After going 1st and 3rd in this race in its inaugural year, 2008, my Riptide Multisports teammates and I headed the Broomfield, Colorado again this year in hopes of sweeping the top steps of the podium and the prize money. This was to no avail as this year's field was stacked with names such as Michael Aish, Chris Siemers (though hampered by the turkey costume he had to wear after losing a darts tournament), Ewen North, Joseph Ekuoim, and others. To my surprise the field allowed me to stretch a short lead through mile one before I was joined by New Zealand Olympian Michael Aish. After trading surges and the lead on the up hill portion of the course Mike pulled away for good leaving me to hold off his fast closing, turkey costume wearing, college teammate Chris Siemers. Crossing the tape the top three (Aish - 14:34, myself - 14:49, and Siemers - 14:57) broke my course record from the previous year of 15:07. Riptide with a strong presence placing 2nd, 5th, 6th, 14th, and 19th. Congrats to the Dan, Jordan, Matt, and Cyrus on a solid days work!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Panicking Poultry 5k
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Lab Rat Official Experiment #1
Lab Rat, that's me. The constant need for me to ask why? and what if? finally got the better of me. Since it is hardly fair to ask my athletes to volunteer to have their training schedules act as informal physiology experiments, I volunteered myself. I would put to test training protocols, new workouts, core training, diet, and even equipment choices to the test in my personal training and racing and then keep the good and toss the bad. In this way my athletes get the best combinations that fit their personal goals and physiology and I satisfy my inquisitive mind. Let the eperiments begin!
Lab Experiment #1: The infusion of anerobic training blocks into the base phase of training
Questions: The base phase of training has typically been know as the time of year where endurance athletes harden the bodies and minds with countless miles with the theory that the bigger the base the taller the peak. Two questions come to mind with this age old theory. 1. What is the cost to our neuromuscular fast twitch muscle development when it is ignored for 3-4 months each year? I mean good luck running 15 minutes for 5k or even a 2:30 for a marathon if you can't run a 4:30 mile. Case in point Dathen Ritzenhiem (3:42.9 1500m) and Ryan Hall (3:42.7 1500m) both sub 4 minute milers and both 2:10 or better marathoners. Speed kills, even in distance running. 2. Would there be a great determent to areobic base training if time was taken to insert anaerobic training into the this phase of the training cycle?
Test Protocol: 4 weeks progressive aerobic base build followed by two weeks anaerobic focused training. The anaerobic phase will include short interval between 15 seconds and 5 minutes at efforts between 80-100% of maximal effort. This 6 week cycle is designed to be repeated throughout the base cycle with the first week of aerobic serving training a recovery week. I will report back on the results after a cycle or two to determine if the training design is not only feasible but also effective in building base aerobic fitness while maintaining efficiency of the anaerobic energy system and neuromuscular type 2 A and B fibers.
Lab Experiment #1: The infusion of anerobic training blocks into the base phase of training
Questions: The base phase of training has typically been know as the time of year where endurance athletes harden the bodies and minds with countless miles with the theory that the bigger the base the taller the peak. Two questions come to mind with this age old theory. 1. What is the cost to our neuromuscular fast twitch muscle development when it is ignored for 3-4 months each year? I mean good luck running 15 minutes for 5k or even a 2:30 for a marathon if you can't run a 4:30 mile. Case in point Dathen Ritzenhiem (3:42.9 1500m) and Ryan Hall (3:42.7 1500m) both sub 4 minute milers and both 2:10 or better marathoners. Speed kills, even in distance running. 2. Would there be a great determent to areobic base training if time was taken to insert anaerobic training into the this phase of the training cycle?
Test Protocol: 4 weeks progressive aerobic base build followed by two weeks anaerobic focused training. The anaerobic phase will include short interval between 15 seconds and 5 minutes at efforts between 80-100% of maximal effort. This 6 week cycle is designed to be repeated throughout the base cycle with the first week of aerobic serving training a recovery week. I will report back on the results after a cycle or two to determine if the training design is not only feasible but also effective in building base aerobic fitness while maintaining efficiency of the anaerobic energy system and neuromuscular type 2 A and B fibers.
Monday, March 30, 2009
In Process!
I must first preface this entry with the fact that the words about to follow are not my wisdom but rather my understanding of how God's word fits so perfectly into our lives and in this case our lives as athletes. This weekend I had the privilege of listening to a sermon from my pastor called "I Am In Process". This message spoke of how the things we do here and now are to achieve the end result. Some of the basic thoughts went something like this "Change happens daily, not in a day", and "Why suddenly really isn't".
My pastor broke it down into 3 points:
1. We are always in process
Therefore until we get to the end destination, goal, achievement, or finished product, we are in process. If this does not parallel race preparation I'm not sure what does, as we are in a constant process of working and building towards a particular race achievement.
How to approach this process is:
a. the remember the destination is the goal- For Christians this is becoming Christ like in the way we act. For any athlete this may be a championship, personal best, or even simply finishing a particular race. Whatever the goal might be we must fix our eyes on it and pursue it in our day-to-day actions.
b. the process does not always make sense- This is so true for any athlete that has ever had a set back on there journey towards their goal. For me this was a torn hamstring two and a half weeks prior to the world championships. Why do these thing happen we often ask? But I would argue that when we look back on these trials we will realize that without them we would not possess the tools to reach the heights we have reached to date. As a Christian we often ask God why he lets things happen to us. Why if he was a sovereign, loving God why he would let use experience pain. Maybe without this process we would not become the finished product that we strive for?
c. enjoying the journey is a choice- We can choose to let the bumps in the road get us down or we can look down the road to the end goal and see how we can apply the tough times to make us better. I feel that this was the single greatest life and training tool I learned throughout my injury riddled college running career. A career that ultimately ended in 6-All Americans and a Team National Title.
d. the mistake of life is living it from a small perspective- we have to learn to keep our eyes on the prize and not loose sight because of the immediate appearance of life. How true is this in the have it now society that we live in? Be bigger than the here and now!
2. The process here- is for there
1 Kings 6:7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool were heard at the temple site while it was being built.
The verse speaks of the work being done far from the destination so that hammering and chiseling (trials in life) is done when it comes time to complete the task. We therefore, endure the preparation, good and bad, so that we can lay the ground work for the finished product. For, no one wants last second work to affect the outcome. In this way our lives are like temples being built far from the destination to be put together at a later completion date. Therefore we must push on with the work so to be prepared for that time.
1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
3. Your job in the process
As Christians God simply asks us to be present in the situations that occur. We are to weather the storms and learn from them, realizing that we are simply becoming closer to the finished product that brings the ultimate glory to God. For athletes there is not difference, as we are simply to focus on the task at hand with diligence and an on-purposesness that keeps us pointed towards the ultimate goal no matter the challenge that gets in the way.
So I spur you to set you eyes on the prizes and enjoy the journey with the knowledge that good or bad the result is a step closer to reaching your ultimate goal. If you would like to listen to or watch the sermon mentioned in this blog you can log on for free to http://jfc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=105&Itemid=115
My pastor broke it down into 3 points:
1. We are always in process
Therefore until we get to the end destination, goal, achievement, or finished product, we are in process. If this does not parallel race preparation I'm not sure what does, as we are in a constant process of working and building towards a particular race achievement.
How to approach this process is:
a. the remember the destination is the goal- For Christians this is becoming Christ like in the way we act. For any athlete this may be a championship, personal best, or even simply finishing a particular race. Whatever the goal might be we must fix our eyes on it and pursue it in our day-to-day actions.
b. the process does not always make sense- This is so true for any athlete that has ever had a set back on there journey towards their goal. For me this was a torn hamstring two and a half weeks prior to the world championships. Why do these thing happen we often ask? But I would argue that when we look back on these trials we will realize that without them we would not possess the tools to reach the heights we have reached to date. As a Christian we often ask God why he lets things happen to us. Why if he was a sovereign, loving God why he would let use experience pain. Maybe without this process we would not become the finished product that we strive for?
c. enjoying the journey is a choice- We can choose to let the bumps in the road get us down or we can look down the road to the end goal and see how we can apply the tough times to make us better. I feel that this was the single greatest life and training tool I learned throughout my injury riddled college running career. A career that ultimately ended in 6-All Americans and a Team National Title.
d. the mistake of life is living it from a small perspective- we have to learn to keep our eyes on the prize and not loose sight because of the immediate appearance of life. How true is this in the have it now society that we live in? Be bigger than the here and now!
2. The process here- is for there
1 Kings 6:7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool were heard at the temple site while it was being built.
The verse speaks of the work being done far from the destination so that hammering and chiseling (trials in life) is done when it comes time to complete the task. We therefore, endure the preparation, good and bad, so that we can lay the ground work for the finished product. For, no one wants last second work to affect the outcome. In this way our lives are like temples being built far from the destination to be put together at a later completion date. Therefore we must push on with the work so to be prepared for that time.
1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
3. Your job in the process
As Christians God simply asks us to be present in the situations that occur. We are to weather the storms and learn from them, realizing that we are simply becoming closer to the finished product that brings the ultimate glory to God. For athletes there is not difference, as we are simply to focus on the task at hand with diligence and an on-purposesness that keeps us pointed towards the ultimate goal no matter the challenge that gets in the way.
So I spur you to set you eyes on the prizes and enjoy the journey with the knowledge that good or bad the result is a step closer to reaching your ultimate goal. If you would like to listen to or watch the sermon mentioned in this blog you can log on for free to http://jfc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=105&Itemid=115
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Solid Start to 2009!
After an off season that focused more on healing a hamstring and less on fitness the expectations for this weeks race a huge question mark to say the least. The result 3rd place. The answer to the question, was to be expected, as I feel that my run fitness is about a month behind and my bike is suffering from a lack of cycling specific strength training. This said, surviving the day on a solid aerobic base I was able to best last years run times by 30+ seconds and 1:18 (with the fastest closing run split) and all the while riding 3 seconds faster. And in the end bested great athletes such as Tim Deboom, David Thompson, and Greg Remaly. Lastly, hats off to Chris Foster who showed great early season fitness and made a statement that he will be a force in the '09 race as torched the course just missing the course record.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
2009 Gets Rolling!
The 2009 season is just about the be off and rolling with my first official race in a week from tomorrow in the warmer weather of Phoenix, Arizona. Last year's Desert Duathlon Classic ended with a sprint to the line for 4th place with none other than Simon Whitfield, a loss that I hope to rectify this year. As for an off season training update: it went well despite the rigors of the final year of physical therapy school (graduation in May, finally!). I feel that my hamstring is back after tearing it for the second time in three weeks at the Duathlon World Championships. And with the help of my Riptide Multisports teammates and coach I feel faster in the water than ever, a good sign that my achilles heal (swimming) is becoming more like a small side cramp in the progression of my triathlon career. So what is the focus for 2009? Duathlon World's with a full set of intact hamstrings, increased play time in the 70.3 world, and of course an ITU Continental Cup or two depending on the small side cramp, that is.
A quick, but very appropriate thanks to all of my 2008 sponsors: Fezzari Bicycles, Boulder Running Company, Honey Stringer, Nuun, Shuttle Pack, and Rol Wheels. Without your support there is no way that my career is where it is today, SO THANKS!
And to the 2009 sponsors: Fezzari Bicycles, Boulder Running Company, Active Health, Rocket Science Sports, Specialized, Mix 1, Infinit Nutrition, Optic Nerve, and Bicycle Village. Thanks and I look forward to a stellar year representing your outstanding companies!
A quick, but very appropriate thanks to all of my 2008 sponsors: Fezzari Bicycles, Boulder Running Company, Honey Stringer, Nuun, Shuttle Pack, and Rol Wheels. Without your support there is no way that my career is where it is today, SO THANKS!
And to the 2009 sponsors: Fezzari Bicycles, Boulder Running Company, Active Health, Rocket Science Sports, Specialized, Mix 1, Infinit Nutrition, Optic Nerve, and Bicycle Village. Thanks and I look forward to a stellar year representing your outstanding companies!
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