Vo2 Testing For Endurance Athletes

A question I get from athletes is whether or not they need testing and how important is it. My answer is yes and very. 

Testing establishes a baseline in which to build your training program. If you don’t know where you are, how do you know where you are going. Think of testing as a road map. 

Then next question is, do I need to get in shape before I do a test. The answer is no. In fact it is better if you are not. This way it gives your coach and the person conduction the test a true measure and more accurate description of your fitness, or lack thereof.

There are several types of test. One test and the most common is a field test where you would do a time trial for a specific distance or time. This is the most popular because it is the easiest to administer. The coach or tester can then extrapolate the data needed and design your training plan based on the results. This type of test can also be done for each discipline. Your heart rate will vary by sport due to several factors, some of them being your hearts orientation to gravity or your training history. For this reason field testing is more specific to each individual sport.

Another type of testing is Vo2 testing. This type of test is usually done on a treadmill but can also be done for the bike. It measures your body’s gas exchange between oxygen(O2) and Carbon dioxide (CO2). The administrator can find the point at which your body stops becoming efficient at fat oxidation and shifts over to burning carbohydrates as a fuel source. This test is a more scientific approach and is not distorted by outside influences such as heat, humidity, wind, terrain, etc. The data points are a direct result of your body’s work. Using this data you can apply a training plan to teach your body to utilize fat as a fuel source at higher levels of intensity, thus impacting your performance.

VO2 testing does require equipment and an administrator. For this reason the cost can sometimes influence ones decision to pick one test over another. But remember that you get what you pay for. Sure you can do field test on your own. But if you are not familiar with the protocols or not motivated to push yourself to your limit then the numbers will be skewed.

Without testing or some kind of measure you can not know how your body is responding to your training.  Without a proper stimulus to training your body can not make adaptations in order to keep progressing your race fitness. If your are not training in a specific zone in order to impact your race results you are essentially just exercising.  There is nothing wrong with that, but if you are serious about your training and racing, you should be tested in order to make your training more productive. If you are interested in training being tested check out our website at E2MULTISPORTS.COM, give us a call 512-808-0019, send an email at coach@e2multisports.com, or just stop by our studio at Core Personal Fitness to schedule your Test. We have all the latest equipment needed to test you and an expert to administer the test. Meet our test administrator Amanda McIntosh. A world renowned endurance athlete with experience and awards for every endurance event on the planet. Enhance your Endurance with E2Multisports.

Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon 70.3

This year BSLT 70.3 was a way for me to try and redeem myself from Ironman Texas. Since I really didn’t race IMTX. my recovery was fairly quick as far as soreness. Because I raced while ill had lingering fatigue for almost 10 days after. Going into the next weekend I felt okay.  I had a pretty good built and was starting to regain some of the power in my legs that I lost. I still was not happy with the power numbers I was putting up but at least they were getting closer to where I wanted them. My run was getting better.  Life gets in the way and I was not able to get any long runs in. My brick runs felt good and I made the most of my short amount of training time. The one area I did feel good about was my swim.  After a bad week that I attribute to fatigue from IMTX, I was started to feel as good about my swim as I did going into IMTX

The RoadTrip

It is a long boring drive from San Antonio to Lubbock, Texas. It is especially so if you are driving alone. Throw in alot  of caffeine and you have yourself a 7 hour trip. I can now tell you every convenient store there is on HWY 87 and which ones are the cleanest. (Do NOT stop in Lamesa. EVER!)

Prep and Recon

The Recon

The day before a race I usually like to go out for a swim as close to race time as possible. This way I can get a feel for the water temps and location of the sun. On this day there was a sprint and kids tri going on so Rob and I were were unable to get in the lake until it was over.  As we waited I felt like I was in a scene from the movie Twister.  We watched a storm roll in. It picked up all the red dirt and pushed it like a tidal wave with thunder, lightening, and driving rain following close behind. All I could think is those poor athletes are stuck out there on the course and the officials started to pull them of the course and bring them in. I would have offered to help but I didn’t want to get wet. 

As the storm passed we finally got a chance to swim and the water was perfect for a wetsuit swim.

Final Tune up.

Just before dinner most of us decided to take the rigs on a final spin to make sure all gears are in working order. I think the dry climate finally got to me.  As I finished my 1 block spin I turned to a fellow athlete and said My legs are starting to cramp and feel very fatigue for a half mile spin. I was hoping I just wasn’t warmed up.

I told myself to just stay hydrated and I would be fine come race day.

Race Day

Wake up call 4:15am. time to eat. This is the first time I have done a race and stayed with several other athletes. It was interesting and amusing to see everyone’s different race day meal rituals. 5 athletes and 5 different meals. After breakfast we checked the forecast and it was raining and 68. It might be a decent day for a race. Getting to race wasn’t too bad. Packed my things, got body marked and went to find my bike rack. I was sitting on the second row next to the Pro’s. That was pretty cool. I think my team actually had a better spot than the pro’s. We were right next to the bike exit. Literally about 15 feet away from the exit. 

PR Swim 33:01 

Swim

This swim is a beach start. This start has a very shallow bay like area that allows for a good bit of walking or running. I did the calculations and you can easily gain one or two minutes in this race due to this aspect. 

I knew is was a bit more shallow to the right so I lined myself up as far right as the officials allowed. I started at the front and did my best to stay with the leaders. I typically takes me a little longer to warm up than most people so I knew my fast start wasn’t going to last long. I made the first turn and started to fall back. I decided to stay far to the right out of traffic and swim my own race. I got relaxed and was able to pick up my pace. Something to note if you are thinking of doing this race. You will be swimming directly into the sun for about 400 meters. This makes it very hard to site if you do not have mirrored or dark tinted goggles. Because the water is very murky I used clear goggles. As chose to just follow the general direction of the large that was in front of me until I got to where I could see the next turn buoy. Rookie mistake. Don’t assume others are siting correctly. Turns out this group was swimming WAY  inside the bouy. I essentially swam in a zig zag. I knew I had to make up some time so I pushed my pace a little more. I felt good so I kept my pace. I was catching the two groups that started 5 and 10 minutes ahead of me. Before I know it I was nearing the final turn. I felt good and picked up my pace and increased my kick. Maybe I kicked a little too much because I was beginning to feel soreness setting in my legs.  I exit the water and look at my watch. 33:01 PR by 2 minutes and 6 minutes faster than my 70.3 in April. I was so ecstatic I forgot to stop for the strippers. I went back to get help taking off my wetsuit.

T1
 I ran up to my bike and saw fellow teammates. I was still excited about my swim and I forgot to put on my socks but didn't realize it until I was already starting up the first hill. This was my first time to go this distance without socks. I am too far committed to stop and go back for socks, besides, I don't think they will let you go back into transition. I hope this doesn't come back to haunt me. I made my way up the first hill and my legs were already sore for some unexplained reason so I just kept it easy and pushed as hard as I could without cramping up. I handled all the hills pretty well. I would have to say that the cross wind was my biggest challenge and where I lost most of my time. Being conservative was a good call I was able to push my pace the last 15 miles into the park at 23-25mph. Then I just died before making the last turn to the dam. That last climb before T2 killed me. 

T2
I dismounted and took about 10 steps and I was racking my bike. Sweet! Since I gained so much time due to my rack position I thought I would use the extra time to put on my compression socks. I headed out of T2 and was holding a 7min. pace. But wanted to run the first mile or two at 9ish and then pick it up. I was feeling good but didn’t want to risk bonking in the last miles.

 I forced myself to walk and get my heart rate and pace down. Heading out of the park I started to get my running legs and let fly. Run was going pretty good at this point. This run doesn’t have much shade after you exit the park. Then you turn into the energy lab and there is nothing to protect you from the sun. This is where I wanted to make my move. I started to increase my pace every two minutes. I was dumping as much water and ice as I could at each aid station. I started to get a blister from my feet staying wet. I said to hold your pace until the turn around and then I could stop and put vasoline on my feet. Another lesson I learned. It is really hard to take off compressions socks when you are wet, sweaty, and tired. It is even harder to put them back on. I think I lost almost 10 minutes at that aid station.  Once I stood up I felt like everything just shut down. I tried to make up my lost time by running a hard pace and hoping my body adjust. This pace only lasted about 1 mile. The wheels fell off at this point and I just wanted to continue a motion that resembled a run. I felt that I could catch most of the pack I was running with but as the miles tick off this was proving to be a much hard task than I was anticipating. Turning into the park I was in the  hurt box but needed to at least keep running in order catch my group. I started to reel in a few people but I was hurting. 1 mile to go.  I told myself “You can go 1 hard mile. You do it all the time and it will be over before you know it.” 

I finished with the second slowest bike and run split for this distance. Overall it was a slower than average race for me. I knew I was lacking in my run training and it was going to hurt but I could not predict this kind of suffering. I spent my run training improving my swim so I traded one for the other and there needs to be a balance. Back to work and don’t neglect the other portions of the race. To finish on a light note, because of some stellar performance by the rest of the team E2MULTISPORTS took first place in the Ironman triclub competition. Way to go Team I will see you all at the next start line.

TRAINING THE FORGOTTEN MUSCLES

When you think of training for an Ironman you think of training your legs for the bike and run. You may think of training you upper body for the swim. But what about the bridge that connects the two. Yes, I am talking about the popular term “core”. Your core is really the link from your brain to the muscles. By being able to better activate and control it you in turn have better and more efficient control of your “working muscles”. 

  Lets think about two different types of bridges. 1. The rope bridge. You may remember the rope bridge from old movies like Indiana Jones. Pretty scary and not very stable and unpredictable. 2. The steel or concrete bridge. It is more rigid and probably safer. When you take a step it is very predictable in how it will respond. Which would you rather be on? By being efficient in the core you are going to be a more efficient athlete which usually translates into a faster athlete. 

Now lets talk about other muscles you have forgotten about. Your neck and shoulders. Think about how many times you rotate your head when you breath in the swim, how many revolutions your arms make while completing a 2.4 miles swim (that is if you swim perfectly straight). You may not have thought about training your neck but I am sure you have started to feel some of its effects from long hours in the saddle. When you are doing your

long rides it is not only about fitness. You are conditioning your body to hold a fixed position for up to 6 hours. Your neck, shoulders, and back need to be up to the task or you could wreck your run. Aside from the long days in the saddle you  can do strength exercises on your recovery days to complement your training. One of the best exercises you can do is a plank. It conditions your shoulders to hold your weight for 6 hours after swimming for over an hour. It also helps strengthen your core musculature as well as your lower back.

What is your gut telling you?

 By now you have probably practiced your race day nutrition and you should probably have it nailed down. Something to consider when doing a race like Ironman Texas or any hot tropical region is your hydration. In hot weather your body needs fluids and electrolytes more than calories. In fact the thermogenic effect of food could actually raise your core temperature. In these types of races it is imperative that you train yourself to “stomach” the amount of fluids you will ask of it on race day. Don’t think you can play this one by ear. If your stomach is not equipped to handle the increased amount of fluids it will get rid of it and the effect could be catastrophic to your race. The stomach is an amazing organ and has the capacity to expand and shrink to accommodate the demands placed on it. But it does need a little time to acclimate. The good news is you still have some time to accomplish this in training. My recommendation for this type of race course is to take in at least an additional 20 oz of water with electrolytes per hour in addition to your race day nutrition.  Good luck to all who are racing at IRONMAN TEXAS. Enjoy your taper. You have earned it. 

See you at the finish line.

Are you training for IMTX? This is the first on a series of articles discussing how to prepare your body for the race. 

There are several aspects to training for a race of this distance besides the physical training required to power yourself through out the day. To truly race to your body’s potential you need to look at all details of the race that may affect your outcome. One of these aspects is your body’s ability to utilize sodium. If you are an endurance athlete you probably know or at least have heard about the importance of electrolytes.  Simply put electrolytes are minerals that are dissolved in your body’s water and are present in every cell. 

Importance of Electrolytes

Every function of the human body is reliant on electrical impulses. These impulses are responsible for all muscular contractions ranging from your eyelids to your heart.  Water is an excellent conductor of electricity which is why we function best when we are well hydrated. Electrolytes, especially sodium molecules are attracted to water molecules. Remember this, where sodium goes, water will follow. 

When you sweat you lose sodium. To maintain homeostasis the cells will release sodium to balance out the fluid present on each side of the cell wall. Continued loss will eventually cause dehydration on cellular level. Tracking sweat rate and replacing sodium lost in sweat will prevent you from becoming dehydrated and prevent a loss of muscular function. Consciously thinking about sodium loss on top of focusing on your race is difficult. But there is an easier way....

Planning is in the details

Condition you body to more efficiently utilize sodium when you do need it!

This conditioning starts weeks or months in advance. Just like many other facets of the body, if you change an aspect of how your body functions, the body will adapt to maintain homeostasis, thus becoming more efficient at using the sodium it has. Once you start implementing a sodium loading phase the body will start to store more water in preparation for your IMTX race. Anything your body does not use will be discarded as waste. Think of this as acclimating your body to use sodium in a more efficient manner just as you would acclimate your body to the heat or any other condition of a race. One way I like to do this is with my Infinit nutrition and with salt tablets in my Fuelbelt pill holder. 

Implementing the plan:

After a few weeks of sodium depletion you should slowly start adding salt back into your diet. This should not be hard to do since the typical american diet is loaded with salt. 

The week of the race: 

Once you arrive in the Woodlands I suggest sipping on water and electrolyte drinks. One sodium tablet the day before the race. 

The morning of the race:

IMTX is known for being an uncomfortably hot swim. I like to mix a special drink I call my Secret Drink. It is a half dose of Infinit or whatever drink you use mixed with 1-2 teaspoons of baking soda. This is my electrolyte load for the day. I mix that into a water bottle and sip until the start of the race. I will also have one bottle of this in transition. 

When you exit the swim you will undoubtedly be dehydrated unless you drank a lot of the lake water, which I highly recommend against. I will down half of this bottle before I get on to the bike and then pour the rest in my aerodrink. 

On the bike

While on the bike I am getting approximately 1000 mg of sodium in per hour. This comes out to drinking one bottle of Infinit per hour and taking in 1 salt tablet with water every 30 minutes. This works for me, is a very good reference, and will work for most people. I recommend knowing your own sweat rate and testing this in training. 

Check back for part two of this series on how to race your best at IMTX.

Note: Always consult your physician prior to changing or adding sodium to your training if you have a history of high blood pressure or any other medical conditions that could be exacerbated by intaking extra sodium.

IRONMAN TEXAS 2011

My wife feels that she should let all the spouse's know what it is like and what to expect while your significant other is racing all day. She also points out pro's and con's of the race venue. Hope this helps.

IRONMAN TEXAS THE WOODLAND'S MAY 21, 2011

The inaugural Woodland’s Ironman Texas was a great experience. It was one of the toughest races I have done. Overall I was happy with my results. I did as well as I could on that day. I pushed myself close to my limits and know that body put out what it could. Now to focus on improving on those short comings.

I arrived on Wednesday night to avoid Houston traffic. Got up early had a good breakfast and went to athlete check-in. One thing I learned for last years Florida IM was that I was not about to wait in line for over an hour in the rain to check-in.  Check-in was quick and easy. Got a massage, went to buy groceries for race morning, and went back to the hotel for a nap. Had a great dinner at a salad bar near the hotel and went back to get my gear bags ready. I spent a little time on the river with the family then went to the “mandatory”-waste-of-time-meeting.  This race is a point-to-point swim to the transition area so I wanted to get a feel for how long the walk would take on race morning so I walked back to my hotel from the race meeting, which was on the way. I figured I would need 30 minutes to give me a little lead way. 

Practice swim

I wasn’t sure if I would use a wetsuit or not especially since I haven’t done any open water swims without it this year. I wanted to take a practice swim with it and decide if I would use a skin or wetsuit. 

Once I got in the water it was pleasantly cool. I swam 1 mile and didn’t get overheated. I decided I would be okay if I used a wetsuit since I had done swims with a wetsuit in warmer water than this. After my swim I went to the hotel for a final check on my bike before check it in along with my gear bags. 

Mandatory bike check in

Michele, Leia, and I walked to the transition area to turn in all my stuff. Once we got there I found my bike rack and thought it was a mistake. I couldn’t believe I was on the first rack nearest the bike out. I was really excited about not having to navigate all the bike traffic in transition. I racked my bike ( aka Precious, as my wife calls it), covered my aerodrink and walked over to turn in my gear bags. Made a last minute check to make sure I had everything in my bags and went over to check out the swim exit. The swim exit was made of stairs like the ones used in Kona. The run up was on a steep side walk but I don’t remember it being an issue on race day since it never entered my mind.

After gear check in I walked with the family to feed the fish and ducks. I think it was the highlight of Leia’s day. Then we walked around for an hour trying to find a way to get on the tour boat. Once we found the boat dock they said that they were closing up for the day because of the high winds. Bummer. We went to the mall next door for a late lunch. We ate and headed back to the hotel. We were all exhausted from the heat and humidity and I needed to get off my feet. We finally made it back and took a good nap. Got up and had pre-race dinner got my race bottles prepared. I tried to relax the rest of the evening. Houston has high grass pollen count that I am apparently allergic. I was congested all night and had a hard time breathing.  This only added to the usually pre-race jitters. Needless to say I was not that well rested but thankfully I have a 2 yr. old and I am used to being tired. I owe Leia a thank you for the sleep deprivation training.  

Race Morning

The transition area opened up at 4:30am and I wanted to get there early to allow for any mishaps and I could rest before the swim start. I have a tendency to wake up just before the alarm goes off. So I woke up at 2:50 in the morning.  I had my usual race day breakfast and coffee. I knew I would not be able to get back to sleep so I used a foam roller to work out any kinks I was feeling. Anyone who has done an Ironman knows that the last week of tapering you start to notice all kinds of little nagging pains that weren’t a big deal so you ignored them. On this morning was when they decided to show up in full force. I worked out all that I could and got dressed. Said bye, to the wife and walked to transition. 

I wanted to get to transition early just in case I needed any extra time. I arrived to transition at 4:15 and when I got  to transition there were about 10 people waiting to get in. So I waited with them, and waited, and waited. It was 4:40 and the timing mats weren’t working. No one was allowed to pass until they got the mats working. Finally, things were up and running. I found my bike, aired up my tires, and mounted my water bottles. Now off to the gear bags to put my run bottles in my run gear bag. I found out that they were not letting anyone in the area with gear bags. There were only 2 young ladies in charge of putting everyones supplies in their gear bags.  Everyone was yelling at the poor girls to let them in. The girl who was in charge eventually gave in and allowed 10 people at a time to go to their gear bags. I put my fuelbelt bottles in my bag and began to walk to the swim start for bodymarking. On the way there my plantar fascia began to ache. I remember thinking, “WHY NOW.”  I got to the swim area, got bodymarked, and found a bench to sit. I sat there for a minute took a deep breath and just took everything in. Two guys joined me on the bench and we helped each other into our wetsuits. I learned from the Galveston race to make sure I had enough calories and fluids to get me through the swim. I took a small ensure, gel, and water bottle this time. It was probably a little overkill but I wanted the option of at least having it on hand than not. I took a picture with Miranda Carafee who was standing behind me. That was pretty cool of her. I turned in my morning clothes and walked to the boat ramp. I took my gel just before entering the wetsuit corral. Upon entering the water I notice the temperature was significantly warmer than the previous day. I swam out to the middle of the lake and then toward the “Tyr” bridge. I felt pretty good. All my aches had dissolved away. I made my way toward the canoe that all the pro’s were holding onto. It was interesting to see that they didn’t want to expend any energy by treading water. Many of them were shivering and was beginning to sweat. The pro’s took off and I still had 10 minutes to wait. I saw a buddy that was volunteering on the kayak support. He wished me luck and as I turned back around I notice the athletes stretch across the entire lake about 3 or 4 deep. Then I looked to the boat ramp and Mike Riley was yelling at the 1 or 2 hundred athletes that were not even in the water yet. My thoughts were “this is going to be a tight and hectic swim”. It didn’t bother me that so many contenders were still on the ramp. Less traffic to contend with. The countdown began. 10,9,8,.. I told my buddy Robert, “have a good race. Let’s rock and roll.” The cannon went off and the first 50 meters were nice then I felt the pressure of a pack swarming around me. I picked up my pace so I would not get stampeded. The pace was very fast for me. I had to breathe almost every stroke but I was able to hold the pace. Then I caught an elbow to the left eye that knocked me a little silly. It took me a second to gather myself and realize what happened. It knocked my goggles loose so I drained them and put them back on and continued. I tried to catch the group I was with but after 20 meters my eye was hurting so bad a thought it might be bleeding. Nothing I can do about that now, so I kept going. I was amazed that so many people were going so fast. Even with my mishap I hit the halfway mark in 30.34. That is the fastest I have ever swam.  The second half was less hectic and I could find some clean water and swim my own race. Just as I was feeling relaxed I got a kick to the stomach. “I know the water is dirty but where are these people coming from.” This was a good time to drain the goggles again. I found someone who was just faster than I was so I drafted with him for a bit. Then I got tangled up with another swimmer and tweeked my shoulder. I entered the canal and drained my goggles one last time since it was only about 1000 meters to the finish. I can deal with water in the goggles until I finish. I picked up my pace and the harder I pulled the more my shoulder started to hurt. I knew I was favoring my shoulder because everytime I sighted I was way off course. At this point I could hear the announcer and the crowds but couldn’t see how far away I was from the final turn in to the exit. I got to the stairs and was so glad to be out of the water I almost forgot to take off my wetsuit. I grabbed some guy and told him to pull off my wetsuit and I made my way to the tent. I remember thinking my legs didn’t burn running up the ramp to the tent so I must have been really kicking towards the end of the swim. 

T1

My T1 time was not impressive. In my previous 2 IM races I didn’t have any problems changing clothes. I think that was because the last 2 races were cold. This time I was sweating heavily. My long sleeved skin shirt was sticking to me and I couldn’t get it on. I was stuck in an odd position for a second. I thought about not wearing it but at this point I was kind of committed to wearing because it would probably take longer to take it off. I got my jersey, socks, headsweat, sunglasses, and helmet on just as a guy sat next to me and decided to take a piss. I’m out of here. Dropped my bag off and sprinted to my bike with shoes in hand. I think waiting until I got to my bike to put on my shoes was the right call. The ground was saturated with water and who knows what else and I think mud would have gotten in my cleats. I was really covering some ground since I knew I was on the last rack. I beat the volunteers to my bike. I was happy to see my family rear my bike. I waved, told them I loved them, and see you in a little while.

Bike

  Took off out the gate and had a good mount. I saw Marco and Lorena. He almost scared me with his enthusiasm. I felt relaxed, heart rate was low, and I was cruising at 20 mph. All good signs.  I few guys passed me and I tried to keep up for a while before I realized that I still have 111 miles to go. Let em go, I said. I will catch them later. After crossing a huge gap on the bridge over the lake I felt something fall. I checked to see if my bottles were still there. Nothing. My bottle cage dropped and I had a hard time reaching my bottles. For the next few miles my mind was dominated by what I should do  about my bottles. I almost stopped to fix the cage then remembered I took out my multitool last night and left it on the table. That made my decision easier. Now I was just hoping I wouldn’t launch my bottles. I know I lost a lot of time fiddling with my bottles everytime I wanted a drink. Oh well, nothing I can do about that now. Mental note: next time tighten ALL your bolts. I felt really good during the first half but I knew I had a tailwind so I tried to hold back and save it for the return trip. Started to hit hills about the 40-50 miles mark. Nothing to big but they were harder than they should have been. I realized because of the bottle situation that I wasn’t drinking as much as I should have. I made a strong effort to drink up approx. every 3 minutes. I finally made it to turn to the turn around. We turned south right into a headwind. It was the right call to hold back earlier because I immediately started passing riders as if they were putting on the brakes. It felt really good to pass so many people so late in the ride. At about mile 60 I suddenly realized that I haven’t peed yet. I knew I was dehydrated because I normally would have already gone 2or 3 times by now. I drank more frequently and tried to make myself go. I came across two friendly guys that were about my speed so we chatted and helped push each other. My feet really began to hurt. This is strange this doesn’t usually happen on the bike. I decided to drop back and took my feet out of the pedals at about mile 90 to almost 100. I just wanted the bike to be over at this point so I put my shoes on pushed my pace to get it over with soon. I wanted to pee one last time before getting of the bike so I wouldn’t have to stop on the run. Nothing was happening. The last ten or so miles seemed like an eternity. I made the final turn and saw the transition area so I took my shoes off. 

T2

I had a good running dismount and was off to the tent. My feet were killing me. Changed my clothes started to head out and felt the urge to pee. I had to run back out the other side of the tent to find the port-a-potty. I know I lost time but at least it was a good sign that I could go. I finished my business and ran out transition.

Run

Without the wind on the bike cooling me off this is the first time I really noticed and felt the effects of the sun, heat, and humidity. I took a few endurlyte’s and tried to enjoy the feeling of not being on the bike. Time to see what I have in my legs. I didn’t feel too much fatigue in my legs but I think the heat was keeping my heartrate elevated so I slowed my pace a little to try and get it to drop. I thought if I could save some effort now it would pay off toward the end of the marathon.  Normally I would try and hold my pace. After the two aid stations passed and my heartrate was still elevated I decided I would walk the 3rd aid station. After taking in some water at aid station 3 I felt fresh. So I  picked up my pace and felt really good. Knees and quads started to ache toward the end of the first lap around mile 7. I thought to myself just finish this loop and I will she Michele and Leia at the start of lap 2 and that will help me keep going. Finished the first loop and I didn’t see my family. I thought maybe they are at another area we scoped out the day before so I kept running. I never saw them but luckily I saw many supporters from The Alamo Tri group from Trisition area. They were spread out along the course along with Marco and Lorena. They are a great group that I have gotten to know.  The motivation they provided was invaluable. Knowing that they were there watching and that I would see them again helped me keep moving. While finishing up the second lap I saw my family near the dancing water fountain. Leia’s eyes and face were beaming with joy from playing in the water. Seeing her face and talking to my wife provided a great jolt of motivation. I was told I had 1:40:00 to complete almost 10 more miles to go under 11 hours. I was highly motivated. I picked up my pace considerably over the next 3 miles. I think it was a little too fast for me at this point in the race. By the time I got to mile 21 I was fading and hurting pretty bad. I tried to keep at least a shuffle but ended up negotiating with myself. Okay lets walk for 50 steps and then lets get moving again. I knew from past races that if I didn’t set a limit to my walking and just mindlessly start walking that I would walk indefinitely. 50 steps felt like barely enough maybe next time I will walk for 100 steps but lets keep running until you can’t handle it anymore. My feet were killing me from the constant pressure of biking and running. I tried running on the grass but it didn’t really do much. I have noticed that when you are tired to the point of exhaustion and in pain you do thing that you wouldn’t normally do. I finally took of my shoes and walked in the grass for about 5 minutes. It felt better but I knew I couldn’t finish the race like this. I knew my hopes of going 11 hours were quickly fading. I thought I still might be able to make it if I kept running the rest of the way. It didn’t work out that way. I figured I would have to run just under 8 minute miles from here to the finish and since I was about a 10:30 average and in pain I knew it wasn’t going to happen. I made one more bargain with myself. I will take my shoes off one more time and walk to the end of this grass and then finish running at a respectful pace. Deal. Started running again and slowly picked up the tempo and felt good. I think I can finish at this pace. Slowly the aching knees and feet began to override everything. I started walking again. This was short lived. I saw my buddy Darrel going the other way. I realized how close I was to finishing so I started running again. Made the final turn around and picked up my pace. I was motivated to be passing people so late in the race. I picked up my pace again. I saw the final hill and wonder if I will have enough to run up it or if I should walk it. I started running up it and it didn’t feel bad so I ran faster and it felt even easier. I could here Mike Riley and the crowds and the pain started to melt away. I picked up my pace again and wondered how many more times I would be able to keep picking up my pace before I top out. I skipped the final aid station just like Macca and approached the final turn before going into the finishing chute. I saw Lorena running next to me. I thought I am not going as fast I felt I was so I gradually increased my tempo until I was at a full sprint. I figured lets just do this until I can’t do it and cramp up or I will cross the finish line. I never ran so fast at the end of a race and felt really good. Too bad I didn’t feel like this over the last 6 miles. Final time 12:27:00 and still daylight. I felt great. I accomplished three of my goals; finish, finish without getting hurt, and finish while the sun was still out. Despite some mishaps I still had my best race. A new PR. Even if I would have had a better swim and bike, which was possible, it still would not have made up for my horrible run. I had several break throughs 1) I finally nailed my nutrition, 2) learned not to swallow the lake water, and 3) learned that if I rode more than 95 miles once and run more than just one 16 mile long run that I might be able to break 10 hours.  Not too bad on my minimal training plan. For IM Texas,12 hours was all my body could do on this day.  Although it was slower than my goal time, I pushed my body to its limit and that is all I had on May 21, 2011 the day the world was supposed to end. 

IM spouse report

The Woodlands in May is ridiculously hot and humid so be prepared to sweat. The layout of the town center is great because you can walk to several places and keep the kids occupied. Leia and I skipped the swim start because we figured it would be hectic to get the baby down there by 7am. We went straight to the transition area to catch Roland, since he was at the end of the last rack we got a good place to wait for him to transition. After seeing him off we went to HEB to pick up some water and then to Target to kill some time before the mall opened. The mall opened at 10am, so we spent a good hour at the indoor play area on the 1st floor of the mall-free for little ones...yay! After that we went to the food court for lunch and she rode the carousel which is only $1 a ride. So we killed about 2 hours just playing at the mall, and the great thing was the free air conditioning. After the carousel we picked up lunch and went back to the hotel for a nap. Around 3pm we headed out to the dancing water fountain by the river which was a great spot to watch for Roland because the run is 3 loops and the kids can play in the fountain while you wait and they stay cool. Leia had a blast and almost 2 hours passed in no time. Around 5pm we headed over to the Market street and ate dinner at Cafe Express...I used the free wi-fi to check Roland’s splits on Leia’s Ipod. When I saw his last split show up I knew to head over to the finish. I only waited about 15 minutes for him to finish, which is pretty good timing. The finish area is incredibly tight so it was hard to navigate the stroller around...I would highly recommend a stroller or leash if you have a toddler because it’s too crowded and very easy to get separated from a little one. 

Overall, the Woodlands gets points for having the most things to do relatively close to the race venue. For once I had no problem keeping Leia occupied while we waited.

1-Dress the kids in a swim suit to take them to the dancing water fountain, and then bring a towel and change of clothes. There is a restroom to change older kids.. but I just wrapped Leia in a towel and changed her camp-style outside. Seriously the kids can spend hours in that fountain...fine with me, its free and it kept her cool...no complaining from her either!

2-I really wanted to rent the ‘my athlete tracker’ gps but I waited to long. If your spouse has never done an IM....get one! It will help you pinpoint where your spouse is so you can time when to go out and try to see them. I heard they are pretty accurate. If Roland does another IM I will definitely get one....but you have to have internet access on your phone to really get the best use out of it. 

3-There are 2 movie theaters within walking distance of the market street...great for older kids to keep them occupied during the long wait. For me it was pointless to try to take Leia to a movie since she won’t sit still. 

4- Bring or buy bread and have the kids feed the turtles, ducks, and fish in the river and at the lake. Leia had so much fun feeding the ‘fishies’ but keep your toddler close because I saw a girl go head first into the river.

5- I was disappointed they didn’t place encouragement signs along the run like the did in IM CDA and Fl....if I would have known I would have made my own. I saw a few homemade signs scattered about. Oh, and bring sidewalk chalk to write on the run path along the riverwalk. 

6-If you have a large group going...I would consider staking out a place along the run and set up a canopy for shade. I saw several groups do this and I thought that was cool...I don’t know if you have to ask for permission. 

Roland Moreno

BIB

AGE

STATE/COUNTRY

PROFESSION

1395

36

San Antonio TX USA

Teacher

SWIM

BIKE

RUN

OVERALL

RANK

DIV.POS.

1:24:23

5:45:48

5:00:41

12:27:18

636

116

LEG

DISTANCE

PACE

RANK

DIV.POS.

TOTAL SWIM

2.4 mi. (1:24:23)

2:13/100m

1014

173

BIKE SPLIT 1: 58 mi

58 mi (2:55:16)

19.86 mi/h

BIKE SPLIT 2: 112 mi

54 mi (2:50:32)

19.00 mi/h

TOTAL BIKE

112 mi (5:45:48)

19.43 mi/h

702

136

RUN SPLIT 1: 4.45 mi

4.45 mi (43:25)

9:45/mi

RUN SPLIT 2: 7.02 mi

2.57 mi (26:42)

10:23/mi

RUN SPLIT 3: 13.1 mi

6.08 mi (1:09:04)

11:21/mi

RUN SPLIT 4: 15.7 mi

2.6 mi (30:12)

11:36/mi

RUN SPLIT 5: 21.8 mi

6.1 mi (1:17:40)

12:43/mi

RUN SPLIT 6: 24.4 mi

2.6 mi (34:56)

13:26/mi

RUN SPLIT 7: 26.2 mi

1.8 mi (18:42)

10:23/mi

TOTAL RUN

26.2 mi (5:00:41)

11:28/mi

636

116

TRANSITION

TIME

T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE

8:45

T2: BIKE-TO-RUN

7:41