Trains, Travels

I wasn’t there, but I’ve spent more time analysing Kona data that in previous years. Following my look at Nick Baldwin’s incredibly controlled race I received four more power files from my friend Roger Canham. Roger has raced in Hawaii every year since 2008 and wanted my view on the power data over that period. He’s been incredibly consistent with finish times falling within minutes of each other, and placing as high as seventh in his age group in 2009.

2011

Another text book example of pacing, average power remains consistent across the entire day. There is a little more variability than in Nick’s race, but the difference isn’t huge. What does stand out is the pacing strategy – Nick races at 75% of his FTP, Roger has raced around 80% of his FTP every time. I raised Cap 1 in the chart to reflect this intentionally harder effort.

Breaking out the percentage of time Roger spends above each cap we can see that 65-70% of his time is above that 80% of FTP point. He consistently holds this over the ride with little real drop off, any decline in the third quarter is likely a result of the descent from Hawi. And he ran well afterwards – feeling in control and reducing the gap on the age group winner. The whole race was controlled, but his pacing strategy was more aggressive than Nick’s.

2008

Roger’s first trip to the island wasn’t that different. There is a little more decline, clearly he pushed harder in the early stages of the race, but it’s still well controlled. Again he’s working at around 80% of FTP, but he runs well enough to finish in 9:47. Roger’s strong run allows him to push the bike more and hold on for the marathon.

2009

The second trip to Hawaii was a different affair. There’s a significant decline in power over the course of the race. Overall he managed the same average and normalised power as in 2008, but achieved it through an excessively hard first half. This can clearly be seen in the power distribution below.

It’s worth noting Roger still finished in 9:46 and seventh in his age group. The pacing may look poor, but once again he ran well off of it. I remember running with him along Ali’i Drive until he dropped me a few miles in, the rest of the race all I could do was hold him one minute ahead. The result was good, just not achieved in the way we might expect. I would much rather see the flatter profiles of 2008 or 2011, whether that would have resulted in an even better performance is another question. Potentially his run was aided by recovering at the lower power of the final quarter.

2010

Again the power trends down, but this time it doesn’t start as high. This is his lowest power year in Kona and the only time Intensity Factor (IF) drops below 0.80; variability was up and power down. A fade like that would typically suggest that an athlete worked too hard to begin – the effort was unsustainable. 2010 stands out amongst the other files as Roger never seemed to be up to working at his usual level.

The first quarter was sensibly controlled, then things pick up in the second with the climb to Hawi, after that he never manages to sustain that effort, the final quarter appears to be far weaker than in previous trips. Whatever affected power output on the bike was recovered on the run and he ran to a respectable 9:50 finish. Again a weaker final quarter may have kept him fresher for the run.

Overall

There is remarkable consistency in Roger’s performances, despite changes in the details. Top level power numbers haven’t changed much other than a dip in 2010, but the quality of pacing has and this year saw no real decline. Holding an effort that trended just below 80% of FTP worked and set him up for a new Hawaii PB. The data looks good and given he can run well off the back of it 80% seems a reasonable target to use. There’s no real scope to race at a higher intensity so the next step has to be raising FTP and having more power to work with.

Roger’s position reminds me of my own – we know how to race, all we can do is keep working to raise our power and pace.

• Tweet
• Comment

I will not be racing at Kona in 2011. It’s a big step, but the decision is made.

For two years I’ve travelled, trained hard with my only concern being how could I go faster? Life was about using every minute of time in an attempt to be a better athlete. It was a lot of fun. It was tiring.

I’ve lost some of that fun. Numbers that were interesting to look back on are increasingly dictating every minute of my day. I think I’ve stared at my Garmin more than the scenery on recent rides! Training has become mechanical, constantly comparing the feel in my legs against the wattage on the screen. I remember the pleasure of my running block or the moment things clicked in the pool, but lately that’s been absent.

What I’ve been missing in training I’ve found in coaching. The last six months have transformed this into a genuine job. Despite modest expectations I’m far further down the road to a sustainable athletic lifestyle than I anticipated. Putting time and energy into developing as a coach was one of the most rewarding aspects of 2010. I’ve no doubt that when my body is long past ten hours of racing I’ll still be helping others on their way.

The passion for triathlon isn’t gone, but change is needed.

My annual goals shouldn’t be defined by what I won’t be doing, I need to avoid negatives and focus on positives. I won’t be racing in Kona, but I’m not announcing my retirement from sport. I want to remove the pressure for a year and allow myself room for a broader focus. I want the time and energy to improve as a coach, this is what’s going to sustain me in the long term. I want to rediscover the fun of training and be in a position to explore new approaches.

In training I’ll aim to deliver the kind of consistency I write about for the entire year. I’m particularly putting an emphasis on swimming and running. I’ve reaped rewards from blocks of focussed work in both, expand that to a year and the potential is huge. I want to end this year a significantly better swimmer and runner than I started. The training may not pay off immediately, it may rule out breaking 9 hours, but long-term I believe it has the most potential.

I’ll still be racing in the summer. Ironman Austria and Challenge Henley are already entered and I’m weighing up between Ironman UK and the Outlaw Triathlon. I’m racing for fun, not performance and I’ll pick my events on that basis. I may break some of my own rules and indulge in races I’d not normally consider during an Ironman build, I can’t deny the appeal of an Ultra. Whatever choices I make will be weighed up against the aim for consistency.

To support the change and help rediscover the fun I’m reducing my time on the bike. I’ll ride, but no more than the minimum needed to maintain fitness. Focussed work on the turbo to get the job done and allow me to swim and run as I need. In the short-term I’ll lose a little on the bike, but this is about making an overall shift as an athlete. It’s going to take time, I can’t achieve everything at once.

Beyond training I’ve taken steps towards a sustainable athletic life, but there’s a way to go. I aim to develop my abilities as a coach, learning from others and gaining experience. I want to improve as a writer, enhancing my skills and looking for opportunities to reach a wider audience. A combination of knowledge and clarity of communication provides a sound platform for long-term sustainability.

I will race at Kona in 2012.

I’m not retiring, Hawaii remains the major draw. I’ve yet to give it my best and I don’t intend to leave things that way. Over time my aim has transformed from completing an Ironman, to qualifying for Kona, to performing there and earning a podium spot. Stepping up to qualify took dedication and hard work, placing in my age group requires more. I need to be a better athlete and to achieve that I need time to improve in each sport. That’s a two year project.

It’s a year of big changes. Finding a balance between developing my career in coaching and as an athlete. Putting an emphasis on enjoying training and racing to their fullest whilst not worrying about performance. Consistent work in all areas of my life to ensure long-term success. When I set my goals for 2012 I’ll confidently write about achieving a breakthrough performance and expanding a successful business.

• Tweet
• 4 Comments

I’m sat in Lava Java waiting for a huge slice of carrot cake and cappuccino to arrive. It’s three days since the Ironman and in a matter of hours I’ll fly back home. The race is done, the fatigue and soreness are fading and my season has come to an end. For once there’s nothing on the horizon the next goal event isn’t until July.

Since crossing the finish line life in Hawaii has consisted of serial consumption. Whether it’s coffee and cake, midnight snacking on expo freebies or indulging in Splasher’s burgers. I’ve been making up for lost time on the condition that when I leave the island it stops. I’ll accept a little winter weight gain, but no more yo-yoing.

Rather than recount the meals I’ve eaten I thought it more appropriate to use this blog to gather some thoughts around the race and the year ahead. Whatever the outcome completing a goal makes me reflective. I can’t claim to have achieved what I set out to, but I’m happy with the result.

One of the challenges with racing is arriving on the start line in good condition. How many of us on Saturday had injuries or illness to deal with? Ironically I remember discussing how one of the remarkable aspects of Chrissie Wellington’s performances was she’d always turned up race fit. As we saw anyone can have a bad day and be taken out before they reach the start line.

A combination of massage, Spidertech Kinesio tape and Compressport calf guards kept my injury at bay. My calf passed through race day in comfort whilst the rest of my legs fell apart. I expected problems, but made the choice to play out the race as if I was fine.

Slowing on the Queen K I considered how I’d coach someone in my situation. Ninety percent of the time I’d advise them to take the run easier or perhaps even pull out. Sometimes that’s not an option and you have to take the chance. A goal race or World Championship event is just that occasion. Months of work would be sacrificed if I didn’t at least try.

I’m happy with my result because I tried and whilst it may not have worked on another day it could be a different story. Elements of the race vindicate recent training and are another step in breaking an obsession with volume. I swam steadily for a better result and then I biked easier than a training ride. So much time has been focussed on pushing the bike that race day genuinely felt easy.

I set myself up such that had I run to form then the potential was there to break 9:30. Watching the clock that possibility existed all the way along Ali’i Drive. It died on the Queen K to be replaced by a goal of sub 10. Eventually even that goal was lost, but I didn’t give up, I remained focussed on completing as best I could.

I have a longer term goal of podiuming in the 35-39 age group. As this year’s results demonstrated it’s not going to be easy, even my perfect race wouldn’t have made it. I’ve taken steps in the right direction if I can bring my best swim, bike and run together on one day I’m close. The goal is long term, there’s time to build.

By Thursday I’ll be back in the UK and facing my first winter for a couple of years. Kona has felt like the close to a chapter of my life. Okay perhaps that’s a little melodramatic, but having been migratory for a while I’m settling down. It starts with a training break and time to focus on other goals.

On a personal level I’ve a whole season to build aiming at a Sub-9 Ironman in Austria. The planning alone is a major task it’s going to take focussed sessions to achieve this goal. I have to face up to the fact I’m a working athlete with limits on my time. Business is growing rapidly and needs attention.

I’m looking forward to the challenges of being a successful coach and athlete. While the last two years have been filled with ambitions for my racing I now find myself setting out long term coaching goals. I may not be travelling the world, but still have an adventure ahead of me.

• Tweet
• 3 Comments