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| Dan with his wife, Elisa, at Mont Tremblant |
Dan likes simple. This approach has been effective and brought much success, not only to his many athletes, but also to himself. He had a breakthrough performance at the inaugural Ironman Mont Tremblant on Sunday, August 19th finishing 7th Overall, 2nd Amateur and 1st in his Age Group in a time of 9:16:27. I took the opportunity to get some behind-the-scenes information on how he brought himself to such an amazing performance and what it means to him.
1) This was a huge PR for you in the Ironman. Talk about your training in preparation for this race and whether it has differed from previous years.
Indeed, this was a big PR for me in an Ironman. It was around 13 minutes faster than Coeur D'Alene in 2009 but that really doesn't tell the whole story since comparing times on the same course from one year to the next is problematic so comparing one course to another isn't useful. It was certainly my best Ironman race--so, maybe calling it a personal best is more appropriate.
To address the differences, in training there were many, some big and some small. The biggest change was that I started working with Paulo Sousa about a year ago which has been very positive and I have learned a lot.
One big change with Paulo is accountability and making sure I'm doing the right things at the right time and we don't just do something for the sake of doing it. For instance, if the 4th of July falls on a Wednesday I don't have a long ride on my schedule just because I have time. I train like I do every other Wednesday.
2) Would you consider this a perfect or near perfect performance? Did everything fall into place for you or did you have to overcome any setbacks?
Most triathlons, of any distance, are rarely, if ever a perfect day and Ironman almost always presents an unexpected challenge and IMMT was no different. Around 90 minutes into the ride my legs started cramping. There wasn't a good reason for this to happen, I wasn't riding beyond what my training would indicate I was capable of after a hard swim, etc. But, I told myself that I didn't come all the way to Quebec to ride 35 miles and eat poutine and smoked meat sandwiches so I just kept riding as hard as I could and did my best to execute the race plan.
The leg cramps on the last time up the climb to Lac Superieur allowed me more time to take in the scenery. My energy level, however, was good throughout the race. So, using the word "overcoming" to describe what I did would be wrong--I managed the situation and stayed positive.
The reason I'm so happy about the race was the feeling of hitting mile 13 of the run and having the ability to make a decision to "stay or hold" instead of just surviving. That was amazing. In that sense it was perfect.
3) Going into this race, did you believe you were capable of this performance? Were there any moments leading up to race day or during the race itself where you had self-doubts? If so, how did you overcome them?
I had a terrible race at Rev3 Portland (which was a month before) where I was kind of flat and just failed to really race and do my best--and really, doing my best is really what it's all about. I missed an opportunity, mailed it in, and thoroughly regretted it.
Starting this race I had to do the opposite of what I did at Rev3 Portland and be ready to face whatever challenge with a positive attitude.
I was confident that I was capable of swimming around an hour, riding my goal power and running for 26.2 miles and the resulting time would just sort of, "be there" and the race would be good. It's easy to believe when the jets fly over and the gun goes off and much harder at mile 13 of the run. But I packed a suitcase full of belief.
4) What is your pre-race routine?
I re-read my race plan before I go to bed and once when I wake up in the morning. I have one or two eggs with rice, some bread with jam, or in this case Caramel Ganache (only found in Quebec), and have a small bottle of EFS, a small bottle of Scratch Labs Everyday Hydration and coffee, tons of coffee. Right before the gun goes off I recite the key points of the race plan again in my head and then make a joke or two with my competitors. And kiss my wife.
5) What was your pacing strategy for each leg of the race?
I like simple so:
I swim pretty hard but not too hard.
I ride "easy on the hills and steady on the flats". As IM Champion Tom Evans would say.
Once I taper for Ironman, running at goal pace feels pretty easy for the first few miles so I just tried to keep it easy--but I deviated from plan a little and tried to catch the guy in front of me (I didn't) and paid for it the last few miles but held on to my overall placing.
6) Did this race (course and conditions) play to your strengths? What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses in racing (mental and/or physical)?
I usually have more problems with cramping in hot and humid conditions and it was cool for this race but I cramped anyway--go figure. It was quite windy on parts of this course which I like but there was quite a bit of steep climbing which I don't like but in an Ironman almost everyone has the wrong approach to the steep climbs which helps me later.
I remind myself that Ironman, after all, is more than the sum of its parts: an "okay" swim, a mediocre ride, and a good run often won't result in an okay race, it will be a GREAT race.
7) It is said that mental strength is just as important as physical strength in endurance events, especially Ironman. Do you have any mental strategies that you find particularly useful before and during your races?
Ironmans are just really long races where sticking to a plan pays off and going harder than planned earlier in the race rarely results in a better overall time. The dynamics can be quite a bit different in the Pro field at times, which we often read about, but has very little relevance for Age Group racing where being patient and waiting for the cream to rise is key.
I try and remember that these races are hard, they're supposed to be, that if I can hold on for this moment the next few moments might get better and I will be going faster.
8) What was your Ironman nutrition plan? Is this something you've always used or has it been tweaked based on past performances or for particular race conditions?
For Ironman my race nutrition plan is a bottle of First Endurance EFS with two scoops of Carbo-Pro to start the bike then what's on course which is 40oz. of Ironman Peform per hour from the 30 minute mark of the bike until I cross the finish line with some bananas or a gel here or there if I feel like it isn't enough. I will probably increase the calories a little on the bike next time and have a little more for breakfast.
9) Placing as the 2nd Amateur qualifies you for your Pro Card. Was this a goal for you and when do you plan to start racing in the Professional field?
My goal was to execute well and that would put me in contention to be one of the top amateurs. But to be honest, I haven't looked into an Elite card that much. One of the aspects I love about Ironman is being able to race the field whereas racing in wave starts isn't always as much fun. So it's something to consider.
10) What are your plans for the remainder of the season? What about next year?
I will line up at Leadman Epic Bend for the 1/2 Epic distance and Ironman 70.3 Austin and those will likely be the last two races of the season.
I am signed up for IM Tremblant 70.3 but have no other plans right now. Maybe a late season Ironman like Arizona.
11) What will you do to continue to improve for future racing?
Simple: I will continue to believe in the training that I'm doing and apply the lessons I learned so far this season.
12) Tell us who supports you.
First, my wife Elisa.
The Team at VisionQuest (Robbie taught me everything I know about riding a bike fast).
TREK of Highland Park (KC and the mechanics keep me training and on the road).
The Sponsors of VisionQuest, including Giro, Oakley, TYR, Cobb Saddles, FRS, Transamerica, IBJI, Napleton's Northwestern, SRAM, CycleOps, Gatorade, Speedplay and CLIF bar.
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