As a caveat, I (the previously named contestant #2) am not a certified personal trainer. But, over the course of my athletic career I have seen tremendous benefit and improved athletic performance from cross-training my body.
With regards to triathlon, cross-training does not simply mean focusing solely on the three disciplines of swim, bike, and run. Yes, that is technically a form of cross-training and it is obviously necessary to train all three legs in order to complete a race. However, the exercises that you engage in outside of these three will likely result in improved flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and overall performance.
Cardiovascular Work
I'm not going to talk much about any cardio training because I find I get enough cardio work from my training. The only thing I will say is that interval work, for all three tri disciplines, does help with speed and endurance.
Improving Muscular Strength
Even during race season, I regularly take a sports conditioning class that usually involves weight lifting and weight lift at least one additional day per week. Personally I find weight lifting really helps me in my tri training. The sports conditioning classes I take at The Energy Gym in Arlington are great because it truly is a full body workout - we use everything from our own body weight to resistance bands to medicine balls to kettlebells to body bars. The class focuses on strength, endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and plyometrics. At the end of an hour, we are all usually pretty exhausted (but in a good way). The great thing about this class and others like it is that you notice improvements relatively quickly if you go on a regular basis.
CrossFit is the newest and greatest form of cross-training that works your cardio fitness while improving strength and endurance. The exercise routines are extremely challenging, but I promise you will get into great shape by doing them. To learn more, go here to Crossfit.com.
Improving Flexibility
Now that we're all getting stronger, it's important to not lose flexibility in your muscles. I am a fan of yoga and I find it helps keep my muscles limber during the training season. Now I know not everyone likes yoga, but some sort of stretching routine is important during your training and will contribute to overall muscular health. Tight muscles that cramp, strain or pull easily do not serve anyone well on race day.
I want to focus for a moment on one particular piece of equipment - resistance bands. As a former collegiate swimmer, contestant #1 introduced me to some resistance bands exercises that target shoulder strength and flexibility. Doing three sets of a few simple exercises will help keep your shoulder muscles flexible during the rigors of training and most importantly, serve as a way to prevent injuries.
Core Strength
Never to be neglected, the core is the epicenter of athletic performance. Strong abdominal and back muscles are not only going to help you in your tri training, but they're extremely important in every day life. Be sure to work your abs and back equally so there's a balance of strength. I particularly like full sit-ups with a medicine ball - you hold the ball over your head and then sit all the way up and touch ball to the ground. For my back, I like Supermans - lie on your stomach and lift your arms and legs at the same time. You'll feel the burn. You can also alternate your left and right side. Of course a great exercise that works your abs and back at the same time is the plank - either resting on your hands or forearms with your body straight and on your toes. Be sure to not shoot the moon and keep your butt down.
Recovery
I take at least one day off per week, sometimes two. I need to let me body recover and I can tell when my muscles are fatigued. I know some gym rats hate the thought of a day off, but I've had numerous trainers tell me that recovery can play a crucial role in overall athletic performance. The worst thing to do is overtrain your body heading into a race.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Finding the right Competition
As an aspiring sprint/olympic triathlete, I am very particular about where and when I'll do a triathlon. My first triathlon was the Mayo Lake Sprint and I trained from May to August 2009. Honestly, it was more like an X-Terra race, and an interesting first foray into multi-sport challenges. It was fun, but not your typical sprint triathlon (if there is such thing as a "typical sprint"). My follow-on events were in September and October, both very flat courses and in salt water. For Mayo Lake, I didn't do much homework above reviewing some websites and reading previous race feedback to find this race. As a result, I've thought about what are my top five things I look for in an event:
1. Day of the Week: I am a BIG fan of Saturday triathlons. Summer traffic tends to be less, if you're returning home, and you have a full day to recover. I know, what you're thinking is, "why does a puny sprint triathlon require a day of rest?" Well...um, I'm not sure it does, but it sure does feel nice to have a day off before returning to work. There are quite a few races on a Saturday in the Middle Atlantic region, you'll see that after I post my schedule for the year...which is coming soon.
2. Type of Competitors: Every sport has their lazies and their crazies. I look for events that have a share of both. I plan to do some events that are very family friendly that embrace the fun aspects of competition, and I also plan on trying some races that will challenge my ability not finish last in my age group. Who doesn't love watching that 30 or 40 something stud(ette) who has the $10K bike and crazy get-up finish with the same time as someone just starting out from their couch at home? A diverse group of competitors make racing much more fun!
3. Course Type: Some folks like flat courses and some like monster hills. Some like the calm fresh lake waters and others like the choppiness of the inlet. My first race at Mayo Lake last year was, as I mentioned earlier, was a bit more challenging with a 15 mile hilly bike and a 5K full trail run. Had I known more detail (above what the website said), I would have trained differently, since I'm still new to the bike and run. It was only the 2nd year for the race, but the race grew from 50 participants in 2008 to over ~300 in 2009. I chose the race, in part, to participate in something less crowded and more with more beginners, however, there were a lot of more skilled triathletes than in my last two of the season (apparently the NC X-Terra championships were the week after Mayo Lake, so we had a bunch of folks testing their skills). I still had fun (and will probably do it again this year), but knowing what to expect is half the battle especially when your starting out. I mean, most people wouldn't start out with a SavageMan if they knew they were aiming for something like the Nation's Tri. Right now in my triathlete career, I'm leaning towards flat to slightly hilly courses for both the bike and run. As for the swim, freshwater is nicer, in my opinion, since it doesn't involve ocean water, but I'll take an ocean/bay swim if it's slightly choppy or calm.
4. Location: This is a no brainer and common sense right? Well, on the East Coast some people are willing to go to the ends of the earth, packing their bags and heading out for 6-8 hours in a car for a one weekend. I personally aim for a 2-4 hour drive time, which puts me anywhere from NJ to NC. After a race, whether you're staying the night or not, it'll give you the rest on the day to get home, minimizing uncomfortable post-race car time.
5. Accommodations: I like to go to events with better hotel accommodations. I didn't say expensive ones, just "better". We all know that triathlons can take place in very austere locations, far from places with lodging and food places above one AAA diamond, I try to avoid those races mainly because I try and will try to make mini-vacations out of race weekends wherever possible. I guess I like being able to sleep in a comfortable bed, not a campground, and eat well, instead of eating fast/convenience food, for 48 hours.
Thanks for reading.
Let me know what you think.
1. Day of the Week: I am a BIG fan of Saturday triathlons. Summer traffic tends to be less, if you're returning home, and you have a full day to recover. I know, what you're thinking is, "why does a puny sprint triathlon require a day of rest?" Well...um, I'm not sure it does, but it sure does feel nice to have a day off before returning to work. There are quite a few races on a Saturday in the Middle Atlantic region, you'll see that after I post my schedule for the year...which is coming soon.
2. Type of Competitors: Every sport has their lazies and their crazies. I look for events that have a share of both. I plan to do some events that are very family friendly that embrace the fun aspects of competition, and I also plan on trying some races that will challenge my ability not finish last in my age group. Who doesn't love watching that 30 or 40 something stud(ette) who has the $10K bike and crazy get-up finish with the same time as someone just starting out from their couch at home? A diverse group of competitors make racing much more fun!
3. Course Type: Some folks like flat courses and some like monster hills. Some like the calm fresh lake waters and others like the choppiness of the inlet. My first race at Mayo Lake last year was, as I mentioned earlier, was a bit more challenging with a 15 mile hilly bike and a 5K full trail run. Had I known more detail (above what the website said), I would have trained differently, since I'm still new to the bike and run. It was only the 2nd year for the race, but the race grew from 50 participants in 2008 to over ~300 in 2009. I chose the race, in part, to participate in something less crowded and more with more beginners, however, there were a lot of more skilled triathletes than in my last two of the season (apparently the NC X-Terra championships were the week after Mayo Lake, so we had a bunch of folks testing their skills). I still had fun (and will probably do it again this year), but knowing what to expect is half the battle especially when your starting out. I mean, most people wouldn't start out with a SavageMan if they knew they were aiming for something like the Nation's Tri. Right now in my triathlete career, I'm leaning towards flat to slightly hilly courses for both the bike and run. As for the swim, freshwater is nicer, in my opinion, since it doesn't involve ocean water, but I'll take an ocean/bay swim if it's slightly choppy or calm.
4. Location: This is a no brainer and common sense right? Well, on the East Coast some people are willing to go to the ends of the earth, packing their bags and heading out for 6-8 hours in a car for a one weekend. I personally aim for a 2-4 hour drive time, which puts me anywhere from NJ to NC. After a race, whether you're staying the night or not, it'll give you the rest on the day to get home, minimizing uncomfortable post-race car time.
5. Accommodations: I like to go to events with better hotel accommodations. I didn't say expensive ones, just "better". We all know that triathlons can take place in very austere locations, far from places with lodging and food places above one AAA diamond, I try to avoid those races mainly because I try and will try to make mini-vacations out of race weekends wherever possible. I guess I like being able to sleep in a comfortable bed, not a campground, and eat well, instead of eating fast/convenience food, for 48 hours.
Thanks for reading.
Let me know what you think.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Conquering the Swim: Tri made easy (Getting Better)
During pre-race prep or just talking to other triathletes, I've heard various people say things that disparage the venerable sport of swimming, as it relates to being a brother of "Bike" and "Run." As a competitive swimmer, I can't say that swimming is simple, but I can offer some tips to that sub 25 minute 1500 meters. (Take these tips at your own risk)
Here's a strategy:
Step 1. Focus on technique: Just like Master Miyagi from Karate Kid taught Daniel to beat the Cobra Kai by teaching the basics first, most swimmers are taught technique before they learn to be medalists. There are many triathletes out there with poor swimming technique.
First, I think the fastest way to get better, technique-wise (if you're not a swimmer) is to find a swimmer friend or a master's team and get a few in-water freestyle pointers on head position, arm position (pull and recovery), FLIP-TURNS and BI-LATERAL breathing. Then, after getting some pointers (I don't think you need hours of lessons), focus on getting setting up a solid stroke by making it a part of your regular workout. It might slow you down a bit a first but your stroke will be more efficient AND you'll be able to breath on the left (or right) to avoid a mouthful of your nearest competitor's wake.
The aim isn't a perfect technique, it's about improving your stroke until you feel smooth in the water and so you're not thinking about maintaining some stroke count or pace. After you've got freestyle down, then you can challenge yourself with the other strokes.
Tip: Pool time won't always improve your performance. Doing some dry-land and cross training with your upper body with rubber stretch-cords to build up upper body strength and resistance training. I'd use a medium resistance (not too easy). Focus on time, rather than reps, but here's a good link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D37Ye_ADQ30 to get an idea. I'd recommend something like doing five different exercises for one minute each...in a few weeks, you'll start feeling the difference in the water and decrease the risk of injury at the same time.
Step 2. Focus on workout quality: A great 2500 yard/meter workout is better than the lame 4000-5000 workout. I see a lot of triathletes focusing in the pool on swimming lap after lap after lap continuously. By doing this you're focusing on the wrong goal (mindless distance) and not getting better at swimming. You'll gain distance rapidly with good technique and time. I'd suggest that during the tri season, swimming long distances during workouts probably are necessary to make sure you can go the distance and have the pacing down right, but you should be doing that maybe once a week or two. I'm not a big fan of fins, but throwing them into a workout every once in a while to focus on technique while at speed is sometimes beneficial. I'd suggest that if you're going to use fins on a regular basis get a pair of short fins, like these Zoomers. Yes, they're harder to use, but they will improve your kick and make sure you don't cheat the whole main set. For a 2500 freestyle workout (scalable to 1000 or 5000, if you know other strokes well enough work them in) try something like this:
WARM-UP (400-500)
Example:
400 Freestyle (straight and slow, focusing on technique)
Pull/Kick/Drill (400-600) - (essential for technique and muscle memory)
Example:
400-600 Drill/Kick/Pull (something like 10 x 50 or 6 x 75 yards, alternate by workout)
MAIN SET(S) (800-1600)
Examples:
8 x 100 Free or 2 x 400 on challenging intervals
or
6-8 x 125s on interval (trying odd lengths like 125s and 175s can really keep you off guard)
or
2-3x 500 on intervals
WARM DOWN (300-400)
Example:
300-400 warm down (take it slow and focus on technique)
Step 3. Focus on speed: But once you've got your arms, head, and legs moving like you want them, you can start taking your intervals down and doing longer distances.
Step 4. Focus on open water: As a pool swimmer for all my life until last year, open water is new to me. I guess practice is the most important thing here. The same principle applies to a pool swim...swimming as fast as you can without draining yourself for the rest of the race. I think the most advanced things that apply in open water would be learning how to draft and locating buoys. I think swimming in a variety of conditions is also helpful (i.e. clear vs. murky water or placid vs. choppy).
Caveat: I would say throwing yourself right into swimming back and forth in open water isn't going to make you a better swimmer. Crappy techinque in open water endangers not only yourself but others...and competitors who float on the swim are annoying to those who want to get on to the bike :)
I hope these tips spark some ideas.
Thanks for reading.
Here's a strategy:
Step 1. Focus on technique: Just like Master Miyagi from Karate Kid taught Daniel to beat the Cobra Kai by teaching the basics first, most swimmers are taught technique before they learn to be medalists. There are many triathletes out there with poor swimming technique.
First, I think the fastest way to get better, technique-wise (if you're not a swimmer) is to find a swimmer friend or a master's team and get a few in-water freestyle pointers on head position, arm position (pull and recovery), FLIP-TURNS and BI-LATERAL breathing. Then, after getting some pointers (I don't think you need hours of lessons), focus on getting setting up a solid stroke by making it a part of your regular workout. It might slow you down a bit a first but your stroke will be more efficient AND you'll be able to breath on the left (or right) to avoid a mouthful of your nearest competitor's wake.
The aim isn't a perfect technique, it's about improving your stroke until you feel smooth in the water and so you're not thinking about maintaining some stroke count or pace. After you've got freestyle down, then you can challenge yourself with the other strokes.
Tip: Pool time won't always improve your performance. Doing some dry-land and cross training with your upper body with rubber stretch-cords to build up upper body strength and resistance training. I'd use a medium resistance (not too easy). Focus on time, rather than reps, but here's a good link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D37Ye_ADQ30 to get an idea. I'd recommend something like doing five different exercises for one minute each...in a few weeks, you'll start feeling the difference in the water and decrease the risk of injury at the same time.
Step 2. Focus on workout quality: A great 2500 yard/meter workout is better than the lame 4000-5000 workout. I see a lot of triathletes focusing in the pool on swimming lap after lap after lap continuously. By doing this you're focusing on the wrong goal (mindless distance) and not getting better at swimming. You'll gain distance rapidly with good technique and time. I'd suggest that during the tri season, swimming long distances during workouts probably are necessary to make sure you can go the distance and have the pacing down right, but you should be doing that maybe once a week or two. I'm not a big fan of fins, but throwing them into a workout every once in a while to focus on technique while at speed is sometimes beneficial. I'd suggest that if you're going to use fins on a regular basis get a pair of short fins, like these Zoomers. Yes, they're harder to use, but they will improve your kick and make sure you don't cheat the whole main set. For a 2500 freestyle workout (scalable to 1000 or 5000, if you know other strokes well enough work them in) try something like this:
WARM-UP (400-500)
Example:
400 Freestyle (straight and slow, focusing on technique)
Pull/Kick/Drill (400-600) - (essential for technique and muscle memory)
Example:
400-600 Drill/Kick/Pull (something like 10 x 50 or 6 x 75 yards, alternate by workout)
MAIN SET(S) (800-1600)
Examples:
8 x 100 Free or 2 x 400 on challenging intervals
or
6-8 x 125s on interval (trying odd lengths like 125s and 175s can really keep you off guard)
or
2-3x 500 on intervals
WARM DOWN (300-400)
Example:
300-400 warm down (take it slow and focus on technique)
Step 3. Focus on speed: But once you've got your arms, head, and legs moving like you want them, you can start taking your intervals down and doing longer distances.
Step 4. Focus on open water: As a pool swimmer for all my life until last year, open water is new to me. I guess practice is the most important thing here. The same principle applies to a pool swim...swimming as fast as you can without draining yourself for the rest of the race. I think the most advanced things that apply in open water would be learning how to draft and locating buoys. I think swimming in a variety of conditions is also helpful (i.e. clear vs. murky water or placid vs. choppy).
Caveat: I would say throwing yourself right into swimming back and forth in open water isn't going to make you a better swimmer. Crappy techinque in open water endangers not only yourself but others...and competitors who float on the swim are annoying to those who want to get on to the bike :)
I hope these tips spark some ideas.
Thanks for reading.
New Stuff
Last week I purchased my first triathlon bike, with the anticipation that I'm going to up my commitment this year.
My purchase was a Giant Trinity Alliance 1, on sale. It's a carbon composite model with the pieces of flair that one might need to hopefully be more speedy on the bike portion of a race. It's not a totally tricked out-bank account draining bike, but it's a good bike. I have a Trek road bike, which works fine by all accounts, the new bike just looked too cool (and was too cheap) to pass up. I don't believe the arguments that you can buy speed, and don't believe $5000 bike with $1000-2000 wheels is going to make you a better triathlete. It's all about your 'tude. A trip to the podium is about the people (behind you), perseverance, and practice.
I had the new bike tricked out with a Sipstream hands free hydration system. And, I have to say, that I'm more excited about it, than the bike. The reason: a well hydrated triathlete is a better-happy triathlete. Truthfully, It's the coolest hydration system I've ever seen and it works like magic. It's worth every penny. Period.
This week I start my training for triathlons in June...remember. I'll post about good swimming workouts later this week.
My purchase was a Giant Trinity Alliance 1, on sale. It's a carbon composite model with the pieces of flair that one might need to hopefully be more speedy on the bike portion of a race. It's not a totally tricked out-bank account draining bike, but it's a good bike. I have a Trek road bike, which works fine by all accounts, the new bike just looked too cool (and was too cheap) to pass up. I don't believe the arguments that you can buy speed, and don't believe $5000 bike with $1000-2000 wheels is going to make you a better triathlete. It's all about your 'tude. A trip to the podium is about the people (behind you), perseverance, and practice.
I had the new bike tricked out with a Sipstream hands free hydration system. And, I have to say, that I'm more excited about it, than the bike. The reason: a well hydrated triathlete is a better-happy triathlete. Truthfully, It's the coolest hydration system I've ever seen and it works like magic. It's worth every penny. Period.
This week I start my training for triathlons in June...remember. I'll post about good swimming workouts later this week.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Backgrounder on the "Contestants"
The Honest Truth:
We are not the couch to criterion types. Both of us have had athletic success outside of triathlons as youths or young adults as part of teams and individually. So, we started triathlons to do something together...we're focused on improving our efforts, but not aiming at the podium. I'd like to think we're the Everymen of triathlons. We're not early-middle aged folks looking to prove to ourselves that we can complete a race and we're not blessed with the free time to focus many more hours per week to get to the Ironman level. But, we are serious about training and having fun.
The Facts:
Contestant #1 (Male) is a former college distance swimmer. He's relatively new to cycling and HATES running. So his strongest area is the water, he gets by with the bike, and struggles to enjoy even a 1K run, let alone 5K. He gets a euphoric high when fellow competitors moan about the swim course being too long. The only thing that keeps him going to the gym is competing in triathlons with his wife.
Contestant #1 Improvement Areas:
Swim: Consistent training in conjunction with the bike and run...instead of endloading all the swim training.
Bike: More seat time on the road and less on a exercise bike at the gym.
Run: Getting over the mental hurdle of not enjoying running. (Tips please?)
Transition: Not loafing it.
Contestant #2 (Female) is a former field sport (lacrosse) and squash player. She's biked a century and has experience running races 5Ks to 10 milers. So, she's familiar with two of the three tri sports. Thankfully, for her husband's sake, she's relatively new to competitive swimming. Unlike her husband, she likes going to the gym and participating in everything from the treadmill to crazy fitness classes.
Contestant #2 Improvement Areas:
Right now Contestant #2 is waiting to be a mommy and will be begin training after a due date April for September races...so until she can train and compete, we won't make an assessment :)
We are not the couch to criterion types. Both of us have had athletic success outside of triathlons as youths or young adults as part of teams and individually. So, we started triathlons to do something together...we're focused on improving our efforts, but not aiming at the podium. I'd like to think we're the Everymen of triathlons. We're not early-middle aged folks looking to prove to ourselves that we can complete a race and we're not blessed with the free time to focus many more hours per week to get to the Ironman level. But, we are serious about training and having fun.
The Facts:
Contestant #1 (Male) is a former college distance swimmer. He's relatively new to cycling and HATES running. So his strongest area is the water, he gets by with the bike, and struggles to enjoy even a 1K run, let alone 5K. He gets a euphoric high when fellow competitors moan about the swim course being too long. The only thing that keeps him going to the gym is competing in triathlons with his wife.
Contestant #1 Improvement Areas:
Swim: Consistent training in conjunction with the bike and run...instead of endloading all the swim training.
Bike: More seat time on the road and less on a exercise bike at the gym.
Run: Getting over the mental hurdle of not enjoying running. (Tips please?)
Transition: Not loafing it.
Contestant #2 (Female) is a former field sport (lacrosse) and squash player. She's biked a century and has experience running races 5Ks to 10 milers. So, she's familiar with two of the three tri sports. Thankfully, for her husband's sake, she's relatively new to competitive swimming. Unlike her husband, she likes going to the gym and participating in everything from the treadmill to crazy fitness classes.
Contestant #2 Improvement Areas:
Right now Contestant #2 is waiting to be a mommy and will be begin training after a due date April for September races...so until she can train and compete, we won't make an assessment :)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
And so it begins...season 2.
My wife and I are about to start our second triathlon season in 2010, and were inspired by some other blogs that talk about the subject. So, here we are on the inter-web.
We expect to cover everything from training to equipment (we LOVE new gadgets!). However, we expect our niche to be the lighter side of training and we choose to make the sprint distance our main focus (unlike many other tri blogs that focus on dreams of reaching for the Ironman). Yet, our comments and reviews will definitely apply to the Olympic/International distance as well.
We also like to take things with a healthy dose of humor and sarcasm, so if we accidentally rib some of those recreationally elite triathletes on the best tri blogs, we do so with total respect for their multi-sport prowess.
Please enjoy the posts and comment freely!
We expect to cover everything from training to equipment (we LOVE new gadgets!). However, we expect our niche to be the lighter side of training and we choose to make the sprint distance our main focus (unlike many other tri blogs that focus on dreams of reaching for the Ironman). Yet, our comments and reviews will definitely apply to the Olympic/International distance as well.
We also like to take things with a healthy dose of humor and sarcasm, so if we accidentally rib some of those recreationally elite triathletes on the best tri blogs, we do so with total respect for their multi-sport prowess.
Please enjoy the posts and comment freely!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
