FEATURES
"Tickling the Reaper"....
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Thursday, 15 January 2015 00:10
The following story explains exactly what the body goes through over 140.6 miles of racing. This story originally appeared in the January/February, 2009 edition of Inside Triathlon magazine.
By Matt Fitzgerald
From the outside, swimming, cycling and running appear as movement. But from inside the triathlete’s body, swimming, cycling and running appear as an acceleration of time.
Blood gushes through veins and arteries like traffic through night highways in a time-lapse video. Within muscle cells, glucose and triglyceride molecules are tossed into the fiery furnace of mitochondria at a breakneck pace, as though someone has put a DVD of the process at rest on 4x fast forward. Armies of oxygen radicals punch holes in muscle cell membranes, causing a general deterioration that calls to mind those computer animations that show a person aging 20 years in 10 seconds....
Beware of Training Fads...
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Wednesday, 07 January 2015 00:10
By Bethany Rutledge (triathlon.competitor.com)
The quick, trendy route to better performance seems more appealing than the long, traditional one, but you can’t shortcut your way to lasting results. Our thoughts on running fads to ignore, along with some timeless advice on maximizing your triathlon run performance:
Finding The Perfect Shoe
2011’s Born to Run started the barefoot and minimalist shoe movement, with believers scoffing at “traditional” running shoes.
The truth: Minimalist shoes could work for you if you’re a healthy, lighter runner. But be cautious. Going from thicker-heeled shoes to minimalist versions can wreak havoc on ....
Developing Swim Workouts...
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Monday, 05 January 2015 06:10
By Heather Lendway (for gearwestbike.wordpress.com)
Depending on the distance triathlon you’re preparing for I would recommend spending at least three days a week at the pool if you want to see improvement in your times (anything less would likely just maintain your current speed). One session should concentrate on longer distance sets to help build your aerobic capacity. Another session should be more quality and speed work; swimming sets at and above your endurance threshold. The third session should have more focus on technique including stroke work and drills. If you’re training for an Ironman distance race you may want to get in four or five swim workout each week. That said, no matter what distance you’re training for, you’ll achieve maximum improvement swimming 4-5 times a week, but anything more would greatly increase your injury risk. If you can get a couple extra swim workouts in I would add a quality workout then a distance workout...
Former Nail-Biter & Bus-Dweller...
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Sunday, 04 January 2015 06:10
WARNING: Some of this content may be slightly embellished.
Going "Off Course" - Bemidji-based du/tri-athlete Jasmine Carlson has led, and continues to lead, a very atypical life, one that is extremely interesting and experientially rich. Words that describe her include: Itinerant, entrepreneurial, altruistic, mom, daughter, sister, erudite, musician and fetching.
The charismatic, home-schooled, fluent in Spanish 'cuz she lived in Mexico for a while, 29-year-old neat freak describes her itinerant past and entrepreneurial present:
"I live in an intentional community with my whole family and some transient others and have lived that way for years. We co-parent our kids and own a couple of coffee shops together.
"I traveled for 11 years of my life. In a converted bus. I’ve seen every state but Alaska."
Pretty interesting, huh? Love the hippiesque, Plato vibe. Hope she gets to see Alaska sometime soon. Maybe she could hang out at Sarah Palen's house, which would allow her to see Russia from the back deck....
Indoor Bike Training Doesn't Have to Suck...
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Sunday, 04 January 2015 00:10
Secrets to making trainer time fly. (No mind-numbing needed.)
By Marty Munson (triathlon.competitor.com)
Stop thinking of your indoor trainer as a buzzkill and start thinking of it as what it is: an opportunity. “The biggest advantages are efficiency, safety and the ability to sustain the effort, cadence and wattage you want without interruption,” says Robert Pennino, founder of Terrier Tri in New York City. “The specificity with which you can work on the trainer can’t be replicated outside.” Not to mention the fact that pros including Tyler Stewart and Andy Potts are tearing up their share of bike courses while reportedly doing most of their training indoors.
So how do you make gains on the bike trainer without losing your mind? A few secrets from the experts: ...
