Team Nice Tri Musselman Race Report

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!

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

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...

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

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

"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...

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...