Blue Springs 50 Mile Ultra Marathon

Hello Fans -

First my apologies for the long absence from posts. Life is just crazy with busyness. Many great things going on in life and not enough time to get them all down in this forum.

Well I made it - yes 50 miles of running under my own power! After 9:10 mins I made it to the finish line of my first official 50 mile ultra marathon!!!! My overall goal was to beat the 11 hour barrier so that I could qualify for the Western States 100 in late June of 2007. So I met that goal. But being the competitive athlete that I am I was hoping to break the 8 hour mark. I was in that range until the 26 mile mark and I knew my second half was going to be slower. Hey - that's what goals are for - right?!?! Makes you push your ability!!

So here is my race recap:
Many thanks to Jeff Shannon for his support during the adventure. Jeff is a local Omaha athlete who I coached to his first triathlon season in 2006. He joined me on a few of my long training runs and made the 50 mile event much more enjoyable!!!

Jeff and I headed down to Blue Springs (just east of Kansas City) the day before the event. Arriving in time to register and get to the event site with enough daylight to ride a portion of the course and check out the lay of the land. After getting some dinner at locating the hotel, organizing all the gear for the morning I finally hit the sheets at 10pm. A bit later than planned, but it was only 50 miles ..... correct.

I planned to get started at 5am. The official start was at 6am, but the race director allowed for a start time earlier on the honor system. I wanted to start early for a couple of reasons - 1) it was going to get warm in the afternoon and 2) I wanted to get back for a concert that evening in Omaha.

So - I woke up at 2am to fuel for the day 3 Ensures and some oatmeal. Went back to bed and got up at 3:30, took a shower and we headed to the event site. Yes - the first to arrive, but only by 10 mins or so. Jeff was my official pacer, race director had him register. Jeff and I headed out on the first 13+ mile out and back in pitch darkness and fog. Thanks to Jeff (on mountain bike with headlamp) I could see the trail. He took some great video of me, which I hope to have up on my site soon. I have to tell you those first couple of hours were the best! Even thought the view changed little, it was very pleasant. My goal for pacing was to keep my heart rate limited at zone 2 with a pace no slower than 9:30. I under estimated the first out and back with fuel, but felt I did well and adequately modified my hydration / nutrition plan to accommodate. My body felt good.

After the first 13+ mile out and back I was back at my vehicle, for refueling and then off on short 4 mile out and back. Once back to the vehicle I was off on my second 13+ mile out and back (same course as the first), but this time on my own. Even with the sun up, the scenery passed by slowly. It was a gorgeous day with some great fall colors, but the mental challenge started to set in. I made it to the 26 mile mark at about 10 mins slower than my recent training runs, but I took that as a good sign in that I was not overdoing it. As I came in for my last major stop at the vehicle, I changed shorts, top, socks and shoes. Jeff road and ran parts of the last 13 mile out and back. I felt real solid up to about 43 miles than the wheels came off, legs trashed, feet hurt, stomach a little crampy. I was ready to be done. The last 7 miles I was reduced to a run / walk combo! Jeff was real encouraging at this point and knew when to be quiet.

Those last 10 miles were actually my favorite. When it hurt just to exist. Hurt, to walk, hurt to run, hurt to stop! Money can't buy that feeling!! So after 9 hours and 10 mins the finish approached. No fan fair, very few people and one nice work runner and it was over almost as silently as it begun. The difference - was all on the inside. As most athlete's will tell you it is mostly mental. And this was no different. I trained for, started and finished this event knowing that I would complete the task. I never once considered not finishing. Just keep moving, little by little, nice and easy, enjoy the suffering. It will be over as quick as it started. That is the mentality it takes. Believe that it is possible and it is.

So as I put together my application for the Western States 100 ultra! That is the view I have! With Gods grace and solid belief in that it is possible - I will experience the pain, suffering, joy, sadness that only 100 miles of running can offer!

Live the Journey!!!

Ultra Marathon Kevin

Coach Kevin and the Black Squirrel Triathlon

I added the Black Squirrel Triathlon (BST) (1000 yard swim, 21 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) to my race schedule a month or so ago to cap of my multisport season. The BST was held at Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs Iowa, just across the Missouri River. There are very few legitimate triathlons in the Omaha area and I wanted to support this first year event. My brother Dave and I just competed in a 1/2 Ironman on 8/20 just one week prior to this event and I was literally doing the race for the love of the game. Don't get me wrong, when I go do a race, I go race hard and have fun at the same time. I realized the night before the event that the bike portion of the race was going to be held on a running / cycling path and not on the road. I was a bit nervous about this because the path is not very wide and it was an out and back course. On the bright side I was very familiar with the path and course as I have done multiple long training runs in the area.

The race was directed by a volunteer of the Council Bluffs YMCA. I went to pick up my packet the night before the race and there was a mix up with my packet and my brother Daves. Basically, Dave received my packet not his and they didn't even have Dave as registered. The staff at the Y felt awful about the situation and just told them we could work it out in the morning. Just more confirmation that I was just going to have fun at this event.

Race day turned out to be cool for late August, and the sky was showing some signs of possible rain. I arrived an hour and a half before the race was to start, got my missing packet and set up my transision spot. I noticed a few local triathletes that I usually race against and was looking forward to some fun. I started my warmup about 45 mins before the race was to start. For sprint races like this I like to do a 5 - 10 min warm-up in each sport (run, then bike, then swim) before the race starts. During my bike portion of the warm-up I realized how technical the bike was going to be because of the trail. I road the first couple miles and was glad I did as there were a few turns I missed and had to back track. Once back to my transisiton spot, I readied my equipment and made my way down to the water for the start. The water was warm but I decided to wear my wetsuit as I feel it gives me a competitive advantage. There were a total of 130 athletes racing in the event (78 individuals). I did my warm-up in the water and talked with a few local tri-geeks that I know. I was excited to race, but was just goofing around.

The race started a 7:30am. We started (mass start - all at once) from the beach and ran into the water. The water was shallow for ways out into the lake. I ran until it got difficult and then did a series of dolphin (shallow dives) until it was deep enough for me to take a stroke with out touching bottom. I headed out very hard and could feel the fingers of another triathlete on my feet. I later found out that it was Gerald K, a fellow tri-geek. It is always hard to tell where you stand during the swim. I thought I was in the top 3 - 5 but wasn't sure. I do remember a female swimmer blowing by me on the way back (out and back swim). The swim was good, felt like I usually do, taxed and ready for the ride. I remember hearing I was in 5th place coming out of the water. Coming out of the water I always remove my top of the wetsuit. It is a two piece style that is supposed to come off quicker, but I think it is the same as other suits. I passed two athletes in transision. All those years of experience is paying off. Once on the bike I caught one rider with in the first mile then the lead rider with in the first 3 miles. I don't think it really registered with me that I was in the lead on the bike until the turn around (about 10.5 miles into the ride). I kept thinking, man the guy leading the race must be stinking fast, and I worked a bit harder each time I thought this!! Once I got to the turn around and realized that I was the leader, I picked up the pace. We had the wind at our back on the way back. At the turn around I had a about a 30 sec - 1 min lead on the second place rider. With 1 mile to go on the bike I came up on a pack of 10 wild turkeys that were scattered on the path. As soon as I saw them (I was going about 24 mph) I started yelling to get there attention. At first they could careless, then they started to run, walk and fly out of my path. I caught a wing on my helmet as I blew through the pack. That was my first encounter with Wild Turkeys during a triathlon :-)

I returned to the transistion area to a cheering crowd! That was way cool and headed out for the 6.2 mile run. This was going to be the test. I am a solid runner, but there were other athletes at this race that were faster. I had about 1 min on the second place athlete as I started my run. Running off the bike is always a challenge, but even more so with 80 athletes chasing you. My plan was to try to establish a rhythm early in the run. As I stared my run I just asked God to give me strength and focus. This is when a motorcycle cop got in front of me and paced me. I was running on the side of traffic and he was my personal escort. Probably the coolest moment of my triathlon career. Leading a race and my own escort. I used the motorcycle to focus on and pace and I settled into a 10 mph (6min/mile) pace. *I found this out after the race when I talked to the motorcycle cop. At about the 2 mile mark he peeled off as I started to run on a trail. I was feeling pretty good, just enjoying the run and asking God to help me dig deep. If they were going to catch me they were going to have to hurt just as much as me :-) When I am racing I make a habit of never looking behind me, I like keeping the race mine. I kept thinking "Holy Cow, I am leading the race", then I would just have this peace come over me and a big smile and savored the moments. At the ~4 mile mark with 2.2 miles to go I was back on the road and the motorcycle cop comes up next to me and says "Great work runner - you have a runner :30 back!" Now it was crunch time. I still never looked back, but I knew if the athlete was :30 back after 4 miles they were most likely a strong runner, so I dug deep thinking about all my conversations with my 2 children Megan and Cameron, about how life is full of challenges and sometimes you have to work harder than the next person to get the same results. So I ran those last couple of miles for my kids and for my God. I still can't really believe it is true. But as I turned to come down the finishers chute the cop in front of me sires and lights flashing, I crossed the finish line in 1st Place overall. The first time in my Triathlon Career, heck sporting career. 1st place out of everyone there!!! I beat the second place finisher by 40 seconds, putting 10 seconds on him in the last 2.2 miles. The second place finisher paid me a huge compliment after the race when he said that he just could not catch me after I upped the pace those last couple of miles. This is from an athlete I really respect and admire!! Thanks Gerald!!!

As I was talking with people and athletes after the race, people where coming up to me and saying "Great Job" or saying "How do you do it?" As I reflect on it and process the whole experience it really comes down to this - my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the one that gets all the glory for this. He has gifted me in ways that enable me to stay focused, work hard, train consistently, provides a huge support network of my wife Cindy and children Megan and Cameron not to mention my greater family of parents and brothers Dave, Jason, Luke and friends like Gavin and JD. I accepted the trophy for 1st place very humbly but with some pride and warriors heart. As I was driving home I started to cry, you see God granted a wish of mine that I have had since I was a young boy. I was never really that good at sports or anything else. I was told when I was 12 that I should not run because of a hip injury. I was told as a young man that I didn't have the competitive spirit that athletes needed to succeed. God allowed me to win that race because he knew that I could appreciate it for what it is. Yes - it was an accomplishment in athletics, but it was more of a right of passage for me. Those tears of joy felt so good. I really felt so humble in the presence of God and could feel him embrace me!

That is my wish for each of you that has read this posting! That you would dream big dreams and that you would desire to feel God's presence in your life no matter where you are at in your Spiritual Formation!

Life's a Journey - Enjoy the surprises each day brings!

In His Grip -

Kevin

The art of Racing

I was talking with a client of mine last night about my racing strategy's. Believe me, I have come along way in this area. At the beginning of my multisport career it was all about finishing and having something left when I was done. As I gained experience it became less about the finishing part and more about how hard I could go and how long I could last. I think many people are looking fo that (one-size-fits-all) approach to a racing strategy and I am sorry to tell you it just doesn't exist. There are way to many variables in the type of athlete and in the events themselves. But many lessons can be learned from plain old experience that can prepare each athlete to have a shot at a new PR (personal record).

I have trained, participated and raced in events ranging from 5K runs to Ironman triathlons and the most valuable advice I can give to the reading endurance athlete is this: Do not expect your body to do something that you haven't done in training!!!! Sounds basic doesn't it! But you would be suprised at the number of athletes that expect to be able to do something they could never do, even on their best training day. You may have heard of this phenominon called "Goal Creep". You train diligently for a specific goal then as the race approaches, you taper and then something inside you says "You could go faster, you can ride 20 mph (even though you trained for a sustained 19 mph). The use of common sense is very valuable.

The athletes that I work with all are required to use some useful tools that help me track their progression, but also teach them about their own capabilities. Heart Rate, GPS (pacing), RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and Power based cycling are all tools that provide feedback throughout the training cycle on what an athlete is capable of. So that when race day comes the athlete and I are together on what realisitic expectation and goals for the event should be. Once that information is known there are strategy's using the above tools to help the athlete pace themselves and have a shot at the day they were hoping for.

Back to my own personal racing experiences and strategy's. Being a veteran of multisports of vertually all distances, I have tried a variety of strategy's looking for the secret to suceess. Some have worked, some have failed miserably. But more often than not, it was when I set realistic goals based in my current fitness level that defined my record setting days. Being in the coaching business, I have had many opportunituies to be the subject of some physciological tests that enable athletes to gain a better understanding on how th body burns fat and sugar (carbs) and what events/distances an athlete would be naturally good at. To give you an example: For many years I was pursuing an Ironman PR or sub 10:30. The best I ever finsihed was 11:39. Based on my athetic performance in marathons and 1/2 Ironmans, text book wise, the 10:30 was a realistic goal. In my training I would have very successful training cycles that would indicated that everything was pointing to me reaching my goal. The problem was not that I wasn't training hard / smart enough, it was that my body was designed by my creator to burn suger more than fat, which meant that I would be a more natural short course athlete. This is not to say that I can't develop my fat buring capacity, it just solved a piece of the puzzle. With this new information and my past racing data, it became clear to me that my racing strategy for events upto 5 hours was to sustain my heart rate within 2 bpm of my anaerobic threshold for the duration. Before I had this information I was always concerned about blowing-up before the race was over, but I knew if I kept my HR in check I would be fine. This is not to say that it didn't involve a level of discomfort or pain. In most cases that was my limiter. How much did I want to hurt? So now when I am racing in triathlons up to the 1/2 Ironman distance, it is all about embracing the pain and finding a certain level of comfort in it. Many factors play into this, but I will tell you that the factor that plays the largest role on race day is your ability to focus on the present. This is something that takes practice. Your mental ability to stay on point and focused will impact your race in profound ways!

A little rambling there! So when you are approaching a goal event or race, be realistic about your strategy. Talk to your coach on helping you come up with a plan and then execute, execute, execute!!! Remember always enjoy the process and the JOURNEY, that is the essence of endurance sports!

Race Smart & Set your goals high -

Kevin

I/2 Ironman Fueling and Preparation

Here is some information for you 1/2 Ironman athletes that are wondering how to fuel for a 1/2 Ironman and some suggestions for the contains of your gear bag. *Please note that you should experiment with your pre-race, during race, and post race nutrition during your training and not for the first time during an event. Also - the information on fueling may or may not work for you and I encourage you experiment with the amount of calories per hours, the type of calories, and the amount of water you hydrate with each hour. Nutrition is something that needs to be practiced and dialed in, so do not neglect this very important part of your preparation.

Competitive Ironman (athlete) Nutrition Planning
*This is some great information that can be used for other distance events such as 1/2 ironings and distance running! I have had great success with this pre-race nutrition prior to marathons, 1/2 Ironmans & marathons.

The following is a suggested guideline for reducing the likelihood of an in-race stomach “shutdown while eating prior to, during, and immediately following an Ironman-distance race for experienced athletes who are focused on fast times or race placement. If your goal is to finish the race then the pacing instructions here will be too aggressive, but the refueling suggestions may still be effective.

You may need to modify this plan to fit your body size, previous race-nutrition experience, and personal food likes and dislikes. The plan you adopt should be refined starting weeks and months ahead of your Ironman race by experimenting in workouts, especially bricks and long sessions, in C-priority races, and, finally, in B-priority races. Don'’t do anything on race day that you have not done successfully many times before.

Determine how many Calories you will take in during the race and the strategy for doing so. As points of reference, an 11- to 12-hour Ironman burns roughly 6,500 to 7,000 Calories and a 9-hour Ironman uses about 8,000 Calories. Approximately half of these Calories come from glycogen (storage form of carbohydrate) and most must be replaced during the race.
Gastric problems are a leading cause of poor performances and DNFs (did not finish) in Ironman-distance races. If your stomach shuts down during the race you either 1) went out too fast, poor pacing strategy/control, 2) ate too much solid food, 3) did not take in enough water, or 4) are becoming hyponatremic (low blood sodium level). The following is intended to prevent these occurrences.

Prior to Race Day
Reduce food intake as your training volume tapers down (late Peak and Race periods).
Eat normal” foods during this period. Do not “experiment.

Day Before Race
View the swim course at race time (from water, if possible).
Eat a large breakfast with an emphasis on moderate to low glycemic index carbohydrate (see list in Triathletes Training Bible, page 272).
Eat a large lunch when next hungry, again emphasizing moderate-low GI foods.
Have a moderately sized dinner that is normal food for you but with limited fiber intake. Moderate to low GI foods.
Stay well hydrated throughout the day.
Use extra salt on food.

Race Day Breakfast
Take in 1000-1500 Calories from moderate to low glycemic index foods 4 to 5 hours prior to the start. This should be rehearsed before bricks and long workouts and before C- and B-priority races.
For nervous stomach use liquid or semi-solid foods.
Options may include Ensure, Ultracal, or Boost (approx. 250 Cal/8-ounce can); 1 medium banana (100 Cal); bagel with 1 tablespoon nut butter (250 Cal); 1 cup unsweetened applesauce mixed with 1 ounce protein powder (200 Cal); 1 jar baby food (~100-200 Cal); 1 packet instant oatmeal (~100-200 Cal); 1 cup instant pudding (~100-300 Cal); 1 can tomato soup (200 Cal).
Example: 4 cans of Ensure, banana, bagel with nut butter (1350 Cal).
Either go back to bed after breakfast or relax with some light stretching (focus on hips, glutes, and low back).

Pre-Race
Snack but eat no more than 200 Calories/hour in the last 3 hours. Stay with liquid or semi-solid foods.
Think calming thoughts or listen to calming music, —do not stress yourself out. When apprehensions appear recall previous successes in training and racing.
1-1.5 hours before —eat something such as a sports bar and sports drink.
Eat/drink nothing in the last hour except water (prevents exercise-induced hypoglycemia early in race).
10 minutes before—take in as much sports drink as you feel comfortable with.


Race Day Triathlon Packing List
*This list is not inclusive but a starting point. Feel free to add or subtract!
swim suit
race # and Info
wetsuit
heart rate monitor
swim cap
water bottles
Fuel for the bike
goggles (and extra set of goggles)
aero drink system
ear plugs
gel flasks (or gel packets)
sun screen
electrolyte caps
towel
Advil 
PAM cooking spray
Vaseline / lubricants
race # holder
cycling shoes
cycling helmet
cycling gloves
change of clothes
bike pump
sandals
2 spare tubes
2 C02 cartridges
bike tools
running socks
running shorts
running shoes
racing singlet
running hat
sunglasses

I hope this helps! Please post a reponse if you have something to add or a suggestion!

Train Smart -

Coach Kevin

Vacation Update

Its ben way to long since I have updated the blog. Many happenings worthy of commenting about.

I made a 3-week road trip with my wife and 2 children (Megan & Cameron) to the southwest. The main goal of the trip was to spend some time with my brother and his family that relocated to Peoria, AZ (northwest Burb of Phoenix), in July 2005. It was an EPIC trip for my family and some real growth was experienced by everyone (me, my wife Cindy, Meg and Cam). When a family travels 5,000 miles in a car over 3-weeks, growth is bound to happen. My children have a typical sibling (sister - brother) relationship. Including lots of arguing, fighting and with a dash of selfishness. So I knew that a trip like this was going to put some stress on our relationships, but that this tension needed to be worked through. As I am sure many of have experienced in life, road trips provide a great opportunity to connect with your spouse or significant other. Cindy and I have always enjoyed road trips because of the focused time together. On one of the longest days / drives of the entire trip, my family really came together, enjoyed each other for the who we are and had a major break through. I wish I could say it was something major or an specific event, but it wasn't. I believe the catalyst was the time we spent together! As a father I have become aware of how loud my actions speak, not so much as the words. The action of spending a huge amount of time with my family "together" spoke to my family in a huge way. In the daily busyness of life, I loose focus on how important it is for my family to be together and getting to a point in our relationship that we appreciate each other. So the trip really helped me experience this and the importance of this. Praise God for allowing me to be humble enough to recognize this truth and desire a change of heart.

A recap of some of the highlights of this 3-week Epic Paladino road trip includes:
- Racing a 1/2 Ironman Triathlon, not having the day I hoped for but having the peace to know that I did my best on that day, taking the time to kiss my kids at the beginning of the run and running down the finish chute with my daughter Megan!
- Spending some great quality time with my family in the car
- Experiencing the Grand Canyon "South Rim" in person and appreciating it as a wonderful example God's creation
- Re-connecting with my brother and his family
- Experiencing Sadona, AZ and the rock hopping and mini-cliff jumping (Wild and Heart)
- The 3 EPIC mountain bike rides in the wild desert of AZ with my bro Jason and his neighbor Chris. Including one the ended in the last 3 miles ridden on a flat front tire.
- A 2 day trip to San Diego and an opportunity for my kids to experience the Pacific Ocean and body surfing
- 2 hikes to the summit of Camel Back mountain (one with my wife, brother and sister-in-law and one with my daughter Megan.
- Experiencing the heat of the desert in the summer and realizing that it can be oppressive.
- Riding my road bike in the heat of the day (107 degrees) and feeling the furnace heat, what they call a breeze!
- Forced to take break from my training and realizing that I wasn't going to die from the lack of training
- A 2 hour run in the heat of the day and feeling like my heart was going to explode
- Spending the better part of 2 days in the car with Megan and Cameron and growing closer to them than I could ever have imagined
- Visiting with my good friend John and his wife Carrie in Denver and experiencing the foothills of the Rockies on a mountain bike.

A ton of activity in a short amount of time and a very memorable trip for all of us! I am thankful to recognize the growth not only in myself but in my family that this trip facilitated. Also - I am excited about future trips with my family and the challenges and growth that they create.

Kevin

Race Recap – Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon ½ Ironman 6/25/06

Relaxing a bit before we head to dinner after playing in the pool (post race) with Meg and Cam and thought I would recap todays race. Overall the day went well for me. Finished just under 5 hours with a time of 4:57!!! With an overall possition of 135 out of 837 athletes.

I was hoping to go 4:30 or better, but it just wasn't part of the plan today. The weather started cooler than normal with some wind and cloud cover. The swim went so fast, I was amazed as I turned at the last buoy that the finish was there. I felt real strong during the swim and came out of the water at :27 mins. The bike was very challenging even thought it didn't warm up until the last 17 mile of the 56 mile ride. There were a total of 8 serious climbs on the bike course. All of them were steep enough to keep me in my granny gear and my pace under 10 mph. I really noticed the wind as well on the course. It really zapped my power. I was hoping to be off the bike around 2:30, but finished the ride at 2:44. Still not bad for the conditions and the course. My fueling worked great on the ride and I was pleased at my hydration / nutrition strategy something that I really have struggled with in the past, so that was a break through for me (YIPPIE!!!!) Hey – you have to look at these things as half full!!! I came off the bike feeling great, I mean it was an awesome feeling to run as if I hadn't even road. OK – that might be stretching it a bit, but I was feeling solid, very solid. I came off the bike in 180th position and after the run I was in 135th. So you do the math – I passed a ton of people on the run a total of 45. That is a great feeling given that this race drew some huge competition. I ran the 1st mile easy getting my legs and my rythum and then set a pace that was sub-threshold but very do able for the 13.1 miles. I felt solid through out. There were a total of three very challenging hills on the run. My strategy for hilly ½ Ironman runs is to stick to my pace until my Heart Rate hits my threshold, then I walk until my HR drops 5 beats below. I did this on the 1st and 2nd hills then on the last hill at mile 10, I decided to charge up the hill but managed to stay at my threshold. I felt great about how I faired on the run. A little part of me, a very little part feels that I didn't hit the run hard enough, but I feel very good about my ½ marathon split of 1:41 on such a demanding course. During the run the temperature rose and I definitely felt the old core temp rise. But I have suffered through much worse. It was a very mild day for this race that usually experiences temperatures in the triple digits. I previewed the run yesterday and was excited about the layout of the course. I look forward to coming back and giving it another shot someday.

The best thing about this race was having my wife and kids there with me. Their support and encouragement is everything. I could not continue to compete if it wasn't for their commitment and sacrifice. I especially love to run down the finish shoot with my children Megan and Cameron. Cam missed out on this one, I think he was playing in the dirt :-)

Overall – God is good, very good. I have a great peace about this race and how it went. I have done 100's of endurance events, but this was the first race that my #1 goal was to #GLORIFY GOD and enjoy him. I really felt that today! I also really felt the presence of prayer during my 5 hour race. I give thanks to my Lord and King for the many relationships that he has blessed me with and as hard as this may seem to understand, a piece of them were with me today!

So there you have it! Another race in the life of Kevin! I look forward to a restful / active recovery week traveling with my family to the Grand Canyon then to the Valley of the Sun to see my brother Jason and Family!

Loving the Suffering of Life and Sport -

Kevin

HERE ARE MY SPLITS FROM THE RACE!!!

SWIM 27:41
BIKE 2:44:43
RUN 1:41:34
OVERALL 4:57:32
POSITION 135

RACE LEG SWIM
DISTANCE 1.2 mi.
PACE 1:27/100m
POSITION144
TOTAL (27:41)

TOTAL BIKE
DISTANCE 56 mi.
PACE 20.40 mph
POSITION 180
TOTAL (2:44:43)

TOTAL RUN
DISTANCE 13.1 mi.
PACE 7:45/mile
POSITION 135
TOTAL (1:41:34)

Hydration / Fueling for Endurance

Hydration is an area that all endurance athletes struggle with. No matter what your background or distance you are traing for you will run into an issue. The following is some feedback that I recently gave to one of my athletes that ran into some hydration issues at his first 1/2 Ironman triathlon.

I really felt for you during your 1/2 IM experience. I, like most long course triathletes, have and do struggle with hydration and nutrition during, so it really breaks me when I hear of my athletes that experience this as well. Nutrition is an aspect that we all neglect to often and can, will and does get in the way of our goals.

A few questions for you to think about as I review some problem areas related to nutrition and hydration for ultra distance competition (anything over 3 hours)
1) How well are you hydrated before, during & after training / racing?
2) What kind of calories are you taking in (carb / protein) during your training practice and racing?
3) What duration are you taking in those calories?
4) Do you simulate 'effectively' the intensity during training that you wish to accomplish during a competition?
5) What kind of electrolyte supplementation do you do?

1) A rule of thumb for daily life is to consume 1 oz of water per lb of body weight 'daily'. If you are not getting this in (or at least close to it) you are effectively beginning your training and potentially your competition in a de-hydrated state. During competition I recommend approx 24 oz of water (no more) per hour to maintain hydration. This is a rule of thumb but have found it to be effective in keeping athletes body functioning and maintaining hydration levels. I have found many newer / less experienced athletes have problems tracking how much water / sports drink they are consuming during an hour, or have a hard time drinking, especially during competition at higher levels of intensity. In greater than 90% of nutrition related problems the source of the problem is really not what food or amount of calories taken in, it is poor hydration practices. Here is an exerp from your post race report that tells me your hydration during the bike was not satisfactory

..I started jogging again to the second sag.. During this same time I felt my stomach was full of water that I drank just getting off the bike. I remembered reading something about the stomach shutting down and hydration becoming a problem when something isn't done right..I don't know but it took several miles for the full stomach to empty. I didn't feel like eating anything so I took was water and very little of it..I just didn't feel that thirsty.

You indicate that your stomach felt full, and felt like it had shut down. That is exactly what happens when athletes get behind on hydration. When that does happen, the only thing you can do is wait it out, which you did. Thus the reason why you started to feel better late in the run.

2) In order to simulate competition as close as possible you have to use in training what you plan on for the race. Some concentration, same fueling intervals and same calorie content. In my experience taking in calories that are a 4/1 ratio of carbs & protein, is the best combination to fuel your body for ultra distance training and racing. With that being said, if taking in protein does not work for you during competition "DO NOT DO IT". This is the greatest error that endurance athletes make. We think to our selves "Tim DeBoom is an incredible athlete and he uses GU, so if I want to be as fast as Tim I need to eat and drink what he does!!!" Sorry - but we are all too different to make such a statement. What works for Tim or me, may not work for you, so you have to experiment. I have been doing triathlons for 16 years and I am still experimenting.

3) I recommend you take in calories every 15 mins during training / and competition both during the bike and run. If you have to set a timer to go off very 15 mins then do it. By taking in calories at a regular interval you maintain your calorie needs on a consistent basis and diminish the chances of upsetting your stomach by taking in to many calories at one time. Also - I highly recommend 'liquid' calories as much as possible on the bike and run. This will assist in a quicker digestion of the food and help keep your blood volume in the areas needed most and out of your stomach.

4) During specific training sessions that simulate racing intensities you need to practice what nutrition / hydration plan you will be using during the race. This is your opportunity to make sure that your body will tolerate the plan and then if things go wrong you adjust and try again. Many athletes do not put there body / mind into this position to see how their body reacts, then wonder why their is issues on race day. Your body will most likely react differently at race intensity than at your regular training intensity. In my coaching of 1/2 Ironman and Ironman athletes I have them do multiple 'Brick" (bike / run) sessions that push their intensity up to a sub threshold intensity for long durations, just as in high intensity racing. These are the sessions that you need to focus your nutrition needs and dial in what is and what is not working. Now - I realize that there are factors that you cannot control during these sessions such as weather, heat, humidity, hills, but as I say "focus on what you have control over and nothing else".

5) During ultra distance training and competition athletes put there bodies under a huge amount of stress. One area that can be very harmful to your body, unless you are proactive in keeping up with it is electrolyte imbalance. Through the process of cooling itself (sweating), the human body losses electolytes. The main element that is lost in sweat is what we refer to as salt. But it is actually sodium chloride, magnesium and potassium. The main electrolye lost is sodium chloride. So in order to maintain the proper level of sodium, athletes need to supplement each hour with some kind of replacement. I recommend 300 mg or sodium chloride per hour as a starting point, but based on your body, heat, duration of training you could need up to 1000 mg per hour. A product that I use for this is endurolytes from Hammer nutrition. It is relatively inexpensive and comes in powder (you can mix it in with your sports drink and capsule form.

If it makes you feel any better - all endurance athletes will struggle with hydration / nutrition at some point. I encourage you to process all of this and set into practice some of the theory's I have outlined. One of the biggest steps you can make is in being intentional about your nutrition. In doing so you will be doing better than most :-) Hope all this helps!

Let me know what you think!

Train Smart - Race Hard - Coach Kevin

Learning to Breathe while Swimming

Here is some Q&A that I had with an athlete that was struggling with breathing while swimming --

Athletes Question/observation about swimming/breathing: What I am finding out is as I take a breath during the stroke cycle, I begin with plenty of air, but as I continue the breathing/stroking rhythm I start getting short of breath. It seems like I am still inhailing the same amount, but it doesn't seem to last as long. I flip over on my back to catch some additional breaths and then return to stroking/breathing.

Coach Kevin Response: What I have experienced with swimmers, is that durating training their breathing pattern is a bit more relaxed than when in a race / open water, due to intensity and some anxiety. Not sure what your breathing pattern is during your training, but I would suggest breathing more often such as every other stroke. This will allow you to get more oxygen than if every 3rd or 4th stroke. The other suggestion for you is to slow down your swimming intensity early in the race. Most athletes start a triathlon swim at a much too high intensity and end up in oxygen debt real early in the swim and spend the rest of the swim and beyond just trying to make up. Like you mentioned your issue could be more complex, but these are my thoughts.

Again all my best with the racing this weekend!

Coach

Paladino's Take the Gold at Norfolk YMCA Triathlon

My daugher Megan and I traveled to Nofolk Nebraka (where I went to Junior and Senior high) to participate in the annual super sprint triathlon on June 10 2006. This was Megans 6th triathlon and is a great venue for her to experiece the trill of the sport. She swam 150 yrds, biked 3 miles and run mile. She took home the gold in her age group with a great performance. It was awesome to see her have fun and build her confidence.

I raced in the longer race, but still a mini by most athletes standards, consisting of 500 yrd swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run. I raced in what the organizers call the head-to-head heat, in which competitive athletes are put with athletes of similar expected finish times. I was lucky to be choosen to race in the frist head-to-head heat. After pperforming some brief warming-up. I jumped into my lane and as I was getting ready for the start, fellow Omaha triathlete Jim K jumped into the lane next to me. Oh - I knew it was going to be a fast race. Jim and I have a great relationship and are both seasoned athletes. I have much respect for Jim and his accomplishments and we see each other at many local races each season. I should back up and tell you that this tri was more for my daughter than for me. But HEY, I like to think I am a competitive guy so, seeing Jim I wanted to see how I matched up with the "BIG DOGS". The 500 swim was going to be a great Thresold test for me and as we started Jim and I were neck and neck. My self assesment is that Jim is a better swimmer than me. Has very solid techniqu. We were head to head to the 300+ yrd mark. I was really feeling the lactic juice at this point but focused on my technique and worked hard to hol my position. At the 400 mark I noticed that I had gained a second or two on Jim and ended up first out of the water by this margin. As I made my way to T1, I felt good and looked forward to pushing it on the bike. Over the years I have developed some speed and efficientcy in transistions and blasted through TI beating my competition by 10 - 20 seconds. The bike was an out and back with a few false flats. We were headed into the wind on the way out. My intensity was at an 8, and I was avging 23 mph on the way out. At the turn around I was still #1 and noticed Jim and 2 others close behind. I really through the hammer done on the way back averging 25+ mph and thought that someone would catch me, but I was able to hold them off. I had another fast transition and made it on the run first. As many of you triathletes know, running of the bike, especially an intense bike is a brutal sensation. I felt I was crawling, but my actual pace was 6:27/mile. I made it to the 3/4 mile mark before Jim finally caught me. I held on but his running was incredible. I was able to maintain sight of him and actually felt I was ganing on him in the 3rd mile, but he ended up putting a total of :45 seconds on me. He took 1st overall with me taking second. I placed 1st in my age group beating my closest competitor by over 11 mins. I felt good about my overall perfomance given that this race was not even a low priority race for me. I had a tough week of training going into the tri and still had 6 hours of weekend training to do following this race. But as Jim and I were talking during our 2 mile cool down after the race, we really pushed each other out there and that is what competition is all about.

If you ever have an opportunity to do this race. I highly recommend it as a low key, grass roots event. One that is great for new triathletes and even children!

Life is a Journey - Enjoy it!

Coach Kevin

Mental Aspect of Multisport and Importance of Recovery

This is a reply to one of my athletes who was looking for some feedback on the mental aspect of multisport and the importance of recovery.


As you indicated, my background as an athlete and also as a coach / motivator leans towards the mental aspects of multisport. I am in no way an expert, but my experience(s) in life and in sport point in this direction. Let me explain -- All people are passed on certain physical genetic traits through their parents. These traits are what they are and as athletes we can mold them and train them to reflect what we desire them to be. But there is a limit to how trainable these traits are. Me for example -- there is no recordable history on either side of my family's history that would indicate that any ancestor had outstanding athletic gifts or a typical endurance athlete's physique. My father is a large full blooded Italian. My mother an Irish / German. I have a broad / muscular body type, one that is not typical for elite triathletes, but that is what I have trained my body into. When racing at a triathlon, you would not pick me out of a crowd as being higly competitive, yet that is what I have become. I am not saying I the overall winner, but a notable fierce competitor. My genetics are a limiter for me in the fact that I train smart and seriously but there is only so much I can do on the physical side. This is where then mental aspects come in. I found early on that I was more willing than most to suffer when it came to my training and racing. And when I applied this willingness with smart / cutting edge training principles it allowed me to succeed in a sport that my body type and genetic traits were not designed to do. God designed me with a solid work ethic with a tendency for structure (got to check off the to do list). So in my training that I execute week in week out, I apply my mental tenacity, willingness to suffer and in the end this has moved me to a higher level of competition. In the process I have found that racing at this higher level is much more painful (which I love) and more fun. I do some brutal training that really hurts, but in this pain, I know that it is where my growth as an athlete really happens. As a man of faith and one that is intentionally working on his spiritual formation, this pain and suffering is where I feel most alive. I realize that is may sound strange to most people, but I realize that the warrior inside of me, loves the battle.

In contrast to this, I sometimes struggle with being hard, very hard on myself. Workouts or races that do not go well. DNFing in a race because of poor hydration or just plain being stupid. But what I have realized in those situtations was that it was Christ's way of developing my character and helping me be humble. And that is what my advice is to you. We all take ourselves way to seriously and lose focus on what we have and are accomplishing. Your race at the D2D was very successful. And you may or may not have left some out there. What I encourage you to do is to process the feeling that you experienced those last couple of miles and make a commitment to mentally prepare for that same point in your next race. Once you identify with what you can learn from the experience, let it go. There is nothing to gain by constantly breaking yourself down about where you feel you fell short.

Your second concern is highly related to the first. You had a great BT race last weekend. And that even took a toll on your body and your mind. We, as athletes, tend to feel indistructable. But in reality we all need to allow for recovery. In my experience as an athlete and coach we are all in a stage of recovery and we need to be thinking more about how to recover better. Based on our training and personal weaknesses, we need to focus on different areas of recovery. Just as you mentioned hydration, diet, sleep and your long winter of Ironman training all affects your recovery. So - lighten up on the pressure you are putting on yourself and learn to enjoy the JOURNEY more. Also do not expect yourself to bounce bace after a hard event or training effort right away. One thing that I have realized is that I always recover better by doing something light the day following a hard effort. I feel worse by doing nothing and sleeping longer than usual. An athletes body actually gets used to a certain amount of stress and by taking to much time off, we actually delay the recovery process.

I appreciate your thought process and desire to improve. You are on a great journey of improvment and understanding your body. I encourage you to keep the attitude positive. I also encourage you as a man of faith to connect your training and racing as an act of worship. God has given you a passion for multisport for a purpose. Make it about him and his will and you are on your way to some serious growth. I am living in that tension myself, as I realize my athletic and coaching gifts. I pray each day that it would be HIS will not mine that is done and that the Spirit comes alive in me each day.

Hope all this helps!

In his Grip -

Coach Kevin

American Triple T Triathlon

I approached the Triple T as a training weekend not an all out racing effort. I am preparing for my “A” race the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon (1/2 Ironman) in Lubbock, TX on June 25th 2006. I was invited to travel with a client of mine to the Triple T and have always wanted to give the 4 race 3 day event a shot. This was Ben’s 4ht trip to the Triple T and felt I was in good hands and was able to get the inside scope on the event. Ben indicated that it was the hardest racing he has ever done. This coming from a guy who has raced several Ironman triathlons and has racing in the Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii a few times. Oh – was Ben right about it being tough. The race was held in the Shawnee State Forest near Portsmouth, Ohio. There was easily 20,000’ + of climbing in the 4 races put together. Went for a run today (a few days post event) and it felt like I have never run before. The following is a brief breakdown of how the races went for me!

Race #1: Prologue
Friday, May 26, 5:00 PM
250m Swim - 5 mi Bike - 1 mi Run
Finish Time = 26:08
As this race indicates, it was a sprint triathlon. I held back on the three legs knowing the racing I had ahead of me. Was able to post a 6:27 mile even with my HR under control! It was mild and a bit of rain fell on us just before the start. The water in the lake was unusually warm, but I still chose to wear my wet-suit.

Race #2: Individual Time Trial
Saturday, May 27, 7:30 AM
1500m Swim - 24.8 mi Bike - 6.55 mi Run
Finish Time = 2:45
Slept well the night before this event! Ben and I roomed with an athlete from Racine Wisconsin “Jim” at the host hotel with in Shawnee State Park. We started all the events in a time trial format meaning the person with the #1 went first then #2 5 seconds after and so on. I was #385 so I was way in the back. But they utilized chip timing. I had a decent swim, but nothing spectactular, very comfortable and passed many athletes. The bike very challenging with several long climbs and very steep and scary descents. The roads were rough. About 20 mins into the bike I flatted on my rear wheel, requiring me to stop and replace the tire. This through me off a bit and I lost at least 8 mins, but it made me take a break. Made it through the rest of the ride with out a hitch. The run was brutal. 3.25 miles out, mostly uphill and on fire roads (unpaved) then 3.25 miles back. Again – unseasonably warm during this event. Felt very under control during this race and was able to keep my HR down even with all the climbing. Overall the body was holding up well.

Race #3: Team Triathlon
Saturday, May 27, 3:00pm Start
24.8 mi Bike - 1500m Swim - 6.55 mi Run
Finish Time = 2:44
Was able to get in a short ‘cat’ nap between this race and the earlier one. This race was when I could tell the racing start to take its toll. In this event we biked, then swam, then ran. The bike was brutal, a bit different course than earlier in the day. There as a brutal 12 min steep climb that really took it out of me. I was using a 12 – 25 rear cog and I could of used a 27. I was ironic that I had just a 1 min faster time in this second race with out a flat. The run was the same fire road course and the temps rose to the mid 80’s in the afternoon. After the race my quads were telling me that I did some racing that day!!!!

Race #4: Team Time Trial
Sunday, May 28, 7:00am Start
1.2 mi Swim - 55.5 mi Bike - 13.1 mi Run
Total Time = 5:53
Tried my best to get some solid sleep and recovery before this event, but I slept like crap during the night. I hydrated and fueled well as I woke up at 3:30am to eat my pre-race meal of ensure and oatmeal and went back to bed. Legs were very tight in the morning, but loosened up on the bike (sort of). My swim was about what I expected given my tired / fatigued nature. My bike was so starting slow it was hard to deal with. This course was brutal, several 25+ min climbs and descents to steep you had your breaks on the whole time. It was a 2 loop course that was unsupported meaning you had to carry your own fuel / water and the only time to refuel was at the transition area after the first loop. It got into the 90’s during the race, but I managed to hydrate and fuel well during the ride. The run was double what we had done in the previous day’s races. I knew the run was going to be brutal and I threw out my open ½ Ironman race ‘run’ pace and made it about survival. I made a promise to myself that I would not walk during the run, not matter how slow my job would be. It was tough but I made it thought the entire run with no walking. My run time was very slow, but I was pleased that I made it over the mental barrier. There were athletes coming unglued all around me, but I just kept on moving forward. I was very pleased how my nutrition plan worked for me during the run. I drank water at every aid station (every mile) and took a gel every 20 mins. At every opportunity I got a cup of ice and dumped it down the front of my shorts to aid in keeping my core temp cool. It works like a charm!

Total Racing Time for 4 races = 11:49

So – some hard course racing in just a few days! I look forward to going back to this great event and giving it a another shot. I know better what to expect the next time! If you are interested in knowing what an Ironman Triathlon feels like, but are not ready for the Iron distance all at one time, this event is for you!

Train Smart and Learn to Suffer –

Coach Kevin

Wild at Heart

I am reading the book “Wild at Heart” with my good friend JD. I asked JD if he would be interested in investing in me on deeper level as a mentor. Have you ever met someone that you just clicked with right off the bat? That is the way it was with JD and I. JD played football at Trinity College just outside Chicago. As athletes, even though from different perspectives, we really hit it off. The thing that really drew me to JD was his spiritual leadership. JD and I meet for an hour or so each week and discuss life, struggles, and our spiritual formation. JD suggested that we read the book 'Wild at Heart' as a way to lead our discussion. I have read the book or at least part of it a few years ago, but reading it with JD and being intentional about discussing it has made a huge impact on my spiritual life and the relationships in my life. The book really calls out to men and the re-discovery of their heart.

Although we are only half way through our reading, I have been challenged in the way I view my role in life as a man. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I am a seeker of the truth. And as a disciple of Christ, I have a willingness to be active in my pursuit of this truth. Thus my relationship with JD. What most often happens during my pursuit of the truth is that I am confronted with my sin nature that requires a response from me in some way.

In his grip -

Kevin

Survival

My friend Gavin was married last weekend and his best man and friends planned a survival weekend instead of the traditional Bach Party. The plan was to camp two nights on the Buffalo river while canoing during the day, We would not be allowed to bring food or a tent, but would be allowed to bring fishing poles, sleeping bags and one change of cloths.


A Journey of Survival:
As we met up to make the trip down to the Buffalo river in Northern Arkansas, the forecast for the weekend was 90 – 100% chance of ran. But, being the testosterone filled men that were are, the 12 brave soles loaded up 6 canoes and the limited provisions the made the trek down south, an 8 hour drive..

On arriving at our first camp site, there were sprinkles but the rain had note moved in yet. I volunteered to drive the pick up vehicle to our take out point a 3 hour round trip, while most of the group stayed and setup camp. On our return to camp is started to rain, and on our return is was raining pretty good. The group set up a communal tent, for all of us to sleep under, the problem was it was not big enough the the 4 of us that drove vehicles to the take out point, so we had to make shift and addition in the rain. I actually sleep well in the conditions and only woke at 6:30am the next morning when I noticed my feet were wet, then noticed that my sleeping bag was soaked. I quickly exited the tent and got my rain gear on as it was pouring outside. The rain gear I brought was not very adequate, so I was thoroughly soaked with in a few mins. But the temp was good, a solid 50+ degrees. After we readied the canoes and broke camp, we set out down the Buffalo river.

The plan was to travel a total of 23 miles on the river, 11.5 the first day, then camp, then 5-10 the second day then camp then the last 2 – 3 miles the morning we would drive back to Nebraska. As we headed out the first day, it was miserable conditions, huge down pours and cool. We had 6 canoes and one capsized with in the first 10 mins on some pretty solid rapids. We tried fishing from the canoes, but had very little luck. It rained on us for much of the 3.5 hour canoe and we were ready to set up out second camp. We spotted a nice flat area that was river bed but was a bit higher to set up camp. It was about 12:30pm when we went ashore. We started the task of build a fire which took about 3 hours to get going (I choose to spend my time doing this as I was cold and had little interest in finishing or hunting). The rest of the group either started to build shelters out of tarps or other natural structures (trees), or fishing / hunting for game. Several of the men caught some small bluegill / sun fish and one guy – Travis caught a nice small mouth bass. We had no luck at catching the Trout (on trout lines) that the area was famous for.

It was a pretty quiet group all afternoon as the group was pretty miserable. But I also realized that this is what I was expecting on a “Survival Trip” It was going to be uncomfortable. I told the men during the trip down that ATTITUDE was going to make or break the weekend and that they were all going to need to find comfort in dis-comfort. During the afternoon of the first day, the ran stopped and it actually got warm enough to dry out some of out wet clothes and sleeping bags. I kept myself busy all afternoon with the fire and enjoyed keeping it going. After the fish were fried from the days catch, we noticed that the river was starting to rise at a solid rate, but nothing to alarming. We moved the canoes higher up the bank and it started to rain again. During the day I made a very primitive “A” frame shelter with a tarp as the roof and a tarp as the base right next to the fire that we got going. As the rain started to come down Travis and I took cover in the shelter. My sleeping bag was pretty moist from the rain but I crawled in with all my clothes on. I was freezing cold and the only way I could stay warm was to seal the bag and breath heavy inside the bag to elevate the inside “climate” of the bag. It worked and although I was wet I was warm. We took shelter around 6:30pm.

I woke up several times that night to relieve myself and each time I noticed that the water level was rising. At 12:00 midnight, I noticed that we (Travis and I) would most likely need to move our shelter, and at 3:00am I woke to see the water level only 12” from out shelter. I woke Travis and told him we needed to move. The rain had broke and the sky was clear then. I could see thousands of stars and the Milky Way! It was amazing. The most enjoyable moment of the trip as I took time to appreciate the vastness of God's creation. As I was accessing the situation I noticed the the canoes that we had moved were ½ submerged (we had them upside down). Three other guys Frock, Brandon, and Brent had set up their shelter at the same level as ours so I woke them up. Travis and I took down our shelter, moved the canoes to higher ground and then spent a couple of hours trying to make a fire as we were cold to the bone. At about 5:45am, I woke the rest of the group up and informed them of the situation. As they got up and got going the water was still rising, as we pushed off, the water was now at the level of the fire we had tried to start.

We pushed off at 6:30am, in a dense fog. The water level was amazingly high with a ton of dabree in the watter. We could tell there was clear sky and we all were anxiously awaiting the sun. The temp was cool but not cold and a bit windy, There was a strong current and were making good time. Gavin and I were canoe mates and I finally figured out the steering on the second day. The group was debating on what to do, do we bag the trip and go directly to the take out point, or do we find another camp site for another night of “SURVIVAL”? We stopped to take a break after 1:45 mins of canoing to enjoy the sun and determine out move. I think were were split 50/50 on the decision, but made the decision to continue down stream and access where we were at on the map. It was very hard to determine our exact location. We new we had to get on the White River and paddle up stream to get to the take out point. We approached a junction in the river and almost missed the White river. But we took it to be safe and it turned out to be exactly where we were supposed to go. As we were loading the canoes, we discovered that the river had been shut down yesterday because the water table had risen 16' over the last 24 hours and was considered to dangerous by the Game and Parks Commission. There was an additional 4' of water rise still expected in the next few hours. Park Rangers were actually looking for us!

We stopped for lunch my first meal in 40 hours. Yes – I fasted during the trip. Best Sonic chicken sandwich I have tasted. It was quite the site. 12 men pulling up to a Sonic fast food. We stopped in a town called Fricken, AK. Yes – you read that right. We got some great laughs out of the Fricken Police car that drove by many times.

All in all a great trip with a bunch of guys, my most memorable bachelor trip. Best thing about the trip was to see how people handle stress and discomfort. It is easy to think that a trip like this will be a blast and we tend to identify with the GLORY of it all, but after it has been raining on you for 24 hours you get broken down and it becomes a challenge.

Life is Survival -

Kevin

Training Easy Makes You Fast!?!?!?

I received the below email from an athlete that I coach:

Athlete:
I thought I was well hydrated and most of the high hr is drift toward the end. I ran yesterday (outside) and kept hr in 150's for first three miles and then it went into 170's after a few hills and did not go down much. Interval times were similar across all 6 miles (have not downloaded that workout yet). My rpe was low except for a couple long hills. Can a person compete over a long period of time with higher heart rates? Do I need more base work?

Here was my response:
**FYI - this athlete has an ATHR (anaerobic threshold heart rate) of 174 beats per min. Zone 1 = <148, Zone 2 = 148 - 157

I hear what you are saying. And you are not going to like what I have to say. You need to slow down your running so that you are in zone 1 - 2 for most of your training. By running in zone 3 and higher consistantly you are not training your body aerobicly, more anaerobicly. You will not improve your fitness by training in zone 3 and above all the time. All you will be doing is making yourself fatigued, overtrained and increase your chances of injury. It will take you having a ton of self discipline to train slower, this will require you to walk once your HR leaves zone 2 and climbs into zone 3. Training in zone 3 and above should be done in short durations and used to specificially develop your anaerbic (threhold, endurance) and muscular endurance. I am very confident that if you can hold back the reigns staying in zone 1 -2, your pace will eventually drop. If you chose to train in zone 3 and above you will not experience any gains in the endurance.

So to answer your question - yes, you need more base work in zone 1 - 2, that is the key. Now for your other question - can a person compete over a long period of time with higher heart rates? YES - but only after a base is laid. This base depends on the person. Take me for an example - when I race anything up to 1/2 Ironman distance or 5 hours and under, I am racing within 5 beats of my anaerobic threshold of 170 bpm - the whole time. This is what it takes if I want to be competitive in my age group. I do 95% of my training in zone 1 - 2. When I go hard during my training it is very, very hard. There is a huge difference for me when I go easy its very easy so that when I go hard its going to hurt.

Training easy makes you faster!!

Coach

Wind

Recovery is key! That is what I always tell my athletes. We are always at a stage or recovery - before, during, after training, it includes all areas of life. So I am sitting at my Ibook G4 recovering from my day in the wind. I set out today, woke up at 5am to prepare and load, met up with my SAG driver 'Scott' and 'Darin' who was crazy enough to ride with me (both clients of mine).

Yes, I spent the day in the wind on my bicycle, the plan was to ride from western Iowa near the Missouri river to my brothers house in south/east - central Iowa. I had the route mapped and estimated the distance at 142 miles. A solid ride on any day. As soon as we stepped out of the van I knew it was going to a brutally long and hard day. A 25 mile per hour head wind coming out of the south / east the direction we were going to travel all day. It was actually comical at times - Darin and I, both solid cyclists with training rides usually at 19 - 21 mph avg speeds. We would be riding on the flats at about 14 mph, then 7-9 mph on the hills, only to descend the hill at 10-11 mph. It was what I call a FORCE training session. Like being in the weight room on the bike. I had estimated that it would most likely take Darin and I 10 hours to make the 142 mile trek, including all the stops and refueling. Well at the 56 mile mark we were at 4 hours and 30 mins. We were trashed. So we decided to ride a bit with the wind at our backs. We made it to approx 70 miles but the toll on our legs was done. We stopped to refuel, met up with my brother Dave who was averaging 5 mph and the clouds came in, thunder rolled and rain started. You have to be able to say when, and the last straw was the clouds rotating just above us, no formal twister, but when you live in the mid west, you just know. So we loaded up and started the return trip, this time as passengers.

It was an incredible sight all those endless rolling hills that we had ridden, some damn long ones too. Miles and miles of them! One thing you experience when riding in the wind is the noise, relentless noise that never gives up. Makes your brain go numb! In the van on the way home is was soo quiet. The plan was to stop on the way back and take our driver Scott out to lunch for Taco's in Minneola, IA. As we were just about to drive through town Darin spotted a couple of MTN bikers that were riding on what is called a 'Trace', an old rail road bed that has been converted to a biking path (it runs from Council Bluffs to the Missouri border). Darin noticed that one person was down on her back and could see blood on her body / close. I immediately turned around and we went to their aid. She had gone over her bars and had deep cut just above her eye and road rash on her upper arm and bummed her hip. We her and her husband in the ran and put the bike on the rack and brought them to their car, about 10 miles down the road.

Then just as we were rolling into Omaha my van broke down, we managed to make it off the interstate and into a gas station lot. Some kind of fuel, alternator issue. I found a ride for Scott back to his vehicle at my house and Darin and I road to his truck then we returned to meet the tow truck and to retrieve our gear. We finished the day with a late lunch at Qdoba for some well deserved burritos.

So the day turned out to be much different than planned, but I know that Gods hand was in it all. If we would have continued to ride we would not have been there to assist those 2 mountain bikers and would most likely be stranded in central Iowa with a van that would not go!

I am off to work on my recovery as I prepare for my 4 hour brick work out that will start at 5am!

Cheers -

Kevin

The Passion of Christ!

Just returned from a late night ride on my Honda Interceptor. I am fairly new to being on a bike that has an engine. Sometimes it makes me feel guilty that it doesn't require effort. I attened my community of faiths (church) "Coram Deo" ((latin for = In the presence of God)) Good Friday service. A reminder of what injustice and justice was required by God so that I might have eternal life in Jesus Christ. Tonight as we were meditating on the Passion of Christ in the book of Matthew, it was humbling to know what Jesus had to suffer through in order for me to be redeemmed. It makes the little discomforts of life seem so small. It makes the suffering that I subject myself to during my training for triathlons a bit easier to handle. I have often felt that if I am feeling comforable, that is not where Christ wants me. Yes - this is easy to say, but when you are living through some hard times, it makes it hard to grasp. Honestly - the harder more demanding, more painful my training is - the more I like it. Something in me desires to find comfort in discomfort. You could call that my motto. I know that in a very small way, this pain develops my character and brings me closer to Christ.

Thank you Jesus for sacrificing yourself so that I may live! Off to bed as I prepare for a 150 mile road trip (bicycle) tomorrow!

In his Grip -
Kevin

Introduction

Welcome to The Multisport Life Blog

I desired a place to record my experiences in life. Although I am social and have a vast support network, I tend to keep my thoughts deep in my head. So my posts might not make sense to you, but I encourage dialog as it will help me process. I do not claim to be a typist and know that my grammer is below my 12yr old daughters ability. So if I offend any english grammer perfectionists --- sorry!!

A little about me - I am a husband, father, son, brother, friend, endurance coach, triathlete, Ironman, marathoner, Adventure Racer, snowboarder, snowshoer, mountaineer, wake boarder and motorcyclist (VFR Baby!!!!). As you can see I love adventure with a sprinkle of risk! Hey I'm a man and am learning that God gave men a heart for adventure.

The list above is non-conclusive, especially given that I live each day developing my relationship with Jesus. I know by coming out of this closet and indicating that I am developing my Christain Spirituality (I am getting away from using christianaity as it has so many negative conotations in the current culture), that you may lose interest in reading more. It will be your loss, but it is also your right. I fully acknowlege that I am a broken guy. Man I got sin in my life. And every new day brings more awareness of how much I need Gods grace. It is not that I am out there breaking the law, taking lives or cheating on my wife. But I acknowlege that my heart is not pure. I value peoples love and acceptence over my Savior Jesus'. I am selfish like nobody's business. Money controls me in ways that I am embarrased about. So you get the picture, I got issues just like everybody else. The difference ......... I know truth. I consider myself blessed. I heard Gods voice and truth and accepted this by faith. It is so hard to explain, but I hope to share my fiath, my story, my Journey within the bounderies of the Blog world! Visit often - post your comments!

Kevin