Triathlon Training With Purpose: Stop exercising and start training!

~By Andy Blasquez

You may be asking, "What's the difference between Exercise and Training?" Well, my lack of understanding of these two terms is yet another in a long line of wrongs that I've had to right on my journey toward my first "Full"...                              

...Ironman Lake Tahoe 2014. 

Once I put my first full Ironman distance race on the calendar, I absolutely had to get serious.  I had to get real with myself.  It's kinda funny really...within this quirky little community...athletes often tweet or post the following phrase: "S*** just got REAL!"  as soon as that registration confirmation e-mail comes through. That post is typically closely followed by nausea and a bit of a lump in the throat. So, as soon as I received my confirmation of registration e-mail I knew that my training and the results of my training needed to improve dramatically.  I knew that if I was going to finish my first Ironman Triathlon, especially this Ironman Triathlon...I would have to stop dreaming and start doing.

At this point, the training schedule becomes crucial. It's easy to say, "I'm gonna do this! I'm gonna do that!" But when you document it; when you hold yourself accountable...Yes, the S*** does get very, very real.

Every session needs to have a specific purpose.  There's no more time to 'go for a ride' or 'head to the gym'. Unless you've got endless time at your disposal, each and every training session must have a clear, strategic, and specific purpose. Are you going for an LSD Run (Long Slow Distance) or looking to improve your body's ability to Flush Lactic Acid? Is tonight's goal to Increase Strength or Improve the Back End of the swim, bike, or run? Will you focus on Increasing Power or do a Negative Split session? Active Recovery? Hip and Leg function?  A Benchmark Test? The list goes on and on.

Personally, I'm still very much a rookie!  My training goal is simple: 

• To create a routine...
• that I can stick to...
• that focuses on my weakest elements (of triathlon and fitness)...
• without leaving me injured... 
• and doesn't make my life a part of triathlon, but leaves triathlon where it needs to be for me...a part of my life.

There are many, MANY pitfalls associated with social media.  However, when used effectively, the internet and social media can...and does...improve our lives. I'm a strong advocate for associating yourself with a group of people you enjoy...AND...people you respect and admire.  Posting your sessions in an arena where your mentors can give you praise and constructive criticism is a really effective way of upping your game.  Think about it!  Weight Watchers is all about that.  Getting together and keeping each other motivated and accountable.  Improving your athletic performance works just the same way.  Post your sessions. Show your peers and mentors what you're doing. The data doesn't lie, and they can provide guidance and inspiration along the way.

What did I do, and why did I do it?

Now it's time for me to toe-the-line.The first thing I want to note about my last few weeks is the sad volume of training I've completed. About 5 1/2 hours per week. See!  This is what happens when you get 'real' with documenting

your sessions.  The truth comes out!  10-12 hours per week is what its going to take to get this done.  I'm barely half way there.  We'll see how things go from this time forward..  It's sad, but it's true, and I'm putting it out there. No room to hide!

Week of February 9 ~ 5 hours 45 minutes:

Swim: 0 Minutes:

• At this point, I'm comfortable with my swim.  I'm not fast, but I'm not fast at anything.  I'm comfortable swimming a mile SCY (Short Course Yards) in under 30 minutes.  I figures that puts me at 35 minutes or so for a 70.3.  I'm OK with that.  BUT...I needed a bike trainer, so I put my payment into my Cyclops Fluid 2. I LOVE it.  Quiet, stable, easy to use and put away, and ultimately effective. I head back to the pool this month. Looking forward to the Zen that the pool brings.

Bike: 270 Minutes:

• Schedule only allowed me to ride at night this week, so there it is.  Trainer sessions: 
• 120 min. Zone 2 session to build the aerobic engine.
• 60 min. session is called "The Classic" and is part of the MaccaX program, which I use virtually exclusively.  This session is designed to help keep your output consistent as you hit the back end of the bike leg.
• 90 min. Hill Repeats. Designed to increase climbing strength.

Run: 75 Minutes.

• Severe Plantar Fasciosis pain. 
• 60 min. Treadmill session at LSD pace to see if I'm recoverying
• 15 minute session to video record my gait, to send it over to James Dunne at Kinetic Revolution for analysis. I've never been coached by a run coach.  It shows in every step I take.

Week of February 16 ~ 5 hours 30 minutes:

Swim: 0

Bike: 330 minutes

• 120 min. Zone 2 session to build the aerobic engine.
• 180 min. Zone 2 session to start understanding my nutrition and lactose levels beyond the 2 hour mark.
• 30 min. attempt at "The Wolf", another MaccaX session that not only laughed at me, but was interrupted by 'the real world'.

Run: 0

• Orthopedic specialist who did my Achilles replacement a few years back gave me a cortisone shot
• No running for another two weeks at least.

Week of February 23 ~ 5 hours 15 minutes

Swim: 0

Bike: 315 minutes

• 120 min. Zone 2 for 1st 40. Then, 2 minutes at Z5 with 8 minutes at Z3. Repeat every 10 minutes through the 120 minute mark. This helps my body learn to flush lactic acid while still performing, rather than recovering.  In a race, I may unintentionally get above where I want to be with regard to heart rate and/or perceived exertion.  This session helps me get my body back under control while staying at more or less race pace.
• 90 Minutes Outdoors!  Happy to finally get outside. Hill Repeats. Seated at a high cadence - 95-100.  I tend to really fall off in cadence as the ride goes on.  I wanted to put in 10 5 minute climbs without dropping my cadence.
• 105 min.  "Stackers", another MaccaX session designed specifically to improve strength & power.

Run: 0

Not pretty.  Nope!  Not proud either, but it is what it is.  I can't let my self get be down about it. That's all the time I had in the schedule.  Sure...I can be upset, disappointed, or aggravated, but as cliche as it sounds, those feelings don't help.  The training hours aren't enough. They were, however, well executed, and on purpose.  This in great thanks to Chris McCormack's MaccaX program, and the MX12 VIP group on Facebook. There were no wasted moments in my weeks or in my training. My sessions were strategic and effective, and I can't really ask for more than that.

If you're going to be the very best "You," that you can be, then stop exercising and start training.  Give yourself ample warm up and cool down time.  Make sure you're nailing your nutrition; not just for today's session but proactively, getting ready for whatever tomorrow brings.  Once you make that change in mindset, then, make every session count.  Find your weaknesses and go after 'em!  Target them specifically and train on purpose! 

Hugs,

Andy Blasquez

Put it on the Calendar, then Be Inspired.

Beginning triathlon tip of the week:

"Put it on the calendar!"

Nothing helps keep my diet in line, my training on track, and my life in balance, more than registering for a couple of events.  The bigger the event, the more strictly I adhere to my nutrition plan and training schedule. The nearer the event, the same stands true.  If I've got a half marathon in two weeks, I won't allow myself to 'cheat'; especially on the nutrition side.  I don't want to be out there feeling like hell, all the while wondering if it was that pizza from a few nights back that threw a wrench in the spokes.


So, for 2014, I took my own advice.  I signed up for a number of events.  Two in particular have my full and undivided attention:

• My 1st & 2nd ever half-marathon trail runs.
• My 1st & 2nd ever Olympic Distance Triathlons.
• Three Century + group rides, including 'The Most Beautiful Ride in America" circling Lake Tahoe, California.
• "B" Race ~ The Wildflower Triathlon
• "A" Race ~ Ironman Lake Tahoe

These aren't incidental events.  They're purposeful; strategic.  We'll go over putting your race schedule together in a future post.

Since my last post, I've completed a couple of events that I thought I'd share as well.



T1 - Pleasanton Tri For Real 2013

Tri For Real - Sprint Triathlon

~ Pleasanton, CA

~On Your Mark Events

A typical sprint distance race, but really, really well organized:

• 700 yard open water, lake swim
• 18 mile bike
• 4 mile trail run
• 1:49:25
• 105 of 271 overall
• 17 of 31 45-49

DiabloMan - Sprint Triathlon

~ Walnut Creek, CA
~Tri-Freaks

An even shorter, but brutal triathlon.

• 450m pool swim
• 14 mile bike
• 3.5 mile run
• 4,000 ft of climbing on the bike. 950 ft of climbing on the run, that over just 1.75 miles. 
• 2:44:37
• 45 of 69 overall
• 12 of 17 40-49 

Crystal Springs Trail Run - Half Marathon Trail Run
~ Woodside, CA
~Coastal Trail Runs

A beautiful race, in a beautiful place. I don't think I'll ever miss one of these races.

• 13.1 miles of single track trail
• 2,800 ft. of climbing
• 2:27.25 (results not available at time of post_

So, I'll say it again; put 'em on the calendar.  It's far harder to eat that doughnut or drink that martini when you know you're going to pay for it in the worst way.  It's easier to lace up those shoes at dark thirty, or to swim with the steam rising from the pool at 10PM, when you know you have to

And now for the rest of the story: 

~Being inspired.  Find something bigger than you to race for.

By far, the most persistent life dream I've had has been to race at the Ironman World Championships in Kona.  With that always at the top of my mind, why then have I not yet been there? The answer is simple: Excuses; legitimate or otherwise, excuses are the culprit. So when am I going to get off my ass and actually go do Kona?  Well if you're reading this, you probably know that you don't just "Go" to Kona.  You earn your way to Kona, with phenomenal results.  Unless you're Chef Ramsay or Hines Ward (who mind you did a fantastic job and drew loads of interest and attention to the sport), you have to perform. I have an athletic background littered with lack of performance.  I better get started.

After suffering through, but enjoying Ironman California 70.3 in Oceanside last march, my goal now is to do my first "full".  A 140.6 mile triathlon.  But which one?  Honestly, it matters to me.  It's not that I have less respect for other events, but for me, personally, emotionally, I have to have a connection to an event.  I have to be emotionally vested or I just can't push myself through the dark places you go during endurance racing.  What is special about "IT"?  What is particularly brutal about "IT"?  What the hell is wrong with me when I immediately start Googling, "World's Hardest Ironman Races" and dreaming about what it must be like?  Lanzarote?  Where is that?  Oh man! That looks brutal! (with a curious and sadistic grin plastered to my face). As if 140.6 miles isn't brutal on it's own.

So, in order to become more informed, and even more motivated, I volunteered with a few friends at last year's inaugural Ironman Lake Tahoe 2014.  We witnessed a record number of DNS/DNFs first hand. I was and still am in awe.  It was absolutely freezing all day long. Literally, the sand on the beach was frozen!  The elevation left me searching for oxygen while jogging back to my truck for another bottle of water!  Witnessing the condition of the people coming out of T-2 (bike to run) left me speechless, inspired, and accepting of the fact that these athletes are simply, athletically out of my league. Ironman Lake Tahoe was going to have to wait.  But what an eye opener!

Then I got 'the call'. My aunt called me as I was assisting people out of T-2 and onto the run.  My cousin, Walden Grindle, a resident and permanent fixture of the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, was tragically killed in a speed flying accident just moments before she called. She didn't know where I was and wanted help locating and retrieving his truck.  I'll never forget the call.  Olympic Village at Squaw Valley will never be the same to me.

I did my best to finish volunteering "Catching" at the finish line, but I couldn't get my head back in the game.  I couldn't stop thinking about his wife of only 9 months. I couldn't stop thinking of my wife's broken heart and my young sons' first real exposure to death.  Their Uncle Walden, "Super Walden" (because he could fly), was gone.  He was married in Lake Tahoe.  I pulled my hood over my head, disappeared into the crowd of fans, families, and finishers, and ran to my truck to drive home.

I heard from a few the finishers on my drive home.  They all knew me, and knew my fitness level.  Some of them all but begged me NOT to make Ironman Lake Tahoe my first full.  It's simply a massive race. Some have written, and some have said, that it is truly the hardest 140.6 of all time.  This race boasts an average elevation of 6,500ft, with 8,400 of climbing on the bike alone. So where did that leave me?  It's simple.  It left me feeling incomplete. I went up there to be inspired.  I came home early, inspired beyond words. I woke up thinking, "Tahoe is never going to be the same until I cross that finish line."  My family and I drove to my grieving aunt's house. I waited for registration to open, then signed up.  I'm in.  This is the right race for me.

In short, now it's time to stop f'ing around.  I have adopted this mantra, and I can't even tell you where it's from, but it goes like this:

"Set your goals so high that you can't possibly achieve them...

...until you become someone who can."

I have a plan:   

with the support of "The Boss", Chris McCormack, and members of his training group (which I feel incredibly honored to be a part of), I've got a plan.  In fact, I've got a 35 week plan.  I've got races that I've added to my schedule, and some that I've removed.  Thanks to Rich Roll's program through MindBodyGreen, and Ben Greenfield (part of the MaccaX group) I've got my nutrition nailed; at least for now.  I'm not doing rides or runs beyond the 2 or 3 hour mark yet, so I still have some nutritional 'testing' to do before race day, but I'm on track.  Those long days, tough races, and purpose built sessions are on their way.  They're on the calendar. That said, gone are the days of misguided wondering.  Now it's simply a matter of execution. Execute the plan.  4k days in the pool, 100-150k rides, and 10-15 mile runs must become the norm. They can no longer be that "really tough session". With my focus being balance and wellness (for my family as well as for myself), each training session must be a strategic session, planned in advance, with a specific purpose.  This doesn't mean I won't enjoy myself, my runs, my rides, and my pool sessions, but it does mean that I'm closer than I've ever been to making this dream come true and I'm not going to screw it up now!

All for now, but more to come:

• What's working in nutrition, and what's not?
• What's bringing strength without injuries and/or fatigue?
• What's best helping to 'build that motor' aerobically?
• Struggles with equipment, gear, and funding.

Hugs.

Tri Humor

I came across many of these cartoons while doing some research on triathlons and endurance-related sports. We endurance peeps are a strange group. I found some of these pics to be humorous; I hope you enjoy them.



The Tri Geek  - I wonder how the satellite dish on his head helps.

First Timer

The Ironman - My Grandma's idea of an Ironman.
















Obsessed Tri Guy - I've seen this guy!

The Age Grouper - Many of us are guilty of this.

The Under Prepared Guy

The Race T-shirt Guy - Is it me, or are race shirts getting uglier? Sometimes more is not more.

The Did Not Finish (DNF) Guy, not to be confused with quitter

The Technology Guy - Most of us are way too addicted to our gadgets.

The Pro - Had to include a cartoon of "The Man".

The Delusional  - This one probably best describes me, but my expectation line is way more vertical.

Vanity Tri Guy - Kind of reminds me of Vanity Smurf.

The Transition Hog

The Poor-Performance Excuse Guy - Excuses are like @## holes, everyone knows one... or two, or three.

Hitting the wall guy - Cartoon is funny. The feeling of actually hitting the wall is not funny.

The Tri Parent 

The Skinny Guy

The Buff Guy

The Supportive Spouse

The Ultra Guy - Hopefully none of my ultra friends get upset with this one.

The Swimmer - My competition seems to be walking on water during the race.

The, "I'm clearly a better swimmer than you" guy.

The Scared Swimmer 

The Social Swimmer 

The Spin Guy

The Bike Obsessed Guy

Lost in the Gray Zone

Years of blood, sweat, and tears for nothing. 

(Well, almost nothing)

~ Posted by Andy Blasquez

While attending a junior college in San Francisco's East Bay, (a phenomenal place to ride) my mate showed me his new bike: a mountain bike.  I'd never seen one.  Yep, it was that long ago: Mid to late 80s for sure. I rode it for the first time and was immediately hooked.  I was also immediately bad at it.  Sure I could bomb hills and ride the technical stuff, but just couldn't handle the heat and the hills of Northern California.  Although my mind was more fit than my body, I still made the hasty decision to start racing mountain bikes.

My first race was in Cool California, up near Auburn.  I was stoked!  I knew that the energy of the event, the venue, and my unbridled enthusiasm was going to carry me through.  This was yet another in a long line of gross misjudgments!  Cool California was anything but cool that day.  The weather, the venue, and the terrain just laughed at me!  The climbs were anaerobic, and the descents left every fiber of my muscles feeling as if they were falling from my bones.  I loved it!  No.  That was my ego.  It just sucked...hard!  I learned a lot though, and was inspired by the level of fitness and bike skills I saw on the course.  I also learned that there is no substitute for fitness, and evidently I didn't have any.  Endurance sports aren't dominated by athletes that are talented.  They're dominated by athletes that are skilled, disciplined, and fit!  For the next decade or so, I would prove to be none of the above.

After reading that road biking was an excellent way to train for mountain bike fitness, I bought my first roadbike.  A Spcialized Allez A1, 27 speed Ultegra bike.  It really was a beautiful bike for the time (1996). Tripple up front ought to make those hills feel flat!  Yea?  No.  I spend the next ten years dabbling in cycling events, both on and off road, in an effort to learn what worked and what didn't.  For a myriad of reasons, I never learned what worked, but started painfully learning what didn't.

Briones Regional Park, CA

"No pain. No gain!" right?  

Training for the Bud Light California Mountainbike Championships in Briones Regional Park in Martinez I went spelunking into the pain cave a bit too deep.  It was hot.  Well over 110, with virtually each climb having an anaerobic element to it. Just hot as hell itself.  I remember just thinking, "This must be what the fast guys do!  They really push themselves!"  The next thought I had was one of confusion.   I awoke under a bush to the voice of another biker with a very concerned and confused look on his face.  He must have been thinking "What the hell is this guys doing sleeping under a bush in the middle of nowhere?"  And I was thinking, "um............uhhhh........".  I had no idea what was going on.  Hours later, wrapped in ice and I.V. tape, Doc got my body temp down from 107 degrees to a healthy level and told me sternly, "Don't ever do that again!".  Sadly, I don't know who that good Samaritan was that day, who drove me to John Muir Medical Center.  But hey!  If you're reading this, "Thanks mate! I'm doin' fine!"

"Pain! It's just weakness leaving the body." 

Right?  Right!  So if I knew what "too much" was last time out, I'd be safe staying just under that level of perceived exertion this time. However, Doc neglected to tell me that your body is smarter than your mind!  Once you suffer from heat stroke, your body  knows your an idiot and starts shutting down early!  This time I started to notice the signs; I stopped sweating, got the chills, I was sleepy, dizzy, etc.  I got to my truck, this time on my own.  I don't remember the drive home, but remember laying down on the driveway with the garden hose down my shorts.  Typically I'm a modest person.  That day, I didn't care who was watching.  Maybe it wasn't that I didn't care what anyone thought, but that I wasn't even aware than anyone might be watching...or even existed.  All in the name of simply elevating myself to a level that wasn't outright embarrassing.

UCI World Cup - Napa California

Finally I found it!  I found out what "condition" I had that so many cyclists didn't.  It was simply the fact that I wasn't going to quit.  My buddy Jon and I entered a mountainbike race in San Jose, California.  We showed up early.  Our nutrition was ok. We actually got on our trainers in the parking lot (a first for both of us) and really warmed up.  The weather was horrible!  It was a late spring race, but it was absolutely freezing and crushing rain.  Now I'm never cold, so I just brought my shorts and a short sleeve jersey.  Everyone else was in long polypropylene rain pants, jackets, full fingered gloves, etc.  Once again, I was out classed. I stood, teeth chattering, in a sea of slop.  BOOM!  We were racing.

We took off and I paced myself.  The loop was a sort of figure-eight that was about 8 miles long.  We would do it twice.  About a mile and a half in we were all walking.  "Already?" I thought.  We had hit adobe: Wet adobe.  For those of you that don't know what that's like, it's mud, that's more like firm peanut butter.  Add freezing temperatures and a torrential down pour to 'firm peanut butter' and you've just removed any traction whatsoever from the terrain AND added 30 pounds of mud to your exotic, titanium clad mountain bike.

This was (as Macca has now taught us) Embracing the Suck! The top of the first climb (which we all hiked) had a small lake.  We ALL threw our bikes in the lake.  We'd each spend 2 to 5 minutes removing adobe from our bikes as we recognized that the terrain had changed to hardpack sand and we could roll on.  I got to the 1st intersection, about 4 miles in, and saw many, many people heading for the truck. They were obviously getting tools, support, a jacket, nutrition, or something to help with the race conditions.

It wasn't but a few minutes later that I was completely alone.  Brutal anaerobic climbs, but this time with excellent traction.  I was laughing at myself, as opposed to crying, as I labored up the biggest climb.  I made it!  90 degree right hander at the top, then down back down to the intersection to start lap two.  Well, I thought it was a 90 degree turn.  It was more like 110 degrees.  I, however, opted for 90 degrees and proceeded to ride off the edge and slide a least 30 meters down the hill, only to be stopped because my bike which had preserved us both by getting snagged on a manzanita bush.  That's when I noticed that a) I was now back into wet adobe.  b) it was going to take divine intervention to get my bike and me back up to the trail and race course. c) a pro passed by and screamed "Oh no!  DUDE!  THAT'S ALL POISON OAK!" and d) my sense of humor was kicking in to high gear!  The pro was obviously finishing lap two and I might just, for sanity's sake, pack it in at the end of the 1st lap.  I wanted to get clean and get the poison oak off of me.  I was sweating like a pig and just slid down a mountain of hell.  I'm happy.  Let's call it a day.  Well I dug in both feet at a time and dragged my bike up another foot and a half, then again, then again...until I made it to the trail.

When I came to the intersection with the clear intention of quitting, I thought to myself, "You know what?  Screw it!  I'm not quitting!  I'll pick up the pieces later...but I'M NOT QUITTING"  This lap had taken nearly two hours, but now I know what the lap looks like and I'm just going to do it, damn it!  When I got to the intersection, my brother ran over to me with a water bottle and a towel screaming, "You took 3rd!".  Third?  I'm only half way done!  I grabbed the bottle and washed my face with the towel and started to clip in.   Tim yelled, "Where are you going!  You did it brother!  They cut the race in half and you finished 3rd!"  I immediately asked if my friend Jon had finished.  "Jon won!" he said.  "So who won the overall?" I asked, happy to take my first ever podium for my age group.  Tim couldn't settle down.  He said, "No!  Jon WON! There's a pro in second...and you got 3rd overall!"   Big smiles!  The memory still brings big smiles!

It wasn't long after that, perhaps around the year 2004 when I started cycling more regularly.  Enjoying weekend rides with buddies.  Joining the occasional group ride, 100k, or 100 mile event.  The 100 mile events really did take a lot out of me, often leaving me a bit lethargic the following day, but I always seemed to learn something.  In fact, I always seemed to learn something in any event I entered.

I now lovingly refer to this entire period of my athletic life as, "PM" or "Pre-Macca".  This was my athletic life "Stuck in the gray zone."  Suffering: Dumb suffering, because I simply didn't know any better.

It took until Christmas of 2012 before my athletic life ever really took a turn for the better.  The catalyst for this change was my need to be well in my mind, body, and spirit: Triathlon would bring me that.  The change agent?  Chris "Macca" McCormack: one of the most talented, inspirational, intelligent, and giving people I've ever had the pleasure of associating with.  My wife bought me his training program and signed me up for the MaccaX platform which enables triathletes at ALL levels, beginners to true elites, from all corners of the globe, to teach and encourage each other.  The one on one dialogues I've had with Macca himself are only the tip of the iceberg.  The network he created, of like minded people, is unprecedented.

Next Post ~ Training for my first true triathlon.  Ironman California 70.3 2013.