Peter Vu's Ironman Blog - Vineman 7/31/10

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Here's an article discussing some efficient techniques for open water swimming:

Next time you are in an open-water event, don’t forget these critical steps for fast and efficient sighting: Arch your back, kick harder, lift only your eyes out of the water, breathe to the side and sight only as necessary, but as often as necessary. With practice and implementation on race day, you might find that your new best time is due to swimming a more direct route around the buoy.

Read more here.

This past Saturday was the most intense training weekend we have had so far.

Saturday: Biked 60 miles (2 30-mile loops) up by Westlake Village. The first loop was in the pouring rain and probably not safe. However, we are Ironteam as coaches mention, so we have to train "RAIN OR SHINE". I dig it! There is a point though when you're biking rapidly downhill on a very wet surface and you cannot see that well in front of you because of the raindrops on your sunglasses that you take a moment to ponder whether what you're doing is safe. As the thought crosses your mind and you try to rationalize its consequences, you're more focused on the task at hand: a) slowing down so that you don't crash into the person in front of you b) slowing down so you don't wipe out and crash into the cold asphalt and c) slowing down so cars can see you as you pass by. This all leads to a nice 2-hour first loop. Did I mention the ridiculous hills too? There were probably 3 steep hills on the loop, and going out the first time was okay since I still had fresh legs. By the second loop, I had to leave my biking jacket behind because it was not suited for this weather and soaked up all the rain--leaving me 5 pounds heavier. I was also literally freezing, but the sun started shining at the beginning of the second loop - hallelujah! The second loop was quicker, and I was trying to keep pace with Allan and "big" Carlos, a couple of "beasts" on the team. On the last steep hill around mile 52, I reached a point where I almost could not pedal anymore because of the sharp incline of the terrain. Once I pulled through that, the rest was a blur. We made it back to home base (Westlake Village Shopping Center) in about 1.5 hours - crushed it given the circumstances. Then, we did a transition run for about 15 mins. 4 hours in the books, my friends! As Bobby Cockrill likes to say, "You're Doin' It!"

Sunday: 2,400 yards of poolwork and 11 miles of running. I got it done by around 1pm and was able to get on with my day afterwards.

Training is start to pick up. We have our first open water swim in Palm Springs this Saturday, and then we will be doing the Desert Triathlon the following morning. My first triathlon!!! I'm nervous, but excited.

Go Team!

(from Rock Star Triathlete Academy)

Not every thing come race day for an Ironman is as planned. Here are 3 tips for your Ironman Triathlon to help you have the best race possible.

1) Your Special Needs Bag Isn't Always At The HalfWay Point. Did you plan on an exact 50/50 split with your gels, electrolytes fuel or water for halfway through the bike or halfway through the run of the Ironman triathlon? In reality, especially for the bike course, many races do not have your special needs bag exactly at the 56 mile mark or the 13 mile mark. So be sure to study the course and carry enough fuel and water to get you to the actual special needs location.

2) Wetsuit Strippers Aren't Necessarily The Fastest Way to Go. Unless you have slipped out of your wetsuit, removed your arms from the sleeves, have pulled the suit down to your waist, sighted to make sure there's not a line of swimmers waiting for wetsuit removal, and are prepared to do a baseball-style slide into the wetsuit stripping area, it may actually be faster to simply remove your wetsuit yourself in the Ironman triathlon changing tent.

3) Don't Plan on Seeing Your Expensive Tubular Again. Anything you put into your special needs bags is at risk of not being found after the race, including your change of tire, CO2 cartridges, energy bars, lucky rabbit's foot, or your favorite inspirational picture of dear Uncle Clyde. So don't put extremely valuable items that you don't want to lose into your Ironman triathlon special needs bag.

OK, that about covers it for now! For more practical Ironman triathlon tips just like this, from Rock Star Triathlete Academy coaches who have spent time in the trenches, just visit http://www.rockstartriathleteacademy.com/Ironman

Here are a couple pics from this past weekend's training in Malibu. 2 hours bike and 1 hour run. This coming weekend: 3.5 hours bike and 0.5 hour run. Longest yet. 

Swimming: Getting better. 1,500 yd swim on Sunday followed by a good session of drills last night. Still amazed at how far I have come since the season started. 50 yards of 7 stroke breathing was unthinkable at the beginning of the season, but I did it last night. I still need to work on my glide and turning my left side on the barrel movement.

Running: Not much to mention except that I need to make sure I go slow off the bike. I am a second half runner, not first half one.

Biking: Learning every time I go out. This week coach Rad told me to practice drinking my sports drink and pedaling at the same time instead of just slowing down to take big gulps and put the drink back in the bottle cage.  I definitely feel more comfortable riding now. No falls recently. Going up hills has been manageable. Shifting is improving. Trainer work is getting manageable too as I listen to podcasts on my iPhone or watch DVD's on my laptop.

Overall, a lot of improvement from where I started but still a lot to improve upon. Exciting stuff! Ongoing goals: maintain self-discipline and emphasize quality practices.

Diet/Nutrition is also on task. Getting the carbohydrates in for sure, but would like to increase vegetable intake incrementally.

Go Team!

Chances are you've been there: a dinner party where you get stuck sitting next to a lawyer who has nothing to say about the law—but won't shut up about Chamois Butt'r cream and the wonders of his triathlon ladder workout. Your coworker Seth, across the table, presents an iPhone slide show in which he is doing his best impressions of Usain Bolt, Lance Armstrong, and Michael Phelps. And then Steve, the creative director playing host, announces that when he travels for work he books only hotels with pools, so he can get in his lap time. More subtly than, say, whipping out the keys to his Bugatti, a certain sort of image-conscious striver makes the distinction clear: Prestige comes with being an athletic triple threat.

It used to be that only true He-Men dared call themselves triathletes, but now all manner of aspirant, Type-A personalities are trying on the title. These are the guys who put the "try" in triathlete, who've seized on the once-forbidding sport as a form of social currency, the athletic equivalent of dropping mentions of a Hamptons summer home or a Harvard M.B.A.

The Kayenne offers oversized lenses with Aqua Sphere patented curve lens technology, which provides a 180 degree field of vision. The goggles fit close to the face for low drag hydrodynamic performance. They also have a one-touch buckle making them easy to fit to your face. The goggles include UV protection, leak resistance, anti-fog and scratch resistant lenses. They also come in a women's version for smaller faces.

Read more here.

FYI - I have the Aquasphere Kaiman's and they work great for me - only $20. I used to have a pair of basic Speedo's, but I realized I needed to switch after I would get water leaking through every swim.