Xtri's Chat With Dede Griesbauer, Presented By Polar By Betsy Delcour 5/8/2009
Xtri is proud to announce a partnership with Polar, the world leader in Heart Rate Monitoring technology. With their comprehensive product range, Polar caters to athletes of all abilities, from first-timers to professional athletes. Today we chat with Dede Griesbauer about her recent foray into the world of short course triathlon (at St. Anthony's), her upcoming race at IM Brazil, and how she uses Polar - in addition to Karen Smyers - to aid in her training...
Hey Dede, and thanks for chatting with us! You recently ventured to FL to race St. Anthony’s – not your typical distance! Can you tell us how this race went for you? As a strong swimmer, were there any techniques/strengths in particular you used to get through those conditions?
I THINK A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR WAS THE BEST ASSET DURING THAT SWIM! I KNOW IT WAS A DIFFICULT DECISION FOR THE RACE DIRECTORS TO CANCEL THE AGE GROUP SWIM, BUT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT CALL. I AM A REASONABLY CAPABLE SWIMMER, AND WHEN I WASN’T LAUGHING AT HOW ABSURD IT WAS TRYING TO SWIM IN CONDITIONS LIKE THAT, I WAS CRYING BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE WERE ALL GOING TO END UP IN CUBA! ON A SERIOUS NOTE, IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT THE CONDITIONS ARE THE SAME FOR EVERYONE, SO YOU JUST HAVE TO BE PATIENT AND DO THE BEST YOU CAN. OVERALL, THE RACE WAS A PRETTY SOLID PERFORMANCE FOR ME.
As an iron athlete, how does throwing in the occasional short course event help your overall fitness?
YOU’LL HAVE TO ASK MY COACH, KAREN SMYERS THAT ONE, BECAUSE I FIGHT IT TOOTH AND NAIL! THE OLYMPIC DISTANCE TAKES ME SO FAR OUTSIDE OF MY COMFORT ZONE, IT’S RIDICULOUS! ULITMATELY, IT’S GOOD FOR ME THOUGH. I THINK YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY TIME YOU RACE, AND EVEN THOUGH IT’S NOT A DISTANCE I EXCEL AT I LEARNED SOME THINGS THAT WILL HELP MY IRONMAN RACING FOR SURE.
And now you’re looking ahead to IM Brazil! You raced there in ’07 and placed second. Obviously you’ll be gunning for the win against the likes of Heather Gollnick, Fernanda Keller and Sara Gross. Do you feel this course plays to your strengths?
KNOWING THE COURSE IS CERTAINLY HELPFUL. I AM NOT SURE THE COURSE PLAYS TO MY STRENGTHS NECESSARILY, BUT I THINK THE TIMING OF THE RACE WORKS WELL FOR ME AND WHAT I AM TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS SEASON. I HAD A VERY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH THE RACE 2 YEARS AGO. KEN GLAH AND CARLOS GALVAO DO AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB WITH THIS RACE AND TAKE GREAT CARE OF THE ATHLETES. THE BRAZILIAN PEOPLE ARE SO FRIENDLY AND REALLY EMBRACE THE ATHLETES AND THE RACE.
Traveling to Brazil presents a different climate, culture and cuisine to what you’re used to in Boston! How will you stay relaxed during race week? I know race week in ’07 was anything but relaxing for you, and you still did pretty well! ;) What kind of food will you eat during race week?
MY EXPERIENCE IN 2007 WAS MEMORABLE TO SAY THE LEAST. I LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING SOME NEW AND DIFFERENT MEMORIES IN 2009! FLORIANAPOLIS IS AN IDYLLIC BEACH SETTING, SO IT’S NOT DIFFICULT TO UNWIND. AS FOR FOOD, THEY DO A GOOD JOB MAKING THINGS AVAILABLE THAT TRIATHLETES MIGHT WANT TO EAT, BUT AS WITH ANY RACE WHERE I TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE U.S., I WILL BRING FOODS THAT ARE “MISSION CRITICAL” THAT I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET THERE.
You’re also coached by the very likeable legend, Karen Smyers. What kind of edge does your relationship with Karen give you over a typical coach/athlete relationship? Does Karen coach any other pros or elites?
YEAH, SHE SEEMS LIKEABLE AND ALL, BUT TRY SOME OF HER WORKOUTS. YOU’LL LEARN TO HATE HER! :) I AM KIDDING. HONESTLY, I DANCED A SECRET JIG ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE WHEN SHE SAID SHE’D COACH ME!! I’VE WORKED WITH KAREN SINCE I STARTED IN THE SPORT SO I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO COMPARE IT TO IN TERMS OF WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE “TYPICAL”. THAT SAID, IN MY PAST LIFE AS AN ELITE SWIMMER, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST COACHES AND I PUT KAREN IN THAT SAME CATEGORY. (BUT I SHOULD PROBABLY TELL YOU ALL I HATE HER AND SHE STINKS SO THAT SHE WON’T GET FLOODED WITH COACHING REQUESTS AND GET TOO BUSY TO COACH ME!) SHE DOESN’T COACH ANY OTHER PROS (OTHER THAN HERSELF!), BUT SHE HAS CONSULTED FOR A FEW AND SHE COACHES A HOST OF ELITE AGE GROUPERS; MANY FROM MY TRIATHLON TEAM, TEAM PSYCHO. SHE ALSO COACHES BEGINNERS.
Triathletes, perhaps more so than any other athletes, enjoy using the latest technology to help in their training and racing. How do you use your heart rate data as a tool in your training?
I AM NOT A TOTAL DATA JUNKIE IN THAT I DON’T ANALYZE EVERY BEAT IN CONJUNCTION WITH EVERY STEP, BUT I DO FIND TRAINING WITH MY POLAR RS800 OFFERS ME SOME VERY HELPFUL FEEDBACK IN TRAINING, ESPECIALLY ON THE RUN. THE ABILITY TO CHART PACE IN CONJUNCTION WITH HEART RATE ALLOWS ME TO DO VERY SPECIFIC WORKOUTS AND ALLOWS ME TO KNOW VERY SPECIFICALLY WHERE I AM FITNESS-WISE. THE ABILITY TO DOWNLOAD THE DATA VIA INFRARED TECHNOLOGY IS PRETTY DARN COOL, TOO!!
Have you measured your heart rate while racing? If so, how does your heart rate in an event like St. Anthony’s compare to that of an iron race?
I DON’T RACE WITH MY POLAR RS800, BUT IT TEACHES ME ENOUGH IN TRAINING TO KNOW THAT A RACE LIKE ST. ANTHONY’S IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM AN IRONMAN! MY HEART RATE DURING ST. A’S IS ONE OF THOSE WHERE JUST LOOKING AT THE NUMBER MAKES YOU SAY “OUCH”. I DON’T DARE GET NEAR THAT EFFORT IN IRONMAN. LUCKY FOR ME, THAT EFFORT DOESN’T COME EASY, SO IT’S NOT OFTEN TEMPTING IN AN IRONMAN SETTING!
Have you ever not worn your Polar HRM for a training session or event and regretted it?
ONLY WHEN IT TELLS ME I AM RUNNING SLOWER THAN I WANT TO BE, WHICH, NOW THAT I THINK OF IT….IS PRETTY DARN OFTEN!! IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, THOUGH, I THINK ANY DATA MEASUREMENT SYSTEM, BE IT HEART RATE, OR POWER METER IS A MECHANISM FOR FEEDBACK. SOME DAYS, IT IS GOOD NEWS. OTHER DAYS IT’S NOT WHAT YOU HOPED, BUT THAT CAN BE HELPFUL INFORMATION AS WELL.
According to your race schedule this season, it looks like you’ll have some free time between Brazil and Kona. What are your plans for the summer? Will you throw in any shorter races just to keep life interesting? Will you do the annual B2B ride?
DEFINITELY DOING THE HARPOON B2B RIDE!! THE B2B RIDE IS A MAJOR FUND RAISER FOR THE TEAM PSYCHO ELITE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WHICH IS JUST AWESOME. PLUS, IT’S A HELLUVA RIDE! AND WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT FREE BEER AT THE END? THE REST OF MY SUMMER, I PLAN TO TACKLE A FEW MORE 70.3 RACES PLUS ANOTHER OLYMPIC DISTANCE RACE OR TWO; PHILLY TRI, VINEMAN, TIMBERMAN AND MAYBE ONE MORE. MY HUSBAND, DAVE, IS RACING HIS FIRST EVER ½ IRONMAN AT TIMBERMAN, SO THAT WILL BE A HUGE EVENT FOR US THIS SUMMER! I MAY ALSO TOE THE LINE AT ONE OF THE COMMONWEALTH TRIATHLON SERIES EVENTS; IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TO GET TO RACE LOCALLY.
What are the best and worst parts about being a pro triathlete in Boston?
IT IS NO SECRET THAT OUR WEATHER IS MORE CHALLENGING THAN SOME OTHER PLACES WE COULD HAVE LIVED. I LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THAT, THOUGH AS I THINK IT MAKES US TOUGHER. IF YOU CAN GET OUT THERE AND GET IT DONE WHEN IT’S MISERABLE OUT, I THINK IT MAKES YOU STRONGER WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE IDEAL. WE HAVE A GREAT TRI COMMUNITY IN BOSTON; SEVERAL ACCOMPLISHED PROS, AND MY TRI TEAM, TEAM PSYCHO IS CHOCK-FULL OF ELITE AMATEURS WILLING TO MIX IT UP ANY DAY.
Tell us some non-tri interests or hobbies? Do you cook? Favorite movies, books, etc.? How do you chill out when not training, traveling or racing?
COOK. HA! THAT’S FUNNY. DID DAVE PUT YOU UP TO THAT? I SPEND SOME TIME KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH MY WALL STREET FRIENDS. I WORKED IN THE FINANCIAL MARKETS FOR 8 YEARS BEFORE QUITTING TO RACE PROFESSIONALLY. I MISS IT A LOT….EVEN IN THIS TERRIBLE MARKET. I AM ALSO A FREAKISH ‘PET PARENT’. WE HAVE A YELLOW LAB NAMED RILEY WHO I JUST ADORE. SO I CHILL OUT WITH RILEY. SHE LIKES TO NAP ALMOST AS MUCH AS I DO. WE TAKE IN THE DOG PARKS, AND OCCASIONALLY STOP BY THE DOGGIE BAKERY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD; NOT TOO OFTEN, MIND YOU. SHE NEEDS TO KEEP HER GIRLISH FIGURE!
The sport of triathlon is growing tremendously. What's the #1 reason why you think beginner triathletes should use a Polar training computer?
IT’S GREAT FOR BEGINNERS BECAUSE IT TEACHES THEM TO LEARN HOW TO PACE THEMSELVES. IT’S ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS TO LEARN FOR ANY TRIATHLETE.
Dede uses the Polar RS800 with ProTrainer 5™ software to train
