Sophomore Year at Fireman Ironman

“How did the ride go?” Chris Draper asked me as I pulled up to the Cobble Mountain Lodge, headquaters for the Fireman Ironman Training camp. We met Chris, who is the resident nutritionist for Fireman Ironman, after attending last year’s June camp.

“Great!” I responded, beaming from ear to ear. And, then I back pedaled a bit: “Well, I mean, I’m not fastfast like you, but I was good for me.

“You know, Maria, this is your sophomore year in Ironman. Think about where you are compared to your freshman year, and where you will be junior, senior year.”

Success in Ironman racing–as well as endurance sport generally–is a long journey, and you don’t go from novice to elite in just one year’s time. There are just so many variables, and so much to learn. Chris captured that journey with a simple metaphor that made a lot of sense to me. No shocker there, since I have dedicated my professional career to education.

So, here I am in my sophomore year of the school of Ironman, and I’ve been getting good grades so far. I had an important test of my fitness this past weekend when we attended the Fireman Ironman Training Camp, organized by director Larry Parker. The camp is held twice a year in May and June along the Lake Placid course. (The June camp will be June 18-19 and it has just a few spots left. Click here for information about the camp, and how you can register.)

When we left the June camp last year, we vowed at that time to attend both camps this year. (For a reflection of my experiences from last year, click here.) We were not disappointed that we came back again, and are excited to return yet again for the June camp in a month’s time.

Why Fireman Ironman?

First, if you are looking for an experience that doesn’t break the bank, this camp has you covered, with schwag bags that are filled to the brim, informational sessions, aid support for riding and running, dinner on Saturday and Sunday night, and the best part: community and comraderie.

Second, the camp atmosphere is relaxed, which allows me to enjoy myself.  While I take my training seriously and want to do well in racing, I do triathlon for fun. And, let’s face it, that Lake Placid bike course is stressful enough, I don’t need a training camp that is run like a military boot camp. I can kick my own ass hard enough, thank you very much!

But, don’t let the laid back vibe fool you: we are doing some hard work on that course (IMLP doesn’t really give you an option there), and the information sessions offer valuable wisdom, especially for sophomores like me.

Third, the camp is packed with stuff to do. Saturday and Sunday are the “official” camp days; however, as Larry said himself, “I’m kind of an all-or-none person. I have to go at it fully–or not at all.” While he was talking about his racing, that philosophy also applies to how he runs the camp because the activities actually start on Friday, if you arrive early, and then continue to Monday, if you stay an extra day.

Brian Delany, owner of High Peaks Cyclery, provides tips on surviving the downhill, and hammering up the hills.

Of course, the big event is the bike ride on Saturday. Before the ride, campers have the option to attend a bike course overview with Brian Delaney, owner of High Peaks Cyclery, on Main Street in Lake Placid. Naturally, I was there.

Brian, an accomplished cyclist and triathlete himself, asked the crowd what we worried us most about the course. Almost in unison, the group responded, “The downhill!” He offered tips about positioning (which he calls “crouching tiger”), braking (always feather, never jam), and RELAXING (breathe!), all good reminders for me as I mentally prepared myself for the 10k descent.

We also learned tips for climbing, and shifting in the rollers. I found this information particularly valuable because I lose valuable momentum navigating those rollers on the backend of the course. And, Brian’s tech gave a quick demo for changing a flat tire. Luckily, I didn’t need to apply that advice during my ride.

Following the long ride on Saturday (which I will write about in a separate post), we did a short transition run, then we headed to the lake for a cold soak. We were also treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet as part of our camp registration.

John's *second* plate of food at the dinner.

On Sunday, John and I awoke early for a post-rapture recovery ride along River Road. It was a beautiful morning, in the Adirondacks. We followed this by meeting the other campers at the Olympic Oval for a run along the course. The camp would normally feature a swim on Sunday; however, the lake was 50 degrees (at best) and just wasn’t worth the risk. This didn’t bother John and I as we didn’t have a swim on our training schedule anyway.

Unfortunately, we had to leave right after our run because we had work first thing Monday morning, and a 7 hour drive in the middle of the night wouldn’t have been ideal for our recovery. But, for those who were able to stay, Larry had organized a yoga class, and there was a barbecue at Cobble Mountain Lodge. I’m hoping that our work schedule will permit us to stay for the BBQ in June!

Know thyself: Tips and tricks from Ironman School Graduates

Following the all-you-can-eat fest on Saturday night, we listened to a panel of speakers offer their advice on training, nutrition, and practical matters, such as packing the race bags. Some of the best tips of the evening came from Larry and Chris.

Larry Parker offers advice based on his years of racing experience.

Larry prefaced his remarks by saying, “I want you to know you.” What did he mean by this? Well, you have to be in tune with what is happening in your body during training and racing so you can make decisions about effort and nutrition.

He suggested that, you ask yourself: “What do I have? What do I need?” For example, do you need to eat something? drink something? It’s important to be in tune with what your body is doing to avoid problems with shutting down due to bad nutrition or overexertion of effort. The best way to do this is through practice in training.

“What you practice repetitively is what you will do on race day,” Larry explained.

From my experience, that is the truth. John and I talked with several first-timers this weekend, who said they weren’t eating that much in training. That’s a big no-no for a few reasons. First of all, as Larry says, what you do in training you will do on race day (especially as your brain starts shutting down). So, if you aren’t used to eating, you won’t all of sudden start consuming calories.

Even if you do, your body will not be accustomed to the effort of digesting those calories during race effort. So, you have to train your digestive system, just as you do your legs.

But, how much should you eat? Chris Draper offered his insights, based on a model of small, medium, large and extra large. He explained this model last year, and that’s the approch I’ve used ever since. It works like a charm.

  • Small = 100-200 calories per hour
  • Medium = 200-300 calories per hour
  • Large = 300-400 calories per hour
  • Extra large = 400-500 calories per hour

Chris recommended that you start at the lower end of the range, and practice to see what amount of calories works best for you personally. If you find that 100 calories isn’t enough, then you can move up to 125 calories for the next training session.

“Figure it out in increments,” he advised. This also applies to race day. “If you are feeling symptoms of under-nutrition, which include grumpiness, anxiety, and fatigue, add the extra nutrition in increments. You can’t consume 500 calories at once.”

Based on my practice in training, I’ve found that the ideal combination for me is about 180-200 calories per hour on the bike, and 100-120 calories per hour on the run. As Chris advises, I consume these calories in small amounts, over regularly-spaced short intervals. On the bike, I will eat or drink calories every 15 minutes. I set my watch to beep every 15 minutes, so I know it’s time. When I see a “5” at the end of the time, I drink calories. When I see a “0,” I eat calories. No complicated math for me 5 hours into a bike ride. Here’s how it works:

  • 15 minutes in, I take two sips of drink, which gets me about 3-4 ounces. I drink Ironman Perform, which is the drink on the course. Again: practice in training what you will do on race day. NEVER try anything new on race day–that was a recurring theme from all the panel presenters.
  • 30 minutes in, I eat 60 calories of a power bar, and wash it down with water. It’s important to have fluid when you eat to aid in digestion. (I cut the 240 calorie bars into 4 pieces, which makes each piece about 60 calories.)
  • 45 minutes in, I take two sips of drink.
  • 60 minutes in, I eat 60 calories of a power bar.

I repeat this cycle for the first two and a half hours. Then, I replace the power bars with gels, eating about half of the pack to get me 55 calories. In the final 30 minutes of the bike, I like to flush with some water, in preparation for the run. While running, I follow a slightly different pattern of consumption, eating an entire gel once an hour, and supplementing with water or sports drink based on how I feel.

If you don’t consume race-supplied fuel, you’ll want to make sure you have back up in case you lose your fueling. Bottles do go flying off of bikes from time to time. So, what will you do if you lose your concentrated bottle of fuel? Chris recommends having enough for the length of your workout, but another hour or so. Again, solid advice.

All smiles after the long ride on Saturday.

It’s mental

But, nutrition is not the only thing you need to get a handle on for racing success. The mental game is equally important. The brain is lazy. It wants to quit well before your body does. So, when it gets tough out there on the course, what can you do to keep your brain from convincing your body to throw in the towel?

Larry has some excellent tricks in this regard. One of John and I’s favorites is his visualization of an IV bottle of energy and strength dripping into his body throughout the race. His goal is to have the last bits of that IV solution drip into his body as he crosses the line.

“When I’m running, I call on that IV to manage the pain and keep me going.”

It’s a great image, and one that I’ve called upon in the past. In fact, I used it in the final grueling two miles of the Boston Marathon.

Larry also tells the story of the year he almost quit during the swim. He panicked, which is not hard to do during the IMLP swim. After collecting himself, he started doing the doggie paddle. Then, he started an easy freestyle, repeating a mantra to himself, “One-two-buckle my shoe…”

He went 9:48 that year.

When the brain and the body is in sync, we can accomplish great deeds indeed.

And, speaking of great deeds – how did I do on that bike course? Before we left last week, I wrote that the camp would be a key test of my cycling fitness (see the entry here). How did it go? Well, you’ll have to come back in a few days to find out.

Larry Parker offers advice based on his years of racing experience.