Simplicity + Consistency = Results! A Boulder Peak Triathlon Reflection

2008 was a year I set a couple of specific training and racing goals for myself. The first was to keep things simple and the second was to be consistent. Keeping things simple has allowed me to sustain a training schedule that would fit into my ever increasingly busy life. This sustainability has led to some pretty consistent behaviors that has allowed me to perform at a level that I have failed to do in the last several years. At this point in the season, this has proved to be a good approach. As I write this on a plane en route to the Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts and then onto the Timberman 70.3 in New Hampshire, I find that I am less stressed about training and racing yet I am more fit then I have ever been. I am most certainly stronger and faster in all 3 disciplines. I am getting a lot more sleep but most importantly I am delivering results that that I have not seen in my past 10 years of racing. On top of all that, I am training less and have more balance in my life. I have even found time to play golf on a pretty regular basis which has benefited me mentally being able to disengage from the sport since my full-time job and coaching business is 100% focused on the sport.

Ok, so big deal right? So you are having a good season…blah, blah, blah. Well, why I think you should care is because I firmly believe that this approach can work for you and anyone else for that matter. See I used to be “that guy”…you know the one that gets so worked up about training and racing that it would almost debilitate me to the point that I could not even focus on anything else. And when time became tight, I would spend my time and energy focusing on being pissed off because I could not get the full training session in to the point that I would not even go out and even attempt to do the session. Why bother? If you can’t complete the session you should not even try. Wrong. Skipping workouts is not being consistent. I have found that when workouts are very complicated that this behavior is sometimes exaggerated because some athletes don’t know how to modify it to make it effective in the time you have available. Keeping the workout simple with a specific focus and desired outcome will make it far easier for you to ensure you head out the door and hit the desired outcome for the session regardless of the amount of time you spend doing it. Basically, maximize the time you have and make do with what you have to work with. Try not to get caught up in the hype and just do your best at every given opportunity.

With all that said, I thought I would take a few minutes and share my Boulder Peak Triathlon experience. I know I am a little late to the party but better late then never. Boulder Peak 2008 was a good day for me. I had a fast (and easy) swim, a surprisingly easy (and fast) bike (even with a small mechanical) and a steady (and solid) run in the heat. All in all, it was a consistent day. I had a simple strategy which was to use it as a training day. I had not fully recovered yet from Buffalo Springs 70.3 and started running more because my Achilles injury was on the mend. In addition, I always seem to do my best when I set myself up to be in a very relaxed state of mind. Now while I did not have specific time targets for the day I did set some goals to hit despite it being a training day…

Goals for the day:

• Overall: End the day feeling like I could not have gone any faster.


• Swim: Find some feet, conserve energy for the heat.


• Bike: A safe descent down Old Stage and test drive the new ride.

Run: Start easy and negative split.

In summary, all the goals were hit. The strategy proved positive as I walked away with a personal best on this course. All my training this year seems to be insufficient as I often ask myself if I am doing enough since I don’t have that tired stressful feeling all the time. But what it is significant is my training is very simple and despite time constraint challenges and the like, I have been very consistent making use of my available time. These 2 variables have allowed me to stay on track and continue to progress. By the way, had a fellow coach (whose experience and judgement is trusted 110%) not told me that it was ok to keep it simple and just rinse and repeat, I might not have been in this position.

In closing, a simple results driven formula:

Simple = Sustainable. Sustainable = Consistency. Consistency = Results.

Keep your training sessions simple. Be consistent with your training doing what you can with what you have in that moment. Don’t over think it, just get out and do it. On race day, do what you have done in training and the results will be there. It really is that simple.

Goals vs. Targets. A BSLT 70.3 Reflection

During this past week which happened to be a down week, I spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on last weekend’s Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon 70.3 around what went well and what I could have done differently. In the end, I don’t think I would have changed anything in light of my strategy going in, my goals for the race and the time targets I felt I could achieve. While a 5:21:48 is by no means my fastest at this distance, it was a respectable time (for me anyway) on what was a pretty challenging course on what turned out to be a very challenging day weather wise. Going into the race, I had low expectations of even being able to run. Due to an improper bike fit (seat to high) and some biomechanical issues (left leg shorter then right), I developed some tendonitis in the Achilles tendon that brought my running to an abrupt halt. Being a coach I probably should not have been in this position in the first place, but we all make mistakes from time to time. The fortunate side of it was I recognized this early enough and was able to correct the issues and was able to continue to ride but decided to play it safe on the running. BSLT 70.3 just became a “C” race for me. I did have a time target of sub 5 hours for this race originally and with about 5 weeks out this was very achievable. The key factors would be how well I could fuel on the bike and how hot the run would actually get. My #1 goal for this race was to pace and fuel throughout the swim and bike so that I could run well and finish strong. With about a week and a half to go I was able to start getting in some shorter (15-25 min runs) and managed to get in a 45 min (run/walk) about 6 days out all with no pain. Those sessions gave me the confidence that at the minimum I could at least run/walk the half-marathon portion of the race. When we arrived in Lubbock, TX on Friday and the mercury was nearing 100 degrees. To say it was hot was an understatement. While we have had some warm weather here in Colorado, it has been nothing like this. It felt like a furnace. We spent some time walking around and acclimating to the temps mentally preparing for the worst on Sunday. We awoke on Saturday morning to cloud cover and temps only in the 80’s and when we awoke on Sunday, it was cloudy and in the 60’s. We went from one end of the spectrum to the other. Now in the past, I spent a considerable amount of time worrying about the weather when in reality, it is out of my control. I learned to let this go…and coincidentally my last 2 races have been in the rain since I started doing this. Maybe my worrying had some control over Mother Nature but it came at a very high price. What I did know (but did not find out until 10 minutes prior to the race start) was that the forecast was calling for 80% rain and 100% wind. I added a new goal for the day which was to just roll with it and be sure to stay upright and don’t crash.After a 20 minute delay starting the race, we started the swim. Pretty uneventful overall. Found some open water and grabbed onto the feet of some unsuspecting soul that fortunately for me swam a straight line and I just hung on and saved all of my energy.

Out of T1 and on the bike but still no rain but sure enough at about mile 20 or so, the heavens opened and the rain and wind came and stayed with us for the duration of the ride. There were people flatting and crashing all over the place due to the conditions. I am not sure who was “racing” this course as I was just trying to keep things vertical and not get hit. The fueling strategy that I had worked out in the weeks leading up was working well. I am now on a 100% liquid diet trying to consume 300 kcal per hour on the bike and about 100 kcal per hour on the run. Some folks can tolerate more…I can’t and it gets significantly less as the day wears on so I have to be sure and have a lot of fuel in the tank at the start of the day and keep it topped off for the run. It goes back to not worrying about a lot of things and staying relaxed. Worrying burns calories. Period. At the conclusion of the bike I had no clue where I was time wise but the ride felt fast and I felt well rested with a lot of snap in the legs. The goal on the run was to hold back till the 6.5 mile turnaround and then let it rip on the way back trying to negative split the time. In hindsight, I held back a little too much since my average splits were 8:35/7:46 respectively for the out and back but I am not going to complain considering the lack of running I had on the legs. It was fun to run from behind and pick off a few folks in my age group towards the end. The day was a success despite missing the targets I had originally set. But targets are merely that, targets and sometimes we hit them and sometimes we are off the mark a bit. The real meat is in the goals you set for the day. If your targets are grounded in reality and aligned with your goals chances are you did not miss them by much if at all. So in short, know your body and what it is capable of in training. Define targets that are within your capability. Define a racing strategy with specific goals for each segment and execute the plan within the constraints of the conditions. You may hit your goals but miss your targets and you may hit your goals and exceed your targets. Either way, hit your goals and relish in the success of that and continue to learn about your body and most importantly learn from each race.

My Goals:

• For the day: Relax, don’t worry, roll with the challenges.


• Swim: Pace myself to conserve energy.


• Bike: Go at a pace that I can fuel early and often.


• Run: Negative split it.

Targets vs. Actual: 5:00:00 (5:21:48)

• Swim – 31:00 (30:05)


• Bike – 2:45:00 (2:58:42)


• Run – 1:40:00 (1:47:41)


• Transitions – 4:00 (~6:00)