Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Strength Training

There is always a lot of debate in the world of endurance sports about the benefits of strength training.  There are those that say specificity is key and to get better at swim, bike, run you should use your time swimming, biking and running.  Then there are those who say that weight training can help on reduce the volume needed in endurance sports to get the same or better performance.

I am of the camp that says weight training if done properly and woven properly into a training regime will produce benefits that sole S,B,R will not.  Those benefits being reduced overuse injuries due to your body being able to handle more with it being stronger, less over training, possible more power to unleash in the water, on the bike and on the run and finally a better overall physique.



If weight training is good enough for Lance it is probably good enough for me.  That is a joke because Lance is a phenomenon and we cannot really compare what he does and extrapolate that to ourselves.

In closing I am going to start incorporating some basic workout stuff, crossfit and running into my weight lifting 2 times a week.  This way I accomplish some easy running and build some strength.  I say if you like lifting do not give it up and if you have time and know how to lift properly it really won't hurt and it will get you off the trainer and out of the water for a little while.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Day 5 of 32 Day Challenge

Well we are on Day 5 of Spinervals 32 Day Challenge and I may not still be eligible for finishers medal but I am really enjoying the challenge.

Coach Troy is doing a very good job of mixing up the workouts so that we are not trashed each and everyday. I have been adding extra running and it seems to be going ok as well.  I am doing one speed workout a week to make sure I maintain that and one long run a week with my wife and son in the baby jogger for SAUs (Spousal Approval Units).

It is great having so many people going through the same workouts day after day and it is rewarding to be able to post successes and reassuring to know that in failure people are there to pick you up.

Starting Friday the 9th through Sunday the 18th Coach Troy is going to separate the men and women from the boys and girls.  That stretch coming up is extremely daunting and it is going to mentally and physically going to take a toll but again knowing that others are suffering makes it just a bit more bearable.




Picture from Coach Troy's Blog but might as well be my DVD collection as I now have over 20 Spinervals DVDs.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Day 1 of Spinervals 32 Day Challenge

Well Day 1 could have definitely started better.  First, I had to wake up at 3am and help the wife get up to get some things done she needed to get done for work. Second, about 30min before I was supposed to wake up again and do my Threshold Test I woke up in pain from one of the worst and totally unexplained calf cramps I have ever had.

So, dejected I had to scrap the threshold test as it would have done me no good to plug away at it with a bum calf. So, instead I chose to do an aerobic day which is Day 2 of the challenge. Being that my morning was ruined with a sore calf I decided I would use my lunch break and hammer away the stationary bike in Zone with some cadence changes and a few zone 1 spins.  Below is a picture of me midway through my lunchtime Zone 2 aerobic base building ride.



Yes the picture is bad but my phone needs to be relieved of its duties soon.

Tomorrow morning I am set to knock out a threshold test.

So, I think I have already failed the challenge and its day one, but with the baby, my wife's schedule and my own schedule I do not think I would have hit all the workouts anyway.  This though does not stop me from continuing and seeing what % of the workouts I can hit over the next 31 days.  My realistic goal is to miss less than 4 workouts.  I will also do my best to not conveniently make those missed workouts be Tough Love and Hardcore 100.

Well lets hope the body recovers from the random cramp and I can put up some decent numbers tomorrow morning.  Hoping to have my Threshold around 250 watts which is 4% growth over my test 2 months ago.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Intensity and Knee Pain

Well two posts in one day is a rarity but I needed to post this training update.

As a coach I try out stuff before I release it to my team.  I have been working on a very high intensity program for the past 8 weeks focusing on building my threshold on both the bike and the run. Today on the run I think all that intensity caught up with me and I was stricken with knee pain that has continued for a few hours now.

I am going to lay off running for a few days.  Focus on cycling and the 32 Day Challenge and see how the knee responds.  I am hoping this is a fleeting thing but we will see.

On the flip side this is why I test things out first.  This appears to have been too much intensity for the age grouper body.  I am young as well so anyone who is older I would see having even more issues with this training plan.  As is this training protocol will not make it onto the plans of my clients.

Like most things intensity is good but it has to be in correct amounts.

 I am not positive if the intensity over time has caused the knee issue but I cannot point the finger at anything else.

Offseason & Spinervals 32 Day Challenge

Offseason:
Well even though I did not really take much time off from training as I have been doing a ton of Threshold workouts I have taken the offseason to not eat like I should and endulge in things I otherwise would not have.  This has resulted in me being about 10-12lbs over the weight I would like to be for IMTX in May.  So, for the most part my offseason eating whatever I want is pretty much over.  I will not get too strict till February but I am starting the process now.
Changes Going Forward:
Less monster energy drinks, cokes, sweet tea, beer and more water.
Less sweets and more fruit (apples and bananas being my go to).
Less second helpings at dinner time.

Spinervals 32 Day Challenge:
Well because I thoroughly enjoy Spinervals and have a rather large library of DVDs I am going to partake in the Spinervals 32 Day Challenge that Coach Troy has put out there on Twitter and Facebook. I have already planned these 32 days for myself but I think this challenge could be the extra kick in the butt to get the workouts in more so than the normal.

The main problem I am going to have to work through is getting in my other sport activities while on the 32 Day Challenge but I will figure it out. The challenge starts this week and I will do my best to keep updating the blog with how the challenge is going and how I am incorporating other sports.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

New Bike and Training Slow Down

Well I found an awesome deal on a 2010 Trek Speed Concept 7series and swept it up. I just got it back all built up and I am super excited about riding it.  Problem is the seat post is too long but already scheduled my fit appointment with Tad Hughes from http://www.tadhughescustom.com/ probably the premier bike fitter in Houston and maybe all of Texas.

I have already sold my other tri bike so this is where the training slowing down comes in.  I am training on my roadie which I love but I cannot do long threshold intervals on my road bike.  So, I am still working on the intensity but have not reached my 2x20min intervals yet.

Looking forward to the bike being done and the new fit.  Maybe get a few free watts out of the fit and be a little faster on the road with the Speed Concept.

Friday, October 28, 2011

This Weeks Training = Tough

Because of travel this coming weekend I had to make some alterations to my normal training schedule.  I just bracketed four straight THRESHOLD workouts with a 1hr trail run with the wife last Sunday and a nice Zone 3 45min tempo run today.  Looking to get in another run in the 8 mile range this weekend sometime.

I do not recommend 4 threshold workouts in a row without a break but it can be done thats for sure.  I got in a total of 54min @ threshold on the bike and 6 miles or threshold on the run over those 4 days.  

I am really enjoying my focused workouts and the mental toughness I am gaining for race day.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Offseason Training

Well the offseason training is going well.  I am hitting most of my key workouts and the mental toughness is building.  I imagine the FTP on both the bike and  the run are building as well.

Plan is to hit 3 FTP bikes per week and two FTP runs.  Secondary goals are the hit two more easier runs and one swim.

I have worked my way up since starting this focus on October 10th to 2x15min @ threshold and been doing 3miles of threshold running. Not looking forward to the 2x20min and the 2x2miles @ threshold.

I heard somewhere that you will pass out before you die and that is what I will tell myself during those workouts.


This is a picture of the IMTX swim finish area and I keep this around as a reminder of why I am putting in this work.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

FTP Test Results and Offseason Goals

Well the FTP bike test was as hard as I thought it was going to be.

I did not achieve my goal going into the test but I am happy with my result.

Goals by May 2012 (ie Ironman Texas)
12.5% increase in FTP watts
3 point increase 6.3% increase in Vdot score for running

My focus over the next 20 weeks is on on increasing my threshold and VO2 max numbers.

I will be doing 3 bikes a week all with intervals, 4 runs per week with 2 of those being interval based and either 0 or 1 swims per week.

I will keep this updated with my tests along the way.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Functional Threshold Testing

The name Functional Threshold Testing (FTP) does not strike fear in the hearts of those outside of the endurance world but for me and others I know this is scary as it involves a lot of pain.

Earlier this week I did a step test using my known Lactate Threshold Heart Rate numbers to predict what my threshold is in terms of lactate accumulation.  Now tomorrow I am putting that to the test with Any Coggans threshold testing protocol.


WU:5min Z1-2
3x(1min on with 1min off) Z5
5min Z1
5min Z5
10min Z1
TT:20min all out effort TT
CD:10min

You take 95% of the average output of the 20min effort and you have your FTP.

I will then use this number during the offseason to get faster and work on my mental toughness by doing long interval after long interval at this level.


We will see how it goes.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Houston Tri, Mental Toughness and New Beginning

This sounds like its going to be a long post but its not.

The Houston Tri was supposed to be a redemption race for me. This redemption was derailed in the swim when I developed hamstring cramps that really bore their head as I was stepping on the beach to get out of the water. This needless to say drained my legs of power for the rest of the race and my performance shows. My effort was higher than it was at Austin Tri shown by higher heart rates but I finished a good 10mins slower and was slower in both disciplines on an easier course.

Mental Toughness
I wanted to quite during every stage of this race but I know one of my weaknesses as an athlete is mental toughness so I decided to keep going and persevere no matter what. I was able to do that and I am proud of my self for it.

New Beginning
Due to 4 out of my 5 races this year being affected by hamstring issues I have already contacted The Core Diet, which is Apex Endurance's new Nutrition Partner, to help me develop race fueling plans to try and tackle this issue. It is almost dumb for someone to spend hours and hours training and then have a race come apart because of ignorance when it comes to nutrition and their body's needs.

So from now on I would like to think that nutrition will no longer be a limiter and my true fitness will be able to show through and better performances are to follow.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Rotor Q Rings - Test


I will be using the above 53-39 TT Aero rings pictured above at my race this weekend. I took them out for a test drive this past weekend and I did not notice any significant difference in my pedal stroke or that it put any strain on my knees.

What I did notice was that climbing seemed easier in bigger gears and that my pedal stroke seemed a slight bit smoother.

The real test will be my oly this weekend though and I will be able to see what the difference is with average cadence, average HR and average power if they really helped or not.

Recommendation on this will be held till after the Houston Tri.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Houston Tri Race Week - Redemption

I am calling this the week of redemption as I am going to try to go out and redeem myself from my performance a few weeks ago at the Austin Tri and last years Houston Tri.

This is going to be a competitive race with the top 12 people in my age group all gunning for a podium spot this weekend. The course is fairly fast but has several u-turns on the bike and two climbs on the run where you enter a football stadium.

This will be my first race using a Quarq power meter but it should not be too much different than the power tap. I will however be using different power number and run pace goals going into this race to push myself a bit more.


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Labor Day Weekend and The Austin Triathlon

First off I just want to say that Austin is awesome if you did not already know and my family cannot get enough.

Disclaimer: 1st half is about our trip to Austin and 2nd half is the Race Report.

Trip:
We arrived late Friday night as we do not make any long road trips now out of town until Pierce has decided its bedtime.  This makes travelling easier except we do not get places till way after my bedtime.

Saturday was a very relaxing day.  We got up and ate at Austin Java which we would do again on Sunday morning..  I highly recommend. Then we were waiting on some friends and Pierce wanted to take a nap so we drove over to Lake Austin and just enjoyed the scenery and looked at homes we cannot afford. How does a $3.3M 6,500sq ft house on Lake Austin sound?  Sounded great to us but again no way to pay that mortgage.

Then it was off to dinner where we tried to go to Moonshine with some friends. It was over an hour wait so we went to to Taverna off 2nd street.  This is our second time to go to this Italian restaurant and it did not disappoint   This is one of my all time favorite Italian places.

Sunday was an early morning as I went out with three friends Greg, David and Jason to ride the course and get in a short run.  Then Off to breakfast with the family plus David and like I mentioned earlier another trip to Austin Java. Lunch was another attempt to go to Moonshine but Sunday after church the wait was 1.5hrs.  So, we ate at a hole in the wall BBQ place that could be forgotten.  Finally for dinner we arrived at Moonshine early enough and got seated right away.  3 trips to this place in less than 24hrs.  3rd time was definitely the charm. Just like Taverna this place was awesome.  I had chicken fried chicken with chipotle cream gravy and a side of their groumet mac n cheese.  Delicious but definitely not something I would suggest a pre-race meal, but worth every bite.

Race Report:
Getting ready in the morning for a race in a hotel room while trying not to wake up your 7month old should be a sport by itself. That being said I would not be very good at it cause I definitely woke him up at like 5am or something.  Good thing was I was basically ready so I could feed him and let Megan sleep a bit more before I had to head to transition.

Since, we had to check our bikes in the day prior transition set up was a breeze and I had plenty of time to go for a short jog and do all the normal morning triathlon duties.  If you race you know what I am talking about.

Swim:
At the Austin Tri their is never a warm up swim as there are too many people and they just do not allow it. It was also non-wetsuit legal as expected with how hot Texas has been.  I did however have my Xterra speedsuit, which was great for getting rid of any drag from my two piece race kit.
The actual swim performance though was really rough.  Now is the part where I make a ton of excuses. 1. It was windy and we had to swim against a current on the way out and on the way back the current wanted to take us at an angle so we were fighting that. 2. Life is not giving me enough pool time. I am swimming at most once every two weeks on average and those count any race day swims.  I also have not put in over 1500m during a swim in a couple of months. 3. I am trying to work in a new swim stroke and I think that wore me out as my body is not used to it.
Enough excuses I am not a great swimmer.

T 1:
T1 was not as good as usual as I was worn out from the swim so my run in transition was definitely a slow jog.  Plus I was frustrated which made things a bit worse. Then once I got my bike and after exiting transition there was a long run to the mount line. At the beginning of the jaunt I got a rock stuck to the bottom of my foot.  Rather than stop and remove it I kept running hoping it would fall off or when I went to mount I would get it off.  The latter happened.  I did not think anything of this at this point but all of that pounding on the sidewalk with a rock stuck to my foot caused a deep bruise that affected me from the first step I took off the bike.

Bike:
The wind was howling and riding 88mm rims on the front and the back meant I was fighting the wind big time. A few of those gust definitely came close to knocking me over.  I know several time I was riding at an angle into the wind to compensate for its force. This course is rather hilly with one big climb that you do 3 times and then a long slight climb you do three times.  I chose to spin up these hills watching my power to make sure I am not pushing way too hard going up and burning up my legs.  I did well on the hills but there were several other parts on the course where I should have pushed much harder and did not. My avg HR was at least 7 bpm lower than it should have been, my avg power was 20watts lower than desired. So, I wussed out a bit on the bike which shower in my avg speed being just south of 21mph.  Should have been 22 at least.

T2:
I did much better in T2 as I was not frustrated coming off the bike and was only like 3 seconds off the fast T2 time in my age group. It was also faster than the top pro males who raced. This is when I noticed though the pain in my foot.

Run:
As soon as I left transition my left foot was hurting soo bad I contemplated pulling out of the race the first half mile or so. I decided as long as I could keep my pace with the pain I would stay in. I was able to keep my pace but then I feel my right hamstring cramping up. At this point I am probably low on sodium as I missed a dose getting off the bike as I dropped my pill container at the beginning of the bike. This caused some irritation but not any pain.  I just could not stretch my legs out or push any harder as I would have really cramped up.  So, 4.5miles to go with a deep bruise on my foot and some hamstring cramping.  To try to keep the cramp at bay I made sure I took in electrolytes at every aid station and I think that saved my race. The other thing that helped is my wife has a knack for finding the best places to watch a race and on this two loop run course she found a place where she could cheer me on like 8 times.  This always helps and my pace always quickens a bit when I am near her cause if not she will let me hear it. On the home stretch last 2.5mins or so I picked up my pace and was running sub 7's.  I went through the finish line hard and as soon as I did that my hamstring went into a softball size cramp and I need assistance getting to medical tent. With proper nutrition and an un bruised foot I should have been able to push the run harder as well.  My avg hr was at least 10bpm too low but probably more like 15.

Avg Pace: 7:17/mi

Total Time: 2:32

Summary
Overall I am ok with my performance and glad that I did not quit during the run.  I am really upset with myself for the fact that I did not push as hard as I should have and did not properly display my fitness but this performance showed me where I am and was great for that. So, not perfect but a lot of stuff I can take with me to help me at the Houston Tri oly in a few weeks.

Plus how can you be upset when you get a greeting like this from your son after your race.

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Monday, August 22, 2011

Good Training Weekend

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Weekend Started on Friday where I spent some much needed time at the pool working on my swim stroke.
I think I am getting a better handle
on some technique issues that have been lacking and noticed some improvement in my swim sets.

Bonus was the sunrise I got to see while swimming.  Check out the photo.

Then on Saturday I was in Jacksonville, TX visiting with family. This is always a good time for training and I took advantage of it.

Saturday I spent three hours on the road bike and climbed what locals call "The Beast". It is a category 5 hill climb that lives up to its name. For any climb to be rated (receive a climb score/category) it must be at least 500 meters in length with an average grade of 3% or more.  


After the long bike I ran for about 25mins or so.  Then Sunday I woke up and did another 11miles of running to cap off the weekend.


I feel pretty good today and am excited about my training and progress. I hope it shows in a couple of weeks in ATX at the Austin Triathlon.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Sprint Race Nutrition

For a sprint race you want to eat as little as possible before and during the race.  Eating takes time and is hard to do when you are in upper zone 4 or zone 5. It also raises your perceived effort and your heart rate.

With that being said below is what I did with my nutrition for this past weekends sprint race:
Pre Race
Blueberry Muffin with a powerade zero for breakfast about 3hrs or so before race time.
1-2 Hours out I am drinking a mixture of 1st Endurance pre-race and GU Brew Electrolyte tablets containing 320mg of sodium.
At the same time I am taking my MST Cordygen5 and Citruvol Ultra.
10-30min out from hitting the water I took one MST Athlytes electolyte pill containing 350mg of sodium. I will never go back to Endurolytes containing 40mg of sodium.

Bike
1 Water bottle filled with a GU Brew Electrolyte tablet. I am supposed to get at least half way through this bottle and I did.
1 more MST Athlytes mid-way through the bike portion
1 Serving of Strawberry Chomps 90 calories, 23g of carbs and 50mg of sodium

Run
Passed first aid station and only dumped water on my head.
Second aid station threw a little water in my mouth.
Passed the last aid station and again dumped water on my head.

My hamstring cramped up in a dead sprint at the end trying to beat another competitor.
My issue was probably not on what or the amount of nutrients I took in but I do believe I did not drink enough water pre-race and during the bike to allow all the electrolytes I took on to take full effect.
I think the chomps was a huge waste of time for a sprint and will never do that again. I actually knew better but did it anyway.

Nutrition Goals going in:
Take on around 700mg of sodium per hour for the race and take on enough water to make sure it took effect.
I took on probably 800mg or so of sodium thanks to the chomps and GU. I was out there for 1.2hrs so I needed about 840mg.

Next race I will try to drink the entire water bottle and nix the chomps.

  
 Lemon Lime

Monday, August 8, 2011

The Bridgeland Triathlon - Summary

This race turned out to be the biggest sprint race I think Houston has ever seen with other 1500 athletes competing.

This many athletes meant there was a lot of talent and as expected and expressed in my previous post I was not expecting a podium but man was there a lot of talent.

Overall, I improved on my time from last years race and had yet another bike PR but finished outside the top 10. Oh well progress is what matters in this sport and progress I am making.

Swim:
Today was the first race we had in out new Apex Endurance gear.  I have been wearing a full suit the last two season but went to a two piece this year for our jerseys. The jersey caused a lot of drag but with the help of an Xterra Speedsuit I will not have that issue any longer.

I have not been swimming much at all as that is the one thing that does not seem to fit into my life with the new baby and wife's new work schedule. So, going into this race I have put in one swim in 3 weeks. To my surprise I still swam the same exact time I swam last year. But was already way out of the running for the race. I was barely inside the top 30% of people outta the water in my group.

T1:
I was somewhat disappointed in my T1 time but passed several people in T1. I was 6th in my group in T1 out of 95. I think the extra exhaustion from the swim caused me to run a little to slow in transition and that led to my slower than expected performance.

Bike:
The bike is a fast flat course with two u-turns and two right hand turns. The wind was a crosswind it seemed as it was never really in your face. I did however find myself a few times inbetween gears which is why I am going to be changing my rear cog probably this week and go back to a 12-25 cassette. Best part about the bike is now two races in a row I have set PR's on the bike. I do think however doing this is hurting my run a bit but that is part of the experiment to know what I can do off the bike after putting it all out there. This whole season is a test case for me as my training is somewhat down so it makes since to make sure I am getting something outta every race.

T2:
This is the transition performance I am used to. 2nd in my group of 95 in T2. I am sure if you added total transition times up I was in the top 2 or 3 and I can live with that. Transition = Free Speed

Run:
Well as always I take off on the run and try hard not to look at my watch for a while and let my legs just roll and I did that this race but probably looked to early. When I look and see that I am running fast I let my brain slow me down.  Not a smart move when racing but it happens.  This race was definitely hot but for some reason I could not push myself to zone 5 on the run.  I averaged zone 4 and my final pace reflected such. So, my heart rate and pace told me I had some more in the tank but my brain would not let me get there. I need to really work on mental toughness over the next few weeks before the Austin Tri.

Take Aways:

  • When you do not swim with good form more swim volume does not help speed just endurance.
  • Change my rear cassette on my bike so I do not get stuck between gears.
  • Do more bricks so my legs and brain will be used to it for race day.
  • Run my intervals harder during my speed days.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Bridgeland Triathlon - Race Week


This event is the best sprint only race in Houston.

With that being said the best racers in Houston make it out for this race and the competition is tough. Last year I raced my tail off and only ended up top 10.

I have been using my races so far this year to test things. So, far through my three tests I am still not satisfied with the results. So, Bridgeland is going to be another one test.  My goal going in is the swim my normal swim and then bike with the higher avg/normalized power than my last two races and see where that leaves me on the run.

The run so far this season was good two races ago but I did not bike hard enough and last race I had a bike PR but ran terribly.  I think my terrible run was more a factor of lack of sleep than it was fitness or my bike effort.  This is why I am trying to bike hard again.

Main focuses this week are to hydrate enough and get some medium duration and intensity workouts in to keep the legs ready for the effort on Sunday.

Saturday I will go out and ride and run the course not hard but again just to keep the legs moving and to scope out the course again.

Fingers are crossed for a good test.
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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Coaching Certifications - USAT and USAC

Well I have completed all my requirements now to be both a USAT Level 1 and USAC Level 3 certified coach.

I have learned a lot going through the both processes and have already started implementing this knowledge with my athletes.

I am very excited about the future and what it has to hold for myself and Apex Endurance Sports.
There are some exciting things happening in the background that I hope will come to fruition soon.

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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Tri-Clips and Yankz product Reviews

This past weekend was the first chance I got to review some of my corporate partner's products on race day.

This weekend I used Tri-Clips proprietary Tri-Clips and their transition mat. I used Yankz T2 transition bag.

Both partners products worked great and were all a step up from what I have been using for other races. So, I will continue the use of all three of these products and can recommend them to others.

The Tri-Clips were great because as you are sprinting out of T1 to get on the bike your shoes are not dragging the ground and they are elevated and ready to go at the mount line. As a bonus they are attached via a velcro strap so after the race you can easily remove them. I have added a pic to the right so you can see the set up.

The Tri-Clips transition mat was also great as it was soft, a perfect size and stood out making my whole transition area look a little more professional. You will be able to see a picture of the mat below.

The Yankz T2 transition bag worked better than I thought it was going to. I have been using another transition bag for a couple of years but like I said in my earlier post it was a seemingly bottomless pit when looking for something. With the Yankz bag everything has its place and the bag opens up flat so you can have easy access to the contents. This made setting up transition a breeze.


I would like to thanks both Tri-Clips and Yankz for making quality products with the triathlete in mind and then partnering with us at Apex Endurance.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Shadow Creek Triathlon - Race Report

I want to start off by thanking my wife for putting up with this triathlon addiction. This past weekend was our 5 year anniversary and she was awesome enough to let me race.

We went out Saturday night while my parents did the babysitting and I got in bed a little after midnight.

Then I woke up at 3:30am ate my blueberry muffin and went back to sleep for another hour. I did this so that my stomach would be empty prior to the race by giving myself 3 hours to digest all food.

Swim: The swim was a 500m straight point to point swim in a neighborhood lake. The first 100-200m or so was definitely crowded with no clear water but then people started to fall off as I am sure they hit a wall and remembered they could not swim that fast.

I could have swore according to my data I had the swim I was expecting just under 2min/100m as I have only been swimming 1-2 times per month with my schedule being crazy but they timed me at 7:26 for the 500m swim. That pace is ridiculous to me and put me in 3rd coming out of the water.

T1:My transition spot could not have been in a worse location. Most of the times a transition spot will balance out during the race because of different entries and exits. This race swim entrance was the same as run exit and bike exit and entrance was in the middle. My spot happened to be on the last row against the fence farthest from the swim entrance and run exit.

With that being true it is a good thing I am decent at transitions.
I had the 3rd ranked T1 time and was a second away from 1st.

Bike:This was my first race on my new custom Apex Endurance bike and second race using power. After learning not to put a top end power during the race from my last experience I rode much better this time. I averaged right where I wanted to ride and had a PR on the bike at 22.7 mph. It was a flat course but had lots of 90 degree turns and 3 u-turns I believe. This race I watched my power, HR, cadence and speed to make sure I was working hard and smart enough. I avg a 179bpm and 92rpms. Even though I thought I killed the bike and I did for me there were some good riders and I ranked 5th on the bike. This dropped me to 4th place which is where I would stay.

T2:Again, I would be affected by my bad transition spot but I managed to kill the field and rank 1st in T2, with 2nd place being almost 9sec back. I even mad a small mistake racking my bike.

Run:Well I started the run great in the low to mid 6's but that did not last long. By mile one my fatigue hit me hard. My HR was up around 190bpm which is where it should be but my speed for that effort was not there. So, I just managed my effort according to HR and tried the best I could but that was not good enough to catch anyone as it shouldn't have been. Finished the run with the 4th best run but it was about 40sec/min slower than it should have been. Oh well.

Final Result 4th place. Crazy part is I was second during awards on race day and got the belt buckle for it but according to online results I am 4th.

Good race overall and I know now I definitely need more sleep and I am going to start working more short race pace brick runs in after bike workouts. I guess even though they say my swim was good I need to swim more and goal is to swim 2x's a week.

Next race is www.bridgelandtri.com the first weekend of August. This is a super popular race here in Houston and I will be lucky to get a top 10.

Race Nutrition:
I am trying very hard to get my body away from using/needing carbs to workout and race. So, the only carbs I got were at 3:30 with my muffin. Pre-Race I had a couple Hammer Race-Supreme caps and 3 Endurolytes.
On the bike I took in another 3 Endurolytes fairly early and another 3 just before getting off.
For liquid I used www.gozym.com catapult tablet in my water. During the run I drank some water and swished cytomax.  Did not swallow.

My goal is the get my body more efficient using fat stores because our bodies have a lot more of that than they do glycogen.  Plus our body stores about 90mins worth of glycogen so you can get through a sprint without any.

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Friday, July 15, 2011

Ironman Texas

Well I finally took the plunge after 2 months of delaying the inevitable and signed up for IMTX.

I will be attempting it on a less than ideal training load but it is a good test to see what time starved athletes can do if they follow one of my plans.  I will be the guinea pig on this test.

I am excited but knowing that it is 10 months away is killing me.  Oh well I have a race Sunday and then several more before then.

 
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Chance to Win a Triathlon Transition Bag by Yankz

The T2 Yankz! TriathlonBAG is a great multisport backpack with great shoulder straps to help make carrying the bag that much more comfortable. It unzips to lay flat in the transition area. The team at Yankz thought of everything and this bag has a place for all your endurance gear.  Instead of a huge cavern of a bag like I have now.  With this bag you know where everything is and there is no more searching for your goggles or HRM. There are special areas for your helmet, each pair of shoes, and a great removable mesh bag to hold your dry/wet wetsuit (and a wet towel). There’s also a key ring and separate cell-phone holder. The bag also comes with a free Yankz lacing system so you won’t have to tie your shoes losing precious seconds in T-2.  




To enter this contest, please comment here. The contest winner will be chosen at random on Friday, July 8, 2011. Please provide a legitimate e-mail address so I can get a hold of you should you win. Contest limited to the USA and Canada.



We need more comments to be able to give this bag away.  So, please tell your friends to read and comment as well.
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Thursday, June 9, 2011

First Jersey Mock Up for Apex Endurance




Need less to say I think these jerseys are going to come out awesome.

I am thinking about making a few small changes but overall I am very happy with them.

Cliff Keen sent me the fit kit the other day and these are probably the highest quality tri kit I have ever put on. The material is thick but not heavy and the compression is perfect.

I cannot wait till I am wearing this on race day.






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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Silverlake Tri - Race Report

I thought better late than never with this race report.

The Silverlake Tri is a local sprint tri located only 12mins from my house. I love this race as I am very familiar with the course and the competition.

Swim
The swim was good as I knew who my competition for the race was going to be before it started and all of us were on the left hand side for the wading swim start.
The gun goes off and so do we. I stayed next to one of the guys for the entire swim and we reached transition at the same time. The eventual winner in our age group was out 20 sec or so before us and is long gone.

T1
I think my transitions are fast and I had no issues except as I came out I messed up pushing buttoms on my Garmin and had to fiddle with that while on the bike for a minute.

Bike
This was the first race I raced with a power meter and I raced like the power meter was god and it really did not work out well. I tried to avg a certain power number but in the end I avg 20 watts lower because of some flawed thinking. ITs probably best to just redline for sprints and olys but oh well.

T2
This went flawlessly.

Run
I knew I was in a good position to podium going onto the run but I had no idea where I was at. So, I decided to try to put up a very solid run and see what happens and who I might catch. I use pace to keep me going hard on the run but for the first .5-1mile I just let my legs run as they are used to the 88-92rpms from the bike they tend to keep doing that for a while and that is a good pace, so I don't worry about it.
I do not see too many people during the run until about 1mile left and of course it was the guy I came out of the water with. I caught up with him and stayed on his heels for about 1.25miles just letting him set the pace. Then when I knew I could hammer it home with about .75mi or less left I dropped the pace and the other athlete.

After all of that I felt fine so I knew that I did not bike hard enough and probably could have ran harder. I will leave that to next race.

Results:
I ended up in 2nd in my age group despite the effort and I am happy with the results and the lessons learned.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

More New Corporate Partners - Polar and Maybe Cliff Keen

Today is a good day for Apex Endurance as we have landed Polar as a new corporate partner.

Now I will be able to subsidize my athletes technology needs so that we can get the most out of their training.

I am also in talks with Cliff Keen as our custom tri uniform designer.  Just need to make the minimums to get that ball moving.


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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Cobb Saddle Reviews - V-Flow Plus and SCH 170

I installed and ran the V-Flow Plus on my tri bike. I was running the Adamo Road previously and was experiencing some slight chaffing issues due to the split nose design and width of the seat.

The V-Flow plus lived up to its billing as helping relieve any numbness issues as well as being narrow enough to reduce chaffing.  I had zero chaffing and zero numbness. The only downside is trying to get the tilt right which is not an issue with the seat but just getting it dialed in.  www.cobbcycling.com gives suggestions on tilt and I need to go back and follow those.

I installed the SCH 170 on my road bike.  I was running an Adamo Podium previously and was experiencing the same issues as I was on the tri bike with chaffing.

First day on the bike I took the SCH 170 out for a 3hr ride to really test it in the saddle. Got a little bit of everything that day as the wind was howling.  All in all I loved it just like I did the V-Flow Plus as there were no numbness issues and zero chaffing. If I was on the Adamo for 3hrs chaffing would have been a huge issue. Same as the Plus I need to go to the website and get the tilt dialed in and I will be set.

Thanks goes out to John Cobb and his team for making excellent saddles that are meant for racing and provide comfort for an enjoyable ride.

If you are interested in any of the Cobb Cycling saddles let me know at www.apexendurance.com or jeff@apexendurance.com and we can see what we can do for you.




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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

New Zones from Testing

Thanks to Third Coast Training I now have my zones on target again. I retested and my zones went up on average 17% on the bike and 10% on the run in just 8 weeks.  I hope to improve these percentages next time as my training will be more consistent and I am now focusing more on top end speed/power again.

My run base improved 23% while my AT improved only 4%. My bike base improved 27% while my AT improved only 2%. Again we can see what I was focused on for the past two months. Next test I want to see the AT showing improvement similar to my base improvement from this time.

Cobb Cycling - www.cobbcycling.com

I am proud to announce Cobb Cycling as my newest corporate sponsor for Apex Endurance Sports.


John Cobb has been actively involved in the cycling industry since 1972. He first proved himself as a pioneer in the area of cycling aerodynamics when his positioning and aero knowledge were used with Greg LeMond, thus shocking the traditional European bicycle racing world. John developed a system, early on, for positioning riders in order to gain more speed and comfort. This has led riders from around the globe to search John out for cycling help.


Apex Endurance is proud to partner with Cobb Cycling. If you are interested in any of the Cobb Cycling bike seats let me know at jeff@apexendurance.com.




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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Kemah Triathlon 2012

The Kemah Tri was my first tri of the year and my first try as a new dad.


Things did not go off without a hitch of course. First, I forgot my Garmin on the charger at home so I had zero technology for the entire race.  This is not a bad thing if you are used to racing/training that way but I am not and have become a tech junkie.

Swim: The swim was in the bay so we did have to deal with some chop but it was not terrible. However, I could not keep water out of my goggles which really hurt my time.  I cam out of the water in 9th place.

T1: I had the fastest T1 time on my group and that definitely made up for a portion of the swim

Bike: Well on to the bike not know what my cadence, hr, speed or power was during the ride.  The only thing I had to gauge how I was biking was others on the course and perceived effort. I pretty much ignored perceived effort and just tried to stay with a few other bikers who seemed to be doing well. After the race I talked to the bikers I stayed with and we averaged right at 23mph for the bike. They combined my bike and T2 time together and I was 5th in my group.

Run: This is where I normally catch some people and it started pretty much the same but I had a hard time pushing myself because of not knowing how hard I was running. I usually really rely on the Garmin to tell me I need to go faster on the run. All for not though because as I was in 3rd place with less than a mile to go on the run I developed a massive hamstring cramp that stopped me dead in my tracks. I tried really quick to get rid of it so I could finish but I couldn't even walk for several minutes. With that I decided I would just cut through the course hobbling and turn in my chip.  My first DNF. Oh well I learned a lot from the race about my capabilities and limitations.

If I had to do it over I would follow my own directions to my athletes and hydrate better leading up to and the morning of raceday.
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Monday, March 28, 2011

APEX ENDURANCE SPORTS - Update

Well, the business idea is still coming along.

I officially purchased www.ApexEndurance.com.

I am also having a log worked on and you can check out the round 1 concepts to the right. I am 90% sure I am going with number 6.  We are going to try to now define exactly how we want to make it look from that initial idea.

I have also decided to go with TrainingPeaks as my software of choice for coaching as it is by far the best software for coaches and athletes together.

So, check out the website via the link above and let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.

Austin Weekend

6th Street Action in Austin TexasImage by Visualist Images via FlickrWell the weekend in Austin was too short.

The wife, son and I went to Austin for bachelor and bachelor-et parties. If you are wondering my son got to crash the girls party so lucky him.

I was able to get my training in this weekend despite all the travel and activities. Did my Sunday run on Friday and my Saturday bike at 4am. That turned out to be kind of a bad decision because that means I was up for basically 24 hours that day. Driving back to Houston yesterday (Sunday) was the hardest drive I have ever done.  It was not length of the drive but trying to stay awake during the 3hrs was next to impossible.

My wife even had to throw some cold water on my face from her water bottle halfway through the trip.

Needless to say since I am writing this we made it home safe and sound.

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