Going back to the topic of consistency with this short tip. A good rule of thumb is to never let three days go by where you haven’t trained one of the three sports. Being consistent in training as whole is great, but being consistent across swimming, biking, and running [...]
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Coaches are important and many athletes have one…sometimes even two that work together. They help take you to new levels and they help see your weaknesses from a different perspective. Generally, a coach is not only giving you a training plan, but they’ll also be following up with how each particular [...]
What is your underlying motivation for doing well in triathlon? Material aspects of competition, such as prizes, trophies, money? More immaterial, egocentric aspects of competitive events, such as recognition and respect from peers? Or how about the desire for self-development, and to challenge yourself? Sports psychology studies emphasize that athletes should be encouraged to improve performance using intrinsic (within yourself) rather than extrinsic (outside yourself) motivators. This is because, with extrinsic rewards, your self-confidence and overall satisfaction with training and performance are defined by external factors, which are out of your control. For example, if you place poorly in a race, despite having performed above personal expectations, you may be very self-critical and get depressed, and this may affect future performance. If performance is evaluated by external factors, such as what other people may think of you, your objectivity goes out the window. You need this objectivity to learn from failures, and face personal challenges that may be inhibiting your further development.
Your first transition is usually the most hectic and crowded. Depending on what you’re trying to get out of the race you can attack T1 two different ways. Go through with the intent of getting out as quickly as possible, or use it as a chance to regroup and get ready for the long ride ahead. This tip relates to trying to get you through quickly. Like anything, practicing transitions in training is important. Visualizing the transition frequently before the race and the morning of the race is also important. Know what you’re going to do. With about 2 minutes left in your swim, it’s also a good idea to start thinking about what you’ll be doing in transition. All this will help you get through smoothly. If you have a race where all your transition gear is situated in one place right beside your bike then everything is pretty simple. Unzip your wetsuit as you run out of the water, then take off the cap and goggles. When you get to your spot, whip the suit down to your calves and stand on it to pull the rest of your legs out as you put on your bike helmet. Number belt, bikes shoes, galsses and off you go. Try not to be too frantic. Quick but calm. We all know how things can take way longer when you are all stressed rushing out the door to get to work! Your feet are a very important but generally neglected part of your body. We may get leg massages but often don’t do a thing to loosen up our feet. Achy heels in the morning can be the initial signs of plantar fasciitis, and you want to do all that [...] This drill is from Matt Fitzgerald’s ‘Brain Training for Runners‘. A great book. Lace the fingers of your two hands together and make a big circle with your arms at shoulder level, like you are simulating a basketball hoop for someone else to toss a ball through. Run 100m [...]
Swim cords can be a great tool for arm position awareness – just be sure to check yourself out in a mirror, or have a friend critique you, the first few times you do them to make sure you are keeping your elbows nice and high, and not putting unnecessary strain on your low back. A great thing to do is to use them on deck before jumping into the water, then try to mimic that feeling once in the water. Use your lats to pull the cord back with your forearm vertical - learn to engage your major muscles groups. They can also be good to use after swimming as a substitute for weights. Get your back muscles, pecs etc. in order to help balance your swimming muscles and prevent injury.
Keep it simple. Your aim on race morning is not to pack back a ton of hard to digest calories. The less you have to digest, the better. But you’ve got to try and take in some food to top up your reserves. Today’s post comes to you from Chris Brown and Sara Gross. If you’ve thought about, but have yet to try a training camp, here’s some motivation to make it happen. ===========
Why Camp? For many of us, it’s that time of year when we are putting in some miles on the three T’s; trainer, treadmill and track. I recently spent 3 ½ weeks in Calgary, Canada… burr…. I have to admit, I have become soft when it comes to cold weather. I forgot what its like to have your lungs burn on a long run when it’s -25! Enter the perfect solution: the warm weather training camp. Taking part in a warm weather training camp is not only fun, but can help us get a competitive edge for the season. Here’s my list of top 5 reasons for attending a training camp: 5. Coaching: A good camp should have a variety of good coaches on hand to help you improve technically in all 3 sports… So much can be accomplished in a week dedicated solely to training. Anytime of year, but especially winter, is a great time to jump on to the treadmill. Unless you are lucky enough to live somewhere with warm weather or an indoor track, many runs are happening on the treadmill. In our observational surveys of treadmill users it seems that very few people [...] |
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