Tucson Training

The second camp of the Squad has begun. Unfortunately, I have only been 2/3rds of the way in.  A nagging Achilles tendon issue has been plaguing me and the result has been no running for the past several days.  I got in a whopping 20mins with the Squad on the first day but the Achilles wasn't happy and that has comprised the totality of my running thus far.

On the brighter side of things, we are now swimming at the U of A pool and it is a fantastic facility. A welcome reprieve from the community pools I have been frequenting the last couple weeks.

Falling into the "Brighter Side" category as well, my "saddle time" has received a nice bump due to the lack of running.  Nothing crazy just some consistent hours in the company of my Specialized.

I was getting very used to the training out here, normally just Pedro and I, with a few other "Mini-Squad" swims, and riding with some of the local crowd.  We had a nice groove working and to be totally honest, I wasn't exactly counting the hours until the second camp began.  However, once we had everyone back in one place, I recognized just how valuable the Squad is.  A regimented schedule, with times for every workout, forces you to be accountable.  Add to that the competitive drive that is inspired by the group dynamic, and you essentially have the principle reasons I joined the Squad.  Shortly into the second day of camp, I was somewhat struck by this realization and found myself smiling at my good fortune to be included in this group of talented athletes and quality individuals, under a dedicated coach.  Don't get me wrong, camp life is not all cake and ice cream parties.  But the consistent hard work, in the company of like minded individuals, all striving to improve, is even more rewarding.

Read it in the Wind

Again I apologize for the late posting, but after a whirlwind (pardon the pun) trip to the tunnel, and back to Tucson training, time has been hard to come by.

Simply put, the A2 Wind Tunnel experience was incredible.  I owe a HUGE "Thank You" to Paul Lew and Reynolds Cycling for taking me along for the ride.  It was quite a privilege to get to see the inner workings of a wind tunnel, have the science explained (as best as possible in laymen's terms), and see the numbers for myself.  It was immediately apparent why the A2 Tunnel has become the standard bearer of sorts in the triathlon & cycling worlds.

We started off the trip by heading to a great shop in Charlotte, NC which gave Paul a chance to talk wheels with a Reynolds distributor.  Paul Lew, is, in no uncertain terms, a wealth of aerodynamics knowledge.  His main business is designing unmanned aircraft for the government. 'Nuff said.

Paul & I bookended by Bicycle Sport's owners

The next morning started early as a long day of testing lay ahead of us. Mike Giraud heads up the bicycle testing at A2 and the guy knows his wind.  Between he and Paul, suffice it to say I felt like a square peg all day.  A big thanks goes to Mike not only for his expertise, hard work, and attention to detail, but also for his patience in taking the time to explain the goings on.

Mike Giraud setting me up on the Reynolds RZR 92s. INSANE Wheels

The rest of the day was jammed packed with testing, and given that I can't reveal much as of yet, the story is best told in photos:

Testing was done in the black skin tight shirt as well for consistency

Testing was done on a road bike to see the interplay between the different frames

Mr. Lew Dispensing knowledge

I am extremely greatful that Paul & Mike took the time to use their expertise & knowledge and make some changes to my position that I am confident will benefit my racing in 2011. HUGE!

You might have noticed that I was aboard Specialized bikes for the testing. No, this was not because Reynolds had a deal to use their bikes. There is indeed, something more in the wind (sorry, I couldn't help it).

If you have been reading this blog for a while, or followed my racing last year, you know I rode Blue Competition Cycles in 2010.  Well, in addition to those changes I announced in previous posts, the bikes I will be riding in 2011 can be added to that list.  

I greatly enjoyed working with Blue and riding their bikes.  I have NOTHING bad to say about the company, the people I was fortunate enough to work with, nor the quality or performance of their bikes.  The Triad and Triad SL were/are great bikes.  

I am excited however, to announce that I will be aboard the "Big Red S" this year and training and racing on Specialized bikes and in Specialized helmets and shoes.  Specialized has earned the reputation as a leader and innovator in the cycling and triathlon world and I am honored and privileged to have their support in the coming year.  In tandem with another sponsor of mine, Palos Verdes Bicycle Center, a Specialized concept store, I am extremely fortunate to have all bike bases covered. Its going to be a great 2011 aboard a bike!  How could it not be with this set up?! 

Cheers, Ian

Wind in the forecast!

I am extremely excited to announce I will be continuing my relationship with Reynolds Cycling in 2011.  I raced & trained on their wheels for the majority of last season and love them.  Speed, performance, and QUALITY... Reynolds in a nutshell.

I am also very excited to say that I am writing this from a hotel room in North Carolina, where in a few short hours I will find myself working with one of the most renowned aerodynamics expert in the business, Reynolds designer, Mr. Paul Lew, in the A2 Wind Tunnel.  We will be testing a multitude of Reynolds wheels and working on my position to dial in the right combo and show just how well Reynolds wheels perform. To call this a great opportunity is almost absurd. Wind tunnels are EXPENSIVE and I will be spending close to seven hours in there today. I know this is WAY more than a great opportunity. More likely than not, its of the "once in a lifetime" sort.

I will be tossing out some twitter and facebook updates so follow/friend me if you are keen to see some of the action.  

1st Camp

First off I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this post. The words "Busy" and "Tired" are too often used excuses, but between packing up and "moving" to Las Cruces, training, and then "moving" to Tucson, they are apt in this instance.  So my humble apologies to any who may have been awaiting an update on "Squad Life."  But alas, here goes.

Coach Paulo wasted no time in setting the tone for the Las Cruces camp.  No introduction, no touchy-feely "Welcome to the Squad" dinner, it was, "be at the NMSU pool at noon on Saturday."  I hadn't even been to the hotel yet.  For the most part, the Squad all rolled in and after a quick chat (brevity is one of Paulo's strong suits) we were on deck for our first swim.  An hour and twenty minutes and 5,700 yards later, we were told who our roommates would be, and to meet at a, "to be disclosed" location for a run in 2hrs.  So it was a quick check in and unpack the car and off for workout #2.  Whirlwind.

Ayway, I won't bore you with the details, you can check "The Triathlon Squad" Facebook page if you are so inclined, but suffice it to say that we got some solid work done in New Mexico.  If you have read my blog in the past, you will be aware that my former coach was a fan of some pretty big workouts, those 8, 9 & 10hr epic days I wrote about in the past.  For the Las Cruces camp at least, I found none of that.  In fact our longest runs were 1:35 and longest rides just over 4hrs.  It wasn't about one or two epic days, but rather, putting in solid work, most times 3 times a day, day, after day, after day.  Repitition and accumulation.  As one of Paulo's favorite acronyms goes; G.T.W.D - Get The Work Done.

Unfortunately, early in the first week I managed to tweak my left adductor/quad and had to miss a session or two.  But thanks to the incredible support offered by Chiro and ART practitioner Dr. Bobby Harrison, my time on the DL was short lived.

The Squad is made up of some great people, personalities, and athletes.  I joined the Squad becuase I wanted to be pushed in every workout.  I think I underestimated just how "pushed" I would be.  It's no secret that I am not a standout athlete in any of the disciplines of triathlon and that fact was readily apparent in all our workouts.  Just about everyone on the Squad is a better swimmer than I. Chris Coble swam for USC, Pedro Gomes is a former ITU stud and thus can more than handle his business in the pool, and the "ITU Girls" as we like to call them, can all hold thier own, and some of mine.  Needless to say, the almost daily 5300-6400yd workouts started my days off with a full helping of "challenge."

Me 3rd lane in & behind as usual

The bike offered no repreive from the above-described Smash-O-Ian.  This is where the Canucks of the Squad really showed their prowess.  Trevor and Heather Wurtele, professional triathlon's talllest couple, laid the smack down, day in, and day out.  We were also blessed with another talented cyclist from our Great White neighbor to the North in the person of one "Johnny-O!"  On the mend from some health problems that plagued him the past two seasons, Johnny-O definitely showed some of that form that took him to the podium on several occasions.  

Hill repeats

On the run it was more of the same.  I have raced Trevor in the past and been unfortunate enough to watch his long legs run away from me several times.  Thus, I knew he would be one to push my heart rate to death metal speeds.  I would say that Pedro Gomes was the cause of similar, coronary close calls, but as he was so often, so far up the road, my eyes, brain and heart did a simple "fogettaboutit."

All this meant that I and all the members "got their money's worth" on the trip to Las Cruces.  I know it may not make for the most entertaining reading, what with no "8.5hrs, 135mi and 10,000ft of climbing" adventures to take you through, but trust me, none of us are the weaker for it.  In fact, I think all the members of the Squad learned a little something about what has become one of our other Squad Mantras, "Backing it up."  Plain and simple, it is about getting the work done, in a professional, responsible and dedicated manner.  Then waking up and doing it again the next day.  To sum up the "lesson" if you will, of the Las Cruces camp, its that there is no secret, there is no magic session and the is NO SHORT CUT.  "DO YOUR JOB." EVERYDAY.

"DO YOUR JOB"

Again my apologies for the delay, but there you have my report on Squad Life: Part 1.

I am now in Tucson, reunited with Maiki and some other great training partners including Pedro who I convinced to tag along, and plodding along waiting for the next camp to begin in a few short weeks.

Interestingly enough, opportunities have become available to come train with the Squad here in Tucson. If you are interested, check it out.

Stay tuned as now that I have gotten a little better settled, (and am blessed with more reliable internet access) I will be reporting in more frequently.  I have some BIG, if not HUGE (at least for me) news to report in the coming days.  Suffice it to say, I am VERY excited about 2011.

Cheers

The SQUAD

First off I want to thank everyone for all the well wishes and support.  I am humbled.

Secondly, I have gottan more that a few questions about the Squad, how it works, who is in, who is behind it, etc...

I won't try and put words to another man's vision. Paulo Sousa, "the man in orange," is responsible for the creation of the squad and will be coaching all athletes involved.  Click on the shirt to read about the Squad and his vision in his own words.

There is also a Facebook page that has been set up for the Squad.  In a few days Paulo will be announcing the Squad members on that page.  Throughout the year the page will also be updated with pictures from training camps, info on the workouts we are going through, race schedules and results.  So if your are on Facebook (really who isn't?!), log on a "like" the Squad if you want to keep up to date.  

Its looking like I will be taking off early next week for the first camp in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  I am excited as all get out, but I would be lying if I siad I wasn't a little bit concerned about the weather.  A friend of mine was out there last week, albeit in a neighboring town, and he said it was 5 degrees one morning when he got in his car!  5 FRICKEN DEGREES!!!  Good thing I just put in an order for some super warm and high tech clothing!

Cheers, 

Ian

BIG Changes for 2011

I will readily admit that it has been tough to put the figurative "pen to paper" on this blog post.  It is not because I am not excited about the coming year. Quite the opposite in fact.  However, 2011 will bring with it some significant changes in my life, a couple of which, give my heart strings some powerful tugs.

As most of you who read this blog know, I have been a practicing attorney for the entirety of my "triathlon career" such as it has been.  For the most part, working full time while training was a fairly manageable task.  However, with my move up to the professional ranks last year, came the realization that I just can't continue to try and do both if I want to attain the level of performance to which I aspire in triathlon. In my eyes, my options were to make a change or remain a mediocre pro. After some consultation with some close friends whose advice I truly valued and appreciated, I made the decision to leave the legal profession, at least temporarily, to train and race full time in 2011. While I am not quite "old," and certainly not in race years, there is a limited window in which I have to operate, so I must take the chance while I can.

Financial considerations aside, this was not an easy decision.  For the past 4 years I have been fortunate enough to work alongside my Dad.  Spending many hours a day with my Pops was a gift, and was the one thing that really gave me pause about this decision. I am sure to miss it.

To be honest I made the decision to go full time several weeks ago.  The decision re the other BIG change for 2011 however, was not made until shortly before Ironman Arizona.  That decision has me parting ways with someone who has been instrumental in getting me to where I am today in this sport.  He has been a great friend, a confidant, a brother/father figure and above all, an incredible coach.  Leaving the Dirkinator crew was definitely a tough decision.  I cannot possibly thank Dirk and his family enough for all they have done for me. I know we will remain in close contact, but not being under his tutelage and watchful eye, will be a big change for me.

I am 100% confident that Dirk could have gotten me to where I want to be in this sport.  The reason I chose to part ways is that I was presented with an opportunity to be part of something I believe will also lead to me reaching those goals, and will add some incredible experiences along the way.  I was lucky enough to be selected to join a group of professional triathletes that will be forming a North American based training squad under the guidance and coaching of Paulo Sousa.  I believe that the group training aspect of this squad will add that extra element to my training and joining the squad represents a full blown commitment to the sport.  As they say, "Go big or go home."  I will be leaving for my first training camp in Las Cruces, New Mexico in the beginning of January and will likely not return to LA until the middle of March after the second training camp in Tucson, AZ.  To say that I am excited would be a drastic understatement.  I'm chomping at the bit!

Aside from the benefits of giving me time to train, rest, recover and sleep properly, leaving the law biz will also allow me to engage in something I have found to enjoy greatly.  Just after CA 70.3 last season a friend of mine talked to me about his disappointment with his race.  After some thinking, we decided that I would help him with his training plan for the short run up to Wildflower, and see how things went.  He had a great race and we decided that I would coach him all the way to his first Ironman attempt at Arizona.  Throughout the months I found the process to be extremely enjoyable and rewarding.  Then it was race day, and I was going to share the course with my friend I had coached to that day.  I'm happy to report that he went 9:47, won his age group and got his Kona slot.  All in his first attempt at the Iron distance.  I was stoked.  Given my new found appreciation for coaching, and the time I will have to do it, I have decided to coach a limited number of serious athletes in 2011.  So if you are interested, or know anyone that would be, please have them contact me through my website at www.ianmikelsonracing.com  

2010 was an incredible year. I am hoping that 2011, with these big changes, will be even better.

Cheers

Ultraman Finale

I have finally mustered up the stamina to wrap up the Ultraman

Day 3: Double Marathon, 52.4mi from Hawi to Kona


After hitting the sack at 7:30pm the night of day 2, the alarm at 4am wasn't as bad as I feared it would be.  Of course, our best intentions notwithstanding, we found ourselves a little late and in a rush to get to the start by 5:30.

Day 3 starts at 6am so it was still dark when we got to the hotel and to the start line.  So please pardon the pics below.

We could start pacing Hillary from mile 2 on.  So Big Dave got the call and would take it out from 2 until he was gassed.  At the start we pushed up the road to the 2mi mark and waited for HB.  We soon saw Amber and Shanna come by and they were NOT taking it easy.  7min pace would be a conservative estimate.  HB wisely chose not to get sucked into that.

Waiting for HB

The next few miles were pretty uneventful with all going according to plan.  I took over for a quick mile from ~9-10 as Dave had a bathroom respite.  I was actually shocked at how upbeat and happy Hillary was.  I think the beautiful morning and cool temps helped, but most of all, I think she was finally allowing herself to grasp that the end was near (relatively speaking).

HB & I during Dave's respite

Dave took back over and things continued going well through the half marathon mark and on.  Sometime after that though, we got our first indication that maybe HB was hurting a bit.  At one stop her request was, "A fruit smoothie or fresh squeezed orange juice!"  You read that right.  It was clear she was looking for something that wasn't in our arsenal to help her along.  After  a mad rush, some OJ was retrieved and HB gulped down a whole single sip.  So much for that.

The views were calming though

After about 18mi or so, things started to unravel a bit.  It was that point in the race where you have gone very far, but there is even farther remaining to go.  This had to be an incredible mental obstacle.  Especially when your GI tract isn't happy.  Which her's was not.  This marked the beginning of the bathroom stops and another mad dash off the Queen K to get some Immodium.

After about 26mi or so, Big Dave was tuckered out and hungry.  It was time for Maiki and I to go to work.  We adopted a 2mi per shift plan and followed it pretty closely.

Knowing Hillary, I was well aware that she would not be a happy camper post race if she felt she hadn't given it her all.  I also knew that she was tough and ready & willing to suffer.  Additionally, given the makeup of our crew and the plan we had, I was also aware that I could find myself assuming the role of "the pusher" or as Hillary would later term it, the "tough love guy."  Sure enough, from about my second running stint on, I was in that role.  I was wearing a Garmin and just tried to keep our pace below 9min/mi.  I know getting half wheeled 35mi into a run could piss one off, but I was willing to risk it.  So I just kept staying about a half stride ahead of Hillary while we ran.  funny enough, after a few miles, she kind of found another gear, and round about 40mi into the run, really started climbing out of the dark hole she had been in.  Her attitude rebounded big time, she was running faster, and her famous smile and even laughter was back.  Chris Lieto and his family made it out to watch and his son Kaiden wanted to run with Hillary.  Frankly I was surprised when she found the energy to smile, yell his name and ask him to run with her for about 100yds. Cool.

We started picking off fading runners a little after the airport.  This was even more motivating.  I tagged in Maiki and while he was running we saw our friend Mike again.  he had been out on his bike, cheering on all competitors and giving them splits.  He told us that Hillary had been overtaken in the overall standings by Shanna and needed to make up 3.5mins on her to get back into 2nd.  I basically took this as an order and knew my job: get her back those 3.5mins.  I knew Hillary had worked too hard to let it slip away.  The problem was we were 5.5mi from the finish.  Thats a pretty big margin to make up late in a race. Especially so  when you have run ~46mi.  But we had our orders.

When I tagged back in to run, I told Hillary the split. Told her we could do it.  That 2nd was hers if she could dig deep and go get it.  What followed was one of the more impressive athletic feats I have ever been privileged to witness.  Step back for a second and think, in the 2 days prior, Hillary had swam 6.2mi in the open ocean 26mins faster than any female had done it before.  She had ridden her bike 260 miles up and over  a volcano and the Kohala mtns., and she had now been running in the Kona sun for almost 7.5hrs, covering some 47 miles.  And I was asking her, actually yelling at her to pick up the pace!  She responded.  And I watched first hand as she dug herself into a deep cave of pain.  I could literally feel the effort she was putting out.  It was visceral.  There were some scary noises, some tears, some requests that I just "shut the hell up" but all the while her pace was dropping.  Cresting the last hill I looked down and we were running 7:35s.  I was blown away.  About half a mile from the finish I handed off to Maiki and he ran her in.
Through her incredible efforts Hillary made up the 3.5mins on Shanna plus another 3 and took 2nd by over 6mins.  In hindsight, I guess she didn't "need" to push so hard.

52.4mi - 7:55:10

The aftermath of this race was anything but pretty.  I have never seen Hillary in such rough shape.  Things were a little scary for a few hours, but soon enough she was back to calling out food orders from bed.  No such luck sweetheart.  That ended at the finish line ;-)

Truly an INCREDIBLE experience.