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

I am realy shocked by my progress lately. I set 2 PRs in the past week! I ran the Lake Placid Half Marathon on Sunday June 10. A beautiful day, nice and cool, sunny with some clouds. It did heat up, but in the Adirondacks, the shade that early in the morning is still great air-conditioning.

So my last Half Marathon was a 2:09. That race was awfully cold and I was under-dressed. My IT bands also kicked in for that race and I was reduced to a hobble for the last 3 miles.

ANYWAY…..I set a big goal. I wanted to run under 2 hours to see if I could do it. I had my Bodylink on and the GPS unit on my arm. So by monitoring my heart rate and my real time pace I was going to go for it, or go at that pace for as long as I could! The first couple of miles I was in a big pack of people. Then it started to thin out. I was never really alone and I was trading spots with a couple of people depending on who stopped at what aid station. I have to say the station volunteers were great and I was out of character and a little rude to one person. VERY SORRY! I am not used to pushing myself like that and I think it really got to me towards mile 9. I also couldn’t understand what he was telling me. Totally my fault. EVERYONE - thank your volunteers!

So, in order to come in under 2 hours I had to maintain a sub 9-minute pace for the whole time. I was doing pretty well and my splits were really great in the beginning. I ran 4 miles in 32 minutes, then 7 miles in 1 hour. For me, thats pretty quick! I knew it would float up towards the end and it did, but by pacing myself this way I was able to buy time for the last mile or so that is mostly uphill. I hit mile 10 at 1:27. So I thought to myself, even if I run 10 minute miles, i will make it under the 2 hour goal! Phew. BUT I didn’t let up, and that was the big lesson I taught myself this weekend. Push yourself, you don’t know how far you can go and what you can withstand.

For those of you who have run the Ironman course there, it is about 85% the same course. A little different for the start and finish (ugh, that finish) but the majority is the same. A lot more pounding downhills in this course that I thought would be the end of my knee! (Big shout out to Cassidy and the TP roller!)

So the finish is this big ugly hill with SWITCHBACKS. When I hear that word, that can only mean one thing. STEEP. Oh man, they were steep. I was reduced to a jog, but i kept running. Then I ran the oval to the finish with very dead legs, trying to hold off anyone from passing me. I had a little over 1 minute when I hit the oval to make my sub 2 hour goal. My husband had finished ahead of me and came back to run the oval with me. He was giving me a countdown as I was trying not to blow up too soon. I paced it very well and had a kick at the last 100 yards. I always like to do that no matter how hard it is or how much it hurts. I made it! 1:59:18. WHOO HOO!

My other PR I did last night was a time trial. The Trek Equinox 7 WSD rode great for me. 10 miles, rolling hills. A month ago I did a 32 minute race. Yesterday was a 29:20! That was the first time I had broken 30 minutes on that course. I am so happy!

We are going up to the Whiteface Uphill Bike race Saturday June 16 and Ironman Coeur d’Alene June 24. Come and join us for some climbing pain! (I have a compact and a 27)

Well, it sounds funnier if you imagine some guy from NYC saying it, phonetically, “Wat’s a wat?” Anyway… I digress. The point is, what exactly is “a watt”? Technically speaking, it is a unit of power. Depending on how strict you are in terms of units, it is THE unit of power. Sorry America, horsepower is only for cars… It is named in honor of scientist James Watt, and it is equivalent to one joule/second, or the power required to generate one joule of energy every second. For those who don’t like joules, it is one kg*meter/second^3 (a joule is one kg*m/s^2), which is to say it is the power required to accelerate a one kg object one m/s^2 every second. Which is to say you need to increase an objects speed one meter/second every second every second. Make sense? Good…

Now that we have all that out of the way, let’s discuss what a watt really means. For you, as a triathlete, it is relevant to your cycling. It is relevant to swimming and running too, but in a more abstract way, since you can’t measure it directly. Well, you can’t measure it outside a lab. Fortunately, on the bike, you can measure it directly, and you can measure it with something that comes with you on every ride. There are three basic systems for measuring power out there: the SRM (the first real on-bike powermeter), the PowerTap, and the Ergomo. By all accounts, the SRM and PowerTap are the best, with the Ergomo receiving mixed reviews, usually dependent, it seems, on who installed it. All three systems measure the same thing, our friend the WATT. If you are considering a powermeter that is not one of the above three, STOP. I won’t name names, but you don’t want it.

Now, forgetting all that mumbo jumbo in the first paragraph, a watt is the power you, as a cyclist to overcome three things - air resistance, rolling resistance, and gravity. That’s it. Those are the only things slowing you down. Sure, it might be hot (or cold) or humid (or dry) or raining (or snowing). But none of that matters to the watt. Power is the same regardless of these things. Which makes power the only way to really gauge power on the bike.

BUT, and this is a big but (as opposed to butt, like wat and watt, only wat is not a word), you can’t forget about the other stuff, since that stuff does affect, to some extent, how many watts it takes your body to apply X watts to the pedals. They are not the same, which is why you get hot and sweaty when you exercise. But, generally speaking, a watt is a watt is a watt. And this means if you suddenly see someone flying away up a hill during a race, it is often a matter of seconds (if you are pacing with power) before you reel him back in because he doubled his power output to do so, and now his legs are toast. Of course, he doesn’t know this, because he doesn’t have a powermeter, so he is attacking the climb “old skool.” Which is fine, because then seconds later I pass him “new skool” style - with steady power.

Watts are also good because all those roads you thought were slightly uphill (or downhill) or slightly into a headwind (or tailwind) can be confirmed as such. Speed ceases to be relevant (not that it ever really was), and power is your new guide. It’s like the Force, only since power is ~force^3, we shoudl really call it THE POWER, since it is that much more hardcore than “the force.” For reference, if you want to be a super geek, which we know triathletes do, the unit of force is the Newton. So if you have buddies with Newton shoes, you can say your powermeter is tres cooler, even though tres is three times and we are talking cubed. But so watt? I mean, so what?

Alright, aside from the fact that you may be thinking I am crazy, how does this really affect you. The simple answer, it means you should get a powermeter. Specifically, one of the three I mentioned. Team CSC uses the SRM. Team Phonak used the Powertap. So either one is good enough to train to win a Grand Tour. Bjorn Andersson uses the Ergomo, so it’s good enough to set a multitude of fastest bike splits in triathlon.

Once you have said powermeter, you will begin training WITH power. This means that you will go out and ride and see what your power is. After you have done this for a while, you will then be able to start training BY power. And this is where you get real gains. Because you can set minimum effort levels for your workouts (and occassionally maximums for those rare recovery rides). So suddenly, you can be assured of a base level of quality on your long rides. And you can also make sure you don’t coast that road that really is slightly downhill and that you don’t toast your legs on that road that is slightly (or even more than slightly) uphill. And once you know how to train by power, you can also choose to race by power, which is the best way to ensure that you run well off the bike. Since that guy that drilled the uphill X seconds before you passed him, he probably isn’t going to run so well either courtesy of said toasted legs.

If you have ever said this (and most triathletes have), “I felt so good on the bike, but then I just died on the run,” the pacing by power is going to help you.

So what is a watt, really? It is the thing that is going to help you take your training (and racing) to the next level…

I love Vermont!  Ok let me change that, I love Vermont when it is sunny and warm!  Now that there is no more snow and it’s getting warmer the past few weeks I have been able to get in some great training, however, as with spring comes rain and mud season here in good old VT.  Let me share a recent experience with spring…

I was out for an 18 mile run (~29km for our Canadians and Europeans friends!) and having a short attention spam I decided to do one big loop, instead of several smaller loops/routes thrown together.  Now I also tend to take random turns and make up the loop as I go (the beauty of the Timex body link is I can always know exactly how far I have gone and where I went once I upload the workout the my computer!).   I was running along at about when, on a whim, I decided to take a turn and run about 3 miles on dirt trail alongside a river and some farms, normally a very scenic route.

About 2 miles in, the trail began to get a little muddy…no worries I’m tough.  Shortly after there was about a ten foot section of trail which was covered in about 6 inches of water, no problem, I’m water proof.  I continued to run along, now with the lovely sound and sensation of water squishing in my shoes.

I turn another corner and the river had totally flooded into the adjacent farm field, no problem, I can wash my shoes later.  I decided to run around the edge of the water through the field, however, the farmer must have recently fertilized…it didn’t smell very good and now the mud up over my ankles, Ummmm this was getting to be a problem.  I had thought about turning around, but I knew the trail ended and I could get back on the pavement in less that half a mile, so I continued to  trudge (it wasn’t so much running anymore) through the mud and…agricultural fertilizer, no problem, I’ll just shower really well after this run.    

I began to think this trail run may not have been a good idea.  On this little adventure the best was definitely saved for last.  I could see the end of the trail and pavement ahead, however, between it and me was what is normally a little trickle of a stream, only it had become a river!!  I’m serious, normally I could clear the stream in one small stride, however, this time I had to wade across about 10 feet (9 meters) with very cold water above my knee, normally I wouldn’t have cored too much, but that agricultural fertilizer smell was a little too strong for my comfort!  Houston, I think we have a problem!!

I made it home and considered burning my clothes and shoes, but decided to just take a shower first!  I have since decided that I need a new pair of shoes because my fiancé has made me leave them outside due to a rather unpleasant smell. 

Ahhhh! Spring in Vermont!  I figure as long as I don’t get into too many problems I should be ok!  Oh and for those who are interested as side from the above mentioned snafu’s it was a great run!! J

Swim Fast. Bike Strong. Run Hard.

-Alex

These are the four words that preceded a challenge my oldest daughter, Lauren, recently proposed to me.  Lauren swims for The Woodlands Swim Team and has been swimming competitively for half of her young life.  She gets a kick out of beating me in the water, and she does so with ease, and with just about any stroke compared to my freestyle-only swimming (I MIGHT be able to hold her off if I handicap her with breaststroke while I swim freestyle).  Yes, it is extremely humbling. 

I did not grow up swimming, and honestly, I have probably very little comprehension of the difficulties she faces in her races.  I have no clue what it is like to have to perform in a meet which has prelims and finals, where, if I am fortunate, I get to swim 14 individual races in a period of four days (not to mention relays).  But, c’mon…I HAVE raced a few marathons, some Ironmans, and several Half-Ironmans…so, really how difficult could it be?  My races last hours, and hers…for the most part she is finished in a couple of minutes.  

Ah, then those four simple, yet complex words, “I bet you can’t…”  

Lauren knows I have a competitive spirit, which when faced with somebody telling me “I can’t” do something, usually means that I will work hard just to prove that person wrong.  So, when Lauren and I were comparing the difficulties of triathlons versus swimming, she set a challenge for me.  She told me, “I bet you can’t swim a 200 fly even if you tried.”  I accepted the challenge…foolishly, maybe? 

The USMS National LC Championship will be hosted by my hometown Masters Swim Team this coming August, and Lauren graciously gave me until then to train and prepare for the 200 fly.  If I succeed, she gets to do my laundry.  If I don’t, well…we won’t go there! 

I have made the commitment to this race, and have engaged the help of The Woodlands Masters Swim Coaches.  While they are positive I will fulfill the challenge set by my daughter, I know it will take a lot of hard work and preparation. 

So, now you may wonder…WHY am I doing this?    

1.    To inspire my daughters to not be afraid of trying something new, regardless of their age.  “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”  -Babe Ruth
I did not grow up swimming, so the butterfly stroke is something I have viewed as a form of punishment.  Really, is the body meant to undulate like that?  It surely is not an efficient stroke, is it?  It might be a beautiful stroke, when done correctly, but the operative words are…when done correctly.  Regardless, the best way to inspire somebody is through actions.  Besides, if I don’t try…how will I really know if I can or cannot do something?  How can I expect my daughters to live up to a standard, unless I personally do the same? 
2.     To demonstrate to my daughters that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to as long as you properly prepare.  “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”  -Benjamin Franklin 
To date, I have been able to swim 1×50 meter butterfly, but of course, I get to the wall and am gasping for air and my entire body is completely exhausted.  Currently I might only be ¼ of the way there, but I am preparing for the 200 fly by religiously working on my core strength (with the help of Gaiam and Trigger Point’s Stability Pods), by taking swim lessons (thank you Fun IN Swimming), and by swimming, swimming, swimming.
3.     To motivate my daughters to pursue dreams outside of their comfort zone.  “If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”  -Thomas Edison
There is no doubt that attempting the 200 fly is out of my comfort zone, but it has now gone beyond a challenge, and has become a dream of mine.  Even swimmers acknowledge that the 200 fly is one of the more difficult races.  I can talk to my girls all day about the importance of pushing themselves to the edge, but I would rather have them watch their mom demonstrate the pursuit of a dream.  
 

Happy Training.