2011-04 Triathlete by Alejandro Piñeiro

The 2011 DA

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Contents ApRiL2011

features

Lose Weight to Train (Don’t Train to Lose Weight) It’s April. If you’re like most triathletes, you have two priorities at this time of year: getting fit for your first triathlon of the season and losing the extra weight you gained during the off-season. But you’ve got to prioritize: weight loss or fitness gains? By Matt Fitzgerald

Racing Your First Xterra Off-road Triathlon Your first off-road Xterra triathlon can be a challenging but life-altering experience. Your fitness systems are taxed in different ways, and your patience will take a beating. Before you join the off-road tribe, check out our eight-week training plan. By Lesley Paterson

106

Diary of a Globe-trotting Triathlete Hillary Biscay left a teaching job and Ph.D. program to pursue her dream of a pro triathlon career. The training journey would take her from the Swiss Alps to the Brazilian countryside to the streets of Thailand. By Hillary Biscay

116

Off-road Gear Guide

By Jené Shaw

triathlete.com | April 2011

Making Tracks in Abu Dhabi

Writer, adventure racer and ultrarunner Adam Chase took on the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge with triathlon great Sheila Taormina. The team walked away with memories of a lifetime—and sage advice that can benefit any triathlete. By Adam Chase chris radcliffe

Before you dive into hardcore training for your “A” race this year, have a little fun with some off-road trail running or mountain biking. Here are some essentials to get you started.

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Contents APRIL2011

62 14 | From the Editor A taste for adventure

18 | Letters Going vegan; WD-40 backlash; and morning inspiration

23 | Checking In

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

61 | Swim Pool health issues; a DIY training tool; a more powerful kick; and pre-swim eats.

ON THE COVER

69 | Bike Bike issues requiring a professional; a test for before you train; safe cycling gear; and essential mountain-bike skills.

Adventure racer and triathlete Jason Nielsen was photographed in Abu Dhabi by Chris Radcliffe

79 | Run A faster run transition; how famous nonrunners honed their skill; a better way to lace your shoes; and five reasons to take to the trails

125 | Fuel The key nutritional building blocks; how to plant your own spring garden; a menu of energy supplements; how to dish nutrition advice to others

144 | Never a Bad Day Bullying a bully

THE ADVENTURE ISS UE

CHOOSE YOUR

Adventure

 A Global

Triathlon in Abu Dhabi  Inside a Pro Training Camp  Racing

GO OFF-ROAD!

➔XTERRA TRAINING PLAN ➔GEAR ESSENTIALS ➔ADVICE FROM THE PROS

YOUR BEST SHAPE

A Quick Start Guide to Weight Loss

TIPS FOR A FAST

ADVENTURE RACER AND TRIATHLETE JASON NIELSEN

KELLY BRUNO

From “Survivor” to Ironman, the Amputee Athlete is One Tough Competitor

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: NILS NILSEN; XTERRA PHOTOS

Need to Know TriRock unrolls new race dates; a look back at Endurance Live; tips from the first family of Everest; exercise-induced migraines; 5 questions for Ian Adamson; and the man behind the World Triathlon Time-crunched Triathlete Making time to train in the modern triathlon family Tour Guide Grand County, Colo., is an outdoor training wonderland My Favorite Things Conrad Stoltz Dear Coach Are hill repeats really worth the hassle? Ask a Pro Incorporating core work into your strength routine I’m a Triathlete “Survivor” contestant and Ironman triathlete Kelly Bruno is one tough competitor. Confessions of an Age-grouper The joys of an occasional lazy patch

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* Hot Links

* Swim

* Forums

HAVE A QUESTION

PHOTOS

Our photographers bring you the best images of your favorite race destinations and professional athletes.

about training, gear or nutrition? Head over to our forums, where you can chat with the best brains in the sport.

NEWS

It’s hard to believe, but the Olympics are only a year out—and qualification is under way. We’ll keep you up-todate on the latest news from the ITU scene.

RACE COVERAGE

The height of racing season is near! This month’s racing coverage will highlight the Ironman 70.3 California triathlon in Oceanside, Calif.

* Expanded Content The swim leg can be one of the most intimidating aspects of triathlon. We’ve dedicated an entire section of the site to help you become the best swimmer you can be.

* TriCenter

Keeping Up with the Pros

GEAR & TECH

NUTRITION

“

I’m going to make my Ironman debut at Ironman Texas. I was planning on going for the 2012 Olympics. I was close in 2008. I’ve had a few years to focus on the 70.3 series but I think my heart is really in long-course. I’m excited to make that step.”

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

— American pro Tim O’Donnell announcing his plans to make the jump to Ironman racing to Triathlete.com

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If your phone has a Web browser and a camera: • Download the free app at http://gettag.mobi using your phone browser. • Scan over or take a photo of a barcode you see in this issue. • The video will load instantly. • No phone? Use the links provided next to the barcode to view our videos on a computer.

* Social Media

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NILS NILSEN

Do you have your race-day nutrition dialed in? Our experts help you develop the right plan for optimal performance.

How-to clips, photos and expanded content can be accessed when you see this barcode in a story.

Latest News

Race Wrap-ups Love reading about the latest triathlon gear, but can’t wait until the next issue? Senior editor Aaron Hersh brings you even more tech news and reviews.

Watch Videos On Your Phone

FIRST WAVE

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

Wet ‘n Wild

By Jacky McClean

Competitors at the 2011 Xterra Buffelspoort off-road triathlon ran across the base of Buffelspoort Dam in South Africa’s North West Province. Among the pre-race advice: Watch out for native water buffalo.

April 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

From the Editor

A Taste for Adventure

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

a rugged six-day race featuring canoeing, mountain biking, swimming and desert orienteering, among other challenges. Taormina’s advice for triathletes thinking of doing an adventure race: “Go for it,” she says. “Not only does it break up the routine, it also trains a completely different skill set and strengths that you could never get from periodized, scientific training. The mental element is an intangible asset that is developed much more when doing races like this.” You also get to experience remote parts of the world, a benefit that holds appeal for many triathletes. Another ADAC competitor and triathlete, cover guy Jason Nielsen, sings the praises of adventure racing for triathletes, saying it provides a healthy break and different perspective on what you want to get out of your training. Read more about this multidimensional athlete on page 26. Other athletes in focus in this issue: “Survivor” contestant and amputee Ironman competitor Kelly Bruno; Charlie Wittmack, a lawyer by day who is currently attempting an audacious aroundthe-world triathlon; Hillary Biscay, a globe-trotting pro who recounts her training camp travels; and the first family of multisport, Karen Lundgren and Paul and Jordan Romero (you know Jordan as the youngest person to ever summit Mount Everest). We hope you’ll be as inspired reading this issue as we were in telling the stories of these exceptional athletes. Happy trails,

Julia Beeson Polloreno

Editor-in-Chief

BRIGHTROOM.COM

Rarely do I encounter a triathlete who approaches our sport as anything but a lifestyle choice. You don’t pour this much time, money, blood and sweat into something without it becoming a deeply ingrained part of your identity. And you don’t easily resist the impact of a pursuit that consistently pushes you to a new understanding of your own potential and lends such a significant sense of achievement at any age. For many, multisport becomes much more than the physical acts of swimming, biking and running in succession—it becomes a mentality, a frame of mind that embraces ambition, challenge and a fierce tenacity. And there’s no denying our collective sense of adventure. You’ve gotta have some moxie to attempt a triathlon in the first place, and that intrepidness only grows exponentially with the size of your next race goal. The growing popularity of the Xterra series of off-road races speaks to triathletes’ love of adventure, as does the increasing number of triathletes jumping into adventure racing in the off-season or as a way of mixing up their training. This issue celebrates the adventure seeker in each of us, and is intended to inspire you to step outside your comfort zone, whether it’s for an off-road triathlon, adventure race or just setting a new training goal. Some of the best triathletes in the world, including Olympian Sheila Taormina, attest to the benefits of taking multisport off the pavement. In his feature story, “Making Tracks in Abu Dhabi,” on page 86, writer Adam Chase recounts racing on the same team with Taormina for the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (ADAC),

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Julia Beeson Polloreno WhaT kind oF Managing Editor Adam Elder TriaThlon could Senior Tech Editor Aaron Hersh “Friends” quoTing you Win?” Senior Editor Courtney Baird correcT PuncTuaTion using Senior Editor Jené Shaw Way-in-advance Planning Assistant Editor Bethany Leach Mavis Contributing Editors Pip Taylor, Chris Carmichael Contributing Writers Bob Babbitt, Holly Bennett, Matt Dixon, Matt Fitzgerald, Sarah Wassner Flynn, Adam Kelinson, Samantha McGlone, Sara McLarty, Melanie McQuaid, Lance Watson Medical Advisory Board Jordan Metzl, MD, Jeff Sankoff, MD We asked Triathlete staffers…

“

art Art Director Lisa Williams Photo Editor Nils Nilsen Graphic Designer Oliver Baker Contributing Artists & Photographers Hunter King, Jon Davis, Paul Phillips, John Segesta, Eric Wynn CirCulation & ProduCtion Director, Audience Development John Francis Audience Development Manager Cassie Lee-Trettel Production Manager Meghan McElravy Advertising Coordinator Shane Anderson breWery hoPPing dog Walking WaTching bbc’s “ToP gear”

triathlEtE.Com Online Content Director Kurt Hoy Web Producer Liz Hichens Senior Video Producer Steve Godwin Video Producer Kevin LaClaire digital mEdia Vice President, Digital Media Dan Vaughan Director, Digital Advertising Sales Jason Rossiter

advErtising EVP, Media/Publishing Director Andrew R. Hersam Vice President, Endemic Sales Kevin Burnette Trivial PursuiT Playing Wine TasTing hula-hooPing Associate Publisher Lars Finanger Trader Joe’s shoPPing sPeed-reading Advertising Director, Triathlete.com David Walker WaTer-skiing Senior Vice President, Midwestern Region Sales Doug Kaplan Vice President, Western Region Sales David O’Connell Vice President, Eastern Region Sales Rebecca McKinnon Account Executives, Endemic Sales Nathan Forbes, Mark Gouge, Justin Sands Regional Event Sales Tom Borda, Katie Campbell, Chris Hohn, Chip McLaughlin, Ashley Powell, Dave Ragsdale, Matt Steinberg, Kelly Trimble, Chris Wheeler Account Executive, Marketplace Sales Alex Jarman triathlEtE EuroPE Publisher Jim Peskett jim.peskett@competitormedia.com Editor Ian Osborne ian.osborne@competitormedia.co.uk Digital Content Editor Paul Moore paul.moore@competitormedia.co.uk a PubliCation of

Chairman David Moross Chief Executive Officer Peter Englehart President & Chief Operating Officer Scott P. Dickey Executive Vice President, Media Andrew R. Hersam Senior Vice President, National Sales John Smith Chief Financial Officer Steve Gintowt Senior Vice President, Marketing Bouker Pool Vice President, Sales Development Sean Clottu triathlEtE magazinE offiCEs 9477 Waples Street, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121 Phone: 858-450-6510 Fax: 858-768-6806 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, 9477 Waples Street, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121 and specify issues requested, or visit Triathlete.com. For a copy of Triathlete’s contributor guidelines, visit Triathlete.com. Triathlete cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material. Printed in the USA.

triathlete.com | April 2011

asics.com

sound mind sound body

running releases more than just sweat

102

Letters country as a whole switched to a plant-based diet we would have 75 percent less cancer and virtually eliminate heart disease. I’m writing this partly in response to the food article “Is a vegan diet right for you?” To Hell and Back, Just Faster [November 2010] by Brendan Brazier. While I comOn mend you on including a vegan article in your magazine, the question should be: “Can you afford not to adopt a vegan diet?” I know that this will not change everyone’s mind, but I hope it will open up a dialogue and California Girls a curiosity. Go vegan! Very nice article on Crossfit Endurance Stuart King (OrganicAthlete.org) (February 2011), but did your photographer Tony DiZinno require all women’s WD-40 Flak photos in the article to have breast I fall into a weird group. I’m both a bicycle implants? How about taking pictures of mechanic and Level 1 USAT coach, and real people, not “surgerized,” California you’re giving some bad advice. First, Heidi Montags that look nothing like the you said to make friends with a shop so rest of America. Not a single woman in the mechanic won’t be upset when you those images had more than 10 percent bring a bike in the day before a race. No body fat—which pretty much precludes mechanic is going to like that. Give an super perky size C-plus breasts! I’m not advance of at least a day. Secondly, WDeven sure the results suggested in your 40 is a degreaser and is good for cleaning article are believable. Can you prove to a chain, not for lubrication. And too much me all those women didn’t have liposucWD-40 will attract dirt, doing more tion and abdominoplasty when they damage to a chain. A bike-specific lube had their breasts done? I doubt it. Try such as Finish Line Teflon can be used on stepping out of California once in a while chains, cables and most moving parts. where people use plastic surgery as a William Underwood, Lawrenceville, N.J. last resort, not as something they get before going to brunch in La Jolla. If your On page 82 of the January 2011 issue, photographer doesn’t understand what Jim Gourley calls WD-40 a lubricant. It’s I’m saying, have him look at the female a solvent, the opposite of a lubricant. It’s competitors on the rest of your pages. not as good for your bike as he suggests. Brenda Travis, Savannah, Ga. Clay Caldwell, Cincinnati

CROSSFIT ENDURANCE Athlete images were captured at Crossfit LA in Santa Monica, Calif.

The Crossfit-based plan for endurance sports hinges on low-volume, high-intensity training designed to constantly shock the body.

Can a high-intensity training method favored by special operations forces, elite police units and MMA champions transform the sport of triathlon?

June 18 last summer, Guy Petruzelli, a 37-year-old professional

triathlete from Westmont, Ill., was riding his bike when he was hit by a car. He suffered multiple fractures to his collarbone

and three broken ribs. Ten days later he was told his season was over, and then the surgeon drilled seven screws and a plate into his breastbone. Said the doctor to Petruzelli, “I don’t think you’ll be able to train hard until December.” Pity the doctor issuing orders to a driven triathlete—the surgeon’s words had the impact of elevator music. Virtually his next stop after post-op was a gym on the west side of Chicago, a Crossfit gym, Crossfit being an aggressive approach to fitness that in the last decade has stormed across the country with cultish fervor. 103 February 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM “I went to see my guys at Crossfit, Nate Aye and John Conquest, and my coach, Jen Garrison,” Petruzelli says. “I told them I wanted to do two things: First, get healthy faster than my doctor’s projections, and second, get stronger and faster at the same time.” The Crossfit team started him off with simple, non-jarring lower body movements and agility moves. Two weeks later he was cleared to ride an indoor bike. Petruzelli says he was stunned to notice that not only had he lost no fitness, but his power intervals showed an upward spike. Impressed with the effect, he immersed himself in learning about the Crossfit-based plan for endurance sports, a philosophy that hinges on low-volume, high-intensity training designed to constantly shock the body. “I’m an old-school endurance guy,” says Petruzelli. “I was skeptical, but I committed myself to doing everything exactly as it was written.” A few weeks after he was cleared to begin running again in August, Petruzelli performed a session of mile repeats at 5:15 pace. He was faster than before the accident. “And my lactate threshold on the bike was up 33 percent. It was insane. I asked, ‘How the hell is this happening?’” On Oct. 24 he raced an Olympic-distance triathlon and recorded the fastest split on the 10K run course, 31:48. “I haven’t run

Di Zinno By T.J. Murphy | Photographs by Tony

104

February 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

Vegging Out I made the choice to switch to a plantbased diet four years ago, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Why is it that when Eastern cultures adopt our [American] lifestyle they are eight times more likely to get cancer and other diseases? I would bet my life that if our 18

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

105

A response from senior tech editor Aaron Hersh: In the story, Gourley writes that WD-40’s “main purpose is cleanliness.

Don’t let road gunk collect on your bike. It’s bad for the components, causes speed-sucking friction and frustrates the mechanic who has to repair it. That trusty blue can of lubricant will keep your parts slick, corrosion-free and shiny enough to make the guys at your home shop smile at the sight of them.” He suggests it as a cleaning agent to use on the solid-steel drivetrain components; Gourley never hints at using it for anything other than cleaning the drivetrain. Degreasing agents (such as WD-40) shouldn’t be used on bearings, frame or anything other than drivetrain components.

Hearty Thanks Kudos to you for including heart health information in your February 2011 issue. Cardiac events don’t always mean the end of your athletic life. I became a threetime Ironman after a triple bypass. There are many more like me who still run, lift, row and even compete in triathlons; you’ll find us at Cardiacathletes.org. Jeff Hardisty, Eugene, Ore.

Early Morning Motivation As an officer on a U.S. Navy cruiser, workdays started early. To get morning training in I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. Many mornings I didn’t even want to walk out the door to go swim, run or bike in the dark and cold. A couple years ago I decided to start posting clippings from Triathlete on a corkboard next to my front door. It took a year to cover the whole thing, but whenever I was unmotivated to train in the morning I would look over the clips, remind myself why I love the sport, and get out the door. I’ve since moved to Washington, D.C., and work in the Pentagon, where I don’t have to get up quite as early, but I still have the board and it motivates me every day to train. For 2011 I’ve decided to tear it down and start all over. Thanks for the yearlong motivation! Lt. Kevin Pilcher, Washington, D.C.

We want to hear from you! Send your letters to TriLetters@competitorgroup.com. Please include your name and city. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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Contributors Nathan Koch Koch received his physical therapy degree and his certification in athletic training from St. Louis University in 1996. He then spent three seasons working in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams and at a sports medicine clinic. In 2003, Koch, an endurance athlete at heart, founded Endurance Rehab with the goal of providing the most comprehensive performance center available to endurance athletes. Each month he provides readers with sage PT advice.

Hillary Biscay Biscay is the most prolific iron-distance competitor on the professional women’s racing circuit. She has 24 top-five iron-distance finishes to her credit, including 15 podiums and the 2008 Ironman Wisconsin title. In her former life, she was a Ph.D. student in English, and she still loves writing—mostly now on her blog at Hillarybiscay.com. Read about her world travels on page 106.

Judy Tsuei Tsuei has toured the world as a travel writer dallying in spots such as Shanghai, Brazil and, for her most recent assignment for Triathlete, Fiji. Driven by a love of nature and movement, Tsuei is also a registered yoga teacher whose company Hawk and Lily offers active workshops aimed to inspire a rediscovery of joy in everyone. In this issue, she takes readers on a tour of Grand County, Colo., on page 42.

“If you know you can’t beat ’em, and you probably can’t even join ’em, you might as well photograph ’em,” is Radcliffe’s motto. The wannabe athlete-turned-adventure photographer is the official photographer of Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing, and he works full-time as the university photographer at Eastern Kentucky University. His shots of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge appear in the feature story “Making Tracks in Abu Dhabi” on page 86. 20

triathlete.com | April 2011

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Canadian pro triathlete Tara Norton tucks in for the 200K bike leg of the 2010 Abu Dhabi International Triathlon as the locals look on from the sidelines. This year's race, held March 12, will again include a stacked pro field, including defending champions Eneko Llanos and Julie Dibens. PHOTOGRAPH BY NILS NILSEN

April 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

CHECKING IN

NEED TO KNOW

FROM THE RED CARPET The endurance sports community descended upon San Diego’s downtown Hard Rock Hotel on Jan. 22 to honor the top athletic accomplishments of 2010 at the Endurance Live Awards Gala. Honorees included triathletes, runners, cyclists and mountain bikers. Michael Raelert

Among the honorees: Male Triathlete of the Year presented by Inside Triathlon: Michael Raelert; Performance of the Year presented by Tyr: Chrissie Wellington; Challenged Athlete of the Year presented by Kaiser Permanente: Scout Bassett; Female Triathlete of the Year presented by Active: Mirinda Carfrae

“

I am so honored to receive this award. When I sit back and look at what everyone else has accomplished it’s humbling. It’s really cool to see that so many other athletes, especially women, are doing amazing things in sport. It’s great to be a part of this generation.” —Mirinda Carfrae

24 TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011 http:/ / gettag.mobi

Most Xterra regional championships won by an age-grouper, held by Steve Cole from Mississippi

Continents with an Xterra Championship race (all but Antarctica).

Number of consecutive Hawaiian Airlines Double wins (fastest combined Ironman Hawaii and Xterra Worlds time) by Eneko Llanos

ZERO Times the first person out of the water has won Xterra Worlds

Percent of pro men Christine Jeffrey out-swam at Xterra Worlds in 2010

Finishing time of the oldest female finisher at Xterra Worlds in 2010, Charlotte Mahan, age 65

5:58:34

Vertical feet the World Championship bike course climbs up Haleakala volcano

RACES IN THE 2011 XTERRA AMERICA TOUR

thirty-seven Record for career Xterra championship wins by a pro, shared by Conrad Stoltz and Jamie Whitmore NILS NILSEN

To see more images from the Endurance Live Awards Gala, snap the barcode with your smartphone or go to Triathlete.com/elive.

TEN

3,561

Chrissie Wellington

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triathlete.com | April 2011

adventure man This month’s cover guy, Jason Nielsen, and his wife, Andrea, enjoyed their introduction to triathlon so much, they named their first son Triton. Seven years, two more children and dozens of triathlon finishes later, the couple is still living the ultimate multisport lifestyle as elite adventure racers. The Nielsens’ home base is Battle Creek, Iowa, a small town (population: less than 1,000) in the southwest part of the state. It’s where they train as members of the Wedali Adventure Racing team, the 2010 United States Adventure Racing Association (USARA) national champions and fifth-place finisher at 2009 Primal Quest Badlands, the epic, multi-day race in South Dakota. As winners of last year’s Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Series, Team Wedali was invited to race in the Abu Dhabi International Challenge this past December (see feature story, “Making Tracks in Abu Dhabi,” page 86). Jason made the trip solo so Andrea could be home with the kids, ages 11, 7 and 5. “Adventure racing has taken me places I normally wouldn’t have been able to go—places like Abu Dhabi and the race there, which is a phenomenal event,” says Jason. “It was probably more triathlon-like than any other adventure races we’ve done … except it lasted six days.” Jason says triathletes can benefit from adventure racing in a few sig-

nificant ways: “A triathlon race is so structured, while an adventure race is so unstructured, it gives you a totally refreshing outlook on multisport. It also provides a nice break and different perspective on what you want to get out of your training. The team aspect is unique, too; you have to learn to get along with your teammates and work together because you finish as a team, not as an individual.” Nielsen, 37, has his sights set on racing an Ironman, admitting that he’s got some work to do in developing his strength as a swimmer. “The swimming has been the only thing holding me back from doing Ironman,” he says. When he does step up to the iron distance, he won’t be a stranger to the requisite training volume. Balancing his full-time job as a project manager at a construction company, Jason trains an hour to an hour and a half every day, saving the high-volume workouts for the weekends, when he and Andrea do their long rides and runs. Self-coached, the couple does nearly 100 percent of their training outdoors year-round. “The other day the temperature was 5 below at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, when we headed out for our run,” says Jason. To them, it just comes with the territory: “It’s a lifestyle; our world revolves around adventure.” // Julia Beeson Polloreno

chris radcliffe; istockphoto.com/eppicphotography

Rather than confining yourself to the local training routes and burdens of everyday life, venture beyond your comfort zone for your own personal weekend training camp. nearly every major city in the United States—including new York, Los Angeles and Chicago—is only an hour or two from wilderness trails and open roads. If you’re willing to sleep in a tent and get a little dirty, a two-night camping trip with your bike, running shoes and maybe a training partner is the perfect way to boost your fitness and refresh yourself mentally. (If sleeping in a nylon hut isn’t your thing, a secluded hotel also makes an ideal home base.) the keys to a successful self-guided training weekend are a well-mapped bike ride, a scenic trail run and a fun campsite—or a remote hotel—stocked with food to kick back after a satisfyingly exhausting training day. talk to experienced triathletes in your area to get tips about the best locales a few miles out of town. websites such as Mapmyride.com and trails. com are filled with recommended routes, or you can scheme up your own using Google Maps. Before riding on an obscure road, use Google Street View to make sure it has a shoulder so you aren’t in the crosshairs of a driver behind the wheel of an RV.

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Triathlete Spotlight:

Charlie Wittmack He swam 275 miles, biked 9,000 miles and he's about to run 950 miles and climb Everest—for a second time. Meet the sole competitor in the World Triathlon.

For a man who’s climbed Mount Everest and attempted swimming the English Channel, Charlie Wittmack’s sights were set high for his next adventure: a continent-crossing “World Triathlon,” of which he’s currently in the final stage—another summit attempt of Everest. Wittmack started his current expedition last summer, swimming 275 miles down the River Thames, then across the English Channel (which he’d attempted in 2008 before hypothermia set in and he had to stop). In August he left from France on a 9,000-mile bike ride to Nepal. This spring he’ll run 950 miles from the Bay of Bengal to the Himalayas and Everest. Unsurprisingly, Wittmack is the sole participant. Yet this husband and father, who is by day a trial attorney in Des Moines, Iowa, says he’s been preparing

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

through, and he had to cross Asia unsupported, during which time he was hit by a car while riding his bike. He cycled through sunburned Kazakhstani sand 18 inches deep in places, and ate food he didn’t recognize. “Whenever it got harder and harder, I would think smaller and smaller—thinking about the next two strokes, or trying to look at the jellyfish, or figuring out where the eels are,” he says. “If you start to think about the finish line, you’re done. That’s just too far away.” Wittmack's also boosted by the World Tri's philanthropic angle, in which a Des Moines medical team visits Nepal each year for obstetrics training to combat the country's staggering maternal mortality rate. What’s up next for Charlie? “It’ll be my wife’s choice!” he says with a laugh. He’s now the only American to have summited Everest and crossed the English Channel—the Peak and Pond, as it’s known. His heroes range from Sir Edmund Hilary to Dave Scott, so it’s anyone’s guess. For now he’s circumspect on his future. “I’m nothing special,” he says. “I’m just a guy who had a dream, and I’ve spent my life pursuing this. Whether it’s a sprintdistance triathlon or the World Triathlon, all our dreams are possible if we just put in the effort and try.” Learn more and follow Wittmack at Theworldtri.com. // ADAM ELDER

ANDY STOLL/THE WORLD TRI; CHARLIE WITTMACK

Wittmack climbing Mount Everest

for nearly two decades, when he first dreamed up this idea in high school. Today, at 33, he exudes the same studiousness and drive he describes himself having as a kid. “The common strain [between then and now] is that I like to take things all the way,” he says. Aspiring to be an inventor, in elementary school he turned his bicycle into a snow sled and a paddlewheel boat, for which he won an invention contest. Later he built his own laser from scratch. Sports-wise, he was captain of his high school’s cross-country team and competed in Olympic-distance triathlons, but what really got him interested in the outdoors were his rockclimbing co-workers at a computer store he worked at when he was 15, who took him on his first climb. After high school he moved to Yosemite Valley and climbed every day, then trekked through Kenya and rode his bicycle 450 miles across the U.S. After scaling Everest in 2003, he took first place in a 12.5-mile swim around Key West. An impressive resume, considering Wittmack has a wife, a son, a full-time job and a mortgage. “I’ve approached the World Tri like an age-group triathlete,” he says. “Triathletes are really good at managing their lives and their time so they can be as efficient as possible.” As for setbacks, he’s had a few. He contracted amoebic dysentery in England, causing him to vomit as he was swimming. One of his sponsorships fell

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More race Dates unrolleD After its successful debut in San diego last September, the triRock Series will expand to four cities nationwide for 2011. the series begins May 14 in Annapolis, Md., and stops in Seattle, San diego and Gettysburg, Penn. triRock is ideal for beginners and veterans alike. the rock-themed triathlon series will feature bands along the swim, bike and run courses, followed by a post-race party and concert. each race will also offer unique divisions, including military, Athena and Clydesdale and a beach cruiser division in San diego. Both olympic and sprint distances are offered in San diego and Gettysburg. triRock Annapolis will be solely a sprint-distance event, while triRock Seattle will offer olympic distance only. Participants looking to sample the triathlon experience can also sign up as a three-person relay team, taking on either the swim, bike or run component. All competitors will receive a finisher’s medal, technical t-shirt, red-carpet finish, free food and access to the post-race concert and beer garden. For more information, visit trirock.competitor.com.

2011 TriRock Series Schedule

triathlete.com | April 2011

A friend of mine gets upset when someone with a bad headache claims to have a migraine. “They don’t know the half of it,” he says. As a fellow migraineur, I can sympathize. Almost 10 percent of the population suffers from these debilitating headaches that are often, though not always, heralded by an aura of visual disturbances. A hallmark of migraines is that they have a distinct trigger. Triggers include stress or fatigue, certain types of foods or for some, including me, exercise. In fact, it is estimated that up to 10 percent of those who exercise regularly experience exercise-induced migraines, mirroring the prevalence in the general population. Migraines are vascular headaches (related to a spasm of blood vessels in the brain) and are typically severe, one-sided, pulsating and associated with nausea and extreme light and sound sensitivity. They last anywhere from four to 72 hours and relegate the afflicted to rest in a dark and quiet room. For the triathlete, exercise-induced migraines can have important effects beyond just interfering with training and racing. Visual symptoms that arise during a bike ride or run can obviously be dangerous. Fortunately, there are several measures you can take to decrease the incidence of these headaches: » Incorporate an active warm-up and cool-down into workouts. » Maintain maximal hydration. » Take preventive medications, either on a daily basis or just prior to exercise.

Medications taken daily are intended to prevent migraines, but many have side-effects that include exercise intolerance. Anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen have been shown to effectively decrease exercise-induced migraines when taken prior to a workout. However, these medications can cause kidney damage, especially if the user becomes dehydrated, so they must be taken with caution. It is also critical to note that not all headaches that come on during exercise are migraines. Severe headaches may be caused by other potentially serious but treatable conditions, so it is vitally important to consult with a physician should you develop headaches like this, especially in those over the age of 40. //Jeff Sankoff, m.D.

Jeff Sankoff, M.D. is an emergency physician at Denver Health Medical Center and assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. He is also a two-time Ironman finisher.

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TriRock Annapolis – May 14 TriRock Seattle – July 17 TriRock San Diego – Sept. 11 TriRock Gettysburg – Oct. 16

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Tips from the First Family of Everest When Paul Romero, his then-13-year-old son Jordan, and Jordan’s stepmom, Karen Lundgren, reached the summit of Mount Everest last May, the family set two world records—Jordan became the youngest person to ever reach the summit, and the trio became the first family to stand together on the world’s tallest peak. Climbing Everest was part of Jordan’s broader quest to conquer the highest peaks on all seven continents. This December, he’s set to complete that mission when the family sets out for the top of Vinson Masiff (16,067 feet) in Antarctica. In their case, the adage “the family that trains together stays together” couldn’t be more fitting. The trio, represented by Lundgren, shares their secrets for success in tackling the ultimate endurance challenges. How do you avoid total physical burnout and fatigue when you’re going full-throttle for a prolonged period of time? The secret is to love what you’re doing. It’s not about training or working out—it’s gotta be about enjoying it. Working out for us is fun. We mix it up; we mountain bike, road bike, hike, run, snowshoe, kayak, standup paddle, go to the gym. It’s the ultimate cross-training lifestyle. That’s not to say it’s always easy; we train hard and push each other both physically and mentally. As we head toward specific events or climbs, we cater our training toward the 32

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

Team Romero at the summit of Mount Everest

specifics of what we are going to do. If we are going to a mountain where we have to pull sleds, we'll do things like pull a tire up and down the steep hill we live on. To prep for a climb with big packs, we'll hike everywhere with big packs. We try to keep it fun and focused. What are your go-to nutrition items—for before, during and after a hard effort or event? Hammer Nutrition products and Omega XL [are both Team Romero sponsors]. We try to eat right and keep our bodies fueled and hydrated so that we are ready for the next session. Lots of fruits and veggies, too. We try to avoid processed foods and include protein, carbs and good fats at every meal. We’re not perfect, but we work at it all the time. Triathletes have their own “Everest,” whether it’s to finish an Ironman or race a personal best. What’s your advice for setting and achieving long-term goals? With regard to goals, get one—a big one! Easy goals don’t feel as good as hard ones when you make it! Don’t expect to reach a goal on your own. Talk to people (everyone you know) about your goal. You’ll be surprised how much advice, support and motivation you will get and it will help cement the goal in your mind, furthering your commitment.

How do you stay positive and strong when things get really ugly out there? When you just want to give up and call it a day, how do you push through that and keep going? Doing things as a team definitely helps keep us strong and positive. There’s always someone on the team with a positive attitude and the drive to keep going. The more people involved in your goal, the more motivation you will find. When you know that people have helped you, that they are supporting you and believe in you, it’s definitely harder to quit. Do you have any advice and insights for pursuing athletic goals as a family? Doing things together as a family is huge! We all have different things going on and different goals and pursuits. If you’re talking about climbing the Seven Summits together, that was Jordan’s objective and we were just supporting him. Communication is key. Parents need to talk with their kids and understand their goals so that they can provide support and guidance. Kids don’t always have the motivation, understanding or skills to reach their goals—that’s the job of the parents and friends. That can involve some detours along the way, patience, encouragement, pushing, direction and lots of hugs and love. // JULIA BEESON POLLORENO

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A Better, Stronger Butt Just as the core is crucial to all proper limb function, the glutes are key to good running and cycling technique. Your gluteus medius is the major abductor of the thigh that works to rotate the hip. Strong glute muscles will stabilize your pelvis when you are bearing weight and improve your energy efficiency in the swinging phase of your gait. When this stability is not present, your body will adapt with overuse of other muscles, leading to bad form and possibly injury. A common test for glute strength—known as the Trendelenburg test—is to see how you stand on one leg. Very weak glute

Clam Exercise Lie on your side with your hips at 30 degrees, your knees bent and feet together. Keeping your heels together, lift your leg in a small movement to contract the gluteus medius. Put your hand on the muscle to confirm that you are isolating it during the movement. This is the best beginner exercise to learn to target the gluteus medius and is safe for any lower-leg injury. Start with 12–15 exercises per leg.

Quadriped Hip Extensions This is another safe exercise for those with lower-leg issues. Start on all fours on a mat for padding. Contract your abdominals to stabilize your torso. Lift one leg with your knee at 90 degrees, foot flexed until the knee is in line with the body. Repeat 8–12 times for each side.

muscles may force you to lean to one side, while stronger glutes allow you to maintain your stance without leaning. If you are capable of standing on one leg, try a one-legged squat. Do you lose your balance? Does your knee track straight forward, or does it collapse inward or outward? If you lose balance or if your knee collapses in either direction, those are signs of weakness or imbalance in your gluteus medius. Fortunately you can fix this imbalance. Here are three glutes exercises for a super-strong butt. (Be aware that preexisting injuries can limit your options on the exercises you can do.)

Step-Ups Stand behind a bench 10–15 inches high with good posture and your abdominals engaged (work up to a higher bench as you get better at the exercise). Step your left foot onto the bench and push your heel down to lift your body up onto the bench. To ensure you are using only your left leg for the lift, think about pushing your right heel to the ground and lifting up your right toes. Do 8–12 repetitions on each side.

// melanie mcQuaid

triathlete.com | April 2011

nils nilsen

Single-leg Squats Start standing on a bench. Bend your right knee and lower your left leg, heel first, pushing your hips back and leg toward the floor. Concentrate on keeping your right knee over your second toe and your pelvis stable as you lower your leg. Repeat 8–12 times per leg.

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A HEEL UP Old College Tri If you measure success by national championships, then the University of Colorado at Boulder is the most successful collegiate triathlon team in the U.S. Its 2010 overall collegiate national title is its 11th title in total—nine more than any other university. Coach Mike Ricci heads up the squad, which is run as a club team out of the university. Because triathlon is a club sport and not an NCAA sport from which students can receive scholarships, none of the squad’s practices is mandatory. Nevertheless, there are about 100 athletes on the team, with a core group of about 50 who consistently practice. “My quote is always, ‘Nothing is mandatory but some things are highly encouraged,’” Ricci says. Athletes of all abilities are welcome, as the team includes everyone from a newbie with a $150 mountain bike to an experienced racer with a top-of-theline Trek. As a club sport, team members take care of all of the logistics. “The kids do everything. Hotel, travel. That’s part of the club sport system—teaching them the leadership thing,” Ricci says. Look for the team when it attempts to defend its title on April 9 at the Collegiate National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala. //COURTNEY BAIRD

You would think that after centuries of heel pain plaguing the endurance athlete, we would have a clear diagnosis and course of treatment. Diagnosis continues to be in the eyes of the beholder, and treatments can lead down a variety of paths—and occasionally to dead-ends. Consider these four common possibilities for heel pain: PLANTAR FASCIOSIS: No longer called plantar fasciitis since it is a degenerative condition, not an inflammatory condition (imaging studies show “thickening” of the plantar fascia, not inflammation). Key indicators: Severe medial plantar heel pain in the morning that will improve as the day progresses or pain at the beginning of a run that improves. Try: Stretching, self-massage, bracing at night, strengthening, physical therapy (ASTYM soft-tissue treatment), dry needling and perhaps PRP (platelet rich plasma) injections. CALCANEAL-CUBOID SYNDROME: Restriction in joint movement that may come on gradually or the result of trauma. Key indicators: Lateral plantar heel pain that increases in proportion to walking and standing duration; pain and weakness with push-off. Running is usually not possible. Try: Physical therapy or chiropractic help. NERVE ENTRAPMENT (tibial, plantar and calcaneal nerves): Compression of a peripheral nerve from poor foot/ankle mechanics. Key indicators: Burning pain or numbness. Try: Physical therapy, neurology, podiatry or orthotics. CALCANEAL STRESS FRACTURE: Caused by significant increase in running volume, poor running mechanics and dietary issues. Key indicators: Localized swelling and pain when squeezing the heel, pain that increases as walking/weight bearing increases. Try: Rest and immobilization.

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

ALEX KEHR; NILS NILSEN

All of the above can be diagnosed by a skilled sports medicine clinician with foot and ankle experience. Diagnostic Ultrasound, MRI, bone scan and nerve conduction studies may be necessary to complete the case. // NATHAN KOCH, PT, ATC

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FIVE QUESTIONS FOR:

IAN ADAMSON What appeal does the 24 & 8 Hours of Triathlon have that Ironman doesn’t? It’s different from Ironman in that the lengths are very short. The distance is one-tenth of the iron distance so you accumulate as many laps as you can. It’s a set time, not a set distance, and you get to see people frequently throughout the course. If you are a solo athlete doing one of the races, you’ll certainly cover well over the iron distance. There’s also a lot more strategy involved. Some people use it for training for Kona. Wendy Mader, who was the fastest non-pro a couple of years ago in Kona, raced it and set the record at the time. We capture a huge number of athletes training for long distance and Ironman races. They like the race because they’re getting the distance without the damage. Plus, you get support and have the option of a pit crew, so it’s a social race as well.

With seven world championships under his belt, Ian Adamson is quite possibly the best adventure racer of all time. But his multisport beginnings were in triathlon—he began competing in 1984 in Australia. He now organizes 24 & 8 Hours of Triathlon, a solo or relay event centered on doing continuous loops of a 0.24-mile swim, an 11.2-mile bike and a 2.62-mile run for either eight or 24 hours. Triathlete sat down with Adamson to talk about the race and all things tri. 38

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

With your background in adventure racing, why did you decide to put on a triathlon? I’ve always liked stage races, and I was producing quite a few events for companies like the International Management Group. I still contract occasionally for others, including being the swim course director for Ironman China. I started racing triathlon in 1984, which makes me fairly old in the sport. It’s kind of going back to my roots. But I didn’t do triathlon for 12 years when I was a professional adventure racer. Once I retired, I went right back into the sport as a race director and to race a bit for the fun of it. What equipment does one need when starting out? You’re probably going to have several bikes: a road bike, a timetrial bike and a mountain bike. You also

need a boat, paddles, a life jacket and climbing equipment. The equipment load is way bigger. What are your plans for expanding the race? We’re moving it to the Midwest this year, to the Milwaukee and Chicago area. Locating it where the athletes are makes sense. We always had a lot of athletes drive down from Chicago and Milwaukee to do the race [when it was held in Colorado]. They’ve been asking for years to hold it up there. If you’re a triathlete looking to add some spice into your routine, how could adventure racing help you train? It certainly gives you the ability to train through and around injury. Triathlon is good in the respect that you have other sports you can train at to maintain aerobic fitness. With adventure racing, this is more so. If you do something in a lake, you can still paddle and swim and possibly do other things to maintain fitness. There’s also the non-specificity of cross-training, such as running on trails and mountain biking. Trail running gives you better proprioception [an awareness of the position of your body]. If you can handle the rigors of trail running, running on the road is that much easier. If you’re on a demanding trail, you’re developing your support muscles [the tiny stabilization muscles in your body]. You also develop much better skills as a mountain biker than if you’re just biking on a road. This is kind of the same thing with road [bike] racing—you will develop better [bike handling] skills. You also get all these odd conditions that show up in [adventure racing]. Being able to cope with the worst conditions gives you a better handle on straight-up Ironman. One thing with adventure racing is you do kayaking and canoeing, and this develops immense core strength. One area where triathletes do tend to lose a little bit is core strength. You see it at the end of a long run. Mirinda [Carfrae] and Craig [Alexander] maintain amazing posture, but it’s because they have amazing core strength. //COURTNEY BAIRD

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May 28 Fleet Feet Sports Soldier Field 10 June 25 Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & 1/2 benefiting the American Cancer Society August 14 Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon benefiting the American Cancer Society August 28 Chicago Triathlon

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time-crunched triAthlete

The Modern Triathlon Family

train at the same time, which effectively halves the cost. Second, you most likely already spend the same amount of money, or more, on activities that are far more fleeting and deliver far fewer benefits. I suggest working it into the budget; many of the parents we coach tell us they are happier and less stressed at home and with their partner because this solution allows them to continue pursuing personal goals that are important to them.

Include your kids in your training Whether you can successfully include your kids in your training depends on a lot of factors, including their age, the duration of the workout, their interests, etc. But when it works, it can be a great way to spend time with your kids and be a positive role model at the same time. I’ve started taking my son, Connor, with me on recovery rides, and we have a blast. Some fitness centers offer childcare or swimming lessons while you’re completing your swim workout. It’s not quite “including” your kids in your training, but it exposes them to your active lifestyle.

Adjust your work hours Some people might be surprised to learn how much time coaches spend counseling athletes on their relationships and careers. Family and career obligations are primarily what make many athletes fit into the TimeCrunched Triathlete category, and there are a few strategies that we’ve found to be very successful for a lot of working parents.

Trade time When you’re committing to a training schedule—particularly one that includes

triathlete.com | April 2011

Though it might not always be financially viable for some, some parents who can afford the cost still resist, often because they perceive it to be over-indulgent. As a coach, a parent and an athlete, I think it’s a very good use of your money. First off, many couples use this solution so they can both

Jim Rutberg co-wrote this article and is a Carmichael Training Systems pro coach and the co-author of The Time-Crunched Triathlete. Chris Carmichael is the co-author of The Time-Crunched Triathlete and founder and CEO of Carmichael Training Systems.

nils nilsen; john segesta

by chris carmichael

Get a babysitter

The current economy has a lot of athletes scaling back their training commitments so they can focus on keeping the jobs they have. One solution we’ve had success with is for an athlete to shift his workday back or forward by a few hours. If you train in the morning, start your workday a bit later; if you leave early for training, commit to getting to the office earlier. When you strike the optimal balance among your sport, relationships and career, you’re getting rid of a lot of stress and hassle that prevent you from being as effective as possible in your training, and you will see your workout performance improve without any change to your training program.

Masters swim or track sessions—it’s a good idea to have a very specific discussion about “trading time” with your partner. If you’re going to be training in the morning before work, it’s likely you’re not going to be around to help your children get out of bed, eat breakfast and go off to school. Your partner will be more likely to accept that ongoing responsibility if he or she knows you’re also committing to being responsible for a different time period or activity. In families where both parents are athletes, trading time is essential in order for both people to fit in their workouts.

Photo: Eric Wynn

Chris McCormack rides the 808 Firecrest wheelset, Zipp Tangente Tubulars, and SRAM RED components

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. We launched the new 808 Firecrest at Kona, and Chris McCormack took full advantage. Out on the Queen K, his 808s with Zipp Tangente tubulars were the fastest, most efficient, best handling wheels on the road. And in the marathon’s final mile, he had enough left in the tank to win one of the most dramatic duels in triathlon history. | Not only is Firecrest more aerodynamic than any other rim design, its distinctive wide profile also improves handling in crosswinds, wheel strength, and overall ride quality. It only took one shot for Macca to prove that it’s simply a better wheel in every way. | But that victory wasn’t the only one for Zipp this year. Mirinda Carfrae won on 650c ZEDTECH 4s and Karin Thuerig set a bike course record with a 303/1080 setup. Zipp once again dominated the Kona Bike Count with nearly 60% of all aero wheels. Clearly, superior technology makes a difference for every athlete.

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TOUR GUIDE

Changing seasons, diverse terrains and elevations upward of 12,000 feet make Grand County an outdoor training wonderland. By Judy Tsuei 42

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

COURTESY GRAND COUNTY TOURISM BOARD: KERRICK JAMES, WINTER PARK FRASER VALLEY CHAMBER

Grand County, Colorado

Upon entering Rocky Mountain National Park, visitors receive a newsletter with tips on how to prepare for the rigors of high elevation: “Drink plenty of water, and travel at a pace at which you can still talk and breathe easily.” Yet with 350 invigorating trails amid utter wilderness and altitude, you may want to move at a much faster clip to take it all in. Just 67 miles outside of Denver, Grand County, Colo., sits at the west entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park and features gaspingly high heights grounded by seven quaint towns: Granby, Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling, Parshall, Tabernish and Winter Park/Fraser. Each town hosts a seasonally shifting terrain that naturally brings athleticism to new peaks—all the way up to 12,183 feet. “I’ve done triathlons of every distance, and Grand County’s altitude really prepares you,” says Granby triathlete Kristen Lodge. “When I race at lower elevations, I feel like I could swim, bike or run forever.” One of the best ways to enjoy the region is cycling along Trail Ridge Road, where traffic lights are replaced by sightings of moose and elk. The highest continually paved road in Grand County, Trail Ridge Road also happens to be part of the Great Parks Bicycle Route, a 2,455-mile bicycle tour created by the Adventure Cycling Association from Alberta to Colorado. The Great Parks South route is available only from early summer to mid-fall due to changing local conditions and

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tour guide

Grand County Shout-outS If you want … Ice cream by the lake Get a scoop—or three—at Miyauchi Snack Bar, where they also serve up tasty burgers. 1029 Lake Avenue, Grand Lake

triathlete.com | April 2011

If all of this activity has you hungry, eat at the many mom-and-pop shops where meat and starches reign supreme. For the best steak in Grand Lake, the family-owned Back Street Steakhouse is where to go. More notable than the food are the homey accommodations throughout Grand County where you can rest and rejuvenate. Many are set right in the heart of Colorado’s breathtaking natural surroundings, such as Daven Haven Lodge, that comes complete with quilts and board games in every cabin. Or, for an authentic Wild West experience, try staying at one of several dude ranches in the area—Grand County has come to be known as the “Dude Ranch Capital of the United States.” The best time to travel to Grand County is in August, when air temperatures are cool at the start and end of the day, and water temperatures are comfortable in a wetsuit. February is the quietest time of year, while holidays are incredibly busy due to Grand County’s close proximity to Denver. Grand County encourages a return to nature for a training experience that keeps you feeling lifted for days to come—and that’s not just because of the altitude.

Lake-view relaxing Visit “Colorado’s Favorite Front Porch,” which offers a panoramic view of the water in a historic log building. 15500 U.S. Highway 34, Grand Lake A pint at Grand Lake Brewing Company, all brews are made in small batches using pure rocky Mountain water. they even have vegan eats. 915 Grand Ave, Grand Lake

A nature encounter

Explore the rocky Mountain national Park’s renowned flora and fauna on horseback, a bicycle or on your own two feet. U.S. 36, Estes Park, Colo.

A long ride

From downtown Winter Park to Grand Lake Village, enjoy a 70-mile loop with large shoulders, or start in Granby and ride to the top of Willow Creek Pass, elevation 9,683 feet. Start in Winter Park, Colo., on route 40W to route 34 to Grand Lake or from Granby take route 40W to 125n. A bit of Americana Be a cowboy/cowgirl for the weekend at any of the dude ranches that range from down home to pretty plush. Dude-ranch.com To soak up some sights (literally) ride the mighty Colorado river on whitewater rafts. Grand-county.com/kayaking-rafting

Courtesy Grand County tourism Board: KerriCK James

takes riders through the old mining country of the Rockies. From off-road mountain biking to singletrack rides on forest trails, you can experience grueling climbs and freeing descents amid a backdrop of dramatic mountain scenery. Summer months are ideal for openwater swimming in the largest natural body of water in Colorado, Grand Lake, or in nearby man-made Shadow Mountain Lake and Lake Granby, all of which maintain 60-degree temperatures. Summer is also perfect for camping, fishing or hiking, with 150 miles of scenic shoreline packed with idyllic images of Americana. And with the abundance of ice cream and burger stands, there are plenty of opportunities to let training briefly take a backseat. During the winter, Winter Park provides an assortment of cross-training opportunities. While renowned for downhill powder skiing and backcountry challenges that cover nearly 3,000 skiable acres, Winter Park and its neighboring towns also offer snowshoeing at three groomed Nordic Centers: Devil’s Thumb Ranch, YMCA at the Rockies and the Grand Lake Metropolitan District. There’s even dogsledding.

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my fAvorite things

Conrad Stoltz Stoltz won the Xterra World Championship in Maui, Hawaii, for the fourth time last year, making him the only man on Earth with four Xterra world titles. Best known for his stellar mountain biking skills, he's also proven himself on the roads: He represented South Africa in triathlon at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics. Conrad’S favoriTe raCe?

Xterra Alabama Training

triathlete.com | April 2011

Biggest triathlon-related adventure? Racing in Southern France straight out of high school

fuel Favorite post-workout recovery fuel? If it’s the last workout of the day, then beer. Favorite fuel during a race? Clif Shots (double espresso or vanilla) and Clif Shot Electrolyte drink with an added SaltStick Favorite coffee? Kona Peaberry. Freshly ground, strong, black and sweet. Favorite junk food? Curly fries go down well. Favorite cocktail? Long Island Iced Tea during Halloween in Hawaii

Travel Favorite city to race in? Chicago Favorite snack when you’re traveling? Clif Crunch, peanut butter flavor

Favorite way to avoid bike fees? I finally ascended to heaven—Specialized pays! Favorite way to pass the time in a plane? It’s the best time to catch up on e-mails without getting distracted by the Internet. On the 35 hours of flights to and from South Africa, I take a sleeping tablet on the 16-hour flight. On the other two flights, I read.

eTCeTera Favorite book? Anything by Herman Charles Bosman. But at the moment I'm reading Around Africa on my Bicycle by Riaan Manser. Favorite charity? I like to give on impulse where I see need. I recently gave an up-andcoming youngster my last set of racing tires right off my bike.

Favorite movie? “Amélie” Favorite type of music/ artists? Right now, Afrikaans Alternative. Die Antwoord and Jack Parow Do you have any pets? My parents have three dogs, including a cute little Boerboel puppy. He’s quickly growing to 100 pounds. Who inspires you? Mountain biker Ned Overend. He mixes his passion with his hobby and his job. He is an icon in the sport and in the company (Specialized). And he still kicks ass at 55 years old. If you weren’t a professional triathlete, you’d be … Jobless? If I really had to study after high school I’d do industrial design. But four months racing in France sounded much better.

Mike AdriAn/XTerrA PHOTOS

Favorite spot to train? Bend, Ore., in the U.S. and Stellenbosch in South Africa Favorite mountain biking trail? McKenzie River trail in Oregon Favorite pre-race meal? On race morning, breakfast is the only meal I don’t enjoy— nothing tastes good. I’ve tried it all. Favorite form of active recovery? Is adventure dirt biking active recovery? Yes, I think so. The mind recovers! It’s all about the mind. Favorite piece of gear? 29er wheels Off-road or pavement? Off-road for sure Hot or temperate races? I enjoy temperate more. Who wants to spend time in the med tent instead of the beer tent? What's your proudest moment in triathlon? The first Olympic Games [for triathlon] in Sydney 2000

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deAr coAch

An Uphill Battle? Dear Coach, I have often heard hill running is a great addition to improve strength and fitness. Is hill work really worth the hassle?

triathlete.com | April 2011

Goal and benefits of hill repeats. Executed properly, hill running can help with essential elements of technique, act as a perfect form of functional strength and synchronized movement and increase your ability to generate power and propulsion from your running stride. All of these can add up to you being a more efficient and, ultimately, faster runner. Technique improvement: I often hear that the goal of running is to keep to as short of strides as possible, but this is not strictly true. The goal is to have the longest possible stride, from the line of the hip and back, as this is the portion of the

run stride that creates propulsion. The aspect that you want to avoid is overstriding, or over-reaching, at the front of the running stride, which leads to a heavy load as the foot hits the ground and instant deceleration. For most recreational runners, it is very difficult to achieve solid propulsion, along with hamstring and hip flexor engagement, which are needed for an improved running stride. By adding a light grade, you will be naturally forced to push through the stride more to gain propulsion. You will also be forced to engage hamstring and hip flexors in order to bring your leg from the back of the stride to the front of the stride more quickly. This prevents your foot from driving into the slope of the hill. When you repeat this consistently you will notice increased foot speed on the flat roads, with the translation to improved biomechanics. Functional strength: The slope of a hill places a load on your musculoskeletal system, hence a chance to improve

larry rosa; istockphoto.com/iGphotoGraphy

with matt dixon

Hills are an invaluable training tool for all levels of triathlete, and the benefits of hill running are greater than simply getting in a challenging workout. The good news is that proper hill repeats do not have to be agonizing. Consider a dose of training to always produce strain that is a balance between cardiovascular stress and musculoskeletal stress.

dear coach functional strength and movement. In order for this to occur you must maintain appropriate form. The common mistakes are to slug up the hill, face looking at your toes, hip angle closed, hence cutting off much of your potential power production. You should choose a hill that is gentle enough for you to be able to hold a style of running in which you can face the top of the hill, chest open and proud, in a stable and controlled posture. If the hill is too steep, it will become impossible to hold form, making the value diminish quickly. You should be able to stay relaxed, with a loose arm swing (load the arm on the back “pump” of the arm, then let it release back to neutral), and concentrate on engaging your core and keeping the hips very stable and controlled. This focus will translate into improved hip stability, synchronization of movement and power production. Power production: We could call this functional power, as the goal is to allow improved muscular power that directly translates to your activity, which in this case is running. The grade of a hill will produce a neuromuscular overload to increase muscle recruitment and your ability to generate power. This power will then have the chance to be translated to improved speed and efficiency in other training. An effective way to complement your hill running is to make a habit of finishing the last hill repetition heading to a flat surface as to program some faster—and more efficient—running into your legs. Key tips with hill repeats. Don’t go into hill repeats thinking about trying to overload both cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems; the key word is “control.” To get the control you need to make the hill work effective, make sure that you have the following: Gentle hill: A 3 to 5 percent grade is sufficient to provide the load you need but will also allow control. Control your breathing: Think about loading the legs, not the heart, hence your breathing should be controlled. If you cannot control your breathing, you are either on a hill that’s too steep or you are going too fast. Hold the form: Remember the cues: proud running (upright), pushing through and no slouching. This is how you generate improved power and biomechanics. Get the time right: There is a place for high-intensity and short—20-second to one-minute—hill repeats, but the most valuable duration for triathletes is extended and controlled repetitions of two to 20 minutes. A typical session might focus around a set of three to six repetitions of three to six minutes on a 3 to 4 percent grade. For recovery, do a controlled and light jog back to the bottom of the hill. Don’t get lured into thinking hill repeats have to be agony— if done right they can be a natural and effective way to improve form, efficiency and power. Just ensure you choose the right hill, stay controlled and think about your technique through the hill. Matt Dixon is an exercise physiologist, former professional triathlete, elite coach and the owner of the San Francisco-based professional coaching company Purplepatch Fitness. 50

triathlete.com | April 2011

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Ask A pro

Hard Core Talk Q:

Do you do any core strength work? If so, which exercises? And how do I incorporate them into my training?

I do a complete strength routine three to four times a week to strengthen my core and target specific weaknesses and imbalances. I have to admit that this is often the first area to be neglected when I am time-crunched or just plain exhausted from training. The core is a loose term that refers to all the muscles in the pelvis, hips, lower back and abdominal wall. A strong core is necessary to support the larger muscles that do the "real" work of swimming, biking and running. The abdominals are the show ponies of the core world, as they are the most readily visible and the easiest to target. While owning rippling abs is certainly an appealing goal, they are more a reflection of genetics and overall body composition rather than complete core strength. It is important not to neglect the less glamorous stability muscles in search of a six-pack. The major muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, hip flexors) of a trained triathlete are so strong that it’s often a weakness in smaller stabilizer muscles that can create

triathlete.com | April 2011

For a demonstration of the exercises mentioned, snap the barcode with your smartphone or go to Triathlete.com/corestrength.

Nils NilseN

with samantha mcglone

an imbalance and lead to injury. In the offseason, I practice a core routine developed for me by physiotherapists at Endurance Rehab. A specifically designed program is particularly effective because it takes into account an athlete’s individual biomechanics and targets any weaknesses or imbalances. Doing endless crunches is less important than focusing on the more commonly weak areas that triathletes have, such as lower back and hips. A complete core routine should include exercises that target the rectus abdominis (front abs), obliques (side abs), spinal erectors (back), and the adductors, abductors, glutes and piriformis muscles in the hips. These are all the smaller muscles that provide stability to the larger muscles of the legs when biking and running, but are not regularly trained while performing the three disciplines. A core routine need only take 20–30 minutes three times per week and can be performed at the end of another workout while you are already warmed up. My favorite exercises for triathletes include: » Monster walk and clam with resistance band (glutes and abductors) » Hamstring curls on a ball (low back and hamstrings) » Plank and side plank (abs and obliques) » Dead bug (hip flexors, low back) » Four point (low back) » Russian twists with shoulders on ball (obliques) » Jackknife with feet on ball (abdominals)

There are dozens of ways to work the core muscles, using everything from pure body weight to gym machines to a cable or suspension training system such as the Vasa trainer or TRX. To alleviate the boredom of performing the same routine, I like to mix up my strength work depending on the season. In the winter I focus on the listed exercises to correct weaknesses and create a stable platform on which to base the heavier volume of early-season training. When traveling to training camps or races I bring the TRX with me. During the pre-Kona build-up and for heavy Ironman training I perform a pared-down gym routine that targets all the major muscle groups and the core in 45 minutes, twice per week. I like to do this after my long (six- to eighthour) brick day as it forces me to maintain proper form while fatigued. It also prevents overdoing it in the gym, which is possible when doing strength work on a lighter day, when energy and muscle glycogen stores are high. During recovery blocks I incorporate power yoga into my training twice per week to maintain core strength and improve balance and flexibility. Core work is never a favorite part of the job, but it’s important to include. There is always time to incorporate some core strength into your routine: Do a set of front and side planks while watching TV, or throw on some fins at the end of swim practice and do 200 meters fly kick on your back. (Try it next time you're in the pool and tell me if you don't feel the burn in your abs afterward.) And who knows? Maybe this is the season that six-pack won’t be so elusive.

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I’M A TRIATHLETE

KELLY BRUNO BY LAUREN VENTURA

If you’re a fan of reality TV, then you might have heard of Kelly Bruno, one of the castoffs from “Survivor: Nicaragua,” the 21st season of the hit show on CBS.››

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

RYAN ROBINSON; ASIPHOTO.COM

The fit 26-year-old, who has an artificial right leg due to a birth defect, performed grueling physical challenges—all while on a measly 200-calorie daily diet—against several other contestants in the rainforests of Nicaragua. Why? To prove herself a true “survivor” and take home the million-dollar prize purse. Despite being voted off “Survivor,” Bruno's offscreen achievements cast her as a true survivor—and one seriously talented triathlete. “People underestimated me and my ability, but I proved them wrong,” Bruno says of her fellow “Survivor” contestants. “I hope that people seeing me [on the show] changes their minds when they go up against someone else with a disability.” Bruno’s athletic resume is no joke: She’s taken on both Ford Ironman Lake Placid and the Nautica New York City Triathlon each year since 2004, but she’s probably best known for snagging the women’s title in the physically challenged division at the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Bruno’s race history goes back to 2003

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I’M A TRIATHLETE

KELLY BRUNO’S STATS:

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

when she got a running injury while at Duke University, which pushed her into swimming and biking. It was a recovery routine that naturally led her to racing triathlons. “I think the reason I’ve stayed in this sport for so long is because there’s no end to the challenge,” says Bruno. “There’s always another race to do that’s unique or different, so it’s like starting all over again each time. For instance, diving off the barge during the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon or taking on the Uwharrie Mountain Run, to name a couple.” It’s this joie de vivre that drove Bruno to compete on “Survivor” despite the death of her father. Dr. Richard Bruno perished in the Jan. 2010 earthquakes in Haiti while working with students from Lynn University, where he was an assistant professor. “I knew it would be something my dad would have been so excited about because he was a huge influence in my life that al-

ways pushed me to go take on challenges,” she says. “I knew he wouldn’t have wanted me to give up.” According to Bruno, her father was the main driver behind her decision to go into medicine, as she plans on also becoming a physician. She hopes to continue the legacy her father set forth while working for the U.S. Foreign Service and Doctors Without Borders. “This is my chance to follow in his footsteps so I can carry on his name, do what he did, and help all the people he helped,” she says. In addition to pursuing her goal of becoming a doctor, Bruno is currently training and racing to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. She says that no matter what type of challenge it is— whether it be a ring toss for food on TV or an Ironman—she always approaches competition in the same way. “For me, crossing that finish line is why I race,” says Bruno. “I just know if I keep putting one foot in front of the other I’m going to make it to that finish line.”

MONTY BRINTON; ASIPHOTO.COM

Birthday: March 23, 1984 Current Hometown: Durham, N.C. Occupation: Second-year medical student at the University of North Carolina Toughest race: “Without sounding cliché, it was by far Kona. Just the weather conditions alone, there’s really not much that can prepare you for that ... I just remember heading back at the halfway point going downhill and thinking, ‘If I stop pedaling I won’t be moving’—that’s how bad the headwinds were. I think I really underestimated that race; it’s definitely a tough course.” Standout performance: She earned the women’s title in the physically challenged division at the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship in 14:02:34. Favorite races: San Diego Triathlon Challenge, Ford Ironman Lake Placid and the Nautica New York City Triathlon On her first Ironman experience: “I didn’t have any running shoes. My mom was helping me out and brought me my running leg prosthesis but forgot my running shoes. Luckily, a race volunteer gave me her shoes, so I ran for about the first 15 miles in someone else’s shoes. It wasn’t ideal, but such is life.” Inspirations: Her father, the late Dr. Richard Bruno, and fellow challenged athlete and ultramarathoner Amy Palmiero-Winters Charities: Challenged Athletes Foundation and Team A Step Ahead Future goals: Finishing an ultramarathon and qualifying for Kona in her able-bodied age group

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confessions of An Age-grouper

Starting From Scratch by holly bennett The logic is obvious. If you love doing something, do it as often as possible. Except that’s not always the healthiest approach. After all, drinking hundred-dollar bottles of wine all night, every night, would prove problematic for a variety of reasons. Eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner might quickly double your waist size and destroy your skin. And while making whoopee 24/7 sure sounds like fun, it could seriously hamper your ability to accomplish anything else in life. The same goes for training. Yes, there really can be too much of a good thing. Anyone who swims, rides and runs up to 140.6 consecutive miles on purpose understandably has a hard time knowing when to stop. But oftentimes, fate flags us down when we most need a time-out. Injuries are of course a call-out for rest. Other factors that force time off from training may be less blatant but equally essential. This past winter, I had to halt all training, a post-operative moratorium on intense activity. In fact, I was a veritable couch potato following an abdominal surgery, with a slow and steady step-bystep return to fitness. Writing this five

weeks out from my hospital discharge, I’ve progressed from standing like a shaky-legged fawn to churning out a daily Hour of Power treadmill walk. Within a few weeks I’ll be able to resume all three triathlon sports, and I’m certainly excited to get back at it in a big way. But can I tell you a secret? It’s a secret that, as a USAT card-carrying member of the tri community, I’m a bit ashamed to admit. But truth be told, I’ve relished these weeks of oh-solazy inactivity. Maybe that makes me a bad triathlete, at risk of losing my Type A status. But come on, people, fess up. I know each and every one of you has an inner yearning to be a lounge lizard—you’re just lacking a good excuse. You don’t really relish rising at 5 a.m. for swim practice. And I bet you’d jump on the chance to waste away a Sunday, soaking up football and Guinness rather than logging a 100-mile ride. Allow yourself a lazy patch now and again. When else can you truly start from scratch—finding a fresh approach to fitness wherein literally every stroke and stride is an accomplishment? Take it from me, and these 10 ways in which doing a whole lot of nothing has enhanced my life:

All the itty bitty aches and pains associated with constant training have miraculously faded. I’m no longer sore, just soft.

I have a newfound anticipation— or perhaps a pain medicationfueled fantasy—of how fit and fast I will become, once I’m back in action full-force.

My sports nutrition pantry shelf remains fully stocked. On the flip side, my dark chocolate and red wine supplies have been deeply depleted.

I’ve seen a 50 percent reduction in my grocery bill …

… an equal decrease in loads of laundry …

… and a 100 percent increase in my free time.

Finally! Justification for that Snuggie impulse buy.

I’m able to deftly debate the merits of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” vs. “Atlanta,” “Top Chef” vs. “Cupcake Wars” and “What Not to Wear” vs. “Say Yes to the Dress.”

If all goes well with my reentry to exercise plan, I’ll be proof positive of the couch potato-turned-athlete phenomenon.

As in any relationship, space can be a good thing. I’m taking time to reassess my commitment to the sport, to be certain it fulfills my needs and holds promise for the future. Sure, I risk being swept off my feet by a tall, dark and handsome stranger— perhaps in the guise of racquetball or underwater basket weaving—but if this relationship is meant to be, I’ll be back in love with swimming, cycling and running in no time!

triathlete.com | April 2011

hunter king

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FLOWER POWER

Some 8,000 athletes are expected to pitch camp at Lake San Antonio in Monterey County, Calif., April 29 to May 1 for the Avia Wildflower Triathlons Festival. The Long Course Triathlon is a qualifier event for the ITU World Long Course Triathlon Championships, held in Henderson, Nev., this fall. PHOTOGRAPH BY KURT HOY

April 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

trAining tips

Swim Healthy

Chlorine kills a lot of bad stuff found in pools, but frequent swim training can still pose some pesky health concerns. Don’t let one of these issues get in the way of your next swim session.

triathlete.com | April 2011

Hair damage Pool chemicals can be harsh on your locks, making them more susceptible to breakage. Prevent it: Wet your hair before you get in the pool, and wear a swim cap. Your hair is less likely to absorb chlorine if it’s already wet. Treat it: Wash your hair post-swim with a shampoo/ conditioner with chlorineremoval properties, such as UltraSwim ($4.99, Walgreens. com) or TriSwim ($4.80, Shop. triswimbeauty.com).

Swimming pool rash Chlorine can irritate skin and make it dry, itchy and, in some cases, turn into a rash. Prevent it: Rinse off with warm water and antibacterial soap before you enter and immediately after you exit the pool. DermaSwim ($11.99, Dermaswimpro.com) is a pre-swimming lotion that can help block chlorine’s negative effects. Treat it: If it worsens, take a bath with baking soda, then rub the affected areas with calamine lotion.

Irritated eyes If there’s a chemical imbalance in the pool—either too little or too much chlorine—you could wind up with red, irritated eyes. Prevent it: Wear goggles, especially if you wear contact lenses. After swimming, flush your eyes with an over-thecounter saline such as Artificial Tears ($3.49, Amazon.com). Treat it: If eyes get really inflamed or progress into chemical conjunctivitis (aka pool-induced pink eye), head to the doctor. // Jené Shaw

Nils NilseN

Swimmer’s ear Water left lingering in your ear after swimming could lead to an infection in the outer canal. Prevent it: Swim with earplugs and rinse out ears with a product such as Swim-Ear ($5.39, Drugstore.com) that kills germs and evaporates water. Treat it: There are lots of quirky home remedies—from laying your head on a sock filled with salt to rinsing your ear with garlic oil—but the quickest relief is prescription drops from a doctor.

trAining tips

On Dry Land

Your swimming strength, technique and speed can also be a training focus while on dry land—either in the gym or at home. Use these three simple exercises consistently and reap the benefits in the water.

Medicine Ball Twists: Start with a mediumweight ball. Sit on the ground, bend your knees and raise your feet 6 inches off the ground. Hold the ball with both hands at your waist. Rotate your torso (not your head) side-to-side and gently tap the ball to the floor on both sides. Twist to each side 20 times, rest, then repeat three times.

Flutter Kicks: Lie on your back on a flat surface. Place your hands, palms down, under each buttock. Lift your head slightly and look toward your feet. Point your toes and raise your legs six inches off the ground. Flutter kick with a quick tempo (don’t touch the ground) for 30 seconds before resting for 30. Repeat three times.

Seated Row: To prevent the common swimmer’s slouch caused by overdeveloped chest muscles, strengthen your back and shoulders with a rowing machine. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together and sitting upright with good posture. Do three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.

DIY Equipment: A swim stick with threaded ends and two matching threaded caps. Before your next swim session, tighten the caps onto each end of the pipe and toss it into your bag. For a wooden stick, purchase a ¾-inch wood dowel 2 or 3 feet in length. Cut 12inch sections and make a stick for all of your training partners. The total cost for either option is less than $4.

Use a stick for the No Cheat Catch-Up Drill. Hold the stick with your extended arm and transfer it from hand to hand while executing a basic Catch-Up drill. Keep both hands shoulder-width apart by grasping the ends of the stick. This drill will improve distance-per-stroke and create a more streamlined body position in the water. // Sara mclarty

triathlete.com | April 2011

Nils NilseN

Using training tools during swim practice can improve technique, create more power and provide variety to your routine. One of the simplest and cheapest items to have at the pool is a DiY swimming stick. A stick can be made from PVC or wood. For the PVC versions, stop by the plumbing section of your local hardware store. Pick up a 12 x ¾-inch pipe

KESTREL 4000 NOT JUST A CONCEPT. Ironman Champion Andy Potts testing in the A2 Wind Tunnel.

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TRAINING TIPS

Ask Coach Sara What should I eat before a Q: swim workout?

Kicking 101 Don’t ignore the lower half of your body when you enter the water. Instead, use your powerful leg muscles to become a faster and more balanced swimmer. The way to a better kick is through observation, experimentation and lots of practice!

Watch other swimmers in the pool. Look at their lower body above and below the water. Observe the fluid motion of their legs, the cadence and tempo of the kick and the position of their body along the surface. Notice how the powerful action starts at the hip, flows through the leg and finishes with pointed toes. Emulate fast, strong kickers. Dedicate a few minutes in the pool to testing your observations. Dis-

cover what gives you forward movement and what does not. Mix up your kick. Kick with fins to help build ankle flexibility and stronger muscles. Kick on your back to change the view and confirm your knees are not bending and exiting the water. Kick strong during drills like catch-up and six-kick switch to improve the connection between your upper and lower body.

// SARA MCLARTY

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

JOHN SEGESTA, ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/LAYLAND MASUDA

The ongoing search for an easily digestible, pre-workout energy source is shared among swimmers. With all the flips, twists and turns, many typical snacks do not settle well. Before eating a burger and fries as you drive to the pool, imagine how it will taste the second time around! Morning swimmers might find that acidic orange juice is not the best choice. Instead, try water or a lightly sweetened sports drink. Cereal with milk or yogurt might be a nutritious breakfast, but toast or a bagel with honey and peanut butter might be a better (lactose-free) pre-swim alternative. Midday swimmers usually trade their lunch hour for a quick dip. Munch on a granola bar or pack an extra Gu to eat pre-swim. Save your four-course gourmet lunch for après swim. The 30 minutes after you workout is the best time to refuel your body. Let trial and error be your personal guide. Stick to basic foods that will digest quickly and are a good source of sustained energy. Hydration is also important at the pool, and a water bottle should always be within arm’s reach during swim practice.

30th Annual Mighty Hamptons “The legend continues” September 11th

Mightyman Montauk Weekend October 1st and 2nd Choose your distance: Sprint, Olympic or Half Iron

Dave Scott

Champion of the 1982 Mighty Hamptons: “I’m sorry that I can’t be with you for the 30th running. I look forward to coming back for the 31st! Good luck to everyone and enjoy the great hospitality and scenery of the Mighty Hamptons!”

Cameron Elford

Triathlete Magazine on the Mighty Man Half: “Challenge yourself to one of the most awesome tests of endurance. Simply; A Must do Event”.

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TRAIL WHIZ

Carla van Huyssteen led the women’s race from start to finish at Xterra Buffelspoort, a 1.5K swim, 25K mountain bike and 10K trail run outside Pretoria, South Africa. She completed the Jan. 29 race in 2:40:58. Fellow South African Conrad Stoltz was the men’s winner in 2:14:02. PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER DAWSON

April 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

trAining tips

Bunny hopping A small jump while clipped into your pedals can allow you to clear some sharp, slippery or speed-robbing obstacles in your way on the trail. Bunny hopping is a matter of timing. All at once, bend your knees, lean back slightly and hop on your pedals while lifting your front wheel. It is much easier when rolling quickly. Weight transfer Learning to shift your weight to maximize traction on your bike is the key to mountain bike riding. On a very steep descent, lean far back over the rear wheel to prevent over-ending and to maintain traction. To ride over a log, shift your weight back to un-weight the front wheel while lifting it up and over the log. Once your front wheel is on the obstacle, pedal vigorously to propel yourself over the top. Anticipating shifting Looking up the trail will help you anticipate the need to shift. Picture yourself speeding down a long descent in muddy conditions to a sharp turn followed by a steep hill. You suddenly need to shift both your front and your rear derailleur from a very high gear to a very low gear in order to pedal up the steep hill. If you do this while pedaling hard, the chain could snap. Hydrating The technical difficulty of a trail determines the best hydration accessory for the day. A hydration pack leaves your hands free to cling to the bars for your entire ride, which is safer and more reliable than reaching for a water bottle on a twisty trail. Using bottles on a mountain bike is definitely manageable, but they are best left for less technical sections of the trail.

King of the Mountain

7 Skills Every Off-road Cyclist Should Master

triathlete.com | April 2011

handlebars, and press on the handlebar inward to initiate the turn while keeping weight on your outside leg to maintain traction. Exit the corner as wide as possible. This outside-inside-outside pattern effectively makes a corner more gradual, which allows you to maintain more speed through the bend.Â Dialing in your tire pressure The amount of air in your tire determines how much traction it gets on a loose surface and how well it absorbs little bumps in the trail. If you are running a tubeless setup, you can experiment with low pressure because tubeless tires do not pinch flat. With tubes, you will have that risk, but you might still want to experiment with low tire pressure because it increases traction so dramatically.

// melanie mcQuaid

McQuaid is a Canadian pro triathlete, three-time Xterra world champion and coach. Her website is Racergirl.com.

XtErra PhOtOS

Clipping in and out Getting accustomed to clipping your cleat into and out of your pedal comes with practice. Mountain bike cleats are even easier than road cleats in this regard because they release in numerous directions, and the pedal will attach on either side of the cleat. With a little practice, you can get in and out of your pedals while keeping your eye on the trail. Cornering Your main goal when cornering is to preserve your speed and momentum through the turn.Â Brake before entering the turn because braking in the corner will rob your tires of traction. Enter a corner from the outside edge of the trail, and aim for the inside edge of the corner at the peak of the bend. Keep your arms light on your

TRAINING TIPS

Test Before You Train Set up your zones

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

Write down or enter your data to start formulating your zones. You can use my free Tri Zone Calculator at Fastforwardsports. net (Trainingpeaks.com

and 2Peak.com also have their own versions). Enter your average HR and/or average watts and select “20 minutes” for your test duration. Next, you will see a section with your personalized training zones to help guide you to the proper intensity level for achieving the following goals: Zone 1: Fat-burning, aerobic development, recovery, Ironman (novice) pace Zone 2: Tempo, steady state, Ironman (experienced) up to 70.3 pace Zone 3: Lactate threshold, anaerobic threshold, functional threshold, Olympic up to sprint pace Zone 4: VO2max, intervals, neuromuscular training, faster than triathlon race pace The racing zones section is meant to be used as a preliminary tool for pacing assorted distances, but you’ll likely make micro-adjustments based on past race experience, recent training data and conditions. Aim to re-test on the same course every four to six weeks in order to keep your training zones accurate and celebrate your progress! //SCOTT FLIEGELMAN

AARON HERSH

Stroll through any transition area and you are sure to see a virtual “showroom” of heart rate monitors, Garmins and power meters dangling off pricey bikes. Unfortunately, many triathletes are not getting the most from these tools by skipping a simple yet critical step: the early-season field test. The primary reason for a field test is to reveal your current fitness level in order to enhance the quality of upcoming training and racing. You will use heart rate, wattage and/or level of perceived exertion, depending on the tools you own, to establish a few simple and effective training and racing effort zones. There are many different types and definitions of “zones” out there, defined by complex physiology terms such as lactate threshold and VO2max. It’s not critical that you understand all of this jargon to get started. Just establish and embrace your own personal numbers. Let’s get started: Select a road with a modest incline, or at least a fairly flat road that requires you to pedal the entire time and not coast. (An indoor trainer is OK if necessary.)

Warm up for 20 minutes: 10 minutes easy, then 3x1 minute fast pedal (<100 rpm’s) with 1 minute easy between, then another 4 minutes easy. 20-minute test: Your goal is to ride your best effort and go as far as possible. You will best achieve this by starting off conservatively, then building to a “comfortably uncomfortable” level, and then striving to maintain this focus to the finish as you “empty the tank.” Try to keep your cadence between 85 and 95 rpm. Collect as much of the following data as you can during the 20-minute effort: • Average heart rate • Average power in watts • Average rate of perceived exertion (RPE) 1=very easy, 10=very, very hard. Mental notes will suffice. Distance: To be used for future testing and to gauge improvement. Cool down: At least 20 minutes of easy riding.

TRAINRIGHT.COM

“ I am a CTS athlete” I’ve been competing since I was 11. Basketball, pole-vaulting, snowshoe racing—I tried it all. I even won some championships. But I found out fast that triathlon requires more than just talent and training. You need a plan. You need motivation. My CTS coach Nick White is 100 percent committed to my cause. It’s simple: CTS gives me the tools to win. Success is in their DNA.

JOSIAH MIDDAUGH

6TIME XTERRA USA CHAMPION

Learn more at www.trainright.com or call us toll-free 866.355.0645

Tech SupporT

Leave It to the Pros

repairing or breaking down a bike isn’t rocket science, but learning the correct techniques takes practice. If you like to turn a wrench but aren’t quite a master with the intricate mechanical parts of your bike, it’s in your best interest to let a trained mechanic handle these five tasks.

Packing a bike in a cardboard box New bikes arrive at a bike shop in a cardboard box that is sized just beneath a shipping up-charge threshold, so they are barely large enough for a bike and two wheels. Shipping your bike in one of these relatively small boxes will cost substantially less than shipping it in a travel bike box, but manufacturers use many special plastic, foam and cardboard pieces to ensure the bike arrives safely. cramming the bike back in the box simply doesn’t cut it. Misplacing a wheel or omitting a spacer can lead to catastrophic damage. If you’re going to ship your baby in one of these boxes, pay a pro to pack it.

Replacing housing Switching housing seems like a pretty simple task, but innocuous mistakes can ruin shift quality and even interfere with steering. cutting the housing to the correct length is the most important issue—too short and it will restrict steering range, too long and it will degrade shift quality by creating needless friction between the cable and the housing. cleanly cutting the housing is another task that must be done in a specific way. If the cut isn’t perpendicular to the cable or if burs encroach on the opening, it can interfere with shifting or braking.

Wheel truing Gluing a tubular tire

Checking for a crack riding broken carbon is unsafe, plain and simple, and a carbon component can be destroyed even if it hasn’t splintered like a twig. carbon components are made from many thin layers of carbon fiber adhered to each other with resin, and if the bond between the layers is broken (known as delamination), the structure loses its strength and stiffness. Delaminated carbon is unreliable even though it may appear to be fine. on the other hand, a paint crack may look like a crack in the carbon, so don’t chuck that frame in the dumpster without getting it checked out first.

triathlete.com | April 2011

//aaron hersh

Nils NilseN

Tubular tires can roll off the rim when cornering aggressively, and the consequence of losing a tire mid-turn requires no explanation. properly joining a tubular tire to a rim without smearing glue all over the wheel requires time, elbow grease and a specific procedure. Again, this skill can certainly be mastered through practice, but if you aren’t willing to take the time and effort to properly glue your tubies, head to your local shop—your skin will thank you.

All spokes work together to keep a wheel round and true, so the effects of a single mis-tensioned spoke are reflected throughout the entire wheel. Wheel truing is certainly a learnable skill, but mastering the spoke wrench requires a lot of trial and error, and severely screwing up a wheel is often a step in the process. Wheels with deep carbon rims tend to resist tensioning errors and stay in true better than typical aluminum rims, but an overly tensioned spoke can pull straight through a fancy carbon rim and destroy it. Leave this one to the grease monkeys unless you are committed to learning the skill.

Generated by BeQRious.com

GeAr BAG

Mavic Vision Jersey $99.99 Mavic recently introduced its new Viz+ cycling clothing, designed for high performance and high visibility. Mavic’s cycling gear is softer than your traditional reflective gear and has attentiongrabbing reflective designs in bright colors. Mavic.com

Road ID Wrist ID Elite $29.99 Instead of having to remember your driver’s license number or other personal data, the Road ID Elite stores the pertinent information that could be useful in the event of an accident. The new Road ID Elite has a rubber wristband, making it totally waterproof, and it comes in a variety of colors. Roadid.com

Ride Safe It’s time to start transitioning from the trainer back to the great outdoors. This cycling gear will help keep you safe and seen on the road.

Nathan Flash Reflective Compression Vest $29.95 This vest instantly gives you highreflective visibility while allowing you to wear your normal cycling gear. It’s super light, affordable and visible from 360 degrees and as far away as 1,200 feet. Nathansports.com

Niterider Minewt.250 $139.99 A true must-have for any cyclist or triathlete, this cordless headlamp shines at 250 lumens, and lasts for 4.5 hours after being charged through your computer’s USB port. Mount it on your road bike, helmet or even your aerobars. It’s perfect for race morning to make sure you are seen when warming up, or riding to the venue. Niterider.com

XLab Day Light Training Strobe $19.99 If you’re riding your tri bike and have an XLab rear bike hydration system, you can hook up this light that’s compatible with every XLab setup. Its five LED strobes are visible from 270 degrees and give you superior visibility on busy streets or near dawn and dusk. Xlab-usa.com // mackenzie madison 76

triathlete.com | April 2011

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ISLAND FEVER

Pro triathlete, Olympian and 2010 Ironman Austria winner Eva Dollinger logs some off-road miles during a spring training camp in Las Playitas on Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Canary Islands. PHOTOGRAPH BY KURT HOY

April 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

trAining tips

From Non-Runner to Triathlete if you’re among those who had little pavement-pounding experience before doing your first tri, you might assume the third leg will always be your weak link. But it doesn’t have to be. Some of the best runners in triathlon came to the sport without any running background. how’d they do it? we asked them.

Siri Lindley Lindley ran plenty before she became a triathlete—at full speed, up and down field hockey and lacrosse fields. That’s different from distance running, of course, and when Lindley did her first sprint triathlon, running was her weak link. In fact, she had to stop several times just to finish a 5K. But when she won the 2001 ITU Triathlon World Championship, she did it by running away from Olympic silver-medalist Michellie Jones. How she did it: Building a base: In the beginning, Lindley had plenty of speed, but she lacked the basic cardio fitness to go the distance. “I knew from the start that building up an aerobic base was the key to making any progress in the sport,” she says. She accomplished that with lots of running at moderate intensity. Leaning out: “The fact is, the lighter you are, the leaner you are, the faster you will run,” says Lindley, who got rid of what she calls her “excess weight” by improving the quality of her diet and, again, with lots of moderate-intensity running. // matt Fitzgerald 80

triathlete.com | April 2011

Scott: LoiS SchwartZ; PottS: Bakke SvenSSon/ironman; LindLey; courteSy itu

Andy Potts Potts is 6-foot-2 and weighed close to 200 pounds when he gave up competitive swimming after graduating from the University of Michigan. Despite his lack of a runner’s build, Potts has become one of the strongest runners in triathlon, posting the fastest half-marathon split (1:11:33) on his way to winning the 2007 Ironman World Championship 70.3. How he did it: Low volume, high speed: “Since I didn’t have a background in running I was careful with my miles and went for quality over quantity,” Potts says. Indeed, Potts runs very low mileage for an elite triathlete, seldom exceeding 40 minutes per session, but he runs fast, logging most of his miles within a minute of his 70.3 race pace. Specificity: Potts does almost all of his runs immediately after riding the bike. “That gives him the most specific triathlon racing benefit for every minute he runs,” says Potts’ longtime coach Mike Doane.

Dave Scott The six-time Ironman world champion did just about every sport you can imagine while growing up in Davis, Calif.—except running. Nevertheless, he became one of the best runners the sport of triathlon has ever seen. His run split of 2:41:02 in the 1989 Hawaii Ironman remains one of the fastest ever. How he did it: Negative splitting: Scott tried to run the last half of each run faster than the first. “I especially liked to go fast over the last one or two miles,” he says. Running light: His running efficiency improved over the course of his career thanks to a gradual transition from heel striking to mid-foot striking. But Scott didn’t force it. “I just concentrated on feeling light on my feet,” he says.

TRAINING TIPS

In a Squeeze?

Step 1: Pass one side of the lace up through the adjacent eyelet on the same side of the shoe. Take the other side of the lace and pass it through the second eyelet up toward the top of the shoe.

Step 2: Cross both sides of the lace directly across the shoe into the opposite eyelet. Pass the lace through the eyelet so it points downward into the shoe.

Fast Feet

TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

Step 3: Pass both segments of the lace past the adjacent eyelet on the same side of the shoe and thread it up through the second eyelet.

Step 4: Identically to step 3, cross both sides of the lace directly across the shoe into the opposite eyelet pointing downward into the shoe.

Step 5: Pass both laces through the final eyelet on their respective sides of the shoe. Once finished, the laces should horizontally cross the front of the tongue. // AARON HERSH

Want a faster bike-run transition? Race barefoot! You’ll be in and out of T2 in no time. Of course, you’ll also have a very uncomfortable run. What you really want is your transition routine to set you up for a fast, comfortable run without taking forever. All it takes is a little planning. Choose the right shoes: It’s amazing how much harder it is—and how much longer it can take—to stick your foot in a running shoe and lace it up when you’ve just come off your bike. Fortunately, there’s a wide selection of triathlon racing shoes on the market with easy entry and fast-lace (or no-lace) designs. You’ll save valuable seconds with these in your transition spot instead of your everyday training shoes or conventional racing flats. However, the easiest shoe to get into won’t necessarily be the most ideal shoe to run in, so try on a few models and choose the one with the best balance of quick entry, comfort and performance. If you just can’t find a triathlon racing shoe that feels as good as your everyday trainers, don’t sweat it. Simply convert your trainers by

replacing the laces with a fast-lace system. Put a sock in it—or not: Many triathlon racing shoes are designed to be worn without socks. After all, it takes time to put on socks. If you buy a shoe that boasts a no-sock design, practice running in it without socks to make sure it’s comfortable. If it’s not, keep the socks. As a general rule, the longer the race, the more practical it is to wear socks. The extra time it takes to don socks is much less significant in an Ironman than a sprint, and 26.2 miles is plenty of time for even a little extra friction to produce race-ending blisters. Many pros use the same shoes for every race but go without socks in sprints and Olympic-distance events, and with socks in longer events. Consider a Jiff y Lube: As an alternative to wearing socks, you might want to consider lightly coating the inside of your racing shoe’s upper with a lubricant such as BodyGlide. This will reduce friction between your sockless foot and the upper during the race. Try it in a race-paced workout first, as that’s the true test of whether this little trick will work for you. // MATT FITZGERALD

NILS NILSEN, TRIATHLON.ORG/RICH CRUSE

If you have pain or numbness on the front of your shin when you run, it might be due to the way your shoelaces are tied. A tightly laced shoe can pinch the top of the foot and therefore the tendon that connects the muscle on the front of your shin, the tibialis anterior tendon (TAT), which can prevent the muscle from functioning normally. Arthur Lydiard, the father of modern distance running, advocated for a method of lacing shoes that takes pressure off the TAT without loosening the shoe’s grip.

Athletes for a Cure is a fundraising and awareness program of the Prostate Cancer Foundation that helps athletes as they swim, bike, run or race for a cure. Whether it is your first 5K or fifth triathlon, anyone can be an Athlete for a Cure. All money raised directly supports the Prostate Cancer Foundation by funding the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most promising research for discovering better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

Join us in 2011 and RACE FOR FREE at one of our featured events

To find out more about Athletes for a Cure visit us at www.athletesforacure.org

trAining tips

Five Reasons to Try Trail Running Whether you’re going for a run in your local urban park or negotiating rugged singletrack in the mountains, trail running is distinctly different from running the roads, treadmill or track. If you’ve never given trail running a try, now’s the time.

triathlete.com | April 2011

Xterra trail running world champion Max King

moves and works makes you a stronger runner. (Plus, successful rock hopping makes you feel young and sprightly!) 5. Enhanced functional strength. There is more lateral motion involved in trail running, with the body having to use the stabilizer muscles and tendons of the ankles, lower legs and core for balance. When added to your overall training program, this type of running gives you well-rounded, functional strength. //lance Watson LifeSport head coach Lance Watson has coached a number of Ironman, Olympic and age-group champions. Write Coach@ Lifesportcoaching.com or visit Lifesport coaching.com.

• start with one or two shorter base runs a week to get used to the feeling of running on uneven ground—like any new activity, a little restraint at first goes a long way in preventing injury. • While some trails are marked with distance so you can keep track of your mileage, doing a timed out-andback loop will ensure you don’t end up on an epic two-hour adventure run on your first time out. a GPs comes in handy in the woods, as you can keep track of your mileage and pace where there are no markers for reference. as you increase the range of your workouts, a GPs allows you to maintain pace and/or heart rate for training specific energy systems. • If you’re going to commit to longer or more extreme trail running, a good trail shoe will provide more comfort and better function, which can help reduce fatigue over the course of a long run.

Xterra Photos

1. Fewer distractions equal physical and mental benefits. For a long base or endurance run, nothing beats a stretch of trail. No traffic lights and long sections of trail create a continuous aerobic session. Without the distractions of road running, you can really get into a groove, paying attention to your body, breath and running efficiency. 2. Softer surfaces. Training as much as you can on softer surfaces can help prevent injuries and allow faster recovery for your next workout. 3. Workout variety. A hilly trail run will create much greater variations in heart rate than a flat run. This natural fartlek offers a nice mental break from structured intervals, but also builds your threshold and mental strength, not to mention your prowess as an uphill runner. 4. Better agility and focus. Running on trails requires focus and concentration, especially on singletrack or uneven terrain. Paying attention to the way your body

Before you head into the wild …

S 2 0 11 E I R E S N I AT H L O • 10K RUN • 4 0 K B IK E 1 .5 K S W IM

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Making

Tracks

AbuDhabi

Writer, adventure racer and ultrarunner AdAm ChAse took on the abu dhabi adventure challenge With triathlon great Sheila taormina. the team Walked aWay With memorieS of a lifetimeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and Sage advice that can benefit any triathlete. PhotogrAPhs by Chris rAdCliffe

April 2011 | triathlete.com

Choosing

a well-suited

teammate for an adventure race is said to be more difficult than selecting a spouse. So when triathlete Sheila Taormina, a fourtime Olympian and gold medalist, said she was ready to try an adventure race, I was lucky to have her to join the media team I was assembling for the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (ADAC), a tough sixday event featuring canoeing, mountain biking, swimming and desert orienteering, among other challenges. Taormina graciously accepted the offer to join Team Yankee Scribes, consisting of Brian Metzler, senior editor of Running Times; Jon Dorn, editor-in-chief of Backpacker; and me. Metzler and Dorn were thrilled I was able to recruit the former Olympic swimmer, triathlete and modern pentathlete, and we all just hoped she’d be OK with us slowing her down in Abu Dhabi. Taormina’s modesty was remarkable. She said she had never done any racing that was longer than a couple of hours and that she felt “out of shape” because athletics had taken a back seat to writing a book after the Beijing Olympics. I quickly reminded Taormina that her definition of “out of shape” was terribly askew and that she would be racing on a team with the objective of “experiencing” the race. In other words, we were not in it to win it. Day one of ADAC began with an “adventure triathlon” surrounding the $3 billion royal palace in downtown Abu 88

triathlete.com | April 2011

Taormina and Chase descending Jebel Hafeet, Abu Dhabi’s highest peak.

Dhabi. The stage comprised canoeing, a few 5K runs and a 700-meter swim. The pace, especially on the swim, was woefully slow for Taormina, but she still put on a happy face. During the second part of the day, when Dorn’s derailleur broke on the mountain bike leg and our team was dead last for quite some time, it was evident that Taormina wasn’t used to being anywhere other than toward the front in her races. Luckily, we later made up some ground on the sharp and rather precarious rocks of the Jebel Hafeet mountain. Day two was a little more typical of adventure races, with a single stage that required us to run over a rocky mountain to our bikes, then ascend to the top of Jebel Hafeet, where we trekked over a long stretch of fixed

ropes, called via ferrata, then lowered ourselves down rocky cliff faces. Days three and four were the highlight of the race for the Yankee Scribes. We crossed some of the world’s largest sand dunes while carrying packs with tents and two days’ worth of food. It was spectacular, surreal and transformative. Back home, I posed some questions to my illustrious teammate: What made you decide to tackle a six-day adventure? The lure of seeing the Middle East. It’s one part of the world that I had not seen and always wanted to visit. The growth of the United Arab Emirates, due to the discovery of oil in the 1950s, fascinated me. It was the perfect fit for seeing the country by foot, knowing we

were not a super competitive team that was training for the win, as that phase of my life—going hard in sports—no longer interests me. How did you train for the race? Since I had never raced longer than a 10K run or an Olympic-distance triathlon, I knew I had to learn how to go long and slow. The bottoms of my feet were what worried me most, wondering whether or not they would get really tender during the long desert trek. I did 20-mile walks to family’s and friends’ houses and to the grocery store or post office when time allowed. Really, just anything that put me on my feet walking. I would do some running too, but mostly walking,

which was a really nice transition from the years of speedwork I had to do for Olympic-distance tris. I did not have time to spend hours on the bike because my book was released last summer. Since I only had about 45 minutes to be on the bike once a week, I did intense hill climbs for strength, hoping that would get me through. I did not train for the swim because I knew it was such a short part of the overall race. And for the ropes training, I had no idea what to do—I just hoped my teammates would teach me when we arrived to Abu Dhabi, which they did. The one big thing I did was to plant myself near Cabo San Lucas for a month to train in the sand with lots of trekking.

“

If someone had told me we were going to navigate sheer vertical cliffs with hundreds of feet of exposure I’m not sure I would have signed up, but that ended up being the most rewarding physical aspect of the event.”

“

Not only does adventure racing break up the routine, but it also trains a completely different skill set and strengths.”

You swam on a gold-medal Olympic relay team; is adventure race-type teamwork different? At the Olympics our relay team had to focus on sharpness and intensity. We had to get every one-hundredth of a second out of our relay pick-ups, so we tweaked every last detail in the short time we had together. We also had the pressure of winning a gold medal for the USA, so that goal sparked an intense mission. For Abu Dhabi, the team aspect was less defined since we weren’t going for the win. It was more about logistics, making sure everything was packed, going through endless equipment, predicting nutrition needs and seeing where we stood at the end of each day.

Besides tolerating me as your teammate, what were the hardest parts of the adventure race and what were the lessons you took away from it? While I loved the ambiguity of not knowing how we would stack up against other teams, it was really difficult to not have a sharp focus. The intensity levels I had as an Olympic athlete were very difficult to relinquish. It was also difficult to do the same repetitive motion for hours on end. When one section of the race ended I would be excited to begin a new activity. I knew this would be a potential problem since I came from shorter races, so I actually tried to prepare my mind during training for the mundane elements of this type of racing.

The highlights were the beauty of the desert and the challenge of the via ferrata. If someone had told me we were going to navigate sheer vertical cliffs with hundreds of feet of exposure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure I would have signed up, but that ended up being the most rewarding physical aspect of the event. It was the most bloody, too. What was your favorite thing about Abu Dhabi? My brother-in-law gave me a copy of Sir Wilfred Thesigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book [Arabian Sands] on his exploration of the Empty Quarter, the desert where we trekked. It is the largest stretch of sand in the entire world and, although mostly situated in Saudi Arabia, a portion extends into the United Arab Emirates. I was captivated by the thought of trekking that at night and camping there as well. I am not a camper. I never liked it. But there was something about the thought of sleeping in the Empty Quarter, like I had envisioned Thesiger doing in the late 1940s, that made it feel as if I had touched upon a sliver of his experience.

Team Yankee Scribes: Sheila Taormina, Jonathan Dorn, Brian Metzler, Adam Chase

What advice do you have for triathletes who are thinking of trying some type of adventure race? My advice is to go for it. Not only does adventure racing break up the routine, but also it trains a completely different skill set and strengths that you could never get from periodized, scientific training. The mental element is an intangible asset that is developed much more when doing races like these. Can you tell me a little about your new book, Call The Suit? It came out in July 2010. It shows the underwater pull pattern of the top Olympic swimmers dating back to the 1960s. The hero of the book is Johnny Weissmuller. He won five Olympic gold medals in 1924 and 1928, and he is used to point out a very important message that triathletes and swimmers need to understand if they want to go fast. Once triathletes and swimmers understand where to place their focus, their amazing work ethic will pay off.

April 2011 | triathlete.com

Lose Weight to train (Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Train to Lose Weight)

triathlete.com | April 2011

It’s April. If you’re like most triathletes, you have two priorities at this time of year: getting fit for your first triathlon of the season and losing the extra weight you gained during the off-season. And if you’re like all too many triathletes, you’re mashing these two priorities together and trying to achieve both objectives through the same means. Problem is, you’ve go to prioritize: weight loss or fitness gains? By Matt Fitzgerald Illustrations by Hunter King

April 2011 | triathlete.com

ule No. 1: You can’t truly maximize weight loss and fitness improvement at the same time. If you try, you’re likely to sabotage both objectives. The fastest way to lose weight is to drastically reduce your daily calorie intake. With proper medical supervision, you might be able to consume as few as 800 calories per day without damaging your health. You would lose weight very quickly on such a diet, but considering that you can burn 800 calories in a single hour of cycling or running, you couldn’t exactly train for an Ironman at the same time.

When you’re actively training for a triathlon, you need to fuel your body for maximum performance in workouts and maximum recovery between workouts. This approach to nutrition during the training process will necessarily limit the amount of weight you lose. Most triathletes lose some weight when training and eating appropriately for an important race, and some triathletes even lose a lot of weight. But you can’t expect to lose as much weight as you would if weight loss were your highest priority, rather than maximum fitness. The best time to prioritize weight loss is right before you start formally training for a big race. I call this short period of emphasis on weight loss a “quick start.” I recommend quick starts for all triathletes who are more than five pounds above their optimal racing weight when they’re getting ready to start training for a big race. Focusing on weight loss for four to eight weeks before the race training process formally begins will enable such athletes to reach their ideal racing weight in time for their race without having to compromise their fueling (and, in turn, their fitness) during the training process. Your diet and training within a quick start should differ from your diet and training during the training process in five key ways.

1. Moderate calorie deficit During a quick start you should aim to consume 300 to 500 fewer calories per day than your body would need to maintain its current weight. This deficit is sufficient to yield fairly quick weight loss, but it would

triathlete.com | April 2011

be too large within the race-focused training process when you need your diet to support heavy training. See page 95 for specific guidelines on setting an appropriate daily calorie intake target during your quick start.

2. Strength training A quick start is also a good time to make a greater commitment to strength training. It’s hard to find a lot of time and energy to lift weights during the training cycle. But in a quick start period it’s not as hard, and doing so will help you lose weight by adding muscle mass to your frame and thereby increasing your metabolism so that you burn more fat at rest. Building strength during a quick start will also help you perform better and stay injury-free during the subsequent race-focused training process. Try to do three full-body strength sessions per week during a quick start.

3. Increased protein intake I recommend that triathletes aim to get roughly 30 percent of their daily calories from protein during a quick start. There are two reasons for this recommendation. First, high-protein diets are more filling than moderate- and low-protein diets. So increasing your protein intake during a quick start will help you maintain your daily calorie deficit without constant hunger. Second, increased protein intake will help you build muscle through strength training. Within the training cycle your protein intake needs to be lower to make room for increased consumption of carbohydrate, your most important endurance fuel.

Setting Your Calorie Deficit

4. Sprint intervals A quick start is not the time for highvolume endurance training. That should wait until you’re within the race-focused training process. Of course, high-volume endurance training does promote fat loss. So if you’re not going to do it during a quick start, you have to promote fat loss through training in other ways. As we’ve seen, strength training is one way. Another is sprint interval workouts. Training sessions consisting of large numbers of very short (10- to 30-second) sprints are proven to promote significant fat loss, especially between workouts. They also develop power that will help you get off to a good start when you move into race-focused training. This is not a type of training that you can do much of within the race-focused training period, when more race-specific types of workouts (longer intervals, tempo workouts, etc.) must be prioritized.

5. Fasting workouts A fasting workout is a long, easy ride or run undertaken in a glycogen-deprived state. This means you don’t eat before you start, and you don’t take in any carbs along the way. This forces your body to rely on fat to fuel the workout, making it a great fat-burning session. I advise triathletes to perform one fasting workout per week—alternating between rides and runs—during a quick start. Later, when you’re actively training for a race, you should consume carbs before and during most of your long rides and runs to maximize your performance in those workouts. Matt Fitzgerald’s latest book is Racing Weight Quick Start Guide: A 4-Week WeightLoss Plan for Endurance Athletes.

If you’re trying to lose some excess body fat quickly before beginning serious training for an event, you should aim to consume 300–500 fewer calories per day than your body needs to maintain its current weight. This deficit is sufficient to yield steady fat loss but will not sabotage your workouts. Here’s how to determine exactly how many calories to eat:

Step 1: Calculate calories burned during exercise. Add up the total number of hours you train in a typical week and divide that number by seven to yield the average number of hours you train daily. For example, suppose you train 10 hours per week on average. This works out to (10 ÷ 7 =) 1.4 hours per day. Next, multiply this number by your body weight in pounds and the average number of calories you burn per hour of training. The average number of calories you burn per hour of training is influenced by your speed. Use this table to get the

example, suppose your calculated BMR is 1,608 calories per day. We know you work out 1.4 hours per day, which means there are 22.6 hours of the day when you’re not working out. In this case, your adjusted BMR is (1608 ÷ 24 x 22.6 =) 1514 calories. Your BMR is only an accurate representation of the number of calories you burn outside of exercise if you sleep all day. To adjust your BMR to account for nonexercise activity in your day, multiply it by the appropriate factor from the table below.

Activity Level (Outside of exercise)

Multiplier

Nonphysical job & lifestyle (this is most of us)

1.15

Nonphysical job and somewhat active lifestyle

1.2

Physical job and active lifestyle

1.3

appropriate multiplier.

Training Speed

Calories per pound per hour

Slower (e.g. swim 2:00/100y, bike 13 mph, run 11:00/mi)

Average (e.g. swim 1:40/100y, bike 17 mph, run 9:30/mi)

Faster (e.g. swim 1:20/100y, bike 20 mph, run 7:00/mi)

The result of this calculation is the average number of calories you burn through activity daily. For example, suppose you train 1.4 hours per day, weigh 150 pounds, and have average speed. In this case you burn roughly (1.4 x 150 x 5 =) 1050 calories per day in workouts.

Step 2: Calculate calories burned outside of exercise. Visit Bmrcalculator.org and enter the information requested to get an estimate of your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the number of calories your body burns per day at rest. Take this number and divide it by 24, then multiply the number of hours per day that you do not spend working out. For

If you’re like most triathletes, you have a nonphysical job and there isn’t a lot of physical activity in your day outside of workouts. Let’s say that is the case. Then your total daily calorie burn outside of workouts is approximately (1514 x 1.15 =) 1741 calories.

Step 3: Add your non-exercise and exercise calorie totals. To determine the total number of calories you burn daily, add together your average daily exercise calories burned and your calories burned outside of exercise. In our example, the sum is (1741 + 1050 =) 2791 calories. This number also represents the total number of calories you would need to consume daily to maintain your current weight.

Step 4: Subtract your target calorie deficit from your weight maintenance calorie target. The total number of calories you should aim to consume daily during a weightloss quick start is equal to the number of calories you would need to eat daily to maintain your current weight minus your chosen calorie deficit. Remember, the appropriate deficit range is 300 to 500 calories. Let’s say you choose 400. Then you should aim to eat 2391 calories (2791–400) per day during your weightloss quick start.

April 2011 | triathlete.com

Racing YouR FiRst

Xterra

Off-rOad triathlOn By LesLey Paterson

triathlete.com | April 2011

Your first off-road Xterra triathlon can be a challenging but life-altering experience. Cuts. Bruises. Aches. And that’s just your ego. The average road triathlete might be mistaken to think, “It’s just swimming, biking and running—how hard can it be?” I made that mistake. Leaping over logs, riding through bushes and pushing a bike uphill comes with the territory. Your fitness systems are taxed in different ways and your patience will take a beating. But you will experience the outdoors in a rewarding new way, work harder than you ever have and meet a supportive group of adventure-loving athletes. So are you ready to join the Xterra tribe? Before you jump in, here are some things to know:

Off-road specific training is essential. While many Xterra triathlons are not too technical, you still need to practice mountain biking and trail running. It’s important to find trails and terrain comparable to those in your race. Good balance, coordination and core strength are important, as well as a resilient body that can cope with multidirectional movements. Although the Xterra race distance may be shorter than the long-course triathlon you may be used to, you won’t finish any faster or with less difficulty. A standard Xterra triathlon is a 1500-meter swim, 25-35K mountain bike and 9-11K run. Don’t let these distances fool you: These races can often take 3.5-4 hours, depending on the course and your ability. As a result, the demands on the body are not dissimilar to a half-iron-distance race. Many courses are hilly, with steep climbs on both the bike and run portions, so sustaining strength and power is very important. Devel-

PhotograPhs Courtesy Xterra Photos/eriC wynn

Pro Dan Hugo

oping strength and power at both lower and higher bike cadences will also be a key to your success given the steepness of climbs and the nature of any given trail. The terrain forces you to make extreme changes in intensity. Mountain biking and trail running can require many more changes of pace because the terrain will often dictate how hard you need to push in order to cover the trail in question. As a result, it is important to include training sessions with very high intensity intervals mixed with steadier efforts. Trail running after a leg-pounding mountain bike ride is an experience like no other! Most triathletes understand the concept of a brick workout and have practiced it many times before. However, after the extreme changes in intensity and power application on a mountain bike, the sensation in your legs will be far worse than during a road triathlon. The “jelly leg syndrome” will be compounded by the fact that you will need to hit the Xterra run with more agility and coordination than you would need on a road course. Therefore, it’s important to perform the bike-run brick more frequently leading up to your first Xterra race. Getting food and liquid in is challenging on a trail. Getting nutrition in during a technical mountain bike and run can be challenging, so it’s something you need to practice. It’s very easy to forget to eat and drink in an Xterra race because you’re constantly paying attention to simply staying upright!

The following is an eight-week training program designed for intermediate road triathletes taking their first crack at Xterra racing.

Training Key: Intensity levels in bike and run based on maximum heart rate (MHR) or perceived effort. L1 = Easy recovery (75% of MHR and under). L2 = Steady aerobic (75% of MHR). L3 = Low tempo (80% of MHR). L3.5 = High tempo (85% of MHR). L4 = Threshold (90% of MHR). L5 = All out or “V02 max” (Above 90% of MHR). WU = Warm-up. WD = Warm-down. R = Recovery.

Week 1

Mon

Swim (60 min, L2/3): WU: 600. Main set: [6x400 pull with paddles, with 1 min recovery in between each, 400s broken down as: 4x(25 head out of water, 75 easy), (200 clenched fists drill, 200 hard), (400 build), (400 pull/paddles tempo pace), 4x(50 sprint, 50 easy), 4x(25 side kick, 50 single arm, 25 build swim)]. WD: 100 easy. Total=3100 yards. Mountain bike (45 min, L1): 45 min focusing on technique. This is not an intensity session, just an opportunity to practice the feeling of riding off-road. Choose a trail you know you can handle. Take two of the more technical sections and practice picking better lines. Go with a more experienced rider who can give you tips. Core: 15 min of functional core exercises with twisting and stability work. Xterra athletes need to have a stong functional core, given the variety of dynamic movements they will be forced to make due to the undulating terrain.

Tue

Road bike (90 min L2/3/4/5): WU: 10 min L2, high cadence. Main set [ 6x4 min at L5, seated. R: 3 min easy spin. Build each interval, last one should be hardest. 20 min, with 10 min at L3 and 70 rpm, 10 min at L3.5 and 100 rpm. Run (45 min, L2/3/4): WU: 10 min. Main set: [4x(30 sec at L3.5 into 2 min at L5). R: Jog back each time. 1x10 min at L3 on with 90–95 cadence.] WD: 5 min.

Wed

Swim (60 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 4x200. Main set: [2x75 all-out sprint, R: 1 min. 300 at 1500 race pace, R: 20 sec. 200 at 800 race pace, R: 15 sec. 100 at 400 race pace. 2x50 easy backstroke, R: 15 rest. Complete 2 rounds total.] WD: 200. Total=2700 yards.

Thu

Mountain bike (60 min, L2/3): Find a non-technical mountain bike loop with double tracks. You can intersperse some road riding, too. WU: 10 min. 3x10 min at L3-L3.5, R: 5 min easy spin. WD: 20 min at L1/2. Run off bike (40 min, L2/3) on trails: 25 min at L3, 15 min at L2.

Fri

Rest

Sat

Run (75 min, L2) on trails: Practice good, solid form on tired legs. Swim (45 min, L2/3/4): WU: 3x200 as 25 single arm, 75 swim x2, R: 10 sec. Main set: 4x50 sprint, R: 1 min. 5x100 at 1500 pace, R: 10 sec. 2x75 kick recovery. Complete 2 rounds total. WD: 100. Total=2400 yards.

Sun

Mountain bike (2 hrs, L2/3): Find terrain that mimics your race course. Keep the effort steady with some tempo surges mixed in (let terrain dictate these). Build on technical skills and coping while legs are tired. Run off bike (20 min, L2/3/4/5) on trails: 10x1 min at L4/5 with good form and high leg turnover, R: 1 min easy in between each one.

Week 2 Mon

Swim (60 min, L1/2): WU: 4x100 pull, R: 10 sec. Main set: [500 pull/paddles. 10x50 as 25 sprint, 25 easy, R: 15 sec. 500 pull/paddles steady.] WD: 100 easy. Total=2000 yards. Core: 15 min of functional core exercises and stability work.

Tue

Road bike (60-90 min, L2/3/4): WU: 15 min building intensity to L3. Main set: [4x8 min hill climbs as: 1 min low cadence at L3.5e, 1 min at L4/5 high cadence. Repeat pattern for full 8 min. R: 3–4 min.] Rest of ride L1/2. Run (60 min, L2/3/4): WU: 10 min. Main set: [3x45 sec steep hill repeats at L5 effort, R: jog back. 1 mile on flat at L4, R: 2–3 min jog. Complete 3 rounds total.] WD: jog remaining time.

Wed

Swim (60 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 800 choice. Main set: [5x450 as 3x(50 sprint, 100 tempo), R: 1 min.] WD: 200. Total=3250 yards.

Thu

Mountain bike (75 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 15 min. Main set: [1x15 min at L3, R: 3 min. 3x2 min all out, R: 2 min. 1x10 min at L3.5, R: 4 min. 2x3 min all out, R: 3 min.] WD: 10 min. Run off bike (30 min, L2) on trails: 30 min at L2.

Fri

Rest

Sat

Run (75 min, L2/3): 90 min run on trails with last 30 min as 15 min at L3, 15 min at L3.5. Swim (45 min, L2/3/4): WU: 300 as 2x(25 side kick, 75 swim), R: 10 sec. Main set: [5x150 as 50 at 400 pace, 50 breathing every 5 strokes, 50 at 200 pace, R: 30 sec. 100 pull recovery. Complete 2 rounds total.] Total=2000 yards.

Sun

Mountain bike (2.5 hrs, L2/3/4/5): WU: 30 min. Main set: 30 min at race pace effort (L4/5). Rest of ride easy.

triathlete.com | April 2011

Canadian pro Christine Jeffrey

Week 3 Mon

Swim (60 min, L2/3): WU: 8x50 as 25 swim, 25 backstroke. Main set: [3x800, R: 2 min. First 800 pull/paddles as 50 hard, 50 easy. Second 800 split as first 400 pull/paddles, second 400 at 1500 race pace. Third 800 as 200 clenched fists drill, 200 hard.] WD: 100. Total=2900 yards. Mountain bike (45 min, L2): Focus on technique. Try for a more technical trail this week. Core: 15 min of functional core exercises with twisting and stability work.

Tue

Bike (90 min, L2/3): Steady ride. Terrain can dictate a few tempo efforts. Ride as strong as you feel but don’t push too hard. Run (45 min, L2/3/4): WU: 10 min. Main set: [7x4 min as (2 min at L3.5 on hill, 2 min at L4 flat). Focus on quick turnover while on flats. R: Jog back.] WD: 5 min.

Wed

Swim (60 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 1000 choice. Main set: [10x50 as odds all-out, evens recovery. R: 30 sec. 2x100 recovery as 2x(25 single arm drill, 25 swim). R: 10 sec. Complete 2 rounds total.] WD: 200. Total=2600 yards.

Thu

Mountain bike (75 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 10 min. 3x3 min all out hill repeats, R: 3 min spinning. 10 min at L3 on technical terrain, R: 2 min spinning. Complete 2 rounds total with easy riding as rest. Run off bike (45 min, L2/3): 30 min at L3.5, R: 15 min at L1/2.

Fri

Rest

Sat

Road bike (3 hrs, L2/3/4): Group ride. Run off bike (30 min, L2/3/4/5): 5x2 min at L5, R: 2 min easy jogging. Mixed terrain. WD: 10 min.

Sun

Run (90 min, L2/3) on trails: 90 min at L2. Focus on running the downhills hard–not speed-wise but to get used to the muscle pounding. Swim (45 min, L2): WU: 300 swim, 200 pull, 100 kick. Main set: 10x75 as 25 drill, 25 swim, 25 drill. R: 10 sec. 5x100 easy swim breathing every 3/5/7/9 strokes by 25. R: 20 sec. WD: 100. Total=1950 yards.

Week 4: Recovery Week Mon

Rest

Tue

Swim (30 min, L2): WU: 300. Main set: [4x25 sprint, R: 10 sec. 2x100 kick, R: 10 sec. 4x200 pull, R: 20 sec.] WD: 100. Total=1500 yards. Run (30 min, L1/2): Easy 30 min run followed by stretching.

Wed

Mountain bike (60 min, L2): Easy, technical skills-focused session.

Thu

Rest

Fri

Mountain bike (60 min, L2/3): 4x2 min pickups, R: 2 min spinning. Swim (30 min, L2/3/4): WU: 400 choice. Main set: [2x50 at 400 race pace, R: 10 sec. 4x100 at 1500 race pace, R: 20 sec. 50 easy kick. Complete 2 rounds total.] WD: 100. Total=1600 yards.

Sat

Mountain bike (2 hrs, L2/3/4/5): Either find a mountain bike race or do a race simulation with friends. After 20 min build WU do 60–90 min race pace effort. Run off bike (20 min) on trail: 2x1 mile race pace efforts. R: 3 min jogging.

Sun

Run (60 min, L2): On or off road.

100

triathlete.com | April 2011

Lesley Paterson

Week 5 Mon

Swim (60 min, L2/3): WU: 6x100 as 25 clenched fists drill, 75 swim, R: 10 sec. Main set: [4x500, R: 1 min. (500 tempo pace), (500 as 25 head out of water drill, 25 swim), (500 as pull/paddles hard), (500 as 50 hard, 50 easy).] WD: 100. Total=2700 yards. Mountain bike (45 min, L2/3): 45 min focusing on technique. Core: 15 min of functional core exercises with twisting and stability work.

Tue

Bike (90 min–2 hrs, L2/3/4): WU: 20 min holding 110 rpm in easy gear. Main set: [3x10 min as (5 min at L4 on steep climbs, staying seated with low cadence. Go straight into 5 min on flat road at top of hill at L4 with slightly quicker cadence). Follow this up with 30 min at L3 on rolling terrain.] Run (50 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 10 min. Main set: [On hilly terrain. 2x7 min at L4, R: 3 min jog. 2x2 min at L4/5, R: 2 min jog. 3x1 min all out, R: 1 min jog.] WD: 5 min.

Wed

Swim (60 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 4x200 as 50 single arm drill, 50 swim, R: 20 sec. Main set: [100 all out, R: 1 min. 75 all out, R: 1 min. 50 all out, R: 1 min. 3x200 tempo swim, R: 20 sec. 100 easy recovery pull. Complete 2 rounds total.] WD: 200. Total=2850 yards.

Thu

Mountain bike (75 min, L2/3): WU: 10 min. 3x15 min as 10 min at L3, 5 min at L3.5. R: 10 min easy spinning. WD: 5 min. Run off bike (60 min, L2): Easy on trails.

Fri

Rest

Sat

Run (90 min, L2/3/4) on trails: 45 min at L2 and last 30 min as: 10x2 min at L4/5, 90 sec recovery. Work the downhills too. Open water swim (45 min, L2): Swim with friends in open water. Try to cover 1500–2000 meters of steady swimming.

Sun

Mountain bike (3 hrs, L2/3): Keep effort low to steady throughout. Let terrain dictate any small tempo efforts. Run off bike (30 min, L2): Easy on trails.

Week 6 Mon

Swim (60 min, L2/3/4): WU: 4x100 pull, 10x50 as 25 drill, 25 swim. Main set: [500 pull/paddles steady. 10x50 as 25 sprint, 25 easy, R: 15 sec. 500 pull/paddles steady.] WD: 100. Total=2500 yards. Core: 15 min of functional core exercises with twisting and stability work.

Tue

Road bike (60–90 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 15 min. 3x12 min on rolling terrain in gear of choice as: (1 min at L3, 2 min at L3.5, 3 min at L4)x2. R: 4 min spinning. Rest of ride easy. Run (60 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 10 min. Main set: [4x1 min steep hill repeats all out, R: jog back. 1/2 mile on flat road at L4/5, R: 2-3 min easy jogging. Complete 3 rounds total.] WD: Jog remaining time.

Wed

Swim (60 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 600 as 25 single arm drill, 25 swim. Main set: [5x200 at 1500 pace, R: 20 sec. 100 easy kick. 10x100 at 1500 pace, R: 15 sec. 100 easy kick. 10x50 at 1500 pace, R: 10 sec.] WD: 100. Total=3400 yards.

Thu

Mountain bike (90 min, L2/3/4/5): Choose a course that is not too technical. WU: 15 min with a 5 min build to L3. 7x3 min all-out efforts on varied terrain, R: 4 min spin. WD: 10 min. Run off bike (30 min, L2/3) on trails: First 15 min at L3, second 15 min at L3.5.

Fri

Rest

Sat

Run (1 hr, 45 min, L2): On trails at L2. Open water swim (45 min, L2/3/4/5): Approximate distances. WU: 10 min. 3x400 race pace efforts, R: 1 min. 6x50 sprints to practice starts (either dry-land or deep-water start, depending on chosen Xterra course). WD: 5–10 min.

Sun

Mountain bike (2.5 hrs, L2/3/4/5): MB race or the following: WU: 30 min. 2x30 min at L4/5, R: 15 min spinning. Rest of ride easy.

102

triathlete.com | April 2011

2010 Xterra World Champion Shonny Vanlandingham

Week 7 Mon

Swim (60 min, L2): WU: 800 choice. Main set: [10x75 as 25 drill, 25 build, 25 sprint, R: 20 sec. 4x150 as 50 pull, 50 swim, 50 pull, R: 30 sec.] WD: 100. Total=2250 yards.

Tue

Mountain bike (90 min, L2/3): Steady ride. Terrain can dictate a few tempo efforts. Ride as strong as you feel but don’t push too hard. Run (60 min, L2/3/4/5): On rolling to flat terrain. WU: 10 min. 6x(2 min at L4/5, R: 1 min easy jog, 1 min all out, R: 2 min easy jog). WD: 15–20 min.

Wed

Swim (60 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 600 choice. Main set: [16x50s, sprint every fourth 50, R: 10 sec. 100 kick. 12x50s, sprint every third 50, R: 15 sec. 100 kick. 8x50, sprint every second 50, R: 20 sec. 100 kick. 4x50 all out sprint, R: 30 sec.] WD: 200. Total=3100 yards.

Thu

Road bike (60 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 10 min. 5x4 min hill repeats at L4/5, R: 4 min easy. Rest of ride easy. Run off bike (30 min, L2): Easy run with good form and high leg turnover.

Fri

Rest

Sat

Mountain bike (2 hrs, L2/3/4/5): WU: 30 min. 2x20 min race pace at L4/5, R: 10 min easy spinning.

Sun

Run (60 min, L2) on trails: Easy. Open water swim (30 min, L2/3/4/5): Approximate distances. WU: 10 min. 8x100 race pace (use buoys for roughly a 90-sec interval). R: 30–45 sec. WD: 10 min.

Week 8: Taper Week Rest

Tue

Swim (30 min, L2/3/4): WU: 300. Main set: [3x100 at 1500 race pace, R: 15 sec. 100 easy pull. 6x50 at 1500 race pace, R: 10 sec. 100 easy pull. 12x25 sprint, R: 10 sec.] WD: 100. Total=1500 yards. Run (30 min, L2): Easy run followed by stretching.

Wed

Mountain bike (60 min, L2): Easy, technical skills-focused session.

Thu

Swim (30 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 800 choice. Main set: [4x200 at 1500 race pace, R: 30 sec. 4x50 sprint, R: 30 sec.] WD: 100. Total=1900 yards. Run (30 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 10 min. 5x1 min race pace pickups, R: 1 min easy jog. WD: 10 min.

Fri

Rest

Sat

Mountain bike (30 min, L2/3/4/5): WU: 10 min. 5x2 min race pace pickups, R: 2 min spin. Run (15 min, L2/3/4/5): 15 min with five 80-yard strides. Swim (15 min, L2/3/4/5): Easy swim with 4x50 sprints, R: 1 min.

Sun

Race Day: Bike: WU: 10 min, check that all gear is working. Include 4–5 pickups. Run: WU: 10 min with 5 strides. Swim WU: 5 min with 4 pickups before race start. Good luck!

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Lesley Paterson is a coach and pro triathlete who competes in both road and off-road triathlons. Currently coached by Adam Zucco of Training Bible Coaching, Paterson was runner-up at the 2009 Xterra World Championship, 2010 Xterra USA National Championship and 2010 Ironman 70.3 California.

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A LEGEND FROM THE ROCKIES. REBORN IN THE DESERT. SWIM 5K BIKE 223K RUN 22K LAS VEGAS 5.14.11

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ď&#x203A;&#x20AC; y B y

Triathlete left a teaching job and Ph.D. program to pursue her dream of a pro career. The training journey would take her from a tiny village in the Swiss Alps to a farm in the Brazilian countryside to the gritty streets of Phuket. Biscay looks back on the ups and downs of her worldly travelsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all for her love of the swim, bike and run.

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In 2005,

I was finishing up a very average first-year pro season when I realized that I needed to take some drastic measures if I was really going to make triathlon a career. One year earlier, I had taken a leave of absence from my teaching job and Ph.D. program in English at the University of Southern California. I loved my work at the university and intended to pursue a full-time career as an English professor. However, my triathlon habit had become just as all-consuming as my work, and I didn’t ever want to look back and wonder what I could have done in triathlon if I had devoted all my time and energy to it. In retrospect, my full-time gig was all that changed in the first year; my approach to the sport was decidedly unprofessional and unfocused. With just a couple of top-10 Ironman finishes and a whopping $3,500 in prize money to show for my sacrifice to go “full-time” pro, there was a long way to go between me and a “career” as a professional athlete. I would need to take my performances to another level if I wanted to pay the bills. Having never had a formal relationship with a coach, acquiring one seemed the next logical step in my career; however, I recognized that I didn’t simply lack technical guidance—

C p 1: L n, S

I needed to learn how to live like a pro. I was in search of a lifestyle overhaul, and for this a regular, online-based kind of coach would not do. I needed something extreme: The legendary bootcamp-style training of Brett Sutton (aka “Sutto”) sounded frightening but also like the perfect solution. Once I persuaded him to take me on, without being fully aware of the life change on which I was about to embark, I said goodbye to life as I knew it—I stepped away from the cell phone that may as well have been surgically attached to my head, said goodbye to my too-busy social life and set out for three years of life on the road.

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O 2005:

LEYSIN, SWITZERLAND This was the site of my very first Sutto camp experience. Having received my marching orders, I dutifully went to the store to purchase a Switzerland tour book, only to discover that this little town could not be found therein. Leysin is a tiny mountain village in the Swiss Alps, generally indistinguishable from many others, which just happened to be where my new coach lived. My first camp brought with it the need for much adjustment; joining this coach essentially meant handing over control of my life to him. He told me where to be, when to be there and even what to eat. I couldn’t have planned

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OÂ? SĂŁo C s Â?Â?Â?Â e

Me Â&#x20AC; Â&#x201A; Â&#x192;Â&#x201E;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2020; Â&#x2021;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2030;Â&#x160; CoÂ&#x152;Â&#x17D;i at IÂ&#x192;Â&#x201D; B l

anything if I wanted to, but realistically, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have anything to plan. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak the language or know anyone there, except for my two young male triathlete roommates, who were the only other â&#x20AC;&#x153;campersâ&#x20AC;? during this late part of the year. All I knew was that I had to report to the pool at 7 a.m. every day, except Sunday, for a swim, after which I would get my orders for the next workout, or sometimes for the whole dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s training. I became, at best, a passive spectator of the goings-on in my old world. My only Internet access came from a cafĂŠ that had limited hours. There I would sit and inhale the patronsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cigarette smoke in exchange for contact with the outside world. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funny to think back now on this first campâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenges, as its many tests could very well have been for

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naught, but that thought only occurred to me on a couple of occasions. Unaccustomed to any kind of technical challenges on the bike, I came near tears once on an excruciating set of hill repeats when near the top of one, the grade of the climb and my protesting legs had me thinking that I was on the verge of crashing, all while Coach screamed at me from his car, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What are you doing? Sitting in a lounge chair?!â&#x20AC;? I had a brief moment of wondering whether I would even survive long enough to see another start line. I also vividly recall sitting in a dark phone booth next to the road one night, carb-depleted and exhausted, complaining to my mentor, Muffin, who had connected me with Sutto, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so hungry!â&#x20AC;? His advice? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eat an apple.â&#x20AC;? This hardly seemed any consolation to my frozen yogurt-and-bagel-deprived self.

SĂŁo C s, B l TRIATHLETE.COM | April 2011

N ber 2005-J 2006, l-M 2006: SĂ&#x192;O CARLOS, BRAZIL

From Switzerland, I traveled with Coach to yet another little town, this time in Brazil. My living situation was even more remote, as I shared a small workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; quarters house on a farm, our training ground, with the young up-and-coming Brazilian triathlon star, Reinaldo Colucci, also coached by Sutto. Besides Rei, my training partners were a group of Brazilian kids who were some of Suttoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pet projects. I grew accustomed to group dinners during which conversations were conducted entirely in Portuguese, and I learned to use my Spanish to figure out the gist of what was being said. I was deeply reliant on my friendship with Reiâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who had an impressive command of English for a new speakerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as our

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little home on the farm had no Internet or television. In my spare time, I would read anything I got my hands on and compose novels’ worth of e-mails to my friends, which I would save and send whenever Rei drove us to town for Internet access. I ended up spending much of the next six months in this camp and absolutely falling in love with the welcoming nature of the Brazilian people and their whole culture. A couple of my favorite Brazilian traditions included special occasions at the Churrascuria (all-youcan-eat meat restaurant) and Rodizio de Pizza (all-you-can-eat pizza buffet— do you notice a theme?). Thankfully, this camp was also the site of my firstever patented “treadmill marathon” (exactly what it sounds like) and “birthday set” in the pool (100x100 meters). I didn’t even mind in the spring of 2006 when Sutto decided that I needed to do all flat cycling, and thus, besides one or two long rides on the highway, my cycling for six weeks was limited entirely to one 6K loop on the farm.

T m TBB P t, With third-place finishes at Ironman Arizona and Ironman Brazil (2006), I earned my first two Ironman podium finishes between these camps in São Carlos and realized I was well on my way to making my dream career a reality. Any doubts I had about my future were replaced by my continually pinching myself in appreciation of the adventure I was privileged enough to experience: making myself at home in a foreign culture while being able to wake up every day and do crazy training sessions that I never could have even wrapped my head around before.

2007:

PHUKET, THAILAND

A k t Su c B

With the creation of Team TBB, our spring camp moved to Asia for the following two years. My first Asian camp was in Phuket, Thailand, which provided experience training in extreme

heat and facilitated some epic training sessions, such as Belinda Granger’s and my five-plus-hour run one day through the streets of Phuket. We started at dawn, crossing paths with the Buddhist monks who walked the streets and collected offerings of breakfast from locals who awaited them, and ended with laps around a reservoir, where Coach rewarded us with water after each loop.

- l 2008:

SUBIC BAY, PHILLIPPINES Subic Bay was one of the least desirable settings for training that I could imagine, but the natural result of settling into such conditions is that it makes one tougher. There I lived in a hotel room with no kitchen facilities and often used the hot water kettle in my room to heat food. I also came to trust Chinese medicine after causing myself

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2011AprilTriathlete3.pdf

2/10/2011

11:48:27 AM

SHARKFEST C

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CMY

• Potomac River Sharkfest TM Swim (5/22/11) 3 km • Alcatraz Sharkfest TM Swim (6/25/11) 1.5 miles • Manhattan SharkfestTM Swim (7/16/11) 1.5 km • Lake Tahoe SharkfestTM Swim (7/31/11) 1.2 miles • Boston SharkfestTM Swim (8/28/11) 1 mile • Charleston Sharkfest TM Swim (9/4/11) 1 mile • San Diego Sharkfest TM Swim (10/9/11) 1 mile

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My s C о, B G N

a rare injury by running three hours of hills one week after racing Ironman Malaysia while half-fit. A number of us became regular visitors to the local doctor for acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping.

J e- 2008

LEYSIN, SWITZERLAND Leysin was “home” every summer. The 10-mile climb up the mountain that served as our “cool-down” from every track session and as at least one of our weekly runs became “business as usual.” Leysin was the site of my final camp with Sutto in 2008, and I left there forever changed: an athlete who thought nothing of my farewell workout being a 26.2-mile track session. There was no reason, I thought, that I couldn’t follow it up the next weekend with Ironman Louisville, and then go win my first Ironman title in Wisconsin the weekend after that. And that’s what I did.

W h C e ton B G L n

y s: M k N , a

J - l 2009: NOOSA, AUSTRALIA

Noosa was the site of my first training camp, post-Sutto. Although I had some of my best friends and old training partners, Belinda and Justin Granger, there, I would be lying if I said it was an easy time. The adjustment to life without Sutto and the squad’s very structured group dynamic was difficult. Nevertheless, there were many bright lights amid the dark moments of these months; it was in Noosa where I met a German pro who was also there for a training camp with his teammates. My now-fiancé, Maik Twelsiek, and I have essentially been on the road together ever since.

Hillary Biscay trains and lives six months of the year in Tucson, Ariz. In 2006, she set a standard in Ironman racing by becoming the first person to record six top-five Ironman finishes in one season.

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N , a

SWEEPSTAKES RULES 1. No purchase necessary. To enter without ordering, send a single entry on an index card to: Triathlete ORBEA Sweepstakes, 9477 Waples St., Ste. 150, San Diego, CA 92121, with your name, address and phone number. This sweepstakes is sponsored by Competitor Group, Inc., 9477 Waples St., Ste. 150, San Diego, CA 92121. 2. All entries must be received and postmarked by Jul 1, 2011. Triathlete is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, illegible or postage-due mail. 3. One entry per person will be eligible for the drawing. 4. One winner will be selected no later than Jul 15, 2011 from among all eligible entries received. Winner selection will take place under the supervision of Triathlete, whose decisions are final. Each entrant consents to transfer 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 of the correspondence and return all forms correctly completed within 7 days if the date of correspondence. Noncompliance will result in disqualification and the naming of an alternate winner. A timeline for prize fulfillment will be provided to the winner (may take up to 90 days or more). 7. There is no cash exchange for this prize. 8. Employees of Competitor Group, Inc., ORBEA 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 ORBEA Sweepstakes, 9477 Waples St., Ste. 150, San Diego, CA 92121.

April 2011 | triathlete.com

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Off-

GEAR GUIDE

Before you dive into hardcore training for your â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aâ&#x20AC;? race this summer or fall, have a little fun withâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and reap the training benefits ofâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some trail running or mountain biking. Here are some essentials to get you started. By JenĂŠ Shaw Photographs by Nils Nilsen

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Niner Air 9 Carbon $4,699 as built, complete bikes from $2,299 The Air 9 Carbon accelerates and corners like a cross-country race bike, but swallows rocks and roots like a trail bike. We expected the carbon frame to respond to every pedal stroke, and it did, but testers were amazed with its ability to track through rough corners and silence choppy descents. The geometry positions the rider aggressively and helps the front wheel stick to the dirt on steep climbs. The Niner Air 9 deftly handles a fun day cruising the trail and is perfectly suited for a fast Xterra bike split. Ninerbikes.com

Patagonia Nine Trails Jacket $99 Coming in just under the $100 mark, Patagonia’s superlight shell is perfect for spring riding or running—it’s breathable enough to wear even after you’re warmed up and can be packed into its own internal chest pocket. The tough nylon, water-repellent finish and drawcord at the hem will protect you from wind and weather. Available in men’s and women’s styles. Patagonia.com

Pearl Izumi Launch Kicker Short $120 According to its site, these mountain biking shorts were the most anticipated guys’ style at Pearl Izumi headquarters for this year. They’re stretchy, with tons of pockets and a longer 13-inch inseam perfect for mountain biking. The Launch Kicker Shorts come in three colors and have a detachable liner with Pearl Izumi’s MTB 3D Chamois. Pearlizumi.com

Orca Perform Fusion Merino Athletic Tee $89 Although the price tag is a bit higher when compared to most short-sleeve athletic tops, you’re really paying for the comfort, antibacterial and ventilation qualities of Orca’s 100 percent New Zealand Merino wool/Coolmax/ Lycra combination. Available in men’s and women’s styles, the top regulated core temperature well—it served as a warm base layer when it was chilly in the morning, but acted as a good wicking agent when the sun was in full force by the end of the run. It’s also incredibly flexible, and the flatlock seams mean zero chafing or irritation when you’re running. Zappos.com/orca

I/O Bio Siggy Full jersey $99.99 The Siggy Full is a trail jersey with a long enough tail to protect you from muddy trails and cold mountain passes. It’s 100 percent merino wool, so it’ll last long and keep odors at bay with its antimicrobial properties. Plus, it’s comfortable and stylish enough to wear to grab a post-ride coffee. The men’s style is available in black, brown or green. Similar women’s style available. Io-bio.com

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Nathan Reflective Sleeves $25 Nathan’s moisture-wicking sleeves are more functional than your typical arm warmer—they provide warmth, compression, UV protection (SPF 50+) and reflection visible up to 1,200 feet. The silicone grip at the top of the sleeve prevents sliding, and there’s also a small pocket for storing a key or ID. Available in sm/med or lg/ xl with five different color options. Nathansports.com High UV Protection Buff $23 The Buff is one of those simple yet multifunctional products that just makes sense. It’s a seamless piece of headwear that you can wear 12 ways—it’ll go from an under-yourhelmet headband to a neck warmer in seconds. Add UV protection, CoolMax moisture management, odor control and an insect shield and you’ve got a clutch piece of gear for off-road training. Buffusa.com

Wigwam Trail Trax Pro socks $12 The Trail Trax Pro socks keep feet dry and blister-free on the trail, using 49 percent Wool Dri-release. They fit super snug with no bunching or awkward seams, and the sole is definitely more cushioned than a regular running sock. The socks kept moisture at bay and didn’t smell, even after a mid-distance run on the trails. Wigwam.com

New Balance Minimus Trail shoes $100 Adam Chase, our resident shoe expert and ultramarathoner who tests more than 100 shoes a year, says the Minimus Trail is for those who are interested in the barefoot sensation but don’t want to “look like freaks.” “It’s a welcome combination of lightness, flexibility, adequate underfoot protection and the elimination of heel-toe height differential,” he says. Chase warns that the shoe is not for running rugged trails or for runners lacking a neutral, efficient gait, but wearing them for shorter sessions on soft surfaces could help build supporting muscles. Newbalance.com

Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab Pack $180 Designed to meet the needs of ultramarathon runner Kilian Jornet, the innovative S-Lab Pack is the ultimate in trail-running hydration. Weighing a mere 10.6 ounces (without reservoir), you can barely feel it on your back. And with attachment points on the shoulder and across the upper chest, you’ll get a custom fit with no sideways shifting. The under-the-arm hydration tube allows for a fast drink, and you can store your nutrition or keys in multiple zippered pockets. Salomonrunning.com

Petzl Tikka XP2 $110 Considering Petzl makes headlamps for mountain-rescue specialists, you can expect the company’s Tikka XP2 to be a reliable tool for dark runs or rides. It has three white lighting modes to illuminate up to 60 meters, and two red lighting modes (continuous, blinking) for the back. Plus, one of the coolest new features is the Petzl Core rechargeable battery. It plugs into any USB port and allows you to personalize your lighting from your computer. You can configure multiple profiles and switch between them, such as trail running at dusk, bike commuting at night, reading, etc. Petzl.com

Garmin Forerunner 210 $299.99 Although the 210 is perfect for indoor or outdoor workouts, its features are best showcased out on the trail. It has a high-sensitivity GPS receiver that finds satellites quickly and stays locked in even under tree cover. And if you want to measure your running cadence on the trails, the additional foot pod makes it easy. The trail running data you’re able to upload— including heart rate and elevation—is much more interesting to analyze than road running stats. Garmin.com

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To see video captured by the GoPro HD Hero, snap the barcode with your smartphone or go to Triathlete. com/gopro.

GoPro HD Hero $299.99 Capture professional-quality HD footage from your latest adventure with the GoPro HD Hero camera. It’s super-rugged, waterproof and built to take a beating, so you can bring it on your next mountain bike ride without worrying about it surviving a tumble. It comes with a helmet mount, or you can buy other mounts to clamp on your handlebars or seat post. If you just want to take photos, the 5-megapixel camera offers plenty of options: Take single shots (with or without a self-timer), photos every 2–60 seconds or three images in rapid succession. Gopro.com

Trails.com Yearly Membership $49.95 Trails.com has more than 48,000 trails on its members-only site, which can be printed to create your own custom guidebook. It also has highresolution topography maps that include hill shading and aerial photos. And if you have a GPS device, you can download .gpx files from other users or upload your own routes. There’s a free 14-day trial so you can test-drive membership. Trails.com

Specialized Stumpjumper Comp 29er $2,050 Don’t be fooled by the low cost of Specialized’s entry-level Stumpjumper 29er; this bike is no slouch. Weighing in at 24 pounds, the bike performed well on steep inclines by keeping the front wheel hop to a minimum. Kicked into high gear, this Stumpjumper hovered over jagged descents, letting testers push the pace. Cornering on the Comp 29er was reassuring through rocky single track and sandy fire roads alike. The mixed Sram component group performed together seamlessly. While testers felt the wheel and tire combination was adequate, a quick upgrade to tubeless could refine the ride just a bit. Overall, this is a great entry into the world of 29ers. Specialized.com

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To see more mountain bikes, snap the barcode with your smartphone or go to Triathlete.com/mtb.

April 2011 | triathlete.com

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NUTRITION Q&A / MULTISPORT MENU / TriathlEats / EAT RIGHT / HEALTHFUL HINTS

THE X FACTOR

Age-grouper Justin McCutcheon cools off after a tough race at last year's Xterra Guam, one of the most adventurous and scenic courses of the Xterra triathlon series. The 2011 edition, a 1K swim, 31K mountain bike and 8.2K trail run, takes place March 26. PHOTOGRAPH BY RICH CRUSE

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fuel

nutrition Q&A

Food for Thought Q:

I am a triathlete and soon-to-be coach. Like you, I have a passion for food and nutrition and I want to further my education in nutrition science. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to give nutrition advice? Coach Matt Dixon

As a coach, you need to have a good understanding of nutrition for optimal training and race performance, but some particulars are best left to the experts. The challenge of being a good coach is to know your limitations and know when to seek outside help. With more than 20 years from the athlete’s point of view, along with my experience as a nutritionist, I have formed some opinions on coaching styles, methods and approaches. However, I’ve never been on the other side of the fence, so I asked coaches Matt Dixon and Barb Lindquist for some tips. Both have extensive experience with elite and age-group athletes, and the added perspective of having been professional athletes themselves.

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Although both coaches have their own unique coaching philosophies, they agree that nutrition is essential to performance and optimal health. Dixon stresses that a strong knowledge and understanding of the “four main pillars of performance”—the core sports (swim, bike, run), functional strength, recovery and nutrition—is needed by any coach. Lindquist shares these sentiments in regard to sports nutrition knowledge: “Inadequate fueling for training sessions, not to mention races, can completely undermine the perfect training program a coach creates.” In triathlon, where performance is linked with body weight, issues can become complex. “A coach needs to be able to educate, guide and assist, but also has a responsibility to know his or her limits,” Dixon says. “I would never try to intervene on an eating disorder or specific disease-based nutrition issues—that’s for the trained specialists.” Lindquist also cautions coaches to tread carefully: “Addressing weight issues is always an uncomfortable discussion to have. If the topic is raised, it has to be discussed with love, and also needs to be discussed analytically in its relation to race success and

overall general health, not self-worth.” Another key consideration is the level of the athletes with whom you are working, and their particular goals. Lindquist believes in talking to new athletes about nutrition in the first conversation. “I make sure that their fundamental knowledge of nutrition, as it relates to athletics and life, is solid,” she says. For a professional or top-level agegrouper, nutritional needs may revolve around small changes to optimize performance. He or she may be looking at modifying race nutrition or manipulating body composition for different parts of the season, or making decisions based on weather or a specific race. For pros, these small tweaks might make a big difference in their paychecks. However, for the majority of age-group athletes who have entered the sport to get (or stay) fit, basic nutrition is the complement to their exercise. Leading by example through your own eating habits is the best way to display integrity and instill confidence. Healthy eating in general should always come before eating for sports performance. After all, without the first you cannot have the platform for the latter.

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FUEL

MULTISPORT MENU

Get a Boost Before a long day of racing or training, a little caffeine can be your best friend. These supplements, which come in pill or powder form, can start you off with an extra boost, but remember to test the product in training to make sure it doesn’t upset your stomach during a big race.

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$21.95 (60 capsules) The Motivator “mental energy formula,” created by the makers of Carbo-Pro, was designed to aid mental energy and focus specifically for endurance athletes. Each capsule has 80 mg of caffeine from guarana seed extract as well as healthy doses of vitamins C and B6. The label suggests taking two capsules for every four hours of activity. Sportquestdirect.com

$37.99 (20 tubes) This sugar-free energy drink mix powder will not only give you a boost of energy with 100 mg of caffeine, it also will give you micronutrients such as calcium, potassium, vitamin C and a big dose of vitamin B12. One tube of powder, amounting to 10 calories, can be dissolved in 16–20 ounces of water and is recommended for before a hard workout. The five flavors, especially pink lemonade, are all tasty. Zipfizz.com

$39.95 (20 servings) This pre-exercise supplement was developed for endurance athletes to increase mental and physical stamina, increase time to exhaustion and improve mental clarity. It’s an unflavored powder that can be added to your pre-exercise or pre-race beverage for a big jumpstart. It contains quercetin and 200 mg of caffeine to boost your maximum workload. When mixed with Gatorade, the slightly bitter taste was hardly noticeable. Firstendurance.com

$11.99 (12 packets) With 200 mg of caffeine per packet of drink mix, Pure Kick packs quite the wallop of energy. It comes in açai grape and orange citrus flavors, which can be added to 20–24 ounces of water, or unflavored, which can be mixed with your favorite sports drink. Pure Kick unflavored has zero calories and contains sodium, potassium and B and C vitamins. Purekick.com

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NILS NILSEN

Motivator

FUEL

TriathlEats

British Columbiabased chef Vincent Denis works hard in the winter and trains hard in the summer. BY BETHANY LEACH MAVIS

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side in the White Crystal Inn. Denis calls his restaurant's cuisine “eclectic Canadian.” “Canadian cuisine doesn’t have a specific direction, so we’ve had to steal from other cultures,” he says. “We bring a little bit of Asian, a little bit of Southwest and combine it all.” Despite his success as a restaurant owner, Denis received no formal training as a chef. “I got my first job when I was 14, at McDonald’s of all places, and stuck with [the food and beverage industry] all the way through university,” he says. “I just kind of worked my way through the industry, and I’ve been doing it for 29 years now.” With his packed schedule, he doesn’t get

JAMES YOUNG/SNAP OKANAGAN

Vincent Denis, executive chef and owner of Santé Bar and Grill at Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna, British Columbia, has found his own rhythm for triathlon training. Having to work his schedule around the ski season, he takes his off-season in the fall, usually about a month before the ski season starts. He works nearly double-time during the winter–breakfast, lunch and dinner six days a week–so that he doesn't have to work at all during the summer. This is his ninth year at Big White Ski Resort, but the restaurant is finishing its first ski season as Santé Bar and Grill. Formerly Copper Kettle Grille, Santé opened just before Christmas and is located slope-

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TriathlEats

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[BRITISH COLUMBIA SPOTLIGHT] Pros who train here: Jordan Rapp, Heather Wurtele

Vincent Denis’ Favorites… Swim training spot: Gyro Beach. “The locals set up a swim course around this buoyed beach that’s measured 800 meters. Any day of the week in the summer, the parking lot is full at 6 a.m.” Bike training spot: Ironman Canada bike course in Penticton. “I’ll do Richter Pass a couple of times, then spend half a day messing around on the course.” Run training spot: Myra Canyon. “It’s this great old railway trail that has all these trestles and beautiful views of the Okanagan Valley.” Local race: Oliver Half Ironman. “It’s fairly early-season, it’s fun, it’s fast, it’s competitive.”

Thai Wild Mushroom Soup “Don’t be afraid of exotic ingredients,” Denis says. Flavorful and fresh, he likes the unique combination of coconut and lime in this recipe. Denis recommends looking for kaffir lime leaves and good-quality curry paste at your local Asian food store. You can substitute fish sauce for soy and the chicken stock for good-quality vegetable stock for a vegan diet, or you can add chicken breast and rice noodles to turn this light soup into a complete, healthy meal.

Ingredients: 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp minced fresh lemongrass 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp minced ginger 1 medium yellow onion, diced fine 8 cups (approximately 1.5 pounds) mixed mushrooms (crimini, button, portabella, chanterelle or oyster, but avoid shiitake)

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 can (400 milliliters) thick coconut milk 5 kaffir lime leaves 1 tbsp green curry paste (more if you like it spicier; I usually use double for myself) 1-3 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce 2 tbsp lime juice ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions: Sauté onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and mushrooms in the olive oil until mushrooms are quite soft and moisture is released. Add stock, coconut milk and lime leaves and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and add curry paste and lime juice. Taste frequently and reduce or increase the curry paste content according to your taste. Add fish sauce to taste. Simmer for 20-25 minutes over low heat. Add cilantro leaves just prior to serving.

JAMES YOUNG/SNAP OKANAGAN

to take advantage of the skiing at Big White. In order to keep his fitness up during the winter amid the demands of his restaurant, Denis has a room set up at the White Crystal Inn complete with a treadmill, a trainer, a small weight set and a bed. His days in the winter usually start around 4:30 a.m., with a 30- or 45-minute workout on the trainer or treadmill before work. In the kitchen by 6 a.m., he works through the lunch shift—till about 2—and then comes back to his room for either a nap or another workout, depending on his energy level, before heading back for the dinner service. This summer, the four-time Ironman finisher is using his training time for Ultraman Canada, the three-day ultra-distance race at the end of July. He discovered triathlon five years ago when his sister competed in one. Denis had recently injured his knee, prohibiting the side-to-side movement necessary for martial arts, so he tried cycling, running and eventually triathlon. “I’ve been hooked ever since,” he says. He’d like to step up to Ultraman mostly because he’s intrigued by the race atmosphere. “You go to these Ironman races—they’re very large, about 2,500 athletes, with huge mass starts,” he says. “Ultraman is more of a community-spirited event. It has 30 to 40 participants, everybody has their own crew, and everybody’s cheering for each other.” He’ll also be training for the first time as part of a local triathlon team— Team Snap, a sponsored amateur team. “There’s a real commonality in the people we train with—people who like to train with intensity,” he says. Denis enjoys the camaraderie of a team, as well as the prevalence of triathletes in the Okanagan Valley during the summer. “It’s amazing around here. Given our location and the proximity to the Ironman course, there are so many local triathletes,” he says. “And we have so many great local races—you get to race every two to three weeks.”

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fuel

Eat right

Nutritional Building Blocks By AdAm Kelinson thing that Iñigo San Millán, Ph.D., director of the Exercise Physiology and Human Performance Lab at the University of Colorado Denver, advises his athletes to emphasize in their nutrition. “Most micronutrients are involved in so many physiologic and metabolic parameters that their deficiency can cause problems and interfere with performance,” he says. Beyond the common vitamins and minerals, here are some other key micronutrients you should work on incorporating into your meals.

Phytonutrients are compounds that natu-

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Trace minerals are required for the proper functioning of biological processes including muscle contraction, bone health, nerve conduction, hormone production and energy metabolism. Trace minerals such as iron,

Essential fatty acids are necessary fats—ones that the body cannot synthesize itself— classified as omega-3 and omega-6 fats. They are important for many aspects of health, including heart health and function, the maintenance and integrity of cell membranes and optimal functioning of nerve cells. Additionally, they have an essential role in reducing inflammation and regulating blood pressure. Getting the proper amount of fatty acids can help an athlete by improving aerobic capacity as well as recovery time. Best food sources: Fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies), algae, flax oil, hemp seed and oil, sunflower seeds and nuts.

So what do micronutrients actually do? Plenty. • Provide a solid foundation for basic health and functionality • Enhance and support the immune system, bone growth and strength (vitamins A, E, C, D and K and calcium) • Aid in the formation of hemoglobin to carry oxygen (iron) • Support hydration (sodium, calcium, magnesium) • Reduce inflammation (vitamins A and D) • Regulate energy and nerve conduction (vitamin B)

Istockphoto.com/kdow

The subtle elements of training, such as stretching, strength training and sleeping, often get neglected because we’re so focused on swimming, biking and running. This is also true of your nutrition plan; it’s easy to focus on the big picture of the typical endurance macronutrients—carbs, fats and proteins—but sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference. Micronutrients are the true building blocks of nutrition and are essential to an athlete’s performance. As six-time Ironman world champion Mark Allen points out, “Macronutrients are much easier to identify because you can see them. You can look at your plate and know if you are getting fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Getting the right ratios of those is indeed a science, but it is still something that most people can just examine and figure out.” The intake of micronutrients is some-

rally occur in edible plants and, although not classified as “essential nutrients,” are recognized as a major asset to human health. While many phytonutrients have been identified, probably thousands more are yet to be uncovered—meaning that there are health reasons for consuming plant-based foods that we don’t even know about yet! This complexity is also the reason that vitamin pills can never replace the real thing—you are only ever going to get a fraction of the nutrients that scientists have been able to isolate, analyze and replicate. The best way to boost your phytonutrient intake is by concentrating on incorporating as many colors and varieties of plant foods into your diet. Best food sources: Carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, dark leafy greens (carotenoids); onions, apples, blueberries and tea (flavonoids); soy (isoflavones)

zinc, copper, selenium and chromium are needed only in small amounts (less than 20 mg per day, as opposed to the macrominerals such as calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and sodium, which are required in quantities of more than 100 mg per day). However even though only small amounts are needed, don't discount their importance. The consequences of a lack of iron may be well known, but also consider, for instance, zinc and its importance for immune function; selenium, which is essential for thyroid function; and manganese and its role in a healthy nervous system. Athletes lose these minerals mostly through sweat and increased free-radical production caused by the stressors of training. Best food sources: Nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, red meats (especially for iron) and seafood (such as oysters for zinc)

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HEALTHFUL HINTS

Get in the (right) zone

Spring Planting BY ADAM KELINSON

Spring is planting season, but before to you can put seed to soil “you need know what hardiness zone you live in,” says Katie Green, the garden manager at Garden of Eve Organic Farm and Market in Riverhead, N.Y. You can find your local zone by typing your ZIP code into the calculator at Garden.org/ zipzone. This will give you the time of the year, post-frost, when it is safe to plant.

Keep it simple Grow things you like to eat that are also simple and reliable, suggests Peter Garnham, the master gardener at the EECO Farm in East Hampton, N.Y. Green suggests items such as lettuce, Asian greens (bok choy and tatsoi), radishes, herbs (parsley, basil, chives) and arugula. These are quick-growing, which means they are ready to harvest after a month, and can also be planted in pots.

Prep properly Preparing containers for planting is simple: All you need is a ratio of one-third compost to two-thirds potting soil. Avoid using soil from your backyard because it does not have the necessary aeration. Your local garden supply store will have the products and information to assist you. Prepackaged kits are simple and great for the whole family, such as those from Earthbox.com, which are organic and even self-watering. Purchasing seedlings is also an option with a similar, but not equivalent, diversity of plants to choose from. Green says this works best for plants such as tomatoes, which require extra care when started from the seed.

Supervise your seeds

For recipes using your garden food and seasonal tips on gardening, check out Adam Kelinson’s book The Athlete’s Plate: Real Food for High Performance or visit Organicperformance.com.

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Once you’re done planting, it’s all about the management. The more love you give, the more love you get. Plants in containers require more watering, so Green suggests putting your plants in a location you pass frequently, and to “choose one day a week, written on your calendar, that you will water, fertilize and inspect your plants.” Eventually you won’t need the reminder.

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One of the first things I say to my clients before redefining their relationship with food is: “Nutritional success requires personal participation and responsibility.” There are many aspects to this, but nothing exemplifies it better than growing some of your own food. For most, this is a far-reaching concept amid a lifestyle that’s already challenged to find the time to shop, cook and eat healthy. However, gardening comes in all forms, and there’s endless information available that can make it a low-maintenance, enriching experience. Consider this: If the front-end work of gardening took you as much time as two trips to the market, wouldn’t it be easier to have instant access to fresh produce than to always have to drive to buy it? At right are a few gardening tips to get you started. But remember that the most important thing to do when growing your own food is to enjoy your product. Happy planting!

fuel

My DAy on A PlAte

Each month, nutritionist and pro triathlete Pip Taylor digs into a reader’s food diary and offers advice for eating, performing and feeling your best.

Name: Erin McManus Hometown: Fort Meyers, Fla. Profession: Personal trainer, mother of four kids under age 8 Age: 33 Years in triathlon: 2 Best tri achievement: Finishing first place in the 2010 Publix Multirace Series Most coveted tri goal: Qualifying for Kona

and some Gatorade. Then home to shower before heading out to go shopping! 2 p.m. Grilled chicken sandwich for lunch. Swim 1500 meters. Drink a protein shake post-workout. 8 p.m. Late dinner of a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and Miracle Whip post-housework.

Pip’s comments: “My goal is always to have better nutrition to help improve race performance. It’s always a work in progress.”

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jon davis

My Day: Saturday morning. I felt really tired and stressed all day. Too much to do and too little time! 6 a.m. Wake up. Coffee with cream and sugar, half a bagel with cream cheese. 7.30 a.m. Raced a 5K run. 8 a.m. Post-race snack of half a banana

I know this is just a snapshot of one day, but your caloric intake seems very low. Keep in mind that all activities—training, shopping, looking after the kids and housework—take their toll on your energy, both mentally and physically. On busy days, even if you’re not training hard, you may be under-fueling, leaving you at risk of becoming rundown and with little energy for effective training. You also seem to be lacking some key elements from your diet, namely whole grains, vegetables, fruits and dairy. A

bagel might be fine as the occasional pre-workout or pre-race meal, but it offers little nutritionally. Bread for both lunch and dinner also means that you’re missing some opportunities for healthier alternatives and an interesting variety. Even when busy, you need to make time for good nutrition—think steamed vegetables, salads, fruit, grains (such as quinoa or whole wheat) and plain yogurt. These items would provide you with some needed nutrients and energy without weighing you down. Plus you’ll set a great example for your kids! Keep in mind that your immune system’s effectiveness is lowered after hard workouts and racing. If possible, avoid busy shopping malls for a couple of hours. This is sometimes impractical, but at the very least get in good recovery nutrition, including adequate calories from carbohydrates and protein soon after workouts.

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Publication mail agreement NO. 40064408, return undeliverable Canadian addresses to, Express Messenger International, P.O. BOX 25058, London BRC, Ontario, Canada N6C 6A8

Triathlete Issue #325 (ISSN08983410) is published monthly by The Competitor Group, 9477 Waples St., Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121; (858) 768-6805. Subscription rates: U.S., one year (13 issues) $34.95; two years (26 issues) $59.95. Canada $60.95 per year; all other countries $94.95 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.

April 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

143

never

a Bad day

Bully a Bully By Bob Babbitt

hris “Macca” McCormack was proud. It was October 2006 and he had just had the race of his Ironman life. Remember, this is an Australian who came to Kona in 2002 ready to dominate after winning pretty much every other race on the planet. He ended up leaving town with not only a DNF, but with his tail between his legs after declaring during Ironman week that he would like to win the event six times, like Dave Scott and Mark Allen. Scott told him it might be a good idea to win once before talking about six. Early on in the 2002 marathon, he was leading and feeling great. He yelled to his dad that he’d be back in a bit and then they could celebrate his big win. Not quite. “I was already planning my acceptance speech,” Macca remembers. “Then it all came crashing down. I had to eat a bit of humble pie.” He had seconds and thirds on that pie in 2003 and 2004. But in 2005, after having a little Coca-Cola out by Hawi, he flew back to town, ran a 2:49 and took sixth, his first Kona top-10 finish. “That’s when I realized I could win,” he says. In 2006, he did everything right and lost. Normann Stadler put together a legendary day, going 4:18 on the bike and

following up with a 2:55 marathon. McCormack was only 71 seconds back, but he was proud of the effort. “I had a great race and was beaten by a great champion,” says McCormack. “People say that if the race was another mile I might have caught him. If the race was another mile, I don’t know if I would have finished,” he says, laughing. “I gave it everything I had and lost to a better man on that day.” After the awards ceremony, an interview Stadler did infuriated McCormack. Stadler claimed that McCormack was drafting on the bike. Third-place finisher and 2005 champion Faris Al-Sultan was making similar statements. The two Germans were putting up a united front against McCormack. “The best way to take down a bully is to bully them right back,” insists Macca. He decided that in 2007, he would seek out Al-Sultan and Stadler and constantly beat them. “I wouldn’t enter until I knew they were racing,” he says. Early in the season, Al-Sultan raced in Dubai. McCormack was waiting. “When I crossed the line, I started my stopwatch,” he says. “ When Faris finished, I told him I had beaten him by 3:30 and walked away.” Stadler was doing television commentary for the Quelle Challenge Roth race and McCormack was on his way to win-

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hunter king

Bob Babbitt is the co-founder of Competitor magazine, the co-founder of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the host of Competitor Radio and the 10th inductee into the Ironman Triathlon Hall of Fame. To hear his interviews with more than 500 endurance legends, visit Competitorradio.com.

ning. During the ride, McCormack pulled up next to the car where Stadler was broadcasting. “Hey Normann,” yelled McCormack. “In 15 weeks you’re going to have to face this in Kona!” “I wanted those guys to think I was totally nuts,” he says. Totally nuts can pay dividends. Stadler dropped out in 2007 during the bike and Al-Sultan didn’t even start. McCormack won his first of two Ironman World Championship titles that year. Was it just physical issues for the Germans, or was the crazy Aussie in their heads? Neither has been higher than 10th in Kona since. McCormack laughs. He received an e-mail that summer in German. He asked a friend to translate. It was from Al-Sultan’s mom asking McCormack to stop picking on her son. Consider yourself warned. When it comes to getting inside someone’s head, Chris McCormack is the hands-down leader of the pack.

CARBON BENEFITS Research proves it lowers body temperature, increases breathing efﬁciency, slows heart rate and reduces lactic acid build-up.

EXTREME BREATHABILITY

The pad is breathable and rapidly transfers moisture from skin to outer surface, continuing to perform mile after mile.

DYNAMIC CUSHIONING Middle cushioning offers comfort for those long day epics where you are experiencing extended time in the saddle.

STRETCH SUPERIORITY Superior multi-directional stretch capability.

WORLD RECORD PERFORMANCE When Chrissie’s amped, records fall.

WE AMPED CHRISSIE AND SHE BROKE TWO WORLD RECORDS. Riding 3 minute miles and running a marathon in under 3 hours at the Quelle Challenge Roth, she set the world record for Ironman distance. Then she shattered the record in Ironman Arizona slashing 11 minutes off the previous record. Not to mention she ﬁnished 8th overall, beating almost all the men. Welcome to the future of performance, courtesy of the TYR Carbon Collection — clothing that lowers your body temperature, makes you breathe more efﬁciently, slows your heart rate and reduces lactic acid build-up. When we designed the TYR Amp Pad, we went over the top to make sure it was up to the advance capabilities of Carbon. As comfortable during the run as on the bike, the pad was engineered using a custom exclusive mold. It provides superior comfort by perfectly conforming to the body in motion.

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