70.3 Boulder Race Recap

 I had three main objectives for this race.

1.   Improve all three legs of the triathlon from last year but especially, my nemeses, the swim
2.  Qualify for 70.3 Worlds in Las Vegas by winning my age group
3.  Of Course as always, HAVE FUN!

Last year, I went into the 70.3 Boulder race completely spent. The weekend before 70.3 Boulder I had completed my first ever 36 Hour Adventure Race with Jason Michalak, one of the most gifted athletes and best teammates I have ever met. The race was at Lake Tahoe and right after we crossed the finish line we packed up all our gear and headed to the airport where I flew to Arizona for a week of Z Health. I got back the day before Boulder 70.3 and was suffering with major digestive issues.  All things considered I had an outstanding race last year, winning my age group and qualifying for 70.3 Worlds in Las Vegas. 

This year, was a completely different story! I was by no means tapered, but, I also was in an extremely better state then last year.  I went into the race feeling pretty good, my coach (Lee Gardner) and I had set specific goals for each segment of the triathlon, knowing that if I had a great race I would hit these standards.

First was the swim; Lee wanted me breaking 35 minutes in the swim which would be 50 seconds faster than last year’s time. It was the first time all year that I could actually reach the bottom of the reservoir at the starting line. This made a huge difference because I was able to push off and get an excellent start staying up with the top girls in my age group. I went as hard as I could to the first turn in the swim course then told myself to relax and think about pulling the water with my arms. I have always struggled in the swim and get through by kicking as hard as I can. This time I truly focused on my upper body’s technique and staying calm.  I exited the water with a 31:35, fourth in my age group. Lee and I were both elated, 4:15 faster than last year and with less effort!

In T1 all the age group athletes had designated spots; I was in and out in 1:56, 8 seconds faster than last year’s time. 

By far my favorite part of the race is the bike portion. Here Lee and I wanted to hit 2:20:00. From the second I jumped on the bike it was “game face”, until I saw my amazing family cheering for me on the side of the road, after a quick smile and wave it was back to business. I caught the three girls in my age group very quickly out of transition and then set my sights on the age groups whose waves started before mine. All year my cycling has drastically improved and I know a big part of that is due to my SRM power meter. When I am racing, I rely very heavily on my power meter to keep me in check. Lee and I pick a target power range for my race and if I am above it, significantly, I know I need to back off. However, if I am below it, it helps to remind me to focus on every pedal stroke and maximizing each one as much as possible to bring my average power back into proper range.  I was feeling fantastic and unstoppable as I passed age grouper after age grouper. However, this confidence was quickly stalled when I got my doors blown off by another age grouper female, Mara Abbott.  She was incredibly fast and oddly enough, I was actually really excited to have someone push me on the bike. After waiting till she was three bike lengths ahead of me I re-passed her but had to push a huge power number to do so. Who was this girl? After a few seconds she took off again, we went back and forth for about 10 miles. At which point, I looked down at my power meter and saw I was going extremely hard to stay in contact with her and I wasn’t even half way done with the bike at this point. I quickly had to readjust my race strategy of trying to race her race and refocus on my own goals. It is always a humbling moment when you have to watch another athlete ride off into the distance while you swallow your pride and zone back into your own race. There is a 50 meter out-and-back section at the end of both laps on the bike. I told myself that if I could see her coming “out” of the out-and-back section on my second loop I could catch her on the run. On my second loop I couldn’t push the same power numbers as the first but with my family cheering from the side of the rode I knew I had to just stay focused on the present moment! The second loop was spent thinking about each pedal stroke and praying to God. When I am racing is when I feel closest to God and I truly believe that is why I have such a passion and love for racing. I get into deep prayer and know that if I do the race with him by my side anything is possible.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
-Philippians 4:13

By the end of the second bike loop, I was ecstatic to see her coming out of the out-and-back section which meant I was only a few minutes behind. I finished up the bike in a time of 2:20:25, very close to my goal time and 3:12 faster than last year. I was in the sixth wave to start the race out of about twenty, which meant I got to beat some of the heat of the day which allowed for me to be the second age group female to hit T2. T2 took a little longer then I would have liked at exactly 60 seconds. 6 seconds slower than last year.

The start of the run I felt really strong, within a mile and half I had caught Mara. I congratulated her on such a solid bike spilt, and she was extremely sweet telling me that she used to be a professional cyclist and won the Tour De France (for the women). Instantly, I was feeling better about my bike split and this insight helped me throughout the run. Lee and my father were both key roles in encouraging me on the run. Goal time for the run was a 1:30:00 (6:52 per mile pace), as great as I felt on the run I was well off pace with a 1:34:49 (7:14 per mile pace). I crossed the finish line with a time of 4:29:45, almost 17 minutes faster than last year.

Overall, it was a great race! I met my three main goals for the race, winning my age group by over 12 minutes and qualifying for 70.3 Worlds in Las Vegas which will be held September 9, 2012. I cannot wait to compete on the grand stage!  

Again, I could never have done it without my fantastic support team of my parents, sister, boyfriend and coach. My sponsors, Trismarter, SRM, Cafe Velo, Wheat Ridge Cyclery, Colorado Running Company, Dr. Grove Higgins, Transformation Massage Therapy, Exustar, and LifeQuest Military Transitions. Most of all, God who races by my side the entire way giving me strength and courage!

A Rehearsal Dinner, Birthday Celebration, Two Weddings and a Race!

To say I had a jammed packed weekend was an understatement.  

It started out Friday evening with a rehearsal dinner in Lafayette, Colorado which lasted until 8:00pm. Then the wedding party wanted to celebrate on Pearl Street afterwards. At about 9:00pm, Jeff Mack, my boyfriend and I had to rush to Denver to celebrate his sisters 23^rd Birthday on the 16^th Street Mall at an adorable Bar and Restaurant called Katie Mullens. It was super fun because they had a live band playing songs from the 80’s and it was more of a massive dance party. The band was called The Six Million Dollar Band. We did not get home until 11:30pm. When you normally go to bed at 7:30-8:00pm it felt like I had pulled an all-nighter. :)

Saturday: I got up early to get my swim practice in, pick up my packet for the 5150 Boulder Peak Triathlon in Boulder and get ready for the wedding. Chris Messaros, Jeff’s best friend and my friend from High School was getting married to Karen Cox. They had an absolutely lovely ceremony with endless dancing. Jeff and I wanted to stay the entire time but we knew we would be suffering tremendously if we didn’t get some sleep before our race the next day. 


To read about the actual Boulder Peak Race, please see below...

5150 Boulder Peak Triathlon Race Day

I absolutely love to RACE! I was so excited to compete in the Boulder Peak Triathlon. I have done this race several times and just love the course. Especially the bike course which is challenging because you have to climb Old Stage Rd. which is an elevation gain of 1,161 ft. in the first 7 miles.

Last year, I had a 12 hour adventure race the day prior to competing in the Boulder Peak Triathlon. I finished the Peak triathlon 16^th overall (including the professionals) with a time of 2:22:35.

This year my coach Lee Gardner and I wanted to crush last year’s time. He provided me with some goal times to hit which were the following:

Swim: 0:25:00

T1: 0:01:15

Bike: 1:05:00

T2: 0:00:50

Run: 0:41:00

We knew the most important part of the race for me was to have a good swim. I ended up swimming a 25:50, 50 sec. slower then what he wanted, but, 1 min. and 21 sec. faster than last year’s time, so I was still happy.

T1: I got a horrible transition spot because I had hit the snooze button in the morning and showed up later then I had hoped. I was so tried that getting up for a good transition spot wasn’t crossing my mind, 10 more minutes of sleep sounded too glorious to pass up. However, once I arrived to transition all the good spots were taken and when I tried to squeeze my bike in a decent spot several of the girls in my age group were very upset, rightfully so. I decided to move to the very end of the rack and use it as a challenge to see how quickly I could transition with a undesirable spot. T1 was not 1:15 (what Lee wanted) but a 1:57, significantly slower.

Finally, to the bike portion which is my favorite part of the race. Lee had an extremely high goal for me 1:05:00, this would be a course record by over a minute! When racing the same course as Laura Bennett (2008 & 2012 Olympian) and Melisa Rollison (70.3 World Champion) that is a goal I would love to achieve in the years to come. I was over three minutes off the course record with my time of 1:09:20 yet still had the fastest amateur bike split. Again, thank you to CafeVelo my bike was riding like a dream machine, shifting super smoothly. Exustar's pedals are so light it brings a whole new meaning to dancing on the pedals, what an incredible feeling! SRM Power Meter, I really have no idea how I ever raced without a power meter before... It provides me with absolutely invaluable information racing and training. I know that it is because of my phenomenal  SRM power meter I am improving very quickly on the bike! I LOVE IT!!!

T2 was decent, Lee predicted a 50 sec. transition and I did a 57 sec. so finally I was close to something. J

Thanks to my phenomenal shoes I got at Colorado Running Company,  I felt fantastic on the run!  I got into a comfortable pace and tried to negative split my run time. I was almost 2 minutes faster than last year’s time and averaged the same pace I did for the sprint this year.  Lee, wanted a 41 min. 10k and I achieved a 40 min. 21 sec. run split. This still needs a ton of work but at least it is evident that the training Lee and I are doing is clearly in the right direction. 

Overall, I was first amateur with a time of 2:18:26 and eighth place including the professional women who do not have a speed limit on the downhill section of the bike course and a completely different run course so it is really hard to compare apples to apples. Yet, I can compare it directly to my last year’s time which I managed to drop over 4 minutes. I was very pleased with this performance and cannot wait for the 70.3 race in August.

After the race, Lee and his wife, Regina and I rode one loop of the 70.3 Boulder bike course. Right afterwards, I had to get ready for my second wedding of the weekend. Jeff’s cousin was getting married in Denver that evening. Again, we had a fantastic time, visiting family and dancing the night away.

To say I am exhausted after this weekend is truly an understatement!!! Thank goodness, Krista Lewis from Transformation Massage was able to give me a incredible and extremely needed massage on Monday! She is the very best!

Boulder Sprint Triathlon

The Boulder Sprint Triathlon consists of an 800m swim, 17.2 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run.  The year prior, I did a 1:21:50 on this course which placed me 14^th overall in the women’s field including the two professionals that showed up. By no means a fantastic result, however, I had done the Bailey Hundo the day before which is a 100 mile Mountain Bike Race in Bailey Colorado where I had won my age group; after face planting within the first 25 miles of the race. With all things in perspective I was quite pleased with my performance last year.

This year, however, was a completely different story. Now that I am being coached by Lee Gardner on team Trismarter, we are being more selective of my races and aiming for faster results!  I did a 1:18:37, 3 minutes and 13 seconds faster than last year’s time. I placed second overall female behind Lisa Marangon the only professional to show up this year. At first glance it looks amazing, what an improvement! But, when you recall not having just camped up in the Mountains, raced a 100 mile MTB race, and crashing, you think to yourself, "Shoot, I better improve even more!" J

Sprint Triathlons are the most difficult distance for me to do well at. They are just so short that by the time I am getting to the run I would practically be exiting the water of an Ironman; therefore, sprint tri’s are more of a warm up then a race in my opinion, an extremely intense warm up that is! J I know it wasn't the worst race by any means but it wasn't stellar either. I am just trying to figure out why I had the result I did so I can learn and grow from the experience.

I had an uneasy feeling about the swim before the race, I kept telling myself get out of the water quickly and then it is all downhill from there. The swim is by far my weakest portion of the triathlon. Well, I did get out of the water but by no means quickly. I was in 15^th place in my age group and had a lot of time to make up.

My transitions were just off. I just wasn't functioning quickly and I was getting extremely flustered. I know I am quicker than that. I also know my swim split got me upset and then I wasn't focused on the present moment, something I am constantly working on...

I know my bike split could have been so much better. I was really pushing but I just didn't have any speed. I kept looking down at my power meter, saying to myself, something has got to be wrong here. My phenomenal SRM powermeter wasn’t wrong; it was the fact that I had nothing in my legs. I had just completed a fantastic workout 2 days prior to the race giving me all the confidence in the world for the bike course. However, some days you have the mojo, and others you don’t! Today was just one of the days where you struggle to get through. Feeling this way made me appreciate having the lightest pedals on the market, Exustar. Plus, my bike was shifting super smoothly and riding flawlessly thanks to CafeVelo. It was truly the rider struggling today, I cannot blame it on anything else.  

I was ok with the run time but it still needs a ton of improvement. I had the third fastest run split in my age group alone. Wow, I would love to get into the low 19 minutes if not the 18 minutes. These girls are super fast! I can run one speed for a very long time but once I have to sprint, I die-out very quickly. I would definitely say that a 5k is a sprint distance for me. I do know one thing for sure, my shoes from Colorado Running Company made all the difference in the World! 

Overall, on paper it was a great result, however, lots to work on for Kona!

Ironman St. George: Danielle Kehoe’s Bike Split Analysis

By Lee Gardner | Published: June 14, 2012

 

On Saturday, May 5, 2012, Trismarter triathlete, Danielle Kehoe toed the line at Ironman St. George. Much has been written about the 2012 edition of Ironman St. George, including the wild winds of biblical proportions that appeared seemingly out of nowhere during the swim portion of the race, forcing literally hundreds of athletes to drop out less than an hour after starting the race. Those who made it through the swim had 45 mile per hour gusts to contend with on the bike, making this Ironman one of the toughest on record. Ten hours, 45 minutes, and 33 seconds after starting this race, Danielle found herself crossing the finish line, not only as the fastest female amateur, but also the third fastest overall female athlete of the day.

The St. George bike course is notorious for its hills, including two solid climbs per loop and over 7000 feet of elevation to tackle. The 112 mile (180k) course began at Sand Hollow Reservoir, looped through the surrounding canyons, and ended in downtown St. George, UT. For Danielle, this was a 6:00:15 chunk of her race day. By no means was this a record setting bike split for an Ironmen competition; however, Danielle was the third fastest female on the bike for the day, with only pro triathletes Jessie Donavan (1st fastest bike split at 5:55:24) and Meredith Kessler (2nd fastest bike split at 5:57:14) finishing the bike faster.

While the bike splits were not amazing simply based on duration, every athlete in this race will tell you that finishing the bike in this race in six hours was nothing short of stellar! With the usage of power meters in training and racing, it becomes much more clear when race conditions play such a huge role in the outcome, showing just how much work the athletes are actually doing. The following is an analysis of Danielle’s bike split, which shows the high effort she was producing to be able to finish with the third fastest time on the bike.
General analysis shows that Danielle averaged 171 watts, a little more than 78% of her functional threshold power (FTP), and 3.14 w/kg, for 6 hours. She had an average speed of 18.46 mph. Because the bike portion of an Ironman is essentially an individual time trial (non-drafting) event, it’s not unusual to see normalized power (NP) fairly close to average power. In the case of Danielle during IMStG, this holds true, as her NP is 180 watts. Her total Training Stress Score (TSS) was 405.7 – a measurement of total fatigue and effort during the race. To put this figure in perspective, a TSS score of 100 means the rider spent 1 hour of riding at his or her functional threshold.

Danielle Kehoe's Bike Profile from IMStG

One general statistic that some may find interesting is her average cadence: 78 rpm. In triathlon, we generally practice a higher cadence of 85+ rpm. The reason for this is that a lower cadence has a larger impact on the muscles in our legs, and because triathlon is swim-bike-run, keeping a higher cadence during the bike portion of the event helps to save our legs for executing a fast run off of the bike. In Danielle’s case, a lower cadence seems to have had only a minor impact on her leg muscles, if at all. She ran the fourth fastest marathon on the day for all female athletes. As Danielle’s coach, I can tell you that her natural tendency is to “grind big gears” for long periods of time. While she and I are working to improve her efficiency on the bike in order to save strength for the run, in the case of this race specifically (and maybe in general as well), an argument can certainly be made that when an athlete is conditioned properly, there is no reason to obsess over molding that athlete into what is considered current standard practices, such as keeping a high cadence. The proof is in pudding!

Danielle Kehoe's IMStG Bike Data

Further analysis shows that Danielle’s power in the first loop of the course was at 180 watts (NP of 186 watts), while her power in the second loop was 160 watts (NP of 168 watts). Note again that average power and normalized power are not very different. A drop in average power of slightly more 11% in the second loop was not ideal, however, in an ironman bike split, it’s quite common to see, especially when weather plays a factor, as it did on this day. Based on the split times of the female athletes ahead of Danielle, it’s very likely that nearly everyone was performing in a similar manner. Additionally, the extreme windy conditions during the first half of the bike died down substantially, which likely altered the athletes’ perception of pacing. Proof of this is shown by the fact that Danielle’s speed was only slightly slower (.14 mph) in the second loop.

Bike Split Summary By The Numbers:
Danielle Kehoe
5’2”, 120 pounds (54.43 kg)
Threshold power: 218 W, 4.0 w/kg
Training Stress Score: 405.7 TSS
Energy: 3660 kj
Average Cadence: 78 rpm
Max Cadence: 170 rpm
Average Watts: 171 W
Normalized Power: 180 W
Max Watts: 617 W
Peak 20 min: 193 W
Peak 60 min: 188 W
Peak 3 hrs: 185 W

Trismarter Run Analysis Part 1: Body Position

By Lee Gardner | Published: May 2, 2012

 

For athletes seeking to make improvements in their running form, Trismarter offers a run analysis service. The basis of our running form philosophy is that all movement while running is focused towards a common goal of forward propulsion. This simply means we take into account the entire body position and its movement at every stage within a single stride, analyze and correct the position and movement as needed to positively effect the runner’s efficiency, and thus effect the runner’s ability to travel faster and further. For purposes of this series of articles, I’m going to touch on common inefficiencies that we see regularly in triathletes and runners that can easily be fixed by simply being aware of them, making minor adjustments, and putting into practice the changes suggested to positively impact running. In Part 1, I address body position during the “drive” and “stance” phases of a single stride.

Body position angles of the drive and stance phases of a runner's stride

 

 

Running efficiently means that not a single movement within a stride negatively effects forward propulsion. Using the gravitational pull of this great planet we live on, we can place our bodies in a position to utilize gravity as much as possible to affect movement forward in space. With this in mind, I consider body position the single most important factor in increasing efficiency in running, specifically: a forward lean beginning at the ankles. By leaning forward from the ankles, we can take advantage of gravity and the momentum created, allowing our bodies to fall forward in a controlled manor. In a sense, running is just that: a controlled fall forward.

When analyzing a runner’s forward lean, we look for several key factors at varying moments within a stride. Measuring the body’s vertical angle from the insertion point of the femur up to the ear, we are able to see how effectively a runner is taking advantage of gravity, and thus how efficient the runner’s lean is at various moments within a stride. Typically, we measure the “drive” and the “stance” phases, first looking for the degree of angle in both moments during the stride. Most elite runners lean forward at a ten degree angle. An angle less than ten degrees indicates that the runner is “sitting up” as they run. As you can see in the photo to the right, showing a runner in both drive and stances phases, the angle of her drive phase is right at ten degrees, exactly where we want it. Looking at the stance phase, however, we can see that her body position has become slightly upright and the vertical angle of lean has lessened to eight degrees. Although not desirable, it is fairly common that runners will change the degree of forward lean as they move from drive to stance and back drive phases. In the case of this runner, her shoulders and head are moving slightly higher and back in the moments during the stance phase, in an attempt to generate additional power. She is at this moment in her stride under utilizing gravitational pull while simultaneously expending more energy to maintain speed.

 

 

 

Tire Pulling Exercises Help Encourage an Effective Forward Lean in Runners

There are two very effective exercises that a runner can engage in on a regular basis that will positively effect forward lean. The first, and simplest, is hill sprints or hill strides. By sprinting up a 5-8% grade at near maximum effort, focusing on a high cadence and a forward lean, the runner is forced to place his or her body in the correct leaning position. The second exercise is to have the runner drag a car tire behind themselves using a harness and a rope connected to the tire (I prefer compact car tires). Starting with short sets and gradually building in number of repetitions and duration, the athlete simply runs at varying degrees intensity from moderate hard to sprinting efforts. The weight of the tire forces the runner to lean at the ankles, assuming an effective forward lean.

Finally, there are also several unwanted effects of not having an effective forward leaning body position, which include (but are not limited to) over striding and a severe heel strike, both of which can lead to injuries of various types in runners. Additionally, by the very definition of an efficient running form, efficiency improvements will allow you to run faster for greater distances with less effort.

Trismarter Athlete, Danielle Kehoe, Places Third in Ironman St. George

By Trismarter.com | Published: May 8, 2012

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Trismarter Athlete, Danielle Kehoe, Places Third in Ironman St. George


Trismarter Triathlon Coaching & Nutrition is proud to announce that sponsored triathlete Danielle Kehoe finished 3rd overall in Ironman St. George, in St. George, Utah on Saturday, May 5, 2012. Kehoe, age 25 from Colorado Springs, CO, competed among more than 1400 athletes who raced the Ironman event.

Kehoe raced in the Female 25-29 Age Group Division, however, by mile 40 of the bike, she led the entire amateur female field and was beginning to overtake the professional athletes who started 15 minutes prior to the amateurs. “I was confident in my training and felt really good going into this race. I gave everything I had, and I am very pleased with the results,” said Kehoe.

Danielle Kehoe biking the Ironman St. George course

As the day progressed, she found herself running down the pro women, with the closest amateur female nearly 50 minutes behind her. Kehoe finished the day with the third fastest overall female time of 10:45:33, including the third fastest bike split, and the fourth fastest run split for all female competitors, including professionals.“We came to St. George to make a statement,” said Trismarter Coach Lee Gardner. “Danielle and I have been working hard all winter for today, and I think it shows. I knew from our training results that she would be competitive on a high level, and I’m glad that we were able to prove it today.”

Kehoe’s performance at Ironman St. George has qualified her for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in October.
Founded in 2006, Trismarter is on the cutting edge of current advances in triathlon training and sports nutrition. Trismarter’s leadership in the industry is proof of our commitment to providing athletes with personalized triathlon coaching that incorporates both the art and science of performance.

Contact: Lee Gardner, President, Trismarter.com LLC
917-825-1451
lee@trismarter.com