Nice Tri Blog

Understanding why...

2012-01-13T12:12:00.003-05:00

What purpose does this workout serve for me? What is this workout trying to help me accomplish? Does this workout display my current level of fitness?

You should be able to answer these questions at any time as you progress through your training year. If you can't - ask! Understanding why a given workout is on your plan can help improve your motivation to follow through with the training set as it's written, and it can also be motivational to track fitness improvements throughout the year. Not every workout serves as a fitness marker, but generally each workout serves one of these three following purposes:

To recover from previous workouts
To improve your level of fitness
To maintain your level of fitness

Recovery is as important as the level of training stress that you place on your body. Without adequate recovery, you are constantly breaking the body down and not allowing it to build itself back up (also known as "supercompensation"). Eventually, you will have over-reached your body's limits to build itself back up adequately and may become demotivated, slower, or sick. This is a great article on overreaching: Overreaching in Training.

Each individual requires a different amount of recovery. Your individual amount of recovery needed may be influenced by the amount of sleep you get, hydration and nutritional habits, genetic ability to recover, etc. Each week we will place a measured training load on our bodies, and we always want to perform a given run or bike a little faster than the week before, but is this reasonable? Let's look at the second purpose of a workout - To improve our fitness.

The purpose of a group of workouts (also known as "Training Stress") is to break the body down slightly, allow it to recover, and to build itself up stronger than it was when we started. As we mentioned previously, this is known as "supercompensation". However, if we're in the middle of a build cycle with a high level of training stress (or even a base cycle for that matter), should we expect to see levels of supercompensation? If so, when? How much? At what distance, time or intensity level?

As is the case with many issues in exercise physiology - it depends!

It is possible that if we're building up an athlete's aerobic capacity, that they can expect to see a decrease in their anaerobic capacity. In other words, an athlete might be faster at longer rides or runs than they were 6 months ago, but are actually slower at shorter rides and runs. This is to be expected and is precisely why we talk about goal races and distances. You won't find an athlete that's a gifted marathon runner and also a gifted 400 meter sprinter. In the Olympics, you won't see an athlete run a world record marathon and also run a world record sprint race. It just doesn't happen! Pick your distance, train that distance, and expect to see improvement at that distance. However, you should also expect to see performance levels drop at other distances. This is all part of tailoring the anaerobic capacity to the athlete for the distance at which they hope to succeed.

For example, you might find that after a 12 week block of aerobic capacity training (2-3 hour rides in your aerobic zone) that your CP20 (Critical Power for 20 minutes) has actually decreased. Does this mean that you're slower on the bike now? If your races are 20 minutes long, the answer is yes! However, the reason that you were prescribed a block of 2-3 hour aerobic capacity rides is probably because your goal race is longer than 20 minutes. This is one example of a fitness test not being a good representation of race fitness. Another example would be doing 200 and 400 meter sprint workouts as a measure of your Ironman marathon fitness. Reality check - not many Ironman athletes need to improve their 400 meter kick at the finish line!

In other words, the "test" that you're using should measure the goal of the training.

During the training block, we do have days that are considered "performance markers". Sometimes these markers are physiological tests (such as lactate tests), but they may also be individual races. It is important that if we are looking at a performance marker mid-build that we don't compare that marker with one that we'd see after a recovery week or taper. Our number one goal is to race as fast as possible, not to train as fast as possible. I don't care how fast you did your "10 x 800 meter repeats at Ludicrous Pace" mid-build if you can't hold pace at the half marathon on race day. Workout stats are usually for impressing your friends on Facebook, but remember that there's a difference between training and racing. A workout is not a race. A race is a race!

I recommend physiological testing every 6-8 weeks for my athletes. This is the ONLY way to measure adaptations within the body. The tests are not subjective and the blood does not lie. You're either improving, staying the same, or regressing.

It is also possible to prescribe a series of workouts to maintain one's level of fitness. For example, if an athlete needs to improve their swim, they may elect to go into a maintenance protocol on the bike or run. Don't believe me? Look at TJ Tollakson's training logs and see how much cycling and running he did during the months of November and December. He was swimming about 45,000 yards per week, and cycling and running just enough to minimize his fitness loss during this period.

There you have it! When you're working out, you're either recovering, improving or maintaining your fitness. If you don't know which of these goals an individual workout serves, ask your coach to tell you. After all, that's why we're here! Finally, the true measure of your fitness is on race day. Learn to look at each workout as another building block in your foundation to faster finishing times on race day, and this will help you stay within the prescribed intent of your workout session.

What's with all the data, coach?

2011-11-28T12:54:00.000-05:00

FAA Part 25 aircraft certification refers to performance standards for airliners and business jets. Every time you or a loved one purchases a ticket with either an airline or a business jet charter company, the management team, pilots, and aircraft manufacturers are guaranteeing that if an engine quits while on takeoff roll, the aircraft can stop safely on the remaining runway. If the engine quits shortly after takeoff, they guarantee the paying public that the aircraft can climb to a safe altitude.

That's kind of a nice feature to have in my opinion...clearing terrain is always a good thing!

There have been many airlines and charter companies that have been forced to cease operations because they didn't meet these performance standards, so they do their best to review performance data to ensure your safety. Money is made and lost with performance data in aviation, and lives have literally been lost because it was disregarded.

Perhaps it's my background in aviation, the fact that I love to chart an athlete's progress, or maybe it's my propensity to give into the dark side of obsessive/compulsive disorder and try to chart, analyze and forecast everything to the "nth" degree. However, I think it's far more captivating to chase a number on a powermeter during a four hour trainer ride than just to pedal into oblivion not knowing whether I'm making progress. I also think it's more encouraging to see that Athlete "A" has improved their threshold pace from a 8:10 mile to a 7:15 instead of waiting for that "one big race" to see if they've improved. Besides, the finishing position is always dependent on who shows up for the race, but the measurement of lactate, heart rate, and wattage are not subjective. They're black and white.

Recently, Bill Robertson completed an eleven month training cycle that culminated in a 9:36 finish time in his first Ironman event. Bill trained with a power meter, GPS pace watch and heart rate monitor all year, and had tons of data from all of the files that he has collected and uploaded during the course of those eleven months.

One of the neat things about all that data is our ability to forecast a finish time for a race. Since Bill had completed 99.9% of his intended training, we knew that he could swim "X" pace, ride at "Y" watts, and run at "Z" pace as long as he executed his nutrition plan according to schedule (which he did).

We predicted that Bill would swim under one hour, and were hoping for a 58 minute swim. He actually swam 59:50 due to some congestion.

Deviation: 00:01:50

We predicted that Bill would come in under five hours for the bike, and were hoping for a 4:58:00. Bill actually rode a 4:57:59.

Deviation: 00:00:01.

We were shooting for a run time under 3:30:00. Bill's running has come a long way, and he was able to hang tough and finish in 3:33:32.

Deviation: 00:03:32

After over nine hours of racing, Bill finished within 5 minutes of what we had predicted. Bill's ability to stay on his nutrition and pacing plan allowed us to forecast this so precisely, but we would never have been able to be so accurate if he hadn't used a power meter and GPS watch during his build.

While data does help make your training more precise and effective, it doesn't mean you always have to hit a certain goal wattage or nail a certain pace. We certainly need to listen to our bodies when it comes to rest and recovery, and on those days it's sometimes a good idea to just use the device to collect the data but not let it direct our effort. In other words, sometimes we need to chill out!

However, there are other days when (in the words of Jens Voigt) we need to tell our legs to "shut up" and stay on pace and wattage. This is something that comes with practice!

In summary, the next time you're hesitating uploading your files for later review, remember that it really does help your coach to determine your progress, write an effective plan, and forecast a race performance if they have the data to analyze. Although we're not trying to clear obstacles at the end of the runway, we can certainly use technology to our advantage during our training sessions.

Super Spooky Pumpkin Ride Report

2011-10-25T22:06:00.000-04:00

This weekend the team got together to raise money for a great cause and to enjoy some muddy trails together. We were well-stocked with cider, donuts, beer and even a few mountain bikes!

The festivities started with a tour of the trails and we began to realize that the riding might get a little gooey. "The trails would surely improve as the night wears on", we all thought. However, they actually got a bit sloppier as more people passed over them which made for some very technical riding in a few sections while others were absolutely perfect.

Our intent was to have a "Hot Lap" competition, but it seemed that merely completing a lap was deemed a "hot lap" and we simply enjoyed each other's company whilst riding. We do think that Chris Reel deserves a special award for pulling a buggy behind his bike with his son Sammy onboard. Sammy could be heard laughing and chatting along happily as the buggy bounced and ricocheted off trees.

After completing numerous daylight and several night laps, the group gathered around the bonfires to warm up and enjoy chili, cookies and the cool fall air.

The event was a great success and 100% of the money brought in by the team went to Matt Field's nephew's cause - The Cured Foundation. One of the reasons Matt is racing Ironman Wisconsin is to generate money for eosinophilic esophagitis research. We'll certainly be putting on several more fundraisers throughout the year and hope to help him meet his goal for a great cause!

If you have any fun ideas for future fundraisers that involve running, biking, sledding, snowshoeing, etc., please let us know. We'd like to have even more athletes from the area get involved next time to help Nice Tri help others!

One of the trails at the Super Spooky Ride - Pine Lane!

Pumpkins, Trails and Fundraisers at Nice Tri

2011-10-16T22:48:00.000-04:00

As a corporate pilot and manager, I spent most of my time directing a flight operation and ensuring that required documents met or exceeded FAA standards. When I wasn't flying a trip somewhere or fulfilling my administrative obligations, I enjoyed learning as much as I could about human physiology, performance and training. I also started cycling and running as much as I was able and enjoyed performing well in local races, until one day I had an epiphany.

One day I will die.

That's not meant to sound morbid, but the last time I checked, there's a 100% chance that at some point, you will die. The question then becomes: "What are you doing with your life while you're alive?" Is your goal to accumulate money, race wins, Ironman finishes, or do you long to do something more lasting and fulfilling?

In the Christian-based belief system, the Bible teaches that this life is not all about us. It's not about what type of airplane we flew, how much money we made that we will leave to our heirs, but it's about relationships.

Human relationships.

That's precisely the reason that I formed Nice Tri and moved away from the "get all you can while you're alive" mentality. I decided since this life is finite, I'd rather invest my energy into something that has lasting value. My goal with my business was not to proselytize the world, but to get involved in other people's lives and use the business to help others. I have been blessed with a successful business in a short period of time, and want to leverage that success for those who are less fortunate.

It's time to put that belief into practice!

Sunday, October 23rd marks Nice Tri's first fundraiser event. We'll be opening the trails around our 33 acres of land to runners and riders to benefit the Cured Foundation. This is an excerpt from their website (curedfoundation.org): CURED is a not for profit foundation dedicated to those suffering from eosinophilic enteropathy, which includes eosinophlic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, eosinophilic colitis and other eosinophilic disorders. It is the hope of CURED to raise substantial funding to aid in research and public awareness for this complex disease. Although the disease is being diagnosed at an alarming rate, very little is known about Eosinophilic Disorder. It is our heartfelt belief and mission that CURED can make a difference for the individuals and their families who are touched by this disorder.

Please come and join us for some trails, food and invest your time into something worth more than your 401k: Helping others!

We will be starting the ride at 5:30 until 9:00pm, and riders are required to have a headlamp, helmet and eye protection. This ride isn't a "race", but we will have a special prize for the rider with the fastest "Hot Lap" around the course. Come with your friends, enjoy some of the best cider, donuts, chili and trails in Ontario County. Donations are not required, but are appreciated, and 100% of the money taken in will go to the Cured Foundation.

We'll look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Why do we do it?

2011-09-05T14:53:00.001-04:00

My last post talked about Ironman Louisville and how the race went in 2011. As I was typing up my race report, I started waxing nostalgic about the year in review, and how far the gang has come. We've had a great year of firsts, PR's, successes, and accomplishments interspersed with the occasional setback or niggle. 2011 wasn't all smiles and giggles, but I can honestly say that it was one of the best years athletically both for me and many of the athletes on the team.

While training throughout the year, I remember receiving several pointed questions from people that I've bumped into.

From an older lady at Kershaw: "You cyclists don't look healthy. You're too skinny. Are you sick?"

"Why thank you ma'am! I appreciate your thoughtful insights regarding my physical appearance!" I responded.

From a well-intentioned athlete after a training session: "Why do you ride the bike so hard? You really should throttle back a bit so you can run better". I reminded them that intensity is relative, and my "easy" might be your "hard" (or vice versa). I suggested that offering fitness advice using your own FTP as a reference point is not objective, and that you should always measure improvement against your own performance, not someone else's.

But quite possible the most probing question of 2011 is "Why do you do it?" "Why do you do Ironman?"

Some things are easy to understand internally, but more difficult to convey in a concise response that doesn't cause the listeners eyes to glaze over and their head to bob up and down as they nod off into a deep slumber.

Trying to explain the reason why we swim, bike and run as many as 40 hours per week to a non-athlete is like trying to explain atomic physics to my 8 year old nephew. It just doesn't sink in!

Endurance Nation teaches that part of preparing for long course triathlon is to figure out your "ONE THING". Why are you here pushing your body this way? If you don't have your reason to push through pain and discomfort during your Ironman marathon, you probably won't push yourself very hard and you may actually quit!

To some readers, my explanation of my "one thing" might elicit some glazed eyes, a few head bobs, or a statement like "I just don't get it". However, there are those of you right now that have either completed an Ironman or are training for that one, and this is for you.

I hope you will GET IT.

Ironman mirrors life. I think the journey of completing an Ironman is like a lifetime all crammed into one day. Let's look back on a life well-lived in Louisville Kentucky on August 28th, 2011.

The Early Years - Ironman starts with a clean slate. Two weeks of reduced training stress have left you feeling like a new person and ready to tackle anything! The soreness in the knees and the fatigue of the long training hours are all gone, and you start your journey with a bit of trepidation, excitement and uncertainty. It's like being a kid on your first day of school all over again! However, your childlike enthusiasm starts to feel more like a cramp in the arch of your foot, but you try rub it out while you hold onto each kayak and buoy you pass. Real-life forces you to grow up fast and conclude the swim with a time that is not what you were hoping for, but not enough to make you throw a temper tantrum.

Out of the water and on to the bike, your youth and enthusiasm quickly pass as you reach the mid-point of the bicycle, and you enter your first mid-life crisis.

Middle Age - You've reached a point of stability in your "career" that consists of eating, drinking and pedaling your bike but start to ask the question "Why? Why am I out here doing this? Maybe I should consider another line of work that has less pedaling and more eating. Did anyone just notice that stream of pee running down my leg?"

These are the types of questions that make Ironman so exciting and interesting. For most of us, Ironman will not reward us financially (quite the opposite) or land us a professional racing career. I think the reason that most of us do this distance is to find out what we're truly made of. What will we do when something goes wrong? Will I crack? Will I persist?

It's enjoyable to come face-to-face with these issues and deal with them as they come. Like I said, it's just like life! Our 10:30:00 finish time quickly slips into the eleven and then the twelve hour mark. Do we give up, or make the best of the circumstances with which we're faced?

The Golden Years (Finishing Well) - Twelve hours after we have started, we have become elderly. We find it difficult to walk, even more difficult to run and almost impossible to eat anything solid. We wonder if our farts really should have lumps, and we witness others on the course [of life] who have expired or given up. We want to make it back to where we started...to see our family and friends again and to celebrate our journey.

Ironman Louisville 2011 was different than 2010 for several reasons. For starters, it was cooler. This should have made the marathon easier.

It didn't.

I rode the bike on the easiest ride of 2011 which should have made the marathon easier.

It didn't.

The thing which made the marathon a success in 2011 wasn't just the training, or the nutrition, or the support that I received while racing that day. Although all of those things played a part, the thing that made the difference was one thing.

MY one thing.

I remembered how precious life is...how much of a gift good health is. The memories of watching the bodies of people I've loved grow weak with cancer and stop working...the battles they fought to try to live with a disease that was taking their lives.

My Ironman Louisville 2011 swim started 45 minutes later than my 2010 swim. I wanted to let the end of the line come to me and just waited until 2500 athletes walked by me to start their day. After about 10 minutes, the swim line stopped because an athlete had experienced a heart attack and died. They would remove his body from the water and try to revive it to no avail, and this day of celebration would become a day of mourning for one family and remind us of how brief life is.

But the most memorable experience of the day was coming into the finish. Due to the late start, it was dark outside during my finish, and the lights that illuminated the finish chute were blinding. I was startled by the outpouring of love and support that I was receiving from the onlookers - people that I had never met were screaming for me so loudly I couldn't hear the loudspeakers that must have been blaring at 110db. I was quite literally running into a bright white light at the finish!

I couldn't help but think of my loved ones at the end of life's finish line cheering for me and offering encouragement.

Family members and the true friends that made the journey to Ironman with me.

That's my "One Thing".

So to answer the question of "Why do you do it?"

For me, it boils down to that "One Thing".

And to those of you on your journey to Ironman or who have completed it, I'll bet you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Ironman Louisville Race Report (Short version)

2011-08-29T08:24:00.000-04:00

Ironman is not easy. I don't care if you race the "toughest" course or the "easiest" course, 140.6 miles is a long day in the saddle for even the most fit and gifted athletes. A century ride is tough, but there's something about those last 12 miles...

Ironman Louisville 2011 was a great experience both as an athlete and a coach. My client and close friend Alvah Aldrich would make this his first Ironman attempt. Alvah has run several marathons and numerous 70.3 events, but has never swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 and run a marathon all in one day.

If you don't know Alvah, his motto or catch phrase is "Is that all you got?". We could have done 2 hours worth of Bopple hill repeats and no matter how badly Alvah is hurting, he would still utter this phrase at the end of the session. I like that attitude - "Bring it on". "Make it hurt". "I can take anything you throw at me".

That attitude is a great way to approach life and a great way to approach Ironman.

This year the temperatures at Louisville were at least ten degrees cooler throughout the day with a fairly strong wind out of the north. We even had some cloud cover to make the run a bit more bearable.

Our plan for the start of the swim was to hop in the back of the line and start the race dead last. This actually set a great tone for the day and allowed us to just sit back and let the race come to us. Unfortunately, the swim line stopped for about five minutes when one of the athletes dove in the water and experience cardiac arrest and died. Our hearts go out to the family and friends that came to cheer him on today, and really makes us reflect on how fragile and precious life is. Rest in peace, Ironman.

My swim started with leaky goggles, but once I got that fixed we were under way. I settled into a strong pace and was really enjoying myself until about 1 mile into the swim. My left arch started cramping up something fierce, and I had to stop every five minutes or so to try to rub it out. I found that if I stopped kicking I could keep the cramp at bay, so it was good to get out of the water and onto the bike. I occasionally get those cramps in my feet at night too, and will disturb my saintly wife by jumping out of bed and putting weight on the arch (which is the quickest way to cure it).

After a smooth transition, I settled into a Zone 1 ride (Active Recovery Zone) which keeps my heart rate and wattage very low, even on the hills. I found that my calorie and hydration intake were right on the money and felt great the entire ride. The best part of the ride was coming up on Alvah at mile 80 and finishing the ride together. That was AWESOME!

Alvah and I hit T2 together, but took a bit longer than we had hoped after his fuel belt broke as soon as he pulled it out of his bag. Alvah would now be getting his nutrition on the course! We ran the first several miles together, but I lost touch with him after mile 2 since I had trouble getting my heart rate down. We met again at mile 6 after Alvah made a porta-potty stop and ran together again for a bit. We both seemed to hit a bit of a wall at mile 12, but after walking for 1/2 mile we both got our wind back and started chugging away. Alvah looked great as I saw him go by on the out and back, and my mission at that point was to stay running as long as possible.

My goal for this year was to have a better Ironman marathon than 2011 where I walked most of the run. This year was better, but started bloating around mile 12 and had to slow the intensity down to allow my nutrition to get out of my stomach and into my system. I still ran 80% of the run, but found it once again to be extremely difficult and very rewarding at the finish.

Truly the best part of Ironman is the family and friends that support your effort. I have had the pleasure of developing some of the greatest friendships through triathlon, and wouldn't trade it for the world. My business "Nice Tri" has also opened up the doors to meet new people and get to train and race with them and I'm very thankful for what a great year we've had in 2011. I want to thank every friend, family member or curious onlooker that tracked our progress through the day.

Lastly (but most importantly), I wanted to publicly thank my wonderful wife for all she has done. The support and encouragement, the travel to races and providing wisdom and advice are a just a few ways that she truly stands by me and defines the phrase "better half". Training and racing would not be nearly as fun or rewarding without your support.

In conclusion: Ironman Louisville 2011 was a terrific success and a wonderful experience we'll treasure for a lifetime!

Team Nice Tri Musselman Race Report

2011-07-19T14:38:00.002-04:00

The temperatures for Musselman 2011 were forecast to be rare on Friday, medium rare on Saturday, and well-done on Sunday. If the Musselman Half Iron were a restaurant, I would have sent my steak back to the kitchen because it was burned to a crisp! I was talking to a guy in a red suit with a pitch fork and he said it was 94 degrees out, and suggested I may have taken a wrong turn on the run course.

Suffice to say that the weather for Musselman was epic! It really was a beautiful weekend, and the nice thing about a July race is that it gives most athletes an opportunity to acclimate to the higher temperatures. In the weeks leading up to the race, I had mad a concerted effort to exercise in the hottest part of the day to try to give myself every advantage possible, but if it made the race easier, I'd never know it!

We had a great time cheering everyone along on Saturday. Danielle Ohlson did a great job and won the sprint, and Matt "Turbeau" Curbeau was sporting a Nice Tri jersey all the way to the top of the men's podium. Ryan Park did a great job with his race (and set a 5k PR...nice job, Ryan!). Dan Sanford had his fastest performance of the year and ran sub 7's on his 5k. Great job, everyone! I didn't see any grimaces after the event as everyone was all smiles!

Pre race dinner at Scandling

On Sunday, the gang was hydrated, fueled and ready to go when the gun went off at 0700. Actually, Coach Dan was busy talking and enjoying the pre-race bathrooms and had to rush to the swim start. Our wave went off first, but teammate Chris Reel was there doing some filming and would relay how everyone was doing as the day progressed. We had several first-timers at the half, and the heat of the day put everyone's training and resolve to the test.

The swim was very choppy and had several larges patches of weeds to plow through. I didn't get roughed up at all on the swim (other than from the waves), and had a small improvement in my swim time.

T1 "Pit Stop"

My goal on the bike was to throttle back and ride extremely conservatively. We had ridden this course at least 8 times since spring, and knew which parts to push and when to recover. My goal was not to go under 2:30:00 since this seems to be a very hard push, and the plan went off well as I was about 3 minutes over the "red line".

After an easy bike, I was looking forward to pushing it a bit on the run, and my enthusiasm caught up to me around Barrack's hill. The intensity of the run made it difficult to assimilate hydration, and despite taking it in, it wasn't getting absorbed. The only choice was to slow down (actually my body seems to have made that choice FOR me) and recover.

It was great to see several teammates as I was coming in from my run and tried to relay something helpful and motivating as each one passed. I think I recommended that Athena "Grunt, wheeze, and gasp", and I subtly suggested that Lauren should consider "Cough, burp, gurgle". I'm not sure if they took my advice or not, but as I was saying it it seemed eloquent and timely.

Typical shot of Kelly - ALL GRINS!

I was really amazed at each person's demeanor and their perseverance as they continued on their run. Lauren had been quite sick for several days leading up to the race, and I admire her toughness not only to finish, but to do so with a smile.

Kelly Davis (see picture below) had a GREAT event for her first 70.3 and ran the entire 13.1 miles. She too refused to stop smiling (at least while I was looking). Very impressive, Kelly!

Alvah got a flat tire at mile 50 (after Sampson), and cramped badly when he bent over to change the tire. The cramps plagued him for the run, but he used that opportunity to encourage others while toughing it out.

Eric Malone should receive the award for being the racer with the biggest lungs. I could hear him screaming at me from 300 yards away, and it was awesome!

This was Jesse's first event as well, and he did a remarkable job of pacing and persevering. Jesse had a full contingent of family supporting him, and it was neat to get to see everyone cheering him along.

Danielle had a terrific race on Sunday too, and should really be proud of how well her training is progressing. Danielle can clearly do well at all three sports, and it's fun to see her execute well.

Aldrich sprints it out!

Athena (our Dietician) has certainly gotten the hang of executing a 70.3 well, and despite the brutal temperatures was also smiling every time I saw her. Paul had a HUGE improvement in his cycling at Musselman on his new TT bike. I couldn't resist the picture of Paul with the grimace - hilarious!

It was GREAT to see our family and friends out on the course cheering us on. Bonnie and Watts braved the blast furnace to cheer us on (Watts is STILL sleeping), and our friends Chuck, Ed, Doug, Chris and Dale were there to scream, yell, holler and talk (when they got hoarse) us to the finish. Jim and Sandy were there cheering as Placid is next weekend. Thanks to everyone who gave their time this weekend to hang out, encourage and share a great weekend with us.

I guess the next logical question is: "Who wants to do Syracuse"?

Nice wheels, Eric!

Nice Tri returns from Eagleman!

2011-06-14T17:58:00.001-04:00

The air was crisp and cool as I rounded the final turn at the end of my Eagleman 13.1 mile run. I was glad it was nearing its end, because I was starting to catch a bit of a chill as a nice cooling mist fell over the Maryland landscape...

Loaded up and ready to go

I snapped out of my daydream and back into reality as I plodded along in the 88 degree heat. Maryland actually was experiencing a bit of a cool spell, as the temperatures had been in the upper 90's in the weeks preceding the race.

This was our team's first exposure to Eagleman. Bonnie and I set out with the official Nice Tri mascot "Watts" on Friday, and met the rest of the team in Maryland that evening. The drive really wasn't that bad except for a few delays near Philadelphia. The total drive time from Canandaigua to Salisbury was under eight hours.

I thought it might be fun to go out to an all-you-can-eat crab shack once we arrived, and the air was filled with flying crab shell splinters and kernels of corn-on-the-cob. We settled down that evening in an attempt to get a good night's rest since I tend not to sleep extremely well the night before an event.

These things were AWESOME!

My exceptional photography skills at work

The team left on Saturday morning to make the 40 minute drive to Cambridge for bike racking and package pickup. Once we got our packets at the expo, we had a little fun trying on some air bladders on our legs that are meant to aid in recovery. It was also cool to hang around and hear some pre-race smack-talk from the likes of Matty Reed and Mirinda Carfrae. Actually there wasn't any smack talk, just some neat conversation about training and preparation for this event. Athena and Paul picked up some new tri shorts (which Athena RAVED about in her blog) and we were on our way.

Alvah, Athena, Andy, Paul and Coach Dan

We parked about a mile away from the start and had plenty of time to drop off our nutrition, pump up our tires, and greet some up the folks we knew from Upstate NY.

Paul heading out for a GREAT bike split!

The gang listens intently to Dan's fierce pre-race instructions

Our swim wave started without too much contact, and my goal was to stay SUPER conservative on the swim and not to let myself get anaerobic. My policy of staying conservative went a little overboard, and I used my technique of wandering back and forth across the swim course to try to get a bit of an extra workout in and to give some of the other athletes a head start on the bike. My plan worked flawlessly and I was out of the water mid-pack. At least I felt remarkably fresh, but the swim time was a bit of a disappointment.

Alvah scaring everyone off with some karate moves

My thoughts on the bike course would be that it would be full of drafting and blocking. I actually saw very little drafting, but there were quite a few riders that stayed in the middle of the road even though they weren't passing anyone. My plan was to stay very conservative on the bike in order to have a good run, and I actually throttled back a bit too much in the second half of the ride. My goal time for the ride was to go under 2:20:00, but I was over 3 minutes over that goal. Regardless, it honestly felt like one of the easiest 56 mile training rides that I'd done to date, and most of the team felt the same way.
Train hard, race easy is our motto for a reason!

Athena contemplating the error factor on her GPS...

The run was tougher than most of us expected. The flat terrain did not make up for the high temperatures, and it was tough to stay on pace after mile 4. Everyone on the team did their best to keep with their pre-race plans, but moving forward in a fashion that looked like a run was our primary priority. We filled shirts, shorts, and sports bras with crushed ice in an effort to keep our cool, and it actually worked very well! EVERYONE did a great job pacing their race well, and I can't tell you how great it was to see other friends and teammates on the course at the same time. Mary Eggers read me like a book and yelled "COKE!!!" at the top of her lungs when she saw me. I started laughing until the next aid station when I enjoyed a tepid flat coke with a fly in it. Mmmmm....protein.

Overall, the team decided that they would definitely do Eagleman again. Not only was the event well-run, but the courses were beautiful, well-marked, and in great shape. It was great to see our friends and teammates there as we cheered each other on, and it was great to see Paul as he crossed the finish line on his first 70.3. Athena had so much fun at Eagleman that she's already booked rooms for next year, and Alvah vowed to work on some more karate stretches to keep us all entertained before the start of the event. It was also great to see our good friend Andy Nazworth as he struggled through a hamstring injury (and still kicked some serious carcass on the bike and run). Andy could be one of the nicest guys to ever don a tri top, so send us a Facebook message so we can introduce you to him. You'll be glad you did!

Eagleman, we didn't necessarily love every minute of it, but we hope to see you again in 2012!

Andy looking super strong!

Nice Tri's Swim Coach and the Year in Review

2011-05-27T15:05:00.000-04:00

It's nearly June, and it's been a fast-paced and exciting year for Nice Tri. We've had a what seems like a full season already.

Nearly everyone on the team has PR'd something at some point this year - FTP's, Vdot's, 5k's, 10k's, half marathons...it really has been a year of big improvements and newfound fitness.

Nice Tri has been looking for ways to provide more "value added" services for our athletes. We have a Registered Dietician (Athena Visel) who has helped quite a few athletes find balance and moderation in their nutritional pursuits. We've conducted numerous video swim stroke analyses to help our athletes become more efficient and faster in the water.

Our latest development is teaming up with local swim coach and uber-fast triathlete Danielle Ohlson. Danielle is rounding out the coaching compliment at Nice Tri with her 10+ years of swim coaching experience and terrific personality. She will be offering swim stroke analysis and recommending drills that will help you eliminate chronic flaws that are slowing you down in the water. As we know, swimming well is largely related to technique, so it is imperative to have a good grasp on the fundamentals of swimming well and breaking old habits in order to get faster.

Our goal is to provide "hands-on" instruction for our athletes in order to help them meet their goals. It's one thing to provide someone a structured training plan for the year, but it's another story to ride along with them and recommend changes that they could make in their position or race execution to allow them to get faster.

It's been fun to keep track of the improvements we've made. These numbers have come from a combination of tests and actual race results, so they are not "pie in the sky" calculations.

The "average" athlete at Nice Tri:

Will make an 8% improvement in their Vdot score over the course of 8 weeks, and will improve their 5k time by over 2 minutes.

Will make a 15% improvement in their FTP on the bike. This will translate to over 4 minutes saved on a 40k time trial, and an average of over 17 minutes saved on an Ironman bike split.

Will have a very good idea how much they can eat and drink on race day without getting bloated or nauseous through race simulations.

Remember, not everyone is average! Some of us are still figuring out our pacing and nutrition, but it has been a great year so far and we're excited to be working with our new swim coach to make things even better!

If you haven't had a chance to meet the gang yet, make sure to say "hi" at our next training event or race. We spend a lot of time getting together, training, and socializing which really has made it a great team to be on.

Next stop: Eagleman 70.3. The word on the street is that it's a little bit toasty there, so let's hope for some warm Upstate weather so we can get some heat acclimation going!

Train Hard. Race Easy.

Coach, I didn't feel well on my workout today because...

2011-05-22T12:06:00.000-04:00

1. ...I didn't get much sleep last night.
2. ...my hydration was off.
3. ...I might be coming down with a cold.
4. ...I really didn't feel like pushing hard.

During the course of your training cycle, you will inevitably have good days and bad days. Sometimes, you feel invincible on the bike and run and are shocked when you check your GPS because the pace couldn't possibly be correct. You even consider writing a sternly-worded letter to Garmin when you get back because you are certain that the satellites are playing games with you, and providing you with a false pace that is way too fast for your level of conditioning.

There are other days when you don't feel quite as invincible. You are certain that your Garmin is experiencing trouble calculating an accurate pace and consider another sternly-worded letter to Garmin telling them that once again the satellites may be slightly out of their orbit and that your pace is too low for your level of conditioning.

Whether you think your pace is too hard or too easy, there is a good chance that the Garmin unit is correct, and that your body's physiology might be off a tad. It's more plausible that the satellites are in their correct plane of orbit, and that YOU might be the variable in the equation.

On days like this, it's often interesting to figure out "why" this is happening, and what the causes might be.

I've been fortunate this season to be healthy and not to have had any colds. We started our training on November 1st, and I've only missed several workouts due to a slightly tweaked "this" or "that", and have been quite consistent.

Until this month.

If you've been outside of New York state this spring, it has been quite cool, rainy, and windy. Actually, that's understating things a bit. It has been downright crummy!

However, we (as a team) have gotten fed up with riding indoors and have moved our sessions outdoors on even the coldest and rainiest days. In fact, we did a 60 mile ride in 40 degree temperatures, rain and 40 mph winds (I just got the feeling back in my feet from this ride last week). All was going well, until the Bristol road race several weeks ago.

My CTL (chronic training load) was at a lifetime high just prior to Bristol and I was feeling fatigued but in very good form. The Bristol road race went well, but a freak thunderstorm dropped temperatures into the 40's and drenched us with heavy rain about 10 miles from the finish. The worst part was the 3 mile ride back to the parking area after the finish after cooling down. I actually had trouble riding the bike I was shivering so hard, and haven't felt quite right since that day.

I got to do a spirited ride with Danielle Ohlson (our swim coach at Nice Tri...more on that later!) for 83 miles yesterday. The plan was to ride out at Half Ironman(Zone 3) power and ride back at Ironman power (Zone 2). The truly cool thing was to confirm my suspicion that I really wasn't feeling well. My power ended up being in low Zone 2 and my heart rate was high Zone 3! Without being able to match up my power and heart rate data for this ride, it would have been just another "I didn't really feel that great today" kind of ride and not know WHY. Today I'm dealing with a nice dose of chest congestion, so it's clear that the reason why I was dealing with the decoupled power and heart rate is because I was fighting a chest cold.

Dan's Decoupled 80 Miler!

Here are some other reasons that you might not feel well and what you can do about it:

1. Lack of sleep - This can really affect your heart rate during exercise and your perceived exertion. Make sure to get 8 hours of sleep each night or be prepared to deal with the consequences. The solution to this issue is never to add more training stress to the schedule, but often the athlete needs to be reminded to rest as hard as they train!

2. Improper hydration - If your hydration has been off, you will notice an ever-increasing heart rate relative to pace and/or power during exercise (or if you are maintaining a steady heart rate, you will notice that pace and power drop). The only way to deal with this is to increase hydration levels pre, during and post-exercise, and try to get your body back into balance. Excess heat and improper acclimation to increased temperatures can also cause your HR to drift upward, so that athlete needs to allow several weeks of working out in high temperatures to get used to its effect on the body. Once your HR starts to creep upward due to heat stress, it is very difficult to stop. Make sure you're well-hydrated, and be conservative with pace and power goals if it's warmer than usual.

4. I might be coming down with a cold - If you are well-rested, well-hydrated, and just don't feel your "usual self" during your workout, it could be that your body is fighting off a cold. Be cautious when returning to exercise after illness. Start out slowly to test the water before returning to your full volume and intensity levels.

5. I just didn't feel like pushing hard today - Sometimes we're just plain tired. Stress levels can alter our body's response to training stress, and sometimes it's nice to put the Garmin and power meter away and just go out and blow off some steam. Every day doesn't have to be a new PR (nor should it be), and a relaxing ride or run can be just the thing to clear our thoughts and make us feel refreshed.

After all, isn't that why we're doing this in the first place?

Ramble Around Prattsburgh Race Report

2011-05-17T21:51:00.004-04:00

This past Sunday Team Nice Tri descended upon the scenic town of Prattsburgh for the annual Ramble Around (appropriately enough) Prattsburgh.

Our Registered Dietician (Athena Visel) had asked us to join her for this race, and after making her promise not to injure herself, we agreed. We had a total of six teammates on the course that day (which is pretty cool considering we're all triathletes and road racers).

I used my years of meteorology study and experience as a professional pilot and boldly made a prediction to the group that most of the rain would push through the area prior to the start of the event. The cool thing about meteorology is it is one profession where it is acceptable to be wrong 70% of the time, and in keeping with those statistics, the rain began coming down in earnest just after the start of the race.

At first it was a light drizzle, but transitioned nicely into rain of Biblical proportions. In fact, I'm fairly certain that I saw one of the locals building a small ark in his back yard.

The event starts out with a parade lap around town before ascending Route 53 out of the village. Once the group hit the base of the hill, the race had clearly begun with the strongest riders flooring it to the top of the hill before turning right into some single track that was both beautiful and technical (at least for me).

I was really looking forward to the offroad portions of the race so that I could draw on my years of racing enduros and hare scrambles. At the height of my career, I had earned the number one placing in the Vet Expert class in enduro racing, so tight and technical single track was like second nature to me.

Perhaps it's more accurate to say that it used to be second nature to me. On our first descent, I used my patented move of gripping the handlebars as tightly as I could, locking my knees and elbows, and staring six inches in front of my front tire. I also tried to gain extra leverage on my bucking and kicking steed by gripping my saddle as tightly as I could with my butt cheeks (which was no doubt made harder through a chamois and tights). I opened my eyes again at the bottom of the hill and was cheered on by Suzanne Hartman of Geneva Bikes, and safely pulled back onto the pavement and headed on to the next section.

As the day wore on, I eventually got used to the traits of the narrow cyclocross tires and rigid frame and fork, and started having an absolute ball! Every rider was soaked from head to toe, but it seemed as though everyone was all smiles as they pulled into the finish line. Uphills, downhills, side hills, hills with rocks...the terrain was challenging and absolutely beautiful. The leaves were out on the trees (not uncommon for May, but quite an achievement considering the weather we've been having) and the single track sections were absolutely gorgeous!

I have to say that of all of the races that I've done, this one ranks right up there as being one of the most scenic, enjoyable, and downright FUN times I've had on a bicycle! Mark, Suzanne, Casey, Swarty and the whole gang did a great job of organizing and marking the event. I'd like to sincerely thank them for their hard work and congratulate everyone that came out and enjoyed the day.

I'd like to say that I'll come back again next year and do a bit better, and hopefully that will indeed be the case. But despite the rain and 50 degree temperatures, it will be very hard to top the amount of fun that was had at the 2011 Ramble Around Prattsburgh!

Dirty girls!

I truly felt human when I saw Chris Reel shivering. That NEVER happens!

The "Back End" of Fitness

2011-05-06T14:57:00.002-04:00

"Front end and back end are generalized terms that refer to the initial and the end stages of a process".

We all want to get faster. More fit. Less prone to injury. Some of us have been blessed with a large aerobic capacity, or the ability to push through discomfort better than our competitors. There has been a large amount of discussion lately about which is better.

Carbon fiber or aluminum.

VO2 Max testing versus Lactate Threshold testing.

Forefoot striking versus mid-foot or heel striking.

This is what Dr. Jack Daniels (legendary running coach and physiologist) has to say about "back end" engineering with respect to performance improvements.

Most athletes are very dedicated to maximizing their training input. They balance family and work obligations, and want to get the most return on their training time investment. Technique is a very important aspect to racing successfully, but it's often very difficult to quantify exactly what comprises good technique.

I often hear of an athlete having changed their running form after reading "Born to Run" which clearly promotes running on the forefoot. For a very high percentage of these new forefoot converts, their next reading assignment is "Bourne to Heal" after tweaking an achilles or calf muscle.

There truly is a secret to running well and doing so at a faster pace than the one at which you're currently running. I'm willing to share that secret today - and share it to athletes that I don't personally coach.

The secret is CONSISTENCY.

Western society longs for that "next product" or revolutionary idea that will propel it into the next millennium, and often forgets that all of the technology in the world won't do you any good if you aren't well enough to utilize it. In order to get faster at running or cycling, there needs to be an increasing stress to the body's muscular system in order for it to adapt and a sufficient amount of rest to allow it to rebuild and recover. To some, this may seem very basic, but to others it's precisely what they need to hear.

In a nutshell, the reason you're not running as fast as you'd like is not because you're a heel striker. It's because you need to raise your effective pace at Lactate Threshold.

The reason your cycling has plateau'd is not because you need to increase your cadence 2 RPM. It's because you need to increase your power output at Lactate Threshold.

Most often, with athletes that are struggling or have plateau'd have several traits in common. They're not challenging themselves in the right manner and they're not doing it consistently enough.

This is when having a good coach surely helps, as he or she can help identify areas that you may have been neglecting. It's also nice to have a plan laid out that has a progression planned that will provide you with the training stress and rest that you need.

When you're looking at how to get faster this year, look at your program first and consider changing your technique second. Otherwise, you may be guilty of engineering the "back end" of fitness before the "front end".

Slightly windy with a chance of rain...

2011-04-18T09:35:00.001-04:00

Saturday morning our group had a recon session planned for the Musselman Half Iron bike course. We were to meet at the Geneva Chamber of Commerce and depart at 0930 for a relatively spirited ride.

Friday afternoon, we all had hopes that the forecast would change to show unexpectedly-beautiful conditions on our adventure, but instead the forecast read:

Saturday: 100% chance of rain, heavy at times. Winds gusty from the southeast at 40 mph with occasional gusts to 50 mph. Temperatures in the low 40's.

Oh good heavens. What have we done?

Saturday morning began with the sounds of whistling winds, pelting rains, and something in the air that looked distinctly like snow flakes. Even Watts (our black Lab) was unnerved by the epic conditions as he ventured out for his morning walk. In keeping with our motto to continue the mission (or "Charlie Mike"), we decided to go ahead and ride the course!

Danielle Ohlson also pulled into the Chamber of Commerce and was ready to get the adventure started. We did have several hiccups in the first several miles that included a dropped chain that knocked out a power meter magnet and a wipeout from getting a tire caught in one of the cracks in the shoulder of the road. Thankfully no one was injured and we were on our way.

Here's a summary of my thoughts on what turned out to be a 3.5 hour ride:

Hour 1 - This isn't so bad, but my torso is sweating profusely while my feet are cold. Probably should eat some nutrition, but these gloves are so bulky. Cool road spray that douses me when cars go by! Ha ha! I'm already wet!

Hour 2 - Feet going numb. Really don't want to eat because I might have to take off these gloves. MAN these roads are hammered in places. Time to drink, but continually fighting to stay in control. Wow! Rain stopped and it's actually getting nice out! I think the wind gusts are down to 30 mph!

Hour 3 - This tailwind is AWESOME! Riding through the park is the best part with 30 mph tailwinds! Nutrition going well...feet don't hurt any more, but I think my toe fell off 15 miles back. Might try to drive back later and find it.

All said, this was a character-building exercise and a great example of not giving up! Thanks to Lauren, Chuck, Alvah, Eric and Danielle for showing up and having great attitudes. It sure makes the time go much more quickly when you've got a great group to train and share memories after the event. As they say in the Marine Corps to describe someone who's the hardest of the hard core -

"They're as hard as woodpecker lips"!

The flag wasn't broken when we showed up...

Buffalo Bicycling Club Time Trial Results

2011-04-11T13:42:00.000-04:00

What a great day to be out racing (albeit a bit chilly). The team had clearly done its homework over the winter and despite buffeting winds, cracks in the road, and the occasional twinge of nausea, had a very good result at the Individual Time Trial in Akron, NY on April 4th, 2011.

Riders departed in one minute intervals on the 20k course, and Chris Reel (35:30/ 13th Cat 5) did his best to hold a steady power on the windy course. Chris later said that he didn't feel very fast (which is odd since Chris is a very strong rider) and upon returning to the pits could see why. His rear tire was not aligned properly and was rubbing the chain stay for the entire time, and left red shavings covering the side of the bike.

Lauren Long (40:09/ 25th Cat 5) was trying out her power meter on her second ride outdoors, and did a very good job of controlling both bike and power in the gusty winds. She really seemed to enjoy the event and was all smiles - not uncommon for Lauren.

Alvah Aldrich (32:04/ 5th Cat 1) had a great ride on his shiny new Trek Speed Concept. Alvah has improved his power on the bike tremendously over the winter, and it was great to see him put that fitness to good use. Alvah's running has been progressing extremely well, and we hope to see some terrific performances from him this year. Very fast ride and a great way to start the year!

Finally, Dan Jarecke (29:12/ 1st Cat 1) also got to put his new Speed Concept to the test and really enjoyed the ride. The folks at Geneva Bike Center have really helped with his fit this year, and the bike feels terrific.

Thanks to everyone that came out and ran the event - from signup to scoring the event was very well done! Team Nice Tri expects to be back to upcoming events with the Buffalo Bicycling Club in the future!

If you'd like to race and train with the team, simply "like" our Facebook page and you'll be kept up to date on future training rides and races. Our team really does put the "Nice" in Nice Tri!

Trying to look tough without giggling...

The obligatory thumbs up!

Rochester Area Triathletes (RATs) Run-Bike-Run Description

2011-03-20T23:26:00.004-04:00

April 6 marks the first Run-Bike-Run (RBR) of the 2011 RATs season and it will be held here in Canandaigua, NY (providing that the weather cooperates). Attendees will meet in the parking lot of the Steamboat Landing restaurant and the workout will commence across the street on the nature trails that comprise the first portion of the Finger Lakes Triathlon run course.

Run Course Start Location/Transition Area

Nice Tri has laid out a great course that is slightly different than other RBR's that you may have attended, and the differences are worth mentioning. We have published a video on our YouTube coaching channel that describes the course and some of the key elements, but here is a written description of the courses and rules.

The event will start at 1830, and all athletes are encouraged to show up by 1800 to make sure that they're signed up and ready to start on time. A briefing of the course will be given at 1820 just before the start of the event.

We will run two laps on the 1 mile course. Runners will be issued a number when they sign up for the RBR, and need to remember that number throughout the event. Orange markers will signify the portion of the course that the athlete will need to shout out their assigned number. If they don't shout out their number, they will not receive a time for that portion of the course.

After the run, the athletes will change into their bike gear and will mount their bicycles on the same side of the road as the transition area. The athlete is not to cross the road until all traffic is clear. It is not necessary to rush at this point, since the timing will not begin until the athlete has left the area and has started cycling. In other words, you will not be timed in the transition area as it will be considered a "free zone". You can take 1 minute or 5 minutes to transition, and the course timing will not begin until you are started back out on the course.

After biking out, the cyclist will head East on Lakeshore Drive and will turn right at the traffic signal in approximately 1/2 mile. The course will then head south on East Lake Road until the 6.5 mile point. Mileage markers will be spray painted in orange in the bike lane every mile, and the turnaround area will be marked brightly as well with orange paint. The athlete must ensure that all traffic is clear before executing a course reversal maneuver.

The bike course will end at the East Lake/Lakeshore Drive traffic signal, and there will be a worker there that will take your time when you cross an orange line spray painted in the bike lane. The athlete must yell their number again at this point in order to have their time counted. The athlete will then wait until traffic clears (and the light turns green) to ride another "free zone" back to the transition area. After transitioning once again, the athlete will then run two more laps around the same run area and will once again yell their number when they cross the orange markers.

Bike Course Turnaround at Mile 6.5

In summary:
1. This is not a race. It is a timed workout.
2. The athlete must be a member of the RATs to participate
3. The athlete is responsible for his/her own safety
4. If you don't yell your number when you cross an orange marker on the run or at the end of the bike, you will not receive a time for that day
5. Please ride safely and have fun.

Maps of the courses are attached below.

So please tell your friends to come out and enjoy the Nice Tri Multisport Coaching RATs Run Bike Run on April 6! Please make sure you subscribe to our Facebook and blog and are on the RATs email list to get an update on this and other RBR's in the area.

<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/29114036">Nice Tri's Canandaigua RBR Route (2 Laps)</a> <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Canandaigua, NY">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Canandaigua, NY</a>

Advice on dealing with high heart rate in a given workout

2011-03-14T11:50:00.002-04:00

As your structured training load increases due to an increase in intensity, duration, frequency , or all three, your body learns to adapt and become more fit. Muscles become stronger, the heart pumps more blood per stroke, blood chemistry changes, and a general adaptive process attempts to accommodate the new stresses placed upon it.

During the course of a season of training, we may push our bodies too far and essentially "paint ourselves into a corner" with regard to recovery. Usually, we notice that we are reaching too far with regard to our new workload and ironically, this is known as "overreaching". It usually takes the athlete 2-3 weeks to recover from the fatigue and poor performance that is usually associated with overreaching.

Overtraining can best be defined as "chronic overreaching". Very few athletes actually become overtrained since most will back off their training load when they notice a decrease in their performance. An actual episode of overtraining can take 2-3 months to fully recover.

One of the symptoms of overreaching is an elevated heart rate at a given effort (i.e. pace or power output). If the athlete notices these symptoms during training, it is usually best to cut the workout short and begin a period of reduced training stress.

Joel Friel (author of Cyclists and Triathletes Training Bible) had a recent discussion with John Post M.D., and they published his recommendations on his blog. Here is an excerpt from a recent post:

"However, if the high exercising heart rate is unusual for you then you may indeed have a problem. But let’s further define “high” here. There are going to be days when your heart rate rises above what you normally see by perhaps 10 bpm or slightly more just because of fatigue, overreaching, overtraining, too much caffeine or similar product, or a hot day. This is not unusual at all. You may need to back off and slow down or even abandon the workout that day. This happens to everyone from time to time.

But if your heart rate is well above 10bpm over what you normally see at a given power, pace or perceived exertion (which may not work in this case) then you could have a health problem. But first check to make sure your heart rate monitor is working correctly and there are no errant signals.

Such an unusually high heart rate happened to me in 1994 while running a half marathon. Of course, as the dummy I am, I finished the race, albeit at a slower pace. After weeks of testing my doctor finally determined it was a case of viral myocarditis. That cost me seven months of training.

Another condition to be aware of is atrial fibrillation (“a-fib”). I won’t go into detail on this as you can read more about this here on Dr. Post’s blog.

So if you mean a “high” heart rate as one high relative to what you normally see at an otherwise common intensity and you’ve ruled out the heart rate monitor as the source of the “problem,” then see your doctor."

We need to look at a trend when viewing heart rate, so an isolated incident with elevated measurements may not indicate a problem. Heart rate can slowly drift upwards at a given pace or power as an athlete becomes dehydrated or fatigued. This phenomena is called "CV Drift" or "Cardiovascular Drift".

As the athlete warms up and begins to sweat, blood is brought very close to the surface of the skin in order to increase cooling and the volume of the blood being pumped to muscles and organs decreases. This decrease in blood plasma volume causes a reduction in arterial blood pressure and heart stroke rate volume. In order to combat this drop in blood pressure, the heart rate must elevate in order to pump the "thinner" blood to the body.

CV drift is largely controlled through proper hydration and heat acclimation, and an elevated heart rate for a given pace or power can best be controlled through proper rest and recovery. If the condition becomes chronic, it is recommended that the athlete seek medical advice.

The build phase of endurance training is marked by increases in steady-state aerobic exercise, and provide an excellent opportunity to monitor changes in heart rate during prolonged exercise. For example, after monitoring your heart rate at Zone 2 or Marathon pace for several weeks, you will become familiar with a normal range. If the numbers fall out of this range, your coach can help you find out why this might be happening.

Per the recommendations by John Post M.D., we suggest that if your heart rate is well above 10 BPM for a given pace or power zone, that you consider factors such as your hydration level, potential for overreaching, etc. and contact your coach to find a solution.

Accomplishments...

2011-03-13T20:47:00.002-04:00

Measuring success.....

Racing is actually a very small part of the multisport experience. In fact, for an age-group athlete, racing is usually less than 5% of the athlete's time spent swimming, cycling, and running during the year. However, none of us like to do poorly in a race or on a fitness test. Measuring progress is an absolutely essential part of structuring a training program that works well.

Many of us continue to train and wonder if we've made any real accomplishments. We judge our pace on various courses under various conditions, compare our race placing against those around us, and end up confused and mystified by the world of structured endurance training.

"Gee, Mark. Last year I finished 346th and this year I was 311th, so I must be improving," uttered Ivan as he looked over his race results. "I got my speed average up to 18.3 mph over last year's 18.1, so the plan must be working," he gleefully exclaimed.

Does this conversation sound familiar? These external measurements are not a fixed point by which we should measure, yet it's uttered frequently on message boards, blogs, and frustrated athletes trying to define their progress.

Thanks to the age of GPS watches, heart rate monitors, power meters, and other data collection devices, it has become easier than ever to figure out if the training plan is working well.

It has also become easier than ever to get lost in a sea of misinformation.

The Team's Successes...

The athletes at Nice Tri Multisport Coaching have just completed a 20 week training period known as the "Breakthrough Season". Breakthrough training is usually conducted during what most people refer to as the "off" season. Typically, offseason training consists of long, slow, aerobic miles done in an attempt to build an aerobic "base" with a much lower volume than peak season training. The goal is to build an aerobic base, but what actually happens is that the athlete detrains, loses conditioning, and starts the season with quite a bit of work to do in order to try to get faster.

Not at Nice Tri Multisport Coaching.

Our "off" season is actually spent concentrating on improving pace and power at lactate threshold - the hallmark of an endurance athlete. The athlete will enter a long course build season with very high levels of fitness, and they can then begin to add endurance to their newfound speed.

Our team has been extremely diligent on completing their workouts. You could almost count on one hand the number of missed workouts per athlete over the last 20 weeks. Their consistency has been a key ingredient to their success, and we have the PR's and new Vdots to prove it.

Statistically speaking...

Enthralling listeners with tales of newfound speed is one thing, but it is largely anecdotal. Unless you've been tracking your progress to the "nth" degree, your improvements may go by unnoticed. It may also slip by you that the plan is not working. We track progress because we care!

Our run performances increased in speed an average of 9%. The average athlete increased their Vdot score by 11%. The average athlete took only 13 weeks to experience these gains (some athletes started the season later than others).

The largest time savings over a 5k run was 2 minutes and 47 seconds after 11 weeks of training.

What does all of this mean in the real world?

These figures mean that the average athlete at Nice Tri Multisport Coaching reduced their 5k run time by 2 minutes and 4 seconds in 13 weeks of training.

Taking credit...

I am very grateful to have such a hard-working team that is dedicated to their training and nutrition. If they had not put in the work, they certainly would not have experienced the success that they did. They should all be extremely proud.

I've also had a lot of feedback throughout the period about how the training was progressing and when a rest day might be due. Communication is one of the most important parts of a successfully-coached training program, and the team was outstanding with this as well.

I've also received suggestions and advice from team members about the plan, and for that I am grateful. If the plan worked well, it is largely because of the help of others as we've gone through the program.

Athena Visel is Nice Tri's Registered Dietician and Sports Nutritionist. She has been an extremely important element in the program, and has helped athletes modify their daily nutrition in order to meet their weight loss and performance goals. She has also put a large amount of work into research and blog posts, which have proven very insightful. She also deserves a hearty "thank you" for a job well done.

Looking forward...

We all know that long course training does not consist entirely of Vdot tests, FTP numbers, equations, derivatives, and algorithms. The world of long course does not exist in a vacuum, but exists in the very real world of hills, winds, bonks, dog chases, chirping birds and everything else that goes along with training outside. We couldn't be happier about it.

And we're ready.

Train Hard. Race Easy.

Learning pacing...

2011-03-08T10:10:00.004-05:00

Gadgets and Gizmos Aplenty...

Technology is everywhere. Power meters, heart rate monitors, and GPS watches have invaded the world of endurance sport and have given athletes and coaches insight that has been previously reserved for Olympic training centers and top secret testing laboratories. We can measure pace, heart rate, power, temperature, hub torque, and dozens of other variables that are indicators of an athlete's fitness level.

After downloading a pace or power file, a coach can almost literally re-experience the ride with the athlete and provide them insight into what happened and why.

When training and racing with technology, we can answer questions such as:

"Would I be better off with a higher cadence"?

"Why do I keep cracking at mile 80 on the bike"?

"What would my pace have been if I were on level ground"?

Some people think that merely purchasing a GPS watch or power meter will immediately make them faster, but that's like expecting to be a master cabinet maker simply by purchasing new woodworking equipment.

Screenshot from a power file

You have to be able to interpret the data and incorporate the data into a training plan. Technology helps coaches do that more effectively and with less trial and error.

Figuring out our limiters...

So here we are. We've just completed the first Run-Bike-Run of the year and did fairly well, and now we're settling down to take a look at our power file. Exciting stuff to be sure!

"I trained hard all winter and I can't wait to see how I did...", you gleefully proclaim as you pull up your file on WKO+.

What would you imagine is the very first thing that this athlete looks at when viewing their data?

Average power?

Average speed?

Average cadence?

Did anyone say "Pacing"?

No one?

That's what I thought.

Most people think it's their Vo2 Max or Lactate Threshold that's holding them back, and to some extent, that may be true. However, if "Vo2 this" or "lactate that" were the only measure of ability to go fast while swimming, cycling or running, then the people with the highest numbers would win every race.

And that's clearly not the case.

Could there be more to multisport than just swimming, cycling and running?

Pacing is of primary importance, but most athletes pay lip service to the correct way to do it or fail to understand it entirely. How important is it? Let me tell you a little story...

The Seven Sports of Triathlon

"Swim. Bike. Run". "It says right here on the entry form that it's a triathlon," uttered Ironman Ivan as he signed up for the Annual M-Dot 140.6 Bonkout held near his hometown of Tendonitisville, so he began to assemble a training plan that would make Craig Alexander run for cover.

Go to the pool four times weekly and swim 3000 yards each day. Check.

Get on the bike and ride for 5 hours every Saturday from November until August. Check.

Run 80 miles each week on my easy weeks. Check.

Fast forward 11 months and Ivan is nearing the end of his marathon at the M-Dot Bonkout.

Walking.

Vomiting.

And covered in a film that makes him a biohazard in 43 states.

What could have possibly gone wrong here? Ivan had completed training in all 3 sports the likes of which our sport has never seen. Obviously, there's more to it than swim, bike and run.

There are SEVEN sports in triathlon.

If you're not training the other four, you may end up like Ironman Ivan at your next event, and nobody enjoys being called a "biohazard".

"So what are the Seven Sports of Triathlon? You're killing me here!"

There are indeed FOUR other skills in addition to swimming, biking and running that you need to master to be successful at long course events.

Stay tuned for our next blog post where we will talk about each of them!

Substituting workouts, switching things around, and contingency planning in general.

2011-02-21T13:08:00.003-05:00

We all miss workouts. Life presents us with issues that often derail our well-laid plans for swimming, cycling, and running. Sickness, travel, work and injury are just some of the "hiccups" that we need to be prepared to face during the course of a training season.

I often get the question: "What do I do if I can't do my ride this Wednesday? Do you want me to substitute it for a run?"

The answer is simple. Or is it?

As we all know, running is more jarring than cycling and is more likely to sideline an athlete with injuries from overuse or overtraining. Due to its stress placed on the body, it is unwise to increase the Running Training Stress Score (rTSS) more than 10% each week. We can sometimes replace a cycling activity with running (or vice versa), but there is more to it than "just throwing an equivalent amount of training stress" at the athlete and hoping for the best.

rTSS Graph from WKO+

In the graph above, we have a representation of our chronic run training stress load (CTL - blue line) and the acute training stress load (ATL - magenta line). CTL looks back 42 days to at our average TSS/day, but averages in the last 7 days of stress more heavily. To put it another way - the workout you did 42 days ago is still affecting your fitness today, but the workout you did 2 days ago affects your fitness today even more heavily.

The acute run training stress load (ATL - magenta line) averages our training stress over the last 7 days, divides by 7, and shows us an average of our current "short term" training stress. You will notice that the yellow line (Training Stress Balance, or TSB) always acts in opposition to the magenta line. TSB is a representation of how well-rested we are (or how "fresh" we are). If our ATL goes up due to increased workouts, our TSB will go down. In other words, a high ATL and low TSB tells us we're tired. Conversely, if we're extremely well-rested due to a high TSB and low ATL, we will most likely have de-conditioned.

My grandmother is in her 80's, does not work out, and therefore has a very high TSB. However, due to her low ATL from never working out, it is unlikely that she will win any time trials anytime soon.

This is exactly what the yellow line represents:

Our freshness.

Therefore, we must find a balance between how well rested we are, and how much training stress we're accumulating if we want to perform well at a given event. By using this chart, we can keep an eye out for things like overtraining, plateauing, and under-training. It is also a great way to help avoid injury by adding in too much stress too quickly.

8 Month Illustration of Fitness, Freshness, and Form via the PMC on WKO+

So what on earth does all of this have to do with swapping workouts around?

This introduction to acute training load, chronic training load, and training stress balance are to provide you with some insight about the stress your body receives from a given workout. Before we consider adding in a bike or run workout to the schedule, we have to look at the following issues:

1. Are we well rested? - If we have a test or race coming up for which we'd like to perform well, adding in extra training stress during a taper week will compromise our freshness for that test and will inhibit our performance. If we've missed sleep lately and are feeling tired, it might be best to take the day off.

2. Do we have any lingering soreness that could lead to injury? - A lingering pain that doesn't seem to go away or a tender area in a muscle or tendon is often a cry from our bodies for rest. If we are considering adding in extra running to maintain fitness but are likely to injure ourselves by doing so, it would be best to just get in some extra rest.

3. Where am I with regard to TSS, ATL, and TSB? - If we blindly throw in additional running or cycling without considering its effect on our TSS, we are likely to dig ourselves a hole that could compromise the next several workouts or injure us. The Nice Tri training program is not just a manipulation of total training time, it is a modification of all training variables (frequency, intensity and duration). In other words, if we add duration and maintain frequency, we must keep a close eye on intensity to avoid adding too much ATL too soon. If we add intensity to the training plan, we may shorten duration or adjust frequency for the same reason. We will never add duration, intensity and frequency all at once.

4. Is this an anomaly or is this a chronic issue? - If we are routinely missing a workout due to travel, it would be best to adjust the schedule to prevent this. If traveling for your job is rare and missed workouts are seldom an issue, it is often best to just miss that workout and "Charlie Mike" (if you don't know, Google it). It is rare that anyone in the Nice Tri program need more training. In fact, an extra rest day might be exactly what your body needed.

5. Am I adding in a run workout or a bike workout? - It is very unlikely to be injured by riding your bike for an extra hour for the week if you've been professionally fit. Injuries on the bike are extremely rare. However, run injuries are common when we ignore the 10% rule. Does 10% mean TSS? Mileage? Vdot?

Yes!

We must keep an eye on the TSS and TSB before adding in any running stress. When we do add in additional running, it is best if we do not add more than 10% TSS or 10% mileage to the total load. We must also consider what type of training follows the run workout, its intensity and duration, and then plan accordingly.

If we substitute a workout occasionally, it is unlikely that we will experience problems. However, it is always best to consult with your coach for guidance on what to do, when to do it, and the appropriate intensity. Try to notify your coach well in advance as this may affect subsequent training sessions.

If you're considering adding in "extra" workouts to your schedule or making them faster in order to get in better shape, this is highly discouraged. Make sure to have a discussion with your coach about your concerns and goals before moving forward on your own.

Remember - the number one rule in increased physical performance is consistency, and the best way to ensure consistency is to remain injury-free. If you're missing a workout or two per month, the added rest will not affect your conditioning and it may even be a welcome treat.

However, if you find that you're consistently missing a workout due to a change in schedule, advise your coach for an amended training plan.

That's what one-on-one coaching is all about!

Train Hard. Race Easy.

Are you headed down the path to overtraining?

2011-02-10T15:41:00.008-05:00

We all have the best of intentions when it comes to training. I have yet to meet a client admitted that they'd like to train so hard that they had to take some time off for rehabilitation of injuries, or wanted to train themselves sick (literally). No one actually says that, but oftentimes we think that if we're not broken down that we must be doing something wrong. After all, Ironman is a grueling event, so shouldn't I be physically and emotionally wiped out during my entire training cycle?

Judging by some of the ultra-high volume training plans out there, one would think so.

I have been blessed with a great team of athletes who are not lacking in the motivation department. They have fought their way through Vdot and power tests when they'd much rather be relaxing on the couch, and have battled the elements on long runs because that's part of the sacrifice you make for Ironman.

If you constantly feel like this,
you might be overtrained.

I have yet to tell someone that they need to be more diligent with their workouts. I have, however, had to "encourage" others to remain within the parameters of their workout.

The question always comes up about training load during an Ironman or half Iron build. Iron Joe compares his training load with Iron Sally and the question is always the same: "How many hours are you working out this week"?

The tenet of the average multisport coach is more duration = better results. How much more? Nobody's really certain (neither the coach or the athlete).

We just know that we need more!

Nice Tri Multisport Coaching does not just look at the duration of your workouts. We also look at the frequency and intensity before deciding how much "more" to add to your schedule.

Sadly, this is often the first sign of
overtraining for many athletes.

If your question about Ironman training is "how many hours per week will I be training?", we can provide a general idea of a time commitment, but much of that depends upon your body's ability to handle an increased workload. If this concept sounds revolutionary (it shouldn't) or contrary to science, here is some research that proves that it's not all about duration:
"Overtraining is defined as "Training/competition to recovery imbalance." It primarily is caused by too little time for regeneration. Additional non-training stress sources, such as social, educational, occupational, nutritional, and travel factors and the monotony of training increase the risk of overtraining. Symptoms of overtraining are persistent performance incompetence, persistent high fatigue rating, altered mood state, increased rate of infections, and suppressed reproductive function."

This is the good part:

"This review considered three studies that evaluated effects on participants.

ITV (Increase in Training Volume) consisted of daily monotonous long-distance runs with a volume increase of 100% (from 85.9 km/week to 174.6 km/week).

This is the path of least resistance for most coaches [above]. Just keep adding duration to the workouts....more, more, more!

ITI (Increase in Training Intensity) consisted of tempo-pace and interval runs increasing by 150% along with a volume increase of 37%. However, this included a much lower training load than that of the ITV condition, one rest day per week of no training, and alternation of hard and easy training days to minimize training monotony.

ITE (Intensive Ergometer Training Study) exposed less adapted individuals to an unaccustomed intensified training load and monotonous programming.

The ITV condition produced consistently depressed performances that persisted for a three-month period. On the other hand, the ITI study increased performances and did not produce an overtrained state. Its added rest period, greater variety of stimulation, and alternating hard and easy sessions better accommodated regeneration and the avoidance of monotony. [An opinion was offered by the authors that monotony might be just as critical in suppressing regeneration of an overtrained state as is training load.]

This is where many Ironman athletes end up: severely overtrained and effectively "painted" into a corner or depressed performance for several months.

The ITE study confirmed what the authors had suspected, "that it seems easier to cause a performance decrease in athletes dependent on prolonged monotonous extensive training at a high training load than on intensified training of 1-2 hours per day." (pp. 9-10) In the ITE study, performances improved over the first three weeks but by week 6 performances and motivation were depressed despite the inclusion of extra regeneration weeks (microcycles).

Proposed Principle 1. An increased risk of staleness is likely after three weeks of intensified or prolonged monotonous endurance training.

Proposed Principle 2. If alternating hard and easy days is considered and at least two rest days (one per week) are included, there is only a risk of transient performance depression (overreaching) over periods of less than three weeks with an intensified high total training load"

- Lehmann, M. J., Lormes, W., Opitz-Gress, A., Steinacker, J. M., Netzer, N., Foster, C., & Gastmann, U. (1997). Training and overtraining: An overview and experimental results in endurance sports. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 37, 7-17.

To summarize: we need to manipulate both duration and intensity if we want to get the best performance out of our bodies. If all we do is ride our bike at 16 mph 5 hours per day 4 times per week, we'll get VERY good at one thing:

Riding around at 16 mph.

If we have aspirations of riding faster than that, we need to spend a considerable amount of time training at 18, 19 or 20 mph.

So there you have it. Nice Tri's training hours (especially in the offseason) are typically lower than most coached athletes at this time of year, but the training stress and physiological adaptations that are occurring through shorter, more intense sessions are actually greater.

We look at cumulative training stress, performance markers from testing, and other indications as signals to alter a training load. You're no good if you're injured or overtrained, so we need to be very cautious about blindly adding training stress to your weekly and monthly load.

Remember: Quality over quantity.

Train Hard. Race Easy.

Lessons from Watts (and other triathlon analogies)

2010-11-23T11:33:00.005-05:00

Watts (pronounced /ˈwɒts/; symbol: W) is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units (SI), named after the Scottish engineerJames Watt (1736–1819). The unit measures the rate of energy conversion. It is defined as one joule per second.

Watts (pronounced "OFF!", or "NO BITE", or occasionally "Good Boy") is a name of a Black English Labrador puppy who was named due to his owner's affinity for all things cycling related.

As a general rule, the gold standard for comparing a cyclist's strength is to look at their power output in watts over the course of their workout. If the cyclist were trying to hit a power average of 300 watts for 20 minutes but only managed to put out 260 watts, the Coach would notice that something was amiss. Was the rider not feeling well? Did he forget to eat correctly? Did he not get enough sleep?

If a Coach is looking at a power file (or power produced in watts) that is downloaded after a hard workout, it is fairly easy to point out the portion of the workout where the athlete fell short. The Coach can see if it was the muscles failed, or if the athlete lost a battle with their own willpower or inner strength. Although enhancing a person's athletic prowess can be difficult, it is much easier than fixing someone's inner doubts and fears. That can sometimes lead down a path that is more of a psychoanalysis than a coaching session, but either way - I absolutely love it!

It gives me great joy to watch people push through their inner demons and become stronger and faster as a result. Through the miracle of modern technology, we have more insight into an athlete's potential than ever before. By looking at your watts, there is no subjectivity. The watts do not lie. The watts are not influenced by a good "spin" on the workout (for example: "Honest Coach...I really was doing my best!"). The watts are black and white.

Honest.
Transparent.
Utterly revealing.

Needless to say - You can learn a lot from Watts.

This is precisely why I wanted to name my puppy "Watts". The name implies power. It implies honesty and transparency. It also implies that I really like cycling!

An innocent looking picture of Watts

We got Watts just before Ironman Louisville this summer at eight weeks of age. Along the way, I have developed the closest of friendships with my very first dog. I have always been more of a cat person. Our cats Nutty and Monster are both great kitties. Nutty will "sit" and "roll over" on command, and Monster can eat and sleep like nobody's business!

Nutty and Monster looking innocent

Whilst doing my very best to try to train Watts do be a good puppy, it seems that I am learning from him as well. Although I swore that I would be the one to do all of the training, I am also learning lessons from Watts.

Some of these lessons can be applied to real life, and some lessons are a bit of a stretch. Some lessons are downright GROSS and shall not be repeated, and can in no way be applied to real life. These lessons shall be omitted unless they are really funny.

Lesson #1: I don't always know what's best for me. Watts will occasionally bite and chew on things. Correction: Watts is constantly biting and chewing on everything! Most of the time, I will intercept his attempt to eat something that may harm his body before he swallows it, but some of the time, he manages to ingest some bark, some nylon bed padding, or some other gross material that he thinks is really yummy and fun to eat.

He usually regrets it the next day when it's time for his "Morning Glory".

I can be this way too. I strive to get stuff. I occasionally rush over to something, "gobble it down", bitterly swallow it, and regret it several days, weeks, months or years later. This analogy is not necessarily referring to food. It refers to trying to manipulate our lives without regard for our Master's will.

Sometimes we make good choices and our Master is happy with it. Other times, he lets us swallow it down and tough it out to teach us a lesson over the course of time. But it can always be said:

He knows best.

Lesson #2: Protect your Pack. Watts is a very protective puppy. He emits a gentle "woof" if something is amiss. Thus far, we have been protected from several dozen blowing leaves, two deer, and even a rabid lady bug.

I do recall one instance where a foul-mouthed rabbit evaded Watts' defenses. Needless to say, he was quite embarrassed and asked that I not bring this up again. Forgive me Watts, I'm trying to make a point here.

Mark Twain said: "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between dog and man".

There are many people that we interact with over the course of our lives. Some are a real blessing. Others are forgotten about.

And others were put here to help us improve our patience and character.

This past year is one that was filled with people that were long on talk, but short on integrity. I learned much about my fellow man and his inclinations, and have remembered that not one of us is perfect. I am in need of as much forgiveness any of them. I do pray that God will help me remember that!

Herein lies the beauty of "The Gentle Woof": If a member of your pack tells you that there might be trouble, it may not be a rabid lady bug that they're barking about.

It may actually be a legitimate concern! Watch out for those that speak one way and act another.

It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. Matthew 12:34-35

So there you have it! That's only two lessons for today, but the point is clear: Watts has a lot to teach us.

You'll have to excuse me for now. It appears that the foul-mouthed rabbit is doing a drive-by taunting again...

...but Watts has gotten quite a bit faster since their last encounter.

Life is short. Train Hard.

Showing character in our daily lives

2010-11-15T21:27:00.000-05:00

We are currently in week 3 of our Breakthrough Training Program. It seems as if the Team is hungry to prove themselves and show the results of their hard work, but we are still 4 weeks away from our next fitness test. I really am excited to see how everyone is progressing - including me!

We spend between 8-10 hours per week building and training our bodies to be able to physically bear more stress; to tolerate more suffering; to become -

Stronger.

Faster.

Ready for the next test to prove ourselves.

At the risk of hyper-introspection, this course of training has also allowed me to evaluate my spiritual conditioning and training as well.

Throughout life's journey, we undergo different trials, tests, and training of a different variety - tests of our character and integrity. While we are in the midst of these trials, it doesn't seem fun at all. However, when we look back on these tough times, we can usually see how we've grown as a result. In fact, that principle is echoed in this statement:

"No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way". - Hebrews 12:11

To put it another way:

"There's no growth in a comfort zone, and no comfort in a growth zone".

The trials in our daily lives strengthen our character and spiritual walk the same way our physical training forces our bodies to get stronger.

It's easy to lead when everything is going your way, but it's a true test of your character and integrity to stand by your principles and values when you're in the midst of difficulty.

I would encourage my readers to reflect on the fact that they're not alone. NICE TRI! has entered the multisport arena not only to improve your swim, bike and run splits, but to support you in your daily living. We're going to show God's love while we train and compete.

So what about the trials and testing?

Remember - the trial doesn't last forever. The pain of the workout is short-lived compared to the growth that will follow it.

You'll be stronger as a result. Both in your body...

...and in your character.

Life is short. Train Hard.

NICE TRI! Breakthrough Season Newsletter

2010-10-31T10:44:00.003-04:00

Take a few moments to read through our newsletter which provides a peek at our Breakthrough Training Plan that is guaranteed to get you faster over the winter!

Newsletter Link

The Offseason Blues

2010-10-15T08:34:00.001-04:00

Listen to the sweet blues jingle and enjoy making up lyrics that describe how you'd like to get back to running or cycling.

Apparently taking time off from training is an epidemic that's engulfing athletes from around the globe and right here in Canandaigua, NY! The rental wetsuits are being put away for the year, the Zipp race wheels are polished and ready to go again next year, the legs are recovered...so let's get on with it already!

An important part of the yearly cycle is the period called the "offseason". It is actually taken from the Latin root for "Go ye not near thy running shoes", or so I've heard. Now that I think about it, I took Spanish, not Latin, so that may not be correct.

Despite the weak attempt at humor, the offseason is necessary to allow the body to rebuild and recover, and to allow the mind to focus on other things so that it may be fresh and ready to start the new season.

On November 1, we will start our 20 Week training program that will give everyone a great set of legs for the spring. We will be taking power tests and 5k run tests over the next several weeks, and are looking forward to some big numbers after coming off of a long training and recovery cycle. We are hoping to post some new PR's this spring before our race buildup begins.

What else is in store? The Empire State Games will be in Rochester, NY this year. We are hoping to have our Road Cycling Team compete, and we may even venture around the Northeast to compete in a time trial race series. We will see how it all goes with our Ironman training!

In the meantime, enjoy the offseason. November is just around the corner!

Guess this athlete's Ironman finishing time!

2010-10-07T14:33:00.001-04:00

I can run a 4:13 mile.

I can run a 5k in 14:45.

I can run a half marathon in 1:12:00.

I can run a full marathon in 2:41:00.

My fastest bike split for a half Ironman 56 mile bike course is 2:10:00 (that's just under 26 miles per hour).

Can you guess this athlete's best Ironman finishing time?

A. 8:45:00
B. 9:32:18
C. 10:45:19
D. Over 12:30:00

The correct answer is "D"!

When I read this, I couldn't believe it! This athlete is obviously in incredible shape and is unbelievably gifted! This begs the question: "Why is the full Ironman-distance finishing time so high"?

There is obviously no lack of fitness. The issue, rather, seems to be a poor race execution.

This is a stunning example of one of the world's greatest triathletes struggling to finish in Kona:

Simply stated, a large amount of training and testing is to be done with an athlete's coach to determine the proper strategy for a successful race execution. Although that strategy is subject to change if conditions aren't ideal, it does provide the athlete with a plan to follow for the duration of the race.

This is where most athletes fall into trouble. They become involved in someone else's race when being passed on the bike or during the run. Instead of staying within their own personal limitations and strategies, they venture out into uncharted territory.

And it rarely turns out well.

At NICE TRI! we will ensure you have a strategy that is realistic on race day. We will also ensure that you are fully capable of putting in your best performance ever.

The execution, however -

is up to you.

Train Hard. Race Easy.

Holy Moley! Free gear giveaway from Lazer Helmets!

2010-10-04T16:09:00.000-04:00

Check out Mark Olivieri's blog and the Lazer helmet giveaway! It would also be a good idea to tease Mark about his prodigious planned indulgence in calories until January!

Good luck from the guys at NICE TRI!

Offseason Training: What to expect?

2010-10-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

It looks as though our 2010 competitive season is drawing to a close. It has been a wonderful and exciting year. 2010 has brought new accomplishments for our business and racing Team. We have seen several new athletes compete in their very first triathlons, and have also seen several PR's for others. We have enjoyed meeting new people at events and training sessions and getting to know them. We have also enjoyed spreading the word about our training motto:

TRAIN HARD. RACE EASY.

It is no secret that we approach training a little bit differently than other teams at NCE TRI! I have personally witnessed the impressive physiological adaptations of training with a purpose versus training to fill a block of time. Although the training sessions are very intense and focused, they do allow the body to respond to the stress in a very intriguing way.

It gets stronger.

Interestingly enough, our data seems to reveal another compelling benefit to the training sessions.

You get faster.

If you're wondering why your speed average stays the same on the bicycle year after year, it could be because you're stuck in a rut of doing the same thing over and over again.

If you currently ride at 19 mph on your favorite ride and want to average 22 mph, (notwithstanding making some aerodynamic breakthroughs) you have two choices:

1. Pedal faster
or
2. Pedal harder.

That's it!

No amount of chugging along at 19 mph will ever get you to one day magically explode into a 22 mph speed average! If all you ever do is grind along at 19 mph, you will get very good at one thing:

Going 19 mph!

If the body is exposed to training stress that is above its current level of fitness, it will find ways to adapt. In order to improve, the body needs a structured exposure to stress and recovery. You need to train in the correct zone for the correct amount of time and allow the body to compensate for the increased workload.

That's why it is of the utmost importance to determine your level of fitness and train around it. At NICE TRI!, we will conduct an initial lactate threshold test to determine your Functional Threshold Power (FTP-the power that you can sustain for 60 minutes) and lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR). We will then create a program that will put the correct quality and quantity of training stress on your system to allow you to experience a never-before-seen level of fitness.

Your run protocol will be structured the same way. You will conduct a 5k fitness test and receive a training program that is structured around that level of fitness.

Some people go to a triathlon for a good workout and to enjoy the venue. Although we do enjoy a nice workout, it's even more fun to pay $70 for an entry fee when you actually beat some of the other competitors!

Please contact us about an initial consultation and testing protocol. We are still accepting athletes for the 2011 racing season. We train in beautiful Canandaigua, NY, and have access to some of the most helpful training devices and testing strategies in triathlon. We also have a full stable of Zipp race wheels for rent to compliment a season of hard training, and offer nutrition strategies for exercise and daily living.

Offseason training for Ironman on 8-12 hours per week.

Your fastest season ever.

Train Hard. Race easy.

www.nicetrionline.com

IMLOU Part II: The swim

2010-09-16T09:56:00.002-04:00

IMLOU swim start

Our team arrived in line at about 0500 to lay claim to a starting position. In case you're not aware, IMLOU has the only time trial start format for the swim in Ironman. It is different from a mass-wave start in that athletes jump into the water one at a time. The only problem is getting a decent starting position usually means getting up extremely early. Quite honestly, there was no tactical advantage by getting in line early as there was still plenty of time to complete the event.

Headed to the swim start

Can I wear my wetsuit at IMLOU?

We were about 1/2 mile away from the swim start area. The event started at 0700, and I was in the water at about 0725. The volunteers did an excellent job of dividing the athletes into two lines and reminding us to put on our goggles. I jumped in the water and was greeted by tepid water temperatures and low visibility. In fact, I literally couldn't see my hand as I reached during my swim stroke. I had planned to draft on some other athletes, but that idea was out the window!

We certainly weren't swimming in Kershaw Park in Canandaigua, NY anymore!

The swim was going well but I never licked the inside of my goggles and began to fog up after about 20 minutes. I veered off course and a volunteer paddled over to me to get me pointed in the right direction. I took a moment to lick the goggles and I was all set.

There was the typical "Ironman Swim Course" contact at the turn buoy, but it seemed as though people took care not to be too violent - there was no need for it.

The course turned out into the river and began to go with the current. I swam WAY to the outside near the middle of the river to take advantage of the current. In hindsight, I don't think that was much of a tactical advantage either.

We made our way under several bridges and finally came to the swim finish. There were teams of volunteers yelling instructions and helping athletes get to their feet. It reminded me of the beach landing scene in "Saving Private Ryan". Thankfully, we were not under enemy fire.

I jogged up to transition and saw my group cheering me on. I stopped to rinse out my mouth and slap some high fives. What a great encouragement!

I couldn't wait to get on the bike and put a smack-down on the IMLOU bike course. I had a Zipp 900 clincher disc and Zipp 808 front to help me out, and was sure that my aero helmet was going to be a huge advantage.

Look out bike course! Here I come!

About 56 miles later, I would start to re-evaluate my plan and go into cruise mode...but more on that next time!

Ironman Louisville 2010 Recap Part 1 - The Journey.

2010-09-03T20:36:00.000-04:00

I would like to recap my adventure in preparation and execution of the 2010 Ironman Louisville - my first Ironman competition.

I had trained for Ironman for nearly one year before the event took place on August 29, 2010. Along the way I had logged over 1100 miles of running, 6000 miles of biking, and numerous laps around the Kershaw swim course. I had experienced a great spring training season that was interspersed with a partial tear of my Achilles Tendon, an over-the-bars crash after hitting a dog on the bike, and a few other tendon issues. Otherwise, my training program was going extremely well and I had enjoyed new levels of fitness and endurance.

Due to the Achilles injury earlier in the year, my bike volume was higher than I had planned, and it was a blast to enjoy some fast times and high-placing finishes at local triathlons and time trials.

As we made final preparations to travel to Louisville for Ironman, I also enjoyed the rest that the taper period had afforded me. I did have a hard time sitting around with no training to do, but I managed to actually lose a few pounds despite the reduced workload.

We rented a car to take to Louisville since my wife's Volvo is quite small. We were loaded to the gills with a bike, triathlon supplies and nutrition. We dropped our Black Lab puppy "Watts" off at a sitters and we were set to go. After nine hours of driving, we were in Louisville!

I had never been around so many fit-looking people in all of my life! The streets were crowded with men and women with single-digit body fat percentages, and the air was filled with nervous energy as countless run groups and bikers lined the streets trying to ease their nerves by cramming in some last-minute training. We checked into our hotel and made our way to the expo to check out the wares. Against my better judgment, I purchased an Ironman Louisville bike jersey. Take that, superstition!

The journey had taken us to Louisville...now it was time to execute!

Next installment: the swim!

Success versus Excellence...

2010-08-22T14:26:00.000-04:00

I didn't write the following, but I thought it was outstanding and timely. It should also be said that the goal of our performances in competition and business at NICE TRI! is that of excellence.

Please read:

A QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE

Success is often measured by comparison to others. Excellence, on the other hand, is all about being the best we can be and maximizing our gifts, talents and abilities to perform at our highest potential.

We live in a world that loves to focus on success and loves to compare. We are all guilty of doing this. However, I believe that to be our best we must focus more on excellence and less on success. We must focus on being the best we can be and realize that our greatest competition is not someone else but ourselves.

For example, coaching legend John Wooden often wouldn’t tell his players who they were playing each game. He felt that knowing the competition was irrelevant. He believed that if his team played to the best of their ability they would be happy with the outcome. In fact, John Wooden never focused on winning. He had his team focus on teamwork, mastering the fundamentals, daily improvement and the process that excellence requires. As a result he and his teams won A LOT.

A focus on excellence was also the key for golfing legend Jack Nicklaus. His secret was to play the course not the competition. He simply focused on playing the best he could play against the course he was playing. While others were competing against Jack, he was competing against the course and himself.

The same can be said for Apple’s approach with the iPod, iPhone and iPad. When they created these products they didn’t focus on the competition. Instead they focused on creating the best product they could create. As a result, rather than measuring themselves against others they have become the measuring stick.

We have a choice as individuals, organizations and teams. We can focus on success and spend our life looking around to see how our competition is doing, or we can look straight ahead towards the vision of greatness we have for ourselves and our teams. We can look at competition as the standard or as an indicator of our progress towards our own standards. We can chase success or we can embark on a quest for excellence and focus 100% of our energy to become our best... and let success find us. Ironically, when our goal is excellence the outcome and byproduct is often success.

Hard to breathe when you run? Read this!

2010-08-12T22:23:00.004-04:00

I settled down last evening with my trusty training partner "Watts" to enjoy a good book, but since I couldn't find one, I read a chapter on Human Anatomy and Physiology.

But before we get started, here's a video of Watts on his latest training run:

Obviously his muscles aren't fully developed yet, which leads us into our discussion.

Just before dozing off into a blissful rest after nearing the end of the chapter on the respiratory system, I found something that I thought the athletes that I train with might find interesting. Here is an excerpt from "The Essentials of Exercise Science":

"The muscles of respiration adapt to regular exercise training, as do the locomotor skeletal muscles. Regular endurance exercise increases the oxidative capacity of respiratory muscles, which improves respiratory muscle endurance. This is important because respiratory muscles have been shown to fatigue with exercise, adversely affecting the ability to breathe during both moderate-and high-intensity activities. Improving respiratory muscles endurance enhances exercise performance at various intensities".

So there you have it! If you're having difficulty breathing easily while exercising - be patient! It does take the body time to adapt to the workload, but eventually there will be an improvement in your ability to breathe during bouts of intense (and even moderate) exercise!

Fastest RAT on 2 wheels (recap)...

2010-08-09T13:02:00.000-04:00

Tuesday August 3rd was the annual 40k time trial for the Rochester Area Triathletes at Webster Park. Athletes met at 6pm and the first rider was scheduled to go out at 6:30.

Several of the Team NiceTri! Athletes were there to get some training data for the planned 60 minute ride. Chuck Waterman was sporting an Aero Jacket rear disc cover for the Zipp 303, and Alvah Aldrich was recovering from anemia but did his best nonetheless. Paul Thomas was ready to stay in the drops for the 40 kilometer course, and that is precisely what he did. Nice effort, team!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, with a typical westerly breeze off the lake at about 10 mph. I had hoped this would die off by the time I hit the turnaround, but it didn't quite work out that way.

Our Team is coming off of a build period that has left their legs feeling rubbery and lethargic. No one was peaked for this time trial, but the goal was to establish a power and heart rate zone and use it as a training event.

The trick with time trials seems to be pacing one's effort over the course of the race. There were some hills before the turnaround that could blow the pacing effort if the powermeter (or heart rate monitor) wasn't watched closely enough.

After looking at my power file from the event, the 60 minute wattage did seem low, and the total time for the ride should have been much shorter with fresh legs. If we keep in mind that this is just a training event and not an "A" class race, it's not quite as discouraging. We'll have to go back to the venue and test again once we have recovered!

Here are the NiceTri! results from the time trial. Well done, team! NiceTri! is home to some of the fastest RATs on 2 wheels!

Overall Finishing Place / Athlete's Name / 40k Finishing Time / (Speed Average)

1. Dan Jarecke 59:10 (25.3 mph average)
6. Chuck Waterman 1:05:35 (22.8 mph average)
15. Paul Thomas 1:12:29 (20.7 mph average)
16. Alvah Aldrich 1:13:23 (20.4 mph average)

Getting ready to taper for Louisville...with Watts!

2010-08-02T22:42:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend at the Tour de Thompson 62 mile ride this past weekend. The weather was perfect for an epic ride around some of the toughest hills in the Canandaigua area, and our group started off at 0800 for a planned 200watt ride.

I tried to settle into my pace early and find a rhythm, and got warmed up before we started the climb westward off of West Lake Road. The pack had spread out nicely, and it was a ball trying to figure out what a good climbing power would be that would not blow up my legs if the ride were to be 112 miles long.

After several rest stops and chatting with weary participants, the final climb of the day provided a 4 mile shortcut that would eliminate the descent down Gannett Hill. Not wanting to be short-changed on my entry fee, our pack rode every inch of the "long cut" and found it to be one of the toughest climbs of the day. For those who have not participated in this ride yet, try to put it on your training calendar for next year. Think of it as a "Highlander Recon Session"that supports a truly good cause!

It was also nice to reflect on the previous weekend that we spent in Lake Placid cheering on some of our Ironman buddies. I was shocked by the violence in the swim start, and was inspired by the courage of the participants during the run. Anyone who completes an Ironman is an elite athlete, but anyone who competes in Placid is truly special. The course is not one to be trifled with!

Ironman Placid Bike Course Recon

This should be the last high volume week prior to starting my taper for Louisville. My run volume is slightly lower than expected due to several consecutive cracks during my long runs (and the subsequent attempt to recover). This week should be a fun one with several days of intense efforts that will serve as fitness markers for Ironman.

We will have a new addition to our Team this week! The new official bike coach is named "Watts", and will hopefully be at most of the races and training sessions with us. He is a 7 week old Black Lab that has a sweet little personality.

Many thanks to those who have offered advice and encouragement during this Ironman buildup training cycle. Despite a few injuries and crashes early in the season, it's been a great season, and I truly look forward to the last few weeks before The Big Day (as Mary Eggars would say)!

Watts!

Musselman Race Report

2010-07-13T21:50:00.001-04:00

Musselman was a huge success for the NiceTri gang! The race organization was once again excellent, the weather was perfect, and the course was awesome!

It was a real treat to have a bunch of training buddies at the start of the swim wave - it really helped to calm those pre-race jitters.

Once the swim was underway, we enjoyed the bath-water-like temperatures of the canal. Thanks to my trusty "Scuba Steve" mask, I couldn't smell what the canal was teeming with - and that's probably just as well.

The bike course was super fast and well-marked. There was however, a close call on the way back to the pits in the two-way traffic section. A spectator was jogging alongside his girlfriend and shouting encouragement to her in MY lane when I managed to get his attention. YIKES! That could've been ugly!

After a near-max effort on the bike, my legs were pumped up and stiff on the run. The screaming spectators managed to keep me going faster than I thought possible, and I finished happy with my overall result.

Several other teammates had a rough day. One member of the gang had numerous flat tires (one before the event and several during), but still managed to finish! Holy persistence and great effort! Another athlete participated in a triathlon for the first time, and seemed to really enjoy herself!

The Half Iron course on Sunday was a worthy opponent for even the most fit athletes. The temperature was in the mid 80's with very light winds. Staying well-hydrated was a challenge and just finishing is worthy of a trophy. One of our athletes finished the Half Iron course with broken ribs, another with a taped-up foot, and another with a late night at work the night prior that surely made the course more grueling. We can certainly attest that our gang isn't afraid of a little adversity and pain. In fact, a common saying from the group encourages us to learn to "become comfortable with being uncomfortable". How true!

Thanks to all of our friends and family members that supported us during the race and during our training. We certainly couldn't have done it without you all!

Finally, thanks to the folks that rented wheels and wetsuits from NiceTri! It was a pleasure to serve you and help you improve your performance on race day. Thank you for teaming up with us!

Fastest bike split at Musselman? Here's how to blow yourself up on race day.

2010-06-30T11:28:00.003-04:00

I wanted to make a "how to" checklist for executing a blistering bike pace at the Musselman Half Iron to help others achieve a very fast bike split on race day. However, I soon recalled that the word "triathlon" is derived from the latin word "tri" or more loosely translated: "Thou hast to run and swim too, dorkus".

Therefore, I thought it most appropriate to entitle this post

"How to blow yourself up on the bike at the Musselman Half Iron".

Personally, I enjoy biking. My greatest pleasure is to ride for long distances and leave my legs pumped with lactic acid and tingling with fatigue! However, my achilles heel seems to be executing a strong run effort after a fast bike split.

In other words, these are the things that usually get athletes (like me) a blistering fast bike split, and a run split that is best timed with an hourglass. These are things you should avoid if you would like to set a PR on the course, not just on the bike.

Riding over your threshold - "C'mon! It's race day! Everyone is cheering for me at the transition area! If I can just average 26mph on the bike, I may just (*gasp, wheeze, cough...*)".

Obviously, we're referring to pacing strategy in this example. There's an important number to remember when executing a fast bike split, and that's your Functional Threshold Power (or FTP). At a Half Ironman distance event, you should ride at approximately 80-85% of FTP. Every time you go over this number, you are very likely adding seconds and even minutes to your run time. There are several exceptions to this rule, and those would be:

1. Passing a competitor to get out of the draft zone
2. Climbing a hill.

However, my personal rule of thumb for these two contingencies is to never do it for more than 3 minutes, and never above my FTP.

Rule #1 is the most difficult for me to follow. Seeing another rider up the road triggers an attack response in my brain that is hard to control. However, by following your pacing strategy and paying attention to your power output (or heart rate), you can suppress the urge to chase down other riders and sabotaging your run effort.

If you don't have a power meter to assist you in your pacing effort, make sure to stay within your predetermined Heart Rate zones. For most athletes, it is best to stay below approximately 84% of maximum heart rate (which is the high end of zone 3 - the Threshold Zone).

If you don't have a heart rate monitor, you should be able to say about half of a full sentence. If you're gasping for air and completely out of breath, you're going too hard and need to slow down. If you can recite the entire Pledge of Allegiance, you could probably stand to pedal a little harder.

Forgetting to eat - The bike split is a great time to ensure the proper intake of nutrition. It's much easier to eat while riding as opposed to running, so make sure to follow your nutrition regimen that you developed in training. Personally, if I go longer than 45 minutes without eating I am asking for trouble. There is also a critical PLACE on the course to take in your nutrition. I've developed a brief quiz to help illustrate the point.

Question: In which example would it be most easy for Timmy the Triathlete to retrieve, open and ingest his nutrition?
A. While climbing up a very steep hill and pedaling very hard.
B. While pedaling very hard on a flat portion of the course.
C. While coasting down a hill and not pedaling at all.

In my experience, it's easiest and fastest to take in your nutrition during a downhill portion of the course. I prefer to let the bike coast so that I can regain my breath, and focus on opening and ingesting the nutrition. I've tried to eat while climbing a hill at a high power output, and it seems like a good way to coat the inside of your lungs with Hammer Gel. However, I see this quite often in events - athletes swerving and coughing while eating, climbing the largest hill on the course at 4 mph.

Getting out of your position - Your fastest position on the bike is in the aero position. The only time to come out of the aero position would be for safety reasons (such as reaching your brakes) or climbing a hill.

That's it.

Practice staying in the aero position for your entire ride. If you can't do it, you should consider a professional bike fitter like Geneva Bikes. They have a state of the art Retul fitting system that will ensure you have the correct hip angle, back angle, etc. It is money wisely spent!

Traditionally, athletes come out of the aero position and stand on the pedals to pick up their speed. All too often, this merely raises the athlete's heart rate and wastes valuable energy. Try to stay aero for the entire ride.

In summary, pacing and nutrition are the two biggest mistakes that athletes make when trying to execute a good effort over the entire race course. Learn to stay consistent in your effort and on top of your nutrition strategy. Doing so will pay big dividends on the run portion of the Musselman and any other event you may enter!

www.nicetrionline.com

On Your Weigh to Wait Loss Part II: Exercise!

2010-04-09T15:34:00.000-04:00

Diet and exercise go hand in hand in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, but the question has been asked:

"Is it better to exercise at a lower intensity for a longer time or higher intensity for a shorter period of time"?

Although I hate giving this type of answer - it depends.

As we seek to improve our performance at physical activity, we must devote a certain amount of time (duration) and energy (intensity) to that activity. Mathematically, that equation might look like this:

Training Stress = Duration + Intensity

We have two ways to control how much stress we put on our bodies. We can alter the length of the exercise, the intensity, or both. We will discuss the benefits of varying duration and intensity and how it might help us achieve certain goals.

DURATION - "THE BIGGER THE BASE, THE BETTER THE RACE"

Longer periods of lower-intensity exercise are referred to as "base builders". It is helpful to view this exercise as the foundation of your physical abilities. Without a strong foundation, the building will crack (manifested as injury) or never live up to its full potential. We need to spend a long amount of time (sometimes years) to build a strong aerobic base and to condition the body to accept the demands of higher intensity exercise.

Not only does base building prepare the body to be able to produce higher intensity efforts later in the year, it also forces the body to utilize stored fat as a fuel source. Additionally, the body will literally increase its ability to transport oxygen to the muscles. These are only a few reasons why base building is so important.

Base building exercises are usually done early in the year or in the off-season. A good way to gauge proper intensity for base building is to ask yourself "could I easily carry on a conversation right now'? If you are gasping for breath and unable to converse, your intensity is too high and you need to slow down a bit. If you're using a heart rate monitor, you should exercise at 65-75% of your maximum heart rate while base building.

As with any type of activity, you need to gradually work your way up to a three hour run or bicycle. A good rule of thumb regarding increasing your duration of exercise is to add no more than 10% time or distance to your long run or ride. DO NOT risk injury just to get a few extra miles or minutes in.

INTENSITY: THE FINAL FRONTIER

In order to achieve the best performance that you are capable of, you need to include shorter periods of intense exercise. Most athletes fall into one of two categories when it comes to intensity:

Not enough (because it hurts)
Too much (because I need to get fast...NOW!)

Exercising at a higher level of intensity increases your heart rate and level of respiration, and produces lactic acid within the muscles which is perceived as a fiery ache. Since this ache is seen as a source of discomfort, most people avoid it altogether. However, the body has ways of dealing with this high level of stress.

The body is basically lazy. It does not like to have its routine changed. It does not like to produce high levels of muscular force for long periods of time. However, we can trick the body's laziness into helping us meet our desired goals.

The body releases endorphins to combat the pain of the lactic acid within the muscles. The more frequently we perform high intensity exercise, the body will release endorphins sooner and at a higher dosage, and lactic acid production is decreased.

The cardiovascular system also becomes more efficient in the way that it transports oxygen.

The muscles become stronger.

In other words, the body (which is lazy, remember?) develops ways to deal with the painful experience of high intensity exercise. After a period of time, the athlete actually begins to develop a craving for high intensity exercise in much the same way a drug addict craves "the next fix".

During high intensity exercise, for a given exercise duration (let's say 30 minutes), the body burns less fat as a percentage of total calories as compared to lower base building exercise. However, because of the increased intensity, the number of total calories AND fat calories is higher for the 30 minute exercise period.

"So which is better, duration or intensity"?

Duration and intensity are both very important in becoming a well-rounded athlete, but the periods of the year in which we utilize them might be different. Here are some helpful hints about when to use a higher duration or higher intensity:

Use longer duration:

for off-season or early season base building
for teaching your body how to burn fat stores during extended exercise
once you have exercised for a month or so to increase your aerobic capacity

Use higher intensity:

once you've established a good foundation of fitness (or "base")
to teach your body how to buffer lactic acid
to burn more calories and fat
to become a faster athlete
in moderation. Remember: higher intensities make the athlete more susceptible to injury.

Lean and mean - on your weigh to wait loss.

2010-04-06T13:27:00.001-04:00

The title of this week's post is obviously a play on words, but everyone is asking the same question: "How do I lose weight quickly"? Despite the claims of the "Gee Whiz" weight loss pill companies and infomercials that bombard us daily, there is no magic solution. There are however, essential guidelines that need to be followed as you seek to find your ideal racing weight.

The following rules are broken down into two categories: Eating and Exercise. This week, we'll discuss eating.

Rule #1: Eat well

Most people simply don't eat well! Too many processed foods (you know- potato chips, soda, fast food...), too many carbohydrates, and too much fat.

There are many diets on the market that work in the short term, but the only diet that has revolutionized the way I see food is the P90X Diet Guide. This diet teaches you HOW to use carbohydrates to fuel your body. It teaches you WHAT sources are ideal for lean proteins. It teaches you WHY you should stay away from sugary, processed foods. It would obviously take too much time to discuss their methods, but suffice to say - they truly work! Follow this guide religiously and I guarantee you will not only see a reduction in your body fat and body weight, your moods will also change and you will better understand the "what's", "why's", and "how's" of a successful eating plan.

Eating well is not a short-term fix. A successful eating plan must be realistic and enjoyable to be effective, and this one is. The picture above is one of the P90X dishes called "Island Pork Tenderloin Salad". Delicious!

Rule of thumb, you ask? Stay away from the "center store" merchandise from a grocery store (potato chips, processed foods, etc.). Buy fresh meats and vegetables. Ask yourself: "Would this item exist in nature"? If you can't answer "yes", you shouldn't be eating it. I have never seen a field full of potato chips or a river that floweth with soda pop!

Rule #2: Fuel for Activity
A simple way to visualize how the body works is to think of it as an engine, just like the engine in your car. If all you do with your car is park it, it obviously doesn't use any fuel. However, if you go for a two hour drive, you have obviously used quite a bit of gasoline and might even need to fill up the car's fuel tank.

Your body works exactly the same way. However, your engine is always running, even when you're sleeping, watching Oprah, or running a 26.2 mile marathon. As you can see, the rates at which you're using energy is higher as you exercise, so your body demands more fuel. Pretty basic, no? You'd be surprised how many people don't understand this concept. Most people are fueling for a marathon, when they're actually letting their "car" sit in the driveway. This is a great way to gain weight.

There are a lot of online calorie calculators to help you compute your caloric needs, but this one is my favorite: Calorie Calculator

Rule #3: "To Carb, or Not to Carb, that is the question"
Simply put, carbohydrates are fuel. Proteins and fats can also be used by the body as fuel, but not as easily as carbohydrates. You NEED carbs to function well, but most people not only eat too many, but eat the wrong kind.

As mentioned in Rule #2, you need to fuel for the activity you are planning. If you are running 12 miles, you need to have the proper nutrition to fuel you throughout the exercise. Not enough carbs and you'll bonk (slang terminology for "feel awful"). Too many carbs and you'll store them as fat. The wrong kind of carbs and your blood sugar will spike, you'll get a large release of insulin, your blood sugar will crash, and you'll store fat very easily. This is beginning to sound complicated, but really it's not that bad.

Try to eat whole grains and proteins before exercise. The P90X Diet Guide has a great pre-workout breakfast, but something along the lines of a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter, sliced banana (or two), greek yogurt with raspberries and granola would fuel you for several hours. However, if you're sitting around the house recovering from injury, you would store the carbs you don't use as fat (again, refer to rule #2).

Summary
Follow these simple rules and you will begin to see a difference in your performance, personality, energy levels, body fat, and body weight. In case you've skipped directly to the summary and didn't read the 3 rules, buy the P90X Diet Guide and follow it. You'll be glad you did!

Feel free to write to NiceTri! with any questions regarding diet and exercise. We're more than happy to share our experiences and tips with you!

3 Easy Steps to a Faster Transition Time

2010-03-27T22:01:00.000-04:00

It takes months to get a triathlete into good enough condition to take a minute or two off their run or bike split. If you follow these three easy steps, you can save a minute or two from your next triathlon time with very little training.

Step 1: Organization

In order to have a fast transition, you must plan exactly what steps are to be taken as you approach your spot. Part of the organization process is an actual "dry run" from the entrance of the transition area to where your bicycle is parked. I prefer to do this just prior to transition area closing. The transition area looks much different when you are running into it during the race as opposed to walking OUT of it after you've dropped off your equipment.

Lay the items you're transitioning into on your mat or towel. Make sure you know EXACTLY what steps come first. If the first time you've done this organization process is at the actual event, it's probably too late. That brings us to step #2.

Step 2: Practice

You need to make at least 10 runs through the transition process in the comfort of your own home (or lawn). The following items usually waste time in transitions. Practice these thoroughly:

Getting out of your wetsuit
Putting your helmet on BEFORE EVEN TOUCHING your bike
Running in your cycling shoes. This isn't for everyone. Some people prefer to run barefoot to the end of the transition area with the cycling shoes already clipped into the pedals. Some people prefer to do an awkward trot with their cycling shoes on. YOU need to develop your own preferred method (which is why we practice!)
Grab your nutrition from your cooler if it isn't already attached to the bike. You can tape gel packets to the bike so they're already in place (aero weenies feel free to gasp)

The bottom line is practice your own method until you can literally repeat what you're supposed to do for each transition.

Step 3: Pay Attention to the Details!

The old saying goes "The difference is in the details". What on earth does that mean and how do you apply it to triathlon. Here are some examples off common goof ups:

Forgetting sunscreen before leaving transition for your Half Ironman bike or run. I know...I've done it!
Forgetting your nutrition
Forgetting your sunglasses
Forgetting to buckle your helmet

The list goes on, but remember to practice your own system at home. You'll be glad you did on race day!

Secrets of the pro's revealed in one word: INTENSITY!

2010-03-27T12:03:00.000-04:00

If you are wondering why your training has plateaued, perhaps it's due to a lack of intensity.

You should have at least one day per week that is considered a "BT" or "breakthrough" workout. This means that you are operating at your maximum capability for the duration of the interval. Bear in mind however, that these sessions are very strenuous on the body so there is an increased risk of injury. Make sure you're warmed up well before starting.

After a 10 minute spin to get your legs warmed up, ride for 3 minutes at 85%-90% of you maximum heart rate. How hard should this feel? On a scale from 1-10 (10 is hardest), this should feel like a 9. Do 3 total repetitions and rest 1:30 between intervals.

As you get into better shape (after two weeks), make the interval 5 minutes long and do 5 repetitions.

The nice part about hard efforts is that they are short and sweet, and pay big dividends into getting you into better overall shape. Who knows - after a while, you may start to look like THIS during your bike split!

SRM Power Meter as a training tool

2010-03-08T20:11:00.001-05:00

After laying the groundwork for your season with longer, lower effort sessions on the bike, it's time to start ramping up the intensity. Since we are not nearly in peak condition, the interval sessions we are doing will be shorter, less intense, and fewer repetitions than later in the season. Here are a few examples to throw into your routine once or twice per week:

1. "Danny 300's" - 300 watts, 300 seconds, 3 repetitions. It's another way of saying "5 minute cruise intervals at 10% over your FTP". Warmup for 5-10 minutes at 130 watts, do a set of Danny 300's. Recover at 130 watts for 2 minutes between 300 watt efforts. Cool down for 5-10 minutes at 130 watts.

2. Descending intervals - the intervals start out long and ramp up in intensity while shortening in duration. Here is what they look like: 300 watts for 5 minute, 325 watts for 4 minutes, 350 watts for two minutes, 400 watts for 1 minute, 500 watts for 30 seconds. Do a recovery spin of 130 watts for 1 minute between intervals.

Your legs won't be able to do these routines more than once or twice per week due to the intensity. If you make these a regular part of your routine, you won't believe the increases in your power. If you don't throw in some intensity once in a while, you're spinning your wheels.

FTP Test

2010-03-07T19:20:00.001-05:00

I did a 20 minute time trial FTP test yesterday on the trainer and was absolutely wiped out! My wattage is up 27 watts from February 1 due to the intense month of training. I had a good rest week but probably put in too much time on the bike. I am pleased with the increase in wattage, and hope to keep up the trend for next month. The secret? One word:

Intervals!

Try this for the next month: make one of your weekly workouts an interval session. If you don't have a power meter, ride at 8-9 on the RPE scale (on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the hardest) during the interval part of your session. The rest period will be 50% of the length of the interval. For example:

Warm up for 5 minutes RPE 4.

3 minutes RPE 8
1:30 active recovery RPE 4

3 minutes RPE 8
1:30 active recovery RPE 4

3 minutes RPE 8
1:30 active recovery RPE 4

Cool down for 5 minutes RPE 4.

The abbreviations for this workout would be Warm, 3x3min @ RPE 8, Cool. 1:30 (RBI) Rest Between Intervals.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Your "A" Class Event

2010-03-03T22:50:00.000-05:00

I am planning to peak for several events this year. The first of which is the Musselman Half Ironman in the middle of July. This event is held in Geneva, NY and is one of my favorites. I will be racing the Sprint-distance event on Saturday and the Half Ironman on Sunday. I already have my goals set for finishing times, and have been devoting much time to help assist me in my quest for a faster run split. This is a picture from the 2009 bike course.

My second peak for the year will hopefully come at the end of August. I will be participating in my first Ironman distance event in Louisville, KY. My goal for this event is to finish strong and have a good marathon. I think my greatest challenge will be proper nutrition throughout the event. This is a picture of my cat Monster helping me unpack my transition bag from a trip earlier this year. It looks like he wants to go too!

It's time to start training!

2010-03-02T19:59:00.001-05:00

If you want to have a successful triathlon season this year, it's time to start putting in the mileage on the stationary trainer. There are plenty of models to chose from, but I would recommend a visit to your local bike shop and ask about a Cycleops Trainer or one from Kurt Kinetic.

For the first several weeks, start out at a fairly easy effort (let's say "4" on a scale of 1 to 10). Try to ride at a consistent intensity for 30 minutes to start, and work your way up to 60 minutes at the end of the second week. Try to ride at least 3 times per week. Riding 5 times per week is optimal. This will allow you several days off during the week to recover.