Team Timex Blog » Christopher Thomas

Kona – 2011

Christopher Thomas — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:14:56 +0000

Pre-Game
I was much more at ease going into this year’s race with one exception (explained below). My body was in much better shape this year thanks to the Trigger Point Massage products and a very talented massage therapist, Sue Fegelman. Leading into the 2010 race, I had experienced annoying plantar fasciitis. However, by using the calf roller from Trigger Point and getting a weekly sports massage from Sue, this year I was able to enter the race injury free. My sleep was much better this year as well. My weight was much more comfortable this year. In 2010 I overreached a bit with my weight and I went into the race a little too lean for me. I had a solid final swim prep. I was swimming at my personal best times heading into the race. My bike build was very focused towards Kona this year. I felt very confident about my bike fitness. My run endurance was at my personal best level. Due to these factors, I felt very good heading down to the pier on race morning.
Swim: 1:00:17

The one exception to my pre-race comfort was my anxiety for the swim start. The swim start in Kona cannot be explained properly unless you have experienced it in person. It is truly one of the most chaotic moments in sports. If you want to swim well there, you have to line up in front. However, by lining up in front, you are guaranteed to get thoroughly throttled during the first 200-400 meters unless you can swim sub 2 minutes for the first 200(I can’t).
I lined up towards the inside of the front row (I’m a glutton for punishment). When the cannon went off, I went out as fast as I could, but I kept my head above water as there were a few feet in front of me and they were kicking vigorously. I did not feel like getting one in the face. Once I saw the water in front of me calm down a bit, I stuck my face in and got into a decent rhythm. This year’s start was actually better than I had feared. Then the remainder of the swim was rather enjoyable. In 2010 I had really pushed the 1st half of the swim. That extra effort had caused a decent amount of fatigue on the 2nd half of the swim. This year I felt extremely comfortable the entire time, maybe too comfortable. I exited the water in a little over 1 hour.

It was not exactly the time I was looking for, but it was not horrible either. I was really looking forward to pushing the bike harder than I had before.
Bike: 4:51:52

The start of a long day

I planned on being more aggressive on the bike this year. I had my Orbea Ordu dialed in for the day thanks to Doug Berner (Timex Multisport Team: Technical Director/Chief Mechanic/Keeper of the Truck/Rock Star). In addition, I had attended the Lifesport Wind tunnel camp in May down in Charlotte, NC. The camp really helped set up my position so that I was very comfortable and aero (we had picked up 24 watts from the position and helmet adjustment).

Trying to stay aero

The conditions were very good at the beginning of the day. So I wanted to take advantage and get up to Hawi (59 mile turnaround point) as fast as I could without redlining. In hindsight I actually road this section with the exact same average heart rate as I had the year before. However, I was able to average more power (6 normalized watts higher) and I ended up 10 minutes faster than 2010 for that section. My main focus on the bike was to stay on top of my nutrition, electrolytes, and keep as cool as possible. I managed to do all three better than I had before throughout the race. I grabbed 2 water bottles at every aid station. I dumped one over my entire body and I used the other for my fluids.
The winds were kind to us on the day. However, we did pick up a nice typical headwind heading up to Hawi. We also got a decent headwind once we got back on the Queen K heading back into town. While the winds did pick up as the day went along, they were nothing out of the ordinary for this race. My 2nd half of the bike was all about staying as consistent as I could. I did drop off a bit with my power, but my heart rate was staying very close to my 1st half average. I went through some lows over the last 30 miles, but I was fortunate to avoid the GI issues and cramping that I had experienced every other time I had raced in Kona. I got off the bike feeling the best I have ever felt at this race. Now, that is a relative statement. I was still fatigued and HOT.
Run: 3:09:37
I quickly moved through transition. I grabbed my Timex Global trainer, Lifesport hat, Nathan hydration belt, Native sunglasses, and K Swiss Kwicky Blade Light running shoes.

syncing my Timex Global Trainer

I headed out trying to focus on my form and cadence. The first thing that I noticed was I did not have the severe lower back pain I have had in the past. I was moving along at a decent pace while I was trying to do all of my checks and balances. I hit the first mile @ 6:30. I was really hot at this point and I was really looking forward to the 1st aid station. I felt that I needed a change to my nutrition. So once I got to the aid station I stopped, walked and grabbed water, ice, cola, ice, and water. Yes I grabbed it all. I put the ice in my hat, shirt, shorts, and the palm of my hand. This fueling/cooling strategy worked, at least temporarily. I picked up my pace and hit the 2nd mile mark in 6:46. However, I was getting really hot again. So I repeated my aid station strategy again. In fact, I ended up doing this for the first 24 aid stations.

walking the aid station

I had not pre-planned this at all. It would be easy for me to say that I could have run faster if I had not done this. However, I truly believe I would have blown up if I had tried to run through the early aid stations. I was having a very hard time cooling down my core temperature. The aid stations served as a mini-respite from the sun and humidity. I came out of every aid station feeling better then I went in.
During any marathon one will experience some extreme highs and some very deep lows. While I was the hottest during the first 10 miles along Alii Drive, I experienced my lowest points once I got up onto the Queen K highway. At mile 11 I went into a LOW point. Fortunately my friend Tim Diseppio was up on the Queen K and he gave my some great pointers and encouragement. I was really happy that I had my Timex Global trainer on at this point. I focused on my cadence. My only goal for mile 11 was to run @ 85 cadence or higher.

As I got more tired, the hat came down further over my face

This helped me to get through the low patch and by mile 13 I started to feel better. I rolled along until I got to the Natural Energy Lab. At this point, I started to feel some real mental fatigue. I hit my 2nd real low point coming out of the Energy Lab. It took everything I had to keep moving forward up the slight elevation. I was determined to only walk at the aid stations.

coming out of the energy lab

Once I got back up onto the Queen K, I saw my coach. He gave me some form cues and emphasized that it was only 10k back into the finish. Only 10k can be good or bad depending on how one is feeling. I was not feeling great at this point, so I went back to focusing on my cadence. Fortunately, I was not breaking down muscularly yet. In 2010, my quads were screaming at mile 16 of the run. This year they did not start to ache until mile 23sh. I made it to the top of Palani, about 1.2 miles from the finish. I saw my coach again and he told me that there were a few guys in front of me in my age group. I had an outside chance of a podium if I could dig really deep into the finish. Well, I gave it all I had. It was not much, but I definitely left it out there. I ended up crossing the finish line in 9:07:08. It was a PR for me. I felt that I gave everything I had on the day.

Finished!

Final Results: 8th M35-39 / 28th Amateur / 60th Overall
The highlight of any significant race for me is having my Timex teammates racing along with me. I got an extra highlight this year as I was able to race with my friend and teammate Tim Hola towards the end of the bike and along Alii Drive. While I was not exactly in the most talkative mood at the time, it was a huge lift to be out there with my teammate.
The strange thing about this sport is that one can always do something better. I still feel that I have a better day in me at this event. I learned more at this race that I can work on going forward. So the 2012 campaign will begin soon, ugh.

70.3 World Championships in Vegas

Christopher Thomas — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 18:13:21 +0000

The new race venue for the 70.3 World Championships definitely lived up to the hype. The course just outside of Las Vegas offered heat, wind, and plenty of hills. This is a very fair course.
I was very excited to go out and race the new venue. Another bonus was having the opportunity to race with several of my Timex Multi-sport teammates. I always find it a huge lift to race with my teammates and have the support of our team management as well.

Swim: 30:12 Ouch!
I was in the 10th swim wave of the morning. The race organizers had all the athletes enter the water 10 minutes prior to their wave starts. While the water was 80 degrees, I still felt a bit chilled when I jumped into the water. I tried to warm up. I’ve learned that it is always better to do a few race start simulations prior to the actual start to get the body ready for the initial surge and hypoxic feelings. However, I did not do a good job of getting my intensity up prior to starting the race.
I lined up in the middle of my wave and focused on holding a good position to start the race. The horn went off to start our wave and I got boxed in right away. Then I got hit in the head and swallowed a nice mouthful of water. This is part of racing, but it affected me a bit more this time. I had a moment of high anxiety and thought about pulling off to the side. Fortunately I was able to get the anxiety under control quickly and I was on my way. The remainder of the swim I just focused on keeping a decent body posture (a little more important with the non-wetsuit swim) and staying consistent. I exited the water feeling good and ready to hit the bike.

Bike: 2:26:00
My goal for the bike was to build into the first 10 miles and then ride a little higher effort than normal. The bike course was set up to be much more challenging than the flat roads of Clearwater, FL. and it lived up to the hype. I felt like we were either climbing or descending the entire day. The course did not offer any real opportunities to settle in. I actually really enjoyed the challenge of the terrain. The landscape surrounding the course was very picturesque. My nutrition and salt intake for the bike worked well for the most part. I did not experience any cramping throughout. I felt very controlled for the first 35 miles. In hindsight I think I got a little behind on calories in the middle of the bike as I did suffer a bit of a lull during the last 10 miles. My heart rate dipped into low Z2 during this time. I tried to push a bit harder to get my heart rate back into Z3, but I just could not make it happen. I gave what I had on the day and I was not the only one losing steam at the end of the bike.

Run: 1:21:42
The run course is set up as a 3 loop course. The start is flat for the first .5 mile then descends for 1 mile. A 2 mile climb is next, then another 1 mile descent.
I sported my K-Swiss Konas with American flag colors. I love these shoes.
My legs did feel a little heavy heading out of T2. Fortunately the terrain helped to get my cadence up and settle into a decent rhythm. My heart rate was still running lower than usual. I ended up running the first 7 miles in Z2 and finally reached Z3 on the 2nd half of the run. I really enjoyed the profile of the run course. I felt that the 2 mile climb was all about keeping steady and strong, while the descent allowed for recovery and cadence. I was able to run without cramps and my energy levels stayed high. At the 10 mile mark I started taking cola for a little extra push for the last 5k of the run. I felt confident that it would not cause me GI distress that late in the race. I finished up as strong as I could. I will definitely try to participate in this race going forward. The logistics prior to the race were a bit messy, but the race itself was worthy of a championship course.
Final Results: 4:21:36 2nd M35-39 / 7th Amateur / 38th Overall

Timex representing well in the 35-39 Age Group - Tim Hola and I on Stage

70.3 Rhode Island: Road Rash

Christopher Thomas — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 02:21:18 +0000

The saying is: “If you ride a bike, it’s not a question of if, but when you will crash”. This was not my first crash and I’m sure it will not be my last crash. I have raced 70.3 Providence each year that is has been staged (4). I really enjoy competing in this race. It is pretty close to home at two hours driving distance without any traffic. The bike course is a fair, rolling course and the run is challenging. Coach Paul had instructed to treat this as a training race with a run emphasis. The best aspect of this race is that I was able to drive the Timex Ford Edge up to the race venue. This vehicle is SWEET!
Swim: 29:32
This year the swim was moved to a local lake that was closer to downtown Providence. The water temps registered at 84 degrees Fahrenheit, which meant that it would not be a wetsuit legal swim. This was not a big deal as I had my Orca skin suit ready to roll. The swim went really smooth. I had a good warm-up that enabled me to go out a bit faster to start the race without going hypoxic. Unfortunately I did lose contact with two guys at the start of the swim, but I was able to find my own pace while swimming solo throughout. My main focus was to maintain good posture with a decent catch. I was able to roll into T1 without any major incidents.
Bike: 2:25:36
I was really looking forward to the bike. I had visited the Lifesport Coaching wind tunnel camp at the beginning of May. My new Orbea Ordu, with Shimano DI2 and SRM power meter, had been lost in transit during the trip home. I had given up all hope of seeing my new ride again. However, on Thursday prior to the race (exactly 2 months after I lost it), I received an e-mail that Fedex had found my bike! They expedited it to me by Friday morning. I quickly built it back up and had it ready to roll for the race. This was only my second time riding the bike, but I knew it was fit properly. I headed out of T1, hit a bump and lost my water bottle(I ended up losing 3 during the entire ride). Oh well, I still had my calories and salt tabs. I knew I could grab a water bottle at the first aid station. I dialed in my effort by triangulating my perceived effort with my heart rate and power data. The Timex Global Trainer is a tremendous tool for tracking all the vital stats. I was rolling along well as I came into a 90 degree right corner at about mile 23. The volunteer manning the corner was yelling to slow down as we entered the corner. I clenched both my front and rear brakes aggressively. Then things started to move in slow motion as I was airborne. My rear wheel was sideways and I was about to hit the deck, hard. I landed on my left side with a few bounces and slid along for a little bit on my back. I quickly got up and tried to figure out what had happened. Fortunately the volunteer ran over and told me to move to the side of the road so I didn’t get run over. He said that my rear wheel had popped out(apparently the skewer had come lose: not really sure how as I try to keep it really tight). I looked down to see if there was any visual damage to my bike. It looked fine with the exception of the dropped chain, wheel off, and DI2 unplugged. I asked the volunteer if my crash had caused any deep cuts to my side or back. He said that it appeared to be only road rash, whew.. I quickly put my wheel back in, got the chain on, and plugged the shifter cable back into the cassette. I eased back onto the bike course as I wanted to make sure that the injuries were not to severe. I was happy to get back into the aero bars without to much discomfort. On the remainder of the bike section I just tried to dial the effort back up while monitoring my electrolyte and caloric intake.
Run: 1:21:48
This was meant to be the focus of the race. However with my crash, I was not 100% sure. I tried to build into the run. I started to feel pretty good at the 1 mile marker. I was able to find my rhythm and maintain a decent pace until the 4th mile where I started to cramp. Fortunately I had my salt stick tabs with me. I quickly bit into one and put it under my tongue. The cramp, grasping my inside quad, slowly faded. The rest of the run went well until mile 11 when I started to feel the cumulative fatigue of the day. I hit the cola at the next aid station and the simple sugars gave me a boost into the finish. I crossed the line and found out that I had placed 3rd Overall and top amateur for the day. I made a straight line for the medical tent to get the asphalt cleaned out of my side. In hindsight, I was pretty lucky that the wheel had not come out during one of the steep descents.

70.3 Buffalo Springs: OUCH!

Christopher Thomas — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:08:41 +0000

Timex Sweep

I headed back out to Lubbock, TX to try to get a coveted Kona slot. 70.3 Buffalo Springs is one of 5 half distance IM events that offer dual qualifying for the 70.3 World Championship and IM World Championship. I participated in this race last year and I really enjoyed the challenging course, hot and windy conditions, and high level of competition. I said after last years race that it was one of the hardest 70.3 races I have ever done. Well, after this year, I can say this is definetely the HARDEST race outside of Kona that I have ever done.
My travel out to Lubbock this year was similar to last year. I was delayed 5 hours trying to leave Newark airport and I missed my connecting flight out of Memphis. This meant I had scramble to find a hotel room at midnight (travel 101: if you are a distressed traveler and you get a customer service agent on the phone, do not lose that connection. I spent 30 minutes on hold after my first call got dropped). Once I got the room situation figured out everything else went smoothly. I got the first flight out the next morning and I was at my hotel by 11:30. Fortunately I had shipped my bike ahead of time and it was waiting for me at the hotel. I figured I had better odds shipping it then bringing it on a connecting flight. The remainder of the pre race schedule was very smooth. I was ready to roll for race morning.
Swim: 25:19
I have gotten thrashed more then usual this year in my first 3 races of the year during the start of the swim. This thrashing has caused me to go hypoxic and I have had to regroup for a bit, which has meant that I would lose contact with the people I should be swimming with. So I decided to line up a little to the left outside to start the swim then try to angle in to the first buoy. This strategy worked well for me as I was able to get a good start without getting the token elbow, foot, or hand to the head. I was able to get right up to a small group of guys that were trying to negotiate their way through the previous waves of swimmers. The remainder of the swim went well as I just focused on keeping high elbows and catching good water without digging to deep. I exited the water and went to unzip my suit, but I got a little surprise that it was already down. Someone must have grabbed my chord during the swim and pulled it down. However, I had not noticed it and my suit did not fill up with any extra water. This is another testament to the quality of our Orca 3.8 suits. These suits are excellent. T1 was nice and smooth.
Bike: 2:18:16
I was really looking forward to the bike for this race. I had a really good bike training build this year and I was excited to use my higher fitness. Coach Paul had given me the greenlight to really push the bike. This was also an excellent opportunity to test my new position that I had picked up at the Lifesport Wind Tunnel camp back in May.
I got right into my heart rate and power zones that I wanted to race in. I felt really good on my Orbea Ordu. I was very determined to stay on top of my salt intake. I have a history of cramping during hot races and this was the most extreme heat I had ever been in my life, with temps hitting 111 degrees. I started taking my salt pills early and often, but I still started to feel my hamstrings twinging around mile 30. At that point I was taking about 1,300mg/hour of sodium. I went to the emergency gameplan of biting on the salt capsule and moving it under my tongue. This does not taste great but it is extremely effective. My twinges went away and I was able to focus on my effort and aero position for the remainder of the ride. This was more important then usual because we hit significant headwinds over the last 10 miles of the bike. I felt really good on the bike and I was able to remain very aero without experiencing lower back pain. This enabled me to come into T2 feeling much fresher then I had during last years race. I moved quickly through T2 and out onto the run course.
Run: 1:27:50
Hot, hot, hot. I felt the heat right away as soon as I started running. The gameplan was to build into the run and to start out relatively easy. However, I was so hot right away that I couldn’t get any cadence or rhythm going. My legs felt like two tree trunks and I was really overheating. I kept trying to quite my mind, but the heat was brutal. I struggled through the first 3 miles that run along the lake. Then we climbed out of the valley and the winds were noticeable. It was actually a bit refreshing for a little bit. I felt like I could finally take a deep breathe. A runner had gone by me at the 3 mile mark and I was trying to use him to pick up my pace. It worked and I noticed Jason Shortis right in front of us. At this point, I knew the run was going to be all about survival. He was really struggling. I knew if this Ironman champion was struggling then I better be very careful to not blow up. I was able to hold the pace of the runner who had passed me, but it was a struggle. Then as we went up the hill following the 4 mile aid station, he pulled off to the side and said he popped. My first thought was: “oh boy, just hold it together”. I shuffled up the remainder of the hill and made the right hand turn onto the 2 mile out and back section. I was immediately met with a ferocious headwind. The heat-wind combo almost broke me. I was right on the edge. I gave myself the goal of just trying to run to the turnaround without walking. I was grabbing as much water and ice as I could hold at every opportunity. I made it to the turnaround and felt much better once I got the wind at my back. I realized that I had made my way to the front of the amateur race, but I was not sure where the other amateurs were. That question was answered 1.5 minutes after I hit the turnaround. I saw Chuck Sloan and another athlete running strong together. I knew Chuck was in the 30-34 age group but I was not sure about the other guy. I figured I would just try to be a consistent as possible and whatever happened would be fine. I felt halfway decent until I got back down to the lake a little after mile 10. Then I really noticed the heat again with the stagnant air. Chuck rolled by me right before the 12 mile mark. He was running really strong but he was by himself. At this point I tried to pick up my pace, but it was a real struggle. So I made a deal with myself that I would run one minute hard then one minute cruise for the last mile (I was trying anything and everything…). It was not pretty but I was able to hold it together. I ended up just barely holding on for the overall Amateur win (10 seconds) with a time of 4:13:43. I am now heading back to Kona which should feel relatively cool after this race.

70.3 Mooseman: Always Learning

Christopher Thomas — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:33:16 +0000

This was my first year attending this race. I was excited to kick of my 2011 racing season on a very challenging course. The morning of the race was a balmy 39 degrees. I tried to get my transition set up as quickly as possible so I could jump into my sweet Orca 3.8 wetsuit. My wave was the last of the morning. I jumped in the water 15 minutes prior to my start. The water actually felt refreshing at 60 degrees compared to the air temps.
Swim: 28:18
It was a rough start to the swim. I lined up in the middle and got boxed in at the start. I got whacked and almost lost my goggles. I went pretty hard at the beginning, but then went anaerobic and couldn’t catch my breath. I literally had to do a couple of strokes of back stroke (very comical). I got it back together and felt good after that. This has not happened to me in about 6 years. I’m not sure why this happened, but maybe it was a combo of the cold water and my first high end effort of year.
Bike: 2:28:02
I was pretty chilled getting out on the bike. The first 5 miles are pretty flat and fast, which did not help to warm up. However, after that we hit the hills and I was immediately warm. This was a very challenging course with some major climbing. I had a very consistent effort and held back as Paul, my coach, had prescribed. My Timex Ironman Race Trainer was reading mostly low 140 heart rate range (low zone 2). However, my heart rate did climb into the 150s on the climbs. My race nutrition felt great! I did have one event on the bike that would come back to haunt me on the run. I dropped my salt tabs at mile 15 of bike after only taking 2 salt sticks (500mgs) I usually race with 800-1200 an hour. Fortunately I did not cramp at all on the bike. I believe this was due to the cooler temps and my reduced effort.
Run: 1:20:47
I felt really good heading onto the run. I did not take it out to hard but felt good as I warmed into the effort. Then at mile 3 I cramped really bad. I was very nervous. I was screaming for salt but all they had was pretzels. I grabbed a handful and stuffed them in my mouth. I almost choked. I decided to grab a Gatorade at every aid going forward and I stuck a pretzel under my tongue until the salt melted for the rest of the race. It was not ideal but it worked. I held it together with only a couple of cramps. I shortened my stride and just tried to run steady. I was a bit bummed because I think I could have put together a better run effort, but that’s racing.
I finished up in 4:20:13, which placed me as the top amateur and 7th overall. Once I thawed out on the course, I really enjoyed this race and would recommend it for anyone looking for a beautiful East Coast destination race.

Kona 2010 – The full story (It’s Long)

Christopher Thomas — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:20:01 +0000

Pre-Race:
I felt great heading into the race. My swim intermediate interval splits were a little slower compared to where I was last year, but I was not far off. My endurance biking strength was right on. My threshold power was higher last year heading into Clearwater, but my long rides were the strongest ever. My run was close to the best it’s ever been. All in all I felt very good coming into the race.
Race Morning:
I was up and out of bed by 3:30am. I made my breakfast of 6 eggs with mushrooms and peppers. In addition I had 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread with Almond butter and a banana. I had one cup of black coffee. My stomach felt good and I was anxious to get down to transition. I had planned on taking two salt tabs before the swim start, but in the excitement of race morning, I forgot to take them. Fortunately, this did not hurt me as I only had a very slight calf cramp during the swim that faded away pretty quickly.
Swim:
My game plan was to position myself right up front and let it roll. If you want to swim fast in Kona, you have to give yourself a chance to do so. However, you need to be willing to get pummeled in the process. I’m not sure I fully respected the amount of pummeling that would come. I got in the water at 6:45am and swam out to the start line. When I first got out to the line, the amount of bodies treading water was still thin, but as we got closer to 7am it started to pack in.

The paddlers were trying to keep pushing the masses back. By the time the cannon was ready to go off, we were packed in like sardines. The start of the race was a very interesting learning experience. I had settled into the 2nd row right before the cannon went off. Then everyone attempted to move forward while dunking each other under the water.
After about 20 meters of extremely scary swimming, we were finally under way. I managed to move my way to the inside of the buoys, which enabled open water swimming all the way out to the turnaround boat. I was swimming next to one athlete the entire way out to the boat. We would occasionally bump against each other as the swells would push us one way or the other. Once we got around the turnaround, things bunched up quite a bit.

The only real issue I had while swimming was due to a classic last second decision. My teammate, Cindy Bannink, offered some nice anti-fog drops for my goggles right before the start. This anti-fog solution worked fantastic; however on the way back into transition I realized that I had not cleared the solution from my goggles. My eyes were burning like crazy every time I turned to breathe. This was a minor irritation and I finished up the swim in: 59:49. One of my top three goals for the race was to come out of the water in sub 1 hour. The majority of athletes come out of the water 4-5 minutes over an hour and I wanted to try to have cleaner roads for the bike.

Transition 1:

I hit the split on my Timex Global Trainer coming out of the water and made my way into the changing tent. I attempted to self administer the sun block (this was quite comical!). I was out of T1 quickly and I had my first minor error of the day. My chain had come off while I was running with my bike to the mount line. The front cassette must have rolled backwards and the chain popped off. It was not a big deal at all, but it was a little embarrassing. Picture this: I jumped on my nice Orbea Ordu, started to pedal, and did not make any forward progress. I think my face was as red as my uniform. I quickly hopped off the bike, put the chain back on, and I was on my journey.
Bike:

The beginning of the bike was very mentally challenging for me. I felt great. I really wanted to let it rip. However, I knew it was going to be a long day. Paul, my coach, and I had laid out the game plan during the week leading into the race. I needed to try to keep my effort in Zone 2 heart rate and perceived effort around 6 (scale of 1-10) for the entire bike portion. My power output (third factor) would be used to keep things in check throughout the day. I would also use my cadence monitor to insure that I was not mashing a big gear. I’ve found that my optimal cadence for power and performance is around 87 rpm’s on flat roads. My Timex Global Trainer came in very handy as I used it to track my heart rate, power, speed, cadence, and distance: all on one screen.
I tried to settle into the early miles. However, I was getting passed by quite a few athletes. This was my early challenge on the bike. The little voice in my head was saying: “just go with them”, but I knew it was not the time to “burn one of my matches” (as Lance Watson likes to say). I focused on my own effort and let the other athletes pedal by. Once I got up on the Queen K highway, my new focus was to dial into my nutrition and electrolyte game plan for the day. I saw a lot of those same athletes that were leading the charge at the start of the bike drop back once we got into the rolling hills on the Queen K. I had planned to try to take 250-300 calories on the bike, while consuming 800-1,000 mg of sodium per hour. My journey out to Hawi (the turnaround on the bike) was very methodical. I stayed right in my heart rate zone, averaging 143bpm, and my power output was 231 normalized watts. My perceived effort felt very comfortable. When I reached Hawi, I felt the best I had ever felt in my 4 attempts at this race. I dumped my calorie bottle and picked up my special needs bag which contained my 2nd bottle of carbo pro 1200. The next leg descending down to the Queen K felt great. I was reminded why it was so important to have a good swim. The other side of the road was very bunched up with athletes climbing up to Hawi. The winds were blowing pretty hard at this time, so I tried to stay as aero as I could. In hindsight, I got a little behind on my hydration and calories during the descent. However, while I was in the moment, I did not realize it. As I reached the Queen K, I started to feel the heat of the day. It was reported that temperatures climbed to 104 degrees Fahrenheit and the white line on the road reached 127 degrees. I was definitely feeling the heat. I continued to really focus on my electrolyte intake. I was starting to have some minor stomach issues with my carbo pro 1200. I had decided to use my road helmet instead of my aero helmet for this race. This decision turned out to be a very good decision as I was able to cool down much easier by dumping water right into my helmet as I went through the aid stations. As I passed the 85 mile marker I did a check on my three factors. My heart rate was still in low zone 2 at 141bpm. My normalized power was standing at 228 watts and my perceived effort was still comfortable. Over the next 5 miles things started to come unglued. My stomach really started to bother me. I even had a little internal vomit episode. I tried to take some more carbo pro 1200, but my stomach was not taking anymore. I tried to adjust on the fly and I grabbed a banana at the next aid station. This worked for a little bit, but then I noticed my heart rate slipping down into the low 130s, which is low Zone 1 for me. I wish I had something good to write about the remainder of my ride, but it was a struggle home. The last quarter of my ride was spent in low Zone 1 heart rate with a normalized power for that section of only 199 watts. I was in shut down mode.

I also started cramping pretty severely as well. I finally grabbed a cola at the last aid station on the bike with hopes that the simple sugars would pick me back up into transition 2. The cola did help, but my cramping was pretty severe as I finally rolled into T2. I was pretty happy to hand off my bike to the volunteers. I ended up biking 5:04:35.
Transition 2:
My lower back was very stiff (no kidding) running through transition. My running form was even more peculiar than normal. I hit the tent and attempted to get into my running shoes. My calves and hamstrings were cramping and I was having a very hard time getting my shoes on. Finally, I was able to move out of the door of the tent and I grabbed 2 sports drinks.
Run:
My goal was to make it to the first aid station and walk the entire 100 yards. I saw my coach, Paul, at the half mile marker. He encouraged me to try to have a decent run and try to bring things back together a bit. I was really struggling at this point. Once I hit the first aid station, I walked the entire stretch and I took everything they were offering: water, PowerAde, cola, ice, banana, and more water. I started to run again to the next aid station where I repeated the process of walking and grabbing everything on the menu. Finally at the 2.5 mile mark, I started to feel better.

I was able to put together some decent miles until I started to approach Palani hill. As I covered the ½ mile leading up to Palani, I was starting to suffer again. My body temperature was really rising. I realized that I had made another tactical error. I had worn a visor instead of a hat. Therefore, I was not able to keep ice on top of my head. However, I did pour the ice everywhere else. I repeated my aid station strategy again on the hill. In fact, over the following several miles, I continued to walk the aid stations. I was still running a decent pace from aid station to aid station as I averaged 7:04 mile pace over the first 16 miles of the run. At mile 16, I started to feel very deep muscle soreness in my quads. It was a little early in the run to feel this and I was a little worried about how I would get through the remaining 10 miles. I tried every motivational trick I could think of: segmenting the run, thinking of my kids, counting my cadence, and attempting to pace off of other athletes around me. Every race is unique. This time the ability to pace off of the athletes around me proved to be the most useful strategy to keep me moving forward. As I approached the 22 mile mark, I saw my coach Paul again. He encouraged me to finish up the race strong. I made a decision at that point that I was going to run the remainder of the race. I shuffled my way along all the way to the finish. I crossed the line with a marathon time of 3:12:32 and total time of 9:23:30.

I was really hurting. If I wasn’t so scared of needles, I would have gone right into the med tent for an IV.
Race Summary:
Ironman distance racing is so much different than 70.3 racing. I had been away from the distance and this race for 5 years. My impression of the race was not quite as fresh and realistic as it should have been. I re-learned a lot about the race and myself on the day. It was not exactly my best day, but I gave everything I had. After crossing the finish line, if anyone had asked me if I would return to do another IM in Kona, I would have emphatically said no. The funny thing is that it only took me 2 hours before I told my wife that I have to go back to Kona again. So the recovery is under way and the 2011 campaign will begin soon.
Thanks for reading. Sorry it was so long.

70.3 Timberman

Christopher Thomas — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:23:59 +0000

This was my 8th year participating at the Timberman 1/2 IM. Yeah, I really like this race. Although, It was quite a bit different this year under the new ownership. The race expanded to over 2,700+. This was about 800 more than last year and a far cry from the 500+ that competed in the first year. Here’s a pic of the transition area:

I drove up to the race on Saturday morning in the most comfortable ride around:

This car rocks!

I love this car.
I wanted to get up to the race venue early to register and get organized. I was able to catch up with teammate Mark Vermeersch and last year’s teammate Mike Lavery on Saturday at registration. They were looking super fit and ready to have some fun on Sunday. Both Mark and Mike had fantastic races on Sunday.
Race morning came in with perfect weather conditions. It was in the high 60s/low 70s and overcast. We even got a little bit of rain on the bike and run. You just couldn’t ask for better weather conditions. I always plan a race strategy with my coach, Paul Regensburg (http://lifesportcoaching.com/coaches.php). The strategy for Timberman was to swim hard, then build into the bike and try to hit the 2nd half more aggressively then the 1st half. We’ve had different approaches at the other races this year. While each race course and weather conditions are different, we’ve noticed that I’ve had problems maintaining a strong 2nd half bike this year in my 70.3 races. So for the Kona prep, the strategy was to hit the 2nd half hard and get the run right up to pace and hold it.
My swim wave was scheduled to go off at 7:55am. It was the 13th wave of the morning. I saw Zach Pratt before the swim start and I thought we might be able to work together on the swim. I had swam behind Zach at 70.3 Rhode Island. So, I thought that if we could work together on the swim, we could be more efficient. However, that game plan went out the window when we got about 400 meters into the swim and started to catch the wave in front of us. It became too crowded. So, I spent the entire swim by myself. This worked out ok as I just focused on finding my rhythm and trying to avoid the packs of athletes swimming on top of each other. I exited the swim in 27:45. My Aquasphere Ironman Icon worked perfectly.

I was out onto my Orbea Ordu and ready to try to put the game plan into effect: I settled in and made sure I got my heart rate under control. I relied on my Timex Global Trainer to dial in on my heart rate, speed, and cadence. I felt really good with the dialed down effort. I was also able to really focus on my nutrition and electrolytes. I still maintained a minimum of 800mg/hour of sodium even with the cool conditions. I found out later in the day that this was a very good strategy. I hit sections on the 2nd half of the bike, that I have really struggled with in the past. However, this year, I felt great. There were a few sections on the bike course that got a little dangerous with all of the extra bodies. There are a few steep downhill sections and there were a few people riding right out in the middle of the road and on their brakes. This created a little bit of an issue when a car was coming up the other side. However, that’s part of racing in the age group wave start format. I came off the bike in: 2:17:02. This was about a 2.5 minute CR for me. I was most pleased with how fresh I felt coming off the bike. I was really looking forward to the run.
I went through T2 pretty quickly and tried to build into my race pace. I felt really strong and I started to open up my stride at the 2 mile marker. Endurance racing is funny. You can feel great one moment, then the wheels can come completely off the next. Well, the wheels did not come off, but at the 2.5 mile point I got a massive cramp on inside of my left leg. It almost brought me to a complete stop. I shortened my stride and grabbed my Thermolytes. I started to chew on one. This was not enjoyable at all, but it was very effective. The cramp went away and I made it to the next aid station and took 2 more Thermolytes. In hindsight, it was fortunate that I was so proactive with the electrolytes on the bike. Things could have been a whole lot worse. I continued on my electrolyte dosage the remainder of the run. I felt really strong until the 11 mile mark, when my muscles started to fatigue a bit. I started to incorporate coke at this point for the simple sugars.

I was able to finish the run in 1:19:03, which was my best run on this course by 2 minutes. My overall time was 4:06:36 (my best time by 3.5 minutes on the course). This placed me first amateur overall and 9th including the pros.
Thanks for reading.
-Chris

70.3 Rhode Island

Christopher Thomas — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:55:42 +0000

One fact of racing triathlons is that each race is different. This was my 3rd year participating at 70.3 Rhode Island. I really enjoy the race. The point to point format makes the race unique. It is a bit challenging from a logistical standpoint, but the course is very fair. The swim is in the ocean off of Narragansette, RI. Then the bike rolls from the beach to downtown Providence, RI. The run is a two loop, hilly, course through downtown Providence.
The swim: 29:35
Paul Regensberg (www.lifesportcoaching.com), my coach, asked me to try to really hit the swim hard. I had qualified for the Hawaii IM at 70.3 Buffalo Springs and Paul wanted me to use this race to start my preparation for Kona. My wave was the 9th of the day. As soon as we started I jumped out to the front and tried to find the right feet to follow. I found feet and I swam with a high effort, but I don’t think this was exactly what was prescribed. I came out of the water quite a bit slower then I was hoping for. However, that’s racing. So I quickly made my way through T1 and out onto my Orbea Ordu.
The bike: 2:21:38
The gameplan for the bike was to take it out hard. This was a different strategy for me on this discipline. Usually I take the first part of the bike a little easier and build into the effort. However, the strategy this day was to go hard and see what I could do on the bike. However, I just couldn’t do it. I was having a hard time keeping my heart rate in my racing zone. I felt muscularly limited. I felt like I was riding pretty well, but I just couldn’t take it up a notch. So I just focused on what I could control, my caloric intake and maintaining a steady effort. As I said at the beginning: each race is different. In 2009, we had a tailwind on the bike section. However, in 2010, we had a headwind. It wasn’t too severe, but it was enough to slow my time by 7 minutes even though I had the exact same normalized power as 2009. I rolled into T2 feeling like I had kept my sodium intake (about 800mg/hr) at the right level. However, I had backed up a bit on my liquid calories. I tried to play catch up a little bit towards the end of the bike as I realized I hadn’t taken that much down. The result of this caloric tardiness was a bloated stomach as I headed out on the run.
The run: 1:18:39
I felt very awkward heading out on the run. So I just focused on shortening my stride and trying to maintain a quick cadence. A few of the pro men were starting their second loop as I was starting my first. So I tried to que off of them to find my pace. This strategy worked pretty well. I was able to hold a decent pace, although I did not feel fluid at all. I went with a slightly different fueling strategy for this run. Usually I hit the cola very early on the run to get the simple sugars. The cola is great to give me a lift, but it plays havic on my GI system. So I had decided to run with a flask of carbopro for the first 9 miles, then switch over to cola for the last 5k. Finally at about the 7 mile mark, I started to feel decent and find a rythm. While I had spent most of the run feeling off, my energy level had stayed very constant. In fact, this was the first race in a long time that I felt stronger at the end of the run. Every race is different.
I crossed the line and looked at my watch: 4:12:39. I was shocked. It was 10+ minutes slower then last year. As I started to talk to other participants I quickly realized that it was completely different race conditions then 2009. I found out later that I was the top amateur overall.

70.3 Buffalo Springs

Christopher Thomas — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:55:44 +0000

I guess I’m the last one to post on this one. Sorry, I hope this isn’t too long.
I started my trip to Lubbock, Tx with a little snag. I was flying out of Laguardia airport in NYC and I had a very quick connection in Houston, Tx scheduled which would have been great if all went smoothly. However, a mechanical issue delayed my first leg of the trip, which meant that I would be staying the night in Houston, Tx. This little delay actually worked out well as I was able to get a good nights rest in Houston before jumping on a puddle-jumper to Lubbock on Saturday morning. These things happen and its much easier to just roll with it, then get all upset with the little stuff.
Once I arrived in Lubbock, I started putting my bike together and soon realized that I had left my rear cassette at home. Fortunately, my friend Mike Zinn had a spare cassette and I was able to quickly get my bike set-up. I was really looking forward to this race. This was my first half 1/2 IM of the year and second race of the season(1st race report to follow). I had purposely scheduled a later start to the race season this year as I needed to really focus on my new businesses: Personal Training Professionals of Southport (ptpsouthport.com) and Lifesport Coaching (lifesportcoaching.com).
My fitness levels felt pretty good, but I was anxious to see how it would come together in a serious race with tough conditions. My coach, Paul Regensberg, laid out the game plan for race day. I needed to swim smart and try to find good feet to follow in the swim. Then start the bike out a bit conservatively in low Z3 heart rate and try to build the second half’s effort. The run was to be a similar approach since it was my first long race of the season and the temps were going to be in the mid to high 90s.
Pre-race was fantastic as I was able to hang out with 7 fellow Timex Athletes: Andrew, Alex, Cindi, Dennis, Laura, Tim, and Barry. I also got to catch up with former teammate Curt Chasney. The amateurs were greeted with the news that the swim would be wetsuit legal. I squeezed into my Aquasphere suit and headed down to the murky water to start the first leg. My wave was the 5th of the morning and as we started out, I was surprised how congested things were for the first 400 meters. I tried to find my own space and get into a rhythm. About half way through the swim I had a guy in my wave slide past me. I knew this was my opportunity to hang onto some good feet and I worked hard to get behind him. The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful with the occasional swimming over (sorry Dennis!) and getting swam over. I quickly headed out onto the bike and tried to stick to the plan. I was triangulating (not sure if this is a word) my effort by using my Timex Global Trainer to monitor my heart rate, speed, and power. I kept my stats under control and kept my new Orbea Ordu rolling along. I had my high points and low points during the bike. Everyone has different tactics that they use to get through the tough times. I always think of my three boys to help me get through the low points while racing. I had to draw on their thoughts a lot during this race. I would say that this was one of the hardest 1/2 IM’s I’ve done in a long time. The combination of a very deep, talented field with a very challenging course and the heat rising well into the 90′s all played into a tough day. The bike course has several out and back sections and at the 30 mile mark, we had a pretty good tail wind that felt great to ride with. However this same tail wind turned into a head wind on the return trip from mile 46 into the finish. It was pretty brutal, but everyone had to deal with it. I was very eager to get off the bike and start the run. My legs were feeling the effort of trying to push into the wind and I was a bit nervous to see how I would run off the bike. I felt pretty fatigued coming off the bike. Fortunately, I had dialed in my nutrition on the bike and I was able to take in all 800 calories in addition to about 800mg of sodium an hour.
I hopped off the bike and out onto the run with a guy from the 30-34 age group (their wave had gone off right in front of ours). He had a good pace going and I asked what he usually runs. He replied, “sub 1:20″. I was running in upper Z2 heart rate at the time and I thought this would be a good pace to hold for the start of the run. So I jumped on his shoulder and tried to settle in. We clipped along for 2 miles until all of a sudden he started running off to the left. I had no idea where he was going until I saw a porta potty ahead, that’s racing. Now I was alone and I had raised my heart rate into low Z3. This is right where Paul had asked me to run for the first half, so I kept the effort right there and just made sure my pace was about right using my Global Trainer GPS function. I had to start the cola at mile 2 of the run as I was feeling the bike effort. The run is a out a back course. This allowed the opportunity to see the whole pro race unfold as well as provide an opportunity to see all of my teammates on the course. Its such a huge lift to be able to race with so many teammates, especially out on desolate roads in Texas.
I made it to the turnaround point and attempted to pick up my pace and effort. It felt good to push harder for a couple of miles. Then at mile 10, things started to unravel a bit. I was experiencing some severe GI distress and my energy levels were dipping low. I took my first gel of the day and just tried to focus on maintaining a decent cadence. My form was falling apart and I was just focused on getting to the finish line in one piece. Finally I saw Magali Tisseyre up ahead as she was approaching the finish line. I got across the line in: 4:08:19. My splits were: 24:47(short swim)/2:19:27/1:21:33. I found out later that this placed me as the top overall amateur and I got my slot to Kona! So I’m heading back to the big island for the first time since 2005.
Chris

Clearwater 2009 Race Recap

Christopher Thomas — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:03:23 +0000

I started my 2009 70.3 Championship journey with the standard flight delay out of JFK airport. Things quickly turned for the better, however, when I landed in Tampa. Timex teammates Bruce and Andrew picked me up in a shiny bright red mini-van, sweet! We then drove to the condo that Bruce had lined up for the weekend. The place was amazing! It even had its own elevator. With the lavish accomodations the pre-race was a very enjoyable experience.
Andrew, Bruce, and I ventured over to the pier Friday morning to do a short swim. We were greeted with rolling surf that made swimming an interesting adventure. It wasn’t anything outrageous, but there were some decent size rollers and it was almost impossible to get into any type of rhythm while swimming out into the surf. However, once we turned back towards shore, it was a completely different story as the waves made it feel like I had fins on. We finished up our swim and I was able to catch the Lifesport swim clinic. Lance Watson was going through several race tips to deal with the rough conditions. However, both our swim warm-up and the race tips turned out to be unnecessary as the swim was moved to the bay side of Clearwater. While the decision to move the swim did not make Bruce “the shark” Gennari happy, it made our race morning jog to the start only 400 meters.

The race morning went pretty smooth. Bruce and I headed down to the swim start and found the lines moving very quickly. I jumped right into line; got my Aquasphere Icon wetsuit zipped up, and quickly found myself on the timing dock about to jump into the water. There really wasn’t any time for pre-race nerves and I focused on trying to get a decent effort going. The remainder of the swim was pretty uneventful. With the time-trial start, I had no idea where I was in relation to the rest of my age group, so I just went as hard as I could. It was a time trial effort from beginning to end. I exited the water in 27:23, which placed me as the 93rd amateur. I quickly made my way through T1.
Once I got through T1, I was really excited to get on my Trek Equinox TTX. I had just come off of my best bike training heading into the race and I was very eager to see if it would pay off. I quickly dialed into my appropriate heart rate zone using my Timex Race trainer. My perceived effort felt about right and my power output was also coming back with good feedback from my Saris Powertap. The time trial start seemed to spread things out a bit to start the bike, although there were some tight roads for the first 5 miles. I managed to get the cleanest roads I’ve ever had in Clearwater and I was able to really focus on my own effort. I did hit two packs during the middle section of the ride, but I was fortunate enough to get through them quickly. My nutrition and electrolyte strategies were pretty aggressive as I took down almost 1,000 calories and about 16 Thermolytes. This strategy worked for me as I was able to keep my energy level high and I did not experience any cramping during the entire ride. In fact, this was my first race of the season that I was able to keep my heart rate average up in zone 3. I rolled into T2 with a 2:04:17 split and I had managed to move up to the 4th place amateur position starting the run.
Paul Regensburg, my coach, had asked me to build into my run effort. He wanted me to avoid the adrenaline rush of the first 400 meters out of transition. The plan was to find my cadence and build the effort similar to a progression run. I had done several progression runs in training and that practice was a great source for me during the race. As I was approaching the .5 mile marker, Daniel Fontana (2nd Place Overall), went blasting by me. It was a little shocking and I wondered if my legs were fatigued from the bike. Then I saw the third place bike pull up next to me. I awaited the inevitable pass of the next pro. I was starting to find a decent stride rate and beginning to feel comfortable. I ended up running next to the bike for the next 3 miles. As I approached the aid station around mile 5, Matt Reed came up on my shoulder. I asked him if he wanted to go in front to get his calories in. He said he was just trying to hold his place and he was hoping I could pace him in. I told him that would make my day if I could. I then proceeded to go a little above my comfort level for the next mile and a half. I was thrilled to be able to hold it together for that stretch, but I was a little concerned I might have exerted a bit too much energy. I decided to grab my first cola of the day at the next aid station. The simple sugars kicked in quickly and I was able to keep my form together. I ran the 10th mile in 5:30. However, that fluid stride began to get labored in the 11th mile as my pace dropped to 6:18. I then climbed back over the causeway for the last time. I attempted to carry the momentum from the downhill section of the bridge, but I was starting to fatigue and my 12th mile came in a little over 6 minutes. I saw Paul right after the mile marker and he gave me some nice encouragement to push into the finish. I allowed myself to glance at my overall time for the first time during the run. I saw 3:47 and change. I then realized that I had a chance to have a finish under 3:53. My form went completely out the window at this point. I gave it everything I had. I saw Lance Watson with about .5 mile to go and he yelled to sprint to the finish. I tried, although it certainly was not pretty. I crossed the line with a run PR of 1:16:55 and a total time of 3:52:50. I was completely ecstatic to find out that this placed me as the first M35-39 and 2nd amateur overall. I want to thank Team Timex, Lifesport, and all of our phenomenal sponsors for a tremendous year of support.