BEYOND PERFORMANCE Endurance Coaching

Recovery

2012-02-12T13:20:00.001-06:00

"A lot of what we see in athletes that just train all the time and never give themselves adequate recovery is often portrayed as toughness. What I've realized over the years is it really is a weakness. It's an insecurity that you're not good enough to recover like other athletes: I'm not good enough to do that; I need to keep training; I can't take time off; I can't take easy days."

- Alberto Salazar talking about the importance of recovery. Recovery was something he never truly learned about as an athlete but is something that he focuses on as a coach and something that has allowed Galen Rupp to be an amazingly consistent racer.

...words to live by...

2012-01-23T10:08:00.000-06:00

'Someone is building a base while you're enjoying the off-season...'

Stop running long on Sundays

2011-11-01T09:51:00.000-06:00

Your training schedule might declare Sunday as your long-run day...but should it? For most age-groupers with packed workweeks, weekends are the prime time for getting in long endurance rides and runs. There are essentially two schools of thought on this training structure: 1) Ride long on Saturday, run long on Sunday to "get used to running on tired legs" and mentally push through, or 2) Don't run long on Sunday because tired legs equals bad form, increasing your risk of injury.
"I avoid long runs on Sunday like the plague" says coach Dale Sanford. "The risk has shown not to be worth the reward to stack the long ride and long run."
Graham Wilson, a USATF Level III coach, agrees: "I consider the benefit of 'running on tired legs' to be complete nonsense. I burned my hand on a hot stove as a child...I do not have to keep doing that to remind myself-psychologically or physiologically-what it feels like."

I found this article in the November 2011 issue of Triathlete magazine, an article that I have nothing to add to, as I completely agree. Running on 'tired legs' will only put you at risk for injury...train strong young grasshoppa'...:)

Coach D

Ironman Wisconsin Course Run-Through

2011-06-22T12:20:00.000-06:00

Here is our schedule for the Beyond Performance Ironman Wisconsin run-through.
Monday June 27th, 2011

10:30: Transition walk-through. Meet and the entrance into the Monona Terrace/street level. We will walk though the swim2bike transition as well as the bike2run transition.
11:00: Run 1 loop of the run course from start to finish. We will be running 8:10-8:20 pace...plan accordingly. This run is not supported, so please bring gel/water with you. FYI, we may run the 'hill' twice for feel... :)
1:00-1:30: Drive the bike course from Madison to Verona...
1:30-2:00: Lunch in Verona
2:00-3:00: Drive the 'loop' of the bike course...starting and finishing from Fireman's Park in Verona.
3:00-5:45: Ride 1 loop of the bike course...starting and finishing at Fireman's Park in Verona. Again, this ride is not supported...plan accordingly!
5:45-6:00: Quick overview of the day/course.

BIKE COURSE
RUN COURSE

...as always...'Have a plan, believe in the plan, STICK to the plan...and good things WILL happen!'

Coach D

Grandma's Marathon Route

2011-06-14T08:37:00.001-06:00

Are you heading to Duluth this weekend for the races associated with Grandma's Marathon? First, travel safe, and allow yourself plenty of travel time...there is a lot of road construction along I35 this summer.
Secondly, for those of you running the marathon, I have attached a course map for you from MapMyRun.com, as for some reason the course map listed on the Grandma's website is off...I'm not sure how, but the elevation chart is off by a mile over the later parts of the race.
The Grandma's map shows a hill starting at mile 20 (?) and mile 22 as a downhill mile, this is NOT the case...Lemon Drop is at mile 22 with your downhill starting at around 22.5, NOT at mile 21...
The MMR map is, however, off by 1 block at mile 23.5...you take the right at 12th Ave. N. and not 13th Ave. N.

Compare the two courses, but better yet, drive the course before the race so that you have no surprises!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/37509560/
http://grandmasmarathon.com/site/uploads/2011%20course_map.pdf

Happy taper, and remember, 'Have a plan, believe in your plan, stick to your plan...and good things WILL happen!'

Coach D

Training on an oil rig...

2011-06-08T12:55:00.000-06:00

...an email I received from a client I have in Louisiana who trains on an oil rig...how cool/dedicated is that!

'Coach D, been dying to send you a message but trying not to contact you unless I need to. All I have to say is you must have one hell of a calculator or something....all the training paces have been right on the money as far as for my capabilities and such. I did have difficulty with the 11P run on the first week, however it was my first day back home and running in the heat for the first time in over two weeks. All the runs and all the other runs have been perfect for me. I did have to alternate a couple running days while home, but I did complete the mileage for those weeks, and am back on schedule again. I have been a little fast on a couple of the runs, but I just got caught up in the moment listening to the walkman, and wasn't paying attention. I am sending the outline back with plugged in comments on how the runs went. Overall I am loving the plan so far, and am anxious to see my next four week block!

Bob Valentine...Boston 2013'

Coach D

Last slot...gone!

2011-05-26T08:02:00.000-06:00

Buy a slot into the World Championships? Really...

Wonder if I can buy a Olympic Games slot... I don't see any other sport offering 'Charity Slots' for sale on eBay...when did we lose sight of the 'sport'?

(Maybe the Viking's can buy a Super Bowl slot on eBay? :) )

In this corner I have an athlete who has dedicated years to training...working through the ups and downs of training and racing...racing more than a couple IM's in an attempt to qualify, sacrificing friends and family while getting up early and staying up late...all to someday compete with a chance of qualifying for Kona, the Big dance...the World Championships!

...and in this corner, I have an 'athlete' with a checkbook...probably has to ask "how far is the swim" before bidding. Is this really where the sport is heading?

...reminds me of my bus ride to the start of the Boston Marathon in April, 2009...I sat next to a guy decked out in Hewlett Packard gear...making small talk I asked him where/when he qualified and with what time, he told me that Boston was his first marathon as HP got a number of slots for being a sponsor. Really? I had a group of athletes at the race who had worked their a**es off to get to Beantown, and all 'he' needs is a job with a sponsor.

...25,000 qualifying athletes were accepted for Boston in 2011, yet 27,000 started...?

Do you pop pills?

2011-05-24T08:08:00.001-06:00

How many of you pop ibuprofen before, during and/or after your hard workouts/races? I have to say, in the past I was good for 2-3 200mg tablets before most hard runs and races...
Here is a great article on the use of ibuprofen amongst endurance athletes that was forwarded to me...enjoy...

ARTICLE

Coach D

Quote of the day...

2011-05-19T22:44:00.002-06:00

'It's all about the engine...'

BPEC Boston Top 10 List

2011-04-10T20:03:00.007-06:00

Here is the BPEC Boston Top 10 List. This is not a list on how to train for Boston, how to taper or even how to qualify...this is a list on how to RACE Boston....use what you can, and enjoy!
10. Walking/on your feet over the weekend. This may seem like a no-brainer, but SO many first-timers like to take in the sights and/or spend an afternoon on their feet at the expo...get off your feet! Assuming you're taking Saturday off and maybe running 2-3 miles on Sunday, spend minimal time on your feet...take in the sights on Monday after the race/Tuesday...don't toe the line with tired legs.
9. Breakfast on Monday has been a concern for Boston athletes since day one. With the race starting later than most marathons, your breakfast schedule WILL be thrown off. Take into account that you will more than likely be running well past 1-2:00 in the afternoon...plan accordingly. Bring food with you to the village and stay on plan...don't hit mile 19 empty. Have a race-day PLAN in place!
8. Study logistics. Vague, I know, but Monday morning is NOT the time to find out where to pick up your bus, and or/when...what time your wave starts or how to wear your chip. Ask your questions over the weekend and show up on Monday with your focus on the RACE, and not on how to get to the start...
7. Tangents. When I speak at marathon expos and to groups, this is always a top 3 topic. When thinking of tangents, draw the imaginary 'blue-line' on the course as you're running and do NOT follow the crowd. An example...you're running on the right hand side of the road and you see the road turning to the left in a 1/2 mile, gradually make your way to the left side of the road so by the time you get to your left, you're there...don't run the extra .63 miles that running down the center of the road will add on the Boston course.
6. The course. There is not a lot I can say about the course that hasn't already been said. I look at Boston a little more casual than others, and believe that if run 'smart', Boston IS a fast course...but more than likely, you or someone you know will go out too hard because of the initial downhills, which in turn will beat you up pretty bad which ends with you saying that the hills at 16-21 hurt you bad, when it turns out you were done before you hit Charles River. Have a plan, stick to the plan...
5. Race nutrition. Have your gel/hydration plan in place before the start of the race. Know where the aid stations are, what they are serving...are you taking water? Gatorade and Poland Spring water be served on the course...do you know where? What are you taking where? When are you taking gel? Have a plan and don't gel/hydrate after you need it, by then it could be too late...as is the theme, have a plan!
4. Packing for the start. As you know, you'll spend a couple of hours at the athlete 'village' before the race...what's your plan? Warm clothes, rain poncho, food/drink...don't get caught freezing/wet and/or hungry. This is your opportunity to relax and spend time visualizing YOUR race...don't spend this time worrying about staying warm.
3. Splits. I could talk all day about splits for Boston. We'll talk more about a 'plan' later, but as it pertains to splits, you should know what you want the Garmin to say, especially miles 1-4. You want to hit 4 miles in 28 minutes and you just ran 26:03? Sorry to say, your day may be done (...though you'll blame it on the 'hills') . You plan on running mile 1 in...? Are you wearing a Garmin to keep yourself on track? Have a goal, (...and 3:15-3:45 is NOT a goal), figure your splits and print them off and wear them as a bracelet...at the end of the day, it's hard to achieve your goal if you don't have one. Stick to those splits, and do NOT go out too hard...don't end your race early because you had a few hot opening miles.
2. It's the Boston Marathon, but... At the end of the day, it's just a race. You qualified by running 26.2 miles...the Boston Marathon is 26.2 miles. Do NOT put the race on a pedestal...there is a difference between respecting the distance and being intimidated by the race. I remember in the movie Hoosiers when Gene Hackman has the team in the arena where Hickory is going to play Ben Davis...in awe of the arena's size, he has the kids measure the height of the rim..."10 feet", says Jimmy, "just like back home in Hickory". Boston is 26.2 miles long, just like Chicago, Green Bay, St. George...it's just another race.
1. THE plan. At the end of the day, having a great race in Boston is ALL about having a plan...a nutritional plan, race-day plan, having splits and hitting those splits...know what to wear and where to go. HAVE a plan, BELIEVE in the plan, STICK to the plan...and good things WILL happen!

Coach D

EPIC Workouts posted...

2011-04-08T22:54:00.005-06:00

Still looking for that 'killer' treadmill workout? I have posted EPIC Workouts #19 and 20 to the Beyond Performance website. Part of the 'LOST' series, these workouts are not for the faint of heart and should be place carefully in your training block and should only be attempted after you have 'arrived'... I call these workouts 'LOST' workouts because they have so many applications and can be placed at numerous points throughout a training block. They can be used in 10K, half marathon and/or marathon training, as well as Olympic and/or half IM training.

Contact Coach D with any questions!

Quote of the day...

2011-03-30T13:35:00.001-06:00

'Pain is weakness leaving the body...'

Green Bay Marathon and 1/2

2011-01-24T16:37:00.003-06:00

If you're thinking about running the Green Bay Marathon or Half Marathon with us this May, as of this morning the marathon is already 74% full and the 1/2 is 77% full... Don't miss out on your chance to run through Lambeau Field...sign up today!!
www.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com

Toughen up...

2011-01-22T09:46:00.002-06:00

I'm hoping that you're finding a way to stay warm and that this bone-chilling cold spell we're under isn't hampering your training. Running/training outside in this weather, when properly dressed, is a great way to work on your core, balance and your overall 'toughness-factor' as I truly believe that an athlete training outside in this weather WILL be stronger, tougher and faster than the athlete that opts for the treadmill on a morning like this. Too cold? Too windy? ...there is NO such thing...get outside and toughen-up!

Quote of the day

2011-01-19T00:44:00.002-06:00

"He who refuses to lose is far more dangerous than he who wants to win..."

If you wanna run fast...

2011-01-18T23:14:00.004-06:00

So as I'm strolling through Barnes and Noble earlier this evening, I happened to stop by the magazine section and noticed a common theme within the article highlights listed on all 13 of the biking, running and triathlon magazines...EASY. All 13 publications had an article with the word EASY in the title...'Easy diet fixes'...'Easy lifting to better cycling'...'Run easy, run faster'...and it got me to thinking, should training be easy? I think that if you you aren't working hard, you aren't working hard enough. I know, there are a lot of elements that go into training, more than just working hard, and as training has evolved from what we did as runners in the 70's and 80's, one thing hasn't changed, succeeding is NOT easy! Back in the 'day', we slept, we ate...and we ran...a lot. With this type of training, one of two things would happen, either A) You would get hurt and/or burnt out, or B) you became a stud...and there wasn't any middle ground. In my training and coaching, I knew both. Current training has us running less, doing more TRX training, more stretching, lifting and using our diet as a tool...but one thing hasn't changed, and this is quoting my college coach, 'If you wanna run fast, you have to run fast!' Training/running a marathon is not easy, qualifying for Boston is not easy, completing an Ironman is not easy...if it was easy, everyone would do it! ...is the word EASY part of your workout routine?

Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Marathon and 1/2 Marathon

2011-01-06T23:13:00.005-06:00

New Orleans here I come, again...to pace at the Mardi Gras Marathon February 13th. I paced at Mardi Gras in 2008 (pre RNR) and again in 2010...and all I can say is that I am PUMPED to be running Mardi Gras again! I can't say enough about the race, from the super flat course that winds through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods New Orleans has to offer, to the Southern hospitality the area is known for.

For those of you running RNRMG for the first time, plan on getting downtown EARLY, as traffic and parking were both pretty ugly last year...better yet, stay downtown and walk to the start!

Here's my quick take on the course...the first 6 miles of the race are pretty uneventful, though run through some beautiful old neighborhoods while miles 7-9 are run in and around Audubon Park..make sure when running through the park you run the tangents to a tee. Miles 10-14...well what can I say, you're in beautiful New Orleans, doing what you love...just enjoy these miles and stay on plan...your time to rock will come. About 5 blocks past mile marker #14 you'll take a left on Esplanade...a flat yet crumbling/heavily crowned road which you'll follow for the next 2+ miles until you approach City Park. Now for me, this next section of the course has always put me to sleep...miles 19-20 are pretty blah...yes flat, but there isn't much to focus on. Mile 20 is where the course changed from last year...this year we'll continue on for another mile before we take a loop on Lakeshore before we start the trek back. I can see a lot of people having troubles this year from 22.5-24.5 before the crowds start picking up...here is where you'll need to focus...stick to your plan/mile splits and suck it up...the finish is right around the corner. By the time you hit 24.5, you'll be amongst the crowds, and at 25 when you take your left into the park, time to start letting her loose...the run up to and around the Museum of Art is your last chance to make up those last few seconds before you approach the finish...and when you hear the announcer and crowds, it's time to Boogity boogity boogity! Also of note, RNR video tapes the finish which you can watch on the RNRMG website...so smile :)

This race is ALL about not falling apart between miles 22-25...have a plan in place, know the course (drive it the day before if you can)...and STICK to your plan! (A charged iPod over this section might come in handy!)...and as always, FINISH STRONG! Post race is a lot of fun, the medals are awesome (they made up for the hideous shirt color last year)...stick around after the race for some great music, FREE beer(?) and 15,000 of the your newest/closest friends!

Happy training!

Race Website

Course Information

EPIC Workout Posted

2011-01-06T20:28:00.005-06:00

I've posted EPIC workout #21 to the Beyond Performance website, The Ultimate Olympic Distance Brick Workout... Use caution when attempting this workout for the first time...it's more important to get through the workout/get to know the workout before you attempt to ROCK it...but on the day when you DO rock it, it/you will be EPIC!
The Ultimate Olympic Distance Brick Workout
Enjoy!

Everything you wanted to know about Chocolate Milk

2010-02-08T13:19:00.001-06:00

Many people are unaware of the benefits of milk let alone chocolate milk. Studies have been done separately on each milk and chocolate, but never in combination. It wasn’t until recently that scientists began to delve into the benefits of chocolate milk versus water or Gatorade after a workout. Athletes such as Michael Phelps drew attention to this at the 2004 Olympics when he was seen to be drinking Carnation chocolate drinks after swims. Studies now show that chocolate milk aids the body in recovery, most importantly the muscles. Though not everything is known about chocolate milk a majority of the research found is conducted and extracted through the study of what chocolate milk contains. Breaking down all the beneficial health qualities found in chocolate and milk have led to discovering what the combination of the two lead to. It is now in the modern era of society that this beverage commonly referred to as a children’s drink has been exposed to reveal its many facets and benefits that allow it to flourish in several ways. Following is an in-depth guide on what benefits chocolate milk holds for your health and some interesting facts that are still being discovered about the popular children’s drink. Chocolate Milk after Workout Chocolate milk has been discovered to work just as well as regular sports drinks, most notably, like Gatorade when consumed after exercise. It works best for re-hydrating the body and helping to rebuild muscle that was depleted of energy during a workout. Several different medical studies have been conducted on the benefits of chocolate milk including the Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism back in February 2008. Many magazines such as Runner’s World and Fitness have done articles employing the benefits of chocolate milk after exercise. Based on studies done by Dr. Joel Stager that conducted research on bicyclists who drank Gatorade and chocolate milk after exhausting their muscles, shows that those who drank chocolate milk were able to recover quickly and last just as long while bicycling to those who had Gatorade. Chocolate milk is packed with carbohydrates and protein, something that depleted muscles need to recover. When you exercise you contract your muscles to an extent and many endurance athletes may exhaust their muscles and this is why restoring and hydrating your body is extremely important. Water is simply not enough when it comes to refueling and that is where chocolate milk takes a step over sports drinks. Though sports drinks contain an amount of water, they lack natural protein and carbohydrates that are naturally occurring in milk. And with Vitamins A and D plus calcium provided through milk, it helps in bone strengthening and building muscle. A 2007 British study found that regular milk also helped restore fluid levels in the body post-exercise in the heat. Milk has the right amount of carbohydrates and protein that the body needs in order to recover tired muscles and for quicker results. Water is not substantial enough to provide these essential nutrients and that is why many sports doctors and nutritionists are now recommending chocolate milk as a recovery drink over regular sports drink or water. The high amount of water contained in chocolate milk is one of the main reasons why it’s chosen over regular water because of the extra vitamins and protein contained in it that replenishes the body’s water content quicker that was lost as sweat during exercise. Chocolate milk also contains small amounts of sugar and sodium allowing the body to stabilize quicker as it allows them to retain water and gain energy which is an essential process during recovery. When comparing water and sports drinks it becomes clear which is best for you. Of course water does the ultimate process of replenishing fluids after sweat loss, but unfortunately that’s all it does. Water does not include any added vitamins or minerals unless it’s specially fortified with these substances. Energy drinks on the other hand provide a way to replenish and balance electrolytes in the body. But many of these contain large amounts of sugar that are not good for the body post work out. Chocolate milk offers the right amount of sugar and carbohydrates in order for the body to metabolize it, something that water lacks, as well. So the real reason to add chocolate milk to your diet really adheres to the beneficial nutrients that are naturally occurring that your body can process quickly. This is the optimum recovery aid for all athletic endeavors. With all the health benefit of chocolate milk being discovered there really is no reason why not to replace sports drinks or water with it.

Visualization for Distance Runners

2009-11-24T10:39:00.005-06:00

Visualization is a series of mental rehearsals for planned athletic competition (or other important activity) while in a state of conscious dreaming or controlled imagination. In athletics, the purpose of visualization is to establish an intent or "declaration of purpose." Sports psychologists and physiologists have established that continuous mental rehearsal creates a memory link between nerve, muscle and brain, facilitating enhanced biomechanical movement and, hence, enhanced performance. Sometimes called (incorrectly) "muscle memory," the mechanism has proved to be extremely important in training as well as in competition. I suspect that many runners have already practiced some sort of mental rehearsal; it seems to be a natural human response to an anticipated "big event." But like many athletes of MY era, I tried to prevent myself from "running the race over and over in my mind." The coaching philosophy was to avoid concentrating intently on competition before the contest, as it was believed that this "fault" led to the depletion of nervous energy needed for the competition. Today we know better! The following exercise is designed to allow runners to use visualization techniques to establish a calm, relaxed, and focused mental state while "seeing" themselves racing their ideal race. A VISUALIZATION EXERCISE FOR DISTANCE RUNNERS * See yourself running in an effortless, fluid rhythm. Visualize yourself running lightly over the ground, rather than pounding the surface. As you run you have the feeling of boundless energy, and you feel little discomfort as the miles slip away. * Next, bring the course you are running into focus. Visualize the terrain and see the spectators. See the colors; smell the smells. hear the sounds around your body and feel the rhythm of your breathing. Tune in to the sensations of your body and your spirit as you run. See yourself on the course at various points, maintaining your effortless and graceful running style. * Next, practice deep, smooth breathing while you check your running form. Try to feel your body actually running. * Finally, run your ideal race over and over in your mind, imagining your feelings of triumph and satisfaction, and the congratulations of those who support your running, after you have successfully completed your race. WORDS OF CAUTION In the visualization exercise described above, the key ingredient is "movement." Remember that it is continuous movement that establishes the biofeedback between nerves, muscles, and the brain. Static visualization ("freezing" the movement) has the effect of paralyzing the biofeedback mechanism, even if the captured movement is biomechanically correct. Second, visualization effects your training whether you deliberately use it or not. Even the way you feel about a workout can alter it's effect on you. If you dread a workout (and hate the coach :)) and barely manage to drag yourself through it, you will get the same cardiovascular benefits and so forth, but you will not benefit from a positive biomechanical feedback response. Put in lay terms, your "muscle memory" of running hard and fast will still be reinforced, but as an unpleasant experience. On the other hand, if you are "psyched up" for a workout and look forward to meeting the challenge, you benefit in two ways: not only will it seem easier to complete, but you will also earn the extra benefits of powerful central nervous system reinforcement. It is for this reason that very good coaches make it a point of talking to their athletes before as many workouts as possible, so that the runners can know why they're running a given workout, instead of merely being told to run a certain workout and not ask any questions. Finally, remember that the technique of visualization shouldn't be used during competition. Don't imagine yourself running the final lap when you're on the first one, for example, or you may lose mental contact with the race. And during the competition don't concentrate on your running form in order to monitor it; too much performance interpretation can lead to "paralysis by analysis." You've trained for the race, so just race it!

Coach D

Who's gonna win?

2009-11-24T10:24:00.002-06:00

"Two runners stand side by side at the starting line of a race. Both have equal ability, equal training, and equal desire to run well. One will cross the finish line first. Why?" - Fances Baxter, M.S.W. Coach D

Determination

2009-02-09T07:19:00.001-06:00

"Some are destined to succeed, some are determined to succeed." H. H. Swami Tejomayananda

Ginnow ROCKS Seroogy's!

2009-02-08T19:06:00.002-06:00

BP Race Team member Rob Ginnow ran HUGE yesterday at the Seroogy's Valentines Day 15k, finishing 27th overall and winning the 50-54 age-group by over 2 minutes to finish in 1:07:57 (7:17 Pace!) WOW! RESULTS Up next for Rob, who set a new marathon PR last month at the RNR Arizona Marathon, will be the Boston Marathon on April 20th. Best of luck to you Rob...and congrats! Coach D

Cake...YUM YUM!

2009-01-23T13:16:00.003-06:00

Cake...me likey!

San Antonio Marathon

2008-11-17T12:06:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Christine and Andrea for their performances yesterday at the San Antonio Marathon. You both showed what you can do with a lot of hard work and dedication! You go girls! See you in Arizona! Coach D

Chicago Marathon Results

2008-10-15T06:54:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to those of you who ran the Chicago Marathon this past weekend...what a great race! A little warm again this year, 84 degrees at 10:00 in the morning, with a high of 87...almost a repeat of last year! For those of you that I had a chance to run with/pace...it was a pleasure!

Results are HERE:

Jenny/3:04:17 BOSTON QUALIFIER Christine/3:30:39 BOSTON QUALIFIER Shannon/3:35:47 BOSTON QUALIFIER

Phil/3:39:46

Rob/3:40:59

Jeff/3:44:17

John/3:52:23

...and to those of you from the Chicago Area Runners Association (www.cararuns.corg) I had the opportunity to work with, congratulations to you all! What a fun group! ...and let's not forget about Mike Reneau, a former Run N Fun runner who has only been running 4 years, finished 7th overall/top American in an amazing time of 2:16:20! That's crazy Mike! Here is a nice article on Mike! ARTICLE Coach D

Twin Cities Marathon/10 Mile Results

2008-10-05T17:32:00.006-06:00

Congratulations to those of you who braved the elements and ran the TCM and TC 10 Miler...so many amazing performances! Let's start with the 10 Miler:
Jenny/1:03:54...she WON the Women's Open race!
Phil-Mike/1:18:52
Cari/1:19:14
Tina/1:20:59

Liz/1:26:55 (3rd in her AG!)
Kristin/1:42:54 ...
TCMarathon results...here we go...
Tracy/2:30:24 BOSTON QUALIFIER!
Scott/3:06:22 BOSTON QUALIFIER!
Karl/3:18:52 BOSTON QUALIFIER!
Karl/3:29:12 BOSTON QUALIFIER!
Chuck/3:29:38 BOSTON QUALIFIER!
Kari/3:48:39 BOSTON QUALIFIER!
Reiko/3:49:21 BOSTON QUALIFIER!
Johnny/3:58:07
Jim/3:59:34
Rachael/4:00:47
Janet/4:03:03
Amy/4:03:09
Coach T/4:05:34
Allison/4:06:41
Arnie/4:14:15 C
ongratulations to you all...and a big shout-out to Kari...BOSTON QUALIFIER-YOU DID IT...you followed your plan/race day plan to a TEE, and you are going to BOSTON! CONGRATULATIONS!

Coach D

Ginnow Rocks Fox Cities

2008-09-22T08:14:00.002-06:00

BP Race Team member Rob Ginnow set ANOTHER 1/2 marathon PR this past weekend at the Fox Cities 1/2 held in Appleton, WI. Rob, who set his current PR only a couple of weeks ago in PA, ran 1:35:50 and will be running the Chicago Marathon in a few weeks. Best of luck to you Rob! Results are HERE! Coach D

Moose Mountain Marathon Results

2008-09-11T07:46:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Mike Wischmann for his 6th place OA finish this past weekend at the Moose Mountain Marathon held on the Superior Trail in beautiful Northern Minnesota. I haven't heard the details from the race other than it was hilly and very technical...sounds a race made for Mike! RESULTS

Coach D

Ginnow goes HUGE in PA!

2008-09-11T06:52:00.004-06:00

BP Race Team member Rob Ginnow had a huge PR this past weekend in Harrisburg, PA at the Harrisburg Half Marathon. Rob, who lives in Green Bay, WI and was running a tune-up race as he looks to set ANOTHER PR at the Chicago Marathon in a few weeks. Rob finished the race in 1:36:08 to finish 4th in a loaded 50-54 field and had an age-graded adjusted time of 1:25:18...HOLY COW! (His old PR was over 1:40...!) Talk about 'bringing it'...that's a huge race, a huge PR and a HUGE effort! Congratulations ROB!

...also, Rob DID have cake at the finish line..seriously! RESULTS! ...and a bit of a shout-out to 2nd place finisher Luke Watson(1:09:47), a former Stillwater, MN HS grad who went on to run at Notre Dame and now coaches there...solid run Luke! Coach D

IRONMAN WISONSIN Volunteers

2008-09-09T09:07:00.005-06:00

A quick note to thank those of you who made the trek to Madison to support BP athletes as they competed in IRONMAN Wisconsin.

I hope I don't miss anyone, but thank you to Barbara, Shannon, Coach T, Rachel, Diana, Isabely, Liz, Dean, Karen, Mary, Reiko, Brendon, Dave, Angie, Kirk, Lisa, Lisa, Scott and Mary.

Thanks for the support, signs and enthusiasm...the day could not have been a success without your help!

Dean, can I get a little more cowbell?

Coach D

Women's Olympic Triathlon

2008-08-18T08:09:00.002-06:00

What a great race... Results are HERE!

More BP Press

2008-08-01T12:47:00.002-06:00

Another piece of press for a BP athlete, as Tiffany Lindstrom had a real nice article written about her by Joe Krause at the IFalls Daily Journal, Tiff's hometown newspaper. It's a nice article. Read it HERE! Coach D

Croixathlon!!

2008-06-29T20:42:00.004-06:00

What a fantastic day at the St. Croixathlon in Hudson!! The weather was beautiful and the swim was a bit rough, not to metion the 1000 yds of gravel on the bike course. And what about that hill? Coach T walked up it after the swim and was at Threshold!! BP Race Team athlete Diana McGrath was back to the Croixathlon for a 2nd time and placed 2nd in her age group and 12th overall . Making her triathlon debut BP Race Team member Kristin Prusmack had a fantastic swim (not unexpected!) and then continued to push through the race course to finish 17th overall. I would say Kristin is now hooked on the sport of Triathlon.....see you at the Lifetime Race Kristin! Also BP Racer Tiffany Hoikka made a last minute decision to race, and completed her first Tri of the season very strong. In addition to the BP Race Team, members of LTF Triathlon Training class came to Hudson to participate, CONGRATULATIONS goes out to; Angie Liebel, Barb Duppong, Jena Sarauer, Natalie Shafer, John Heinlein, and Molly Strand. Noting that John placed 2nd in his age group and 14th overall! Congratulations also to BP Friends Paul Davis and Jeff Nelson. Great job guys! When do we race next?

Holleran Qualifies for WORLDS!

2008-06-13T07:55:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to David Holleran for qualifying for the World Duathlon Championships to be held in Rimini Italy this September. David qualified at the Apple Duathlon held in Sartell, MN! David will join BP Race Team team-mate Brendon O'Flanagan and BP friend Todd Firebaugh in Italy this fall! Good luck to you all! Congratulations David! Coach D and Coach T

Lundberg Dominates at Ride and Glide

2008-06-11T09:58:00.003-06:00

BP rider Dave Lundberg had a great showing at the June 10th version of the Ride and Glide. Dave completed the 13.4 mile loop in a winning time of 30:26, averaging 26.62 mph. Dave, it looks like the cycling portion of Ironman Wisconsin will not be a problem! Congrats Dave! http://www.rideandglide.bizland.com/

Weekend Race Results

2008-05-19T09:47:00.002-06:00

Some incredible performances by BeyondPerformance athletes this past weekend. Congratulations to you all! Saturday May 17th: Angie Schmidt won the Women's division of the TS Alliance 5K in a time of 21:07...and finished 4th OVERALL! Coach D and Reiko both ran the Uff-Da 1/2 Marathon as training runs.. http://www.pttiming.com/raceresults/100432-HalfMarathonOverall.pdf Tiffany also ran the 5K and pushed Torun in the baby-jogger on the gravel trail to finish 2nd in a time of 23:46. Sunday May 18th Sunday was also a busy day with many runners competing at the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon and 1/2 and at the Gear West Duathlon. Congrats to all who completed the goofy course at Gear West...Brendon O'Flanagan, Coach T & Jeff Brenneke, and David Holleran...results are here! http://www.pigmantri.com/jmsracing/results08/gwest08b.html ...hope I didn't miss anyone... I got up at 1:30 in the morning on Sunday and drove to Green Bay (God's Country) to watch BP run the Marathon and 1/2. Results: www.greenbaymarathon.com Great job to those of you who ran the 1/2 Marathon...Karen, Kelli and Mary...hope you had a great experience...sorry about the wind...you did fantastic! (...and Jason Finch, another PR for you at 1:08 and change!) ...and in the marathon, a solid pat on the back to Rob Ginnow for another PR, running 3:38 and missing his Boston qualifying time by seconds! GREAT performance Rob! Also, Chuck Smith, solid...again...and Jim Harrington, what can I say, 3 weeks of running after ski season and you run a 2:52...how do you do that? Congratulations to you ALL! Next week, good luck to all of you racing...good luck LJ in your Conference Track meet on Thursday and to those of you heading to Sartell for the Apple Duathlon! ...and hope the training is going well! Coach D

Get In Gear Pic

2008-05-06T19:37:00.002-06:00

Nice pic of David Holleran wearing his BP colors with pride at Get In Gear!

Get In Gear

2008-04-27T08:06:00.002-06:00

A hearty congratulations goes out to BP Race Team member David Holleran for his performance yesterday morning at the 31st annual Get In Gear 10K. Running in cold and windy conditions (I know, it's April 27th...but remember, this IS Minnesota!), David managed smash his Master's 10K PR by running a 39:52! That's a FANTASTIC run David! GET IN GEAR RESULTS

BP Women Finish 25th at Boston!

2008-04-22T06:42:00.002-06:00

WOW! The Beyond Performance Women's Race Team finished 25th in the team competition at the 112th Boston Marathon held yesterday. All 5 women had great races, and from what I hear, great experiences!

Here is a link to the Boston Results page:

http://www.bostonmarathon.com/2008/cf/public/TrackingTeamDetailFinish.htm

They finished as follows:

Beyond Performance Race Team (Minnesota)
10:32:08
Schmidt, Angie 3:16:42 ...a 15 nminute PR!
Brenneke, Teresa 3:37:17 ...a 9 minute PR!
Lorbiecki, Shannon 3:38:09
Curiel, Jana 3:40:34
Lindstrom, Tiffany 3:40:52

Congratulations to you all! Check out Tiff's blog later today for a race update!

USA Cycling Coach

2008-04-17T08:33:00.003-06:00

Coach D is now a USA Cycling Level 3 Coach! Drop BP a line or give us a call if you have any cycle-related questions...we're here to help!
www.beyondperformance.org

Beyond Performance in Boston

2008-04-17T07:03:00.005-06:00

Best of luck to everyone heading to Boston this weekend for the 112th Boston Marathon.

The forecast for Monday looks to be a beauty, with a low of 47 and highs in the mid 50's.

BP has put together a Women's team for the race and includes:

Teresa Brenneke of Cottage Grove, MN...qualified at Twin Cities Marathon last fall, her 1st marathon and BP partner...
Tiffany Lindstrom of Woodbury, MN...qualified at Chicago in the fall of 2006
Angie Schmidt of Woodbury, MN...qualified at Arizona in January 2008
Shannon Lorbiecki of Lake Elmo, MN...qualified at Arizona in January as well...
Jana Curiel of Oakdale, MN...qualified at last year's Boston!

...and remember, you are able to track runners online at http://www.bostonmarathon.com/ while they run, as Boston will post split times at every 5K mark, with wave 1 starting at 10:00 and wave 2 departing at 10:30 EST.

...also, a quick note...good luck Todd, Randy and Karl...have a GREAT race!

Best of luck to you all...and remember...

...run hard, race smart...and there WILL be cake at the finish!

Oshkosh 1/2 Marathon

2008-04-17T06:36:00.002-06:00

This past weekend saw a couple of solid performances at the Oshkosh 1/2 Marathon held in Oshkosh, WI. Conditions, from what I hear, were less than ideal, cold, windy with sloppy...a typical day for Oshkosh in April. Rob Ginnow of Green Bay was able to run a near PR in those conditions as he ran 1:43:48. Rob is in his final phase as he preps for the Green Bay Marathon with goals of Boston. Fantastic run Rob...all of your hard-work is starting to pay-off! And a quick shout-out to Jason Ryf for his overall win at the Oshkosh 1/2 in a time of 1:09:04. Jason, who ran the Olympic Marathon Trials this past fall is a former Big Bay Relay team-mate of mine. Solid run Jason! RESULTS

Kirt Goetzke Interview

2008-04-04T06:59:00.006-06:00

Kirt Goetzke, a friend to BP and a teammate of mine at Run N Fun, recently had an interview published on a popular Minnesota running blog, Running Minnesota, and written by Chad Austin.

Read the complete interview HERE!

I had the opportunity to road-trip with Kirt and a couple of other friends in December of 2007 to the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon in Louisiana. Kirt ran the full, and was running in 3rd place overall, though 8+ minutes back at the half...but Kirt came back and took the lead with less than a 1/2 mile to go for the WIN! What a great finish...and a fun road-trip!

Congratulations Kirt...

(Photo by Derek Lindstrom)

Rewards

2008-03-29T18:40:00.002-06:00

Stick to the plan this weekend...race season is right around the corner!

...and as always, "train hard, eat cake"!

...hey, who's little finger is that diggin' into the cake?

NEW Race Team logo has arrived!

2008-03-18T09:06:00.003-06:00

Finally...our new BEYONDPERFORMANCE Race Team logo has arrived!

BP Race Team member Brendon O'Flanagan designed this for us...thanks Brendon...it looks GREAT!

Coach D

www.beyondperformance.org