4) Thy max out on the coach

What’s this maxing out on the coach?  If you’ve gone to the trouble of finding a coach then you really should make sure you get your money’s worth. If you run up against a problem, big or small, you need to get to the bottom of it before it becomes a major issue so this is where you max out on your coach.

These days, staying in touch is such an easy thing to do and distance is no issue at all. Phone, Facebook, Twitter, email, they all put your coach within easy reach.  Don’t be doing the “I didn’t want to disturb….”, they’re there to be disturbed and should they want some downtime of their own they’ll let you know.

If you’re paying for coaching rather than a training schedule, then make sure you get value for money. It’s so easy to avoid contacting people when there’s a problem.  If something’s going wrong then use the help that’s available to put it right before it becomes more serious.

At the end of the day, if training goes awry, perhaps you’ve been ill, maybe work or family circumstances change then don’t think of your coach as the enemy.  They need to know so that they can work on what needs to doing to get things back on track.  Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can rewrite the schedule yourself – just ask yourself why you got a coach in the first place.

Dealing with it – open all communication channels

Communication is a really personal thing – me I hate using the phone, mobiles are fine but landlines are a different matter.  How about you, how do you communicate?  What style do you use?  Would email suit you best?  A weekly run down?  How about a Skype call to run through the contents of your email once you’ve sent it?

Then there’s Facebook and Twitter – I wonder if they’re any help for a meaningful analysis but i guess i felt obliged to put them in.  Finally of course, there’s always the face to face but these days long distance coaching is becoming more popular.

5) Food is no longer just a pleasure

Understanding the role that nutrition plans in becoming an elite athlete is crucial.  Elite athletes separate themselves from the more recreational in several ways but nutrition is the most important.  It’s about understanding what nutrition your body needs at particular stages during your training schedule and making sure your body gets it.

For most athletes the two main problem areas are eating enough of the good stuff and then eating and refuelling after training correctly.  By now good hydration is probably second nature (if it’s not – get onto it – now!) and carrying water has become second nature, and carbs vs protein vs fat is a mantra we can chant in our sleep but do you give as much focus to how you best refuel after training.

After that group run, the social vibe takes over and what do you do?  Grab a coffee and maybe a muffin just for the craic but you’re not getting the proper balance of carbs and protein to get the best recovery and therefore the best benefit from your training.

Dealing with it – refuelling that really counts

Its a simple matter of habit and planning.  You know you need the right balance of carbs and protein and you know what things from your diet will give you that so the planning bit is organising yourself in advance.  Don’t expect to find a Triathlete Take Away just as you finish your run.  Make sure you’ve brought the right foods with you and then make sure you kick start the right habit by eating within 60 minutes of your workout ending.

You need to plan eating during the day as well.  Gone are the regular three meals, you need to be thinking 5 – 6 small meals a day, again with the correct balance of carbs and proteins, this should all be worked out as part of your training schedule.  Grazing has been shown to just not work.  It’s really hard to maintain the carb/protein balance so just do it.

6) Dib Dib Dob – Be Prepared

Like a good boy scout being prepared is key to success as an elite athlete.  I guess being prepared and then blessed with a share of good luck is the most important thing you can achieve.  Preparation is not just about following your training schedule straight; without passing go and without collecting £200.

It’s about looking at your schedule, thinking about your family life  and considering your work so that you can spot any problems or issues way in advance.  The better you know your schedule the more things you’ll spot in advance and the smoother your training will be.

If your attending an event away from home, how are you preparing your accommodation.  If you’re using a different wetsuit what are going to do about the sticky zipper.  It’s the 6 Ps, Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance (well go with 5 if that’s a bit near the mark).

It’s a whole new skill set that you have to learn as part of your training schedule and it’s one of the new non athletic skills you’ll acquire on your journey towards being an elite triathlete.

Dealing with it – Find the right strategy

As you stick with your schedule and you review how things go with your coach, make sure you keep your mind open to all the non sports fitness stuff you’ll be receiving FOC as that’s about strategies for being prepared.  When it’s suggested that you book your next completion event earlier don’t have a hissy.

It’s just pointing out that if you book early you’ll be able to book accommodation before it sells out. There’ll be lots of practical tips about organising home to minimise the disruption your training schedule causes.

7) Every day presents a new learning experience

To successfully complete your training schedule, all ten years of it and to have achieved your goal you will need to develop a healthy relationship with learning.

As you go through experience after experience there’s learning there for the taking.  You need to develop a questioning mind, analyse what worked and what didn’t so that you can do the good stuff again and avoid the not so good.

Some people find it difficult to go through this process but you should have a coach that knows you well enough to recognise this and will take you through all the learnings that are there.

Of course there’s also reading, reading and reading to keep up with latest developments so with a combination of old wisdom and new research you’ll never stop learning.

Dealing with it – Keep your focus

It’s hard to stay on top of the learning thing – remember how school felt?  If you’re finding it a bit of a grind then maybe you’re in a rote rut.  Know what I mean?   Look to your routine and see if there’s something that can be done to inject some life.

Don’t do this on your own (you were reading earlier weren’t you?) review with your coach and if you can’t seem to break that monotony then don’t avoid the obvious – maybe you need a new coach? If you want to learn then develop and maintain the questioning habit.

Why, when, how much, are the starting point as it’s answers that will put you on the path to lifelong learning about your training schedule.

Good luck!

Terry

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It doesn’t matter what level you compete at, watching the successful competitors shows there are several common personality traits they hold…

1) These guys are in for the long haul

Being a successful athlete isn’t about more training.  It’s not about less training.  The reality is it’s about defining a training plan that meets your needs and then working to that plan.  What’s the point of preparing a training plan if you don’t stick to it?

Your plan is designed to take to achieving your goal and sticking to that plan is the single most important thing for you to do. It’s a simple discipline that’s in your hands entirely.  For some of us it’s more difficult than it is for others.
To Do Lists; they sound great don’t they? You always feel super organised when you’ve written one and positively angelic if you’ve assigned priorities to your list but are you the sort of person who puts it to one side at this stage and then forgets it?

A successful athlete would make sure they referred back and back and back again to that priority list to make sure they were doing what was most important all the time.

Dealing with it – Making Your Schedule Stick

The only way to make that schedule stick is to make sure you stick with it.  Refer to your schedule all the time.  Do it time and time again until you become best friends with it.  Look, nobody’s saying live your life according to a list but you do need to know what’s on that list, that way when life throws you a curve ball you know what juggling you have to do to keep up with your training schedule.

That’s the real key, know your schedule so well that you understand the impact of changing something and can accommodate it easily.   If other athletes want to get into training together you’ll be familiar enough with the whole schedule.  Perhaps joining them for part of their long run meets the short run you should be doing.

If something is important, a good schedule should always be flexible enough to be changed.  Having said that don’t just drop something in or move it out, talk to your coach about it.  They’re the ones who know what the impact of the change will be.

2) Elite athletes have patience

If you’re talking to anybody in the know about triathlete training they all say the same thing.  Elite triathletes train continuously and will take ten years to achieve their maximum potential.  If you are going to stay that particular course you must make sure you set realistic goals.

If you’re new to training or have been living in a vacuum you may be surprised to know that the President’s Council on Physical Fitness recommends three 20-minute bouts of continuous aerobic exercise each week so compare that to your schedule and to your fellow training partners.

How many of you complain that your schedule is too easy because you’re only working out a couple of times a day?

Then your family pile on more dilemmas because they think your workout routine is obsessive whilst the office thinks you’re Usain Bolt training for London 2012.  Then John tells you that he heard Fred talking about Arthur doing a 140 mile bike ride in one day and you’re off.  You start to think you’re just not cutting it and you have to take that schedule to the next level.

It’s silly really because it’s all about you placing your trust in your coach.  You chose him (or her) so you need to remember what YOUR training program is all about.

You’ve got a training schedule worked out but be honest, how many of you add extras to the list?  Bit of weights here, some Pilates there or perhaps a completely different sport thrown in for good measure thinking you can add it in without unbalancing your schedule.

Dealing with it – staying the 10 year course

If you last a year of a triathlete training program you’re already someone special.  The University of Florida claim that 60 percent of people who start a training program drop out within the first six months, and 90 percent do so by two years.

Staying the course is all about self improvement.  Don’t compare yourself to anyone else – that’s a downhill path.  Remember as well that you should be comparing the now you with the old you, a very old you at that.  You need to focus on how much you’ve improved over the last year, two years or even better, five years.  In that sort of timeframe you will have become aware of all the technical stuff such as GU, Body Glide, electrolytes, IT bands and it’s that awareness that will be driving your improvement.

As you mature (are you over 35 yet?) you’ll become a smarter athlete than you were before and as well as endurance you’ll be delvoping experience so you can plan race strategy better and can avoid injuries more effectively but you won’t have the raw speed you had way back when.

The real reason that developing patience is important is not so that you don’t beat yourself up if every result isn’t to your liking. It’s so that you won’t be tempted to add workouts to your schedule or train at someone else’s pace. That destructive behavior leads to peaking too soon at best, and serious injury at worst.

It’s smart to chart your progress, but look not at how far you fall short from where you dream to be, look instead at how rich your body of experience is.

3) They Refer To Their Schedules

In the beginning it was all so new, so exciting.  In those early days getting your training schedule was a major milestone in itself.  You were so excited to see what you were going to be doing day by day.  Just getting your training plan was an achievement in itself and you felt a justified sense of achievement at even that.  You were excited by seeing your training schedule laid out so logically.

Your plan was exciting because it was teaching you new things all the time.  Then, things began to change.  The plan becomes less new and more routine and you started to think about things in less detail.  It was just  “Monday, bike”, you never bothered to check your training schedule (after all you know it inside out didn’t you) and a new you lost sight of the detail that told you HOW you should riding on Monday.

Every workout has it’s own purpose and you’ll only be aware of that if you keep referring to that schedule.  The devil’s in the detail.

Dealing with it – using your schedule:

Hard copy rules here.  You’ll never remember all the detail so keep a printed copy to hand all the time.  Print it out, print several copies and put them in important places – office desk, loo, fridge, briefcase, I’m sure you can think of plenty of other great places.

Look at it regularly and try to find patterns. Look for the link between patters and your goals for the month.  Is there any link?  Try to remember them if you can, if you can’t, keep checking back with your schedule.

Look ahead and see how the schedule fits with your work and family plans.  to your work and family calendar. If you will be travelling how will you be fitting your training schedule in.  Where can you swim and where can you run?  What facilities will you need to track down if you are away.

Remember, checking back with your schedule is critical to keeping yourself organised and staying focussed.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this article!

Good luck!

Terry

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Failure’s a funny thing here.  We all train to the point of not being able to go any further, lets call that normal failure and this is fine.  What if you can’t manage to lift what would normally be a breeze?

If your performance is failing this dramatically you’re probably training too much but remember that pushing yourself to progress and then not getting there is different.   If you’re unable to do today what was a breeze last month then you’ve been training too much.

2. Leanness Is Going

Sadly you can’t rely on increased work alone to burn calories.  There’s a big hormonal impact.   Overworking can mean that you burn more than calories, amongst the glucose and glycogen you can expect to be burning muscle tissue if you are over training and that causes loss of tone and worse still fat being deposited.

Becasue you’re overtraining the testosterone to cortisol ratio is out of kilter.  You need a positive T:C ratio will give more muscle and less fat while a negative ratio, resulting in too much fat is because your training too much.  Watch this one though guys because a lack of sleep can have a similar effect.  Worse still is a combination of both.  That increase in cortisol decreases the effectiveness of your insulin which means a tendency  to deposit fat, particularly around your mid section.

3. Day in and day out

Right when you started this lark somebody will have whispered in your ear about how important rest is.  You need to rest to make sure that your body can repair the damage you’ve done to tired muscles.  If you’re one of those people who are training hard at the gym 5 days a week take a long look at your schedule to see where you’re giving yourself time to recover.  Make sure you vary your activities so you give those hard worked muscle groups time to recover.  The harder you work them the longer they need to recover.

If you don’t allow sufficient down time the all important healing just won’t happen and performance won’t improve.  Remember that time spent with the family or on other activities is not rest time.  Sure, you need to balance your activities to keep motivation high but this doesn’t count as rest.  Get to bed and get some sleep!

4.  It’s all about strength and explosive activity in your training and you can’t chill afterwards

Any athlete who needs to focus on strength training, a sprinter for example, the sympathetic nervous system has a big impact on them because so much of their training ties into fight or flight emotions.  If you are training too much then there can be side effects.

If you are unable to wind down and take advantage of your day off, if you are over excited or perhaps you are unablr to sleep at night it could be because your nervous system is over stimulated. Your body is reacting to all that fight or flight stuff by maintaining the sympathetic stress system’s activity levels.

5. You an in-for-the-long-haul type of athlete but you feel constantly tired

Too much attention on endurance and increasing stamina can cause sympathetic overtraining.  Your body goes beyond the normal signs of fatigue and forces itself into recovery mode by ensuring your heart rate stays low to repair the extreme damage that you’ve done to date. Hormonal changes might mean an increase in body weight but it all goes back to overtraining.  You’ve reached peak performance and you don’t need to train as hard to maintain it.

6. Aches and Pains All Over

No doctor can perform a test that proves an injury is due to overtraining but they can have a pretty good guess.  Perhaps you should be doing the same.  It’s all about DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – don’t you know nuffink!) – it’s all about the damage you do to muscles as part of training, it’s quite normal and with good rest to help the healing process it’ll go away.

DOMS can be caused by poor excercise technique or by over training.  If the old bones and joints won’t give up complaining, even after a couple of days rest check your techniques and your programmes.  After your endorphin rush (and don’t we all love it) you should get to experience that warm, golden feeling all over but if you’re aches and pains keep shining through you’re probably over doing it.

7. You’re suddenly falling ill a lot more often

If your immune system becomes compromised, as Mum would say it – you feel a little under the weather – it could be a sign of over training.  You need to go through a checklist and rule out dietary changes, lack of vitamin D, lack of good sleep and mental stress you should look to your training schedule.  Little, silly illnesses that are so silly you wouldn’t call them illnesses show your immune system is under pressure.

If you’ve recently upped your work load how have you been coping with all that extra work?  You may feel all’s well but sniffs and sniffles may be the sign that all is not quite so well and that your training routine needs to be adjusted.

Good Luck!

Terry

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Pedal Smart

There are different directions that you can use when pedalling. You can pedal up, down, back, forward and there is no denying that you will have to master all of these techniques. Yet, despite the amount of advice and tips available, it is still one of the toughest leg movements to master.

This is because an efficient pedal stroke is the result of a flawless relationship between angles and forces of the different parts of your legs. Nonetheless, a fast cyclist is not necessarily an economical cyclist. A top-notch cyclist will need to have 2 factors –  motors and economy, which translates to low energy cost.

Pedal Perfect

Pedaling in a perfect circle around an imaginary clock known as the crank has always been one of my endeavours except when I made use of Bio-Pace rings. Moreover, while I was training at USAT clinics and getting ready to acquire my USA Cycling certification, I have come across a good number of opposing ideas and opinions from various sources.

Although, only a few pay attention to the vector breakdown in a cycling stroke and where power is used the moment one pays attention to it, everything seems to fall into place.

Vectors

The vector is located in two places. The first one is located perpendicular to the crank arm as it moves around like the clock. The second location of the vector is directly parallel to the crank arm. The vector in the second location though does create efficient rotary force.

Now, the goal is to reduce or eliminate the amount of negative force vector between the positive force vector that is located perpendicular to the crank. A perfect example is the way Lance Armstrong pedals during a race. In close observation on his video, one can note that he pedals with his toes down, which is a efficient way to reduce joint extension. This kind of pedalling technique efficiently eliminates force peak.

More explanations and examples other than Lance Armstrong’s are available. Nevertheless, to efficiently test economy in cycling it has to be performed in a laboratory. Riding a bicycle the way Lance does with toes down is not as effective for a good number of cyclists.

A partial explanation to Lance Armstrong’s different riding style can drawn from his position and the UCI regulations, for bike setups and frames. Rather than you pedalling with your toes down, it is better to go over the gear with the toes extending at a 180-degree position. For some riders, this is more effective.

Inefficient movement

There is always a solution to inefficient motion and the best way to do this is mastering bike drills and acquiring a bike that fits you well with the help of experts and specialists. Erratic movements like flailing knees on every pedal stroke or rocking hips back and forth are some examples. If these movements are not corrected it can result to loss in dynamic power and speed. Moreover, it will cost you more energy thus draining all your energy reserves for the rest of the race.

Which is more effective? Circles, ovals, squares?

According to the USAT coaching manual the pedalling in squares is common in amateurs while pedalling in circles allows you to save more energy because as you lift your leg you actually take out part of its weight from the pedal so you use less energy when you do the down stroke.

Knowing when to change leg positions at the top or bottom stroke will help you apply small but adequate amounts of power on the cranks, which greatly reduces the amount of energy you use for the downstroke. In other words, cyclist who pedals in circles saves more energy because they do not use a lot of energy on the downstroke.

A more recent style in pedalling is oval pedalling. However, whether it helps you save energy or spend too much energy is yet to be determined because the output will depend on the kind of chain rings and the type of rider.

Here are some biking drills that will help you pedal more efficiently:

Pedalling with one leg

Sessions for increasing rpms

Give the opposing approach a try, which entails using a bigger gear while generating lower rpms while biking uphill. This gives you the opportunity to have a better feel at every pedal stroke and train you to focus on when to apply force in a 360 degree rotation.

Riding a fixed gear should be done on a flat course. This will help you train your muscles, and get in tune with every pedal stroke, and ride your bike smoothly as possible.

Good luck!

Terry

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Rhythm Is Life

There is a rhythm in our heart beat, rhythm in our breathing and even the taping of our toes when we hear nice music creates rhythm. In life we employ rhythm for different purpose and specific reasons. Sometimes we use it to calm us, sometimes to cope with abrupt movements. Basically we are in a world of rhythm, thus rhythm becomes an integral part of our life.

Our sport of triathlon is no different.

Triathlon also depends on rhythm; there is rhythm in each season which is comprised of base, build, peak, and recovery periods. Each phase is done in preparation for the next phase. Just as when you are in the recovery period you know that there is the race season ahead and you are setting your mind and looking forward to it.

And when you are in the peak season, you know that there is the off-season to give your body time to heal and rejuvenate. These periods are necessary to heal, prepare and condition our body for the race ahead and maximize our potentials.

Breaking It Down

Likewise, in every season each phase is also split up into periods of 3 to 4 week blocks. Within this period the degree or intensity of the training is being build up, and then gradually wanes in the last week of the training.

This is the time when our body is given enough rest from extensive training, and also a time to ponder on the effects and benefits of the hard training. This period of build up and rest helps us to maintain our vigor and helps our body adjust and adapt to the training and avoid fatigue.

Swimming With Rhythm

The three disciplines of triathlon are grounded in rhythm. Take for example in swimming, every movement is synchronized and follows a certain rhythm. The clockwork movement of a swimmers arm is synchronized with his breathing patterns.

The reason for this is that when you breathe in an irregular pattern, take for example you vary the speed of your breathing while swimming, your breathing will be out of rhythm, this then reduces the supply of oxygen and nutrients in the in the blood stream and in the major muscle groups and thus affects your level of energy and performance. To correct such an irregularity in swimming strokes, trainers usually introduce drills that are primarily designed to even out the swimming strokes.

Cycling Cycles

Whereas in cycling, coaches put more emphasis on smoothness, even, and rhythmic pedaling by teaching their athletes techniques in handling their bike gears. They usually require a cadence of 85 to 95 pedal strokes per minute (this refers to the number of pedal revolutions one make within one minute). Usually bikers maintain this standard, though sometimes they may employ a higher cadence or a lower one depending on the target cycling skill that they want to develop or enhance.

But most of the time, especially in their weekly mileage, they stick to the 85-95 range. Maintaining this range while riding up hill greatly benefits our muscles, because the body clears more efficiently lactic acids from our leg muscles, and thus helps those muscles perform well.

Running Rhythm

Likewise, rhythm and tempo plays a major role in running, this helps you to get of that laden feeling after you come off the bike.

Rhythm is the prime foundation for these three divisions in triathlon because it equates efficiency. Maintaining a good rhythm during the race helps you maintain vigor and become more efficient in your performance and approach the finish line with confidence and vitality with less injury.

Since running comes last in the triathlon, and most of the time it is our leg muscles that bears almost all the pressure within the race, lets probe deeper into the benefits of running with rhythm and how to achieve such results.

Symmetry

By nature our body is symmetrical and in every move our body looks for ways to move in rhythm and maintain that balance and symmetry. Just like an old metronome with an uneven beat, you have to slightly tilt the instrument just to even out the beat.

So similarly with the human body, it is very exhausting to run for a long period of time with an uneven stride and/or footing. Even a minor inconsistency, such as leg length or foot size difference may affect our striding while running, and thus affect our running performance.

Most of us may have one or both of this factors which is basically coped up by the body by trying to achieve an even stride. Since by nature our body moves in harmony with a rhythm, our chances are to find ways to take advantage of this and use it to maximize our level of performance.

Cadence

Rhythm and cadence are the pillars for energy efficiency and injury prevention in running. A good cadence is what gives rhythm the power to reduce or prevent running injuries, and also maximize ones muscle activities with less energy use or what we call energy efficiency.

A good cadence reduces impact, avoids heel strike and reduces the accumulation of lactic acid which is a metabolic waste product that can stimulate fatigue. The standard cadence in running is 85-90 steps of the right foot (or left foot) per minute. Most athletes find this range of 85-90 steps or beat per minute (bpm) works for them and is one of the best way to conserve their energy, and is even recommended by running coaches.

The rapid turn over of legs in this type of running cadence helps in fast elimination of lactic acid within the muscles. Lactic acid is a byproduct of burning oxygen and sugar to produce energy. When a large amount of this chemical gets accumulated in the muscles this can hamper in the contraction of your muscles and thus lowers down your energy level and speeds up fatigue.

The best way to ease out the flow of these acids in to your blood stream is through rapid and light contraction of the muscle group concerned. These increases blood circulation on the concerned areas thus maintains your energy level and helps your muscles to perform at their best.

Prevent Injury

Aside from helping your muscles to use energy more efficiently, an even and high cadence is very useful in preventing foot and other sports related injury. Quicker steps in running reduce the amount of time the foot spends on the ground thus reducing the impact in each step.

If you are a keen observer, you will notice that there is a great difference between a slow stride and a quick foot turnover. The slower stride appears duller, tedious, and there is a lot of up and down movement than the one who employs a rapid foot turnover. Any energy employed in making an up and down motion that does not help you in moving forward is wasted.

Another disadvantage of slow striding is that it can result in having your heel or front foot land in front of your body, which is actually injurious and inefficient. Also note that heel strike often causes knee and hip injury in most runners.

On the other hand, quicker strides help athletes to land their foot under their body and in mid foot, thus reducing of heel-to-toe roll to be able to go to the next step. It also reduce the risk of a foot injury by minimizes the excess rotary motion of some supple tendons that may increase the risk of having an injury and shin splits.

Combat Fatigue

Another reason why some athletes becomes easily fatigued is due to their untimely effort to increase their cadence that results in their perceived effort level (PEL) or the increase in their heart rate causes them to exceed beyond their aerobic zones that leads to untimely exhaustion.

There are certain techniques by which one can combat untimely fatigue. One is to ensure that your striding is shortened as your cadence increases. To do this, let your heel float as you lift it up then land on your mid foot under your body just beneath the center of your gravity, relax your lower legs and keep your postures tall and slightly leaning forward.

Increasing your cadence by simply pushing harder with your toes will just result in fatigue and your effort will be wasted. Also resist the urge to push off the ground; soon you will notice the difference. Second, give your body time to adjust and adopt. Don’t rush your body by increasing your cadence too soon.

If your cadence is bellow 86-90 cadence per minute, don’t expect that your body to come up to the standard on just one training session. Try to condition your body by increasing even one step per minute or even two steps within the one week training period, and then gradually you can increase it every week.

This will greatly help you in injury prevention and gain energy efficiency. So just take it lightly but seriously.

So how are we going to achieve the standard cadence?

Find out your current cadence. You can use electronic metronomes for this task. You can ask your friend to help you out. Since it’s hard to work with the gadget while running, ask your friend to hold the gadget for you. Stay as close to your friend as possible so that he/she can easily see your right (or left) foot and match it with the clicking sound of the gadget.

Once you got you cadence, you can start from there and try to increase the number of your steps each week until you come up to the standard cadence of 85-90 steps bmp. Don’t forget to observe and pay attention to your PEL or your heart rate while running.

When you feel fatigued while running, examine your phasing and striding. You may be landing on the wrong side of your foot, or you may be pushing hard using your toes. You may be wasting a large amount of energy by doing this making you feel tired easily. Then correct and adjust your footing and striding.

Group Running

When running in a group, you may feel awkward with the sound produced by the electronic metronome; you may opt to break away from the group to avoid disturbing other runners. But you leave it off especially when you have adjusted and come up with your new phasing.

You can come back to it later and check out your cadence. In my case, when I run with my teammates during our training sessions, I used to keep distance from them, so that they aren’t able to hear the beating sound of the gadget.

But I guess it’s hard not to hear the beat while running, and some of my running mates liked the beeping sound, instead it also helps them to focus on their running, so all of us benefited. But of course it is a case to case basis.

Use It in Warm Up, and Cool Down

Last but not the least; make sure to maintain your cadence in between the 85-90 ranges even during the warm up and cool down phase. If you can derive benefit from a shorter and quicker stride while on a certain speed, then you can get the same benefit even if you employ the technique at all level of speed.

So just keep those feet moving and resist the tendency to fall back and go back to your plodding stride. If you intend to slow down just shorten your stride and lean less to slow down your pace.

A higher cadence will be very helpful when you are in transition from cycling then to running. This technique helps in rejuvenating your leg muscles. So resist the tendency to “run heavy” when you are in transition. Forget first about your brick workouts just keep steps light but quick. This will help your leg muscles and give it more time to make the necessary adjustments to make your performance more efficient.

So go ahead and put those principles into practice, listen to your body and be in touch with your natural rhythm. Make your running enjoyable and fun.

Why not tell us how you improve your stride, by posting a comment below…

Terry

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Good Catch

If you are an Overglider, there is a big chance that you have personally experienced this kind of flaw, especially when you are training to increase your length.

The ‘catch’ takes place right in front of your every stroke the moment your hand tips down while you bend your elbow as you grasp the water.

An excellent catch efficiently pushes the water backwards while propelling you forward faster. The catch is an important element because if you fail to get grasp the water efficiently while you push it backward, you will not be able to generate enough propulsion.

Overgliding

Rather than pushing the water backwards, a good number of swimmers push the water downwards, which is a fatal mistake, but an even more fatal mistake is letting their wrists fall and then move forward. If you are one of those Overgliders then you have an increased chance of letting your wrists fall beneath the water while you extend forward and as far as you can. This is what we label as the ‘brakes’.

You can feel the water hitting against your palm every time you let your wrist fall while you swim forward. The pressure it creates is more of a braking power rather than propulsion. The more you push the water downwards the more resistance you will meet because water is not light and it does not readily accommodate movement. The result of this technique is it tires down the weak muscles of the shoulder thus preventing you from generating adequate propulsion.

Improving Your Catch

The majority of these swimmers believe that when they have a strong contact with the water, they are actually completing a good catch. Each time they drop their wrists during a swim they tend to feel resistance on their hand and they often relate this as an excellent catch. Do you have the same experience whenever you swim?

In improving your catch, you will notice that you no longer feel this kind of resistance as you push the water backward because what you are doing is aiding the natural flow of water as you go through it. If what you are anticipating is that resistance you are going to feel as you swim, then pushing the water towards your back may seem unnatural, which might have caused you to ignore this technique in the first place. This is one main reason why achieving a good catch is not so easy.

In advancing your catch, you will have to learn to tip your wrist on a downward motion and then bend your elbows as it passes in front of your head. This will help you push the water towards your back. Do not be surprised if you feel as if you are anchored in the water the first few times you practice this technique, this will go away as you master it.

Decrease Your Strokes

Overgliders are aware that, in order to swim faster, they will need to increase the number of strokes they make in a minute, which is not easy if you are swimming with wrists dropping at every stroke. This method of swimming is comparable to driving a car without disengaging the handbrakes and this is very laborious. If you get rid of this braking action you will be able to increase your stroke rate without increasing your effort to attain it.

The new Swim Guide we have developed will provide you the instructions and demonstrations that you require in order to improve your catch with each instruction aimed and fulfilling your every need.

In conclusion: Attaining the perfect catch is not easy feat and this distinguishes the best and finest swimmers from mediocre swimmers. Nonetheless, if you want to go faster it is not necessary to really perfect your catch. Just by learning how to push the water backwards is enough to improve your swimming speed.

Feel free to share your swimming tips below…

Terry

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Tri-athletes can be very meticulous when it comes to their training but the same cannot be said for their bike maintenance. I have seen a good number of poorly maintained bikes in those bike racks.

Maintain Your Bike

Proper bike maintenance is important because this helps keep the rider safe. Therefore, it is best that you make friends with your local bike mechanic in order keep your bike in perfect shape. Here are some suggestions that will help you forge a good relationship with your local bike mechanic.

1. Before you take your bike to mechanic take some time to clean it first. Keep in mind that while you were riding your bike anything could have left a splatter on it. It could be sports drink, water, mud, and even water.

Think about your mechanic’s feelings. Often I have seen mechanics do the paper, rock, and scissors game in order to determine who will get to work on that dirty bike.

2. If you think something is wrong with your bike, describe it as specifically as you can. Do not just take it to the mechanic and say ‘it makes odd noises”, because bike mechanics are into detail if you hand them a riddle, they will go crazy, and they will not give you your bike back until they have solved the puzzle!

That is why if you are in a hurry help your mechanic save time by describing the problem to the smallest detail. Keep in mind that being specific and detailed is also for your own good.

3. As much as possible, try to form a connection with your mechanic. The best way to do this is by being a regular customer. If you have problems with your bike, go to the same mechanic. In this way, they will become familiar and accustomed to you and your bike. This will help reduce service time and improve output.

4. Reward your mechanic for a job well done. This reward is more popularly known as tips. It can be in the form of anything. It can be monetary, or it can be food or drinks. Reward them even when it was just a simple task, this will help you establish a connection with them.

Once you get connected with them, they will gladly help you in case you need something done in short notice.

5. Last but not least, asking the mechanic about what they do to your bike is the best way to learn. However, before you invade their workspace, do not forget to ask for their permission first. If they agree then spend enough time observing them.

Ask Questions

Bike mechanics are eager to share with you what they know, and they will gladly explain the secrets of proper bike maintenance. Nevertheless, if you ask questions always keep them relevant.

You can establish a good working relationship with your mechanic and their bike shop by following the steps mentioned. It also helps ensure that whenever you take your bike for repairs they will be willing to do it and not put you at the back of the queue.

A good working relationship with your bike mechanic will not only benefit you, and the mechanic, but also your bike.

Why not share your thoughts on bike mechanic etiquette below.

Thanks!

Terry

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The reason for this is because of the hand’s anatomy which consists of bones, tendons, muscles, ligaments and nerves are all inter-connected with one another. These structures contribute to almost all of the hand movements – both fine and gross motor movements.

A lot of people suffer from hand and wrist pain. If you happen to be one of them, then you can definitely benefit from reading this article.

Cycling Problems

Cycling is one of the most popular sports or activities that require hand function. Athletes who are engaged in this type of sport are predisposed to hand and wrist problems. Based on a study supported by the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, as well as the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, an estimated 57 million (27%) individuals ages 16 and above had used a bicycle in the summer of 2002 at least once.

Based on research concerning bicycle injuries, cyclists present what is pathologically-described as Handlebar Palsy. This is actually classified as an ulnar neuropathy wherein the deeply situated terminal motor branch of the ulnar nerve gets compressed as it courses through the Guyon canal.

Forming this canal are the hamate and pisiform bones as well as the ligament passing in between them. The canal has a narrow portion close to the hamate bone making this particularly susceptible to compression syndrome. The ulnar nerve’s deep branch divides close to the pisiform bone and goes through the hypothenar muscles of the hand and extends to the hook of the hamate. Secondary to hamate compression, there is affectation of the intrinsic hand muscles alone. The hypothenar muscles and sensory aspect of the hand supplied by the ulnar nerve are not affected.

The compression syndrome, Handlebar Palsy, is usually secondary to chronic pressure and repetitive pressure or trauma to the wrist. According to a report by Kronisch & Pfeiffer, 90% of athletes engaged in cycling had encountered symptoms that are due to overuse injury and 35% of these cases are observed on the wrist. The athletes that were observed described it as cramp-like accompanied by hand and finger weakness. This presentation indicates Handlebar Palsy.

Studies Conducted:

The initial case study involves a cyclist who was a participant of the Bicycle Ride Across the United States. His average speed was 347 miles/day for a period of 9 days. Following the third day of the event, he started to have right hand weakness. The symptoms of weakness accompanied by numbness went on after completion of the cycling event. Exams revealed intrinsic hand muscles atrophy which are all innervated by the ulnar nerve. There was no affectation of the hypothenar muscles. Sensation was not affected as well.

Based upon a same case, a physician aged 49 years encountered cramping and clumsiness of both hands following a 2-week long mountain biking trip. He had trouble holding syringes while at work and could not even play the piano at home. An MRI was done. Results showed no cervical spine injuries. Hand examination revealed intrinsic hand muscle atrophy and paresis of both hands. The hypothenar muscles were not affected.

Hand rest is important for both patients. Thus they were asked to refrain from doing any hand activities. Nerve injuries require rest and protection. Cycling gloves that are well-padded had also shown relief from the symptoms of Handlebar Palsy.

Handlebar Palsy is a disturbing hand condition that can be debilitating over time.

Prevention

Research suggests wearing of protective cycling gloves and to change the position of your grip during cycling activities. The next time you go cycling, never leave without your gloves, and take some time to check your hands. If you experience even the slightest bit of tingling sensation, change the position of your grip.

Good luck!

Terry

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A good number of my runners have wasted time because they strike their foot directly in front of their hips, which often generates braking and momentum killing forces that significantly reduces their stride. However, training to transfer their strike point from in front of their hips, to beneath it, has resulted in significant improvements to their running times.

To help athletes develop a good running technique, I need to be more involved than shouting at them the things that they have to do, like driving their elbows and running tall. Despite the involvement, some outsiders will think that I am nothing but a coach who keeps shouting at his athletes. To fully grasp the principle of driving ones elbows and running tall, let us compare the running technique used by untrained runners and those who trained well.

The Untrained Runner: Their Technique and Flaws

Before new runners are trained to become elite runners, they are hardly aware of the techniques and strategies needed in order to achieve an efficient running stance. They often begin with the conventional stride averaging to only 76-84 strides in a minute.

Moreover, they also wear thick-heeled running shoes because these kind shoes are said to provide more cushioning and last longer. However, what they do not know that the comfort these shoes provide make them an over strider because their foot goes beyond the hip and lands squarely on the heel.

When they heard about the Stride Rate Phenomenon, which stipulates that by taking more steps they also increase their speed, they try to copy the strides of elite runners by consciously experimenting on their strides, swinging it forward and backward.

This is where the mistakes begin. The untrained runner instinctively uses his or her legs as shock absorbers. They scoot their legs and sit down on their pelvis hoping to imitate that smooth stride made by elite runners. Instead of improving their stride, they end up dragging their foot as if they are getting ready for speed walking instead of running. This is pretty familiar – in fact, you are probably guilty of this as well.

Increasing your stride rate is a step in the right direction. The corrections to the above-mentioned errors are targeted at retaining your standardized neuromuscular firing patterns and the majority of the runners stop here, especially after discovering their brand new and enhanced running style.

Increasing your stride rate does reduce your stride length, which then results in your foot striking closer beneath your hip. Unfortunately, if they do not pair this improvement with ballistic strength, appropriate running form, a full grasp of running biomechanics, and the proper application, they will never be able to improve themselves beyond than what they have at the moment.

The Elite Runner: Proper Style and Attaining It

The characteristics of an elite runner are the following: they put more power in each time their foot hits the ground, and they also shift to a more laid-back phase in between strikes – faster than regular runners.

The reason why most elite runners give out the appearance of being in a fluid and graceful strike is their ability to allocate more hang time while they move forward, because they are able to produce more power in each strike, in comparison to an untrained runner.

Have you ever wondered why elite runners have beautiful still shots as if their gracefully fleeting through the air with their feet above ground and while most of us have horrible still shots with us caught in mid flight, flat-footed before a heel-strike?

The elite runners have the capacity to run longer distances in between foot strikes. Contrary to an old claim, what this implies is the fact that these runners do have adequate length in every stride. The majority of the runners try to copy their heroes by extending their stride as much as possible, which often result in their foot striking way in front of their hips, which is an over-strider’s trademark.

The distinction lies on how an elite runner covers more ground, which is by flying through air after a quick and power transition in each strike beneath the hip.

This may appear like they have super powers but they do not.

Ballistic supremacy is the fitting explanation on why elite runners can do this. This supremacy refers to the ability of their well developed muscles to contract more and on a regular basis for longer periods before it starts to fatigue. This will then result in a better propulsion in the air in every strike, allowing them to go the distance before they land and get propelled again.

Paired with more strides, it will lead to better running form and blinding speed that elite runners exhibit. Another difference is the amount of time each foot spends on the ground. The longer the foot is in contact with the track, the more kinetic energy is wasted thus leading to deceleration and reduced speed.

Here are what elite runners are capable of:

1. Reducing foot and ground contact time; and
2. The ability of the runner to propel himself or herself forward using the reduced time of foot and ground contact, which often results in reduced speed in untrained runners

Summary:

Each of us, the everyday runner, has dreams of being able to run faster, more efficiently, and more gracefully like the elite runners.

Concluding that by increasing your stride you will be able to run faster is the over-simplified version of the sophisticated and intricate processes of neurological re-wiring, proper muscular reinforcement and cultured sensitivity to precise proprioception, which is the ability of being able to tell the position of each body/limb while in motion.

We have to analyze the situation, dissect the problem, and then take small steps towards correcting it.

Let me reiterate that driving your elbows and shortening your strides in order to gain speed is one of the basic steps that you can take to correct this mistake. This is very helpful to runners classified as over-striders because this will help them land their foot beneath their hip rather than way in front.

Using plyometrics and hill repetition will help us improve our ballistic capability that will allow us to generate more propulsion while in the air. For a more emphasized knee lift after swing through in each stride, running tall is recommended. This will provide the much needed leverage for a more powerful strike onto the ground. Performing the right drills will condition our minds to follow it all throughout.

There is no question of the need to pair an impact heavy style of running with proper strengthening training. This kind of training will condition the body by stabilizing the joints and strengthening the muscles in order to give them the capacity to withstand high intensity runs. Muscle groups located on the knee and hips have to be well developed in order to provide hip stability while the arms and legs are moving alternately.

Lastly, core exercises will help tone and strengthen the core or the midsection that will enable the runner to run tall for longer periods while holding a flawless posture during the run. Keeping your torso in a rotational torsion will help turn your trunk into a spring like mechanism that will help utilize the energy that comes back after every foot strike.

Why not share your running thoughts below…

Thanks,

Terry

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Turn A Weakness Around

Even the best tri-athletes experience this and this is a natural part of triathlon event. Therefore, what can we do to make a difference? How can we turn our weaknesses into strengths? How can we improve our swimming techniques and do the same for cycling and running?

Turning a weakness into a strength is no easy task but that does not mean it is impossible. When I was younger, I worked and lived in a bustling city. I spend six hours each week getting ready for my triathlon season. Despite my training environment being poor, I was forced to get into shape and turn my weaknesses into strength.

Sport Rotation

As I was preparing for my race season, I discovered a new method of training I fondly call “Sport Rotation”. I may have discovered it by accident but it worked wonders. My training schedule depended on the weather. Therefore, I had to work with it.

If you dissect the training program of the world’s best endurance athletes, you will notice that they tend to focus on one particular sport. They usually run twice a day or swim twice a day. The same thing can be said for cycling. When they ride their bikes, they ride for a few hours, take a break and ride for a few more hours again.

Shift Focus

Focusing on one sport at one time has honed your body’s ability to adapt to any new techniques. Therefore, if it’s your desire to do better and perform well in your triathlon season then you might want to start applying sport rotation in your training program.

If you have spent too much training and you noted no improvements in your sport then you have nothing to lose if you decide to try a different approach.

Change It Up

If you think that sport rotation can help you improve on the events that you consider as your weakness, then you might structure the program by focusing on one particular sport for three weeks or so, and then after three weeks spend a week without intense training.

After that week, you can spend another three weeks focusing on a different event and it goes on like cycle. However, you also have the option of using this technique over months, instead of weeks. The same principle applies even when you are training for months. After training for all three events, you can now go back to your regular, balanced training.

Use the Weather

Moreover, if you are training in an area where you have all four seasons, you can let the season dictate the flow of your training. Like focusing on running during November, swimming in January, and biking in March. However, you can make your training program flexible because the weather is unpredictable and you have to work around it to get your training done.

Get Started

Now, how do you get things started? Well, first you must decide which sport to focus on first. Take, for example, running. If your regular training involves running two to three days each week, you can increase it to five to six times with the fifth and sixth day spent running lightly.

As for the rest, continue training for it two days in a week. Apart from the drill sessions for the least focused sport, you may also want to add endurance sets for each sport. This will keep your body in perfect shape and hone your skills on each sport.

Switch It Back

Once your time frame for focusing on running is done, you can now switch to either swimming or biking. The same rules are applied like increasing the number of training days for one particular sport and adding endurance sets for the rest of the events. Whatever sport you are currently focusing on, see to it that you are taking it to the next level in order for this training program to work.

Swim Like A Fish

When you train for a particular sport, focus on it and assume the identity of an athlete who really trains for it. For example, if you are focusing on swimming then swim like a fish. Do not be afraid to swim with people who are faster and better than you are. Swim with them, observe their movements and posture, and learn as much as you can from them.

Run With Athletes

The same thing when you are concentrating on running. Be a runner and run with athletes who have spent their entire lives training for this sport. Learn from their ways by watching how they prepare for it.

You can also do the same if you are focusing on training for cycling. Go riding with more than one person; if possible go with a group. During this time you will learn alot from these people, and they will also help you turn your weaknesses in your strengths, thus perfectly preparing you for your upcoming race season.

Feel free to share your techniques for getting through a plateau below.

Good Luck!

Terry

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