The Coach Buzz ...

I am absolutely ecstatic to announce that I will be racing Challenge Roth in July of 2015. The July 12th race is one of THE races that every Professional Triathlete looks to do.  In addition to the race, the Challenge organization is unparalleled in their dedication to the athletes. They are still growing in the US, but everyone will know about them in the coming years... they truly do put athlete at the forefront of their events. I look forward to not only being in  Roth, but also at a number of other Challenge events i the future. Do an event and you'll see what I mean. There is a choice and there is a difference. http://www.challenge-family.com/challenge-roth/

RACING: We have a few months left in 2014, but the 2015 preps are well under way here in Madison. I decided  to take my "off season" after I returned from Ironman Hawaii. This was the earliest I have taken that so called off season and it's so far proven to be a good move. The last 5 weeks looked like this: 2 weeks of nothing and now 3 weeks of slowly building back into things. In addition to the SBRing, this has also been the time to bring in some pretty solid strength sessions. It's been a nice change and this year my long time training partner and friend, Justin Daerr, and I keep each other motivated when "throwing plate." I think there might even be a squat off coming up sometime toward the end of the year. 2015 is still in the works for me. After it was announced that there would no longer be an Ironman Wisconsin (my driving force for the last 13 years), I have had to put some thought into what excites me and where I want to put my focus. Things a

I have always liked the saying, "if it's meant to be, it will be." It helps me from getting to worked up over things that don't go quite how I planned. Minus a few niggles here and there, my build into Ironman Wisconsin was going well until about 10 days before the race, when I started to come down with a sore throat and a cough. Things quickly went south and I ended up with full blown bronchitis on Monday of race week. Despite the sickness, I was optimistic that with great self care and drugs, I could get back to top form by Sunday. Wednesday rolled around and I was about 75% in my own estimation and confident I could contend. However, I needed to discontinue my Rx because they were not allowed in competition. I steadily progressed until about Saturday when I just couldn't get all the fluid out of my chest. None the less, I didn't have a choice, I put it out of my mind and it was time for a race. Race morning the race conditions were probably some of

About a month ago we were given the news that this would be the last year for a Professional race at Ironman Wisconsin. While I don't want to comment on that decision too much in this post, I do want to say that without the PRO race in Madison, nothing I have created in the last 14 years would exist. I sincerely hope that WTC is able to amend their current decisions for the future generations of aspiring and developing Professional athletes, as well as the long term success of their business However, until those changes are made, next Sunday will be my last chance to do what I have wanted to do so badly since the inaugural race here in Madison back in 2002...WIN! I will admit that I had NO idea if that was possible in 2002, or even 2003 through 2006, but I believed it could be possible...someday. The course was seared into my mind and the thought of winning was a central driving force behind countless 1200-1500 hour years of training. It is also what got me past a number of dis

Just a short post today that we have 3 openings for for Ironman Camp coming up in 2 weeks time. We sold out and then had a few cancellations; so if you would like to get in on the fun, camp runs from noon on Friday, August 1st to noon on Sunday, August 3rd. You can find more details here: http://www.teambbmc.com/camps.php If you would like a complete schedule and itinerary, let me know. I do have a few home stay's available, but they are available on first come first serve basis. Have a great week!

This last weekend, I headed down to race what is my most frequented race outside of Ironman Wisconsin; Ironman 70.3 Muncie. This would be my 6th time heading down to Indiana in July and needless to say I was excited to race. I was optimistic even though the field was stacked and I made a few errors in the last few weeks before the race which lead to me not feeling like my usual. You never know what can happen on race day. As a little tip, when I don't feel good leading into the race I typically add in MORE rest. +++ I found myself on the start line as the only guy in a sleeveless suit (outside of one other without a wetsuit). I knew it would be challenging to swim with the guys without the added advantage that a full suit provides, but I also knew that I wouldn't have to worry as much about overheating. The gun went off and I stayed with the front group until about 400m. I just couldn't hang on any longer; eventually I settled into a rhythm with the chase pack,

Ironman 70.3 Kansas Race Report... This last weekend I headed down to Lawrence, KS to make my first appearance at Ironman 70.3 Kansas. I have sent athletes to this race for the last 4 seasons, but I had never personally made the trip. 2014 was the year. I knew I was due for a good hit out and since this was the first "rested" race of the year I was optimistic against a very strong field. I made the 9hr + drive on Friday and stayed with good friend, Jessica Jacobs and her family. A huge thank you for their hospitality and allowing me to stay with them at Ft. Leavenworth. The "Good" The swim was good. It wasn't great, it was terrible, it was about what I would expect for how I felt. I backed the volume off a bit too much in the last 4 days and I think it was the reason I was a little bit flat. I rocked the Vendetta Sleeveless to avoid overheating and came out about 90sec back of the usual front pack... unfortunately, this race had some of the world

WOTD (Word Of The Day) - Sustainability.  Whether it's work, sport or life, sustainability of what you are doing is a major key to success. As a goal driven individual, you will tend to convince yourself that one of two things is true: - You are an exception to the above. - You can handle more than you think. To take a look at whether or not what you are doing is sustainable. Consider the foll owing: Pay attention to your daily energy levels over a longer period of time. Are you able to be effective? Are you stressed? Do you cut out taking care of yourself for the sake of others or your goals? If you are, what you are doing is not sustainable. Take a look at your life now and then think about all the things you want over the near-mid-long term. Could you achieve/have those with what you are doing now? If the answers are no or I don't know and you want to continue what you are doing, you may want to take a closer look at if what you are doing is sustainable. Are you balanced? Wh

When I planned out my season, it was simple, no Ironman early in the year with the hopes of having a better peak in September. The last few year's I have been a bit overdone in September, which has landed some good results at Ironman Wisconsin, but not the one I am looking for or capable of. So with that in mind, I let the weather dictate my training load. Jan and Feb were a bit low on volume compared to last year, but Mar, Apr and May have made up for it. Each week I have done what the body has allowed and I've built some nice fitness. To keep things fresh I also decided that I wanted to race as many of the local events as I could. I did this back in 2009 and had a blast. +++ This is also called "training through races." If you take this type of approach, you want to keep a few things in mind: - You can't expect to be your best self every time out. But that's not the point. The point is to work on specific skills that will help you when you get to y

It's time to dust off the triathlon racing equipment for the first time this season as I head down to Revolution3 Triathlon Knoxville to take part in their last Professional race. The distance is much shorter than I typically race, but I wanted to mix things up early in the year so I have all cylinders firing in September. Racing, even when not at your peak fitness is an important step as you work toward your big races. These type of races allow for a fitness check, they are a chance to dial in nutrition and pacing, they are an opportunity to hopefully make some money as a Professional and of course have a little fun. Also, as my coach Cliff English has said, "you can't train forever." Thanks to Cliff, to the Trek Store of Madison for setting me up on the best bike for the year. Peak Performance Massage for helping me recover faster. Xterra Wetsuits for helping me swim fast and PowerBar fueling me through thousands of miles of training.

The other day I was asked what I would have done differently in the path that I have taken to get where I am. Noting that there are a lot of athletes who would love to follow the same path and likely do better, I thought I would be post my response. #6 - Spent a little more time letting go of metrics and numbers. It can be fun to achieve epic training loads and log massive amounts of volume. However, it can also be detrimental to performance when you start to train beyond your ability to absorb. The end result is injury, sickness and ultimately getting burned out. I spent a lot of time logging consecutive 30hr training weeks before I was ready. The end result was a lean, mean, tired (and sometimes injured) racing machine. #5 - Looked In, Not Out. There is no such thing as the "best" training plan out there, there is just "your" best training plan that works best for your physiology, mental capacity and background. The best thing that I could have done was paid l

To check out the current KPR format and rules, head to:  http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/organizations/pro-membership.aspx#axzz2xqxYYc6w +++ The basis of my recommendations come from the idea that Kona should be treated like a World Championship in any mainstream sport. A champion is crowned and then the playing field is level heading into the next season. These are extreme changes no doubt, but hopefully some or all of the points can be taken into consideration. 1) Season must end with the World Championship. To do this, the season needs to end with Kona and start after a certain amount of time has passed. Some of the races will need to change dates to accommodate and the World Championships need to happen around the same time at the end of the year. The new season would then start December 1 or January 1, etc. 2) Standardization of prize purse and points.  This takes out trying to decide if a certain finish at one race is better than another and by how

I was asked to write an article for the great  Dr. Eiring  on my own personal experiences having to do with mindfulness relating to triathlon. Here it is below, I hope you enjoy! Mind-ful-ness: "the mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique." In 2010 I was about at my breaking point with Ironman distance triathlon. I had raced well over the shorter distances, but for whatever reason, no matter how well I trained I just could not have the same level of success at the Ironman distance. I had gone 9hrs 25minutes, which is speedy to most, but considering what I was capable of in training, this was a long way from being deemed a "successful" race. After a number of terrible Ironman races and DNF's in 2010 and with 6 weeks to go before my biggest race of the year, I sought out the help and expertise

It's been a busy off season for me as I get ready for the 2014 season. BBMC has grown substantially and I am excited about what is to come. To start, we'll have a new team based website that should be up in about a week (www.teambbmc). In addition to the new site, we'll also have some new offerings to both the public and our athletes. As blakebecker.com transitions to teambbmc.com this blog will act as my athlete site until I get another one up and running. Make sure to check back here for race results, training updates, etc. Speaking of racing, my 2014 schedule is almost finalized. This is going to be the first year since 2009 that I haven't raced an early season ironman distance race. Without a doubt I have to say that this was my best decision for a number of reasons. In addition to the races listed below, I will also add in a number of other local and regional events. That's all I have for now, I'll leave you with a picture of what the latest scenery h

Tomorrow I head back to the frozen tundra after my first training camp of 2014. I got in about 30hrs of training over 8 days with plenty of quality. Though it was about 40-50% more than my usual winter volume, I have to say that I think I did this one right, not too much where I'll need a lot of extended recovery, but enough to get what I needed out of this camp. Now for a recap of the week. - Day 1 - The week started cold, but sunny. Yes midwesterner's, I know...but it's all relative. I was happy.  - Day 2 - It really got nasty... where was I again? Why hadn't I taken off my arm or knee warmer's? A tan?! Forget about it! - Day 3 - All this training stuff was making me hungry, so as part of my rent payment I made Erin and I chicken for dinner. - Day 4 - Arizona started to look like Arizona again. I caught this sunset on my way to dinner. - Day 5 & Day 6 - Started to get into a groove and also was finally a

This is the time of year when things are tough for athletes in the northern hemisphere...ok, well not if you live in the west, but if you live anywhere else the cold winter is starting to wear on you. It's been long enough that you don't remember the warm weather, you don't have the holiday's to distract you and the spring is still 8 weeks or more away. Athletes usually start the year out strong; resolutions, new goals, race registrations open, etc. However, after a few weeks when the excitement fades, some athletes find that their training mojo does as well. After this happens, many athletes feel like they are the only ones who are missing workouts and falling behind. When you add in social media where they see other athletes completing their sessions (of course mentioning what they do complete and not what they don't), it's easy to feel even more insecure about not training. Sound familiar yet? As someone who has been racing and coaching for a lo