Race Week: Madison Half Marathon

It is race week everyone, Madison Half Marathon! I am pretty excited since I havent raced anything since Steelhead 70.3 in August. The training has been going very well and when training is going well, you want to race!

The Madison Marathon and Half Marathon is a huge event that starts on the Capital Square. It is one of last races of the year and attracts thousands of runners.

The course is hard because of all of the hills. Short hills, steep hills, long hills. However, what comes up must come down. Don’t think that you cannot run fast on hilly courses, you just have to run them right!

A half marathon is a challenging event to pace because it is close to your lactate threshold, but you cant run directly at your lactate threshold because you’ll bonk. I think of it as running on the point of uncertainty. Can I hold this pace? Yes? No? If I am having self doubt than I am running the right effort. From mile 1 I will be second guessing my pacing.

Also, I will rarely look at my running watch for the entire 13.1 mile race. Running a hilly race requires you to have a good sense of running off effort because your pace will constantly be slower and faster than what you want to average. When you have a constant influx of pace, that can create self doubt. I’ve been running long enough where I know the level of discomfort I can hold for certain distances. 

Race week is also interesting because its when you see alot of people self sabotaging all of the work they’ve put in. 

1. Creating less aggressive goals

2. Creating more aggressive goals

3. Thinking they can run faster on race day, because its race day

4. Thinking adrenaline will provide 5% increase in fitness

5. Going to a Low Carb, High Fat Diet

6. Going to a High Carb, Low Fat Diet

7. Become Vegan

8. Binge eating terrible food because your goals “dont matter”

9. Figuring out your nutrition plan at the expo

10. Asking your friend what pace you should run

11. Buy a different pair of shoes because they will be faster 

These are all common mistakes people make race week. Seriously. They happen. 

Everyone gets nervous race week. Nerves make people do funny things. Things that you would never have done in your lead up to the race. 

How do you distract yourself from making these errors? Reinforce your race goals. Remind yourself how hard you worked. Go back and reread your training journal. Visualize your race before bed each night. Go to the expo with a friend to ensure you don’t buy anything silly. 

It’s going to be under 30 degrees for the race and that makes me very happy. Running in colder weather allows me to keep my core temperature down so you can run hard. I will be wearing half tights, a tight base layer with a t-shirt over it, gloves, and a breathable winter running hat. I do run with music and i’ve already created my playlist for race day. 

My A Goal is to break 1:23. Last year I ran 1:24:XX which was a 6:26 average pace. Breaking 1:23 means I need to average 6:20 pace. That is my A Goal. My realistic goal is to break 1:24 and to do that I need to average 6:23s.

I was blessed with short stubby legs which makes me excellent at running uphill but not downhill. One of my execution goals is to actively push the downhills out of my comfort zone. On a regular basis I get to run with an incredible athlete, Robin, who is shorter than me and is one of the best downhill runners. There is hope! My other execution goal will be to run more confident on the flat sections. If I dont execute these two things…I wont make up the time I lost on all of the uphills. 

My cycling and swimming this week will be reduced. This is also a recovery week for me so reducing volume and intensity is making my body feel good and my motivation high.

Lets go have some fun!

Steve

Swimming Break Through!

Everyone likes improvement!

Something I have been doing is replacing coffee with tea. Why? I drink a lot of coffee, sometimes 10 cups a day. On average I would say 6-8 cups a day. Some would be black coffee, some lattes, some red eyes (coffee and 1-2 shots of espresso). It was getting out of hand and my dad’s side of the family is known for having a bad heart. For almost 2 weeks I have been drinking 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning and then tea in the afternoon. Most green tea or decaf tea. I have felt a significant different in energy and sleeping better.

On most Mondays I go to Cindi’s Masters Swim Class in the afternoon because I get a good level of technical advice on my swim stroke. This is the time of season where you should be fixing your mistakes. Well… you should always try to fix your technical errors.

“All of your mistakes are happening because you are constantly off balance” Cindi told me. After watching the video I couldn’t believe it. When I swim I feel like i’m hitting a home run, on video I look like a gorilla trying to swim through the water. So much energy and extra drag/resistance to achieve these swim times.

Cindi pointed out these errors to me:

1) Wide Catch

2) Not getting full extension

3) Wiggling Hips

4) Splicing Legs

5) Minimal Core Utilization

6) Constant Redirection, Minimal Forward Motion

All of these mistakes are coming from lack of balance on the water. Which means my catch phase sucks and at some point I am losing balance on the water and everything falls apart.

For a reference point, I did a swim set with the group where we did multiple pyramids of 100, 200, 300, 200, 100s. During one of the hard 300s I went 3:59 which is 1:20y average. I was swimming VERY hard to hit those times.

After discussing on what drills I needed to work on to fix my catch phase and balance, I reduced my weekly swim volume by 50% and didn’t swim repetitions over 100 yards. Every swim was focused on executing the swim drill over a 25 and putting it together into a 25 freestyle. More swimming wasn’t the answer to my technical issues.

What did I notice through this process?

My swim strokes per 25 went from 20-22 to 18-20. My swim speeds remained the same at a lower effort.

On Friday I did my first swim test of the season: Max Effort 400 and 200. My 400 was a 5:08 (1:17 average) and my 200 was a 2:29 (1:14.5 average). Putting my threshold swim pace at 1:20y. The 400 was a lifetime best, yay go Steve! And to be honest, It was the “easiest” max effort 400 i’ve ever done. I literally couldn’t believe it. When I got home I told Cindi, “You saved my swimming!”

For years I have been swimming the same paces, never making progress. My motivation in the water was slipping because I wasn’t getting better. But heres the thing, I was the problem. Not swimming. Not the pool. I never really put the time and effort into fixing my swim stroke. I liked to complain about it, but never put the effort into fixing it.

What did I learn?

1) Reduce swim volume when fixing technical errors. You can’t fix technical errors when half of your concern is on the length of repetition. If you keep swimming longer repeats on a broken stroke, you will become a broken record.

2) Go to the pool with 1-2 objectives. Don’t try and fix your kick and your breathing at the same time. You will get confused and upset. The only improvements that will be made is increased hatred of swimming.

3) Don’t just swim drills. Thats worthless and doesn’t translate to holding good technique under higher speeds and fatigue, unless you plan on swimming your Ironman with a closed fist. Execute Drills into Freestyle of varies speeds and lengths.

4) Know your 25 speeds and your 25 stroke count. Every triathlete knows their cycling cadence and power and their running stride rate and pace. Why don’t you know this stuff in the pool. Its an IMMEDIATE display if you’re getting better.

In the Swim Smooth Calculator, it estimates off of my 1:20 threshold I am capable of swimming a 57:40 Ironman Swim. Now that sounds awesome, but I lack the endurance and open water skill to swim that fast. However, it is good to know I have the potential to swim that fast come September.

Let Madison Multisport save your swimming! If you are interested in making improvements in your swimming, we offer Masters Swim Classes, Beginner Swim Class, or 1:1 Swim Lessons.

Hope you learned something from this!

Coach Steve

A New Race Challenge: American Triple T

All is going very well on the training front and having a blast. I am finding a good rhythm each day with getting my sessions in. Coffee is set to automatically start at 4:00am, the alarm clock is set for 4:05, I am up by 4:10, working out by 4:45-5am. I am very much a morning person, as you can tell. If I could be in bed by 8pm, I would!

It is only October and I am obsessing over what races I am doing next year. I have been waffling over my first triathlon, Elkhart Lake or Madison 70.3? Both because they are back to back weekends?

THEN, a new challenge was presented to me…

American Triple T

https://americantriple-t.com/american-triple-t/

It is 4 triathlons within 3 days… all totaling an Ironman Distance. There is also shorter version that totals a 70.3 Triathlon.

Friday: Super Sprint Triathlon

Saturday AM: Olympic Distance

Saturday Afternoon: Olympic Distance (Bike/Swim/Run)

Sunday: Half Ironman

Why the change? I’ve done Elkhart Lake and used it as a fitness gauge. Madison 70.3 is local and competitive, but it doesn’t draw much interest to me outside of the competition that would be there.

What’s also nice about TTT? I have inside knowledge into how to prepare and race it. How? Cindi has WON this event. Cindi has always encouraged me to race TTT and having that type of knowledge from a previous champion is second to none.

Importantly, Triple T provides me a lot of motivation. Its going to be very challenging. It’s also different than what i’ve previously done. My interest has been leaning towards adventure races, long trail runs, Canada Extreme, Swissman, Norseman type of events.

My theme for 2019 Ironman Wisconsin and all of the preparation leading into will be “Conditioning, Conditioning, Conditioning.” I have done many Ironmans so I don’t need more triathlon experience. My limiter for most of my Ironmans have been simple: Conditioning. Endurance. Fitness. GET FIT! Triple T keeps me in this mindset over the winter months leading into both races. To accomplish 140.6 miles, broken into 4 triathlons will require a lot of conditioning but not the same as a stand alone Ironman.

Add in that Triple T is under 300 dollars for the entry fee. 4 Triathlons, Race Kit, Finishers Jacket, and much more what what a single 70.3 event costs. The lodging offered is also very affordable. Plus, I love racing smaller races. The feel and environment of these grassroots events is always nice. Door County Half Ironman is also like this.

Until next week!

Coach Steve

Coach Steve: Working On Run Technique

This week our family took a vacation to Door County. It’s been around 2 years since we’ve taken a formal vacation and with the triathlon season winding down, we packed our bags and headed to the quiet town of Bailey’s Harbor.

Talking with Coach Kevin before I left, I was fired up to get back into hard training after the prior light week. We settled on making this week also pretty easy and he was right. When I go on vacation, my mind does the same. Every morning I am up at 4:30 to work, train or coach. However. when vacation came I slept till the rooster crowed aka Lucy woke up. My training goal was to get in 30’ of running a day, mission accomplished. I was also on vacation and the last thing I wanted to do was be away from my family.

I grew up running from middle school and high school and the first year at college. While I was never a talented runner, I loved putting in the hard miles. I was a coaches worst nightmare. Every run was hard. 6 mile aerobic run turned into 6 miles as hard as possible. 10 mile long run the day after a race turned into a hammer session. Like I said… a true nightmare. I look back on myself and understand why i never saw the improvement other runners saw, I never let my body rest, recover, and grow. I wanted to do more, faster, and more frequent. That’s the path to becoming amazingly mediocre.

Since we’re on the honest bus, Ive never shown much promise in swim, bike, or running. I had to work very hard for the results I’ve achieved. For most talented people, it takes them 3 years from nothing to something (Short Course Nationals, 70.3 Worlds, Kona Qualifier)… for me it took double the time. My parents taught me hard work, but didn’t give me the great genetics. I still love them very much.

So here I am today plugging away at the small details.

When I evaluated my running form. (How do I do this? I put my phone next to me on my treadmill) I notice that my left leg doesn’t recover as high as my right. The effect of this is that my left leg over striders causing me to look like I am cross country skiing instead of running, which causes me to over stride, which causes a lot of injuries on my left leg, which is REALLY limiting my speed potential. If you want to go faster you need to put more force straight down into the ground. When you over stride, you don’t do that.

Some people can get away with bad technique, but I’m not talented or genetically powerful so I need to fix these issues. Running technique is important, if you don’t think so you’re oblivious to the obvious.

If you are talented, more power to you! You have been given great genes and if you combine that with hard work… you’re going places. Talented athletes make many coaches look really good!

Here is what I am doing to fix my left leg, it’s pretty simple. There are so many fancy drills but keeping it simple and knowing the focus is key to learning. Thats what Drills do, they teach you something. How it should feel and how to do it correctly. Drills won’t automatically make you faster, in fact I see many athletes doing drills aimlessly. However, when they are done right they’re the foundation to your improvement.

If I am feeling fatigued I will do these before the run as a muscle activation set. I will always do them after my runs, especially a hard run.

3 Rounds:

20 Butt Kicks (Focus on tightening up my recovery phase to get my foot higher to push down)

20 High Knees (Same Focus on Butt Kicks, just different position)

20 A-Skips (Pull the leg up, FIRE the leg down. Putting it all together)

20 High Elbow Band Pulls (For swimming)

R:1 Minute, repeat.

The Competition

I’ve always enjoyed the opportunity to hear the elites in the sport talk about how they train and race. Getting a glimpse into their training, recovery, and mentality is often invaluable. I’m always looking to glean tidbits of information to incorporate into my training and life. Something that has never resonated with me though, is the idea of using your competition as a source of motivation.

For the majority of us, triathlon is a very individual sport. We train to race as fast as we can, maybe set a PR, and hopefully have some fun. I love racing, but (so far at least) I’m not routinely hitting the podiums. I’m usually just trying to be as fast as my fitness will allow, and when it allows, hopefully a little faster than the last time. But I couldn’t tell you what percentile I finished in, or who beat me and by how much. I have no nemeses, it’s just me.

The motivation that some take from “doing what the competition is not,” just never made sense to me. Who’s the competition?

September 1 marked the beginning of a new “season” for me, after taking most of August off to have fun, unwind a bit, and give an injury a little focus. I had a 2-hour ride with 3x15 minute efforts on the schedule for the day, and to make the most of my session, I hopped on the indoor trainer and got ready to work. And as I started my warmup, I realized I do indeed have competition to motivate me, and this year I aim to crush them.

• (unfit)Justin. Now (unfit)Justin (aka overweight and out of shape Justin) is pretty sure triathlon is just a thing crazy people do in Hawaii, Gatorade is involved, and sometimes it’s on NBC. He’s sitting on my couch, playing video games and watching Parks N Recreation on Netflix, eating chips and drinking a beer. (unfit)Justin hasn’t actually been real competition for a while, but certainly continues to provide motivation.

• (fun)Justin. (fun)Justin skipped the 2-hour ride and instead rode the cross bike around Lake Monona. He still got some training in, and also probably got distracted by TV and or other shenanigans. You might not expect it, but (fun)Justin can still throw down a fast time at a sprint triathlon without too much training.  But a little extra beer, M&Ms, and consistent lack of quality sleep will keep (fun)Justin out of contention for any PRs indefinitely.

• (unfocused)Justin. No real goals or plan. Is totally committed, except for not really, as there isn’t anything on the schedule. (unfocused)Justin went outside and rode for a couple hours, but “forgot” to do the 3x15 minute efforts. He tries but lacks consistency and commitment and is full of excuses. He’s also easily distracted by (fun)Justin (I mean, who isn’t, that guy is great).

• (SUPER)Justin. (SUPER)Justin, despite the intimidating name, overdoes everything. Never misses a session, eats super clean, never eats BBQ sauce or drinks beer, and goes to bed by 8.  (No BBQ -what kind of life is that?) (SUPER)Justin is fast, fit, unrelenting. But also cranky, neurotic, and his burnout potential is high. (he and (fun)Justin do not get along…).

The competition now identified, we return back to the trainer, first 15-minute effort underway. I look over to (unfit)Justin on my couch, relaxing.

Sorry (unfit)Justin -that couch does look nice, but I’ve got work to do…

Second 15-minute effort underway, starting to get uncomfortable. (fun)Justin is also now on the couch too, “Wanna watch TV?”

Sorry (fun)Justin -when it’s time to race I’ll be waiting for you at the finish…

Third effort underway, legs are hurting now. (unfocused)Justin is in one ear: “You’ve done enough, no reason to suffer, just call it a day, what are you training for anyway?”

Sorry (unfocused)Justin -YOU call it a day, I’ve got plans…

I finish up my session feeling great, I work on some bonus strength work and even do my PT. I eat and drink focused on recovery. I relish in the mild euphoria that follows a hard effort. And just as I start comparing myself to SUPER(Justin), I instead keep some balance and head out to hang out with (fun)Justin for the night (like I said, that guy is a fun time).

The competition is out there, they aren’t doing what you are doing, and that’s a good thing.

Planning Your Off Season

Planning Your Off Season

It’s that time of year when triathletes are finishing their season and transitioning to the off season. If you havent looked into structuring your off season, you should. If your off season consists of 3 months of no training and over 10lbs of weight gain, you are doing it wrong and putting yourself at major risk. Having a successful off season is critical for a number of reasons; injury prevention, mental health, and athlete longevity. 

Each year I have new athletes that are afraid to hang up their bikes or swim trunks for a couple months because they feel they will lose everything they’ve worked for, this is completely untrue. Trust me, I’m an experienced coach. If you keep pushing 12 months each year you will start to experience never ending overuse injuries, waves of low motivation, and lack of enjoyment for the sport you love. When you experience all of these symptoms, how can you expect to train at a level that will promote improvement? They wont. With a poor mentality you will fall into a poor training routine which will lead to a plateau of fitness. Doesn’t sound like much fun. 

Step 1: Take 1-2 weeks of minimal training. For my athletes, I call them “Free Days and Weeks”. These days consist of 30’ of swim, bike, run, or off day. There is no structure to the training. It gives them the freedom to relax. 

Step 2: Identify your weak link. Is it swimming? Is it running? October through December is meant for addressing your weakness. This is when you turn yourself into a single sport athlete. You are swimming 1-2x a week at 50% of your typical swim volume. You are also cycling 1-2x a week with minimal intensity or no cycling at all. The best Fall riding is to the bakery with friends.

I was coaching our Triathlon Swim Class on Monday and one our swimmers is signed up for Ironman Wisconsin 2019. Looking at his stroke we identified that he lacked the ability to change speeds. We did multiple 50s at different speeds, but there wasn’t much of a difference between the three speeds. If an athlete wants to see improvement but cannot sprint, their ceiling of improvement is limited. For the upcoming months this swimmer will be focusing on sprinting in the pool with a lot of rest. Think of this work like lifting weights in a gym. If you constantly are doing the leg press machine at 100lbs for 12 repetitions but never increase the load of your exercise, your muscle recruitment will never be challenged. We will be doing the equivalent of 5 repetitions of 140lbs. The goal of doing fast 25s and 50s with equal rest is that it allows the athlete to produce more power than they ever have. Here is an Ironman athlete learning how to sprint to improve their Ironman swim 12 months away. Doing long repeats at a slow pace in September won’t do you any good.

Also, I have never met a triathlete who didn’t want to improve their running performance. The Fall is the best time to become a better runner. When I talk with my athletes about Fall training we always discuss going “All In” with the running. This means we are doing more run drills, more plyometrics, more bounding, and more running volume. We turn into runners. We throw on the short shorts. We sign up for local 5k running events. We run! Athletes love this approach because they can focus on one sport instead of trying to balance two other sports at the same level. 

Learn more about our Fall Running Program and Beginner Swim Program Here!

Coach Steven Brandes

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Confessions From A Weak Minded Swimmer

I have a confession to make. I am a mentally weak swimmer who’s addicted to their pull buoy. For years I convinced myself that all I needed to do was pull as it replicated the wetsuit. Here is what it really did, it made me mentally weak and unprepared for the hardships triathlon swimming presents. Anytime I would swim without my pull buoy it instantly became harder than I liked. I would grab my pull buoy faster than I do my Oreo Ice Cream. There were times I would forget my pull buoy at home and not even swim! Repeat this process over and over and I developed a dependency that was hurting my swim training as well as my confidence on race day. Sure, after some big swims my arms would be smashed and confidence would be restored (short term) but I never saw the returns on all of the pulling. 

Practice what I preach? Nope, didn’t do that. Ive been coaching swimmers from the pool deck for 10 years which means I have coached hundreds of swimmers. In 10 years of on deck coaching, I became very good at connecting body position errors and whats truly effecting it. The more I think of it with the coaching I prescribe in our classes, it rarely has any buoy work. 

For years I never USED the rotational aspect of my stroke to improve my distance per stroke. I knew it but couldn’t fix it because I believe that too much pull buoy, or the wrong pull buoy inhibits your ability to use your hips and core in the swim stroke. To improve usable rotation in your swim stroke, you can't use a pull buoy and I wasn't willing to give it up. So what was the result of all my pulling? Better pulling but not better overall conditioning. 

Step 1: Cue Rocky Theme Song

Step 2: “Cindi HIDE MY SWIM BUOY"

Step 3: Harden Up

Step 4: Enter Cave Man Swim Training

Cave Man Swim Training (CMST) is literally something I made up. When I think of what the definition is, it resembles going back to the bare bones of swimming with no toys and simply getting the work done. I’ve removed my pull buoy from my bag so it not within reach. All of the my swims are purely freestyle, no toys. The 1st couple swims were exhausting. More open turns because I was so low on oxygen. More internal profanity. The bike and run sessions that followed would suffer because how much energy it took out of me. I didn’t care, I was motivated to break this habit. 

Guess what? I started to see improvement. I started to really connect my hips and core into my catch phase. My swim times for a set of threshold 100s went from 1:25s to 1:18s. I like improvement.

Sometimes it is cool to be the swimmer with all the gear on. Snorkel, paddles, buoy, band, fins. It may be helping you or it may not be. Do paddles, band, and snorkels have a place in swimming? Well, duh. Each toy has a specific place within swim training and fixing certain aspects of a stroke. In my case, these toys made me weaker because I started to depend on them too much. To become excellent at whatever it is you’re attempting, you have to have 100% belief in yourself. If you don’t because you rely on something or someone to do it for you, your chances of failure go up. You have to fix you before you can truly accomplish what you want.

Happy Training!

Steve

Achieving A Personal Best at Steelhead 70.3 w/ Lauren Taylor

The weeks leading up to Steelhead were not an ideal build, and I had no idea what to expect on race day. The last time I felt really “good” in the build up was early July, where I had a great race at Pardeeville Sprint Triathlon.  But as the season moved deeper into July, I just didn’t feel quite as strong heading into Door County Sprint. I was happy with my Door County result, but still didn’t feel like I had pushed as hard as usual. Fatigue was building, but I didn’t necessarily recognize it and powered on.

I had signed up for a relay race with Carly and my dad at Door County, and I ran a hot ½ marathon the day after the Door County Sprint.  I finished and gave it my all, but it was a huge effort. In hindsight, it was probably too much. From there on, it was all downhill. I found myself getting more and more tired in my training and wasn’t able to complete workouts. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do the work, it was that I felt like I physically couldn’t.

Of course this physical fatigue fed my mental paranoia, and soon I was dreading an impending 70.3. I hit a low point at the end of July-- just 2 weeks before the race. At that point, Cindi reached out to see what was going on and how we could adjust my training.  We knew we needed to just get me to the start of Steelhead ready to race. Cindi assured me that I had done the work, so I ended up taking two weeks with a lot of rest days and just a few shorter, lower intensity workouts.

When I made my race plan for Steelhead, I tempered my expectations a lot and made it my main goal to have fun. I threw previous time goals out the window because they were causing me stress, and if I was stressed about workouts and races, why was I doing triathlon?

Race morning rolled around and we got the dreaded announcement that the water was 76 degrees and would not be wetsuit legal. Swimming is my weakest discipline and despite trying to mentally prepare myself all week for this possibility, I was anxious. I had already made up my mind that I would not go in the wetsuit wave at the end. I didn’t want to stand around waiting to start for any longer than I had to. As I left my wetsuit in my transition bag, I was already seriously doubting that choice. By the time I got to the beach and really looked at the waves, there were tears welling up in my eyes. I knew in my head that it was silly to be crying over a triathlon and that I would be fine, but I couldn’t help it. There was not going to be anything fun about this.

Before I knew it, I was diving into the water and quickly taking on water. I stopped a few times in the first 200 yards to cough up lake water as I got used to breathing with the waves. The water was rough and I put the “big arm recovery” from open water swim to good use. I knew I wasn’t going fast, but I was making good progress and keeping my head in a good place. Each time I thought something negative like, “If I stop swimming right now I’m just going to get swallowed up by a wave and end up at the bottom of Lake Michigan,” I would try to shut that out and find a mantra or song to repeat in my head for a few minutes. Eventually, I made it out of the water. I have never been so grateful to be done with a swim.

Getting on my bike, I knew that my ultimate goal was to ride 2:45. In the first 10 miles, I was disappointed because my power numbers were lower than I had targeted.  The course was flat enough that it was hard for me to put out big power, but I focused on riding really steady and staying in a good aero position.

My normalized power was hovering around 160 watts. When I had run the numbers in Best Bike Split (accounting for a bit more wind than we ended up having), I thought I needed to ride closer to 180 watts to meet my time goal. But I kept moving and passed a lot of people who swam faster than me, and my speed was faster than I expected.

My watch is set to autolap every five miles and I was seeing numbers that were at or under 15 minutes per split, meaning I was still on goal pace. This motivated me not to let up for the second half. Coming into transition I didn’t get a good look at my watch so I had no idea if I officially met my goal or not of 2:45, but I knew it was close enough to happy with.

Starting the run, I couldn’t believe I still had a half marathon ahead of me. I had just done my hardest swim and riden my fastest bike ever.  As I got out on the course, I saw Bobby, who let me know I biked 2:41, and it was a big mental boost knowing I had smashed my goal time. For the first couple of miles, my legs felt good and my heart rate was under control running right around 9 minute pace. Not quite where I wanted to be, but I knew it was a hot day. It was now almost noon and there was no hiding from the sun or heat.  It wasn’t going to be my fastest run ever, but I was still in a good place physically and mentally.

I stayed in my positive mindset and tried to say something to each person I passed--”good work”, “looking strong”, “way to go”. This is my favorite way to distract myself from thinking, “you’re tired and slow, you should walk”. I steadily clicked off the miles and fed off of the positivity of the other runners and the fantastic volunteers.  But by the last mile of the run, my legs were in rough shape and I couldn’t wait to be done. As I approached the arch, the announcer asked, “Lauren Taylor, are you ready to cross that finish line?!?” I yelled as loudly as I could with a huge smile on my face.

I had done it!  I finished with a new PR on a tough day.  Not only did I meet my goals, but I had fun and pushed outside of my comfort zone. Safe to say, I was enjoying triathlon again.

Peak Performance: 5 Race Week Don’ts

Peak Performance: 5 Race Week Don’ts

1)  Don’t change your diet the week of the race. This is not the time to go Keto in hopes to lose a few extra pounds of water. We are nervous and rested which means we have extra time on our hands to think. If you simply continue on your healthy meal plan on high quality carbohydrates, fats, and proteins you are set.

2)  Don’t pretend you are a camel. If you consistently drink 80oz of fluid a day, don’t think that drinking 120oz will help you have more fluid on race day. In fact, the only performance it will increase if your ability to urinate in the middle of the night. What you should be doing is hydrating at the same amount but add in electrolytes in the form of Nuun, Skratch, or Osmo to your water bottle. These products are low in calories and high in electrolytes. Adding a small level of glucose to your water actually increases your hydration levels.

3) Don’t neglect carbohydrates the day before the race. Have you ever heard of carbo loading and how it’s an out dated method? Its not and its very effective for endurance athletes. If you neglect carbohydrates the day before the race, for whatever reason, your performance will suffer. Your race is powered by your brain, engine and muscles which are all fueled by carbohydrates. Don’t show up to the start line with a tank thats low on energy.

4) Leave your bike alone. How many new mechanics and bike fitters are certified on race week? Too many. When you’re tapering the training volume is down, which means your anxiety is high. You need to burn off energy so you start looking into things to screw up, the week of the race isn’t the time to change your bike fit. Your body is accustomed to stabilizing and producing power in a certain position, thats what you’re doing for hours each week when training. The point of training is to get your body accustomed to producing power in a certain position. Don’t raise your saddle, move your saddle forward, lower your front end, bring your elbows inwards to gain every ounce of imaginary free speed. These changes so close to the race completely throws off your bodies ability to produce power because it completely changes the firing patterns and muscle recruitment that takes weeks and months to develop. However, the bonus on your new fit is you will feel terrible while racing. We’ve all heard countless stories of Professionals doing this before race day and those stories typically don’t end well. Mine is the story of IRONMAN World Champion Sebastian Kienle written by his wife Link to Article HERE

5) Don’t expect miracles to happen on race day, doing so is why people end up underperforming. If you have never broken 2:00 for a half marathon but you expect to on race day there is a 100% chance you won’t, unless the course is short. Tapering and peaking could give you an extra 2-3% on race day but you should expect to do exactly what you’ve seen in training. When you have unattainable goals it will only provide insecurity and additional stress. What your mind is thinking during the race dictates how your body will feel. If you are constantly frustrated that you aren’t performing where you “think” you should be, your expectations are too high. Thinking negative thoughts will create muscle fatigue and your central governor turns on to protect yourself. However, if your expectations are in line with what you’ve previously done you will be thinking happy thoughts. Happy thoughts leads to you crushing it on race day and high-fiving countless spectators. This is such a simple concept but its the root of countless bad performances. 

All in all, this entire post can be summarized into the well known saying: Dont Do Anything New on Race Week!

Winning Door County Sprint w/ Bobby Taylor

About 400 yards up the road, the brake lights from the lead vehicle snapped me back into the moment. He went straight, I would go left, and I now knew I was close and going to make it.  The road was smooth and I picked my line, doing my best to keep turning the legs over as I put in one last dig. I was closing quickly and now heard for the first time the muffled din of music from transition, punctuated occasionally by the PA announcer calling out the last of the swim waves.

Approaching transition, I quickly inventoried all the fancy metrics I had been ignoring-- normalized power, heart rate, average speed and distance.   Today, they simply didn't matter.  I was riding as hard as I possibly could, all out, and I didn't internalize them, didn't process my data.  What mattered was that I was at my limit and just chasing for that little bit of extra effort and speed.  This is what makes sprint racing awesome-- the fact you get to chase competitors on the road, not a power number, and those times when you "blow up"  are just part of the deal.  And today, things were looking up.
 

Roughly 9 miles earlier in the ride, I had made a big tactical decision at the turnaround.  I knew that same tailwind that pushed us out had set us up for a return leg of 9 miles into a headwind and would make for a tough closing stretch for everyone.  I had worked my way steadily through the field on the outbound leg, sensing that no one on the road had the bike legs to come with me.  I also knew that because it was hot and humid, the run would be a wildcard .  Someone from the field might be sitting on blistering 5k-- but I definitely wasn't setting on any 5k PRs today.

So my best play was to put as much time into the field as possible before T2, and I needed to make something happen. I have done a lot of Zwift racing in my training in my buildup this year, and I've launched some pretty big (and definitely some pretty dumb) attacks from the safety of my trainer.  I've also learned a lot of lessons along the way about tactics and my own psychology.

Some moves stick, some don't, but that is racing, and that is what makes it fun. Each time, there comes a moment where I inevitably say myself… "screw it, let's do it!" and I commit.  That moment came just after the turnaround, where I pulled into first, put in a big dig, and went all-in on the attack.  I decided that if anyone was going to catch me, they were going to have to do it on the run. It was going to be a painful 20 minutes of riding if I was going to hold on to T2.

Fast forward then back to the entrance to Frank Murphy park.   A small crowd of spectators had formed and in a moment I was on them, hanging a hard left, and rounding back towards bike in.  I looked back briefly down the road to see if anyone had stuck around.   No one was in sight.  The attack had worked. I had averaged just under 26 mph for the ride-- an all-time best ride for me-- and the fastest bike split of the day. 

It was a short stretch of pavement from the turn to the dismount line so I had to move quickly. I unvelcroed, removed my right foot, then my left, and I swung my right leg over and behind my seat to set up my dismount. As I have visualized and practiced hundreds of times (I literally do this after EVERY ride, even on the trainer in the dead of winter), I dismounted cleanly and in-stride.

I racked my bike, slid my shoes on, grabbed my cap and belt and was away.  I heard the PA announcer as I passed through run out say that "we just heard that the first athlete is in transition and heading out onto the run course," and I grinned ear to ear heading out onto the empty 5k course.
 

It was a lonely out-and-back run on an exposed and hot country road.  I ran scared, not knowing how strong the runners in the field behind me would prove to be.  I pushed it as hard as I could, but could feel that I was paying for my bike effort and the heat was taking no prisoners.  I focused on a quick cadence and allowed myself to look backwards to see if anyone was behind  as I clicked off my first mile in 6:20.  Still no one in sight.

I got to the turn-around, and then almost to mile 2 before seeing the next runner on the road.  A little mental math told me I was up a couple of minutes, but I knew someone could still come out of the age group waves.  My watch beeped 6:22 and I allowed myself passing through mile 2 to finally imagine myself winning the race.

The countdown and mental negotiation began in earnest with just a mile remaining. Just six more minutes! I thought about all of the track sessions, winter runs, and late night treadmill runs while travelling and at hotel gyms that had lead me here.  Just 4 more minutes.  You love running, I reminded myself.  Just half a mile. That's not even a loop of the bike path around the park at home.  Just to the arch.  So close.  Just down the hill.

Finally, I stole one more look back to make sure I wasn't going to get out-sprinted and saw the finishing tape in front of me.  I've never broken the tape before, so it was a special experience. Definitely unreal. I grabbed it, slammed it, and took a bit of time to soak in what I had just accomplished.  I had just won the freaking race!

I still tempered my expectations a bit, knowing that a winner might still come out of the AG waves, as I had started elite. I didn't let myself get too high until the final results were posted.  My time held up, though second place came from a later wave. In the end, I got my crystal lighthouse, capping off a nearly perfect race for me.

Coming in, I knew I wanted to finish under 1:10, and finished in 1:09 high.  Based on past results, most years, 1:08-1:09 is good enough to win.  Had it turned into a footrace, could I have gone faster?  Maybe, but I didn't have to. Ultimately, in that heat, the race was won on the bike.  I minimized my losses in the water,  raced to my strengths, and held it together on the run.

What a day! What a race! What a weekend! 

So what are the takeaways?
 

• Racing is awesome.  Mixing it up, pushing your limits, failing and succeeding are all part of the game.  I've learned to embrace each part of it, the ups and the downs, and learn from each time I toe the line.
   
• Swimming matters:  You can't win a race in the swim, but you can lose it.  I've been swimming a lot more this year and a lot harder, trying to minimize my losses out of the water.  I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm definitely improving and my swim has kept me in the hunt.

• Zwift (trainer) riding and gravel riding translates well to TT'ing: I choose to ride indoors or off of the roads whenever possible.  It's a personal choice, due to both schedule and safety. This means that 3 hour weekend and late night Zwift rides are a staple of my training.  We're also blessed with great trails in Madison (Military Ridge/ Badger State) and I'm trying to ride more gravel as a way to get outside.
   
• The run remains a work in progress and is the next area for improvement:  I've been running well, but not to potential.  I know this will come with more experience and training.

Next up for me, Tri'ing for Children Triathlon (sprint) and then Steelhead 70.3 in August.  Thanks for reading and until next time,

~Bobby

Door County Half Ironman- Coach Steve

Every race has it’s positives and negatives and it’s highs and lows. My ultimate goal is Ironman Wisconsin 2019 and trying to achieve my best Ironman. Cindi and I have discussed the best path for me to achieve this performance. With all of this planning happening, I’ve found myself wanting to shut this season down, take a break and start the preparation into 2019. However, every time I start to think this way, I question the reasoning and I continue to come to the realization that i am in the process of self sabotage. I’m desperately trying to find the easy way out of this season. Maybe the stress of being a new father has taken more out of me than I expected. I know this because the drive to get in each session isn’t there and I’d rather get more rest than do the important sessions needed. Hard sessions turn into recovery. Simply put, this season hasn’t gone to plan and I haven’t seen the improvements I would have liked. Each races is a reminder of how much fitness i’ve lost. As I do find positives from each race, they seem to be stripping my motivation rather than increasing it. I still have 3 races on my schedule but plan on doing only 1, Steelhead 70.3. 

The Days Before:

I felt good going into this race because I was able to put in the bigger, high quality sessions. Everything seemed to be on track. Robin has been building for Ironman Wisconsin and its been nice to ride with her. I’ve also made chances to my bike position that continue to be a positive in regards to having a better second half to my races. The drive to Door County was pleasant. Justin was very helpful with meeting us at the race site to help us put up the tent. We settled back to our place, ate dinner, and relaxed at the pool. 

Lucy slept pretty well Friday night. She had a not normal wake up at 4am on Saturday and I was able to get her back to sleep. I decided to just stay up and do work. Being up at 4am is not an ideal thing to do the day before the race but work needed to be done. Saturday was the Sprint Distance and Cindi went down with the team and I stayed back till Lucy woke up. We made it to the race and was able to watch our athletes compete, one of whom won the entire thing! Way to go Bobby! Watching his race certainly motivated me. Lucy started to get tired so I brought her back to the condo for her first nap. My plan was to ride the trainer while she napped. Well, her nap only latest 30’ which meant no ride. I started to get in this panic where I know I needed to get my pre race workout in. It sounds incredibly selfish when I think of it. So I focused on the fact that I was able to stay inside, rest my legs, and relax while it was blazing hot outside. I was also able to have the ITU WTS Hamburg race play in the background. Cindi made it back to Condo and we switched roles. Bike done on the trainer, felt great. Drove to the race site to do easy run and stride, felt good but WOWZA it was hot. Then I went in an swam, felt awesome. Ready to go! Lucy slept awesome Saturday night which meant Cindi and I got great sleep. 

The Swim: D+

I sucked and have no clue why. Well, I know why… I dont swim much and still believe I can fake my way to a 30’ swim. NOT THIS TIME. 500 into the swim my arms were completely shot. “Ah your arms aren’t warmed up, they will come good”… They didn’t come good. I also was constantly drifting left. I literally couldn’t swim straight. I was convinced I was going to see 40’. The beauty of endurance sport is you get what you earn. I wasn’t trained for this and I got exactly what I deserved. 

The Bike: B+

When you aren’t swim fit you suffer the first part of the bike because you are trying to recover from the swim. I was uncomfortable. Heavy legs. Low power. Alone with no one in sight. Unmotivated. Making excuses. Convinced my brakes were rubbing.

Then… I saw people in-front of me so I made it my goal to catch them. From a distance it appeared these people were drafting which set me off into a hissy, it was exactly what I needed… some motivation. I rode past them pushing well into my threshold trying to create a gap so they wouldn't jump on my wheel. Looking back on this, it was quite stupid but it helped me mentally. Slowly I started to catch more people which changed my mentality. My goal coming into this ride was to execute a better 2nd half of the ride. Be more focused, consume more calories. I commonly see 8-10% of a drop off in the 2nd half which is unacceptable. Poor nutrition and bike fit caused me to slow down. This time it was only 5%. This was my best ride at DC by almost 2 minutes!

The Run: B

I got into transition ready to get after it. Earlier someone told me i was top 10, so after passing people I would thought I was 6th or 7th. When I ran past Cindi, she asked “Are you feeling ok? Jason Landretti is 7 minutes up” (Jason is a good friend and someone I like to race because of the banter back and forth)… However, these are not the words you want to hear. These words mean, you’re farther back then we discussed! Apparently I was in 13th place… note to self, don’t believe some random person’s place count. I went from being fired to running on auto pilot. When I looked at the results afterwards, it appears the front of the race was a draft fest as 4-5 guys were rewarded drafting penalties. One athlete was given 12 minutes!

The only turnaround is at 5 miles and up to this point I didn’t see a single runner. It was the perfect place for someone cruising, no pressure. THEN, I saw two guys coming up on me and one in-front of me. They were coming fast and I didn’t want to get passed. I started to push very hard and at times I had to slow down because I had crossed that lactate level line. “Dont look back, don’t look back, don’t let him see you looking back, it’s a sign of weakness, he’ll know you’re hurting” With 3 miles to go we are essentially on two long roads till the finish. I felt with every step I was losing time but I kept pushing. There is an acronym that sticks with me and its TUF, Toughness Under Fatigue. When you're at your limit, it is no longer up to your legs but your mind. How you mentally handle pressure, fatigue, and lactate determines your race results. I was literally at my limit. 1% harder and my legs would completely flood with lactate, 1% easier and Matt would have caught me. Weak mind? I would have been walking. It always funny because 5 miles earlier i was having a pitty part and now i’m at my maximal effort. The ups and downs. Here we are, 1 Mile to go and Matt was within 30 seconds. With the finish being downhill, I felt I was at a disadvantage because i’m short and Matt is tall. With the short rise before the downhill I had to push hard to get some extra time. I was able to hold him off, but holy moly I don’t think I’ve ever pushed that hard. Competition brings the best out of you. 

I joke with people that "every time I cross a finish line is a victory" and the feeling after maxing out is the reminder of why I love to race. Even if it's slower, I'm always chasing that feeling. 

Coach Steve: Lake Mills and Elkhart Lake Recap

Lake Mills and Elkhart Lake Triathlon Recap

Have you ever been stuck in a frame of mind that doesn’t parallel your current physical state? This is my current situation and it’s a very hard place to be because it tugs at the motivational heart strings. 

In 2010, I was 24 and training like a professional. My weekly training hours were between 15-25. I didn’t have a girlfriend, a real job, any responsibilities… it was fantastic! I am now 32 with a wife and a beautiful 10 month daughter who isn’t a fan of sleeping at night. The priority levels have shifted. But the problem is that I still want to train 15 hours a week. 

The past 4 weeks I have averaged 8 hours of training. I only swam 9,000 yards the past month. That’s not a lot of training. But, that is how my life goes. 

Lake Mills Sprint Triathlon

This is the first time i’ve raced Lake Mills and was very excited to see where I stacked up. The funny part is I had no reason to be excited. I spent the last 4 weeks with a calf injury limiting my running. I took a hiatus from the pool because when life gets busy the pool is the first thing that goes. The week before Lake Mills, I took a complete 7 days off of running so I could treat my calf with rest and self massage in hopes I could run pain free at Lake Mills… it worked. 

Lake Mills was one of the most mentally challenging races as I was excited to race, but I was incredibly unprepared. The whole week I fought the mental battle of not racing so I wouldn’t embarrass myself in-front of some of the best Wisconsin triathletes I used to race alongside. I continued to tell myself, “You quit once, quitting becomes a lot easier the next time.” 

Plus, I am not a professional triathlete. I used to put alot of pressure on myself before races to perform. There were years where I wouldn’t communicate with people before the start because I thought it would enhance my performance to remain “focused”. But the reality of this type of thinking is that it’s a complete waste of energy. In fact, it made my performances worse. I was losing the excitement of triathlon by creating so much unnecessary pressure. If you find me before a triathlon now, chances are I won’t shut up.

If you were to ask me what my goals were before Lake Mills, my reply would have been: “I don’t have any goals”… People look at me funny when I said that. They would then ask, “well what kind of paces are you going to try and do? “I have no clue, I’m just going to go as hard as I can and focus on what I can control”

It’s 100% true that during a triathlon I never start my watch for the swim. I rarely look at my power meter, and I NEVER look at my running watch. The races are done almost 100% off of feel. Why? It keeps me mentally positive. Countless times I have seen people get so wrapped up in their numbers that the second they are not riding or running to their numbers, they mentally quit. They start to blame some factor for quitting when in doubt, they were not flexible enough to adapt on race day. It’s an ego thing, I get it. However, do a race and don’t look at your pacing device. 

Lake Mills did go ok for me. I was able to place 19th overall. Not bad.

Elkhart Lake Olympic Triathlon

I love racing Elkhart Lake. It may be my favorite triathlon. It’s a family run event on a challenging course. Flat courses don’t interest me, their boring. Again, what was I thinking? I only swam 1500 yards twice the past month and it was done race week out of complete panic that I needed to swim 1500 at Elkhart. Let alone the fact that I havent run 6 miles straight in more than 3 weeks. But hey, lets have some fun!

Elkhart Lake is an event where you can see ahead of time who is racing. You get to size up your competition! What’s funny about this concept is that it doesnt help your performance. The worst thing IRONMAN does is release who racing ahead of time. Why? For the people looking to be competitive, they spend hours scanning through their age group to see how competitive they will be. Isn’t that ridiculous? You can’t change how you race off this information. Its the easiest way to come into a race with a deflated, fixed mindset of how they will do. It just adds more pressure that will sink their potential on race day. Literally, all of the hard work and fun you were looking to have is now gone. A poor mindset will haunt you. This year, I didn’t even bother checking the list. 

2016 was the last time I raced at Elkhart and I got demolished. Literally demolished by everyone and the course. There was a-lot of walking involved. I was also still trying to impress my now wife at the time. What do they call these moments, character building? Yea, sure. Also it’s a good thing she didn’t marry me for my athletic ability.

2018 was about redemption and it turned out that I had one of my best races in the past couple years. I was pumped! I was able to swim 1500, I biked one of my best power outputs, and I ran very strong on a challenging run course. No quitting, no walking, only fist pumps. 

I finished with a time of 2:26. In 2016 when I got obliterated my time was 2:23. In 2010, when I was 24 my time was 2:13. 

In 8 years I’ve managed to get 13 minutes slower over the same course. How could I possibly take confidence from this? Here we are full circle to where this post started. I had an amazing day of racing. Pushed myself very hard only to be reminded that i’m 10lb heavier than I was 8 years ago (too many IPAs) and 13 minutes slower. 13 minutes is over 2 miles! 

To conclude, it is ok to race when you aren't fully prepared. In fact, not many people show up to a starting line 100% ready. I love this sport. I love feeling healthy and I enjoy being around like minded people. Taking a step back and being able to remove unnecessary pressure is the reason I still do this sport. It’s not about times or placement, its about enjoyment.

A Year Without an IRONMAN

A Year Without an Ironman

Everyone has been in these cross roads and the decision is very tough. As a coach I have seen people enter this sport because of IRONMAN and when an athlete enters a season without one, their motivation drops. I am currently at this situation and its been challenging to motivate myself to train like i would when i’m signed up for an IRONMAN. 

Training at such a high level becomes addicting. When you are in your final IRONMAN build, you start to develop a “healthy” habit of training so much. Repeat that for 4 months and when you are forced to lower your training volume you have withdraws, The IRONMAN Hang Over.  

When you add in the fact that you won’t be doing an IRONMAN this upcoming calendar year, you start to create excuses that justifies missing a session is OKAY because you won’t be enduring such a large event. One missed session becomes another, and another, and before you know it you haven't trained for a week. Once you’ve missed a week of training you start to question you’re entire triathlon career. I have seen people quit the sport from this, it’s depressing. Every year you see people selling all of their equipment. These are the people who entered the sport because of IRONMAN, NOT because they were investing into their-self. These people probably needed better guidance. 

How do you combat this? You develop goals that motivate you. You create goals that make sense on a long term scale. You create goals that make sense financially. You DON’T create goals off of peer pressure. You create goals that again, make sense. 

I've written before that since since 2012/2013, I have actually gotten SLOWER every single year. During these years I have transitioned into a full time endurance coach which means that my athletes come first, not my training. I don’t coach athletes to fund my habit, I coach athletes because I care about their goals and passion. As you become a better coach you spend more time investing into your athletes instead of your training. This means that my 20+ available training hours diminished to 10-14 hours. When you add in that Cindi and I are proud parents of a beautiful 5 month old… that takes up even more time. For everyone who has a family and still does IRONMAN, there is a huge level of respect for being able to balance it all. You don’t understand it until you are in it!

What are my goals for 2018? Here, I’m going to fill you in because sharing your goals are important to sticking with them.

Swim: Swim a 10’ TT averaging 1:15 per 100 yards.

Bike: Increase my FTP to 4.4 watts per kilo

Run: Run a 5k at 16:45 and a 1 mile on the track under 5:00. 

How am I going to accomplish all of those? I have no idea and thats the fun part. These goals are challenging to me because I’ve never accomplished any of them (I’ve run sub 5’ mile in high school). These goals will require something different because if i go into this season with the same expectation as before with less available time, I will experience a burnout.

When you don't do an IRONMAN for a year or two, the financial strain is reduced tremendously. The pressure of racing is also reduced! The fact that I will be able to race over 10 times this year and i will still be spending LESS on entry fees, training, and nutrition feels incredible. I do triathlon because I love the sport, not just IRONMAN. 

Don't take this as me hating on IRONMAN, I will be doing one in 2019. But when you are developing yourself into a life long athlete, you have to learn to balance your life. If you can balance an IRONMAN every year, that's awesome! However, in my experience it would be in most peoples interest to do an IRONMAN every 2nd to 3rd year. 

Let's have a great 2018!

Tackling The Off Season w/ Coach Steven Brandes

How I’m Tackling This Off Season

This off season will be different than others because I am going to do everything different. That’s right, I am going to throw out the old play book and work on all of my weaknesses this off season. The thought of this scares me but also motivates me. After competing in triathlon for 11 years, I need a new physical and mental stimulus in order for me to have a great 2018 season. However, this means I have to look at myself critically and determine what my weakness are which isn't easy!

1. Work on my physical strength: I have seen my strength levels decline every year and have seen it effect me in training. I was once a strong climbers and am now getting beat on almost every climb when training with others. Since October I have been in the gym, lifting weights working on developing my muscular strength. The past 2 months have been focused on general lifting at a moderate intensity. I am now getting into lifting at full capacity. This means I am only doing 3-4 rounds of 3-5 repetitions where I am forced to rest 3 minutes before i can start again. This is where the gains will be made to making me overall stronger.
2. Work on my explosive power: This compliments my lifting in the gym, but puts a different spin on it. I haven’t improved my 5k running time, 400 yard swim, of my biking threshold is over 4 years. If your critical speed isn't improving, you won’t get faster over longer events. It’s not as if i haven't tried to improve the above, for whatever reason I haven't worked on the supporting elements that will improve my “thresholds”. So far I have been doing plyometrics and up hill bounding, lifting heavier weights in the gym, doing a tremendous amount of sprinting in the pool w/ parachutes and ankle bands, and short intense sessions on the bike. These sessions are very hard. At first I hated them because my session volumes have reduced almost 50% but i am seeing the benefits already. My personal best in a 50 free was 34 and I am now at 30 seconds! You can’t change technical inefficiencies under a high training load, so if you are swimming 4,000 yards with a bad swim stroke, you will remain a bad swimmer. 
3. Reduce my body fat: I didn’t say I wanted to lose weight, i said body fat percentage. I have noticed that as i’ve gotten older, my body fat has increased. With the added weights and explosive work, that will naturally add more muscle which will keep my weight the same and there is a good chance I will start to lose weight as well. Either way, when I went to CXC Skiing facility to get my Resting Metabolic Rate tested to determined how many calories my body demands each day, I also had my body fat tested… i wasn't happy with it. Having these numbers, i am able to set up my daily eating to know how much i should be eating to either lose weight or maintain my current weight.
4. Race more frequent: I used to only race when I felt prepared and I feel like this is a weakness that always gets exploited on race day. I feel like I hide in my training until I feel race ready and then when i did race I had too many expectations to do well. This is a good thing and a bad thing because you should always have expectations, but I also feel like my performances suffered because I was afraid to fully commit myself in races, almost like i was racing at 90% of my best instead of 100%. So far i have raced twice this off season and before both I almost convinced myself to not race but glad i did. Its a hard thing to put yourself in a situation when you know you wont be at your best, it takes courage, but i am using these races as a stepping stone to manage my overall preparation. My plan this off season is to race 1-2xs a month, from the Pinnacle Indoor Triathlons to local running races, i will be out there learning to suffer!

Coach Steven Brandes

Am I An Ironman?

I crossed the finish line at Ironman Wisconsin and Mike Reilly told me I was an Ironman. I thought that would mean something to me when it finally happened. It didn’t. It still doesn’t three weeks later. I trained for over a year to complete something people tell me “is quite an accomplishment.” So, why don’t I feel different?

I honestly thought crossing that finish line would change me in some kind of meaningful way. I thought it would answer some questions I had never had the courage to ask out loud. I thought I would be overcome with emotion.

None of that happened. I crossed the finish line. I got a medal. And then... Then my life went on, but with a gaping hole in it. I had completed something I didn’t know I could complete. I was an Ironman. People wear that label around like a badge of honor for the rest of their lives. They get a tattoo so other people can show it off.

I wish it was that simple for me, but it’s not. Becoming an Ironman was a point-in-time event for me. It started and ended in the same moment. The moment I crossed the finish line. The moment I realized that nothing had changed and nothing would change because I finished. I was not a different person that than I was the moment before I crossed the finish line.

That’s not totally true. I am a different person since I finished Ironman. I am lost. I am drifting through life without any answers to the questions I set out to find the answers to at that finish line. At the moment I feel more like a victim of Ironman, than a victor.

As I struggle to get out of bed each morning and search for the motivation to do my workout each day, I’ve realized something, my goal was never to cross that finish line. I don’t care about being an Ironman. I don’t care if anyone knows that I finished that race.

I don’t care because for me, Ironman wasn’t a race. It was a 14 month journey of training, camaraderie, teammates, solitude, fatigue, fear, loneliness, friendship, pain and for the first time in my life, a sense of calm in my mind. A calm that comes from a daily fatigue that forces me to focus only on what matters in my life. A calm that comes from feeling like I’ve really lived each day.

I’ve lost that calm and that glorious fatigue over the past few weeks as I’ve “recovered” from the race. Now, it’s time to find it again. It’s time to begin the journey all over again. Training for Ironman WI 2018 starts now.

I didn’t change when I crossed the finish line, I changed when I took the first step in a very long journey to get there.

Ironman Wisconsin: Have I Done Enough?

I’m less than 1 week away from competing in Ironman WI, my first Ironman, and the one question I can’t answer is, “have I done enough?” 

I’ve trained and raced with the Madison Multisport Team for the last year. I’ve worked harder than I ever have physically and I’ve been a type of exhausted that I didn’t know existed. I’ve spent countless hours with my teammates - more quality time with them this summer than with my wife and kids. I did all the workouts my coach assigned (and skipped some of them when my body told me I needed a break). 

I also raced. A lot. In the last year, I’ve completed 3 Ironman 70.3 races, 7 sprint triathlons, 2 marathons, the Horribly Hilly Hundreds 100K and 4 running races of varying distances. That’s an insane amount of racing. 

Yet, I still can’t say I have done enough. I don’t know that I have. I don’t know that I can swim 2.4 miles and then bike 112 miles and then run 26.2 miles. I don’t know that I can do it because I’ve never done it before. I have doubts every day. At times, I think I’ve committed to something I just am not built to do. I’m a big guy. Big guys aren’t endurance athletes. I also think a lot about failing, but I don’t even know what it would mean to fail at an Ironman. It’s a paradox. 

So, how do I convince myself I’ve done enough? Done enough to deserve to be on that starting line. Done enough to make my coaches’ investment in me worth their time. Done enough to hold my head high when I see my teammates after the race. Done enough to make all the sacrifices my wife made to make this possible worth it. Done enough to make my son proud when he hangs that medal around my neck at the finish line. 

The bottom line is that I can’t. I can’t convince myself that I’ve done enough. I can’t convince myself that I’ll be able to hit my goal times for each leg of the race. I can’t convince myself that I won’t fail. I’m genuinely afraid.

This is why you’ll find me starting a 2.4 mile swim at 6:55am on Sept 10, because I don’t know if I can do this and I want to find out. I want to know. I need to know and there’s only one way to find out. Dive in. 

Couch To IRONMAN w/ Lauren Taylor

Some time ago in the not so distant past, my husband asked me if I would ever do a triathlon. “No way!”, I answered. “Swimming is gross, and you know I don’t like to get in the water. Biking might be okay, but I don’t even own a bike.” Yet... I didn’t shut the door all the way.  “I should just do a half marathon or something.”

In 2015, he joined MM and by the end of the season, I was warming up to the idea of becoming active. As I spent more time around the team, I was certain this was a group I wanted to be a part of. I still wasn’t sold on the whole triathlon thing, but I decided to do a sprint tri in 2016 and my goal was “just to finish”.

Starting in the new year, the consistency (or maybe unrelenting frequency) of my new plan was a complete lifestyle change. This was my first week of what I came to call the “couch to Cindi” program:

I had bouts of fitness in the past where I would run or have a dedicated yoga practice, but there was no consistency and there certainly wasn’t much intensity. When I started, I struggled to run a single 10 minute mile without walking. But it didn’t really matter where I started, because as long as I showed up for practice and did my best to try to keep up with anyone on the team, I was improving. Having a coach and and a supportive group to train with was a game changer for me.   

The rapid improvement I experienced was exciting. Not only did I complete several sprints, I crushed my goals as well as my perception of what my body was capable of every time. My dreams and my goals got bigger as the year went on.

By the end of that summer, I was thinking really big and it was time to decide if I could take on Ironman in 2017. Even the thought of it would have been crazy seven months earlier.  

But everything in my life felt like it was settled enough that I would be able to dedicate the time and energy required to training. Conveniently, my “carpool” and near constant companion, Carly, was also ready to take the leap. A group of us exchanged excited texts as we registered on September 12th.

In November, I told Cindi I wanted to run a marathon. I knew I would feel more secure in my Ironman decision if I had at least done each portion of the race by itself. She said it wasn’t really “required,” but I knew I needed to be confident in my ability to cover the distance. Plus, a marathon seemed like a good way to keep motivated over the winter.

The Mesa-Phoenix Marathon was my first race of the year. My goal was to run under 4 hours, but I wanted to push myself see how close I could get to 3:30. Lofty for someone who could barely make it a mile just the year before. The course was pretty flat, the weather was mild, and I even had amazing teammates show up to surprise me in Phoenix and catch me every few miles.

In the end, I ran 3:41:40. I was very happy with my result and loved the experience, despite it being more painful than I possibly could have anticipated. There were many moments where I thought, “Why did I sign up to do this after a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike? What was I thinking?!?” Good thing my teammates assure me that “the Ironman marathon is just different”.

After the marathon, I decided to race less frequently in the year ahead. I had just two 70.3s on the calendar. The first, Ironman Madison 70.3, was a grueling introduction to the distance. After a beautiful swim and bike, I was destroyed by the heat on the run. Like many others, my pace suffered as I slogged around Lake Monona. I didn’t meet my goal of breaking 2 hours on the run, but I was happy to have covered this distance without any mechanical or nutrition issues.

Luckily, I had another shot at a sub-2 run at the Door County half in July. After a shortened swim and relatively flat bike, I was ready to go.  I watched my average pace on my watch knowing that it had to be under 9:09 to break 2 hours and that I would need to bank some time for hills in later miles. I executed according to plan and my run time was 1:57:11.  All that was left now was the full distance in September.

Now, in the days leading up to Ironman I am unusually calm. As I see others on facebook worrying about the swim start change, bike course, or other things ultimately outside of my control, I am not fazed. The hard work is done, now it is just time to execute and enjoy the day.

In writing this and reflecting on my journey,  I think about where I started and how far I have come. From my first sprint, to my first marathon, to my first 70.3, I have had great races so far and I simply trust the process. My training and race planning I have done with MM has never failed me in the past. Thinking about race day, about that first swim stroke until I cross the finish line, ultimately completing my journey from couch-to-226k, I am excited and ready to take on Ironman.  

How I Got Back In The Saddle w/ Carly Hasse

“Oh man, this is not good.”  That was my thought as I was trying to gain control of my bike.  Turns out, hitting a pothole on your bike while going downhill at 30 mph isn’t too great.  After a few swerves to the wrong side of the road and trying not to go head first over my handlebars, I ended up laying my bike on its side in the ditch.  Too bad my left shoulder took the brunt of the force, as I was kind of hoping the bike would and I could get a new one!  As I sat in the ditch with 2 teammates and my coach, I had the same thought “oh man, this is not good for Ironman training.”  I was banged up pretty badly & I knew I was hurt.  An afternoon in the ER and a few x-rays later, the orthopedic surgeon confirmed that I had 3 fractures in my scapula and said the dreaded words I didn’t want to hear.  “You’re for sure not going to do any races for the next 8 weeks, and maybe not Ironman Wisconsin either.”  The tears came fast and hard, and I was devastated.  

I wallowed in those sorrows for a good 48 hours.  Maybe it was the pain meds, maybe it was the awful concussion I got that let me have these “poor me” thoughts.  Then I had a realization.  Why just give up on a goal you have and worked so hard on for nearly a year?  That’s not you, Carly.  Get back in the saddle and finish what you started.  So I talked with my coach and came up with a game plan.  Speed walk. Do yoga.  Kick in the pool.  Do whatever you can.  Just don’t quit on your goal.  

Over the course of the next 8 weeks, I slowly but surely progressed back to being on a normal Ironman training schedule.  Was it easy? No.  Were there days I wanted to quit?  Yes.  Did I have doubts that I could actually get to the start line at Ironman Wisconsin?  Absolutely.  But I knew I needed to persevere and push on.  That first time back riding my bike on the open road was by far the most nervous I’ve been in my adult life.  Pretty sure the first hill I went down there was smoke coming from my brake pads and I was certain I had wore them out!  Lots of positive self-talk and just getting back in the saddle helped ease the fears that come with crashing.  I got more and more confident during every ride I did, and before I knew it, I was doing 100+ mile rides without fear. With a visual scar reminder on my leg (from my handlebars digging into my thigh when I crashed), I reminded myself how fortunate I am that I am a healthy, strong woman who has goals to be met, and nothing can stop me, not even a bike crash.

Having a positive mindset, having coaches that work with you on a daily basis to set small & manageable goals, having teammates that support you (and who are willing to speed walk with you or drive you everywhere!), and remembering that broken bones heal but broken dreams do not are all things that got me to where I am now----less than 2 weeks away from achieving my goal of racing happy and having fun during Ironman Wisconsin!

How I Reshaped My Life w/ Matthew Boardman

In 2015, at my heaviest I weighed in at 195lbs. Now i weigh 160lbs. For someone who was 5'8" and 195lbs, it was obvious that i needed to make some personal changes. I had just come off the 2014 Ironman Wisconsin where i went 12:31 and was training with an online coach. I signed up for the 2015 IMWI to redeem myself only to go slower than what i did in 2015. The lack of improvement really hurt.

My training in 2014 and 2015 consisted of 6 weekly sessions, 2 swims, 2 bikes, and 2 runs. In 2015 i raced Lake Mills Sprint and Door County Half Ironman before Ironman Wisconsin.

Lake Mills Sprint:

Total Time: 1:30

Swim: 9:17, Bike: 49:13 (19.5mh), 25:38 (8:15 pace)

Door County Half Ironman:

Total Time: 6:06

Swim: 45 Minutes, 2:47 (20.8mph), 2:25 (11:07 pace)

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When i was training in 2014 and 2015, I had no real thought process with my daily nutrition: I just knew I was consuming 2500-3000 calories per day.  This included a high percentage of fats (snacks to "reward" myself- but overboard like ice cream and candy), a lot of microwave and easy to prepare meals in high carbohydrates.  I also drank regular gatorade, and took in Gu and bonk brakes without any real thought behind.  I was actually one of those people who gained weight training for Ironman!

While I had goals, I did not have a true plan to reach those goals; my workouts were time based but lacked structure and intervals.  I did no strength training nor did I put much thought into recovery. I was just going through the motions.

After the 2015 Ironman, I decided i needed to make a change that would reshape my life.

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Cue Madison Multisport and Cindi Bannink....

Accountability: This was easily the largest and most difficult change I had to make. Madison Multisport from a training perspective boiled down to ACCOUNTABILITY, COMMITMENT, and healthy competition. TrainingPeaks was a symbol of ACCOUNTABILITY, not GUILT and avoidance! I was determined to train hard and smart while not over doing it. Coach Cindi was key for keeping me on my game, having to come to TEAM practices and look her in the eye and tell her if i was ever struggling was a big step for me, instead of the auto reply of "i'm fine".

Commitment: This was something i wanted to conquer more on a personal level than some race result. I knew i had it in me to not just follow the motions but to improve and get faster. I wanted to prove to myself that I had the hard work and discipline to become a better me. Very early in the season I approached races and body composition with loftier goals than i had in the past. I set these goals and Coach Cindi and myself held me accountable to them. I work in the medical profession which required countless years of hard work, education, and accountability and for some reason I hadn't transfered that same work ethic into my athletic training. I finally paralleled the two and was finally seeing results in training and my body composition. Within the 1st 6 months, i lost over 15lbs and was seeing massive improvements in my daily mood, energy, and training. I was feeling better and running faster at an easier effort.

Madison Multisport has a good blend of personality and ability and I was mixing it up with people I never thought I would have been. In the winters, Tuesday nights typically mean Hill Repeats. I continued to bust my butt to keep up with faster teammates and it was working. I was pushing myself well past my comfort zone and repping the rewards. Each time we would run the Monona Loop, I always tried to keep up with Olivia. Olivia is one of the best triathletes in the Madison area, a Boston Qualifier, and a super encouraging teammate. 

I also asked Colin at Cronometro Bike Shop to put me in a better, more aggressive bike position. With my body composition continuing to change, i could easily go into a better aero position than i previously could. Add in the hard bike workouts that we did at TEAM practices, I was starting to match the watts per kilo of some of the better riders on the team. My confidence was growing each week!

On a nutrition stand point, I started to pay attention to what i was eating. I would consume 450-500g of Carbs per day which was around 2.5-4.5/lbs of body weight. I tried to consume most of these as early in the day as possible as well as when I was training, while not too many carbs at night. I would then try to consume 80-110g of Protein per day (.5-.8/lbs of body weight). I kept these meals in the middle and end of the day. A large change came once i turned 40 as i learned that protein demands in endurance training are higher in athletes over 40, it helps with improving recovery.  I added more chicken and fish while eliminating red meat that contained alot of fat. I also replaced burgers with chicken on the George Foreman Grill. I ate less than 70g of Fats per day. The only time i allowed myself sweets was during training or post workouts when i felt i deserved them.

Bring on the 2017 Season!

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Lake Mills 2017: Overall Time: 1:15

Swim: 9:02, Bike: 40:51 (23.5mpg), Run: 21:44 (6:59 pace)

Door County Half Ironman 2017: Overall Time 4:36 

Swim: 9:39, Bike: 2:32 (22mph), Run: 1:49 (8:20s pace)

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Comparisons for 2015 vs 2017

Lake Mills Bike: 19.5mph vs 23.5mph

Lake Mills Run: 8:15 per mile vs 6:59 per mile

Door County 70.3 Bike: 20mph vs 22 mph (15 Minutes Faster)

Door County 70.3 Run: 11:07 per mile vs 8:20 per mile (20 Minutes Faster)

Food For Fuel, How I Conquered 70.3!

I am Wendy! I'm currently on my third season of triathlons and started training this past year with Madison Multisport.  

This year my big goal was to compete in my first half Ironman, Steelhead, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. I knew that in order to achieve this goal I was going to be spending a lot more hours running and biking, especially on the weekends. With the training I had received so far I knew that there's no time like the present to get going. 

Fast forward to Saturday, July 1, which was one of my long ride days. From what I recall there was nothing unusual about the ride, other than maybe being a bit hot outside. I was following the training plan, doing intervals, feeling pretty good. The next thing I knew I was on the ground coming to in a dreamlike state with people standing around me telling me that I had been in an accident. I had ran my bike into the back of a parked car. I had no recollection of why it had happened, I wasn't sure if a car had gotten too close or if I made some mistake while riding. I probably will never know but that day I ended up in an ambulance and was taken to the emergency room. Thankfully there was nothing serious, just a badly sprained wrist, a banged up face, and diagnosed with a concussion. 

Over the next couple of weeks it really bothered me that I didn't remember what had happened to cause the accident. As I was sharing my story with a clinician at work she mentioned that some of the details I was providing could be linked to dehydration. Up until that point I honestly didn't pay very much attention to what I was eating or drinking even though my coaches talked about it frequently. Even if it wasn't the cause of my accident the wheels started to spin and I knew I needed to start taking nutrient more serious.

The morning of my accident what I can tell you is that I probably didn't start out with enough calories or liquid in my system to accommodate the workout I was about to do. I was running on empty pretty quickly into the ride and the couple of gel packs I had and the calorie free water were never going to catch me up to what I really needed. The possibility that I blacked out while on my bike, on a busy road, scared the crap out of me. If that was what happened I am pretty lucky that getting banged up and totaling my bike was all that happened.  

Being overweight my whole life and being on numerous diets throughout my lifetime had gotten me in a mindset that eating less was better. I had recently lost 95 pounds, so the thought of increasing my food intake was pretty scary to me. After doing some research and at the recommendation of my coach I scheduled an appointment with a dietitian. I kept track of my food and liquid intake in addition to my workouts for several days.  Within a couple minutes of reviewing my journey the dietitian asked me how I was typically feeling during my workouts. I let her know that I generally could make it through most of my workouts but that I typically felt pretty drained by the middle of the workout on most days, running days were the hardest. From there she started going over the journal entries with me and based on that information alone she told me that I wasn't even taking in enough calories to sustain someone who doesn't work out at all, let alone someone like me that was working out on a daily basis, especially several hours on the weekend.  With my half Ironman just over 3 weeks away we immediately worked on a menu plan that was easy for me to follow to make sure I was taking in what I needed. We more than doubled my calorie intake, mainly through protein in the weeks leading up to my race.

Since implement I can tell the positive difference these changes are making. I'm feeling more energy during workouts, I'm not coming home completely exhausted. I competed in the Ironman 70.3 triathlon the second week in August and was amazed at how much stronger I felt especially during the run which is my least favorite part. This I competed in my second sprint triathlon of the season and I was able to take about 7 minutes off my time, more importantly I didn’t need to walk during the run.

I'm really excited to see how I perform next year seeing that I will be training more fully charged than I was before the beginning of this year.