WEEKEND OF BOOK SIGNINGS

It was a busy weekend with a book signing at Tri It on Saturday and another at Coles bookstore in Market Mall. It was pretty quite in the Mall with the Calgary Stampede winding up today under a beautiful, sunny sky.

However I still had the opportunity to meet some pretty special people as I usually do on these book-signing excursions. Often it's the inter-acting with people that is the true reward and not whether or not they buy a book. Everyone has a story to tell and it's so rewarding just to listen to them and when possible help them find their way if they are starting out in the world of triathlon.

I remember quite clearly what it was like when the sport of triathlon became part of my life and most of the time it was a matter of stumbling around in the dark trying to find my way and hopefully find some answers to the many questions that arise when tackling that very first triathlon. I don't believe it is any different now. Although there are many more resources available than there were 25 years ago, the questions that are being asked today still have to be answered by someone.

What kind of diet should I be on? How often should I train? What's the best way to learn how to swim? How much should I spend on a bike?

Well, you get the picture. We asked those same questions back in 1984, except there were fewer(well, there were none)places to find the answers.

Lots of people, (triathletes and non-triathletes alike) are talking about the upcoming Ironman Calgary 70.3. There are still many city triathletes who are unaware that World Ironman Champion Craig Alexander from Australia is going to be head-lining the race.

What a great way to kick of the first ever Ironman Calgary 70.3.

TRI IT BOOK SIGNING

In a few hours at 11:00 a.m. Saturday July 11, I will be visiting with the crew at Tri It and doing an Ironstruck book signing. Rose and Brian were the first ones to retail "Ironstruck...The Ironman Triathlon Journey" when I first published it in 2006. They also have my second book available. "Ironstruck? 500 Ironman Triathlon Questions and Answers that I introduced on T.V.'s Breakfast Show with Dave Kelly just before Ironman Canada 2008.

I'm happy to say that Brian and Rose have sold several hundred copies of Ironstruck and continue to be my best retailer. The July/August Ironman edition of Impact will also be available at Tri It(once I arrive, as I have them in my vehicle)while supplies last. Impact has also included "Ironstruck? 500 Ironman Questions and Answers in their triathlon book review section in this special Ironman Calgary 70.3 edition of their much loved and appreciated publication.

If you do not happen to live in Calgary and would like to purchase your own copy of Ironstruck, you can find an inexpensive(no shipping)download copy at Mindset Triathlon, one of the most complete triathlon book sites on the web. You will find both Ironstruck near the top of the best-seller list.

IMPACT MAGAZINE IRONMAN EDITION IS OUT!

It's shaping up to be an amazing summer in Calgary as the Ironman Calgary 70.3 prepares to take center stage.

As usual, the hard-working team at Impact has done yet another spectacular job on the latest edition of their much-loved magazine that is soon to be in your hands. This is the Ironman 70.3 edition and includes everything from an Ironman Calgary 70.3 spectator guide, the list of pros who will be racing come August 2nd, a course map of the race-route, and a book review of the latest tri books that are sure to enhance your triathlon training, and racing.

You will also see another stunning Tri it picture and ad that provides a glimpse of some of the very fit and knowledgeable staff of one of the most complete triathlon stores in the country. Come on down and visit with the staff at Tri it and talk triathlon and check out some of the latest in tri gear that is available at very competitive prices.

I'm proud to say that Tri it has invited me to do a book signing this coming Saturday, July 11, 2009. I'll be there at 11 a.m. and will spend the afternoon at Tri it. Hope to meet some of you and look forward to signing copies of my two Ironstruck books for you. "Ironstruck...The Ironman Triathlon Journey" and my second book, "Ironstruck? 500 Ironman Triathlon Questions and Answers" have been very well received by the tri community.

As you can see, the staff at Impact has included my Q+A book in their triathlon book reviews. They also reviewed my first book in an earlier edition.

Impact has always supported the many Calgarians who are involved in the health, fitness, and sports arena, and it's just one more reason why Impact and the talented people who publish this magazine are so special and appreciated.

***If you are not local, but are interested in purchasing Ironstruck, books one and two, they are available as downloads at Mindset Triathlon. Mindset is the most complete triathlon online book store on the web and you'll notice that both Ironstruck books are ranked near the top of the best-seller list. You can save 30% from hard copy prices plus you will never have to worry about shipping costs.***

VISIT MINDSET SOON!

REMEMBER YOUR " LEAVING TRANSITION GEAR"

I mentioned this in my book "Ironstruck."

It's extremely important to be aware of the gear you leave your bike in when you have it all set up in the bike rack before the swim start.

I call it "the leaving transition gear." It's important for a number of reasons. First of all, when you exit the water, you have been in the horizontal position for some time, and there might be a bit of dizziness, and even it there's not, it will take your body a little while to adjust to suddenly being thrown onto a bike.

Your reflexes might not be all they should be and you may take several stabs at getting your shoe locked into the pedal. Once you get your shoes locked in, you don't want to have to stand up to get your bike going because you left your chain in the big wheel before the race even started.

It's much easier to maintain control of your bike if you are in a very easy gear when you leave transition. This is especially important if the bike starts with an uphill.

The Great White North triathlon is a perfect example. The first few hundred meters are straight uphill. In the 2009 edition of the race I watched many cyclists lose control of their bikes because they were in a huge gear on the very first revolution and of course, couldn't get any momentum. Their bikes were all over the place and one girl blew her chain right off when she tried to drop into the small chain-ring while standing on the pedals.

It's very easy to avoid this type of problem by simply putting your bike in the easiest gear before the race even starts. That way you will have more control, and be ready for any type of situation that will require you to maneuver your bike or to go into a climb.

It's much easier to shift into a big gear from a small gear when the time is right, then it is to shift from big chain-ring to the small one.

WOMEN OF TRIATHLON

It wasn't that long ago when women never competed in the marathon. I ran my first marathon in 1977 and there were two women in the race. Over the next few years, I ran in several marathons that had no women in them at all.

Well, things have certainly changed. With the explosion of running in the early 80's women quickly established themselves as excellent endurance athletes and took the running and triathlon world by storm.

I fondly remember first laying eyes on the amazing Puntos twins from Canada when I competed in my first Ironman in 1984 in Kona. Sylviane and Patricia were at the top of the heap as far as women went in the early days of the Ironman. Like many of the very best women triathletes, they were came in a compact package that was very deceiving. It seemed that they couldn't possibly be strong enough for the rigors of the Ironman, but 25 years ago, nobody really knew any different. They were simply incredible athletes. The unique thing about the twins was their ability to perform at an equal level through-out the length of Ironman race-day.

In 1984 Sylviane had a swim time of 1:00:45 and Patricia was right with her at 1:00:51.

Sylviane had a bike time of 5:50:36 and Patricia was 5:50:31. I guess they couldn't come into the pit together(the bike transition)without drafting, so that explains the 5 second gap I guess.

They ran pretty well the entire marathon together and within the last 5 km. or so I guess the sisterly love dissipated and Sylviane began to pull away. I had met this girl(that's another story)who was a volunteer at one of the last marathon aid stations and she said that Sylviane came through and took a cup of water, drank half and poured the rest over her head. A minute later Patricia came through and took a cup of water, drank half and poured the rest over her head.

I guess it's true when they say identical twins are on the same wave-length whether they can see each other or not.

Sylviane was the first woman with a time of 10:25 and Patricia was second with a 10:27.

That might seem like really slow times, but consider the crappy equipment that was available back then, at least compared to what there is now. Plus, there were no real triathlon coaches or triathlon books to call on for advice and direction. Basically the twins were runners who happened to take up triathlon. At one time they had hopes of making the qualifying time for the women's Olympic Marathon.

Dave Scott won in Hawaii 1984 with a swim of 50:21, bike of 5:10:59 and a run of 2:53:02.

As you can see, his swim time was on par with today's pros, his bike was way slower and that would be explained by the lack of the state-of-the-art equipment that is available today. For instance, back in 1984 aero-bars were not quite invented yet. Titanium was nowhere to be seen, and snap-in pedals were not in vogue for another year or so. Dave's run was truly remarkable in the 110 degree heat of that particular day that rates as one of the hottest Ironman races in history. To put it in prospective, Scott Tinley had the second fastest marathon with a 3:03:57.

The top woman's swim time in 1984 was Jennifer Hinshaw's 50:31,
The top bike for women was Julie olsen's 5:37.
The top two run times belonged to the the twins. 3:33:31 for Sylviane and 3:36:05 for Patricia. They were 11 and 9 minutes ahead of the 3rd fastest woman in the marathon.

What transpired that day is much like what is happening now in the Ironman. The women are right there in the swim, about 30 minutes behind on the bike(on average)and within 15-30 minutes back in the marathon depending on the women who are entered in the race. Of course over the past decade or so, there have been amazing women Ironman dynamos who would run sub 3 hours and beat most of the pro men. Well, like Paula Newby-Fraser or Erin Baker for instance. Erin Baker ran a 2:49:53 marathon in Ironman Canada in 1990. The top male time was Scott Molina with 2:47:47. It simply stunned the triathlon world at the time. It was an incredible performance by Erin. The nearest woman was,(you guessed it)28 minutes behind Scott Molina's run. The fastest bike time for women set by Paula Newby-Fraser was 27 minutes behind the fastest man.

So it seems that for the most part, it's very difficult for women to bridge that 30 minute gap in both the bike and the run(in the same race)and as a result never manage to be the overall winner of an Ironman. It was like that 25 years ago, and really, nothing has changed in a quarter of a century.

For a great example, look at the 2008 Hawaii Ironman results..........

Craig Alexander won with times of 51:43(swim).......4:37(bike).....2:45(run)
Chrissie Wellington had times of 56:20(swim).......5:08(bike).....2:57(run)

The swim as they say is the swim and Jennifer Hinshaw's 1984 swim(50:31) time on the very same swim course a quarter of a century ago beat both 2008 winner's swim times. So basically, men and women can do equally well in the Ironman swim.

In the bike the 30 minute average spread between men and women is still consistent. There was a 41 minute spread in 1984 and a 31 minute difference in 2008.

In the run in 1984 the twins were 30 and 32 minutes behind the second fastest run time for men(Scott Tinley). Dave Scott was an anomaly that year, as the next nine men were spread between 3:03 and 3:23.

Women have really improved in the bike and run over the years through better technology, more awareness of nutrition, and access to the best triathlon coaches in the world. However, the pro men have access to the same equipment and knowledge so the difference between bike and run for men and women is pretty well unchanged over the last quarter of a century.

I remember the twins saying a few years after that 1984 race in Kona that their cycling never really improved until they hit the weight room and starting doing plenty of squats. I think they were right. In the 1992 edition of Ironman Canada they were 5:12 and 5:13 on the bike. Their swim was also much-improved at 54 and 55 minutes. They finished the race together and tied for 3rd place over-all with a time of 9:37:49. They came up against awesome performances by Julieanne White who won in 9:08:15 and Paula Johnson who was second in 9:25:44. Julieanne was 20 minutes behind winner Ray Browning's bike time of 4:41 with a clocking of 4:59. She was 17 minutes behind the fastest run time of 2:52:13 by Scott Tinley with a time of 3:09:27. Once again, there was that gap that can't seem to be bridged, but Julieanne came closer than most women had in the past in both the bike and run.

I wonder if that's the key to a woman coming along and winning the Hawaii Ironman over-all? Is it just a matter of a woman hitting the weight-room until she acquires the same physical strength that a man has?

There's no doubt in my mind that the woman triathlete/Ironman is just as mentally and emotionally tough as a man whether they are pros or age-groupers, so the big difference seems to be the physical strength between the sexes, but I'm sure there are many other technical and scientific reasons out there.

Women have been capable of doing the Ironman swim as fast or faster than men since the Ironman was born. Swimming well depends on skill, technique and form and has little to do with massive physical strength or skeletal structure.

We might never see the day when a woman will be the over-all winner of an Ironman race, but there's little doubt that women are capable of awesome, earth-shattering performances on the triathlon/Ironman highway and are a force to be reckoned with.

IF YOU ENJOY VISITING IRONSTRUCK THE BLOG AND MY WEBSITE IRONSTRUCK.CA THEN VISIT MINDSET TRIATHLON, HOME OF THE BEST TRIATHLON BOOKS ON THE MARKET TODAY. YOU WILL FIND MY FIRST BOOK "IRONSTRUCK...THE IRONMAN TRIATHLON JOURNEY" SITTING IN THE TOP TEN OF THE BEST-SELLER LIST. DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY OF "IRONSTRUCK...THE IRONMAN TRIATHON JOURNEY" AND SAVE 30% PLUS YOU WILL NEVER HAVE SHIPPING CHARGES. HELP PUSH IRONSTRUCK TO THE TOP OF THE LIST. IRONSTRUCK HAS HELPED MANY ASPIRING NOVICE IRONMEN REALIZE THEIR IRONMAN DREAM AND WILL HELP MANY MORE.

VISIT MINDSET TRIATHLON>>>>>>>