This month Coach Ed from Jachin-Boaz Bike Fit shares insights on maximizing racing potential as we age, and how to get the most out of your time on the bike. 

AGING & TRAINING

Over the years I've met a number of folks who have sold bikes they bought but could never comfortably ride. This was due largely to poor bike fit. Shops would never intentionally sell an athlete a bike they couldn't use, so where is the disconnect? To address this I'd like to look at a number of factors: the impact of age on performance, core strength, flexibility and bike fit.

Remember when you were invincible? You could throw any workout at your body and get up the next day and do it again! Age, genetics and past exposure to the repetitious nature of sport movement make each of us physiologically different in the way our bodies react to training. Sprint and Olympic volume impact one person's physiology differently than another person of the same age and gender. Training for 70.3's or 140.6's have a very different mix of aerobic to anaerobic content within training plans. A given athlete's  physiology may tolerate short-course training without issue, but struggle with long distance, or vise-versa.

Volume and intensity also impact our ability to tolerate training regimens. Then there's the issue of the ratio of intensity to volume over time, within a single workout, within a week, within a six week or meso-training plan or seasonal macro plan. The fact is adding strength workouts to our regimen as we age is an effective way to combat injury caused by repetitive training activities. 

Gretchen M. Sanders talks about muscle innervation in an article in the November-December 2016 issue of Swimmer Magazine. In layman terms, muscle innervation is the process our body uses when sending electrical impulses originating in the mind through the spinal column to a specific group of muscle fibers, telling them to contract. The net result is movement. A motor neuron and the muscle tissue it innervates are collectively called a motor unit. The motor unit usually consist of either slow-twitch or fast twitch muscle fibers. Younger athletes have a mosaic pattern of mixed slow and fast-twitch muscle fibers within a given motor unit. For a variety of reasons, around the age of 40, our muscle motor units begin to loose their ability to innervate, and often become attached to adjoining motor neurons. Known as denervation, this causes 'clustering' of similar muscle fibers within given regions of a muscle, which changes the distribution of force as applied by the muscle.  

These changes can result in any number of issues, from falls to a simple lack of coordination. Muscle atrophy is simply the denervation of muscle fiber. As people grow older, fewer and fewer of these muscle motor units are able to be re-innervated. One of the most efficient ways to combat muscle denervation is to begin mixing strength training into your regimen. You may not be able to avoid muscle loss, but you certainly can slow the process by adding strength regimens to your workout calendar. My coach, Eric Limkemann, a local pro triathlete, includes strength training in my meso-plan though incorporation of the Oregon-Project-Stability-Routine.  https://www.therapeuticassociates.com/locations/oregon/portlandvancouver/north-portland/more/oregon-project-stability-routine/. 

So how does a good bike fit encourage efficient muscle use? My definition of bike fit is simply this: Physiologically positioning an athlete's body on the correct frame size to maximize muscle power output and cardiovascular efficiencies while tolerably comfortable. A good bike fit varies by athlete, and maximizes VO2 absorption through biometric positioning of the body on the bike. What good does it do if an athlete is totally comfortable but aerodynamically inefficient? The opposite of an aerodynamically inefficient bike fit would be a bike fit that's so aggressive an athlete cannot expand their diaphragm and breathe. The point is a perfect bike fit accommodates the most aerodynamic biometric position possible while maximizing oxygen absorption. Oxygen absorption is directly related to performance, and bike fit is directly related to oxygen absorption. The best bike fit for a given athlete should evolve over time.

I strongly encourage athletes to have a bike fit done first, and then make their purchase. Bike sizing is very different from bike fitting! Bike sizing determines the correct frame size in proportion to the ratio of your inseam and torso lengths. Bike fitting uses the five points of contact - your butt, right and left feet, and hands, to that specific frame size in a way that maximizes your power output at a given level of exertion. Your bike fit may vary based on the length of the race you're completing or the given volume of your bike training. 

Feel free to reach out if you'd like to learn more. You can reach me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/jachinboazllc/ or on the web at:  http://www.jachinboaztri.com
Be well!
Coach Ed

​Rick came to me to fix his bike position, as his back was killing him on rides. In the process of adjusting his three-year old bike we determined that a new bike purchase might be best, so we used the Retül Dynamic Fit Bike to establish correct biodynamic metrics for the new purchase. Rick expects his new bike to be completely assembled shortly matching the new, more efficient and aerodynamic metrics!

Check out this video highlighting some of Andy Moser's bike fit I've recently done. You can see what Andy's up to by visiting Go To Eleven Racing.

Ed and I met in 2010 at the Y.  He encouraged me to get back in the pool and start swimming.  He was the primary driver in encouraging me to do my first triathlon in 2010.  Coach Ed has been encouraging me all along the way.  I started out with a 5k race and sprint triathlons.  Year after year, Ed has pushed me to train smarter, race harder and ultimately build my fitness and confidence season after season.  Coach Ed has strong communication skills and understands family, work and life can get in the way of training.  He works with his athletes to overcome obstacles and achieve the goal set by the athlete and coach.  Ed has the emotional maturity to understand when to push the athlete hard and when to lay off.  This skill gives him the ability to take a husband with two small children and a full time job from an 75th percentile finish at most races to a top 25 percentile finish at Ironman Florida 2015.  Ed is supportive in every way and can truly say my success at Florida was impossible without him by my side.
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Cycling weekly will tell you the best way to increase your cycling speed is to bend and tuck your elbows, ride with other triathletes, do intervals, pump up your tires, brake less, ride in the drops, lose weight, build muscle, buy an aero bike and wheels and buy tighter clothing!1

While all of this is great strategy, let’s take a look at the basic elements that will help the average triathlete ride faster…  While cycling on a flat road aerodynamic drag is by far the greatest barrier to speed – it accounts for 70 to 90% of the resistance felt while cycling2 depending on physiology.  Think of drag this way – the thicker the medium you’re moving through the more drag your body creates. Given that air is thinner than water, your body position creates drag, but not as much as when you’re swimming… The drag created by your body while riding your bike is directly related to your position on the bike while pedaling through wind… The only obstacle greater than wind resistance is the force needed to overcome gravity while pedaling uphill!

The primary reason for investing in good bike fit is to maximize your aerodynamic position (reducing drag) while concurrently maximizing your physiology’s ability to absorb oxygen (dynamic energy production just below your anaerobic threshold.) Remember, the faster you go the more wind resistance (drag) you need to overcome…

According to Cyclingtips.com3 the top four things the average triathlete can do to improve speed performance are investment in an aerodynamic triathlon suit, the addition of aerobars or the purchase of a triathlon bike, procurement of an aero helmet and investing in a bike fit.  In fact, they’ve gone as far to calculate the cost per second saved, per the chart below:

The main points for any triathlete are:

• Race in an aerodynamic uniform.
• Buy the best triathlon bike you can afford. On a limited budget I’d advocate buying the bottom of the top! Buy the best used or new bike you can afford!
• Use an aero helmet in every race!
• Get a good bike fit!  Pro athletes race in a more aerodynamic position than may be comfortable for you, i.e. elbows tucked in, hips tight and close to the bottom bracket and knees close to the top tube. Get a bike fit before you buy a bike to ensure proper stack and reach:
  • Stack (the vertical distance in centimeters or inches from the center of the bottom bracket to the top middle point of the head tube, where the fork passes through the frame.) Good stack results in an angle from the hip to the knee to the ankle of 150°+/-).
    
  • Reach (the horizontal distance measured in centimeters or inches from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the head tube/ stem.)
    

If stack and reach are correct for your physiology oxygen absorption will be maximized while drag is minimized! Remember, you can move towards a more aerodynamic position over time as your level of fitness increases.

Personality Matters - OPP's blog
The sporting elite: which personality characteristics contribute to sporting success?
Posted 14/08/2013 by Betsy Kendall, Chief Operating Officer, OPP, and Fiona Young, R&D intern, OPP
With Andy Murray clinching victory in the Wimbledon final, the England cricket team winning the Ashes, Chris Froome becoming the second British winner of the Tour de France and Christine Ohuruogu scooping gold in the 400m at the World Athletics Championships, it's been another great summer of British sporting success. Of course, physical prowess and natural sporting ability are essential ingredients for elite athletes, but here we consider which personality traits might make the difference between the good and the great in the sporting world.

Low Anxiety
Elite athletes tend to have lower scores on anxiety scales than average performers, making them more resilient, emotionally stable, and better at remaining calm in stressful situations. Where amateur sportsmen and women may buckle under the pressure of competition, those at the top of their game are able to use their emotional stability to their advantage to stay cool, calm and collected in those crucial moments. In the first test of this Ashes series, James Anderson held his nerve when Australia were only 15 runs away from stealing victory from England to take that all important tenth wicket, sealing their win.
Mental Toughness
Despite losing three championship points in the third set, Andy Murray went on to win the men’s Wimbledon final in an emphatic straight set victory. This kind of “mental toughness” is distinctive amongst elite performers, who are able to maintain unemotional, single-minded focus in the face of adversity, and is considered by experts to be a key attribute in sporting success. Indeed, Murray himself described the last game as, mentally, the toughest game he had ever faced. The psychological edge that mentally tough performers have over their opponents could be a key ingredient in defining those who attain the highest levels of sporting achievement.
Perfectionism
To be the best you have to strive for the best, and perfectionism is all about setting personally demanding standards. When the smallest of margins can make the difference between success and failure, discipline and a strong drive to succeed are crucial. Dave Brailsford, head of Team Sky and performance director of British Cycling, talks about the “aggregation of marginal gains” and the large impact that small improvements have on performance. This meticulous approach helped Chris Froome triumph in the Tour de France and ensured Olympic success for the Team GB cyclists at London 2012.
Self-belief
Losing is an inevitable part of any sporting career. However, elite sports performers view defeat as merely a small delay on the road to success. Their self-belief in their ability to succeed is undiminished by set-backs. An unshakeable belief in the ability to achieve competition goals is perhaps the most important attribute of any sports performer. The ability to perform is not enough; it’s the self-belief in your ability to perform and succeed that is critical. Amateur performers may suffer self-doubt after losing; but elite performers use these losses as motivation, their belief in their abilities unbroken.
In summary
Defining what makes a champion is no easy feat, but the personality traits and characteristics considered here can be easily spotted in many of the sporting greats. Although there will always be differences amongst elite performers, it’s clear that there are a few stand-out personality characteristics that can determine success. Yes, superior skills and training hard are vital, but amongst the elite it’s the mind that is the winner.
 

Here are some scattered thoughts on my first Ironman experience this past weekend at Ironman Maryland 2015. 
 

Pre-Race
 

It’s fair to say that the planning and logistics in the two weeks leading up to the race caused me far more stress than the actual race itself.  IM MD 2015 was originally scheduled for October 3.  Because of massive rains and the threat of Hurricane Joaquin, the race was postponed by two weeks to October 17.  That messed up the great hotel reservations I had for my family, because the Hyatt Chesapeake Bay (one of the tiny handful of hotels that is actually in Cambridge) was all booked up for weddings on the new race weekend.  After days of making calls and doing Internet searches, I finally found a townhouse I could rent in Cambridge—ended up working out just fine.
 

With that stress behind me, I arrived in Cambridge this past Thursday with a great attitude.  I spent Thursday afternoon at the expo area in IM village.  I checked in, bought some cool gear at 40% off (all the IM MD gear had 10/3/15—the original race date—printed on the sleeves, so they discounted everything!), and then enjoyed an 800-meter swim in the Choptank River.  I didn’t want to risk having my wetsuit soaking wet on a cold race day morning, so I swam only in my Speedo jammers.  There was definitely some current, but the water temperature was only “cold,” not “shockingly cold.”  That gave me some comfort heading into race day.
 

I had a good meal on Thursday night (steak, salad, and veggies) and plenty of sleep that night, followed by an excellent breakfast on Friday AM (eggs, pineapple, cantaloupe, oatmeal, chicken sausage, and juice).  My parents arrived around noon on Friday, and hung around the townhouse as I finished stuffing my gear bags.  I was a little stressed at the logistics of this.  I spent at least a couple hours going over everything I’d put in my bags over and over again.  As Ed recommended, I visualized what I’d need to do at each step of the race—that really did help me confirm I had all I needed in each bag.  When I had my bike all set and my bags packed, I dropped everything off in transition and headed back to the townhouse to rest.
 

My wife, daughter, and step-mom arrived later on Friday afternoon, which gave me an extra boost knowing my whole family was now there and together. 
 

All seemed to be going well until dinner on Friday.  I ate at the same restaurant where I’d had my Thursday dinner and Friday breakfast.  I still don’t know if it was the food, my nerves, or some combination, but I started feeling a little “off” during dinner.  I had pasta, roasted pork, salmon and veggies, thinking this was a good pre-race meal.  When I got back to the townhouse around 8:00 PM, things got worse—had a bit of a headache and just a funky feeling in my stomach.  My family assured me it was just nerves, but at 9:00 PM, I found myself leaning over a toilet throwing up my entire dinner.  Literally.  And I hadn’t gotten sick to my stomach in at least five years (the last time was a 24-hour bug). 
 

While I felt better, I then had the worry that I was going to be depleted on race day because I didn’t have enough calories/food in my stomach the night before.  I ended up falling asleep at 10:00 PM but then woke up at 1:00 AM completely unable to sleep.  I forced myself to stay in bed and had off-and-on cat naps until my alarm went off at 4:00 AM.  I woke up feeling hungry and concerned about my lack of sleep.
 

I ate a whole grain bagel thin stuffed with peanut butter and also two bananas, some clementines, and a Power Bar.  Started feeling a little better.  I then headed to the local middle school, where they shuttled everyone over to the transition area.
 

I brought a bike pump to do a last-minute top-off, and I also brought a head-mounted flashlight so that I could see my bike pre-dawn.  Both of these were good choices, because there weren’t enough bike pumps to go around (5 different people asked to borrow mine), and the transition area was pretty dark.
 

My family arrived a little while later, and I handed off my bike pump.  About 5 mins after my wife helped me put my wetsuit on, the race announcer delivered some shocking news: “Due to 30+ MPH winds and a smallcraft advisory in effect, we are going to have to cut the swim down to 1.2 miles.”  My reaction: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I signed up to do an Ironman, not “almost an Ironman!” 
 

My wife, Carly, consoled me, and then they announced 10 mins later that they were going to reconfigure the buoys so that it’d be a 1.9-mile swim.  Better, I thought, but still frustrating.  I didn’t want this race to go down with an asterisk next to it with all the training I’d put in.  With Carly convincing me this wouldn’t really change anything, I finally got my chin up and decided to approach the race with the same gusto I’d had heading into it.
 

Swim
 

They delayed the swim start by about 30 mins because of the choppiness, and to allow the course reconfiguration.  I ended up self-seeding myself about 5 mins from the starting group.  Once in the water, I surprised myself by how quickly I felt comfortable.  I don’t know if it was the excitement of the race, the drafting benefits of swimming behind other people, or just everything “clicking,” but the swim flew by for me.  I focused on a “1-2” cadence, tried to get long strokes in, did lots of sighting, and tried not to get flustered when I found myself “scrunched” behind or between other swimmers…I just tweaked my direction ever so slightly and kept plowing forward.  There was definitely some current and some chop, but nothing I hadn’t experienced before (I found the current and chop at the Patriot’s Half in Williamsburg to have been just as challenging). 
 

Toward the end of the swim, I remembered Mark Gilstrap’s advice: “Do your best to pee right before you get out of the water.”  Fortunately, the last 100 meters or so was shallow enough for me to stand up and wade (and pee) on the way back to shore.  Very glad I did that, because the lines for the porto-potties in transition looked long.
 

Because it was barely 50 degrees (and never made it out of the 50s for the whole race), I’d decided (1) not to put my tri-top on until T1 to avoid having a soaking wet, cold top on at the start of the windy bike course, and (2) to wear shoe toe covers and arm warmers.  No regrets at all on any of these choices.  I love having fast transitions in non-IM races (I feel like it’s “free time” to be had by anyone who focuses on being efficient), but this was different.  I wanted to move efficiently, but carefully, so I wouldn’t skip any essential steps.
 

My T1 time was slower than I thought it’d be (10:00), partly because there wasn’t as much volunteer support due to the date change (for example, there were no bike handlers in transition, so you had to retrieve and re-rack your own bike).  I had to get ready on my own outside of the changing tent because it was literally PACKED with guys and felt like an absolute sauna.  Also, it added on a couple minutes having to dry off my torso before putting on my tri top, putting my arm warmers on, etc., but no regrets.  I loaded up my tri-top pockets with an extra tube and extra nutrition that didn’t fit in my bike pouch (mounted near my stem), ran to the rack to get my bike, and was then off feeling dry and reasonably warm.
 

Bike
 

The bike course was beautiful.  85% of it was in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, which is a combination of farm and marshland with creeks, water, and beautiful views.  The first 25 miles of the ride went real well.  Not too much wind, steady power around 215-20 watts, and an average speed of about 21.5 MPH.  Flat, flat, flat.
 

Around mile 25, things changed.  I encountered that infamous Eastern Shore wind.  I never felt unstable on the bike, but there was about a 15-mile stretch of what seemed like non-stop headwind.  My speed dipped by about 4 – 5 MPH, which was frustrating, but I knew everyone else was in the same boat.  At first, I had the temptation to try to get my speed back up.  But I just couldn’t get over 17.5 or 18 MPH, and in doing so, my wattage was creeping into the 250s or higher, which really alarmed me.  I finally forced myself to just accept the effects of the wind, hunker down, maintain my power within a reasonable range, and “deal with it.”  At mile 45 or 50, I did get some tailwind for a while, though it seemed like the headwind duration was much longer than the tailwind boost.  I had the same headwind issues for the same stretches of the second loop, too.
 

Nutrition-wise, I stayed disciplined.  Ed had emphasized the need to take in about 2400 calories on the bike.  My nutrition consisted of (1) an aero-bottle of EFS (2.5 scoops), ~20 oz., (2) two ~20-ounce water bottles of EFS (2.5 scoops each), (3) three Power Bars, and then probably (4) six packs of Cliff Shotblocks, and (5) six packs of Accel Gel.  I made a tactical decision at the outset not to pack a special needs bag.  I decided that I could fit all my nutrition in my bike pouch and in my tri-top pockets, and that actually worked out well.  I also took about 2 Saltstick tablets every hour.
 

Before the race, I considered adding a fourth water bottle to my bike, but then I realized I could just keep getting Gatorade Endurance and/or water bottles at the aid stations—that worked out well, though I did have to discard two of my water bottles during the race to make room for the Gatorade/new water bottles during the race.  I ended up sailing through the special needs zone without an urge to stop.  I had no idea Ed was going to be at special needs, but I heard an unmistakable “Go get em, Ryan!!!” holler from Ed as I rode through the high school parking lot, which gave me another huge energy boost.
 

At mile 65 or 70, I started losing some of my motivation to eat and drink. Those Power Bars just didn’t taste good anymore, and I worried that if I drank a lot, I’d have to pee.  But I forced myself to continue my steady intake, and it worked.  By the end of the bike, I had only a slight urge to pee, and my stomach felt fine.
 

A couple observations.  First, don’t forget about the “drop zones” that end 50 meters after each aid station.  I carelessly took on an extra water bottle at the end of an aid station, started leisurely sipping on it, and then didn’t realize that all my bottle holders were filled until I was about 100 meters past the drop zone!  Littering is a big no-no (and heavily penalized).  After holding the extra water bottle between my aero-bars for a couple mins, I finally decided to just squeeze out the water, crunch up the bottle, and wedge it into my tri-top behind my neck (against my upper-back).  That worked fine, and I tossed it at the next aid station.  Pay attention to your bottle storage capacity.
 

Also, I did see probably 5 or 6 bikers on the side with flats.  There was a shoulder on the road about half the time.  Naturally, the shoulder had a little more gravel and debris than the road itself.  For that reason, I decided to stay on the actual road most of the time (I wasn’t aware of any prohibition), and I’m glad I did.  If I’d flatted, it would’ve been a huge blow (changing a flat is something I definitely need to work on).
 

I was pleased with my HR—very little, if any, drift.  In fact, my HR steadily decreased after the initial excitement of the swim/T1.  I ended up averaging a HR of 137 for the whole ride, with an average wattage of 218.  That was about 10 watts higher than I’d planned, but I never felt like I was pushing myself over any reasonable limit.  Maybe it was the adrenaline.  I also think I can point to the cooler weather for keeping my HR in a decent range.
 

I dismounted at the start of T2, got another boost from my awesome family cheering for me, and then had a 7:00 transition to the run. 
 

Run
 

I did two things that added on some T2 transition time.  One was good, the other I regret.  The good thing was that I changed my socks (wanted to be dry to start the run).  The bad thing was that I’d decided not to do a special needs bag for the run either, in favor of cramming all my food nutrition into the three back pockets on my tri-top.  That was a mistake, because as soon as I started running out of transition, what felt like more than a pound of food kept making the back/bottom part of my tri-top bounce up and down annoyingly with every stride.  I thought about discarding some of my food, but I opted in favor of just carrying some of it in my hands until I gradually decreased my supply by eating it.
 

If I had it to do over again, I would’ve done a special needs bag for the run.  I do think it’s important to race with what you train with (in terms of gels and other foods) for the most part, which is why I wanted to bring some of my own food with me.  But it was a mistake to carry it all with me from the get-go for the reason explained above.  Instead, I would’ve taken half of it with me to start and picked up the other half during special needs.  The way they had it set up at IM MD, you ran just feet away from all the special needs gear bags and had your bag within about 10 seconds of calling for it.  That would’ve been easy as cake if I’d done it.
 

Heading into IM MD, the run was, by far, the biggest wildcard in my mind.  In previous years, after not training properly for half-Ironman races, my left hamstring would often cramp up during the run—totally debilitating and very painful.  I worried that would happen at IM MD.  I also worried that my energy level (or leg mobility) would take a big drop at some point, giving me no choice but to walk for huge chunks.  Again, I dodged the bullet during the race.  No cramping, and while my pace did slow (from the mid-9:00s to start to mid-11:00s toward the end, for an average or 10:37), I was able to keep running the whole time.  I’d practiced some run/walk during longer training sessions and was fully prepared to do that (I’m sure it would’ve worked just as well).  But at some point during the race, I decided I wouldn’t walk unless I felt it was really necessary.  I never got to the point.  My HR for the marathon ended up averaging out to be 142, which was about where I wanted to be.  There was a little cardiac drift, but not too much until the last couple miles, when I really started to push it with my remaining energy.
 

I attribute my decent HR to the cooler weather, but also to Ed’s reminders to train based on HR and to “stay in the box.”  In the months leading up to IM MD, I got used to running at a marathon pace (before I started this process, I’d always run as fast as I reasonably could unless and until I was forced to slow down due to lack of energy).  You can’t really do that when training for an IM.  You’d never develop a true baseline.
 

The plan worked.  I was able to start speeding up for the last two miles, cranking out a 7:48 pace for the last 0.5-mile stretch (helped that it was a slight downhill through town, with the announcer’s voice booming in good proximity and a lot more fan support as you approached the finish line).  All of my family was right at the finish line to cheer me as I ran in.  I made eye contact with them about 50 feet before I crossed the finish—awesome feeling.  I also attribute my ability to finish the marathon actually running to having focused on nutrition for the entire run.  When the gels and Shotblocks got too old, I switched to bananas, the occasional small Cliffbar, chicken broth, and Gatorade washed down by water at almost every aid station.  I also continued to take Saltstick tabs.  No cramps or GI issues.  The worst that happened was about 10 mins of discomfort and minor choking when I accidentally swallowed whole an unchewed Shotblock (was finally able to wash it down my throat forcefully by gulping water). 
 

One of the coolest aspects of the race was hearing my family’s reaction to all they saw.  Carly had been to several of my races before, but my parents (and mother-in-law) had never been to a triathlon.  They were all really inspired by how family-oriented everything was—tons of families, kids cheering on their parents, people dressed up in costumes, enthusiastic bystanders waiving posters and yelling your name as you passed, etc.  I feel like they finally understood why an Ironman is such a huge undertaking, and they seemed to “get” why and how the feeling of accomplishment makes all the months of sacrifice worth it.  I also saw a lot of inspiring moments, the most memorable of which was watching a mother/daughter team (probably 60 years old and 30 years old) running in tandem connected by a wristband.  The twist?  The mother was blind, being guided throughout an entire Ironman by her daughter.  How’s that for a motivational story?  I later saw a tandem bike in transition—presumably theirs. 
 

I’m really pleased with how the race went.  I beat my “best day” goal and didn’t hurt myself in the process.  I’m sure I’ll stay sore for a few days, but I feel truly content and relieved to have had such a positive experience.