Winning sure feels good! On top of the Podium at Gulf Coast 70.3!
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Racing begins in 2018
This weekend saw the start of my 2018 triathlon race season. I traveled down to Bariloche, Argentina for this inaugural 70.3 race. Bariloche is located in the southern region of Argentina commonly known as Patagonia and Bariloche is known as the gateway to Patagonia. The city is in the foothills of the Andes Mountains and offers breathtaking views of towering peaks above glacier lakes. Patagonia is truly an outdoor paradise and this areas was made to host a 70.3 event.
I arrived in Bariloche on Thursday night after taking an overnight flight from Houston on Wednesday and connecting in Buenos Aires. The flight from Houston to Beunos Aires was 10 hours so they only do red eye flight. Chris Schroeder, a young Boulder based pro, was on my flight and then became my roommate for the last three nights of the trip (after he spent his first night in an Airbnb). We stayed at the Eco-Ski Hotel which was the race headquarters and very affordable but adequate accommodation. Most of the pro field was staying at this hotel include Terenzo, Jarrod Shoemaker and Alicia Kaye, Igor Amorelli, Dede Greisbauer, and Ken Peterson. It rained most of the day on Friday but we did take a group trip to a small 25m swimming pool for training. There is a lake and beach two blocks from the hotel but the water is colder and rougher than the swim venue. I wanted to get in the lake, but everyone else wanted to swim in the pool so instead of solo open water swimming in a choppy lake, I played it safe and stuck with the group pool swim. Traffic was less than ideal but most of the road surfaces were in good condition and I felt totally safe training on the roads on my bike. The run was a bit tougher for me. There is a large sidewalk along the run course but it is cobblestone so not ideal for fast running. You can run in the street but the traffic is a bit crazy and I don't recommend it. There was a small section of sidewalk with pretty good surface through the downtown area where I did my fast running before the race.
Logistics of the race were a bit tricky as there is a split transition. The swim and T1 are located at the Llao Llao (pronounced shou shou) Resort about 17 km from town. Bike is mandatory on Saturday so I rode my bike to the resort and then caught a ride back with an Ironman Employee. We also had to check in T2 bags on Saturday so it made for a packed day but an easier race day. The race was delayed an hour because of cold weather and the announcement was made on Saturday night to allow athletes to prepare. I didn't wake up race morning until 6:30, that hasn't happened in a very long time.
We took a shuttle to race start at 7:30 AM and transition opened at 8. It was plenty of time, and I stayed warm with plenty of winter clothes. The pros did a short swim warm-up in the clear and 61 degree cold water of the glacier lake. It was a fairly clean start but there are always a few athletes pushing the envelope with the drifting when the start is in-water. I started to the right of the course next to Terenzo and I was quickly and easily towards the front of the race in the swim. There was a small pack of 5 out of the water together and we all releatively slow out of T1 as we took time to put on warm clothes. The start of the bike saw light rain and wet roads. The first 14K of the bike course was very hilly and technical and my indoor riding skills held me back just a little. Ken Peterson caught the front of the race from 2 min down out of the water by the time we finished the first 14k section. He is a former pro cycling and made us all look stupid slow around the wet and technical descents. I yo-yo'd back and forth with the front three riders for most of the bike holding a gap of around 20 seconds to 1:20. In retrospect I really should have forced a small effort to close this gap completely but I didn't think it was much of a problem during the race because the front of the race was always within contact. Well it was within contact until we did a small second loop and began lapping age group athletes. Once we started lapping athletes the lead motorbike cleared a path for the first three athletes and left me alone to weave and find my own way. Because the lead motorbike was clearing a path for the leaders it was also way too close to the leaders for much of this section, as I saw several times the leader actually passed the motorbike and to be overtaken again for the lead (on a narrow winding 2 lane road with lots of traffic). The last 16 miles of the bike saw my lead go from :50 seconds to 3:30 with no loss of power on my part. This was the race and I had no way of knowing it would be so substantial. Lesson learned. I got off the bike with a pretty significant deficit to the leaders but also a comfortable margin to 5th place behind me. My run has come a long way the last year (considering I was not even running last year at this time), but I still don't have my 4 week run volume over 200 miles which I consider to be the minimum standard for Ironman athletes. I topped out with this block at 180 miles so another 5 miles per week tacked on my average and I'll be there. Nevertheless, I am more durable running now than I have been in a very long. I started the run out and my legs felt really good but there was a stiff headwind than seriously impeded forward progress. The run was 2.5 laps and the first half lap going out was straight into the headwind. This is where using the HR monitor really helps. The effort felt super solid but my pace was so slow I had to use my HR as the guide. Coach Jesse gave me a guideline to keep my hr to 10 beat offset after the first mile. I was 149 avg hr on the bike and kept it hovering right around the 158-160 range for most of the run and finshed with a HR average of 159 and a max hr of 171. This was a solid run for me, but I haven't done any hard race specific training session yet so the next 4 week block will focus on just that coupled with an average weekly volume of around 50 miles per week. I was slowly and gradually reeling in Kennett Peterson and with about 3 miles to go it looked like I was going to catch him and finish in 3rd, but he gave it one last really hard and I was left in the worst possible position in a race, 4th place...17 seconds off the podium. Face it, 2nd sucks, but 4th really sucks. Not only does it drop in prize money but you miss out of the bonus money from sponsors and the really cool podium celebrations and pictures as well. This race gave me some super motivation to stick to the course and really work on the things necessary to cross the line in first once again.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Fall down, get up!
The comeback continued...
After a successful Austin 70.3 and Ironman Arizona at the end of 2016, I made big plans for 2017 and I was sitting well in the Kona Points to get back to the Big Island. I had to rush my recovery from Fabellaectomy surgery on June 28, 2016 to get in my races but all felt good. I raced a full Ironman less than 5 months after an open knee surgery. I knew I was pushing the boundaries of my body but I also had some time for rest and recovery after the race. My surgical (right) knee was a bit sore at the end of Ironman Arizona but nothing out of the ordinary. 19 days after Ironman Airzona I was back doing my strength training routine and I was in my basement doing TRX lunges when I tore the root of my meniscus in my right knee (the same knee I just had surgery on 5 months prior). The two injuries were unrelated other than racing an Ironman less than 5 months post surgery put all my soft tissue at risk and my knee just couldn't take extreme loads. Tearing the meniscal root is not like tearing the meniscus (which is also painful). Tearing the meniscal root involves a complicated surgery where they drill a hole through your tibia to reattach the meniscus. It would also mean I would have to spend 6 weeks on crutches (0% weight bearing) letting the bone and knee heal. I made the trip back to Vail, Colorado to the Steadman Clinic and visited Dr. Matt Provencher again. I tore my meniscal root on December 8. I had an MRI to confirm the injury on December 15. I had surgery in Vail on December 29. Since I was on a tight timeline and the holiday season was among us, I am extremely grateful for the fast-tracking of the surgery.
I spent a few days in Vail for the surgery and recovery at the Howard Head Physical Therapy center. I made the flight home solo and with two nerve block pain machines on me to keep me comfortably numb. Apparently that drilling a tunnel through bone really hurts. I came home to a pretty crazy house with a 3 month old baby and two other children under the age of 4. Ashley was an angels to put up with me during this period where I was basically a 4th kid in the house. They don't make it easy to carry around a baby and while using crutches.
Once off crutches I had to re-learn how to walk and gradually work on my range of motion. I had some major atrophy in my right leg (which until now was always my dominant leg). Most of the atrophy was in my vastus medialis (VM, the big quad muscle on the inside of each leg just above the knee). I could spin on a bike right away but my range of motion was limited and I had to raise my saddle to make complete pedal strokes. It was a long and laborious rehab process but I was able to start running again on April 30, almost exactly 4 months after surgery (just like the doctors planned). This was a short 20 minutes done as 4x(1 min jog, 4 min walk) so it was really only 4 minutes of running.
I had to very slowly build up my running but I did my first race, a local sprint, Hickory Grove Triathlon, on May 23 (3 weeks after I started running). Now it was only a 5k but it was still significant for me because I was back racing. I finished 3rd in that race to a couple of local guys but all I really cared about was being able to race, going fast takes time. 5 weeks after that sprint race I was able to race and win a local Olympic Distance, Copper Creek. I still had a long ways to go as I had only run a total of 132 miles for the entire year (and now the year was half over). Three weeks later (and another 90 miles of running) on July 18, I did my first 70.3 of the year in Racine. The swim was cancelled and it turned into a bike-run, but I was able to run a respectable sub 1:20 after a hard bike and finished 8th in a solid field to snag the last bit of prize money ($500!) The following week was my last ditch effort to make it to Kona as I raced Ironman Lake Placid. I had a great front pack swim and led most of the bike to exit the bike with Brent McMahon and Andy Potts. I needed a second or better to get me into Kona and quickly my lack of run fitness started to show as I was in third place trailing Brent and Andy. The worst part of the run was not actually my fitness but the excessive downhill running at the start of the race. I could tell my knee was not going to hold up for the entire marathon and being in third place would not qualify me for Kona. I decided to pull the plug and drop out of the race after 9 miles of running. This was definitely the right decision for my future but it was hard to see another Kona Qualification pass me by simply because I could not race enough to qualify. The plan had to shift to Ironman Wisconsin. I had originally scheduled another 70.3 in August at Steelhead 70.3 in Michigan, but if I was going to race another Ironman in 7 weeks I was going to need all the training I could get especially on my run volume.
Ironman Wisconsin was on my list of must do events but the timing of the event was always difficult because it is so close to Kona. In 2015 when I was not aiming for a Kona slot there was no pro race and last year there was no pro men's race. 2017 would be the year I tackle IM MOO! My training was very good building up to the race but I was still lacking volume. I did the best I could with the time I had and came into the race fit and ready to perform. I had a great front of the race swim followed by a bike that put me into T2 in third place but one of the top 5 bike performances on that course of all time. I managed to tough out a 2:58 marathon and hold on to a second place finish from a fast charging Patrick McKeon (who set a run course record in 2:43!) as I passed a fading Andrew Starykowicz (who set a bike course record with a 4:24!) who finished 4th. Luke McKenzie was in a total league of his own that day smashing the overall course record by over 14 minutes to take the win. I definitely wanted to win that race and my performance was still the second fastest Ironman Wisconsin time in history, but it happened to be on the day when Luke established a new time standard. I garnered 1600 Kona Qualifying Points for 2018 and a $7500 second place prize check. Things were looking up.
7 weeks after Wisconsin I was ready to tackle another 70.3 for the year in Austin, TX on October 30. My flight was cancelled on Friday afternoon so I ended up traveling on Saturday morning the day before the race which is never ideal and it left me a bit tired. I was still in the best shape of the year and I wanted to prove it. I have twice been second at this race including the previous year. I wanted to win. Race morning was super cold with temps in the high 30's as we exited the water in our wetsuits. I made the mistake of not putting on any gloves or arm warmers in transition and this came back to haunt me. I was so caught up in the speed of transition from the other front pack swimmers that I just grabbed my gloves and arm warmers and stuffed them in my jersey. 10 miles into the bike my hands were frozen and I put on the gloves but it was too late. I was miserable and I could not take corners hard or press my shift levers well enough to race the course. The end result was a bike time SIX FREAKING MINUTES SLOWER than last year. Worse yet, I was so cold off the bike I couldn't unbuckle my helmet or put on my shoes in transition. I had to ask a volunteer to unbuckle my helmet for me. I lost over a minute to the rest of the field in T2 but I still had a sizeable lead after posting the fastest bike split. I was caught on the run about 3 miles in by the eventual winner and a mile and half later by 2,3,5 place finishers. I ran with these guys for a couple of miles but the pace was just too much for me and I had to back off. I finished 4th with a decent run (about 1 minute faster than last year which was my first race back after the fabella surgery!). Overall it hurt to have such a slow bike split and then the worst pro T2 by over a minute. I was 3:17 behind winner, Franz Loschke but I new it was time I gave up by making a poor clothing choice early in the race. I love cold weather racing but I finally found my limit of how much cold I can handle. Lesson learned.
The final race of 2017 was an attempt to learn about proper heat acclimating. I was actually scheduled to race back-to-back 70.3 events with Western Sydney and Cartagena but a hamstring stain the week before Sydney saw me pull out and focus solely on Cartagena. To prepare for a hot humid race in early December while living in Des Moines, IA I was confined to a lot of indoor training with a humidifier and space heater. Acclimation went well, but man it was obviously how much I need to adjust when racing in the heat. Cartagena was a super hot swim with water temps in the upper 80s so I played it really chill on the swim but still came out with the leaders. It took a while to bike into the lead because my T1 was a bit slow as I had to put on my race kit after choosing to swim bare chested in a TYR brief! It was the right choice because I didn't overheat in the swim and ruin my day. Once I was in the lead on the bike I never looked back. I was flying on the way home from the single out and back bike course and hit my fastest 40k of all time in 48 minutes and the bike course record at 2:03:35. I held on to the lead through the first half of the run but was eventually caught by Kevin Collington and in the final few miles by Horst Reichel. It was good result to end my short season. I didn't have the volume this past year to perform up to my potential but I have a great start on next season with a total of 2380 Kona Points out of a needed ~3500 to qualify.
Work Hard!
TJ
After a successful Austin 70.3 and Ironman Arizona at the end of 2016, I made big plans for 2017 and I was sitting well in the Kona Points to get back to the Big Island. I had to rush my recovery from Fabellaectomy surgery on June 28, 2016 to get in my races but all felt good. I raced a full Ironman less than 5 months after an open knee surgery. I knew I was pushing the boundaries of my body but I also had some time for rest and recovery after the race. My surgical (right) knee was a bit sore at the end of Ironman Arizona but nothing out of the ordinary. 19 days after Ironman Airzona I was back doing my strength training routine and I was in my basement doing TRX lunges when I tore the root of my meniscus in my right knee (the same knee I just had surgery on 5 months prior). The two injuries were unrelated other than racing an Ironman less than 5 months post surgery put all my soft tissue at risk and my knee just couldn't take extreme loads. Tearing the meniscal root is not like tearing the meniscus (which is also painful). Tearing the meniscal root involves a complicated surgery where they drill a hole through your tibia to reattach the meniscus. It would also mean I would have to spend 6 weeks on crutches (0% weight bearing) letting the bone and knee heal. I made the trip back to Vail, Colorado to the Steadman Clinic and visited Dr. Matt Provencher again. I tore my meniscal root on December 8. I had an MRI to confirm the injury on December 15. I had surgery in Vail on December 29. Since I was on a tight timeline and the holiday season was among us, I am extremely grateful for the fast-tracking of the surgery.
I spent a few days in Vail for the surgery and recovery at the Howard Head Physical Therapy center. I made the flight home solo and with two nerve block pain machines on me to keep me comfortably numb. Apparently that drilling a tunnel through bone really hurts. I came home to a pretty crazy house with a 3 month old baby and two other children under the age of 4. Ashley was an angels to put up with me during this period where I was basically a 4th kid in the house. They don't make it easy to carry around a baby and while using crutches.
Once off crutches I had to re-learn how to walk and gradually work on my range of motion. I had some major atrophy in my right leg (which until now was always my dominant leg). Most of the atrophy was in my vastus medialis (VM, the big quad muscle on the inside of each leg just above the knee). I could spin on a bike right away but my range of motion was limited and I had to raise my saddle to make complete pedal strokes. It was a long and laborious rehab process but I was able to start running again on April 30, almost exactly 4 months after surgery (just like the doctors planned). This was a short 20 minutes done as 4x(1 min jog, 4 min walk) so it was really only 4 minutes of running.
I had to very slowly build up my running but I did my first race, a local sprint, Hickory Grove Triathlon, on May 23 (3 weeks after I started running). Now it was only a 5k but it was still significant for me because I was back racing. I finished 3rd in that race to a couple of local guys but all I really cared about was being able to race, going fast takes time. 5 weeks after that sprint race I was able to race and win a local Olympic Distance, Copper Creek. I still had a long ways to go as I had only run a total of 132 miles for the entire year (and now the year was half over). Three weeks later (and another 90 miles of running) on July 18, I did my first 70.3 of the year in Racine. The swim was cancelled and it turned into a bike-run, but I was able to run a respectable sub 1:20 after a hard bike and finished 8th in a solid field to snag the last bit of prize money ($500!) The following week was my last ditch effort to make it to Kona as I raced Ironman Lake Placid. I had a great front pack swim and led most of the bike to exit the bike with Brent McMahon and Andy Potts. I needed a second or better to get me into Kona and quickly my lack of run fitness started to show as I was in third place trailing Brent and Andy. The worst part of the run was not actually my fitness but the excessive downhill running at the start of the race. I could tell my knee was not going to hold up for the entire marathon and being in third place would not qualify me for Kona. I decided to pull the plug and drop out of the race after 9 miles of running. This was definitely the right decision for my future but it was hard to see another Kona Qualification pass me by simply because I could not race enough to qualify. The plan had to shift to Ironman Wisconsin. I had originally scheduled another 70.3 in August at Steelhead 70.3 in Michigan, but if I was going to race another Ironman in 7 weeks I was going to need all the training I could get especially on my run volume.
Ironman Wisconsin was on my list of must do events but the timing of the event was always difficult because it is so close to Kona. In 2015 when I was not aiming for a Kona slot there was no pro race and last year there was no pro men's race. 2017 would be the year I tackle IM MOO! My training was very good building up to the race but I was still lacking volume. I did the best I could with the time I had and came into the race fit and ready to perform. I had a great front of the race swim followed by a bike that put me into T2 in third place but one of the top 5 bike performances on that course of all time. I managed to tough out a 2:58 marathon and hold on to a second place finish from a fast charging Patrick McKeon (who set a run course record in 2:43!) as I passed a fading Andrew Starykowicz (who set a bike course record with a 4:24!) who finished 4th. Luke McKenzie was in a total league of his own that day smashing the overall course record by over 14 minutes to take the win. I definitely wanted to win that race and my performance was still the second fastest Ironman Wisconsin time in history, but it happened to be on the day when Luke established a new time standard. I garnered 1600 Kona Qualifying Points for 2018 and a $7500 second place prize check. Things were looking up.
7 weeks after Wisconsin I was ready to tackle another 70.3 for the year in Austin, TX on October 30. My flight was cancelled on Friday afternoon so I ended up traveling on Saturday morning the day before the race which is never ideal and it left me a bit tired. I was still in the best shape of the year and I wanted to prove it. I have twice been second at this race including the previous year. I wanted to win. Race morning was super cold with temps in the high 30's as we exited the water in our wetsuits. I made the mistake of not putting on any gloves or arm warmers in transition and this came back to haunt me. I was so caught up in the speed of transition from the other front pack swimmers that I just grabbed my gloves and arm warmers and stuffed them in my jersey. 10 miles into the bike my hands were frozen and I put on the gloves but it was too late. I was miserable and I could not take corners hard or press my shift levers well enough to race the course. The end result was a bike time SIX FREAKING MINUTES SLOWER than last year. Worse yet, I was so cold off the bike I couldn't unbuckle my helmet or put on my shoes in transition. I had to ask a volunteer to unbuckle my helmet for me. I lost over a minute to the rest of the field in T2 but I still had a sizeable lead after posting the fastest bike split. I was caught on the run about 3 miles in by the eventual winner and a mile and half later by 2,3,5 place finishers. I ran with these guys for a couple of miles but the pace was just too much for me and I had to back off. I finished 4th with a decent run (about 1 minute faster than last year which was my first race back after the fabella surgery!). Overall it hurt to have such a slow bike split and then the worst pro T2 by over a minute. I was 3:17 behind winner, Franz Loschke but I new it was time I gave up by making a poor clothing choice early in the race. I love cold weather racing but I finally found my limit of how much cold I can handle. Lesson learned.
The final race of 2017 was an attempt to learn about proper heat acclimating. I was actually scheduled to race back-to-back 70.3 events with Western Sydney and Cartagena but a hamstring stain the week before Sydney saw me pull out and focus solely on Cartagena. To prepare for a hot humid race in early December while living in Des Moines, IA I was confined to a lot of indoor training with a humidifier and space heater. Acclimation went well, but man it was obviously how much I need to adjust when racing in the heat. Cartagena was a super hot swim with water temps in the upper 80s so I played it really chill on the swim but still came out with the leaders. It took a while to bike into the lead because my T1 was a bit slow as I had to put on my race kit after choosing to swim bare chested in a TYR brief! It was the right choice because I didn't overheat in the swim and ruin my day. Once I was in the lead on the bike I never looked back. I was flying on the way home from the single out and back bike course and hit my fastest 40k of all time in 48 minutes and the bike course record at 2:03:35. I held on to the lead through the first half of the run but was eventually caught by Kevin Collington and in the final few miles by Horst Reichel. It was good result to end my short season. I didn't have the volume this past year to perform up to my potential but I have a great start on next season with a total of 2380 Kona Points out of a needed ~3500 to qualify.
Work Hard!
TJ
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Making a Comeback!
 |
| Incision Scar 3 weeks post-op |
 |
| Knee Comparison 3 weeks post-op |
Swim File:http://tpks.ws/tlQ5Z
Bike File: http://tpks.ws/faIoT
Run File: http://tpks.ws/yZ2fZ
I did a photo shoot with TYR in Long Island on Friday September 16 then stayed on the island to race the Mightly Hamptons Triathlon (Olympic Distance) on Sunday the 18th. This was only two weeks after Des Moines, but my run was progressing well and I had the goal of running sub 6 min miles. I was very close to my goal, but fell just bit short with a 6:02 average. I won the race and it always feels good to win, but this was just another step in the right direction. I came home from the race and Ashley and I welcomed the birth of our third child and second baby girl, Frankie Mae Tollakson on September 20. Ashley has been a total saint and allowed me to keep training and sleeping through the whole process.Swim File:http://tpks.ws/UIXYk
Bike File: http://tpks.ws/dsms1
Run File: http://tpks.ws/SmshF
The training kept progressing and the next race on the schedule was Austin 70.3 on October 30. I never built up my run volume to my preferred race volume, but I did have 160 miles over a 4 week block. I would normally prefer to be over 200 miles in a 4 week block before a 70.3 and a little more before an Ironman. All things considered. I was healthy and ready to race.
Austin, Texas was unusually warm and humid for October and there was a dense fog on race morning. The worst of the fog was on the lake and the buoys were not even visible. The swim was delayed then eventually cancelled. The race moved to a time trial start with one pro starting every 30 seconds. I was number 10 and started 4:00 back of the first athlete. Matt Hanson was :60 in front of me and Chris Lieferman was :30 in front of me. I caught Matt Hanson about 11 miles into the ride then caught Chris Lieferman about 30 miles into the ride. Chris was able to stay with me for the remainder of the ride and we eventually picked up Joe Gambles as well. I was impressed with Chris's riding. I was misdirected by a volunteer right before T2, and so I came in just behind Chris and Joe, but we were all close. I made a small error in not wearing socks on the bike (for the duathlon) so my T2 was a bit slow. I was pacing the run with my HR just like coach Jesse prescribed. I was in the virtual lead of the race for a few miles but Chris Lieferman was gradually pulling away from me, and Michael Raelert was starting to catch me. I kept to the plan and kept my HR low until the last lap of the run and then let it loose. I had a negative split run and ended up posting a run 1 sec faster than Michael Raelert. Chris proved to be too fast for me and easily won the race. Matt Hanson was fast on my heels and posted the only sub 1:15 run with a smokin' 1;11. I was happy to place 2nd on the day, and finally win some prize money. The cancelled swim actually hurt me on the day. as the swim is typically a strength. This was yet again, just another step in the right direction for the season goal of Ironman Arizona.
Bike File: http://tpks.ws/KhNLB
Run File: http://tpks.ws/wINel
There were only 3 weeks between Austin and Arizona and I did this exact same double in 2012. This time however, I was totally smashed after Austin 70.3. It took me way longer to recover then I caught a cold from kids 10 days before the race. I thought I was going to be totally unaffected but it turned into a nasty chest cough the day before the race. My only major concerns going into the race revolved around my lack of run volume. I've raced plenty of Ironmans in my life so this was nothing new, but this was definitely my lowest run volume going into an Ironman. My longest run was 16 miles and I had one day were I did a 9 mile run in the morning and an 8 mile run in the afternoon for a total of 17 miles. Despite not having the run volume my race specific intensities were going well so I was happy with the quality of my running.
The swim was probably the warmest in Ironman Arizona (November) history. It was still wetsuit legal but upper 60's felt great. I started all the way on the left side of the swim and took it out hard and had clear water. After about 5 min solo, I noticed a large group to my left and merged with them. I sat in the group for a while until I noticed there was at least 1 swimmer off the front. I went to the front of the group and tried to close the gap but it was too much. I actually felt pretty terrible at this point in the swim, and slowed my pace considerably trying to let someone else do the work. Nobody came around (until Philip Graeves just before the finish). I led most of the front pack out of the water only because I wanted to minimize time to the swimmers in front. My chest cough was rough getting out of the water as it hurt to take a deep breath, but I was more focused on quick shallow breathing.
Once on my bike, I quickly went to the front of the race. Cameron Wurf passed me quickly but then I spent most of the ride in second place. I had two guys riding behind me for most of the ride until they fell off the pace at the start of the third lap when Lionel Sanders passed me for second place. My power on the bike was low, I was struggling to hold power that is normally quite easy for me. I focused instead on being efficient, using my watts to my advantage and staying as aerodynamic as possible. I had my lowest power ever at Ironman Arizona with an AP of 257 watts and an NP of 262 watts. I also had my fastest time with a 4:11 bike split. Link to my Training Peaks File here: http://tpks.ws/snJ1t This should tell you something about the conditions on the day. I was very happy to get off the bike and start running. I kept my run HR and pace very controlled. I quickly passed Cameron Wurf to put myself in 2nd place behind Lionel Sanders. It was only a few miles later that Brent McMahon passed me and I was back in third. My nutrition was totally dialed. I took one Glukos gummy every mile along with on course electrolyte drink. I did have to make a porta-potty stop about mile 10, at the TriSports aid station under the bridge. It was great to have Seton Claggett (CEO of TriSports) timing my potty break and shouting words of encouragement as I emptied my bowels. After the relief, I didn't have any cramping and felt well fueled for the marathon. . I was however starting to struggle to hold my pace and HR right about 13-14 miles into the run. My pace gradually slowed as I struggled to keep my HR reasonably high. I was soon in survival mode to get to the finish line...one mile at a time. I was close to breaking the 8 hour mark, but my pace at the end of the marathon was just a little too slow.Bike File: http://tpks.ws/snJ1t
Run File:http://tpks.ws/7bdqy
I was nowhere near Lionel Sanders who went on to break an Ironman World Record and Brent McMahon who finished in 7:50. I crossed the line in third with an 8:02:30 for my fastest time of my career. I was a couple of minutes up on 4th, but very happy to cross the finish line on the podium at an Ironman. This is my 5th time racing Ironman Arizona and I have 5 podium finishes, 3x3rd place finishes and 2x 2nd place finishes. Each year I have posted a faster time and I am still yet to win the race. I am at least making strides in the right direction. This was a great finish to 2016 and a great way to commence 2017. I am sitting in a solid spot with Ironman Kona Qualifying Rankings and look forward to taking a journey back to the Big Island in 2017 (after some more solid racing in 2017). I am super thankful to be healthy and back racing. Cheers to family, health, and passionately pursuing what you love.
Work hard,
TJ
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
The Fabella Bone is Connected to the Knee Bone?
What the hell is a Fabella bone? Fabella (from Latin, small bean), is a small sesamoid (floating) bone embedded in the tendon of the gastrocnemius (calf) muscle behind the lateral condyle (outside bump) of the femur (leg bone). The fabella bone is present in 10-30% of humans and is often thought to be formed as a result of muscle stress on a joint. It acts like a pulley allowing the muscle tendon to apply more force to the muscles. Extremely rarely, this fabella bone can cause lateral (outside) knee pain. There are very few published studies on the cases and almost all incidences of fabella syndrome occur in high level (professional) athletes.
As it turns out, my fabella bone had worn a nice little groove in the cartilage of my femur causing pain when running. It took a long time to figure out exactly what was causing my pain, and even once it was figured out, it wasn't a sure solution as it is often a constellation of problems causing the pain.
It
is early July and I just had knee surgery. I am only 2000 points away
from qualifying for Kona and still have 3 more races to score to get
there. My hope was to score two 70.3 and race one Ironman and get all
the necessary points to put me back on the start line in Kona. The
reality is that I must undergo a 6 week rehab after this surgery and
then rebuild my fitness. I don't know the rest of my race schedule but I
am currently planning on racing the Des Moines Olympic Distance
Triathlon on September 4, hopefully one or two 70.3 races, then Ironman Arizona on November 20.
I believe my best racing is still ahead of me and will take on this rehab with all the zeal of vigor of a champion.
Cheers,
TJ
As it turns out, my fabella bone had worn a nice little groove in the cartilage of my femur causing pain when running. It took a long time to figure out exactly what was causing my pain, and even once it was figured out, it wasn't a sure solution as it is often a constellation of problems causing the pain.
On January 2, 2016, I was doing a 13 mile run on the snow/ice
covered roads in Des Moines, IA. About 8 miles into the run, I jumped
from the street to the sidewalk and my right foot slipped on the ice
then came to an abrupt stop. It hurt, but I continued the run. I
stretched that evening then went to bed with very little pain. The next
morning I could hardly get out of bed my right knee was in so much pain.
I took it easy for 3 days and my knee was about 90% better and I
resumed regular training. I had an MRI, X-Rays, and Ultrasound of my
knee and all came back normal with no significant pathology but a
possible strain and/or tendonitis in my popliteal tendon.
I went down to
Clermont, Florida, in February for the QT2 Pro Camp and put in three
really solid weeks of training but left camp with a very sore knee. I
had a second read on the MRI and it confirmed what the original read
suggested. Strong in-tact knee with no major pathology but some possible
tendinitis of my popliteal tendon. I continued through physical therapy
and training and was managing the inflammation and pain. I was
training, but was not training at the full volume I wanted to race a
full ironman, but adequate for 70.3 fitness.
I delayed the start of the
season until New Orleans where I was unable to actually finish the race
because I was left stranded on the side of the road at mile 46 with a
flat tire and a broken valve extender. Next on my list was to race
Eagleman and before the race I had stem cell injection in my knee to aid
in the inflammation and healing of the tendinitis. I was back to
running with little to no pain but just before the race I tweaked my
knee again during a training run and decided I need to get in contact
with the folks at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado, where I had two
previous hip surgeries (both with great success). I scratched the race
at Eagleman to figure out what was wrong.
We did another MRI in Vail,
and the same results showed up. No major pathology of the knee but some
possible tendinitis of the popliteal tendon. I was fine to keep training
and racing, it was really just a matter of pain management and it
didn't bother me swimming or cycling and I was able to run on flat
surfaces with little to no pain. The popliteal tendon attaches the small
popliteus muscle to the femur behind the knee and is used for stability
primarily when running on hills. I was careful to keep most of my
running flat while letting the tendontiis calm down and managing the
inflammation. I was icing regularly and using Voltaren anti inflammatory
cream to manage the pain and inflammation.
I was all set to race in
Mont Tremblant for the 70.3 and had a front pack swim, came off the bike
with a pack of guys in second through sixth place and ready to run. On
the first big downhill of the run about 1 mile into the run, I could
feel my knee slightly give way then it started causing me a ton of pain.
I had not been doing much hill running in training to keep the
tendinitis at bay, but what I felt during the race was just too much pain. The pain grew more intense and I finally gave up on
the run at mile 3, got some ice at medical and withdrew from the race. I
flew back home to Iowa that night disappointed and in a lot of pain. I had a follow-up appointment after the race scheduled for Monday evening in Vail with Dr. Matt Provencher. I flew back out to
Vail on Monday and saw him in his clinic that evening. Dr. Provencher
did an exam of my knee and I tested positive for fabella syndrome. Dr. Provencher and Dr. Robert LaPrade agreed to add to me to their already full surgery schedule, on Tuesday June 28 at 7 AM to remove the fabella.
These are both world class
physicians who have worked with some of the top athletes in all sports.
Dr. Provencher was formerly the medical director of the New England
Patriots and Dr. LaPrade has done surgery on many of the most famous
sports stars around. I arrived at the hospital in Vail
at 5:30 AM and the doctors were there early to greet me and we started
the surgery at 6:30 AM...ahead of schedule. The operating room was
crowded with PA's and fellows eager to see the results of this rare
combined super surgery of Dr. LaPrade and Dr. Provencher. What they
found during the surgery was I had a small tear of my meniscus (which
was not present on the MRI taken just 3 weeks before). My popliteal
tendon had severe tendinitis (from the fabella) which they debrided. They did a small
release on my IT band to allow more movement and less friction in the
area as a preventative measure. My peroneal nerve was also highly
inflamed so they did a neuropathy to move the nerve away from the
inflamed tendon. They also removed the fabella bone which was about the size of 3 dimes stacked on top of each other. My
fabella bone had rubbed a groove in the cartilidge of my femur and had
caused severe peroneal nerve irritation along with popliteal tendonitis.
The surgeons extracted the fabella bone and now I have no posterior
lateral knee friction. I just had this surgery one week ago on Tuesday morning and I spent last week in Vail doing rehab at the Howard Head Physical Therapy Clinic.
So what now?
I believe my best racing is still ahead of me and will take on this rehab with all the zeal of vigor of a champion.
Cheers,
TJ
Thursday, January 14, 2016
"Change is the law of life." John F. Kennedy
Change is inevitable for all of us and everything must change at some point. This year I am changing triathlon coaches. I first met Cliff English while living at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in 2005. Cliff began coaching me in 2009 and for 6 years I made steady improvements in my training and racing. 2009 I raced Ironman Arizona and went 8:20:22 and finished 2nd. 2015 I raced Ironman Arizona and went 8:04:17 and finished 3rd. This was my fastest Ironman to date and also shows a solid 16 minute improvement on the same course over a span of 6 years. I had many highlights while under the tutelage of Coach Cliff, most notably winning the 2014 Ironman North American Championship in Mont Tremblant but also winning my first Ironman in Lake Placid in 2011. Overall, Cliff coached me to 8 Ironman podium finishes and all of my personal bests. I will forever be grateful for the time under Coach Cliff and I learned a ton about the sport of triathlon, but even more about myself as an athlete. 2016 is a big change for both Cliff English and for me. Cliff is now the head coach for the first ever women's NCAA division I triathlon team at Arizona State University. I know this a role where Cliff will excel and thrive. While Cliffwill be keeping a small roster of ITU and Ironman athletes in addition to his head coaching responsibilities at ASU, I felt it was time we both adjust our focus a little for improved results.
Moving forward I will be coached by Jesse Kropelnicki at QT2 Systems. Jesse is an accomplished coach with a great resume and roster of professional athletes. I will be joining Jesse and his squad of professional triathletes at his annual pro camp in Clermont, Florida in February. I felt Jesse was the right coaching change for me at this time because of his detailed emphasis on strength, diet, and race nutrition. Jesse is an engineer by background and also an entrepreneur running one of the largest triathlon coaching companies in the world. I put my complete trust in Jesse as I move forward and focus on qualifying for Kona in 2016 and racing Ironman Brazil in May. As I move forward in my professional racing career it is important to build upon the knowledge and experience I have gained thus far. So as Coach Cliff hands off the reigns to Coach Jesse, I am both thankful for all the knowledge and expertise bestowed upon me by Cliff and optimistic that my best racing is still ahead of me under the guidance of Jesse.
Work Hard,
TJ
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Millimeters of Gain…and Millimeters of Pain
Life as a professional triathlete is all about incremental
and compounding gains. Often viewed as millimeters of gain, compounded over
time, these gains are like bricks stacked on top of each other. While small and
insignificant is each lonely brick, together they build the most brilliant and
sturdy structures. I’ve been busy stacking bricks over my career as a professional
triathlete for the past 10 years, and while the bricks of an athlete are never
permanent and you must constantly stack more bricks to replace the ones that
disappear over time, you become more proficient at stacking bricks each year. I
have a huge base (pile) of bricks and the knowledge and experience to quickly
and intelligently stack them. Even the best laid plans can result in one brick
being just a millimeter off and causing the entire stack to come crashing down.
 |
| The Dimond on the Rocks in Kona |
Saturday, October 11, 2014 was the Ironman World
Championship and I was entering the race with a full stack of bricks ready to
race. I knew I was fit and had the confidence of winning my last Ironman race,
the North American Championship event, by a large margin of victory. The 8
weeks between events was far from ideal, and with all the crazy things I have
going on in my life, sometimes the far from ideal is a bit too much to
surmount. My workouts the past few weeks were all on target and I was feeling
fresh and ready to go. I made the difficult choice to travel with my employees,
family, and a nanny. Since I have two young children under the age of two,
having a nanny with us was important if I was going to even attempt to have my
children with me. Looking back, I loved having my children there, but it was
probably a bit too much for me. Just as the positive bricks of fitness and
improvement benefit the athlete, the bricks of stress and distraction deter the
athlete. I was a bit too over confident in my ability to deal with the stress
and distractions. On Friday morning before the race, I was bent over my bike
adjusting my rear derailleur when I had a sharp and sudden back spasm causing
me to collapse on the ground. I've dealt with back problems for a very long
time and have two bulging discs in my back. I’m no stranger to this type of
pain or occurrence I was forced to retire from an Ironman in Los Cabos in March
for the same reason, with numbness and tingling down the back of my leg. I know
how to treat the pain, and I work very diligently to make sure my back is
strong and healthy so it never happens at an inopportune time. Having a back
spasm with nerve pain the day before the Ironman World Championship is
definitely an inopportune time. Immediately I was pissed, but then told myself,
I've dealt with this so many times before that I knew just how to deal with it.
I stretched on the floor, the sat with my Compex activating my back for the
next hour. I went for a short 30 min ride and felt awesome, so I had little to
be concerned about. I repeated my Compex session and the stretching at night
and I was ready to go.
 |
| Dimond Group Ride in Kona, 19 Dimonds all together |
The morning of the race, I never even thought about my
back. It felt fine, so I had no reason for concern. I went through my normal
morning routine and made sure to stretch my back as normal and felt nothing out
of the ordinary. The swim start was chaotic as usual but I was on Freddie
VanLierde’s feet for a while and felt great. Soon my back started to ache and I
could feel myself not pulling as hard on my right side (where my back was
hurting). I was instantly distracted from the task at hand and found myself
swimming all over the place. Trying not to panic, I told myself to stay calm.
I’m still in a great position and swimming well. Soon there was a fracture in
the main group just ahead of me, but I wasn't even cognizant of the break until
it was too late. I just wasn't paying enough attention. I sat in my little
group of swimmers and it was very easy. Towards the end of the swim, the pace
slowed so much I decided I needed to charge to the front and minimize the loss
to those in the lead and pulled the group to shore. Not ideal, but not the end
of the day. I was still out of the water with a large group of great cyclists.
 |
| Signing Cards at the Compex Booth |
I was the first in our group through transition and on my
bike, but immediately my back and glute were a problem. Within the first mile,
I was all of sudden last in the group then dangling off the back. I was trying
to push hard, but just could not muster the power. Seems odd for how low the
power requirements are for an Ironman. My HR was never in a danger zone, but I
just couldn't keep up. I was soon dropped and riding solo. I gradually started
picking off riders who were falling off the pace in front. At the turn around I
was passed by Bart Aernauts and one other guy. I couldn't stay with them. I was
passed by Michi Weiss about mile 88 and stayed close enough to see him all the
way into town (even though he was a ways up the road). My back was causing so
much pain, I was only able to stay in my aerobars for about 10 minutes at a
time before standing up to stretch. Not ideal, but I tried to be smart about my
efforts and make the most of them. I found myself riding on the left side of my
saddle unintentionally trying to produce more power from my good side while
easing off my right side and the nerve pain. I was dreaming of the finish of
the bike so I could start my run and end the nerve pain in my back and leg.
 |
| I had the pleasure of sitting next to Richard Melik of Tri 24/7 on the flight to Kona! |
Once off the bike, it was apparent (especially to anyone
watching me run in transition) that I was in a whole lot of pain, but I had a
lot of confidence in my run training and was thinking with a very easy 112 mile
bike ride, I could possibly have one of my best runs ever. The nerve pain was
more severe on the run and sent shooting pain down my right leg with each right
foot strike. I told myself in a few miles I probably wouldn't even notice the
pain so just continue. Much to my dismay the pain just got worse and at the run
turn around I decided to call it quits. I stopped and chatted to my support
crew. Told them I would jog back to transition and turn in my chip. I had a few
miles to debate the decision in my head and walk and ran my way back towards
Ashley. When I got there the decision was made. I was retiring from the race. I
was in enough pain that it hurt to walk and had I been in the lead of the race
or even having a good race, I probably would have pushed on, knowing it would
cause more damage and pain, but having a bad day and causing my body more pain
and possibly more problems by continuing, just doesn't make sense. 8 weeks ago,
I felt invincible and my body felt amazing as I won the North American
Championship.
What a difference 8 weeks can make and one small millimeter
of a difference and my sciatic nerve is impinged, sending shooting pain down
the back of my leg. One millimeter of a shift is all it takes, and as
professional athletes we are always on the verge of pushing that limit just one
millimeter too far and disaster strikes.
 |
| Ethan Davidson, COO of Ruster Sports with my son, Theo in Kona! |
I had an amazing time in Kona and there were some great
takeaways including these highlights.
- · Being with my family in Kona
- · Catching up with friends, athletes, and sponsors
- · Two of my best friends since childhood were at the race
- · I was certified by Clean Protocol
- · I had a blast re-enacting an entrance from my favorite movie
- · 21 Dimonds raced in Kona placing us 16th in 2014 Lava Magazine Kona Bike Count
- · Maik Twelsiek led the race while riding a Dimond bike
- · Celebrating another successful season of racing with a finale in Kona
- · Getting to know all 21 athletes who raced a Dimond in Kona
- A special thanks to all my sponsors and supporters for making this all possible!
- TYR Sport and TYR Endurance Sport
YMCA Healthy Living Center
 |
| The North American Ironman Champ, checking in his Bike! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
