Crescent Moon Sprint Triathlon

I raced again this weekend, this time down in Cherry Creek at a Sprint Triathlon. It ended up being a pretty good sprint race for me, particularly within all the training going on. I actually got in a warm up this weekend which helped considerably with the swim. I was just off the back of the front guys, but it was still a much, much better showing than last week when I loaded up at the start and could barely keep my arms turning over.

The Bike was pretty blah; I just couldn't get myself to crank it out. I probably needed a bit of warm up on the bike which I didn't get (I did run before swimming though) and I really only felt like I had the bike under me in the last 5K of so. Unfortunately just before T2 I missed the turn and had to backtrack. It cost me some time, but most likely not a position.

The run felt good. I felt like I was able to run to the finish line at a solid tempo and wasn't running along clumsily as I sometimes do when in the midst of IM training. I held my fifth position and was cool with that.

I have a couple more training days here in Boulder, then an easy day followed by a travel day to Kona. From there I'll have two weeks until the World Champs on October 9th.

Until later,

-j

Harvest Moon Triathlon

A couple days ago I headed to Aurora (read:Kansas) to race a local Half Ironman (Harvest Moon) that's been around for the last ten years. Since I primarily race Ironmans, I sometimes go long periods of time without racing. With four weeks to go to Kona I felt it was appropriate to get out there and remember what it feels like to not be in control. I felt up and down all day. I came out of the water about two minutes down on the group, but I felt I could make that up very quickly on the the bike. However, I found it difficult to find any sort of rhythm until 30-40 minutes into the ride. At that point I started to slowly ride through the field and eventually made it to 2nd position. I hung out here until the end of the bike and started the run about 2-2.5 minutes behind the leader.

I started the run and really felt out of sorts. I was cranky and irritable so I knew I needed to get some sugar into me. A bad attitude is usually directly related to where my blood sugar is hanging out (remember that the next time you are fighting demons on the race course). After some sugar and few miles I started to relax and let the miles tick by. At the turnaround it really didn't look the gap had changed much so I just kept ticking away in my own little world. Finally with 4-5 miles to go I actually started to pick up the pace and the gap to the front came down dramatically in the final 5K. With one mile to go the leader was in my sights and I started to dig to try and get closer.

Unfortunately it was too little, too late and I finished in 2nd 15 seconds down from the winner. Nevertheless, it was a good way to finish the day after having a bit of an emotional and physical roller coaster up to that point.

I'm now in the final preps for Hawai'i. I have another 9 days here in Boulder before I leave for the big island on the 23rd.

-j

The Final Push

Cross-posted from www.endurancecorner.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Now that races are appearing all over the world, at all times of the year, it becomes more difficult to signify the "end" of the season. Having said that, many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are working towards our final season peak (between the months of September and November). This is a tricky time for many of us. On the one hand, we want to be our fastest of the year. On the flipside, we do not want our fastest day of the year to be on our local training roads.

Here are a few pointers to follow in your final build of the season:

Mix up the routes. It can be really tempting to go out and set PRs on some of your favorite training routes as you begin to reach your season’s final peak. Give some of these routes a rest until the next base period and find some new and interesting routes to train on. This will help keep things fresh as well as helping you avoid the constant need to set weekly PRs on the same terrain you have been training on all season.

Consciously hold back. When things are going well in your training, make a conscious note of how well you are feeling. Instead of picking the pace up or going even harder, just relax and know that when your race arrives, you will have that final gear. When this feeling becomes a constant in your training, you will know you are ready. Resist!

Learn from the season’s mistakes. Every season provides us with numerous learning experiences; in training and in racing. Take some time to actually sit down and write down the lessons you learned and how you are going to apply them to your last race of the season. Without recognizing the mistakes we have made, we are likely to fall right back into the same patterns. Allow yourself to have a moment of self-realization to become a new (and smarter/better) athlete this fall.

Do not forget to have fun. As the season comes to a close, it is common to feel as though certain sessions are a bit of grind. To help avoid this, remember what you truly enjoy. Allowing yourself to have a bit of fun in between the serious sessions will keep your more consistent in the long run. Nearly all of us got into this sport for this factor; don’t let anything take that away from you.

I hope you all have had a great season to date. Use the above tips to help you close out this season successfully.

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Epilogue: I would add: learn from the season's successes. I mentioned learning from mistakes, but you should never forget what has worked as well.

Lake Placid

Another day; another race. The more of these I do, the less I seem to have to write about them. I had never raced Lake Placid until this past weekend, but I have known plenty of athletes that have. I have often been told its a course "that suits me" so I decided to give it a try this year. Having trained on the course a bit before the race, I would tend to agree with other folks' thought process; it is a course that suits me: flat lake swim, balanced (and fair) bike course with a difficult finish, and a run course with some real hills in it. Coupled with a solid training block in June; I felt I was ready.

Race day turned out to be slightly different (as is often the case) and I found myself battling some unfriendly demons throughout the day. After a decent swim and first loop of the bike I just started to feel pretty wiped out and tired, but I did my best to hold the position I had been riding most of the day in (5th) until T2. Even though I was light years behind the two leaders (Twelsiek and Hoffman crushed the bike and I was 20+ minutes down), I was still within 7 minutes of 3rd and one minute of 4th at the start of the run so a position move (or two) was hopefully still possible.

Running out of T2 I could tell I was missing a pep in my step so I threw all concerns about mile splits out the window and just tried to find a zen place to run. I did move into 4th place within about a mile, but 3rd was nowhere to be seen. By the time I hit the first turnaround (around mile 6) I could see I was nearly 10 minutes off of third, but fortunately 5th place was still about 6 minutes behind. I kept myself motivated for the remainder of the marathon by trying to hold a solid gap on 5th place. I was really struggling to hold myself together on the run, but my position was holding and I did not concede; finishing the race in 4th place.

I know I didn't really convey the message above, but this was one of the most challenging days I have had in racing. My body just did not seem to want to race an Ironman that day, but unfortunately WTC wouldn't postpone the race to another day. Just getting to the finish line seemed like enough of a challenge on Sunday and I took a lot away from that experience (and was proud to finish 4th). I hope to push myself that hard on a day my body does want to race.

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Congratulations to Ben on his first Ironman win. He raced like a champion from start to finish.

-j

 

Lake Placid

Greetings from Upstate New York. I've been here in Glens Falls, New York since Saturday evening and will be heading to Placid tomorrow (wed) for the remainder of the week. I've enjoyed arriving out here a little early as it has allowed me to adjust to the time zone and climate (much more humid here). I should also get a chance to ride a couple sections of the course before we race on Sunday. I have not done this race before and I'm looking forward to racing on a new course (and a new month; never had an IM in July). I got out of Boulder just as it was getting ridiculously hot; and even though its pretty warm here, it seems mellow compared to the 100-degree desert days back home. We didn't have much of a summer last year, but mother nature is making up for it right now.

At any rate, all has been going well over the last couple months and I'm looking forward to getting back at it on Sunday. I'll be sure to turn around a quick race report after I race.

You can follow the day-to-day activites before the race on twitter: www.twitter.com/justindaerr

-j

May Racing + DNS at Boise 70.3

I never made an update about my couple races in May; one a local sprint, another Memphis in May. The Sprint race was a fun event that kicked off with a swim in 51 degree water. Even with 8+ minutes of swimming, I still had numb feet until Mile 2 of the run. I felt pretty out of my element since it was my first race since January, but it was good to go hard again. I pretty much got my butt kicked by everyone, but that's kind of the way it goes sometimes.

Memphis was an event to remember. The professional race starts at 10:30 in the morning and Memphis was forecasted to have record highs. I'm not sure what the exact temperature was at the start, but I think was well above 90 with the normal Mississippi Delta humidity to go along with that.

I started the race with an OK swim then headed out on the bike. All I could think about at the start of the bike was how damn hot it was. I was actually sort of chuckling to myself as I thought about how warm I was. BUT, I had anticipated the heat and made adjustments: I held back early on in the bike, ditched the aero helmet, and had two water bottles with me. Eventually I found a good rhythm keying off of Zach Ruble after he passed me and I came in off the bike with him and two other athletes.

Again, the run was hot. Once again I started to chuckle as I thought about how hot I was. I was running around the pace I would run in a long training run and it felt like I was running all out. I posted a 39:16 10K and it actually ended being the fastest run of the day to help give you an idea of how slowly we were all moving out there.

At any rate, it was fun. I finished 6th; one spot of the money, so I guess that part wasn't as fun. But I had a great homestay and the local triathlon club/community there was awesome.

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Boise 70.3

I didn't start. Unfortunatetly, a little more than a week out I tweaked something in my calf that forced me to take some rest from running. I've since recovered, but opted out of racing as I want to stay healthy for my training for Placid. I'm more focused on long course events, so I opting out of 70.3 was an easy choice in this situation.

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Next week I'll be participating in an Endurance Corner Camp here in Boulder, then four weeks later will be racing in the Adirondacks of NY. I'm climbing a lot of mountains on my bike at the moment so that Maik doesn't embarass me too much.

-j

Back From Moab

I got back from the desert last Sunday and frankly, I should have stayed out there. Its been cold, wet, and sometimes snowy for the latter half of this week in Boulder. Should make for some cold water at this weekend's Sprint race. They claim the water is 53, but it really hasn't even gotten that warm in the last 3-4 days. The camp last week took place in Fruita/Grand Junction for 3 days, then another 3 days in Moab, Utah. I have trained in Grand Junction before as I was there for over 3 weeks in 2006 for family stuff. However, I had yet to do two of the rides we did: Douglas Pass and the Grand Mesa.

Douglas Pass is an out-and-back ride from Fruita (for us) with a turnaround at the summit of Douglas Pass (8800 feet). For anyone that did the Desert Sun race back in the day, it includes the majority of that bike course. You spend the first 20 miles rolling through the desert before making your way to more "Colorado-like" terrain on the second half. The real climbing takes place over the last 4-5 miles, but you ride a false flat for a long, long time before then. The return would normally be a quick one, but we were greeted with strong crosswinds to end the day. At any rate, it kept us honest. Bring lots of water, there's nothing out there.

The second ride was up the west side of the Grand Mesa. We started the ride at the base of the climb below the town of Mesa and continued up nearly 5000 feet to the west side summit of the Mesa. You could ride down the other side and climb back to the top via the east summit. This will likely be an option we will take up next year, but it all dependent on the warmth of the weather in May. We had coffee and snacks at the Blink cafe in Mesa which was fantastic. Stop in and tell them I sent ya!

One last thing about this ride is the speed of the descent. It has long, open striaghtaways on good roads and many people reported seeing their fastest speeds on a bike EVER. I hit over 50 mph while braking.

The final ride of the trip is the loop that goes through the Colorado Monument. I opted out of this ride since I've ridden it countless times and I wanted to get one last swim in before we left for Moab (Moab pool is closed). However, it really is an amazing ride that takes you through one of the most unique spots in the country.

Additionally, while in Grand Junction we had several swims in the new Mesa State College Pool. The College built a brand new, 40-million dollar facility that includes a beautiful new 50-meter pool. On several occassions we had the whole place to ourselves. The staff was very friendly and accomodating to us and the general public drop-in fee is 5.00/visit.

After my trip to GJ in 2006 I told everyone that the training there was solid, but the swim facilities were the missing link. Well that sorted that in a big way. The final push might be getting them to set it long course once and a while when its not the summer months.

Off to Moab.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with the training in Moab. My only experiences in Moab have been camping, hiking, and mountain biking. And that was years and years ago. In fact, I had not been to town in ten years before last week.

While we were there we did three primary rides:

First: We did a short, late-day ride along the Colorado River to Potash. We did some paceline work here and just generally had a good time checking out the scenery and riding on the flat for a change.

The second ride we did was my favorite of the whole trip: The La Sal Mountain Loop. This ride takes you along the Colorado River, then up a 4000+ foot climb with some sweet sections of gravel, switchbacks and broken road before dropping you down to the South side of town. If you summit it from the South you get a nice climb that locals call "The wall." I really wanted a chance to ride it in the other direction, but that will have to wait for another trip.

The final ride we did was in Canyonlands Park on the Southeast side of Moab. This was one of the shorter rides unless you were one of the folks that rode back into Moab (another 35 miles). Next year we plan to make this a long ride by rolling from town to the park, ride the park, and ride back. Should end up being nearly 100 miles with some good climbing.

Its a fun area of the country and while its known for its mtn biking, you can definitely get some good road riding in. May has got to be one of the best months to be there, but book early because even the shantiest of motels was full while we were there. Camping is a great option and something I would likely do if I went there on my own.

I took it pretty easy this week so hopefully I can go alright in my first race since January. 20 men are toeing the line in the pro/elite race so it should be a hammerfest. Thankfully, its not too long of race.

j

snowing in boulder

It doesn't seem to matter that we are a couple days from May; it still snows in Boulder. I rode my bike to 10,000 feet yesterday without knee/leg warmers and I woke up this morning with a couple inches of snow on the ground. That seems to be the story this winter/spring. Boulder is known to be a great training locale, but the weather this spring has made it a bit up and down. I'm on my sixth week of training for the season and every week was somehow compromised because of the weather. Nevertheless, I think the extra rest has been good because I've managed to make myself plenty tired in the available time. I have another article coming out next week (I think) on the Endurance Corner website that addresses warming up so be on the look out for that.

Next week Gordo, Denny, Chris, Marilyn and I will be running/coaching a training camp in Grand Juntion, Colorado and Moab, Utah. It will be my first time back in GJ to train since 2006 when I was there for unexpected reasons. I haven't ridden my bike in Moab since 2000 when my dad and I went on a camping trip there. Interestingly enough, this was literally right when Gladiator came out and Robin Hood will be coming out while I am there. Ten years exactly from one Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe blockbuster to the next.

Until later,

j

Return to racing Post

You can read my latest article from www.endurancecorner.com here: http://www.endurancecorner.com/Justin_Daerr/return_to_racing

You'll start to see monthly articles from me on the Endurance Corner website in the future.

I've been short on updates as of late. Following the Endurance Corner Tucson Camp I started my training up with a more structured focus. The first three (well, really four) weeks were tough simply because training made me tired and recovery was prolonged. However, now that a few weeks have gone by I'm starting to feel like I'm absorbing the training instead rejecting it.

I also finalized plans for this upcoming season. Technically my 2010 season started with Wanaka in January, but in my mind, it was an extension from last season. I took a break in late January and February and have only been back at things for a short while. Having said that, I look forward to returning to a couple races I did last year: Memphis in May and Boise 70.3. I tend to have good luck with my second attempt at races so lets hope that rings true in the coming months.

As for Long Course races; I have Lake Placid and Hawai'i on the list for the back half of the season. I have never raced Lake Pacid and I haven't been to Hawai'i since 2004 so it should be a fun year of trying something new.

-j

Training Camps...

Here is a two-part article on training camps; I cut and pasted it here so the formatting is a little off. j

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Preparing for a Training Camp

A couple months ago I wrote an article about incorporating a training camp into your next (which is now) season. Late February and most of March is high time for triathlon and cycling camps in the Northern Hemisphere. This probably results from the assumption that most people have trained moderately for a couple months (mostly indoors for many) and are looking for a camp to really get their cycling rolling. This is a great idea and I encourage people to do this if time permits.

Ok, so you have sat on the trainer and ran in the snow for a couple months and now the camp is coming up. Chances are the camp will have a) significantly more cycling volume than you have done this season (perhaps 15-20 hours more than a usual winter week) and b) it will likely have more intensity. Both of these things are perfectly ok so long as you can ease back into your normal routine when you go home. Gordo and Alan have a great phrase: “Judge the success of a training camp by how quickly you bounce back.”

Here are some things you can do before, and during, the camp to make it a success:

1) You came here to ride. At most camps, cycling might make up 75% or more of the entire training volume (by hours). This might strike you are being heavily unbalanced, but remember why you are here: because you cannot ride like this at home; either because of time, weather, or both. It is ok to slow down on your runs and go easier on your swims this week.

2) Moderate your run training, but don’t cut it out. I like to keep the normal frequency of running by doing easy runs first thing in the morning or by doing quick, steady runs off the bike (15 minutes is great). I also suggest cutting your typical long run by 25-50% in duration to avoid excessive soreness.

3) Maintain your swim frequency and, potentially, your normal volume. Most triathletes regularly swim 2-3x per week and going below that amount is not something I would suggest. However, I do advocate the extra use of paddles and pull buoy during these camps if you do not have a swim background. Many athletes will find themselves too tired to generate enough stress for their swimming muscles and I think this is a good supplement during a cycling-emphasized training camp. Your swimming coach might be shaking their head at me right now, but I’m ok with that.

4) Prepare the office for your departure. One of the greatest benefits of a training camp is being able to isolate where your stress is coming from. Stress comes at you from every which way while you are at home, but hopefully at these camps it can come almost entirely from your workouts. Make your office well aware of your upcoming leave so that no one finds this news unexpectedly. Being able to immerse yourself entirely at the camp is essential to its success. Training like a pro is the easy part; recovering like one is the real challenge.

5) Learn something about yourself. I tell this to athletes on the first night of our training camps. This might mean something different to everyone that reads or hears this and that is perfectly alright. I believe that every training camp provides us with various opportunities to discover something new about ourselves. Don’t pass up on that when it prevents itself.

In my next article I will address how you can affectively recover from a training camp. I have made more mistakes in this area than any other and I want you to avoid similar pitfalls.

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Absorbing a Training Camp

In my last article I touched on how to approach an early season training camp (with a cycling emphasis). Now I would like to address what to do when the camp ends and you head home. Chances are; this is the area where you are most likely to make a mistake.

I would say that the average triathlete that attends a training camp typically trains about 8-12 hours/week in the early season; and if anything, it might be even less when averaged out. On the flipside, I would say the average training camp last 5-7 days and has a median training day length of 5 hours. Given this, you are looking at a 200% increase of volume for some athletes. Often times, achieving this increase in training is not that difficult to execute when you take away the normal daily (and weekly) occurrences of the working-athlete. However, when they/you get home, the challenges begin to present themselves again.

On the one hand, you want to allow yourself enough recovery from the camp before returning to normal training. On the other hand, the whole purpose of these camps is to get a boost in your fitness to use for further training and racing. You want enough recovery to absorb the camp, but you don’t want to fall off the wagon and negate the gains of the camp.

How much recovery should be taken? I think it depends on how big the camp was in relation to your average training load (for that time of year, not the whole season). A good rule of thumb is:

1) 1 day of recovery for every two training camp days (including travel days) if the camp was no more than a 50% increase of typical volume. 2) 1-1.5 days of recovery for two training camp days (including travel days) if the camp was 50-100% of your normal training load. 3) Equal amount of recovery days to training camps (including travel days) if the camp was over a 100% increase from your normal training volume.

To put this in practical terms: If the training camp ended Saturday, you traveled home Sunday and began recovery on Monday, you would either a) train easily until the weekend b) train easily for the entire week or c)you train easily until the middle of the following week.

If you trained an average of 10 hours per week, attended a 25-30 hour training camp, took a 5-7 hour recovery week and then managed to return to normal training, you would be looking at a very nice boost over the course of a two-week period. If you are taking 2, 3 or even more weeks to recover, then you are beginning to negate the benefits of the camp and you would have been better off stringing together 4-5 of your ‘normal’ training weeks instead.

The most successful training camps you do are the ones that allow you to return to normal as quickly as possible; only now your normal training loop is getting done a little faster than before. If you arrive home and don’t unpack your bike for a week then you might keep that in mind for future camps. Don’t cash in all your chips before the season even starts.

Post Wanaka Update

I've had a lot (read:about 5) people ask what I will be doing this season aside from Wanaka and Hawai'i. At this point I honestly don't know. From August to January I toed the line at 4 IMs (DNFing the first and then finishing 6th, 11th, 2nd); all within 20 weeks of one another. I certainly learned a lot in that time frame, but it left me a little tired as I sit here thinking about it. At the moment I'm focused on getting ready for the Endurance Corner Tucson Camp that takes place from March 7-14th. We have been fortunate enough to run a successful camp for the last two years and right now I'm trying to keep that rolling. Once I get back I can start to think about what (and where) I want to race. I would like to do a long course race in the summer, but not sure of which one just yet.

In the meantime, I'll have a 1-2 more articles rolling out in the next couple weeks. If you have a topic you would like me to cover please email me through the contact page. I'm always looking for ideas.

cheers,

justin

Latest Article

Latest article from www.xtri.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Avoiding early season setbacks” is a common theme on triathlon, cycling, running, etc. publications/websites at this time of year. While it is only the last week in January, some of you might still be receiving this advice a little too late. Additionally, many people follow all the rules and do all the right things only to find themselves in the exact same place.

Ok, so here you are. You made all these fantastic plans for this upcoming season. You were going to eat right, train hard, recover better and, most importantly, go faster. Then all of a sudden you get sick, you get injured, you get overworked, or just generally get off track. At any rate, your idea of a perfect season has slowly drifted away. If, and when, this occurs, you should do your best to keep the following in mind:

1. The perfect season does not exist. When you sat down to write out your season plans and goals you might have forgotten that no season in the past has gone perfectly according to plan. No matter how well we plan or how hard we try, we will never be granted a perfect season simply because life does not work in a vacuum. “Perfection” is ultimately subjected to our reactions to life’s curve balls. Always doing our best, in every given scenario, is all we can ask ourselves.

2. Stay in the moment. If you find yourself recovering from an illness, injury, or some other life circumstance, it is important to stay in the moment. Do not get caught up in missed opportunities and be wary of trying to ‘force fitness’ with constant ‘make-up sessions.’ Instead, consider what got you here in the first place and make the appropriate decisions that will help you get back on top of your game.

3. Success, in racing or otherwise, happens in spite of bad things occurring. “Bad things occurring” mean this: people who succeed don’t have better ‘luck’ than you or me. This is somewhat of a continuation of my first point, but I think it deserves some extra emphasis. Every time I have let my ‘bad luck’ get the best of me I have lost the race before the gun even went off. My bad attitude would not even allow me the chance of having any level of success. Do not let the same thing happen to you; as I said before: do your best no matter what.

When life challenges you, just smile and get back out there. As trite as it may sound, we cannot control what happens to us; we can only control our reaction(s).

Challenge Wanaka 2010

This past weekend I had the pleasure of competing in the 4th annual Challenge Wanaka Event on the south island of New Zealand. I raced to a 4th place finish last year and I returned this year with hopes of improving on that performance. I did my preps for the 2009 edition in Australia, but this year I opted to stay at home in Boulder for my training. I had some interesting challenges with the weather, but I still felt good about my conditioning in the final lead up.

 

Wanaka had been experiencing some cold weather in the weeks before the race and when I showed up the lake was less than 13 degrees Celsius. We had nice race-week weather which likely moved the temperature up a couple degrees, but it was still one of the coldest swims I have done. Last year we had warmer water, but fairly rough conditions. This year the swim was dead flat and fairly uneventful for me. I ended up pulling the second pack of the swimmers around the course and I exited the water side-by-side with eventual winner, Richard Ussher (NZ).

 

After a mediocre T1 (but way better than T1 last year) I was off on the bike. A couple of riders, including Ussher, pulled away from me quickly during the opening 40K of the bike (which is very hilly); I tried to close the gap, but they proved to be too strong on this section of the course.  As we headed out of town to tackle the meat of the bike course I was concerned that a group of three had formed up the road and I was left in no-man’s land. This was not how I had hoped for the first couple hours of the race to unfold.

 

Nevertheless, I felt good and I settled into a nice rhythm about two minutes off the group. I forgot how rough NZ chip roads can be, but I had plenty of alone time to take notice. The bike is a one-loop course with one short out-and-back at the 160K mark. As a result, I had to wait quite some time to see how my position on the bike was developing. At this point I could see that Ussher had ridden off the front, but 2nd and 3rd place were within about three minutes.

 

I was not in the position I had hoped for coming off the bike (4th), but I looked forward to seeing what I could do on the run. I settled into a nice rhythm after the first few Ks and around the 6K mark I heard that 3rd place was only 30 seconds up the road. This motivated me as I have never finished 3rd in an international race and within about ten minutes I had taken over the 3rd place position.

 

The first loop of the run continued fairly uneventfully and around the 17K mark I could see that 2nd place still had over 3 minutes on me. As we returned to town and headed back out for the second loop I got a split of about 2:40 to second place. The gap to second had not come down for 21K, but all of a sudden it dropped about 30 seconds.

 

I continued to tick along and I wasn’t sure whether or not anything had changed, but around the 28K mark I could actually see second place running on the trails. After exiting the trail section (10K to go) it looked as though the gap was now only a handful of seconds and by the top of Gunn Road (8K to go) I took over 2nd place.

 

In 2008, when I was racing Ironman Canada, I managed to run into 4th place with about 5 miles to go, only to be passed by the former 4th place runner in the last mile (and subsequently finished 5th). As a result of this, when I moved into 2nd place on Saturday I started running scared and I never slowed down until I crossed that finish line. Only then was I content that I wouldn’t be caught. This fear is likely what helped me post the fastest run split of the day as well as a new marathon PR.

 

Last year and I came off the bike in 2nd and finished 4th. This year the exact opposite occurred. Perhaps I can find a way to ride like last year and run like this year in the future, but for now I am quite pleased with how things turned out. Wanaka has been good to me for the past two years and I really enjoy racing there. The race is like no other. If you are looking for an honest course in a beautiful place, head to Wanaka next January.

 

cheers,

 

justin

Headed to Wanaka tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon I will start my 30 hour journey to the south island of NZ. My brother and sister-in-law will be joining in LA so at least I'll have someone to talk to for most of the trip. Its freezing in Boulder at the moment, but the training for this race has gone fairly well considering the time of the year. I spent a little over two weeks in Tucson before Christmas and that seemed to give me a nice boost of fitness after returning to Colorado 2+ weeks ago.

I'm excited that its 2010 and I'm glad I have the opportunity to start things off on a positive note next week. I really enjoyed racing in Wanaka a year ago and I expect the same this time, but I wouldn't mind if the rain and cold could hold off while we race. Nevertheless, training in Boulder in Dec+Jan makes most conditions seems reasonable.

I'm not sure I will be checking in here before the race, but you can follow updates on twitter:

www.twitter.com/justindaerr

-jd

Afterthoughts of recent article

I recently wrote an article called "The Extra Gear" on xtri (posted below this). After finishing I had an afterthought that applies nicely. I was standing on deck at the Elks Pool in Boulder with Wolfgang Dietrich. He was coaching the club team there and they were in the midst of a workout that consisted of some best-effort distance repeats. Wolfgang and I were chatting and he pointed out that the times the fast lane was swimming was far, far below their racing potential, but he continued by stating that "he didn't care." His reason, he explained, was that they all show up on race day.

Something happens when they step on the blocks and they become their potential. As long as that continued to happen, Wolfgang had little concern with having them hit faster times in training.

This was a very insightful move by a coach. This coach knows how to get performance from his athletes when it actually matters. Its a nice balance of art and sport.

jd

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Article:

The Extra Gear

Have you ever had a training partner that you can train side by side with, but seems to pull away from you every time you both race? I bet you do.

How about the flipside: Do you know someone who is always dropping you in training, but finishes well behind you on race day? I bet you do.

A few months ago I was reading one of Bobby McGee’s books and he mentioned how crucial it was for Long Course (tri)athletes to hold back during their long training; particularly as they approach season best fitness before their key race. Many years ago, I remember reading an article (or interview) with Peter Reid in which Peter recalled training with Mike Pigg. On one particular day things were going along nicely in training and Peter shifted to the biggest gear: the 11. Mike turned to him and said “save the 11 for race day.” That statement stuck with Peter and, in turn, Peter’s recollection of the moment has stuck with me (Thanks).

It is easy to understand why we, as athletes, want to get into that last gear. If we are convinced that hard work produces results, then harder work must produce even better ones. However, chances are that the results you want on race day were left in those best effort sessions conducted day after day in your training. A much better scenario is to conduct your training in a manner where you consistently find yourself holding back.

In a recent conversation, B. McGee mentioned that the power behind consistently holding back shows itself on full force on race day. Why? You will have something that no one else has. You have the extra gear available to use when you so desire. Everyone else has exposed their capabilities in training; while you toe the line ready to discover yours.

When I was 14 years old I got my first job: carrying skis for tourists at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. My father told me that the first 250 dollars I earned had to be put into a savings account which he would then match to bring me to 500 dollars. From then on I could spend as much as I wanted, but the 500 had to remain in the account. 500.00 had become the new zero. This seemed highly irrational at the time; especially when you consider how long it took me to get to 250 when I was only working after school one day a week (and the minimum wage was 4.25/hour).

It took a while, but my father’s point finally kicked in and I still apply this minimum balance principle to this day. I might never spend that 500 dollars, but I still could; that’s the point.

When you arrive on race day, you can have the psychological edge of having that last piece of your fitness that has yet to be used. When everyone else is cashed out, you will still have somewhere to go.

Have a great 2010 everyone,

Justin