.

2012 Full Steam Ahead

2011-12-24T09:17:00.009-06:00

It's that time of year again where it's time to think about what transpired over the last 12 months and what we would like to do better in the next 12. No doubt that we could all write a book about both the things that we have succeeded at, as well as those things that we deemed to be failures. Without getting caught up in the details of them all, a few things are clear; they have all lead us to be where we are right now, everything will have happened for a reason and we have to be thankful for our health and the opportunity to do what we do.

On the racing side of things (as I recapped in my last post) things were not stellar for me. I was fit, but I was over worked...literally and as a result, never had that sharpness that I needed. On the business side, things could not have gone much better. I have directly impacted dozens of lives in a positive way and helped them to realize things within themselves. Not a bad business to be in.

While many can give advice on what I should have done and should do. I needed to have both of those pieces of my life running smoothly on all cylinders. That's how I work, I don't half ass anything. Sometimes this wears me thin, but in the end, it all comes together. So for those of you who are in the same boat, or for those of you who are struggling to find direction, keep the faith and believe. Success is sometimes just sticking around longer than everyone else.

Now reflection is done and it's time to come up with a committed plan and vision for the next year.

Coaching: I have finally come to a place where I am OK with giving up the decision making reigns when it comes to coaching. If you ask my past coaches, I am sure they will tell you that this was my number one pitfall. Time to correct this and let someone else do the thinking for me. Thank you to Cliff English for taking me on and investing in me, as an athlete.

Racing: It's all about racing well, racing consistently and of course, Ironman Wisconsin. This year is 11 years in the making. It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be done.

Balance: Race hard, work hard, what's missing? Time to get away. I will also make clear dedicated time away from the above. Time that will be spent for myself, to enjoy and better my life. Like my mom has always reminded me, "when the universe is in balance, success is inevitable."

Stay tuned for a new website dedicated to BBMC, a 2012 race schedule and more exciting happenings in my life. Thanks for reading, I hope all of you have a great Holiday Season and a Happy New Year! I will catch you next year!!

2011 Season Recap

2011-11-07T11:36:00.003-06:00

I have just finished up with my last race of the 2011 season and at first glance you might say something like; "I bet you can't wait to forget about that one," or "what a bust of a year." Despite the lackluster results, I believe that I have grown more in the last 12 months, than during any other period of time in recent memory. The lessons that I have learned will be important in the decisions I make regarding my life, balance and future.

For me, it's always been important to understand that every choice I make has a consequence; some are good and some, not so much. More than that, I think that it is important to be able to make changes in order to not repeat the choices that have yielded negative outcomes.

Here is an evaluation of my 2011 season and what I look to change in 2012.

The Good:

I have reached new levels of fitness and though it didn't all come together at the races, there were bits and pieces that did. My swim at IMFL (51:23, which was fairly easy), the last 40km of my ride at IMWI (the second fastest on the day), as well as my ability to contend from the beginning of the race (IMWI & IMFL). All of these pieces will serve as bits of confidence when I toe the line in 2012.

On the business side of things, coaching has really taken off. Since the inception of Team BBMC, the number of athletes has grown, as well as the satisfaction I have gotten from helping them accomplish their goals. It's the second time in that last decade that I have found something that I am passionate about come together with something that I am successful at.

My clarity in sport and life, as well as the path to get there is finally visible. Perhaps this has come from age, or from my experience with things I don't want, but either way, I will take it.

The Not So Good:

Balance; the downside of having two things that you are successful at, is the task of balancing the two. What I have found is that without setting clear boundaries for myself, I become spread too thin and less successful in both areas of my life. More is not always better, but better IS always better.

Lack of accountability. Based on my past in the sport, I have a reputation of training too much. This is something that I have used as an excuse when comes to sessions that I have skipped. The reality is that I have not trained many weeks over 20hrs in the last 2 years.

ME time. I am an intrinsically motivated individual who packs their day with everything they can to achieve success. This is great, except I now recognize that sometimes the key to succeeding is not doing anything to achieve it.

The Road Through 2012!

Clear goals with limits. My time is valuable and this year I will be putting a little more value on it. I could work 12-15hrs a day, 7 days per week and not even blink an eye. The only problem is that when I finally do, I will be 50 and there will be a lot of things where I didn't hit my potential or that I missed out on altogether. This year I will be setting clear boundaries for myself that will give others and myself, a better me. I will have goals in my life, but in addition I will have a clear limits on the time devoted to accomplishing them. Most importantly, I will be present in my interactions with others.

Taking on a coach. It has been a while since I have had a coach, but I feel that it is time for me to get back to having a great one, as I move into my best years. I have ALWAYS raced better when I have had someone holding me accountable in training and supporting me with my racing. I am happy to announce that I will be working with Cliff English in 2012. He is one of the best in the sport and I look forward to having his guidance.

These are my public changes and are in addition to some private ones. Life is all about balance and when things aren't balanced, it's tough for things to go well. In 2012 I am getting that balance back and am optimistic and motivated for what lays ahead!!

Now onto a few weeks of fun! Stay tuned for some BBMC announcements, as well as a new website.

BB

Ironman Wisconsin 2011

2011-09-14T19:24:00.003-05:00

2011 Ironman Wisconsin

I have finally had a few days for the race to sink in, to think about how the race played out, the decisions I made, what I could have done differently and what I will take into future races.

Here is how the race unfolded through my eyes...

The morning dawned and the weather that we got was absolutely perfect. Light winds to start and temperatures around 55*. I finished zipping up the wetsuit about 15minutes prior to race start and once in the water, the arms felt fantastic in my TYR Cat 5 wetsuit.

The cannon sounded at 6:50 and outside of Romain (who was away after the first 50m), I lead the field through the first 200m at what felt like an easy effort. I then settled into a group with the two athletes I was keying off of, Kessler and Morales.

We reached the turn at 800m and after being punched squarely in the back of the head by Morales, I decided to slide comfortably back in the group of 4 to keep out of Morales' arm recovery. As luck would have it, just as I moved back, Kessler moved off the front; a move I didn't catch until she was already clear. I attempted to bridge up, but just couldn't do it in the warm water.

At first I was frustrated, but soon realized that she wasn't taking any more time. I would happily let her dangle 50m out front.

I lead the group around the 3rd turn and managed to drop Morales. This was good, since I knew I needed time on him going into the run. At the 1.9km mark it was only Freddy Lampret and myself. Then, just as I relaxed, Freddy managed to surged past me on my blind side. I didn't catch it in time and now I was solo with a lap to swim.

I knew that if I just kept it rolling, they would not gain much more than a minute on me. I just needed to swim within myself. I made the 3k turn and navigated through what felt like a million athletes. I tried my best to pick my lines, but with that many in the water, it's tough.

I exited in 54:20, only about 3:30 down on Romain and just over a minute down on Kessler and Lampret. After a quick transition I erased that deficit and started the bike just a few seconds back of 2nd.

Once out of town I quickly made my way past Lampret and my goal was to ride my own race using my Joule to guide me. I knew it would get hot and a conservative plan would yield good results.

Morales caught me at 10k and passed me HARD on an uphill. I didn't think that this was too smart, as I know how these hills can catch up with us. I rode comfortably through 50 miles and got a split that Morales was only 2min up the road, with Romain at a little over 7. I stayed patient and knew that headwind section on Hwy G and 92 would be important. I rode strong and learned that I held the gap to Morales (2:15), but that Romain had gone out another 2minutes (9min).

I made the turn to Cross Plains and started to feel even better. I had the perfect wheel setup on my Speed Concept; opting for a 45mm front wheel and 90mm rear. Aerodynamics are important on this course, but with all the accelerating and decelerating that we were doing, so was rotational weight.

Then at mile 80 I got a split of 2min to Morales and 7:15 to Romain. THEY WERE COMING BACK! By the time we got back to T2, I had taken back almost all of the time back on Morales (gap was 40sec) and it was only 5:45 to the front of the race.

Once off the bike, things were tough from the start. I knew that Morales would be tough, but I thought Romain was well within striking distance. However, I had a painfully high HR and my stomach hurt to the touch (thus my top being pulled up in pics). I remembered back to the hot days when I had to manage the heat very well. I knew it would get better, I just had to stay focused. The legs felt strong and I knew things would settle.

Sure enough, I made my way through the first few miles and the HR came back down to earth. I went through 3 miles in 19:30 and 5miles in 33:30...just fine, but I was HOT...I tried to get fluids and sponges, but they were warm. I REALLY needed ice water and a hat (my one mistake on the day).

I got to the turn on State Street and the crowds were amazing. I saw my family, dozens of friends, and some that I hadn't seen in a decade. It was truly awesome (check out the pic above).

At 10km, the gap to the front was 3:30, but Morales was only 1min out of first and was running major time into me. Unless he cracked I would have to settle for second, which would be ok, considering how I felt.

At 19k the gap was 1:40 to 2nd, with Morales much further up the road. 4th was almost 4minutes behind me, so I felt pretty good about things at this point. Afterall, I was a runner and I usually don't get caught from behind.

At 20km, I was welcomed back to State Street by about 100 friends who were going crazy. My split was a little over 90sec, I had support, I could do this!!! Or so I thought. I got off of State Street and passed 23km when I started to get an overwhelming sense of being hot. In hindsight I should have stopped at the next two aid stations to get what I needed, but I didn't realize how close I was to the edge and nothing seemed to be working. I pushed hard and at the next split, Romain was back at 2min. I yelled at myself to pull it together...this is what I lived for. I then entered the stretch of about 3km (almost 2 miles), with no aid.

Just before I got to the stadium, I got passed by 4th. Then once into the stadium and within about 100m I went from running to stumbling sideways. I had an athlete who I coached, told me later that when he passed me, I looked like I was stumbling home from the bar. I pushed and tried to pull it together, but any increase in effort would yield a sky rocketing HR. There was nothing I could do. I was over a mile from aid, unable to push...It was now a matter of just moving forward. The medics followed me for the next few miles until things turned around.

This was the point in an Ironman where almost everyone who doesn't meet their goals, goes through a roller coaster of emotion. I cried, I tried my best to put on a smile for all who were supportive on course and remembered that I was lucky to be able to do what I do. I thought of 9.11, I thought of ERIC , I thought of everyone else out there racing (including all 15 of my athletes). They were giving everything that they had to hit their goals also and how they would kill to have been within a zip code of where I was.

I didn't win, I didn't accomplish what I wanted to, but I was lucky. I kept walking, hoping my family would still be on State Street (it takes a while to walk at the pace I was going:). They were and they walked with me a little bit (making sure not to pace me, of course ;).

I then came up Romain (#1 in the race) who was also having a rough day. We both decided to walk it in together, receiving compliments and thank you's from everyone for finishing the race. This was about the point when I realized that I was walking for so many more people than just myself.

The finish line was amazing, you can watch it here .

Thank you to everyone who supports me and my racing. Thank you to all of the spectators, thank you to two dozen or so people who sent me emails and FB messages of support. Thank you to my family who has supported me for 10 years, my friends, my athletes and my sponsors (Trek Stores of Madison, KSwiss, Woodall Training, Saris and TYR).

I look forward to taking this experience and applying it to the rest of season. As of now it looks like I will be racing Rev 3 South Carolina, Ironman Florida and Ironman Cozumel.

++++

So that was a recap of my day, but as a coach it is over shadowed by the massive accomplishments of my athletes out there on course. You all inspire me, support me and motivate me to be the best person and athlete I can. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Here is a recap for you all:

Colin - JUST missed kona and had a great PR - 10:39:44
Theresa - FINISHED smiling and PR'd - 14:39
Perry - PR'd and had a VERY consistent day! - 13:27
Randy - Great swim and bike, pushed hard on the run - 11:01:23
Justin - PR FINISH PR swim, PR bike, PR run, PR PR PR - 11:22:12
Patrick - A PR by over 2hrs! - 11:14:30
Laurie - A PR by over 30minutes - 13:45:03
Jon - PR day and eliminated stomach problems! 13:08:22
Greg - HUGE PR day - 11:46:33
Tracie - Battled through stomach issues, helped an injured racer and finished strong! 15:45:11
Julia - PUSHED hard to break 14 and did it!!! 13:56:00
Jenny - Finished with a smile!! 13:51:30
Anna - WINS her AG and is headed to Kona baby!!!! 15th overall female 11:01:13
Chip - Huge PR day right behind Colin, just missed kona as well - 10:43:20
Rob - We all recognized rob in his fire fighter gear!!! simply awesome and inspiring! 16:17:17
Sasha - Very proud to say YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!! 16:27:38
Coach BB - Gave it a run for the win and nearly pulled it off. Finished with a smile - 10:44:24

A Note to my athletes... (IMWI2011)

2011-09-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope that this email finds you well and that you are at home, resting, eating, or perhaps doing something that isn't even related to triathlon.

I want to first say that it has been a complete pleasure to work with and help every single one of you to the start line on Sunday. Regardless of how the day unfolds, I hope that all of you can grasp onto the breakthroughs, the great feelings experienced, the friendships made and the things that you have learned about yourself, both inside and outside of the sport. THAT is what makes Ironman such an amazing sport.

Sunday is the day that we peaked you for. However, remember that it's also just another day of doing something that you love. You have all swam in Lake Monona, you have all ridden on these roads and run through Madison. You are just going to have the luxury of doing it when rested and with some help, ensuring you don't have to slow down too much to refuel and when transitioning from one discipline to the next.

Sunday looks like it will be cool in the morning (53-55*) with light south winds. We'll have pretty good swim conditions (insert happy dance here:). Remember that you will be swimming into the sun on the backside of the loop...be patient with your sighting and use those buoys (located every 100m) to guide you.

The challenge that you will have on the day will be holding back on the bike. Cool and calm to start, then warm (85* on the road...perhaps higher) later on. This always causes a VERY fast front half of the race and yields some very slow runs times later in the day. While some athletes can hang on alright, those of who pace correctly will run strong throughout that marathon and feel your best later on. The key's here will be hydration, electrolytes and slowing down. ALL of your (our) races will be made on the run.

The run will be warm. Know that you will be hot when running with the wind and feel slower. When running into the wind, you will cool and fast...Both require you to take care of yourself... stick to YOUR plan, stay in and enjoy the moment and you will finish feeling great!

Perhaps the bigger piece to this weekend is the remembrance of 9.11. We are all blessed and lucky to have the opportunity to do what we do. Tired, energetic, fast, slow, exceeding or missing expectation, we are all amazing people and Ironman (as much as we love it) doesn't have any bearing on that.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your 2011 Ironman Wisconsin journey and I hope that I can be apart of your future adventures.

Within my own race I will be using each one of you to help propel me to a great race. I will lay it down, lead by example and will see each one of you home...

Race hard, be smart, be safe and have fun!

Your coach and friend,

Blake

Why do I race?

2011-08-30T10:53:00.001-05:00

This is a topic that is posted on our team forum and I thought that I would share my response with the general public! Enjoy...

I think that for me it grew into a personal challenge that stemmed from a competitive background in baseball and pretty much everything else that I did. First to show that I could, then to show I could do more, then to win.

For me, this is a theme I carry throughout my life and those who know me well, see it.

- Growing up it was baseball. I lived and breathed the sport. Through hard work and after about 6yrs, I made it onto team Wisconsin.

- In high school it was baseball, weightlifting and marketing through a program called DECA, where I reached the National level.

- In college it started as baseball, but switched over as triathlon grabbed my interest. It was taking on a 30/hr week job, training 30-40(yes too many)hrs per week, being very social and taking 15-18 credits, while getting into the school of Ed. I wasn't a genius, but it was a good challenge.

- Post college it started as being a great athlete at the professional level. Something that I am still working toward and am now almost through year 10 in the sport. Like most of you, this sport did NOT come easy to me. People look at me and say, WOW you race so fast, you are so gifted. While I realize that I am not limited by my genes (except my right leg ), most of my success has come through 10yrs of 45wks per year, dedicated to excellence... that's 450 weeks of consistent training. Take that times an average of 25hrs per week and you have over 11,000hrs of training. Put that into anyone in our sport and they will be doing just fine.

- It has now shifted to being great, while being balanced. Growing the amazing team that I have a vision for. This will likely take 3-4 years. Winning Ironman races, starting in 12 days. Buying a house, in the spring of 2013...and being a great partner to someone...add in family down the road a little ways.

I have done a lot of reflecting in my experiences and all I can say is that I feel that I do have it pretty well. Yes, I have created everything by myself (with support, of course), but it gives me a huge sense of satisfaction and reward. I get to REALLY experience life; to travel, meet amazing people and get follow and do what makes me genuinely feel happy.

I am still very young, as most of you will agree, but I am realizing that life flies by. I am 30 in just about a month and my body, though strong, does not do what it did at 25, or at 20...however, my mind does so much more. I have realized that life is short and we are not entitled to tomorrow. We can justify almost anything with a thousand excuses. I have also realized that life is a series of choices and it is up to us to choose. This is the best and worst part of it.

When it comes down to why I race, why I live the life that I do, it's because I love it and I know just how rare (and hard) it is for people to find that. Life is an ongoing process and journey and I may move on or even shift my focus, who knows. The one thing I do know is that I'll welcome it as I pursue the challenge of really living!

Taper Time

2011-08-25T08:35:00.001-05:00

Around this time every year for the past decade, I start to get a little more excited than I typically do for my Ironman taper. There is something special about Ironman Wisconsin. Most people say it's because I know people out there on course, or because I grew up here. I think that is part of it, but I also think that this race is something special for me because it was my first...and we all know about what that means!

I train on this course every day. Each time out there I gather more and more energy, visualizing the race that I believe is possible, learning every up and downhill and figuring out what I am going to do in every scenario that could possibly arise. Even then, being open to expecting the unexpected.

I have had some of my best training sessions on these roads. Breakthrough days when I set the pavement on fire. THESE are the days that I will be drawing from.

Then there is the support.

My family, who never once wavered in their belief of what was and is possible. They have been amazing and something that I will use when I am the supporter.

My friends. From those who I haven't seen in 10 years and send me good luck messages, to those who I regularly interact with in this sport. They are the ones on bike throughout the day, yelling their heads off, giving encouragement and letting me know what is going on around me.

My team. This group inspires me every day! From those who are upbeat and peppy when I am not, to those who show determination and make breakthroughs that they never thought possible. They keep things in perspective for me.

Bib #2

#2, #2, # there is only one way to go from here! I am motivated, excited and we all can relate to the analogy of the carrot and the rabbit. I am not the carrot, I am the rabbit...and I am very hungry to get where I know I belong and to get what I know is mine!

See you all out there!!

BB

Professional Ironman Races

2011-07-24T09:53:00.002-05:00

I wanted to write a short post on Professional Ironman racing. There have been many new events added to the calendar this year. Some with a fair bit of prize money ($75,000) and some with not much at all ($15,000). These races pay anywhere from the top 4 to top 10.

Since this has happened, it is quite apparent that the quality of the fields has really been knocked down and spread out. This is especially apparent with the women's racing, who at many "larger" Ironman races, only have to finish and they will receive a pretty good paycheck and a lot of Ironman World Championship qualification points (www.ironmanpromembership.com).

What would be a fair way to do things?

Here are a few options that come to mind.

#1 - Pay at fewer events, to attract more professionals and pay all who turn up, to where they at LEAST get their expenses covered.

OR

#2 Go with a prize purse at each event, based the average annual revenue generated over the previous 3 years. I think that 5% is a good place to start.

** If you go with option #1, pay back a larger % of your revenue at these events.
** Get a 50% match from an event title sponsor.
** Instill a "cutoff" from the second place finisher in each division.

Here is an example based on choice #2 from above.

Most Ironman events generate just under $2,000,000 in entry revenue, a % of all hotel revenue and millions more from merchandise, municipalities. So say the total revenue is $4,000,000 for the larger Ironman events.

- Total prize purse $300,000. 200k from the event and 100k from sponsors.

- Top 3 paid the same on each side and subtracted from the total. 60% of total purse.

1st - $40,000 M/F
2nd - $30,000 M/F
3rd - $20,000 M/F

- That leaves 120k for the remainder of the field. Which is split based on the number of athletes FINISHING under a time limit (* Instill a 10% cutoff from SECOND place.), as a percentage. So that is 60% of the pro field is men, then 60% of the remaining monies go to men and 40% to women. That's 72k for the men and 48k for the women.

- Here is how to distribute the rest of the funds.

4th place gets 20%
5th place gets 20% of remaining money
6th place gets 20% of remaining money
7th 8th etc

That breaks down to this for the men from 4th to 6th

4th - 14,400
5th - 11,520
6th - 9,216

That breaks down to this for the women from 4th to 6th

4th - 9,600
5th - 7,680
6th - 6,144

Keep this breakdown going to the cutoff for both the men & women. Redistribute the monies to the ENTIRE FIELD (male and female).

** One more necessity is a 15m+ daft zone and at least a 35min head start for the professional. 10min doesn't work well at most 2loop swim venues.

If you install a system like this, the profession of Professional Triathlete will be something that is actually feasible in the world we live in. As a professional, you are left to cover all of your travel and lodging at each race.

This is just one possible solution I came up with. Perhaps Ironman will meet with athletes to help determine a better system than we currently have.

Blake

What Really Creates Success...For Me (IM CDA Race Report)

2011-06-28T13:23:00.003-05:00

I don't think that I need to say that Ironman Coeur d'Alene didn't go how I planned this last weekend.

I think that a lot of times we look in the wrong places for success. I think that instead of admitting we need to change something within the big picture, we'd rather place blame on something that is out of our control and not our judgement, choices and patterns.

The training that I executed going in left me with life best numbers across the board. 4k swims in 50minutes, 112mi rides under 4:50 and 20mi runs under 2:05. All were very common in the last 6 weeks of training going into the race... So no excuses as to whether or not I was fit.

Mentally I was up and down heading into the race. My last training block threw me under the bus big time. Not because of the training that I had completed, but because I underestimated the amount of recovery needed from the sessions I was completing. It's one thing to plan training for someone else, it's another to integrate it into our own training.

A summary of this race is easy. I was tired going into it and felt it from the gun. In addition, I didn't have the mental capacity to make up the difference when things got really tough. Though hard to admit, it was the truth...

+++

If i look back on my "better" Ironman performances, this is what I see in relation to my training. Keep in mind that this is over 10 years and 23 Ironman starts.

The next statement comes from something I read a few months ago and basically it said this:

"When looking for success through comparing, we tend to look at differences. Instead of doing this, try looking at similarities. You will have much better results doing this."

What do all my "better" Ironman races have in common? I had someone giving me guidance and coaching...

IMWI 2003

Following Gordo Byrn closely and using his ideas as my guide. 10:35 got to Kona as an age grouper in my first real try.

IMWI 2007

Mark Allen Online lead by Luis Vargas. 9:38 and 57minute PR on this course.

IMCDA 2008

Switched to the power/pace based training with Kurt Perham at Personal Best Multisport Pro Coaching and finished 10th in 9:26

IMWI 2010

Completed my own training, but used Bobby McGee as a sports psychologist. Finished 5th in 8:55

I ultimately believed after each one of these races that I could take what I had learned and integrated it on my own... So why didn't it work? Hard to put it on any one thing, but here what having a coach kept me from doing or gave me.

#1 - Kept me from getting into my own head when things were not going well.

#2 - Trying to beat the training.

#3 - Having an objective eye to keep me from doing too much or not recovering enough.

Having an analytical mind is a great thing...except for me when it comes to my own training. Carly gave me a great quote when I asked about why she thinks she succeeded at the level that she did. Here is what she told me:

" I didn't think, I just did..."

In other words, the coach is there to coach you. Whether it's as a psychologist or someone writing training, they have a job to do and it's in our best interest to let them do it and do what they say. I believe that many of us could benefit from taking a page out of this book.

So long story short...instead of being reactive from this race, I am moving forward being proactive for the next one and my future. I'll be moving back to getting a coach...and back on track!

Sometimes admitting we can't do something ourselves and making changes is just what we need to be able to do it...

+++

On a separate note relating to this race. I want to thank everyone who gives me support, especially Carly. Supporting, spectating, doing it "with me" is not an easy task!

Thank you to The Fletcher's for a great homestay, as well as my athletes, friends and family who sent me a hundred (literally) messages.

Also thank you to my sponsors of Trek Stores of Madison, KSwiss, Saris, Powerbar and TYR.

See you all soon...

A note from the coach...

2011-06-20T08:39:00.002-05:00

First, congratulations to everyone who has raced over the last few weeks. In addition to racing well, we have had some great moments out at the races. There was no shortage of this yesterday when we spent about an hour joking around under our tent in the thunderstorms. In addition to coaching, the camaraderie and support is what helps us gain strength and confidence. Whether this comes from your triathlon team or your family team, it's a key component to success. There has been no shortage of this and I have seen amazing growth amongst all of you, both as a team and on individual levels. Whether you live in Madison or elsewhere, it has given me great satisfaction and reward to be a part of such great gains.

As we move into the heart of the season, it's important to remember to keep a bit of balance in our lives. The season is a long one and triathlon is lifestyle that will last for a long time...as long as we keep it at a level that fits our lives. It's easy to get wrapped up in results, and boy have we had some great ones, but remember that it's about more than winning for ALL of us. Whether it's about a healthy lifestyle, a distraction from work, finishing your first race, proving something to yourself, getting to Kona, or perhaps turning Professional down the road, it's an individual sport. Challenge yourself, measure yourself against YOU and remember that the number one goal, regardless of your reason for racing, is to enjoy it. Triathlon is a choice.

We all have setbacks and we all know that training and racing never go perfectly, yet many of us have a hard time remembering that perfection is not what it's about; perfection doesn't accomplish goals and is not what creates memorable performances in most people's minds.

Not all of you are sports fans, but many of you may know that the U.S. Open (major)golf tournament took place this last weekend. You may know that a 22 year old Irishman by the name of Rory McILROY won by a record 8 strokes and broke 12 separate records throughout the weekend. What many of you may not know is what happened back in April. He was leading the Master's golf tournament (another major) by 4 strokes going into the final round and had a meltdown. He lost 14 strokes to the eventual winner in that one round alone and went on to finish tied for 15th. He took a lot heat for it, people said he was too young and that he needed more maturity before he could handle the pressure that comes with leading AND winning a major golf tournament. What did he do? He lapped the field this last weekend and overcame what could have been a career changing blow to his confidence.

THIS was a great performance. Not because of what he did, but because of what he overcame. You can call it the bounce-back factor, you can call it overcoming a hurdle, keeping perspective, or rising to the occasion. Whatever you call it, remember it and keep it with you. Triathlon is no different. Those that accomplish their goals, those who finish and those who win are those who can accept the setbacks and stay focused on the bigger picture.

So take this to your next race. When those confidence demon's try to creep in, shut them out with perspective, with knowing that perfection is nothing more than a mirage on the horizon. Enjoy the process, enjoy the people, take in the environment and enjoy the opportunity to be doing something that you love.

1 Week To Go...

2011-06-17T08:30:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted in a while, mainly due to the fact that I have been extremely busy with coaching, training and life. All is rolling along very well. Instead of posting my training, I'll just write a summary for everyone.

I had been seeing PR's in the pool regularly over the last month, but they hadn't yet come through on the bike and run....UNTIL this last weekend. 2 weeks out I typically put in a 4ish hr ride with a 2hr TT at the end. This is a good session when I can really gauge where I am at. Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised. 2hrs later, I had put out a 5+ watt PR, as well as PR'd (by time) the IMWI loop by a good 2minutes in training. The next day, a bit tired, I got out on the run found the same thing... a season best long run of 1:45 which I finished with several uphill miles at 6min pace at zone 3 HR.

Now I have started to rest and training is a bit hit or miss, but on a general level, the body is getting stronger and stronger as the days have gone by. Now just one more mod-long ride today and some tempo work this weekend and it's go time.

I am looking forward to getting out to a place that I love, FINALLY getting to "race" this season, getting to see Carly after a 4 week break and assessing where I am at before I get set for a very busy second half of the season and the all important IMWI.

Training Ending May 29th

2011-06-01T07:44:00.001-05:00

This was probably the best week of training of 2011. Some very tough sessions, that all went really well. I now have a solid amount of recovery in between my key sessions as I head toward my first big races of 2011; Ironman 70.3 Kansas and Ironman Coeur d'Alene.

Monday - Big 4.5k swim today and easy 90minute spin.

Tuesday - 160km total today with 4x10min over geared FTP+ climbing, 90minutes at IM watts home. Short run off the bike. OW Swim in the evening.

Wednesday - Recovery run and 4.5km LCM swim

Thursday - 16km run with hill repeats. 4km in the pool and easy evening spin.

Friday - Race sim day. 180k (NP 270w), rode IMWI course today and 60min off the bike. Exactly 15km through moderate terrain.

Saturday - 3km LCM swim

Sunday - Madison Half Marathon. 7th overall in 1:15:30. Lack of warm-up made the first 10k a bit slow, but ended well.

4 weeks to go...

5 weeks out and good to go...

2011-05-22T14:11:00.001-05:00

This week was the first opportunity I have gotten to give myself and honest assessment of where my fitness is at as I approached 5 weeks out from CDA. Last week I gave myself 4 days recovery, followed by a key weekend. This week was a good balance of quality and quantity. A brief summery for ya'll...

Monday -
Swim 4.5km that included 5 400's at 1:06/07 pace on 4:45 and a bunch of 100's
Bike - Double session with flat intervals in the morning and evening build run. 100km total

Tuesday -
Run - 20km on the trails in the arb, all easy
Swim - 4km with 100's dropping 1 sec each interval on 1:45. Started on 1:10, missed 1:01. Then the same thing with 50's on 1min. Started at 38 and missed 26sec.

Wednesday -
Bike - Double ride day with BRO hill reps broken with lunges, evening aerobic ride. 100km
Run - Easy 30min yog

Thursday -
Run - Morning 16km ending with 4x4min hill repeats at max controlled effort.
Aquathon - swam 11:08 for 1000m and ran low 17 for the hilly 5k...good effort today. about 25km total running for the day.

Friday -

Swim - 4.5km same session as monday. held 1:07's today.

Bike - 1:45 easy Paoli +

Saturday -

Bike - 190km descending ride with 8000ft of climbing. NP was 255 and AP was 230 for the ride. (5:45)

Run - 8ish km off the bike, started sluggish, ended great.

Sunday -

Run - 35km in 2:22...took 2 miles to warm-up, then rolled 20 miles at 6:25-3:35. First warm fun...no problems today...LOTS of calories (800ish) on the run.

Swim - Easy recovery.

Forced Recovery

2011-05-16T06:37:00.003-05:00

In the past two seasons, I have done quite a few things right with my training. But there was one aspect that I wanted to improve; I felt like I had done a bit too much during my recovery blocks. This season I have changed that and it has made a world of difference. Most of my recovery blocks last for 5 days and follow about 14 days of training.

This last block was the best recovery block to date. I headed down to Destin, FL to spend the week with the Piper's. Carly and I swam every day in the ocean, which was a GREAT change in scenery. I swam M,W,R,F that consisted of 2 easy swims, 1 long swim and 1 moderate swim. I rode easy on M and Sa for 90minutes and then rode 4hrs with 3x30km at 300w on Su. I ran M,W,R,F,Su this week with M and R being easy, W being a 15km build run, F being a longer 90min run and Su a brick run of 8miles at 6:30/mi. Total hours for the week ended up being 14:45.

I am now back in WI, leaves are on the trees and it feels like the season is here. I have quite a few shorter, faster sessions during the weeks and long training on the weekends. This is a structure that I am finding quite effective when leading into an Ironman.

I will keep you updated with weekly training summaries as we go, as well as some very exciting news that is coming down the pipe.

BB

Block Done!

2011-05-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

After a recovery day on friday with swim and easy spin, I headed to the Monona 20k run race. I decided to end my long run with the race, which actually worked well. I felt good from the get go. After a bit over 8miles to start at an average 6:30 per mile, I ran the 20km race at an average pace of 6:20. All felt great, HR steady at 155 (which is just under IM HR for me). Easy cd after to 21 miles.

To finish off the block I did a VERY steady hilly ride. It's always a good sign when you end your training block better than you started ;) 5hrs in the saddle today, 7000 ft of climbing and NP of 265w. Felt great throughout.

Now I am off to FL for 4 days of R&R!! Can't wait! Check in with you all when I am back and rolling again.

BB

Just Get Out The Door...

2011-05-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

Tonight I could barely get off the couch to get my run done, but was pleasantly surprised with a PR 7mi build tonight...not bad for the end of a 3 week training block. Run Splits were along a rolling route with some short steep climbs and a bit of wind on the return. A minute or two with functional work, then 629 615, 601, 551, 535, 521, 2:30 last half mile, then cd.

This workout again proves that those that can motivate and get it done, on the right days, will reap the benefits. Had this been a designated recovery or aerobic builder day, I would have likely skipped it and opted for recovery.

End in sight...

2011-05-05T17:02:00.000-05:00

Training has gone well this week...here is the update.

Monday -

Swim 4600 SCY consisting of 200's, 300's and 400's on 1:15 base. Held 1:06/7's for these...BIG improvement. Rest of the day off for recovery.

Tuesday -

Morning was 75minutes steady at IM pace for 45minutes.

Midday was a swim of 4k LCM with a mainset of 3x800 on 11:30. Another breakthrough swim. Times were 10:20, 10:08, 10:16...

Wednesday -

Bike - 2hrs of team riding.

Bike - 5hr 10min tough ride today with 4x10minutes at FTP uphill in all 3 positions. After this set, 60minutes at 275-285 continuous.

Run - 10k off the bike at IM pace...pace was easy, first mile was 558, whoops...backed off an avg'd 6:15-20ish for these rolling miles...felt good.

Thursday -

Tired today...no surprise...I need to try to eat more on the big days to make the next day successful.

Run - 50minutes with 4x2minutes uphill HARD. steady back to car.

Swim - Wanted key session, but too tired. 2.5 LCM yards for recovery. Body felt good, just no energy.

Run - waiting on afternoon build run as I write this...may skip this session if I don't feel better in an hour or so...big weekend ahead. Recovery starts tuesday next week and runs through saturday.

Sunday Funday

2011-05-01T15:34:00.000-05:00

Not really...just glad to get it done. 2:15 run today with 1:45 at IM pace/effort. Extremely windy out, but the sun helped. Got in a nice ice bath thanks to Lake Wingra.

After a nap and some Sunday sports, I am off for a nice easy spin to loosen up these sore legs...

One of those days...

2011-04-30T20:08:00.000-05:00

...that you are happy to just survive. With 40mph winds, the riding was sketchy. This made consistent power output tough. Add in a front wheel sidewall blowout on a downhill at 35mph, a 45min pit stop to change the tire (Thanks for the ride, Will Smith) and it made for a long day.

On the upside, the legs felt great and another 5.5hr ride, big ring only (BRO riding), NP ~250 and 7900ft of climbing.

After some salmon burgers and hearing how great all of my athletes raced today, I am looking forward to running tomorrow!

Recovery Day

2011-04-29T10:04:00.002-05:00

I wish that I was outside for a longer ride today. It's 10am and the temp is already over 50*. Instead, its a recovery day for me.

UW swim early this morning. 3200 total SCY with a sprint mainset that consisted of 100's on 3:30 and 50's on 2minutes. These sessions have been great for me improving my swim fitness. Held 57/58 on the 100's and 26-28 on the 50's.

Easy 1-2hr spin this afternoon to get ready to a big weekend ahead.

Rolling along

2011-04-28T15:10:00.001-05:00

First half of week ending 8 weeks out. Weather is still FREEZING and windy. The sun would be nice for the coming weekend!

Monday -

Swim - 4.5k SCY total with 20x100 on 1:10, holding 1:05-1:07

Bike - After mod-long ride of 3hrs ending with 8x4min at threshold on 1min recovery. Focus was on the flats today.

Tuesday -

Run - Easy 60min yog

Swim - 4k LCM with 6x400 on 6min. Holding 5:15-5:20 steady

Wednesday -

Bike - 130km with 4x8min uphill and 30k flat TT

Run - Off the bike

Thursday -

Run - 22km with 12km of threshold work through rolling terrain.

Swim - 4k LCM - 12x200 holding 2:32-2:30. Intervals on 3min, 250 and 240. Tempo work today.

Week ending 9 Weeks Out

2011-04-28T06:55:00.001-05:00

I get a fair amount of emails and Facebook messages asking about my own training. I am transparent with most things in my life, so I thought I would shed some light what I do as I work toward winning my first Ironman. First attempt will be on June 26th in Coeur d'Alene. The goal will be to update a few times each week.

Up to this point, I have had some great training blocks, followed by hard rest. This is the first time I have done this, but I came away with great results.

Swim - Since the beginning of the year, I have been swimming hard with a great group from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. The result has been an increase in both my top end and steady state paces. This is exactly what I need to do in the water, so I am in good position to take control on the bike.

Bike - Things came back quickly. I have already been riding very similar times to what I had been putting out pre-IMWI 2010.

Run- Very strong this year. Some due to training and some has to do with maturity in the sport. A little side note that this will be my 10th year in triathlon.

++++++

Week Ending 9 weeks out:

I was quite sick for about a week, so I had to ease into this week.

Wed- Fri:

General zone 2 aerobic sessions with pick-ups to get back into the swing of things. about 8hrs of training over the 3 days.

Saturday: 5.5hr ride with 7400ft of climbing BRO for this ride. Felt solid throughout, but held back a bit because of sickness. NP for this ride was 252w. Looking for a non-structured strength focused workout today. Easy run off the bike.

Sunday: 20miles through rolling terrain. Split 1:05, 1:03. This is a good fitness marker workout for me. When I start to get fit, the times will drop a few minutes overall.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Sponsorship (Partnership) & The Business of Triathlon

2011-04-06T08:50:00.008-05:00

I thought that I would write a short blog on sponsorship (partnership) within our sport (the business of triathlon). Perhaps this will be helpful for some looking for support (athletes and companies).

The first sentence is a concept that many new Professionals fail to realize. Triathlon is a business, Ironman is a business and because of how it is run, it is more of a business than many other sports out there. The goal is to make it as profitable as possible. I am not saying that this is good or bad thing. I simply stating this because I think that it is important for both parties to think about when coming together. As a business owner and Professional athlete, I see both sides very clearly.

I hear the word "entitlement" a lot within the triathlon world. I will be the first to say that an athlete doesn't deserve anything...UNLESS they can show that they are worth the investment. Conversely, the same goes for companies.

It is simple and complex at the same time. While I am sure there is an algorithm out there somewhere, I am going to breakdown what would be helpful for parties to think about when coming together.

#1 - Tangible benefits. In other words, "if I partner with you, what am I going to see in return that I can measure?"

For the company - This can be sales, hits on a website, number of views, athletes exposed to on a regular basis (defined), customers in my store, etc. When I go to a company, I want to be able to say I have done "x" before with other companies and this is what you can expect as well.

For the athlete - What are the $$ I am seeing in return, what equipment is being provided and what is the value of it.

#2 - Exposure - While some of this is measurable, some of it is not. Each situation is unique and it is up to both parties to sell themselves to the other, mostly the athlete. Is there a benefit to having my name on your kit, website and blog? Tough to say and probably not if you have won a few local or regional races. This is likely more applicable to the Olympians, World Champions and International Race Winners.

What I have done specifically is taken my triathlon coaching business and leveraged it with my racing. So now when I come to a company I say that I not only have exposure on my kits, but on 40 or 80 or 120 athlete's kits. Those athletes race and train, some in social groups and some at a high level. NOW you have their attention. Combine that with events outside of racing and you have yourself a valid point to sell.

#3 - The long term. We want to align ourselves with someone who is going to help us move to where we want to be in the future. Would you rather invest in someone who is going to race for 2 or 3 years or someone who could grow with you over the next 10, 15 or 20 years? To me, the answer is simple.

Revisiting #1 - While measurement is important, to make sure we are not wasting our money, #2 and #3 are much more important. Counting pennies is shortsighted, aligning yourself with people to help you get from point A to point B is where it's at. Both for athletes and companies.

My example is simple. If I have a product and I am looking to not only sell it, but grow my company, would I rather have a few guys rockin' it for a few years or someone who I can partner with, invest in and grow with over the long term? Someone with not only race results, but who has a similar vision for their company as you do your "brand." If you want to grow your business large, you may want to go with someone who would like to do the same. If you want to stay small, then align yourself with those folks.

I encourage all athletes and companies (most do this...I think) to think about where they want to be in 5, 10 and 15 years. Then invest in those who can help you get there.

The ideal situation for an athlete is to have exposure within their racing and within their community. Next time you approach someone for a partnership, don't ask, tell them what you provide them with. Ask them if it's something they could use, or if it's something that will help them grow toward their goals. If it is, then let the discussion begin on what services, cash and products are exchanged.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T14:24:00.004-06:00

Today marks the first day of the year where I will turn 30 years old. 2010 was my BEST year yet. I learned more about myself as a person, as an athlete, as a friend, as a partner and in this world than any year previous.

I have made some great friends this year on top of strengthening many of my existing relationships. I have lost a few people in my life as well and use that to help me live better, because they can’t. The company you are in is what makes any experience great. I appreciate all of you in my life and know that my life wouldn’t be anywhere near as great or fulfilling without you.

On the racing side of things, I made a huge step in the right direction with a 5th place finish at Ironman Wisconsin. Winning this race is on my bucket list before I am done with racing this sport at a high level. I am lucky to be able to do what I do; to have a body that performs up to the level that my mind desires. As the calendar changes I am more driven than ever to not only win in the coming year, but also to love the sport that I am so passionate about and appreciate the people that make it up!

My coaching has also taken a step forward. Another passion of mine is teaching and I am lucky to have so many individuals who want to learn from me and who look up to me for guidance. It is both humbling and motivating! Thanks guys! I am looking forward to leading all of you on Team BBMC in 2011.

I am still waiting for that someone to come be my teammate in this crazy game of life, but I am patient and in no hurry. I am just enjoying the ride and appreciating/loving each day for what it is.

So 2011 predictions and resolutions?!?! Well I don’t have any predictions really, but I am setting out to make more time for myself and to live a little bit more for myself, this has always been challenging for me, but I am up for it...I mean really, do I ever back down from a challenge?!?

Happy New Year everyone; if you’re reading this, then thank you. I hope that I can give you even half of what you give me! Remember, life is a series of choices, go BIG!! After all, we only get one shot!

2010 Season Review and 2011 Preview

2010-11-30T17:07:00.002-06:00

2010 was my most successful year of racing since I entered into the sport of triathlon. I finished 4th at Memphis In May, I smashed my course record at Elkhart Lake International Triathlon, finished 5th at Ironman Wisconsin and set personal best numbers all season long.

Though hugely successful, this season did not come without some very low points. In fact, I briefly contemplated laying down my sword after a terrible race at Ironman Lake Placid. I was not meeting my expectations and things were continuing to go exactly how I did not want them to go.

After the race I took a week and visited my brother, hung out in New York and got completely away from the lifestyle and sport. On the way back to Wisconsin I asked myself why I chose this sport as my career. The answer was because I LOVED IT!

Everything else aside, when it comes down to it there is nothing I would rather do than get out there and swim, ride and run; push my body to it's limit and see just how much I can make it hurt. I didn't do it because I needed to go 8:xx in an Ironman or 3:xx in a half ironman. YES, I am competitive, YES I want to win, but if I competed for those reasons alone, I wouldn't last very long.

In addition to my own performance, I also thought about the satisfaction and reward I get in passing along what I have learned over the last decade. In short, I also do it for my athletes and the community. What I see people achieve and the self belief that this sport instills in them is unmatched.

I came away from that conversation with myself and decided that I needed to approach my next Ironman in a new way. I needed to take the workouts that I knew worked the best for me and that I believed in the most and do them. Then I needed to address what I knew was a limiter of mine; my head. I sought out Bobby McGee for some sports psychology (one of the best in the world) and learned more about the mental side of triathlon in 6 weeks, than I had in the previous 9 years.

What resulted for me was my best ironman finish to date and a foundation to build upon over the next decade. All of this came after a build with setbacks that included a crash 5 weeks out from the race and a trip to the ER just 3 weeks out from the big day. Sometimes we shine in the face of adversity.

++++++++++++

2011 is going to be a huge year for me. It will mark the 10th anniversary of Ironman Wisconsin, I will turn 30 and I will hit the 12,000 lifetime training hour mark!! Needless to say, my focus for the year will be shining in front of the people who mean the most to me.

To add to this, I have launched a multi-sport team here in Madison that I am very excited about. I will have opportunity to work face to face with 24 athletes and personally help them achieve their triathlon goals.

Outside of sport I have a few goals as well, but I will keep those to myself! ;) Life is great, I am thankful for every day and am excited to see what the future will bring!

Blake

ps - If you are free this coming Sunday (December 5th) from 6:00-8:00pm, come to the Trek Store Madison West and check out what the team is all about. Come meet the other team members, their families, sponsors and get details on everything!! Email me for more information or if you cannot make it.

Finally an UPDATE!

2010-11-02T15:10:00.001-05:00

Though the blog has been quiet over the last month, there has been a lot going on with me and Blake Becker Multisport Coaching LLC.

Racing:

I am currently writing this blog on my way down to race my last Ironman of the 2010 season in Panama City Beach. This will be my 3rd time toeing the line here, which means I am quite familiar with both the city and the race itself. Let’s just say prep has gone well and I am looking forward to getting out there and getting things started. You can follow the race online over at www.ironman.com this coming saturday starting at 6:50am CST.

New Website:

You will notice that www.blakebecker.com has a new look. A big thanks to Kaili Purviance at Clever Melon LLC for putting together one awesome, easily updatable site. I also want to thank Gary Geiger of Gary Geiger Photography for providing me with some great photo’s that you will see rotating throughout the site!

2011 Multisport Team:

I am excited to announce that Blake Becker Multisport Coaching LLC with be launching a multisport team in 2011. The team will be coached by myself and will be comprised of athletes with varying abilities; some will have never completed a triathlon in their life, while others will be seasoned veterans. The team is designed to make triathlon work within your life, while involving family both inside and outside of the sport! In addition, the team will have a number of sponsors who will be providing a significant discount to athletes.

Team workouts will start in January 2011 and athletes will have a variety of options to make the team training fit their schedule.

Our current practice schedule is as follows (athletes choose 3):

- Sunday afternoon swim 4:00pm (bring the family!)

- Tuesday morning run 9:00am

- Tuesday evening run 6:00pm

- Thursday morning bike 9:00am

- Thursday evening bike 7:15pm

If you like to work hard and are looking for a fun motivating environment, this team is for you. You can find more information over at www.blakebecker.com, or you can contact me directly at blakebeck@gmail.com. There are currently 8 more openings for athletes in 2011.

**Team Informational Night. December 5th 6:00pm - 8:00pm Trek Store Madison West**

Come meet current team members, pick up information, register and get all your questions answered by Blake. You will also be able to enjoy snacks and drinks.

Personal Coaching:

I have opened up a few additional personal coaching slots for 2011. There are two openings left as I write this, so if you are interested please drop me an email asap. Athletes will get fully customized coaching designed to meet every one of their needs. Personal Coaching also includes a team membership.

Facebook & Twitter:

Blake Becker Multisport Coaching LLC is now on Facebook and Twitter. Follow the links on my homepage and keep up on the latest happenings.

Multisport Camps:

So many of you have asked me to run more than 1 triathlon camp in 2011. I have taken notice and will be running at least 2 camps (perhaps 3) throughout the season. These weekend camps are run Fri-Sun and include everything you will need other than lodging and transportation. Check back soon for camp dates and details!

Multisport Forum:

Check out the multisport forum here. This forum is free your information will not be shared and is designed to be a resource for you to get training and racing questions answered. You will also be able to buy and sell your training and racing gear, organize training with others and meet other athletes in the area!

Stay tuned to my website and blog for more information coming soon...

What do you get after 8 years of Ironman Racing?

2010-09-21T13:44:00.003-05:00

BREAKTHROUGH!!!!

8:55:44 5th Overall

Ironman Wisconsin 2010

So I am going to write this blog a little bit different than I might write a normal race report. I will go through some of the race details, but there is a more important takeaway from this race; both for me and to everyone reading.

For those of you that haven't followed my racing, this was my 20th Ironman start and for me it had been a struggle every step of the way. I always showed promise in training, but it never came together on race day. I knew I could, but just didn't know how to bring it all together.

So what changed? Absolutely nothing physically or nutritionally. As always I trained hard and fueled well. This was what I always looked to in finding a solution...until 6 weeks ago.

6 weeks prior to Ironman Wisconsin, I started working with Bobby McGee. Bobby is a world renowned run coach, but I sought him out for his sports psychology background. In short, he did some evaluations and we worked together in addressing some of my psychological limiters. For me it was an issue with focus. You can head over to my forum to take a look at exactly what I worked on.

Anyway, the take away from this race is that when you truly believe in something you can accomplish it. You may not do it on the first try, or second, or 19th in this case, but as the saying goes: "where there's a will, there's a way." This is one of the many lessons and take-a-ways that can be paralleled to other aspects of life.

+++

Ok, here's a race day recap for you!

Swim: I positioned myself on the front line all the way on the inside of the group. This is where I typically start. Things were very uneventful and I found myself in a group with the usual suspects. About 600m into the swim, a few of the guys who I had "wanted" to swim with had opened up a gap of about 50m. I thought it was worth a shot to bridge the gap, WHOOPS! I got about half way across and red-lined. I started hyperventilating and HAD to stop. About that same time the goggles fogged, which added to the anxiety. So I stopped, cleared my goggles and regrouped. This meant that I had to let my usual group go and settle into my own rhythm. I exited the water pulling the 3rd group of athletes about 2min back of "my" group and 4:30 down on the front group.

Bike: After a speedy transition I was off and riding. This is typically my strength and I settled into a nice rhythm. I felt very flat on the ride, but also used the knowledge that you don't have to feel sharp to have a good Ironman ride. The front guys put a LOT of time into me in the first 40miles. Perhaps this was because i was solo, perhaps not. Either way, I just took care of myself and stayed in the moment. I cruised through the halfway mark in 2:25, which was fine. I stayed steady and the second loop was literally almost a carbon copy of the first. I split 2:27 for this loop and rolled into T2 in 9th position.

Run: Once onto the run I had a very focused mindset. I didn't feel good, but I knew what I needed to do. I looked to run 2:53 on the day, but quickly realized that my PE was a bit too high to sustain that effort, so I backed off to the "feeling" that I re-enforced SO many times in training. I was making up time on everyone, except Joe, but didn't know if I would run out of ground. At the first turn I found myself in 6th and felt the same as I did when I had began the marathon.

The miles ticked by and I stuck to my well oiled nutrition plan, that is until mile 9 when I dropped my salt container which sent pills everywhere. F&%$!!! Oh well, I kept on rolling and thought, "no worries, I have salt at special needs and I can take in more gels at the aid stations." This worked out ok, though I paid for it a bit later in the race.

I came through the half way in 1:29 and again felt like I did to begin the run leg. I metronomically kept my strong run form ticking over and grabbed what I could at the aid stations. Before I knew it, I was at mile 16 which is when I ideally like to pick things up. I was in 5th and the gap to 4th was 2min, 3rd 4min and 2nd down to 8minutes (halved). I was a bit emotional at times because I knew I had finally "done" it, but I knew that moving up was possible. So I pushed and the mile splits came back down into the 6:40's. Then at about the 32k mark, the hamstring twinges started to creep in. No doubt from the lack of sodium early on. So I had to back off the pace slightly and started taking in 2 salt tabs (something I knew my body could handle). Within 3k my body was feeling pretty strong again and I started to get back after it....as much as you can 35k into an Ironman marathon ;) The gap was slowly coming down, but I was running out of miles and I had bigger problems coming...literally.

With about 1k to go I turned around, "just to check" I guess and I see a big, angry Max Longree (one of the best runners in the sport) closing down the gap at a pretty rapid rate I might add. I had two options, run hard and RUN HARD!!! So I zipped up my top and gave it everything I had. Spectators, friends, and family were all screaming to go harder, but did I have enough left? It wasn't a question. I had been in 5th for 15 miles and I wasn't about to give it up.

I cleared special needs and made the turn into the finish straight, almost side by side with Max. The motorcycle who was filming the entire thing, pulled off in front of me, nearly taking me out! I had no time for this! It was about at this point that I found another gear somewhere?!?! I managed to pull away in the last 100m to cross 3sec ahead.

Immediately upon crossing the line, both hamstrings locked and I went straight into two AWESOME volunteers! The end result, 8:55:44 and 5th place!!

I have to thank everyone for their support over the years, as well as my sponsors (Trek, KSwiss, Saris, TYR and Wheelbuilder.com). But more than this I want to thank my mom and my stepdad. Both of them have showed me what it means to believe, encourage and support their son in pursuing their passion. I am sure they had their doubts along the way, but never once wavered in their support. So thank you.

I now have 10 years to improve on this result and make my mark in the sport. My bar is set high and just like I accomplished this goal, I will accomplish future ones as well.

For now, some R&R and then a little more racing before the colder months.

I also want to say congrat's to everyone who finished and even those who didn't. Some of you went in on with your A-game and nailed it and some of you went in with your B or even C game and surprised the heck out of yourself. You should all be excited and proud of your achievements.

Have a great week and I'll check in soon!

Blake

4 Sleeps To Go

2010-09-08T08:31:00.004-05:00

We are now sitting on Wednesday of Ironman Wisconsin race week and it seems as though the days have flown by. Today marks the end of most of my pre-ironman obligations. Between training, resting, coaching, speaking and consulting with my athletes, I have had a fairly packed schedule over the last 2 weeks.

I have trained the mind and body hard over the last 7 weeks and have prepared to suffer on Sunday better than anyone else out there. In the beginning my body resisted, then the mind protested in many different ways, but FINALLY they both gave in and got on board with the program.

I usually find that when I train hard up until 14 days out from a race, there is a period of time within the first week of taper, when I feel very tired and sluggish. No matter how many times I go through this, I always wonder if I am going to come out of it. The good news is that I usually do and this race has been no exception. After 5 days of dragging my tired body around last week, I find myself jumping out of my skin this week.

My fitness is at the best level of the year. I swam a bit more to prepare for the possibility of a non-wetsuit swim (which now looks like it won't be the case). I have boosted my threshold by around ~10w and lost 4kg's since the middle of July. I have also laid down 11 rides over 160km in that time period to really dial in and re-enforce what I will be laying down on sunday. I have also kept up my run training, which has been very solid all year.

This time around I have also prepared in a way that most do not. I sought out the coaching of Bobby McGee to help me prepare my mind. He has helped me discover how to focus it when needed and how to pull it back when I don't. This time, I am confident in not only the physical and nutritional aspects of ironman racing, but am now confident in my mental plan for the race. To be successful, you need all three. A different perspective, a different approach, a different frame of mind, they all equal a more complete athlete.

Regardless of race conditions, the competition, placing, average watts, bike time, etc...what I will be doing out there will remain the same. That "what" is what will yield my best result on the day and THAT is all I am looking for.

Good luck to all of you racing this weekend! Focus on what you are doing out there and believe in yourself. You can't do anything about the injuries, sickness or missed workouts that you may have faced, put that energy into having the best race you can and ENJOY being out there!

++++++++

If you are in the Madison area next week(end), we are having an end of season bash at Trek Store Madison West on Friday, September 17th from 6-9pm. You can come here about the race, enjoy food and drink, in addition you will have the opportunity to win some pretty great swag! Check out Trek's Calendar here.

Have a great week everyone! I am glad to help if you need anything before Sunday, just drop me a note.

Cheers,

Blake

The Taper

2010-08-31T11:05:00.001-05:00

We are now into full on taper for Ironman Wisconsin and there are a few things that I would like to pass along as we go forward. I will post them to the forum, but wanted to make sure you got them first.

Not all of you on this list are racing Ironman and I haven't directly coached many of you, but we have crossed paths at some point along the way. Whether or not you are racing, have raced or will race again, I think that this information is good for everyone to remember.

Each one of you has had a different story, a different training plan and a different path to get where we are 12 days out from the race. Some of you have had injuries, some have been sick and some have had to learn to train in a different way due to changes within your lives. Whatever your story is, whatever your state of mind is and whatever your level fitness may be, it is important that over the next 12 days you take advantage of every opportunity you have the race you want and have worked so hard for. It has been a complete pleasure to get to know each one of you over the years; you have all taught me something and now it's time to pass a small bit back to you in return.

A few things to remember are as follows:

1) Your immune system is at it's lowest point this week. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. I like analogies, so here you go. If you visualize your training as though you are building a tower of fitness while working on a ladder and your taper as climbing back down the ladder, you know that there is risk involved. Many athletes let their guard down as soon as the work is done. While this can work, it can also set you up for getting sick in this last week. Something that we obviously do not want. My advice is continue to treat the taper sessions as regular training sessions in your mind. Focus on execution and recovery after each one. Remember that recovery is USUALLY what separates athletes. We ALL like to work hard ;)

2) Write out a race plan, write out a nutrition plan and write out a mental plan. If any one of these gets neglected throughout the race it will have am impact on the outcome. Write a plan for each in different conditions that you might face (varies greatly here:) and then make a list of possible obstacles you could run into on race day. After you do this, write out what your plan is when faced with each one.

When thinking about the mental side of racing and the days leading up, it is important to know where you want your mind and focus to go. I worked with Bobby McGee this last month who has helped me tremendously in overcoming a lot within my own racing. If you want to ask a few questions, feel free. Otherwise I will be speaking on it at 6:30pm, next tuesday (sept 7th) at Trek Store West. No matter what your level of training or racing, this is something that most of us do not think about. Anxiety, focus and thought all come at a cost; it's very apparent in living on a daily basis. While it might not matter so much with other aspects of your life; cutting down the energy used to worry, focus and think within your racing can yield huge dividends.

3) When making your plans for the race and the days before, don't change anything. We are very accustom to having to do things "better" for special events in our lives. While this works outside of sport, it rarely works within. What has worked for your best training sessions is what will work on race day, period. It's good to write it out, know what you are doing ahead of time, so you can relax your mind when you need to on race day and focus when you need to.

4) Focus on what you can control. If we missed training due to injury, if we can a family vacation 6 weeks ago, if we haven't run much all year, don't worry about it. None of that stuff matters and none of it can be changed. Once and a while you see performances in athletes that you had no idea were possible. This is because they raced in the moment, they had a plan and they didn't let their mind wander or get stuck on the thoughts that pass through during an 8hr, 12hr or 16hr race. The correct approach to racing is very much like meditating, remember that. Our bodies are not machines, we can do far less than we should be able to do on paper and we can do far more. For those of you who track your fitness and training in Training Peaks, remember this. Some of our best rides come when we least expect it.

A quick note on times and PR's. Our times at the end of the day are determined by much more than just our fitness level. Focus on executing and doing what you need in the moment, throughout the day and the time will take care of itself. You can't control things like the weather, mechanicals or other athletes. The reality is that we have to deal with all of them, dont stress about it, deal with them how you have planned and then move forward with what you are doing in the moment.

5) Remember why you are out there. For some it's racing, for some it's pushing their own limits to see what we can do and for some it's just completing the event. Whatever the level, whatever your goals, remember that in the end we do this because we love it. Never forget that and never forget it's just one day.

Ok, that's about it for now. For those of you who are racing, GOOD LUCK. If any one of you needs anything, I am more than happy to help. My phone number is below and in addition I will be available after the Talk on the 7th.

2010-08-28T07:20:00.003-05:00

Hi All,

If you get a chance, head over to the forum to check out regular racing, training, nutrition and life balance topics.

Sorry for the lull in thread topics and posts; as the taper starts I would like to add a few new topics every couple days, so feel free to respond, start threads of your own, or add questions.

Here is the first topic that I posted from the forum, you can register(for free) or check out the forum here.

The first topic is the sweat test. Nutrition is called the 4th discipline in triathlon quite often and for good reason. I think that many times athletes just neglect it and don't put in the time and effort to simulate their race in different conditions in order to find out what works and what doesn't work for them. Ill cover a few more ideas and steps as we go here, but the first is "The Sweat Test."

What to do:

1) Write down weather conditions and specific intensity that you are planning to train in.
2) Weight yourself naked before the session and get out the door to train.
3) Train for designated amount of time, usually 1-3hrs and pick an intensity that you are planning to race at.
4) Head out the door and complete the workout, careful not to use the bathroom.
5) Come home and immediately strip clothing and weigh yourself.
6) Here is the formula to determine your sweat rate.

PRE-WORKOUT WEIGHT minus POST-WORKOUT WEIGHT = This gives you your total weight lost.

7) Now you are going to convert this to ounces. To do this, MULTIPLY by 16.

8 ) Now add in the number of ounces that you consumed on your ride.

9) Divide by the number of hours you trained, which will give you your ounces lost per hour in the conditions you trained at.

++++

Here is an example:

Pre-workout weight: 165
Post-workout weight: 160
Number of ounces consumed: 30
Number of hours trained: 2

Here is how it looks.

1) 165-160 = 5lbs lost
2) 5 * 16 = 80 ounces lost total
3) 80 + 30 = 110 ounces lost total
4) 110 / 2 = 55 ounces lost per hour.

Keep in mind that if you lose any more than 2% in body weight due to dehydration, you can expect to see a decrease in performance.

I would recommend repeating this test on the bike and run in a variety of conditions.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

BB

Todd Varness

2010-08-02T15:18:00.004-05:00

I had the privilege of getting to know Todd Varness over the last year and a half! Let me tell you about Todd. Now I only saw Todd a few days each week for a short period of time outside maybe an occasional Saturday morning at the famers market. Though it wasn't much, he did have a huge impact on me as a person.

There are a lot of people that workout early in the morning. They get up when it's dark, are grumpy and bitter throughout their workouts, then go to work and live their busy lives. Well with Todd, he had a busy life, he worked with kids and he did train before it was light out. But there was one huge difference with him. He NEVER and I mean NEVER complained once about anything. Infact, I think he laughed and joked just about more than anything else. Even right before he was diagnosed and when he was feeling so bad, he never once complained!

He was always the first one to ask how your day was going or say hi. He was sarcastic, funny and genuine...no one deserves to leave this earth as quickly as he did. It was much too soon. I hope that his first child, who will be born in December, will get to hear first hand from everyone, just how special his/her dad was!

RIP Todd, you will be missed and know that we will all live life just a little bit better, a little bit fuller, because you showed us how it was done!

Coeur d'Alene & The Rest of the Season

2010-07-17T20:07:00.005-05:00

Well, I think that I have answered about 100 emails asking about what happened out at Ironman Coeur d'Alene. The day ended a bit early for me, but I was able to take a lot of confidence away from it.

I found myself on the beach at 6:25am anticipating the cannon. The beach start is not my favorite, mostly because I am not very strong with them. I have always had a tough time running through the water. Luckily the lake is deep and there are only 3 or 4 steps required before a dive!

The cannon booms and I am in the midst of the froth and many athletes who I wanted to key off of were right there. I glued myself to my buddy Chris's feet and told myself not to leave them. I have always had a good swim when I have done this. After the first loop, I exited the water to see that I was right in the middle of the long line of athletes. It was hard to see where I actually was while in the water, the chop was pretty bad and in a lake there is no rhythm to the waves like you might find in the ocean. This makes things even more difficult.

Anyway, we somehow got gapped on the second loop and we found ourselves 3minutes down to the main group on the road. My plan was to ride steady, but with most of the race up the road I thought I would ride with Chris to the turn around at 7 miles to see where we were. Even though we were 9 minutes down on Potts, we had taken 75seconds out of Bell, Lovato and Evans, with Lieto just about a minute up the road. As we got back to town at mile 15 we could see the group up the road and finally made contact at about mile 25...just in time for the hills.

Long story short, I blew up at about 85 miles. Not surprised at all looking back, I went for it. WHY you ask? Well on the road, in the moment, with the quality of the field I thought it was my only option to make a check and finish high. Big mistake! I didn't think that everyone would fade like a typical field might. There were 3 Ironman Champions and 2 top-10 Kona guys in the field...yet despite their experience and results, the race played out EXACTLY the same... A correctly paced race would have yielded a very good result on this day and that is something that I can take forward from here.

So I'm taking my lesson, confidence, knowledge and running with it. I will likely race again soon, so don't be surprised if you see me on the start list before IMWI on Sept 12! ;)

I want to say thanks to Jeff and the family for a great homestay, I'll be back guys!

Sue, thanks for everything and especially your talk after the race!

Have a great rest of your weekend everyone! Also stay tuned for some big changes and news coming from BBMC and Trek!

Cheers,

Blake

Triathlon Forum Launch

2010-06-28T13:17:00.004-05:00

I wanted to let you know that I have created one of Wisconsin's first free public triathlon forums. I have posted a link to the website below, which is also linked off of my homepage over at http://www.blakebecker.com/ The forum is a means for me to give back to the community and share the knowledge that I have gained over my last decade of training, racing and coaching. Most of the forum will be open to the public, with a few threads that will be reserved for my athletes.

You can post anything that you like regarding training, racing, nutrition, training routes or groups, recipes, social gatherings, races, injury, recovery and the list could go on forever. All are welcome, regardless of who coaches you or where you live, etc. Please forward this to all of your training groups and friends. Help me spread the word.

I will moderate the forum and will answer most questions within a very short period of time.

To access the forum, simply create a handle. Your information is not shared and this is simply a means to avoid SPAM. I may email you to verify your request, but this is only to be cautious.

Here is a link to the forum:

http://blakebecker.com/forum

Please email me if you have any questions and have a great week!

Blake

Elkhart Lake & Now The Taper!

2010-06-13T12:18:00.002-05:00

This last weekend I raced a very well run local triathlon as one of my last training sessions before I race Ironman Coeur d'Alene. I went into the race on about 48hrs of easy training after a huge day training on Wednesday. This is very similar to how I raced Memphis last month and it seemed to work well. This time I only gave myself 2 days easy compared to 3 for that race, so there was a little experimentation going on. Needless to say, everything went very well and results can be found here. Things are progressing well and I am ready to race the big boys in 2 weeks.

Now that I am into the taper, the rules are simple. Eat a lot, sleep a lot and complete all sessions at about 90% of what I think I need to do. I feel like I am rested now, which is exactly where I want to be. Trust the training, feed on the rest and get psyched to rock n roll.

In the mean time I will be posting developments on new coaching programs, a forum that is now up on my website here, and a new website that will be launched shortly. I will also give details on a big event happening this coming July at the Trek Store West, here in Madison.

So that's all for now...nap time!

Memphis, Speed Concept, FInal Build & New Site

2010-06-04T06:26:00.003-05:00

The last few months have been great in the triathlon department of life, so let me catch you up on things.

Memphis -

Two weeks ago I raced Memphis In May down in TN. I had a lot of training going into the race, but no "tests(races)," so I was unsure how things would go. A long story short, it went well. I finished 4th overall, just seconds off the podium, in a race that I played extremely conservative because of 100* temperatures. I swam strong in the non-wetsuit 1500m swim, rode tempo pace for the 38.5k ride and ran the best I could in the heat.

This was a very solid start to the year and it was also great to catch-up with all my friends who flew in for the race!

Speed Concept -

I have been on the new Trek Speed Concept for about 6 weeks now and the bike is nothing short of amazing. It truly is the fastest bike available with a cross wind and without. In addition to being fast, it is also pretty fun to look at. ;) There are no exposed cables, brakes or anything else that creates extra drag. You can check out the bike here and can also see the commercial that we filmed out in the salt flats of Utah.

Final Coeur d'Alene Build -

My build is almost done for the race and things couldn't have gone better. Last year I saw a number of changes in my body's ability to handle training and perform on race day over the Ironman distance and this year is more of the same...I'll leave it at that! ;) I am ready to get out there and race against a very strong field in 3 weeks.

New Site -

Stay tuned and check back in a week or so. There are some very exciting changes coming, including a public forum which will be free for all.

Have a great weekend and I'll post again when I get closer to my taper!

Checking In...

2010-05-12T12:27:00.003-05:00

Hi All,

Just a quick check in for you on this end. Everything is going great with some very solid sessions happening throughout this training block. I will be heading down to race Memphis In May on May 23rd. It is just a fun event that I have decided to participate in with my good friend JD, who lives in Boulder.

After Memphis I will race a number of times here in Wisconsin during my final build into Ironman Coeur d'Alene. This just helps me with my race readiness.

If you would like to follow my daily training and happenings, you can either check me out on Facebook or Twitter (http://twitter.com/Blakebecker)

I will try to check in again soon!

Blake

Update!

2010-04-08T09:10:00.003-05:00

I'm back!! After a long break from posts, I am back on the wagon. Life, training and coaching has been keeping me very busy over the last few months, but is all going great. Here is a quick update for you.

Training is going very well right now and as the weeks go by the body is getting stronger and the anticipation for the first Ironman of the season is building. After seeing the gains and making the breakthroughs that I did last year, I wasn't sure what to expect in 2010.

Well now that we are in April, I think I have a pretty good idea. I am already building on the fitness that I peaked at for last season and on top of that, my mental picture is much more clear and my focus is direct and sharp. I know exactly what I want to do this year and how I am going about it!

Coaching is going well! I have a new structure this year that is making things affordable for all budgets! Email me with an questions!

Camps are filling quickly, so if you have an interest in a full catered weekend of training and learning with experts in this sport, email me for details. The weekends are all inclusive, minus lodging and travel and are priced at $400.

In other news, I am heading out of town on Monday to do some work for Trek over the next few weeks in CA and UT. I will keep you all in the loop with photo's and blurbs on what is happening!

Lastly, my first race of the season will most likely be Memphis In May on May 23rd.

More to come...

The Triathlon Body

2010-02-13T12:17:00.004-06:00

There are a few athletes whom I work with that struggle occasionally with feeling the need to be at a certain weight or look a certain way. Usually this is a weight that they have previously achieved in a past season early on in the sport. Sometimes an athlete equates being 'fit' with this low number on the scale and sometimes an athlete who struggles with hitting this number, feels the constant need to work harder and harder.

This can be something that is draining both physically and mentally on an athlete. If the athlete feels the need to work harder and harder, they soon compromise recovery and their bodies start to break down physically. After an extended period of time without seeing progress, the athlete can become frustrated mentally, which can cause a negative body image and the loss of believe in their ability to perform in sport.

If this sounds like you, remember this. When most people enter the sport of triathlon, they don't have much background in swimming, cycling or running. This means that they do not have much sport specific muscle developed. So an athlete starts training hard, eating well and loses a lot of weight. This usually keeps up for the first few seasons of racing. The athlete gets leaner and faster at the same time. This can instill the idea of leaner = faster/better.

Here is the problem. Usually after about 2 seasons, an athlete will start to develop a significant amount of muscle in either their upper body, lower body, or both. When this starts to happen, they can actually be leaner then they ever have before, but still heavier on the scale. If the athlete isn't able to see that this extra muscle is beneficial, it can be very frustrating.

In an attempt to get back to where they were, athletes will try to train more and eat less, which usually results in even more frustration. Our bodies become use to being in calorie deficit and go into a mode where they hold on to what they have.

So what can you do? Well, first cut yourself a little slack. Most people become so critical of themselves to a point far beyond what anyone else would see. Train as hard as you can, within the constraints of your life while still being able to recover. Eat healthy....what does this mean...everything in moderation. Base your diet on lean protein, fruit, veggies and natural carbohydrates. Avoid large amounts of sugar and processed foods. Drink lots of water and listen to your body, it has a funny way of telling you what it needs ;) Do this consistently for a season, stay healthy and I think you will be happy with what it yields!

Blake

Catching You Up To Speed....

2010-02-10T10:55:00.004-06:00

It has only been a few weeks since my last post, which is pretty good for me lately, but I do have a lot to catch you up on.

#1 Participation

This last weekend I "participated" in the Badger State Winter Games, I did not compete for anything besides being able to take in enough oxygen.

Before the race on Friday, I was a torch bearer for the opening ceremonies. Though there were only a few hundred people there, I just closed my eyes and envisioned I was in Vancouver...it didn't really work, but was still fun! I want to thank Bontrager and Trek for the clothing that kept me warm. I didn't let you down though and scored a television spot on channel 7 and picture in paper. After the ceremony I hung out with the interns for Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, which is also the company that works with Ironman in town. Fun times when you put an open bar, interns and athletes in the same room.

The next morning I participated in the 21km Freestyle Ski Event. Let me see, I was sore, tired, waxed incorrectly and oh yes, I hadn't skied in about a month before the event, so needless to say it was H-A-R-D. :) But I did have a great time, saw friends and got in a great workout...for 30minutes!

Thank you to everyone at Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation and the Badger State Winter Games for their help and support! I look forward to working with you at the summer games in June!

++++++++

Rockin' Out In February -

Early season triathlon training is rockin' right now. I have been rolling for about 4 weeks and the body is feeling great. I had a few questions this year as to where my fitness would be when I started back up again and how long my fitness would take to come back. But those questions have been answered rather quickly with a "pretty good" and "not very long."

I attribute this to a few things:

#1 Staying consistent with my low volume training. Even though I only completed a few sessions in each sport, each week, I did it every week without extended breaks in training. I use masters swimming twice per week, 2 bikes and 2-3 runs to keep me moving.

#2 Cross Training. I skied a bit more this year(before January 10th:) and though I never got "fit" on the hippie stix, I was able to get a good dose of steady state training in most weeks. This helped me out immensely and eliminated the need to sit on the trainer for more than 90minutes.

#3 Not placing excess pressure on myself to hit certain numbers or paces makes a world of difference. I complete the sessions with targets and goals, but don't sweat it if I dont make them...if I am training like a donkey, then hee-haw.

What's Next?

Well, whatever it is, it will not be anything outside. We just got done with our 160th snowstorm for the year and riding outside is going to have to wait for these 2+ feet of snow to melt. For now I have great training partners, masters to make me swim and my mojo, which is also known as motivation. Actually my motivation is higher this year, than it has been since 2007. I am really looking forward to racing.

Coaching, Camps and Events:

I have 5 spots left for personal coaching this season. I am guessing they will fill before April, so if you are interested, please drop me a line.

Check out my camps and clinic's page over on www.blakebecker.com I am running 3 training camps this summer for athletes ranging in ability to first timer, to elite.

Make sure to tune into 100.5 FM ESPN Madison/Milwaukee for regular segments on training, racing and events.

Tomorrow:

Come to Trek Bicycle Stores Eastside location at 6:30pm for the Speed Concept night. There will be free beer, food and a few prototypes of the new Speed Concept Time Trial bike that will be available for 2011.

OK, that's all for now! Keep on keepin' on....it's almost spring, just don't listen to the groundhog!!!

BAMF.....

2010-01-24T07:52:00.002-06:00

Jordan Rapp posts occasionally about people whom he calls BAMF's. BAMF's are basically people that do or are extraordinary in life. This girl definitely belongs in this category. She is 16 and sailing around the world solo.

Check her out here: http://abbysunderland.com/

Simply awesome!

Rolling Into 2010

2010-01-16T08:22:00.002-06:00

The site is finally up and running! Though a few of the pictures and logo's will be changed, what you currently see is most likely how it will stay! Feel free to post your feedback!

On the coaching side of things, I am finally an LLC. The official title is Blake Becker Multisport Coaching LLC, until I can think of a better name for the company. Minor details ;) All of my athletes are getting back into the groove and many of them are taking advantage of all this snow to avoid long tedious hours on the trainer. This helps them avoid the feeling of being burned out after so many weeks where it is cold and dark outside.

I have 5 slots left for athletes in 2010, which will most likely start to fill up in the next month as people think about their seasons. Contact me at blakebeck@gmail.com if you are interested or would like more information.

Speaking of planning, this is the time to map out your races, rides and events for the coming year. Map everything out and come out of the winter with a plan off attack. This will keep you motivated, excited and ready to race when that ice melts.

On the racing side of things, everything is tentatively set with my 3 Ironmans on the calendar. I will race Ironman Coeur d'Alene in June, Ironman Wisconsin in September and then Kona in October. Outside of these big events you can expect to see me at nearly all of the local events, I have found that a lot of racing is good for me early in the year.

That is about it for now, but I also want to mention a few talks and events I will be attending or giving in the coming weeks.

- January 22nd on how to integrate power into your training. It will take place at the Trek Bicycle Store West at 630pm.

- January 29th I will speak on how to read and interpret that power data. This is also going to be at the TBSW location and will start at 630pm.

- February 1st I am giving a seminar on how to integrate winter sports into your triathlon training. 630pm at Trek Bicycle Store West.

- February 11th 6:30 Get a sneak peek at the new Trek Speed Concept TT Bike at the Trek Bicycle Store EAST location!

**If you are interested in purchasing a powertap, I will have 20% off coupons that I will be distributing at both of my Power Training talks in the coming weeks.

It's almost February, keep it rolling!!

Blake

Training With Power Seminar Series

2010-01-05T12:29:00.002-06:00

TRAINING AND RACING WITH POWER

WHERE: Trek Bicycle Store West

WHEN: THIS FRIDAY, January 8th

TIME: 6:00 - 7:30pm with presentation starting at 630pm./

COST: FREE

Come learn about and increase your knowledge of training and racing with power in our January Training with Power Seminar Series. It is a 3 part series with dates and a brief description given below. Email me with any questions that you might have!

January 8th - THE BASICS OF POWER

This is an overview of what power is and how it is measured. There will be an introduction to the terminology and the Power Tap. Attendees will also learn why training with power is more effective than traditional methods using heartrate and perceived exertion. There will be a lot of time for question and answer

January 22nd - INTEGRATION OF POWER INTO TRAINING AND RACING

Learn how to use power effectively and get the most out of your training and racing. Learn about training zones, power tests and guidelines to follow while out on the bike.

January 29th - ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING DATA

Learn how to be able to download your power file, what that file shows and how to read the data. Then learn how to integrate the results into your future training and racing.

*** Each seminar will have a question and answer portion and a brief summary of what was given at the previous seminars. Handouts will also be available, as well as a link to notes online.

Hope to see you there!

Training Through The Holiday's

2009-12-19T08:03:00.003-06:00

It is the favorite time of year for many people, but unfortunately it is also the most stressful. It seems as though every aspect of our life has become more stressful. There are work deadlines, holiday planning, shopping, visiting family and I haven't even started to mention 'everyday' life or training!

There is so much to do, that it is easy to see why many people fall off the wellness wagon. It is important to remember that it doesn't have to be this way. I love the following quote for life in general, but especially when stress gets high!

"Learn from the past, plan for the future, but live in the moment!"

Continue to do what has worked in the past and avoid what hasn't. There is no sense in repeating things that don't work for you. Don't worry about how many chocolates you ate this morning at work, or that swim session that you missed earlier this week. Those moments are gone and only thing we can do is use knowledge from the past, to plan a better future.

Create a rough outline and plan that will help keep you on track if you start to feel overwhelmed. Don't dwell on it, but use it to help guide you when you are you are so stressed, that you don't know which way is up. Plan your workouts, plan your shopping, plan your meals and be very liberal on how much time you think everything will take. For example; if you have a 1 hour ski scheduled, realize that you will need to allot much more time than just that hour. You will need time for getting dressed and undressed, time to pack your nutrition, time to commute (twice) and realize that you may or may not run into a friend out on the trail.

Stay in the moment, live in the moment and enjoy the moment. We are one person and can only do one thing at a time. Focus on what you are doing, love it and know that the present is the only thing that we can do anything about.

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday season! 2010 season starts January 1st!

Blake

Off Season Officially Started!

2009-11-21T08:48:00.002-06:00

I am now offically two weeks into my off season and it is a nice change of pace. Im still training every day, but usually just 1 or maybe 2 sessions per day. I'll most likely keep this rolling through the Thanksgiving weekend and then start to get back into things a little bit more in the following week.

I wanted to thank everyone who came out to the Trek Bicycle Store Madison West location lastnight! Seeing you forgo the opening of "New Moon" (unlike 26.3 million other American's) and attend the event really did mean a lot ;) In the end it was a huge success! We had a great time with food, drinks, music, a little silliness, along with the creation of more than a few holiday wish list's! Thank you also to all of the westside store employee's! You guys are awesome and always work very hard to make sure these things go extremely smooth!

More to come soon...have to head out to ride and take advantage of this 55* November weather! Oh yeah, and it's NOT windy!!

BB

Ironman Florida

2009-11-10T08:27:00.005-06:00

Both of the times I have raced Ironman Florida the water has actually looked like what an ocean is suppose to look like! Standing on the start line the horizon looked like a distant mountain range, rather than a smooth never ending sheet of blue-green glass. The gun went off and it was probably the least rough start to an Ironman I have had in a long time. We were all one big happy group out to the turn until we turned into the sun and left to deal with the 4ft swells. It seems that everyone decided to take their own line to the return leg of the loop. I tried to guess which set of feet to stay on so I could remain at the front of the group. Unfortunately, I guessed incorrectly and was in no man's land with a few other swimmers.

I came out of the water in around 19th position and was quickly onto the bike with my good buddy Justin Daerr (JD). He and I trained in Clermont, FL together for a long time and as we rolled out I joked about how it felt just like old times. We were greeted by 50 miles of headwind to start the ride, which was NOT fun. I just kept as low of a profile as I could and kept the power steady at about 80% of my threshold. JD and I tried unsuccessfully to drop a few riders that began to accumulate behind us. Early in the ride, into a headwind, it just wasnt possible. These guys could ride, they just choose to sit in.

We made the turn and had a ROCKIN' tailwind for about 20 miles...I'm talking 30-35mph. I chilled out a bit here and knew I could get a good look at the field at the turn-around. When we got there, i was glad to see that even though Luke McKenzie was off the front, the rest of the field was very close.

As the miles ticked by, I made my way through the field and was pleased to end the ride with a 4:33 bike split in 7th position overall, just a few minutes down on second place. Off the bike, the legs felt great. I rolled through the first few miles feeling smooth and could see 3rd-6th up the road. About mile 3, something just wasn't right...my stomach and GI started rumbling and I was then forced to stop almost every mile. My cast iron stomach was failing me :)

I eventually was able to manage the issue by limiting my nutrition to only water and a little bit of coke every few miles. I knew the lack of calories would mean a bonk at some point, but I was just hoping to finish before that might happen.

When running, I was running ok (6:40-6:50 per mile), I just couldnt keep it going for long without stopping. At 30k, I did the math and thought I could finish under 8:50 unless the world ended...and THAT is where I jinxed myself. At the 34k (21.5miles), the world ended! HA! I went from running to walking within about 10 steps!

I did what I had to and walked to the finish. Not what I wanted, but again...another step forward and that's all that matters!!

Now a bit of a break for me, then a lot to work on before next season! Thanks again to everyone for their support, I could not do what I do and keep the passion and fire lit without you! Timex, Trek, K-Swiss, my family and friend3s :) you guys are amazing!

My new site should be up shortly, as well as some other exciting news regarding next season!

Time to dust off the ski's!!

BB

Believing In You!

2009-10-21T08:59:00.003-05:00

I was going to write this post after Ironman Florida, but I had some time and thought that I would write it prematurely. Triathlon (Ironman) is not only a sport and a lifestyle, but it is something that we use to teach us more about ourselves.

It is not about going fast for most athletes, but it is about setting off on a journey that we may or may not have thought we could complete. It is about showing ourselves that the so called "impossible," is truly possible. All we have to do is BELIEVE.

For many athletes, it is not just about the racing. It might be about losing weight, or it might be about feeling confident in who we are, our self image or maybe showing ourselves that we can live a healthy lifestyle, when we never have. When I think about all these things, I think about change and I think about empowering ourselves to live better lives and become happier people. Don't take a back seat to life, go get it..."We create our own lives and happiness." Work in a career that you are excited about every single day, surround yourself with positive influences that enhance your life, not inhibit it! Believe in yourself, always...now matter how absurd or rediculous it seems. If you don't try and you don't believe, it will never happen and you will never know.

We are constantly comparing ourselves to the rest of this world; other people, possessions, things we do, race times, our weight, our pant size, everything. We might think to ourselves, "I train that much, why can't I go that fast?" or " I eat this way and train that much, why can't I look like that or why am I not that size?" The reason is because all of us are different and need something that works for us, not someone else.

The best thing you can do is focus on you! Win those small battles one by one and stay in the moment, celebrate the victories along the way and believe that what you are doing is what is BEST for YOU. Take comfort in know that if something doesn't work, you can just change...it doesn't mean that you failed, as I hear all the time. Make modifications, go another direction, think outside the box, because there isnt just one shot at things, or a last shot...it is trial and error and learning and implimenting in the future.

To throw in some personal experience on this topic, I will offer this. I don't have the super-natural gift that many athletes have (yes I do realize I have some), but I have also trained around 10,000 hours in the last 8 years, that's alot! I rode 5:21 and finished in 10:35 in my 2nd Ironman Wisconsin. It took me 4 years to ride a faster bike split and finish with a faster time. To add more fuel to this fire, It took me 16, YES 16 Ironman races to NOT blow up on the bike...I had a LOT of people telling me that maybe I just couldnt go faster, that maybe I should focus on the shorter distance, but I believed...deep down, sometimes I forced myself to, but I knew I could.

This year I stepped back from the sport mentally and emotionally, I didn't look at what anyone else was doing and frankly I didn't really care. I focused on myself and what worked for me. I trained hard and recovered until I could go hard again. I focused on workouts that I enjoyed and believed in myself every step of the way.

At the end of the day (or the races:) I was the athlete that I wanted to be, I PR'd by 13minutes at the half ironman distance. I increased my threshold for the first time in 3 years and rode 30minutes faster on the bike in an Ironman, than I ever had before.

I got to where I wanted to be by doing everything that I had avoided in the past and thought didn't work. I let go, just listened to my body and I believed in myself. So whether you are trying to lose 15 lbs, qualify for Kona, love how you look, or just finish in a race. What seems impossible, is not! NEVER give up and keep on searching until you find the magic combination and balance that works for you!

Ok, that's all for today! 1 week of IMFL prep for me! I can't wait to see a temp above 60*!!!

Keep the faith,

Blake

Panama City Beach Bound

2009-10-16T06:59:00.004-05:00

It has been a while between updates, but I wanted to iron (haha) out the rest of the year before posting anything.

I have decided to head down to Panama City Beach on November 7th to race Ironman Florida. After a season with a lot of success, I almost accomplished a great result at Ironman Wisconsin. I have great fitness and motivation, so I have decided to keep my season rolling before getting out the ski's and working on my IM in the pool!

I raced IMFL back in 2006 and think that course suits me well. I am excited to get down there and will post another update before race day!

+++++++++++++

Stay tuned for a new site coming soon and some more exciting news for 2010.

Life is good!

BB

Ironman Start #17..... Check!

2009-09-21T13:48:00.008-05:00

2009 Ironman Wisconsin Race Report

Ironman Wisconsin this year was Ironman start #17. I had a few goals for this race...which will follow.

#1 - To be in the first chase pack.
#2 - To NOT blow up on the bike.
#3 - To race MY race.
#4 - To WIN.

Well, I scored 50% on this test, which would mean that had i taken any other test at any school i attended growing up, I would have failed miserably! But this was Ironman and while I was looking to ace this test, I was really just hoping for some solid steps forward...and that I did achieve! Here's how the day went down.

Okay, race morning....I rolled into a super secret parking spot that I cannot reveal because it is always open on race morning. It is only 1 block from the start and if I told you I can guarantee I wouldn't be able to park there next year!! BTW - I heard about the spot from one of my athletes! Thank you Roz!

As I am walking down to transition I am thinking to myself how quickly the year goes by. It seemed like only last month that I was walking down to the Ironman transition....and no it was NOT because I raced an insane amount of IM's this year again... ;) This was my first.

I got most of my stuff out of the way and then went to get my tires topped off by the mechanic that was stationed next to our rack....I have to say that this is a huge luxury to racing at the front of the race. Well anyway, my tire was getting filled with air and when we went to pull the "crack pipe" adapter off, it took about a 6" section of disc cover with it :) AWESOME, I thought....i then asked for the duct tape! That stuff fixes everything, right!?! So 4 pieces of duct tape later, my ghetto ride was ready to roll.

I headed down to the swim start and got ready to roll. The swim was wetsuit legal and the water temp was about 76*....this was gonna be great! I mean don't get me wrong...I only swim with paddles and a pull buoy, so if we had not gotten the wetsuits and actually had to SWIM, I would have been dropped like a bad habit.

So gun goes off and I find myself next to Will Smith, who I knew was a sub 50 min swimmer and swimming with him would do nothing good for me....I kept it steady and backed off a touch while I waited for the group to come through...I found a gap and just like i was driving on the interstate, and merged in with only one kick to the goggles. Perfect, ALL IM starts should be like that!!!

The highlights of the swim were 2 stops...once for clearing the goggles at about 1k and then to try to keep my cap from falling off ;) which i didn't succeed at...oh well!!! I will say the water felt much cooler than this.

I got out of the water at the front of our pack and did my thing through transition....I always advise athletes to take it easy up the helix, but i really wanted to be at the front of the chase pack and I knew I would be ok with this short period where my heartrate would reach about 800bpm. I succeeded and rolled out with many of the favorites. Goal number 1, check!

From kilometer 1 I felt good. I sat at the back of the group for about 15 miles and then decided for whatever reason that I should go to the front...partly because I hate sitting in and I also wanted to break the group apart...STUPID!!! You cannot drop a pack of 7 at 20miles into an Ironman unless your name is Chris Lieto or Norman Stadler. I now know I have to wait until about 80 miles into the bike!

Anyway, I rode in 3rd or 4th for most of the first 45 miles while slowly clawing back the 2 leaders up the road.

Then around mile 45, while riding up a steep uphill, the 4th place rider sitting on my wheel came around and apparently I 'cheated' and drafted...while going 8mph, on a hill of 15% grade, i was riding too close! WHATEVER, but it is what it is!

"Well," I thought. "Now I have the experience of getting a penalty and maybe it will allow me to rest up a bit and take in some nutrition." Two problems.....one, I got a little heated and proceeded to drill the the next 15 miles to the penalty tent...two, i didn't have any nutrition left when i got there!!

Now I had to sit...for the LONGEST 4 minutes of my life...maybe! I sang the Jeopardy theme song, I joked with the locals and did a lot of staring at the stop watch....i know my antics were appreciated...but I also knew I was losing valuable time. After I got out I decided to get right back at it.....fast forward to the end of the bike....

Get ready....

Here it comes....

Wait for it....

I did NOT blow up on the bike!!!

What!?!?! Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Blake Becker did not blow up on an Ironman bike ride. I split 4:48:34 + the penalty on this tough course...which was a 30minute PR for me on that course. So goal number 2, check!

Now it gets ugly...proceed with caution. From the first step of the marathon I knew that was it. I think i might have literally said "Whoa!" within the sit few steps. I took in 30 Power Gels on the bike, but apparently not even that could save me. I started with a HR higher than I saw on the helix and to make a long story short, I went from slow to slower on the marathon and ended with a nice 6.5 miles of walking as a cooldown. Thus i had to for-go achieving goals 3 and 4 this year.

Anyway, I now know that it is possible for me to have a great race at this distance. I just have to use my head and take my own advice....which is similar to what others have told me for years! I also know that I race better at 165lbs, than I do at 155lbs. I think that I just needed to prove that I could ride hard for 180k and not blow up....now that it is out of the way, I can focus on things that really matter, like running well after it!!

Congrat's again to everyone on their races, all the local spectators and volunteers, in addition to my family and friends for their never ending support! You guys are what make it possible!

Stay Tuned....

BB

Congratulations!

2009-09-17T14:00:00.003-05:00

I will be posting a race report on my day at Ironman Wisconsin, but first I wanted to post a big shout out to all of you who had great races on Sunday. Chris and Justin on their 5th and 6th places, Becky on her 21minute PR, David Olive on his finish, Will on sticking it out to the finish, the other local and Timex athletes, in addition to all of my athletes who all had great days! Congrat's!!

Colin G - 11:08 - PR
Randy Y - 11:49 - PR
Scott S - 11:55 - PR
Jim G - 12:13 PR
Lauren W - 12:36 PR
Jon B - 12:59 PR
Roz C - 13:38 *With The Flu
Julie H - 15:27 PR
Matt H - 15:27 PR

Hope everyone is recovering well...enjoy it!

Blake

The Power of Believing

2009-09-08T12:56:00.004-05:00

It has been proven with science that there is not only a connection between the mind and the body, but that there is a connection between thinking positively and the body acting accordingly.

For many of you, including myself, it is now 5 days out from your ironman race. "All the hay is in the barn," and there is no more fitness to be gained or lost. The only thing you can do now is conserve energy and visualize everything going exactly how you want it to. I'm not saying to not think about the negative, because you should be prepared for it...but I am saying focus on and repeat the positive outcomes in your mind. Look back on your best training sessions, emails with your coach after these sessions and look back at mistakes from past Ironman races that you vowed you would not repeat!

Whatever your situation is, regardless of how you felt this morning when you woke up, know that 5 days is a LONG time. Anyone can do anything for 5 days...except maybe holding your breath, haha. Anyway....be good to yourself, don't take risks, don't worry about anything you cannot control and keep the stress to a minimum. If you do, you will be amazed at how much better you feel each day, as we approach the race.

On race day the only thing that you can do is your best and that's all that counts. Stick to your plan, stay in the moment and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. This is something that I have followed all year and low and behold....PR's across the board.

Most likely I will not post before Sunday, so if not I'll write up a report after my 17th Ironman start! The body is great, I am strong, rested and everything is pointing to going very deep into that well on Sunday.

All the best to everyone racing!

BB

Getting Close

2009-08-30T07:24:00.006-05:00

It is that time of year where we look at our watches, calendars, or anything else with a date and wonder how the heck time flew by so quickly. This is especially true here in the midwest where it feels like we didn't even have a summer. It has been one of the most temperate summers I can remember. There have been a total of 2 weekends that could be classified as "warm" and even those were not bad. The beaches remained open all year, when they usually close due to algae blooms. If you want a little more perspective, the low tonight is 39*, with freezing temps possible just a little further north. BUT I have a few words of caution if you think that the Ironman here will not be hot. The long term temperature trend shows the mercury rising and that gulf humidity making it's way back to town, just in time for race day.

Many of you are either racing this weekend or will be toeing the line at Ironman Wisconsin in a few weeks. Some of you are coming into your big races after a season with no issues to speak of, while others of you feel like you have been in an uphill battle from the beginning. You may have had your best training sessions, numbers and times to date. While some of you might not have, or have had to think outside the box to build your fitness.

Regardless of where you fall, there will always be at least a few thoughts of self doubt that creep in as race day approaches. Some examples for you

Can I do this?
Can I go faster this year?
I didn't do as much as I have in the past, does that mean I am less fit?
I am 10lbs heavier this year, does that mean I am less fit?
Can I qualify for Kona.
I haven't felt great in these last few weeks, does that mean I won't have a good race?

In short, here are your answers

You are capable of much more than you think. You don't have to prove it in training, before race day. Whether you haven't run over 2hrs, or you haven't ridden 100 miles, it doesn't matter.
Comparing times from year to year is a tough thing to do and should be avoided. There are too many variables that come into play from race to race.
NO! More is not better. I am training 40% less this year and am much more fit...
NO! Again, I will use myself as an example. I am 12lbs heavier this season and going much, much better. Remember Ironman is about strength, not speed. It is not about going fast, but slowing down the least.
Again, something you can't control....all you can do is execute your race!
No, many of us are very tired leading into the taper. Feeling good in training means nothing, the only day that counts is race day!

It doesn't matter how your season has gone to this point. It doesn't matter what you have done and what you have not done. The important thing to remember is that you can only control ONE thing and that is the next thing that you do! Worrying about the past or things that you cannot control is wasted energy.

I am not saying you shouldn't look back at your training, because you should. But only look back at the positive. There is a huge connection between mind and body. If you think positive, if you remember those great sessions that you have had this season and if you picture your race going well, you have a much better chance of it happening! The day will be hard at certain times and if you have a positive mindset, you will come out of those low points much more quickly.

Another point to remember is that in these last few weeks, you should try reduce negative stress as much as possible in your life. I have talked before about how in many ways your body will not differentiate where stress is coming from, i.e. - training, work, home, etc. Reduce negative stress anywhere in your life and your body will likely react positively.

There is not one way, or a "right" way to get fit. It is just about what works for you, your body and your life! Remember that and know that in just a few weeks you will be rewarded for all of your hard work! Believe in yourself, believe you will accomplish your goals and believe that you will have a great race and it just might happen!

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A quick note on my training....going very well. I am fit, I am strong and I am just waiting for these next two weeks to pass so I can out there and race. I'll end with a quick quote that I read once, which will stick with me on race day.

"If it's hurting me, it's killing them!"

See you all soon!

BB

Believe...

2009-08-02T14:18:00.007-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LMEa0TVY_4

"Game On"

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Many of us are getting within reach of our key races for the season. We are counting down the weeks and the days until we get to that start line. Some of us are rocking out in our training and some of us are wondering whether we have done enough or will be ready.

Regardless of what category you fall into or how your last weekend of training went, you need to remember one thing. The only day that matters, the only session that matters, is race day.

If you are training well, great! But it means nothing unless you can transfer it over to race day. Pay attention to why things are going well; your pacing, nutrition, etc. Remember what works, a well as what doesn't. Draw confidence from your great sessions and use it if you start to doubt yourself as the race gets close.

If you are not training well, or aren't sure whether you will be ready for race day, don't stress. Stick to your plan and believe in yourself. If you have a session that goes poorly, learn from it if you can and then move forward. The only thing that we can control is the next thing that we do. Focus on executing that as well as you can!!

If you are not sure whether you will have done enough for a race due to injury, life or sickness. Know that as endurance athletes, we tend to do too much. That the only time that we feel accomplished is when we have shelled ourselves. Our bodies are capable of so much more than we think (especially when rested) and many times we see a breakthrough without the 200k rides and 30k runs.

So get out the door, train hard and love every second of it. Winter will be back soon enough and we will all wish it was August again!!!!

Life is good~

BB

Spirit Of Racine Race Report

2009-07-28T07:25:00.003-05:00

If there is one thing that I have realized this year, it's that I race best when I don't think about much of anything race related. I have done this long enough, that I know what i need to do. I just take the fitness I have and use it. The rest takes care of itself.

The 2009 Spirit of Racine Half Ironman was no exception. I registered the day before and then stayed with my mom and grandma, about an hour away in Milwaukee. I got grandma's cooking the night before, including way too many mashed potato's!! Well what else am I suppose to do when she shoves the pan in your face and says; "Here, you finish these up. You need them and no one else will eat them!" Then came the apple/walnut bake....I was fueled, there was no doubt about that ;)

Race morning, I followed my pattern of not over thinking. I rolled into transition 10 minutes before it closed. Dropped my stuff, got body marked, hit a pit stop and headed up the beach for the point to point swim start. Worked well for my warm-up. 1/2 mile fast walk, then 1/2 mile swim to warm-up.

Swim went well, we had a nice current to push us, which made the times very quick. I was 4th out, but in the front group. Then had a quick transition and was onto the bike in first. Legs were there from the start and I targeted my goal wattage of 310-320. Then came the pot-hole. WHAM! seat dropped 3" and I looked (and felt) like I was in the circus. I originally thought I could ride like this, but then my back started to hurt and hamstring started to yell.

I spent the next 30minutes trying to get the attention of the lead vehicle and motorcycle. Eventually, I was able to get some tools, about 45minutes later. A big thank you to the officer on the motorcycle. I stopped and fixed it and was back on, riding well.

Ride was uneventful, until i again hit a pothole with a few miles to go and the seat fell again! I sure hope the roads get paved next year!!

I started the run with 233 on the clock and knew that I all had to do was run steady and i would be well within my goal of going sub 4. In short, I ran 10 miles at IM pace and then ran hard the last 3 miles...i find this is a good measure of my run strength. Splits for these were 5:45, 5:49, 5:46, so all points to being on the right track for IM in about 7 weeks!

I crossed in 3:54:04 and got my 3rd win of the season. I will now start IM preps for IMWI in September!

Thank you to Timex, Trek, KSwiss, friends, family and all of my other supporters out there.

Results can be found over at www.spiritofracinetri.com

Breakthrough!!!

2009-07-22T20:56:00.002-05:00

3:54:04!!

Spirit Of Racine Half Ironman race report to come!

If You Listen, It Will Come

2009-07-15T08:36:00.002-05:00

Besides playing off of the awesome movie "Field Of Dreams," what am I talking about? I am talking about listening to your body when training! Many of us become so wrapped up in our training plans that we forget about the most important aspect of training and performance. That is, How we are feeling and how the body is working!

We feel the need to hit every single yard, minute, heart beat, watt and interval...we become obsessed with going as good, if not better, every time out the door. When we do this, we almost always self destruct and become frustrated.

Regardless of which training protocol you are following, what your performance management chart says, what you think you "should" be able to do on a given day, you have to remember that we are not machines. Training is a small piece of the the total amount of stress that we place on our bodies in life. In many ways our bodies do not differentiate between training stress and work stress, or family stress.

These outside stressors like work, family, sleep quality, etc. cannot be measured. For this reason, we have to be flexible when it comes to our training. If you are suppose to do a workout one day and there are signs that you are already over reached, you may need to change or eliminate the sesssion. This is NOT a bad thing, you are not failing because you didn't execute every single detail of the training plan...you are simply being smart and listening to your body.

When you do listen, your best performance will most likely always follow!

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Injury Rehab

I also have a few athletes that are coming back from injuries of the past. Many of them want to feel good as soon as they take the required time off. They want to be just as fit, fast and pain free right when they come back.

It is important to remember that after time off, even if you are "heathy," it takes a bit of time for your body to adapt to the training again. With this comes pain, many times at the point of your old injury. This is nothing to freak out about and is normal. The important part is to be proactive with your self care, stretching and massaging regularly will be a huge help, in addition to being even more flexible with your schedule. The more you do this, the faster you will get back to where you were before you were knocked out.

OK, I will check in after Spirit of Racine this weekend!

Blake

A New Athlete...

2009-07-08T07:05:00.002-05:00

If you have followed my blog over the last 6 months, you would have seen that I have really changed my approach heading into Ironman this year. No more endless 30-40hr training weeks, no more long easy hours on the bike, just training with a purpose, every time I get out the door. I have been racing a lot and going hard very often, all on less than 18hrs of training per week. This approach is partly due to my past training load, my experiences with coaches as of late, as well as needing more time to dedicate toward my growing coaching business.

I think that for athletes that are relatively new to the sport; miles logged and consistency in training are the keys to improvement. However, after no more improvement using this approach is seen, it is time to switch things up.

I am now just getting into the last 10 weeks of training before Ironman Wisconsin and this last weekend i had my first ride longer than 4hrs and first run longer than 90 minutes since January! Using my same zone guidelines, I PR'd the Ironman Wisconsin Course by 14 minutes, rolling 4:51 on ~280 watts....the next day I then ran a hilly 30k in 2:01(including warm-up, cd and traffic).

I will now be focusing a little more on my swim before Spirit of Racine in a few weeks. Then will probably hit 2-3 more weekends of similar training to this last, before racing again and finally, tapering for Wisconsin. During this time, my volume will not go over 25hrs in any 7 day period and will probably stay closer to 20 hours.

I will check in again before Spirit!

Blake

Racing, racing and more racing

2009-06-15T09:23:00.006-05:00

If I showed you my training log over the last month, you wouldnt think that I have been doing much, or that my fitness would be building. But if you saw my racing log, it would be a different story. It feels like I have raced almost the same number of hours as I have trained. This is a big change from past years for me, but so far this is just what I've needed! I'm lovin' it!!

Racing locally has turned out to be quite fun. Along with all of the support from friends,family and local sponsors, I also have found another pro athlete (Will Smith) to race head to head with on most days. Will is a very talented Kiwi athlete in addition to being a very nice guy. So far I am 0 for 2 against him, but we have had some good battles.

- Madison Quarter Marathon - 1st overall (course record)

- Susan G Komen 5k - 5th overall (new 2mi PR of 9:58)

- Lake Mills Sprint Triathlon - 2nd overall (bike course record)

- 2 Local 10mile time trials, 2nd at both events setting a new CP20 wattage (384w)

- Elkhart Lake Triathlon - 1st overall (Bike and overall course record set by 6min)

- Capital View Triathlon - 2nd overall (Set bike and run course records, both Will and I set overall course records)

I actually raced 2 olympic distance races this last weekend and had better numbers and race on Sunday, the second of the two races.

I am going to take a few days easy and keep it rolling with either an aquathon or time trial on thursday and then olympic distance triathlon on Sunday. I will then likely switch to more Ironman focused training and race a little bit less in July and August.

One more quick note about racing your way to fitness. It is sometimes helpful to do it with a VERY flexible schedule, this allows you to take recovery as you need and hit sessions when your body (not some chart) says you can. Performance Management Charts can be very good sometimes, but I find that many times athletes do better with a flexible training schedule.

I'll post another update soon! Thank you to all the local sponsors and race directors who have helped me out this spring. I really appreciate it!!

Best,
Blake

Another Week and More Progress...

2009-06-01T13:44:00.004-05:00

So I am posting another training blog this week. Pretty typical of a triathlete I guess ;) But I am continuing to put 90% of my energy into other areas of my life when not training and it is paying off huge. The mental and physical energy and motivation has never been higher.

This last week has shown more great things that support the importance of being fresh and rested. I have integrated some strength work back into my program, so I had a bit of muscle soreness that limited me, but overall things are going great.

Here are the highlights of the last week.

Thursday TT, I finished 2nd overall again with a pretty good field showing up. 10.5mile course covered in 21:13, power for the ride was 355w. This was pretty good since I lifted the day before. The route was almost dead flat, some wind, no a lot. Weight is 163/164 right now. No going to go any lower if I can help it.

Saturday 5k. For the first time I strung together 2 sub 5min miles...went through the 2mile mark in 9:58, then proceeded to blow on the hills in the last mile, but still finished 5th, 20sec back from second...had to go for it out there.

Saturday LCM swim. Mainset of 5x400 on 5:30...held 1:15/:17's for all of these pulling with paddles. With each one, I swam the first 100 harder, coming in at around 1:07. This is a good 7-8seconds faster per 100 than I was swimming last year at my best.

Sunday long ride - Just missed holding 300w for 3hrs. I averaged 296w for 3:00 of riding, with total ride ending up be 3:30 at 289w. HR was z2-z3 except for the hills on this ride. Very good progress here.

This week I am racing a Thursday Night TT again, as well as a local sprint triathlon on Sunday. I am going to give myself 2 days easy after the thursday TT, so see if I can string together a very solid <60min of SBRing.

More to come!

BB

More Local Fun...

2009-05-26T05:26:00.002-05:00

This last weekend I ran the Madison Quarter Marathon as a part of my short course focus, which will last through the first half of the season. I won and ran well, but still have a little ways to go before I switch to Ironman focused work in July.

Throughout the next 6 weeks I will keep on, keeping on, with the local events. They are turning out to not only be great for my fitness, but a lot of fun as well. The next two weeks will include 2 time trials of 10miles on the bike, a 5k run road race and a local sprint triathlon on June 7th.

As a side note, Madison has the World's Largest Bratfest, which is held every Memorial Day weekend. For those of you that don't know what a brat is...it is like a suped-up hotdog....bigger and better. They are best served with sauerkraut, relish, ketchup, mustard and of course with a cold beer. This year, they set a wold record again after selling over 208,000 brats! GOtta love Wisconsin.

That's it for now, maybe next time I will talk about what cheese curds are, HA!

Have a great shortened week everyone!

Blake

Perspective...

2009-05-24T18:50:00.002-05:00

Some of you may know the name Steve Larsen and some of you may not. I had the chance to meet him at Ironman Coeur d'Alene last year for the first time, after hearing a lot about him and his career.

Steve was a Professional Triathlete, Entrepenuer, husband and father of 5. He was one of the best athletes in our sport a true symbol of how to balance life. Steve passed away on tuesday from unknown reasons during a track session.

My deepest condolences go out to his family.

There is a memorial fund set up here, if you are interested in donating.

http://xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5633&CAT=24&xref=xx

Memphis & TT'ing IT Locally

2009-05-22T06:23:00.007-05:00

MEMPHIS

I made the trip down to Memphis in my mini with good friends; Brian, Justin and Laura...we also met up with Laura's other half, Denny, once down there. Brian and I drove from Madison to St. Louis, where we picked up Justin and Laura, who flew in from Colorado. The drive isn't too bad, but when you have 2 bikes in boxes, 2 bikes out of boxes, luggage, food and 4 athletes who can't sit still, the drive is long enough.

The event was a bit different this year, in that the pro races started at 1030am, after the age group race had finished. Besides a rockin' north wind, it was nice to have the 1700 age groupers + spectators, cheering you on!

I had a decent non-wetsuit swim and came out in a touch over 20minutes....not bad considering there was some chop in the water. The fastest guys swam just over 16minutes, so I have some work to do if I am going to be competitive in the water without a wetsuit, over the short distances.

The ride was TOUGH, but uneventful. I held back in the first half of the ride, because of a tailwind and then lifted my watts significantly throughout the second half. It paid off for me, in that I ended up with the 3rd fastest split of the day and bridged the gap up to 3rd, 4th and 5th place.

The run was a different story though. I had a tight glute muscle that was giving me problems in the week leading up to the race. I thought it wouldn't be an issue once racing, but unfortunately that wasn't the case and I was forced to slow to a jog for the last 4 miles of the 10k. I still crossed in 9th, but know that if I was healthy, I would have walked away with a paycheck. The good news is that everything seems to be getting better since the race, so hopefully the injury is behind me. Congrat's to JD, Denny, Laura and Brian on their races as well.

Before heading back to Wisco, we finished off the weekend down on Beale Street in downtown, for some BBQ, Blues and a few drinks. If you are in the area, this is a place that you hvae to check out!

Local Time Trial

This year I have decided to partake in more local events and races. Partly for the social aspect and partly because I think it is good for my head. Lastnight I did the local thursday night time trial. It is a very low key event, but it is comprised of a great group of cyclists and triathletes.

I had a ridden long the day before and run long, plus swam in the morning of the event. So needless to say, training was not ideal for great performance. Despite being a bit tired, I still came away with a very solid 15+minutes of racing. I averaged 385watts over the 11km course. I do believe I can do 400w when fresh, but I have to walk the walk, before I can talk ;)

Next Up

I will racing a TT each week through June, as well as running an 11k and a 5k. On the multisport front I will be racing 2 sprint distance events and ending my speed work block with the Philadelphia Triathlon on June 28th...let's hope for wetsuits!

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

BB

Less IS More

2009-05-12T15:04:00.005-05:00

TRAINING YOUR STRENGTH

I was recently talking to a friend of mine about athletes that look to other successful athletes and convince themselves that they need to do what that person did in order to be successful.

This can work sometimes, but what happens if you have a tremendous swimming and cycling ability and you are looking at someone who is 10kg's lighter and pure runner? No matter what you do, u will never become that type of runner, nor will you ever have your best race trying to be. But on the flip side, they will never have your swimming and cycling ability...so what do you do?

What we have to do is evaluate ourselves and identify our own strengths....then train them and race them. Pick courses that suit you, choose a race strategy that plays off of those strengths and race in a way where you have a chance to use them.

In addition, if you are a woman that is 60kg's, or a man that it 80kg's...it does you no good to try to become an athlete that is 10kg's+ lighter. Though you may get there, you will become weak and wont be nearly the athlete that you are when you work with your body.

Just some food for thought!

SEASON UPDATE:

The shape of this upcoming season has changed many times as I put together a plan to focus on what i believe i need to do in order to take my racing to the next level.

What I have found since I have gotten back into things is that I was in a pretty big hole...one that took almost 10 weeks to crawl out of. 3 weeks almost off, 6 weeks training as I felt, then another week almost off. That is how much time I truly believe it took to get out from under the blanket of fatigue. In my mind I rested just in time. Another season of pushing the envelope in that state could have resulted in months or maybe longer to get back to good. Use that to avoid the same issues that I have run into.

Since that time, I have been training for about 5 weeks and not much more than about 15hrs each week. The quality of the sessions has been great and am starting to climb above the top end plateau that I have seen for so long.

Here are some recent highlights from the last week of my current training block.

In the pool, a set of 10x100 on 2minutes. Started at just over 60seconds and finished at 58.

On the bike, 2 sessions that stand out are #1 3x15minutes at 340w, #2 8x4min uphill averaging 380w (started at 370w and finished at 400w)

Run, my key sessions have been 30-40min tempo's at 5:30 per mile and 12x400 at R-pace(4:48 pace).

In the past, these sessions would have toasted me with higher volume. Now, I am training alot smarter and when I am not doing these sessions, I am resting. This is really allowing me to hit it hard a lot more often and my body is accepting it.

This weekend will be the first test and measure as to where I am at. I will be heading to Memphis In May Olympic Distance on Sunday and while I won't be peaked for this race, I am excited to see how things are going. I will check in after!

Have a good week!!
BB

Crazy Legs Classic

2009-04-26T07:13:00.002-05:00

Things are rolling along pretty well and even though we haven't seen the sun in about 4 days now, I am still laying down some pretty good run miles and will finish the week somewhere close to 75 I think.

Yesterday I raced the Crazy Legs Classic 8k here in Madison. This is probably the largest 8k race in the area (minus the St. Patty's Day run in Chicago) with over 18,500 runners. The conditions, were, ummmm, wet :) but it didn't take away from the fun. The race starts on the capital square and finishes inside Camp Randall Stadium (where the Badgers play).

Anyway, even with the big jump in run mileage my legs seemed to feel pretty good. I have a little ways to go before I am back in good form, but I had a solid day, finishing 25th in a time of 27:50, which is right about half marathon pace for me ;)

The next week is a busy one, with the Wisconsin Bike Summit on Monday evening, travel on Tuesday, a little trip with my stepdad planned on Wednesday and then I will be flying out to Boulder on Thursday!

That's all for now!

BB

Full Speed Ahead....

2009-04-23T05:39:00.005-05:00

Lots has happened in the last month and I am happy to say that I am rolling full speed ahead again and loving every minute of it.

To catch you up, I got back from winter training and was a little burned from 15 months of beating the horse. I decided to take 2 weeks off to see how my body reacted....I was still tired. So instead of forcing things, I backed off and trained how I felt for the next 6 weeks. I put in some good sessions, but didn't touch 20hrs once in that period. This is the first time I have done this in 8 years racing and it ended up being the best thing I could have done.

I was in the area and decided to race down at the California Ironman 70.3 a few weeks ago after crashing a week out from the race. The swim went well for me, I lead the second back out of the water without any trouble. Now I just need to make the move up to that front back at the 70.3 distance. Ride was comfortable, I knew I didn't have the fitness to go with the guys that were bridging up to the front, so I just enjoyed the day. The run was another story, didn't have the legs...but then again I didn't have any expectations.

After the race, I took a week to build back into things and am now rolling along very well. I am finishing up a big aerobic overload block where I will touch on 20k in the pool, 20hrs on the bike and 120km on the run trails. I will finish this block up this weekend and then take 4 days of almost no training to absorb all of the work. Remember that it doesn't matter how much work that you are doing, if your body cannot handle it.

+++++++++++

So that is training. On the coaching, clinic, camp front I have a lot of info to share. Below I have posted some photos of my first tri clinic this year. We didn't do too bad with 22 people showing up. If you are in the area for the talks, swing by, I would love to chat. You can visit www.trekstoremadison.com for more details....oh yeah, they are free, there is lots of food and tons of swag as well!

Thank you to Gary Geiger for these photos. You can check out his stuff at http://www.geigerphoto.com/

If you are still interested in coaching for the upcoming season, I have picked up a few more coaching clients and now only have 2 slots left. If you are interested in working together, please drop me a line!

I have all the details worked out for my 2009 Ironman Training Camp which will take place from July 24th - July 26th here in Madison. If you would like more information, please let me know. The event is geared toward anyone racing a late season Ironman, from Canada to Arizona. I also have a few athletes coming that are not racing IM this year, but planning on it in the future. There will be just as much information shared, as there will be training. The abilities of the athletes are ranging from <10 to 16hrs

That is about it for now, I hope you are all starting to think about the upcoming season! It is sneaking up on us!

Taking A Toll...

2009-03-30T14:03:00.005-05:00

Recently I have been working with a few athletes/friends that are going through some things that I know are not that uncommon. How do I know this? I know this because I have gone through so many of the same things and seen others go through them too.

Triathlon is a great sport! It is a healthy lifestyle, it is made up of fantastic people and teaches us that we can do so much more than we thought possible. For the most part, I find that the sport is made up of very hard working, nice, goal oriented people. From our first race, we want to improve...go faster, push more watts, do better than we did on our previous time out.

This can be a good thing in that it is what great performances are made of. But there is also a downside. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the sport (actually this is true of many things in life, but I will stay on track here) that we let it become more than just something that we do. It starts to define us...it becomes us. We are happy when we do well, we are down when we don't, life is over when we are injured, we feel bad about ourselfs if we aren't at race weight,we are successful when we PR and we fail when we go slower. We place so many expectations on ourselves in what we think we "should" be doing, that the sport goes from something that enhances our lives, to something that drags us down. We forget why we actually got into the sport and somewhere along the way, we lose the enjoyment of it.

We tend to view the world in a way where we are at the center. Everything revoles around us, when in reality most people are so concerned with what is going on with themselves that they have no idea/or care what is going with you. Not saying that this is the everyone, but it is the majority. All of the expectations that we create regarding how fast we need to go, or thinking we are going to let others down if we don't, are a mirage and created in our own heads.

Triathlon is JUST swimming/cycling/running in the end. At some point, we will have to be OK with letting it go. Whether it be 20 years from now because of life changes, or much sooner because of something else...we need to be OK with it, ready for it or not! It is OK if you never go a second faster, never PR again, or never qualify for that race that you want so badly to do. Remember, no one judges you, or thinks you are any less of a person.

Now the last paragraph might sound drastic to some, but they are valid fears and thoughts for many in our sport (including myself), other sports and demanding careers in general. In the big picture, triathlon (these things) is a big part of our lives, but it is NOT our life. It is not ultimately what makes us happy and is not important when compared to the things that really do matter.

So if you start to feel the pressure....the pressure that you have created yourself and placed on yourself....take a step back. Focus on the things that really matter in life....Family and those who are closest to you... Do your training, work hard, enjoy it....but then leave it at that. Do your best and take what you get. I think that you will find you are not only happier, but will be racing and training much better! Sometimes we have to take a step back, before we can take a step forward.

That is all for now....on the health front, I am healing up ok on this end and will still be racing this coming weekend!

Have a great week everyone!

BB:)

Rolling With The Punches...

2009-03-28T22:47:00.002-05:00

Throughout life we are dealt many different cards....some are great and some we would rather forget about. To make it a little bit easier to deal with the tough times, we have to just roll with the punches, however or whenever they come, we have to just do what can and keep moving forward.

Today I was out on my last key ride before the California Half Ironman next Saturday and was dealt some not so favorable cards. I was having a great ride ride and seeing solid watts for the amount of training that I have been putting in (not a ton).

Half way through the first of my 3, 20minute intervals, a bee flew straight into my mouth and stung me.....awesome. The ride was off to a great start. I finished my second interval with no issues and then I had about 90seconds left on my third interval when I was coming up to a four way stop where I always turn right. There was no traffic, so I took the turn with a little bit of speed. Well as I went into the corner, i blew out my front tire and before I knew it, I was on my back. Complete with road rash, a scuffed helmet (thank you Rudy for saving my head for the third time).

...yes, my first thot was, "how is my baby...I mean bike?" haha, it was ok. It landed on top of me, so scuffed bar take was the only mark. I got up and decided that I would try to ride home. I just needed to change my flat. So i got out my spares... #1 - failed, #2 - the stem was not long enough for the rim...so now that wasn't an option......awesome!

I called for a ride, but had no luck, so I spent the next 45min hitchhiking and finally got a ride from a local who was nice enough to drive me the 20-25minutes back into town.

After I got cleaned up, things aren't too bad. I have road rash on my ankle, knee, hip, hands and arm....but nothing too bad. The only questions are my ankle, which hit the pavement pretty hard and is swollen, and my hip which is also a bit puffy.

So, I am just going to roll with these punches and get back as soon as my body let's me. There is nothing else I can do now. I just hope that I got the back luck out of my system for the year and don't have any more close calls.

Be safe out there everyone and make sure that your helmet is fit correctly!

BB:)

The Real Question Is.....

2009-03-26T17:32:00.004-05:00

....how long would it take you to eat this jar of Peanut Butter???

Here are the nutritional facts to help you think about it a little more. Yes, that is 6400calories of Peanut Butter goodness!!!

Since the Challenge Wanaka Ironman race in January, I have decided to give up "added sugar" in my diet. This includes all sugars that aren't naturally occurring. The only exceptions are special occasions, or times when it doesn't fit well for others. That doesn't happen too often right now, so I have to have another way to replace those calories....

The solution....PEANUT BUTTER...actually anything with fat in it.

Anyway, the other day I was having my peanut butter and spoon (yes, that mens I was just spooning it down...doesn't everyone do that? :) and Curt asked me how long it would take me to finish the container to PB...I said "I don't know!?! How long do you think it will take me?" He said 6 days, so I decided to take the challenge. The one rule is that it cannot be the main ingredient in any meal....has to be eaten between meals.....

So far I am on day 4 and I have about 2/3's of that container finished....I will keep you all updated on the progress....If this is successful, I will move up to the Sam's club size next week!

I hope everyone is doing well otherwise, I have two weeks left out west before returning to Wisconsin and will toeing the line for the first time at the California Half Ironman a week from Saturday. I am feeling good, but really making an effort not to come into top form until June and September this year!

Back to PB~

Spring Is here....

2009-03-20T15:22:00.002-05:00

It's the first day of spring and for many that live in colder climates, this is the time where the motivational switch is flipped. The smell of the ground that has been frozen for 6months, the pollen in the air from budding trees and flowers, the rain showers and the longer days all contribute to the feeling that warmer weather is ahead. For many people, who get the blues toward the end of winter, this is also a time where they start to feel happier.
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Some people have trained hard over the cold months, some people have skied, some people are are rehabbing from injuries and some people haven't done much. Regardless of where you are and what you have done, it is important for you to ease into things. It is very easy to get out the door and drill yourself every single day that the weather is nice. Most of the time, things go well for a week or two, but it soon back fires, with sickness, injury or becoming over-reached.
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Racing is still along way off in the midwest and northeast, so it is important to keep things in perspective. Spend a week just getting rolling again outdoors. Then spend another week with just one quality session on the bike and run. This will allow the body to adapt to the increased training load and avoid many potential problems.

++++++++

On this end, things are going great. I haven't been putting in a ton of hours here in Tucson, but am getting in some good quality sessions and am feeling strong. I may be a little under prepared for Cali 70.3 in a few weeks, but not by much. I am just enjoying the process of getting fit again, enjoying life and am excited for the season ahead.

+++++++++++++++

I have confirmed the dates of my Ironman Training Camp this summer in Madison, Wisconsin. It will start on July 24th at noon and run through the afternoon on the 26th. The cost is $500 per athlete, which includes everything but flights, lodging and a 1 breakfast. There are also couples discounts available, if you would like to bring your significant other.
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There is now a cap of 25 athletes on the camp and there are about 15 slots remaining. The camp will consist of some very solid training each day, lectures between the sessions, demo's from Trek and Power Tap, as well as some good food, free swag and great company!
I hope to see you there. For more info or a complete schedule, email me at blakebeck@gmail.com or give me a call at 608-219-7447.

+++++++++++++

Outside of the racing, we are having a March Madness party tonight which should be a lot of fun....I also have a new favorite singer/song writer by the name of Matt Nathanson...check him out.
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I will check in again soon, but I hope everyone is doing well and I will see you soon!
Blake

Week 1 in Tucson....

2009-02-28T17:55:00.002-06:00

The first week in Tucson has flown by, as I am sure the next 4 will. The weather has been nothing short of perfect (45-55* and dry at night, 80-90* sunny and not that windy during the day) and the training has been fantastic. The body is starting to feel good again and I am optimistic about being fit enough to go well in April. I will get a little better picture in another few weeks.
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This week is also moving week in the Johnson household. Curt and Erin Johnson are the couple that I am living with here in Tucson and are moving themselves, their stuff, 2 puppers and a bum athlete :) into a new place. Luckily, the move in and move out dates overlap and the new place is about a mile away, so there is no rush on getting stuff over there. Tomorrow will be the "big stuff" day with the Uhaul. No need to strength train...
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On the last blog I talked about the mind/body connection and how doing well in life, really goes hand in hand with doing well in sport. The reality is that sport is just sport, it is fantastic....but it can also go away in a second....and will go away at some point. When you view it in that light and focus on the rest of your life most of the time, the pressure is gone and you will probably find that you are going just as well, if not faster. This is key to enjoyment and longevity.
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Focus on making your daily life better. Ask yourself what you need to be happier....at work, at home, socially, or emotionally? Are you living the way that you want to live? Are you the happiest person that you can be? If not, how can you change it...or at least get the ball rolling to change it? Once you do, or start to....everything else will just fall into place....
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With training(I am learning with this one:), don't obsess over numbers, other athletes/people, or things that you can't change(non-controllables). Just get out the door, love it, work hard and then leave it! You will find it to be a great outlet for the rest of your life. If you have an injury that you are working through, it is tough...I know, I have been there. But in the big picture it is just a blip on the life screen. Come up with a plan that includes everything you can do and stick to it....enjoy THAT process, and before you know it, you'll be back 100%.

Alright, I'll wrap this one up. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Wisconsinites, hang in there....less than 3 weeks until spring....I will see you all in April. Everyone else...who seems to have great weather right now, enjoy it!
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I promise the next entry will be a little more light hearted!

BB:)

Flipping The Switch....

2009-02-23T11:16:00.003-06:00

The above pic is from Australia this last winter and is of our group after riding up to the summit at Falls Creek.

Those of you that are closest with me, know that I have been going through a bit of a "funk" over the last month. Most of it came from lacking a little direction in both life and racing. I think that everyone goes through periods like this, especially if you are an athlete...that is why it is so important to surround yourself with good friends who can help keep you positive and have a great life outside of sport. That is exactly where I put my focus over the last 5 weeks, hoping that it would help me find my mojo again. What do you know....it worked.

Many people, including myself, talk about the mind-body connection in sport....in order to perform at your peak physically, you have to be in a good spot mentally.

I am now in Tucson, Arizona after briefly stopping in Boulder for a few days. Needless to say, I have had a lot of time to think through things in the soccer-mom minivan. A few days ago, on my final day of driving, I finally came to feel good about my plan for the coming year....and beyond. I believe in the plan and am excited about it...these are two things that you can't force, they are either there or they are not. Something that everyone can take from this is to not settle on something that you aren't sure about...keep searching, talking to those that matter and the answer will come to you...when it does, you will know it.

Alright, that is all for my life philosophy lesson today, I need to go ride.

BTW - If you are ever in Tucson, the Oro Valley area is fantastic. There is a pool and track side by side, with great riding as well. If you are interested, the season pool pass is $20 and it is one of the nicest pools I have experienced.

Have a great day,

Getting Back to Business...

2009-02-06T10:53:00.005-06:00

Here is another black and white pic that I took in NZ.

This is the first week that I have started "training easily" again and now I can say that even after 2 weeks of nothing, I am starting to feel like myself again. Infact, maybe a bit better.
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I have hopped in the water a handful of times and included some harder swimming in the last 3 sessions. Each time I swam hard for 1200yds and to my surprise, I swam PR's on all 3 sessions. Mainset's were 3x400(last one in 4:29), 5x200(last one in 2:07) and 12x100(last 3 at 59 from a push). So while I felt like a donkey for the first 3 or 4 days moving again, I am pretty sure that it won't take long to get back where I was at.

On another note, I have been enjoying a lot of time with my friends back in WI. I have stayed out way past my normal bedtime, but had a lot of fun. Activities have included or will include, shuffle board, Uno(thanks JD), bowling, clubbing, mini-golf, lots of eating out, visiting a tea house and some good Wisconsin Micro-brew, which I have missed over the last 4 months.

So that is it on this end. My battery is recharged and 2009 is right around the corner. I will be revising my 2009 schedule in another 2 weeks, so stay tuned.

Cheers,

Hitting the Reset Button

2009-02-01T14:46:00.002-06:00

After a 34+ hour trip back home, getting charged $900 in airline change fees and setting off the explosives alarm at LAX when being searched at security, I made it back to the Wisconsin Meat Locker.

The cold was a bit of a shock when I arrived in the Twin Cities this last week. I was greeted by frost coating the jetway walls as I exited the plane. It wasn't a surprise, the outside temp was -1* F. Minus the cold (haha) and sleep, I have had a fantastic week back with friends.
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I have decided to take 2 weeks off and a few more weeks easy before starting to train hard again. I have done A LOT of work in the last 15 months, with no more than 4 consecutive days off. In addition, I haven't taken more than 7 consecutive days off in over 3 years. So to say a break was needed is an understatement. During this break, I will also be getting some testing and blood work done to get a baseline of where I am at and what I need to do in order to accomplish my goals in the coming year.
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This may mean that my North America season could start a bit later than previously planned, but I am ok with it. I know that when I come back, I will have that little bit more to take my fitness to another level. I already have that itch to come back , but I am resisting and practicing what I preach. I have to step back, before I can step up.

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On another note, I have 1 coaching vacancy for the coming season. If you would like more information, drop me a line. Ironman Camp updates will be coming later this month, as well as one on one training opportunities.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

BB

Wrapping it up....

2009-01-24T12:30:00.003-06:00

The above pic is from Lake Tekapo, which is about half way between Wanaka and Christchurch, New Zealand. The church in the foreground is one of first in the area. In the background you have Lake Tekapo, which is a really deep shade of green, and the southern alps behind it. I had to wait a while to get this pic without tourists, but it was worth it. This pic is one of about 500 that I have taken, so look for a few more to be posted in the coming days.
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My time away from North American is quickly coming to a close and I have seen and learned a lot. The first 5 weeks were spent with Brett Sutton in the Philippines, then the next 8 were in Albury NSW, Australia training with friends and finally the last 2 were racing and training in New Zealand.

The Philippines gave me a first hand look at what it is like to live in a 3rd world Asian country. I didn't particularly enjoy the living situation there, but it definitely gives you good perspective on how most people live in these countries. The training however, was great and I learned a lot from Brett.

Next up was Albury, NSW Australia with 3 of my good triathlon friends, JD, Chris and Marilyn. McDonald. We trained pretty hard for 8 weeks and got to see a lot of the country....we did have our fun though.

I ended the trip with 2 weeks in New Zealand. I started the Challenge Wanaka which is an iron distance race that is run very very well and it was hard to pass up being in town. I got to try a few new ideas in my racing and training and I made improvement...not having any trouble until 150-155km on the bike, which is about an hour past where I usually run into problems. Anyway, that is another blog...it is progress and I am happy with that.

We ended with a week of traveling around and seeing the sights. We got to Queenstown, Mt. Cook, a few areas in between and then Christchurch. All fantastic places where I would like to come back to train in the near future.

I now leave tomorrow (Monday) to head back to the states and catch up with family and friends. I have taken a bit of time off after this race to sort of 'reset.' I will have about 3 weeks in Wisconsin, before heading out west for 6-8 weeks getting ready for California 70.3 in Oceanside, CA.

More to come soon!!!

Cheers,

A New Focus

2009-01-07T02:45:00.003-06:00

Many of you have looked at my 2009 race schedule and asked if I have a new focus for the coming year. So I thought I would answer this one on my blog.

Ironman has been the primary focus of my racing since I have gotten into the sport. The challenge of racing all day and pushing your body over 8, 9 or 10 hours has become a passion of mine. But over the last few years, I have realized that my strength may be elsewhere in the sport...the 70.3 distance, or half ironman. Whether it be physical or physiological, I seem to go the best when racing for 4 hours.

I will still be racing Ironman Wisconsin in September, but until then my number one focus will be the half ironman distance. In addition to the half ironman, I will also be taking part in more short local events to help build up my top end.

I am very excited for the coming year and will post all the latest news on my blog. you can also visit my website regarding clinics and camps for the coming season.

+++++++++++++++++++

On another note, things are going very well here in OZ. But it is really starting to get heat up. It was well over 100* today and training in the afternoon can be tough. I love it here, but in some ways I will be glad to head to New Zealand next week to escape some of this heat.

After a few weeks there I will be flying back to the states, visiting briefly with friends and family in Wisconsin and then heading to Tucson for some early season N.A. racing and training.

Cheers,
Blake

Boxing Day and Banalla

2008-12-28T07:21:00.002-06:00

Lately, two posts in one week is pretty rare for me...but I thought I need to get better at giving updates.

The last week was a good one, both in terms of having a good holiday and getting the training rolling. After a Christmas celebration with Chris' family (which was great), we set out on a long ride the next morning (Boxing Day). Despite feeling a bit ill (from the day before) it ended up being a beautiful ride up to the mountain top town of Falls Creek. Before the day was done, we had 170+ km in the legs (30 km of which were climbing) and well over 6hrs in the saddle.

The following day, we decided to head over to the small town of Banalla, for a sprint race that started at 5pm. It is a bit weird to be getting ready for a triathlon at 3pm, but I rolled with it. There was quite a bit of fatigue in the legs, but I still ended up having a pretty good race!

Today we recovered a bit with our new favorite card game of Uno and planned out NYE Day ride and festivities. Should be another fantastic week in Albury. The time is flying and before I know it, I will be in New Zealand (Jan 13th).

I hope everyone had a great holiday and has a safe new year!

Cheers,
BB

Long Time No Blog....Catching Up

2008-12-26T14:25:00.003-06:00

Well, it has been over a month without a post. Yes, I am still alive and kicking in Albury and I know that is a long time with out an update ;)

After a period of evaluating how Ironman has gone recently, I am going to switch my focus a little bit in 2009. Not "away" from Ironman, but will be including some specific training for some 70.3 races. You can be sure that I will be at Ironman Wisconsin, as well as possibly a few others. I will have a posted race schedule soon.

New Look. Stay tuned for a new look to my website. It will include information on my clinics/seminars that I give in Madison, as well as an Ironman Wisconsin Training Camp that I am putting together at the beginning of August.

The economy has officially affected Blake. As a result I have 2 coaching vacancies for 2009. If you are interested you can contact me via email at blakebeck@gmail.com

Daily life is good in the household of C,M,JD,Brooke & myself. I am back training and rolling pretty well right now. I will most likely decide to toe the line at Challenge Wanaka (www.challenge-wanaka.com) on Jan 17, since I will be at the race and the other guys in the house will be racing as well.

That is it for now. I hope that everyone is having a fantastic holiday season and I will see you in the new year!

Cheers,
Blake

Gone Down Under....

2008-11-21T21:01:00.003-06:00

Hey Everyone,

It has been a while since I have updated and a lot has happened. I will try to catch you up.

Subic Bay, Philippines training is done and the experience has been one of the best that I have had. Both in and out of sport.

In sport, Brett Sutton showed me a perspective that I couldn't have gotten from anywhere else but from him. He has taught me what really matters to be successful...all I will say is most don't get it. I will be a different athlete because of it. Thank you Sutto.

Out of sport, living in a 3rd world country is very eye opening. Most of the 1st world has no idea how the rest live. While we all got use to living in the Philippines, we all gained a huge appreciation for what we have.

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I am now down in Albury, NSW Australia. A smaller town 3hrs northeast of Melbourne. I am here training for the next few months with my good friends Chris, Marilyn and Justin. I arrived with Marilyn, while Chris and Justin will come in next week.

The training here is perfect, with no distractions. There are great roads to ride on, lots of run trails, and 5 swimming complex's!!!! Yes, I did say 5. Each one has an outdoor 50m and 25m pool.

I will be able to update a little more regularly, now that I am here. So stay tuned....

Cheers,
BB

Week three from Subic

2008-11-09T06:32:00.002-06:00

This is one of the little guys that I see pretty much daily while riding here in the Philippines. I will try to add a few more photos, if my internet speed cooperates.

I am in week three here in Subic and am starting to get into a little better routine. I just wanted to post a quick update to say that I am back to being 100% healthy, after battling a sinus infection, flu and dislocated toe. When you have your health, life is good...no matter what the situation is. The training is going great and the time is really flying by.

I only have 8 days left here in Subic, before heading down to Australia where I will be training with my good friends, Chris, Marylin and Justin. I trained with them in 2006 and had some of my best training/fun times to date.

I will try to post another update in a few days.

Blake

The Barber Shoppe, The Bats and The Navy

2008-10-27T04:18:00.005-05:00

Today I have a few more interesting things to write about, so I threw together a quick blog. The body is really starting to come around and I am going better and better with each session. I have to say that this is the best I have ever felt running 8-9hrs a week. I am excited to keep it rolling.

#1 The bats. Yesterday on our second ride of the day we heard what we first thought were monkeys, then birds...and then we looked up...what did we see? The giant fruit bats of the Philippines. The bats are some of the largest in the world and are VERY freaky to see in person. They weigh around 2.5lbs and have a wing span of over 3 feet. Wild!!!

#2 The barber shoppe. I decided to get a haircut the other day, just to compare to what we get in the states. My conclusion...it is a MUCH better deal here...$1US for a cut. In addition to the cut, you also get shaved, coated in baby powder, rubbed with alcohol and then it is all finished off with some karate chops, a massage to head, neck, face and back and you are on your way! For some reason I can't see Great Clips or Cost Cutter implementing these services.

#3 The Navy. In a matter of hours, the small town of Subic has gone from quiet and tranquil, to packed with thousands of Marines. We had a number of Navy Ships come into port today (3 or 4), including a few aircraft carriers. One was full of choppers and Harrier Fighter Jets. They are very cool to see up close. The Navy is also a career where you get to see a lot of the world.

I hope everyone else is doing well. I heard Wisconsin had snow, which actually sounds pretty good right now. However, I know any of you would trade places with me in a second, so I won't wish I was there. I will send another update soon!

Cheers,

Checking in from Subic Bay, Philippines

2008-10-23T01:55:00.002-05:00

After 11 flights in one week, I am finally becoming numb to the hassles of traveling; the lines that never end, the shuttles, trying to get around baggage restrictions, airline food and sleeping in the seated position. I started out not being able to sleep for 15 minutes; I can now practically sleep for 6hrs straight.

Traveling gives a very freeing feeling. I have all of my physical possessions contained in a bag, bike box and backpack. At any moment I can pick up and move to anywhere I like.

It does require not having much holding you down, but part of being able to do this is luck. So many others around the world have no opportunity to pursue their passions and dreams because of where they are born, their jobs, family, or other reasons. So I feel very fortunate to have a passion and the ability to follow it. In addition to having the support of so many people, even if I am 8,000 miles away.

Traveling also brings on a sense of what matters in life; our family, our friends, our health and nothing that has to do with our possessions, appearances, money or finish times. This is magnified any time we are away from the important things and any time that you are around others that have almost nothing and are just as happy as you are.

Knowing (either by reading or experiencing) what is outside of our box that we call the United States, really gives perspective. Yes, we have a struggling economy, $4 gas, the values of our 401k’s are falling and there are a lot of other worries on people’s minds. But compared to the rest of world, we have it pretty good. Many others would love to have to worry about those things.

I am not trying to get on a soap box and I am not saying that we shouldn’t be upset at our issues, because they are important. But I am saying it is important to take a step back from time to time…pay attention to the simple things...we will all be better for it.

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I arrived in Subic Bay, Philippines on Monday this week to work with well known coach Brett Sutton. The first days of training have been pretty solid, but what really makes them tough is the heat and humidity. To give you perspective, the dewpoint, or measure of the amount of water in the earth’s atmosphere, is roughly 70* in Miami…it is 80* here, with an air temp or about 90* F.

I have been sick this first week and have been doing my best to get through it. An Ironman, lots of travel, a bit of partying and no sleep for 5 days finally pushed me over the line. I have since gotten antibiotics at the local drugstore, where you can just go in to buy them….no need for a doctor. I think I may be stocking up while I am here.

I am staying in a hotel here with a few other athletes. It is very nice and everything is convenient….except the pool. We have to ride about 20min up a giant hill to get there. After a tough morning bike session, it is not so nice on the legs. The track is across the street and we can do our rides right from the hotel.

Outside of training, the country really gives a sense of being fortunate. Subic Bay is very nice…and patrolled. Outside of SB, there is a lot of poverty and it is a different place. Over the next 4 weeks I will update my blog regularly with my experiences and pictures from here in the Philippines.

Sticking It Out...

2008-10-13T12:26:00.004-05:00

Well....I finished. That is about how it went for me. I ran into the same issue that I always seem to have in Ironman. 4.5hrs into the race (about 80-90 miles) i lose a LOT of power on the bike. This is an issue that I am determined to solve.

Here is a brief recap of the day.

Swim was very easy. I started with Nina and Farris on either side of me. The cannon went off and I couldn't match Farris' speed, but staying on Nina's feet seemed comfortable. She usually makes the front group, so I just stayed put. I eventually found Hillary Biscay and stayed there for most of the race.

With about a kilometer to go, she started to move to the front of our group and I followed until i started to get beat up, so I stayed put in the middle of the group.

We got to the last turn buoy and there was a HUGE acceleration, which I found out later, was from when Hillary realized she could be first woman out. I didn't realize it, but our group then split and a gap of about 45seconds opened up in the last 400m. I now know I need to be at the front to make sure I can go with any gap that opens.

All in all, I am pleased with the swim. Many guys who were in contention, including Stadler, Beke and Marino were in there.

The Bike - Rode pretty hard through town, trying to bridge a gap to a group of 8 guys that were 30seconds up the road. I couldn't do it and they actually stayed there for most of the ride. I then dialed it down a notch once out onto the Queen K. The wind and heat started to come into play at about 30mi into the ride and got tough at times throughout the day, but come on, it is kona, what do you expect!?! I rode steady and just focused on my nutrition...which was spot on. Everything rolled well until i got off the descent from Hawi and started to climb back to the Queen K. At that point, my left side was pretty tight and I had no power.

I stayed positive, told myself it would pass. Well, it didn't really pass and then I got some major hot spots on the bottom of my feet in the last 20mi, which further killed my ride back to Kona. I got off the bike and just told myself to get out and run easy and see how I felt.

The Run - I ran my 645-50 for about 14 or 15 miles and then my pace really slowed. Eventually, about 90min later, I had Hillary run up on me....ran with her to the finish.

The Finish - This was my first kona as a professional and it was important(as always) to finish. It was not how I expected/wanted the day to go...but I learned a lot. My swim is almost there, my body is good in the heat and when I can just solve this Ironman bike issue, I will have a good race.

I want to thank everyone for their support. My friend's Erin, Nancy, Sue and Chloe for coming into town for the race. Jen and Chuck for letting me stay with them in their condo and for driving me around. My family and friends in Madison and around the country, your support is great and of course my sponsors; Timex, Infinit and Blue Seventy for the great support, equipment and gear. (Blue Seventy got my a long john Point Zero 3, the day before the race, which was AWESOME!).

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I am now heading back to Wisconsin on a red-eye tonight, before packing up again and flying out on Thursday. More details on that trip and my plans, soon.

Tomorrow is About...

2008-10-10T17:07:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow is a mental race....The physical work is a given, but how we deal with the adversity that comes throughout the day, will determine the outcome of our race.

The fact that I lessened my load in the last few weeks is a huge advantage to me. I am fresh. What will make a race tomorrow is the mental side to things. The ability and willingness to severely and deeply hurt yourself. Letting negative emotions flow through and pushing through any and all pain that comes.

Our body has an ability to protect us through shutting down mentally, before we do physically. Tomorrow it is about ignoring those mental signals.

Perhaps I have forgotten how to hurt my self in that way, or just focused on the wrong things. I don't know. But I do know that at 645am tomorrow, it is about proving that I can hurt more than anyone else out there. Though it won't mean a win, it will mean a good race and that is what I want.

A stepping stone for my future.

Cheers,
BB

Dropping In Last Minute

2008-10-10T00:02:00.001-05:00

For my 14th Ironman start, 2nd in Kona and 1st here as a professional, I decided to drop in last minute. Sometimes this yields your best result.

There is no time to let the anxieties of race week build, there is no time to doubt the work you have done and there is no time to get bored. There is just enough time to land, unpack, make sure everything is working well and then…before you know it, you are in the water waiting for the cannon.

Travels this time around were a little crazy. After a delayed start to my 3 flight adventure, I just made my connection in Denver, with about 20min to spare. I sat on the plane wondering whether or not my bike had made it over with me. I chose not to worry about it, since there was nothing I could do. Turns out this was a smart move…my bike made it over in time.

The race conditions are looking pretty favorable for a fast day on Saturday. There is a big swell on the way, but it is not suppose to arrive until Sunday, so the water is going to be fairly flat. The trade winds have been light and there has been some cloudy cover. The only negative to this has been the VOG (volcano fog)….which makes for a hazy sky and also gives the lungs a little burn.

All in all, i am ready to rip…..645am sat. http://www.ironman.com/

Thank you everyone for all the great emails and texts!

Cheers,
BB

Just Arrived In Kona

2008-10-09T10:38:00.004-05:00

I have just arrived in Kona and after a few minor travel setbacks, it looks like things will go a little more smoothly from here on out. I will post some pics and more updates as I get time.

For all of you wanting to follow the race, it will take place on Saturday, October 11th, at 1145am central standard time. There will be a live broadcast over on http://www.ironman.com/

1 Week....

2008-10-04T08:32:00.003-05:00

One week left before I will be racing for the first time at the Ironman World Championships as a professional. I raced as an age grouper in 2004, but haven't been back since.

The training has been rolling along, despite tweaking my knee when getting out of my van the other day. I think that a tight IT band is to blame. So far, it hasn't caused any issues on the training front.

I have a great mindset going into this race with zero pressure. I am racing against the best in the world and am hoping that it will bring out the best in me.

I will check in again before the race, but right now it is 30*F outside and I am trying to get my head around the fact that it will be 3x that when I toe the line in a week. Awesome!

Cheers,

BB

2 weeks to go....

2008-09-28T19:26:00.003-05:00

Less than two weeks to go until 'the big dance' over in Kona and I am moving pretty well right now. Besides bike numbers that are about 10% higher then the summer, I am swimming well and I would classify my running as solid.

For me and my racing, a lot revolves around the 180k ride and fact that I am feeling strong here, gives me a lot of confidence for Oct. 11. I am building each week as i get closer to the race and will just do a short rest before game time.

I am very excited to toe the line again and will check in again in a few days.

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Two weeks also marks the start of a LOT of traveling. more details to come soon. But, I am excited for the coming winter, to say the least.

Cheers,

BB

My New Philosophy......

2008-09-26T07:54:00.001-05:00

KISS

(Keep It Simple Stupid)

New Level....

2008-09-23T15:02:00.003-05:00

Well, it seems that we have figured out a few things based on my last few rides....

#1 - I built a lot of fitness late in the season.

#2 - I was very tired out there racing at IMWI

#3 - It took 4 weeks to recover from that training

#4 - It is going to set me up well for Kona.

My long ride today was far and above anything that I have seen. Normalized power was 278 watts, with zero fading (I am 70kg's). This is is 27 watts higher than my best ride this summer, which was before IMCDA....that is about 10%...which is A LOT.

I think that I have spent so much of my short athletic career over reached, tired, under fed and focused on a few things that probably don't really matter. When I walk around shelled, 40 weeks out of the year, it is easy to think that is what is 'normal' and what I 'should' be feeling. I am not going to go into any more detail, but will just say that a few things are going to change.

I am really looking forward to having fun in kona and putting together what we all know is there.

Cheers,
BB

Silver Linings.....

2008-09-20T15:37:00.008-05:00

Well....I have always thought that there is a silver lining to everything bad that happens. I think that the key is to just stay positive, see the glass half full and keep working hard. The good seems to come when you least expect it.

My race at IMWI is turning out to be no exception. After the race I immediately started recovering with 2-3 short sessions of 30-60min each day.

After a week, I still kept the volume down...but started to add back intensity. I have changed a few things, am now back training full steam and seeing THE best numbers of the year. I will be in Kona...motivated and hungry for a good race.

See you out there!

Cheers,
BB

What do you do when....

2008-09-13T09:16:00.005-05:00

...the road gets steep? The above pic is from Lefhand Canyon, looking up at Ward, Colorado. If you know that climb, you know that it is steepest in the last mile. Now picture that climb as the road to what you want to accomplish (that being getting to Ward....or for me, going fast in an Ironman and making a living in triathlon). On a day when you have "gone to see Elvis," or are dead tired, or have had 13 bad Ironman races, you get to the last mile of the climb and it would be easy to turn around and roll home. To say "I just can't do it." What would you do?

Well, I push like hell, until I get to that general store in town...regardless of how I feel. "Can't" is not in my vocabulary. I really believe that the road to where we want to be is not easy. It requires taking a risk or two, giving up opportunity over on easy street and going against the grain...but the rewards will be great. Just believe in yourself and your ability, every step of the way.

It is easy to dip out and to say you tried, but for me it is different. My passion, heart and soul is in this battle and I will win it, regardless of what it takes....there are no exceptions here, just a period at the end of that statement.

So, now...I am more motivated than ever and will win this battle. PERIOD.

IMWI

2008-09-09T19:56:00.003-05:00

Just a short post on IMWI.

Thanks for all the great emails, calls and texts. It was not my day out there, but I did breakthrough with a 52:16 swim and started the bike with the leaders. I rode along in 4th for a while and then slipped to 8th, then made it back up to 6th before I flatted at mile 60. After that I just didn't have any strength on the bike. I ran ok for about 15mi, before stomach probs forced me to slow.

I did finish. This is something that I believe you always have to do unless you have a medical reason. I will now recover for a week before continuing to move forward. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

BB

Friday....

2008-09-04T21:47:00.004-05:00

...and only 2 days left before the I hit the line on Sunday.

The weather over last 2 days has been HORRIBLE! 55* and pouring rain (thanks to Hurricane Gustav). The upside to this rain is that it is likely to bring the water temps down...and maybe far enough to give us wetsuits...wouldn't THAT be sweet!

Anyway, this will likely be the last post before the race. My body feels ready to go and mentally I am in a good spot! You can follow along on http://www.ironman.com/ starting at 6:45am on Sunday.

Part 1: Why Wisconsin?

2008-09-01T15:09:00.004-05:00

Some people ask me the question:

"Why do you stay in Wisconsin to train during the summer?"

I have always responded with words, but knew that it was one of those things that you had to experience to believe. This place is pretty far from anything in SoCal or Colorado, but I will argue that we in Wisconsin have some of the best bike training anywhere in the country.

Since I have more time on my hands and new camera, I will be bringing you pics that hopefully give you a better idea of what things are like here. Stay tuned...

Picture This....

2008-08-30T13:36:00.003-05:00

....you have a big basement...you put a treadmill in the middle....you then invite over and pack the basement full of a hundred of your closest friends and family....you have them cheer for you as you run on the treadmill. How motivating would that be? Well that is what it will feel like for me on the run course next weekend. Like the Packers playing the Super Bowl at Lambeau Field.

The good sensations are back, I am sleeping well and can't wait to get out there again.

Good luck to all racing at IMLou!

BB

The Life Is.....

2008-08-28T12:15:00.003-05:00

.....slooooowly coming back to me. This week is a tough one though. The body is really trying to bounce back from the big load of the last training block, but it is taking some time. I started out tired, moved to flat and am just starting to get a little pop back. I will keep you updated on my progress.

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Ironman Day 2008. I have also organized a day dedicated to Ironman at The Trek Store westside location. It will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 2nd and run from 12pm-8pm.

The Timex truck and local vendors will be on hand. There will be free bike tune-ups, free food off the grill and a lot of free swag.

I will also be leading an Ironman Wisconsin seminar that will start at 6pm. It should run about 45-60min, so bring your questions. Email me if you have any questions.

Done.....for now ;)

2008-08-24T19:29:00.002-05:00

I have successfully made it through this Ironman build. My body is tired and I am welcoming the rest and strength that I will gain with each passing day and night of sleep.

I have a solid plan that I am going to execute in a few weeks and believe in all the work that I have done. At the end of the day, my only goal is to execute this plan. Of course there are numbers in my head, but only Kurt and I know about them.

Right now, I am focused on my taper and getting as strong as I can in the next 2 weeks.

++++++++++++++

As a side note, I want to congratulate all at IM Canada today. Bryan Rhodes took the win after a tough year racing, my good friend Justin Daerr took 5th (only seconds out of 4th), teamate Kyle Marcotte was 6th, Lisa Bentley had a solid comeback race after an injury, Mark Van Akkeren lead the race into the marathon, while Gordo & Jonnyo also mixed it up out there after being sick most of the year.

Nice work out there today everyone, VERY impressive.

What do I do during my down time????

2008-08-20T14:16:00.002-05:00

Watch 100's of videos like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nda_OSWeyn8

The best part is that almost 7 million people have viewed this one!

Training Update

2008-08-18T17:08:00.002-05:00

For those of you that are interested, here is what I have done over the previous 17 days. I am now pretty tired, but the numbers are still good. Just a few more days of tough stuff and then I get to ease off a little bit. The first week of tapering still has some tough sessions, but it will feel like a piece of cake....hopefully.

Day 1 - 6.5k swim, 1:30 ride

Day 2 - 5:30 ride, 50min run

Day 3 - 4.2k swim, 1:30 ride, 1:50 run

Day 4 - 4.4k swim, 4:50 ride, 50min run

Day 5 - 4.1k swim, 3:30 ride, 1:35 run

Day 6 - 4.4k swim, 2:00 ride, 40min run

Day 7 - 2.5k swim, 6:00 ride, 30min run

Day 8 - 4.1k swim, 2:30 run

Day 9 - 4.4k swim, 2:00 ride

Day 10 - 6:00 ride, 45min run

Day 11 - 4.6k swim, 4:30 ride, 15min run

Day 12 - 1:30 ride, 2:35 run

Day 13 - 4.7k swim, 1:35 ride

Day 14 - 3.5k swim, 3:00 ride, 40min run

Day 15 - 4.6k swim, 1:40 run

Day 16 - 3:30 ride, 45min run

Day 17 - 3.8k swim, 6:00 ride, 50min run

All of the training was in zones 2 & 3, with harder swimming:

Total Training -

Hours - 85
Swimming - 56k
Cycling - 54 hrs - 1,640 km
Running - 16 hrs - 212 km

3 weeks until I get to go play in my backyard!!!!!

1/100th.....

2008-08-15T22:17:00.005-05:00

WOW.....I am going to keep this post short, so my my limited grammar and spelling skills don't come though :)

Michael Phelps is amazing!!!

+++++++++

Track starts tonight. The 100m qualifying races are on right now and some of the guys are wearing aerodynamic sleeves. Maybe I should get some of those??? If they are making a difference in the 100m, imagine what they would do for 26miles????? Oh wait, I couldn't run a 9sec 100 if my life depended on it. Actually, now that I think about it, I couldn't run a 10, 11 or 12 second 100 meters.

+++++++++

Training update: I am still working very hard so I don't get crushed and embarrassed by everyone on the start list in a few weeks. I am spending a lot of time starring at the ceiling (inside joke).

Olympic Scoring

2008-08-13T09:45:00.002-05:00

Each night, probably like everyone who is reading this, I have watched much of the Olympic coverage. In the past, I have usually just paid attention to the events that I am familiar with. Most of the time I have stuck to swimming, cycling, track, etc.

This year I have made an effort to watch everything from water polo, to synchronized diving, beach volleyball and gymnastics. In watching these events, I have listened to interviews, learned the rules and know how the scoring works.

Honestly, the way that some of these events are scored is rediculous. It makes sense to me that events/skills/sports in the Olympics should be scored objectively. Meaning, there are clear guidelines as to how you win. This also leave almost no room for subjectivity or the possibility of "tainted" results / cheating.

Here are some examples of objective scoring.

- Fastest time
- Highest jump
- Most goals/points
- IN or OUT of bounds

One event that is NOT scored 100% objectively IMO, is gymnastics. Yes, there is a start value for each routine, jump, etc....and there are clear necessary deductions if you step out of bounds or fall off a beam, but then there is something called "execution." Execution is subjective and is what makes up most of the competitors score. It is how the judges "thought" each performance was executed. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!

If you are an athlete, you may train your whole young life to be in that one moment. You may "think" that you did your routine perfectly...but your score is mostly how someone else, who you don't even know, "thinks" you did.

Now let's say you did the above routine and for a reason, the judge has a bias toward you, your team or coach. OR, what if the judge missed seeing something? OR what if they thought they saw something? Whatever....resulting in a deduction that costs you the medal that who have worked your whole life for???

I am not claiming to be an expert in scoring and maybe my million hours of training in the last few weeks has made me crazy, but events that are scored this way should be, IMO, left out of the Olympic Games. Including them just invites scandle and controversy.

Half Way....

2008-08-12T14:16:00.004-05:00

I am now halfway through my 24 days and things are rolling...

Sunday and Monday included solid swimming and running, along with over 200 miles of riding, then today's key session was a VERY steady 2hr30min run at race pace.

As I am "backing up" my training, day in and day out, things seem to be getting easier. I am not getting broken way down, infact my body is accepting the work and growing stronger and more fit, this is indicated by rising power numbers on long rides and faster paces in the water and on the run.

Yes, there are many hours of the day when I simply stare at the ceiling because that is the only thing I have energy for. Infact, I haven't shaved for over a week and I needed to buzz my head about 2 weeks ago, but then again what do I need to shave for??? I don't see any women ever right now. Plus, I will have plenty of time during the taper. All of my time outside of training needs to be used to conserve energy and recover.