FEATURES
Dreadmill Benefits...
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Friday, 27 February 2015 00:10
Coach Brett Sutton calls the treadmill the number one improvement tool for weak runners and shares a staple workout to try.
By Brett Sutton (triathlon.competitor.com)
When it comes to treadmill training it seems that people are split into two camps with no grey area in between. You either love it or you hate it. I have trained people from both sides of the fence.
So while the treadmill was used sparingly for an athlete like Chrissie Wellington, I have used it intensively for nearly every Olympic-distance triathlete’s preparation since 1997: Siri Lindley, Jackie Gallagher, Emma Snowsill and Loretta Harrop are all names that spring to mind, with Loretta doing almost all of her work exclusively on the treadmill.
This week I put the current Olympic champion, Nicola Spirig, through her paces on the treadmill using the exact same set that I used with the men’s bronze medalist, Jan Rehula, at the Sydney Olympics 15 years ago....
Futural Tri Innovations...
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Thursday, 26 February 2015 00:10
This sport has always been at the forefront of gear innovation. But there’s room for even bigger thinking.
By Jesse Thomas * (triathlon.competitor.com)
Despite somehow snaking my way through two Stanford mechanical engineering degrees, I always considered myself half an engineer. I loved the “big picture” phase of problem identification and initial design. But my interest waned in the nitty-gritty detailed analysis and manufacturing optimization required to actually bring a product to market. I could survive the numbers, but I was a lot better at the pictures.
So when I joined my first startup out of college with a few friends, I kept myself mostly on the pictures side—and let the guys that handed me my ass in thermodynamics do the real engineering. Until one unfortunate day, I overheard a conversation about a “pump problem on the hydrogen generator,” and had an idea....
Marathon Before Ironman? Jen Says 'No'....
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Wednesday, 25 February 2015 00:10
By Jen Rulon (jenrulon.com)
It is December and it is off-season triathlon training. A lot of athletes will do a variety of activities during their off-season: mountain biking, lift weights (YES!), yoga, mobility work and run a marathon. Here is a conversation between a coach and their athlete, who is doing their 1st Ironman:
Athlete: “I am going to do a marathon before I do my Ironman.”
Coach: ”OK. Why?”
Athlete: “I want to see how fast I can go and run the distance.”
Coach: “Do you think you can run your best alone marathon time after you swam and bike in your Ironman? I don’t believe Christian Bustos* did that in Kona in 1992.” ...
Using My Superpowers For Good...
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Tuesday, 24 February 2015 00:10
By Jen Wilson
Triathlon is a pretty selfish sport. Not the triathletes themselves; they are in fact some of the most generous, caring, compassionate people I have ever met. But it is an individual sport, so it’s all about “me”. We are always striving for a new personal record, scheduling life and family around our training, sinking obscene amounts of money into gear, equipment, race entries, training, nutrition… All to keep improving ourselves and get a few seconds faster. But we love it and nothing can compare to that sense of accomplishment we feel when we cross that finish line.
I raced my first Ironman in September, 2014. It was an amazing year of training, with some great races leading up to Ironman Wisconsin. I was injury free and prepared. I remember sitting at the Welcome Dinner two days before the big race, listening to the presentation by the Ironman Foundation about giving back to the community and I suddenly felt like my training was incomplete. Yes, I was physically and mentally ready to take on 140.6 miles, but I began to wish I would have used my training and race to help others in some way. I am just an average person, but when I finish a race, I feel like I have superpowers. And I wanted to use my superpowers for good.
When my husband and I decided to sign up for Ironman Wisconsin 2015, the first thing that went through my mind (after the initial I-can’t-believe-I’m-doing-this-again panic) was this year, it’s not going to be just about me. I am taking on this amazing feat, and if I can use it to someway help others, then that will be the icing on my Ironman cake. (For the record, Ironman is NOT a piece of cake). It wasn’t hard for me to pick which...
Balancing Parentling With Triathlon...
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Monday, 23 February 2015 06:10
ED. Posted with the permission of Kort and Midwest Events. This story originally appeared in MWE's 2015 Women's Annual.
By Kortney Haag
Believe it or not, life as an athlete does not end after having children. I myself have become a better athlete after having my two boys and actually raced just eight weeks after having my second child. In this article I wanted to provide Moms (and Dads) with easy realistic ways to stay in shape and hit those personal records while not forgetting about your children, spouse, friends and yourself!
I thought it would be helpful to have different advice from moms with young children to moms with older children and asked my friends and competitors who are moms on top of their game in the triathlon scene! ...
