2010 Proves To Be Rough Start For World Champions
So far 2010 has not been kind to four of the world’s top triathlon stars. Ironman World Champions Chrissie Wellington and Craig Alexander, and ITU World Champions Alistair Brownlee and Emma Moffatt have had setbacks in the first couple months of the New Year.
Crowie's bikes were stolen at the end of February. Photo: Delly Carr
Wellington underwent wrist surgery after being involved in a bike accident on January 2. Moffatt was the next to suffer an injury after also being involved in a bike accident. Her injuries included a broken shoulder that will keep her out of the pool for several weeks. Brownlee will likely be out the longest due to a femoral stress fracture.
While Alexander has had a healthy start to the new season with a win at Ironman 70.3 Geelong on Feb. 7, the next few weeks literally will be a rebuilding process as Alexander works to get two new bikes after they were both stolen from his garage in Australia.
Alexander will likely be able to get his bikes ready for his next race on March 21 at Ironman 70.3 Singapore, but the start of the seasons for Wellington, Moffatt and Brownlee are still in question.
While Wellington’s injuries were early in the year and she stated that she expected a full recovery fairly quickly, she still has not announced her first race of the 2010 season. Regardless of how or if she races in the first few months of the season, Wellington should be fully recovered and ready for the Ironman World Championship in October.
Moffatt held the ITU WCS lead through most of 2010. Photo: Delly Carr/Triathlon.org
As ITU athletes, Moffattt and Brownlee have the most to lose with early season injuries. In order to become an ITU World Champion, an athlete must earn the most points over the seven-race ITU World Championship Series. Moffatt may or may not be ready for the first series race on April 11 in Sydney. Brownlee is not as lucky, and is skeptically planning his return for the June 5 race in Madrid. If Brownlee makes his comeback in Madrid, he will have missed the first three races of the series.
See the following related articles:
Chrissie Wellington Has Wrist Surgery After Bike Crash
Emma Moffatt Suffers Shoulder Injury After Bike Accident
Reigning ITU World Champ Brownlee Suffers Stress Fracture
Craig Alexander’s Bikes Stolen From Home In Australia
Check back with Triathlon.competitor.com for updates on all of the athletes.
Swim Training: Spruce Up Your Swim Leg With Time-Trial Workouts
Swim time-trial workouts look more like a real triathlon swim leg than a set of 50-meter sprints and can enhance your performance come race day.
Written by: Matt Fitzgerald
Time-trial workouts most resemble a triathlon swim and can help get you into T1 faster. Photo: Nils Nilsen/XTERRA
You are training for a long-distance triathlon later this spring. You know your swim training is going well because your times in your 50-meter sprint sets keep coming down. This is a sure sign your performance potential for the swim leg of your upcoming race is headed in the right direction, right? Not necessarily. While any type of improvement in workouts is usually a good sign, improved performance in short sprints is not always a reliable indicator of increasing performance potential in a long open-water swim. For real evidence, you should regularly perform workouts in the pool that look more like a real triathlon swim leg than a set of 50-meter sprints.
That’s where time-trial workouts come in. A time-trial swim workout serves the dual function of giving you a race-specific training stimulus and letting you know whether the rest of your training is actually serving to increase your race-specific fitness. The idea is to do one such workout every two to four weeks. If you see a satisfactory degree of improvement, you know your training is on track. If your level of improvement is disappointing, or if you fail to improve at all, you know your swim training needs to change.
Always do your swim time-trial workouts when you are well recovered from recent swim sessions. Warm up with at least 200 meters of easy lap swimming plus a few short (25-meter) sprints to prime the nervous system. Swim the designated distance as fast as you can (but evenly paced), record your time and cool down.
The length of your time trials depends on the distance of your next triathlon. However, I recommend increasing the distance of your time trials from one session to the next, starting at 800 meters and building from there. If you’re training for a sprint triathlon, you need not progress beyond 1,000 meters, whereas if you’re training for an Iron-distance event, your longest time trial should about two miles.
Why not make all of your time trials about two miles if you’re training for an Iron-distance race? First, your performance in time trials of gradually increasing distance will tell you as much about your race-specific swim-fitness development as a sequence of long time trials. You just have to interpret the data somewhat differently. Naturally, you should not expect to swim at a faster pace in a 1,500-meter time trial you do today than you swam in a 1,000-meter time trial performed three weeks earlier. However, you should be able to hold nearly the same pace over the longer distance. Secondly, in the early stages of training for an Iron-distance triathlon, most of us lack the endurance to perform decently in a long-swim time trial. You would overtax yourself only to learn what you already know.
Another reason to start with shorter time trials is that the progression from shorter to longer time trials fits with the way your overall swim training should progress. The goal of your training is to extend speed over distance. You achieve this objective by focusing on faster efforts exceeding race pace early in the training process and then gradually extending the efforts and slowing the pace toward race pace. Thus, the early period of your training for an Iron-distance triathlon should look similar to peak training for a sprint triathlon. So it makes sense to make your first swim time trial equal in distance to a sprint triathlon swim leg.
As mentioned above, if your degree of improvement from one time trial to the next is disappointing, you should modify your swim training to address the problem. The specific modification you make should depend on the specific limiter you identify (that is, the apparent cause of your disappointing performance). If you found the pace of your time trial manageable but you bonked toward the end, you were probably limited by your endurance and should increase the distance of your longest swim-training efforts.
If you started to feel uncomfortable at the pace you felt you should be able to sustain early in your time trial, then one of two factors is probably limiting you: insufficient speed or lack of specific endurance (or fatigue resistance at race intensity). If your sprint performance has been satisfactory in your other swim workouts, then lack of specific endurance is probably the issue and you should add some longer (200-400-meter) intervals to your subsequent training. If you have generally neglected sprint work, then lack of speed is probably holding you back and you need to add some shorter (25- to 100-meter), maximum-intensity intervals to your subsequent training.
The tables below present suggested swim time-trial workout progressions for each of four triathlon race distances.
Suggested time-trial workout schedule for a sprint triathlon
| 8 weeks before race | 800 meters |
| 6 weeks before race | 800 meters |
| 4 weeks before race | 1000 meters |
| 2 weeks before race | 1000 meters |
Suggested time-trial workout schedule for an Olympic-distance triathlon
| 11 weeks before race | 800 meters |
| 8 weeks before race | 1000 meters |
| 5 weeks before race | 1200 meters |
| 2 weeks before race | 1500 meters |
Suggested time-trial workout schedule for a half-Ironman triathlon
| 14 weeks before race | 800 meters |
| 11 weeks before race | 1000 meters |
| 8 weeks before race | 1500 meters |
| 5 weeks before race | 1 mile |
| 2 weeks before race | 1.2 miles |
Suggested time-trial workout schedule for an Ironman-distance triathlon
| 17 weeks before race | 800 meters |
| 14 weeks before race | 1000 meters |
| 11 weeks before race | 1500 meters |
| 8 weeks before race | 1 mile |
| 5 weeks before race | 1.2 miles |
| 2 weeks before race | 2 miles |
Take-home message
A time-trial swim workout serves the dual function of giving you a race-specific training stimulus and letting you know whether the rest of your training is actually serving to increase your race-specific fitness.
Do one such workout every two to four weeks. If you see a satisfactory degree of improvement, you know your training is on track. If your level of improvement is disappointing, or if you fail to improve at all, you know your swim training needs to change.
Learning Curve: Q&A With Canada’s Rising Triathlon Star Magali Tisseyre
A relative unknown a year ago, 27-year-old Canadian Magali Tisseyre is now one of the biggest threats on the Ironman 70.3 circuit. We sat down with Tisseyre to find out how she went from multisport rookie to bona fide superstar in a matter of months.
Triathlete Magazine: You dropped 22 minutes from 2008 to 2009 in Clearwater. Where did such a huge drop come from?
Magali Tisseyre: I don’t know if I expected such a big drop, but I hoped for it and I thought it might be possible beforehand. I think having the right coach and doing triathlons almost full time was what I needed for that kind of improvement. I started training with Lance Watson and the Lifesport team. Last year I was training around 12 hours a week throughout the season. This year there were weeks where I was putting in 30 hours a week. That made a huge difference and I don’t think it would have been possible without having the right coach and team around me.
TM: You seem pretty committed to the Ironman 70.3 series. Are you at all curious about some of the other events out there, like XTERRA or even Ironman, or are you happy just focusing on the 70.3 distance for now?
MT: The reason I do half-Ironmans is because I want to be good at Ironman one day. That being said, I’m fine waiting until it’s the right time to do Ironman. I want to make sure I have plenty of speed first. Once I feel I’ve done everything I can with the 70.3 distance then I’ll take on Ironman. I don’t think I’m completely ready yet but I’ve been thinking about trying my first Ironman in 2010.
Tisseyre ran a 1:20:31 half marathon to earn a podium position in Clearwater. Photo: Clarke Rodgers
TM: Which Ironman race would you like to do first?
MT: [Pause] I’d like to talk to my coach about that first. I think maybe a race like Lake Placid, which has a lot of hills and isn’t too hot. I don’t want to go some place crazy hot for my first Ironman because I want to enjoy it a little.
TM: Lance, your coach, seems to be a fan of training camps instead of keeping athletes in one location. What do you like best about the camps versus training in one place?
MT: I love training camp because I love to travel. I think the camps also help keep you from getting bored. It ensures that things are always changing and it keeps you from getting stuck in the same patterns. I think it’s a great way make sure you’re constantly improving.
TM: What’s been your favorite training destination thus far?
MT: Maui for sure. The whole team had a lot of fun while we were there. We hiked around waterfalls and rainforests and just hung out as a team. Oh yeah, the training was pretty good too.
TM: Rumor has it that you have some pretty psychedelic tastes in music. What kind of tunes do you rock out to when it’s time to get pumped up?
MT: Well I like all kinds of music, but before I race I always listen to trance music. I don’t know why, it just seems to always do the trick. Paul Van Dyk has to be my favorite. It’s a little weird but it does the trick.
TM: What sports did you participate in growing up?
MT: I was really into boardercross (downhill snowboarding) as a kid in Quebec, but I broke my leg in one of my first races so I don’t do that anymore. I was also into dirt bikes for a little while but that didn’t last too long either.
TM: You just moved from Quebec to Victoria in British Columbia. What prompted the move and have you enjoyed it so far?
MT: I like Vic [Victoria] so far. I love my home of St. Sauveur, but it gets really cold in the winter so it’s nice to be on the ocean and in a warmer climate. They don’t really get any snow in Victoria so I can ride my bike all winter along. Every now and then they get a little snow and everyone panics but they don’t get any real snow—not like at home, at least. I moved because I had finally finished up my master’s thesis at McGill University in Montreal, and Victoria is a much better place to train full time.
TM: What was the topic of your thesis?
MT: Running biomechanics.
TM: Ouch. Why didn’t you try something easier?
MT: McGill’s Kinesiology program seemed focused on running and it was something I already had an interest in, so it just sort of worked out.
TM: Do you think studying kinesiology helped you become a better triathlete?
MT: I learned quite a bit about the contribution of specific muscle groups to running and cycling and how factors such as bicycle frame geometry influence specific muscular activation. This helped me understand the importance of bicycle positioning and how it may influence the quality of the run off the bike. I definitely learned a lot about running injuries while I was doing my thesis and I think that has helped me as a runner, especially when it comes to things like selecting running shoes and identifying early signs of injury. I think learning about this stuff has helped keep me injury free so far.
This article originally appeared in the February, 2010 issue of Triathlete Magazine. Interview by Brad Culp.
Foster, McGlone Take Desert Classic Duathlon In Arizona
On the day the Canadian hockey team took the gold in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Canadian Samantha McGlone took an early season victory for herself at the 2010 Desert Classic Duathlon in Phoenix, Ariz. The Tucson resident earned the victory over a star-packed women’s field including two-time Ironman World Champion Michellie Jones (AUS), Canada’s Angela Naeth, Switzerland’s Renata Bucher, Great Britain’s Leanda Cave and the United States’ Linsey Corbin.
McGlone’s win came thanks to a steady effort across all three legs of the race. McGlone headed off of the first run leg and onto the bike in sixth position and slowly worked her way to front of the field. By the time she reached the finish line at 1:36:00 she had overtaken all of the women ahead of her. Now 40-years-old, Jones proved that she can still compete with the best, coming in second at 1:37:00. Third went to Canada’s Angela Naeth at 1:37:09. Naeth was forced to sit out much of 2009 due to a series of injuries, and she looks to be starting 2010 strong with a podium finish against a tough field.
While the men’s race was not as star packed as the women’s, it did provide for an exciting day with the top four finishing within three minutes of each other. American Chris Foster took the win thanks to a blazing start on the run. Foster posted a 16:51 time for the first 3.5 mile run of the race, which is good enough for an average pace of 4:49 minutes/mile. From there he never looked back and crossed the tape in first with a time of 1:23:57. American Ben Hoffman used a strong bike leg to finish second at 1:25:52. American Matthew Sheeks finished third at 1:26:02.
Desert Classic Duathlon
Phoenix, Ariz. – February 28, 2010
3.5-mile run, 21-mile bike, 2.7-mile run
Men
1. Chris Foster (USA) 1:23:57
2. Ben Hoffman (USA) 1:25:52
3. Matthew Sheeks (USA) 1:26:02
4. Ryan Giuliano (USA) 1:26:29
5. Chris Ganter (USA) 1:29:49
Women
1. Samantha McGlone (CAN) 1:36:00
2. Michellie Jones (AUS) 1:37:00
3. Angela Naeth (CAN) 1:37:09
4. Leanda Cave (GBR) 1:37:28
5. Lisa Ribe s(USA) 1:38:41
New Ironman Pro Membership Rules Affect Prize Money, Kona Slots At IM Malaysia
The first Ironman to be subject to the new Ironman Pro Membership rules left a few pros walking away without a paycheck or a slot to October’s Ironman World Championship.
Racing as a professional in an Ironman or Ironman 70.3 race now means that athletes must be a part of the Ironman Pro Membership program. On top of a $750 annual membership fee, athletes are now subject to new rules in all Ironman branded events.
The new regulations state that athletes must finish within 8% of the winning time in order to walk away with any prize money. In addition, no prize money will be redistributed making the professional prize purse more of a maximum payout possibility, as opposed to a true gage of how much money will be given out.
For example, the prize purse for Ironman Malaysia is $50,000. Because of the new rules, only $39,500 was handed out after Saturday’s race.
Hillary Biscay commented on her lack of prize money or Kona slot on her blog.
American Hillary Biscay was one of the athletes left with no prize money and no chance at a roll down slot to Kona.
She commented on the outcome on her blog: “New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the third-place $4000 USD prize money: after 10 hours and 10 minutes of hard racing, my time falls 2 minutes outside of 8% of the winning time. According to the new “8% rule,” finishing 8.3% off of the winning time means I don’t get paid. Unfortunately, this money does not get redistributed to Belinda, Edith, or the four men who finished within the prize money cutoff. It ‘disappears.’”
Here’s a comparison of what athletes would have received under the old rules, and what was handed out under the new rules.
Prize Purse Allocation
Under Old Rules
Men
1. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 8:22:31 $10,000
2. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (JPN) 8:50:52 $6,000
3. Romaine Guillaume (FRA) 8:54:38 $4,000
4. Justin Granger (AUS) 9:01:08 $3,500
5. Andres Venhorst (NED) 9:12:03 $2,000
Women
1. Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:23:33 $10,000
2. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) 9:35:02 $6,000
3. Hillary Biscay (USA) 10:10:59 $4,000
4. Ariane Monteceli (BRA ) 10:15:17 $3,500
5. Jocelyn Wong (USA) 10:20:32 $2,000
Under New Rules – Within 8% Of Winner’s Time
Men
1. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 8:22:31 $10,000
2. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (JPN) 8:50:52 $6,000
3. Romaine Guillaume (FRA) 8:54:38 $4,000
4. Justin Granger (AUS) 9:01:08 $3,500
5. Andres Venhorst (NED) 9:12:03 $0
Women
1. Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:23:33 $10,000
2. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) 9:35:02 $6,000
3. Hillary Biscay (USA) 10:10:59 $0
4. Ariane Monteceli (BRA) 10:15:17 $0
5. Jocelyn Wong (USA) 10:20:32 $0
Kona Slot Allocation Eligibility
Under Old Rules
Men
1. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 8:22:31
2. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (JPN) 8:50:52
All athletes subject to a receive a roll down slot if either of the top two didn’t take their slot.
Women
1. Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:23:33
2. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) 9:35:02
All athletes subject to a receive a roll down slot if either of the top two didn’t take their slot.
Under New Rules – Within 5% Of Winner’s Time
Men
1. Marino Vanhoenacker
2. Not Given Out
No athletes eligible for roll down slots.
Women
1. Belinda Granger
2. Edith Niederfriniger
No athletes eligible for roll down slots.
To see the complete list of rules click here.
Vanhoenacker, Granger Dominate Bike Leg To Take Ironman Malaysia
Belgium’s Marino Vanhoenacker and Australia’s Belinda Granger turned in fast times on the bike and survived the heat on the run to take the first Ironman victories of 2010.
The day started with defending champion Luke McKenzie of Australia leading the men out of the water with a time of 49:28. Following him were Japan’s Hiroyuki Nishiuchi, France’s Romain Guillaume and Vanhoenacker. McKenzie went to work on the bike keeping a fast pace through the first 45 km. It did not turn out to be McKenzie’s day as he fell back through the pack and eventually dropped out of the race due to stomach issues. Through his Twitter McKenzie said “Sorry guys I’m out! Pretty gutted! Upset stomach on the bike. Nothing staying down!”
With McKenzie out of the race, Vanhoenacker faced little competition and posted a blazing bike time of 4:21:01. Heading onto the run with a massive lead over Guillame and Nishiuchi, Vanhoenacker’s biggest battle would be avoiding the stomach problems that plagued him in the heat of Kona. He managed to keep a steady pace throughout the entire 26.2 miles posting a 3:06:44 marathon and crossing the finish line in first at 8:22:31. Nearly a half hour later, Nisiuchi came to the finish with a time of 8:50:52 for second. While Guillaume looked to be the only athlete within striking distance of Vanhoenacker heading onto the run, he struggled in the heat and had to settle for third at 8:54:38.
American Hillary Biscay and Granger were the first women out of the water at just after 55 minutes into the race. Granger quickly went to work and ended up riding most of the bike leg by on her own up front. Once on the run, it was a matter of not blowing up in the hot and humid conditions. Granger managed a marathon time of 3:31:09, giving her an overall time of 9:23:33 and the overall win. The win is Granger’s third in a row at Ironman Malaysia. While Italy’s Edith Niederfriniger was the only runner to take time out Granger’s lead, it would not be nearly enough as Neiderfriniger came into the finish in second at 9:35:02. Despite mechanical problems on the bike, Biscay earned a podium position thanks to a time of 10:10:59.
Ironman Malaysia
Langkawi, Malaysia – Feb. 27, 2010
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run
Men
1. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 8:22:31
2. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (JPN) 8:50:52
3. Romaine Guillaume (FRA) 8:54:38
4. Justin Granger (AUS) 9:01:08
5. Andres Venhorst (NED) 9:12:03
Women
1. Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:23:33
2. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) 9:35:02
3. Hillary Biscay (USA) 10:10:59
4. Ariane Monteceli (BRA ) 10:15:17
5. Jocelyn Wong (USA) 10:20:32
Click here to see complete results.
Combating Iron Deficiency
Athletes, particularly female endurance athletes, are at an increased risk of becoming iron deficient. Professional triathlete and nutritionist Pip Taylor explains how to make sure you’re getting enough iron while training.
Written by: Pip Taylor
Q: I got into triathlon a couple of years ago and have never had more fun or been more fit. For a few seasons I was able to race and train as much as I wanted, but this year I have been constantly tired and my times in training and races have got slower. My training partner thinks I am low in iron and should take some iron supplements. What do you think?
A: Fatigue is often the constant unwanted companion to many triathletes. Training, work, etc., will take their toll, and triathletes, being triathletes, will generally take the more-is-more approach, risking overtraining and chronic tiredness. However, prolonged tiredness and lethargy can also be signs of a number of other issues, including low iron, so this is something that is worth getting checked out. Your friend might be right—it could be your iron stores, but don’t rule out other causes without definitive evidence.
Make an appointment to see you doctor, one who has a good understanding of sports and your personal athletic goals as well as how to interpret blood test results in this context. Explain your symptoms and your training volume and intensity and any other factors that could be contributing to fatigue, such as stresses from work or family. Never self-diagnose and never let a training partner diagnose you (unless she is also your doctor).
Iron is an essential mineral, vital not only for sports performance but also for general health. Most of the iron in your body is incorporated into hemoglobin, the blood protein that delivers oxygen to all body cells and removes carbon dioxide, allowing the utilization of fats and carbohydrates for energy production. Iron is also found in the myoglobin of muscle cells (which also store oxygen), and is stored as ferritin. Thus, in a regular blood test both hemoglobin and ferritin levels are assessed to determine iron levels.
Iron is continually lost from the body and needs to be replaced via dietary intake. If dietary intake is inadequate or absorption is compromised so that losses exceed absorbed iron, then iron stores become depleted, resulting in symptoms such as lethargy, pale skin, compromised immune system and a decline in sports performance. On the flip side, too much iron in the body can be toxic and can have very serious consequences.
Athletes, particularly female endurance athletes, are at an increased risk of becoming iron deficient. This is because in addition to losses through sweat, feces and urine, menstrual bleeding and loss of red blood cells through exercise-related impact all contribute to further losses of iron. Vegetarians or athletes who avoid iron-rich foods such as red meats or are just on a restricted diet are also at risk due to possibly inadequate intake and absorption.
Iron in food comes in two forms: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is found in animal flesh such as red meats, chicken and fish and is easily absorbed. If you like liver and kidney, then stick with them—they’re extremely rich in iron. Plant foods can also contain high levels of iron but in the non-heme form, which is poorly absorbed by the body, thus the need for a well-planned diet, especially for vegetarians. Many commercially prepared foods such as breads and breakfast cereals are iron-fortified.
In addition to eating lean red meat, other dietary manipulations can help boost absorption. For example, vitamin C enhances iron absorption, so include some vegetables with your steak or some orange juice alongside your iron-enriched breakfast cereal. Similarly, avoid drinking tea and coffee with your meals as the tannins can reduce iron absorption by as much as 50 percent. Bran may also need to be limited as it, too, binds to iron, thus greatly reducing its uptake. Even your cookware can play a role; using cast-iron frypans and skillets means that some iron will leach into your cooked foods.
If necessary, your doctor might recommend taking an iron supplement for a period of time, in addition to following an iron-rich diet. If you are supplementing, make sure you simultaneously consume some vitamin C and do not continue to self-medicate. Follow up the initial supplementation period with another blood test. An iron overload is extremely dangerous and can lead to serious consequences as iron builds up and slowly destroys vital organs such as the heart, liver and pancreas. Excess iron will also compromise absorption of other essential minerals such as copper and zinc, leading to further imbalances. Other effects of supplementation can include gastrointestinal upsets. Even though iron deficiency and iron supplementation may be common among endurance athletes (particularly females), make sure you are professionally diagnosed and assessed.
I would recommend that every athlete has regular checkups, including blood work, with a good doctor who understands athletes and the demands of their sport. Symptoms of any number of conditions overlap and can be confused with others, either more or less serious, so it’s really important to never self-diagnose. Supplements, even though readily available for purchase, are like any other drugs or medicines with the potential to cure or the potential to harm if used incorrectly.
Lieto On Armstrong’s Kona Potential: “I Think He Has The Ability To Go Top-Five”
Ironman World Championship runner-up Chris Lieto talked with VeloNews’ Neal Rogers about the twitter time trial, training as a cyclist and exactly how fast he thinks Armstrong can finish at the Ironman World Championships.
Lieto at a recent team camp. Photo: Kurt Hoy
Those who follow Lance Armstrong’s Twitter updates may have noticed his first-ever “Twitter time trial” last week against Ironman triathlete Chris Lieto, held along Kona’s Queen K Highway — the windy stretch of coastal road that serves as the bike leg of the Hawaii Ironman world championships.
The impromptu competition between the two stars of endurance sports started as a tweet from Armstrong to Lieto on the afternoon of February 16, when the seven-time Tour champ wrote, “Just passed @chrislieto going the other way. He was hammerin. Hey Chris, a little TT showdown on the Queen K tomorrow? You, me, and whoever.”
One of the strongest cyclists in triathlon, Lieto promptly replied, “@lancearmstrong see u on the Queen-K! Will have to be after 8am cause I have to swim first. Flying out mid day. Give me a call.”
Later that day Armstrong issued a notice to his near 2.5 million Twitter followers: “Queen K Hwy TT Challenge. Tomorrow 9:30am. Start – Waikeloa Beach Dr to Kukio Nui Dr. 14 miles. Full gas. Take it easy on me @chrislieto.”
The event, which ended up being closer to 11 miles, drew a few dozen spectators and participants.
A video posted online quoted Armstrong saying Lieto had ridden 15 seconds slower than he had; Lieto later posted his time as 18:44; just nine seconds slower than Armstrong. Either way, it was an impressive ride for the triathlete, considering Armstrong has been one of the strongest cyclists against the clock of the past decade. And as Armstrong said, “Who knows, maybe we’ll be having a showdown out here [on the Queen K Highway] in a couple years, with the swim in the front and the run at the end.”
The biggest star of the new Trek/K-Swiss triathlon team, Lieto, who turns 38 this year, is famous for using his bike strength to begin the marathon run with a large advantage. That tactic has never taken him to victory on the sport’s biggest stage, but he’s won three Ironman-distance races, holding the bike-course record at Ironman Canada. He finished ninth in Kona in 2006 and sixth in 2007 (the top American), and last year Lieto posted the fastest bike split — 4:37:33, for an average of 24.22mph — before Australian Craig Alexander finally reeled him in at mile 22 of the run. Lieto finished second, 2:35 behind Alexander, a result that forced those who have questioned Lieto’s bike-heavy strategy to think again.
The Bay Area resident has also done his fair share of bike racing with the amateur team California Giant Berry Farms, playing the role of unknown wildcard at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, in 2006 and 2007, and at the Tour of Utah, in 2006 and 2008. At the 2006 Utah race Lieto made it into the day’s breakaway on the final stage, finishing fourth on the climb to Snowbird Resort, just nine seconds behind climbing sensation Phil Zajicek; he finished the race 11th overall, 5:32 behind overall winner Scott Moninger. At Mt. Hood in 2007 Lieto put in a strong performance, finishing fifth on the pivotal 18.5-mile time trial, ahead of two-time national time-trial champion Chris Baldwin. Lieto finished that race seventh overall, 3:08 behind overall winner Nathan O’Neill.
VeloNews managing editor Neal Rogers caught Lieto by phone to ask about how the recent “Twitter time trial” came about, how it felt to be less than 10 seconds slower than a rider who has stood on the Tour de France podium eight times and how Armstrong might fare against today’s Ironman men’s field.
VeloNews: So is there a Trek connection with Armstrong?
Chris Lieto: Yeah, I’ve known Lance a few years, through Trek, we’ve done some wind-tunnel stuff. He invited me out to his house last fall for the Mellow Johnny’s Classic, the mountain-bike race. I did that, and I hung out with him there. I knew he was in Hawaii and I connected with him. I saw him out riding one day, we rode a few times together, and then we passed each other one day — he saw me riding down a hill, and he was riding up — and he twittered right after that. We were planning on doing a good ride together, and then he twittered that. He emailed me, we had an arrival time, he was going first, and I was leaving behind him. We met at 9:30. He opened it up to anyone else that wanted to do the time trial. They just had to leave after us, and it was on the honor system, no cheating, you started your own clock at the start and at the finish. I think he was surprised by how much response he got, and how much banter there was, with the tri community getting in on it. It was pretty funny.
VN: What was the distance?
CL: I’d have to look at my computer. I think it ended up being 11 miles. I don’t remember exactly. The average speed was about 56kph, or about 35mph. We had a tailwind.
VN: And this was part of the Ironman triathlon course?
CL: Yep, it’s part of the Ironman course, probably from mile 85 to 95, or so, somewhere in there.
VN: Armstrong tweeted that you were only 15 seconds behind him.
CL: Yeah, I was actually nine seconds off. He quoted me at 15 seconds in a video that was shot right after we finished. But after I downloaded my computer, my time was a little bit quicker.
VN: That’s pretty fast — Armstrong won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in the time trial, has won several Tour de France time trials, and was third at the Tour last year. Did you expect to be there? Are you pleased with that?
CL: Yeah, obviously I’m pleased to be that close to the best cyclist in the world. It’s great. I didn’t know what it was going to be like, or how I would perform. I didn’t think I would be that close. It was my first hard effort of the year, doing something like that. I haven’t done any max efforts yet, so it was a new experience for the year, to get going again. We’d both had hard weeks of training. The day before I think he rode five hours, I rode five hours, a lot of climbing, intervals, so it was just an unknown. But it was good to just hit it out. It helped with the tailwind, it made it a little bit easier to stay within striking range, or minimize the time gap. I think if it was a headwind maybe it would have been a little different. I think it also shows the bike quality of our new Trek Speed Concept. It equaled it out. We were on the same bike, in similar positions, on similar size frames.
VN: Was there one rider that brought more aerodynamic equipment — wheels, helmet, skinsuit, anything?
CL: No, it’s funny, we talked beforehand, I said okay, no aero helmets, because I didn’t bring mine and he had his. He said okay, and then he showed up and he was in his skinsuit, and I was in my regular jersey and bibs. And I was like “What’s up with the skinsuit?” and then he looked at my wheels and said that I had race wheels on. They’re four-year-old aluminum training wheels, but they have bladed spokes. But I had a 24-count spoke count wheel, and he had a 32-spoke count wheel. He had a skinsuit and I had a jersey and bibs, I had an aluminum rim with less spokes than he had, so it all balanced out.
VN: I’m pretty familiar with Armstrong’s race schedule, and where he should be with his fitness at this time of year. You said that was your first hard effort of the year; what’s your first race of 2010, and where did this sort of effort fit into your training?
CL: My first race of the year is March 15th. His first race was, what, last month? I’m a few months behind the cycling community. My first big race isn’t until June, and then Hawaii in October. I break my year into two halves. There are two half-Ironmans that I will be focusing on, but I haven’t confirmed which ones yet. For me my main focus is October. For Lance it’s the Tour de France in July. I try to get a first half of the season peak in June, and then I take a few weeks off and rebuild and start my focus for October. The big build will be for Kona.
Lieto in his roadie kit.
VN: We’ve seen you race at national-level road races in the past, but not really last year. Will you do that again in 2010? Where are you with your side career as an amateur cyclist?
CL: I’m not really doing anything with the side career. I’m still with the (California Giant Berry Farms) team, I am still part of it. Last year was the first year I didn’t do any stage races, the year before I did Tour of Utah. Last year with my training schedule and my racing schedule, it didn’t fit in. I did a few small local road races. This year will probably be the same. I doubt I’ll show up to any stage races. I think the lead up for me is more specific, what I need to do leading up to a triathlon.
VN: So what’s changed? How has the lead up changed compared to years when you were racing stage races? Does that mean you need to work more on the run, and less on the bike?
CL: It’s the whole balance. Training for triathlon you have to balance all three sports. So going to do a stage race, like say the Tour of Utah, I may prepare differently on my bike leg leading up to it so I can be fit enough on the bike to maintain and to be part of that race. I’m also taking that five- or six-day block and just riding. In the past I would do little runs after the stage was over, just a short run to keep the legs moving. But you take a weeklong block to do a stage race and you’re not getting in the swimming and running. So you have to sacrifice those, and you have to figure out what is the grand effect, and how you manage recovery to make sure you’re still on plan for the ultimate race in your triathlon schedule.
VN: So out in Kona with Lance, training on the Queen K, you must have chatted with him about him returning to triathlon. What kinds of conversations have you had with him about it?
CL: We have chatted a little bit about it. Nothing is definite or set. It’s known that he has an interest in racing triathlon again. He’s made statements that he’ll come and race in the sport of triathlon at some point, in the next year or two, when he’s done with the Tour. I think we may see him at some Ironman events, or half-Ironman events, or something like that.
VN: From what you’ve seen in Armstrong’s comeback, and his rides on the Queen K, what sort of performance do you think he’s capable of in the Hawaii Ironman?
CL: Oh, I mean he’s one of the greatest athletes in the world. Looking at where he is now, after taking the time off, he has the ability to compete in any sport. He has the biking background, I think he has shown he can run and do marathons. He swam in high school, and he did triathlons early on, so he has the ability and the skill sets to do it. I think he’ll be competitive. I think it will be good for the sport.
VN: So what sort of performance is he capable of? I’m looking for a time. Can he go under nine hours?
CL: Oh yeah, he’ll go under nine, for sure. There’s no reason he couldn’t. It’s all about the engine. He’s a very smart guy, so he gets the part about balance, and nutrition … there’s so much more to a triathlon than pure raw power and speed. You’ve got to be patient, and you’ve got to be calculating in your nutrition plan and how you get the fluids in you, and as far as dosing your effort. He’ll know that if he does a 112-mile bike, he’ll need to be reserved to do the marathon. He’s not going to go and kill the bike leg. In the race we did on the Queen K, it was 18km, 10-11 miles, it was short, it’s different, it’s raw power, a different approach. He knows what he’s doing. I think he’ll go sub-nine. I think he’ll be in the mix a little bit. He’ll create some stir. He’ll get some people worried, stressed out about where he is. I think he even has the ability to get top-five.
VN: I would think your position as the strongest cyclist in triathlon, and as someone who can race against pros at national-level stage races, is of great interest to VeloNews.com readers, many of whom are probably stronger cyclists than runners.
CL: It’s all based on the balance of how you go at your race. For me, my strength is my cycling, so I use that to my advantage. I may not run as fast as I could if I just ran a marathon. I could probably go out and run a pretty fast one-off marathon. But trying to put it in after riding 112 miles by yourself, at the front, is much different than riding 112 miles in a group, or not riding at all and just running a fresh marathon. My running is good, it’s just not as good as the guy who won this year. But my cycling is that much better than his. It’s just finding that balance in your dose of effort.
VN: Does that mean, being the strong cyclist you are, and having gotten closer and closer to winning by using the bike as your strength, that you work even harder on the bike, to get out front even more, or do you have to work on the run more? Will you train one more or less than you did last year?
CL: It’s all about balancing the three. I don’t look at it as I need to ride more and get faster on the bike for that extra minute. I have to make sure the bike is as strong, if not stronger, than last year. And I also need to focus on the run, and make sure that it’s better than it was last year. I can’t neglect the cycling aspect and just focus on my running. I focus a lot on my biking and I focus a lot on my running. It seems like my biking is still going well, and it showed well last week with Lance. I think it also shows the cycling community the credibility of the sport of triathlon. It’s not just a bunch of guys out there that can’t make it as cyclists that are out there doing triathlon. There are a lot of guys out there that are really good on a bike. There are a handful of professional triathletes that could compete in the pro ranks on the bike, but they don’t, because we balance all three. And I think it shows with my TT ride against Lance. I won’t go out and beat him, but I’m not that far off.
VN: You might go out and beat him. Nine seconds is not a lot in 11 miles; that’s less than a second a mile. We all know the fallibility of the transitive properties in bike racing results — otherwise known as the virtual race resumé — but who knows, maybe you’re capable of going top-15 in a ProTour time trial.
CL: That would be pretty crazy.
Tucson To Host 2011-12 USAT National Duathlon Festival
Tucson has quickly become established as one of the top triathlon training grounds in the United States and was recently named the Best Place To Live by Triathlete Magazine. While the weather, terrain and location are ideal for training, the lack of bodies of water means that the area hosts very few triathlons. Today, USA Triathlon announced that Tucson will play host to the USAT National Duathlon Festival in 2011 and 2012. With the presence of duathlon, Tucson may have found its place in the multisport racing community.
Tucson is considered the nation's top winter triathlon training city. Photo: Nils Nilsen
The 2011 and 2012 USAT National Duathlon Festival will consist of three duathlons in the Oro Valley (an area north of Tucson) – the Age Group National Championship, a sprint-distance citizen’s race and the off-road Championship.
“The selection of Tucson/Oro Valley to host the 2011 and 2012 USA Triathlon National Duathlon Festival provides the perfect opportunity to prove to world-class athletes and trainers how our community lives up to the title of ‘America’s Winter Training Capital,’” said Vince Trinidad, director of the Tucson Sports division for the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau.
2011-12 USAT National Duathlon Festival Race Distances (run, bike, run)*
Age Group National Championship – 5k, 40k, 5k
Citizen’s Race (sprint distance) – 2.5k, 20k, 2.5k
Off-Road Championship – 3k, 15k, 3k
*Distances are subject to change.
The 2010 event is slated for April 24-25 in Richmond, Va.
Click here to see the complete press release from USAT.
Determining Your Long Training Run For Any Triathlon Distance
Photo: Nils Nilsen/XTERRA
Written by: Mario Fraioli
How far is far enough? This is the question that troubles most triathletes when it comes time to plan the long run in their training program.
Regardless of your race distance, there’s probably a long run penciled somewhere into your weekly training schedule. How long you should go depends largely on the distance of your primary race, as well as whom you ask.
At Ironman Lake Placid in July, 24-year-old Patrick Wheeler made a huge breakthrough at the 140.6-mile distance, winning his age group in just his second Ironman and finishing in 9:49:51. He capped off his stellar day with a solid 3:10:29 marathon, the 13th fastest among the field of 2,258 finishers. His longest single run in training before Lake Placid.
“Two-and-a-half hours,” Wheeler admits. “And that’s my longest continuous run of the year.”
Over extending yourself on long runs can often mean injuries leading up to race day. Photo: Nils Nilsen/XTERRA
As an athlete and coach for the Boston-based Quantitative Triathlon Training Systems, Wheeler and his colleagues employ a unique approach to run training, capping an athlete’s single longest run for an Ironman at two-and-a-half hours, regardless of his or her ability level.
“Most athletes we coach are between 2:10 and 2:15; some are only around two hours,” Wheeler says. “Obviously, the more durable a person is and the longer they’ve been doing it, the closer to the higher end of that range they’ll be, but the main goal is to get someone to a point where we feel they’re durable enough to finish the whole thing.”
In an effort to keep the quality of the long-run days high and instances of injury to a minimum, the coaches of QT2 Systems de-emphasize a single weekly long run in favor of a non-traditional “split” long run that is used throughout the training cycle. For more experienced, higher-volume athletes, that means two 90-minute runs in a given day, with the second run preceded by an easy 60-minute bike ride. Wheeler says that by splitting the long run into shorter segments with a few hours of recovery in between, athletes are better able to practice running with good form, as well as prime their bodies for the physical and nutritional demands of an all-day event.
“It’s to hit that second run already beat up and to force yourself physically and mentally to focus and run with good form,” Wheeler explains. “You’re not going to feel as bad as the last 10K in the Ironman, but it’s pretty close. It’s also to help force your stomach to get used taking in food, digesting food and working out basically all day long.”
There’s more than one way to get to the finish line, however, as Will Kirousis and Jason Gootman of Tri-Hard Endurance Sports Coaching will tell you. For the Ironman, Kirousis caps the long run for his athletes at 20 miles. Beyond that, he says, the risks outweigh the rewards.
“That’s where the break point is,” Kirousis says. “Somewhere in that 16- to 20-mile range for the vast majority of people is enough. Going over that, you’re really just increasing the chances you’re going to get hurt. Does another two miles really make you a better runner at that point?”
Differing from the QT2 philosophy of run training based around a single long run of up to two-and-a-half hours or split runs totaling up to three hours, Kirousis and Gootman prefer to assign their athletes’ long runs in mileage rather than minutes, citing the confidence of being able to complete a percentage of the marathon distance in training as a key factor in an athlete’s success on race day.
“There are some people who would say don’t go any longer than 2:45 or three hours, regardless of what level you’re at,” Kirousis says. “Over the years we’ve shifted to mileage only because we found that for newer athletes especially, going on time could result in them doing a long run that was very short, and then over the course of the race they would break down. Even if their ability to metabolize fuel was good, their body just couldn’t handle the pounding as the race progressed. They didn’t have the resilience to deal with it.”
Stepping down in distance presents a dilemma of a different sort with regard to the length of long runs, as many athletes training for an Olympic-distance or half-Ironman event are easily able to complete the distance. But just because you can run six miles in your sleep or knock off 13 miles on any given weekend, should you? Again, it depends on whom you ask.
For Wheeler and the athletes of QT2, when someone drops down in distance, the length of the long run changes, but the basic principles of training remain the same. The emphasis isn’t on completing a certain percentage of the race distance during your longest run in training, but instead centers on the accumulation of overall running volume, with the amount dependent on the ability and durability of the athlete.
“Same thing for a half Ironman—90 minutes to two hours as the longest single run,” Wheeler says. “For Olympic distance, 75 to 90 minutes max. The volume is different depending on the person, depending on their volume when they came to us and what we feel is a safe level to build up to. But everyone will still do the split run, because you do typically run a little farther on a split run day than you otherwise would. I’ve done this now for three years myself and seen it work with the athletes I coach. I’m a big fan.”
Gootman believes that when preparing for a 70.3 or an Olympic-distance event, an athlete can—and should—run a greater percentage of the race distance in training. The physical demands and risk of injury aren’t as great compared to the Ironman, he says, and knowing you can complete the distance gives you confidence on race day, regardless of your ability level.
“As you go down [in race distance], the long-run distances start to become a greater percentage of the race distance,” Gootman explains. “For the half Ironman, I’d say 10 to 14 [miles] is about my range. I think less than 10 for a half iron and a person, physically or mentally, is just not going to feel prepared. Even the person just looking to finish is going to need to feel good about being able to do so.”
At the Olympic distance, Gootman says the length of the long run depends largely on the athlete’s ability level, as the physiological demands differ depending on how fast you’re running. “A really high-level athlete should certainly be doing long runs longer than the 10K,” he says. “Less than that is just not enough of a stress to develop their fatigue resistance because the nature of their race is largely anaerobic. For someone looking to finish their first Olympic, I think six miles gets the job done.”
No matter the distance of your race or the training philosophy you choose to follow, the overarching answer to the question of long-run distance is that it should be far enough that you’re confident you can complete the distance, but not so far that you’re not able to go the distance on race day.
“We try to keep the long run at 35 percent of the overall weekly run volume,” Wheeler says. “In the end, all the fitness in the world doesn’t mean anything if you show up to the start line with an injury.”
Mario Fraioli is a freelance writer living outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He is a 2:28 marathoner and coaches runners through his website at www.mariofraioli.com.
