Metabolic and Threshold Testing

Well I finished my annual metabolic and threshold testing sessions.  Last year I did an LT test for the run only.  This year I decided to do it for both the run and the bike.  I also threw in an additional base metabolic rate test.  The tests were performed by Rob Lockey at Optimize Endurance Services who provides very thorough testing and results at a reasonable rate.  I paid $250 for all 3 tests versus $145 last year for just the run test up in Boulder and that was with a $100 coupon from my friend Barb.

Anyhow, so why does someone get said tests?  Primarily to know where we are today and the best way to get where we are going.  Triathletes and endurance athletes are primarily guilty of working too hard on their easy workouts and too easy on their hard days.  This leads to way too much time spent working out at the level where we already are our strongest and most likely race at.  Needless to  say that leads to the unenviable plateau.

So with the tests we can figure out what the appropriate efforts are based on heart rate and bike wattage.  I started 2 Saturdays ago with the base metabolic test.  This test simply tells you how many calories you burn sitting around.  It was valuable for me because based on my weight and age my base metabolic rate estimate was 10% lower than the test showed I actually burned.  The test requires a 12 hour fast and then 10 minutes of lying down and breathing into a tube that analyzes the composition of the breath you exhale to determine calorie burn.  After reviewing my nutrition log and considering the test Rob and I determined I need to eat more carbs and fat as well as more overall.  This has helped me sleep better and go harder on my workouts and I have actually not gained any weight with the increased intensity.

The following Tuesday I headed back over for the Lactate Threshold test on the bike.  The test involves warming up and calibrating the machinery for about 10 minutes.  9 minutes in we take the first blood sample from my finger tip.  Rob notes my heart rate, power output and blood lactate level.  We then continue this process of pricking my finger every 3 minutes with increasing tension on the bike.  Finally when we reach the point of no return we take the last reading and begin a cool down.  After 10 minutes of cool down we take one last reading.  So the result was a 220 watt threshold power and 147 heart rate.  This was about 30 watts below an interval workout I did at home and we considered my trainer was off.  But upon a little digging we determined it is being driven by my recovery rate.  Namely I recover from hard efforts very efficiently.  From my peak of 10.5 moles per liter of blood lactate I was able to clear 7 of that lactate down to 3.5 in 10 minutes.  So on intervals I can average a higher power output than a steady climb.  This will be useful on a hilly course.  I can power up a hill and recover on the back side.

A week later I went for the run test.  Same idea with a prick of the finger and blood sample after 9 minutes then every 3 and a 10 minute cooldown.  Here the results showed more efficiency with a lower blood lactate during the initial ramp up and a 7:12 pace at 155 heart rate.  This basically is the pace I should be able to run for about 2 hours, a little less for someone just starting out in training.  In other words as fitness improves the longer we can sustain threshold pace especially with proper fueling and training the stomach to digest food at pace.  Rob projected a properly tapered marathon time in a couple weeks of 3:20 which seems fast but makes sense given the effort I've put into running lately.  My VO2 max on this test was 61 which is in the top 1% and gives me confidence with my potential for hard work.  It is also out of whack with my bike which came in at 45 and although the bike is always lower (less muscle mass used on a bike) it should be closer.

So with solid bike work I should quite realistically be able to lift my threshold wattage up to 270.  Bottom line, proper swim technique, a 270 watt threshold output and about a 10 minute faster straight marathon time (IM marathon should be within 20 minutes of your straight time otherwise it is bike fitness that is lacking) put all my goals for Ironman Lake Placid within reach!  Time for me to get after it!  If you are looking for proper training zones, go see Rob!

Happy Training!

Highlands Ranch Turkey Trot 5k

So Thanksgiving this year was my first Turkey Trot and first 5k. Yes some parts of my endurance world are not linear in the normal progression sense. Ironman before 5k would be a shining example. But I digress. After having raced the Wildcat Mountain Half Marathon, I am a fan of the Highlands Ranch Run Series. It is all very well organized, and a great value. Since we didn't have much planned for Thanksgiving anyway, the Turkey Trot seemed like a good idea.

The weather was perfect. Sunny, around 50 degrees nice and crisp. I arrived at the race around 8:30 and found some parking in the back of Shea Stadium. Race time was at 9am so I walked over to grab a t-shirt, timing chip and a goodie bag (like I said well organized for a little local race). There was a good crowd and about 1250 racers. I saw my friend Jackie and spotted my buddy Scott near the starting line. I got about 10 feet back from him. That put me about 100 people back which ended up being about right.

I had no real expectations other than close to 7:30 minute miles. The gun started us on our way and I went out feeling pretty light. I was passed by some folks and passed some others. The first half mile was gradually down hill but the next mile and a half was a gradual up. So I stayed strong and kept my pace between 6:50 and 7:50 depending on the hills. Around 2 miles I saw my friend Mark who manages the races and was running today. He said it looked to be downhill the final through the home stretch so I gave what I had and came in at 23:0 I think that is around 7:25 so not bad. I passed my friend Jackie near the end, but alas gun time and finish time can be different and she got me by about 4 seconds. Scott was in the top 20 and I was around 125 out of 1250 overall so top 10% and about 100 back from him which is where I self seeded myself. Some people don't get that I guess.

Anyway I hung around and chatted with folks for awhile and wished everybody Happy Thanksgiving. I said goodbye to Scott and his wife Jenn and headed home. Dana and I went out for a good hour and a half road bike ride. Thanksgiving was very chill, pizza and a movie.

Happy Thanksgiving and more importantly Happy Training!

Tri Obsession: Data and the Droid

It is an understatement to say that triathletes are data obsessed. For the most part we are right up there with the best of them, baseball fans, gamblers, general fans of statistics and probabilities. Triathlon for the most part generates relatively simple data points. However the volume of training and racing creates infinite environments and sets of circumstances for this data. Couple that with the ongoing to desire to improve against the always moving against us clock (both in races and as we age) there is a strong need to see lots of data and how it is progressing.



The data mainly exists in swimming as time and location (so you can calculate speed). Heart rate monitors don't work well in the water. There is no decent way to measure power. In cycling we have time, location, cadence, power and heart rate. Cycling has the holy grail of data. Running is the same as cycling sans power. Though I am hearing that accelerometers which currently determine cadence on the run will soon give power readings.





Interestingly nothing great exists for capturing all this data in a single device. Swimming just needs a stop watch assuming you know the distance you are swimming, very easy in a pool, relatively easy on a marked open water course. There are some devices that count laps and such but not a big deal. Biking has some slick power meters and cadence computers, those coupled with a good heart rate monitor provide data but it's not all easily accessible. Running is a little better since you don't need to pair a heart rate monitor.





The best product out there (which I don't own and can only report on based on my shopping research) is the Garmin Forerunner XT310. This is similar to the Garmin Forerunner 305 except it is compatibly with power meters with the ANT+ technology. However 3 major complaints on this deal. Like the 305 it is like wearing a small brick on your arm. 2 the GPS doesn't function in the water to deliver anything meaningful. Lastly it sets you back 350 bucks and you don't have the power meter (a grand) or a cadence sensor (1oo bucks for the bike and the run) and that is the price without a heart rate sensor.





Now you can go way down the spectrum to the Garmin Foreruner 50. If you buy it at Costco you get a run speed/cadence sensor, a heart rate monitor for $79.99. For $40 more bucks you can pick up the bike speed/cadence sensor. So you have a good portion of data sans power and gps for $120. This is a pretty good deal and it comes with the upload antenna for you PC too. In fact when you compare what you get here for what you don't on the higher end stuff you'll understand why I am still using it. I have Timex Ironman with a heart rate monitor, GPS, and data upload for the computer. No cadence capability (let alone power) on the run or bike and I have to wear a big GPS monitor on my arm and carry the data recorder in my pocket (though I believe Timex finally put the recorder in the watch, not so with the GPS). My wife bought me this for my birthday several years ago for several hundred dollars and it still costs this much with the GPS on your arm and data recorder in the watch. Again not much for the money. So best value in my mind the Forerunner 50 especially since it is the size of a normal watch.



http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/ci.Motorola-DROID-US-EN.alt

This brings me to my Droid phone made by Verizon/Motorola and the elephant in the room Google. The phone as is has a compass, accelerometer, GPS and level built in. If it could read a HRM and bike Power Meter it would be 99% of the way there and those two things are probably programmable since it has bluetooth and wifi. It's not waterproof and not a watch but my point is that a phone is probably already closer to the holy grail of triathlon data collection (it probably needs to store 24 hours of data too) than what the big companies in the biz, Garmin, Timex and Polar (not to mention Suunto and some others) already put out. Google also has the mapping capabilities on its website with Google Earth to allow you to visually "see" your data. Heck people are giving away an app to calc your exercise using the GPS and accelerometer already. So why doesn't somebody step up and deliver the product that triathlete's and endurance enthusiasts would gladly pay a reasonable price for? I have no idea. But I'd love to see Google shake up this market (admittedly much smaller) like it is doing in the mobile phone market along with Apple and the iPhone. Competition is good for these types of markets.





Happy Training

Rebuilding My Tri Bike

Triathlon is in fact about the bike. Over half a race is spent on the bike. For most of us the bike is a work in progress. The bike itself and our relationship with it. You get comfortable on the bike and then you make it less comfortable but faster. As your body adapts to this change you repeat the process.

I raced my first race on a mountain bike. It was a road race in Boulder and the director assured me the little charity race would have plenty of folks on mountain bikes. Being new to Colorado and not knowing really what Boulder was (aka World Class Athlete Mecca) I didn't know this was a ludicrous statement. But I wasn't prepared to buy a new bike at the time so it didn't matter too much. I suffered through my first tri but was hooked. I decided if I demonstrated a certain level of commitment to training on my mountain bike I would purchase a road bike. In the summer of 2008 I got a great deal on a Giant from Craigslist with full Ultegra components and a carbon frame. It was gently used by a mountain biker who decided it wasn't for him. Luckily we were the same size.

I rode this bike in a half Ironman in 2008 and all of my 2009 season. During the 2009 season I made 2 changes. I added aerobars and a 0 offset seatpost with the help of Bicycle Pedal R in Highlands Ranch. These changes shift you forward on the bike and make you more aerodynamic. After 2009 ended I was really itching to buy a new bike but I also try to choose my spending decisions wisely. I decided a good project would be to convert the front of my existing bike to a full tri bike which would basically give me the ability to shift in the aero position thus allowing me to stay in this position for a great portion of time. Also by changing to carbon bullhorn handlebars I would save significant weight. So I began this project and did become a little nervous that I was in over my head.

I carefully continued the recabling and installation progress and was able to add the aerobars, shifters, bullhorn and brakes with little fanfare. I went with Profile Designs Carbon Stryke and their Cobra bullhorn.

Next was the big decision and the primary reason I was going this route with my spending. I really felt I would benefit from race wheels. But a new bike and race wheels would be exorbitant. So through some research I decided to patiently look for race wheels gently used on Ebay or Craigslist. I decided I wanted Hed H3 carbon race wheels with tubular tires (versus clinchers). This would save me about 1.6 pounds from my current wheels and significantly reduce my rolling resistance. I lucked out and found a pair from a masters racer in California.

The wheels arrived and I went through the process of taping the tubulars with Tufo Extreme Tape. I added a cog from Shimano's Ultegra line to match my training wheels. And with that the mission was complete. Net monetary savings for my bike is about 60% off retail and the weight savings is approximately 2.8 pounds. That combined with improved aerodynamics and lower rolling resistance should save me around 15 watts or improve my speed by about 1.5 mph. Now it's time to ride, because at the end of the day real improvement comes through consistent training.

Happy training!

Wildcat Mountain Trail Half Marathon - Race Report

Saturday Nov 14, 2009 - I woke up for race day around 6:15. The race started at 8:30 and was 2 minutes from the house but I wanted ample time for breakfast, coffee and just to stay relaxed. It was snowing the night before so I was happy to see minimal accumulation outside as this was to be an offroad trail run. I looked outside and saw the temperature at a brisk 38F. It also would have been my Mom's 52nd birthday. She passed away when I was 16. I thought this race would be a good healthy way to celebrate her life.

I arrived over at the race around 7:45. It was pretty packed but well organized. I picked up my race packet and headed over to Southridge Rec Center to change and put my stuff in a locker. One of the big pluses of the Ranch is the Rec Centers, along with the ample trail system. After changing, taking in some EFS gel and a banana I headed back to the starting area. I was looking for my friend Scott Swaney and also Jackie Branch. Both were racing today and they happen to be very fast. Scott's a world class adventure racer (he'll laugh that I wrote that, but it is true) and Jackie is a Boston Qualifier in marathon. Anyway I found Scott (easily recognized by his ginormous calves) and we chatted near the start. I saw Jackie too and wished everybody luck. I scooted back a little from them since I didn't plan to be up too close to the front of the pack.

The start went off at 8:30 and we were off down the hill. This was the first time I ever ran a half marathon without it being at the end of a half Ironman. So I wasn't real sure on strategy but figured I should hold some back for the first half. If a few people passed me on the way out then I was probably doing it right. I felt very good from the start and my heart rate stayed in a pretty good range for me. The first 3 miles seemed mostly up hill. This was an extremely hilly race. The race organizer Mark Geibel said nobody should plan for a PR today. Anyway after the uphill we got some rolling hills and I was still feeling pretty good. I was going below 9 minute miles at this point and happy with that given the hills. I had a rough target of 1 hour 50 minutes which would be a 10 minute PR for me. I figured no swim or bike first should more than compensate for the hills.

Around mile 6 there was a big aid station with porta potties, etc. The race was incredibly well organized with aid stations every other mile and even a pretty good crown considering the temperature and general overcast day. I was still feeling good and so I started to push a little harder. I felt very relaxed and was able to stroll down the hills and muscle up the next hill. The course was relatively solid with minimal mud.

As we meandered through the remaining miles my strength held and I started to pick off people. I counted around 11 people I passed and was passed in the final mile by 2 people. So net +9 turnover ratio (a football term) on the second half and like football I guess the best defense is a good offense. The whole race was a very fun experience. I thought about my mom a lot and smiled and said hello and thank you to every volunteer I saw on the course. I finished the race in 1:52. Good enough for an 8 minute PR and 41st out of 245 people. Not bad for me at all. The hilliness and elevation of the course is probably worth about 12 minutes for me (rough estimate comparing other people's times). So my speed is coming along in the running department.

My wife Dana was at the finish line and made sure they got my name write not Benzon or Benson. We chatted with Scott, Jackie, Scott's wife Jenn and others at the finish line and waited for the awards ceremony. Congratulations to Scott, finishing 3rd in his age group...which would have been better sans his late night of watching midget wrestling, but enough for a medal. And congratulations to Jackie, winner of her age group and 2nd overall female.

Happy Birthday Mom and happy training!

Denver Marathon Relay - Race Report

Going to a race completely for fun is indeed great fun. The Kernel Jsssup relay team was a mixed team, 2 gals and 2 guys. My friend Susan from work and her twin Sarah and my buddy Scott. We decided to meet at Susan's since it was close to the race venue in downtown Denver. I picked up Scott at 5:50am and we headed north to downtown. Everyone was ready to go and Susan's boyfriend Roland was our driver to the relay transitions.

We all loaded up the car and headed to drop Susan off for the first leg of 6 miles. The race start was 7am so we got her close by 6:30am and the rest of us headed to Starbucks to hang out. Susan was targeting below 10 minutes a mile so we had about an hour before we needed to make our way to the first transition (are the called transitions in a relay?).

After some coffees and lattes we got our numbers and timing chips fastened and loaded into the car again. We made it easily over to the relay station and got ready for Sarah to take over the running. She would be running the 4.2 miles and aiming for close to 9:30 per minute miles. Susan made it right around on time. It's hard to tell exact on relays because the start time is officially unknown until well after the race for the individual. But she was close to her goal and we were looking good so far.

Sarah took off for her 4.2 miles and we headed to the car to get Scott to the next station. We didn't a ton of time given this being the shortest leg. Again no problems getting the car to the next station. We all kept watch for Sarah. It was a beautiful day at this point crisp cool air and sunny. The atmosphere was very festive and the crowds and runners seemed to be enjoying themselves. Sarah made it through and looked to be right on her target as well. Scott took off on the big leg 9 miles and he was aiming for 6 to 6.5 minutes per mile. Not too specific but he was looking to move fast, our fastest team member.

We all piled back into the car with a decent amount of time to get to my transition station. We unfortunately got stuck in a traffic line blocked by the marathon. Minutes ticked away and we weren't too worried at first but we sat longer and longer. I figured I'd be happy to have 10 minutes to spare and hit the porta potty and eat a gel pack before my turn at the wheel. We got closer and closer to the crossing and watched one guy get out of his car to complain. That was comical. Well we made it with 10 minutes to spare and I got prepped to run.

We were waiting for Scott and the Ace Venture team, complete with pink frilly skirts, feathered back hair and a football made there hand off. Scott came roaring through right on target and I took off on the final 7 miles which I was hoping to do below 8 minutes per mile. I have raced several tris where you have the benefit of seeing the R on the back of relay team calves. I did not have such an R and got to enjoy that feeling of passing boatloads of people. It's always such an annoying feeling in a tri especially when you see that R. Well I felt good and kept my heart rate in the low 160s for the most part. I gave an OK kick for the final few hundred yards and looked at my watch which said 11:34am...official time to come later on.

We all met up and headed for brunch with a handful of folks. Thanks a bunch to Roland for driving and great job to the team! Official time 3:31. Susan 9:50 / mile. Sarah 9:36. Scott 6:25. Me 7:49. We all were right in line with our individual projections. Good enough for 39th of over 300+ relay teams and a top 20 for mixed teams. Well done!

Happy training!

Coming up soon...rebuilding my road bike into a racing machine!

Training as a Vacation

Triathlete magazine often talks about races as destination vacations. There are also a multitude of training camps out there to pay money and have them tell you what do. How about just picking a cool location and going there for an extended weekend focused on training and recovering (aka, relaxing)? I've done it in the past and was fortunate to do it again last weekend in Moab, UT.

My wife loves camping, mountain biking, road biking and skiing. This is instrumental in me balancing work and training with a happy marriage. We headed over to Utah on Thursday for a 3 day camping and mountain biking trip (a day and a half off work doesn't hurt) with the Denver Mountain Bikes Meetup.

Thursday night we met up with some folks at a restaurant and I kept it clean with some salmon on mixed greens. We headed over to the camp site and set up our tent in the dark (with the help of some headlamps). We headed to bed early to wake up for the big Slick Rock ride on Friday.

Friday morning we both woke up around 8:30. I broke out the camp stove and cooked some Canadian Bacon, toast, mixed fruit, banana and eggs (same breakfast again Saturday). After breakfast we headed over to Slick Rock. It was pretty crowded (as is often the case). We had about 15 folks so we just went out and rode the 15 mile or so ride. It's basically a practice loop and then a big lollipop course. Slick Rock is a bit of a misnomer because it's sandstone and you bike tires get traction like nothing else I've ever ridden on this planet. Anyway it took awhile to ride as we were liberal with stops to keep the whole group together. We finished a little over 4 hours later counting our lunch break.

We headed back to the camp site. Some folks went for showers. Dana decided to do some yoga and I figured this was the perfect time to get a brick workout in and changed gear for a desert run. I refilled my CamelBak and put on my trail running shoes, grabbed the iPod and was off. I headed out for about 9 miles (4.5 mile out and back). Theelevation gain on the way out was incredible. But I felt pretty good and after finishing it was time to shower up and head out for dinner. We hit Pasta Jay's with our big group and I had some chicken and penne.

I went to bed early again. I slept unbelievable well there considering we were sharing an air mattress in the tent. Saturday we woke up and had breakfast. Then we loaded the car and headed to Sovereign Singletrack. Some folks took a shuttle to do Porcupine. I've done and thought it was a little too technical of downhill for Dana. Sovereign was some good climbing and rolling hills so it worked well. We got ahead of the group along with Anelise another rider and so we waited a few times but to no avail. Then we kind of got turned around with some folks (Don and Jody who I did not get contact info for) we met out on the trails so we just kept at it. It was a long 5+ hour day of riding and we all ran out of water with about an hour to go. Given it's the desert I was beat by the time we were done (I took a little longer route back than the ladies).

We headed back to camp and dropped off the bikes and headed for showers again. We (about 30 of us) had dinner at Eddie McStiff's that night. Dana had Salmon Putanesca and I had a strip steak with mashed potatoes. We shared and then had 2 big desserts, which were well deserved and tasty. I had hoped to run that day but was totally destroyed and had a pretty good wreck on Sovereign hurting my right wrist and left shoulder.

Sunday we decided to head back in the morning instead of ride since it was windy and rainy and generally not so great. Plus my wrist was pretty banged up. We grabbed breakfast with the group at the Pancake House. I had an omelet and muffin. Then we hit the road for 5:30 hour trip back to Denver. We got back with plenty of daylight to spare and my legs felt pretty good. So I grabbed my 4 bottle fuel belt and headed out for a run. I decided since I felt good I'd just do a half marathon and call it a successful weekend training vacation. The 13.1 miles went well. I felt strong the whole time and finished under 2 hours without pushing too hard.

Dana was quite happy with her first riding in Moab. The last time we went she just had knee surgery so she read at the campsite. This time she got to fully partake and said it was blast. I was quite happy with the diversions of new mountain biking terrain and the joy of going hard all day and then resting well afterwards. I recommend it anybody looking to balance work, training and family.