The Dog was Salty!!

[IanC]

We had great weather for the Salty Dog in Salmon Arm yesterday.  Not too hot and a little bit of rain, which didn't really manage to keep any dust down.  I think I have coughed up a small sandbox!  I should really switch to menthol....

The team was raging yesterday.  Steve and Peter both managed 9 laps, which is huge and Jen won the woman's overall and set a new course record!

As for myself and Matt, I think that we are off the team because we got beaten by Andrew 'The Diesel' Sellars.

My meat pie and beer holiday in Australia doesn't seem to have thrown me too much off my pace from last year because when I look at my notes from last year, I was 6 minutes faster and held an average HR of 150 vs 147 last year.  I had some leg cramping issues again, but not as bad as last year.  Taking 2-3 of the e-load tablets at a time before the cramp hits was a good tip Andrew gave me in the middle of the race after I had dropped mine all over the trail while pulling them out of my jersey pocket.

Nice work everybody!  There were a lot of blue and white jerseys flying around that course yesterday!

[Andrew]

I had joked with Ian on the start line that anyone who did not finish ahead of me, would be eliminated from the HP program. I really didn;t think there was any chance I would see any of them again, after they flew up the first hill. My bets were on Jen having a spectacular metldown on lap 5, which was my only chance of seeing her again, and everyone else looked really strong climbing up the road from the school, which added at least 3 minutes at the normal first lap time.

As it turns out, Jen has figured out her pacing issues, Stephen, Luke and Manuel were as amazing as expected, Jen Segger and Rose put together a very strong team effort, and I only caught Ian and Matt after their muscles began to cramp. I was very impressed with the team in general, the great support they showed for each other, and the positive feeling in the "camp" all day. A special note to the incredible family and friends who fed us, kept us hydrated, and basically took care of us all day. Ginny was spectacular, and said there was equal effort from Vesna, Tamara, Jan, Jim, and Maddy of course, and even Mike who showed up to lend his voice to the cheering crowds.

I think the "diesel" comment is based on my fairly moderate pace, but very consistent lap times, which I thought was the only possible way I could survive 6 hours in the trails. The Cannodale Scalpel performed superbly despite some small issues with my free hub body that will require some of Brock's magic before I race again. It really is the perfect bike for this course. I was pleasantly surprised with my pacing, and how I felt throughout the race, and was nearly 30 minutes ahead of my goal to complete 8 laps, before the end of teh time limit. I am listed as a co-ed team, but would have placed 4th in the 40+ category...not bad for the old coach.

Rumour has it the race winner suffered a fall as he tried to complete his 10th lap, which has left him with a bad femur fracture. If the rumour is true our thoughts are with him, as he starts a long painful road to recovery.
.
 A good reminder for all of us to ride safely.

[StephenU]

Super Impressive everyone!

I think anyone who rides the Salty Dog course for 6 hours, no matter how many laps they complete, is amazing.  Anyone who has done it, knows how tough it is on the body and the mind.

I can't wait to read everyone elses own account of their own experiences!!

My race went so smooth I cannot even believe it..  I really can't!!  It was exactly how I drew it up in my mind.  Everything from my plan to go fast the first couple laps then settle into a rhythym for the rest of the day.  I was a disaster last year with regards to nutrition so this year I was determined to get it right.
1 large bottle (Infinite Ironaman) per two laps.  I counted on 1.5 hours per bottle at the most, so I put 450 calories in each. I supplemented each lap with a Hammer gel (50mg caffiene) to be consumed on the fireroad.  I had a special small bottle for the last lap marked with a big 9 on it!!  Well, I got to use it! 
I started out with 2 sub 40 min laps, then as the laps went on, my times crept up very slowly to the 43-44 min range by the end.  My average HR for the 9 laps was 166!  No idea how I could have ridden that long with such a high HR, but it happened.  I was not worried as I know my BP is around 170.
My 29er hardtail was perfect!  Sorry andrew, but I think a carbon 29er HT is the perfect bike for that course!! (for me anyways) HAHA
I can honestly say that I had never been happier coming to the finishing stretch of any race than Sunday.  It felt like I had just won!!!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/33687260

Interesting comparing mine and Peters Garmin Data considering our overall times were near identical!! One thing to note, I clocked a higher maximum speed!!
  HA

[PeterW]

This was definitely one of the funnest races I've taken part in! It was all about the positive vibes at the transition zone! Thanks to everyone who was out there for support, and for cheering!

I am super stoked on completing 9 laps, especially considering the way I started feeling by lap 6. I don't think I paced as well as I should have for the first 4 laps, and started paying for it by lap 5. Nutrition was also a bit of an experiment, and I know now that I need to be including gels and salt tabs after about 3 hours into the race.
I did up to lap 6 with just bottles of perpetuem mixed at 1.5 hour bottles. Lap 6 I started feeling thirsty and had to carry a camelback to get more pure water. 2 salt tabs between 6,7,8. and one gel on the fire road of lap 8 (maybe why I felt decent again on lap 9?)
Laps 6,7,8 I had to stop at the beginning of each fire road section to stretch out hamstrings that were going through some major cramps, and would not relax. I also had a really hard time keeping my HR above 155 in the laps 6,7,8.
I had a wicked crash onto my head on lap 5, cracked my helmet and had myself a wicked dirt facial! (some of you saw!).
I was physically and mentally done after 8 laps. I am so glad I pushed myself to start a ninth, which was my easiest, and funnest lap of the day.
I would have liked to spend more time with the BPR crew. Looking forward to the century ride!

Congrats to everyone who made their goals this weekend, and to everyone who raced and learned a lot from the experience!

Check out http://connect.garmin.com/activity/33672385 and click on player to see my Race! (what a downward progression in HR over the hours!)

[Andrew]

It was great to have you there with us Peter, even though I didn't recognize you with the new facial hair you were sporting. Very stylish!

Pacing is something that people drastically underestimate the value of, and I believe those that accomplished their goals this week-end found the perfect balance between pushing their limits, and holding back their adrenaline. It is even tougher in races with that kind of talent all around, to just sit back and do what you think it right.

My compliments to you and your great results. It will certainly be quite a show of strength at COBRA this year. I hope you will be able to join Tom and the Vernon riders who will be meeting over the next couple of weeks for some group rides, and tactical riding sessions with Tom Stewart. In addition, we will meet up on race day about 30 minutes before the start to warm-up together and talk about how we want the day to progress. With the numbers, and quality of the riders we have, the COBRA ride really should be our showcase event for the season, and I expect everyone to come out with big smiles, great attitude, and a desire to show off the fantastic training they have done, both physically and intelligently.

I understand Jason will be racing at the Sooke Stage Race that week-end, and will accept that as a valid excuse for him and any other BPR athletes who won't be in attendance at COBRA.

[Matt]

Great to see everyone's posts so far - Congrats to everyone who achieved and exceeded their goals! And thanks again to all the support crew, and the cheering section!  It was great to meet some of the other BPRers who live and train outside of the Okanagan for the first time as well.

Some of the most memorable moments for me was when other BPRers passed me...Andrew went by me and didn't recognize me (could have have been because I was covered in dirt, propped up against a tree, and not moving), Steve saw me walking (yep, walking) up to the aid station, and Ian recognized me sitting in the bushes after a recent crash! 

My goals were to ride to a heart rate of 150-155.  I was confident that if I could do that, I would make my goal of 8 laps.  My other focus was to get my nutrition dialed.  Unfortunately, even though I paced myself well, I cramped badly after 4 laps, and was not able to recover.  For the first 4 laps, my HR was consistent and so were my times.  I saw Jen a fair bit at that point; she was having a great ride (a new course record was set I believe!)  At lap 5 I had massive cramping both legs.  I managed to get 7 laps in, but there was a lot of walking involved.  So I think my pacing was okay, and my nutrition was poor. 

After speaking with Andrew after the race, we figured that even though I had ample water, and I did add electrolytes to my bottles of perpetuem, I simply did not have enough sodium.  So the positive I have taken away is that I believe I can avoid the cramping issues by drastically increasing the amounts of sodium I ingest during racing, especially when I notice cramping coming on. 

However, I have noticed that near the end of every race I have cramped, even a 45 minute Crit.  Would increased sodium intake help over such a short duration race?  I would love to hear Andrew and Chris's thoughts on that as well.

The Matterhorn

[Schulzy]

Awesome job BP team at both the Salty Dog and the Triathlon!! I am so excited to be part of such a great group of athletes! It’s especially great to have some wicked female athletes to hang out with (Jen Seggers, Rosemary and Ginny!)
I really need to thank everyone who supported me at Salty Dog as it absolutely helped my performance, both mentally and physically. I looked forward to seeing my great BP support crew between laps and hearing the cheers from everyone! It was also nice having my pace bunny, the Matterhorn for the first 4 laps! It was so sad to see him cramp as he was so disciplined… but maybe a little fascinating at the same time! I was following Matt when he stopped so suddenly on the climb that I thought his chain must have broken or he ran into something!

Race goals: 8 laps in 6 hours, smart pacing (ride by HR), manage pre-race/race nutrition, trust the BP science & avoid worrying about any other girls as it’s just me and the clock.

Mission Accomplished!!!!!!!
8 laps in 5:57
My BP is 162  Hr: Average = 158, Max=175 (oops!!! Andrew, this was only for a brief second or two!!!!!)
I started the race rather conservatively and kept my HR under 160 for the first 15 mins (having the coach line up right behind me definitely kept me under control). I mentally had a really hard time watching people go by but figured I definitely don’t need to be riding faster than Matt, Andrew or Ian. I watched 2 women go by and immediately sought reassurance from Matt that we were doing the right thing! I rode the entire first lap at a controlled pace. I definitely rode a little harder on lap 2 (max HR=175 but only for a few seconds of course!) but felt great! By the middle of lap 2, I had passed both girls that were leading and gained more confidence in my plan. I dialed it back a little on lap 3 and 4 which didn’t seem right since I felt so good! I kept a relatively consistent HR for laps 5-8 (HR = 150 – 158). My legs felt superb the entire race!

Andrew predicted that I could possibly implode at 5 laps! Before the race, I actually predicted that I would not make it past an hour into the race before having a metabolic meltdown given my recent experiences at races and on training rides. I finally felt recovered from Robb’s ride by wed morning and thought I needed to do everything right if was going to have a chance at feeling good! I definitely was very cautious the week before the race: no intensity, lots or rest (only rode 4 hrs easy hours all week), kept glycogen stores topped up at all times and avoided stress at work (which tends to keep the adrenaline under control).I may have overdone the eating, especially the morning of the race as I was eating a fair bit or oatmeal until an hour before the race –just ask Matt and Steve about this!  During the race, I planned on having 4 large bottles (750ml) of complex carbs + protein + electrolytes (285 cal, 60g carbs & 8g protein/bottle) + 2 bars (225 cal/bar) + 2 or 3 gels (90 cal/gel). As it turns out, I had 7 large bottles, 2 bars and 3 gels for a total of 2720 cal in 6 hours (454 cal/hr). According to most research I can only absorb up to 230 cal/hr and should not eat within 3 hours of a race. I broke both rules and felt great? I also believe that my conservative effort within the first 45 mins of the race helped a lot! Maybe I went overboard on the nutrition but I felt awesome the entire time… better than I have felt in a long time! I look forward to dialing this plan once in for all!!
I learned a lot about pacing during this race and feel much more confident about competing at BC Bike race (8 day stage race at the end of June)!!!

Jen

[Andrew]

In  my defence, I only predicted the Lap 5 meltdown based on previous accounts, and assuming Jen would overshoot on the first lap. Her much improved pacing, and good control on the first lap led to a very impressive result, which better reflects her true ability. It is also important to point out, that it is very likely she has been drastically underfueling in previous races, based on "calculating" what she can absorb in terms of calorie consumption. There is good research to back up the fact that in longer endurance events, success is directly proportional to the volume of calories consumed before and during the event. The ONLY downside of this is possible GI upset from too much fuel in the gut, which often can be managed by simply taking in straight water, and backing off the pace for a short period of time, to allow dilution and absorption of the fuel.

One other note, the preceeding week, she finally allowed herself to go into a race rested, and well-fueled. This is a good lesson as well. There is NO value of doing high intensity work in the days leading up to an endurance event. Rest, train your structures, be sure to start well-fueled, and trust your long term training has prepared you to allow you to meet your goals. Success will come to those who have developed their structures through focused training, and then given their body a chance to rest enough prior to the start. This is a good reminder for all of those prepping for Oliver 1/2 in a few short weeks.

So, Jen, once again, congratulations on a great race. You deserve this fantastic result.

[kiwichris]

Great report Schulzy - nice to see the hard work you have put in early season bring you a great result. This should set you up great for the the BC Bike Race!

It is interesting where you comment about breaking the 'rules' on the nutrition side of things. It seems that with your metabolic situation there are no hard and fast rules as to what brings you success - as in all of your round the lake epics the fueling you were using was great?

Look forward to testing soon to see the numbers you are producing now.

Chris

[Andrew]

Chris brings up a good point...let's stop using what the "recommended" calorie and salt intake should be, and instead use some more objective measurements and stronger endpoints to determine what is needed.

This means a review of test results...which means it is testing time for the HP Team again. Kelowna athletes, please contact Chris who will have access to VO2 testing and caloric consumption during testing. Vernon athletes, please set up a time to meet with Ginny or me for testing. Fees will be applied to cover the cost of testing, and the time to review results and programs.

Remember, it is the testing that helps us be smart about training, and what sets the team apart from the other groups. It is essential that our top athletes are aware of their current limitations, and are working at each training session to address those weaknesses.

See you all at COBRA!!!

[Andrew]

Results are up!!!

http://www.zone4.ca/results.asp?ID=3035&cat=353