I didn’t even complete the event, so I’ll call it my first attempt. However, I think it’s worthy to write about my first experience in the tri world. It was the 2000 Yuba Triathlon and for me it was a total flop. My previous tri experience included watching the coverage of the 1999 Ironman World Championships on the television. Triathlon looked so easy from the comfort of my couch.

The biggest challenge I faced at the Yuba Triathlon was the swim. Unfortunately this hadn’t occurred to me until about 10 minutes before the race, when my feet were submerged in the frigid water of Yuba Lake. I had taken an introductory swimming course at the community college the semester prior to the race. This kept me swimming all winter long. I remember telling my swim instructor, Karen, of my objective to swim 1,500 meters in the open water. She had a look of concern in her eyes, but my optimistic nature made it easy to brush the stare aside.

Back to standing on the lake shore – I anxiously waited for the race to start with a few hundred other athletes. “What have I gotten myself into?” was the first thought that crossed my mind. My strategy changed from “swimming all out” to finishing. I was suddenly brought out of the clouds of race domination and began to fear the lake that lay before me.

When the gun finally went off and the athletes began the swim, I hesitantly walked my way into the water. Walking is much safer then jumping in, especially for a rookie like me. This would allow me to acclimatize myself to the chill and let me consider the task ahead. Eventually the bottom of the lake dropped from beneath me and I was forced to begin swimming.

I knew I was in trouble as soon as my face hit the water. My heart rate was going nuts and claustrophobia began to set in. Not once did I ever consider that I wouldn’t be able to see anything in front of me. Yuba Lake is murky and carries the winter chill into the month of May. Feeling the confinement of the lake was not something I expected. And then the water temperature – it didn’t cross my mind until I was swimming. I knew I had to do something differently to keep myself moving forward.

In a panicked state I flipped onto my back, hoping that I could calm down and eventually begin another attempt at freestyle. Breathing shouldn’t be a problem when on your back. You just float and suck in the air generously. Even floating on my back wasn’t that easy. The sky began to swirl above me. I felt like I had just gotten off of the Centennial Screamer at Lagoon. Round and round went the sky as I bobbed up and down in the water. This was not an amusement park ride and only made the situation worse.

I slowly crept towards a young lifeguard who was floating around on a surfboard, looking out for any suffering swimmers (me). We crossed paths and he let me hold onto his surfboard for a few minutes where I thought the situation through. Life or death? Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? This is how I felt in the moment, though. Eventually I decided I would call it quits. This is not a scenario I expected and my ego instantly felt the effects. Shame, stupidity, ignorance – you name it and I felt it. The lifeguard invited me up onto his board and I watched the swim portion with the best seat in the house. This was a good thing. I was able to see the different levels of swimmers, a good distraction from the pain I felt.

The toughest part of the day was when my feet hit land again. How could I face my family and friends? I had hyped up the triathlon to everyone I knew all winter long. It’s just a race, I know, but to find reasoning in the moment is awfully tough. No one really cared as much as I did and the situation only put fuel on my triathlon fire. Seven years later and I’m improving little-by-little.

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Click here to hear Brogg Sterett talk about taking over the reigns of SG Tri.

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To varying degrees following triathlon training, your body is dehydrated, depleted of glycogen (carbs), overexposed to free radicals (oxidation) and cytokines (inflammation), and suffering from tissue damage (arms, legs and lungs). This “depletion” physiology is what causes us to experience heavy legs, sore muscles, stiff tendons, creaky joints, low energy levels, and cranky moods for a day or two following our hardest efforts. If you recover poorly after your workout, then your body remains in this depleted state, tissue damage continues, immune system activity becomes suppressed, and injury sets in. After a triathlon, as many at 70 percent of participants will experience an URTI (upper respiratory tract infection) such as a cold, the flu, or a sore throat due to a temporary exercise-induced suppression of immune system function.

The first and most direct way to optimize recovery is by simply replacing what you’ve lost during exercise. Secondly, by preventing the downward spiral of continuing tissue damage and immune suppression, you can coax your physiology out of a “catabolic” state (marked by tissue breakdown) and toward an “anabolic” state (characterized by tissue repair and rebuilding). Finally, and maybe obviously, triathletes who are fully recovered from one intense workout to the next can train at a higher level without risking illness, injury or overtraining. The instructions for high-level triathlon performance are not rocket science: Train hard – Recover fully – Repeat.

Most triathletes who fail to recover adequately do so because they simply don’t know any better. Grabbing a banana and a glass of water after your workout is certainly a step in the right direction – but while it might be OK for the occasional fitness jogger, it’s simply not enough for triathletes who push themselves on a regular basis.

There are 3 major aspects to optimal post-exercise recovery: rehydration, glycogen replacement, and “biochemical balance” which encompasses controlling inflammation/oxidation, repairing tissue damage, and restoring immune function. Attention to any one of these areas will aid post-exercise recovery, but attention to all 3 will optimize recovery and set you up for better training and performance down the road.

Hydration - What to drink?
The research is quite clear on a couple of important points with regard to hydration during and after exercise. First, electrolyte beverages with a low sugar concentration (like Gatorade and related products) are clearly superior to water in absorption and retention in the body. Next, there is little to no difference between the various electrolyte beverages in terms of rehydration effectiveness (they’re all better than water, but about equal to each other) – so choose a drink with a taste/flavor that you enjoy.

Glycogen Replacement - What to eat?
Despite all the marketing hoopla that you might hear about the “superior” recovery benefits of various carb/protein blends (4:1, 3:1, etc), the bottom line is that you want to select something that tastes good and is well-tolerated (I like peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat washed down with 1% chocolate milk). A wide variety of commercial products and do-it-yourself options can accomplish these goals, including Ultragen (First Endurance), Endurox R4 (Pacific Health Labs), or chocolate milk (from your fridge). Most triathletes will want shoot for about 300-500 carbohydrate calories consumed as soon as possible following exercise.

Biochemical Balance
Many triathletes are already well versed in the rehydration and glycogen replacement aspects (aka “replace what ya lost”) – but they may not be as familiar with some newer thinking in promoting recovery (that of “repair what ya done”). This aspect of recovery, focuses on restoring the normal biochemistry that you destroyed with your workout – and getting it back toward baseline or anabolic levels as quickly as possible.

Each training session causes inflammation, oxidation, tissue damage, and temporary immune suppression. If not adequately addressed, these biochemical derangements can increase your risk of illness (URTIs), injury (tendonitis, fasciitis, and stress fractures), and overtraining (lethargy, depression, general miserableness). Even more important, perhaps, is the simple fact that being incompletely recovered means that you’ll be less likely to mow the lawn, wrestle with the kids, walk the dog, or accomplish myriad other domestic duties that you’ll hear about when they go undone.

Getting inflammation and oxidation under control is as easy as getting some more antioxidants into your diet. Brightly colored berries (blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries), most fruits juices (orange, grape, and apple), and even dietary supplements that contain antioxidant flavonoids and proteolytic (anti-inflammatory) enzymes are an easy approach to quenching these biochemical compounds that can delay tissue repair. Ready-to-drink products such as FRS Plus (New Sun) contain quercetin, a potent antioxidant flavonoid found in apples and onions.

Enhancing the process of tissue repair is also fairly simple. The protein that you may already be consuming with your post-exercise carb-based snack will provide the amino acid building blocks that the body will use to rebuild damaged muscle tissue. Products based on essential amino acids, such as BioBuilde (BodyHealth), can also help to stimulate protein synthesis and may therefore be a useful adjunct to the plain-Jane proteins that you’ll find in most post-exercise recovery drinks.

Finally, one of the most overlooked aspects of post-exercise recovery is restoring immune system function back to normal baseline levels. Although regular moderate exercise is associated with an increase in immune system vigilance, the intense bouts of training and competition that most of us endure on a daily basis actually suppress immune function. Because immune cells use specific amino acids as a fuel source, it is important to provide these in a post-exercise recovery regimen. There are 4 amino acids that are used by immune system cells for fuel – glutamine and the 3 “branched chain” amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine). Commercial products such as Recover-Ease (Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition) and Amino Vital (Ajinomoto) provide ample levels of immune-balancing aminos.

Summary
Most of us have no need to become “Tour de France adept” at post-exercise recovery (riding 100 miles a day for 3 weeks). However, the majority of us maintain our triathlon “habit” as but one part of our complicated lives that are filled with other “stuff” that might get in the way of our ability to recover. Enhancing our ability to fully recover might actually help us to enjoy that other “stuff” in our lives – while we also enjoy a higher-level of performance at the same time.

About the Author: Shawn Talbott holds a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry (Rutgers) and MS in Exercise Science (Massachusetts). He trains for iron-distance triathlons in Draper Utah – and is always sure to recover fully so he can chase his two little kids around the backyard. He can be reached at smtalbott@supplementwatch.com.

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City of Residence
Murray

Occupation
Battalion Chief,
Murray City Fire Department
(12 years on the department)

Years in Endurance Sports
Three. It is interesting to note that all of my experience prior to triathlon was in short durance events and most of my exercise was in the weight room. I became involved in the Combat Challenge Team with the Murray City Fire Department in 1994. The event consists of:
“ Wearing “full bunker gear” and the SCOTT Air-Pak breathing apparatus, pairs of competitors simulate the physical demands of real-life fire fighting by performing a linked series of five tasks including climbing the five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-sized, 175 lb. “victim” as they race against themselves, their opponent and the clock.” - www.firefighter-challenge.com

In a nutshell, the event takes around two minutes, and fills you with enough lactic acid to make you want to hurl. In 1994, I spent most the year training for this event. I was lucky enough to be involved with a team of firefighters who were serious about training (Jeff Ellis, Joseph Treadwell, Mike Estrada, Paul Krueger, Brent Fullmer). In 1995 the Murray City Team I was on won the event during the championship in Florida. I was in really good shape, but mainly for a few minutes of intense exercise. I hated running. In fact if you asked me to run more than a couple of miles, I wanted to croak. My swimming also was pretty pathetic, and I hadn’t biked since I got my driver’s license.

In 2004 my wife ran a 5k while I was at work. I didn’t want to be undone, so the next day I ran the same distance. For some reason running didn’t bother me as much as it normally did, so I started to gradually run farther. I remember being so thrilled to run five or eight miles. Later that summer I ran my first ½ marathon in Bryce Canyon. Even though that race killed my knees with the downhill portion, I was hooked. Next year I signed up for my first triathlon in Salem.

Later, unusual workouts included running 17 miles around the block of the fire station while training for a marathon. I also ran 35 miles during one 24 hour shift at work. I ran three different times, all within a one mile loop at Murray Park so I could still respond on calls.

Most Memorable Race
70.3 Vineman. This was the pinnacle of my endurance races so far. It was the first time I followed a training program. I was very consistent with my training and it paid off. The race went off without a hitch. I stayed at the race pace that I trained for and did not encounter any problems. Since I had such a smooth race, it encouraged me to sign up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene this year (which scares me).

Most Challenging Moment in Endurance Sports
Ogden Xterra. I did the championship course. Near the top of the bike both my legs cramped up so bad I thought they would have to come get me off the mountain. I had to sit on the side of the trail and wait for the cramps to subside. If your ego ever gets too big, try sitting off to the side of the race course and watch everybody passing you. When I could finally stand up again I was able to finish the bike portion, and my legs actually started to feel better after I ran for a few miles. I did finish, but I think they took down the finish banner after I went under it!

What’s Tougher - Racing in a 1/2 IM or running through a burning building with your fire gear on?
Well the ½ IM sure is a lot longer. A bottle of air usually lasts around 20 minutes during fire fighting conditions, while the ½ Iron took me over 5 hours. But as far as adrenalin, nothing matches going in a burning building. You probably won’t have muscle cramps, but you will be pretty beat. Firefighter gear including the bottle weighs 47 pounds. Along with the added weight you have the intense heat, dragging a hose line, using tools, etc. That makes for a pretty intense workout.

All my workouts now are centered on the Ironman. There is just something about that race. My kids always ask me before I go to a race “Are you going to win?” The answer is unfortunately “no.” Sad as it may be, there is no hope of me winning. So the next question is “Why compete then?” That is the interesting part of these competitions. It is all about personal accomplishment. There is not a team that is counting on you, only yourself. You are not battling other competitors as much as your own demons. I love to watch videos of the Ironman finish line. It is pretty impressive to see how far people can push themselves and the sense of accomplishments they acquire. If you ever need some motivation, look up Team Hoyt.

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Proclaiming Ogden, Utah as an endurance sports haven would have been laughable five years ago. The former train station depot at the junction of the intercontinental railroad has struggled to establish a new identity as the era of the locomotive has dwindled. Weber State University brings a touch of collegiate athletics to the town and the Ogden Raptors, a Minor League baseball team arrived in 1994, giving Major League Baseball hopefuls a shot at the big leagues. However, it wasn’t until 2002, when the city became an Olympic venue city that the redefinition of Ogden began. The Olympic movement showcased Ogden’s close proximity to world-class ski venues and recreation – just a quick drive from the heart of the city. As expected, the Olympics came and went, leaving the city hungry for more and the community motivated. Being on a pedestal, in front of the world is exactly what Ogden wanted. This is when the Greater Ogden Athletic Legacy Foundation (GOAL) stepped in.

The GOAL Foundation, created to fund programs, events and activities that would feature the best of the Ogden area while enhancing the legacy of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games morphed to its current form shortly after the 2002 Olympic movement. Its concept originated two years prior to the Games with the financial contribution by Kimberly Clark whose CEO, Philip Senn, wanted his company to leave a mark that would commemorate the spirit, energy and opportunity of the Olympics in Weber County. Funded by Kimberly Clark’s benevolence, a sculpture of a male and female downhill skier was unveiled in January 2002 and the foundation seed was planted.

It was one of Weber County’s Commissioners, Camille Cain that recognized the potential of the infrastructure left by the Utah Olympic movement. She saw a well-trained group of law enforcement ready to serve and a community eager to volunteer and help strengthen the county; building the legacy Ogden had its eye on. Cain and Senn led other community stewards through the vision, inviting them to take part. Dave Holmstrom, Kym Buttschardt, Barbara Taylor and Scott Parkinson were just a few to recognize the potential and joined Foundation ranks. Today, GOAL’s board of 25 members focuses on re-branding the community into one of the world’s premier athletic destinations. Even though hundreds of counties in the western United States proclaim themselves as an outdoor destination, Foundation leaders have proven that the Ogden area can deliver.

Having observed that the Olympics lured people in with world-class athletics, then allowed the area to speak for itself, GOAL adopted the same strategy.

However bringing a world-class event to a community is no easy task, and this held true for members of GOAL as they sought a flagship event. Mike Caldwell and Guy Letendre, GOAL board members and athletes themselves asked, “What event can we bring in that highlights our best features?”

Caldwell has raced bicycles for years and saw XTERRA Triathlon as a potential opportunity. He had identified with the triathlon series through one of his cycling heroes, Ned Overand. Overand, a world champion mountain biker traded sports late in his career and became an XTERRA Triathlon world champion, helping to put the unique triathlon format on the map. At the same time, Guy knew his brother, Dev Letendre had been working for Team Unlimited, supporting the XTERRA Championship events across the country.

According to Caldwell, Team Unlimited was hesitant to bring in an XTERRA event into the area. Two other XTERRA points series events already took place in Utah (Yuba Triathlon and the Moab Steelbender), and for the time being, this seemed to be enough. Would three events in Utah saturate the product? Not to mention GOAL’s lack of experience in race production. The foundation had no track record of event management, so the question had to be asked, could they pull it off? After a year and a half of courting, several “Marketing Trips” and Dev’s support, GOAL received its first XTERRA points series event in 2004.

Ogden’s XTERRA hailed nearly 200 athletes in the inaugural year and followed up with 360 racers in 2005. Heads were turning quickly at Team Unlimited. Having 200 athletes participate in a first year XTERRA event was unheard of. According to Team Unlimited, the average number of participants in a point’s series race is 150.

“The Ogden Off-Road Triathlon was one of the most successful point series races we’d ever had. Everyone, including the guys on our staff that attended past races told us what a great event it was because of the epic venue, the massive volunteer base and tremendous community support,” said Trey Garmin, marketing director for Team Unlimited.

Unbeknownst to Team Unlimited, GOAL board members had a bigger vision for the event – to become the Mountain Regional Championship venue. Keystone had proven results as the Mountain Championship venue and Team Unlimited had no immediate plans to change locations.

“We were in Keystone for eight years and made a lot of friends,” said Garmin. “Plus, we have a big athlete base in the surrounding areas of Colorado.” Convincing Team Unlimited to move the event further west would prove to be a daunting task.

To GOAL board members, the XTERRA Mountain Championships would give the Ogden Valley an international presence. A beautiful reservoir for the swim, cycling trails webbing the mountain side and a tough trail run through Snowbasin ski resort, finishing at the lodge – all just minutes from downtown Ogden. The cards were stacked in favor of GOAL. The campaign to become the Mountain Championship venue began in 2005.
At the same time, Jeff Robbins of the Utah Sports Commission was getting involved to attract groups like Team Unlimited to Utah. Jeff and representatives from GOAL traveled to Hawaii for the 2005 XTERRA World Championships to show what they could offer Team Unlimited in terms of venue, local support and most importantly, thanks to Jeff, the potential of a larger partnership between Utah and Team Unlimited. They were awarded the Mountain Championship title in 2006.

Any thoughts of skepticism from athletes were quickly put to rest once the event was experienced. The field of international athletes put their stamp of approval on the new venue, exclaiming their approval.

“With the altitude here, how friendly the people are and the great facilities that exist here, this would be an incredible place for triathletes to train, so I can see as people become more aware of how great Utah is this could become the next Mecca for endurance sports…it’s gorgeous,” said Melanie McQuaid, current XTERRA World Champion.

The sentiments of the day were echoed by Team Unlimited in confirmation of their new choice of venue. Team Unlimited President, Tom Kiely rewarded the community effort at the Awards Ceremony when he stated, “Thank you for your great work and support of XTERRA, and the work of your entire team. It was absolutely our best XTERRA ever, and we can’t stop talking about it. GOAL is an incredible dynamic and we just can’t wait to return again and often.”

Momentum is on the GOAL Foundation’s side. Their “give to the community” philosophy has paid off, and a legacy of Olympic energy and spirit has settled in northern Utah. Other event’s are in the works for the Foundation, hinting at a possible winter event. However, board members remain cautious about revealing plans.

GOAL President, Kym Buttschardt stated, “What we do through these events is to promote a vibrant, active lifestyle.” Mission accomplished, Kym. Thanks to the help of the GOAL Foundation a new Ogden has begun to emerge.

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If you’re anything like the rest of us veteran TriGeeks you most likely started the sport by training for and racing sprint distance races. I know from personal experience that my first sprint race seemed like a major task to train for and race, and the thought of moving up to an Olympic distance intimidated the heck out of me. In fact, my first race season was full of about eight sprint races, and no Oly’s. It was not until my second season that I “graduated” to Olympic distances. Olympic distance training does require a new level of commitment and discipline. For the most part, with the proper training and attitude, almost anyone can step it up and go to the next level. With the 2007 season about to begin, I know that several of you out there are excited to race your very first Olympic race. With this being the case, here are some strategies that should help you with your journey.

Equipment

Well, it may be time to retire that old mountain bike and buy a road or tri-bike. While your mountain bike served its purpose for a sprint race, twenty-five miles is a long way to ride on an old clunky mountain bike. You don’t have to break the bank when you buy a new bike. You have several options and can spend as little as $800 for your first road bike. Other than upgrading your bike, there are really no other “major” purchases that you’ll have to worry about.

Swim Training

Since you are going from the traditional 750 meter swim to a 1500 meter swim, this will obviously require more pool time. The nice thing about increasing your pool time is that it is a non-impact sport, and really does not “hurt” when you increase your distance as running might. Most of your workouts will fall in the 2000+/- meter range, and you should always mix up your workouts that would include drills, tempo work, speed-work, and so on. Don’t get caught in the rut of just swimming 2000 meters straight on a regular basis (triathletes are notorious for this). Sure, make one of your weekly swim workouts a straight swim, but your other two workouts should be mixed up. And always wear a watch so you can track your time. I suggest 3 swim workouts per week.

Bike Training

Your distance is now increasing from about 12 miles to 25 miles. Not only does this wear you out a little more, but it takes a while to get used to longer distances in the old “sit-upon-bones” area. It also gets a little trickier finding new and/or longer locations to ride at. If it’s winter, I’d suggest a stationary fluid trainer for your new road bike. If you do not have a fluid trainer (they cost about $230), then a spin bike or stationary bike will do the job for now. BUT, I strongly suggest that you try to get as much saddle-time in as you can on your own bike if possible. It is very common for riders to develop bad habits on spin and stationary bikes. As for how far and how many workouts, I’d say to ride three to four times per week, with the shortest ride being around 15-20 miles, and the longest ride being around 25-40 miles. And again, you want to mix up your workouts, with tempo rides, intervals (or hills) and even LSD (long, slow distance). You can even throw in some short time trials just for the fun of it.

Run Training

This is where I find some athletes suffer the most. It was kind of comfortable running 3.1 miles, but now you have to run 6.2, and that extra three miles can feel like a marathon if you are not prepared for it. If you are only running around three miles right now during each workout, you’ll need to increase it, but do it slowly. Follow the 10% increase per week rule. And I always have my athletes avoid running two days back to back. I try to stager the days so there legs are fresh for the next run. As for how many runs, I’d suggest three times per week, with the shorter runs being between 4-6 miles, and one long run around 7-8 miles. And again, throw in tempo runs, intervals, LSD and some hills in when you can. When you get comfortable with your run, and barely get your heart rate up, it’s time to step it up a notch again. Oh, and don’t forget to do bricks (bike to run) about once a week. Ride for 25+/- miles and follow it up with a shorter run.

Total Hours

When done correctly, sprint distance training should take about 5-7 hours per week. Olympic distance training will now require about 8-10 hours per week so you’ll need to “budget” your time accordingly. Remember to train “smart” and avoid over-training.

Happy Training,

David Pruetz, C.F.T.
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
Owner/Coach, In Training, LLC
www.intraining.biz

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