You’ve trained for six, nine or more months for this day. The chaos of the swim is gone, you’ve gotten your cycling legs back and now it’s time to get to work, to get down to racing the Ironman bike.

STOP!!

In our experience, if you’re going to booger months and months of training and ruin your race, you’re going to do it on the bike leg. Below are our tips for riding the optimum Ironman bike leg…plust be sure to read to the end for a bonus link to download our Bike Fit eBook, released from the EN Content Archives!

There’s No Such Thing as a Good Bike Followed by a Poor Run
The last time we checked this was an Ironman TRIATHLON — swim, bike, and run. The difference between a “good” swim or “bad” swim is only about 2-4 minutes. The difference between “easy” bike or a “hard” bike is only about 10-15 minutes. But the difference between a “good” and “bad” run can be measured in hours. In our experience, your chances of dramatically slowing down happen in the last six to eight miles of the run. Therefore your focus all day is on creating conditions for success in the final six to eight miles of the run, NOT on putting up a sexy bike split. The Ironman run course is littered with the walking bodies of athletes who put up great bike splits. Just think about that.

Ride the Bike You Should, Not the Bike You Could
Your “could” bike split is the one you dream about, the one you told your friends on your last long ride when they remarked how fit you look, how hard you’ve been working, and ask you what you could ride at IMXX. In contrast, your “should” bike split is the bike that sets up the run. In our experience, the difference between Could and Should is about 10 to 15 minutes — add 10-15 minutes to that sexy Could split and set up the run. If you’ve made the mistake of riding too slowly…you have 26 miles of running to fix that mistake. But if you made the mistake of riding too fast…that mistake now has 26 miles of running to express itself.

Do the Opposite of Everyone Else
In our experience, over 80% of the Ironman field doesn’t know how to properly execute the bike. Proper bike execution is then largely a matter of doing the opposite of everyone else.

• Ride easy for the first hour. Are you being passed by a LOT of people? That’s a very good thing, trust us.
• Managing your effort on this hill, setting up the run vs racing for $100 KOM prime they are not handing out at the top…and going backwards through the field? That’s a good thing, they will come back to you somewhere during the day.

Flatten the Course
You best cycling strategy to set up a great run to maintain a very steady effort across all terrain — no big effort surges on hills, no excessive coasting on downhills, etc. Imagine your foot is on a gas pedal:

• On a hill you give it just a little bit more gas…but just a little. Per the 80% rule above, everyone around will stomp in the gas and surge ahead of you. That’s a good thing.
• Across the crest of the hill and into the downhill, stay on the gas. Maintain that steady effort as everyone else comes way off the gas/coasts as they pay for that surging effort on the climb. You descend at 33-36mph, for example, to their 28-30mph, carrying that speed into the next hill…and the next…and the next.
• That foot on the gas pedal is locked in the same position on flats, false flats, slight downhills, etc.

Show Up with Enough Gears on Your Bike
Having the proper gearing for your course is a important part of our “flatten the course” strategy above. What gearing is best? In general, you can never have enough gears in an Ironman. More specifically, these are the gears that Coach Rich, a 5:05-15 Ironman cyclist, would ride on US Ironman courses:

• All: compact crank, 50/34 gearing, then…
• IMTX, FL, AZ: 23-11
• IMSG, IMCDA, IMLP, IMNYC, IMTremblant: 26-11, or 25-12
• IMWI: 26-11

Look for Free Speed First
112 miles is a long time for smart, slippery, aerodynamic choices to express themselves. In our experience, your biggest return on investment opportunities on the Ironman bike are:

• Bike fit: The largest aerodynamic component of the bike/rider system is YOU. A proper bike fit can dramatically improve your aerodynamics while keeping you comfortable on the bike.
• Aero helmet: A big aerodynamic return for your $130-200 investment.
• Bottle/tools placement: An efficient, clean, well-thought-out setup will also significantly improve your aerodynamics.

FREE Bike Fit eBook
Created in partnership with Todd Kenyon of TTBikeFit.com, this resource has been used by thousands of athletes to learn about and improve their fit and aerodynamics. Please go here to download your FREE copy of the Bike Fit eBook today!

What are your tips for the Ironman bike leg? Please share with us below!

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

photo credit: Sonic Fitness

6:59am — music blasting, kayakers herding swimmers, and nearly 2500 Ironman athletes treading water or standing on the beach of the Ironman swim start, waiting pensively to start a very, very big and long day.

7:00am — BOOM! And so begins perhaps the most unique spectacle in all of endurance sports — the Ironman swim start. Nearly 2500 bodies and 5000 arms and legs churning the water to start a 140.6 mile day. Below are our tips for surviving, and excelling at, the Ironman swim.

Where to Line Up
Endurance Nation had over 1000 Ironman finishes in 2011. Rich and Patrick have nearly 30 Ironman finishes between them and have been to 4-6 Ironmans every year since 2002.  We’ve learned that a lot of fast people position themselves right on the buoy line. Many more people position themselves as far as possible away from these people, as far from the buoy line as they can get. As a consequence, the middle of the start line is often less crowded than you would expect.

Therefore we usually recommend you position yourself near the middle of the start line and then seed yourself front to back about 2-4 minutes faster than you expect to swim. For example, if you expect to swim a 1:10, find those 1:05-08 people. In our experience it is better to be swum (politely) around by slightly faster swimmers than to be timid about your starting position, seed yourself around much slower swimmers, and then have to swim through many swimmers for 2.4 miles.

Only Swim as Fast as Your Ability to Maintain Form
The net difference between you swimming “hard” and swimming “easy” is usually only about 2-4 minutes in an 11-17 hour day. It’s just not worth it to try to make something happen. Instead, focus on swimming as smoothly and efficiently as you know how. Swim with your best possible form and only swim fast enough as your ability to maintain your form.

It’s helpful to have some individual cues for what good/not good form is for you. For some folks your breathing count (3-count or 4-count strokes per breath) is a good metric. Others prefer to focus on perceived exertion. Whatever you choose, know that it’s time to slow down if you start to feel your form slip!

Keep Your Head Inside the Box
2500+ bodies trashing around in a small space, all trying to go the same direction. It’s the very definition of chaos! Maintain your focus by keeping your head inside The Box of what you can control:

• In the Box: Head position, breathing, body rotation, catch, pull, etc. All of your form cues. These are things you CAN control, focus on these.
• Out of the Box: Any contact you experience, the pacing of other athletes, etc. Basically anything that takes your focus away your form.

The simple tool we use to keep our heads in the Box is to count our strokes. Left, right, left, right, 1, 2, 3, 4, keep counting until you lose count then start over again. The simple act of counting arm strokes will bring your head back into the Box of what you can control, helping you let go of the stuff outside of your Box. Try it, it works!

Keep Head-Lift to a Minimum
We typically lift our heads to keep feet in sight as we draft (a little), or to sight on navigation buoys (a lot!). Every time you lift your head…you drop your feet/hips…and you compromise your form a bit. Here’s what to do.

• Drafting: Don’t think so much about drafting, and looking for feet, that you forget to keep your head in the Box and focused on form. 2500 people all swimming the same direction…relax, it’s gonna happen. 
• Navigation: 2500 people all swimming the same direction…that’s a lot of people to follow, put on your right or left side, and in general decrease how frequently you need to compromise your from by lifting your head to sight for buoys.

FREE Endurance Nation Swim Clinic eBook
Go here to download our “Swim Clinic eBook“– over 25 pages of swim drills, videos, 45 minutes of podcasts, and much more. Published in 2005 and revised in 2008, this resource has been used by over 10,000 athletes as their go-to swim technique guide!

Do you have course-specific swim advice? Where to line up, navigation tips, etc for specific Ironmans? Please share them with us and our readers in the comments below!

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

TeamEN rallied instantly around Chris’ family, raising almost $6,000 for the G. Christopher Gleason Education Fund for his two children (details below). To continue our Team commitment to this cause, we have partnered with Road ID (www.roadid.com). Using the code pcEndurance, you can save 10% on any RoadID purchase — and 25% of every order will be donated to the G. Christopher Gleason Education Fund. This deal will only last until December 31, 2011…so act quickly!

This is a great way to proactively protect yourself and those close to you while saving some money and giving to a great cause. Whether you need an entire RoadID or simply want to add a commemorative tag in Chris’ memory, you’ll be all set.

Again, the website is www.roadid.com and the code is “pcEndurance” (without the quotes). Shop before 12/31 to get your discount and help the Gleason family!

Thanks!

Coach Patrick

ps — if you simply want to make a donation to the fund directly, here’s the information!

The G. Christopher Gleason Education Fund
c/o Gordon C. Emerick
1550 Route 9 Clif
518-371-5454

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

EN had a total of  10  athletes race in a variety of races with an 80% PR rate! Congratulations to everyone — you can read the full details below.

If you’d like to join our age group members in training to be your best, please create a FREE Five Day Trial Membership here or consider purchasing an Endurance Nation training plan here.

Races on 11/20

Ironman Arizona

Al Truscott (photo at left) crossed the finish line in 11:25. You can read his race report here.  He also said “Coach Rich was there to provide quiet help a total of 10 times along the course during race day; and Coach P laid down the breadcrumbs on his comeback trail for me to follow. They are coaches in the true sense of the word – they don’t tell you what to do, so much as show you the way to go.”

David Lesh (photo at right) PR’d with a time of 10:23:02.  Members can read his race report here.  He also said “In only a year team EN took me from an absolute beginner triathlete to finishing my first Ironman. I learned so much from both the coaches and the team members and it was awesome having the support of the team on race day. Thank you for making my first Ironman journey such a wonderful experience.”

Jennifer Eckert earned a PR with a finish time of 13:33:38 and said “How do you go faster when you’re 5 years older?  Train with Team EN!  Thanks you guys…maybe I’ll have a shot at that Kona slot when I turn 60!!”  Members can read her race report here.

Jeremy Behler completed his first Ironman in 10:06:12.  You can read his race report here.

Jonathan Needell (photo at left) also raced his first Ironman for a finish time of 13:48:41.  Members can read his full race report here, but he said of the experience “I overlapped a coach and EN and found out EN was right when I was injured during a typical build period eight weeks before the race. EN only next race.”

Stephanie Stevens earned a new PR with a time of 13:13:00 and said “Still have room for improvement, but I know where that improvement needs to come from.  Thanks RnP!!”

Paul Stone completed the race in 12:20:18 for a new PR and said “Without the execution guidance from Endurance Nation I would not have finished my first IM at all.  But to come back and have a great second IM proves the coaches have something great going. I’m glad to be a part of a great community and team.  Thanks guys.”

Terry Olivas PR’d as well with a time of 10:29:49 and said “There’s no way I could have made it to the top 10% of the M40-44 age group without EN.  How many PR’s can one person have?”

Races on 11/27

Polar Cats 5k

Kevin Walter finished this race with a time of 20:59 and said “Fastest VDOT of 2011 and over 1-minute faster than the last time I raced this course! Managed 10th Overall and 1st M40-44. One month into the outseason.”

Races on 12/4

Rock N Roll Las Vegas

David Salzman completed the half marathon race in a PR-earning 1:40:05.  You can read his race report here.

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

As many of you have heard by now, we lost one of our own, Chris Gleason, when he died at the end of the Philadelphia Marathon this past Sunday. A consummate competitor and one of our founding members, Chris has been an integral part of Endurance Nation from the very start. Those fortunate enough to have known Chris personally will recall his unique ability to bring out the best in himself and everyone else around him.

His spirit was truly irrepressible; it’s no surprise that I have as many “Chris G” stories as I do race finishes. There are few others that have had more of an effect on the course of my personal and professional life over the last few years.

Chris is survived by his wife, a daughter (9) and a son (6). The Endurance Nation community is rallying to provide financial and emotional support in this incredibly challenging time. If you are able, please give via our family donation fund (here) — this is open to anyone to contribute. If you are on the Team and want to learn more about the memorial services planned this weekend and to share your memories of Chris, please visit the EN forums here.

As tragic as his passing has been, the reminder that life is fleeting and that we have to make the most of every single day is a blessing. I, for one, am not going to let this lesson pass me by.

We miss you Chris.

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

Meet a few of them below.

Terry Olivas

TeamEN Ironman Arizona Race Captain

My name is Terry Olivas and I’m a 40-year-old heart surgeon from Anchorage, Alaska.  I have been with Endurance Nation for 2 years and, thanks to them, I’m well-prepared for another race.  This is going to be my second ironman.  I raced IMAZ last year but many factors left me feeling frustrated despite a fairly well-executed first ironman.  I am back this year for redemption with hopes of running a clean race to my utmost potential.  It has been a long year with a job change and move from North Dakota to Alaska, so I’m very excited to have a great race.  As always, I’ll be joined by my awesome wife, Peggy, and many family and friends who are making the trip.

John Stark

Danville, CA (San Francisco Bay Area)

Endurance Nation Race Director 

Well, here we go.  After a long season being your race director it is now my turn to execute on a race day.  Unfortunately, it will be a swim, bike, and WALK for me.  My left knee finally screamed “NO MAS” about 6 weeks ago. So I am now officially an AquaVelo dude.  My goal for IMAZ this year is to simply “have fun with my fitness.”  My “One Thing” is to high five as many volunteers as I can and to cheer on as many athletes (EN and non-EN) along the course as I can.  Especially during those late hours when the death march is happening.  OK, that is Two Things.  :-)

About me:  I am 47, a stay-at-home-dad, married to the best wife ever, Cheryl, and we have a 9 year old son, Nolan.  We live about 45 minutes east of San Francisco.   I have been an EN member since October of 2008.  I have completed IM CdA 2x (2006 and 2009), completed 12+ Half Ironman’s, completed ultra running events up to 50 miles, finished 5 marathons, and done countless shorter distance events.  I run the local Cub Scouts, oversee technology for the elementary school foundation (hardware side), love to work in the yard, a computer technology hobbyist, and sell other peoples crap on eBay.  In my previous life I was an International Marketing Executive with a focus on Asia with offices in Hong Kong, Makati (Philippines), and Sydney (Australia).

This was my first year as EN Race Director and learned a lot.  I am already ramping for the 2012 season and I hope to be able to support TeamEN even more in the coming year.

Rock on!

David Ambrose

My name is David Ambrose.  Married with two daughters living in Ojai, California.

I am the chief financial officer of a small regional managed care health plan in SoCal.  AZ will be my 4th IM distance race (first time at AZ) and my first IM after a 2 year break from this distance.  After AZ, I will again be taking at least a two year break again from this distance, though I will keep busy with lots of cycling events and shorter course triathlons.  In AZ I will be joined by my wife and two daughters, who guarantee to provide me an extra boost of motivation when they spot me on the run.  My youngest daughter is very excited to be part of this adventure.  I’ve been with EN since December 2008 and have made tremendous fitness and performance gains over the last three years.  In AZ, given the course dynamics (assuming no weird weather implications and other intangibles outside my contro)l, my FTP and running being much greater than 2 years ago — I have a very good opportunity to have an IM PR time — possibly a very large PR, though I do not take this for granted at all.  If I can demonstrate to others than one can get faster with age, then I will have a big smile. My fantasy is to converge with some EN teammates on the run, form a group dynamic, and we all motor along taking turns leading our little pack.  That would be sweet!  For those of you volunteering and cheering on the team,  thank you very much.  Every little cheer out of energy will be absorbed by the athletes and utilized allowing everyone to have an awesome day.

Scott Alexander

Paul Stone

Paul stone from Dallas Tx.  I am 38 and in my second year with EN.  I have enjoyed the journey and can honestly say that after getting sick and losing 8 pounds the morning of IM CDA last year I only survived the entire day because of the execution advice of RnP on race day.  This year I come more prepared and educated than before.  My wife Lisa, my sons Ethan and Everett will be there as well as my parents.  We cannot wait to meet more of the team and complete the day.  See you guys on the road! Let’s all have the day we planned. EXECUTE. Then back to the pain cave.

Matt Samojeden

Matt Samojeden, 55 years young and Live in St Louis MO.  Third year doing Triathlons after being away from the sport for over 20 years.  This is my 1st IM AZ, my second IM this year and 6^th IM. This is my third season with EN.  I’m a business development executive for Hubbell, a large electrical equipment manufacture. The job has a significant amount of travel which makes getting the training done an added challenge at times.  My wife Sandra of 23 years is into Nature and wildlife photography.  So when I not training, I get to be Sherpa and carry the heavy gear.

My goals for IM AZ this year is for a run PB!  I hope my legs show up and don’t cramp in the cold water swim!  Looking forward to meeting all at the race.

Andrew Kantor

I am excited to say that IMAZ is my first IM.  My journey started 4 years ago when I was asked to compete in a triathlon relay team for my company as the runner.  I decided that day I completed the relay that next year that I would do my first Triathlon so my triathlon career began.  So it began…I did my first year of Tri’s on my mountain bike, bought a road bike in 2009 and completed IMKS in 2010, and signed up for IMAZ in November 2010 when I volunteered at IMAZ .  I have a very supportive wife (Cynthia ) and three extremely supportive children (Allie (8), Trev (6), and Will Scottie (3) who have been very understanding during the EN training plan.  I was brought to the Haus by Alex Tasic who helped me with some of my first swim lessons in Kansas…thanks Alex!!!!  I am very excited and ready for the IM adventure!!!!

David Lesh

M31 – Sacramento, CA

This is my first season doing triathlons. I purchased my first real bike in August 2010, had only ever jogged as far as 10k, and never swam for real until I joined EN in October 2010 after my first sprint triathlon. From there I went on to complete multiple Olympic distance triathlons and a half Ironman (Vineman), getting faster and more confident with each race. Arizona will be my first attempt at the iron distance. My journey from absolute beginner to Ironman hopeful has been challenging in many ways, but has also been one of the most enjoyable and enlightening years of my life. My wife Katie will be joining me at the race and has been my greatest supporter since I started this crazy triathlon game. I am super excited to meet and race with members of team EN that have been with me on this journey.

Jennifer Eckert

Hi, my name is Jennifer Eckert.  I’m 58 years old and have been racing triathlon for 20 years. My husband and I combined families and were responsible for the raising of our 3 children, all of whom are 34 and up now! I also have 3 grandchildren.

My first triathlon was a sprint distance in the early 90′s.  I caught the bug and increased my racing as the years came and went.  In my early 50′s I started bike racing on a women’s developmental team.  Crits, TT’s and road races.  It was a positive experience where I made some lifelong friends and learned some valuable lessons, (like racing against 20 year old college athletes is tough!!)  After getting taken out in a race I decided I would go back to the more civilized sport of triathlon.    Ironman Arizona will be my 4th Ironman.  I didn’t jump into Ironman and did my first in 2006 at 53 years of age.  I had watched my husband, who is my faithful training partner, supporter and biggest fan do many Ironman races before I decided to take the plunge.  I retired from management in the insurance claim industry 3 years ago and have plenty of time to train and sleep now!   My other Ironman races include Florida, Coeur D’alene and Canada.  Other memorable races completed were Pacific Grove, Alcatraz, Vineman and Tritons in Bozeman, Mt.

I’m looking forward to racing in Arizona, but will miss toeing the line my SO, Mike.  He had to withdraw due to an injury.  But he will be out there all day long cheering me on with words of encouragement which is the best!  I’m also looking forward to meeting new friends of Team EN.

Scott Dinhofer

Hey all! This will be my third IM start having done IMAZ last November & IMKY this past August. I am a divorced father of three girls (10,10 & 12 (yes Twins)) I was getting into marathons around the time I got married in ’95. Married life, commuting an hour or so each way to work and kids took their toll on me and I topped the scales a few years ago at 206. After getting separated a friend recommended I do an ironman, yes straight up, go for it! I was already down a bit in weight & was following a book he recommended and into my training for IMAZ. A little over a year ago, I was poking around the internet when I found a video of two guys preaching their four keys of ironman execution. This led me to the EN website, a purchase of the Long Course Tri Ebook which I devoured and here I am.  I am now about 170 which is 17 lbs lighter than a year ago. Looking forward to catching up with EN friends and meeting new ones in Tempe and executing a good race.

Dominic Malleo

I’m Dominic Malleo from Morristown, NJ.  IMAZ will be my 5th IM and 4th with Endurance Nation.  I’m pictured with my wife and best friend, Tracie our 7 year old daughter and 5 year old triplets!  This will be the first time since 2007 that my kids will be traveling with me to a race and I’m very excited to share the experience them.  My “one thing” is a PR (sub 11:26).  But no matter what the clock says, this is my last IM and I plan to enjoy the day, high five and kiss the fam as often as I see them, and shout out as many “Go EN”s as I can.  A special thanks to Rich & Patrick – your plans, tips and execution techniques have helped me get the most out of my fitness year after year.  I look forward to seeing the team out there.  Good luck and execute like the race ninjas you are.  Go EN!

Stephanie Stevens

Ready for IMAZ….bring it on!  This is my fourth year of triathlon, and my second Ironman (I did IMCDA in June).  I come from a long athletic background, but I was a Division I springboard/platform diver in college, and had never done cardio exercise for more than about 45 minutes at a time prior to triathlon.  My nerves are not as high as they were for IMCDA, so that is a good thing.  I’m from the Denver area and found EN after trying out some local triathlon teams and not being able to make it to many team practices due to my full work schedule (I’m a pediatrician in private practice and work entirely too much).  EN has been the best thing for me – I am running faster than I ever have (ok, that’s not saying a whole lot).  I will be at the race with a few Denver tri-buddies and my college roommate.  My husband and two teenage boys should be in the “audience”, as well as one of my best friends from childhood.  Glad to have tons of support on the course.  Really looking forward to seeing those of you I met in Coeur d’Alene and Aspen and meeting the rest of you.  I don’t have a lot of specific time goals for this race, mostly just goals related to my execution.  But, I am hoping to finish before my family has to leave for the airport to catch a 10pm flight.  Give me a shout-out or a high-five on the course…team EN is the best!

Mike Davis

I am Mike Davis, 46 years old and live in Colorado Springs with my wife Mary and two daughters Brandi and Cassie.  This is my 3rd year in triathlon and IMAZ with be my first Ironman. After running track and cross country in high school I didn’t do much in athletics until I started cycling about 10 years ago.  After a rough start to the year fighting foot issues and then a self inflicted shoulder injury in a crash I am coming to IMAZ feeling healthy with no goals other than to have fun and finish the race.  Mary and Cassie will be with me in AZ to cheer me for race day (and enjoy the much better weather)!

Mark Ulfig

Age 55, Married to Isabelle, father to Tyler and two precocious dogs, Elliot and Chief.  Ironman Arizona will be my 6th Ironman after completing Texas 2011, Wisconsin 2007, Louisville 2008, Lake Placid 2009 and Cozumel 2009.

Born and raised in the Detroit area now living in San Antonio.  Avid outdoorsman and lifelong learner, attended University of Michigan Engineering School, University of Houston Business School and Wayne State Law School.

Isabelle Ulfig

51 years old, family is Mark (hubby) and Tyler (son)  & our two big dogs. Presently living in San Antonio — though my hometown is Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ironman Arizona will be my 14th (!) Ironman race. Previous IM races include Texas this past May, Canada (3x), Wisconsin (2x), Vineman, Lake Placid (3x), Coeur d’Alene, Florida, and Louisville.   Mark and I are also planning to race Ironman Canada in 2012.

Henry Sacco

My name is Henry Sacco. I live in Northern Massachusetts with my awesome wife Susan, daughter Ariel and son Henry Michael. I’m 42 years old and have been actively involved in endurance sports for the last three years. I work in a corporate environment and spend most of my day at a desk or in meetings. The three sport discipline of triathlon was a perfect outlet as I really wanted something interesting and challenging to keep me fit.

I started out in 2009 entering 5k races, half marathons and sprint triathlons. It wasn’t until my second year that I got the Ironman bug. This year I raced Ironman Lake Placid, Timberman HIM and now Ironman Arizona. I’ve found that I really enjoy the discipline required to execute long course triathlons and I’ve learned that it is so much more than just fitness! I’m surely still a newbie, but am looking forward to many additional years of racing.

This is my first year training with Endurance Nation and I could not be happier. I especially like that fact that the coaches account for the needs of age group athletes by building plans that accommodate disparate schedules and allow us to maximize the limited hours in a week. The wealth of knowledge found in my team mates and on the EN forums cannot be matched. Thanks EN!

Aaron Linkow

Steve Swanlund

This is the end of my first year with Endurance Nation, and my second Ironman since joining. Ironman Couer d’Alene was an awesome experience and one that was made even better by the members that did it with me.  My membership with EN allowed me to take part in the Epic Aspen Bicycle Camp in September in preparation for Ironman Arizona where I met some great people.  These late season Ironmans are tough to train for having been training for 50 weeks consecutively, but it was made a little bit more pleasant having the team to bounce ideas and concerns off.  I am looking forward to completing this challenge and having a great time doing it.

Jeremy Behler

This is the end of my first year with EN and IMAZ will be my first 140.6.  I’ve been doing triathlons for 2 years.  My background is in cycling where I raced in college (Breaking Away anyone???).  I picked up running 5 years ago and just started swimming 2 years ago as I got into triathlon.

I live in Cincinnati where I work at Procter and Gamble.  I’m married to Meredith with three kids: Davis (7), Clark (5), and Maggie (2.5).

Carrie Larson

Jonathan Needell

My name is Jonathan Needell and I am a 41 y.o. age group triathlete competing in Ironman Arizona. This is my first full Ironman.  I am a proud father of 2 beautiful kids (Caroline 11 and Harry 9).  My wife’s name is Christine and she is my best friend and my whole family has been very supportive this year.  I am originally from New York.  I am a 1992 graduate from St. Lawrence University. I spent 20 or so years being very overweight to obese. Two years ago I went on a diet and started masters swimming. Then I started running and eventually cycling. In the last 18 months I have completed a half marathon, marathon, two olympic triathlons, three half Ironman’s, and now I am attempting my first full Ironman. I recently (8 weeks out) injured my hip. Hip tendonitis with a bit of a tear. Rehabbing it is going well but I will not know if I can run until I get off the bike. I joined Team EN this year to learn how to keep up this Triathlon lifestyle for longer than a couple of years and I am looking forward to a long Tri career and the race on November 20^th.

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

Want To Learn More About Team EN?
Take one of our five FREE Triathlon Email Seminars: Short Course, Beginner, Half Iron, Ironman, OutSeason. Click here to find your seminar. You can also become a Fan of Endurance Nation on Facebook.

Ready To Train?
Create a FREE five-day trial to check out everything Endurance Nation has to offer. From 20+ training plans to over 500 pages of resources, from 100+ daily forum posts to our weekly coach chat sessions, there’s something for every triathlete!

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

EN had a total of  4  athletes race in a variety of races with a 75% PR rate! Congratulations to everyone — you can read the full details below.

If you’d like to join our age group members in training to be your best, please create a FREE Five Day Trial Membership here or consider purchasing an Endurance Nation training plan here.

Races on 11/6

Santa Clarita Marathon

Mac Caudill ran this race to a 3:43:30 finish, a PR by 3 minutes!

Races on 11/11

Veterans’ Day 11k

David Brannon completed this run in 51:29 for a PR.  He said “My Vdot for a 10K was a 7:33 pace so that was my target pace…came away with 7:31 average pace. It was a cold but sunny morning… just perfect for racing. I appreciate the direction of the coaches with setting goals through bike and run testing. “

Races on 11/12

Santa Barbara Half Marathon

Anson Lam raced to a PR finish time of 1:33:02 and said “This was my fifth half-marathon since my first one in January, and I’ve PR’ed every time since then. I’m only into week 5 of the Outseason, but I still knocked off over 3 minutes on my half-marathon time since starting the plan. Can’t wait to see the results once I’m done with the OS!”

Races on 11/13

Miami Man

Dewey Carpenter competed in this half-Ironman race for a finish time of 6:57:01.  Members can read his race report here.

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

EN had a total of  8  athletes race in a variety of races with a 100% PR rate! Congratulations to everyone — you can read the full details below.

If you’d like to join our age group members in training to be your best, please create a FREE Five Day Trial Membership here or consider purchasing an Endurance Nation training plan here.

Races on 11/5

Tyranena Beer Run

Sue Chapman ran this half marathon and PR’d with a time of 2:06.

Ironman Florida

Brian Comiskey (photo at left) raced to a finish of 11:05 and a PR!  He said “Solid execution with bike and marathon PR’s and also a nice bump in AG placing compared to 2010.  It was great seeing CoachP at the bike start and at Mile 18.”

Scott Davis also earned a new PR with a finish time of 12:33.  He said “Was a near  perfect day for me.  Had a great, uneventful swim, great T-1, smooth and steady on the bike, T-2 was smooth and fast, and I was able to run the entire marathon. Was shooting for sub 13 hrs, and was able to execute! Coach P was at mile 18 giving out that great EN advice, and at the finish to chear us on.”

James Elmer raced to a 11:59:21 finish and a PR.  He said “Great support.  Thanks to Tim Dux for help at the end.  Awesome seeing Coach P at 4 keys talk and at mile 6, 9, 18.    thanks for the great training plan and all the great advice from Wicked Smart Members et al.”

David Morris crossed the line in 11:43 for a new PR as well.  He said “With less preparation and fitness, I confirmed that race day is about execution and not fitness. Despite a slower pace on the run than I hoped for, I still had enough in the tank to prevent a total slowdown shuffle and finish with over an hour PR. Thanks EN! and on course support from coach P!”

Marc Robards took on the IMFL course and finished in 11:08:56.

Shawn Thompson raced his first ever IM and finished with a time of 11:46:56.  He said “My First IM was a huge success.  45 minutes faster than expected.  This had nothing to do with my fitness.  In fact I missed more training in the last 6 weeks than the rest of the year.  So instead of focussing on what I want to do, I made an honest assessment of what a can do today and Executed!!!  Work Works, but Execution makes your Race Day!!!!

Steven Wallace finished the race with a PR-worthy time of 13:45 and said “I stuck to the EN plan and was blown away.  I did what my friends nicknamed my riding technique and did the “Yoga ride”  This being the first time I just took it very easy so I set my HR alarm to mid zone 2 and tried to avoid the beeping.  So I ended up being able to run the Marathon while everyone around me, in was walking in the last couple of hours.  I also enjoyed having the team around.  It got me out to a swim practice where I did some sighting work that I think helped me turn in a 1:24 swim when I expected to be 1:30.  Thanks everyone for the great time.”

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

Depending on how you structure your year, racing at Ironman Florida in November is either really early in your season or really, really late. Most folks are in the latter boat since, being newbies, they spend the better part of the year getting ready for this one single day. The pressure is high, but the course is friendly and pretty straightforward. If you hit it on a tougher than average day, like this year’s event, your ability to execute and pace become critically important.

Coach Patrick was on hand to support the 28 members racing and the handful of Training Plan athletes. Across all these folks, we have a pretty good sense of how the day played out. To view the pictures from the weekend, go to our Ironman Florida Gallery. To learn more about Ironman Florida, read race reports and listen to athlete podcasts, please visit our Ironman Florida Race Site. Athlete videos are on line on the Endurance Nation YouTube channel.

The Swim

For those of you concerned about a mass start, once again IMFL proved that it’s not really of a concern here. With a standing beach start, people naturally begin  to spread out as they wade into the water.

Even though there was a slight wind from the North / NorthEast, the water had minimal waves as compare to some of the more epic years. The water was pushing folks left to right, so into the buoys on the way out and away from the buoys on the way back in.  Time lost here was most likely mitigated by the water pushing folks across the buoys on the stretch of the swim that paralleled the shoreline.

Consensus seems to be that starting the second loop — with the diagonal swim back out to begin the trip around the buoys — was the hardest part of the day. At this point most folks were swimming directly into the waves. The top overall swimmer, who went sub-45 minutes, decided to avoid this challenge by running down the beach. I think a lot of the other competitors would have done the same had they known!

The Bike

While the day started out innocently enough, by the time the swim was over competitors were facing a stiff headwind for the first 30 miles of the bike. Peaking between 17 and 20 miles an hour by 11 am, the wind did eventually drop to about 6 to 8mph later in the day on the run. That said, the wind played a significant factor on the bike. From forcing athletes to be patient in the early headwinds to rewarding their ability to keep pushing the pedals in a beneficial tailwind, the wind remained consistent.

This meant the wind had a net zero effect on the overall race (assuming you paced properly). In other words, your steady effort into the wind might have netted you 14 miles per hour, but the same effort with a tailwind gave you 20mph. Not the way you’d necessarily plan to average 17 miles per hour, but effectively nonetheless.

The wind also reputed affected the drafting, especially the mid-race sections with a significant crosswind. Combined with the hard work of the marshals, things seemed to have operated about as fairly as they could.

The biggest hiccup people seemed to have was flat tired due to debris or poor road conditions. Whatever you do, make sure you have your bike 100% ready to go by IMFL 2012 and that you have total confidence in your ability to change a tire!

The Run

By the time folks started the run for most age groupers, the day had warmed to just over 70 degrees. While this isn’t warm by any stretch, it felt quite hot given the cooler temperatures from the morning. The wind remained constant on the run, pushing athletes out of T2 towards the run turnaround, but slowing them down on the return trip.

Without a doubt, the serpentine nature of the run gave the racers a reprieve from the wind and maybe allowed folks to actually run. As the day word on and the temperature began to drop back down, your body’s ability to digest  food and handle the rigors of the event grew exponentially. Of course, not everyone was actualy ready eat.

Standing out  by the entrance to the state park, you could see by about 5:30 pm that quite a few people had started walking.. It was about this time that the sun truly dropped taking the temperature with it. Standing on the side of the road, Coach Patrick was wearing two shirts, a fleece and a cycling jacket….with jeans…and he was still cold!

The consistent nature of the wind seemingly kept the run very fair,..the fast folks still went very fast. If anything, people paid the price for out-performing their fitness on the bike. But that’s the nature of the beast in Florida!

At the Finish

Coach P was able to make it to the finish line by about 6:30pm, and he caught more than 50% of our athletes exiting the finish. You can watch the interviews on our YouTube Channel. Hearing about the race, firsthand, moments after crossing the finish, really gives insight as to how powerful the Ironman experience is. To see the excitement on our athletes faces, you’d think they had just won the lottery instead of surviving 140.6 miles!

If you are looking for more information about Ironman Florida, be sure to explore our IMFL Race Site or ask the Coaches/Team on the Endurance Nation Facebook page. If you are an age group triathlete looking to train for Ironman Florida and want to get faster while keeping a life and a job, create a FREE 5-day.Trial Membership and explore Endurance Nation for yourself!

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!

When we say that our Endurance Nation plans make you tangibly faster, everyone wants to know what’s in it for them. How will it help them specifically? While I can’t predict your fitness future I can show you the data from one of our members. In a little under a year, he boosted his FTP up by 47 watts and improve his w/kg ratio from 3.0 wkg to 4.1 w/kg!

Not only could his former self not ride with him…not too many others in his area can either. Enjoy the data view, you geeks!!!!

• 11/27/10   First FTP test ever, FTP 175  (3.0 w/kg)
• 12/26/10   42 min CT test, FTP 185
• 2/07          42 min CT  test, FTP 195
• 3/22          42 min CT test, FTP 201
• 5/25          23 min test  hill time trial, FTP  206
• 6/30          42 min test, FTP 218
• 8/11          20 min test, FTP 221
• 10/16        20 min test, FTP 222 (4.1 w/kg)

Visit Endurance Nation to create a FREE Five-Day Trial or Shop our Triathlon Training Plans!