TriBy3

My Experience with Lasik

2011-11-21T10:04:00.001-05:00

Almost one month out from Lasik surgery and I have to say, I'm disappointed in the results. I was fairly certain, like 98.75% sure, that I was going to turn out like this-

The doctors say the "total" healing process is 2 months and full results won't be realized until then, but I'm not even getting a spark out of these things. So despite the crushing blow of not being greeted by Professor X as I left the operating room and welcomed in to the fold with my own blue spandex costume, some of you have been asking about my experience with Lasik as you are apparently more interested in the vision correction side of things and less so with the whole genetic mutation thing.

I don't like eyeballs. Never have, never will. They creep me out and while I was fine with putting contacts in for the last 2 decades or so, I never wanted to get Lasik because there was a remaining 1.25% I would turn out like this guy-

Not worth it. Until, that is, the mosh put that was Ironman Lake Placid this year.

When the gun goes off in the amateur field, you have about 3,000 people who think the first person to draw blood wins. Fists and feet and neoprene go everywhere and it is a rough experience. I've seen broken noses, stitches, knockouts, and everything in between in just the three short years I've been racing. The most common mishap though, for me at least, is taking a heel or hand to the face and dislodging your goggles. Not a big deal for people who can see (unless you're swimming in the Hudson in which case your eye will in fact fall out), but for those of us that apparently come from the mole family, this presents a problem. So this year in Placid, about 400 meters from the end of the loop 2, a guy and his fist told me it was time to take care of this eye issue. This wetsuit clad gentleman took exception to my swimming alone and enjoying a relatively calm end to my 2.4 mile jaunt and expressed his feelings by socking me in the face twice. Turns out he thought I was the guy grabbing his heels all day- I wasn't- and didn't take kindly to this.

I didn't lose a contact in the race thankfully but still had to stop, drain the goggles, and get up to speed again. After the race I told Rob this story and her "but what ifs" sufficiently scared me in to getting over, at least temporarily, this eyeball terror I have. My consultation was set up for the beginning of August, surgery scheduled for post-Kona, and here I am reading the words on my screen with no corrective devices. Pretty cool.

On to the actual Lasik stuff. I decided to go to the Kremer Laser Eye Center in King of Prussia, PA to have my procedure done. Kremer basically pioneered laser vision correction, they've had remarkable success rates, and my mom had her procedure done there over a decade ago (and her eyes haven't fallen out). In August I went in for my consultation and it was pretty low key and very comforting. The technician took me around the office running various tests- vision with contacts, vision without, corneal thickness, corneal pressure, dilation rates, cataracts detection, etc- and then I met with the optometrist to discuss options. Unfortunately I have some pretty significant scarring on my right eye from a bike crash a few years back that cracked my orbital bone. As a result, the optometrist told me that I may not be a candidate for Lasik but would instead possibly consider another procedure called PRK or a Visian implant. More on those later. The optometrist was quite informative, mellowed me out, and gave me a ton of packets and papers to read up on to know what I was getting in to. All told the consult took about 30 minutes, I set up an appointment for 2 weeks post Kona, and walked out feeling pretty good about it all.

The reason the next appointment was 2 weeks after the Ironman is you have to give your corneas a chance to relax without contacts for half a month. Contacts swell the corneas which makes it impossible for the doctors and machines to get an accurate picture of your eye.

I went back to Kremer on Wednesday, October 26th for my pre-surgery consult and a final round of tests on the eyes. Having worn glasses for two weeks at this point, I was ready to get some eyeball lasering going. At this appointment I walked around the office again with the tech testing the standard things to see if there had been any changes as my corneas relaxed. Toward the end of the appointment though, the tech dilated my pupils so the surgeon could have a look. Now these aren't your standard dilation drops you get at the optometrists office. These things were serious. I couldn't see anything close up, couldn't focus my eyes, and couldn't look anywhere near light for a few hours. The surgeon who would be performing my procedure, Dr. Aronsky, came in to the room, checked out my eyes, and started talking options.

Lasik and IntraLase are the procedures most people know about when it comes to laser vision correction. Both procedures create a flap in your cornea, peel that layer back, then use the laser to resurface the corneal stroma which changes the way your eye refracts light giving you the ability to see. A lot like a contact but permanent. After the lasering is all done, the corneal flap is put back in place and the eye starts to heal up. There are much better photos on Google than this one, but I almost threw up when I went searching so find them yourself.

The difference between these procedures is that Lasik uses a microkeratome which is a tiny mechanical blade to cut the flap in your cornea while the IntraLase procedure is done entirely with a laser. The results of each are similar however the microkeratome can cause tiny perforations in your corneal flap pre-lasering in which case the surgeon would have to close the flap, let the eye heal, and you wouldn't be getting lasered for a few months.

PRK or photorefractive keratectomy uses the same lasers as Lasik, however in PRK there is no corneal flap. Instead of peeling back the outer layer of the eye, the laser burns off the epithelial layer of the cornea and then resurfaces the cornea. Because the laser does not go as deep as it does with Lasik, the corneal integrity is less affected which makes PRK the more desirable procedure for people with thin corneas. Also, if you play contact sports or plan on having things fly close to your eyes, PRK is safer than Lasik because there is no flap to worry about. However, the recovery process for PRK is longer and you will have blurry vision for some time as the epithelial layer of your cornea grows back. Most people can see fairly clearly in 5-7 days, but browse around on the internet for as long as this idiot did and you will terrify yourself with some horror stories.

Non-creepy photo of PRK

Dr. Aronsky, after checking out my eyes, recommended I do Lasik in my right eye and IntraLase in my left. When I asked him about Visian implants (basically a small contact implanted in to your cornea) and PRK, he said, "sure, we can do PRK". Clearly the man did not appreciate how freaked out I was by this whole thing and oddly enough he didn't feel like holding me in the fetal position and telling me everything was going to be ok. He changed the paperwork, shook my hand, and walked out leaving me wondering whose decision that had been.

So Wednesday night was fun. I sat at my parent's house reading every nightmare story about vision loss, rogue lasers, ridiculous recovery periods, and death (made that last one up in my head I think). Did you know that there is an entire blog devoted to the complications associated with Lasik and PRK? Yeah, neither did I, but I found it. They actually specifically request that people do not comment with success stories as they will be removed because the site is not meant to be a source of "balanced information". Wish they stated that before I read it for 8 hours.

With minimum sleep and maximum monopolization of Robin's time (I succeeded in freaking her out so I could recruit another "researcher"), I woke up Thursday ready to bail. What concerned me most was the recovery time associated with PRK. If people had trouble driving a couple months after the fact, how was I going to bomb a hill at 55mph without molding my face to the pavement? I spent 28 years being able to see just fine, albeit with glasses or contacts, so why would I want to take the risk? The blurry vision thing for 5 days or 5 months just wasn't going to fly.

The issue of corneal detachment from a bike crash was obviously a big deterrent, but I went in to Kremer on Thursday resolved to do Lasik or nothing. I was the pain in the ass guy that held everyone up by having the doctor come out of surgery to assuage my fears and talk me off the ledge. I told him my concerns about PRK and he said that normal recovery was only 5-7 days but there are instances when blurry vision lasts longer. Telling him I couldn't risk it, he said, "alright, Lasik it is". Cycling crashes didn't concern the doc much as I told him I wear sunglasses when I ride and I would land either on the side or back of my head most of the time and not my face. Glad I freaked myself out about the whole thing. I blame that stupid Final Destination 5 trailer for this whole thing. Hitting 60 on a descent with nothing but lycra to protect me- no worries. Getting a procedure done that millions have successfully undergone- uhoh.

So with that all settled I signed my paperwork, paid for the procedure, was taken down stairs and given scrubs and drugs. While waiting they put a couple numbing drops in each eye. All of the build up is kind of funny because they sit you in this room with all the other people getting their eyes done and it's like a conveyor belt. One walks in, 4 minutes later they are done. Next walks in, 3 minutes and they are out. Before you know it, you're up.

In the procedure room there were two nurses and Dr. Aronsky. Because I was doing Lasik (microkeratome) in one eye and IntraLase in the other, they took me to the back room first. Everything from that point on happened really quickly. They laid me on the table, fastened my eye open (creepy), dropped a bunch more numbing drops in, and had my stare at an orange light with my left eye. The doctor then put this suction cup thing on my eyeball and my vision in my left eye went totally black. The laser went on, I could feel some pulsing, and about 5 seconds later the laser was done, suction taken off, and my vision was completely blurry and white like I was looking through a glass of whole milk (this was the IntraLase laser creating the corneal flap in my left eye).

The doctor took me to another room with the optometry equipment, quickly looked over my eye to make sure the corneal flap was clean, then took me back to the laser. This time I was laid on the table in the first room. My right eye was propped up, this little mechanical contraption was placed on the eye, and the doctor sliced off the corneal flap. I didn't know it was actually a hand operated thing and I'm glad I didn't because it was so quick it wasn't worth stressing about. The laser was put in place over head, turned on, went for maybe 10-15 seconds, and that was it. The flap was put back in place, eye washed, done. They slid the laser over my left eye (which already had the flap cut my the laser), but then had a little trouble sliding the corneal flap back. This is where I was pretty sure I was going to vomit on everyone in the room as I couldn't feel anything but could watch this instrument poke my eyeball repeatedly while it tried to grab and move the flap. Finally, they got it where they wanted it, the laser went on, 10-15 seconds went by, done. Flap replaced, eye cleaned, and I was off the table no more than 5 minutes after I laid down.

Immediately I could see things I had never seen before without glasses or contacts. My vision was really milky as they told me it would be, but I could read the clock, see signs on the wall, and walk around just fine. Back to the optometrist office to make sure everything looked ok, and that was it. Feeling ridiculous at how nervous the whole thing made me I apologized to Dr. Aronsky for being such a pain in the ass, but he was great and understanding. The gave me my drops for inflammation and antibiotics and my awesome goggles and I was out.

Recovery:
They tell you to keep your goggles on and eyes closed for the first 6 hours after surgery and this is where my nervousness paid off. I was terrified of opening my eyes- 20% of me was concerned for infection, 55% of me was sure I'd look like the guy from Roger Rabbit, and the other 25% knew I needed practice controlling my new found laser eye abilities. I wrapped a scarf around my head to help with the sensitivity to light and slept for most of the time. Luckily, with Halloween right around the corner, my parents were able to have some fun with the situation.

Homemade Halloween!

After 6 hours I took the goggles off and could see everything. It was a pretty incredible experience. I tested my eyes on a downloaded eye chart right away (because I'm that big of a dork). With glasses and contacts the best I could ever see was 20/20. Six hours after I got off the Lasik table I could easily read 20/15 and could even make out letters on the 20/13 line.

I had to wear the goggles to bed every night for the first week and keep up with a steady regiment of eye drops. My eyes were dryer than usual, but nothing too uncomfortable. There was never any pain from the surgery and everything has been going great so far. I had a 24 hour checkup on Friday the 4th in which they tested my eyes and I was definitely clearer than I had ever been in my life. My left eye, the IntraLase eye, was 20/15 and the right eye, the Lasik eye, was 20/20. I should mention that I was left eye dominant before the procedure and my eyes were -4 left, -5 right.

Over the course of the second week post surgery, there has been what seems to be some minor degradation in my right eye, but I was told that is totally normal. Apparently my vision will fluctuate for 2 months before it stabilizes as the final product. That being said, I can still read 20/20 with both eyes and I would say that my left is still 20/15 and my right might be 20/25. Now that I've finished my steroid drops the eyes should continue to improve and vision should hopefully return to where it was right after the surgery which would be just incredible. I have a one month checkup in a couple weeks and will go back after 3 months, 6 months, and one year to check in.

All freaking out aside, it was a remarkably easy procedure with remarkably competent people. From the patient consultants to the techs to the nurses, optometrists, and surgeons, everyone at Kremer was fantastic. I've woken up able to read the bedside clock every morning without having to feel around for my glasses. It's something small, but after a lifetime of corrective vision devices, it's really nice to just not have to think about it. I was back in the pool after one week and was running and riding two days after my procedure so there is really no disruption to everyday life. And though I still can't shoot optic beams from some awesome visor thing on my face, I'm pretty psyched just to be able to open my eyes under water and be able to see.

*Update 11/21- Just over three weeks out from surgery and things are still great. I've had zero complications, the dryness in my eyes has subsided significantly, and there are signs that my vision is improving and the minor haziness is going away. The left eye is beyond perfect at 20/15 and the right eye is 20/20. At night I still get some small halos around lights, especially when I am tired, but those have steadily improved and my night vision is actually better than it was pre-Lasik. I have a very small amount of blurring still in my right eye, but to be honest, I think I only recognize this because the vision in my left eye is so great. Things should continue to improve over the next 6-8 weeks and hopefully both eyes will level out at 20/15 or even 20/13. Bottom line though, on "bad" days when I don't get a lot of sleep and my eyes are tired, I see as well as I ever did with contacts or glasses. On good days, I see better than I even have in my life.

Product Review: Tacx Sattori Trainer ($249.99)

2011-11-14T20:54:00.001-05:00

There are few things that I dislike more than riding my time trial bike on a trainer. I would rather be forced to listen to Holland Oates—“Holland is his first name, and Oates is his last name”—on repeat in a hot car than do a ride on a trainer that lasts more than 45 minutes. So, it is with great pleasure that I announce that I have finally found a trainer that I—dare I say it—actually enjoy riding!

I ordered the Tacx Sattori trainer about a month ago, but have been putting off actually using it since it arrived in a massive box from Amazon. Last week I decided that I would put it together in hopes that seeing it assembled would spur me into action. Since I’ve been training full on for the Philly Marathon, I haven’t been riding all that much and certainly have not had any desire to ride on a trainer while the weather is still decent. Daylight Savings Time forced my hand, however, so last Thursday saw me putting together my new trainer in my basement.

I used it today for an easy recovery ride for about 75 minutes. Wow. I have never felt so great while trapped in my basement. Well, there was that one other time, but I can’t go into that right now (here is a synopsis though: http://vimeo.com/19411482). Anyway, really smooth trainer once I took the first few pedal strokes. It was really easy to adjust as it comes with a shifter that you can attach to your handlebars. That means that you don’t have to get off the bike every few time you want more/less resistance. Genius!

The best part about it, though, was how responsive the wheel was when moving from one wattage zone to another. It was an easy ride so I wasn’t killing it, but I noticed an immediate difference in my numbers when I applied more or less pressure. I was really impressed. In trainers that I’ve used in the past it’s been really hard to get an accurate wattage reading. On this one, I felt that I knew immediately where I was and that I had full control over the wheel—not the other way around. I’m really excited to do some interval training later in the winter and really see what this trainer can do.

The only drawback would probably be the noise and the vibration. There was definitely more of a vibration than with my previous trainer (the Tacx felt similar to a Computrainer). I’m using this on a concrete floor in my basement, so I’ll try to put a mat under the trainer and see if that dampens the vibration a little. It’s a little loud, but again I’ll report back after I try it with a towel or a mat underneath. It’s no noisier than any other trainer out there, so that’s not a dealbreaker or anything.

Overall, I’m very very impressed. The trainer even comes with its own block for the front wheel that doubles as a carrying handle! And for 249.99 from Amazon, you really can’t buy a better trainer for this price. Get one here!

Ironman World Championships Race Report- Greg Close

2011-11-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

If you want to know what Kona means to me, look no further than my left leg. A week after I finished the Ironman World Championships in 2010 I was sitting in a tattoo parlor getting a topographical map of the Big Island etched in to my thigh. The drawing looks almost identical to the finisher medal from Kona with one minor exception- instead of an "M-dot", the symbol of the Ironman organization, over the city of Kailua-Kona, I have a tiny elephant floating there with an upturned trunk. When people ask me about it, trying to figure out what odd cartographic fascination would bring a person to draw Hawaii on their leg and what idiocy would inspire them to include a large African land mammal on a tiny island, my response is simple- I never want to forget what it feels like.

And I don't mean the standard stuff like qualifying for Kona or the finish chute or the Energy Lab or any of these images people watch at home on the NBC coverage. No, what I never want to forget is that feeling of immense pride for toeing the same starting line as some of the fittest people on Earth, and at the same time the feeling of humility that can only accompany a 282nd placing. For the last 12 months I've been motivated not by the glamor of Ironman Hawaii or the excitement of race week on Alii Drive or any of that. I've been motivated by the dismal feeling of finishing 282nd in 2010. 2011 was going to be different because that little elephant on my leg reminded me every time I threw on my cycling shorts or speedo that I hate losing.

Queen K Highway

Pre-Race:
I arrived on the Big Island on September 20th this year so I had plenty of time to acclimate and get some good training in. I won't go in to detail now on how my training differed this year from years past, but it suffices to say that I was exponentially better prepared for October 8th than I had ever been for anything. My massage therapist came out and spent 10 days with me getting me prepped for race day and helping me to recover from the giant miles I had put in during the weeks leading up to the race.

Back yard in Keauhou

Robin's parents came out the Sunday before race day and Rob made it out on Thursday night. The rest of the pre-race story is pretty uneventful which is exactly what I wanted. We did some of the standard, low-key things like beach hopping, coffee plantation tours, expo browsing, etc, but the focus was on putting together a great race for my last amateur event (if you've read my Lake Placid report you know the story of me earning my pro card).

Breakfast table which was right next to the massage table. This is depressing to look at now back home in Brooklyn

Race Day: Morning and Swim:
I woke up on race morning around 4am and felt like gold. Shockingly this was the least nervous I've ever been for an event. I credit that entirely to my level of preparedness (something I will write about in another blog coming soon). Rob, Anne, Jim, and I headed to the pier area, I was body marked, inflated my tires, added my bike computer and water bottles, then met back up with the family in front of the King Kam to kill time until the starting gun. Ensure Plus went down as smoothly as a 350 calorie shake can, warmups were done, sunscreen and chamois cream applied, Xterra Velocity M speedsuit was zipped up, and before I knew it it was go time.

Strapping in

I lined up pretty close to the buoy line at the end of the pier and, at 7am, somehow found myself on the front line of swimmers. At 1 hour +, this probably isn't the best strategic decision but I didn't have time to reconsider. The cannon went off and so did 1,800 swimmers. Last year the swim was surprisingly calm- the water was relatively calm and the other racers were unbelievably respectful of others. Not so much this year. The mosh pit started for me immediately and it didn't let up for the first 600 meters or so. We bunched up around the first buoy and I took my fair share of fists to the head and feet to the face. I did my best to get on some heels and swim a strong race, but I still have a lot to learn about racing the swim as opposed to just surviving.

At the turn buoy things were a bit more spaced out but the water wasn't quite so accommodating. I heard after the fact that there were a lot of boats out churning up the water but it felt like someone had turned on the dryer. Big rollers made holding a line a challenge and it all felt like a recipe for sea sickness. I bobbled around on a couple directionally challenged racer's feet for a bit but then found a guy who dragged me along for the last 1500 meters or so. I left a lot of time out on the course and exited in 1:05:20. A minute improvement over last year's swim time but still just unacceptable when compared to my bike/run times. I might grow gills over the next 12 months with the amount of time I plan to spend in the water. Given that the pros were about 90 seconds-2 minutes slower than usual it was clearly a slow day in the water, but 13 minutes off the pro pace is still 13 minutes.

Stats- 1:05:20, 54th in the AG, 525th overall
Equipment- Xterra Velocity-M Speedsuit (imagine how slow I'd be without that), Sable goggles

T1:
Thankfully smooth with nothing to report other than some otherworldly chafing on my neck- 3:01

Ride:
I've been waiting a long time to get back on to the Queen K and ride. Last year I did a somewhat disappointing 5:07 ride time and really let the heat get to me. I got my new bike thanks to Scott Sports just before Ironman Lake Placid but didn't really get to test it out over that 112 miles because, thanks to my own stupidity, I rode the entire IMLP race with my brakes on. Technically, I guess my non-drive side brake was rubbing every pedal stroke, but either way, I left a lot of time on the course back in July and was anxious to rock in Kona.

So on to the bike, up Palani and on to Kuakini to start the in town section, and my heart rate is apparently at 72...now 67...now 54...now I'm apparently dead. Hmm...Anyone that knows me knows how seriously I take my data. Heart rate, power, metabolic efficiency, barometric pressure, seismographic readings- I'll take whatever I can get. So after training my ass off for 40 weeks and praying to the deities that are heart and power every morning when I wake up, I felt a little forsaken. Maybe likening Garmin to God and me to Job is a slight overstatement, but I had trained too hard to get screwed up here and quickly determined to do all I could to come forth as gold.

Pre race video on the Queen K. Little flavor of what it's like on the highway

I got out of town comfortably and conservatively, said hi to the fam a couple times over the back and forth first 8 miles, then settled in to the highway tapping out a steady wattage and getting ready for a big day. Winds were pretty light over the first 40+ miles and the body felt good so I just cranked. I made it out to Kawaihae where the R(N) trio (Robin and her parents) was set up in just under 23mph and was feeling like I was in the midst of the day I had been planning. I committed to a conservative wattage for the climb to Hawi and only had to battle the winds over the last 2 miles or so en route to the turnaround.

What goes up...

Last year I left two really important things up at the top of the climb in Hawi. When you hit the turnaround in Kona and start descending, you're in for a wild ride. Even with the relatively calm winds we had this year, you still get crazy crosswinds in the neighborhood of 30-40mph and you just get knocked all over the place. A lapse in concentration means you are eating lava and a lapse in courage means you are quickly riding away from those two important things that are generally essential parts of male anatomy (no disrespect Lance). This year I decided long before race day to not only find those things but to reattach them, blow a kiss to my 55 tooth chain ring, and GO. Over the first 8 miles of the descent I rode over 40mph and I was lighting it up. With a max speed of 48mph I performed a successful medical procedure at high speeds and was back to Kawaihae and smiling at the family before I knew it. Over the hills around Hapuna Beach still clipping out an average just under 23mph and I knew that I had the sub 5 hour split I wanted in sight. I didn't know exactly what my time was since my computer had been stopped and started a bunch in the beginning, but I was going after it.

Around Waikaloa I came up on the unmistakable figure of Ken Glah. I rolled up along side and said "I've got no HR, I'm going off conservative power numbers and feeling, what do you think?". He said, "well, how do you feel?". I shrugged, let him know I was feeling pretty great still, and he said two words I was waiting for someone with more experience to say to me- "good, go". The winds started to kick a little and the heat of the day was taking it's toll on the guys I had been around most of the day, but after seeing Ken and getting psyched that the plan was working, I put my head down, my butt up, and turned it on. Last 40k went off in just over an hour and after seeing Rob back in town putting all the other spectators to shame, the only negative feeling was the guilt associated with the affair I was having with my bike. Good thing I live in New York because that relationship, for sure, would not be acceptable in Mississippi.

Back to town

Stats- 4:54:03 split, 22.85 mph, moved up to 16th in the AG, 159th overall
Equipment- Scott Plasma Premium, Hed Jet 6/9 combo, Hed Black Dog bars, Rudy Project Wingspan helmet, Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CXs, ISM Adamo Road saddle, Torhans Aero 30 hydration

T2:
In and out, no socks, go fast- 2:27

Run:
Out of T2 I had a quick look at my watch and saw it was 1:05 pm which meant I was moving. I wanted to go under 9:15 and with a Ironman PR marathon of 3:10, I was right there. I got my heart rate back right away on the run so the plan was to keep things in check but go after that 7:10 mile. Last year I felt great for about 14 miles, felt a little iffy for the next 4, then attempted to find a hole to bury myself in at the Energy Lab and spent the last 8 miles thinking that I had at least chosen a nice venue for my own death. Didn't want that this year.

Everyone looks so happy just a half mile in to the race. It's like we forget what's about the happen

If you read my Ironman Lake Placid race report, you know I ran a 3:11 marathon there and was feeling pretty psyched about my run fitness. Problem was though, I ran that by latching on to the heels of two other guys and hanging on for 19 miles just to crank out a sprint at the end and beat them. Off the bike in Kona, a couple miles in, on the flats along the ocean on Alii Drive and running solo, I let those thoughts of "can I actually do this on my own" start to creep in. I was running 7:10s or so to the turnaround past mile 5, but I wasn't feeling so hot. On the way back I saw a bunch of teammates and super fast runners I had raced this year coming for me and they all looked good. Running back to town the pace slipped a little to 7:15-7:20 and I was thinking "uh-oh". Not knowing what my heart rate was on the bike I decided it was possible I overdid it on the ride.

Mile 6 kind of sucked and mile 7 felt like I was in trouble, but then mile 8 rolled around and my legs started to come back underneath me. At mile 9 I was starting to feel like a runner. By mile 10 I remembered how hard I trained this season and that the whole goal was to prove to myself I could race as a pro next year. That was all I needed. Halfway up Palani I threw all of my plans out the window.

Climbing Palani around mile 10

Data is a great thing until you let it be a limiting factor. I knew every single mile marker on the course, I knew what I had to be running here and there to go 3:15 or 3:10, I "knew" what I could sustain for 26.2 miles, and I let that dictate every race I had done until about the 10 mile mark at Kona. Placid was a break through because I raced the marathon strategically, not because of my time. After I finished I was chatting with one of the women I respect most in this sport, Jan Wanklyn. I told her I ran this great time and went 9:41 and blah, blah, blah, and she gave me the best motivation a data centric, numbers obsessed guy like me could hear. She thought for a couple seconds about my 3:11 marathon there and said, in all seriousness, "3:11 huh? You should have gone under 3". I thought about her at the top of Palani and that's when I actually started to race.

The Queen K was hot but we had some cloud coverage. Miles clipped off in a hurry and I was mentally prepping for the Lab. The pace was still steady around 7:15 when I dropped in. Picked up my special needs bag, glanced at my watch to get a marker on the competition behind me, and turned for home. The guys I was eyeballing back on Alii had fallen off the pace and I had caught everyone I knew and dropped them by the top of the Energy Lab, so this was now a 10k race for myself.

I saw Ken again at mile 22 while he was heading out and the sheer excitement in his voice for the result I was putting out is what is going to make me even faster next year. Finding someone that believes in your goal as passionately, if not more than you do, is the best thing a coach can bring to an athlete. Life got hard somewhere around mile 23 or 24...or maybe it was 18...or 21...I don't know. Point is I stopped thinking and just raced. I ran my last 10k, without question the hardest 10k of the race, in 6:46/mile. I blew my brains out over the last 2 miles and couldn't tell if my face was attached at the end (which led to some awesome finish line photos), but I ran a 3:06 en route to a 9:11 final time.. Not there yet Jan, but I promise you I'll be in the low 2:40s before this is all over.

Going home

Coming down Kuakini for the last time as an amateur, I saw Rob and her parents. People can have their 2-minute offenses, walk-off homers, and shootout game winners, but for me there can be no better feeling of athletic accomplishment than looking over your shoulder with less than a mile to go and seeing no one behind you and just your screaming family in front of you. I want that feeling, I crave that feeling, and because of Robin's unyielding support that I can always go faster, train harder, and be better, I will have that feeling some day soon. We did it and we're going to keep doing it.

Stats- 3:06:42, 6th in the AG, 72nd overall
Equipment- Brooks T7s

Final Time- 9:11:33

Kona capped my 2011 season and it was a great end to a big year. My professional racing career will kick off on February 12th in Panama. After spending 4 years building up to the top of the amateur ranks, it will be a strange feeling to find myself in the basement again with the pro field, but I can't wait. I have no delusions of grandeur and can't even fathom the amount of work ahead of me, but I'm also not planning on giving anything away. I've fallen in love with Kona after two straight years there and, though the pro points system will make it ridiculously difficult to make it back next year, I plan to be standing at Dig Me Beach on the morning of October 13th, 2012. I want to win it all one day so I have to start sometime, right? And just in case I forget this feeling, I've got a little elephant talking to me, probably in Jan's voice, saying "72nd isn't all that great either if you want to top that podium". 2011 mission accomplished, back to work.

Ironman Regensburg Race Report- Andrew Duggan

2011-09-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Arrival in Germany

We’ve been excited about heading to Germany for some time. My close friend Clive Culkin ran the inaugural Regensburg race in 2010 and raved about it. We thought it would be a great opportunity to see Germany together - particularly Bavaria with its rich history of castles and, the birthplace of the 3^rd Reich.

The Duggan crew, including our dear friend Greg Close (who we now affectionately call “World Class Coach”) descended on Munich, Thursday Aug 4^th and headed to Regensburg. We checked in with Ken Glah and his company Endurance Sports Travel. This was an excellent choice as Ken gave us a personal tour of the bike course (which served me greatly in the race), practice sessions in the lake, and bike construction / tuning. It made for a calm and orderly race preparation.

The beautiful downtown section of old Regensburg

The day before the race, Greg and I sat down, had a race strategy conversation and went through my nutrition plan in detail. This last minute preparation helped me run what was to become the best race of my life.

Pre Race

I’m not normally prone to jet lag, but I really didn’t sleep well in the days leading up to the race. Maybe it was more than jet lag…

My race goal was sub 12 hours. Given that my previous best time was 14 hour 48 mins, my 12 hour plan was a solid goal. The night before the race I woke Dani up around 1am and said, don’t tell anyone, but if I have a good run, I think I’m capable of breaking 11 hours. That was a big “if” considering I had not run more than 13 miles in training due to recurring Achilles issues. I told myself to focus on the sub 12 hour plan.

Nutrition: 3 Ensure Plus (10pm, 1:00am, 5am), sodium loading program started at 8pm, 150 cals of gel 15 minutes before the swim start

Swim

The morning of the race was cold, wet and windy. The storm clouds were out and many folks were nervous about a long ride in the rain. As I headed down to the swim, I didn’t feel nervous. I just wanted to the gun to go off…

It was crowded down by the lake. Over 2,500 participants all headed into the water at the same time. The countdown began and the pro’s were off. Everyone started heading toward the water en mass and chaos began.

Swim start

I’m one of those strange people that loves rough swimming – I have no issue with crowds in the water, large waves, or pushing, kicking and mayhem like that. Needless to day, it was a mosh pit and I loved it.

The first turn was around 800m out – basically a straight shot to the end of the lake.

About 600 meters in, I looked up to “sight” the turn buoy and saw a guy on his knees fully out of the water. I looked twice to see if I was hallucinating, and I wasn’t. I just assumed he was on the backs of other swimmers.

While the crowd didn’t bother me, my goggles were kicked off my face - twice. No problem, except I needed to stop to put them back on. Time lost… bummer.

As we got to the first turn, we needed to go between two buoys, which created a funnel effect. It was crowded and slow through the turn, but I knew the swimmers would start to spread out based on ability from here on out. With so many people in the water, I didn’t need to do any sighting – I just watched my fellow competitors and paced good swimmers. I never went off course. This is the upside of being in a pack.

As we hit our next turn at around 2,000m there was significantly less people around me. I start getting into a groove and passed a bunch of folks – either they went out too fast or didn’t have the stamina for the pace that was unfolding. I stayed on the legs of some good swimmers as we hit the last turn. Now just an 800m straight shot for the shore.

I picked up the pace, added my kick into my stroke to get my legs ready for the bike. I remember feeling that I was excited– I loved the cold weather, I loved the rain and was curious about what I could do on the bike after all my hard work this summer.

Exited the water at 1:12 and beat my previous personal best by 12 mins. I was hoping for a sub 1:10, but given the 2 stops to replace goggles and the funnel affect during the turns, I was more than happy with the result

As I exited the water, and started pulling off my wetsuit, both my Achilles felt stiff when running barefoot and I remember being worried that this might come back to haunt me later in the day when it was time to run; but no time to think about that now. It was bike time!

When I was packing my swim to bike bag the day before the race, my coach was incredulous… no forethought in the packing from me. Bike shoes closed, socks rolled together, helmet strap closed, no order and sequence in my packing. Greg and I went through each step and I packed the bag according to his instructions. It paid off – super fast T1.

Equipment: Zoot Wetsuit, Sable goggles.

T1 was 4:56. Took 4 mins off my previous IM T1 time.

Bike

The rain was pouring down but I was just smiling, couldn’t wait to get out on the bike.

The first 12 miles were relatively flat, there were some minor hills, but nothing tough. We had strong winds and rain in abundance. I was averaging 25-27 mph - which surprised me. I looked at my power meter to check my output – I need to ensure I wasn’t overdoing it. Power output was good, in the range of my plan – so I kept pushing. I was just surprised at the speed I was getting. My initial thought was that the wind was in my back – it wasn’t.

The long slow climb started at mile 12 and gradually got steeper peaking around mile 18. Once over the top there were some great short descents, tapering out, followed by a steep descent.

This hill climbing is where the strength of Greg’s coaching came in. I was riding to a specific power range, I kept in that range, on the flats, climbing and descending. Throughout the race I was never passed on the flats or descending. However, I was passed by tons of folks climbing… I could easily have climbed harder, but I would have burned my legs and blown my power range. I stayed with the plan and always retook the folks (who passed me on the climbs) either descending or on the flats right after the hill. I remember looking at them and thinking that they were wiped out from the climb.

As I came around a corner at the top of the mountain, about to enter the steep descent, I remember Ken telling me in the pre-race bike course trip: “Once you see these trees open up, let loose on the bike. It’s looks worse than it really is – if you can get an extra 5 mph on the top, you can carry it for miles.”

Those words rang in my ears as I took the corner, with the rain beating down, and the wind blowing – I push the bike hard down the hill, tucked my chin down onto the handle bars, pulled my knees into the frame and made a bee line straight down the hill. I hit 49.6mph and rocketed down the hill – it was exhilarating. Once I hit flat ground, I maintained about 25 mph average for another 10 miles.

At this stage, I was passing folks who had a great swim – but were not as strong on the bike. I was riding in a pack of solid cyclists that I knew were beyond my capabilities just one year ago. It felt great. The cold and rain didn’t bother me.

As the first loop was coming to close, I was averaging 20mph. My goal for the bike leg was 6 hours and - at the halfway point - I was way ahead of schedule. I began to worry again that I was going too hard, but my legs felt great. My nutrition was spot on, my power was lower than I was putting out in training – and it was then that I knew I could smash my bike target for the day.

As lap 2 started, Greg was there with my special needs nutrition replenishment. We checked in on progress with Greg running along side. How is your power? How is your heart rate? Are you feeling good? Go! Go! Go!

I was looking for Dani and the kids as I was coming through the aid station. They were there cheering for me, but I was going too fast to see them. But I could feel their support. As lap 2 started I broke into my Twix bars as a treat. I kept popping my salt pills every 30 mins and drinking as much fluid and I could handle.

As I got busy on lap 2, I began to focus on the next rider ahead of me and picking them off – one by one. It was a great mind game, kept me focused as I headed into the climbs for lap 2.

I wanted to push harder on the climbs but my training kept me in check. After I descended the big hill – I had a comparatively modest 46 mph descent. Regardless of the speed down the hill, the climbs are an “average killer” – and my average speed was down to 19.3 mph. The only thought I had was… can I get it back to 20 mph? With 80 miles behind me, the average numbers are harder to move with only 36 miles left.

I put the pedal down and pumped near 25 mph average for the remaining miles watching my average tick over from 19.3 to 19.4 about 5 miles later. Then to 19.5 and 19.6 as the miles ticked over. I remember thinking, I just need another 10 miles on the course and I think I can get back to 20mph average.

Think about it - here I was wishing for more miles on the IM course to get my average up! It had the affect of making the last 36 miles fly by – and I as I entered town, I was surprised that the bike leg was over. I started to prep for the run. Loaded some salt pills – downed my nutrition drink and water. And popped some Twix. Time to get the running legs going.

Andrew rocking the sweetest bike in the world

My bike time was 5:38 with an average of 19.7 mph on a relatively hilly course in the wind and rain. Beat my previous bike best by 1 hr and 30 mins (7:08 at 15.7mph)

Nutrition: 300 calories per hour, all liquid. Water at every aid station. Lava salt every 30 minutes or so. Twix bars for fun.

Equipment: Rudy Project Wingspan helmet, Rudy Project sunglasses, Hed Stinger 60 front, Hed Stinger Disc rear, Scott Plasma Premium

T2: 3:28 – in and out like the wind. Thanks Greg!

Run

Once my running shoes were on, I didn’t feel any pain in my Achilles. I was cautiously optimistic. I blazed out onto the run course - four loops around the town center and the nearby park. Roughly 6.5 miles per loop.

In my training, due to recurring Achilles issues on both legs, I had not run further than 13 miles. So the run was a complete unknown to me. I told my coach before the race that I felt certain about the swim, and certain about the bike, the run… no so much. I’m a good runner, just didn’t know if the Achilles would hold up.

My heart rate was good and my legs didn’t feel fatigued. I wanted to see how the first loop went before predicting my finish time.

I did the first mile in 6:18. Way too fast. I slowed down to a more manageable 8:10 pace for the second mile. During the second mile I came across the Team Duggan support crew. Dani was cheering. Montana was jumping up and down. Wyatt, Dylan and Greg were running along side me encouraging me along. I stopped and gave my incredible wife a kiss for her years of support and hugged all the kids.

It was like a breath of fresh air. As I started running again, I did a check with Greg on how I felt. Felt strong, legs were good – let’s see how the first loop goes…

Mile 3, 4, 5 – 8:20, 8:43, 8:59. Coming out of loop 1, mile 6 was 9:04. Told Greg that if I could hold this pace, I’d break 11 hours. I think we were both in shock.

The run course setup was wonderful, relatively flat, a few small hills in the park – but they were immaterial really (at least in the first few loops). The run course went through the historic old town of Regensburg (a World Heritage Site) and there were thousands of spectators cheering us on in the rain.

Cruising through one of the 52 loops on the Regensburg course...Just a slight exaggeration

I’m not a big fan of multiple loop courses, hey – why run something you’ve already run… So to handle the mental challenge, I’d pick out some groups along the way at various stages and connect with them. I passed a group holding with an Irish flag and shouted “Go Ireland” as I went by. They cheered and screamed in support and that kind of energy gets into you and can lift you for miles.

They was an announcer about a mile past the Irish crew, I looked in his eyes and have him the peace sign. He looked back surprised, I think. On loop 2, I did the same thing and he announced my name (from my bib) and the crowd cheered. On loop 3 I could see that he was watching out for me. He was accouncing my name before I reached him and I looked him in his eyes again, smiled and gave him the peace sign. He cheered. On the final loop – he was saying “Come on Andrew, Come on!”

As the loops progressed I found the runs through the town exhilarating while the runs through the park, with no support due to the weather, very difficult.

I felt as strong in loop 2 as I had in loop 1. Even though I etched out an 8:49 on mile 8, my pace had dropped to an average of 9:30. So, by the half was mark – around mile 13, I knew that technically I was on a 4 hr marathon pace and sub 11 hr race – but practically I was losing a minute per mile average on each loop.

Doing the match, I assumed I’d drop to a 10:30 min pace on loop 3 (Miles 14 to 20) and 11:30 on the last 10K. That would mean I would miss the 4 hr marathon pace and the crazy sub 11hr race idea I had. As I started to process this, I realized that my marathon PR was 4hrs 30 min before this race – and that was without a bike or swim beforehand. So, I focused on not blowing up and beating my marathon PR time.

Loop 3 went as I had expected, the average dropped to just below a sub10:30min pace

On loop 3 and 4 those little hills on the back side of the course in the park didn’t feel so little anymore. I remember hunching my shoulders over, and pumping my arms through the air to get the momentum to go up those little “mountains.” These were little inclines that I had breezed up in my earlier loops. I resolved not to walk as I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to get my legs moving again.

My heart rate was good, I didn’t feel pain per se – my legs just wouldn’t move any faster.

Coming around the end of loop 3 and starting loop 4, Greg ran up next to me – told me I had best race of my life in the bag – now dig deep, push the last 10K. Quote “Just decide – and do it.” They were wonderful words and I took mile 19 in 10:06, Mile 20 in 9:55 and Mile 21 in 9:52.

Then I headed out into the relatively quiet park and ran the last few miles slower than I would have liked. I came back into town and took the turn to the finish line…. Wow.

It was a long straight run, Greg was jumping and cheering, I was smiling from ear-to-ear. My spirits were high – I was searching the crowd for Dani and the kids and found them half was down the finishing line procession. I stopped. Kissed Dani and thanked her for all her support. Hugged Montana, Wyatt and Dylan who were all so excited for me.

Just this finish chute between Andrew and a 3.5 hour PR

I turned, ran to the finish line. And looked up to see two things: 1) 11:18 on the clock – beating my previous race best by 3hrs and 30 mins and 2) the sun high in the sky. I finished an Ironman race in the daylight. Not in the dark.

I bent over and cried.

One of the support staff ran over and asked if I was ok. I said yes, that I was just crying.

She gave me a big smile and a hug and said: “Well done, today you are an Ironman”.

Equipment: Mizuno Wave Rider 14

Post Race

We all met up past the finish line, hugged, cheered and rejoiced in a great day. The experience was amplified by the love and support of my family and friends. I knew many folks were watching my progress online and I was as happy for them that I delivered a great performance. Now looking at the next stage for me – earning a Kona slot through force of my own performance. Let’s see. I think I’m off to a good start!

Happy athlete, happy coach

Ironman UK Race Report- Andy Brookner

2011-09-06T16:50:00.000-04:00

In general this is a great race to do if you are looking for a Kona spot. Otherwise, the logistics and the peculiarities make it difficult.

Woke up at 3 AM on race morning to be able to leave by 4 AM to ride to the shuttle bus which takes you to the swim start. Promised to stay positive no matter what happened and not to be upset when things go astray. Had my coffee and three bananas, checked my bike, run and dry cloths bag and headed out with my brother, Steve, his wife , Jill and my wife Marie for the "Reebok" center for the bus. Fortunately my brother is great at driving on the "wrong " side of the road or I don't think I could have ever done this race. There were 5 separate locations to deal with. Registration was at the Leigh Sports Village which was about 2 miles from the swim start at the Pennington Flash. T1 was about 100 yards from the lake, but T2 was about 20 miles away and the finish line was in the center of town which was about 9 miles from there. The race briefing and awards ceremonies were at the Reebock center which was a 20 minute drive from the finish.

All these locations had to be negotiated on the day before and the day of the race. Thank God for GPS's and lefty brothers.

Back to the race.

It was a wet suit swim and very comfortable once you got going. Which was almost immediately. The ramp into the lake was narrow and by the time we got in we just had time to swim the 100 yards or so to swim start when the race began. Truth is we were slightly delayed because Steve and I went to see what kind of bike #1111 was riding. 1111 was Scott Balfour's number. He's the defending champ in my age group who has won this race the ever since 2003. Like me, his best discipline is his running and last year he ran a 3:36 Marathon to easily win the age group. In fact he runs away with the race every year. No one has come close.

At 64 I hoped he was slowing down, but he had just run a 3:06 Marathon in Edinburgh in the Spring, and he has multiple sub-three hours Marathons in his resume. My best is a 3:11 in the NYC Marathon in 2003. His bike split was only 6:40 last year, so I'm hoping to be ahead enough by the run to hold him off. I checked his number at registration so that our spouses could spot him on the run and let me know where he was. None of the other registered 60-64 year olds seemed to be competitive. The strange thing is that there was no bike racked at number 1111. 1110 and 1112 were there, but his bike wasn't. He was definitely listed in the competitors list, but did his oversleep? or was he injured? Not sure, but can't think about that during the race. The swim was actually pleasant. With only 1200 competitors there was plenty of room compared to the usual mass starts. Also, the Brits seem more civilized and other than the usual, inadvertent, bumps there was no intentional grabbing and pushing, as is usually the case. Therefore, I had a IM PR swim of 1:11. Unfortunately, there were no strippers to help us out of our wetsuits. Being just 3 months post shoulder surgery, my shoulder is still weak and I have a hard time pulling the wetsuit off my legs. I asked a volunteer in the changing tent if he could help, but he really didn't know about wetsuits and started doubling the legs over which makes them impossible to remove.

I had to undo what he had done and them with all my strength get that damn suit off. Lost about 2 or 3 minutes, which feels like forever, but it's a long day and I promised to stay positive.

Felt good at the start of the bike. The temp. is nice and cool with a little rain, but my planned Wattage of 185 feels very easy. The roads are pretty rough though. It's all asphalt, but rough. Instead of a nice smooth feel they're the kind of road that make your teeth chatter. The first 15 miles are pretty flat, but then you get to the 37 mile loop and it's up and up. There is one serious climb at the start of each loop and it's steeper than any of the climbs that I practice on on 9W or River Rd. I tried to keep my Wattage under 275 and my HR under 140, but it was tough to keep any momentum going. My cogs in the back were an 11-27 and I could have used an 11-28 to keep my cadence on the climbs. The downhill off the climb was narrow and twisty so you couldn't take full advantage, in fact I almost wiped out when I hit some dirt on the first loop. Didn't see any mileage markers until the last loop: it was a small sign with three mileages on it, for each of the loops. There were two feed stations and the water was in a real Gatorade 800 ml sports bottle that actually fit nicely in the cage. Only had to drink two of their water bottles plus the two bottles of nutrition.

I was aiming for an average wattage of 185 and I got off the bike at 186: mission accomplished.

However, I was hoping for a time of about 6:15 and I was over 6:40! In other race I would have been devastated, but I had kept my goal wattage. It was just a very slow bike course: much tougher than Lake Placid, where I had felt miserable about my 6:25. Well, Scott was probably ahead of me anyway and there was no way I could run a 3:30 Marathon, but I might as well start running and try the rapid cadence I had been practicing.

Looking for the first mile marker to check my pace, which feels slow, but I don't see it after 8 minutes or 9. This must be pretty bad. Then the strangest part of my race happens. My family spotters come running up waving their arms and yelling that I'm going to Kona! I hear "No one made the swim cut-off. You can take it easy". My pace quickens as I try to digest this news. But it make no sense. How could it be that no one made this swim cut-off? It was an easy swim. And take it easy? I really don't have any other gears when I'm running a Marathon. I just run my pace: as fast as I can for the distance. So I'm not going to "take it easy", but where are those mile markers? Almost 25 minutes into the run and nothing. I can't believe it. How am I going to pace myself. I look at my watch and see my HR is 120. I'll go a little higher: 122, and keep it there. That's an effort that I know I can maintain for 4 hours, and it feels about the right effort level. And I keep it at 122 for hour after hour, and start passing more and more people.

After about 6 miles you enter the loops. You do three, each being about 6 miles and the give you a red wristband after each loop. I notice that I'm passing people that are behind me and even more people that are ahead of me. I'm thinking that I'm running about a 3:50 Marathon. My heart rate is in large numbers on my watch and I'm keeping it steady. There were 4 steep climbs which I would run until my HR went over 130 and then briskly walk the rest. With half a lap to go I look at my watch and see 3:-2. Couldn't really see the middle number, but it must have been a 2, which would be 3:22 which would mean about a 3:45 finish: about what I expected. I check again after my next drink of water and see 3:12! With only 2 miles to go I take off and finish with a total of 11:29:31 and a Marathon split of 3:24, which is an Ironman Marathon PR buy about 20 minutes.

Go to sleep that night feeling great. Even though there was apparently no one else in my age group, I still ran a great race and beat Scot Balfour's time last year of 11:36.

It's not until the next day, when I go to purchase my Kona spot that I see the official results and notice that there are two names below mine. And my face turns pale when I see #2: Scot Balfour. He ran 3:25 Marathon. He beat my swim by 7 minutes, but my horrible bike ride beat his by 16 minutes. When we spoke at the awards he told me that his envelope didn't have a chip so they had to give him a different chip and that's why his results weren't posted. I think he was playing possum.

Equipment:

Swim: Xterra Vendetta wetsuit

Bike: Quintana Roo Lucero lite, Zipp 808 wheels.

Run: Brooks T7 (the best!)

Nutrition:

Infinitnutrition: Andrew's Bike mix: 273 cal./hr, Andrew's Run mix: 235 cal./hr.

Thanks to my family for their support, especially my beautiful wife, to my coach Greg for his great endurance focused training, my swim coach Stefan for his patience in my pursuit of the perfect stroke, my wonderful training partner, Steve Bridgland, my crazy brother Steve who got me into this mess, River Road for being my "friend" and to Scott Balfour who forced me to push through to a new level to make me worthy of Kona.

Brooklyn Tri Club Climbing Clinic

2011-08-15T11:02:00.001-04:00

Erik Wins The Lighter Than Air Duathlon

2011-08-11T17:23:00.001-04:00

3mi Run, 20mi Bike, 2mi Run

8.07.2011

1^st Place

Even though I’m deep into Half-Iron training here, I decided to make the Lighter Than Air Duathlon part of my workouts for my last big week before the taper begins. Good choice, since I won some serious CASH MONEY for a duathlon of this size (…or, any race that I’ve done this year for that matter). The lead-up to Sunday’s race was pretty intense: I’m running 7-8 hours a week, biking 10 hours and swimming about 5 hours. Example: 2 days before the race, after spending 2 hours riding intervals on West River Drive, I was roped into a serious hill-ride with friend and Schuylkill Navy Racing member, Jon D’Alba. Clearly, that’s a formula for a successful race the next day. Plus I’m blowing through episodes of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ like it’s going out of style. Is that even an expression? I have no idea.

Ok, back to the race. LTA is a great race that’s put on by the people in charge of recreation at McGuire Air Force Base in Lakehurst, NJ. Super fast and flat course that uses the tarmac of the base on the bike portion: awesome. It’s pretty small, and you have to really know about it via word of mouth—something that I’d like to work with these guys to change because more people should know about how awesome this race is. It’s about an hour drive from Philadelphia and a little over an hour from the NYC, making it super-accessible and easy to find. This race is also the first race that I’ve been on time to, and involved NO speeding or expletives as Lisa and I left the house in the morning. We considered that a win right there; who needs the actual running-biking-running business?

I knew some of the competition from last year, and from various duathlons in the area. They were all formidable runners and I from seeing recent results, knew that they were running a lot faster than last year. There was a group of about 5 guys who just race sprint duathlons—it’s a niche market apparently—and would dominate me in a 5k especially since I was A.) not rested and B.) training to race a half-marathon. So, the strategy was to keep them in sight on the first run, blow the doors off on the bike then hang on for dear life in the final 2 mile run (I mean, c’mon, it’s only 2 miles!). Plan: EXECUTED TO PERFECTION.

We started the “Navy Way,” which is the following:

Starter: “ARE YOU READY?”

Athletes: “YES!”

Starter: “No, here in the Navy, we say ‘ALWAYS READY!’ ARE YOU READY?”

Athletes: “ALWAYS READY!”

Starter: whispers “Go.”

And we're off!

That was pretty great. From the start, my plan was working perfectly (read: I was getting dropped as three guys took off at a 5:30 or faster pace). That’s cool, just keep them in my sights and be patient. I was hitting 5:39 on average for the first mile, with my heart-rate through the roof; like, 200bpm. Whoops. Ok, back this down a little and stick to the plan. I ran the next 2 miles at around a 6:00 min/mile and just made sure to hold my position in 4^th place. Coming in to T1, I was passed by a gentleman who was moving pretty quickly and signaled to Lisa that this race was a terrible idea. I was working really hard and it would be stupid to let this race derail my last 2 weeks of training for Timberman. But, sticking to my plan I got onto my Kestrel 4000 and began the 20-mile bike segment sitting in 5^th place.

Once on the bike, I played the ol’ mental game with myself where I say: “Ok, if I don’t catch X, Y, Z by such-and-such mile, then I will bag the race and call it a day.” If I wasn’t going to win on the bike, then I wasn’t going to kill my legs on a 2-mile sprint; these guys were too fast of runners and there’s no way that I would catch them. Thankfully, I destroyed the bike course here. I put up a time that was 3 minutes faster than my bike last year, and 4 minutes faster than the closest runner. I passed the guys I was worried about by mile 5, and just hammered the rest of the course. There was a light headwind for half of the bike, so my average speed was 25.8mph; I rode 288 watts average with a HR of 180bpm. Admittedly, my HR was much higher than I would ever think of biking at, but I just couldn’t get it down after blowing it out on that first run. I also blame anything that went wrong on the lack of Accelerade, since I of course ejected a bottle as I was passing 2 of the runners who beat me on the initial 5K; no way I was going to stop and get that!

The bike course was also the first major ride after getting fitted by Jonathan Blyer at Acme Bicycles in Brooklyn. Wow, Jonathan, great job here. I’m in a super-aggressive position now, and I can feel how much faster it’s making me. Serious thanks, Jonathan. This was also my first race on my new wheels courtesy of a great sponsor of the Snapple Team, HED Wheels. I rode the race on a clincher Jet Disc with a Jet 9 front. Really fast. Combine that with the Rudy Project Wingspan helmet(pink, of course) and I was flying.

The final run was only 2miles, and I was 4 minutes ahead of the next rider. Big thanks to Lisa here for letting me know that I was not sucking it out there. Knowing this, I just had to run it in and I could get my first win of this season. I kept it strong enough to get the win, running 6:30 min/mi so as not to completely destroy myself. At this point, the humidity was probably 85%, so that was fun. I checked behind me with 0.60 miles to go, and saw no one. Zipped up the Snapple Jersey as the police escort pulled over, made the left turn onto the final dirt trail and threw up my hands for the run into the finish. 1^st place, with 2 minutes over the next finisher. I’ll take it.

Following the race, I was able to shower (awesome!) and get changed before the awards ceremony. LTA is great because it offers a $1600 prize purse with awards for Top 3 male and female finishers. There’s also a really nice set of china or some type of household trinket that each winner gets as well. So, I walked away from this race with my first win of the season, $400 and a really nice vase that I’m sure my mother will love. What to do with my prize money, you ask? Just ask Wendy:

I love Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers

Ironman Lake Placid Race Report- Greg Close

2011-08-05T12:28:00.002-04:00

Ironman Lake Placid holds a special place in my racing memory. In 2009, 7 weeks after fracturing my femur at IM Brazil, I had the brilliant idea of traveling to upstate New York to race this challenging race. Going in to the race having diagnosed myself as "healed", I quickly learned two things- I have no future in the medical field and IMLP is an unforgiving place. The 10:27 I pulled out there, while well fought, was a miserable experience. Not being one to know when to say enough, I ventured back to Placid this year to make amends.

Pre Race:

I got up to Placid Wednesday night and settled in at the lakefront Golden Arrow hotel. Did a little swimming, riding, and running in the days leading up to the race to make sure everything was ok, checked in to the race on Thursday, met up with a few of my fellow teammates that were also racing, and just generally tried to relax. My usual (and phenomenal) support crew of Robin and her parents, Anne and Jim, were in attendance and were joined this time by Rob's sister AJ, her boyfriend Ray, and my client Andrew. Until you actually suffer through one of these things, you can't possibly understand how helpful it is to have loved ones out there screaming for you.

Sunday morning finally arrived along with the somewhat anticipated ruling against wetsuits. First time without the floaties at Lake Placid but I was glad to see WTC stick to their own rule since the water was hot. The unfortunate thing was that in a race of 2,900, only about 600 chose to go sans-suit which meant there were 2,300 rubberized tanks on the water. But I'll get to that in a minute.

The pre-race morning went by quickly. Downed my last Ensure Plus, topped off the salt reserves, filled the tires, and started my warmup.

Nutrition: 3 Ensure Plus (10pm, 1:30am, 5am), acute sodium loading program started at 7pm, 800mgs of Lava Salt in the morning, 150 cals of gel 15 minutes out

Equipment: Lots of Compex (electronic muscle stimulator) to get the body ready.

Swim:

a.k.a total mayhem. I did this race in '09 with a partially fractured femur and it was the easiest swim of any Iron I've done. Not this time. With 2,300 non-wetsuit swimmers (they were allowed to race and finish with them, just wouldn't be counted for awards or Kona slots), this swim was a mess from start to finish. I lined up about 15 meters off the buoy line, about 6 or 7 people from the front. I was entirely surrounded by wetsuits.

The gun went off at 7 for the amateur field and the mosh pit started. I angled for the buoy line so I would hit it somewhere near the first turn, but that didn't save me from the fray. Arms and legs were everywhere! I was punched, kicked, held, pulled, and pushed more times than I could count. I did my best to settle in to a rhythm and find some good feet to find, but the number of incompetent swimmers around me that were benefiting from the seal suits made this impossible. Figuring the second loop would clear up, I pushed the backside of the course to get in quicker. I figured wrong.

I'm the one in the middle with the green cap on

I exited in 30:30. Not bad considering the conditions. Reentered, swam around the dock, and headed out to repeat the first loop. And repeat it I did. If you want to know what the second loop was like, just reread the above two paragraphs. I managed to stay in a group of wetsuit swimmers who were thrashing, stopping, sprinting, coughing...it was a mess. Every time I would accelerate to get out of the fray, the fray would find me again. I sat on the buoy line so I knew I was heading in a straight line, but that didn't help. With about 300 meters to go, a guy in a wetsuit next to me decided he needed to close fist punch me twice in the back of the head. That was helpful. I decided I needed to accelerate and kick him in the face. I didn't see him again. Exited the second loop, peeled off the speedsuit, headed for T1.

Time: 1:03:05- 191st overall, 21st in the age group. Second loop was painfully slow with all the mashing around. Sorry Xterra. Your suits are amazing but I am not. Someday though, I'll have that swim time to make you guys proud.

Equipment: Xterra Velocity M Speedsuit, Sable goggles

Bike:

I was really focused on not sucking so much in transition this time around. Though I have some lightning fast transitions in short course stuff, I apparently play the "how-slow-can-I-go" game in Iron racing. Not this time though. Covered the long run, threw on the shoes/helmet/glasses, collected my salts, tracked down my bike, and got out in 4:03 (32nd overall, bumped me to 132nd overall and 16th in the AG heading out on the ride).

I was expecting it to be cluttered thanks to my slow swim, but I actually had an easy time getting out of town and it was largely uneventful. Rocking my new Scott Plasma Premium (thanks Bart and Scott!), I was expecting a killer bike ride. I knew I could hold about 235 watts around a 150 heartrate, so that was the plan. Well, plan failed. I went out in the mid to upper 150s pushing a wattage around 260. Why? I have no idea. I tried to calm down on the descent to Keene then ease in to it on the flats, but it was no good. I kept pushing a big number, yelling at myself to chill, then continuing with the big number. I have this habit of getting excited at races and trying to end the whole 140.6 mile deal in the first 20.

As I hit the out and back to Ausable Forks, I kept my eye on the returning traffic. I saw a solid number of male athletes and assumed I was getting rocked. This didn't help me ease off on the effort level at all. The climbs to Wilmington and then back in to town were also uneventful. I knew I was moving slow even though I was putting out a big number, and I was also starting to get concerned about how much I was going to pay for my efforts on the second loop and on the run. Nutrition was great as I was taking in 300 calories an hour, but it didn't seem to be doing much.

Through town in 2:34 confirmed for me what I already knew...I was not going fast. The legs just didn't feel like they were there. Now is about the time I seriously questioned my intelligence for getting my fit tweaked two weeks out, but that was just an excuse at the time. Fact was, I went too hard in the first loop, got all excited, then realized I was in for some dark times. On the Keene descent I was able to finally start to settle in (only took 65 miles, right?) and the heart started to come down. Stayed steady on the flats, got passed by a couple people on the climb to Wilmington, tried to keep my sights on them, and made it back to Whiteface. It was about this time, 100 miles in, that I thought I was really in trouble. I was getting passed by guys I had moved through, I thought I was sitting about 30th overall amateur, had no idea how many guys in my AG were in front of me but knew of at least two, and felt pretty awful. The nutrition was on, the body was good, but the legs just weren't responding and I was frustrated that the speed wasn't reflective of my power. Sure, the wind had kicked up and the day was much hotter than expected, but I just felt like it wasn't my day.

There are no pictures of me on the bike because the family, being well schooled in the art of Ironman spectating, knew I was slow and didn't think I'd want documentation of this. So instead, I've included a video of a duck that loved my shoes.

I settled in for the climb up Whiteface and was getting more and more discouraged. Then I started to think about something Ken Glah told me before the race. He said, "just because you have a bad swim or a bad bike, it doesn't mean you have to have a bad run. Forget the bad parts and do what you can". Hope he was right. Over the top of the climb and back in to town, it was hard not to smile. The crowds were insane and everyone was so supportive. I saw the fam all cheering each time I came through and they really picked me up. In off the bike in 5:20 which was a bummer, but I was still in off the bike.

Time: 5:20:45 @ 236 watts @ 152 average HR -57th overall, 4th in the AG. Moved me in to 38th overall and 3rd in the AG after the ride. This bike has some glorious days ahead of it, I just need to be smarter than I was. And not suck.

Nutrition: 300 calories per hour, all liquid. Water at every aid station. Lava salt every 30 minutes or so.

Equipment: Champion Systems kit, Rudy Project Wingspan helmet, Smith Pivlock V-90 Max sunglasses, Hed Stinger 60 front, Hed Stinger 90 rear, Hed Black Dog bars, Scott Plasma Premium

Run:

Continuing with my plan to at least be good at something that day, I stormed the transition area. Shoes, hat, salts, Garmin, gone. I was in and out in 1:23 which was good enough for 4th overall on the day. Finally figuring that part of the race out. After T2 I was 35th overall, 20th out of the amateur field, and 3rd in the age group. If I wanted that pro card I had been talking such a big game about, I had some work to do.

Do as I say and not as I do...I don't know what this technique is

Exiting T2 I always feel great so I was going to crush those first 5-7 miles right? Ha. I felt awful starting the run. The legs just weren't there. I cruised down the hills and was moving along fine, but now the heart was way too low and I just didn't have any response. I went through fellow Snappler Todd Wiley who reminded me to not take it out too hard or I would pay for it later. By mile 2 I was cursing his voice in my head. Off the downhills and on to the flats at River Road, I felt two things: hot and slow. The numbers were actually alright (running around 7:30) but my heart was low and unresponsive (145) and I just didn't have a groove which was pretty much the theme for the day.

By mile 5 I hated triathlon. By mile 6 I hated nature. By mile 7 I was seriously ready to throw it in. Seriously. Looking back on the results I ended up with, this sounds crazy. Approaching the turnaround I counted guys and figured I was about 3rd in the AG still and was probably getting close to top 15 overall amateur. Still though, I just felt like I had forgotten how to race and was going backwards. Then it happened- I crossed over the timing mat at the turnaround which prompts an electronic message on a big board the race has out there. Normally, if you don't have family or friend put up a message it gives you some generic message like, "Go Get 'Em Greg Close". For some reason I looked over to see my cookie cutter inspiration and read, "883- Greg, don't forget Kona". I have no idea who put that message up there, but it saved my life.

That note was like a bullet. I had been so caught up in worrying about speed on the bike, how my legs felt, where I was in the amateur field, how the rest of the run would go, etc, that I forgot that the number one goal was just get back to Hawaii. I started to buckle down and think that maybe I could get through the race and maybe I could hang on to 3rd in the AG and maybe there would be 3 slots in the group.

At mile 9 we turn off River Road and start the climb back to town, and that's where two guys came through me, one in light blue and the other in black. A quick look at their calves told me they were 30-34, so I figured if I could hang on to them that maybe we could knock out some miles together. I settled in with Black and Blue and things started to turn around. Mile 10- 7:10. 11- 7:15. 12- 7:10. The miles started to evaporate, the heart got steady, and I started to get a little excited...in a good way this time.

At mile 12 Robin told me I was in 2nd in the AG about 2:00 back from the leader. Things are going well. Hit the turnaround, swap my gel flask at the special needs, and see Rob and co. again at the top of the hill. Now I'm 45 seconds back. Someone is in trouble.

We hit the downhills hard again cruising at 6:30s. Saw Jonathan Blyer at the 1st aid station on the second loop and he gave me a great push. As we cleared mile 15 and made the turn on to River Road again, I thought, "alright, this is good, hang with these two until 22 when I hit the uphills again and I'll be golden. I can get dropped then and still cruise to 2nd in the AG and a Kona slot". Once again, that plan quickly evaporated. Blue made a push at 16 and Black and I were dropped. Life got tough around 17 and Black pushed through me. Running solo again.

I fell back a couple hundred meters over the next couple miles but I could still see the two guys. I tried to jolt the system with every bit of nutrition I could find. At every aid station I just yelled "give me that!" and grabbed anything I could- coke, Ironman Perform, water, oranges, bananas, ice. Things went down well so I still had hope I could pull it together. At mile 19 I made the turnaround and starting counting the guys coming at me. I didn't see my fellow 25-29er anywhere near me. In fact, it looked like I had put a huge chunk of time in to anyone that would have contest my AG win and Kona slot.

Coming in to this race I wanted 5 things, in this order- Kona slot, age group medal, age group win, top three overall (pro card), amateur winner. If you're reading this, you've probably already heard these goals as I told everyone what my plan was. But somewhere between mile 9 and mile 19, I had a new goal in mind. I want to race. I've done a handful of Ironman events before but I generally just go through the motions, using the fitness that I've built up to attain the quantifiable result that I want. Basically, the time has already been decided before the gun goes off. Going against yourself and the clock makes for some fast times, but it makes for a really complacent style of "racing". That style of racing breeds a defeatist mentality, makes you cave in when the day doesn't go your way (read: my race up til mile 9), and causes you to get beaten by 27 seconds (read: Eagleman). I was sick of that.

I made a decision last July that I was going to win this race. Now, the least I could do was make an effort. I kicked at mile 20 and brought Blue and Black back on my radar. By mile 21, they were weakening and I was getting stronger. Turn off River Road at mile 22, hit the climb by the ski jumps, and they were within grasping range. I've never wanted to walk as badly as I did on that hill, especially with that little voice in my head saying "you've got the AG win, chill". I told that voice to shut up and kicked again. Top of the hill I'm 100 meters back. New plan- run 6:40s until you catch them and hope you can hang on until the end, then make it a race. Just before 23 I was back on board, smiling at Black and Blue, hoping they didn't see what I was feeling like.

We came back in to town running shoulder to shoulder. Down the little hill to the aid station, grabbed a water, then prepped for it to really hurt. At the 24 mile marker and the start of the awful climb in to town, Blue made a move. A quick check over my shoulder told me that Black was gone. He ran a great race but the wheels just couldn't stay on forever. At the top of the hill, just before the left turn on to Main Street, I got the single best piece of advice I've ever gotten. Robin, looking resplendent as ever, starts jogging beside me. "See that guy, the one you've been running with all day, the guy in blue? He's the 3rd overall amateur right now. You have to go". I respond, in all seriousness, with "I'm going to die". And with surprising clarity and conviction, Robin says "that's fine. You can die later. But right now, you have to go and you have to beat him".

Yes, I'm actually laughing at Robin telling me it's ok to die as long as I win...I think that ambulance behind is for me

Blue had 10 meters on me at Main Street. By Mirror Lake Drive he pushed it out to 15. As we flattened out and approached the 25 mile marker, he maxed out around 20 meters. Uh oh. I wanted to go but just couldn't. The crowd was deafening, the support was great, but my legs were hanging out back at the bottom of the hill. Nearing the turnaround, I decided I was going to survey the scene and then jump if I could. I made the 180, looked back, and 5 seconds behind me is the 5th amateur. All I could think was "27 seconds, 27 seconds, 27 seconds, you're a chump and you're going to get beaten again by 27 seconds". And I went.

I pushed the pace to 6:40s. The legs screamed, but the gap to Blue went down to about 15 meters. 6:25s and I was sitting at 7 meters. 6:05s and I was on his heels. I let up for two steps before realizing that he wasn't responding. Around his right shoulder I hammered to make sure the move would stick. Sub 6s down to Main Street, cramping like crazy, legs on fire, about to make the turn in to the Olympic oval to finish it off and I hear the greatest words you can ever hear. "There's no one back there, it's all you". I zipped up the jersey, threw my hands up, screamed at the family, and crossed the line. 3rd overall amateur, 25-29 age group winner, 15th overall with the pros.

Time: 3:12:14

Equipment: Brooks T7s

Nutrition: 260 calories per hour of gel, Lava salts every 30 minutes. Somewhere around mile 16 the plan went out the window and I just started eating/drinking everything I could find to fuel up. Bananas, oranges, salts, Perform...

Post Race:

After being peeled off the ground by some volunteers, I met up with the family to thank them all for so much support. I say the same thing to Rob at every finish line- "we did it"- and that's what I love about this sport. When you screw up and blow the race, that's on you. But when you succeed, it's something you share with all of the people that supported you and helped you and did everything for you except actually race the race. Without this group, I don't win. And it isn't just on race day, although the cheering is great. Without Robin telling me I had to go, I finish 4th. Or 5th. Or 10th. Without Robin being the uncompromisingly supportive partner she is, I don't even toe the line.

The rest of the day was pretty standard. Massage, lots of food, lots of cheering, midnight finish, etc.

Results came up and confirmed my position and the fact that I qualified for my pro license. I'm beyond excited to move forward with this new chapter of training and racing. It will be interesting to start all over at the bottom of the pack again (read- spend some time getting my ass handed to me), but this is the start to a dream I've had forever. The end is on top of a much bigger podium.

Eagleman 70.3 Race Report

2011-07-18T00:07:00.001-04:00

June 12th, 2011

Pre race:

I was excited for this race for a few different reasons. First, there is a lot of hype about Eagleman because it draws out a lot of fast athletes due to the 28 Kona slots offered. Second, it was a tune up race for Lake Placid for me, and with training going well, I was excited to see what I could do in my first half ironman in over a year and a half. I didn’t know a lot about the course but I knew that it was flat, fast, windy, and HOT. I got down to Maryland a couple days early and stayed about 30 miles north of the course. I was fortunate enough to have not only Robin with me but her parents and my friends and clients, the Duggans, as well. I missed 10 weeks of running earlier in the season because of a slight achilles tear, so though I was confident in my riding and felt well-trained, I was excited to see how the race would shape up. I was also excited to race with a number of my Snapple teammates and two TriBy3 clients who were also doing the race.

Race day:

My race went off at 8:15, but with the 6:30 pro start and early close to transition (6:45am), we had an early morning. Breakfast was my standard EnsurePlus with some added salts. Knowing it was going to be hot, I made sure to get some extra sodium in me before the race. I didn’t have a lot to worry about race morning since I already knew there would be no wetsuits and I had checked the bike in the night before. Despite the wind, I had decided to go with the big wheels: HED Stinger 9 and Stinger disc. In transition, I filled my tires, laid out my transition gear, and met up with the friends and fam to wait for race start.

Swim:

I started warming up thirty minutes out with a light run and Beyonce blasting in my ears. About fifteen minutes before the start, I put on the Xterra Velocity M Speedsuit I was wearing since it was non-wetsuit, and got a few warm-up strokes in. Like everything else about this race, the water is HOT. The gun went off at 8:15, and as we were one of the last waves, it was a mess basically from the start. Eagleman has a wide swimming lane but with so many people in the water and so many slower waves ahead, there is a lot of action at all times. Thankfully I found a guy’s heals right away and followed him start to finish. This guy swam like shark, going through anybody in front of him, and he kept the way clear for me. With the water being so hot, and the majority of the swim being against the current, we weren’t swimming fast but the swim/drafting strategy helped to keep my heart down and my effort low. Though my time was only 34 minutes, I’ve never felt this good coming out of the water.

Pre race nutrition: two lava salts, one gel, 20 minutes out.

Bike:

After a quick transition (sub 1:30), I was off on the bike. The plan was to ride steady and to keep my wattage around 270. I was guessing this would give me a split around 2:15 with lots of life left in my legs for the run. With temperatures climbing as it got closer to late morning/midday, I made sure to take in a lava salt every thirty minutes. I knew I was high up in my age, but didn’t know exactly where, so I put my head down and just rode steady. I constantly sipped at my nutrition and made sure to get water in and every aid station. This was my first hot race with the RudyProject Wingspan TT helmet and Sportmask glasses, and they were a life saver. The glasses are so light and I was able to get water on my head through the vent in the front of the helmet which kept me cool despite temperatures being the 90s. I was clipping through guys and feeling strong when around mile 20 I heard somebody passing me. Looking down at his calf and seeing that he was in my age, I was surprised, as I don’t get caught that often. However two seconds later another 25-29 came by sitting on his wheel. I upped my watts a fraction to sit ten meters off and see what their strategy was. Over the next 15+ miles, I watched as these two guys orchestrated a paceline, never riding more than one meter off each other. Assuming I was at the front of the age group, and knowing these guys’ legs would be fresher than mine for the run (since they’d spent the whole ride cheating), I knew I had to hang with them. I kept it legal always, and around mile 41, one of the two couldn’t hang any longer, and dropped off his buddy. I had some choice words for him, then put my head back down and kept on toward the finish. With a mile or so left, I took in some extra salts, nutrition and liquid, and upped my cadence a bit to get ready for the run. The bike went as planned, rode a 2:15 and change.

Nutrition: lava salts, 600 calories of liquid nutrition, water

Run:

Coming into T2, I figured I was in second and a minute or two down on the leader. I also knew that he had been drafting for at least half of the bike, so any plans for a conservative start to the run went out the window. I was out of T2 in 1:31 and I was psyched to see how my new shoes, the Brooks T7s (the only shoe I can run sock-less in for 13 miles, 90 degree temperatures and avoid blistering) were going to race. I saw Robin and family at the run start and there was some confusion about my place. It was hard to read calf numbers with everyone sweating so much and Robin thought I was possibly in first. Having not seen the drafter in transition, I was still guessing second. To be honest, I didn’t really have a pacing strategy for this race, because I didn’t quite know where my fitness was with so many missed weeks of run training. I was going based more on heartrate and planned that if things felt good, I’d go faster. My HR settled almost immediately in the high 160s/low 170s and over the first couple of miles, I was tapping out splits around 6:20. With so many waves starting ahead of mine, it was impossible to tell for sure where I was, so instead of worrying about my place, I just focused on running hard and staying cool. At every aid station, I grabbed the first cup of water and drank that, I grabbed the next cup of water and dumped it on my head, then I either grabbed another water or a pepsi or Gatorade (depending on how I was feeling) and drank that. At the last table, I would grab a cup of ice and run with it until the next aid station. I cycled between carrying the cubes in my hand, dumping them in my hat, and chewing on individual cubes to keep me cool from mile to mile. This plan worked great as my heart stayed relatively low at least through the first seven miles. As I approached the run turn around, I realized I hadn’t seen the guy I thought was leading my age group. Knowing there were some fast runners in the field, I started to keep an eye on the runners heading out as I began heading home. About a half mile after the turn around, and now running in the 6:30s as the temps realy started to climb, I spotted a guy behind me by less than minute. I didn’t recognize him, but it was clear from the way we looked at each other that he was gunning for me- and he was flying. It was about this point I had to make a decision. I knew I had a podium spot locked up, I wasn’t where I wanted to be with my running yet thanks to missed training, and when I planned my calendar, Eagleman was just a prep race for bigger things later in the season. I knew I could sit back and comfortably finish in the medals and have a respectable day, but I also knew that I would have to live with the fact that I gave this guy the win. Knowing that I’d rather race for the win and possibly blow up than settle for a podium spot, I decided to kick it up at mile 8. I started running 6:10s to 6:15s and the HR started to climb. I took in a gel at mile 9 and chased it with some liquid. At mile 10 I was close to 6 flat and was starting to feel it. Here the course turns left and I got a good look behind me, and I could see that despite my moves, the guy I was worried about was gaining on me. Knowing how my legs felt and where my heart was, the only hope I had was a to try a few surges to break him. He was probably 100 meters back and I pushed the pace under 6, but no luck. At mile 11, he was 10 meters back and I was fading quickly. He came through me at 11.5 and I pushed hard to sit on him, even running sub 5:50s for a bit, but it wasn’t happening. He dropped me before mile 12, and while I kept him in sight until the end, I wasn’t going anywhere. The only consolation I had was that the last few miles hurt him just as it had hurt me, because we both seriously faded in the last mile. I came through the finish with a 1:24 run split, happy with my performance on the run, especially given my training. I met up with Robin, friends and family and they confirmed that I was second by 27 seconds. Final time was a 4:17:15. It is tough not to be bummed out when you lose by such a small margin, but there’s nothing I would have changed on raceday and sometimes getting beaten serves as the best motivation. I chatted with the guy that won the age group, Chris Nocera, and it turns out he was a collegiate runner and had done his research before the race, knew I was on the Snapple team, and when he saw my jersey, he knew he had to chase me down. Chris is a great guy in addition to being super fast and he will be racing Lake Placid this year as well.

I finished 24th overall, 10th amateur, and 2nd in my age. It is a tough race to compare times in since we start so much later in the day than all the other fast guys. All and all, it was a great raceday, everything went smoothly, I got a cool eagle head trophy, and I’m more motivated than ever to win Lake Placid. Great seeing my Snapple teammates, special congratulations to Mathias for destroying the field and winning the amateur division. Thanks again to HED, RudyProject, Accelerade, Champion Systems, Brooks, and all the sponsors that made training and raceday such a success.

...This is by far my favorite post race photo.

Erik Races the Black Bear Olympic Triathlon

2011-07-12T22:00:00.001-04:00

Beltzville State Park

June 5, 2011

8^th Overall, 1^st M25-29, Fastest Bike Split

Racing with no training whatsoever! Great plan! Hopefully the sarcasm is coming through to you, dear faithful blog reader. I’m a little on edge as I write this race report, as I’m writing it while riding in a bus full of 6^th graders driving from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Ah, the joys of being a middle-school teacher!

On Sunday June 4, I raced the Black Bear Triathlon in the always-picturesque and always-challenging Poconos. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting a great performance in the race for a few reasons, but had registered for it a while ago and also, really wanted to try out my new Xterra Vendetta wetsuit. Gadgets! New things! I love them! Really though, I had a lot of issues going into this race. After Zofingen on May 15, I was out of commission for more than a week with a case of rhabdomyolysis; add to that the extra work that comes with the end of a school year, AND the classes for my Master’s degree and we have a recipe for only 2 workouts a week. I wish that I could have trained more for this, since it was my first race as part of the Snapple Triathlon Team, but that’s the life of a schoolteacher in June.

Sam, my training partner, and I left Philadelphia the morning of the race at 5:15am. We had planned to leave around 4:45am since it would take at least 1.5 hours to drive to the race course, but I was awake until midnight rebuilding the front hub on my Zipp 808s. I probably should have checked my bike earlier than 12 hours before start-time, but that’s about par for the course. We got to Beltzville State Park a solid 13 minutes before the transition area closed down—plenty of time to get our packets and set up our stuff!

After the usual scramble for things we made our way over to the swim start where—thankfully—the Sprint event started first, so we had some extra time to actually warm up in the water. This was probably the first time that I’ve ever had an adequate swim warm-up, so that was pretty exciting. I was also excited once I hit the water with my Vendetta wetsuit; the best wetsuit that I’ve ever worn, really flexible in the shoulders and more buoyancy than my last suit as well. We started with the rest of the under-40 males in the water, and I felt pretty solid getting through the initial chaos that occurs at a swim start. I was happy that my confidence was there, though I definitely need to work on my sighting and staying aggressive in the water. My course was all over the place, and I could have stayed stronger to keep contact with the pack. I got out of the water in 27:48; not a great time, but good for me especially since I've been racing duathlons exclusively since May 2010.

I had a solid T1 and was ready to go on my Kestrel 4000. As always, I was looking forward to the bike since it’s my best part of a race. Once I got my legs moving though, I knew that it wasn’t my day. I was also constantly wondering if the hub that I rebuild was going to explode—that’s a great feeling when hitting 47mph on a descent…The Black Bear course is really hilly—not Zofingen hilly, but still pretty challenging. The most frustrating part of the course is that there are no opportunities to establish a rhythm or steady cadence. There are some false flats, steep ascents long ascents, great downhills and punchy quick climbs. You’re pretty much all over the place in terms of cadence and terrain. I attacked the course like I usually do in a race, and I averaged about 285/290 watts for the duration of the course. This was the number that I was shooting for, but I felt that I was working really hard to hit my numbers and my heart-rate was about 12bpm higher than it should have been. For all of my reservations, I posted an event best (Sprint and Olympic distances) split of 21.6mph, finishing the bike portion in 1:06:43, about 2:30 in front of the next fastest time—which belonged to Sam actually! I passed dozens of riders, so mentally I was feeling good but I kept wondering when I was going to shut down.

…And that would happen in T2 when 2 of the riders who I had overtaken on the bike would beat me out of transition. I had told myself that I was just going to bag the race since I was feeling so poor, but I saw Sam run out of transition as I entered, and my friends Greg and Shannon Kaplan were cheering me into T2. I couldn’t turn back now! I had another solid transition and went into the run sitting 7^th place in our wave. This was seriously the first time that I had put on running shoes since May 15, so I was not expecting much speed on the run. I would have been happy to just hold my position and not get passed. The run was a 2-loop course on trails and this really cool bridge (I really enjoyed the bridge! Great views!). There was a slight rise at the beginning of the loop that could be annoying if you weren’t prepared for it, but my coach and Snapple teammate Greg Close had warned me about it. I just maintained a steady heart rate and tried to keep it together on the run; that was the extent of my strategy. This plan actually kept me at a 6:24 average pace and I passed a runner around 3 miles into the run. Still, I was working much harder than usual to hit a pace that should have been easy so I knew to just celebrate success where I could.

I maintained composure well enough to finish the race 8^th overall with a time of 2:15:54, about 6 minutes slower than the winning time. To give some perspective though, the winner posted an 18:10 swim time; he got out of the water a full 10-minutes before I did! I was able to put 4 minutes into him on the bike, but couldn’t compete with such a great swim split.

I’m happy with the way that the race went considering what I was working against personally. The best part of the race for me was reading the text message from my girlfriend Lisa that didn’t read “hey, how did you do?, etc” but rather “hey babe, did you finish the race?” I did finish! Sam had a great race and finished 2^nd overall. We waited for the awards to get his giant silver chalice (and my Age Group bling) and headed to the nearest Wendy’s for the ol’ post-race sodium binge.

After that we drove back to the ‘Illadelph where Sam would promptly board a train back to Manhattan with all of his gear, and I would sit at Ultimo Coffee writing my lessons for the following week while drinking an Americano. As the hipster that I clearly am, this was the required end to any day and definitely the required end to a day that involved physical activity.

ING Miami Marathon Race Report- Greg Close

2011-02-01T15:02:00.003-05:00

Whew! It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks that I just capped off with the Miami Marathon on Sunday. Robin and I had a great time down in Miami, enjoyed the beautiful weather, and got to spend a couple of wonderful days with Rob's parents. But getting to that point was a trip to say the least...

As I sit writing this, I am surrounded by the soothing sounds of a buzz saw cutting through porcelain tile. Rob and I decided to have our bathroom remodeled and it has turned in to quite a project. We've been without a shower for just about three weeks now and, in a display of perfect planning, had to give up the toilet last week as well. It's going to look fantastic when all is said and done, but for now, it's disruptive to say the least.

So as we were juggling the last minute race and travel preparations with the challenge of finding Brooklyn bathrooms we could visit, Mother Nature decided to visit NYC. We wanted to get down to Miami a few days early to spend time with the family and enjoy the sunny weather down south, but that plan was quickly covered in 16 inches of snow. Four canceled flights later though, we arrived in Florida on Friday afternoon.

The lead up to the race was relatively uneventful. I had a great massage with a really sweet woman name Rae Joyce when I arrived (she's worked on Johan Santana!)and an amazing dinner cooked for me by Robin's mom on Friday, then checked in to the hotel, registered for the race, and and had another great meal with the family and a couple of Robin's college friends on Saturday.

Race Morning:
I woke up at 4:20 for the 6:15 start, had a quick shower, then got my bag together. Miami has this great tram that takes you around the city for free so we jumped on that and headed to the start line. My typical race morning nutrition is one Ensure Plus, two Lava Salts, and a gel before the race.

We made it to the start line around 5:15 and I just sat around and started a slow stretching routine. I had a seeded entry for this race which meant that I didn't need to worry about lining up in the corral until the last minute. I did a brief warm up to get a sweat going, downed my gel, and jumped the fence in to the elite corral.

I have an issue with going out too hard at the start of the race, so as the gun went off I really focused on keeping my pace in check. I was looking to run 6 min/mile for the run and I consciously worked to keep the pace around 6:05 for the first mile. Even though the half and full go off together, just a couple miles in there were already some big gaps and I was running pretty much solo. Miles rolled by pretty quickly and I was hitting my numbers right on. 5:54, 5:55, 5:55, 5:53...Pace was consistent and actually felt pretty easy. The only outstanding thing that comes to mind was that I had been throwing up since about mile 6. Nothing too bad, but every 10-20 minutes I was throwing up for what I thought was no reason at all.

Coming up to the half marathon marker I was feeling really comfortable and holding a 5:55 average pace. I hit the half at 1:17:30 and found Robin and her parents waiting for me. People could take lessons from these three on how to spectate. Rob handed me another gel which I held on to until mile 15 and I was good to go. Coming through 17 I went through a couple pros and was told I had moved in to 12th overall. Through the 30k marker I was still running 5:55s and was impressed at how consistent I was running. But that all changed pretty quickly.

Somewhere around mile 18 I got that indescribable feeling that I was going to hurt. Unless you've been at this place yourself in an endurance event, you don't really know what it's like. Everything is going smoothly, you feel surprisingly good, no pain, no issues, but there is something in your brain saying "uh-oh", and you know that you are about to start suffering. As soon as I felt this kick in I started trying to get in some extra nutrition. I downed some Gatorades and bananas at the aid stations and kept chugging along.

As I came up on mile 19, my right calf just seized on me and I almost face planted. I was able to run through it, but wow, it hurt. This isn't totally unusual, but typically I can run it away. Not this time though. As I tried to compensate for the stabbing pain in my right calf, my left upper hamstring grabbed me. My pace quickly dropped off to a 6:05-6:10. As I was doing the math, trying to figure out what I needed to hang on to in order to go sub 2:36 or 2:37, I realized why I was cramping so badly: I forgot to drink my Ensure in the morning.

It was a really stupid mistake on my part, but I just forgot to get it out of the fridge and drink it. Ensure Plus has 350 calories plus something in the neighborhood or 300mg of sodium and 400+ mg of potassium. Considering I had only taken in about 400 calories during the race, I cut my race day nutrition in half. This explained why I had been throwing up starting so early in the race. As soon as I realized this, I started grabbing bananas from every aid station, chasing them with some water, and trying to get as much potassium in me as I could. Thankfully the race was well supported and I was able to get through the last few miles going aid station to aid station.

The last 10k felt interminable. My pace was bouncing between 6:10 and 6:40 and I knew I was losing it. I ran up on two more pros at mile 22 and was able to move right through them surprisingly. I was in 10th at that point, but that was short lived. At mile 24 everything seemed to seize on me. One amateur ran through me and I tried getting on his heels. I held on until the 25 mile marker, but had another near face-plant experience thanks to another bout of cramping. One more amateur came cruising through me and I had no hope of jumping on with him. There is a little bridge just before 26 that I thought might kill me, but I got up and over and was in to the home stretch. I came in to the chute and saw the family all cheering and that gave me a big boost. I crossed the line at 2:38:29 and finished in 12th place overall out of roughly 4,000 racers. A great day despite a silly mistake on my part.

Racing Gear:
I raced in my bright orange Saucony Kinvaras thanks to the Georgetown Running Company, my Snapple Tri Team top from Champion Systems, and my Smith Pivlock V90 Max sunglasses.

Mixing Up Your Training

2011-01-11T13:10:00.005-05:00

If you are putting in a solid Winter's worth of aerobic base training, building over the Spring, and committing to a handful of Summer and Fall races, the triathlon season is LONG. And as much as we love swimming, biking, and running, so much monotony of training can start to wear on you mentally. To train and race successfully, you have to be on top of your game not only physically but psychologically too. This is why it's important to keep things fresh and mix up your training with other activities you enjoy from time to time.

I recently returned from a fantastic two weeks in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Being under a couple feet of snow and at 8,000 feet, it's a great opportunity to get some altitude training in, but it isn't so great for running and riding. I am already about 2 months into my base training for the 2011 season so I welcomed this trip as a chance to try out something new. A lesson and a pair of rental skis later and I was off for 10 days of cross country skiing.

Cross country skiing was the perfect option because it is relatively safe, relies on similar muscle groups, and demands a high level of aerobic effort. I wasn't looking to become an expert rock climber or champion bobsledder, just a better triathlete, so I chose the sport that related best to my own.

Physiologically speaking, I was able to maintain my program of metabolic efficiency, strengthen my major running and cycling muscle groups, build up my muscular endurance, introduce some cardiovascular confusion to my regimen, regulate my heart rate, and focus on the technique crossovers between XC skiing and Pose Running (which I was surprised to find were plentiful).

Psychologically speaking, I was able to press the reset button on my training without skipping a beat. Now, back in NYC, I am feeling rejuvenated, motivated, and determined to continue to build up my fitness and prepare for the racing season ahead. I am a huge proponent of swimming, biking, and running to become a better triathlete. But if a week away from the sport or the integration of another activity will help you to focus your efforts and make you love what you do that much more, strap on the metaphorical skis and go at it!

Ironman Hawaii- Xterra Velocity M Speedsuit

2010-10-15T16:56:00.000-04:00

A lot of the triathletes out there know that the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) has instituted some pretty big changes for legal swimwear. These rules went into effect last month and will effect all the Ironman and Half-Ironman events from here on out. I tracked down Glynn Turquand, owner of Xterra Wetsuits, while I was in Kona to explain some of the advantages of the new WTC legal, Xterra Velocity-M speedsuit. Glynn and Xterra have been sponsors of TriBy3 and the Snapple Tri Team for a while and I can tell you that you will never find a nicer guy or faster suit. If you want any more info on the Velocity-M or any of the Xterra wetsuits or skinsuits, email me. We also have some pretty great discounts if you want to get ready for the 2011 season.

Ironman Hawaii- Stress Release

2010-10-08T14:50:00.000-04:00

I don't know about all of you, but the predominant feeling I get at any race is nervousness. Whether it's a backyard 5k or the Ironman World Championships, my stomach apparently can't tell the difference. To combat this I try to distance myself from the hype and excitement of the event as much as possible. Here in Kona I have a house up in the hills as far from Alii Drive, the expo, the start line, and all the over-caffeinated athletes as possible.

But sometimes distancing yourself isn't enough. Sometimes you have to take a step back and remember that this isn't all about bikes and splits and watts and spandex. I do this sport because I love it. I get to travel around the world and race against some of the best athletes on the planet. Swimming, biking, and running lets me experience cultures and places and people that I never imagined I would see. I have the most supportive family and friends, incredible girlfriend, and wonderful sponsors and teammates. I'm the luckiest person in the world. And when you let yourself soak it all in and realize the opportunities and experiences that have been afforded you as a result of a sport, the stress seems to melt away.

So when you start feeling the nerves settle in at that next race, step back, take a deep breath, think of all you've done to get yourself to that point, close your eyes, then jump-

Kona Day 9- Interview with Ken Glah

2010-10-04T02:13:00.000-04:00

I know I said the next video I would post would be cliff jumping but the weather hasn't totally cooperated. Cliffs are next, I promise. Instead, I shot an interview with Ken Glah. Ken is the owner of Endurance Sports Travel (endurancesportstravel.com) and my former boss. If that alone wasn't enough to pique your interest, how about the fact that Ken is a 6-time Ironman winner, has finished in the top ten here in Kona ten times, and will be toeing the line next Saturday for his 27th consecutive Ironman World Championships. A lot of people struggle to make it here once and this guy has done it for nearly three decades. Incredible.

Anyway, I wanted to cover a bit about the travel side of Ironman racing and I figured who better to enlighten you than the guy who has been taking athletes and families around the world for the last nine years. Endurance Sports Travel is a full service multisport travel company. Not only do they cover the big stuff like airfare and accommodations, they provide you with mechanics, translators, meals, guided course tours, a great group atmosphere, and much much more. EST also has slots to many sold out races all over the world so if you find yourself desperately seeking entry into races like Lake Placid, Brazil, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, or any of the events that close out in minutes, give Ken a shout and chances are he can get you in.

If you have any questions about traveling or EST you can post a comment or email me (I worked for Ken for just under three years), or email Ken directly (kenglah@endurancesportstravel.com).

Kona Day 8- Nutrition

2010-10-01T12:52:00.000-04:00

Nutrition is one of the most overlooked aspects of race day preparation. Many people put in hour after hour of training but rarely give more than a couple minutes to planning, practicing, and implementing their ideal nutritional program. Some trust the on-course products at each event, some play with a gel or two the week before, and some will take a little bit of everything with them and hope something works.

It is really important to understand that nutrition is 50% of your race. You can be the strongest swimmer, biker, and runner in the world, you can train a million hours, you can have the best equipment and the best training strategy, and none of that will save you when you are 7 hours in to a 9 hour, a 10 hour, a 15 hour day. Practice with your nutrition program. Do some research and understand how the different sugar compounds affect you and how many calories you personally need for race day. My nutritional program starts the day that my training program starts, and that makes me confident that half of the challenge of this race is already under control.

This video walks you through my nutrition program for this year's Ironman World Championships. It's long, but then again so is race day. If you just want to see what I will be using on the bike and run, skip ahead to the 8:30 mark of the video. If you have any questions or want to talk more specifically about nutrition for your own training and racing, give me a shout.

Kona Day 6: Questions and Answers

2010-09-29T12:33:00.000-04:00

I've received so many great questions from people over the past few days that I wanted to take a few minutes and share them with everyone. As questions continue to pour in I will do these Q&A sessions more frequently. Hopefully there will be something for everyone, triathletes and non-triathletes alike. Keep those questions coming! As always, thanks for the support

Part 1:

Part 2:

Kona Day 5: The Bike Course

2010-09-27T12:42:00.003-04:00

A lot of people wanted to see what the course looks like here in Kona so I shot some video out on the Queen K highway. The first half of the video was shot Friday at Hapuna Beach and the second half was shot Sunday near the Kekaha Kai State Park (about a mile north of the Kona Airport). While it seems very desolate and barren, this place has a strange beauty to it...or maybe that's just what we tell ourselves to get through the 140.6 miles. Either way, I love it out here.

Friday I had about a 4 hour day with 3 hours on the bike and an hour run off the bike. I chose to do these workouts up near Kawaihae (around mile 40 of the bike course) because that's where the infamous cross winds really start to push you around. It's hot, exposed, hilly, and just about half way on the course. The further north you get, the more extreme the conditions. Up near Hawi (bike course turn around) it is constant up and down with winds ranging from 30-60 mph. Thankfully there is a lot to look at up there though. Hawi has a ton of farm land (including a number of old sugar plantations) with cattle, goats, and even a few wild pigs.

Saturday was a light day with about 3 miles of swimming and then a hard day put in at the beach. Acclimating can be tough work.

Sunday was my last long workout before my taper starts. I did a 14 mile run from famed Alii Drive out to the Energy Lab and back. The Energy Lab is a particularly tough stretch of road on the run course that you hit around mile 16. You make a left turn off the highway and descend into the Energy Lab (aptly names as they generate energy here through deep sea water and solar power). You run a bit over a mile in the lab before turning around, climbing back to the highway, and heading home. If you aren't ready for it, both mentally and physically, this place can suck the life out of you. And since I wanted to get all of the life-sucking out of the way before race day, that was my run on Sunday. I always encourage athletes, whether competitive or recreational, to check out the course ahead of time. Even if you can't get out on the roads to practice ahead of time, do your research and know where the tough stretches are. Beyond that, trust your training and know that you have done the work necessary to handle whatever the day throws at you.

***Editor's Note*** Half way through the video I apparently lose all of my facial hair which some of you may attribute to me having shaved. Actually though, while some people use heart rate monitors or power meters, I judge my efforts by the speeds necessary to pull the hair right off my face. Clearly I was going fast enough.

The next video blog entry will focus on nutrition-before, during, and after the race- and some of the food questions that many of you have been asking me. I will also be posting some still photos and answering some of the other questions that have been sent in so keep checking out the blog (TriBy3.blogspot.com). Thanks to everyone for the support!

Smith Pivlock V90 Max Product Review

2010-09-26T14:31:00.004-04:00

While out here in Kona I did a review of the newest Snapple Tri Team sponsor, Smith Optics and their Pivlock V90 Max sunglasses. I'll be rocking these things (while hopefully rocking the bike course) on the Queen K on race day. Great glasses, cool look, 9.9 out of 10. They lose a tenth of a point because the "Ice Blue" lenses don't actually ice my face. Probably can't hold that against Smith but the name is a tease.

TriBy3 at the Berlin Marathon

2010-09-26T13:24:00.000-04:00

I know I said these next three weeks would be all Kona all the time, but I had to take a minute to tell everyone about an amazing athletic achievement. TriBy3 athlete Paul Gavriani put out a stellar race at the Berlin Marathon today and qualified for Boston for the first time by running a 3:17. The super fast time and the fact that it was run in some pretty awful conditions (mud, rain, standing water) isn't the most impressive part of the story though. Just five months ago Paul did his previous personal best at the London Marathon. Time: 3:53

When Paul approached me last February, he was battling a lot of the typical runners injuries. He had the shin splints and the heel pain and the hip stiffness that it seems like all runners (needlessly) battle. We put him on a Pose running crash course to get him through London which he did in impressive fashion. But with five months to train for the Berlin Marathon, Paul decided he wanted to test his limits and see just how fast he could go. Injury prevention was our primary focus in the early weeks of training, but Paul was able to continuously push the bar higher and higher and we eventually began to focus on getting him that Boston qualifying time (3:20).

Paul put in a really solid 20 weeks of aerobic base development and did everything I asked of him. The result was that on a cold and rainy day in Berlin he ran a personal best time by 36 minutes! He is fitter and faster than he has ever been in his life (pretty cool to be able to say that at 40 something years old) and it's all thanks to his hard work and commitment to pushing his own limits. You'd be hard pressed to find someone that juggles more things in his life than Paul (ask him how his German is coming or how much music school homework he has to do), but he does it with a drive and dedication that have made him an athlete. A Boston Marathon athlete.

Congratulations Paul. Enjoy the German beer now because it's back to work in a couple days.

If you want to see the most consistent splits you have ever seen- I'm talking robot consistent- check out Paul's race results. 1:38:41 first half, 1:38:42 second half. Amazing. Paul's Berlin Marathon results

Kona Day 2: Acclimating

2010-09-24T12:48:00.001-04:00

Anyone that has checked out the website recently can tell that I have been terrible about blogging. I have these grand plans about sitting at the computer and cranking out a bunch of incredibly meaningful information across this broad spectrum, but nothing ever gets written.

Well now that I am in Kailua-Kona for the Ironman World Championships with a beautiful background and nothing but time on my hands, I figured I don't have any more excuses. So over the next three weeks while I am prepping for the October 9th race, I will be posting a series of video blog entries that cover everything from jet lag to post-race fun. To jump start what will now hopefully be an active blogging hobby, I need to know what you want to see! I want to make this a spot where triathletes and non-triathletes alike can come and learn/see/discover something. So if you have a question about anything- race day equipment, weather, Hawaiian sightseeing- post a comment or send me an email at greg@triby3.com.

This first blog covers acclimating to time and climate shifts. Yesterday the temps were in the 90s here on the Big Island and the winds were hovering around 20mph with gusts around 30. Quite a change from what I left in Brooklyn.

Ask the Coach- Running Down Stairs

2010-02-16T22:12:00.002-05:00

Greg,

I got your email from the pose site. I started running with Pose a year or so ago and would like your thoughts as a Pose coach on an exercise that I think perfectly demonstrates and facilitates good pose technique. I simply go downstairs and then try to maintain that exact same feeling when running. Most importantly, stairs seem to give you a good sense of gravity and no one pushes off. If you want to go faster, you don't increase the push, nor the stride length (since you'll hit the back of the step), you simply lean a little and increase your cadence. Lastly, everyone's feet are directly under them and no one heel strikes on stairs. So.....can you see anything wrong with this as a good Pose exercise?

thanks,

Stair Runner

Hi Stair Runner,
I got a kick out of your email so I went into my stairwell and did a few flights really focusing on the technical application to flat land, Pose running. There are some things about going downstairs that translate really well to Pose but there are quite a few things that don't.

The Good:
As you mentioned, going downstairs eliminates the push in the back end of the stride. This, I find, is the most common error that people struggle with when trying to learn Pose. Also, it is easier to feel the impact of gravity on you when heading downstairs (or downhill for that matter) so it is easier to let the body carry you forward instead of trying to generate forward momentum with muscular work.

The Bad:
When going downstairs, most people tend to shift their pelvis slightly back behind them (looks like the are sticking their butts out slightly). Because your weight is on your planted foot (the "uphill" stair) you roll your hips back to center your weight over that leg. The problem is that this brings your general center of mass (GCM) behind the leg that is landing (the "downhill stair). As you try to go faster down the stairs you feel like you are leaning forward more but in actuality you are bending slightly from the hips (because your GCM is behind your landing leg you cannot actually lean forward, instead you are forced to try and shift more weight forward by collapsing at the hips).

This bending from the hips is a difficult concept to understand but it is easy to feel on flat land with resistance cords and some drills.

Because your GCM is behind your landing leg (if you read Pose books or the website you will often read about "reaching out" or "over reaching"- this is the same thing. You may be landing under your eye line but you are in front of your GCM), the tendency is to point your toe to support your landing more. While this is better than the typical heel strike we hear about, the problem with toe pointing is that it is an inefficient movement that forces your calves to work harder than necessary.

To increase your speed while going downstairs you mentioned that, in addition to leaning more, you increase your cadence. The beautiful thing about Pose is that everyone should be running between 180 and 200 steps per minute, regardless of speed and ability. If you watch the top runners run, they will run at the same cadence whether racing 5k or marathon distance. The reason for this is that all that should change is the degree of body angle and amount of pull off the back foot. More angle = more speed = more pull.

The reason you feel like you need to increase your cadence to increase your speed when going downstairs is that, as previously mentioned, your landing leg is in front of your GCM and, because you are falling straight down a stair, you aren't getting any pull off the back foot. While you certainly don't push when running downstairs, it's really difficult to generate the hamstring force necessary to contract and pull off the back leg. This is also an issue when running downhill, but it is easier on a slope than it is on a straight angle fall like a stair.

Hope this sheds some light on your question. If anything doesn't makes sense or you need some more clarification, just let me know!

Happy running

ING Miami Half Marathon Race Report- Kat Sullivan

2010-02-12T11:00:00.005-05:00

Name: Kat Sullivan
Race Date: January 31, 2010
Location: Miami, Florida
Event: ING Miami Half Marathon

I arrived in Miami less than 24 hours before my second half-marathon and as much as I wanted to play on the beach, I knew I had to focus on getting myself ready for the early (also see: SUPER early) 6am start time. I got in a short run and a long massage and I felt great the night before. I had learned from my first half-marathon to have a filling dinner the night before, but not go overboard and eat EVERYTHING in sight. This is really a life lesson. I got to bed at a reasonable hour but had a hard time falling asleep as I was greatly anticipating the next morning. It was almost as exciting as Christmas! My super fancy hotel wake-up call rang promptly at 4:35am for my 4:30 wake-up call. Oh no-I was already behind schedule! It was ok. I had planned for this. I got a cab and headed to the start line. Unfortunately I had not planned for the insane traffic. When I finally made it to the race area, it took me a while to catch up with Robin and Greg. I had never seen anything like this. I have been in large crowds before of course, but this was something so different. The energy-the excitement -the total chaos! It was overwhelming. If this had been my first half-marathon, I think I would have passed out. It was madness. When it was finally time to start, I did feel ready-I had great words of encouragement from my friend and trainer Greg-and I had my best friend by my side, Robin who was also running the half. I knew we wouldn’t stay together for long, but it felt really wonderful to have her there at the start. Right off the bat, I felt strong and confident. I knew based on my first race that this could change down the line, so I tried to stay strong and shave a few seconds here and there off of the first few miles. Miles 1 through 5 practically flew by-which isn’t to say they were easy by any means! By mile 6, I was still feeling great. But I was dreading mile 7, because I knew that was the point in my first half when I broke down mentally. I got out of my head and kept telling myself that all the training I had been doing would pay off, and just to rely on what I had been doing physically. That really helped. It also didn’t hurt to have over 18,000 other people running alongside me and pushing me to do my absolute best. Mile 7 came and went without a tear or a need to walk and I pushed through. Miles 9-11 were difficult but only because I was very focused on keeping my pace. I was starting to feel the burn and if it hadn’t been for the skies opening up and letting out some rain, I would have been cooked in the Florida sun. The last 2+ miles were amazing because of the amount of people that were cheering us on. There was one point where the encouragement pushed me so far that when I looked at my watch, I was 2 minutes per mile faster than my predicted pacing! It was around this point that I saw Greg again and that also kept me going and helped me get through that last 1+ miles which were making me long for the finish line. I looked down at my watch and saw I was at 13.1 miles but did not see the finish line. I finally turned the bend and saw it was so close. I pushed myself as hard as I could and crossed it! When training for this race, my initial goal was to cut almost 20 minutes off of my first half time and come in at 2:20. The goal that I really wanted to meet was a time of 2:17. When the race was over and I looked down at my watch, I was at 2:18! I was so happy about this because I was under 2:20.

Also I came to find out later in the day that the course really was longer than the typical 13.1 (around 13.25) so I was right in line with my pacing! I felt so accomplished-possibly even more so then finishing the first one, because I had set a tough goal this time, not just finishing but running a decent time. For the first time, I really felt like a runner and it was an amazing feeling. At the end of it, Greg was proud of me, which of course made me feel even more pumped. He did ask me about when I will do a full marathon. And even though I am toying with that idea more, I can say to everyone who has done what I did in Miami times TWO-I bow to you!

TriBy3 Racing and Training Gear!!

2010-02-10T22:26:00.008-05:00

No revolutionary coaching company is complete without an eye-catching racing and training kit. We’ve been working hard with our design team and Champion Systems to come up with a flashy but functional set of garments that will get you through the tough training days but still look great on the podium and we think we’ve come up with something pretty special. Click here for an enlarged image then contact us to place your order.

Staten Island Half Marathon Race Report- Kat Sullivan

2010-02-09T22:44:00.016-05:00

Name: Kat Sullivan (first time half-marathoner!)
Race Date: October 11, 2009
Location: Staten Island, NYC
Event: NYRR Staten Island Half Marathon

A half-marathon is something I have always wanted to do and my approaching 27th birthday seemed like the best and most exciting time to do it. It seemed an impossible feat for me, as I am not a born runner and had never run more than 3 miles straight. But after 13 weeks of training with Greg, I felt like this was something I could actually do. My original goal of “just finishing” became a goal of “finishing under 3 hours in order to get a time.” The days leading up to the race were a bit stressful as my family was in town to witness the event and I was still nervous about whether or not I could actually do this (and WHY I was doing this was becoming more of a question....what was so wrong with my 3 miles?!) The night before the race had finally arrived and I spent it with family, friends and food (oh the carbs!). I got to bed early-ish and tried to relax and not stress about the next morning. Of course the next morning came sooner than I thought and I was up at 5am and having breakfast with Greg and Robin. I had been doing everything Greg had told me up until this point and everything had been working; so when Greg said it was ok to eat (and drink coffee), I went with that. I mean if Greg can do it! That came back to haunt me later as we’ll learn. After breakfast, we drove to the start line in Staten Island and warmed-up. What I realized when we got there was that I was super nervous. There was so much built up anxiety surrounding this day and I was feeling the pressure. Luckily Greg had encouraged me to do a 5K the month before, so this was not my first road race. However the nervousness mixed with the coffee was definitely making me feel a bit queasy, so by the time the race had started and I crossed that start line, my heart rate was already in the 180’s. By the end of mile 1 though, I saw my family and friends cheering me on and everything seemed to settle in rather well. In fact, I was going faster than normal and I felt great! By mile 5, I looked at my watch and I was at 55 minutes which was spot on for my predicted pacing. I was exhilarated! That was unfortunately only a short lived celebration for my mind, as my stomach had decided to revolt. This, I would imagine, is the fear of any runner-the upset stomach. I hit the bathroom, which helped but by mile 7, I was starting to mentally break down. I was nervous and upset and I felt like I needed to walk. So I let myself. I walked for a few minutes and let myself get upset. As I was walking for those brief few minutes, everyone was cheering me and the other runners on. Living in New York for so long, I’m used to people shouting at me on the street-but this was different! These people were nice! It felt so inspiring!

I knew I had to get myself together and run the rest of the way...after one more bathroom stop. So I pulled myself together and around mile 9, I saw Greg (as he had already finished the half-marathon and came back for me). That really helped me finish strong. From miles 9 to 12.5, Greg ran with me and encouraged me the entire way. Even when I felt awful and wanted to slow down and walk, Greg wouldn’t let me. “Why would you train for 13 weeks just to slow down now?” he asked. That was exactly what I needed to hear. By the time I saw my family again around mile 11, I was on top of the world. The last half mile and change I ran on my own, as I wanted to finish what I had started and for me this was truly a personal journey. When I crossed the finish line, everyone was there to cheer for me and it was very emotional. I looked down at my watch and it read 2:39! I had finished the race and done it in under 3 hours. Although I was more or less in agony for the next few hours, I wouldn’t change anything about my first half. It was such an incredible experience and something that I truly believe anyone can do if they decide they want. I am so thankful to all of my friends who supported me through the training and my family for flying out to see me complete it. The race would have been a pipe dream though without my coach Greg, as he was literally there every step of the way. After the race was complete, he called me an athlete. I told him not to call me the “A word.”

2010 Xterra Wetsuits and Speedsuits Discount Pricing

2010-02-09T11:58:00.022-05:00

TriBy3 is proud to announce that we have partnered with Xterra Wetsuits, makers of the worlds fastest and most flexible wetsuits, to bring our clients enormous discounts. Just by clicking on the URL below and entering our code, you stand to save 50% or more on your next wetsuit or speedsuit purchase. It's that easy. If you have any questions just give us a shout. As with all the products we offer on our site, TB3 coaches personally use and support Xterra. In fact, we wouldn't race in anything else.

URL: www.xterrawetsuits.com/special
LOGON: CO-TRIBY3

VOLT JOHN- $99
VORTEX 3 JOHN- $129 (reg. $300)
VORTEX 3 FULL- $179 (reg. $400)
VECTOR PRO X2 JOHN- $199 (reg. $400)
VECTOR PRO X2 FULL- $299 (reg. $595)
VENDETTA- $500 (reg. $695)
VELOCITY 0.02 SPEEDSUIT- $99 (reg. $250)
VELOCITY ++ SPEEDSUIT- $150 (reg. $350)

Excerpt from "Overachiever's Diary" by Louis Tharp

2010-02-09T11:43:00.009-05:00

Most people can't drive their Toyota efficiently, and are intimidated at the thought of driving a Ferrari, efficiently or not. They don't realize the potential of their car, from a fuel economy, driving efficiency, or mechanical systems preservation standpoint. They use the brakes too much, don't pay attention to tire pressure, drive looking at the end of their hood instead of taking a long view of the road, bring too much destructive emotion with them, and tend to look at driving as something to do while eating, drinking, talking on the phone or spending quality time with their kids -- missing the entire point of driving.

Most people can't swim efficiently either, and are intimidated by the thought of it. They don't realize the potential of their body, from a physical, emotional, or energy preservation standpoint. They introduce resistance into their stroke, don't pay attention to breathing or balance, or they swim looking ahead. They bring too much destructive emotion with them to the pool, and they look at practice as something to slog through -- missing the entire point of swimming.

It's no wonder there are so many bad swimmers. Look at all the bad drivers.

Connecting your emotions, judgment, physical potential, and logic will make you a better swimmer. I can't help with your driving, but luckily you don't need to be able to drive well to be a successful triathlete.

Swimming well is more a matter of breaking old habits. Learning new ones is easier.

There is a part of you that says "no" regardless of your actions, and this part, especially affects swimmers who already have a good grasp of technique -- above average swimmers -- and stubborn people. The U.S. Olympic Training Center has dealt with this issue in a several ways, none of them entirely successful. One interesting attempt to overcome psychological and emotional resistance to new levels of speed by breaking old habits was to tow a swimmer down the pool at world record pace. The theory, presumably, was to familiarize a swimmer with what it's like to go fast so the brain could connect with the body and make it happen without the tow rope. That's like jumping under a steam roller to get familiar with deep tissue massage.

There is a better way. Drills. But drills have a lot of problems with humans because humans don't naturally work and play well with drills. Coaches tell swimmers to do drills but they don't instruct them about how or what. Fast swimmers can hate them because they think they have to go slowly, they're not usually aerobic, are boring, are stupid, and the person behind is usually running into the person in front. And, they usually involve kicking. Pretty much, drills are the flossing of swimming. There is no way to make flossing more appealing, but drills have the potential to become the foreplay of an efficient stroke. Or whatever.

Here's what drills do for swimmers:

They get blood to your muscles by allowing you to warm up, slowly at first and then allow you to move to race pace in a continuous pattern.

They help your brain and body get reacquainted with the rules of efficient swimming.

Here's what swimmers do for drills:

Give them a bad name.

It's a lopsided relationship so it's not surprising that it's dysfunctional.

In order to perform any athletic activity at maximum potential, your muscles have to be warm. This means there has to be an abundance of blood carrying oxygen to the muscles, and carrying various waste gasses away. Without this you enter that intriguing anaerobic state, that depending on your age, is a little like bad acid, or good percocet. Either way, you won't be competing for long with cold oxygen-deprived muscles. It's also a waste of time to warm up -- to get maximum oxygen flow to your muscles -- without incorporating something else, such as drills. You have to warm up anyway, so why not use drills? Because here's what happens: as swimmers the only thing we have in common with fish is our memories. That's right, you saw Nemo, and the only funny part was when Ellen DeGeneres kept saying the same thing over and over again, courtesy of her seven-second-span of goldfish memory. Your swimming memory is a little better, but not much.

Triathletes have been running and biking for years, whether they've been competing or not. Swimming, not so much. Running and biking are all about push to go faster, apply more energy and see the result immediately. Swimming, not so much. Then there's breathing and not being able to do it with your head planted under water.

With as little comparative time spent in the water versus biking and running, and factoring in the fear issue that centers around breathing, there's no reason why a triathlete should assume that swimming is natural. You need to refresh and retrain constantly. Oh yea, drills do this.

The problem with drills is we do the wrong ones, for the wrong amount of time, for the wrong reasons, too slowly, and we allow our neuromuscular systems to draw the wrong conclusions.

Drills must be custom. They must reinforce what you're doing right and emphasize what you are doing wrong so you can fix it before the workout. They need to be done at a virtual standstill, and at race pace. They need to be the way you reboot during a race when your swimming world falls apart and you're sucking in the muddy water churned up by the feet belonging to the person who just passed you.

Your particular drill sequence must be constructed when I can see your stroke at resting and maximum heart rate. You need to be able to continuously reinforce the proper technique as well as test for the wrong technique during your drill sequence. After a drill sequence you should be saying to yourself, "OK, what's my workout? I'm ready to swim," because talking to yourself is part of your drill sequence. We talk to ourselves constantly. The only way to tell if we're crazy is to examine what we're saying, not that we're doing it. If Ralph Waldo Emerson were a triathlete in addition to a poet and essayist he would have said, "you are the kind of swimmer you tell yourself you are during drills," but instead he said, "A man is what he thinks about all day long."

Your drills are all about maximizing efficiency, balance and speed. You begin a drill sequence with balance, then move to efficiency and then speed. So when you see someone jump in the water and start swimming at something close to race pace, you know that's the person you are going to beat in the next triathlon -- probably during the bike when that big lead coming out of the water disappears about 90-seconds past the transition area.

Because all drills are custom, it's impossible, without seeing your stroke, to tell you what drills to do. I'm not going to list them because you'll do them incorrectly, you'll do the wrong ones, and you'll end up still hating drills. Instead we're going to talk about what they do and we'll agree during practice on the drills, their order, what they do, and their importance.

The first drills are for balance. Balance is critical in sport. The difference between balance in the water and on land is the water part. Water isn't as blunt as earth. When you pound water it moves out of the way. When it moves out of the way you sink, when you sink you get nervous. Water responds to the lighter touch compared with earth. So it's easier to understand water when you compare it with air, not earth. Compared with air, water is highly resistant and buoyant. Think of the effort you put into being streamlined on your bike. That's the mindset that will be successful in the water when you're trying to achieve balance, efficiency and speed.

Balance is all about staying on the top of the water. It's about keeping your entire body in a single horizontal plane -- hips, feet, head, shoulders abs. If you hips and legs are dragging you're swimming uphill. If you head is raised and you're looking ahead, your hips will drop, and you'll still be swimming uphill. If your body is not streamlined, your stroke is not balanced, and your alternate side breathing not fully integrated into your stroke, you won't swim in a straight line. Worst case -- you're swimming uphill crooked, and a wetsuit won't save you.

But you're a sinker, you say. There is no way you can be horizontal in the water. Well you were once but you were horizontal about a foot below the surface. The only way you achieve any kind of floatation -- forget about balance -- is when you put your wetsuit on. In fact, you schedule your competitions so wetsuits are allowed.

Wetsuits provide buoyancy, but if you can't get buoyant without a wetsuit, you're not only not balanced, but you're not swimming efficiently, or as fast as you can. This means you'll be rolling into T-1 with a high heart rate and half-depleted glycogen when the volunteers are breaking out their bag lunches. The reason you sink is because you aren't relaxed in the water and you aren't going fast enough. We'll get to the "fast enough" part later. Your muscle mass plays a role, but there are triathletes with high muscle mass who float. They are relaxed. Relaxation in the water can be difficult. Check for tension in your hands and neck. Everything should be relaxed. Check what you're saying to yourself. Talk about relaxing in the water. Do the static balance drill. Think of your chest as a basketball. When you push a basketball into the water, it pops up. You can't keep it down because it has air in it. Practice this by pressing on various parts of your chest and watch for the water to provide resistance. Stand on a kick board in the water. Understand the small stabilizer muscles you need to recruit in order to stay on the kickboard. Try to translate these movements to your horizontal position. We'll do this more in practice.

Get mentally balanced. When you pass through the door to the pool everything that doesn't help you swim gets left in the hall. This is not the place for extraneous worries or concerns, anger or frustration. This is the place you swim. This is the sanctuary where learning takes place every time you get in the water. This is where you "aim for success, not perfection," because as Dr. David M. Burns goes on to say, "never give up your right to be wrong because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life." Being mentally balanced allows you to be wrong and successful at the same time -- in or out of the water. Being physically balanced allows you to be efficient and fast at the same time -- in the water.

Yea, I have no idea who Dr. David M. Burns is either. I found his quote a long time ago and I like it.

Next practice: efficiency and speed drills. Stone skipper will become your best friend.

DPM Sports- Dolan Bikes and Spiuk Gear

2010-02-09T11:29:00.009-05:00

TriBy3 has partnered with Ed Uribe and DPM Sports in order to provide our clients with some incredible deals on nearly everything cycling related. DPM distributes Dolan Bikes and Spiuk Technology across the U.S, and now TriBy3 athletes can get in on the fun with great discounts on everything including bikes, wheels, components, helmets, cycling shoes, sunglasses, and more. Visit the DPM Sports website to see the huge product line and then contact TB3 Coach Greg Close for more information regarding pricing and ordering.

Sable Water Optics

2010-02-09T11:09:00.005-05:00

Sable Water Optics goggles are known for their superior performance and comfort. Worn by both clubs and top level professionals the world over, Sable represents the next evolution in swimming eyewear. Gone are the days of leaky goggles, sore eyes, and limited visibility. Put a pair on and dive in. We guarantee you'll forget you were even wearing them.

All of Sable's eyewear products feature Super anti-fog, Flat Lens Technology, and optional prescription lenses for each eye. For us, the proof is in the practice- you won't find TB3 coaches wearing anything else. Contact TriBy3 for a great deal on your next pair.

And check out our blog to find Lou Tharp's review of Sable in the New York Times

TriBy3 Swim Coach Stefan In London!

2010-01-28T11:02:00.003-05:00

TB3 Swim Coach Stefan Bill will be in London from March 1st-8th. If you will be on the other side of the pond and would like to schedule a session with Stefan, comment here or contact him at Stefan@TriBy3.com

Goggles Review in the New York Times

2010-01-26T18:56:00.001-05:00

TriBy3's good friend Lou Tharp did a goggle review for the Fashion and Style section of the New York Times. He reviewed six different pairs and rated each based on "geek factor", seal, comfort, and adjustability. Considering the fact that Lou can out-swim just about anyone, when he talks about swim products, we listen. Find the review here

And if you are interested in finding more information about Sable Optics, the brand that Lou rated highest, just shoot us an email. TriBy3 is an official retailer of Sable goggles.

Nutrition Periodization

2009-12-18T11:19:00.000-05:00

For anyone looking to manage their weight, shed some of their holiday pounds, or get the most out of the 2010 racing season, this is a must read article from Bob Seebohar. Bob traveled to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games as a sport dietitian for the US Olympic Team and the personal sport dietitian for the Olympic Triathlon Team. With 30 years experience in the field, Bob's knowledge is unparalleled.

The article, linked above, gives the reader the basic idea of what nutrition periodization is and some of the simple "dos" and "donts" to keep in mind while going through your training cycles. If your looking for a more in depth explanation of Bob's concept, I highly recommend picking up his book: Nutrition Periodization for Endurance Athletes: Taking Traditional Sports Nutrition to the Next Level.

Shin Splints

2009-12-09T11:07:00.000-05:00

At some point in your in your athletic career you have undoubtedly heard these two dreaded words- shine splints. Whether you have personally experienced the stabbing feeling in the front of your shins or you've watched others limp home at the end of a painful run, shin splints seem to be accepted as an inevitable burden to the endurance athlete. But as with all physiological abnormalities, there is an identifiable cause and an identifiable course of action that we can take to prevent these run-killers from forming.

Before we go any further, let's define what we are actually talking about. "Shin splints", as the amateur athlete and weekend warrior know them, are generally known in the medical community as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). MTSS can develop in any runner but it is most common in beginner runners, inexperienced runners, and runners that are adding miles to their training plans. The syndrome is caused by vibrational strains put on the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles as a result of improper technique.

Generally the technical flaw is what is referred to in the pose method as an "active landing". This means that the foot slaps down in front of the body's general center of mass (GCM). The majority of runners that do not employ the pose method are to some degree heel strikers. In an attempt to run faster, most athletes make the mistakes of trying to "lengthen their stride" or "push off harder" and as a result they contact the ground, heel first, in front of their GCM. The foot then slaps down to the ground as the GCM passes over the ankle. As the runner's body weight transfers from heel to toe, the soleus and gastroc muscles are forced to bear the burden. The muscles tighten and contract at the insertion points on the front of the shins and you are left with shin splints.

To prevent MTSS and enjoy healthy and pain free running, runner's need only learn and employ the pose technique. It sounds simple and it is. By understanding the fundamentals of pose-proper body angle, GCM positioning, foot placement, "falling", and "pulling"- you will be able to conquer this debilitating pain and focus on your training. For more information visit the pose website or contact TriBy3 coach Greg, a certified pose coach.

Treadmill Running

2009-12-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

As it gets colder outside I hear the question more and more, “what do you think of treadmill running?” The honest answer is, not much. Running on a treadmill does not mimic the feel of running on the road and as such can lead to a loss of perception or feel, poor technique, and, in the worst case, injuries.

Now all that being said, some people just can’t run outside all year round. Whether it’s due to scheduling issues, lack of light in the winter months, or just a simple hatred of the cold, some athletes find themselves logging miles inside their gyms this time of year. For these people, I wanted to find a solution to the treadmill problem so I turned, as I often do, Dr. Romanov (founder of the pose method of running) to see what he would recommend.

Follow the link for Dr. Romanov’s 16 tips to treadmill running and hopefully this will help all you gym goers have a safe and successful indoor training season.

The Relationship Between Exercise and Stress

2009-12-09T11:03:00.000-05:00

Apparently aerobic activity is good not just for the heart and body, it’s good for the brain as well. At last month’s annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, researchers at Princeton University announced their findings from a study conducted on the brains of athletic rats. What these researchers found is that the neurons in the brains of rats which were made to run and exercise responded to stress differently than the neurons of rats that were not allowed to partake in the aerobic activities.

It has been a well-accepted fact in the scientific community that exercise stimulates the formation of new brain cells, however this study is one of the first indications of how the newly formed cells may functionally differ from other brain cells. Apparently, the physical stresses of exercise prepare the brain to better deal with outside psychological stressors. Results were typically seen after approximately six weeks of exercise.

For more information, read this great New York Times article from November 18^th

Trigger Point Performance Therapy Product Review

2009-12-09T11:02:00.003-05:00

If you spend any time with me after a weekend of long riding and running, you'll quickly discover that I am a HUGE proponent of massage therapy as a tool for recovery and muscular development. You will discover this because I constantly whine about how desperately I need something worked out or flushed or loosened up or some other variation of the same complaint. When it gets really bad, I pay a visit to my personal massage therapist

Craig Bohn at the Hockessin Athletic Club in Delaware (side note here: I am fully convinced Craig would have been burned at the stake 300 years ago for the magic he is able to work with his hands). But 200 mile drives and the cost of 3 hours on the table add up pretty quickly, so I needed something more convenient and cost efficient to get me through the typical aches and pains of training. This is where I found Trigger Point.

Trigger Point Performance Therapy, based in Austin, Texas, is a company committed to hands-free, in home, self-massage therapy. TP offers five products- a Massage Ball, Footballer, Quadballer, Baller Block, and The Grid. What makes these products unique is that they are intended to mimic the feeling and density of a human thumb. After applying pressure for 5-7 seconds, the patented material of the TP tools changes shape which allows the muscles to relax and the massage to penetrate deeply, like a traditional massage.

Many people use foam rollers, tennis balls, or DIY devices made of wood or plastic to alleviate lactic acid buildup and restore blood flow to the muscles. While these things may provide temporary relief, they aren't ideal. Soft or air-filled massage tools fail to penetrate the muscles deeply while hard wooden or plastic objects can be traumatic to the muscles and actually cause more damage.

Personally, I love the TP Total Body Package (pictured below) and use it every day. Just 20 minutes on the ballers before an after a workout lets me perform at my maximum and restore blood flow to tired muscles. While it isn't the cheapest thing out there ($139.99 on the TP website), it gives you the freedom to do a daily massage in the comfort of your own home. I also pack the kit on my travel bag whenever I go anywhere and then I don't have to worry about finding a good massage therapist at a race.

I don't think anything can replace a really good massage therapist, but Trigger Point Performance Therapy at least gets me through the days between massages without the typical training aches and pains I would otherwise suffer. Check out the TP website for more information.

Swimming Drills: 3 Under Switches

2009-12-09T11:01:00.000-05:00

Start in skating position. Bring your hand from your “pocket” position forward, palm facing up, underwater, until your fingertips reach the middle of your extended forearm. At that point pause. Wait for about two seconds to feel the balance and the set up before rotating as in “advanced fish” from side to side. Aim for 3 rotations before rolling on your back to take a longer breath and to relax. In each single rotation feel your body initiate the motion and let your arms and legs follow. At some point the rotation and the pierce (arm going forward) as well as the kick will become a unit and will move at the same time. As your arm is going forward let it go down towards your skating position (45 degrees down). Feel a stretch before pulling or anchoring your extended arm back.

Upcoming Events

2009-12-09T11:00:00.010-05:00

What: Swim Clinic - Islamorada, Florida
When: February 19-21, 2010
The TriBy3 Swim Camp for triathletes and long distance swimmers (in conjunction with SBR Multisports) is designed to enhance your swim stroke and prepare you for the season ahead. We offer every swimmer a challenging, fun, and educational experience. This three-day camp includes 10+ hours of small group focus to make you stronger in the pool and increase your confidence in the open water.

Our camp is designed to create a positive and supportive environment for both age group and elite swimmers. We will focus on helping you develop an efficient and powerful stroke while teaching you to understand how your movements in the water relate to stroke efficiency. A coach will monitor your strengths and weaknesses and work with you to build an individual swim workout plan for 2010.

Sessions will be held at the beautiful 50-meter outdoor pool at Founders Park in Islamorada, Florida. Open water sessions will take place in the crystal clear waters of the Florida Keys. Islamorada is located 90 minutes from Miami International Airport.

Coach: Stefan Bill, TriBy3 and SBR Multisports Head Swim Coach

When: February 19-21, 2010

Spots Available: 15 (min. of 8 participants)

Cost: $400 (pool fee included)

Agenda:

Friday:

2:30 pm- Registration

3pm-4:30pm- Optional Freestyle Technique Session

5:30pm-7pm- Evening Pool Practice Session

Saturday:

8:30am-9:30am- Optional Open Water Session

10am-11:30am- Morning Pool Practice Session

2:30pm-3:30pm- Optional Open Water Session

4pm-5:30pm- Evening Pool Practice Session

Sunday:

8:30am-9:30am- Optional Open Water Session

11am-12:30pm- Midday Pool Practice Session

Lemon Ricotta Crostini

2009-12-08T19:39:00.002-05:00

Makes: a lot (probably 30-40 depending on baguette size)
I love these- they have several components (all of which are very important) but they are so simple to make. Just one bit of advice- don’t assemble too far in advance or the bread will get soggy.

Diet Facts: parties are not for dieters
1 loaf french bread (sourdough or whole wheat are fine), on the thinner side- if you get the really thin you will probably want to halve the rest of the ingredients.
3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
3 lemons (you will only need the zest- add the juice to a cocktail.)
100g/ 2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted
900g/2 lbs good quality whole milk ricotta cheese
Maldon sea salt (or other flaky sea salt)- probably 1-2 Tbsp
80-100 ml/ 1/3 cup runny honey
1/ Heat your oven grill (broiler) on high. Slice your french bread about 1/2 cm/1/4 inch thick and place flat on a large baking tray (you will need at least 2). Brush on one side with the olive oil. Toast until lightly golden (this will take about 1 minute) and remove from the oven to cool.
2/ Prepare the lemons. Peel the lemon zest into long thin strands using a lemon zester ( a microplane is fine) and store in a small bowl covered with damp paper towel and cling film until ready to use.
3/ Crush the hazelnuts with a large knife and then roughly chop. Place into a small bowl until ready to use.
4/ To assemble, lay the crositini out on a platter. Top each with roughly 2 tsp ricotta, then sprinkle with hazelnuts, a couple of strands of lemon zest and sprinkle of salt, a drizzle of honey and a couple of drops of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Bassman Half-Ironman Race Report (Warning, it's long!)

2009-12-08T19:16:00.009-05:00

Name: Greg Close
Race Date: October 4, 2009
Location: Bass River State Park, Tuckerton, NJ
Event: Bassman Half Ironman

Overall Result: 1st
Time: 4:29:36

Though many people have probably never heard of the Bassman Half-Ironman in beautiful Tuckerton, NJ, I have to say that this is one of my proudest results. Despite a promising start with a couple wins and a strong showing at St. Croix 70.3, this has been a tough season for me. While leading the 25-29 age group at Ironman Brazil (85 miles into the bike) I crashed doing about 35 mph and broke my femur plus destroyed my frame, helmet, shoes, and handlebars. Seven weeks later, as a result of either arrogance or hopefulness, I found myself toeing the line at Ironman Lake Placid. Halfway through the bike ride I once again found myself leading the age group, but the crack in my femur and minimal training during the preceding two months led to a slow second half of the race and a 9^th place finish.

I was ready to call it quits for the season after the broken leg in Brazil and the broken spirit in Placid. Hours of whining about what could have been replaced hours of training and I still wonder how my girlfriend, family, and coaches dealt with me for that long. The bug kept on nipping at me though and after searching for a good late season race to jump into I found George and Ale Reagan’s (Citytri.com) Bassman Triathlon. It must be said here that George and Ale are the best race directors I could ever imagine and my desire to race one more time in 2009 is due largely in part to their incredibly positive attitudes and palpable passion for the sport.

So I started hitting the pool and the pavement about 5 weeks ago in earnest. The miles were tough to build up at first, but I quickly found my legs and managed some good 13-17 mile runs and 75+ mile rides. My fitness came back incredibly fast and my numbers actually were comparable to where I was before IM Brazil.

The weather was looking iffy during race week and there were incredible showers the day before the race, but Sunday turned out to be the ideal race day. A bit humid with a thick fog to start the swim, but the sun quickly burned that off and with temperatures in the high 60’s the conditions were just perfect.

The start kicked off about 45 minutes late (due to the terrible weather the previous day) but I was feeling surprisingly relaxed. If nothing else could be taken from this season, I think I’ve at least learned what is and is not important to stress about. Anyway, the gun went off and I settled into a group of six guys at the front of the pack. Two swimmers quickly jumped ahead, but everything went smoothly as I stayed with the other three for the rest of the swim. I exited 6^th in the under 39 wave but with some timing errors it’s hard to determine my actual time or place.

After a smooth T1 I jumped on my Dolan ready to forget my less than impressive season (a million thanks to Ed at DPM Sports for helping me out after the Brazil crash buried the first bike). The bike course is flat and fast with a couple windy stretches and a number of beautiful views. I wanted to annihilate the bike course to prove to myself I still had it in me. I rode the first of two loops in just about 24 mph and felt strong. I passed the leader about 23 miles in and had already built a sizeable lead by the turnaround, but that wasn’t enough for me this time around. The bike course was actually a 58-mile course and I was committed to stomping the second loop and negative splitting my ride. My first loop was a 1:12. After attacking the last 28 miles, I came into T2 with a 2:22 bike time (1:10 second loop).

I had a 14-minute lead starting the run, but this race wasn’t about beating other people. This race was about me beating myself up and forgetting all the negative thoughts that filled my head after a couple bad races. I set out running strong and clipped off first 5+ miles between 6:25 and 6:35. I felt strong, my nutrition, hydration, and salts were all great, and I wanted to really attack the second half. Miles 6-8 seemed really long to me as my pace mysteriously rose from 6:30s to 7:30s for those two miles (getting off course twice didn’t help anything), but maybe I was just letting up a bit. After hitting a turnaround point at 8 and setting off for the last 5 miles I saw the second through fifth place guys and found I had about a 15 minute lead. I stayed strong in the last 5 miles and ran around a 6:40 mile consistently. I was hoping to run closer to 6:25, but after the strong ride my legs were feeling it a bit. In the end, I crossed in 4:29.

It may sound funny, but this race with just around 300+ athletes in the half-ironman made me as proud as any World Championship, National Championship, overall award, accolade, or type of recognition I have received. Why? Because of what I learned from this race; about myself, about racing in general, and about what’s important. At Ironman Brazil I felt unstoppable. I had planned for every imaginable scenario, researched my opponents, calculated my power outputs precisely, fine-tuned my bike, etc, etc. Everything went absolutely perfectly until my disc caught an edge that I didn’t see and slammed me to the pavement at nearly 40 miles per hour. If I could go back and do it all over again I wouldn’t change a single thing about my race in Brazil and 999 times out of 1,000 I would stay upright. It’s really hard to run a near perfect race, do nothing wrong, and have the end result be a DNF. I didn’t know how to come back from that.

A lot of people tried to console me back in May by saying what terrible luck I had and how bad days like that happen. But by getting back on the bike and preparing for this little race in Tuckerton, NJ, I learned that while what happened to me at Brazil was unfortunate, it wasn’t “bad luck” or a “terrible day”. I walked out of the hospital that day, my bike was replaced, and 5 months later I crossed the line 15 minutes ahead of second place. I’m healthy, my friends and family are healthy, and I’m still able to do what I love more than anything, which is race, train, and coach in the world of triathlon. When you can say that, there is no such thing as a bad day. It’s about good days and great days.

I learned how important it is to just get back on the bike (both the literal and metaphorical bike). I learned that the people that support you in the tough times are the most invaluable people in life. And most importantly, I learned that no matter how tough a race or a month of training or an entire season seems, you can turn that all around in just one day. I can’t wait for 2010.

Swimming Drills: Zipper Skate and 3 Zipper Switch

2009-12-04T15:49:00.001-05:00

Zipper Skate:

Starting in your skating position, bring recovery arm forward through the water leading with your elbow. Feel water resistance (elbow is barley cleared). Make sure to come forward on “railroad track” and to keep recovery arm in “shark fin” position (fingertips pointing down, hand slightly more forward than elbow). Stop at the middle of your extended forearm, hold position until you have to take a breath and roll on your back to breathe.

Zipper Switch:

Set up as in Zipper Skate and then rotate from higher hip around your spine without moving your head all the way to the other side (in fish drill). Feel the glide without stopping the recovery motion in the back (only pause as in Zipper Skate position). Aim for three rotations before taking a breath. Aim for a long pause (2 second or more) in Zipper Skate position.

Swimming Drills: Skating

2009-12-04T15:43:00.001-05:00

Start in fish position and extend lower arm at a 45 degree angle down and forward. Make sure that arm is extended on a “railroad track”; there will be a gap between the shoulder and head. Keep head in center (alignment with spine) and feel long. If your legs are sinking, make sure to swim “downhill” (pressure down from higher breast/chest side). Roll on your back to take a breath and keep extended arm forward while breathing.

Swimming Drills: Fish and Advanced Fish

2009-12-04T15:39:00.001-05:00

Fish:

With both hands in your pocket (front of your thigh), kick on the side. Make sure to look down and find a nice balanced position. Have your body angled between 45 and 85 degrees. Take a breath in your basic balance position.

Advanced Fish:

Starting in your fish position, rotate from one side to the other around your spine without moving your head. Rotation should be initiated from higher hip pressing down and not from shoulders. Make sure to keep your head stable (anchor) and to face down (natural head position). After rotating, stop your kick, glide, and feel the balance. Take a breath on your back.

Swimming Drills: Basic Balance

2009-12-04T15:29:00.001-05:00

Very similar to “floating on your stomach” position, except that you will position yourself on your back with your nose pointed up. Both hands should be positioned on your inner thighs and stay there as you are kicking on your back. Your objective is to stay as relaxed as possible and allow the natural buoyancy of your body to keep you up with minimal leg motion and work. Feel easy and relaxed in your position.

Swimming Drills: Floating on Stomach

2009-12-04T14:56:00.003-05:00

Extend your arms a bit wider than shoulder width apart (Y position). Relax your shoulders and neck as much as possible. If your shoulders, neck , and chest are relaxed your upper body will become heavy and will start to fall down. Let that feeling of falling (swimming downhill) happen.

This will keep your body straight and will let your feet come up. In order to move and gain support from your legs, use a freestyle kick (flatter kick) that begins in your hips. Keep you knees relaxed and allow them to follow the motion, triggered by your hips (upper legs). Your kick should be in the shadow of your body (approximately hip width)

Caffeine and Endurance

2009-11-13T10:39:00.001-05:00

Here is another must read article for all you coffee lovers out there. I found it on the First Endurance website and it was written and reviewed by their Endurance Research Board. As with any nutritional change, experiments should be done well before race day so you can understand how your body will respond.

Syncope - Part 1

2009-11-12T21:45:00.002-05:00

Some of you will know about professional triathlete Joanna Zeiger’s recent troubles with syncope. Her trials and tribulations with race-related dizziness are summarized in a nice article at slowtwitch.com, “Zeiger sidelined by dizziness.” Her story is typical. This week and next week, we’ll talk about the causes, medical evaluation, and treatment options for syncope.

Syncope is the medical term used to describe a brief period of loss of consciousness (either partial or complete) that is due to insufficient blood flow to the brain. This process is temporary and is followed by spontaneous recovery. Patients often use different terms such as “dizziness”, “light-headedness”, “blacking out”, “passing out”, or “falling out” to describe this problem. This is a common medical condition that affects approximately 3% of the population at some point during life. It is increasingly common as we age, affecting 6% of individuals over the age of 75. It’s not surprising, then, that this is a fairly common problem among athletes.

Syncope may occur without warning or may be preceded by warning signs that are called premonitory symptoms. Typical premonitory symptoms might include palpitations, light-headedness, grogginess, feeling warm, or experiencing nausea.

TYPES OF SYNCOPE

There are many types or causes of syncope and it can be useful to categorize the types as: 1) cardiac (heart-related), 2) non-cardiac, or 3) unknown. This framework helps the physician sort out an individual’s cause among the many possibilities and then provide any needed treatment.

Cardiac syncope

A variety of cardiac disorders can produce syncope, but cardiac causes account for the explanation in only 10% of cases. As patients age, it is more likely that a cardiac cause is responsible for their syncope. Some of the cardiac causes are potentially life-threatening, but most are less serious; all can be treated.

Life-threatening cardiac causes. Acute myocardial infarction (“heart attack”) or aortic dissection (tearing apart of the layers of the aorta) can produce syncope or other changes in the level of consciousness. Both of these conditions are usually accompanied by chest or back pain and can also be associated with shortness of breath. In these situations, syncope is the result of decreased blood pressure and/or decreased blood flow to the brain. Both of these conditions can result in sudden death and affected individuals require urgent medical attention.

Arrhythmias. The most common cardiac cause of syncope, though, is an abnormal heartbeat, or arrhythmia—either atrial (from the upper heart chamber) or ventricular (from the pumping chamber of the heart). Syncope can be the result of an abnormally fast (tachy-) or slow (brady-) arrhythmia. Bradyarrhythmias are usually found in patients with known, pre-existing heart disease, but they sometimes occur because of unwanted side effects of medicines (eg, beta-blockers for high blood pressure). It’s important to remember that the well-trained athlete typically has a baseline slow heart rate and this can sometimes confuse the picture. Syncope is more common with atrial or ventricular tachyarrhythmias, though. The atrial tachyarrhythmias include atrial fibrillation (A-fib), atrial flutter (A-flutter), and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). These arrhythmias may be accompanied by chest discomfort, palpitations, or shortness of breath. With persistent arrhythmias, syncope often occurs when moving from the sitting to standing position (postural) due to decreased blood pressure. Ventricular tachyarrhythmias include ventricular fibrillation (V-fib) and ventricular tachycardia (V-tach). These arrhythmias are usually associated with known, pre-existing heart disease. Syncope due to ventricular tachyarrhythmias is not usually related to posture.

Cardiac bloodflow obstruction. A third set of cardiac causes of syncope are due to obstruction to blood flow in the heart. This can be due to narrowing (stenosis) of the aortic, mitral, or pulmonary valves, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM, one of the most common causes of sudden death in athletes), or to tumors of the heart. With these conditions, syncope is often sudden, without any preceding symptoms.

Low cardiac output. The last set of cardiac causes are those due to decreased pumping function, or cardiac output, from the heart. Long-standing congestive heart failure (CHF) or leaking (regurgitant) heart valves may lead to a low blood pressure that limits blood flow to the brain.

Non-cardiac syncope

Neurocardiogenic syncope. The most common type of syncope is termed neurocardiogenic, or vasovagal syncope. The term vasovagal conveys the association of “vaso,” for vasodilation of arterial system (leading to a decrease in blood pressure) and “vagal,” for the accompanying slow heart rate (sometimes produced by decreased activity in the vagal nerves). This type of syncope usually occurs in the standing position and is usually preceded by symptoms such as light-headedness, nausea, or sweating.

Situational syncope. A variety of precipitating factors, such as emotional stress, anxiety, pain, cough, urination, or defecation can lead to syncope. In this situation, the resulting syncope is thought to be due to a reflex, sudden decrease in heart rate that produces a transient reduction in blood flow to the brain.

Orthostatic syncope. Syncope can be caused by a sudden drop in the blood pressure as we rise from a sitting to standing position. The medical terms for this situation are orthostasis, or orthostatic hypotension (reduced blood pressure). Ordinarily, the body adjusts to this change in position by increasing the heart rate and increasing motor tone in the blood vessels to keep the blood pressure constant. When these mechanisms fail, the sudden (relative) drop in heart rate and blood pressure may produce syncope. This problem can be made worse by dehydration or medications that reduce the circulating blood volume or by medications that limit the blood pressure response (eg, beta-blockers).

Neurologic syncope. One last, unusual category of causes is termed neurologic. In this situation, the syncope is caused by a sudden decrease in blood flow to the brain in conditions such as stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA, or “near-stroke”), or seizures. In one variant, syncope is due to a sudden decrease in blood flow to the posterior portion of the brain called the cerebellum. This is often due to pre-existing vascular disease in the vertebral arteries that supply this portion of the brain. Patients with neurologic syncope often experience other neurologic symptoms such as vertigo, visual changes, or muscle movement clumsiness immediately before the syncopal event.

MEDICAL EVALUATION

Syncope can sometimes easily be explained by benign problems such as dehydration, but the majority of individuals with syncope should be evaluated carefully for an explanation. Because of the demands on the athlete’s cardiovascular system during exercise, it is particularly important for the athlete with syncope to be evaluated completely.

Syncope- Part 2

2009-11-12T21:44:00.002-05:00

Last week we talked about the problem of syncope and described the various causes. This week we’ll talk about the medical evaluation and treatment for the athlete with syncope. As I explained last week, syncope can sometimes be explained simply by benign problems such as dehydration, but the majority of individuals should be evaluated carefully for an explanation. This is particularly true for the athlete because of the demands placed upon his cardiovascular system and the potential risk of sudden death from unrecognized underlying heart disease.

MEDICAL EVALUATION

In general, the medical evaluation of patients with syncope should seek to determine a specific cause, with a special emphasis on distinguishing heart-related (cardiac) from non-cardiac causes. And, as for the evaluation of most medical problems, your physician will want to gather information from a careful medical history, including the syncopal event itself, a physical examination, and then one or more diagnostic tests. Because syncope is a common problem in the general population, most primary care physicians are knowledgeable about the evaluation of patients with syncope, but sometimes referral to a cardiologist, neurologist, or other medical specialist may be necessary.

Medical History

Much information can be gathered from a careful medical history. Your physician will be particularly interested in the events leading up to, and immediately after, your episode of syncope. In some cases, information provided by bystanders may be very important. This is particularly true if you have experienced a loss of memory (amnesia) for the events immediately preceding the syncopal event. Syncope should be distinguished from near-syncope, or “almost blacking out.” For our purposes here, we’re considering only syncope, characterized by a true loss of consciousness. Your physician will also want to know about any previous episodes of syncope, about any medications you may be taking (especially beta-blockers or inhaled bronchodilators for asthma), and about any personal or family history of heart disease.

Athletes with neurocardiogenic syncope typically report that their syncope occurred in the standing position, often after exercise, and often in the setting of some degree of dehydration. The syncope is usually preceded by feelings of light-headedness, a warm feeling, or nausea. Athletes may have experienced episodes of near-syncope previously and learned that prolonged standing after exercise should be avoided.

Athletes with situational syncope often relate a history of a causative symptom that reproducibly produces syncope.

Athletes with orthostatic syncope typically report the development of syncope when they change from the sitting to standing position. Upon reflection, they may admit to some degree of dehydration.

Athletes with neurologic syncope often report neurologic symptoms (eg, vertigo, visual changes, or muscle movement clumsiness) that precede their syncopal event. These athletes might be well served by referral to a neurologist for further evaluation and treatment.

More worrisome is syncope that occurs during exertion or in the sitting or lying positions. Syncope that is preceded by palpitations or chest pain or discomfort is also worrisome. All of these features suggest a cardiac cause and merit a more thorough search for a cardiac cause.

Physical Examination

In many cases, the physical examination will be unremarkable and offer no clues to the cause of syncope. Nonetheless, in some small number of cases, though, there will be specific clues from the physical examination that point to an underlying condition that might be the cause of syncope.

Patients should have their vital signs (heart rate and blood pressure) measured in the supine, sitting, and standing positions. Findings here may point to orthostatic hypotension as a cause of syncope.

The body habitus (height and shape) may suggest Marfan’s syndrome and this can be evaluated further with genetic testing. Your physician may hear bruits (or turbulent blood flow) in the carotid arteries, suggesting underlying vascular disease. The heart sounds may be abnormal, including the presence of an S3 or S4 gallup, but these findings are common in athletes even without a history of syncope. A careful examination should be made for evidence of heart valve disease because specific murmurs may suggest a cause of syncope and prompt further testing.

Diagnostic Tests

Athletes with syncope should have a complete medical history and physical examination and then have an electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiogram to complete the initial evaluation. The resting ECG and echocardiogram will identify or exclude many of the potential cardiac causes of syncope. The information gathered from these tests will then be used to determine if any additional diagnostic testing is needed.

Electrocardiogram (ECG). The ECG is usually done in the physician’s office and the results are immediately available. Electrodes are attached to the chest, arms, and legs and are used to make recordings of the heart’s electrical activity measured at the skin surface. In athletes with syncope, the ECG may be abnormal in 50% of cases, but will point to a specific cause of syncope in only a very small number of cases. Abnormalities that can be identified on the ECG that may be responsible for syncope include: long QT interval, pre-excitation or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, pauses in the electrical activity, or heart block. It’s not so important that the athlete understand each of these possibilities; instead, any of these findings will prompt your physician to do additional diagnostic testing or to provide a specific treatment.

Echocardiogram. The echocardiogram is usually ordered by the physician and done in a cardiologist’s office or at the hospital. With the use of ultrasound, images are made of the heart that show the anatomy (structure) of the heart in great detail. The size of the heart chambers and heart walls can be made, the structure and function of the heart valves (aortic valve, mitral valve, pulmonary valve, tricuspid valve) can be determined, and estimates of the pressures in each of the heart chambers can be made. In the athlete without a history or physical findings that suggest cardiac disease, the chances of finding an abnormality with echocardiography are low, but not zero. Cardiac conditions that may cause syncope and which can be diagnosed with echocardiography include: aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve), benign tumors of the heart (eg, myxomas that obstruct blood flow in the heart), or hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM).

Holter monitoring. If the athlete reports an abnormal history of palpitations or if palpitations have immediately preceded the syncopal event—and if the ECG and echocardiogram do not suggest other cardiac diseases—holter monitoring may be useful to diagnose arrhtyhmias (abnormal heart rhythms) that may be responsible for syncope. With this test, the patient wears a tape recorder and several electrodes for a period of 24-72 hours and a recording is made of the heart’s electrical activity. The patient can often press a button to indicate symptoms such as palpitations that may later be correlated to the heart’s electrical activity at that moment. The Holter monitor may uncover atrial arrhythmias (often responsible for near-syncope) or ventricular arrhythmias (often responsible for syncope). This test may also show periods of heart block or pauses in the electrical activity that are not evident on the resting ECG.

Tilt-testing. For the athlete with syncope, and for whom the ECG and echocardiogram do not suggest a cardiac cause, tilt testing is the next appropriate diagnostic test. This test is used to establish the diagnosis of neurocardiogenic syncope and is done in a cardiologist’s office or at the hospital. The patient is strapped to a tilt table and measurements are made of the vital signs in various positions. Intravenous medications may be given to exaggerate the effects of the test and help the physician establish a diagnosis.

Other cardiac tests. A variety of additional diagnostic tests are available for patients in whom a cause for syncope cannot be determined on the basis of history, physical examination, ECG, echocardiogram, Holter monitoring, and tilt-table testing alone. Additional underlying cardiac diseases (that may be responsible for syncope) can be identified or excluded using: stress testing, cardiac catheterization, more extensive electrophysiologic testing, or the use of an implantable loop recorder (to make more extensive recordings of the heart’s electrical activity). If an athlete’s cause of syncope remains uncertain after the more basic tests—and particularly if syncope occurs with exertion—he should be referred to a cardiologist for evaluation and, possibly, one or more of these additional diagnostic tests.

TREATMENT

The treatment for athletes with syncope will be individualized and targeted at the underlying cause. The goal of treatment will be to prevent (or reduce the frequency of) future episodes. For athletes in whom a cardiac cause is determined, there will be specific treatments for any of the myriad of responsible cardiac causes. We’ll discuss these treatments at another time and consider whether continued participation in athletic activity is prudent.

For athletes with situational syncope, the inciting cause should be avoided. For athletes with orthostatic syncope, dehydration should be avoided and medicines such as beta-blockers should be discontinued. For patients with neurologic syncope, further diagnostic testing under the direction of a neurologist may be needed.

Most commonly, however, athletes will be found to have neurocardiogenic syncope and there is a variety of treatment options.

Avoidance. The most important “treatment” will be to avoid situations that predispose the athlete to developing syncope. And the most common situation to avoid is prolonged standing after exercise—particularly strenuous exercise. It is important for the athlete to recognize their own specific premonitory symptoms (eg, light-headedness, nausea) and remember to sit down or lie down to prevent a syncopal episode.

Blood volume. Anything that produces a relative or absolute decrease in the circulating blood volume (eg, dehydration, certain medications) should be avoided. Compression stockings in the post-exercise period may be helpful in this regard.

Drugs. Many different medications have been used to treat patients with neurocardiogenic syncope, including beta-blockers (eg, propranolol, atenolol), alpha-agonists (eg, midodrine), and calcium channel blockers (eg, disopyramide). Unfortunately, long-term studies have often failed to show a convincing benefit. Importantly, beta-blockers may be poor choice in athletes because these medications limit the heart rate.

Ryan Shay, Marathoner, 1979-2007

2009-11-12T21:15:00.002-05:00

There have been a number of athletes with heart disease--in a variety of sports--who've captured the nation's attention because of sudden, unexpected death in recent years. Often these deaths have occured during training or competition. From time to time, I'll take a look at one of these athletes and describe their heart problems. There's probably something to learn in these examples about living (and exercising or training) with heart disease or preventing sudden cardiac death.

I was having dinner with some friends last weekend and the group included several runners and a couple doctors. We got to talking about heart disease in athletes and somebody asked me if I knew why Ryan Shay died.

To set the stage, Ryan Shay was a runner for most of his life. He grew up in Michigan where he was a multi-year high school state champion in the 1600m and 3200m events. He went on to college at Notre Dame, where he competed in both cross country and track. He was the NCAA champion at 10,000m in 2001 and was a 9-time All American. After college, he would go on to be the USATF marathon champion in 2003 and the USATF half marathon champion in 2003 and 2004. He finished a disappointing 23rd at the 2004 Olympic Trials, but had high hopes for the 2008 Trials.

Ryan Shay died in New York City on November 3, 2007, collapsing suddenly in Central Park, at mile 5.5 of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. He received medical attention immediately, was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, and was pronounced dead. An autopsy report was released several months later, describing the cause of death as "cardiac arrhythmia due to cardiac hypertrophy with patchy fibrosis of uncertain etiology....natural causes."

Interestingly, Ryan Shay was known to have heart disease since he was a teenager. After an automobile accident, he had a chest x-ray which showed that, compared to an x-ray done 3 years earlier when he had pneumonia, showed his heart had enlarged appreciably. I'm not certain if any further diagnostic testing was undertaken, but the problem didn't seem to hamper Ryan.

Of course, there's probably no way to be absolutely certain what caused Ryan Shay's death. But I think the information that's available suggests a likely scenario. When the pathologist describes "patchy fibrosis," she is referring to scar tissue that has developed in the heart....due to injury of some sort, just like scar tissue develops elsewhere in the body. Fibrosis in the heart in a young person is very unusual, though. In an older individual, fibrosis can develop commonly after injury like heart attack. But Ryan had no evidence of the coronary artery disease that causes heart attacks. Much more likely, Ryan had an episode of myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart that occured during childhood. In the aftermath of that infection, his heart enlarged and there was scarring in the heart muscle.

Ryan Shay's heart obviously was strong in terms of its pumping function. No elite runner could achieve Ryan's accomplishments without a "strong" heart. Unfortunately, the fibrosis in his heart was a "set-up" for the event that occured on the day of his death. The heart's ordinarily highly organized electrical activity (that causes the various chambers to contract in the correct sequence) can become irregular because of areas of fibrosis in the heart walls. This can result in suddenly disorganized electrical activity (that we call an arrhythmia--likely ventricular fibrillation) that leaves the heart unable to contract and pump blood effectively. The blood pressure falls to zero and unless the electrical activity is returned to normal within minutes (using a defibrillator), the individual dies.

As we explore the spectrum of heart disease in athletes in the weeks and months ahead, we'll see that the development of an arrhythmia is often the common final pathway that leads to sudden death in athletes. But there are many disorders besides myocarditis that can lead to this problem.

The Athlete's Cardiac Paradox

2009-11-12T21:14:00.002-05:00

With a nearly unquenchable thirst for healthier living, the ranks of athletes at all levels have grown over the past 20 years. More than 7 million high school athletes, nearly 400,000 college athletes, and countless millions of adult Americans now exercise routinely or take part actively in competitive athletics. The heart-healthy benefits of regular exercise have been widely documented, but we also know that strenuous exercise increases the risk of sudden death due to a variety of cardiac conditions, either known or unknown to the athlete. This is what I’ve been calling the athlete’s cardiac paradox.

There is ample evidence that regular exercise produces a variety of health benefits. As a result, physical activity is strongly recommended by educators, parents, and the medical community. We know, particularly in adults, that regular exercise can: 1) help to maintain a healthy weight; 2) reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes; 3) have a beneficial effect on the blood pressure; 4) delay or limit the progression of typical coronary artery disease (“hardening of the arteries”); and 5) reduce the chance of having a cardiovascular event such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or “heart attack.” And beyond the cardiovascular benefits, there are social and psychological benefits for most individuals who make exercise a part of their daily or weekly routine.

But despite the many clear advantages of exercise, we’ve all heard reports of athletes who have died suddenly, often during exercise or competition. When famous athletes are involved, these stories often garner national news attention. But the problem affects local athletes just the same. For young individuals, the risk of death among athletes may be as much as 2.5 times the risk for non-athletes. For seemingly healthy adults, the reported risk ranges anywhere from 5 to 50 times. Thankfully, the absolute numbers of such deaths is relatively small, though. In the United States, the risk for young athletes is probably in the range of 1 sudden death per 100,000 athletes per year. There have been various estimates for the risk of exercise-related sudden death in adults, with a range of 1 per 20,000 to 82,000 individuals per year. But for adults, this is on top of an additional risk of exercise-related acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or “heart attack.”

For our purposes as we go forward, we should probably divide the athletic population into those under 30 years of age and those older than 30 years of age. This is obviously just an arbitrary cut-off, but it turns out that the cardiac conditions responsible for sudden death are very different for these two groups. For the younger group, hereditary or congenital conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM), coronary artery anomalies, aortic stenosis, aortic dissection (especially with Marfan’s syndrome), arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, and myocarditis predominate. For the older age group, typical coronary artery disease is the most common cause of sudden death.

As athletes, what should we do?

1. Be aware of the problem. It’s easy for the young athlete to believe he or she is invincible. The young athlete is often the picture of health. But this may not necessarily be true.

2. Take charge of your own (or your child’s) heart health. Nobody will do this for you. It’s important for athletes of all ages to establish a good relationship with a physician—and particularly one who is knowledgeable about the issues of heart disease in athletes. After they leave school, most “healthy” men don’t continue to see a physician. You and your physician should work together to plan how to best screen for any possible cardiovascular disease that you might have. And assuming it’s safe to proceed with your exercise program or training routine, you should work together when any issues arise. Treat symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, unusual shortness of breath, or light-headedness (or blacking out) seriously. Report these to your physician and work exhaustively to find a cause.

3. Prepare for emergencies. This is particularly true if you’re involved in the leadership of organized exercise programs, training events, or competitions. Be ready for medical emergencies of all sorts, including those arising from cardiovascular problems, and particularly sudden death caused by arrhythmias. It will be helpful to all of us in the long term if cardiovascular events be reported and disseminated to the athletic and medical community. It’s the only way that we can learn.

As physicians, what can we do to help?

1. Become knowledgeable about the problem. I worry that too few primary care physicians are truly knowledgeable about the many issues related to cardiovascular disease in athletes. And I know that cardiologists with a particular interest in this area are few and far between. We should be ready to refer our patients to these specialists, though, when issues arise that we cannot resolve for the athlete.

2. Recommend appropriate exercise programs. There is sufficient information about many cardiac conditions that we can make sound recommendations about continued participation in sports activities for those affected individuals. For some athletes, this will mean a change in the type or intensity of exercise that is safe.

3. Exclude individuals from athletic activities if their cardiac conditions place them at very high risk.

These are some of the issues that we’ll explore in the weeks and months ahead. My friends at Endurance Corner sent me an abstract about atrial arrhythmias in endurance athletes. This is an interesting and common problem and I’ll be back next time to share some info.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope that you’ll stop back often and I hope that you’ll offer your comments, questions, and suggestions. I’m happy to talk about questions that might be on your mind. And I’ll bet that we have a great deal to learn from each other, too.

Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes (In a Nutshell)

2009-11-12T21:12:00.003-05:00

My friends at Endurance Corner recently circulated an abstract about atrial arrhythmias in endurance athletes and I thought this would be a great topic for the blog. At the outset, let me say that entire books have been written on the topic of atrial arrhythmias, so anything here will necessarily be the story “in a nutshell.”

What is Atrial Fibrillation?

In the normal situation, the electrical activity of the heart is highly organized, starting as a self-initiating impulse in the sinus node located in the upper chamber on the right side of the heart (right atrium) and proceeding through the right and left atrium, then down into the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles. In medical terms, the normal situation is a called a sinus rhythm. And when the heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute, we call this a “normal sinus rhythm”. Any time the heart’s electrical activity is NOT a normal sinus rhythm, the situation is called an arrhythmia...and there are many different types. I realize that many athletes have a sinus rhythm at less than 60 beats per minute at rest—and ordinarily we’d call this a “sinus bradycardia”—but this is quite normal for the well trained athlete.

Today, we’re talking about atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia. In this situation, the electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart is highly disorganized. You might picture many circular electrical circuits all firing in disarray. The result is that the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, do not contract properly and electrical impulses reach the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart, in an irregular sequence and often at a fast rate. The result is an irregular pulse (when you feel the pulse at the wrist, for example), a reduction in the cardiac output (the amount of blood the heart pumps each minute), and stagnation of blood within the atria. AF may be constant (or persistent or chronic) or intermittent (paroxysmal).

Thinking for a moment about the general population, the chance of having AF increases with age, The overall incidence is less than 0.5%, but that rate increases to more than 8% at age 80. This arrhythmia commonly accompanies other forms of heart disease such as mitral valve prolapse, rheumatic heart disease, or hyperthyroidism, but it may also occur alone. When it occurs alone, in the absence of other heart disease, we call it “lone atrial fibrillation.” In the United States, it is estimated than more than 2 million individuals are affected. And importantly, AF is associated with a variety of poor outcomes over the long-term, including stroke, heart failure, and even death. In fact, the mortality rate for individuals with AF is nearly twice that for individuals without AF.

AF can produce a variety of symptoms...and sometimes, no symptoms at all. The symptoms are usually due to a fast heart rate and include: palpitations, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, sweating (diaphoresis), and even syncope (blacking out). Palpitations are probably the most common symptom in athletes and, in fact, recent studies have shown that as many as 70% of athletes in some sports will report having palpitations during exercise. Most palpitations are benign, are not associated with any underlying heart disease, and require no treatment. But if palpitations are bothersome, the problem should be investigated.

Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes

Back to athletes... What’s interesting is that athletes are much more likely than non-athletes to be bothered by AF. Not only is AF the most commonly encountered arrhythmia in athletes but also a variety of cohort studies have shown that the prevalence of AF in athletes is probably 2 to 3 times that of the general population. The reasons are not entirely clear, but there are several likely explanations. First, it is likely that the cardiovascular stresses placed on the athlete’s heart over the long term result in structural changes to the muscle tissue of the atria that foster irregular electrical activity. And it’s probably the case that not all sports are created equal in this regard (eg, the changes resulting from a career of golf might be different from those resulting from a career as a marathoner). Second, there is increased firing of various autonomic nerves that supply the heart might promote a disruption in the normal electrical activity. And lastly, low level chronic inflammation that accompanies exercise has been proposed as a possible explanation.

In athletes, intermittent AF is much more common than persistent AF, but either form can impair the athlete’s performance. Af can limit peak performance and can also become bothersome to the point that the amount of training which is possible is reduced.

Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation

How do we make the diagnosis of AF? Most patients will report 1 or more of the symptoms listed above and their physician will do an electrocardiogram (ECG). The ECG will clearly show the AF if the arrhythmia is constant, but may be completely normal if the AF is intermittent. A Holter monitor (a tape recorder of sort, with chest electrodes) can be worn for 1-3 days to “capture” any intermittent AF on tape. The Holter monitor can also be worn during treadmill or other monitored exercise to help “capture” the arrhythmia on tape.

Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Medical treatment. Medical treatment is focused on 2 alternative approaches: 1) rate control, where medicines are prescribed that keep the heart rate relatively low in spite of having the arrhythmia and 2) rhythm control, where medicines are prescribed to try to convert and keep the electrical activity in a sinus rhythm rather than AF. The typical rate control medications include: beta-blockers (propranolol, atenolol) and calcium channel blockers (diltiazem, Verapamil). The typical rhythm control medications include Amiodarone and Sotalol, among others. Unfortunately, most long-term studies (primarily in non-athletes) show that all of these medications are often ineffective (<50%).>

A second medical consideration is blood thinning, or anticoagulation, to help prevent small blood clots from forming in the atria during AF and breaking loose and causing stroke. There are guidelines published by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology (ACC) that address this problem. For athletes with no other form of heart disease other than AF, a daily aspirin is probably prudent. For those with other forms of heart disease in addition to AF, a stronger anticoagulant such as Warfarin (Coumadin) may be recommended to reduce the long-term risk of stroke. Unfortunately for the athlete, blood thinning with Coumadin also carries a risk of severe bleeding if bodily injury occurs during sports activities.

Ablation treatment. Another option for individuals affected by AF is ablation, performed either as a catheter-based procedure or as a surgical procedure. In the catheter-based procedure, catheters are threaded up to the heart, often starting in the arteries or veins of the groin, and electrical energy is used to ablate (think “kill”) the tissue in the heart that is responsible for starting or propagating the abnormal electrical activity of AF. In the surgical version, a series of small port incisions are made in the chest wall on both sides, and using video assistance, tiny surgical surgical instruments are inserted into the chest to ablate the heart tissue, again using electrical energy. Both of these procedures can be very straightforward for patients with intermittent AF and can be much more difficult for patients with persistent AF. Regardless, the risks associated with these procedures are relatively small, and I would encourage athletes bothered by AF to give strong consideration to these options.

Guidelines for Participation in Sports

Athletes with AF whose heart rate is controlled (no higher than the typical sinus heart rate associated with exercise) can participate fully. Those athletes who require anticoagulation with Coumadin should avoid sports in which the risk of bodily injury is high (because of the higher risk of internal bleeding with injury).

Heart Transplant Patient at Ironman Hawaii

2009-11-12T21:10:00.001-05:00

Nice article at cnnhealth.com about Kyle Garlett who will be competing at the Ironman World Championship in Kona in a couple weeks. In August, 2008, Dwight Kroening was the first heart transplant recipient to complete an Ironman race, at Ironman Canada.

Amazing what a new (healthy) heart can do!

Ex-NFL Players and Heart Disease

2009-11-12T21:08:00.001-05:00

Nice article at Science Daily last week, entitled "Despite Size, NFL Players Not More Likely to Develop Heart Disease Even After Retirement," commenting on a report in the September issue of American Journal of Cardiology.

Many football players, at all levels, have a body mass index (BMI) that puts them in the "overweight" or "obese" categories. Since we know that obesity is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, one might suspect that ex-football players would have a high rate of cardiovascular disease. Perhaps, surprisingly, this isn't so.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

2009-11-12T21:06:00.001-05:00

I received an email inquiry yesterday from a reader who was interested in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a newly-diagnosed condition which had sidelined him from the sport that he loves. I thought I’d share some information about HCM that I shared with him yesterday. This is an uncommon problem, but it is a potentially lethal problem for athletes in sports with high cardiovascular demands.

What is HCM?

We use the terms hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) when there is thickening (that we call hypertrophy) of the ventricular (lower heart chamber) walls, if there is no other explanation. This disorder has been known by several other names in recent years, including hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) and idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis. There are several patterns, but in the most common situation the septum (that divides the left and right ventricles) enlarges to >1.3 cm, while the other ventricular walls remain <1.0>

In approximately 35% of cases of HCM, there is also obstruction to the flow of blood as it leaves the heart. This obstruction can be due to the thickening of the ventricular septum or to a condition known as systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM). With SAM, the mitral valve moves forward and gets in the way of blood that is heading toward the aortic valve to leave the heart.

Symptoms

Many individuals with HCM will have no symptoms at all. Some patients report instances of chest pain, with or without exertion, shortness of breath, palpitations, or syncope (blacking out), either during exertion or afterwards.

Role in Sudden Death

In the United States, HCM is probably the leading cause of death among athletes with sudden cardiac death. In most reports, HCM is found at autopsy in as many as 40% of young athletes with sudden death. Unfortunately, sudden death in individuals with HCM tends to occur in young people with no previous warning signs, who are engaged in moderate to strenuous physical activity.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of HCM is established with an echocardiogram (an evaluation of the heart’s structure using ultrasound). The echocardiogram makes detailed pictures of the various heart walls and heart valves and the thickness of the various heart walls can be measured. The echocardiogram can also be used to estimate the degree of obstruction to blood flow exiting the heart.

Treatment

The treatment for HCM will depend on many variables that are specific to the individual patient. In general, treatment is designed to: 1) treat (or prevent) heart failure that may arise and 2) prevent sudden death. Potential treatments include medications, surgery (to remove some of the thickened heart wall or to replace the mitral valve), injection of alcohol into the heart wall (alcohol ablation) to cause it to shrink, insertion of a pacemaker, or insertion of a defibrillator (that delivers a shock to restart the heart in the event of sudden death).

Distinguishing from "Athlete’s Heart"

For athletes, there can sometimes be confusion about the diagnosis of HCM. This stems from the fact that well-trained athletes often have thickening of the ventricular walls that is simply a physiologic consequence of training. The distinction between HCM and athlete’s heart can be particularly problematic for individuals with ventricular wall thickness between 1.0 and 1.5 cm. Athletes in this situation would be well-served by consultation with a cardiologist with particular expertise in this area. Features that would favor athlete’s heart over HCM include: left ventricular cavity size >55 mm in diameter, and decrease in wall thickness with deconditioning. Features that would favor HCM include: family history of HCM, abnormal ECG, left ventricular cavity <45>

Recommendations for Athletes

Consensus panels have convened to make recommendations for athletes with HCM. Athletes with HCM who are younger than 30 years old should not participate in sports with high cardiovascular demands. Athletes with HCM who are older than 30 years old should not participate in such sports if they have any other worrisome features of the disease: ventricular arrhythmias, syncope (blacking out spells), moderate or worse obstruction to ventricular outflow (such as with systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve), intermittent atrial arrhythmias, or enlarged left atrium. Older athletes HCM who do not have these features should consult with their cardiologist about continued participation.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

2009-11-12T21:04:00.001-05:00

Last week, somebody stopped me to ask me a few questions about blood pressure….and high blood pressure, in particular. The gist of the questions was to learn how high the blood pressure could be before he should be concerned. So here’s a little information about blood pressure.

What is the blood pressure?

The normal blood pressure is 120/80. The numbers are measured in millimeters (mm) of mercury (Hg) and are expressed as a systolic pressure (top number) over a diastolic pressure (bottom number). And hypertension is the medical term we use for high blood pressure. We call it systolic hypertension if the systolic pressure is >140 mm Hg or diastolic hypertension if the diastolic pressure is >90 mm Hg.

In the outpatient setting, the blood pressure is usually measured in the arm using a blood pressure cuff. It’s important to remember that the blood pressure is not completely constant, but rather fluctuates during the day according to activity. Frequent measurement of the blood pressure will help to find the “typical” blood pressure for any individual.

The blood pressure typically rises with patient age. There is usually a continuous rise in systolic blood pressure throughout life. The diastolic pressure usually increases until the 50’s, then levels off, and potentially falls later in life.

How common is high blood pressure?

Hypertension is the most common medical problem in the United States. Defined as a blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or greater, and including individuals who take blood pressure medication, nearly 65 million Americans (about one third of the population) have hypertension. And another 25% of Americans have “pre-hypertension,” a systolic blood pressure of 120-139 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure of 80-89 mm Hg.

Why is high blood pressure bad?

It turns out that, independent of any other risk factors you might have, high blood pressure is associated with an increase in future heart attack (myocardial infarction [MI]), heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease. In fact, for each increase of 20 mm Hg in the systolic blood pressure or 10 mm Hg in the diastolic blood pressure, there is nearly a doubling of the risk of mortality for heart disease and stroke. It’s pretty sobering.

Treatment of high blood pressure

For individuals with no other medical problems (completely healthy otherwise), the goal of treatment is to lower the blood pressure to 140/90 mm Hg. For individuals with any adverse risk factors (diabetes, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, carotid artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, aortic aneurysm, history of smoking, or elevated blood lipids), the goal of treatment is to lower the blood pressure to 130/80 mm Hg.

For all individuals with hypertension, one focus should be on lifestyle modifications that may foster a lower blood pressure. This would include a prudent diet with reduced saturated and total fat intake and reduced salt intake; physical exercise; weight reduction in patients who are obese or overweight; and moderation of alcohol intake. Vigorous attention to these measures may be sufficient in some individuals to lower the blood pressure to the target range.

Most individuals with hypertension will need medications to lower the blood pressure. And there are a great many medications available for this purpose. It’s impossible to generalize here about which particular medications will be most helpful in any individual patient. It’s important to work with your physician to find the best medicine (or combination of medicines) to treat your hypertension effectively. Athletes may want to avoid beta-blocker medications which blunt the heart rate response to exercise.

Detroit Marathon Deaths

2009-11-12T21:02:00.001-05:00

I continue to receive questions about the deaths of 3 runners during the half marathon in Detroit this past weekend. I understand from the popular press that additional tests are needed before the autopsy reports can be finalized. More on that when additional information is available.

These deaths have stimulated a lot of discussion, though. There was an interesting article in the New York Times yesterday, entitled "Are Marathons Safe?" Some food for thought. Marathons, like any endurance sporting event, place a heavy demand on the cardiovascular system, so it shouldn't be surprising that an occasional participant dies a sudden cardiac death. But it's important to keep things in perspective....the risk is real but very, very small for any individual participant.

These sudden deaths in sporting events should motivate us to be more vigilant about screening for cardiovascular disease in athletes and paying attention to potential warning signs that deserve investigation.

Intersting Facts: Causes of Death

2009-11-12T20:58:00.001-05:00

I came across an article yesterday in the Dallas examiner.com that tabulated the risk of dying to various causes. The source of the data is not clear, and I can only assume that they refer to Americans, but I believe that these numbers relfect the lifetime risk of dying:

1 in 5, Heart disease
1 in 7, Cancer
1 in 24, Stroke
1 in 84, Motor vehicle accident
1 in 119, Suicide
1 in 218, Falling
1 in 314, Firearm assault
1 in 526, Pedestrian accident
1 in 1,008, Drowning
1 in 1,020, Motorcycle accident
1 in 1,113, Fire or smoke
1 in 4,919, Bicycling accident
1 in 5,051, Air/space accident
1 in 5,134, Accidental firearm discharge
1 in 9,968, Accidental electrocution
1 in 10,048, Alcohol poisoning
1 in 13,729, Hot weather
1 in 56,789, Hornet, wasp, or bee sting
1 in 62,468, Legal execution
1 in 79,746, Lightning
1 in 117,127, Earthquake
1 in 144,156, Flood
1 in 340,733, Fireworks discharge

By comparison, the risk of dying in a marathon is approximately 1 in 75,000, or something equivalent to the likelihood of dying from lightning or legal execution.

Meditteranean Diet

2009-11-12T20:27:00.001-05:00

One of our readers wanted to share a useful website about the Mediterranean diet.

We know that our diet is particularly important to cardiovascular health and the Mediterranean-style diet has many admirable features. In fact, many of my cardiology colleagues now recommend a Mediterranean diet for their patients with heart disease.

Our reader has also offered to guest-author a piece with recommendations on how athletes can adopt this type of diet. I'm looking forward to sharing this information with you.

Mediterranean Diet for Athletes

2009-11-12T20:26:00.001-05:00

Mediterranean Diet for Athletes

Losing weight seems like such a simple thing, but in fact it is hard for many people. With well known diets on the market such as The South Beach Diet and Atkins' Program, many have jumped on the low carbohydrate bandwagon. But what about athletes that need protein and carbohydrates to sustain energy? These types of diets do not address their needs. While they both advocate adequate protein, the carbohydrate levels are too low for anyone in sports activities or bodybuilding.

Athletes use carbohydrates for energy just before an event or competition. Also they need adequate amounts of protein because it helps to repair damaged muscle. A diet for athletes must meet these requirements. One such diet is The Mediterranean Diet. This diet advocates the use of grains, dairy and fats such as olive oil. Olive oil is good for your heart and also lowers cholesterol; Italians eat olive oil on their bread instead of butter or margarine. People living in the Mediterranean have eaten this way all their lives and are very healthy.

The diet is named after the area where it originated and is associated with good health and a long life. The dietary lifestyle of Italy and Greece has shown consistent low mortality rates for the past 25 years. The basics of the diet include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, poultry, eggs, and fish, nuts and seeds, cheese and yogurt, olive oil and a limited amount of red meat.

The diet focuses on healthy fats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and protein. Complex carbohydrates break down slower in the digestive system and keep energy levels sustained. This makes the diet perfect for runners and triathletes. And although athletes normally limit the consumption of alcohol, one glass of wine a day is allowed.

An example of the daily menu:

Breakfast: Coffee, Oatmeal and whole wheat toast

Lunch: Pasta e Fagioli (pasta with navy beans), salad and piece of fruit

Dinner: Fish with vegetables and fruit for dessert

Some of the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet:

Lowered incidences of heart disease and lowered cholesterol. Studies done in Europe have shown this type of diet to reduce metabolic syndrome which is a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes. Also lower obesity rates, heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure. It is believed that this type of diet also promotes longevity and increases life expectancy.

The Mediterranean Diet is healthy, well balanced and perfect for anyone who wants to lose weight. This diet is approved by doctors and The American Medical Association.

About the Author

Valery Fortie is the Awareness Coordinator of the Mediterraneanbook.com organization. She is also the editor of the blog behind it. She focus her efforts to provide scientifically driven news on healthy Mediterranean Diet eating and drinking to prevent high blood pressure. Mediterraneanbook.com is a non commercial website created to preserve the Italian healthy eating traditions. Founded in 2004 in Italy, Mediterraneanbook.com feels very strongly about having informed consumers on duty in all healthy eating fields.

Aortic Stenosis and Bicuspid Aortic Valve

2009-11-12T20:24:00.001-05:00

I operated on a young man (in his early 30’s) a couple weeks ago for aortic valve replacement. It reminded me that valvular heart disease is not limited to older folks. This particular patient wasn’t an athlete, but I have a cycling acquaintance here in Jackson who also needed aortic valve replacement in his 30’s.

The aortic valve is the valve that lets blood flow out of the heart, from the left ventricle (the heart’s main pumping chamber) into the aorta (the large blood vessel that carries blood to the rest of the body). Ordinarily, this valve has 3 leaflets that are arranged to produce a pattern much like the Mercedes Benz emblem, if you look at the valve from above. With each heartbeat, the leaflets open nearly completely, allowing for unobstructed blood flow out of the heart.

There are 2 main problems that happen with heart valves….the valve can leak or it can become obstructed. Today, we’re going to focus on narrowing of the aortic valve, that produces obstruction to blood flow, and this is a condition that we call aortic stenosis. We’ll leave the leaking valves to another day.

There are several causes of aortic stenosis, but, by far, the most common cause is age-related calcific degeneration of the valve. That is, over years and years, calcium deposits build up in the valve leaflets, making them immobile. The leaflets eventually become so stiff that they do not open properly….and produce obstruction to blood flow exiting the heart. Aortic stenosis is usually a problem for patients who are in their 60’s, 70’s, or even older. Because the problem develops gradually over many years, patients sometimes don’t notice the effects, but the 3 primary symptoms are: 1) shortness of breath with exertion; 2) chest pain; and 3) syncope (blacking out).

Patients come to medical attention because of one or more of the hallmark symptoms or occasionally because a physician hears a heart murmur. There is a characteristic sound, or murmur, associated with aortic stenosis and your physician can hear this murmur in a very particular location on the chest—just to the right of the sternum, above the level of the nipples. An echocardiogram (ultrasound) is used to make detailed pictures of the heart valves and can be used to quantify the degree of stenosis, or obstruction, as mild, moderate, severe, or critical.

Aortic stenosis is a serious medical problem. Patients with severe or critical aortic stenosis require valve replacement. There is no other treatment (ie, medicines) that can correct the problem. For patients with breathing difficulties because of their aortic stenosis, the average life-expectancy is less than 2 years without valve replacement. Major heart surgery is needed to replace the valve with a mechanical (eg, carbon fiber and metal) or tissue (eg, the aortic valve “borrowed” from a pig) valve.

But like I mentioned above, aortic stenosis can sometimes be encountered in a much younger patient….sometimes as young as in the 20’s. And this is often due to a congenital abnormality of the aortic valve in which there are only 2—and not the standard 3—leaflets. This occurs in 1-2% of the general population. For some reason, this arrangement predisposes the individual to earlier calcification and stenosis of the valve as well as leaking of the valve. This is relevant to the athlete because problems are likely to develop during the very active portion of a typical athlete’s active lifetime.

The second important consideration in patients with bicuspid aortic valve is that they are much more likely to develop enlargement (aneurysm) of the beginning portion of the aorta, as it leaves the heart. Over time, the aorta can enlarge from its typical diameter of less than 3 cm to 5 cm or more, the aorta and the aortic valve should be replaced….again, with major heart surgery

Professional triathlete, Torbjorn Sindballe, was recently in the news when he retired from competition because of bicuspid aortic valve and mild aortic enlargement.

Decisions about continued participation for patients with these conditions will need to be individualized, but should only be made after careful consideration of the risks involved. Athletes with mild to moderate aortic stenosis, and who don’t have symptoms, probably can participate fully in athletic activities. Those with severe aortic stenosis should refrain from strenuous activity as treatment plans are made with their physicians. Athletes with bicuspid aortic valve and enlargement of the aorta should refrain from strenuous activity.

Who Needs a Doctor?

2009-11-12T20:22:00.001-05:00

One of the most frequent questions I receive takes the form of:

"Should I see a doctor?

"How often should I see a doctor?"

If you've been reading here at the blog, you know that athletes take on special cardiovascular risks just by participating in their sports activities. And for that reason, they should see a doctor before they participate. The hope is that a careful physician can screen for potential underlying cardiovascular problems that might place the athlete at risk. And all of this is on top of the many other benefits that a careful physician might provide.

Here's what I tell my friends who ask....

Student athletes

For middle school, high school, and college students who participate in athletics, their schools should provide guidelines about pre-participation physical examinations. The American Heart Association has developed guidelines to help physicians carefully screen for underlying cardiovascular conditions. The guidelines are written for medical professionals, so the text may be difficult for others to understand. In short, the AHA recommends that student athletes have a physical examination every 2 years during middle and high school and every year during college. Middle and high school students should have a careful medical history taken EVERY year, even if a physical examination is not performed.

The medical history should ask about:

1. Any chest pain or discomfort

2. Unexplained syncope or near syncope (blacking out or nearly blacking out)

3. Excessive shortness of breath during exertion

4. Previous recognition of a heart murmur

5. Elevated blood pressure

6. Family history of premature death (before 50 years) due to heart disease

7. Family history of disability due to heart disease in a relative younger than 50 years old

8. Family history of specific medical problems: Marfan syndrome, hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy, long Q-T syndrome, or arrhythmias

The physical exam should pay attention to:

1. Heart murmur

2. Femoral pulses (to exclude coarctation of aorta)

3. Physical signs of Marfan syndrome

4. Blood pressure

Any abnormalities uncovered with this checklist should be evaluated further.

Young adult athletes, up to age 35

The AHA guidelines are probably also useful for young adult athletes. I tell my friends in this age group that they should see a physican yearly for a careful medical history and physical examination. The checklist for cardiovascular conditions above is also useful in this age group. This is also the age group where a baseline check on blood cholesterol and lipid levels and routine blood chemistries (glucose, creatinine, etc.) should be made.

Older adult athletes, over age 35

As athletes age, they confront an ever-increasing risk of events due to coronary artery disease (CAD, where plaque builds up in the arteries that supply the heart). A yearly visit to the physician for a medical history and physical examination is increasingly important. This is the age range when it is important, even aside from athletic reasons, that people should establish a long-term relationship with a family or internal medicine physician. In this age group, many female athletes will already see a physician regularly for gynecologic or obstetrical care, but "healthy" men are notoriouis for avoiding the doctor. The physician should continue to screen on a periodic basis for the risk factors for CAD: smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or pre-diabetes, elevated blood cholesterol or lipids, and potentially others.

Athletes of any age, with medical problems

My suggestions above apply only to "healthy" athletes....those with NO chronic medical conditions. Athletes with ANY chronic medical condition will need to work with their physician to determine the frequency of visits to monitor those conditions. This will almost certainly require more than a single annual visit to the doctor.

In the News: Preventing Sudden Death in Athletes

2009-11-12T17:44:00.000-05:00

Saw this article last week at U.S. News & World Report online, entitled "Determining the best way to prevent sudden death in athletes."

The article summarizes some data about the problem of sudden death in athletes and makes several suggestions for athletes:
1. Get screened for heart problems. See the doctor.
2. Pay attention to your body and any potential warning signs. Get checked out if you have problems with chest pain, shortness of breath, light-headedness (or blacking out)
3. Check to be sure your local gym has an automatic external defibrillator....it could save your life.

All of these are great suggestions.

Watermelon, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Salad

2009-11-11T12:36:00.003-05:00

This salad is delicious on its own or with a handful of rocket leaves. I’ve even served it alongside a buffet spread. It only takes minutes to make so avoid assembling in advance the tomatoes and watermelon don’t like sitting out! Buy the best tomatoes you can- it really make a difference. This uses my favourite dressing lemon truffle vinaigrette which frankly makes the salad. You could try balsamic and olive oil.

Serves: 4
Diet Facts: not your average boring salad
For the lemon truffle vinaigrette:
Zest 1 lemon
4 Tbsp lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 1/2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
125ml/ 1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
4 tsp white truffle oil
For the salad:
1.8 kg / 4 lbs watermelon (with rind weight) a shy 1.3 kg/3 lbs rind removed (rough weight- no need to be exact)
675g/1 1/2 lbs heirloom tomatoes or other delicious in season tomatoes (rough weight- no need to be exact)
110g/ 4 oz log of rindless soft goats cheese (rough weight no need to be exact)
1/2 small bunch Thai basil (or regular basil or mint) leaves picked
1/ Make the lemon truffle vinaigrette. Put all of the ingredients into a jar, put the lid on and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
2/ For the salad. Cut the rind off the watermelon and then cut the flesh into large chunks or cubes. Core the tomatoes and cut into similar sized chunks. Place on a plate then crumble over pieces of the cheese and spoon over the dressing (start with a little and leave the rest on the side). Garnish with the Thai basil leaves.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Mango Salad

2009-11-11T12:34:00.002-05:00

Serves 4

1 medium Butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed and sliced 1 cm thick
2-3 tbsp olive oil (or a few squirts of olive oil spray), plus extra to serve
1/4 tsp chili flakes (crushed red pepper flakes), optional
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, optional
1 mango, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
Box of mixed leaf greens

200g/7 oz feta cheese, cut into chunks, optional

1/ Heat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4. Toss the squash with the oil, chilli, seasoning and herbs and place in a roasting tin in a single layer. Roast in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until tender, beginning to caramelise on the bottom of the pan. Turn squash pieces a couple of times during cooking.

2/ Toss together all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and serve with a drizzle of oil.

Feta Cheese, Cucumber, and Tomato Herb Salad

2009-11-11T12:32:00.001-05:00

This salad is perfect for summer. It’s cool and refreshing, crunchy and soft and full of flavour. I cooked it at a party a couple of weekends and was asked for the recipe- so here it is. If you don’t have the exact herbs just use extra of the other two.

Serves 4 as a side dish

2 tomatoes (average size), seeded and diced
200g/7 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 small red onion, diced (or 2 diced spring onions/scallions)
2 tbsp finely chopped dill
2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped mint
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into marble sized cubes
1 tbsp olive oil (or to taste)

1/ Have all of your ingredients chopped and mix together everything but the cucumber and oil. Up to an hour before serving, add the cucumber and oil and season to taste. If you mix together too early, the cucumber will release too much liquid.

Strawberry Summer Salad

2009-11-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

I hate finding recipes for salads serving six but now that I’ve written this out to serve one, the measurements seem a little ridiculous. In any case, the point is that these are the ingredients and you can throw them together in any ratio you choose. This serves one as a starter salad- I would hate to suggest that this would suffice as a whole meal. My dressing is only a suggestion- feel free to experiment.

Makes: 1 small salad

Difficulty: not wanting seconds

Diet Facts: gluten-free, vegan without the cheese

25g/1 oz courgette, sliced paper thin on a mandoline

50g/2 oz strawberries, stemmed and sliced thinly width-ways by hand

15g/ 1/2 oz shelled edamame (or broad beans)

10g/1 heaped tbsp chopped toasted walnuts

20g/1 tbsp blue cheese, crumbled (or feta, or goats cheese)

10g/ 1 small handful rocket or mixed leaves

freshly cracked black pepper

balsamic vinegar and truffle oil to finish (or dressing of choice)

1/ First lay the courgette slices on a small plate. Then top with a smattering of strawberries, soy beans, walnuts and blue cheese and top with a little bundle of rocket or mixed leaves.

2/ Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and a few drops of truffle oil (or olive oil. Spoilsport) and serve immediately.

Ricotta and Basil Gnocchi

2009-11-11T12:29:00.000-05:00

Ricotta and Basil Gnocchi

I think this is a pretty safe combination- but for those daring souls, try adding different herbs or even some anchovies to your sauce. I had this recipe published in Woman and Home magazine in March 2007.

Serves 4

500g/1 lb 2 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
200g/7 oz plain flour, plus extra
2 tbsp grated fresh parmesan
5 tbsp chopped fresh basil
drizzle of olive oil
200g/7 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1 garlic clove, diced
50g/2oz black pitted olives (optional)
300ml/ 1/2 pint passata
3 tbsp sea salt
drizzle of oil and Parmsan shavings to serve

1/ Beat together the ricotta and egg yolk, then add three-quarters of the flour, the Parmesan and 4 tbsp of the basil and fold together to make a soft but not sticky dough. Add more flour as necessary and season well.

2/ Flour your hands and roll the gnocchi into logs 2.5cm wide and let chill on floured parchement for 30 mintues.

3/ Drizzle a little oil into a non-stick frying pan and toss in the tomatoes, garlic and olives(if using), mixing together for 5 minutes before addig the passata for 2 minutes, to heat through. Stir through the remaining basil and season to taste.

4/ Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the sea salt. Cut the gnocchi into 1 inch logs and drop one at a time into the boiling water. Cook until the gnocchi float to the surface (about 2-3 minutes) then drain and serve immediately with the tomato sauce spooned on top and the parmesan.

Sugar & Spice Slow Cooked Pork

2009-11-11T12:27:00.000-05:00

Sugar & spice slow cooked pork

This recipe is based on one in Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Meat Book. Patience is required but then again good things come to those who wait.

Serves 10-12
Diet Facts: Straight to the hips, but so worth it.

6-7 lb piece Boston Butt or pork shoulder, ideally free-range organic and grass-fed (bone in ideally with a good layer of fat on the top)
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 dried red chile
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black peppercorns
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp soy or fish sauce

1/ Heat the oven to 225C/425F/Gas 7. Place the pork on the rack of a roasting tin, fat side up. Score the fat on the diagonal, at 1cm/1/2 inch intervals. Slice deep into the fat, but don’t cut into the meat.

2. In a mortar and pestle bash together all of the dry ingredients until coarsely ground into a paste. Bash in the wet ingredients to combine.

3. Spread half of the mixture over the fat side of the beef and around the sides and then place in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 110C/225F/Gas 1/2. Turn the pork over so that the fat side is down. Rub the remaining spice mixture over the pork using the back of a spoon. Pour a pint glass of water into the bottom of the roasting pan. Return to the oven for 14 hours, turning once half way through cooking so that the fat side is facing upwards again. If the water has all gone then add another pint to the bottom of the pan.

4/ Once ready to serve, turn the oven up to 225C/425F/Gas 7. When the oven gets up to temperature the pork will need 10-15 minutes in order to turn the fat into crackling. Remove from the oven, use a large knife to remove the cracking and chop into chunks to serve. The meat will be incredibly tender so use a fork and a spoon to either shred the meat or serve in big chunks. If you have found the meat to be dry then pour over a little hot chicken stock or juices from the bottom of the pan.

Thai Vegetable Stir-fry

2009-11-11T12:25:00.000-05:00

Thai vegetable stir-fry

The list of ingredients may seem daunting but it’s completely flexible- I just use what I have in the fridge. To make sure that everything cooks in the same time, chop harder veggies, like carrots smaller than you do your softer veggies, like courgette.

Serves: one

Diet Facts: super super healthy

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 crushed garlic clove

1 small shallot, chopped

2 kaffir lime leaves, chopped

1-2 Thai green chili, chopped

100g/ 1 cup quartered mushrooms

1 carrot, cut into very thin strips (julienned)

1 tomato, chopped

1 small/medium courgette, chopped

1 Tbsp fish sauce

2 handfuls baby spinach

handful of mint, coriander or thai basil, chopped

1 lime, zest and juice (about 1 tbsp)

1/ Heat a non-stick frying pan and either spray with cooking spray or add a drop or too of oil over a medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, shallot, kaffir lime leaf and chili to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, until all the smells are released.

2/ Turn up the heat to high. Add all of your vegetables, except for the spinach and saute for 2-3 minutes or until everything has slightly wilted. Add the fish sauce and allow allow to bubble, tossing everything in the pan.

3/ Sprinkle over the spinach, fold through until barely wilted then take the pan off the heat and add the mint lime, juice and zest to taste. Eat immediately with a spoon to lap up all the juices at the end. I like this with a bit of feta sprinkled over the top- but if that’s too weird for you then suit youself!

Steam-baked Lemon & Chili Chicken

2009-11-11T12:24:00.000-05:00

Steam-baked lemon & chili chicken

This is one of my favourite ways to cook chicken- because it never dries out. It’s also delicious cold the next day for lunch.

Serves: 2

Diet Facts: You wouldn’t believe me if I told you it was healthy

2 x boneless skinless free range organic chicken breasts

4 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

2 red birds eye chilies, stemmed, seeded and finely diced

2 small garlic cloves, crushed or finely diced (jalepeños also work nicely)

1 lemon, zest & juice

1 Tbsp good olive oil

1/ Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Trim the chicken, cutting away any nasties and then lay out on a large piece of tin foil on a baking tray or in a roasting tin.

2/ Spread the breasts with the mustard, season with the salt and then scatter over the remaining ingredients so that each chicken breast is nicely covered. Now you want to enclose the chicken in the foil so bring up the oppsoing corners and scrunch together in the middle. You want to leave a little bit of air in the package so don’t seal it tight on top of the chicken breasts.

3/ Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes- (depending on the size of the chicken) at which point you will have delicious juices in the bottom of the foil and really tender and moist chicken. Slice and serve with steamed greens or salad- pouring over the leftover pan juices.

Lemon & Thyme Roast Chicken with Asparagus & Chickpea Salad

2009-11-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

Lemon & thyme roast chicken with asparagus & chickpea salad

Nothing beats a roast chicken, except perhaps a grassfed one. I like to buy a small one so that Don and I can share it with just enough left for a sandwich the next day.

Serves: 2-3

Diet Facts:

For the chicken:

2 1/2- 3 lb grass-fed/ pasture-raised free range chicken (ideally)
a few sprigs thyme

freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
2 slices smoked bacon
2 large shallots
1 garlic bulb
1 Tbsp olive oil

For the salad:

1/2 bunch thin asparagus
1 cup cooked chickpeas
handful of mixed greens, herbs or microgreens

Preparation

Heat the oven to 425°F. Wash the chicken and dry it really well. Pull the leaves off of half of the thyme sprigs. Cut the lemon in half, cut one half into thin slices and cut the other half into thick half moon slices. Cut the slices of bacon in half- if they are really thick then use the back of a knife to gently stretch them. Peel the shallots and chop into thick wedges. Slice the garlic in half through the middle, horizontally. Cut the woody ends off of the asparagus.

Method:

1/ Sprinkle the thyme leaves over the chicken breast side up. Lay the thin lemon slices down the middle of the backbone and then cover with the breasts with slices of bacon.

2/ Heat the oil in a small roasting pan and place in the preheated oven for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and toss in the remaining lemon, shallots, garlic and a few extra sprigs of thyme. Place the chicken on top.

3/ Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes- check and rotate after 20 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the bacon and lemon slices from the chicken breasts and reserve. Return the chicken to the oven so that the skin will crispen up.

4/ After 45 minutes check to see that the chicken is done by piercing the thickest part of the leg. If the juices run clear, then you’re golden. You do not want to overcook the chicken or it will go dry. Whilst the chicken is resting toss the asparagus and chickpeas into the pan with the vegetables and the reserved lemon slices and cook for a further 10 minutes. Chop up the reserved bacon and toss with the pan vegetable and mixed greens of choice to serve.