On September 27th, as most of my teammates are winding down their season, tapering for Kona, or in the middle of their last training push for Clearwater, I raced my first triathlon of the season, the Duke Liver Center 1/2 Iroman in Durham, North Carolina.  I’d like to start the season earlier, but my schedule doesn’t allow it.  The 3rd year of med school, which ended in June, left me with some impressive training numbers:  < 6hrs/wk of training through the first 6 months of the year, and nearly 100% of that was cycling.  Yeah, pretty much ready to rip the Triathlon World-Cup Circuit apart.

Back to reality…I called my training plan “Operation: Don’t Suck” the goal of which was simply to maintain some fitness so I didn’t start the mid-summer triathlon season with nothing in the bank.  My focus was short high power intervals.  Mostly in the 30″-2′ range, and I’d race a few criteriums.  I avoided anything resembling LT or VO2 work simply because I was too wimpy (and exhausted on 4hrs/night of sleep).  ODS actually worked amazingly well.  After 6 weeks of 15 hrs/wk of training I raced Wisconsin State TT champs, doubling down to race the Pro/1/2 and M30-34 categories.  I split a 51:25 and a then 54:?? an hour later for 40km.  I really didn’t have any gas for the second TT, but for the first I did it with a PR average power (by ~25W) and my HR 5 beats under threshold.  I was a bit slow considering the power output, but I simply need to tune-up my TT position for a 40km and not an IM.   I was riding high like a tri-geek (this is very embarrassing for me to admit as a cyclist).  The TT’s were promising, telling me I’ll have more to give after VO2 and LT training phases.  Plus,  ISCorp teammate Matthew Busche won the TT in 50:58, and a few months later signed a 2-year contract with team RadioShack based on his top-10 GC performance in some major late-season stage races while guest-riding for Kelly Benefit Strategies.  So I felt my performance wasn’t too far off the mark.  Then later that week I PR’d for 2′ big-ring steep hill climbs by over 10% power.  Note to self and Learning Point #1:  intensity is the most potent producer of fitness; you can actually set a foundation for improvement on a minuscule volume of training.

But the following week, about 6 weeks ago, I separated my shoulder in a bad bike crash at the Race the Lake in Fon du Lac, WI.  In the middle of the 150-rider peloton (you’re right, I should have been riding towards the front) a few riders went down in front of me and we crashed like Domino’s.  I launched, airborne at 30 mph, and was able to pull off a marginal shoulder-roll.  My bright orange Trek landed about 20 feet away on the side of the road…it actually took me a while to find it.  Anyway, long story short, I thought I was ok, and hopped back on to catch the disappearing pack, but a few miles into my chase attempt I felt—internally via pain, and externally with my hand—felt the deformity of my shoulder.  15 miles later I dropped out and got checked out out by the race Doc.  Diagnosis:  an AC (acromioclavicular) ligament separation.  In other words I popped the ‘rubberband’ that holds my collarbone to a piece of the scapula.  Here’s a great link describing shoulder sprains: http://www.conquestchronicles.com/special/The_Shoulder_Sprain

Shoulder Anatomy

Shoulder AC Separation Grades (Mine is a Grade 2)

Later that week, after an Xray and GP and Sports Med appointments, I was given the OK.  “It’s a minor sprain and you don’t even need PT” I was told.  “This will bother you for 3-4 weeks though.”   “Great!” I thought and headed for the pool.  Bother-schmother, pain and I are good friends and I can deal with a little discomfort.  This was a mistake.  From week to I simply wasn’t getting better at a rate that I’d be better in 4 weeks.  I had since moved back to North Carolina, and luckily, I was introduced to a Duke Sports Medicine PT who got me an appointment.  With some stretching, strengthening, and physiotaping, and only 1 week off from swimming and running, I was back at it.  At this point there were about 2 weeks until the Duke 1/2. (LEARNING POINT #2: if you ever injure yourself, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR SPORTS MED DOC SAYS, go see a PT.  They have different areas of expertise, you’ll likely feel better and recover faster, and may even save yourself some long-term damage.)

AC Separation Taping

I had felt terrible all week as I was recovering from a big training block the week before that included things like my first brick of the year (run: 10′ warm-up followed by 20′ Tempo), first track workout with repeats longer than 400m, and first distance run.  We all know the feeling of new-onset running soreness and going into a first race with maybe good fitness (fingers crossed) and maybe the kind of fitness that will simply dissolve in the middle of the race, like a sandcastle in a rising tide.

Back to the race…last year, the Duke 1/2 was also my first race of the year.  And it went very well, until the run.  It’s a TOUGH run course.  It’s a cross-country course equivalent to Wildflower.  I’ve run 1:21 for the half marathon there, and ran 1:31 at Duke last year…which launched me into 2 weeks of panic run training just in time to taper for Kona.  TIMEX’s own Alex McDonald put about 8 minutes on me last year…he ran down the 4 minutes I had after the bike, caught me at mile 7 or 8 and then put another 4 miles on me.  This year we’re teammates, but Alex was on injured reserve, yet still came to cheer us all on.  Like last year I had run concerns, so I went into the race with a strategy of holding back a bit more on the bike.

Also, like last year I was off to a good start.  Out of the water in 3rd, I rode “comfortably fast” and hoped for the best.  I really hold back and allow my body to ease into each new leg of a triathlon.  LEARNING POINT #3: Going out too fast is dumb.  You’re so amped at the beginning of a race or through each transition, that its incredibly easy to over-cook yourself. So, hold back there Sparky!  The biggest mistake you can make is overpacing the first 2 minutes of a race. (Exhibit A: my 10k splits from the Carrboro 10k on October 3rd..Mile 1…5:02..”oh, this feels easy”…Mile 2 6:00…”oooohh, this isn’t feeling so easy.”)  Take it easy Sparky!

So I rode nice and steady, gradually working into the lead.  I caught Tom Clifford, a former collegiate runner with 14:30 5k credentials and who is rising up the ranks in triathlon (obviously, he was 2nd out of the water!), about 10k into the bike.  It was too early to adjust pace, so I kept ‘er steady.  About 20 minutes later I came up on Kevin Lisska of the US Pro Tri team.  He’s always a strong swimmer and emerged from Jordan Lake about 1.5 minutes ahead of Tom and I.   From here on there’s nothing much to report for the bike…I just rode, keeping it fast, but leaving enough in the tank for the run.

I arrived at T2 feeling good and with a course-record 2:13 bike split. The course must be a bit long.  The lead motorcycle had done a great job keeping 50-100m ahead of me the whole race and controlling the intersections.  I always enjoy biking in this lead spot…it’s exciting and it helps me keep focused.  These were my thoughts while cycling at the Duke 1/2:  “high cadence, relax, carry momentum, drink, stay aero.”  These are my typical thoughts during a typical race: “With the leg bone connected to the knee bone, and the knee bone connected to the thigh bone, and the thigh bone connected to the hip bone…”‘

Focused on saving energy on the bike.

So now onto the run.  I had one compression sock on, taking a fashion tip from sprinters on high school track teams.  Yeah, I was totally Baller (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=baller).  Ladies, you can find me after the race, maybe I’ll talk to to you…if I’m not too busy looking for my other sock.

Ballin’:  The right leg was randomized to the experimental group via the protocol of Einee et. al.

Actually, it wasn’t about high fashion and picking up the Laaaadeez–though that’s an easy mistake.  It was an experiment.  I had such a tremendous experience with compression socks at IM HI 2008, experiencing near-zero calf soreness post race, that I wanted to investigate further.  So, I did a Randomized-not-really-Controlled Trial….

OBJECTIVES: To determine the presence and extent of delayed-onset-muscle-soreness (DOMS) reduction secondary to compression sock use during a half-Ironman triathlon.  INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA:  Inclusion criteria was being one of Eric Bean’s legs.  Legs not part of Eric Bean’s body were excluded from the study.  RANDOMIZATION: During T1, each leg was randomized to either the control or experimental group  via the standard “einee menee minee mo” protocol (Einee et. al., 1987).  METHODS:  The control leg wore a TIMEX logoed low-cut running sock (Wigwam, Pocatello, ID) for only the run portion of the race and no sock while cycling.  The experimental leg wore a Running O2 compression sock size Men III (CEP, Germany) for the bike and run portion of the triathlon.  Each sock was placed by the author using standard sock-putting-on protocols, and without the use of external sock-putting-on tools.  Each foot wore identical cycling and running shoes (same manufacturer and lot number), with the exception of right- vs. left-footedness, for each portion of the triathlon.  Each leg performed an equal number of cycling pedal strokes and running strides (+/- 1.0) along a 56-mile road cycling course and then on a 13.1 mile cross country run course.  The subject did not experience any crashes or other trauma during the triathlon.  DATA:  Perceived soreness was recorded on a 10-point scale (0 = no soreness; 5 = average soreness; 10 = maximum soreness imaginable) at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours post race.  RESULTS: (hour post race, Right calf soreness (experimental), Left calf soreness (control))

Hour   |   Right   |   Left

0         |    5        |     5

24       |    6        |     7

48       |    6        |     6

72       |    4        |     4

ASSUMPTIONS: Blood flow rate and other physiological variables such as pH, [La+], surface and blood temperature, oxygen and CO2 partial pressure, SpO2, and blood glucose measurements, were not taken during this study, but assumed to be equal bilaterally.  CONCLUSIONS: The results do not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in perceived intensity of DOMS for the right calf supported by a compression sock vs. the contralateral calf, which wore a Wigwam low-cut running sock, for the period immediately following a half-ironman race and up to 3-days post-race.  It should be noted that the compression sock was 11-months old and perceived by the author to be less compressive than when new.  Further research is needed in this area.

Ok, focus Bean, and git ‘er done…finish the frickin’ blog!

So, I ran well.  6-minutes faster than last year.  Good enough to narrowly hold off a HARD charging Tim Surface (who ran 2:24 at Chicago a few years back), and who set a new run course record of 1:17.  Strong work!  I finished in a course record 4:11:00, 6-minutes better than last year, and set a new bike course record.  Looking forward to representin’ TIMEX well at tri #2 of the season, Pinehurst, which I’ll make my personal PineHURT!

I was unable to even try to qualify for Kona this year, due to my stress fracture, which was frustrating indeed, but I had a great consolation prize. My wife had already taken the week off from work (scheduled a year ago) just incase I qualified. However, we decided that we should still take a trip, so went to Denver and Telluride, CO for the week, in addition it was to celebrate our anniversary.  Being that half the team seems to be from Colorado, I figured it was time for a visit.  In short, what a great trip! I got to visit my friends from med school now living in Denver, and see their new baby. He is also the person who first got me into triathlon and it was great to reconnect with him. As for Telluride, let’s just say it is a magical place! ☺ My wife and I did lots of hiking (up to an elevation of almost 13,000 feet) had some delicious meals and had a wonderful time in general. Here are some photos from the trip.

Thanks

www.alexmmtri.com

The top-2 Ironman finishes, of course, are Julie Moss’ classic1982 finish:

and the infamous 1997 “Crawl-Off” between Wendy Ingrahm and Sian Welch:

While Mike’s finish isn’t this dramatic, he does TIMEX proud and shows us how to leave it out on the course:

Mike Lavery (TIMEX) Finishing Video IM HI 2009

So most of us have heard that TIMEX’s Jackie Arendt placed 4th in W25-29 at the Ford Ironman World Championships on Saturday in a time of 10:17:58.  The race was won by  27-year-old Australian Renee Nichols in a time of 10:01:48.

But, there’s another story here.   When Jackie called yesterday to fill me in on her race, I was shocked to learn that she flatted only 6-miles into the bike.  Then, while repairing her flat, she broke the valve stem on her spare tube, and waited…waited…waited 12-AGONIZING-MINUTES for neutral support!  Meanwhile her competition raced away.  Imagine your thoughts sitting helpless, twittling your thumbs on the side of the road for enough time for Kenenisa Bekele to set a world-record in the 5,000 meters.  When neutral support finally arrived, she bargained for a spare wheel rather than to wait even longer for them to swap out the tube.  Smart choice.  However, that meant that rather than riding her light and aero Bontrager Aeolus wheel for the next 100 miles, she rocked it old school on what she politely described as a “POS that I wouldn’t even put on my commuter bike.”

So, do the math:

Equation (1)   10:17:58 – 00:12:00 – (time savings of race wheel per mile x 100 miles) = Jackie kicking some serious A$$

What has impressed me most about this incident, is Jackie’s perspective on it.  She remained cool-as-a-cucumber, didn’t get worked up, change her race strategy, or try to “make-up” time, which of course would be the prelude to an inevitable bonk.  She simply accepted it and kept racing.  Her lasting impression from the day: “The whole day was just so much fun!  The flat tire, no big deal.  That’s racing. I’m happy.”

Bottom line?  Keep your eyes on this girl.  She’s a legit sub-10hr threat at IM HI, and a 9:59 would have placed her top-20 ahead of names like Heather Gollnick, Leanda Cave, and Kate Major.  Hmmm….

PS–Jackie, we’d all love a race report.

PPS–Happy birthday!

I chatted with Dave about some new products, current ones, and what is going on with Timex.  Dave Erickson (www.daveerickson360.com) did the filming and editing.

Check out the interview form Kona HERE.