Chasing My Dream - Andrew Starykowicz

Alicia Kaye & Jarrod Shoemaker

2012-01-26T18:25:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Cheryl Stine of Bloomington, IN for answering BUD LIGHT!
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You hear from everybody that nobody is perfect, or that person is smart but, or s/he is a dumb jock. Well this couple defies those rules, not only are they ridiculously fast, but they are the nicest and, possibly, the smartest couple in the sport. The first time I really met Alicia, I actually kept just hearing her voice, I was racing an ITU race and leaping across from one pack to the other and this female pro, who had just raced was just cheering hardcore. Jarrod I got to know through racing, during the race, he is completely different from out of the race. It is the out of the race Jarrod that the world will love as they get to know him better and better. Let's hear from one of the fastest couples in the sport...Alicia Kaye and Jarrod Shoemaker.

Andrew - There is a lot of dating within the triathlon community at all levels. From the local triathlon clubs to the pro's. Talk about the evolution of your relationship. Where did you meet?

Jarrod - Alicia and I met at the baggage carousel in the San Juan Airport in Puerto Rico going to the Rincon Continental Cup. We chatted a bit and then went our separate ways until we talked again after the race (we both finished 5th). My sister and I were at the race together and we ended up sharing a room the night after the race with Alicia and her friend (we got 2 nights free room and had to pay for the 3rd night, typical triathlete style we quadrupled up to save money). Anyways we then talked a lot and saw each other in Corner Brook, New York City and then she came down to New Jersey to my families beach house.

Alicia - Jarrod and I met at a baggage carrousel in Puerto Rico. We were both racing a continental cup in Rincon in 2005 and happened to arrive on the same flight! We were engaged 6 months later.

What are your thoughts on maintaining a relationship while being a professional triathlete? Do you think it's better to have someone competing in triathlon too or would you rather be with someone who didn't do tri's at all?

Andrew - Wow, okay, hmmm. I have dated from extreme to extreme over the years and I realize one thing, relationships are tough and they require work whether you are a professional or not. Yet, as a professional endurance athlete are training and hormones are always all over the place and it really puts a little additional strain on the relationship. I do think that dating somebody that is active in endurance sports is important. It allows them to understand at a small level what training is all about and what is going on in your body and the strains you go through. I cannot imagine dating another pro, I do not know how you all do it. I have a great girlfriend right now who loves just getting out there and having fun, and our relationship has it's challenges as any do, but just like any workout or race, a little extra focus and a positive mindset go a long ways.

Both of you have spent most of your career with the ITU. You both have done HyVee as a draft legal and nondrafting race. What What is the biggest difference you saw? Which do you like more and why?

Alicia - I preferred the downtown site for Hy Vee rather than at Racoon River Park. I wish they had allowed to swim to be 1500m, even though the current was insane. Other than the swim being cut short I thought the course was a nice marriage of non draft and draft legal strengths. The bike had some tough hills and technical corners and the hill on the run course was tough! I feel like the downtown course really favored the strong all-around triathlete.

Jarrod - The original HyVee course was awesome, it was tough, we had attacks on the bike and the run was killer. Then once they moved it out of downtown it changed a lot, in 2008 it was fine as the course was still tough, but 2009 and 2010 were just bad. The course made draft legal look bad since nobody could do anything on the swim or bike since we were packed so tight together. Then in 2011 the course got tough again, a killer swim, tough bike and killer run. It would have been an epic draft legal race, but instead there were only 30 people in the race. HyVee has made a great investment in the sport, but personally draft legal on courses that don't have lots of 180 turn arounds but instead are hilly and wide open is much more fun. Draft legal might be all about the swim and run, but non-draft is only about the bike.

What is the highest wattage you have ever pushed?

Andrew - The number keeps going down as my run improves. Five years ago I was around the mid 14's repeatable, the highest ever was 1545W. I could have 5 second averages in the 12's. Now I hardly do max's, I think the highest I have seen in the last year is right around 1300W.

Next week we will hear about how life is around taper time and how Alicia was about to retire from the sport when Jarrod stole her heart.

All the best,

Andrew

Question of the Week

2012-01-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

This weeks question is brought to you by:

Orbea!

The FIRST correct answer to StarkysQuestion@gmail.com with the subject WEEK 4 will receive a Replica team cycling jersey in your size.

What beverage company was the title sponsor of the US Triathlon Series through most of the 1980's?

Good Luck,

Andrew

Believe in it?

2012-01-24T18:10:00.000-08:00

Every year you learn of different tales and theories about training, working out, and life. The other day this gentleman told me that working out as hard as I do is only shortening my life span. I asked him how he figured. He explained to me that our heart is only designed for so many heart beats. We went on to have a conversation about a whole bunch of his other theories, some of them quite interesting, and then I continued to kill myself in my workout and he headed to the sauna to "dry the mold, bacteria, and toxins out of his body."

Over the weekend I was updating my training log when I began to think about this guys theory of a set number of heart beats. I did a lot of searching and it turns out that this theory came from England. There was no scientific evidence to back it up, but in the early 20th century working out hard was shunned in England, since it just shortened your life. This attitude showed in their Olympic performances...Beyond the wives tale, I started to do some math.

If a "normal" human has a resting heart rate of 60 bpm and their heart rate is elevated by 66% during "normal" daily activities how many times does their heart beat a day. Let's assume, 9 hrs of rest and 15 hours of daily activity.
9 hrs X 60 bpm X 60 min/hr = 32,400 beats during resting
15 hrs X 100 bpm X 60 min/hr = 90,000 beats during activity
So this "normal" person's heart beats 122,400 times a day.

Now let's take a "super" athlete whose resting heart rate is 30 bpm. Let's say they train 4 hrs a day at an average heart rate of 150 bpm. We will keep the rest at 9 hrs and assume that the rest of the day they are doing "normal" daily activity which elevates the heart rate 66% above resting.
9 hrs X 30 bpm X 60 min/ hr = 16,200 beats during rest
4 hrs X 150 bpm X 60 min/hr = 36,000 beats during training
11 hrs X 50 bpm X 60 min/hr = 33,000 beats during daily activity
So the "super" athlete's heart beats 85,200 times per day.

Ya baby. I hope that wives tale is true, because longevity is on my side if cars, motorcycles, and freak accidents stay out of my way. Funny how when you break it down how it is the opposite of what one would think.So I will stick to my favorite tale...Placing shoes on a table is bad luck.

Train Hard,
(you'll live longer)

Andrew

Amy & Brandon Marsh pt2

2012-01-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Ben Stengel with the correct answer of Great Britain. He will no longer be walking around sock less.

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If you miss part 1...check it out...

Andrew -2011 was a tough year for both of you. Are you making any major changes in the off-season to training? Trying anything new? Or was 2011 just a compilation of bad luck,injuries, and circumstances?

Amy -Yes, 2011 was a compilation of bad luck, illness and too much travel. The main change we are making this year isthat we will not be racing as part of TeamTBB. We have raced with TeamTBB the last 2 years (2010 and 2011) and it wasan amazing experience. However, for thenext couple of years we have decided to train and race here in the Statesbefore we figure out what we want to do when we grow up.

Brandon -That's a question that deserves a full interview of its own! Yeah we've madesome changes, and this may be the first announcement of them. We are not going to be affiliated withTeamTBB moving forward. It was a greatexperience, but we just felt like we needed to focus a little more on the twoof us, so we'll be staying in the States and racing almost exclusively in theStates. There are a couple of otherchanges in the works with sponsorships and such, and if they come through we'llannounce those on our Team-Marsh.com website. I do think though, that 2011 was a compilation of mostly bad luck...andprobably some stressors from the training and travel. As for off season training, I'm working a bit on a little runningand top end bike speed focus right now...but still balanced.

Amy - Doyou have a significant other that you train and travel to races with?

Andrew –Over the years my mom is my biggest fan. She comes to two or three races a year, and some times she plays nervousspectator, but most of the time she races. We always try to get a few mother-son races in, I think the announcerslove it as much as we do!

Mygirlfriend Jill also travels to a lot of the races with me. If there is a race on Saturday and one onSunday, or the age group race in the morning and the pro race later in the day,she will share in the fun.

I swimand lift with Jill and/or mom, but once we get out on the trail or roads. We have tried to train together, but itreally doesn’t work.

Both ofyou have made your home in the iron distance category. This means a lot of long days of training,how often are you able to get out there and train together? During the heavier volume periods, how muchdo you actually get to see each other?

Brandon -We train together pretty often, mainly swimming and riding. Riding inside or out. Outside it usually ends up with me trying(usually in vain) to ride Amy off of my wheel. Running, we might start together and finish together, but our workoutsare generally separate. This year, I'llmake a decision after Ironman Texas if I am going to continue to work towardsKona in 2012. Either way, I do thinkthat we'll both be seeing a fair bit of training together.

Amy - Wedo the majority of our training together. I couldn't ask for a better training partner. It's great waking up every morning knowing that we have eachother to train with and keep each other accountable. We are pretty compatible in the swim (although he is better inopen water), we ride together which means I usually end up drafting off of him,and we start our runs together but our paces are quite different so we end uprunning on our own. Basically I try tokeep up in all disciplines and he tries to drop me in every workout!

Brandon -In 2011, you were NOT expecting the Rev3 series to be your key set ofraces. Will you focus on Rev3 in 2012?

Andrew –Yes, I will have a lot of the Rev3 races in my cross-hairs. I mean after you win a series you need to atleast try to repeat, three peat, four peat…eight peat.

I wish you guys the best of luck in the 2012 season. It sounds like you guys are taking the necessary steps to have a victorious New Year.

All the best,

Andrew

Question of the Week

2012-01-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

Now in order to win, you need to follow directions!

This weeks question is brought to you by:

The FIRST correct answer to StarkysQuestion@gmail.com with the subject WEEK 3 will receive 2 pairs of Champion System Socks in your size.

Which European country has had the most #1 ranked athletes in the world (ITU) that has yet to earn an Olympic Medal?

Good Luck,

Andrew
Posted @ 12:15CST

Planning...

2012-01-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

For those of you who still have your Inside Triathlon for November/December 2011, I recently learned that I have a great leg shot opposite the table of contents...pg7!

What a difference a week makes! Last week it was in the 50s and sunny. Since then we have had snow, wind, rain, and average temperatures. I spent 4.5 hours over the course of 2 rides on my Orbea Terra in 6 inches of snow on the trails. I never thought that a 9 minute mile would be 325W on a bike. So to say the least, I have done a lot of grinding the last few days. They are great power workouts and terrific core and bike handling workouts, I don't know if the single digit windchill's will help me in Abu Dhabi, but I will let you know in March.

On to my soap box for the week: Each Sunday night I sit down and plan the training for the week on a marker board. I try to get most of the volume in during the week, so I can enjoy the weekends and not spend my weekends training. It is like a game of cards, long workout here, hard workout here, recovery day here, date night here. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes other nights it is an hour.

This week I thought I had a great week planned out. I looked at the weather and boom, had a great plan. I forgot that Monday was Martin Luther King day, so no swim practice. I planned my long ride for Thursday, the projected high has dropped from 32 to 17. The weekend looks good, but like I said, I prefer to get the volume in during the week.

I once got told that the best way to see God laugh is tell him your plans...I think God is laughing hard this week.

All the best,

Andrew

Brandon & Amy Marsh pt1

2012-01-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Chris Wiatr, for being the first person to follow directions, winning thisweeks case of Zico with the correct answer of 1974.
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In the heart of Texas there is a couple that in years past have had a lot of success in the iron distance of triathlon. In 2011, they almost seemed to disappear from the leader board marred with the misfortunes that triathlon can deal. In 2012 Brandon and Amy Marsh are back with a new look and out with vengeance.

Andrew - The Marsh family seems to race on the same weekend rather often. How much does it motivate you to see your significant other out there during the race? Does it motivate or distract you from your race if they are having a great or poor race?

Amy - I actually get more nervous for Brandon's race than my own. We really enjoy traveling and racing the same races. I'm usually able to focus on my own race when Brandon is having a good or poor race so I don't really think it has too much effect me. Of course, the trip is much more pleasant when we both have good races!

Brandon - Actually the last couple of years we have not raced together as much as before. It is certainly more 'fun' to do the same races, but at the same time there's probably a little bit more 'nervous' energy between us when we are both at the same race. For me, I think that I am pretty able to focus on my race even when Amy is having a less than great race, and it's nice when we both have good races.

Andrew - Racing together also means that your training cycles likely match up, which also means that you are over training at the same time and tapering at the same time. How do you as a couple cope with the exhaustion and the edginess that come with training at the professional level?

Brandon - You know, in the couple of interviews that we have done, this question usually comes up. We seem to have worked out a pretty good 'system' at home, but I don't quite know what it is. We can kind of tell when the other is a bit on 'edge', and as much as we can in a 1250 sq ft house, we try to give each other a bit of space!

Amy - We seem to have a pretty good system worked out at home between training, working, chores, racing, etc. If one of us has more training, coaching, etc... on one particular day then the other picks up the majority of the chores, cooking and any errands that need to be made. We both understand each others schedules, when we're tired. You know if B's getting cranky or I'm getting cranky, then one of us probably needs to ease up and try to get a bit more sleep, etc. It's definitely a Team effort.

Brandon - You are an enginerd like I am, though I believe you are a mechanical engineer whereas I am a chemical engineer. Do you see yourself trying to find an 'after triathlon' position in the Tri-Industry, back in more traditional engineering, or neither!?

Andrew - I still very much think, calculate, and manage the sport of triathlon like an engineer. Everything in my mind should be in a pace range or some pace based off of race pace, as a percentage, of course. Yet, as I have learned the events of sponsorship and sports marketing, there is a whole world out there that I am discovering. Where I go after triathlon, I do not know. I love engineering, I love innovation and design, but I do not see myself cramped behind a desk. So the long of the short is we will see where the wind blows. Whether or not it is in the Tri-Industry, I couldn't even begin to guess.

Next week the Marsh's talk about the blunders of 2011, changes for 2012, and a little about training "together."

Have a great week!
Let it snow,

Andrew

Question of the Week

2012-01-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

This weeks question is brought to you by:

The FIRST correct answer to StarkysQuestion@gmail.com with the subject WEEK 2 will receive a case of Zico in a flavor of your choice.

The beginnings of multisport are arguable depending on where in the world you are in. In the US the San Diego track club claims they founded the sport. They had a run, cycle, swim on September 25th of what year?

Good Luck,

Andrew

Suns Shining

2012-01-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

There are some days, weeks, months, even seasons where it feels like the training is all up hill, against the wind, into bad weather. Right now, the weather in the midwest is a blessing if you are an endurance athlete looking to get a jump start on the spring. I mean I never would have dreamed that I would get 2 of my long rides in early January in shorts!

Last year I remember about this time getting off my cross bike half way through a long ride in 3"-21," depending on the drifting, of snow and ice and nearly breaking down trying to figure out how the heck am I going to race Abu Dhabi in 6 weeks and I can't even train right. In previous years, I had taken nearly the whole winter off the bike, just because I would get so frustrated with the weather.

I know I may be counting my chickens before they hatch, but right now, every day I look at the weather and try to figure out when April is going to leave and January is going to come knocking! That said, I do have the winter gear still out bracing for when January does come and I am forced either to multi bricks in the basement or the bone chilling winter winds that I know are going to have to show their face sometime...

Train Safe,

Andrew

Paul Phillips

2012-01-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Beth Carroll of Emeryville, CA for winning thisweeks Gu Sampler Pack with the correct answer of Laura (Reback) Bennett.

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We all spend our weekends training or racing, and then spendour Monday’s catching up on what happened around the racing world over theweekend. With the sport that is growingas rapidly as triathlon is, it is great to have accountants like Paul Phillipswho spend their weekends “capturing the indomitable spirit of sport.” Let’s get to know the man behind the lenswho has brought the sport to life for us, here is triathlon photographerextraordinaire, Paul Phillips.

Andrew - We know the faces and names of the men and women that makeup the professional triathlon field, tell me a little about the man thatcaptures the emotion and exertion for the world to see. Why in the past 5years has Paul Phillips become one of the most published photographers in thesport? Is the road as a photographer as tough as the road as anathlete?

Paul – Andrew thanks for inviting me to participate in yourblog. I really appreciate your efforts to expand information beyond solely whatyou are doing for training day-to-day and race reports. You allow yourfollowers to have a much broader view of our sport.

Although I had my first published images from the 2002Lifetime Fitness Triathlon, I shot primarily soccer and running through 2008. Iwas shooting local Tris, but I wasn’t traveling much. I would shoot a few of the big races, Lifetime Minneapolis,Chicago, Ironman Wisconsin and HyVee. At that time, in addition to having my work becoming more well known, Ihad also met more people in the industry, both the athletes as well as sponsorsand officials and came to understand what a truly great community it is!

As I know you have heard me say, every shot is a lucky shot and in 2008 I had alot of lucky shots. One being Hunter Kemper winning the final spot on the 2008Olympic Team at the HyVee ITU Elite Cup in Des Moines. That shot was used by many of Hunter’ssponsors including appearing on a Wheaties box.

Beginning in 2009 I started shooting on a more nationalbasis and started working with the ITU. In 2010, I was at the London ITU race as well as Kona and in 2011working with USAT, I started really logging some miles and was the ITU Races inMadrid and London, the Clermont Sprints, Challenge Copenhagen as well as WTCRaces in Florida, Texas, California, Kansas, Iowa and Kona.

Being successful in Sports Photography is not a lotdifferent than being a successful athlete. You have to spend a lot timepracticing, maintaining equipment, and testing new approaches to what you doand above all maintaining relationships. Beyond that you need to have someinherent skills and talent, love what you do, work really hard and get reallylucky!

Andrew - Shooting is as wearing on the photographers as theathletes. I know that you have battled with knee injuries for quite sometime. Then last year you got hit by an SUV walking across the street toshoot USAT Nationals. What do you do to keep healthy so you can keep upwith the titans of the sport?

Paul – I once asked Michellie Jones to hold my camera andshe commented in her delightful Aussie accent – "Paul – your camera weighs more than my bike!" I have often said thatit is easier and takes less time to race than it does to shoot. On a normalrace day, I carry about 35 pounds of equipment. I am generally at the raceabout two hours before the start and am working until I can at least send outmedia photos and post an online gallery. I am typically shooting from the backof a moto, which for an Ironman Distance event could be between 6 and 7 hours,and getting on and off 20 times.

It is a long and tiring day. In the past I mostly stayed in shape by running, cycling and TaeKwon Do, however any bragging rights for athletic achievements have long sincepassed and my doc says I can only run when being chased by a large bear, asmall bear I would have to stay and deal with!

The last four months have been tough. After spending thefirst two weeks in August shooting the ITU Olympic Test event in London andthen shooting the iron-distance Challenge Copenhagen. I was shooting USAT AgeGroup Nationals and was walking across a closed off street, in a cross walk andwearing a day glow yellow vest when a stopped SUV accelerated and hit me! I hadthree broken ribs and a concussion and entirely missed the Olympic Distancerace! I did make it back and was ableto get a couple of shots at the Sprint race, but it was literally just a fewshots, while making my way back to where my car was parked.

I made it back to Minneapolis with lots of help from the Minnesota athletes,who carried gear and got me to my door. A few days later, I went to see my doc for a check up. She did a chestx-ray and then put me immediately in the hospital. Later that day I had surgeryto drain almost 3 pints of blood from my left lung cavity. I spent then next 5days in the hospital with tubes in my chest.

I spent the next week on the couch and with help from afriend I went to Des Moines for HyVee. This was both the best and the dumbestthing I could have done. The race personnel were great in helping me get aroundthe course, but I couldn’t have done it without my good friend Nick Morales,who got me there, carried equipment and took care of me!

Although my ribs were healing, I was having trouble makingit through the day my energy level was so low. After shooting in Kona, I wasdiagnosed with a post-op infection that settled in my sinuses. It got so badthat finally on December 21^st, I had surgery to clean them out. Although it has been only 2 weeks since thesurgery, I am feeling much better already and I am back to riding, not very farand not very fast, but I am getting ready for the 2012 season.

Andrew - You have shot a lot of the great races, talk about a fewmoments that stand out in your mind. What course is your favorite toshoot? Or do they all seem the same?

Paul – I have been so fortunate to see so many great venues.Kona is always a favorite, but what’s not to like about the Big Island and allof the energy surrounding the race? One of my favorites is ChallengeCopenhagen. It has everything – almost like a storybook. The course itself hasOld World charm, seacoast, rural single lane roads and ultra-modernarchitecture. That combined with an amazing race organization easily ranks itat the top! For 2012 I am most looking forward to being in London with the USTeam for the Olympics.

Andrew you had a great finish to your 2011 season with a winat the Rev3 full distance event and the series. What are your plans for 2012?

Andrew – I am going to start back with Abu Dhabi and thentake it from there. I am committed toall of the spring and summer Rev3 races and then I am still on the fencewhether I am going to focus on Lifetime or 5150 series.

Paul - Do you think you will be losing your recognition asone of the most fearsome cyclists in the sport, in favor of that of being amore well-rounded and consistent performer?

Andrew – I do not think I will be losing the fearsomecyclist recognition. I am hoping theend of my season gets over looked with the Crowie double, Rollinson’s shocker,and Wellington’s win. I am fine withtaking a back seat in the press caravan; most of my competitors know andrespect the way I race.

What is your favorite shot that you have taken? Whichone just stands out as, damn!

Paul - One of my favorite shots for 2011 is from the women’sITU race in Madrid in which, Paula Findlay, Andrea Hewitt and Helen Jenkins arerunning shoulder to shoulder in perfect stride, all with their feet off of theground.

Another favorite shot is ChrissieWellington’sfinish at Kona. This was shot by KerryYndestadwho often works with me and I think it was the single most published image fromthe 2011 World Championship.

2012 is going to be exciting, I have recently started a newblog that people can follow at: http://competitiveimage.wordpress.com/or my website at www.competitiveimage.usor on twitter @CompImagePhoto

Thank you Paul for bringing the sport to life and we wish you a safe season of shooting in 2012.

Train Safe,

Andrew

Question of the Week

2012-01-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

This weeks question is brought to you by:

The third correct answer to StarkysQuestion@gmail.com with the subject WEEK 1 will receive a Gu Performance Energy Sampler.

Going into the 2004 Olympic season, the US women were ranked 1-2-3 in ITU points. Which of those three women did not compete in the Athens Olympics?

Good Luck,

Andrew
POSTED @ 10:15am CST

2012 Is Here & Now

2012-01-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

First off thank you to the 37,000 plus viewers of this blog in 2011. In my quest for exponential growth, I will set the goal for 2012 to be 150,000, and I know I will get there!

As the new year launches, my only resolution is to stay healthy. This means washing my hands after being in germ rich environments, like the Y, and continuing to monitor my diet. Maintaining the strength that I have developed over the last 8 weeks along with improving my stretching frequency and quality will help me continue to evade injury. On the training side, just continue what I have been doing. Swimming and running with people that will push me and keep pushing the limits on the bike.

Always in the new year we set goals. One time when I asked Andy Potts what his goal races were for the season, he replied with "Win every one." That sounds like a good goal, and it is true. Nobody races to finish 2nd, 3rd, or 15th. If that is where I end up at the end of the day and I gave it everything I had, or raced to my plan, then so be it, yet all of us want to win. So the goal this year, is to race a little less and win a lot more.
Time to go out and keep building that base. We are in the 8th week of training only 43 weeks left until the off season and celebration of another season of achieving dreams...Remember to check in tomorrow for the question of the week!

Be Bold,

Andrew

New For 2012

2011-12-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

Last year I added Q&A's each Thursday and though they are a lot of work, they are quite popular. I am thankful to the pro's and others from the industri that have pitched in, and I will continue to do the Q&A's in 2012. I have a list of people that I want to get to, but let me know who I should hit up!

With a lot changing in our sport every day, the history of our sport has faded a bit. Our sport has 30+ years of history and the history that most know is limited to Kona. So in 2012 on Wednesday's I am going to post a triathlon history question, and the first correct answer to an email address will get product from a triathlon sponsor. Here is an example:

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This weeks question is brought to you by Zico, the first correct answer to (X email address) will receive a free case of Zico Coconut Water in a flavor of your choice.

In the Sydney Olympics, triathlon was brought to the games. Who won the men's gold in a sprint?
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Other than that, Tuesday will continue to be race reports and what is on my mind! I look forward to 2012 and let me know who you think I should talk to!

Train Safe & Party Hard

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Andrew

Go Pro or Stay Age Group?

2011-12-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

Every year at least 1 or 2 athletes ask me whether I think they should turn pro. My answer varies based on a few factors: age, years in the sport, and performance. My most common response is: Have you won everything you wanted to as an age grouper? The reason I ask this question is for two reasons. The first, once you turn pro, winning an age group race loses its prestige. The second, that feeling of being top dog and having success won't happen for a while in the pro ranks.

This will largely be written from my experience, but also includes a lot of what I have learned from others.

I think age plays a huge roll in the equation. It takes 3 to 5 years to begin to understand the eb and flow of a pro race. Someone that is over 30 and they are bouncing around the top of the age group field, I would tell them go for it, turn pro and see what you can do. If they are in their mid to late 20's I will likely tell them to wait unless they are winning the big ones week in, week out. If they are in their early 20's, I generally say wait. The reason for that is the mental maturity required to train and race at the top level. Yes, I know about the Brownlee's but they are the anomaly, how about Michelle Lindsay, Michael Orton, Brendan O'Brien, or Brian Hague. All extremely talented athletes that USAT invested in and they went pro young and only survived 1 or 2 seasons before leaving the sport.

The number of years in the sport also play a roll. You learn skills and techniques in the first few years rapidly, as in any sport. After the first few seasons the racing the racing becomes more controlled. The limits are pushed, but the race is done to some sort of plan. It is when races seem to have become a routine and the age group competition just isn't motivating you anymore, that is a great time to go pro.

Performance. If you are not winning overall as an age grouper, don't even bother. The jump from age group to pro is a huge gap. The pro field contains athletes that go flat out start to finish. They save nothing. The swim starts out in a dead sprint and settles into a pace that would get you on most DIII college teams, the bike is about pushing your LT, and then the run is about holding on for dear life. The top guys are running sub5 minute miles for 10k off the bike, they are DI caliber runners, look at Kaleb VanOrt or Jarrod Shoemaker, heck a 6 minute mile is "slow." Then there is transitions. Watch a pro transition area, dead sprint, 3-5 second change, dead sprint. The time in transition is a huge difference, look at any race.

It is also key to have won races to know what the feeling of "winning" and "success" feels like. In the pro field wins are few and far between. Most races you are just grinding out the best finish possible, and yet when you go home on Monday after giving it your all and finishing 16th...remembering that feeling of winning will get you to get back to training and work toward getting into that top 10, top 5, podium, and eventually to breaking the tape in the only position that matters. FIRST.

Beyond the jump, it is always interesting looking at where the sponsors are. Look at Tim Hola and Christine Anderson. They have great sponsors and have hung out at the top of the Age Group field for years. If they were to go pro, they would probably lose these sponsors, because nobody cares about a pro that finishes outside the top 10. There is the problem. The development of a pro is a long and pricey journey. When most top age groupers turn pro, their sponsors leave them after 2 or 3 seasons of consistently improving finishes outside of the top 5.

This just isn't talk, it's true, I've lived it. So if you do make that jump, make sure that you are in it for the long haul, know that you will get knocked down, dropped by sponsors, and the only one who can pick you back up is yourself. On the other end of that, remember that any given Sunday your sweetest of dreams can come true.

Triathlon is real life.

Andrew

Lauren Goss

2011-12-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

I got asked what the 10 things I could not live with out...my response caused a lot of laughs...check it out

This Tiger can swim like a fish and run like the wind. She is working on that bike, but she is very young and has a lot of time to get it right. Watch out for her in the coming years. Lauren Goss is on the prowl.

Andrew - Lauren you are a baby in a sport that is a melting pot of athletes of all backgrounds, ages, and nationalities. In the 90's an older triathlete is in their early 30's. These days those same athletes are still around and competitive. Who are your idols in the sport and how does it feel to toe the line with them?

Lauren - To be honest, I do not really follow triathlon very much nor have I studied the history of triathlon. I know the names of the big dogs but I do not get too nervous when they are on the start list. I actually think it is pretty awesome to be racing alongside the best girls in the world. It is a reality check to see where you really stand. As for my idol in the sport, I would have to say it is every triathlete who trains and works full time. There are mornings when I wake up and have zero motivation to do anything, but then I think about those who are running/swimming at 5am, go to work all day, then train again before going home. Those people keep me going.

Andrew - You spent most of the year playing in the ITU world, at the end of the season you mixed it up with non drafting races of all distances. Describe the nondrafting world versus the ITU world. Which do you like more?

Lauren - Well, I like which ever I am doing better in at that moment in time. The two types of races are practically different sports and require different preparation. ITU racing is exciting, fast, allows you to travel around the world, and tactful. However, the race is not all in your hands. I feel like luck has to been on your side to have a good day in an ITU race. If one minor thing goes wrong, such as a bad T1, you are out of the race. The stress level is so high because you are constantly worrying about things out of your control. On the flip side, riding in packs as well as running in packs is really fun and makes the race go by so fast.

Non draft races are pretty boring. You get into the zone and focus on your race. I am a pretty good swimmer so I enjoy having a little lead out of T1. I have only been biking 2 years so clearly I am no Andrew Starykowicz yet. I have not yet found that "rhythm" on the bike like I have in swimming and running. And the run is usually by yourself catching others or just hanging on. These races are less stress because you aren't worrying about "what the pack is going to do". Right now though, I like non drafting races better and those will be the focus next year.
So back to getting into a rhythm on the bike, what was the turning point in your cycling? How did you go from riding a bike to truly dominating on the bike? Please share this secret ;)

Andrew - The simple answer is "desire." I am willing to fight harder...I have always been strong on the bike. The leap from good to great has been a long hard journey. It is the results of hundreds of workouts in which I have cracked or completely detonated on an effort, and then recover for a few minutes, gather my mind, put my mind over matter, and complete another effort or two before pedaling home at 10 mph sweaty, sore, and satisfied. This prepares me for racing. At South Carolina on cracked at mile 49 of the bike, I was able to use the downhills over the next mile to gather myself and attack those final 6 miles.

Through the years, many strong pros were not given a fair shot at the Olympics because USAT either transferred their slots in qualifying races to other athletes or were not given funding. You experienced a little bit of this over the summer. What have you learned trying to get to the 2012 Olympics that will allow you to make the 2016 team?

Lauren - I have learned that I need to have some money before I go chasing points for the Olympics. I just recently made the 2016 National Team and that will help some with travel expenses, but you still need some money in the bank. Hopefully, next year I will have some good results that will gain me more sponsorships and I will be able to get to the races on the ITU circuit without stressing over finances. Also, I have learned that I need to run faster. The times are getting faster and faster and it is scary! I do not want to even try for the Olympics until I know I am ready to be competitive as opposed to just being there for the warm ups.
Enough about triathlon, Andrew. What do you do in your "spare" time to keep your mind right?

Andrew - I would need to get my "mind right" in order to keep it there. I enjoy spending time relaxing. During the summer that means hanging out in the sun, on a boat preferably. During the winter I like downhill skiing and snowmobiling. Winning is the only thing that can compare to a powder day! As for hobbies, I follow auto racing. Nothing like the rumble and feeling of raw horsepower. Other than that, I spend time with family and friends.

Confidence plays a huge role in sports. What to you is the key to building your confidence on race day? Is it a workout, weather, field, ect?

Lauren - Ah, and the million dollar question. Everything in this sport revolves around confidence. It is impossible to be successful in triathlon without it, no matter how much athletic ability you have. First off, you need to trust in your coach and in your training. If you are on a start line wondering if you are good enough to be there, then you have not prepared sufficiently. If I put the work into training then I am confident. It is always interesting to see athletes getting worked up before a race. I step back and remember that no one in the entire world really knows nor cares about this particular race. Whether I win or lose, the world is going to be the same after the race. I love rainy, hot, humid, windy races. I adjust to any situation I am put in comfortably without stressing out because I am confident in myself and abilities.

Thank you for your time and we look forward to you evolving as an athlete. Have a Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year!

Merry Christmas to all!

Andrew

Merry Christmas

2011-12-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

As many of us endorphin junkies try to cram in training around the holidays, I advise you to take a step back and enjoy the time with family. The stress of "gotta get that workout in" should take a back seat to the joy of spending time with friends and family. There are 52 weeks in the year, and one week of recovery, shorter less focused workouts are welcomed by your biggest supporters. Tyler Hamilton's wife once talked about how their whole life revolved around Tyler's training, even on the holidays. Look where that got him, kicked out of the cycling world and in federal courts. On the other hand, don't become a Tom Boonen or Jan Ulrich and partying to all hours of the nights mixing it up with the law.

Spend some time with family and have a Merry Christmas!

Cheers,

Andrew

Julie Dibens

2011-12-15T04:32:00.001-08:00

This Brit is simply badass. She has won World Champs on the road and in the ditches. It is great to see her at the races, because she is the hare. She swims fast and bikes faster earning leads of record proportions. Then she digs deep and squeezes everything that is left out of her body to get to that line. At Abu Dhabi she won, took two steps to the side puked her guts out. At Rev3 Quassy last year she popped and had to walk the final mile, giving away the win. Yet her competitors know that when Julie Dibens is in the race, it is going to be a white knuckle effort if you want to be within striking distance come the run.

Andrew - You were an All American swimmer for LSU as Julie Ricketts, yet as Julie Dibens you are legend on the bike. Using the swim and bike you have won 3-Xterra and a 70.3 World Championship. With your strengths in the first half of the race, do you pace yourself or just go flat out and get the gap and hold on?

Julie - I think I race hard from the gun...but who doesn't? I think we all do...it just happens that with my strengths being the swim and the bike i am usually near the front of the race. If the run was 1st or 2nd I'm sure this would be a different story. I think we all race from the gun in a way that will get across the finishline as fast as possible, which means swimming bike and running as fast as i can over those distances.

Andrew - You have a target on your back at every race. In the Olympic distance it is Leanda Cave, halves and fulls...Rinny. When you look at a start list and see Mirinda Carfrae or Leanda Cave, what is the first thought that crosses your mind?
Julie - I definitely love racing against Rinny. We have such a different style of racing with her being a fast runner and me being turtle-like on the run, that you just never know who is going to cross the line first. We also have a great rivalry and friendship outside of triathlon that it makes it fun to race her. As far as other girls, I get fired up racing against the best in the world. So it gets me excited.

Andrew - How does it change your race strategy?

Julie - I have learned over the years that who else is on the startline shouldn't affect how I race. There was a time when if I saw someone like Rinny on the start line that I might have gone out to hard on the swim and bike, cause I was so nervous about how fast they were going to run. But this was never the best way for me to race. I have learned that I just have to focus on me, and how I'm going to get from A to B as fast as I can.

Andrew - You are among the most popular triathletes with your constant banter with your competition. Talk about how social media has helped your career. Does the banter help keep you motivated when the going gets tough?

Julie - I don't think it necessarily helps me keep motivated, but it helps keep it fun and that is key. I have been doing triathlons since 1998, and there was a time in there, towards the end of my career as an ITU athlete, that I really lost the love for the sport. I stopped having fun, and realized that I was probably taking it all too seriously. The banter that I have, with Rinny especially, I think helps keeps the mood light during super stressful times..like leading into Kona the last few years. I think the banter works best with Rinny and I, because we have similar personalities in that we both like to mess around...while still getting the job done.

Andrew - You have a world championship on and off the road, been to the Olympics, wins at all distances, you are now one of the elder statesman of the sport. Which distance is your favorite? Why?

Julie - I think my favorite distance would be the half-ironman. It is a distance that is still evolving, as more and more people race that distance and it is just getting faster and faster. It is also a distance that you can race fairly frequently throughout the year, and therefore makes it more viable to make a living from it....cause if the shit it's the fan in one race you can jump into another in a few weeks time.

Thank you for your time Julie and I look forward to racing with you in 2012. Take care of that foot!

All the Best,

Andrew

Playing in the Mud

2011-12-13T04:22:00.000-08:00

Normally in mid December I am well into winter training mode. The ground is normally frozen and so are my feet and face after most bike rides. I usually have been on the trainer a few times and have the cross bike hung up because the first snow has thawed and turned all the trails into a sheet of lunar ice.

This fall has not been anything like this. I have not even considered riding the trainer yet. The trail has only been frozen for a few rides, but with the cyclical freeze and thaw the trail is messy. Whether it is biking or running you come back with a grey butt caked with crushed limestone. The bike requires a thorough 10 minute hosing after each ride and a relube, because by the end of each ride the chain is binding because of the grit. This is March or October training in mid December, I love it, but I know I am living on borrowed time.

A mild December that has lacked cold weather and snow means that January and February will be a challenge for sure. I am fine if I am creating a jinx, because I am missing the snow!

I am off to play in the mud!

Andrew

Sara McLarty

2011-12-08T09:08:00.000-08:00

Last year she shocked the Olympic distance world by winning the Lifetime Series. This year, she passed me in the final 200m of the swim at Capital Texas Triathlon when the men all got directed off course. Not only did she pass me, but I had to work hard to say on her feet. This week we have one of the best personalities in the sport, Sara McLarty.

Andrew - You are built, aggressive, passionate, and determined...an ox among a field of thoroughbreds. Genetics dealt you a rock solid frame, this said you are not the fleetest of foot on the run. Talk about the mentality of being the "ox" in a race of thoroughbreds. What do you need to do/work on more of than the others to stay competitive?

Sara - Yep, I'm not going to be a skinny little runner. I have a hard time sacrificing some of the sweet indulgences that I enjoy. One realization I finally came to last year was that the Olympics were never going to be in the picture for me. That was a tough pill to swallow...as I have been dreaming of those rings since I was 7 years old. But, it's a runners race, and I will enjoy cheering on my friends and country teammates as they take on the rest of the world for a gold medal.
I have a swimmers build, and I will continue to use that to my advantage. I know that a race can't be won on the swim, but since it can be lost there...I'll continue to push the pace at the front! The most important thing you should know about my mentality as it applies to my triathlon career: I'm out there because I have fun doing it. Yes, it's fun to win. But it's also fun to travel, meet people, compete in some amazing places, motivate others, etc. As long as I'm having fun, I'll continue to be on the starting line with a smile!

Andrew - You are one of the brightest personalities in the sport. Last year when you won the Toyota Cup and it was a great upset and truly awesome. This year you had a major life crisis mid summer with the passing of your father, but a day after his funeral you came to Chicago Triathlon and finished the race. Where does your determination come from? What keeps you going flat out when you're burned out?

Sara - The news I received on the morning of August 24th was devastating. I had just finished an amazing TT bike workout where I was blowing away my previous course PRs! I realized later that my Dad had been riding at exactly the same time just 60 miles away from me. About 2 months before-hand, I had re-broken my ankle and was seriously considering throwing in the towel on my career. I emailed my family about my mental dilema and received a one-line response from my Dad. I didn't save the email, but I remember what he said: "Hurry up and make up your mind because your family and fans aren't going to wait around much longer." The day after that email came, I re-assessed everything, started coaching myself, set my sights on a great performance at Hy-Vee and proceeded to have 6 of the best training weeks of my life. It should have been 8 weeks...leading right through Chicago and on to Des Moines. Competing at Chicago was just a way to honor my Dad and how much he has motivated and encouraged me in my athletics. I didn't really care how the race went, I just wanted to show him that I had made up my mind and was going to continue racing. Of course, after 21 years of racing, in over 250 triathlons, I got my FIRST flat tire in a race with 6 miles to go! However, nothing was going to stop me from getting to that finish line!

Andrew - Sara, you are an open water shark. I had to work to stay on your feet at Philly tri this summer. Do you feel it plays to your advantage or disadvantage to start the men and women together? I know it helps you because you have somebody to chase, but so do the other women.

Sara - I enjoy starting with the men, I like starting 1-2 minutes behind the men, and I can deal with starting 5 minutes back. However, what I can't handle, is a lack of continuity. One race its together, one race we are 3 minutes back, another we are 5 minutes back. I am looking for a standard time-separation to be enacted by USAT soon!
There are benefits and disadvantages to every scenario. I know that a lot of the men don't like getting passed by me and when we start together or just one minute back, I've been purposefully attacked as I swim by. However, with a 5 minute gap, I don't have anyone up the water/road to keep me motivated through the swim and onto the bike. More often then not, the lead man is given a vehicle or motor bike to follow, but not the same for the women. When I start 5-10 minutes back, and I'm leading on the bike, I've got nothing to chase.

What do you think about the pro men and women starting together? What is your 2 cents on setting a standard for pro waves?

Andrew - It does not really matter to me. I find a line at the start and find Bennett, Reed, or you, if you start with us in the first 400m. I do agree that there does need to be a standard.

How much do you still swim a week? Even though swimming is your strength, do you still work on it to get faster? Are you willing to give up some speed on the swim to work on the bike and run?

Sara - My swimming time/distance varies every week but it's surprisingly high. 4-5 times in the pool with 4-5000 yards each practice (with the local USS team coach by Alec Rukosuev). I've tried giving up some of my swimming in the past, but have found that the loss of easy aerobic has a huge negative effect on my overall fitness. I use my swimming as a way to keep fit with a low chance for injury or over training. When I dropped down to 1/2 that amount of swimming, I still wanted to come out of the water with a :60 second lead but it was zapping all my energy for the remainder of the race. So, I just continue to get my butt kicked by 15 year olds in the pool a couple times a week!

What is your favorite bike training workout? Why do you like it? How does it help you on race day? How often do you do this workout in your schedule?
Andrew - My favorite bike workout, 30 second sprints. I do 30 second sprints at least once a month if not every other week during the season. Every time it is a bit different, varying from 5 to 20 efforts with 30 seconds to 2 minutes recovery. Some are in the aerobars, some in the saddle, some are all out sprints. I like it because it is so easy to let up, just a little bit, but to perfectly execute all of them leaves you hunched over the front of the bike gasping every time. On race day, when I flood my legs with lactic acid, they recover quickly.

Thank you for your time Sara and I look forward to trying not to get passed by you on the swim next season. Have a great winter.

Train Hard,

Andrew

Time to Change

2011-12-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

If you believe that the triathlon world is all beautiful, fair, crisp, and clean, do not read this post.

As Weiss adds his name to Kraft, Beke, and a lot more for illegal supplements, the whole sport slips under a microscope looking for illegalities. Earlier this summer, there were articles posted on Slowtwitch talking about how some race directors aren't paying out the purses. To add to that there are sponsors that don't fulfill their contracts.

Sponsorship is one of the hardest things I have ever done. To earn a sponsorship, you are essentially interviewing to be an employee for the company. They are willing to take money out of their bottom line to make you successful. As an athlete your job is to perform to the best of your ability with the sponsors equipment, speak highly about the product, encourage others to purchase it, among other odds and ends. In return the sponsor will put you on the best equipment available and pay you salary or bonuses. At the end of the day, it must be a win-win or in the words of Trump "Your Fired!"

Four of the last six years I have raced for BlueSeventy, sandwiched by two years with Zoot. The second two years was a two year contract with some bonuses, performance and media based.

The first year of the contract had some ups and downs. None of you 2010 performances yielded bonuses, but I did get a media bonus. I got a full color shot with my wetsuit around my waist. Yet BlueSeventy refused to pay it, because they felt that it was not a "triathlon" magazine. After a lot of emails, I cut my losses and took the high road and walked.

The second year of the contract has been a nightmare. I let BlueSeventy know my 2011 schedule in November, at the end of January, my rep notifies me that the PZ3TX will not be available until the end of March. So for Abu Dhabi I will not have the PZ3TX. I asked if I could use another brand since they did not have the suite available, the immediate answer was "No." So I went to Abu Dhabi and at the start line, all of the other BlueSeventy athletes were in PZ3TX's. This was the email to BlueSeventy after the race.

"
I am kind of frustrated. I have a contract with a company that says I cannot use other companies gear, and yet they do not get me the gear that I not only am promised, but need. I spend $1200 on a plane flight and have to swim my butt off to keep up with the lead pack of athletes all is swimskins and a lot of them are your athletes. I like your product, I stand behind your product, but when I have to waste myself to be competitive in the swim it effects my race. That extra 100 or 200 calories was the difference between 3rd and 10th today, which is 10's of thousands of dollars.

I understand that it his hard to get gear out before early season events, but I had sent you multiple emails in January letting you know that my season started early and that I will need these. I expect a great explanation why all of the other BlueSeventy pros had their PZ3TX swim skins and I would like some fiscal reciprocity from BlueSeventy for this incident.
"

Magically I got a PZ3TX in the mail on Thursday that week but never got an explanation. Amazing! I put the episode in the past and the rest of the summer went well. I closed out the season with two great races getting out of the water second both races and winning big. I earned a bonus for each race. I notified my rep after Cedar Point and then I notified them after South Carolina that they owe me a bonus for those races. They responded after South Carolina that they would like a formal invoice for records purposes. So I sent them a formal invoice, in which they replied that the formal invoice is more than 30 days after Cedar Point and they will not pay. They said, that they did not like how I handled myself and my attitude toward their company. After much discussion and a few conversations with my lawyer, I have made the following decision.

I am selling my BlueSeventy gear, (most of it brand new) to pay for a small claims lawsuit and a flight to get the money earned.
New MT Helix - 250
Used MT Helix - 80
New ML PZ3TX - 130
Used ML PZ3+ - 50
I also have aquagloves and booties for 15
Send me an email.

Beyond BlueSeventy and Zipp, I have never had an issue with any of my sponsors. My advice, buy from companies who care.

Train Safe,

Andrew

Magali Tisseyre

2011-12-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

This mighty petite young lady will fool you, she is wicked fast on the bike and run. In her pro career she has won nearly 1/2 of the races she has done, and nearly every race she has ever done is the 1/2 distance. Let's meet "Mighty Magali" Tisseyre.

Andrew - Mighty Magali, welcome to the hot seat. You are a 1 distance machine. You may be the only athlete that has raced every race in their first 2 years as a pro at the half distance. Granted, you have won nearly half of the races, but still your focus on a single distance is awesome. This year you included some Olympic distance races and did well. Being so focused on the half distance, what tweaks did you make for the Olympic distance? How much different was your mindset racing the shorter distance?

Magali - Congrats to you on your breakthrough season Andrew! You are right, I did include 3 Olympic distance races in my schedule and that is quite new for me as I had only participated in 3 or 4 of those shorter events in my career. One of the reasons I have decided to race Olympics this year is to push up my 70.3 speed and to lower the pressure after Vegas by racing more often. I feel like racing full Ironman is my ultimate goal but that I have to build into it by working up my speed in a half first and reach my potential. To me, it is a continuum. So I didn’t change anything to my half Ironman training, I just went into the Olympic distance races with no pressure and treated them like a -speedy- training day. I feel that I already have some good shorter interval sessions in my half distance training that apply well to Olympic distance racing anyways. Racing Olympics really helped me after the diseappointing DNF in Vegas. Mixing Olympics with halfs also helped my mindset on the halfs, I want to eventualy be able to race a half going hard from start to finish, closer to the way I would race an Olympic. Racing almost every week-end for a block made me race like I had nothing to lose. It is the way I want to feel, just take risks and go hard, then it's on to the next one, I think that kind of mindset works for me.
You have had some breakthrough races this year! What will be your focus for next season? What is your ambition for the future? How did you make your choice between long course and short course racing?

Andrew - Wow, loaded questions. My focus will be a bit of everything. I would like to make the show at HyVee and win the Rev3 and Lifetime series. Is that realistic? Right now it is, we will see how the races play out through July. Ambitions for the future, win big races, have fun, stay healthy. Now your last question, is an interesting one. I have always seen myself as a speed demon, and never really liked the longer events in any sport I did. I have never been good at pacing, but racing...I can do that. In addition, when I started down this road, I was working full time. So training for longer distances was quite a bit more unrealistic.

After the success in 2009 and 2010 with podiums at World Championships and great seasons, 2011 seemed to have some growing pains. You still were Mighty Magali racking up 4 big wins, but for the first time you had quite a few bad breaks. Talk about luck. Do you believe in it?

Magali - I don’t really believe in luck that much, I trust in life. I think all things happen for a reason, the good and the bad. I have had some tough times in 3 races this year and I realize now that those –bad- experiences were due to ME and not due to luck. In my case, it was not even a question of coincidence (like having a random flat). Things that were in my control were done wrong. For example, I had hypothermia in Quassy because I didn’t have the best plan in dealing with a cold swim and bike, I underestimated the element. I have learned from that. In Vegas, I let the pressure get to me and lost faith, I only thought about winning that race and wouldn't have it any other way, that time, it got in my way. I have learned to prepare for those things in advance. In Knoxville I crashed the day before the race and then went off course, that was also due to mistakes on my part. Those races brought to my attention my weaknesses and I have learned more this year than ever before. I have realized that I have to work on dealing with pressure, work on my self confidence, learn that I have to let go of the expectations and take chances. I think that was a necessary step in my evolution as an athlete, these things had to happen. They are part of the journey. I think adversity creates strength so although there are moments this year when it was harder to see, now that I look back, I realize that.

Andrew - You are still quite new to the sport and each year you are doing different races. It seems that if you win at a venue that you try a new race the next year instead of trying to defend the title. Is that by plan? Which course has been your favorite?

Magali - I love discovering new races, I love the excitement that comes with that! I love to travel and to go for new adventures. But some races also have a special place in my heart and I have often felt like returning to defend a title in those special races but it has not always been possible. I have to plan the season according to points, to qualify for Vegas and now HyVee, I also need to plan travel optimally (the trips) can be expensive and sometimes exhausting. I also try to choose courses that suit my skills, so those are all factors that influence my choice BUT it is also important to me to find balance and to love what I do. So when points and travel fit, I try to include races that are special to me. For example, I have returned to Boise 70.3 this year with the objective to win again. The race I had there kicked off my career and it will always be a special place for me. Some races are just special like that, you just get a feeling it is YOUR course and you want to defend the title with pride. I also feel that way about Philippines 70.3, that race is just unique, it's got soul. I also like Rhode Island 70.3 AND….REV3 Anderson, as you know, this last one was an inaugural event so I do want to go back and defend the title!

Where exactly do you train? Do you find it ideal for triathlon? why?

Andrew - I am from Chicago, I live and breathe the Chicago suburbs. I embrace the winter, because it prevents me from getting too fit too soon. The weather keeps me mentally stout on race weekend. Over the years I have found great clubs to train with, groups that make me push myself to the tank. I live on a crushed limestone trail, so at any moment I can go out bike and bike safely. So to me it is ideal, but to most it is insanity. If you trained here, with me, for a winter...You would never have to worry about hypothermia again!

Your biggest fan is your mom and she comes to a lot of the races that you do. How important is it to you to have that "superfan" at the races?
Magali - Are you talking about –mama-all-mighty-?! My mom and I are very close. I enjoy traveling with her to races, she is a great friend and has been an inspiration all my life. She has always been an athlete in her own way...she used to be a skier, she got me on skis at age 3 and has always encouraged me to try different sports, growing up. We definitely share a passion for sports, I have always looked up to her and she helped make me tough!! We have so much fun travelling together, she recently got an RV that we have fun with when I race out east! She really gets excited about races and seeing her smile at the finish line is always a great moment. It is funny because this year, she has decided to get a video cam to immortalize moments at the races. We have been watching some of the footage she got at the last few races. And it is FOOT-AGE in deed. She gets SO EXCITED about cheering that the main subject of the video is in fact very often her feet...she walks around with the record button on, yelling out encouragements, meanwhile, the camera films her footsteps. When it is time to record, she presses power again and it turns the camera off. Haha. She is working on it! It is quite cute.

Thank you for your time and we will be trying to keep up with you next year! Sorry for not getting this posted last weekend, but we had our big eating holiday here in the USA...and boy did I eat! Train safe.

All the best,

Andrew

Electic Car Phenomenon

2011-11-29T07:15:00.000-08:00

The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt have gone to electric war during Universal Sports and Versus triathlon, run, and cycling programs. This on the heels of hybrid technology, which is now being used not only in cars, but large construction equipment.

I understand the use of hybrid technology, which converts energy that in the past was dissipated through braking. The act of braking normally dissipates the forward energy of the car through heat. Hybrid technology puts a generator in the place of traditional brakes, and uses the resistance to charge the batteries in the vehicle. (The Prius not stopping, sounds like a generator malfunction to me.) The stored energy is then used to power the car in conjunction with the primary source of power, which is a normal engine.

Now the newer electric cars are all about capturing energy. The clever engineers have found more ways to regenerated dissipated energy, in addition they have found ways to add energy including the use of solar power. Again this is a way to regenerate energy that used to be given off as heat as power to the road. This energy regeneration requires less and less assistance for a (now) secondary source.

Now there are vehicles that have gone fully electric. The purpose, eliminating emissions. By that, they mean eliminating fossil fuels. Yet my problem begins very quickly. You need to charge the car. This requires converting AC energy to DC energy, a point of energy dissipation. In addition this electric energy is transferred across hundreds of miles in not totally efficient electrical wires. All coming from a power plant that is coal fire (the number 1 source of power), then natural gas is not that far down the list. So now we are right where we started. Save petroleum, use coal.

The only try way of reducing energy used is reducing the drag coefficient of the vehicle. In addition aerodynamic improvements, improvements in optimal speed, tires, suspension, transmission gearing, and more. Most people don't realize that most cars on the market have multiple gearing options based on the use of the vehicle. Also, most vehicles have an optimum speed in which the energy to distance traveled is optimal, usually between 35-55mph. So unless we are improving these, we are just robbing Peter to pay Paul.

All this said. I am getting on my bike, and with the 40 mph winds out today, I am going to drop very low to reduce my drag coefficient so maybe I will can go 10mph instead of 8!

My 2 Cents,

Andrew

Stagger Rule versus 10m Rule

2011-11-22T04:15:00.001-08:00

Here's a quick story. In 2006 I passed an ITU athlete that was over racing Chicago. The rules here are the stagger rules. The pass occurred 15k into the 41k bike. A few minutes later I notice that there is a shadow right with mine from the sun. I look over both shoulders and don't see anybody. Then I look directly behind me, right on my wheel...So I yell at him. He gave me a stupid look. So I swerved and sprinted for 200m, I check back he is marking me. So I took a giant swig out of one of my bottles and whip it at his helmet. I hit him square, not much of an accomplishment because he was so close. He sat up and started screaming at me in some foreign language but stopped drafting me.

Now to the main topic...There is a never ending discussion about which set of rules are best for non draft triathlon. The discussion shows up on Slowtwitch, gets brought up in pro meetings, I mean it resurfaces over and over and over. Yet there are 3 factors that make up whether any rules are effective, the officials, the course, and the integrity of the athletes.

The 10m Rule:
This is very similar to USAT and WTC age group rules, but is 10m instead of 7 m. The rule goes, once you are within 10m the passing cyclist must move from in line with the leading cyclist to 2m to the left. The passing cyclist then has 15 seconds to pass the lead cyclist. As soon as the pass is made the passing cyclist must move to the right and the former lead cyclist MUST fall back 10m within 15 seconds before attempting to re pass.
Now here's the 3 main problems.
1.) If the lead cyclist speeds up the passing cyclist still only has 15 seconds to pass, if it takes longer they get penalized for blocking.
2.) If the passing cyclist slows down after he passes the lead cyclist the former leader still must fall back 10m within 15 seconds, so coast coast coast, if not penalty for drafting.
3.) If there are 2 or more athletes of similar pace/ability, this quickly turns into a pace line.

The 3 benefits
1.) Traffic control, all athletes are against the shoulder of the road unless they are passing
2.) Easy to officiate, if an athlete is out to the left, he better be passing
3.) ?

The Stagger Rule:
If you can see a cyclist in front of you, you must be staggered off of them. Once you are within 10m you must be staggered by 2m. This means if the X cyclist is in the left tire rut on the road, you must be in the right tire rut. Now if there is another Y cyclist that X is staggered off of, you must be at least 10m back from that cyclist. Once you make a pass you keep going maintaining stagger off of the next cyclist in front of you. The rider you just passed must now stagger off you and can pass, ride next to, or get dropped all legally. The stagger rule is not enforced in turns or on bends.

The 3 main problems
1.) The officials need to really pay attention.
2.) Technical courses. There are essentially no rules in the turns with the stagger rule, so on a winding course every turn or bend everybody is lined up.
3.) When the leader changes lanes, the ensuing snake can cause a bit of confusion.

The benefits
1.) No reason to ever stop hammering, makes for the most intense start to finish race out there for the athletes.
2.) No cyclist is ever lined up "sitting" 10m back. They are staggered.
3.) A fairer race

Now the rules are only as good as how they are enforced. It is like the speed limit. No state enforces a speed limit as a true limit. Why? I don't know. It has become the same with many triathlons. 10m is 10m, whether it is on a climb, a descent, at 5000' or at 6' of elevation. Let's put lines on the road that are 10m apart for 400m on a road...my bet, the packs would break up. There is a ~5% draft at 10m. At 7m there is ~10% draft. At the rear tire of the cyclist in front on you there is a 40% draft. So if we as an athlete have markers on the road, there is no way to dispute 10m and these packs would shred!

This brings up my next point. The athlete. If they want to cheat, they will cheat. The integrity of non draft triathlon at the Olympic distance has gotten a lot better in the last 5 years. Guys are obeying the rules and loving it. There is that occasional newbie that came over from the ITU, and tries to suck wheel, but it just doesn't happen like it used to.

Overall I like the stagger rule. Just like we have seen at Chicago, LA, HyVee that the race can be as exciting as a draft legal race if everybody obeys the rules.

Train Safe,
Andrew

Eric Limkemann

2011-11-17T04:52:00.000-08:00

He graduated from an NCAA swimmer at Pitt to the podium at Triathlon Age Group Worlds in 2005. His swim has been his strong point, and his bike and run have been developing. After a few years of inconsistent training he is looking to get his triathlon life back on track in a new town in a new year. Here's Eric Limkemann.

Andrew - Last year you competed in all 3 distances in the Rev3 series and finished top 3 in the series results. Talk about each of the distances. Which one is your favorite and why?

Eric - I really enjoyed the Rev3 series last year and am looking at it again in 2012. The different distances force you to be a more complete triathlete, which I like. I tend to favor the longer distance races based on my strength as an aerobic athlete (and sad lack of power/speed). I’ve been doing mostly Olympic and 70.3 distance races the past few years basically as a part of a 4-5 year plan to be a successful long course athlete. I’m in no hurry to jump into the long stuff without first building up a solid base of speed. The Rev3 Series allows me to do this while giving me my first crack at the full distance race. I really enjoyed the Cedar Point race. I plan to compete there again soon.

Andrew - With all of the series available, which are you focusing on for 2012?

Eric - As of now, I’m in between the 70.3 series and the Rev3 series. I’d like to race the 70.3 World Champs in 2012, but would also like to support what Rev3 is doing. I’m in the process of looking at the next year. Regardless of what I end up doing, I plan to have my first real winter of solid training first.
We’ve been racing against each other for quite a while now. Our first battle was when you passed me in the last mile at Age Group Worlds in 2005. We both have had struggles with our run since then, making slow progress. I know it’s a focus for you to hold on to the massive lead you develop on the bike. How has the run training been going lately?

Andrew - It is a work in progress. I am getting there!

You recently moved from Dayton, OH to Richmond, VA. What are the first things you did to get acquainted with the new training community?

Eric - I have really enjoyed the move and tapped into the Richmond Triathlon Club for help with training resources and support. I also think it’s really important to have a great local bike shop, so I’ve partnered with 3 Sports in Richmond to take care of my equipment needs. Since I’m no mechanic, it’s nice to have someone to fix what I break!

Since neither one of us are built to weigh under 160 (or even close), how often do you hear people comment on your weight? On my part, when I am hungry, I eat dammit!
Andrew - Not as much anymore. People used to tell me that if I lose weight I will run faster. I have tried that, and I do run faster, but I bike slower. Now they just tell me that I am big.

Would you rather win 1 big race or 15 small races by the end of your triathlon career?

Eric - I’d rather win 1 big race than 1000 small races. I think any pro out there wants to be the best. My goal is to beat the best out there on the biggest stage. For me, that will be either the 70.3 or Kona World Champs.

Thanks for your time Eric and we look forward to seeing the "old" Eric back in 2012.

All the best,

Andrew

Coming Up With a Plan

2011-11-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

As I previously mentioned there are a lot of races in a lot of series out there. After a lot of thought, I have decided that I am going to go back to Abu Dhabi. Yes I am going back to the place that I nearly killed myself. I turned on and up the F1 of Abu Dhabi last weekend and got to see YAS, the track which we loop twice during the 200K bike in the Abu Dhabi triathlon. It brought back a lot of memories, most of them good and it secured my decision...I will be back in 2012.

First off, the reason is not just for the race, but for the training to get to the race. It forces me to get a great base in over the winter. The triathlon season is really long, 45-50 weeks long. So in order to be competitive throughout the season it is really key to get that rock solid base, and training for Abu Dhabi does that.

Second reason is for variation. With the mix of halfs and Olympics that will make up my season, I think it is valuable to have the first race be a race that is not a balls out hammer fest. Just like we do not just jump into training and go hard the first day, maybe it is a good idea just to ease into it, I will still go to the tank by the finish line, but it will not be 2 hours in the well.

Third, the race. Need I say more.

From there my season is really up in the air. I am really waiting on the official word on the 5150 and Lifetime series for 2012. I am also really considering the TriCal series. The Rev3 series showed their cards with a new scoring system and series structure. I like it and will be at most of them. Especially Rev3 Quassy, I am out for blood at that course, which means Roth is out. So right now it is just a waiting game...and as soon as the masterminds of the series make their mind up.

Thank you,

Andrew

Dr Rick Kattouf

2011-11-10T03:18:00.000-08:00

I met this man and his wife at Lake Logan Triathlon. His wife, Gail Kattouf, is one of the most dominant duathletes in the sport. Her coach on the other hand is a master mind of not only sport, but nutrition and recovery. Let's meet Dr. Rick Kattouf...

Andrew - Dr Rick Kattouf, makes it sound so official. You have a book, a DVD set, a nutrition supplement line, you have elevated it from just a triathlon coach to becoming a life coach. You have "geeked out," when it comes to endurance sport. Is there truly a science to coaching? I understand each person is different, but how different are we? I guess I say 'Thank you' when you say "geeked out", I will take this as a compliment, right?? You are exactly right in the sense that TeamKattouf coaching is not just about triathlon/multisport coaching, but, as you said, life coaching. I coach individuals all around the world and my clientele ranges from the morbidly obese who are looking to improve their lifestyle and overall health to the professional athlete and everyone in between. My coaching services cover multisport, running, cycling, general fitness and nutrition.

Rick - As far as “is there a science to coaching?” Coaching is both a science and an art. The science part is the coach understanding human anatomy, human physiology, kinesiology, pharmacology, biomechanics, supplementation, etc. The “art” part is understanding each and every client from a physiological, mental and emotional perspective, and how to positively influence and communicate with each individual in order for their goals and dreams to become a reality.

Andrew - What do you see as the most common mistake that athletes make in their daily lives that effects their training? Is it nutrition, rest, ect?

Rick - The 2 things that I see most often are exactly what you said, nutrition and rest. As I talk about in my 3-DVD set, Rx Nutrition, there is a big difference between eating healthy and eating right. Many individuals eat healthy, but, they're not getting the body composition change they desire, nor are they achieving optimal performance and recovery from their nutrition. “Eating right” involves much more than just eating healthy. Eating right involves the proper eating frequency, the proper nutrient timing, the proper balance of carbohydrates/protein/fat and the proper total calories.
The other component is rest, or the lack thereof. I view rest as active recovery workouts, complete rest days and sleep quality/quantity. I always say that I know in athlete has “arrived” when he/she embraces rest as much as they do their intense/Long workouts.

You seem to have had a intense laser-like focus going into your final triathlon of the season. Where does this great drive and motivation come from?

Andrew - The motivation at every race is the same to win. This means I must have the focus and desire in me to push myself to the limit for 2 or 4 hours. Yet, the motivation at South Carolina was more on the series than the race. I had made a "business decision" to do Cedar Point (a full) in order to be eligible for the Rev3 prize purse. Cedar Point went really well! So at South Carolina I was in the drivers seat for the series so my focus was the swim and bike, to push the hands of the other athletes. To say the least, it worked out.

Andrew - There are a lot of incredible athletes out there. Whose training plan would you want to get your hands on to learn from it? Which athlete would you want to coach the most?

Rick - I have never had a desire to see any particular athletes training plan. As far as who I would like to coach, I truly enjoy coaching everyone from all different walks of life. I enjoy helping each individual positively change their life and assist them in bridging the gap between where they are and where they want to be. When you mention there are a lot of incredible athletes out there, I could not agree more. And this is exactly why I like to think outside of the box when I coach individuals. For example, I like to show the multisport athlete how training like a strength/power athlete or an MMA (mixed martial arts) athlete can help them achieve their multisport goals; And vice versa… I like to show the MMA athlete how their conditioning can be improved by incorporating some training like a multisport athlete. I feel a lot of this goes back to the earlier statements regarding the science and art of coaching.

2011 seemed to be a great breakthrough-season for you as a professional triathlete. You have built some great positive forward momentum; what do you have planned for the 2012 racing season and has the success of this season changed next year's goals? If so, how?

Andrew - My focus has not really changed. With winning the Rev3 series in 2011, I will be back to defend in 2012. Other than that I will race the 5150 and Lifetime series through July and see where I am at in each series to determine how to plan my fall season.
Andrew - You have moved on from multi-sport and now do a lot of cross training. What does the future hold for the mastermind?

Rick - Actually, I am more involved in multisport at this stage in my life than I ever have been. Granted, it is from a coaching perspective at this point in my life as opposed to competing. I truly love racing, and I always will; I will still throw in the occasional multisport and run race for myself, but, this is not my main focus. My wife, Gail, is having some great success in triathlon, duathlon and run races. It has been great to support her in all of her athletic goals. As far as the future, my main focus is my TeamKattouf coaching business and all of the athletes that I coach. I am truly passionate about TeamKattouf; I put my heart and soul into the business and I enjoy putting all of my time, effort and energy towards TeamKattouf. And yes, you are correct, a lot of my workouts now involve “crosstraining.” I still swim, bike and run, but my main modality of training at this point is weight training and MMA conditioning.

Check out some of this guys products. They are fantastic. Like he said, it's a lifestyle!

Living the life,

Andrew Starykowicz

Drug Testing Routine

2011-11-08T04:05:00.000-08:00

There are some of my blog entries that just pour out into words, but I have written this blog 10 times and I do not like how it reads, so I will save the issue for next weekend. So this week I will cover drug testing.

At most pro races and a growing number of age group races the USADA has been making appearances to keep the sport fair. The race director and officials find out the day before the race. The USADA shows up and asks for some volunteers to help with drug testing. Then at the end of the race they identify which positions are to be drug tested. Usually its the top 3 plus some random positions depending on the amount of staff at the race.

For us the athlete, you finish the race dry as a raisin from racing your heart out for 31, 70, or 140 miles and then you pick up a USADA official or volunteer that will follow you everywhere until you are ready to pee 100mL in a cup. So all of the phone calls to your friends, coaches, and families are heard by the drug liason. So some of these people may thing I can be a real sob having to hear my description of my perfomance while the adrenaline is still flowing.

Sounds easy? Try to pee 100mL right after a race. Some races I go 8 hours after the race without even having a single urge to go, but once you start, you must get to the 100mL line or it is start over. So just like the race was all out to the finishline, drug testing once you start is all about getting to that 100mL line.

Next up is paperwork. Basically you read and sign your life away while a drug administrator checks your urine and has you divide it between 2 containers for testing. The best way to get through the paperwork quickly is to not take any supplements within 48 hours of the race. This greatly cuts down the paperwork. In 2007 at Memphis in May it took Macca over 30 minutes to do the paper work. It should take 5-10 minutes.

From there you thank the drug liason that had to put up with you for 2-3 hours and then in 6 weeks you will get a card in the mail that says you are clean.

So that is the current drug testing process. Next weeks blog will be a little more entertaining I promise.

Thank you,

Andrew

Cameron Dye

2011-11-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Staying at the University of Iowa this week, this professional triathlete may be the only triathlete that didn't move to Boulder. He was born and raised there and is quickly becoming one of the most recognized triathletes. He is impossible to miss, his pale white complexion matched by a God awful blond 'fro, you all know him, Mr. Cameron Dye.

Andrew - I know you do a bit of training with Matt Reed and your families are pretty close. Does this make you want to beat him more than or the same as the other competitors out there?

Cam - Training with Matty has been great, and our families are definitely good friends. When it comes to the racing though it is a race and we are all there to win but training with Matty and being good friends doesn't make me want to beat him any more than anyone else. I have learned a lot from him about racing and training and I try and put all that to use on race day, but to win you have to beat everyone. There are guys you want to beat more than others but being friends doesn't make Matty one of them.

Andrew - Racing is truly about winning and you show that every time out by racing your heart out. You don't look over your shoulder, you live life in the 10 feet in front of you start to finish. What do you focus on throughout the bike and run? I know it is not how far back everyone is.

Cam - The best part about this sport and the biggest reason I love the short course side of things is the fact that every race is close, and you can race a lot. Its all about getting to the start line and racing your best that day. When I race its no secret what my strategy is. I swim, bike, and run as hard as I can and if it goes well then I can stay at the front most of the day. When I am on the bike and run I just try and focus on the race. As you mentioned I try not to look over my shoulder but there is plenty of motivation to be taken from going through a u-turn and seeing that you have a big lead. I just try and push harder and harder because for me its still a matter of doing as much damage as I can on the bike and then controlling what I can on the run. Staying positive and trying to remember all the hard work I have done to get to that point and why these next few miles are no big deal, I have done worse!

For you big guy, we all know you are not the fleetest of foot on the run, but there are times where I think you are able to push yourself harder and with more desire than most. What drives you to dig so deep when it is necessary?

Andrew - After working just shy of 5 years in the corporate world, I took a chance, a big one. I realize how lucky I am to not only have the ability but the talent to compete at this level. When I race I am willing to dig deep because 1.) there is nothing sweeter than victory 2.) I don't want to go back to the corporate world. Then there is making those who have invested time (coaches, family, friends) and product (sponsors) in me proud. If I race poorly or don't give it my all I feel I let everybody down, so I make sure to give it my all every time and I will let the stars determine whether it is meant to be.

In just 2 seasons you have roared onto the scene, but I have been battling with you for years and that is not at all the case. We have been around fighting tooth and nail for half a decade prior to the success that has come in the past 2 seasons. What do you remember most about the journey from a mid packer to becoming the "carrot top" of Olympic distance triathlon?

Cam - It has definitely been a great couple of years and getting the 'fro and the headband to the top of the podium has been a hell of a ride so far. Back when I started I was a swimmer and could swim with the leaders and then slowly fade backward. Then after a couple years I was a swimmer/biker that could ride in the lead and then fade. Now I have finally gotten to the point where I can run, at least a little bit, and can actually win races and it is I think just a big testament to good coaching, and some perseverance. On the way up I just remember the small victories winning a swim prime here and there, and the many failures being caught on the run of the bike. This triathlon journey has always been a dream of mine, so even when things were not going that well I just remember trying to enjoy the ride and the people and places along the way.
You too have been around for a few years now working your way up the ranks, and you have spent most of your time in the olympic and 70.3 arena's, however, this year your first major pro win came in an iron distance race. Does that change your focus at all for next year or simply make the Rev3 series your goal again?

Andrew - It does not change my focus. For 2012 I am looking to defend at Rev3 and then race for every inch at Lifetime and 5150 races. The way the series are designed these days, we all race through July to earn points and then come "championship season," figure out where to use our bullets, so we can make a living.

You raced a lot this year combining much of the 5150 and Lifetime series. For 2012, I assume you will be doing much of the same eying victories at HyVee and not only races in the Lifetime Series, but becoming the series Champion. Other than HyVee, what is the one race you want to win more than any other? Why?

Cam - Looking at next year I can give you two. US Open in Dallas and Lifetime Minneapolis. US Open is a big pay day, but more importantly it is the last race in the season and the series. I have been able to start the last couple of seasons really strong and this year with LA I finished better, but winning Dallas would hopefully lock up the series title as well as finish the season with an exclamation point. Lifetime would be a matter of redemption. in 2010 I led the swim and bike but due to an injury the previous six weeks I didn't run well. This year I lead the bike and had a sizable lead before being crashed out by an age grouper causing a major hiccup in my year. I want to go there and win for a little self redemption.
Oh man, I can relate to that Cam...Racing with aggression and passion is much more effective than Zen racing, it also makes getting up to train and train hard easier. Everybody watch out for the Olympic distance machine in 2012, Cameron Dye's on a mission. Best of luck to you and your new baby, Liam, this winter!

All the best,

Andrew

Planning 2012?

2011-11-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

As the off season continues to fly by, I am continually reliving the emotions of last season as I try to plan next season with the limited details that have been posted. Since the details are so limited at this time, I am simply in a holding pattern with a calendar full of races, but no decisions yet on which ones I will show my face.

The Rev3 Series for 2012 grows to 9, potentially 10 races of varying distances. With the new expanded calendar comes new scoring and the professional race distances yet to be confirmed.

The Race to the Toyota Cap or Lifetime series. They are revamping the purses, the exponential purse characteristic is going to be adjusted, no more $12k for first $600 for 5th. This really made you feel like Talladega Nights, "If your not first, your last."

The 5150 series, this series is struggling, this year they cancelled a good percent of their races, then swims were cancelled, shortened, the series lifeline is HyVee...But how long can 1 race carry the series.

Then I am looking at Abu Dhabi (3K/200K/20K), I want to remember the finish next year. I could carry that fitness into Leadman (5K/223K/22K) which has expanded to two races, Vegas in May, Oregan in September. Then there is American TTT, 4 triathlons, 1 weekend could be great training with the Ohio event in May and the NC event in October. Oh, the Challenge series, Roth, hmm, sub 4 on the bike?

Or there are odd distance races Alcatraz...why did TriCal eliminate their series? Then there is Tristar111 (1k/100k/10k) who had their 1st race in MN in which nearly the whole field went off course, but they are growing regardless. Then there are smaller venues that are still very alive, look at Westchester, Columbia, Savageman, Westchester, Soma, I could race a full season of non branded pro races.

The opportunity is endless, but we all know that I only like to race 1 type of races. The big ones. If I am going to lay it on the line, I want to face the toughest fields. I got more out of finishing 6th at Rev3 Quassy than I did winning the Great Illini. It is when we push beyond the limit during a race is when we truly learn what the body is capable of.

If there is an event that you think I should look at, let me know! Else, who knows where I will be next year!

Train Hard,

Andrew

TJ Tollakson

2011-10-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

In 2004 Trenton Tollakson, now known as TJ, caught me midway through the bike at Age Group National Champs, I was riding a tick over 26 mph when TJ rolled by me and said, "Let's go." It was at that point I knew I had met my match. Since then we have raced only twice. He took his speed and has learned to maintain it over the longer distances. In 2004 he was an engineer for Alcoa, I was at CAT, we both were decent swimmers, strong cyclist, and sucked at running. We both left jobs and have become successful pros. Yes another Big10 Engineer from the midwest, learn more about TJ Tollakson.

Andrew - You lost an awful lot of weight since the Body for Life days. What has been your secret to dropping 30lbs of muscle and staying healthy?

TJ - I was a former meat head in college and ballooned to over 200 pounds doing Bill Phillips' EAS Body for Life Challenge. I was a finalist in the 12 week before and after picture challenge, and I really do love lifting weights and getting strong but when I decided I wanted to race a triathlon a couple years later, I went for a short run (about 2 miles) and I was totally gassed running about 7:30 miles. I decided right then, I needed to cut the muscle I had spent a solid year putting on and keeping. To be honest it is a lot of work to stay that big, not just in the weight room, but diet too. I had to eat a ton of food. I was consuming a dozen egg whites, 4 cans of tuna, 2 chicken breasts, and multiple protein shakes daily. Lots of the time I was forcing myself to eat because I wasn't hungry. When I made the decision to lose the muscle I went on a 1200 calorie a day diet and starting doing some aerobic exercise. I would start each morning with a 30 min light aerobic jog on an empty stomach and I would minimize my carb intake before bed. My body was a metabolic furnace at the time so losing the weight was really quite easy. I lost about another 10 pounds a few years later, but took a bit longer to take it off. I would NOT recommend my calorie slashing catabolic diet program to anyone, but it did work for me. I have a much different approach to my diet now since I eat to train, not train to eat. I simply provide my body with the best fuel I can to perform all the training I need to accomplish. I monitor my weight, but I don't try to manipulate it. My body tends to find its own homeostasis level like water, if my weight is too low, I can't put out the power on the bike. If I am too heavy I can't get through the run mileage. When I eat what is necessary to train at the right volume and intensity my body finds the right weight.

Andrew - You were involved in one of the most spectacular ironman finishes of all time. Arizona 2008, Jordan Rapp, James Bonney, and yourself battled just seconds apart the entire 26.2 miles, before Jozsef Major pit pocketed the three of you in the final mile coming from 15 minutes back. What do you remember most about that race? Is that your most memorable races of all time?

TJ - My finish in 2008 at IM Arizona was definitely memorable, It was the closest finish of any Ironman do date. I didn't ever see Jordan during the race, and I only saw Jozsef Major the last half mile when he came flying by me for the win. I was battling at the front of the race all day with James Bonney and with 5k to go, I made a really strong move for what I thought was the win. I can remember getting splits to Jordan and Jozsef and thought I was clear for the win if I could just keep running the same pace, but Jozsef was able to close those last 3 miles under 6 min pace and when he blew by me, I had nothing. I tried to respond and dug as deep as I could but he was just faster. I totally smashed myself during that race and ended up wrecking myself for the rest of the year. I was having problems with my back/hips right before the race so my run training was not what it should have been, and after digging so deep during the race, I just couldn't recover. It was definitely one of my most memorable races in terms of competitive racing with others. The races I have won, I won in a clear and out front style (very similar to you), so being in a tight race will always be memorable. My first real breakthrough in triathlon came in 2004 at ITU age group worlds. I was hoping to crack into the top 10 in the race and ended up finishing on the podium (right behind you) in third place. I was still pretty inexperienced at the time but that was the first glimpse that I could actually be successful at triathlon.

Andrew - Each year you race less and less. 5 years ago you were popping up nearly every other weekend at a race, now you hardly race at all. Do you enjoy the journey (training) as much as racing? Or do you feel you perform better each time out racing less?
TJ - Racing less really has been more of a necessity than a choice. I love training and I am super process oriented but racing is the reason I train. I wouldn't train as well or as hard if I didn't race. I would like to race more, but I have found quality racing is more important to me than quantity. IM Arizona in 2008 was a really good lesson about racing. I was smashed from that race but was so tore up from losing such a close race all I wanted to do was race again. When the racing wasn't going well, I just trained even harder and showed up at races even more smashed. Additionally I was dealing with a congenital hip/back problem called femoral acetabular impingement (FAI). Basically the head of my femur didn't fit in my hip socket, eventually it tore the labrum (protective layer in the joint) on both sides and I was unable to run every day. I finally had arthroscopic surgery on both hips last winter and the results have been amazing. I am finally able to train at the correct intensity and volume again. This year was very low racing frequency because I had 3 full distance Ironman events on the calendar. It is very difficult to race if you need to train for an Ironman, and then you need to spend a significant amount of time recovering after the race. I hope to race a little bit more this next year, but I am only planning on 2 full Ironman events in 2012.

You are known for your freakish power output on the bike. What is your secret to continued improvement in bike power output and what one single workout would you attribute to your success on the bike?

Andrew – The key for me is variation. I do my best to avoid repetition with respect to workouts. If I had bread and butter, it would be my maximum sustained 30 second power and my 2 hour power. If I can average over 850W for 30s and am comfortable at 330W for 2 hours, I am ready to go. I am in the weight room 6 days a week from December to February doing dynamic exercises with weights. Power on the bike is measured in Watts. The definition of power is Joules per second. Joules is a measure of work, and work is force applied over a given distance. So power is Force*Speed, if I can generate more force at the same cadence over the winter without gaining weight, well, everybody else is screwed the next season.

TJ - You left a full time engineering job at CAT a couple of years to focus full time on triathlon. How did that transition develop and how it has helped your career as an athlete?

Andrew – I really truly loved my job at Caterpillar. I had absorbed 4 peoples jobs as they had been transferred or promoted, and was getting all of them done. Every day I dealt with structural design, service repair, manufacturability locally and internationally, field testing, and a bit of supplier development. I was a one man wrecking crew, I moved with intent every minute of the work day. One of my projects was trying to align eight different facilities speaking different languages, burning different weld wire, some facilities with tandem wire robots with 8-axis positioners and others using chains, saw horses, and welded manually that we need a common weld procedure. The challenge was awesome, and I loved it. Yet my technical manager (boss’s boss) did not like my energy and my methods of getting work done and gave me poor reviews and would ask me why some little issue wasn't taken care of while I was tending to a line down situation. So I looked for jobs within CAT, and I found a few other positions that I tried to move to, but he prevented me from interviewing. So he had my hands tied. When a severance was offered I jumped on it. When I discussed it with my technical manager, he looked at me like I was pulling his leg.

By leaving CAT I was able to get 1 more quality day of training in a week. I also started to have a life again. When I was an engineer and a pro athlete, I had no time for any thing, I was a sleeping, eating, working, training, driving machine. I left a life when I departed from CAT and since then I have grown wings in the professional ranks and soared.

Did you know Cam Dye when you were at Iowa? Who were your first training partners as you got into the sport and quickly jumped to the top of the game?

TJ - I did not know Cam Dye when I was at Iowa. Since I grew up swimming, I knew several of the swimmers at Iowa, but Cam was two years younger than me so our paths never crossed. My first training partner at Iowa was a friend I grew up swimming with, Dan Koos. Dan is now a doctor in small town Iowa, but in 1997 were standing on the podium next to each other for the 100y butterfly at state swimming (he was on the higher step). After college I met Jeff Castro in Davenport, Iowa. I was working at Alcoa as an engineer and Jeff was the man in town on the tri scene. He had placed in top 60 overall at Ironman Hawaii. Jeff took me under his wing and really helped me develop my talent on the bike. I moved to Hutchinson, KS in 2004 (my break out year as an amateur) and I met Billy Gilbert. Billy was also from Iowa and he was a college butterfly swimmer. We instantly became great friends and training partners. These three guys really helped me step up my game each level of the development of my racing career. Once I turned pro, I connected with Doug Friman while at the Olympic Training Center. Doug was really important for my development at as a pro. He was a veteran of the sport and one of the top Americans on the ITU circuit. We were great training partners because we both have a love of really hard days and sessions, but we also have complementing strengths. Aside from Jeff, all of my training partners have a swimming background, I still love to swim a lot and currently I do most of my swim training with a young college student at U of Arizona, Sean Bourne. Being able to throttle yourself in the pool is actually a requirement now for anyone I train with regularly. I still swim 20-30k a week and really look at swimming as the best sport to train hard and long without risking injury.

We look forward to seeing you continue to climb in 2012.

Train Hard this winter,

Andrew

What goes on at a pro meeting?

2011-10-25T04:35:00.000-07:00

At every race the pro's have a mandatory "pro" meeting, it is nearly the exact same the age group meeting. Yet, what makes it unique, is there is only 1 meeting and it is mandatory to race. So this is your opportunity to learn what you are up against.

While we are all pretty close after the race, the pro meeting is very different. Friends chat about the course or about past races. As we pass we give kudos to others for recent stand out performances. Then there is the pre race enemy lines...the girls giving death stares to each other, as the guys give that smirk and nod acknowledging each other. The hormonal imbalance and hostility is great. Personally, I am a caged animal and crawling out of my skin to get out of that meeting.

So the meeting:
First there is a roll call and a hand out of the cliff notes version of the USAT rules. The pro liaison usually can do nearly all of it without looking up. This person is a Godsend at each race...

Then the RD (race director) get the course shake down. Water temp, swim start, swim course, pro transition flow, bike course, run course...everybody chuckles when the swim start is discussed, because unless it is a dive start, the race is usually a neutral roll (swim) out.

Then comes the rules. "We have umpteen zillion world class officials and we will give you that level of officiating, and we expect the same level of behavior from you as professionals," or something like that...It takes 30 seconds to talk about the swim rules, 2 minutes to 30 minutes to discuss the bike rules, and 30 seconds for the run rules. Graham Wilson and Al Hennigan do the best when it comes to getting through the rules. The swim rules, what time they are going to measure the water temp and then go around the corner buoys. The bike rules, 11 times this year, 13 times last year, and I can't count how many times before that I got to hear that I need a CPSC sticker in my helmet, I mean you handed out a piece of paper that told us that. Next comes the stagger rule. You must be staggered off the next bicycle in front of you. If you are less than least 10m back, you must be staggered by 2m. If you are forced to enter the cyclist in front of yours draft zone (to pass), get out of there in less than 15 seconds. How hard is that to understand? Yet this often leads to a 15 minute discussion about some tangential circumstance. Finally, no pacing, no outside assistance on the run. All penalties are stand down and the time will start when both feet are planted on the ground, a slash will be put through all your numbers, and when the officials says go, resume.

Finally the RD comes back up to discuss any other details and to answer questions, such as parking, transition access post race, ect. Then we leave, eat dinner, and then come back the next day and execute....

I hope you enjoyed the pro meeting.

House work is my training these days!

Andrew

Matt Mangen

2011-10-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, okay, yes, he's an engineer, but this one still works 9-5. Yes, he is a midwesterner. I don't mean for this to sound the same over and over, but heck, if college teaches you how to think...I am going to go to an engineering school in the midwest to recruit the future of triathlon! This week we have Matt Mangen in the hot seat.

Andrew - I know when I did what you are currently doing, everybody would ask if I had any "marathons" coming up or have I done "ironman." First, what do you tell your co-workers that you do on the weekends? Do any of them know just how talented you are?

MM - You hit the nail on the head. Those are the 2 most commons questions I get at work. They don't seem to associate the difference between a triathlon and a marathon. It's kind of confusing, I know... My co-workers don't understand why I have to train so much, but they also think I run 20miles a day and train 24/7 when I'm not at work. What they don't know is that I probably train less than any other PRO athlete out there. Probably less than many Age Groupers also, but I feel I make the best out of my time spent training. The Ironman question is out of the question for me at this point in the game.

Andrew - Matt, you are another one of the growing number of Pro triathletes that are also engineers. Why do you think so many of our competitors are engineers?

MM - Honestly, I'm not really sure why so many of us are Engineers? Probably has something to do with how complex our mind thinks trying to solve all of those complicated problems and that we couldn't just do one (1) individual sport like most normal people. That or the fact that by doing just one (1) individual sport was not enough veg-out time for our brains. I like seeing all of the cool designs that go into our bikes, components, and gear personally. Any bike companies looking for engineers? Just kidding, kind of...

You are one of the fastest cyclist out there and on a given day you are a force to be reckoned with. Yet, many times your name is not mentioned as a race favorite and I feel you don't get the credit you deserve. Does this fuel the fire or frustrate you?

Andrew - The good ol' Rodney Dangerfield comment. I got to be honest, it has come up in a lot of my Q&A's. I like how the professionals around me see me as a clear and present danger. The press, how many times have you heard them pick a winner...Just add fuel to that fire.

This is your rookie season of racing at the pro level. What are the biggest differences that you see in making the leap from age group to pro?

MM - I grew up in a small vintage town where a common saying would be, "This ain't my first time to the County Fair." Yes, we used ain't a lot, ain't gonna lie. My first PRO race felt like I was stepping it up from riding the County Fair Pony to riding in the actual Rodeo. I was staged next to the likes of Lieto, DeBoom, Torenzo, Yoder, and many other stellar PROs that have been around the block a time or two and whom already know the ropes and turns. I know ropes from tying knots as an Eagle Scout and turns from occasionally test driving cars at Honda and pushing them to their limits. Honestly, race day is just another day to me and I make the best of what I can.

My goals going into the season changed from trying to win races to making sure I was not the last MPRO at any race. So far that's worked out okay, haha. I'm disappointed to find out, however, that the 10-13hrs/wk of training I do is not going to cut it when I'm racing against guys training 20-30hrs/wk, that I need to get back in the weight room after a 4yr hiatus, and that I am going to have to actually get a coach rather than keep doing what I want, when I want. The biggest difference I see, however, is that racing PRO allows me to race more, thanks to the much appreciated Homestays. I have a little disadvantage now because of the full time job, but other than that, I'm still out there racing for myself and sometimes by myself.

I read every Q&A time you send out and really enjoy reading about them. Have Tri Magazines or Websites talked to you about running Q&A's?

Andrew - No, and here is why...The sport of triathlon is ever evolving, every year there is a new twist put on the sport and the experienced triathletes eat up the change. The orgins of the sport were sprint distance, a bunch of odd distance races including Alcatraz, and then there was Ironman. Then Olympic distance became the standard, next up the 1/2 distance was popularized. Then the sport really suffered in the late 90's before getting reborn and about that time Xterra and AmericanTTT came out. Now there are odd distances like Abu Dhabi (3K/200K/20K), Leadman (5K/229K/22K), TriStar111 (1K/100K/10K), Rev3 (a series combining all distances), that the seasoned triathletes are loving the new challenge. Yet if you read a triathlon magazine from 10 years ago, just change the names and you have the same articles today. The magazines have not evolved like the sport has, they have created a void, and I am filling it!

A large part of your job at Honda is field testing. This involves quite a bit of travel, what are your keys to training on the road?

MM - You have been on some long summer extents yourself, so you know how hectic it can be living out of a car and hotel. Add the addition of a full time job in there with lots of hours and no weekend and it gets a little complicated. My life story... Last month we were testing some new Honda's out west for 3 weeks. Part of the time we were in Death Valley. One night I decided to skip dinner and have someone drop me off so I could ride back and hit Daylight Pass, which is a 4,000ft climb in 11.5miles. The catch is that it's ~120deg out, but it was a dry heat, right? I drank a half gallon of choc milk, and had a couple of candy bars from the gas station for dinner. We moved to different hotels every couple of days making our way to Colorado. I shipped my new Powerbeam with me on the trip, which I have no clue what to do with because I've never even used a bike computer much less a Power meter. Most of the time on the bike was on the trainer in the Hotel, which isn't all that bad actually. I did, however, get to ride up a couple mountains during out extent in Colorado. Running is easy. Put on the sneakers and go! Speedo gets left behind, unfortunately. Next month I will be in Japan for 3 weeks, bike in hand and sneakers on feet.

It is Q&A's like this that scare me. Matt Mangen has no coach, doesn't really have a training plan, doesn't use technology to train, works full time, and is a mid pack pro. Talented? You better believe it! Go get 'em Matt.

All the best,

Andrew

My Rev3 Revolver

2011-10-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

With all of the series that I raced in this year, this was the least likely one that I thought I would be talking about at the end of the season. Yet a piece of glass and a penalty ended my chances at 5150 success. A flat tire and being misdirected put me too far behind to catch up in the Lifetime series. In the Rev3 series, a different story...

Race 1 - Costa Rica - Olympic - I had been training for Abu Dhabi and Costa Rica was a chance to get into some warm weather and blow the bugs of the system. This was the only swim in 2011 where I got dropped from the lead pack, but I made up for it by crushing the bike. I was 2nd most of the run, I dropped to 3rd around 5K and then in the final 2K from 3rd back to 5th. The Costa Rican fans there were nuts lining the bike and run course. I do remember coming over a hill and seeing police chasing cattle off of the road...Racing in a country where triathlon is the 2nd biggest sport was truly a privilege.

Race 2 - Knoxville - Olympic - I played rock paper scissors with my sister to cut stitches out of my foot on Thursday night. On Sunday morning I was in transition super gluing the cut on the bottom of my foot (from St Anthony's) together. The swim, I swam in the 2nd pack, I got out and ran slowly to transition, because I did not know how much my foot could take. I jumped on the bike ready to fly. Not to be, everybody passed me. A few people asked me if I was alright, though I appreciate the camaraderie, I thought to myself, "You're passing me, what do you think?" I felt like Office Space when the senior citizen passes the guy in a car with a walker. So I shifted into enjoyment mode. There is no need to destroy the body when you are going to race 15+ times if the best you will be able to do on the day is battle for 15th. The best news on the day, I did not reopen my foot and was able to pull the super glue off without pulling it open.

Race 3 - Quassy - Half - John Kenny and I got to see our girls race the Olympic on Saturday and talk about what Sunday would bring. John killed the swim and I got out of the swim with the best in the sport when it comes to the 1/2 distance. On the bike, I disappeared growing a 4+ minute lead. On the run, I ran hard, at mile 10 I was at 5:55 pace and my lead had evaporated. Mile 10 I was 2nd, mile 11 4th, mile 12 4th, mile 13.1 6th. It was great having some super fans at the race! This was the 4th time this season where I gave up multiple spots in the final 2K, and I am only 6 races into the year. On a positive note, it was my first race since my cut foot that I had a good race.

Race 4 - Portland - Half - Did Not Compete

Race 5 - Cedar Point - Full - "It's Cedar Point, amusement park" anybody at the race heard that chime at least 100 times on the weekend. Jill and I still sing it every time the trip gets brought up. I swam with Graham O'Grady until about mile 2 of the swim. We hit lap traffic and he got a gap that I could not close. By mile 18 of the bike I took the lead. It was a 2 man race from there. I had the lead by less than 1 minute off of the bike, and at mile 2 of the run, I lost the lead. At the 1/2 marathon I was 3 minutes down on Graham, but but over a mile up on 3rd and 4th place battle DKT and Chris MacDonald. Then at mile 17, I passed Graham walking. It is a good thing I did not blink, because I would have missed passing him. A pro looks no different from an age grouper walking. I would just focus on running, the only way I could lose is if I stopped moving. At mile 22, I had exactly a 1 mile lead. I ran scared, not of Chris MacDonald in 2nd, but of my muscles falling apart. Like my God-sons mother (Erin) told me, just put one foot in front of the other, my buddy Glen...just focus on form. At mile 26.15 I realized I was going to win. I still am speechless and no it has not sunk in.

Race 6 - South Carolina - I am in the drivers seat for the Rev3 Series, but it was a lofty and uneasy perch. If DKT (2010 series champ) or MacDonald won, I had to finish 3rd or better, 2nd for them, I needed a top 5, 3rd for them, I win. So they would have to bring their "A" game to one of the largest pro fields I toed the line with in 2011. Both DKT and MacDonald are 2nd half racers in triathlon, I am a first half racer. How much time could I get on them in the first 2 hours, versus how much they could take back in the last 2 hours. Brian Fleischmann, Stephen Hackett, and myself flat drag raced much of the swim. No real drafting, just side by side racing. I got out of the water on Brian's heels and beat him in transition to take the lead. Off a windy and rolling bike, I was 4 minutes up on 2nd Rich Allen, and 7 minutes up on DKT and MacDonald in a pack of 8. A lot of charges were made early on, but the gap proved to be too large. Just to be careful on the last few hills I slowed...Here I knew I won at mile 12. I was able to enjoy it. I grabbed the finish tape, that my mom got to hold, and vaulted it to the sky.

The series top 5 was:
1.) Starky - ME, patting myself on the back
2.) Big Sexy - Chris MacDonald
3.) DKT - Dave Thompson
4.) Klep - Pedro Gomes
5.) Daniel Bretscher

Somebody tell Bretscher if he had a nickname he would have finished higher in the series. This series shows how well rounded some of us are. DKT and I race and finish 3rd-7th at most every race at every distance. I know we would rather win races, but I, and I am sure DKT is with me in being thankful that there is a series that takes all 3 distances into account.

After all the dust settled I had a landslide victory on the series. I had a win in 2 of the distances and a 5th place in the distance that was supposedly my bread and butter. Of my top 5 performances on the year, 3 of them fell in the Rev3 series. The best part was, I finished the season and the series putting an exclamation mark on it, winner (Cedar Point), winner (South Carolina), winner (series).

Enjoying my off season,
Thank you for following me!

Andrew
I must thank my sister for the title of this blog.

Matt Wisthoff

2011-10-13T19:28:00.001-07:00

After celebrating a win in the Carolina's, I figured I might as well catch up with a Carolinan this week. This long haired rebel is very easily noticed among the buzz cut professional field. I present to you Matthew Wisthoff.

Andrew - Matt, the hair. Matt Reed is plain tall, Andrew Yoder looks like his is still 12, Jimmy Archers fro, I have legs bigger than most pros, but your hair. How do you keep those locks with training all the time?

Matt - It can get annoying at times. I always keep plenty of head bands and swim caps around. Every once in a while I will cut it short and it just feels weird. I inevitably keep growing it back out every time. I figure as long as I can grow my hair out I will. In a way, I think it helps me keep things in perspective. It would probably be wise to cut my hair from a performance stand point but I feel I would lose a bit of my mojo. Oh, and the ladys love it.

Injuries are a way of life for some. Macca swears by taking a long break at the end of the season to recover, and he seems to have no issues. How long is your end of season break? Has it changed over the years?

Andrew - I just started my off season and I will go at least 1 month cold turkey...not a mile on the bike, never look at the pool, and a run...heck no. I will start back up to a routine in mid December. I train real hard, I race real hard, and I rest real hard. My best seasons have come after my longest off seasons.

Where have you been in 2011?

Matt - I have had some foot issues this year that have kept me out of a lot of races. I was hurting as far back as April and by the time I did St. Anthonys, my entire running gate had changed to compensate for the pain. I raced New Orleans 5150 2 weeks later (swim was cancelled and they added another run, which did not help) and afterwards had to lay off the running for a while. I did a few crits and a lifeguard competition to keep myself occupied while I was healing. I also surfed a little more than usual to try and keep my sanity. We just got some awesome waves from Irene which helps too, though we did lose power for a few days. I'll be back for the end of the season though.

If you could train anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Andrew - Hmmm, anywhere that I can get a great group of athletes that are slightly better than me so I can push myself into the ground...which causes me to improve a little every day. I do make a pilgramage for training to the beauty of the Western Carolina's at least once every year.

ITU versus nondrafting Olympic distance races. Talk about the differences, which type is your favorite?

Matt - I'd say that the biggest differences come in power output over the course of the race. You may expend the same amount of energy for each race, but in very different ways. In a non-drafting race, you are going at a very high yet fairly consistent effort for the entire race. In contrast, in ITU racing you may go from an all out/100% effort one second to full recovery pace the next. Thats a very rough generalization. If you break it down sport by sport, it gets a little more complicated.

At top level races in either discipline, the swim is very fast. Most of the guys coming out the water first at major non-drafting races are guys crossing over from ITU. The difference lies in the depth of field. In a non-drafting race, an individual can a couple minutes of the pace of the top guys and still manage to finish quite high. However, in ITU if your more than 2 minutes off the back you might as well just pull out because you will more than likely get lapped out on the bike. This leads us to the obvious key difference, drafting. The bike leg of the race in an ITU race (and some non-drafting races) resembles a criterium or circuit style road race. There are breakaway attempts, guys trying to bridge gaps, crashes, etc... With all of the dynamics of your local downtown four corner crit, it makes for very exciting racing, most of the time. Some people begrudge draft legal racing because they think that the guys on the back are not doing any work. These are the people who have never done a road race before. Ironically, the guys on the back are doing just as much work to keep up as the guys on the front due to the accordion affect when you enter a corner. The group will slow drastically as it enters a corner, but as the first guys are accelerating up to speed, the guys are the back are still slowing down and negotiating the turn. Love him or hate him, you have got to take some notes from Lance too. If you look at the best guys in the sport (Brownlee, Gomez, Frodeno, etc...) they all ride at the front where it is safe and they can mark the moves of their rivals, just as Lance did when he won the tour a few times. Oh yeah, you gotta run fast as crap too!

If I had to pick, I would probably choose ITU racing. I love the excitement even though it can be very stressful at times. There is probably more money to be had in non-drafting racing though. My wish is that the US will start to embrace this style of racing more over the next several years. I feel like the standardization of cycling equipment evens out the playing field and makes the sport more accessible to those who can't afford the sport, especially kids.

Andrew - If you could have the talent of any athlete in any sport for 1 day, who would it be and why?

Matt - I've always been a big Matt Biondi fan. He dominated sprint free and fly back in the 80's and we both wore blue goggles.

Thank you for your time and we look forward to tracking you through the rest of 2011 and into 2012.

All the Best,

Andrew

1st Rev3 South Carolina

2011-10-11T04:31:00.000-07:00

With 15 races behind me, over a million yards of swimming and 2500 miles of running, I was ready to finish off my season in a big way. The days leading up to the race were very uneasy, I was super fit, it was the last race of the season, but I also had the Rev3 series title on the line. Sunday could not come soon enough. Here was the preview show!

Race morning was perfect, it was cool, but not cold, breezy and full of nerves, tension, and excitement. After running through the race over and over it was time to execute the race that had been played in my mind.

When the horn fired I went out like I would for an Olympic distance race, and at the first buoy I found myself sharing the lead. I let up a bit and slid in behind the other swimmer which I quickly realized was VO2 and slowing, at that time Fleischmann came by and I jumped on his feet. At the second buoy we fanned out across the lake. (Live Coverage) There was a small current and I knew to stay out of the middle, but I wasn't going to swim as wide as Fleischmann. So down the long straight it was Hackett against the buoys, Fleisch about 100' off the buoy line, me splitting the difference...a straight drag race. At the last buoy, we all came together, nothing lost, nothing gained. Out of the swim the lead pack was 4, and we could've fit under a picnic blanket.

In T1 I executed precision and took the lead as the rest geared up for the bike (Live Coverage). It was the 100 little things that I learned over the years that vaulted me from a chaser to a leader out of T1.

I made a last second decision to race the TriMaxCarbon front wheel instead of my normal TriMaxUltimate, because something in my gut told me too. The best decision I made all season for wheels. The wind was out of the NNE, the course mainly went that way first. I crushed the first 40K. Let's get out of sight and make them wonder. The course was never flat, it was always gaining and losing elevation. From mile 25 to 30 I relaxed a little and tried a few different cadences and tried to find a rhythm to use for the final 40K. At mile 30, it would be a mix of tail and cross winds home, I hit an intersection and my mom shouted that my lead was about 90 seconds (Live Coverage). I put my head down, time to ride the last 40K of my season, and we are going to do it flat out. I did. I came off the bike with minor cramps and major cramps looming, but the Ordu had motored me to a good lead.

T2, how are the legs going to feel. As I ran the downhill not to bad, I hopped into my Reebok race flats it was time to start churning (Live Coverage). I was tired, but this is what I train for, suffering.

The first mile of the run loops around a lake where you can see the final miles of the bike. I was nearly half a mile in before I saw a biker come in, and it was "a biker" not "a pack." Within a mile there was less than a handful of guys, but DKT, whom I was racing for the series, was there. I ran hard, by the first turnaround, at mile 4.5 I got a good look at the situation. Rich Allen is 2nd about 0.5 miles back, Millward, Thompson, Stanslov, and Kriat...sprinkled from 0.75-1mi back. Come on baby. I focused on form, like the bike course, the run was never flat, short hills, along with long false flats littered the course. At many points I felt like I was running in sand, but then the pitch would change and I would roll. Finally the 2nd and final turnaround. Allen had stagnated and the field behind him, well they all looked to be suffering. Nobody was coming in a hurry. Now it was just a matter to fending off these cramps. 3 minutes is a big lead, but minutes disappear fast if you are not moving. I inhaled Gu's, water, and Gatorade at nearly every aid station. At 10 I got a big cramp as I started on the long false flat downhill...I increased my cadence, come on relax. At mile 12 I could see around a field that we run around and there was no sight of 2nd. At mile 12.5 the course took us around an amphitheatre. I relaxed on the uphill and jogged up it slowly and then nearly walked down the other side, striding out would get me to the finish line faster, but I would risk a face plant if the quads and hams lock up. Finally, back to false flats for the final 400m.
I hit the finish chute (video), I did not know what to do. Since 2006 I have raced pro, I have won 2 small professional races, yet here in the last month I have won two of the biggest races on the triathlon calendar. The woes of the season seemed to melt away as a hit the line. I grabbed the tape and looked up past the clouds to the stars, because that it is where my goals are. I showed the stars the Rev3 South Carolina finish tape, telling them that NOTHING is impossible. When I turned around I learned that my mom was holding the one end of the finish tape. I was surprised she let go when I crossed the line, because I knew, she knew how bad I wanted this one. Check out the live post race interview.

Relive the race here with the video race recap!

At Rev3 Cedar Point I out paced the field, here I out raced the field and it felt like VICTORY. I did far more than I needed to clinch the series Championship. I will talk about becoming the series champion next week.

Thank you for following me this season, without you supporting my sponsors and the never ending support of my friends, coaches, and family, none of this would have happened. It has been another career year and it is now time to recover, do some house work, and be "normal" for a few weeks...Who's up for some pizza and a beer?

Game Over,
Andrew

Heather Fuhr

2011-10-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

In the haste of me headed to Rev3 South Carolina and Heather Fuhr juggling Kona, we were able to connect on a dip into the past...Meet 1997 Ironman World Champion and forever a legend, Heather Fuhr.

Andrew - October 1997, is that still the greatest/most memorable day of your career? Talk about what you remember from that day that punched your ticket as triathlon legend.

Heather - Of course winning the World Championship in Kona is tops on the greatest memories list. It has been 14 years since that day, but I do remember it very well. The feeling of running down Ali’I drive in the lead is a surreal experience. I think if you ask anyone, it takes a while for it all to sink in. More than anything, that race gave me the confidence to then know that I could race at the top and with the best.

Andrew - Do you miss racing?

Heather - I don’t really miss racing. I miss being in great shape like I was when racing, but am happy to be a recreational athlete now.

Andrew - Since leaving the sport of triathlon you went back to competitive running. Did you enjoy running more in college or after retiring from triathlon? Or was turning to endurance trail running just a way to try and keep the thrill of racing alive?

Heather - I run now simply because I love to run. When I feel like doing a race, I do one, but it is not the ultimate goal to do well in events. I still enjoy being in shape and challenging myself, but that is all it really is these days. Trail running is a great escape from the everyday grind, and a way to challenge myself in ways I have not before.

Andrew - You and Roch Frey, together you two have become legends of the sport. Describe your relationship as it has revolved around triathlon. Do you have any advice for young triathlon couples trying to make it?

Heather - Roch and I have been together for 28 years, and grew up doing triathlon together. Roch started doing triathlons in the mid 1980’s and I initially was a spectator. In the late 1980’s I did my first triathlon and was hooked from that point on. We then became snow birds and spent the winters in San Diego starting in 1990. Even when Roch was racing triathlon, he was still my coach, and remained my coach throughout my entire career. He was always very supportive and know my body and abilities better than I did. I think the reason this worked so well was that we had the ability to remove ourselves from the coach/athlete relationship and lead a pretty normal husband/wife life. I think this is the key to any triathlon couples – they have to be able to step away from the sport at times.

Heather is over on the big island helping with the race that put her forever on the map. Keep your eyes peeled.

Let your game speak,

Andrew

9th US Open Triathlon

2011-10-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

I was excited to race an Olympic distance race again. I spent the last 210.9 miles of "racing" doing "pacing." Now it was time to let the engine scream. A small (14 starters), extremely loaded male field was on hand, and a bad anything and you could easily be LAST. Pretty much everybody in the race had won a big race, if not a major championship. Which meant, let's race.

The swim start was the norm, half the field took off before the horn fired and then I had to make a choice, the field split left, Cam & Potts went right. Normally this was a no brainer, go left, not today. I jumped on Cam's feet. I was on the back of the express train. As we neared the first buoy Potts launched an attack, Cam accelerated, I hesitated...just a simple lapse in concentration, and the express train left and I started looking for the next train. I swam alone for 100m or so as the second train caught me, it was Ospaly on the front, then Hayes, and then I wrestled Bennett for nearly the rest of the swim for Hayes feet. I got out feeling good, and ready to unleash on the bike.

I got on the bike and Bennett launched like a jet on the climb out of transition. I rode strong, but the legs that Bennett had, I just did not have. After about mile 5 I had seperated myself from Hayes, Ospaly, Tim Don, and Rhodsey. I would start catching Bennett, then he would draw away, from mile 10-15 it was all loss, until he disappeared. Finally about mile 18-20 the legs came and I put Hayes and Ospaly out of sight and I could start to see Potts.

Time to run. With Rev3 SC and the championship of the Rev3 series looming next weekend, the plan was to run the first 5K hard and see where we were at. Ospaly and Hayes caught me about 1K in, they galloped up the hill out of transition, I trudged. When we got on the false flats I was able to hold onto Hayes until just before the turn around. After the turnaround I saw Chris Foster and Tim Don were in pursuit about 100m back and then it was a really long way back to Rhodsey and Thompson. At this point I knew I would be able to move up 1 spot in the series championship, but with not enought bodies between me and Thompson, I could not get 2 spots. So I unplugged. The money I would lose by slowing up this weekend, were table scraps next to what I was racing for at Rev3 in just 7 days. Foster flew by, Tim Don and I chatted between miles 4 and 5 talking about how many beers that spot was worth. I would carefully run down the hill from 5.5-6, and then roll through the finish, 9th.

I ended up 6th in the series, a far cry from the Podium that I was gunning for when the season started. I apologize to my sponsors this weekend for not laying it all on the line, but trust me, next weekend it will be clear why. Now it is time to rest up for Rev3 SC.

Let your game speak,

Malaika Homo

2011-09-29T05:37:00.000-07:00

This ever smiling Hoosier native has settled at the base of the Wasatch Mountain Range (UT) where she has trained for and raced every distance, but was still striving for that first big podium. This year she broke out with strong performances in the Rev3 Series. It started with getting off the bike behind Dibens at Quassy, then a 3rd at Portland, followed up by a wire to wire win at Cedar Point. Out swimming Hillary Biscay, out running Kate Major, and well having the fastest swim, bike, and run at the race. Dominance, period. It was great to share the Rev3 Cedar Point victory with fellow Boilermaker Malaika Homo.

Andrew - You have lived the sport of triathlon for 10 years now. This season is undoubtedly your best yet sitting solidly in 2nd of the Rev3 series. What has kept you so focused for so long?

Malaika - My focus in triathlon has definitely experienced ebbs and flows and right now I am the most focused I have ever been. I love the sport but as with anything you have ups and downs, and it has taken me a long time to really find my niche within the sport. I was pipe-lined into doing draft-legal racing for a while; I learned a ton from it but never felt like I really belonged in that style of racing. Once I "retired" from draft-legal races I drifted around aimlessly for a couple of seasons, never satisfied with my performances and always questioning why I was still doing this. In 2008 and 2009 I had some unfortunate bike accidents and ended up sitting out most of both seasons with injuries. It stunk at the time, but in the long run it made me rediscover my joy in doing triathlon and re-lit the fire in my heart. I celebrated my "comeback" in December of 2009 by running a massive PR of 3:02 at the Las Vegas Marathon; this was really my springboard into long-distance triathlon. Six months later I completed my first full Ironman at Couer d'Alene, placing 9th in a respectable time of 10:07. I took a significant amount of time off after that, even though it was mid-season, to buy a house and get settled in a new city. The move from Salt Lake to Ogden has proved to be a great catalyst for me as an athlete, allowing me to streamline my life and improve both the quality and volume of my training. The performances you're seeing from me this year are a direct result of that, and of the renewed fun that I'm having with the entire process these days.

Andrew - You have been very loyal to the Olympic distance over the years and just recently have you started to regularly partake in the 1/2 distance and done very well. What is your focus for the remainder of 2011 and into 2012?

Malaika - It took me a long time to wrap my mind around the longer distances, and once I started doing them it took a bit to work out the nutrition factor. I have two more triathlons on tap for 2011: REV3 South Carolina on Oct. 9th, and then the ITU Long Distance World Championships in Las Vegas on November 5th. I qualified for the ITU Worlds team by being the 2nd American finisher at REV3 Portland in July. It's a funky distance with about a full-distance swim but with a bike and run that is somewhere between a half and full. I think it could really suit me. As for 2012, I've been kicking ideas around but have not settled fully on anything yet.
You're obviously a strong swimmer and one of the strongest bikers over any distance in the sport. What have you been doing to improve your running strength? Can you describe what it felt like to catch and then hold off the men's field during the marathon portion at Cedar Point?

Andrew - The best two ways to improve in any sport is find a great coach that can instill flawless technique and train with people faster than you. Starting in 2009 I found both of those in Charlie Kern and crew. As for Cedar Point, it was really weird, when Graham past me at mile 2, I never really felt like I lost the race. At the half I was 3 minutes down, but for some reason I just knew that the race...Being on 9-11, it was just destiny that Red, White, and Blue would prevail.

In 2004 you were part of the USAT development camp in Clermont, FL which by most has been deemed anything but successful. Since then USAT has tried all sorts of things to develop triathletes and the most successful ones have come out of the woodwork and done it on their own. What are your thoughts?

Malaika - Wow, that's a loaded question! True, the 2003-2004 USAT Development Team in Clermont ultimately was not a big success, although some individuals from that group have gone on to do some great things. I learned a lot about how to train from being part of that team. The United States is a big place and there's no way for USAT to be aware of every single talent out there. I suspect that politics and money also get in the way of some athletes with great potential ever being noticed by the national program. It's worthwhile developing a program to get kids fully committed to triathlon when they're young, rather than just skimming off the top of the best collegiate swimmers and runners and then hoping they can pick up the other disciplines, but then every case is different. Just look at Gwen Jorgensen and her phenomenal rise in the sport. I think a lot of countries in Europe do a much better job with developing well-rounded triathletes from a young age, and USAT could study their model and implement something similar here. Right now, though, I think you're almost better off not getting tangled up in the politics and pressures surrounding the national teams and instead figuring out what works for you and going for it in your own space.

You've just had a breakthrough win at the REV3 Cedar Point Full Rev race in your first full-distance event. Why did you decide to do this race, and what was your plan going into it? Does your success at this distance change your goals and plans for next season?

Andrew - I did Cedar Point to be eligible for the Rev3 Championship. My goal was to finish and then race for the series championship at South Carolina. The events of Cedar Point were so unexpected that it still really has not sunk in. As for next season, we will have to see how the race schedule and different series sort out.

What is it about Purdue that has launched the careers of so many pro triathletes? In the last 10 years more than 15 pro's have come out of the Purdue Triathlon Club.

Malaika - I had no idea there were that many pros who have come out of the Purdue Triathlon Club! Was I the first?! I don't really know what the explanation is for so many quality triathletes coming out of Purdue. Maybe it's the hard-working grassroots Midwest mentality. The club was small when I was part of it, but we had a great time and I'm pretty sure I would not be involved in the sport if not for the club members who encouraged me to join. Thank you Crazy Dave, Rudy, Barb, Brad, Michael, Smaka and Laura!

I will look forward to seeing that smile out on the course at South Carolina. Next week we will have Heather Fuhr.

Let Your Game Speak,

Andrew

Championship Season

2011-09-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

48 weeks ago I started training for what was to be an epic season. A triple peak season...

My first peak race was to be Abu Dhabi, a very big change from Olympic distance. That race showed great promise, but a lot of overheating and malnutrition foiled a podium finish, but some how I finished.

It was then time for 2 months, of speed training getting ready for a six race rodeo in seven weekends. 2 races in each series, Rev3, Lifetime, and 5150. Two weeks out from the peak was St Anthony's to "blow the bugs" out of the system. Coming out of the water I cut my foot 3" long requiring stitches. This killed my spring peak and after two weeks off I pushed hard and raced my heart out. The only success that came was Rev3 Quassy.

I then took the summer off to recollect myself and set focus for Championship season. Chicago, HyVee, then LA, Dallas, Rev3 SC...I did not qualify for HyVee because of my foot. So we peaked for Chicago and plain, old school, got beat by guys peaking for HyVee. Seven of the top 10 at Chicago were the same characters as HyVee. I then looked at the Lifetime Bonus structure, 10th in the series was less than $600, 5th is $1,600 which is the best I can do after 4 of 6 races in the series. So I did something crazy and did Rev3 Cedar Point, and won...This vaulted me to the front of the Rev3 Series.

After a lot of shuffling around, the last 2 races have remained constant. US Open (Dallas) and Rev3 SC. The training is in. I have no choice but to be at the top of my game. Thank you for keeping up with me on the rollercoaster that has been this season.

Let Your Game Speak,

Andrew

Jordan Rapp

2011-09-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

He had a career year in 2009 with 2 Ironman wins, then was nearly killed in a bike crash and is back in 2011 with redemption at Ironman Canada. Yet his performances are only half of the man that is Jordan Rapp. Rappster is well known for his commentary and articles on Slowtwitch. Get to know the man you all love a little better...

Andrew - It is always interesting to me to follow you. You race where you want, Abu Dhabi, Wildflower (TriCal), Ironman & 70.3's (WTC), LA Triathlon (Lifetime), Rev3 Portland, and you are going to finish it off with ITU Worlds this fall. Do you think the future of the sport is this type of athlete dabbling a little in each series or athletes that are loyal to a single series?
Jordan - Yes and no. I think that loyalty - or consistency to use perhaps a better word - is important. Like I'd like to do Abu Dhabi every year. Wildflower every year. Rev3 Portland or Quassy every year. Ironman Arizona every year. I think that is part of what's missing from the races; you never know who is going to show up. It's not like Roger Federer does Wimbledon one year, and the US Open the next. In that sense, there is respect among the events regarding scheduling and an acknowledgement of the other events value (and, of course, the fact that there is an overarching governing body - the ATP). But really, I think that showing commitment is important. You can be loyal to events within each series, as long as you are loyal to the same events. I think other sports do a good job with this. You know where you can expect to see Kelly Slater surf, Federer play tennis (outside of the Slams), etc. So I think that "dabbling" is good - but I don't think that means you do different races every year. I think you can dabble in terms of what series or brand of races you do, but I like the idea of committing to certain races, so that you have a sense of "ownership" of those races, and that those races also have some sense of "ownership" of you (at the race). I think if you do the same races year after year, it makes it easier for the race to decide to promote you, and it gives you credibility when you speak about the race being a great race. This year will be my 5th time racing Ironman Arizona. I think that gives me a bit more credibility when I say, "it's a great race." And I think that has value for everyone involved. I hope I can race Abu Dhabi five times as well and give that same sort of endorsement there. Not because one brand or the other is better, but because there are races that are great which I *know* are great. Not because they are just part of some brand/series.

Andrew - Jordan, after your breakout win at Mdot Canada in 2009, you had the unfortunate experience of fighting back from a nearly life ending incident to conquer the 2011 Mdot Canada. Was the journey back to the top at all different from the initial climb to the top?

Jordan - Definitely. The first time, in 2009, it was really a lot about proving to *other* people that I could win. There were several folks inside the industry that told Dan Empfield & Herbert Krabel, both of whom I work with at Slowtwitch, that I'd, "never win an Ironman." Hearing that really put a chip on my shoulder. There was no chip on my shoulder in 2011. It was about proving to myself that I could win again. I don't know if anyone thought I could or couldn't. I think that people were, generally, just happy that I was alive and back racing, which was awesome, but I needed more from myself. I was certainly happy about being alive too, but that also meant I didn't have anyone I wanted to prove wrong. And while I didn't doubt myself, I felt that I needed to show that I could still win for me. I think that it really gave me some closure on everything that happened in 2010. I felt a lot more more "at peace" after winning in 2011. There was a much greater sense of completion. In 2009, I was still struggling to make it and define myself as a pro. A breakout win is just that. You are breaking out of something. In my case, I think it was breaking out of being just another age grouper who decided he deserved a pro license. I was breaking out of being someone who carried a pro card but wasn't really professional. I didn't have that same sense in 2011. There was nothing to break out of. I knew I was a professional. And my sponsors have been amazing in supporting me. So I wasn't trying to prove anything to the world or the industry. I was just trying to prove to myself that I was more than just, "not dead."

Will you ever race with a powermeter? Why or why not.

Andrew - I will not use the word never, but when I race, I race. I go on feel and set the suffer meter real high. I don't want to know if I averaged 500W for the first 5 miles, think what would run through my mind. For training, yes, I use all the information I can, but when I race, less distractions, more focus on the metronome that is my legs.

Throughout your career you have competed with some sensational fields. I am not just talking about fields with a couple strong athletes, I am talking the most stacked fields in the sport. Races like Abu Dhabi in the Ultra distance to LA triathlon in the Olympic distance. What fascinates you most about loaded fields?

Jordan - I think that most of us do this because we love racing and training. We love competition. Who really cares if you beat up on a bunch of guys no one has ever heard of? While I was obviously happier to come 7th (and get paid) than to come 11th (and not get paid) in Abu Dhabi (2010 vs 2011), I also looked at the guys ahead of me and thought, "well, if you want to get paid, next time bring your A game." My swim in 2010 was not my A-game. You don't give up almost 6 minutes to the leaders and expect to race well. In a softer field, I might have been able to get away with that, and I think that makes you soft in training. If that crap swim hadn't torpedoed my race, would have I been as motivated to get back in the pool for some hard yards afterwards? I like to think so, but that's not human nature. I love to win, but just as importantly, I think, I hate to lose; and I don't think those are just two sides of the same coin. Everyone wants to win, though some want it more than others. But I think it's a smaller group that hates to lose. And an even smaller group that really hates to lose to anyone. I'd much rather be 5th than 6th. Or 4th than 5th. That's one less person who beat you. However, I think it only really matters if the guys above - and below - you on the results sheet are people you respect as competitors. There's a huge amount of psychological value to me in having this be my job. I could probably make a better financial living working as an engineer. But would my life be as rich? I don't think so. And a big part of that richness comes from racing. And it's only a race if there's someone else to make it that way. Otherwise it's just a glorified workout, which is fun, but not so deeply satisfying.

You've been called - on the Slowtwitch forums at least - the "Rodney Dangerfield of Triathlon." Do you think that's a fair nickname? If so, why do you think it's accurate. If not, what celebrity equivalent do you see yourself as and why?

Andrew - Jordan, yes and no. A recent one that I loved was Triathlon Magazines coverage of Chicago Triathlon, a race that I led from about the 15K of the bike until mile 1 of the run, yet the race covered that Charbot led. Just another brick in the wall there. One thing I don't think that the press captures is the pure speed out here, they make it sound like I run 7 or 8 minute miles, 5:30 miles puts you over 2 minutes behind in the Olympic distance, in a half 5:50 miles will put you over 5 min back. Most of these competitors do respect my abilities. They recognize what can happen when I get a lead. I do think there are guys that are more underated than myself...the first that comes to mind is Filip Ospaly.

Slowtwitch nation has become the most powerful voice in triathlon. It is a world wide empire that seems to stand behind you more than any other athlete. It is the voice of the people that have built the WTC to be the powerhouse it is. It is the people that make and break the success of every race. What is the most powerful thing that you have seen Slowtwitch nation do? What is your favorite thing you have seen in the Slowtwitch forums?

Jordan - The most powerful thing has been the charity work. The fundraising that people have done on the forum - including myself - has been amazing. Doing my raffle and fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief the past two years, I've raised over $60,000. That's enough to provide 100 bikes and two full time mechanics to four schools in Africa. And that came from the forum. I like to say that "we" raised that money, because without the forum, I doubt I could have raised 1/10th of that. And that's true in a bunch of cases. The people of Slowtwitch care about the triathlon community. People will say it's full of whiners, which is, at times, true. But when push comes to shove, the people of Slowtwitch absolutely put their money where there mouth is. They complain loudly, but they are generous even more loudly. And I think that's real power. My favorite thing I've seen have been some of the unintentionally humorous posts. The best, and most classic, was one by a guy who wanted to make sure he was prepared for race day, so he wanted to make sure he didn't try anything new. So, to help him prepare, he sought advice from Slowtwitch on how to make flat coke. Seriously.

Jordan, thank you for your time. History often repeats itself. In 2009 you won Canada and then Arizona. In 2011 you won Canada...so we will all be watching you at Arizona.

Train Safe,

Andrew

Training Vs Recovery

2011-09-20T09:34:00.001-07:00

Thank you for all of the congrats. It still really has not sunk in yet. I was going to finish and I thought that a top 5 was achievable, but the thought of winning really did not cross my mind until mile 140.55 (of 140.6).

As much as I should be relaxing and celebrating the breakthrough performance, the team here is focused on the last 2 races. We are less than 2 weeks from the US Open which is the championship race in the Lifetime Series and less than 3 weeks from Rev3 Anderson which wraps up the Rev3 series (which I am currently leading).
So the debate here how much recovery can we afford, how much do we thrash me between the races, and how do you pull off this peak schedule...
Week 1 - August 28 - Chicago (Olympic)
Week 2 - September 3 - Great Illini (Half)
Week 3 - September 11 - Rev3 Cedar Point (Full)
Week 4 - OFF
Week 5 - OFF
Week 6 - October 2 - US Open (Olympic)
Week 7 - October 9 - Rev3 SC (Half)

So the decision was, in short, shock therapy. Take most of the time easy and get a few workouts in to blow the rust out and make the body remember what speed and how going to the well feels.

Less than 3 weeks left in my 50 week season...and it is championship season, let the cream rise to the surface!

Train hard,

Andrew

Wassner Twins - Part 2

2011-09-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

QUICK LINK TO PART 1

Last weekend I may have done something crazy, but so did these twins. They raced SOS Triathlon, a bike, run, swim, run (normally there is 2 more swims and 1 more run). The race was shortened due to flooding from Irene, but a race is a race and they went 1-2 Female with Rebeccah sweeping Laurel in all legs of the race.

Laurel - Are the guys just very intense? What do you all think of the girls? I find it interesting that triathlon is one of the few sports where men and women are so combined. We do the same course, go to the same meetings, etc.

Andrew - For the guys, we are all a pretty big family. We see each other week after week and all get along pretty well. There is a lot of respect and we know that the race is very dynamic and at the end of the day the cream will rise to the top. Yes we are all very intense and want to kill each other on race day, we give it our all on the course, and after the race we all go out and have a beer together.

Now you are going to get me in trouble. While the guys a buddies, the girls seem to hate each other. I mean the death stares, attitudes, ect between you all and it gives the guys something to joke about. I will stop here.

There is a lot of crazy things that occur during a triathlon. What is the single moment that is most vivid in your memory?

Laurel - My most vivid memory is during the run of 2008 Columbia Triathlon. I was bout 3 miles in and securely in 3rd place, ahead of world champions and established veterans. I thought to myself, I'm not supposed to be here…I'm supposed to be the sickly one…how is this possible? I think I shocked a lot of people that day. The only person not surprised was my mom - she always knew I had the ability.

As far as crazy things - Bec took my bike during a very rainy Westchester Triathlon. I was yelling to her to stop as I was falling on my butt after slipping off my wetsuit. Nothing was stopping her though. If she is on a mission, even the wrong bike won't get in her way! At HyVee I experienced the crazy things that can happen during a swim. I have a nice bruise and cut on my lip to show for it.

Bec - Running down the finishing chute in Central Park and giving my dad a high-5 on my way to winning my first NYC Tri. Another moment is when I realized i took Laurel's bike from transition a few miles into the ride at the Westchester Triathlon!
Do you ever back off on the bike so you can save something for the run. For us, we have to go all out on the bike all the time in order to keep up. The cycling element is something Laurel and I are still trying to master. Have any tips for us? Do you do mostly hilly rides, flat rides or a mix? Do you train on your TT bike or your road bike?

Andrew - I'd hate to break it to you, but in the non draft Olympic distance these days, nobody is holding back.

As for training, I treat biking like swimming. The best swimmers are somewhat efficient at all strokes, but excel at a certain one. The sets are always changing based on fitness, very rarely do swimmers do the exact same set twice in a year. Swimmers train (and race) all distances but target 1 distance. Just like you don't swim 1 million yards of freestyle at one pace with out mixing in other strokes and speed work, I don't just ride 1 bike on one terrain. I ride my road, cyclocross, mountain, and TT bike on every terrain and weather condition that exists.

You have been loyal to the Olympic distance for your whole triathlon career. Rebeccah dabbled a bit in ITU but has settled into non-draft Olympic distance, Laurel has been all in Olympic distance since you turned pro. What do you love most about the Olympic distance? Is there any desire to dabble in other distances?

Laurel - I like Olympic distance racing because it is the most balanced and pure triathlon. The swim isn't as much as a non-factor like it becomes in the longer distances. Also, I like that you can race more often doing Olympic distance races.
I have done a few half iron mans and have done pretty well. Last year I was 6th at Rev 3 which I was really happy with. I was really prepared to do well at San Juan 70.3 this year but cut my foot and couldn't finish. Also, I trained hard for Rev 3 Quassy this year and got hypothermia. Hopefully and some point it will come together!

Bec - I like the fast pace of the Olympic distance--all out for 2 hours. I also love to race and with the shorter races, it is possible to race more often. In 2009, I actually did 2 half iron distance races (and finished 2nd to Rinny both times) and planned to add more to my schedule in 2010. Unfortunately, I was injured in 2010 and was not able to run for most of the year, so running a half marathon wasn't an option. This year I've also had an injury that has limited my running, but once things get back to normal, I'd like to try a longer distance race again. With a background in marathon running, it should be a natural fit and my coach, Cliff English, has proven success with helping his athletes move up to the longer distances.

It will be fun to watch the next few weeks as Rebeccah tries to break into the top 3 in the Lifetime Fitness series and Laurel defends her win at Westchester Triathlon. Next week we will talk with Rappstar.

Train Safe,

Andrew

1st - Rev3 Cedar Point

2011-09-13T06:31:00.001-07:00

Where do I even start. The week after Chicago I had been rolling in a funk. I had a phenomenal performance at Chicago, but 5th place just doesn't cut it on a resume. I was not doing well in the Lifetime series, but wait a second. I am a contender for the Rev3 series, but to be eligible for the series, I had to do a full. So on Labor Day, 6 days before the race, I registered. I regularly do a 3+ mi open water swim, so swim would not be bad. Bike, I can ride a bike. Run, 14 miles is my longest run, so who knows.

I talked extensively with my coaches, studied my power files, we all came up with our thoughts on a plan and then combined them. They were nearly identical. So the race was on...and it did not take long for people to have their opinion on me racing. Check out the race preview where the talk of the town got laid on the line. The night before the race I was sitting on the floor of the hotel room mapping my consumption plan of Gu Brew, Gu, and Zico for the day...and praying it would work.

Race morning was better weather than I wanted, but hey, it was perfect for the "plan" I was about to unravel. The water was calm and quite and cool. Wetsuits, darn it. I dug through my bag and pulled out the Helix. Long time since I have been in one of these! I headed to the beach and my breath was taken away by the tribute that the Rev3 crew put together for 9-11. Right before the race, they played Toby Keiths new hit, "Made in America," it got my head in the right place. Land of opportunity, and it was time to show that the American dream is still alive.

THE RACE -
The horn fired and the race was off. I knew Graham O'Grady was the fast swimmer, so I quickly found his feet and we went stroke for stroke the first 1.2 miles. As we came around the turn buoy, he elevated the pace and got a gap. I surged too and was able to hold it, to about 3-5m. Then we started mowing through the back of the age group field and I lost track of Graham since his cap was the same color as all the age groupers. I just kept my pace strong and steady and knew my race began once my feet hit the ground. When we finally got out of traffic I could see Graham about 50-75m ahead, I rolled over and checked to see who is behind. It was at least 100m back to 2 swimmers and I could not see much beyond him looking into the sun. LIVE RACE COVERAGE SWIM - 48:26 - 2nd Place

T1 was fun...I got to use a wetsuit stripper, shove 1500 calories of Gu in my jersey, chug a Zico, and run just about a 1/4 mile all in under 2 minutes. Done - 1:53 - 2nd Place

Time to bike and calm the heart rate. I was jacked and ready to attack. I mean this Ordu is a time machine, it does not know how to slow up. It was go time, no it is slow time. Relax, spin, easy, come on, relax. It took nearly 20 miles to reel in Graham, but once I did I was able to find a rhythm. As I passed him we talked a bit about the old days when we used to race and then parted ways. LIVE RACE COVERAGE

Something calming about being the leader. I kept up with my nutrition and kept my heart rate spot on. The first time we hit the short out and back I could see that it was me, then Graham about 10s back. Then DKT and MacDonald at about 4 minutes. Next was Bretscher, and then Cowan, great ride for them. The volunteers were awesome at the bike stations. They were not statues, they were excited and were on their toes. I dropped ZERO bottles in all the stations.

At the short out and back at mile 60 I could see, Graham was hanging ~30seconds back, DKT was at 5 minutes. So within 8 minutes...2 men. About mile sixty I started to get a little cramp in my calf so I shifted my weight around on the saddle and adjusted my hands on my Vision bars to use some different muscles. I actually picked up the pace, with the same heart rate, but started puke up a little Gatorade about every 3 minutes. I kept the position, but decided that I should probably get in a position that agrees with my stomach a bit more. So I shifted again and was fine, no cramps, I elevated my nutrition knowing that not everything going in was staying in, and I was a bit scared of this marathon thing coming. LIVE RACE COVERAGE BIKE - 4:25:54 - 1st Place

T2 was steady. I grabbed my bag for T2 and forgot how heavy it was. Ran into the change tent and dropped trow. I got rid of the Lake Erie, pee and sweat soaked bike kit and changed into a clean fresh Champion System race kit that you all know so well. That was the best move I made all day...Nothing like clean clothes. Then I pulled on socks, my Reeboks, grabbed a bottle full of Gu Brew, chugged another Zico, and hit the watch as I started my "LONG" run. LIVE RACE COVERAGE T2 - 1:54 - 1st Place

The first mile I ran too fast, 6:50, then another 6:50. Yes, 6:50 is my normal long run pace, but this long run was going to be much longer than the 80-95 minutes that I am used to. Then Graham caught me, he was chatty and I was trying to slow down, not a good combo. So I kept it short and just wanted to find my rhythm. LIVE RACE COVERAGE

I just pulled my visor down and started to hit pace. I let my body settle in for the first 10 miles of the run and kept to my nutrition plan. But the sun started to beat hard and the temperature really shot up. At the aid stations from there on out I was taking salt, Gatorade, water, ice, Gu. You had it, I was taking it. I even picked up a Gu that was full on the road just in case I needed it later, I knew that nutrition was the only thing that could dampen my day, especially after the Abu Dhabi meltdown in March. (13.1 split - 1:33:37, 2nd Place)
At the half way point got to see that Graham was still moving good and 3 minutes up on me. I by-passed special needs and started into the land of the unknown. The split to DKT was just under 8 minutes and 8.5 to MacDonald who was back in the picture. If I don't blow, I got a podium. The plan was working. Suddenly at mile 17 I caught Graham who was now walking. I passed him, hmm, I better hit my nutrition right, this is mine as long as I don't melt. Yet I kept my mind focused on form and never thought about winning. Form first, then we can see if we win. I would jog the aid stations very slow getting everything I needed. I became a pack mule to the point at which my stomach was a bath tub of Gu, salt, and water washing back and forth inside my skin. Between aid stations I was still hitting 7-7:10 miles without much problem. When I hit mile 22 I saw MacDonald hit mile 21. I have 1 mile, 6.5 minutes, with 6K to go. So I could walk the rest of the aid stations and have time in hand. Instead I decided that I would slow my run from lows 7's to 7:30 miles. We have all seen the melt downs in the final miles and I had a lead and there was no reason to risk it. Marathon - 3:10:08, 2nd 1/2 - 1:36:31
Winning the race was not at all part of the plan. I thought that MacDonald, Thompson, Gomez, or O'Grady would beat my plan. I also did not intend on running the whole marathon, I was going to run until I started cramping and then walk/jog it home, because there is still a lot of racing for me left this year. Instead, none of that happened, so in hind site the race went to plan, but the result was simply stunning. Here was the live coverage. 5 minutes back was MacDonald and Thompson was another 5 back. Gomez came home 4th. O'Grady walked it home is 8th, which I was happy to find out that he finished.

On the women's side, fellow Purdue Boilermaker Malaika Homo crushed the field with the fastest swim, bike, and run to win her first major pro race. Both of us have been pro for more than 5 seasons and were seeking that first big win and neither of us thought it would have come on Sunday. BOILER UP!

REV3 RACE REVIEW - PRO'S
REV3 RACE REVIEW - AGE GROUP

I went back to the hotel and showered had some junk food, pulled on my 110% compression wear with ice packs, and then headed back to the race site to welcome in the final 2.5 hours of finishers. The Cleveland triclub were a bunch of loons and we had a finish line party that could never be replicated. The finish vaulted me to the series lead with one race to go. Thank you REV3 Staff, the twitter feed and live updates throughout the day are the best in the sport. You all kept my fan base in the race even though they could not be there.

Over the last 5 seasons as a professional I have had the lead at the worlds largest races into the late stages, just to watch the win slide through my fingers. A lot of breaks have not gone my way this season and, I guess, in life everything truly happens for a reason. Had I made HyVee I never would have raced Rev3 Cedar Point, which proves, the best things in life are not planned. So much for "the plan." Time to recover and get ready for the US Open and Rev3 South Carolina.

Thanks for the support,

Andrew Starykowicz
IRONMAN CHAMPION? That can't be right, I must be posting on the wrong blog!

PS - Next weekend I am going to do my long workout on my own at home here. So no need to start guessing which Half I may show up at.

Wassner Twins - Part 1

2011-09-08T09:11:00.001-07:00

They may be petite, they may be quiet, but their results speak volumes. These twins went their separate ways after high school but the events of life (cancer) caused gravitational pull between them and they have since pushed each other up the professional ranks of triathlon. Meet the Wassner Duo.

Andrew - Laurel and Rebeccah may be twins but their backgrounds are quite different. Rebeccah ran at Mount St Mary's College while Laurel swam George Washington U. Rebeccah worked as a CPA and Laurel as a photo editor. Now they are simply known as the Wassner twins in the world of professional triathlon raising awareness for the fights against cancer, Laurel being a survivor. Talk about your journey into triathlon. When you started did you ever dream of the stardom that you have achieved?

Laurel - I knew a little bit about triathlon growing up, mostly from the Bud Lite swim caps that the cool kids on our swim team somehow got. I think there was a stop in the series in Baltimore and we grew up outside of DC. Competitive swimming is huge in Maryland and it was our main activity from age 5 on. I did my first running race in 5th grade, a junior high cross country meet and did really well. By the time I got to 8th grade I was undefeated in cross country running and yes, even beating my sister. When I got to high school I wanted to play more "fun" sports, like tennis so I stopped running and then I got very into swimming and ended up getting a swimming scholarship to GW. In my senior year, I heard about triathlon again from one of my swim teammates who had been recruited by USAT to their program. I thought, I'm a better swimmer AND I know I'm a better runner, so I could do that! Unfortunately, I didn't have a fancy bike - let alone a bike at all - so I went and bought a very used Schwinn for what was probably an overpriced $400.

Bec - I first really learned about triathlon from a college teammate and ITU triathlete, Tim Kitching, who had come from Coffs Harbour, Australia to Mt. St. Mary's on a track scholarship. Right after i graduated I did a Danskin sprint Tri in Baltimore on a borrowed bike and loved it. Then other things got in the way and i wasn't able to think about triathlon. Several years later, when I was working in NYC, i started swimming with a masters group at Chelsea Piers and some friends on the team suggested that i join them for a bike ride. I knew nothing about bikes, but went to a local bike shop and bought an entry level triathlon bike.

Laurel - I signed up for a triathlon but then I hurt my knee and gave Bec my number. That ended up being her first tri, near Baltimore. We were so intimidated by the girls with their bike shoes and things lined up in the transition area. I'm pretty sure Bec went on to have one of the fastest, if not fastest, run times and did very well. After that, I moved to New York City and did my first triathlon - which actually consisted of roller blading, biking and running in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. I loved it and knew I wanted to do a real one, with a swim! Unfortunately, not to soon after that I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

At that point I pretty much thought my dreams of being a pro triathlete were over, but in the back of my mind I knew that if I got the chance I could do it and that I could be pretty good at it.

Bec - I entered a few local races and eventually went to the age group Nationals and Worlds. I didn't allow myself to stop working full time until I proved to myself that I could compete with the top pros. Although it was difficult to leave a steady paycheck behind, I felt that there was so much i could accomplish as a triathlete. Had I not gone through everything with Laurel's battle with cancer, i may never have given myself that chance.

Andrew - When I asked them for a question, here was there immediate responses:

Bec - You are one of the most powerful cyclists in the sport of triathlon. How'd you get that way?

Laurel - How did you become such a strong cyclist? Did you always have such big muscles? Have you ever done any time trial races or would you?

Andrew - Let's see. I have to say that it is an accompolation of my life and genetics. I grew up sweeping floors, carrying wood, scaffolding, garbage cans, and pushing a wheelbarrow around a construction site. I subconciously had built a strong core and tree trunk legs. In high school I learned of the weight room combined with Water Polo and Swimming I grew from 125 lbs to 212 lbs in under 3 years. My body was balanced, then I started to do tri's in college and lost a lot of my upper body...but not the lower body. I was fast on the bike from day 1, a true need for speed. I was on a road bike with a triple and had one of the fastest bike splits every time out. Chris Marks taught me how to train, be efficient, and after improving my swim and run, my first sponsorship in my 4th season. A TT bike!

Also in college I did quite a bit of cycling racing. I did well at it, I was better in road racing and crits than I was in time trials. I had, and still have, great high end power where I utilize all "that muscle." I am like a caged animal in a (blood) rush, when I am let loose, I can fly, but pacing (like in a TT), is still a struggle. Which is why I like "racing" great fields. Especially when I know I am making the best suffer and it allows me to dig deeper into the pain bank. I make up for my inability to pace by excelling at suffering.

This year in the Tour De France, everybody talked about what a huge advantage the Schleck brother's had feeding off each other. Do you agree that there is a divine advantage of sibling versus teammate? What is the coolest thing about racing with your sister?
Bec - It was fascinating to watch the Schleck brothers compete in the Tour. I've always been fascinated with siblings in sports -- Cal & Billy Ripken, Venus & Serena, the Bryan Twins. I think part of the advantage is just knowing that you have someone out there that will be at your side no matter what. One of the cool things about racing with Laurel is that there's always a race within the race -- which twin will beat the other & how will be do against the rest of the field. I've always known that Laurel was a naturally talented athlete, but it was interesting to find out recently that we have the exact absolute VO2 max.

Laurel - We are really lucky to be able to race together. I think Bec appreciates that even more after spending a few years on the circuit without me. There is definitely an unspoken communication that we have that wouldn't be there with another teammate. We are also unconditionally supportive of each other - as much as I want to win, I almost want Bec to win more and vice versa. I know I will always get a cheer (not a sneer!) when I see Bec on the race course.

QUICK LINK TO PART 2

Make sure to check in next Thursday for Part 2. Let's see how all of us do at the crazy races we are doing this weekend.

Let your game speak,

Andrew

1st Great Illini

2011-09-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

It took me 4 days to physically recover from Chicago. I mean I was a wreck last week, but finally on Thursday I felt good enough to throttle the body a bit. The workout plan for the weekend included the traditional long brick. 2.5 hours low-tempo bike + 80 min steady run, there was a half in central Illinois paying a few bucks so I decided to jump in the truck and do a fully supported workout.

I put on the heart rate monitor and set the heart rate and did my workout. The start of the swim is always my favorite part of the race. I took the first few strokes easy waiting for that "swimmer" to drill the pace, after about 50m or so I could tell there was not any stand out swimmers, so I hit the gas and created some separation and settled in to a solid pace.

I got out of the water and cruised through T1. As I looked out over the lake as I strapped on my helmet it came to my attention that 2nd place was still 100m from shore. This means, oh, 2 or 3 minute lead was in hand.

I put the heart rate where I wanted it to be...145. Just a nice steady aero ride. The road surface was pretty good chip and seal with a few rough sections. I rolled through the first loop in 1:05 and had built the lead to 10 minutes over 2nd place, Chris Sweet. The second loop. Just get me to the run. 2:10+a few seconds.

T2 merely a formality. Socks, Shoes, visor, some nutrition, and embark on an 80 minute steady run.

I flipped over to temperature, b/c I knew it was getting hot and fast. The watch said 87...let's get to it before we cook. The first mile was way too fast, so was the second, and third, but it felt easy. So I just held pace. The second lap of the run was very different than the first lap. The sun baked down on the corn fields and the temperature sored. The temp ranged from 97-99 the whole second lap, but my body did not seem to care. Every mile was within 10 second for 11 straight miles. At mile 12 I unplugged and ran cooldown for the final mile.

It was a great workout and now this week is about getting back to training. It'll be entertaining what I do for my long workout is for next weekend!

Train Hard,

Andrew

Ben Collins

2011-09-01T05:04:00.000-07:00

This man is a Lion, a Columbia Lion. Another Pro Triathlete that was a swimmer in college and an Engineer, this one Ivy League. Ben Collins grew up a swimmer, but through his pink sunglasses wins races using his lethal swim, bike, and run. As one of the Olympic prospects for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, he is just as strong in Non-Draft races as the ITU. Let's see how Ben Collins sees the sport...

Andrew - Ben, triathlon has gone from a bunch freakish athletes not known for their education to a very well educated group of athletes. It is not just one conference, it is all of them are well represented at the top end of triathlon. Do you think that a higher educated athlete is a better athlete?

Ben - No, not a better athlete, but probably a better person. Or a more interesting person anyway, My role models are well-rounded people who excel in every aspect of their lives, the kids who make triathlon their entire life are harder for me to relate to. Plus, it's a huge risk to have no real-world employable skills in a sport like triathlon, where there's not much money, none is guaranteed, and an injury could force you out of the sport for an extended period of time. There's always coaching, but would you listen to somebody who has no education and has never shown an interest in learning?

Andrew - 10 years ago the oldest professionals were ~35 years old. 10 years later, the older triathletes are pushing 40. It appears from the distance that triathlon can be made a true profession rather than a lifestyle. For a guy that has couch surfed, slept in cars, vans, to try and keep that dream alive. What is your take on how triathlon has been evolving?

Ben - Pushing 40? Look at Joe Umphenour, that guy is well over 40, I mean, talk about a dinosaur in the pro field! Yeah, you can do well in the sport into your early 40s, the best athletes will have solid sponsorships and good prize money until the end of their careers, but nobody in this sport is earning enough for a comfortable retirement. This is not a life long profession, it's a stepping stone to another career, and my guess is pros will be working a greater portion of their lives than most people, with far less financial security.

So what's your plan after triathlon? You going to keep at this into your 40's, and if so are you going long or planning to keep your focus on the short course?

Andrew - I am going to race as long as I am having fun and can pay the bills. I still love suffering in workouts and turning in great times and speeds. I am also still getting faster in all 3 sports, so as long as I can pay all the bills...game on.

As for staying short course. Like I said, still getting faster. I enjoy dabbling in the longer distances, but it seems the "drafting" rules are a lot more lax in the longer distances.

You are just coming off the biggest win in your career at NYC. On paper this race does not suit you since the swim is short (down river) and the run is a tough run through Central Park. Talk about your thoughts throughout the day.

Ben - What doesn't suit me about that? I won 5150 New Orleans when it was a duathlon against Kris Gemmell - one of the best runners in the sport. In NYC the bike is rolling, it was wet out (I'm from Seattle, I like rain) and Central Park was practically my back yard for four years during college. My thoughts were to follow my plan, which was: 1) sit on feet during the swim (check), 2) ride in my comfort zone and don't let up (check) 3) Run hard (and, check). The only thing that I screwed up on was the weather. It was cold and rainy for the first two legs and I didn't hydrate well enough, so when the sun came out and the temp shot up with full humidity I was caught off guard. I paid for it after the race with a trip to the med tent.

Andrew - Your focus is the 2012 Olympics. Can you get the USA's first male medal in triathlon? If not, who can?

Who knows, every year the ITU gets faster. I think the US needs to stop focusing on individuals with the potential for a medal and think about a team with potential for a medal. I absolutely believe I can be part of a US Olympic Team that will earn a medal.

All eyes are on HyVee this weekend, and we will be watching to see if Ben Collins can come home with a large part of the $1 million prize purse.

Train Hard,

Andrew

5th - Chicago Triathlon

2011-08-30T04:53:00.000-07:00

It had been 2 months since I had raced and the body felt more ready than ever. There is always that uneasy feeling in your stomach of...will the body be there. I would find out at 11:27am.

The swim start was a bit flustered. The current in the harbor was pushing south (wind strong out of the north) and they kept trying to move us back, suddenly the horn...no warning at all and the machine was set into motion. I have learned to stay really relaxed the first 400m at Chicago, because the real race starts when you head north, a 1200m drag race. I was not in great position around the first buoy, but I worked my way into position using my fitness and experience. The chop in the harbor was nothing like I had ever seen in my 9 previous races at Chicago and it really played to my advantage. Out of the water I knew I was in fair position, but I did not realize that I was top 5 out of the water.

The run to T1 is what makes Chicago triathlon my nemesis, over 1/2mi on broken concrete. Every year the pace goes nuts here. I have learned that you have to be smart here. Run fast but not sprint. You can gain 5 or 10 seconds in the sprint to T1, but lose 30 seconds in the first 5K of the bike, and with the first 11K of the bike into a 2o+ mph headwind, I swiftly ran to T1.

I got into T1 in 10th, onto the bike in 7th. Game on. As we climbed up to Lake Shore Drive you could feel the head wind. This is my weather, and I quickly put my shoes on and started to bring down the sledge hammer on the field. By the north turnaround Matt Charbot and I had a small gap on the field that had gone from a "pack" to bits and pieces due to the wind and the inferno tempo at the front. Charbot and I exchanged the lead 2 or 3 times heading south at 35+ mph and as we neared the South turnaround, 20.5K, I hit a Chocolate Outrage Gu as Bennett joined us. Heading back north into the wind, I dropped Bennett and then Charbot as I pushed back at the headwind. I came around the last turnaround and saw a white helmet, Bennett was chasing me about 200m back and Charbot was another 50m behind him. Headed south I was probably riding close to 40 mph the whole way with the tail wind. I knew that if I had a 1 minute lead I could be dangerous. I hit transition, in the lead at "My House."

T2 did not go well. I racked my bike, it fell off. My helmet buckle jambed, the only thing that went well was that I only lost 5 seconds...because it felt like an hour.

I settled into a maintainable pace, and by mile 1 Bennett had caught me and set sail. Mile 1.5 Charbot and then Paul Matthews. I surged and knew that if I could keep them in sight... I ran hard, I mean I was flying. At mile 5 you could throw a blanket over Matthews, Bennett, and Charbot...I was just 250 meters back. It was around mile 5 where the pace took it's toll. The hip flexors shut down and I faded from fluid motion to muscling it home. In the final 150m Ospaly cruised by my decimated body and took 4th place leaving me to stride home in 5th place. I lost 80 seconds to the leaders in the final 2K.The rest of the top 9 read as the who's who of triathlon including Kemper, Thompson, and Dye.

I am happy with my performance, but disappointed with the result. I threw down the whole way and left it all out on the course. I will say that the volunteers on the course this year were fantastic. They were vocal, excited, and made sure that each athlete got the nutrition and fluid they needed. Also a huge thank you for the city of Chicago for cheering me on. I was deep in the hurt locker on that run, and hearing your name gives you that extra little bit to go deeper.

Since the race I have found out that if you flip over the August Competitor Magazine that there is a full page picture of me dismounting at the US Open last year. Also a sponsor of mine brought it to my attention that I have pulled the "trifecta." I was in the lead with the fastest bike split at the biggest races in each distance in a single season:

Abu Dhabi - 6 minute lead (Ultra Distance)

Rev3 Quassy - 4 minute lead (1/2 Distance)

Chicago - 30 second lead (Olympic Distance)

Now it is time to go and win a race. Again, thanks to all of you for cheering and my sponsors for making last weekend possible.

Train Hard,

Andrew

Paul Alexander

2011-08-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

Meet a rodeo cowboy turned triathlon rep. He grew up in Texas where riding is a way of life, he chased his girlfriend and changed from riding bulls to bicycles. Meet Orbea's Paul Alexander

Andrew - Paul, going around the ranks of triathlon there are all sorts of stories, but how does a bull rider end up as an industry rep?

Paul - When I was in high school I was a competitive swimmer and hung out with a bunch of guys that rode on the school's rodeo team. I gave it a shot and had a lot of fun doing it so I kept going back. In Texas, that never seemed like a terribly contradictory set of sports to get into. I rode bulls off and on in college but only during breaks since I was in school in Arkansas and didn't know anyone else that rode. My girlfriend (now wife) convinced me to stop completely after I broke my elbow and then she got me into cycling and we started going to road races together. After we graduated we moved to Little Rock for her to continue her education and I found out that Orbea was based here. I pestered Tony for 6 or 7 months before he gave me a job and haven't really looked back.

Andrew - How different are your thoughts in the chute when you are getting on the bull versus toeing the start of a triathlon?

Paul - For me, triathlon has always been a lot of fun and I've never taken my racing all that seriously. I'm usually the guy that jokes around on the start line and gets weird looks from the other guys in my wave before opening up the swim with a 25 yards of butterfly just to screw with my competition (plus it opens a lot of water space around me...) Getting on the back of a bull always felt like a much more serious endeavor if for no other reason than if you make a mistake or don't pay attention you can get pretty seriously hurt. Looking back I realize that it required a very focused and meditative mindset. You really can't be thinking about anything else.

Andrew - 8 seconds, I have dreamt of trying it. I can tell you about leading World Championships, winning cycling and triathlons in a sprint, but how would you best capture the adrenaline rush of an 8 second ride?

Paul - It's a pretty brilliant rush. It's such a short amount of time and, unless you're really good, it feels amazingly chaotic. Competition bulls are nothing like practice rides and when there is an arena full of people waiting to see how you ride...it can be intense. I've talked to guys that run the 100m, 200m and 400m on the track and it sounds a lot like that: focused chaos that's over quickly. Of course, in bull riding you don't know immediately if you've won so then its just an irritating waiting game.

Andrew - In your opinion, is it easier to make it on the pro tour of triathlon or rodeo?

Paul - Having not made it as a pro in either sport I'm probably not the best person to ask. I think triathlon probably takes more dedication simply because training to be a pro triathlete takes up such a vast amount of time. Pro bull riders have to be very very good at one thing but pro triathletes have to excel at 3 different sports all rolled into one. Plus, the injury rate in pro rodeo is so high that there is a huge amount of luck to making it as a pro without having your talent crushed under a couple thousand pounds of angry bull. All that being said, I think making it as any kind of pro athlete takes a lot of skill and determination and fair amount of luck.

Paul I will definitely agree with you about the skill, determination, and luck theory. Thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you at the race expo's in the coming weeks!

Let Your Game Speak,

Andrew

Sweet Home Chicago

2011-08-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

The best part about racing at home is getting to sleep in your own bed the night before the race. Then at the race...my family, coaches and friends are out in masses cheering. It is the single race that I am willing to sacrifice my whole season.

I don't have anything to say, except for let's race.

Let Your Game Speak,

Andrew

Craig Alexander

2011-08-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Craig Alexander, aka. Crowie, Alexander the Great, and quite a few more is the most versitile athlete in the sport today. He is competitive at every distance. From 31 minute 10K's to 2:40 marathons this man knows how to close out big races. He was the only man to win both 1/2 and full ironman world championships. I was able to catch up with Craig briefly and check out his outlook on the sport...

Andrew - Crowie, you have been around the block a few times in triathlon. You have raced every distance out there and had success at all of them. You are one of the very few athletes that go one and win big races at all 3 of the major distances year in year out. What are the 3 biggest changes you have seen in the sport since you started racing pro nearly 20 years ago?

Crowie - Technology involved has definately changed, from nutrition, to equipment and training techniques. Everything is carbon fiber, wind tunnel tested and electronic. And luckily fluro (florescent) race gear has almost disappeared but has been replaced by compression socks. Everyone is using power meters, Garmin’s and heart rate monitors, and certainly there is a more scientific approach to training and physiology. Andrew - You are unarguably one of the most successful triathletes of all time. Your most legendary results came in 2008 & 2009 with Kona wins and a win another World Championship with a win at Clearwater. Yet, every athlete is seeking that certain win that eludes them. What race do you want to win more than any other?

Crowie - I'd love to win Vegas 70.3 WC and would love to race at Wildflower. It always falls on the same weekend as St Croix 70.3, so I have never raced there... yet.

If YOU could win any race in the Sport which race would it be ?

Andrew - If I could win 1 race, it would have to be Chicago. It is the only race where everybody that supports me (family, coaches, friends) come and watch, and to win at home...That would be the emotional bliss. Beyond that, I would like to win a World Championship, because once a champion, forever a champion. But first, I got to win Chicago, then I’ll look to Vegas or Kona.

Has becoming a father changed you perspective of triathlon? What has changed if anything?

Crowie - Parenthood changes your perspective on life. Triathlon has been a big part of my life, but it is not the MOST important part now.

I look forward to seeing Craigs assault on Kona this fall. He is an incredible athlete and, as good as he is as an athlete, he is a great person.

Train Hard,

Andrew

Shorter Days

2011-08-16T04:26:00.001-07:00

The sun is rising later and setting sooner. The mornings are cool and crisp. Workouts have become very specific. Less volume, less intensity. The long hard miles, the mind and body breaking intervals, it is all in. Now it is championship season. Just big, big races. High stakes, great competition. This is the make or break time.

Last year it was about this time in which I thought I was ready for the race of my life at Chicago, but the sun shined a little too hard. Being the larger athlete that I am, I suffered in the heat. Even before the race I was having heat cramps. The cramps that Rasmus Henning described at Abu Dhabi was exactly what I experienced at Chicago last year. Like he says, he has no idea what caused it, but I agree with him it is emotionally and physically devastating.

This year, with the summer we have had, weather wise, I am ready for anything. Ideally, windy, rainy, and cool. Either way it will be a race in which I am going to go red line start to finish. At the end of the day, the dust will settle and the cream will rise to the top. See you at Chicago!

Race Focused,

Andrew

Also, if you want to help stir the Slowtwitch pot...Comment!

NC Training Trip Uncut

2011-08-11T06:01:00.001-07:00

The Start - Shell Shock
After 9 months of season of riding flat to rolling roads, it was time to hit the mountains. Why not throw one of the hardest days possible at yourself. 2 climbs of 3800+' with a 1000' climb between.

So I took each climb and treated it like its own workout. The final climb I dropped the hammer to see how much legs I really have. By the top I was nearly 10 minutes clear of John Kenny, the closest of my fellow companions. Below is the resulting power file (10s sample smoothing factor).
After the ride we hit up a local pub which we ate them out of house and home and then it was time to run on the greenway path in Franklin. Actually, we split into 2 groups, shoppers (those who were shelled from the bike) and the runners. Chris Wiatr and I held up a surprising tempo considering the hours in the saddle and the jalapenos and other bar food in us.

Day 2 -
We split into 2 groups to do the same loop opposite directions. Group 1 to ride the less technical and more scenic direction, Group 2 to ride the steeper climbs and the brake consuming descents. Group 2 would ride the loop and keep going until we met up with the other group and then finish at the cabin as a group. The theory worked, got another 1200; of climbing and soft pedaled home as a team. This day consisted of much shorter steeper climbs. Again a workout for each major climb. A tempo climb, a technique climb, and then a great set. 1 min @300, 1 min @350, 1 min @400, 1 min @450+, repeat until the top...After mass consumption of food and a nap it was off to Lake Glenville for a swim and run. This lake is a great tool, it is the highest body of water East of the Mississippi. So a bit of elevation swimming in a scenic mountain lake.
John was the only one to make it to the waterfall which is over 3500m each way. I made it 3Km out with Missy (Kuck) and Chris, and then really pushed the pace on the way home, it was lonely but it was a great mental test. I followed up by a rolling run for a bit over 8 mi. Chris joined me for a good part of it, but the volume started to get to his young legs (I wish I was 20 again!).

1/2 Way Point - Day 3

An attempt for an early start on Friday was discussed...because it was Friday (beer flows in the Mtns) and it was gonna be a hot one. So we decided to do a Brick. I would play sherpa and bike with 4 pairs of run shoes from 2000' to the gap at 4100'. Some started the run upon arrival, the rest descended down the backside of the ridge. On the way back from the ride, we hit the gravel roads and ran from 4100' up to the fire towers at 5350' and 5600'. The run was supposed to be easy, but I chased scenery. The further I ran the more views I got to see. I ended up running 12 miles of gravel roads and double track in the mountains. It shelled my legs but the views made it worth it. (run profile below)We got home for lunch and naps just as a storm rolled in. 4 hours later, thunder lingered, but we ventured to the lake to see if the weather was better. Indeed it was. Another 2 miles of swimming chasing John's feet and fun just to "loosen out." Crazy perspective.

Day 4 - Get the lead out
A really early start. We all jumped in the local tri at Lake Logan. I was on my road bike with normal training wheels, no wetsuit, and regular run shoes. It was like "my first tri" all over, except for then I was somewhat rested. I tried to swim hard, but the arms were just not there, I got on the bike and rolled the Watt meter to 325-350W and rolled. Toward the end of the bike I started to feel ill. When I got off the bike, I was hunting for bushes. I visited them 5 times in 10K. I have not had GI issues prior to this and I pray never again. Holy Cow that was horrible. I ended up finishing 4th. While John won and Missy was second on the womens side both on destroyed legs...but in full race gear.

After laying down and nibbling on food, everybody else was pretty much done for the day. Personally I had just warmed up, I was fustrated with my body, so I remounted my bike and did a moderate long ride of 2 more 2000+' climbs and 5 miles of gravel road. This would've been fun in the sun, but instead, to add to my mental state it poured, hailed, and a bit of lightning...which to me...made it all the more fun. It is funny, the worse the weather, conditions, the more epic it is to me, and the harder I go and more fun I have. I rode harder here than I did that morning! I met the crew on the ridge in glorious sunshine and we headed back to the cabin.

Back at the cabin half of us pulled some logs for Doug and Sally as a thank you for allowing us to stay at their cabin and the other half started preparing the leftover food from the $400 grocery bill. After the food was gone it was time to kick back by the bonfire with gallons of beer and wine celebrated a safe and successful trip.Final Morning

Time to roll out and get one last mountain run and ride in. The run reminded me that I love running the false flats at home. The final ride was a rolling climb up Buck Creek and then a nice steady downhill along that Callasuja Gorge on US64. John had headed home and Glen & Pater went fishing, after about 20 min I quickly realized that Missy and Chris' legs were done, so I decided to badger my dead legs. 3 min at 400-475 with 2 min 250-300...until I summitted. I rolled down US 64 enjoying the views and taking some video, before hitting the final climb and doing a build from 300-425W before rolling into the cabin...100% spent.YOU TUBE The descent ranges from 2-4% downhill so I was able to have a bit of fun and take some video of the relaxing sweeping corners YOU TUBE

I wish I had a helmet cam and showed you some of the descents on the other days, because honestly, those will get your blood flowing. A specialthank you to Sally and Doug for sharing their place and to Chris Wiatr (V8), Glen McGowan (Contador), Missy Kuck, John Kenny, and Michael Pater for another memorable trip. Back to the flats....

More pictures to come!

Train Hard,

Andrew

PS I weigh 185lbs to those calculating Watts/kg

North Carolina Training Trip

2011-08-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

In order to do this trip justice, I am still gathering photos, videos, and evidence of the trip to share with you. I will post the summary of the training trip on Thursday.

The short version:
4.5 days
Swim - 10+ km
Bike - 270+ mi
Run - 40+ mi

All in the mountains. No pools, tracks, or limits.

Look forward to an awesome blog on Thursday.

Andrew

Training with "The Kids"

2011-08-02T09:16:00.001-07:00

To all of those that I swam and ran with this summer in the assorted clubs and camps, thank you. Thanks for the youthful enthusiasm and immaturities. They help keep me young and loving training.

I can not do it with out the great coaches, they guide us in the right direction and it is us the athletes that take the bull by the horns and make the workouts memorable.

It is the work that you each put in this summer that will make you succeed this fall.

"Fatigue makes cowards of all of us"
Show no weakness, do not crack.

Chase your dreams,

Andrew

Fitness for America Sports Festival

2011-07-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

As you guys well know, I enjoy giving back to sport almost as much as I enjoy competing. Last weekend was the sports festival put on by All Community Events and we got swamped with rain, but still pulled it off.

On Friday night as many know, Chicagoland got 10+ inches of rain in 3 hours. Suddenly race prep went from a 12 hour process to 5 hours, not only that, but trees were down impeding the course. I mean it was disaster control. Yet, the race went off a mere seconds past the scheduled start. Not 1 race (the 1/2 marathon) or 2 races (1/2+10K)...but all 4 run races (1/2+10K+5K+kids race).

After the race was over, it was not time to pack up, it was time to clean up the morning races and get set up for the inline criterium. After the course was set up, it was my job to keep the races rolling. I ran it to perfection, 1 race would finish, within minutes the next race was started. The boys from the old Lake Geneva Raceway would be proud.

After the 5th race, it was still not time for tare down. It was time to set up the Time Trial. I was the starter for each athlete. I mean 20 seconds is a long time. 10 seconds, 5 seconds, 3, 2, 1 go. The line goes quick, but jeez, the time from 20 to 10, then to 5 seems an eternity. Finally Saturday is done. In enough time to get a run in and get 7 hours of sleep before starting Sunday.

Sunday was easy. 4 races, inline marathon, 1/2 marathon, 10K and kids race. It seemed to be Deja Vu from Saturday. Rain..pouring rain, this time with lightning. The race went off. After the final race, it was time for clean up. Hours of picking up cones, signage, gels, bottles, garbage. I mean come on people. Garbage cans were everywhere, but the ditches and gutters were lined with trash. I got out of there in enough time to go home catch an hour nap and get a 4 hour brick in before collapsing into bed.

It was great to meet so many of you that keep up with me as an athlete. It is always brings a smile that so many people read my blog and follow my results. I apologize for not being as social as I normally am this weekend, but as you can tell from this blog we were a group of machines trying to churn out the near impossible. Again, keep up with me and I hope the next time that we meet we can talk!

Train Hard,

Andrew

Tropical Heat Wave

2011-07-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

As the thermometer keeps pushing higher and higher, I keep going the Gu Brew and tabs like they are going out of style. I am doing everything I can to keep standing and grinding away.

It is important to know how to fuel for the heat. As I tear up the trails on the Orbea Terra and run with my electrolyte drink in hand, I see groves of fitness enthusiasts biking, running, and walking with water or nothing at all. For a short workout this may keep you hydrated temporarily, it does not keep your body fueled with nutrients. Sweat is not water, so when you are out sweating, you must put some sort of nutrients back in.

While many are calorie concious, there are a lot of great options out there to help keep your body healthily fueled. While working out at a high level requires a full rich mixture of energy gels and electrolyte drinks, many can get away with using a dilute version Brew. There are also tabs out there by many companies which contain ~10 calories but are full of nutrients to replenish your body with what you are sweating out. If nothing else, it is wise to add a dash of sea salt to each bottle of water you consume. Something to help keep the water in the tissues and not just going from your mouth to your kidneys.

Keep fueled,
Train Harder

Andrew

Nobody

2011-07-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Q&A takes a bit more work than I expected, it goes quickly when somebody is interested and stoked to do it. Other times, I feel like an Achilles.

Currently I have 63 unreplied questionaires out to all levels of pro athletes and race management. I understand that we are all very busy, and I am fine with waiting a few weeks, but it is frustrating when you have people that say they are going to get to it for 2 and 3 months. I will continue to send out 2-3 questionaires a week and post them on Thursdays.

So for this weeks Q&A, tell me a pro athlete, race director, or leader of the triathlon community that you think I should interview.

Sorry for the lack of entertainment this week!

Train Hard,
Andrew

1st - Decatur Triathlon

2011-07-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

To start out, this race has the best support of any I do. Every year the Local, County, and State Police turn out in masses to support this event which is a tribute to one of their fallen friends, Rodney T Miller.

Traveling with mom is enjoyable, but I forgot to add fat into my morning timeline to account for mom not exactly being the fastest morning person. To say the least, I entered transition as they closed it, so my set up was very rushed, but I made sure I had everything laid out as I had some small talk with Bryan Rhodes. He had raced Muncie on Saturday and tore his speed suit, so I decided to lend him mine and race without one. I got over to the race start and got a warm up swim in (which is rare for me) and on my way in crash...head first Christie Sym (another Pro) and I bashed shoulders...She went on to win the womens race, a lucky hit for both of us...

Rhodsey and I took out the swim strong and settled in and swam nearly the whole race side by side. We did not kill it, but just like Evergreen last year on the bike, just enough to hurt but enjoy the company. The shot that covered front page of the Herald Review, pretty much summed up the swim...

In my eyes, I see my speedsuit on the left and me on the right.

A quick glance it was clear, this was a two horse race, no speed suit I flew through transition and crushed the first few miles of the bike. I remember last year that my legs took 3-4 miles to come to me after racing the day before, so I made sure to execute promptly. In the first 3 miles I had opened up nearly a 50 second gap. At the turnaround (mile 9.5) I had stretched it to ~95 seconds. By the time we got off the bike it was an even 2 minutes. I was head down hammering the whole way, build the lead and then tempo the run.

I jumped off my bike and had another great transition. The first out and back was a gauge of my lead. It was good, but heck, why cruise it in...let's keep the tempo up and send a message. We are not just fast in the swim and bike, but the run is there NOW. So I kept the legs turning over and pushing from the glutes. I was not drilling myself but I was not lolly gagging. I will say, it was not as bad as running hard with the CK Running crew on Friday morning. Finally the finishline, a bit of confidence restored.

I was nearly perfect at the end of the day.

2nd Fastest Swim (by 0.6 seconds)
Fastest T1 (by 5.5 seconds)

Fastest Bike (by 1:40)

Fastest T2 (by 1.6 seconds)

Fastest Run (by 16 seconds)

If only my speedsuit did not beat me out of the water!!!!!!!!!!!! My mom earned 2nd in her age group, my buddies Brian, Keith, and Kyle all earned podium spots, so it was off to get some pizza and celebrate a great day.

It was great to have an up like this. It shows me that the level I race at is crazy, my slumping is still beyond mosts dreaming. So I will get back to training hard so I can catch up to my dreams.

Dream Big,

Chase It Relentlessly!

Andrew

Jeff Paul

2011-07-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is an archived interview from 2010, to catch up with what Jeff Paul is up to these days...visit http://www.dreambigjp.net/

Andrew - Coming from a running background and now crossing into triathlon, define suffering...is suffering in Triathlon and Running the same?

JP - Suffering…for me suffering has always been when physical or mental performance begins to decline due to the high stress levels a race can place on the body and mind. Suffering for me has definitely been different in running than triathlon. Physical suffering completely different…in running I know I’m suffering when my legs begin to tire and I completely fall off the pace. Most of the time after races when I look back the suffering was more mental than physical…i.e. I didn’t think I could handle the pace and thus my body slowed down. It’s a much different feeling in triathlon. I think of suffering in triathlon when my body is actually starting to restrict performance most often through cramping. It is why nutrition plays such a role especially in long course events.

In regards to the mental aspect of suffering for me it is totally different between (only running), and triathlon running. If I’m doing a running only race, I find myself wanting it to end as soon as possible. That mindset probably creates more physical problems because I think about how much it hurts. In triathlon I am quite the opposite. Because the run is where I can gain time on competitors I don’t want it to end. The longer we have to go the better. Mentally it is a huge plus because I wouldn’t want the race to end unless I’d gotten a chance to get to the front.

Andrew - What do you tell your friends when they:
- want to go out for a beer close to a race?
- want to go to an event and you have a big workout to get in?
- ask you how you are doing (and you are wasted from the days workouts)?

JP - The social life…oh boy. There's no doubt my time is restricted when I'm into full training mode. If it's during the school year I'm spending 40 hours a week working on top of 20-30 hours a week in total training time while trying to be a good husband and father of 2 young children. If a friend wants to go for a beer close to a race I'll do what I almost always do when something comes up...I'll ask my wife for permission. Sometimes I know not to even ask if I've been gone training a lot. My first thought would be on how much time I've been gone as opposed to the race since I don't think a beer would hurt. Now if they were going out late into the night partying I'd decline and tell them why because I want them to know what I'm committed to. Most of the time they don't ask any more because they know my plate's full.

Honestly, I don't think there are many events as important to me as some of the big races. I've invested so much time and sacrificed so much that it would not be worth missing a key workout unless the schedule allowed for the workout to be moved easily to a different day. When they ask how I'm doing after a tough day of workouts I normally tell them what I did and I don't have to say much more than that. I think there are many people who don't understand why triathletes, even most age groupers put in the time they do training. Triathlon is an addictive sport and training for some becomes part of their lifestyle. They have to get it in. This can be fine if they keep other things in balance but I find it's toughest for me when I feel an injury or sickness coming on and I struggle to back things down. In summary, I have told friends when I'm in full training that I really have no social life. Something's got to give in the circle of time and right now I'll sacrifice social life to pursue my dreams.

Andrew - What drives you?

JP - I’ve always loved to compete. I played about every sport out there growing up…even soccer which I terribly regret. One thing was always constant regardless of the sport I was competing in…I loved to compete and hated losing. It didn’t matter if I was racing my brother through a word search during church service, trying to throw the football through the tire swing in the back yard, playing one on one basketball games in the snow covered driveway…I loved to compete. Even still today in my classroom I play my students in Connect 4…a game I’ve mastered. I track my success against them through the year and had 196 wins versus 5 losses last year. Each of those losses had me fuming on the inside although I tried to hide it from the class.

2 years ago I started the summer at nearly 200 lbs. I’d been a recreational triathlete the past few summers. I almost decided to not race that summer because I was so fat and out of shape. Through the summer I lost about 25 lbs. and began having success in races. I started wondering how good I could be if I devoted everything. I knew that would mean I’d have to stop coaching track and cross country during the school year. I’d just been named the head track coach for the upcoming season but the more I thought about going “all in” for something the more I was drawn to the idea. I knew I had potential and the idea of finding out how good I could be was too good to pass on. My wife and I sat down and talked about it and she threw her support in my corner. That was important because with 2 children (1 at the time) I could not train as much as I do without her being in this journey with me. I have my whole life to get back into coaching…I want to spend a few years competing against the best in the world simply because I can. When I’m done I want to know there was nothing more. I’m on this journey to find my potential. It’s been well worth it. The journey has helped me to lose 49 lbs. from my peak of 202 and I have more energy for everything I do.

What do you do on a day when you don’t feel like working out? Do you skip it? find a way to push through it?…play golf? In other words how do you handle the times when motivation for working out is low?

Andrew - Keeping my eye on the prize. I have a few sponsors that have invested money out of their pockets in me, I have coaches who sacrifice time with their family to help guide me, and I have a lot of supporters (friends and family) who are there to support me. When times get tough I think about those things and also the big picture.We are building the Coliseum, the Parthenon, the Sphinx and each workout is a brick in the wall. A great workout is a good strong brick, a bad workout is a crumbling brick, but it is better than no brick at all. I am getting further into my career and there are a few areas where my foundation is not the best, but I am working on strengthening these areas now, so as my career continues these parts of my races and training will be structurally sound. That said, the stronger and better the foundation and structure, the higher the peaks can be. So that is the big picture I think about.The rest is set into motion with that first stroke, revolution, or step of a workout. All I want to do is go faster, harder and it my coaches who prevent me from killing myself with lactic acid. Like I said, I love the sport and I in a sick twisted way I really like the ways it makes you suffer.

Pertaining to your big race career that is just starting; would you rather have a career in triathlon of mainly mid pack (5th-10th place finishes) with 1 or 2 big wins or consistent podiums, but lacking the crown of race champion?

JP - If I had to choose between a career of consistent podium finishes or a bunch of mid-pack finishes with 1 or 2 big wins I’d definitely go with the mid-pack finishes with 1-2 big wins. This may be different if I stopped teaching and needed to be on the podium to support myself and my family financially. With money not an issue, winning a big race would be something I would remember forever. It’s hard to imagine how many hours, how much pain, how many sacrifices go this entire journey…to win a big race would forever be a reflection of how much it took to get there. Part of what motivates me is finding out how good I can be in the sport. When I stopped coaching to begin this journey my goal was get my pro license within 2 years. It was something I thought about every day in training. When I got it in October during year 1 I wondered how my motivation would change now that I’d reached what I set out to accomplish. Almost immediately my focus went to proving to myself and others that I belong in the pro field. I’m inspired to find out how high up the ladder I can climb. If I could win 1 big race I’d feel pretty good about how far I’ve come. In a different kind of way I’m much like you in putting aside something (in your case the job and in my case coaching) to chase this dream. A big win would be extremely meaningful in how far I’ve come. I had a lot of people who thought I was nuts because they knew how much I loved coaching and we’d had a lot of success winning 3 state cross country titles and 1 in track and field. The doubt of others only fueled my fire and I know there are those out there who think I’ll struggle in pro races. That fuel makes it easy to train hard.

Andrew - If you had the opportunity to have the talent of 1 athlete for one day, who would it be and why?

JP - If I could have another athlete’s talent for a day it would be Michael Phelps. I would use that talent to feel what it is like to swim much faster than I’m capable of. My hope is that by feeling the water like he does I’ll be able to do it myself when his talent leaves me. I see such tiny improvements with my swimming month after month and I feel it must be technique related. I watch videos of myself, videos of other…Phelps included, practice drills and technique…and I feel the same speed week after week. I’d like to have his talent for 1 day but then learn from that experience so I can be faster for the rest of my life.

We wish you health and Success throughout the 2011 season.

Train Hard

Andrew

Work = Fun?

2011-07-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

As the holiday weekend has come to a close, I am left wondering about the general population. When we talk about our jobs, so many people are frustrated with where they work and who they work with. Which brings me to my soap box this week. Is work supposed to be glorious and fun?

By definition, work: Be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result. At the companies end they need to grow, make money, and evolve not to get left in the dust. Your job is to help the company grow and get compensated such that you can have "fun" outside of work. So that you can go out and party on a holiday weekend with friends and family.

I always enjoy seeing peoples responses when I tell them that I race for a living. It is anywhere from a stunned wow, wonderment, and 20 questions, to oh, fun. At the end of the weekend it left me thinking, after the frustrating spring I've had, what makes this job all that fantastic.

Triathlon is about suffering. It is not supposed to "feel" good. You hurt, you suffer, every workout. The easy workouts hurt, because your muscles are screaming from the previous days load. The hard workouts are, well hard (or hell). Between the workouts: aches, pains, exhaustion, then having to muster the motivation to hit it again. Is it worth it?

That sense of achievement and self gratification after conquering an epic workout, is second to none. Then there is race day. That thrill of the lead at the worlds biggest stages. Leading into the late stages of Abu Dhabi, Rev3 Quassy, or at 70.3 World Champs...you cannot put that thrill into words. I love talking about this stuff, because the hairs stand up on my neck and shivers down my spine, because, well I am living my dream. I am evolving my dream, but is it fun.

Which brings me back to the topic of the day. Is work supposed to be glorious and fun? No, but
99.99% of the time my job is misery. I am fine with living for the 0.01%!

Train Hard,

Andrew

Missy Kuck

2011-06-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

I had not even taken a competitive swim stroke when Missy Kuck hung up her swim career and started into triathlon. After 15 years as an age grouper she FINALLY made the jump to pro. I guess somethings are worth waiting for...let's find out:

Andrew - The last 25 years you have been a part time athlete. In college NCAA came second to your studies, since then triathlon has come second to your thankless hours at Dayton Children's. As an athlete, you were a swimmer in college, in your age group career as a triathlete you have made it first out of the water at Kona (female) as an age grouper, won Rev3 Quassy and Cedar Point last year. What stands out most in your life as an athlete?

Missy - That's a tough question to answer when I take time to consider everything I've had the opportunity to do so far AND the hard work it took to get there. It's hard to weigh races heavier than the experiences it took to get there considering the bonds you make with the people you are training/racing with. These are the faces and voices pushing you through countless hours training. You learn to isolate the sound of your coach's whistle during swim meets; you develop new ways to stay sane during the "Terminator" practice or 100x100's during Christmas break. You get to know all about someone when you're biking or running countless hours- not much else to do out there but talk (in between the hard efforts and hills). Training trips always bring good stories and let's not forget about meals because swimmers and triathletes can EAT!! As for races that stand out in my mind... For swimming it would have to be when I got my first Senior Nat'l cut in the 200 BR- that race felt so strong and smooth; I remember the song over the loud speakers heading to the blocks, details during the race, etc. Triathlons, it's a tie between Kona 2005, Alcatraz 2005, the Rev3 series last year, and American TTT. I remember so many details from these races...too many to recount or describe.
Andrew - You have spent more than a decade as a top age group athlete. Why did you decide to "up the ante" and go pro? Has it been what you expected? Would you go back to racing age group?

Missy - A lot of people asked me that- wondering why I made the jump in my mid-30's rather than earlier. I had to ask myself the same question. First off, I didn't have enough confidence, experience, or information to do it earlier. Second, there is a fear of failure in sports people don't talk about. I spent a long time doing only local races because I was afraid to put my efforts to the test and come up short. Of course, as soon as I branched out to bigger races I was hooked! The same with turning pro. I saw the pro field as something I could never conquer (meaning there would always be someone faster), but I would always compare my results with the pro field to see how I stacked up. Last year at Rev3 Quassy I started talking with you and gathering information about your experience as a professional triathlete. I soaked up all the information you offered, weighed the pros/cons, and decided it would be a waste if I didn't as least give it a chance. I knew I was a small fish about to jump into a very big pond, but I had made other decisions like this in the past and rose to meet the challenge. I knew I might be giving my full effort and coming up short, but I prepared myself for that thinking back to my years swimming at Nationals or NCAA's. Falling short of other racers abilities wasn't the most eye opening experience over these first couple races (in fact it's pretty amazing to see the talent of other racers in the field). The biggest difference I'm seeing in the pro field versus age group is the attention to detail during the race. These ladies are serious about winning and they take every opportunity to get ahead! You make any mistake or let up on your effort and you're history!! I am loving the challenge in this field and don't plan to go back to age group racing until I have to :)

Andrew - While making the jump from age group to pro, you decided to shift focus from 1/2 and full iron distance to Olympic distance. Before this season, did you ever train to race an Olympic distance race? Since turning pro and racing 4 or 5 big pro races this spring, do you like or dislike the shorter distance? Talk about what you have learned.

Missy - When I first started racing I only did shorter races, but let's get some perspective - I was racing 1-2 races on a hybrid bike and had never tried on a wetsuit. A friend challenged me in 2002 to race an olympic, half, and full distance triathlon that summer (I had only ever done sprint/olympic distances before that). After that season I saw the longer races as something to conquer and shorter races as stepping stones during training. Since then I told myself I would follow a pattern of 2 seasons racing long distance (half and IM distance) followed by 1 season of shorter racing (olympic and half distance). I kept that pattern through two cycles but veered from it last year when our team decided to race the full Rev3 series. So, no since I've gotten serious about triathlons I've never focused solely on the shorter races. However, I am glad I made the gamble and switched to short course racing this season. It has opened my eyes completely! The intensity of training took some time to embrace, but it has taught me how to push myself harder during workouts than I have in a long time (and I am just getting started!). Short course racing has allowed me to race more frequently, and therefore gain racing experience in the pro field more often. The races I've competed in so far are part of different series (Lifetime, Rev3, and 5150) so I am seeing the same faces over and over. I am learning people's strengths/weaknesses and am starting to set small goals for myself during races. At first my goal was not to finish last. Now, I am getting the feel for the intensity of the races and learning how to improve my place in the pack. Ultimately I plan to return to long distance racing, but I am content to stick with the shorter distance races and soak up anything the sport has to teach.

Andrew - When you got into the sport of triathlon most of the top professionals were under 30. Now most of them are in their mid-30's, how many more years do you have in you, eating, sleeping, and dreaming top level triathlon?

Missy - You ever heard the saying "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans"? There's your answer. I'm single, only have a dog to take care of besides myself, and am loving the chance to travel, meet new people, and have the experiences I've had recently. How many elite athletes do you know who have put a limit on their abilities? They are always looking to improve, and so am I. My personality pushes me to excel in anything I attempt and I enjoy going through life with something to strive towards. So far, the main focus has been in athletics. Eventually something will take its place, but until then I am content to use these talents I've been given. This level of competition takes a toll on several aspects of your life (physically, mentally, socially) so it's important to keep those things in check too- though that's easier said than done. When I am finished racing seriously, I can see myself continuing in some aspect of the sport, though a healthy break will be well-deserved.

Andrew - There are a lot of talented athletes in a lot of different sports. If you were able to have the talent of 1 athlete for a day, who would it be? Why?

Missy - That's an impossible question for me to answer. It's like asking me "If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?" - I hate questions like that because I can't decide!! (I am very indecisive with the small details in life, but can make big decisions pretty easy once the wheels are in motion.) Every 2 years I become glued to the TV watching the Olympics. I love watching elite athletes at the top of their game. Who wouldn't love to do flips and twirl around the parallel bars like some of the gymnasts or be graceful like a skater? It would be amazing to run the 4x400 relay or do speed skating and chase down your competition. Downhill skiing, platform diving or the luge...what a rush of adrenaline that would be! Biathlon- an endurance sport AND you get to shoot guns! Nope... can't answer that question my friend. I'm like a kid in a candy store on that one.

Missy - What would your ideal race series look like? Your family has a foot in the race industry- have you ever thought about becoming a race director (or whatever) when you are finished racing?

Andrew - I have a lot of great ideas, but I don't share most of them. In my opinion, we are multisport athletes. We should show up race weekend and they should draw out of a hat the order of the events at the pro meeting. It would make the races spectacular. Could you imagine how much fun it would be...some days a sprint finish on the bike, others a dead sprint out of the water.

Missy - It took me quite a while to overcome my fear of turning pro. You were the opposite and dove in head first. What's your biggest fear as a pro athlete and how do you deal with it?

Andrew - Failure. I deal with it by training my butt off so I don't suck.

Missy - You love training- pushing your body to the limit and then seeing how to break that barrier the next week. You've also coached in the past. If you could coach 3 people who would it be and why?

Andrew - I enjoy working with people that are mentally tough and physically not all that gifted. I like pushing people to the brink of physical and mental disaster and then letting them rebuild so when they get to race day, they go fast and think afterward, that wasn't as bad as that one workout!

Missy, congrats on a successful spring and continued high speed education in the pro field. We will keep our eye on you!

Train Hard,

Andrew

11th Philly Tri

2011-06-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Some people have good luck, some have bad luck, and some have just plain no luck. Now I am not saying that I need luck to be successful, but the random crap that has gone on this spring is just a bit ridiculous. I will admit some I have earned, others, were just uncalled for. It sounds like a bloopers highlight reel for Sportcenter.

#5 - Penalty - DC - After the race the officials claimed that the motorcycles would not get close enough to the cyclist, so they had to use "judgment!" I guess I look like a cheater.
#4 - Flat tire - Philly - With less than 100 miles on the tire, starts leaking then blows out.
#3 - Unconscious - Abu Dhabi - Body catastrophically shuts down
#2 - Misdirected - CapTexTri - A jet ski with course marshal ran over (that is correct) the lead pack and told us we missed a buoy, he was the one that was missing something.
#1 - Stitches in Foot - St Anthony's - Exiting the water, stepped on submerged object

Now that I have set the mood, I will write the comical version of my Philly race report.

After DC I ventured up to Philly and spent the week with John Kenny. I do a lot of short workouts, John does fewer, larger volume workouts. At the end of the week, we end up with the same total load, but we get there very differently. I always enjoy staying with another pro and learning their philosophies. (So for the age groupers, invite us pros to stay, you'll learn a lot) Come race day, I was excited. I had one last shot to do well on a road trip that has been a roller coaster valleys and valleys. Yet race morning I was focused and very ready for the race.The swim was a group start men and women. Hmmm, who should I start by, I decided to start next to Yoder, Sara McLarty, and Matty. Great choice. I swam on Sara's feet for the first half, then Matty's for the second half, I was swimming so well on his feet that when he turned at the turn buoy, I kept going straight and realized the bubbles were gone...Genius! I got out of the water barely in touch with the lead pack.

The first 20k of the bike was not going all that well. I could see Yoder but just didn't have legs to reel him in. (Me flying by the steps in Rocky)
At about 20k we went down a hill and I ran over a rough section of pavement. About a mile later Comeau and Hackett passed me, and I was still pushing hard, they just didn't pass me they rode right by me. On the next downhill the bike felt wicked loose. I bounced on the pedals, I could feel the rear rim bouncing against the road. Oh boy, tires going flat. I climbed the next climb and on the flat at the top of the hill it blew out. POW. Okay, laughing at the event, I thought I am still in 8th place, still earning points and money, so I soldiered on, on the rim. Then David Thompson rolled by me, then Chris Foster. I got off the bike in 10th, still I can get points and money. The worst sound of the day came when I dismounted. The rear wheel of the bike hit the curb and just made a God awful sound.

I did not feel good at all in the run. I was so tense on the bike, riding a flat and trying not to crash that the run was a different miserable. Normally your heart is in your throat, your legs are screaming, your body is about to explode...today not so much. I had muscles that I did not know existed that were tight as heck. About 5K in, Tim Reed passed me, 11th, no money, no points. I pushed, nothing, I pushed again, nothing. We hit the final turnaround and I was stuck in 11th. No pressure ahead, nothing behind. I finished.

After 10,000 miles of driving, 1 good race, 6 races that I need to forget, it was time for me to come home and prepare for the fall season. 12 weeks until the end of September. I finally get home and get to see all of the goodies that I ordered while on the road. As I got organized I noticed that Gu either sent me a new flavor (Bud Light) or knew what I needed after 40+ days on the road, or it my dad was sharing his never-ending humor.Thank you for keeping up with me this spring. I live for days like Rev3 Costa Rica, Abu Dhabi, and Rev3 Quassy. This fall expect a lot more performances like those!

All the best,

Andrew

Kyle Leto

2011-06-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

He is quickly becoming successful working full time and racing on the weekends. Kyle Leto has crushed us all in the swim, but every weekend he is clawing closer and closer to the podium at the finishline.

Andrew - Full time job, full time triathlete. Been there done that, every second life is on the verge of out of control. You are doing the right thing right now, get experience, save some money, then plunge in. Do the people you work with have any clue of what you do on the weekends?

Kyle - You are exactly right; life is either in chaos or on the brink of chaos. The people I work with have absolutely no idea what I'm trying to accomplish and what it takes to accomplish those goals. I think few people can really understand what we do or why we do it. When I express disappointment after a bad race or something I often get the "its so impressive that you finished" line. Not exactly where my goals in the sport are.

I know you worked full time as an engineer until moving to tri full time (recently I believe), what was the turning point for you that led to the decision to focus on triathlon?

Andrew - I had set a decision date that I would decided at the end of the 2009 season on whether to go full time pro or continue pulling the "double" (work and race). My new year's gift for 2009 was an opportunity of a lifetime. Caterpillar offered its staff a severance package, for me, they were going to pay me to race. I do not know what would've happened at the 2009 season, had I not taken the package. All I know is the opportunity presented itself and I have taken full advantage of it.

You have dabbled in drafting and nondrafting, Olympic and Half. What is your favorite to race? What do you feel you are best at?

Kyle - I started racing as a pro with the idea of racing draft legal races. After doing a few of them I realized that they didn't really suit my strengths and I also didn't enjoy them as much. I definitely like non drafting olympics and after I did my first half last year I became hooked of the half distance as well.

Andrew - The world knows you best for the widely publicized first out of the water at Oceanside in 2010, do you feel that is your greatest accomplishment? If not, what is your greatest accomplishment to date?

Kyle - I was really pleased how much that picture got around. It was great exposure for me. I was also happy with being first out of the water at clearwater. However, I don't want my accomplishments to be based on the swim. Swimming is a definite strength but I don't want to be the best swimmer in the sport of triathlon; or cyclist or runner for that matter. The goal is to be the best triathlete possible. So I would say what I am still most proud of was winning Wildflower as an amateur and that will probably stand until I win a race as a professional.

Andrew - What would it take to get Kyle to go full time pro? More experience, financials, sponsors, ect? For me it was creating a financial cushion.

Kyle - Financial security is the big thing for me. It is so hard to make money in the sport of triathlon. Financial support from sponsors would be extremely helpful. (At least to just cover the expense of racing as a professional). In order to make money from races you need to consistently be in the top 3 which is something I'm not doing right now. So right now I'm racing a lot (probably too much), gaining experience, learning about the sport, and saving as much money as I can. Currently I am working on some things that I hope will generate a little steady income while I can focus on triathlon full time. My goal is to be a full time triathlete starting January 1st 2012.

Andrew - You are a rediculously strong swimmer, but even you are chasing bubbles when Cam Dye, John Kenny, or Dustin McLarty turn up the pace. When you come to a race with these guys,does it excite you? Or do you look at the swim as a sorting out and focus more on the bike and run since you know that the pace will be fast in the water?

Kyle - The guys like Cameron, Potts, and McLarty are extremely talented swimmers. My swim coaches always used to tell me that I was a terrible swimmer who worked hard. When I'm in a race with a lot of strong swimmers; position becomes important. I get excited because I know as a group we might be able to split up the field. Being 1st out of the water is awesome and its great for exposure, but it can sometimes have a cost if you are out front and over extending yourself. Everything has an energy expenditure consequence at the end of a race.

Best of luck and safe travels this summer. Keep the strong performances coming!

All the best,

Andrew

10th - DC Tri

2011-06-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

Since Quassy I have not been able to train much due to straining my back on a downhill at the end of the 1/2. I made the decision on Wednesday to pack up the car and head out to DC and give the race a go despite my physical health. I was already registered, so might as well do it.

The swim start was confusing. They introduced us in numerical order and as many of us with higher numbers were still diving off the dock to line up, Bill Burke fired the horn. I was 5 m from the start line. Zoom into high gear. It was like a Nascar race, draft up to the person in front of me and slingshot up to the next in line. By the 500m mark I had burned a lot of energy, but I was in 6th. John Kenny had a monster lead and then Limkemann and Yoder. I moved to 4th by the 1k but Hackett and Limkemann had gotten a gap, and I had used up a few of my bullets. I cruised through T1 with the back not bothering me.

I hit the bike and dropped into aero and the back was sore. I just rode EZ and watched the race ride away from me. Amazingly, I was still in the race for a top 5 at the 20K mark of the bike. Then at 30K an official pulled up to me and pointed at me to stand down. ME? For what? I would find out that 4 of the most veteran pros and strongest bikers were wrongly dinged with penalties. Where better for me to be awarded a penalty that I did not earn than DC.

On the run, I just ran hard, for the first time every I ran from 13th up to 10th. I don't have much else to say other than I did not see any of the scenery that was along the course.

I am pretty frustrated with weekend, but let's see if I can get my back healed for Philly next weekend.

Train Safe,

Andrew

Elkhart Lake Triathlon

2011-06-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

After 26 days on the road, I made it home for 3 days...Then it was up to Elkhart Lake WI for to work that race, now it is home for 4 days and off to the East coast for DC and Philly. Being home was great, I slept a bit and tried to catch up with paperwork and recover from Quassy. I did not train at all, because I just hurt from that race. This week, it is back to work and back on the road.

Last weekend was Elkhart Lake Triathlon, a race that I have worked since 2006. For the last 5 years I have been bike course coordinator, this year I got moved over to the swim course. Let me just say that it is a completely different cup of tea. The lake bottom at Elkhart Lake is very unique, though it is a relatively small lake it is over 100' deep. I'd drop an anchor and have 70' of line out, then have to move it 20' over to get it in line with the other buoys, whoop...there goes another 25' of rope. Then there is tying a bowline, blind, underwater. After hour after hour tinkering with the 10 buoys, the fog rolls in so you can only hope that none of them are floating off. So I was off to help with setting up the bike course.

Race morning comes around, fog has lifted, the buoys are all still there. I jump in, swim the course to confirm the distance was right...then it was time to help out where I could...bodymarking, never again. People seriously complain about how the numbers look?!

Finally the race started, which meant 3 nervous hours in the boat awaiting potential disaster. None occurred. One thing for sure, I wish I was as slow as the last 3 swimmers, each of them had personal escorts through 3/4 of the swim. It seemed to take an eternity, but the ill prepared TNT people survived it.

Then it was time to wind up all of the rope, deflate buoys and lug anchors. When the swim is done then it is time to tear down transition and finish line...will it end soon...please! The best part of my day was getting to hear from a lot of people that this was the best run race they have done in a long time as they sported an Mdot hat, tatoo's, coats, ect. If you don't believe me, ask anybody who has done it. Pretty much every pro in the midwest has toed the line at Elkhart Lake and loved it. It is the best run race in the Midwest just ask the participants!

Off to DC this weekend for race number 8 on the season.

Train Safe,

Andrew

Chris Foster

2011-06-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

Today we are chasing Chris Foster. If I travel at the speed of sound on the bike, he travels at the speed of light on the run. A sub 5 mile is not rare to him, I am not just talking about 1 of them, I am talking about 6 of them in a row off of the bike. Let's here what's up in the life of Chris Foster.

Andrew - After running in college at Penn State you pulled up stakes with your girlfriend and headed west. In LA you picked up triathlon and quickly became a threat. After living your whole "young" life on the east coast, why the drastic change?

Chris - When I ran at Penn State, I always had to deal with running outside in freezing cold winters and doing base training in the super humid heat in Maryland (where my family is from). My college coach was an old school badass who forced us to run outside every day, despite having one of the nicest indoor tracks in North America. Once I graduated, I decided if I was going to do any sort of competitive sports, I would go where it was always warm. I wanted San Diego, my girlfriend wanted New York, so we compromised on LA! Even though it was a tough first couple of years figuring LA out, I love it here now and probably won't leave for a while.

Andrew - Your first few seasons as a pro, no offense, your swim sucked. Yet, at the end of the day you were competitive with a 25 minute swim. In the course of 3 short seasons you have gotten that down to the 18 range and held your speed on the bike and run. How on Earth did you do that?

Chris - None taken! My crap swim was one of the big reasons I chose to pursue triathlon. I wanted a good challenge, a chance to take something I wasn't necessarily good at, and make it way better. I also knew it would take time, so I spent those three years slowly evolving as a swimmer and having some great coaches help me along the way. For the first year, I had no idea what I was doing, struggling through maybe 2 to 3k every other day. Next, I began working on technique and increasing my volume slowly. After that, I swam with some masters swimming groups to get pushed and put in some work. Only in the last year and a half did I really focus on high volume and open water specific training. That's about the time things got much faster for me. It was certainly a long, hard road to get to that point, but I don't think I would have changed my approach. There's no shortcut to getting better, and often it just takes time and a cast of characters who know what they're doing! Regardless, I know I still have a lot of work to do, and I won't stop working until I'm 100% happy with my swim.

Speaking of swims, I know you raced at the CapTex Tri a few weeks ago where there were some serious issues with the swim. My impression from the pros who were affected was that they were angry, but it seems like a few were crying a little louder than the others. Did you see any guys who looked like they needed their diapers changed, or was everyone pretty equally pissed? As a pro who usually sacks up and keeps rolling, what do you think about the situation? Any thoughts on a solution in the future?

Andrew - I think we were all equally angry. The thing about the whole fallout was that the cream rose to the top. The top 8 was nearly exactly what anybody would have guessed, maybe a position got shifted here or there...but the top athletes at the end of the day found the front through the adversity.

As for solutions for the future...Race staff needs to know the course, just as the athletes do. In the swim everyone has limited vision and when a jet ski watercraft comes up to you in a lake that is closed to motorized crafts and tells you that you missed a buoy...you are going to listen. The thought never crossed my mind that this course Marshall was disillusioned. Changes, none, next time I just hope that I am the lucky one that disobeys a course Marshall and is right.

Currently you are the 4th ranked American in ITU points, but you have been absent from many of the spring World Cups and World Championship Series races. With making a charge for the Olympics, when will Chris Foster make his move?

Chris - Despite having a high world ranking, USAT has been substituting me out based on a very unusual points system. Their points system is not published publicly and is very complicated, so unfortunately I don't know if I'll be substituted out (even if I'm on the ITU start list) until very close to the race date. I did sign on the dotted line when asked to, but it still doesn't feel great to be the 60th ranked athlete in the world and be replaced by the 160th at the last minute. It's hard working so hard--traveling, racing all over the place--to earn all of those points to get a starting spot for the US, then have to hand it off to someone else who's been training at home for months.

So, to answer your question, I'm doing my best and trying to get into any races I can, but it's an uphill battle--both physically and mentally.

(More may be posted later)

Thanks Chris, I hope that USAT realizes that you are the future of the sport and with the amount you have improved you are bound for top ITU honors in the coming years. Keep pounding on the door!

Train Safe,

Andrew

6th Rev3 Quassy

2011-06-07T03:58:00.000-07:00

Where do I even start. After a nearly 2000 mile drive from Austin, TX on short rest (only 6 days since CapTex), it was time to open the throttle on one of the hardest courses in the world. The hills at Quassy never ever stop coming. The bike is tough, but the run is brutal. The stage was set, big prize purse on the line, strong field, it was time to race.

The air temp was in the mid 50's and would climb to 70 by the time we finished, a far cry from the 90's I had been dealing with for the previous 10 days. For me the best news of the early morning was that the water temp was 69, no wetsuits. The swim start was hilarious. Everybody took 2 steps and dove on top of each other. I stayed up right and water jogged the first 10 yds. Made some space and took my dive. Within a few strokes...The swim race had 3 prongs. Matty and John Kenny on my right...somehow Matty started on my left and ended up on my right in the first 200. Terenzo on my left and me in the middle. At 400 in, we all came together. I could see that there was a gap opening up and I charged after the gap. I took a lot of good looks to make sure that it was a lone swimmer, I knew John was hungry and fit, so when I saw he got away alone, I throttled back and let Matty and Terenzo past and settled in. I snuck past Terenzo as we got out of the water to come out in 3rd on Matt's feet. (Swim Footage)

T1 in a half is a lot more relaxed than Olympic distance. You don't need to spike the heart rate, you just need to make sure you have everything. Here was the live coverage.

Like no other race, the first 3 miles of the bike are down hill. On a cool morning, my bigger musculature and frame were key. I rolled by everybody effortlessly. I was going my "Abu Dhabi" pace. By the 5K I was 10 seconds clear of, what I thought to be the contenders, Reed, Matthews, Terenzo, and Cunningham. I set sail for John. I snatched the lead at 20K and kept the throttle down. As we got to the 40K (25 mile) mark I elevated the pace, the legs felt good. (LIVE COVERAGE) What I did not know was (good news) that I had already earned a 3 minute lead and (bad news) the first and second pack from the swim had come together.

(Richie Cunningham's on-board camera, he insisted there was no drafting!)

At mile 40, on the lone out and back, I learned of my lead: 210 pedal strokes, just over 4 minutes...12 guys, within 50 meters. With 2 officials site seeing on the back. I was the deer and the pack of very hungry wolves were coming. The final three miles I did a lot of spinning up the final hill into T2, yes uphill into T2. It was time to run and my legs hardly felt trashed.

T2 was T2, shoes on and run...and I mean run! See it as it happened (the audio is funny).

I put my game face on the first mile as my competition would be biking in. I saw that the pack had splintered, but my lead had definitely shrunk. GO, DIG, KERN, these words were chanted randomly to myself over the first 10 miles. I tried to focus on going fast and good form.I don't know if I did either of them, all I know is I was fighting cramps and digging deep. Trying to stride out the downhills without ending up on my face and keeping my speed up on the climbs. 59:10 at mile 10...and I had fallen to 4th. Yes, I ran the first 10 miles at 5:55 pace and a 4 minute lead had melted away. The final 5K was just hell on Earth (profile), I kept trying to dig but the tank was nearly dry, I would have spurts of speed. In the final 2K Matty and Matthews went around me as I clawed up the final hill. Matty was struggling too, so I kept after him, but he was 15m up then 20. I dug harder and cramped. I tried again and more cramps, legs, back, neck. Okay lets make it to the finish line. I relaxed, gave out a lot of high-5's and rolled across the line in 6th completely spent.

2 minutes, 1st to 6th. Check out the Race Review in motion.

It was great to be back racing. After that performance, I know what I need to do this summer to win races this fall. After 6000 miles of driving and 26 straight days on the road it is great to be home and get some training in!

Thank you for keeping up with me!

Live your dreams,

Andrew

Also a thank you to all of my home stays Dikran, Jason, Brandon, Tony, Chris, Bob, and Brad.

Letter to Andrew Messick

2011-06-02T04:58:00.000-07:00

This week I will skip an Q&A and post this letter. Last week WTC (Ironman) appointed a new CEO, he has the opportunity to get back to growing the sport. Here are my thoughts of where he can start...

Dear Andrew Messick,

You just took the helm of the mother ship of triathlon...and right now the ship is sinking. There are a lot of things out of hand at WTC and with the success you have had with the production of the Tour of California I have faith that you can make the necessary changes.

Here are a few leads:

1.) Eliminate the liscense and points systems...your champions speak out against them, athletes speak out against it, I do not know a single athlete who supports the system. Personally I, and quite a few other athletes (even some that work for your sponsors), boycott the WTC liscense and series.

2.) Less pro races, bigger purses - Not every race needs a pro field. There are 22 Ironmans and 51 70.3's, have 12 Ironmans (1 per month) and 24 70.3's (2 per month) that have mega prize purses. Have them pay 10-15 deep and big money. Adding up the purses, your team could have 36 races all with $100K+ in prize purses. Have the races rotate each year, or treat it like the tours...have the races bid on it. I know there are a few race directors out there that don't care about a pro field and others love building up for a Texas sized throwdown.

3.) Make a rulebook that your officials CAN and WILL enforce. Over the last 5 years I have seen that the WTC rulebook cannot be upheld on the road of ANY pro race (or age group race for that matter). I am fine with WTC going back to the drawing board and throttling back the rules a bit, with the "NEW" rules being enforced to the text. Make it clear what the rules are and eliminate gray area, if the draft zone is 10m and you are right at 10m, know that you are risking a penalty.

Over the course of the last 3 years a lot of the pro's have jumped off the WTC bandwagon and focused on non-WTC branded events and have been successful. When the pro's started speaking out and jumping ship, a lot of age groupers have started following. Go out on XtraNormal and you do not have to look far to find anti Ironman comics. Go back and look what made Ironman grow exponentially at the turn of the millenium. Ironman is one of the main arteries of the sport of triathlon.

All the best,
--
Andrew Starykowicz

8th - Capital Texas Triathlon

2011-05-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

After spending Monday seeing Graceland and Sun Studios, I drove to Austin and got a few days of really hot training in. After dodging the sun for Memorial Day Weekend. It was time to race on Monday.

The field was loaded and I was ready to launch my A game. David Thompson and I opted for a 2nd row start on the pier behind Potts Reed and Dye. The gun fired after a long stalling period and the pier pushed 6' straight back...and instead of an elegant dive I flopped in the water. After the second buoy I was in perfect position. I was in a lead breakaway of 10. Suddenly a jet ski starting zig zaging in front of the leaders instructing us that we are swimming the wrong way. We all instinctively started swimming 180 degrees into the field behind. We swam for at least 150m when a paddle boarder started waving us the other way. I let out a "Where the funk are we supposed to be going?" Then the salmon resumed original course. I started to fly by the slower pro swimmers. Dustin McLarty came up my left side and jumped across the gap to the lead swim pack. I busted my balls to try and get back on, I held them to losing about 6 seconds/100m. It is the same as peleton cycling...strength in numbers and I was going harder than I would've had I been in the lead pack. As I got to the end of the swim Sara McLarty passed me from 4 minutes down. What a mess....

On the bike I went to work. It was literally a circuit race. 12 turnarounds, 32 90-degree turns. I went to ride across the gap to the lead 8. I charged through the drop riders, but I quickly learned that Potts had a 4 minute lead...Something ain't right. Dye was also had his foot in it. As we entered the last lap of the bike, it was Potts/Dye...then Kemper/Collins...then Reed/Ospally...then me...then Hackett/Thompson...and that was the race...

On the last lap of the bike, my legs started to scream. Can't you tell (http://www.slowtwitch.com/articles/images/4/31714-large_010_CapTex2011.jpg)! I would get off the bike with Reed and Ospaly, but the legs were cashed and it took a 5K to get them. When I got them I ran hard for 2K and learned it was 90 sec up to a Reed/Thompson battle and 2 minutes back to White/Hackett. I popped the clutch and rolled home maintaining my spot and saving my body for next weekend.

The most difficult part of the weekend was the response from the race director, to know the course...when a jet ski is running me over in a lake that is closed to motorized watercraft telling me I am going the wrong way...I am going to listen...I guess not obeying the race staff...Like Andy Potts did is legal in Texas and in the eyes of the race officials. I will keep my mouth shut on the rest of my thoughts...

Off to the best organized events that I've raced this year...REV3!!!

Safe Travels!
Livin' Safely on the Edge!

Andrew

Brad Zoller

2011-05-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

This guy flies, seriously. Brad Zoller spent many years of his pro career as an American Airlines pilot and professional triathlete. With the airline turmoil, his sights are a lot more focused on racing triathlon and he has found where he fits best in the sport...Xterra. Check out fellow Boilermaker Brad Zoller.
Andrew - As a pilot and athlete you have raced all over the America's. Which race was the most terrifying? Which races would you go back to over and over?

Brad - My first ITU World Cup in Hamburg, Germany was terrifying. I was so nervous race morning that it took a lot out of me. I would have had a great race but I had worn myself out being stressing over the race that morning.

My first pro race in Ecuador was equally terrifying in my transportation. My email communications with the airport transfer were very delayed (they had to translate) and it took a while to find where I was supposed to be at 10pm in dangerous city just outside the airport.

Andrew - Which is more intense, the start of a pro triathlon or the worst storm you've flown through?

Brad - The start of a pro triathlon, no question.

Andrew - Since college you have lived in Puerto Rico, Cincinatti, and now Colorado. Those are very different places to live and train. Tell me a little how training was different in each location. Where would be your perfect training location?

Brad - Puerto Rico was pretty nice, once you find the right crowd. There are not too many triathletes there, but once you get to know a few, you can train with them. It was a bit of a hurdle with the language, but it turned out well. Spring races are very easy to train for since there is good weather year round. The drivers there tend to give you room on your bike, so that's nice.

Cincinnati is a very underrated place to train. It is very hilly so good for hill climbing. There are some great runners and swimmers there too. It has midwester weather so you know how that goes. It's warmer than Chicago though.

Colorado is nice for Xterra. I can mountain bike out my door. Unfortunately, we are getting snow today and it's May 19. It never stops snowing here in Avon so I'm getting sick of my trainer. The nice thing is there are snowshoe races and a few winter tri's that made me venture out into other sports.

Andrew - You have raced the better part of a decade at the pro level. Looking at the rest of your pro career, would you rather win 1 big race or a bunch of medium size races?

Brad - I'd like to win one big race. I've done well at the medium level, but it's like being a BigTen football coach, you need that one signature victory to REALLY make it feel good.

When are you going to move out of your parent's place?

Andrew - When I win enough money consistently that I can afford some sort of a sustainable lifestyle. I am on the road so much that a house or condo would be empty a large part of the time. Look at the last month or next month. It sounds like a Johnny Cash song...St Petersburg, Knoxville, Memphis, Austin, Middlebury, Elkhart Lake, DC, Philly...

Injuries also make it hard to even think about it. I mean this year I am down nearly 5k to date and with this cut on my foot from St Anthony's that number is only growing. No paid time off or workers comp here, just a lot of I am sorry to hear about that and better luck next time.

Over the course of the last decade Purdue has literally flooded the professional triathlon seen with a lot of triathletes. Indiana is never even mentioned as a hot bed for triathletes, but with you, me, Nathan Truex, Adam Truex, Greg Kopecky, Malaika Homo, Logan Wealing, Missy Uhl and Patrick Valentine among a few others. What do you attribute this to?

Brad - I think this is amazing and wonderful. I have never counted it up, but the total number of pros from Purdue has to be among, if not, the highest out of any other University. Many of these athletes were not on the triathlon team all year either. I don't have much of a theory, but I love it.

Well Brad, Boiler Up this summer and I hope you get that big win. I will be pulling for you!

Train Safe,
Race Hard,

Andrew

8th - Memphis In May

2011-05-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

With most of us thinking it would be a Swim-Swim-Swim venturing to flooded Memphis, we were all thrilled to find that the race course was in fact very dry. The race, on the other hand turned out to be a flood!

The race was postponed for 45 minutes waiting out a lightning storm. The weather broke just long enough to get a swim in. My swim was not good at all. I could not find a rhythm. I was fast then slow, fast then slow. I would lose more than a minute and change in the water...something I thought I was done doing, but it was an improvement from last weekend where I at no time I was "fast." I moved pretty good into T1 where Murphy's Law took effect. There are nearly 50 pros in the race in a TT start, and the people racked on either side of me were getting to the rack just in front of me...1 tight squeeze.

On the bike I had what I did not have last week. I had speed, rolling thunder...until mile 5. Then the rest of the bike I would have it...then lose it. It almost felt like I was doing a bike race or interval set. It was great to feel a little like myself again.

For the run I opted to go with the ReFlexes instead of race flats to keep the pressure off of the arch of my foot. It worked well, but training shoes in the raing, and a run that was 1K long nearly killed me. The whole race was a fight and I am glad I had some fight in me, but I am still far from where I was and where I need to be, but this was a step in the right direction.

Look forward to another one next weekend at Cap Tex Tri. Off to drive 1000 miles!

Train Safe,

Andrew

Jordan Jones

2011-05-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

He gave up his 9-5, oh wait, midnight to 8am to develop a company with his wife & race pro. I will cut to the chase with the multi-talented Jordan Jones.

Andrew - You may have run in college, but your bike is currently your strength. Did that come naturally? How much additional focus do you put on your swim since it is your "weakest link?"

Jordan - I actually biked before I ever ran seriously. Back in the early 90's when mountain biking was THE sport, I was in middle school and my close friends and I got really into mountain biking. I saved up for a year on my $17 a week paper route to get my purple 1994 Trek 920. I grew up in Medford, MA which borders the Middlesex Fells and to top it off my buddy Dan lived a block from the woods. We were too young to think of any of it as training but we were into it and once the snow melted we were up there nearly everyday for a few hours. We were more into the technical aspects of riding and created this whole ranking system based how how often you touch your foot down while riding certain trails. So maybe I got a good feel for the pedals early.

After that I ran for Medford High School and Boston University while barely touching a bike but it came back easily and now my bike may be a little better than my run. I was a good runner in college but was always the biggest guy in my pack. That size limited me a bit as a runner but it certainly helps time trialing on the bike.

What? Swim my weakest link? Yes, unfortunately I do have a clear weak link and it is swimming. Part of it is the quality of swimmers these days in the sport! I think that if I was swimming the way I am now when I started as a pro then I'd actually get out of the water in good shape. The past few years though have seen a real rise in the quality of pro fields and now you truly have to be a collegiate level swimmer to get out of the water well. Getting out of the water two minutes back isn't all that much in a race that takes an hour and fifty minutes but with the quality of the guys out there today, two minutes is an enormous amount of time. Even the great swimmers who come from D1 swimming are respectable runners and don't give up much time there.

I put a huge amount of focus into my swim and it has been coming around. I wouldn't say I swim a ton, out of respect for guys that truly do swim a ton, but I average around 30k a week in the pool. A bit more during the off season and a bit less in season. I think that that, along with a focus on technique is the only way for me to catch the guys up front. It's a slow process to improve but that's part of what makes sport the long battle that it is.

Jordan - The thing I most respect about you is your blue collar attitude towards the sport. You train in Chicago in the winter. You started as a pro while traveling the world working for Caterpillar. Your basic race strategy is to destroy the bike and hang on for dear life. There's a lot of fluff in the sport and you seem to set yourself apart from that. Is this by design, part of the plan, or is it simply who you are?

Andrew - My first tri coach always told me, I was of a different breed. I never tried to differentiate myself, I just feel that most pro's are doing it wrong and I, using the lessons learned from my parents running their own business and the lessons of Corporate America (6 Sigma, Design seminars, ect), am doing the way it should be done (in my eyes). Thus far it is working.

The one thing that I have learned over the years, is if it bleeds, it reads. Nobody wants to hear we are all friends, they want rivalries. Look at Cubs/Socks, Yanks/Mets, and so on, those games sell out every single year no matter what. I am fine with being friends before and after the race, but that is not going to stop me from telling you I want to tear your legs off on Sunday. I just wear my passion a little more externally most of the time.

The beauty of triathlon is that it's a lifestyle, it is every breath. The beauty of your own business is that you work any 16 hours of the day you want. You and your wife own and run a very successful ski shop, how do you balance your own business and training?

Jordan - Yes, I left the police in 2007 and started Powder7.com which has grown tremendously. We just doubled our shop and warehouse footprint this week so we're pumped about that.
A big part of the balance is that the business has grown to the point where it's a cumulative effort. It's not just me running the show but also Amy along with Cian and Kelby, our two full time employees. That means that I can focus on what I'm good at and they handle the other challenges. So as it's grown, my load has actually lessened a bit since everything's not on me.
Another part of the balance is not being a perfectionist. I'm demanding of myself but I know that I have to give up a bit on the triathlon side for the business side and vice versa. That gives me a positive mindset when I have to deal with challenges that arise like annually loading 500 skis the week going into St. Anthony's! A big part of not being a perfectionist too is getting the work that needs to be done, done, and not worrying about the 10% extra that adds up to very little in the end.
Andrew - Over the last five years there has been a rush of great collegiate athletes into the sport. You ran in college and then turned to triathlon and have become successful with it. What do you think when you see these single sport athletes evolving into triathletes. What advice do you give them?

Jordan - I read once that, to be a truly great triathlete, you have to lose your ego in your primary sport. I believe that statement is very true and that's the advice I give to athletes making the jump from the NCAA to triathlon. You really have to be committed to being a triathlete and giving up on your primary sport. This is the first year that I've felt comfortable with letting my running slow down in order to focus on the swim and bike. I previously felt that I had to maintain a certain run fitness. This year I'm just putting in a minimal amount of run training and whatever I can run I'm fine with. To get to the next level I have to raise my game. Mostly that involves swimming faster but also seeing what I'm capable of on the bike. Once I get to a point where I'm getting off the bike with the big dogs then I'll change my approach and get my run fully back. The other advice I give is not to rush into triathlon too quickly. A select few develop very quickly but most take at least five years. So for those that are not phenomenally talented, I say get a job that enables training and have a long term approach. Blue collar it for awhile and if you get to the point where you can be a true professional then make the jump. When I qualified to race professionally, I was working midnights in Downtown Denver as a Denver Police officer. You were working full time with Caterpillar. You can't race at your best while doing that but you can at least get a sense of your capabilities in the sport while have a solid backup if things don't work out in the sport. Now I own a ski shop but that still doesn't get in my way, it can be done.

Andrew - We have raced many many times. ITU races all went to you, non drafting to me. Yet the push from the sport always is whispering longer...1/2's full's, ect. Are you sticking with the Olympic distance, or are you going to start dabbling in the 1/2 ironman's?

Jordan - I'll do a few 1/2's in the future. I'll do my first one in two years at Rev3 Quassy in a couple of weeks. I've got two more that I'm eying this year but I'll keep the focus on the Olympic distance for this year at least. I'm finally at the point where I feel that I'm so strong over the Olympic distance that I can go out and race a 1/2 full on off the Olympic training. Before, I felt that I didn't have the time to train well for a 1/2 but now I feel that I don't necessarily need to train more for it. Just having the extra years of training under me helps.

How about you? Abu Dhabi was a tough race for you but you were beating the best guys in the world with just a few miles to go in the run. Does that have you hungry for more long distance racing?

Andrew - I did Abu Dhabi to make me train the bike over the winter. I have not trained the bike through the winter since college. On top of that since I went pro, I have never had a season where the bike was the focus. It was always about improving the run and swim, just keep the bike strong. This winter, I wanted to get back to my roots and build on the bike for this season.

As for uber-distance racing, it is not as fun as the Olympic distance. I went to Abu Dhabi to crush the field on the bike, I did that...I also imploded on the run, and that was only 20K...42K forget about it. I like doing a few Halfs a season, just to mix it up. The Rev3 series puts on a great race, so those are the 1/2's I will do this year.

On race weekend, when all the work is done and it is time to settle down and race, what do you focus on? Do you look at the start list before race weekend?

Jordan - I like to look at start lists and it helps to get me pumped up to race. It's fun to race the same guys week after week on the circuit and know their strengths and weaknesses. For me, when the races aren't incredibly stacked and I'll likely be on the podium then who's racing can slightly influence my race strategy. Different tactics for different adversaries.

Also, there's also guys that I'm friendly with and enjoy racing while there's also guys who I just plain want to beat! Going into a race, I like to have a couple of things that I'm really focusing on and trying to nail. Something like the first 100m of the swim, getting shoes on faster, have a great pre-race attitude. That kind of stuff.

Overall though, going into the race, I try to enjoy the process and experience of racing as much as possible. I'm in a good mindset if I look positively at things such as packing my bike, flying, doing course recon. All of that is a part of being a true professional so I feel good if I take those things seriously.

Jordan, thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you on the road many times this summer. As always Train Safe!

Best Regards,

Andrew

19th - Rev3 Knoxville

2011-05-17T04:19:00.000-07:00

We hear these stories of athletes coming off an injury and having an epic race. The stories have been told of Olympic, World, and National champs have been injured the last X weeks and gone out and had dream performances after being down and out. I was hoping to add to this lore.

That did not happen. I got dropped from the lead pack in the swim, on the bike. Everybody blew by me in the opening miles of the bike. My body was just in shock. Finally around mile 15 I settled down and started motoring back through the field. Yet too much time was lost. On the run, I had fun. I cruised and cheered.

Get a few good quality workouts in this week and race this weekend in Memphis!

Safe Travels,

Andrew

Herbert Krabel

2011-05-12T04:26:00.000-07:00

This German man has helped shape the sport of triathlon, no questions asked. In the early 90's he was a triathlete. After winning his first mountain bike race he charged through the amatuer ranks and quickly became pro. He beat his body through the mid 90's coast to coast on bikes until settling down with a job at Litespeed. During the next decade he helped grow American Bicycle Group through the triathlon boom shortly after the millennium. When he left ABG, he started working with this small internet company called Slowtwitch. Now, well, the site is the biggest triathlon website and his articles are among the most read in triathlon. We welcome, Herbert Krabel.

Andrew - You come from a Mountain Bike background...Let's rephrase that, you spent most of your younger years busting balls on a mountain bike across the US as a pro mountain biker. You had moderate success before becoming the director of marketing at Litespeed. Since then you have competed in adventure races, endurance events of all types, and a few triathlons. What event best describes you and why?

Herbert - I am not at all described or defined by any event or sporting activity. I do like to swim, bike and run, well, mostly bike, but that is not who I am or what I am about. You’ll also not see me walk around with a race finisher t-shirt and I don’t have an Ironman tattoo either. Plus I can hold long conversations without bringing up running, biking or swimming. :-)

Andrew - Which athlete out there today is most like Herbert Krabel of the early 90's?

Herbert: I really don’t know the answer to that question. I actually started with triathlon but was mostly a strong cyclist and thus eventually became mountain biker. In the early 90’s mountain biking was huge and it has also lost a bit of its steam. Well, things have changed for sure.
Is there an athlete from the early 90’s you feel you are most like?

Andrew - You could probably best answer who I am most like. From what I have read, my favorite classic triathlete is Mike Pigg. I think I have a similar mentality as Pigg did, win it on the bike and hold on for the run. When I was first getting into the sport at the millennium, Craig Walton was my favorite. Similar mentality, seal the deal in the first 2/3 of the race and just hold on tight in the waning miles.

You were part of Litespeed and the American Bicycle Group through the resurgence of triathlon at the turn of the millennium. During this time, QR and Litespeed were industry leaders, what happened that caused the American Bicycle Group to go from industry leader to a company struggling to exist in just a few years?

Herbert - Quite a few things changed in the bike business in the last 10 years and just like in any industry, most brands go through peaks and valleys. The trick is to adjust to changes before you reach the peak to keep the momentum going, and that was not done or at least not in time. Looks though like they are moving on up again now.

Andrew - Where do you think triathlon will be in 5 years? Will the excessive growth that has been exhibited over the course of the last 5 years continue? What is the next breakthrough for the sport?

Herbert: I certainly think that the sport will continue to grow and hopefully race directors are smart enough to continue with great relay / team events at their races, because that is in my opinion where the growth comes from. You introduce someone with a one sport background in a fun team situation to two other sports, and then maybe 2 of the 3 team members want to do that race as an individual the next year. Hopefully also the entry fees won't get out of control.

As for the next breakthrough, I really have no idea, but I think people will start to look for more unique and tougher events. IE, Norseman, Inferno and Savageman.

Andrew - You are part of the biggest triathlon website and much of your life revolves around the sport. When you are not chasing races or interviews, what do you enjoy reading/researching?

Herbert: I really like fast cars, cool t-shirts and have a big sweet tooth, but I think that is fairly obvious. It is less known that I am very interested in art and every 6 months I actually organize an ARTpARTy at our house where guests bring works of art they have created. But art is a very broad term here and we have seen a huge range of items from paintings, sculptures and photos to knitted stuff, candles, belts and light fixtures. It is great to see people inspired to do something artistic and at the end of the evening after a Yankee Swap of sorts, every guest who brought a piece of art goes home with someone else's art.
I personally thank you Herbert for how you have helped shape the sport, and I look forward to reading your articles for years to come. Safe travels and I look forward to seeing you on the road! (actually with you, you like trails)

All the best,

Andrew

Roll of the Dice

2011-05-10T04:21:00.000-07:00

I will start off with the fact that I am so frustrated with what happened at St Anthony's, all I can do is laugh. It is like a freakin' joke, and I am getting a little sick of being the butt of freak accidents at races.

Well the stitches are still in. If the 3 inch cut on the bottom of my foot had been sown shut, it would've been 10 stitches. Since it was a seawater injury, they did not want to sow it completely shut because of the high risk of infection. This results in a longer healing time. If you go to the ER tell them it is a clean cut!

All this said, the stitches come out Wednesday day night. I am allowed to walk, my first run on them will be a short 3 mi run on Saturday....Then roll the dice on Sunday. I tried to ride once last week, and the wound opened up, so I have done nothing....So watch out, I am a caged animal.

"If you tempt me my tank is on empty
No patience is in me and if you offend me
I'm liftin you 10 feet in the air" ~ Eminem

I am well rested to say the least and I will be doing this one on anger, frustration, and, trust me, I am highly motivated. Let it rain!

Race Safe,

Andrew

Andrew Yoder

2011-05-05T05:03:00.001-07:00

He went pro at 17, since then he has beaten world champions and won some bigger races. While a strong swimmer and runner, he is becoming a legend on the bike. His focus is the Olympic distance I will race him many times this year. From the great state of Pennsylvania, here's Andrew Yoder.

Starky - You are one of the most talked about triathletes in the sport. Not only are you young, but you have put together some monstrous results and won some bigger races. Do you feel a lot of outside pressure from this press? Do you feel that the press puts more pressure on you or that you put more pressure on yourself?

Yoder - Most of the pressure comes from myself and I’m working to set more realistic goals and focus on what I can control in races. I had some early success and that caused me to set higher goals but not see the process to reach them. It takes many years of training and racing to reach a consistent level of racing. All athletes feel pressure at times and those who can channel it constructively are the most successful.
Starky - You spent last summer in Boulder in the center of the triathlon training hot bed. At the end of the summer you moved back home to PA and trained through the winter and plan on training this summer out east. Did you feel that having the triathlon nation around you every day in Boulder was detrimental to your training and improving as an athlete?

Yoder - Boulder is the mecca of triathlon and it can be easy to get caught up in the lifestyle and lose sight of your own plan. However, if you stay focused, Boulder has a lot to offer. The riding is incredible with multiple canyon climbs that go up to the Peak to Peak highway. The trail network is very good and the masters swim sessions are always full of strong swimmers.

I decided to move back to PA because I have a solid support network and felt I could train at a higher level. I like to train by myself and can stick to my plan without worrying about what everyone else is doing. Its refreshing to train and be able to shut it off and not be consumed by the sport.

Starky - Do you look at pre-race hype for your races? Stuff like the entry list, the odds on slowtwitch, and so on talking about the big names. Do the big loaded fields pump you up and that you are stacking up against the best in the sport or does it intimidate you? What kind of fields do you race best in?

Yoder - I do look at all the start lists for my races. Its important to know who is racing but you can't allow it to dictate how you race. The stronger the field the better. I want to race the best athletes in the world and get a true gauge of where my fitness is at. I don't cherry pick races or avoid racing certain athletes. I enjoy the challenge of stiff competition as it makes you a better athlete and you gain so much experience.

I typically like strong but smaller fields as the bike is more spread out. The harder the bike and run courses the better. Climbing is my strength and I love when I can use it to full advantage.

You are a powerhouse on the bike and showed in Abu Dhabi that you can ride away from the best long course athletes in the world. Do you have any plans of racing IM?

Starky - The good old Mdot question. No plans. Yes, I did fantastic on the bike at Abu Dhabi, but just as spectacular as the bike split was the ensuing meltdown on the run, and that was only 20K! I am racer, as you and many know I am hitting the road next week and will be chasing races for 10 weeks. In those 10 weeks I will race 9 times and work 1 race. If I tried to do that with any other distance than the Olympic distance, I'd be as good as dead. Down the road a few years, if I lose that killer instinct to race week in and week out, I can do one then...but now, on EVERY given Sunday I will shoot to be the Champ. Do you still love it as much as you did when you were in high school? Is it still fun?

Yoder - I love the sport but sometimes I get very stressed in races and end up not enjoying the actual race. I embrace the training and hard yards that go into competing at this level and never have any issues with motivation. The sport is not smooth sailing though and I’m still learning to roll with the highs and lows. I physically developed very quickly and I'm now trying to learn the mental skills required to race professionally. When I got into the sport, I believed that it was just training and racing and everything would be great but the sport is hard and there are many aspects that need to be addressed. I still feel very fortunate to be able to race do this full time and would not trade it for anything.

You mentioned that you will be racing 9 times in the next 10 weeks and driving from race to race. How are do you recover from the long drives and maintain your training?

Starky - Driving for me is therapeutic during race season. I can sit and run through what went right at the race and figure out ways to build on that success. I can stop and train or sleep when I need. I can dig on the radio or run through the phone book on my phone and provide myself with distraction if I don't want to deal with the races. As for recovery. 110% compression wear and assorted devices. 110% compression wear has ice sleeves so I can get some ice out of the cooler put it in a bag and ice my IT bands, quads, hams or back as needed. I also travel with tennis balls, golf balls, and massage sticks to rub out the muscles. I am serious, my body gets better and better as the trip goes on, because all I am doing is getting ready for the next dig (race) and there are zero distractions.

What went into your decision of racing pro full time versus going to college?

Yoder - Triathlon is my passion and I don’t have any regrets with my decision to race professionally. During my senior year in high school, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to study and I saw triathlon as an opportunity to do something that I enjoyed. My parents were very supportive and I didn’t want to look back 20 years later and think what I could have done in the sport.

I considered racing pro and going to school full time but I didn’t want to be mediocre in school and triathlon. To reach the highest level of this sport, you really have to commit everything and do the all the little things. I’m still learning a tremendous amount and will continue to absorb as much as I can.

It was great to be able to talk with this young man and I wish him the best of luck this season. I will see him in a week when we clash in Knoxville! Safe travels and thanks for taking a few minutes to enlighten us!

Train Safe,
Race Safe,

Andrew