As the team I coach begins to grow, it is important to surround my crew with other advisors they can learn from. Initially, when an opportunity for growth presents itself, one needs to be careful not to focus that growth directly on the interest of the business. Having spent over a year with Endurance Corner, the first thing I learned was always add value to the team; a direct result of that is a value to the business through retention. Focus on them.
I see coaches add ancillary services, and wonder if that makes sense for NWT, but always come back to that rule before committing to a new service. How does this help them get better, and how does it develop me as a coach?
The best way to add value to the team, is to bring on advisors where I am weak. Another tip from Gordo is don't be afraid of admitted weakness....this trait is actually a strength.
When it comes to swimming, it's my belief that fitness rules, and if you don't get in the pool and swim, no amount of technique instruction will help. With that said, as a coach, technique is part of the deal. Swim video analysis is often a big add on service for coaches, whether or not they know what to look for.
This was my next opportunity for growth, and I decided to bring on another advisor to help with the process, within the athlete's current cost.
My plan was to bring on TJ Fry from the get go, as I respect him highly and he knows his stuff; but more importantly he helped me with my swim, and he was genuine about the process of helping others. I had success working with him, and knew if he agreed to help he would be a huge value to the team.
NWT is very excited to have TJ part of the crew, where he will interact with the coached athletes and help them develop their swim, and also be available for general triathlon discussion. This interaction will occur through NWTs user forum, video analysis, and swim discussion.
TJ and NWT is a partnership where everyone wins.
When seeking growth, put the team first and allow value to stimulate that growth.
Train hard.
About TJ Fry
TJ Fry began swimming competitively at the age of 6. He was a 12+ time high school All-American and went on to be a scholarship athlete at Clemson University where he was team captain and two time MVP.
In triathlons, he competed in his first triathlon at the age of 12. At 14, he was first overall at the Ironkids National Championship. The following year earned a spot on the junior national team to represent the United States as the youngest ever in the first ever Triathlon World Championships, and repeated the achievement the following year. Upon completing collegiate swimming career and obtaining a degree in Biological Sciences, he returned to triathlon as a professional.
As a pro, TJ used his swimming strength to lead out of the water, breaking some course records along the way (Wildflower, Buffalo Springs, etc). He was able to rack up victories and solid results all over the world, competing in a range of formats from ITU World Cup to sprint distance to the Hawaiian Ironman.
Injury ultimately sidelined his career prematurely, but TJ continued in both swimming and triathlon as a coach. In swimming, he coached a number of top-16 swimmers and All-Americans. In triathlon TJ coached professional and amateurs alike. He qualified athletes to Ironman World Championships as well as first timers crossing the finish line of their first race.
TJ currently races on a more recreational nature now, does limited one-on-one coaching, puts on a number of clinics and offers up any advice he can to help out. He’s also a 6 time Ironman finisher (3X Kona)
TJ is the owner of Swim Shops of the Southwest (swimshops.com), is married with two children, and resides in The Woodlands, Texas.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
NWT Coaching
At first, I was fearful of getting into coaching. Then I realized that fear was based on the criticism that is eventually going to come. I had the chance to read some excerpts from the work of a mentor, and this passage caught my eye, "put yourself out there, and let the market determine if your experiences and knowledge have value."
Wow! Great advice, and once again I see why it makes sense to surround myself with people like him.
The criticism comes with whatever we do. Don't let the fear of this fact cloud your vision of what really matters: being happy while helping those who ask. If the market responds, and you are happy in real time--go with it!
I've had the chance to speak with a few folks about where I plan on taking coaching, both from a short term and long term view. First, thank you to those that have reached out and to those who have helped take some ideas to the next level.
NWT Coaching, or NorthWest Triathlon Coaching, is a small group of like-minded athletes looking to improve at the HIM and full IM distance. Quite often when I say NorthWest, people have mentioned that NorthEast may have been a better name, geographically speaking. I can agree with the initial reaction, so let me explain....
I'm a finance guy, and in the finance world, you can plot your performance along what is known as the Efficient Frontier. I'm not going to bore you with the details of that, but basically if you plot the performance of a portfolio into a graph of four quadrants, with the y-axis being performance and the x-axis being risk, you can determine where you lie on this frontier. The further up and to the left you are, the better.
The ideal area to be in is the northwest quadrant, where you take the least amount of risk and get the most return.
I feel that one of the most important aspects of my job as a coach is to tailor a training plan that includes the appropriate level of intensity and volume (risk) to get you the most performance on race day (return). I believe that the average age group triathlete is living in the southeast quadrant--taking too much risk, and thus, consistency suffers and performance diminishes.
At NWT, the mission is to shift the focus of the athlete; to introduce them to true pace and beneficial amounts of intensity and volume, and allow performance to increase. A website is currently being developed where a user forum will be used for team interaction, in addition to regular direct contact. Look for that soon at http://www.nwtcoaching.com/
Over time, other people within the local community who appreciate our vision of team learning will be added to the group. They may not be part of the coaching team, but they can help our athletes improve. The main ideal you will discover within our group is quite simple: Everyone is concerned with making each other better, as much or more than they are themselves. As a result, that is what we become.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
First Consistency, Then Specificity
Eventually we learn the #1 limiter facing improved performance is consistency. I talk to lots of folks about performance within the AG ranks, and I'm amazed at the amount of people who feel genetics is the main limiting factor. Few realize you have to train nearly every day for years before your genetics begin to hold you back.
There is no "off-season." Sure, take a few weeks and re-charge, but if you want to get good (and most do!) training is a year round affair. We train to race, and we race to beat someone; that may be yourself or a rival, but make no mistake that the main reason you are training is to get better and win.
Once consistency is established, (and consistency is 1-2 hours a day, EVERY day of s/b/r), the only thing that matters is specificity to your goal event.
This past weekend I raced (participated?) in a cyclocross event. Locally, folks will accuse me of having a leg up genetic wise, which makes me smile since I know my background. Anyway, to make a long story short, I got my ass kicked. This is OK, as it showed some weaknesses. The other thing this highlights is while consistency is extremely important, without specificity to your goal event, you will get beat badly.
If you are one my athletes, you learn this really quick. Couple of my guys are training for an IM, and when I said no to a marathon in the same 12 months as their IM, I received some blank stares. Simply put, (after the recovery cost) the training for a marathon is not specific enough to an IM, and there is little bleed over. A marathon trains you to run 26.2 miles fast. If you've ever run an IM marathon, fast is not how one would describe it.
"But we do this for fun!" This is a common response when I say no marathon.
Well, you certainly do not need a coach to have fun, and if fun is your goal I suggest you consider not hiring me. Fun is a real time thing; you are either having fun or you are not. You do not train to have fun. You train to win, to beat others or yourself. So, while having fun is a very good goal and one I respect; I do not think you need to pay money to a coach to have fun.
The process of training and competing can be an enjoyable one; in fact I hope it is or you will not get very far. However, if you are going to go through a process and hire someone to guide you through it, I hope fun is not the primary goal.
Back to specificity.
If you want to be the best basket weaver you can be, you weave baskets.
To be your best, this is all that matters--establish consistency and then the closer your A event gets, the more specific your training becomes for that event.
It is very difficult to train for more than 1-2 A races per year when they are the same event, but it can be done! Imagine trying to train for multiple events within one year...! Not gonna happen (to your best ability)unless you have a genetic edge and/or YEARS of endurance training.
In order to stay sane and have fun (I do allow you to have some fun), insert some races that do not require specific training to finish without killing yourself (CX, 5ks/10ks/Master swim events). However throughout the year, what you do during the week should be based on consistent training and specificity to your goal event. So, you have to be OK with being OK at these fun events, as you will not be specifically trained for them.
Remember, there is nothing wrong with running a marathon and an IM in the same year if fun is the goal. It only becomes a problem when you are dissapointed with the result of your IM and continue to train for 2 events every year; thinking it is the solution to being faster at IM.
Consistency, then specificity.
There is no "off-season." Sure, take a few weeks and re-charge, but if you want to get good (and most do!) training is a year round affair. We train to race, and we race to beat someone; that may be yourself or a rival, but make no mistake that the main reason you are training is to get better and win.
Once consistency is established, (and consistency is 1-2 hours a day, EVERY day of s/b/r), the only thing that matters is specificity to your goal event.
This past weekend I raced (participated?) in a cyclocross event. Locally, folks will accuse me of having a leg up genetic wise, which makes me smile since I know my background. Anyway, to make a long story short, I got my ass kicked. This is OK, as it showed some weaknesses. The other thing this highlights is while consistency is extremely important, without specificity to your goal event, you will get beat badly.
If you are one my athletes, you learn this really quick. Couple of my guys are training for an IM, and when I said no to a marathon in the same 12 months as their IM, I received some blank stares. Simply put, (after the recovery cost) the training for a marathon is not specific enough to an IM, and there is little bleed over. A marathon trains you to run 26.2 miles fast. If you've ever run an IM marathon, fast is not how one would describe it.
"But we do this for fun!" This is a common response when I say no marathon.
Well, you certainly do not need a coach to have fun, and if fun is your goal I suggest you consider not hiring me. Fun is a real time thing; you are either having fun or you are not. You do not train to have fun. You train to win, to beat others or yourself. So, while having fun is a very good goal and one I respect; I do not think you need to pay money to a coach to have fun.
The process of training and competing can be an enjoyable one; in fact I hope it is or you will not get very far. However, if you are going to go through a process and hire someone to guide you through it, I hope fun is not the primary goal.
Back to specificity.
If you want to be the best basket weaver you can be, you weave baskets.
To be your best, this is all that matters--establish consistency and then the closer your A event gets, the more specific your training becomes for that event.
It is very difficult to train for more than 1-2 A races per year when they are the same event, but it can be done! Imagine trying to train for multiple events within one year...! Not gonna happen (to your best ability)unless you have a genetic edge and/or YEARS of endurance training.
In order to stay sane and have fun (I do allow you to have some fun), insert some races that do not require specific training to finish without killing yourself (CX, 5ks/10ks/Master swim events). However throughout the year, what you do during the week should be based on consistent training and specificity to your goal event. So, you have to be OK with being OK at these fun events, as you will not be specifically trained for them.
Remember, there is nothing wrong with running a marathon and an IM in the same year if fun is the goal. It only becomes a problem when you are dissapointed with the result of your IM and continue to train for 2 events every year; thinking it is the solution to being faster at IM.
Consistency, then specificity.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Syracuse RR
Finally posting this report on my blog; had it done a few weeks ago...thanks for reading!
From start to finish, this was probably one of my better races at this distance. This course was pretty legit this year, tough bike with a tough run….
I was in the 9th wave so had a bit of waiting, warmed up in my wet suit and hit the line ready to go. I started out mod-hard, and got on the perfect set of feet; didn't have to sight much at all. I made sure to not lose my guy as we went through the other waves, and came out sub 30 which had me pretty excited. MMs 4500 yard swim sets paid off, and more importantly I felt pretty fresh.
I knew I was in good position but was mainly unaware where I was in the AG Race. Turns out I was 5th in my AG out of the water and left T1 in 1st place...I felt I could pick up 1-2 minutes on the competition by not dressing up for the cold and was right. I put my arm warmers on at the first climb which allowed me to get in and out of the actual transition zone in seconds. There was quite a long run into T1 of an easy 1/4 mile.
I settled into a moderate effort, knowing a 10 mile steady climb of 3-6% was coming. When I hit that section, I really let lose and 300 watts felt good so I maintained that effort until the top. Once that part of the course was done, I settled into a more realistic half effort of 250-260 watts, getting as many zeros as I could when speed was high. When things got really slow, I made sure to attack and not worry about wattage caps too much--my HR was recovering very nice after hard efforts so I wasn’t too concerned.
At mile 35 or so I was passed for the first time and thought his calf said 25-29 and tried to hang with him. That brought me to 280 watts + even with a bit of benefit 4 bikes back so I made the decision to just back off and ride my race. Turns out he was in my AG and took the lead at that point; no matter-- he was simply faster than me.
256 Avg/268 NP/157 bpm
Coming into T2 I thought I was in the lead, and when I didn't see any bikes in the 35-39 racks I felt that was the case. I'm going to be honest here; I assumed I'd get run down, have 2-3 in my group pass me and I'd get 3-5 in my AG. I'd podium, goal would be met.
Looking back, that is some pretty negative thinking at mile 1. Running is not my strength, and that is just how my races go....
I completed the first loop and no one passed, and I'm still thinking it is inevitable until someone runs by. Right around mile 8-9, it happens and a guy in my AG rolls up. Just try and run with him I think...maybe he'll slow down. I duck in behind him and keep pace.
This is where I begin to concede a bit..."at least I biked well..."..."this is still a good pace for me...." "I really need to work on my run in the offseason...."
Then out of nowhere MM pops in my head, "Dude, this ain't a F-in running race, it's a triathlon...RIP off his legs...."
With that thought I just take off at pace that is way too fast and PRAY the dude doesn't come. After 1/4 mile I'm too scared to check...at 1/2 mile we make a right hand turn and I take a peak. He's gone.
Holy shit....I dropped someone on the run who was about to pass.
Now I'm pumped up and I'm running as hard as I can.
At mile 11-12 my good buddy comes up who is simply faster than me, and says, "Just stay on my feet..."
I give it my all and go...dry heaves, grunts, moans, the whole 9 yards. I think I scared a few people out there...:)
I hit the line in 2nd place, 9th OA AGer (yeah, small field....but I’m still pumped!).....
7:15/mile 162 bpm
I think this shows how mental this sport can be....you can't leave T1 thinking you are going to get run down! You gotta give 100%! You can't limit yourself!
I took my spot to Vegas, which should be interesting considering I’m doing Louisville 2 weeks prior. I told MM let’s have some fun!
She said, “You’ll be ready…..”
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Cazenovia Hill Bender
Yesterday I took part in my first ever bike race, the Cazenovia Hill Bender. It was a blast!
I was really excited as it was something new, but wasn't sure how I would do as you have to know how to ride a bike to do well in a bike race. In a triathlon, you can play the power meter game, stick to your race and all is well. However, in a bike race, in takes grits and smarts to pull it off, or as MM says, "you will get spat."
Coming into the day I was the leader in the Du Tri Hills race series. So, my main goal was to make sure the guy in 2nd and 3rd place didn't breakaway; and if they did I would simply hang on. Beyond that, I would just stick with the lead pack as long as I could.
It was cold and rainy all day, and the route was HILLY. Things started really easy, but within the first few minutes the pace picked up. By about mile 7-8, a few packs formed and by mile 10-11 there were 6 of us off the group with a pretty good gap.
This was the first time I looked at the power meter, and saw an average of 310 watts and was a bit concerned, no way I can hold that for nearly 2 hours. However, it's a bike race, not a triathlon so I wasn't going to allow some device manage my race. Just stick to the pack and my power is my power. If I could hang on I would, if I couldn't, I'd learn about my limits.
The hills kept coming, but I was able to keep up with the lead group no problem. As the race went on, I realized this was going to be the effort to the finish line, that would probably finish with a sprint; a gear I simply do not have.
The race finished up Route 13 in Caz, a steady climb with some great views. Sure enough, about .5 miles from the finish a couple guys went off the front and I just didn't have the gear and crossed the line in 6th OA about 30 seconds back from first. That's actually quite a bit of time in my mind since I was with the group all day, but out of 60+ riders and my first bike race, I'll take it. Something to work on!
I secured the Du Tri Hills Championship, and a nice little cash bonus that came with it. Also, I won the Speedy Gonzalez award for the first rider to cross a pre determined line in the race.
I ended up averaging 315 watts/323 NP for the 39 mile race, which was just over 1:52.
So, a pretty solid effort, and something you would never discover on a tri bike by yourself....even if you taped up the display.
An effort like that is only going to happen in a group during a race.
I'm very happy with the result, as it showed some grit and I proved to myself the ability to ride smart in a group.
Definitely see more bike racing in my future.
I was really excited as it was something new, but wasn't sure how I would do as you have to know how to ride a bike to do well in a bike race. In a triathlon, you can play the power meter game, stick to your race and all is well. However, in a bike race, in takes grits and smarts to pull it off, or as MM says, "you will get spat."
Coming into the day I was the leader in the Du Tri Hills race series. So, my main goal was to make sure the guy in 2nd and 3rd place didn't breakaway; and if they did I would simply hang on. Beyond that, I would just stick with the lead pack as long as I could.
It was cold and rainy all day, and the route was HILLY. Things started really easy, but within the first few minutes the pace picked up. By about mile 7-8, a few packs formed and by mile 10-11 there were 6 of us off the group with a pretty good gap.
This was the first time I looked at the power meter, and saw an average of 310 watts and was a bit concerned, no way I can hold that for nearly 2 hours. However, it's a bike race, not a triathlon so I wasn't going to allow some device manage my race. Just stick to the pack and my power is my power. If I could hang on I would, if I couldn't, I'd learn about my limits.
The hills kept coming, but I was able to keep up with the lead group no problem. As the race went on, I realized this was going to be the effort to the finish line, that would probably finish with a sprint; a gear I simply do not have.
The race finished up Route 13 in Caz, a steady climb with some great views. Sure enough, about .5 miles from the finish a couple guys went off the front and I just didn't have the gear and crossed the line in 6th OA about 30 seconds back from first. That's actually quite a bit of time in my mind since I was with the group all day, but out of 60+ riders and my first bike race, I'll take it. Something to work on!
I secured the Du Tri Hills Championship, and a nice little cash bonus that came with it. Also, I won the Speedy Gonzalez award for the first rider to cross a pre determined line in the race.
I ended up averaging 315 watts/323 NP for the 39 mile race, which was just over 1:52.
So, a pretty solid effort, and something you would never discover on a tri bike by yourself....even if you taped up the display.
An effort like that is only going to happen in a group during a race.
I'm very happy with the result, as it showed some grit and I proved to myself the ability to ride smart in a group.
Definitely see more bike racing in my future.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Syracuse 2011
Jen delivers her thoughts on her race in 2011. The course changed dramatically this year with a much tougher run, and she was able to knock off 36 minutes from her previous year's time. Check the previous post here to see last year's race report.
Syracuse Now
What a difference a year makes! I did no running from mid-September through January. I tried a ton of different approaches to fixing my knees, and followed Michael Corona’s amazing plan to get back into running, which is also another topic for another day.
I started master’s swim in November and started spinning regularly in December. We started up with consistent S/B/R in January. The key here was consistency. This was the first year that I actually hit my workouts on a consistent basis, which I think has made all the difference in my having a successful year.
In addition to increased fitness over last year, I actually approached this year’s 70.3 with a plan. After completing the Musselman in July, my coach and I dissected my race file and came up with target HRs for both the bike and the run. We decided that since I felt great during the whole race at Mussel, that I should be able to increase my target HRs for Syracuse.
The swim went great! I started out in the middle, a couple rows back, slightly right. When the gun went off, I dove in between the two girls in front of me and took off. Instead of panicking in the chaos, I tried to relax and let the pack pull me out as I thought about my friend MM telling me to “embrace the sport”. It didn’t take long to warm up and get into a groove. At the second buoy, I got clobbered from the right and my goggles were pulled off a bit as I swallowed a little water. I stopped and drained my goggles, didn’t allow the coughing to get out of control, then hammered until I passed the girl who got me. I continued on buoy by buoy. I almost turned at the second red buoy after the turn, but a life guard yelled at me to keep going straight. Even though it was impossible to see the next buoy in the sun, this was the first race in a while that I actually stayed on course. So I kept on pushing until I got to the third buoy from the end. Then I noticed that I was mixed in with a rainbow of cap colors. I thought, “Sweet! I’m passing people! Shit! I’m getting passed!” Then I noticed blue caps next to me. “That’s MC’s wave, I have to motor!” I thought I could just grab onto the feet of these two guys. As I was swimming to the right trying to catch them, some dude slammed into me. Ouch! Then I saw black goggles and a Blue Seventy wetsuit. The next time this dude turned to breathe, I screamed, “Corona!!” My own husband was beating me up on the swim! Damn! Must. Go. Faster! I sprinted through the last three buoys trying to channel my inner Jonas C., as I worked to spin my arms like a windmill. As soon as I got out, I ripped my sleeves off and looked for the strippers. I lay right on my back and let them do their thing – outa there in about 7 seconds! On the run to T1, I stopped to high-five my boys, then saw the clock and realized I was under 40 minutes. Sweet!
Just like last year, I took the time to put on a long sleeve jersey. This time I added a beanie under the helmet, and topped off the look with blue gardening gloves. Lookin’ good! As I was running out to the bike, I got a “Go Jen!!” from Turbo’s dad. Great burst of energy! Just like I planned, I took it pretty easy out Apulia Rd. I tried to calm my breathing and drank some Gatorade, getting ready to start climbing. Half way up the first climb, I saw a “Team Corona” sign -another energy boost. Thank you, Aunt Linda & Uncle Mark! Now to get to work. During the first 10 miles, I didn’t worry too much about HR, it was pretty close to my target of 150-155 on its own. I ate my first piece of cliff bar at 12min, then wished I’d cut them in 1/8ths instead of 1/4s. I felt good and just pushed along, waiting for the first descent. Finally it came! My friend Paul had passed me just before the top of the last climb, so I decided I couldn’t let that go. At the start of the descent I peddled my ass off to catch him and shouted “Woooo! Hooooooooo!” and flew past! We proceeded to play leap frog all the way down the hill until we hit flat road, then he took off. Fun while it lasted! I came up to the first aid station, and I quickly tried to finish my first bottle so I could ditch it and grab another. I missed the first bottle and it crashed on the ground, but I managed to grab the second one.
From that point on, I tried to push hard and keep my HR at 150, but it seemed to be around 145-148 instead. Though I was working hard, I couldn’t seem to get it up. According to plan, I ate my cliff bar pieces every 20-30 minutes and ate my banana at mile 30. Next time, I’ll definitely cut the banana in half. I saw the mile 35 marker and was ready to hammer, but I waited until after the right turn, and took a swig from my gel flask. Then I ignored HR and just tried to go as fast as possible. It was really fun to be able to pass tons of bikers! I felt a little bad that many were struggling, but was thrilled that I felt great! I saw the yellow Team Corona shirts as I entered the park and that gave me the last burst I needed to finish strong. I even passed a few bikers in the shoot on the way to the dismount line, then slammed on the brakes and almost flipped over the handle bars. Whoa!
I ran into T2, ripped off my helmet, beanie, and shades and sat down to switch shoes. As soon as I sat, I began peeing. Seriously?? Major déjà vu! What is it with me & T2? Maybe I should call it P2??
Anyway, I threw on my visor, jumped up, and grabbed my watch. While trying to fasten the strap, I remembered that I was planning to wear the watch band from the start but forgot. Maybe next time! On the way out to the run I got a “Go Jen!” from Grandma Bea (Turbo’s mom). Just what I needed! Mentally I was ready to rip on the run, but unfortunately my knees had another idea. They ached from the start. I was so annoyed and bummed out since I did Double Mussel in July & had no knee pain on either day, but this was the third race in a row where they hurt. (I have to figure out what I did differently.)
As I ran out Apulia Rd, I wrestled with my cliff blocks for a few minutes and finally ate two of them. Then I settled into my planned 9:30 pace and looked forward to the first aid station. As I came up to the first turn at Coye Rd, I saw MC coming my way from the end of his first loop. We sort of stumbled over each other and I got a “hey!” while he got a pat on the butt. I walked the aid station as planned and grabbed water and a coke. I proceeded to eat a shot block between aid stations and took water and coke at the stations. I ran both hills on the first loop, and continued to walk just the aid stations. It was really nice to see some friends out cheering on the course – Jake & Amy, Kristin & Andy, and Sam shouting at me and taking pics. Thanks guys!! Also, I got to run with a couple of friends for a bit – Tracy, Jamie C. and John T. On the second loop, I found out they had pretzels at the aid station. I was so happy! I took a full cup and dumped them into the back pocket of my jersey, and munched on them for the rest of the run. I actually just found the rest of them as I was doing laundry today! Later on the second loop, I remembered my coach telling me that if my run pace was slower than my walk pace on a hill, I should just walk it. So I pumped my fists hard and dug in, and powered up that hill! I started running again as soon as I hit the top as Sam S. yelled, “That’s more like it, Corona!” At that point, my knees were killing me! A Phase 2 pain as I call it. My right ankle and inner thigh were killing too because I was favoring my knee so bad. There were a couple of descents on Rt 173 where I had to stop running to hobble down. Then I finally turned back onto Apulia Rd. From there on in, I just kept making deals with myself to put one foot in front of the other. Again. And again. And again. My 9:30 goal pace was out the window, and I was working hard to hold an 11:30. My stomach was starting to feel a little queasy so I thought I was done with nutrition. Then as I was passing the last aid station, I remembered my coach saying that no matter how bad you feel, just keep taking in calories. So I grabbed a coke and actually felt a lot better after drinking it. I picked up the pace ever so slightly, and thought (as I always do at the end of a race) this is it. There is no way I can speed up any more. This is my sprint. I got to the out-n-back and was thrilled to see it was not nearly as long as last year. Bonus! I hobbled around the cone bouncing on one foot and almost fell over. By the time I reached the last little incline into the finish shoot, I was full-on limping and a volunteer said, “Oh honey! You’re done. It’s right over there.” I came into the shoot and immediately saw my boys & MC & the fam waiting for me. I stopped to hive-five everyone, then went back to running as a woman was passing me. And I thought, “No Way! She is not passing me as I’m high-fiving my boys!” So I sprinted just enough to beat her to the timing mat. I was pleasantly surprised that my “Sweetie Pie” Sam C, our 72 yr old tri club friend, was at the finish line. I got a big hug and then hobbled into the medical tent to get some ice.
So that was it. Everything went pretty much according to plan. I controlled every part of my day that I could, and I adjusted to (survived) all that I couldn’t. 6:00:47. ~36 minutes faster than last year. Could I have found another 47 seconds? Absolutely! Have you ever tried putting on a long-sleeve cycling jersey when you’re soaking wet? How many seconds does it take to high-five three little boys? 47 seconds for sure! But, I wouldn’t change a thing!
Syracuse Now
What a difference a year makes! I did no running from mid-September through January. I tried a ton of different approaches to fixing my knees, and followed Michael Corona’s amazing plan to get back into running, which is also another topic for another day.
I started master’s swim in November and started spinning regularly in December. We started up with consistent S/B/R in January. The key here was consistency. This was the first year that I actually hit my workouts on a consistent basis, which I think has made all the difference in my having a successful year.
In addition to increased fitness over last year, I actually approached this year’s 70.3 with a plan. After completing the Musselman in July, my coach and I dissected my race file and came up with target HRs for both the bike and the run. We decided that since I felt great during the whole race at Mussel, that I should be able to increase my target HRs for Syracuse.
The swim went great! I started out in the middle, a couple rows back, slightly right. When the gun went off, I dove in between the two girls in front of me and took off. Instead of panicking in the chaos, I tried to relax and let the pack pull me out as I thought about my friend MM telling me to “embrace the sport”. It didn’t take long to warm up and get into a groove. At the second buoy, I got clobbered from the right and my goggles were pulled off a bit as I swallowed a little water. I stopped and drained my goggles, didn’t allow the coughing to get out of control, then hammered until I passed the girl who got me. I continued on buoy by buoy. I almost turned at the second red buoy after the turn, but a life guard yelled at me to keep going straight. Even though it was impossible to see the next buoy in the sun, this was the first race in a while that I actually stayed on course. So I kept on pushing until I got to the third buoy from the end. Then I noticed that I was mixed in with a rainbow of cap colors. I thought, “Sweet! I’m passing people! Shit! I’m getting passed!” Then I noticed blue caps next to me. “That’s MC’s wave, I have to motor!” I thought I could just grab onto the feet of these two guys. As I was swimming to the right trying to catch them, some dude slammed into me. Ouch! Then I saw black goggles and a Blue Seventy wetsuit. The next time this dude turned to breathe, I screamed, “Corona!!” My own husband was beating me up on the swim! Damn! Must. Go. Faster! I sprinted through the last three buoys trying to channel my inner Jonas C., as I worked to spin my arms like a windmill. As soon as I got out, I ripped my sleeves off and looked for the strippers. I lay right on my back and let them do their thing – outa there in about 7 seconds! On the run to T1, I stopped to high-five my boys, then saw the clock and realized I was under 40 minutes. Sweet!
Just like last year, I took the time to put on a long sleeve jersey. This time I added a beanie under the helmet, and topped off the look with blue gardening gloves. Lookin’ good! As I was running out to the bike, I got a “Go Jen!!” from Turbo’s dad. Great burst of energy! Just like I planned, I took it pretty easy out Apulia Rd. I tried to calm my breathing and drank some Gatorade, getting ready to start climbing. Half way up the first climb, I saw a “Team Corona” sign -another energy boost. Thank you, Aunt Linda & Uncle Mark! Now to get to work. During the first 10 miles, I didn’t worry too much about HR, it was pretty close to my target of 150-155 on its own. I ate my first piece of cliff bar at 12min, then wished I’d cut them in 1/8ths instead of 1/4s. I felt good and just pushed along, waiting for the first descent. Finally it came! My friend Paul had passed me just before the top of the last climb, so I decided I couldn’t let that go. At the start of the descent I peddled my ass off to catch him and shouted “Woooo! Hooooooooo!” and flew past! We proceeded to play leap frog all the way down the hill until we hit flat road, then he took off. Fun while it lasted! I came up to the first aid station, and I quickly tried to finish my first bottle so I could ditch it and grab another. I missed the first bottle and it crashed on the ground, but I managed to grab the second one.
From that point on, I tried to push hard and keep my HR at 150, but it seemed to be around 145-148 instead. Though I was working hard, I couldn’t seem to get it up. According to plan, I ate my cliff bar pieces every 20-30 minutes and ate my banana at mile 30. Next time, I’ll definitely cut the banana in half. I saw the mile 35 marker and was ready to hammer, but I waited until after the right turn, and took a swig from my gel flask. Then I ignored HR and just tried to go as fast as possible. It was really fun to be able to pass tons of bikers! I felt a little bad that many were struggling, but was thrilled that I felt great! I saw the yellow Team Corona shirts as I entered the park and that gave me the last burst I needed to finish strong. I even passed a few bikers in the shoot on the way to the dismount line, then slammed on the brakes and almost flipped over the handle bars. Whoa!
I ran into T2, ripped off my helmet, beanie, and shades and sat down to switch shoes. As soon as I sat, I began peeing. Seriously?? Major déjà vu! What is it with me & T2? Maybe I should call it P2??
Anyway, I threw on my visor, jumped up, and grabbed my watch. While trying to fasten the strap, I remembered that I was planning to wear the watch band from the start but forgot. Maybe next time! On the way out to the run I got a “Go Jen!” from Grandma Bea (Turbo’s mom). Just what I needed! Mentally I was ready to rip on the run, but unfortunately my knees had another idea. They ached from the start. I was so annoyed and bummed out since I did Double Mussel in July & had no knee pain on either day, but this was the third race in a row where they hurt. (I have to figure out what I did differently.)
As I ran out Apulia Rd, I wrestled with my cliff blocks for a few minutes and finally ate two of them. Then I settled into my planned 9:30 pace and looked forward to the first aid station. As I came up to the first turn at Coye Rd, I saw MC coming my way from the end of his first loop. We sort of stumbled over each other and I got a “hey!” while he got a pat on the butt. I walked the aid station as planned and grabbed water and a coke. I proceeded to eat a shot block between aid stations and took water and coke at the stations. I ran both hills on the first loop, and continued to walk just the aid stations. It was really nice to see some friends out cheering on the course – Jake & Amy, Kristin & Andy, and Sam shouting at me and taking pics. Thanks guys!! Also, I got to run with a couple of friends for a bit – Tracy, Jamie C. and John T. On the second loop, I found out they had pretzels at the aid station. I was so happy! I took a full cup and dumped them into the back pocket of my jersey, and munched on them for the rest of the run. I actually just found the rest of them as I was doing laundry today! Later on the second loop, I remembered my coach telling me that if my run pace was slower than my walk pace on a hill, I should just walk it. So I pumped my fists hard and dug in, and powered up that hill! I started running again as soon as I hit the top as Sam S. yelled, “That’s more like it, Corona!” At that point, my knees were killing me! A Phase 2 pain as I call it. My right ankle and inner thigh were killing too because I was favoring my knee so bad. There were a couple of descents on Rt 173 where I had to stop running to hobble down. Then I finally turned back onto Apulia Rd. From there on in, I just kept making deals with myself to put one foot in front of the other. Again. And again. And again. My 9:30 goal pace was out the window, and I was working hard to hold an 11:30. My stomach was starting to feel a little queasy so I thought I was done with nutrition. Then as I was passing the last aid station, I remembered my coach saying that no matter how bad you feel, just keep taking in calories. So I grabbed a coke and actually felt a lot better after drinking it. I picked up the pace ever so slightly, and thought (as I always do at the end of a race) this is it. There is no way I can speed up any more. This is my sprint. I got to the out-n-back and was thrilled to see it was not nearly as long as last year. Bonus! I hobbled around the cone bouncing on one foot and almost fell over. By the time I reached the last little incline into the finish shoot, I was full-on limping and a volunteer said, “Oh honey! You’re done. It’s right over there.” I came into the shoot and immediately saw my boys & MC & the fam waiting for me. I stopped to hive-five everyone, then went back to running as a woman was passing me. And I thought, “No Way! She is not passing me as I’m high-fiving my boys!” So I sprinted just enough to beat her to the timing mat. I was pleasantly surprised that my “Sweetie Pie” Sam C, our 72 yr old tri club friend, was at the finish line. I got a big hug and then hobbled into the medical tent to get some ice.
So that was it. Everything went pretty much according to plan. I controlled every part of my day that I could, and I adjusted to (survived) all that I couldn’t. 6:00:47. ~36 minutes faster than last year. Could I have found another 47 seconds? Absolutely! Have you ever tried putting on a long-sleeve cycling jersey when you’re soaking wet? How many seconds does it take to high-five three little boys? 47 seconds for sure! But, I wouldn’t change a thing!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Guest Blogger--Syracuse 70.3--looking back
I asked my wife Jen to talk about her experience at Syracuse 70.3 in 2010 versus 2011. Below is her recap of the race in 2010 and tomorrow we will be sharing her thoughts from the race this past weekend. Enjoy!
Syracuse Then-2010
Like many others in this neck of the woods, I signed up for the 2010 Syracuse 70.3 pretty much because it was right here on my home turf, not because I actually thought I was ready to tackle that distance. So last year, it was all about survival. I don’t remember having any sort of plan . . . except for nutrition on the bike: I planned to eat half a power bar at 30 minutes, another half at 1 hr, then gel shots every 30 minutes and to drink one bottle of Gatorade every hour.
The swim went ok. However, my sighting consisted of doing a few strokes of breaststroke, or stopping to tread water & locate the next buoy. Because I am a mom first, while I was swimming, I was not focused on my stroke or race plan. Instead, I remembered that I never told my mom that my 6 yr old was being picked up at 9am to go to Church school. I was literally doing the math in my head to figure out if I was going to make it out of the water in time to call home!
Luckily, I had met a volunteer in the bathroom before the race, who told me her job was a stripper … of wetsuits. I had no idea they would have those, and I think MC even told me he ran past them, so it was a bonus to be privy to some inside info. Also, I stopped along the run into T1 when I saw Turbo Curbeau’s dad and asked if he had his phone. He didn’t, but a random spectator offered hers. So as the T1 clock was ticking, I stood there giving my mom’s # and the message that someone was coming to get Ash.
Finally at T1, I took the time to put on a long sleeve jersey, which is not so easy when you’re soaking wet! The bike was rough! I remember not be able to catch my breath from the swim as I was going out Apulia Rd. I just kept peddling. I don’t remember pushing hard or trying to go faster, or aiming for a heart rate, just biking for about forever and wanting to be done. Also, stopping to pee in a corn field was not my best decision ... after getting back on my bike, I couldn’t clip in b/c there was so much mud stuck in my cleats (did I mention it was raining up until the race start?)
So happy to be off the bike and finally make it to T2, I sat down to change my shoes and for some reason starting peeing my pants as well, so I decided to just go with the flow until I was done.
On to the run . . . the original plan was simply to walk to the aid stations. Sadly, the minute I started the run I realized how overly optimistic that was. I had been battling tendonitis in my knees for about 6 weeks or so at the point. At the start of the run, there was an out-n-back that was about a ½ mile and I had to start walking before I even finished that. So my plan quickly morphed into: run til it hurts, then walk til you can run again. This plan of attack became stale real quick. There was nothing fun about that run! Oh wait, I guess there was: when I passed a YMCA aid station along Erie Blvd, I got tons of high fives and hugs from familiar faces. Then as I was about a ¼ mile away I saw on the ground in giant chalk letters, “JEN CORONA ROCKS!” and in little baby letters, “and mike too!” That was awesome!! I’ve never had my name chalked in a race before, and it definitely gave me a burst of energy! If you get the chance to chalk the street for a friend that is racing, do it!!!
What did I learn from 2010??
First and foremost, you need to respect the distance! Signing up for a 70.3 on a whim can be extremely painful! It was definitely cool to have finished a half iron, but it was also very frustrating when comparing my time to others who I have raced along side many times. Basically, my time sucked! And the thought of people I know looking up my results sucked even more!
I realized that I needed to address my chronic issue of patella tendonitis if I wanted to continue to enjoy this sport. That is a whole other topic for another day.
The positive energy from volunteers, spectators, and fellow competitors is vital to your race success. I realized that I need to try to volunteer more often to pay it forward.
Most importantly, I realized that I needed a real plan and real training. I was not at all satisfied with just completing the race. I was ready to become a “real” triathlete and learn what it takes to improve and become competitive.
Syracuse Then-2010
Like many others in this neck of the woods, I signed up for the 2010 Syracuse 70.3 pretty much because it was right here on my home turf, not because I actually thought I was ready to tackle that distance. So last year, it was all about survival. I don’t remember having any sort of plan . . . except for nutrition on the bike: I planned to eat half a power bar at 30 minutes, another half at 1 hr, then gel shots every 30 minutes and to drink one bottle of Gatorade every hour.
The swim went ok. However, my sighting consisted of doing a few strokes of breaststroke, or stopping to tread water & locate the next buoy. Because I am a mom first, while I was swimming, I was not focused on my stroke or race plan. Instead, I remembered that I never told my mom that my 6 yr old was being picked up at 9am to go to Church school. I was literally doing the math in my head to figure out if I was going to make it out of the water in time to call home!
Luckily, I had met a volunteer in the bathroom before the race, who told me her job was a stripper … of wetsuits. I had no idea they would have those, and I think MC even told me he ran past them, so it was a bonus to be privy to some inside info. Also, I stopped along the run into T1 when I saw Turbo Curbeau’s dad and asked if he had his phone. He didn’t, but a random spectator offered hers. So as the T1 clock was ticking, I stood there giving my mom’s # and the message that someone was coming to get Ash.
Finally at T1, I took the time to put on a long sleeve jersey, which is not so easy when you’re soaking wet! The bike was rough! I remember not be able to catch my breath from the swim as I was going out Apulia Rd. I just kept peddling. I don’t remember pushing hard or trying to go faster, or aiming for a heart rate, just biking for about forever and wanting to be done. Also, stopping to pee in a corn field was not my best decision ... after getting back on my bike, I couldn’t clip in b/c there was so much mud stuck in my cleats (did I mention it was raining up until the race start?)
So happy to be off the bike and finally make it to T2, I sat down to change my shoes and for some reason starting peeing my pants as well, so I decided to just go with the flow until I was done.
On to the run . . . the original plan was simply to walk to the aid stations. Sadly, the minute I started the run I realized how overly optimistic that was. I had been battling tendonitis in my knees for about 6 weeks or so at the point. At the start of the run, there was an out-n-back that was about a ½ mile and I had to start walking before I even finished that. So my plan quickly morphed into: run til it hurts, then walk til you can run again. This plan of attack became stale real quick. There was nothing fun about that run! Oh wait, I guess there was: when I passed a YMCA aid station along Erie Blvd, I got tons of high fives and hugs from familiar faces. Then as I was about a ¼ mile away I saw on the ground in giant chalk letters, “JEN CORONA ROCKS!” and in little baby letters, “and mike too!” That was awesome!! I’ve never had my name chalked in a race before, and it definitely gave me a burst of energy! If you get the chance to chalk the street for a friend that is racing, do it!!!
What did I learn from 2010??
First and foremost, you need to respect the distance! Signing up for a 70.3 on a whim can be extremely painful! It was definitely cool to have finished a half iron, but it was also very frustrating when comparing my time to others who I have raced along side many times. Basically, my time sucked! And the thought of people I know looking up my results sucked even more!
I realized that I needed to address my chronic issue of patella tendonitis if I wanted to continue to enjoy this sport. That is a whole other topic for another day.
The positive energy from volunteers, spectators, and fellow competitors is vital to your race success. I realized that I need to try to volunteer more often to pay it forward.
Most importantly, I realized that I needed a real plan and real training. I was not at all satisfied with just completing the race. I was ready to become a “real” triathlete and learn what it takes to improve and become competitive.
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