A Day in the Life

Andriy Yastrebov (above), Ironman Wisconsin men's pro winner in 2005, gutting it out on one of the many short-but-sharp hills in corn-and-cow country.

This is a typical weekday during “Crunch Time”. Don’t try this at home.

4:30 AM

Awaken to Green Day’s “American Idiot” on the clock radio. Flip the wakeup time to 5:30 AM for Barb, turn volume way up. Wait for Green Day vibe to wear off, check resting pulse, 44 BPM: on the money.

Stagger blindly into the bathroom. Purge last night’s hydration. Put on swimsuit, so I don’t forget later. (One morning I got into the pool in my briefs. Luckily, the other regulars were half-asleep too, and didn’t notice.) Put on robe. Stagger blindly but quietly to the kitchen.

Turn on TV news. Another bombing in Iraq. I think they just repeat the same story every day, and fill in the blanks for the location and number of fatalities. Make breakfast: poached egg, toast with peanut butter (REAL peanut butter, not the hydrogenated-icing-sugar stuff), Shredded Wheat with milk. Three minutes ahead of schedule, go downstairs to stretch upper body.

Back to the bathroom, quietly. Shave face, brush teeth. Get dressed.

5:15 AM

Grab swim bag, jump in the Jeep. Drive to the Canyon Meadows pool. Speed limit gets abused severely.

5:25 AM

Say good morning to the other regulars. Get undressed, confirm swimsuit. Rinse, head for the deck.

5:30 AM

Put on goggles and swim cap. Say good morning to my lane partner, Maria. Push off, start 400m warmup, freestyle. With 100m to go, count number of strokes per length, to check technique: 17-18, on the money.

5:38 AM

Wait for pace clock to hit Red Top, start main set, 10x100m on 1:50, rest 10 seconds every 100.

5:58 AM

Swim 100m easy. 1500m in the bank so far, right on schedule.

6:00 AM

8x50m fast. 50 seconds each, anaerobic by the sixth rep. Dug deep on the last two. Followed with 100m easy to recover.

6:10 AM

Start 500m pyramid: 25m fast, 25m easy, 50m fast, 50m easy, 75m fast, 75m easy, 50m fast, 50m easy, 25m fast, 25m easy, 50m cooldown.

6:30 AM

3000m done, I’m outta here. Shower, change, drive home. Abuse speed limit again.

6:45 AM

Chug some Gatorade, grab lunch, jump in the car with Barb for the drive to work. Eat a banana on the way.

7:15 AM

At my desk with a cup of Sumatra, which inflicts target HR for the second time this morning. Work, work, work. Save the world thru SCADA. (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition).

10:00 AM

Snack time: yogurt and a muffin. Crave chocolate.

12:00 PM

Lunch: Ham, avocado and lettuce on whole wheat, baby carrots, trail mix, apple. Get up and stretch. Crave chocolate. Post more useless info on blog.

12:30 PM

Back to work, saving the company single-handedly yet again. Nobody notices.

3:00 PM

Snack time again: 2% cottage cheese, muffin, apple. Crave chocolate.

4:50 PM

Company is safe for another day. Leave the office to meet Barb for the ride home.

5:30 PM

Make supper, eat, do a few chores. Make tomorrow’s lunch.

7:30 PM

Put on running gear, grab some Gatorade. Go to the basement, line up some lively CDs in the changer, turn on baseball with volume down. Get on the treadmill, put on the headphones, hit Play on the remote. Adjust slope to 2%, warm up for 15 minutes at 8:30/mile pace. Then 3x10 minutes at tempo (Zone 3), or 7:00-7:15/mile pace, with 5 minutes recovery between. 5 minute cooldown at 10:00/mile pace.

8:35 PM

Stretch: Run- and swim-specific stretching.

8:45 PM

Get bike stuff ready for tomorrow morning’s Computrainer ride.

9:00 PM

Ice the sore spots, if any. Eat bran flakes and milk. Brush teeth.

9:15 PM

Smooch, snuggle. “Accidently” kick the cat off the bed. Sleep.

4:30 AM

“It’s Only Rock and Roll”, by the Stones. Crap, it’s morning already? Speaking of which, last night’s bran flakes are working. Time to get up!

If you found this day's schedule to be attractive in any way, you are either a masochist or a triathlete-in-the-making. In either case, please seek counseling, or a good tri coach. Which in most cases, will be the same person.

Flashback: Kona 2004

"Kona is different. What you do at the other races, doesn't translate here." Peter Reid, Ironman World Champion in 1998, 2000, and 2003 (Above right).

Following is a reprint of my race report from Kona in 2004:

Aloha to all,

To sum up the race, I had a disappointing swim, a conservative bike, and a decent marathon. My finish time was 11:15:00. I was 596th overall, and 81st among 239 in the 40-44 age group. First-timers at Kona should expect to finish at least an hour later than their qualifying time, and I was no exception. (59 minutes, 32 seconds to be exact!) The race is hard due to the course, the weather and the competition. After all, it’s the Ironman World Championships, it SHOULD be hard! To put into perspective the level of competition, all top five men in the 55-59 age group finished ahead of me. The winner of that age group finished under 10 hours, an impressive time for even a 30-year old.

During training sessions on the Queen Ka’ahumanu highway and Alii Drive on the week leading up to the race, I felt like it was hallowed ground, much like the Montreal Forum or Yankee Stadium. Some of the most dramatic events in Ironman racing happened here, probably the most memorable being the crawl across the finish line by Julie Moss in 1982. Or the Iron War in 1989, when six-time champ Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced shoulder to shoulder for eight hours, then Mark pulled away with two miles to go to win his first of six titles. Fellow Canadians have also made their mark on the race, winning eight world championships, including Peter Reid and Lori Bowden’s wins last year.

The Swim - 2.4 miles - 1:20:42

The swim takes place at 7:00 AM sharp in the warm waters of Kona harbor. 1700 athletes funnel through the timing mats and swim out to the start line, treading water while awaiting the starting cannon. The course is a long rectangle shape, starting on one side of Kailua Pier and finishing on the other. The biggest challenge of the swim is the current. The swells can make sighting difficult and the current causes you to expend extra energy trying to hold a straight line.

I found the deep-water start allowed plenty of room at the beginning of the swim. Not like standing shoulder-to-shoulder and heel-to-toe on the beach in Coeur d'Alene or Penticton, then being churned in a human washing machine for the first 1000m. Aside from a few athletes moving by aggressively, there was very little hard contact with other swimmers. The water is crystal-clear so the visibility was amazing, I could see swimmers for fifty feet all around me. I managed to draft for most of the swim, and felt I was swimming long and strong, but the currents were doing a number on all but the best open-water swimmers.

I exited the water on my way up the pier and saw my swim split: 12 minutes slower than Ironman Canada, and my worst Ironman swim ever. It was an early reminder that Kona is different. Judging by the number of “Oh, shit”s I heard around me, I wasn’t the only frustrated swimmer.

The Bike - 112 miles - 5:58:54

The bike course at Kona consists of a short out-and-back through town, then riders turn onto the Queen K highway for a ride along the northwest coast to Kawaihae. The course turns onto Highway 270 for the long ascent to the turnaround point at Hawi. The course itself is rolling with no particularly tough climbs, but the legendary Ho’omomuku winds present the main challenge. They vengefully change direction during the day, so chances are you will have a headwind or crosswind leaving and returning. This year would be no exception.

Riding through town among thousands of spectators was exhilarating. On the short climb up Palani Drive, they were going crazy, then I realized I was riding beside Ryan Sutter, the guy from The Bachelorette. And here I thought they were cheering my climbing skills! I chatted briefly with him shortly after on the Queen K, as he appeared to be riding a little aggressively for that early on the bike. I advised him to pace himself because he had a long day ahead. He hadn’t done an Ironman before, and didn’t have to qualify due to his celebrity status, so I felt he needed reminding. I later found out he was being coached by 8-time women’s champ Paula Newby Fraser and the Multisport.com crew, and I would bet their advice would have been similar. He went on to finish around 11:38 and looked very fit, (great calves if he would just shave those legs) so credit to him for the solid training.

I met up with my training partner Derek Case early in the bike, we discussed the swim and agreed we were both disappointed. I joked that now the pressure was off me to win my age group, so I could relax a bit. My focus was to not go anaerobic on the bike and conserve energy for the run. By then the winds had picked up, and at one point about 40km out, I was pedalling downhill into it and only going 15km/h. Empty Gatorade bottles were being blown UP the hill. I saw two riders get their bikes blown right from under them, one of them had his front wheel snap in half as he went over the bars. I had my heart rate monitor set to alarm when I was exceeding my target heart rate, but I could barely hear it over the constant din of the wind. On the way up to Hawi, it was exciting to see the leaders in the pro men’s race started going by the other way, shortly followed by the pro women and the really fast age groupers.

After the turnaround point in Hawi, we had a nice long descent with a tailwind for 20 km or so, but the crosswinds returned shortly after. Later, on a stretch of the Queen K just before the airport, I was making good time and headed for a possible 5:45 split. I knew there would be a headwind coming back into town, and at 15 km out, there it was, like a slap in the face. So I geared down and kept the pedal RPMs high to save the legs for the marathon. Imagine riding west from Calgary into chinook winds, then imagine doing it for six hours: That's what the bike leg felt like. I finished 40 minutes slower than at Ironman Canada, however I had paced properly and was able to ride the last 40k strong.

The Run - 26.2 miles - 3:46:09

The marathon course consists of a10-mile rolling out-and-back section through town up Alii Drive, back through downtown Kona and out onto the Queen K to complete the remaining 16.2 miles. The turnaround is in the Natural Energy Lab, a deceiving title as it actually sucks the energy out of you. It’s in a low spot in the lava fields at about mile 18, where most triathletes are having a tough time of it anyway. The heat reflects mercilessly off the lava and ashphalt. Then there is a grinding uphill out of the Lab back to the Queen K. Several miles later, the 25-mile marker on Palani Drive and the turn onto Alii Drive and the finish line are welcome sites.

I headed out onto the run course feeling pretty good at first, running an 8-minute mile pace. However, I had to slow down as the deep fatigue from the bike ride answered back. It normally takes me about 2-3 miles to get the run legs going, but here it took 10. I ran by our condo at mile 2 and thought how good it would feel to get off the course, go to the fridge, crack a cold one and put my feet up. My other training partner, Kim Townsend, caught up to me a couple of miles later and reminded me of what it took to get here.

Oddly enough, I started to feel better after running up the steep hill at Palani Drive to the Queen K. Once there, I got into a good groove, and watched the Pro women’s race unfolding in the opposite direction. My coach, Kevin Cutjar, high-fived me on the way by, however I didn’t connect solidly because I knew at the speed he was running, one of us would dislocate a shoulder. Then I turned off the Queen K into the Natural Energy Lab. Up until then we were favored with cloudy skies, but the sun came out with a vengeance in the Lab. I stopped to use an outhouse just before the turnaround, and the effect of the heat inside it (and possibly its sun-baked contents) made me reel with nausea and dizziness. Back in the fresh air, I doused myself thoroughly at the next aid station to cool down, and started the long, slow climb back to the Queen K. I did the math to figure out if I could crack 11 hours, and realized I would have to suffer very deeply to get it done, at the risk of not finishing at all. Begin Plan B, sub-11:15.

Once back onto the highway, the sun gave way to cloud again. I rejoined Kim and we set off on the home stretch at a comfortable pace. Derek went by on his way to the Energy Lab, and the three of us, who trained together all spring and most of the summer with the common goal of getting here, were briefly reunited. At the 25-mile marker, Kim and I parted ways, as I needed to crank up the pace to hit my goal.

Nothing prepared me for that first trip down Alii Drive. Thousands of spectators lined the street, music was blaring, and bright spotlights blinded me until I was inside the finishing chute. I remembered the advice to enjoy the last 100 meters, so I slowed down and high-fived the crowd, until I saw the finishing clock: 11:14:55, 11:14:56,…then a mad dash to the finish line, to cross the timing mat just as the clock ticked over 11:15:00. I looked back just to be sure, then wilted into the waiting hands of the catchers. A summer-long journey that started with a DNF at Ironman Coeur d’Alene, two comeback races, and an Ironman personal best at Penticton had ended where I wanted to be: the finish line on Alii Drive. I felt relief, satisfaction, elation, and above all, fatigue!

We all have our motivation for getting to the finish line, and people who inspire us to get there. Marc Herremans captured its essence, at the Carbo Load dinner on Thursday night. Marc, an up-and-coming pro triathlete from Belgium, finished 6th overall in Kona in 2001. That winter he was in a tragic cycling accident while training, which left him paralyzed from the chest down. Despite all the challenges of his handicap, he was determined to get to the Ironman finish line again. After a false start in 2002, he finished the 2003 Ironman World Championships, using only his arms. When brought on stage to speak at the dinner, he spoke of his good friend Christopher Reeve, who had passed away just days before. The two met due to their common interests; both were ardent spokesmen for the cause of those confined to wheelchairs. He suggested that we honor those who motivated us, by bringing them to the finish line with us, in our thoughts.

He had very eloquently verbalized my own intentions.

This year, on my way to the finish line, I honored the two most important women in my life: My wife Barb and my mother Joyce. Several years ago Mom was diagnosed with polycythemia, a form of cancer of the blood that in its final stages regresses to become acute leukemia. Mom loved to collect teddy bears, and when she went into hospital briefly a few years ago, Barb sent her a little Ganz teddy bear, dressed as a nurse. They joked that “Nurse Bear” would take care of her and comfort her. Indeed Nurse Bear comforted Mom, and stayed by her side until she passed away in 2002.

On race day, Nurse Bear was with me for the entire race. Hawaii was a significant venue: My parents loved Hawaii; they had a five-week vacation there, shortly before she became too ill to travel. It is significant for Barb and me too, as I would not have made it there without her unwavering support. And Nurse Bear is significant to me as it connected both of them. So Nurse Bear was front and centre as I crossed the finish line, Barb was there waiting for me as always, and Mom had the best seat in the house.

Mahalo for your friendship and support, Myles

The Pain Bank

American cycling pioneer and Tour de France TV commentator, Bob Roll (at right).

During this year’s Tour de France TV coverage on OLN, there was a Q&A session called “Ask Bobke” with Bob Roll, former member of the groundbreaking 7-11 Cycling Team, and also one of the most entertaining and offbeat commentators in any sport.

A viewer asked, “Why are so many top cyclists in their thirties, which in other sports would be considered past their prime?” The question caught my attention, because the same holds true for most endurance sports, including long-distance triathlon: Not many Ironman triathletes assert themselves in their twenties.

Bob’s answer: “You have to make a lot of deposits to the Pain Bank!” He suggested that younger riders have not yet learned how to suffer, whereas older riders have built a better tolerance for pain, from having spent more tough years in the saddle.

A more scientific description, although less entertaining, is that lactic acid causes pain; and proper training (ie. Intervals) in Zone 4 increases your ability to deal with lactic acid for a longer period of time, or push your lactate threshold higher. Zone 4 hurts, so every time you’re there, you are putting time in the Pain Bank.

In Ironman racing, however, you want to stay away from the Pain Bank until the last several miles of the marathon, otherwise you'll end up overdrawn!

Age: Not a Deterrent, Nor an Excuse

“I'd go out with women my age, but there are no women my age.”
George Burns
US actor & comedian (1896 - 1996)

51-year-old Joe Bonness of Florida recently completed his tenth consecutive sub-10 hour Ironman. Four of those results came in Kona.

75-year-old Ed Whitlock (at left) just finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in a time of 3:08:34, to win the Men’s 70 and over category. His time was 16 minutes faster than the winner of the 60-64 men’s, and would have put him in the top 2000 overall at the Boston Marathon.

Last year, Sister Madonna Buder became the oldest woman to finish the Ironman World Championships, at age 75. In addition, 80-year-old Robert McKeague became the oldest man to finish, in a time of 16:21.

Somebody asked me recently if I was still racing, then asked, “How old are you?”
I replied, “Forty-six.”
“Shouldn’t you be slowing down?”

So the answer is, a resounding NO! And if your doctor ever tells you that you need to slow down because you’re getting old, find another doctor!

Crunch Time, Part 2

"It doesn't get any easier; you just get faster." -Greg Lemond, winner of the Tour de France: 1986, 1989 and 1990.

The above chart shows my training hours for the year so far. That’s higher than a typical year, but I had thirteen months since Ironman Wisconsin to prepare for Kona, and I wanted to stay physically and mentally engaged. So I raced Ironman Arizona on April 9th, the Boston Marathon on April 17th, and Ironman Coeur d’Alene on June 25th. (The two Ironmans were the unfinished business I alluded to earlier; more on them in a later post.)

This is my third Ironman build cycle of the year, and has been the easiest, in terms of few nagging aches and pains. This shows that the body will adapt to stress, given appropriate and consistent training intensity, proper recovery, and some good coaching.

Last week, I noticed fatigue during my swim and bike workouts Friday and Saturday, but this was to be expected due to the increase in run volume and intensity. I felt strong during the long run Sunday, going 17.7 miles in 2:20.

This is the final week of the build phase, and if last week was a grind, this week is even more so. The zone 3 and 4 intervals are slightly longer, the Saturday ride is Iron-distance, and the Sunday run will be over 20 miles at Ironman pace. Here is the current week’s schedule:

Monday: Rest day (Hit the Easy button.)

Tuesday morning: Swim 1 hour, technique and intervals.
Tuesday evening: Run 70 mins., including two 20 min. tempo intervals.

Wednesday morning: Computrainer ride, 60 mins., including three 10 min. Z4 intervals.
Wednesday evening: Weights, 1 hour.

Thursday morning: Swim 1 hour, technique and intervals.
Thursday evening: Run 60 mins., including 30 min. at tempo.

Friday morning: Swim 4000m, including 3000m at Ironman goal pace.
Friday evening: Computrainer ride, 40km.

Saturday morning: Bike 180km, followed by 20 min. transition run (immediately after the bike).

Sunday morning: Swim 1 hour, technique and drills.
Sunday morning: Run 2:45 aerobic pace.
Sunday evening: Weights, 1 hour (optional).

The Monday following will be a welcome rest day, for sure. Sleep on Sunday and Monday nights will be crucial for recovery from the weekend’s efforts. Next week, the taper phase begins, with a corresponding reduction first in run volume, then bike volume. There will be a temptation to increase beer volume, but that will have to wait, until Sunday, October 22 :-)

Prerequisites for Racing an Ironman

“Prepare right, and you will perform right.”
Greg Welch, 1994 Ironman World Champion (seen above).

Here are several things you must do, before racing an Ironman:

Educate yourself. One aspect of the sport that many fail to recognize, is that knowledge is power. There are a lot of fit people racing an Ironman, so the difference can come down to who is the smartest: Not just on race day, but in the hard weeks of training leading up to it. Start out with Joe Friel’s “Your First Triathlon”, and/or “The Triathlete’s Training Bible”. Subscribe to Triathlete or Inside Triathlon magazine. Go online to www.galebernhardt.com for inexpensive training plans.

Train by heart rate. Buy a HRM, find your training zones, (See Heartrate Training) and train according to the appropriate target heart rates, for the appropriate amount of time. Doing so will help you avoid “junk miles”.

Find a training buddy or group. Remember that most of the big volume training is done in zone 1-2, at a conversational pace, so it helps to have company to make the time go by faster. During the harder but shorter interval sessions, you can push each other when the going gets tough. Train with some veteran triathletes if possible, they are a great source of information and inspiration. For all you singles out there, triathlon training is a great way to meet someone of similar interest.

Get comfortable on your bike. You’re going to spend around 55-60% of your training and racing time on it, so make sure it fits. If you’re buying new, ensure the bike shop employee pays attention to your unique size requirements in relation to the bike geometry. That cool Cervelo may not be the right bike for you. Get comfortable riding in the aero position, as this will save you several minutes on race day.

Get good running shoes. The same rule for bike fit applies to shoe fit: Not all shoes fit all people well. Try different brands until you find one that is comfortable enough for the many kilometres you will be running. Go to a shoe store that specializes in fitness and running. A bad pair of shoes can lead to injuries, so it doesn’t make sense to compromise on price or fit.

Build your volume. Your training program should build up gradually to the Ironman race distances over a period of about 16-20 weeks. By three weeks out from race day, you should be able to comfortably swim 4000 meters on Friday, bike 180km on Saturday, and run for 3 hours on Sunday. If your plan has been effective, your body will handle this. In addition, this gives you the confidence you need on race day, that you can indeed “go the distance”.

Stretch diligently. Your body will take a beating, so it’s important to keep your muscles and connective tissues supple. A little goes a long way, but it’s easy to procrastinate: So if you’re doing a 90-minute run, mentally schedule 100 minutes, the last 10 for a post-run stretch.

Take one day off per week. Don’t train, don’t read or even think about triathlon. Give your body and mind a complete holiday from the sport.

Celebrate your fitness. Look at the gains you’ve made over a period of several weeks. Enjoy the sense of accomplishment at swimming 3000m in an hour, finishing that first 100-mile ride, or dropping your suddenly-less-fit neighbour on a Sunday run. Thank whoever enabled you to get this far; your spouse, partner, training buddy or spiritual guide. Then, go stretch!

Triathlon 101

So what is a triathlon? It’s a three-event race (duh) consisting of swim, bike and run. The reason for the order of events is safety: the athlete should have the lowest heart rate in the swim, higher HR on the bike and highest HR during the run. (If you’ve paced yourself properly.) The last place you want an exhausted athlete, is in the water.

There are two kinds of triathletes:

Elites/professionals, who can be any age but are typically in their late twenties to early thirties. These folks train and race for a living, can win prize money, and attract sponsors. Many are triathlon coaches as well (including my coach, Kevin Cutjar. See the link on the right, Impact Multisport).

Age-groupers, ie. The rest of us. Age groups are split between male and female, typically in five-year increments: for example 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, etc. This allows our results to be recognized according to a group of similar age and gender. It wouldn’t be fair to compare the results of a 48-year old mother of two, to a 28-year old female pro. Therefore winning your age group is the ultimate result in a race, and winning an age group is as honourable as winning the pro race, because it recognizes the relative performance against your peer group on race day.

Age-groupers can win money and attract sponsors as well, but would need to be consistently finishing near the top of their age group. Due to the abundance of excellent training and nutrition information in the media and the internet these days, not to mention first-rate coaching, there are some amazing performances being turned in by age groupers. In fact, age-group records are falling more frequently than the pro records. Which suggests we are catching up!

The sport of triathlon has its origins over 25 years ago on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, in an argument over who was the fittest: swimmers, cyclists or runners. Navy Commander John Collins and wife Judy proposed combining three existing races to be completed in succession: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), The Around-Oahu Bike Race (112 miles, originally a two-day event and 114 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). “Whoever finishes first, we’ll call the Ironman,” said Collins. Fifteen men participated in the first event on February 18, with 12 completing the race. Gordon Haller was the first Ironman to cross the finish line with a time of 11:46:58.

Since then, the race has become the Ironman World Championships, and has relocated to the big island city of Kona, Hawaii. Every year, around 50000 athletes compete in twenty Ironman and seven half-Ironman events held around the world, for the right to race in Kona. Other race distances have spun off from the original Ironman distance:

Sprint: 750m swim, 20km bike, 5 km run.
Sprints are a great introduction to the sport for first-timers. Also good for veterans looking to practice transitions, or stay sharp between longer races. Race pace for experienced triathletes during a sprint will be nearly all-out, with fast times in the 1:00-1:15 range.

Olympic: 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run.
Olympic-distance triathlons are a TV-friendly length. With some good editing, both the women’s and men’s elite races can be shown in two hours. Canadian Simon Whitfield is famous for winning in the debut of Olympic distance at Sydney in 2000, which sparked worldwide interest in the sport. Olympic-distance races sanctioned by International Triathlon Union (ITU) allow drafting during the bike, but for elite athletes only. Drafting is not allowed for any competitors, in any other race distance. Fast times for elites are 1:45-2:10, for age-groupers 2:00 to 2:20.

Local Olympic distance races are usually staged along with a sprint race. There are at least a half-dozen in the Calgary area every summer.

Half-ironman: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.
The half-Ironman distance is exactly as it sounds. Half-Ironmans are good preparation for a full Ironman race, and the pacing is a little faster. Compared to Olympic distance racing, the swim is a smaller proportion of the total distance, so halfs favour those who are stronger on the bike and run.

There are a few half-Ironmans in the Calgary area every summer, the most popular being the Great White North triathlon in Stony Plain. It is the Canadian Long Course Championships, and a qualifier for Ironman Canada. Fast times are 4:00 to 4:30 for pros, and under five hours for age-groupers.

Ironman or iron-distance: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile (marathon)run.
The granddaddy of all triathlons. Ironman is actually a brand name, owned by the World Triathlon Corporation, however the name has become synonymous with the distance. (Non-WTC owned events are actually referred to as iron-distance of full-distance.) The WTC licenses the Ironman brand to Timex watches, wetsuits, clothing, even pain relief cream. The WTC-owned Ironman events are all qualifiers for Kona.

There are typically 80 qualifying spots per race, divided proportionally among the age groups, depending on size. In other words, the larger the age group, the more Kona spots. They are awarded in order of age-group finish. My age group, the male 45-49, in a typical race has 250 entrants, but only five or six Kona spots. There is a rolldown process; that is, if an athlete qualifies but declines his spot, it will roll down to the next finisher in the age group until claimed.

Since the swim is only about 10% of the total distance of an Ironman, a strong bike/run combo can overcome an average swim. (That's my strategy, but not by choice.) Ideal pacing is zone 2 aerobic until about the last six miles of the marathon, where a strong finishing kick in Z3-4 can win the race for you. Fast times for male pros are 8:15-8:45, female pros 9:00-9:45, male age groupers under 10 hours, and female age groupers under 10:30. (Depending, of course, on age, weather conditions, course difficulty, etc.)

There are six North American Ironman races: Arizona, Coeur d’Alene, Lake Placid, Canada, Wisconsin, and Florida. Ironman Canada, the oldest of these and the most popular, celebrates its 25th anniversary next year. Other Ironman races are in Australia (2), New Zealand, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, South Africa, and several in Europe.

There are several other variations of distance in the triathlon world. Most notable are the Escape from Alcatraz, which starts with a swim to San Francisco from a barge near Alcatraz prison; and the Ultraman, which is a three-day suffer-fest that circumnavigates the island of Hawaii. Coach Kev won the Ultraman in 1995.

Heart Rate Training

If you run or cycle more than twice a week, you owe it to yourself to use a heart rate monitor (HRM). A heart rate monitor can help to ensure that you don't work too hard, or take it too easy, in training sessions. (Most people train too hard.) To know your target heart rate, you'll need to know your maximum. If you're very overweight or a complete beginner, the very approximate formula of 214-(0.8 x age) for men and 209-(0.9 x age) for women will help you estimate your maximum.

Unfortunately for much of the population, this figure can be wrong by up to 24 beats per minute. It's much better to find your maximum through running. Do this by running a few hard hill repeats. Find a hill that takes about four minutes to run up. Warm up for at least twenty minutes, then run as fast as you can up the hill. Walk or gently jog back down the hill, and repeat twice. During your second or third repeat you should hit your maximum heart rate shortly after you crest the hill. Keep an eye on your HRM, and take the higher HR of the two.

Once you have determined your maximum HR, your training zones are as follows (complete with “Talk tests”):

Zone 1 (Recovery, 50 - 60% of maximum HR): The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warmup, or for active recovery. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats.

Talk test: Talking should be easy. Assuming, of course, you have someone to talk to. If not, you may get some strange looks.

Zone 2 (Fat Burning, 60 - 70% of maximum HR): Training within this zone develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity. This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories burned is still 85%.

Talk test: Talking should be slightly labored. This is social-run pace.

Zone 3 (Aerobic/Tempo, 70 - 80% of maximum HR): The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system and increase the size and strength of your heart. The body's ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved. This is the preferred zone for longer interval training, ie. 5-30 minutes. More calories are burned, with 50% from fat.

Talk test: Conversation should be quite labored, while frequently pausing to catch a breath. Slowing down begins to seem like a good idea.

Zone 4 (Anaerobic, 80 - 90% of maximum HR): Training in this zone will develop your lactic acid system. In this zone your individual anaerobic threshold (AeT) is found. During these heart rates the amount of fat being utilised as the main source of energy is greatly reduced and glycogen stored in the muscle is predominantly used. One of the by-products of burning this glycogen is the endurance athlete’s worst enemy, lactic acid. There is a point at which the body can no longer remove the lactic acid from the working muscles quickly enough. This happens at an different heart rate for different individuals, and is accompanied by a rapid rise in heart rate and a slowing of your running pace. This is known as your anaerobic threshold, or to some, “The Wall”.

Through the correct training it is possible to delay the AeT by being able to increase your ability to deal with the lactic acid for a longer period of time or by pushing the AeT higher. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, but only 15% from fat. It's appropriate for shorter interval sessions, ie. 2-5 minutes.

Talk test: Gasping and possibly drooling, keeping chit-chat to a minimum. If you can talk, you’re not in Zone 4.

Zone 5 (Maximum Effort, 90 - 100% of maximum HR): Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.

Talk test: Talking is out of the question, as your world becomes a red haze of pain.

As you can see from the above training zones, much of the benefit of endurance training can be derived in zones 1 and 2. Most people who get frustrated or fail at a training program, do so because they spend too much time in Zone 3. A common complaint is they are not losing weight (usually their primary goal), and are constantly tired. The reason: They are burning as much glycogen as fat. In addition, training at tempo too frequently, or for too long, really stresses the body. In a typical endurance training program, long efforts are done in zones 1-2, and shorter efforts consist of a few intervals in Z3-4, with recovery periods in Z1-2.

Garmin, Timex and Polar are popular brands of HRMs, and some incorporate GPS technology so you can monitor pace, speed and even altitude as well. I'll discuss these cool toys in a later post. Prices range from $80-$500, depending on the level of functionality. However, even casual athletes can benefit from using a HRM, by training within the appropriate target zones, and eliminating those "junk miles".

Crunch Time

“You have to train, to train for Ironman.”

(Tim deBoom, Ironman World Champion, 2001 and 2002)

That’s not a stutter, or a misprint. What Tim is saying, is that you have to have done enough training to handle the training that Ironman requires. Pro triathletes like Tim typically train about 30+ hours per week, while for us age-groupers a 20-hour week is big, considering our day jobs and all. Currently I’m in the hardest three weeks of the Ironman build cycle, which typically stretches from six weeks until three weeks from race day. I just finished an 18-hour training week, and here’s a look at this week’s schedule:

Monday: Rest day (easy, huh?)

Tuesday morning: Swim 1 hour (3000m), technique and intervals.
Tuesday evening: Run 70 mins., including three 15 min. tempo intervals.

Wednesday morning: Computrainer ride, 60 mins., including three 8 min. Z4 intervals.
Wednesday evening: Weights, 1 hour.

Thursday morning: Swim 1 hour (3000m), technique and intervals.
Thursday evening: Run 60 mins., including 20 min. at tempo.

Friday morning: Swim 4000m, including 3000m at Ironman goal pace.
Friday evening: Computrainer ride, 40km.

Saturday morning: Bike 160km, immediately followed by 30 min. transition run.

Sunday morning: Swim 1 hour (3000m), technique and drills.
Sunday morning: Run 2:20 at aerobic pace, but sub-8 min/mile.
Sunday evening: Weights, 1 hour (optional).

Next week is the hardest, featuring a 180km bike and 2:45 run on the weekend. Then it gets easier, as the taper phase begins. The purpose of the taper is to let your body absorb the high volume of training, while gradually reducing the workload, during the last three weeks until race day.

In a future post, I will talk about training intensity, why it’s important, and how to measure it. (Hint: Heart Rate.)

Redemption in Madison

September 2005, first place in the 45-49 age group, and 37th overall, at Ironman Wisconsin. The day featured 95 deg F heat, 85% humidity, and 25 mph winds. Ironman North America director Graham Fraser dubbed the race "Carnage-man": 250 athletes failed to make the bike cutoff, and 400 athletes did not finish, the highest rate of attrition in recent North American Ironman races. Sirens could be heard continuously throughout the late afternoon and evening.

With the win I qualified for Kona in October 2006, which was 13 months away, and decided to take care of some unfinished business in the meantime. More on that in a future post.

Humility Reinforced

The sport of triathlon has a way of slapping you down to earth right around the time you're thinking you've got it all figured out. This is yours truly at the start of the bike leg at the Prestige Half Ironman at Norbury Lake Provincial Park, B.C., July 2005. While mounting my bike, my foot slipped off the pedal and I crashed hard on my right hip. The embarassment hurt a lot more than the gravel abrasions. (Fortunately my loving wife was there to capture the special moment.) The brain cramps continued later, when I missed the right turn at Ft. Steele and nearly ended up in Cranbrook, adding 12km to my bike split. Nearly thirty races into my triathlon career, and I had turned into a complete dumbass. I wallowed in self-pity for a few minutes, then got back on course, and resolved to go hard and salvage something out of the race. Things took a serious turn for the better after that, including winning my age group in the last 500m that day...