Training Table

Training Table April 2008

T.J. Tollakson’s Triathlon Newsletter

Check out…

www.tollakson.com for the latest information about my races and 2008 calendar

www.coachtroy.com for a podcast I did with Kevin Patrick from Troy Jacobson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75dAPbSCdtA for a Greg Welch Interview with Hillary Biscay and me

the June Issue of Inside Triathlon for a special article on how I transformed my body for triathlon racing

So Close…Ironman Arizona Race Report

April 13, 2008, was my sister Alissa’s 29^th birthday and also my big Ironman race for 2008. I wanted to qualify for Kona in April so I could focus my season on shorter races and then make a big push for Kona in the fall. Having started my season with a six week training camp in Kona, HI then a 7 week camp in Tucson, AZ, I felt well prepared for the rigors of an early season Ironman. I drove to Tempe from Tucson on Friday morning in time to make the pro meeting. I was a bit restless the week before the race because of the decreased work load, but I knew that was putting me in a position to have a great race. On race morning it was warm and windy and I knew it was going to be a long and rough day in the trenches. I was ready for the challenge. I was wearing a special white swim cap so the spotters of the race could identify me during the swim. It was a nice honor to have the recognition of someone to watch. I started on the far left in the swim (similar to Kona in 2007). I was out hard and fast and quickly drafting behind James Bonney. A few hundred meters into the swim, I lost my draft and was swimming solo and then had a couple of athletes on my feet. It was not ideal but it happened so I tried to make the most of it. After the turn around, one the guys on my feet came around and pulled me all the way to the swim finish. I was about eighty seconds down out of the water but still in a great position to win the race. There were two guys up the road and another out on the bike with me. I quickly biked into third place and then worked on catching James Bonney up the road. I passed James on the way out on the first of three out-and-back loops on the bike. I rode easy the second lap focusing on my nutrition and staying relaxed. I had to stop on the second lap and get off my bike to get my special needs bag, but I was in need of the nutrition and learned my lesson in Hawaii about missing the food bag. I will try to become less and less dependent on the food bag in the future. I fell behind James Bonney but passed the other athlete so I was now in second place. On the final bike lap, I passed James on the way out (uphill and into a headwind), but rode easy home and came into transition in second place about 14 seconds behind James. I passed James on the run within the first two miles. I was now leading an Ironman on the run for the second time. At mile 9 I was starting to fade and was in need of a lift. James repassed me and I continued to run my own pace. I started drinking coke at Mile 12 and this was the lift I was looking for. I was a bit hesitant to start on the coke too soon, but perhaps it is never too soon. I gradually started to pick away at James’ regained lead and by the start of the third and final lap on the run I was in full pursuit determined to hunt him down. I made my move on James with just over 3 miles to go in the race and knew at that moment I was going to beat him, I also thought I was going to win the race. I was in a world of pain, but knew this was the pain I was working so hard to experience and embrace on race day. I was digging deeper than I ever have before. With less than a mile to go I started to get run splits of Jozsef Major coming hard from behind. He started the run 14 minutes behind me, and was now in his element chasing me down. I was determined to hold him off and win this race. With about 500 meters left in the race he finally caught me. I tried to stay with him, but when he kicked it into another gear I was straight left with no more fuel in the after burners. I ran as hard as I could and was in disbelief I lost this race so close to the finish. I put in the effort necessary to win, but Jozsef had more go at the end. It was a bittersweet finish for me. I was so close yet so far away. It was a great step in my racing career and I am extremely proud of my effort. I can now focus on Kona for October and race this season without the pressure of trying to qualify for the World Championships. I talked to Peter Reid after the race and he told not to worry because “You will win an Ironman.” I had him sign a card for me and it is now hanging on my refridgerator. I look at it everyday and think: I will win an Ironman.

Place

TOTAL TIME

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

COUNTRY

SWIM Rank

SWIM TIME

BIKE Rank

BIKE TIME

BIKE PACE

Run Rank

RUN TIME

RUN PACE

8:34:19

MAJOR

JOZSEF

HUN

58:59:00

2:51

4:41:10

23.9

1:08

2:50:12

6:30

8:34:36

TOLLAKSON

USA

50:06:00

2:30

4:36:54

24.3

1:03

3:04:06

7:02

8:35:04

RAPP

JORDAN

USA

55:03:00

3:09

4:32:42

24.6

1:39

3:02:33

6:59

8:35:32

BONNEY

JAMES

USA

48:24:00

2:45

4:37:44

24.2

1:07

3:05:34

7:05

8:42:36

GOEHLER

RENE

DEU

48:45:00

2:51

4:45:25

23.5

1:03

3:04:35

7:03

The Red Rocket

I am proud to officially join the Specialized Triathlon Team for 2008. I have been working with Specialized for 3 years on Helmets and Shoes and now will be adding the killer fast S Works Transition to my bike artillery. This bike is the most ridiculous time trialing machine I have ever seen. The attention to detail is impeccable and it performs up to the hype. While these bikes are a tough find right now, they will be readily available by July 1. While I originally named my steed the Red Ryder (from the BB Gun in Christmas Story), Greg Welch officially named me on the bike as the Red Rocket. Look out for the blaze of red and check out the new Specialized Transition.

Endless Summer Days

I began 2008 with a nice New Year’s Eve Party with some friends and then left the next morning (Jan. 1 2008) to start my year in Kona, HI. I wanted to spend some time training alone and focus on my base while gaining some valuable experience on the course in Kona. I did almost all of my training on the course. I was able to spend some time with my friend Ahmed Zaher from Dallas while he was running a PlayTri camp in Kona. Ahmed is a former Olympic swimmer from Egypt and we had some great open water swim sessions off the Kona Pier. I also did some training with the Kona Master’s Team and coach Steve. It was with the Kona Master’s Team that I met the Amateuer Course Record Holder at the Kona Ironman, Bree Wee. Bree is an incredibly talented athlete with tremendous motivation and drive. Keep an eye out for Bree Wee. After my time in Kona I went back home to Des Moines for a week and spent some time with TYR at FrostBike in Minneapolis and then gave a strength training seminar at Gear West University (Kevin O’Connor’s triathlon shop). It was quite a shock to my system to be back in the freezing Midwest temps but it was short lived as I quickly packed up my car and drove to Tucson, Arizona. I stayed with Emily Mastin in Tucson for the second year (awesome friend and great former All-American Swimmer from the University of Arizona). I was excited to be back in Tucson and swimming with the Tucson Ford Aquatics team and my training partner Doug Friman. I had some great training sessions in Tucson and managed to climb Mt. Lemmon almost every week. Being in Tucson was a key component to my preparation for Ironman Arizona.

Anticipated 2008 Schedule

Date	Race	Location
4/13/2008	Ironman Arizona	Tempe, AZ
5/18/2008	Florida 70.3	Orlando, FL
6/8/2008	Eagleman 70.3	Cambridge, MD
7/12/2008	Lifetime Fitness	Minneapolis, MN
7/20/2008	Vineman 70.3	Sonoma County, CA
10/12/2008	Ironman World Champs	Kona, Hawaii
11/9/2008	70.3 World Champs	Clearwater, FL

Upcoming Events

May 18, 2008 Florida Ironman 70.3, Orlando, FL

I was sixth last year at this race and look to return for a higher placing and some more Disney World Fun!

As always, thank you to my sponsors and those who support me. You make my racing possible!

In the meantime…don’t forget to visit my web site at www.tollakson.com