VanGerena suffered a brain and spinal injury and only has three arteries supplying blood to his brain.  He is classified as USA Triathlon Ambulatory Quadriplegic T3 and is recognized by the International Triathlon Union. In essence, VanGerena has  ataxia – a condition where he has trouble getting groups of nerves to work together. Therefore, each limb is graded in its level of deficiency, which determines his competitive status.

“Not many ambulating quads can run ultras,” VanGerena said.

Since his comeback, VanGerena was one of five athletes who received the Inspirational Comeback Award, from the USAT. This award recognizes athletes who have made a comeback to the sport after a traumatic or troublesome personal situation.

“My recovery has been miraculous. I have been blessed with the ability to walk. Despite some challenging deficits, I am a Triathlete,” he said.

In 2010 VerGerena competed in numerous races including Melbourne Music ½ Marathon (02/07/10), the Gasparilla Distance Classic (02/28/10), the St. Anthony’s Triathlon (04/27/10) and Ironman Florida 70.3 (05/16/10), to name a few, all for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

In 2011 he was part of Team USA and continued to compete in numerous races.  In 2012 he ran the Boston with Achilles International and won gold at the Long Distance World Championships.  He recently competed in the Paratriathlon National Championship (750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run)claiming a national title in his class.

For nutrition, VanGerena uses MILA and as more energy. “I don’t have to hydrate as much using MILA,” he said.

VanGerena is active with Challenged Athletes Foundation, Achilles International and the Wounded Warrior Project. He has launched his own non-profit organization, called Lie Down or Stand Up (http://www.liedownorstandup.org/) dedicated to rehabilitation and training.

VanGerena is an inspiration for athletes!

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Wendy Mader started competing in swimming at age 6. In 1992, after her freshman year of college as a swimmer, Mader was asked to swim as part of a team triathlon. In 1993, Mader completed her first sprint triathlon (800 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 4.5 mile run), won in her age group and was hooked. Mader wanted to quit swimming, but was on a full ride scholarship at Eastern Michigan University and decided to stay at it until she finished college in 1995. While in Michigan, Mader attempted her first marathon. “I trained for my first marathon, the Detroit marathon, in 1995, got injured, and never ran it,” she said.

After college Mader moved to Colorado because she heard the state has 300 days of sun. Mader started grad school in 1996 in Exercise Science at Colorado State University and enjoyed training out west. She attempted her second marathon, the Colorado marathon, and finished in 3:18. “I never trained for a marathon, I always trained for triathlons and ran marathons.” Mader raced her first Ironman at age 24 in Kona 1997, but then struggled with injures from ’98-’99.

In 2000 Mader began a competitive streak. She completed the 2000 Ironman Canada, 2001 Ironman Kona, 2002 Ironman Lake Placid, and 2003 Ironman Kona; 2007 Ironman Arizona and Ironman Kona; 2008 Ironman Canada and Ironman Kona; 2009 Ironman Arizona and Ironman Kona; 2010 Ironman Kona; and 2011 Ironman Lake Placid.

“For 2012, I am looking to compete in the Ironman St. George. I am also racing HITS Iron-Distance coming to Fort Collins and Run Rabbit Run 100-miler in Steamboat,” Mader said.

Despite all her success, Mader was injured for 17 years of her 20 seasons of triathlons. “As most swimmers do, I struggled with running,” she said. “In 2008, I had a breakthrough 3:17 marathon time in the Kona Ironman, which led to an overall win. I then was injured in 2009 and 2010. My confidence was never consistently good regarding running because I was always injured. I love biking and used my bike fitness to get me though running.”

Despite Mader’s issues with running, she ran her first 50-miler in 2011. After deciding not to race the 2011 Ironman Kona, she raced Ironman Lake Placid instead in July of 2011. “I wasn’t ready for my season to be over, I was really fit, so I decided to run a 50-miler called Run Rabbit Run” (http://t2coaching.blogspot.com/2011/09/run-rabbit-run-race-report.html).

In terms of equipment, Mader has never been a “gear geek.” “For me it is all about the engine, not the gear,” she said. She has been sponsored by PowerBar since 2007, and got sponsored in 2009 for her first triathlon bike. In 2010 Mader got on Team Timex, where athletes get a good deal on the sponsored tri bikes. Mader drinks a Shakeology post recovery shake every day and eats mostly natural food – no meat, eggs, chicken or fish.

For work, Mader coaches high school swimming, the high school triathlon team, and the masters swim team; teaches P90X and TRX classes and gives private swim lessons. She is also a personal trainer, online coach and beach-body coach. She writes articles and is the GOTRIbal expert swim coach. She is a one-person coach with t2coaching.com and is also a Colorado Woman of Influence and affiliate with the Women’s Sports Foundation. “I was the CSU tri team coach for 10 years!” she exclaimed.

“My parents are my biggest sponsors when I run in Kona or any Ironman. I am thankful for PowerBar, Newton and Timex sponsorship. If I was not sponsored, I would have minimal gear. I don’t train and race for gear or money; I train to be mentally and physically strong. I race because I train. There is a reason I had a road bike for 17 years before my first tri bike. I had to win 2008 Ironman to get sponsored with a tri bike. I don’t use race wheels unless I borrow them. I am a minimalist with everything I do.”

Read more about Wendy at

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/A_few_words_with_Wendy_Mader_621.html

Visit www.T2Coaching.com

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Athlete Profile: Endurance Athlete Peggy Lovejoy

Peggy Lovejoy ran her first marathon the day after her last chemotherapy treatment. Wanting to give back to the organization that supported her through her breast cancer treatments, Peggy ran for the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Race for the Cure 2009.

The prior year had been year of hell. In February 2008, when Peggy was 44, she and her husband of 10 years separated. A couple of months later, she had an irregular mammogram. The mammogram results led to more tests, which led to devastating news.

“On May 13, 2008, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was the most defining moment of my life,” she said.

Lovejoy, who is from Bend, Ore., was always athletic growing up. She did gymnastics throughout high school and started running in college. Lovejoy ran her first 10k in 1983 and participated in several 5k and 10k events throughout the years. To build overall fitness through her twenties and thirties, Lovejoy maintained a fitness routine that consisted of aerobics, weights and some martial arts.

In 2004, at age 40, Lovejoy trained for and completed her first sprint distance triathlon. “I fell in love with the sport,” she said. She continued to swim, run and bike, and in 2008, she decided to train for an Olympic-distance triathlon. Unfortunately, that goal had to be put on the back burner to deal with more pressing issues.

The breast cancer diagnosis stung, but there were other challenges to overcome. At the time her husband left her, she had just relocated back to Bend after a stint in the Air Force. She had been home only five months, and now found herself a single, unemployed mother of three.

“My line of work is IT, so finding work in a small town was going to be a challenge – but I landed a job with one of the largest employers in the area, Les Schwab Tires, in their IT department. They took good care of me throughout my treatment,” she said.

Training with cancer

The cancer in Lovejoy’s left breast was fortunately discovered early. She chose to have a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. The pathology results from her surgery found two additional tumors, both of which were invasive. Lovejoy chose a one-year chemo treatment with a drug called Herceptin, and “four rounds of the harsh stuff that makes you feel like you’ve been mowed over by a Mack truck, which I coined, ‘Jaeger with a beer chaser.’”

Prior to surgery, Lovejoy read Ruth Heidrich’s book, “A Race for Life,” which resonated with her. Lovejoy decided to adjust her mindset and attack her treatment much like an athlete attacks an event. Just four days after her surgery, Lovejoy started walking and riding on her indoor spinning bike.

“I visualized the blood pumping the healthy oxygen through my veins to wipe out the cancer cells. When chemotherapy started, I continued the ritual and eventually, I added running to my routine.”

It was during one of her runs that Lovejoy realized her diagnosis was actually a gift.

“As I ran on the trail with only one breast and a bald head, it dawned on me that my misfortune was nowhere near the challenge that many others face,” she said.

When the intense treatments came to a close, including the surgeries and chemotherapy, Lovejoy decided to run a marathon – something she’d wanted to do her whole life. She wanted to give back by raising money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the organization that had provided her a great deal of help during her treatment. Training at the tail end of her therapy was manageable.

“I was still receiving treatment at the time, but the side effects were minimal, and I got the training in. At age 45, and just over a year from my surgery, and one day after my final chemo treatment, I ran that marathon. Since then, I’ve gone on to complete three more marathons, a few half marathons, one half Iron triathlon, and two Iron-distance triathlons,” Lovejoy said.

Work/life diversity

Lovejoy’s accomplishments outside of competition are equally amazing. She is a full-time mother and full-time employee, working as a Senior Technical Project Manager in a fast-paced company where several employees are endurance athletes. “Training is tough to fit in, so I have to sacrifice some things, like sleep, on occasion,” Lovejoy said.

Lovejoy’s three kids, Alexa (9), AJ (10), and Dominique (21), are very active as well; her youngest two are involved in athletics (competitive gymnastics and Little League).

While she typically trains alone, Lovejoy’s boyfriend, Stan Talbot, who is also her coach, housemate and best friend, often trains with her on the weekends. On those days, Lovejoy hires a babysitter.

“We have a very active life and happy household. On training, he has the most positive attitude and spirit, and he makes the training fun,” Lovejoy mused. “He taught me everything I need to know about Iron-distance racing, so when we do our long rides, he provides tips and tricks for nutrition and so forth that transition to race day. We embrace difficult training situations, like braving the elements of freezing temps and wind, as ‘great prep for race day’!”

Lovejoy’s motivation – Just keep moving

“I always remember my diagnosis and am grateful for being alive. My aunt recently passed away from breast cancer. Her battle was difficult, yet she always smiled, and fought all the way to the end. Her enduring spirit is a constant motivation to keep going. I also try to put my cancer in perspective. My first Iron-distance race was in Henderson, Nev.  At the athlete dinner, participants from the Challenged Athlete’s Foundation were announced. I was amazed at these people…all were veterans, some with brain injuries, some missing limbs, some partially paralyzed…all were doing either a half or full Iron-distance event. I looked at my physical body, and all I had lost during my cancer journey was a breast. Enough said…mental IS the key to endurance racing. I always remember what it took to get through cancer, and I always remember what my aunt and other friends who have battled this went through or are currently going through…even more so, I remember seeing those CAF athletes out on the race course ‘doing it’…amazing. So, when I’m out there and it gets tough, I always remember, and say, ‘Just keep moving’.”

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Nutrition

Daily: Good, healthy diet – chicken, fish, veggies, fruits, Mila, water, nuts, seeds, some breads and pasta. I never deprive myself (pizza and chocolate chip cookies on occasion). An occasional beer or glass of wine or a cocktail (Mohitos are a favorite!).

Evening before a long workout or race: Pasta with ground turkey and spinach salad.

Morning before any workout and/or race: Oatmeal with walnuts, a little brown sugar, skim milk, coffee, electrolyte replacement drink (Ultima and Nuun are my favorites).

During an event: Energy gel in T1. Cliff bars (carrot cake), Univera Essentials, Univera Regenicare, Mila, Nuun, peanut-butter-and-honey with banana on the bike. Energy gel and whatever is provided at the aid stations on the run (try to limit soda, but have at least one cup every 5 miles).

Post event: Chicken noodle soup, Mila, Nuun/Ultima, Univera Regenicare

Clothing and other accessories

In addition to the usual items, here are a few things that stand out in my routine:

Swim: The double cap! One cap on, goggles, and race cap over goggles. Helps prevent the goggles from getting kicked off the head during the mass swim start! During training, in the pool, a lap counter that fits on my finger to keep track of my laps.

T1: Sunscreen; gloves that slide on easily (for cold, often numb, fingers); powder for feet so socks slide on easily (not a pro…I wear socks!).

Bike: During training, I usually map my course to allow for picking up products along the way so I don’t have to pack so much (similar to having a supported race and a special needs bag). I use the same products during training that I use on race day.

T2: Sunscreen and ball cap.

Run: Training same as race day, except always map route to provide ability to refuel. Race day, special needs bag always includes Univera Essentials (the ultimate “Jetson” meal, in a liquid form with quick absorption of calories and nutrients).

Gear: Bike computer/HR Monitor – Suunto T3. Bike – Cervelo P2. Wetsuit: Blue Seventy (LOVE it). Running Gear: Nike, across the board.

Websites for products

http://us.univera.com/products/nourish/essentials

http://www.suunto.com/us/support/faqs/Heart-rate-monitors/t3-t3c

http://www.suunto.com/

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Read more about Peggy:

http://www.yourbreastoptions.com/en-us/resources/articles.aspx?id=113

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Kyle Yost will take credit for the fact that SavageMan exists, but not for its success; for the race has been a labor of love from many parties and a venture that a Maryland community has thoroughly embraced.

SavageMan is held at Deep Creek Lake in the Appalachian Mountains, tucked in the very western corner of Maryland. Deep Creek Lake is a popular mid-Atlantic vacation destination that’s only a couple of miles from some sick mountain climbs.

Yost conceptualized SavageMan by accident. For years, he’d been riding through the mountains of rural Appalachia and training with fellow triathletes for week-long cycling sessions; it was during one of these training weeks that everyone agreed the area was just perfect for developing a grueling triathlon in the beauty of nature.

Deciding on the name of the event was easy and unanimous. Due to the fact that the course they envisioned would involve crossing Big Savage Mountain and a ride through Savage River State Forest along the Savage River – and, says Yost, “because it would without doubt be the most savage triathlon on the planet” – the race had to be called SavageMan.

The Inaugural 0th Annual SavageMan Trial

The group decided to host a 0th (zero) Annual SavageMan trial version of the race in 2003. At the event, Yost met Greg Safko, the President of the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation. He and Safko joined forces that weekend and have worked closely together on making SavageMan every year. The Melanoma Foundation receives 100% of the proceeds from SavageMan to further its mission to fight skin cancer.

Registration fees for SavageMan are tax-deductible charitable donations, “which make an already affordable race even more so and supports the Foundation’s important education, research and advocacy initiatives,” says Yost. Participants are encouraged to fundraise and are provided with a personalized fundraising page with registration, but fundraising is not required to race.

Yost has been a triathlete since 1998 and has raced everything from pool swim sprints to international Ironman races and world championships. Yost knew that the terrain of the race combined with the difficulty of the Westernport Wall and the amazing scenery would make Savagman one of those “bucket list” types of races.

Since the race began in 2007, SavageMan has become notorious as a must-do triathlon, largely due to word-of-mouth advertising. “Every year in our post-event survey we get 98-99% of respondents saying they would return and/or recommend the race to others,” Yost says.

Big Race Attracts Big Names

A number of big names have come over the years, and the underlying reason is always because they want to challenge themselves on the world’s hardest course. Dave Scott has been involved since year one in 2007 via his sponsors, but it wasn’t until 2011 that he participated in the race. In 2007, Australian Chris McDonald (multiple Ironman champion) was SavageMan’s first champion, with Canadian Tara Norton winning for the women. Since then, the race has attracted many great athletes and champions: Bjorn Andersson has won twice, Olympian Susan Williams three times, and Britain’s Philip Graves owns the men’s course record.

Olivier Mouyau is an Ottawan who somehow heard about the inaugural SavageMan in 2007 and made the gamble of a 10-hour journey to an unproven, first-year race. Each year, he brings back a larger crowd than the last year.

SavageMan has sold out both of the last two years and is on pace for a much more rapid sellout this year. “This is too bad and I hate that people who want to race will inevitably get shut out, but the roads are narrow and the descents technical, so the field must be kept small,” Yost says.

The Infamous Westernport Wall

The Westernport Wall, located in the little bucolic town of Westernport, Md., has made the race both famous and infamous. Everyone who conquers the Westernport Wall without falling or dismounting and goes on to complete the race gets an engraved brick with their name laid into the Westernport Wall. Olivier Mouyau is one of just nine with a brick.

The Wall, with its 25% grade and 31% pitch up an uneven, poorly-paved road, is so difficult even Dave Scott didn’t clear it last year; and while he finished the race, he didn’t earn a brick.

“The irony is that so many participants think SavageMan is all about the Westernport Wall, and they don’t realize that the Wall is just the start of a ridiculous day of climbing. The vast majority of SavageMan’s 5700 feet of climbing will be coming at them in the next 25 miles. Ask any SavageMan finisher about Westernport, and they’ll quote you a sign on the course around mile 40: ‘Westernport Schmesternport. Welcome to Killer Miller’,” says Yost.

“SavageMan was created simply because the venue, particularly the roads and severe climbs for the bike course, was simply too wonderful for an event to not exist there. As a passionate triathlete, I strove to bring to triathletes that which they did not yet realize they were missing.”

Making the Race Great for All

SavageMan prides itself in its “participant experience first” mission, and Yost and others strive to put on an event that stands above all the rest. In addition to the truly unique award of a personalized brick laid in the Westernport Wall, there are free spectator buses to the Westernport Wall block party; excellent food and ice cream at the finish; extensive and useful shwag like arm warmers; a well-staffed, well-marked course; an average of over 40 race photos per athlete offered for sale well below market rates; a bike course littered with encouraging and humorous (some may say mocking) signs, such as “Who’s Making Fun of Triples Now?” on a 20% grade; themed aid stations full of costumed volunteers; a race-within-a-race with timing and prizes for the 7.1-mile ascent of Big Savage Mountain; and more.

In 2010, Triathlete Magazine ranked Savageman as the #1 hardest triathlon in the world. “And, we offer a money-back guarantee if someone feels they have participated in a more challenging race of similar distance, and no one has taken us up on that offer yet,” says Yost. “So, when it comes to course difficulty, I think it’s safe to say that SavageMan 70.0 ranks high on the list.”

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Photo by Josh Baker

By Christopher J. Draper, RD, LDN, CSCS

I was done listening to my body. During the 2011 Ultraman World Championships held on Big Island, HI, I was miserable on the ascent of the Kohala Mountain Pass. Having already cycled 160 or so miles, I was climbing against a 50+ mph headwind – and mentally, I was toast.

I got to a point where I wanted nothing to do with my nutrition; I was focused on bombing down into Hawi to conclude the Day 2 journey and looking to get ready for Day 3’s 52.4-mile jaunt from Hawi to Kona. Thankfully, my crew was doing their job even when I wasn’t doing mine. While they might have been asking themselves why I wasn’t eating or drinking, what they were doing was feeding me when I lost interest.

Not all of us have the luxury of a crew during endurance races. Here’s how to do it on your own: Simply create a system of calorie needs for yourself.

Keep it simple, and you will be successful.

What size shirt do you wear – Small, Medium, Large or Extra Large? I created the following table to determine caloric needs per hour on long rides.

Shirt Size                              Calories/HR

Small                                     100-200

Medium                               200-300

Large                                     300-400

XL                                          400-500

Find your shirt size, attach a calorie amount to it and you are on your way to “shirt-size sports nutrition success.” Just start by ingesting every 15 minutes one-fourth of the total calories per hour. Simply, you have your hourly needs for success.

Take into consideration, however, that nutrition is an art as well as a science. Thus, it will take some trial and error in training to nail down your numbers. Always start at the lower end of the calorie range and work your way up. When you’re on top, the only place to go is down. As endurance athletes, we have a tendency to think more is better. Not the case…and I promise your ‘Dow Jones Industrial Average’ will remind you to curb your enthusiasm for more.

Now that you have your calories per hour nailed down, you can move on to genres of nutrition products to use during those hours of power production. Stay tuned.

Photo by Josh Baker

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Josh Beck is a professional duathlete and regularly the top American at the longer duathlons as well as the highest-placed American finisher ever at Powerman Zofingen, the Kona of the duathlon world. Rarely does Josh dabble in triathlons, but he had visited Deep Creek to vacation before the first SavageMan so was familiar with the area and decided to race it on the inaugural year in 2007. He now comes back every year and hopes that the swim will be canceled, a hope that has to come to fruition. Josh has the run course record and the second-fastest bike time ever by just seconds.

By Josh Beck

I was drawn to longer distances from a very early age, because I was never the fastest on the field or at the track – but I could go forever! Once I was settled down into running and cycling, I found that I did the best at longer races; and if the weather was bad, it was even better! If you want to pin it down to a life experience, I would trace it back to growing up in a sleepy little town and being an only child. I had no problem entertaining myself for hours on my old BMX bike. If I look at my career as a professional cyclist and triathlete/duathlete, the races I am most fond of are the longest ones.

I spent a lot of time training in high school – probably too much. My priority was not girls or parties; it was getting to the gym, running and playing soccer. At times I had conflicting goals (like bench pressing a lot of weight but running a 4:40 mile), but my motivation was always, always very high. Once I left high school, I found that being recruited to play soccer was a huge draw; so I attended a D3 school to do just that. I enjoyed that for about three minutes and even though I started as a freshman, I felt like I needed to leave that scene. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason why, but I think maybe I wasn’t ready as an 18-year-old to be around 21- and 22-year-olds. Anyway, I walked onto the cross country team and did that and ran track. After all, I couldn’t do nothing!

After my freshman year, I transferred to Slippery Rock University, where I was able to pick up my degree in Exercise Science. Along the way I picked up a used road bike and started riding. Back home in the summer, I found a group of older friends who were so encouraging and challenging to ride with. Before I knew it, I was the Slippery Rock cycling team and I traveled to races all over by myself. As you can tell, I paid a hefty price for my social life in college; but I didn’t really care. I have never kept a training journal, but I’m sure I was always between 20-30 hours per week of training during those years.

After college, I left for Colorado Springs to do an internship with Chris Carmichael – Lance Armstrong’s coach. At that time he just started CTS, and I was their first intern. The neat part was being around that small crew and being at altitude. The bad part was working eight hours a day! Fortunately, I rode before and after work and got to do some cool races out there. I couldn’t find a financial way to stay, so I drove back to Pennsylvania, where my parents were willing to let me live at home and pursue cycling. The day after I arrived I met my wife Jan, which was been the best thing that has ever happened to me!

The next year I worked part time and Jan and I dated. I rode a lot. By this time I was a Cat 1 and doing well in local races. In 2002 we were married, and I did a ton of regional bike races but I also won Duathlon nationals as an age grouper and won my age group at the World Championships. In 2003, I got a spot on a small D3 professional cycling team called sportsbook.com, and I dropped duathlon. I loved the European races we did and some of the longer stuff here in the U.S., but the lifestyle was very daunting for a 25-year-old, married-with-a-mortgage guy like me! After that season, I decided I wanted to leave bike racing and do duathlon and maybe triathlon.

In 2004, I started going to Zofingen, Switzerland, for the Powerman World Championships. It’s a nasty course with usually nasty weather. Perfect! In 2005 I finished third overall, which was the first time an American was on the podium in a long, long time. In the years after, I bounced around in the top 10 with a few spectacular bonks thrown in for good measure. I have done it a total of seven times.

The next thing on my list was to do an Iron-distance race. I hate swimming…actually, I do not like trying to squeeze three sports into my tight schedule. In 2010, I did Ironman Louisville on a scorching hot day. I think I was 1800th out the water, 20th after the bike, and seventh after the run. Kind of a tough way to do it, but that’s how I do triathlons!

My training is very low–tech; I just train, and I have never kept a journal. It’s all on feel! I will train 12-20 hours a week, depending on the weather or my schedule. I run five or six days, swim one to three, bike two to three. I usually run with a watch and just run however I feel. I run fast or slow, flat or hilly, short or long. Sometimes it’s all of those! On the bike, I love riding “tempo”. I am fortunate enough to have two or three guys who I can go out with, and I love riding at the front and just putting the hammer down for miles and miles. I do the same thing as running, though; fast or slow, hilly or flat, short or long. I really don’t have the time to ride like I used to, so I boil it down to two to three rides a week. A mid-week group ride where we just hammer, a Friday long tempo ride (4-6 hours) and maybe a quickie on a Sunday afternoon.

I own Appalachian Running Company and Dutrey’s Shoes, which is a specialty running shoe store and casual shoe store in Carlisle, Pa. I often try the products that I sell, just so I know what to expect. I have my favorites, but I really try to test everything. I have found that sponsorships are a double-edged sword: You get product for free or greatly reduced, but it’s not always what you need or want; and sometimes the time investment to promote the company can’t be obligated, especially when you are a family guy and own a business! As far as brands go, I like to run in some Brooks or Mizunos; I love my trusty Sugoi running shorts and triathlon kits; and I like a bike that fits well, brakes, and shifts! I’ve used Sram stuff for the last few years and like it a lot, and I’m really impressed with my Valdora tri bike that I’m using right now. It’s super practical and easy to work on. It’s also really light!

I have always had a great staff, which has been a huge blessing because I can leave for a run in the middle of the day. My wife is a teacher, and with the little guy at home and one on the way, I have spent much more time at home with him. I wear many hats during the day, but it’s what I do. Every day is different, but the common thing is I hit the ground running and go all day. I’m always exhausted by 8 p.m.! I kinda eek through the week just stuffing workouts in whenever I can, and I look forward to Friday where I have a big block of time to get some quality training in. As busy as I am, I really like the downtime, too. Our family likes to be outside, and we spend a lot of time just having fun.

Competition? It’s part of what makes me tick. I just like it. If I didn’t race, I would still ride or run and push myself. I like the challenges. I like races where I have to compete against the course. Competing against other racers is cool, too, but I like taking the equipment and pure speed out of the equation and just racing tough. Bad weather, really hilly, really long, whatever. That’s what gets me going!

Unfortunately, however, I missed races due to broken bones, mononucleosis and illness. That’s all part of life. I love racing, but sometimes life gets in the way! All of those setbacks really turned out to be great things, as I’ve come back better afterward. Triathlon can be a very self-centered sport, and I think those injuries have pulled me back from being too self-absorbed. Everything in moderation, including triathlons!

When it comes to gear, I have a closet full of running shoes…kinda goes with the job! I will always wear some clothing with our store logo on it, since that’s my job too. I have a Valdora tri bike and a Scott road bike, although I have had a fleet of Cannondales before those. I am fortunate that I have had the opportunity to try so many things, so I really try to help our customers not make hasty or poor decisions when it comes to buying things from us. I really like stuff that lasts, even if it’s a little heavier. I like my bikes without integrated brakes, complicated bottom brackets, and fancy seat posts! Just give me something I can adjust with a simple Allen wrench in the transition area if I’m forced to. As far as food, that’s a work in progress. I always drink Coke the last hour of a race, for example.

The equipment I use the most in training is silence. It’s really nice to hit the open road by myself. I can work through a lot of things during my training. That’s why I don’t stress about an exact training program.

I try to be as calm and easygoing as I can before a race. I’m not sure I have any crazy training behaviors. I’m probably the least scientific guy out there. I’m really hoping I can crack that bike course record again this year. It would be awesome to have the run and bike course records. I took a lot of risks on descents last year and came close, so I think I need to get a smidge faster on the uphills. To do that, I’ll probably just ride more hills!

In terms of racing, the triathlon is getting very expensive. I’m very aware of that, as I talk to my customers about it all the time. Gear is one thing…you can select different levels of components, bikes and wheels. The races are getting really up there. I have raced less and less over the past few years, mainly because I get just as much enjoyment out of training as shelling out a couple of hundred to do a race. Having said all that, I am fortunate to have some close friends who have flown me to several races over the years. As far as gear goes, I’m also fortunate that I’m in the business. I don’t really budget, but I have gotten very selective about which races I’ll do.

So why do I do SavageMan? SavageMan has a great feel to it. Everyone is there to compete against the course. It’s a race that makes you want to go back every year. I’ve done it every year, and wouldn’t miss it!

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Doug is a firefighter who loves SavageMan. Here he tells us how he prepares for SavageMan and how he gets through the event.

ERM: What brings you to SavageMan each year?

Brede: The first year of SavageMan someone posted the advertisement on the local tri club Website. It offered a money-back guarantee if it wasn’t the toughest triathlon you’ve ever done. That’s all it took to sign me up.

ERM: What was it like going up the Westernport Wall the first time?

Brede: When I turned the corner in Westernport, Md., and stared up “The Wall,” I remember my jaw dropping in complete awe as to the hill that lay before me. We were given an option to ride a slightly longer but less steep route around it, but I was going to at least attempt this challenge to see if I could make it – that’s what I came to find out! I made it up The Wall and continued climbing. I thought to myself, “Here I just climbed up the Westernport Wall and where the hell did this ‘Killer Miller’ mountain come from?!”

ERM: So how did you feel when you finished?

Brede: Without a doubt, it was the toughest event I’d ever done – but because of that I fell in love with it right then and there. I even raced SavageMan in 2009, eight weeks after surgery to reattach my pectoral muscle to my arm bone, because “I don’t know what it’ll do to my arm if I race, but I know what it will do to me if I don’t.” (Quoted from “Without Limits”.)

ERM: How do you train for SavageMan?

Brede: With a swimming and running history, I can confidently say that I’ve never known what I was doing when it came to bike training. Therefore, to prepare for SavageMan I train for a full Iron-distance event, even though I may not do one. I made some breakthroughs last year with some new training aids as I began using Power Cranks and both Spinervals and Carmichael training DVDs. Power Cranks force you to circle a proper pedal stroke with each leg individually, and I train with them about once a week in season. The DVD training sessions helped me because they guide me through a workout that I have no background in. I like the DVDs because I don’t have to read a workout – I’m actually being coached, and I don’t have to do any thinking aside from what I need to focus on in the session.

In fact, last year was the first time I felt that I had actually trained and was ready for SavageMan. By training for a full-distance, I’ve found that it gives me the endurance to go faster over a half-distance if done right. Aside from the hill work, and Spinervals and Carmichael DVD sessions in my basement, I rode the Diabolical Double Gran Fond up around the SavageMan bike course in June. I figure going double the distance on that course can only help prep me for race day.

ERM: Take us through your race piece by piece.

Brede: During the swim, I’m typically talking to myself, telling myself to hold myself back and not get caught up in the emotion of the turbulence and race start. I’ve learned that I can waste a lot of energy in the water and pay for it on the bike, so I’m coaching myself in the swim to be efficient.

On the bike, I’m constantly reading my body: How’s my pulse (checked manually at the carotid because I find chest straps of heart rate monitors uncomfortable)? How are my legs doing – need to stand up and stretch? How’s the back? Do I need to stand up or arch and stretch? How’re the fluid levels  – and where’s the next bottle station? Is it time for Endurolytes? Is it time for food/fluid intake? How’s the cadence?

Between these questions I do find mental downtime, where I purposely look around to enjoy the scenery and experience the race surroundings. If I don’t, I can slide into that uber-triathlete persona – and that just isn’t fun. I also try to do water bottle exchanges with kids, because they get such a kick out of it; and when I see an elderly lady spectating, I like to fly by on the bike and yell to her how good-lookin’ she is – they get a kick out that, too.

The run is where you close the deal and where the mental fortitude comes in. Especially when I’m feeling fatigued, I start hamming it up with spectators in the run-by. Even just high-fiving kids has always given me energy and boosted me when I’ve hit a fatigue point. But when I’m really digging deep in the final miles closing out a run, I focus inward and talk to myself again – but this time I’m daring anyone to endure more pain than me.

ERM: What is your goal for SavageMan this year?

Brede: I finished right above six hours last year, a personal best for me on that course. At the risk of becoming type-A this season, I’m pronouncing that my goal is to break six hours this year at SavageMan – so this season’s focus is all on that.

ERM: What motivates you as you compete?

Brede: There are times in every race when it comes time to push myself. I find part of the fun of racing is in the challenge of making myself perform as best I can on that day, and that means digging deep. I learned motivation of digging deep from my Team-In-Training experience. It may sound sappy, but I think of people I know or who maybe I’ve even just seen in the news – the sick, disabled veterans, POWs. I can think of a specific person who suffered or is suffering through a situation from no fault of their own. If that person can put up with that kind of suffering, and sometimes for many years, then I tell myself I can suck it up and suffer for another two hours. By thinking of that person, I feel like I’m running for that person and in their honor.

ERM: Have you ever been injured?

Brede: I admit that when I first started competing, I was continuously in pursuit of a PR. I didn’t handle missing workouts or cramping up on the run well, to say the least. The best thing that ever happened to me was getting injured. I missed all of the 2002 season with chronic ITB pain that at times was debilitating. Once I recovered from that, I had a new outlook and was truly just happy to be able to participate. To my pleasant surprise, my new, relaxed, “have fun” attitude produced faster results, which made me have even more fun! Since coming off that injury, I’ve never given up that attitude of appreciating the enjoyment of participating. I’m a happier racer for it, and I believe I’m a faster racer for it.

ERM: Why SavageMan?

Brede: I keep returning because every year as SavageMan race day approaches, I get this nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach as I think about the race and actually wonder if this will be the year that I don’t make it up The Wall. That feeling comes from the fact that this is indeed a tough race; and despite knowing the course now after participating all five years, I still wonder if the course will beat me – so I keep taking the challenge. I know I might never set a PR on this course, but every year I celebrate this race day for the fact that I can do this course. It’s my own personal Kona.

Side Bar: Doug’s Favorite Things

Equipment/Nutrition

I love my new Jamis Xenith T1 tri-bike…what a difference from what I was riding before!

For swimming, I just received and have used in one session the Finis Fulcrum pool equipment. Since I’m not fast, I have to be a technician to save energy in the swim. I’m excited about these: I could feel a difference in my stroke technique after just that one session using them.

I also rely on Hammer Nutrition. Once I found Sustained Energy and Hammer Gels and Endurolytes, I stopped looking. That’s the stuff that worked for me.

Compression Gear

I decided that with all I’ve heard about compression, now was the time to try it out as I balanced three weeks of tapering and recovery with some training to maintain fitness. What made me a believer in compression was that I didn’t have the next-day twangs of pain that had been normal for me, and the muscle soreness was quick to recover. I ended up taking the first race easy (Patriots Half), then set my personal course record at SavageMan in the second half. Then I did a PR at the Chesapeake Man full event. Can you see why I love the compression gear?!

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A diagnosis of mesothelioma, breast cancer or any other form of cancer is always frightening. The treatments can seem scary, and the worries that arise due to the treatment options can make the treatment even harder. Anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer of any type should consider adding running to their daily routine.

Running and Fitness

Physical fitness is part of maintaining a healthy body, even during cancer treatments. According to the National Cancer Institute, adults should strive to obtain around 30 minutes of exercise five days a week (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/prevention/physical activity). This is the minimum requirement for adults with or without cancer, because it is an important part of maintaining good health.

Physical activity is variable for a wide range of cancer patients

Among the type of exercises that are often suggested is running. Unlike other forms of exercise, running does not require any special equipment, skills or training to complete. Running is relatively easy on the body when compared to options like weight lifting or high-impact sports. It is also a form of cardiovascular exercise that can help maintain a lower body weight.

According to The New York Times, researchers often suggest starting with walking, which is possible for almost any individual at any fitness level and who is fighting most forms of cancer (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/running-to-reclaim-your-body-from-cancer/). Walking can gradually build up to running as fitness levels improve and the muscular strength is able to withstand higher intensity workouts.

Benefits of Running

Understanding the benefits of running is a key part of becoming motivated to conquer the initial challenge of starting a new fitness routine during exhausting treatments. Running is a form of physical fitness that is primarily cardiovascular in nature; but by running up and down hills, stairs or similar terrains, it is possible to also build muscle.

According to the National Cancer Institute, moderate exercise like running and walking for half an hour on most days of the week is shown to improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Depending on the type of cancer, the treatments and the complications involved, particular areas of life that are improved can vary. Regardless of the particulars, the general quality of life does improve when running is added to a daily routine.

Beyond basic quality of life, cancer patients who are undergoing treatments will notice improved energy levels and reduced fatigue. The National Cancer Institute suggests that moderate exercise can improve energy levels during cancer treatments.

Mood swings are often part of the cancer treatment process, but adding regular exercise can also help improve that situation. The psychological benefits of exercise are particularly pronounced with cancer patients who are dealing with emotional turmoil, painful treatments and discomfort. The endorphins produced by physical activity will result in a better mood.

Improvements to Survival Rates

The basic benefits of improved quality of life, higher energy level and greatly improved mental health are not the only changes that occur when running while fighting cancer. Cancer patients and cancer survivors have additional benefits that relate to high physical activity levels.

While running is not a cure for cancer, research has shown a positive correlation between exercise and survivorship. According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer patients who run or exercise moderately throughout the week will have higher survival rates than those who do not run during treatment. The National Cancer Institute also points out that cancer survivors will see lower rates of recurrence after treatment when exercise is part of the regular routine. If cancer remains in remission, the survivor has a chance of living for many more years – an obvious advantage.

About David Haas

David Haas is a cancer support group and awareness program advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In addition to researching the many valuable programs available to their Website’s visitors and creating relationships with similar organizations, David often blogs about programs and campaigns under way at the Alliance, as well as creative fitness ideas for those dealing with cancer.

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By Brett Daniels

I am often asked, “What kind of training program should I follow to get into shape?” or “How can I improve on my fitness?” By simply following the FITT principle, you can do both. FITT stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type.

Frequency, or how often you train, is important for building or improving fitness. Being consistent no matter how long or how hard you train will lead to improvements. For example, someone coming from a sedentary background should strive to exercise three times a week at a minimum. Someone with an athletic background or who has already been training would look to train more often.

Intensity,  or how hard or easy you train, is another key component to training. Intensity and time go hand in hand during training. Generally, as intensity increases, time decreases. The opposite is also true: less intense workouts go for a longer period of time. If you are just starting out, keep the intensity low in order to let your body adapt to training and to prevent injury.

Time is another element in training. Time and intensity depend directly on one another. In order to engage the fat-burning systems of the body, you want to train at a low intensity over a longer period of time. Newer athletes should shoot for a minimum of 30 minutes per exercise period.

Type is the final component of the FITT principle. The type of training you do should correspond to the type of event for which you are training. For a Sprint triathlon, you would train for the swim, bike, and run and the corresponding distances.

The basic tenets of training will always be the same: You have to train consistently and you have to train specifically.

Training volume is defined as duration x intensity. Generally, as one rises, the other falls (i.e., higher intensity workouts are shorter in duration, and lower intensity workouts are longer in duration). Both will produce training stress, and as a result, both will affect physiological adaptations. Neither approach is wrong or right, but rather depends on the athlete and his ability to accept training load and recover. The mix of duration and intensity will also be determined by the athlete’s ability to recover from the respective workouts. Shorter higher intensity workouts are harder on the body and can take 48-72 hours to recover. For Masters athletes, this recovery can take even longer due to the fact that our ability to recover declines as we age. Longer workouts at lower intensity can incur the same training “cost”, but recovery time will be shorter.

The mix of duration and intensity will also depend on the type of event for which the athlete is training. That is not to say that long course athletes should do only long duration workouts and not do intensity, and short course athletes should do only short intense workouts and no duration. Long course athletes still need to do higher intensity workouts to raise their thresholds (aerobic and lactate). This makes their “slow” pace faster as they are able to operate at a higher percentage of aerobic capacity. Short course athletes benefit from lower intensity/longer duration workouts, which serve to train the aerobic engine and train the body to burn fat more efficiently.

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Joanna K. Chodorowska, BA, NC

Most people struggle with swimming unless they have been swimming since childhood. And even those who swam as children tend to find it challenging when they return to the pool some 30 years later! Why is swimming so hard? Well, it does not have to be! Here are a few tips to get you pointed in the right direction and help make it much easier.

1. Learn to float. To swim effectively, you need to learn how to float. In order to float, you need to relax so your body can feel the water holding you up. If you are tense, there is not such holding-you-up feeling; you just feel you are sinking. It is almost like those hands that were holding you up were taken away.

2. Learn to breathe better in the water. Breathing in the water is not like breathing on land. Nope. Getting water up the nose stings…a lot. Best is to breathe fully out of the mouth into the water, and then allow the air to come back through the mouth while the mouth is above water. Do this during the pull of your breath, and you will be able exhale/inhale almost instantaneously. This quick oxygen exchange also allows the brain to calm down, allowing you to stay more relaxed.

3. Your lungs are your buoy. Provided you are relaxed and your lungs have air inside, you will float easily. Tense up, and you will sink – even with lungs full of air. If you let the air out little by little throughout the stroke, you slowly deflate your buoy and sink. Best is to hold on to the air while swimming, and exhale into the water as you pull to the breathing side. It actually is that simple.

4. Swimming is counterintuitive. We learn most of our movements on land, with gravity. In water, there is no gravity. What instinctively works on land, works against us in the water. On land, faster-shorter turnover usually means more speed. In water, shorter and faster turnover gets you sinking hips, inefficiency and exhaustion in 25 yards.

5. To swim faster, you have to swim slower. This is probably one of the hardest concepts to grasp. With swimming, you have to finish the pull and rotation back to the middle before you can start pulling with the alternate arm. Anything faster than almost one-arm-at-a-time is what I call “wind-milling”. This wind-milling causes shorter and inefficient strokes. You are churning through the water rather than gliding. Use a dive stick as an aid – hold on to it over your head, and you cannot start the pull with the next arm until you grab hold of the stick. (This will also help with tip number 7.)

6. Swim with full extension, not hyperextension. The front crawl utilizes many areas of the hand, arm and forearm to get an effective pull and glide. In order to achieve a good glide, you have to fully extend in the water over your shoulders, without hyperextending the shoulder. You also have to finish the stroke so your hand is fully extended at the bottom, reaching mid-thigh. If you fail to finish the stroke, you will not rotate as easily and you will miss out on a good portion of the glide.

7. Rotate through the water, almost like a corkscrew. We tend to think we need to swim flat in order to move. On the contrary – we need to rotate side to side to about 45 degrees. Two things to help achieve this: you need to finish the pull (as above), and keep the core stable so the body rotates as one unit. Speed the arms up too quickly, and the body just wiggles in the water rather than rotating. Slow the arm pace to almost one-arm-at-a-time, and you will start to notice your rotation and glide (provided you finish the stroke and allow the body to rotate).

8. Push sideways at the finish. Most propulsion in the water results from sideways movements rather than up and down. Finish the pull pushing out to the side rather than pulling up behind you.

Do a quick sculling drill: Make infinity signs (sideways figure-8) in the water while on your back, with your hands by your hips and thighs. You should feel yourself moving fluidly. After 4-6 infinities, switch to figure-8s, pushing the water up and down rather than side to side. The figure-8s are much harder, and you get less glide for a lot more effort. The sideways motion is what helps propel you forward, while allowing the hip to rotate more. Try it. You might be surprised.

9. Don’t move your head from side to side. Like dancing or gymnastics, keeping your head fixed looking down rather than moving from side to side will enable you to swim more efficiently. Let your head move from side to side with each stroke, and you may find yourself getting dizzy. As they do in dancing, ‘spot the head’ when turning. This means, keep the eyes fixed on a non-moving thing while you allow the body to rotate or pivot. So let your body rotate while your head stays still, looking at the bottom of the pool.

10. Don’t kick so hard! The kick portion of the stroke can be a propulsion aid, but many of us kick too hard, or inefficiently, and get tired but go nowhere. Pretend you are kicking from the hip, but also flicking bugs off the tops of your feet. You should feel the water roll off the tops of your feet and toes. Think of your knee as a hinge; it has to bend so the feet can do more flexing and flicking. If your legs are stiff, or you kick from the knees, your hips will sink and you will feel like a tugboat in the water. Fins can help, but they can also become a crutch. Learn to kick correctly – then kick a lot to really get good at it.

Swimming is an amazing form of exercise if you can learn how to relax and swim more efficiently. These tips are just part of the basics; learning to swim requires more than just reading a book or watching a video. Find a swim stroke mechanics expert to watch you swim and offer suggestions. They should be able to provide tips along the way that include the above-mentioned techniques, to help make your swimming more enjoyable.

Joanna K. Chodorowska, BA, NC, is a nutrition, swim and triathlon coach and competitive triathlete. She founded Nutrition in Motion, specializing in personalized nutrition programs for athletes, including Race Day Nutrition, Anti-inflammatory and Gluten-free plans. She is also an expert swim instructor, focusing on form first. She has taught children and adults to swim, and swim better! For more information, check out Joanna’s Website at www.nutrition-in-motion.net or www.n-im.net.

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