With some great Spring weather this past weekend the roads were full of cyclists getting off the trainers and outside again.

Here are some things that may help you stay a bit safer:

1. Ride even more defensively.  Motorists have been used to not seeing a lot of bike traffic during winter and need to adjust to you again.

2. Make yourself visible!!! Flashing lights on the back of bike are helpful along with your awesome cycling kit.

3. Take it easy in the corners.  There is still quite a bit of sand and other debris on the road from winter.

4. Ride with Aloha and use some common sense.  When overtaking a cyclist or group of cyclists say hello, on your left, good morning/afternoon, etc... It can be startling when getting passed and may help prevent the cyclist(s) your are passing from crashing into you.

5. Staying as far to the right side of the road as you feel comfortable and conditions allow for. When 2 abreast, please make frequent checks behind and single up when in doubt.  While it is legal to ride 2 abreast, doing so when conditions are not safe (lots of traffic, no bike lane, narrow to no shoulder) puts you at more risk!

6. Make sure to check your bike for any loose bolts, working breaks, lube up the chain and good tires before hitting the roads.

7. In addition to #3 above, when turning or changing lanes, use hand signals so those behind and traffic ahead understands the path you are going to take.

There are plenty more things to add, but this is a good start to getting you rolling on the roads again.  16 days until Spring is officially here!

Train Smart Race Fast - Coach Eric

It is always good to get the first race of the season done.  Let's you know how your training has been going so far both good and not so good and often times can be a great motivator for the remaining part of the year.

This year I kicked things off at the Colorado Triathlon at Boulder Rez and hosted by the folks from Without Limits.  I decided this year was a good time to take a break from the longer races so doing the sprint here was a perfect way to start.

THE SWIM - Just going to say it... one of my worst ever in 31 years in terms of how I felt in the water.  Bottom line, I could NOT get enough air and felt like I was gasping for it within 3 minutes after starting.  From talking to a few other athletes and coaches I think I may have it figured out due to the late allergies we have been having here.  Race week was filled with lots of sneezing and runny noses.   I think combining that with the compression of my race kit and wetsuit was enough to create that very uncomfortable feeling of not getting air.  So, I went into damage control on the swim and thought to myself, "what would I tell my clients to do"?  Roll over on your back and do some backstroke.  I did this for a while and it helped a bit, but I was still not feeling 100%.  At one point I even stopped when nobody was behind me and made some adjustments to my wetsuit and tried to calm my breathing down.  I decided to just relax as best I could the remainder of the swim and alternated freestyle and backstroke most of the second half of the swim.  Eventually I was happy to hit the beach and start running up to T1.

THE BIKE- After a quick change it was time to roll.  It took me until Jay Rd for my breathing to finally settle down and I found a good, strong and steady rhythm on the ride. Turning off Hwy 36 onto Neva Rd you can really let things rip all the way down to 63rd. St.  Last year racing on this section of course during IM Boulder 70.3 a couple of cars were not playing nice.  Today, no problems as we flew along.  Quick right turn onto 63rd, back to Diagonal and The Rez.  It was really fun to be riding for less than 45 minutes and roll into T2 knowing it was only a 5K run.

THE RUN - Started off trying to get some leg turnover and after about 1/4 mile found my rhythm.  With an out-and-back course you get to see who is running fast behind you and shortly after the turn I noticed a couple guys that were moving quicker than I was.  So the goal was not to let them catch me.  Good intentions here but with about 200 yards to go, sure enough I got passed by these two.  I glanced down and one of them had a "51" on his calf.... CRAP... I had to dig even deeper.  I picked up my turnover and got in behind them for about 10 seconds.  The last right turn into the finish was up ahead about 30 yards and I told myself go now...beat those guys into the corner.  I was able to get around them both just before the corner and did not look back as we made our way to the finish line.  I was able to hang on and stay ahead of both of them by a couple of seconds.  After catching my breath I congratulated them both and thanked them for the push.  Come to find out as results were posted that we were racing for 1st and 2nd in the 50-54 age group without knowing it at the time!

POST RACE - I had a chance to catch up with some friends I coach at FAST Masters, and some other athletes I have gotten to know over the past 5 years and we discussed our day out on the course.  A couple things I was reminded of:

1.  If you are not having a good swim, try not to panic and find a way to get yourself settled down.

2. Never give up & always give your best for the day!

Big thanks to Patrick Ray at Rocky Mountain Multisport for keeping my bike dialed in, Vasa Inc for turning me on to the Vasa Ergometer  (my swimming secret weapon)
and all the competitors who raced on a beautiful Colorado morning.

Mother nature is in control of the weather.

You are in control of your attitude and the choices you make.

Prone to being cold in the water, here are a couple tips that may help your next swimming experience be a little less chilly.

1. Exercise before getting in - A few lunges, squats, arm circles, rotator cuff exercises, bouncing on toes, etc... with clothes on.  Then quick entry to pool.

2. Warm beverages before, during and after swimming.  Coffee, Tea, water & lemon.

3. Wear 2 caps

4. Break out the neoprene - tops, bottoms, or both.  Added insulation a good thing.

5. KICK MORE - Bigger muscles, bigger energy use = more heat generated.  Added bonus, you may even go faster and who doesn't want to do that.

This should get you started and I am happy to expand more just drop me a note at eric@coachneilsen.com

Make it a great day!

Coach Eric

I am writing this post to help keep our wonderful roads in Colorado safer for cyclists and motorists.  I would like to thank Bryan VanMeveren of VanMeveren Law Group for meeting with me to discuss this.  He recently completed a comprehensive book focusing on Colorado bike law this is now available for free download on his website: http://www.vanmeverenlaw.com

A little background on myself, I have been riding a bike as long as I can remember and hope to stay in the saddle as long as possible.  The past couple months I have had 3 incidents on the road that have put my life at risk more than I am comfortable with. The number 3 being the main focus point of this article.

3 feet = 1 yard, 36 inches, metric 91.44 centimeters, .91 meters.  Motorists by law are required to give cyclists a minimum of 3 feet from the widest part of their vehicle, trailer, etc. when passing a cyclists on the road.   This can be a challenge on roads without a designated bike lane, but with a little planning, one can minimize the stress for both motorist and cyclists.

Motorists, 3 simple things you can do when passing a cyclist:

1. Slow down or speed up based on road, traffic conditions
2. Move left and pass with at least 3 feet of clearance
3. Return to lane after safe pass

If you like more technical reading that supports the above:

42-4-1003. Overtaking a vehicle on the left

• (1)  The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to the limitations, exceptions, and special rules stated in this section and sections 42-4-1004 to 42-4-1008:
  • (a)  The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left of the vehicle at a safe distance and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle.
  • (b)  The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking a bicyclist proceeding in the same direction shall allow the bicyclist at least a three-foot separation between the right side of the driver's vehicle, including all mirrors or other projections, and the left side of the bicyclist at all times.
  • (c)  Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of an overtaken vehicle shall give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle on audible signal and shall not increase the speed of the driver's vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.

• (2)  Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a class A traffic infraction.

Cyclists, 3 simple things you can do to help stay safer on the road:

1. Be visible both at day and night.  So many great bike lights and reflective, bright gear is now available.  It would be so great to see all cyclists riding with a flashing light on the back of their bikes all of the time.
2. Use hand signals when turning or coming to stop.  Drivers are not psychic and a hand signal can go a long way to helping the motorist better understand your intended direction of travel.
3. Obey the law!  Seems simple, but blowing through stop signs at intersections with cars present is NOT SMART!  While you are allowed to ride two abreast on the road you shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a laned roadway, shall ride within a single lane. Use some common sense.  Two abreast on low traffic, back county road probably going to be okay.  Two abreast on high traffic or winding road, NOT A GOOD IDEA! and good idea to single up.

Cars and cyclists can continue to get along if both parties use some basic common sense and obey the rules of the road.  When I lived in Hawaii, we would say... "Ride with Aloha".

I've had the good fortune over the years to work with kids of all ages and my most recent experience was volunteering at Walk Clark Middle School in Loveland, Colorado with the cross country and track teams for the past 2 years.

Middle school in Colorado is 6th-8th grade. It is SO COOL to see these kids become empowered through sport and watch their self esteem soar to new heights. Some start off with natural talent and running is just an extension of other sports. Others come into the program with little or no running experience, so running 1/4 mile is a long way. I enjoy working with both types of athletes. Pushing those with more experience and nurturing the beginners, so by the end of cross country season they are all running 2.4 miles non-stop...and some are running it pretty fast 🙂

I think I gravitate to the latter group because when I was their age, I was short, a bit chubby and had low self-esteem. Middle school sports were limited, so I was on the JV team in football one year until I broke my arm and then JV basketball all three years. I loved sports, but at the time it seemed like the JV program was an afterthought.

As a result, working with beginner kids and incoming 6th graders my focus is on form, form, and more FORM. Help them better understand how their bodies move, how to balance, how moving more efficiently will minimize injuries and they will run FASTER! All kids want to run faster, so getting them to buy into the little details in these early years will not only help them with their sport, but in many life skills.

You may wonder, how do I get them to buy into the work, buy into the details? Keep the workouts FUN! Every workout should have a component of playfulness and often times I can get a tremendous amount of work out of them but they don't even realize it. I have tried to apply this to my adult athletes as much as possible.

Fast forward 2 years to this year's conference championship track meet. The distance kids from cross country naturally gravitate to the 1600 and 3200 meter events (1 & 2 Mile). They ALL had best times in the events they ran. Three things really stood out for me: 1. Sportsmanship, 2. Proper Pacing 3. Racing with Guts! For those returning next year to middle school, they have some great things to build on. For those moving on to high school, they have a good set of tools in the tool bag and the high school coaches will take them to the next level.

A big THANK YOU to Coach Robert Arrington for allowing me to help out with the kids. They are lucky to have his leadership and in the years to come they will look back on where it all started. Also, thanks to the parents for allowing me to work with their kids during off-season conditioning in the summer and winter months. We had lots of "Fun Runs" working on a variety of skills while healthy lifestyle habits are being formed. I am living the dream!

Keep Running,
Coach Eric

Recently I was chatting with one of my athletes about long bike rides in particular what we like about them.  Yes, longer rides are fun even when they have there challenging moments.   Here are my top 3 along with several responses I got from others that have taken a few long rides.

1. Solitude - Long rides by myself allow me to ride at my own pace.  Go hard when I want or just cruise and look at all the cool sites.  Time in my head with my thoughts or figuring out client schedules.   Of course at times, ok a lot of times no thoughts at all as the miles roll on by and I take in all the beauty surrounding us here in Colorado.

2. Friendship - The flip side is rolling out with a group for 4-5 hours.  You can get to know someone a lot better after spending hours in the saddle.  Long group rides usually involve a stop or two for beverages and other feeding opportunities.  A favorite ride in the 90's when I lived in San Diego was a bakery ride out to Dudley's.  When your tired you can just sit on a wheel and take a break while someone else leads the way.

3. Mental/Physical toughness - Whether by yourself or with a group, the first time you crack 10, 25, 50 or 100 miles it sure is a confidence booster.  The longer ride is essential for both cyclists and triathletes that are looking to improve.

Here are a few more long ride likes...

1) The freedom to know you have hours ahead with just you and your thoughts.

2) The anticipation and then the feeling of accomplishment when it's over.

3) Knowing that you've earned at least 2 pints of beer and your favorite meal.

1) If the weather is ideal, I can ride forever. And ideal isn't overly specific... depends on the current season.

2) If the terrain is what I'm wanting to do, I can ride a long time. Terrain can be tough where I have the energy to work on hill climbs and have fun with decents. Or, the route can be rollers where I can get satisfaction in a higher mph average by still working it but not killing myself either. Note: the fall weather and colors have been a wonderful energy last 3 weeks.

3) Lastly, there are times I am simply motivated to complete an assigned long ride no matter what the weather or route. Grrrrrr....just wanna do it! :o)

1. Challenge! I love the challenge of the longer rides, mentally and physically; specially when there are hills and wind to take on!! (It's all how you look at it, no?)

2. It's my happy spot! With dealing with depression and anxiety, the longer bike rides calms my whirlwind of a mind, changes my mind set to actually be in the moment, and I'm now focus on the ride ahead of me and whatever lies ahead.

3. Embracing what I can do! Hey! These miles have been earned, not given! To even be capable to go out and do such long bike rides is amazing! And if you are able to do so, you're the one who chooses whether or not to "go the extra mile".

1) The Challenge. Overcoming the mental barriers of getting half way through your long ride and realizing you are only half way. Pushing your physical limits near the end and realizing you can do it.

2) The Scenery. This may be due to the amazing place we live, but if you are riding 100+miles in the area, you are going to see some highlights from Mother Nature.

3) Post Ride. The hunger, thirst, and desire to sleep that is with you the rest of the day. Makes you feel like you accomplished something worthwhile and are better because of it.

1) First of all I have to say that being able to train and take some of these long rides is that I am truly blessed! I have the time, the physical ability and one of the most beautiful places in the world to do so. Not everyone is as lucky!  I love the speed and being able to cover a long distance. I often look at the Kohalas or Hualalai from a long way out and get some cool satisfaction that I'm going there, or was there!
2) The scenery!  I've had some epic rides out on the old Mamalahoa highway - incredibly beautiful rolling hills, open fields, the smell of white ginger and the grass - incredible!!
3) The camaraderie - I had bib #1000 on my 70.3 in Mallorca. Got lots of comments and had some great conversation snipets from athletes from all over the world climbing up the long hill. Pretty cool!

1) The end of the ride
2) The isolation
3) Happy to have no mechanical issues

1)The best thing I find about a long ride is once you get past all the niggles and stress, for me usually the first 2 hours. I hit a point where I can just zen out and there seems to be this perfect balance. I'm not worried about speed, power or life's other stress'. Instead it's just me cruising and living the dream.

2) Another thing I enjoy about long rides is the company of a good training partner. Unbeknownst to our wives we might actually get more individual quality time with our training mates. Often these partners are reaching for the same goals and it helps to have them along

1) The solitude. I don't ride with music, it's not safe. So you're alone with your thoughts. It's an ideal time to mediate on your breathing or the pressure on your foot during a down stroke etc. if meditation isn't your thing, it's a great time to focus on various parts of your cycling. Yes I just switched the word meditation with focus. Pedaling, while being aware of everything else; traffic, the road ahead, foot position, aero position, lean etc. switch focuses every so often. The kilometers fly by.

2) If it's not a race prep ride: the treat at the turn around point when that is a destination of its own. Iced Coffee at Starbucks in Waikoloa out here for example. Nothing heavy, nothing a complete nutritional disaster, just something simple and appropriate. If it's a race prep ride: seeing just how tasty your choices for the race really are. I've surprised myself more than once on my gastronomical choices.

3) The early starts. Riding the Queen K through the lava fields and seeing the sun finally crest over Mauna Loa and Hualalai makes that before dawn alarm all worthwhile. Getting things done before many people even have a chance to decide what they're going to have for breakfast.

4) Being done!

Race Day!

One thing nice about this race was the later start.  The Pro's went off at 10:30 and my 50-54 age group wave went off at 11:31.  So, no early  wake up and restless night of sleep which led to a very relaxed morning before driving down to the train station and the short trip to the Transition area.  On race days, what works best for me is liquid calories only  for breakfast and the same during the race.  Start your day with what what works for you.

Arriving at transition, things were very calm and I made my way to my bike to pump up my tires.  Athletes in general seemed to be sharing my same calmness as we made final preparations.  When I was giving my cranks a spin to check brakes and calibrate power meter one of the guys capturing video clips for Ironman shot a few seconds of video.  Did not think much of it as they capture all kinds of moments during the day.  Fast forward to the awards dinner and my 3 second clip made the video for the night.  Cool!  After giving the bike the final check, loading bottles, securing shoes to pedals and walking through transition one more time to know my entrance/exits, I headed over to find some water and shade on the grass to relax.

About 45 minutes before my wave, I got up and gave the legs and easy 5-6 min jog on the grass mixing in a few drills to loosen up.  Off to bag drop and now all that remained was wet suit cap and goggles.  We had plenty of room to warm up in the lake next to the swim start and I took full advantage of this. 15 minutes in the water mixing strokes and doing some buildups as one by one the waves went off.  I cued up with my group about 5 minutes before they put us in the water to wait for start.  Made my way to the front right and made peace with those around me as we waited for the cannon to go off.

Swim

BOOM.. and away we go.  I was fortunate to find clean water pretty quickly after going through a couple swimmers who should not have started near the front.  Plus starting front right I was opposite the buoy line and had a clean shot to the first turn buoy 900M out.  I would have to say it was the easiest feeling swim I have had in a while at a 1/2 IM.  Maybe more air than back home, maybe the tapered feeling, but those 29 minutes just flew on by and that was that.  Quick exit, peeling wet suit down to my waist after grabbing T1 bag and into changing tent.  Helmet on, swim items stuffed into bag and out we go.  Grabbed a quick sip of water to rinse the mouth out, (old habits from Hawaii and getting the salty taste out) and off and running to the bike.  Sharon was counting gold caps coming out of the water and had me right around 30th in age so very pleased with that.  Tons of cheering people as we exited T1 to mount are bikes.  Some guy almost took me out from the start coming by me on the right side leaving T1 as I was getting into my shoes.

Bike

What a spectacular course we had to ride.  The first 5-6K featured several turns, a small, narrow bridge to cross so this actually was a good thing in my opinion as it helped keep all the excitement in check and just settle into my pace once the roads opened up.  This section gently rolled along down the valley and was more down than up so speed was good. and the first 30 minutes went fast at just under 26mph.  Monitoring my power I knew the 8 mile climb was up next and needed to get on track with the liquid nutrition (INFINIT).  The climb I feel I nailed it!  Starting conservatively to settle in climbing rhythm paid off.  After the initial kick it settled back down into the 3-5% range so I was able to keep effort steady and started passing people.  Training with power is so helpful, particularly when climbing and I just kept motoring along past people that had started too fast.  The climb continued through a ski station another 3/4 of a mile, then a slight left turn onto the final mile which was between 10-14%.  Now here is where the pacing really paid off as I felt strong this last bit.  Don't get me wrong, I was working, power avg for those 9 minutes was 10 Watts above FTP, but that %grade, no way to avoid that.  Cresting the climb I felt really good and grabbed a big drink as there was no way I was letting go of the handlebars those last 9 minutes.  The fans were great on this section of the ride, kind of like a little Tour de France feeling.  After a quick stretch break for the lower back and another couple gulps of fluid it was time to pay attention.  The initial descent was steep 15% and  had some hairpin turns included.  A few guys flew past me and that was just fine with me.  They even padded a couple of corners in case riders came in to hot as going over the guard rail would have had some serious consequences. 

Once down the initial descent, we flew past a couple more ski stations and back into the valley above Zell am See, then back through Zell am See to more cheering fans, a quick wave to Sharon and on to the last 40 minutes of the course.

More rolling, more hydration and continued monitoring of power output.  For the power people Total ride: IF .82 and VI 1.09  very pleased given the profile and sustained climb/descent. Climb numbers 40 minutes avg power 223 IF .96, VI 1.01

Run 

Coming out of T2 I had my legs right away, which told me I paced the bike properly.  The first mile went right along the lake before turning into the "Altstadt" old town part of Zell am See for the first of our 2 loops. Old cobbled roads, 1000's of cheering spectators along this section before heading back to the lake for the out and back run.  A gradual up/down/up at the turn around and already headed back on lap 1.  After the first 2 miles I had settled into 7:30-7:40 miles and they just kept ticking over, but I knew the effort would go up on the second lap to hold the same pace and it did.  Ice in the cap at aid stations and started hitting the Coke towards the end of the first lap alternating that with water on lap #2. Pacing once again paid off as lots of runners were coming back to me on the way back out.  I knew once we reached the turn that is was a good 5K to the finish and now was the time to dig in and just leave it all out there.  I continued to pass people on the return and heading into the last 400 meters or so the crowd was just fantastic. Crossing finishing line was a mixture of happiness and sadness oddly enough. Happiness in executing my race plan and knowing I left it all on the race course.  Sadness that I had to stop.  That may sound odd, but I was honestly having a great time racing to my limit and reflecting back a bit more, probably the most relaxed and present I have ever been on a race day.

Race finish link:

https://www.facebook.com/sharonraecook/videos/10205372206926934/

Final thoughts - 2015 marks 30 years in the sport of triathlon, but when I think about it I have been doing this my whole life.  As a kid, I was fortunate to grow up with swimming pools around and I was always playing in the water.  No swim teams, just sharks and minnows, marco polo and match stick a cool game my sister and friends came up with.  I was always riding around on my bike. To school, to a friends house and to town to catch the bus to the movie theater.  Running as a kid you just ran places and when you got tired you walked.  Playing tag or ghosts in the graveyard sure kept us fit not to mention those cool wooden outdoor playgrounds that we played all sorts of games on.  As I age in the sport, I continue to learn and one thing I learned early on is having fun at the sports I do is essential. 

Never forget how to play like a kid in sport and in life. I hope to be at this another 30 years and blogging about my first race as an 80 year old.  Keep living your dream!