| BPC Newsletter |
Issue 007 June 2009 |
Letter from Ali
Happy almost summer!
May brought us warmer weather, great training opportunities and the first crack at racing. BPC athletes looked strong out there at the Hopkington Season Opener, Wrentham Duathlon, James Joyce Ramble, Hyannis Great Race, Pinelands 50K, St Croix Half Ironman, Mooseman...just to name a few! Look below to see the results for all our athletes for the month.
Also in May we had our swim clinics at the BU Case Center Pool. Many new faces joined with some swim "veterans" for this second swim clinic. BPC coaches focused more on specifics to outdoor racing and strategies. The swim clinics continued on at Walden Pond on June 5th and June 12th with over 25 participants. We look forward to adding more swim clinics at Walden throughout the summer, check back to our website soon for details on these fantastic clinics.
We also began our track workout series at Harvard. These track workouts are designed to help any athlete learn to economize their run, increase efficiency and get a little "butt kicking" each week. Practices are open to any athletes and sign ups are available right on our website. Please email me directly for any questions.
Finally, now is the perfect time to come in and get your VO2 or LT test. We are offering a special for the rest of June and July: 150$ for any VO2 test (bike or run). Learn how to perform better using your training zones, learn about your aerobic base and aerobic threshold, and learn how many calories you are burning from fat and carbohydrates (perfect for nutritional planning!). Contact Ali directly to schedule your performance test today!
Final Thoughts....
As we are now in full swing of our summer racing schedule many athletes struggle with the balance between racing and training and taking time off. Be sure that you are recovering from your workouts, that you are recovering from your races (regardless of how long they are) and that your nutrition and rest is optimal. We have such a short season here in New England and you don't want to get injured or burn out too soon. Taking time in between intensity days and racing weekends is crucial to your performance, even if it's a "B" or "C" race. Many athletes fall prey to overtraining simply because they forget to include massage, rest days/easy days and a proper nutritional strategy. My suggestion is to make sure that you have a plan for each week, and that you have a reason for every workout. You should know: why you are doing the workout, what your focus and purpose is for the workout, and what your optimal outcome is from that workout. Then, create a nutrition plan to include proper ratios of carbohydrates, proteins and fats so that you are replenishing your system pre and post workout. The most crucial component during intensity sessions is your pre and post workout nutrition. For more information or coaching advice, please email Ali Winslow or Vic Brown, Coaches, BPC.
Track Class for the Multisport Athlete
Come workout with and learn from fellow triathletes, runners and the coaches of BPC!
Wednesdays at 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Session 1: May 13th - June 17 th
Session 2: July 1st - Aug 5th
The cost for the clinic: $110/session for 6 x 1hr workouts.
Click here to learn more and register.
Swim Clinics: The Wild Blue Yonder
Boston Performance Coaches, Ali Winslow and Vic Brown are extending the open water experience for 4 more Clinics. Each session will include a warm up, a main set workout, and a dedicated focus on specific triathlon skills. We encourage all levels, from beginning swimmer or triathlete, to the advanced swimmer and athlete. Every week the clinic will have a focus, as listed below. Each athlete will have time to work with the coaches as needed; private and semi private sessions are also available.Walden Pond Open Water Skills:
- Mass open water triathlon starts
- Swimming in a crowd
- Drafting
- Dealing with anxiety during the swim
- Sighting
- Swimming in a straight line
- Buoy turns
- Exiting the water
Wednesday Mornings 5:45am-6:45am July 8th, July 29th, Aug 5th, Aug 12th The cost for the clinic: $75 for 4 x 1hr workouts or $20 drop in fee.
Click here to learn more and register.
News from BPC Coaches
BPC Coaches will be offering a 9 week beginner to intermediate triathlon training program thru the Commonwealth Sports Club in Brookline. This unique coached program will start the week of July 20th and finish September 20th. You do NOT need to be a member of CSC in order to join this program. There are member and non-member pricing options.Group Training Sessions will be 6am on Monday mornings and 6pm on Thursday evenings.
All athletes will receive BPC hats, water bottles, t shirts, discounts on VO2 testing, private and group sessions, swim lessons, bike/run workouts, use of the CSC club during training hours, BPC sponsor discounts.
Program Overview
This is a 9-week triathlon training program designed for the intermediate/novice level athlete. Race distances consists of a 0.5 mile swim, 12-15 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. BPC Coaches can also tailor to longer race distances per request.
Training hours range from 6-10.5 hours per week
The plan includes regular track workouts, open water swims, bike-run workouts, transition practice workouts and offers suggested trainer workouts that can be substituted with outdoor rides. While strength and flexibility training is an important component of training preparations, specific sessions are not included in the plan. You are encouraged to add, if appropriate, your personal strength training sessions.
Determining Heart Rate Zones
To assist in guiding you with pace and effort for training, we will include a heart rate training zone tool for the bike and run. Simply input your personal data and the zones will be generated for you.
Determining Running Pace
We will use the VDOT values chart. Using a current race or time trial, consult the VDOT values chart and determine your personal VDOT number. Now, using the Training Intensities Based on Current VDOT, take your VDOT number and find the corresponding row. Here you will find the various paces you will need for the run workouts outlined in the training plan.
Coaching Thoughts: From the Outside Looking In
For some of us, we might not know what we have until it's been taken away. For me, this season has brought on a new found perspective on what's important to me. Last August, I had arthroscopic surgery to repair massive cartilage damage in my left ankle. 2 screws were inserted as well to unify a stress fracture that had been present for at least 6 months and most likely since the previous summer.
I remember seeing an ad for a triathlon in our local paper growing up and can remember watching Mike Pigg on TV compete at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships back in the 1980's. He was the underdog to Mark Allen and Dave Scott, so of course, I rooted for him. Intrigued and engaged, I competed in my first triathlon while in grad school and as most people are, was hooked instantly. When I first got into the sport, it was like nothing I'd ever done before. The most I'd ever run before was 4 or 5 miles training for basketball growing up and I played baseball in college. There were 3 sports to train for and always something to improve on, which brought out my competitiveness.
With my recovery and running progressing moving at snails pace, I turned to cycling this season; learning tactics and the team dynamics of road racing with Threshold Cycling. Turn a negative into a positive - develop my cycling skills while I recover, and it still gives me a chance to fuel my competitive fire.
The great thing about triathlon is the lifestyle you develop and the people who surround it. We all want to live longer, have happy, healthy lives and triathlon supports a healthy lifestyle. And after bike racing for the early part of the spring to fill the triathlon void, I didn't realize how much I actually missed and enjoyed the sport of triathlon and what it brings until I was at the Hopkinton Season Opener. The energy. The anxiety. The emotion. Anyone who was there remembers the wind and the havoc it caused, delaying then shortening (thank-you!) the swim. Seeing a familiar face at your first race can calm some nerves and season opening jitters. As a coach, it was great seeing a countless number of athletes who have taken our swim clinics and indoor cycling classes there and being a part of getting them to the finish line. Each person goes through their own journey. It's a rewarding experience watching your journey and seeing you take away a positive experience from it. And after watching the team I coach, the Boston University Triathlon team, compete... it is difficult to describe. Their enthusiasm. Their genuine support for one another. Their positive energy. Their youthful exuberance.
Is long distance running in my future? To be continued. But at this point, I do know that if I am able to throw on my running shoes and go out for a half hour to enjoy the air and feel the road under my feet; or to just be able to run around with my kid in the backyard (no, ha-ha, at the moment, I don't have any kids yet or foresee any in the near future) Something simple. Will this get me ready to be an ironman? OK, probably not. But it will give me back my multisport lifestyle as an athlete. And as a coach, I can have an influence for the better. It's about the lifestyle and the people who surround it.
Race Report: The Beauty and "The Beast"
St. Croix 70.3 2009
The St. Croix 70.3 is a must do for those of you who love the half ironman distance. It's tough, but a good tough. It takes place on the first weekend of May - this year it was May 3rd. One of the biggest challenges of this race is being from the northeast, where after a long winter of being on our trainers and/or bundled up to ride and run, doing a race of this length in the Caribbean sun is, a shock to the system!
The race (start/finish/T1/T2) takes place right in the heart of Christensted, St. Croix USVI. It's a classic Caribbean harbor town with a lot of historical building sites along with fun open air restaurants and bars. The race is staged in a common green adjacent to the town right on the harbor. It's a perfect setting for a triathlon. There were about 500 athletes racing the 70.3. From what I gather, this number is down from typically around 900. The race tends to draw a lot of competitive athletes and pros for all over the world as it is a Kona and Clearwater qualifier.
The Swim:
The swim is a 1.2 mile loop starting from a small beach located on a small island in the Christensted harbor. To get there, you swim about 300 yards then hang around for your wave - (note) they do have port-a-potties and water set up on the island. The harbor is a working harbor so there are boats moored in and around but none were in the way of the swim course. The pros start everything off at 6:30 and the waves were spaced only by two to three minutes apart which was great! I was the second to last wave at 6:52 - not bad. It's great to get an early start since it gets very hot during the day. I think the swim itself is harder than average. One reason, because the water is typically around 80 degrees, no wetsuits are allowed. Most athletes, including me, wore speed suits. I don't think it necessarily gave me any "speed" but since I'm used to racing in a wetsuit it gave me that extra comfort of a second layer. The swim is basically a triangle. You swim out into the open ocean before you make a very sharp left turn back towards town, then another left along the sea wall and out. It was choppy and there was a current, but all and all it was awesome! The water is crystal clear and a great temperature. Certainly not what I'm used to swimming in! It was really wonderful.
The Bike:
Easily put, the bike is difficult. It's a very hilly course with a lot of turns and rough pavement and wind. As the race director said, "You are not going to win this race on the bike course". The route is hard to explain but basically it's basically the perimeter of the island. You do an a mile loop where you encounter Lowry hill and winding and still hill up and down. From there you continue through town, and make your way across the north side of the island to "the beast" (the notorious climb). The north side of island has a lot of turns and hills but its right along the ocean - the views are spectacular. At 21 miles into the bike you hit "the beast". The beast is a .7 mile hill that boasts a 27% grade at one point - with an average grade of 14%. Per recommendations, I had changed my rear cassette to a 27. People did give up and walk but it's really not that bad. It does; however, get the heart rate going! I climbed and descended it without a problem (during the race*). After the beast, heading south, is where I feel is where the course got a lot more difficult and was relentless. The pavement was horrible. It was so bumpy I felt like my bike would just fall apart. Jason’s bike computer flew off his bike around mile 25 - never to be seen again and someone else said the same thing happened to her. There were bottles and nutrition all over the road. Then without warning you hit 10 speed bumps, no, they are not marked, not even with a cone. You have to pay attention. Once on the on the south side you head east. This side of the island is very arid and somewhat flatter. You think, great I can make up some time but we had a very stiff head wind so I went no where fast (I think it's always like this). Finally, when you get to the east side of the island and turn towards the north/northwest (mile 45) you think you would finally have some relief but there are steep climbs and descents for the final 10 miles. It's just a lot of work and you have to stay alert. By the end of the bike, you just want off your bike - at least I did! You have no idea!
The Run:
The run is a double loop - lollipop. Basically it's two miles along the road to a resort called the Buccaneer (highly recommended, btw), into the Buccaneers grounds, around their golf course - another two miles, back out onto the road back to town for another two miles - do it again. After completing the two loops, in order to get the extra mileage you run through town. The run isn't too technically hard, there are some hills and one very steep one but the terrain is manageable. This is really where the heat is an issue. It is H-O-T! There is no shade - I mean none. It was interesting to me, you'd think running around a golf course along the ocean's edge would be enjoyable, while I'm sure it was very pretty, it was just suffocating, I actually liked being on the road better. I have no idea why but I don't think I was alone. The race director definitely knows the heat is the hard part of the run - to help, there are aid stations every kilometer with ice, ice water, sponges in ice water - you get the idea. They also provided gels, cola, pretzels, chips. The aid stations were first class. Oh, btw, the bike had 4 aid stations and you need them. I was empty, actually really empty at one point! The finish of the run could be more exciting. Like I stated before, you do a lap in town, I feel like the idea is to get people lined up cheering you on down the main drag of town, but it didn't happen. You just kind of finish - no fanfare (well, maybe that because it took me awhile to get there J ) There are catchers to make sure you're okay, then they wrap you a large towel that has been sitting in ice water. Heaven!
Finally, there is a post party in the evening at the host hotel - the Divi - All the athletes get free food and there is a cash bar. They give out the awards and all the Kona and Clearwater slots. It's definitely the best award ceremony I've ever been too - a great party atmosphere! Fun!
All in all, would I do it again? Absolutely! While it's a hard race, it's one that reminds you of why you do these events in the first place. It has it all. It's a great destination. It's well organized. It's challenging both physically and mentally. But what I liked best?? It has the best camaraderie!
Happy Racing!
Race Report: 50 miles is just two marathons back 2 back
Pinelands Race Report: 50 Miler May 24, 2009
Pre-Race: Headed up to Pinelands, near Auburn, ME, with another racer who was doing the 50 miler. We stayed the night in the local Hilton Inn and went out to the race site early for her early start.
Pre-race dinner was a turkey burger at a local "bistro" in Auburn. Would recommend eating at the hotel, and even then, it might be better to eat before entering Auburn.
Early to bed and up at 4:45 am after cereal and peanut butter on toast/coffee. Water, water.
Upon arrival at the race, I placed my cooler in the grove, a good mid-race location for a pit-stop. My coolers contents:
Ice, two wet washcloths in a zip lock, recover drink (Luna chocolate), two 2-scoop bottles of Infinit, several servings of FRS energy drink, homemade gorp, 8 gels of various flavors, including Espresso Love, Orange, Berry, and Roctane. Two extra bottles of water, one peanut butter sandwich. Anti-chafe cream, cell phone, car keys, bandaids, anti-blister powder. Shotblocks. Sunblock. Used the arm warmers for the start of the race, but they were really unnecessary. Wore my BPC hat and sunglasses.
OK, so the race started at 8am and I finished at 2:08 pm. My race goal was to improve upon my time of last year, which was 6:30, so I was happy with a 6:08:23 with a 11:52 pace, finishing 83 out of 107 and a first place in my age group, women 55 and over. There was one other woman in my age group who was 55 and finished in 7:30.
My strategy was to run everything except the hills. The course is fairly rolling with half in the woods and half in grassy fields. Overall, the race is very well organized and a beautiful location. Green grass, streams, bird songs, the smell of pine needles. Great water stops with everything from homemade goodies, Gatorade, water, M&Ms, candy, potatoes, potato chips, pretzels, and multiple types of baked goods. Nothing missing. Porta potties at 3 of the 5 water stops.
I held to my plan and tried to run up as many hills as I could. Up until about mile 18 I felt pretty good, pushed through to mile 26 and then just went for the finish. Most of the mile 18 thing was just mental since I ran steady, alone, for the entire race and just think I needed somebody to give me a high-five. I wore the pack I am testing for the Transalpine race and so worked with some new ideas: Holding water bottles in my hands (easier than I thought), running with a pack (got used to it, but felt the tugging at my shoulders.) It rained for awhile in mid-race, making the trails slippery with wet leaves.
I was hungrier than I would have liked at various points so that I might have needed more Infinit, but it worked out. The M&Ms and pretzels were the best snacks. No Gatorade, just water. Ate one full serving (302 cals) of Infinit, 4 shotblocks (individual, not packets), 2 FRS, and 3 gels.
Even though I had made a great race playlist, I just never felt like taking out my shuffle and fumbling with the earphones.
Felt strong at the end (So that I could look cool sprinting across the finish line; since that's Rule #1).
Drank the recovery drink, took a shower at the YMCA after the race and headed home.
Some afterthoughts: I forgot how painful those long races can be and remembered how mental it all is. Used the Skins recovery leggings and they seemed really comfortable.
Had a luscious ice cream dessert after dinner... heaven!
BPC Athlete Race Results
Robyn Metcalfe 6:57:55
Julia Metcalfe 5:23:15
Max Metcalfe 5:15:58
Old Colony Olympic
Noah Manacas 2:28 (1st Oly distance race)
Mill City Olympic
John Fox 2:46 (3min improvement over last year!)
Falmouth Sprint
Ali Winslow 57:14 (4th OA)
Ron Ulich 102:30
Massachusetts State Sprint
Patty Murphy 1:17:49 (after 5 weeks off due to a hand injury!)
Massachusetts State International
Jeff Naylor 2:24:54 (4th fastest swim!)
Bret Fortenberry 2:26:20
Swim Across America
Marissa Soloman
Good Will Running 10K
Silas Bauer 44:49
Stefanie Howlett 1:09:09
IM Switzerland
Mark Vautour
Seacost 7 Mile Road Race
Lindsey Sones 1:07
Stowe 8 Mile Road Race
Noah Manacas 1:01:29 (blazing 7:42 pace!)
Greenfield Triathlon- changed to be a 30.4mile bike and 7.2 mile run/duathlon
Carolyn Cullings 2:26:57 (1st AG)
Lauren Cullings 2:29:36 (2nd AG)
Salem Witch City Sprint
Michael Yenke 1:05:53 (1st AG, 13th OA)
Todd Gochman 1:11:44 (sprint PR!)
Trisha Kelly Marissa Soloman 1:20:25
Mooseman HIM
Mark Vautour- BPC Team Sponsor 5:23
Silas Bauer 5:34:56
Marc Capobianco 4:55:05
Mooseman HIM Relay
Lauren Cullings: half marathon time of 1:36:14, overall relay time 4:41:29 2nd relay team
Mooseman Olympic Distance
Noah Manacas (relay) Olympic relay 10k was 46:25, team took first place overall with a time of 2:23:26
Hyannis 1
Jeff Naylor 1:05:57
Michael Yenke 1:02:13 (3rd AG)
Ron Ulich 1:11:14
Elizabeth Kennedy 1:14:18
Angelo Gala 1:05:07 (1st triathlon)
Patriot Half Ironman
Ben Arnold 4:57:19 (1st half ironman, 5th AG)
Christina Kim 5:48:15 (10th AG)
Vermont Sun Sprint
DAVID CLEARY 1:17:06
ELIZABETH CLEARY 1:46:53 (1st triathlon!)
Cohasset Sprint
MICHAEL YENKE 1:04:14
ALISON WINSLOW 1:05:43 (2nd AG)
NANCY ARENA 1:09:23 (3rd AG)
LAUREN CULLINGS 1:09:32
CAROLYN CULLINGS 1:11:48
RONALD ULICH 1:13:57
MARISSA SOLOMON 1:18:53
Pantanella’s Flat as a Pancake Triathlon
BEN ARNOLD 1:02:20 (3rd AG)
Twilight Criterium
Vic Brown 12th Cat 4
Webster Lake Sprint:
Patty Murphy 1:25:32
Bret Fortenberry 1:21:45 (day after the B2B!)
Lauren Cullings 1:16:21 (2nd AG)
Jessica Douglas 1:19:01
