Your Most Important Piece of Equipment

I read a pretty cool article today published by the United States Triathlon Association and written by Dr. Mitchell Greene about the most important piece of equipment a triathlete has.

Basically Dr. Greene tells how with all the new fangled tri gear coming out these days that our brain is still our most important piece of equipment and for that there is nothing new.

Mastering the mental game and facing our fears and doubts is the key to conquering mental mistakes. Dr. Greene then goes on to outline some real thought provoking suggestions well worth reading.

You can find the whole article here at this link: http://www.usatriathlon.org/resources/multisport-zone/multisport-lab/your-most-important-piece-of-equipment

Enjoy The Moment

Have you ever seen this following a triathlon?

Someone finishes an amazing triathlon race and then begins right away to focus on all the things that they did wrong or could have done better to improve their time.

My point is that triathletes particularly seem to be kinda hard on themselves. Maybe because so many are Type-A personalities.

It’s true that this can be a tough and demanding sport both physically and mentally that requires discipline, techniques, gear and nutrition decisions and so it's true there is a lot you can examine to criticize about yourself.

But come on, give yourself a break and just remember that not every race will be your personal best. Weather conditions combined with how you feel that day and also how your equipment performs will all combine to help determine your outcome.

My point is to simply stop and take a deep breathe and appreciate what you have accomplished. Enjoy achieving a personal best or an improvement in any stage or just the success of finishing.

It’s always good to review and reflect on how you can improve and shave time off your next race. But it’s also good to enjoy the achievement of the moment.

Your comments?

Rock on!

Ready. Set. Go. Swim.

At the beginning of any Triathlon race, many triathletes feel nervous and unsure about how their swimming segment will unfold on any given race day. Just remember, It’s normal to feel a little anxious when entering the water… especially if you're a newbie.

For some people it may be their first time racing in an open body of water. Sometimes it feels little frantic when it gets down to the point where your age group is called into the water or to the starting line. Concentrate on being calm and on your race strategy including sighting out the first buoy as your first milestone to stay focused on.

If you’re focused on strategy and milestones, you’ll have less time to think about being nervous.

Some people may even experience a panic attack but this is where you draw strength and confidence from all your training when waiting for the gun to sound at the starting line.

The key at that moment is to start out both relaxed and focused. Yes, it will be a little frantic at the beginning but just remember to breathe, stick to the stroke you have practiced and protect the space around your head as you jockey for your piece of open water.

For more open water swimming tips, go to: http://openwaterswimming.org/

Open Water Swimming Tips For New Triathletes – Part 2

Ready, set, go. After educating and arming yourself with all the safety and swimming tips you can find on open water swimming, there is nothing else left but to simply jump in and practice. There is no substitute for getting a feel for the differences between open water and a contained swimming / lap pool. Now it's just like the saying goes, practice, practice, practice.

The first most important tip is safety first. Don’t ever swim alone in an open body of water of any kind. Go in a group or with a partner and even better yet go with a buddy in a kayak who can spot for you.

Practice sighting. One of the biggest differences from training in a pool and swimming in open water is that there is no big black line on the bottom you can follow to keep you on track swimming straight. Before getting into the water look for identifiable land markers like a tall tree, a building, or just anything you can see each time you raise your head and look forward. This will really help to keep you swimming in the right direction.

If possible, always try to get in the water a day or two before the race and test out your sighting. Also, you can get a feel for the temperature of the water, the conditions and surroundings.

Relax and be confident in your training. Some say that you should start out a race hard and fast to gain a strong position ahead of your competitors and maybe that is for you if you are experienced in racing and swimming in open water. But, if you are a newbie I would suggest just get started and swim to get comfortable and confident.

Do you have any tips you would like to add? If so please do.

Open Water Swimming Tips For Triathletes – Part 1

It’s perfectly normal to have a little fear when looking ahead to open water swimming in your first triathlon. I have been racing in triathlons for years and I still get a little afraid every time before an open water swim start.

Actually, I think it’s a bit of a good thing to be a little afraid because it keeps you alert and on guard for an open water swim among a group of swimmers thrashing, kicking and jockeying for space.

They say that the order of the triathlon events is based on the most danger to you as a racer / participant starting with open water swimming then biking at sometimes high speeds and then running which is the least dangerous of the three disciplines.

At the beginning of a race I always think to myself that if I can just finish the swim without getting kicked in the head it will be all down hill from there. Then I get to the bike and think if I can just finish the bike without any flats or crashes, I’ll be in good shape. Then when I get to the run I think that if I can just finish the run without any injuries everything will be good. Then before you know it the race is over and that feeling of accomplishment is indescribable.

It is thrilling every time you finish the swim portion because to me it feels like I’m conquering something big. That’s why it’s important to observe a few key safety tips and we’ll cover those in part two.

Nutrition – Breaking The Cardinal Rule

Have you ever bonked in an Ironman triathlon? Bonking is when your body hits the wall, shuts down and may also be accompanied by getting cramps, feeling sick, light headed, dizziness and/or vomiting. 


This usually occurs from not consuming enough calories, not drinking enough or drinking too much during a long distance endurance race.


Bonking and not finishing an Ironman after many months of training and sacrifice is in its own way a personal horror story and is usually tied to the success or failure of a good nutrition and hydration plan.


So what kind of nutrition plan will help you address and prevent these potential race day issues?


The simplified answer is a plan that allows you hydrate and fuel your body at a pace and volume that helps you to sustain your race pace while feeling good throughout the entire race.


There are a couple really key components to this and the first is to practice ingesting all your nutrition and hydration products during your training so you get comfortable with what you like and what works with your body long before the race day.


Remember that you will need to be flexible enough to be able to adjust on race day for variables like the weather, your pace and how you are feeling that particular day.


There are some pretty good coaches, nutrition plans and training programs out there that will give you some great guidelines but nothing is a one size fits all so make sure to customize to what works for you including what you like.


For my long bikes, I eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich while my son Josh does cliff bars. He’s younger, faster, and a much smarter athlete than I am but my stomach likes the PBH so that’s what I do. Also, I’m out there longer than he is and so I need the extra calories to give me energy longer and a sandwich works better for me (even though I love Cliff bars).


When it comes to hydration, my caution is to not let yourself get dehydrated and conversely don’t over hydrate. Keep yourself on pace to consume enough of the right kinds of fluids your body needs throughout your entire race day.


And as far as the cardinal rule… don’t do ANYTHING different on race day that you have not practiced during training.


Now for my personal confession. I have broken this rule more than once. What’s that you’re saying? Some knuckleheads never learn? Okay, okay, I resemble that remark.


Remember, do as I say, not as I do. Have you ever broken the cardinal rule?

Swimming Tips & My Andy Potts Story

Some people can make open water triathlon swimming look so easy. Someone like Andy Potts world class triathlete with his long fluid freestyle swim strokes with disciplined rhythmic breathing as he glides so powerfully through the water.

In a recent USA Triathlon swim training video titled, “Triathlon: The Swim” vol. 2 of a 5 piece training series, Olympic Triathlete Andy Potts demonstrates how a few simple keys can have a remarkable effect on your open water swim results. (See link to full video and story below)

National coach Mike Doane narrates and provides key pointers that can dramatically change both your swim efficiency as well as your swim time performance and I highly recommend taking a look at this 7:53 minute video no matter what level swimmer you are.

Now for my fun Andy Potts story. A few years ago I raced in the Oceanside Ironman 70.3 and Andy Potts was one of the elite racers at that race as well. It was kinda exciting to be in the same race not that I would ever see him again after the elite group started their swim.

But at the end of the race and the end of the day, kicking back and basking in the excitement of the challenge and the accomplishment, my wife was showing me the pictures she took on our digital camera and I noticed that there were a lot more shots of Andy Potts than there were of me.

With a big smile she told me how exciting it was as he and the other elite athletes came through the transitions and then into a hotly contested finish. She wasn’t trying to imply that because I was sooooo far back that she wasn’t still proud of me, but who wouldn’t be on the edge of their seat watching world class athletes up close and in action? So I have a few good pic's of me at that race and a whole lot more of Andy... if you ever want them Andy :>)

So basically my point is that anytime Andy Potts is willing to give out swimming or any other kind of tips, I’m going to listen.

Ever have any fun race stories participating with the elites of our sport?

http://www.usatriathlon.org/resources/multisport-zone/multisport-lab/swimming-for-triathlon