Why hire a coach, and what to look for when doing so:
     I have been seeing a lot of posts in triathlon communities across social media about how to do this, how do I do that, I suck at this, want to improve at that, and on and on and on.  The topics have been everything from freaking out in the water, are race wheels worth it, gaining strength, not being as slow on the bike, increasing run speed.  The one common answer I have seen on every post has been “hire a coach.”  And while this is a great answer, there is a lot more to hiring a coach than signing on a dotted line and forking over your hard earned dollars to someone you never met. You should never simply hire a coach, you want to hire the right coach.  This might seem like subtle difference, but it is a drastic one.  Every coach has their own style, their own strengths and weaknesses, a certain niche of athlete they work best with.  Some may think they know everything, some may actually know nothing. Just like buying a car, and not only do you want a quality product, but you also want a quality sales rep to take you through the process.  
     It is the off season, this is the time that we work on our weaknesses, take time off to mentally and physically recover, eat too much and put on our winter pounds to avoid disappearing into thin air once next season gets rolling.  It is also the time you should search for and find your coach that you plan to work with for the next season or seasons.  This head start will not only give you a leg up on your competition, but also on yourself.  There are many reasons to hire a coach, I will outline those another time, but for now, here is what to look for, what you should ask, and what matters most when finding a coach that is RIGHT for YOU.  I have three things below to look at, and then the qualities that set apart the top coaches from the bottom when it comes to good fit.
     Disclaimer: As usual, I am most likely to make some statements that are going to offend some, annoy others, or just straight up tick people off. This is never my intention and I try to avoid using blanket statements for that very reason. There are exceptions to  EVERYTHING in life. If you find something I say preposterous, or straight wrong, leave a comment and let’s have a discussion.  Learning is crucial to improve at anything in the world, and we are all able to learn from anyone else if you are open minded enough to allow that to happen. 

     First- the number one thing every coach lists first is their certifications.  This is due to the perceived value being certified has in our society, and often required in many fields for liability.   There are many of them out there, just like cars also- some are good, some are not so good.  For the governing bodies, such as USA Triathlon, there are different levels of certified and different requirements, pre-reqs, and skill levels.  Obviously the higher levels show more knowledge and experience, and these coaches will most likely cost more.  I would not hire a coach who is not certified, although quite frankly this should be one of the LAST things you consider when hiring a coach.  I am not going to get into what certifications are good, which ones are not as good, what are preferred and what are not.  In the industry, we certainly value some more than others and if you have specific questions you can email me and I will give you some pointers.  That is not a battle I want to fight today in public however.  Also, the level of athlete you are will make a difference what certifications you look for, if you are gunning for a Kona spot and have been in the sport a decade, versus someone just starting out- different certifications will make more sense for one than the other.  A USAT Level 3 certified coach has been coaching for years and coached athletes competing at the national and international level. That might be a great way to go, if you are newer to the sport- you probably do not need that intricate of a level of coaching, and are fine with something a little lower.  Another thing to look for- if the certification does not expire and require continuing education to keep their status as certified, it is useless and ignore it, pretend it does not exist. That is the best rule of thumb I can give.  Is it relatable? If someone is a certified personal trainer, that is great but it is not geared towards running or cycling.  Their cert may be athlete based or it may be general population based, it does not mean they are a triathlon coach however and that it is their main focus.  They may have the potential to be a great coach, but this does not alone qualify them.
     Secondly- Education.  Personally, I value education more than certifications, and most lifers in the fitness industry do as well.  This is due to it being a more in depth knowledge of the science and not just the applied answer.  Someone with a degree is much more likely to know why, and not just what.   While their degree may not say “triathlon” on it like that shiny piece of paper on a wall saying “certified,” however endurance training is exercise physiology and energy metabolism, run form is biomechanics, etc.  Who is more likely to be stronger on the subject, someone who spent 4 to 6 years learning in depth and studying everything about how the body works? Or someone who spent 4 to 6 days or weeks, if even that long.  And this is not meant to be a knock on coaches without a degree due to the next point, don’t hate me yet.
     Thirdly- Experience and track record.  Not their athletic experience, their coaching experience (although they should have athletic experience also). This is where not having a direct education can be made up for.  Someone who has had to renew their certifications numerous times, someone who has spent years honing their specific style, someone who has a diversified resume is going to most likely be a strong coach still.  They may or may not know the ins and outs of the Krebs cycle, or the Cori cycle, or how to calculate the ground reaction forces on each joint during different stages of the run stride, but you'll probably be just fine in their hands.
     The caveat here is that they have to be adaptable over time as our knowledge about training evolves.  If a coach is still giving his athletes static stretches to do before a race- stay away. Far, far away. If a coach still thinks that lactate formation (probably being called lactic acid) is what is the root cause of soreness, or that it is a negative by product of training- stay away. They need to stay up to date and adapt as time passes.  Science evolves, and we as coaches need to do the same.  Many do, many do not, this is a judgement call and requires homework/research.  
     Also, consider the source. If you are a podium finisher, and your friend is new to the sport, their recommendation of the coach they hired may or may not be good for you.  When you are new to a sport as long as you do not get hurt- you’ll do ok with improvements with any coach. You will see improvement no matter what you do as long as you are consistent. (You may not improve as quickly, however, or are more likely to end up hurt with poor guidance).  Is this the same best coach  for the veteran podium finisher? Not quite.  Look at who they worked with, have they coached any school teams such as collegiate swim or cross country, have they worked for Brooks as a Biomechanist in the past, or did they just really like triathlon and read a book? Where have they interned, worked, studied, or who have they had as a mentor?
     All three of these should be looked at individually, and then as a whole package.  This is their knowledge base, is the base large? Or is it miniscule.  Are they well balanced? Or do they only really have one of the three.  Realistically you should try and find someone that is well balanced in their education, and deeply educated as well with a strong network around them to reach out to.

     The other factors are what makes the coach the right coach for you.  You should be able to have a relationship with your coach (not that kind, calm down Sparky).  You should feel comfortable and have an easily established rapport.  Can you ask him tough questions that will make a difference in your training? Are you comfortable working and talking about delicate subjects with someone of the other gender? Do they know how to motivate you? Some questions I would ask yourself to know what answer you want, and then ask the coach when interviewing them are as follows:

How much accountability are they going to hold you to- Are you self-motivated or do you need a little kick in the ass now and then   

What is their availability typically- Is it going to take them a week to get back to you? Or will they pick up the phone and be happy to help you or return an email within a few hours. 

Is this their full time job, or do they do it as an additional job­- For some, this may affect the availability, it may not. For some- it may mean that it is the only income and that they need to hit XX number of clients per month and will be spread thin, or try and push a sale.  For many, it won’t matter.  This question is pretty close to the availability one.

What is their coaching philosophy- We all have one, whether we have it written and laid out in a sentence or two, or just as a general idea in our head, we all have one.  If you have a coach who doesn’t value rest as much as you do, or work/life/family balance, or who believes that indoor or outdoor training is better than the other and these values do not align with your values and preferences- they can be the most knowledgeable person in the world even, and it won’t work out well for either.

How are workouts and information delivered to you- Do you like having a piece of paper printed up? Or are daily emails from a service such as TrainingPeaks better for you?  How will the coach know what you did to tailor the next set of workouts for you?

What experience do they have OUTSIDE of racing- It is too often in all sports that someone becomes a coach solely because they happened to be good at that sport.  This does not mean they are as passionate about coaching as they are competing, or as good at coaching as competing.  They may not have the knowledge to help you out beyond what worked for them, they may be too distracted with their own training to help you with yours

Tying into this same thing:  What motivated them to become a coach- What drives them daily? How long have they wanted to be one? If they can answer this question without any thought- chances are they love what they do. Does the passion just ooze from them? Do you want someone enthusiastic about what they do or the coach who could not care less how you do and only wants a pay check

What ways besides the training plan alone are you able to help me? If they only know how to throw workouts together into a calendar versus can they help you identify a nagging injury, prevent other injuries, strength training credentials, are they going to know how to develop a sound nutritional strategy, are they going to be able to help you adjust for conditions on race day, are they going to be able to give you a biomechanical or physiological assessment

How do they develop an annual training plan for their athletes- This could be close to their philosophy, and also show some of their subject area knowledge.  Is it a set style they use for everyone? Or is it tailored to everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.

How do they analyze your plan and adapt?- If they do not look back at what you did and adjust going forward, you are no better off than if you bought a stock plan. The longest out workouts should ever be written is a month

Who specifically is going to be working with you- It is not unheard of for you to hire a coach, and then be reassigned to an assistant or other coach in a coaching group.  This is probably not too common, but large coaching companies or groups it is possible

Do they have any requirements from you­- There is a weight loss group back home that requires all its members to constantly tag them on social media EVERY SINGLE DAY, or they cannot join.  While this helped their business boom, I find it to be super shady to require constantly.  Specifically for us- do they require you to purchase and race in a kit that they sell or join a specific triathlon team, use any specific facilities

Is there a minimum amount of time or a contract to sign- This is not rare, and just something to be aware of. How lenient are they if an injury or family emergency or work relocation comes up? If you are locked in vs able to switch plans, put coaching on hold, etc. 

What is their weakness as a coach- This is a big one and the one I will end on.  If the coach does not think he has anything to improve, he feels he knows everything. The day you think you know everything, you in fact know nothing.  If a coach would rather BS his way through helping you or lie about something rather than look it up or refer you to someone else, they have no integrity in my book and have no place coaching anyone.  Anyone you work with you should hold to a high standard, as they should hold you to one as well.



 

Race Report- Ironman Maryland
October 3rd 2015. Kidding… Lets go with October 17th 2015. Thanks a lot Joaquin.


Pre Race: Alarm went off at 3:45am although it did not matter.  I had basically been awake all night. This was just my “warning” shot and had another set for 4:05am when I would get up.  The race was going to be cooler than originally expected/planned so my goal of leaving by 4:15 to be on the first shuttle out was pushed back a bit (I am always one of first at races). I already had my clothes out and ready, bags and such dropped the day before, water bottles with Infinit and a flask of gel prepared. Went to the bathroom and got dressed. I was wearing my super old Pearl Izumi bottoms with a Craft top, calf sleeves (that match my bike, obviously!).  I put my awesome winter running tights over my bottoms and a 5$ Walmart neon yellow sweat shirt to stay warm.   I had my breakfast already out and ready to go also, white bagel with strawberry gel on top in place of jam/butter, banana, water, power bar, and power bar bite type thing that are like gushers. I ate ¾ the bagel, the banana, and made hot tea. That was all I could get down due to nerves. I felt like I was going to puke.  Kept thinking to myself, holy shit is this really happening, it is FINALLY HERE.  While my training was not nearly what it could/should have been, I was still confident that today was the day I hear those magical words.  I put my left over/untouched breakfast in my bag and figured I could try and choke some more down on the way there, as it was sports nutrition and not that hard to digest. 

 Went outside to leave a little later than expected, and it really wasn’t that cold! Was high 40s it felt like. Awesome! This Buffalonian still has it (a little bit).  I was driving a fellow competitor and her mom to the shuttle that I was staying with.  I was amazed how many cars were already there! We boarded and I ended up with a seat to myself. I put my headphones in, ate my Gatorade gusher things, and blasted my favorite pump up tunes.  We got to the venue and had a slight walk to transition.  I blasted my music louder on the walk, listening to my all-time favorite race day song (lose yourself, Eminem).  Repeating my favorite sections of the song to myself in my head

“Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted. In one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip?
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
Success is my only motherfuckin option, failure’s not
So here I go it's my shot.
Feet, fail me not
This may be the only opportunity that I got”

 I went to my run transition bag and dropped off the last few things to be put in, and did the same with my bike transition bag. I had hand warmers that I opened up and put in my shoes to help warm my feet as the water was expected to be cold. Pumped up my tires and put my bottles on my rear cage. Went to fill my aero bottle with water… Whoops! Never remembered I needed something to fill it with. No big deal! Grabbed the bottle off the bike and brought to water fill station and then back to my bike.   I asked a body marker for their marker to write my papas initials on my forearm underneath my IMCrabby tattoos.  This is routine for me for any big race, if not all to bring him with me. 
 
The cameraman saw me do this and asked me about it.  I told him that my papa was one of my biggest influences in life, and that I wish nothing more for him to be here for the biggest race/day of my life. I said a lot more than that, but I was so put on the spot and taken back that I don’t remember.  All I know is that by the end of the mini interview I was crying and overcome with emotion.  This day means so much to me, and still feels too surreal to be actually happening after so many attempts not working out.  I headed over to get my wetsuit on and decided I should pee beforehand.  Waited in a long line and started chatting with a guy and his daughter in front of me, I hope he had a great race! Both very nice. Find a table nearby to hold my bags while I put my wetsuit on, and the lady across the table asked a question and my personality took over, I made a funny reply to answer her question. She snapped something back at me. Woah lady calm down. I politely said that it was meant in jest to help lighten the mood on such a stressful morning. I think she figured out that she was kind of a bitch to me and was nicer after that, making some small talk. That’s when they announced it… 

Due to a small craft warning from 20-30mph winds, the swim was being cut short. I was pissed for all of about 5 seconds until I felt magically all the stress, nerves, and anxiousness leave my body. My only worry was the swim, and I KNEW I can kick ass in that short of a swim (well, by my standard anyways).  Mentally preparing myself to swim a little quicker and the adjustment to my stroke I would try to make, along with trying to remember it is now only 1 lap and not the previous 2.  Then they announced again- they are lengthening the swim back to 3,000, or just over ¾ of the original 3800m.  This is better, I am still very confident in that distance (granted I was confident in the 3.8k also, confidence is not something I ever lack…).  The race was also starting much later now, 7:30 approximately compared to 6:50 as originally planned.  Also happy about this (finding silver linings people does a person good!) as it will be a few degrees warmer. I was not too worried about the cold water even in a sleeveless wetsuit, one cap, and no booties (63 degrees), nor after getting out as it would be roughly 50, I love that weather. Perfect day for me, was so excited about the weather. Ultimately that weather difference wouldn’t be a big difference but positive mindset, it was not a bad thing at all. 

Swim Start: We begin to line up and I found the group I was with at the first IMMD attempt, we took some pictures and wish each other luck. It is so great to see some familiar faces! At this point I can’t believe how calm I am, it was serene almost.  I lined up quite a bit further back than initially planned, but this didn’t bother me.  I lined up around 1:45 finish time group, when I was hoping to be quicker than that.  Much better to be too far back rather than too far forward.  We slowly waddle our way forward and as I get closer to the water high five every person spectating that I can. I want to enjoy the living hell out of this day. As my good friend from Washington says- suffer with a smile. Although, I had no plans of suffering during today!  My feet step in the water down the boat launch and I start to tear up.

My day has started. 

I swim out of the boat launch and swing a wide right to enter the course, I planned on staying outside to avoid the congestion as the first people in would be starting lap two as we started lap one, and wanted NOTHING to do with people throwing down for a Kona slot and trampling all in their path.  The water wasn’t too choppy at first, but definitely had some  pretty rough sections.  I was so calm and relaxed, had no issures breathing, never choked on water, I started to smile everytime I breathed and choked back more tears.  This was actually happening. Not only was it happening- I was ENJOYING what for years was the bane of my existence- the swim.  I was even passing some people?! That is pretty new to me in the water, although happening much more often lately.  I was site-ing pretty well which must be some swim god looking over me as I have never really been able to do that. My goggles didn’t fog up at all either? Baby shampoo trick worked like a CHARM.  The swim could not have been any better. I finish lap one and notice it is shallow enough to walk. Thank god. Not that I needed to walk- but I needed to pee. REALLY REALLY badly and tried going while I swim but failed. Walking and peeing?  Now THAT I can do.  First time ever peeing in my wetsuit, kind of want to burn it now and get a new one!  I start the second lap and holy crap did the winds pick up, I make the turn into lap two and am picked up and slammed back down into the water by a wave. I try to site and can’t even see the bouy from the height of the wave completely blocking the view of the course. Oddly enough, I smiled and loved it, still never lost rhythm or nerves, and just kept swimming my race. I would alter my breathing to one side or the other depending on which direction I was getting bitch slapped by the waves.  Never had an issue. I had one that caught me while I was breathing but for the first time in my life- it didn’t bother me at all or disrupt my rhythm. I just spit it out and breathed on the next stroke, and continued kicking ass. Wow, could this be ANY more perfect? I could see my papas initials every stroke and started to think of some of the memories I have of him throughout.  I am going to finish this race if it kills me.  I could have gone much faster probably, but I am not out to win anything today.  Just treating this as a long warmup for my bread and butter(s) of the bike and run.  Overall swim time was 1:14, and 2:27/100m (roughly 2:12/100yds). This would have put me between 1:30 and 1:35 for the full swim. HELL YES I think to myself as I convert it, that was my goal time. The 2:12/100yds is right around where I do my easy distance workouts, so as far as I am concerned I crushed the swim.  My furthest swim ever was 1.5miles, so this was my new longest and I held my pace and left the water not tired. At all.  Ends up, as usual, I was one of the slowest in the water ranking at like the 1290th swim, out of what I believe was 1500. I don’t care at all, I hit where I wanted to be and can’t control what other people do.  You can’t win your race on the swim, but you can lose it. For my personal race, that means not psyching myself out, or burning all my matches hyperventilating and getting discouraged. I nailed it.

T1- I run up the bank and get stripped, go find my bag and find some open grass. I take the hand warmers out of my shoes and shove them up my tri shorts to help keep my knees warm, and easy access in case I needed for my hands. I couldn’t believe how warm it was though, and decided I didn’t even want to grab my arm warmers or gloves.  I throw on my helmet and shoes, grab my tools and nutrition and am on my way! Hand my bag to the volunteers and run to grab my bike. Holy long transition batman, we had to grab our own bikes today with less volunteers. Total distance was over 1/3 of a mile.  I grab my bike and run out, I mount the bike and start spinning.  My GPS had some error message but didn’t look at it until I got settled in.  I was passing people nonstop. Literally. I felt like I was effortlessly spinning my pedals and knew I was in for a good day.  I took the first lap just slightly harder than I wanted to, as I was determined to NOT get a penalty at all, and this course looked like the friggen tour de france.  Instead of 1 rider ever 10 meters, it was about 15 riders every 10. Even still, my effort level felt like it was easily sustainable and I was not worried at all. My goal today was the 15 minutes slower on the bike will save you hours on the run.  I wanted to take it easy. My longest ride in training was only 1:45, on a spin bike and 80-90 mins on my bike, my only worry was my god awful saddle.  I had to pee again. Wait what?! I have already peed like 239473 times this morning?! I hold it as long as I can until mile 30 looking for a place without a line.  I contemplated peeing on the bike but I saw an open porta potty. I felt like I could have gone #2 here also, but decided against it for time reasons. I would later regret this as it came back to haunt me, lesson learned.  I was originally counting how many people I had passed and did not want them all to catch back up! While I am here to finish, I am still competitive on the bike, and always will be.  The end of the second lap got really windy, although not too terrible. At its worst points it slowed me down to 17.5ish mph, and that usually wasn’t for too long.  I hit the start of lap 2 and was on pace for about a 5:20-5:30 bike, amazing. My goal was to break 6 hours!  I stopped at special needs for tums for my gas issues I get during all events, some aleve just in case, my gummies(!!!) and to pee. Again?!?! What the hell. This took forever as the line was crazy long but it was that or pee my pants.  Overall, this whole process took about 8 minutes. We all had a good time in line bitching about the wind (which was pretty rough but doable), our swims, the race, why we do this godforsaken event, etc (sadly it was all dudes, not a single female).  I start the second lap and it has spread out a little bit more so I decide to go slightly easier, not that I thought I needed to at all, but why not? Half a mph slow here can save me a lot more on the end.  Half way through the lap the wind was INSANE.  I was blown off the road twice, and the trees and grass was being blown so hard I could hear it even with my aerohelmet which basically makes me deaf.  At this point my saddle had me in so much pain I could hardly stay in aero, this saddle gives me serious issues and will be upgraded this winter, just did not have the money to replace.  For my future children’s sake I better not ever use that piece of shit again though, or I won’t be able to have them. I could have toughed it out but wanted to sacrifice some speed to be comfortable and spent plenty of time out of aero to be more upright and relieve some pressure on my crotch, afterall, I am here to finish today not to win. 

Twice a gust took me off the road into the dirt but was able to recover quickly and never fell. I am a pretty strong rider, these gusts had to be 35mph+ easily to move me that far.  The wind on this second half dropped my speed to 15mph for long stretches, and I also let it knock me down that far.  With knowing the run coming up is not a 5k, I took it easier in the wind, saving my matches for later.  My nutrition seemed to work flawlessly as I never lost energy.  I was doing Infinit nutrition custom blend, cliff blocks, and gels, alternating what I took every half hour.  I slowed on water as I was peeing too much, but would grab one at the aid stations whether I needed it or not.  Overall, my second lap was much slower than the first but I knew it would be and didn’t care. Overall I am quite happy with my 5:52 bike.  Insane winds, hardly any training on my bike, and more importantly? I loved every second of it.  Just like the swim, the first lap wasn’t great conditions but very doable, and the second was much tougher.  The wind seemed to be getting stronger as the day went on and that was what was called for by the weather people, so makes sense.  Anyone who was a fast swimmer had a huge advantage of being on the bike so much earlier when it was not as bad.  I’ll get there some day! Overall- I moved up. A SHIT TON. And a half. Wow. I didn’t even think my bike time was that fast as I took it so easy.  Then I saw the rankings.   I finished the bike in 380th for males, and 494th overall.

Holy shit- did I REALLY PASS 803 PEOPLE ON THE BIKE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I moved up from 57th AG, to 29th or 28th. Wow. Even happier with that- especially knowing I took the bike super easy and when I got off the bike my legs felt AWESOME.

T2- I found myself choking back tears as I rolled into transition and started what seemed like a marathon run just to get my bike back to the rack.   I crushed the bike while going easy. My legs felt amazing. The volunteer asked how I was feeling as he handed me my bag, and my reply was something must be wrong with me, I feel incredible, like I can actually run a STRONG marathon. 

Then I opened the note from my parents.  As I mentioned- I always write my papas initials for races.  The first thing I see is his name at the top. His old personalized stationary I haven’t seen since I was a child.  I instantly started bawling.  First line my parents wrote was “the stationary should be all the motivation you need.”  They had no idea I write papas initials on myself for races, they just know me that well.  I cried for two minutes and my towel that I had to wipe my feet turned into a snot rag and drying my eyes.  They also mentioned one of my other biggest influences in life, and the only reason I am doing this sport- my high school track coach and one of the greatest men to walk this earth. 

They both fought extreme health issues and are the two I remember when anything in my life seems hard. One   (Coach C) kicked pancreatic cancer’s ass (with a 95% mortality rate). Twice. The other (my papa)had several heart attacks and strokes/mini strokes throughout his life and repeatedly through the better part of his last year. And he NEVER. GAVE. IN. That man was the strongest person I know when it came to fighting through shit, and I am pretty sure that those are worse than a day of covering 140.6 miles.  I was overwhelmed for sure. I finally get myself together, kiss my forearms with his initials, and I leave T2 pumping my first, my note tucked in my pocket, and a spring in my step which stayed for a hell of a lot longer than I thought it would!

Run: I started the run strong, and really felt like I could stay that way.  Goal was to hit 5k without stopping to get my legs moving and assess how I felt.  I hit 7:45 for my first mile and knew that was too ambitious for now, and slowed down.  I held 8:30s the next two miles and was feeling great.  I knew my knee would tighten up at some point during the race so I decided to do 5 minutes run, 1 minute walk that way I can run faster and maintain my normal gait.  This was working brilliantly.  I was clocking miles no slower than 9:30 with the time for walking aid stations and 1 of every 6 minutes.  Miles where I only walked once and not twice I was low 8’s including the walk.  I also was getting stronger as I went with this, and my pace was definitely opening up and body loosening up the further I got in.  I felt amazing. I had kind of hoped to be at least even split if not negative split on the marathon, and this was seeming like a distinct possibility. The miles went by quickly and I was loving it.  I had my race belt and carry bottle with 18oz of infinit blend, but decided I was going to use aid stations instead and keep that in case of emergency between aid stations.  I have an iron stomach and know I can pretty much eat whatever, so each station I alternated between red bull and water, and would grab some chips (which have never tasted better) or a cookie.  Red Bull was amazing, and will be a staple in my long course racing from now on, it literally gives you wings.  I was steadily passing people and moving up pretty quickly.  Anyone that passed me while I was walking I passed in the first minute or two of my next run session. I was perfectly ok with this!  I felt amazing still.  I get to mile 10 and know that special needs is coming up, I decided against stopping now (we pass it 6x) and get it around mile 16-17 at the next time I stop.  This is when disaster number one crept up.  I was strong through the first 12, then my knee/ITBS decided to start showing up.  I ran through 13 to hit the halfway point strong and figured I would re-adjust then if needed.  Ends up, I NEEDED to readjust drastically.  Felt ok… ok… ok…. BAM. Tightened up and dropped me to the ground in pain.  I knew I had a long way to go to get back to my special needs bag where I had a tennis ball to roll my hip out.  My feet hurt a little bit, but knew I had socks also, and a long sleeve as it was getting much chillier out now that the day was passing by.  I was reduced to a walk for a while and would run a little bit when I could. I changed my intervals to 4:1, but wound up walking probably every other run interval also. After what seemed like eternity I made it back to special needs, 1-1-7-7 I said as they asked my number.  They’re looking. And looking. And looking. Oh. Shit. My bag was nowhere to be found.  This was the ONLY moment of the race I had any negative thoughts about the race/outcomes/negativity in any sense.   That quickly left when I did the math, I was at mile 16, 10 miles to go.  Even if I walked backwards and took 3 naps- I would finish by midnight.  And it was only like 9:20 into the race, I could walk and still have a chance at my main goal of 13 hours. I helped them search for a minute and then gave up.  One of my biggest mantras for this race which I repeated to myself numerous times. Rule 5 of the Velominati. HTFU. Harden The Fuck Up.  I thanked the volunteers, gave one a hug who looked like she was ready to cry for me, told her I’d live and that they rocked for being so diligent trying to find my back and tried running off.


Special shout out to the volunteers- these people were friggen incredible human beings. It was cold as hell, even windier than it was cold, and they were willing to do ANYTHING to help us reach our goals and never once complained about the weather. Never once took a break. From 4am until well after midnight these people dedicated themselves completely to us.  Never once let anything besides a smile hit their face.  Always had something encouraging to say.  We might not always show it during the race, but we could never even dream of doing these without you guys.  I try to thank you everytime  I can during the race as I do with the police at every intersection for holding traffic for me, but I know that I neglected to do so a few times then the going got rough.

So leaving special needs I tried running… Knee had other ideas and I collapsed again.  Someone helped me up and I had a few tears roll down my face for what seemed like the 67th time today, although this time was the first that it was from pain. Debilitating excruciating pain. I started walking and that did not really seem to be allowed by my knee either.  I sat in the grass and stretched for about 30 seconds to get any release if possible.  Thankfully it took the edge off and I got up and was able to walk.  After half a mile I started to run a little more which didn’t last long.  I finally got near the finish area and heard the magical words being said for some faster finishers. I had about 7 miles left.  I started to run slowly again, and ignored the watch and just kept going. One step at a time. There were so many people I chatted with through these last 10 miles.  People reminding me just keep moving forward, one step at a time if that is all I can do. But whatever I do, do NOT STOP MOVING.  I had zero plans to stop.  I was able to run 2-3 miles without stopping albeit those who could see the look on my face knew I was hurting, and bad.  I stopped to walk again, and I was at mile 22. I was almost to my short lap turn around, here I heard another guy around my age ask a volunteer how much further until the turn around.  I knew the answer but he was too far ahead to hear me.  As I passed the next aid station I saw him leaving a porta potty right in front of me and told him where it was.  We were running about the same pace and ran to the turn around together.  We chatted a bit, it was his first also and he had only been doing triathlon about a year, 22 year old kid. Good for him.  Talking helped take my mind off the pain.  He stopped at the next aid station and I said I was going to keep going, if I stopped I was not going to start up again. I told him he would catch me soon when I did stop to walk, which did not take long.  He passed me maybe a half mile further up the road when I was walking and I cheered him on as he went.  I was almost done. Mile 23. I was freezing when I was walking as the winds, especially near the water, were INSANE.  It was also dark now for the last 30- 45 mins and the temperature was dropping quick.  My long sleeve shirt was in my special needs bag- so good thing I don’t mind cold as much as most people (the amount that people were bundled up really had me laughing, it looked like we were cycling and running in Antarctica).  That little bit of chilliness was enough to get me to start running again as I was not cold when I was jogging no matter how slow. Walking was not enjoyable though.  I was a little disappointed that I was not finishing when I had calculated was possible during the run because the sun was setting as I would have ran down the chute, oh well.  I was still on pace to crush my goal by an hour.  Walk a few steps, run a few steps. Mile 24.  At this sign it became surreal again.  I was heading back towards the finishers area and could start to hear music, and team tent area, and volunteers.  I picked up the pace and started running like I did at the start of the marathon.  I ended up catching the kid from a few miles back with a mile to go. I gave him a big cheer as I went by and told him I would see him at the finish.  I made it to downtown and the last turn around. The brewery. The party. I start pumping my first and making the “make some noise” movement with my arms. The crowd ERUPTED. What an adrenaline rush. That is all I needed. I was running quickly at this point already, and had two people in the last half mile compliment my speed, but I found another gear and was finishing around 6:30 pace.  My body was numb. My mind was numb. All I saw was straight ahead the bright lights. The start of the chute. The arch at the finish.  I had been carrying my parents note through the last mile or so. I grabbed it with both hands and kissed it as I entered the chute, saying thank you papa for getting me through this.  I had tears rolling down my face as I ran.  I blew by one person in the chute arms overhead and there it was, the flash of the camera and the voice of god on the PA system…
Nicholas Cumbo- YOU ARE AN IRONMAN. 
Overall, My run averaged 10:57/ mile for a 4:4x:xx marathon, about 1:45 per mile slower than I was originally doing when I was still getting stronger. I finished in 12:02, and would have been about 45 minutes faster if I had my tennis ball. But as my favorite soccer coach growing up always said – “If If’s Ands Or Buts, were candy and nuts, we’d all have tooth decay.”  If I had my tennis ball is just that, an if. I didn’t so (in the words of my favorite cartoon character) “why fill your head with hypothetical bullshit that you have no control over.” My time would have been faster absolutely. But it would not have been the test that it was, and that is what this race was for me. A test.

A test of my mental fortitude which has waned since my ACL tear. A test of my love for the sport which I have had trouble motivating myself for the last few years with being so much slower than I used to be.  A test of my iron-will and perseverance to see this finish line when I had not even seen the start line for my first 3 attempts. A test of what my body is capable of.  I blame my parents note and two minutes crying in transition as what kept me from breaking 12 hours, half joking because 11:59 vs 12:02 really does not make a difference to me at all.  My “A” goal for a perfect race was 12 hours. My “B” goal of what I expected to do was 13 hours. I crushed it.  My preparation and execution of my race plan was immaculate.  Every single thing I had control over I nailed. And the rest? Who gives a shit. It is out of my control.  I couldn’t be any happier with my race.  The “perfect race/A-goal” picture did not include blistering winds on all 3 legs. It did not include debilitating knee pain. It did not include freezing my ass off when the wind chill was in the 30s and I was in a only tri suit. It did not include getting a concussion halfway into training and missing 2 months. It did not include moving for work and working 2-3 days a week 6am until 9pm costing another 6-8 weeks of good. It did not include a fucking hurricane and nor’easter cancelling the race two weeks earlier.

 And I still hit it.

An Ironman isn’t an Ironman without a little adversity. I proved to myself that not only can I overcome the biggest obstacles I have faced in my life thus far, but I truly can do anything I want to and exceed all expectations.  Just like I did in college with turning myself around from almost failing out to graduating Summa Cum Laude and then getting my Masters. Just like I did in HS track kicking ass in hurdles at only an inch or two over 5’ at the time competing against much faster talent but who didn’t want it as badly as me.  Or my first half marathon when I was working full time, had 21 credit hours (with a 3.86 GPA that semester) and got hurt 3 days before the race, yet was stillone of the fastest finishers that day in my first race ever longer than 5k.  My parents also wrote in their note to me what Coach C said at our sports banquet my senior year-  that what has and will ALWAYS set me apart has been the size of my heart, and my sheer determination and indomitable will.   

I moved up throughout the race to 460th after finishing the swim in 1297th. I had passed quite a few people in the first half the marathon (200+) that then passed me again when I was reduced to a walk. Doesn’t matter. I was here to compete against myself this time, and I kicked ass, took names, then repeated the ass kicking part.


Next time, and there will be a next time- I WILL be under 10 hours and vying for a Kona World Championship slot.  I promise you that.   And I will do it, because I am capable of whatever the hell I say I am, and then some.

                Last week, I emailed one of the world’s renowned coaches with a few questions.  I had a pretty darn good idea of the answer, but it cannot hurt to ask for a second opinion, right? Afterall, even the top athletes with the best sports medicine and orthopedist doctors seek out second and third opinions.  To become the best, you have to learn from the best and be willing to be open minded towards other opinions.  What I was asking, was how he exactly defined lactate threshold as the scientific community still has not had a conclusive definition, and if a field test we have been performing for years to determine training zones was in fact accurate.  I wanted to hear him defend his methods, why it was good, why it is valid, and what is the reasoning behind it.  Purpose of this? To learn.  The day you think you know everything, is the day you in fact, know nothing.  As Socrates stated, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”  Words such as that have fueled me to learn as much as I can, from every person I can reach out too, every book I can read, and every seminar I can watch. 
                To my surprise, I got a response from the coach within 6 hours.  When I saw the email I was very excited.  This quickly faded however.  The new equipment Ascension Multisport ordered was a portable lactate analyzer (Lactate Plus, Nova Medical), a treadmill, and a computrainer.  Testing is the best method to determine zones due to it being a direct measurement.  It is not an indirect assumption, nor an estimation with formula that is geared for one standard deviation of the population.  With a good well thought out protocol; good equipment; and smart coach- the testing is simple, and accurate.  If you are missing any part of the three, you will either have useless data, flawed data, or no way of accurately interpreting the data.
                His response did not answer any of my questions, but insisted that the equipment is not useful due to accuracy issues of measurement, and also being in a lab setting not real world.  The remainder of the response said that field testing (i.e. estimations and assumptions) is better and more accurate due to the previously mentioned lab setting/accuracy issues.  It almost came off as a sales pitch to buy his books (which I already own, have read numerous times, and wrote in the email that I have purchased/read).  Hmmmm… Let’s break down his response further.
                While I am open minded to his answer, I do have several issues with it.  His field testing is something I have been doing for years, so I am not opposed to it and it typically will be close enough to give the athlete results, but are they the best results you can get? Probably not.  If you are complacent with what you have, you will never improve. In this case, we have something that works, but here is an option that can and will work better. Why should we not adapt to new knowledge, new technology, and new schools of thought?  Read the “About Us” page and you’ll learn that I am all about maximal improvements, hitting your potential, and then becoming even better than that.  I do not require my athletes to get the lab testing done, it is solely an option I provide and HIGHLY recommend to help you ascend to your peak capabilities.  My main issue with his answer can be summed up in a single counter argument for each. There are less variables to be controlled in a lab setting, and also the equipment is scientifically backed. 
                When researching equipment, we wanted reliability and accuracy.  This meaning, it is going to give us correct data, and be able to test with a high degree of repeatability.  In researching lactate analyzers there were four options.  Lacate Plus (LP), Lactate Pro, Lactate Scout (LS), and Accutrend.  We discovered that out of the four options, only two were available for sale in the US. Accutrend (discontinued) and Lactate Pro (Version 1 discontinued but available, will soon be obsolete, and version 2 not approved for sale in US) were immediately removed from the list.  This left us with two, the Lactate Plus and Lactate Scout units.  In the research on these devices, the LP had a slightly larger range of measurement, less features (i.e. less to go wrong), more affordable testing strips, the analyzer itself was a lower price point, longer shelf life for test strips, and most importantly? It was more accurate. In the first study I found is out of Australia by Tanner, Fuller, and Ross.  They compared the LS, LP and Lactate Pro.  Lactate Pro and LP were found to be significantly accurate and reliable, and the LS was reliable, but not as accurate or reliable as the other two.  This was striking to me, as the fancier device with more features, higher price point, and higher running cost was actually the least viable option? Funny how that works out, isn’t it?
            Let us dig deeper, is there anything that will establish more for the LP before we invest? The answer is yes.   Wheaton College out of Illinois (2013) tested the LP unit for reliability and accuracy.  While it was found to be more accurate when tested out of capillary tube rather than directly from the finger, it was still found to correlate with or without use of the capillary tube.  While there was a difference found between how the sample was obtained, the methods section of the study does not indicate how the finger stick was done.  In the scientific community, it is known that “milking” the finger for a sample may dilute the sample and throw off the reading.  The initial drop that comes out is also not going to be most accurate due to sweat on the finger, and it is best to wipe away the first drop and then re sample.  It does not state if this was done. It also says that the first sample from each reading was for the portable analyzer.  If this first drop was not wiped away, it would explain the difference between sampling method.  Either way, it still correlated and was found to be reliable and accurate. 

                As for testing outside, there are too many factors that cannot be controlled or maintained throughout the entire test.  In cycling and running, one of the biggest factors is weather.  In a lab, you get data that has no outside factors, no change in variables, therefor you get un-adultered data.  This data then, is able to be adjusted as needed for weather. Throughout the test there is great range of variables that may change.  When setting the zones, we do not want variables to change, we want consistency.  Even more importantly, as most amateur cyclists don’t have one, if you do not have a power meter: you cannot have a guaranteed sustained power output throughout the test, and there will be a degree of variability present.  The Computrainer solves this through what is called “ergo” mode.  Ergo mode is where it will adjust resistance to maintain a certain power as specified by the tester, regardless of cadence/gearing.  If you slow down cadence, it increases resistance and vice versa.  This is crucial in testing as the intensity of the effort will determine the lactate production.      
                Testing on a treadmill is not anecdotally ideal. Most outdoor runners hate treadmill, and most indoor runners hate running outside.  As someone who has a tough time running on a treadmill- I get that. Digging into the research however, the reasons to not test on a treadmill are slim.  A 1% grade is viable for replacing the cost of overcoming wind resistance; even at large inclines energy cost was similar between both conditions; RPE has been shown to not be a good indicator for testing, necessitating a way to quantify the work being done; and different surfaces have different energy costs.  To truly test accurately outside, weather has to be mild, it has to be a small loop that will allow for testing roughly every 3 minutes (yet the distance covered in that time changes as speed increases), the individual must be experienced with pacing, and other equipment such as a GPS watch and a track are necessary, effort level will typically not be equal throughout all portions of the loop, and it is much harder to stay organized without a place to dispose of test strips/lancets, hold all the required materials, etc. Testing is capable of being performed outside, it is just much more difficult.  With running speeds being much lower than in cycling, there will be less effect from weather.  However it still will have an effect, and the smaller the amount of variables that need to be controlled, the better off you will be. 

In the fitness world, there is always a booming fad. Whether it is a magical new diet pill, something that Dr Oz was payed to say to the moms of America, TV Infomercial items such as bowflex or the shakeweight (ok- fine! This one’s a joke, it never caught anything except for the eye of opportunity from the makers of South Park for a hysterical episode). There is ALWAYS something that seemingly implodes as fast as it explodes.  The reason for this to me is obvious.  Most of these items are meant to find a shortcut: they allegedly give you a better workout in less time, help you avoid working out all together, etc etc etc.  The people who buy these products are often not motivated to continue use once they see that it actually requires working out (motivation is hard to teach, many have it many do not), it doesn’t work, or they go zero-to-sixty with their workouts, and then sixty to zero even faster when they lose the motivation.   

Many of these fads however are in fact quite good for you and DO tend to stick around much longer than the “cheat your workout” type.  While they may never see the peak popularity they once had again, there is still a loyal following to these and for good reason: they are great for you and if it suits your body and your personality, you are going to stick with it. Plain and simple.  Some examples of this that come to mind quickly are yoga, pilates, P90x, Zumba, and CrossFit (CF).  The last of these has been subject to huge debate in the fitness community. 

With all workout styles, programs, gadgets: there will be good and bad, pros and cons, the obvious and the fine print.  I am not going to try and decide for you whether or not you should CrossFit, but I will certainly do my darndest to educate you on it, and let you decide for yourself.  When reading this, I certainly may show some bias, however I am at least showing both sides of the story!  Before I piss anyone off who reads this who is a die hard Crossfitter, or firmly against it- remember this:  There are exceptions to everything.  While I will try my best to avoid all-encompassing blanket statements, I may use a few accidentally or just use a few lazily to avoid the repetitive nature of saying “typically” or “usually” a million times.  There are going to be times that the opposite is in fact true, but generally speaking is not that way.   Stereotypes exist for a reason.

Let’s start on why CF is a great workout and for many, the absolute best choice.  Many confuse CF to be a style of workout when really, it is a brand not a style.  The style it adheres to is High Intensity Interval Training, HIIT for short.  HIIT has been shown to have great benefits such as higher calorie burn per minute than long and slow distance, as well as maintaining an increased metabolism after workout like strength training gives you.  What energy expenditure boils down to is how hard you work in the simplest of forms.  The lower the intensity, the lower the calorie burn (per minute).   This holds true for the opposite also, the higher your intensity, the higher the calorie burn per minute.  CF does involve a relatively high intensity in their workouts, as most are for time forcing you to go as hard as you can to beat your previous best, a benchmark, or another individual in a CF competition. 

Another great thing about CF is the camaraderie it brings to the table.  There are many people who have tried the gadgets and "as soon on TV" gimmicks, but failed. CF is a team atmosphere, where newcomers are welcomed and some extremely strong bonds are formed.  The individuals I mentioned above who lack the internal drive to do it alone, are much more likely to stick with it in a CF like environment and see results they typically wouldn't.  This is great for helping those less motivated individuals stick with it, working out has to be fun. CF makes it fun.  You need to be able to see results, you can easily quantify them.  Good programs have to be backed by science, the principle idealogy of CF adheres to basic exercise physiology.  Sounds pretty promising, no? 

It is great for general fitness and (in my opinion) general fitness goals alone.  As for athletes, I feel it does not apply as it is not specific in nature.  Untrained individuals as opposed to athletes will get stronger, they will get leaner, and they will get faster/more powerful doing CF.  This is uncontested, it will work.  Even for new athletes it will work as they have not made the majority of their gains yet.  For those new to sports, the most crucial aspect is consistency.  You cannot get great at what you do without consistently doing it.  Spend your first few years in a sport with no plan, but stick to it, you will still improve.  This is why the high school runners I have coached who have been successful are the ones who put in the summer miles and train year round.  This is why baseball players from warmer climates typically have a greater ratio of success than those in colder northern climates with limited winter training.  This is why football players from Texas, well, nevermind, it’s Texas, no explanation needed.    

Now for the not so good side of CF, starting at my last point about it being great for lesser experienced athletes.

For those who are already experienced athletes in sports such as baseball, football, soccer, or endurance sports however, the application is limited.  All of these sports while including the same motions, are vastly different in style that needs to be trained and prioritization of movements that need to be included.  Even position by position within each sport is so incredibly different that a one size fits all approach will fit some, but the remaining majority who do not luck into a good program, are going to be left hanging dry.  While baseball requires large amounts of rotational and multidirectional work, endurance sports do not.  While soccer and football both require speed and agility, soccer doesn’t have a need for being able to throw someone to the ground (however they like to pretend they do!).

The reason that it won’t work for these athletes is it doesn’t follow the proven models of periodization.  To fail to plan, is to plan to fail. To think otherwise is moronic.  Once you reach a certain level of skill and fitness specific to your sport, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. You will need more time for smaller gains.  Your workouts have to be specific to your goals, established for you specifically and must be well constructed to ensure that you are gaining what you want to gain, while not losing other aspects of your fitness that you had just previously gained and maintained.  CF tends to be more randomized rather than planned, planned randomization if you would.  A random whiteboard with some lifts and times can be a killer workout if you put the intensity high enough. Will it be specific to every individual in the facility? Not a chance.  Will it hit the weaknesses of every client? Not a chance.  Will it ensure you don’t lose other areas of your fitness that your sport may require? Not a chance. Will it work for some? Will it be a good cross training to throw different neuromuscular stimulus at some athletes and keep them mentally sharp? Probably will! Every broken clock is right twice a day and everyone needs a break at some point. 

To build a successful program, in the words of elite strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle, you need to think about what you are doing, question can you do it better, and analyze if your new way worked or not. Then you must repeat the entire process again and again and again.  This is not something that happens in CF.  There is no after thought to which workouts have made the biggest difference, there is no questioning of how this workout can be legitimately improved, why someone got hurt,  and the analyzing ends at did our numbers improve.   

My main concern with CF is not whether or not it will improve performance even.  My main concern also agrees with a statement Mike has made that I firmly believe in. The job of the coach/trainer/specialist needs to first and foremost- reduce the chance of injury in your facility.  You need to keep all of your clients or athletes healthy. Secondly, you need to prepare them to not get injured on the field.  There will be injuries (such as being hit by a lineman) that you have no control of, but there are many that strength, pillar stability, increased bone and fascia density, and flexibility can decrease the chance of.  Movement quality, imbalances, and lack of range of motion all increase risk of injury. This is proven.  CF does not look at any of this, nor do they apply it.  Thirdly, the last goal of the coach is you need to improve performance.  If you improve your performance but cannot stay on the field, you are wasting your time. 

Mark Verstegan, founder of Athletes Performance (now EXOS) has written about improving range of motion, stability, strength, and power.  These need to be achieved in that order to perform at your highest level.  If you have limited range due to tight musculature, tight joint capsule, you cannot strengthen as you are only strengthening a dysfunction.  Once maximal range of motion is achieved, you must be able to stabilize the joint. I feel this should go without saying, but if you do not have stability then how are you supposed to stay injury free and strengthen? Once again, skipping past this step will only strengthen a dysfunction, it will not improve your ability to perform.  After ROM and stability are achieved, you can now begin to strengthen and improve power. 

Where the safety concern with CF lies is that the risk of injury, instead of being priority A and diminished, is in fact greater risk due to many reasons. 

***Before you get all grumpy and boycott me, hear me out, I challenge you to comment, challenge me, form a discussion.  This section is by no means an attack on CF, as it does not apply to all. I have seen it in many circumstances however and you will be hard pressed to find any individual working in the higher levels of Strength and Conditioning who disagree.  Most won't even acknowledge the good that I have pointed out *** 

 With any field, there are going to be those who do well and those who don’t. A doctor who graduates last in their class, is still a practicing doctor (now THERE is a scary thought, huh?). There are many great CF coaches. There are many more which spent only a weekend learning and getting certified in their first taste of the fitness realm. In the beginning was not even an accredited certification until late 2011 I believe (no certification is immediately certified, but typically a non-accredited certificate holds no weight until becomes accredited).  I apply this to personal training also, there is a plethora of trainers who are not knowledgeable on even basic movements, biomechanics, exercise science, and dare I say even common sense or the ability to ask questions.  Yet they took an online exam and earned the letters CPT.  

The downfall of poor coaching is poor ability to properly recognize faulty movement, poor ability to determine best corrective action, poor ability to know the best coaching cues to correct that movement.  Some of the movements I just cannot see enough benefit to be worth the risk.  Unfinished Fran comes to mind here… (Warning: Viewer discretion advised).

With faulty movement being a large risk factor for injury, many will be injured.  The drive to always improve often will outweigh common sense.  The need for speed will often compromise form for the sake of the clock or beating an opponent.  This reduced attention to form (in the presence of an inexperienced coach, a topic I will hit next) will increase the risk of injury.

The downside of the camaraderie aspect is sometimes it gets taken to far sometimes.  The drive to always improve also inspires many to the point of rhabdomyolisis.  "Uncle Rhabdo" had become the unofficial mascot of Crossfit, yet is nothing that should be laughed or joked about.  Rhabdo can be fatal, and is a serious disease often requiring a week of hospitalization and dialysis.  Essentially the muscle that breaks down during a workout happens so frequently, the muscle doesn't know when to stop and continues breaking down until myoglobin (the protein in muscle responsible for oxygen exchange) overflows into the blood. Myoglobin in the blood is not typical, and a sign of injury.  Increase these levels to extreme levels, and it is serious stuff kids, the type of stuff that should have the "do not try this at home" warning from the 90s cartoons I grew up watching.   

Just like individuals I have seen in training for an ironman, often CF can become so obsessive that it consumes the individual and becomes their identity.  IM training in extreme cases (this is not typical however) has destroyed more than one marriage. While CF is not as time consuming as IM training (and most likely will not destroy family relations like 30+hrs of training/week is capable of), the need to not miss a workout or enjoy that slice of cake at your child’s graduation are small but important aspects of life that will go missed.  There are many who will give up much of their social life outside of CF to be the best CF’er that they are capable of.  Professional athletes make this sacrifice also.  The average individual at CF is not a professional however, and CF is a hobby, means of health/fitness, and not a paid career.  This is true in any sport. One of my coaching philosophies is not so far as that less is best, but there needs to be room for mental relaxation, rest, and the ability to still be a human being.  Without a million dollar pay check, you need to be a person and not just a triathlete, not just a CF’er, not just a football player.  As an athlete myself, I want to be the best. I have aspirations and goals and dreams like anyone, many of which I will hit.  Will I let those get in the way of spending time with friends and family? Occasionally, usually not however. There are ways to work everything in, and mold it into your schedule.  If this stops happening, and there is no give and take, it is not a good situation for anyone.  When your sport is no longer an option due to injury, age, or burnout- you need to still have your support crew intact.  Pushing them away to do burpees faster? Just not worth it to me. No one grows old wishing the spent less quality time with friends or family.   

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      Rebecca S. (Kennewick, Wa) asked us what Ascension Multisport thought about the current class action lawsuit that Vibram agreed to pertaining to their Vibram FiveFingers “toe shoes.”  For those unfamiliar with the lawsuit, you may read more about it at the Huffington Post by clicking HERE (disclaimer: read the disclaimer at the bottom of the article, gotta love the media...).  In a nutshell, a suit was filed in 2012 claiming that Vibram made false claims not backed by science about strengthening the feet, improving range of motion, more natural gait, amongst others.  While I am not familiar with Vibrams specific marketing and phrasing/claims, I am unable to say whether they made these claims or the accuracy of their claims.  I am familiar with the shoes, and did look into barefoot/minimalist movement extensively in graduate school.

      Starting at the beginning, science has not backed these because it is new, and science takes time to catch up.  Barefoot research is coming out currently, and there is science on both sides of the story (as does any topic).  I am not going to dig too deep into the science here as I have already done this once relatively recently (2012) and nothing earth shattering has come out to my knowledge since.  If you would like to read my literature review that was done while in graduate school during biomechanics, click HERE.  I start by looking at the history of shoes, some anatomy of the lower extremities, and adaptations throughout time, and role of manufacturers.

      Personally, I love my Vibram FiveFinger shoes, and despite the high cost (roughly $100), I will NOT be submitting a claim to receive my $95 back for either pair that I own.  Why is this? Because I firmly believe in minimalist shoes for many reasons and uses.  I also will contradict myself and say I personally do not run in mine (I wear Brooks Launch currently).  Why is this do you say? How can someone preach one thing and not do it himself? Easily.  I love my Vibrams because they are the most comfortable shoes I own.  They are my everyday shoe. My work shoes which have to be a specific brand are also lightweight, flexible, with a low heal to toe drop, hitting the main principles of minimalist. 

      My biggest complaint, Do Vibrams smell?  Yup, what shoes don’t?! Buying some Injinji toe socks cleared that up.  If that is my biggest complaint, and I am happy with the product in all regards would it be moral in my opinion to submit a claim? No, which is why I am not.  My opinion of this lawsuit is it was brought on by those who did not educate themselves on a product, and jumped on a bandwagon like so many others do with the latest rage all too often before spending time to research, read reviews, and then got hurt.  Crossfit, anyone?  (Ooh, Maybe ill write my thoughts on crossfit next!).  Could also be just that our culture is so litigation happy that anyone who sees an opportunity to make a quick buck, does so.  This is one of my biggest pet peeves of our culture and society.  Me taking my stand against society, is to not submit a claim on my two pairs. 

      Barefoot shoes are not for everyone.  Someone with low or collapsing arches or super high arches do not have proper biomechanical function in their foot. Our feet are engineering marvels as I talked about in my linked article.  Think of it as if it was your car engine.  If you loosen a few bolts it will not run properly and may even break down, right?  I am the former option of arch, with Fred Flinstone super wide flat feet, hence me not running in my Vibrams.  Hiking, walking, shopping, working around the house, etc are all great uses for my Vibrams.  I recommend to anyone who will listen that they buy a pair.  When I heard about this lawsuit, I was disappointed in society and promised myself to take a personal stand, and know many who feel the same as I do. 

     For those who are able to wear a shoe like Vibram, I feel there are instances that are better than others. Cement is pretty hard, most of us are not used to running in shoes such as Vibrams, and there is a lengthy adjustment period.  In my next article I will outline what I feel is the proper way to use Vibrams, as well as other options of footwear such as shoes that ARE padded and keep the very low heal to toe drop such as Altra. 

Click HERE for references used in my literature review.