Featured Athlete: Carmen Monks
Carmen and I have enjoyed working together since early 1995, and as such earns him the distinction of being T.O.G., the Original Grasshopper.
Recently Carmen placed 4th place overall age-grouper at IMUSA. Carmen is a highly competitive individual, loves to train, and thrives on testing his limits in the forum of endurance competitions. He is also a husband, father, and supports his family with a
Carmen’s story contains relevant insights and perspective for most all of us who practice triathlon, where he is able to compete at a very high level whilst maintaining a healthy balance of family and career.
In a sport that too often lends itself to training excess and life imbalance, readers should take note of Carmen’s focus on substance of training versus volume.
Athlete Bio
Carmen Monks
Belmont, Massachusetts
Age 40
Married to M2-Boston Coach Karen.
2 Children, Daughter Bene (3 yrs old) and son Will (1+)
Career:
Citigroup Financial, Private Banker
IMUSA '05 : 4th place finish overall
Swim: 56:39
Bike: 5:19:32
Run: 3:05:54
Finishing Time: 9:30:29
What is your athletic background?
I was always involved in team sports: I played baseball and football in HS, and baseball (pitcher) and ice hockey (goalie) in college ...truth be told, I gravitated to the sports that required less rather than more in terms of physical conditioning...My longest run before starting triathlon was the 2 mile "fitness test run" I did my senior year of college on the heels of a not-so-diligent Saturday evening fraternity "taper" event on campus...(I believe I ran just under 13 minutes)
What was your triathlon evolution?
I ran the Boston Marathon as a bandit in 1988 (3:30 unofficial time) and shortly thereafter became intrigued with adding biking and swimming into my new running endeavors, as I felt that I would never compete that well with the ultra-light and mega-miles runners that I knew...I remember watching Mark Allen and Dave Scott race head to head at IMH in 1989, and I felt that I had found my sport post college...I became a huge Dave Scott fan and even raced in my early years with one of his signature Bud Light foam visors on the run course...I did my first race in August of 1988 (Greenfield, MA YMCA triathlon: .5m swim, 28 mi bike, 7 mi run) and was totally hooked after that. Decided to try an IM race in 1990 (NE Endurance IM in Sunapee, NH) and accomplished my goal of breaking 12 hours on a very challenging course...to this day, I still don a cap or visor on the run course
When did you first start working with M2?
After racing IMH in 1993 via lottery and not qualifying for IMH in 1994 I sought out advice from people that I respected and had more experience than I did. I have had the great pleasure of being coached by one of my early training partners Karen Smyers, and then asked Michael to coach me in 1995 after his 2nd victory at IMC...Michael had won IMC in 1990 as well, and he seemed to be the perfect person to guide me along the IM journey as the distance races began to take on a higher level of appeal to me in terms of performance and discipline. Michael's quirky comments during our Master's swim workouts always made him a favorite with the newbie triathlon crowd.
What prompted you to seek out a coach?
Improving performance has always been a hot-button of mine, as I have had an eye toward results since my early days playing baseball. My college baseball coach was a firm believer in pitching drills and improving pitching mechanics to improve results, and this theme was very visible in my early discussions with Michael.
You have worked with M2 since 1995?
Yes, we have worked together consistently for the past 10+ years, only interrupted on two occasions following the births of my two children which did not really allow me to follow as structured of a program as I had done in the past. Not being blessed with superior genetics, it is the consistency of following a time tested program that has always produced results for me. Adherence to such a protocol is the key for me to tighten the bands b/w my performances at races of any distance.
Living in Boston with its harsh winter makes training difficult. Did you ride your bike outside in December-March?
Hah, that's a funny question coming from someone who lived in Boston for many years and then spent winters in Spain (M2)...With our winters having been very harsh over the past 3-4 years, riding the bike outdoors is really not an option during those months...March is about the first time one can start thinking about outdoor riding, but this year we did not get outdoors until late April because of the snow and ice. Also, in a typical year for me following IMH I would literally not unpack my bike until January as I feel that giving my body a full 2-3 month break from cycling helps to recharge my batteries both physically and mentally.
One often reads of people "building base" by doing long indoor training sessions. Describe how you built "base." What was your longest indoor session?
I really don't think of the early months as base-building months in terms of mileage but rather as base building months in terms of starting to assess my fitness level post the holiday season (I am a keen epicurean during the large family holiday gatherings) and then introduce some measured intensity into my program. For the most part, all of this introductory fitness is relegated to the indoor trainer (either wind or CT).
I try to never spend more than 1:20 on the trainer at one time. My weekday workouts are usually 50-1:10 and some weekends I might add another 30' to that duration.
Do you watch videos while you do your trainer work?
Not usually as I prefer to concentrate on the task at hand; keeping track of cadence, HR, and either wattage or gearing is enough of a challenge for someone like myself...TV usually just pushes me into "kill the time" mode which I really would rather avoid if I can help it.
What would you advise folks who feel they must perform 3hr indoor trainer sessions?
Well certainly to each their own, but I could not endure such mental deprivation; I think part of M2's appeal is the adherence to a training mantra which celebrates variety in training and workouts...Spending 3 hours on the indoor trainer would not provide me with much of that. It certainly can work for some people (even friends of mine), but come race-day I am not sure they get any subsequent improved performance from these epic indoor sessions...and I always wonder what toll these longer sessions take on their inherent enthusiasm to race come the summertime
What about running. A 3hr5min marathon on a touch IMUSA course, you must have run a lot of miles over the winter?
Once again, I prefer to focus on quality vs. quantity and my weekly running mileage rarely goes beyond 44-45 miles per week at its height. My running weeks look very similar to my cycling weeks, with 2 quality sessions during the week, a weekend endurance effort, and another shorter weekday effort focusing on drills and stride length. As someone who is frustratingly susceptible to random injuries that usually stem from running, I tend to not worry too much about how many miles I can squeeze into a week. My quality runs almost always follow a quality session on the bike.
Do you think your results would have been markedly better, or even marginally better had you endured 3-5hr winter indoor sessions?
Tough to say, but I really don't think there has been any lost opportunity over the years by avoiding such sessions. Come summer-time, I would love to have the flexibility to ride 300+ miles per week during my IM build-up phases, but the reality of family and work make that an impossibility.
I think some folks really gravitate toward such mileage programs b/c that is what they like to do, but that's not what I've found has worked for me. I think that's why Baskin' Robbins which has 31 different flavors of ice cream, to appeal to everyone's choices and preferences which differ widely person to person.
What do you see as the key elements in your training that enabled such a strong performance culminating in a top run split?
While I was delighted to see what my run split was at the race's end, I was more aware of overall placing and how I felt during each endeavor vs. split times. I tend to perform best when I have an uninterrupted 6-8 week buildup (ie, injury free) to an IM event, as my fitness will increase linearly from week to week and then make the race something along the lines of a "glorified training day", with a bit extra of course. I feel that approaching peak fitness for both the swim and the bike lend themselves nicely to setting me up for a strong run effort come race-day. Keeping my rhythm intact, mentally, metabolically (nutrition), and physically usually delivers results relative to my goals. As long as I am properly trained, then running off the bike is where I like to think it's "showtime" on race-day. As I say to my wife all the time at IM races, "biking is for show, but running is for dough"...
What did you use for fuel/nutrition during the race? Was this the product of a carefully planned nutritional strategy?
My fueling strategy is a byproduct of years of trial and error, but I do not contstruct such a strict plan for myself on race-day that I cannot divert from the plan if something unexpected happens along the way. My overarching goal is to consume 400 calories per hour on the bike (I weigh 167 on race-day typically) and I usually try to consume those calories in a 50/50 proportion of gels and drink mix (Gatorade or what is available on the course)...I also will try to slip one energy bar into that rotation if the temperatures are not too debilitating (IMH is a non-solid race for me b/c of heat)...I also think about taking 2 salt tablets per hour during the bike and run portion....For the run, I mostly drink Coke and will take Gatorade sparingly...I might shoot for a gel every 45' on the run if my stomach doesn't feel heavy or "sloshy"...
Funny, but this is an area that I think confounds athletes more than it should...I hear so many horror stories about people's nutrition plan that sabotages their race days, but I wonder if a more common sense approach to this might bear more fruit. For example, if I am riding along and my food items are not tasting that good anymore, than I will opt for a banana or cookie from an aid station for some diversity in both taste and texture. I will always be aware of my calorie goal, but that number can be achieved in a variety of manner. I tend to stay away from candy bar items or special needs items as I think they cause more problems than they are worth. Since most things agree with me from a calorie perspective, then I can afford to be less picky of what I eat on race-day :)
Describe a typical training week; number of hours, etc.
Winter period typical week would be 2-3x swims, 3 bike of 1hr, 3 runs of approximately 1hr. Total 7-8 hours.
IM Focus period training, 6-8 weeks leading up to the race.
My typical week will be comprised of swimming = 4-5X, Biking 4-5X, and running 4X...I swim with my master's group 3x per week (2 other days are 20' drill days solo or swim at Walden Pond with the family, and then I follow the 2x quality program that we have had in place for quite some time for the bike and run...weekends are reserved for longer endurance or epic endeavors on both bike and run (bike on Sat and run on Sundays always) ...Total hours would be probably 14 hours, the occasional 18 hours would be an epic training week.
As an accomplished and veteran triathlete, what perspective might you have on mistakes you see other athletes making in their training?
I'm not sure I am accomplished enough to comment, but if I could make two macro points on this topic they would be:
1. Consistency: I see so many people that continually change coaches year to year, or even worse, alter the training program that their coach has assigned to them b/c they are "different". I think results are best achieved by following a methodical program from year to year, and asking yourself what changes could you make to achieve a higher level of performance vs. looking for the next best thing out there...There is no silver bullet when it comes to attaining performance that we aspire to.
"Stick with the girl that you brought to the dance" is something that I tell my training partners all the time...and if you don't believe in what your coach is preaching, then move on to someone that you will listen to. (ie, find another "girl")
2. Focus: For me, training has become a lifestyle that I have grown to love and want to share with others; however, my day-to-day training and choices in races (both triathlon and non-triathlon) always have an eye toward what I am trying to accomplish that season in triathlon. While doing the weekend bike crits and time-trials might be really fun and novel, I'm not so sure that they further an athletes triathlon agenda if they are performance oriented.
I pick my spots very carefully when it comes to racing, and I oftentimes see too many athletes that have nothing left in their "mental reserve" when it comes to race-day. I have come to learn that my "race essence" has nothing in common with "grass fertilizer", and so I choose to pick my spots carefully and not just "spread" it out there on a daily or weekly basis.
What are your goals for the future?
Funny, but even having raced as long as I have, I really feel as enthusiastic about attaining my triathlon related goals as when I was 15 years younger. I still think that somewhere out there lies my "El Dorado" of races for a sub-9 hour IM, and I have yet to give up on that dream. Those 5 digits still inspire me every winter when the snow is falling outside my living room window and my pants are feeling a bit snug.
As for the short term, I am planning on doing short course amateur world championships in Honolulu the week before IM Hawaii in Kona, and I have been toying around with doing the triple (X-Terra in Maui) for the ultimate triple-Lindy. Negotiations are still in process with my loving wife who also will be racing next to me in Kona this October.
