Coming back from sickness

I've been pretty fortunate throughout my seventeen years of racing triathlon. I have not had any significant injuries or long term sicknesses. Of course I've had the bumps and bruises of getting hit by a car (twice), the occasional Achilles flair up, plantar fascia, and the random cold. However, I've managed to steer clear of anything chronic by listening to my body and doing the proper maintenance throughout the year. Quick backstory: I grew up in the running boom of the late 70s/early 80s watching my father and his peers run themselves ragged. They all experienced injuries that would put them on the sidelines for significant amounts of time. So I promised myself that I would not make the same mistakes. My four main principles to longevity in the sport are: 1. Stay healthy 2. Stay consistent 3. Train properly 4. Have fun My approach to staying healthy has been to have a consistent recovery routine, a supplement plan, and try my best for optimal sleep. My recovery routine consists of a weekly sports massage. This really helps me bounce back from hard races and workouts in addition to being preventive for any potential chronic injuries. I also use my Normatec boots during the race season and from time to time I will use my Compex muscle stimulator (although I haven't really committed to this yet). For my supplement plan, I try to get my bloodwork done twice a year to see where my deficiencies lie. Then I put together a plan of action with my nutritionist for a proper supplement plan to address my areas of need. I have been using Standard Process products for my supplement needs since 2009. The company has been around since 1929 and uses a whole food philosophy. Finally, but definitely not least, sleep has become especially important for me as my chronical age has increased. I used to be able to get away with five to six hours of sleep a night, commute two hours each way to work and still train pretty hard. Now, I find that I need at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night combined with my fifteen minute commute to/from work each day in order to train optimally. Here's my quick story on the start to my 2016 season. I had a really good winter base training that included a major swim focus and a maintenance strength focus. My aerobic engine felt strong. I had set myself up for a solid transition to the build phase of my annual training plan. However, I had made a decision at the beginning of the year that I would stop taking all of my supplements for the first three months of the year. I made that decision because I wanted to try to focus on trying to eat as healthy as I could and see how my body would react. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a bad decision in hindsight. I believe it allowed my immune system to become suppressed. On Monday, March 7th I was diagnosed with shingles. I had been experiencing the symptoms for nine days at the time, but I had been in denial until I just could not stand the pain anymore. My wife finally talked me into going to the walk in clinic. The doctor diagnosed my condition within ten seconds of seeing my rash on my lower back and right thigh. I explained to her that the pain was two pronged. I felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my right quad and I had a deep bone bruise. The second and much more annoying pain was an intense neuron firing on the skin where the rash had appeared. It felt like I was being bitten by a thousand fire ants all at once. The pain would come and go, but when it came it was absolutely brutal! The doctor prescribed anti-viral meds and informed me that I could not train at all for ten days. At first I did not want to follow her advice, but when she told me that I was at risk for a potential serious infection if my rash opened up I quickly accepted the time out. This was the first significant in-season forced break that I had taken since I started in 2000. Unfortunately, sometimes it pours when it rains. I started training again slowly after my ten day break. I was trying to be smart and not push my comeback to quickly. However, my immune system must have still been really low and I came down with a bronchial infection that I think I picked up from the kids. Normally, my immune system is pretty strong throughout the year and I rarely catch anything from the kids, but I was forced to take another break to let my body recover. The second setback really challenged my mental strength. I really struggled with my motivation all through the month of April. The warm weather finally came to the Northeast in May and my motivation slowly started to return. The inconsistency of my training had put my fitness back to my normal January levels. Fortunately, I had planned my lightest race season since my first year racing. I have only five races on the docket for 2016: REV3 Quassy, Griskus Olympic, Griskus Sprint, 70.3 Timberman, and Kona. I am now looking forward to building my fitness and the privilege of being able to participate in these endurance events.

3 Race Preparation Workouts To Unlock Your Potential

Three Race Preparation Workouts to Find your Edge As you get close to a goal race, finding that extra edge on race day is a combination of physical and mental preparation and both being and feeling ready. Training sessions that simulate race conditions ensure your body is physiologically ready and allows you to get your head in the game. Here are three ‘ace preparation workouts that one can use to prep for 70.3 and shorter races. Ideally done 3-6 weeks out (not on your taper week), after your main training weeks have been completed and the race gets closer. Workout #1: Swim-Bike The purpose of this workout is to practice the physiological demands of going straight from a swim to a bike effort. Many athletes have a hard time transitioning from the swim to the bike in races. This workout is a little below race effort so the athlete can practice the two disciplines back to back and build their confidence. The bike has hill repeats to build in some strength work following a short adaptation segment following the swim. Swim: 30 minutes at an intermediate to moderately hard effort (Zone 2/3). This is ideally done in the open water, but can be done in the pool as well if necessary. Quickly transition to the bike: Bike: 15 minutes on flat roads at Z1-2 heart rate then Hill Repeats: 6 x 3 minutes at Zone 3/4 on 2 minute recoveries or time to get back down to starting point Cool down: 10 minutes @ low Zone 1 heart rate Workout #2: Bike-Run The purpose of this workout is to practice a tempo brick effort and to simulate the feeling of running fast off the bike in a race. One of the benefits of tempo brick off the bike, is to help an athlete move through the sensation of tired legs and learn to get up to speed. Athletes will feel tired legs coming off the bike section, then have to get their legs turning over in order to get up to effort quickly. You need to really focus and work hard on the bike in order to maintain mid to high zone 3 heart rate, then really dial in your run effort in order to get right up to high zone 3 and eventually build to low zone 4. Warm up: Bike: 15 minutes building from Zone 1 to Zone 2 Main set: Bike: 30 minutes: mid to high Zone 3 Quickly transition to run Run: 15 minutes: high Zone 3 to low Zone 4 Cool down: 10 min jog at low Zone 1 Workout #3: Swim-Bike-Run This is a very challenging set and can be used to prep for an Olympic distance race. It is a sub-threshold set and really gets an athlete used to putting out a high effort, recovering, and then going again. This is a great workout for building mental strength as well and the fortitude and mindset required to have a successful triathlon. This workout can be done at a pool or open water setting. The bike should be done on a trainer on or near the pool deck or at the open water swim venue. The run should be performed on a relatively flat measured course right at the venue. Warm up swim: 10 x 50 alternate free and choice stroke/ 4 x 50 as 25 sprint/25 easy on 15 seconds recovery Repeat this superset 3 times Swim: 400 yards/meters at goal race effort Bike: 5 minutes building heart rate as quickly as possible to zone 4 and holding Run: 400 meters at between 5k and 10k race pace – Zone 4 heart rate Recover: 5 minutes active: i.e. walking, light jog. Race preparation and race simulation sessions are a key tool in training for triathlon. They are specific and hard practices and should be used judiciously in training. Done properly, then help you become a better mental athlete and get your body fine-tuned for the demands of race day. LifeSport coach Chris Thomas is a USAT certified coach who is currently ranked one of the top amateur triathletes in the world. Chris is certified to work with both youth and seniors. Contact Chris to share your goals, race faster, or master the Ironman distance.

Optimizing my immune system heading into the winter months

I always struggle this time of year following my annual Ironman race (past 6yrs). I come home and try to relax from the stresses of my race and the training load into that event. This year I am trying to be very aggressive with my approach to keeping my immune system as strong as possible. My goal is to stay physically and mentally strong throughout the winter months. This year, I have worked with my nutritionist to build my list of the following supplements from Standard Process: Echinacea Premium: Enhance Immune System/Support a healthy immune response following stress, sudden changes in weather or temperature Astragalus Complex: enhance immune system function Rhodiola & Ginseng Complex: supports the body's natural defenses against emotional and environmental stressors Stay Healthy!

IM Maryland

Pre-Race This was my 10th Ironman and first non-Kona Ironman since 2003. I chose to take a year off from racing the IM World Champs in 2015 because I really felt that I needed a mental and physical break from probably the hardest (everything considered) iron distance race. It sounds cliche, but it really takes a piece of your soul. So, I chose IM Maryland for many reasons. First, I like to race this time of year as I feel that the summer weather allows me to train just right for a fall peak. Also, I have raced the 70.3 Eagleman course 7x previously. So I know the venue really well and many sections of the course are the same for both venues. Race morning started with temps in the high 40s and winds of 15-30mph. Water temps were 63 degrees. Even though the conditions were not ideal, I was mentally prepared for the day. I stayed calm throughout the race announcements that preceded the swim start and just focused my thoughts on visualizing how I wanted the race to unfold. The first announcement came 20 minutes prior to the scheduled start: "due to the winds of 15-30mph, a small craft advisory has been issued and we cannot continue with the full 2.4 mile swim course. The course will be shortened to 1.2 miles and the race will be delayed to 7:30am start." Fortunately, I had packed an extra bottle of calories and electrolytes, so the delay did not effect my nutrition balance at all. The second announcement came at 7am: "The conditions have improved and we are working to lengthen the course out to 3 kilometers (1/2 mile short of full distance). Race start will remain 7:30." Swim: 43:26 (36th OA / 7th AG) The conditions prevented any warm-up swim prior to the start. So the first jump into the water, as we ran down the boat ramp, was a bit of a shock to the systems. We swam out about 25 meters then made a right turn right into the rising sun. I couldn't see a thing, but neither could anyone else. Fortunately (in this case), I am not going to be leading any Ironman swims, so I had plenty of splashes to follow. I experienced the usual elbows, feet, bumping, and swimming over athletes. However, I kept the perceived effort pretty easy. I exited the water feeling extremely fresh and ready to roll the remainder of the race. Bike: 4:49:12 (8th OA / 2nd AG) The two main factors that I wanted to focus on during the bike were: staying comfortable and my nutrition. My riding attire was spot on for the cooler conditions. I wore my Skins compression calf and arm sleeves in addition to my Castelli one piece tri suit and aero top. I felt like I really nailed my nutrition. I focused on staying patient on the bike. I was very methodical in my approach to my nutrition, electrolyte, and hydration. The cooler temps forced me to have 6 rolling #1 potty breaks. I've never had to do this in an Ironman before as it's usually so hot that I just sweat everything out. The winds definitely played a big factor for the entirety of the bike ride. I would say that 90% of the time we had a side wind or head wind. However, that 10% that was a tailwind was glorious! I came off the bike feeling relatively fresh and optimistic for the run. For the first time in an Ironman race I was able to get off of my bike without my hamstrings locking up on me. Run: 3:10:23 (3rd OA / 2nd AG) I was told that I came off the bike in 4th place overall. I had the normal stiffness and fatigue coming off of a 112 mile bike, but I was way more fresh than I've ever been at this stage in an ironman. I tried to focus on getting into a rhythm and settling in for a consistent run. I was able to roll sub 7 minute miles off pretty well until mile 12. At this point, I hit the headwind and my pace dropped substantially to high 7 minute mile pace. Fortunately that slowdown was mostly due to the headwind. I did start to take cola at each aid station going forward and I even walked a bit of each aid station to make sure I absorbed the fluids. I started to feel some deep muscular fatigue by mile 16. I have felt this in the past but not to the same extent in recent ironmans. Fortunately, I ran up on a local athlete at this time (Tim S). I was able to run with him for a few miles. By the time I hit mile 19, my hamstrings were cramping like crazy and my quads were screaming. I was trying to take as much salt as my stomach could handle. However, I believe I was just to muscularly fatigued from the day, wind, and colder temps. By mile 21 I had managed to move up to 3rd place overall. I saw that 2nd place was going through a really rough patch. I tried to keep a pace that wouldn't cause my cramping to re-emerge. I managed to keep the cramps down and moved into 2nd place right before the 22nd mile. At mile 25, my right calf locked up on me. I knew I could force my way over the last 1.2 miles, so I just kept moving the best I could. It was not pretty at all, but I was able to cross the finish line in 2nd place overall. Final: 8:50:21 (2nd OA / 1st AG) Post Race: This year I am really focused on my recovery. I have had a really hard time the past few years with my recovery during the first month following the race. I am using all of my Standard Process supplements that my nutritionist has recommended for my optimal recovery. I look forward to the 2016 racing season and heading back to Kona for my 9th trip to the Ironman World Championships!

Dealing with the stress of heavy training loads

This time of year I always get reminded how demanding big training volumes can be on the body. Stress is stress and the challenge of trying to balance big training blocks while maintaining a healthy body/mind can be overwhelming. I have mentioned many times before that I have four keys to success: 1. Stay Healthy 2. Stay Consistent 3. Train Properly 4. Have fun I consider sleep to be the most important factor in maintaining optimal health. I get blood work done at least 2x a year and use other tests to see if I am in need of any supplement assistance to my daily diet. One supplement I use this time of year is Drenamin from Standard Process. This supplement addresses many of the key variables that I need: Drenamin supports adrenal function and helps maintain emotional balance. Promotes healthy adrenal gland function Encourages a healthy response to everyday environmental stresses and supports immune system function Maintains energy production Supports a balanced mood Contains a combination of key ingredients from Cataplex C, Cataplex G, and Drenatrophin PMG Good source of antioxidant vitamin C*

70.3 Timberman - Quick Recap

This was my 12th time racing the Timberman venue. I love this course and the surrounding area. I went to prep school on the lake back in 1990-1991. I have always admired the beauty of the Lakes region. I'm going to keep this recap very short and go over the major points of my race. Swim: I saw Charles Perrault right before our wave started and knew that I would definitely not be the fastest M40-44 swimmer on the day. I did try to hold his feet at the beginning and it was the first time that I almost overheated in a wetsuit. I could not hold him and I ended up doing the remainder of the swim by myself. Bike: I came into the race really well rested. I had a hard time settling in on the first 12 miles as my legs were so fresh from the rest. I was able to settle things down once I got onto the main road at mile 13. However, I did make two critical mistakes in hindsight. The conditions were hot and humid on the day. I did not take in enough calories to account for the extra needed in the heat. I, also, got behind on my hydration. There was 1 less aid station at the beginning of the bike this year and I dropped the water bottle at the 2nd aid station. So, I got my first bottle of water at the turnaround at mile 29. Both mistakes are completely my fault and I know better, but sh*% happens sometimes. Run: I started the run conservatively to find my rhythm and then built into a good clip by mile 4. I registered my first and only sub 6 minute mile at that point. Then the wheels slowly started to come off. This is where my 2 big mistakes on the bike started to manifest. It was like a slow moving train wreck. I started to lose energy and focus. I have experienced this numerous times in the past and I should have been able to recognize the symptoms. By mile 7, I was ready to take a nice long time out. So I made a deal with myself to walk the aid stations until I started to feel better. It took 3 aid stations to get back on track, relatively speaking. I was able to get back to a somewhat respectable pace for the final 5k and I crossed the line in 4:21:47 2nd M40-44/5th Amateur/ 34th Overall. This was not one of my better days. They say you learn more from your failures than your successes. While I do not consider this a failure, I sure learned a lot on the day.

Taking Risks: IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships Bike Pacing: From Training Peaks

Taking Risks: IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships Bike Pacing Thursday, August 13, 2015 | By Chris Thomas Email this article Taking Risks: IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships Bike Pacing The 2014 70.3 World Championship was my thirty-ninth Half Ironman distance race. So, I’ve had some opportunities to figure out what works well for me and what does not over the years. I am a bit of a data dork and love to analyze my race data. Race Day Numbers My effort on race day is dictated by triangulating my perceived effort, heart rate, and power in that order. I have found that I need to ride to my own feel. If I get too hung up on a certain power number or heart rate, then I do not race as well. However, I do know my zones very well from my training. When I line up for a race, I know exactly what I am capable of. I may have a good day or a bad day, but I am not just guessing what I can do. So I keep a close eye on my numbers like Normalized Power® (NP®), heart rate, cadence, and speed throughout the race to see how I am riding. I have found that this helps me to stay patient at the beginning of the bike leg, when my legs are fresh and to stay focused in the middle to later sections. I have had a tendency to flake out a bit in the past and my effort has dipped due to the lack of focus. Post Race Analysis According to Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan in their book, Training and Racing with a Power Meter, the optimal Intensity Factor® (IF®) range to race a Half Ironman is .83-.87. IF shows how intense your effort was as a percentage of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP).I have, personally, seen mine range from .76-.87 over the years. Another one of the other parameters I look at after a race is the Variability Index (VI). VI indicates how smooth your power output was over the ride. The lower your VI, 1.0 being perfect, the more evenly your power production. Joe Friel has stated that an optimal VI for triathlons is 1.05 or below in order to run well off the bike. I have ranged between 1.00-1.08 during my Half Ironman events. Data in Action Here is a look at my data from the 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Mont Tremblant, Canada Proper Bike Pacing My Intensity factor came in at .82 for this race. While slightly below what I normally see, I felt that I performed well on the day. I had gotten dunked during the start of the swim segment, which cost me a little bit of time. So, I knew I needed to ride well in order to be in a competitive position starting the run. Each race is unique and the dynamics of the Mnt. Tremblant bike course were frustrating at times as packs formed and the tightness of the course design caused a few bottlenecks. In spite of these unfortunate situations, I was able to ride consistent and pretty much stuck to my game plan. I ended up with a variability index of 1.02 for the entire ride. However, even with the proper VI, my quads were very fatigued coming off of the bike as I pushed the last 7.5 kilometers as hard as I could. My goal was to create as much separation as possible during this hilly section. The bike effort brought me into T2 first in my age group. I had an uncharacteristically slow transition and dropped two places coming out onto the run. I could see my competition right in front of me, but I could not match the leg speed of my competition. I ended up getting run down by another athlete and just barely held on for fourth place in the M40-44 bracket by four seconds on fifth place. There were some speedy runners for sure. I was happy with my effort on the day and really felt that I gave everything I had. While my bike numbers indicated I should have been able to run well, I had used a couple of extra bullets that clearly affected me in hindsight. This illustrates that using numbers can help you make good decisions on race day, even if you gamble a bit. Racing is all about fitness, execution, and good decision making. Using data allows you to build on each of these elements. While my numbers were good, I gambled a bit and it was a good learning experience.