The Complete Triathlete: A Quiz

A significant portion of triathlon's appeal lies in the attempt of mastering a sport that itself consists of three quite separate disciplines. If you've ever seen a runner try to swim, you've witnesed firsthand the challenge that triathlon presents to the athlete. But I've found that rather than embracing the subtle nuances of the sport, most triathletes- myself included -are often quite unfortunately content to swim, bike, and run lots then hope for the best on race day.

To address this problem, I devised a list which I made into a quick yes or no quiz. It's by no means comprehensive, but by taking it and analyzing the results, you can determine places you may be able to improve within each sport, your lifestyle, or triathlon as a whole.

I'll be doing my best to better address each of the questions listed below. I'd suggest embracing a couple, several, or all of them as New Year's Resolutions, but everyone knows, as demonstrated by gym attendance, that Resolutions only last until February.

SWIM
1. Do you swim with a Master's Swim Team
2. Have you had your stroke videotaped and analyzed by a qualified individual?
3. Do you not only perform drills each workout, but drills specifically addressing deficiencies in your stroke?
4. Do you practice strokes other than crawl/free-style? (For example, by swimming a small percentage of your weekly yardage backstroke, you can develop muscles that are neglected by crawl stroke and make your muscular development more balanced and your body stronger overall + less prone to injury).
5. Do you flip turn? If so, do you flip turn well?

BIKE
1. Have you been professionally fit? For example, by a F.I.S.T. certified individual, Serotta Fit Institute Certified individual, or by a service like Retul .  If not, have you put continued effort into studying and improving your position?
2. Do you train intelligently with a power meter?
3. If you train with a power meter, do you leave the numbers alone once in awhile and just go for a perceived-effort ride?
4. Do you perform a majority (about 80%) of your rides at a low-to-moderate intensity and have the remaining amount dedicated to high-intensity training (ex: tempo workouts, hill sets, sprint sets)?
5. Do you ride with a local club or team?
6. What color is your bike? Black is the fastest color, and white is even faster.
    (that's a joke, but it's also probably true)
7. Have you analyzed the relative performance of each leg with a basic or advanced exertion test?
8. Do you perform bike-specific drills like single-leg pedalling, riding a fixed gear, or riding on rollers?

RUN
1. Are you more than 10% heavier than your optimal race weight (if you know it, or over 10% above what you would expect your optimal race weight to be)?
2. Do you train for and race running events in addition to triathlon training? For example, a local 5km, 10km, or half-marathon?
3. Do you regularly perform running-specific drills each week? Ex: Before each run, do you warm-up, stretch easy, do drills, strides, then your workout?
4. Do you do a regularly core workout program which emphasizes the muscles that get under-worked compared to the running-specific ones? Ex: exercising the hip adductors and abductors?
5. Do you run consistently, have a decent variety of workouts, and have a longer run each weekend?
6. Do you only increase your mileage by about 10% each week when building up?
7. Do you get a new pair of shoes every 300-500 miles?
8. Do you make a consistent effort to run on soft substrate?

RECOVERY
1. Have you tried regularly icing, massaging, elevating, or compressing (i.e. compression apparel) your muscles to see if they improve your recovery?
2. Do you get an optimal amount of sleep (likely +7-8 hours) consistently?
3. Do you address impending injuries rapidly and diligently or try to train through unusual soreness/pain?
4. Do you have a post-workout (within 15min) recovery snack like a protein bar or fruit smoothie to replenish your glycogen stores?
5. If you've been injured in the past, have you kept up on preventative measures to keep from becoming injured again? Ex: you had ITB impingement and used a hip roller to recover and now use a massage stick daily.


NUTRITION
1. Do you eat many 'nutritionally-empty' foods?
2. Do you eat smaller, healthy meals at regular intervals during the day?
3. Do you consistently measure (as in, once a month) your body weight/composition? (A quote I picked up from Matt Fitzgerald's Racing Weight, which I'll write up a review of in the near future, spoke to the effect of "A known quantity is a managed quantity")
4. Does your weight during the off-season (usually the Thanksgiving-Christsmas desert fest) inflate beyond 10% above your training weight? For example, the weight you achieved before your taper for the previous season's A race?

LIFESTYLE
1. Are you regularly negatively-stressed? Have you identified what's causing the stress and worked towards reducing it?
2. Do you manage your time well?

The 3 Most Necessary Holiday Bike Component Upgrades

You've spent more time with your bike than your children and tended to it more lovingly than your wife. In return, it has supported you more faithfully than a well-trained dog. A well-trained dog made of carbon fiber.

Here are the four essential bike component upgrades that your life has been incomplete without. Even if you didn't know it.

3. Titanium Bolts

Ti may be losing the war against carbon fiber, but it's hard to argue against its incredible strength, durability, and lust worthiness. It's practically chemically inert in it's alloyed form, resisting as many sweaty trainer sessions as you can throw at it. In addition, it's the strongest metal for its weight, as strong as many common steels but 45% lighter (1), and has the highly touted argument of a high fatigue limit. Whereas metals like aluminum will fatigue to the point of failure over time, Titanium is immune to any stresses below the force of it's fatigue limit. Will bolts on your bike experience this limit? My guess is almost certainly not, but it's holiday bike upgrade time and practicality is not your concern. Besides, there are some aluminum bolts thrown into the above kit to bring the weight down (Al wins in the weight-weenie battle), and the bolts are of course anodized a beautiful deep red. Check out the above kit from Specialty Racing Products and ask your spouse if eliminating the omnipresent threat of bolt failure isn't worth a paltry $150. Plus, you stand to lose at least 5 grams in the process.

2. Nokon Cables

Anyone can run regular cables, but it takes an individual with true hatred of their money to run Nokon Cables. Beyond being the undisputed 'patented cable system of the future,' Nokon cables offer the benefits of: resisting kinks, managing tighter corners, provide a compressionless housing, and most importantly, come in pretty colors. Also, they mention that the Aluminum housing won't rust, but as far as I know, the standard rubber housing on cables won't rust either, so... wait, never mind, that would be a practical consideration. And you can't lord practicality over your riding buddies every Saturday morning. For only approximately $99, you could upgrade your cables this holiday season. Think of how many more cups of Egg Nog you could have to compensate for the weight savings. It's at least 3. Maybe even 4.

1. Ceramic Bearings

Ceramic bearings are widely heralded as the choice of bearings for top-tier wheelsets. The argument lies in their diminished rolling resistance and heightened durability as compared to standard steel bearings. If my memory is correct, you could be losing at least 5 watts if you're not on ceramic. And that's just the wheels. The general consensus is that if you're not on ceramic bearings, you shouldn't even bother riding. Upgrading to ceramics if often compared to providing a performance benefit comparable to moving from an uninflated to an inflated front tire, or, during a 40km TT, similar to moving from facing backwards to forwards while riding. Don't forget derailleur pulleys and bottom brackets need the upgrade too. If your spouse disputes the necessity of having every bearing be ceramic, tell him/her that to not upgrade the others would be unfair, and that's not the person he/she fell in love with.  Regarding the price, well, the adage of 'if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it' may be in effect, but look to spend about $400 if you go for these $90 derailleur pulleys from VCRC along with their $150 ceramic bottom bracket and a $150 set for your Mavic Wheels.

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You may have noticed an increasingly sarcastic tone within the above entry, but each upgrade is to some degree a legitimate suggestion. If your bike is fit properly, maintained flawlessly (as in, you're cleaning the drivetrain while reading this), and has top of the line components, and you hate saving money, then any of these could be for you. There are of course better uses for your money, like a powermeter, computrainer, aero helmet, or Master's swim teach membership, but if you have those bases covered, then enjoy!

Sources:
1. ^ ^a b c Barksdale 1968, p. 738

Product Review: AlCis

Just the essentials: AlCis and Avery the guinea pig

Just a quick look at the AlCis website reveals exactly why I had no real interest in using their product. With marketing statements like, " a uniquely luxurious cream base was invented. Infused with nourishing botanicals and anti-oxidants it also re-hydrates the skin throughout the relief process. So soothing, so effective that it now lives on in a new line of ALCiS body care products," I'd think I was rubbing shampoo on myself. 

It gets worse. " And so it goes: a premise, a solution, a desire to develop a non-invasive, medical solutions to everyday health concerns. That is ALCiS… "

That... is exactly why I didn't use their product for two years. After receiving free samples in my Escape From Alcatraz swag bag, I passed them along to family because I thought it was just a gimmick. Apparently, I was mistaken. 

I do just about 100% of my running on trails, and recommend that everyone else do so (I don't care if it's not possible- make it happen). The sudden transition to racing the Turkey Trot 10km all on pavement, unsurprisingly, left my knee in a slight state of disrepair. Back at home for Thanksgiving, my Mom, who had received one of the aforementioned samples, ran to get some all the while espousing its virtues. I consented to try it, and am very glad I did so. 

As a topical analgesic, it's a pain relieving lotion applied directly to the area causing trouble. This localized application of pain relief is a nice advantage when compared to pills that are inherently generalized, distributing their effect throughout the body. There are also no apparent side effects. For example, if you're taking ibuprofen to reduce exercise-related pain, you risk upsetting your stomach or damaging your liver*.With AlCis, if you apply it wrong, well, then there's no help for you because it's pretty simple.  

After applying a generous amount to both knees, I went to bed. Upon waking, I felt a strong degree of Delayed Muscle Soreness throughout my lower body, except in the areas where I applied the cream. Walking downstairs, rather than inciting minor pain or tightness as it had the day before, was incident free, and an easy 20 minute recovery run on some local singletrack trail was pleasantly devoid of pain or tightness as well. 

I'm now an advocate of AlCis and have a tube of my own. While it won't combat the cause of inflammation, it will reduce the symptoms- allowing you a very enjoyable reduction in soreness or pain. If, of course, you do feel pain or tightness, rather than treating the symptoms, pursue the cause aggressively and make sure you're fully healthy before continuing training. But following a race, hard workout, or just a long day on your feet, I can personally attest to the benefits of AlCis. 

One other thing I'd like to mention, I was pleasantly surprised to find that, if you sift through the marketing hyperbole on the homepage, the Alcis website  reveals that they have a very nice list of teams, organizations, and races they sponsor, including Yale's Cycling team, USC's Tri Team, MS Waves to Wine, and the Lupus Foundation of Mid and Northern New York. I always like supporting companies that in turn sponsor developing athletes and disease advocacy organizations. 

And, yes, I am forced to admit that it was creamy and luxurious.

If you're regularly feeling sore or would like to reduce the symptoms of an injury that you're treating, try purchasing AlCis from one of any number of retail outlets (listed on the website). 

Note: Along with every other  product that I've reviewed, I have no connection to the company or financial incentive to review the product. I'm just sharing my experience as a consumer. 

*I'm not- yet -qualified to deliver medical advice. Before acting on anything I or anyone else writes, please independently affirm it's accuracy, or, if health-related, consult a medical professional. 

Race Report: Turkey Trot 10km

Stretching with just minutes until race start

With every race I do my best to internalize a new lesson that I can take to improve my performance at my next event. I learned several at this local 10km, but above all the most important was to not sleep somewhere comfortable. I woke up to darkness and heavy rain at 6:30am while completely ensconsed in the comfort only a flannel-wrapped memory foam mattress covered by a heavy blanket could provide. It was almost impossible to get out of bed. Next race, it's a plywood board and a space blanket.

Against all odds, I was up and out of bed shortly 20 minutes after my alarm went off to grab a quick, very light breakfast and make my way down to race check in. My father, whose mostly responsible for getting me into triathlon (he signed us up as a relay for the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon, which we made a tradition) proved to be a champion as he not only drove me down at 7am, but returned to take pre-race photos and gather up my warm-up clothes.

Being larger in stature than the average endurance athlete, I may still run modest splits but I'm at least warm doing so. Despite making for a damp warm-up, I was relatively immune to the cold compared to my competition and felt that the weather offered the comfort of a shower despite the pain of actually racing.

After picking up my race T-shirt and dropping off my cans of food for the local food bank, I headed down to the race start area for a quick warm-up. It was there that I met Rhys, who, in addition to his rugged good looks, is a very serious neo-pro cyclist and one of my closest friends. Rhys was running the 5km race with his dad, and their company kept me in good spirits despite the poor weather.

Rhys and his father proving it's not how fast you are, it's how good you look that matters most.

As the pre-race countdown moved inexorably towards zero, the rain-jacket clad huddled masses emerged from the quaint downtown Gig Harbor surroundings to converge on the starting line. My Dad would later say that, when the 10km gun went off, approximately 50 of the 1,800 gathered took off, the remaining individuals choosing instead to celebrate thanksgiving with the 5km race.

After standing in the poor weather longer than I would've liked, the race finally began.

Here I'm the red-shoed, blue blur just right of center. Unfortunately, this is the only time during the race that I would appear as a blur, as apparently my pacing strategy was to start off slow and then taper off.

The course would circumnavigate the picturesque harbor before doing a quick turnaround on the peninsula which forms the opposite shore. Growing up in such a quiet town, the only thing to really do was either drink or run high-mileage, and fortunately, I chose the latter. Subsequently I had just about every road in the harbor memorized and could recall every foot of it, except, unfortunately, for the uphills I forgot.

The course started out with an approximately 200 yard incline leading to a long decline and the rolling remainder of the course. My goal was a sub-40 minute time, nothing terribly quick for this point in the year with the winter emphasis on accumulating base miles. 

I held a pretty good position within the field, about 10th, through the first 2 miles until we hit the most significant hill leading out of a valley past city park. Not wanting to overload my legs early on, I took it pretty easy and let a group ahead of me get away. The rolling hills continued to the out and back, with short but surprisingly steep ascents and descents making it difficult to hold a steady pace.

After circling back on the peninsula, we made our way back to the little valley by city park and up the other side to where the 5km race turnaround was situated. The race organizers impressed me with two water stations on the course, but I wasn't feeling either of them. I did feel a little frustration of having to dodge my way through the mass of individuals walking the 5km, with errant dogs on leashes and unleashed small children making it more of an obstacle course than I would expect. But at the modest pace I was running I can't complain about others holding me up, and I soon found myself with just a half-mile to the finish.

At this point, another younger runner (high-school age) pulled up alongside me and, in a great gesture of friendliness and sportsmanship, proclaimed, "Almost there!" I said something that now sounds lame, but to the effect of, "Let's do this!" and we both put the hammer down. Only, we weren't running too quickly, so it was more of a ball-peen hammer than an actual, you know, mallet.

         Soaking wet, but happy, at the finish

Nevertheless, we maintained a solid pace to the finish, overtook another runner or two, and made it in with a solid time. 

As I ran towards the finish chute I saw my dad right there. He'd spent the intermittent time serving as a volunteer, which is a strong testament to his character. I also got to catch up with a great friend from high school and cool off in the light rain.

I was surprised at how closely my finishing time mirrored my splits from the Oly tri's this summer. At just a minute faster, that means I ran those races well or this one poorly (likely a combination of both), but this race gives me a solid baseline against which I can judge my progress throughout the year as I focus on running.

I also need to post the race's logo again because it's just that awesome.

Compression: Does it enhance recovery?

Zoot CompressRx Compression

As I 'gear up', both literally and figuratively, for the current holiday season, I decided to take a strong look at compression apparel. Beyond an unmatched ability to mask the results of how much I love eggnog, compression has been highly touted in the triathlon world recently for its ability to enhance recovery (and 'improve performance', but we'll take one claim at a time).

These glasses are apparently specifically made for eggnog.

Eggnog, however, is a specialty best taken straight from the carton.

I have a personal interest in researching equipment that can improve recovery. My job requires me to stand quite a bit during the day, and I have been surprised by how much soreness I feel as a result. This soreness can then be compounded by my run-focused training regimen and make me more predisposed to injury while also inhibiting a quality training session.

I decided to focus on Zoot's CompressoRx line as I was impressed (so was Jordan Rapp ) by the apparent R&D that went into the product. As Rapp writes, Zoot even went so far as to publish a white paper on their product and make it available on their website. You can read it here on the CompressRx page of Zoot's website. Also, you can check out this video Zoot published on Youtube. It provides some excellent insight into the CompressRx line and the company behind it.

So Zoot appears to be an excellent choice for compression clothing, but is purchasing compression clothing a good decision? I decided to look at independent research from established medical journals that will shed greater insight on the value of compression on enhancing recovery (for the benefits of compression during activity, I'll have to write another blog entry).

Here I've listed a few primary journals that I found on the subject along with a short synopsis:

1) Compression Garments and Recovery from Eccentric Exercise

Michael I. Trenell, Kieron B. Rooney , Carolyn M. Sue and Campbell H. Thompson 

from the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2006)

Source 1: http://www.jssm.org/vol5/n1/12/v5n1-12pdf.pdf

-Synopsis: Eccentric muscular contractions, according to our good friend wikipedia, "normally occur as a braking force, in opposition to a concentric contraction, to protect joints from damage." Running, by this definition, could then easily be categorized as an eccentric exercise. By measuring perception of muscle soreness and the concentration of hydrogen ions (pH) and other metabolic byproducts of exercise, the study found that, "Compression garments may alter potential indices of the repair processes accompanying structural damage to the skeletal muscle following eccentric exercise allowing a faster cellular repair" (Source 1).

2) The Effects of Compression Garments on Recovery of Muscle Performance Following High-Intensity Sprint and Plyometric Exercise

Rob Duffield, Jack Cannon and Monique King

from the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

Source:  Science Direct

-Synopsis: This study looked at the effect of compression garments on individuals following a 10 minute exercise protocol consisting of a 20 meter sprint and 10 plyometric bounds each minute. Before each test, and then 2 hours and 24 hours following each test, the muscles were analyzed for pretty much everything we would want to know ( muscle performance assessments and assays of metabolic byproducts were performed, or in the words of the study, "evoked twitch properties of the knee extensors, peak concentric knee extension and flexion force were assessed, with blood samples drawn to measure lactate [La⁻], pH, creatine kinase (CK), aspartate transaminase (AST) and c-reactive protein (C-RP)" ). Also,  Heart rate, exertion (RPE) and muscle soreness (MS) measures were obtained pre- and post-exercise. 

What did they find? " In conclusion the effects of compression garments on voluntary performance and recovery were minimal; however, reduced levels of perceived MS were reported following recovery in the garments."

My personal conclusions tend to mirror those above. I could, however, apply the above bold statement perfectly to ice baths, massage, and stretching. At this moment, I'm inclined to perform an 'N=1' study by purchasing a CompressRx recovery garment and testing it out for myself. If I do I'll certainly write about my experience.

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As a bonus, below I've listed a study that analyzed the performance benefits of compression socks. They found that "stockings with constant compression over the calf muscle significantly improved running performance at different metabolic thresholds."

Effect of Compression Stockings on Running Performance in Men Runners

Kemmler, Wolfgang; Stengel, Simon von; Köckritz, Christina; Mayhew, Jerry; Wassermann, Alfred; Zapf, Jürgen

from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

Source: http://journals.lww.com/nscajscr/Abstract/2009/01000/Effect_of_Compression_Stockings_on_Running.16.aspx

10km: You should train for one

If you don't know about Bruce Fordyce, and you consider yourself a serious runner, you should be ashamed of yourself. He has won the infamous Comrades Marathon in South Africa eight times and the London-to-Brighton race three times. Dr. Timothy Noakes, whose opinion on running I respect more than anyone's, writes of Fordyce, "Never before had the Comrades seen such poetic running, such effortless mastery, and such athletic perfection- indeed, such complete excellence" (Lore of Running, Noakes, 332). Coming from the man who literally wrote the book on running, that's quite a statement.

In his book, Dr. Noakes outlines some of the principles that Fordyce trained by to achieve his unprecedented success in ultradistance running. Of the 9 points, which you should purchase the book to learn, #8 is to Gauge Your Fitness by Performance in Short-Distance Races and Speed Sessions. Noakes writes, "Bruce wrote that when he can run 8km in close to 25:00 (at altitude), he is ready for the Comrades (Fordyce, 1984). American marathoners Frank Shorter and Alberto Salazar have said essentially the same for the standard marathon (Noakes, 339)."

This principle is fundamental to swim, bike, and run training. Simply put, by pursuing speed work, the athlete can raise their 'cruising speed' for longer distance races. As an extreme example, take the course record setting 6hr 32min finishing time at the most recent White River 50 Mile Trail Running Championships. Anton Krupicka, a by-all-appearances incredibly humble and likable elite ultrarunner, ran the final 6.6 miles, over very technical single-track trail, averaging 6:49 min/mile (after running the previous downhill segment averaging 5:45 min/mile). You can bet that having a background racing 5km's certainly supported Krupicka's phenomenal performance. In his blog report of the race, he cites a marathon PR of 2:42 and a PR of 2:21 for second place finisher and defending White River champion Mike Wardian.

Krupicka on the White River 50 Course, Photo credit to Glenn Tachiyama

If you're reading this blog, you're most likely training for an Olympic distance race or an Ironman. Having the speed derived from 10km training will be invaluable when you come across the 'race to T2' warriors halfway through the marathon of your next Ironman.

I have the a Turkey Trot 10km on November 26th. I'm excited for the race and as I've mentioned previously, it has helped get me out the door when it's dark, rainy, and 40 degrees outside. My goal is to continue to train for a 10km race each year, as this will both help me track my progress in running and also prepare me for longer distance races.

But more than that, I'll get a T-shirt with this logo on it:

The best race logo in the world

Jonnyo's Cervelo P4 Commercial

The Cervelo P4. No other bike, save maybe the very first one, has ever been as heavily anticipated. Given the phenomenal success of the brand's P2C and P3C frames, the latter of which was and still is considered the industry standard for aerodynamics, the P4 was set to take the throne of ultimate time trial machine even before it's release.

While awaiting that moment myself, I remember coming across a commercial that professional triathlete Jonathan Caron made in anticipation of the machine. I believe that it is brilliant, and until I figure out how to embed video, you can watch it here.


You can find Jonathan's website at http://www.jonathancaron.com/ and read his highly entertaining blog, Jonnyo World, here.

Nutrition: Nutritiondata.com

Nutritiondata.com is a site that I came across quite some time ago and it's quite an excellent resource. I don't know if you saw this coming, but the site provides nutrition information on an ever expanding list of food items. Rather than reading about it, check it out for yourself. Here's Spinach:

 http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2

As you can see, each food entry has several main components:

-the Nutrition Facts Label (which can be adjusted by serving size)

-a Nutritional Target Map, which graphically represents how nutritious and filling the food item is

-a Caloric Ratio Pyramid, which shows what percentage fat, carb, or protein the food item is

-a quick assessment by Nutritiondata

-a Nutrient Balance graph, along with the corresponding 'completeness score'

-a Protein Quality Graph, which depicts the amino acid profile of the food item

image courtesty of http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/food/review2.php

  One of my most common lunches now is a Spinach salad (with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, sunflower seeds, celery, some cranberries if I'm lucky, and light shredded mozarella cheese to top it off). I recommend it highly.

   A good friend and previous housemate of mine, who has muscular definition beyond description, would eat a massive bowl of spinach (just spinach, nothing else) before bed and have a big bowl of spinach mid-day. He practically ate his bodyweight in Spinach daily, and given the nutrition facts posted at the link and his personal results, it appears that Spinach is the way to go. Nutritiondata can help you find other excellent food choices as well. For example, I was surprised to learn how highly pickles score (http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/3013/2 ).

Here's another real world example that demonstrates the benefit of sites like Nutritiondata.

"You're in Starbucks. You just had an excellent morning session at Master's and, as a reward for moving up a lane and cementing yourself in the elite class of the buoy-line enforced hierarchy, decide to purchase a tasty beverage. A frappuccino catches your attention, and your mind rapidly decided, you realize that there could be no other. Suddenly, you spot the Starbucks logo and realize you never really looked at it before.

"That mermaid is topless," you say to yourself, and your mind wonders as you contemplate why it appears to have two tales.

The cheerful cry of a distant barista brings you back to attention. It's nearly time to order. Having settled on a delicious frappuccino, you know that you need to try and mitigate the damages. You pull out your trusty iphone (given how many people have these things it's likely that you do) and pull up nutritiondata.com. You know that only a caramel frappuccino will satisfy your perverse desire to undo the the benefits of exercise that you worked so hard for. Searching for 'caramel frappuccino' you find this-http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/foods-from-starbucks/9603/2  - and learn that a Grande will run you 260 calories and 45 g of sugar. But you remember that beneath the Caramel Frappuccino on the search listing was a Light option. You pull it up - http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/foods-from-starbucks/9623/2 - and learn that a Grande Light will only entail consuming 167 calories and a paltry 25g of sugar."

As clearly demonstrated in the above true-to-life scenario, websites like nutritiondata.com can be useful assets to optimize your diet to truly take advantage of your training. The site has quite a few more features than those I've mentioned, you should give them a look.

Obligatory note: other than using the site, I have no relationship with nutritiondata.com

Time Management

Just this last week I was absolutely thrilled to learn that I have been accepted to the University of Washington School of Medicine. After four years of effort in college, thousands spent on the application cycle, and months of anxiety and even occasional self-doubt, I am extremely excited, grateful, and humble to be a future member of the class of 2014. This turn of events will have a significant impact on my triathlon training, however, as the time constraints of a medical education will be substantial. Fortunately, this man has provided me with no excuses:

Training as a medical student on just one-hour per day  lunch breaks, Bannister was the first man  to record a time beneath the 4-minute mile barrier. This moment, captured in the epic photograph above, was monumental in running history and will certainly serve as inspiration for me in the years ahead.

The mastery of 3 disciplines, implicit within the pursuit of mastering triathlon, is extremely time consuming and would appear to be mutually exclusive with medical school, a demanding job, or raising children. But with proper time management and the devoted execution of an intelligently structured program, it's certainly possible.

My simple plan, as of this moment, is to have a morning workout, alternating swimming and running, along with an evening ride on the trainer while studying with my notes propped up on the aerobars. By varying my workout intensity in running and emphasizing technique work in swimming, I believe I will be able to continually improve my fitness while regularly completing 10-hour training weeks and, more importantly, keeping a healthy marriage.

If you find yourself not currently training to the extent you would like, analyze the manner in which you spend your time. Could you commute by bike? Join a Masters Swim Team to keep yourself accountable? Have your spouse bike along with you as you go for a run? Any number of options are available, it just takes a little creativity and effort.

Best Triathlon Ad Ever

Background:

Italian saddle maker fi'zi:k printed a provocative ad in Triathlete Magazine about a year ago featuring top female pro triathlete Sam McGlone. The ad, understandably, demonstrated quite a stir and became very recognizable. I believe it's very well done and certainly grabs your attention. Well, now it's been surpassed.

The Best Triathlon Ad Ever:
Take two of my favorite things- trisports.com, an excellent tri shop that provides brilliant customer service, and Andy Potts, a widely renowned ex-college swimmer turned Olympian triathlete and top Kona finisher who is renowned for both his happy disposition and powerful competitive spirit- and combine them. I give you the Andy Potts Trisports.com ad recently featured in Triathlete Magazine:

Instantly recognizing the McGlone ad format, I actually laughed out loud. I appreciate the humor of this ad so much that I am going to buy something from Trisports.com just because they made it. But in all seriousness, they're an excellent company that I've had great interactions with in the past. And Potts, whose sense of humor is photographically proven above, seems by all means to be one of our sports greatest champions both on and off the course. Bravo.

Nutrition: Caffeine and Triathlon Part 1- Pain Reduction

I decided to investigate the specific interaction between caffeine and the physiology of the endurance athlete. With supplements containing caffeine gaining an increasing foothold, I wanted to know specifically how and why caffeine may enhance or inhibit my performance. From GU including 35mg (about half to one-third the amount in a 7oz cup of brewed coffee), to Chris McCormack placing Red Bull in his special needs bag early in the run at Kona at the advice of Peter Reid, caffeine is starting to be a widely advocated supplement. The International Olympic Committee even recently removed it from its list of banned substances. But, beyond the benefits purported by advertisements or hearsay (be it from a world champion or not), I wanted to know the science behind the buzz caffeine provides. Though I'll refrain from referring to caffeine as 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, I did reference primary sources from research journals and here is what I found:

Background:

From a past research project on caffeine, I knew that the compound is a competitive antagonist of adenosine. This means that caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in the brain, blocking the binding of adenosine. As adenosine is a neurotransmitter with an inhibitory effect (it promotes a calming response, such as promoting sleep and inhibiting excitement), the blocking of adenosine results in the excitatory response we so frequently associate with caffeine. For a visual representation of this phenomenon, please refer to the figure below:

More than allowing you to terrorize the Japanese, the ingestion of caffeine results in physiological changes that a triathlete would find beneficial. Journal articles repeatedly refer to caffeine as an 'ergogenic aid', which is the way individuals with PhDs say 'performance enhancing.' Motl et al hypothesized that, given Adenosine's role in nociception and pain processing, the inhibition of adenosine by caffeine could play a role in inhibiting the processing and perception of pain stimulus. In a study published in the Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, they found that quadricep pain induced by cycling was reduced with caffeine consumption in both habitual coffee drinkers and those who rarey consume caffeine. Though they did not elucidate the specific physiological mechanism, accroding to Motl, ""We've shown that caffeine reduces pain reliably, consistently during cycling, across different intensities, across different people, different characteristics. (1)"

Race Report: Spokane Monster Dash 5km Fun Run

The day dawned cold, and fittingly so. For when one signs up for an event as punishing as a 'fun run', the specter of future pain looms over the horizon like a terrifying phantasm.

These ducks may seem happy, but they're actually frozen in place

Pressing on heroically despite these inhuman conditions, I endured the short drive to the beautiful South Hill District of Spokane, where, within the gorgeous Manito Park, a Monstrous Dash of epic proportions awaited.

The 5km Fun Run was to begin at 9am and would circumnavigate the beautiful, if not unreasonably cold, park. Numerous participants could be seen in clever costumes, from the outrageous neon colors one would expect runners to adorn to the more creative, such as one couple dressed as the Incredibles, to Pirates, Cheerleaders, and a myriad of other characters.

I arrived to cheering faces- which, given the temperatures was either an incredible display of the human spirit or, much like the ducks, they had simply frozen that way- at the Pre-Registration booth. I hadn't ordered a shirt (which, it turns out, were pretty cool and a sweet deal at $10) so I picked up my race number (254) and applied it to the front of my shirt. Quick tip: Always crumple your number up beforehand. It allows it to better conform to your body during the race.

My clothing was not up to the task of standing around in the cold, so I gladly took to previewing the course as my warm-up. As I had difficulty locating the start, I simply ran through the finish chute and set about previewing the course backwards. Having this knowledge of the last stages of the course would serve me well late in the race.

After about 20 minutes of easy running, I reported back to the Registration area and learned where the start was. Pleasantly, it would be a fast, gentle decline leading to a sharp left turn. As we waited for the final individuals to line up, I did a few strides (sprints emphasizing technique) to better prepare my circulatory system for the impending effort and to keep warm, as many other participants were relegated to simply standing there shivering.

The very fit woman at the far left is, very understandably, extremely cold. 

Also, a baby is ominously raised in the background. 

As we were about to start, the announcer took a few liberties with his position to make a few jokes and then counted down.

"10-9-8-4-3-2-1", that's literally what I heard, and we were off!

Three of us lead the sprint out. Fit Woman (middle), likely in a desperate attempt to become warm, Charlie (left), humorously dressed as a female member of the Spokane Swifts Running Club (who generously put on the event), and myself (254). I thought I had fairly good running form, but it looks like I'm striking my heel pretty hard here. Something to look into...

Charlie, from up above, assumed the lead, and I happily found myself running close behind in 2nd/3rd place for the first mile. I had been training in the range of 5:58 - 7:00 pace for my tempo work and my goal was to break 20 minutes for the race, as my goal is to break 40min at the 10km race on November 25.

The course took us along the streets lined and covered by beautiful autumn leaves. We were chasing a lead bicycle manned by a Spokane Swift dressed as a Pink Superhero, her bright pink wig easy to spot 50 yards ahead. The streets wove up, down, and around which provided for a very engaging race. After these twists and turns, with the accompanying minor elevation gains and losses, we were led to a long out and back. This section sent us down a tree lined street with an incline on the out section and a decline on the return stretch. I knew that if I maintained a solid pace going out, I could really stretch it out on the decline, which I knew from my preview continued into the finish. Coming back down the decline I was right with another runner who stayed with me through two surges. There were a few curves ahead, however, and one leading right into the short straightaway before the finish, and I knew that if I could get a gap before the curve it would stick. I threw in a final surge and held it, sprinting in for a strong finish.

Entering the finish chute

I took my time decelerating and tore off the tag from my number, giving it to a volunteer. My incredibly supportive wife, having braved the elements to provide these photos, was there to meet me. I was happy with my effort and the pace that I held. My pace was right around the 20-minute mark (I didn't expect that the race would not be timed, but should have brought a watch myself), which I hope will put me in a solid position to break the 40-minute barrier in my 10km in one month.

Some excellent post race treats were available, and I grabbed some apple slices and a berry flavored FRS.

I highly recommend the Monster Dash as an enjoyable fun run racing experience, and would definitely challenge you to sign up for a race in your area.

Product Review: Patagonia Houdini

I have a severe case of brand loyalty. I will only purchase equipment from specific brands. For example, if Montrail went to war, I would fight for them. I am, for better or worse, a very discerning consumer and a company must have an excellent product, image, and a very high level of involvement within racing or charitable efforts.

One of the companies for which I am an advocate is Patagonia, an apparel company that I was introduced to through my background in climbing and fell in love with for their style, excellent materials, and conservation efforts.

I do not consider them by any stretch a fitness related company, but do believe some of their products can make the crossover nicely. After all, if a jacket is designed to be carried up K6, it can probably handle your early morning run.

K6 in the Karakoram. I believe Steve House used the Houdini in a super fast, alpine style ascent

This happens to be the motus operandi of the Houdini, Patagonia's ultra-lightweight shell. Though I love the jacket, I do so much like one would a family member- in recognition of and despite its flaws. The Houdini is somewhat apathetic in its repulsion of water, and after a long run, the forearm section of the sleeves can be quite wet due to a lack of breathability. But these drawbacks come with some excellent benefits.

The Patagonia Houdini

The weight. Oh my, the weight. 4 oz of goodness- including the hood- wrap around your upper torso. There are also elastic cords within the hood and around the waist to make sure the Houdini cinches down tight. I also really like that the hood isn't removable. All I do is simply tuck it down the back of the neck and I'm good to go, able to pull it back out on the fly should threatening skies end up backing up the promise of rain. The fit is also excellent for me and I run completely unencumbered. Finally, the style is something I love. The burnt orange color and understated dark grey patagonia logo on my jacket are perfect, in my eyes, and I find myself excited to put the jacket on for a run.

As an ultralight jacket, the Houdini comes up short. But as a stylish, ultralight, water-resistant windshirt, it performs exceptionally. Would I buy another one? In a heartbeat, although I would certainly check out the products offered by some of my other favored brands in the multi-sport world. I don't think I'll need to, though, as after years of regular use, the Houdini appears brand new. Given it's ultralight weight, that level of durability is a testament to the quality of Patagonia and the Houdini.

Run: Running- something to do during winter

For something so simple, running can be surprisingly complicated. Though that's not one of the most intelligent sentences I've ever written, a runner would certainly nod along knowingly. One of the great mysteries of running lies in its attraction. 

Be it for the pain, the release, the fitness, or any combination of these, running has an unmistakable appeal. This appeal, however, is completely incomprehensible to the non-running populace and only apparent to the runner after about three weeks of continuous training. But once the motivation and even desire to run is reached, it can be a powerful drive towards new fitness. 

After neglecting my running for the chlorinated and wheel-assisted disciplines, I've come full circle and readily embraced it. My base training phase will be dedicated to running, in fact, and I'm maintaining the motivation to train despite the deteriorating weather by signing up to race. In late September, I registered for the Halloween Monster Dash 5km on Oct. 25th and the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 10km on November 26th. In preparing for these events, I'll have a great push to get out the door and also greatly improve my triathlon racing. 

Racing within the individual sports is one of the most enjoyable elements of multi-sport, ironically, and I would highly recommend finding a local event or two to place on the calendar to keep you motivated in the coming months. Ontherunevents.com and a Google search for local running clubs/stores are two great resources to get you started. 

Nutrition: Making Race Weight with Healthy Desert Alternatives

The wife and I were shopping at the local grocery store (wait, it gets better) and were in search of ice cream. The usual suspects- Breyers, Dreyers, and those overpriced b*stards Ben & Jerry's were all well represented groups within the frozen desert populace, but something new caught our eye. Something delicious.

Umpqua Dairy is Oregon's largest, and their delicious ice cream is made, apparently, with only the finest ingredients. I believe them. We took 'Chocolate Peanut Butter' and blended it with a little milk to make a very thick milkshake. The peanut butter chunks blended into tiny bits adding a perfect texture complemented by the ribbons of peanut butter and delicious chocolate flavor. All for just $2.50 a half-gallon.

The siren song of this milkshake is difficult to resist. But that guy who just passed you in your next race? Yeah, he didn't have one. 

Each milkshake required an 1/8th of a gallon, however, and was comprised of 18g of fat, 21g of sugar, and  315 calories (though there are 7g of muscle building protein....). That delicious experience calorically neutralized a 30 minute tempo run. In my view, the 10 minutes of pleasure a desert affords the consumer isn't worth the guilt and calories. Unless it's made with Umpqua- that was a damn fine milkshake.

There are much more nutritious and comparably delicious alternatives available. One of my personal favorites- mixed berries with whip cream. The cream will satisfy your lust for dairy should you crave ice cream and the berries will serve up some quality nutrition. Rather than suffering the burden of the aforementioned milkshake, you'll receive only a paltry 20 calories, 1g of sugar, and 1.5g of fat if you use 2 tablespoons of Grade A Whipped Light Cream found in the spray cans at your local grocer. You could also go big and make your own whip cream. Try out this recipe that I found here at bonappetit.com 

Photo by Leo Gong, courtesy of bonappetit.com

Bike: Working while working out

My current endeavors require that I study for at least an hour or two each day. At the same time, I also need to put time in on the saddle, and the colder temperatures are making a push towards increasing riding time spent indoors. Unlike many triathletes, I enjoy indoor riding because it facilitates one of my most highly favored activities: studying while on the bike trainer.

I simply prop my study materials on my aerobars and go to town. Though not conducive with more difficult interval workouts, studying on the trainer works perfectly for a steady tempo ride or a recovery ride. The only negative is that it's harder to focus while one is pedaling away. A highly quantitative study I performed revealed that study time on the trainer is equivalent to about 1/2 to 2/3 the time spent studying in a normal fashion.

If you haven't tried this and are reading a book or going over some expense reports, give it a go. Just make sure to place your fan off to the side to cool you off without blowing your material around.

Bike Spotlight: rmcboy's Cervelo P3C

The excellent component selection and attention to aesthetics have easily warranted Slowtwitch forum member rmcboy's Cervelo P3C the attention of a bike spotlight post.

This machine is majestic. I would describe this bike the same as I would a 100 foot tall supermodel: beautiful and terrifying.

Though the sum of this P3C's parts is greater than the whole, I'll mention just a few highlights of what is, for all intensive purposes, a perfect machine.

The Frame:

Cervelo's venerable P3C is the standard by which all other triathlon bikes are compared. That might even be an understatement.

The Cockpit:

Easton has been underrepresented in the aerobar market and undeservedly so. Their excellent products present a minimalist aesthetic appeal and excellent performance. As an example of the attention to detail demonstrated on the Easton Delta CNT Carbon Base Bar (pictured here), the resin of the carbon fiber is impregnated with nanotubes which strengthen the matrix. Is there a notable performance advantage? Who cares! They're ****ing nanotubes!

A bike isn't sexy unless it's ridden properly, however, and the extremely low front end is just one indication of how the position afforded by this bike has been refined for aerodynamics.

The Fork:

Blackwell research helped pioneer a technology by which a central channel within the fork redirects oncoming air away from the turbulent air created by the spinning motion of the wheel. And it's sexy.

The Wheelset:

The only faster wheel combination than a HED 3-spoke and a rear disk is, well, there isn't one. And the aesthetic appeal is so far through the roof that the building is no longer visible.

The Crank:

The crankset is often neglected in regards to aerodynamics. Generating both rotational and translational drag, inappropriate crank selection could have a surprisingly significant detrimental impact on an otherwise excellent machine. That is certainly not the case here, as the excellent FSA SL-K carbon crank is outfitted with an aerodynamic outer chain ring, offering up both enhanced aero performance and undeniable visual appeal.

The Saddle:

The perfect bike has to address one fundamental consideration- it must make you comfortable, so that you can remain in the aerodynamic position and generate the optimal amount of power. Here rmcboy has equipped his ride with an ISM Adamo saddle. For those unfamiliar, this saddle is essentially a seat with a central cutout and no nose, forcing the rider to bear weight on the sit bones and not on the sensitive perineum. A bike isn't sexy if it keeps you from performing sexually, and this P3C certainly doesn't stand in the way of any post-race activities.

Honorable mention goes to the rear bottle cage retrofitted to the seatpost head. Rather than having a heavy rear attachment (often referrred to quite correctly as 'bottle launchers'), rmcboy has affixed a lightweight cage.

From the gorgeous and flawlessly performing component spec, to the overall presentation of one of the most intimidating and beautiful machines I've ever seen, rmcboy has hit a home run with this P3C. The additional details such as the low-front end, rear bottle cage attachment, and overall presentation of the bike make it a grand slam. I wouldn't be surprised if I am a faster cyclist just for having seen it.