When triathlon first started, it was all about combining different events, whether they included swimming in the ocean and running along the beach to your bike, or just about any variation to see what happened. Training reflected this, with athletes spending a lot of time experimenting with combinations. And everyone has initial trouble transitioning the frontal leg muscles used in cycling over to more use of the hamstrings, calves, and glutes for running.

In recent years, popular coaches and athletes have moved away from so much brick training, or at least from the long brick workouts that dominated full and half-Iron training for past masters like Dave Scott and Mark Allen. Some of this has to do with the higher speeds that short and long-course professionals can now generate. In order to run very fast, you need to do more of your training very fast, and this is difficult to maintain consistently after cycling.

The other factor is recovery, where long bricks are blamed for overtraining or “garbage Zone” cycling and running. Beginning athletes mistakenly try to start with the long, advanced bricks and quickly find themselves worn-out or hurt.
I believe, however, there can be something lost in this bargain for the average age-group veteran who can still benefit from moderate pacing and frequent practice of transitions and fatigue management via brick workouts.

USA Triathlon is pleased to announce the creation of a USAT Hall of Fame to honor elite and age group athletes and other contributors who have played a key role in the development of the sport and USAT since they both began in the early 1980s.

Nominations are now being accepted. Those wishing to make a nomination must do so by the deadline of May 31. The criteria and nomination form are available for download at the USAT site . All nominations meeting the criteria will be forwarded to a Voting Committee created by the USAT Board of Directors, which will consider the merits of each nominee and make the final designation. Inductees will receive their award and be inducted at the USAT Congress in Portland, Ore., in September.

A USAT Hall of Fame was established by the Board of Directors in 1985, however it was never activated. This past year, the Board designated a committee which reviewed the policy from 1985 as well as Hall of Fame policies from several other National Governing Bodies. What resulted was a revision to the original Hall of Fame policy and the designation of the two committees which are charged with soliciting nominations and overseeing the initial induction in September.

All nominations will be screened by a Selection Committee to insure that all of those nominated meet the criteria established in the policy.

“Representing Trek is an honor, and I am proud to partner with a company that produces such high 
quality products. Their investment and commitment to superior quality and performance is 
unparalleled, and I can’t imagine riding any other bike. Heading into the 2008 season with Trek gives 
me confidence that I’ll have a distinct performance advantage over my competition and that my year 
is going to be strong once again.” 

Coaching athletes if nothing else has left me certain of one fact; It is MUCH easier to convince an athlete to ride for 3 hours on their wind trainer in basement without music, OR a TV to watch then it is to get them to take a day off. It is my assumption that 99% of triathletes are a “bit” obsessive compulsive about our sport. This means if we are not training, we are going crazy. Honestly, most of us,  including your coaches’ feel your pain.
    

Sometimes it’s helpful for me to consider time off as a form of training. It might seem like a stretch, but it’s true. Scheduled rest is part of your Annual Training Plan (ATP). It is there for a specific reason, to help you elevate your fitness for the up coming year. Most of you have heard from your coach, or fellow athletes that if you do not allow for rest, you will never get faster. This is true on a physical, as well as mental level.

Anyone that has ever done a hard workout, a 5k, a hard weight lifting session, or a triathlon for example feels less in shape when they are finished with that event then the moment before they started. I have never had an athlete after a track workout that felt they were running faster after the workout, then before they started. It is not until you allow your body to recover that you feel the benefits of that workout. The same is true for your annual training. You have got to allow time for physical recovery from the previous season before you can start to build up for the next season. This may even require that you get a little out of shape before you start to achieve better fitness.

Why do some drinks seem to work better than others? Why is it that I get stomach distress and gut issues when I use certain products? In the first part of this series in Nutrition we examine about the effects of having a drink that is too concentrated for your training and race day.
 
The best sports drinks are the ones that are easily digested, pass quickly  while supplying enough calories and electrolytes to fuel an athlete during long and stressful workouts. If a drink solution is too thick or concentrated your body will not absorb it quickly. Blood will divert to your gut from your muscles to try and digest it like a food and can cause nausea and cramping.
 
Osmolality is a key medical term used to describe the concentration of particles dissolved in a solution. It is a measure of density and is expressed in units of measurement known as osmoles or milliosmoles (one thousandth of an osmole), per 1000g of solvent, or mosm/kg. The more particles a rehydration beverage contains (such as carbohydrate, electrolytes, amino acids, anti-oxidants, protein or flavoring), the higher its osmolality.

Optimal absorption of fluids within the body happens when a sports drink solution is equal in terms of osmolality to what naturally occurs in the body. The osmolality of our body’s own fluids are approx 300mosm/kg water and are regulated by the intrinsic mechanisms within our own system.

Great Workouts, Great Lessons, Great Book! 

I have been holding onto The Overachiever’s Diary for a few months now, planning on writing a long, detailed review about this new book by Army coach Louis Tharp, but instead I have decided to follow Tharp’s example, and keep it simple.

This is a great book. 

Tharp is a student and friend of swimming guru Terry Laughlin (Total Immersion) like the TI series, Tharp has managed to make the most nerve wrecking part of our sport humane, easy to understand and fun.

The title is a little is little deceiving, it’s not the diary of Tharp, but the training diary and notes that he made for his athletes while they were training.  Reading The Overachiever’s Diary made me wish that Tharp was my coach, besides providing you with great swim workouts, his explanations as to why you are doing these workouts, what to think while doing these workouts and various other facts are priceless.

If you don’t come from a swimming background and are like a majority of the swimmers in the sport, you have questions.  Questions about drills, equipment, terminology and more.  Tharpe does a great job of answering any possible question you may have and does it in a way that is easy to understand and follow.

The workouts are great, the lessons motivating, the book is worth the time.  You can click on the cover art or the name of the book to find out how to get your own copy.

Here is an excerpt from The Overachievers Diary for you to enjoy.

When I was asked to review the Blueseventy Helix wetsuit, I was excited. I love checking out new things, and Blueseventy is definitely at the forefront of the multisport wetsuit industry.

Despite being excited, I was also hesitant, because the idea was to use the wetsuit in IM, Wisconsin, to really put it through it’’s paces. At the time, it was less than 2 months to the race, and I was already dialed-in with all my equipment. I decided to go ahead and try the Helix in a couple of open water training swims and then decide if I would make the switch for Moo.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the package from Blueseventy was the anatomical design of the suit. The leg and arm pieces of most wetsuits are tapered cylinders – straight tubes that are bigger at one end, and smaller at the other. The Helix is designed to match the shape and bends of the body – duh! Next, I noticed how well constructed the wetsuit is – all points on the suit where stitch lines meet are reinforced. (Seems pretty basic, but just look at what you’re in now to see!)

I could spend several paragraphs outlining the structural features of the Helix (Did I mention that I’m an engineer?), but what I really wanted to see is how it felt when I swam. The first time I headed to the lake with it, I was in a rush and forgot my body glide. ‘Crap … Oh well, if it’s going to chafe, it won’t bother me till after the swim.’ I was ready for he traditional struggle that I am used to with other wetsuits– kind of a cross between stuffing a sausage, and wresting a rubber band, trying to rotate the shoulder and arm position of the wetsuit so there are no folds in the neoprene?

Training for a TRI takes commitment-physical, mental, time, etc. Be sure you work through your goals, time, and expectations with the ones you love. Sit down with your spouse, kids, fiance, boss, or whomever prior to embarking on the TRI venture. This is a critical element in the overall experience. The more they know and understand up front, the better. You don't want to be halfway through your program and run into conflicts that could have been avoided by talking it through in the beginning.

Your weekly training time can range from 6 to 20 hours a week, depending on what you're training for and where you are in the program. Needless to say, a hefty time and energy commitment is involved. It's important to note that the time commitment is not just the minutes shown on the schedule. For example, a Masters' swim workout might require getting your things together, driving to the pool, changing, the workout, changing back, driving home or to work, etc. A 1-hour swim workout could take 2 hours by the time all's said and done. The same goes for any other session. Keep this in mind as you think through your training capacity.

Gravel Ahead
In addition to discussing the time commitment of the sport with friends and family, you should discuss the potential shift in energy. For example, you might be tired after a long bike ride and not feel like getting up early on your day off to get ready for that garage sale. It's important for you to realize your schedule and overall energy level might go through some changes. Discuss these potential issues with those in your life.