Triathlon season is starting back up !

Triathlon season is starting back up and so will I along with my blog. Look forward to new articles and pictures from this year!

Race Results

My race in Key Biscayne went really well the other day. Everything went as planned for once in the water, which is a nice change for me. Switch to a different pair of goggles definitely mean a big difference (no leaks). I was less than 30 seconds away from the leader in the male 20-24 and 40-49 age group, leaving the water in about 5th out of about 80+ swimmers. Transition from the swim to bike went very well and I placed in the top 100 there.

Bike is where I had most of my trouble this race. This is due to a couple of factors. First off I got a cheap bike as a Christmas present years ago that realllly need some updating. Riding over the Rickenbacker Causeway was a real battle on this bike as it is way to heavy to climb. I also did not log enough hours before the race on my bike, so I was not as fast as I normally am. I took my Hammer Gel a little too late on the bike making me somewhat sick when I got off to run. All and all though my bike was decent considering the equipment that is at my disposal.

The run was good, I say this because my time was not my fastest splits. Although I did feel great during the run. All my bike/run practice paid off big time. I did not feel as if I had rocks in my calves as I normally do, and felt very in control of my body despite how hard I was pushing myself.

I am still waiting on the pictures to be sent to me as they were not taken with my camera. As soon as I have them in my possession I will post them up for everyone to see.

Getting Ready for Race Day

I have been getting both mentally and physically prepared for my race this Sunday !! I will be racing in the Mack Cycle Key Biscayne Triathlon Trilogy #2, at the Miami Marine Stadium. They recently changed the location of the race from Crandon Park to the Miami Marine Stadium. I don't know why they did that but I expect that it will be just a great of a race as the one they always have at Crandon Park. For those of you who live in the South Florida area I am sure that you know about this is race, and if you don't I will tell you. It is the best sprint triathlon in this area!! Amazing views of the water and downtown and the climb up the causeway is absoutely insane. There is such an energy at this race from the volunteers all the way up to the racers. I can not continue to say enough go things about this race, if you live in this area and haven't race the Trilogy yet I highly suggest you do. If for no other reason, there are three races and a bonus race, all of which are on the same course. This is a great advantage as most races differ alittle here and there on the mileage and it is hard to accurately judge your difference in times. If you are interested in racing you can find them at Multirace.com or go directly to the race registration. Feel free to say hi if you see me as I am very hard to miss. I will be the only six foot eight guy out there probably. Always nice to be able to meet my readers !!

A little under a week left and I am in crunch time right now. Watching what I eat, making sure I am getting enough sleep, and trying to get all my workouts in before my last day of recovery. Been very busy with work this week so getting in my workouts has been a little bit of a hassle but I've managed as of yet to get everything done I've set out to do. I have also been riding my bike anywhere I can reasonably take it. This is one of my great workout secrets, as it allows me and easy extra 20-30 miles a week of "working out". I can get almost anywhere on my bike as fast as I can drive, but since im commuting it doesnt really feel as if im working out.

Today: I work part time as a swim coach for a 6-18 year old swim team. So I will ride to practice to today (extra 5 miles) and after swim practice I will swim a 1/4 mile in the pool, proceed to hop on my bike and ride home. As soon as I get home Im going to get on a 4 mile run so that A) I can practice my T2 and B) So that I can log in some miles running as I definately need some extra running before sunday.

Tomorrow I am going for another 3-4 mile run at race pace and I will do alot of streching both before and after. This is so that I can start loosing any muscle that might be tight and I dont get any cramps doing the race.

Friday: I will have an moderately difficult ride to the beach (11.7 miles round trip), do some more stretching on the beach once I get there. Going for about a 1/4 mile open water swim. As I do alot of pool swimming and I like to practice my open water swim a couple of days before to mentally prepare myself. Once I hop out of water practice a fast T1 transition hop on the bike and go home. I also plan to con my girlfriend into giving me a full body massage to get all the extra kinks out that I did get out stretching. She not aware of this yet but see will be soon enough :)

Saturday: REST AND RECOVERY !!! The day before the race I reserve for resting and recovering. I want to be a full strength the next day. Making sure that I don't eat anything that won't sit will the next day at the race. I also start planning out the race in my mind. Reminding myself what my times should look like. Remembering what I am grabbing during my transitions. Packing up all my things the night before as there is no way im going to do it at 4:30 in the morning, thats just asking for trouble. Other than that I might go for an easy ride or fast walk around the block around mid day or in the morning just to keep my body sort of fresh. Day before race though is all about mental work though making sure that my mind will be in the right place on sunday.

Then its off to the races! I will have some one taking many pictures of the race on Sunday, which I will post up so all of you can see. Even more reason to find me at the race, because if you do you picture will probably be on my blog next week. Good luck to all of you who are racing this Sunday and I look forward to see you guys at the race!

Your Know Your A Triathlete When...

• You usually wake up at 4.00 in the morning but don’t get to work until way after 10:00.

• Somebody hands you a cup of water and you have to restrain yourself from pouring it over your head.

• Your car has at least one energy bar wrapper and water bottle on the floor.

• You have more shoes than you spouse.

• Cars pass you on the road when you’re driving and you either drop back to get out of draft zone or speed up to attack!

• You need a photo for a job application and you only have race pictures.

• You haven’t bought work clothes in two years, yet you own bike shorts made by every manufacturer under the sun and can recite the merits of Coolmax, Supplex, etc. in your sleep!

• You think there are only 2 seasons in a year; racing season and off-season.

• You clean your bike more often than your car.

• Your bike has a name.

• When asked, how old are you? You answer 35-39.

• You name your two new puppies Kona and Hawi.

• You are convinced that if you rest more than one day, your muscles will atrophy, your ultra-fit body will turn into a pile of goo and everyone in your age group will beat you.

• You bring bottled water to a party so that you’re properly hydrated for the next morning’s long run. Everyone else at the party also brought their own bottled water because you don’t have a social life outside of triathlon. Oh yeah, and they all showed up 7pm and left by 10pm.

If you have any other ones please feel free to share

Transitions: The Fourth Discipline

I know that many of you triathletes out there are practicing there threesomes: Swim, Bike, Run. Many of you cross-train hitting the weights, spinning, etc... Yet with all this many of times transitions get forgotten about. Your T1 and T2 splits are very important to practice as they are part of overall race time. It doesn't matter if you can swim really fast if you get out of the water and take 3:00 minutes getting your socks and shoes on. Therefore practicing your transitions should part of your workouts just like swimming, biking and running are. One minute off your transition time can mean the difference in between 3rd and 1st place.

Transition Checklist

• Socks
• Shoes
• Towel
• Tri Shorts (Although you should race in what you swim)
• Race Number
• Race Belt (I highly suggest one of these, they are very affordable)
• Safety Pins (To clip on race number if you don't have the belt)
• Helmet
  

-Optional

• Sodium Pills
• Advil
• Sports Drink
• Energy Bars
• Energy Gel
• Heart Rate Monitor
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Cycling Gloves

Pre-Race Setup

Once you have been assigned a race number proceed to find the rack in which you will be mounting your bike. Once you have found your rack look to see where the transition for the bike and run will be and place your bike in a place that will make it easy to enter and exit to these areas. You should also look at the other races to decide if the guy/girl next to you will be exiting the water at the same time. It is preferable not be stuck attempting to transition next to someone who is trying to leave at the same time as you. Once you have your spot picked out you must decide how to mount you bike, depending on your seat clearance, the height of the rack, and whether or not you have aero bars. It might be wise to rack you bike with the back of the seat on top of the rack and to drag the bike under or mount you bike aero first and grab the bike and go. The most important factor though will setting up for your transitions is your clothes and whatever else you will be taking with you when you hop on the bike. Attempt to put you things in a neat pile as a matter of courtesy to other racers and so that you know where to find everything when you come out of the water. You should have the things that you need first at the very top of the pile. For example you socks should be above your shoes as you will need them before you need your shoes.


Fast Swim to Bike Transition

So your swim is going great you are just about to get out of the swim exit, so now what ? You may be really excited and ready to bolt out of the water but remember that you have been breathing underwater which is much different then on land. Make sure to mental prepare for this transition by knowing not to come bolting out of the water as this will make your lungs work in overdrive. As you come out of the water and your are running through the transition looking for your rack already have your transition set out in your mind. Remember what you planned to do before you get to the spot where all your stuff is.

Many times in a race I have glanced over to see a fellow racer doing what I like to call the "sock dance". Trying to get your socks on while your feet are wet can be quite a hassle, so if you are running a sprint tri, and you can stand it, just slide on your shoes without sock. Although I recommend make sure you are comfortable with this in workouts first. Avoid at all cost sitting down why attempting to put on your socks and shoes as this will take valuable time away from your transition, and also a great way to get a cramp.

Once you have your helmet on as well as everything else you came to the transition zone for its time to grab your bike. The best way to take your bike out of transition is to grab from the back of the seat and run it out by balancing it. This may be a little difficult at first, yet with some practice becomes fairly easy. Run your bike all the way out to where the mount bike start is, hop on your bike on the go, saddle your feet in and GO!


Bike to Run Transition

The bike/run transition is much easier than the swim/bike transition. Your time here should also be much lower as you should not need as many things as you did in T1. The last couple of miles of the bike you should start gearing your mind towards T2 and what you need to grab or leave from there (i.e. hat, visor, water, gel, change of clothes, food). As stupid as this might sound remember to take that helmet on you have been wearing it soo long on your head that you might of forgotten that it was there. It would not be the first time that I have seen someone running whom had forgotten to take there helmet off.

One of my least favorite things about racing is the bike/run bonk, which normally happens as you get off the bike and attempt to use your feet on land again. It is such a weird sensation and will make your calves feel like they have rocks in them. I don't really have even secret to tell you how to avoid this other than practice, practice, practice. The best way to avoid this is to practice riding your bike then hopping off and running, and eventually with time this will get better. Regardless you will still get this feeling just not as bad, my main suggestion is keep going at a relative decent place, and don't try and push too hard through this. Your body's energy to power output is very low during this stage.

Fueling up for race day

Whenever have a long day of training or on race days I always make sure that my body is properly fueled. There are several products which I have personal tested and love. One of which is a product called Hammer Gel.

"For over a decade, Hammer Gel has been the benchmark of concentrated carbohydrate energy, primarily because of what it doesn't contain. Hammer Gel has no added refined, simple sugars and no artificial colors or sweeteners.

Choose either single-serving pouches or the cost-effective jugs for even, reliable energy, not the flash and crash of sugar-loaded products. You get only what's good for you: complex carbohydrates, natural ingredients, and real fruit. The result is a great tasting concentrated fuel source that goes down and digests easier than any other energy gel.

Hammer Gel is versatile as well, you can drink it straight, add it to your water bottle, or combine it with Sustained Energy, HEED, and Perpeteum to create a variety of tasty energy combinations for any length activity, anywhere, anytime."

I have found this product to be amazing when you are half way through running and feel like you are done there is nothing quite like this product. It is almost as if you get a second wind and fuels your muscles and your body to keep on pushing forward. I highly recommend you try this product as it has done wonders for me, and is also used my almost everyone that competes in half and full Ironmans.

Although I will heed you one warning DO NOT try and take this product for the first time come race day. Never try something for the first time race day, whether it be nutrition or a day routine. Changes in your workout plan need to be tested first a couple of time in practice before emulating it in the race. The last thing you need come race day is for this not to still well with you. As taking gel or any type of food on the go is something that needs to mastered in your workouts first. This gel is also kind of thick in texture so you should have some sort of drink to wash it down with after.

Just for what is it worth, apple cinnamon tastes like apple pie filling and I have found it to be the most delicious and easiest to consume. Leave a comment and tell us what you favorite flavor is and why!

For more information check them out at:

www.hammernutrition.com

Preparing For Your Open Water Swim

Worried about how your transition to mass open water starts is going to be? There are a couple of things that come race day you should have practiced and prepared for. One of the most frightening parts of swimming open water is the fact that in most races you will never be able see more than inches underneath you in the water. For most pool swimmers we are used to seeing the bottom of the pool and knowing that it is there. Having the ability to use the bottom of the pool and the lines to keep us straight. One of the best ways to prepare yourself for this open water condition if you can not readily practice in one, is to swimming in a lap pool with your eyes closed for 6 or 7 strokes at a time to get use to swimming straight without the guidance of the bottom of the pool.

How to Guide Yourself Straight in Open Water

In open water swimming you need to be conscience of the fact that you don't have that pool line at the bottom of the pool to guide your way. The last thing you want to do is swim zig-zag in open water because a 1/2 mile swim will very quickly turn into a 3/4 mile swim. This is why i suggest that ever 25 yds in a pool you practice lifting your head out of the water to look in front of you. This can be done using a water polo stroke (freestyle swim with head out of water) or doing a breaststroke pull or two. Then when swimming open water to proceed to left your head out of the water around the same length of time. This will allow you to address the situation ahead of you and allow you to make sure your still on course. Also giving you and out every now and again from the dark water. I have one tactic i like to use all the time. That is to find someone who is swimming the same pace as me and swim parallel with him/her. If they are going straight and in the right direction then so are you. Although i don't highly recommend using just this method, as if the person you are swimming with is swimming the wrong way then so are you.

How to Approach the Mass Start

You need to also be prepare for the mass start which maybe anywhere from 30-1000+ people you may be hopping in the water with. Unless you are very confident about your abilities as an open swimmer I would suggest that you start anywhere from the end to the middle of the pack. Even if you have to wait 10 seconds for everyone to get into the water, being 10 seconds behind is must better then be swallowed up by the pack if you are too slow of a swimmer. In the long run this is saves you time and energy if you swim in a less dense area that you are more comfortable with.

How to Deal with Mid-Race Problems

Sometimes during a race your goggles my fill up with water, you may get panicked, or you may just need to rest some. If that is the case just get you head out of the water and do some breaststroke or backstroke. I found that a quick roll over to your back in order to fix your goggles or some other problem you may have is the quickest and most effective way of fixing a problem mid-race. It is good to practice this in the pool as well, instead of stopping on the edge really fast to fix a problem, try and practice doing while on your back doing a flutter kick. Then roll back over on your side when you are ready to go again.

What to do When Cramping, Panic or Fatigue Happens

Cramps, fatigue and panic do happen sometimes when swimming out in the open water. Since most races you can not reach the bottom normally stop mid race is not a option as you have no place to do so. Most races will allow you to either stop in a shallow spot on the side and/or they will allow you to hold onto one of the lifeguards floatation devices as long as you are not propelled forward. So if fear of finishing is your problem remember while your in there that you have a safety personal that is there to assist you if need be.

My Golden Rule

My number one golden rule when it comes to open water swimming is DO NOT kill yourself the first minute in the water. There is no reason to waste all your energy fighting to get past others if you are not the strongest of swimmers. Take it easy when you get in, it is a race but you don't want to burn yourself out in the first minute then find yourself fight to stay afloat at the very end.

Remember open water swimming is just like pool swimming just without walls as long as you can swim the distance you set out to do you will be fine. Don't get yourself all worked up, take a deep breathe before you get in and swim like you always do, just with a couple extra swimmers.

As I will continue to do, I ask you my fellow triathletes to post comments, ideas, questions, and answers.

Try 4 Dummies

As the bio says this blog primary geared for newbies to amateurs. Not all of us get paid to workout, so you shouldn't expect to hit the ground running the same way they do. We race to finish, we race to have fun, we race to stay in shape. This blog understands that and is geared towards you weekend warriors. Triathlons are very social places and I would like this blog to be as well. So feel free to leave comments, advice, or just random chit chat. As I would like to have a strong sense of community here.