The 2010 Road to Kona - Ben's 5 Step Plan

How time flies!

It seems like just last week that I arrived back home from the Clearwater Half-Ironman World Championships. For the past few months, I've been having fun playing basketball, skate-skiing, doing CrossFit, hanging out with my kids, learning new guitar songs, launching an online triathlon academy, and drinking my fair share of vodka-pomegranate martinis.



But with the 2010 triathlon season quickly approaching, it's time to buckle down and make plans. Might as well start with the biggest announcement:

I'm gunning for Kona this year.

That's right. For a third time, I want to return to the Big Island to race in the Ironman World Championships, and 2010 is shaping up to be the year.

Since I last qualified for Kona in 2008, things seem to have changed. The qualifying time for the 25-29 age group has decreased by nearly 15 minutes in my backyard race, Ironman Coeur D' Alene, and other Ironman events across the globe seem to have followed suit. Races are getting faster, triathletes are becoming more talented, and to make it the World Championships in Kona has become a significantly formidable task that requires either a motor on your bike, high-speed roller skates, or a very good triathon plan.

So making it to Kona, and dominating the local triathon race circuit in 2010, is going to take some significant changes in my training, racing and nutrition protocols. Not that I wasn't serious before. It's just that now, I need to get VERY serious. Want to know how I'm going to do it?

Here's the 5 Step Plan, borrowed from the Alcoholics Anonymous model (actually, I've never been to an AA meeting, but doesn't 5 Step Plan sound like maybe it would be a component?):

1) Lay Down a Bulletproof Base. I've supplemented my winter training by taking up the incredibly challenging sport of skate skiing, playing hardcore basketball a couple times a week, and participating in a 30 hour training week at my triathlon camp in Austin Texas, so I'm a bit ahead of the equation on this one. My body is in an excellent state of fitness to be ready to lay down speed in early Spring. I'm not fast rightnow, but my strength and endurance are through the roof - right where they need to be early season.

2) Race Often. I discovered a long time ago that the best way for me to stay motivated, amp up intensity, study the sport and monitor my progress is to race early and race often. Many of my races on the calendar below I will simply "train through", but I play on enjoying the 2010 season by participating in a large number of multi-sport events. Some people worry about burn-out and overtraining, but the idea is not to "win every event", but rather to use races as baseline measurements, and also inspiration, socialization, and a chance to change tires under pressure.



3) Engage in Structured Swim Improvement. After studying my splits in 2009, the time that I put into the pool simply didn't pay off. To hang with the big boys on the bike, I need to be out of the water earlier, and so I'm completing a structured 8 week training series from Swim Smooth, thanks to Paul, who has hooked me up with paddles, wetronome and water proof training sessions. I'll continue to use my ultra-sleek Blue Seventy Helix Wetsuit and Element goggles, and will use the new Blue Seventy speed suit at any non-wetsuit legal events.

4) Train With Power. Not only will I be upgrading my Specialized Transition Pro to a Specialized Transition S-Works, but I'll also be adding a power meter to both my indoor and outdoor bike training protocols. I'll also be doing thorough testing and ample riding at my 2 hour threshold power in Kona-esque conditions, especially as the Hawaii 70.3 qualifying event draws closer. I had really wanted to accept my gracious Team Timex invitation this year, but I simply cannot imagine racing on any bike other than a Specialized. Wheelsport East is my local shop, and these guys rock. Go there to get your bike if you're from Spokane.





5) Turn Myself Into Bionic Man. Impossible, you say? To tell you the truth, in the past 2 months I have doubled my testosterone levels, added 3000-4000IU of super-steroid precursor vitamin D into my training protocol, had a cup full of pure and essential amino acids after every workout, and carefully monitored my magnesium/calcium mineral loss, urine pH, blood ferritin and essential amino acid levels. In addition, I have eliminated nearly every starch and sugar source from my diet. I now only need a rest day once every 2 weeks, and I roll out of bed every morning completely ready for my High Intensity Interval sessions. A human performance company from Bend, Oregon called "Bioletics" has made this all possible. What it comes down to is that if you truly want to have your body completely dialed in, you need to call them...today.

Bioletics will be overseeing my entire 2010 Road to Kona, and I will be sending them blood, urine and salivary samples throughout the season to monitor my progress. If I'm going to be putting 10-15 hours of weekly training, money, effort and time into getting to the Ironman World Championships, I want to know exactly what's going on inside my body and exactly how to optimize my internal performance factors, and that's what Bioletics is going to do for me. You can hear more about Bioletics by listening to Podcasts #53 and #62 at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com .



Another interesting part of this equation is that I really want to save my body for the Big Dance in Hawaii, and thus only race ONLY ONE IRONMAN event in 2010. This means that I will need to qualify at a Half-Ironman 70.3 event. So I'll be traveling to Hawaii in June, where I will likely need to win my age-group at the Hawaii 70.3. Should that for any reason fall through, I will attempt to sneak into Canada or Louisville. So, without further ado, here's the 2010 race season:

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Ben Greenfield's 2010 Road to Kona - Calendar of Events:

April 17, 2010: Snake River Sprint
April 25, 2010: Leadman Off-Road Triathlon
May 1, 2010: Wildflower Half-Ironman
June 5th, 2010: Ironman 70.3 Hawaii (Kona Qualifier)
July 17th, 2010: Tiger Triathlon
August 1, 2010: Troika Half-Ironman
August 7th, 2010: Coeur D' Alene Scenic Challenge Triathlon
August 29th, 2010: Ironman Lousville (if no qualification at 70.3 Hawaii)
September 12, 2010: Spokane Triathlon
September 25, 2010: Black Diamond Half-Ironman
October 9, 2010: Ironman Hawaii World Championships
December 5, 2010: Ironman 70.3 Thailand

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Yes. No race season would be completely without being capped off by a fantastic international event, especially one where massages and gourmet Thai food are as commonplace as iPhones and Nintendo Wii's.

But wait! I'm not done yet! There are some other very important sponsors to which I will owe a debt of gratitude for their amazing formulations and products. These include...

-Zeal Optics. With everything from super lightweight racing sunglasses to their patented Bluetooth, talk-on-your-phone-with-your-eyewear technology, Zeal is the ultimate stuff to have on my face during a race.

-Avia. You will notice some of the top triathlon pros in the world are sporting Avia shoes, and there's a reason for that. Avia puts some serious R&D into their line of footwear, and I have three pairs in my closet - a stability shoe for distance work, a trail shoe for off-road running, and a high-speed racing flat. It's all I'll ever need.

-Mt. Capra Nutrition. I go through 4-6 scoops of their Double Bonded Protein every day, and also use their Solar Energy after every workout. You can get it here with 5% discount code BGF.

-Impax Nutrition. This is the foundation of my morning health routine. I do two scoops of Enerprime powder and 2 EnerEFA capsules, then I also use their delta-E packets for a rocket boost before every hard workout. Click here to read more about Impax.

-Millennium Sports. I turn to Millennium's products especially during the core of race season, during with I take their Cordygen Ultra VO2 and Citruvol and Carnage as a 1-2-3 combo punch of power, VO2 and intensity. I also now use their "Athlytes" for my electrolyte intake during races. Check them out at http://www.millenniumsport.net

-GU Nutrition. I use the GU Sport Gels, GU Roctane and GU Chomps as my sole source of carbohydrate energy during my events. You can follow GU's awesome Facebook page here.

-Bumblebars. Gluten-free, all-natural morsels of goodness, these are my fall back snack when I'm traveling, busy or just have to grab a very quick bite. They have really good monthly deals on their website here.

-Wicked Fast. With a special capsule that blends proteolytic enzymes and branched chain amino acids, I typically swallow 4-6 Recoverease when I drink my post-workout drink to make my post-workout soreness disappear.

-nuun Active Hydration. I am addicted to nuun. And it is a good addiction. Rather than slamming a soda, I use nuun's all-natural "uhydration" products when I want flavored health water. I like to mix them with Bioletics amino acid powder and Mt. Capra's Solar Energy post-workout. Nuun lives here.

-Tim at Therapeutic Approach massage. If you live in the Spokane or Coeur D' Alene area and have not yet found Tim, then you are missing out. He knows the triathlete's body and he doesn't have any cheesy posters or calm tunes of serenity. You simply get deep tissue massage and Johny Cash. The real deal. Here's his website.

-Brian at Spokane Sports Chiropractic. When the runs and bikes get long, Brian will be adjusting my sacroiliac joint to ensure my hips rotate with ultimate efficiency. This is a lifesaver, as about 75% of endurance athletes simply push through low back pain or limited range of movement, and sometimes don't even know it. Find Brian here.

OK, folks! Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com for a free blog and podcast with more human performance and nutrition advice, and also http://www.rockstartriathlete.com for an online triathlon academy!

Now I'm going to go squeeze one more martini in. Twitter me if you want a good pomegranate recipe.

Pacific Elite Fitness Triathlon Training Camp at Endurance Ranch

Pacific Elite Fitness Triathlon Training Camp Day 1

How to Combine CrossFit and Triathlon Training

Well folks, I'm a bit bored of training over the holidays, so I've decided to inject a bit of variety and intensity into my triathlon training plan. Specifically, I'm going to begin combining the popular intensity of CrossFit training, straight from http://www.crossfit.com with just barely enough triathlon training to keep me fit enough to do the indoor YMCA triathlons over the winter, as well as a bit of detail work to keep me injury-free.

So are you curious what a weekly fitness routine that combines CrossFit and Triathlon Training actually looks like? Here's what I'll be doing (only doing the weekend workouts if I'm not snowshoeing or skate skiing):

5-10 minute elliptical or bicycle warm-up before each workout:

Day 1: - (Saturday for me):

-Rotator Cuff Detailing 1 (4x25 reps elastic band or cable internal rotation, external rotation, standing rows)
-Cross Fit (whatever appears at CrossFit.com for that day*)
-5K run OR 45-60 minutes sport of your choice

Day 2: - (Sunday for me):

-Gluteus Medius Detailing 1 (4x25 reps hip hikes, fire hydrants, elastic band or cable external rotation)
-Cross Fit (whatever appears at CrossFit.com for that day)
-Swim or Bike Workout of Choice

Day 3: - (Monday for me):

-Core Detailing 1 (4x20 reps side plank rotations, front plank reaches, bridges)
-Cross Fit (whatever appears at CrossFit.com for that day)
-5K run OR 45-60 minutes sport of your choice

Day 4: - (Tuesday for me):

-Rotator Cuff Detailing 2 (4x15 reps dumbbell front raises, side raises, empty cans, upper-cuts)
-Cross Fit (whatever appears at CrossFit.com for that day)
-Swim or Bike Workout of Choice

Day 5: - (Wednesday for me):

-Gluteus Medius Detailing 2 (4x25 reps elastic band front walks, side walks, backward walks)
-Cross Fit (whatever appears at CrossFit.com for that day)
-5K run OR 45-60 minutes sport of your choice

Day 6: - (Thursday for me):

-Core Detailing 2 (4x20 reps cable torso twists, bicycle crunches, low back extensions)
-Cross Fit (whatever appears at CrossFit.com for that day)
-Swim or Bike Workout of Choice

Day 7 - (Friday for me):

-Workout Make-Up Day, Off Day, or Play

*If no workout appears at CrossFit.com on any of these days, then you get to do 1 hour of aerobic, fat-burning cardio in it's place.

I'm going to be posting some more workouts like this over at http://www.rockstartriathlete.com , so stay tuned to that website, and heck yes, that's my tattoo!

NO COMMENTS ALLOWED ON THIS PARTICULAR POST, AS I GOT SOME OFFENSIVE COMMENTS WITH BAD LINKS.

Clearwater Race Report

As you may have guessed, the Clearwater 70.3 World Championships are the world championships for Half-Ironman triathlon. And since most of my efforts this year have been focused on speed in that distance, this race was probably the most important of the year in terms of milestones.

Clearwater Beach is a fun and small collection of cool restaurants, fancy hotels, and gorgeous waterfront. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a real gem of a hotel - the Tropical Isle Motel By the Sea - nestled just near a 5 star resort at a fraction of the price. The owner, Steve, really took care of myself and my roomate, and as a bonus, he also happened to know all the best places to eat!

The day before the race, the organizers actually canceled the ocean open water swim. Hurricane Ida, bless her heart, had left behind some lingering inclement conditions, so the entire swim venue was moved across the island to a small bay with much less "chop".

And since there was no big beach on the bay for a traditional running beach start, the plan was to simply have all athletes enter the water one-by-one, tripping a timing mat with an ankle chip as they entered the water.

We left in the approximate order of our race number, and as athlete #1604, I had a bit of a wait before entering the water. As it was, the long wait led up to a rather anti-climactic swim start.

The normal affair for these type of events is for a cannon-boom or airhorn to send hundreds of athletes flurrying in the water at once, in what amounts to an overwhelming feeling of being thrown into a washing machine full of bowling balls. You then kick, punch and claw your way forward in an all-out sprint for 200 yard before the pack thins out.

In contrast, the Clearwater time-trial swim scenario went like this:

Race official: "OK, step forward please."

Me: "Me?"

Race official: "Yes, go ahead and get in the water."

Me: "Just get in?"

Race official: "Yes, don't dive though."

Me: "So when do I start swimming?"

Race official: "Now. OK, next person step forward please."

So I just basically started swimming. It was...boring. The swim was uneventful, a bit slower than expected (due to less salt in the bay water, and maybe less current pushing me in), and involved an enormous amount of self-motivation without the churning crowd of swimmers pushing me along. It was a good two minutes into the swim before I actually felt like I was *racing*.

Coming out of the water, the swimmers were directed into a narrow, single-person wide ramp that had us lined up nearly thirty swimmers back. Just standing there, waiting to exit the water. As you recall, my race number of 1604 dictated that 1603 other athletes (some very slow athletes) were lined up there in front of me.

Moo. Moo-ve. Please moo-ve.

29:00 on the swim. My goal had been 25:00. I kinda shrugged it off when I saw the high number on my watch, since there was really no way to compare this swim with last year's swim due to the completely different course.


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Finally elbowing my way through the crowd of sedated swimmers, I took off in a dead sprint to transition, bypassing the wetsuit strippers, where a literal line of athletes were waiting patiently to have their wetsuits "stripped".

Transition to the bike felt pretty good and quick, but with the size of the transition area at this huge venue, this still meant over 2 minutes spent weaving my way through the maze of bikes to finally exit and start my favorite, strongest leg of the sport.

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My bike felt good. Fantastic actually. With a smart taper, a chance to train in both Hawaii and Jamaica in the last few week's leading up to the race, implementation of the recommendations from my Bioletics testing, and continued pre-race use of Enerprime and delta-E, my body felt 100% primed, my legs were fresh and the heat was a total non-issue. I've also been using a brand new recovery product that I'll be able to reveal soon, but it is made by Mt. Capra (same company that makes the double-bonded whey protein that I use) and it has some serious beneficial effects, especially in the heat.

I left the disc behind for this race, but even with the Zipp 909 wheelset, the Specialized Transition is a very fast bike, and I spent a couple hours before the race tuning it perfectly.

The first 15 miles SAILED by (again, zero fogging in my new Zeal sunglasses), and I was literally powering through the entire field of cyclists. With hundreds of riders to navigate through, it was a bit like driving on a busy highway, but I was seriously focused.

Usually around this time, I have to begin gritting my teeth and painfully digging in for the next twenty miles or so, but my legs just never went stale. Of course, I was using my usual fuel - GU Roctane combined with Millennium Sports Athlytes.

***BY THE WAY, Millennium Sports actually OVERNIGHT SHIPPED ME my Athlytes when I informed them I accidentally left Washington without their proprietary blend of electrolytes and lactic acid buffers. This company literally gives you the best service you'll find, anywhere. Check them out.***

In the shift in direction at South-North turnaround, about mile twenty-five, I glanced behind me and realized that I was towing a group of about a dozen cyclists. Once we made the turn, over the next 5 miles, this group morphed into a peloton of well-over twenty riders.

Three times, I made a very concerted effort to ride off the front and leave the group behind, but I was gradually wearing myself away, and the pack swallowed me up after less than two miles every time.

I can confidently say that I was one of the best riders in the field on Saturday, and despite these damaging momentum surges from the large draft-packs, I would have easily posted close to a 2 hour bike split, if what had happened next did not happen.

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Just a few minutes after the mile 45 aid station, I rode up into the back of the largest pack of riders I have ever seen in a race. The Clearwater bike course is such that they allot ONE narrow lane to the entire field of athletes, and this lane is lined with a curb on one side, and large cones on the other.

As such, there was absolutely no way for me to pass this pack of riders, which appeared to be primarily comprised of female, middle-age cyclists, riding around 20 miles per hour. In total, I'd estimate this super-peloton to have been comprised of 90-100 riders. For the next seven miles, I tried countless times to pass the group, but it was literally impossible.

It was during those miles that I lost a good seven to eight minutes, and also lost any chance of clinching a podium spot. Just a few minutes into my "collision" with the back of this pack, I realized more me to make up this time, I'd have to run close to a 1:15. Realistically, I knew this wouldn't happen and it was disappointing.

Bike goal: 2:01; Bike actual time: 2:09.

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At this point, mentally for me, the race was over, and now it was just about putting together a good run and enjoying myself. Plus, there was possibly a chance that other guys in my division experienced the same momentum suck on the bike, and I could still place decently.

As I ran into the transition tent and emptied my "run gear" bag onto the asphalt to change, I realized that I had actually been handed my "swim gear" bag. Don't get me wrong: the Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit and Element goggles are a great combo, but I'm usually not wanting to wear a wetsuit and goggles for a half-marathon, so I ran back out and grabbed my REAL run gear bag with my Avia Bolt racing flats. Not a big deal, but I lost perhaps thirty seconds in transition.

The Clearwater half-marathon run is a fairly straightforward double 10K out-and-back, and I managed to negative split with a 45 minute first run and a 43 minute second run.

Interestingly, I expected to have more energy on the run considering my unfortunate chance to rest and recover for the last 10 miles of the bike, but I think my mental motivation was not where it could have been. Again, a bit of a let-down, but if this sport was mentally and physically "easy", it wouldn't be a challenge.

When you're having trouble with motivation, that third 5K of a half-marathon is probably the toughest spot. You're tired, but not close enough to the finish line for the "almost there" adrenaline rush to take over. I felt a bit sluggish during this part of the race, and may have lost a couple minutes there.

Run goal: 1:25; Run actual time: 1:28

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My goal going into this race was to podium. I knew that would take at least a 4:05, and my goal time, realistically based on my fitness, was a 4:00 to a 4:05 (this would have placed me somewhere between third and fifth at World Championships). If my bike split would have been "on", I could have easily posted a 4:05, and probably closer to a 4:02.

As it was, my final time was a 4:13. 20th place.

Psychologically, I was a bit down after the race and actual sat on the beach and had a bit of a cry for a little bit afterwards, because I put a good amount of fitness, training and focus into this culmination of the race season, and felt like a large part of the race was outside my control.

Nonetheless, this turned out to be quite a successful race season - and my major goal of dominating at Half-Ironman was achieved. I used a model of quality over quantity in my training all-season and NEVER trained more than 15 hours in any week, with an average of 10-12 hours. This allowed me to devote more time to family, work and hobbies, and still end up with some of my fastest races ever and a total of 15 triathlons in the 2009 race season.

I also have the best sponsors in the sport. I am very picky with gear and nutrition, and feel that I literally train and race with the creme of the crop when it comes to endurance sports.

Those names include:

Mt. Capra (recovery fuel)
Millennium Sports (racing fuel)
Impax (health fuel)
Avia (shoes)
Zeal (sunglasses)
Specialized (bike & cycling gear)
Blue Seventy (wetsuit & swim gear)
Bumblebar (energy bars)
GU (gels)
nuun (electrolytes)

If you EVER want to use any of the same products that I use in your training and racing, please e-mail me and I'll be happy to tell you exactly how I use the products from the companies mentioned above.

Thanks for reading.

Will I compete next year? You bet, and I'll be faster. Keep your eyes peeled for my 2010 Road to Kona.

My Jamaican Triathlon Adventures Video...

I Lied...

...*this* is the final video: