The man has done 25 Ironmans and he goes 10:40 at LP on only 6 hours of training per week. How is that possible. Check out his story:
http://www.xtri.com/article.asp?id=1514
The man must be a genetic mutant ! Congrats Ray.
Dev
That he is and in my age group no less. I see Ray is signed up for IM Wisc. We’ll see how he and the rest of the 40-44 field stack up against Terry Labinski. I was hoping he grabbed a slot at IMLP but see that Ray missed it by a few mins. Hopefully, he’ll pass on one at Wisc so the rest of us get a shot at Kona.
6 hours a week IM training - that’s freakin’ nuts when the guy can go 10:41.
Yeah, I read that yesterday, but with 25 ironman’s behind him, his base is pretty solid I would think
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There’s certainly no denying that he is a stud. He’s perhaps on-par with Gordo when it comes to his training schedule in past years. I’ve never met him personally, but by looking at his training schedule, data and stats…there’s nothing that gets by him. Perhaps the most AR triathlete. He’s done his homework…and now seems like he’s getting joy from doing the minimalist approach.
That’s cool and all, but I’m not so sure that it sends the right message…
He did the same thing at IMAZ.
Definately a gifted athlete!!
It’s doable if you focaus on quality and have been at it consistently a few years. I went 10:18 on 8-10 hrs a week. Longest week all year was 16hrs.
Well, I hope that Ray grabs a Kona slot at Wisconsin this year. That will be one extra 40 year old who will roll down his Hawaii slot at LP 2006. My friend Barry Dmitruk passed up his Kona 2005 rolldown slot at LP 2005. He is going to Wisconsin hoping to nail down a Kona 2006 slot, so you 40-44 year olds better watch for him. I can’t believe it, 6 days after LP, we were out of a 4 hour ride including 4000 ft of climbing, and he was looking fully recovered !!! The man is a machine. Thankfrully, by Ironman Florida (which he is also doing on the “Joe Boness Light” program) he’ll be 45 !
Dev
There is an article by Ray and his approach to tracking training data in the new (Aug) Inside Triathlon..
I’m retiring after Hawaii this year. You can have my slot.
Sweet race out there Slick and nice meeting up with you on the bike and med tent - if you remember me??
Very well done considering the weekly hours.
Slick…there are around 360 40-44 year old vying for your spot at LP :-). All kidding aside, I have learned over the years that you have to deal with the task at hand…first the swim, then T1, bike loop 1, bike loop 2, T2, run loop1, run loop2 (preferably without walking). Then the cards fall where they do. I can honestly say of all my friends on the brink of qualifying, the ones that go are those that focus on the task at hand, rather than the prize that awaits on the other side of the finish. In 2006, my only focus will be to get to mile 13 of the run in a position to race the final 13 miles and not just “survive” and get across the line on my feet and no trips to the medical tent. This usually means being ultralame on bike Loop 1 and most of loop 2 !
Good luck in Kona !
Ahhhh. Slayer, It was driving me crazy trying to find out which slowtwitcher you were. I should have picked up the pace and rode with you a bit to chat but I was trying to get some rest before the run. Where’d you come in? Ahead of me I presume given that you left me in the dust on the bike. Great race, it was good to see you out there, I was getting quite lonely.
I don’t know if I told you but I puked up blood after finishing which freaked the wife who forced me into the med tent. I felt a lot better after puking up 5 gallons of Gatorade and blood but she wouldn’t let me stay out. I hate the med tent.
How’d you end up in there? Other than from smoking me of course.
It all comes down to the run. You have to keep driving even after the wheels come off.
I pass Ray about mile 7 of the run and he’s walking. I run by him running my comfortable 8:30 pace. A few minutes later he shoots by me. Somewhere before between 8 and 9 I see him walking again. As I run up to him he starts running again.
Now I only know Ray from his stories on Xtri. I know he has asthma and he had a really bad attack at Moo where he actually passed out on the course but in Ray Britt style recovers and finishes Moo in 10:52.
So we start to run together as he takes a hit from his inhaler.
Out conversation went like this.
Me: “How’s it going Ray?”
Ray: “Oh fine I just can’t breath”
Me: “You going to be make it?”
Ray: “I think so…(pause) You are running strong”
Me: “Thanks I’m holding me own. Take it easy Ray”
He then went on to say not to wait up for him as he started walking again.
I finished in 10:50 and I have no idea where or when he passed me let alone put 10 minutes on me. That’s tough tough guy.
Dan
I am assuming that Ray/Slick is just genetic freak. There is no shortage of quality in the training of most guys. Something tells me that he just operates at a different level and likely has a higher pain tolerance (keep going when the wheels fall off), than most dudes. I also suspect that he has a higher ability to concentrate on a task for long periods of time. Think of it this way. Have you ever spent an entire day at the office with zero breaks concentrating for 10+ hours on the same thing continuously. That is what Ironman is especially when the wheels fall off. Keeping the brain on top of the body is key.
As for Ray/Slick retiring, I will believe it when I see it…Come on Ray…you’ve only done 25 Ironmans. You gotta catch that Joe Boness dude. He’s at 41 and should be closing in on 50 within 2.5 years…
Hey man,
Thanks for the kind words.
I have been working on my bike a bit this year (and neglecting my run, I’d assume).
I ended up going 10:14 for 42nd with a subpar (for me) 3:34 run. Just didn’t have the run strength that day, but overall I was pleased since I pr’ed the swim and felt very even and strong on the bike.
The good news is that I’m recovering very quickly since I didn’t destroy my legs on the run and can prepare for FIRM half and (probably) Chesapeakman iron in October (I passed on the Kona slot).
After a week of movies (Wedding Crashers rocked!), couch time, and desserts, I’m ready to train again.
Good Luck in Kona and it was nice seeing some familiar names out there - Joe Bonness rocketed by at mile 3 of the bike!!!
I agree…why the hell did it seem so lonely with 1900+ people out there?
Oh yeah… I was in the med tent checking up on a friend who crossed right ahead of you?? in 10:18 - a CT boy.
Glad you were just visiting the tent and didn’t really need it.
5 dudes sprinted by me fast while I was on the oval dropping me from 47th to 52nd. I had no answer, my stomach was shut down and I was suffering pretty bad. After I crossed the line I felt even worse. Those guys needed to sprint too because the last spot in both 30-34 and 35-39 was 10:18. A couple of those guys lost it at the line, that has got to suck.
Wow, you ripped it! Great run time even if you were expecting better. I was on a 3:10-3:15 pace till about mile 17 then I gave back over 20 minutes the rest of the way for a 3:38 so I know how you feel. I really wanted sub 10 bad but it was not to be.
I’m still considering St Croix for next year. They have spots there and if I get one… who knows…may have to come out of retirement.
“Think of it this way. Have you ever spent an entire day at the office with zero breaks concentrating for 10+ hours on the same thing continuously”
Yup, that’s pretty much what I do every day at work.
…slick…come on…no pee breaks…no coffee breaks…do you just stick it out and pee in a trash can under your desk 
In any event, good luck in Kona this year. I guess you are not RB (ie 10:18 vs 10:40)
Yeah, i just pee in my dress slacks in my chair and keep plugging. Good Ironman practice.
I do work right through lunch everyday though.
No I am not Ray. He is an animal though, trains even less than me and I’m on the low end of things. I’ve only done 6 Ironmans not 25. After my dissastrous first attempt at LP in 2001 (and first triathlon of any kind) I swore I’d never do another. Qualified for Kona 4 times since.
…well at least you could have some kind of a tube like contraption so your dress pants don’t get wet…I think pretty well all of us Ironman guys gotta eat through lunch. I don’t get to work till 9 on account of training, so I don’t take lunch (although way too many ST breaks, which over the day, add up to your average smoker).