2010-01 Triathlete by Alejandro Piñeiro

2009 HAWAII IRONMAN SPECIAL GEAR >> TRAINING >> RACE SCENE >> LIFESTYLE

NO.309

JANUARY 2010

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Wellington sets new Ironman速 World Championship course record: 8h:54m:02s Congrats to our training partner, Chrissie Wellington on her 3rd Championship in a row!

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o understand what MISSION Skincare® is you must first understand where MISSION Skincare came from. The synthesis of this sports-centric, athlete driven company occurred three years ago in the middle of the Sahara Desert. It was there that eventual company cofounder Charlie Engle, a passionate endurance athlete, who’s competed in countless long-distance running and cycling events, spent 111 days running across the world’s largest span of sand. In the lead-up to this monumental test of mettle, done in part to raise money for charity, Engle canvassed the current skincare marketplace in search of a suitable sports sunscreen and anti-friction cream that could stand up to the savage Sahara. But his hunt came up empty, and instead Engle contacted a friend in the formulation industry and had a pair of products made especially for the 4000-mile trek. “Basically I told the formulator, ‘I want to be able to grab my sunscreen and spray it in my eyeball and have it not sting, and I need an anti-friction cream that I won’t have to reapply 10 times a day,’” explained Engle. “I didn’t understand why I always had to deal with that. It drove me nuts. So I got products made that really fit my needs for this run. They both worked really well.” Fast forward a few months after Engle’s successful adventure, and needless to say, it garnered a lot of attention. Actor Matt Damon narrated a documentary, speaking engagements rolled in, a book deal was signed, and Engle found himself weighing a number of endorsement opportunities. “That’s when I sent a mass email to the agency that was representing me and said, ‘Hey, I ran across the entire Sahara and never had any skin issues because of these two products. What can we do with that?’” recalled Engle. “Almost immediately, one of the agents I was working with wrote

“It’s a very thorough process. They send us all kinds of prototypes to use, and then have us fill out questionnaires and do on-phone debriefings about what worked and what didn’t.” —HunTer Kemper back and said he knew someone we could talk to.” Enter Josh Shaw, a successful entrepreneur with a deep understanding of the skincare industry. A meeting between Engle and Shaw was arranged, and soon after MISSION Skincare was launched. The company edict was simple: create a product line designed to meet the very specific high-demand needs of athletes. That meant not only engaging some of the industry’s top scientists and dermatologists, but more importantly, gleaning ideas and feedback from the world’s most discriminating users, professional athletes. The resulting line-up of equity stakeholders (not simply paid endorsers) is almost as impressive as Engle’s run across the Sahara. Tennis superstar Serena Williams, perennial NBA all-star Steve Nash,

soccer phenomenon Mia Hamm, Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard, and über triathlete Hunter Kemper are all part of the MISSION Skincare team. “A lot of companies make the claim that they are athlete engineered, but with MISSION it’s not just lip service,” said Kemper, who along with Engle and fellow pro triathlete Sarah Haskins, encompass the company’s endurance sports faction. “They are constantly working with each of us in an effort to come up with new and improved products. I can go to MISSION at any time and say, ‘This is what I’m thinking. Have you thought about this type of product used in this specific way?’ And they are always very receptive. The product line has expanded a ton since I came aboard.” Indeed, the current MISSION Skincare line is a veritable head-

to-toe, before-during-and-afterexercise system that addresses the full spectrum of athletes’ unique needs. The affordably priced Deluxe Bundle kit includes a dozen products, ranging from quick dry, anti-sting and sweat-proof SPF 30 sunscreens, to silicon-based, high performance Anti-Friction cream, to lip balms, to reviving gels, to foot cream. “That’s something we really try to stress, we truly have a system,” explained MISSION partner Todd Eichler. “But that’s not to say it’s a one-two-three step process, because we understand that different athletes have different needs. The key is that almost every athlete uses these types of products. But with us they know there will be consistency across the entire line.” That trust level is rooted in the fact that all MISSION Skincare products are paraben free, animal cruelty free, and are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. More importantly, they work. “It’s a very thorough process,” said Kemper, whose long hours in the sun and the saddle have helped MISSION hone both its sunscreens and Anti-Friction cream. “They send us all kinds of prototypes to use, and then have us fill out questionnaires and do on-phone debriefings about what worked and what didn’t.” For specifics, Kemper cites the Anti-Friction cream. “We worked on it together for a while and got to the point where you could really count on it to not break down like some of the other products out there. No matter how long the ride is or what the conditions are, the stuff just works.” That’s just the kind of product Charlie Engle needed when he ran across the Sahara, and that’s just what MISSION Skincare users can count on today. To learn more about their athletes, products and charities visit the website at MISSIONskincare.com

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no. 309

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contents

January 2010

DEPARTMENTS

GEAR AND TEch

28 Starting LineS

119 on the run

146 the kona Bike and Shoe Count

30 editor’S note

122 FundaMentaLS

148 teCh Support

32 MaiL CaLL

125 Speed LaB

150 triathLete’S garage

129 dear CoaCh

152 pro Bike

132 triathLon hereSieS

154 tri’d and teSted

NuTRiTioN

coluMNS

136 nutrition Q&a

156 up Front

138 MuLtiSport Menu

158 tiCket punCh

By MiTch ThRowER

By BRAD culP

34 CheCking in Training Tip; Click This; Recipe; Kona or Bust; Kona Q&A; Medically Speaking; Endurance Traveler; Iron Kids; Light Read; IndusTri

165 at the raCeS TRAiNiNG 102 the 10 BeSt indoor WorkoutS

By MATT FiTzGERAlD AND BRAD culP

108 SuSpended BodyWeight training

By MATT FiTzGERAlD

By BRiAN METzlER

By iAN MuRRAy

By TiM MicklEBoRouGh, PhD

By PAul huDDlE AND Roch FREy

By MARc BEckER

By PiP TAyloR

140 eat right 142 get Leaner, go FaSter

By ThE EDiToRS

By chRiSToPhER kAuTz

By JAy PRASuhN

By ANDy PoTTS

By SAMANThA McGloNE

160 SingLetraCk Mind By MElANiE McQuAiD

112 Lane LineS

162 enduranCe ConSpiraCy

115 Big ring

176 tinLey taLkS

By SARA MclARTy

By MARk DETERliNE

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By TiM DEBooM

By ScoTT TiNlEy january 2010

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AS FAST AS YOU WANT TO BE It isnĂ&#x2022; t always about the fastest bike leg. Sometimes it is about saving energy for a screaming fast run leg. Like the one Andreas had at Kona carrying himself to 3rd place. Andreas, just like all owners of a Blue Competition Cycles Triad, was able to visit the A2 wind tunnel where he optimized his position allowing him to go as fast as he wanted to on the bike. No matter if your goal is to save energy for the run or to have the fastest bike split, the Triad from Blue will take you there. Just like it did for Andreas.

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no. 309

features

JanuarY 2010

on the Cover Cover: Chrissie Wellington • Photo by John Segesta 10 Best Off-Season Workouts The Hottest Bike in Hawaii 26 Diet Essentials How to Qualify for Kona

60 Passing of the Crown Against an unprecedented depth of talent, Great Britain’s Chrissie Wellington proved her prowess by her third victory in Kona. By Jay Prasuhn

70 PoCket aCe With a gutsy move that almost never works in Kona, Chris Lieto went all in on the bike, daring a field that included seven past world champions. But defending champion Craig Alexander had yet to show his hand. By Brad CulP 22

triathletemag.com

80 16:59:12 Kona’s final finisher, 65-year-old Richard Decker, stopped the clock 48 seconds before midnight and recounts his almost 17 hours of racing.

82 women battle drafting rules By Jay Prasuhn

84 taking the Challenge

102 152 40 122

86 Xterra world ChamPionshiP in maui story By Brad CulP Photos By nils nilsen

94 bumPer CroP Photo feature of Kona coffee farm Wahine Farms owned by pro triathlete Shonny Vanlandingham and Mary Hearn. By nils nilsen

Physically challenged athlete’s race showcased exciting competition. By Brad CulP january 2010

MenÕ s Frequency

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Men

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Wo m WomenÕ s Frequency

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Delly Carr

THIS MONTH ON

Ironman Western Australia

With the 2009 season in the books, Triathletemag.com will take a look back at the best performances in short-course, long-course and off-road triathlon. Also check the site for a photo recap of the year as we highlight some of the best triathlon pics of 2009. We’ll jump start the off-season by catching up with some of the top professionals from around the world. In our series of Q&As, you can find out where athletes are spending their downtime, and get a sneak peak into their 2010 plans. We’ll also help you kick start your new year’s resolutions by providing articles and videos to get you off the couch and back into training. Check Triathletemag.com for indoor training tips and workouts from the industry’s best coaches and trainers. Also, learn how to keep healthy eating a priority during the holidays with nutrition advice and recipes aimed at keeping the winter weight gain to a minimum.

TRICENTER While the North American triathlon scene goes quiet, the race season is just heating up in other parts of the world. Triathletemag.com’s news show, TriCenter, will bring you results and analysis from races in Australia, South America and more. Want to be a part of TriCenter? Have a question about off-season training or how to cope with winter weather? E-mail your question to Tritalk@ competitorgroup.com and you could be featured on TriCenter. We’ll air your question and leave it to one of our tri experts to give you their opinion. 24

triathletemag.com

january 2010

IT’S YOU VS. YOU MUSCLE FUEL TO ENHANCE POWER AND SUPPORT RECOVERY.

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Results based on use in conjunction with weight training. In a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study of 16 healthy male volunteers, subjects experienced significantly higher maximum concentrations of total amino acids, branched chain amino acids and leucine one hour post-ingestion of the protein blend in GNC Pro Performance ® AMP Amplified Muscle Meal relative to amino acid concentrations measured post-ingestion of whey protein concentrate. Significant differences for the rate of change of BCAA and leucine absorption were also observed relative to the control group. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Call 1.800.477.4462 or visit gnc.com for the store nearest you. ©2009 General Nutrition Corporation. May not be available outside the U.S. Ad: Arnell Photo: Arnell

First Wave

Hawaiian Graffiti DON MIRALLE For centuries Hawaiians have taken bleached coral from the Pacific Ocean to the lava fields to write words of encouragement and prayers. Such messages line all 112 miles of the bike course at the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

triathletemag.com

january 2010

triathletemag.com

Starting Lines digestive issues and be stopped in our tracks, unable to finish. Or we can have the race of our lives. At the 2009 Kona race, perhaps the most significant of my 13 Kona episodes, I found myself back on the Queen K in a deeply reflective mindset. Yes, I was back, following perhaps the most difficult year of my life. A tough-to-diagnose injury to my right ear, originally thought to be an ear infection, later discovered to be a rip of the membrane going to my inner ear, put me through a series of tests, including brain scans and audiology exams. At the end of this long search, it turns out it all started when I dived way too deep way too fast at swim practice and thought I just had water in my ear. There was pain, and there was dizziness, but for me the greatest challenge was the sudden onset and then nine months of tinnitus. The ever-present loud sound in my ears was perhaps the single most daunting thing I have ever experienced. It took all the courage I garnered through the years of mental and physical training as a triathlete to not let the unending ringing drive me nuts. It is fascinating to consider the things that occupy your mind when you’re seriously sick or injured, and during my immobile times or in the MRI and CT scan machines in the hospital, my biggest thought surprised me. It was not regret for missing an event here or there, or wondering if I should have worked harder in my good health or worked less and lived more. Instead, it focused intently on the regret that I had not yet met the right person, fallen madly in love and had a family. So there I was, lying in bed with what sounded like a trumpet blowing in my head all the time. It was my compulsory immobility, ironically, that temporarily freed my heart, mind and soul from the pleasing addiction, a beneficent obsession if you will, with constant motion. During this period, I was forced to contemplate things like the limited cycle of life. While triathlon can enhance and extend our life’s powers and pleasures to erase the old limits of aging, there are certain things like time and tide that wait for no man, not even a triathlete. Triathlons offered camaraderie and friendship and a kind of Peter Pan joy

In the Last Few MILes, a new BegInnIng mitch thRoweR In the last few miles of any Hawaii Ironman Championship, my mind always goes to very special place, a place where I question my motivations and the direction of my life. It is here where I wonder if my pace is too fast or too slow, and this is when I wonder if I can even make it to the finish line. As the finish line gets closer, from the act of persevering to the resolution of doubt, comes a greater understanding. The sheer pleasure of entering triathlon’s version of the gates of heaven on Earth—Ali’i Drive—once again comes into focus. It has been said that a triathlon is symbolic of our lives: The youthful years are reflected in the vibrancy, chaos and sometimes misdirection of the swim; our middle years are represented by the long hard push of the bike, sometimes against headwinds and mechanical woes; and our later years are represented by the challenging long, hard run where it will always be important to just keep going. Anything can happen along this journey. A crash. A flat. An injury. Like the great Scott Molina, one day we can end up being carried back from Mile 17 needing five IVs to recover. Like Wendy Ingraham, we can lead for six or seven hours and end up out-crawling good friend Sian Welch for fourth. We can have 28

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in existence. But I knew that the passion I experienced in my sport would be wasted if not shared and spent loving a wife and family. No matter how fit I was and how it sheltered me from the limitations of aging, I wanted to bring the best of myself to a woman and the children we might have together. Looking back on the year of recovery from my ear injury, healing and overcoming made me well up with tears more than once on this Ironman day. Thankfully, I recovered, the ringing faded, and the majority of hearing in my right ear came back. But time and time again, Ironman has proved that anything can happen, and merely getting to the starting line injury free is sometimes your greatest accomplishment. Three days before the race, in a rush to hop over the seawall in front of Lava Java to swim with the dolphins, I sliced open my big toe on some coral. So there I was on Oct. 10, race day, with my toe Krazy Glued together, swimming, biking and running with the knowledge that just as one challenging injury heals, Madame Pele will always find a way to throw another one our way. My foot held up well enough on the swim and the bike, but on the run, it started to bleed and come apart. I knew if I pushed hard, I would probably make it. But then would come stitches, a visit to the ER and enforced immobility. Any other year, I might have ignored the consequences and raced all the harder. But this day, I knew that I had found someone to share my life with, and after the race, we were going to go snorkeling and swimming and exploring the island. We were also going on a special hike to the top of the Hawaii Loa Ridge, where I’d have sweaty palms, a smile on my face, and a ring in my pocket that held all the promise of a happy life together. This year, what was at stake wasn’t a new PR, a medal or something to prove about speed and strength. This year, the end of my Ironman would be the beginning of another sort of journey. As I passed mile marker 20, I took inventory of my foot, my muscles on the edge of cramping, my stomach on the edge of its nutritional processing capacity, and of my mind, which had been thinking all day long the deepest thoughts that only surface in an Ironman. So I followed in the footsteps of far greater athletes. This year, though my foot was throbbing, my step was light as I jogged toward the screaming crowd and an entirely new kind of starting line. Train Smart Mitch Thrower mthrower@competitorgroup.com january 2010

Editor’s Note

Moku’AinA o HAwAi’i A couple of days after the Hawaii Ironman I had the pleasure of interviewing Richard Decker, the 65-year-old grandfather who finished dead friggin’ last in Kona. (You can find Decker’s account of the race on page 84). Decker pointed out that there were 148 athletes older than 60 at the “old guys” party, held each year in Kailua-Kona on the Monday before the race. One hundred forty eight people between the ages of 60 and 80 did something that 99 percent of 25-year-olds are afraid to attempt. Needless to say, the challenge presented by the Hawaii Ironman has some serious draw. When I first started racing triathlons I was in a rush to get to the Hawaii Ironman. Watching the race is what first turned me onto the sport, so everything else was just another rung on the ladder. I’m sure many of you can relate to this obsession, while others might think I’m missing a few screws. The more I think about it, the latter group may be right. The Hawaii Ironman—or really any Ironman for that matter—is not something to rush into. In life, patience may be only a virtue, but in Ironman, it’s gospel. Growing up as a swimmer in the Midwest did not do much to foster a patient approach to training. There was an outdoor season and an indoor season, each of which was followed by a brief rest period and then mind-numbing months of base training. There was always a goal race in mind and it was seldom more than six months away. Knowing that a couple weeks of complete rest were never more than a half-year away helped keep motivation from hitting rock bottom. Nonetheless, the rush to nail that goal race and then enjoy the always-too-short respite left little room to be patient in the pool. The rushed, seasonal approach to training worked OK for swimming, but as I’ve discovered after a few years of doing triathlons, the body needs a different approach once biking and run30

triathletemag.com

Brad Culp

No. 309 | January 2010 Publisher John Duke Associate Publisher Heather Gordon VP, Event Marketing Sean Watkins Editor Brad Culp, bculp@competitorgroup.com Managing Editor Somyr McLean Perry, sperry@competitorgroup.com Senior Editors Matt Fitzgerald, mfitzgerald@competitorgroup.com Jay Prasuhn, jprasuhn@competitorgroup.com Associate Editor Susan Grant, sgrant@competitorgroup.com Online Coordinator Kurt Hoy, khoy@competitorgroup.com Online Editor Liz Hichens, lhichens@competitorgroup.com Editorial Intern Bethany Leach, bleach@competitorgroup.com Copyeditor Marilyn Iturri Photo Editor John Segesta, jsegesta@competitorgroup.com

Rich Cruse

ning are tossed in the mix. Triathlon, no matter the distance, requires a lot of endurance. How many other sports are so long that families can go get lunch while their loved ones complete the middle portion of the race? For those of us with genes not quite on par with Chrissie Wellington’s, this kind of endurance takes a while to come by. If you want to have a long, healthy and fun triathlon career—like the 148 “old guys” in Kona—you need to be patient while the body adapts at its own pace. Don’t take my word for it. Just look at Craig Alexander, who won his second consecutive Ironman world title on Oct. 10. “Crowie,” as he’s often referred to (the name comes from an Australian character on Baywatch), has been racing triathlons for 15 years. He started his career as a dominating short-courser, before moving on to win an Ironman 70.3 World Championship, and now he’s king of Ironman for the second year in a row. Crowie has taken a steady, career-oriented approach to training, and the results speak for themselves: A pair of Kona victories, 14 first-place finishes on the 70.3 circuit and way too many other titles to list. Maybe the case for a more relaxed pace extends beyond our weird little sport. Nowhere in the U.S. will you find a slower pace of life than on the season-less islands of Hawaii. It should come as no surprise then that Hawaiian residents have the highest life expectancy in the country (the last U.S. Census estimated Hawaiians’ life expectancy at 81 years—three years more than the national average). There is truly something about Hawaii that breathes life into people—so much so that 148 old guys competed in the Hawaii Ironman to prove that age is just something that occasionally gets them discounts at movie theaters and Denny’s. This issue is our annual tribute to Hawaii—site of triathlon’s Super Bowl (page 62), the XTERRA World Championship (page 88) and some damn good coffee (page 96). We hope our stories and photos from Hawaii will inspire some of you to visit what is truly the most beautiful of the 50 states. If you plan on visiting as an Ironman triathlete, do what Richard Decker, Craig Alexander or a Hawaiian native would do: Take things at your own pace—you’ll get there.

Graphic Designer Oliver Baker, obaker@competitorgroup.com Medical Advisory Board Jordan Metzl, MD; Jeff Sankoff, MD VP, Production/Circulation Heather Gordon, hgordon@competitorgroup.com Senior Account Executive Sean Watkins, Cycling & Events swatkins@competitorgroup.com Senior Account Executive Lisa Bilotti, Nutrition, Apparel, Footwear & Auto lbilotti@competitorgroup.com Marketplace Sales Laura Agcaoili, lagcaoili@competitorgroup.com Ad Manager Deena Hancock, dhancock@competitorgroup.com Ad Coordinator Lisa McGinn, lmcginn@competitorgroup.com Accounting Vicky Trapp, vtrapp@competitorgroup.com Customer Service Linda Marlowe, Linda@pcspublink.com Nancy Pomeroy, Nancy@pcspublink.com Triathlete Magazine Offices 10179 Huennekens Street, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121 Phone: (858) 768-6805; Fax: (858) 768-6806 Triathlon.competitor.com Attention Retailers: To carry Triathlete in your store, call Retail Vision: (800) 381-1288 SUBSCRIPTIONS: Your satisfaction is important to us. For questions regarding your subscription call (800) 441-1666 or (760) 291-1562. Or, write to: Triathlete, P.O. Box 469055, Escondido, CA 92046. Or, e-mail: triathlete@pcspublink.com. Back Issues available for $8 each. Send a check to Triathlete Magazine Back Issues, 10179 Huennekens Street, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121 and specify issues requested, or visit Triathlon.competitor.com. Submission of material must carry the authors’/photographers’ guarantees that the material may be published without additional approval and that it does not infringe upon the rights of others. No responsibility is assumed for loss or damage to unsolicited manuscripts, art work or photographs. All editorial contributions should be accompanied by self-addressed, stamped envelopes. Printed in the USA.

Triathlete Magazine is a publication of

David Moross Peter Englehart Scott P. Dickey Andy Hersam Steve Gintowt John Duke John Smith Dan Vaughan David O’Connell Rebecca McKinnon Sean Clottu Heather Gordon

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I can’t believe how light Nanograms are. It’s like riding with the weight of one pedal instead of two. My foot is so close to the spindle, I can hold the gear better, and I have a real awareness that 100% of my power goes right into the bike. – Chris McCormack – 2007 Ironman World Champion

www.speedplay.com

Mail Call TriaThlon and Marriage didn’T Work for Me

daddy’s girl

hen I saw your November issue at the local bike shop I chuckled [at the cover blurb “Race Ironman Without Getting Divorced]. Too bad it’s about 10 months too late. Most amateurs aren’t aware of the relational pitfalls that can easily trap the beginner triathlete. At least professionals have the excuse of having to earn a living, but I can’t tell you how many couples with young families I have seen go through a lot of stress, and unfortunately way too many to the point of divorce, as a side effect of the obsessiveness that takes hold those who take triathlon to heart. My ex-husband and I were vulnerable in many ways: We are both recovering alcoholics, workaholics and always looking to improve our health and peace of mind. We were completely new to the sport and it started off wonderfully. We had fun at sprint events, our children came and cheered us on, we spent time together discussing nutrition, swimming, biking and running. As our enthusiasm and abilities increased, so did the prioritization of the sport over all things relational and familial. It was a slow process of a few years. In the midst of an opportunity where things appeared to improve versus deteriorate with time, my ex-husband was riding a faster bike I could not keep up with; he had joined a Masters swim program that I did not have the stamina to participate in; and the run, well, I could always keep up with him in the run ... a small consolation for a failed marriage with two children still at home. As far as most people go, if you approached it with some awareness of the logistical challenges and sacrifices that you are looking ahead at in pursuit of the dream, you may be able to get through it with minimal damage. It takes a very supportive family. The promises made on your wedding day far outweigh any temporary rewards. Agree to keep your time together where it needs to be and adjust the training accordingly, rather than falling into the temptation to always seeking to go longer and faster just because you are physically able to. I appreciated the thought that, “Your instinct might not always be the right decision.” After all, we are triathletes, every millisecond is filled with prolonged precision training, how could we possibly have bad instincts? Unfortunately, by the end of it, we looked and felt great physically, but we had become distant. Truthfully, the whole experience kind of made me feel like an out-of-control crack addict. Maria Phillips Tampa, Fla.

triathletemag.com

am still smiling at your interview of Lucy Alexander [November 2009]. If ever there were a daddy’s girl, Lucy is the poster child. I guffawed when, after asked if her dad coached her, she replied, “No, a real coach coaches me.” If the interview was conducted within earshot of Mr. Alexander’s rivals, Lucy just inadvertently gave the other fellows bulletin board material. Lucy, you are a great, young lady. I hope you are as good as your dad in the future. David J. Malone O’Fallon, Ill.

Pay aTTenTion To your Body

he November 2009 issue arrived yesterday, and once again, I stopped my chores, let the kids run wild, delayed dinner and read my issue. This is the best issue yet! Your articles on the endocrine system and chronic fatigue, overtraining and listening to your body are so important. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of training and the desire to not miss a single workout. Our thoughts often reflect our concerns that we “won’t get enough training in” and “I’m not going to be ready to race.” I have completed many marathons, triathlons and an Ironman, and I am experiencing complications from possible chronic fatigue syndrome and the resulting mental stress. Your articles are right on the mark. And I need to listen too. Pay attention to what your body and systems are saying. I am looking forward to my Ironman 70.3 in June and I am making my medical appointment today. Christine Riggs Paoli, Penn.

a neW favoriTe reciPe Some of my favorite recipes have come from my sport magazines. After trying Craig Alexander’s pasta fajoli [November 2009], I am definitely adding that recipe to my top 10 list. Yum! Deb Hankens Cherokee, Iowa

a liTTle encourageMenT

was the recipient a bit of Tim DeBoom’s “A Little Acknowledgement Goes a Long Way” [November 2009] at Ironman 70.3 Kansas in June. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Tim before the race. I had some things in common with Tim, being Iowa triathletes; his brother and I both graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. The next afternoon, I was coming back into the park after a warm-up ride, weaving through

cars and pedestrians, when someone on my left, said, “Hey, Steve, good luck tomorrow.” At first I didn’t recognize him, wearing sunglasses and an aerohelmet. My lack of recognition being evident, he said, “Hey, it’s Tim, Tim DeBoom, from last night.” On Sunday morning, as my niece and I were getting into our wetsuits, Tim walked by with a big smile and said, “Race hard!” Those two small bits of encouragement for this slow, age-group athlete coming from someone with his triathlon resume meant quite a bit to me. I’ll never forget it, and I will pass on the behavior whenever possible. Another example of this behavior at Kansas came from another Tim, with and against whom I’ve been racing for nearly a decade, always unsuccessfully. He caught and passed me on the run, as he usually does. Knowing this was my first 70.3, he came back out on the run course and ran the last mile with me almost to the chute, as he knew I was suffering with a leg issue. I’ll never forget his encouragement. Steven Schurtz Mason City, Iowa

Tri ciTy shouT-ouT

really enjoyed Triathlete’s “20 Best Places to Live” feature in October’s issue. I really hope it becomes an annual feature. It was so fun reading about the different tri cities and what made them stand out to you guys. After reading them all, I thought I would give a shout-out for the city I currently live in, Tallahassee, Fla. Tallahassee has a fantastic tri community, is a great place for year-round training, and its location gives you easy access to races in Panama City, Jacksonville, Atlanta and Tampa as well as four USAT-sanctioned local races (two adult and two kids). Live Here If: You want to be able to train 365 days a year on hundreds of miles of rolling country roads with low traffic and no stop lights. You can also join runs on numerous running trails throughout the city or in one of our 600-acre parks, swim in one of our many 50m pools or do an open-water swim in one of our springs or in the Gulf. Don’t Live Here If: Walking past a “Beware of alligators” sign on your way to your openwater swim will mess up your stroke. Mark McNees Tallahassee, Fla.

sPeak your Mind! Send Letters to the Editor to bculp@ competitorgroup.com. Include your name, address and the best way to contact you. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. january 2010

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and possibly bruising. You must find a licensed clinician. The majority of the research on this technique has been performed by the ASTYM folks, but more research is needed on humans.

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Grade: a-

trEAting ovErusE injuriEs with AlPhAbEt souP whAt lEttErs should You usE? By nate koCh, Pt, atC

Overuse injuries have been rampant in triathlon since its inception and they will likely continue long into the future. One study in 2003 reported that overuse injuries accounted for 68 percent of preseason and 78 percent of competition season injuries. The term “overuse injury” can encompass just about any injury in the sport that does not involve a collision. Some examples of overuse injuries are Achilles tendinosis/tendinopathy, plantar fasciosis, anterior knee pain, ITB syndrome and sciatica. The medical terminology that describes the overuse injury and available treatments can be overwhelming. Recognizing that all injuries and potential treatments cannot be addressed in one article, the most common treatment options for overuse injuries are highlighted below. EccEntric ExErcisE An eccentric muscle contraction occurs when a muscle and its associated tendon have to work while the muscle is being lengthened, such as by doing a negative lift in the gym. A physical therapist or athletic trainer can give you instructions on proper form, resistance and frequency. A plethora of high-quality research supports the clinical effectiveness of eccentric exercise over other treatments in the management of tendon injuries. It’s the most low-tech, cheapest and most effective treatment available. It can be done at home in most cases, and instruction by a clinician is covered by insurance. Requires a visit to a physical therapist or a certified athletic trainer to receive instruction on technique and proper progression. Grade: a+ january 2010

AstYM: AugMEntEd soft-tissuE MobilizAtion is typically performed by a physical therapist, physician or athletic trainer. The clinician must be certified in this technique. Specifically designed solid tools take the place of the clinician’s hands to stimulate healing in abnormal tissue without damaging normal tissue. ASTYM treatment couples the use of these tools with specific exercises designed for each particular injury. The treatment provides relatively quick pain relief, which can take between one and 10 visits. Can resume normal exercise immediately after treatment. Covered by insurance. Can be used for prevention, to eliminate weak links and keep old injuries from recurring. Outcome studies provided by the company Performance Dynamics are favorable. Research has shown this treatment does actually change the injured tissue. The treatment causes tissue soreness and possibly bruising. You must find a licensed clinician, and more research is needed on humans. Grade: a grAston tEchniquE is typically performed by a chiropractor or physical therapist. The clinician must be certified in this technique. Steel instruments are used to enhance the clinician’s ability to detect adhesions, scar tissue or restrictions in the affected areas. The instruments break up the scar tissue so that it can be absorbed by the body. It provides relatively quick pain relief in one to 10 visits. You can resume normal exercise immediately after treatment, it’s covered by insurance and the outcome studies provided by the company, Graston Technique, are favorable. The treatment causes tissue soreness

Art: ActivE rElEAsE tEchniquE is typically performed by a chiropractor or physical therapist, who must be certified in this technique. It is a patented soft tissue system/movement-based massage technique. Clinicians use their hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of the soft tissue. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with specific patient movements. This treatment can provide relatively quick pain relief in 10 or fewer visits. It is noninvasive with no side effects. You can train immediately afterward, and it’s covered by insurance. The treatment can be uncomfortable as a result of pressure. Research is limited and frequently has at least one methodological flaw, with most research being case studies and anecdotal reports. Research does not prove a positive change in the injured tissue. Much more research is needed to prove its short- and long-term benefits. Grade: B PrP: PlAtElEt-rich PlAsMA injEctions are performed by a physician only. This procedure requires injecting some of the athlete’s own blood directly into the injured tissue. The plasma portion of the blood contains platelets, which release protein growth factors responsible for initiating the body’s healing process. The goal is to restore injured tissue to its normal state, not reduce inflammation. While more research is necessary, the current research is encouraging, showing positive change in the injured tissue. It can be done in a physician’s office setting. The injury can improve after one injection, and there is minimal risk for complication. Research is limited, and the procedure is not typically covered by insurance. It’s an expensive treatment that must be performed by a physician. Only light exercise is recommended. There can be injection site soreness. Complete healing can take four to six months and may require several injections. Grade: B iontoPhorEsis is a localized medication in a patch form delivered directly to the injury location via electrical stimulation. This procedure is typically performed by a physician or physical therapist. There are fewer side effects than with oral medication and cortisone injection. It’s typically triathletemag.com

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covered by insurance. It’s a painless procedure that may provide pain relief within the first five sessions. The pain relief is only shortterm. The research has shown varied and inconsistent results. The treatment does not result in a positive change in tissue. Grade: C+ LLLT: Low-LeveL Laser Therapy is sometimes referred to as cold laser therapy. It uses low-level lasers or light-emitting diodes to stimulate or inhibit cellular function. The exact mechanism is unknown, and it is theorized that the laser light can penetrate deep into the injured tissue. It’s typically performed by a chiropractor or physical therapist. There is no pain or discomfort with delivery of this treatment, and it only takes between two and six minutes. Research is limited and is typically done by manufacturers. There is limited agreement among clinicians on the most efficacious dosage and parameter choices. The results are varied and inconsistent. It is typically not covered by insurance. Grade: C NsaIDs: NoN-sTeroIDaL aNTIINfLammaTory Drugs. You can get NSAIDs over the counter or as a prescription from a physician. Some examples are aspirin, ibuprofen and Aleve. They provide quick pain relief and are easily available. They provide only shortterm pain relief. Some side effects are gastrointestinal distress, increased incidence of hyponatremia in endurance athletes, myocardial infarction and bleeding. They do not result in a positive change in tissue. Grade: CCorTIsoNe INjeCTIoNs are performed by a licensed physician and involve an injection of cortisone directly into the injured tissue. It’s usually mixed with a numbing agent like lidocaine. It’s used to suppress inflammation. january 2010

The physician may use fluoroscopy (X-ray-guided technology) or a diagnostic ultrasound to determine the best location for the injection. It provides quick pain relief and is covered by insurance in most cases. The relief is short-term. It comes with a recommendation of time off from training. The side effects are potential fascia/tendon rupture and skin irritations. While it may decrease inflammation, it does not result in a positive change in tissue. Plus, it can be an expensive procedure. Grade: d This should be a last resort before looking into surgical options. Definitely consider PRP before taking this step. Before deciding on a treatment option, it is best to consult a sports medicine clinician. Furthermore, in order to optimize your treatment choice, it is crucial that a biomechanical assessment be performed by a licensed physical therapist to determine the underlying cause of injury. Remember that these treatment tools are only as good as the hands that wield them. Most of these injuries are preventable, fixable and require a team approach to most effectively recover. My experience treating endurance athletes leads me to recommend ASTYM and eccentric exercise as the most effective treatments of overuse injuries from those discussed above. While ASTYM and Graston are very similar, I give a slight edge to ASTYM since it was developed by a physician and physical therapist, and they continue to advance the research. ASTYM is taught more as a treatment process or philosophy. Our athletes and clinicians prefer an active treatment approach that allows continued training, focuses on normal tissue healing and is backed by research. Nate Koch is a physical therapist and certified athletic trainer. He owns Endurance Rehabilitation in Scottsdale, Ariz.

MATT REED

•2009 Race to the Toyota Cup Series Champion •USAT’s Male Athlete of the Year for 2008 •2008 US Olympic Team •2008 USA National Champion •USA Olympic Trials Champion

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ABC-OF-MOUNTAINBIKING.COM/DICTIONARY.ASP If you thought the sport of triathlon used a lot of jargon, try learning to speak “mountain biking.” Learn about “impedimentia” and what it means to “auger,” “dab” or “ratchet.” The website ABC of Mountain Biking lays all the mountain biking terms, slangs and definitions out there so you can at least act like you know more than your fellow “gutter bunnies.”

STUMBLEUPON.COM Kind of like window-shopping for the Web, Stumbleupon.com is both an enormous timesuck and completely addictive. After selecting various topics (humor, fitness, sports, etc.), this website will randomly select websites for you to check out. While the humor category will show you everything from videos of a kangaroo kicking a kid into a lake to the front page of the Theonion.com, if you’re looking for something more tri-specific, just click on health/fitness and you’ll instantly be given hundreds of websites on everything from nutrition to training to physiology.

LOCALHIKES.COM If you travel for work or find yourself stuck near Wyoming’s Mt. Washburn with a couple of hours to kill, click on Localhikes.com and you’ll find thousands of hikes all over the U.S. The website isn’t fancy, but it’s chock-full of good information like the length, difficulty level, elevation gain, estimated travel time, as well as solid summaries by hikers who have done the hikes and genuinely want you to do them as well. Most of the hikes also contain topographical maps, directions and photographs from reviewers. 40

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HeatHer FuHr’s stir-Fry BeeF Canada native and 1997 Ironman world champion Heather Fuhr gave us this recipe for a flavorful and nutritious stir-fry with beef, black beans and fresh vegetables. Replace beef with tofu or more beans for a meatless meal, and experiment with adding some of your favorite vegetables for some variety. —Compiled by Ashley Slaney

ingreDients 1.5-2 pounds steak 4 tablespoons black beans 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons peanut oil ½ pound snow peas ½ pound broccoli crowns ½ cup cashews (optional) 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions Cut meat into very thin slices. Rinse black beans under cold water, drain and mash with a fork. Combine with garlic. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and ½ cup water. Heat wok, add peanut oil and stir-fry the beef until color changes. Then add the bean and garlic mixture. Stir-fry for two minutes, and then add soy mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thick. Sprinkle with sesame oil. Microwave the snow peas and broccoli crowns on high for two minutes. Add the peas and broccoli to the beef mixture and mix well. At the end, add cashews and toss. Serve over a bed of brown rice.

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Troy Jacobson’s advice for Kona QualificaTion By Matt Fitzgerald Troy Jacobson knows about qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman. He earned seven trips to Kona as an amateur and a professional in a racing career that spanned from 1987 to 1999. Then he quit competing to focus on his successful coaching and related businesses and on starting a family. Now 40, living in Tucson, Ariz., and working as the national director of endurance sports training for Life Time Fitness, Jacobson is making a comeback and hopes to qualify for Hawaii again. Given his immense talent (he finished as high as 20th overall in Hawaii) and his unparalleled knowledge of the sport, he shouldn’t have any trouble. Knowing it is better to give than to receive, however, Jacobson is more interested in helping his fellow Kona dreamers qualify for the Hawaii Ironman than in qualifying 44

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himself. He has graciously volunteered to provide individual coaching consultations for each of the Triathlete readers selected for our Kona or Bust team. Jacobson also made himself available recently for an interview on the training secrets to qualifying. Here’s what I learned. The first piece of advice Jacobson offers any triathlete interested in reaching the Big Island is not to try to qualify in his or her first Ironman. “I don’t think it’s feasible for most people to really race their first Ironman,” he says. Manage your expectations in your first Ironman and make it your primary goal to learn from experience. No matter how experienced you are at shorter distances, you will learn some things the hard way in your first Ironman that you can then apply to pursuing Kona qualification in later Ironmans. There are two big differences between training to finish an Ironman and training to finish an Ironman in the shortest amount of time possible, according to Jacobson. The first difference is volume. “You need to push the envelope a little bit in terms of how much volume your body can handle in the buildup,” he says. The average training volume for agegroup Kona dreamers is 15 to 20 hours a week,

peaking with 200 miles a week on the bike, a couple of 30- to 40-mile run weeks and 12,000 to 15,000 yards in the pool. Those numbers are only an average, however, and may not represent the ideal target for the individual. Again, experience will help the individual athlete determine the training volume that gives him or her maximum performance. “If you have accomplished a bunch of 25- to 40-hour weeks in the past, then chances are you’re going to be able to do that again, and maybe even take it up a notch,” Jacobson says. In addition to training more than those whose goal is to finish, triathletes who want to capture qualifying slots also need to train faster, Jacobson says. “When you’re looking at racing an Ironman you not only train for endurance but you include more of a speed component to your training,” he says. High-intensity efforts such as anaerobic threshold sessions, hill repetitions and short interval sets should be a regular part of your training mixed. Your exposure to high-intensity efforts should not be limited to the training context, however. “I find that a lot of people who are trying to qualify for Kona, especially if they are doing two or three Ironmans in a season, tend to race less than they should,” says Jacobson. “They get stuck in a rut of steady-state endurance, which makes them flat. They think they need to get that 100-mile ride in every weekend, but in reality, if every third or fourth weekend they did a shorter race, that’s going to go a long way. Racing is important at any distance to get your race legs and competitive focus.” Jacobson says a poor marathon performance is the reason Kona dreamers most commonly fail to qualify. Experienced and well-trained triathletes usually complete the bike leg on pace to qualify, but it’s only the few who are able to run strong who get the slots. How does one prevent the all-too-common marathon meltdown? “I’m a big believer that the bike sets up the run,” Jacobson says. “Having really good cycling fitness can improve your run, even at a lower run training volume.” So be sure to prioritize cycling in your training. Naturally, pacing on the bike is important too. “You only have so many matches to burn in an Ironman,” says Jacobson. “If you burn them all on the bike, you won’t have any left for the run.” Optimal pacing on the bike is different for each athlete, and it takes many athletes a few tries to get it right. This brings Troy Jacobson’s advice full circle with another reason to do your first Ironman just for the experience—and then aim higher. january 2010

Fernando Esparza

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Kon a Q&A

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CC:

My Kona game face is evolving. In year one, it included a nap and a beer, and I even contemplated a quick fly-fish. Yes, there is fly-fishing in Kona. This year I intend to chase the race and tweet my heart out @linseycorbin. A bit of everything. I’ll be at the start, and will run like crazy to see him exit transition. After cheering on everyone we know, I’ll head to breakfast, then back to the hotel for Austin to have a quick sleep while I am glued to the computer. [Our daughter] Lucy, I’m sure, will make me squeeze in a swim somewhere. I’ll also try to get out on the course again, at least to the top of the Energy Lab. Last year I nearly missed the finish—I drove myself out there and couldn’t find anywhere to park when I got back into town!

The Pros’ sPouses sPeak By Holly Bennett For this month’s Q&A, we caught up with the better halves of several Ironman pros—Nerida Alexander, Craig Alexander’s wife, Chris Corbin, Linsey Corbin’s husband, Nicole DeBoom, Tim DeBoom’s wife, Todd Gollnick, Heather Gollnick’s husband, and Chris Kehr, Gina Kehr’s husband—to learn about their own Kona experiences.

Q: Na:

Race week stress can be intense. How are things in your households? Any funny stories about your partners’ quirkiness or rituals? Craig is so meticulous in his preparation that he doesn’t get nervous—it’s just wasted energy. He does like me to fill his drink bottles and count the scoops to make sure the mix is correct, though. Movies are very important. One year we watched “Joe Dirt” and spent the week quoting the movie: “Life’s a garden. Dig it.” Tim’s a pretty simple, undemanding guy and he thrives on routine and comfort zones. But invariably there will be an equipment issue that creates undue stress. One year, he tried on his uniform the night before only to realize that he had been sent a women’s tri suit with a built-in bra! Fortunately he had a back-up. Having two kids pretty much rules out the ability to have any ritual. However,

ND:

Ck: 46

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the daily Lava Java Pull-a-Part, latte and Lava Javawich (on a seeded bagel) is a must. Not the cinnamon roll; it must be the Pull-a-Part.

Q: Na:

Does your husband or wife get a hall pass from kid duty prior to the race? Are you kidding? Once a dad, always a dad. If Austin cries at 0100 before Kona, I guess I won’t elbow Craig in the ribs and say, “Your turn.” I’ll let him off easy that night. But the night after the race, not a chance! Hall passes pretty much start in midAugust, when training takes the final bump up in weekly hours. That being said, no one can totally get away from changing a poopy diaper.

Ck:

Q: ND: Ck: TG: Na: CC: Q:

What’s the last thing you’ll say to your husband or wife before the start of this year’s race? Have some fun, baby. At the end of the day, you’re only racing yourself. Power on! You’ve done all the work, the only person to focus on now is you. Run your best race. I love you. Through my sleepy haze, I’ll wish him luck and tell him we’re proud of him regardless of the result. Run with perseverance the race marked out for you. I love you.

What do you do during race day in Kona— stay glued to the computer for updates, dart around the course cheering like mad, or lounge on the beach to escape the craziness?

Q: Na: Ck:

Does your spouse acknowledge you when he/she races past? If I get the evil Alexander stink eye, I know it’s not a good day. If I get the wink or the grin, I know all is well and he is in control. It all depends on how she feels. Feels good, I get a smile. Feels bad, she gives me the “Don’t look at me!” hand gesture, but then smiles and waves at the next person who cheers. Being the spouse is great.

Q: CC:

How do you men feel about the fact that your wife can outright kick your ass? My philosophy is, “No pain, no pain.” The last bike ride I joined Linsey on was what she described to me as a “recovery ride.” I thought it meant she was recovering. What it actually meant was that it would take me four days to recover afterward. She yelled at me for coasting. I am routinely punished by Gina during bike rides. I’ll have parts flying off me and she’ll keep going. I try to make her laugh just before I explode to see if I can break her. It never ceases to amaze me how fast she can go. Those are the moments I cherish.

Ck:

TG: Q: Na: TG: CC: ND:

More power to her.

If your spouse were to win the Ironman World Championship, what would you want him or her to say about you in the awards speech? Firstly, I would like him to have the chance to make a speech after the craziness of the 2008 presentation! A simple shout-out to Team Gollnick would be enough. We all know what we have been through to prepare for that moment. You taught me to conceive, believe and achieve. Thank you and I love you. Nothing at all. january 2010

John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

Na:

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KONA 2009

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the theories Behind aLtitude training By Jeffrey Sankoff, MD Athletes are constantly striving to improve performance by modifying their training. These efforts sometimes include choices not only about how to train but also where. One modification that has gained in popularity over the years is high-altitude living and training. But does it really work, and if so, how? The stresses imposed by altitude are linked to potentially beneficial changes in physiology and include lower ambient temperature, atmospheric oxygen concentration, humidity and increased exposure to solar radiation. For the endurance athlete, it is the decrease in oxygen concentration that has the most varied effects and interest. Aerobic muscle function is entirely dependent on adequate oxygen delivery to cells. With the decreased oxygen concentration 48

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at altitude, blood oxygen levels fall, causing oxygen delivery to the tissues to be impaired, which negatively affects aerobic muscle activity. After a move to high altitude (higher than 1,000 meters), the respiratory and circulatory systems adapt immediately. There is an increase in the frequency and depth of breaths to increase blood oxygen concentrations, and heart rate increases to deliver more oxygencarrying blood to the tissues. These responses reverse with descent to lower altitudes. Other adaptations to high altitude occur at the cellular level. These changes last much longer upon return to lower altitudes and are presumed to confer benefits to endurance athletes. The most important of these changes are increases in red blood cell production and hemoglobin concentration.

C heC king in The formation of red blood cells is called erythropoiesis and is regulated by the hormone erythropoietin, or epo. Hypoxia (low blood oxygen levels) spurs the release of this hormone in greater than normal quantities. Consequently, at altitude, red blood cell production and the formation of hemoglobin (the molecule within red blood cells that carries oxygen) are increased. The process takes about 30 days. Within 60 days of returning to lower altitude, red blood cell numbers and hemoglobin concentrations return to normal. For many years, physiologists have speculated that because the capacity to deliver oxygen is greatly increased in individuals who live at altitude, their aerobic function should be enhanced when they return to lower altitudes. This belief has led to the development of several altitude-training strategies: Live high, train Low. The negative effects of training at altitude, such as impaired exercise performance and delayed improvement in overall endurance, can offset the positive ones, so many athletes live and sleep at higher altitudes but train at lower levels. This may be simulated with the use of altitude tents and hypoxic apartments. Live high, train high. If athletes train at a lower intensity at altitude, they may avoid the pitfalls while gaining further benefit from the constant exposure to hypoxia. Higher-intensity exercise at altitude is often done with the use of supplemental oxygen. intermittent aLtitude exposure. The concept here is that athletes exposed to periods at altitude will retain the advantages when they return to sea level to train. Athletes employing this strategy usually alternate between high and low altitudes in three-week intervals. When at high altitude, training intensity is diminished. Unfortunately, the scientific literature on this topic, though extensive, remains inconclusive. There is no question that athletes who live at altitude do increase their red cell number and hemoglobin concentrations. However, there is no conclusive proof of any improvement in performance. For every study that shows benefit, there is another that shows none. On the other hand, no studies have ever shown a decrease in performance attributable to living and/or training at altitude. At worst, these strategies will do no harm, and at best they may increase performance. Jeffrey Sankoff, MD, is a two-time Ironman triathlete and ER physician at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colo. For more information, visit his website at Home.comcast.net/~jsanko20. january 2010

John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

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Ironman malaysIa by Dean Warhaft As Ironman Malaysia goes into it’s 11th year, it’s clear that a secret elixir has yet to be discovered to beat the heat and humidity of this race known as “the toughest show on Earth.” But having raced almost every Ironman in the world, I consider Malaysia one of the best and most unique locations on the entire calendar. The country’s diversity is quite interesting and the population includes Malays, Chinese Malays, Indian Malays and bumiputra (indigenous peoples), just to name a few. The official state religion is Islam. Visiting a Muslim nation makes going for a morning run a unique experience because the streets are empty and silent except for the sounds of the dawn salat, or morning prayer, broadcast in the streets. Travel to Langkawi generally requires flights through Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Malaysia Airlines and Firefly both fly into Langkawi. For the more adventurous traveler, ferry service to and from Langkawi is available from several cities in Malaysia and Thailand. There is no need to rent a vehicle on the island. Taxis are available pretty much everywhere at any time. And for athletes, family and friends who are daring, renting mopeds is an option, but can be dangerous. The race is staged in Kuah town on the southeast shore of the island. There are several hotels in this part of the island including the City Bayview, the Langkawi Seaview and the Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa. The Bayview is a little nicer than the Seaview and the Westin truly is its own island paradise. The Pekan Kuah market held every Wednesday and Saturday night is within walking distance of hotels and is the place to be. Since the timing of the Saturday market isn’t the best for athletes, plan on hitting this spot the Wednesday before the race. You’ll 50

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find teas with balls of tapioca, beautiful fruits, vegetables and all the authentic clothing or cultural memorabilia you can imagine. It’s also a great place to practice your negotiation skills. The tri course starts with a deep-water swim start in Kuah Bay. This used to be a one-loop drag race, but it’s been converted to a double loop. Truth be told, this is the worst part of the course. The water is murky, salty and tastes like fuel. And sometimes the sea lice bite, but just add sunscreen with sea lice repellant to your packing checklist. Both transitions take place in the ferry terminal parking lot. The setup is pretty organized, and there are many volunteers ready to help. Remember: You are in a country famous for its hospitality and you’ll notice it. Once on the bike, the hardest 10 kilometers are immediately as you head out of Kuah town. The Lisram Highway portion has three steps in the climb, the second being the steepest. After that, riders are on the three-loop bike course. The first six miles of the loop are fairly flat and even a little downhill at times. As athletes approach Kedawang Village, they will encounter three rollers followed by a steady mile-long climb before flattening out. The airport turnaround is one of three areas to eye your competition. After turning on to Jalan Ulu Melaka road, the surface gets a little rough, and the election flags get dangerous. The race happens during election time, so the contestants all have flags on the side of the road that blow in the wind and sometimes get a little too close for comfort. Otherwise, the course winds through pastures and hordes of kids screaming for water bottles. This is the one course, where it’s OK to throw your water bottles. The last section of uncharted road is to the second turnaround on Jalan Tanjung Rhu road. Generally speaking, the roads on the highway sections of t h e b i ke a re

C heC king in great and maybe a little rough on the Jalan Tanjung Rhu out and back. At the after-party, find out who saw the most people on one scooter during the bike leg. I remember seeing five people riding one! One last note about the bike: Remember that the island heats up during the day, and so do the winds. So, what was a pretty easy first loop gets harder and harder as the day’s conditions develop. Athletes head out from the jetty and Eagle Square to begin the first of a four-loop marathon. The Seaview hotel becomes the turnaround that gets farther and farther away on each 10K loop. The run has no major climbing. What it does have is humidity, sticky bodies and a whole lot of grit. Organizers are unable to commandeer the entire road for the race; thus, athletes running in both directions will find it a little precarious at times to pass each other. The space allocated to the race is pretty narrow, creating a kind of bottleneck. Take note of where you are on the run turnaround. The Luang Phor Khun Temple is on the right and is a must-see. I recommend you make it a stop when previewing the course. You can light some incense and get Buddha on your side before go time. The after-party begins with the formal introduction of the Sultan of Kedah and his entourage. Once they enter, a series of performances ensue that simply cannot be missed. First are the cultural dances, performed by professionals. This is part of why you traveled to the other side of the world, so soak in the amazing colors and beauty the Malay people have to offer. Next, is the gong show. No seriously—it’s like a talent show on steroids. The acts include everything from rappers and break dancing to a Malaysian Tom Jones. The beauty of Langkawi is not to be missed. Plan to spend some time here after the race, whether it’s taking a ride in the cable car, checking out the Gua Cerita (cave of legends), or just lying on Pantai Tengah beach, where you can be served fresh seafood at your lounge chair or get a massage at the water’s edge. Dean Warhaft of Endurance Traveler has been multisport racing and traveling for more than 15 years. His endeavors have taken him to race on six continents, completing more than 30 Ironmans, more than 30 marathons and countless other endurance events along the way. He currently produces the Endurance TV series. january 2010

Dean Warhaft

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Iron k ids

IronKIds natIonal ChampIonshIp At dawn on Oct. 4, under a clear and balmy desert sky, children and their families assembled at James Kreigh Park in Oro Valley, Ariz., to take part in the IronKids National Championship. These youth participants, hailing from 26 states, had worked hard to qualify at one of eight IronKids events held within the U.S. A stunning amber mountain served as the backdrop to the outdoor Olympic-sized pool. Families and participants stood in silence as a young woman sung the national anthem. The sound of a buzzer and loud cheers from the crowd signaled the beginning of the race, and the first wave of athletes entered the pool. The senior division (ages 12 to 15) started the race first, shortly followed by the intermediate division (ages 9 to 11) and finally the junior division (ages 6 to 8). The swim course utilized a serpentine format consisting of a 300-yard, 150-yard or 50-yard swim, depending on the age group. Next was an out-and-back undulating bike course that consisted of 8 miles, 4 miles or 2 miles. Athletes

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C heC king in then ran 2 miles, 1 mile or 500 yards along a mix of paved and dirt trails lined with cacti, rabbits and palm. Proud parents and siblings were taking photos, shouting praise and waiting anxiously at the finish line to greet their IronKid in the glory of their accomplishment. There were tears of joy, beaming smiles and recollections from the day. Each IronKid athlete couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop talking about what they had achievedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all on his or her own.

IronKIds natIonal ChampIonshIp top three results By age: 15 Male: 1. Jacob Dodge 2. Conor Cox 3. Wil Cushman 15 Female: 1. Jenny Hansen 2. Colleen Maher 3. Kaitlin Adams 14 Male: 1. Thomas Edwards 2. Matthew Kautz 3. Michael Havenar 14 Female: 1. Christina Koeppe

2. Michelle Swarovski 3. Sydney Edmonson 13 Male: 1. Jake Fikse 2. Michael Dove 3. Jacob Zawada 13 Female: 1. Julia Eyer 2. Fiona Dretzka 3. Madison Cooper 12 Male: 1. Patrick Bieszke 2. Erik Armes 3. Mason Riley

12 Female: 1. Camille Morales 2. Kaitlyn Clark 3. Heidi Barsun 11 Male: 1. Benjamin Dingman 2. Harrison Buckley 3. Maxx Hall 11 Female: 1. Alexandra Lorenz 2. Maria Grilliot 3. Katie Rainsberger 10 Male: 1. Brooks Fail 2. Joshua Zawada 3. Isaac Stump 10 Female: 1. Elizabeth Edward 2. Lina Krueck 3. Summer Kanstoroom 9 Male: 1. Nathan Price 2. Logan Gartin 3. Timothy Gildersleeve 9 Female: 1. Ann Weigel

2. Sylka Snyder 3. Hayley Reardon 8 Male: 1. Tucker Morrow 2. Cameron Mansker 3. Ross Johnson 8 Female 1. Morgan Foster 2. Emma Slenkovich 3. Anna Talley 7 Male: 1. Parker Juels 2. Alec Weigel 3. Davis Whitaker 7 Female: 1. Katelin Gildersleeve 2. Greta Reardon 3. Maggie Skidmore 6 Male: 1. Harrison Rubis 2. Liam Mattison 3. Drew Schmidt 6 Female: 1. Avery Turney 2. Liesl Barsun 3. Meghan Burns

For more information and a full list of results go to Ironkids.com

january 2010 11/5/09 5:18 PM

L ig h t Read

John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

C HeC king in

AlohA, Muffin Top by Holly bennett I was nestled comfortably in my seat aboard a Hawaiian Airlines jet en route to Kona for the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship. I was not traveling to race, but rather to work, play and support friends. I knew that when I landed in Kona, I would experience the same body image shock and awe that I’ve dealt with every time I’ve journeyed to this race. Even at the top of my own fitness game—when I’ve trained intently, kept my weight at the low end of its ever-fluctuating range and happily noticed my clothes hanging loosely on my frame—I feel like a beached whale the moment I’ve set foot on Ironman’s mecca. Surrounded by hundreds of perfectly primed specimens of consummate fitness, I feel as though the 10 to 15 hours each week I spend training are a total waste of time. Never in all my life have I felt so fat. I wish I could avoid comparing myself to these athletic genetic freaks, the cream of the uber-fit endurance crop. But that’s nearly impossible when they parade their stunning statuesque forms up and down Ali’i Drive, freshly waxed skin glistening in the tropical sun, veins popping forth like road maps on flawlessly defined calves and arms. It’s enough to send me running for the cover of the nearest muumuu. I’m no slouch, either. On occasion, I’ve been described as “fantastically fit,” “hard54

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bodied” and even (I swear I’m not making this up) “petite”—descriptors which may be accurate when compared against the average American, but which make my 5’8”, 150-pound body (and all its excess flab) shake with laughter. I’m not a small girl by any means. I know firsthand that “muffin top” is not just the best part of a breakfast treat. I have a belly pooch, and it’s here to stay. But I am fit, and more so than most, when “most” includes a valid crosssection of our gluttonous, couch-comforted, fast-food-obsessed nation. I’ve raced my share of Ironman events and various other high-heart-rate extreme endeavors. I revel in the fact that when I attend my high school reunions, I’m looked to as a role model for adult fitness. In my condo complex, I’m considered the in-house expert on all things sports-related. And I’m proud that as an over-40-year-old woman, I can still rock a bikini with complete confidence. Yet triathlon can seriously tweak one’s worldview—in ways both good and bad, healthy and less so—and nowhere more so than in Kona. I quickly revert to the insecure awkwardness of my college years during the first few days on the Big Island. In my real life, I am a strong, fit and fabulous woman. At the Hawaii Ironman, I am an outsider—one with months of training to gain and mountains of weight to lose. The trauma of questionable self-esteem usually subsides once I’ve been on the island a few days and have had a chance to swim, bike, run and tan my insecurities into submission. But the initial shock of feeling

gargantuan amid triathlon’s petite elite certainly sends me reeling. Ironically, as I took a quick visual survey on the plane, I noticed that a full third of my fellow passengers were spilling over the confines of their individual seats. Most of these folks looked to be Hawaii-bound for typical touristy pursuits: luau-going, mai-tai-drinking, pool-chair-lounging, sit-on-your-ass type vacations. I felt like the standout jock on the flight, tempted to lead everyone in a rousing round of calisthenics or sprint intervals through the aisles. But I knew that the moment I touched down in Kona, the human landscape would shift; I would feel twice my size and half my fitness level. I would struggle to keep pace with my Ironman friends during their final workouts, even as they eased up the intensity of their training and tapered down for the big day. The world that awaited me on the western edge of the Big Island would be a highly concentrated celebration of the best of the best in our sport—1,800 athletes chiseled to lithe perfection. But it would be nothing at all like reality. I stood in the doorway of the plane, waiting to descend the stairs that would lead me to the asphalt and on to the hallowed ground of Kona. I took a long, deep breath of humid island air. In that moment, I vowed to maintain a healthy perspective—to embrace my surplus curves. After all, everywhere aside from Kona’s paradisiacal microcosm of supreme fitness, I’m far more fit than I am fat. january 2010

IndusTRI

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new raCe direCtor announCed for eSCape from alCatraz triathlon IMG Sports and Entertainment has announced that Premier Event Management will be the new race director of the world-famous Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Premier Event Management will be responsible for all race management and implementation for the upcoming

30th anniversary race set to take place on May 30. Featuring a 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to the shore, an 18-mile bike and an 8-mile run through San Francisco, the race is considered one of the most difficult triathlons in the world. More than 2,000 amateur and

professional athletes from dozens of countries will attempt to conquer the icy cold swim, the hilly bike ride and the grueling run through San Francisco. The public is invited to watch the race and attend the free two-day fitness festival and expo Saturday and Sunday. Visit Escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com.

CourSe ChangeS for oChSner ironman 70.3 new orleanS The swim start and swim exit locations will be in the same place for the 2010 Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans. This will give athletes the opportunity to walk along the beachfront to the swim start, which is now located near the transition area at the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park. This change will also allow spectators to watch athletes at both the swim start and exit.

The transition area will now be in the large grass field between the Lindy Boggs Conference Center and the U.S. Naval Office Complex. This grass field will give athletes a better surface to run on after completing the swim course. The start and finish of the 56-mile bike course will use Elysian Fields Avenue to Leon C. Simon for the 2010 event. For more updated course maps, visit Ironmanneworleans.com.

inaugural alCatraz triathlon announCed

nationallY SYndiCated CartooniSt penS triathlon lifeStYle Book Award-winning and nationally syndicated illustrator Jef Mallett has published the first book to explore the triathlon lifestyle. “Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete” celebrates the seemingly obsessivecompulsive rituals of the triathlete. With the same humor and insight that readers love in his Frazz comic strip, Mallett delves into the intoxicating subculture of the sport that is three sports. “Trizophrenia” is available in bookstores, bike and tri shops, and online. Starting with the alluring excitement (and terror) of the beginner, Mallett’s sweeping text and amusing illustrations bring to life the countless conundrums a triathlete embraces—from the grit of training to the glorious rewards of racing. Mallett’s lighthearted declaration of love for his sport will convince anyone that life is more worth living when you’re a triathlete. Mallett has been racing triathlons on and off since the early ’80s, alternating between triathlon and bike racing. For more information on him and his work, visit Jefmallett.com. 56

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Tri-California has announced the launch of the Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco on Aug. 29, 2010, when 1,800 swimmers, bikers and runners will christen the inaugural event. Terry Davis, president of Tri-California Events, has 30 years of race directing and served as race

director of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon for the last 12 years. “After producing some of the largest triathlons in the world, we understand what it takes to provide a level of service that surpasses the expectations of the athletes and spectators and will create memories that will last a lifetime,” Davis says. The new triathlon will become part of the Tri-California Race Series which includes the AVIA Wildflower Triathlons, the San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island, the Triathlon at Pacific Grove and Scott Tinley’s Triathlon in San Luis Obispo County. To register visit Tricalifornia.com.

take Your triathlon eduCation to the next level

Feb. 10 brings the country’s largest triathlon education symposium with more than 600 attendees, and it’s put on by Jordan D. Metzl, M.D., a medical columnist for Triathlete. This year’s seminar, in New York City, gives 15-minute lessons on various hot topics in triathlon including five common swim

mistakes, five common nutrition mistakes, strength training on the quick, periodization training, bike fit pearls and many others. If you don’t live near New York, the program will be offered free online at Drjordanmetzl .com. You won’t want to miss this exciting evening of education.

Challenge SerieS addreSSeS rumorS of a Sale Felix Walchshöfer, chief executive officer of Team Challenge GmbH, the global series of long distance triathlons, refuted the article published on a German triathlon website that claimed the Challenge Series had been bought out by owners of the Ironman brand, WTC. Walchshöfer said the series was not sold and there was no contract between himself and WTC. Legal action has been taken against the article’s author by Team Challenge GmbH. The Challenge Family features eight full or half-distance events in Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Denmark and New Zealand.

SweepStakeS winner Congratulations to Bill Snyder of Princess Anne, Md., who won Triathlete and Colnago’s sweepstakes. He won a Colnago Flight frameset. Enjoy the bike, Bill! january 2010

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january 2010

Of Lava and Legends

In OctOber, nearly 1,800 battle-ready athletes, an annual cOllectIOn Of the mOst tempered bOdIes In endurance racIng, lIned up tO battle under the trOpIc sun by day and a wanIng mOOn by nIght tO wrIte anOther chapter In what was the 2009 fOrd IrOnman wOrld champIOnshIp In hawaII. the day saw a legend In the makIng as great brItaIn’s chrIssIe wellIngtOn nOt Only claImed her thIrd wOrld tItle, but dId It In recOrd fashIOn, whIle australIan craIg alexander fOught back the charge Of chrIs lIetO tO take hIs secOnd straIght kOna crOwn.

turn the page and experIence the drama and passIOn Of the hawaII IrOnman, the stage fOr One Of trIathlOn’s grandest annual perfOrmances … january 2010

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january 2010

Passing of the Crown Story and photoS By Jay praSuhn

Three sTraighT hawaii ironman world TiTles in as many aTTempTs is impressive enough. BuT in Breaking paula newBy-Fraser’s course record—againsT arguaBly The sTrongesT collecTion oF Female TalenT The world has seen—The wriTing is on The wall: chrissie wellingTon is a legend in The making.

january 2010

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“i don’t know what planet She’S from. amazing.” — Virginia berasategui

“She’S one in a billion. it’S a great gift. and i think She’ll go faSter.” —paula neWby-fraser

“a day like She had, She Should be factoring in whether She can finiSh in the top 20. She’S incredible.” —michael loVato

Wellington started the run 11 minutes ahead of tereza macel and continued to gain time during the opening miles of the marathon. she ran through the first 10 miles at a pace of 6:30 per mile. a strangely amusing, stunningly odd sight: At Mile 85, flying along the southbound Queen Kaahumanu Highway, Chrissie Wellington was a picture of focus. The media entourage had given her a brief respite, and she was alone and all business while amassing a gargantuan lead. Burrowed into the aerobars, she poured watts into her cranks, passing men—pro men—along the way. The Briton’s lean, sturdy pistons churned as she powered up a small rise while back-marker pro males, attempting to save face, fought their bikes out of saddle, trying to stay with a freight train. The efforts were valiant but vain as this iconoclastic example of the so-called weaker sex rolled up the road. Farther back, former Ironman world champs like Thomas Hellriegel and Luc Van Lierde were managing their bruised egos, having been “chicked”—dropped by a female—by the woman her old coach Brett Sutton called “The Chrissinator.” Flashing her trademark smile, Wellington asked race spotter Wendy Ingraham, “Where am I in the boys’ race?” The question was in jest, but there was a smattering of reality to it; Chrissie Wellington was effectively done with the women’s race and seeking new targets. And demoralizing the pro guys was just, well, fun. “I knew I had to go out strong on the bike—it was my winning card—and some guys were having tough days, but I didn’t expect to 62

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run past guys like Luc Van Lierde,” Wellington said with a blush. Yes, Wellington had a goal beyond just winning: to break Paula Newby-Fraser’s hallowed Hawaii Ironman record time of 8:55:28, set 17 years ago. But to finish so high in the overall that only 34 minutes would separate her and men’s winner Craig Alexander? To beat runner-up Mirinda Carfrae, who actually broke Wellington’s marathon record, by 20 minutes? To finish 23rd overall? Wellington would cross the finish as the winner of the 2009 Hawaii Ironman World Championship in a new record time of 8 hours, 54 minutes and two seconds. It was her third straight win in Kona, but the effervescent Brit showed no sign of having become jaded to the experience as she seized the ceremonial Hawaiian wreath crown from her head, kissed it and raised it skyward. We must remind ourselves that, for all her veteran demeanor, Wellington is still a triathlon greenhorn, having taken her first Ironman victory in Korea in 2007 and her first ITU age-group world title in 2006. She has now amassed eight iron-distance starts and retains her unblemished record with eight wins. “I’m not a great historian of triathlon, but I’m fully aware of the significance of what I have achieved,” she said. “I feel almost guilty for taking the record away from such a legend as Paula. I still bow down to her as the ultimate triathlon athlete. To hold that record is something I’m incredibly proud of.” january 2010

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While the race is often Won on the run, it Was the bike that set up tWo top finishes. teamtbbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s macel, above, shoWed that her comeback season Was no fluke taking fourth, While diminutive virginia berasategui, beloW, cut a tiny sWath along the Queen k and recorded the second-fastest bike (5:01) to set up her third-place finish.

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january 2010

Carfraeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reCord-breaking 2:56:51 marathon (6:45/mile) was faster than all but six of the pro men. the aussieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s run moved her from ninth plaCe at t2 to seCond at the finish.

january 2010

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SCOTTISH KONa ROOKIE CaTRIONa MORRISON, RIgHT, gIvES PROPS TO KONa’S NEw qUEEN. “My fIRST THOUgHT waS, ‘!*%$ SHE IS SOOO faR aHEaD.’ My SECOND waS, ‘IT’S gOOD TO SEE a fRIENDly faCE,’ aND My THIRD waS, ‘If SHE CaN DO IT, I CaN DO IT TOO.’ I THINK My fOURTH THOUgHT waS, ‘I NEvER waNT TO DO THIS agaIN.’ BUT I’M OvER THE laST ONE.” PUT TO THE TEST: UNPRECEDENTED COMPETITION Much was made about the depth of field for the 2009 running of the Hawaii Ironman, and observers expected Wellington to face heavy competition for the title. To be sure, the level of women’s pro long-distance triathlon talent is arguably at its richest: From TeamTBB’s training squad (Erika Csomor, Rebekah Keat, Tereza Macel, Bella Bayliss) to short-course converts (Mirinda Carfrae, Sam McGlone), veteran legends (Michellie Jones, Natascha Badmann) to duathlon champions (Yvonne Van Vlerken, Catriona Morrison), the talent is truly unprecedented. None of that bothered Wellington, whose smile beamed with confidence. At the pre-race press conference, she was asked if she had any weakness she had been working on to counter the rising tide of talent. Her response? Flat, succinct and telling: “I’m stronger in the swim, I’m stronger on the bike, I’m stronger on the run.” With that, she placed the microphone on the table. The gauntlet was thrown; if anyone wanted the world title, she would have to take it from her. Race-day conditions were not epic by any stretch, but classic: windy on the bike and, more importantly, hot. Typical temperatures in the mid-80 degrees F rose in the stagnant air of the Energy Lab to 98 degrees, with the sun searing into the backs of competitors. “The sun was right on our back coming out of the Energy Lab, and it was hot—hot like never before,” said third-place finisher Virginia Berasategui. Combined with the island humidity, that heat wore down and broke many carefully played races and reminded all why Hawaii deserves its world championships designation. All hopes for an upset were dashed less than 20 miles into the bike leg. Wellington, out of the water in eighth place in 54:31, zipped past 66

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TeamTBB’s Lucie Zelenkova (who exited Kailua Bay first in 50:58), snatched the lead and never looked back. “That was my plan—to have a good swim and really work the bike, and I felt great throughout it,” Wellington said. Despite gathering headwinds in the last 30 miles of the bike, the grin couldn’t be wiped off her face. “The more difficult the conditions, the better it is for me. From Kawaihae to town was tough but I enjoyed it.” The question quickly changed from, “Who can challenge Chrissie?” to, “Who can best minimize her losses to Chrissie?” A few hopefuls early on the bike included Michellie Jones, Keat and Belinda Granger of Australia, Leanda Cave of Great Britain, Scot Ironman rookie Catriona Morrison and New Zealander Joanna Lawn. As several of these women faded late in the bike leg, a new wave of contenders came to the fore: Czech Macel, Americans Dede Griesbauer and Gina Kehr, Keat of Australia and a quietly surprising Briton, Rachel Joyce. The gamest chaser was Macel, who lives and trains in Canada. Despite being a top swimmer in Ironman, years of lackluster results nearly caused her to retire from the sport last year. “Last season was dismal,” she said. “At the end of it I said, ‘I have to change something drastically or step away, because I’m not happy.’ I contacted Brett [Sutton] and it was a big risk, but I read somewhere that risk is the price of opportunity. I had nothing to lose.” One season under coach Sutton brought about a resurgence; victories at Ironman Lake Placid and Canada in 2009 saw her star rise again, and she headed into Kona as a quiet underdog. When Wellington passed Macel early on, the Czech thought for a fleeting second to step up her pace to stay in contact—then thought better of it. “When she passed me on a downhill, I lost her—I was out january 2010

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WELLINGTON’S VICTORY BY THE NUMBERS

8:54:02: Chrissie Wellington’s record time in winning the 2009 Hawaii Ironman 1:26: Gap from Wellington’s time to NewbyFraser’s former record 8: Straight iron-distance wins in as many attempts 23: Place overall, among 150 male and female professionals 3: Straight Ironman world titles, in as many attempts 54: Pro male finishers “chicked” by Wellington 8: Male Ironman winners beaten by Wellington. The list includes two-time Ironman World Champ Luc Van Lierde, former Ironman champs Jan Raphael (2006 Florida), Mitch Anderson (2005 Western Australia), Ain Alar Juhansson (2006 New Zealand and ’05-’06 Lanzarote), Michael Lovato (2003 Coeur d’Alene and 2006 Arizona), Stephen Bayliss (2008 South Africa) and UK), Byung Hoon Park (2007 Japan) and Petr Vabrousek (2000 South Africa and Asia) 2: Iron-distance records set in 2009: The iron-distance time (8:31:59) set July 12 at Quelle Challenge Roth, and the Hawaii Ironman course record (8:43:02) set Oct. 10 in Kona. of gears already,” Macel said. “Right there I said, ‘I’m not here to race Chrissie.’ I’m not as afraid of her as some of the other girls because I have no reason to be, but I’m not going to blow my race at the 30K mark.” Plugging away behind the leading group of chasers and absent the massive swirl of media cameras was a pair of diminutive pocket rockets, one an Ironman rookie and the other a veteran. Carfrae had a 70.3 world crown to her name and several half-Ironman wins, but this was her first iron-distance race. A somewhat conservative game plan had Carfrae biding time until her preferred discipline, the run. “[The bike] just felt slow,” she said of the pace. “I’m used to smashing it, but thought, ‘Maybe this is how you’re supposed to ride.’” Just ahead of her was Virginia Berasategui of the Basque Country. Taking sixth in Kona a year ago, the Basque talent and daughter of Javier Berasategui, Spain’s top Ironman finisher in 1988, was known as a well-balanced triathlete with a killer run leg. A dominant win at Wildflower this year awakened North Americans to her talent. In Kona, she cut a fast path through the bike. “The cadence was OK, the heart rate was OK, the wind was no problem,” she said. “I was going really good.” But no one was riding as fast as Wellington. As expected, she completed the bike in first, handing off her bike at T2 in 4:52:06—the sixth-fastest bike on record for the world championships and the only sub-five hour bike among women. But perhaps she was too fast on the bike. As she did at the Roth Challenge earlier this year, Wellington started the run absent the pop she’s accustomed to. It wasn’t noticeable among spectators, but she felt it. “The first few miles I really struggled,” she said. “I was actually glad to get out of town, up onto the Queen K so I could withdraw into myself and get a good rhythm. By then I felt OK.” The steady, powerful Macel followed Wellington onto the run in second place, 15 minutes behind. The question of which Macel would show on the marathon remained: the one who historically crumbles 68

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on the run, or the one with two Ironman wins this season? She set off, hoping not for the impossible (catching Wellington), but for the possible: to hold off as many of the runners as she could and stay in the top 10, perhaps the top five. The heat, as well as several penalties on the bike, claimed many top names, including favorites like Van Vlerken, Jones, Badmann, Bayliss, Keat and Kehr. It was Berasategui, third off the bike with a stunning second-best split of the day (5:01), who suddenly became a power player. More than 13 minutes later, in ninth position, came Carfrae. For most, holding onto position through the marathon on your maiden Kona voyage would be the top priority. Not so for Carfrae, who has made her name with her run. Carfrae slid on her race flats and headed onto Ali’i to claim some scalps. “I felt great right off the bat, and ran a 5:30 first mile—accidentally! I then started in on a 6:30 pace, for a bit too long,” Carfrae said. “I was just worried about whether I’d blow or how my body would handle the last hour.” But there was no moment of weakness, and it didn’t take long before she had settled into a sustainable 6:45 pace, skittering with her quick turnover past early bike leaders until she was in the top three—and hunting Berasategui for second. Berasategui, meanwhile, captured Macel for second midway through the run, but in contrast to Carfrae, she was fighting every demon that the island could throw at her. The heat, a silver dollar-sized blood blister on the bottom of her left foot and four bouts of diarrhea were making her dehydrated—and dizzy. She knew Carfrae was coming, but the fiery Basque was resolute that the Aussie would have to earn it. “It was the chance of a lifetime, but I was hurting so bad, but I said, ‘F***, I want to fight until the end, I’m gonna give my all,’” Berasategui said. Up the road, legend was being cemented. Wellington successfully navigated the 98-degree F oven of the Energy Lab, turned back onto january 2010

From leFt to right: Berasategui and carFrae appear noticeaBly more exhausted than the spirited champion as the top three women pose For a podium photo. the Queen K and headed for home. It was then that she went from pace management to record chasing. “I switched my watch from marathon time to overall time, and was aware that it was getting close,” she said. The smile was gone, the muscles tightened as she visibly started to suffer in chasing history. “The last five miles were the hardest I’ve run in an Ironman,” she confessed. Wellington finally made that now-familiar turn onto Ali’i, passed under the Banyan tree, grabbed the Union Jack and took her place in Ironman lore. While the win was never in dispute, the remaining podium places were still up for grabs. Carfrae, too, passed Macel to move into third, but was still four minutes behind Berasategui heading into the Energy Lab, so Carfrae was doubtful of a pass for second. “People were encouraging me, saying she was tired,” Carfrae said, “but I was like ‘I’m tired too!’” Nevertheless, Carfrae steadily reeled in the suffering Basque with just three miles to go. A small duel ensued before Carfrae notched up the pace, shedding Berasategui. Carfrae finished in second, then wobbled over to Wellington for a congratulatory hug. Not only had she paralleled fellow former Ironman 70.3 world champ McGlone in finishing second in a Kona debut, but she had broken the all-time marathon record, surpassing Wellington’s mark from a year ago with an amazing 2:56:51. Her run was not only the sole sub-3-hour run of the day among the women, but it was the seventh-fastest of the day—including the men. “I’m honored,” Carfrae said. “It’s something I aspired to do at some point in my next 10 years of racing. To get it on the first try is amazing. I’m proud.” An animated Berasategui exulted in her podium finish, clenched her fists, tilted her head back and roared. But behind the finish gantry, where athletes devour pizza slices and recount their day, Berasategui limped to the quiet, calm beach behind the King Kam Hotel and eased into the water to wash away the day’s distresses. Cramps still ravaging january 2010

the diminutive Basque, she ascended to her hands and knees and crawled in the shallows to her waiting boyfriend. Her face was awash with exhaustion. “Since I was 12 years old, watching Ironman on TV, the dream of my life was here,” Berasategui said. “I used to watch the best in the world, now I’m fighting to be one of the best. I promised myself, no Olympics, no short distance … Hawaii. I don’t know how to explain—it’s the dream of my life.” For all the big names on TeamTBB, it was Macel who pulled out the top team result to take fourth, which was probably a surprise to all those outside the tight-knit squad. “The old me would have panicked, especially after that rough swim I had, but I don’t panic anymore when things aren’t going to plan,” Macel said. “I had a far better season than I could have asked for, so there was no pressure. Brett’s given me a whole new level of fitness. With that came results and a whole new level of confidence.” Wellington and Newby-Fraser never crossed paths in Kona after the race. The latter was tied to the broadcast studio throughout the race, but she was nothing but impressed with the new recordholder’s day. “She’s in a class of her own,” Newby-Fraser said. “I picked her for an 8:48, and I didn’t think there was much doubt she’d go under 8:55. It’s hard to compare; I think their bike is harder than the one we rode and our marathon was harder than theirs, but as a natural athlete, she’s just more gifted. And she really suffered those last miles, [which is a] testament to the fact this race is a whole different animal. It’s just hard to go fast here.” As for Wellington’s embarrassment at taking the record? “Aw, it’s been there way too long,” Newby-Fraser said. “It’s something that floats out there. It’s something that nobody owns. She should be proud to have earned it. She doesn’t need to be embarrassed about anything.” triathletemag.com

Pocket Ace

By Brad Culp • photos By John segesta

With a gutsy move that almost never Works on the Big island, american chris lieto Went all in on the Bike, daring a field that included seven past World champions to go With him. the play excited the likes of normann stadler and chris mccormack, forcing each to tap his reserves too early. as the race approached kona’s infamous natural energy laB, only defending champion craig “croWie” alexander had yet to shoW his hand.

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january 2010

“...Craig knows exaCtly how to win this raCe with his marathon and he showed it again.” —AndreAs rAelert

“...i was thinking it may Come down to a tight finish on ali’i drive, but then he really turned up the paCe.” —Chris lieto

“i don’t think i attaCked, i just found a rhythm.” —CrAig AlexAnder

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Lieto stayed with the Lead group up untiL the turnaround at hawi and then dropped the hammer on the 56-miLe return trip to KaiLua-Kona. his 4:25:10 biKe spLit put him in t2 12 minutes ahead of aLexander. exiting T2 with a gap of more than 12 minutes on the race’s reigning champion, Chris Lieto made a left turn into the airless Natural Energy Lab as the leader of the Hawaii Ironman. Through the first 17 miles of the marathon, the super-cyclist from Northern California managed to give up only seven minutes to the fleet-footed Aussie stalking him less than a mile back down the road. Lieto’s legs had lost their former snap, but his feet were shuffling just fast enough to make the legions of spectators crowding the entrance of the Energy Lab believe that he would become the first American to win this race since 2002. Five minutes later, Craig “Crowie” Alexander, running alongside race rookie Andreas Raelert of Germany, made the same left turn, but at a faster clip. The pair looked strong, but the champion and the upstart German were eating into Lieto’s lead at a rate of only 15 seconds per mile. It was easy to do the math: Barring a surge by one of the chasers or a breakdown by the leader, Lieto would break the finishing tape that he had been fixated on for a decade. And then it happened. In a matter of minutes it appeared inevitable that Alexander would repeat as champion and that the American hope and rising German star would be left to sort out the rest of the podium. 72

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Lieto still held the lead, and Raelert was running only a step behind Alexander, but the fates of all three athletes were written on their faces. The Australian’s face was stoic and focused, like the faces of so many other great champions who have won this race on the very same road. The expressions on the faces of Lieto and Raelert were of pure pain—the kind reserved only for those who give the island everything they have. First came the break of the newcomer. Raelert, a veteran of two Olympic Games, was running into uncharted territory. He had raced side-by-side with the reigning champ for 15 miles, but all of a sudden the smooth-striding Aussie was running in front. “I don’t think I attacked,” Alexander said. “I just found a rhythm.” Alexander was only a few feet ahead, but it was enough to entice the rookie to pick up his step just a bit to return to the champion’s side. But the German’s legs couldn’t shift gears and instead he faded back a few more feet. “From one moment to the next, I felt terrible,” Raelert said. No longer sensing the rookie at his heels, Alexander looked back to gauge the gap and then picked up the pace a tick—just enough to toe the edge of bodily shutdown. The defending champ had waited until the most oppressive section of the race to go all in and he had the better hand—at least on the German. january 2010

RaeleRt and alexandeR Ran stRide-foR-stRide foR MoRe than 15 Miles befoRe alexandeR pulled away in the eneRgy lab. RaeleRt finished with the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second-best MaRathon (2:51:04). 74

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Jay Prasuhn

After disposing of rAelert, Crowie mAde CAtChing lieto look eAsy, but dropping him wAs not suCh An eAsy tAsk. lieto surged As soon As AlexAnder reAChed his side, but hAlf-A-mile lAter, lietoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body gAve in And AlexAnder wAs on his own. january 2010

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Crowie’s win by the numbers

33:41: The margin between Alexander and Wellington at the finish, the closest ever between male and female Hawaii Ironman winners. 3:46: The total time Crowie spent in transition. Only Terenzo Bozzone (3:39) was faster in transition. 2:35: Alexander’s margin of victory over Lieto, the 10th-closest race in the history of the Hawaii Ironman. 9: The number of repeat wins since the first Hawaii Ironman in 1978. 11: The number of times three different countries have been represented on the men’s podium, including this year. 5: The number of Aussies who have finished on the men’s podium since 2000. Only Germany has had more, with eight. 14: The number of Ironman 70.3 events Crowie has won since the series was introduced in 2006, the most of any triathlete.

A half-mile up the road, Lieto, who had been racing on the edge for over four hours, was in a world of hurt. The slight uphill pitch from the bottom of the Energy Lab back to the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway had taken its toll. Making a right turn to head back to Kailua-Kona, he walked through the Mile 20 aid station. It was stage one of damage control and Lieto was grabbing everything he could to stop his ailing body from overheating. “I thought I would pick up the pace a bit once I made the turn out of the Lab, but I couldn’t,” Lieto said. “That last little section really took it out of me.” By the time the leader was walking through the aid station at the top of the hill, Alexander had a massive gap on Raelert and was flying back up to the highway. The Aussie had no way of knowing that his rival up the road had cracked, but he knew he was running out of room to catch him, so the defending champ dug just a little deeper. “I was surprised at just how quickly Crowie closed the gap coming out of the Lab,” Lieto said. “At that point I was thinking it may come down to a tight finish on Ali’i Drive, but then he really turned up the pace.” As Crowie crested the hill at the top of the Energy Lab and turned 76

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back toward town, it became apparent to the scores of onlookers that Lieto would be caught and that the catch would come soon. Lieto was struggling toward the Mile 21 aid station, where he would have one last chance to hydrate, cool down and bring his broken body back to life before the seemingly inevitable pass. He began walking as soon as he got to the aid station and even stopped to stretch his cramping hamstrings. Alexander, running at a torrid pace, was now only a few feet from taking over the lead. All he had to do now was pass a guy who wasn’t moving. “When Chris stopped to stretch, I knew he wasn’t going to lay down once he got passed,” Alexander said. “He’s a true fighter.” The pass came immediately after the pair exited the aid station, and as Alexander expected, Lieto would not be an easy pass. The American had raced by himself since the bike turnaround in Hawi and he wasn’t interested in having company this late in the race. To the hundreds of spectators lining the highway and the thousands watching on Ironmanlive.com, the race was already over. Crowie stood tall, mouth almost closed and eyes focused straight ahead as he moved to the front. Lieto grimaced, clenched his fists and then january 2010

And to the other 473 athletes who rode fiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;zi:k saddles in Kona, making us again the number one brand in the Triathlete Magazine saddle count, we extend a big homeland Italian thank you, grazie!

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From LeFt to right: Behind Lieto (2nd) and raeLert (3rd), 2007 Kona champ chris mccormacK BattLed BacK to Finish Fourth. hawaii First-timer rasmus henning oF denmarK crossed the Line in FiFth, 3 minutes Behind mccormacK. did something that no one, save for Alexander, thought was possible: He matched the champion’s pace. In what might be the most painful half-mile ever run on the Big Island, Lieto surged past his redline and clung to Crowie’s heels. It was like watching medieval torture. The pain on Lieto’s face was palpable. His body begged his brain to give in to the hurt and just let go of the lead. He was finished, there was little doubt about it, but something inside wouldn’t let him give up hope just yet. “I just dug in and hung on once Crowie came by,” Lieto said. “In this race anyone can break at any time. At that point everyone is racing on the edge.” Alexander, too, was testing his limits, but like the champions before him, the Aussie was damn good at masking the pain. He gazed straight up the road, as if in some kind of meditative trance, never showing any sign of weakness. Inside, things were much darker for the new race leader. His pace was back down to 6:30 per mile but there would be no further acceleration. Neither man had anything left to give. All that was left for the reigning champion to do was to wait and hope that his pace 78

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was too much for Lieto’s body to handle. It was. After keeping stride with Crowie for almost half a mile, Lieto staggered and his speed dropped off considerably. System shutdown. He clawed at the air, hoping his legs would eventually respond, but it was a futile effort. Lieto’s breakdown had nothing to do with pain. He was beyond that. He had literally pushed his body to the point that it no longer responded to the desperate pleas from his brain. Two minutes later Alexander was 400 meters up the road. Lieto’s final push on the Queen K Highway proved beyond any doubt that he is mentally tough enough to win the Hawaii Ironman—an honor won by few. This year his body was just four miles short. “He was in so much pain but he stuck right with me,” Alexander said. “He’s capable of winning and he would have been a more than worthy champion.” Now there were no questions left to be answered, at least concerning who would be the first athlete to return to the pier in Kailua-Kona, where all the pain had started 140.6 miles ago. Alexander had played the same hand against two worthy champions and he came out in front each time. Both rivals were capable of matching his pace, so much so january 2010

Germany’s Timo brachT ran his way To sixTh, finishinG less Than a minuTe ahead of race-rookie dirk bockel from luxembourG. TwenTy-eiGhT-year-old aussie peTe jacobs crossed in eiGhTh, 15 seconds ahead of american andy poTTs. finishinG TenTh was 2005 world champ faris al-sulTan of Germany. that both were true contenders until 20 miles into the marathon. But sustaining such a pace on the Big Island can rip apart even the most finely tuned bodies on the planet. The steady misery of trying to stay with or away from Alexander proved too much for the bodies of Raelert and Lieto, no matter how much pain each was willing to endure. The Aussie had done his homework and had taken the time to figure out this race. His winning formula, which most all his competitors were well aware of before the start, was exactly what has worked here in the past: He swam comfortably within reach of the rest of the contenders; he patiently resisted the surges and breakaways on the bike; and then he set a run pace that methodically broke what was perhaps the deepest men’s field in history. Alexander’s run was not particularly fast, and nowhere near the 2:40 split that many had predicted, but it was not a good day for a marathon. His 2:48 run was three minutes slower than his previous two marathons in Kona, but it was also three minutes better than any other man was able to run on one of the most humid days in recent years. The two-term King of Kona enjoyed the final 200 meters of his day as he had a year before. The stoic gaze that had cloaked his suffering for january 2010

the past eight hours and 20 minutes was now replaced with an outburst of emotion. There was joy, of course, but also relief, vindication and even a bit of anger as the repeat champion grabbed the finishing banner with authority and raised it over his head. He had done what seemed impossible only seven miles earlier. His way had worked—again. While Crowie celebrated his win with his wife and two children, Lieto was making a final right turn onto Ali’i Drive. His resolve, as strong as ever, would not let him finish anywhere but second. Raelert found a second wind once he finally made it out of the Energy Lab and he was only a few hundred meters from the very same right turn. Lieto commanded his body to hang on for one more minute and he flew toward the finishing chute like the champion he is. After slowing to a rather pedestrian pace on the highway, Lieto ran the final mile in 6:41 to finish second, two minutes behind Alexander. Raelert, in a debut race reminiscent of Alexander’s in 2007, finished third, 96 seconds behind Lieto. “You have to play your cards according to your own skills,” Raelert said afterward. “I played mine as best I could. Craig knows exactly how to win this race with his marathon and he showed it again.” triathletemag.com

Kona’s final finisher, a 65-year-old grandfather from northern California, stops the CloCK only 48 seConds before midnight.

Editor’s note: It’s been one hell of a year for Richard Decker. He is a former director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and chairman and co-founder of Belvedere Capital Partners, a financial services-focused private equity firm; he turned 65, celebrated 40 years of marriage, the birth of his first grandchild and his third finish at the Hawaii Ironman. Decker’s last finish on the Big Island came 25 years ago and he entered this year’s event with one goal in mind: to best his 15:14:17 finish from a quarter-century ago. He did not beat his previous PR on Oct. 10, but in Decker’s own words, “Life happens.” We caught up with Decker a few days after the race to find out what happened over the course of almost 17 hours.

training for this race with the goal of racing faster at the age of 65 than I had when I was 40, but more importantly than that, I was determined to just enjoy the day. I think a lot of triathletes—especially Ironman athletes—take this sport so seriously that it takes some of the joy out of the race. You should be smiling throughout the entire day and taking it all in, just like Chrissie Wellington does—she’s a great role model. One of the high points of the race was the start of the swim. It was a beautiful day, the water was clear and I just felt lucky to be there and lucky to be alive. Before I knew it I was at the turnaround buoy and it was time to start thinking about the rest of the day. The other high point of the race was the start of the bike. I’ve been a swimmer my whole life, so at that point I was still feeling very fresh and I settled into a nice rhythm. Unfortunately, when you get old, everyone passes you on the bike. I used to be the guy passing people, but that doesn’t happen too often anymore. I felt relatively smooth all the way up to Hawi with some headwind during the last hour and then we got a nice little tailwind on the downhill section back to Kawaihae, but the tailwind didn’t last long. There was a pretty tough headwind for the last two hours into Kona on the bike 80

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january 2010

Rich Cruse

16:59:12

but I still felt pretty good. After too long a transition I headed out on the run and could hear Mike Reilly, the voice of the Ironman, bringing people into the finish. I even heard a couple of my friends finish right as I started my run. It was tough to think about those guys finishing while I still had an entire marathon to run, but I never thought about dropping out. I went into the race knowing that it was going to be a very long day. As I made the turnaround at Mile 5 on Ali’i Drive, I felt something pull around my right Achilles tendon. I didn’t know what was wrong, but whatever it was, it made running extremely difficult. At that point I knew that I’d have to walk quite a bit and I thought that making it in before midnight would be tough. It was going to be the “Kona shuffle”—ugly all the way to the finish. From that point on it was all about tactics and strategy, thinking about the coaching Matt Dixon had provided. I was moving slow, but I felt OK as I headed up Palani Road and back to the Queen K. That’s a really dark and lonely part of the course once the sun goes down, which, of course, it had at that point. I was glad my friend and fellow racer Rich Clark, in the 70-74 age group, told me to get a spotlight before the race—it kept things from getting too dark out there. Watching other athletes heading back toward town as I shuffled toward the Energy Lab was tough. I thought, “Those SOBs! They’re almost done. I wish I was there!” A guy on a red scooter pulled up to me as I made the turn down into the Energy Lab. He told me that I was on pace to be one of the last athletes to finish, but I had to pick up the pace a bit. I really didn’t know if I could move any faster at that point, but I told the guy I’d do my best and then I just kept plugging along through the Valley of Death’s 4 miles down to the Energy Lab and back up to Queen K. Once I got to the turnaround at the bottom of the Lab I saw a guy on the side of the road talking on a cell phone. I asked him if he would call my son, Bill, and let him know that I might not make it back before midnight and that my son should tell all of my friends and family to head back to the hotel. I shouted out the number and then kept shuffling. A few minutes later the man on the cell phone shouted out that my son told him to tell me that I would make it back before midnight that he was tracking me and I should pick up the pace and that he’d see me at the finish. Hearing those words relayed from my son was the motivation I needed. I picked up the pace a bit and then got another boost when I made it out of the Lab. Now I only had 6 miles left to run. I was physically exhausted but I was mentally stronger than I had been all day—I knew I could make it 6 more miles—only a 10K! As I ran to the end of Queen K and turned right on Palani Drive and headed down to the finish line at the pier, there on the corner, was Suzy, my wife, and son, Bill. They were shouting encouragements: “You have 14 minutes to go a quarter mile, you can do it.” Bill shouted encouragements as he periodically ran alongside me. There were so many people—friends, family and strangers—cheering me on as I made the final turn onto Ali’i Drive. I had four minutes to make it 400 meters. I was really hurting, but the adrenaline helped me push through the pain (running the last mile in 10:01). As I got closer to the finish the crowd closed around me. It was like riding the Tour de France. It was so uplifting to see so many people there at midnight. I felt a little embarrassed that I was the last one to get there, but at the same time, I felt so lucky to have so many people there with me. I crossed the line 48 seconds before midnight as time was up and then my wife put the lei over my head. Next thing I knew, both Chrissie Wellington and Craig Alexander were giving me hugs. I had some pretty big tears in my eyes at that point.

every drop is loaded

TO HYDRATE AN D N OU RI S H E V E RY C E L L

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Pro women battle Drafting rules

By Jay Prasuhn

after 10 pro women were popped for bike violations, many are hopeful that organizers will consider potential solutions.

increased its credibility standing in September when the World Triathlon Corporation announced a new anti-doping program for all of the brand’s Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events, and kicked it off at the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. The changes from previous protocol, which consisted of sporadic, variable testing—and for some international events, no testing—to new protocol, which now falls in line with WADA’s World Anti-Doping Code, are clear: For the professionals, a registered testing pool will be created, subjecting athletes to in-competition and out-of-competition testing that will be administered on site. Elite age-group athletes will be randomly selected for testing as well. “Ironman has been conducting testing since 1990, and this is our latest initiative to maintain the integrity of our testing program and keep the sport of triathlon drug-free,” WTC President Ben Fertic said in a press release. WTC is the first private, non-federation sports company to formally adhere to the WADA code. The athletes with the most at stake were thrilled. “I really think Ironman needs to be applauded for this new policy,” said Chrissie Wellington. “We can’t imagine that triathlon has been impervious to the temptation for athletes to dope. It gives credence to the sport’s world championship event, to all the events.” The announcement, however, was lost after the race when cries of foul rose amid the pro women’s ranks. In Ironman races (and many 82

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70.3 events), pro women face a unique problem on the bike: age-group males. Only recently, event organizers went from a mass start for both pros and age-groupers to an early start (typically 6:45 a.m. or 6:50 a.m.), which was a relief to many pro women who are fighting for greater stakes than age-groupers. But once out of the water, the front-running age-group men often finding themselves catching and mixing with pro women on the bike. This problem has three distinct facets One is that slower-swimming pro women are tempted to latch onto the wheels of faster age-group men, taking an illegal tow toward the front of the women’s race. It’s a tactic that often infuriates faster swimmers, who have their advantage negated by cheating. “It’s frustrating,” Linsey Corbin said. “I’m not surprised we’re running as fast as we are—it’s easier to run a three-hour marathon when you have that assistance on the bike.” The second facet concerns how to interpret and apply inconsistent drafting rules as the guys blend in with the pro females. What should be done when the women, who have to adhere to a 10-meter draft box, suddenly find a male age-grouper slot in front of them within what is legal for them at 7 meters? Women are forced to apply the brakes quite a bit—a bitter pill to swallow when racing to pay the bills. Third is the problem of over-eager males who drive a hard pace early in the bike, then fade—in front of pro women. And when the january 2010

male ego is involved, many will simply not let a woman move steadily ahead, at the risk of their own race. The large number of high-profile drafting or blocking penalties in Kona this year underscored the issue. Ironman head official Jimmy Riccitello said 24 draft marshals doled out 161 infractions at the 2009 Hawaii Ironman. Among them, 10 pro women were penalized (compared to 13 pro men in a field double the size), among them Joanna Lawn, Linsey Corbin, Michellie Jones and Samantha McGlone. The biggest victims were Australian Rebekah Keat and American Gina Kehr. Keat only learned after the race that her supposed two infractions were three, summarily moving her from a satisfying fifth-place finish to a disappointing DQ. And Kehr, who received five penalties (race rules state an athlete is disqualified after three penalties) began to run the marathon under protest. “I would rather they run a tight ship and give out penalties that are deserved than turn a blind eye to it,” said Corbin. “But the lady that gave out the penalties woke up on the wrong side of the bed. She held her stopwatch up, started it and I sat up and grew the gap—and she immediately flashed me a red card. Why would I cheat blatantly in front of a ref? I didn’t argue it, but what was 10 meters instantly went to 20 meters for me—I wasn’t going to take any chances.” Why so many infractions this year? Riccitello said that the event had more officials—four, with one floater—assigned to monitoring the women’s pro race than in years past. Lack of wind to break up packs didn’t help, either. “I don’t think we enforced it any more closely,” Riccitello said. “I just think they were watched a bit more closely.” But he also considered that perhaps it was simply a case of athletes not understanding the rule. Riccitello said that holding up the watch was not to measure time in the draft zone but rather served as an indication of the 25 seconds the athlete had to pass. Failure to pass resulted in a penalty. “Once you get within the distance, you gotta pass. You can’t go from 10 meters to 5 meters, then back out to 10,” Riccitello said. “We don’t manufacture penalties. It’s rare that they’re going to blatantly cheat, and we give them visual references (Riccitello provided athletes a reference of roadside cateye reflectors as visual gap gauges), and I want them to respect that—that’s all I want. When I tell them to be careful to not bunch up on the hills, they have to respect that.” Riccitello noted that no women approached him following the pro meeting for any rules clarification. “I always give the same spiel and tell them to come up and ask any questions, like Natascha [Badmann] does every year.” Riccitello empathizes with the women, especially considering they have to factor in remembering not only their own 10-meter front-wheel-to-frontwheel draft gap but also the age-groupers’ 7 meters between bikes. But he only empathizes to a degree. “I’ll make a concession and say there are a lot of rules for them and it’s confusing,” Riccitello said. “But it’s their job to know. When I was racing, I never got a sheet with the rules or had to sign something saying I’ve read them.” The most plausible solution? Some believe it’s separation. Currently, pro women (and men) january 2010

are sent off at 6:50 a.m. in Ironman races, with age-groupers sent off 10 minutes later at 7 a.m. With ambient light not an issue for most of these races, many athletes have suggested sending off the pros at 6:30 a.m., giving the women a 30-minute buffer on the age-group men. By the time elite age-group males ride up to pro women, it would be late in the race, and from an officiating standpoint, Riccitello says, infractions would be easier to identify. “I would love to see that,” Corbin said of a 30-minute buffer. “We’re our own entity, it’s light out at 6:30—there’s no reason a race can’t start then. We should be separate from the age-groupers.” Keat agreed. “A very, very good idea,” she said. Riccitello said he has been a proponent of an earlier start for the pro women, and that Ironman would be open to hearing a case from the athletes. To date, Riccitello said, no athletes have formally approached Ironman to propose an early start. “I think Ironman would be receptive to hearing about it from the athletes in a constructive way and it is open to change. And I’d like to see that happen for a number of reasons,” Riccitello said. “It would make my job officiating a lot less confusing.” Seemingly, the onus is on the pros. “The age-group men are trying to win amateur titles, and I respect that as well—the guys aren’t out there trying to mess up our races. It’ll be interesting to see if they’ll make a change, but in the meantime, it’s frustrating. All I want is a clean race, ” Corbin said.

A misunderstAnding of the rules led AustrAliAn rebekAh keAt to be disquAlified from A fifth-plAce finish. triathletemag.com

Taking The Challange By Brad Culp • photos By John segesta Ten of The ToughesT physically challenged aThleTes on earTh Took on This year’s ironman World championship. The day’s rough condiTions Took iTs Toll, keeping five pc aThleTes from making iT To The finish, buT as is Typically The case, The pc race also provided many of The mosT exciTing and inspiring momenTs in kona.

The parallels between David Bailey and Jason Fowler are striking. Both were motocross superstars at a very young age; both suffered severe spinal cord injuries from riding accidents and both lost the use of their legs as a result. Bailey, 47, is regarded as one of the best PC athletes to ever race on the Big Island and won the hand-cycle title in 2000. Bailey was instrumental in getting Fowler, 35, started in endurance sports and after finishing second in the hand-cycle division last year, Fowler headed back to Kona with one goal in mind: to win the hand-cycle title. 84

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For Fowler, winning the hand-cycle division meant that he would have to top Bailey, racing in Kona for the first time in nine years. The pair was never separated by more than a couple minutes throughout the race, with Fowler taking the early lead after a 1:27:35 swim. Bailey exited the water 2:05 after Fowler, close enough for Bailey, who excels on the bike leg. The veteran took the lead from Fowler on the bike, but wasn’t able to gain much of an advantage. Bailey finished the bike leg in 7:29:23, just under three minutes faster than Fowler. Bailey’s advantage at T2 was little more than a minute and both athletes took off at a grueling pace january 2010

on their hand-cycles for the marathon. Fowler upped his momentum once he made the turnaround on Ali’i Drive near the five-mile marker. Fowler took the lead on the way to the Energy Lab and never looked back, finishing the marathon in 2:19:04. Bailey crossed the line just over nine minutes behind Fowler, posting a 2:30:23 marathon split.

For Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a 21-year-old double above-the-knee amputee, his race in Kona was against the clock. Finishing the swim would be no problem for the Paralympic swimming superstar and there was little doubt that he was physically capable of finishing the marathon. Completing the race would come down to whether or not he could make finish the bike leg before the 5:30 p.m. cutoff. As expected, Garcia-Tolson made quick work of the swim, exiting Kailua Bay after only 1:05:50. Pedaling a standard triathlon bike with nothing but his glutes, Garcia-Tolson kept a steady, grueling 12 mph pace throughout the first 80 miles of the bike leg. As the winds picked up during the final miles of Garcia-Tolson’s ride, his pace dropped and he rode into transition at 5:37 p.m.—just seven minutes after the bike cutoff. Down, but not out, Garcia-Tolson did what any champion would do: He immediately signed up for November’s Ironman Arizona.

Although Garcia-Tolson did not accomplish his goal of becoming the first double above-the-knee amputee to finish an Ironman, he left little doubt in anyone’s mind that it can be done and that he’s the guy to do it.

Monique Van Der Vorst, a 24-year old from the Netherlands, is well on her way to asserting herself as the Chrissie Wellington of physically challenged endurance sports. She’s the world record holder for the hand-cycle marathon (1:12:01) and earned two silver medals in cycling at the 2008 Paralympic Games. Van Der Vorst was the first female para-triathlete to attempt the Hawaii Ironman in 11 years, and she set some very lofty goals before the race. She had her sights set on smashing the existing women’s hand-cycle record (13:31:14) and also set out to beat Carlos Moleda’s all-time hand-cycle record of 10:30:55. Van Der Vorst finished the swim with an impressive time of 1:14:53 and then set off at a torrid pace for the opening miles of the bike leg. After riding through the first 10 miles at almost 19 mph, Van Der Vorst slowed her pace a bit but still managed to finish the 112-mile ride in 7:04:18. She backed up her stellar ride with a 2:41:11 hand-cycle marathon, putting the Dutch superstar at the line in 11:10:14.

After A knotted bAttle through the bike, it wAs fowler, opposite, who surged lAte in the MArAthon to tAke the Men’s pC title froM bAiley, left. for gArCiA-tolson, right, the konA winds left hiM seven Minutes short of t2. january 2010

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Road tRiathlon supeRstaRs eneko llanos and Julie dibens each eaRn a thiRd XteRRa WoRld championship in maui. By Brad Culp • photos By nils nilsen/xterra

were not looking up for Spain’s Eneko Llanos on Oct. 10, the day of this year’s Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. After finishing second in Kona in 2008, many believed Llanos would make a run at triathlon’s crown jewel this year. Unfortunately for Llanos, his body never cooperated on race day, and he was relegated to 14th place. Flash forward two weeks and things were looking considerably less bleak for the Spaniard. Llanos, competing in his only XTERRA race of the year, held off Frenchman Nico Lebrun to win his third off-road world title and his first since 2003. Llanos’ win marked the first time in 14 years that an athlete has won in Maui after competing in Kona. “Just two weeks ago I was really disappointed in Kona,” Llanos said afterward. “When I crossed the finish line I couldn’t believe it. How fast things change.” While Llanos’ victory came as a bit of a surprise, the women’s race had a far more predictable outcome. For the third year in a row, Great Britain’s Julie Dibens dusted the field, winning by more than seven minutes. As she did in 2007 and 2008, Dibens essentially won this year’s race on the bike and set off on the run with a four-minute gap on fellow three-time champ Melanie McQuaid of Canada. “I was able to ride in control and run smart,” Dibens said. “I’m delighted to be up here on the podium again, and to win this race three times in a row is really something special.” Dibens’ win makes her the first XTERRA athlete— male or female—to win Maui three times in a row. She joins Llanos, McQuaid and South African Conrad Stoltz as XTERRA’s only three-time world champions.

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january 2010

XTERRA WoRld ChAmpionship Makena, Maui, Hawaii 1.5K swim, 30K bike, 11K run WoMen

Swim

1. Julie Dibens (GBR)

20:25 1:44:57 51:20 2:56:42

Bike

Run

Total

2. Lesley Paterson (GBR)

22:42 1:51:49 49:45 3:04:16

3. Melanie McQuaid (CAN)

22:41 1:47:38 55:27 3:05:46

4. Carina Wasle (AUT)

26:08 1:49:48 51:27 3:07:23

5. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) 25:52 1:46:27 55:41 3:08:00

january 2010

6. Marion Lorblanchet (FRA)

21:32 1:59:54 51:49 3:13:15

7. Danelle Kabush (USA)

26:52 1:53:42 53:16 3:13:50

8. Christine Jeffrey (CAN)

19:42 1:59:46 55:33 3:15:01

9. Sara Tarkington (USA)

23:58 1:57:02 54:56 3:15:56

10. Rebecca Dussault (USA)

25:46 1:56:03 55:33 3:17:22

Men

Swim

1. Eneko Llanos (ESP)

19:39 1:33:23 44:30 2:37:22

2. Nico Lebrun (FRA)

21:44 1:32:24 44:09 2:38:17

3. Michael Weiss (AUT)

23:44 1:30:25 46:15 2:40:24

4. Oliver Marceau (SUI)

20:07 1:34:51 46:08 2:41:06

5. Conrad Stoltz (RSA)

20:23 1:32:36 48:41 2:41:40

6. Franky Batelier (FRA)

20:09 1:33:38 48:28 2:42:15

7. Felix Schumann (GER)

20:26 1:36:10 46:21 2:42:57

8. Seth Wealing (USA)

19:35 1:37:49 46:34 2:43:58

9. Josiah Middaugh (USA)

22:15 1:30:45 51:14 2:44:14

10. Nico Pfitzenmaier (GER)

23:53 1:33:40 46:58 2:44:31

Bike

Run

Total

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XTERRA rookie Luke McKenzie from Australia (top, #39) led the pro men out of the swim in 19:30, only 12 seconds up on womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swim-leader Christine Jeffrey of Canada. Brit Julie Dibens (above, #61) was second out of the swim among the women in 20:25.

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Three-time Maui champ Melanie McQuaid of Canada (above, #80) hit Makena Beach in 22:41, three minutes back of Jeffrey, but more importantly, two minutes back of two-time defending champ Dibens.

Spaniard Eneko Llanos (above, #6), the 2002 and 2003 XTERRA World Champion, made it out of the swim in 19:39, only a few seconds back of the leaders. Llanosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; swim gave him a one-minute advantage over South African Conrad Stoltz and two minutes on French super-biker Nico Lebrun.

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Llanos (top, #6) made it through the 30K bike course in 1:31:37, the 5th-fastest time of the day. The Spaniard’s ride was fast enough to put him in T2 first, but right with him were Stoltz (above, #11) and American Josiah Middaugh, who posted a blazing 1:28:55 bike split. The only man to ride faster than Middaugh was last year’s runner-up Michael Weiss of Austria (1:28:11).

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As expected, Dibens (above, #61) made quick work of the grueling bike course and entered T2 with a four-minute cushion. The Brit’s 1:42:48 ride was the best of the day and a few seconds faster than 2004 Olympic Mountain Biking silver medalist Marie-Helen Premont of Canada.

California-based Scot Lesley Paterson (above, #70) hit T2 nine minutes back of Dibens and four minutes back of McQuaid. Paterson made up a good chunk of that deficit on the run, posting a day’s-best 49:45 split to finish second.

january 2010

Middaugh (top, #7) started the 11K trail run as one of the leaders but struggled on the run and faded to ninth. Weissâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (above, #2) perfect ride put the Austrian at the line in 3rd, making it two straight years on the podium. Stoltz exited transition within sight of the lead, but he struggled to keep pace with Llanos and Lebrun and went on to finish fifth.

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A last-minute injury to defending champion Ruben Ruzafa of Spain kept him out of the race and left Lebrun and Llanos to battle for the win. Lebrun (above, #38) posted the best run of the day (44:09), but it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to catch Llanos, who ran only 11 seconds slower to win by 55 seconds.

McQuaid had one of the best seasons in the history of XTERRA, winning six of the eight U.S. Series races, but for the third time in as many years, Dibens was untouchable in Maui. McQuaid finished third, 90 seconds back of Paterson and nine minutes behind Dibens, who finished ahead of 16 professional men.

january 2010

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A look At the delicAte process of producing the finest coffee on eArth. Story by brad Culp photoS by NilS NilSeN

In a letter he wrote from the Big Island of Hawaii in 1866, Mark Twain declared, “I think Kona coffee has a richer flavor than any other.” One would expect a wordsmith like Twain to pen something a bit more vivid, but the writer’s description was certainly apt—Kona coffee may in fact be the best on Earth. Like so much of the wildlife and vegetation in Hawaii, the coffee bean is not native to the islands. According the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, the first Hawaiian coffee trees were planted on Oahu in 1825. Chief Boki, governor of Oahu at the time, acquired the trees on a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reverend Samuel Ruggles, a missionary from Connecticut, planted coffee on the Big Island three years after the tree first appeared on Oahu and the bean took quite well to Kona’s unique microclimate. The rich, volcanic soil on the slopes of Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa coupled with the pattern of sunny mornings, rainy afternoons and mild evenings created perfect coffee-growing conditions. For most of the 1800s, Kona coffee was grown on large plantations that were tended to by migrant workers from Japan and China. In 1899 the world coffee market crashed 94

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and a number of plantation owners were forced to sell small plots of land to their workers. Thus started the tradition of growing Kona coffee on estate farms, a tradition that continues today. Among the more than 600 coffee farms in the Kona District is Wahine Farms, a small operation owned and operated by off-road triathlon superstar Shonny Vanlandingham and Mary Hearn, a former pro mountain biker. Wahine (Hawaiian for “woman”) Farms was started three years ago on a small parcel of land 800 feet up the slopes of the 13,679-foot tall Mauna Loa volcano. The farm boasts about 200 trees, enough to produce around 1,500 pounds of coffee each year. While the location of Wahine Farms delivers a fruit that is seldom less than perfect, turning the fruit into the perfect cup of Joe requires meticulous attention to detail throughout the production process. Triathlete tagged along with Vanlandingham and Hearn on a tour of the farm and production facility to find out what makes Kona coffee better than all the rest. If you’re interested in sampling a cup of Wahine’s brew, visit Wahinefarms.com to order a bag of whole bean coffee. january 2010

january 2010

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The Key STepS from Bean To Cup 1.Maturing the fruit from green to a vibrant red “cherry” takes some tender loving care and tons of hard work. Monitoring the growth of the trees while keeping them healthy is a full-time job. 2.Picking season ranges in time but usually starts in late October and finishes some time in January. This is Vanlandingham’s off-season so she can really put in the time to oversee the entire operation and spend some quality time picking the fruit … in between training sessions. 3.Pulping the fruit separates the fleshy outer 96

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casing from the bean inside. This is done with a basic machine that kind of resembles a cheese grater attached to a big square funnel. Using a little water to get started definitely helps. 4.Drying the bean may be the most archaic part of the process, using just the sun and some basic trays. This process takes from five to seven days. 5.Milling produces the green bean by stripping the parchment layer off the dried bean. The milling machine is intimidating and reminiscent of a wood chipper.

6.Roasting is the glory process of the bean-to-cup journey. Green beans are fed into a fiery furnace and proceed to increase in size as the natural oils begin to expand. This process is the most complex and the exact amount of roasting is a closely kept secret for Wahine Farms. 7.Packaging and shipping takes place as soon as the beans cool from the roasting, thus providing the freshest quality for an exceptional brew. 8.Grind and enjoy a cup of Wahine Farms coffee anywhere you travel. january 2010

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T R A INING

january 2010

Training FeaTure 1: 10 besT indoor workouTs

Training FeaTure 2: suspended bodyweighT Training

lane lines

big ring

on The run

FundamenTals

speed lab

dear CoaCh

TriaThlon heresies

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T R A INING

The 10 Best Indoor Workouts By Matt Fitzgerald and Brad Culp

e’re going to come right out and confess that the three winter swim sets, three indoor bike workouts and four treadmill runs presented in this article do not actually represent the 10 best indoor triathlon workouts you could possibly ever do. As far as we know, there are no legitimate criteria that could be used to formulate such a list. In any case, the workouts described here are very good ones, and you will do well to sprinkle them into your indoor training program this winter.

Swim workoutS The following intervals are based on the fastest average pace you can hold for 10x 102

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100-yards freestyle (FAP). For instance, if your FAP is 1:30 and an interval calls for 5x 100 free at FAP + :15, your pace for the set is 1:45. If you’re fortunate enough to swim in a long course pool all winter just add 15 seconds to every interval. No miNdS: “No Minds” are horrible, painful and completely joyless. Nonetheless, this set is a great way to gauge your swim fitness and to boost your lactate threshold. The set is quite simple to do, but if it’s done right, you arms should feel like watery Jell-O afterward. After an easy warm-up of about 1,000 yards, do 5x 50-yards freestyle at race pace to pick your heart rate up. The main set is 5x

100-freestyle on a 4-minute interval. Sure, it sounds easy, but the goal of the set is to sprint all five repeats. Your leg and arm muscles should be on fire at the end of each 100. You should focus on completing each repeat as fast as possible—do not hold back so that you have something left for the next repeat. If done correctly, each successive 100 should be slower (and harder) than the previous one. Record your time for each 100 and then compute the average pace afterward. We recommend performing this set once every three weeks, and, of course, your goal should be to improve on your average pace each time around. maSS Start 100s: This set can be done solo, but to achieve the desired effect, it’s best to do with a partner. The focus is to train your body to settle into a comfortable rhythm after sprinting for position at the start of a race. Start by splitting a lane with a swimmer of january 2010

T R A INING mer will tell you, boring sets are a must-do. The goal of this set is to maintain form and rhythm as your body creeps closer and closer to lactate threshold. After an easy warm-up of at least 800 yards, perform the following set (all intervals are freestyle): 1x 500 @ FAP + :5 (e.g., a swimmer with a FAP of 1:30 would have a 7:55 interval) 1x 400 @ FAP (e.g., a swimmer with a FAP of 1:30 would have a 6:00 interval) 1x 300 @ FAP - :5 (e.g., a swimmer with a FAP of 1:30 would have a 4:15 interval) 1x 200 @ FAP - :10 (e.g., a swimmer with a FAP of 1:30 would have a 2:40 interval) 1x 100 @ FAP - :20 (e.g., a swimmer with a FAP of 1:30 should aim to complete the 100 in 1:10 or faster).

Bike WOrkOuts These workouts can be done on any indoor cycling set-up that works for you, be it your triathlon bike mounted on a fluid trainer, a spin bike or a high-end dedicated indoor bike trainer such as the CycleOps 300PT. taBata intervals: Named after Japanese exercise physiologist Izumi Tabata, this brutal interval set is the most time-efficient cycling fitness builder ever created. Warm up with at least five minutes of easy spinning. Next, increase the tension or gear ratio and sprint for 20 seconds. Now stop and rest passively for 10 seconds. Complete eight all-out sprints of 20 seconds followed by 10-second passive rests. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done the workout right and held nothing back in those short intervals,

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similar ability. Starting at the same time, have you and your lane-mate sprint 25 yards at an almost-all-out pace. Once you hit the wall go right into a 50-yard swim at slightly slower than race pace. Immediately do one more length, building into a sprint finish. So, the four lengths of each 100 should be done as sprint, cruise, cruise, build. Try 8x 100 yards (freestyle, of course) on a FAP + :30 interval. Try this set whenever you need to add some fun to the doldrums of the pool. Olympic-Distance special: Most triathletes we know rarely swim more than 200 yards without stopping, which isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly the best way to train for a swim of between 750 meters to 2.4 miles. This set is about as boring as they come, but as any fast swim-

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T R A INING you will find yourself breathing harder than you ever have in your entire life after the eighth and last sprint. A cool-down of easy spinning is optional. In one study, a period of Tabata training increased the VO2max of trained athletes by 14 percent and their anaerobic capacity by a whopping 28 percent. Lactate threshoLd test: The lactate threshold is the exercise intensity at which lactate, a secondary muscle fuel, begins to accumulate rapidly in the blood because it’s being produced faster than it’s being used. Exercise scientists argue constantly over the definition and meaning of the lactate threshold, but one thing is certain: It is a very powerful predictor of endurance performance. In clinical environments, the lactate threshold is determined through a graded exercise test (a workout in which the intensity increases incrementally every few minutes) combined with blood draws. Typically, the intensity level at which the blood lactate concentration reaches 4 mmol/L is marked as the lactate threshold. Troy Jacobson, national director of endurance sports training for Life Time Fitness, is among the top coaches who believe it’s possible for athletes to find their lactate threshold on their own with a functional test requiring no needle pricks. According to Jacobson, in trained athletes, lactate threshold intensity is roughly the highest intensity that can be sustained for 60 minutes. Since going allout for 60 minutes is one killer workout, Jacobson instead uses a 20-minute max effort that is then adjusted to estimate the result of a 60-minute effort. Hop on your indoor bike trainer and begin with a gentle warm-up of 10-15 minutes. To determine your lactate threshold power, you will need to use a trainer with a built-in power meter, such as the CycleOps 300PT. If you want to know your lactate threshold heart rate, wear a heart rate monitor. After completing 104

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your warm-up, run or ride as fast as you can for 20 minutes. Be sure to pace yourself so that you aren’t forced to slow down before 20 minutes due to fatigue. Finally, cool down for at least five minutes. Note your average power output and/or heart rate for the 20-minute max effort. Adjust these numbers downward by 5 percent to determine your lactate threshold numbers. For example, if your average heart rate in the test was 179 bpm, your lactate threshold heart rate is approximately (179 x 0.95 =) 170 bpm. “This is a repeatable benchmark test that any conditioned athlete can perform every six to eight weeks to assess changes in fitness,” says Jacobson. Wattage hoLd: Most interval workouts feature intervals of a designated duration. This one doesn’t. Instead, the wattage hold workout requires that you select a certain wattage number and hold it as long as you can, or at least longer than you did the last time you did the workout. As fitness improves, the capacity to sustain very high submaximal intensities increases more than the speed that can be sustained for any given period of time, so the wattage hold is a better way to observe your progress and gain the confidence boost that comes with evidence of progress. And because it always terminates with a cry of “Mercy!” the wattage hold is also a great way to build mental toughness. To do this workout, select a wattage that you believe you could sustain for a maximum duration of approximately five minutes. Ride easy for 30 to 60 minutes and then increase your intensity to the designated level. Hold it until you are pretty sure you could not sustain it for another full minute and then stop at a round minute number. For example, if after sustaining your target wattage for five minutes you are pretty certain you could not reach six minutes, stop at five. Wait two to three weeks to do the workout again and aim for six minutes at the same wattage, and so forth.

Winter cross-training Go ahead and admit it—sometimes swimming, biking and running get a tad boring. Add to this boredom some freezing weather and you’re likely to stumble into some serious training roadblocks. Why not use the colder weather to the advantage of your fitness while busting out of the swim/bike/run rut? Here are a few cold-weather and indoor training ideas that will keep you toned, fit and ready to kick some serious butt in that first spring race of the year. snoWshoeing: Snowshoeing is one of the simplest winter sports out there. It’s perfect if you live in a winter climate but you want to avoid such bone-breaking activities as skiing and snowboarding that might halt your winter triathlon training completely. If you know how to walk, you can learn how to snowshoe. A 135-pound woman can burn up to 400 calories an hour snowshoeing while strengthening the same muscles used in running: calves, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and abs. If you use the snowshoes with ski poles (which help with balance and rhythm), you get the added benefit of upper-body strengthening. Snowshoes and poles will run you roughly $250, but you can also rent them for the day or the week at many large ski resorts. Look for long, flat and gradually climbing cross-country skiing trails and incorporate some intervals of easy walking and jogging in the snowshoes for an extra cardiovascular benefit. cross-country skiing: Have you ever watched the Olympic cross-country skiing races? Those athletes are seriously strong from head to toe, which makes sense considering cross-country skiing uses almost every major muscle in the body from the thighs and glutes to the back and abs. Cross-country skiing is an ideal cross-training activity for both running and biking, and is low-impact, highly aerobic and affordable (the average cost of rented equipment and a trail pass is $35 a day). The learning curve of cross-country skiing is initially steep, so it is recommended that you take a lesson in order to ensure you have the correct form before heading out on the trails. rock cLimbing: Rock climbing presents a unique combination of physical and mental challenge, and it’s a great way to stay in shape no matter the season. If you are new to the sport, head to an indoor climbing gym to get a lesson in proper climbing, bouldering and belay techniques. Rock climbing involves intense isometric muscle contraction, especially in the legs, abs, back and arms. This strength will be especially noticeable in the pool, where strong back and shoulder muscles translate to faster movement through the water. If you are the daring type and live in a cold-weather climate, go outdoors for ice climbing, where instead of using your feet and hands to scale a wall, you use ice axes and crampons to literally kick and pull your way up a vertical wall of ice. Climbing equipment is somewhat expensive, so unless you plan on hitting the rock several times a week, you can easily rent your equipment for the day at REI or at an indoor climbing gym. january 2010

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T R A INING There’s nothing wrong with doing steady, moderate-intensity base runs on a treadmill, and in fact if you run indoors frequently over the winter, most of those runs should take this form. But you’ll also want to mix in some more interesting workouts, such as these three. steep uphill Walk: In an interesting study, researchers placed subjects on a treadmill and asked them to walk or run and then gradually increased the incline. They found that at very steep inclines, the biomechanics of walking and running become indistinguishable. Essentially, walking at high intensity on a steep gradient is running, except that the impact forces are much lower than they are in level-ground running. For this reason, steep uphill walking makes a great recovery run. By walking for 20 to 40 minutes at a comfortable intensity on a 12-15 percent treadmill gradient, you get neuromuscular running practice without much impact, so that your muscles and joins can recover from previous running. Try it. MaRathon-pace Run: Runners and triathletes are often taught to obey the “hard-easy rule” in training. This rule stipulates that run workouts should either be very hard (say, 5 x 1000m at 5K race pace with 2:00 jog recoveries) or very easy (say, six miles at a pace that allows you to hold a normal conversation without getting winded). It’s true that this rule is helpful to the many runners and triathletes who, without it, fall into the trap of monotonous gray-zone training, where they feel compelled to make every run count, so they never go easy—yet precisely because they never go easy, they are also never able to go very hard. But there is a place for moderately hard workouts, and the marathon-pace run is a good one. Warm up with one mile of easy jogging and then run anywhere from four to 12 miles (depending on where you are in the training process) at your ideal marathon pace. Doing this workout on a treadmill enables you to lock right on to that pace and stay there. Vo 2Max test: The workout format the exercise physiologists commonly use to determine VO2max is also useful as a powerful (if painful) fitness-boosting workout. Start by hopping on the treadmill and running easy for five to 10 minutes. Next, increase the belt speed by 0.5 mph and run for one minute at that speed. Now increase the belt speed by another 0.5 mph, hold the new speed for another minute, and continue in this fashion until you feel unable to run any faster. Reduce the belt speed and cool down. Note the maximum speed you attained and try to beat it when you repeat the workout in three or four weeks. 106

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Run WoRkouts

T R A INING enough so that there is no tension in the straps. Squat back and down as if to sit down in a chair behind you. Concentrate on keeping your pelvis neutral, your core tight, your weight on your heels and your torso upright. Keep your eyes focused upward at the attachment point. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground, keeping as little tension on the straps as possible. Use them more to maintain balance than to assist the squat movement. Press your heels into the ground and return to a standing position.

2. Single-leg Squat

All Substance, No Flash

SuSPended Bodyweight training offerS a SimPle and low-tech way to get fit. By Matt Fitzgerald

uspended bodyweight training is new, but it looks and feels old. A simple, low-tech exercise modality, all substance and no flash, it could have been invented decades or even centuries ago, but for whatever reason it was not. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and the invention of suspended bodyweight training is a good example of this principle. Several years ago, while deployed in Southeast Asia, U.S. Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick put his creativity to use against the challenge of finding a way to keep in shape without having any fitness equipment. So he used parachute materials to create a strap with stirrups at either end, looped it around a horizontal pole overhead, and used it to perform a variety of bodyweight exercises that he came up with one at a time. In 2005, Hetrick founded Fitness Anywhere, a company that sells a more refined (but still appealingly primitive) version of this device, which is now called TRX. Based in San Francisco, Fitness Anywhere has become a multimillion-dollar business and TRX—which does have one or two competitors—has become standard equipment in physical therapy facilities and alternative fitness centers such as CrossFit gyms. Suspended bodyweight training is also catching on as an effective and convenient at-home and on-the-road training modality among competitive athletes. I incorporated suspended bodyweight training into my minimalist, injury-prevention-focused strength training program several months ago, and I like it enough that I plan to 108

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continue using it. Beyond offering a wide range of functional exercises with clear benefits for triathletes, suspended bodyweight training is fun. Performing moves such as atomic pushups on my TRX feels more like play than doing regular pushups. San Diego-based TRX master trainer and competitive triathlete Neil Mallinson regularly shows new triathlete clients how to reduce their injury risk and enhance their swimming, cycling and running performance through suspended bodyweight training. We asked him to do the same for you by creating the following workout. Mallinson recommends doing sets of 15 to 20 repetitions of each of these eight exercises and two to three sets per workout. Complete the entire workout three times per week.

This exercise is a powerful strength developer for the thighs, hips and glutes. It improves the stability of the pelvis, hips and knees during running and thereby reduces injury risk. The single-leg squat is also a great way to identify and correct left-right strength imbalances. “When you start doing it, you will probably find that one leg is stronger than the other,” says Mallinson. Start in the same position as in the bilateral squat, but with your right leg aligned with the attachment point and your left foot elevated an inch or two above the floor in front of you. Squat down and back, bending your right knee as much as you can without feeling pain or wobbling at the knee. Extend your left leg in front of you to keep your left foot elevated above the floor. Press your right heel into the floor and return to a standing position. If you find this exercise very challenging, use your arms to create tension on the straps and assist the movement. But don’t use any more tension than necessary. All of the cues that apply to the bilateral squat apply to this exercise also: Keep your eyes up, your core tight and so forth. After completing a full set on your right leg, repeat the exercise on your left leg.

3. atomic PuSh-uP

The atomic push-up is an advanced movement that develops upper body strength and The bilateral squat is a relatively easy ex- core stability. Assume a push-up position with ercise that makes for a good warm-up, prim- your feet elevated above the floor in the stirrups. ing the leg muscles for the more challenging Lower your chest toward the floor, keeping exercises that follow. It also increases lower your core tight and your spine neutral. Stop body stability and mobility when your chest is an inch in the hips and ankles. above the floor and press Beyond offering a wide upward to the start position. Stand facing the attachment point with your feet range of functional Now bend your knees, lift placed shoulder-width apart. your hips and draw your exercises with clear knees forward toward your Grasp a handle in each hand with your palms facing each benefits for triathletes, armpits. Go back to the start other. Stand far enough position once more. suspended bodyweight away from the attachment To make this exercise point so that your hands easier, do half push-ups intraining is fun. are at chest level, but close stead of full ones. To make it

1. Bilateral Squat

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TRAINING more challenging, replace the knees-to-armpits portion of the exercise with a pike: Keeping your legs straight, lift your hips as high as possible and draw your toes toward your armpits.

4. Overhead extensiOn

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The overhead extension is a great functional exercise for swimming, according to Mallinson. It strengthens the upper back and rear shoulders and demands core stabilization in coordination with arm movements. It also incorporates hip extension, and thus helps correct imbalances caused by the repetitive hip flexion involved in cycling and running. Stand facing the attachment point with an overhand grip on the handles and your arms extended overhead. Stand far enough from the attachment point so that there is tension on the straps. Without bending your arms or legs, drop your hips back, folding your body into a V shape. Pause briefly with your arms extended directly toward the attachment point and in line with your torso. Now use your rear shoulder and back muscles, glutes and hamstrings to press your hips forward and extend your arms overhead, thus returning to the start position. Keep your core tight throughout this movement and keep full tension on the straps at all times.

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This is a three-in-one exercise that will help you maintain healthy shoulders despite all that swimming you do. Stand facing the attachment point and grasp the handles with your palms facing each other and your arms fully extended toward the attachment point. Stand close enough to the attachment point so that you can lean backward about 20 degrees with full tension on the straps. When leaning, be sure to keep your hips forward so that your whole body remains in a straight line. Now contract your rear shoulder muscles and pull your body forward to a standing position with your arms extended overhead and to the sides so that they form a Y shape with your body. Now return to a leaning position. Next, contract your rear shoulder muscles again and pull your body forward, this time with your arms extended straight outward from your sides so that they form a T shape with your body. Return to a leaning position and turn your palms down. Finally, pull your body forward and lift your arms straight overhead, creating an I shape.

6. multiplanar lunge If you could take only one leg exercise with you to a desert island, choose this one.

It strengthens the quads, hamstrings, hips, glutes, low back and core, improving the stability of the hip abductors and adductors and pelvis and thereby reducing the risk of common running injuries such as iliotibial band syndrome. It is also a great way to identify and correct left-right strength imbalances. Stand facing away from the attachment point with your left leg bent and your left foot hooked through a stirrup one step behind you. Bend your right leg and extend your left leg behind you to simulate a backward lunge, moving your arms in opposition to your legs as you do when running. Squat down on your right leg until the thigh is parallel to the ground, or close to it. Return to the start position. Now extend your left leg back and bend your right knee again, but this time twist your hips and angle the left leg to the right across your body. The motion looks similar to that of a speed skater in action. As in the first lunge, stop when your right knee is bent around 90 degrees. Return to the start position. Finally, perform a side lunge by extending your left leg straight to the left and bending your right knee as far as you can without discomfort or instability. Return to the start position once more. After completing a full set, switch legs and repeat the exercise.

7. hamstring curl Triathletes tend to develop strength imbalances in the thigh musculature, with hamstrings that are relatively weak compared to the quads. This exercise will help correct this imbalance. Suspended hamstring curls are infinitely more functional than machine hamstring curls because they incorporate a balance element and require core stabilization while the hamstrings work. Lie face up with your heels in the stirrups. Lift your hips to form a straight plank with your body. Contract your hamstrings and pull your heels toward your buttocks. Keep your hips high as you do so. Return to the start position. To make this exercise more challenging, perform alternating single-leg curls.

8. hip press The hip press strengthens the glutes and hamstrings to increase running stride power and pedal upstroke power. Lie face up with your heels in the stirrups and your knees bent 90 degrees. Contract your glutes and hamstrings and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from the knees to the neck. Keep your knees bent. Return to the start position. january 2010

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Never leave home without your skin lubricant. I leave a stick of the stuff in my car and in my wetsuit bag so that I am prepared in all situations. I have found that the saltier the water is, the more likely it is that chafing will occur. This may be because salty water usually has waves, stirred-up sand particles or longer swim distances. Whatever the case, wetsuit or not, be prepared before you get in the water. Critical places to lubricate are around your neck, under your arms, the sides of your chin, inner biceps, between your legs and anywhere a seam of your suit comes in contact with two parts of your body. In the case of extremely cold water, the neck of your wetsuit becomes more important than just a place of constant chafing. The Vancouver Triathlon World Championships were in midJune, but the water was reading between 11 and 12 degrees C (52 to 54 degrees F). Acclimatizing to that temperature of water would be impossible in three days, so I made alterations to my swimming comfortable swimming elbow-to-elbow (or attire. Wearing a neoprene cap underneath the foot-to-face) with other athletes. Finally, in race cap and tightening the neck of my wetsuit open water you can practice swimming in a saved me a few precious degrees of body heat. We straight line with no lane ropes to herd you also tested out rubbing Vaseline and Tiger Balm to your final destination. on our faces, the back of our hands, and the top Some of the scariest water conditions for of our feet—anything to keep the heat inside. I swimmers of all levels are chop and waves. still couldn’t feel my fingers when it came time Outside the safety of an indoor pool, Mother to unzip my wetsuit! Nature is free to have her way with the water. Finally, it is important to understand that In situations when there is no regular pat- the wildlife is going to be in the water, but 99.9 tern (like waves breaking on shore), you can percent of the time, you aren’t even going to benefit by altering your stroke. Shorten the know it’s there. front and back end, and make each stroke short Take Perth, for example. They only told us and choppy, just like the water. Breathe to the after the race about all the great white sharks that side away from the oncoming chop, if possible, lived in the area. Alligators live in every lake in and roll your head a bit farther to make sure Florida, but they don’t want to eat you, so just go you won’t breathe in the spray. have a nice swim. When the dolphins show up The 2005 ITU Triathlon World Champi- to investigate all the swimming commotion, try onships in Japan took place in and around a chatting with them underwater (it didn’t work for motorboat-racing stadium. You could smell me because I only speak whale). If you are still a the motor oil from a mile away. You could bit concerned, just make sure you always swim also see it, taste it and feel it in the water. I with a slightly slower training partner and let her have never made such an effort to keep my dangle a few strokes off the back of the group. mouth dry as I did during those 1500 meters. Open-water swimming is a challenge. The I made sure to roll my face a little bit farther constantly changing conditions and curveballs out of the water before unclenching my lips that show up on race morning are part of what and gasping for the quickest of breaths. That makes this sport so interesting. If we just did was a big change from my usual relaxed face laps in a pool, where would the excitement be? and open-mouth swimming style, but I didn’t Where are the jellyfish stings, the barf-inducing want to take the chance of waves, the near-freezing temgetting sick a few minutes and the creatures Some of the scariest peratures, later on the bike. from the black lagoon? The water conditions only way that you are going With all that lubrication in the water, it was no surfor swimmers of all to stop getting ulcers on race prise that I finished without morning is if you put this levels are chop and magazine down, get your gear, any chafing. That has not always been the case—I have call a buddy (preferably slower) waves. scars from being ill-prepared. and go outside for a swim.

Oh, The Places i’ve swum By Sara McLarty

fter competing in swimming and multisport events for the past 20 years, I have swum in every imaginable (and unimaginable) water condition on this planet. I have swum in calm water, choppy water and downright tempestuous water. Blue, green, clear, brown and black water. Clean water, water with garbage, water with algae blooms and water with motor oil. I’ve raced in fresh, salty, brackish and muddy bodies of water. Water that was so cold it gave me an ice cream headache on contact and water so hot it was like doing laps in the hotel’s hot tub. Living creatures have also made appearances—from the sharks in a river in Perth, Australia, to the playful dolphins in Fort Myers, Fla. Sea turtles, jellyfish, stingrays, kelp, seaweed and an overabundance of algae have been characters in my swimming adventures. Whether you have just completed your first triathlon season or you’re an experienced veteran, the lessons I learned first-hand from these conditions might be helpful for your future open-water swimming experiences. The first tip is very straightforward. In order to be comfortable in any of these situations, you must practice swimming in open water as often as possible. Doing laps and laps in the local pool might improve your swimming fitness level, but all that hard work won’t do you any good if you can’t put your face in the icky-colored water on race morning. Get comfortable not being able to see the bottom (or your own hand in front of your face). Get over the knee-jerk reaction (also called “freaking out”) when your hand/foot/ face touches something strange under the water. Swimming with other people is important for safety purposes and to learn how to be 112

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How Does Chris Lieto Do it? a behind the scenes Look at what makes him tick (and, of course, go so fast) by Mark Deterline

hris Lieto has long been a popular professional triathlete. He is well-liked for his friendly and approachable manner, his unassuming personality, his sincere desire to share and give back, and his dedication to family. In the San Francisco Bay Area where Lieto lives, most everyone knows him, claims to know him or his next of kin personally and even expresses fondness for him. He’s the local boy who has done good, and the pretty boy who makes cougars swoon. In an area where road bike racing has a longer, more illustrious tradition than triathlon (as well as the typical infamy of being a closed, snooty subculture), Lieto has not only won over roadies by excelling at their sport as he has at tri, but he has also unceasingly made friends in both camps. Which brings us to our first consideration of how this january 2010

man got to be such a successful saddle jockey. Lieto is one of triathLon’s uberbikers because he is, as much as any man who shaves his Legs and uses chamois cream, a cycList. Riding with Lieto is a treat because he’s so laid back. After moving to the San Francisco East Bay a couple of years ago, I had been on several group rides before recognizing who he was. You don’t necessarily know that one of the fastest multisport cyclists in the world is on the ride until someone finds out you’re new and asks, “You know who that is, right?” pointing to what had previously just looked like a young, fit rider. Or until his training calls for an interval, putting him in his aero extensions in front of 20 to 60 riders for several minutes while only the strongest riders survive in his slipstream as he pulls them out toward some

of Livermore Valley’s historic wineries. Lieto likes group rides, making our Saturday morning HOP (House of Pain) ride and the Wednesday morning Bakery Ride staples of his training program. “I like group rides largely for social reasons, and for motivation,” he says. “They get me out on the bike for a few hours without me having to think about the effort like I do when I ride or run alone, or when I’m swimming, all of which still account for much of my training time. When I don’t want to go hard, I just sit in the pack. If I need to do intervals, I try to plan them around sections of the ride where everyone tends to go hard or try to drop one another anyway. If I need to go really hard, I just ride off the front; sometimes the stronger or more competitive riders jump on my wheel or get into a rotation with me, or I’ll just go off on my own and then circle back. Some of it depends on the terrain the group will cover. It needs to be a suitable ride.” Leading us to consideration number two: the bike is a strong discipLine for Lieto because he enjoys the sociaL and motivationaL aspects of riding with other cycLists and in groups, without aLLowing pack or testosterone dynamics to adverseLy affect his training pLan. Hopefully you won’t be disappointed to learn that two fundamental points I’ve taken away from my discussions with Lieto are his emphasis on rest and his use of recovery as a key ingredient to optimal performance. Of course you’ve heard these virtues preached a million times. But what impresses me about Lieto’s perspective is how emphatically he underlines the need to contextualize training sessions. “Each workout and its effectiveness,” he explains, “depend on what came before the workout and what will come after it.” In other words, Lieto understands that no workout exists in a vacuum. Of course, it’s always exciting and impressive to read about some athlete’s massive training volume leading up to an event. Mark Allen’s trip to New Zealand with Scott Molina in 1989, which included huge weeks of training on the bike, is a memorable example. An even more dramatic case is Greg LeMond’s six-hour training ride the day before the ’89 world championships, which he won. But times and training philosophies have changed to a large extent, and athletes like Lieto use smaller training volume and more rest and recovery to their advantage. “I know of recreational or accomplished age-groupers who train as much as I do,” he continues, “but they have busy lives. This is what I do for a living, so it’s easier for me to get the necessary training in, but still have enough time to recover properly.” triathletemag.com

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Big r ing This point also leads us to our next consideration: Lieto understands—and preaches—the importance of good coaching. “You need to get good training in, and a good coach,” he says. “One who really knows what they’re doing, can help you be efficient with your time and workouts, and someone who can help you avoid the tendency to overtrain.” In a similar vein, the master of the bike and all things aerodynamic, biomechanical and wind tunnel-tested explains that you cannot overemphasize the importance of proper bike fit, especially as it pertains to TT bikes and proper aerodynamic positioning. “I see athletes all the time who say they’ve been fit by a professional, but you can immediately tell that their position is off,” he explains. “I’m not talking about aerodynamics, but about their saddle height and fore-aft adjustments, as well as how their upper body is carrying stresses due to how the front end of their bike has been configured. Lieto understands that, as with finding a coach, “a rider needs to be very picky about who fits and positions them on a bike. It should be a sophisticated fitter who has access to the latest cycling-specific analysis tools and technology.” Lieto is also a good example of someone who has invented himself as a personality in his sport as well as built a brand around his appealing aura and flair for design, presumably acquired while working as a fashion model in his younger days. But he has also continually reinvented himself as an athlete. On Oct. 10, 2009, Chris Lieto himself made history at the Hawaii Ironman. Not because he rode away from some of triathlon’s strongest cyclists for the umpteenth time; and not because he finally fulfilled his Kona podium destiny that many had so long predicted. But instead because in 2009 some had already begun to doubt. What made this world championship memorable for all who witnessed it was Lieto’s show of force in all three disciplines, especially the way he held off Crowie for so long on the run, then stayed with him for almost two miles before the Aussie finally opened up a gap. Lieto caused a sensation. He became one of those Kona heroes whose second-place performance was perhaps even more memorable than the victor’s win. And while you will never ride as well as Lieto, you can follow his example at your own level in the following regard: Lieto exceLs by setting the stage for a win or good finish during the bike segment. Instead of accepting what many thought was his fate—to finish top-10, several minutes off the winning time—Lieto took control on 116

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his bike. He wasn’t chasing a dream that day; he was making it happen. And by so doing, he made the race, taking the collective audience’s breath away in the process. Craig Alexander won because he raced a perfect race; anything less and the crown was Lieto’s. But what has that to do with the rest of us, detained in cubicles and limited by the time and financial resources that remain after mortgages, college funds and relationship needs are satisfied? As we know, a champion’s role is to inspire. If we are tempted to feel discouraged by the seemingly superhuman abilities of someone like Lieto, there is something more human to consider in all of this: Lieto exceLs because he’s very human. Just when you’re tempted to think, “For heaven’s sake, he’s perfect,” (a teammate of mine referred to Lieto as Too-Too after first meeting him—too pretty, too nice, too strong, etc.), Lieto reveals a very occasional tendency to stutter. Or he pulls off his helmet and you see that the hair on his pretty face and head is thinning. “Oh, thank God. He’s actually human.” It’s not that his imperfections take anything away from who he is or make you feel somehow better about yourself; they simply inspire authentic respect, true and lasting admiration, and that’s what actually makes other athletes feel encouraged and empowered. Perhaps it’s those vulnerabilities, along with his wife being sharp as a tack, that keep him humble. Whatever his gifts and challenges, he has proven time and time again that no amount of skepticism will keep him from proving that he has what it takes. What all that does for us, his friends and fans, is put things back into a context we can identify with, that motivates us to excel within our own personal paradigms. Ergo our final consideration of what makes this champion and hero successful, on and off the bike: Lieto exceLs because nothing and no one is going to discourage him or stand in his way. Ask yourself what Chris Lieto would do and then there’s only one thing to do: make it happen—by becoming a good cyclist, finding good riding companions, being smart about how a workout fits into your life and training schedule (by making rest and recovery an art form), working with a truly knowledgeable coach, finding an expert bike fitter, using the bike segment as a strategic part of each race, achieving good balance in life, being yourself and never ever allowing others to determine your destiny. Ideally, we would all follow his example by taking our sport seriously while not taking ourselves too seriously. january 2010

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on t he run nagging ache in his pelvis. It’s a weird place to have chronic pain, but, like a lot of athletes, he thought it was some kind of residual soreness that might go away if he ignored it. He could feel it when swimming and cycling, but it definitely hurt most while running. He had been in great shape in September 2008, but then he got sick and racked up a string of less-than-satisfying results at the XTERRA USA Championships (seventh), XTERRA World Championships (10th) and Ironman 70.3 World Championships (DNF). He finished his season with a third-place effort at Laguna Phuket in Thailand, but at that point he was just going through the motions because of the injury. Although it took a while to figure out what it was, the pain was eventually diagnosed as osteoitis pubi—a joint in the pelvic bone had become inflamed and had become unstable— plus an inflamed attachment to his left rectus abdominis. At times the pain was acute, at other times it felt “itchy.” Because he waited to get diagnosis and treatment, the injury became entrenched and he was in for a long and frustrating recovery process. But after considerable time off, a lot of rehab and a slow return to normal training, Legh regained his fitness and eventually returned to the elite ranks. His second-place finish at the Ironman 70.3 race in Augusta, Ga., in late September marked another successful recovery from yet another dramatic medical setback for Legh (who had emergency intestinal surgery after the 1997 Hawaii Ironman and was forced to give up full Ironman racing in 2006 because of a congenital heart defect).

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Get DiaGnoseD

the Long road Back

Chris LeGh Gets baCk on traCk after another setbaCk By Brian Metzler

ith a frustrating year behind him, Chris Legh is just happy he can run again without pain. Sure, he’s overjoyed he’s back to the elite level of competition, but for a while he was completely sidelined, unable january 2010

to jog even lightly. His story offers insights on how to approach even the slightest of aches, pains and “niggles,” as the Aussies say, that we experience in training. A year ago, the 70.3 and XTERRA star felt a

As a triathlete—newbie, age-grouper or pro—you’re bound to feel aches, pains and soreness during your season even if you’re super fit. Sometimes you might feel a slight tweak during an easy recovery run. Other times you might wake up sore in an unusual place. It might be that you’re overtrained or fatigued, but you might also be injured. In any case, those things are worthy of your attention. Unfortunately, the stubbornness built into the DNA of many athletes keeps us from getting proper attention for what ails us. We think we can run through it, that it will pass in the night like so many times in the past. And while that’s possible some of the time, ignoring the problem might also prolong an injury or make it worse. “Yeah, I probably should have gotten it looked at sooner because it just wasn’t going away,” Legh says. “I thought it was a result of tight glutes, tight abductors, tight hip flexors. I had been doing a lot of Swiss ball work and triathletemag.com

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on t he run one-legged core exercises, so that might have been part of the cause, and maybe it was. I just knew something wasn’t quite right. But I hoped it was going to go away and it just didn’t. At some point I realized I can’t bluff my way through this.” Lesson Learned: Pay specific attention to your body and be aware that seemingly small things can be bigger problems.

FoLLow orders It can be hard to follow orders when a doctor or trainer tells you to back off. Legh was initially told by his Australian doctors to take it easy and start doing a prescribed set of rehab exercises. The doctors warned that excessive running, riding and probably even swimming would only aggravate the injury. “It was an injury that almost has to disappear before you can even start rehab,” Legh says. “I would think it was gone and would do a walk or a light jog and would immediately feel it. I would keep testing it, but it was always there.” Shortly after the first meeting, Legh returned to the doctor who had treated him and complained that the pain was still present. “I came back one day after going for an easy ride and told him it was really sore,” Legh says. “He said, ‘How far did you go?’ I told him I just did three hours really easily and he lost it. He thought I was an obsessed freak. He said, ‘I meant for you to go out for 10 minutes.’ I said, ‘OK, tell me 10 minutes and I’ll keep it at 10 minutes.’ If they’d said I needed to take six months off, I would have. But they had told me to just take it easy, and I thought I was.” Legh finally gave in and followed orders, taking almost five full months off from any kind of training—and really any kind of physical activity. “It was rough,” Legh admits. “If I had planned a break, I might really enjoy a break. If I knew I was going to have six months off, I’d go to Europe, I’d ride my mountain bike, I’d go play golf, I’d start a business. Instead, I wasn’t allowed to do a thing. I couldn’t run, I couldn’t bike, I couldn’t swim, I couldn’t hike, I couldn’t go camping. Nothing. I can deal with a break, but I haven’t had a break in 20 years. I just had to sit. I was pretty damn bored.” Lesson Learned: Get expert advice and professional treatment that you’re willing to buy into 100 percent. Put the same intensity into rehab as you would into workouts.

start smart Once he got back to training in June, at 120

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“I probably should have gotten it looked at sooner because it just wasn’t going away … But I hoped it was going to go away and it just didn’t. At some point I realized I can’t bluff my way through this.” his home-away-from home in Boulder, Colo., Legh knew he needed to start slowly with low-volume weeks. That’s not an easy thing to do for any kind of triathlete, especially one who thrives on racing. Legh felt he had a lot of catching up to do. Worse, he didn’t want to feel like he was shirking his obligations to his sponsors. So, just as if he were a newbie training for his first sprint triathlon, Legh started slowly, with three-mile runs, hour-long bike rides and brief pool sessions. When he had about six weeks of training under his belt, he raced at the Timberman 70.3 race in New Hampshire and finished a distant fifth. Nothing was up to his standards, even though he managed the third-best run split of the day with a 1:19 effort. The bottom line is that he was more than 10 minutes back of winner Andy Potts, but that was all part of the plan. He entered the race with lower expectations and used it as a stepping stone on the road to his complete comeback. After Timberman, he trained harder, added more volume and, before long—if it’s possible that 11 months doesn’t feel like a long time—he was back on the podium at the Augusta 70.3 race. * It’s hard for any athlete to swallow his pride, even when it’s on the road to bigger goals. But it was especially difficult for the 37-year-old Legh, who knows he might only have a few years left in the sport. “I love training and racing, but I’m not obsessed. I mean, we all are in a sense, but I knew if I kept pushing it, then it wasn’t going to heal,” he says, adding that he couldn’t even run or ride with participants in triathlon camps he was involved in. “I knew I had to get rid of the injury and start from scratch. I didn’t think it would take too long after 20 years of racing, but I knew I couldn’t overdo it initially.” Lesson Learned: Be patient and realistic on the road back as to avoid setbacks and additional injuries. january 2010

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRISSIE WELLINGTON, 3X SUCCESSIVE IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPION AND COURSE RECORD BREAKER WEARING THE LOUIS GARNEAU DIAMOND HELMET. CHOSEN, TESTED, AND PLACED 1ST DURING A 4:52:06 BIKE RIDE IN 97째 HEAT.

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T How You Can make It to Kona By Ian Murray

he Hawaii Ironman World Championships in Kona wasn’t the first triathlon, but it is the most famous. It serves as an inspiration, drawing thousands into the sport of triathlon who view it on NBC in the fall or live on the Universal Sports

network, see it online and in magazines, or who meet the relative few who have “gone long in the lava.” Many triathletes are content with getting faster at shorter events, but many also dream of someday racing an iron-distance event and perhaps

Train Harder. Race Faster. Recover Quicker. W I T H

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quicker recovery • more oxygen • more energy • reduced blister formation enhanced blood circulation • improved metabolisation of lactic acid “While racing in CEP SportSocks I noticed that my legs felt sharp the entire run. Whenever I asked my legs for quicker turnover they were able to respond. Also, something that may go overlooked is your recovery after a triathlon. I noticed a faster recovery after racing with my CEP compression socks.”

–ANDY POTTS World Champion Triathlete cepsportswear.com 122

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f und a men ta l s even competing in Kona. If you have that desire, here are some things to consider: Think Long Term: Most athletes go into a workout thinking only about the next event, doing just what is needed to make the finish line at their next race. Think long term so that each workout isn’t just about the next race or even the next season, but way down the road to your biggest race and best effort ever. Retain the two common factors of a workout—duration and intensity—but add the crucial element of technique. By constantly pursuing perfection in your form, you will master efficiency, which becomes more and more critical as race distances lengthen. kona, ironman or ULTra-disTance: There’s a lot of romance and mysticism associated with Kona. If that’s your dream, OK. But there are lots of other, arguably easier options. If propelling yourself across 140.6 miles isn’t hard enough, Kona is both very hot and very windy. Perhaps a flatter course suits you better (Florida, Arizona) or maybe a less humid one (Canada, Coeur d’Alene). Maybe you don’t shy away from the heat (China, Langkawi, Cozumel) or the hills (Lanzarote, St. George) and exotic travel (Japan, Austria). Perhaps

the M-dot branded, “big I” Ironman isn’t mandatory for you. In that case, you can find lots of independent, ultra-distance triathlons at K226.com. Many of those events don’t sell out, so they don’t require the mad scramble to sign up moments after registration opens. kona QUaLify: The Kona Ironman is the world championship. Roughly 1,500 of the athletes who race that event got there by qualifying at some other M-dot branded triathlon—mostly at the Ironman distance, but some at an Ironman 70.3 event. As more and more Ironman events are added to the calendar, the qualifying slots become fewer in each category. In some cases, a qualifying slot is offered only to the winner of the agegroup; in others there are only a handful of slots per age group. Study the results pages and identify the slowest qualifying time in your age-group to help set your goals. kona LoTTery: An additional 200 participants come to Kona via the lottery. The lottery was created by John Collins, a founder of the Ironman, who wanted to give athletes of all abilities the opportunity to have the incredible experience of the Hawaii Ironman. More details can be found at Ironman.com.

Retain the two common factors of a workout—duration and intensity—but add the crucial element of technique. The No. 1 concern for new triathletes who dream of Ironman is the time commitment needed to train for this distance. The actual training time needed for any given individual depends on some key factors. When an athlete has completed a few years of consistent training and racing, is uninjured, has a modest goal and at least six months to prepare, he has a recipe for success. Under those circumstances, a well-structured training program is imperative. It should be designed specifically for your ability to get you to the finish on goal time. The time commitment can be as little as six hours a week for the lighter weeks and 10 hours on the biggest week. The value of those hours must be maximized, however, with each workout having a specific intent and purpose while still retaining the fun. After all, the joy is in the journey; while Ironman seems very long, race day often goes by in the blink of an eye, so it’s the training that needs to be lived and enjoyed.

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Fish Oil supplements Offer benefits for athletes By Tim mickleBorough, PhD Dear SpeeD Lab, USA Triathlon Life magazine recently ran a story reporting that fish oil might be beneficial in improving performance and that athletes might want to consider taking this as a supplement to their regular diet. Could popping a few of these pills on a daily basis really improve performance, and are there any studies to back up this claim?

roger,

Roger Walker, Springfield, Mass.

Thanks for the very interesting question. A limited number of human studies, of which the results are equivocal, have been conducted to assess the efficacy of fish oil, rich in the omega n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), on inflammatory, immunomodulatory and subsequent exercise responses in healthy individuals. A number of studies have shown that dietary fish oil increases the deformability of red blood cells, or the ability of RBCs to more easily move through the capillary bed, which could lead to enhanced oxygen delivery to skeletal muscle and a subsequent improvement in exercise performance. It is also known that there is an increased amount of PUFA in the RBCs of trained versus untrained skeletal muscle.1 This difference was not explained by different fiber-type distribution alone but appears to be a direct consequence of changes in fatty acid metabolism due to a higher level of physical activity. Another study showed that maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) increased and oxygen saturation rate decreased after six weeks of fish oil supplementation.2 Consistent findings of elevated oxidative stress and inflammajanuary 2010

tory responses in exercise-trained individuals have been observed in athletes engaged in long-duration exercise such as marathon and triathlon competition. Oxidative stress increases after a bout of strenuous exercise, which is accompanied by a decrease in natural immunity and resistance to infection. One study3 recently assessed the effect of 324 mg per day EPA and 216 mg per day DHA administered over 30 days before, during and 48 hours after step training. One group received no supplement, while the placebo group was given a placebo capsule. While no significant difference was observed between groups for pain level of the lower limbs and knee range of motion (ROM) before, immediately after and 24 hours after the exercise, a significant decrease in indirect indices of delayed onset muscle soreness such as perceived pain, thigh circumference (indicator of muscle swelling/inflammation) and ROM was seen 48 hours after exercise in the n-3 PUFA group. Andrade et al.4 found that six weeks of 1.8 g per day of fish oil supplementation (950 mg EPA and 500 mg DHA) given to elite swimmers during a period of intense training can influence immune responses by suppressing a variety of pro-inflammatory markers in blood. Whether these findings translate into improved exercise performance has yet to be studied. Other researchers examined the effect of three weeks of fish oil supplementation (6 g per day) and exercise on plasma glucose disappearance and hepatic (liver) glucose production in untrained males.5 During the two 90-minute cycling bouts (60 percent of VOmax) the fish oil reduced plasma 2 glucose disappearance rate and hepatic glucose production by 26 percent and 21 percent respectively, and reduced the glucose metabolic

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sp e e d l a b clearance rate, compared with the exercise controls. In addition, after exercise fat oxidation was enhanced and carbohydrate oxidation decreased after fish oil supplementation, supporting the assumption that fish oil might reduce the glucose metabolic clearance rate by facilitating fat oxidation. A limited number of human studies have been examined the influence of n-3 PUFA supplementation on exercise performance in healthy subjects. Researchers examined the effects of taking fish oil during a period of exercise training in 32 sedentary males.6 The subjects took n-3 PUFA and exercised three times per week for 10 weeks. Both the n-3 PUFA-supplemented exercise group and the non-exercise group exhibited an increased aerobic ventilatory threshold when compared with controls. Where exercise training resulted in an increased VO2max, fish oil supplementation had no effect on VO2max. Similarly, in a study performed in well-trained soccer players,7 n-3 PUFA had no effect on aerobic power or running performance when players followed their normal training regimens. However, the athletes displayed significantly lower triacylglycerol levels after supplementation. Huffman et al.8 reported a trend for improvement in exercise time to fatigue after taking fish oil for four weeks. And another study indicated that after five weeks of taking n-3 PUFA supplements, serum triglycerides and heart rate during submaximal exercise was reduced, but no improvement in endurance exercise performance or recovery was observed.9 In all, the human data is inconclusive as to whether n-3 PUFA supplementation is effective in attenuating the inflammatory and immunomodulatory responses to exercise and thus enhancing subsequent exercise performance. Further studies are needed to decide the matter. However, it has been suggested that for the majority of athletes, taking approximately 1-2 g per day at a ratio of EPA to DHA of 2:1 would be january 2010

beneficial in counteracting exerciseinduced inflammation and for the overall health of an athlete.10 Dr. Mickleborough is an associate professor of exercise physiology at Indiana University. He is a former elite-level athlete who placed 18th overall (8:55:38) and second in the run (2:52:13) in the 1994 Hawaii Ironman World Championships. Contact him at Speedlab@juno.com. RefeRences 1. Helge, J.W., B.J. Wu, M. Willer, J.R. Daugaard, L.H. Storlien and B. Kiens. “Training affects muscle phospholipid fatty acid composition in humans.” J Appl Physiol 90 (2001): 670-677. 2. Guezennec C.Y., J.F. Nadaud, P. Satabin, F. Leger and P. Lafargue. “Influence of polyunsaturated fatty acid diet on the hemorrheological response to physical exercise in hypoxia.” Int J Sports Med 10 (1989): 286-291. 3. Tartibian, B., B.H. Maleki and A. Abbasi. “The effects of ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids on perceived pain and external symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness in untrained men.” Clin J Sport Med 19 (2009): 115-119. 4. Andrade, P.M., B.G. Ribeiro, M.T. Bozza, L.F. Costa Rosa and M.G. Tavares do Carmo. “Effects of the fish-oil supplementation on the immune and inflammatory responses in elite swimmers.” Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 77 (2007): 139-145. 5. Delarue, J., F. Labarthe and R. Cohen. “Fishoil supplementation reduces stimulation of plasma glucose fluxes during exercise in untrained males.” Br J Nutr 90 (2003): 777-786. 6. Brilla, L.R. and T.E. Landerholm. “Effect of fish oil supplementation and exercise on serum lipids and aerobic fitness.” J Sports Med Phys Fitness 30 (1990): 173-180. 7. Raastad, T., A.T. Hostmark and S.B. Stromme. “Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation does not improve maximal aerobic power, anaerobic threshold and running performance in welltrained soccer players.” Scand J Med Sci Sports 7 (1997): 25-31. 8. Huffman, D.M., T.S. Altena, T.P. Mawhinney and T.R. Thomas. “Effect of n-3 fatty acids on free tryptophan and exercise fatigue.” Eur J Appl Physiol 92 (2004): 584-591. 9. Buckley, J.D., S. Burgess, K.J. Murphy and P.R. Howe. “DHA-rich fish oil lowers heart rate during submaximal exercise in elite Australian Rules footballers.” J Sci Med Sport 12 (2009): 503-507. 10. Simopoulos, A.P. “Omega-3 fatty acids and athletics.” Curr Sports Med Rep 6 (2007): 230-236.

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Incorporating altitude and Weight Training into Your Workouts By Paul Huddle and RocH FRey

Dear CoaChes, Is there anything I can do while training at sea level to prepare for Ironman St. George, which is at altitude? If I arrive one week before the race, will my body be even partially acclimated to the altitude? Erik Hajer Boston

erik, You need to start being really nice to your spouse and boss (not necessarily in that order) so that they’ll let you move to St. George or Boulder or some other similarly elevated locale for your own personal four- to six-week Ironman training camp. We’d be glad to write you a note. You ask a great question and one that has come up a lot with the recent introduction of Ironman St. George (about 2,800 feet elevation) and the popularity of races like the 5430 (now the Ironman 70.3 Boulder) in Boulder, Colo. While 2,800 feet isn’t really considered “altitude” from an endurance sport perspective, the bike course for the St. George event will top out at just over 4,000 feet. Both these races will january 2010

be contested at what is considered moderate altitude and, for those who are coming from lower elevations, altitude is an important factor to consider in the Ironman or Ironman 70.3 equation. The primary stress an athlete will encounter at such elevations is the decreased availability of oxygen, so it makes sense to somehow stimulate one’s body to make the adaptive physiological changes that come with living and training in such an environment. Given that the most relevant adaptation seems to be increasing the percentage of red blood cells, you’re going to need to consider one of several options: Find a local barometric chamber that you can spend eight hours or so a day in. You might find one on a U.S. Navy or Air Force base, as they can be used in the simulation of altitude by pilots or decompression by divers. That’s pretty realistic, huh? Build one of those nitrogen houses that the Finns built for their national cross-country ski teams and live in it during your preparation for Utah. Hmm. Book a lot of transcontinental flights and

set up your stationary trainer in the aisle. Get one of those rigid “portable” barometric chambers like some athletes used to sleep in. Yeah, they’re hot, claustrophobic and there’s no way you and your spouse will fit in there, but it’s for your Ironman. Contact your local cycling team’s manager and see if he or she will drive a carload of EPO across the closest border for you. (Yeah, we know, that’s not funny.) Get ahold of one of those old PO2 (hypoxic) trainers that we occasionally saw in the early ’80s. You’ll look like a freak running around town with a re-breather strapped to your back, but, hey, it’s for your Ironman. Find a nitrogen mask and wear it periodically. It’s not just a way to stimulate your own natural production of RBCs but could be a great conversation piece—though you’d probably have a hard time talking with it on. Rent or purchase a nitrogen tent and spend eight hours a day in it. This is probably the most accessible (but still not cheap) means available to most altitude-challenged triathletes. Since you’re stuck at sea level, finding a way to simulate altitude is the challenge. Since all of the above methods entail varying levels of hassle, perhaps the best route is to simply put in the training and go race. Anecdotal experience tells us that if you’re going to race at altitude, you should try to get triathletemag.com

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de a r co ach there either three to four weeks ahead of time or two to three days early. The theory is that if you have the time to get there well ahead of time, you’ll be able to make most of the physiological adaptation. If, on the other hand, you can’t afford the time, getting there right before the event keeps you from experiencing the low energy associated with the body’s struggle to make the initial changes that typically come within the first couple of weeks or so after going up. Since St. George is right on the edge of being considered “real altitude” and you might not experience any significant problems, arriving one week out might be perfect. Regardless of what you’re able to do to specifically address the altitude issue, keep in mind that it’s still an Ironman and the primary issues are still pacing, nutrition and hydration. In the case of St. George, we’d suggest preparing for hills and wind. It might be a good idea to hold back even a bit more than usual at the beginning of the swim, bike and run segments, paying closer attention to your perceived effort and heart rate than to your speedometer or pace per mile. Good luck, Paul and Roch

Dear CoaChes, I have been doing triathlons for five years. I have not implemented a weightlifting element in my training, simply because I have never found lifting weights much fun. However, I would like to begin a program but have heard many contradictory opinions regarding specific exercises. What exercises would you recommend? Chris Ovelson Via E-mail

Chris, If you’ve been doing triathlons for the past five years you’ve probably done every aerobic, anaerobic, lactate threshold, VO2max, LSD, tempo, sprint, hill, flat, rolling, undulating, cruise and hammer workout ever known to man, right? Are you still seeing the improvements in your racing that you want? Are you able to remain injury-free throughout the entire season? Are people kicking sand in your face at the beach? We believe that strength training should be a consistent part of every triathlete’s yearly schedule. While there are a lot of opinions regarding free weights versus machines versus sport-specific strength training, any consistent, properly periodized strength training program will have a positive effect on performance. Each athlete’s program will differ according to his strengths and weaknesses, time constraints 130

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and goals. Here are three key exercises you can perform that hit most of the muscle groups triathletes need to strengthen: squat or leg press, bench press and lat pulldown. Obviously, these are not the only exercises you can or should do but are the bare minimum. With a proper warm-up, the three exercises above and an abdominal routine at the end, the session will take 20 to 30 minutes. If you have more time, we suggest adding the following: reverse lunges, dumbbell pullovers, leg extensions and hamstring curls, triceps extensions and biceps curls and lateral raises (deltoids). If you don’t recognize these exercises or you’re unsure how to correctly perform them, cough up the money for at least one session with your local certified personal trainer. Remember, the idea is to prevent injury. Here are some guidelines for implementing a strength-training program: Twice a week is enough; three times a week is optimal if you have the time. Warm up and then move from large to small muscle-group exercises. Speed of execution of each exercise should be slow, smooth and controlled through the joint’s full range of motion. Exhale on weight raised and inhale on weight lowered (don’t forget to breathe). Work on core strength (abdominals) at the end of the workout. As far as making it fun, that’s your job. Find a partner. Set up an exercise room in your home. Put your headset on and listen to your favorite music. Wear a stupid hat. Make loud grunting noises on every rep of every set. Find the biggest guy in the gym and ask him to spot you while you bench press the bar. Do whatever it takes. Many athletes don’t find strength training fun until they find themselves losing fat, increasing lean muscle mass, staying injury-free and going faster. Pump it up, Roch and Paul Paul Huddle and Roch Frey are not winners of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii but they’ve trained with and coached many of them. They have lived the sport of triathlon on every level for the past 30 years and use this background to assist others with their goals. Based in Encinitas, Calif., Paul and Roch are partners in Multisports.com, an endurance coaching service that includes camps, online coaching and personal coaching. If you want to consider coaching that emphasizes experience, common sense and simplicity, go to Multisports.com. If you have a question that begs for ridicule and sarcasm, please send it to info@multisports.com. january 2010

high-intensity Training Without overexertion By Marc Becker

ith the amount of triathlon information that has mushroomed in recent years, it can be daunting if you’re just starting out to determine the right mix of training for your circumstances, goals and training history—or lack thereof. How often should I train? How do I balance my training across the three sports? These are common questions to which there are many different answers, but one of the more controversial questions has always been: How hard should I train? Here are a few basic principles you can apply to your training to ensure that you can incorporate regular high-intensity workouts into your training while avoiding the performance plateaus that come from training too hard. First let’s define what we mean by hard training. There are many ways of interpreting 132

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training as being hard or intense; your aerobic effort is only one of these. You can train hard in a different system than your aerobic system in most of your training sessions without risking the high recovery demands of long-term aerobic overload. A great example of an all-out training session that is not aerobically demanding is the cycling session mentioned in last month’s article. A set of maximum-resistance, short efforts on a spin bike or turbo trainer is an all-out effort when performed correctly, which means completing each interval at 100 percent muscular effort against a resistance so high that you cannot generate a cadence higher than 45 rpm (give or take 5 rpm). Make sure you are thoroughly warmed up, have built up to this workout, are positioned correctly and have no nagging knee injuries.

In this session, the demanding effort is short enough (less than one minute) and the recovery long enough (at least equal to your work effort) that your accumulated aerobic fatigue by the end of the workout is very small. Also, the muscular fatigue you generate during the session means that by the end of the training session your legs will be too tired to push your aerobic system into an unhealthy training level. Similarly, if you’re at the end of what you consider a long training ride, your perceived exertion might feel hard even though your heart rate might be quite low. Assuming you have fueled and paced yourself correctly, at this stage in a ride you can safely push yourself to a higher level and even an all-out effort without risking much aerobic overload. Because of the accumulated muscular and aerobic fatigue from the long effort, your body is simply too tired to push you to potentially limiting levels of exertion. Note that in both of these examples you don’t need to monitor your heart rate. The resistance in the first session is the cap on your ability to drive yourself to too-high levels of exertion. In the endurance session, your overall accumulated fatigue limits your ability to train at potentially damaging levels of exertion. In fact, viewing your effort from the perspective of training zones is not only irrelevant but detrimental in terms of making the most effective use of your training time. Normal fluctuating levels of fatigue in your daily life will challenge your perception of effort at times, but as long as you are putting in the correct efforts in these sessions, using resistance or duration to induce fatigue, you have ensured that you won’t overexert. Likewise, your specific level of ability doesn’t matter. Both of these sessions are suitable for athletes of all ability levels once you have eased into a training schedule and developed the skills and strength needed to tolerate higher resistance and maintain your form under increasing levels of fatigue and thus avoid injury. The above examples apply to efforts that do not qualify as being aerobically intense. Let’s take it a step further: What do you do if you want to train intensely without adding volume or increasing resistance? How do you ensure against going too hard for too long and avoid the recovery demands of overdoing it? For example, the above questions might apply to a weekly cycling time trial or race-pace effort on the run. The key to avoiding overexertion while still benefiting from higher training intensities is the same as in the examples above: Build some preemptive fatigue into your workout and cap the duration of the intense effort. january 2010

John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

T Ri aT hlon heResies

T Ri aT hlon heResies There are many ways to do this. First, keep in mind that your effort is a training effort and your goal is not to set a new best time. Your goal is to achieve race levels of exertion. If you’re planning on doing a cycling time trial in the evening, schedule the session the day after a longer endurance-oriented effort. Your legs should still be somewhat tired, so you have limited your ability to drive yourself deep into the red zone. Also make sure you are thoroughly warmed up by including at least 30 minutes of warm-up time before your time trial effort. A thorough warm-up includes some short efforts to spike your heart rate to the main session exertion level without prolonging your exposure. In other words, there is no aerobic load from the warm-up efforts. You are simply bringing your high-end systems online and slightly fatiguing yourself before the all-out time trial effort. Remember always to keep your racepace efforts shorter than race distance. If you’re training for an Olympic-distance triathlon, keep your time-trial training effort to 20 to 30 minutes, or 20K. By

avoiding race effort over race distance, you ensure that you never need race-level recovery time during training. The traditional negative split is another way for you to safely integrate high-intensity efforts into your training. For example, you can include a weekly run session that progresses in three or four stages from an easy warm-up effort to a full-blown 10K race-pace effort. As your resilience improves you can increase the length of each stage from five minutes to as long as 20 minutes. With up to 40 minutes of running in your legs by the time you reach your 10K effort, your body will be too tired to push 10K intensity for that distance. The result is that while you expose your body to race levels of exertion, you protect yourself from race levels of fatigue and recovery needs by structuring your training session so that you cannot push that hard for that long. Your muscular fatigue protects you from aerobic overexertion without needing a heart rate monitor to compromise training effort. Marc Becker is the head coach at Ironguides.net.

Train Hard, recover Fully Intense training has come to be viewed as dangerous to long-term progression in performance. However, by recognizing that you can train hard in systems other than your aerobic system, you can train hard in most of your training sessions without compromising day-to-day recovery. you can avoid aerobic overexerTion using resistance training or volume to fatigue your body before hitting the high notes of intense training. If you want to include a race-pace or time-trial effort in your training, protect yourself against overexertion by scheduling the effort when your body is already fatigued, or by inducing fatigue before you enter the intense portion of the workout. remember To include a THorougH warm-up not only to bring your systems online, but also to build a little fatigue into your body before the intense effort. Use the concept of the negative split to develop some fatigue before starting the most intense portion of your session. Finally, ensure THaT you can compleTely recover for the next day by keeping your high-intensity effort shorter than race distance. Do all this and you’ll have simulated race-pace efforts, improved sport-specific strength and learned intuitive body awareness and pacing, while ensuring against aerobic overexertion—all without resorting to a heart rate monitor, which distorts the multi-dimensional nature of endurance training.

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NUTRITION Q&A MULTISPORT MENU EAT RIGHT GET LEANER, GO FASTER january 2010

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I’m too busy to cook dinner. After work I go training, and by the time I get home, I am starving and tired. I know I shouldn’t but I rely on take-out food a lot and am looking for some suggestions to help me improve my diet. Many triathletes have good intentions to cook and prepare their own healthy meals,, but often fall back on fast food or takeout. And now with a great many more options readily available to go, it is often a viable option for eating well. However, it is also used too readily as an excuse, and with a few exceptions, you are better off preparing your own food and being in control of the contents of the food going into your body. With a little knowledge, a little planning and a little creativity, you should be able to quickly and easily put together a balanced meal in minutes. Some people like to be organized, even to the extent of using complex shopping lists, spreadsheets and planning meals days or weeks in advance. They are admirable, but I will never

Learn How to Cheat in the Kitchen By PiP Taylor

Pantry, Freezer and Fridge essentials Pantry:

Pastas—thin styles will cook quickly Gnocchi—cooks in seconds Rice noodles Quick-cooking rice and other grains such as couscous and quinoa—just need boiling water to be ready in minutes Canned legumes, such as lentils, chickpeas and black beans—a great, convenient protein source Baked beans Canned tomatoes and tomato puree—think pasta sauces, soup bases, quick stews, etc. Canned fish, such as tuna, salmon and anchovies—used for anything from sandwiches to salads Dried and canned fruits Oats, oatmeal and other breakfast cereals Condiments, such as soy sauce, mustard, sweet chili sauce, chili flakes, dried herbs and spices, olive oils, assortment of vinegars (balsamic, white, red), honey, nut butters, capers—these all add essential flavor to the basics Potatoes, sweet potatoes and other root vegetables—keep in a cool and dark cupboard Stock, either liquid or powdered Garlic and onion Sports foods/muesli bars

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Fridge and Freezer:

Low-fat cheese and milk, including long-life milk in the pantry Frozen vegetables—so good for emergencies, with no compromise in nutritional content compared to the fresh version Yogurt Fresh pasta/Hokkien noodles Frozen individual portions of chicken, salmon and beef Eggs Fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, chives and mint—freeze well by washing and patting dry before freezing in small zip-lock bags Frozen pizza bases and tortilla wraps Lemons—juice can be frozen in ice cubes for small, quick servings Sliced whole grain bread and English muffins—can be kept frozen Salad greens, vegetables, tomatoes and fresh fruit—if you can buy these in smaller quantities so they stay fresh, you are more likely to use them. Also, buy seasonal produce as it will last longer and taste better and probably be the most economical.

fit into that category. I don’t even know what’s for lunch, and that’s about an hour away. What you can do well, though, is shop strategically and stock your cupboards and fridge so that even when there is “nothing to eat in the house,” you can make not only a healthy and satisfying meal, but one that is quick and tasty too. When shopping, read food labels. Look beyond potential label traps such as “low fat” (often high in sugar), “trans-fat free” (can be high in saturated fats), “natural” or “organic” (but not necessarily healthy) to find out what you are really eating. Shopping is the first key. The other is to master a few basics in the kitchen. You do not need to be a gourmet chef every night, but learn some simple cooking basics that will enable you to create meals from “nothing” in the pantry and take shortcuts in the kitchen without sacrificing taste. Pip Taylor is a certified sports nutritionist in Australia.

Fast cheat Pantry meals, quicker than ordering take-out couscous salad: Pour hot stock over couscous, cover and leave to stand a few minutes until tender. Steam fresh or frozen broccoli florets and green peas, drain chickpeas and chop cherry tomatoes in half. Combine with couscous, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice with fresh parsley. Top with toasted pine nuts. tuna Pasta: To cooked pasta or gnocchi, add drained canned tuna, chopped canned tomatoes, capers, chopped basil and top with feta. Frittata: Sauté a chopped onion over medium-high heat. Add steamed vegetables and mix. Pour over lightly whisked eggs and gently stir. When the edges start to set, top with some low-fat cheese and place under a hot grill until brown and bubbly. Fried rice: Prepare quick rice (the partially cooked packets cook quickly in the microwave). Let cool and set aside. In a wok heat a small amount of oil, add an onion, garlic and some chopped ham and stir quickly until onion is cooked. Add vegetables (canned corn, green peas or frozen mixed vegetables) and stir until hot. Push to the side of the pan and add an egg, stirring quickly to scramble. Add rice, soy sauce and sweet chili sauce. Top with coriander. chicken and noodle miso souP: Combine miso paste or miso soup mix with a dash of soy sauce and water and bring to a boil. Add thinly sliced chicken pieces, a handful of Asian greens or other thinly sliced vegetables (either fresh or frozen) as well as some fresh Hokkien noodles. Cook two to three minutes until tender.

Get to the store and get cooking! january 2010

Gary Geiger

nu t r i t ion Q& A

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the right stuFF $26.99 For a pack oF 10 capsules

Astronauts face dehydration in space because of microgravity and the physical strain of re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. Now, the same formula astronauts use to stay properly hydrated is available for endurance athletes. Fifteen years of meticulous testing by NASA laboratories led to the formulation of The Right Stuff, a blend of sea salt and potassium in a sugar- and carbohydrate-free liquid form. The recycled plastic vials can be stowed anywhere—from spacesuits to cycling kits—and provide an on-the-go option for superior rehydration. Therightstuff-usa.com

cliF shot roks $2.99 per packet

Clif Bar’s newest product, Clif Shot Roks, offers tasty protein in small, bite-sized pieces. With 2 grams of whey protein in each bite or 20 grams in each 10-piece packet, you can eat as much or as little post-workout protein as you want. Clif Shot Roks come in three flavors: chocolate, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie dough. Each Rok is coated with a hard outer shell that keeps them from melting in your pocket while you finish your workout. Clifbar.com

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ROCKET BAG

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IRONMAN CURRENT WORLD CHAMPION

CRAIG ALEXANDER

“I rely on Trigger Point products when I prepare for battle.” — Craig Alexander

You’re in heavy training, burning and consuming thousands of calories a day. You also have a jam-packed schedule on top of your training with no time to cook elaborate, healthy dishes. Often, triathletes in this situation BREAKFAST (POST-WORKOUT MEAL): turn to powders, capsules Strawberry-banana and whey protein smoothie and packaged, high-carbowith nonfat milk hydrate, high-sugar bombs “If you need to take protein supplements, to get them through the whey protein is a high-quality protein that conday while trying to cover all tains all the essential amino acids. In particular, their nutrient needs. whey protein contains branched chain amino According to Rhonwyn acids, which help prevent muscle breakdown,” Curtis-Nicholson, RD, a Curtis-Nicholson says. certified nutrition support dietitian at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, stickSNACK NO. 1: 1/4-cup almonds with 1 piece string cheese ing to whole foods whenever “Nuts in general are healthy and contain the good possible will keep your energy fats such as monounsaturated fats that can slow down levels up and your body workinflammation and oxidation in the body. Almonds also ing to its maximum potential. have a little bit of calcium in them, which sets them “Most athletes don’t need all the apart from other types of nuts,” Curtis-Nicholson says. supplements they take, but they are marketed to them and so they think they need them,” says CurtisNicholson. Try this example of a healthy daily menu; all the meals can be assembled in minutes and are packed with micronutrients that help keep you lean and your energy level steady.

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LUNCH: Turkey on whole-wheat bread with spinach plus 1 cup of black bean soup

“Turkey is very lean and contains niacin and B-12,” says Curtis-Nicholson. Vitamin B-12 is important in brain and nervous system function, as well as in the formation of blood. As for whole wheat, Curtis-Nicholson advises grocery shoppers to look carefully at the label. “If the first ingredient listed isn’t whole wheat, then it isn’t really whole-wheat bread,” she explains. “Oftentimes companies will take white flour and add in some wheat flour and coloring to make it look healthier.” january 2010

SNACK NO. 2: (pre-workout snack) 1 cup vitamin Dfortified low-fat yogurt with blueberries

“Low-fat dairy is a good source of calcium and vitamin D,” says Curtis-Nicholson. “We are finding that many athletes are vitamin D deficient, so it is important they make sure to take in foods with vitamin D and even a vitamin D supplement if necessary.”

IRONMAN CHAMPION

CHRIS LIETO

DINNER: Quickie dinner! Whole-wheat tuna melt with lowfat swiss, served with a side of steamed broccoli

“Seafood, such as tuna, is really a super food,” Curtis-Nicholson says. “Tuna is a sustainable type of fish that is high in heart- and brainhealthy omega-3 fats.”

DESSERT: 1 cup low-fat frozen yogurt with dark chocolate and peanut butter chips

According to Curtis-Nicholson, chocolate and peanut butter are both healthy in moderation. “Look for a high cocoa content, at least 60 percent to 70 percent in order to get the benefits of dark chocolate’s flavenols,” she says. And as for peanut butter, Curtis-Nicholson recommends choosing natural peanut butter (containing only peanuts and salt) over commercial varieties because the popular brands often contain corn syrup and hydrogenated fats.

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TRI CLUB GRUB This month’s tri club post-workout restaurant highlight is Medici in Normal, Ill., which was recommended by the Tri-Shark triathlon club, headquartered in Bloomington, Ill. With more than 180 members across the Midwest, the Tri-Sharks are a formidable force out on the racecourse, and they gather at Medici for postrace celebrations. “A few of the reasons we love to frequent Medici are the great beer on tap selection and fun, good food,” says Tri-Shark member and the club’s social coordinator, Jessica Gieson. Medici is known for its handcrafted pizzas, selection of 32 draft beers and delicious january 2010

breads, muffins and croissants made daily in its own bakery. Medici is located at 120 W. North Street in Normal, Ill., and can be reached at 309-452-6334 or at Medicinor mal.com. For more information about the Tri Sharks go to Tri-shark.org.

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GE T L E A NER , GO FA ST ER Every month, Triathlete features an age-grouper who exemplifies the performance bodyweight connection.

Ingrid Miller, who, at nearly 6 feet tall, is able to compete in (and usually win) the Athena division of triathlons even when she’s at her leanest and fittest.

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Ingrid Miller PERSONAL: Ingrid Miller, 49, lives in Laguna Beach, Calif., with her husband, Chris, and daughters McKayla, 11, and Casey, 10. OCCUPATION: A lawyer by training, Miller has turned to writing in the past few years and has authored two books: “Ironplanner: Iron-Distance Organizer for Triathletes” and the forthcoming “Weight Management for Triathletes.” TRIATHLON EXPERIENCE: Miller has been competing in triathlons consistently since 2005. Although she is able to race in the Athena class (body weight is 150 pounds or greater), she sometimes competes in her age-group and is a frequent top-three finisher. BEFORE TRIATHLON: A swimmer in her youth, Miller switched to marathon running as an adult and actually planned to become a triathlete years before she took the plunge. TRAINING APPROACH: Miller trains roughly eight hours per week except in the several weeks before a race, when she adds a couple of hours to her routine. She swims, rides and runs each three times in a typical week, and also pumps iron. “I am dedicated to two times a week in the gym year-round,” she says, “doing functional strength work, which has been crucial to staying injury-free and getting faster.” WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Overweight when she started doing triathlons, Miller addressed the problem in a way that few athletes do, but with great success. “I improved from 30 percent to 15 percent body fat in about nine months with Weight Watchers,” she says. “I resisted Weight Watchers because, as an athlete, I felt out of place there. But it forced me to focus on the food instead of the training and that was the key to my success.” As Miller’s weight went down, her times did, too. “It was a cycle,” she says. “The leaner I got, the faster I went.” Miller keeps herself on track by weighing herself daily. “Weighing daily has taken the emotional gamble out of stepping on the scale,” she says. “I know my weight can fluctuate five pounds in a month depending on hormonal issues, so I have learned to live within a weight range rather than an exact number.” ADVICE TO OTHER TRIATHLETES: “It’s all about the food,” says Miller. “I can’t tell you how often I hear other athletes say, ‘But I train and train and train and I still don’t lose enough weight.’ You can’t count on your training to do it all. You still have to control your portions and avoid junk.”

january 2010

John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

GE A R A ND T ECH

KONA COUNT TECH SUPPORT TRIATHLETE’S GARAGE PRO BIKE TRI’D AND TESTED january 2010

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K ona coun t At bike check-in the day before the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship, Triathlete magazine helped several industry volunteers organize its annual bike count. Cervelo dominates the count once again. Also sorted were counts on wheels, saddles, aerobars, aero helmets, power meters and components as well as running footwear and soft goods. Special thanks to Zipp, Fi’zi:k, Profile Design, Shimano, SRAM, Scott Bikes, Trek Bikes, Argon 18, 3T, PRO, Cervelo, Specialized Orbea, Beyond, Louis Garneau, Kestrel, Fuji, Ceepo and Beaker Concepts for assisting with the counts, as well as Zoot Sports for furnishing footwear and soft goods numbers.

Bikes (2008 totals in parentheses)

Cervelo 462 (415) Scott 109 (103) Specialized 93 (66) Felt 92 (89) Trek 90 (103) Kuota 85 (117) Cannondale 68 (68) Orbea 56 (68) Kestrel 54 (35) Quintana Roo 52 (79) Argon 18 43 (>10) Giant 40 (51) Look 39 (48) Guru 28 (27) Pinarello 26 (19) Ceepo 24 (>10) Isaac 18 (26) Litespeed 18 (35) Stevens 15 (>10) Elite 15 (>10) Cube 12 (13) Beyond Fabrications12 (>10) Ridley 12 (>10) Colnago 12 (>10) Serotta 11 (>10) Storck 10 (>10) Canyon 8 (>10) Blue Competition 8 (>10) Planet X 8 (>10) Griffen 7 (>10) Jamis 7 (>10) Aegis 7 (>10) Fuji 6 (>10) Softride 6 (>10) BMC 6 (13) Calfee 5 (>10) 146

BH Principia Parlee Willier Time Cheetah Merlin Teschner TitanFlex DeRosa Wheel Count

5 (>10) 4 (13) 4 (>10) 4 (>10) 3 (>10) 3 (>10) 3 (>10) 2 (>10) 2 (>10) 2 (>10)

(inCludes aero Wheels only)

Zipp 1936 Hed 229 Mavic 165 Xentis 134 Bontrager 100 Reynolds 63 Shimano 48 Corima 37 Campagnolo 35 Easton 34 Lightweight 29 SRAM 23 Planet X 22 Rolf 17 Nimble 17 Edge 13 Ceepo 11 Fulcrum 6 Other 212 (Unidentifiable wheels, plus those brands with >five) aero helmets Giro 288 Louis Garneau 272 Rudy Project 102 Bell 62

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Spiuk Specialized Lazer LAS Met Uvex Selev saddles Fi’zi:k Selle Italia Specialized Original Equipment specified saddles Selle San Marco ISM Terry Profile Design Bontrager Cobb Cycling Selle SMP Serfas Prologo Koobi FSA Forte Velo aeroBars Profile Design Vision Zipp OVAL Syntace Easton Hed Bontrager Pro Argon 18 3T

31 23 18 15 12 9 6 477 383 167 131 130 119 74 57 51 36 33 22 10 9 6 6 4 572 392 144 126 123 86 81 68 32 28 18

Deda 18 Xentis 12 Felt 11 Giant 9 Ritchey 7 Drop Handle Bars 7 Use 6 Valdora 3 Cinelli 3 Cheetah 3 Walser 3 ITM 2 PlanetX 2 Scott 2 aeroBar extension style S-bend 880 Curve 837 Straight 59 Component Groupsets Shimano 1360 SRAM 289 Campagnolo 107 Other 8 poWer meters SRM 134 PowerTap 89 Quarq 14 Ergomo 13 Polar 6 Compression soCks CEP 131 2XU 42 Zoot 29 SLS3 15 Booster 11 other* 32 Compression Calf sleeves 2XU 45 Compresport 40 Zoot 17 Skins 9 Zensah 8 CEP 5 other* 25 footWear Asics 449 Saucony 169 Nike 159 Newton 146 Mizuno 118 Brooks 111 Zoot 101 Adidas 85 K-Swiss 70 New Balance 61 Avia 27 Puma 10 Scott 10 Pearl Izumi 5 Other 17

speedsuits Blue Seventy Xterra TYR Zoot Sailfish Aquasphere 2XU Orca Nineteen Maystorm Other* apparel shorts Custom 2XU Zoot Skinfit Sugoi DeSoto Orca Louis Garneau Pearl Izumi Carft TYR Oomph CEP Cocoon Jaggad Kiwami K-Swiss Under Armour other* apparel tops Custom 2XU Zoot Skinfit Orca Craft TYR DeSoto Louis Garneau Sugoi Ironman Jaggad Nike Kiwami Pearl Izumi Oomph other* apparel suits Custom 2XU Zoot Skinfit DeSoto Orca Louis Garneau other* * >5 per brand

657 172 120 119 119 64 44 34 13 10 48 186 139 126 112 88 87 64 53 36 33 26 25 23 21 17 16 14 12 21 395 122 101 79 65 50 41 41 30 25 22 18 16 16 13 12 37 101 37 32 18 16 13 10 67

january 2010

Jay Prasuhn

By the numbers

John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

T ec h Sup por T

Improving Your cycling efficiency by Christopher Kautz Dear Tech SupporT,

Adrian Sped Tucson, Ariz.

just on the bike, but on the run as well because you will come off the bike fresher. So what does efficiency mean as it relates to cycling? Essentially the concept is that you use as little energy as possible to make the bike move forward for any given speed. There are five key components to being efficient on a bike. These are the areas that in my experience are the most overlooked by many triathletes.

This is a great question, especially for the off-season. In season, most of your workouts most likely have specific heart rate or watt zones you’re targeting, which often become the focus of the training. In the off-season your cycling tends to have less specificity in terms of training zones, allowing you to focus on other areas. With this in mind, I would say that working on your efficiency will pay the biggest dividends come race season, not

Biomechanical efficiency This is the foundation upon which your cycling is built. You have undoubtedly noticed that some athletes are able to ride with better posture and achieve a more low-profile position on the bike than others. In large part this is a function of the athlete’s flexibility and core strength. Athletes who are more flexible and have better core strength will have an easier time achieving—and maintaining—a good position than those who do not.

I had a good season this year, getting quite a bit stronger in all three sports. Next year I’m moving up to the half-iron distance and know that the bike will become a more important part of my racing. What can I do this year during the off-season to work specifically on improving my cycling?

aDrian,

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january 2010

Spending some of your offseason training time working on flexibility and strength will pay dividends next year. However, it is important to remember that you are an endurance athlete and that you want to work on these areas in ways that complement the rigors of triathlon. It might be worth your time to work with a physical therapist or a certified strength coach who can assess particular areas you need to address and develop a program tailored to your needs. Position on the Bike A good position on the bike is essential to being an efficient cyclist. A good position on a triathlon bike will influence your comfort, power output, aerodynamics and how the bike will handle. Much has been written in Triathlete magazine about position on the bike, so I won’t go into detail in this piece, other than to say that seeking the help of a trained bike fitter is the best thing you can do for yourself in achieving a good position. Pedal stroke Many people assume that pedaling a bike is simply a matter of getting on the bike and pushing on the pedals. As you begin to ride more miles you quickly begin to realize that this is not the case. Watching other athletes around you will quickly show you that some riders are very smooth while others are quite choppy. What is it that accounts for this difference? By and large it is the way in which the athletes are applying power to the pedals. Athletes who have a smooth pedal stroke have learned to develop power more evenly by not simply stomping on the pedals but rather by applying power throughout more of the pedal stroke. Less efficient athletes, on the other hand, tend to focus their energy into a relatively small part of the pedal stroke. This is not to say that powerful riders do not push hard on the pedals during peak power phases of their stroke, but that they do not fight one leg january 2010

against the other and work to keep the pedals moving forward. Bike handling The ability to safely ride your bike in a variety of conditions and terrain, all while being able to eat, drink, steer clear of other riders and not waste energy, is not easy to do. Many triathletes lack fundamental cycling skills, such as the ability to ride no handed, put on or take off a jacket while riding, and descend quickly, yet safely. To make matters worse, all of these skills are more difficult to accomplish on a triathlon bike than on a road bike, given its farther forward weight distribution. As many triathletes have never owned a road bike, it is not unusual for them to have skipped over the basics of good bike handling skills. Spending time riding on a road bike in the off-season and focusing on basic skills is an easy way to be smoother next season. You might also consider attending a clinic or working with a coach on these areas.

thermal compression. WARMth, WITH BENEFITS.

Improved Circulation Reduced Fatigue Faster Recovery

aerodynamic efficiency Drag is the biggest limiter on speed when riding a bike on flat roads. Becoming more aerodynamic allows you to go faster with the same effort and is the reason people race on triathlon bikes. If you want to work on your aerodynamic efficiency, go back to point 1 to get your body ready to be in a low drag position. Then return to point 2 to have someone help you get there, particularly if you’ve been diligent with point 1 and your body has more positioning potential. And don’t forget about points 3 and 4, as riding a triathlon bike can be more challenging than riding a road bike and you don’t want your aerodynamic gains to be wasted with poor basic cycling skills. Christopher Kautz is the owner and founder of PK Cycling and one of the originators of the fit studio concept. His clients include numerous Ironman world champions, Tour de France veterans and Olympians, as well as thousands of age group athletes. You can find him at Pkcycling.com.

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T r I aT hL e T e ’ s G a r aG e The Look 596 Tri I-Pack includes frame, fork, seatpost, Zed Carbon crank and Zed Look Keo pedals, and is priced at $5,499.

Look 596 Tri I-Pack By Jay Prasuhn

ranted, we recently reviewed a Look bike, the 576. But in our defense, Look presents a bike—the 596 I-Pack frameset—that’s such a spectral opposite (a veritable Jaguar compared to a Prius in this case) that we would be remiss to pass on testing it. Plus, we’ve simply wanted to ride the 596 for quite some time. The 596 is Look’s top-end tri bike and has already taken Ironman titles under the skillful legs of Patrick Vernay. It is the one that drew all the attention when it launched a year ago. Much of it was on its face for its radical styling, much of it for its aerodynamic design. And an interesting share of attention came from “that gap.” By “that gap,” we mean the gap between rear wheel and seat tube, a nearly inch-and-a-half chasm between the vertical dropout-set rear wheel and the seat tube on the 596. Everyone pooh-pooh’ed the gap on first glance under the assumption that it couldn’t possibly be aero, because Look didn’t follow status quo with horizontal dropouts and the longstanding belief that the wheel must be tucked within a hair’s width of the seat tube to be aerodynamic. Then Look came to the table with its white papers on the tunnel-designed and tested 596, which showed that a larger gap can be more aerodynamic. How so? Its studies contend that while a tight tire 150

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gap looks great in the tunnel against a static (non-spinning) rear wheel, the cyclical air flow of a spinning rear wheel, which moves over the top of the tire, consummately carries down the tire as well. The company maintains that the gap avoids turbulence that closer tire/ frame interfaces typically contend with. And voila, it’s more aero. The new math created lots of discussion—and agreement—among the aero-initiated in the tri world. The gap drama aside, the 596 is a weapon, but with incredible front-end adjustability, it is designed to allow the rider to be fast as well. We’ll break down both elements, starting with the bike itself. The 596, built in Nevers, France, was the first to incorporate that signature hinged onepiece fork/stem front end tri bike, pulling from its popular track bike design. The design eliminates the use of a traditional headset, allowing for a narrower, more aero leading edge. The compactly designed frame has a kinked toptube—largely an aesthetic cue, Look says— and wide, narrow stays that connect low on the seatmast, both lending to a stiff platform. The frame is made complete with Look’s own Zed carbon fiber crankset, a unique, very light and unbelievably stiff Ashtabula-style one-piece crankset. And that crank (which features two bolt-pattern options—for standard or compact chainring option, as well as a three-position slot for the proprietary spindle crank length on Keo pedals) is a large part of what makes this bike what it is. Of course, Look offers the standard 596 frameset, which has threading for a standard crankset and has a slightly different fork, at a $1,000 savings.

A literal handful of tri bikes deliver a level of stiffness that make power transfer a big feature. And the 596 I-Pack is one of ’em. While some brands create stiffness via large, oversized tubesets, Look provides it via that crankset. The oversized bottom bracket, coupled with the one-piece design and plugged into a frame with deep tubes and a stiff resin/ carbon matrix, is one of the top three vertically and torsionally stiff frames we’ve ridden in the last decade. Sure, it’ll climb and accelerate well, but the greatest benefit is on the flats for the strong, power rider, looking to drive the bike hard. For guys like Vernay, a bike that doesn’t flex, especially while in the aerobars, will pay off with a quick ride. Now that we’ve established that the bike is fast, where does that leave you? In pretty good hands, actually. The frameset has the reversible e-post, which has fore-aft adjustment of 3.2 centimeters, making for an effective seat angle that ranges up to 79 degrees off a 75 degree actual seat angle. The front end design makes the cockpit much more adjustable than any standard steerer/ stem design; two carbon fiber halves bite onto a circular sawtooth mate on the one-piece fork. Look has four stem lengths available for purchase. That serrated design allows for 180 degrees of indexed, pivoting rise or fall. Further, the stem can be installed on either an upper or lower bracket. So athletes who say they can’t get their bars low enough have the ability to nearly put their basebar on their front wheel—or more realistically, up a bit to accommodate breathability or flexibility. Just be certain to account for the effective “shortening” of stem length, as the stem rises or falls beyond 45 degrees when determining bar placement. We had fun setting up our test bike, particularly in playing with the stem’s range. On the road, it was a trailblazer; ride steering on the fork design is imperceptible, as is that famed gap at the rear wheel. But the bike does want to rip along at speed, so perhaps there is something to that gap. At 1,352 grams, the frameset ain’t no featherweight (nor is it designed to be), so a climber’s course wouldn’t be the ideal application. But flat (Kona, Roth, Florida) to rolling (Wisconsin)? It is Thor’s mighty hammer. Clearly, the 596 is a fast biker’s delight; it has the design pedigree to handle the tape measure, drag number and caliper wielders, and it has the ride stiffness that strong athletes demand. Finally, it has the fit variability that will make it work, whether an athlete rides low and aero or up a bit more. You can find more on the 596 I-Pack at Lookcycle-usa.com. january 2010

April 18, 2010

August 15, 2010

September 19, 2010

September 26, 2010

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Pr o b i k e saddle Fi’zi:k Arione, titanium rails travel case Trek Cardboard Box (with straps and pads) bike fitter Curtis Cramblett, Revolutionsinfitness .com, Retul Fitting

Hydration Bontrager Speed Bottle with custom stem-mount Speed Bottle; Bontrager Race X Lite zip-tied behind saddle

WHeels Bontrager Aeolus 9.0 tubulars, with Saris PowerTap SLC+

frame Trek Speed Concept, size medium (58 cm)

aerobar Bontrager prototype with cut-to-fit inline s-bend extensions

crankset SRAM Red, 175mm, with time trial chainrings, 52-39

tires Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubulars, 700 x 23mm

Chris Lieto’s 2010 Trek Speed Concept By Jay Prasuhn

hris Lieto’s 4:25:10 bike at the 2009 Hawaii Ironman—the fastest bike of the day—may well have been on the fastest bike. OK, I’ll give you that there’s no tunnel numbers public yet on the still-prototype Trek Speed Concept. But despite the super-secret development and the fact that only names like Lieto and Lance Armstrong have been aboard it, on its face the Speed Concept is evidently a contender—and Lieto proved it. The big story on the Speed Concept is integration. Save for the rear derailleur portout, all cables are completely hidden in the fuselage, and the brakes are tucked neatly out of the wind into a front fork housing, the rear brake into a bottom bracket/chainstay housing. SpeedTrap sensors built into the non-driveside stays allow for computer and GPS readings to pull from magnets housed there, eliminating need for wires and spoke-mounted magnets. From front to back, the bike is clean. It also marks the advent of the Kamm tail in bike design; the trailing edge of the 152

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John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

GrouPset SRAM Red 10speed, 11-23 cassette

Larry Rosa

Pedals LOOK Keo Carbon

frame’s aero tubeset is lopped off, and Trek’s tunnel tests find the same data that the auto industry has known for decades: that air passing over the tubeset doesn’t know the tubeset has terminated, and it not only flows over in a clean terminus, it also increases the yaw range of clean wind exit up to 15 degrees off zero. Lieto has been instrumental in the design and, moreover, utility of the bike and parts throughout the Trek and Bontrager line, most visibly with a one-off Bontrager Speed Bottle. He also opted for a PowerTap SLC+ powermeter. “I just find PowerTap more consistent in Hawaii’s heat and humidity,” Lieto said. “By the time you’re out of the water and riding, it’s hotter and drier, and the calibration is susceptible to change.” The bike will not debut for retail sale until 2011, as Trek says it is still developing the bike for adjustable end-user utility (the front-end setups for Lieto, Armstrong and Leipheimer, for example, are fixed to their specifications with little adjustability). january 2010

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By Jay Prasuhn

wo years ago at Ironman Arizona, Chris Lieto was the first pro aboard a prototypemarked 90mm deep Bontrager Aeolus wheelset. Last October, they were the same wheels he rode to a runner-up finish at the Hawaii Ironman. Last fall, we conducted a more subdued post-production field test of the Aeolus 9.0 carbon clincher, but in a challenging venue nonetheless: last September’s Savageman Triathlon. While the course featured 5,800 feet of climbing, it also provided an opening 17 miles and closing nine miles of flat riding, allowing us to hit every testing parameter under race conditions. The $1,399 test wheelset (which in 2010 will go to a standard radial front, one-cross driveside/ radial nondriveside spoke pattern) has a 90mm deep aero carbon cross section and was set up in 2009 configuration, which featured a paired spoke setup. It came with a set of Bontrager’s new Race X Lite Aero TT 19mm tires. I had always been curious about how the design of a deep aero wheel with a cosmetic skin (as opposed to a structural one, as is found on the 154

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Zipp) would ride, but with spokes pulling into the reinforced eyelets of the carbon rim, stiffness was on par with structural carbon designs. With the test, I was also giving carbon clinchers another shot. After a dangerous carbon clincher failure on an industry test with a European wheel manufacturer (where braking descents with carbon-friendly brake pads led to a plastic deformation at 40 mph), I’d been hesitant. The Aeolus rims are tested and manufactured at Trek’s factory in Waterloo, Wis., then sent to Minneapolis for the aero skin application at Hed Cycling before being sent back to Waterloo for final prep and distribution. Being a “true” carbon clincher with a carbon fiber rim meant the weight was significantly less than that of an alloy-rimmed carbon clincher (1,800 grams per pair, versus a comparable, shallower 80mm alloy carbon clincher at 1,921 grams). On the hills, it’s a handling advantage; with less weight at the wheel’s perimeter, it’s easy to accelerate (a big help when climbing the 25 to 31 percent-grade Westernport Wall), and was easy to steer

Courtesy Savageman Triathlon

Bontrager Aeolus 9.0

on curvy descents. Hills are one area where carbon clinchers really shine. Given the race’s verticality, what goes up must come down. The telltale sign of a bad carbon clincher is pulsing at a joint, flare (which can become a hot spot for plastic deformation) or weak point. The Aeolus 9.0 wheels didn’t pulse—at all. After early hesitance on the course’s first descent, I could confidently open up on the descents and lay into the brakes without worry. Part of that confidence comes with installing proper brake shoes. Using the Bontrager’s cork pads on the carbon rim meant zero heat buildup on the rim. Lieto says he’s so fond of the cork pads that he leaves them in, even while training on alloy-rimmed wheels. While aero-optimized for the 19mm rim width, the 19mm Race X Lite Aero TT tires (with SpeedWings—rubber “flares” designed to fill the void between tire bead and the rim’s sidewall) were not the best choice for the course. Yes, they were great for the opening flat miles, and fine on the climbs. But for technical descending, I was wanting for a bit more surface area on the descents. Bontrager offers a 25mm option, which would have offered a more forgiving ride with better descending confidence. When the course goes technical, good ol’ 23mm rubber trumps aero. On the flats, the deep 90mm cross sections are Bontrager’s fastest. One could argue the semantics of shape and such, but on a windless race day, they soared on the flats. The takeaway? The Aeolus 9.0 clincher is the closest thing to a tubular—both in terms of weight and ride—as you can get, and in this case will surpass a deep carbon wheel with alloy rims, especially when the course involves hills. And for 2010, Bontrager offers colored decals to satisfy your color matching needs. You can find more on the Aeolus 9.0 at Bontrager.com.

Jay Prasuhn

T ri’ d A nd T esT ed

january 2010

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UP F RON T

BY ANDY POTTS

have done almost 100 races in my career. My triathlon exploits have taken me across the globe to almost every continent; I’m still waiting on Antarctica to host a race. Along the way I have picked up a few key lessons—some by trial and error, others by luck and still others by mistake, usually my own. In an effort to have you enjoy triathlon more, I’d like to share with you two experiences and the lessons I’ve learned. Let’s start with packing. Have you ever shown up to a race without a key piece of equipment? I have. In 2005, I flew to Tennessee for the Memphis in May Triathlon and forgot to pack skewers. That’s bad enough, but the worst part about it was that I didn’t realize my predicament until I was in the open field parking area putting my bike together. I had waited to build up my bike because the airline lost it and it didn’t arrive at my hotel until midnight the night before the race. So I’m sitting in the middle of nowhere trying to assemble my bike without skewers and starting to panic because the race start is only an hour away. Luckily, one of the vendors bailed me out and I was able to race. Lesson learned. I now keep an extra set of Zipp racing skewers in my wheel bag at all times. In fact, I have taken this lesson so far as to keep my suitcase as the permanent home for my spare set of racing necessities, such as Asics running shoes, TYR goggles, my Fuel Belt, Rudy sunglasses, lube—you get the idea. If at all possible, keep an extra set of the small but imperative race equipment in your suitcase. Let’s move on to another big mistake I made: not knowing the course. Sadly enough, I’ve actually made this mistake more times than I care to admit. Come to think about it, I could probably write a whole book on staying on course and all the times I have taken a wrong turn. To add to that, of the times I have gone off-course, only once was it not my fault. I am fully to blame for all the other times, which is not something I’m proud of. The one time it 156

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wasn’t my fault was when the course had yet to be marked because I was faster than the race organizers thought I would be (in a weird way, I guess that is a good thing). Now, in my defense, I’d like to point out that every time that I have been off-course it was because I was in the lead. There was no one to follow, and the volunteers were surprised to see the first participant of the day. I learned early on in my career that having a fast swim will set me up for success, but only if I know where I’m going. I remember one race in 2006, the U.S. Pro National Championship in Long Beach, Calif., where I took a wrong turn 400m out of transition. Instead of going right toward the start of the bike leg, I went left into downtown Long Beach. One of my competitors yelled after me to let me know I went the wrong way. I had the makings of a breakaway, but it was squandered when I went the wrong way. Instead of using the first five minutes of the bike to solidify my swim lead, I spent the first five minutes catching up to guys I had dropped in the water. We could have had a breakaway group of four guys, an ideal number for cooperation in a breakaway. However, by the time I caught back up I managed to bring along 20 other competitors to form an unmanageable lead pack. Lesson learned. I now make it a point to physically check out the entry and exit points of transition (even if I have done the race before) and to go over all the race

maps before race day. Checking the layout of transition is important so that you can get in, out and headed in the right direction as quickly as possible. If I have any questions about the course map, I make sure to bring them up the day before the race. When in doubt, follow the person in front of you. If you are in the enviable position of blazing the trail, it is on you to know where you are going. To add to that, knowing the course doesn’t mean that you have to drive or ride the exact route the day before the race to scout out every turn and pothole. However, referencing the course map is ideal. In some instances, though, a map will not do justice to the physical layout. It is best to do a combination of the two if you really want to get a good feel for the race. I’ll admit that a lot of the mistakes I have made are my own fault. I look back upon them now and laugh, though at the time nothing about them was funny. I could write extensively about all of my mistakes, but these are the major ones. Despite how much I prepare, I know that I will make more mistakes along the racing trail. Hopefully, though, I’ve learned from my past and have given you some guidance for avoiding the same mistakes. There is a lot to remember on race day, and if you follow these lessons, I guarantee you’ll have a more enjoyable experience.

Photos by John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

Learning from My Mistakes

january 2010

Zen Out With Yoga For Athletes SAMANTHA MCGLONE

traditional yogi is often thought of as a wizened old man, twisted up like a pretzel, heart rate in the 20s. This image is at the opposite end of the athletic scale from the energy drink-swigging, heart rate monitorwearing competitive triathlete. And while the two may be polar opposites in terms of athletic training, they are much more complementary than one might think. Yoga is an integral part of many elite athletes’ routines. I signed up for my first yoga class after seeing that many Olympic swimmers incorporated it into their training regimen. I still practice yoga regularly and I credit it for much of my strength and for my longevity in the sport. Yoga for triathletes does not always mean vigorous, athletic yoga. Consider it to be a complement to training, not a chance to squeeze in another aerobic workout. The Catch-22 with yoga is that the harder you push, the more frustrating and unproductive it can be. The trick is to relax, breathe and go with the flow.

INCREASED FLEXIBILITY AND RANGE OF MOTION Yoga can fix those chronically tight muscles developed from cycling and running. Slow, relaxed stretches are ideal for triathletes to relieve muscle tension and increase flexibility. The improved range of motion will also help performance, especially in the swim. Yoga provides structure and focus to flexibility training that can be incorporated into a weekly program.

IMPROVED CORE STRENGTH Like its intense sister Pilates, yoga focuses on developing core strength. The movements are slow and controlled and—when done properly—provide a form of isometric resistance training that is hard to achieve in the gym. 158

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A strong, healthy core is what allows you to retain your form and power at the end of an Ironman. Your swim performance will also improve from having a strong midsection. The swim is all about rotation and body position in the water, which is why top swimmers always have such great abs.

IMPROVED BALANCE The repetitive training motions performed daily by triathletes develop certain muscle groups while ignoring others. Yoga can correct these imbalances by strengthening the smaller, stabilizing muscles, which is critical to avoiding overuse injuries. For example, balancing on one leg, such as in the tree pose, develops the proprioceptors around the feet and ankles, which can help correct biomechanical problems on the run.

RELAXATION AND BREATHING Yoga emphasizes the mind-body connection with deep, relaxed breathing as the cornerstone. Correct breathing patterns can improve performance while reducing anxiety and improving concentration—a plus for any competitive athlete. The important thing to remember when incorporating yoga into a training program is to specifically target your weaknesses. The goal is not to do the splits or stand on your head (unless you want to) but to increase flexibility in areas that are used in triathlon training, such as hips, back and shoulders. Choose a few areas that need attention. Focus on hip and lower back openers to alleviate muscle tightness and pain from biking. Shoulder and chest openers will improve your swim stroke and flexibility in the water. The structure of a formal yoga class is ideal because it will provide a balanced, full-body stretch with no distractions. But the beauty of

yoga is that even 10 to 20 minutes post-workout or before bed can be of great benefit. And it can be performed anywhere; yoga doesn’t require a lot of fancy equipment. If you are going to invest, your own mat is nice (but the bedroom carpet will work just as well). All the straps, blocks and bolsters are optional. The one time I advise against yoga-style stretching is right before a race. A pre-race warm-up should include more dynamic range-of-motion exercises rather than the long static stretches and relaxed breathing of yoga practice. However, on the days before a race, when tension is high, yoga can be very beneficial in alleviating stress and getting you mentally focused. The off-season is a great time to experiment with new forms of training and to work on weaknesses such as muscle imbalances and lack of flexibility. So break out of the comfort zone and try something new. Check your ego at the door, keep an open mind and be prepared to learn. No pretzels necessary.

YOGA STYLES THAT COMPLEMENT ENDURANCE TRAINING HATHA YOGA: A more relaxing, gentle style; great for beginners. ASHTANGA OR FLOW YOGA: A more vigorous class, with slightly more advanced movements and a focus on strength and balance. PILATES: Not yoga, but included here for its intense core strengthening. Great for offseason training. BIKRAM YOGA: Held in a heated room (read: sauna), 90 minutes long with a set sequence of postures. This style is very intense and should be considered in place of another workout. It can help with heat acclimatization before racing in a hot climate.

YOGA BOOKS/DVDS/WEBCASTS:

Perfect for the athlete with limited time to get to a class, there are some great books and videos out there that can be performed at home. Some of my favorites: “YOGA FOR ATHLETES” BY SAGE ROUNTREE: A book and DVD designed for runners and endurance athletes. Rountree’s website also has easy-to-follow webcasts of yoga routines. “DORFMAN KINESIOLOGY”: 25-minute DVDs designed specifically for triathletes. Short and effective, the “Low Back Basics” and “Flexibility Training” discs will cover all your bases.

january 2010

Tim Mantoani

T ICK E T PU NCH

Group Training: Survival of the Fittest? BY MELANIE MCQUAID

To improve while training in a group, you need to be smart and focused on your own needs and use the group accordingly.

ometimes a country, region or town suddenly becomes famous for producing athletes of excellence. Boulder, Colo., is the triathlon mecca of the moment while Alberto Salazarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s group in Oregon has been producing some of the best runners in the U.S. for years. But Kenya has been synonymous with endurance domination too. The depth of tal-

ent produced by that country and the length of time it has been associated with running excellence are unparalleled. Scientists have studied Kenyan athletesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; physiology, their training environment and their nutrition, and although all are conducive to athletic excellence, none explains their dominance. What has stood out in comparison with other

countries is their running culture and group training environment. There is no question that when a group includes some very successful athletes, the level of the whole can rise. In the 1960s, Eastern Bloc countries would identify potentially talented athletes, create a group training environment, then apply strict and difficult training regimens, allowing only the best to succeed. This approach was not concerned with group development. In the pursuit of Olympic medals, the main concern was to allow the cream to rise to the top. If you are an age-group triathlete trying to reach your best potential, is it beneficial to train as part of a group, or will you risk sacrifice for the greater good and never reach your goals? If you want to look for a personal coach, many options are available. If you live in an urban center you are likely to find a triathlon club, Masters swim group, group training ride or run group that meets weekly or daily that you would be able to join. What you need to decide is whether you need the group or not. Does that group have appropriate training partners for you? To improve while training in a group, you need to be smart and focused on your own needs and use the group accordingly. When an athlete focuses on what other

SWEEPSTAKES RULES 1. No purchase necessary. To enter without ordering, send an index card to: Triathlete IM South Africa Sweepstakes, 10179 Huennekens St., 100, San Diego, CA 92121, with your name address and phone number. 2. This sweepstakes is sponsored by Triathlete, 10179 Huennekens St., 100, San Diego, CA 92121. 3. All entries must be received by February 28th, 2010. Triathlete is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, illegible or postage-due mail. 4. Prize winner will be selected no later than March 12th, 2010 from among all entries received. Winner selection will take place under the supervision of Triathlete, whose decisions are final. Each entrant consents to the transfer of all information contained in the completed entry form to other companies. 5. The odds of winning are determined by the total number of eligible entries received. Taxes, where applicable, are the sole responsibility of the winner. 6. Potential winners will be notified by mail, telephone or e-mail. Potential winners must follow the directions contained in any correspondence and return all forms correctly completed within 7 days of the date of correspondence. Non-compliance will result in disqualification and the naming of an alternate winner. 7. All entrants will be eligible to win a prize package that includes, free entry in the 2010 IM South Africa, hotel accommodations, round-trip airfare, and a safari in the wild game park. There is no cash exchange for this prize. 8. Employees of Competitor Group or anyone affiliated are not eligible. Sweepstakes subject to all federal, state and local tax laws and void where prohibited by law. 9. For the name of the winner, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope and letter of request to: Triathlete IM South Africa Sweepstakes, 10179 Huennekens St., 100, San Diego, CA 92121.

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SINGL E T R A CK MIND

singl e t r a ck Mind athletes are doing rather than what he should be doing, he can run into trouble. An overly competitive environment can create race simulation efforts in every training session, possibly leading to some people overworking by training too hard too often. A disciplined group is important, as is some guidance or knowledge as to what your individual needs are. Also, when there is a large disparity in abilities, a race simulation effort for one athlete may be below threshold for another. Pairing athletes with similar goals from training sessions is important, as is the overall feeling in the group. A positive and supportive environment is imperative. I have a lot of experience training in groups. I came from mountain biking and benefited from many years of training as part of the national team mountain bike program. When I started I was the newest and youngest member of the team and was eager, motivated and inexperienced. I was paired with athletes five or 10 years older in age and in years of experience. I mistakenly believed that if I did more work or at least as much work as the group that I would immediately become as good as they were. This led to many years of disappointment and overtraining. The program was not geared toward

january 2010

individual needs and instead was focused on creating a strong training environment for the best athletes. With limited coaching and resources, we did the best we could, but such a competitive environment did not lend itself to mentorship of new athletes. After a number of years of cycling, I switched to triathlon, and trained out of a newly created national center in Victoria, British Columbia. This group included Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best triathletes, some of whom had 10 more years of experience in triathlon than I even had as a cyclist. The vision of the center was to create the next talent for Canada based on a program geared toward our most successful athletes. Although it was a good environment, I was in way over my head. For a year I did more swimming than I had done when I swam in high school, rode less than I ever had in my entire cycling career and ran horribly. I struggled to find any sort of form despite many hours of training. The lack of individual focus in the program did not work for me at all. After one poor season I decided to coach myself. You may think this whole article is about the negatives of training in a group, but I absolutely believe the opposite. I always try to find strong groups to surround myself with

whenever I travel for training and racing. You need strong training partners to create a motivating and inspiring environment to find and push your limits. Without other strong athletes it is difficult to work hard. At this point in my career I feel it is most important to find good training partners because I often need inspiration more than anything. The key is to know when to push your limits and when to back off. With experience, you know when you are feeding your ego and when you are improving fitness. The best groups in the world have athletes with experience and good judgment. By paying attention to their own needs, each athlete improves steadily within a similar but not identical program. My advice is to seek out the strongest group you can find to train with but also enlist a decent coach to help you decide what the best overall program is for you. If you are in your first few years of training, your body does not need as much as an experienced athlete would to improve. Know that the goal of training is to do just enough to get stronger and faster, not enough to get overly tired. In your next training session, use the group to help you train hard but remember that not every day is race day. Stick to the plan, be patient and succeed.

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ENDUR A NCE CONSPIR A C Y

tri.avia.com

It’s Hard to Remember: No One Is Defined by What He Does

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BY TIM DEBOOM Editor’s Note: Two-time Ironman world champ Tim Deboom returned to racing in Kona this year after sitting out last year’s race. He exited the swim in 51:02, 19th overall, but he struggled on the bike and ultimately dropped out of the race 80 miles into the bike leg.

his is not the column I intended to write. I had another done and ready to send to my editor before she offered a few more days. Her generosity was motivated by the fact that it was the first week of October and I was racing Ironman in a few days. She thought I might be inspired after the race. I can only assume she meant in a positive way. I cannot think of a single instance when someone has asked me, “How did it feel to fail spectacularly at your one big goal for the year?” When I race well, the questions and answers flow easily. Friends, family and sponsors are quick to call and e-mail with hopes of catching up soon. When things don’t go as planned, everyone goes silent, including me. I see the look in people’s eyes. They don’t know how to approach me, let alone what to say. This is where I am right now. In a nutshell, the race was a very disappointing experience. Now, I know that racing in triathlons can be seen as a trivial endeavor compared with some of life’s greater quests. After all, wars rage and natural disasters take lives every day. However, for the past 15 years, Ironman has been my passion and profession, so forgive me for feeling a little lost at the moment. I thought sharing some of my thoughts might be cathartic. The weeks and months after an Ironman are always tough, whether the race was a good one or not. There is an obvious physical depression, but the mental letdown can be just as severe, and after a poor performance, it can be downright paralyzing. Events constantly replay in my head. Not just the race, but the whole year has begun to resurface. So many questions that I can’t

triathletemag.com

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sleep. One thought spins into a thousand more and they weigh me down until I can’t move. What went wrong? I should be OK with this. I have had many bad experiences on that island and have come back to fight again, but this one is proving to be especially tough in this early stage. It probably has something to do with my age. I’m turning 39 soon. Any other year, I was able to mope for a week and then get myself rolling toward the next season. I used the bad result as a wake-up call to forge ahead. At this age, how many more seasons are there? I love the sport, but how many failures am I supposed to endure before the mental strength I once wielded against my competitors is so devastated that there is no fight left for the next stage of my life? I know every athlete has to deal with these questions at some point. However, when it is your job and livelihood, it takes on another dimension. Since 2003, when I was unable to make a successful second defense of my Ironman title, I have felt the years slowly slip away. It is difficult not to feel this way when my body is a big part of my job, and each year I’m a little slower and a little more achy getting out of bed. The end of each season has become my very own midlife crisis. I’ve had what feels like several already. I never craved the attention that being at the top of the sport brought to me, but I now know what it must feel like to have stood center stage in the heat of the spotlight and then watch that beam move on. I have not reached out to anyone who may have some real insight into what I’m experiencing. My wife was a very successful january 2010

10/30/09 1:40 PM

RTC_TriAthlete2010

athlete, and has since passionately moved on to another profession. My brother, Tony, was also a professional triathlete, but having his first daughter made traveling around the world seem a bit selfish, and he did not want to miss a moment of her growing up. I don’t think either can put themselves in my shoes. I am involved in a few other businesses besides racing, but nothing I am dying to jump into full time. I still love competing and the process of getting myself ready for competition. I’m just not sure I am able to take that step down the ladder and compete at anything other than the top level. I really do believe that I was very fit coming into this race and ready to fight for the lead. My head let me down this year. I’ve heard it said many times, even directly to me, that no one is defined by what he does. I am having a hard time swallowing that right now. In simple terms, I am an athlete. I have been since I was 6 years old. It is what I’ve known my entire adult life. I guess I can only hope this year’s experience will serve as another wake-up call and possible rebirth to the year ahead, whatever it may hold.

10/20/09

3:40 PM

R I D G E L A N D ,

Page 1

M I S S I S S I P P I

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january 2010

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a t t he r a c es “Watch out for the climb at mile 12!” Wouldn’t it be nice to read about a race before you sign up? Now you can. Active.com introduces Ratings & Reviews!

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Rated 8 times

Reed, noRden take toyota u.s. open titles in dallas

Photos by Paul Phillips

American Matt Reed exited the swim in 19:28 before smashing the field with a 58:14 bike split.

Swedish ITU-standout Lisa Norden outkicked American Sarah Haskins for the win.

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a t t he r a c e s “Super challenging, but fun!”

Wouldn’t it be nice to read about a race before you sign up? Now you can. Active.com introduces Ratings & Reviews!

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Rated 5 times

The leaders at T2—Norden, Haskins and Brit Julie Dibens—set off on the 10K run.

Aussie Greg Bennett ran 44 seconds faster than Reed, but still finished 19 seconds back.

ToyoTa U.S. open TriaThlon Oct. 11, 2009—Dallas 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run

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Swim

Bike

1. Lisa Norden (SWE)

21:07 1:04:46 34:16 2:01:44

2. Sarah Haskins (USA)

19:59 1:05:33 34:34 2:01:59

3. Julie Dibens (GBR)

21:04 1:04:03 36:11 2:03:15

4. Sarah Groff (USA)

20:00 1:06:15 35:36 2:03:33

5. Nicola Spirig (SUI)

21:07 1:05:57 35:26 2:04:07

men

Swim

1. Matt Reed (USA)

19:28 58:14

31:50 1:51:03

2. Greg Bennett (AUS)

19:38 59:12

31:06 1:51:22

3. Bevan Docherty (NZL)

19:36 59:25

30:53 1:51:26

4. Stuart Hayes (GBR)

19:36 59:25

31:02 1:51:31

5. Bruno Pais (POR)

19:39 59:06

31:30 1:51:38

Bike

Run

Total

january 2010

Photos by Paul Phillips

The 2009 Toyota Cup went to Haskins and Reed for finishing on top of the fiverace Lifetime Fitness Series.

WOmen

a t t he r a c e s

“That water was COLD!” Wouldn’t it be nice to read about a race before you sign up? Now you can. Active.com introduces Ratings & Reviews!

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Rated 5 times

Zeiger, Cunningham top tough fields at longhorn 70.3

The Longhorn 70.3 kicked off with a 1.2mile swim in calm and clear Decker Lake.

Joanna Zeiger’s blazing swim put the reigning 70.3 world champ out of reach for hard-charging American Heather Jackson.

Longhorn Ironman 70.3 austIn Oct. 25, 2009—Austin, Texas 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

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Swim

Bike

1. Joanna Zeiger (USA)

23:47 n/a

2. Heather Jackson (USA)

32:06 2:16:32 1:24:08 4:17:14

3. Nicole Hofer (SWI)

25:47 2:21:47 1:28:53 4:20:44

4. Kelly Williamson(USA)

25:35 2:32:01 1:19:46 4:21:45

5. Tereza Macel (CAN)

24:22 2:22:43 1:34:52 4:26:46

men

Swim

Bike

Run

Total

n/a

4:14:53

Run

Total

1. Richie Cunningham (AUS) 22:57 2:10:22 1:12:10 3:48:55 2. Brian Fleischmann (USA)

22:35 2:10:55 1:13:39 3:50:43

3. Alessandro Degasperi (ITA) 24:18 2:11:11 1:11:50 3:51:15 4. Luke Bell (AUS)

23:03 2:10:11 51:01

5. Massimo Cigana (ITA)

25:50 2:08:14 1:14:18 3:52:28

3:51:51

january 2010

Photos by mario Cantu

Richie Cunningham, competing in his sixth 70.3 race of the season, won in Austin for the second straight year.

WOmen

a t t he r a c e s

“Plenty of porta-potties!”

NEW!

Wouldn’t it be nice to read about a race before you sign up? Now you can. Active.com introduces Ratings & Reviews!

Rate and Review Your Race

Rated 15 times

LangLey, neLson Take Magic MounTain Man Magic Mountain Man triathlon Oct. 10, 2009—Castaic, Calif.

The menacing Magic Mountain Man bike course kicked off with a 7-mile climb up from Castaic Lake.

WOmen

Swim

Bike

Run

Total

1. Susan Langley (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)

33:52

3:13:05

1:36:08

5:26:34

2. Amy Jenkinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif.)

37:01

3:17:22

1:39:45

5:40:11

3. Danielle Harper (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) 36:11

3:22:46

1:43:19

5:45:43

4. Robin Soares (Auburn, Calif.)

33:43

3:21:57

1:49:19

5:50:11

5. Amy Vasquez (Goodyear, Calif.)

45:36

3:08:51

1:58:35

5:59:09

men

Swim

Bike

Run

Total

1. Kirk Nelson (Longmont, Colo.)

28:07

2:37:53

1:23:18

4:31:32

2. Bryan Melnuk (Tempe, Ariz.)

30:38

2:44:35

1:28:35

4:46:41

3. Eric Dorsch (Longmont, Colo.)

28:07

2:43:59

1:38:02

4:52:44

4. Max Biessmann (Irvine, Calif.)

26:28

2:49:40

1:38:16

4:57:26

5. Jason Van Der Burgt (NED)

31:17

3:04:11

1:33:59

5:12:27

DIGITAL EDITION NOW AVAILABLE

ur digital edition is an exact replica of the print edition of Triathlete magazine, delivered to your computer by e-mail. It looks just like the print edition and contains the identical training information, gear reviews, race reporting, news and nutrition tips as the mailed copy. But the digital edition offers several advantages that print doesn’t: Links to all of the Web sites (URLs) and E-mail addresses Download: Save a local version directly to your computer for off-line viewing Tools that allow you to zoom, print or e-mail pages to a friend Find anything in the magazine by typing a search phrase View all available archived issues for this magazine Environmental friendly: No trees are cut and no fuel is wasted to deliver this edition

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Photos by Brightroom.com

1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

a t t he r a c es “The volunteers were amazing!” Wouldn’t it be nice to read about a race before you sign up? Now you can. Active.com introduces Ratings & Reviews!

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Rated 12 times

Be a part of the Cayuga Lake Triathlon: Swim in a pristine lake, bike through wine country, and run through a gorge below a waterfall three stories higher than Niagara Falls.

Photos: www.jonreis.com and Jamels Photography

IthacaTriathlonClub.org

Cayuga Lake Triathlon Sunday, August 1, 2010 Kirk Nelson of Longmont, Colo., took the men’s title at Magic Mountain Man.

Taughannock Falls State Park Trumansburg, NY Intermediate, Sprint and Youth race distances Local/Regional Travel Info: VisitIthaca.com

january 2010

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by Scott tinley

t was the week of Oct. 26, 2003. Tom Warren, the winner of the 1979 Ironman, had just returned from the 25th anniversary of the Ironman, and he was happy. Warren enjoyed practicing an art that he had perfected—telling stories in funky beach bars. His wife, Barbara, had won the 60-64 age group that Oct. 18. The weather was still warm at his selfremodeled cabin in the mountains east of San Diego, and he wanted to ride his bike and think. But there was a frenetic feel to the air and he couldn’t concentrate. The conditions had submitted to the hot, dry winds referred to as “el diablo” or “Santa Ana”—the devil winds that blast out of the desert as if freed from captivity. Something historically significant often follows a Santa Ana. Two days later, the Warrens’ home and 2,427 other structures were burned to the foundation during the most devastating wildfire in San Diego history. Within the smoldering pile was perhaps the single greatest collection of triathlon memorabilia. Consider if all of Joe DiMaggio’s bats, Vince Lombardi’s speeches and Muhammad Ali’s gloves had been lost to time and tragedy.

Triathlete (ISSN08983410) is published monthly by The Competitor Group, 10179 Huennekens St, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121; (858) 768-6805. Subscription rates: U.S., one year (12 issues) $34.95; two years (24 issues) $59.95. Canada $58.95 per year; all other countries $90.95 per year, U.S. currency only. Periodicals postage paid at San Diego, CA, and additional mailing offices. Single copy price $5.99. Triathlete is copyright 2003 by The Competitor Group. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Send address changes to Triathlete, P.O. Box 469055, Escondido, CA 92046-9513. Ride-along enclosed in all book region 2 copies.

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Rooting Them Home

I try not to put too 1978 is dead. Triathlon has an odd rela- fromTriathlon much stock in stuff. has an odd Too many trinkets on tionship with its past. Like relationship with its past. the shelf might suggest the crazy grandpa who Like the crazy grandpa that the present and the who lives upstairs, we can future are held hostage lives upstairs, we can roll roll it out when it serves by material footprints it out when it serves the the present but then put it of days gone by. But still to bed until we again can I wrestle with the con- present but then put it to find reason for nostalgia. cept of clutter, both of bed until we again can The cultural value of our material and conceptual history seems strangely storage. Within the closets find reason for nostalgia. represented by whatever and back rooms can lie the current price might be objects that signify an irreplaceable piece of on Craigslist for a Dave Scott Model Centurion our past. We can sit with a guy like Warren and 12-speed. And despite the occasional thought allow his 30-year-old T-shirt to transport us of constructing a commemorative marker at back to the Ironman in February 1979 or ride the entrance to Fiesta Island in San Diego— his 49-year-old bike to a simpler time and place. our sport’s Polo Fields, our ancient valleys of As the fires raged and ashes rained from the Olympia—it remains a strip of chipped asphalt sky, the sunsets and destruction were mesmer- and reclaimed land from Mission Bay. izing. Sometime late on All Hallows’ Eve—the Though we might take pride in our night that Christians celebrate the souls of reputation as a collective group of unhinged the dead—Tom Warren called me from a pay individuals, deep down we are just a bunch phone on Pacific Coast Highway. He had been of self-aggrandizing heroes trying to make riding his bike in circles for days, his mind a neighborhood name for ourselves. Some sputtering and spinning at the thought of it days it seems that we don’t necessarily deny all. He felt like he had lost his past. Fifty years our past as much as triage it out in our of stuff connected his iconoclastic and aging future-centric mania. present with the vibrancy of his youth in sport. While I believe that the measure of a man “I felt like a part of me died in that fire,” he might be taken not by what he has but by told me years later. “It wasn’t all the shit that what he can let go, I feel that we also have a mattered, but the people and the places and responsibility to celebrate the past while it the life that they represented.” remains embodied in human flesh and bone. “But all that is still there,” I suggested. Legends don’t require headstones and they “Yeah, I know that now, but when you’re shouldn’t have to trim the grass around their in the belly of a whale, it’s too dark to even own legacy. Nearly five years to the month after Tom light a fire.” Here was a man who made history itself, Warren lost all his earthly possessions, he lost marking it as others might see. the love of his life when his wife, Barbara, died Or not. after a triathlon bike crash. Her blinking eyes The sport of triathlon has no brick-and- told the world, “Please remove me from these mortar hall of fame, no centrally agreed upon machines. I’ve lived my life.” place for devotees to connect to their sport’s “All my trophies only represented a former roots. The Ironman’s original matriarch, Valerie life,” remembers Tom. “Barbara was and is a life.” Silk, lives quietly in a Florida condo, caring for While I’d love a proper reason to clean out her aging parents. She has not been to Ironman, my garage, I don’t really care if the sport ever the event that she raised as if her own child, in builds some groovy chrome and glass build20 years, and I doubt the current champions ing to house Normann Stadler’s punctured would recognize her if she placed a lei around tire or Julie Moss’ pre-sports bra. Old stuff their necks. The co-founders of the sport, Don can be either a ship or an anchor, and while Shanahan and Jack Johnstone, can barely be Encinitas, Calif., is not Cooperstown, Mark found when Googled while other firmly rooted Allen is Babe Ruth. folks from our sport’s past—Dave Pain, Bill Warren rode the high and hard road to Phillips and Ron Smith—have all stretched understanding his role in the past. their limbs into an octogenarian space. At least Perhaps we should make sure that those one of the original 15 Ironman competitors who brought us to the party get home safely.

John Segesta/johnsegesta.com

TInley Talks

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