Your First

Since the first of the year many have asked, "What's should I do to prepare for my first triathlon"

Thinking back to my first triathlon I enjoy remembering the wonder of everything being new and exciting.  Training and becoming more fit, race week's anticipation, check-in, listening to the race director, my trepidation as I entered the water, the starting horn, finishing the swim, blowing through the first transition, grateful to be on the bike, taking the second transition a little more slowly, the last 100 yards of the run, crossing the finish line, the medal, and the great sense of accomplishment.

So, for those of you reading this let me jump to the basics of the triathlon. The race begins with the swim, transitions to the bike, and finishes with a run. Between each leg is a transition stage. T1 (first transition) is between the swim/bike; T2 (second transition) is between the bike/run. Your time in transition counts towards your final time.

There are triathlon distances. Generally the name of a triathlon indicates the distance:
Sprint: 750m swim / 20k bike / 5k run - 1/2 mile swim / 12.4 mile bike / 3.1 mile run
Olympic: 1500m swim/ 40k bike/ 10k run - 1 mile swim / 24.8 mile bike / 6.2 mile run
Half-ironman (or 70.3): 1.2mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.2 mile run
Ironman: 2.4 mile swim / 112 mile bike / 26.2 mile run

When choosing your first race we recommend that you go short and stay close to home.

Distance:  Training for a triathlon includes preparing to swim, bike, and run all within the same race.  Your training will be more effective and your results more enjoyable if your first race allows you to focus on success rather than survival.

Location:  If your first race is local you can train on the courses, become familiar with the venue, and have lots of family and friends come to cheer you on.  Traveling, transporting gear, lodging, and a million other questions that go along with going to a big race in another state will not allow you to focus on achieving your real goal of finishing your first triathlon.

Suggestions:

Train with a structured training plan

Focus on endurance (going the distance) rather than speed

Train with the gear you will use on race day

Train with a coach or experienced triathlete

Practice transitions

Train with the nutrition you will use on race day

Review the race venue and swim, bike, and run courses

Believe in yourself and trust your training

There are always things you can do to improve or race better, however, preparing to finish your first triathlon will allow to enjoy the training and smile on race day!

SEE YOU AT THE STARTING LINE

Comments, Thoughts, Questions

Winter Is The Perfect Season

Winter is the perfect time to work on our limiters; the areas of our racing that holds us back the most.  For multisport athletes it could be swimming, cycling, or running.  For runners it could be endurance, force (the ability to maintain power on hills), or speed.  For some it may be a combination of these elements.  Regardless of the limiters we face they will continue to hold us back from our best performance if we do not work on them.

With as little as an hour a week of focus training (working on the mechanics of a discipline or an element of a sport) someone who has seen minimal progress in their racing can begin to experience break through workouts and see significant improvements in their times.  Many individuals believe that if they simply focus on speed, or running, that they will reach their goals.  The error in this thinking is that to reduce all training to a single focus overlooks the importance of their sport.  Great athletes who achieve understand that they must work on their areas of weakness to improve them, (you are only as strong as your weakest capacity), but that they must also continue to develop their strengths.

Winter is the perfect time to work on our weaknesses.  We generally have the time and we do not feel the pressure of race day just ahead.  TRAIN SMART, STAY FIT, HAVE FUN!

Questions, Comments, Thoughts?

Winter Training. . . Building your Base

Okay, the days are shorter andthe temperatures are dropping. . .  but is that really a reason to blow off training?

The months of January through April are ideal for endurance athletes to build base miles and prepare the body for peak performance in the months that follow.  To many the idea of running, spinning, or swimming slowly seems counterintuitive.  A common question is: "How will I become faster if I don't push myself in every training session?"  The answer is to discipline yourself to develop an aerobic base that will allow you to have breakthrough force and speed workouts in time to peak for your race.

Science has proven that there are both physiological and psychological advantages to a well developed aerobic base.  Physiologically the body will become more efficient by improving the transportation of oxygen to the muscles, reducing the rate of lactate buildup, increasing the rate of lactate removal, and increasing the utilization of energy production.  Psychologically the mind will more effectively process the demands on the central nervous system, reduce perceived exertion, increase the release of endorphins, and increase the perception of the pursuit of achievement.

So. . . starting now, find ways to increase your yards, miles, and hours at a steady aerobic pace that will prepare you to GO anaerobic just in time to blow away the competition and set your own PERSONAL BEST!

Questions, thoughts Comments!

Benefit of Strengthening your Body Core

Strengthening the body's core is key for endurance athletes. However, this is often an overlooked element of strength training and becomes a factor in many who set out with determination but lack the "guts" to finish.
With many options to strengthen the core during a training period endurance athletes can make a real difference in their performance by including any of the following:
Pilates - builds strength in the body's core postural muscles which support the spine. These  exercises require awareness and control of breathing, spine position and torso muscles creating a total body workout without impact. They tone and realign the body improving flexibility, strength and posture, reduce the chance of injury,  and even muscular imbalances.
Gym Equipment - Today's fitness facilities include many pieces of equipment that strengthen and build the body's core:  Machine Crunch, Captain's Chair, Balance Ball, Hyperextension Platform, Exercise Floor, etc.  Each of these offers a variety of abdominal workouts that will build the body's core and produce results.
Yoga -  uses a combination of physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation to push the body to gain increased flexibility, strength and balance. The concentration and mind-body connection gained in yoga enhances the mental focus needed in endurance sports training and racing. It can alleviate stress, muscle tension, and aid in recovery. 
Adding core body strengthening to a well developed training plan will take each athlete's training and racing to a whole new level! 
Thoughts, comments, questions?
An athlete is only as strong as their weakest physical or mental element!

Off Season Strength Training

This blog is our effort to "put it out there" for you to read, comment, question, and apply so you can become a better athlete.  It's intent is to make a difference!

Off Season Strength Training:

Similar to sport specific training, off season strength training is maximized by periodization.  There are three generally recognized periods (or phases) of strength training for endurance athletes are: 

1.    Anatomical Adaptation:  This period progressively adapts the muscles—especially muscle attachments to the bone—to more easily cope with heavier efforts during subsequent training phases.  This phase is generally four to six weeks in length.

2.    Maximum Strength:  This period increases muscular motor unit activation and recruits fast twitch muscle fibers.  This phase is generally four to eight weeks in length.

3.    Muscular Endurance:  This phase increases capacity of neuromuscular system and aerobic adaptation.  This phase is generally 6 to 9 weeks in length.

Weight Bearing Lifts:		Core Emphasis:
Leg Press		V Sit-up
Chest Press		Oblique Bridge
Leg Extension		Hyperextension
Shoulder Press		Seated Crunch
Leg Curls
Front Lat Pull-down
Calf Raises
Seated Row

Strength Training continues to be one of the key secrets to success that many developing athletes discount.  Top athletes, coaches, and sport specialists have been singing the praises of this training phrase for more than a decade and still relatively few elite, top age groupers, and novice endurance athletes have incorporated it in their training plans.  

Be a leader. . . put it to the test and reap the rewards.  It works!!

Your thoughts?

 Power = (force + speed) x endurance