Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Race Day Nutrition - Valuable Information


I have been asked a lot what I do for my race nutrition for a half Ironman Event. I guess one could say that after 10 races at this distance in 2010 I should know what I am doing. So here is what I do and what I have found that works for me;

My race pre starts the night before. I apply MYOMED to my legs and sleep in compression pants. When I wake up in the morning I make a big bowl of RokitFuel and 4-8 ounces of ASEA. I make one bike bottle that has 2 scoops of CarboPro in it, 2 packets of Hornet Juice in it, and Prolytes.

On the bike I have 2 more bottles with 2 scoops of CarboPro in each, 2 packets of Hornet Juice in each and more Prolytes.

I take 2 DUB shots (similar to 5 hour energy) right before the swim. On a race where my wave was 2 hours after the pro's a take a muscle milk as a second breakfast.

On my bike I have 4 gel packs. I try to take in 1000 calories on the ride.

In T2 I have a packet of pills waiting for me to take. When a course is set up properly (in my opinion) there should be a water table as you leave T2 to head out onto the run. This water table will allow you to take these pills quickly. If no water table is available you just need to have a water bottle in T2 or carry the baggie of pills to the first water stop usually at mile 1. In my pack of pills I have DUB nutrition's Muscle formula and Youth formula, some kind of salt replacement pill, sport legs (for lactic acid removal), and 4- 200mg ibuprofen's.

Then for the run I take in mostly liquids and gels (3-4 of them) from the aid stations (no bars). I say no bars because I want quick nutrition and I want it now. I do not want to take energy away from what I am doing to break down complex bars. Coke is also welcome treat (this is supplied at most races on the run.) The other awesome thing I like to do is dump the ice down my shorts so it sits on my hips, quads and hamstrings. This helps keep me cool and keep my legs nice and fresh.

This post was free of charge;) I think this is some very valuable information and will hopefully help some of you get through your day with no bonks!

Vineman Race Day








Swim: 32:20

Woke up earlier than I need but who can sleep in on race morning. My wave didn't go off till 8:22 but who doesn't want to watch the pro's in action. These guys and girls are fast! Just check out those swim times for the pro men leaders! While waiting for my wave to start a guy walks up to me and asks if I fight. I get this a lot with my ear. I used to wrestle is my standard answer here. I recognized the guy and asked is he was a Diaz. I knew that one of the Diaz brothers did this race most years and indeed it was Nick from the UFC. He is way more famous than me... well that's cause I not famous.

It was finally my turn and I was ready to get going. The hard part this race morning was keeping myself calm enough to I didn't use all my adrenaline before the gun for my race went off. Two hours after the pro's is a long time to wait when your all ready to go. As mentioned before this is a great swim set up for me. Smooth waters and straight lines. It showed in the swim times and mine as well. I was happy with my swim time and headed out on the bike with some good energy.



Bike: 2:34:42

This was a challenging and beautiful bike course. Rolling hills with few challenging climbs to keep you honest. There were some tricky handling sections on this course and the scariest part was when the course was shaded by the trees so it made some of the rough roads tough to see. Charting a clean line on this course was the difference between a pinch flat and no flat. There were many casualties on the side of the road changing their tubes out. I felt good throughout and felt I did a great job with my nutrition. I passed a lot of people as most of the field started ahead of me on this day. One of the athletes I passed was 80 year old Madonna Buder. She is INCREDIBLE! I gave her a big thumbs up and yelled Madonna as I went by- hopefully I didn't scare her and made her crash.

Run: 1:39:18

I started to run and the heat started to make itself present as there was no tree cover on the run. I felt good coming off the bike and just started to cruise. I knew if I could have a post a good run time that I would have a chance to post a personal best. This would be a good feat considering this was my 10th 70.3 race of the year. The volunteers were awesome and the crowds were very supportive! As I hit the turn around point I looked at my watch and knew I was on pace. The roads to the turn around had more uphill sections then on the way back, so this was an exciting thought. I turned up the jets, loaded up with Gu and just kept running. The night before I had a conversation with my friend and pro triathlete Heath who told me to post a 4:50:10....well at the end of the day I missed it by 14 seconds. Not bad if you ask me. My final time was 4:50:24 and 2 minutes faster than any 70.3 event I have ever done. Booyaa! The announcer gave me props all day long and talked up the world record and the cause. It was a great day for exposure to quest!


The race ended with some great post race food and me jumping in my car and driving 12 hours to get home to be with my family. Thanks for all the love and support!

Expo and check in

Saturday July 17, 2010

Today the we woke up, geared up and headed out the door to bike the run course. It was Roy, Donald (both from Ellsworth) and I. It was cold and I was under dressed but I am glad that we did this ride. The last few miles of the out and back were a little different than my Ironman and it was good to see the hills and course. After the ride I attended the pre race meeting and got all checked in for the race. This year turned out to be the 20th anniversary of the race. The Ellsworth crew set up the booth and waited for the crowds of people. The expo always gets crazy for a few hours and Ellsworth got some great exposure. They have mostly been in the mountain bike game but are coming on strong in the road and TT world.
Mid day I headed down to the swim start and swam about 600 meters. This is a great swim course as the water is always smooth and half of the swim is down stream... which also means that half is upstream but it's the first half, so your fresh. The other really good thing is if you are not a strong swimmer you can swim close to the banks of the river and stand up at any time!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the expo in the Ellsworth booth followed by a nice Mexican dinner! Off to bed... tomorrow we dance.... again.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Vineman 70.3 HALF WAY!


Friday 16, 1210

I threw the mattress and the bike in the back of the Highlander and headed out not 100% sure where I would be crashing this weekend. It was an 800 mile drive to the race in Northern California. I was excited for this weekends race for 2 reason;

1 - This marks the half way point of my journey in 2010 (still feeling fresh as a daisy)
2 - This was the home course of my very first Ironman in 2008 (hoping for some good energy)

I am a champ behind the wheel and plowed through this drive lik
e it was nothing. I enjoy solo travel in the car as it gives me great time to think and reflect on many things. I was able to think of things that I am grateful for and the reasons I am doing this project. I have listed just a few things I am blessed to have in my life at this time;

- My wife Sunny and my 5 amazing kids
- Water - kind of the whole purpose of this journey..
- My health
- My support system and sponsors
- The opportunity to even try this craziness
- My mom and dad for always believing in me and allowing me to do my thing even though it drives my dad nuts at times
- In Our Own Quiet Way for facilitating the work in Africa. Just look at the difference a dam makes.... you gotta love it!

I could go on but I will stop here.....

I arrived in Cali around 9pm. Just a few hours earlier I was texting back and forth with Roy from Ellsworth and he explained to me that I could crash in his hotel room. A text message sent from heaven. A quick unpack and off to bed. Expo and check in tomorrow~

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Pictures from Rhode Island

I know, I know.... everyone is tired of looking at me in Spandex but I have to put them up. Gotta prove I was actually there.....






Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Bad Ass Comments Validated

My mom ran her first sprint triathlon this weekend and from our conversation and the pictures she enjoyed the day. When we spoke she exclaimed that 3 strokes into the swim she could not breath as she thought her wetsuit was too tight. This is a very common experience for a first time triathlete to have. It is a simply combination of excitement and anxiety. Wetsuits are super tight and should not restrict our breathing. I was thinking after our conversation how many people I knew that had experienced the same thing as my mom, my wife included. My wetsuit pretty much can’t get much tighter. I think this just comes with practice and a certain comfort level in the water. Practice in open water swimming is super important, especially before attacking the longer distances or mass starts.




She said once on the bike she started to calm down and get into a good rhythm. She then attacked the run and conquered that too. All in all a great day for mom and I loved hearing about her day. I can not wait to do an Half-Ironman event with her in 2011 and a Full Ironman in 2012, she is already and inspiration to many. If my mom at the age of 60 can get out there and do, what is stopping you?? Go mom Go!

Rhode Island 70.3 #9 of 21 (yes it now says 21)



Woke up super early to catch a 7am flight to Rhode Island. This is race #9 of 21 for the Tri and Give a Dam project. Holly from Quiet Way was kind enough to drop me off at the airport so my wife Sunny could get some rest. Weekends when I am away are just as tough in her as she has to be a single parent for a few days. I tried this a few weeks ago when my wife went to a youth camp with our church. Trust me when I say I have the easier job. Hanging with 5 kids 24/7 is no joke. I do not know how woman around the world do it.

I couldn’t have anything go wrong today or I would miss check in. Missing check in would disqualify me from the race an ultimately affect the record. I had originally thought that I was flying on Friday and had plenty of time to get to the race and check in. Turns out when John Rose from DUB Nutrition booked my flight he didn’t realize how tight and nerve racking these few flights would be for me. This year I have experience several delays and a delay today could hurt the journey. With an “everything always works out for me” attitude I didn’t worry too much about it. There were do delays and I executed the perfect luggage/car pick up.
I found check in with time to spare, headed to T2 at the Capitol building and dropped off my gear bag. I quickly realized that T1 and bike check in was an hour away and I had 40 minutes to get there. I got my directions and sped all the way to the swim start in hopes to not see any law enforcement in a bad mood. The security folk there were very nice and let me build my bike and check it in- thanks guys!
In the end all worked out perfect (of course it did). I located the Knights Inn where I would be spending the next few night. Across the street was a Friday’s and I enjoyed a rack of Jack Daniels ribs before retiring for the night.

July 11, 2010
Rhode Island 70.3 The Swim
I woke up at 3 am (1am Utah time) and got all my gear ready for the day. They race shuttles to go down to the swim start were scheduled to leave at 4am sharp. Holy crap this was early!! I hardly slept the night before and hoped to feel good once the race began.... can anyone say caffeine!!
This was a beach start ocean swim. When the cannon blew we had to dive in and smash through the surf. This was kind of fun. Once we got past the bigger waves we were able to start swimming. The swim was straight out, left, left then straight back (my favorite swim course set up). Swimming out seemed like a long time as we were swimming into the rough surf. On the way back was a lot more fun. Despite the rough waters I had a great swim at 35:03

Rhode Island 70.3 The Bike
This ride was ‘suppose’ to be more fun than it was.... it was still fun as I love to ride! Usually the wind comes off the ocean and into Providence, but not today. Someone must have told the winds that James Lawrence was coming to race and to switch up from the norm. This point to point ride had more and bigger rollers than I thought would be there. And that darn wind was in our face the whole time - of all days for the wind to switch. But it really doesn’t matter that much as we all ride the same course, it would just be nice to not dance with the wind at every race. The scenery on this course was beautiful. Thick trees and points and nice ocean views at others. The last 2-3 miles were rough and sketchy. Pot holes, railroad tracks, and sharp turns. All in all a decent ride at 2:44:56 As in most races I was humbled by a few woman riders. I was battling with 2 other guys at about mile 40 when this tiny girl blows by us like we were going backwards on a climb. I thought “whoa that’s awesome!” I’m not the fastest biker out there but I’m certainly not the slowest. I marvel at the athletes that show up to these events, simply incredible.
Rhode Island 70.3 The Run

By the run the heat was starting to make itself known. This mostly flat 2 loop run was the perfect conclusion to a beautiful course. One big hill 1 mile into the run was unwelcome on the second loop of this run. Who am I kidding, it was unwelcome on the first lap too. It is always inspiring when I see the pro’s running and the pace they are holding, just awesome. Equally inspiring are the warriors who are out there for 7 plus hours in that heat. I had a steady run keeping my minute per mile in the 7‘s with a time of 1:44:19. I do not know how people run sub 1:30’s. I am going to figure this out. My total finish time was 5:08:39 and concludes race #9 of 21. I will be in Northern California next week. Donate if your board www.TriandGiveaDam.com and thanks for all the continued support.

One of the nice benefits of finishing before the masses is that he massage tents are mostly open. These are the true champion of the day. Working on tired sweaty athletes would not be something I would sign up for, but man am I grateful! I must have got lucky cause the gal I got worked on me for a good half hour. As I was headed to my car to wrap up the race day I passed an empty medical booth tucked way off to the side. On of the medical dudes say “you need a massage?” I thought “heck yes I do” So I went in a received an ice massage that felt wonderful. I race next weekend so hopefully this helps speed up my recovery.

I headed back to Fridays and enjoys some more of those Jack Daniels ribs. They tasted even better than the night before. After a small piece of rib heaven I took a much needed nap. When I woke up from the nap I felt worse than when I went down. My head was pounding and my legs ached. I walked over to a local store and found a car show taking place in the parking lot. I walked around and looked at all the cars and got some liquid to help rehydrate myself. Back to the hotel and the art of recovering. See you in Salt Lake City

Monday, July 5, 2010

Burger #8. The Gypsy



This burger was a yummy and a blast! We just love doing them, so I hope you enjoy this one! "We want your money!" Casey is one of the funniest kids I know... also one of the fastest!

10k - Fail


Provo Freedom Run - 40:21

I wanted to break 40 on this 10 k race. I tried and failed. Dang-it!!! I am happy with the average of 6:25's and this is my best time ever but I really wanted to break 40. Looking back there was an uphill section that I coasted on and should have pushed just a little harder... I live to race another day! Great job to Kyle Quist (fellow DailyMiler'er) who rocked his PR by 2 minutes - Woot Woot. Also congrats to Sara Jarvis (fellow PowerTri.com athlete) who pushed me to the finish, she is an animal! Jess Brereton also ran the 5k which mark his first race back after his accident and back surgery. He posted a proud 23:38. BIG ups to the wife Sunny who ran 8:10 miles to knock out her personal best in a 10K - Bang Bang! The best "in race butt slap" goes to Dano Dayton who caught up with me in the early stages of the run. Feels so good, great to see you good buddy!

Picture of the race goes to Chris Shane. It's tough to see but it does say U S A.... nice work Chris!
Also ran into fellow Aquaphor team mate for a pre race pic! Love to see all my friends and athletes at these local races. Thanks for the continued support!