Yesterday on the raceAthlete forum Dante posed this question taken from the team raceAthlete experiment of 2007:
"Posing a bit of a question as I haven't seen too much, but I understand the original intent with sponsoring athletes was to see how they perform with better gear, coaching etc.
So, with the A race out the way, what's the verdict? Were there massive PB's?
Were there significant improvements made that couldn't just be attributed to a successful and consistent year of training from a book etc?
Is there hope for us uncoached athletes with families and tight budgets(or the inability to hide our purchases)?"
Dante thanks for asking....Ironman Wisconsin for me turned into my C race. I know this sounds strange, but unlike many of my sponsored teammates, I had no hope of getting a Kona slot, and I had already finished several other IM's prior to this race....so I just cruised it for a wonderful race day experience.
Sometimes the best way to race is not to race, but instead just savor the day and live completely within the moment. You know smell the cows and feel the wind in your hair. I had one of those days in Madison that I will remember for the rest of my life
As it turned out (after a great deal of help from my readers) I did win my division at the Chicago Tri (two weeks before Wisconsin) and took second in my division at the national long course championships (HIM distance) the week after Wisconsin.
Simply put, I was able to do this because of my sponsors. So to answer your question more directly, being sponsored like a professional for one year...you tend to be much faster...and here's why:
1) I really go well (read fast) on Nuun. I found that it works for me in both training and racing. During the bike part of the race it lets me use the same hydration that I use in training as I can just pop the pills into a bottle of water.
In the past I have used whatever the race provides and this tends to vary greatly. This means I get stuck worrying about how my stomach will feel after drinking the mystery Powerbar Liquid (the stuff they gave us at Ironman Austria) instead of concentrating on just racing.
BTW: I would recommend keeping Powerbar drink in the bottle and not on your hands.
2) 2XU makes some really great gear. I know this is starting to sound like a commercial for my sponsors, but if you read my stuff you know that I don't pull my punches. It was great being able to train and race in the top shelf gear available to triathletes.
I always felt like a pro training and racing in my 2XU. In the same way you feel special in a designer dress or suit, I felt special in my 2XU wet suit, race top, and shorts. And you know what...when you feel like a pro, you tend to race like a pro.
There is a good reason that 2XU has come from a small Australian apparel manufacturer to being one of the top Tri specific clothing companies in just a few short years. They really do understand triathletes and make the clothes for our Tri needs...except for the sizes. The stuff is certainly designed with a pro body in mind. It runs very small and tight.
3) Probably the biggest difference in my race day performance came from my bike and wheels. The combination of the Zipp wheels on the BMC bike make for a super fast and frankly beautiful ride. I can actually tell you based on my training and racing how much faster the BMC is compared to my road bike...20 percent at least.
I know this because that's how much faster I was on the bike at all of my races in 2007.
More importantly, when you show up on race day with a bike like the BMC with all of the latest and greatest areo gear like the Zipp wheels, handlebars and cranks, you just feel like you have to live up to the bike's performance potential.
I remember watching this segment on the Tour de France from a few years ago when Robin Williams was biking with Lance Armstrong on a training day. Robin Williams at the time rode the most expensive Trek Madone you could buy.
He was this huffing and puffing, shortish, somewhat big-bellied, out-of-shape middle-aged furry guy on a Ferrari of a bike next to Lance. I swore when I got the BMC I would not be that guy. I somewhat managed to be, and not be that guy, all at the same time. Instead I became the Michelin man.
But "Hey" at least I tried.
4) Finally, I really didn't take full advantage of the power meter (Power Tap) and thus Training Peaks and Mike Ricci.
I work on the computer all day and the thought of downloading the power meter data, and uploading it into Training Peaks so that Mike Ricci could chart, critique and steer my progress was just one computer bridge too far.
At the end of my working day I'm so sick of the computer that I just want to ride, or run, or swim. I don't want to download and upload data...no matter how easy or important.
I know this sounds silly, but that's where I drew my line in the sand. So I wasn't able to take full advantage of my Power Tap, coach, or Training Peaks account.
On the other hand, I found the real time power information hugely beneficial in that it kept me from blowing up on the bike as knew my exact power threshold.
I loved and hugely benefited from the fact that Mike set up a winning training plan that easily got me through three long races in one month.
I loved the fact that Training Peaks emailed me Mike's workouts each day so all I had to do was just do the workout without having to think and contemplate.
I loved the fact that my training week and month was planned by somebody else months ahead of time.
I can't tell you how great it is to not have to think about your workouts, but just to get them each day and go out and do them. Especially when they are coming from somebody like Mike Ricci who has years of experience and in depth knowledge of the sport.
5) Lastly, I can't stress enough how great it was to have a bike that actually fit me. Tim Troha at Colorado Multisport fit my BMC like a designer Tuxedo. I had complete comfort in Madison over a very hilly and difficult 112 mile course. I wish I could tell you how much better you feel on the run when you feel better on the bike....never mind, I just did ;-)
So that's it. I'm sorry if this sounded like a paid commercial for my sponsors, but I have to honestly say that my race results speak for themselves. I could not have asked for better results or better sponsors.
Perhaps it is as simple as this: when you are an age-grouper who is lucky enough to be sponsored like a professional, you tend to race like a professional.
Why?
Because you tend to think (read worry) less about your training plan, hydration, equipment, gear, and preparation, but instead you are able to just do your job like a pro and focus on results.
Basically, being sponsored lets you laser focus on training and racing....an boy is that nice!
So thanks for coming along with me on this journey this year. I hope to take a few more of you along next year as part of the 2008 Great raceAthlete Challenge.
