“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”  -Henry Ford

Tis the season to establish some SMART goals. SMART, as you may well know, is an acronym for goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. As I’m doing for myself, I’m asking all of my athletes to create not only smart goals, but smart targets. I believe that it’s important to distinguish between goals and targets. Goals should be process based; the journey. Example: I will work to be as consistent with my workout sessions in 2012 as possible while being flexible. Targets are the desired outcomes. Example. I will break five hours in a 70.3 triathlon. As you’ve heard me say in the past, we tie our perceived success to our goals, those things over which we have control. I firmly believe that a laser-like focus on our process-based goals will most likely result in our hitting the targets at which our season is aimed. Above all, 2012 is about two things:

CONSISTENCY & FLEXIBILITY

As an athlete and a coach, I want to ensure that we’re getting out of endurance sports what is most important, namely, happiness. Happiness, in my book, comes from living at the top of our powers in every day living while attaining the skills to meet new challenges. This has also been referred to as the flow state.

So, let’s begin 2012, with the end in mind. Let’s take the remainder of this year and craft some smart goals and targets, keeping them simple and specific, and post them in conspicuous places so that we can be reminded of why it is we choose to put ourselves through all this bull___.   

Here’s some good slides from webinars I’ve recently conducted on my journey to re-certifying as a USA Triathlon coach. Use them to help stir your creative juices. I will be following up with you in December on your goals and targets. We’ll put place them on your 2012 Google Doc and refer to them regularly. Please let me know if you have any questions.

__________________

________________________

_______________________

________________________

POINT POSITIVE >>>

Uncategorized Goal-Setting

Ty Webb

Caddyshack – “Be the Ball” <<< CLICK 

As a coach, athlete, and a teacher, it’s always on my mind how to get the most out of ourselves on the day of the big test. In endurance sport, preparation, a smart taper, and a solid execution of a well-informed race plan represent those things over which we have control. As is often stated, however, proper mental preparation is often dismissed as insignificant, more in part, because, as multi-sport athletes, we’re busy enough! I sense that endurance sports represents a new frontier. It is my feeling that it is in to the mind we are headed next, to more effectively align our brains with our bodies, in order to surpass previous generation’s athletic achievements.

Mental skills and run coach, Bobby McGee, of Bobby McGee Endurance Sports works with all kinds of athletes, from elite level Olympic runners and triathletes, to recreational folks. With my own background in running and sport psychology, I found a mentor of sorts in McGee when I attended a USA Triathlon coaching clinic in Colorado Springs last year. I follow McGee on Facebook, as well as through his books (see below), and the webinars he hosts for USAT coaches.

Bobby McGee

First off, McGee preaches to athletes, be responsible for performance. I like to say when talking about marathon and Ironman races in particular, “respect the race by doing the appropriate level of training.” This, I feel, is a paradigm of thinking that must be central in the athlete’s mind. The law of the harvest reigns supreme: we reap what we sow.

More difficult, especially in male competitors, is to admit and face our demons, whatever shape or form they may come in. Admitting weaknesses we may feel is a sign of weakness. Vulnerability, however, has tremendous potential for growth. Purposefully placing ourselves in uncomfortable situations forces us to swallow our pride for the sake of improvement. I’m not saying it’s easy or fun, but I am saying it’s worth it.

Wanting some speed for this year’s Ironman Coeur d’Alene, I put myself in the awkward position of doing an Olympic-distance triathlon two weeks out from Cd’A, with several of my buddies. With swimming as my limiter, I worked as hard as I could on the bike and run but simply ran out of real estate to catch any of them in that race. I was definitely vulnerable by registering for that event. On the flip side, two weeks later, I did Cd’A and barely earned a Kona slot, my key objective for 2011. What would have happened had I not raced that Olympic? Would I have missed my slot by one or two places? Surely, my speed and mental toughness were sharpened by participating in that shorter, faster event. We’re grateful for having done the work.

McGee professes the incredible importance of being very clear with ourselves about what we want out of our participation in sport. Here’s his three big questions:

What do you want?

What do you have to do to get it?

Who do you have to be to achieve this?

For McGee and his highly successful athletes, simplicity equals power. We must believe that the training we’re doing will produce the results we seek. I am still very intrigued with his theory that 90% of athletes under perform in races according to their training while only 9% of athletes achieve what their training shows, while only 1% over perform. This was a paradigm shift in my own thinking and liberated me from “racing” my buddies all the time on group rides. What I finally internalized was that only on race day does it matter who crosses the line first. Athletes need to be okay trailing their buddies sometimes and not always sprinting for every town sign that pops up on the horizon. Doing so, leaves you fresh for your racing, when it really counts. That being said, I’m not against sprinting for those signs. It’s a heck of a lot of fun, but there’s a time and a place for such antics. And in the middle of an Ironman prep is probably not the ideal time to try and show your buds whose boss.

Grace. Gratitude. Guts. These are the three things McGee puts at the top of his list for success in endurance sports. We have to keep in mind that we make the conscious decision to put ourselves in these events, where our mettle will be tested. So, as McGee suggests, remind yourself when you’re out there that “you are a lucky person!” to have this opportunity to participate in something as exciting as triathlon or running long distances, etc. We are living at the top of our powers and this fact should be recognized and celebrated!

A hallmark of great athletes, McGee says, is that they totally accept that what happens to them out there. They control the controllables and let the results take care of themselves. They have absolute clarity of purpose, accept adversity, have a vivid picture of what’s possible. They create their race in immense detail before toeing the line. And above all, they let go of ego, allowing themselves to be vulnerable and learn from others who may possess the skills and knowledge they themselves may lack.

In a Facebook exchange with McGee, I had commented on a link to a mental skills article he had posted. I appreciated how he himself had been quoted in the article, stating that the most important thing we can concentrate on in a race is our technique, our form. He replied, stating that his thinking had since evolved and that such an emphasis in racing he now considered secondary to simply “being the running,” or “being the swimming,” or “being the cycling.” He went on to reference Caddyshack (“Be the ball”) as a fun way of illustrating his point. Training is a time to focus on conditioning ourselves to proper swim stroke, effective pedal stroke, and swift running economy. Racing is a time of “letting go of the process” as McGee coaches. In racing, we are fully engaged in the here and now, we are the process. McGee places feeling ahead of thinking when it comes to race time. I liken this to the saying, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” In a race, our objective should be to arrive at a place of full integration. Simply put, body and mind are aligned. >>>

This year, I’ve been putting myself to this test; of trying this out first hand and “letting go” and just “being” the activity I find myself doing. I find the creative mind conjures up some powerful images such as the Bullet Train, while I’m cycling, for example. The Bullet Train does not dwell on its fuel consumption or if another train is going to beat it to its destination, it’s just relentlessly roars through the countryside, a completely integrated machine, aero and blazing down the tracks.  >>>

I believe it’s true that we’re not wired to envision success. The natural state of the mind is entropy. It takes energy to organize our thinking. We spend much of our lives in a process of organizing our minds in a painstaking process called education. Likewise, to perform at high levels athletically it stands to reason that our natural state of mind is to avoid failing. Of course focusing on failure ensures we do not live up to our potential and end up among McGee’s 90% of athletes who under perform according to their training. A much smaller percent of athletes have organized their thinking to a point where they are “motivated to succeed,” which implies that they have shed fears of failing and are, as McGee puts it, “always envisioning success.” When unfortunate situations arise in races, these athletes handle it by pushing the pause button, or by “changing the channel,” as my own sport psych professor, a WPGA golf pro, used to tell us.

Craig Alexander & Chrissie Wellington

So, wrapping this up, here’s some more notes from Bobby McGee as well as a mental skills questionnaire that you can use to rate your own mental preparation. As my professor stated, sport is 100% physical and 100% mental. We must attend to both if we want to climb into the 9% of athletes who can perform at the level their training suggests.

1.  Know what your capabilities are, especially on the swim and bike. Judge that according to how you feel in any moment.

2.  Practice visualization. Work on what will count on race day. Only work on what you need to.

3.  Empower yourself in terms of decision making.

4.  Vulnerability in training. Put yourself in those situations that will stretch you.

5.  Use mental imagery to encourage success. Deliberately practice.

6.  You can’t change mindset, you have to replace it. 20-50,000 repetitions are needed to make something your own. For that old mindset NOT to come back, in a specific part of a race. Also, realize and accept that you’re never going to feel fresh and springy at the end of a race. Therefore practice making parts of training sessions intentionally uncomfortable.

7.  Drop the subjective! Stay away from the “Oh, poor me.” or having to “look good” ego driven thinking. Strive to remain objective with your thinking. Take control of your mind!

8.  Empowering self talk. Find out, under pressure, what you are thinking. Habituating powerful thoughts over and over again. Say to yourself, “I am a good racer.” Tie it to process. “I do well” Use present continuous tense 2-5 words at most. Practice to reinforce. Remember, 20-50,000 times to replace old patterns of thinking.

9.  Managing race sensation.  The rhythm athlete versus the strength athlete. One can learn from the other. There’s always tough patches for each! What type of personality/athlete are you?

10.  Boom! It all comes down to one thing:  Focus.

11.  Pain management. Attempting to disassociate from the pain is never a good idea. So, ask the quads what they need. Focus on that feedback. The harder you focus the more effectively you’ll deal with the discomfort.

12.  The day versus the plan. Expect the best, prepare for the worst. Leave room for changing plans on the fly. Be aware to be wise!

13.  In your racing, keep things open to possibility. Know when to deviate from the plan. This comes with experience. “Snap decisions” as author Malcolm Gladwell writes in his book, Blink.

“It is the brain, not the heart or lungs that is the critical organ. It’s the brain.”  -Sir Roger Bannister

Uncategorized Bobby McGee, Caddyshack, Mental Training, Racing

“A fast Ironman marathon is not about who runs the fastest, but who slows the least”  -Mark Allen

Mark Allen at the 1989 Hawaii Ironman (his first of six titles)

A lot of folks who come into Ironman Triathlon have some open (stand-alone) marathon experience, or at least some open-half marathons or half-marathons off the bike in 70.3 distance triathlons (half-Ironmans). When athletes start their first Ironman marathon and realize the toll that a 2.4mi swim and a 112mi bike has taken, they’re shocked to discover how slow their pace is compared to their open-marathon/half-marathon pace. Therefore, it’s important going into the Ironman marathon having our expectations aligned with the ultra-distance reality. Anticipation is the heart of wisdom.

Ironman comes down to one thing: the run. You can float through the swim, most times in a buoyant and cozy wetsuit, and you can coast when you’re tired on the bike. But, there is absolutely nowhere to hide on that marathon. My athletes remind me of this fact time and again after they complete their first Ironman-distance triathlon. So, naturally, that’s where I always start looking when I embark on a journey with a new athlete targeting the ultra-distance. “Where is your run?” Ideally, I’ll start working with an athlete early enough in the year, to bank some great run fitness, culminating with a spring marathon, like the Napa Valley Marathon, held in early March. Having this spring marathon in the bank serves two purposes: 1. banking some great run training along the way to the very Ironman-specific objective of having a successful open-marathon. And 2., steeling the mind against the rigors of a very demanding distance. When the athlete arrives at the second transition (bike-to-run), he draws confidence from the fact that he has that spring marathon in his legs. He knows, “If I’ve done it [at least] once, well h*ll, I can do it again.” But a strong body and mind running is only a piece of the puzzle. Success in the Ironman marathon is actually predicated upon superior bike fitness.

I remember meeting a very confident guy at an Ironman carbo-dinner once. He was there to do his first Ironman. He wasn’t shy about informing me about his running prowess. He had already run several marathons under 2:30. I told him that was awesome and it bested my marathon personal best by 10min. Having had a poor showing at my first Ironman and at the time of this conversation took place, with some five or six more IMs to my name, I advised the guy to take it easy on the bike. He wouldn’t have it. After the race, scrolling down and down some more on the results page I found him; he had a good swim, a rocking bike, but didn’t manage to break 4hrs on the run, let alone 3 like he wanted. Like me, he had to learn the hard way. Some of us are just knuckleheads. Or, some of us find out early exactly where our limits are and come back and have the race that lives up to our potential.

So the run’s the tough part. It comes at the end, after you’ve been at it for a long while. If you think about the dynamics of the event, on average, a poor swim is only going to set you back some 5-10min. A poor bike ride’s only going to add 10-15min. But, a bad run? If you started your marathon averaging 8min miles, and then started walking, you just dropped to somewhere in the neighborhood of 18min/mi and may end up adding an hour or more to your overall race time. Again, there’s nowhere to hide. This little scenario is what happened to me during my first Ironman in Lake Placid, back in 2001. I came into the sport with 2+ years of marathoning under my belt, like my acquaintance with the 2:30 marathon best. I thought I could push the bike as hard as I wanted and would be able to run a smokin’ marathon. That certainly wasn’t the case; I was walking by mile 9, completely dumbfounded. I walk-jogged my way to a 10:45 Ironman, well below my target race time. And so it goes. We learn. I would come back to Lake Placid a year later, pace the bike better and shave 45min off my overall time and qualify for the big dance in Kona. Redemption feels good.

Chrissie Wellington

The Ironman marathon really isn’t about running fast. It’s about maintaining a “slow” pace, relative to your open run times, while being okay with it in your head. Interestingly enough, Mark Allen’s first marathon actually came in his very first marathon, which was in his first Hawaii Ironman! This is fascinating from a sports psychology perspective since his experience was opposite what most peoples’ is; he immediately internalized what running a marathon under a tropical sun feels like. This certainly paved the way for his future success in Hawaii. After this initial marathon, he raced an Ironman in Europe, where it’s much cooler, and discovered that, Hey!, I can run a whole heck of a lot faster here! That was back in the day when all you had to do to get into Kona was send in your check and registration. Most folks who qualify for Kona these days do so at events that have cooler temps on the run. When they go to Hawaii with expectations to run at the same pace they ran at their qualifier, they quickly become discouraged, if they haven’t anticipated it.

It's HOT out there on the Queen K!!

Conditions on the day really dictate how fast you’ll cover the 140.6mi. Wind and heat will slow you down. We have to be ready for this. I look to my own Kona times in 2004 and 2007. In 2007, I crossed the finish line 20min faster than in 2004! But, when I saw the results, I was about 50 places down from where I’d been just three years prior. Why? Well, mostly because the conditions were simply tougher in ‘04. I took to heart what Paula Newby-Fraser said to us at the carbo-dinner two nights before the race that year: “Expect nothing. Be prepared for anything.” Again, anticipation is the heart of wisdom. That was some great wisdom coming from a great champion. I was sold.

The swim in ‘04 threw some big swells at us that day. The winds on the Queen-K and coming down from Hawi were treacherous. I remember getting onto the marathon thinking I must be down by so much, having the swim I did and being considerably slower than my bike ride at my qualifying race in Placid that July. I ran on, wondering still, “How am I doing in this race, anyway?” I finished up the day chasing a buddy I’d met in Placid (who I never caught). I pushed and pushed and pushed to that magical finish line on Alii Drive. Pleased with my modest improvement over my time there in 2002. But, I was even more satisfied with the effort when I saw the results. It was striking. I ended up around 70th overall, and the 11th American (I think I was the 2nd fastest American educator!).

The moral of the story, is that it’s not over ’til it’s over. Like Mark Allen, I was naive about the race. My expectations, at the time, was “this is the hardest race on the planet. It’s going to be tough. Deal with whatever the race throws at you. Don’t fight it. Expect nothing and be prepared for anything. Listen to Newby. She’s knows what she’s talking about.”

Chris McCormack And Andreas Raelert Battle In Kona - Photo John Segasta

__________________________________________________________________________

I now want to touch on a few areas that will help you realize your full potential in the Ironman marathon: Training, Refueling, Pacing, and Expectations.

Training

What we’re looking for in training and what I lay out for my athletes is pretty basic:  one long run per week (2-3hrs in duration), one endurance brick (bike/run) per week (7hrs max) and one ironman-specific “speed brick.” I also like to see one endurance swim mixed in there when the local water temp’s up. In training, we’re seeking to improve not only our metabolic endurance but also our mental endurance. We have to ensure our minds are up to the lofty task of dealing with a 140.6mi endurance event!

“Endurance for the Ironman marathon is developed on the bike.”  -Luis Vargas

The brick workouts serve to teach the body that the bike ride is not the end of the workout. I like to refer to this as reality training. If we can muster the mental will to run 30-75min after having ridden for 5-7hrs, then we’ll certainly have an easier time dealing with that reality when we arrive at the second transition, and, maybe even get a little excited to get out there and pound the pavement too! No kidding.

Refueling

It’s been stated exhaustingly, that eating is the fourth leg of the triathlon. This becomes increasingly true the longer the endurance event. I put down some 50-60 gels in last year’s Tahoe Rim Trail 100mi Run. You just need to keep those calories coming in. But, that’s tricky, since as the day wears on, it usually becomes increasingly difficult for our bodies to absorb those calories. Humans really weren’t designed to eat while running. We have to condition ourselves to this little trick, and do so while moving at relatively low aerobic effort levels so that there’s actually some blood flow to the stomach to pick up and use some of those calories we’re gulping down.

So, as you would surmise, we attempt to duplicate in racing the refueling strategy we’ve practiced in training. Sometimes, it actually works too! Unfortunately, all the training and fitness we’ve worked for gets wasted if our refueling plan doesn’t work in the race. It’s certainly a good plan to try and take in about 300-400 liquid calories per hour on the bike ride. I mix up a 1400-1600cal “meal” bottle that I sip (and chase with plenty of water!) over the course of the 5:00-5:15 I’m on the bike. The gulps I take early in the 112mi bike will be bigger than the gulps I take toward the end of the bike, since, it becomes increasingly difficult for the body to keep processing the high maltodextrin based “pancake batter” substance I’m using.

Kevin Buchholz, owner of Echelon Cycle & Multisport once taught me a cool trick to better ration my meal bottle. You take your estimated ride time and break them up into hours. You can then take a magic marker and place, what I’ll call, “consumption lines” on your meal bottle. Imagine, the distance between the lines at the top will be larger than the distance of the lines at the bottom given that you want to ingest more calories early, while you still can. You simply monitor your bottle level over the duration of the ride, ensuring you’re consuming enough. I like to take in calories with water on a 20min interval (time 20, 40, and 60 respectively). This eating interval, or nutrition schedule as it’s called, works like a charm at keeping my energy in balance with no spikes or crashes. And when the engine is well-fueled, it can be most efficient. We want to arrive at the bike-to-run transition in the best shape possible. Sometimes we nail it in our first attempt. Sometimes it takes years of trying, and failing, to dial in a nutrition strategy that works.

In Chris McCormack’s new book, “I’m Here to Win,” he’s written a chapter entitled “Coke, the World’s Best Sports Drink.” He reminded me that mindlessly forcing 400cal per hour into my stomach is usually not the wisest thing to do. Therefore, taking in more maltodextrin based calories early and moving to simple sugars like energy gels on the run, and, as a last resort, Coke. I’ve always held out taking Coke on the marathon until as late as possible. Now, I know when it’s time. That time usually comes for me somewhere around mile 20 of the marathon, when my exertion is the hardest it’s been all day.

Chris "Macca" McCormack

“What [Macca and his coach] decided was that as the heat picked up and my [Macca's] heart rate climbed, I would take in less fuel as the race went on. So I start at 500 calories per hour, and then go down. At the same time I simplify the sugars, so as the blood leaves my stomach, I’m giving my body very simple sugars to break down; sugars that turn almost instantly to glucose and gives me the energy I need” [i.e., Coke!] (p.174).

Pacing

Great marathon pacing starts on the bike. If you’re a strong cyclist, then you can conserve on the bike ride, leaving you with more to give your marathon. If the bike is a limiter for you, then you want to give extra attention to your refueling on the bike so that you set yourself up for an effective run. Effective meaning, not slowing rather than running fast.

Note: If you are “racing” any portion of the 112mi ride, you are going too fast!!

You must play it smart on the bike, that’s all it comes down too. Know yourself, and execute an well-informed and intelligent race plan.

As you get to within 2mi of “T2,” the bike-to-run transition, be sure to back off the effort. Allow your heart-rate to fall and your legs to flush. Transition smoothly and ease into the run, concentrating only on running easy over at least the first 5k. Then, build it from there.

Run/Walking. There’s nothing wrong with walking during your marathon, if it’s done while consuming calories with fluids through your aid stations, which typically come up every mile on the marathon. If your race-plan incorporates walking then you want to ensure you begin walking your aid stations right off the bat, in those early miles. Walk early when you don’t have to, to ensure you’re still running between aid stations late in the marathon.

Plan your aid stations. Know what you want before you arrive. Keep moving through each station. Typically, at least at WTC races, you’ll have two opportunities to get ice, gels, water, Coke, and sponges, etc.

Finally, if the Gods are smiling down on you, with 10miles to go in your marathon, you can start racing! Until this point, you want to keep the intensity at a strong training day level.

Until this point, you want to keep the intensity at a strong training day level.

Expectations

Keep in mind too, that as we gain experience in racing ultra-events, our perspective changes over time. I remember, vividly, in Kona 2002, sitting in T2, simply bewildered by the daunting task before me:  running 26.2miles in 90deg heat. I had yet to learn how to pre-program my head to break the race down into more manageable pieces. Now, I look at the marathon as 26 little races inside the bigger one. It really helps me to just concentrate on maintaining my pace and form to the next aid station, whether I’m in a marathon or a 100 mile trail run. It’s all about getting to the next aid station, knowing what I’m going to do when I get there, and then re-commiting my body and mind to the next aid station down the road. Coming into the race, the only expectations I have are that I’m going to execute my process-driven race plan to the very best of my ability. I’ll worry about my time after the race.

To recap, if you’re a runner, the Ironman marathon will NEVER feel like you’re going fast. So, expect this and readjust your gauge coming in. We never really know when we’re having the race of our life, as I was in Kona 2004. Sometimes, it just feels like we’re in no man’s land, lost in a sea of foot-strikes and Dixie cups. But, surely, it ain’t over out there ’til it’s over. I’ve once won an open marathon in the final mile. You just never know who’s going to blow up and at what moment. We can only hope it’s not us!!

Let me finish up here by talking about your mental toughness in those late stages of your Ironman marathon. If you’re doing your job, it’s simply going to hurt like hell. But in a good way of course. After all, you’re in control of how much is hurts. You can stop at any moment and relieve your suffering. But that’s that draw for us: overcoming the pain and discomfort, with our minds, so that we can truly see not only our potential, but find out what we’re made of. You don’t want to be a “mental milkshake,” a term the Macca uses to describe athletes that consistently fall apart when the pressure’s on. We can all develop coping strategies, like Macca’s mental “files” to help us keep it together.

“Expect to want to quit 1000 times out there and know this is normal, not a sign that you should quit.”  -Mark Allen

I’ve conditioned myself over the years in endurance racing to narrow my focus internally as the discomfort increases, which has resulted in some wrong turns in pivotal moments of various events. But usually, this focus on the present moment, on a strong positive attitude, my conscious breathing, and my efficient form sees me through, every time. We listen to our bodies and pace and fuel all day, until the point comes where there’s 30-60min remaining. From that point, it’s certainly more about the mind than the body. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more adept at managing the discomfort. Experience has its virtues. And I’m always grateful to simply be out there, dicing it up with 50-2600 other dedicated athletes, who represent something very special to me:  the desire to live life at the top of their powers. That’s cool.

“Give 100% of what you have to give, even if you are in a 10% situation.” -Mark Allen

Coach Bob - Hawaii Ironman Marathon - October 2007

>>>  It ain’t over ’til it’s over. So Point Positive!!!  >>>

Uncategorized Ironman Marathon, Ironman Nutrition, Ironman Pacing

What a day out on the Silverado Trail! The 33rd annual Napa Valley Marathon represents a gateway event for Point Positive athletes. Ted Neal, pictured below, knocked 20min off his personal marathon best today and is now eager to see what he can lop off of his American River 50mi time in April.  The Borg boys were out in full force, minus one or two, but grow collectively stronger with each passing day. All told, we had four Point Positive athletes complete the marathon today. Congrats to Rod, David, and Matt for their hard work and great attitudes. All these guys are just good fun to be around. Although, we all agree, Greg G.’s support from start to finish was incredibly helpful, we’d all rather see him in the race, suffering with us, if for no other reason than this way he can’t catch us doing stupid sh*t on the course, like timing us in the porta-john or almost running off course, etc. (not that these things happened today).

Ted Neal talking to a potential shoe sponsor after his marathon.

Rod Matteri and David Tett after doing battle on the marathon course.

I’m fading fast here but will say I enjoyed myself out there today. First time I ever used my Garmin in a road marathon; pretty easy to throttle back and set pace. Went out at 6:00/mi and held pretty well through 13. Took gels every 30min; decaf at 30 and 60 and 100mg Clif Shot at 1:30. That Shot and running legend “Boston” Bill Rodgers telling me to “Drink my drinks!” around the same time really got me fired up through some tough middle miles. Right around 16, I was thinking to myself, “This is great. I’ve really missed running road marathons.” Those thoughts faded about a mile or so later. Back to work.

My endurance has never been more rock-solid thanks to the last 3 years of ultra-running. I’ve built some great base, but base built running relatively slowly, compared to my pace today. All in all, I was pleased with the effort I was able to muster over the final 10k. Looking forward to running off the bike this year. Give me a good day, and I might just be able to string together some 6:52 miles for my first sub-3 Ironman marathon. A guy can dream.

Well, probably the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me late in a marathon was getting smoked at the finish by a guy dressed up like a superhero. Some guys worry about getting beat by the gals. I don’t really mind getting “chicked” since I “grew up” in Ironman racing getting chicked all the time by the female pros. But, howabout a guy dressed up like Spiderman!?! I just wasn’t having this. Turns out, this funny scenario of running down ol’ Spidey turned into some serious motivation late in the race. “I just can’t get beat by that guy, whoever the h*ll he is.”  >>>

So, I pushed and pushed and noticed the web-slinger seemed to be slowing some. With only a few hundred yards to go we were shoulder to shoulder. Yes! Wait, NO!!! Our super-hero put on a spurt to beat the band and left me trailing many seconds behind, leaving me completely bewildered and wondering how it’s possible to lose to some dude in his pajamas.

Read on…

I’d had messaged with an acquaintance, Ian Sharman, the day before on Facebook. I had looked around at the start and did not see him. So when the mask came off at the finish and I made the surreal discovery that Spiderman was Ian and Ian was Spiderman, I thought for a second I might be dreaming this whole bizarre chain of events.

Like they say, expect nothing and be prepared for anything; you just never know what will turn into a huge source of motivation late in a marathon. No doubt, without being taunted to dig deep, I would surely have run a minute or two slower today. All thanks to our friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

"Nobody knows who you are!" (photo by Brett Rivers, another nemesis!!)

Cruising down the Silverado Trail, in pursuit of a superhero... (photo by Brett Rivers)

An unmasked Ian Sharman, complete with new/reclaimed Guiness Book world record: "Fastest marathon dressed as a super-hero." I've come to find out he does this on a regular basis!! (photo by Brett Rivers)

____________________________________

Back in the classroom tomorrow. Time change next weekend. And time to change gears from running to full-on triathlon training. Looking forward to my first Wildflower Long Course in May!!

Point Positive!

Uncategorized

One of the interesting things I’ve noticed working with newer Ironman triathletes is that they soon come to terms with the fact that Ironman is less about racing, and more about patient pacing. I often reiterate that it’s actually quite boring, as opposed to bike racing, for example. Gratification, though delayed, does come when the athlete has done the requisite amount of work in training, has tapered well, and executes a smart swim and bike. “It all comes down to that marathon coach,” I’ve heard time and time again. You want to arrive at that critical junction in a long-course race confident and ready to run tough. If, with 10mi to go in the marathon, you want to race, then step on the gas, if you find you have another gear remaining that is.

Here are some notes I’ve recently compiled on setting up our year of long-course triathlon training. Let’s hit our sessions and work mindfully to maintain a healthy balance of training and recovery. Your long-term enjoyment of the sport depends on it.

First off, a periodized training plan gets us to where we want to be; breaking up large periods of times into smaller, more manageable chunks that are used to guide training in order to optimize the physiological adaptations. Determining your Optimal Aerobic Heart-Rate (OAH) is one step in the process. The OAH is the heart-rate an Iron-distance athlete would hold for the majority of the 112mi bike ride still be able to run an effective marathon.

Note: most athletes in January will notice that it’s particularly difficult to keep their heart-rates down in their OAH due in part to the fact that they are just returning to training and experiencing a reduction in aerobic efficiency. It’s January, that’s normal! With frequency and consistency, soon the athlete will be cycling and running faster while at their OAH.

Testing: I am asking all of my athletes to conduct some pre-season tests, to include a 30-45min cycling test, seated, preferably on a climb. Also, athletes will conduct a 6-10mi running test on a flat surface at their OAH. Athletes are asked to report the time at their established OAH as well as distance and pace in both the cycling and running tests. Testing continues at appropriate times within the periodized plan. It is ongoing and allows for quantification of athlete’s progress within training. We then hold ourselves accountable to the data.

It is important to know that periodization is based on the training principles of: Progression, Overload, & Specificity. As Emerson so aptly stated, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the nature of the task has changed but our ability to do has increased.” So, over time, you can do more work (but only when you’re consistent). Your body has to be really convinced your serious about your training before it makes the physiological adaptations that allow you to reach new levels. So, overload training is a vital part of any long-course training plan. You want to get faster? Then we may want to consider doing more work than we did last year, or, if time’s a factor, we need to get creative with your available time to train and specifically target those areas that are truly holding you back.

It’s January, let’s look at Running. We’re stressing the body through our run training. Cumulative run training obviously produces a strain on the body. The response is the body will, at nature’s pace, adapt physiologically, thereby increasing your running economy/efficiency. The short-term effects of your run training include: increased muscle blood flow and increased oxygen delivery to working muscles. The long-term effect of a high frequency running program are increased capillary density and increased mitochondrial density. Recall, that mitochondria are the power-house of the cell. My how your body loves the frequency. It’s the big “convincer,” which expedites those physiological adaptations!!

Moving on, here are some other notes on Long-Course racing we should be considering in the pre-season:

Ironman Performance Targets:

Fast Age-Grouper: 10-12 hours / Normal Age-Grouper: 12-14 hours /  Slower Age-Grouper: 14+ hours

Regardless of the finishing time, an Ironman event is an AEROBIC event, usually conducted in Zone 2, otherwise known as your Extensive Endurance Zone. Your OAH is the heart-rate at which you will want to sit on in order to see your peak potential in an Ironman distance event. Above 65% of your max h/r and you’re simply “burning too many matches” and you’ll experience a sub-par marathon. Extensive aerobic training as well as training to save energy, therefore, produce the biggest bang for the buck.

Specificity!! Such a big thing to keep in mind with long-course racing. 80% of what we do in Ironman preparation is addressing your muscular endurance. If you want speed, then show me you can handle consistent 15 – 20 hour training weeks without breaking down. There is a time and place for Ironman-specific speed-work and it’s not typically conducted in the overload period. Again, if you have a substantial amount of aerobic base in the bank coming into your Ironman, that and mostly that is what’s going to carry you over the race. Muscular Endurance is where it’s at.

Limiters – most people are not truly able to analyze their own limiters. That’s why people have a coach! We can talk about where you’re strong and where you still need some work. Endurance, of course, is the first place I’m going to focus.

Endurance is defined as the ability to delay or prevent the onset of fatigue. How far can you go??

Endurance workouts are general volume based workouts, at a low intensity (OAH or lower). Not only volume is important, but for swimming and running, frequency is more important to maintain the neuromechanical connections in addition to the technique required.

Quality vs. Quantity

Quality workouts are efforts that once completed, have met all of the objectives we have laid out. In general, interval or intense training sessions need to be of the highest quality possible.

Quantity (volume) refers to the simple number and volume of the workouts. For running and swimming, frequency, in general, is the key! Quantity maintains technique as well as maintains and creates those fabulous neuromechanical connections!

In reality, if you are training for more than about 12 hours per week, recovery becomes more important than the actual workouts!

Recovery!! (Muscular / Metabolic / Mental)

Muscular recovery is self- explanatory. If you are continually training and training without proper recovery, the quality of the workouts will be compromised and at some point, we will not be able to workout due to injury.

Metabolic (fuel) recovery is just as important as the muscular recovery since it’s supplying the fuel to the muscles in addition to the nutrients they need to repair themselves properly. If you are not replenishing the fuel you are using, you will, AT BEST not see the extent of the physiological adaptations you are looking for, and at worst, end up injured. A great resource for racing and training nutrition is “Nutrition Periodization for Endurance Athletes” by Bob Seebohar, which I first introduced last January.

Mental recovery is also self-explanatory… for most age-groupers, training 2 times per day has the ability to take a toll on the person’s motivations… adding a day off into the training program each week is a great way to recharge the mental side of training! Also, a periodized plan will have recovery weeks inserted a key places, allowing the athlete’s batteries to recharge.

Swim Training >>> Demands of the Race:

2.4 mile open water swim We need to be able to cover 2.4 miles as efficiently as possible. You cannot set a new PR during the swim, but you can ensure you don’t set a new PR during the swim!

Key Swim Workouts
To Finish: Focus on endurance workouts that will allow you to comfortably swim the 2.4 miles
To Compete: Focus on longer steady-state efforts at T-Pace Ex: 5 x 500 @ Threshold Pace on 20m recovery interval, for example

Bike Training – Demands of the Race >>>

112 miles over variable terrain. We need to know the course to ensure our training is appropriate (IMAZ vs. IMWI)
For most age-groupers, it’s highly advisable that they stay in Zone 2!

Key Bike Workouts -
To Finish: Focus on endurance workouts that will allow you to comfortably ride the 112 miles in addition to some of the workouts on the next slide, but at the lower end of the recommended numbers

To Compete:

1. Maintaining the proper intensity for 5+ hours, with the proper mental focus

2.Longer efforts in Zone 4 such as 3-5 x 15 – 20min in Z4 w/ recovery equal to 75 – 100% of the work time, for example
3. Five to eight by 2 – 4min in Zone 5 w/ recovery equal to 50% the work time. Of course, these need to fit into a periodized training plan.

Run Training – Demands of the Race >>>

26.2 miles of running, after swimming 2.4 miles and riding 112!!

Key Run Workouts -

To Finish: Focus on endurance workouts that will allow you to comfortably run a marathon.

To Compete:

1. Two to five  by 10 – 20min @ Steady State/Tempo effort. RPE ~7 (out of 10)

2. One and two mile repeats at Threshold pace (starting at 3 miles and working up to 10-15 in a session

Note: My post today was adapted from Ryan Riell’s USAT Webinar on Ironman Basics.

Uncategorized Ironman Training

“The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.”   — Juma Ikangaa

Hello and Happy New Year! This is already a very exciting time for me since 2011 will mark the first year, where I am both coaching and training for triathlon (I am now fully integrated!). It’s good to be back. I’ll certainly continue to hit some ultra-runs this year but my primary focus is on all things tri-sport.

Over the last month, in particular, I’ve been working both mindfully and diligently to further refine my coaching systems in order increase the overall effectiveness of my coaching process. The early feedback now in from a few athletes is that they like what they see. That’s good. It’s only gonna get better.

So, let’s look at 2011 in a very specific way. Imagine, if you will, that A-priority event, which you have out there on the horizon, as a big ol’ iceberg. Yeah, like the one the Titanic bumped into. That’s you. Let the iceberg serve as a powerful analogy of your preparation and successful execution of a great race this year, the one that finally lives up to your expectations of yourself. That part sticking out of the water? Yeah, that towering part, that’s your race; your peak performance, the very manifestation of the best your body can give, which is not to say it can’t give even more next year. How far out of the water an iceberg juts is a function of how much of the berg’s mass resides under the water. Likewise, how much quality training we can absorb will determine how high up the results we’ll climb on race-day. So, it’s the preparation that really matters, isn’t it? Think about it. What people don’t see is how much really went into our preparation; how committed we really are. That’s the great thing about endurance sports racing that’s kept me coming back for years:  you reap what you sow. It’s an absolute direct proportion: you get out what you put in. And when I put in a lot of excuses, I put in a lot of reasons for failing.

This year, it’s all about hitting the number of sessions you and I have established in our typical weeks. Hitting our sessions consistently reflects how committed we truly are to our progress as athletes. If we’re having trouble hitting all of our sessions, then we need to go back to our Typical Week and adjust it so that our training is truly in harmony with our lives. Keep in mind that grand cliche: quality over quantity. Balanced living yields quality training, which allows us to more accurately hit our performance targets.

Finally, because I can only communicate so much over the phone, I shot this 11min video way too late last night in an attempt to model for you my process of conducting a workout (in this case, a recent long run), logging the workout in Workout Log, and generating some baseline data on my Point Positive Google Doc. Please check it out. And forgive me for the poor video quality. I shot this with my phone! Apologies in advance. Just keep in mind that because I feel the content is meaningful, I’m willing to risk embarrassment for the sake of your continuing education as endurance athletes. I really do hope the video helps you further refine your own recording/reporting process. Thanks and Point Positive!  >>> 

Good luck with your training and racing this year. Let’s work to be the most consistent we’ve ever been. Cheers!

Motivation Motivation

Ted Neal at 4:45am. 50 miles with 11,000ft of climbing to go.

When my alarm clock went off at 1:30am yesterday morning I was disoriented and thought I certainly must’ve made a mistake setting the alarm. Why in god’s name would I have an alarm go off in the middle of the night? And then, it surfaced in my budding consciousness: trail running. And then, a smile came across my face.

The North Face Endurance Challenge (San Francisco) is a championship race and the last of five in a national series. It’s still going on today. There’s six races total. The shorter, faster ones are today while the marathon, 50k, and 50mi were yesterday. The first place male and female at the 50miler each took home $10,000. Second place got $4,000 while third took home $1000. Needless to say, with all that coin on the line, the talent came out of the woodwork to run. I knew I wouldn’t be anywhere near the money, but the draw for me, as always, is the opportunity to throw your hat in the ring and see how you stack up against some of the world’s best. There’s great motivation to get the most out of yourself on the day.

I had suggested to one of my athletes, Ted Neal, in October that I thought it’d be a good idea to hit one or two shorter Pacific Coast Trail Runs (PCTR) events down in the Marin Headlands to steel our legs for the longer North Face event coming up. Ted and I did the Muir Beach 50k together on 11/7. At Muir, we ran many of the same trails we would run at North Face. I, for one, am thankful we did Muir. I think it really gave us a nice boost in fitness for the demands we’d both face yesterday. Specificity of training!

So, all in all, it was one wonderfully arduous day out there. I have some highlights I’d like to share with you from the race. Congratulations to Ted for completing this true beast of an ultra. It was quite the epic journey. We both came out on the other side, thoroughly cleansed of body, mind, and soul.

.

.

North Face 50 High-lights

• Setting a personal best for morning departure to a race start (2:15am)
  
• Riding the yellow school bus over to the start with Ted, shooting the breeze with other runners
  
• Being psyched / relieved the weather was cooperating
• Being psyched to have the opportunity to run with so many bad @$$ athletes
  
• Starting in the dark and spending the next hour and change watching the long, luminous string of headlamps traversing switchbacks up and over the hills. That was beautiful and not unlike a big string of x-mas lights.
  
• Duct-taping my shoe at mile 6 after the lace-lock broke. That was knarly.
  
• Just enjoying the first 10 miles (except the part when my lace snapped); parking my heart-rate in the 135-145 bpm range
  
• Almost getting stampeded by the leaders coming back on an out-n-back stretch. Freight train! (I could not believe how far in front of me they already were!)
  
• Getting to spend a day running on some pristine trails in a picturesque setting.
• Seeing friends all day long on the course
• Asking a random runner how far he thought the next aid station was. His response: “No English. I from Brazil.” (Sao Paulo as a matter of fact)
  
• Taking a 100mg Clif Shot and putting on my iPod Shuffle at mile 30. Time to motor! >>>
  
• Finding a 50mg Mocha Clif Shot on the ground just about 8 miles later. 
  
• Bounding through the epicness listening to Coldplay, Jackie Greene, U2, and Moby, to name a few.
  
• Climbing, climbing, climbing.
  
• Talking to random people, while climbing.
  
• Running well over the final 2 miles of the race.
• Some pretty cool The North Face schwag
  
• Spending quality time in the port-o-john after finishing.
  

Race Report Stuff

Successes -

• Having PCTR’s Muir Beach & Stinson Beach 50k’s in my legs
• Off coffee 7 days prior to the race
  
• Choice of clothing as well as choice of hand-held bottle
  
• Taking the first 10 miles especially easy. Ignoring the ego
• Using yoga: going to my edge and being more comfortable with the discomfort
  
• Remaining vigilant with my nutrition/hydration
• Using my Garmin displays effectively
• Using music/caffeine to create optimal motivation
  
• Not slipping and falling out there on all those slick, wooden stairs, rocks, and roots
  
• Using the aid stations effectively while thanking volunteers on my way out
  
• Listening to my body more carefully to sustain a good pace
  
• Executed my race plan pretty well
  

Great Efforts -

• Watching people pass me early and trying to accept it
  
• Becoming present. Getting “out of my head.” Working to stay in the moment. Controlling what I can out there.
  
• Being patient when my shoe lace snapped at mile 6.
  
• Working on my attitude, relaxation, and technique while on course
  
• Struggling to make the conscious choice of stopping feeling sorry for myself and just running fast over the final 2 miles. Giving up the fight is way too easy. We conjure up so many justifications for our own mediocre performance. It’s important to lean against our limits a little bit, at these moments.
  
• The final 2 miles. Opening up my stride, letting go of doubt, emptying my mind of thought, and pushing hard until I’m across that line.
  

Refinement -

• Ensure my racing shoes are in better condition (my shoes were left on the porch, essentially rotting, since my last race at Stinson Beach, three weeks prior. That’s pretty bad.
  
• Off course twice for short durations. Frustrated. North Face can learn a lot from PCTR’s excellent course marking.
• Continue to work on breathing. Not enough regular deep, cleansing breaths.
  
• Better conditioning leading up to the race. Unable to push my heart-rate as high as I would have liked in the later miles.
  
• Becoming even more aware (and silencing) unconscious, negative thought patterns. Constant battle.
  
• Not enough activity during race-week. Training dropped off considerably 10 days out.
  
• Sleep and stress during race week need to be closer to ideal. Work smarter. Anticipate. Plan.
  

.

(Photo by Chihping Fu)

.

(Photo by Chihping Fu)

.

Nice Subaru...

.

Bob’s Garmin Data

North Face 50mi Overall Results

.

>>>  Point Positive!  <<<

.

Athletes, Bob's Race Reports, North Face 50 North Face 50 miler

Hey Hey Hey! It feels good to be typing away… on a blog post; it’s been too long! Nothing like starting up a new school year, resurrecting triathlon training, getting married, and taking a honeymoon in Mexico to sway my attention away from blogging. Well, my apologies to the thousands of Point Positive blog readers out there! All I have to say for myself is, “I’m back!” And, looking forward to resuming some consistency with blogging, ’cause it’s fun, and hopefully useful to someone. 

Rod Matteri & Doug Wilson at the Silicon Valley Marathon - They may not need Boston but they both qualified for the 2012 race. Smokin' race fellas!!

The Bachelor Party on Mt. Shasta.

“In the long run, you only hit what you aim at.”  -Henry David Thoreau

Shasta. Seven miles has never taken so long.

.

So, here we are, wrapping up another year of training and racing. Point Positive athlete, Chuck Potter, is fresh off a tough day at Ironman Arizona. Many of us are coming off some good efforts used to prepare for our final A-priority races of the year, such as the Healdsburg Half and Full Marathon as well as some sweet Pacific Coast Trail Runs (PCTR) events.

The North Face Endurance Challenge and the California International Marathon (CIM) are both coming up here on 12/4 & 12/5 respectively. Ted Neal and I will be down at North Face running long on Saturday while Jeff Ottoboni, Matt Gallo, and David Tett will be pushing their own limits at CIM on Sunday. After this week, we’ll all be in a more serious taper mode to absorb the training we’ve done leading up to these events. Good luck to all. We’ll need it at some point. But, as the expression goes, “The harder you work, the luckier you seem to get.”  

Pug's mug. Ted Neal's dog, Macho after Ted ran the Healdsburg 26.2.

Wedding Day. Hangin' out the best man's house. Dylan checking out Dad's birthday present: a new Cervelo from Echelon Cycle & Multi-sport

Michael Cook & Kevin Buchholz at Newcastle Wedding Gardens.

The newly wed.

Playa del Carmen. Thoughts of Ironman Cozumel...

I could get used to this.

Back on a colder coastline... Stinson Beach 50k - 11/13/2011 (Photo by Barbara Ashe). Ultra-Runners, Mark Tanaka and Jady Palko.

Newfoundland pup hangin' out at the race.

Heading to the start with fellow Winsor Middle School teacher, Xerxes Whitney (Photo by Barbara Ashe)

Parting Shot

JB Benna shot this inspiring vid last year of Geoff Roes (current Western States 100 course record holder) and Uli Steidl running the North Face 50 miler last year.

.

.+!   POINT POSITIVE   .+!

Athletes Goals, PCTR, Racing

One of the funny things about life is that the busier I get, the more I seem to enjoy it, or the challenge of keeping pace with it. There’s a point of diminishing returns though, as with all things. Doesn’t it all come down to one thing? —> Balance. Balanced living surely optimizes your quality of life. And when quality of life is high, the quality and enjoyment of your training is equally high. I hope that you enjoy your training this week. Have fun out there!  

Heading up to Lake Sonoma on Saturday morning.

*

A famous intersection in Sonoma County cycling circles.

New Products, Sonoma County

And just like that… back into the swing of another school year folks. We kicked it off with our annual, district-wide, health & wellness fair. Events with Sole race director, Brad Illing, presented us with this snazzy check for $5,000, which when put with money raised from our Spartan Stampede, and other champion fundraising efforts, makes it look more and more like we might just make it through another year. I always love a good fight! Illing put up five bucks for every entrant into the May 23rd half-marathon, 10k, and 5k. The town of Windsor and company, turned out 1000 runners. Howabout that for community spirit? Wait ’till 2011…

The Windsor Green Half-Marathon / 10k / 5k raised $5000 for Windsor Unified School District. Race Director, Brad Illing, just completed Ironman Coeur d'Alene on 6/27.

What else is going on? Well, here’s a list of some fun stuff…

• Point Positive athlete, Chuck Potter, PR’d  today at Timberman 70.3. It’s lookin’ like that Pyrenees Multisport camp paid off! (Chuck’s idea). Lookout Ironman Arizona!!! Someone’s in the hunt for an Ironman PR (and it’s not just Coach B).
• Point Positive athletes Nick Sandahl and Doug Wilson have both signed up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene. Hoo-Yaaa!
• Point Positive athletes Jeff Ottoboni, Matt Gallo, and David Tett are in the running for CIM on December 5th. Matt (and hopefully Wilson) are Boston-bound in April!
• Rod Matteri secretly longs for a return to IM Cd’A in 2011 dressed in full BORG regalia, replete with mask and cape.
• Nick Sandahl will be running the Healdsburg Marathon on 10/10/10. Doug Wilson will be running the Silicon Valley Marathon on Halloween. Carlo Piscitello will be running his first Half-Marathon at the other Healdsburg Half-Marathon on 10/30.
• Bob and Kevin both bonked on the group ride yesterday. That was swell. Garmin data
• A tired Coach Bob has completed his first week of triathlon-specific training since 2007 >>> Training Log
• Coach B has finally figured out how to use GarminConnect to display his Tahoe Rim Trail 100 data.
• And last but not least, Bob did his first official TRX workout in the garage today. I found this great YouTube vid with USAT Coach Bob Seebohar (think Metabolic Efficiency), who provides 3 great TRX exercises specifically for triathletes. I did most of this but I have  a long way to go. Think about using TRX in your training this winter. OH the pain!!!

>>>  POINT POSITIVE  <<<

Athletes