With
Kona 2014 slowly falling away in the rear-view mirror, Parvilla’s Leslie
DiMichele discussed a few Kona race questions with us (Leslie was 23rd in the 25-29 AG with an 11hr 05mins finishing time)
PARVILLA: Was training status quo compared to last year?
LESLIE: The
build to Kona this year was slightly different than in 2013. In 2013, Kona was
my only IM, so the year was essentially one long build to October. This year,
Kona was the last of three Ironman races. So the buildup was shorter since I
already had a lot of volume over the season. Also, with racing IM Lake Placid only
10 weeks earlier and getting married 4 weeks after that, I took a bit of down
time the month of August to rest and recover before my big build in September.
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| Leslie on the Queen K in Kona this year |
PARVILLA: How was your recent block training after winning IM Lake Placid
and getting married?
LESLIE: To
be honest, it was pretty rough. I was so spent after Lake Placid and with the
stress of the looming wedding I really was not recovering, workouts were
totally unproductive and we made the decision to go on “auto-pilot” the month
of August. I stayed away from big volume and focused on maintaining fitness,
essentially cutting my training down to 10-15 hours a week rather than 15 – 20
hours. I think in the long run this helped me going into Kona I felt fresh for
my build and had some really great workouts.
PARVILLA: Do
you train with anyone or do you prefer solo?
LESLIE: I
train a lot with Nate (my husband), he keeps me company on most long rides and
sometimes in the pool. I run mostly alone, this is usually because pacing is
very specific and it’s hard to find someone willing to do those kinds of
workouts. I have a friend in Charlottesville who shares the same coach as me
and occasionally I’ll make the trip out there. I did have a swim buddy for a
while, but she has since moved to California, so currently interviewing for
that positionJ. In
general, I enjoy both training alone and with people, so I try to mix it up and
have a good time.
LESLIE: The
bike change has really helped a lot this year. Last year was about building
confidence on the bike and this year was about really addressing the fit
problems. Going to a smaller crank has been a game-changer both in climbing and
running off the bike, it’s been huge in taking pressure off my hips and makes
riding aero way more comfortable (especially for 112 miles!). The comfort and feel of the bike has been
great, but I really didn’t appreciate that until Kona this year, the
cross-winds were so intense and it took a lot of concentration to relax into
the bike and go with it. Just being solid in the position and feeling “fast”
made things easier to stay aero the whole time even while getting blown all
over the road.
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| Full gas in Kona 2014 |
PARVILLA: It seems to be the trend among athletes; if the fitness is equal,
fighting for a watt or two through gear is a worthwhile effort it seems, from
aero apparel, power meters and wheels to hydration systems? Do you train and
race with a power meter and how has that changed your racing approach?
LESLIE: This
year I have started using power much more in training and racing. Obviously
this has helped a lot in trainer workouts to make sure that I’m working hard
enough and showing improvement. I don’t use power in racing, mainly because I
don’t have enough data to choose a target power. Currently, I record power
during the race, but don’t display it on my Garmin.
As
far as other gear, I’m kind of a minimalist; I have my standard bottle cages
that I think are reasonably aero and I don’t use any kind of bento box. Throw
on an aero helmet and that’s it, I am looking to upgrade my helmet for next
year with a face shield. I also ride carbon wheels which are an absolute must (equivalent
to Zipp 404’s), I have historically stayed away from deeper dish rims because of
my size, but I may try a disc this year.
PARVILLA: You have had a busy schedule this year with an early season IM
race in Cabos, a few 70.3m and the build to Ironman Lake Placid and then Kona
late in the year? Do you think an early Ironman focus helps later in the
season?
LESLIE: It
definitely helped me this year since I was forced to take some time off in
August and I was confident that I had enough base miles to be fine for Kona.
I’m not sure I will ever do a March Ironman again (Los Cabos was March 30) since
this made for an extremely long season and mentally I was exhausted by the end
of it all. I like to race early to keep me focused through the winter, but I
think I’ll stick to the 70.3s early and start in on IM May/June.
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| Leslie won the overall age group race at IM Lake Placid this year! |
PARVILLA: How did your Overall Age Group win at Lake Placid change your
strategy/focus leading into Kona?
LESLIE: The
overall win at IMLP was mainly a confidence boost. IM Los Cabos was not the
race I wanted to have and I left feeling a little unsure of my abilities. IMLP
turned everything around and mentally got me ready to race aggressively in
Kona.
PARVILLA: How important is it to you to block out the final days before Kona
just for you? Or do you like the Kona festivities?
LESLIE: I
love Kona and being amongst all the excitement, but I’m more of a home body and
definitely not one to be out socializing the whole time. I find that the social
aspect can be just as tiring as the race itself, so I mostly stick to hanging
out in my condo and going out with close friends.
PARVILLA:
What does the 2015 season have in store for you?
LESLIE: Unless
something happens in the next two months, the plan is to get my Elite License
and race as a professional in 2015. Kona this year wasn’t exactly what I
wanted, but it was an insane year on the Big Island and I think I am content to
end my amateur career on that note. So we’ll have to wait and see if it turns
out to be a good idea! You can definitely expect multiple Ironman races again,
I’m just not sure where and when.
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