Ironman weekend is a complete invasion of athletes upon a city to do battle with the course. By the end of the day, they all look like they’ve been to war. Ironman Florida was no different. 2500 athletes entered the ocean like turtles migrating to water for the first time. Survival it was as one many lost time fighting the subtle current. The ocean current pushed us right to left making the straight out and back swim difficult to maneuver. Many of us swam up stream to round the corner buoy. Swimming only twice since IM Canada (August) made things unnecessarily more difficult. I made the 2:20 swim cutoff with 3 minutes to spare and was the last official athlete out of the water. I felt for those who were still out there heading for shore only to be told their game was over.

VO2 Max is the maximum volume of oxygen the body can consume during intense exercise while breathing air at sea level. This is different than the amount of oxygen the lungs can inhale. VO2 is a measurement of how much of the oxygen inhaled the body uses. The volume is expressed as a rate either in liters per minute (L/min) or milliliters per kg body weight (ml/kg/min).

It’s been said, a good swim will not guarantee you a win, but a poor swim will help you loose it. In much the same way, a good transition will contribute to a positive race experience. The objective of the transition is to help you comfortably, quickly, and safely “transition” from one discipline to another. Too often, triathletes overlook the preparation and importance of a good transition. Whether your goal is to just finish or make the podium, a good transition starts with a plan. Here are a few tips to help organize and practice for good transitions.

In 1999, I was standing on the Beach in Penticton Canada waiting for the gun to go off. It would be my first Ironman. Located at the rear behind 1700 other wetsuits, I thought “what am I doing here?” Everyone looked so fit. I didn’t belong here. “This is a big mistake. What have I gotten myself into?” Completely unaware of the pain and emotional roller coaster waiting for us on the course, doubt weighed heavy on my mind. The sound of a young lady next to me breaking down it tears caught my attention. I asked what was probably the most stupid question at the time,….“what’s wrong?” “I can’t do this” she cried. I lifted my left arm and said, “lady, you have the use of both arms. If I can do this, so can you.” And as I uttered those words, the gun sounded. I looked straight into her goggles, pointed at her and said “I will see you at the finish line” and then we made like fish.

One of the key skills in road riding is the ability to ride in a pace line. By working together and sharing the work, a group of riders can go much faster with less effort than a single rider. The additional speed often leads to friendly competition. While the fun factor increases, too often safety is compromised. To help you avoid meeting the pavement by accident, please keep these safety factors in mind.

I was recently asked the following question: “What do you think the difference is between passion and obsession?  Are we passionate about our sport or obsessed?

Wow! Good question!  To us, it’s a fine line and yet to those looking into our world, there seems to be a definite separation between the two.  This can be a very sensitive subject and your view may differ greatly depending on whether or not you have caught the triathlon bug.  So before I venture down this road, allow me to remind you this is my 2 cents based on experience and not a clinical study. 

Let’s first try to understand the non-triathlete’s perspective.  Why do people think we’re obsessed?  Can you relate to any of the following?

• You have a problem spending $2.50 for a bottled water but will easily drop $250 for a Half Ironman Race entry
• You won’t walk around a mall but will complete a 10 mile run before the sun rises
• You don’t like getting your hair wet but hand you a swim cap and it’s on
• You see logic in placing your body between the pavement and your bike when you go down.  Hey, skin heels, right?
• Your work pants don’t match your dress shirt but your helmet matches your jersey and bike
• Seconds after a race you say never again.  Minutes after the same race you contemplate what you can do to go faster
• You call in sick to go work out
• You’re spouse says vacation and you Google the vacation spot for races
• You own more running shoes than your wife owns dress shoes.  Yikes!
• You buy another wetsuit and tell your spouse it’s your friend’s wetsuit…..and they do the same