Part 2

Here is the second part of Julie's interview.

Enjoy!

Interview with Skinfit athlete - Part 1

Here you go guys,

Part 1 of an interview with Skinfit athlete Julie Dibens.

PS - Check out the cool pic of Julie in her red Skinfit kit!

Tales from Kona

Skinfit UK Brand Ambassador Asker Jeukendrup recently competed at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii for the fourth time. Here is Askers story of another incredible day on the Big Island.

I woke up at 3AM and fell back asleep till 4AM. I had a fairly large breakfast of 4 slices of white bread with peanut butter and a bread roll. It is always a strange feeling waking up knowing it is THE day and there is no way back, the day has come and there is a hard, a very hard day ahead.

Quite early I dropped my 2 special needs bags off, had my number tattooed on my arm, my weight measured by Adrian and Rebecca and walked into transition to get my bike ready. I calibrated the SRM, pumped up the tyres, taped two PowerBars to my frame and lubed my chain. Job done and back to bed. This is the beauty of having a hotel at the race start. I stayed in bed till half an hour before the start. Navy seals parachuted out of a plane into the starting area, the canon went for the pros at 6:45 and then we got in the water. I got many good luck wishes from numerous people on my way to the water.

I swam to the front, very close to the canon. AT &AM exactly the canon went and 1800 athletes started to compete for the perfect line to the first buoy. The swim was a better than I could have hoped for: a massive personal best, partly because of the suit and partly because I went to the front and did participate in the massive fight at the start. I got kicked in the face several time and lost my goggles once but at least I could swim in a fairly straight line. My T1 was also a PB, the suit made that possible too! The bike was amazing, I felt really really good and I knew from the start of the bike that I had an exceptionally good day. I was staying with Declan Doyle and actually rode in front of him most of the day and he is a 9:15 to 9:30 finisher (9:20 in Germany this year).

The way out I build up a 10 min advantage compared to last year, even though it was all the way into a headwind. We turned around at Hawi and the wind turned with us, it was incredibly frustrating. It was extremely hot as well, hotter than last year, hotter than previous years. My arms were developing heat blisters and sweat was pouring of them. Then for the last 30-40km the wind really picked up and I came into transition 8 min faster than last year but I felt so much better. I remember last year being really smashed and struggling up the climbs back into Kona, whereas now my legs felt tired but ok.

In T2 I got off the bike, leaving my cycling shoes on the bike, and normally I don’t do that and run in my cycling shoes through transition. My socks picked up a lot of dirt and gravel and this would not really help me later on the run. I ran out of transition with the idea to run slow for the first few miles. However, my chest tightened up and I could only breathe superficially. Exactly the same problem as in Ironman Louisville a couple of years ago. My legs felt fine but I could not breathe. The scorching temperatures and lack of cloud cover did not help. I was wheezing and trying to get air in but simply couldn’t. I developed a severe stitch that got worse and worse and forced me to walk. I did not panic because my legs still felt really fresh and I knew that if I could sort out my breathing even if this would take 15-20 min I could still finish in a decent time. I walked long stretches, trying to keep myself cool at drink stations, and trying to get rid of my stitch.

The support I received was incredible. So many people seemed to recognise me it was amazing: they were all going Come on Asker, Come on Doc, Come on Prof... it really kept my spirits high! It took ages before I reached the turnaround point on Alii drive after 8km. I started to feel a little better but every time I started to run my chest tightened again and my stitch would get worse. I could not run much more than a mile. I also had to manage fluid intake because it was so hot and I could tell I was sweating loads, but every time I drank a larger volume my stitch would get much much worse. After about 12km I saw Jo, she had walked towards me and I asked her to click my back, which she immediately did. It was the biggest click in the world and there was immediate relief. I could take a deep breath again, walked a couple more min with Jo and then started running. I struggled up Palani Rd and then thing seemed to get a bit better.

I saw Chrissie coming in, running well but I could also tell that it had been a hard day for her too. She was smiling. Only 2 miles to go for her! (15 for me). My breathing was definitely a bit more normal and my stitch although still pretty severe was a little more manageable. I ran the long Queen K with relatively little walking but still going slow to control my breathing and stitch. I was still very optimistic, I never had a thought that I would not finish and I always thought that at some point my problems would disappear and I would be able to run properly. This did indeed happen when I turned around in the Energy labs I started to run a bit more normally. With 12km to go I checked my watch and thought I could finish in 11:10. I picked up the pace and felt ok, picked up the pace a bit more and felt ok. So I made the run for home and must have ran a fantastic last 10km (or at least 8km).

I have not downloaded my Garmin watch yet but I know I finished on a 7 min mile! I had to dig deep the last 10km because now my legs were tired and stiff but I wanted to stay under 11 hours, and I did! I think the conditions this year were pretty extreme, we did not have the strong side winds from last year which made riding after the turnaround in Hawi a bit tricky but instead we head a headwind all the way. It was hot, superhot and humid, the heat index going through the roof. I calculated that I took on board between 10 and 11 litres of fluid but I still lost 5kg and was 66 kg at the end of the race. I peed brown stuff so pretty dehydrated! The recovery took a little while but 2 hours later I was back at the finish line celebrating although I had to sit down quite a few times and could not stand up all the time as I did in previous years...

It was a tough day.. but overall I am pleased with the achievement. My 4th Hawaii, my 18th Ironman.

Julie does it again!

Skinfit athlete Julie Dibens has just defended her Xterra World Championship for the second consecutive year - making it three years as the World Champion.

Read the race report here - courtesy of slowtwitch.com.

Congratulations Julie!

Skinfit dominates podium at Xterra US Nationals

Skinfit athlete Nico Lebrun won last months US Nationals by running down 3-time world champion Conrad "The Caveman" Stoltz.

Fellow Skinfit athletes Lesley Paterson & Christine Jeffrey put together solid performances to take 3rd & 9th respectively. Christine securing a a top 5 position in the overall points series in the process.

Next up is the World Championships in Maui, where Skinfit UK's Julie Dibens will be defending her world title.

We'll keep you posted on how all of Skinfits athletes perform.

Good luck to them all!

Stuart does Skinfit UK proud...

Skinfit UK Brand Ambassador Stuart Anderson recently competed at Ironman Wisconsin. After turning down a slot for Kona 2009, could Stuart qualify for Kona 2010....

My early decision to take a year out from Kona in 2009 wasn't taken lightly. When I qualified again this year in Lanzarote, turning down that golden ticket and all that it meant to me was the hardest race decision I've ever made. My friends all thought I was clinically insane... Tim and Dec my training buddies, who had targeted later races, thought I was nuts!! I had a plan that 2010 would be my special year and I was confident that with the right coaching and support from Richard Hobson, Mette (my girlfriend) and I could make it happen...

I arrived in Wisconsin and hooked up with Tri legend - Ken Glah. Ken had organised my accommodation and transfer. Ken now runs a Ironman specific travel company called Endurance Sports Travel. The following day we rode the course. It was every bit as hilly as I was led to believe, not on a Lanzarote scale, but tough enough to play to my strengths. Thank goodness I had selected the right gearing, I was running a 56/39 with an 11/26 on the back. There were lots of fast corners with intermittent steep sections. With the 56 I could make time up on the downhills, where other bikers would be using their brakes or free wheeling.

Come race day I was ready, I woke at 0430hrs for a 0700hrs start. Experience has taught me I need to eat at least two hours before a race in order for nature to take its course! The Ironman had truly rolled into town and nothing would stand in its way. I later found out that the previous day a fisherman had drowned in Lake Monona and they had been dredging all night looking for the body. Thankfully they had found the poor soul, but this wasn't good Karma.

I put my thoughts about this aside...but the water was so cloudy and murky that I found it difficult to think of any thing else, whilst treading water on the start. BOOM..... the cannon sounded and I was off. I had positioned myself on the pace line, a little optimistically in fairness, but I was used to a bit rough and tumble. I normally just put this down to racing. I don't believe its due to anyone being purposefully malicious. At about 800m into the swim I realised I'd gone marginally off course, the sun was in my eyes and I'd gone maybe 70m off course. I had basically been ploughing through other athletes but heading in the wrong direction!!

I quickly corrected this and continued to work hard to regain the distance I'd lost. I began to leave the pack and edge up to the athletes ahead. Either they were dying or I was so far off course that the normal guys I'd be up with were long gone!! No one passed me on the second 1900m loop...My Sailfish wetsuit felt great, super comfortable. I exited the water about three mins down of where I expected. In distance terms this is about 100-200 metres and this accounted for my poor sighting....Grrr! I later found out I was 293rd overall at this point with a time of 1.04:39.

Transition One - This is totally crazy, it must be the longest transition ever. After your encounter with wetsuit strippers, who make you lay on your back before they peel your suit off. Then you run from ground level up the helix of a multistory car park to the 4th floor, pick up your bag and change before running out to the car park to pick up your bike to descend down another helix.... all this took me 5.07. The fastest pro guys were 3.58. It has to be seen to be believed...

The bike was a 23km out and back from Madison with a 67km loop in the middle which was repeated twice. I liked this idea taking the race out on to quiet country roads so the main roads, in and out, of Madison weren't effected. For the first 90 mins of the bike I pushed really hard trying to make up for my lost time in the swim. From time to time I'd pick up someone who'd try to hold my wheel, but confidently I'd push on. After two hours I caught a group who were riding legally, but clearly rotating through and working together. I knew there were three hills coming up and I left my attack until then, leaving them in my wake. I needed to push and hold over 400 watts to break the group and this would come back to haunt me later.

A stronger Czech guy stayed with me but was later red carded for drafting. For the remainder of the race, I had caught two guys, one from Boulder called Shane and German guy called Stefan. Both were strong and we were riding the same pace. We had to keep out of each others draft zone as we were constantly shadowed by the race marshals. At around three hours I started to lose sight of them and they pulled away. My mega power intervals had pushed me over my red line and up came my breakfast... I eased off and left it 15 mins before I tried to take on some water. Thankfully the answer was yes, this gave me the chance to take on more Infinit energy and within minutes, I was back. I used only two bottles of concentrated Infinit on the bike and diluted this with water from my aero bottle. I reeled in other bikers passing the female Pro's who had started 10 min prior. I knew then that I was in the sharp end of the race and I was charged...I'd biked 5.05:01 averaging 35.5kmh

The second transition from bike to run was shorter and I tore through it, equaling or beating most of the Pro's in 2.06 mins

I stormed out of the Monona Exhibition Hall transition area hitting the tarmac hard. I knew I had a 3-hour marathon somewhere, the question was would I find it here in Wisconsin... The first part of the run took us into downtown Madison and I was able to settle into a relaxed pace. I felt good, hydrated with no stomach issues. I was taking a gel every 15 mins, chasing it with water. After the first 10km this changed.... the course became difficult to maintain a rhythm, it was up down, left, right, onto a sidewalk and then back onto the road and my pace began to wain... Note to self, always recce the run course too, this was simply bad admin on my part. I should have biked it before the race. It really is a crazy course... at one point we ran into the 100'000 seater 'Wisconsin Badgers' American football stadium, round the touch line and back out!!!

At the half way point Mike Reilly shouted over the speaker that I was the 5th amateur, third in my Age Group and that number one was just in front... this was like a red rag to a bull, I pushed on. Suddenly I saw a guy walking in front. He was the lead guy in my age... great I thought, one more to go. I could see him in front, Brian was his name. I was catching him each mile, but the second lap had become really congested.

At the aid stations it had become increasingly harder to be re-supplied with sponges and water. Each aid station was laid out in a different format and I found myself having to stop and often walk back to the water supplier, who had missed my shouts for water as I ran passed. This had began to annoy me as I knew I would have to burn the precious seconds that I had worked so hard for... Eventually I caught Brian and passed him decisively. I could hear his feet disappear, and knew he hadn't come with me. I was now leading my Age group and was third amateur overall.

The race was mine too lose.... and this became a real possibility. I had used GU gels for this race,which were not my usual choice and they were giving me gas!!! Not good... at this point I was concerned about having a 'You Tube Incident', so had to duck into a portaloo. Can you believe that the first two were both occupied. Typical ehh...I really didn't expect this, I even mindlessly started to queue. I frantically ran through the next aid station looking for the loo, and thank goodness found one....

I was almost disappointed having burnt all this time to find out it was just wind. Brian had re passed me and was now 200m up the road. I had just the up hill stretch home to catch him..... I had run out of road, despite upping my pace I wasn't able to bridge the gap. I was now surrounded by so many athletes on their first lap he was difficult to pick out ahead. I took solace that I was now finishing my marathon and that my race was almost over. I decided to enjoy it, ignoring the the younger age grouper who ran by me, Thorsten was his name. I celebrated with the crowd, high five-ing everyone and doing a 'Tim Don' aeroplane down the finishing flume... It felt just awesome!!!

3.16:28 not my fastest Ironman marathon, but it had put me 18th overall, 5th amateur and 2nd in my Age Group. I missed 1st by just 41 seconds...

Job done - Kona 2010 here I come - Hooray!!!!

You can follow Stuart on his road to Kona 2010 via his blog HERE

Mont-Blanc Epic

Following on from our last post - here is Paul Jones's report on his epic Trail Du Mont Blanc experience.

The time had come and our wait was over, we headed out to France on the 25th August to race around Mont-Blanc.

We arrive in the beautiful alpine town of Chamonix where our race would end sometime on Saturday 30th August. The town was buzzing with people, they really get behind this race. There were banners up everywhere and speakers all through the town playing interviews with the race favourites which were taking place in the expo. We collected our race packs soaked up the atmosphere and tried to relax before the race.

Race day had arrived, we caught the 8.00am bus to the start line in Courmayeur, yet another beautiful alpine town. We were being blessed with racing through some of the most beautiful mountains in Europe.

10.00am came and the gun went, 98km to go, we started with a very gentle jog up through the town, weaving through the narrow streets up towards the first big climb which would see us climb over 1100m in just 10 miles. The first 5 miles were steady and gradual, it wasn’t until we went off road did the incline turn vertical, we thought we had reached the top when we saw tents offering drinks but that was only the start of it.

We continued around the tent to and were confronted with the most savage up climb I’d ever seen, you could see the top in the distance and people sat at the side of the trails trying to catch there breath and rest their legs. We made it to the top in 4 hrs, 10 miles in 4 hrs really hit home as to how hard this race was going to be. Oh I forgot to mention the heat, it was 28-30 degrees, I have the dodgy tan lines to prove it. Any way we got to the top feeling tired but ok and decided not to stop but to power on so we followed a group of 5 others down the mountain in a cloud of dust as we ran down the narrow single track into the valley.

What an awesome experience, running down into the valley, weaving around rocks, running through mountain streams with the mountain disappearing into the background behind us. We make to the bottom were the track begins to flatten out and we continue onto the next check point without to much effort, stop for a quick drink and off we went.

The next section started off fairly lightly on some nice trails, and then in the distance we see runners heading up hill, hands on knees or with poles out. We knew we were in for a tough climb. Our run turned into a trudge as we started to ascend to the top of the next peak. 2 hours later we reach the summit and start another quick, technical decent, only this time the decent took it’s toll on my right hip as I started to get a sharp pain every time I put my foot down. We walked the next couple of miles hoping the pain would ease which it did and I was able to jog again.

The 3 climbs were long and tiresome, we was stopping longer at the feed stations both very tired and in pain, but the food station at Champex looked more like a scene from a war movie, there were bodies everywhere. I sat and tried to block out everything around me but I had one man shaking uncontrollably on one side of me and two more throwing up into buckets behind me, we quickly stood up put on my head light and thermal top and continued on.

The next section was to be our toughest test yet, we managed to get into a group of 10 runners which was good as it was pitch black and we were about to start our ascent to the top of Bovine. This ascent wasn’t just a walk but a climb which in parts would go on forever, well it seemed as though it did. We pass a spectator who said we were 1 mile from the next check point, not the news we wanted as we thought that we had cracked this climb. We make to Bovine and I am in need of painkillers as my hip has brought me to a hobble, but the doctor said I would have to make it to the next check point 3 miles away, this did not please me. Simon was also struggling at this point with some very bad chaffing, our injuries had brought us to a walk.

We set off in the dark to our next check point, only 3 miles I kept telling myself, 3 miles is nothing. Well those simple little 3 miles of down hill took us 2 hrs as every time I put weight through my right leg I would get a very sharp pain in my hip and this time it didn’t go away. We finally reach the check point and see the doctor, it’s not good news, my hip is very swollen and with only one more check point left which were two mountains away the doctor said it in my best interest to stop.

Simon also sought medical advice for his very bad chaffing. When he pulled down his shorts and showed the doctor, his face was a picture. I won’t go into detail here as it would make some people sick, but all I will say is that Simon couldn’t sit down properly or wipe his bottom for a few days after.

To say that we were both gutted would be an understatement, we had both prepared all year for this event, we couldn’t have been fitter but unfortunately my hip and Simon’s bottom stopped us this time. We have both said that we’ll be going back next year to conquer the CCC and the UTMB in 2011.

We would both like to thank Skinfit for the support they have given us, I would highly recommend the Skinfit range to any active person.

Here’s to 2010 and more adventures.