FEATURES

Fueling Your Winter Workouts...

Monday, 24 November 2014 00:10

By Chris Carmichael (triathlon.competitor.com)

Let’s face it—the stretch from Halloween through New Year’s is a minefield of dietary indiscretions. It’s hard to avoid packing on a few extra pounds with everyone shoving high-sugar, high-fat foods in your face. And to make matters worse, most triathletes significantly decrease their training volume in these same months—what I call the “soft season,” the exercise space that falls between full-fledged training and being a couch potato.

It’s during this season that our coaches often scale back their triathletes’ training sessions to one workout per day, with a goal of two to three sessions per sport per week. In most cases, especially for time-crunched athletes and those not preparing for iron-distance goals, weekday workouts run about 45–90 minutes with longer sessions on the weekends...

Then & Now Revealed: Part II...

Saturday, 22 November 2014 06:10

Part II of a two-part post. Post I appeared on Friday.

Pic #1 is of #6-ranked KORTNEY HAAG. Seriously cute, huh! In 2014, Haag lived-up to the potential she displayed in 2008, when she was Rookie of the Year, and 2009, when she won the Most Improved award and placed 2nd on Team MInnesota. In the intervening years she had to contend with injuries and childbirth.

Kort won three half IMs last season and more than one Committee member was disappointed that she wasn't ranked higher than 6th....

What Did You Learn About Yourself in '14?

Saturday, 22 November 2014 00:10

By Chris Janzen (for Active.com)

After months of training hard and racing harder, it's tempting to quickly switch into offseason mode and turn your attention to new activities.

But before you pack up the bike and put away the swim fins, you owe it to yourself to thoroughly review what happened (and what didn't) during the race season. This allows you to build on your recent experiences and create an even more rewarding, faster and successful triathlon season next time.

The trap that many triathletes fall into is focusing on just the race results. Win or not? PR or not? Allowing your success to be determined solely by the finish line clock or your ranking is not fair to all the effort and time you invested. You deserve more credit than that.

Here are nine critical, but often overlooked, steps to effectively evaluating your triathlon season — or more accurately, to evaluating yourself during your triathlon season. These nine questions will help give you additional insight and help you to realize more of your potential going forward.

NOTE: Answer these questions in writing. Be very honest. Get specific in your points.....

Who's Who Revealed...

Thursday, 20 November 2014 06:10

THEN & NOW - PIc #9 was of America's premier amateur triathlete, HEATHER LENDWAY. A two-time National champion and reigning World champ, in 2014 HL won twelve races, tying Cathy Yndestad's state record. Since taking up the sport, Lendway has won 22 of the 26th triathlons she has raced in. She is expected to get her pro license soon....

Off-Season Marathons: Good or Bad Idea?

Thursday, 20 November 2014 00:10

Your guide to whether you should tackle 26.2 this winter.

By Jene' Shaw (triathlon.competitor.com)

Training for a marathon can be a motivating way to get through the darker months, but given the high risk of injury and need for downtime after a full racing season, it’s not appropriate for everyone. The guidelines below will help you determine whether you should lace up your sneakers, or just relax and do some yoga.

It’s A Good Idea If …
» You have experience with continuous high-volume training.

» You’re burned out on multisport and looking for a new focus....