Building Aerobic Base

Took a few weeks off from posting, but I’m back in action! The last 4 weeks have been the longest stretch of training I have ever done. It was recommended by friends/coaches Brent Pease and Stacy Sims (link to their page below) that I lower my intensity and focus on volume for the first 6 weeks of the year. Rather than running near my race effort of ~155 bpm or cycling at 200 Watts, I have significantly decreased my effort. Watts are down to 150-160 and my running heart rate is 145 bpm or lower.

How I feel about treadmill running

Ice has forced me inside a few times, but I'm still finding ways to get outside as much as possible. 

Building an aerobic base: With this new (at least to me) way of training, I have found that I no longer need a dedicated rest day every week or 2. Since the end of December, I have taken 1 rest day to recover for the increased volume. Since starting this, I have noticed a few things…

1.    The pace I can run at while maintaining a heartrate in the low 140’s has dropped 5-10s/mi. So with the same effort, I am running slightly faster. I believe this will also translate to increased speed at my race effort once I get back to training at a higher intensity.

2.    I do not constantly feel beat up and needing of a rest day. Even though I have added 4-5 hours of training each week, slowing down and keeping my heartrate low has allowed me to continually feel “fresh”.

3.    I am itching to start pushing myself again and get back to the harder workouts. While training at an easy effort feel nice, I find myself missing the sense of accomplishment from hitting those tough splits.

4.    My caloric intake has increased dramatically. I was already eating a lot, as most triathletes do, but I am now needing 2 full lunches to get through my work day. I believe this is due to both the increased volume and from staying in the aerobic zone. Next week I plan on posting about what my weekly meal prep looks like ;)

With two weeks of high-volume Zone 2 training left, I plan on closing out this first block with a lot of hours. My goal is to swim at least 10,000 yards, bike 8-10 hours, and run 30+ miles both weeks.

https://www.dynamomultisport.com/triathlon-coaches

2019 Recap and 2020 Plans

Overall, 2019 was a great year. I had a few important learning experiences as well as some success. The goal is Kona, and my performances at Muncie 70.3 and Ironman Wisconsin were great steps towards qualifying. With the year behind me, I plan on using 2019 as a stepping stone towards qualifying in 2020. I believe with proper training adjustments and a well-executed race, this is my year!

As for a recap on 2019, here are a couple significant events.

2019 Mileage Totals

Shout out to my dad for completing his first triathlon in the late Spring! I am incredibly grateful for the support he has shown me in my racing, and I’m exciting to see how he progresses in 2020.

Dad's first Triathlon!

At Muncie 70.3, I successfully focused on faster transitions with an end of swim recovery and flying mount/dismount. I hit my goal of a top 5 AG finish and came 31s short of 4:30.

5th Place AG at Muncie 70.3

Ironman Wisconsin was the best race I have ever put together. I hit just over 20mph on the bike and ran a 3:15 marathon. With my goal of top 10 AG, getting 5^th was beyond what I expected.

Nothing quite like an Ironman Finish

Ironman Louisville. What was meant to be my best race and ticket to Kona turned into a tough day. After the cancelled swim, forgetting bike nutrition at the hotel and bonking, I just wasn’t having it. The good news is, I powered through the marathon in under 3:30 because of a special someone waiting for me at the finish. Right after finishing, I proposed to Ty where we first met and kissed. So despite the race not being what I wanted, the day couldn’t have ended any better!

She said YES!

Plans for 2020

I have quite a few races planned for the first half of the year, but I am leaving the second half open until after Ironman Tulsa. My secondary goals are to BQ at the Illinois Marathon and qualify for 70.3 Worlds at the DSM or Muncie 70.3.

4/25 - Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon

5/09 – Thunder in the Valley Olympic Tri

5/31 – Ironman Tulsa

6/21 - Ironman 70.3 Des Moines 

7/11 - Ironman 70.3 Muncie

8/01 - DeWitt Crossroads Triathlon

9/13 - Ironman Wisconsin (if I miss Kona at IM Tulsa)

Happy new year all, and I can’t wait to see what 2020 holds!

Some Things Never Change

Hey! Final post of the series and for 2019! 

I love the phrase “If it isnt’t broke, don’t fix it”. So, this post will be dedicated to the things I have been doing since day 1.

Avoiding the Trainer and Treadmill

Frost and icicles from my breath

For me, running in place is torture. I have always been anti-treadmill and doubt that will ever change. I will run in sub-zero temperatures to avoid it. The only time I compromise is icy conditions or if safe routes are difficult to find while traveling. The same goes for the trainer, but I tend to stay inside after a recent snowfall or ANY chance of ice. I simply prefer “actual” road miles when I train. I love the outdoors and training allows me to be outside all the time.

Nutrition

Disposable bottle with Gatorade 

One thing I I take pride in is being flexible with using on course nutrition. In an Ironman I start the bike with a disposable bottle. Since my first full, I have used this approach to avoid refilling or carrying more than 1 at a time. Having 1 bottle reduces weight and improves aerodynamics. This works well because I am never more than 15 miles away from fluids. I have always used what is offered on the course for this reason.

I also start the bike with a chocolate chip cliff bar. Although an odd choice, I use it because I always have them in the house. I have yet to experience GI issues on long rides, and I have performed well racing so far. If it isn’t broke…

Need to Improve Cycling

After 3 years in triathlon, cycling still has the most room for improvement. While I still work to improve my run, the largest time impact will come from a faster bike split. Running has been my bread and butter from high school cross county, and a marathon was my first endurance race that got me into Ironman. I never enjoy working on the things I am bad at, so cycling has felt like a thorn in my side since the beginning. I am always open to feedback to improve my bike split and will continue putting the most time towards cycling.  

Key Takeaways:

Try new things but don't force it! A cliff bar is very solid fuel, but it works for me so I stick with it. I have tried all liquid or more gels, but I either bonk or upset my stomach. 

If it works for you, stick with it. I personally perform better and am more motivated training outside. 

Training is a never ending process. There is always room for improvement and ways to drop time. For me, cycling will be the 1 thing I know I can spend more time on. 

Learning From Experience: TRANSITIONS

Let’s transition into the next topic =]

The main focus will be on transitions. When I first started triathlon, I simply wanted to finish and was never concerned with transition times. As I became more competitive, I started to tweak my approach to start saving seconds. I have changed how I end my swim, mount/dismount my bike, and handle nutrition. Even at the full Ironman distance, 10s in transition could cost a podium spot.

Transitions

Swim into T1 – My first approach to saving time was simply running faster. Always gassed from the swim, I decided to test a theory at Muncie. I thought if I saved some energy during last 100 yards, I could make up that time (and then some) running hard through transition. This meant spending more energy in the middle portion of the swim and recovering that last 100. At Muncie, I posted the 4^th fastest overall T1 time. This accomplishment was aided by a flying mount in the next bullet.

Muncie 70.3 T1: Uphill out of the Water

Flying Mount/Dismount – I never understood the importance of a flying mount/dismount until I got smoked in T2 at a local sprint. I hit T2 with a 10s lead and left 10s behind. Instead of stopping to remove my cycling shoes, I could have been doing it on the go. It’s also much faster to run barefoot than in clunky cycling shoes! The next year, I dropped 21s in T1 (fastest on the day) and 34s in T2. For a race that takes just over an hour, 55s was a HUGE improvement from transitions alone.

If you are interested in how I practiced, please drop me a message and I’d love to share!

Flying Mount: Fumbling with my cycling shoe

Nutrition/Equipment – For the first Ironman, my nutrition plan included 1 Gu in both T1 and T2. Eating in transition was a waste of time and I found it difficult to consume the Gu quickly while I was out of breath.  I decided to add more nutrition to my bike and simply delay taking it by 10 minutes. I also started to transfer my salt tube to my pocket at the end of the bike to eliminate an extra item in T2.
A subtle but significant change I made in 2019 was switching from a sleeveless to a sleeved tri kit. Having sleeves protects my shoulders from the sun, and (in my opinion) keeps me slightly cooler with less sun exposure. I still put on sunscreen in T1/T2 to deflect the sun, but I'm less exposed and save time applying it. Depending on the kit, shoulder and upper arm compression will improve cycling aerodynamics as well.

                                                                                                       

Key Takeaways:

Try new things! Pick a local sprint and experiment with transitions/equipment/nutrition. Running sockless could save 5-10 seconds but cause nasty blisters. I only do this in sprints.

Transitions can make or break a race and are worth the investment to practice. In a race like IMWI, I carry my cycling shoes through transition since they don’t allow flying mounts.
Remember your goals. I've seen people eat it trying a flying mount, so I don't do mine at full speed in an Ironman or 70.3 (just not work it).

Next week will be my final topic of the series: “Some Things Never Change”

Learning From Experience - RUNNING

Since my run hasn’t changed much, I’ll share a little history before stepping into this one =) 

Running was my only background prior to triathlon. I ran in high school and learned various training methods from my coaches. After graduating, I quit running to focus on weight lifting. A year later, my friend got a stress fracture 2 weeks before her marathon and I took her registration. I hadn’t run that entire time and trained 12 days for the race. I ran a 3:13, and that has remained my PR… Completing the marathon was my first big step towards an Ironman.

12 vs. 24 Year Old Matt

When I started my official Ironman training 4 years later, I had 2 specific run goals. Run a 20-miler 3 weeks before the race and average under 8:00/mile on every training run.  After gaining some experience, I will hit 20 miles multiple times and no longer target a minimum average pace. My easy runs are usually under 7:30 but heartrate now dictates easy pace.

So what has actually changed?

Multiple Long Runs – For my first triathlon season, I started at zero mileage. This is why I took 8 months to slowly ramp up to one 20 mile run before the race. Now that I have a strong base, I can work up to 20 miles quickly and sustain the higher mileage. While I’m in peak training for Tulsa, I will be running a marathon. This marathon will be treated as another training run without much of a taper. I would like to break 3:00 as a confidence boost and gauge my Ironman run pace, but my main objective is to KQ at Tulsa.

Not Setting an Arbitrary “Slowest” Pace – Why I told myself to not train slower than 8:00/mile is beyond me. I was focused on counting the miles rather than making the miles count! I’ve said it in my last 2 posts and I’ll say it again. Intervals make a huge difference. For running I do: fartleks, mile repeats, tempo/threshold runs, long runs and ACTUAL easy runs. Logging the miles is relatively easy; the real work is done through structured workouts.

Heartrate Training – That first year of training, my body struggled with recovery. This was partly due to starting from scratch, but I also learned something else. A common mistake (guilty) is making easy runs too hard and hard runs too easy. The training gets blurred together and the body isn’t recovering well or being worked enough. When I actually focus on running in Zone 2 (under 155BPM for me), it’s slow but I can hold that pace forever. On the other end, I held an average heartrate of 170bpm in a recent half marathon. This tells me that I should target at least that high when training at threshold pace.

Key Takeaways:

My first Ironman run was a 3:47 (respectable I thought). That time dropped to a 3:15 after increasing mileage and becoming more diligent with my workouts.

Easy runs need to be EASY so the body can recover properly.

For those high intensity workouts, the body needs to be strained enough so it can adapt to the high stress.

Running is my strongest of the 3 disciplines, and I’d love to share more if there are any questions. If you’ve made it this far in my blog post, you may be interested in a book plug. Daniels’ Running Formula is an AWESOME resource for runners. It goes above and beyond anything I could try to teach and dives into doing the minimum work with maximum payoff. Highly recommend. If you’re local, I’d be happy to lend my copy!

Next week will focus on more general changes I have made to my training as races. Nutrition, Transitions, etc… Till next week!

Learning From Experience – CYCLING

Let’s ride...right into it? Ok, I tried…

Specialized Venge (Aero Bike)                                       Cervelo P3 (TT Bike)             

When I started cycling: I bought a new aero bike (Specialized Venge) to complete my first Ironman. The distance was very intimidating, so I decided to make a 120-mile ride my main goal to boost confidence. At this point, I had never changed a flat tire.

Now: I ride a TT bike (Cervelo P3), incorporate interval training, and have changed MANY flats.

Let’s break it down:

Venge to P3 – When I bought the Venge, I wanted to complete an Ironman and ride for fun once reaching my objective. It was supposed to be a one and done (what a joke!), so I didn’t even look at TT bikes. After completing my 2^nd Ironman on the Venge, I decided to set my eyes on Kona and bought a Cervelo P3. Most recently I added a power meter to my bike as well.

Plenty of people understand more about these bikes, but here is what I learned:

1. More Aerodynamic. With aero bars on a TT bike, a smaller body profile is created against the wind. With arms out front, the shoulders tuck in, and the body is stretched out. As you progressively become faster, aerodynamics become increasingly important. Clip on aero bars for a road bike can also help achieve this, but your road bike fit changes and you miss out on frame geometry differences.
2. Bike Geometry. From what Google tells me, the difference in seat tube angle is 78 degrees on a TT bike and 72 on a road bike. This allows the rider to stretch out over the top tube. The steeper angle becomes even more important in a triathlon when jumping off the bike to run. The position forces the hips forward to remove tension from the quads and hammies, sparing strength to hit that marathon.
3. Power Meter. The power meter is still very new to me, and I have yet to see the benefits from training with one. For the sake of this post, I’ll just share what I’ve learned so far.
1. CALIBRATE IT BEFORE EVERY RIDE. I didn’t learn this until after Ironman Louisville and thought I was pushing 50 watts higher. I got caught up in the numbers and fried my legs.
2. Power will be the most consistent measurement. This is very important to me as I track progression and improvement. I used to look at average speed and would think I’m having an off day when wind was a factor.
3. Ever wonder how much faster a set of race wheels are? Or how much does tire pressure/road conditions affect speed? With a power meter you can test this out for yourself! Just set a consistent power output, make the adjustments and compare speeds.

Hitting a Distance vs Intervals – Training in flat Illinois, courses with elevation has been tough. I discovered this when racing Ironman Wisconsin as my first full. At mile 40 I experienced my first real hill. This one even had a name… Barlow. My legs burned out and I suffered for the rest of the ride AND run. I learned to either go train on actual hills or simulate them with intervals. It is recommended to maintain a consistent power output, but this is easier said than done when you run out of gears climbing. Similar to what I mentioned with swimming, you are training your body to become stronger and work more efficiently at a higher intensity during an interval.

Changing Flats – One of my favorite pro triathletes, Lionel Sanders, feared flats while racing. To combat, he would yell “flat tire!” and go change a tire while watching TV. I believe he got it under a minute, and now a flat doesn’t end his day while racing. I am not nearly that fast, but I certainly won’t be waiting for SAG to come help me. PLEASE don’t let a race be the first time you change a flat tire…

Key Takeaways:

A TT bike is a great investment if you plan on racing for multiple years and want to be more competitive. If you are a more leisure athlete, a road bike will work just fine (I completed 2 fulls on mine). A power meter is also a great investment for tracking progress and having a value to target during intervals. It is far from necessary but can be a great training tool.  Riding in a hilly area may provide natural intervals, but Illinois does not have the luxury. I love to utilize intervals and believe they are key to improving speed. And if you haven’t changed a flat, just go do it ;)

Biking is my weakest leg of the triathlon, but Please let me know if you have questions and I’d love to discuss further! Next week I will break down the changes I’ve made with my run game.

Learning From Experience - Swimming

I am celebrating 3 years since signing up for my first Ironman 70.3! Through my experience on this journey, I want to share what changed and what has remained the same since starting triathlons. In the coming weeks, I will release a new topic each week.  

Madion 70.3 - 2017 (5:24:37)              Muncie 70.3 - 2019 (4:30:31)     

Let’s dive into the first topic, SWIMMING!

For those who have been in the sport a while, hopefully you get some laughs out of this. For those who are still new, please try to find some takeaways!

When I first started training: I swam in trunks, used open turns and would just swim 80-100 laps straight. Please enjoy my very first training video…

Now, I swim in jammers (maybe upgrade to speedo if I start holding 1:20’s), flip turn (even though they aren’t pretty), swim with a Masters group, and mostly utilize drills and interval training.

Let’s break these down a bit:

Trunks to Jammers – Jammers mostly stopped the Masters Swim Group from making fun of me. One could argue that they help you “feel the water” as you practice streamlining, but I made the switch because it helped me hit those faster intervals.

Open Turns to Flip Turns – Now WHY would an open water swimmer care about flip turns? They only make you faster in the pool and you don’t use them in triathlon (excluding the indoor sprint). I would argue that they DO make you faster in open water and here is why:

1. Increased lung capacity. If you are doing open turns, pay attention to the giant breath you take at the wall before pushing off. By holding your breath during a flip turn (instead of an extra breath), it taxes your cardiovascular system. When you finally get back into open water, you will feel much less exhausted.
2. More fluid and maintained rhythm. An open turn causes more of a disruption every length of the pool. Just like running or cycling, I hate when my rhythm is thrown off by traffic lights.
3. Joining a Masters Swim Group. There are many benefits to Masters Programs, and learning flip turns made it much easier for me to train with them! It’s also easier to lane share when the pool is busy.  

Straight swimming to intervals – If the goal is to simply log yards, straight swimming works great. If you are looking to increase your speed and efficiency, intervals are key. I was once told, if you want to learn how to swim faster, you need to…swim faster. Profound right??? Let me explain. By doing 100 yard intervals, I can drop my usual pace of 1:30/100yards down to 1:20 or faster by giving myself some recovery time between each 100. I obviously cannot hold that 1:20 pace for very long, BUT my body is learning what that pace FEELS like. To swim that faster pace, my body is making adjustments whether it be adding power or increasing efficiency. As speed increases, the intervals become easier and I give myself less rest.

Key Takeaways: Flip turns don't take very long to learn, and you can slowly start incorporating them into your warm up and cool down until it becomes second nature. Interval training is the key to increasing speed, and a Masters group will teach you how to utilize them.

My swim is only considered decent in the world of triathlon, but Please let me know if you have questions and I’d love to discuss further! Next week I will break down the changes I’ve made in the world of cycling.