aid stations, it hurt to walk. My calves were painfully tight and made walking difficult. The second lap had about half and half running and walking and soon I realized that I would be faced with a 8.7 mile walk to the finish. Hello "dark place”. Once I passed the finish area and saw Mindy and all of the awesome Insulindependence support crew I headed off for what would be a very long walk. I’m not a speed walker, so figuring out how to walk quickly and keep moving was not easy. I found that I could keep up a 15:00/mile pace if I really tried. This is the point, where I just wanted to stop. Seriously. All I wanted to do was stop moving. This is where the mental side takes over and you just keep going. Do. Not. Stop.

With a few miles to go, I met up with a guy from L.A. who was also walking due to some back issues. I’m a talker during races, so it was nice to match pace with somebody to pass the time and get out of the "dark place”. With about a mile to go, I told him that I needed to run a bit and get myself together for the finish. You HAVE to run the finish shoot. ;-)

At a little after 9:15 pm, I made the final turn onto Rio Salado Parkway to head to the finish. I managed to see Mindy (I have a bad history of this) and high-fived the IN group and others in the crowd and heard those amazing words – "You are an Ironman”.

I battled leg cramps during the swim. I wrecked my bike. I could barely walk the marathon, but I did it. I am an Ironman.

★★★Carly Johnson: Ironman World Championships Race Report

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:53:07 GMT

Ironman World Championship, October 13, 2012

Training for another ironman 12 weeks after Lake Placid was more mentally tough than physically. There were days I was motivated and other days I just wanted to skip the workout and crawl into bed. With a little help from my friends and coach, I got through it. Ironman is mental game, our brain constantly trying to impose limits. I was ready to reach beyond those limits and compete in the World Championship with only 1 ironman under my belt. I wasn't going to skip a workout because I was tried, I wasn't going to give up. I also wasn't going to allow myself to slack off in my day to day duties as a mother and at my part-time job. It was a huge balancing act. I arrived in Kona 6 days before the race so I could adjust to the 6 hour time change. I booked the trip with Endurance Sports Travel (EST) which was absolutely amazing. They made the trip so enjoyable and helpful for all of us. I met a lot of great athletes and had opportunities to preview some of the course before the race.

Race Day: Normal wake up at 3:30 am, only difference in my race morning routine was time I was able to give shout to my friends in NY. This got me pumped and ready to enjoy the day. One of the girls I met, also traveling with EST, had done Kona a couple times so she knew exactly where to go in the morning and which bathroom had the shortest line. Walking around transition was unreal. Passing by Crowie and wishing him luck, and seeing all the amazing athletes made this experience epic. Then looking beyond transition, the cameras, crowds of people, helicopters over head, it definitely was a celebrity moment.

Swim: After the pros started, the crowd of age-groupers lined up to pass over the timing mat. I was hesitant to enter the water knowing I would have to tread water for about 10 minutes. My friend, Sandy, suggested that we swim out to the left and hang on to one of the kayaks. It turned out to be a 6 man canoe and I was able to get a spot right in the front after repositioning several times. Next thing I knew I saw people swimming, no cannon, no loud noise so I just went. I wish I could say that only the beginning was like a washing machine but it wasn't until the turn around where things started to thin out. When I would occasionally site, I could see that I was positioned in the middle and I always made sure I was trailing behind someone. The conditions were rough, just as they had been for a couple of days leading up to the race. I could feel my body ride the waves and almost every other breath was a face filled with water, just hoping the next one would be a full breath. Done in 1:15

Bike: Onto my favorite leg. Once I exited transition, the crowd was about 5 people deep. I hear an announcer, "Carly Johnson from Yorktown Heights, NY." I gave a cheer and a fist pump, absorbing the energy from the crowd. The first couple miles were a little out and back through town, then I was out on the Queen K Highway for the rest of the 100+ miles. At around mile 20 it started, those notorious winds that I kept hearing about. They were coming at me sideways, preventing me from riding aero. As I passed though a water station, a guy in front of me completely toppled over from the wind. This was happening way too early. I could also start feeling the heat radiating off the lava rock and sun beating down on my shoulders. Once I reached Hapuna Beach, the wind died down a bit. It wasn't until mile 50 where I started getting a headwind on the climb to Hawi, and then again the last 20-30 miles. Through the wind, I just had to make sure my heart rate and power was where it needed to be. The last 20 miles of the bike I felt like I was done. A guy next to me, coming back into town, asked if I was ready to run a marathon. I wanted nothing more than to start crying. I did not want to run a marathon, not even a mile. But....I wasn't going to give up. I got my run gear and headed out. Bike done in 6 hours flat.

Run: From the first to the last step, it hurt. It wasn't an injury hurt, just a tired leg hurt which I experience many nights waitressing after a long day of training. It was all too familiar. I just had to suck it up and keep moving. I was hot too...suck it up and keep moving. Mile 10 I saw my family which got me pumped up. It was a different feeling from Lake Placid. I was out there playing with the big boys, which was amazing, but I missed seeing my friends, who would normally be there to give me a high five or exchange a quick hello. I hit mile 20 and I knew this is when the race starts, it was time to pick it up aside from all the aches and pains. As I entered town, the people lined the streets. I could hear Mike Riley echoing through the streets. The end was almost here. I just had to keep it together and not start balling down the shoot. I rounded the corner for the last stretch. It was the most amazing feeling as I was running down the ironman carpet at the World Championship. I fist pumped and cheered with the crowd. 11:18 and I crossed that finish line. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think this would happen. In 2009, I did my first triathlon with a borrowed bike and wetsuit and no swimming background. A year later, completed my first Olympic and half. Then last year getting the crazy idea to do an ironman. Barefoot and pregnant, changing diapers and chasing two kids to completing the Ironman World Championship all in 5 years. Hmmm...what's next?

Carly Johnson: Kona Bound!!! and 4th in AG at IM Lake Placid!!!!

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:09:19 GMT

Ironman Lake Placid, July 22, 2012

For the past year, there hadn't been a day that passed where I didn't think about ironman. I went up last year to volunteer at the finish line and mentally prepared for the long road ahead. It was that trip where I met my coach, Cliff Scherb and I knew he was the right coach to guide me through this adventure. After watching the swim start, the anxiety started building for the following year. How could over 2200 people start at the same time without getting knocked out and kicked in the ribs?
My training went as planned with Coach. Every workout had a purpose, it was all quality not quantity. The last couple weeks were tough but I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. One of the most important components of my training was practicing the exact nutrition regimen that I would be using on race day, and learning precisely how many calories to take in per hour, along with proper salt intake.
Race Day: After only 3 hours of sleep I woke up at 4am and did my normal race day breakfast routine. I left at 5:15 to head to transition. My bike and gear were all ready there so I just had to drop off the special needs bags for my bike and run.
6:50: Pros started and 10 minutes until the 2500+ age groupers start. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I ran into my good friend who was all fired up and had a starting strategy for us. His energy calmed me right down and I was ready to start my adventure.
7:00: Off we go! It was a slow, head out of the water, swim, just trying to get away from all the people. I went as far on the outside as I possibly could, focusing on long smooth strokes. At the turn, I tried to push closer to the line but I got punched in the eye so I stayed wide the whole swim. It was not worth losing energy trying to swim over or around people. After the first loop, I looked at my watch and my time was 35 min. During the second loop I thought to myself how comfortable I was and how I could swim all day. I was really enjoying it. After the second loop my watch time was 1:12, pretty consistent to my first loop.
8:15: Transition was pretty hilarious. I grabbed my bike bag and headed into the women's tent. Two women assisted me. One was putting on my shoes, and the other my helmet. I just kept saying I got it, I can do it. It was great and I appreciated all their help. As I exited the tent, someone announced my number over a loud speaker and next thing I knew, another person had my bike at the end of the isle. What nice transition service!!!
Bike: I was amped up now, swim was over and was happy to spend some quality time with Shiv. I kept looking at my heart rate and made sure it stayed in zone 2 and lower. Once it even got one beat out of that zone I would stop peddling and wait for it to go down. I had my 3 bottles and salt tabs on the bike. I followed through with my nutrition plan and watched my heart rate especially up the hills and I continuously felt good. I swapped out my bottles at special needs once I finished the first loop. Second loop was just as much fun. My bike split was 5:57.
Run: Bike to run transition was just as crazy. One volunteer was spraying me with my aerosol sunscreen, while another was putting on my sneakers. Starting the run I was just thinking about pacing myself and controlling my heart rate. Within the first couple miles, I met a new friend and we both agreed we would help each other out over the next 26.2 miles. We chatted for over 15 miles which made the time go by quicker and the pain not as bad. At mile 18 I hit the wall, the fun was over and I was ready to be done. I was sick of the gels and the thought of another made my stomach turn. Around mile 20, I overheard two ladies rave about the chicken broth. I figured at this point it wouldn't hurt so I had a cup at the next aid station. It was fantastic, everything I needed. Mile 21 started the hills back into town and my legs couldn't handle running them. I power walked up the first but once I saw the oval at the top of the second hill I knew I only had less than 2 miles left. The crowd was going crazy so I picked it back up. Coach Cliff was standing at mile 25 and was reading all his info from his iPad. He told me I had a couple in front of me and I had to pick it up. Coach's order so I gave it everything I had to come in and finish strong. The crowd in the oval was amazing, all I could do was cry. I have been thinking about my finish for the last year, cartwheel...might hurt myself, dance to the finish...don't know how well those hips could move after 140.6 miles, so I just cried. I had no idea what my time was so when I saw 11:08 on the clock, I was amazed. I couldn't believe it. One of the best days of my life. What made it so great were all the people up there to support me before, during, and after the race. From friends helping my husband watch the kids so he could support me, to a great friend helping me gather myself after the race and all the cheering the ENTIRE day; it was an amazing day.
I finished 4th in my age group out of 104, 20th female and 181 out of 2556 overall.
A very special thank you to Coach Cliff for believing in me (he even said in February I was Kona bound, thought he was crazy) and all the awesome, kick butt workouts to prepare 100% for this race.
Kona, here I come!!!

Joey Dussich: 11th in AG @ IM Lake Placid. 'I ran a 3:30 marathon...my stand alone was 3:35! ..PR'd the course by 21min!

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 03:49:53 GMT

Ironman Lake Placid 2012- Joey Dussich A race report displaying the genius of Coach Cliff: This would be my 4th time Racing Ironman Lake Placid. My 3rd time as a TriStar Athlete. I had completed LP in 08’, 09’ and ’10…Last year; my wife and I welcomed our son, Little Joey, into the world, thus my hiatus from Ironman racing. I decided this year, that I was going to take on Lake Placid again…and I wanted to make it count! Who better to get you there than Coach Cliff? Since being coached by Cliff…I went from an 11:30 to a 10:54 (1st year) and a 10:31(2nd year)...I was excited to see where he could take me this year…and with less training, since I wanted to be a good Dad and husband as well…at least as good as I could be. Cliff optimized all the time I had available and my numbers improved as the season went on. After a successful season leading up to the race and utilizing Coach Cliff’s testing facility, he put together a race plan for me. I was ready to put it to good use! Swim: The start of the swim at Lake Placid is always pretty scary. I have always seated myself wide right, but near the front…this year was not much different…maybe a little closer to the left…but I was out front. The weeks leading up to the race, I was dealing with foot cramps while swimming, so this weighed heavily on my mind…after some nice bumping and shoving before the start…BOOM! Cannon goes off and we are on the way…I push hard the 1st 400 yards or so and notice I am getting a lot of my own water…but as I look back, I am def not alone….I hit the 1st turn buoy feeling pretty good and on the way back I find my rhythm…I felt good early on the swim, which is a bit unusual for me…takes me a bit to warm up. I exit the 1st loop around 29 min…I jump back in and wham, a bit of a hammy cramp…no biggie…keep going…still feeling good on the 2nd loop, I exit the water at 59:25…perfect…I wanted to be under an hour! Bike: After a faster T1 than in the past (stayed in one outfit the whole day), I was off on the bike…This would be the 1st race I do with a Power Tap…and our strategy was based around it…I settle in, let the HR drop and watch my power numbers…I was feeling good…I had practiced my nutrition diligently over the past year, so I watched the clock and got ready to start fueling…at 15 min, the process began. I switched to Infinit Nutrition this year in the hopes of finally beating my stomach stitch and simplifying things…it had worked at Syracuse 70.3, hopefully it still holds. First part of the loop was nothing special…got caught up in some packs of riders that messed with my pacing a bit, but tried to stay in my own race. As we hit the turn around at Ausuable forks, I felt the head wind coming on already…not a good sign…historically, the winds pick up in LP on the 2nd loop…they had started a loop too early…and then the sun decided to join in on the fun. The climb back to town was steady…I was really metering out my effort and sticking to the plan…no matter how slow it may have felt…trying to keep my Hr below or around 149 and watching my power numbers...I hit town and special needs around 2 hours 42 min…re-load at special needs and away I went. I felt good and went back out on the 2nd loop…still steady as she goes, the heat was really coming on….and the wind was getting stronger. Nutrition was working, but Legs were feeling it a bit more now and the heat and wind were beginning to take its toll on me…I wanted off the bike…the 2nd climb back to town was a much harder, but again...I stuck to my plan and trusted what Cliff had laid out for me…I wanted to be as fresh as I could be for the marathon. That hammy cramp that I had during the swim was speaking to me the whole bike and my feet were hurting a bit…I was curious as to how my body was going to hold up as the heat kept cooking us. I enter town, happy to see the family and friends and ready to run…Bike time: 5:32 After a quicker T2, again, same outfit,- I was off on the run…immediately I felt the pain in the balls of my feet that I was hoping wouldn’t surface…I occasionally get stabbing pains in my sesamoids (those little bones in balls of your feet in line with the big toe), and it is a real bother…I try not to think of it and fall into pace…7:20’s, 7:30’s…steady as she goes…I know the 1st part is downhill…got to keep the HR and pace in check…begin fueling and here is where I will share my trick into eliminating my stomach stitch…drink full Dixie cups of water…in the past I took a gel with little bits of water and got crushed by stomach cramps…now, with the Infinit concentrated in a gel flask, each sip was followed by a full cup of water…No stitch! Finally!!! 7 years of racing it took me to figure that out :) I keep running and head back to town…pace ok, HR ok, climbing, but ok…feet in excruciating pain…I try to just keep altering my gate…the run back to town is brutal…the heat is intense…like an oven…I am putting ice cubes in my hat and drinking water…also taking a salt pill every hour…re-load with a second flask at special needs…and I’m off again. I see my family and Coach Cliff at the turn around on Mirror Lake and all I can say is, "its really hot!”…I am hurting, but need to push on…I just wished my feet would stop hurting so bad…every single step felt like the balls of my feet were being hit with a hammer. Head down, I go back out for some more. The second loop is where you really start seeing the carnage…people puking, collapsing…its no joke out there…at mile 18, something I did not plan for happens…I run out of nutrition! What now? Can I make it back with nothing? I start utilizing the aid stations…everyone…perform and water…even tried coke…anything to get me back…this is also the part of the race that I am supposed to, and I quote, "Release the Hounds”…I try, the hounds come out for a bit and then go back into the dog house because it is too hot for them. The run back to town is a joke…the hill by the gas station might as well be a wall…I shuffle up, clocking off the minutes and re-establishing my goals…I see my family by the finishing chute before I do the last out and back on mirror lake and I cant even smile…I push up, hit the turn around, see my son, tell him I love him, see Cliff, say something in gibberish…and race for the finish…I hit the oval and can’t wait to get to the end! I round the bend and see my brothers standing there screaming…I look up finally and head to the finish…10:10:18…ran a 3:30 marathon…my pure marathon pr was 3:35 and I pr’d the course by 21 minutes…44th overall, 11th in my AG…I see my wife, fall into her arms and know that I left it all out there. Since starting with Cliff, I have knocked an hour and 20 min off my time. He is the man! Now its time to get ready for Vegas…then another IM hiatus…we’re expecting a little girl this time :)

Don Gervais: Ironman Lake Placid - 'I could not have done it without the great coaching, race prep and rehearsed execution of Joanna. A day I will never forget.'

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:36:15 GMT

Don's Ironman Lake Placid 2012

Pre-race

I drove up on Thursday afternoon to Lake Placid, NY and went over to the athlete check-in first thing Friday morning. The days leading up to the race are filled with a few short swims, bikes or runs and trying to stay off your feet as much as possible. Friday and Saturday were no different. After checking in all my gear Saturday afternoon I headed back to my hotel for a good nap and then an early pre race dinner (penne pasta and bread) but not so big as to be " the last supper" (as Joanna put it). I took a last walk after dinner and then it was back to the hotel to prepare all my nutrition for the race. It was now 9 pm and time for some sleep before the 4am wake up.

Race Day

The sound of the alarm woke me up and I felt pretty good having gotten close to six hours of shut eye. I had my usual pre-race breakfast consisting of a bagel with peanut butter, one banana, small cup of coffee and a sports drink with an extra 600 calories added to it. I soon headed down to the Olympic oval and loaded bottles and salts on my bike and the others in a bag I could get at the half way portion of the bike. I did the same with the bottles and salts for the run. I then walked over to the lake, about 400 yards from the transition area, with cap, goggles and wetsuit in hand. As I walked, I thought about my race plan which Joanna and I had discussed. It boiled down to three phrases which would stick with me for the day: 1. Execute My Strategy 2. Problem Solve and 3. Never Give In. It was now 6:20 am.

The swim

Most of the other 2900 athletes were now over at the lake and the crowd was starting to fill the entire shore line. I put on my wetsuit, cap and goggles, had my first gel of the day and in the water I went for a little warm up and the anxious ten minutes of treading water. The swim start of Ironman Lake Placid is a mass start of all 2900 athletes at once. This is full contact swimming designed to test your nerve and I mentally got myself ready to get hit, bumped and kicked for 2.4 miles. The swim is a two loop course which has you exit the water after one loop for a 5 yard run over the timing mat and then back into the washing machine for lap 2. I now swim closer to the starting line, better to be the aggressor than get swam over. The butterflies in my stomach now feel like birds and then BOOM, the cannon goes off and it is on. Immediately I am kicked and hit and after 500 yards my goggles are pushed so hard by someone's heel into my eye socket I had to stop and pull them out with both hands. I settled back into a good rhythm with modest contact but then after the turn back to the shore my goggles are off my eyes from another heel. I am now nearing the shore line and exit the water, check my watch, 30 min and 30 seconds for lap one, back in for the lap two. The second lap was more of the same contact. I soon make the turn for the final leg to shore and exit the water. 2.4 mile swim time: 1:02:49. (almost spot on from my 2009 race)

The bike

I quickly get my wetsuit off and run the few hundred yards to the transition area. The crowds are awesome and I see many friends cheering me on as I run to start the bike. I make quick work of getting my helmet, glasses and cycling shoes on and then out of the changing tent. I grab my bike, run out of transition, and start the 112 mile ride. The bike course is a two loop 56 mile track with over 5000 feet of elevation gain. As I start the ride I am thinking Execute Your Strategy, don't get caught up in the hammer fest of some riders early on and be patient! I can hear Joanna saying, be patient. As I ride the first group of hills out of town I am getting past by many riders, I keep thinking to myself, just execute and ride your race. We soon hit the big 7 mile down hill which drops you down into the valley. This is one crazy descent with many S curves where you hit speeds close to 50 mph. I would soon start to pass people but only on the flats or smaller down hills. I am riding well and feeling good. I soon make the turn and start the 12 mile climb back to town. Again, I am getting past by some racers who are standing and pushing hard up the hills. Execute, execute, execute. I say over and over again to myself. I hit town after the 2500 feet of climbing and I grab three more nutrition bottles. Lap one down in 2:56.

The second lap started out the same on the early hills and big descent, but as soon as I hit the flats I could start to feel the heat as the valley was getting hot. To make matters worse, a stiff wind had developed which was right in your face for the better part of the second loop. I kept thinking, just execute your strategy, don't push harder because of the wind. I soon found myself passing many of the early riders who hammered the first loop of the bike. As I hit mile 90 on the bike I could start to feel the ride in my legs. The winds were really bearing down on me in the hills but I stayed patient and knew everyone else was facing the same conditions so the times would begin to slow. As I reached the top of the last hill, mile 110, I could not wait to get off my bike! I hit town, the crowds were big and the cheering again really energized me. I entered the bike finishing shoot. 112 mile bike time: 6:01:06, just about 19 mph. (11 minutes slower than 2009)

The Run

I quickly grabbed my run gear and put on a new pair of socks, running shoes, visor and sun glasses. I put my salt bag in my shirt pocket and had GPS watch in hand. As I exited the tent I saw some friends cheering me on and it felt great. I quickly picked up the gps signal with my watch so I could get good pacing under way. The run course is also a two loop marathon where the first 2 miles are down hill and then a long out and back along a river road with a few modest hills thrown in for good measure. I was running fast those first few miles, but expected to do so to take advantage of the descent. As I approached mile 3, I could feel something was wrong and I hit the port-a-John. As a result, I could see I was very dehydrated from the bike and didn't get enough fluids. I thought about what Joanna and I had discussed, "when something goes wrong, Problem solve to fix it, the race is long enough to adjust." I knew I would never rehydrate but I could maintain my current level with out depleting my body further to early in the run. I decided to slow my pace by 30 seconds and walk for 30 seconds every aid station to drink plenty of fluids. I also decided to ramp up my salt in take to 8 capsule an hour from 6 to stop the loss from sweat.

It was now 2:30pm and in the mid 80s with some clouds rolling in from time to time but mostly I was on an exposed road with no shade. I also decided to increase my gels to 3 an hour as I was feeling low and needed more calories. At mile 9 I hit the first of two steep hills back into town and it was painful shuffling up it. Again, I thought to myself, execute, running hard up the hills is wasted energy. I worked the flats and rolling sections to get my average pace higher. As I approached mile 12 and the second steep hill of the run, my legs were starting to feel the day, but I was making good time, my dehydration felt no worse and I was passing many runners. As I hit town, the crowds were amazing and it gave me a huge lift. Complete strangers would cheer you on and push you to keep going. First run loop time: approximately 1:53.

As I made the turn to start the second loop, I took a huge breath and thought to myself, one more time back into the belly of the beast. The second half of the marathon is where you truly find out what you got. I had been racing for a little over 9 hours (covered 127 miles) and the course gets very lonely about 1/2 mile out of town. I stopped to quickly get my extra bag of salt capsules and off I went. The 2 miles down hill were good and I was moving well. I allowed myself to still walk for about 20 seconds at each aid station but knew I needed to push my pace. My goal was to now run faster between each aid station, which are about a mile or so apart. The pain in my body was getting worse but I just tried to make peace with it and move forward. As I neared mile 20, I was suffering more than ever before. You reach a point in the ironman race where your body doesn't want to go and you have to go to those deep dark corners to keep on pushing. "Never Give In!" I thought. I decided it was time to start drinking cola at every aid station and to push my pace for the final 6 miles. I hit the first steep hill and shuffled along but then starting running at 7:40 pacing along the flats and pushing harder. Again I walked for 20 or 30 seconds at the next station but again pushed my pace. As I approached town the cheering was unbelievable and the crowd was a huge boost. I had 2 miles left and one big hill. "Everything you got" I said to myself and as I neared the top of the last hill I began to push harder. I would run a 7:35 final mile. As I made the turn and started heading toward the Olympic oval I could hear the announcer declaring people Ironman. My pace quickened and soon I found myself in the finishing shoot inside the oval with the crowds roaring. Goose bumps came over me as I heard the announcer declare "Don Gervais, You Are an Ironman!". As I crossed the finish line I let out a huge scream. Marathon run time: 3:45:23 (33 minutes faster than 2009).

Total finish time for the 140.6 miles: 10:57:05. 21 minutes faster than 2009! My efforts placed me 152nd out of 2896 (100 places better than 2009) and 31st in my age group out of 327. I could not have done it without the great coaching, race prep and rehearsed execution of Joanna. A great day I will never forget.

Matt Art: Griskus Olympic, 2hr 14min, 3rd AG and 17th Overall - Just weeks after Rev3 Half

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 19:50:25 GMT

My nerves were totally frayed leading into this race. I had bigger expectations than previous years, and qualifying for the AGNC’s was key to achieving my race goals for the year. My wife helped diffuse them, by reminding me that I’d qualified the last two years, and that I was much better trained this year. Still, my mind was playing tricks on me. Because the swim start felt so awful two-weeks ago at Rev3, I decided to warm up by running shortly and a good swim with some pickups to get the blood flowing. Twenty minutes later it would be time to race. The swim start felt way better than Rev3, but it was a fray to say the least. Lots of jostling in the first 200 yards, but I found some feet and got a decent draft into more open water. I am still plagued by inefficiency on the swim, and had to let that precious draft go to let my HR and breathing settle. After composing myself, I focused on strong long strokes and a good kick. I was nowhere near any opportunity to draft. I stayed focused and pushed to finish hard. The first six miles of the bike course are really fast. For three miles it’s slightly downhill and flat and the next three miles descend to the lowest course point. It’s a screaming fast turn-filled descent that gets the adrenaline running (especially when you forget to re-clamp the front caliper). With the HR low still low, I took in a bottle before the climbs to come. I felt pretty solid for the first three miles up out of the cellar, I picked off a bunch of people and the legs felt decent up the first few steeper grades. Around mile nine something didn’t feel right. I was pushing it up a gradual grade, but the bike was just not responding. Did I flat? Nope. Were the rear brakes rubbing? Nope. What is going on? Then it hit me, fatigue from Rev3 HIM two-weeks ago was still in my legs. At least it wasn’t a flat…so, with the internal governor switched on, I knew this wasn’t going to be my best bike. Around mile 16 I got absolutely smoked by another 30-34, and I tried to catch him for a mile or so, but he was gone. I didn’t have that extra register, and I was not about to go into the pain cave without my best bike-legs underneath me. By this point I was by myself, and unusually for a 40K, I just wanted off the bike. I was fired up to run. The two-loop run course sets up so nicely for a fast run because there is only one hill, and it comes at you near miles 2 and 5. I got the feet moving real quickly out of the gate, down the hill I leaned forward and let gravity do it’s thing. My pace was faster than I had planned, but I felt like I might just be able to hold it. Leaders started passing on the return of loop one, and I was keeping a mental tally of my place, best estimate of 20 or so in front of me with no idea how many in my AG. High-cadence was my focus in the flats below the hill, I felt efficient and fast and knew I had an opportunity for a strong run. I felt great even as my HR spiked going up the hill, I was able to immediately turn it up at the top and my HR settled quickly. I saw my wife and girls at the turn-around; I love that part of the race, better energy than any fuel. Now time to repeat the loop, and let it rip. I was starting to fatigue pushing the final hill, but with less than a mile to go I was able to gut it out and crank it up on the flats to the finish. I crossed the line in 2:14 claiming third in the AG and 13th OA. Checking the splits when I got home, I noticed a nice little 2:00 min addition to my final time…my first race penalty, which is most likely the result of a rear bottle ejection right in front of the official, ouch. The final result was 3rd AG / 17th OA.

Carly Johnson: Eagleman Half Iron: 4th Place! 25th Woman OA. A 23min PR!!!!

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 19:21:04 GMT

Eagleman 70.3, June 10, Cambridge, MD

Race start for the 30-34 females, 8th wave as at 7:42. I woke up at 4:45, had some coffee, coconut water and cream of rice and I was off to the race.

I got to the race at 5:50, body marked, set up transition then it was time to head over to the start. The weather had been warm recently, and in previous few years for this event the water temp was above 76.1, so I thought for sure this would be a no wetsuit swim. however, I lucked out and temp was 75, so I wore my sleeveless wetsuit. The high for the day was 93 degrees.

The swim was a floating start, which I prefer. The mad dash to the water always seems to cause a bit of anxiety for me. I started out on the far side of the starting line, away from the cluster of women in my wave. I was in straight line for the 2nd buoy and tried to stay behind someone faster then me. It was 275 yards to the first buoy so I swam hard to that point then focused on staying long and strong until the end. Out of the water my watch read 32 minutes. I was happy, that's a pretty consistent swim time for me.

On to the bike, where I had 3 bottles with 250 calories of carbo pro in each mixed with a nuun or a Hammer fizz. My goal was to finish a bottle in 45 min, which I kept on target. At 2 of the water stations, I grabbed water, squirted it on my legs and neck to cool me down then drank the rest. I was feeling great, so great I let out a couple tears of excitement. All along I had my Garmin 910 turned toward the inside of my wrist. At mile 44, I accidentally hit lap and it started timing my T2 time. At this point I could only go by RPE. I continued to feel great right back to transition.

The first mile of the run I wasn't feeling so hot. I could feel all the fluids in my stomach moving around. After mile 1, I was able to have some relief and started feeling great. At the turn around I pasted 2 women in my AG and started getting emotional again. I drank water at every station and poured ice every where I possibly could. Mile 10, I passes the next woman in my AG. Last mile or so I had enough to empty the tank and pick up the pace and finish strong. Once I passed the finish I had no idea what my time was. I checked my Garmin and saw 4:52. The tears were pouring. A PR by 23 minutes. It was a flat and fast course but hot and windy. I was so happy! I placed 4th in my AG and 25th woman overall.

Thank you Coach Cliff for helping me meet my goals!!
Eagleman 70.3, June 10, Cambridge, MD

Race start for the 30-34 females, 8th wave as at 7:42. I woke up at 4:45, had some coffee, coconut water and cream of rice and I was off to the race.

I got to the race at 5:50, body marked, set up transition then it was time to head over to the start. The weather had been warm recently, and in previous few years for this event the water temp was above 76.1, so I thought for sure this would be a no wetsuit swim. however, I lucked out and temp was 75, so I wore my sleeveless wetsuit. The high for the day was 93 degrees.

The swim was a floating start, which I prefer. The mad dash to the water always seems to cause a bit of anxiety for me. I started out on the far side of the starting line, away from the cluster of women in my wave. I was in straight line for the 2nd buoy and tried to stay behind someone faster then me. It was 275 yards to the first buoy so I swam hard to that point then focused on staying long and strong until the end. Out of the water my watch read 32 minutes. I was happy, that's a pretty consistent swim time for me.

On to the bike, where I had 3 bottles with 250 calories of carbo pro in each mixed with a nuun or a Hammer fizz. My goal was to finish a bottle in 45 min, which I kept on target. At 2 of the water stations, I grabbed water, squirted it on my legs and neck to cool me down then drank the rest. I was feeling great, so great I let out a couple tears of excitement. All along I had my Garmin 910 turned toward the inside of my wrist. At mile 44, I accidentally hit lap and it started timing my T2 time. At this point I could only go by RPE. I continued to feel great right back to transition.

The first mile of the run I wasn't feeling so hot. I could feel all the fluids in my stomach moving around. After mile 1, I was able to have some relief and started feeling great. At the turn around I pasted 2 women in my AG and started getting emotional again. I drank water at every station and poured ice every where I possibly could. Mile 10, I passes the next woman in my AG. Last mile or so I had enough to empty the tank and pick up the pace and finish strong. Once I passed the finish I had no idea what my time was. I checked my Garmin and saw 4:52. The tears were pouring. A PR by 23 minutes. It was a flat and fast course but hot and windy. I was so happy! I placed 4th in my AG and 25th woman overall.

Thank you Coach Cliff for helping me meet my goals!!

Kate Bruck: To turn PRO for the 2012 Season: Rev3 Knoxville Race Report

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:23:40 GMT

It’s not often that you do a race where the race director is just as excited about your finish (and every other athlete’s finish) as you are…enter Rev3 Knoxville. My sister, husband, friends and I chose to do the race in Knoxville because we figured it would be a good early-season race to get ready for 2012 racing. I had done the South Beach Tri a month prior, but was very sick and so I still didn’t have a good indicator of where my fitness was. I left South Beach feeling defeated; I wanted an opportunity to really lay it out on the course feeling 100% healthy and give it all I had.

We arrived in Knoxville on Friday morning and got checked into the Holiday Inn Worlds Fair, which was within steps of the finish line/expo, yay! We went down to get registered for the race, ran into Gilad Jacobs from Normatec and some other friends and then headed out for dinner. Driving through Knoxville that evening, it was evident that this was not going to be a flat race!!!

We got our bikes ready on Saturday morning (day before race) and then headed down to the river for the practice swim. Water temperature was said to be 66 degrees, which meant wetsuits would be a must if you wanted to feel your arms and legs while swimming. With the air temps in the mid to high 80s, we were sweating buckets before we could even get the wetsuits half way on! I dove in, starting block style and WOW IT WAS CHILLY!!! After a nice 15-minute swim, the water felt fine and actually a bit refreshing. We headed towards transition, checked in our bikes and then drove out to the local bike store to pick up some last minute items.

Sunday morning came way too soon after a 3.5 hour "nap” on Saturday night. I had breakfast—two pieces of gluten-free white bread toasted with almond butter and honey. I have been dealing with some GI issues and therefore have given a go at a gluten-free diet, which seems to quiet my stomach on race morning. I didn’t feel very nervous; it seems that my race-day anxiety has hushed to nothing more than a whisper, which makes it a lot easier to concentrate on the task ahead of me! We headed down to transition, which was in a parking garage. Going over logistics, it appeared we would have quite a run from the swim to transition and then from transition to bike mount- all on slippery concrete and boat docks! Although, once I was racing both of these distances proved to be less challenging and slippery than what I had anticipated, yay!

After getting my transition area set up, my sister, husband and I made our way towards the swim start in the Tennessee River. Since we were starting an hour behind the pros, we were able to see all of the pro men and most of the pro women come in from the swim and start the bike before we had to walk down to the river, which is always so exciting!!

Our wave was called into the water and we waded for a very short period before the gun went off for our wave. I had enough time to catch my breath from the chill and do maybe ten or 15 strokes down the river- not much of a warm up, but would have to do!! My constant struggle with open water swimming is finding feet from which to draft. The gun went off and I started digging really hard. I chose to put myself front and center for the start, which proved to be a gutsy move as it was a little fierce there in the beginning 200 or so yards. Elbows, punches (unclear whether they were intentional or not), etc.- another thing that having a few seasons under my belt has helped with- the aggressive behavior no longer intimidates me. I tried and was somewhat successful in hanging onto some feet for a draft until the pace was too slow and moving on to the next one. Once we hit the turnaround, however, I was never able to regain a good draft and found myself alone for about the last 2/3 of the swim leg. Oh well, this is a big improvement from seasons past when I couldn’t seem to find a draft for the whole swim! My arms never really seemed to regain feeling and I found my upper body locking up at times as I navigated up and then down river. I really had no expectations of what my swim time should be as most of my early season training has been so bike-focused. I hit the dock in the high 22 min, which I felt was pretty on par for the effort I had put in so far. I ran through transition pulling and tugging at my Orca Alpha, which just didn’t seem to want to part with me! Argh- the dang thing just wouldn’t come off!

Grabbing my helmet, sunglasses and bike I quickly exited transition and ran like hell towards the bike mount having no idea where I was in overall placement. Out on the bike course, I remained very focused on the watts that Coach Cliff had set forth for me. I found the course to be great, with lots of rollers and some really good climbs—although the rollers made it kind of difficult to keep within the wattage range that I desired. It was evident that on this day, I was the passer, not the one being passed! I have been working hard on my bike and felt like it was finally starting to show. As I neared a familiar backside, I passed my husband and he shouted out "I think you are in fourth or fifth place overall!!” as I passed by. Perfect, I just wanted to hold this and make top five overall! I still was averaging about 4-5 watts below what I had hoped for, so I really upped the gas on the pedals for the remainder of the race. I saw the four ladies in front of me as I neared the bike turnaround and was able to confirm my overall placement. As I charged through the last couple miles of the race, I passed the fourth place female charging up a big hill and she hollered out "go get ‘em!” I got a little excited at the thought of possibly making top three overall! As I approached the driveway into the parking garage I took a chance on doing something new (NOTE: DON’T EVER TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY). After a disastrous flying dismount a couple of years ago which left me injured for six weeks, I had kind of abandoned any kind of quick dismount tricks and stuck to leaving my feet in my shoes, thereby having to run through transition in bike shoes ever since that accident. I knew that this was going to be a long run on slippery concrete and doing that run in bike shoes was going to cost me precious time because I would need to run slowly and cautiously. I took the chance and slipped my feet out of my bike shoes pedaling the last couple hundred yards with feet on top of shoes so that I could run much faster in bare feet. It worked!! No crashes!! Victory!!! Off the bike in fourth place overall!!

Socks and running shoes on, I grabbed my hat, race belt and Fuel Belt flask and took off. I had been told that the run portion was "flat and fast”, which did not seem to be the case in my opinion. The run was on one of the greenways that are throughout the City of Knoxville. The greenway had many undulating inclines and declines with an approximate ½ mile big decline at the start of the race (which meant we would be climbing for the last ½ mile of the race). There were enough rollers that it was going to make it more of an effort to maintain a consistent pace. I caught up to the third place female around the first mile marker. It was that point when I really started thinking "just hold onto this, you got this.” With the sun beating down on us and temps hovering somewhere close to 90, I was finding it hard not to feel a bit nauseous with every sip of Ironman Perform- which was unusual for me. As I ran through the miles, my legs went from feeling strong to feeling like they might seize up. I was trying so hard to just hold on and not get passed. I approached the turn around and saw first and second place female and then a pro female that was pacing her male friend- which threw me off for a moment. With about two miles left I tried to pick up the pace and pretty much abandoned the thought of getting anymore Ironman Perform in my system. I started feeling extremely light-headed, which I have to assume was as a result of not having enough calories/hydration. I picked up the pace and turned the corner for the last long climb up to the finish line. It was tough to stay strong, but I approached the finish line and gave it all I had!! I was pretty sure that I had placed third, but I went over to the timing tent to confirm…after a little confusion with another competitor’s timing chip, it was eventually determined that I was indeed third place overall! Shortly after, I saw the race director, Eric, told him my overall placement and he was just as excited as I was!!

It was so great to make it to the podium. I was certainly not expecting to do so well this early in the season; I was just hoping for a PR! Also, my placement was good enough to qualify me to race as a pro! After a good long week of talking with Coach Cliff and weighing the options, I decided to apply for my professional license and received my pro card shortly after! Looking back at the path I have walked these past few years, I feel so blessed and grateful to have this opportunity! I certainly don’t subscribe to the belief that my life thus far has just been dumb luck. I am very excited to see how the rest of the season unfolds for me!

Things that went right/things that I need to improve…well- drafting for 1/3 of the swim race is certainly an improvement, but I need to be better at this. I am hoping that racing in the pro field will lead to less slow bodies that I have to navigate around and therefore can concentrate on just hanging onto whoever is in front of me. I also need to really make sure the first thing I do when I get out of the water is take the wetsuit off, when I am still slippery with water. Waiting until I get to transition to take of the wetsuit is not good for me and costs me time as I wrestle with the wetsuit. My bike went pretty well, but would have liked to have a little more in my legs that day- but this was not my "A” race, so I gave what I had. My run was not great, about: 10-: 15 seconds per mile off of what I had anticipated and I just didn’t have the "pep” in my step like I usually do; I felt "wonky.” However, I have had very little run training, since it has been all about the bike since January, so I guess I cannot complain. One thing that I cannot control, but that I find frustrating is the constant drafting that goes on during the bike leg. It was evident to me (and a couple of the ladies I spoke with) that there were some people who intentionally drafted in order to get a faster bike split and also save their legs so they can run faster off the bike. To those people a scant two-minute penalty (should an official catch you- which they didn’t) is nothing compared to the several minutes you take off your bike split from sharing a draft, not to mention how much faster you run off the bike. To those people, I say— perhaps you ought to stick to some draft-legal ITU racing and you know what they say about karma…

Thank yous…first and foremost—thank you to Foof for being my rock, my manager, my equipment handler, my Sherpa for this trip and most importantly for being my partner in life. None of this would be possible without you! And all of this, plus you had your own great race to do that weekend!! Thank you to my sister, Diane for being so helpful during race weekend and congrats to a great, hard race! Thank you to Rev3—great venue, race logistics went smoothly, great volunteers, AWESOME swag and fantastic crew! To say the least, you all go the extra mile to make each and every athlete feel special and because of that, I will always have Rev3 races on my schedule! Thank you to my FANTASTIC sponsors—Cycles 54 and Breakthrough Nutrition! I feel so incredibly honored to wear your name and promote the business. I am very lucky to have two amazing companies that hold the same beliefs towards life and how to treat people as a major source of support for me! Thank you to Coach Cliff Scherb- without your gift and talent for fantastic coaching, I would never have been able to get this far! And finally- thank you to my healing friends and my cheering/positive/supportive friends—you know who you are and I am eternally grateful to have you in my circle. J Thank you, Universe!

Matt Art: 19th overall at Rev3 Quassy Half! Goes 4:43, 7th in AG

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:07:30 GMT

For anyone looking to race a fair but tough half, this is a great race. The group at Rev 3 puts on world-class event that is seamless. The venue looks great, there have tons of staff and friendly volunteers, aid-stations are in the right place, it all just works, and it is in our back yard.

What a day to race, temps in the high 60s to low 70s, partly cloudy and not a touch of humidity.

I felt better prepared this year, thanks in large part to tristarathletes.com, specifically Cliff Scherb, putting some real focus and volume in my training for the first time since getting involved with triathlon a few years back. After a few months of training hard I was just itching to race...

For a number of reasons the swim felt really slow. Firstly, I went out a little to hard for a little too long trying to find a pack close to the front. I didn't get there and had a hard time recovering to a strong steady pace within the first 750 yards. I had to regroup and re-pace my effort. I went back to work trying to find some feet, but by that time the feet i was finding were the stragglers from the previous 6 waves, and it became a exercise in obstacle avoidance rather than drafting. I came out of the water in 33 and change, motivated to make up for some lost time.

Because the 30-34's went off 35 minutes after the start, the bike course was nice and crowded on the climbs. I love picking people off on the climbs. I tried to stay aggressive but prudent on the front of the hills, and hammer over and down the backsides. At the top of a climb around mile 28 I had some serious trouble getting the chain back up on to the big chain ring, and after a half mile of panic it finally went. I quickly made the decision to keep it there for the rest of the ride, and hoped it wouldn’t haunt me on the run. Luckily the big climbs were behind me and a tailwind would see me back.

I didn't know it at the time, but I had the lead for 30-34 AG coming out of T2. I felt great on the bike and now it was time to get the lead out. I was too focused on quick turnover to hear my family cheering me on. High turnover was the mantra for the first 2.5 miles, just stay efficient, I got my legs back and started pushing it. Then comes the major test of the run, a mile long uphill on dirt. I leaned forward and tried to maintain pace. One of the 35-39 AG’s who had passed me early in the run was in my sights and I focused on reeling him in. Near the top of the hill those familiar twinges in the quads started, time for gel and salt. Around mile 5 I got passed by someone in my AG who was flying, I had to let him go then a couple more, still too fast and too early. Around mile 7 I found the right group to go with. Two guys, one in my AG one older, passed me on a downhill, I kicked it up and kept them close. We regrouped on a climb into mile 8 and were pushing each other. The other guy in my AG was leading the 3 of us, but slowing on the climbs, I knew I had him. Time to race! I just had to pick the right time to open it up. Coming back toward Quassy the crowd packed in the run course, and really fired me up, then turning for the final loop I saw my family "GO, DADDY!"…IGNITION. Then the mantra starts, "this is what you train for!” I bumped the pace and put some distance between us. Two miles of downhill and flats popped up on the watch at 6:22 and 6:36. At the turnaround with 2.5 to go I had put about 20-30 seconds on them. Time to focus again on turnover and stay efficient. Then I heard footsteps coming fast, another 30-34 AG who just blew by me, damn he was cooking. I tried chasing him to the last hellish hill at mile 12, no avail. Last mile up hill, shut up legs, mind over matter. The older guy that I broke from caught me and I yelled at him "I'm coming with you!" The last push, 600 yrds to go my legs were moving as fast as they could. Home free and crushed!

After 5 minutes of staring at my feet, I finally looked at my watch, 4:43 and change...7th AG and 19th OA (not including pros) although I did beat a pro. Time to recover and refocus on Griskus!!!

Chris Budden: "Just getting started..." 1st @ Bethel Crit, 12th Overall Central Park Biathlon!

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 14:01:46 GMT

Blog Post: Just Getting Started!

I came to TriStar in January with two main goals 1.) Get me through my first Ironman in August (IM NYC), 2.) Crush XTERRA World Championships in October. Working around a demanding 60 hour work week, I was willing to make as many adjustments in my training as I could to get there. The only thing I wasn't going to give up was racing along the way, because more than anything, I liked participating, and being part of the lifestyle. So with an ambitious race calendar in hand, I consulted with Coach Cliff, and the journey began... For the first several weeks the training was mostly indoors: treadmills, bike trainers, pool, etc. (its cold here in NY was I wasn't complaining). All purposefull workouts that were well planned out, detailed, and customized. I learned about power, pacing, HR zones, metabolic efficiency, thresholds, stretching, bike fit, etc, and how they each played a role in training.

I had my first race (aka fitness test) of the season in early march, exactly 2 months after my first workout, The Bethel Spring Series (Cat 5), a local weekly Crit series where many of the local roadies test their legs for the first time each season. I wasn't expecting much, just to have fun, mix it up, get some high intestity in. And a few laps in I was doing exactly that, having fun, feeling great, but I could feel that I had a whole other gear in my legs that I'd never felt before. So after a few mid race surges to test them out, I started plotting my move... and as we crossed the line with one lap to go I went to the front and started pushing the pace, I turned around to assess the situation about 20-30 seconds later, and I had broken clean away from the pack. What?!?!? Couldn't believe it. So I decided to put my head down and hammer the rest of the lap...and to my surprise, made it up the hill to the finish line in first place!!! Never was I expecting that. What a great feeling to win a race!!!! And what an eye opening experience it was to clearly illustrate the benefits of training appropriately.

Next up was the March Madness Biathlon in NYC's Central Park. I've done this race for 6 of the last 7 years... This race was actually my first multisport event ever back in 2006, so it had always had a spot on my calendar. In all these years I had never been able to go faster than a 1:06 at this race... Until yesterday. I PR'ed by more than 5 mins with a 1:01, had the fastest bike split of the day by 1 minute, and finished 12th overall!!! I'm still trying to wrap my head around this!

The one certainly in all these early season performance breakthroughs for me, has been working with and learning from Coach Cliff. Its been fun, flexible, and a huge learning experience. And I cannot wait to see where this season takes me... Next on the calendar is the Tour of the Battenkill, will write more after that.

*******Coaches Notes*********

Chris,

This was an awesome attack at Bethel ! Good for you for being patient!

You stayed well under LT for the first 20min and then unleashed hell just above LT Watt for the final 12min with NM power of 358w!!! You even smoked 900+W at the finish! HR got up to 160bpm at the end. This is how you do it brother! Well done.

Coach C

Kate Bruck: 'Break Through Nutrition Signs Elite AG'er Kate Bruck'

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:52:19 GMT

Kihei, HI - Breakthrough Nutrition is has signed elite age group athlete and 2011 Ironman Kona finisher, Kate Bruck as her official sports nutrition sponsor.

Kate has been an athlete all her life. She started competing on the track when she was in third grade and was a competitive swimmer and runner throughout her high school years. College offered a break from competitive sports – "it was just way too much fun, and I didn’t want to mess that up,” she joked. But after graduation, she got back into running. She ran her first marathon in 2002 and began displaying significant improvement in her times. In 2006 she ran the Boston Marathon in 3:15:00, a personal best. From there she moved on to triathlon training in order to fulfill a life long dream of becoming and Ironman.

Like all triathletes, Kate had hopes of one day competing in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI.

"For lots of people who do triathlons, it’s something you dream about,” she said. The event had called to her long before she ever signed up for her first endurance race. She’d been thinking about Kona since fourth grade, when she first saw the international competition broadcast on TV.

"I was mesmerized,” she said. "I was the classic little kid standing in front of the TV with my jaw hanging open.”

After completing her first Ironman in 2007, Kate threw herself into her passion. She quit her job and became a personal trainer which allowed her to focus on her triathlon training. Over the next few years, Kate began to amass quite a resume', placing 4th female overall and 1st in her age group at the 2010 Quassy Rev3 Olympic Distance Triathlon. She followed that up with a 4th place OA female at the Rev3 Costa Rica Olympic Distance Race.

2011 was a breakthrough year for Kate. It was also the year her life long dream of competing in Kona came true. She qualified for the Ironman Championships not once, but TWICE! Her first qualifying race was Eagleman 70.3 where she was 2nd in her AG. Then she set a personal record at Ironman USA where she again placed 2nd in her AG, 16th OA and had the 3rd fastest marathon of the day. But she was not done yet. She wrapped up her season by putting in another breakthrough performance in Kona, placing 10th in her AG and posting a 3:23:00 marathon. She also beat her personal record at the Iron Distance by 16 minutes.

Kate has surrounded herself with a quality team of supporters which includes her husband Rich "Foof" LaGala, her coach Clif Scherb, owner of Tristar Athlete and Christian Young, owner of Cycles 54. Now Breakthrough Nutrition is part of this list. "We are honored to have such an amazing athlete represent our company," said Clifton Duhon, President and founder of Breakthrough Nutrition. "Kate brings integrity and class to our sponsorship program and the sport we love so much," he added.

"Our motto at Breakthrough Nutrition is "Push YOUR Potential". Kate's work ethic and unwavering desire for her next Breakthrough performance is the embodiment of that motto. She is coming off of a stellar year and we are anxious to see what the 2012 season will bring for her. Welcome aboard Kate!!

Marianela Chow: Ironman Cozumel -'My first ironman race'

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 13:41:45 GMT

Cozumel Ironman -My first Ironman race

I didn’t feel very confident going into my first ironman race. I have had numerous injuries throughout the year, which prevented me from fully preparing and training. From March through mid September, I was unable to run (not even a mile). I had chronic and painful IT band. In July, a motorcycle cut me off while cycling that sent me straight to the hospital. The road rash was so bad I completely stopped from training for 2 and half months and totaled my tri bike. In mid September, I got into another bike accident with a kite, a kite boarder’s kite. Can’t make this stuff up kind of an accident. So I didn’t feel ready and was planning on canceling my trip/race but Cliff told me I should at least give it a try. …

My husband, Tomasz and I arrived in Cozumel on Friday, November 25^th. The flight was delayed from Dallas to Cozumel so we arrived late in the afternoon. We rushed to pick up our race packets and attend the last mandatory meeting, which was in Spanish.

Saturday morning we went to the swim start for the practice swim. They had half of the course open but I didn't want to swim that much so I cut it short and swam for about 15 minutes. Seeing the course before hand was really great. Feeling the jellyfish stings before hand was also good because I knew what to expect on race day. The water was warm and the visibly was 100%. It was my first ocean swim J. After the swim, we spent most of the day in the hotel setting up our bags for the race. I was triple checking to make sure I didn’t forget anything. At 2pm, we cycled with our bags to T1 and set up our bikes.

Race day, we woke up at 3:00 AM. Tripled checked again to make sure we weren’t forgetting anything. For breakfast, I had three pancakes, two bananas, and two bottle of water.

We took the bus shuttle to T1. Before the swim, just standing, my heart rate was 113. I was so nervous and scared. Scared of the massive swim start. My plan was to start all the way toward the back of the pack. My goal was to finish not die J.

During the swim, I tried to draft off faster swimmers but to my surprise, a large portion of the people in front of me were slower than I. I held on to a swimmer who was swimming at a slower pace but I thought it would be good if I also swam slower and saved my energy for the 17hrs that was ahead of me. Numerous times throughout the swim jellyfish stung me.

Exiting the swim was great. I didn’t feel tired at all. I ran through the showers and into the women’s tent. I was so nervous that in the changing tent I locked my Garmin. I announced to all the ladies in the tent if anyone knew how to unlock a Garmin. Well, no one knew. So I made my second announcement " I need internet access now, who has Internet”? All the ladies in the tent looked at me weird. I tried to unlock my Garmin for 17 min. I was so engaged in trying to unlock my watch that I forgot to apply sunscreen on my face. After pressing every single button in my watch it finally unlocked. Swim time 1:22

As soon as I got on my bike, my heart rate alarm went off letting me know that I was way above my target hear rate. I decided to listen to my watch and slowed down a little. My cycling is still a bit weak and my biggest fear was not meeting the cut off.

The ride is three loops going counter clockwise around the bottom half of the island.

The loops around the Island were brutal. I had never experienced such strong headwinds and cross-winds. It was extremely difficult to cycle. During the second loop, my saddle was painfully uncomfortable. The chaffing and numbness was horrible. The last loop, around mile 90, I thought about quitting. The pain was becoming unbearable. During the last 13 miles, it began to rain heavy. I could barely see through my sunglasses. Some of the streets were flooded and biking was difficult and scary. I was so relieved to get off my torture machine and off to the marathon.

Bike split 7:33

As soon as I started to run, I had really bad stitch pain. This will be a run and walk marathon. The run is broken into 3 loops passing twice next to the finish line. People of Cozumel were fantastic and made me feel like I am Chrissie Wellington. Some even wanted to have pictures taken with me. After mile 4 stitch pain went away and I started taking GU every 30 mins. At mile 12.7, a shooting pain from the right knee to the hipbone stopped me. The pain was so sharp I could barely walk. Thank God after a few minutes it went away. From that point on, the pain would come on and off. At mile 18, I started to feel very dizzy. Everything was spinning. I was feeling so dizzy, I even dreaded going to the bathroom for fear of passing out. On the next station I took in a banana and this helped with the dizziness.

The last 3 miles were the most difficult miles of my life. The pain in my quads was almost unbearable. There were many moments I thought I wouldn’t finish. I had to search really deep within myself for strength.

25 yards toward the finish line, I was overwhelmed with joy; I knew the pain was finally coming to an end.

Crossing the finish line and hearing the announcer say, "Marianela, you are an Ironman" was something I dreamt about for a long time and I am so happy to have achieved it with help of Coach Cliff.

Run: 5:19

Overall time: 14:41

My next race/journey will be Lake Placid 2012 J

Jeff Zink: Ironman Arizona 'It didn't take long to find my legs. I came out of the tent and felt amazing.'

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:33:14 GMT

All of these things start to sound the same, but here goes.

Let me start by saying that after the 2010 Ironman Louisville debacle I was forced to stop training for about 7 months due to a heavy work schedule and some basic laziness. Coach Cliff put me on a training plan this year with IMAZ as the goal A race. I have to say that training with Cliff for the past 4 years has been a pleasure and he really knows when to push me and when to back off when my battered body is begging for mercy. I came in to this race, in my mind, ready for anything this day would throw at me. I was mostly correct in my thought process but crystal clear hindsight will prove otherwise.

The race is in Tempe, AZ, home to the ASU Sundevils. A little scheduling change this year put the annual ASU - Arizona football game on the Saturday before the race. Our lovely hotel, given it's proximity to the stadium was a prime location for the visiting Arizona students. Not a good recipe for getting any sleep but it was kind of fun to watch. I couldn't bitch too much because I'm sure some twenty plus years ago I would have been one of those clowns having fun.

Race morning was fine, a few nerves and anticipation but nothing unusual. I got in two bottles of Ensure Plus and a few bites of oatmeal and a banana for breakfast.

Did the usual pre race set up took one no caffeine GU Roctane 15 min before the start said goodbye to my two lovely assistants that morning, my cousin Amy and my girlfriend Amy who I'm sure were laughing their ass off at me trying to play it cool but showing obvious nerves.

The water temp of the Tempe Town Lake was about 60 degrees but the pre race swim the day before had me ready for that. I swam around easy for a bit, got in a few race pace pulls and felt fantastic.............ready to go. I started right about dead center and not on the line with the main pack of speed demons, about two deep. Given the shape of the course this looked like the most direct path to the turnaround to me. Plan was to go out hard for about 400 to 500 yds, find feet and hang on to the end. That's pretty much what happened. Out of the water in 1:03 and feeling strong.

T1 was uneventful, no problems and out on the bike with a smile.

First goal, get HR down, settle in to an easy pace and start on some nutrition about 20 minutes in. Nutrition consisted of one bag of Carbo-Pro Hydra C-5 and 10 scoops of Carbo-Pro in one bottle (1600 cal) and one more bottle of Hydra C-5 (600 cal). Despite two rubber bands around the second bottle behind the seat 600 calories got ejected somewhere on the course. A minor set back but I ended up finishing the first bottle at about mile 90/95 and felt pretty good about nutrition at that point and decided to just drink water to the end and get my stomach ready to run. I also took in one salt stick tablet an hour starting about 1:15 into the bike for a total of 4 pills as well as one bottle of water at every aid station. First of three loops was what I expected, head wind on the way out of town and a tail wind/downhill bit of fun coming back in. It took me about an hour to get to the turn-around and about 45 minutes to get back. Lap two and three were a bit different, two not as bad as three but the wind direction changed and we saw a pretty good headwind coming back to town and that can really tick you off at the end of the bike ride. I rode the course very conservatively with an average HR of 142, didn't pick up the pace until mile 80 and took advantage of the tailwind out of town. HR dropped on the way back into town but I really went by feel here because I felt like I was working a bit too hard if I drove the HR up. Any extra effort here I felt would have negative results on the run. Pacing felt right, I felt pretty good at the end and I really did pass a lot of people that I saw earlier in the day pushing the pace.

In and out of T2 no problem...........here comes the fun. All you have to do dummy is run a 4 hr marathon for a new PR.

It didn't take long to find my legs. I came out of the tent and felt amazing. Running mid 8 minute miles with little effort. HR was where I wanted it to be and I even had to hold back to keep it there..........exactly where I wanted to be. A little Coca-Cola sounded good so I right away started with coke and water at every aid station. First loop was a breeze and I thought I was finally going to have the solid day that I hoped for. About an hour into the run I took another salt stick pill and I don't know if it was just a coincidence (don't think so) but it wasn't long after that when I noticed things were starting to unravel. I started to get a little nauseous and my feet were starting to swell which caused some pretty lovely blisters. First time I had to stop running was because I thought I was going to hurl over the side of the bridge the first time you cross the river. No problem, you can get through this, just start back with some water and get this under control. It wasn't too much longer when I had to stop again and loosen all the laces on my shoes to make room for some bigger feet. What the hell is going on? I have to admit this took more of a toll mentally than anything. At this point I didn't give a damn what happened. I just kept moving forward and just wanted to finish the damn thing. Every time I felt better and started running just a bit harder that lovely feeling of a stomach purge reminded me to back it down. Screw it......I'm done with this shit. For whatever reason somewhere around mile 23 things started to look up a bit. I noticed I was able to pick up the pace a little. I could make it to each aid station and only walk long enough to get a drink/take a break and then run again. Some quick math told me that I could still get in under 11 hrs if I hustled. It felt good to be able to put out an effort again and run, too little too late, I got to the finish in 11:02.

Finish line is always a pretty good feeling and this time it marks the end of the season for me. I have a great group of family and friends whom I spot going down the chute. I'm sure they were happy to see me as well and finally able to go have a drink and sit down. What a long day for a spectator. Second year in a row that I crossed the finish line and within 5 minutes I vomited everything that was in my gut in front of the crowd. Nice.

LEG    DISTANCE    PACE    RANK    DIV.POS.
TOTAL SWIM    2.4 mi. (1:03:53)    1:40/100m    266    34

BIKE SPLIT 1: 37.4 mi    37.4 mi (1:46:01)    21.17 mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 2: 74.6 mi    37.2 mi (1:52:12)    19.89 mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 3: 112 mi    37.4 mi (1:49:48)    20.44 mi/h
TOTAL BIKE    112 mi (5:28:01)    20.49 mi/h    308    51

RUN SPLIT 1: 2.5 mi    2.5 mi (20:54)    8:21/mi
RUN SPLIT 2: 11.5 mi    9 mi (1:17:38)    8:37/mi
RUN SPLIT 3: 20 mi    8.5 mi (1:34:02)    11:03/mi
RUN SPLIT 4: 26.2 mi    6.2 mi (1:10:58)    11:26/mi
TOTAL RUN    26.2 mi (4:23:32)    10:03/mi    400    77

TRANSITION    TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE    4:46
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN    1:53

Another great season in the books and though this race didn't go exactly as planned I'm starting to narrow down the list of things I have to fix next year in Lake Placid. See you then.