Athlete Acknowledgement of Risk, Release of Liability and Agreement:

I understand that this Acknowledgement of Risk, Release of Liability and Agreement is applicable to Bolton Endurance Sports Training, its coaches, associate coaches, employees, managers, members, affiliates, agents consultants and trainers (hereinafter the “Released Parties”), and I voluntarily enter this agreement. I am applying to participate in the Bolton Endurance Sports Training athletic training program and related activities (collectively referred to as “Training”) being fully aware that the Training involves risks. I accept all the risks of participating in the Training, even if they are created by the carelessness or negligence of a Released Party or anyone else. Risks of the Training include, without limitation, risks of bicycling, indoors or on roads and highways open to traffic, running, on roads, trails or treadmills, swimming in pools or in open water, lakes, oceans or other bodies of water, triathlon, duathlon, physical exertion, training and competing in large groups of people which may create the risk of falls, contact or other trauma, and other risks associated with intense physical activities. I understand these risks exist, that they are beyond the control of Bolton Endurance Sports Training and its employees, affiliates and/or coaches, and I voluntarily accept and assume these risks as part of the Training I will undertake. Additional risks are described on the accompanying List of Possible Hazards. I know there are other risks too that are not listed and I voluntarily accept them too. I fully release, discharge and waive any Claims I may have, now or in the future, against the Released Parties, even if such Claims are based on the carelessness or negligence of a Released Party or anyone ("Claims" as used in this document means any and all liabilities, claims, demands, legal actions, and rights of action for damages, property damage, personal injury or death) which are related to or in any way connected with my participation in the Training which I or my heirs or personal representative could make.

I AGREE NOT TO SUE THE RELEASED PARTIES FOR CLAIMS, EVEN IF THE CLAIMS ARISE FROM THE CARELESSNESS OR NEGLIGENCE OF A RELEASED PARTY OR ANYONE ELSE. I AGREE TO INDEMNIFY (REIMBURSE FOR ANY LOSS) AND HOLD HARMELSS EACH RELEASED PARTY, FROM ANY LOSS OR LIABILITY (INCLUDING ANY REASONABLE ATTORNEYS FEES THEY MAY INCUR) DEFENDING ANY CLAIM MADE BY ME OR BY ANYONE MAKING A CLAIM ON MY BEHALF, EVEN IF THE CLAIM IS ALLEGED OR DID RESULT FROM THE CARELESSNESS OR NEGLIGENCE OF A RELEASED PARTY OR ANYONE ELSE I UNDERSTAND THAT BY SIGNING BELOW, I AM GIVING UP CERTAIN LEGAL RIGHTS AND RELEASING THE RELEASED PARTIES FROM LIABILITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT. I ACKNOLEDGE THAT I AM VOLUNTARILY GIVING UP THOSE RIGHTS, AND AM VOLUNTARILY UNDERTAKING THE INDEMNITY OBLIGATIONS DESCRIBED IN THIS PARAGRAPH.

I am aware that there is no obligation for any person to provide me with medical care during the Training. If medical care is rendered to me, I consent to that care if I am unable to give my consent for any reason at the time that the care is rendered. I am aware that it is advisable to consult a physician prior to participating in the Training. If I have consulted a physician, I have taken the physician's advice. I grant my permission to Bolton Endurance Sports Training and to its transferees and licensees, to utilize any photographs, motion pictures, videotapes, recordings and any other references or records of the Training which may depict, record, or refer to me for any purpose, including commercial use, by Bolton Endurance Sports Training, its sponsors, associate coaches and their licensees.I understand that the Bolton Endurance Sports Training coaches, assistant coaches, members, trainers, agents and other affiliates are NOT physicians or health care professionals, and do not have medical training, and are NOT qualified to provide medical advice or consultation. I agree to consult my own physician in connection with any pain, ailment, injury, illness, reaction or other physical or medical condition that may be associated with the Training, and I specifically release and hold harmless the Released Parties from any and all liability, costs, expenses or obligations in connection with any such physical injuries or issues.I agree to abide by the rules of Bolton Endurance Sports Training in any of its training camps. I acknowledge that, if I violate any of these rules, I may be removed from the training camp and the permission for me to participate in the Training camp may be withdrawn by representatives of Bolton Endurance Sports Training. Others may violate the rules of the camps, adding to the risks of participation. No warranties have been made to me about the Training.I intend that this document act as the broadest and most inclusive assumption of risk, waiver, release of liability, agreement not to sue and indemnity as is permitted by the laws of the State of New Mexico. If any portion of it is held to be invalid, I agree that the rest of it shall continue in full force and effect. The singular of nouns and pronouns in this document includes the plural and the plural includes the singular. I agree that this agreement was made in Santa Fe, NM and that the laws of the State of New Mexico shall govern its interpretation and enforcement.If the participant is under 18 years of age, the parent agrees to the following statements: As a parent or guardian of the participant, I authorize the child to participate. I also join in the statements and agreements made by the participant in this document. I agree that, in the event participant or anyone acting on his or her behalf should make any Claims, I will provide the indemnities described in paragraph 3. List of Possible Hazards The following is a partial list of hazards that are often associated with training for triathlon, duathlon, bike racing, running, swimming, cross country skiing, and other such endurance events: Falls resulting in broken bones, sprains, strains, contusions, and equipment damage. Collisions with other athletes or vehicles on the road or trail. Drowning during open water swimming.Saddle sores, crotch rash, neck and back pain, and hand numbness related to bicycle riding. Tendonitis and bursitis, muscle strains and/or tears, and trigger points. Upper respiratory infections associated with heavy training loads. Heart attack and other heart-related symptoms.Gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, constipations (due to dehydration issues) Blood in urine or issues trying to urinate, high ketones or protein levels. Men: penile numbness, prostatitis, swollen testicles, and impotence from bicycling. Women: nipple pain from friction, vulvar swelling, groin and chest rashes, and yeast infections. Anemia, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and exposure to pollution, weight loss, immune system issues due to improper recovery and nutritional needs.Post goal race depression following your "A" race for the season. Reactions to chlorine, possible ear infections, excessive dry skin (worse in cold climates), change in hair color, and nasal infections.Heat stroke, sunburn, hypothermia, frost bite, or other conditions related to outdoor training or extreme weather conditions.

BIKE PACING FOR 112 MILES

The art of pacing is critical and vital for race-day success, ensuring you expend your energy at the finish line and not beforehand. Approximately 50 percent of your Ironman will be spent on the bike. How you pace yourself will not only impact how fast you get complete the bike course, but also how well you run the marathon. Pacing is an acquired skill and, like all skills, it’s improved by  solid hard work. Hopefully I can clarify how to correctly complete the longest leg of the race – the bike.

When you exit the swim and start riding your bike, your body undergoes radical changes  because you’ve gone from a lying position – with most of your weight supported by the water and using your upper body for propulsion – to sitting more upright on a bike, using your legs to drive you forwards. This will result in an extreme transformation as blood flow has to be rapidly redirected and the demand for oxygen rises causing a physiological disruption  that can make snapping into a sustainable rhythm hard and difficult.

To help keep your level of effort under control as you leave T1, put the bike in a relatively low gear so that you have to spin your legs, rather than giving them a huge amount of resistance to push against.  The goal is to  pedal smoothly  and efficiently while you find your desired rhythm  as you build to optimal race pace. Also, try to stay low on the bike, except when climbing steeper hills, to maintain efficient aerodynamics and sleekness.

Hopefully  you should have spent time over the last few months developing a pedal cadence of between 80 and 100rpm – your natural and most efficient pedal cadence is likely to be somewhere in this range. Attempt to maintain this cadence   during your  race.

Don’t make the mistake of riding higher (or harder) gears and reducing your RPM to a rate that’s lower than the one at which you have trained your legs to work efficiently. Maintain the cadence rate you have trained for. Don’t ride harder gears at a slower cadence because your leg muscles will fatigue quicker and it’ll be harder to run off the bike.

Your cadence rate will also affect your heart rate – pedal slowly and your heart rate will probably drop, but you will consume too much muscle power. Pedal too fast and your heart rate will increase, but you’ll be wasting energy and not enhancing  your speed. Change your gears during a race to maintain an even cadence.

There are a lot more external factors that can influence bike pacing. The most common are wind and hills, and it’s prudent to be well informed about these, so check out the course profile and weather forecast in advance. Obviously, achieving even-pacing on a flat course on a calm day is much easier than on a rolling route with a brutal headwind.

When you’re riding into a headwind or ascending a hill, you’ll obviously need to exert more effort and power  to maintain a reasonable speed, but be careful not to fight the added resistance too aggressively. When climbing, aim to reach the highest point of a hill without your legs being completely thrashed and battered, so that you can maintain the pressure over the peak and immediately click up the gears to keep the effort going down the other side. If you really push yourself here you’ll raise your pulse rate above your lactate threshold, go anaerobic and accumulate lactate in your muscles. This will slow you down for the rest of the race, resulting in losing unnecessary time.

Furthermore, sprinting up a hill and coasting down the other side is definitely not efficient in terms of energy utilization and consumption of  average speed versus going moderately hard on the ascension  and keeping force on  the  way down without easing off  unless it’s dangerous. Any time spent riding at, or under, your lactate threshold heart rate will slow you down, so pedal downhill to keep your pulse rate up. Therefore, keep an eye on your heart rate monitor and control your effort, making sure that you don’t exceed your lactate threshold heart rate. You may feel that you should be riding harder, especially if other athletes are passing you on the hill, but don’t worry – if they’re pushing themselves too hard their bike split and overall race time will be adversely affected. Maintain a constant heart rate at, or just below, your lactate threshold.

With all this being said  why do so  many age groupers go out way too hard and then suffer the last 40 miles, which then seriously affects their run!

Because the bike makes up such a significant chunk of your race, overexerting yourself can lead to a disappointing run. If you train properly there’s no need to make any serious sacrifices. Instead, focus on the tactics that will help you successfully execute the bike without putting your body into overdrive, or tapping into important run energy reserves. Training to race an Ironman requires a lot of time on the bike. This isn’t just because you have to cover 112 miles, but because you have to cover this   distance and still feel fresh enough to complete a full marathon. Aiming for an average or above-average bike split without conserving some energy for the run is a mistake that usually leads to a sub- par performance. Instead of focusing  on bike split rankings , race according to your ability and training so you can finish strongly. If you pace yourself appropriately   on the bike, you can use the extra energy you reserved to shave critical time off the run. If you overdo it on the bike you increase the risk of bonking   and falling apart on the run and thus   adding minutes (if not hours) to your total time. Instead, dial your bike back a notch to ensure you’re able to stay strong through the entire 26.2 miles.  The ideal way to complete  112 miles is to evenly split or descend the second half. Ultimately,  the ride really starts at mile 80.  That’s when big time is either gained or lost.

To optimize your performance during a race it’s critical that you carefully control your effort. The Ironman bike needs to be a stable transition from swim to run. The goal is to keep perceived exertion, heart rate and power quite measured and controlled. As expected you’ll experience   fatigue and exhaustion, but with correct pacing there should be minimal negative impact.  Thus, try to evenly split or descend the second 56 miles and change gears often as   this changes how the muscles work and can spread out fatigue. Try to keep the RPM’s up (this must be a process of adaptation in training) but stay in the HR  zones set up based on past training and testing.  These zones are extremely critical on the bike and first half of the run.  Fuel and fluid intake is obviously very  imperative especially on the bike. The last 30-40 miles is when the bike leg really starts to hit you hard and it will take great focus and concentration to keep  your technique tight and finish the bike portion strong. Once your technique falls apart- you end up working harder to go slower.

In summation, the difference between a “good” swim   or “bad” swim is only about two to five minutes. The variance between  an “easy” bike or a “hard” bike is only about 10 to 20 minutes. But the difference between a “good” and “bad” run can be measured in hours.

The truth is, your likelihood of dramatically slowing down occur in the last 6-8 miles of the run. Therefore your focus all day is on creating conditions and circumstances for success in the final 6-8 miles of the run, NOT on laying down an awesome bike split. The Ironman run course is scattered with  walking  athletes who posted incredible bike splits.

 

Robert Haviland

M.S-Exercise Physiology/Rehab Science/Sports Performance

C.S.C.S, C.E.S. , C.N.C

Multiple USAT All-American  athlete

 

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