Resolution Run #4

Can't believe it but here we are once again well into December which mean January 1st is just around the corner so it's time for the 4th Annual Resolution Run. Hope to see everyone January 1st at Muddy's on the Trolley Trail at 51st Street.

Should I run a marathon?

Have recently had a couple athletes send me their race plans for 2011.  In these two specific cases they had listed the Olathe Marathon in April.  Since I have had the same conversation with other athletes in years past, I thought it might be worth a blog post.
The question is, for a triathlete doing a 70.3 or full Ironman later in the year (Aug/Sept) as their seasons' "A+" event, should they run a marathon such as Olathe in April or Lincoln in May?  An interesting article titled "Should You Run a Marathon in Preparation for an Ironman? on Active.com by Amanda McCracken was sent to me by one athlete.  In it Amanda provides some great reasons to do so - base miles and mental prep are points with which I completely agree.  Where I disagree with Amanda is with the timing - "at least three or four months out from the Ironman" is far too close.

Early on in my IM career I followed the advice Amanda is providing; I regularly did the Lincoln Marathon in early May before doing IM Canada in August.  As I progressed in my understanding of the demands of the sport and developed a stronger understanding of what works and what doesn't for myself and others I have changed my feelings.

Doing a marathon nine months out from an Ironman, as she starts the article mentioning, does make sense to me and I have had a number of athletes do a marathon in the Oct - Jan timeframe before taking a break then starting their IM prep for Canada/Louisville/Wisconsin in Jan/Feb/Mar.  So I am not opposed the running the marathon, rather I no longer agree doing it in Apr/May is the best way to prepare.

Building up running mileage out of proportion to cycling mileage early on might seem to make sense since the weather is cold and so riding isn't much fun.  But the taper before the marathon and then the 2-4 weeks that an athlete might take to be fully recovered from the demands of running 26.2 at race pace can set the athlete's IM prep back as much as six weeks.  I have also seen a mental let down after a big event like a marathon.

Best story I can share is from my '98 season.  Third IMC, had a new bike and I really wanted to do well.  Trained really hard early and I set my marathon PR (3:07) in May in Lincoln.  Thought I was doing great but then did my slowest Ironman in August...  Lots of circumstances that went into that result but after that year I never ran as fast at the marathon but set a 25 minute PR at IMC #4 (over an hour faster than #3) and another 20 minute PR at IMC #5 in 2002.

So, if you are interested in doing an Ironman then doing a marathon ubefore hand is a great idea.  (Same can be said for having successfully completed a few 70.3 events and a Century bike ride or two.)  But that marathon need to be completed in the Fall before your Ironman season so you have the Holidays to mentally and physically recover and can start your Ironman journey in the New Year.

2011 Winter Gear Order

Arch and Ken taking a break after riding "Super James" in Colorado

Interested in sporting MTC gear in 2011?  Looking for a great Christmas present for yourself, a loved one or training partner (or both)?
Now is the time to get in on the next order of the gear that has been so visible and well received by everyone in 2010.  We have triathlon tops and shorts, cycling jerseys, jackets and shorts as well as running tanks available.  It is professionally designed by Arch Fuston and all "Made in the USA" by Zoca Gear based in San Diego, CA.
In addition to the fully sublimated gear from Zoca, we also have the Saucony Kinvara training/racing shoes and running jackets, TYR swim caps, XTERRA transition backpacks and a few other miscellaneous items available.
The deadline for the next order is December 15th.  We will have that order delivered by mid-February, just in time for spring training rides and early season races.
If you have any questions or want to try items on before ordering I have sample sizes of everything available.
Order form is available on the Updates page of the MTC website.

MTC / Elite Cycling Rewards Program

Midwest Triathlon Coaching- Rewards Program

Presented with Elite Cycling

Purpose:

Encourage and reward athletes for supporting MTC & EC by “showing the colors” at races and training events during the 2011 season.

Athletes will earn points to be used for prizes and will be eligible for multiple discounts.

Scope:

The Rewards Program year will begin on January 1, 2011 and will conclude on Tuesday December 6, 2011 at which time prizes will be presented.  All members of the MTC “Family” as well as customers of Elite Cycling are eligible to participate.

Registration:

All participating athletes must register.

Current MTC athletes - FREE.

For all others, there is a $65 registration fee payable to MTC.

Earning Points:

Once an athlete is registered they will earn points in the following ways:

Referrals
Provide name, email & phone of a prospect to Ken (along with a MTC recommendation to prospect)	15
Provide referral that becomes an MTC coached client or purchases a bike from Elite	100
Representation
Wear MTC or Elite top at a training event	2
Wear MTC or Elite top at a running race	5
Wear MTC or Elite top at a cycling race/event	5
Wear MTC or Elite top while doing a Sprint/Olympic triathlon	7
Wear MTC or Elite top while doing a 70.3	10
Wear MTC or Elite top while doing an Ironman	15
Wear MTC or Elite top while doing a National Championship triathlon	15
Wear MTC or Elite top while doing a World Championships (Kona, 70.3 Champs, ITU Worlds)	30
Registration
Facebook photo showing you in MTC or Elite gear	5
Facebook account linked to MTC & Elite accounts	5
Athlinks photo showing you in MTC or Elite gear	5
Athlinks.com account linked to MTC	5
Link website or blog to MTC home page	15
Results
Wear MTC or Elite top on podium picking up AG award	1.5x pts
Wear MTC or Elite top on podium picking up Overall award	2x pts
Renew with MTC
6 months continuous	20
12 months continuous	20 more

Notification & Tabulating:

Athletes are responsible for tracking their own results and notifying MTC of their activities as related to the Rewards Program.

Athletes are to upload photos to the Elite or MTC Facebook Gallery within 10 days of the event and notify Ken with a link via email.  To earn event points and podium bonuses the athlete should claim their results on Athlinks.com.

MTC will keep track of points earned and will provide a monthly update to all participants.

Rewards:

Upon reaching designated levels the participant may “cash in” their points to receive their rewards.  Deadline for choosing Rewards is 12/31/11.

Reward	Points
KC Fitness Magazine Subscription	50
MTC Headsweats Visor	50
MTC or Elite training shirt	50
Elite $25 Gift Certificate	70
MTC Fully Sublimated Tech T	70
MTC Coaching Session	100
XTERRA Transition Backpack	100
MTC or Elite S/S Bike Jersey	150
Elite Cycling or MTC Running Jacket	250

Grand Prizes:

Participants may also compete for Grand Prizes, which will be awarded to those with the most points at the end of the Program.  Prizes will be presented in a “roll-down” format i.e. - Top earner gets first pick, second gets second pick etc. at a year end party on December 6, 2011.  Current Grand Prizes include, but are not limited to:

Prize	Value
HED Stinger 9 Flamme Rouge wheelset (provided by Elite Cycling)	$2500
Powertap hub SL+ (provided by Elite Cycling)	$1000
XTERRA Vendetta Wetsuit	$750
Rudy Project Wingspan Aero Helmet	$325
MTC Gear Package	$250
Many More to Come	$???

Other benefits:

In addition to Rewards & Prizes athletes that become part of the MTC / Elite Rewards Program will be eligible for discounts and deals including (but not limited to):

1.       20% off at Garry Gribbles Running Sports

2.       10% off at Elite Cycling

3.       Up to 50% off XTERRA Wetsuits

4.       Semi-annual GU Energy discount purchase

5.       Free MTC visor or training shirt

6.       Discount on coaching plan for Kansas 70.3

7.       50% discount off individual Training, Technique or Testing session

8.       Invitation to group training & educational events

9.       Basic TrainingPeaks.com account

Registation - to register contact Ken Welsh at kwelsh1@gmail.com

MTC "Dominates the Dojo" at Jackson County Triathlon!

Results from the Jackson County Triathlon are up and MTC athletes did some serious butt kicking.  The group was led by Kelly Dippold, Michelle Arzubi & Carrie Tysdale who swept the podium going #1-2-3 in the Women's Division.  (These three also beat a lot of men going 7th, 11th and 14th overall!)  They were about 4 minutes apart, the next women was almost 11 minutes back.  Wow!

The men were led by Preston Williams who, despite a recent shoulder injury and a bike accident during the race, was 6th overall and won the 25-29 AG.  Another AG winner was Mike Malfer who led the M35-39 division; should set him up for a great race at Ironman Wisconsin in a few weeks.  The Men's Clydesdale division was won by Brian Gillespie in 2:07:34 which would have seen him place 2nd in his AG if he'd raced "non-Clydesdale".

The Short course also saw two podium performances.  Brian Dufner set a huge PR, finishing 2nd in the M30-34 and Peter Paulin won the M40-44 race.

Congratulations to all MTC athletes and other competitors at this year's Jackson County Triathlon.

Alex Franz & IM Louisville - more than just a race...

Last summer MTC athlete Trish O'Donnell asked me to help with a fundraiser she was doing.  I was happy to help and put together an "MTC Coaching Package" consisting of some schwag - hat, shirt etc. as well as some coaching services for the auction.  The highest bidder was someone I had heard about through Trish and her brother Tim but at that point hadn't met, Alex Franz.  Shortly after the auction Alex and I got together and he shared with me that he'd decided to race IM Louisville and wanted to use the package to help him prepare.  I was a bit concerned with Alex's decision because at that point he hadn't done a race longer than Sprint distance and typically I suggest doing one or two Half Irons before signing up for Ironman.  But Alex was committed so I told him I would do my best to support his goal.

As the coaching relationship continued I learned more about Alex and his story, how his young beautiful wife had recently passed away, how he travelled every week as a private airline pilot.  Now, almost a year later I am looking forward to being in Louisville this weekend to watch him race.  I am very proud of Alex and what he has achieved as an athlete and as a person, I am not so sure that if presented with the same situation I could have responded as well as it appears he has.

Alex recently sent out this message and with his permission I wanted to share it here, I believe it helps to put things in perspective for all.  Best of luck to Alex, as well as Barry Ogden, Dave Hubert, Matt Mason & Tim O'Donnell, and all the other Kansas City area athletes racing this weekend.  It is going to be a great day for everyone but in reading the message below you will see that for Alex it will mean just a bit more.

Swim, Bike, Run, Remember,

Several months after Megan passed away, a great friend of mine gave me a very powerful and meaningful book about grief.  The name of this book is “Riding with the Blue Moth”.  It was written by Bill Hancock, whose son was killed in an airplane crash in 2001. (This accident took the lives of 11 members of the OSU basketball team, and staff).  In summary the book is about a fathers’ struggle to deal with the loss of his son.  He decides to deal with the tragedy by riding his bike from the West coast to the East coast.  He began the ride with the idea that he was going to physically beat his grief into submission.  Somewhere along the way he realized that he can’t “beat” his grief, but must learn to live with it.  I read this book while training for my Ironman, and through it I learned the same lesson.

The most difficult emotional and physical challenge that Megan faced was her fight with cancer.  As you all know through her writings, she handled that challenge with an incredible amount of “guts”. She always worried more about her family, friends, and me, than herself.  Christmas 2008 comes to mind.  Megan knew that her fight was at an end.  She was in great pain, basically bed ridden, and yet, she got out of bed, opened presents, and gave every person in the room an unforgettable lesson about toughness and grace.  She had a smile on her face, and her spirits were bright the entire time.  Anytime I’m faced with a situation that seems impossible, I remember that Christmas morning.  I picture Megan that day, a picture of mental and physical toughness and grace, like nothing I have ever seen.  I was as proud of her that day as any.

Megan’s sickness and passing is by far the biggest emotional challenge I have ever faced.  August 29^th will be my biggest physical challenge.  I know a triathlon doesn’t mean anything in comparison to a physical battle with cancer, however, it is one way that I can remember how easy I have it, and how my wife handled her physical distress with such toughness, grace, and class. 

August 29 at 7:00am, in Louisville, Kentucky I will attempt to accomplish a 140.6 mile journey with my own “Blue Moth”.  A 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run.  If all goes well, I will finish around 7:00 or 8:00pm.  I plan to complete this task in memory of my late wife Megan McBride Franz.  I know she will be smiling down on me every stroke, pedal, and step of the way.  If you would like to support me during my journey, I invite you to head to the race.  If you can’t make it to Louisville, I invite you to make a donation to Megan’s Endowment to help find a cure for this terrible disease. 

Please Mail Donations To:

MD Anderson Cancer Center

ATTN: Regina Wheeler

6900 Fannin Suite 6.1000

Houston, TX 77030

In the memo line, please add:

“Megan Mcbride Franz Research Endowment Fund”

If you would like to track my progress during the Ironman here is the website:

www.ironman.com

My bib number is 1601.

Much Love,

Alex Franz

P.S.  The training for this Ironman truly has been an emotional and physical journey.  Here are a few of the stats:

1 Flat tire

1 Broken Bike

1 Call to my brother to come pick up my coach and I during a thunderstorm

1 Swimming Lesson

1 Missed swim due to doodie in the pool (in Canada)

1 Lucky turkey that I just missed on my bike

5 Dogs that couldn’t catch me on my bike

3 20 mile runs in 95 + degree heat

4 Countries trained in (US, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico)

5 pairs of running shoes

6 Bike tune-ups

I Trained in the following cities:

 Kansas City

La Paz, Mexico

St. Louis

Washington D.C.

Las Vegas

Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil

Toronto, Canada

Teterboro, NJ

Stewart, NY

Norman, OK

Stillwater, OK

Denver

Tulsa

Palm Beach, FL

Little Rock, AR

Montreal, Canada

Queretaro, Mexico

Monterrey, Mexico

Nantucket

Dayton, OH

Pittspurgh, PA

Wichita

Ruidoso, NM

Hays, KS

Baltimore

Toluca, Mexico

Biloxi, MS

For a grand total of: 

124 Miles Swum

724 Miles Run

3031 Miles Ridden