The Becker Buzz
August 19, 2007
“Pre Ironman Race Sandwich”

My last race seemed like an eternity ago and since then a lot has happened, so I thought I would update everyone as to what I have been up to as Ironman Wisconsin approaches. I have put all of my ‘eggs’ in the Ironman basket this year. My training called for me to hold back for a huge portion of the year, this was something that was new to me and was also something that proved to be move difficult than I thought. But my coach, Luis Vargas, assured me that there would be a time to go hard and that it would pay off.

Well that time came and we decided to insert two races into the schedule. The races were treated as HARD training sessions. They would follow a big training block and would be preceded by 3 easy days. Here is a results summary, with details below.

Iron Abe Olympic

July 29, 2007

Swim: 22:27 Bike: 56:58 Run: 36:46 Finish 1:57:22

2nd Overall

http://www.onlineraceresults.com/pdf/5997.pdf

Pleasant Prairie Olympic

August 19, 2007

Swim: 19:13 Bike: 58:05 Run: 35:11 Finish 1:54:44

1st Overall

http://www.pleasantprairietriathlon.com/raceresults/index.asp

I found the Iron Abe Triathlon just a little over a week before I needed race. It was about a 4 hr drive south to Springfield, IL (birthplace of Abraham Lincoln…thus the name “Iron Abe Triathlon”) and I seemed like a good race. Oh yeah, it gave an opportunity for a small paycheck as well. Anyway, I stayed with a friend in the area and before I knew it I was getting set up on race morning.

The water was WARM, so there would be no wetsuits. But I had my Blue Seventy Pointzero3 speed suit. Through some testing done in the pool by myself, as well as another teammate, I knew that this suit could save a few seconds per 100m. The gun went off and I found myself gapped by a few meters, at the first buoy. I really try to build my swims to allow for me to have a few options as things sort out. In doing so, I was able to close the gap by the turn and decided to sit comfortably in the group. About ¾ of the way through the swim, I realized that there was another swimmer off the front!!! I had sworn that we were the first group, but there was another swimmer about 75m up. I tried to lift the pace, but it just wasn’t worth it.

I hopped on the bike and just tried to get into a good rhythm. The ride was flat, so I could see the lead rider just ahead. I was steadily clawing back time and the gap was down to about 40sec at the turn around. The roads were not all that smooth, but one really nice feature of the TTX is that the carbon really eats up the vibration from the roads. On the way back I got within about 20sec, when a car that was stopped at an intersection, decided to do a Y turn right in front of me. I nearly lost it, but managed to squeeze through. It was a bit frustrating, as the gap was now back to about 40 sec.

After a quick T2 I was out on the run about 30s down. I felt ok, but legs were just not there. I had only been doing speed work for a few weeks and I didn’t have the turn-over that I needed. Daniel Bretscher, a very talented short course guy, took the overall win and I cruised in about 2min back. It was a solid day, but I knew that I could do more.

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In the 3 weeks after the race I put in my most intense IM specific block of training. I was a little MIA at times, but I got through it. Ironman is so much more than just how many watts you can push and what pace you can run at what HR. There are so many unknowns that need to be addressed. This was where my focus was over these weeks and while I reached new levels of fitness, I also answered all those questions. I was now hoping for a good “fitness pop” before I start to taper.

After 3 lighter training days, I felt ready to give a good effort. I awoke to POURING rain….which was beginning to feel like the norm. We have had almost 10 inches in the last week alone and it wasn’t looking like it was going to stop for the race. I drove an hour to the race site from a relative’s house and was debating turning around, just about every exit. I arrived, parked and rode my bike from the remote parking to the race site…in the POURING rain. The buzz around the race site was that they would make an announcement soon. Well, somehow the weather let up and they decided to give things a go.

After a quick set-up, I put on my Helix…aka, “Second Skin” and jumped in the water for a good swim warm-up. I jumped out and we all lined up on the beach for the downhill FAST start. The gun went off and we sprinted for the water. I went out strong to find some feet and it worked out well. I was fourth in line and we were alone. Only problem is that the two guys directly in front of me popped, one-by-one. I pulled around and worked it solo for the remainder of the swim. I held the gap of about 15seconds and hopped out in a new PR of 19:13.

I got onto the bike and didn’t feel great right away, but tried to stay smooth. My Timex HR Monitor showed that I was where I needed to be, and my Powertap SL showed good power. I knew that it was just a matter of time until I felt better. I never got into a groove, but did hit the wattage that I had hoped for.

I came off the bike with a good lead, but still tried to push the pace as much as possible. I wanted to see if I could make a good improvement in my run split from my previous race. I came through mile 1 in 5:26 and felt good with a HR of 168. I knew that my training was working and pushed, but also enjoyed the rest of the race. I crossed in 1:54:44.

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I now have three weeks until Ironman Wisconsin and I feel like I am right where I want to be. I have a great team, coach and support system to hopefully let everything fall into place on Sept. 9. I will check in again as we get close. Thank you to everyone for their support. Please visit my website for more info, www.blakebecker.com

My Coach Luis Vargas: www.luisvargas.com

Saris Cycling Group – www.saris.com

Timex Team Site: http://teamtimex.timexblogs.com/

Madison Trek Bike Store: www.trekstoremadison.com

Fleet Feet Madison: www.fleetfeetmadison.com

Blue Seventy Wetsuits: www.blueseventy.com

Last weekend I got a chance to race Eagleman 70.3 for the first time.  Coming into the race I wasn’t sure how I would feel since I had raced Florida 70.3 three weeks before and I had never done two races this long this close together.  On the morning of the race though I put the negative thoughts out of my mind and just thought about EXECUTING my race. 

The swim started out relatively mild and pretty soon I found myself a good pair of feet as I began my quest to hold on to the front pack.  The pace felt pretty hot but I really thought I could come out of the water in the first pack if I had a good swim so I was determined to try and push it a bit.  About a third of the way through I tried to look as far ahead as I could and from what I could tell I was sitting in about 5th or 6th position in the first pack, which I was happy about since my efforts were paying off.  Then about two thirds of the way through a couple guys got off the front but I was in no position to chase.  So I maintained my pace and was really pleased to hear that I was the 5th guy exiting the water. 

Out onto the bike and the Trek was feeling smooth, as always.  It’s such a responsive ride that it is really effortless to get up to speed which is so nice after a hard swim.  After riding alone for quite some time, a group of three guys passed me about an hour into the race.  Unfortunately, I was hoping to see these guys much later on as I was hoping I had put more time into them in the swim.  So after that I really had to focus to make sure to lose as little time as possible.  The rest of the ride was uneventful and I came out of T2 in 11th or so place.    

Ahh, the run.  Time for me to attempt to have a respectable result.  Within the first couple of miles I had passed two guys and was feeling good, probably a little to good in retrospect as my splits for those were 5:38 an 5:23… a little too fast.  I finally settled into my pace (between 5:40s and 5:45s) which I felt good about since it was overcast and still pretty cool.  Then I got an update from someone on the course that I was in 8th.  8th! That means I only have to pass one more guy to get some money… and I can see that guy!  About a mile later I passed him and was feeling good heading into the turn.  At the turn I noted that the next person was two minutes up the road and I immediately thought I had a chance of catching him and moving into 6th.  On the way back however I ended up just trying to maintain my pace as my hip flexor started acting up.  Unfortunately I wasn’t gaining any ground on the guy in front so I just focused on keeping my form together and finishing strong.  Another bonus was that I noticed that I was on pace to finish under 4 hours and have a huge run PR so I was pretty stoked.   

Crossed the finish line in 3:58:xx, a new PR good for what I thought was 7th place.  As it turns out, I was in fact 8th.  Bummer.  No beer money for me.  But wait, there was a prime for the fastest run of day.  I checked the preliminary results and I had posted the fastest run of the pros which was also a huge new run PR of 1:14:32.  So surely that was good enough for the prime?  Nope, nipped again.  As I found out hours later an amateur ran 1:13 which meant I was one place out of the money once again.  Still, with a new 70.3 PR and a new run PR I couldn’t be too upset.  Plus, they had some decadent Sara Lee carrot cake at the finish which was being served by one of the kindest old ladies I’ve ever met.  Good for you?  Not exactly.  Delicious? Absolutely.  And after 4 or 5 pieces of that, I certainly couldnt complain. 

“The Becker Buzz”
June 10, 2007
 “Buzzing Down To Rockford for the Weekend”
Rockman Race Report
 

Swim: 28:22   Bike: 2:16:03   Run: 1:24:40   Finish 4:11:39
1^st Overall
             The Rockman Race Director, Chip Griffen, asked if I would like to come down for the weekend to race the inaugural Rockman Half Ironman in IL.  The race sounded like it had potential to be a great one down the road, so I committed. 
 

            The Rockman Race Director, Chip Griffen, asked if I would like to come down for the weekend to race the inaugural Rockman Half Ironman in IL.  The race sounded like it had potential to be a great one down the road, so I committed.              I have just joined up with a new coach, Luis Vargas (www.luisvargas.com), who works with Mark Allen at the www.markallenonline.com coaching website.  After training with Luis for only 2 weeks, I really feel that he knows what my specific limiters are and how to improve them.   I am very excited for Ironman Wisconsin on Sept. 9, knowing that I will be fully prepared to rip that race.
 

            I made the trip down to Rockford on Friday to scout out the course and relax a little bit, thanks to the race management who put me up the host hotel for the weekend.  I got in and was pleasantly surprised to find that my hotel room was upgraded to a suite because of overbooking.  WOW, all I got to say is that taking an Epsom Salt Bath in a Jacuzzi is SAAAWEEET!
 

            The course looked to be challenging and beautiful.  The race took place in Rock Cut State Park, which is a few miles north of Rockford and only about an hour south of where I am living in Madison, WI.  The two loop swim was straight forward.  The only issue would be negotiating the weeds on the backside of each loop.  The bike was an out and back with the first 15 and last 15 miles having numerous steep rollers.  The run was, well, HARD!  There were steep ups and downs for probably 75% of the run.  We were protected from the wind, but not always from the sun, making fueling and hydration even more important.
 

            Race morning I got into the water for the mass start swim and bobbed around for a while in my Blue Seventy Helix Wetsuit….This is my second year in the suits and I love ‘em.  Gun went off and I found myself in the front pack with some guys that can really swim.  We made the first turn and all of a sudden my goggles were pulled down by a huge clump of weeds.  I flipped over, adjusted the goggles and kept working.  I had only lost a few meters, but couldn’t close the gap in the weeds.  I finally had to swim with my head out of the water, which caused my low back to get a bit tight.  I backed off a touch and let the group go, now focusing on getting my back to relax.  After several hundred meters, I finally was able to pick up the effort again and exited the swim in 8^th position.
 

            I got onto the bike in 6^th and planned to keep things pretty civil for the first 20 miles or so.  I needed power data, I so was riding my training wheel built with a Power Tap Pro Hub and a disk cover (thanks to my good friend Josh for lending it to me for the weekend).  It weighed about 400lbs, but having the data was a lot more important than an extra few minutes on the bike.
 

            I caught the leader at about mile 20 and then picked up the pace.  To my surprise, he stuck with me.  As we headed back into the wind and over a few rollers, he was really punching it.  I wondered if he could keep this up.  I raised my effort a bit through last part of the rollers at about mile 45 and opened a gap that quickly turned into about 90sec.  I have really started to love my Trek TTX.  The machine is aerodynamic, super stiff and is a bike that suits almost all types of terrain.
 

            I got out onto the run and relaxed through the first section of steep stuff.  My HR was steady and comfortable, while my pace was quite good for this terrain, about 6:30/mi.  I ran strong and kept pounding the salt tabs, which I feel are the key to long distance success.  I enjoyed the beautiful course and great volunteers that were at the aid stations.  I approached the 11mile turn around and saw a gap of about 7 minutes.  I cruised the last downhill and arrived at the line in 4:11:xx.
 

            The day revealed a lot of information that I feel show signs that I am getting strong.  I saw a 4% power improvement from my previous HIM PB and felt that my run was very strong given the terrain.  I want to thank the Rockman Race Management, especially the race director Chip; this race is going to get big.  The Timex Multisport Team along with all the affiliated sponsors, The Trek Bike Store of Madison and Fleet Feet Madison for supporting me this year!  You guys are great!
 

            I look forward to seeing everyone soon.  I will be racing some local TT’s and road races, as I prepare for my next race in Lake Stevens, Washington on July 8^th.
 

Here are some related links:
 

Rockman Race Website: www.rockmantri.com
Race Results: http://www.onlineraceresults.com/pdf/5615.pdf    
 

Timex Team Site: http://teamtimex.timexblogs.com/
Madison Trek Bike Store: www.trekstoremadison.com
Fleet Feet Madison:  www.fleetfeetmadison.com