How Much is Too Much?

Great article from USA Triathlon. I will admit that this past weekend I too felt like this, and needed an additional day of rest.  Body was speaking for sure!  Click on the link for the article, its a good one!

USATRIATHLON.ORG

Train, Eat, Sleep, Recover…..

This season I have started to see a trend in my training cycle. Not only do I have a set routine, - basically everyday – but also it tends to run my life and keep achieving my goals.  Today I wanted to go over a typical day in the life of “me” and talk about the importance of recovery. And is the sport of Triathlon a healthy addiction? We will find out.

I start of my day every morning with a few stretches using my foam roller before I reach for a cup of coffee and a big bowl of oatmeal. The carbohydrates from the oatmeal keep me energized to keep me going at work and last till a later lunch in the afternoon (smaller lunch), followed by a snack around 4 pm, and a high in protein dinner after the long workout. As a triathlete we tend to consume a lot of carbohydrates and calories to keep the body in a constant state of recovery. The consumption seems like a lot, but my body is always burning calories and those calories need to be replaced. This intake will keep my body going and prepare me for my workouts in the evening.  Continuing to work all day, I make it to 5 o’clock where I am usually off to the gym or out the door on my next workout.  These workouts on average can range from 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week and the weekends being even longer. I usually finish my workout with a good 30 minutes of stretching and some kind of endurance recovery drink. I have found that, not only consuming the proper nutrients and eating healthy (sometimes overly healthy) is important, but getting enough sleep. This allows me to keep the stamina to get up the next day and train even harder.  With not enough sleep I know the morning will be difficult and my performance will be down.

This routine to most would be exhausting and undesirable, but for me, I just keep going. Always being hungry. The routine also has the addition to the equation of a “day job”.  Have to fund the addiction somehow! So its all about time management, dedication, and balance, to the job, training, and life. In the end, it all levels out. On most days!  

Transitions Times Holding You Back? Lets Change That!

In Olympic distance races, at the World Cup level, transitions are a vital part of the race that can either make or break you from being in the front of the pack, or taking the podium. 

As competitors make it out of the water, T1 is crucial as racers at the elite level usually have a cash prize incentive to be first through the transition line. In this section of the race, competitors rally for position to get the upper hand on breakaways. 

In T2, things start to change. A race mentality -coming from the bike portion of the race – of sticking together to create the fastest group, steers away as competitors take on an individual role, as the race is now you and the road.

Just like training for all three disciplines, transitions should be added as a fourth. This discipline is usually the last thing athletes take into consideration, and should be one of the first. 

Ways to implement faster transitions into your training can be in your brick workouts. As you transition off the bike to the run, have your gear laid out like you would for a race. Repetition is key. In those brick workouts, continue the workout two or three times through to nail it down. 

Other ways to achieve faster transition times is to leave your shoes locked and slide feet out when racing, put your sunglasses on while pedaling, leave your socks for after the race, and exchange laced for elastic. 

During those brick workouts, use a watch and a camera to record yourself and times.  This will allow you to see what mistakes you are making and correct, as well as knowing how much time you are losing. 

Good luck! 

Run On Your Toes vs. Running On Your Heels

So the verdict is out. Ask yourself this: What is your running form? Are you the casual weekender that gets in a good 8k on the weekends, or are you the competitive racer trying to gain speed? Either or, running on your toes will keep you injury free.

As a triathlete you are always wanting to go faster, and one way to achieve this is by converting your running form from a heel to toe form to really getting up on your toes. What I mean by this, is that you always want to be striking the ground with forefoot of your foot. This is especially true if you are a racer trying to gain speed. Its easy to think about. Take, for a example, a sprint runner: from the moment he/she leaves those starting blocks, they are on the balls of their feet. Take spiked shoes: you never see sprinter's spikes with spikes on the arch or heel of the shoe. They are always on the forefront of the shoe.

Now lets break the form down. As the runner lengthens their stride, he/she will reach with the forefoot of their foot, striking the ground with the outer edge of their foot, rolling the foot ever so slightly to the ball of their foot. From this motion, the runner will gain propulsion from pushing off the ball of the foot. The heel has little to no impact to the ground, as the arch and heel just absorb the force from striking the ground.

Now I understand this form isn't for everyone, but it is a way to increase speed and have faster times as mentioned. For long distance runners, emphasis on landing on the forefoot is crucial and having that less impact will save you in the last miles. This form will cause less injury to your achilles, knees, heels, and reduce the effects of plantar fasciitis. So try to convert today!

ITU World Championship Series is in Sydney this Weekend!

The Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series officially starts this weekend.  This olympic distance race series  attracts the most competitive triathletes from around the world. Most of which will be trying to represent their countries at the upcoming 2011 London Olympics. These Races are draft legal allowing elite athletes to sit on the back of fast riders and block some winds, increasing the packs speed. 

Australia's Harbour City will be be the starting location for these top 10 triathletes.  The 1.5 km swim will start in the beautiful Farm Cove just adjacent to the Sydney Opera House, then will proceed to the bike course of 40 km on Macquarie Street where these elite athletes will make the turnaround loop at College Street where they will conclude the run section of 10 km on the same loop. I am sure most of the athletes are not impressed with the run course overlapping the bike course but the route will be a fast one. Top athletes to watch in Sydney are Javier Gomez, Alistair Brownlee, and Jan Frodeno. But the two favorites will be Gomez (Reigning World Champion) and Frodeno, as Frodeno is looking to take the World Champion position for 2011. Really could be anyone's race. 

"It’s a ten out of ten in the men’s field, with each of the top-10 men from last year’s World Series on the Sydney start list. It’s also the first time since last year’s Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Grand Final Budapest that Javier Gomez, Alistair Brownlee and Jan Frodeno will meet. In that race, Frodeno was in contention for the podium but finished a disappointing 41st, missing the podium for the second straight season. It’s always an intriguing battle between the 2010 world champion, 2009 world champion and 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medallist, and it’s also rare to have it so early in the season. Reigning World Champion Gomez has already started his 2011 triathlon season in Australia, at the Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup, but didn’t quite sweep the field like most were predicting and finished fifth. Instead Brad Kahlefeldt led rising Australian Brendan Sexton and Frenchman David Hauss to the line. Sven Riederer and Courtney Atkinson also raced in Mooloolaba, and it will be interesting to see whether those that did will be better for the hit-out or are outpaced by fresh legs. For Hauss, it could have only increased his confidence in Australia, he made it onto the podium in the Sydney race last year."

Weather should be ideal racing conditions with temperatures in the mid 70s and will bring out some fast racing.  My predictions on who will bring out the win lean towards Jan Frodeno as he seems to be out for blood against Gomez.  But don't leave out local favorites, Courtney Atkinson or Brendan Sexton.  Sexton, coming off of a runner-up finish in Mooloolaba, will definitely be in contention.  Check out the ITU Triathlon website for more details about the series and races.  ITU TRIATHLON