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