Mario Ramos

Really enjoyed your website and was wondering if you have time for a question. I have competed in over 10 marathons and a couple of olympic distance tris over the past few years. I am thinking of entering Ralphs Half Ironman this April and was wondering if you think 4 1/2 months is enough to train for it. My goal is to finish in under 7 hours. Right now I am my workouts consist of running and strength training on alternate days and a 10-12 mile run on sundays. I have recently joined a tri club here in Arizona to help my on my bike and swim skills. I saw you race in Kona and you are such a great insperation to all of us. Take care and I hope to hear from you.

Heather's Response

Thanks for checking out my site. It is great to hear that you are interested in participating in the Ralph's ½ Ironman in April. Yes, I do think that you have enough time to get ready for the race. It sounds like you have a great base in running, and joining the tri-club will help you to build up your base and skills in both the cycling and swimming. It is really important to get with a group for swimming - swimming is very technical and it is very helpful to have someone check out your form and give you some pointers so you don't develop any bad habits. Good luck in your training and hope to see you out at the race in April.

Mike Skaggs

I met you a few years ago at Wildflower and am a big fan. I have a bike question for you. I noticed in QR\'s website you are riding a PicanTi. I just bought a 2002 model and am building it up. I was just curious how you liked the bike and how you set it up (ie stem height, seat angle, etc). Seems like most of the pros are using the Tiphoon so was curious why you went with the Picanti.

Heather's Response

Thanks for the note. I actually ride both the PicanTi and the Typhoon, and like both equally as well. They are both great bikes - the PicanTi is nice and stiff with the compact frame, and the Typhoon is a little more aero. I have both bikes set up similarly. The difference between my bike and the frames you will see out there is that I ride 700c wheels (the stock frames in my size are 650c) and I also ride a more relaxed seat angle (75 degrees). These are the combinations that work the best for me. You will see many different set-ups out there and you really need to set it up in a position that suits your riding style. Some people can get away with riding in steep angle and a very low front end (if you have seen any pictures of Lori Bowden - this is how she rides), I have found that with me it is better to have the seat in a further back position and to be not as radical out front. Enjoy your new bike!!!

Lisa B.

First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on an awesome race at Iroman Hawaii. I think you posted your best swim and bike splits in Kona. Your best run is a 3:04 in Kona I believe. Hope you are happy with your result. You really seemed to really improve your biking this year(you also biked very well at Placid - I witnessed it). Any advice/tips/key workouts you pass on how you improved? I thought you are also quite small in build but not height. :) I do think I lack strength on the bike and ability to really hurt on the bike for a long period of time. I tend to back off every so often. I am not a slow rider(my best half split is 2:36 for a half ironman du - 2kr/90k bike/21.1kr) but I think there is lots of room to improve. My running is respectable and I can really dig deep in running. I am only 5\'1 and 100lbs so I guess I only have so much power in me. :) I do own a Computrainer if that may help. Thanks in advance for your time. Enjoy some rest!

Heather's Response

Thanks for keeping up on my performances. You are right in assuming that we seem to be very similar in our strengths and weaknesses. I, like you, have no trouble going out and running hard, but to go out and put in some hard workouts on the bike is more difficult. I have always been a rider that is decent in the hills and weak on the flats. A lot of this is a strength issue. I spent a lot of time this year working out in the gym and building my strength for cycling. In addition to this, I worked on trying to build power while riding in my aerobars. Since this is the position that I ride in a race it became apparent that I needed to become more efficient riding in this position. To do this, I spent a lot of time riding in the aero position up gradual inclines - to build power in this position. Initially, I could only hold that position for a very short period of time but in time, my strength increased and I was able to climb in this position for long periods of time. I believe that this strength then transfers over to riding on the flats. I also do use a Computrainer year round. It is a great tool to monitor your performance and power output.

I hope that this helps you out - all the best in your races.

Scott Millington

I was just wondering that since you are canadian do you ever think that you will race in your home country ironman in penticton, and what are the reasons for never doing so?

Heather's Response

Thanks for checking out my site and for you question. Ironman Canada has always been a race that I have wanted to do ever since 1987 when I watched my husband Roch do the event for the first time. Unfortunately, in the past, the timing of IM Canada in proximity to IM Hawaii has stopped me from doing it. I know that many athletes have successfully competed in both events, but I didn't figure that I could put in a great race in Hawaii having done an Ironman just prior. Having said that, now that the race date in Hawaii is set on the 3rd week in October, this makes doing the double something that seems possible. IM Canada is a race that I definitely want to do before I am done racing so look for me there in the next couple of years!!!

James Anderson

What types of nutritional supplements does Heather take on a regular basis, in periods of heavy training, & when competing?

Heather's Response

Thanks for checking out my site. As for your question, there are a few products that I take on a regular basis. It is very important for me to know exactly what is in the products that I am taking and because of this the majority of the products that I do take are "SPORTQUEST" Products. I feel confident in the integrity of these products, so I know exactly what I am putting into my body.

During periods of heavy training I will take:

• The following SPORTQUEST supplements either before or after workouts and prior to bed: Vantage, Recover, Cal-Plex, Spectra I also take some additional vitamins (COQ10, Essential Fatty acids, magnesium, vit E, vit C)
• While Training I will usually use the SPORTQUEST CarboPro product, and different varieties of energy bars.
• During races, I use the Carbo Pro product as my main source of fuel along with Gatorade, Gels, and anything else that I think is going to taste good. I usually have an assortment of 5-6 items that I think I might want to eat, this way I am assured that at least one will work. In hot races I will also use the SPORTQUEST - Thermolyte tablets.
• For post-workout recovery, I will make a smoothie with Soy milk, frozen berries, and SPORTQUEST - Interphase (vanilla) - this is really yummy!!!

Noel Taylor

I am 6 weeks away from competing in my first full Ironman Race and would like to know how I should prepare myself nutritionally the week before the race. While I train, I eat healthy and use effective triathlon nutrition products such as G-Push, GU, Instaglucose and electrolyte tables. I also use bananas, pretzels and fig newtons. I would like to know how many days ahead of race day do I need to start carbing and hydrating myself so that I am prepared without eating too much and gaining too much weight. I am tapering for my race 3-4 weeks out so my body can rest. I have completed half-ironman races so this is not my first triathlon experience. How do I figure out how many ounces of fluid I need to consume within a 15-30 period. During most of my 100 mile bike rides I consume 4-6 ounces of some sort of sports drink every 15 minutes and take electrolyte tablets and gu once an hour.

Good luck at Kona

Heather's Response

First of all, good luck in your upcoming Ironman Race. I have never been a big fan of what is thought of as "carbo loading". As you mentioned, as you get into the week before the race, it is hard to know how much one should eat and drink to be optimally fueled and hydrated for race day. Because your training volume will decrease leading up to the race, there is a natural "carbo-loading" taking place. For some reason, the appetite does not decrease with the training volume, so more than likely, you are going to be consuming more carbohydrates/ training hour than you normally would - this is your natural Carbo-load.

It is impossible for me to tell you how much you should be eating and drinking leading up to the race, as this is something that is very individual.

A few rules of thumb:

• make sure that you are hydrating with an electrolyte rather than straight water the week prior. You want to keep you electrolytes in balance and overdoing it with water can cause a problem - so drink something like Gatorade or similar the week before. As for how much you should drink, if you are having to go to the bathroom every 15 mins, chances are you are drinking too much!!!
• To keep the weight in check the week before, be somewhat conscious of the volume of food that you are eating - but starving yourself is not OK. Make sure that you keep your energy up - a couple of pounds is not going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things, but if you are too thin, you won't have the reserves you need. Feel free to have a nice bid dinner at the Carbo dinner two nights before the race and then keep the "pre-race" meal the night before a little lighter -skipping things containing a great deal of fiber.
• As for your race nutrition, you should have a plan to try and consume somewhere in the range of 250-300 calories per/ hour (again this is just a benchmark figure). What works for me is to try and eat &/or drink something every 20 mins. Sit down and figure out what you plan to eat and drink and how much of this you need to add up to the 250-300 calories/ hour. Have a plan, but at the same time be flexible. Race conditions may affect your absorption rate so try and be in the moment and aware of what your body is doing.

Again, good luck in your race - and more importantly HAVE FUN!!!

Keith

Hi. Was on the QR website checking out the Tequilo. I am new to do tris/duals but not new to racing. After responding on initial rescue efforts with my Fire Station on 9-11 at the WTC me and a few of my mountain biking brothers raced in memory of our fallen brothers. I have been training on an aluminum road bike and entered a sprint duathlon. I had an awesome race (won my division which made my sponsors rather impressed) and am totally hooked. I still ride and sometimes race my mountain bike but am looking into doing a few tris/duals a season. I am keeping it at a sprint distance for now. I have a few questions. In the transition area I noticed the elite racers had the shoes already clipped in. How do you get into your shoe when you are riding. I tried this more than a few times the other day and did not fall but gave my buddies a good laugh. I have test ridden the Tequilo and had a few other questions. The bike shop owner has pushing a carbon rear frame. I do not think this is really necessary. I also was thinking about putting on a regular road bike shift/brake set up with an aerobar rather than The tri aerobar. Does this really matter? I felt more comfortable shifting from the hoods. I know you must be busy but if you have the time to respond your opinion is important.

Best of luck in the remainder of the season. Stay safe and health and keep the rubber side down.

Heather's Response

Great to have you visit my new website!!!

First of all, a big thank-you for all of your rescue efforts with 9-11. This is something that is most appreciated and you are all hero’s for doing what you did. It is great to hear that you are getting into triathlon. With the situation in the world the way it is these days, I believe it is even more important that people take time to do things that they enjoy and that are important to them!!

As for your questions, getting into your bike shoes while they are clipped onto the bike is something that simply takes a little practice. Once you have mastered the technique, your transitions will be nice and fast. Here is the basic technique for getting into your shoes when they are clipped on your pedals. Have your shoes clicked on to the pedals and exit the transition. When you get to the line where you can mount your bike, place one foot on the top of the cycling shoe (say your right foot) then as you pedal with that foot, swing your left leg up and over the saddle and then onto the top of the left cycling shoe. Before you try to get your feet into the shoes, get up some momentum by pedaling with your feet still on top of the cycling shoe. If you are going too slow, you will wabble around so make sure that you get up some speed and then slip your feet into the shoes one foot at a time. It is important to remember that under certain circumstances, this technique is not any faster – that is if you have a steep hill to go up immediately exiting the transition. If this is the case, you will want to put your cycling shoes on before you get on your bike. So check out the exit to the transition and make sure that it is feasible to leave your shoes on your bike. Again with a little practice you will become pretty skilled at this and it will save you some time.

Regarding your bike, the most important thing is to get a bike that “fits” you. Be sure to got to a bike shop that is knowledgeable enough to sell you something that is the correct size. All of the bikes that you will find that are in the price range of the TEQUILO will all be very comparable – you really can’t go wrong. The difference comes in the “ride”. Aluminum is a stiff ride – very responsive, titanium is stiff as well but a little more forgiving, and carbon fiber is a “softer” ride as the carbon dampens the effects of the road. Again, all of the bikes in this caliber regardless of the material that they are made out of will be a great buy. If you can, test ride a number of different bikes, in the different materials and see if you see any difference yourself.

You will see that more often, people are opting for the regular road bar set up with shifters on the hoods and then adding aerobars. This option is definitely a more versatile set up. Regular road bars give you more options as to hand position and are more stable for technical riding. When aerobar shifters are nice is when the course is very flat and you spend the majority of your race in the aerobars. Again, I think it is important to choose a set up that you are comfortable with.

John Thompson

I am doing my first Ironman this year. How long does it generally take until I can start to train and race again after the IM

Heather's Response

You can usually plan on a month before you can get back into any serious training and or racing after an IM. The first week you should pretty much take OFF completely. The only thing that you might want to do is by the weekend and easy spin and or swim. If possible get yourself a massage and or stretch regularly. By week #2 you can start to do some short workouts in all three sports, but make sure you err on the shorter side for all of your workouts. Week #3 – You can get into a normal training schedule – but keep the intensity easy. Week #4 – you should feel recovered and ready to resume a full training schedule or do a race. This is of course the “basic blue print” everyone is different and every race is different. Sometimes you will find that you feel good after a couple of weeks – use caution if this is case. Often what happens is that there is a delayed onset to the fatigue. You may feel great at week #2 and therefore jump back into training, by week #4 you will most likely be pretty wiped out. Bottom line, listen to your body and remember when it comes to recovery “LESS IS MORE”!!!!!