USA Triathlon rankings are out and Practical Coaching sends out our congratulations to many of our athletes and many of our friends. Practical Coaching continues to be the leader in helping athletes reach their training and racing goals. With Steve being the TEAM USA head coach for 2009 many people have been asking what Practical Coaching is doing to get their athletes ready for the season. Steve and I have decided to let the athletes tell you themselves what they have committed to doing to get ready for their big race. Again, congratulations to everyone for a great 2008 season and here's to you and looking ahead to the 2009 season!
Rankings
| All American Rankings |
|
Steve Pye #113
45-49 Age Group
|
|
Anthony Beeson #102
30-34 Age Group
|
| Honorable Mentions |
|
Michelle Ford#107
40-44 Age Group
|
|
Beth Tennant #139
40-44 Age Group
|
|
Sonja Wieck #127
25-29 Age Group
|
|
Lori Dandley #25
55-59 Age Group
|
Anthony Beeson
Preparing for the 2009 ITU Age Group World Championships has, and continues to be, a complex, challenging, and potentially overwhelming process. Not just because racing triathlons is difficult, but because planning an entire triathlon season is. I expect most people are like me and want to do their very best every time they toe the line. The concepts of training races, training through a race, or experimenting during a race appear to go against this idea. Ultimately we do our best with what we have in every race. But what we have on that particular day is the key to a successful race and a successful season.
Most of us are familiar with the concept of our season’s ‘A-Race’. However, what do you do when you find yourself with two ‘A-Races’ and a ‘B+-Race’ within 22 days of each other?
I’d like to rant on the stupidity of committing to a race (Ironman Canada) 364 days before the event. Especially when you don’t know when USAT Nationals is going to be, or if you’ve even qualified for Worlds. But the folks at Ironman seem to have their ideal supply-demand relationship and here I sit with Nationals (Aug, 22), IM Canada (Aug, 30), and Worlds (Sept, 12).
How do I prepare for these 22days? Mostly by doing whatever Steve puts on my schedule. I don’t really have time to question it anyway. But together Steve, Andrea, Sonja and I put together a careful, 11-month, plan of looonnng swims, bikes and runs, brick workouts, intervals, tempo, weight training, fine tuning nutrition, thoughtful recovery, massages, Norma-Tec compression therapy, ‘C-Races’, and other fun training adventures. We call it www.17hourtraingday.com. The prevailing idea is to prepare for IM Canada in the same way we’ve prepared for Olympic distances in the past, training beyond the distances we will race, without sacrificing the speed we need for Nationals and Worlds.
Every training session has a specific goal aimed at preparing for those 22 days; whether its base building, speed training, active recovery, nutrition, or of course REST. I’m constantly taking note of how my body responds with the idea of coming up with a plan for those 22 days that will accomplish all my goals.
So far, I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. The initial race results have been encouraging. I feel much more fit, stronger, and just as fast, if not faster. There is still a long way to go, but I feel great about where things are going.
Sonja Wieck
There is a list of races that every triathlete hopes to be a part of
one day. ITU World Championships is at the top of that list. Among age
group athletes, competing as a member of TEAM USA is the creme de la
creme of competition, a match up against the worlds fastest and
fittest amateur triathletes. To toe the line with such remarkable
talent is both an honor and privilege not to be taken lightly. I am
lucky enough to have the opportunity to compete in ITU Age Group
Worlds this year and it is imperative that I show up on September 13th
in Surfers Paradise, Australia in the best shape of my life.
As a third year triathlete I have experienced modest success in the
sport but more importantly I have become accustomed to the
overwhelming camaraderie of a sport that brings together all ages of
athletes. Receiving an honorable mention from the USAT rankings in my
age group at the conclusion of my second season was rewarding, but the
relationships that I have developed in such a short time in this sport
far outweigh any accolades I have thus far received. This year I am
taking on the largest athletic challenge of my life. I plan to race
USAT Short Course Nationals, Ironman Canada, and ITU World
Championships all in a 21 day period. For many months I have have been
steadfast in my training, for I must be both physically and mentally
prepared.
Physically, speed comes from a strong base. This off season I spent
significant training hours strengthening my base by joining forces
with the 17 Hour Training Day Triathlon Team. As a group we completed
numerous 20-46 mile training runs, many of which were on the trails,
or on snowshoes. Significant hours were spent in the pool, logging the
miles, and building a base up to 7K yard workouts. As spring
conditions appeared mid January here in Colorado I was on my bike for
back to back 60-80 mile mountain rides with a few 100+ mile rides
tucked in. Despite an obvious lack of speed specific work a strong
solid winter base enabled me to finish second at the US National
Snowshoe Championships, and also to post a PR in both the 1/2 marathon
and 10K distances.
With spring comes the beginnings of speed work. Building layers of
speed work upon a strong endurance base has been a fun endeavor.
Weekly track workouts, masters swim sessions, and pace line work on
the bike with my fellow training partners have helped to lay the
foundations of speed in all three disciplines. My first triathlon of
the season was the Rage in the Sage Long Course, my very first long
course, and the small amount of speed work helped push me to a female
overall win.
You can't build endurance or speed without proper recovery. Recovery
is the process of quick healing, and aiding your bodys ability to
absorb the days training. Throughout the fall, winter and spring
seasons I have utilized massage, lots of foam roller work, and my
personal favorite, pre workout and post workout sessions in the
Normatec pants. Also key in recovery is good nutrition. Through the
winter I upped the percentage of protein in my diet, and remained
focused in my attempts to use my nutrition to properly fuel my
workouts, rather than using nutrition to reward myself for hard
workouts completed. "Eat to train, don't train to eat" is written on
my refrigerator door.
Lastly, preparing to be my best for the most important race of my life
is an arduous mental task. Sports psychology is an important piece of
any training regime. I have worked hard in the off season with my
coaches to address my stress triggers and to learn more about my
mental outlook during training and racing. This training season has
been an interesting time, from winning races, to running 46 miles
through the grand canyon twice, to completing what we used to call our
"epic bike loop" twice in one day. I have learned that pushing the
boundaries of what I think is possible keeps me fresh and excited
about my training.
On September 13th, when I put my cap and goggles on my head and place
my bare foot on the starting line of ITU World Championships I will be
confident that not only did I do everything I could to prepare myself
to race the worlds best amateur triathletes, but that I enjoyed every
step of the process.
Lori Dandley
After 15 years of 'coaching' myself through triathlons, I thought it was time to enlist the assistance & knowledge of a certified coach. I have the fortune to know the
Practical Coaching team and have joined their group.
My company has allowed me to reduce my work hours. Working less has allowed time for more training during the week and creating a more efficient schedule. It also allows for more rest.
Training for a February marathon helped keep my running miles up during the winter months. The mild Denver winter allowed for more outside bike rides than normal.
Target races leading up to worlds Loveland Lake to Lake (regional championship) and the Boulder Peak.
Training and playing in Colorado's high country keeps me enjoying every step I take towards my Australia goal.
Michelle Ford
* After qualifying for Worlds last September, I was absolutely ecstatic!
It was the perfect "reward" for a year and half of physical and mental
training. But then it occurred to me, Worlds was almost a full year away
and I was coming off of an intense training and racing season. Although I
was ready for a bit of a break I knew that I couldn't take that much time.
My goal at that point was to not to lose too much fitness through the winter
months. The Practical Coaching group long runs, bikes and swims played a
big part in this. Not only did I not lose fitness during those months, I
was able to take a mental break from tri-specific training. Trail runs,
social group rides, swimming 6k straight: these were exciting new ways to
push myself and have a great time doing it.
* As 2009 began I found myself with more time on my hands with which to
train more. I was fortunate to have a couple of great training partners to
enjoy long rides and long runs with as we had a fairly mild winter. I was
able to get in lots of quality base building and raise my fitness to yet
another level. I know this training base will pay huge dividends come
September.
* Another benefit of having more time on my hands is that I have also had
the opportunity to learn more about how I handle training loads, recovery
needs, nutrition needs etc. I have also been able to have Andrea work on me
for massage a bit more often as part of recovery and that has also been
beneficial. The information that I am learning about myself I am applying
to my training and it is also helping with my mental training as well i.e.
Knowing that I'm supposed to be exhausted coming out of an intense training
week....you would think that would be fairly obvious but when you are in the
midst of it you can lose track!
* My racing season is set up fairly consistently with a couple of races
each month leading up to Worlds with the focus clearly on performing well in
Australia. I am also racing my first 70.3 distance in June and then
continuing my focus on Olympic distance after that. Boulder Peak and
Nationals will be my "big" events leading into September. I may add a
sprint distance in early August as a speed check.
* One of the tools I have used to help me keep my eye on the Worlds target
has been visualization. I will admit that at times it has been tough to
"keep going" but I have this image in my head: the ITU blue carpet area and
transition, the bleachers with a cheering crowd, my family that will be
there, my teammates, my coaches, Team USA race kits, my competitors, and the
finish line. When I see this in my mind, my heart rate increases, my
excitement builds, and I have brought a new intensity to the workout and I
am back on track.
* It's hard to believe that an event that once seemed an eternity (a year)
away is now only a few months on the horizon. I cannot wait to represent
Team USA and be a part of the Worlds experience!
Beth Tennant
I have been dreaming of and working towards a worlds slot for 5 years now; 1 year in
Shreveport, 2 in KC and 2 in Portland. Last year at Hagg Lake not only did I qualify
but I felt like I deserved it. I had done all the hard work, made all the sacrifices
and loved every minute of it. Once it was official that I qualified I was stunned.
It almost felt like qualifying for the Boston Marathon; it is all about qualifying
but who cares how you race once you get there because it is all about the
"experience" of the Boston Marathon.
I spent much of last fall and winter doing longer endurance training and I realized
one snowy day that maybe I could go to Australia and compete, not just be a tourist
doing the race. I have no idea what the competition will be like and I don't really
care. I just know that I want to jump in that Aussie water healthy, happy and the
strongest I have ever been. That decision brings with it a lot of complicated days
in my world due to my job. I travel 2-4 weeks out of the month and training on the
road can be everything from impossible to exhausting to annoying. Fortunately I have
a coach who helps me manage my schedule based on my travel and changes in the middle
of the month. I rarely miss a day of scheduled training however I do get stuck some
days and have to back track or double up to get my time in the water or weight room
in.
I seem to have a body and a brain that embraces endurance events. Last fall Steve
Pye, my coach, and I took a deliberate look at how to get me moving toward longer
races and training with the thought that it will simply enhance what I am doing at
the Olympic Distance. So far I can say that it has worked well for me. October 08 I
jumped back into the endurance trail world and loved being back. I ran the Ultimax
in Moab and felt like I was home the harder and more ridiculous it got. I spent most
of the winter running long slow distances, swimming long slow workouts and sitting
on my computrainer pretending I was doing the Arizona Ironman. Training days of 3 to
5 hours where my heart rate is moderate and the burn is constant. At this point in
my life my resting HR is about 38 so for me to stay at around 135 for 3-5 hours is
like watching paint dry but it is great for my training. I suppose it provides me
with good mental discipline as well but it is hard to appreciate it when I am in the
midst of a workout. I also spent quite a few hours on my fixed gear bike outside and
on my rollers inside. I love my rollers as they force me to stay engaged in the
workout and they make me a better cyclist because if I don't pedal correctly or hold
my line I will crash through my TV.
By May 09 I had already raced 4 times. I did my first ½ Ironman in San Diego called
the SuperFrog. That was a tough race and a great confidence builder for me as it
included an ocean swim and sandy beach run. I found the harder it got the more I
enjoyed it and the harder I pushed. I also ran the Moab ½ in March. I ran to the
start and then turned around to do the race. At first this may seem crazy but I have
to say that a long slow start to the race was perfect. It emulated to some degree
what a ½ or full ironman should look like for me; slow start and strong through the
finish.
I went to the Rage in the Sage at Lake Mead in Boulder City to compete at the
Olympic distance. I was thrilled with my run more than anything. I was able to keep
focused and hold my intensity long enough to chase down another woman and actually
beat her in the last ¼ mile. Historically this is not my strength. I like to give up
the race and the control to the competition...no more!
I have been working on my swim form for years but in the last 6 months I finally
found a stroke and form that works for my body and my brain. Poor Steve; he has
tried to explain the same thing to me 100 ways but for whatever reason when he said
elbows out, the opposite of elbows in on my aeros, all the light bulbs went off for
me. Steve has me doing longer swims and I have found the most benefit I get from
these longer swims is the time I have to think about and refine my form. I am not
fast yet but we started to add speed workouts in late March and I am starting to see
results. My 100 times are still slow compared to most triathletes at my level but I
am never going to give up trying to get faster.
Now focused on the Kansas 70.3, Lake to Lake and Lifetime Fitness Tris this summer I
am really starting to focus on speed and strength. We decided that I will stay in
the weight room year round. As much as it pains me say I think this is a good thing
for a woman over 40. I need to continue to build strength and lean muscle mass. Plus
it is something I can do when I am in some random hotel. I am doing more TT bike
work which is good. I am able to maintain serious strength on the bike considering
how often I get to ride (I try not to think about how strong I could be if I could
ride consistently during the week) but these days my workouts are all about quality.
I have to drain every ounce of quality out of a workout and tempo and speed work
helps me do that.
I work hard to manage my nutrition although that is also hard with all the travel,
sales meetings and being a vegetarian. Tofu and other soy products are hard to find
in restaurants and when traveling from city to city during the week. I am trying to
work fish into my diet these days. Honestly I hate the taste however I think most of
it is in my head and I am trying to retrain my brain so that I can have an
accessible protein when I eat out. Otherwise I load up on carbs from breads and
sugar neither of which feels very good. I have also learned to appreciate
sleep...although I don't get enough during the week if I am not racing I am able to
get good sleep on the weekends. This helps me recover and have higher quality
workouts.
There are two things that make my training and triathlon world most rewarding;
working with a coach who helps me progress physically in each event, emotionally
during a race and having teammates that are supportive, competitive and fun. If it
weren't fun I wouldn't do it. I would go play golf, go back to ultra-running or
climb mountains.
