We all remember that classic scene of Rocky Balboa on the come back trail…repeated multiple times. But the most memorable was the first transformation from the guy down on his luck and using frozen beef to punch his way back to sporting glory. Rocky symbolises the resurrection of the down trodden and frail former alpha [...]
Are you the guy who goes to the supermarket and stocks up with a weeks food or are you someone that does a little trip to the grocer every night on the way home? Do you like to read 10 chapters of a book in a sitting or the whole lot?
Do you try to run [...]
You’ll find as many theories on where to put your long run in the program as the number of stars in a galaxy.
Some basics to consider
-When you race a triathlon you do it on tired legs right?
Certainly there is merit in putting the long run the day after the long bike. Especially more experienced athletes [...]
Does the “effort” come before “pace” or vice versa?
The vast majority of the literature on endurance training talks about using physiology markers to determine training intensity.
This is a well founded and accepted logic that goes like this:
-Execute a training session at a determined work rate. For example Ride 4 hours at 150 bpm or 4 [...]
You’ve just entered your first Ironman- its a year away
How far out do you start “training” ?
There are many people that will tell you start now
On the other end of the spectrum there is a widely held view that people can only focus on an event for so long
Typically this is between 10-16 weeks out [...]
Nutrition for Ironman. How much to eat in ironman
I’ve recently had opportunity to review this bike courtesy of Ashley Ritchie at Sonic Cycles Springwood QLD
This bike is as well thought out for a triathlete as any bike I’ve seen in the last 5 years. The simple but effective things which make so much sense are:
-Built in nutrition box that does not flop around
-Built [...]
Here are some anecdotal figures
Best riding guys in Hawaii (Lieto etc) average 4watts per kilogram (315w+)
Most pros 3.5w/kg-3.75w/kg
Good age group male 3-3.5w/kg
eg 70kg triathlete = 210watts-245watts will go round in about 5 hrs
Drafting and aerodynamics of the rider will also play a big part
Rules of thumb
IM pace is typically 65-75% of your “functional threshold power” [...]
The no bull version
-Long Bike-Built it out to about 4.5hrs
-Long Run- Build it out to about 2.5hrs (preferably the day after your long bike)
-Long Swim-Build it out to 1hr
-Do it consistently.
Thats it
having participated in a number of discussions and tried all manner of combinations of overload, the above works for more people than it does [...]
Here’s some good motivation from a girl who has been to Kona 3 years running………..
Affirmations, mantras and quotes. I have a gazillion of them.
No matter what your sport – no matter what your passion – a lot of people believe in self-talk, affirmations, and reassuring, empowering quotes from other passionate, successful people.
An equestrian show jumping [...]
Why does it matter?
I never have really paid much attention to this concept, basically because my weight over the years has vary rarely changed. I would always be about 80kg in the off season and then 78kg going into a race.
Back in 2008 in the days when I owned a power meter and my Functional Threshold [...]
This is an excellent piece by Campbell Maffett explaining why monitoring heart rate shouldnt be used as the only measure of training.
Copyright (c), Campbell Maffett
www.lovetherun.com.au
“My heart is a muscle and it pumps blood
Like a big old black steam train
My veins are the tracks
And the city is my brain”
Cruel Sea – “Black Stick”
It’s obvious to say [...]
athletic people forget about loosing weight to go fast sometimes………..
once you get to a particular point weight loss is WAY easier than trying to raise your FTP ESPECIALLY FOR endurance athletes. It is massively neglected by good athletes.
-Heuristically for every 1% in body weight your run time drops at least 1-1.5%. For me if I [...]
G’day guys,
There are lots and lots of different ways to taper for a race and I’ve tried my share of a few and tried a few out on the people I coach. I’ve used a 5 week taper, 3 week taper and 10 day taper and even a reverse taper.
I’ve also had what I thought was the perfect [...]
I get this question quite a bit
“How do I go about improving my bike in the offseason?”
Answer
Between now and your next IM you have a few choices
1. Raise FTP
2. Develop your strength
3. Develop your sustainable power
4. Develop your endurance.
That’s four areas you can focus on and the area you need to focus will depend on [...]
I recently, bought the latest issue of Inside Triathlon, it’s the first tri-magazine I have bought in a long time. What caught my attention was the article on Lance Armstrong and how Chris Carmichael will prepare Lance for Kona. The article also asks some other coaches to give their personal insights as though they were [...]
There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to high volume and low intensity training as opposed to low volume and high intensity training. Quite frankly I think you need a balance of both. Choosing the appropriate option depends on the event you are training for, the time you have available to [...]
Some notes on salt use/research I’ve collected etc. Ill tidy it up when I have time:
•Sweat usually contains 500-1000mg sodium loss/hr (some as high as 2500mg/hr)
•This can be “trained” down to less than 400mg per hour even in hot conditions
•Heavier athlete/saltier diet- higher sodium loss •Very little work done to date on improving the [...]
http://www.ascendsport.com
Over the years I have experimented with Colustrum supplementation. An old coach reccommended it to support immune system and whilst heavy training. I’ve certainly found it to be beneficial. No Colustrum taste great but mixed into cereal or juice its fine. Its always been something that has been difficult to find of decent quality and [...]
This is a great summary by Gordo Byrne
Aerobic Threshold Summary
I’ve been training for ironman distance triathlons seriously over the last four years. In this time, I’ve noticed that the many intensity guidelines for endurance training always seemed a little “too fast” for me. As a coach, I’ve often found that my athletes tended to simply [...]
Heres a very basic core control/strength routine I’ve adapted from other sources
Recently I watched the Evolution Running Video. This is a method developed by Ken Mierke. (http://www.evolutionrunning.com He’s part of Joe Friel’s outfit)
Its well laid out and pretty consistent with what I’ve read on good fundamentals from other sources. Some really good analysis models and video work to help people visualise what makes quick efficient running. [...]
We worry about a lot of things in triathlon. Triathletes are guilty of more analysis paralysis than a team of space shuttle engineers. We study technique, food intake and heart rate on a daily basis spending thousands in search of perfection. Why? All in the hope that the cocktail of our prodding, primping, sculpting and [...]
Whats the right way to train? How do I get to Kona? What do the quick guys do? Is there a magic formula?
I recently participated in a discussion about what the best age groupers do that separates them from the not so good. Here’s my key points-
Consistency over anything else leads to greatest improvements
Quality [...]
Everyone should read this before starting Ironman or Longer distance triathlon. It covers all the fundamentals. This is an excerpt taken from www.coachgordo.com
[Reference-Gordon Byrne the author of "Going Long" ]
The Four Pillars
Let’s start with a review of the Four Pillars of Ironman Success:
Nutrition – I covered this in an earlier series of articles and will [...]
This is a good one for beginners to gain basic awareness of body position.
Tim Noakes reviews the most cited material from outstanding coaches and athletes of the past 150 years. Together with what his own understanding of physiology and training, he proposes his 15 basic laws of athletic training that apply to all runners
WTF?
A little Zen Buddhist indulgement if you will (I am not a subscriber)
What colour are you….the theory of Senjo……I’ve found this usefull in helping people understand what kind of athlete they are
Red- Physical,aggressive,forceful,tangible,doing
Blue-Of the mind,reflective,intellectual, thinking
Yellow-Spiritual,sensing,feeling
In Senjo we aim to balance Red/Blue/Yellow to come to the perfect state of White
Most of us have a bias [...]
If you read nothing else about training for Ironman then read this
It summarises the basic method that MA used for the last 6-8 years of his career
Buy one of Tim Noakes or Phil Maffetone’s books if you want more of the theory on which it is based
THE MARK ALLEN METHOD-THE BASICS
Allen’s training approach was to [...]
If you are in Brisbane and need a true sports massage guy try Jason Tinnock at Body For Life Milton . Jason has helped me and many other ageing athletes keep going and remain pain free
Jason has a keen interest in injury management / prevention and sports event preparation and has been privileged to massage [...]
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