Race Previews

Kona Countdown: Guac on His Navel...

Thursday, 07 October 2010 05:00

By Darin Wieneke

If you have not had the opportunity to meet jMatt Keil, you really should take the time to introduce yourself and converse with him at a future triathlon. There is a saying that we become part of what we are around. If that saying is true, you will leave the conversation with jMatt a more positive, upbeat person. With that said, meet jMatt:

Hi. My name is jMatt Keil (Jon Matthew). I reside in Minneapolis and make my living as a cheerleader for a small production and post production company in the world of advertising. My role is the VP of Business Development for three companies: Runner Runner, Modern Music and Fischer Edit + FX. We help create, shoot and artistically assemble the footage for national TV commercials, web content, music videos, etc.. It's entertaining to "sell" to people (ad agencies) who sell things for a living. Rarely a dull moment...

My hobbies include playing drums in my band Kubla Khan (namesake photo below), basketball leagues, golfing with pals. I am relatively new to the world of triathlon. I had no background in endurance sports and thought a run around Lake Calhoun (3 miles) was a long effort and boring, to be honest. After touring in bands for quite a few years, I bumped into Coach Matt Haugen as I walked off stage at the Basilica Block Party. I had dropped his triathlon class my senior year in college and I promised him I'd come back to the sport. Long story short, I joined his team Performance Power the following summer of 2007. My lone goal was to complete the Lifetime Fitness Olympic distance triathlon. ... uhmmm, not sure how I exactly got here. :)

Q&A With jMatt

MTN: Where did you qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona?

jMatt: I qualified at Ironman Canada six weeks ago on August 29th.

MTN: Could you generally describe your training plan or strategy for Kona?

jMatt: My season was designed to peak at IM Canada. Since I spent most of the off season injured, I did not start focused IM training until this March. (Note: watch out for those motorcycle traffic cops if you're ever racing the Worlds 70.3 in Clearwater - they tend not to look both ways before they cross the bike course). My 5 month approach was pretty straightforward, I spent April and May building low HR aerobic base, June/July building strength and speed came in August. I laid out a plan with a dear friend and coach, Christian Klempp. For me, I had to keep it fun. I surrounded myself with inspiring training partners who are better than me at a given sport: Karl Adalbert slays me on the runs, Shirtless Joe Langel and Nate Tollefson beat me up on epic bike rides and I have Scott Tripps coach me in the pool. Aside from using local races to improve myself as a competitive triathlete, I included fun events such as RAGBRAI to build in easy miles. Overall, my goal was less volume but maintain consistency. If I keep it fun I'll more likely avoid injury and burnout. No one workout is going to make or break your season so I tried to mix it up. Fortunately, it worked for me.

MTN: How has your training gone?

jMatt: Ha. Good question. With only a six week turnaround, I knew how important rest, spending time with friends and laughing would be for me. Let's just say I have played 5 rounds of golf, my band played Mayslack's last night and I ran the Trail Loppet 13.1 (w/my pacer Tom Morgan) in a full business suit. I have simply tried to re-stock my soul with joyful experiences. Yes, I have done some workouts but mostly active movement. I feel slow and doughy but I need mental firepower more than anything right now. I'm trying to keep a healthy, open-minded perspective as a Kona virgin.

MTN: When do you plan to leave for Kona?

jMatt: I arrive in Kona on Tuesday and stay until the following Thursday. I was mostly concerned with having enough time to enjoy the vacation after the race. I didn't even consider heat acclimation so hope I didn't already make a rookie mistake. I am traveling with a small crew and it will be led by the best IronSherpa in the world, Ryan Johnson (aka RJ). He completed LTF Olympic this summer and will be on the scene (next) summer. To keep it simple, I shipped my bike with Tri Bike Transport.

MTN: Besides the race itself, what else are you excited to see or do while in Kona?

jMatt: Seriously?!?! Who cares. We will be in Kona. :) Lol. We plan to surf, snorkel, check out the lava and do some star-gazing but... if all I do is sit on the beach, with a corona in each hand and eat chips with a pile of guacamole resting on my navel, I will be a very happy man.

MTN: Is there a particular aspect of the race that you are looking forward to?

jMatt: I am most excited about the sheer spectacle and pageantry. I love the stage and the chance to perform. I am anxious for the wind on the bike and the heat on the run. There is a reason they are legendary and have made many a grown man and woman cry.

MTN: What is your goal(s) for the race?

jMatt: To complete the race and smile from start to finish. When I race, I am chasing my own shadow. I am motivated to improve myself but... this race will definitely be a celebration of the past three years. I feel very fortunate to be here.

MTN: What are you most looking forward to after the race/how will you relax after the race?

jMatt: My sweet tan with my race #'s burnt into my skin. Actually, I am ready to rest my brain. Post IM Canada, my work world and life has been stressful and moving at a fast clip. I am ready to re-group and step away from swim, bike, run for a while. Another reason I love MN, it's time to stoke a fire, play some football and wax the skis.

MTN: Who do you think will win the professional races and why?

jMatt: Craig Alexander (aka Crowie). I hope. It'll be very hard to three-peat but he's had an amazing season and understands how to deliver the knock out punch. For the women, Chrissie Wellington. She would need three flat tires and someone to hide her shoes for her to lose this race. I think it's huge for the sport to have dominant champions, it will help the sport grow beyond the periphery. I'd love to see both athletes become iconic in the mainstream sense.

MTN: Any other information you would like share with MTN readers?

jMatt: I am honored to represent Team MN at this event. Every race I participate in beyond our state, I feel that I am an ambassador for the MN Tri community. And this year, we have some top-rate competitors in Alex Hooke, Greg Taylor, Doug Davis and Dan Arlandson, whom will represent well in the AG category. Meanwhile, I'm pumped to see the focus of Cathy Lee and determination of Pam Nielsen on race day. They are very ready to throw down for our state. I'll do my best to get a smile out of them on the run.

Lastly, I would like to recognize the supportive MN triathlon community. If you are reading this blog, you are part of this special, grass roots community. We are so lucky to have the wide range of affordable, well-run and beautiful race courses all within hours of the Twin Cities. The accessibility to the sport; from coaches to elite veterans to training groups to beginner information is off the charts and does not exist in other cities. I would not be here if this didn't exist as I had no background in endurance sports and had no real intention of pursuing this lifestyle. I am more than happy to represent for the late-in-life average Joe's who are looking for a new challenge but just don't know it yet.

Before I sign off, I want to thank anyone who has volunteered in the MN multi-sport world. It's a thankless job and the glue of our sport. A big shout out to ....MN tri-site crew. ..Thanks gang!

Aloha!

jMatt