Elizabeth Fedofsky writes one of my favorite triathlon blogs on the Net. She’s witty, sharp, and one hell of an entertaining writer. In fact, readers of the Outdoor Journey picked her blog as the best tri blog of 2006. Cut through the humor and you’ll quickly see that she moves faster than a dog with turpentine on his ass. Elizabeth is a five-time age group national long course champion, duathlon world championship medalist, and All American triathlete. In fact, she just earned a slot for the big game in Kona this fall. I thought a conversation with Elizabeth might help us all gain a bit more insight into the running aspect of triathlon.

1) Question: Tell us a bit about your running background…

Fedofsky: I walked on to the track team during my sophomore year in high school. Honestly, I was in it for the jacket and figured you didn’t need much talent, skill, or equipment to participate in track.

The next year, I decided to try cross country. I loved it! Not so much competing, but the camaraderie, testing my limits, and working towards goals. I ended up participating in track and cross country for the last two years of high school. I wasn’t very fast. The other girls on my team were state champions running 5-minute miles. My best was 5:56. It’s nice to know that now I can run much faster than than proving that things do get better with age.

In college I didn’t participate in any organized sports. I was a rec center junkie. I was the girl in the gym on a Friday night at 11 p.m. climbing the StairMaster and reading books on the bike. I had my 90-minute cardio routine that I did every day. How I never got injured or burnt out is a mystery.

After college, I continued working out. The night before Thanksgiving in 1998 I decided would run a 5K the next morning. To get ready, I ran 7 miles on my gym’s indoor track…the night before. I ended up running a 21:30 5K and thought to myself, “Huh, I kind of like this.”

From there, I made it a goal to do a triathlon the next year.

So, my running background is from high school cross country and distance track. My track events were the 800, the mile, and 2-mile. Two miles on the track is not fun! I think the best I ever ran was 12:56. The other girls on my team were cracking 11 minutes!

I’m glad I wasn’t very fast or competitive in high school. I think I would have ended up injured or burnt out. I walked away from all that running healthy, but more importantly, with a love for running, friendships, and working hard toward a goal.

2) Question: I assume then that it was running that lead you to triathlon? Did you have much experience with swimming or cycling when you made that switch?

Fedofsky: It was running that led me to triathlon. Actually, it was the fact that the town I lived in hosted a women’s-only triathlon in June. I thought it sounded like a fun goal to try. So in March of that year, I inquired at my gym about getting a personal trainer to help me reach that goal. They directed me to Sue Welker. As far as triathlon goes in northeastern Illinois, Sue Welker was the woman that got it all going. She gave me a plan to follow.

With that said, she taught me how to swim “for real.” As a kid, I had a few summers of swimming lessons, so I could swim a few laps, but not for very long. I remember the first time she watched me swim she said “I like that you take your time and swim slow.” So, honestly, not much has changed!

I also had no background in cycling other than I knew how to ride a bike. I had a mountain bike that I borrowed from a boyfriend at the time and I used to do hill repeats on that thing. These days I go back to that hill and think to myself “what hill?”

About two weeks before the women’s tri in June 1999, I realized I had forgotten to sign up for the race! All that training and hard work…and now the race was full. Thankfully, Sue knew someone not using their slot (illegal now!) so I competed as that person. That was the first, last and only time I did that.

As for the race, it was so much fun! I think it took me 1:27 to do the sprint distance. I remember my top concern was “how will I hold my hair back after the swim?” Spoken like a true 24-year-old girl.

Anyway, I still remember the first time I swam 16 laps continuously in the pool (knowing the sprint tri was about 800 yards). It was one week before the race and I thought to myself “I can do this.”

3) Question: From your experience, just how important is the run when it comes to a short course triathlon?

Fedofsky: This is a great question. As a runner, I look at the run as the best part of the race. Hands down. But not the most important. In fact, even the best runners can have a bad run because of this one thing: the bike.

A lot of triathletes put so much time into training for the run and to me that doesn’t make much sense. First of all, it’s risky in terms of injury and wear and tear on your body. Secondly, it doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t ride your bike. What I mean is that unless you have taken the time to learn how to cycle efficiently, you will not put together a good run in a race. It’s more than just being a strong cyclist and a fast runner. It’s about getting the most power out of your bike while pedaling efficiently. Efficient cycling leads to fast running in a race. Often, the better you get at cycling the faster you’ll run.

Honestly, I don’t run any faster this year than I did two years ago. It’s that I’ve gotten faster, better on the bike, and that has paid off for the run.

4) Question: How would you suggest someone new to the sport start training for the run of their first sprint triathlon? Just cross their Nikes and head out the front door to see if they can knock off a 5K?

Fedofsky: Assuming this person can already run 30 minutes straight, here’s what I would suggest: I would spend 1-2 days a week just running with the focus on proper running form (turnover, arm carry, trunk lean/posture, stride length). A brief meeting with a good runner/coach can often give you the key techniques of good form to incorporate into your run.

Another day I would do a run with some speed work. Not repeats on the track. Rather, the type of speedwork where you push for one minute, back off one minute, etc. Do a few sets of those.

I would also do at least one run off the bike (brick). This need not be a long run. Just 15-20 minutes at most. This can be done two ways: push the first mile off the bike then settle into a pace; or gather yourself for a mile and then finish fast.

I would also spend time working on cycling efficiency, getting properly fit on a bike, keeping cadence at 90-100 rpms, and addressing and leg strength
imbalances.

5) Question: What if our new athlete can’t run for 30 minutes straight yet? Should they start in small increments like running for five minutes? Then seven? Then 10? Or should they try the run-walk method of jogging for one minute, walking for four, etc.?

Fedofsky: I always say run a minute, walk a minute. When you can do that for 20 minutes, then progress to run two minutes, walk one minute. When they can run 30 minutes straight, that’s when the shift becomes more “intermediate” running with a “lite” version of speedwork, overdistance, etc.

6) Question: What advice would you give to a short course triathlete who wants to drop their run time? Let’s say they’ve been competing for at least two seasons, but just can’t get their running act together..ahem, like me. They’re running 10-minute miles or slower and can’t seem to crack that magical barrier. Should they focus on more endurance or more speed work? Or does that matter at what point they are in their racing schedule for the season?

Fedofsky: If you’ve reached a plateau with your running my suggestion is this: Mix it up.

In other words, mix up your routes, vary your terrain. Variety is the key to running better. Treadmill runs, trail runs, hilly courses, tracks, concrete and so forth. All of these will add u to faster running.

As for key workouts, be sure to include at least one day a week of ‘harder’ work. That might be a short track workout, a fartlek run, or hills.

Also, be sure to run your easy runs easy. A lot of people don’t reap the benefits of the other runs they do because they don’t allow their recovery runs to help them recover.

In my opinion, you should do one day of harder running all year round. Now, I’m not suggesting track workouts in the winter, but pick-ups, fartlek, strides…anything to get the legs moving faster.

7) Question: Let’s talk for a minute about strategy on the run. For a sprint, you have to cover 5K. Should you go out full blast from the beginning or coast the first half and then turn on the afterburners at the turnaround? Should your strategy change when going from sprint to Olympic distance?

Fedofsky: For a sprint, my strategy would be to gather yourself for the first 5 minutes then descend. You should finish all out in something that short.

As for Olympic, I would push the first three miles at a comfortable pace; building throughout. But once you hit that turnaround it’s time to let it go. You should be completely spent by the end, pushing the last 400 meters like you are on a track.

8) Question: Can you tell us about how this strategy worked for you in a recent race?

Fedofsky: I was running off the bike at Memphis in May (click to read her race report). It’s a time trial start so I had no idea what my position was. I ran the first three miles at what I thought was a hard pace, then I hit the turaround (out and back course) and realized a trail of women were right behind me. I picked up the pace and negative split that run, pushing the pace right up to threshold and holding it there. The last leg of that - across the grass - into the finish line felt more like the end of 400 repeats on the track rather than a race.

8-1/2) Question: I understand you recently started to take triathletes under your wing for training. How can someone contact you if they are interested in hiring you as their coach?

Fedofsky: I’m interested in working with athletes who are interested in making a commitment to themselves and their goals. Anyone can benefit from a coach - from beginners to elites. Athletes can contact me at ef1278@yahoo.com.

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Let’s share our favorite places. Just post your restaurants in the comments section below and I’ll pull them up and add them to the main part of this page so we will have an ongoing resource.

Flagstaff, Arizona
Races: Mountain Man Triathlon, Soulstice Mountain Trail Run

• Oregano’s Pizza Bistro: The ultimate pre-race dinner. Oregano’s has artfully blended Italian cuisine with the flavors of the Southwest. The Alfredo the Dark ($8.69) is spiral pasta covered in Alfredo sauce and kicked up with Poblano chiles. An incredible blending of flavor! A bit heavy perhaps, but dang, it was good and I couldn’t stop stealing forkfuls from my wife’s dish. I had the Pasta Basta ($8.29) which features penne pasta, spiced feta cheese, kalamata olives, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and olive oil infused with garlic and hot peppers. And you can’t forget the desert! Their Pizza Cookie ($4.99) is delivered piping hot to your table in a six-inc pizza pan and covered with three scoops of vanilla bean ice cream.
• MartAnne’s: This little hole-in-the-wall located in the historic downtown district of Flagstaff is just about as good as you can get for a post-race Southwestern breakfast. The huevos rancheros are awesome and is anything on the menu with green chiles. Anything. Be prepared to wait though. While the service is good, the seating is extremely limited and there is usually a gaggle of hungry customers waiting outside (it’s too small to wait inside!) for a table. Note: I can’t find anything on the Web that gives me their street address. If anyone knows it, please pass it along.

Boulder City, Nevada
Races: Rage in the Sage, Las Vegas Triathlon, Pumpkinman Triathlon, Six Tunnels Half Marathon

• Two Gals from Cal (1632 Nevada Highway): Since just about every Las Vegas triathlon is held in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Boulder City is where you’ll find your most convenient meals. Two Gals offers a decent post-race breakfast or lunch for a reasonable price and is on the main drag coming out of Boulder City and heading toward Las Vegas. It’s a family-run operation with good food and good prices.

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If you’re new to triathlons, or any other multisport competition, you may be shocked by your body’s reaction on race morning. I know I was. When I competed in my second triathlon in Bakersfield, Calif. in 1994, I spent 90 minutes in the hotel bathroom. Ninety long minutes. Within a short time, all solid matter was gone and I spent the rest of the “session” losing fluids. Combined with the dry, arid temps in the mid-90s during the race, it was no surprise I finished in the bottom 10 overall.

After that miserable morning and race, I was coming to the conclusion that I just wasn’t cut out for this endurance stuff. I mean, hey, this can’t be a normal reaction right?

Wrong.

What saved me was an admission from the “multisport mutant,” Steve Ilg*. He had written about his pre-race rituals and jitters before the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon. He discussed his time in the bathroom and wrote something along the lines of “now you know how elite athletes spend their time before a race. On the toilet.”

When I returned to triathlon in 2006, the pre-race jitters hit me once again. This time, I was expecting it and, forgive the pun, went with the flow.

Why does this happen? Loose bowels are a normal reaction to stress. I’ve known two relatively experienced climbers who each took a nasty fall. One had two bolts pop out of the rock face before the third bolt arrested his plummet toward the earth. Each climber involuntarily crapped his pants. The pre-race loose bowels are just a mild form that stress.

You’ve heard of the central nervous system, right? Some consider the bowels to have their own nervous system known as the enteric nervous system. Like the brain, this system is affected by hormones and is thought to be linked to the brain. When you’re anxious, your bowels get a bit excited and start moving into a higher gear. If this creates more anxiety, guess what? The bowels get even more active. It can be a viscious cycle. Do your best to relax and accept that this is a normal event of your race morning.

Here are some tips I’ve accumulated over the past several years that might help you deal with this potentially unpleasant experience.

1. Expect you will be spending a considerable amount of time in the bathroom. Just like you plan your pre-race breakfast, gear-check and commute to the race, plan to spend a bit of time making booty cakes. Just how much time depends on you. It could be as little as 10 minutes up to an hour. I give myself 45 minutes. I won’t use the full amount of time, but it gives me a bit of a cushion.
   
2. Enjoy your time on the bowl. Bring a magazine, sketchpad or whatever will keep you entertained, and more importantly, relaxed. The more “normal” you make this experience, the less anxious you will get. You can also use this time to review your race strategies and visualize your transitions.
3. Don’t be surprised if you have multiple sessions. I’ve learned that it ain’t over until it’s over. The first session will usually take place in the first 15 minutes of waking. That’s the warm-up. Depending on your nerves, and breakfast choice, there’s a good chance you’ll have the main session kick in about 20-30 minutes after you eat. I know when I’m done when I feel completely light and empty. It’s a subtle sensation but one that you can develop with practice. Men seem to more adept at this as showcased by TV legend Al Bundy!
4. Limit dairy and high fiber foods the day before the race. In other words, take it easy on your GI tract 24 hours leading up to the race.
5. Eat at least three hours before your race. Depending on the type of food you like to eat before a race, make sure you don’t consume anything too sugary or too heavy on race morning. You don’t want that to noodle it’s way through your system and switch your GI tract into work mode five minutes before the gun goes off. While it takes 24-36 hours for food to make it’s way from one end to another, eating will stimulate your pipes and you don’t want your heavy breakfast keeping that stimulation going for hours on end.
6. Help things move with lemon juice. If you’re running out of time and nothing has really kicked into gear yet, help it along with a teaspoon of lemon juice in a half-glass of room-temperature water. This mixture stimulates the GI tract and can often give you that much needed kick start if you’re short on time.
7. Monitor your outflow. If you’re excreting mostly brown water, be extra mindful of your hydration strategy for the rest of the morning. Once you’re done in the bathroom, start sipping straight water. I’ve found room temperature to be the best and will avoid any carbohydrate or electrolyte drinks. I don’t want anything else that could possibly upset my GI tract. Nice is and easy is the name of the game at this stage.
8. Practice your pre-race craps. Yes, you can practice these sessions by putting yourself in a stressful situation. Since most triathletes train by themselves, sign yourself up for a group ride with the local roadies. Chances are, you’ll get a small case of performance jitters. Use that to your benefit and see how your body reacts to this stress and experiment with your pre-ride food choices.

Just like you plan your pre-race breakfast, gear-check and commute to the race, plan to spend a bit of time making booty cakes. Just how much time depends on you. It could be as little as 10 minutes up to an hour. I give myself 45 minutes. I won’t use the full amount of time, but it gives me a bit of a cushion.
Although this may be a rather distasteful subject to some, I view it as just another component of endurance multisports. Knowing how your body reacts in times of stress is important. I can detach myself from the experience and don’t consider my race morning complete until this unpleasantness is over.

It’s all part of the game.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

*Some of you may be sick of my frequent mentions of Ilg and his exploits. Deal with it. I’ve known the man since 1993 and he’s got some great stories.

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I’m not affiliated with this guy. Just thought it might give y’all a suggestion on how to safely practice one component of your T1 training.

You do practice transitions, right? I know I sure don’t as much as I need to. Particularly since my T1 times are dang slow.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

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