HOW TO BECOME A TRIATHLETE

Podcast - Running Faster Off the Bike with Higher Cadence

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This episode of the ZenTri Podcast has Mike Ricci telling me how to run faster off the bike - by using higher cadence.  Listen in and find out how using faster RPMs on the bike reduces fatigue so you can hit that run split that you've always wanted!

We also talk about how to stay motivated when you have to train indoors or not train at all.  Learn from us how to make your workouts more fun.

As usual, the show is wrapped up with a full hour of my own training tips as I take you with me on my workouts.  I talk about nutrition, pacing, gear, and much more.  Listen in and enjoy!

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Podcast - Getting Lanced

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Join D3 head coach Mike Ricci and I as we talk about how Lance Armstrong will influence the sport of triathlon, how to go from base season to build, and also what tricks you can use to stay motivated when training indoors.

After that, we have a full hour of The Training Log, where I give you tips and tricks on how to train at the Ironman level.

And don't forget, I can make you faster, too!  I now coach with D3 Multisport!  So send me an email at Zentriathlon at gmail.com and let's get started.  

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Using Speedwork and Energy Levels to Know When to Take Time Off

If you could know when it is time to take a break from training so that you can recover and come back even faster, that would sure be nice, right?  Well, there are two sure-fire ways to do it.

First, make sure that your training has some speedwork mixed in.  I'm talking about 15 minutes of ramping up and then going as fast as you can, about every few days.  It is a similar effort to negative splitting a 5k run race.  Do this for a few weeks and you will suddenly notice that you cannot even come close to the speeds or efforts that you were originally capable of.  Bam - that's your sign.  Take off a few days.

Second, your view on training will shed light on how you are doing.  As you wear yourself down over a few weeks, you'll begin to feel like your training load is like a truck on your chest - like it's on top of you instead you on top of it.  When you are no longer happy at the controls and instead the workouts are bullying you around the room like an 800 lb. gorilla, it's time to take off.

So when do you come back?  After a while (could be a couple of days to a week or more), you'll be going crazy to work out.  When you're bursting at the seams to start training again with an abundance of positive energy and strength, that's a great sign.  Now, wait just a little bit more.  Now, that's the right amount.

What do you do with your spare time when resting?  Work on your bike!  It could use a nice bath and a once-over to see if it needs any work done.

Enjoy!

Don't Focus on the Injury

Fix your form instead.

When we get injured, we spend a lot of time "fixing it," but not much time changing the cause.  Just as much or more of your time should be spent comparing your form to that of the uninjured to see if it matches up.  If not, then you are just putting a band-aid on the problem and it will continue to hurt.

If your shoulder hurts while swimming, taking ibuprofin might help for a short while, but the problem will get worse.  Instead, you should be spending your time trying to find a friend that can video you swimming.  Take that video and compare it to othe ones online of Phelps and Thorpe.  If you don't have the same form, that's where you should focus your energy.  Yes, you are not as fast as them, but you will NEVER be as fast as them if your form isn't better and especially if you're in the doctor's office instead of the pool.

The proper way to exercise is to always use perfect form, no matter how slow or fast.  If you get sloppy while going fast, then you're just training yourself to use bad form and injury will soon follow.  And bad form under the higher stresses of going faster amplifies the forces that injure you.  Instead, you go as fast as you can with perfect form.  When you can't go any faster, then that's your limit.  With practice, you'll get faster and faster with perfect form and also reduce your risk of injury to near zero.  Now take new that athlete with perfect form and no time off for injuries and tell me who's going to be faster in a few months - the sloppy one with high injury risk or the perfect execution one?

You know the answer, so start!