Triathlon

Kevin Metcalfe has been trying to go sub-50 for a 40k TT for more than 20 years now, and finally at age 52 he stormed to a record breaking 49:29 in the Northern California / Nevada TT Championships.

This is our third and final article in our educational Power Meter series. We look at a few final graphs and attempt to distill all of the nonsense into a few succinct messages.

Steve, Tom, John, BrianIf there's only one thing I can take away from this, my 8th Harpoon Brewery to Brewery excursion is it will never ever be easy or pain free mentally nor physically no matter what shape you are in. There are parts of this ride that will tear you up into little pieces if you let it. It will test your tenacity level and give you lots of practice honing your skills at pushing back fatigue that quite simply makes you want to just get off the bike and call it a day. That being said, It really is a fun ride.As tough as the day can be, I have never once rolled into the brewery finishing the ride without being rewarded (albeit short ) but always the same: A rush of adrenaline that comes with clarity as if it were the very first ride back in 2004. The day flashes through my mind of all the rest stops, happy helpful volunteers that make this ride what it is. Sometimes minor glitches we've overcome as a group but always it's the same. The sense of relief combined with sheer joy that I made it another year. No crashes, no mechanicals and the sense of gratitude that not only am I fortunate to be able to finish the ride but also with my past experience(s) I can filter quicky through the low points of the day knowing there are plenty of high notes right up the road.This is typically how the day unfolds: I am literally up almost an entire24 hours.3:40 AM- alarm5:15 -arrival and setup6AM- roll3:30/4:30- arrival to VT6pm - 2+ hour drive back to the waterfront in Boston8:30 PM-collect bike and drive home (stop at McDonalds for my once a year large fries and vanilla shake)Mattress dive by11PM but wired from all the caffeine consumed by gelsand rocket fuel (coke/sports drink mix) needed after mile 75.This year for the first time, I worked the packet pick up on Friday night at the Brewery ( they promised a case of beer!!) It's an option if you don't want to deal with it the next morning. I guess I never really paid much attention to how many women actually do the ride but that night, it was raining testosterone. I don't think I gotone woman in my section of L-M to retrieve a packet. As intimidating as the ride might project to many, it runs like a well oiled machine with a concierge at your finger tips out there all day. Between the rest stops, The Mavic dudes in the bright yellow (reasurring ) car. The Cycle Lofttoo has a car out there sometimes creeping by to heckle or tell you that you *look great* when it is crystal clear you do not.I managed the day well in retrospect but not without a few minor bumps. I borrowed my friend/Hup team mate Ana's race wheels to lighen the load for the day. They are tubulars and as comfortable as I am dealing with tubulars, I decided I would only carry one can of Pit Stop and some spare air.Changing out my cassette on Ana's speedy race wheels b4 the rideA clean cassette is a happy cassetteNot 25 miles into the ride, the can popped out of my jersey pocket and rolled into the street.It took me seconds to zip around and head back for it.Car one- "please don't roll over that! Phew..."Care number two- "Pleeeeze don't hit that!" Phew...Care number three- "OMG.. I can go get the can after this car goes by!"KaboomMy can exploded under the car's wheel. It wasn't even rolling at that point so I don'tunderstand how they couldn't have seen it or me with my hands in prayer postion, eyes locked on itto retieve. Instantly the color drained from my face. I was essentially screwed withno back up for my wheels. I would have to wait for the Mavic gods to save meIF I flatted. Within 20 minutes I forgot about cans of Pit Stop and deflating tubulars. No sensewasting energy on something I couldn't control or predict.By mile 60, I begain to get slighty concerned. The first 50 didn't click off quickly like they have in the past and my quads started to burn on any hills, short or long way too early in the game.A mile or so before the 75 aid station stop, a rider behind me informedme that he could cle

Ritchie Nicholls outran fellow Great Briton Tim Don and Ireland's Eimear Mullan's better bike and run trumped Holly Lawrence's swim to take the men's and women's titles at Ironman 70.3 UK

Felt has a guerrilla house brand division. It does not wage conventional war. Rather than making a full suite of saddles, handlebars stems, wheels, it picks off an occasional project and usually nails it.

Yesterday was a day for the head. You know how sometimes what you think is way more important than reality, that was my yesterday. After a tiny taste of the flu bug flying around Kona, I was on the up swing and wanted to grab hold of a couple final good sessions for race day, for my head. Sunday's run held a good portion at goal race pace, I needed to feel it and breathe it in. I've yet to run a marathon during a race the way they go during training. Over and over I kept repeating, "You can do this, you got this, legs you know this pace". Over and over. It felt really good, really comfortable, and then over the ocean a rainbow filled the sky. That will for sure be a keeper in my head on Sunday.From run to swim, where I landed a beautiful draft during a local swim race. It felt way better going from flu to fish. Now to settle down, way down and keep the positive thoughts strong while the race week tries to play it's tricky mind games with my body. Trust time...As of a couple hours ago, all but the bike and wetsuit are packed too! My goal was to use the small luggage despite the need to bring more than shorts, sun dresses, and bikinis. Somehow the island girl in me has kept it simple, not much more than what I need to race (and stay warm). I have heard lovely rumors that the lake is warming up and the trees are absolutely gorgeous this season. Sounds really nice and I'm very much looking forward to a return to Idaho.Now to be honest, I promised to lay way low in the final wrap up to the Ironman, and I have. Yesterday though, after sitting in a lawn chair like a cheer leader who lost her pep during the boys ball game, I got up, ran after a foot ball or two, and never felt so thankful for the boys in my life. This little family together for Summer has truly meant the world to me. Life with 4 boys has perhaps been part of the best preparation into the Ironman. For many reasons, other than learning to use dirty toilet seats (similar to those on race day) and eat some gnarly food. Of course, Saturday did hold Kainoa's race and who better to teach me how to race than Kainoa...1. Be focused on the start line2. Stick to your own routine and plan (like no shoes if that's your style)3. Stay positive even when you hit rough patches 4. Breathe in the support & cheers of the crowds 5. Celebrate the finish line 6 more sleeps till the big dance, almost ready...Bree

We try out the new CatEye Stealth 50 bike computer CatEye Stealth 50 £99.99 cateye.com / zyro.co.uk Cateye’s Stealth unit is barely bigger than a standard wireless computer but both the £79.99 Stealth 10 and £99.99 Stealth 50 have a GPS sensor with a programmable log rate of one, two or five seconds to tune accuracy and battery life. The 50 is also ANT+ enabled to pull data from heart-rate belts and power, cadence and speed sensors. The GPS speed data is impressively accurate and sensor syncing is easy too. The totally sealed unit uses a dock to connect to your PC, where the functional but basic CateyeAtlas site lets you upload rides onto a map or straight onto Facebook, Strava or Training Logs for post-ride analysis. There’s no programmable screen option so the top line is always current speed – irritating if you want to display heart rate and timer together. The power button on the back is a neat idea to stop accidental presses, but can be a pain for pre-ride resets. We also had problems with Mac compatibility in the UK, although we’re assured it works fine in the US and Japan.

Ironman training may or may not be crazy. Ok - it's crazy. Somehow racing really fast usually entails destroying myself slightly, and nearly reaching a breaking point several weeks out from a race. It's during this point in time I typically swear off ever racing another Ironman...until I cross the finish line and somehow forget all of this.I've been in Montana for two weeks training with my coach. I have raced a 40k TT and a road bike race (blog on this to come). I will race a 10k running race this week before I head home. What makes the training difficult is the day-in-day-out accumulation of miles, intensity and making myself "hurt". Somehow the races help me forget the hurt because they are just fun.The new roads, scenery and trails have done a fairly good job of helping me appreciate what an amazingly beautiful a place I am in, and forget a bit how hard all of this training is.It has also helped to have friends to train with and push me.I had an easy ride today and at the mid-way point I found myself sitting on a curb outside a gas station in the middle of nowhere MT drinking a Coke. I must have looked overly defeated because an elderly gentleman walked up to me and set a cold bottle of water on the ground next to me. He didn't say a word. It actually reminded me of an act of goodwill one might impart on a homeless person.I smiled most of the way home because of this kind gesture.Nobody ever forces me to train hard for Ironman. But I want to get the most out of the experience, so I choose to go all-in for training. Definitely not the easiest route, but come race day I will be 100% confident I did everything I could to prepare.20 days until Ironman Frankfurt!

Let’s face it....an open water triathlon swim can be a bit uncomfortable. Whether it’s the large crowds of people pushing or elbowing on the beach or in the water for precious space, the physical adrenaline rush of the race start, or simply the fact that swimming is potentially the most “dangerous” part of a triathlon, swimming problems are something every triathlete has to deal with. Heck, I’ve personally been racing triathlons for nearly ten years, and I still get nervous before mass triathlon swim starts - not to mention a little apprehensive about what type of open water conditions I might experience. I’ve spoken with many experienced professional triathletes who still have occasional “panic attacks” during the swim, in which they simply need to stop swimming for a little while, tread water, and catch their breath and their nerves. There are 5 primary problems that tend to be issues during the triathlon swim. So here they are, along with what you can do about each one. Inadequate Warm-Up The less prepared your body is to swim, the more likely you are to get short-of-breath, experience a panic attack, or simply have a less than stellar swim. An inadequate warm-up also means you may not be prepared for water temperature, water conditions, buoy sighting and other open water swim variables. So what’s the perfect warm-up? If you are allowed into the water prior to the race, you should do 3-5 minutes of easy swimming, in which you stop a few times to adjust your goggles and make sure you know where the buoys are. Then thrown in 3-5 progressively harder efforts that last about 20-30 seconds each. Really go hard on these – as hard as you plan on starting for the actual race. Then cruise back to shore and get ready for the race start. If you have no time or no ability to get in the water for a warm-up, then you can use my favorite “dry land” warm-up: 5 sets of 25 big, explosive jumping jacks, each separated by 5 push-ups and 5 arm swings in every direction. This is an easy one to remember and you can do it just about anywhere. Cold Water Ideally, you should know weeks or months before a race that the water will be cold, and if this is the case, you can condition your body with cold showers, cold baths and swims in cold water. The more cold exposure you can get, the less the cold water will bother you or cause you to be “breathless”. It can sometimes be more energetically demanding to warm-up in cold water before a race, so I often resort to the dry-land warm-up I described above if the water will be cold, rather than warming up in the water. And remember - you should have also already warmed up for the run, and if transition area allows for it, the bike too – so you’ll be plenty warm by the time you actually get into the water. In addition to a full sleeve wetsuit, you can also stay slightly warmer with a neoprene swim cap and booties (and some races even allow gloves, but ask first). Warm Water While cold water can leave you breathless, warm water can leave you overheated, panicky, and very uncomfortable. In warmer conditions for which a wetsuit may be optional, make sure you’re comfortable swimming in your wetsuit in warm water (you can test this in your local swimming pool if they allow). If you find yourself extremely uncomfortable in the wetsuit, then skip it. You can always wear a legal swimskin suit if you still want that extra speed. For warmer water races, you may also need to swim more slowly than you had planned, and pay close attention to your heart rate and perceived exertion. If you find yourself overheating, become “panicky” or getting a rapid heart rate, then stop and tread water, and when you’ve recovered and caught your breath, keep going at a slower pace. Dirty Water Dirty water is a personal pet peeve of mine. I simply don't relish the fact that I could be swallowing parasites, duck and goose poop, dead fish germs, or any other nastiness that is occasionally encountered in briny o

Great racing at Windsor over the weekend.  The Toshiba Windsor Triathlon took place this weekend as many lined the streets to support the wide range of triathlon talent on display. The event which is organised by Human Race, the UKs largest and most diverse mass participation events company, has been running since 1990. Mild conditions were the order of the day for competitors racing in the 23rd year of the Windsor Triathlon. The fact that the event is part of the British Triathlon Federation Super Series only added to the excitement of the occasion and attracted a lot of spectators who were eager to enjoy the action. The race attracted a strong elite field for 2013. The Elite men and women raced over distances of a 1.5k swim, 42km bike course and 10km run to put on a fine display as supporters made the most of opportunities to witness some of the country’s top triathlon talent including 2012 Olympian Stuart Hayes. The atmosphere was electric at the finish line and just a minute separated the Men’s Elite winner Tom Bishop (1:49:47) from second place Stuart Hayes (1:50:47). With Bishop first out of the water followed very closely by Richard Stannard, Tom got his race of to a swift start. The front pack exiting the water included  Bishop, Stanner, Shaw, Halksworth and Hayes who were leading the way as the elite men moved into transition. Bishop and Hayes remained neck-and-neck throughout the bike course, but it was Daniel Halksworth who completed in the quickest time, closely followed by eventual third place Ben Shaw (1:52:13). The run was where Tom Bishop eventually broke away, completing almost a minute quicker than second place Hayes. Fourth place went to Daniel Halksworth (1:53:18) with Tom’s twin brother David taking fifth in 1:53:43. “It was a great race,” Tom commented. “The course is absolutely brilliant, the crowd really got behind us and the setting of Windsor is just amazing.” The Women’s Elite race was equally thrilling with Emma Pallant crossing the line in 2:09:09. The talented young athlete who is coached by former Olympian Michelle Dillon completed a strong run as expected, to be crowned eventual winner. Second place was awarded to India Lee (2:10:15) who played to her strengths finishing the bike course first before eventually being chased down by Emma Pallant on the run. Emma Holt took third place in a time of 2:12:12, with Emily McLoughlin (2:12:24) and Hannah Drewett (2:12:43) following. The Toshiba Windsor Triathlon is not just known for its elites, the age-group races proved thrilling and spectators were delighted to see former French rugby player and Team Carbon Bikes ambassador Thomas Castaignède taking to the field, finishing in a time of 2:55:29. Mark Yeoman was crowned overall fastest in the Olympic distance, winning in a time of 2:07:19 and Nicola Best took the place of best female in a time of 2:22:00. Also husband and wife duo Jodie and Paul Perry both took to the podium as they finished third and sixth overall respectively in their Olympic distance races. Taking Sprint honours for the men overall was Christopher Symonds who finished in a time of 1:24:21 and the fastest woman over this distance was Susanne Hedges who completed in 1:30:28. The amateur race had some interesting spectacles including that of David Lightbourne who designed and built a wooden framed bike to take part on. 2013 also saw the introduction of a relay option. One group who took advantage of this were the Andall clan who made it a family affair, with mum Natasha and her daughters taking part in the sprint relay while dad did the Olympic distance. “We have entered as a family Team effort to prove that teamwork really does work. It’s great to take part as a family. The girls had never taken part in a triathlon before but they relay loved it,” Natasha said. All athletes crossing the line were given a refreshing Vita Coco coconut water and some Powerbar as they recovered from the race. Nick Rusling, CEO of Human Race said: “Well