FEATURES
Get Over It!
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Saturday, 25 July 2015 00:10
UPDATES: ZITUR three-peated at WALKER TRI this morning. HOSCH trashed the men's CR. RESULTS
Guess who won the HOOT LAKE TRIATHLON today? We'll give you some hints. He's a local guy who's won the race several times before. His name rhymes with JAVID DENSEN. RESULTS
By Duncan Larkin (triathlon.competitor.com)
Ask any Olympian about their experiences competing at the top of his or her sport and it’s a good bet they’ll not only mention the highs of their career, but also the lows.
Even elite athletes are human beings and being human means having to deal with setbacks. For endurance athletes, whether you’re an elite athlete or an aspiring age-group competitor, lows usually come in the form of a bad race or terrible workout that fell far short of expectations. It’s when we let these bad experiences fester that training and racing can go from something that brings us joy and peace to something that makes us feel irritated, stressed or even depressed.
Next time you have a race or workout that doesn’t go as planned, employ these tried-and-true tips from elite-level athletes to move past an unplanned setback....
Psychological Recovery...
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Friday, 24 July 2015 00:10
By Molly Breslin (usatriathlon.org)
Unfortunately, most of us have experienced an illness or an injury that has sidelined us from our athletic pursuits. It's challenging enough to deal with these events from a physical standpoint. Managing the psychological aspects of the recovery process is just as important as managing the physical ones and can make or break your return to optimum athletic performance.
We all talk about the rational mind — but the mind can be terribly irrational when dealing with events that have emotional components to them. Triathlon isn't just swim, bike and run with a bunch of gear, training plans, race dates and entry fees. It's something we've committed to, it gives us purpose, makes us happy, diminishes our stress, and provides a social network....
Understanding Recovery...
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Saturday, 18 July 2015 00:10
NOTE: Results links for OUTLAND CHALLENGE - LINK. A link to PAUL BUNYAN results will be posted here and on the Results Page as soon as they are available.
By Krista Austin (triathlon.competitor.com)
Triathletes often believe that integrating a few recovery days into a long training buildup is enough to allow the body to rebuild and reap the benefits of hard training days. But even if your muscles feel OK after a few rest days, these short periods of rest are not sufficient on their own.
Let’s consider the science behind your training: The nervous system can be highly taxed during a period of hard training as the brain controls muscle function. As a result, the body requires regular, extended periods of rest to restore the neuromuscular system. Most athletes can handle approximately two and a half to three weeks of a progressive training load before requiring a restoration period of approximately seven days (aka a recovery week)....
Zero Regrets....
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Friday, 10 July 2015 00:10
ED. We found the following words on Facebook yesterday and immediately sought permission to repost. This is from Sean Kaneski, who is a Minnesota multisport pioneer.
A quick note of thanks to all of the LAMS members who energetically signed up for IMOO last fall. It was very cool to see everyone pushing themselves to do one of these challenging and rewarding events. It was so inspiring that it enticed me to jump back in after over a decade break from racing IM's.
After signing up for IMOO last fall, I embarked on probably the most intensive off-season training regimen that I have ever done and it went very well. My body held up through it all with no injuries. Right now, training is going as well as it ever has - I have reached and surpassed every benchmark that I had set for swimming, biking and running.... I am confident that at 43 I am well on track to meet or surpass what I accomplished when did my last IM at 31. Further, I am loving every minute of training and remember why I love this sport....
Dialing in That Hydration Thing...
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Saturday, 04 July 2015 00:10
By Brooke Schohl (usatriathlon.org)
You’ve seen it before — the overzealous athlete chugging a gallon of water race morning. Is this necessary? Safe? Recommended? In the midst of summer and scorching temperatures, it’s tempting to overdo it with fluids. But be careful! Overhydrating can lead to hyponatremia, when blood sodium levels become diluted. As a result, your body’s water levels rise, and cells begin to swell. As you can guess, this isn’t a good situation.
On the flipside — dehydration is incredibly dangerous as well. Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluids than you take in. Vigorous exercise, especially in hot or humid weather, expedites fluid loss through sweat. This condition can be mild to moderate, or severe. Mild/moderate symptoms include a dry mouth, tiredness, thirst, decreased urine output, dry skin, headache, constipation and dizziness. Severe dehydration takes a more drastic turn with warning signs like little to no urination, extreme...
