Running in the heat sucks!

I am back after a long time off of blogging. But since my workout today was so difficult, I could not resist putting up a blog. 

It has recently turned very hot in Lexington, KY this week.  I knew today was going to be hot, but I just did not realized how hot is was really going to be. Dave Kuendig, Eric and I went over to the UK arboretum to do repeats in the woods, which thankfully was shaded.  I ran about 14 minutes of warm up, and then started my first repeat. The workout was 1 x 2 mile, 3 minutes rest, 2 x 1 mile, 2 minutes rest after each, 4 x .5 mile with 1 minute rest after each.  I successfully did the 2 mile run, but made the mistake of running with Eric who is much faster than me.  We did the first half of the 2 miles at a 6:30 pace, which is fast for me.  It took us 13:30 for the two mile, which was a good time, but too fast, I knew I was going to die, and I did!  The first mile repeat was ok, 7:02 pace, then the second one was 7:29-kicked my butt!  I decided to skip the first .5 mile repeat since I was having so much difficulty breathing and my legs were not firing anymore.  I did the three  x .5 mile run in: 3:41, 3;36, 3:27, which is not bad since is was the end of the workout!  Oh, did I forget to say it was hot? 92 degrees to be exact!  Thank God we were in the shade. I did take water and Gatorade with me so that I could at least have something to drink.  I was smoked after the run. We had about a 10 minutes job back to UK, and even that was difficult.  Dave and Eric did a great job on their run.  This is my first workout in the heat, but I am racing next weekend and it is supposed to be hot. I am also training for Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 race in August and I heard the run will be hot with no shade, so today was good practice for the hot part.  Lesson learned from today: Do not try to keep up with Eric!  The 2-miler killed me!

Final note of the day: Tony White, of Mideast Multisport, is competing in the World Championships in Canada tomorrow.  You can view live video and results at www.triathlon.org  Please go check out the page!  We wish him the best of luck!  Until next time,

Beth Atnip, MS, NSCA-CPT, USAT Level 1 Triathlon Coach

Ecouragement to start the new year

When I first embarked upon the sport of triathlon, I was a runner first and foremost.  My first year of competition proved that point with me finishing up near the top of my age group with my run split in most every race.  However, in the 4 years since then, my run has periodically let me down.  Now the reason behind this could be one of many factors (ie. too much effort spent on the bike, poor nutrition during the race, or improper pacing) which I won’t discount, but the biggest glaring culprit, my ego.  You see, that first year I grew to depend upon my ability to run people down and got ahead of myself and have forgotten how much time I spent running and specifically running speed workouts and bricks.  I haven’t been putting in the time like I used to and I have been expecting the same results. 

News flash: those strong finishing runs have not been there.  Sure, I still have been running well and holding my own, but I am not chasing people down like I know that I can.  More telling is that the ease with which people have been able to run away from me in races.  With that said, I vow that this year I will get back to the dedication of running and finish my races stronger.

Part of this dedication involves running more consistently and running more off the bike, but mostly it involves more road races.  I have already run 3 road races since Ironman Wisconsin and I have the itch to race more, especially with the success that I have enjoyed to this point.  A 2nd place overall finish in the Bourbon Stampede 5K, 4th place AG finish at the Thoroughbred Classic 5K and 1st place AG at the Hangover Classic yesterday (some of you also know about pacing my brother in the marathon).  More important than the finishes is how well I have competed in the races.  I have been able to find my pace early and hold it through the end and still be able to pick it up slightly to bring it home.

So, like I said in previous post, I need to restructure my training to include more running and longer bricks so that my body can get used to settling into a pace.  The desire is there to get back to being a good runner and the early indication is that I can once again have success as long as I continue to focus on the run instead of being over-confident in my ability.  I will continue to race to see where I stand, but the true test will come when it is time get off the bike and run after those long, hot summer rides.

I’m gonna do it, what about you?

Jeff

The Plan: Rocket City Marathon….for now!

Well, my tri season is over and I sat down and thought about what I wanted to accomplish next year.  I also considered what I thought would help me the most in reaching those goals and below will be a recap of what I have come up with.

Following my first Ironman (Florida in 2005), I basically took the next 6 months off anything remotely competitive and followed that up with a 2006 in which I only participated in 5 road cycling races.  No, I wasn’t injured, I was unmotivated and lazy and I don’t want that to happen again, so I have to get going.  So far I have been able to maintain some sort of fitness and luckily I have been injury free and feeling good (all things considered).  Because of this, and the other factors that I will explain shortly, I have decided to at least put together a plan to follow and try to get myself ready for the Rocket City marathon in Huntsville, AL.

At this point, you may be asking yourself (or someone sitting close by) one question.  Is this guy insane for trying to come back from the Ironman and start training for a marathon?  Well let me present my other reasons for wanting to run this race. 

First and foremost, my younger brother has signed up for a marathon class at Ball State University and the class culminates with the running this marathon.  This will be his first marathon and as far as the last time I talked to him, he was really excited.  It will be a great experience to be able to share this excitement with my brother.  I hope that he has a better first marathon experience than I did and I think that he will because he is going in with realistic expectations (unlike myself, but that is totally different blog topic).

Secondly, I want to erase that only other open marathon experience from my mind.  I struggled to a time that I thought that I could run with my eyes closed, but I wasn’t prepared for the mental wars that one has to fight with oneself during the marathon.  I have gone through these both in the marathon and now in both of the Ironmans that I have finished.  At this point, I would have to say that I am better prepared to deal with the mental struggles……but not immune to them.

Finally, I have preliminary plans of training to complete two Iron-distance races next summer.  Obviously, this depends on many things from funds to health, but right now I am thinking that I want to do two next year.  Because of this idea, I want to see how much and how quickly I can handle training after an Ironman so this is what I have decided to do in order to test myself.  I would say that the race and the training for an open marathon are more intense and harder on the body than the training that I was doing for the Ironman, so if my body can hold up through this, then I think that I should be able to come back from an Ironman in August for another in November.

Well, here’s too testing your limits and setting your sights on next year.  And oh, by they way, after the marathon, I will be taking a month of rest and relaxation……until my new road bike comes in and I get the itch to ride it.

Jeff

Now What

So your long triathlon (or running) competitive season has come to an end and you have entered that time of year that the Type A personality triathletes hate, the off-season.  What exactly does that term, off-season mean?  It means that this is the time of year to recuperate, recharge, reflect and redesign. 

 Recuperate

Take this time to let your body heal and recover.  If you are anything like me, you have been putting your body through 15-20 hour weeks for several months now and you have just finished your “A” race and now you deserve to “rest”.  Rest is such a vague term, but I am going to put it as clearly and simply as I can, listen to your body.  During the season, you may have been listening to your coach or your schedule and pushed through on those days when your body put up resistance, but, NEWS FLASH, now you don’t have to do that.  For the next couple months, if your body says “NO”, listen to it and sit that workout out.  Tomorrow is another day and it will be soon enough when you are out grinding miles against your body’s will.

Use this time to go to the physical therapist and work on repairing that sore quad or hamstring.  Or go to a massage therapist to get those knots worked out in your shoulders.  Treat your body right now and maybe it will respond with greater appreciation later in the season.

 Recharge

Remember when training and racing was fun?  I had forgotten until this past weekend when I was working the newly named “Susan Bradley-Cox Tri-for-Sight” and I witnessed so many people smiling from ear to ear and just enjoying the day and the race.  That is why I started competing and that is why I had always “trained”, because it was fun.  So revive that youthful exuberance and get back to the fun of it.  Here are some tips:

1)      Leave the watch, computer, clock at home.  Try going for a run without your watch or a ride without your computer or not counting laps or watching the clock the next time you swim.

2)      Train somewhere different and find a new beautiful bike route even if you have to drive a little to get there

3)      Do a trail run.  Enjoy nature and put a charge in your hill running.

4)      Try Cyclo-cross.  This will greatly increase your bike handling skills, plus it’s really fun.

5)      Skip a workout to eat dinner with family or friends for a change. 

6)      Take a “newbie” on a training ride with you.  They just might be infectious. 

7)      Fake it ‘til you make and put a smile on your face even when you don’t feel like it and soon it will become habit

 Reflect

Take a look back at what you accomplished this season, whether it was just beginning to train or your first half-marathon or that first Ironman finish.  We all accomplished something great and it is time that you recognized that accomplishment.  Allowing yourself to recognize what you did over the past year will go great lengths in helping you to have fun again.  So sit down and put those accomplishments on paper.  Once your list is complete then create a second list of what you would like to accomplish for 2008 and be realistic.  These are your goals for the year and if you make them too unrealistic, then you will get discouraged in your pursuit of them.  On the other hand, if they are easily attainable and not flexible, then you reach them too easily and loose motivation for the rest of the season.  So take some time during this reflection period and be realistic.

 Redesign

Ok, so your mind, relationships and body are healed and you have successfully created a list of accomplishments and goals.  It is time to sit down and put together the training program that will take you from what you accomplished in 2007 to the heights of your expectations for 2008.  So the only logical step from here is to take all of this information (along with a copy of last season’s training) and contact your favorite Mideast Multisport coach to sit down and design the program that will put you on the way to meeting your goals.

Have a great off-season and see you at the planning table.

Jeff

Wisconsin Training/Racing Report

Now that the season is over and Ironman Wisconsin is an event in the past, I would like to reflect upon my training and also the race.  I think that in order to assess my training, I must first reflect upon the race. 

My pre-race strategy was not unlike many others, survive the swim, pick it up on the bike and then finish passing people on the run….well two out of three isn’t bad is it?  The swim start is a little overwhelming for a novice swimmer like myself, but as a group we made the decision to start to the outside, well away from the buoys and try to stay out of the fighting as much as possible.  The first loop was great with very little conflict, but I tried to move closer to the buoy line for the second loop and got beat up, so I swung out wide and then realized that I got way outside and ended up swimming about 150 meters further than I needed, but I was happy with the swim….objective met.

Once on the bike, I felt great and hungry, so I began eating early and often and tailwind was great and I was riding with some good riders and keeping a respectable pace and just went with it.  I was spinning up the hills and passing people and then holding my own on the downhills and flats, but the effort was not taxing so I just kept going with it.  About 2/3 of the way through the bike, I was having trouble keeping up my nutrition pattern and this would come back to bite me again, as my hamstrings started to cramp on one of the final hills and I thought my run was in jeopardy.  However, I was able to save my body and my legs into the wind on the way home….objective met.

Now for the run, my strongpoint……or it at least used to be.  I came out of transition and I felt great and the watch said that I was feeling really great….7:00 miles for the first 3 miles.  Mistake one.  At this point I was feeling on top of the world and just rolling and hadn’t figured out the aid station and wasn’t taking my regular walk breaks.  Mistake two.  By mile 10 my 7:00 pace had jumped to about 9:30 and wasn’t looking good.  I struggled and gave in and walked from mile 16-19 and then was able to “suck it up” and finish strong…..objective denied.

So looking back at this race that my entire training season was centered around, I am happy.  The swim and the bike were great and the times were perfect for the effort that I put in, but the run was a little disappointing.  This was a combination of another failed nutrition effort, not following the designed race strategy and finally not enough long bricks.  I feel that this is the only part of my training that needs some serious revisiting.  In the future I will alter the make-up of my Infinit Nutrition sports drink to reduce the protein and increase the sodium.  Also, I will add some longer bricks and more runs on tired legs to mimic the feelings on race day and finally, I will always, always listen to the voice of reason during pre-race strategy sessions and follow my coaches advice……objective learned.

Here’s to better racing for ’08.

Jeff

Memphis in May Triathlon Results

Congratulations To Everyone Who Competed in the Memphis in May Mountain Triathlon this Weekend!!!

Midest Multisport and Lexington had a great showing this weekend in Millington, TN.  There was a Mountain Bike Triathlon on Saturday, followed by an Olympic distance triathlon on Sunday. Jeff, Eric, Tony White and myself decided to compete in the amateur challenge, which consisted of competing in both races and taking the combined total time.  During the mountain bike triathlon, Tony’s chain broke and he was not able to finish the race. That was a bummer because up to that point of the race, Tony was having a great showing.  Eric, Jeff and I had good races.  Eric finished 4th in the very tough 30-34 age group, Jeff finished 7th in the 25-29 age group and I finished 1st in the 25-29 age group.  We all had fun and it was a great “warm-up” for Sunday.  That was my first off-road triathlon, and it was very fun and I have to say I really enjoyed competing in the race!

After a couple of naps and a refueling party on Saturday, we were ready to go for Sunday’s race.  It was a perfect day!  It was clear, hardly any wind, and the temperature was perfect.  We had several others from Mideast Multisport competing and a ton of people from Lexington!  Susan Cox and Rosie Hillmeyer from Mideast were also competing.  To sum up the day, Mideast Multisport had a great day of racing!  Tony White not only finished second in his age group (20-24), he also had the fastest amateur bike split at the Memphis is May Triathlon. He averaged 27.4 mph on the bike!!! He had an amazing race, finishing in 1:53:12!!! Our very own Eric Atnip also had an amazing race, finishing with his best time ever of 2:05:41, and placing 13th in the very hard 30-34 age group.  Great race Eric!!! Jeff Buhr had an awesome race, finishing with a 2:12:11. Jeff had a great race considering his bike seat became extremely loose during the ride.  Jeff had a really fast swim!!! Great job Jeff! Susan Cox won her age group and averaged 20.1 mph on the bike at the age of 70!  Susan you are super women!!! And Rosie, who also had an amazing race, beat her personal best on the bike by over 2 mph!!! Congratulations Rosie!!! And finally, I had a pretty good race. I finished 1st in the Athena division and had a good swim!  In the amateur challenge, Eric finished 12th and I finished 6th.  I was happy for everyone!!!

There were so many great races from our group from Lexington!!! I want to again congratulate everyone who competed this weekend!!! My next big race will be a half iron distance race in Morgantown, WV.  Jeff, Eric, Gary, Nikki, Rodney Wesley and myself will be competing in this race.  The race will be on July 1st and I heard it is a hilly one!  So I will have to start training hills once again!

On a final note, I wanted to also congratulate Marcus Hammond for finishing his first ever marathon. Marcus competed in the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, OH.  And finally, congratulations to Rodney Wesley for finishing 2nd overall at the Falling Springs Heart and Sole Triathlon!  Congratulations to you both on a job well done!

Until next time,

Beth Atnip

Training on Vacation

Last week I took a “working” vacation to the Bahamas. It was definitely more enjoyable and relaxing than it was work, and I was verygreatful for the opportunity. I stayed in a grandiose resort that was full of people. The beach was beautiful and the accommodations were better than I could ever afford on my own. The only downfall of the trip was the amount I exercised. I did enough to get by and not lose a lot of fitness, however, I got home thinking that I could have/should have done more. It made me think of a few things I could think about before going on another vacation.

If you are planning on taking a vacation and wish to simply vacation and not even think about training then by all means do. I am not trying to convince you to turn your relaxing vacation into an intense training trip. However, if you are planning a vacation that lies in the middle of a training schedule you may not want to abstain from an entire week of exercise.

Here are a few tips I came up with:

• Wake up an hour or two before the rest of your travelling companions. Chances are everyone will sleep in longer than usual on vacation so take advantage of a quiet morning. You might even get to see a beautiful sunrise.
• Research the area before you travel. Are there trails, bike paths, easily accessible roads, ocean swimming, lap pool, a boardwalk? (running on the beach can be a great and challenging workout!)
• Check out the fitness center. Almost every resort/hotel these days has at least an exercise room. (Note: Find out if they charge a fee. I walked 20 minutes to the fitness center one morning only to find out that it was a $15 a day charge)

• Take the opportunity to do some cross training. Many vacation spots have rentals like kayaks, bikes, skis, paddle boats, etc. An hour in a paddle boat equals an hour on the trainer, right?

Remember that you are on vacation so above all have fun!

Nikki Ditsch

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Part II

So we learned from my last post that you need to get new shoes………your shins hurt, your hips hurt or you finally figured out that you are running in shoes that you have used for the past 3 years.  Now what?  What shoes do I get?  How do I know if this lady at the local running store is selling me the right shoes?

Well, I am not going to make you an expert by the end of this series, but I will give you enough information to at least ask the right questions when buying shoes.  In order to be able to ask the right questions, you must first know if you have a flat, normal or high arch and if you pronate, supinate or run neutrally.

What does it mean to have a high, normal or flat arch, and how do you determine what you have?  The easiest way to determine your arch type is to do an experiment when you are getting out of the shower or maybe even out of the pool (my favorite time to check it out).  With your foot still wet from the shower or the pool, step onto a patch of dry flooring (can’t really be carpet). 

1. If your foot imprint closely resembles a shoe insole (full imprint from the heel to the toes), then you have a flat foot. 
2. Consequently, if your imprint shoes a little curvature on the inside of your foot, then you have a normal arch. 
3. Lastly, if your imprint shoes just a small imprint of the foot between the heel and the toes, then you have a high arch.

The significance of the three of these lies in the flat and the high arch.  With these two types of arches, your foot is progressing through the normal “shock absorption” sequence set forth by your body.  Because of this, if you fall into one of these two categories, you will need to take special precautions when choosing your footwear.

Once you have determined your foot type, you must take a look at your previous running shoes to determine if you pronate, supinate (sometimes referred to under-pronation) or run neutrally.  For this experiment, you must take out an old pair of shoes and flip them over to look at the sole of your shoe to observe the “wear pattern” of the shoe.  There are two distinctions that you must look for at this point, the point of initial contact and conversely, the point of final contact.  You should be able to find a portion on the heel (or this point could be more in the middle of your shoe) of your shoe that is more worn than the rest.

• If this point of initial contact is in the middle of your shoe, then you are considered a Midfoot striker
• If the point of contact is on the heel, then you are a Rearfoot striker and must determine if that point of initial contact is on the inside, outside or middle of heel of your shoe.

Now follow that line of wear on the bottom of your shoe to the point of final contact, where you are pushing off the pavement.  Make note of whether that wear spot is on the inside (under the ball of your foot), outside (under your smallest toe) or middle of the foot.  Tracing this line will determine what type of runner you are.

1. Severe Pronator-This line will be connecting an initial contact spot on the outside of your heel to the ball of your foot.  You roll your foot very quickly and violently to the inside
2. Pronator-This line will go from inside of your heel to the ball of your foot
3. Neutral-The line will connect from the middle of your heel to either the middle of your foot or the ball of your foot.  It would be more preferable to have final contact on the ball of your foot, but the middle would not be horrible.
4. Supinator-This line will connect any of the three heel contact points to the point beneath your smallest toe

Each of these four types of runners require different shoe characteristics (which we will discuss next week) due to the stresses or strains that it puts on your body’s “shock absorption” characteristics.  Stay tuned next week so that we can look more closely at the shoe that might be best suited for you.

Jeff

A look at Focused Training Periods.

There were several posts written around the new year about setting up your training plan. The one thing that I wanted to stress to athletes at that time was that it is important to not only have outcome-based-goals, but to include some process-based-goals.

Recently, Nikki and I were in a meeting with some of the other personal trainers at Fitness Plus discussing goal setting. We were all brainstorming and discussing the idea of setting “SMART” goals for our personal training businesses, but it got me thinking again about goal setting for triathletes. If you are a goal oriented person and regularly review your annual training plan, then you may find an article titled “Reaching your Goals” on Inc.com informative.

How does this apply to triathletes?

If you are like some, then you may have spent a lot of time setting up your 2007 season – only to have it posted on your fridge as a decoration. The training plan should not be a nice piece of paper, it should be a guide or road map to your season.

The one thing that I believe is very helpful is to include “focused training periods” into your annual road map. (I have written about this previously – here.) There are several things that I like about focused training periods:

1. They help create smaller periods of time that allow an athlete to remember what is important NOW.

2. An athlete will have less of the “ahh, I still got 8 months before the race” mentality. The smaller periods can help improve your motivation.

3. It gives an athlete an excellent way to boost their ability in a specific sport or improve their weaknesses.

How about an example:

If you go over to my personal blog and read my post on the value of a basic week, you can view my (older version) annual training plan for 2007. What you’ll see is that I had a focused training period starting in November and ending on January 28th. That training period included three 4 week cycles primarily structured to get me swimming more (and more and more). That period ended and lead into an 8 week period focused on cycling.

One benefit that a coach or mentor can play is helping you define what those training periods should be focused on. For instance, I initially had a 4 week run and then a 4 week cycling focus. But after getting some guidance from Dean Hewson (who did Runovia and MedEx Mountaineer last year) I decided to put in an 8 week cycling focus and keep running frequency as a secondary goal.

Find ways to keep your focused periods focused!

I hate to swim a lot. A little here and there is manageable, but I have never been an athlete that likes to swim 20,000 yards a week. Knowing this about myself, I decided to find a way to keep myself accountable in January. So I signed up for the January Swim Challenge on slowtwich.com. Did it work? It did this month as I swam 147% of my stated goal by the end of the month. I know for a fact that had I not put in a swimming focused training period I would not have swam as much I did. I also know that if I didn’t set a few specific goals for that period I may not have been as motivated.

Staying Consistent.

The other thing that I like about focused training periods and breaking up the year into smaller pieces, is that it helps keep athletes consistent. The various characteristics that surround your focused period, such as: more motivation, smaller and specific goals, near term accomplishments – keep people consistent in their training. I personally feel that consistency is the “golden ticket” when it comes to improving as a triathlete. This is true especially for the time challenged person.

So what should your focused training period be focused on right now? Well I can’t give a blanket recommendation as we all need to improve on different things. I’m going to work on my cycling, I joined a “Run 28 times in Feb Challenge at slowtwitch” and I plan on getting my stroke analyzed by a coach. If you need some help or motivation, maybe you can get some ideas by reading my analysis titled “How to pass the suck threshold in triathlon” that I wrote the other day. (It’s amazing to see what it takes to pass the kicking ass threshold!)
Otherwise, we’re always here to help. (I think I need to get in another run……)

Gary Ditsch

Where the rubber meets the road: Part I

We all have been privelaged over the past couple weeks to read posts by both Beth and Eric about dressing properly for winter riding and winter bike maintainance.  Those were very informative and a necessary part of our winter training, but I am here to remind you that there is a need for proper maintainance of your running attire; and more specifically, your shoes.  Over the next three weeks I want to take you on a journey to highlight when to get new shoes, how to determine what kind of runner you are and what kind of shoes are right for you.

It is no secret that of the three disciplines in a triathlon, running is the hardest on the body.  The pounding that your feet, joints and legs take with every step is tremendous.  With every step you are applying roughly 2.5-3 times your body weight to each leg.  Now think of the number of times you will land on your right leg over that next 6 mile run and then multiple that by all the 6 mile runs you plan to do this year and that is a lot of force being absorbed by that right leg (and consequently the left leg). 

So now you ask yourself, why am I bringing this up?  Am I trying to scare you away from running?  Not at all.  I am trying to prove a point that while bike maintainance is great and important, body maintainance when it comes to running may be even more important.  By running maintainance I mean specifically paying close attention to the shoes that you are wearing and track the miles that you put into each pair of shoes.  Also make sure that you are wearing shoes that fit your feet and more importantly your body frame and running style (Parts II & III).  Most training shoes are designed to last for up to 300-500 miles of running, while lightweight racing flats are really only constructed to hold up for about 200-250 miles.

The mile range on your running shoes depends upon your running style and your frame.  If you have a small frame, obviously you will be able to extend the life of your shoes.  However, this also depends upon how much you pound the pavement as opposed to landing gently and springing back off the ground.  These two factors effect the lifespan of your shoes, but how do you know when it is time to change shoes.  Here are some pointers:

• if you are starting to feel pain (not soreness) in your legs when running
• if your joints are hurting more than normal
• if you flip your shoes over and the soles of your shoes have no more tread

So please pay attention to your body and track the miles on your shoes to help keep your feet in the best quality shoes to avoid overuse and pounding injuries the best you can.  Above all, remember to enjoy running responsibly……you can always get new bike parts, but body parts are a little harder to come by!