FEATURES
Not an Ironman...
-
Tuesday, 31 March 2015 01:10
There’s more to triathlon than the M-dot, writes Jesse Thomas. (triathlon.competitor.com)
By Jesse Thomas
When I tell people that I’m a professional triathlete, the first question I usually get is: “Have you done THE IRONMAN?” Most people mean one of two things—either “an” Ironman, or “the” Ironman, the one they see on NBC from Kona that’s kind of a big deal.
Of course, my answer is no. As much as it may surprise my dozens of loyal readers, I haven’t done an Ironman. And while I’m a proud two-time finisher of the Kona Underpants Run, I’ve been unable to sell the rights to my hairy-chested tighty whities to NBC.
And answering “no” always saddens me a bit. Not because I haven’t done an Ironman, but because something in the question, or the tone or the look I get when I respond “no,” makes me feel like I need to justify why I haven’t done an Ironman....
Women of Yesteryear...
-
Monday, 30 March 2015 01:10
Photo - Two-time Minnesota Triathlete of the Year, Wendy Woods-Peterson.
Women of Yesteryear - Back on March 17, MTN published a story about several of the men who represented Team Minnesota prior to 2010, but who haven't been racing locally since then. The point was to not forget those who set the standards in an earlier era. Many of those athletes were true pioneers.
Today we drop some names of the women who rocked the Minnesota scene, and earned spots on Team Minnesota, in the first decade of this century but haven't raced in at least the last five years.
CINDI BANNINK - Ranked 4th on Team Minnesota in 2005, Cindi relocated to Wisconsin in 2006 and immediately established herself as her state's top female amateur. In 2010, Bannink finished 2nd overall at Nationals and earned a USAT AOY HM.
MELANIE CARVELL - A true multisport pioneer, this loveable North Dakotan made at least two editions of Team Minnesota, the last being in 2005. Her book, "Running with the Antelope," published in 2014, is awesome.
MARLO CROSBY - Winner of numerous MMAs, Marlo was ranked #1 on Team Minnesota in 2006....
To Beard. Or Not to Beard....
-
Saturday, 28 March 2015 01:10
By Eric Turner (eturnertri.com)
Race day is coming next week and it will be my first shot at 70.3 distance. With all the press lately about the power savings just from shaving your legs I am now torn on shaving my beard or not. Here’s some of the back story/pro’s and con’s.
I have had a beard for almost 5 years, shaving with a razor only once when my beloved Blackhawks won the cup. Other than that it has just been some trimming here and there (mostly there). My girlfriend has only seen me without a beard that one time, and she almost broke up with me for shaving (she loves the beard, she’s cool like that). Now I have been trying to get races to add a bearded division for those of us brave enough to race bearded, but have not had much luck, so here I am debating.
Now the benefits are pretty obvious. There’s the aero data that came out about shaving your legs, so I am going to guess shaving the beard would only increase my aerodynamics. There’s also the heat factor, it’s looking like temps around 85 or 90 for race day? I did a track workout this morning and the beard was hot…real hot....
Fitness Misinformation Stuff...
-
Wednesday, 25 March 2015 01:10
Every social media outlet is seemingly flooded with “fitspiration”, “thinspiration” and everything in between lately. You can’t go on Facebook or Pinterest now without noticing a text war revolving around thigh gaps and images of “real women”. But how many of these arguments are rooted in real fact and not just hurt feelings? Are these images and sayings really motivational or simply bulls**t? Are they inspiring people to push past their reasonable physical limits, or are people’s self-image just so delicate that they can’t take a bit of “tough love”? Kevin Moore had a lot to say on this topic and wanted to share it with our community. Kevin is an experienced Pilates instructor, movement therapist and martial artist – and someone we hope to see more of on the HiitBlog in the days to come.
By Kevin Moore (hiit-blog.dailyhiit.com)
The 6 Most Shockingly Irresponsible “Fitspiration” Photos
I have been planning a blog post for a while on fitness misinformation, and it was originally going to be the same kind of thoughtful deconstruction found in my other installments. But then I read this and it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever found in my newsfeed: so beautiful, in fact, that the rest of the health and fitness propaganda floating around Facebook like turds in a pool started to really, really piss me off....
Is Fitness More Important Than Technique?
-
Sunday, 22 March 2015 01:10
By Lance Watson (home.trainingpeaks.com)
Is fitness more important than technique for the new triathlon swimmer? The definitive answer to this question is, of course, it depends! In fact, many swim coaches will prescribe both within their swim sets.
As a triathlon swim coach I have the opportunity to see many types of swimmers as they join our group. Some are adults who swam a lot in their youth, either at the local pool, competitively on a high school swim team, or even in college. They may have been out of the water for 15 to 20 years and put on a few extra pounds, but as a coach, right away you know they can swim. Their technique may be a little rusty, and they may be out of breath after 50 yards but in a month or so they will be back making waves with their lane mates....
