raceAthlete.com

You Know Your a Triathlete When... by Winz

Admit it: there is a mindset, a group of assumptions, and a whole set of experiences that set a "triathlete" apart from the vast majority of the populace that just rides a bike, runs or swims. There are the serious things, like an understanding of micro drafting the swim, and the mundane things, like knowing where the good places to lock a bike are. Here are the amusing things that make us laugh at ourselves, and give those tell-tale hints that maybe, just maybe, you are a Tri Geek!! 1. You think that working on your bike is almost as much fun as riding it 2. You would recognize that threaded washer from a Presta valve stem anywhere 3. You KNOW what a Presta valve is 4. You make decisions about car purchases based on which one more easily accepts a rooftop bicycle rack and the cargo space for all your transition and training gear 5. You skip that last beer because there is a group brick the next morning 6. You own any kind of purple annodized bicycle accessory 7. Colorado Cyclist and TriSports sent you a Christmas card last year 8. Your bicycle(s) are worth more than your automobile 9. You know what the difference is between Ultrasensor, Core-Tech, and Microfiber jersey materials 10. "Once you try full suits, baby, you'll never go back!" 11. You can tell your significant other with a straight face that its too hot to mow the lawn then take off and run a 10K. 12. Your triathlon accessories are worth more than your car. 13. You pull up hard on the steering wheel trying to jump your car over a pot-hole 14, The first thing you ask when you regain consciousness is "How's my bike?" 15. You hang your finisher medals and awards in your office at work 16. You take a perverse pride in your mid-thigh and mid-bicep tan lines, and even more in that funny little circle on the back of your hand 17. Your learn you have some money left over after paying bills and the first thing you do is look for the next open race. 18. Most of the tools you own are made by Park or Pedros 19. Someone in a car asks for directions and you give them a route that bypasses freeways and busy surface streets. 20. You wear your heart rate monitor to bed so you stay in your target zone during horizontal caloric burning activities. 21. You own 4 pairs of running shoes, and a pair of racing flats. Their all the same brand and model, look and smell the same. 22. Local Race Directors know you by name. 23. You have a Silver or Gold membership to USAT. 24: You use Body Glide as a personal lubercant . Click HERE for more Winz

Transition Do's and Don'ts by Everyman Triathlon

Raise your hand if you can tell me the best place to rack your bike in the transition area.

Anybody?

If you said nearest to the bike exit you are get today’s gold star award.

So now for the tougher question, why do you want to be near the bike exit and not near the run exit, or by yourself in a remote corner of transition, or near the swim entrance, or at home sleeping in and eating a glazed chocolate covered donut for breakfast?

Never mind that last part of that question as I don’t have a good answer to “Donut Conundrum” as I like to call it. Why am I up at this predawn God forsaken hour racking my bike anyway always comes to mind...all too often as I’m stumbling in the dark getting ready for yet another bout of triathlon torture.

Anyway, conventional transition wisdom, at least as taught to me by the local Boulder professional tri Zen masters, states that the closer you are to the bike exit in transition the less distance you have to cover (both going out and coming in to transition) while:

a) Pushing your bike though a maze of racks
b) Running in bike shoes (never fun or fast)
c) Running in bare feet if you happen to have your bike shoes attached to your bike

So now that we have the optimal location of your bike sorted, here are some other transition do’s and don’ts:

Do get to transition early to stake out the idea spot for your gear.

Don’t stumble into transition one minute before it is scheduled to close and expect to have a good race as you try to rack your bike, put on sun screen, sort out your shoes, sun glasses and race number and go to the bathroom (both #1 and #2) all at the same time.

Do be polite and friendly to your fellow racers and happily share your sunscreen, and/or any other necessary triathlon commodity that they may have forgot and you have in spades.

Why?

Because you can bet that what comes around goes around. That person who just borrowed your sunscreen will certainly be the one who will have that extra tube that you realized you forgot when you flat on the bike course.

Don’t be the one in transition who is so into their race plan that the slightest smile or comment from a fellow racer sends them into a dizzy of anger and/or an emotional hissy fit. Unless your last name happens to be Woods, Jordan, Schumacher, or Armstrong you probably haven’t had the results and earned the right to be or act like a prima donna.

Do place your bike and gear in any kind of order that works best for you. I like to put down a towel next to my bike. On the towel I place the following items from front to back with back being closets to the rack.

Front row: Triathlon bike shoes with or without socks lying on top of them. Olympic distance or less I go sockless. I also love my tri bike shoes as the Velcro strap is designed to stay open with little notches just for this purpose.

Back row: Running shoes with race number attached to race belt stuffed in one shoe with running hat on top of shoes.

I like to have my bike helmet upside down on my areo bars and my sunglasses in the helmet. This way when running from the swim I first put on the sun glasses, followed by the helmet, followed by the bike shoes. The helmet first rule ensures that I don’t forget this critical part of the swim to bike transition as not having a helmet on the bike qualifies for an immediate DQ during most races.

Don’t touch other racers bike or stuff. This seems self evident but all too often I see this #1 rule being broken all the time. I (like you) have my stuff just the way I want it, and need it, so please don’t mess with it.

Do try to hang your bike by the rear seat so that it faces out (front wheel forward). This is a great technique that makes it super fast and easy to just grab your bike and go. All you have to do is hang your bike by the front of the seat from the rack. In other words, just place the pole of the rack under the front of your bike seat (see photo above).

Don't hang your bike by the brake levers from the pole. I have seen racers get their bikes stuck on their brakes and almost take down the entire rack trying to wrestle it free.

Do zero out your bike odometer/computer before the start of the race.

Don’t clear your computer as you are leaving transition, while clipping into your pedals, while climbing up a hill, trying to avoid the rest of us, and most likely crashing in a pile of sweat and shame.

Do get a transition bag. I have a huge and terrific backpack transition bag from Zipp that holds everything including my pet elephant. This makes life so much easier before and after the race that I can’t believe I ever raced without it.

Don’t try to bring all of your stuff into transition in your everyday gym bag while riding or pushing your bike. Chances are it won’t fit and you’ll crash juggling your bike and gear to transition in a heap of sleepy-eyed slumber and shame.

Do transition quickly and efficiently so that you spend your time racing.

Don’t spend a lot of time in transition during the race because transitions really do count and you can make up huge amounts of time just by getting in and out fast. I’m hope you believe me when I say that is a lot easier to make up three minutes in transition as opposed to on the run. If you don’t believe me just try to drop a minute a mile on your next sprint tri three mile run and see how easy that is to accomplish.

Don't blow dry your hair in transition!

A few weeks ago I raced a small local triathlon that claims and probably is the Colorado’s oldest race. In the past the racers ran from the pool swim, through the recreation center locker rooms, to the transition area in the parking lot. A friend of mine mentioned to me that when she first did this triathlon (her first) she stopped in the ladies locker room and blow dried her hair before heading out to the bike.

This certainly qualifies as one of the top don’ts for any race situation.

And for finally, for goodness sake: don’t forget your towel!

Raise your hand if you can tell me the best place to rack your bike in the transition area.

Anybody?

If you said nearest to the bike exit you are get today’s gold star award.

So now for the tougher question, why do you want to be near the bike exit and not near the run exit, or by yourself in a remote corner of transition, or near the swim entrance, or at home sleeping in and eating a glazed chocolate covered donut for breakfast?

Never mind that last part of that question as I don’t have a good answer to “Donut Conundrum” as I like to call it. Why am I up at this predawn God forsaken hour racking my bike anyway always comes to mind...all too often as I’m stumbling in the dark getting ready for yet another bout of triathlon torture.

Anyway, conventional transition wisdom, at least as taught to me by the local Boulder professional tri Zen masters, states that the closer you are to the bike exit in transition the less distance you have to cover (both going out and coming in to transition) while:

a) Pushing your bike though a maze of racks
b) Running in bike shoes (never fun or fast)
c) Running in bare feet if you happen to have your bike shoes attached to your bike

So now that we have the optimal location of your bike sorted, here are some other transition do’s and don’ts:

Do get to transition early to stake out the idea spot for your gear.

Don’t stumble into transition one minute before it is scheduled to close and expect to have a good race as you try to rack your bike, put on sun screen, sort out your shoes, sun glasses and race number and go to the bathroom (both #1 and #2) all at the same time.

Do be polite and friendly to your fellow racers and happily share your sunscreen, and/or any other necessary triathlon commodity that they may have forgot and you have in spades.

Why?

Because you can bet that what comes around goes around. That person who just borrowed your sunscreen will certainly be the one who will have that extra tube that you realized you forgot when you flat on the bike course.

Don’t be the one in transition who is so into their race plan that the slightest smile or comment from a fellow racer sends them into a dizzy of anger and/or an emotional hissy fit. Unless your last name happens to be Woods, Jordan, Schumacher, or Armstrong you probably haven’t had the results and earned the right to be or act like a prima donna.

Do place your bike and gear in any kind of order that works best for you. I like to put down a towel next to my bike. On the towel I place the following items from front to back with back being closets to the rack.

Front row: Triathlon bike shoes with or without socks lying on top of them. Olympic distance or less I go sockless. I also love my tri bike shoes as the Velcro strap is designed to stay open with little notches just for this purpose.

Back row: Running shoes with race number attached to race belt stuffed in one shoe with running hat on top of shoes.

I like to have my bike helmet upside down on my areo bars and my sunglasses in the helmet. This way when running from the swim I first put on the sun glasses, followed by the helmet, followed by the bike shoes. The helmet first rule ensures that I don’t forget this critical part of the swim to bike transition as not having a helmet on the bike qualifies for an immediate DQ during most races.

Don’t touch other racers bike or stuff. This seems self evident but all too often I see this #1 rule being broken all the time. I (like you) have my stuff just the way I want it, and need it, so please don’t mess with it.

Do try to hang your bike by the rear seat so that it faces out (front wheel forward). This is a great technique that makes it super fast and easy to just grab your bike and go. All you have to do is hang your bike by the front of the seat from the rack. In other words, just place the pole of the rack under the front of your bike seat (see photo above).

Don't hang your bike by the brake levers from the pole. I have seen racers get their bikes stuck on their brakes and almost take down the entire rack trying to wrestle it free.

Do zero out your bike odometer/computer before the start of the race.

Don’t clear your computer as you are leaving transition, while clipping into your pedals, while climbing up a hill, trying to avoid the rest of us, and most likely crashing in a pile of sweat and shame.

Do get a transition bag. I have a huge and terrific backpack transition bag from Zipp that holds everything including my pet elephant. This makes life so much easier before and after the race that I can’t believe I ever raced without it.

Don’t try to bring all of your stuff into transition in your everyday gym bag while riding or pushing your bike. Chances are it won’t fit and you’ll crash juggling your bike and gear to transition in a heap of sleepy-eyed slumber and shame.

Do transition quickly and efficiently so that you spend your time racing.

Don’t spend a lot of time in transition during the race because transitions really do count and you can make up huge amounts of time just by getting in and out fast. I’m hope you believe me when I say that is a lot easier to make up three minutes in transition as opposed to on the run. If you don’t believe me just try to drop a minute a mile on your next sprint tri three mile run and see how easy that is to accomplish.

Don't blow dry your hair in transition!

A few weeks ago I raced a small local triathlon that claims and probably is the Colorado’s oldest race. In the past the racers ran from the pool swim, through the recreation center locker rooms, to the transition area in the parking lot. A friend of mine mentioned to me that when she first did this triathlon (her first) she stopped in the ladies locker room and blow dried her hair before heading out to the bike.

This certainly qualifies as one of the top don’ts for any race situation.

And for finally, for goodness sake: don’t forget your towel!

Can you really go slow to go fast ? by Go Hard or Go Home

Editor’s Note: Our teammate Jason from Australia thoughtfully weights the pros and cons of low effort/long duration base workouts to a busy daily life. This is a question that we often get when age-group raceathletes try to balance work family and training. Please note that base training is normally done in winter...which it currently is in Australia.

Lots of long slow distance. Well, that is what most people think of when they think of base training. It forms the basis of so many training programs and has been popularised in the running community by the misinterpretation of Lydiard's training principles. I don't believe Lydiard advocated distance runs at slow paces just for the sake of volume, instead there was more structure and he used the term "best aerobic pace." Check out the article Miles Makes Champions. It is generally considered that the more low-intensity, high volume training you get behind you, then the better and bigger your peak can be after you add in some speed work.


This approach does work for many people, but for me I find it a path leading to overtaining and injury. Plus I now have to keep a limit on my total training hours due to other committments in my life. This begs the question of how do I approach my base training. In an attempt to find an answer and develop a sound approach I eventually thought to ask, "What is the point of base training?"

I tossed around a few ideas that included:

• to develop the aerobic engine
• increase exercise tolerance
• enhance fuel metabolism
• develop ability to go the distance

None of these quite satisfied me. They were just individual components that did not encompass all aspects of base training. I took a different angle. Base training is performed before the more the specific training. Sounds obvious. The ability to handle compeitition specific training is enhanced by a good base training period. Again this seemed obvious. Therefore, a suitable definition of base training would be:

To develop a well balanced athlete capable of optimally
responding to the stress of competition specific training.

Following this definition I consider base training to be a period of building up the body across all areas of fitness. It involves gradually extending the body's ability to tolerate training stress, while taking care not to provide too much of an overload to invoke the risk of injury, reduce the immune response or cause to fast an adaptation which will develop an early peak in fitness. One way of achieving this is through a prolonged and gradual increase in the volume of low-intensity training. I fault this one-sided philosphy. I believe it neglects the other important requirements in developing a well balanced athlete.

Low intensity training does not develop the different fast-twitch muscle fibres, the specific neuromuscular recruitment patterns required for fast movement, the ability metabolise fats at race pace, or the ability of the connective tissues to handle the high force loads of racing fast. The solution is a simple one. Include an aspect of all fitness requirement throughout base training. That is include some fast high intensity work, mixed with strength and plyometric training, enhance static and dynamic flexibility, develop the different indicators of aerobic performance from pure endurance, abilities at around the so-called anaerobic threshold and ability to handle VO2max paces.

The trick here, is to be very careful with the load of individual sessions, plus the overall weekly load. In order to keep things simple, and based on my previous training experience, if a session takes no more than one day to fully recover from (meaning I should feel capable of repeating the session two days later), then it is probably appropriate. With the exception of the occasional race, if more recovery is required, then I am training too hard.

This does not mean all training sessions feel easy. In fact, I expect to be hurting during a fair amount of my training, but I also expect to be able to recover quickly and not be dreading the next day of training.

Because my roster changes a few times over the next two months, I am unable to outline a typical week of training. Instead I offer the components I plan to include in each 6-10 day period. For the shorted weeks I will combine two sessions into one. For example, instead of running a threshold run one day and a VO2 max bike ride the next, I would change it to a brick set of say 4x3min VO2 on the bike followed by a 20-30 run at threshold pace. It's not set in stone, and I believe the variety will help too.

Here are my components of base training:

• Swim straight aerobic swim, progressing from 1000-25000m
• Swim balance drills plus AT set of say 10x100 with short recovery
• Swim stroke drills plus short VO2 set of 3x200m with long recovery
• Bike long aerobic (don't worry about heart rate too much) of 3-4 hours
• Bike AT of 2x20min or 1x30min
• Bike VO2 of 4-6x3-5min plus some sprints
• Run long aerobic at 70-80%HRmax of 2.5-3 hours
• Run AT of 2x20min or 1x30min
• Run VO2 of 3-5x1000-2000m, plus some sprints
• Plyometrics
• Weights full body general x2
• Extra core strength/shoulder stability work
• Optional extra aerobic cycling if feeling good

Cokes, Jokes, And Dreams by T0

After a humid and rainy January, with temperatures around 30° C (86° F), summer in Rio finally showed up. Now it is hot, and thermometers easily reach 41° C (105° F). Imagine what it is to train under these conditions…

If were not for the Ironman, only a few would still be up Saturday morning to bike on the road, where the sun hits hard and the asphalt seems to thaw the tires. My wife says I’m changing my skin color! Sunday morning is reserved for long runs, now performed on scenic places near beaches, and trails.

There are a few good things though (besides training itself); especially that marvelous, refreshing, cold shower we usually have after 40 to 60’ of running that immediately follows the 120km (75 mi) bike rides scheduled for the month. Finished this month doing them at a 20 mph avg.

But, above it all, nothing is better than the gathering that takes place around noon, when most of the athletes are finished with their workouts. Those are endorphin–relaxing moments full of stories, cokes, jokes, and dreams. Moments during which new friends are made; where everybody is young, despite their ages; where is good to be alive.

February in Brazil also means Carnival (Mardi Gras), the largest and most spectacular open-air festival in the world. Here in Rio, this merrymaking event takes huge proportions, with lots of people (dwellers and tourists) and a two-day parade performed by our Samba Schools. Many people travel during this holiday also, searching for some calmness and rest. Needless to say, it is virtually impossible to train on this context. As for me, I like to see the Samba parade on TV, drinking beer.

Since February is almost over, I am taking the remaining days for some active recovery, cutting down the mileage and preparing for March, with its three 140km (88 mi) bike rides + 10km (6.25 mi) brick, and Rio’s Half-Iron on March 18th. These long bike workouts help me a lot to adjust the bike for optimal comfort and to perform a few nutritional experiences.

I have changed the original Ritchey clip of my 2005 Fuji Aloha 1.0 tri bike for a Syntace C2, mounted with the lifter kit, considerably reducing the pain in my back by improving posture. The Ritchey clip was good, but it did not have any adjust for height, which was my problem. A shorter and more tilted stem, like those used in downhill bikes, ameliorated my arm position while riding aero.

 

And there are only 96 days left until May 27th IM Brazil …

Click HERE for More TO from Brazil

Ten really important things I always forget by Everyman Tri

On a recent and very cold and snowy long run, I had just about two hours to contemplate the state of my current triathlon career. Two hours can be a long time, especially when running in the cold and snow. Time slows to a crawl. The ten-minute time segments between miles  go on forever with few distractions except the mounting pain, rhythmic labored breathing, and thumping heart.

So to keep my mind distracted from the growing pain of pushing my body at sub-zero temperatures, I mentally tallied the top ten lessons, tips, must do’s, and words of coaching wisdom that I always forget. My only hope is that if I share them with you (as I share this mental conversation I had with myself during the run), I won’t forget them this year as I prepare for the 2007 race season. So here are the ten really important things I always forget…in proper triathlon order:

The Swim

10) Always, always, always look straight down.

I can’t seem to help myself but when I swim I always catch myself looking forward or ahead. This of course could be due to the normal fear of slamming headfirst into another swimmer, the wall, or the lane line. It could also be because we naturally like to see where we are going. (Expect when running. Please see number 4)

But this does not change the fact that the second the head goes up, the butt sinks faster than a Japanese navy ship stomped on by Godzilla, turning me from shark boy to anchor man. Unfortunately the converse of this rule is also always true. When swimming backstroke, I always look back and not straight up causing my butt anchor to bite, and slow any forward motion to a sinking crawl.

9) It’s not about the fitness, as Lance Armstrong’s next book deal could be titled.

How quickly I fall into the trap of fitness over form. Sure, I go to the pool with every intention of swimming with the perfect hydrodynamic form. But all too soon my form turns to mush, and before I know it I’ve swam 2500 yards of the messiest, splashiest, floppies, silliest, unhappiest, crappiest, freestyle. I always forget that 100 yards of perfect form is worth 1000 yards of junk swimming.

8) If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.

Having just said that junk yardage is a waste of time, there is really only one thing that improves swimming…swimming.

There is really is no way (zero, nada, no how) to get good at swimming without spending long hours in the pool. So while junk swimming may never make me a good swimmer, it does go a long way in teaching me to breath and feel comfortable in the water. So as Bill Murray said in Caddyshack, “At least I’ve got that going for me!”

The Bike

7) Spin, Spin and Spin some more...no coasting.

I always forget to resist the temptation to push the bike. I also forget that the best thing I can do is to keep the bike in an easy gear and just spin up AND down hills. And I always forget to maintain at least 80 rpm. But somehow, I never forget to throw the bike into the highest gear on the down hills, instead of using the downhill to recover.

6) Less is more when confronted by the dreaded monkey butt

Every year when I start biking, I inevitably end up with a raging case of monkey butt on my first couple of long rides. And every year I keep adding layers of clothing in hopes of creating a massive diaper-like barrier between me and the seat. And every year, the monkey butt goes away only when I switch to less padding. When it comes to cycling short pads, less is definitely better.

5) Hills make you faster in the flats, but flats don’t make you faster in the hills

On my typical ride I tended to avoid the hills like a bad case of monkey butt. But there is no way in getting around the fact that hills build strength, muscles and endurance, while the flats build false confidence.

The Run

4) Always, always, always look ahead when running

So why is it that when I run I look down, and when I swim I look up? How easy it is to forget to look up and not at ones feet during the difficult parts of a run. Unlike swimming, when the head goes down of the run, the shoulders soon follow and so does the pace. I always have to remind myself to look ahead at the horizon and my eventual goal.

3) The Roadrunner had it completely right all along

Whenever I start to push the pace I always end up increasing the length of my stride. The best, most efficient, fastest way to run quickly is to be like the Roadrunner and increase leg turnover. I always forget that to go faster, all I need to do is to keep the stride length the same and just increase my turnover rate.

Beep Beep!

2) When training, resist the temptation to run fast

So I’m moving along on my long run keeping my heart rate below 140 beats per minute when some big dude passes me, and before you know it the race is on. My heart rate spikes and I’ve just blown a perfectly good workout.

I always forget that the smartest and best way to get fast for endurance running is to go slow and actually build endurance. What a concept! I need to remember to keep the speed on the track, once a week, where it belongs, or save it for my next race.

1) Use my iPod

Finally, when will I remember to bring the iPod to use on these long and cold runs so that I don’t have to play these mind games to keep myself distracted for two hours?

Beep Beep!

Click HERE for more Everyman Tri.

New 2007 Race Series to take on Ironman

This just in. 

Triathlon One O One just announced a new race series that will "tri" to rival Ironman dominance of long course  triathlon.

From the Triathlon One O One web site:

"World Class Triathlon Racing... is what Triathlon One O One is all about! “Triathlons Second Coming” is arriving in North America at a destination city near you. Featuring an exciting new distance that is taking the multisport world by storm. Triathlon One O One features a 1.86mi (3km) swim, followed by a 80.6mi (130km) bike and finishing with a 18.6mi (30km) run - a total distance of 101.06 miles. The Triathlon One O One series will launch in May in Bradenton Florida, visiting California in June, Halifax Nova Scotia in September and culminating in November with the One O One World Championship in Texas."

When it rains it pours.  First Ironman, followed by ITU long course, don't forget the 70.3 races, and now this.

Are there really that many triathletes in  the world to sustain four long course race series? Time will surely tell. 

   

Mac attack by Marc

Ok, I’ll admit it – when Stadler blew up last year after not being able to change a flat, throwing his bike while on camera and having a hissy-fit, I decided I didn’t much like the guy. I’m of a mind that a Professional anyone – lawyer, doctor, soldier or ATHLETE – should set an example of behavior for the rest of us to follow. While I understand the emotional aspect of Stadler’s plight in ’05, I would have hoped for more from him. No, I’m not going to bow to the “you would have done the same thing if your year of training would have amounted to nothing….” argument, not because I know for sure what I would have done in that situation, but because I have an expectation of behavior of Professionals. As a Professional soldier, I experienced similar stresses and physical excursions (things like Ranger School, Special Forces Selection, etc…), and suffered a few defeats as well, and managed to maintain a professional image to my subordinates and peers as was expected of an Officer. I’m in no way comparing my level of fitness then to his now – just the level of stress in physically and mentally challenging situations.

This year, he raced the perfect race, and is crowned a champion of champions. Good for him – I respect him as one of the best athletes in the world. But yet again, he’s shown his lack of Professionalism in his actions and comments – from the throwing of the wreath, to use of profanity on the ramp, to his after-race comments. Now I swear like sailor sometimes (but not on national TV), and after 8hrs, I can understand not wanting a pointy, leafy crown on my head (but have been required to wear uncomfortable protective gear after some pretty long days and weeks). But what I don’t understand or condone is an attack of integrity on a fellow athlete that was competing on the same playing field and by the same rules.

Yes, he won. He proved that he could lead out and keep that lead and be the best in the world – and if he wants to rub it in, so be it. If he’s a poor sport, or if his personality is one, like many professional athletes today, that shows it’s backside more often than not, than there will be folks that are drawn to that and he’ll have his fans and people who are not his fans. Talking trash is all the rage and boosts TV ratings. Blasting a guy’s abilities that you just beat may be acceptable in some folks eyes – it’s poor form, but there’s some truth to it – on that day, you were better than him. Calling a man a cheater – questioning his integrity – is a totally different animal.

Clearly, Macca played within the rules of the race, rules derived from a scientific study where it was proven that a 7-meter draft zone provides negligable advantage to the drafter – the officials shadowed them for much of the race, as did the media, and if a violation had taken place, he would have been penalized. But that’s not good enough for the champ. Because he chose to play by leading out the entire race, and knowingly submitting himself to a harder bike leg without the pacing of other competitors, playing to his strengths, he has the right to question first the rules and second the strategy and integrity of fellow competitors? Physically, this guy is tough – but even with the win, Peter Reid was right, mentally, this guy is a wimp – a whiner and a cry-baby (and when confronted by Macca, denied his statements until a blackberry was thrust in his face - hmmm, add liar to the list?)

Accusing someone of cheating is huge. Cheating is normally defined as taking an unfair advantage. Cheating is taking banned substances. Cheating is cutting out part of the course. Cheating is drafting – breaking the 7 meter rule. Thing is, once you are found to have cheated, you are forever a Cheater. A level of trust with your fellow man dwindles to a point where people look at you differently, deal with you differently, and think less of you and your integrity. In a professional environment where cheating is becoming prolific and true professionals must take extreme measures to ensure they are in keeping with the rules – the flippant use of the term by a fellow athlete is, well, inexcusable.

Want to read more by Marc?  You can find him at Clydesdales have big... bikes!

The Tri Life by John Maynard

Last night I was thinking about my training, my dreams, my plans for the future. But as I was thinking about the future I started to think about the past and the changes that have come from the decisions I have made in the past 3 years. I though about life before the changes were made and have come up with a list:

3 years ago:

I was tired all the time, no energy to get things done.

I was 50# heavier and wearing a 37+ waist.

I smoked those mini cigars on a regular basis.

I drank way too much alcohol.

I couldn't run or walk 1/2 mile without stopping to take a breath.

I procrastinated way too much.

My biggest recreation was fishing. Not that that is bad, but it is not very active.

I did not have that many friends that I associated with.

I went to bed late and woke up late.

I ate way too much.

That was how it use to be. Life was just made up of another day after day. I really did not have any motivation to move myself. But that was all changed by one simple event that sparked a flame.

I am a volunteer firefighter with my local fire department, I am a lieutenant and have been with them for the past 6 years. One day we had a call for a brush fire. I responded with a few men and met up with the firefighters from BLM. The fire was about 2 miles away across two ridge lines. We started the hike down and then on the way up the other side I could not breath, I had chest pain, and had to slow down to a crawl to get up the other side. After that call I promised myself that I would never let that happen again. In January of 2004 I decided to change everything. Now I look back at what I changed:

Post 2004 -

Stopped smoking

Changed my diet to low carb, high protein.

Lost 50 pounds.

Lost 6 inches off of waist.

Body Fat percentage down to around 9%

Only occasional alcohol.

Exercise daily.

Can run 26.2 miles - did this 5 times.

Can cycle 60 + miles

Can swim 2000 meters.

Can swim open water with freaking.

No longer procrastinate.

Lot's of energy, some to spare at times.

Go to bed early and wake up way early to train.

Making plans for races up to 2 years in advance.

My bike is more valuable than my car.

I now regularly correspond with bunch of friends that enjoy the same thing I do.

Life is no longer dull.

And #1 - I do own a Six-Pack.

So my hopes of the future remain the same. I will continue to push myself physically and mentally to complete in Triathlons. I plan on several sprint and Olympic triathlons next year as well as a few marathons. My "A" race continues to be The Timberman Half-Ironman. Then the push for the following year will be for Ironman Florida. I hope I can, at some point, qualify for Kona. My only regret is that I did not find myself in this sport earlier in life when I could have been a contender.

CIAO.

Would you like to know more about John?  You can find him HERE.

The Tri Life by John Maynard

Last night I was thinking about my training, my dreams, my plans for the future. But as I was thinking about the future I started to think about the past and the changes that have come from the decisions I have made in the past 3 years. I though about life before the changes were made and have come up with a list:

3 years ago:

I was tired all the time, no energy to get things done.

I was 50# heavier and wearing a 37+ waist.

I smoked those mini cigars on a regular basis.

I drank way too much alcohol.

I couldn't run or walk 1/2 mile without stopping to take a breath.

I procrastinated way too much.

My biggest recreation was fishing. Not that that is bad, but it is not very active.

I did not have that many friends that I associated with.

I went to bed late and woke up late.

I ate way too much.

That was how it use to be. Life was just made up of another day after day. I really did not have any motivation to move myself. But that was all changed by one simple event that sparked a flame.

I am a volunteer firefighter with my local fire department, I am a lieutenant and have been with them for the past 6 years. One day we had a call for a brush fire. I responded with a few men and met up with the firefighters from BLM. The fire was about 2 miles away across two ridge lines. We started the hike down and then on the way up the other side I could not breath, I had chest pain, and had to slow down to a crawl to get up the other side. After that call I promised myself that I would never let that happen again. In January of 2004 I decided to change everything. Now I look back at what I changed:

Post 2004 -

Stopped smoking

Changed my diet to low carb, high protein.

Lost 50 pounds.

Lost 6 inches off of waist.

Body Fat percentage down to around 9%

Only occasional alcohol.

Exercise daily.

Can run 26.2 miles - did this 5 times.

Can cycle 60 + miles

Can swim 2000 meters.

Can swim open water with freaking.

No longer procrastinate.

Lot's of energy, some to spare at times.

Go to bed early and wake up way early to train.

Making plans for races up to 2 years in advance.

My bike is more valuable than my car.

I now regularly correspond with bunch of friends that enjoy the same thing I do.

Life is no longer dull.

And #1 - I do own a Six-Pack.

So my hopes of the future remain the same. I will continue to push myself physically and mentally to complete in Triathlons. I plan on several sprint and Olympic triathlons next year as well as a few marathons. My "A" race continues to be The Timberman Half-Ironman. Then the push for the following year will be for Ironman Florida. I hope I can, at some point, qualify for Kona. My only regret is that I did not find myself in this sport earlier in life when I could have been a contender.

CIAO.

Would you like to know more about John?  You can find him HERE.

A Blast from the Past

With this year's Kona world championship this weekend, we thought you might enjoy a blast from the past.

Here's the classic 1989 race (in six parts) that pitted the veteran Dave Scott against an up and coming Mark Allen.

Some call this race the ultimate Ironman battle. Both men eventually won 6 Kona World championships but it was this race that defined their careers.

After you watch the race you may want to listen to the interview with Mark Allen as he describes this race and the race mentally it helped to forge.

You'll also check out the now old school gear and bikes. And as a very special inspiration we get to see the Hoyts in early action.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Mark Allen on what it was like that day in 1989

What does it take to win the World Triathlon Championship in Kona? A world full of training and pain would be my guess.

What does it take to win the World Triathlon Championship in Kona six times?

Mark Allen knows and he shared it with us recently.

We'll give you a hint right here and now. It takes body, mind and soul as Mark revealed his winning spiritual strategy to us. Click HERE to visit Mark’s passion or click HERE to visit his web site.

Mark is of course a six time Ironman world champion. He has also excelled at the Olympic distance, winning the sport's inaugural World Championships in 1989 in Avignon, France, by more than a minute. He went undefeated in 10 trips to the Nice International Championships, and from 1988-1990 he put together a winning streak of 20 races.

you can listen (here and now) to the interview by just clicking the play tab below, or click on the link to the MP3 file and download it to your favorite iPod or MP3 player.


MP3 File