JVD

2011-11-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have been a big fan of Tacx ergo trainers since I got my first Grand Excel back in 2000. Locally I have helped make this unit one of the top selling trainers in Calgary. Consider a fleet of 30 units at TC the first 3 years of existance, at least 50 clients and class participants who purchased a unit based on my testimonial and referral, the recent acquisition of 30 new units not to mention the replacement parts and accessories. Hmm, you'd think I could have received one for free by now...

There is an issue however that warrants a discussion to help people understand the units a bit more, that being the "accuracy" of the wattages reported by the units.

In the first year we used them straight out of the box without any consideration as to their accuracy and real world applicablility. At races I would hear athletes speak of how they crushed our 5km time trials by riding in excess of 450W for 6-7min despite them remaining pack fodder in category 4/5 cycling races.

When I finally made the leap to a PowerTap hub direct force power meter (DFPM) I could finally work with "real" and consistent wattages reported through the strain guage technology embedded in the hubs. Long story made short, I performed a series of trials on randomly selected units while riding with the PowerTap wheel. I measured the power produced at the various slopes on the Tacx units in tandem with the power reported from the PowerTap and determined quickly that there was a vast difference in the reporting of power between the two units.

After many trials of changing the factory scaling in the Tacx computer and repeating the process, I was able to settle in on an acceptable range in which consistency was noted in the reported power for both units. The outcome was a reduction in the power that people were accustomed to riding at and a lot of "humbled" riders. In effect I helped to provide a more "real" world power perspective for people to train by. This was a shotgun blast to the ego for many.

Fast forward now to the past month and I have under gone the same process with several of the new units which I have calibrated to my Quarq Cinqo DFPM. This go around was less laborious for me as I was able to settle the scaling factor very quickly.

Now a few caveats to this.

First, I have noted a difference in reported wattages in the Tacx compared to the Quarq Cinqo if my inputted weight is not correct in the Tacx unit. My assumption then is for everyone to make sure they input "their" correct weight into the units and not my weight.

Second, the roll down calibration must be in the area of "0" to "+4" for the best results. So ensure that the correct pressure is applied to the rear wheel AND that you have 100psi in your rear tire. All my trials were constant at 100psi.

Finally, when doing short high intensity micro-bursts or intervals the reported average wattages will not be the same due to the reporting and recording average of the Tacx unit being slower than that of the sampling and recording rate of any DFPM. The DFPM is very sensitive to the application of force and will report near instantaneous wattage values - hence the reason to see such and up and down or on and off nature of power in a DFPM file.

When I performed a 3min and 20min time trial a few weeks ago, my 3min average wattage was 386W on the Tacx and 409W on the Cinqo. For the 20min time trial an average of 292W on the Tacx and an average of 294W on the Cinqo. I am quite happy with this result.

JVD

Is Riding Inside On A Trainer "Real Riding"?

2011-10-18T14:52:00.000-06:00

Okay, I have almost stopped laughing at a comment a friend told me late last week. The comment was something to the effect that "riding inside on a trainer is not real riding so I don't want to do it this fall or winter". Apparently there is a "cult" of riders locally and I am sure they are everywhere, that believe that you are of a weaker kind to ride indoors rather than outside.

While I will be the first to say that 10 times out of 10 if it is practical I would ride outside versus inside. Hands down outdoor riding beats the crap out of riding a trainer. HOWEVER this does not mean a trainer is not "real riding" as riding a trainer can dial in and make a training session "count" more in terms of training a specific energy system, neuromuscular pattern and/or facilitate recovery more so than riding outside can. Especially when injured, pressed for time or when the elements place too much stress on the body.

Many of the athletes I coach and have coached can attest to the fact that the indoor trainer yields real world results and performance gains when out on the roads or trails. Specific training sets and intervals are the norm when using an indoor trainer, not mindlessly riding to watch the Star Wars dvds (all 6 of them). Real world results are what matters most and even the world's best can say that a stationary trainer becomes an invaluable training tool at some point in time.

It comes down to how the athlete will use the trainer as far too many riders are used to just riding around for long periods of time to derive a training effect. On the cold winter days one needs to decide if the added stress on the body and immune system from riding outside is a worthwhile addition of stress to evoke a training response. Hmm, lowered immunity has never been an athlete's friend nor resulted in improved performances.

I am not looking to convince anyone to join the indoor training revolution but would encourage many to think outside the box for ways to improve as you may never make the next step if you don't. You make your choice but quit bashing those of us relegated or forced to use an indoor trainer.

Vacation Is Over - Getting Back To Training.

2011-07-22T19:08:00.000-06:00

After the Masters Provincial RR a few weeks ago, my family took some time off to going "camping" at Crimson Lake - about 14km west of Rocky Mountain House. This camping entailed the use of my in-laws 34ft RV and there was no tent in sight at our "campsite".

My break from training was 5 days! I did bring along the MTB which has seen limited use over the past 7 years now and had a blast riding around with my kids. We took a nice MTB trail over to Twin Lakes and all I could beam about was how I was MTB riding with my kids and they weren't complaining! I then spent another day hunting Geocaches in the area with my son without any luck finding the actual caches.

Did I feel guilty not training? A little but I am smart enough to know the value of rest mid-season. The time off also helped me recover from the RR and my quads felt fully mended come Monday when I rode downtown to work. An interesting feeling to note when you start to ride after a break is how "off" you feel. You feel rested but don't have any snap or pop in the legs. It takes a few days for that to come back.

Tuesday was a nice ride with clients up Cochrane Hill 2x. It was a beautiful day and felt like a "no chain" day - that feeling of the legs turning over without the feeling of any strain. Once you have experienced it on the bike, you want to recapture that feeling again and again. I had hoped to do the Tuesday night crit but a wicked storm blew in to force a cancellation. I pulled the plug on riding over and set up the trainer in the basement instead. Yuck - riding inside in July.

Wednesday I performed the dreaded 3min and 20min time trials with Grant Burwash again on trainers. Yuck again. Crappy numbers, crappy feeling over all, dead legs, no pop or power yet in the legs. Yesterday's "no chain" day was a tease since I didn't actully ride hard. Was I discouraged? Not at all as I expected such results.

Thursday was back on the trainer due to tight timelines and I was able to rail off a solid 3x 6min @ 300-320W with 3min rest. Pretty much my FTP wattage. Legs felt better and I felt overall more in control of how my body felt during each interval.

Today I woke up tired with some soreness in my quads. I had thought about a rest day but felt the need to ride. Once I had wrapped up my work commitments for the day, I was getting dressed to head outside into an overcast day. The rain then came pouring down on me. Good thing I left my trainer setup in the basement. Yuck, another day spent on the trainer in July. Despite feeling blah today, I had a great ride as the legs responded well once I found my comfort zone between 250-270W. It is true that the trainer can be a friend in the summer and not just the winter months.

So after 5 days completely off and a return to training of 6 sessions in 5 days, the legs are coming around nicely. Just in time for the next key races - Tour de Bowness and the Jason Laperierre Memorial stage race. The key for me now in preparation for these events will be on specific sessions to maintain and consolidate the gains I had made from the training done thus far as well as to sharpen me up for the demands of each event. The timeline is too short to truly build further fitness now so rather than just riding around, I am better served doing more specific and intensive sessions. This even means getting back on the trainer for a number of key sessions where I can focus on some very specific interval sets and wattages. This plan worked well for me in 2009 when I placed 3rd in the Cat 3 ITT Provincial Championships and I hope to replicate the feeling I had that day - a "no chain" day.

JVD

Old Man Racing Again: Part 2

2011-07-11T15:26:00.000-06:00

No that is not me in the picture but it is Ryan Barr and Dave Holmes - both buds of mine. Unfortuantely Ryan's rear tubular rolled off the rim. When we inspected it afterwarsds it looked as if it was mounted with scotch tape!

Last time I wrote I was “riding” high after our bike camp and was excited again at the whole bicycle racing world. Am I still enjoying it? Heck yeah! As most racers will tell you it is great to ride and race when you are in good form but it really sucks when you are not on any sort of form. I enjoy being in the mix of races as I am competitive by nature – so my wife says.

The Tuesday Night Crits have afforded me that feeling as I feel I have been a legitimate contender albeit in the “B” group each week. Several people have pointed fingers at me to move up to my rightful spot as fodder in the “A” group but my argument is unless I outright win a “B” category race why move up? I am back after a 5 year break from bicycle racing where I spent little time in the red zone or pain cave of the peloton so I am cutting my teeth again.

As the weeks have progressed I have regularly featured in the top 8 of the races with my best placing being 4th. My Niklas teammates and I started to work together on a more regular basis and last week it finally culminated in us winning the race. At the time the race felt both easy and excruciating. The pace felt fast as we four teammates took turns keeping the pace as quick as possible. I was able to bridge the gap to my teammate Carlos and then was able to go solo for the final 4laps. This is where it became excruciating as I was in time trial mode. Carlos did a wicked smart thing as the group had in fact bridged back to us and he then let the gap open in which no other rider came through. My other two mates Dave and Dan then also helped to slow the pace and chase back to me. One rider did bridge to me on the finishing straight but when I saw him on my left I said “not today” and sprinted easily for the line as I heard him utter defeat! What is cool about the win is that it really was a team effort. There is no way I could have held off the group without the help of my teammates.

What is interesting to note from my power meter file is that the race was in fact “easy”. The speed was around 40.9kph as an average but the power was relatively low and not at all indicative of the efforts near the end. However it is interesting to see that when riding with teammates the explosive accelerations out of the corners are not as high as when the group rides as individuals. I still think there was something up with my Quarq Cinqo that evening…

Prior to this win I was re-introduced to bicycle racing at the prestigious Banff BikeFest. This was the first time I eve took part in all events featured for the non-invited riders. What a great way to get re-acquainted with racing! The Prologue/hill climb was a body searing 3:20m:s effort for me good enough for second last in Cat 3. By the half way point of the course I could no longer feel my arms and legs as my chest and lungs were in a tight spasm. I have not hurt that much in years from such a short and violent effort. The time trial up and around Lake Minnewanka went relatively well but I was not able to find a natural rhythm. Again I was able to turn myself inside out during this race and I was happy that the ability to suffer was reawakening in my mind.
The criterium was a humbling experience for me. I am usually a decent criterium racer but on this night I was a “beginner” getting schooled. The pace was unreal right from the start as there were guys looking to break legs and lungs right away. I was unfortunately lapped by the leaders at the midway point of our race and as such was forced to withdraw from the race. Talk about demoralizing.

The final day was a 7am start to the road race on Tunnel Mountain. Rain had threatened all weekend but for the most part we were spared in the Category 3 races. It had rained all night and I did not sleep well worrying about the rainy conditions and possible carnage going down the narrow and steep descents. As part of my warm-up I decided to ride down the treacherous section to check out the road conditions. It gave me confidence and belief I could hang on to the group for at least 3 laps. As the race got underway I found myself almost dropped at the back of the group as the front riders took the speed up past 50kph. As a bunch of us re-integrated with the group I found the pace very doable on the climbs and once we hit the descent I found that I was in fact riding well! A number of my teammates had dropped out of the race but as each kilometre went by I started to feel a surge in my confidence and abilities. On lap two I found myself climbing near the front and descending a bit quicker than the front riders evidenced by me having to brake harder to keep from riding into them.

Lap three was when two of my teammates were to attempt a break. Knowing this I moved up from the comfort of mid pack to the front to help them. Big stupid mistake. Everything in my gut was saying nothing was going to transpire from their move but I still tried to slow the group down and then made an attack to try and draw them away. In the end it just burned me out and left me off the back of the group and then pulled from the race. Our team did grab second place with Brian Green narrowly missing the win in a sprint.

I have to say I was upset with myself for making such a stupid decision at the time and had I just stayed in the group I may have had a shot at finishing with the main group. Next year…

This past weekend was the Masters Provincial Road Race out in Madden north of Calgary. A great course with lots of climbing, rollers and wind exposed sections. I was very pleased to have ridden to an 8th place finish in the 40-49 years old group as there were some strong riders in the group. The three strongest got away on lap 2 and a massive crash on lap 3 reduced our chasing group dramatically to about 6. I hope all the boys who hit the deck are doing well and will be back on their bikes soon.

The final lap was a lap of mental strength development for me! I was cooked and just trying to hang onto the wheels in front of me - these guys were strong Cat 2/3 riders. On one of the short steep climbs I was cramping in my quads and it looked as if gophers were trying to get out from under my skin – unnerving. After that episode the cramps stayed pretty much away – I did get one glimpse of my right medial quadriceps that was in a strange orientation as it cramped. The final climb to the finish was nasty. It is surprisingly about 5km in length with a gradual grade but when your back and legs are blown it still hurts and feels like Cochrane Hill. Despite having ridden 128km the day before with a small group (don’t ask) I was surprisingly strong for the Masters RR. Could I have done better if I had not ridden that far the day before? Maybe, maybe not. I am still stoked on how I raced but more importantly how I felt out there during the race. The non-quantifiable aspects of performance on the day are what really matter to me! The power file is however cool to review too…

JVD

Old Man Racing Again!

2011-05-18T11:12:00.000-06:00

I am officially 40 years old and honestly nothing seems to have changed. My hair is still with me, my teeth are solid and I have all the normal aches and pains I experienced as I did when I was in my 30s (mainly from training) so I guess aging doesn't have to be all that bad.

In fact I witnessed some amazing athletic feats last week at our Aerobic Power Haus Bike Camp based in Vernon B.C. We had two gents in the realm of 67-70 years of age hanging with the group and getting stronger as the week wore on. One gent was even challenging me in uphill sprints on a recovery day. It goes to show if you take care of yourself on a daily basis the prevalent mindset of old age ravaging your body does not have to be true. Now I do believe these two gents possess great genes allowing them to age so athletically but moe importantly they both cite being active all their lives. I have a female client who continues to inspire me with here spunk and willingness for me to "push" her during our training sessions with the TRX and free weights. Her family has a history of living long lives despite not being athletically active but she does an amazing job of staying fit, eating well and "life" active daily.

As most know I have stepped away from triathlon this season and have focused solely on bicycle road racing this year (there will be the odd mountain bike event in there too). As we all experienced in March and April during the cold snaps and winter storms, motivation and desire were waning as we had to continue riding on the indoor trainer. Yes I was there too dripping sweat on the top tube and all over the basement floor. At our camp last week I had a moment with an athlete I coach where we reveled in the beauty of the surrounding country side we were riding through (checkout the picture up top for an idea) and right then and there we agreed that "the training we do inside is for days and moments like these out on the open road".

It was great riding 5 straight days, 21:15:27h:m:s over 538km and racking up 1042 TSS points. I was having fun out there despite some days being quite easy. Ash, Greg and I even did a Criterium race in Winfield on Thursday evening after riding a long 124km in 4:40h:m. We were unsure how our bodies would feel as we had just finished the 4th day of camp. Ash rode the A category race while Greg and I opted for the B category race. I haven't raced a crit in 2 years so decided to cut my teeth slowly. By the first turn I knew I had won this race and regretted not joining in the A group. I took the prime and the win on a solo break at the half way point of the race. I realized as the main pack of the A group came through that I could have ridden with them.

Last night was my first night back doing the Tuesday night crits at the UofC Research Park. I used to love these when I first moved to Calgary and would schedule my whole day mentally around them. After a few seasons and a change to triathlons the novelty wore off and I lost all interest in doing them. Funny how yesterday felt like it did 10 years ago! I was anxious, excited, nervous and unsure right until the start line. There are times I find the racing frustrating as I don't know many of the new riders or their abilities but after the first furious few laps, it felt like I had never left the sport. I was having a blast out there.

I gained confidence through each corner, with each surge, with each bridge and each turn at the front. The same frustrations came back too related to shaking a group or keeping the pace fast enough to knock riders off the back as it seemed that when I surged or someone else did, the group would react and shut it down but in the process the group would slow down too mcuh and everyone from the back would sprint up and integrate into the group again. The prospect of riding off the front as I did in Kelowna was not going to be an option last night. The B group is too reactive and yet too slow at the same time. By that I mean any attempt at a break is quickly squashed but the counter attacks are really not there. There is contentment amongst most riders to just hang-on and be there with the group at the end. This is why we see guys who dangle off the front for a few laps able to stay on until the end and contest the finishing sprint.

How did I fare? Well I was feeling pretty comfortable throughout but was in the wrong position on the final lap as I ended up behind riders who were riding above their capacity (witness they weave and swerve a lot and their heads are down). When the smack went down after corner two and the riders riding at their limts were coming into corner three and fading the front split was already hauling towards corner four. I was pleased that I was in fact gaining on the front group and hopefully was credited with the same time as them. I think I finished top 10 for sure but it was below my capabilities. Learning for me on the night will be kept to myself for now until I see if it works! Let's just say I would like to race again tonight to try some different things.

I will be interested to see how group B progresses as the weeks roll on. I recall the average speeds for these races being in the area of 39-41kph and I feel the headwind did slow us down on the two straight aways. My recorded average speed was 38.3kph, average power was 274W, Normalized Power was 313W, Max power was 1115W and 1min best power was 545W.

Why report these wattages? Beacuse these are some of the best anaerobic power and capacity numbers I have ever recorded...

JVD

I also signed up for a Twitter account! You can follow my tweets @jvdcoach.

What Is Training?

2011-02-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

"Sports training refers to specialized strategies and methods of exercise used in various sports to develop athletes and prepare them for performing in sporting events." - Wikipedia

I can't believe it has been months since I wrote my last post! Where did the time go and what was I doing during that time? Well, as this post is titled "What Is Training?" that is exactly the question I have been asking since the Ironman. Training was pretty much non-existent for me. Sure I was still doing some weight lifting, running, swimming and cycling but it was all in a fashion that really had no structure. For once I could now classify myself as one of the legions of people who simply "workout" with no focus or direction. I had no goal to work towards so my focus was simply not there which led to many a missed day of "working out". You should gather by now that I view training as a much directed process with an end goal in mind.

As I mulled over my thoughts as to what I was going to train towards in 2011, I had stated a number of times that I wanted to do an XTerra off-road triathlon along with some sprint and maybe an Olympic distance triathlon event. But there was just no fire in the belly. I still am excited about the prospect of doing an XTerra or two but as of late what has been consuming my all thought is the prospect of getting back into road and mountain bike racing! Why?

Here are a few items that have prompted me in this direction;

1. This year I turn (gulp) 40.

2. Due to reason #1 I want to do something different this year than the standard fare triathlons I have done the past 5 years.

3. My plan in the fall was to build my running but my Achilles has kept nagging me to the point I cannot put in enough mileage to see benefit.

4. Due to reason #3, why fixate on an event that relies heavily upon running when I can't train it??

5. Face facts, I have demonstrated the running prowess of a sea turtle. (Mainly due to reason #3).

6. Coaching has really taken off for me this year which is fantastic, but what comes with the territory of added work responsibilities is a lack of training time.

7. With time being a factor I feel it would be easier to focus on a single sport in training versus juggling 3 as well as consistent two-a-day training sessions. These tend to really get in the way of a productive career long-term. I don't have to feel guilty leaving mid-day to get in a swim because the pool lanes are plentiful at that time.

8. A number of my clients are focused on the bike as are a number of my friends and peers and it would be great to get out and train and race with them again. They have motivated and inspired me to do so.

9. After my IMC experience, I was a bit let down by the sport and feel the need to step back or away from it for awhile and recharge. Perhaps burned out from it all is a good summary. I won't abandon triathlon as I do deep down enjoy it but something about the commercialism of it all has really frustrated me.

10. My wife got into cycling two years ago and I think it is totally cool. I enjoy riding with her and showing her new routes and it is a sport that we can connect with together. (She will roll her blue eyes reading this).

Wow, I came up with 10 reasons and I didn't even think about making a list of 10 items.

With that update out of the way, I did want to discuss what I feel training is. This was prompted by a recent discussion with someone who I will classify as a "talkative rider". "Talkative rider" really got to me when I joined a group cycling session in order to do my 3min and 20min time trials. As I finished the 3min effort with my common slobber-fest, vision in blackness and freight train breathing, "talkative rider" and a few others had promptly engaged in a discussion of where they would have lunch after the session. Fast forward to the finish of the 20min TT and having crumpled onto my top tube and handlebars, the discussion once again quickly began but I was not coherent enough to keep up to the content. "Talkative rider" was then producing excuse upon excuse as to why they never got better at their time trials and chalked it up to just not being good at them. In probing what they did for training it became quite clear that there really was no direction they were headed in. No actual program to follow but hoping that the process of “working out” would somehow lead to an increase in performance. Without going into the details of this discussion let's just say that this person will never improve with their current attitude and perspective.

It is sad really that this attitude permeates society in the sense that people are not striving to better themselves but are quite capable of rattling off excuse after excuse. There are many who seem to not want to face a challenge, commit to overcoming that challenge and growing as a person. This doesn’t have to be solely about sport either but could be related to marriage, relationships, career etc. I watch the Biggest Loser and get inspired watching people grow as they are pushed first by the trainers, then by their peers and finally by themselves. I admire the "fight" they develop and the desire to overcome what at one time seemed insurmountable. They no longer have fear or are scared to push themselves. They no longer have fear to challenge themselves and now seek out new and exciting challenges. Look how many past contestants on the Biggest Loser go on to do things that people with perfect health/wealth and physical abilities would never do or more specifically don’t believe they can do.

What I believe has helped transform people on the Biggest Loser has been the guidance given to them and the process of training each of them undergoes. This encompasses the nutrition, the medical, the psychological and the physical conditioning. Much like the training athletes undertake albeit their physical capacities are vastly different. There is a process in place that we often don’t see on the T.V. that the contestants follow so don’t think that it is always a “last chance workout”. The unfortunate thing is that the world sees this and then goes on a high intensity training binge day after day. Not realistic in my opinion.

Many people approach training more from a "I do a workout every day approach" which can be composed of doing a series of random sessions spread across activities like yoga, a spinning class, a weekday jog, weights, elliptical and "swimming" or as I classify them "bathers" or something else in the outdoors. When I speak of training I mean a more methodical approach towards a goal or series of goals and objectives. Cold hard facts and numbers coupled with an athlete’s perceived feeling of improvement. Specific assignments or daily prescriptions that are meant to see the attainment of our stated goals. These goals may be performance markers but what we are really looking to see is if performance in events or races matches their expectations and goals.

One of the key factors Jon Bird spoke of that he learned when I coached him was to focus on the details of the training and understand why I prescribed him a series of workouts. He learned to understand the big picture and how each workout was like a brick forming a solid structure. Each workout had a purpose in the grand scheme of things. I can honestly say there was nothing random about his training program.

I witness so many people who do a series of group training sessions in swimming, running and cycling but there is no overall structure in a manner that will yield results. How can it? I have no issue in people doing a couple of group training sessions weekly but I always ask the groups I lead to think about how this session impacts your overall training program. Did it address your specific limiter that you should be improving in the off-season? Did it or will it impact your next training session(s). Is your recovery impaired by it? Did the group sessions simply meet a social need? Are the sessions congruent with your training phases and build up towards your event? I have heard of groups training towards one goal event late in the season but there were athletes who were training towards an event earlier in the season and were prescribed the same training when they required a different training approach.
I have witnessed athletes who did 4 group cycling sessions a week, two at one coaching group and two at another. They should have got better at their 3min and 20min time trials but they in fact got worse. Why was that the case? How about too many hard sessions a week and not enough recovery or focus on training their aerobic system. Not a structured build-up and too long a period of time doing too high an intensity. Non-compatible zones and assessments where one used power and another perceived effort or heart rate. Poor scheduling of recovery periods will also impact performance or the readiness to perform.

The act of flogging someone takes no art or science and in fact has led to the proliferation of coaches and personal trainers making huge sums of money by tearing someone up once a week. Someone riding next to me last week fell victim to this as he had been pummelled in the morning by a personal trainer who knew the client would be doing a 2 hour cycling class in the evening. The client concluded that a weight training session and a cycling workout on the same day don’t mix well. I disagree and have seen a positive effect in my cycling performance within a 12 hour period of a specific and sensible weight training workout. However, beyond the 12 hour window there is a drop in my cycling performance but by properly structuring my workouts (and those of my athletes) I can account for this and build upon these sessions.

The take home message from this post is to be more cognizant of structuring your training in order to see improvement and the achievement of your goals. Know what it is you are training towards versus hoping something good comes from it. Randomly working out will not lead to long term improvement but rather frustration. Goal setting itself can provide more guidance and direction for an athlete or even someone looking to attain better health and fitness. This is another topic altogether but is imperative to the process of training. Remember “failing to plan is planning to fail”.

I look forward to training and racing on the road and mountain bike again this season!

JVD

Where Can I Find A Coach When I Need One?

2010-09-27T14:51:00.006-06:00

Seems like a stupid question these days since the person next to you is probably a coach. I should be more specific with my statement and qualify that the coach next to you is probably a cycling and/or triathlon coach. Furthermore I would classify many of them as "hobby coaches" looking to "live the dream" in an unregulated profession who ultimately dilute and slow the professional growth of the coaching industry. Now I am not throwing everyone in this same category as there are many great coaches and coaching groups around the world who have helped to legitimize coaching and continue to build coaching into a credible profession and push the boundaries and roles of a coach.

How do I define a professional coach? This is a great question. For me I view them as having a minimum certification from a coaching association or other professional fitness organization that has covered the basics of physiology, training principles, coaching ethics, psychology. They have an athletic background in the sport, insurance coverage, experience and charges according to level of experience and expertise. They may also possess a University Degree in Exercise Science or Pedagogy and demonstrate seeking out additional knowledge via conferences and continuing education opportunities to grow themselves professionally. Many of these coach's will adjust their rates as they gain more experience and expertise is specific areas and then specialize in niche areas or demographics.

A hobby coach is someone who has success athletically and decides they know enough to sell their services. They don't obtain a certification of related training, carry no insurance and set rates equivalent to the most experienced coaches or low ball the average coaching rate. They may also work full time in another profession and look to use the coaching dollars to supplement equipment or travel expenses. They will work with anyone willing to pay them.

So what is with the rise of all these cycling and triathlon coaches these days? It is not just in Calgary but it appears to be a worldwide pandemic as coaches are multiplying exponentially and spreading their "knowledge" or in some cases "misinformation" to the masses of weekend warriors and potential hopefuls looking to make it to the big time. As I already stated above coaching is very much an unregulated profession, much like personal training or the fitness industry for that matter. Yes there are certifications from organizations (again some are great while others are looking to generate some vast network of certified fitness professionals which ultimately funds their existence) which can provide a scope of practice but even certification is not a guarantee for qualified professionals who represent that respective certification and it certainly doesn't limit who becomes a personal trainer or not.

Certain Coaching Associations like the Coaching Association of Canada (with specific sporting modules) and United States of America Cycling/Triathlon (USAC/USAT) offer various levels of certification for prospective coaches. USAC and USAT also require and offer continuing education opportunities for their coaching network which ensures coaches stay current and can add new ideas or methodologies to their coaching duties. Anyone can take these and upon completing all requirements can be certified as a coach. This is the easiest route to becoming certified coaches with the exception of saying you are a coach.

From my experience with the cycling and triathlon modules under the CAC umbrella, the value in pursuing such a certification is for those who wish to coach a Provincial junior team at a Western Canada Games or Canada Games and possibly moving on to coach a World Championships or Olympic Team. There is no incentive to go this route for those not pursuing the above mentioned coaching direction nor are there any regulations that would dictate that one must certify through the CAC. My NCCP Level I for Road and MTB has allowed me to act as a "coach" to two National MTB Championship events and one Provincial selection event. Sounds great but really the role was more like that of a chaperon for the juniors than actual coaching a role that could have easily been completed by volunteer parents. This is not always the case but again that was my experience with the projects. I spoke with Kurt Innes several years ago and he stated that if my goal was to coach at the Olympics, then going through the process (political and course work) was required but if I wasn't interested in that route and would rather focus on helping athletes develop (age-grouper, masters, youth etc) there really was no need to pursue the NCCP to a higher level. The route I chose was obviously to focus on working with those who wanted to get better and more importantly who I felt I could help get better no matter their level of perceived ability.

I should also state that a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Kinesiology or Human Kinetics does not qualify someone to be a coach either. Yes it gives a good foundation of physiology and basic sport performance but many of the programs lack the ability to teach students how to apply the knowledge and as such too many textbook clones come out preaching what a "book" told them. I chose a route to understand the physiological basis of sport performance and how to apply the methods to the actualization of performance enhancement versus learning and then not applying the knowledge. This realization occurred once I entered Graduate school and did not happen in my Undergraduate Degree.

What has also led to an increase in the number of coaches out there is previous athletic prowess. Look at how many coaches are currently professional athletes or retired athletes. Again, this does not guarantee a qualified approach to offering a coaching service however I do believe many can offer valuable pieces of advice and personal experiences. The trick is whether or not they can convey and communicate the information to those who are not as genetically blessed as they are and of a different lifestyle altogether. Many age-groupers deem the athletic success of their favorite pros to mean that the coach/athlete can take them to the next level. This may or may not be the case. I have been in the company of several far superior athletically gifted individuals who really could not communicate to me or the group what the intent of a particular workout was in the macro sense of our training plan. Yes it was a tough workout but it was not specific to developing either the neuromuscular system, a particular energy system or event specific demand. When questioned on what we were looking to achieve from the workout the answer was reduced to developing mental toughness and sport specific power. Funny thing was when I asked a member of the coaching team what power was, they couldn't even compose the definition of power! It mirrored what many do in personal training where a workout becomes simply a flogging session.

Too often athletes who become a coach who have been coached previously replicate workouts they were given and pass them on to their clients who may not be able to tolerate, complete or absorb that level of training. Heck I have made this mistake in the past where I gave workouts a previous coach gave me and a group of athletes when we were in a certain phase of training at the wrong time to a bunch of beginners! The net effect was not favorable as they broke down mentally and physically and quit the sport altogether because the training was too hard and unrealistic for them. Live, learn, adapt and apply.

Often times the sports science or coaching nomenclature can be confusing and what one coach speaks of another one coins a different phrase for it despite the same thing being implied which is further "bastardized" by someone else and so on. Understanding the intent of various workouts is a key to progression and development of an athlete and hence all coaches and athletes under the tutelage of a coach should understand what their outcomes should be after a training period. If one requires an increased FTP, then the training had better focus on developing that ability and not on anaerobic capacity or power. I have also tested clients of other coaches and when I go over the results with the athlete, I ask if their coach will understand the results and know how to work with them in their training. The athlete assumes their coach will know the results but nine times out of ten the results are dismissed and the coach prescribes something they are more comfortable with.

I have reviewed training programs that were questionable in the overall intent or focus. However, there are many variables that need to be uncovered first before trashing someone else's program and to see what exactly their intent was. For example a client switched over to work with me after a 3 month period of working under another cycling coach. In reviewing the plan the client was given, I saw no progression, pattern or focus over 3 months and very little performance improvement. The client could not speak to what the focus of the training blocks were either. They simply trusted the individual because of the coach's athletic background, slick website and professional fee of $200 per month. The program was mainly comprised of various "tough" workouts that touched on too many aspects to develop at one time – VO2max intervals one week, anaerobic capacity intervals the next, anaerobic power, low cadence high torque three weeks later, a few FTP workouts mix and match as needed. Testing to determine FTP and wattage zones was inconsistent and the protocols were different when scheduled. There was also a research article listed in the training program in which the coach had prescribed the training protocol studied in the article. Upon tracking down the article (at first for interest's sake) I noticed that the protocols in the article and what the coach prescribed were not the same thing. When I spoke to the client about how they interpreted and executed the workout, they did something completely different and the client was lucky they didn't hurt themselves.

Now, there are various methodologies of coaching out there too. The typical image of a coach is one who presides over a workout with an athlete or team of athletes with a clip board, stop watch and a harsh voice from yelling all the time. There are those who write training programs and email or post online for clients to follow, those who coach a single sport or series of sport sessions for a group (swimming, cycling or running) and focus on technique, those who do a combination of both and then groups who have specialists from various sporting disciplines and ancillary support services like nutritionists, biomechanics specialists, psychology etc. Each one of these methodologies has a specialty and as such, one coach may not be for everyone.

Athletes need to determine what they require most whether it is a structured plan with a Periodized approach, technical advice and guidance, race strategy and tactical advice, advice on their personal physiology. Athletes also need to determine the value of a coach's service. What does the coach offer compared to other coaches or groups? Are they a specialist in one area or do they try and do too many things? I have seen technical coaches for running, swimming and weight training successfully correct an athlete's form but lacked the knowledge in how to implement a training program that would lead to an actual improvement in performance. They could now move more efficiently but still either over or under trained themselves. I have also seen coaches get out there and "pose" their way through a swim session or running session. In fact they lack no formal background in teaching a drill or set of skills. I attended a Pose Method running clinic a few years ago and was videotaped from a far and told I was a classic heel striker. I asked how they could truly determine this without a close up image or specific method to measure where my foot actually contacted the ground over such a short video clip. Now these were experienced runners and coaches and their response was simply that you exhibit a classic heel strike pattern, next. At the end of the day approximately five of us were sidelined with Achilles issues but were told we all improved our running mechanics. Both the coaches by the way are excellent runners however the way in which they each ran was not at all Pose-like – they ran better. I have pictures of Simon Whitefield and Kyle Jones I took in Kelowna and I could make a case that they are both classic heel strikers from the position of their feet in my pictures. I would never make this claim however.

I have seen programs that must have been developed while the coach was learning how to use the copy and paste function in Excel, training advice written on a napkin or the back of Bicycling Magazine, a printout from a website given to a client. Now the quality of advice is what I would usually look for but when that advice is "on Tuesdays do one hour of intervals" too many questions pop into my mind. It is too easy for many to hang a coaching sign on their front step or develop a website and begin working with clients. They can begin charging $200-$500 a month because that is what the top coaches are charging and say "dammit I am worth that much". However at the end of the day, I like how Gordo Byrn stated "thankfully, it will still take a decade to generate ten years of coaching experience."

I learned the importance of sequencing workouts and what it was to really Periodize a training program when I was completing my Masters Degree. Dr. Steve Norris constantly challenged me to think about the big picture while addressing the details. It all matters. Prior to this period in my career I was just doing what everyone else was doing without much thought as to what the training effects might be, what the best sequence or progression of workouts and training periods was. My eyes were opened to critically look at how a program is truly constructed and how everything interacts and leads to an improvement in performance. To this day I continue to address this and learn. I have been at this for over a decade now and am still learning and retooling my trade. How many others can say the same?

So what is the point of this long post or rant? Honestly this has been a few years coming now as I have seen so many coaches come and go. I have had former coaches who worked for me and athletes I coached set up their own businesses. It is a form of flattery for me as most go and find their niches, establish quality training environments that don't infringe on others and continue to learn and evolve as coaches. However some of them have stated they know the equivalent and have the same experience level as I do when speaking with potential clients. Using templates I developed, terminology, testing protocols and such does not imply you are equivalent to me. I certainly can't say that I am the equivalent to the coaches I admire, learn from and implement ideas they have presented.

Why does this bother me? It is not about the client deciding not to work with me but I would rather lose a client to another professional coach or group striving for the same thing I am versus someone looking to supplement their real job in order to buy a new bike – the "hobby coach". This would in my mind provide legitimacy in our profession that potential clients are basing decisions on established, experienced and qualified coaches and groups and not the guy who won last weekend's race and works in oil and gas or in the produce aisle.

I am exploring whether or not the business of coaching is truly a hobby business and whether or not I should I go and do a more impactful profession like being an entertainment news reporter. I believe what I do is a good profession especially when a client tells me that without my help they would not have achieved their goals and they learned more about themselves during the training process. One client stated that my profession should not be overlooked or dismissed since I help people at more than racing well, but to understand discipline and hard work, their health is important, there are other things more important and rewarding than chasing money and that I helped build more character and self confidence in them as a person. I may not continue to work with a particular client on a regular basis as that is unrealistic but pride comes when athletes continue to use the training methods I taught them.

As a final interesting statistic that Joe Friel stated at the USAC Summit a few years ago, based on the numbers of athletes licensed as members for USAC and USAT and the number of coaches certified by USAC and USAT, he predicted that in 5 years the ratio of coaches to athletes may be close to 3:1. Perhaps standards and minimum requirements need to be established.

If coaches continue to charge $50 a month and deliver a high quality service or charge $300 a month with poor customer service, questionable knowledge and misguidance the "hobby coach" industry will continue to grow and maybe the professional coaches and groups will be a thing of the past.

JVD

Ironman Canada 2010: Mission Accomplished!

2010-09-06T10:12:00.005-06:00

On August 29 2010, I became a two time Ironman finisher! One of my athletic goals had been not just to complete an Ironman but to complete Ironman Canada which I regarded as my "Kona". I had watched the race for many years from the sidelines and vowed that one day I would take part in the magical experience that I witnessed.

Last year after my failure to successfully complete Calgary 70.3, I seriously questioned if I could go the distance again. I wanted to answer for myself if I was tough enough to do another Ironman. Deep inside I was mixed as I knew if I did the work and looked after myself I could do it but a part of me was also full of doubt.

I was really psychologically tested between Easter and the end of June as I counted almost 10 weeks of reduced to no run training due to my Achilles pain. I kept plugging away at the swim and bike even thought the weather was less than ideal at times and was beginning to revise my race day expectations due to what seemed like a certainty of not running the marathon portion. In my previous post the needling work from Danielle Cregg had allowed me to rebuild my running volume so that I felt confident enough to complete the event.

Race Day

So there I was on race morning walking to the starting area as a competitor versus a spectator and the closely I got to the beach area, the more the butterflies intensified themselves inside my stomach. I found getting around the athlete compound was an exercise in frustration on race morning as it seemed fences were up everywhere. Once I finally got into the special needs bag area and then the body marking lines, frustration grew. I ended up in a line that was actually two lines being services by one body marker. Looking down the street at the other body marking lines appeared to be the same thing - massive numbers of athletes waiting nervously. In contrast when I did IMCDA athletes walked into the huge park where they were greeted by body markers all over the place. I simply walked up to one person and was marked in no time at all. Several people in my lineup had said IM Arizona was an easier process too. Once this hurdle was overcome, I was finally able to get myself ready for the swim start.

It is interesting being one of the thousands of age-groupers getting ready for the swim versus watching in awe of the professionals getting ready to start 15min before us. This go around no one in the transition area cared at all about the pro fields - it seemed like an unnecessary distraction for us. I had to keep myself focused of course. My original plan was to line up on the left side of the start (closest to Lakeshore Dr) but it seemed like two thirds of the field of 2900+ had the same idea. To my surprise the right side (which was in my mind always the ideal piece of beach real estate) was quite open. It gave me a nice trajectory to the buoys. What struck me as odd during the swim was how many people were allowed to swim inside of the course buoys. The only constant seemed that everyone had to go around the two houseboats. I felt strong, relaxed and found my groove early on in the swim which was what I had planned. My initial goal was 65-68min to complete the swim. I was able to achieve 64min!

Heading out onto the bike course was chaos! Everyone mounting there bikes looked like new born calves. Guys were head down and weaving all over the place as if they were first learning how clipless pedals work. I thought I was going to get knocked down by one clown but managed to scoot by him along the barriers. What I next witnessed as I rode up main street should have been infuriating every triathlon coach out there who preaches a conservative start to the bike and to settle into your rhythm. I thought I was in a bike race and I was missing the "break". Guys and girls were hammering up Main Street pushing massive gears at high cadences and some were even frothing from their mouths. This looked more like a Sprint distance triathlon.

Once I was settled into my rhythm, I was moving along Eastside Rd. very nicely until my tool bag fell off the back of my bike. Being so early on in the event I decided to stop and go fetch it. My train of riders I was with were now gone. What I witnessed next was daunting! It seemed like there were 50-75 cyclists approaching me and I had to wait for a spot to open up so I could start off riding again. I was quickly making up time again towards Maclean Creek Rd and was looking forward to the first climb to pass more people and then start my nutrition plan. Again I witnessed the hammerfest up the steep inclines which was becoming frustrating as I was getting blocked in by riders going up the climb. The roadie instinct in me wanted to drop the hammer and get ahead of everyone but why burn up a series of matches to get away from people who would be dropped quickly on the flats. I was staying on task.

Now, heading down HWY 97 towards Oliver and Osoyoos appears to be a mainly down hill portion of the event so cyclists can make up some time without working too hard before the Ritcher Pass climb. This stretch is where the rampant cheating shows itself! I haven't seen so many drafting cyclists before except in road racing! What I witnessed was noting short of an appalling display of adhering to the race rules, lack of respect for other competitors and the sport. I was being passed by groups of 5, 10, 20, 30+ pelotons! There were double pace lines, a group of 5 taking 20seconds pulls and the winner of them all a pack of 30+ cyclists soft pedalling with guys talking to each other like it was a coffee ride. This group was stretched from the shoulder of the HWY to the yellow line and they were just easing away from those of us who were forced to sit up and not get caught up in their draft. I watched as female competitors latched onto wheels and even worked their way into the middle of the group for a better draft. Not one draft marshall came by as I watched the group ride together until Osoyoos. Pathetic. Sick.

Ritcher Pass was great as I began passing a bunch of the guys and girls who were in the peloton that is until we hit the descent, the rollers, the false flat and headwind section to Keremeos, the orchard and half way up Yellow Lake. In fact the drafting was far superior to what I watched the weekend before at Triathlon Nationals for the elites who appeared to have no clue how to draft on the bike. Maybe they should jump into an Ironman event for some practice! From the special needs turnaround the road was packed from shoulder to yellow line on both sides. I could tell that once someone stuck their nose out into the headwind, they found it was better to just tuck in behind the pack of riders.

I was able to pass a ton of blown riders up Yellow Lake as it started to rain but again I watched riders grab wheels like it was a road race. Some members of the team BRAT were the worst offenders. All I could do was watch one guy latch on to another's rear wheel as he whispered "#$&* you" to me. So I dropped the ass clown. Another ass clown decided to draft me up the climb and when I looked back I could see him smiling at me. So I swerved and gave him the Lance to Ullrich "look" at which point he dropped back at least three bike lengths.

Beyond the drafting, my hips and low back were starting to feel the strain of the day. Once the rain began to fall at the bottom of Yellow Lake, I felt electric and easily climbed to the top. The crowds this year were sparse - no doubt due to the weather so the TdF feeling wasn't quite there. Thanks to those who braved the elements and did shout out to us words of encouragement!

The picture above was taken by my wife from Penticton of the storm a number of racers went through. As I crested the top of Yellow Lake, I knew there might be some trouble as the air temperature was quite cool up there. Once I got to the Twin Lakes area, I was beginning to feel really cold and on the descent it was sleeting and or hailing a bit as my exposed skin was being stung as I descended. On the last little bit of up hill I tried to increase my body temperature by riding harder but I was starting to stiffen up in the legs, hips, back and shoulders. I was now becoming a bit concerned about the drop down to Penticton. I was having troubles seeing through all the moisture on my glasses and my body was starting to shake uncontrollably as I descended. The crosswinds would knock my front wheel around, the water running down and across the road was making braking harder, the wind was dropping my core temperature very rapidly, I was losing feeling in my hands, I thought I had two flat tires going through the switch back section... Once I got back down to HWY 97 I was shaking uncontrollably now and I was just not able to pedal anymore. The tail wind really helped make matter worse now as I was riding faster but had very little control of the bike as I couldn't take my hands off the bull horns. Once we got to the outskirts of town the road had a line across it -dry on the Penticton side and wet on the other. I was not sure I could go on to the run as I was frozen. I figure I lost about 10min from the top of Yellow Lake to Penticton due to the rain storm. I was also not able to hydrate or eat during that time so was not sure of my energy levels heading out onto the marathon.

I was mildly surprised that I could run as well as I was out of transition. In fact I was running faster than planned for the first 10km. However, once 17-18km came around I was now feeling the lack of run training coming into effect. Six and half weeks of running which was equal to where I was in the spring was not going to cut it today. I soldiered onwards and went through a few mentally rough spells but was overwhelming positive the whole day which was a big goal for me. The final 10km felt really solid and I even caught back and passed a number of runners who passed me throughout the marathon. The hardest part was running to the turnaround point on Lakeshore Dr. Once I got around that turnaround I saw a bunch of friends I hadn't seen in a while encouraging me on and then I saw my family near the finish line. I was amazed at the time on the clock as I was almost certain I was over 12 hours. Crossing the line felt good as I was spent but not destined to enter the medical tent! I had overcome all my self doubt and fears on this day and achieved my goals on the day;

1. Finish the event.
2. Finish under 12hours.
3. Control my emotions throughout the day and overcome all challenges.

So, what are my overall impressions of IMC? Well it wasn't what I had hoped it to be. So many people have said it is their favorite event and would keep coming back. I didn't get that feeling this year - not like I did at IMCDA in 2007. The crowds seemed smaller despite more competitors on course. Okanagan Falls was pretty rocking at the marathon turnaround but the finishing straight lacked the celebration experienced in CDA. The drafting was too rampant and flagrant. There were fewer athletes encouraging one another out there - not sure if it was due to a tough day but more people seemed to be in there own world out there. This more than likely included myself. Perhaps I had hyped this event up in my head so much as it was for me "Kona". There were also reports that tourist season happened early this year and that the back to school early Albertans were not in town which may have limited the number of people around. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of my achievement and that I finally completed IMC.

I feel the size of the field needs to be cut back to 2500. The bike route should be reversed to make it harder and to help sort out the drafting issues. The controversial finishing time of 17hours should be reduced to 15hours??? Kick me now for saying this but it may prompt people to think harder about the commitment required to accomplish the event. Finally I would like to see the finish happen on Main Street again like it did years ago. Main Street has seemed like a ghost town since the finish area changed. When I watched the event years ago and the finished just off Main Street, Main Street used to be packed with people and the local stores were open for business. The finishing area at IMCDA is fantastic as finishers get the whole street to yourself and the crowds are deep there which enhances the ambiance of the event.

I know I can go faster and have not yet reached what I believe is my potential for such an event. However, it will be a few years before I revisit an IM event. I would need to feel this hunger to do another. I have already had some feelings about another but it will be at another event and not IMC. IMC may be down the road.

My goals for next year will be in the sprint, Olympic distance and XTerra events. I enjoyed doing the Kelowna Apple sprint this year and would like to get back to the "pain cave" races and training again to boost my speed. Heck I am turning 40 next year so need to address speed work again to be ready for a possible IM event down the road...

JVD

Running Again!

2010-07-08T13:06:00.002-06:00

Since my last posting, I have been seeing a great local physio, Danielle Cregg, at the Lindsay Park Sports Physiotherapy Clinic. When I first met her she did the routine tests to determine what my issues were and when she touched my Achilles tendon I pretty much buckled and fell to the ground! Embarrassing but nonetheless it showed my current state.

She has been placing a lot of needles in both my calves, glutes and lower back and to great effect. After treatment number one, I was back to running the next day and since then I have been back up to 90min of straight running on my long run day. I am not able to yet push my running abilities but my goals now are to re-build some resiliency in my running muscles as I am several weeks away from IMC.

It is finally nice to see progress and to know that the issue is not really my Achilles tendon but related to a series of trigger points throughout my calves. IN fact, when I feel and issue in my Achilles as I run I can stop and massage the trigger points and it feels like a re-set button has been pushed and I can resume running pain free. That is until it flares up again but that is becoming less and less now.

So, touch wood now until August 29th!

JVD

Kick the Kicks?

2010-05-13T09:04:00.005-06:00

It has been a long time since I last posted anything. It is interesting as I reflect back on why this is the case and I chalk it up to a simple case of being too busy and having to "pare" some things away in order to stay focused on preparing for Ironman Canada this August.

I have really noticed the past 6 months how time consuming training for the Ironman has been. I did make a commitment to myself this year that I would put my training needs at the forefront of my daily requirements. But this has often times left me pondering all the other obligations I am leaving on the back burner until I get home. I many ways I have had to be very creative in when I train - sometimes when the kids are at ball practice or karate, riding the LONG way to a ball game etc. One thing I struggle with is getting up early to train as I tend to be up later in the evenings finishing work items and such. I also notice how my body is just not ready to forge ahead on the early mornings. Odd for someone involved in triathlon for sure but nonetheless it is what it is for me.

Lately I have been reading "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall which probes into the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyon region of Mexico. In short they are revered for their barefoot running abilities and ultramarathon prowess. The point I have found fascinating in the book relates to the running barefoot movement and the trends noted in the incidence of injuries in runners since the rise of the modern day running shoe. Why this strikes a chord with me is because my Achilles issues have resurfaced again about 5 weeks ago.

In reading the book and reflecting upon what happened I can almost trace the issue back to the time I bought two new pair of shoes. So my run training is going well, I think that I need to change my shoes because the "running authorities" have always said to change your shoes when they get worn out and so I do. Now I bought the same pair that I found worked very well for me last year so no difference in the actual model. However, I recall last year a period of time when I simply did not enjoy running in these shoes for some odd reason. Then after a period of walking around in them they all of a sudden became comfortable. In fact super comfortable to run in. Fast forward now to purchasing the new shoes and boom injury strikes. One of my complaints was a feeling of being disconnected to my lower legs and the ground which felt strange. So much so that I would look down to see if I was in fact actually striking the ground with my feet. Yeah sounds odd but it felt odd.

The book goes into some nice detail on some research on foot mechanics and the need for our feet to "feel" the ground and react to the ground. As it turns out our current day cushioned shoes which were designed to alleviate injuries may in fact be the root cause for many of our injuries. The rationale behind this thought is that when we wear shoes, our feet struggle to "feel" the ground and as such research has shown that ground reaction forces tend to be higher when wearing a shoe than when running barefoot as our natural shock absorbers can react better to the contact with the ground. I theorize that the new shoes provided so much more cushioning than in the "seasoned" shoes and that I really could not feel the ground effects which altered my gait somewhat and lead to additional strain being placed on my Achilles tendons. The book had cited that for many people the thought to be broken down shoes were in fact more comfortable and allowed for better sensory input to the foot. Perhaps then running shoes are not really ready to be run in until 200 miles of use have been walked in them? Maybe the worn out shoes you have can still be worthwhile trainers or racers??

So moving forward from here my plan is to wear the new shoes around to break them down more, start practicing some barefoot/Vibram Five Fingers running on grass, strengthening my feet and lower limbs with balancing, more massage, stretching and progressively rebuilding my running volume and mechanics. I doubt anyone will see me running around barefoot in races but then again there are a few in "Born to Run" who have found a new connection with running and have been injury free since they kicked their "kicks".

Food for thought...

JVD

Power Meter Seminar Re-cap

2009-12-07T15:45:00.002-07:00

Thank you to everyone who took the time to come out and hear me speak about power meters last Thursday. In hindsight the evening went by quickly for me but I got the sense from the yawns that either people were tired due to their training or more likely bored due to information overload or that this was too much to bother with in their own training management.

My apologies for the information overload but as you can see there is more to a power meter than just a flashing wattage number on a small computer screen. There is a lot more that can be expanded upon and taught.

Since starting with a power meter almost 5 years ago, I have been able to learn more about the pursuit of performance and even more about the art of periodization. The Performance Management Chart (PMC) which is found in the WKO+ software is an amazing tool to compile information and see trends in your training over long periods of time using the concepts of Chronic Training Load (CTL), Acute Training Load (ATL) and Training Stress Balance (TSB).

I have created a dumbed down version in Excel which has allowed me to input what athletes have done in the past to get a sense of their overall training history or what their previous coach may have started with them using CTL, ATL and TSB. One specific example is when I took over a client from a coach who moved away and I inputted 6 months of their training prescription into my spreadsheet to see the evolution of the athlete's training in order to continue on without missing a beat. What came out after all the inputting was pretty much a flat line indicating no true increase in the fitness level of the athlete - also corroborated via performance time trials of 3 minutes and 20 minutes. Point being, just because you periodized something doesn't mean it is being periodized. Being able to graphical see this is educational and helps to challenge me in progressing an athlete.

At the same time just because the CTL rises the ATL falls and TSB will show good preparedness on a specific date doesn't ensure success for the athlete. One must do the specific training necessary for the goal event(s) in order to have a chance at a personal best. Simply doing massive amounts of LSD training will not optimize one's performance potential despite the assumed increase in CTL over time. Hence there is still an art to be applied to training prescription. Power meters help in developing and measuring the specificity of one's training or lack thereof.

Athletes still have to do the correct amount and type of work and in endurance sports they need to do a lot of work to see long term results and changes in their fitness. How much work is a question of how much time does the athlete have to devote to training and maximizing their recovery time. For many it may be an issue of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should". This is one of the things that can be explored and determined in WKO+ so long as the correct information is compiled and the correct "anchors" like Functional Threshold Power (FTP)are used and referenced.

So remember to always "zero" the power meter for best results, get the unit calibrated each year or two in case something happens to it and make sure to download the files as that is where the real information is hidden.

For anyone interested in a Quarq Cinqo crank-based power meter I am on their coach program meaning I can offer these great units to clients in order to better facilitate the training process. Please contact me at jvdcoach@telus.net for more information and options.

JVD

Power Meter Seminar

2009-10-27T12:41:00.001-06:00

Power meters continue to revolutionize how cyclists and triathletes train for competition along with optimizing one's race strategy. However, how many people really know how to use a power meter? This seminar will provide an overview of the various power meters and how the information collected can be of use to athletes and coaches.

Specific examples will be shown from actual racing and training power files.

If you are considering joining the "power revolution" this seminar will help provide you with the information to make an informed decision and how to do more than just observe your power numbers.

Presented by Jack VanDyk

When: Thursday December 3rd 7-9pm.

Where: Talisman Centre - The Riverview Room.

Cost $15.00

Please reserve your spot by contacting Jack at 403.355.1259 or jvandyk@talismancentre.com.

Finding Meaning and True Motivation

2009-09-02T15:42:00.002-06:00

They say "every picture tells story" but this doesn't have to mean every story a pictures tells is a good one. For example the picture posted above tells a tale of a broken spirit nearly reduced to tears, questioning why he is out there suffering on the Yellow Lake climb, whether or not he is physically and mentally strong enough to go on in triathlon and struggling to understand the reason why he should go onwards to Ironman Canada in 2010.
Originally I wanted to use a picture from 70.3 since that was a defining day for me in terms of things gone wrong. On August 2nd 2009, I sufferred.

What Happened?

In short what happened was my stomach shut down out on the run which led to a backlog of fuel in my stomach or more precisely in my small intestines where absorption of fluid and food actually occurs. The direct cause was eating too large an amount of "chewie" sports nutrition products near the end of the bike course. As such I left transition with a bolus of undigested chewies in the gut which created a sort of "dam" in my system which I later saw at the 19.5km point of the run. Rookie mistake. I know better. I learned something new on that day about my body.

We all have a bad day from time to time and I had one on that day. So I have moved on and I am looking forward now versus dwelling on what happened.

Reflection

To find meaning as to why I enjoy partaking in triathlons and what keeps me motivated to do so required some time away and a lot of self reflection. I got both the week after Calgary 70.3 where the first two and half days were spent recovering physically from the Sunday race. My family and I travelled to Couer d'Alene which has become one of our favorite summer locations to visit. The drive down was tough for me and I tried to sleep my way to our rented house. Between sleeping I had lots of time to reflect not so much on the event and what happened but more on myself. I interrogated myself silently to see if I was too weak to continue and would rather quit all of this – at several points I did quit. After more sleep, the next round of interrogations occurred and I was on the fence and convinced that I didn't have to do another Ironman. In fact I could simply just do sprint distance events and Olympic distance events because they are in fact still triathlons. There is no shame in not doing another Ironman as I have already done one. More sleep and now I am at peace with myself and plotting what I have to do to be ready for next year's Ironman.

When we were in Couer d'Alene something interesting and somewhat "destined" for me appeared. The August 2009 issue of Triathlete magazine which is a Sport Psychology Special Edition! Within the pages there is a great article by Ben Greenfield entitled "What Really Motivates You?" which offers a great exercise in exploring the question "Why do you really do triathlons?" that he poses. He cites that there are two different forms of motivation (irrational or emotional and rational or logical) and that we should all explore and identify what our irrational or emotional motivation is for doing triathlons because once you hit a bad patch during an event, knowing your true motivation can get you through this. Check out his blog posting at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2009/05/why/ where you can explore more and see examples of why others do triathlons.

Exploring My Motivation

In answering the question "why do you do triathlons" for myself, I found it was a harder exercise than originally thought. Honestly I had never really explored this consciously other than I enjoy the diverse training, the challenge of training for three sports, learning the technical nuances of swimming and challenging myself to do better than before. So in looking at things from a more emotional perspective (I will preserve the analysis for myself) I determined that my motivation is to prove to myself that I am both physically and more importantly mentally tough enough to complete another Ironman event with the intent on proving it at Ironman Canada in 2010. Further to my motivation is that I want to be in control of how I feel and execute on that day. My best events have always been defined by how in control I felt on that day regardless of outcome. I have often found that once I am no longer in control of my emotions or lose focus, I struggle and feel empty. I want to evoke the passion, commitment, consistency, knowledge and belief required to do this event. Yes I have a time goal. We all do. However so much can happen on the big day that can easily derail the time goal and yet still yield a special experience. So I seek a feeling of complete control on the day derived from being physically and mental "tough enough" forged through the many hours of training that lay ahead.

Right Now

I have successfully completed an Ironman in 2007 where I was feeling fantastic at the finish line, giddy from the experience and above all proud of my accomplishment – I was in complete control that day. My finest athletic accomplishment to date and in my head that day I had already committed to doing another Ironman in the years to come. I want that feeling again and as Sammy Hagar says in a live performance with Van Halen "what is understood doesn't need to be discussed" and so it was like that on Monday August 31^st as I lined up at 5:30am to register for next year's event alongside veteran IM athletes and first timers. No one in that line discussed their reasons why they wanted to do it – we just all knew it.

The road in front of me now is a full commitment towards August 29 2010. I am already enjoying this journey!

JVD

Final Preparations.

2009-07-23T13:50:00.002-06:00

Hard to believe that the season is nearing the BIG events of the season as it just seems like summer began.

Last week I did the Ironspirit Camp in Penticton with Kevin Cutjar's crew. A great camp if you are focused on Ironman Canada especially if you get to train in the oppressive heat as we did. We were riding and running in mid 30 degree Celsius temperatures and everyone felt like they were dying out there on the roads. Since returning to Calgary which is finally seeing a nice warm spell, I don't really feel the heat when training outside. I have spoken with several triathletes who are complaining now of this heat.

With Ironman 70.3 Calgary a mere 10 days away, this is the time for many of you to start tapering for the event. This means that you should have already completed the training for the event and are now resting to allow the final peak preparation weeks you did to be absorbed by the body. Tapering in short is a marked reduction in your training volume while maintaining the frequency and specific race intensity over that time period. A few additional rest days can be thrown in as you feel are needed to tend to other "life" details or final travel or equipment preparations. This is now the time when you need to look back through your training logs to see all the training you have accomplished and to believe and trust that you are prepared. Do not cram more volume or overly intensive training in during this period as it will not benefit you at all for the upcoming race.

This time period is also great for you to write out your race day plan in as detailed a manner as possible. Plan your fueling scheme so you know how much you will need on race day and more importantly how much you will need to carry with you on the bike. Kevin spoke about carrying as little as possible on your bike to keep it lightweight versus loading 10lbs of stuff on board. There is no need to have 4 bottles on your bike. There is no need to have a full Bento box on your bike either. Use a front hydration system for your water and then carry one bottle on your downtube that can be replaced at aid stations. Carry gels in your race top rear pockets and grab more as needed from aid stations. Carry no more than 2 spare tubes, CO2 canisters and tire levers and use electrical tape to attach these to your seat post or tucked up under your saddle. Remember Calgary 70.3 is a hilly bike course.

A few additional tips;

Get new tires and tubes mounted to your wheels.
Put on a new chain or replace your drive train if required.
Check your shifting and braking performance and replace cables as required.
Clean your bike.
Check your cycling cleats and replace as needed.
Check your helmet and straps.
Set your bike up now in race day configuration so you can ride it to test it out.

Tips 1 thru 4 will net you a nice boost in efficiency on race day as everything will shift and move so smoothly. Trust me on this one.

In terms of dealing with the heat that may or may not be present on race day, prepare for it both mentally and physically. Get outside during the hottest part of the day to train and or walk or even sit in the heat. Kevin also spoke about "attitude" as a major contributor to persevering or suffering. Be positive. Kevin's mantra when he and the other thousands of athletes were facing one of the hottest Ironman Canada race days a few years back was "Bring it on. Is that all you've got?". As many crumbled on the course and they had a record number of participants drop out, he thrived in it and he attributed his success to being positive and staying in control of his emotions.

I will admit that I crumpled mentally and physically in the Penticton heat but I attribute much of my poor attitude at that time to being sick. However after some reflection time and speaking with Kevin and other athletes about this my attitude now has changed (I am also feeling much better health wise too) and I welcome the challenges that will come my way whether they be this weekend at Sylvan Lake, next weekend at Calgary 70.3 or next year at Ironman Canada.

Good luck to everyone in finishing the season successfully.

JVD

My Power Meters

2009-06-11T14:53:00.007-06:00

Power meters are all the buzz these days for cyclists and triathletes. It is interesting however that this buzz was first created by the cyclists and not the triathletes who seem to create a buzz about anything you could attach to a bike, shoe or body. We have several choices of power meters out there but the criteria to determine which one to get is the most difficult to establish. Do you go for scientific precision, cost, features, crank-based, hub-based, chain-based or none of these? How about weight? If I go with a hub-based system can I use my race wheels??

Such was the case when I first ventured into the world of power meters in 2004. Actually my first power meter was a Tacx Grand Excel stationary ergometer to which I still use to this very day. I can still remember finishing Grad school and seeing this amazing unit come to a local bike shop and how it would change my world forever - at least training and coaching wise. It was revolutionary for me as I could now train by power at home or wherever there was an outlet and not view the Human Performance Laboratories as the only place one could conduct experiments and fitness and performance tests. I was amazed then and now how much I learned from Grad school that I could actually use in the real world and actually build a career out of it.

So as you can tell, power meters have been an important training tool for me. Early on as I began coaching mountain bike racers and then road racers, heart rate was the training metric of choice for everyone. That was until I started testing my athletes and whoever was willing to come into my garage for weekend torture sessions. On Saturday I would conduct Maximal Aerobic Power (MAP) Tests (3min stages of increasing wattage until failure)on my Tacx unit and collected blood samples for lactate analysis to develop a metabolic profile of their fitness. On Sunday my boys and girls would indulge me in various time trials which ranged from 5km, 10km to 20km and I would calculate Critical Power and Critical Speed which further provided me a profile of each athlete. It was pioneering work for me and shortly after everyone saw dramatic progress every 8 to 12 weeks and finally gave in to my preaching on how training with power was the most effective means to prescribe training, many had gone out and bought their own units. It was fantastic! My programs were more specific and explicit than ever and no one could just coast through a workout.

My first mobile power meter was a PowerTap SL laced to a Mavic Open Pro rim. It was awesome! I used it everywhere and recorded every workout I could. When the unit broke on me out in a rain storm and I was without "power" for 5 weeks I was a mental wreck. It was at this time I realized I was a power junkie and I needed my fix. I did come to grips with not having the PowerTap and actually got to ride some wheels I had let collect dust and became reaquainted with my heart. What I had learned to realize was that I had learned how to read my training based on how my body felt during various training sessions which is a good thing because I now preach to all my athletes that if we striped all the power meters, heart rate monitors, cycling computers, GPS etc from our handlebars we still have to perform and we can still ride our bikes. The monitors teach us about our responses to training and help to calibrate our brain somewhat so that without the empirical numbers, we have a very precise sense of how hard we are actually working or performing on a given ride - good or bad.

As such, I have been wanting to share my thoughts on the iBike power meter. It is an amazingly complex computer given that it does not calculate power via strain gauges imbedded on a crank's spider or a rear hub. Rather it measures all forces opposing a rider such as wind, road slope, elevation change and accounting for the effects of gravity. Quite remarkable in fact. However, it is not quite useable out of the box as you must input personal data such as rider weight and bike weight to ensure accurate power readings. Then you must perform a series of roll down calibrations in a static position and then follow it up with a 4 mile calibration ride to set the slope and wind reading functions. By all acounts it sounds easy enough until the day you get out there and you need to find a flat to slightly uphill road o 0.4 mile in length for coast downs with minimal traffic, minimal wind, no gusting winds etc. Then you need a relatively quiet road 2 miles in length to do the out and back 4 mile calibration ride minimizing sharp corners where you need to apply the brakes. I have since found an area that works if the conditions are right and that is why it has taken a while to properly calibrate my iBike and collect data.

I sold my PowerTap a few years back and upgraded to an SRM crank-based powermeter as I wanted to use various wheels for various events and was not overly concerned with my crank choice. The SRM has always been considered the "gold-standard" in power meters but then again VO2max was also considered the "gold-standard" of one's aerobic fitness and that view has been changed too.

My intention for the iBike was simply to log training data when I would ride my road bike so I could have some quantifiable numbers from that bike for tracking purposes in WKO+ since I moved the SRM to my TT/tri bike. After calibrating the iBike (Gen II model), I put the SRM cranks back on the road bike for a comparison over several rides. Initially I was very impressed as they both seemed to report similar numbers early on. After a period of riding however, they would begin to dissociate from one another leaving me perplexed as to why this would happen. Velocomp LLP who makes the iBike seemed to have addressed my concerns and as I found out, the concerns of hundreds of other users with the release of the Gen III iBike. The new Gen III iBike has a ton of great features that the other power meters don't have. In fact I can upgrade the firmware on my iBike and turn it into an iAero which would lead to more potentially geeked-out things to do (http://www.ibikesports.com/products.html). This would allow me to use any other AnT+ Sport compatible power meter with the iBike computer head creating a real time wind tunnel-like tool.

This spring I was finally able to calibrate the Gen III unit and rode it with the SRM again for a week. What I found was that the SRM and iBike both show the same power profile when graphed together but the SRM reports higher values than the iBike does. I have tweaked the constant variables in the iBike software to see if I could get the two meters to report the same but I have since given up as it just doesn't work. Here is a comparison shot of iBike and SRM power data for the same ride:

At this point my only gripe with the funtionality of the unit is during cross wind situations as the wind port tends to be hidden from cross winds and as such does not report numbers deemed more appropriate for the perceived effort level. I experienced this as my SRM numbers jumped as I felt the increased resistance from the crosswind but the iBike numbers dropped as it could not collect the wind data. My second gripe is with all the addiiotnal costs of keeping up with the advances in the unit by Velocomp LLP. For example there is a new tube which looks like a Camelback drink tube but with a special connector that inserts into the wind port. This is apparently a solution for using the iBike on TT bikes and to help improve the collected wind data. The cost of this is U.S. $54 plus U.S. $40 for shipping. Ouch.

So does this mean that the iBike is not worthy?

The question has been answered most succinctly on the iBike forum by Boyd Johnson where he states something to the effect that there will always be errors in each of the power meters no matter their claims. I am confident in what he has reported in the following link; (http://www.ibikesports.com/techinfo.html). I have to say at times I have questioned whether or not my SRM is measuring my true output based upon my actual performances!

In summary power meters are invaluable whether they be a stationary trainer version or one of the mobile versions. Follow all set-up procedures carefully no matter the unit and pay attention to what you see in ral time and when analyzing the data in the software used. As long as the numbers are consistent in their reporting over the same or relatively the same conditions then you have a reliable unit and you can trust the numbers as they are personal to you. I would caution comparing with others as this can lead to false assumptions and outcomes.

JVD

Five Traits of Successful Athletes Part II:

2009-02-24T17:00:00.003-07:00

Here are the three remaining traits I started with from the previous post...

Consistency

“Steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.”
– Dictionary.reference.com

Training is a cumulative process that takes time. In some cases a lot of time and the successful athletes show a level of consistency day to day, week to week, month to month that leads to the accumulation of high levels of fitness. The process of training hard for a short period of time and then not training for a period of time which so many people fall into just does not yield the same results and these athletes often feel they are “behind” everyone else and often are heard saying “if I had only trained more”. Over the years I have learned that even getting out for 30 minutes when pressed for time contributes to the development of my overall fitness if the intensity of the training is maximized for short periods of time and I quickly get back on my regular training program. If I take too many days or weeks of reduced to no training, my overall fitness begins to erode and I am in need of more consistent training to build back up. There are some great software packages on the market that allow us to track our accumulated fitness and measure it against our performance(s) which helps to quantify our training doses and the response it has on our body. However, when training drops off for a period of illness, injury or “life” getting in the way, it is quite easy to see the impact in the graphs. Those who are successful show a steady rise and gain in their fitness curve and their performances and when they can keep training consistently from year to year, continue to show improvements. “You Only Get Out What You Put In”.

Knowledge

“Expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject, (ii) what is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information or (iii) awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.” - Wikipedia

Successful athletes are students of what they do and amass as much understanding of the training they undertake, how nutrition impacts their health and performance, the equipment required to maximize their potential, the mental demands of training and competing, how rest and recovery impacts their body etc. The most rewarding clients I have worked with were those who asked a lot of questions to further their understanding of what I was prescribing to them which in turned pushed me to critically evaluate everything to ensure the correct decisions were being made. Once you understand the “why’s” and “how’s” of training, your level of commitment to your training and nutrition will increase since you will know what your return on your time investment will be. Swimming is a great example as one can see that the more time one puts towards understanding, learning and practicing good technique with a great coach, their confidence increases and swimming becomes much less daunting.

In addition to gaining knowledge, challenging one’s self by learning and practicing disciplines that are often perceived as “weaknesses” presents an opportunity for self improvement and development. Immersing one’s self in a new discipline can be unnerving and frustrating at first but we often learn more when we are confused and we make mistakes as it provides us focus, a new learning environment and fosters belief in our abilities – at least for those who persevere, never quit or give up who are the ones that often succeed.

Belief

“Confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.” – Dictionary.reference.com

The human body remains a marvelous mystery for science. We really only know a small amount of information on how the body works and how it reacts to various training stimuli and we each respond differently to a similar stimulus. Therefore it becomes hard to prescribe the same training or nutrition programs to athletes and say it works as there are so many variables that can affect the overall outcome. The athletes that I have worked with who never succeeded in achieving their goals simply did not believe in themselves or their training program. I have often stated to clients that I can craft the greatest training program on paper taking into consideration physiology, psychology, nutrition, recovery etc but if they do not believe in it and hence stop following it or deviate from it because they are uncomfortable doing something “new”, they will rarely achieve their goals. Conversely, I have seen some athletes doing strange and seemingly counter-intuitive training but because they believe so much in what they are doing achieve success. In sport as in life many equate that the physical component in accomplishing a goal varies from 10-30% while the mental component can be 70-90% of the reason for success. As much as we can bring scientific principles into our training we must believe it can benefit us in some way and we must also apply that information in an effective manner which leads to fueling one’s passion, commitment, consistency, knowledge and furthers ones beliefs. Often I have used fitness testing as a means to confirm improvements in performance and to show quantifiable changes in one’s physiology which provides reassurance to my clients that the time they put into training under my guidance is paying off. Testing can also confirm when someone has not done the training and helps them to re-focus on what they are to do to get back on track. Making and actually seeing transformations is a powerful motivator for people that helps build self-confidence and instills that belief that they truly can do whatever they set their sights upon.

Conclusions

As I have already stated these are five traits or qualities that I have noted in those athletes I have worked with who achieved their goals. They are also the traits that I have not seen in those who have not achieved their goals. One can almost build a “star” or some form of a model where the interrelationship between each of these can be seen. Affecting one can have a chain reaction on the others in a positive or negative manner and we all go through phases of these in our daily lives. How we manage each depends on how in tune we are with ourselves and how we choose to deal with the circumstances surrounding and challenging us.

JVD

Five Traits of Successful Athletes Part I:

2009-02-09T15:14:00.002-07:00

As the Endurance Training Systems Coordinator at the Talisman Centre and having been a training advisor/coach for close to 9 years now, I wanted to share some thoughts regarding what traits or qualities those who have achieved their goals have demonstrated and embodied from my years of coaching and training. Of course there are more than the five I muse about in this short writing, but these five traits or qualities stand out for me and I have found them to be intertwined with one another. Note that I am not about to presnt physiological traits of successful athletes - there are more than enough great review articles that have been published over the years for many sporting disciplines to cover those "traits". I will share two at this time and present the others in another post so as to keep from being too long winded.

Passion

Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for anything. Passion often applies to lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love. -Wikipedia

It is not enough to simply “want” something. There needs to be some “spark” or desire, purpose perhaps to pursue a goal either in life or sport. I have worked with 100+ individual athletes over the past 10 years and what differentiates those who succeed from those who don’t is their passion. To get up at 5am and run when it is cold and dark outside or to sit on the indoor trainer for several hours is not for everyone. Those who have passion see beyond the wish to sleep in and the boredom of being indoors and continue to focus on “why” they are doing the training. Every workout has a purpose including rest and they embrace that train of thought which yields mental strength that is often counted upon when the chips are down on race day. Once they have achieved their goal(s) the passionate ones look back and see how those training sessions contributed to their achievement making the experience more rewarding and meaningful to them. For those who simply go through the motions, cut workouts short, miss workouts on a regular basis, make excuses for why they can’t do this or that are often the ones who don’t understand why they failed to achieve their goal(s) and often finger point to external reasons. Always understand clearly why you are training or working towards something and make sure they are for strong personal reasons rather than just to do something because others are doing it.

Commitment

Personal commitment, interaction dominated by obligations. These obligations may be mutual, or self-imposed, or explicitly stated, or may not. …personal commitment, which is often a pledge or promise to ones' self for personal growth. Being bound emotionally/intellectually to a course of action. - Wikipedia

I firmly believe that both commitment and passion are heavily intertwined and could be argued that without one you can not truly have the other. The successful athletes I have worked with show high levels of personal commitment towards the achievement of their goals which is fueled by their passion to fulfill their goals. For those who sign up one year in advance for an Ironman triathlon that is a huge first step towards a commitment to completing that event. However beyond registering for it the tough part lies in the physical and mental preparation required to fulfill it and many participants haven’t explored their reasons for doing the Ironman and how that decision can affect those around them. One must become committed to being in the pool by 6am for the coached swim session, one must commit to eating the right foods at the right time to support their daily training and general energy needs and one must be committed to getting to sleep earlier to rest the body and mind etc. With the commitment to doing the things required to successfully prepare for the event, the likelihood of having a “great” day is increased.

For many with a family or a meaningful relationship the commitment to preparing for the event extends beyond the personal realm as the loved one’s who are supporting you are often the one’s who sacrifice the most. One must realize that doing 4-6 hour rides on weekends for a period of time is required preparation which means that loved one’s will be often left behind to do other things. Add to this the recovery time required after such arduous training which may limit what activities can be done with loved one’s. There is also a large financial commitment to consider with travel, accommodation, equipment, nutrition perhaps coaching etc. If they are supportive of your goal(s) in doing an event always remember that you are not just committed to yourself, but you are also making a commitment to your loved one’s to ensure your time spent away from them and the financial outlay is productive and will increase the likelihood of success on the big day.

Jack

Advanced Heart Rate Monitors

2008-12-02T15:21:00.006-07:00

Two things that raised my heart rate in Florida!

Most know me as a "training equipment geek" as I tend to have a pile of gadgets I use for my training purposes. Yes it is an expensive hobby but so are so many other things in life like drinking fine wine, HD televisions, cars, vacations etc. I guess this stems back to the days when I began cross country ski racing when I was introduced to "formalized" training versus the flogging nature of soccer I was involved in as a youth. One of the first gadgets I remember being introduced to was the heart rate monitor (HRM). Back then Polar was just coming out with their first commercial units which were big, black and boxy on the wrist. I was amazed at what it was telling me - my heart rate (HR). I remember during training sessions with other athletes where we were all trying to achieve the highest HR for some feeling of superiority over one another. The coaches imposed "target zones" on each of use which was based on the formula 220-age and set the monitors to beep every time we fell out of the zones. We somewhat became "slaves" to the numbers and often found ourselves moving really slowly to maintain our "zones". To this day I still see people subscribing to this school of thought without any regard for their performance - I realize I am opening a can of worms now with that comment...

It was also back then when I bought my first HRM, not a Polar but they should all do the same thing right? What I found was frustration in using the unit. It apparently had "dead spots" which meant that the wrist unit could not pick up the signal sent out by the transmitter on my chest if say my arm went behind my torso as typically happens during running or cross country skiing. It was also unreliable on the bike, roller skiing, walking and the only time I read numbers I could trust was when I was lying down measuring my rest HR. Fast forward a bit, I traded the HRM to another triathlete for a wheel cover to make-like a disc wheel and then bought a Polar Vantage XL. Lesson I learned from that time is that not all equipment is created equal nor does what it purports to do. Hmm, I later learned in university the concept of validity and reliability which kind of guides my thought processes in purchasing equipment.

The past month and a bit I have spent some time reading up on various pieces of technology to use before, during and after training. I am not meaning for this write-up to be a "plug" for the equipment I talk of so please don't assume I get something in return for writing about them. Specifically I have been interested in the Suunto T6 and Polar RS800 HRM. Now as most know, these days power meters are ruling the roads and are evening finding their way onto mountain bikes and rumors abound of a power meter being developed for runners. There is a software program that will allow us to calculate running power and swimming power - too cool but way too much work for the commoners.

So what is so "cool" about these two HRMs? Well it is certainly not the basic HR feature but rather the ability to record, measure and interpret heart rate variability (HRV). Check out the following link to understand this concept a bit more http://www.firstbeattechnologies.com/index.php?page=121. What is intriguing about this is the prospect of looking at the effects your training has on your heart which is to a large extent the "motor" of or body or if we probe deeper how the training affects your autonomic nervous system.

There is a difference between the Suunto and Polar technology in that Suunto measures training effect (TE) and EPOC which are the outcomes of your training session so it provides a somewhat objective measure of how much "fitness" via TE you have gained and provides a measure of "fatigue" via EPOC. The Polar does not directly measure these variables but rather looks at what your heart is saying while you are at rest. For years I have heard cross country skiers using the Polar s810 HRM to help determine if they were ready to go out and train hard on a given day or inform them of the need for an easier training day. So the Polar provides a somewhat objective measure of how rested you are and your body's readiness to train.

I use the term "somewhat" a fair bit because these units are not without their "quirks". First they do not measure your true performance on a given day as a power meter would do which is a truly objective measure and a proper measure of intensity. Rather they measure the "strain" your body is under from the stress applied. Second, both units require the input of variables such as age, weight, height, activity level, VO2max etc. This is where the "somewhat" comes in (especially with activity level) as you make a determination of your activity level based on the hours per week you train - the Suunto guide is a bit confusing as the activity level I should input by their definition does not make sense. For example I train between 9 to 12 hours per week now which is what they classify as an 8.5 but their definition sights that National level athletes are at this activity level - clearly I am not. So the constant used is not precise. I assume so long as it remains the same that it will report in a reliable fashion. However this leads to the next quirk in that our HR doesn't really change much with training especially in those who have been consistently putting in the work. Now when we measure power output, we can see dramatic increases or decreases overtime to which allows us to quantify our training more effectively. The following link contains everything we wish to know on this concept http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/power411/. Since our HR tends to have a ceiling on it TE may be a questionable measurement since the constants will always be the same unless you change activity level but how does one know if the change is meaningful? My assumption is that the unit uses the measurement of HRV to help differentiate training sessions and if this is the case it may well end up being a great tool to measure one's physiological responses - time will tell. I was in Florida for two weeks and I did one run in which I averaged the same pace as I do here in Calgary but my HR was 8-12bpm higher than usual due to the heat and humidity. Several days later and with higher humidity, I did the same run at the same pace but this time my HR was 20-30bpm higher than usual. It would be interesting to see if the TE and EPOC scores would have been similar since pace was the same or vastly different - I assume the day my HR was really high it would have reported a high TE and EPOC as it would have assumed I was racing that day. This would have been a great test of the unit. No I won't be rushing out to buy one at this time but will keep my eyes on it to see how it evolves.

The interesting thing is that I have a Polar CS600 which has the HRV function (Own Optimizer) but their software bundle does not provide the features that the Suunto does. The link I provided above from Firstbeat Technologies does allow Polar users the ability to measure TE and EPOC, making the Polar a bit more expansive in it's features. I played with the trial version for a bit and it was a neat way to look at things. The trick to getting reliable information from the Polar units is to take a series of baseline resting measurements when in a truly rested state first before using it extensively. This makes sense as it needs to be properly calibrated to your heart rate or more specifically your autonomic nervous system. In theory you should see the numbers reported from the Own Optimizer test change based on the type of training you do as it keeps track of the "trend" in measurements. Still, it is hard to take the time to measure properly everyday and is a bit tedious for those of us with kids jumping on you in the morning or when the alarm doesn't go off setting you back by 30minutes. If anyone reads this and has used either of these units to full effect I welcome the 411.

I wish to wrap this writing up so will speak about the iBike in the future as I eagerly await the Generation III unit to arrive.

Now for a formal "rant" about technology. As I have been researching these units the frustration that comes about is how many units are simply incompatible with one another. Specifically, I was interested in the Suunto Memory belt as it is on the AnT communication system so I thought "hey, it should work with my Garmin Forerunner and iBike since they are also on the AnT system". Alas, there is AnT and AnT+ Sport meaning the Suunto cannot communicate with the Garmin which is too bad. Polar is in their own world with W.I.N.D. but what is interesting is how several manufacturers are actually coming together and making their various products compatible with others - for example you can use the Garmin 705 Edge with the iAero, Quarq, PowerTap, SRM power meters and even the iAero can become the computer head for these wireless power meters. How cool is that? Since they all communicate on the AnT+ Sport even the HRM straps can be used seamlessly after "learning" them. So it would be great to have the ability to pick a HR strap that works with "my" computer head which works with "my" power meter versus wearing one HRM set up and then having the power meter which now can not read my HR so my files are all "incomplete" and I need 3 different computer programs to download into...

Perhaps giving all the gadgets away and simply going old school would work better??

Key message this time around is to really research the equipment for features you NEED, understand how to use the key features you NEED, actually use the features you NEED and somehow learn to integrate what the equipment reports with your internal CPU. Remember these are tools to help you learn more about yourself and how your training affects you and should not become your "crutches". Some of my most memorable rides or training runs happened when I just "went" and enjoyed the experience due to the battery dying on me. I just hope I didn't set a PB that day as I would have no way of proving it to anyone.

JVD

Starting Out Fresh Again

2008-10-30T15:56:00.002-06:00

Yeah I know it has been several eons since I wrote an entry. What's crazy is it doesn't feel like all that long ago. So what is new in my world?? School is back in for the kids, peak season at work is well under way, I became a Beaver leader for my son's Scouts group, I quit bike racing, I have resumed triathlon training, Lance says he is coming back, more dopers were discovered in the Tour and I will be in Disney World soon!

After the Provincial Time Trial in Canmore, I pretty much packed it in for the season. I went through the exercise of reviewing my season and summarizing the highs and lows. Now in years past when I have done this I get super motivated to come back the next season. This year however I was left with mixed feelings. For some reason my motivation for bike racing was drained and I had been left with a tasteless sensation in my mouth. Upon further reflection what I found that bugged me the most was how riders were treated by either the ABA or the race organizers. As an example, in a circuit/road race I and pretty much everyone else in my group was not credited with an offical finish time but rather being relegated to finishing minus 1 lap when in the end I finished on the same lap as the winner. Further to this was having a rider that I actually lapped be credited as finishing on the same lap as I did. In the end, it seems it only matters if you are on the podium or ride in the higher categories to get proper results or props. Another great example is a rider I know who was registered to race but in fact did NOT race and was written up in the overall race summary as being a factor and finished second in a great finishing sprint. So we can register for races now, not show up and gain a podium spot over those who show up?? Another example was Provincial MTB Champs in Edmonton were rumors were swirling that laps may be reduced due to warm weather expected. Notification happened AT the start line when it was overcast and no warmer than 24 or 25 degrees. I guess we Alberta racers are not as tough as the other Provinces so we have to race shorter distances. In years past I had accepted these issues as "part of bike racing" however it really doesn't sell the sport to new comers or keep current members motivated to race or take part and something within me just did not want to accept it anymore.

Since my reflection period my focus has turned back to triathlons but most knew that once my Achilles injury healed I would be back to triathlon anyway. Also, I did not just hang the bike up like so many ex-racers do because I in fact still love to ride. I pimped out my road bike a bit with some carbon cranks moving the SRM to the TT/tri bike and picked up an iBike Pro in order to help quantify my general road rides. This is a topic (many positive aspects) for a future write-up. What has helped to keep me motivated to ride is the fact that I don't have to do it everyday since I can now train swimming, running and weight training on different days. My rides outside were pure joy and exhiliration as I didn't focus too much on watts, cadence or HR - I just rode based on how I felt. Trail running with my dog has also been a nice break as it forces my lungs to heave and my muscles to ache. Massage has also been helping although the fascial release techniques make it feel like my skin is being peeled off from the muscles. Excruiating but effective to sum it up.

All in all my mental state is "fresh" again and I am working on many weaknesses now like swimming, running and general strength and often times being pushed outside my comfort zone - ever done a backwards dolphin kick in the pool or subtle sculling motions under the water or trying to complete 7 to 9 strokes before you can breathe? Have I come around with a desire to get back into bike racing next year? Not really. I am still interested in the time trials if they fit the schedule and possibly the Deadgoat MTB Enduro again - yeah one of my previous write-ups spelled out my agony and grief during that event but it fits with my event interests and I always enjoy the challenge of "redeeming" myself after a poor showing. And yes I would probably do it solo again. Personal challenges is what I chalk it up to be all about for me.

If there is a message to take from this writing it is for everyone to reflect on what you are doing and understand "why" you are doing it with the outcoming being that you are passionate about it otherwise you too may find yourself wondering what that tasteless sensation in your mouth is and where all that time went.

JVD

Update

2008-07-24T15:42:00.002-06:00

It is hard to believe that the last post I made was in June after the 8 Hour MTB enduro. Funny how I had plans to write about my other races and post power files dissecting my interpretation of the races but for some reason I found myself steering clear of the keyboard.

Since that time I have done a number of events like the Devon Omnium (at least two of four events), the Banff BikeFest ITT and the two SpeedTheory ITTs. What do I have to say about each of them? Not much. For some reason I have been doing training albeit not enough in my opinion to meet the goals I set out for myself but I have found that my mind has not really been in it this year. Perhaps it is because I had hopes of being trigeek this year and redeeming my time at Sylvan Lake but injury has kept me from that trajectory. Interesting to note too that this Saturday is the Sylvan Lake half ironman I wanted so badly to take part in. Perhaps once this event has passed my mind will "clear" and I will be focused again.

When I made my decision to just ride the bike this season in March maybe I wasn't clear in my head as to what that actually meant. I used to love bike racing and would literally be in a frenzy for Tuesday night crits! I still enjoy riding but it seems I have come to a cross-roads where I am looking for more fulfilment in what I do. Bike racing this year has not lived up to that bill. How can it? After the experience of Ironman last year it seems everything pales in comparison. In a nutshell for the money I plunk down for a race and the experience provided from it, there is little return for me. Waa waa poor JVD.

I do have three personal targets remaining for cycling this year of which I am excited for at this time as two of the events are "last minute additions" to the schedule. They are also shorter in the overall time to complete them and thus I hope will require less volume of training. I think this is the root of my mental anguish as I have found myself unable to get in the required volume of riding necessary to remain with the pack in a RR. Waa waa poor JVD.

Okay, enough of that B.S. and onto something more enlightening...

I have reading a fair bit lately from various websites, magazines and books and have found some interesting stories.

First one comes from Popular Mechanics which is not usually in my library. I read an article featuring Andy Potts a world class triathlete from the U.S. who lives and trains in Colorado Springs. He is vying for a spot on the Olympic team and the story is about how he is preparing for the selection races with his coach. Of note is the fact that he and his coach blend science with high personal contact so to speak (is this the art of coaching?). By this I mean they perform much of the training indoors on treadmills, in the pool and on a Computrainer in order to control the specific dose of training - making every minute count for something. He is guided by his Suunto HRM which I know has a feature on it that measures heart rate variability - simply a tool that can help monitor the body's response to training and whether the body is being pushed too hard and on the verge of overtraining. After sending his coach the files from 4 to 8 hours of training, his coach decides what the next day's sessions will be. Periodization on a day to day basis. Further to this, they have developed indicators of Andy's heart rate that let's them both know if he will perform well or be suffering. We all have this inherently wired in us if we understand how to read our body - RPE - but we tend to lose it by watching heart rate monitors, GPS and power meters too closely.

After reading this I asked myself how many of my athletes over the years would undertake such a confined training regime? Many have argued that the training was too programmed and riding the trainer sucked during the winter - but it did lead to many breakthrough performances.

The other story of interest was from Inside Triathlon (July 2008) which looked at the success of TeamTBB and Brett Sutton, the controversial Australian coach. TeamTBB has been on a tear this season as the athletes have won numerous events across all lengths of triathlon races. They were thrust into the media limelight last October when Chrissie Wellington seemed to come out of no where and won the Hawaii Ironman. The team trains under the watchful eye of Sutton who takes coaching to another dimension altogether - minute by minute Periodization so to speak. He also thinks science is B.S. in the preparation of his athletes - read the article to understand his comment better - and funny how I agree with him somewhat. His approach is really understanding and knowing his athletes and he pushes them in training beyond what many consider "sane". He pushes them to do what many of us would say are "insane" or brutal workouts and they each say "yes" sir and complete them which forges a greater "belief" in each one. As I like to say they gain a new appreciation of "how hard hard really is".

I asked myself again how many athletes I have worked with could have or would have endured me pushing them way beyond their physical AND mental limits??

These stories stirred up a lot of thoughts in my mind - many of which I have yet to sort out. Could I and should I adopt some of these techniques and execute them? Perhaps if the right soldier came along. They also illuminate the mindset of top performers and the sacrifices they are willing to make to be successful. I have not met anyone this dedicated (if I had a buck for everyday someone did something else in their training) nor have I been capable of overseeing an individual almost 24/7 in this manner - nor would I want to. I will continue to sort all this out and rest assured my clients will benefit from it in some manner in the months and years to come.

Funny, I feel better after writing what will probably amount to nothing but the ideas and wheel in my head is a turning! Time for a ride and some more reflection.

JVD

It Was "10" !

2008-06-05T10:05:00.006-06:00

Wow! What a weekend to wreck the body and mind. Yes I did my first Enduro MTB event - well technically I have done the Test of Metal and Chekamus Challenge years ago but they were point to point races... Anyway I feel I just barely survived this festival of pain and suffering. I knew it was going to hurt physically but I wasn't prepared for the mental anguish of being "dead" after 3 laps and looking ahead to another 6 hours of riding. This was a tough day on a tough course at Canada Olympic Park which would be a challenging ABA, Canada Cup or even World Cup course as it threw everything at you and we were thankfully spared the rain that was forecast for that day. I have always enjoyed riding the Paskapoo Slopes when C.O.P. grants access to it for racing but have always struggled there for some reason - recent memory is exploding due to heat and falling off my bike and slightly convulsing in front of friends and family at a Provincial race there a few years back. Yeah.

Anyway it as inspiring and humbling to watch my teammates and friends Jeff Neilson and his wife Alana Heise actually "race" the event. Jeff went on to finish second place and I feel honored that I played a significant role in the race for him leading to his podium charge. No I didn't provide him a draft or block his competitors along the trail or feed him or give him my bike when his broke, or hand him a tube or tools. No rather I was his mental "rabbit" in that he set out a goal to repeatedly lap me out there. The first time was "I see you! I 'm coming to get you". The second if I recall correctly was in the feedzone where I pretended not to see him despite him standing briefly next to me as we got another feed - probably explains why I was ignored by those in the pit area as they all swooned to help Jeff. The third time was again in the trees but this time he wasn't singing to me rather he said "Dude, I'm fading" as he again dropped me. Well done Jeff I am proud of you as you are starting to embrace pain and suffering.

Alana was equally impressive in winning her race. I was at least ahead of here for the first and possibly second lap but when she passed me she was chirping like a bird (kind words of encouragment) course and I honestly could not ride in her tiny slipstream. Well done Alana!

So how did things unfold for me? Well the first couple of laps were going smoothly for me but by the third my lower back was becoming the issue. Since moving to the new house, I have been having low back problems - sleeping has been a "bitch" so I have found it hard to get up in the mornings and I ache. I felt the back come under fire during the pre-ride but figured it would loosen up on race day. I smeared on a medium balm on my back and man did it feel soothing. The first couple laps I could feel it relieving my muscles but could feel the creep of pain coming on and then the soothing feeling of the balm was gone. When my back is tied up and aching I lose all power in the legs. Every time I came in to the pit area and was able to run my back felt relief and was good for the first half of the course. However during the second half is where I struggled. I was more fearful of the technical riding in losing time there but always felt confident that I could hold or gain a bit on the "fitness" sections which I describe as the second half of the course. In years past these "fitness" areas have been where I can re-gain contact with riders ahead of me before the technical sections. On this day though I was going backwards on the section I thought would redeem me. It goes to show that one really needs to ride a lot to be ready for these events. 6 to 8 hours a week of road riding and MAP intervals are not helpful for these events. Personally I feel one must train at least 1 long EPIC day of 4+ hours per week on the MTB and on rugged trails for these events. This is time I simply don't have available to me regularly. Wah! Wah! Wah!

Oh for the record here is proof from my Garmin that I in fact completed 10 laps and not the 9 listed by the race results:

Thank you technology for redeeming me this time! Now if I can get it to help me on the time trial bike today that would be great.

How did I feel after the event? Well on Sunday I treated myself to a double quarter pounder with cheese and fries and boy did it taste awesome! Funny as this was also my meal choice after Ironman last year. Later that day after cleaning the bike and unpacking gear I was tired and sore. Monday was a rest day to get caught up on things and mend the body some more. Tuesday was a strong day of riding. Although it was only 2 hours of E2, my watts felt almost effortless which I attribute to the overgeared and high resistance work done on the MTB on the weekend leaving an overshoot in muscle recruitment along with the increase in glycogen storage as a result of the long day and eating plenty afterwards. The sunny weather from yesterday and today has also increased my energy levels and I look forward to a good hard session today on the TT bike in preparation for the season's main objectives - Banff ITT, Provincial ITT and the two Provincial road races.

Get out and ride!

Oh and check out the circa 1999 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR XC! Was that my issue? Are today's bikes that much faster? I also used my circa 2003 Cannondale F1000SL hardtail for this event. I am taking offers for the Specialized...

JVD

After the Rain

2008-05-29T08:30:00.004-06:00

So far so good! This morning I woke up at 4:30am and feel energized as the sun was yet again shining. It is funny how the weather can affect one's mood and energy levels (meaning Calgarians are bi-polars?). Last week was a draining week mentally. Since settling into the new home and having several gloriously warm and sunny days, it felt like an apocalypse moved into Calgary and decided to stay. Simply stated I was drained of physical and mental energy. I found it hard to get out of bed and my workouts became sporadic as I was simply not prepared to sit on the trainer again. I found myself shuffling workouts and pleading with Mother Nature to blow the rainy clouds to Saskatchewan as they need the rain and not the winds that are drying out the fields. After spending Saturday at my daughter's 10th birthday party in a bowling alley with a pack of girls I was prepared to move somewhere where the sun shines more frequently. So I mentally got psyched up to ride outside on Sunday morning as the weather reports showed a break in the showers. In a nutshell it was a cool and slightly uncomfortable ride but in the end it was a welcome 2.5hours of riding. I kept telling myself this is what makes you stronger, tougher, harder - like the Euro dudes.

I am lucky that I live in an area of town that offers up wicked terrain outside my door. On the days that the weather looks suspect or I need to stay closer to home, I have multiple short loops I can ride on with hills, changing wind patterns, flats, descents and generally little traffic. What made the Sunday rain ride enjoyable was exploring the little side roads and new development areas within Bears Paw. These are roads I have ridden by numerous times but never once thought to turn onto and ride. Definately a nice diversion and I now have several more low traffic areas that I can do various training sessions on. So a tip if I can give everyone is to ride the unknown on your recovery days as you never know what you may discover.

Monday evening was an interesting training session in that I was forced to ride inside doing MAP/VO2max intervals - my current flavour is either 5x 4min @ 360-400W + 5min easy spinning or 4x 5min @ 360-400W + 10min easy spinning. During the warm-up I felt sluggish and thought of going home. To make matters worse I didn't have my iPod - so no motivating tunes. I took a few minutes to relax and collect my thoughts and then to focus on what I needed to achieve in the workout to get faster. Once I had it mentaly set that I needed to complete 5x 4min between 360-400W with 5min easy spinning between each interval, I was ready to go. I lost all perspective of what was happening around me - a mental challenge for many is to not be distracted by the Ripped or Hot Body Bootie Classes that happen in Gym 1 at Talisman Centre. After the frist interval set I was having fun and plotting changes in the variables for each subsequent interval - for example rather than riding at my usual self-selected cadence I focused on riding at >105rpm for the same power output - legs felt a bit on the edge of comfort in terms of leg speed but the tension was far less and I could feel my cardiovascular system straining more. For the final interval I chose to ride a heavier gear to induce more muscular tension and get the feelings i the legs that occur late in the races - jello-like legs. My 30min of E2 riding was great - fully of energy and in fact my power was higher than during the warm-up as it seemed I woke up or more technically speaking "primed" many more muscles fibers during the intervals that they wanted to continue "playing" afterwards.

Tuesday evening I joined my teammates for the Moose Mt. fire road climb - check out the elevation gain on this sucker.

As I stated to the team earlier that day "I felt good" and was looking forward to a hard ride. It started off with fighting through traffic and developing a harsh voice. Needless to say I was late like P-ro and spoke briefly to Jeff before he took off up the road. I hurried to change into my riding gear, put together my bike, set my Garmin, tools, tube, pump, extra jacket... I got 20seconds of warm-up and then hit it up the road. I had no idea how longer the road was, how steep, where landmarks were and saw no one in sight. 34:20m:s later and it was done and I was headed back down to the parking lot to catch up with everyone. I was elated that I felt great afterwards - the Optygen is finally kicking in my system!

The next positive happened last night as I joined the Talisman Centre Triathlon Club's Brick training session. We rode on the stationary trainers outside in the sunshine overlooking the Elbow River with a slight breeze to keep us partially cool. Jon pushed us hard and many of us are still trying to figure out how to "keep the lactate from building in the legs" despite riding at functional threshold power and above! It was fun being an athlete versus coach in a session as I was out of my comfort zone - I was not in control of the times, interval sets, change-ups etc. Jon we need to chat about your timing as your 15seconds is a loooong 15seconds - by my accounting 15-30seconds too long! I decided to give running a try and was stoked that I could actually run off the bike! Not fast mind you but it felt fast until I watched Ashley Myers "sprint" around Lindsay Park - what an engine! I had very little Achilles trouble but still felt "strange" to be moving in such a manner. I the end I found myself really pushing hard on the run and felt alive again. Thanks Jon for the encouragement!

So overall it has been a great week of activity for me. The sun is back and with it renewed energy and vigor, more tanning opportunities, I seem to be able to run again and the weekend weather looks great for 8 hours of mountain biking at C.O.P. on Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

JVD

Moving and Mountain Biking

2008-05-20T15:17:00.002-06:00

Well, we are settling in to our new home. I remembered again why I hate moving so much. Way too much stuff gathered over the years that I feel guilty buying anything new as I would be continuing to gather "stuff" and finding places or buying more storage just to store and have something in it's rightful place.

From this move I realize I am a hoarder of information. I seem to collect journals, magazines, books, internet articles, dvds etc that archives information of interest to me or that I feel would help my coaching or any of the athlete's I coach. The amount I have amassed is overwhelming and I wish I could make time standstill for a day or two just to be able to read it all, absorb it all and discard the redundant or useless information. Since I can not halt time, I must peer through the amassed literature when I have time or urgency in needing it - hence my need for this resource library.

I also noticed how much cycling equipment I possess. Not just bikes and wheels and shoes and helmets and clothing but the little nuts and bolts that I have found invaluable having around when in a pinch. I thought long and hard about tossing all of it to start fresh until I realized I could use this spacer for my disk wheel which is not centering itself in my Cervelo depsite working in all my other bikes. Someone recently marveled at my collection and was amazed that I had "spare" parts in boxes to build up a bike if need be. Is there something wrong with me? I was never a boy scout so I have no idea where this "being prepared" attitude comes from.

With the move came the painful four days of no riding along with the guilt and angst associated with it as my body and mind throw a fit in response to me not thrashing it as I regularly do. I substitued it with heavy lifting and hustling up and down stairs. I was tired everyday but kept thinking back to my Ironman last year in which I developed and ingrained a new level of what my mind and body could endure for so long.

After much of our belongings were settled in the garage of the new home, I was able to commence riding again and was pleased to be able to balance road riding and mountain biking over 5 days. Yes mountain biking! It was all in town here but it is always fun to get out on the dirt - or so I thought. Day one was a mix of commuting to work and home and taking trails enroute. I was feeling comfortable and confident in my handling.

On my second ride, I toured the Tuscany ravine and then followed the Bow river riding the trails along Silver Springs. What I then realized on this ride why I stopped racing MTBs in the first place.

1) I enjoy exploring new trails and noticed that there are lots of new trails around that were not there 3 years ago - this was the fun part. The part I did not enjoy was that my nice smooth legs began to get "whipped" by the new growth of small trees and bushes over the trails. After 5 minutes of riding through this and then getting back onto the main path, my legs were stinging with welts and bloody. As of today my legs are still not "pretty".

2) Next were the mechanical troubles. First my shifting was flawless then it was skipping all over the place. I stopped to adjust the cables only to notice that my chain was breaking apart - looks link a link broke and the outer plate was bent which caused the skipping. It has been years since I did a chain repair on the trail and I am happy to say that it is no problem. Now I need a new chain and possibly new cassette to match. As well as a freehub repair and disc brake tune-up.

3) Technical singletrack! Fun, exhilirating when you clear it but damn painful when you don't. I was exploring the area where the SideShow Bob trail was - wow lots of new single track has opened up in that area. I went West to East on it and the steep pitches combined with granny gears left me wobbling back and forth on the trail. My left pedal kept hitting the dirt mounds too which ended up throwing me off my line and doing a front wheel stand as I pitched forward onto a small tree which prevented me from falling 20ft down the side of the hill. The painful part was that my pedal hit my left calf and left me with a nice gash and a bloody sock. The tree broke at the base as I hung on for dear life. The rest of the ride was an adrenalin infused "shit show" as I completed SideShow Bob for the first time in many years. Bruised ego and a desire to be back on the road bike - at least my motivation is back up for the road! Maybe I need body limb armor??

So as it stands now, I don't plan on doing much MTB racing in the future as my skills suck and I don't want to injury myself from the above mentioned lack of skills. I will do the Deadgoat 8 hour event at COP as I feel that the trails there are of my ability level. Now I remember why I gravitated to indivudal time trials and triathlons...

JVD

2008-04-22T09:03:00.003-06:00

April 11 2008 "8:48"

April 11 2008, JVD sets a PB on the Cochrane Hill (2.71km) of it anyway in a time of 8 minutes and 48 seconds.For the past 5 years or so, I have used the Cochrane Hill as a "test" of my fitness and fatigue throughout the season. My start line is the yellow deer crossing sign at the base of the hill. To avoid stopping and starting with traffic blowing by me, I typically ride to the start line at roughly 20kph and hit my computer. I stick to the main hwy (1A) as it remains nice and steep throughout. My finish line is at the green sign indicating 400m to turn into Glen Eagles. No rhyme or reason for this choice but it is what I decided upon the first time I got up the nerve to "time trial" up the highway - I also figured that these signs would always be there in the future.

On good days I can climb in the low 9 minutes range averaging 370W. When moderately fatigued I complete the hill in 9:30 to 10 minutes range averaging 346-353W. When tired I am maxed out but completing the hill in > 10:15 averaging 320W or less.

On this day I averaged 382W which I have dissected below in a WKO+ file - if you click on it it should expand for a better view;

As you can see, despite the climb being only 2.71km we can segment it such that you can prepare for when to shift gears, increase cadence, lower cadence, build speed and pace yourself. This is how I climb the hill which may not be the best way for everyone. Is it "sick" to think that this is "fun"??

JVD

"Long time listener, first timer caller".

2008-04-21T11:31:00.000-06:00

tap, tap, "Is this thing on?" tap, tap. Hard to believe that this is my first ever "post" on cyberspace. Not sure if I am now considered old school as I am finidng it harder to keep up to date with the current trends in the computer or specifically the online world.

Anyway, I finally have something news worthy to write about so to speak. Straight to the point is that I will NOT be training or targeting triathlon this season but rather coming back to being a cyclist.As many know I have been having problems with my left Achilles tendon since completing Ironman Couer d'Alene last June. Running has been the only activity to aggravate the tendon and has not allowed me to run pain free for sometime now.

In January I under went some injection therapy (Traumeel and Zeel) on my left tendon and within three treatments I was feeling strong and was able to progress my running volume from 3km up to 11km with no ill effects. Then one afternoon running from Talisman Centre to Sandy Beach my right Achilles started to bother me but I was still able to run without too much trouble. After returning to work and checking messages, I found that my right ankle had locked up leaving me limping the following two days. I went back to my chiropractic clinic and resumed injection therapy but now for both sides. This was in mid March and mentally I was frustrated and in a state of panic as I should have been comfortably running 3-4 times per week by now. As such I had set up a date in my mind (March 31st) as my kill date for the triathlon season. It was a tough decision but once I made it I felt a weight of relief come off my shoulders. Thank goodness that cycling (my favorite discipline in triathlon) is not affected by this injury!! Now instead of training to endure for long periods of time at a steady pace, I now have to re-train my body and mind for the anaerobic efforts, pack riding, holding a max effort for 60minutes or less and the painful finishes of bicycle racing. I am excited!

It is also exciting to see how full the ABA calendar is this season with more races than ever. I can't wait for the Banff BikeFest in June and the Provincial ITT in Canmore where I will go under the hour again.

I am still holding out some hope that I can do a sprint or Olympic distance triathlon this season however I have not kept up the swimming since before the Easter break.

Perhaps this injury is a sign for me to re-group and re-build for the 2009 season and I am now at peace with it and moving forward. I can't wait to put the hammer down when we can finally get out and ride!

JVD