IronHeart

Burr is Boise 70.3

2008-06-09T22:05:00.001-07:00

With my family having a major case of Strep Throat - I decided to road trip the 8 hour drive with local pro Haley Cooper and her boyfriend. It had the feeling of my old college days when I had to brave the 15 hour drive back home from Santa Clara during the holidays. Its always a treat to pick Haley's mind on race strategy, equipment and overall attitude towards triathlon.

I was really excited since I was staying with my good friends Todd & Michele Points who I have really seen since my wedding over 5 years ago. They built a brand new home about 20 miles outside Boise in nearby Star. I'm sure it will be a killer pad since he layed about 1500 sf of slate tile.

The weather was pretty crummy the last few weeks in Spokane so arriving in Boise we were greeted with sunny and warm weather galore. Yeah - no pollen for my irritated eyes and runny nose so I won't have to take claritan during the race!

Since the car was so small my buddy Steve Kramer graciously offered to valet my bike to Boise. We decided to meet after I registered in the morning. The whole packet thing is way bigger than Lake Stevens, much more the IM experience. They had a cool store full of lots of goodies which I couldn't help getting myself a cool Boise 70.3 race shirt and shorts. Gotta look the part at least even if I'm slow. haha.

Off we went to the bike check in and to do a short swim. On the way out we ran into IM pro Kate Major. Of course Steve is so shy that I had to go up to her and ask her for her photo, she graciously agreed and said she remembered me from the 2006 IM CdA we did together. She is super nice and fast (later I found out she won the race). Many of my friends call me an Ironman paparozi but I find it always amusing and somewhat educational to get feedback from the IM pros since some of its can be applicable to an age group competitor such as myself.

I won't bore you with my race report but to say the following that the combined time waiting for the race to start at 4:30am and the actual swim of 49 minutes in 50 degree water had me almost do the unthinkable and not start. It was hard to get motivated without my usual family support group but good ole' Steve Kramer kicked my butt and got me moving the start line, cold and miserable. The good news once I got on the bike - which is my favorite part the race I was able to warm up. The run was pretty uneventful knowing that I wasn't in prime running form with only a few long runs prior to the race. Overall a fun and great venue and definitely worth adding to my calendar next year. My race splits were 49 swim, 2:54 bike and 2:32 run for a total time of 6:27 or a few minute faster than my time at Lake Stevens. So even though my time is not where I want it to be (especially the swim & run) - I'm happy to always finish a race with a decent time SO early in my racing season!

Spring DUathlon

2008-06-09T18:29:00.001-07:00

Since I'm not a very good runner someone suggested that I try racing a duathlon. Marla Emde does a good job putting on the Spring Thaw Duathlon series. My first race was the usual 2.2 mile run followed by a 11 mile bike and then another 2.2 mile run. This distance usually favors a strong runner and athelete that likes to go AT for the whole hour of racing. My first outing was on April 13th with 1:12 about 3 minutes faster than last year. I was 93/176 overall place so almost mid pack as a finisher. Not bad for a fast jogger!

Of course this type of racing style doesn't suit me or my strength so why do it? The answer is we need to train our weaknesses to get better and stronger of course faster!

So I was excited for the second race of the series when the distance increaed to a 3.3 mile run, 22 mile bike and 3.3 mile run where the bike is longer and allows me to catch some of the faster runners or so I thought! I started the run on pace going sub 9min and felt strong. My mistake of not bringing water on the short run caused me to drain my aero bottle in the first few miles. Of course the day was one of the hotest all week so I was pretty thirsty starting my second run. Needless to say it was a tough race with many of the athletes getting cramps or dehydration. Overall it was fun and challenging.

On a side note I was finally able to test my new bike fit during a decent race distance and found it very comfortable and fast. My May 13th race split 2:14 or 56/111 overall place.

The cool news is they give out an award for combined time for both races and I placed 10th overall Open Male behind some stellar local athletes. So kudos to racing my weakness and at least being consistent!

The cool news I was able to debut my new racing outfit courtesy of Team ZootGU and felt like I was a special pro athlete - aka Haley Cooper but with much slower legs! haha

50 miler of fun!

2008-06-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

I just recently finished my first 50 mile ride of the year by completing the Lilac Century ride. Its my annual hommage to getting into bike shape plus basically a big social fest of roadies and triathletes mixing it up for between 50 and 100 mile ride options.

Normally if I was training for Ironman, I would be doing the 100 miler but since I'm only doing HIM race distances I can somehow justify doing the shorter 50 mile ride.

The day started out 2 hours later at a more reason time of 9am with a group of about 75-100 riders. I started out the ride at SFCC with my fellow Team Blaze members (Mason, Colleen and others). Unfortunately my roadie training partner Eric Abbott wasn't able to join us so my goal was to find another fast rider to help pace me.

At the second rest stop I was able to hook up with Rick Williams from Spokane Rocket Velo who graciously agreed to pace me the last 25 miles. It was fun to have a roadie talk me through how he attacks each hill climb with a high candence style. He noted that I was spinning way too slow (85mph) and suggested that I'm probably riding in too hard of a gear or need to work on some single leg exercises to build up my strength. So more to learn and to work on during my training so I relish the challenge to get better especially now that I have a new road bike as well to hone my skills.

Zipping Along!

2008-06-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

I know its the beginning of race season when I take off my training wheels and put on my Zipp 404 carbon race wheels.

The are kind of miss-match with a 2001 front and 2007 rear but who really cares about the looks if they work.

I swear when I use that my bike speed magically improves by at least 2-3 mph.

Not sure if you can see from the photo but I just recently upgrade my bars from the stock Vision and FSA to Profile Cobra T2 carbon extensions, base bar, brakes and stem. The whole package is carbon so definitely an upgrade on look and weight savings just like the pros!

I also am trying new this year some gently used Qrings from Brett Peterson to help me smooth out my mashing of the pedals. The literature says a savings of 2-3 watts on power but since I don't have a power meter its hard to say the exact savings. However I do notice on the hills that I can spin a little longer before having to get out of the saddle and on the flat portions easier to hold a higher candence and speed! The true test of the benefits of all my new add-ons this year will be at the races if they translate to faster bike splits. So thanks to my bike sponsor - Jim Kozak at Cyclemetrix for installing all my carbon goodies and at least making my old bike look fast!

Christmas in April

2008-06-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

After applying for a renewal for Team Zoot/GU back in October it was great to hear that I was selected as 1 of 300 age group competitors to be styling this year.

I really like all the choices of GUs with my favorite for training for Ironman being the espresso which has 2x the caffeine. However, now that I'm training for only HIM, I don't need all the kick and have been testing out lime and chocolate.

In addition, we received some cool accessories like my new outfit, tons of water bottles, gu bottles and of course 4 boxes of GU gels and GU2O. So I'm pretty hooked up for training supplies for the next 3-4 months of training and racing.

I'm not sure if there are others in Spokane who got selected as well but it will be cool to have a new racing outfit for my first HIM race in Boise on June 1st.

So its Christmas in April so a big thanks to my sponsor Team ZootGu.

Swim Stroke Video

2008-03-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my favorite swim stroke video from instructor - Steve Tarpinian. He makes swimming so easy when in fact its quite a struggle for people like myself that have no swimming background. My goal for this year to consistently swim 2x per week and target my 1.2mile splits to around sub 33 minutes.

Swim Arm Cycle Video

Swimming Kick Drill

Here is a recent video taping of my swim stroke courtesy of Ben Greenfield. From the analysis, I need to focus on keeping my legs together when kicking, quicker catch, faster transition and breathing earlier.

Goodbye ole' friend - hello my new baby!

2008-03-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

My story starts in 2001 when I did my first triathlon as challenge from my personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness to help me loose much needed weight. So I bought a new bike, wetsuit and some running shoes and off to my first race at the Spokane Club.

So with much regret I am selling my aluminum QR Kilo bike or rather passing along 7 years of fond racing memories and lot of training hours to a fellow friend and newbie triathlete - Rachel Bauman. I feel a little like a father approving of his daughter's first date making sure the ultimate buyer/user would be tri race worthy and take care of my old and trusted steed. Rachel was so excited with the new purchase that she immediately rode 20 miles the next day and plans on doing 2 sprint tri races this summer so I feel happy that my bike has found a quality new owner.

With money in my hand or burning a hole in my pocket I started my quest searching for a new Road bike. Many of my friends, coach and fellow racers have suggested that I get a road bike to learn how to be a faster cyclist plus you can't show up with the local morning ride on a TT bike! I spent numerous hours and countless emails with Jim at Cyclemetrix Bike Shop going over new options which were all out of my price range for what I wanted for frameset and components.

I eventually turned to search on Ebay and found the latest addition (2005 Specialized Roubaix Pro) to my bike collection. It was almost too good to be true to find a bike in my little size (49cm), full carbon frameset, DuraAce component and in my price range. I had numerous fellow roadies review and approve before I started the bidding process. After a week of very patiently waiting for UPS to show up - it was like Christmas in March for me! Funny how a bike looks better in person than online. Can't wait to hit the roads with my stealthly black road bike - still working on a nickname though which I'm sure will come in time after a few outings.

Ironman Lake Stevens 70.3

2008-03-10T14:16:00.001-07:00

Since being a very goal orientated person, I bit the bullet and commited to my first race of 2008 at Lake Stevens in July.

I have some very fond and not so fond memories of this race last summer. Fondness being the completion of my first half ironman race since Ironman CdA and doing it on my own personal training plan, racing against some famous pros (Heather Fuhr) and friends from Spokane and of course the wonderful support of my wife and kids standing in the sun for over 6 hours to watch me finish! The race was exciting since it was a 70.3 race so it kind of has the same feeling of doing a full ironman with only half the distance.

The not so fondness part was the lack of crowds (half the people living there didn't know about the race), the open bike course where you had to watch out for cars and people crossing the road and not looking, running out of gatorade on the second loop of the bike and my plantar fasciutus on my left foot.

So looking for some serious payback this July with a healthier left foot and smart training. It was fun to see my friend Steve Kramer qualify for Worlds in Florida - hopefully we will all have a good day as well. Rumor has it I have recruited some fellow team members to show up as well!

Metabolic Test

2008-03-10T13:24:00.001-07:00

After a long 2 year hiatus after completing Ironman CdA in 2006, I decided to get serious or at least more organized in my quest to be a better and faster triathlete.

My last Metabolic test in April of 2006 showed with only 6 months of cardio training after my 5way heart surgery how I could safely train in the sub 150 beats per minute per my cardiologist orders and finish Ironman. Not very fast but definitely more like a diesel engine that chugs on for a long time.

On a small tangent - 2007 was frought with lots of ups and downs thinking I was smarter than the system and not using a coach to help guide my training efforts. I was pretty confident that with my large endurance base from Ironman that I could pretty much ease right into a half ironman race with little to no problems. Plus I honestly spent only a 3 months training on the bike and swim. Notice that I didn't mention anything about my run training - needless to say I tried to cram a few months into a few weeks and ended with a nasty case of Plantar Fasciutus on my left foot. I did two half ironman races (Lake Stevens 70.3 and Troika) both with mixed results and slower than expected times of 6:29 and 6:45. The highlight was a PR of 15mins. at the CdA Olympic (2:52) the weekend after Troika so who says angst doesn't count for speed and performance.

So I started back the Fall/Winter with a renewed dedication to running and to become a better runner. I started participating in very atypical workouts with early (5;30am) track workouts w/katie, heide and lora and long weekend runs by myself. I enlisted help and advise from my friends, coach scott roy and faster runners and crafted a new enthusiasm for my weakest link.

On Jan 22 - the metabolic test on the treadmill I took was both exciting and nervous. My running partner and testor (Katie Forsmann) was a great motivation to help push me to the maximum speed and effort. I almost forgot how hard the test is and my lack of pain tolerance - haha. The results very interesting showing a pretty small aerobic base (Zone 1 at 110-139 and Zone 2 at 139-151). My mid zones (Zone 3 151-159 and Zone 4 159-169) were even smaller aerobically. And basically zone 5 was at 170 or non-existent. The good news is my VO2 is at 50 is definitely not Lance Armstrong but great for my age and heart condition!

Overall, my metabolic test gives me a benchmark or a starting point for my 2008 season. Katie and Scott taught me that I need to focus my training efforts more in Zone 2 (long bike/runs) and add weekly Zone 2 (tempo bike/runs) which will increase the size of my aerobic engine - hence bigger the engine the faster I can go! So my goal is to work diligently over the next 3 months with this new heart rate training regime with a retest in mid Spring or March timeframe. Thanks to my sponsor Katie and Debbie at Metabolic Institute for making me smart and hopefully faster this summer!

Need to be more flexible!

2008-02-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

I am taking the advise of my wonderful wife and have started to try and attend a weekly basic yoga class get more flexible and stronger.

I have started to work on my weakest link of my training which is running. With increased running volume and intensity, I am finding that my legs and hamstring are getting more and more tight especially after my long runs on the weekend.

I have taken only a few classes - typically on Mondays which is my rest day and find that its a great way to stretch out my tight muscles and recover. I would highly recommend integrating some yoga into your training regime.

If you are looking for a safe and quality place to learn yoga - please check out Twist Yoga Studio in Downtown Spokane located next to Interplayers Theater on Howard and 2nd Avenue.

www.twistyogastudio.com

Another Favorite Quote

2008-02-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

Saw this on the internet and loved how it reasonates with my overall training and race philosophy of not setting limitations:

"Achievement is largely the product of steadily raising one's level of aspiration and expectation."

Tips from Heather Gollnick

2008-02-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Robin at Fitness Fanatics for arranging the visit from Ironman pro - Heather Gollnick.

Heather was the winner of IM CdA in 2003 and placed second in 2004 and 2006 (same year I raced). heathergollnick.com

Its nice to meet a pro triathlete that is so friendly and approachable. I was able to get my Timex hat signed along with the following photo.

She gave an hour discussion about her past races which is always interesting to hear how much time they spend training and the nuances or detail they invest prior to each race.

During the Q&A, I asked her for any race tips. She commented how you experience many ups and downs through out an Ironman race and a key tip for her is to visualize a traffic light that has a red, yellow and green lights. Often times you experience problems (ie. nausea, flat tire, wind, boredom, etc) that start to erode your confidence and racing performance or cause you to be mentally enter the 'yellow' or worse case 'red' light zones. When this happens she has a list of positive mental images that she uses to increase her motivation and get her back into the 'green' zone. Things like focusing on the scenery, your heartbeat, any supporters, a funny story or joke, etc can really help out. Her ability to be very prepared for this constant mental battle during races she feels is what makes her an Ironman winner.

I also like how family focused she is by having her family attend many of her races which provides lots of motivation when she get tired or low mental motivation. So thanks Heather for the mental race tip of trying to always stay in the 'green' zone and the importance of your family!

Ironman Quote

2008-01-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my favorite quotes that inspires me to continue training and racing in the sport I love called - Triathlons!

"To accomplish great things,
We must not only act,
But also dream,
Not only plan,
But also believe"

- Anatole France (1844-1924)

Bike Fitting

2008-01-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

On November 11th I had the opportunity to get a bike fit from the infamous John Cobb at Fitness Fanatics. He has literally worked with everyone from Tour de France pro cycling teams to Lance Armstrong. This guy has spent more time in a wind tunnel than anyone else in the sport. He's incredibly knowledgeable about the delicate balance between aerodynamics and power output, and has helped countless riders reach beyond plateaus with simple bike position adjustments.

I was somewhat skeptical that I could get a more aero position since I had been fitted in the past and was fairly comfortable on my bike, especially after doing a few half and full ironman triathlon races. I showed up for my appointment and was one of two other cyclist getting fitted at the same time. John asked me a few questions about my cycling background, any problems and my goal for the fitting session. I responded with the typical answers of wanting to go fast like Lance Armstrong. Then he started his 'black magic' assessment by watching me walk barefoot and doing some basic strokes on my bike.

He quickly started taking apart my aero bar setup saying that he could get me at least a few inches lower and more aero. I was concerned since my knees already felt like they were hitting my stomach and causing discomfort on my seat. He then proceeded to adjust my seat a few times. After about 45 minutes I started to get that 'pro fit' look and felt faster pedaling on the bike trainer.

He made some suggestions on rotating my hips forward to get the proper muscles in my leg firing properly plus reducing my lower back discomfort. I was able to lay in my new aero position and 'hammer' my pedals pretty hard with out any discomfort in my saddle, knees hitting my stomach and be about 2 inches lower. John did suggest getting a new set of aero bars (ie. Profile T2+ cobras) to get my hands lower.

In the end, I was suprised and very happy with the whole experience. My only drawback the weather outside won't let me the chance to ride my bike on pavement to truly test the comfort and hopefully speed gains with the new postion.

Here are some good articles on John Cobb:

1) http://www.byrn.org/gtips/cobb_fit.htm
2) http://johncobbresearch.com/

Favorite Ironman Videos

2007-11-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

With the weather turning crummy - here are some of my favorite Ironman video links to help motivate myself during the upcoming winter training season!

2005 Ironman Kona

2006 Ironman Coeur d'Alene

Misc. Ironman videos on YouTube

Evolution of Dance

Thanks to my Sponsors

2007-11-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

I just uploaded links to my awesome sponsors for 2008 - I really couldn't have competed or continue to participate in all my triathlons without their help, guidance, coaching, stretching, food, rehab and of course equipment. Please check them out and give them your support - tell them that "Ironheart' Phil sent you.

I want to give a special holla of thanks to my wife Shelley and my two kids, Chase & Madison for supporting me during my 5 way heart bypass surgery, rehab and journey to finish Ironman CdA in 2005. I couldn't have done it with your support!

And finally I want to give a big thanks to my coach, Scott Roy at TeamBlaze for all the training advise, group rides, master swims and run help on my 2006 IMCdA to get me to the finish line - a dream come true!

Finally On Line!

2007-10-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yeah - my first post on my new blog! Stay tuned for some more ranting and raves of my 2008 goal of racing in 3 half ironman triathlons next summer. I plan on posting some of my past race results and info on my coronary heart disease as a constant reminder to live every day to the fullest.