Randy Starkman R.I.P.

Amateur and Olympic sports in Canada lost a huge friend and supporter today. As reported earlier in the day, Toronto Star Sports Writer Randy Starkman died suddenly today, due to complications from a bout of pneumonia.

In the world of sports media in North America the lines are pretty clearly drawn - there are the Pro League team sports - Baseball, Football, Basketball and Hockey, also Tennis & Golf, and then there is everything else - the "other" sports. Most mainstream media outlets these days don't even bother with the "other" sports. But this was Randy's beat. In Canada, I believe he was the only one that was on that "other" sports beat, 365 days a year, year in year out.

Every four years, as we'll see in a few months there is an orgy of coverage of the "other" sports at the Olympic Games. However Randy tried to keep many of those Olympic and Amateur sports, everything from Athletics to Archery, in the spot-light all the time! It was Randy who kept the lights on in the 3 years and 50 weeks, between Olympic Games! Kudos to the Star for giving him the leeway and latitude over the years to do this - I really don't know of anyone else in Canada who would cover and report on cycling and canoeing, or bobsleigh, or nordic skiing the way Randy did. Certainly no one who did it with the depth of knowledge, detail, and the passion that he did!

My interactions over the years with Randy have been limited. We would see one another from time to time, at triathlon races and industry events and I recall a few lengthy phone chats over the years about triathlon, and also, sports development. He was a huge fan of the sport of triathlon and despite, following so many diverse sports, he had a great knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport of triathlon. And when he didn't know something he had no shame in asking a question about that sport!

Of course it's doubly tragic that we are in an Olympic year, and while there will be that usual flurry and frenzy of coverage during the actual games from all media, in London in August, it was Randy who was at the Swim Canada Olympic Trials just over a week ago, writing and blogging about the highs and the heart-break of who made it and who did not! It was Randy who was at the announcement of the new Toronto Triathlon Festival recently, and the one doing the interview with Olympic Triathlon Gold and Silver Medalist, Simon Whitfield trying to understand what Whitfield's drive was to go for a fourth Olympic Games.

These will be HUGE shoes to fill, for The Star, and for all of us who are fans, and followers of these "other" sports. We have lost a massive fan, supporter and friend. As Olympic & World Champion Kayaker Adam Van Koverden put it in another tribute today: "Randy was a steadfast devotee. He Loved us. He was our fan, our colleague & our friend"!

My condolences to the Starkman family. I am sorry for your loss. We will all miss Randy.

Being Out There

My friend Jimmy Riccitello wrote a great blog recently that summed it up really well. In short, the really great athletes want to be out there! The subject of that blog was Lance Armstrong and the fact that despite ferocious winds, Armstrong was out on the Ironman Hawaii bike course doing what he loves to do - riding his bike. Riccitello, called it desire!

In fact Armstrong makes this clear in the very first chapter of his first book, "It's not About The Bike", that there is nothing he would rather be doing, than being out there on his bike!

With the recent huge growth in recreational endurance sports, strangely, this is the dirty little secret, that never seems to get addressed. That regardless of the weather, how you feel, your hectic schedule, or whatever, there is nothing else you would rather be doing, than being out there doing what you love to do.

The great athletes rarely have to be told what to do. More often they need to be told what not to do - when not to train. When not to go too hard or too long. I recall the round of interviews several years ago with coach Brett Sutton, when the great Chrissie Wellington broke out and started on her magnificent run of long distance triathlon dominance. Sutton who was coaching Wellington at the time, was getting poked and prodded for his "secret". Sutton's best line in several of those articles was: "I have to have strong biceps with athletes like Chrissie - to hold them back!"

The picture at the top of this blog, was taken on a damp, cold and foggy day a few weeks ago. When I got up in the morning I really did not feel like riding. Yet, I prepped myself and the bike, and headed out. Fifteen minutes into the ride, I realized I had a grin on my face - this is what I wanted to be doing. This is what I really loved to be doing. Out there riding my bike!

Reflecting back on my own "career" as an endurance athlete, with the help of age and a better perspective, I have come to the conclusion that I was a better trainer than racer. I wanted to be out there, doing it, whatever it was, as much as I could. There is no doubt in my mind that I probably left some of my best performances on the training track or road and not in real races. Yet, I realize also that I would not have experienced the modest "success" that I did achieve, if I truly did not love being out there!

I don't mean to discredit anyone here, but when I engage with modern endurance athletes, the questions all seem to be about everything else, but that love of being out there and that desire. It's all about the gear, the graphs, the numbers, the program . . . . etc They seem to want the results, and to move forward, but what seems lacking from the questions I get and the discussions I am involved with and listen to, is that, love of being out there and that desire.

The bottom line is that if you have the love and the desire, the results will come!

Do you really love being out there?

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You are What You Eat - Maybe, More than You Think!

I learned a new word yesterday, "Obesogens". I first read it in an article in The Atlantic talking about how certain chemical compounds in our food, even in micro amounts, are possibly contributing to the over-weight and obesity epidemic in North America. The article is here. It's an interesting and thought provoking read. I would like to thank Professional Triathlete, and sometime race announcing colleague and friend, Jordan Rapp for bringing it to my attention.

Engaging and lengthy threads discussing the content of The Atlantic article sprung up on each of both Jordan and my Facebook pages after first Jordan and then myself posted it up.

There is no doubt that it's a complicated issue with many factors contributing to a persons weight gain and weight loss. One fact is clear - in North America in particular, we are getting bigger and bigger, with a large percentage of the population over-weight or obese, and a growing number becoming morbidly obese!

It's an oversimplification, but many believe that weight gain and weight loss is directly related to the calculus of calories-in and calories-out. If you believe that, you are possibly only partly right. For sometime scientists and nutritional scientists have known that there are chemical compounds, in foods, some/many, introduced in the growth, production and storage of those foods, that have impacts on the bodies own internal chemical systems, such as the endocrine system, which in turn regulates, the calories-in/calories-out balance. It's a valid question to ask and to challenge the agricultural industry and business, why are these chemical compounds in our food in the first place?

The old adage was that if you wanted to lose weight - eat less and be more active. However, for some, that does not work. The Atlantic article claims that for these folks, these "obesogens" may potentially over-ride, the bodies caloric balancing mechanisms and despite best efforts at diet modification and physical activity, a person will still gain weight!

They have come to this conclusion based on isolating some of these so called "obesogens" and also discounting, the popular claim that much of the overweight and obesity epidemic in North America, can be attributed to the fact that we eat more and are less active - That in fact, caloric consumption is about the same as it was many years ago and that activity levels are also the same, and perhaps even higher! It's these two claims, that I find, albeit from my own anectdotal observation, but also backed up by other authors on the subject such as Michael Pollan, strange and out of synch.

From what I have seen in my life, meal portion sizes in North America have increased substantially, and people are far less physically active. A generation ago, as kids, we walked everywhere - to/from school, to friends houses, to the store and to the playground. These days, kids and every one else, walks, very little. Sure there is an obsession amongst a select group of people to be physically active and train and exercise, but overall, we seem to be far less active in our lives.

It's my personal belief that the calories-in/calories-out equation is still important - if you start out, as Pollon suggests, "Eat[ing] food. Not too much. Mostly plants", and are physically active in your daily life, there is a very good chance that you will not put on massive amounts of weight. The claim, that "obesogens" in our food is causing us to get fat, while potentially true, puts us in dangerous territory, of giving the already overweight and the obese another excuse, to not do anything about their weight and health.

If you are reading my blog, you are very likely an endurance athlete - with daily physical activity levels way above, even what is suggested for "normal" health. You are also, conscious to obsessed, with what you eat, and probably strive to eat as healthy a diet as you can. The thing to remember is that we are not normal. Indeed, both Jordan and I, at 6'2" and about 155 lbs each, soaking wet - classic ectomorphs, thanks to our genetics - are not to be believed when it comes to these sorts of things. "You have no idea", many will say with a degree of incredulity. And they are probably right. I know that I could sit on the couch for a week eating only Oreos, and barely gain an ounce! When I stopped racing triathlon at a serious level, a number of years ago, and cut back on the amount I trained dramatically, I lost weight!

So perhaps there are people at the other end of the spectrum, who no matter what, are more inclined to put on weight, and that, these "Obesogens" in our food, drive that equation even further, negating the calories-in/calories-out calculus. If these foreign chemical compounds are in our food as a result of the foods production, why are they there?

What do you think? What has been your experience with food, with weight and your diet?

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On Being a Triathlete & Seasonal Plans

Finish line scene at Ironman Canada

There is a trend in the sport amongst the recreational crowd, that I find curious - putting all your eggs in one race basket. Typically, these days it's putting all your focus on one big long race, and these days this is very often an Ironman. It's reached the point that I heard of athletes suffering post-Ironman depression - seriously!

It's natural that after a big goal has been achieved, that there is a bit of a let-down. Nothing wrong with this. This is a common occurrence in all manner of things we do in our lives.

To counter this, my suggestion would be to be a triathlete. Even more, be an athlete! If you are a true triathlete you are a jack-of-all-trades endurance athlete. Your range of things that you can do as an endurance athlete is wide. So why focus and obsess on just one event?

My suggestion would be to do two things:

1. Revel in your endurance athlete range, ability and endurance.

2. It sounds cliche, but focus on and enjoy the process of being a triathlete.

Regarding #1 - As a triathlete you can swim, bike and run. You don't have to just race and do triathlons. You have three times the events to look forward to and do, verses the single sport athlete.

Regarding #2 - If you really enjoy the journey and the process of being an athlete, the training, and everything that goes along with this, the goals will come.

Its OK to have a big season end goal - I am not advising against that. What I would recommend is that you have small goals along the way - smaller, other races, perhaps even single sport races and events leading up to the season ending race. Then, if the season-ender does not go so well, you'll have a season long list of other races, and hopefully successes to look back on.

Also, take time to hone your game of being a triathlete, of being an athlete. "Success" in any endurance sport, does not come over night. It takes time to build up the base of fitness and experience to do well, so take the time to immerse yourself in the sport, or sports and enjoy the journey?

Hopefully, what all of this will do is, buffer you from a really big let-down and depression after the end of the season and that big goal race.

What is your main season goal? Do you have little goals along the way?

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Social Media Marketing - What Are You Doing?

WOOOOOSSSSHHHHH! - Was that the sound of a Social Media Marketing opportunity passing you by?

For the first time ever, Social Media Marketing is on the table as a legitimate option for companies and athletes in the endurance sports business. In this Fall's go-round discussions for marketing plans for 2012, I heard for the first time from key industry people, that they are looking more at an athlete's digital foot-print, their blog, their number of Twitter followers, and how many Likes they have on Facebook etc . . . . In a meeting recently with one of the leading players in the retail side of the triathlon business I was told, "We are definitely looking more at an athletes social media activity, more than anything else"!

All of a sudden, social media matters! Both sponsors and the sponsored need to get with the program! The traditional way for brands and other businesses to get their name out there was to sponsor athletes and then use their results on the podium, as the methodology to get exposure. This still works at the highest level for the best athletes in a sport that are on the podium. You get that exposure. Those are marketable results. Now, with the power of social media, for other athletes, the podium does not matter as much, or at all - they may give a company or a brand, greater exposure, and a more powerful and intimate connection to customers through that athletes social network(s).

In a recent conversation with a leading consultant in the triathlon business, who is involved with sponsorship at the highest level in the sport, I was told, "Twitter and blogs are where it's at"!

In the sport of triathlon and the endurance sports in general, we are lucky, in that we have as consumers, and customers, people who are early adopters of just about everything. In fact, way before we even knew what social media was, we had web sites like Slowtwitch and it's associated high traffic forum. This was well before Facebook was even a twinkle in the eye of a young Mark Zukerberg and tweeting was for birds only!

The game has changed almost completely. For brands and an A-List of athletes right at the top of the sport, the old model of marketing remains more or less the same. If you are one of these A-Listers, you are defined by your results. You can pull down large and good sponsorship contracts, with the biggest companies, based almost solely on your results. This is how the game has always worked for professional athletes.

Now though, as you start to move down the ranks of athletes and move away from the bigger brands, Social Media Marketing starts to become much more important. For the athlete, it's not that results don't matter, they still do, but at the end of the day, it's about how many people you can influence, and the bigger the athletes social network, the more influence they will have and the more valuable they will be to the brands and companies that sponsor them. Athletes have to remember that when all is said and done, they need to deliver value to their sponsors.

For great primer on all of the above and it's impact, I highly recommend you read Mitch Joel's, "Six Pixels of Separation" and follow his blog.

Social Media Marketing - What are you doing this year that's different?

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Flats

It's a fact of life - if you do a lot of riding, you are going to get flat tires.

Every year at the Interbike Trade Show there are a few companies touting their flat-less, non-pneumatic tires. That these tires are going to revolutionize cycling by eliminating the dreaded flat tire. Despite the claims, these innovations never seem to catch on and, the over one hundred year old technology of the pneumatic tire roles on!

And that leads us back to the flats. In a typical year, my wife, Professional Triathlete Paolina Allan and I get on average 2 - 3 on-the-road flats, in thousands of miles ridden. Last, year was typical - we had exactly three flats for the year between the two of us!

Paolina had two on one day and one ride - one going up Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, AZ and another coming down Mt. Lemmon. The picture above is me changing #2. #1 was a staple through the tire, and #2 was a small razor sharp piece of scrap metal that again went right through the tire. I note in the picture above, another group ride's support van had stopped and loaned us a floor pump - very kind of them.

I had one, on the day we road the Ironman Canada bike course in August. Just as we started to ramp things up heading up the Yellow Lake climb, I ran over a metal screw, that perfectly punctured through the tire. In all three instances the change-over to a new tube was made quickly, and we were on our way in a few minutes.

These three flats, were total flukes and, just plain bad luck. On message boards and forums I see many triathletes and cyclists are plagued with flat tires. What I do to minimize flats is as follows and it seems to work for us:

- Ride on the best rubber that you can afford. I see this often - people riding $5,000 bikes and really cheap tires. Up-grade your rubber. It's win-win: Better ride and less flats.

- Make sure your tires are installed properly. It's not that hard a skill. This should be a basic. Know how to do it, at home and on the side of the road. Practice it! Outstanding guide for clincher tube changing at the always informative Park Tool site.

- Always check tire inflation and pressure, before every ride! Buy and use a good floor pump for home use and for on-the-road know how to use a Co2 cartridge (always carry two) or mini pump.

- Between rides check your tires over carefully. Look for cuts, and small micro pieces of glass and metal imbedded in the tread/tire. Use a pin to dig the small things out of the rubber.

- Scan road ahead for obvious things that cause flats. If on a group ride, alert following riders to these issues. Don't get too obsessed about this, as you also need to focus on riding and other things.

- Try to find a tire and rim/wheel combo that goes on and off easily for both your every-day wheels and your race wheels. Some combos are terrible and require the strength of three men to make a change. You don't want that combo.

FWIW - we have had great success with the Vittoria EVO CX tires. These clincher tires are "expensive", but they meet all of my key tire criteria:

- Have amazing feel for the road.
- Roll straight and true and offer fantastic grip in corners.
- Despite claims of others, reasonably durable. Again, only three flats last year!
- Go on and off our regularly used wheels very easily.
- Are readily available in most good bike shops.

Despite all of this, flats happen. Be ready for them! Don't sweat it. Know what you are doing. Make the change, and get on with the ride!
How often do you get flat tires?

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Black Socks

Are you a member of the Brotherhood of Black Sock Wearers?

The Rules seem to have mixed feelings on black Socks for cycling. However, I think they have been overly influenced by a certain cyclist from the State of Texas.

My use of black socks for cycling goes back a number of years, and way before, Big Tex started doing it. It was based more on utility and pragmatism than anything else. Back in the early 90's I was living in Vancouver, B.C. For those who know Vancouver, know that it rains a bit in Canada's Lotus Land, and you are often out riding in what locals call "Liquid Sunshine", more than you would like. There were some regular group road rides that I would attend, and I noticed that the hardest of the hard-core guys, like mountain bike ace, Bruce Spicer would wear black socks. I would always return from these gritty, wet, winter rides with my nice white cycling socks, now several shades of grey - a grey that would not wash out, no matter how many times through the washing machine, I note. So I went black! Problem solved.

I can't take full credit for it, but when Sugoi started to make cycling socks, when I was working there in the late 90's, I pushed in a planning meeting, to "Make sure you offer those socks in black". Made sense, Sugoi was a Vancouver based cycling apparel company - we knew about riding in dirty and wet conditions.

Since then, the sock business has exploded - it's a new sub specialty product category all itself these days. If you walk into a cycling or running shop you'll be faced by a wall of socks, from a variety of manufacturers, and a rainbow of colour options and designs, beyond the basic white sports sock. There are even anatomically correct options for your left and right foot . . who knew?

However, my eyes are always drawn to the black socks. My current preferred socks are the DeFeet Aireator Black High-Tops (pictured above). Simple. Basic. Black. Never get dirty. Always look the same! However, as you can see, on a quick perusal of the DeFeet website, their socks come in many different colours with all kinds of funky and cool designs. With socks these days, you can go crazy! Check out these retina wreckers from my friend Joe Foster from Sock Guy.

Now, when you see another cyclist wearing black socks, I am not sure what it is but, it's usually a veteran, someone who's been around for a few years. The kind of fellow rider that you just have to give a nod, to, to know that he/she get's it! They've been around the block a few times. They are comfortable in their own skin, and on the bike. You can be comfortable sitting on their wheel, or next to them in the group. They'll be calm and cool! And perhaps most importantly, they don't have to worry about keeping their white cycling socks, white!

Are you a member of the Brotherhood of Black Sock Wearers?

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