Race of a Lifetime - Kona 2015

I

There are things you dream of in life. Bucket list items that you hope to experience in life. It is no secret that qualifying for the Ironman World Championships has been one of my dreams ever since I crossed the line with all three of my young sons at the inaugural Ironman Arizona race in April 2005.

This dream became a reality last November 2014 when I came in 3rd place in the 50-54 age group at Ironman AZ.

As I started to make plans for this epic trip, another dream was materializing that would have my entire immediate family attending the race. Also we had the opportunity for a huge family vacation! This would be something just as epic to me than running down Ali'i Drive. 

11 months is a long time to think and train for an Ironman distance race like Kona. The training is the "easy" part. The mental preparation is harder.  I was in good hands with my coach of over 4 years, Nick White with Carmichael Training Systems. Besides me, he had another qualifier athlete (and my friend) Russ Brandt going this year to Kona.

I don't do back to back (meaning 2 Ironmans in 2 years) very often. In fact, before last November 2014, I hadn't done this distance since June 2011 at IMCDA. Mentally, it was hard to get back on the horse after May and up my mileage again. But I did it.

Nothing too different from 2014 except the use of the Garmin Vector2 Power Pedals. I have been extremely fortunate to be a Product Ambassador for Garmin Fitness since last year. Besides my Forerunner 920XT, I was excited to use power again. I thank Garmin for the opportunity to represent their fine products!

I did run and bike longer (in the heat) more this year for Kona than I did last year for AZ. 

After all our trip plans were finalized and the plane fares were paid (Ouch! Family of 5!) I was excited and scared for what was ahead! We decided I would leave for Kona race week on Tuesday to acclimate and get used to the circus and Cristette and the boys would join me Thursday. Race day was Saturday and we would stay in Kona through the next Wednesday then we would island hop to Maui for 3 full days. A priceless family vacation!

As I left for the airport that Tuesday, I felt so many mixed emotions. It was really surreal that this was all actually finally happening. 

I stayed the first at the host hotel (Courtyard Marriott) since I couldn't get into our rental home until Wednesday. 

Even waiting for the flight at Phoenix Sky Harbor, I could pick out the triathletes and found friends Chris and Erica McClurg on their way to the Big Island too!

Arriving was an experience after a 6 hour flight. Winds were blowing at over 40mph and hats, sunglasses and carry on suitcases were going everywhere! 

"Will I have to bike in winds like this?" I thought as walked outside of the plane.

Arriving at the Courtyard Marriott King K Hotel, the Parade of Nations was just starting. It was like landing in a Triathlete Disneyland. I ran into Facebook friend and qualifier Josh Horsager and we enjoyed the craziness that was now the beginning of my IMKona2015 experience.

As Tuesday evening came, I was the guest of local Ironman Pro, Pedro Gomezfornthe Rudy Project Party. (By the end of race week, I had collected 8 trucker hats. They were the gift/giveaway/swag for this year) 

I was also fortunate enough to have my friend and fellow triathlete, Chris Wolff fly in for the week from Seattle. Wednesday we picked up my bike from TriBike Transport and road the Queen K for a windy 30 miles. We also took advantage of swimming the course at DigMe Beach including a stop at the Lava Java Cattamaran for a shot!

Before checking into my rental house at Magic Sands just off Ali'i Drive, I went to the airport to pick up Alec Tripp who would be my adopted son for the week. It was great having him with me and with my family on race day. After a drive to the expo and the Ironman Village to see the sites we checked into the house.

Thursday morning I swam the course again before the famous Underpants Run. This event is so hilarious and now raises money for charity by making fun of the barely clothed athletes that invade the relatively conservative Kona town.  Chris, Alec and I did our part to participate in "style". I was also able to "run" with Ironman Age Grouper extraordinaire, Terry Nugent who I met and raced with years ago at Soma and Worlds 70.3 in Vegas!

The best part of Thursday was returning to the airport and picking up my wife, Cristette and my three sons!

After a stop to the Ironman Village with them and a bite to eat, we headed to our home for the next week.

Preston Miller and TriScottsdale hosted a Happy Hour that evening to celebrate all the AZ athletes racing Saturday. It was a great surprise to see Jason and Courtney Smith there! I shared the lane many times with Jason this past year preparing for the big show!

Friday was another swim with my new Xtrerra Speedsuit and then it was time to mellow out.

The only thing on the agenda a quick bike check ride with Russ and bike drop off.

I just had no idea what a circus that would be as well! When you enter transition, they announce your name and you basically walk the red carpet. There are 20 some people with clipboards taking notes on every part of your bike and equipment. Then a personal escort takes you to your bike mount and helps hang your bags.

Then it was back to the house to make dinner and watch movies. 

Race Day:

With the time change, its relatively easy to get up early. 

After my breakfast that included My Oatmeal Ensure and TrueStart Instant Coffee, Alec drove me and Russ to transition by 5am. I was amazed how smoothly it all went, from Tritats temporary tattoos, to weigh in, then bike check, we had plenty of time for race jitters to settle in before loading into the water for a 6:55am start.

Swim:

After 3 swims in 3 days, I actually was not nervous about the swim like I was  before getting to Kona. The water was salty but warm and buoyant. There is plenty of room to swim along the left and avoid the aggressive swimmers. Russ and I debriefed after race day and concluded that this course is great on every leg for the first half and hard the second. The swim was no exception. I turned around the Body Glove boat for the return back to shore in 35 mins so I was hoping for a sub 1:10 - 1:15 finish. The second half got much more congested and it seemed so long. Is I and to the steps, I entered T1 at 1:18:16.

Like every Ironman, T1 was crowded and wet! I shed the speedsuit, dried off and after my helmet, shoes and glasses were on, I was off!

T1: 5:10

Bike:

There are a lot of people to cheer you on as you take off on the bike and the start takes you through town for an out an back before heading out onto the famous Queen K. Remember what I said about the first half of he course? Nice temps and tail winds pushed us towards Hawi.

After a while on the Queen K, it started to rain. And then, rain hard! It was cooler but difficult not see and after the turnaround at Hawi, the wet roads were slick and we all had to be careful on the decents. Then it got hot and humid with head winds all the way home. It was draining and I saw all 21mph a averages lost. I also lost one of my EFS gel packs (it holds 400 calories per pack) so I had to pick up gels at each aid station to make sure I was consuming at least 280 calories per hour - the gels, along with my EFS drink. The last hour of the bike, I had frank all EFS drink and tons of water and some Gatorade. I also took in a Clif Bar. They were handing out Red Bull (An Ironman Sponsor). Mind you, I had tried Red Bull on a training ride before and it didn't settle well in my stomach. I had no business trying it now...but I did. I finally got to T2 tired and a little under my power goal of 200 watts in 6:00:21.

T2 is much different that T1. It's a little like an episode of the "Walking Dead" Some racers are just sitting there and not moving. Some are moving fast or at least trying to. I was somewhere in between. Happy to be off the bike I know better than to think about the whole marathon that is ahead. But it was on my mind. But with clean socks and my bib and Saucony Kinvara6 shoes on, I took off!

T2: 8:43

Run:

The heat was on! The run starts with an out an back on Ali'i Drive (including the turnoff to our rental home where I saw this chalk message)

After a couple of decent miles at a decent pace. The heat and humidity started to get to me bad! I was overheating and my stomach was not craving coke like it usually does on a hard Ironman run. So like an idiot, I took in more Red Bull hoping it would kick in some energy. It didn't. As I left Ali'i Drive at mile 10, I was worried about the Queen K and the Energy Lab ahead. I was not sure how I was going to press on to the half marathon let alone the full. This was new for me as the run is my time to shine. But that is Kona. It can humble you very quickly and it did. At mile 12.5, on the highway with no one really around but other runners and walkers, I started to really stumble. This was the first time I wondered if I could even walk the course!

Before I could worry about it too much, I leaned over and threw up violently three times. I can count on both hands how many times I have thrown up in my entire life and within minutes, in regurgitated three more! It was all...Red Bull! After it was over, I actually felt better but very weak. I could walk though and I saw this as a positive. My mind wrestled with my pride as I realized, yes, I will finish. But it will not be in record time. It will be my worst time. It will be in the dark. It will be embarrassing etc. I fought these demons for a while when I came up next to Richard Byyny, a Kona Veteran and another extraordinary athlete I met two years ago with Russ at CST training camp. He was struggling as well and he was still positive and giving the Kona course the credit it deserved. It was a godsend to be with him and he encouraged me to go on ahead if felt I could. I did go on and continued to meet great athletes who are at the top of their game and could qualify at any Ironman race in the world but were walking the Queen K today. I learned a lot about sportsmanship from them that early evening. It turned dark as I entered the Energy Lab and those 4 miles were all by myself dealing with my shortcomings my blessings and my God. 

One back on the Queen K, it's a 10K home. The way I was feeling, that wasn't exactly great news. 6 miles was still a long way to run/walk to the finish line. I could only imagine what my family was thinking and those tracking me at home. All I could take in was water at this point and some gels so my energy was minimal at best. With 2 miles to go, a bike came to me and it was Alec. He was so encouraging letting my wife and sons know I was on my way in and that I was ok. I started running as I could see the in lights and hear the voice of Mike Riley in the distance. Then the crowds. Ali'i Drive is everything they say it is. It's magical. It's also amazing how the body can react when it needs to. My final mile was at sub 8:30 pace! I saw my family with my oldest, Andrew armed with the GoPro! They were so excited!!  As I turned that last corner to the carpet, I was alone to all the cheers with high fives everywhere I could reach!

Then the finish. My worst time ever, my worst marathon ever but it was also my biggest smile ever at a finish line! 

5:55:07

Total time: 13:27:37

It took almost an hour for me to be ready for my family and leave. I was so weak but not sick anymore. Once reunited with Cristette and the boys, I asked them for pics including one that was areenactment of my first Ironman finish with them 10 years ago!

 

The rest of the trip was priceless family vacation with eating and exploring the Big Island and then Maui! 

To say this trip and experience was just a Bucket List deal is so understated. It was a blessing, an education in humility, a privilege beyond belief! And yes, I want to return and take on Kona again someday. It won't be too soon though. But a return is definitely my plan! 

I want to thank, of course my wife Cristette for being my biggest cheerleader and supporter, my sons, Andrew, Nathan and Matthew for being part of Team Cadriel. One Multisport, my club and the ONE Elite Team I represented. My sponsors like Destination Kona, MDrive, MyOatmeal, Valdora, The Martin Family, SkinsUSA, Fitsok, Cyclologic, Endurance Rehab, and Louis Garneau as well as so many friends and family that supported my efforts to get to the World Championships! It was a great experience of a lifetime!

Mahalo!

Until the next race/challenge of life for me!

Dan

Finisher

2015 Ironman World Championships 

Whitesides Race Report: Ironman Lake Tahoe 2015

Ironman Lake Tahoe 2015 was a race like no other. My expectations for myself were very high: qualify for Kona.  I told my wife before the race that we would qualify for Kona or go to the hospital.  The only metric for success was qualifying for Kona (not healthy, I know).

Last year I missed qualifying for Kona by one place or 43 seconds at IM AZ.   I had re-occurring nightmares about those 43 seconds. During hard workouts, I thought about those miserable 43 seconds. When my morning alarm went off sometimes as early as 3:00AM, I thought about those 43 seconds and got busy.  Nothing better than chasing a dream.  

I found an amazing triathlon coach (Elizabeth Waterstraat) who pushed me in just the right ways.  My swim, bike, and run performance metrics all improved significantly throughout the spring and summer.  I approached Tahoe feeling pretty confident.

The swim started at 6:40AM as a rolling start.  Each athletes' chip timer (warn around the ankle) triggered the race start as we ran over an RFID mat located at the edge of Lake Tahoe.  Until recently, most Ironman races were mass starts where everyone starts at the sound of the cannon. For me, the rolling start meant a much easier swim start because I didn't have to swim elbow-to-elbow with hundreds of other athletes all starting at the same time.  I started out at a good pace to set the tone for the rest of the swim. Good advice from my friend Fred.

Lake Tahoe is crystal clear.  I could see the bottom of the lake for much of the race.  I could also see the swimmers around me.  At one point, I was swimming with a group and suddenly felt someone tap my back.  I looked up and found a friendly swimmer tell me we had swam slightly off course.  I tried to swim at the upper edge of my comfortable level for the entire swim. A good honest effort without going too hard. It's a long race to burn-out in the swim.

Many months prior to the raced, I determined I would not look at my swim time until after the race.  I didn't want a potentially slow time to set me back mentally (IMAZ 2015).  However, when I exited the water, the race clock was right in my face.  My swim time was 1:05:03.  That is a PR for me by three minutes and seven minutes faster than my swim at IMAZ in 2014.  I learned how to swim as an adult so this swim split made me ecstatic!

The ambient air temperature was 39 degrees as we exited the water.  I changed completely into dry clothes and even put on a polar fleece vest and full-finger gloves.  As I pulled out of transition, I yelled to my family and friends something about my swim time and started the 112 mile bike.  I deliberately tried to take the first segment of the bike easy. I felt fantastic, my heart rate was low and my watts kept drifting up. I kept trying to take it easy. In retrospect, I should have taken it even easier.  It is so hard to go easy when you feel so good and people were passing me.  I suspected I would see most of them later in the race.

I dropped my vest and gloves at a designated location ~10 miles into the bike.  I was glad to get rid of my vest which felt like an aerodynamic drag.  Unfortunately, the drop was located in a canyon so the temperature was still cold.  It was cold for the next 30 minutes until we got into the sun.

The Ironman Lake Tahoe course is two and a third loops so we hit one 4.3 mile mile climb with an elevation gain of 1200 feet twice. The first time up, I followed my watt and heart rate targets. Several people passed me.  I knew I would see them again later in the race.  The second loop was a blur.  Unlike IMAZ, the string of riders thinned out pretty good so there was lots of space between riders.  On the second climb, I maintained the same watt targets and passed a lot of people this time.  As I neared the end of the bike, I felt really good.  I drank well, nailed my nutrition, and hit my heart rate and watt targets well. My bike split was 5:30 but my average watts (NP actually) was 15 watts higher than IMAZ where my bike split was 5:06.  Probably a reflection of the climbing and course structure (no-pass zones, tight corners, and out-and-back elbows).

Time for a marathon. As I left the transition area (T2), my son told me I was in 15th place in my age group.  That took a minute to get over mentally because I had hoped for better.  I found solace in the fact that I was in 20th place when I got off the bike in IM AZ last year and still managed to get 7th by the end of the race. From the first few steps, I could see that the run would be a challenge. I started off easy and then tried to hit my well practiced pace targets but just couldn't get my legs to move faster.  The course had a lot of little rolling hills and some short steep climbs.  Usually not a problem for me, but I sure felt these hills.  I was religious about my nutrition and water. I also felt like I was in good control of my brain.  I picked off a few athletes within the first few miles trusting I would pass more later in the race.  Around mile 18 I could tell that simply running was key as many of the folks on the course were starting to walk/jog. I was moving up but not fast enough.

 
In IMAZ 2014, I was passed in the last half mile losing my Kona slot.  I've relived that nightmare so many times.  One of the hardest things ever is to complete 140 of 140.6 miles and have to sprint against another competitor to the finish.  At about a half mile from the finish line, I could see a guy that looked like he might be in my age-group.    We were lapping people by now so I wasn't sure if he was about to finish or start his second lap.  He kept looking back over his shoulder which indicated that he was about to finish. We both started to speed up.  I felt bad for the guy honestly.  There is no way in the world that I would let someone ever, ever, ever finish ahead of me in the last leg of a race again. I passed him, he surged hard for awhile then tapered off.  I kept going.  I finished the race knowing that I had given it my all even if my run wasn't as fast as I hoped (3:40).

I finished 8th in my age group or 35th overall.  My overall time was 10:25 (race clock above shows time-of-day).  I suspected I wouldn't qualify for Kona but still felt good about my race because I knew I had given it my all for that day.  My brother analyzed all sorts of data about my competitors and my splits.  We concluded that this was by best Ironman race thus far so no regrets.  I will get another chance to qualify for Kona at IM AZ 2016.  Life is good chasing a dream.

It was great to have my family and several friends at the race.  Two of my friends, Tony and Kristy completed the IM Lake Tahoe 70.3.  We all agreed that the course was a combination of amazingly beautiful and brutal, especially the run.  Kristy is a survivor of the 2013 IM Lake Tahoe when it snowed the day before the race.  She was also on the start line in 2014 when they cancelled the race due to smoke from a nearby forest fire.  The third time was indeed a charm.  It was a wonderful day.

My super hero family:

Third time was a charm for Kristy:

Nice splits Sharkey: Thanks for the laughs Tony & Lana!

 

Ironman 70.3 World Championships - Zell Am See, Austria

Zell Am See, Austria!  Amazing, beautiful, challenging, exhausting! Ironman 70.3 World Championships was a wonderful experience!

Arriving in Zell Am See after a few flights and a drive meant 2 days of non-stop triathlon prep! Check in, bike pick up, finding our way around, walking to transition, packing transition bags, and trying to get some sleep!

We were surprised as we found our hotel and realized it was half way up a ski hill! I had to close my eyes as Dave drove up the road the first time! Meals had the best view in town and ended with sitting out on the deck!

NBC contacted me prior to heading to Austria to see if I was willing to share my story and be a highlighted athlete on race coverage. Years of speed skating, transition to running and triathlon, full time work, and our ongoing fight to Finish MS will be shared! This race was for all of those with MS as my mom was diagnosed in 2002. Her positive attitude, fighter attitude, and hope is one I was able to represent through this opportunity. It's never to late to help Finish MS!

Race morning was here! Coughing, sneezing, and a sore throat - this might be a rough day - but no choice but to do this! We found a hotel to get breakfast in near the race start then started the long walk to transition. Met the NBC crew and filled my tires up with air and was ready to go. I had to say goodbye to Dave 2 hours before the start and found a shaded grassy area to lay down in.  Swim waves went off on time and water temperature was perfect! A non-eventful swim had me feeling positive getting out of the water  Transition area was long and the sun was getting stronger and made the transition tent really hot!

Bike ride - Downhill: Hold on and pedal. Uphill: Steep, unrelenting, shady, high heart rate, wishing I had another gear. Downhill: STEEP, arm cramps from braking, thankful not to get run over. Last few miles: Stay positive, Dave sighting! Can I put my bike on the transition rack yet? Ok I made it!

Run - First few miles easy, get the run legs under you. Shocked at the first water station! Was like a Boston marathon aid station: spectators, music, about 6 inches of cups on the road, and the most amazing feeling! It was then that I realized I could push it harder. Quick turn over, keep dumping water on me, honey stinger (felt awesome on my throat!), Dave!, keep running. Running is my strength and every race when I get to run I always tell myself 'I got this - now run your ass off.'  

Finish area: Loud, confetti, Dave!, crowds, and the finish line! 'Let the happiness in' was the race theme and when I crossed that finish line I knew that was the perfect motto for the day!

After a long time I finally found Dave and we collapsed on the sidewalk for an hour before walking back to transition. I ended up laying down half way to transition then again when we were waiting in line to drop my bike off! Thankfully Dave is patient and just sat with me as I tried to determine if I could move again!

Off to Salzburg we went! Sick, exhausted, but still a lot of sightseeing to do!

Thank you to the following people who helped me get to world championships which allowed me to share my passion for Finishing MS! 

Dave for your endless support, patience, nutrition, and excitement!

My family for always understanding my passion as we Finish MS together!

My friends who share in the excitement and fun of our adventures!

One Multisport & One Elite for the opportunity to represent you this year and the amazing group of people that make up the best team in Arizona!

Karen Smyers for your training plans, guidance, and support. There is always a silver lining!

Endurance Rehab & Karen for making it possible for me to continue to do triathlons.

Destination Kona & Pei Wei for supporting ONE Elite and providing me on the go nutrition for lunches and racing!

Summer Training and Racing - Beat the Heat ☀️

As preparations continue for Kona in October, I literally prayed for a hot and humid summer. I guess a guy should be careful what he wishes for! The weather here in the Valley of the Sun has delivered and not disappointed! Monsoon season is still in full swing and the early morning weekday workouts at 5am or earlier still push at temps around 85 to 90°F. The weekends are a compilation of heat, humidity and ideal for what lies ahead for me on the Big Island. I try to always remember that I hate the cold and that I embrace the sweat!

July started out with some fun short racing to get the competition juices flowing. As a family, we didn't travel much this summer since we are a little Hawaii focused in our finances. So I signed up for the local ARR 4Miler on the 4th in Peoria. Not my fastest 4 miler but considering the long endurance training in all of June, I was happy to play with my fellow runners and podium with a 2nd in AG finish with a 26:10 finish.  It is always humbling to run, race and train with runners! 

The next day, Sunday, I competed in a Reverse Sprint Triathlon in Goodyear, AZ. No expectations but to go fast on tired running race legs and work on speed and transitions! I knew Shawn Bernardi would be there and I wanted to try to keep up.  The reverse format is not to my strengths since I desire to run hard at the end of any triathlon to catch tired racers. In a reverse format, everyone is fresh and fast (especially the young guns!) and I came into T1 a minute behind Shawn. I wouldn't make up any time on the 12 mile bike and when I dove into the 50 meter pool, he held that minute to win the overall and I came in 2nd. It was still Independence weekend so he convinced me to go speedo retro and patriotic and race lean and mean! Even good friend and age group Rival, Richard Getzen sported the "mankini" for the fast race!

The rest of July and August meant long hot, hard training for the Mountainman Half Ironman and of course Kona.

I also received my new Vector2 Power Pedals from Garmin and had a chance to play with them a little. After some tweaking and calibration, it is now a good tool for my coach, Nick White with Carmichael Training Systems to monitor my bike progress. This along with my Garmin Forerunner 920XT are fantastic tools to keep my training in check. I am grateful to Garmin and CTS #trainright coaching for their sponsorship!

I also became a new Ambassador for SkinUSA Compression Wear this summer. I love their stuff and continue to train Triathlon and Crossfit in their gear.

Race weekend in Flagstaff couldn't have come at a better time! The temps in Phoenix were pushing 115° and getting worse! Cristette and Matthew were also able to travel this year with me! I love having family with me at races when they can come!

Mountainman Half IM is a weird race for me. I've had very good and very bad days up in the pines. The swim is always tough in the 7000ft elevation. Two years ago, I experienced a kick in the face and never recovered well. Last year, I swam Upper Lake Mary at check in the day before and it made all the difference. I repeated this again this year with a straight 20 min wetsuit swim before heading to the hotel to check in before the annual One Multisport Swet Dinner!

It is always such a great dinner event and it was great to eat and catch up with the best Tri Family anywhere, One Multipsort!

I am so pleased to be a part of this club and also represent the ONE Elite Team and sponsors like Destination Kona, Sole Swim Solutions, My Oatmeal, Pei Wei, MDrive and Cyclologic!  Everyone of these great sponsors have been a BIG part of my day to day training! I am so grateful!

Race morning comes so early! It was so much warmer than previous years. Already in the high 60s before the swim start. Many more racers do the Olympic distance than the 70.3. They start after us but finish WAY before! It's a little tough on the body and mind to be on the run course heading to mile 5 and getting honked at by all the racers heading home or to a great lunch back in town! 

He swim was great! No traffic and with very few buoys out on the course, I managed to come in at 32 minutes. I have been working with Frank and Sarah at Sole Swim Solutions for Kona and concentrated on keeping my head down and my stroke long! 

T1 was full of Oly and Half racers and I was actually cold exiting transition to head out for the 56 mile bike. It was fun riding he first few miles with some fast Olympic racers like Charlie Boyeink and Shawn again! But that was short lived and they continued straight on Lake Mary Rd as I turned right to head out for two loops around Mormon Lake. I did a lot of the bike all by myself. That's just how this race goes. I felt good and their were no issues on the hilly or straight portions of the course. The last 10 miles back to transition are fast and I came in on my Valdora PHX2 with a decent 2:39 bike split ready to run. I am so pleased to continue riding for Pete and Kendra with Valdora! We all had a great day and their support is outstanding!

The run is a sufferfest. I was especially focused on my longtime friend and age group rival, Todd Whitten who has decided to test his endurance muscles and try the Half Ironman distance for the first time this year! No one my age or younger can touch his speed in the Sprint or Olympic distance. I knew he would out swim and out bike me but could I have a chance to catch him on the 13.1 mile run?

I wasn't encouraged when I didn't see him up or down the Marshall Lake hill we all have to climb at mile 2-4 of the course. This meant he had at least a 2 mile lead. That's a lot even for a half marathon! Now I would have to wait and see him on the out and back of the run on Lake Mary. I saw the race leaders like Pedro Gomez, Patrick Bless and Adam Folts, Josh Martin but no Todd. Then with less than a mile before the turn around, I saw him. Ok, the lead is more like a mile now. I was making up time but not feeling that fresh and didn't know if I have enough to get him. After a mile heading back, I saw Steve Rink who yelled out at me that Todd was only a 1/2 mile ahead! I couldn't see him but I thought that with over 4 miles to go, that it may not be attainable to catch him. I saw Cristette and Matthew parked along the road at Mile 10. It was so good to see them and wished the run was over. They didn't know about Todd ahead but Cristette is very tired of him beating me since with late1990s! 

Then, at mile 11, I saw a racer run/walking in a TriScottsdale kit. Could it be? Yes! I came up to Todd and he was wet tired and still smiling! He said, "I'm cramping bad! You got this!" We high fived and I was on my way with still 2 miles to go and of course, running scared! I just wanted to see the cars parked at Upper Lake Mary to give me some visibility of the end!

I didn't look behind me because it hurt to turn my head and I was afraid Todd would be right there forcing an Old Man Sprint finish. (We've done it many times in our long Tri career!) I didn't want that! Since I saw the cars parked nearing the transition and finish line, I glance behind to see no one there! I saw the end and finished with the 7th fastest run split of the day with 1:39 just a little over 7:30 pace!  Overall time was 4:55:26. 1st in the 50-54 AG and 11th overall.

Anytime you can do this tough course under 5 hours, it's an accomplishment!

I really believe my crossfit work has made a huge difference in my racing this season. Olympic lifting like squats and deadlifts are making me stronger when I need it most!

Thank you Josh, Tiff and everyone at PIM for the instruction and WODs weekly to make me a better athlete!

Up next is heavy volume training heading into September. I will race Lifetime Events, Tempe Tri and a warm up to Hawaii. Then is Kona Baby

Until next time!

Dan 

Tri Mayor

Bicycle Power Meters: Garmin Vector 2 compared with Powertap

Bicycle Power Meters: Garmin Vector 2 compared with Powertap

For the past 18 months I’ve been using a power meter on my bicycle as one of several tools to help me improve my cycling.  For me, using a power meter enables a much more accurate view of my cycling fitness. It’s kind of like watching your biometrics in high definition.  

There are four general types of power meters:  Crank-based (Quarq & Stages), hub-based (Powertap), pedal-based (Garmin Vector), and passive (Newton). I started out with the Powertap because a friend ‘sold’ it to me cheap.  The Powertap hub-based power meter works fantastic.

It’s very reliable and the battery lasts forever. Unfortunately, it has one drawback.  Because the power meters is built into the rear hub of my training wheels, when I switch to my race wheels, the hub-based power meter does not transfer.  That means I’m training with a power meter and racing based on perceived excretion and/or heart rate.  That’s like navigating with a GPS in training and then having to use a map/compass during a race.  That’s actually not that big of a problem for short races such as a Sprint or Olympic distance triathlons because you just focus on going really fast.  However, it is a big problem for long distances, such as a 112 mile bike leg of an Ironman race, where consistency and pacing is paramount. Heart rate monitors work well but they are lagging indicators of effort so using both a HR monitor and power meter in a long-course race is optimal.

I recently picked up the new Garmin Vector 2 power meter at Destination Kona.  The Vector 2 is located on the pedal which is ideal for me because:

1. I can switch between training wheels and race wheels while keeping my power meter
2. I can easily switch the pedals from my roadbike to my triathlon bike.  The length of my road bike cranks is 172.5mm while my triathlon cranks are 170.0mm long which is a common trend for triathletes as the shorter cranks open-up my hip-flexors which allow me to get more aero and run better off the bike. 

 Initially I was skeptical of the Garmin Vector.  I had heard some reports that the Vector is unreliable.  Based on reviews, it appeared that most of the challenges with Vector were a result of not torqueing the pedals to the 25lbs spec. So, I decided to test the Vector myself.  I carefully installed the Vector 2 which took all of about 15 minutes the first time. I can now transfer my pedals between bikes in about 3 minutes.  Simple!

Once the Vector 2 pedals were installed, I kept my Powertap on my bike to do a series of comparison tests.   I synched each power meter with one Garmin 910xt (thanks to my brother for loaning me his 910XT).  Then, I went for a couple of really long bike rides which included some up-tempo interval sets.  At each interval I hit the ‘lap’ button on both of the Garmin 910xt’s which gave me average watts for the last segment.  Interestingly, during the ‘up-tempo’ intervals, the difference between the Vector 2 and Powertap averages was one (1) watt.  Equally interesting is that during the easy segments of my ride I noted the average differences in watts between the Powertap and the Vector were about five watts with the Vector 2 reporting higher watts.  I’m not sure why but here’s my speculation:

1. There may be some degradation in watts as power is transferred from the pedal to the rear hub, perhaps as much as five watts.  However, that’s inconsistent with my ‘up-tempo’ interval results.  
2. The Vector appears to be more sensitive to coasting.  For example, if I coast for a moment, the Vector almost immediately reports 0 watts while the Powertap gradually descends to 0 over several seconds (maybe 7 seconds?).  If true, that means the Vector 2 could perhaps be slightly more accurate.

 In short, I’m satisfied that both Vector 2 and Powertap power meters are accurate.  In fact, both are surprisingly accurate.  Even a five watt difference on easy segments is nothing to worry about.  I’m very pleased with how easily I can transfer the Vector 2 from bike to bike.  If I wasn’t worried about race wheels, I would have just kept the Powertap.  Both offer greater insight into cycling biometrics which enables more efficient training and racing.

Side note, CycleOps, the maker of Powertap, now sells not only hub-based power meters but also a pedal and chain-ring system.  Love the innovation! 

   

Whitesides' Deuces’ Wild 2015 Race Report

The best part of racing at Deuces’ Wild Triathlon was racing with my daughter. This race is becoming a fun daddy-daughter tradition for us. This was also a great opportunity to race at altitude in preparation for Ironman Lake Tahoe in September.  This year I set a new swim and bike PR for this course so I was pretty excited.  This is how the day unfolded.

-          Swim: I was able to get a decent warm-up prior to the start of the race. I started conservative out of the channel but soon found myself swimming over and through a bunch of weeds that were in route to the first buoy.  Honestly, I found the weeds un-settling.  It was like swimming through a jungle. After rounding the first buoy, I sighted forward only to see a lot of swimmers well ahead of me.  Doubt in my swim skills started to build.  Fortunately, as the weeds cleared so did my mind which allowed me to begin building speed.  Speed seemed to build upon more speed.  I noticed that the increase in speed didn’t result in death; rather, it was fun to swim fast.  Then an unusual thing started to happen (for me): I started passing people in the swim.  Somehow, I found my groove. I exited the water in 25 minutes.  Two minutes faster than last year.  Even better, I exited the transition area with fellow teammate Branden Turley.

-          Bike: Branden was directly in front of me as we pedaled out of T2.  As we rounded the first corner, still within the park, Brandon lost his water bottle due to a large bump in the road.  I thought I better secure my bottle but before I could do so, my bottle was following Brandon’s bottle onto the pavement.  Brandon was smart, he turned around and picked up his bottle, I decided to continue without.  My race-brain logic was that the first bike-aid station was about 25 minutes away.  I could wait. In retrospect, the bottle also contained nutrition. I should have turned around and picked up my bottle.  I continued on the bike with a specific watt target.  I took the first 10 minutes to ease into bike-mode and then started to hit those watt targets.  Frustratingly, hitting those targets was a real push at elevation and after a good effort in the swim.  I backed off slightly.  Despite backing off, I still finished the bike in just over 60 minutes which was a three minute PR from last year.  

-          Run: Off the bike, I again eased into the run feeling pretty good.  I soon passed a couple more competitors.  The last two miles were a blur.  I’m pretty sure the effects of not drinking water /nutrition on the first half of the bike were impacting me at this point.  My speed was still good but it sure hurt.  My run pace was about the same as last year.

In the end, I finished 4^th overall, 3^rd amateur, 1^st in my age group plus a nice PR for this course. This race was also helpful in providing insight into how elevation impacts me. But, the best part of the day was watching my daughter race.  She was smiling from start to finish.  It reminded me of why we do this crazy triathlon thing.  It’s completely fun to splash in the water, ride around on a bike, and run through a beautiful park.  It’s a childhood dream. Special thanks to my amazing coach, Elizabeth Waterstraat, who makes PR’s at age 43 a reality. Also, I couldn’t do this sport without the great support of my amazing wife and our One Multisport sponsors: Destination Kona, Pei Wei, M Drive, MyOatmeal.com, Realty One Group, Lifetime Fitness, Biotech Wellness, and OHSO.  Thank you!