Sometimes you have a great race and you still get chick'd

If there's one thing I've learned from racing triathlon over the last 13 years it's that we can't control what other people are doing or how they're performing on race day. All we can control is ourselves. As humbling (and lets be honest, embarrassing), as it is to get beat by the top pro female at Monterrey 70.3 last Sunday, I have nothing but respect for Magali Tisseyre, and the dominating performance she laid down. There's not much else you can do when you pr with a 4:05 and the top female goes 4:00! As I like to say about good performances- "I'm pleased but not satisfied." I'm very happy with how my race with but of course hungry to get better and faster, break 4:00 and start placing in the top 10.

As I mentioned before, I started working with coach, Kurt Perham of PBM Coaching this year and have been enjoying a slow, gradual build in fitness throughout the spring. Two weeks before Monterrey 70.3 I raced a wet, windy, hilly Moe's Better Half marathon as a tune up race and was pleased to walk away with the win and a time of 1:15:40 (Strava says I went faster). The problem with this half was that it left me sore and  crippled for a solid week. 

I had done very, very little intensity going into this race and running downhill at ~5:20 pace for a few of the mile splits completely destroyed my quads. I spent the next week hobbling around like I'd done an Ironman and my legs tightened up every time I tried to run. Fortunately, time heals all wounds and a massage from Dale Londos the week of Monterrey finally loosed up my legs.

I waited until the last minute to arrange some of my travel plans and booking a hotel the week of the race had me a little worried about what kind of accommodations I would be stuck with. I was a little worried that my hotel room might look something like this-

Fortunately it did not.

I flew in Thursday night which gave me an extra day to splurge on Mexican pastries and ice cream before the Sunday race. It was raining off and on all week in Monterrey and so my first move was naturally to take my bike, freshly tuned up and cleaned by Jason, over at Ride Away Bicycles, and spin around on the dirty streets of Monterrey to cover it with a  thick coat of grit and grime. #dirtyfast

Friday evening saw the arrival of the main contingent of San Antonio contingent of athletes. I joined up with them for a nice dinner and a brief run-in with the law. 

Saturday morning came and after more pointing, gesturing and some acting I was able to secure a coffee, pastry and some fruit before heading over to the swim practice. The water felt great even if my body didn't but I put that out of my head as I couldn't control how I felt at this point.

The pro meeting was at 9:30 and the great "Disc Wheel Controversy of Monterrey 2015" was a hot button topic of debate. Before every 70.3 a pro newsletter is sent out with some schedule details of the race and other important information. The format of these newsletters is always the same and the main pertinent information I look for is the time and location of the pro meeting. As a professional it is absolutely my responsibility to thoroughly read the newsletter and be aware of any important information. I failed to do so until I had already arrived in Monterrey on Friday and consequently showed up with only a disc wheel to race with. The newsletter stated that disc wheels would be banned at this race and the reason for this rule was supposedly because of the chance of high winds on the course. Those winds failed to materialize and so they changed the rule to allow disc wheels. The problem was that many pro's had flown from oversees and left their disc wheel because of the instructions in the email. The controversy arose when the original decision to ban discs was reversed. The pro's who hadn't brought a disc protested because racing a disc wheel is a clear advantage, and I don't blame them as I would have done the same. Ultimately the officials made the right call and let the age groupers use discs while pro's were not allowed to. This did leave me in a  bit of a bind but I was able to secure another rear wheel to use thanks to my friend and teammate, Carlos Torres. Overall the situation was pretty messy and I think Ironman could have done a better job clarifying things in their newsletter. There were about 8 other pro's that were in the same boat as me. I take full responsibility for my lack of attention to detail but I also think that there should have been a little bit more emphasis in the newsletter about the no disc rule. This is the first race I have EVER done where disc's were not allowed. Obviously they're not allowed in Kona but that's common knowledge and has been a rule for many years. 

Drama over it was time to check the bike in, relax and prepare for the next day.

Walking from my hotel to transition on Sunday morning I was glad to see that the roads were drying up and looked pretty safe to ride on. There is a section of the bike course as you bike into town and past the transition area that's roughly 1.5 mile long and is on cobblestones. It's a two lap course and so you go through this section twice. I was worried about the cobbles if it started raining as I knew they would be very, very slick.

If you're not riding a cobb saddle than you aren't really riding

A quick check in and no problems thanks to the armed security guards at transition entrance. I had brought a pair of throw away running shoes and so jogged the 1.2 miles to the swim start in those, did some drills and a few strides and got in my wetsuit. 

The swim at Monterrey 70.3 is incredibly unique and beautiful. It's point-to-point down a riverwalk/canal that meanders through the downtown area. The water is never deeper than 4-5 feet and you are forced to concentrate as you dodge various statues and sculpture pieces. It's a great open water experience for someone that is nervous about the swim as you can simply stand up if you get in trouble. 

I got out well and was on Jordan Rapp's feet up until about 400m. He towed me up to the second pack and then I came unhitched and just missed the group. I swam solo the rest of the way with one other guy about 10-15m ahead that I never could quite catch. A quick T1 and onto the bike.

The cobbles weren't a problem if you didn't mind getting your teeth rattled a bit and I didn't lose any water bottles this year. #winning I settled into a strong pace and worked to bridge up to another guy a little up the road. The plan was to ride the first 10 miles as I needed to to try and get in a group and then settle into my goal power range of 240-250. My back of course started tightening up and I did my best to work through it. Finishing lap 1 and hitting the cobblestones they were still dry so no problems. I was riding my target power which was good but Lauren Brandon, caught me (bad). Being at the back of the men's field and front of the women's field my worse fear is that I mess with their race and give them problems. Lap 2 was a struggle as we were now passing age groupers on their first lap, any of whom I think were European as they enjoyed riding on the left side of the road. It also started raining which added another dynamic.

The eventual women's winner, Magali Tisseyre, caught me around mile 45 and she looked very strong, very fast and very scary. I let her go and just focused on staying strong (and aero) the last 10 miles. Coming into T2 is where things got interesting. The cobblestones were now wet and... well, you can see what I saw as I popped over the hill to go under the bridge:





Heading out onto the run I felt really, really good. I passed one guy right away then settled into a rhythm and just focused on being patient and drinking lots of pepsi. The rain made the pavement pretty slick but it also kept the temperature cool so overheating wasn't an issue. Starting lap 2 I decided to push a bit as I was still feeling good and saw that I was gaining on another pro. I caught him about mile 10.5 and threw in a little surge to crush his soul. For the last mile I went ahead and climbed aboard the struggle bus and just tried to keep things together and get across the finish line

I pr'd my swim, bike and run in Monterrey and dropped 4min off my 70.3 pr. On top of that I was 14 minutes faster than I went last year on the same course and felt better than I ever have finishing a 70.3. I had a great race but I still got chick'd. Here's to next time and hoping I can bike #likeagirl.

Thanks to Revolution Race Team, The Cobb Mobb and of course Kurt Perham for the guidance and support. Next up is NOLA 70.3.

Triathlon is Important, but so is LIFE

What does a fledgling professional triathlete do after his last race of the season?

He does NOT go on vacation to an exotic tropical island.
He does NOT kick back and spend time on the couch.
He DOES throw himself into his coaching business and programs.
He DOES spend more time with his wife and family.
He DOES get a little bit more sleep at night.
He IS less grumpy and tired than normal.
He DOES enjoy life and play some Settlers of Catan.

Leading into Austin 70.3 I spent some time evaluating where I was at and whether I was on the right track to accomplish the goals I have set for myself. For the last two years I coached myself and am very much glad I did. It was a great "experiment," and I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my body better and learning to fall back in love with the sport. I made some big gains in my swimming to where I'm a pretty consistent 26:xx swimmer over 1.2 miles. I'm severely lacking in the bike department though and have yet to produce the 13.1 mile run off the bike that I think I'm capable of.

Before Austin 70.3 I was talking to a  few people about coaching for 2015 and after the race I made the decision to work with Kurt Perham, over at PBM Coaching. I'd run across Kurt, at a collegiate development camp after Age Group Nationals a few years ago and liked his personality from my brief interaction with him. We talked a few times on the phone and I was impressed by his perspective on sport and life. He's a level 3 USAT coach and coaches other elite triathletes and cyclocross racers and I've seen the results his athletes produce. He has the scientific background knowledge which I respect but he doesn't want his athletes to be governed by their watch and power meter.

Ten weeks into training with Kurt, and I am absolutely loving the routine of training and the freedom it's brought me to focus on the other things I have going on every day. I'm looking forward to each workout instead of second guessing myself whether I should do more or less. The problem with self-coaching is that as an athlete, we are very emotionally involved with what we're doing and each workout can become a bit of a roller coaster. Removing that stressor and placing it on someone else has free'd me up to think quite a bit less and just "get the work done."

Rainy Saturday's call for the local garage group ride

Even though I feel like I'm training quite a bit less than I was in January last year I am way more CONSISTENT than I was at this point last year. Because I don't feel like I have been doing much training I am itching for my and chomping at the bit to work hard and push myself. In Kurt's own words, "that's a powerful place to be as an athlete." This time last year I was putting in a lot of volume but I was also very tired and barely hanging on each day. That's not a good place to be in mid-January when my last race of the year is in late October. On top of that, I'm actually swimming, biking and running as good or better than I was at this time last year! So basically... I'm in better shape, I'm stronger, my body is fresher and I want to do more!

Along with the better adjusted training load and mental release from thinking about it, I have much more going on in my business and professional life that actually inspires me to work harder. Every day I am hands on with anywhere from 30-50 athletes coaching them in the water, at the track or on the bike. As I work with these athletes and preach to them that they must pursue excellence every day it inspires me to lead by example in my own life. If I demand excellence from my athletes on a daily basis why shouldn't I demand excellence of myself? Many people may not realize it, but I'm inspired every day when I work with moms, dads and students who are juggling school, family and a business but also have made a commitment to health and fitness in their own life.

We all have busy lives balancing family, school, work and many other things. I have an immense respect for people who place their marriage, family and work as their first priority but also value their own health and fitness. I'm at the point in my life where I admire and respect the commitment level of the athletes I coach more than the fellow professional athletes I line up against on race day!

It's looking like my first half of the race season will be very similar to last year:

March 15- Monterrey 70.3
April 19- NOLA 70.3
May 3- Tri-Tyler Half
May 25- Captex Olympic

I'm extremely excited about this year and all the opportunities and changes ahead. I hope to see many of you on the roads and at the races. Remember to enjoy the journey, love your family and work hard.  Thank you for inspiring me to the best I can be on a daily basis.

Austin 70.3 Race Report Part 2: The Race

 

Photo cred: wife wife

Race day was pretty sweet conditions. I was excited that it wasn’t going to be cold like it has been the last two years and figured a little extra warmth would hurt those traveling from the north more than it would hurt me. Along with my power plan my other main objective for this race was to eat a lot. In past races I’ve really struggled the last 3-5 miles of the run and I think it was because I wasn’t eating enough on the bike. My goal for Austin was to eat 1300-1400 calories on the bike, especially because I knew it was a little hillier and I’d be out there a little longer than some races.

The swim started off as most pro swims do- with the inevitable creep forward past the buoy line by a couple ambitious guys eager to get a jump on the rest of the field. What made this start weird is that we were standing on shore until they said 30 seconds to go and didn’t know whether we were starting from the water or a beach start. Finally they said, “30 seconds to go, you guys can get in the water.” We all waded in and started swimming to the start line. I was half sprinting half trying to listen for the horn in case it blew and we just kept going. We got to the line and they gave us 10 seconds then we were off.

It’s been a while since I’ve raced so I struggled a little more at the start than I normally do but eventually got tucked in to the second pack and was pretty comfortable there. I apologize to the guy in front of me whose feet I kept hitting. We were swimming that awkward pace where I wasn’t quite working really hard but it was too hard to be real relaxed. I couldn’t find that right pace where I stayed even with him so I kept swinging out wide then back in and running into his feet. Open water swims aren’t usually where I make new coffee date buddies though so oh well.

Photo cred: Mario Cantu - Triathlete Mag

Like I mentioned before, I wasn’t too worried about what my bike split was going to be as long as I rode my power. I knew that most guys were going to ride away from me and that’s exactly what happened in the first 5 miles. I tried to stay consistent and aero and put about 700 calories down my throat in the first hour of the ride. I was all by myself until mile 40 when Scott Wilkinson came by me. Actually, I was pretty pleased that it took him this long to catch me as the guy is known for crushing souls on the bike and is the Cat 2 state time trial champion. I tried to stay with him and was able to keep his gap to 20-30 seconds for about 5 miles until he pulled away some more. At this point I was moving up from passenger seat to driver on the struggle bus and just wanted to be done. I probably let out a few moans and various animal noises as my legs and back were aching.

My NP for the ride was 251 and my AP was 244. This was obviously lower than I wanted to hold. You can see that the first 1:50 of the ride I was pretty consistent averaging 256 NP which was a little low but ok. What killed me is the last 35 minutes where my power dropped to 234 and the last 10k of the bike was a measly 226 watts. I just didn’t have the volume of training at race intensity in my legs to be able to hold strong through all 56 miles.

Entire Ride

First 1:50 

Last :35

Last 10k

Photo cred: Maritza

Coming off the bike I wasn’t sure how I’d feel since the last 15 miles had been a real struggle (hashtagthestruggleisreal). I’d stayed attentive to calorie cramming though and had made sure to finish my last gel even though I thought it might make me throw up. Total calorie consumption for the bike was 1350-1400 depending on how much missed my mouth and dribbled down my chin.

I was pleased to find myself feeling quite good starting the run and was very “awake and present.” 

Photo cred: Mario Cantu - Triathlete Mag

Photo cred: wife wife

My legs felt decent too and I clicked off my first couple miles in 6:03 and 6:05. I started off just sipping perform at the aid stations but starting lap two I switched over to coke with occasional perform. My pace had dropped off a little bit but I was still running strong and controlled and was picking off guys in front of me. I was 15^th off the bike and by the end of lap 2 I had moved up into 11^th. For whatever reason I felt really good on mile 9 as I ran back through the crowd ready to start my 3^rd lap and dropped back down to a 6:11 split. That was a bit too much though as I started getting cramps in my quads heading down the hill on the “out” section of the course. I had to back the pace off to make sure I didn’t lock up completely. From there on the last 3 miles definitely started to hurt and my legs were not at all happy with me. I think I skipped an aid station running that 6:11 mile and I felt my energy dropping and the “fog of ironman” creeping in. I tried to push the pace up a couple hills on the way back since I had to be careful going down but my legs weren’t doing a good job of driving me forward anymore. I finished 11^th.

Photo cred: Random volunteer handing out pizza

I like to say that I’m “pleased but not satisfied” about performances. I’m pleased about Austin because I had the best race I could have had on that day. My nutrition was better than any 70.3 I’ve done and cognitively I was much more awake and less drained at the finish.  I’m not satisfied because, obviously I suck at cycling right now. Physically the race beat me up pretty good and I was so sore on Monday that I could barely walk. I just didn’t do enough muscular endurance workouts at race pace to keep me from withering at the end. This showed in the last 15 miles of the bike and last 3-4 miles of the run. Muscularly my body just shut down. Thankfully, fitness is something relatively easy to fix- just train harder! I know what I need to work on for next year and have confidence I can drop significant time on the bike so I’m in a position to be running for that 5^th-10^th spot.

Thanks again to all that participated in my bike split competition and thanks especially to the team of people around me this year.

Revolution Race Team is my local team sponsor and provided my kit for the year. This team is supported by Juicer Heroes, The Fit Kitchen and Enchanted Rock Vodka. They are all locally owned and operated businesses that are making an impact on the community. I owe a big thanks to Jeannie and Simon for including me on the team this year. It’s a small group of talented athletes who get along well and have fun living a healthy and active lifestyle. Fresh juices and prepared healthy meals are an immense help to busy athletes, and vodka… well I can drink that now that the season is over.

Cobb Cycling and the CobbMobb- what a fun company to work with and be a part of. These guys are so passionate about what they do and genuinely care about people and making them comfortable on the bike. Switching over to the JOF 55 this year has really helped my back problems on the bike because it allows me to roll my hips forward under me and put my spine in a more neutral position.

Best Bike Split- I’ve known Ryan since he swam with the masters group I coached while I was in high school. I didn’t quite know how smart this guy was back then but now I do! A PhD in math is no joke and he and his company have helped me come into races with a plan. He’s helped me with little decisions about tire choice and pressure and various tips on staying aero and maximizing speed.

Fluid Nutrition- Their performance and recovery products are vital when I’m training and racing especially in this Texas summer. Drinking fluid on the bike allows me to absorb all the hydration I take in because of  their electrolyte balance and their refreshing flavors aren’t overly sweet or syrupy.

Superfeet insoles make sure I don’t have any lower leg or foot issues. My arch was a little tight starting the run and am thankful I had carbon superfeet in my race flats because otherwise I might have really injured something. After lap 1 the support of the superfeet took over and my foot felt much better.

That about sums it up. I'm taking some down time now before I start planning and preparing for next year. There will be some changes made for sure. If you have any questions please feel free to let me know!

Photo cred: Roland Moreno - E2 Multisport

Austin 70.3 Race Report Part 1: The Build Up

I don’t usually do full, lengthy race reports but after the “Guess my bike split” competition I feel I owe it to those who participated to give them some insight into my race and the training that led up to that performance.

After a lot of down time in June and July while I was getting my business ready for our fall programs I got back to some decent training in August. This was derailed when I crashed at a weekly Tueday night group ride and sustained a concussion. I took a bit more time off, raced a couple times and dropped out of a few races. It was very hit or miss as I was listening trying to listen to my body and not push too hard. It was about 6 weeks before I felt “back to normal” and wasn’t getting any headaches or feeling occasional nausea after a hard workout or race.  At this point I knew I was still in decent shape just from staying active and I had the itch to race but wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to a 70.3 distance. Finally, about 4 weeks out from Austin I decided to do it since A) It’s so close, and B) I’d paid the Ironman pro membership for the year but only raced 3 times so I would actually lose money on the year if I didn’t do a 4^th race. So I signed up.

With only four weeks to prepare I did a few key sessions a week but didn’t try to overload my body too much. I’d had decent results at a few events this fall with minimal training and knew I was better off going to the line a little underprepared but fresh. In those four weeks I did FOUR longer(ish) rides of 50-65 miles. Each of those included 60-90 min of race pace intervals at 245-260 watts. They varied between 15 min, 10 min and 20 min efforts with a 45min tempo the weekend before. Each of those rides I got a bit stronger and though my ride time stayed at 2:50-3:05 for every one, my TSS increased by about 10 for each ride.

For running I did TWO longer(ish) runs during the build up. Once of them was a 13.3 mile run at 7:30 average and a couple breaks because I was running with a group. The other was an 8 mile tempo run at 5:47 pace that came out to a little over 11 miles after warm up and cool down. I also did one hill repeat workout and one speed workout on the treadmill (8x3 min efforts on 1min rest). I knew my heart and lungs were strong but wasn’t sure if I’d fizzle at mile 10 of the run due to lack of volume.

For swimming I swam 2-3 times a week with masters. Never more than 9000 yards in a week but my times were still good and I was confident I would be fine in the water.

The weekend before Austin I did a 50 mile ride with a 48 min tempo at 282 NP on rough, hilly roads. I felt strong and smooth and was hoping I could hold 260-265 for 56 miles in Austin.  After that ride I got off the bike and ran 5 miles at 6:05 pace. I didn’t feel great on that run but I didn’t feel terrible and I knew there was nothing more I could do.

As race day approached I was confident and excited to give my best effort for the fitness I had on that day. A lot of people have asked me what I thought my bike split was going to be. I wasn’t totally sure and obviously I didn’t care what it was if I hit my power numbers. I’d worked with Ryan, over at Best Bike Split to do some modeling and based on my goal power and we were getting a split of around 2:19 for holding 263 watts NP. I was thinking I could go somewhere around there and even if I rode a little slower I would hopefully come in around 2:20-2:21 still.

Austin 70.3 "Guess My Bike Split"

This weekend is the Austin 70.3 in which I am participating. The triathlon season is winding down, I've had to wear a jacket a couple times here in Texas, and the grocery stores have had tinsel out for at least three weeks so why not spread some cheer by giving away some sponsor prizes?! This year's lineup includes three great companies that have supported me all year and provide high quality products that WORK.

All you have to do to enter the contest is guess what my bike split will be at the race this weekend. What makes it even more interesting is that I don't have a clue as to what my split will be so we're all on a level playing field here! To submit your guess simply comment on this post, on Facebook, twitter or shoot me an email. For your skill (or is it pure, dumb luck) the winner will receive the following:

***NEW PRIZES ADDED***

1. A T-shirt and 3 month free membership to Best Bike Split premium

2. A pair of Superfeet insoles

3. Eight packets of FLUID recovery plus a FLUID water bottle

4. A pair of Cobb Cycling shorts


***We also have a new prize for the second closest guess! Second place will receive a free Cobb Cycling T-shirt.***

Not bad for just punching some numbers into your keyboard eh?

Good luck with your guesses and send me some positive vibes on Sunday!!

2014 Season Update

It's been a crazy summer and a crazy year here at camp Saroni. Please find a brief summary of the last 6 months brought to you in pictures.

PR and 13th overall at New Orleans 70.3

Rental bike cruising in Michigan.
This was right after I'd tumbled over at a stop sign because
I forgot my feet were strapped to the pedal instead of clipped in. Newb.

4th at a competitive Shadow Creek Ranch Triathlon

Business development and rebranding

2nd to the ageless Lars Finanger at Cypress

Open water clinics with the UTSA Tri team. All business.

Pre-ride coffee

Bike ride gone horribly wrong 

Back in the saddle again and an overall win.

I do have a few more races left this year at Tri Andy's and Austin 70.3. Training has been less than ideal but the fire still burns and I'll be out there giving it my best come race day. Stay tuned for an announcement next week concerning some prizes and giveaways I'll be offering at Austin!