Why Chrissie Wellington Did Not Start Kona (Warning: Contains Spoilers, Speculation)

Since this post was pure speculation and since Chrissie has since offered convincing explanation for her DNS at the 2010 Ironman World Championship, I've decided to delete this post.

Here are several updates that I posted after Kona that explain Chrissie's DNS.

UPDATE 10/14: Having read the official word from Chrissie on her blog, I suppose we can put an end to the wild speculation. It seems she was feeling pretty awful, though I must admit I've had identical symptoms before race day, and I always chalked them up to nerves.

UPDATE 10/21: Chrissie answered questions about her decision not to start Ironman Kona here on the Triathlete website. Read the whole interview or get the gist: "I do want to address some of the rumors that have been going around. I’ve deliberately not been reading the websites and the forums, but the rumors have come back to me. Some of them are laughable, like the fact that I’m pregnant. Others are more defamatory. That I was in someway avoiding the more stringent drug testing procedure is ludicrous to me. ... To suggest that I didn’t race because of a drug test is ludicrous and insulting."

UPDATE 10/29: Yikes! Chrissie was sick as a dog! Post-Kona blood tests revealed that the poor woman had strep, pneumonia, and West Nile--all at once! Here's Chrissie's blog post with the grisly details.

UPDATE 2/22/11: Chrissie has published all her drug test results since she turned pro. I believe this is a commendable gesture on her part, not because she has anything to prove (or disprove) but because she recognizes the importance of fair competition and the need to maintain the trust of fans of the sport.

It's a Good Thing Flu Season Is Off Season: Exercise and Immunity

The New York Times Well blog, in its ever-snarked, contrarian way, asked recently "Does Exercise Boost Immunity?". The answer: moderate exercise boosts the immune system and intense exercise hampers it.

This answer requires some explanation. What do moderate and intense mean and just how much boosting and hampering are we talking about?

According to this article, moderate exercise is compared to a leisurely jog or walk. For endurance athletes, a leisurely jog is a warm-up. Intense exercise is described as "a workout or race of an hour or more during which your heart rate and respiration soar and you feel as if you are working hard". For endurance athletes, this is 2 out of every 3 workouts.

The endurance athlete's "neck check" needs some refinement. The traditional guideline for endurance athletes is to go ahead with a workout if your illness is a head cold -- above the neck. If you're sick below the neck -- with a cough or something intestinal (or a fever) -- ditch the workout to avoid getting worse. 

One expert interviewed said that "Moderate exercise...may prop up your immune response and lessen the duration and severity of a mild infection....It is okay to exercise if you have a simple head cold or congestion — in fact, it may improve the way you feel. I would avoid heavy, prolonged exercise with a head cold, though.". 

So endurance athletes fighting a cold (or fighting to stay healthy in a germ-ridden workplace) should adjust their workout intensity. Skip the intervals and stick with easy, aerobic workouts like a zone 1-2 ride or base run for intervals.

Heck, isn't that what the off season is for?

"Funemployed" and Staycationers Boosting Endurance Sports

Back in February, I declared that triathlon is not recession-proof and made some predictions about what would happen to the sport during this recession. Since this recession is likely to continue into spring 2010, time will tell how right I am. Right now, though, I'm happy to report my wrongness.

This is a great time for some in the endurance sports industry, especially athletes and producers of lower price-point products.

Aside from the Slowtwitch.com poll I mentioned in my February post, the June issue of Runner's World magazine ran the first story I've seen addressing endurance sports and the economy. "Fiscally Fit" by Yishane Lee is a survey article of how the recession is affecting run.

Some of her findings:

• Runners are running more now than pre-recession
• Race attendance is up and registrations are filling up faster than usual
• Race entry fees haven't changed
• Corporate sponsorships--both for races and elite pro runners--are way down

Read the Runner's World online survey that inspired this article at runnersworld.com/economy.

Reed Albergotti at The Wall Street Journal has found that "funemployed" and furloughed athletes are spending more time training and racing. In his June 9 article, Fast Times for Jobless Runners: As Unemployed Amp Up Their Training, Marathon Results and Participation Rise, Reed shows not only that there are more runners, but also that they are actually faster!

Some highlights:

• Participation in 2009 is up over 5%.
• Marathons, triathlons, and road runs are filling registrations in record time. "With the economy in the doldrums, more people are discovering thatwithout those 12-hour workdays, they're able to pursue fitness goalslike never before."
• In 2009, 4.6% of marathoners could qualify for the Boston Marathon. That's a 39% increase over 2008.
• Average gym membership has actually risen 18% this year.

And on July 6, Iowa's WCFCourier.com published a story "Road races not feeling sting of economy". This article provides several examples of running races selling out registrations--because of the down economy.

The main points:

• "Nationwide, several races appear to actually be prospering in the current economy." Even my hometown's Bolder Boulder 10K, which hit record participation numbers last year, "had its second highest number of entries and a record number of finishers."
• Endurance event race registrations, ranging from $70-$150, are cheap in comparison to travel and vacationing. By racing, endurance athletes are saving money. That's one way to "staycation".

Americans exercising? During a recession? We must reward these energetic people with The Pro Deal for All Americans!

UPDATE July 22: "Running for Lean Times" from the Wall Street Journal and "Spent, before race: Sales of marathon goods still strong" from the Boston Globe discuss the emotional benefits of running when times are tough and the shopping mentality of the "bucket list" marathon runner.

To Earn a PR, Pace Yourself

Joe Friel, one of the most respected coaches in endurance sports, just blogged about why the negative split is so crucial for endurance athletes. Joe says that he recently read about pacing and running world records.

"[The research] indicates that nearly all of the record-breaking times in the last 40 years or so have been run with negative splits."

A negative split is when you do the second half of something faster than the first half. For example, I can confirm that I eat the second half of an ice cream cone much faster than the first, mostly to prevent it from dripping all over my hand, which I hate. If I were to begin eating an ice cream cone really quickly at first, my tongue would go numb, I wouldn't savor the flavor, and I'd likely get a painful ice cream headache.

It's the same in endurance sports. If I burst off the start line, I'll likely get very tired quickly and then I'd have depleted much of my body's limited carbohydrate fuel stores (because I usually race without access to ice cream), and I'd be unable to recover. I'd either shock my muscles and they'd turn to lead or I'd race for awhile and then bonk.

Instead, the goal is to set a controlled pace, let the body, the muscles, and the fuel systems to adjust to that pace, and then gradually build into a higher speed. It's this gradual build to a higher, sustainable speed that makes the second half take less time than the first. This negative split is key to racing well. And when you do it right, it feels fantastic! Instead of feeling fastest at the beginning of the race and fading, which is frustrating, I race faster and faster all the way to the finish.

Joe concludes that "The bottom line here is, once again, that if you want to run a fast race it appears to be beneficial if you start conservatively and pace yourself so that the second half is run slightly faster than the first half.".

For cyclists who have on-handlebar computers, estimating pace is easy. How does one estimate pace while running?

• Run on a track.
• Run on a path that has mile markers.
• Trace a route on mapmyrun.com and get familiar with landmarks that approximate distances.
• Use a "foot pod". Foot pods relay stride length to a recording device, usually a wristwatch, but they must be calibrated and can't adjust for changes in stride length without recalibration. Many runners' stride lengths will change throughout a season and throughout a run, so food pods don't strike me as reliable.
• If you have an iPod, get the Nike+ device (Nike site, Apple site). This $29 device, profiled in the July issue of WIRED magazine, straps to your shoe and your iPod and estimates and records your running speed and distance. Next time you sync your iPod, you can upload your running data to the Nike+ website for logging and analysis. The Nike+ uses an accelerometer to measure how long your foot is in contact with the ground, which exercise physiologists have found to be a 95% accurate measure of running speed.
• Use a GPS device, like certain smartphones or a Garmin Forerunner wristwatch. Polar and Timex have GPS products, too, but they look enormous compared to Garmin products. GPS products track your speed over various time periods, which can give you your current pace, average pace, and much more.
  

Some day, running without a GPS watch will be like driving without a speedometer. Sure, there are purist runners out there who won't run with even a wristwatch, but there are purists in any sport until they've all become convinced by their faster peers. I just got a Garmin Forerunner 405, and I'll review it later.

Until then, pace yourself. It's the time-proven way to set a personal record.

A Pro Deal for All Americans

In the outdoor and fitness industries, a "pro deal" is a discount given to employees of outdoor and fitness industry companies. This discount is usually at least 20% off retail, and the best discount I know about is 30% off the wholesale price. The only consumer equivalent would be a warehouse sale, but pro deals are usually in effect all year long. There are even websites set up exclusively to sell discounted merch to industry pros.

The rationale behind the pro deal system has several points. The first reason is promotional, and this is where the pro deal system got its start. Manufacturers want influential people to wear their brands. Who is more influential than those whose job it is to introduce consumers to a new activity? For example, a ski instructor might teach lessons to hundreds of skiers each year. If his eager pupils are impressed with him and his sexy $500 Spyder jacket, they might very well pony up full retail for apparel from Spyder in the future, though the instructor paid far less. This pro deal offers the manufacturer a powerful branding opportunity.

The second reason is charitable. In some industries, the average employee doesn't earn enough to be a customer of that industry. The cycling industry is a great example. Since the average bike shop's profit margin might be as low as 35%, the typical shop rat can't possibly be paid enough to afford a $5,000 bike. Bike shops usually offer an employee purchase program, but many manufacturers of high margin items graciously extend pro deals to their own kind.

The third reasoning is simple gear lust and stinginess. Most people who participate in a gear-intensive activity love them some sexy gear. Most people like paying less than full price. So employees in an industry will offer reciprocal pro deals to other companies just so they don't have to pay full price. In this way, the outdoor and fitness industries are a complicated network of pro deals.

Pro deals have rules. You can only order for yourself. No purchasing for friends or family. Some pro deals have an annual dollar maximum. Most pro deals will only ship to your work address. The most stringent deals require proof of your employment in the industry, like a pay stub, business card, and current catalog. Some pro deals are on a limited selection of products. Most pro deals expire at the end of each calendar year, which causes a flurry of pro deal paperwork early each spring. Industry tradeshows like Interbike and Outdoor Retailer are a flurry of pro deal trading; some companies actually send reps to each booth with the next year's pro deal form or unique login.

There is a certain sense of backalley shame in the pro deal system; people tend to lower their voices when discussing the pro deals available to them. "Pro forms", the special order forms that employees use to fax in or email pro deals, are secured in the back of filing cabinets and passed around surreptitiously. No one wants to risk losing their special pro deal by sharing it with someone who might blow it for them by abusing the deal or ordering too much. If you have a sweet pro deal, you only offer access to those you trust.

But what if everyone had a pro deal?

The Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2009 promises just that. The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association offers a breakdown of what the "PHIT Bill" might mean. Basically, the PHIT Act would extend the Flexible Spending Account tax break to include some purchases of equipment used in physical activity.

Depending on your tax bracket, that could mean 20-40% off your next TREK bicycle, gym membership, Gregory backpack, gym class or ski lesson, or Garmin GPS-enabled fitness watch. That, my friends, is a pro deal every American should support (though I certainly wouldn't want to have the job of approving or denying purchases or, for that matter, making up the tax revenue shortfall).

The bill's sponsors offer these justifications:

• 20% of Americans aged 2-19 are overweight or obese.
• 8 of the 9 most expensive illnesses are more common in overweight people.
• Between 1981 and 2001, per capita healthcare costs rose 27% because of the increase in the number of overweight Americans.
• The WHO estimates that, in the U.S., a $1 investment in physical activity would reduce medical expenses by $3.20.

So score yourself a pro deal: ask your representative in the House to sponsor the PHIT bill.

Boulder Warehouse Sale Season Nearly Over!

With VeloGear and GoLite's warehouse sales already behind us and the REI Anniversary Sale in full swing, it's time to cast a farther glance to find deals.

I've never heard of Neve Designs, so I can't vouch for this sale, but there sure are some great brands on this promo email. If you go, let me know what you think.

Triathlon Aid Stations Should Supplement, Not Supply

A friend of mine finished yesterday's Ochsner Ironman 70.3 in New Orleans (race coverage). She said the afternoon temperature rose into the 80s.

An Ironman 70.3, or half-Ironman, takes its name from the total distance raced: 1.2 mile swim + 56-mile bike + 13.1 mile run = 70.3 miles.

Is it possible that anyone would be crazy enough not to bring any water?

"There were a number of athletes who came into transition (between the swim and the bike) with no water bottles on their bikes, " race director Bill Burke said. "How athletes come into 70-mile races without any of their own fluids is absolutely amazing."

A Times-Picayune blog post, "Thirsty-somethings: High temperatures leave some unprepared competitors desperate for a drink", discusses the race's dire water situation.

"Those stations are supposed to be supplemental fluids. We went through about 6,500-7,000 bottles of water on the bike alone, " Burke said. "We went through about 7,500 cups of water on the run and 5,000 pounds of ice at the finish and 2,000 pounds of ice in transition. I've never seen it this bad, where hundreds of athletes brought nothing to the race."

Sound familiar? 2007 Chicago Marathon?
Aid stations in any sport are intended to aid, not fully supply, the athlete. If you underestimate your caloric or hydration needs, the aid stations are there to bail you out so you can finish, if not race. No matter what distance you're racing, hydration and nutrition are your responsibility. In fact, so are your core temperature, your ability to recover from a tire puncture or broken chain, etc. Unless your race registration says otherwise, you shouldn't expect that race day will be like a day sightseeing at Disney World or a day of skiing at Beaver Creek (where, I hear, attendants give you warm cookies and tissues).

There are many ways to carry your own water during a triathlon.

On the swim: uh, don't drink the water. Especially Lake Pontchartrain. Grody.

On the bike:

• Use your water bottle carriers. Most people accustomed to rides over an hour will have to water bottle cages mounted inside their frame.
• Add a seat-mounted bottle carrier, like this one at TriSports.com:

• Put a water bottle between your aero bars, like this one from Profile Design:

• Fill a CamelBak with cold water to help keep you cool or wear a CamelBak RaceBak:

On the run:

• Wear a Fuel Belt:

• Carry a bottle in hand, like this Hammer Flask:

Few sane people would embark on a half-Ironman without first having gained valuable experience and fitness at the sprint and Olympic distances. Since this was New Orleans's first Ironman-branded triathlon, I'm guessing that the "hundreds of athletes" who raced without water were less experienced triathletes. Were they trying to save a little weight on the bike leg?

Dope Legally: Caffeine Is an Athlete's Best Friend

My favorite, over-cited news source, The New York Times, seems a little "behind the times" on this story, It’s Time to Make a Coffee Run.

"Starting as long ago as 1978, researchers have been publishing caffeine studies. And in study after study, they concluded that caffeine actually does improve performance. In fact, some experts, like Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of McMaster University in Canada, are just incredulous that anyone could even ask if caffeine has a performance effect.“There is so much data on this that it’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s just unequivocal that caffeine improves performance. It’s been shown in well-respected labs in multiple places around the world."

The truth about caffeine:

1. It's a performance enhancer. Caffeine allows us to burn fat instead of carbs, resulting on longer-lasting energy. It masks fatigue.
2. If you're a regular "user", it doesn't dehydrate you.
3. You only need a half cup of coffee (or two Cokes) to caffeinate your performance
4. It's 100% legal in every sport.

The Pros and Cons of Running in a Foot of Snow

Colorado has entered the "swing season" when the weather swings wildly and the forecasters pull their hair out trying to predict it. My trusted weather source, 9News.com, has failed me about four days in the past two weeks.

So it was to my surprise that I awoke this morning to a rightly predicted 6 inches of snow on the ground. I worked from home and called it a snow day at 4pm, when I decided to make good on my tri training plan and go for my prescribed run. By this time, there were 12 inches of snow on the ground.

I ran my usual 2-3 mile route around Gunbarrel's Twin Lakes (also Chrissie Wellington's stomping ground). There were moments when I was in snow up to my knees and stretches of path that the wind had blown clear.

The snow and wind was a nice preoccupation, but I also kept my mind off running by building a list of pros and cons for running in 12 inches of snow:

PROS	CONS
You won’t be hot!	Your hands and feet will freeze.
The path is all yours.	What path?
So soft! Snow makes running easy on the knees!	Low impact? More like snow impact!
Perfect mid-foot strike on every stride…	…but watch out for ankle rolling.
Quiet, peaceful, pretty…	…unlike your raspy breathing and runny nose.
No sweating = never parched.	Inhaling snowflakes not pleasant.
Beautiful.	Starkly so. And cold.
No need for sunscreen…	…but plenty of need for Chapstick.
No obnoxious dog walkers.	Little chance of rescue!
Uneven surface builds balance and core strength…	…so really won’t be expecting it when you fall!
A well-deserved sense of dedication…	…though you’ll likely cut the workout short.
Cool down is very quick.	Long warm-up.
Cocoa, the recovery drink.	Ouch! Hands and feet sting as they thaw!
No need to ice the knees...	...or the ankles, toes, shins, nose, ears...
Decent blog post?

Some advice for aspiring yeti runners:

• Cotton kills. Your sweatshirt becomes a fridge just seconds after you start sweating.
• Before your run, fill some small bottles with hot water. Run with them to keep your hands warm. They'll cool enough to drink sooner than you think. I like these Hammer Nutrition gel flasks.
• I love the double hat: a fleece hat for warmth and to cover the ears and a synthetic baseball cap to keep the snow out of my face.
• If it's below 30 degrees, consider mittens or ski gloves. My thick liner gloves above are great below 40, but my numb digits made it a struggle to work my watch.
• Wear your watch over the part of the glove that's covering your wrist and keep it loose to avoid reducing circulation to your fingers.
• My new favorite piece of running apparel is my GoLite Wisp Wind Shirt. This shirt is velvety to wear and so light you won't know it's on, except that no blast of icy wind can get through it. You can pack it into its own pocket and carry it if you get hot (not bloody likely today!).
  

Got advice for cold weather runs?

Why Amazon Is Beating Up Bookstores

The Seattle-based blog "Journey from Yuppie to Triathlete" offers a perfect example of how Amazon is beating bookstores:

"I was hoping to find Going Long by Joe Friel at Barnes and Noble but was disappointed...twice. I ended up purchasing it on Amazon along with The Triathlete's Training Bible also by Joe Friel."

VeloGear Warehouse Sale This Weekend

VeloGear is having its warehouse sale this weekend, and it's running a little differently than usual.

VeloGear was bought a few months ago and the new owners are pretty desperate to get rid of old merchandise so they can reduce their inventory cost. Since the new owners bought VeloGear at a pretty steep discount, they are planning to pass that discount on to warehouse sale shoppers.

They've set up a "progressive sale":

• Friday 9am-4pm 50% off retail
• Saturday 9am-4pm 70% off retail
• Saturday 2-4pm everything you can stuff in a VeloGear shopping bag is just $20 (and those bags are bigger than a paper grocery bag)

VeloGear has my old office stuffed about 3 feet deep with cycling jerseys, shorts, tri shirts and shorts, t-shirts, posters, and all sorts of random household stuff.

Depending on what you put in there, that $20 bag of stuff could easily be worth $1000 at full retail. Imagine stuffing a bag full of $80-$120 jerseys for just $20!

Stop by. Tell your friends.

VeloGear Progressive-Discount Warehouse Sale
1830 55th St.
Boulder, CO 80301

From Denver:
Go to Boulder on 36
Take Foothills north
Turn right on Arapahoe
Turn left on 55th
Take the 3rd or 4th right (look for signs)

Chrissie Wellington Lives in My Neighborhood!

I'm not one for being star-struck. Except for the time that Hermann Maier almost whacked me in the crotch with his skis at Beaver Creek's Birds of Prey course.

But when my wife and I were walking along our neighborhood jogging path with toddler in stroller and Chrissie Wellington ran by, I was pretty surprised! What's the two-time Kona winner doing in my 'hood?! On my running path!

I assumed I was mistaken until I saw this photo today on the front page of triathlon.competitor.com.

I realized that Chrissie does, in fact, live in my neighborhood. Why? Well, because behind Chrissie is our park!

For more photos of Chrissie, her brand new Cannondale tri bike, and my neighborhood, check out this article.

No, Triathlon Is Not Recession Proof

In December, Running Network and Runner's Web picked up a press release from USA Triathlon, "Is Triathlon Recession Proof?". I can't find this press release on the USA Triathlon website, but Pete Williams's "special to USA Triathlon" poses an interesting question--and a questionable answer.

A few highlights:

• The press release concludes that, as of December, triathlon is recession proof.
• Williams's bases this conclusion on an "informal survey of race directors across the country"
• The p.r. cites the growth of the number of triathlons from '07 to '08 as evidence.
• It cites this New York Times story which describes triathlon as "a luxury hobby that does not seem to lose its luster even in an economic downturn"

There is a conflict of interest in Williams's data. Race directors are among some of the most desperate promoters in the nation. They have a very personal stake in maintaining the momentum of triathlon's growth, in part because of the huge expense of producing an event. Race directors often inflate their numbers, especially when trying to sell expo space. The last thing a race director wants to tell is that his registration numbers are down because athletes, especially image-conscious triathletes for whom race prestige equals bragging rights, immediately want to know why. You don't spend months preparing for a race and then register for one that has zero parking or no shade or huge crowds or a cramped transition area (except Danskin Denver, of course).

Citing the number of races in '07 vs. '08 proves nothing. First, the recession wasn't really underway until mid-2008. Second, it takes months for people to adjust their spending habits. Third, you register and pay for a race months in advance. And you definitely don't skip the race once it's paid for. Fourth, the median household income of a triathlete is over $150K and they report spending around $4K per year on the sport.

It looks like party time's over. According to this early February poll of over 500 triathletes on Slowtwitch.com, 7.1% of triathletes have lost their jobs as a result of this recession, compared to the 7.6% national unemployment rate. Slowtwitch first ran this poll in August, when 4.1% of triathletes had recently lost a job, compared to 4.6% national unemployment. It appears that, at least anecdotally, this recession is affecting everyone and not just lower wage workers.

So how is triathlon likely to adapt to the recession?

• No one in his right mind will start up a new triathlon race or race series.
• Newer and smaller local races will be cancelled for '09 as they struggle to find sponsors and registrations. The ones who try to weather the storm will slash race registration fees to fill their registrant list. It's already happening. Check it out.
  
• Municipal races (like the Louisville Legacy, rest in peace) will get cut from the budget as local governments scramble to cover the tax shortfall.
• Mid-sized races will experience mixed impacts. They'll discount race registrations to lure triathletes onto the course. They'll scrap for sponsorship dollars. Some will cancel their '09 events.
• Big races will see little change other than flat or slightly lower registration numbers. The "core enthusiasts" in triathlon will cut their sports-related expenses last. After all, triathlon is a lifestyle.
  
• Race series like Danskin, Iron Girl, and (upstart) Trek will be protected by their multi-year contracts with national brands but will see a pronounced decline in registration numbers as fewer non-triathletes commit to the expense of a new sport (bike, tri apparel, race registration, nutrition products, gym passes at the local pool, etc.).
  
• Ironman, with its limited qualifying races and huge waiting lists, will see no change in demand for race registrations, but is likely to lose its sponsorship with, um, Ford Motor Company.
• Triathlon coaching, which is almost an industry within the industry, will implode as less credentialed coaches get dropped by their money-scrimping clients.
  
• DIY triathlon training resources, like websites, books, and DVDs, will benefit.
• Across the board, tri manufacturers will take a drubbing in 2009. The average triathlete spends nearly $4K on the sport, generally in attempts to buy speed. Triathletes won't leave the sport, but they will be too scared to spend money on new (mostly redundant) gear or they will realize that--just this year--they will still enjoy the sport without spending as much on it as they have historically. My guess is that overpriced nutrition products, bike manufacturers, and apparel makers will lose biggest.

For Overall Performance, 3 Sports Is Better Than 1

Gina Kolata, fitness writer for the New York Times, posted an article yesterday in which she argues that peak performance in more than one sport is not possible for triathletes. And the tone of her article suggests that it may not be possible for triathletes to peak in any of their three sports.

For Peak Performance, 3 Is Not Better Than 1

Kolata's interviewees acknowledge a few of triathlon's benefits: the variety is fun and avoids single-sport repetitive stress injuries, three sports allow athletes to compensate for weaknesses in one area with strengths in another, but as the voice of the article, Kolata focuses on perceived negatives, all based on a sense that peak performance in one sport is more desirable than lesser performance in three.

A more interesting article might have asked: Is it better to be fast at three sports or fastest at one?

But Kolata's argument is elementary and counter to the entire spirit and point of the sport of triathlon. Multisport athletes are unlikely to rival their single-sport counterparts because they are spreading their training time over three sports. This is the nature of the sport.

Triathletes should not be the best swimmers, the best cyclists, or the best runners. Triathletes should be the best at doing all three consecutively. You see, Gina, triathlon is more than three sports put together. Triathlon is its own sport. Triathletes do not compete against the best swimmers, the best cyclists, or the best runners. Triathletes compete against other triathletes. The goal of triathlon is to be a well rounded endurance athlete. The goal is to be fastest at all three sports, collectively. Triathlon's three-sport format is the great equalizer; Lance Armstrong may win 7 consecutive Tours de France, but he may never win a single Ironman (unless he can work on that marathon time). Lance's focus on cycling makes him a great cyclist, but not such a great triathlete. Triathlon's sponsors reward single-sport performance, but the sport reserves its greatest rewards for the fastest triathletes.

Eat More Cookies to Train Harder

It seems that willpower comes in limited supply. The New York Times reports that a person's willpower gets tired after use, i.e. restraining yourself from one activity may make another tedious activity more difficult. But it also works the other way: you can store up willpower.

There are practical applications. Maybe part of the reason that tapering workouts makes us faster on race day is all that extra willpower we've saved up from not having to force ourselves to work out during the taper.

Check out the NYT article and report back on your favorite willpower-related rationalization!

Men Who Shave Their Legs

Stephen Regenold e-interviewed me yesterday as part of a story he's preparing about men who shave for sports. I thought I'd share this hairy little memoir.

your name: Dave
age: 32
job/title: Marketing and Publicity Manager
city of residence: Boulder, CO
sports you play: cycling, triathlon, hiking/backpacking, skiing

1. When did you first shave your legs? What age? 21
2. What prompted the first shave? NCAA Div. III Capitol Area Conference swimming championships. We collegiate swimmers get crazy with a razor before big meets. And I didn’t just shave the legs. Everything you can see while wearing a Speedo went. I reshaved the next day and then repeated it all the next year.
3. Was it an odd feeling to shave your legs? Oh yeah. And painful. Since I didn’t know what I was doing the first time and used cheap razors and shaved too close, I was sporting some ugly razor burn over much of my body. Worse yet, shaving off all that insulating body hair makes you much colder. Then every time I got goose bumps (which was about every 5 minutes since swim champs are in February), my hyper-sensitive legs, arms, and chest were wracked with the intensity of every little touch or brush of clothing. Sweatpants were the only semi-tolerable clothing option. I think I went through an entire bottle of moisturizer that weekend, just trying to not feel like I’d been rubbed down with sandpaper. I was freezing for two weeks until I was rehaired!
4. Why do you do it? (wind resistance, hydrodynamics, narcissism, and road rash??) Swimming while shaved like a seal feels incredibly fast. I’m not sure how much difference the hydrodynamics make at the Division III collegiate level, but there is definitely a psychological advantage; I broke my PR in every event I swam shaved.
5. How often do you do it? Let's see, twice in a lifetime!
6. What is your preferred implement (electronic shaver, Bic straight blade, etc.)? You’ve got to start with an electric shaver. Clean that thing frequently until all the major hair is gone and you’re down to stubble. Then switch to a disposable razor and dispose frequently to avoid razor burn. Unjam the razor with every shave-stroke - you’ll be clogging it with every swipe. Then toss the razor after each limb. A body of average hairiness, from completely unshaved to totally shaved, should use 5 razors. Back in college, we had 4-5 guys to a hotel room - imagine what that bathroom looked like! It’s definitely a good idea to have someone helping out with hard to reach areas.
7. If applicable, what does your wife/girlfriend think? Does she care? She was weirded out at the time!