Triathlon at Retirement

It is called performance enhancing drugs. Sounds better than doping. Sadly, at least I feel sad about it, I have come to understand that even amateur racers use performance enhancing drugs. I am starting to realize it is not uncommon even at intermediate performance levels. Many, maybe most, don't see anything wrong with it.  And there is a grey zone, I don't think anyone would object to over-the-counter vitamins for example. Or a cup of coffee, which boasts aerobic performance. Asthma sufferers are prescribed inhalers which can be crucial to their breathing and participation in sports. Inhalers can also boast performance. When is it a form of cheating and when is it fair? Probably impossible to say, but there have been a lot of runners that have been diagnosed with asthma and are allowed to use inhalers. Low testosterone is another grey area. Hard training can significantly lower testosterone levels. Is it then fair to get prescribed additional testosterone? After all, to cure

TriDot is an online training program for triathlon that uses data collected from triathletes to customize training schedules for different individuals depending on their goals and fitness levels. I am a big fan of TriDot because the suggested training is based on the evaluation of previous results and knows what works, and what does not work. In January, I took up an offer from TriDot to try their training program for free for 2 months. It is all online. First, I had to put in basic information like my age, height and weight, how long I had been active and my goals and ambitions. Then I was asked to do a fitness evaluation in swim, bike and run and enter the results.  From this information, a detailed training schedule was generated. Each day is different, it is varied, and I think it looks very appropriate for myself. If you have one of the common brands of smart watch, your training data will be automatically uploaded, and depending on how you are doing, the training schedule will be

As Vasaloppet went fine, I thought I take a few days off and I would recover quickly and be in amazing form. Strava is saying I am in the form of my life, although fatigue factor is quite high. It has not been so straightforward. I rested completely while travelling for two full days. I arrived back in Texas, and on the third day, I thought I do a slow 5k jog to start up again. It was slow, really slow, but my body told me it was racing speed. Afterwards, my legs were dead. It was worrying and I thought I may be getting sick. I rested another day and agreed to do a slow bike ride with my friends. It was slow, too slow, how slow can it be? I took off with a faster group and I felt fine. Great! I am back, I am recovered! Not so fast. After resting one day again (just to be careful) I decided on a bike and run brick repeat, 5km bike and 1 mile hill run, 3 times over. I have done this exercise several times before, and I quite enjoy it. It is hard, but the constant transitions give a bit o

The anti-inflammatory medication was strong and quickly gave amazing results.  I soon went running, just for a mile, but it felt so good. Life was valuable and urgent.  I was sent to a merry-go-round of various doctors and diagnostics, all with their own tests. Not much came out of that, results were diffuse and mysterious except a back MRI that showed a slipped disc, some degeneration of the spine and pressure on the sciatic nerve, but nothing extreme. I was also sent to physical therapy which did not help. All the medical efforts were time consuming and expensive; general inflammation and back pain is difficult to diagnose and treat. I soon stopped going to specialists. I loved my work as a geologist in the oil industry, (but I am not sure my work always loved me), and I was soon back at full schedule and more. A high manager had heard about my collapse, and he personally contacted me with his own back pain story and advice: to self-treat with McKenzie exercises.  It worked   and I s

This has been a good athletic year for me. It started with Vasaloppet cross country ski race March 1 in Sweden, an old ambition of mine. Finally, I did it, and it went so well.  In mid-April the Tour de France organization came to Texas and I joined their amateur race/ride, placing 2nd in the 60+ age group on 60 hilly miles.  Then, the inaugural multisport festival in Irving, TX in late April - early May. Three races for me, two of them US national championships, resulting in a bronze medal in mixed sprint triathlon relay and a 7th place in draft legal sprint triathlon, and a 1st on the Olympic distance (non-championship). I hold the mixed sprint relay as the most fun race of the year. In June it was time for World Championship in Montreal, always exciting. A 28th place in individual sprint and 7th place in mixt sprint relay. I enjoyed every minute. Back to Sweden for swimming over the Arctic circle in the midnight sun, and an MTB race on the Vasa trail, both well worth doing.  I finis

Back in early October, the triathlon season was almost over, and some of my friends and I decided to take a challenge with an off-season running competition. We signed up for the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll race. I committed to the 10k, and my friends to the half marathon, (they are a lot younger than me). It looks like I have a hat! Since then, I have focused more on the running doing weekly10k workouts. In order to not get injuries, I only run about every 4th day, alternating the long run with a shorter and faster workout. In October, it was still very hot, so I did 4 loops of about 2.5km from my house, and I kept drinks and gels on a garden wall to pick up as I was lapping. I am realizing more and more how important it is to stay hydrated, but I don't like to carry anything when I am running. Every week, I was a little faster than the week before, going from about 1 hour to 56 minutes in a few weeks on the slightly hilly loop course. Mid November, I tried the local river t

I always feel a lot of pressure at the Kerrville triathlon which is in my hometown. This year, I placed 2nd in the W60-64 division, quarter ironman distance (1100 yards swim, 29 miles bike and 10.4 miles run). The competitions are very well organized and set in a beautiful environment, but I have difficulty enjoying it.   On Friday afternoon, I volunteered at the sprint bike check-in for 5 hours, and it was hot, over 90f (32C). I already knew from my experience last year, that to avoid overheating on the run was the main challenge. I have spent most of the summer in much cooler temperatures in Sweden, and only about 3 weeks in Texas heat, so I worried that I was not fully acclimatized.  I prepared as much as I could, I did several bike and run workouts in the midday heat the weeks before the competition. On the morning of the event, I brought a small cooler full of ice and a water bottle to transition 2.  The Guadalupe River where swimming was taking place, was too hot for wetsuit and

I guess we all know that it is harder to perform in hot weather, but I am coming to realize that the difference is bigger than I imagined. I keep statistics of all my training and competition, and the evidence is clear: hot weather is disastrous for me.  All my record times are in the winter season. The trend is clearest in running. Below is a comparison of my times on a 3.1 miles flat run course, and a 2.8 miles hilly run course. I also show temperature and heart rate. Best times are in the colder weather, and on top of that, my heart rate is lower despite the record time. Heart rate is increased in warmer weather. On many occasions during warmer weather, I think I have done really well, I pushed harder than normal, and the feeling of exertion is almost unbearable. Then I see the time, not good and I am disappointed. Thinking back, it has been a pattern my entire life, winter training is going really well, I am doing good times, but when temperatures rise, performance drops like a roc

Yes, Vadstena Triathlon August 27 in Sweden used the courtyard of a medieval castle for transition. It is probably the most beautiful triathlon I have participated in. This post will partly read like tourist information. The city of Vadstena is old, picturesque and pretty with a castle built by king Gustaf Wasa around 1545, and a nunnery and monastery inaugurated already 1384. I arrived a day early and walked in the city and then biked on small roads, looking at old churches and a stone age burial site. Would not mind returning and do a longer bike tour around lake Vättern. This competition also served as the Swedish Championship on Olympic Distance. I had signed up two years earlier for a competition in Stockholm, but due to covid, the event got postponed two years and new construction in Stockholm forced the event to Vadstena. Now I found myself at the top of my age group on a distance that is not my best. Well, I compete to enjoy, and although I was far from medals, it was one of my

On Saturday June 25 I did the individual sprint race in F60-64 and next day mixed team sprint relay 60-69. It was fun and intense, but I did not feel much pressure, as I knew I would have nothing to do with the podium.  Pre-race On Thursday before the races, it rained a little while we had a USA team photo and parade of nations. Elite races scheduled for Friday had their swim cancelled due to water contamination from the rains and their competition reverted to a duathlon (run-bike-run). By Saturday and age group races, water quality got restored and we did a normal triathlon. On Friday, it was bike check in and I looked over transition areas and course. We had not been allowed to swim or bike the course, only the run was available. This was because swim was in a harbor and obviously, it is not a place that normally allows swimming. Bike course was on busy roads, at times against the normal flow, so that was also a no-no. Instead, they provided videos, which I reviewed several times, bu

I was matched with Andrea on the Mixed Team Relay in Irving in early May, and it was fairly humbling. I am used to think of myself as an achiever, starting triathlons at 60, completing a half ironman, placing at nationals, being part of Team USA etc. All this because I was lucky to be able to retire at 60. Andrea will be 76 in 2022 and she started triathlon training at 72.  She completed a half ironman at 74. I thought I was tough to do three events on consecutive days on the multisport festival; Andrea did 5 and placed on the podium in most of them. She is still working full time as a data scientist. By the way, I noticed that she earned a master's in data analytics at 68, that on top of a long and distinguished career in health care. Hats off to you and way to go Andrea!

Fun, Fun, Fun and more Fun. Two men and two women made up teams for mixed relay and get this: all team members had to race three disciplines! Swim was 250m, bike 5km and run 1.2km. It was fast paced and exciting. Transition speed was important. I had no team, but I put in my name for the organizers to find members from the pool of available athletes. I was placed in team KatDaddy with Curt and KC from New York and Andrea from Georgia. Our combined ages were 270, which made us one of the oldest teams, but Curt and KC are absolute top athletes in their age groups. First leg was for guys and Curt started. Less than 20 minutes later he changed to me, and I jumped into the water. Wetsuit was allowed, but I decided to not use it for such a short distance. In T1, I skipped biking shoes and went straight for running shoes to save a few seconds in T2. I got a good draft on the bike, and as planned, I passed people in T2. Run took only 4.30, and then KC and Andrea completed the relay. Despite be

This year, USA Triathlon collected several multisport national championships into a multi-day event. Great for efficiency, no need to travel all over the USA to different venues, but it also makes for a tight and exhausting competition schedule. April 28 opened with Nationals in Super Sprint Triathlon and a non-championship open water swim competition. April 29 had Nationals in Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon and Aquathlon. April 30 Nationals in Duathlon and Age Group Mixed Relay (a first!). May 1 Nationals in Standard Aquabike and Draft Legal Duathlon and a non-championship (but qualifier for the World Championship 2023) in Olympic Distance Triathlon. Wow, a lot! If you signed up for 5 races or more, you received a special award, and many people did. A few signed up for the maximum possible: 8 events (2 a day). I restricted myself to the Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon, the Relay and the world qualifier in Olympic Triathlon. There was so much going on, I will make several posts of this fest

Well, almost, L'Etape San Antonio by Tour de France is part of a worldwide amateur cycling series designed by Tour de France experts. San Antonio, Texas was chosen for the only USA race at April 10!  L'Etape San Antonio included a pro bicycle race featuring two-time Tour de France and Giro de Italia winner Alberto Contador and the amateurs race/ride the same course behind. When I heard about it, I signed up as I live nearby. I choose a slightly shortened version of the pro race "only" 60 miles and 3689 feet of climbing... Pro race and the longer option was 100 miles and over 6000 feet of climbing. There was also a shorter race of only 25 miles. This is a great motivator and training. It was a little crowded the first few miles, but not too bad. My race plan was to not rush and exhaust myself at any point, but to hold a steady pace and make sure energy lasted to the end. During the first 30 miles, it was not too hot and there was no wind, plenty of people to draft on a

It is now the tail end of winter, and I will write about what I did to complement my training last summer in Sweden:  orienteering.   Orienteering is fairly popular in Sweden. It is so important to enjoy the workouts, and orienteering is perfect for longer runs. Running through forest and on rough trails is hard and demands stability in the ankles. A lot of small muscles are used in the constantly varied terrain. During my last orienteering, I had an average heart rate of 147 and topped at 172, during the 40 minutes race.  Being focused on the map and finding checkpoints, I did hardly notice how hard the body was working.  Of course, if you are a beginner, you may be walking more than running as those controls are hard to find... It is interesting that an average orienteering race in Sweden only costs about 20 dollars to enter. For that you get a professionally drawn special map, a course set in the forest designed for your age group and ability (there are hundreds of different checkpo

What works for best performance in a long run or bike ride? Start hard and push it as far as you can, or start in a more comfortable speed and increase at the end? It's the latter, when your mile (or km) times are getting faster as you go (negative splits), you are more likely to reach your best time. This is well known, and I have also tested it for myself on the treadmill.  To the left is an example of negative splits on a recent training run. Starting too hard is always a mistake, you cannot will yourself to keep it up to the end, your body is actually  unable  to respond. I am not going into the physiology of why, but I have enough experience to say that a too ambitious opening will fail to make a good time and it's not a lack of willpower. When I did my half ironman earlier in the year, I was just focused on completing the course, not to reach a specific time or place. I managed the energy well, holding an even pace, and the final run ended up as my best performance for th

The year went more or less as planned. The highpoint was probably that I completed a half Ironman in April on a decent time without incident. In May, I qualified for the World Championships in Bermuda, but it got cancelled in the last minute due to Covid. US Nationals in Milwaukee in August went ok, but not great, I was too slow on the bike. Did a better race on the draft legal championship in Tempe and ended up in 4th place. I had fun on several local competitions, so overall, I am happy with the year. I think my swimming has improved a little but not as much as I had hoped for. My technique is better but my upper body is just too weak. The running is holding more or less steady, biking is difficult to assess, but approximately the same as last year. I am more or less as fast as 2020, despite being a year older, so actually, I am getting a little better. Year 2022, I am 64 in January so I am the oldest in my age group. There is a little loss of ability every year, so my expectations f

For the first time, a US National Championship in remote racing was held during a week in November. Remote racing is not the same as virtual racing, key difference is that all results are being converted to a standardized course. Software by RaceX is applied in an attempt to take away real differences in the participants various courses and conditions.  It is a bit confusing, but   Remote Racing is powered by  RaceX  which  is a division of   Predictive Fitness , which uses data to improve training efficiency, and is in turn used by   TriDot , a company that offers triathlon training. For those who want to learn more, I attach links at the end of this text. I saw the invitation on my Facebook feed and for 50 dollars signup fee, I decided to give it a go. First, I thought carefully about where I could race safely at full speed. Swim had to be in a standard-length pool, and bike and run starting and ending at the same spot. After I had chosen my location, I did a trial where I also mappe

It can be confusing, but there are two US National Championships on the sprint distance: non-draft, and draft legal. The age group non-draft sprint happened in Milwaukee, WI back in August in connection with the Olympic distance (also non-draft) event. These are very well attended races that you have to qualify for to even be allowed to enter. In Milwaukee, there were 80 ladies in my age group. The draft legal championship in Tempe, AZ is less competitive, and participation is open to anyone. The draft legal race was also held in Tempe 2019, and the 2021 version had the same swim and run course, but a slightly altered bike course. This year, I was almost 2 minutes faster on the swim, a little slower on the bike, and about a half minute slower on the run. I got a 4th place (again), about 1.20 from the 3rd position, but there was no possibility for me to reach 3rd place. So, I am satisfied with this race, especially as I have been unwell with shingles in October. My start was uncertain u

I recently heard about another bike crash with broken bones involved.  Crashing on the bike is too common, biking is dangerous. I admit I brake on some downhills and tight turns, I know as a late comer to triathlon, that my biking skills are not the best. As much as I want to gain a few seconds, I rather be safe and bike another day. I often get left behind on downhills but so far, I have not had any crashes and I am trying to keep it that way. A few times I have fallen in slow motion with some scrapes as a result and once I tipped over in my own driveway, but no damage! Turning up is half the battle and you need to stay healthy and injury free. Think long term, never take risks on the bike or train with illness or pain. Yes, you may loose a little fitness, but you will actually be on the start line on race day. It is depressing to not be able to participate in a planned race, maybe a championship. Not to talk about potential long term harm to your health.