 For this tip we’ re going to send you over to Gordo Byrn. It’s a great tip and worth reading the whole thing. Here’s an excerpt to wet your appetite – pun intended.
Your fastest race weight will always be slightly higher than you think optimal. When you are “just right”, you have gone too far.
Be strong to go fast.
So, here is what I do when I want to have my body running optimally.
- -I eliminate dairy from my diet. Personally, I love dairy products, but I have found that my digestion and body composition respond favorably to removing dairy.
- -Beers? Bad news, I’m afraid. I have found that alcohol slows my recovery and, I suspect, my metabolic rate. When I want to be firing on all cylinders, I drop it.
- -I eliminate as many processed foods as possible and base the majority of my nutrition on fresh fruits, veggies and lean protein. It’s pretty easy to do this if you only shop around the outside of the supermarket. When I venture up the aisles, it is only to purchase “recovery” foods.
- -During and following my long training sessions, I use a range of moderate to highly glycemic carbohydrate sources to provide the energy necessary for reloading my muscles. Examples of these sources are brown rice, quinoa, potatoes and wholegrain breads.
- -Within my main food groups (fruits, veggies and lean protein), I eat as wide a range of items as possible. I buy the highest quality ingredients that I can afford.
- -I eliminate all trans- and hydrogenated fats from my diet…read the full article at Gordo’s site.
 Most of us can benefit from going to the weight room at least once a week, especially during the winter months when you may be backing off the longer rides. I say ‘most’ because some people are naturally strong and time in the weight room would simply bulk them up more than a triathlete would want. It has also been reported that once you get into your late 30′s you can start to lose 1 pound of muscle per year for the rest of your life. To us that seems like a lot, we certainly don’t have any basis to argue that, but pumping some iron can’t hurt!
Building muscle can also help burn your fat stores. More muscle = more energy use = more potential for fat consumption. That extra muscle, which should be sport specific, will also help propel you forward that much faster (and seeing as you’ll have less fat you’ll be even speedier). A great recommendation is to do your lower body weight room work with one leg at a time to help even out any imbalances.
When you’re first getting back into the gym, take it VERY easy so that you can train properly the next day. Very light weight and only 2 sets of a given workout. After a couple weeks you can start putting on some heavier weight, but still keep the reps high – between 12 and 15 for us endurance folk. 1 set for warm up, 2 where you hit that last rep with a good burn.
Continue reading Use the weight room
 This is probably old news, but if nothing else take it as a reminder for the next time you travel to your race. Putting all that time in for Ironman race day only to catch a silly bug druing race week happens all the time. Hard training suppresses your immune system so you need to be extra diligent about doing all you can to avoid germs.
Hand washing is the number one way to prevent catching and spreading bugs. Keep a litte container of gel hand sanitizer on your person at all times and use liberally after touching surfaces. Try to avoind touching your face. If you have to travel by plane to your race, the re-circulated air of a plane is the perfect breding ground for nasties. Also the dry air can decrease the effectiveness of your natural defense mechanisms by drying out your mucus membranes. It is unfortunate that North Americans tend to get freaked out when people choose to wear face masks on planes. I think that it is great and more people should do it. Protect yourself from germs and don’t give your cold to anyone else.
 As race season rolls around, getting time out training in the open water is a great way to mix it up and give yourself a break from the black line. However, it is very easy to fall into a leisurely pace that won’t benefit your race day goals. To get around this you need to keep in mind that it is still a training workout and some effort is required. It is also very easy to fall into a similar routine swim after swim.
-Two times around the big island.
-To the far beach and back.
-5th dock around the point.
We all have our own lake swim turnaround points. Be adventurous if safety allows and switch it up. You also can’t forget about the harder efforts you would normally do while in the pool:
- Practice your beach starts and exits.
- Swim flat out to the rock or big tree.
- Change draft positions with your swim partner every 5 minutes.
- Long steady is great, but not every time you go out.
Continue reading Open water swimming
 There are different approaches to the last couple days of a taper before a full Ironman event (in most cases, a 70.3 event requires a slightly different approach than a full Ironman). You’ve probably read about some athletes putting in a fairly hardy dose of training on race week. Even within the last couple days before the race. This doesn’t work for everybody, but you always hear about the people that do it because it’s outside the norm (Belinda Granger -to name a name off the top of my head). Then they go and win Ironman events and you start thinking that that is what you should be doing too. Not the case. Keep in mind, the people doing this have been training incredibly hard for a long time (we all have – but relatively speaking not as hard as a full time athlete). A 3 hour ride two days out from the race may seem like peanuts to them. Unless you’re training full time and can test that type of situation I would steer away from it. We’ve found that our best races always happened after we thought we had NOT done enough during race week. Assuming the race was on Sunday, we started getting really antsy on Saturday or even Friday. For most athletes starting an Ironman this is a good thing. It means you’re rested, your body wants to go exert itself, you’re ready. Even the feeling of being somewhat sleepy is not altogether a bad thing for an Ironman (you’re welcome to disagree). It’s a long day and using the first 20 kms to shake out some sleepiness can lead to a very strong finish.
So, assuming your Ironman is on a Sunday:
Continue reading Last couple days before an Ironman
 I was looking at this picture the other night of the Ironman Coeur D’Alene start line. Heather is in the blue cap, front and center (Click to enlarge). That stance shows that she is thinking about one thing, and that is how quickly she’s going to get herself to the far turn buoy. You can tell she’s on the start line with a purpose and knows that she can do it.
This doesn’t mean you have to be on the front line staring down the far turn buoy. The point of this tip is to be mentally strong and confident that you’ve brought your best to the table, even if there are doubts in your training. No matter where you decide to line up on the start line, be there with purpose and keep your goals front and center. It’s not hard to be intimidated on an Ironman start line, everyone looks fast in a wetsuit. At that point it is very easy to fall into the “I’m just going to see what happens” frame of mind. No you’re not!!! You’re going to swim faster than that kickass workout you had a month ago. Remember how good you felt on that group swim a few weeks ago!! That is what you are GOING to do. The chick in the blue cap knows she’s going to swim well and as fast as she can. Green cap girl looks to be thinking about how chilly the water is. Sorry green cap girl.
 Many men and women who engage in regular, intense exercise such as running, competitive swimming, and cycling have “marginal or inadequate iron status”. Possible explanations include increased gastrointestinal blood loss after running, a greater turnover of red blood cells, and the fact that red blood cells within the foot can rupture when you pound the ground during a long run. For these reasons, the need for iron may be 30% greater in those who engage in regular intense exercise.
Female athletes, distance runners, and vegetarian athletes are the most likely to experience iron deficiency. It is particularly important for these folks to consume recommended amounts of iron and to pay attention to dietary factors that enhance iron absorption. If appropriate nutrition (enter spinach salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts) does not promote normal iron status, iron supplementation may be required. In one study of female swimmers, researchers found that supplementation with 125 mg of ferrous sulfate per day prevented iron depletion.
Vitamin C will improve the absorption of iron. Tannins (found in tea, wine), calcium, polyphenols, and phytates (found in legumes and whole grains) can decrease absorption of iron. Some proteins found in soybeans also inhibit iron absorption, and caffeine messes up the absorption of pretty much everything. So if blood tests indicate that you need an iron supplement, don’t take it with your milk and cereal in the morning, or your tea or coffee. Have it with some citrus fruit instead.
Continue reading When to take iron
 This one is best done on a fixed trainer (ie. Not rollers – but if you can do it on rollers -you’re crazy awesome- or would like to see someone doing this on rollers, check the comments) and is a great way to break up an indoor ride. There’s not much to explain, other than to pedal your bike with one leg at a time. Put your free leg on the trainer, next to where it attaches to the bike. Try and keep your quad in line with it’s normal plain of motion so that your hips don’t twist on the saddle.
The best way to do this is to count your revolutions for each leg, and you don’t need to have the wattage/resistance very high. It’s more about spinning smoothly right through the whole revolution. 50 on one leg, 50 on the other. Then 40 and 40. 30/30. 20/20. 10/10. Work through that a couple times and you can bet you’ll be feeling some muscles you didn’t know you had. This drill also activates your core muscles – which are very important for an efficient and strong pedal stroke. Once you’ve mastered that drill you can also do it in the aero bars. As an added bonus, this drill will help indicate if you’re in the aero position properly. If you find you simply can’t do it in the aero position (likely you feel really weak pulling up), it may be woth getting someone to look at how your bars and saddle are set up.
 Sometimes when you hit the water for training you may lack some motivation to put the time in. When that happens it’s good to have a swim set that you enjoy and can fall back on. Of course, this only works if you have control of your own workouts. Sometimes, however, you may be feeling totally out to lunch and can’t stomach the 1500m TT that coach has on tap for the day. Well, rather than say no to the pool, fall back on your old standby and get some time in.
Here’s our favorite. All on no rest, keep going through each 200. You pick the intensity:
200m Kick
200m Swim
200m Pull
200m Pull/Paddle
200 meters goes by super quickly, then you get to switch up the focus a bit. You’ll be surprised how quickly you get through 800 meters. Go through it 2 or 3 times and you’ve got yourself a very decent set.
 If you are new to the world of long distance triathlon, or simply have incredibly robust skin, you may not be intimately familiar with wonderful anti-friction products such as BodyGlide. You can apply this stuff anywhere and it will prevent fabric-on-skin or skin-on-skin chaffing (‘chub-rub’ as we affectionately call it). Most people use it on race day to lube up their forearms and calves for easy wetsuit removal, and to prevent chaffing on the back of their necks from wetsuit zippers. Many also apply it around their armpits where jerseys and sports bras make contact.
If you have sensitive skin, applying body glide between your legs, along any areas where seams and chamois in your bike shorts may rub, around the draw-string of your shorts, where a race number belt may make contact with your waist, and around your ankle where your timing-chip strap goes - are all important measures to take to keep your lower half happy. In addition to the armpit and sports bra areas, you may want to apply body glide to your neck and the front of your chest if you have a zipper that opens up the front of your jersey. Men may also find that nipples are an essential area to cover, especially if they change into a more loose fitting jersey for the run. If you wear a heart rate monitor it can be good to apply body glide in a band right around your ribcage.
In non race scenarios, body glide is great to have in your swim bag to avoid chaffing from your chlorine resistant, but rough, polyester swim suit. I get funny looks every morning when I appear to be applying deodorant to strange places, but I find that my neck and armpits get roughed up with anything over 4000m. A between the legs application of body-glide can be the solution to those little run shorts that just aren’t comfortable for anything over 10k otherwise. Body glide is also great for avoiding blisters on your feet from new shoes or swim fins.
Continue reading Say no to chaffing
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About this site:
These triathlon and endurance sport related tips have been compiled by Heather and Trevor Wurtele over the years of their progression from working age-groupers to full time professional triathletes. Heather is now a 4 time Ironman Champion and top 10 World Championship finisher. Trevor has an Ironman PR of 8:22 and a 2:51 Ironman marathon.
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