Risks

According to a literature review, the heart responds in a variety of ways to exercise.

1. Short Term Response

a. “Exercise induced cardiac fatigue” which is a decrease in pumping and resting functions of the heart associated with ultra-endurance events

i. Decrease in pumping function is variable and seems to be associated with duration of event and training status.

ii. Not all studies report a decrease in pumping function.

iii. Decreased resting function is more consistent and repeatable.

iv. Exercise induced cardiac fatigue seems to be more prevalent in the right ventricle (lower chamber) and may lead to remolding (changes within the heart muscle) in some athletes that might predispose them to the development of ventricular arrhythmias.

v. The decrease in pumping and resting function appear to be transient and resolve within 48 hours but may persist up to 1-4 weeks.

b. Elevations in troponin (c-Tn)

i. Overall rate of c-TnT elevation in endurance events is 47%. However, single blood draws post event may underestimate the overall number of post event elevations in c-TnT.

ii. Most studies have shown no correlation between elevations in c-TnT with altered function in the left ventricle but many have linked c-TnT elevation with dysfunction of the right ventricle.

iii. The cause of c-TnT elevation is also unknown but leakage of unbound protein across the cell membranes is suspected. Myocardial damage (ischechemic injury) and death of the heart muscle cells is the other possibility.

iv. Bottom line it is unknown if the elevation results from reversible or irreversible damage to the heart muscle cells

2. Long Term Effects

a. Change to heart structure and function (these changes are expected and are not considered to raise health concerns)

i. Eccentric hypertrophy is an adaptive response to endurance training

1. This is dilation of the cardiac chamber to improve stroke volume or the amount of blood the heart pumps every time it beats.

2. Finding is well documented and balanced between the right and left ventricles.

ii. Changes result in an increased maximal stroke volume with exercise which raises cardiac output during exercise

b. Other changes

i. Studies overall show that endurance exercise decreases cardiovascular risk. However, a 1995 study hints that a high dose of physical activity (>4000 kcal/week) may lead to a small increase in risk.

ii. Greater incidence of atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter in endurance athletes.

iii. Two studies have shown an increase in asymptomatic ventricular arrhythmias in endurance athletes and another has shown 25% of those with ventricular arrhythmia’s have inducible non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. The studies differ on the impact of decreasing training volume of stopping training on the development of the arrhythmia.

iv. Studies have also suggested that there may be a link between the right ventricular changes mentioned above and the development of ventricular arrhythmias that is termed “Exercise Induced Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy”. This process is not seen in all study participants and I stress that this is not a proven entity.

v. Some endurance athletes have fibrosis (scarring) of their heart muscle noted on MRI that is not consistent with coronary artery disease. This fibrosis can lead to the development of ventricular arrhythmia’s but no link or risk information is available on athletes with scarring of there heart.

In Summary

a. Overall endurance training leads to healthy changes to the heart that promotes long life with a decreased risk of death from all causes.

b. There is a slight increase in the risk of death during and for ~ 24 hours following an endurance event. That risk is about 1:50,000 at the highest but may actually be lower.

c. For a small subset of endurance athletes there may be an increased risk for the development of ventricular arrhythmias that may increase the risk of sudden death whether engaged in activity or not. At this time, there is no screening method known to identify the population at risk for arrhythmia development, though evaluation with a Holter and/or contrast MRI may identify athletes with a potential increased risk.

d. Bottom-line the risk seems to be very small that exercise induces changes to the heart could lead to sudden death. This does not take into account the presence of coronary artery disease, or a congenital/genetic cardiac disease that might predispose to sudden death with physical exertion.

Recommendations

1. If you feel like you want to get your heart checked out, do it. But don’t forget that heart disease is not something that happens due to a single cause. It is typically a combination of different risk factors that interact with your individual genetic makeup to create and build atherosclerotic placques in your body’s arteries. These things take years to build to significant levels which is why older people have more heart disease, but why youth does not make you immune. Because it is so uncommon in people under 40 (without family history of heart attacks in 40ish family members), don’t be surprised if you get a history, physical, EKG, and a clean bill of health. For people over 40 with few, if any, risk factors, your check up may not be much different. Of course, if you have any symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, progressive fatigue, etc., your risk is higher and your workup will likely be more extensive. But if you are having symptoms, you are stupid if you are ironman training without medical clearance.  Assuming Chris was never evaluated for heart disease, chances are that if he truly had few, or no, risk factors, he would have received a routine workup that probably would have been negative. So would him walking into his doctor’s office 3 months ago saved his life? No one will ever know, but it probably wouldn’t have. Then we would all be sitting here having the conversation about what the point of having heart check-ups was if they didn’t prevent sudden cardiac death.

2. Being physically fit, whatever that means to you, is always healthier for your heart than a sedentary lifestyle.

3. It makes no sense whatsoever that it’s OK for your heart to race for 10-16 hours, but not OK to sprint the last 200 yards to the finish.

4. While it may often be true that many people die near the end of different types of races, my understanding is that the majority of people who die in triathlon do so during the swim……of heart-related causes.

5. Everyone needs to assess their own perceived risk of participating in triathlon and weigh their own personal consequences in determining if they want to participate. I certainly do respect the person that quits to eliminate the risk of leaving behind a spouse and kids for what they consider a hobby. But don’t forget that this is extremely rare. Trying to explain statistics to Chris’ wife will mean nothing because as far as they are concerned it was 100% in him. But the statistics are real. Whether it’s 1 in 50,000 or 1 in 200,000, it’s still extremely rare. And while I don’t know her, I would bet that she would encourage people to get checked, to be careful, but not to stop racing because of Chris. I never knew the guy, but reading all the stuff from people who did, I would doubt that he would discourage anyone from doing it either.

Folks, at the end of it all, the one thing we can say with certainty is this.

If you have concerns or experience any unexplained chest or upper body ( back, arm, jaw or stomach) pain, palpitation, unusually high heart rate, or feel faint or light headed during or after exercise stop the activity and please consult with your physician and/or cardiologist for further guidance as soon as possible.

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By Patrick McCrann

This time of year there are lots of great things to reading about swimming. But that doesn’t mean you need to do everything you read, all at once, and starting today!

Swimming is a skill-based activity, with more than 80% of your “effort” being directed into proper form and positioning. This isn’t something you just start doing; it takes time and the proper attention. Here’s my age-grouper approach to working on my swimming across the context of a season of triathlon.

Step One: Stop Swimming
Time: Approximately Three to Five Months

The first thing I do at the end of the season is take a huge chunk of time away from swimming. That’s right, I essentially spend part of my year–every year–desensitizing myself to swimming. I know it sounds radical, but bear with me. At the end of the day, becoming a better swimmer for the average triathlete means two things: engaging your swimming frequently and engaging it with the open mind set of a total beginner.

Swim improvement for the vast majority of us comes from improving our technique. The ability to improve your technique is a function of how you swim. Not a function of how much you swim, but rather what you do when you swim during the time that you do get into the pool.

Step Two: Dedicated Swim Re-Entry Time
Time: Approximately Four Weeks

Taking time away from swimming means I can focus on improving my bike and run fitness during the winter OutSeason training months. After a few months of hammering the bike and run, I need a break to transition back into being a triathlete. I usually take two very easy weeks, followed by two weeks where I slowly build up some volume again.

This translates into four weeks of no-pressure, technique-oriented swimming. During this time I’ll hit the pool two to three times a week and I will exclusively do drills. In fact I usually do this type of workout before I’ll do a harder workout on the treadmill or something else at the gym. This low-pressure time is a great way for me to get back in the water, focusing on technique, before I begin to even think about about my swim fitness.

Here’s what I do during my Re-Entry Period:

• I focus exclusively on technique.
• I strive to find what feels right, smooth, and effortless.
• I avoid looking at the pace clock for the first two weeks; last year’s splits don’t matter.

When I say technique, as a triathlete of ten years I have my own personal set of drills that really help me “get right.” I use these drills to recalibrate my stroke; they form the baseline for how I get back into the water. My personal favorites are one-arm swimming (side view video), the catch-up drill (side view video), and the fist drill (side view video; front view video).

Step Three: Add Swim Fitness
Time: Approximately Eight Weeks

Now that I have spent some time in the pool, I am both physically and mentally ready to begin laying down the work required to build my fitness for race performance. I don’t start by targeting a pace per hundred yards / meters that yields my goal time.

Many triathletes make the mistake of working backwards from that goal time. By putting themselves in a box, striving to swim to a goal time that represents their peak swim fitness, they’ll quickly lose the ability to swim with proper form and technique.

Instead I focus on what my average 100 pace was from the prior year. My first goal is to get back to that level.

During this phase most of my swim workouts consist of very short intervals (between 50s and 100s).  They are at varying degrees of intensity but all have more than enough rest. My goal here is to string together as much fast, with excellent form, swimming as I can.

The minute I begin to feel my form deteriorate, I increase the rest or reduce the set that I’m attempting to complete. Being able to identify the point at which your form falls off is a critical skill–not just for this phase but because that’s how we recommend you race: only swimming as fast as your ability to maintain form, managing the line between speed and skill, and making sure that we never move outside our comfort zone in terms of proper swimming technique.

Step Four: Race Specific Swimming
Time: Approximately Eight to Twelve Weeks

With race day on the horizon, it’s time to begin switching into some longer swim workouts with longer individual interval sets. Since my key race every year is an Ironman, the demands on my swimming time are extremely high. I need to put in some real quality swimming that needs to be as race specific as possible.

Across three given swims a week, at least one of them will include a longer swim set. This is either a recurring 2,000-yard time trial or something at least over 1000 yds. This set is both for fitness as well as mental training on what it means to manage my stroke across an extended period of time. The rest of the time my workout emphasis is still on quality over quantity, as I focus on stringing together quality intervals ranging between 200 and 400 yards.

The only exception to this three times a week model is if I have the time to get in some open water swimming. In many ways, open water swimming is an entirely different undertaking than swimming in the pool. There’s no black line to follow, there’s wind, there’s chop, there are distractions like other swimmers…all the various elements that make swimming so dynamic. The only way to get better at open water swimming is to just do it.

Open water swimming should become a top priority within the last five to six weeks of your race preparation phase, especially as the volume on the bike and the run peaks out and begins to fade away. At this point, we recommend you increase your swim volume and intensity, keeping it rolling until about 7 days out from your goal race.

Conclusion
Never lose sight of the fact that swimming, while an important part of our sport, is almost never the deciding factor between whether or not you will have a great day. Learn how to swim well, practice your swimming when it matters, and swim with your head…and you’ll have a fantastic race. Good luck this season!

Want to boost your swimming this season?
Check out our FREE Swim eBook. You can download it, watch the videos and begin doing the right work to improve your swimming. Get it here (and be sure to open with Adobe!).

Author’s Note: This article is a follow up to our most recent article on what it means to focus on your swim. It’s entitled Seven Essential Tips for Swimming, you can find it here on Active.com.

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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!

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The phrase “racing Ironman” is essentially an oxymoron. Within any given Ironman, there are maybe fifty athletes who will be racing to the peak of their fitness. There are another 250-ish athletes who think that they are racing, but they will most likely end up with a slower-than-desired finish.

The rest of us? Well, we are focused on getting to the finish line as fast as we possibly can.

One hundred and forty point six miles has a way of filtering out the best within the field of competition, but also within each individual. Having a great Ironman is less about what you bring to the table in terms of your fitness, and more what you do with that fitness on race day.

Years of coaching and racing Ironman has taught me that the race really comes down to the marathon. And running the Ironman marathon, 26.2 miles after having swam 2.4 miles and biked 112 miles, is an execution problem first, a fitness problem a distant second. That is to say, no amount of fitness can overcome a poor race execution strategy.

With that in mind, we like to share with you our six Ironman marathon race execution secrets, helping you to “out execute” your competition and your not-so-smart self.

It’s Not About Pace, It’s About Not Slowing Down

It’s easy to get caught up in planning your race out long before the gun goes off. You tell your family when they can expect to see you based on what you think your paces will be…but odds are you won’t be there when you said. That’s because race day pacing has very little to do with that one great run you had six weeks ago and are basing your entire performance upon.

Instead, a great Ironman marathon is simply about not slowing down. If you look at the detailed results of any Ironman event, you’ll see that the splits for the majority of the field over the second half of the race are significantly slower than the first half. Usually a minute or more slower per mile.

Your goal when racing isn’t to find new speed, but to find a sustainable speed that you can hold across your entire day while the competition takes off too fast…and then blows up as you run steadily by.

Incorporate Walking as a Strategy, Not as Failure

If anyone tells you that they aren’t going to walk a single step in an Ironman they are either Criag Alexander (so fit!) or a total newbie (so unaware!).  Based on our experience coaching thousands of Ironman finishers through Endurance Nation, we have learned that walking is actually an important part of your overall strategy.

We encourage our athletes to walk 30-45 steps at every single aid station, which is roughly once a mile. This will allow you to get your nutrition in, assess your current status, drop your heart rate and refocus on the next mile. In this manner, walking at an aid station becomes your reward for running between aid stations. We give you a hard number like 30 so you can’t fudge it and sneak in extra walking…30-45 steps and get back to work!

Six Miles of Conservative Pacing Is the Key to a Strong Finish

In 2008 we had over twenty Endurance Nation athletes, from 10-hour to 15-hour finishers, wear their GPS units on the run and report back their data. From this grand experiment we learned two things. First, that every single person ran too fast in the first six miles of the day relative to their overall run performance. Second, that the athletes closest to an overall equal split actually performed the best within their respective age group.

In other words, if you want to have a great race, your job is to focus on slowing down over the first six miles. We recommend you aim for a target pace of approximately 30″ slower per mile for these first six miles. After that point, you can bump it up to your target run pace and go from there. Since 2008 thousands of Endurance Nation athletes have applied this 30 second per mile strategy to dozens of Ironman PR marathons. It works! Just give us three minutes (30 seconds x 6 miles) and we’ll make your day. Your last 10k will thank us for sure!

Have Three Physical Running Cues for Your Day

Since our goal is to not slow down, a huge part of that “steady” running lies in maintaining proper form.

Good form requires less effort to move down the road; how many of you have watch an Ironman only to see some of the fittest people you can imagine doubled over at the waist or leaning terribly to one side?

Instead of following a pace into a brick wall, identify three running form cues that will allow you to maintain good form and proper pace. My personal favorites are Chin Up to promote good posture; Elbows Back to keep my stride open and Loose Fingers to reduce tension in hands, arms, shoulders and the neck area.

Build A Repeatable Nutrition Schedule by Mile Marker

Having a food plan is better than not having one. Just because there’s a ton of free food on the course doesn’t mean that your body will be able to process it all. Instead of relying on a plan based on time (i.e., a gel every 30 minutes) build these into the existing support structure on the course.

Since aid stations on the run are located about every mile, use your calculator to do some fancy math. If you plan on running 8:00/miles and you need a gel around 30 minutes, then you are eating at miles 4, 8, 12, and so on. You can then fill in the other miles with water and sports drink.

This four-mile routine is not only infinitely repeatable on your day, it’s easy to remember and execute…both of which are critical components of success on your IM race day.

Be Equal Parts Mentally and Physically Ready

Fitness alone won’t get you across the full 140.6 miles. In fact, the reason why we pick such a compelling event as the ironman is precisely because we want to push our bodies to the point where we are truly tested.

While many Ironman competitors have hit the “wall” when running a stand alone marathon, that struggle pales in comparison to what happens at the end of the Ironman. With your body pushed beyond its limits, running on fumes of gels and sports drink, you have to find a way to will yourself to the finishline despite the pain and/or discomfort you are experiencing.

It is precisely at this point that the mental component of your race day toolkit becomes so important. Given the strength of the argument you can expect your body will have with your head, you must set the terms of this conversation early. Prepare your notes, burn it into your subconscious. Know that your body will try to sneak up on you. It’ll throw a cramp at you; it might even make you see crazy visions or disrupt your ability to do math.

Whatever the challenge, that your top goal is to continue making forward progress; this momentum is your best friend and one of the most important elements towards creating a great Ironman marathon experience.

What else do you have to add about the IM marathon, please add it in the comments below!!!

photo credit: koadmunkee

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 photo credit: Gamma-Ray Productions

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.

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After years of reviewing results and the feedback of our athletes, customers, and comparing both with our own training and racing experience, we have come to the conclusion that brick workouts become less valuable as the distance of your goal race increases. In other words, they are more relevant to sprint triathlon training than your next Ironman.

Brick Workouts Have (Limited) Value for the Long Course Triathlete
Before we go further, let’s be clear that there is some value to running off the bike on tired legs.

1. Mental Value: Feel it, taste it, experience it so that your first experience with running off the bike isn’t on race day.
2. Pacing Value: Learning the disconnect between Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Pace. You’ve just been pedaling a bike for hours and now you are running. It’s very common for you to feel like you’re running at 8:00 per mile pace, only to actually be running at 7:30 per mile pace or faster.In addition, because everyone around you is running too fast, you are getting a lot of feedback that this “too fast” pace is the correct one. In fact you’ll most likely feel as though you’re not running fast enough!  A brick run will help you experience this disconnect without the pressure of a race. It will also build your confidence to run your pace vs the pace that everyone else is running in the first critical miles on race day.
3. How Do I Get My Legs Back” Value: It’s important to learn how to adjust your running form in the first couple miles in order to get your running legs back. A few bricks can help you develop and refine your own strategy to achieve this.

Become a Faster Runner by Creating Opportunities to Run Faster on Fresher Legs
Inside Endurance Nation we define fitness as the ability to do work. The “work” referenced here is the effort required to propel you down the road on the run, up mountains on your bike, or across the pool. Increased fitness then is the capacity to do more work.

The purpose of every single workout is essentially to increase your capacity to do work, and it’s under this lens that the value of a brick workout quickly disappears. Simply put, very often a brick run for the long course triathlete is a relatively slow run on tired legs. We’ve learned that the best way to become a faster runner is to create more opportunities to run faster on fresher legs.

Long Course Running is about Race Execution First, Fitness Second
There is no doubt that long course triathletes are very fit people. They swim, bike, and run a LOT, and they are doing a LOT of brick runs. But the vast majority of long course triathletes are under-performing — running slower than their potential — on race day, especially at Ironman.

Our experience across thousands of Ironman and 70.3 finishes since 2007 says that the majority of the time, failure to run to your potential on race day is a race execution issue. This is accomplished by either riding or running too hard, especially in the early stages of each leg of the race.

• The Bike:  Riding the first 45 to 90 minutes of the Half Ironman or the first two hours of the Ironman bike too hard, especially when hills and headwinds are present.
• The Run:  Running too fast in the first three to four miles of the Half Ironman or the first six to eight miles of the Ironman.

Just stand on a random hill on any Ironman bike course and you’ll see the majority of the field crushing it, working much too hard. Next, stand at mile one of the run course — you’ll think that the majority of the field is going to run a sub 3:30 marathon because there sure are a lot of folks running sub 8:00 miles. But then go out to mile 18 and you’ll see these same very, very fit people running dramatically slower.

Yet after the race, the discussion around under-performance turns away from strategy to fitness. This is because triathlon culture presents training and fitness as the answer to questions about speed and performance vs becoming a smarter, better executing long course triathlete.

Running Off the Bike is an Issue of Skill
As a triathlete fit enough to ride and run, you have no issue getting off of your bike and actually running. The challenge lies in being able to synchronize how you are working (input) with how fast you are actually running (output). One brick run where you realize that your actual pace is significantly faster than your perceived pace is enough to drive home the lesson.

For most, the initial transition about bike to run is about finding their running stride. Learning how to get from the funny post-bike leg feeling to a smooth running stride is an individual process  that, once learned, is effectively ingrained in your brain.

While running with your proper form is more efficient, it’s not necessarily any faster than the early time you spent running off the bike (as that’s usually faster than desired). If anything, finding your “run legs” means settling down into a pace that’s appropriate for the race itself.

The Wrap Up
We realize that two triathlon coaches telling their athletes and readers to not run off the bike…is very unusual! We have reflected on what we’ve learned in our nearly 20 years of Ironman coaching, over 40 personal finishes, thousands of athletes coached and dozens of races observed.

In summary, we’ve learned :

• The vast majority of the time, under-performing the run is the result of overcooking the bike or the first quarter to one third of the run.
• If you want to run fast you need to create opportunities to run fast, on fresher legs, vs slowly on tired legs.

Interested in learn more?
Go here to download our Brick Adjustment Guidelines, a FREE resource we’ve created to help you integrate these ideas into your training plan!

Go here to listen to the podcast Rich and Patrick recorded to accompany this article.

Endurance Nation Triathlon Coaching
With over 500 members, we are the worlds largest and fastest growing long course triathlon team. Go here to create a FREE 5-day trial membership.

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

As a triathlete it’s easy to get caught up in confusing and conflicting advice on how you should/should not train. As coaches of busy age group triathletes, just like you, we’d like you step back and consider our approach for maximizing results for our Team.

The conversation of how to train takes place within the context of relatively fixed resources: time, money, etc. Any discussion of how to train must be approached first with the question:

What approach will yield the highest rate of return, on race day, for my investment?

These are questions you deal with in your real world every day — in your job, with your family, and in your personal life — about how and where to spend your time, money, and attention on a long list of possible choices. Triathlon training is no different!

In this series we will introduce you to the concept of framing the majority of triathlon training and purchasing decisions with the context of Return on Investment. We’ll then drill this topic down into each discipline, identifying for you both high and low ROI opportunities in each sport. In the process we hope to bring you several years up the learning curve, saving you hundreds of misspent training hours–and thousands of dollars as well!

The Return on Investment question has two components:

• The cost of inputs.
• The absolute potential gain/time savings on race day.

Typical Age Grouper Inputs
The “stuff” we have available to “spend” on our sport

• Time — How much time to spend swimming, biking and running each day and across a week. This should include the admin time (packing a bag, driving to a session, showering afterwards, etc) on the front and back end of each session.
• Headspace — Every training session comes at a cost (and often a benefit) to the amount of room we have in our heads for stuff. A three hour solo trainer ride in your basement in January and a three hour Saturday ride with your friends in the sun in June are just two examples.
• Spousal Approval Units (SAUs) — Our tongue-in-cheek term for the costs that your training decisions have on the live of those important to you.
• Money — Pretty obvious!

The costs of each of these inputs are variable, usually as a function of their distance from race day and/or your experience in the sport.

Time
Training and admin time applied farther away from your goal race is more costly than time applied closer to your race. In addition, training time applied closer to your race generally has a greater rate of return on race day than time spent months and months in advance.

For example:

• A three hour trainer ride on a Sunday in December — during the holidays and in the cold and dark after a long year of triathlon training, while ignoring a well-defined “honey-do” list of things you have been putting off, just because your upcoming season ends with Ironman Florida in 11 months — is much more costly than that same ride, outdoors in the sun with your friends in September.
• Likewise, that 3hr ride in September is much more likely to have an impact on race day than the 3hr ride that did or did not happen eleven months before your race.

Headspace
It’s relatively easy to determine the time cost of a training session: time on the road + admin time (preparing, driving, showering, etc) = total time investment. However, the cost, or benefit, of that session to your headspace — the limited amount of attention, motivation, and personal investment we each have available to us — is an intangible cost and often difficult to determine.

As Ironman coaches whose athletes are registering for races often a year in advance, we encourage you to be very, very aware of the fact that you only have so much motivation and focus to apply to the problem of training for your race. If you are putting your feet on the floor at 0530 in January and telling yourself you are “training for” Ironman Wisconsin…that’s a very, very dangerous place to be. You are at high risk of being burned out, insane, or worse by June.

Spousal Approval Units (SAUs)
We all have an SAU account and it helps, to say the least, if we can keep that balance in the black! Your decision to make a time and head space allocation to a training event is also a decision to impose an often involuntary expense on those close to you. This is very often a debit to your SAU account. Very simply, if you’re not careful with how you spend your SAU’s, while not making an effort to accrue as many as you can here and there, you’ll find yourself in a situation where “how to train for this triathlon” is the least of your worries!

Money
A $500 expense is a $500 expense regardless of when you decide to spend it. However, the ROI of many expenses is often a function of the experience of the athlete. For example:

• A non-swimmer spending $500 for 10 x 1h one-on-one technique coaching sessions with a knowledgable coach armed with an underwater video camara — is a high ROI investment.
• This same athlete instead spending $500 to upgrade their aerobars to the latest and greatest they saw advertised in a magazine — is a very low ROI investment.

With regards to these inputs, we see ourselves as time and headspace investment managers, SAU balance consultants, and triathlon financial advisors. Our advice is this:

1. Keep your training volume as low as you can for as long as you can.
2. Frame all purchasing decisions within the ROI equation, resisting the siren call of bling.

Instead of racking up huge training and admin hours in January when they are very costly and have a low rate of return for your September goal race, try to keep your January time investment very low. Create a training plan that weights your training hours closer to your race, where they will do you the most good.

Keep your head investment low by putting short term goals in the calendar. We generally like our athletes to not be training for–or focused on–anything farther than about 8-12 weeks in the future.

Rather than nickle and diming your family for a 4-5hr ride every Saturday for months and months, we suggest you limit the length of these training sessions. Cut it short and/or do what you have to do to accrue SAU’s so you can cash them in closer to your race.

Finally, recognize a marketing pitch as just that, even going so far as to assign a dollar amount to each “promised” minute saved on race day.

We’ve found that applying the ROI lenses to all of your training and purchasing decisions is very powerful. For example:

What dollar per hour value do you place on your time on the weekends? Remember that this is YOUR time, not your boss’. This is when you likely spend time with your kids. What’s your hourly on watching (or missing) your 10yo boy’s soccer game? Let’s say that amount is $100 per hour.

• If I can achieve the same or better results with a 4hr ride vs a 6hr ride…why would I waste $200 of your time per ride x 4 Saturdays per month x 7 months = $5600?
• Or before I have you invest 30’ in packing a bag and driving to the gym + swimming + showering + driving x $x/hr x 3 sessions per week in January…I need to able to tell you what rate of return on that time cost investment you can expect on race day, in September.
• The disk wheel ($1500) or aero helmet ($150)?

In future installments of this series we’ll drill down this ROI discussion into each of three sports, sharing with you our high and low ROI activities and investments for each.

Endurance Nation Triathlon Coaching
Go here to create a FREE 5-day trial membership!

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

Endurance Nation has officially launched two unique programs created to encourage you to train with an Endurance Nation training plan or join TeamEN for your 2012 season. They are unique and probably controversial, but if they can help you be a better triathlete then bring it on!!!

Cash for Clunkers

Our plans are in the 9th generation of improvement, proven through the results of thousands, and include tons of high quality supporting documentation. If you have already purchased a competitors training plan in the last six months? No worries!!!

We want to get you out of that clunker training plan and into a shiny new 2012 EN training plan! Buy an Endurance Nation training plan and we’ll reimburse you for the cost of your other training plan, up to $100. How it works:

• Go here to purchase an Endurance Nation training plan, noting our discount codes, then…
• Email us the receipt of your other training plan, with your mailing address.
• We’ll cut you a check and mail it to the address above.
• Da Rules:

• This program only applies to EN training plan purchases made after November 1st, 2011.
• You can only exchange for competitors plans purchased since 5/1/2011.

NEW: Triathlete Liberation Project

Are you currently coached by a traditional 1-on-1 coach?  Wondering if he/she provides you with 100-400% of the value of our $99/month Team Coaching solution?

We invite you to try our Team Coaching solution that we’ve perfected over the last four years, as we’ve built EN from 80 athletes in 2007 to over 500 today…with 80 having joined since September for the 2012 season…with these demonstrated results and testimonials.

Many, many of our members are former 1:1 coached athletes who like going faster, saving money and taking charge of their training.

How the Liberation process works:

• Go here to create your trial membership.
• Email us at admin@endurancenation.us with your EN Username as well as your current coaching situation. Be sure to make the title “Triathlete Liberation Project”.
• If you decide to join TeamEN at the end of your trial, we’ll send you a check for $100 that you can use to pay off your old coach, sign up for a new race, or something else to mark the occasion of your independence.

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

This is a lively bunch with HUGE mojo and lots of laughing and chatter!  Go TeamEN!

Meet a few of them below.

Jonathan McKenzie

2011 Ironman Florida Race Captain

I am Jonathan McKenzie a person who once thought people who did anything over a 5k were nuts.  Triathlons thats just for those fitness nerds. Well, today I sit 7 days out from my first ironman after a 3+ year journey. I started at about 217lbs and I will be racing IMFL at 177lbs.  I have completed about a dozen sprints (2) olympics and (2) 70.3 races. My wife has supported me through the whole process and for that I am very grateful. We have had a son in the middle of this triathlon journey and he is completely amazing.  My life is now mush more healthy and happy physically and mentally as a result of triathlon.  I joined Team EN last November and have really enjoyed the coaching philosophy.  I hope to just finish this first ironman and enjoy the whole day, no real time goals are set for this race other than achieving my potential on that day. I hope all of the competitors at IMFL are safe and wish the very best executed race for all Team EN athletes.

Robert Craig

My name is Robert Craig and I am a 46 y.o. age group triathlete competing in Ironman Florida for the 3rd time (2005,2008, present).  I am a proud father of 3 beautiful kids (Kyle 20, Meghan 9, and Robbie Jr., 7).  My wife’s name is Margherita and she is my best friend and an awesome triathlon support crew chief.  I am originally from Wildwood Crest, NJ.  I am a 1989 graduate from The University of Alabama and then I served 5 years active duty in the U.S. Army.  I separated after making Captain and then attended Wake Forest University Bowman Gray School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Program.   I currently work as an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant in Punta Gorda, Florida.  In  April 2006 I was struck by a car while training on my bike and suffered multiple trauma.  It was a hit and run accident in which I was struck from behind.  I required specialized hip socket (acetabular) surgery and had to learn how to walk again after 3 months of non-weight bearing.  I was told by the local orthopedic surgeon that I’d be lucky if I walked without a limp and certainly would not be able to run again.  Fortunately for me, I was transferred to a major trauma center and had one of the world’s best orthopedic trauma surgeon’s operate on me.  He told me I would do Ironman again and I believed him.  I was determined and began my return journey to Ironman training in November 2006.  I competed in Ironman Florida in 2008 but came down with a stomach virus the day before.  This led to a disappointing 13:41 finish.  This is my year for redemption so I joined Team EN last October and started with the October Outseason program.  I transitioned to the 20 week intermediate IM program and feel the best that I have ever felt leading up to an Ironman.  I think Team EN is going to have an awesome day on November 5, 2011.

Melanie Neumann

Dottie Catlin

Geoff Sage

Scott Davis

Age 42

High Point, NC

I  own a computer graphics company that caters to the home fashions industry, and am a self professed gadget geek. I live in the great state of North Carolina with the love of my life Michelle, and our two daughters Hayden, and Kiana. This has been a year of many 1st’s for me. 1st year training with EN, 1st year participating in a mountain training camp, 1st year completing a HIM, 1st year riding over 75 miles, and the one I am most excited about this will be my 1st Ironman. I feel that I have done everything that I can do to prepare for the race, I just now need to execute like an EN Ninja!

Shawn Thompson

37yo
married with a 2.5yo and one on the way.
Been in the Army for 18 years.
IMFL is my first full and I never thought I would be doing this.  I am in the Army and have been training in one form or another by nature of the job, but gravitated towards the gym and beach muscles.  Then had a back injury in 2005 that led to an artificial disc in March 2009.  After surgery I realized quickly that the gym days were over so had to find something to do or my wife was going to kill me for moping around the house.  My friend, and fellow teammate, Jamison Gaddy was telling me all about his adventures in triathlons.  So on Fathers day 2009 I did my first sprint and it was all over after that.  I traded in my Harley for a Cervelo P2.  I progressed to HIMs, but did it all wrong for a year or so.  Then found EN and started setting PRs and crushing my training partners.  The team is fantastic.  Everyone truly enjoys helping you achieve you goals, whatever you fitness level.  I couldn’t do this without the support of my wife and son.  They are the best.

Dusty Holcomb

I joined EN in September 2010 to prepare for my 2nd year of endurance sports with IMFL being my “A” race.  Training for IMFL has been a ton of fun and made extremely interesting by the arrival of our son Davis on 9/18/11.  I can’t wait to race down the chute at IMFL and see my super supportive wife Tonya and my soon to be 3 year old daughter Maddie.  I love that I am helping set a healthy lifestyle example for my family!  One day I’ll race with them!

Steve Kwiatkowski

This year I’m competing in my 5^th Ironman Florida along with my daughter Lisa…her 2^nd.  We kept up a blog this past year about the ‘journey’ atwww.irondaughterirondad.com

I’m a 57 year old, middle of the pack triathlete, with a PR 3 years ago of 12:57, and looking for a new PR this year.  I joined Endurance Nation a year ago for the January OS, and have enjoyed adding a lot more intensity into my training than I have in the past.

My 3 ‘kids’ are grown, married to Carolyn, and live in Davidson NC, just north of Charlotte.  I’m originally from Toronto Canada, and have been in the States for 30 years now, so about the only Canadian thing left over is the odd ‘eh’ and a weakness for beer.

I own my own software company that specializes in online sales presentations and online training programs, targeted to the automotive business.

By the numbers, I’m a ‘challenged’ swimmer…never swam until 6 years ago when I got into triathlon…probably end up around 1:30-1:40’ish…280 FTP on the bike, 41 vDOT running, so once the swim is over, the joy begins

David Morris

Casey Seabright

Casey Seabright is a native of Minnesota who now lives in the Atlanta area and works for Delta Air Lines.

This is my first year racing triathlons and my first year with EN. I was strictly a duathlete (non-swimmer) and IM sherpa for my Ironman wife Kim. I took swim lessons last year, signed up for IM FL and took the plunge. This year I completed a sprint, an Olympic, and 2 HIM tri’s. My goal for this year has been to make the swim cut-off at IM FL and to finish upright. My wife and I will be joining about 20 friends from the Atlanta area at the start line as well as the E’ Nation!  Good Luck everyone!

Brian Pautsch

Orland Park, IL

This will be my first Ironman race. I’ve been with EN for about a year now and have learned so much. I volunteered at IMFL last year to support the team, meet the coaches, see the race firsthand and guarantee my spot for 2011. My out season started great until I hurt my hamstring. PT is helping, but it may be an issue on the run race day. My goal is to get to the start line as healthy as possible and try to enjoy the day. If all goes well, great…if not, it’ll be a huge learning experience. No matter what happens, I will finish and then start getting ready for IMFL 2012. My parents, wife and kids will all be at the race. I’m really looking forward to seeing them as much as possible during the race. Seeing them at the finish line will be my biggest motivation all day.

Marc Robards

Tallahassee, FL
40
Ironman Florida will be my second Ironman, and second Ironman Florida! My goal is to execute at least as well as I did last year, spend less time napping in transition, avoid the draft packs, nail a low VI, negative split the run, thank as many volunteers as I can, and have fun on my favorite racing day of the year!

Tim Dux

Originally from Australia I have lived in the US for the last 7 years. I met my Wife, Jennifer, in Orlando after a 15k road race 6 years ago. In my teens and early 20’s I played professional rugby until a broken back put a premature end to my career. Training for an IM has reignited a flame in me for competition, perseverance and discipline that I have missed since giving up competitive weekly sport. A year ago I decided to step up and embark on this journey and I am elated that I did. I have drunk the EN cool aid since January this year and I am 100% convinced that without the support none of this would be possible. My goal is to enjoy the day, and execute. I am ok going slower in order to execute the race properly. My inspiration for doing this was the 30 for 30 on ESPN about Terry Fox, on my fridge I have a sign that simply reads: “what would Terry Fox do”, it keeps me going daily.lkjhkll

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