Friends:

I’d like to start by saying thank you to all my friends and family for the calls, texts, and emails following the race. I was internet-less and (somewhat) phone-less in Canada so I apologize for the tardiness (or complete lack) of my gratitude. Your support is always greatly appreciated.

Race Morning.

I hopped in a bathroom line at 5:55 a.m. and at 6:35 a.m. I was still standing in it (pro start at 6:45). My chances of making the right swim group seemed to be drifting away because of a variable I had yet to consider. Fortunately, I somehow managed to get to the start line with a couple minutes to go. Missing a warm up was compensated by the anxiety I was experiencing while standing in line. I was alert and ready to roll.

I lined up right next to my buddy Gordo and the gun went off. My plan was to stick to the G-man no matter what, but I lost him in about 13 meters so that didn’t work out so well. I kept it rolling and after a few hundred meters it appeared that our group had formed (and interestingly enough, I then found Gordo in front of me). I made my way towards the front as I feared there might be an early break and I did not want to get boxed in. As it were, the group stayed together for quite some time (and was quite large).

The pace picked up a bit in the final thousand meters and the group strung out in a single line just like a bike race. The front swimmers took a wide line to the finishing chute in the final minutes of the swim so everyone sort of spread out and made their way to shore. I actually found myself wide of the exit and had to dolphin dive along the shallow water to get to the exit ramp.

In and out of T1 and onto the bike.

I honestly felt pretty wiped from the swim and I found myself struggling to get a rhythm as we rolled through town. After I found my legs, I decided to ride quickly to the base of Richter as the winds were coming from the South. This meant that we would have favorable winds on the backside of Richter Pass and I felt there would be a good time return to ride a bit harder through the first section of the course.

Getting up and over Richter Pass was a nice relief as the descent allowed for some recovery (and it was welcomed). The section after Richter Pass is really the meat of the course and, from what I have been told, the out-and-back often shakes up the race considerably. At the turnaround (mile 75 or so) I could see a big group up the road, but the time gap didn’t seem too great so I had hope of reeling some of those athletes in as the day wore on.

I did manage to start catching some athletes as I approached and climbed to Yellow Lake. At the top of the climb I got a split of “three minutes to third” and it really sparked some new life in me. I really wanted to be on that podium.

The descent from Yellow Lake was FANTASTIC and being able to soft pedal at high speeds did wonders for my legs. I rolled into town, got my run shoes on, and headed out for a marathon.

It might be odd to hear, but the start of the run is always such a relief to me. The swim and bike legs of an IM have such a wide variety of intensities and variables, but the run is pretty basic. Although, this time it was a bit different because I was feeling a little on edge and low on energy. I decided that I would take in a gel at every aid station until I started to feel better and that came out to taking one in for the first 7-8 miles.

The Ironman Canada run course can be a lonely venture to the turnaround, but I have had the good fortune for the past two years of having a run partner for the first half. This year it was Canada’s Kyle Marcotte (who has had plenty of success at IMC over the years). We ran together to the turnaround and we helped motivate one another to move up in the field. As we rounded the turnaround we were running in 6^th and 7^th with 5^th place shortly up the road.

I got a split to third place. It was two minutes. I really, really wanted to finish on the podium.

The way back into town was one of the best efforts I have yet to give in this sport. I found myself in 5^th place at mile 15 or so (taking the position from Marky V; my friend who raced very well off the front for most of the day) and at mile 19 I caught Andrey (who looked totally cooked) and moved into 4^th. I kept plugging along, pushing myself to try to make a go at the podium, but it appeared that Jasper was just too strong and the split would not come down. At this point I was merely running for myself, or so I thought.

As I neared the mile 25 marker I heard someone say “50 meters.” I looked over my shoulder and saw Andrey charging down Main Street. I started to mentally prepare for a race to the finish, but my response to Andrey’s pace was not enough. I lifted my effort by nearly 20 seconds/mile, but that would not do. I gave one more go in the final mile, but he had the legs and I had to concede 4^th place and finish up 23 seconds back. I had nothing left. I did everything I could on Sunday; finishing 5th in 8:37:34.

I have really enjoyed racing in Penticton the last couple years and I’m very pleased to have set a new Ironman PR on such a challenging course. I had ten family members in town to watch me race and they carried me from the start to the finish. You guys mean the world to me.

Until next time,

JD

My support team:

EAS www.eas.com

Trainingbible Coaching www.trainingbible.com

Javelin Bikes www.javbike.com

Fuel Belt www.fuelbelt.com

Jaggad www.jaggad.com

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I’m taking off for Penticton tomorrow to race Ironman Canada. It looks like we are going to seasonal weather and a great pro field. Hopefully both those variables will bring out the best in me.

You can follow along at www.ironman.com. Just log onto the site and click on the “live coverage” link for Ironman Canada (on Sunday, the 24th, beginning at 6:45 Pacific Standard Time). From there you can read updates and see photos/videos all day long as we grind away.

I’ll update the site Monday from Penticton.

JD

Its raining and 50 degrees in Boulder. Quite a swing from my last post where I was complaining about the 104 degree heat.

Endurance Corner is going to be hosting a triathlon camp in Tucson, Arizona next spring. The dates will be from March 29th to April 5th (six days of training from the 30th to the 4th). This camp will be geared towards Ironman and Half Ironman athletes looking to complete a solid (and appropriate) amount of training across a six-day block. The camp is geared towards higher volume cycling with opportunities to run and swim every day (with one day allotted to longer sessions for each discipline during the week).

We will provide airport pickup (on the 29th and 5th), accomodations (double occupancy at Hotel Arizona), all meals, two massages, daily bike cleaning and servicing (provided by www.wheelsonwheels.com), sag support, training nutrition and evening presentations on training, racing, and otherwise. And we’ll do it all with a smile.

Ok, that might be an adequate pitch for advertising avenues, but let me tell you what I really think about these training camps.

I personally think they are one of the best ways for you to improve as an athlete. Its not that six days of training is going to change your physiology for the remainder of the season, but it might change your perspective on what is possible.

These camps are one of the greatest opportunities to mix and mingle with experienced (and possibly faster) athletes and coaches. Everyone learns from everyone. The downtime between training brings out some of the best discussions, questions, and debates. They are the highlight of the week for me.

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The athletes for this camp range from 13 hour IM (or 6 hour HIM) and faster (i.e. sub 8:30 IM) so the ability ranges are wide. Pure cyclists are also welcome as all running and swimming are optional. The camp tuition is $2350.00 with a $500 deposit needed to secure your spot until January 1.

If you would like to sign up please send an email to admin at endurancecorner dot com. If you have any questions please feel free to email me through the contact link on the homepage of this website.

Be well,

JD

Most people (especially Texans and Okies) come to Colorado in the summer to beat the heat. However, if you decided to stop over in Boulder in the lovely month of July you might have assumed that you actually never left the blast furnace heat of the Texas Panhandle. Boulder gets HOT in the months of July and August and if we fall behind in moisture (like right now) it really compounds day after day. The lows don’t get (as) low and the air gets warmer and warmer; dropping the humidity to the single digits.

A lot of folks might believe that the single digit humiditymakes 95-104 degrees more tolerable. I would definitely agree as it relates to simply “hanging out.” However, in the case of exercising, I find the lack of water vapor makes labored breathing feel as if someone is blowing a hair dryer into my mouth. Having said that, its been a while since I trained in South Texas and I’m sure I complained endlessly about the humidity in those days. When I trained through the summers in College Station, Texas I had to do ALL of my quality runs indoors on a treadmill and I started my weekday rides at 4:30-5:00 (or later) in the afternoon (and slept from 2-3:30 every day).

Ok, so I have complained for you all. Perhaps I can offer some tips on coping with it.

1. Training early. I don’t particularly care for getting up early on a regular basis, but the quality of all my training is dramatically improved based on lower temperatures. Keep in mind that training when it is warm forces blood to the surface of your skin and away from the muscles. Less blood to the muscles equates to less training you successfully accomplish.

2. Hydration. You cannot expect to train with the same amount of fluids that you consume in temperate climates. I start my long ride with 3-4 bottles on me (two in cages; one or two in jersey) and refill at 2 hours, and 3.25 hours (during a 4.5-5 hour ride). There is nothing gained by riding “longer” segments if it means dehydration. If you fall behind with your fluids you will lose the session. You don’t have to hang out just because you stop. Just hope off, refill you bottles (or buy some sports drink), and take off. It can be done in less than five minutes both times.

3. Lowering you Core Temperature after training. After doing long, challenging sessions in the heat I often find myself kicking it on the couch feeling uncomfortably warm. This is because of the training heat from the day and my super-charged metabolism. There was a great article on Velonews during the tour that demonstrated how Garmin-Chipotle was addressing this very issue. You can read it here. What I personally do is place cooling/ice packs on my neck as well as holding them in my hands for 5-10 minutes at a time. After 5-10 minutes I feel much better and I repeat the process every 45 minutes or so (as needed).

4. Indoor Training.“I thought indoor training was only for the winter?” Well, in some parts of the country/world that might be the case, but in warm climates it makes plenty of sense to crank along inside air conditioned workout studios. Most gyms keep their cardio areas around 68-70 degrees and this can make a world of difference for your key sessions. Treadmill running might not be the same as running outdoors,  but slowing down for the sake of heat doesn’t do much good either.

5. Plan your season accordingly. If you live in a place that has excessive heat at some point in the year then take that into consideration when planning for key races. Extreme heat will compromise some portion of you training (just as winters do) so keep that in mind. The more temperate the weather, the more quality training you can achieve. The better the training, the better the race.

Stay Cool,

JD

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